The Mixed-Up Adventures of the Merry Mederich's.

Baby number 3 is due late July/early August and I have yet to do anything more than mention I am pregnant.  I am PREGNANT! Early on we  I decided that since we have a boy and a girl we should not find out the gender of this baby until delivery.  Apparently, these days, that's easier said than done.  At my 20 week ultrasound the tech did a great job of not disclosing the gender.  She did the full check of everything and at the end she said, "Great news!  It looks like a very healthy boy or girl."  Ah bummer.  I was hoping she'd slip.  The doctor said the same thing, "Baby looks great!"  He did have one concern about my placenta though and ordered a follow-up ultrasound to make sure the placenta had moved to a safer place before delivery. Seriously?!?!?  I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to make it through another ultrasound of not finding out the gender.  Well, that was today, and I successfully didn't ask or see. ...

Some time in late December/early January I started to get itchy.  Itchy for warm weather.  Itchy for a break.  Itchy for some quality family time. Justin and I started talking about booking a vacation and it occurred to us that Jordan and Julia might be interested in joining us for a California adventure. Their little guy, Jett, had yet to meet Nana and Papa, so we invited them to come along.  It didn't take long for them to agree.  We booked our flights and house rental shortly thereafter.  We shopped VRBO and airbnb, and definitely got the better deal on airbnb.  A great 3 bedroom/2.5 bathroom townhome in sunny Carlsbad. We flew out on a Monday afternoon and connected in LA to arrive in San Diego.  Even though it was nearly 10 by the time we arrived our airbnb host still greeted us and showed us around the place. Justin and I quickly tucked the kids into bed, and then we passed out as well.  Travelling with a threenager and a very busy ...

It's been a long time since I last updated.  Way too long. Last time I updated was in June.  We were still living in Oakdale - not even thinking about selling our house and moving.  Boy has a lot changed. Justin was a teency bit frustrated by his job search.  With church positions, generally you start in youth ministry.  This is all fine and good, except that Justin's passion isn't necessarily for youth, and he's not really one to fake a passion.  It's just not in him.  So in his frustration he ended up meeting up with Scott Woller - lead pastor and founder of Corner Church in Minneapolis.  Corner Church is super awesome.  Scott and Amber started Corner Church in Corner Coffee 10 years ago.  They now have two church locations and both meet in coffee shops - Corner Coffee and The Beat.  The vision is to continue to plant churches in businesses in Minneapolis.  They are super community-driven.  Justin and I decided that ...

Apparently I failed at posting a super awesome first birthday post for Soren.  Instead of re-hashing every gory detail I'll say this, "His party was awesome!"  We had family over for a backyard barbecue complete with a fire and pinata.  Jordan made a sweet video that pretty much covers it all. Click here, but you might only be able to see it if you're facebook friends with Jordan. :) My boy at his party. Enjoying a cupcake. So what is our sweet man up to now that he is 1 and 1 month? Physical.  Soren walks.  Soren climbs, Soren falls and gets bruises.  Soren gets back up and keeps on climbing.  For real.  Today we were at the cabin and Simon, Soren, and Foreman (cousins born within six months of each other) were just three bruisers looking for trouble.  I couldn't tell you exactly when Soren started walking, but it's been awhile.  Maybe two months or so?  Eating.  Soren eats three meals a day and two snac...

This post is going to be mostly pictures.  We spent time in Florida from April 17-24 and it was awesome.  So nice to be away and be together without the pressures of work, house projects, social commitments, etc.  At the end of our time I wasn't even ready to come home, but now that we are here I'm glad.  We rented a cute little 3 bedroom house in Port St. Lucie and it was so nice to be able to put the kids to bed in their own rooms.  Soren was sick at the beginning and didn't sleep awesome for the first two and a half days, but then his cough seemed to subside and we were good to go. Holler! After all, it's nice to get some rest on vacation. Justin's grandparents live in nearby Fort Pierce and we saw them everyday.  They were very generous and insisted on spoiling the great grand-babies.  When we showed up at their house on Saturday they had a few brand new toys just waiting to be tampered with.  Via and Soren loved being at their house and enj...

***Posting this late because I had issues with pictures loading properly again.  Written on March 5 and posted on March 16.*** Yesterday Via was 2 years and 4 months old.  She is truly a treat to be around.  She asks so many questions.  She loves to wear dresses.  She closes her eyes so tight when we pray before meals and at bedtime.  Via likes to put things on the table at meal times. She is sometimes mean to her younger brother, but mostly she is a good big sister.  Physical Milestones:  Via can jump!  She can get both feet off the ground and loves to prove it.  Via is potty-trained!  We are a cloth-diapering family and it's great to be back to only laundering for one baby. Eating:  3 meals and 2 snacks.  Lots of fruits and veggies, but much like her parents she has a major sweet tooth.  We are all trying to be more self-controlled.  She loves veggies and hummus! Sleep:  We put the kids to bed by 7...