The Meyer Family

First Day/Week of School

The girls started back to school last week. Meredith attends a full day preschool in town. This is her second year there and she is excited to be a part of the "older kids". It has been quite an adjustment getting up earlier and not having a nap during the day. She has been falling asleep on the way home from school and bed time cannot come soon enough most nights for her.

Hannah is in 3rd grade this year. It is the first time she has been in the same building as me. She was very hesitant at first, but I think she has come to realize it is not such a bad thing, especially when she needs something. Hannah really likes school and loves her teacher. She has been so lucky in her school experience to always get a teacher she likes. I have never had to deal with her not wanting to go to school, which is such a blessing. We are going through a stage where athletic clothes are pretty much the only thing she will wear. I try to just pick my battles with this as I can remember fighting with my mom about clothes (except I was probably 15). Some days I just look at her and wonder where my little girl has gone.

Hannah had braces put on this summer, as well as a palette expander. She was quite miserable at first, but is adjusting. Her speech is much better and she is eating more variety of foods. The palette expander doesn't allow her to bite down all of the way, so she struggles with some foods and gum and hard/sticky candy are forbidden. She will wear a retainer for two years following this treatment and then will have a full set of braces put on. She has a long road ahead of her and I keep reminding her that her smile will be beautiful.

We bought a new car this summer also (Suburban). It is so nice to be able to separate the kids when we are going places. There is less fighting and they can watch their own movies. I like that the middle seats are split, although Hannah may tire of picking up everything her brother and sister drop.

Happy 1st Birthday Lake!

Lake turned one year old on August 19. He celebrated his birthday with his cousin Carley and his Aunt Jamie who all have birthdays within the same week. Lake is still a sweet, sweet baby, but he is slowly becoming all boy. This has to be a nature thing, because it certainly isn't due to nurturing. He is all over the place, likes to be rough and has decided that yelling at the top of his lungs is fun. Lake has seven teeth, lots of curls and bright blue eyes. He isn't walking yet, but will stand on his own for a few seconds at a time. He has developed some type of crawl with one leg out in order to go faster. I'll have to add a video clip sometime. It makes him look a little on the special side. He continues to love his sisters, although he enjoys beating up on Meredith. She literally may start developing bald spots. Hannah is like a little mom to him. He often will reach out for her and she tries to hide the fact that this makes her feel special. Lake sleeps through the night, is using a sippy cup throughout the day and attempting to use a spoon when eating. He is a healthy eater and eats pretty much whatever we are having. All in all, he has been the perfect blessing to our family and all I could have ever wished for in a boy. He has made our lives a little more frazzled, but it feels more complete since the day he was born. I continue to thank God for such a blessing!

Lake enjoying his birthday cake.

The girls thought Lake needed a Cardinal's cake.

Check out these pictures for proof that this kid is always happy. I hope he continues to be this laid back and happy with whatever life brings his way.

New Pony

One of grandpa and grandma's ponies recently
had a baby. This was one of the first days that
Josh was able to get it away from its mother.
The kids love going out to their house to
see it and riding the other horse and ponies.
Hannah thought she would love horse back riding
and I even looked into getting her lessons, but
her confidence quickly went by the wayside.
Meredith and Lake enjoy it though.

Lake liked riding on the pony. He got braver

throughout the evening.

Hannah hanging out on the hay bale.

Lake thinks he is pretty cool. Look mom, no

hands.

Lake Trip

We spent a couple of days at the Lake of the Ozarks with the Silvernail side of the family. My sisters Jodi and Jamie, their spouses, my brother Jeff, my Aunt and Uncle and their children and great grandchildren were all there. It was such a fun time. It was great because my cousins have children my kids ages, so everyone got along really well. We enjoyed good food, hanging out at the pool, tubing and boat rides. I even went out on the wave runner by myself!

Meredith loved the wave runner. Here she is riding with her Great Uncle Jim and her cousin K. They never wanted to get off. My poor uncle was on the wave runner for almost four hours straight giving the kids rides.

Hannah, Meredith and S. getting ready for take-off.
(I don't like using kid's names on my blog without parent permission).

Trip to Alabama

Last week the girls and I headed to Alabama to see my sister Julie who is preparing to become a nun. It was a beautiful experience and I am so glad that we took the time to go visit. She lives in Hanceville, Alabama at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. She lives a cloistered lifestyle, so our visits with her are limited, which made our time with her very valuable and meaningful. I was so glad that Hannah and Meredith were able to visit with their Aunt Julie. They weren't very surprised to see her in her habit and dress or behind the bars as I had spent a lot of time explaining this to them on the trip down. I think Hannah understood that this is the vocation Julie has chosen. Meredith's response was "I don't want to live here when I grow up because of all of the curvy roads." Julie seems very happy and at peace with her calling. I know she has prayed for a long time that this is what she is called to do. I have to admit that I wasn't sad when I was there or when I was leaving. I was very relieved to see that she was happy and the idea of becomming a nun is not surprising to me since I grew up with nuns as teachers most of my life. I am looking forward to the next time I visit. Here are some pictures of the beautiful Shrine and us with Sister Julie.

The girls at the Lourde's Grotto.

The entrance to the Shrine. There were so many visitors coming and going while we were there.

The Church where we attended a Latin Mass with the cloistered sisters singing.

Julie and I. The bars look intimidating, but they really weren't. We could pass things between them and I could still hug and kiss her. They are more a symbol of the vow she has taken.

Hannah and Meredith with Aunt Julie. She says they can still call her Aunt Julie, even when her name changes.

Dinner Conversation Anyone?

Lake has had a hard time taking an afternoon nap because we are usually always on the go. The last two nights, he is completely alert eating and then when you look again, he has crashed. Hope this won't be the new routine.

Monday Night

Tuesday Night-Yes we change his clothes, they just look similar.

Kitchen Makeover

I usually don't have many bragging rights, but I like how this kitchen project turned out. I have been meaning to redo the kitchen chairs for a couple of years now and finally got around to it this summer. The chairs had a light tan covering on them that had turned a myriad of stain colors. I decided while I was at it to change the curtains to match. With my mother-in-laws patience and guidance, I sewed these curtains and changed the seat covers on the chairs. I was also finally able to hang the plates that Lake got for his birth and the girls for their birthdays. They are really neat and have the kids full name and birthdate on them. You can't tell from the pictures, but I also repainted all of the trim and recaulked the windows and baseboards. Next up, a new kitchen ceiling. I can't decide between tin tiles or wainscoating.

Summer Cont.

We have been trying to stay really busy this summer and catch up on some things we haven't been able to do. Hannah is taking tennis lessons and dance, along with basketball camp soon. We have also been going to the library and pool a lot. In the down time, we have been working on multiplication with Hannah and recognizing/writing the alphabet with Meredith. Summer is flying by with still lots to accomplish. We have a trip to the Lake planned next week, then a drive to Alabama to see my sister and then a couple of days at Tan-Tar-A. Maybe by then we'll be ready for school to start again. Summer is my favorite time of the year as I despise cold or even chilly weather, so I really try to get as much out of three months as I can. Here are some random pictures from the last couple of weeks.

Some days we all need a break.

Meredith isn't very fond of the pool and can usually be found laying pool side.

The girls at the pool.

10 months

Lake, or Lakester Lu as his family affectionately calls him, turned ten months old. I am probably biased, but he is the best baby in the world. He is all smiles and giggles. Recently he has been pulling up on everything and has several bruises to show for it. He is all over the place and constantly on the go. He has decided that he loves the stairs. With the girls we didn't have to worry much about them putting things in their mouth, but Lake always has something in his mouth. Grass, leaves, dog food and Barbie toys are just a few things I have removed recently. He has pretty much given up his pacifier and quit nursing. He still drinks from a bottle, but also uses a sippy cup for juice. Lake eats table food now and has no interest in being spoon fed anything. He can often be caught clapping as this is his favorite thing to do. We think it is because he lives at the ball fields. Lake enjoys the pool. His sisters continue to love on him and are finding that he can hold his own with them. Lake consistently has a handful of his sisters' hair. Today we decided to take his saucer to a friend since he has decided to make a game out of crawling out of it. Lake's hair has a reddish tint to it as of now and his curls are becoming more evident everyday. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.

First Day of Summer

Today is the first day of summer and we are slowly making progress on our list of things to do. We are trying to keep busy and have fun at the same time. A pool pass has been a blessing since we can just go for an hour and not worry about wasting money by not staying. Recently I recovered my kitchen chairs and made new curtains (pictures soon) and took down some outdated blinds. I have been meaning to do this for over a year, so it felt good to get it done. I am lucky to have a mother-in-law who can and is willing to talk me through all of the steps. I love sewing, but just lack confidence. We have lots of trips planned for July and August, so it is time to buckle down and get the house cleaned up. The girls both have swim lessons starting next week and Hannah has tennis and dance. Amazing how fast the summer can fly by. We haven't even been out on the boat or camping yet because it won't quit raining. Hopefully after today we will see more sunshine. The kids got Josh a double gazebo for Father's Day and are excited to get to use it when we go camping. Lake turned 10 months on Friday. He is such an easy going child. It is hard to imagine that he is going to be a year old soon. He is quite busy compared to girls. I will do an update post on him tomorrow with pictures. Here are some pictures of the summer to date.