{So stinking cute}

Just when I think Crew can't get any cuter...

Tonight I was sitting on the couch when Crew came over and sat next to me. He casually picked up my phone, put it to his ear, jabbered for a few seconds then did this adorable little fake laugh. First phone call and it lasted 10 minutes! He would switch from ear to ear (missing his ear most of the time), and looking all around the room while he did it. Apparently he had some pretty important things to say and the person on the other line had some pretty funny things to say. He acted like it was just no big deal. Cool guy style. When he was finished, he set the phone down, turned around and slid off the couch and continued on to the kitchen to empty the tupperware drawer. All without even a sideways glance my way.

In other news, I was looking through pictures today and came across this one. He has grown so much since this was taken.

6 months old.

Hard to believe my baby will be a year old this month.

I love my little man!

{Zions}

 This last weekend, the Merrells loaded into our RV once again for a road trip! It's always so much fun 

to have everyone together. We stayed 2 nights in Zion and 2 nights just down the street in Springdale.

The scenery was beautiful! Pictures cannot do the sheer majesty of the park justice.

Taking the shuttle up the canyon! Look at Crew's super cute hat and look how long my mom's hair is getting!

Austin, Kitsy, Melissa, Jake & Avie

Cute little family

The first Emerald Pool- my favorite!

At the top of the Emerald Pools.

That is right people! I hiked the entire way to the top of the Emerald Pools (anyone

who has done that hike knows it is not an easy one!) with Crew on my back. Lance had to

work a couple extra days and met us there later. 

Weeping Rock

The top of Angel's Landing! What a beautiful and exotic hike. There are places where you are holding

onto a chain and can see down all the way to the canyon floor off to both sides. The last hour of the hike

is sheer cliffs on either side!! Talk about an adrenalin rush. People die on it every single year. We left the

 kiddies with Grandma and Grandpa. Thanks for all the pics, Melissa.

It was a great trip! A little long to have all the kids sleeping in tents/RV but all-in-all it

was a wonderful trip. We are packing our bags next week for St. George. It's going to be a busy summer!

{words}

As a quick update, the rash was a virus and it was gone within 2-3 days.

I love watching Crew learn new things. Lance and I are always amazed at how quickly he will catch on to something and how much he 

understands. His most favorite thing is reading books. He would love to sit and read with me all day long if that were possible.

His vocabulary is quite impressive for a 10 1/2 month old!

• mama
• dada
• banana ("nanah")
• duck
• dog
• more (ASL)
• milk (ASL)
• water (ASL)
• uh-oh
• hi 
• he nods his head both yes and no- this has been so helpful in communication!
• "moo" for the cow
• "baa" for the sheep
• he barks anytime he hears a dog bark
• "pa pa" for grandpa
• he roars like a lion quite frequently
• he waves anytime anyone says goodbye

I'm sure I am forgetting some! It's really been fun to see him learn new words. He is also cruising around the house. He crawls really fast and cruises the furniture like a pro. He is steady on his feet and has taken a few steps here and there but isn't showing much interest in walking on his own quite yet. We borrowed a little push toy from my brother the other day and he just took off with it walking around the house! He's even gotten quite tricky and when he hits a wall, he will move to the other side and take off again, all the while with a huge grin on his face. 

Crew is such a pleasure! For the most part he is cheerful, bright, social and curious. He has such a funny little sense of humor. He flirts with anyone and everyone wherever we go! He definitely thrives on attention from others which I love but it can get pretty tough at home when I am the only one to entertain. He does so much better when we are out running errands or at a party. There have been many frustrating times when Crew wants my full attention and I just can't give it to him! Otherwise I would never get anything done. On top of that, he is not a good napper (ugh!). I have tried everything in the book but this kid just does not take good naps. I guess I cannot complain, though, because he sleeps more than 12 hours every night.

He always crosses his legs when he's in his high chair. So cute!

Painting with water. Look at that red hair! People comment on it everywhere we go.

So that is the skinny on our Crew guy! He is our absolute everything. I feel so blessed to have a loving husband and the cutest little baby on the block! Being a full-time mommy is 

definitely challenging at times but it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

{Poor Baby}

This is what we've been dealing with for the last two days- and last night, I might add.

And it's gotten progressively worse. 

Doc says there's nothing to do but wait it out. 

Poor little guy. And the pictures make it look half as bad as it is!

But you can see he is trying to be a good sport about it. 

The worst part is seeing him in pain and miserable and being unable to take it away.

Get well soon our little Crew guy!

Anthro-inspired duvet

I am in love with Anthropologie. IN LOVE. The funky style, the bright colors mixed with lots of whites, the world-traveler feel... it's all my favorite. But everything is super expensive. And while Lance really gives me free reign to buy whatever I want, I have a hard time spending $300 + on a duvet cover and pillows. So instead, I decided to make our own! And I am so pleased with how it turned out.

Our room is still a work in progress (we are in the middle of painting our night stands and making

a new headboard) but I am in love with the simpleness of the the duvet and pillows.

I first bought the duvet off of overstock. $20 is well worth the fabric and time it would

have taken me to get that far. Then I purchased white cotton at Hobby Lobby, cut it into

6 inch strips that were 3x the length of the sides, surged around the edges, did a basting

stitch around the edges, gathered, then stitched it around the outside of the duvet. So easy!

For the pillows, I first stitched the ruffles on the front piece, then added two overlapping pieces

of fabric on the back. That way you don't have to deal with zippers.

I will update again once our night stands and headboard are finished.

There were several of you who expressed interest in making your own Anthro-inspired duvets. 

I could probably tell you how to make any of the gathered ones even though this one is much

 more simple.

Do you want more detailed instructions?