Happy Anniversary to Mommy & Daddy

I was a tad under the weather this past weekend so we decided to postpone our anniversary dinner. We had a nice quiet dinner at home instead. For the first time, Merit saw our rehearsal dinner and wedding video. He really loved seeing me and JP when we were little. His reaction to seeing the pictures was priceless. JP bought me flowers and he picked up take-out. It was a great night. And, now I have a nice dinner to look forward to this coming weekend!

 

Cute Turkey Pumpkin!

We made the cutest turkey pumpkin this year. I drew some feathers on fall colored construction paper, a turkey head, two wings, a beak, a waddle and two googly eyes. Merit loved watching this turkey come together! What a fun Saturday craft!

 

Visiting Aunt Nancy's House

On Friday we went to Aunt Nancy's house to see her beautiful fall decorations and Max of course. Merit really liked running through Nancy's yard and playing ball with Max. He also enjoyed seeing Nancy's beautiful seashell collection. Aunt Nancy sent us home with a nice aloe vera plant so we can grow some of our own. She has a ton of it growing really well in her yard. Merit can't wait to go back to Aunt Nancy's house!

 

Lookin' Handsome!

This cutie was in desperate need to a haircut. His hair grows fast just like Mommy's hair. He is usually very still and well behaved for the stylist but today he was a bit silly. :) His favorite part of getting his haircut is me letting him pick out a sucker when he's done.

 

Fun Day with Daddy!

Merit and Daddy got to hang out together on Monday while I went to teach my two classes. Ms. Brenda was feeling a bit under the weather so she couldn't keep her kiddos. I loved the pictures JP sent me throughout the day! They had a great day together and I enjoyed my day knowing they were getting in some one on one time.

 

Growing Up

Some impromptu pics that turned out way too cute. Merit likes to climb in and around our trees. I ran in the house to grab my camera. He's so stinkin' photogenic!

 

Election Party with Mimi!

We thought it would be fun to have a little "Election Night" party with Mimi. Daddy is working out of town this week. :( We don't like it when he's gone. However, we do get to spend extra time with Mimi and that's always fun! So Mimi brought over strawberries and I made a chocolate dipping sauce and put some powdered sugar in a bowl. Merit thought this was a fantastic treat! He couldn't get enough and kept asking for more! So, the results weren't what we had hoped for but our family will continue to pray for our leader and our nation.

 

First Time Spending the Night Away from Mommy & Daddy!

Merit has been asking for quite some time now if he can spend the night with Mimi sometime soon. Mimi of course couldn't wait for this to happen! When I told Merit that we had decided he could spend the night with my mom he was beyond excited. He immediately started gathering all of his things. There were a ton of items he wanted to bring with him. He packed, lady bug pillow, bear pillow, both snuggies, dinosaur blanket, blue blanket, 10 cars, and a few movies. Really it looked like he was going to be moving in with Mimi. It was hilarious. He was so happy on the way there. Mommy & Daddy both took him. :) I have to be honest and admit that I was fighting back the tears as I was helping him pack his things and on the ride over to my mom's place. It was truly bittersweet. I was really filled with joy because he wasn't scared or hesitant to spend the night away from home, but I was also sad because it was such a reality to me that he is really growing up. So, we drove away and discussed where to eat and what movie to watch. We had a nice evening at home, just the two of us, with no distractions. I think we will definitely be doing this again soon! :)

 

Leaf Printing

We had so much fun with this craft! We picked out some really pretty leaves from our yard and then some pretty fall paints for the project. It was easy and Merit really loved seeing his finished pieces!

 

Cookies for Daddy!

Merit has really become such a good little helper. He can be very particular too. His job for these cookies was to pick out three M&M's or Reese's to press into the top of each cookie. He was really proud of his work and couldn't wait to serve one to Daddy. What a cutie!

 

Recipe:

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/11/01/bite-sized-peanut-butter-pretzel-mm-cookies/

My healthy modifications:

I lightened these by using PB2 instead of regular peanut butter. I also used half the amount of butter by replacing the other half with 1/3 less fat cream cheese. I always use light butter instead which also really cuts back on the fat content. They turned out amazing!