New Years Eve & 2013 Review

My New Years dates and it's only 9pm.

This year has been eventful. There have been trials, but there has been a lot of good memories that we won't forget.

• We took lots of trips - Cayman Islands, New York City, San Diego, Las Vegas, Utah, Arkansas, and Branson Missouri.
• We saw a lot of great artists in concert - Yo Gabba Gabba Live, Muse, Mumford & Sons.
• Zander turned 3, finally got potty trained, started preschool, participated in swimming and soccer, and is growing too fast!
• Devin got a promotion at work, started working out and lost 20 lbs, went white water rafting, and started to learn how to play the guitar.
• I said goodbye to my twenties, (finally) got pregnant, continued to grow out my hair, and celebrated 2 years at work.
• Baby Merrill is on it's way. I hope for a girl and Devin is hoping for a boy. We will see who wins in February.

Christmas

Christmas Eve at the Mesa Temple for Temple Lights

Christmas morning feeding the homeless in downtown Phoenix

Encanto Park

Nan with her 5 great grandsons - Jayden, Zander, Tage, Chanson, and Grayson

When Devin was a little boy, he visited Encanto Park with his cousins to ride the train. Fast forward 25 years and we are doing the same thing with Zander and his cousins. On the Merrill side, the first five grand kids are boys. Devin is #4 in that line up and loved growing up with boy cousins as he never got a brother of his own. The next generation of Merrill grand kids also has five grandsons. Zander is #2. Hopefully he will have a brother in the future, but I'm happy that he has a bunch of cousins around his age.

Ward Christmas Breakfast

The Ashley Heights Ward held breakfast with Santa this year. Zander was so excited to see the big guy in red which is different from previous years where he was completely terrified and cried. It's been great to experience this holiday season through the eyes of a 3 year old where everything is magical and special.

Nan pulled off her wig tonight and frightened Zander. After a while he thought it was funny so he tried it on.

Pregnancy Diaries - 7 Weeks

I had my first ultrasound today. I was a bit nervous as my first ultrasound for my last pregnancy is where we found out that our little baby did not have a heartbeat. I have been nervous for the past few weeks for this appointment to hurry up and happen. While I started feeling nauseous last week, I hoped it was a good indicator that the baby was still hanging out in my belly. The anticipation was numbing. I waited through a full day of work and drove to the appointment with many thoughts in my head. It wasn't until I saw this perfect picture that I cried tears of joy. I could see our little peanut and hear a strong beating heart.  I still have a few weeks before I let the baby secret out, but I'm hoping and praying that we will get to meet this little one in July.

I'm 30!

I feel like I blinked and the first 30 years have flown by. This year has been full of trials, but I wouldn't change any of it. I love my life and my family. I'm so excited about our new baby. I feel confident and beautiful and ready to tackle this next decade of my life.

Another Friday at the office for Devin

Grand Canyon First Timers

With family in town, I took a few days off work to show them around Arizona. With Zander and my mum, we took a road trip to Sedona, Flagstaff, and the Grand Canyon.

For our first day, we traveled up to Sedona. Moira and Aunty were amazed at the Red Rocks. We stopped at the Chapel of the Holy Cross, Tlaquepaque, and Oak Creek Canyon before stopping in Flagstaff for the night. On day two, we traveled up to the Grand Canyon. It was Mum, Aunty, and Zander's first time to this natural wonder. I actually took Moira to both of these places back in 2004 when she visited me while I was at NAU. On our last day, we toured around Flagstaff and NAU. The foreigners loved to shop so we had to stop at the mall.

The trip was so memorable. I'm so glad that I was able to spend a few days with them even though this was when my morning sickness started.