Mee-see and Mar-ree

Mercy loves to spend time with her BFF Amara. They're really cute together, especially when they hug and hold hands. Mercy pronounces her own name like "Mee-see" and calls Amara "Mar-ree" (rhymes with starry). Mercy always wants us to tell her a story about the adventures of Mercy and Amara and we made up a song about them, too. In November Mercy and Amara and their mommies took a trip to the Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball Cultural Center (a museum) in L.A. They were a little scared at first, but then had fun playing with everything. The whole exhibit is interactive and has all kinds of stuff for kids to do. We'll take them again when they're a little bit older and they might enjoy it even more. Mee-see and Mar-ree have many more fun adventures ahead of them. (SS)

Knott's

Mercy took her first trip to Knott's Berry Farm with Mommy, Grandma, Grandpa, and cousin Ben. She wasn't sure what to think about such a big Snoopy!

Grandma was a good sport to go on the rides with her.

She finally gave in to her nap, but was too stubborn to lie down and fell asleep like this:

The Apple of My Eye

We went on a family outing to Oak Glen and visited some apple orchards.

A man at one of the apple stands gave Mercy a little bitty apple just her size. We brought home a bag of King Davids. Delicious!

Off To The Races

On Saturday we had a fun outing and extended-family get-together at the Santa Anita Race Track. Mercy enjoyed watching the horses, eating ice cream, and playing with cousins. Great day! (SS)

Saying Grace

Every night at the dinner table we say a prayer to thank God for supplying our needs and some other things. Sometimes we forget but mid way through the meal Mercy reminds us by reaching out for both of our hands. In either case we close our prayer with an "Amen" which Mercy echoes with a sincere "Elmo". Sometimes she likes to pray two or three times a meal. I think I'm learning that there is more to pray for than just your food and what comes to mind in 30 seconds.

Aquarium of the Pacific

On Thursday we went to the Long Beach Aquarium. Mercy loved looking at all the different fish and sea creatures, and she got to touch a small nurse shark! Eww! (SS)

L.A. County Fair

We enjoyed taking Mercy to the L.A. County Fair on Labor Day. I'd say her favorite thing was watching the Splash Dogs. Mercy is very into dogs, so seeing them run and jump in the water was the best. We went early and left when it got too hot and crowded and Mercy had a well-deserved car-nap on the way home. (SS)