Sisters

A couple weeks before Layla was born I had a tired, hormonal break down about adding another child into our family.

The rational, objective side of me knew that a baby was going to be an incredible addition to our family. Also, there aren’t many gifts you can offer a child better than a sibling.

The very, very pregnant side of me though had a sudden realization we were about to RUIN Macklyn’s life.  Her whole life it had been just me and her- BFF’s.  She’d never had to share my time and energy with anyone ever, and now she was about to split it always.  Why would we do that to my little girl?! What is wrong with us????!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Of course, that was all ridiculous.  Macklyn couldn’t wait for her sister to get here and she wants nothing more than to just make Layla happy.  She talks non-stop about her sister (not “Layla” or “the baby”, almost always “my sister”) and asks everyone we meet if they “want to meet my sister?”.  

I was worried about Macklyn having to share her mom but she is constantly trying to make me give Layla more attention: “Mom! My sister is hungry! Please feed her!” or “Mom! My sister is crying.  Pleeeeeese just help her!”  That baby never cries for longer than five seconds before Macklyn starts questioning my parenting.

Mack is also spends a lot of time encouraging Layla.  “It’s ok, sister.  When you have teeth you can eat bread too!” I don’t think I have ever witnessed such a pure love.

If it were up to Mack these two would never be apart.

“Mom, Layla is sleeping in your bed? I’m going to sleep in there too.”

“We’ll nap better if we snuggle”

“Can my sister just sleep here in my bed? The blankets won’t suffocate her and I will not roll over her!” (we have to cover a lot of safety topics in our house)

We recently got a little wagon for me to lug child supplies around in, but Macklyn thinks we got it for her to take Layla on walks.  She feels like such a grown up pulling Layla to the playground without any help.

“I’m just going to see if she is warm enough”

I’m so grateful I get to have these two girls as my daughters and that I get to watch their friendship develop.  Daryl and I are blessed beyond what we could ever imagine.

Splash Pad

When Lexi lived in Payson we would usually see her every day.  When she moved to Alpine we agreed that when newborn life mellowed out a little bit we would make an effort to see each other once a week.  I would go up there one week and she would come here the next.

Lexi scouted out a splash pad for us to play at and we decided that would be a fun outing. It took us FOREVER to get there (Macklyn keeps changing her clothes, Layla keeps pooping every where- I’m not a professional at getting two kids out of the house yet) but we eventually made it and it was great.

We had invited a couple other friends to join us at the splash pad but no one else was able to make it.  I am so grateful Macklyn isn’t shy because she was able to have a fun time with all the kids there even though they were complete strangers.

While Macklyn was running around having fun, the babies slept under the umbrella.  We are starting the cousin sleep overs early!

Lexi and I sat on the grass with the babies where we could easily see Macklyn.  Every once and a while Macklyn would come over to check in and make sure we were keeping the babies cool enough.  Have I mentioned she thinks she is a little mom herself?

After a long, fun time playing in the water we were melting in the sun and decided to start the walk back to Lexi’s apartment.  Macklyn was starting to get tired which meant her self discipline was on a steep decline. After we stop for snow cones and she accidentally knocked mine over (“Mom, I just wanted to try it.  You said wait, but I couldn’t!”) and almost had to be carried home because she decided she was done walking, I decided she needed to take a nap before I took her home.

Macklyn wasn’t happy about being in the crib (she is a big girl, after all), but eventually she gave in and was 100x more delightful upon waking.  We watched Tarzan 2 before heading home after a fun day.

Poor Macklyn has to deal with us learning the best way to do everything but for the most part she takes it all in stride.  I have some incredible little girls.

It was so fun playing at the new splash pad and we look forward to going back again.  Especially now that we have done it once and know how to make the next time run smoother. Bring on the fun times!

Fourth Fishing

We have been wanting to take Daryl’s rowboat out since Summer started.  We started talking about what we wanted to do for the 4th of July and realized this was the perfect opportunity!

Our friends the Stubbs came to Payson Lakes with us and it was a blast.  I love that Macklyn is older now and can play with little friends.  It has been so fun watching her grow.

Everyone rowing the boat across the Lake

The dads went out first while the girls stayed back on shore with me.  We ate a boatload of pringles and popsicles for energy to get base camp ready.

Once we were full of sugary ice and saturated fats we got to work clearing the rocks away from shore.  We tried to build a sandcastle out of the dirt but the consistency wasn’t quite right- and Macklyn kept accidentally knocking it down.

While the girls worked hard clearing the beach, Layla took it easy napping in the wagon.  Macklyn checked on her constantly to make sure she was staying in the shade. 

Macklyn checking on her sister

We were pretty sure the dads had forgotten about us.  The girls stayed busy collecting small logs and sticks to through in the water.

It is SOOOOO pretty. I love living here.

Well good morning, girlfriend.  Welcome to the party!

  Daryl and Tim finally made it back to show off their fish to the girls. The lake had just been stocked on Wednesday so there were plenty to catch.  Daryl said at the beginning he reeled one in every time he casted.

After hearing about how much fun the fishing was Maklyn and Hally decided they wanted to give it a try too.

Macklyn was pretty excited about getting to hold the fish- until she went to kiss it and it moved.  I wish I had recorded her telling me about it but her version but it sounded like this:

“Me and Dad caught a fish! But then it wobbled and I SCREAMED! I screamed so much, Mom! And then I cried like this *demonstrates crying* so dad sent it home for me and it didn’t wobble anymore! Now I just pet them really soft.”

Everyone came back to gut the fish that couldn’t be thrown back before we went home.  It was such an enjoyable day and I can’t wait to go back!

A week in the life

At the beginning of every week I think “I really am going to get some stuff done around the house this week during our downtime.”

This is an awesome idea- except we never ever have any time that I’m willing to give up for projects.  Seriously.  We are either
-1- Running around like maniacs, or
-2- intentionally enjoying downtime as a family. There is no middle ground. 

Honestly, I’m ok with not always getting my projects done.  My girls will be grown before I know it and looking back I doubt I’ll think “I wish I had done more dishes and stayed on top of the laundry better!”

This week we no different from any others and involved lots of “go go go” and lots of family cuddling.

Sunday the 15th was Father’s Day.  We decided to go on a little walk before church and headed to canal road.  Due to our dogs jumping in the canal and almost getting swept away the walk took way longer than planned and they have been banned from future walks there!

In addition to a picture Macklyn made Daryl, he also received come awesome camping chairs.  We tend to spend a lot of time just sitting in the yard so new camp chairs are welcomed.

I’ve decided it is time to get semi-serious about losing some baby weight so we have been going on a ton of walks lately.  Macklyn usually loves it but Monday she decided she just wasn’t having it and needed a nap.  Since we don’t have a double stroller she decided the storage compartment would do and slept the entire walk back to our car.

Later in the week I took Macklyn to the mall to spend my birthday money.  Shopping with Macklyn takes forever.  What slows us down the most is she still LOVES mannequins.  She has to have her picture taken with every “new friend” we pass.

Besides slowing us down by taking many, many mannequin pictures, shopping at the mall takes a long time because Macklyn is in constant search of the Temple. One of the paths we’ve been walking at home goes past the Payson Temple that is currently under construction.  Now whenever Macklyn sees a gated off area she assumes there is a temple being built behind it and needs to go “check it out”.

Thursday we joined some friends for a fun day at the Museum of Natural Curiosity.  We made a “quick” stop to pick up lunch items before going- and, again, Macklyn made our shopping experience last about 3X longer. Whenever she sees a small container (of anything) she picks it up to show me “It’s just my size, Mom!”

She is lucky I find her shenanigans hilarious.

After a long stop by Walmart we finally made it to the museum and it was a blast! We have been before but it was so much more fun with friends.  Our neighbors came and Macklyn loved running around with them the whole time.

Adrie’s middle name is McKell so she changed the marquee for us and Layla

Friday was Southern Utah County’s Relay for Life.  Because our longboard company donates a portion of each sale to cancer research we wanted a booth.  Macklyn loved that we were at a track and she could run around it all night long.  Then I got her a bounce house pass so she could play with the neighbors and I didn’t see her for a couple hours.

Hanging out at our booth with a couple of our *awesome* employees

Layla hitting the track with me

Macklyn getting a few laps in with us before partying in the bounce house

Notice the bottom of that Mini is GLOWING?!  So cool.

Saturday morning we went to the Payson City Expo to check out the local businesses and see if this is something Madari wanted to participate in. Before checking out the booths we figured we better fuel up on some doughnuts.

Note the Brazil Jersey.  Daryl makes her wear it everyday for the World Cup.

After walking around for hours looking at all the booths to earn raffle tickets (and winning a raffle drawing!) we were ready to nap before heading out for Saturday night.  Family nap time is the best.

After nap time Daryl headed up Provo Canyon for an event with the Madari team for National Skate Day.  Macklyn and Layla obviously weren’t going to longboard Provo Canyon so we decided we would just meet them afterward.

On our way up the Canyon we stumbled upon the Freedom Festival Stars and Stripes event. There were games, face painting, food, and the Sheriff’s office brought ponies!

The plan for Provo Canyon was to go say hi to Daryl and the other riders and then walk to the waterfall.  Unfortunately Layla was hysterical so the walk was out.  I felt bad so I told Macklyn we could stop by the Spanish Fork splash pad on the way home- which was off. Awesome. I felt horrible about getting her hopes up and then crashing them (multiple times) so we got a consolation snow cone. DELICIOUS!

Life is busy and crazy with the Merkley’s but I love it.  Nothing better than spending time with my favorite people.

1 month old

My little tiny baby is one month old! And she isn’t so little anymore- she now weighs 9 lbs 3 oz.  She has lost all her baby bird like features and has filled out into a much sturdier than she was a mere few weeks ago.  It is fabulous as I am not worried her neck is going to snap at any moment.

Layla is starting to smile in her sleep and when she is staring off into space.  I love it. She is already just a happy, lovely girl.  Plus she tolerates all the love Macklyn gives like a champ- life doesn’t get much better.

While she has only been part of our family for a month, it feels like she has always been with us.  I am so grateful she has joined our family and that I have the opportunity to be her mother.

Christmas Time

Christmas is my favorite Holiday in the world. I love it so much! What other holiday is it basically a requirement to be nice to those around you?

We kicked off the holiday celebrations earlier in the month by going to Daryl’s work party. We are so grateful for Daryl’s job. We have great insurance, they do profit sharing (so he gets a bonus every three months), they offer tuition reimbursement… I could go on for a while. This is the perfect job for us while Daryl is working toward his degree.

The “party” would more accurately be defined as dinner and a show. This year’s entertainment included the one man band Preston Pugmire. He would record separate bits of his songs live and play them back while he was singing. Google him, he is awesome.

US Synthetic Christmas Party 2011

Ya, our kid is in a Mrs Clause type outfit- be jealous.

Christmas Eve morning we took the dogs on a drive up the canyon. Daryl got out to scope out some good camping spots for spring and let them run around up there a bit. They loved it! We haven’t been able to take them out as much as we normally like to because it has been so cold so this was like a Christmas present to them 🙂

We bundled Macklyn up super warm for our canyon drive in case we decided to get out. She ended up just staying in the car with me and napping.

Christmas Eve afternoon we spent at Daryl’s mom’s. She made a delicious dinner, we hung out, opened presents, and headed to the theater for our annual Christmas Eve movie. This years movie was “War Horse”- HATED it! It was put together very well but I don’t watch sad shows. Why spend your time watching things that make you sad?! I eventually left because I’m a baby and me and Macklyn hung out on the couches upstairs until it finished. Everyone else seemed to like it and apparently it had a happy ending.

Christmas morning we went to my parent’s home. We opened presents, went to Church, then came back for an awesome lunch that included a honey baked ham. After that a couple of us started “Santa Clause 2” but I think all of us fell asleep during it.

Macklyn’s first Christmas in the outfit my mom bought her

As you can see, she loves Christmas too!

Macklyn made out like a bandit this Christmas. Between all her grandparents she got a high chair, clothes, hair bows, a soft blanket, baby toys, and some books. She also got new born pictures taken back in November as part of her Christmas gifts. This is one spoiled little girl!

I am super excited about her Christmas present from me and Daryl. It is more of a present for us, but she is little and doesn’t know the difference anyways 🙂 We got a sweet baby monitor that comes with a motion detector pad.

Basically the blue pad goes under the mattress and if it doesn’t detect movement (including breathing) for a given amount of time it will set off an alarm so we can check on her. I’m still a little obsessive about the whole SIDS things and check on her 1,000 times while she is sleeping so I’m hoping this will bring some peace of mind.

This unit has some other great features on it too, including a thermometer (alerts you if the room gets too hot or cold) and a night light. Since we are still tricking her into sleeping in her crib I am hoping the soft night light will be bright enough we can see but dim enough it doesn’t wake her up.

We actually decorated a bit this year (last year we did almost nothing) and it was really fun. It is crazy how Christmas lights make your home feel so much more cozy!

We had a great Christmas and are so blessed to have great family and friends close by. Love you all and hope you had a great holiday as well!

Four Weeks Old

Wow, I can’t believe this kid is four weeks old! These four weeks have gone so much faster than the four weeks before that 🙂

She doesn’t listen yet when I say “Look at the Camera” so we had to try with multiple times

That bottom right picture cracks me up.

I can not believe how much her hair has grown already! It hasn’t been falling out which is nice because we can just clip bows in now instead of gluing them. Her roots are coming in quite blonde so I’m sure it will looked silly in a few months.

At her one week doctor appointment she was in the 98th percentile for height but only the 18th for weight. Just a tall, scrawny little thing! She is starting to put on weight and round out a bit now so it will be interesting to see where she is at when she has her next appointment in a few weeks.

All wrapped up in her bunny towel after the bath. She puts up with a lot from us because sometimes we treat her like a little dress up doll.

Wearing Daryl’s hat

Seriously, she has to put up with a lot of nonsense 🙂

My aunt and grandma stopped by while she was up her to see the baby.

Hanging out with my dad watching some Modern Family

Her straight afro just kills me!

Our families and friends have been so supportive of us and help us a ton. If we are ever tired or need a break for a minute Daryl’s mom and my mom are always more than happy to come hang out with her for a bit. Even my sister, who swears she does not like babies, hangs out with her and is positive she is going to become the favorite aunt.

Sometimes we’ll be trying to hangout but she’ll decide she is too tired. She is more cute than fun right now, but that is ok- she has a ton of growing to do! I’d be tired too!

She smiles a lot in her sleep and will even laugh sometimes! It is so funny- I can’t wait for her to do it on purpose 🙂

She is starting to be awake for longer periods of time though and starting to be more alert/aware of her surroundings when she is awake. It is crazy seeing how much she develops physically and mentally from week to week.