Snow, Seth, and a Snitch!

Here are some really cute pictures of the kiddos sledding with Daddy at the local park here in I.F. They had a blast - and there was only one minor injury (bloody nose) at the end of the day.










February 5th was Seth Merrill's Birthday. He turned 8 years old. Seth requested a "SNITCH" (from the game Quidditch from Harry Potter in case you are not a fan) for his Birthday Cake. I sort of improvised and this is what we ended up with.

To keep up with my tradition - here are the 8 things I LOVE about Seth.


1. Seth is a very sensitive person. He always wears his emotions right on his sleeve (or very close to it).

2. He has the most infectious laugh ever - even if I am in a grumpy mood - as soon as I hear him laugh - I can't hardly hold back my own!

3. Seth has a serious mind. He will often ponder things that I haven't even thought of - and asks me some deep questions sometimes.

4. Seth is generally a peacemaker. (I had to include the word "generally" because there is the rare occasion in which he decides to completely taunt someone else for no apparent reason until he gets a rise from them).

5. Seth is a good listener. Whenever we sit him down to tell him something - or even if I am just telling a story - he pays 100% attention. He also pays attention to detail and holds the title of the best "I Spy-er" in our family.

6. Seth has a testimony and he is super excited to get baptized. Because of the way the Stake baptisms worked out this month - he won't be getting baptized until the last day of this month (28th Feb.) and while we were in the Bishop's office, he told us about this change. I looked at Seth who had been really excited about getting baptized right after his birthday - and said, "It's ok buddy - that just means that you get an extra month to sin!" To which the Bishop quickly replied, "In this case I am advising you to NOT listen to your mother." Seth just grinned!

7. Seth loves to practice the piano and has exceeded our expectations and the teacher's as well - he is really getting good fast. It is fun to hear him play those "easy version" hymns.

8. Seth is very good at all of the sports he's tried. When he played T-ball, he was very serious about his game and he would stand on every base with his arms poised and ready to run. When he wrestled, he would sometimes be crying because of the pain that he was in, but still fight through it and tackle the other guy down.

Seth joined our family in 2001 at nearly 10 pounds. He is proud of the fact and often reminds me that he was my biggest baby. He also underwent open-heart surgery to correct a congenital heart defect when he was 3 months old. He wears his "zipper" scar proudly! When Greg blessed him as a baby - he actually blessed him that he would have an "open heart" (this made me laugh as it was right before the impending surgery) - but ultimately - I am witnessing that he truly does have an open, caring, and sweet heart. We are so blessed to have him in our lives. Happy birthday Seth.