Merwin Family Fun

A HOT Vacation

2011-07-22T20:40:00.003-05:00

This is Blake, Adam and my nephew, Jack who came to spend the night with us at the cabin. We took Jack to Redneck Island---kind of like an open-air bounce house on the lake.

I REALLY look forward to vacation every year. I mean, REALLY!! I love summer and the boys are out of school. It is very nice to have a 1 week break from everything and just for us to do whatever we want to do. This year, I actually did not want to plan anything so we went to our cabin in Dover for the week. We had a blast!! We went on the lake every day. We got to visit with Jeff's parents and sister and my parents. We ate out alot and I slept past 7am every morning! (For me, 7am is late :) We ended the week with Blake playing in a baseball tournament here in Murfreesboro with a travel team, the MT Mayhem. I try not to complain about the heat because winter is SOOO cold and SOOO long--but, spending ALL day in the heat with heat index 100+ degrees is really HOT. Watching a great group of 8 year olds play ball and have fun made it all worth it. Hopefully, we can end our Summer Vacation on a high note with more fun, baseball and lake time!!

Visiting the Discovery Center

2011-04-02T12:14:00.003-05:00

Last Sunday, I FINALLY took the boys to the Discovery Center, a chidren's museum, in Murfreesboro. We have been many times before, but Adam loves it and has been asking me to take him back for a few weeks now. It really was the perfect day to go. Even Blake had a good time! I always take my camera, because it is one of the few times I can get good shots of both of them without them knowing and we usually see cool wildlife there, too.

Spring Break at LBL

2011-04-02T12:00:00.003-05:00

Since Rutherford County's Spring Break falls in mid to late March each year, we usually plan a local "get-away". Even the Gulf Coast can be chilly this time of year. We spent our first full week at our lake cabin in Dover and spent time fishing with my mom and dad and visiting with Jeff's family at Land Between the Lakes and in Paris with family pictures. Here are a few shots from our activities. We had wonderful weather for fishing, boating and taking in the buffalo at LBL!

Deck the Halls and Sweet CeCes

2010-11-23T14:04:00.002-06:00

Well, since Jeff was ushering in Arkansas duck season (yes, we live in Tennessee-I don't get it), I took an excursion to Franklin with Blake and Adam. They were pretty upset when I said we were going SHOPPING, but I did promise them a special treat afterward so they complied. I met my friend Amy Seabrook Wilson, who lives in Brentwood at the Factory in Franklin for their annual "Deck the Halls" exhibit of local vendors. (Deck the Halls is putting it nicely. I felt like "decking some kids" before we were done!) While Amy shopped I wrangled the boys through the maze of lovely merchandise--but it was okay, because there is a neat toy store nearby that we landed in. I got the boys glow in the dark stars for their rooms and they were happy. Next we went to an amazing frozen yogurt place called Sweet CeCe's where you choose your flavor and add any number of toppings you want. The best thing of all was that Jeff came home a day early from duck hunting. Apparently, ducks just don't fly when the weather is in the 70s in November. Here's a shot of us at Sweet CeCe's.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-02T19:56:00.003-05:00

Blake dressed as as Titans football player and Adam as a Cowboy. We had fun and got some good candy!!

Blake's First Deer

2010-11-02T19:48:00.002-05:00

Although Blake is only 7 years old, he is becoming an avid sportsman and enjoys hunting and fishing. He has accompanied Jeff on many "hunts" for duck, dove, and deer. He improves his shooting abilities with each passing season and has gained much respect for firearms in the outdoors. Juvenile deer season was open on the last weekend of October so we headed to Rives for Blake to hunt on my dad's farm. He hunted both early Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon. It was the afternoon hunt that proved successful. He shot an 8-point buck right at dusk with 1 shot using a 243rifle loaned to him by my uncle. We are so proud of him!! He was so excited!!

A Very Ordinary Day

2010-10-12T20:24:00.002-05:00

I really cannot recall the last day I had to be home without any outside commitments. I tried to remember and all I came up with was 2 weeks ago on a Saturday when I cleaned the ENTIRE house and went to Blake's basketball game (which technically is a "commitment" but I thoroughly enjoyed it). Adam and I went to the gym, bank, car wash, grocery store and then I came home and switched out my summer wardrobe to fall clothes. Some of the more notable things that happened: I "found" a long-sleeve Titans shirt that I forgot I had (yay!!); Adam got "new to him" shoes with laces so now he has "tennis shoes like my brother" which made him very happy; Adam took a nap (he NEVER takes a nap anymore) although it only lasted about 45 minutes--it was nice!! It also rained!! It has not rained here in several weeks; and it rained only because I washed my car (also something I've not done in WEEKS because I was waiting for it to rain) and watered my flowers. All in all a good day!!

Oh, and did I mention, I baked (yes baked) pumpkin bread. Those who know me know that I am not a cook. The bread was a box mix left in my pantry from LAST fall--but it was very yummy and my boys liked it.

Welcome Fall!

2010-09-27T06:49:00.002-05:00

Fall officially arrived last week (even though the cool weather lagged a few days behind). Blake ended his Fall baseball season on a very good note. The team won and got to go to DQ afterward for ice cream! I will miss watching him play until March. He is gaining a true love for the game and growing in maturity with each season he plays. He played left center for this team and made several great catches and throws to the infield. I also met some very sweet Moms and Grandmothers this Fall at the games whom I will miss seeing weekly.

We took the weekend "off" and left out Friday night for our lake cabin in Dover. It was great!! We got to see my nephew, Jack play a soccer game. He was too CUTE--ALL smiles!! Then we all went to eat pizza in Paris and watch the UT game. I enjoyed just hanging out at the lake without a real schedule to follow, even if it was just for 2 days. I think the older I get the more I need these "mini-breaks" in life's busyness. So glad we found a place for a peaceful, restful retreat where we can slow down and enjoy each other's company without distractions :)!!

My Life is Flying Right by Me!

2010-09-17T15:58:00.004-05:00

Here I sit on a Friday afternoon just moments away from going to the ballfield for the 4th time this week (but once was to watch friends' games and eat!). I am going to MISS baseball so much! We only have 3 games left after tonight. I feel like I am in the center of a massive hurricane or tornado or some kind of storm. Jeff and Blake are in a wedding tomorrow, we are having a yard sale tomorrow morning and I am dying to get my fall stuff out of the attic and on my front porch--plus I have pansies and mums waiting to be planted. And I really need to go the grocery at some point :(. This is pretty much my life these days. Too little time and energy for all the big plans I have.

I had a little reality check last Sunday night when I was frantically trying to get everything in order to begin another week. I looked up and caught my boys just being boys. They got together and decided to put on football gear and play tackle football in the living room while the game was on. These are the moments when I just put everything aside enjoy them.

Fall is in the air!

2010-09-05T06:07:00.005-05:00

I woke up this morning to an outside temp of 51! Brrr! What a change in the weather. It is really refreshing after the hot summer temperatures. This weather makes me think about all the things of Fall I love--campfires, football and beautiful leaves!

But, summer is NOT over yet--(I still love Summer the best). Labor Day weekend means one thing in the Merwin household: Dove Hunting. The season opened on the first and I've eaten two meals of bacon-wrapped dove already. Mmmm! Blake and Jeff hunted yesterday at our friend, Brian Josey's, field. Blake killed his first dove with a 410!! Yay! He actually got 3 and Jeff had to ask him to quit shooting so he could get a turn.

Adam and I went to the Discovery Center, a children's museum, here in Murfreesboro. He has been begging me this week so I "finally" took him Saturday and then we went to Zaxby's for lunch where he can get "Scooby Snacks" with his kid's meal (which is the only reason he really likes Zaxby's). We ended our day at the Josey's house for supper and a recap of the Dove Hunt. The boys had a blast playing with their friends!!

Fall Baseball & Fun at the Lake

2010-08-23T21:03:00.003-05:00

Blake is playing coach-pitch baseball this fall for the Murfreesboro Baseball Association and is on the Braves. He has played 3 games since last Thursday night (Whew!). Thankfully, the ballpark is right behind our neighborhood and we can even walk to the games. I can see such improvement already in all the boys even since their first game. Blake plays left center, short stop and third base. The Braves are 2-1 with many games left to go.

Last Saturday morning we drove to Dover, TN where we have a cabin on Lake Barkley. Even though it was very hot outside, we managed to catch some fish off the dock. Adam suprised me. He really got into the fishing and even tried to hold the fish while I took them off the hook. We also got to visit with Jeff's sister and her family in Paris. We ate a great meal at Trolinger's and went to her house for the boys to play afterward. Blake and Adam have 3 boy cousins in Paris: Clayton (7), Jack (4) and baby Andrew (9 mos). Suprisingly, we had a very quiet, relaxing visit at their house!

Subway sandwich night!

2010-08-13T06:34:00.003-05:00

Jeff started a fun thing back in the winter with making "Subway"-style sandwiches at home. The boys thought it was fun so I decided to do it again. Blake really got into it. He picked out the meat & cheese, cut flowers from the yard and lit a candle! (Adam kept wanting to blow the candle out, which made Blake mad.) I added the table cloth. Then after our "feast" Blake lost his 3rd tooth! It has been almost a year since he lost a tooth and this one was loose for awhile. I sure hope the tooth fairy came through!

"Un-officially" Closing out the Summer.

2010-08-08T17:13:00.002-05:00

I have no pictures to share, but thought I would still post. I am coming to terms with the fact that this last weekend of Blake's Summer Vacation has made ME feel probably more "sad" than even Blake. With every "last days of summer break" just means my little boy is growing up and I can't help but think that next year this time I'll be starting my last "little" boy into Kindergarten. But we made it a great weekend! Saturday meant going to the annual WMA Duck Blind draw in Lebanon for Jeff and Blake. (Yes-they got a blind!). Adam and I went to the gym. I tried Zumba for the first time. Hmm. . . Not sure if I'll maka a second attempt. After Blake's baseball practice, we spent the rest of the day in the kiddie pool and Slip-N-Slidin' in the back yard. Sunday, had a great church service, went to Chef Wang's to eat (yum!) and then hit the mall for Back-to-School clothes. (yes, even Jeff went :). I am just holding to the fact that Summer is NOT over yet!! Still plenty of days for pool time and playing outside :)

Blake is a Second Grader!

2010-08-04T20:08:00.002-05:00

We went together as a family today to register Blake for Second Grade at Barfield Elementary. This will begin our 3rd year at this school and, already, it feels as if we've been a part of this school for much longer. This is a picture of Blake and his new second grade teacher. Her name is Mrs. Emily Flanders. I already like her. She left a Hershey's bar on all of her students' desk! We are excited about beginning a new year and look forward to making new relationships and seeing Blake fill those 2nd grader shoes!

Blake's 7th Birthday!

2010-03-08T19:46:00.004-06:00

We celebrated Blake's 7th birthday in a big way with a laser tag party on Saturday, March 6. Both friends and family attended and I even got to participate in the laser tag game, which was so fun! An added part to the weekend was having Blake's cousins, Clayton and Jack, spend the night. After so much excitement on Saturday, the boys played out before 8:00!!

More fun in the snow!!

2010-01-12T19:38:00.002-06:00

We finally got to go sledding although the snow was a bit dry. With 3 layers of clothes, I managed to just get a little cold. I do NOT like cold weather so bundling up for about an hour of sledding for me was a big sacrifice. It was worth it though to see the smiles on the boys faces. And Mom even took a turn, too :) Sorry, no pics. Finally the snow is gone and the weather forecasted to be in the 50s later in the week. Maybe we should break out the shorts!

First Snow Day 2010

2010-01-07T16:12:00.003-06:00

We had our first official snowfall of 2010 today. The weather stations predicted 2-3 inches but we only have about 1/2-1 inch on the ground. Not quite enough for sledding (although Adam disagrees). I just happened to be off from work today so it worked out that I could be home to enjoy the fun. We spent the day first going to Adam's tumbling class at Small Wonders, then to McDonald's for McGriddles, then to Patterson Park for indoor swimming. When we returned home, Blake ran in and transformed into a football player. His response when I suggested he wear his coveralls and coat and maybe "wait" until I could go out with him: "but this is my dream to play football in the snow!". Watching him run plays solo with the snow falling all around him was priceless!! Later, Jeff and I repaired our yard-sale treadmill. Now, I can no longer use the excuse, "my treadmill is broken" for not exercising. At least I can walk indoors where it is warm :) !

Closing out 2009

2010-01-02T06:33:00.002-06:00

Wow, what a year. 2009 was indeed a year in which I was blessed richly but not without some heartache. We closed out the year the week of Christmas being with our family in Paris, Rives and Jackson. After all the excitement a "quiet" New Year's Eve and New Year's Day was definitely in order.

Winter Fun

2009-02-14T06:09:00.006-06:00

We have been pretty busy this winter!! Although we have not yet had more than a "dusting" of snow, we have had very cold weather and very warm weather. The ducks flew well on the cold weather days. Unfortunate for them, Jeff was out every chance he could get. Jeff hosted several guys this winter on duck hunts and managed to take some youngsters, too. The only one who politely declined every invitation--Mom. I'm just not a fan of cold weather and smelly birds!

We visited the Discovery Center in Murfreesboro with our cousins, Clayton and Jack Shackelford. There is so much to do there!

With all the fun we are having this winter, I am so ready for Spring and some outdoor fun!!

Until next time,

Paige

It's Football Time in Tennessee

2008-11-19T16:05:00.002-06:00

We took the boys to their first UT Football game on Saturday, Nov. 15th. It was Homecoming and the Vols were defeated by Wyoming. Despite the poor home-team performance, we had a great time. The weather was great, sunny with just a little wind. We actually stayed for the entire game (thanks to hotdogs and M & Ms). Even though we are disappointed in our Vols season, there is nothing like being in Knoxville on a sunny Saturday in November and hearing Rocky Top played by the band.

The Big Fish that Didn't Get Away

2008-11-06T19:28:00.004-06:00

Okay, so most fishing stories end with "the big one that got away"; but not this time. Last Sunday afternoon we totally left a mess at the house and took advantage of a beautiful warm fall day on Percy Priest lake. It was a "busy" time on the boat, but in between putting all the minnows back in the bucket, consoling Adam over a lost fishing rod dropped in the lake, and turning back upright spilled sodas, I managed to hook this fish. WOW!

Halloween

2008-11-06T19:23:00.002-06:00

Even though I think this holiday is over-rated; I still do get into it a little-especially when I see Blake and Adam transform into a StormTrooper and a muscular PowerRanger. We had fun trick-or-treating; but mostly seeing all of our neighbors dressed for the occasion.

Fall Front Porch

2008-11-02T17:39:00.002-06:00

After many questions of "When are we going to put our Fall stuff out?" from Blake I finally got it out and up. I actually got the boys to sit still long enough capture them before they started "playing" with the decorations. We had fun carving the pumpkins and lighting them up for a few nights the week of Halloween.

2008 Fall Break

2008-10-12T06:17:00.003-05:00

We chose Natchez Trace State Park as our Fall Break destination this year. There is alot to do there, but primarily we fished and took boat rides on the main lake there, Pin Oak Lake. The weather was perfect and the trees were just beginning to turn to vibrant shades of red, gold, and orange. Jeff's parents, Tim & Dale, joined us on Saturday and my parents, Keith & Kathy, stayed with us there and brought their fishing boat. We really enjoyed visiting with both sets of "grandparents". We caught bass and a few crappie which we DID eat. Maybe we will do it again next year!!

Dove Hunting

2008-10-03T06:24:00.002-05:00

Jeff & Blake got to hunt several times this year on a friend's farm. Each time, they had alot of fun and on one occasion even brought home their birds. (No, we did not eat them.)

Kindergarten Field Trip

2008-10-03T06:17:00.004-05:00

Blake's Kindergarten class went to the Apple Orchard last month for a field trip. He sampled apple cider and got to see how the cider is made. He picked apples (mostly from the ground). It was a fun day!

Cookout With the Mills

2008-06-07T06:44:00.003-05:00

We recently had our friends Chad & Rebecca Mills over for hot dogs, hamburgers and watermelon. The boys had so much fun playing! They have twins, Joshua & Benjamin, and a soon to be 2-yr old, Caleb. I had to share this picture. Who knows? They could be 5 future starters of the the Riverdale High School baseball team.

Camping at Defeated Creek

2008-06-07T06:23:00.002-05:00

We chose Defeated Creek Campground near Carthage, TN for our inaugural 2008 trip. What a beautiful place! The lake in the background is Cordell Hull Lake. Our camping neighbor caught this large-mouth bass--but my boys had to have a picture of it. The pop-up camper with A/C served us well as temperatures neared the 90 degree mark. There was plenty of cold water to get in as well as a bait shop that sold ice cream! We will definitely return to this place.

Adam Turns 2!!

2008-05-23T06:26:00.002-05:00

We celebrated Adam's second birthday on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at our house in Murfreesboro. He was sufficiently spoiled by 4 grandparents, 2 great-grandmothers and his great-Aunt Janice. He managed to sit still long enough to eat cake and ice cream, but otherwise it was tough to get a good picture of the little guy!

Blake's Tee Ball Game

2008-05-14T06:37:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday was Blake's 5th Tee Ball game. He is on the 5 year-old Dodgers team in the Murfreesboro Baseball Association. He plays short stop (which is good because he sees alot of action and can't get too bored). His team played the Red Sox and only lost by 1 run. His skills have really improved this season and we are so proud of him!

Rainy Day Fun

2008-05-14T06:30:00.000-05:00

Last week, Middle Tennessee had a really nice rain storm. Afterward, there was a beautiful rainbow stretching across the dark sky right over our neighborhood. We took Blake and Adam and our neighbor, Evan to Barfield Park to play. Guess what they decided to do. I managed to snap these pictures without getting too wet. We had a great time!