The Mergenthaler Family

This summer has been particularly busy for me. I feel like I have been running since the end of May. No matter how hard I have been working or how much I have accomplished each day, I still wake up in the morning with more things to do than I could possibly do in one day. We have had a lot of fun experiences as a family and have had a great summer so far. I definitely have had a lot to write about, but being as busy as I have been, I just haven't felt like I could take the time to sit and write. I like to write in my journal and the kids' journals to keep our family history up to date, but sometimes we are just too busy living to record it all. Writing for me is like Cold Stone ice cream--a rare and delicious treat. With that in mind, I will warn you that things are settling down a bit and I feel more like I can take the time to write. Because I can, I will, and the account will be fairly long. Feel free to skim through the pictures and ignore my words. I often do that...

Megatron - Is that really what you call those big screens that are in the middle of the NBA court? I looked it up to be sure I was saying the correct word, but all my searches came up with results about the Transformers ( Megatron being one of them). So, whatever that thing is . . . here are pictures of Rick and Sean displayed for all to see. Sean is now taking requests for autographs if you don't mind a lot of drool in place of a signature. Thank you, Amy, for capturing these pics and sending them to us!!

Despite Indiana's motto, I have never before found myself in that great state until last weekend. Our whole family went to visit our friends from UW , Max and Amy. The drive from our house is about 6 hours long (not counting stops). We left on Friday afternoon right as a massive thunderstorm hit our area on its way to Peoria, IL (the same direction we were travelling). Despite the storm, we made it OK. As usual, the kids were probably more excited about swimming in the hotel pool than they were about anything else. Ricky was nervous about the fact that we forgot his ear plugs (he has to wear them to protect his ears after having tubes put in in February). I was able to get to the store, though, and pick him up some beautiful bright orange plugs. Andrew thought they were so cool he insisted that he needed to wear some too. While in Indianapolis, we went with Max and Amy to a WNBA game. The game was fun, but we regretted all of the pop Andrew and Ricky drank because both Rick an...

Last week, we had the opportunity to visit my parents in Monticello, UT. They own 80 acres in Monticello where they are building a house. We camped there most of the time, but we also spent a little time in Moab where they have a little house. Following are some picture from our trip. Getting There (a colorful sign for a colorful state, right?) Exploring Moab and the Colorado River Making Crafts at the Campground Campfires Nearly Every Night Jeep Tours Concrete Cousins What a Great Trip!!!!