RASPBERRIES

It is Sunday afternoon and I am sitting at the kitchen table having some lunch. Grayson is in his high chair next to me, squealing with excitement while eating his lunch too. Lilly is upstairs taking a nap and Matt is at a Baptism that was at the Stake Center right after church today. I am having a nutritious lunch. Avocado, Cottage Cheese, MultiSeed crackers, and fresh raspberries! Yum! Raspberries have always reminded me of being at Grandma & Grandpa Perkins' house. In their back yard they had a great garden and my favorite thing to pick with Grandma were the delicious, juicy raspberries. They were always so perfect! I have such good memories of my Grandma & Grandpa Perkins. While they died when I was only around 9 years old, I still remember how much they loved me. I remember having sleep overs at their house and sleeping in a "big bed" all by myself, which was such a treat since I always shared a bed with my sister Makelle.....only until I was like 13! haha! Their front yard seemed huge, and I remember many times playing "Simon Says" and "Red Light, Green Light" out there with my sisters. I remember playing with the toys and dress up clothes that Grandma always had stored in a closet in the hallway. My favorite item to try on were the fancy red high heeled shoes....I guess I can blame Grandma Perkins for my shoe obsession! Today is Father's Day, and while I am thinking about my own father and how wonderful he is, my husband and how he is such an amazing dad to Lilly & Grayson, I am also thinking of Grandpa Perkins and what a good father he was to my mom. My mom was adopted when she was a baby. Grandma & Grandpa were older and had always wanted children. I'm sure that when my mom, little Marsha, was brought into their family, that Grandma & Grandpa had every bit as much joy in their lives as I did the day I became a mother. They were able to adopt 2 more children - boys named Layne & Gary. I am very grateful to my Grandma & Grandpa for the way that they raised my mom. She is absolutely the nicest person that I know and I am blessed to have her as a mother. From what I know, they had a simple life. My Grandma was a school teacher and Grandpa was a long-haul truck driver. It makes me sad today to think that my mom lost both of her parents at such a young age...she was not much older than me when they both passed away. I will never take for granted the time that my children are able to spend with my mom & dad. They are wonderful grandparents, and do their best to make my children and all their grandchildren feel loved and important. I feel blessed to live only a few miles away from them. We see them often, almost weekly, and I am so glad that my children will have happy memories of their time with their Mum & Bepa. We should be seeing them sometime later today. I found a book this week that I am giving a copy to both Matt and my dad. It is called "What Are Little Boys Made Of?" It reads, Every great man was first a boy. What are little boys made of? Snakes & Snails & Crazy Tall Tales...and hopes and Dreams...And Strength & Courage...& Imagination & Daring...and Gifts & Talents...& Yearning & Learning...and Faith & Optimism...And Purpose & Meaning...& Warmth and Tenderness...& Adventure & Enthusiasm...& Caring & Understanding...& Honor & Integrity...And Family and Friendship...& Love and Loyalty...And Joy and Laughter...& Moments & Memories...& Success and Satisfaction...& All Things Possible. That's What Little Boys Are Made Of.

Happy Father's Day - Feliz dia de Padres! : June 19, 2011

At church today I had the primary kids make a simple craft for their Father's titled "FELIZ DIA DE PADRES" with an outline of their hand and their name in little foam letters. Because we were missing several teachers and leaders at church today, the Nursery kids were able to come into Primary. Lilly was so good! She listened to the lesson, participated and sang the songs and was very obedient.

This is the letter that I wrote to Matt for Father's Day.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Dear Matt,
It is 3:13am on the morning of Father’s Day and I am just finishing up baking bread for the sacrament, getting the Nursery “Singing Time” activities complete, finished making a “Father’s Day Craft” for the Primary kids, just booked flights and Rental car for the Lyman Family Reunion, and a few other household things…in between all of this I realized that I forgot to buy you a Father’s Day card, so instead, you are getting this letter. It has been nearly 8 years that we have been married and almost 3 years that you have been a father. I couldn’t have hoped for a more amazing man to have spent my life with, and to be the father of my children. You are incredible, you are sweet, you are thoughtful, you are gentle, you are funny, you are sincere, you are compassionate towards others, you are handsome and charming, and I am so in love with you.  I love to watch the way you are with Lilly and Grayson and the joy that you find in being their daddy. They know that you love them, and it is so comforting for me as a mother to see the confidence that they have in knowing that they are truly loved by their dad. The example you are to them will have such a huge impact on their lives and will influence the way that they treat those around them. Thank you for the amazing example you are to them. Thank you for the way that you serve others. While it is sometimes a challenge to be alone with the kids while you are so busy with your calling as Branch President, I know that what you are doing is serving our Heavenly Father, and that our lives are truly blessed because of the sacrifices that you are making. Thank you for the 

selfless person that you are Matt. Happy Father’s Day to the greatest Father in the world! I love you!

Love - the proud Mother of your children,

Merrilee 

THE GARRISONS - May 1, 2011

Today was a special day. Lilly, Grayson and I were able to attend the blessing of Charlotte Garrison. She is a beautiful baby, and the blessing that her dad gave to her was so precious. Most of the Garrison family was there. Katie, Travis and Val all bore their testimonies. While I was sitting there listening, I felt the spirit so strongly that I needed to share my testimony. I shared that I feel that there are certain families in our lives that we are "pre-destined" to share our lives with, and that the Garrison's are one of those families to our Cornia family. My relationship with the Garrison's began while I was in High School. At the time, Val was the Vice-Principal of Sam Barlow High School, and there were many days when he would follow me to class to make sure I wasn't skipping or doing things that I shouldn't be. He was a source of comfort to my parents at that stage in my life, telling them that while I was making poor choices at the time, that they shouldn't worry too much about me because the day will come that I will get my life back on the right path. Matt's relationship with Travis began while they were serving their missions together in Tampico, Mexico. They shared many special times, and while they never served as companions, they always did their best to coordinate their schedules for baptism interviews and meetings so that they could talk and spend time together. Matt told me tonight that Travis is the kind of guy that you can crack jokes with and be goofy, and in the same conversation, discuss deep spiritual topics. They stayed in communication after their missions and Travis is the reason that Matt moved here to the Portland area. Just weeks after Matt moved here, Travis introduced us to each other in the Mt. Hood Singles Ward. Katie and I had been friends for several years there at the ward, and little did we know that we would be marrying best friends. Travis and Katie have been great friends to us over the last nearly 8 years of our marriage. We don't see them as often as we should, but every time we get together, it is always like we just pick up right where we left off. A true friendship. We love them and are so very blessed to have them in our lives. Katie and I were both pregnant with Lilly and Maddox at the same time, and then we were also pregnant with Grayson and Charlotte at the same time. She is a sweet friend to me. They are a special to our lives and always will be. Our relationship with the Garrison family has continued to develop with our service in the Evergreen Spanish Branch, where Matt is currently serving as the branch president. Cody and his wife Rode have been in the branch for many years. Cody is such a support to Matt in his calling and he knows that he can ALWAYS rely on Cody to do what needs to be done. Their relationship has become a great friendship as well. This is an amazing family. Val and Lynda have done a great job as parents and have raised their children well. We are blessed to have them in our lives and look forward to our future enjoying their friendship.

Hello Charlotte! - March 7, 2011

One of our most favorite families in the whole world are the Garrison's. Matt and Travis served their missions together in Mexico. Travis introduced Matt to me when he moved here to Oregon. Katie and I have been friends since we first started going to the singles ward. They are the type of friends where you always just pick right up where you left off. We love them and they have a sweet family. We got to go meet the newest member of the Garrison family tonight - Charlotte. She is absolutely beautiful! Grayson already has a crush on her! 

Grayson's 4 Month Doctor Visit - March 6, 2011

Grayson went to his 4 month check-up and weighed in at 17 lbs 10 oz, and is 26 inches long. He is a BIG boy!  We have still been struggling with getting him to take a bottle, and Dr. Sequira recommended that we go ahead and start him on oatmeal mixed with breast milk. Today was his first try and he LOVED eating! Why am I not surprised! haha! Fat & Happy! Lilly was a good girl while we were at the doctors office and got to eat her lunch while we were waiting. 

A Day at the Cousins - March 3, 2011

Lilly & Grayson got to play at Makelle's house today with their cousins, Savannah, Ruby & Baby Mae. Makelle has some "Dollar Tree" glasses that she got for her kids to play with. Lilly thought they were SO great! She had them on and said, "These glasses help me to see better." Too cute! Oh...and she got to wear a pair of Ruby's jammies home that said "Snow Bunny" on them, and she thought that was AWESOME! She put them on and said, "Oh, thank you Ruby! Makelle, where did you get these cute pajamas!?!" She is so funny!

Valentine's Day - February 14, 2011

I know that there are a lot of people who think that Valentine's Day is a lame holiday, but I love it. Aside from the "commercialism" of it, I think that it is great that a day has been set aside to celebrate relationships. This holiday is especially important to me because 8 years ago, it was the day that Matt chose to propose to me. I picked Matt up from his office at Wells Fargo bank downtown, and he had planned a picnic dinner (Yes...an outdoor picnic in the middle of February in Oregon...brrrr) on the top of Rocky Butte, complete with candles. On the side of the mountain, he proposed to me and asked me to be his wife. I have been happy every day since that I said yes. He is an amazing husband and my love for him has grown even stronger watching the way that he loves our children. He is an incredible father. Last night for Valentine's, he made reservations for us to go to dinner at Gracie's - an elegant restaurant located in the lobby of the Hotel de Luxe in downtown Portland. It was perfect! Lilly & Grayson went with us too. Lilly wore her pink tutu, and crazy hot pink feathers in her hair. She loved how "fancy" the restaurant was. She ordered their specialty "Mac Cheese" and when she tried it, found out it was "too spicy." She told the waiter, and asked for a PB & J sandwich instead. Daddy gave her a musical card that sings "YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE" and she kept pushing the button on it the entire drive home. In the morning, I knocked on Lilly's bedroom door, and waited outside the door with her Valentine present wrapped in HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY paper. She opened it up and as soon as she realized what it was, she made the cutest little excited noise, and said, "A Pillow Pet...I love it!" It was a ladybug Pillow Pet, and she named it Lulu. It was a GREAT day!