The Mergenthaler Family

Thanksgiving is behind us and we are speeding toward Christmas.  Our Thanksgiving celebrations began nearly a week before the holiday at Andrew's preschool.  Andrew's class had their own Thanksgiving feast.  It was very cute.  I was able to volunteer in his class that day.  It's so fun to be in the classroom with the kids.  I don't get to do it very often, so I was grateful for the opportunity. Andrew made this fancy hat . . .  This is me making meatballs.  (FUN!)  Andrew with his feast . . . On Tuesday, Ricky and Makayla had a concert at school.  Makayla wasn't that excited about it, but Ricky was really into it!  He had been waiting for weeks to be the star of the show.  He loves singing and music, but mostly I think he loves to be in front of a crowd.  There is a video of him singing toward the end of the post. The kids didn't have school on Wednesday.  Emily had a fever, so we didn't go anywhere (excep...

I emailed my mom this week with some family news.  Out of simplicity, I'll post it here for any of you who are interested in what we have been up to lately.  Maybe I'll even put a picture or two up. Hello! Things are going well here! Busy, but fun. We had our first official family council tonight and it was very interesting. Since last year, we have been trying to do individual interviews with the children on fast Sundays. Today, the day went to quick, so we decided to have a "family interview." We asked the kids what they thought we were doing well as a family and areas that we can improve. It is so fun to hear their different perspectives and to work through things together. The main points were: 1) Emily and Makayla need their privacy, so Ricky and Andrew are not to go in their room with the door is closed. If they are changing and they really do not want the boys walking in on them, they have to go to the bathroom to lock the door. 2) We are going to work on m...

Sean here with another quick message to toddlers and preschoolers with older siblings.  I have two older sisters and two older brothers.  All of them are involved in at least one sport which means that I'm the "tag along."  Usually, at these events, my mom isn't too focused on what I'm doing because she is trying to watch the older sibling.  Sometimes I test whether or not she is paying attention by running into the parking lot or trying to drink a stranger's water bottle.  But most of the time, I try to be a good boy and find my own harmless entertainment. Imagine my surprise and delight at soccer practice last week when I discovered a pile of dress-up clothes left on the side of the field for me to play with. I was busy for at least a half hour trying different color combinations.  Now that's entertainment!  My outfit was perfect when I found a pile of hats next to the dress-up clothes. Boy, do I look good!!

Yesterday, I celebrated my 33rd birthday.  Overall, it was a good day.  In the morning, I got some grocery shopping done and went to the mall to check out the clearance at Old Navy.  Andrew told the cashier that I was celebrating my 13th birthday.  When she laughed, Andrew realized he said something wrong and quickly corrected himself.  "Actually, she isn't turning 13 because yesterday she was 32." After the mall, we went to Wilson Apple Orchard with a group from church.  I know you have seen tons of pictures of this place because we go multiple times a year, but you haven't seen pumpkins there yet . . . The following picture might be familiar.  If I was more organized/creative/crafty, I would remember to take a picture of the kids by the apple every year to record their growth.  Unfortunately, I think I only have a few of Andrew.  But this year, Sean snuck into the picture.  After the apple orchard, the little boys ...

I have a random collection of stories and pictures that don't fit into any particular category.  When I hear something cute, I write it down.  When I see something cute, I take a picture (if I have a camera handy). Some of the stories are almost a year old, but the pictures are from within the last couple months.  Enjoy the collage . . .  Andrew says, "Sean needs a friend.  I will go and give him one."  He marches over to Sean and says, "Hi Sean.  I'm your friend."  Emily asks, "How old were you when you got a cell phone?"  Ricky can't stand to have a loose tooth.  If a tooth is just a tiny bit wiggly, he pulls it out by the next day.  As a result, his smile resembles a Jack-O-Lantern. Andrew loves listening to music, but sometimes he doesn't get the lyrics quite right.  When he was listening to Shania Twain's "I Feel Like I Woman,"  I heard him singing, "I look like a woman."  When he was singing alo...