This and that....

We just returned from a fun four day camping adventure, but I haven't had a chance to sort through the photos yet. That it is to come soon. In the meantime, I've gotten a bit behind with all the other exciting things happening, so I decided to add a few photos of the latest happenings in the Mercier household.

First, happy 4 month birthday to Mark! We love the millions of smiles you give us, your giggles, and squeals! We love how you're totally attached to mom and dad and want to be held all day (even though we would really like a break here and there and we would LOVE for you to take a nap, on your own, that is longer than 5 minutes). We love how you adore your older sister and we can't get over how quickly you grow and change each day. We hope one day you learn to like car rides. They really aren't that bad if you'd just take a nap and please understand that we're sitting right in front of you! We love you Bubba!!
Next, happy 2 1/2 years to Isabelle! We love your sense of adventure and exploration. You amaze us with how excited you get over such simple things. (We do wish you'd stay closer to us when you do your exploring and have just a tad bit of fear). We love your sense of humor! There is not a day that goes by without you making us laugh once or twice or a gazillion times. We love your imagination, especially when you play with Seesaw (her number one favorite toy, a dinosaur). You really know how to make our day bright and full of adventure! We love you Princess!
And in other news, some of the latest adventures we've been on in the past couple weeks include:

Swimming with family members. Mark's first swimming adventure which he loved.
Visiting the zoo with family members.
Going to the newly discovered Westland Park that was fantastic, especially during these hot days!!
Hiking in Evergreen.
Shhhhh.....we're hiking and need to listen for animals.

And finally, getting good at riding bikes!

Cabin Fun

We FINALLY found time to go to the cabin. We hadn't been there since before Mark was born, so we were pretty excited to spend some quality time up there. We enjoyed the numerous hikes Belle took us on, relaxing in the cabin while watching the thunderstorms, and cooling off from the Denver heat.

Rock star Belle enjoying her lunch on the deck.

Mark spent most his time in the carrier while we followed Belle everywhere.Hiking after the rain storm = must wear rain boots.Learning about ants.
She did settle down at times to swing in the hammock and to rest in her fort.Only the best...PBJ.Loving tummy time and scooting in circles on the open floor.Although the jealousy kicks in here and there, Belle still adores her little brother more than anything and we love to see them together. Mark just beams when she comes around to play with him.

Science Experiment and Tight Rope Walking....

Belle was pretty impressed with her first science experiment taught by dad. I thought it was pretty cool too. She learned all about dry ice. She is now ready for a science fair (as soon as she starts school).....
We went to Belleview Park for some fun in the sun. We rode the train.
As tired as Mark was, he must have enjoyed the train ride because he managed to stay awake for the whole ride. He was out as soon as it was over.
Then we visited the animals in the petting zoo.
Unfortunately, this rat was named Mark. How disappointing. Belle made friends with this couple who brought a tight rope and were practicing walking on it. A pretty random thing to see at a park, but Belle was thoroughly amused and even got to try it herself, something I can say Jamie and I have never tried. Lucky girl.

It's Official. Big Girl!

Isabelle has officially become a big girl.....she is potty trained! It's fun to hear Isabelle shout, "No more diapers!" We're very proud of her, but a little sad to see that our baby is now becoming a little girl. She loves that she can "tinkle" on the potty, she loves her underwear, and she loves to dress herself everyday. Here she is doing her big girl potty dance in one of the 20 different kinds of undies she can choose from. Way to go, Belle! (FYI...The tattoo was for using the potty!)

3 Months!

Time has flown by. Our little boy is already 3 months old! It seems like just yesterday we were at the hospital. I haven't even scheduled his 3 month appointment yet, it came so fast. He has changed so much since birth.

• The greatest thing about Mark is how happy he is. He smiles all day long with the biggest grin ever and his arms and legs start kicking all over the place.
  
• He still loves to be held. ALL DAY. But we can't complain. Even though it gets tiring and we don't get much accomplished, I know soon enough he will be all over the place and we won't get to cuddle and hold him like we do now. He is so content and happy when he's in our arms.
  
• He loves to be sung to (even with my terrible singing voice and made up songs).
• He smiles and starts kicking his arms and legs with excitement whenever Belle is around him.
• He coo's back to us quite a bit when we talk to him.
• We enjoy watching how observant he is of everything around him. He seems to just take everything in.
• He continues to eat all day long, but we get a nice 5-6 hour stretch of him sleeping in the evenings now. It takes awhile to get him down, but once he's down he sleeps well. After our long stretch (if you call 5-6 hours long), he usually joins us in bed where he sleeps like a gem until nearly 9:00 a.m. We know when he is ready to wake up because he starts kicking his arms and legs and babbles up a storm. You peek over and he gives you the biggest morning grin ever.
  
• The little guy is growing like crazy. As of his last appointment, he is very long and about average with the weight. He's a good eater and gets this really excited look on his face when it's time to nurse and starts smacking his lips. I love it.

Here's our sweet little boy photo shoot at 3 months:



Some morning love from Isabelle on his 3 month birthday!
Here are some of Mark's best buddies, all of which are only about 6 months apart!!

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to the all time best dad! It's been such a joy to watch Jamie care for Isabelle and Mark. He is the perfect dad and knows exactly what to do to make them laugh, to comfort them, to get them ready for the day or for the night, and to flat out raise two perfect children! We are very lucky!
We are also very lucky to have Papa and Pepe! Isabelle and Mark adore them and we wouldn't be two lucky parents if it weren't for them!
We went to Evergreen Lake for Father's Day. Isabelle did some fishing with her new Dora fishing pole. She quickly got the hang of what to do.

Nana teaching her how to cast.
Hooking a big one!
Reeling in the big fish.
Ah, shucks. Just seaweed.

There are some really great sculptures at the lake. This one is made for the kids to climb on.

Mark got lots of love from everyone before he fell fast asleep.

We had a great Father's Day! Can't wait for next year!