Finally got hops...

Dominican Republic Mission Trip

This is a short video from my recent trip to the Dominican Republic. We ran Basketball and Baseball camps for kids as well as did some children's ministry while we were down there...Enjoy, Josh.

Donovan's walking...well, almost. :)

It's been a long time since we posted anything., and we apologize for that; it seems we have been keeping up with most everyone on facebook these days. Anyway, I thought I would update anyone that loves us enough to be checking our blog. :)

Donovan is doing great except for a fever he is currently fighting. We are truly blessed with a great boy and have been soaking him up every chance we get. Dono is now pushing stuff around and should be walking before his first birthday...YES, he turns one in October. We can't believe it's been a year! We are in talks of having a first birthday party for Donovan and will keep everyone posted.

Hope you enjoy the video...and if we haven't seen you lately, we sure hope to see you soon.
In Love, the Merrill's

Donovan is crawling!

Donovan started crawling on June 11, just before his 8 month birthday. He was scooting all over the place for weeks, doing the "Army crawl" by pulling himself close to things and "inch-worming." Then, the day we left for Cabo San Lucas, we were getting ready to go to the airport and I called to Josh, "Honey! You're son fully CRAWLED just now!" It's so awesome because, as a working mom, I have prayed that God would allow me to see all of Donovan's "firsts." He has been so faithful to me and this request. It's so neat that I got to see my baby's first crawl on my day off!

Our little guy has been doing so much this past month: He can pull himself up to a stand or onto his knees; he can pop up to a sitting position from his belly; he's "talking" so much--just jabbering and talking to us or to his toys. He hasn't said his first word yet, but we have a feeling it's going to be "hi." He's so social, such a "ham." If someone enters the room, he starts smiling a immediately and cooing to try to get their attention. And he will not stop until he gets some eye contact and a smile. Mission accomplished. :) I swear he cat calls at the ladies. We've got a flirt on our hands, people! But his favorite thing--besides getting his toes licked by our dog Ernie--is when Daddy holds his feet and balances him in his hands. He locks his knees, stands straight up, opens his mouth and smiles real big or laughs. He loves it!

Donovan is such a sweet boy, such a blessing and a joy. He's been sleeping about 12 hours through the night for the past few months. It's fabulous. His smile alone brightens our lives and melts our hearts.

Hola from Cabo...

Dono in a big pool for the first time
local nude beach....not really, but donovan thought so

Donovan and his PapaNorm

Playing in the pool

Angie and I are currently in Cabo with my parents for a little vacation in Cabo. Donovan got to expeience his first flight on the way down here and did great on the plane. We are enjoying a nice relaxing time by the pool and are enjoying time swimming with Donovan and the grandparents. Enjoy the pics, we hope to post more later.

Skater dude...

Although my skateboarding skills are very suspect, I do still love to get out on my board and cruise around. It makes me feel like a kid again. Of course anyone that sees 6'9" man coming down the street on a skateboard knows there is only an internal child on board. Anyway, above is Donovan getting a little lesson on Daddy's new Sector 9...

Our little GQ model

Here are a few photos from Donovan's first photo shoot we did on Cinco de Mayo. He woke up cranky that morning, which is really unusual for him, AND he had his six months vaccinations that day. (Yes, we accidentally scheduled both on the same day.) But surprisingly and thankfully, he must have been saving up all his happiness for the photos that evening, because he did great!! Hope you enjoy. :)