Final Count Down

We have an induction scheduled for baby Mindy Jane Merrill on Monday, 1 November (39 weeks)! We opted for a week early induction to cut out the chance of a Cameron-Merrill-Birth-Experience, Part 2. So if she is not here before then--and according to my doctor she could be--she will at least be here by then. I have to admit I feel like I'm cheating nature to tell everyone, "She's going to be born on Monday!"

And these are Tyler's and my Halloween costumes this year. We think they are awesome! They were Tyler's idea. Good work, Tyler!

Check back soon for pictures of our new daughter!

Almost Famous!

My fabulously awesome sister Natalie has struck it big time with her photography! Here is one of her shots on the Urban Outfitters home page!! GO NATALIE!!! She is seriously so talented and I am so happy her years and years of hard work are starting to pay off. Go to the UO blog too to see the rest of the pictures!

You can also admire her other works at these sites:

Natalie Neal Photography
Natalie Neal Photography Blog

Legacy

On August 21, I was able to witness the culmination of over a decade and 1000's of hours of my Dad's hard work. My Dad is the best of both worlds: a dreamer and a doer. People who can both dream big and work hard can do amazing things!

Being inspired by the sacrifices our ancestors made to establish this country and make it great, specifically the troops of the Mormon Battalion, he set out to enshrine their efforts, pay tribute to their legacy, and most importantly remind us of our obligations to them and their efforts today. He started with the no-small-task of constructing two bronze sculptures with 5 people in each. He named the first "Duty Calls" and the second "Duty Triumphs." The first depicts a man being called by Brigham Young to join the Mormon Battalion and embracing the family he is about to leave behind: a wife, little girl and baby boy. The second depicts the ragged, half starved, but proud troops as they finish their 2,000 mile march (the longest single military march in US history!) from Iowa to San Diego, CA.

But he didn't stop there--like I said, my Dad dreams big. He set out on a long and time-consuming journey of his own that culminated in the same pair of sculptures being unveiled in Heritage Park (the "This is the Place Monument" Park), but this time twice life-size!



The ceremony was perfect. It was well attended and well covered by the media. There was a choir and orchestra, inspiring speeches, and Elder Ballard gave a dedicatory prayer on the monument. (And paid tribute to all my Dad's work, see above!) Congratulations and thank you for the legacy and reminder of our legacy, Dad AND Mom!

In his speech, after telling of the extreme hardships suffered by the troops and their families (when they ran out of food, their own body mass became the calories that carried them forward; at the end the day's march the more fit troops would go back to collect the ones who had fallen from exhaustion and bring them in to camp in time to start the new day and same cycle all over again), my Dad reminded us all of one very vital fact; it is the reason we make pain staking efforts to remember and honor the great people and events of the past. He reminded us that our ancestor's literal blood, sweat and tears went into giving us the freedoms we enjoy today and that we are in danger of losing that freedom merely by being casual. Think about that. I hope it stirs and moves in you your duty to future generations like it did me.

And with that I want to remind everyone that November 2nd is only weeks away and that while I assume you are all planning on making it to the polls, there is still time to get active in the many close and key races taking place across the country. Remember all the times we have complained about our government not listening to us? Now is the time to put our money and time where our mouths are, a time when we have the power to impact our future in a real way. Some key dead-heat races (Rasmussen categorizes their outcome as a "Toss Up") that you may want to think about becoming involved in, especially if it's your state, include:

Harry Reid vs. Sharron Angle (NV, Senate)
Barbara Boxer vs. Carly Fiornia (CA, Senate)

(these first two are my pet races as they are awesome, conservative women (a group currently underrepresented in Congress but showing juggernaut possibilities in the future) running against extremely liberal incumbents)

Michael Bennet vs. Ken Buck (CO, Senate)
Alexi Giannoulias vs. Mark Kirk (IL, Senate)
Dino Rossi vs. Patty Murray (WA, Senate)

Of course remember to pay close attention to the races that are happening in your area! Make sure you research candidates! Remember that this country cannot continue prosperously as it has and continue its divine purpose without virtuous leaders representing us.

Birthday Song for Sarah and Jack

Finally, Aspen Grove!

Now for the long awaited, much anticipated, and long procrastinated Aspen Grove post! (A picture travel log.)

First, I have to say it was a bit strange to be back in Utah. To say the least, Tyler and I have been bitten by the Texas Pride Bug. But it was so neat to be back at Aspen Grove, where we spent four months of our lives living and working; four months of some of the worst morning sickness ever. I admit I still associated being there with being sick. (Do those annoying morning-sickness associations ever go away?)

Thank goodness we went swimming on Monday because I never got another chance. And thank goodness we spent lots of time with the Larsons because they left the next morning because my sister had her baby that evening! Talk about good timing! Women just know when it's time.

Of course I can never get my camera out in time. All three boys were straight lounging--it was hilarious!
A favorite activity for Cameron: throwing rocks in the fish pond. He and the other little guys could do it for an hour without getting bored! The little girls finished much earlier, as did the grown up girls while the grown up boys had a jolly time seeing how far they could skip rocks...
...and Sarah had a jolly time sitting her bum in ice cold water.
Awesome Activity #2 my pregnancy obliged me to sit out on: High Ropes Course. (Awesome Activity #1 being Paintball). I just had to get a shot of this hot butt. Good thing it was my husband's.
Nice, Chris.
That night we all went toFrontier Night. So fun! Here's Cameron at his favorite activity of the night, the slide. (And here's also an obnoxious little girl trying to put her feet under his bum or something. Back off!) He probably slid down about 20-30 which is no small matter because it was quite a hike back up to the top. A hike, not a walk. He has footing like a mountain goat. I wonder where he gets it from? ;)
Here is the steer roping. Natalie was ferocious and hilarious! At one point she kicked over the steer so she could rope its legs. I was hoping no workers were watching.
She's my favorite in this picture too. SO funny!
Wednesday. Hooray! An activity I didn't sit out on: archery! James was very good, he actually won the best score for the entire camp! Heidi kept telling him she was going to hang out with him if something ever happened and people needed to hunt down their own food. Look at these tough looking men!
Wednesday was also my birthday!! I celebrated by giving myself brutal lashes to the elbow with my bow string. They left a pretty gruesome collection of bruises. I have always had the boniest elbows! Our old home! Cute! We were the last ones to live in Cabin 50. It has since been gutted and turned into a pavilion sitting area.
Birthday Party! Tyler and I really had fun on our birthday celebration day. Cameron spent all day with his group and so we got to do lots of fun stuff like play games and go on a short hike. That night we had some delicious treats! Here are Paige and Sarah making sure no one, except for maybe themselves, has a taste before it's time!
As customary, there was a one-song dance party to the Beatles "You say it's your birthday!..."
"...It's my birthday too, yeah!" Thanks everyone for a great birthday and birthday party!
Our last full day! Grandma was in high demand with her "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" puppet. Sarah cleverly figured out where all the things she "swallowed" actually went.
Mmmm! Ice cream at the store!
And after the rain had all dried up, (we had a series of huge rainstorms) a quick game of badminton.

That night a few of us took the kids to the Family Dance. Cameron didn't need to be told what to do. He jumped right in and started rocking out! It was so funny and cute! Dance, dance, dance! Then he unfortunately decided it was more fun to escape, escape, escape out the open doors. It was fun while it lasted though!
What a great trip! Thanks Mom and Dad! I love our family!