Buckelew Farm

Before Halloween, we took a trip out to Buckelew Farm (a pumpkin patch west of Tucson) along with some friends. Sadie and Naomi picked out their own little pumpkins, enjoyed all the animals in the 4-H animal enclosure, and got to ride on a horse-drawn trailer. The highlight, was probably their ride in a wheelbarrow!

Ladybug Naomi

This was Naomi's Halloween costume last year, but it happens to still fit her. She's been wearing it for days, over regular clothes and even occasionally over her pajamas as seen below!

Fish Stickers

Naomi got a strip of sea-themed stickers at a birthday party recently, and she decided to put them on her tummy. All of them. Not one to waste anything, we also pulled off the outline of the stickers and stuck that on her knee. This provided entertainment for an unbelievable amount of time!

Edward's new baby

I thought we should all celebrate the new addition! It's a Yamaha U-1, and I can't wait to get my hands on it. Unfortunately, Edward has now realized how many of his music books are on my shelves...

Bonus points to anyone who can identify the open score on the piano.

Halloween window decorations

Grandma Merrell sent some Halloween window decorations, and Naomi has had a great time with them! She positions them, surveys her work, and repositions. You can be anywhere in the house and ask her where the cat is, and she'll go right to these decorations.

Lunch Party with Teddy Bear

Notice Teddy Bear is wearing a bib - Naomi added that touch herself (but howled for help when she couldn't quite get it on without assistance).

First fat lip!

We were playing a game of chase today when Naomi tripped and smacked her mouth on the tile. The result? A little blood and her first fat lip! Our tough little girl got wiped up and was back to running and yelling "Chase!" within a minute.

I found a fun picture!

Here is a shot of Naomi and Lindsey (a friend from the Tucson Moms group) on a swing/teeter totter combo at My Gym. They both loved it and stayed on it for ages!

Hanging out

Naomi likes to hang out doing whatever we are doing these days. Here we stretched out on the couch, but with her energy level, we didn't stay there for long! (No, it isn't an exciting picture, but it's the only recent one that hasn't been posted...I am slacking in my picture taking!)

Triathlon

My second triathlon was September 9th at Yuba Lake (in Utah). We had a good time camping with my parents. I was sure Naomi would cry half the night and keep all the triathletes awake (although that could have been a defensive strategy, hmm...), but she did great and conked right out! She also enjoyed running around lots, the tent, and the yummy hot chocolate Grandpa made over the campfire.

In the pictures, you can see the swim start. Everyone got whacked a lot, but that's how it goes! The swim was tough - it was 1/2 mile. In the pool that's no big deal, but since this was basically my second time really swimming in open water, I struggled more than I thought I would. And I stopped on the bike leg to donate my spare tube and the use of my tire pump to another biker...and waited and waited and waited while he took forever trying to change the flat. Overall it was a good experience, though, and I look forward to my next one.

Naomi loves backpacks!

As the title says, she loves the things. She loves to wear them, and she loves the word ("BahPah, BahPah"). While Matt was in CO for a conference, Val and Naomi got to stay in Monroe and play. With a backpack.

Family Picture

'Nuff said...

After the big ride

We got to see lots of Val's family a few weeks ago and are just now getting pictures posted. One of the fun things we got to do was ride bikes down a river trail. It was fun, and pretty relaxed, and we got breakfast at the end of the ride. Unfortunately, by then the sun was out and beating down, leading everyone to cower in the shade of the bike-transporter (horse-trailer).

Socks with bells

While we were in WA visiting Matt's family, one of Naomi's favorite things to do was stand on this stool, and watch their cat Raja through the front window. One day, we found these socks with little bells sewn in, which resulted in this great photo-op.

Painting with the neighbors

Occasionally when Naomi and I are bored, we head over to the neighbor's house to see what craziness is going on over there. Sammy (age 5) and Caleb (age 3) are always good entertainment. On this fun day, they were painting with sidewalk paint, so we joined right in!

Merrell family pic

Here's a picture we took in Washington, moments before Kenny and Echo headed back to Utah.

Day in Seattle with Shane, Amy, and Sahara Watts

We got to spend a few hours in Seattle with Shane, Amy, & Sahara Watts, and here are some fun pictures! We tromped through Pike Place Market, wandered along the wharf, chased seagulls, and ended up at the children's playground in REI.

More about that trip to WA!

I never finished my posts about our trip to Washington! Here are some more fun pictures:

1. Grandma Merrell and Naomi doing what Naomi loves - gardening!

2. Kenny letting Brittany do all the work on the tandem bicycle

3. Naomi relentlessy following Rajah (the cat) around the house and even outside

The Zoo in Tacoma!

Naomi enjoyed her first visit to the zoo. There was much to see! Here are a few fun pictures.

Misc pics from WA

More pictures from our trip to Washington! Grandma Merrell feeding Naomi a fudgesicle, Naomi and Nolan in their camp chairs, and Nolan wondering why Naomi is stuffing her shoe full of grass.

Mariners game

I'll be posting several times about our Washington trip. Here you can see some pictures of us at the Mariners game. Naomi had a good time at the game, complete with cheering, watching all the crazy people, dancing, and "borrowing" the foam fingers from the girls sitting behind us.

Party at My Gym!

My Gym is a definite favorite of ours. It's a place similar to Gymboree or J.W. Tumbles, a kid's gym. They have all kinds of fun activities for the kids - trampolines, mass bubble producers, mazes, slides, ball bins, etc. The first time we went, Naomi 's clear favorite was walking on a plank that had been propped up into an incline. The things that entertain that kid!! They keep changing the set-up, so there is a different arrangement and more fun activities every time we go.

Pedicure, please!

Matt is Naomi's personal pedicurist (and manicurist, for that matter), available any day of the week. Of course, Naomi's not always into the the whole nail-trimming thing, but he's usually able to hold her attention for long enough spurts to get the job done!

Hair in the air

Another post-nap picture...she's a beauty, isn't she? (See next post for why her hair looks like this!)

Those adorable pigtails!

I occasionally put serious effort into getting Naomi contained (usually in her high chair) and entertained for a few minutes so I can do something fun with her hair. We love pigtails, and Naomi usually leaves them in now! However, they almost always come out during naptime. As you can see in the first picture, even when the rubber band comes out, the hair remains in the air! In the second picture, Naomi's hair has settled down a little more, into what I call her ragamuffin look. I wonder if people realize it looks like that no matter what I do!