2010 thanks to Aunt Kaye and Uncle Tom

poetry

home schoolin'

Uncle Tom and Aunt Kaye's bday gift to Zack

Uncle Tom and Aunt Kaye's bday gift to Cooper

Ryan's Flat Stanley Part II

We took Stanley with us on a home school field trip to Athens and Sweetwater, TN.
We toured the Mayfield Dairy. Stanley got to taste some of Zack's fave ice cream mint chocolate chip. He also got to tour a cave with the largest under ground lake (in North America)--"The Lost Sea." Stanley was a little afraid of the dark at first but Zack helped him feel better. Stanley was mailed to another fun family today.

Ryan's Flat Stanley

Stanley's had a fun stay here in Nashville with Zack. We stopped by the Grand Ole Opry after our morning walk at the mall. When we got home Stanley decided to try on some cowboy boots and learn some guitar chords. He's also accompanied us around town riding in the cup holder of the car (sorry no picture of that). One day we stopped by the nearby elementary school playground. Stanley enjoyed sliding with Zack and playing with Cooper, Zack's younger brother. Hope you've been having fun with your visiting Stanley!

Spring 2009 (Part II)

Some how I got off schedule (hmmmm maybe the lack of sleep?)...so we're going to have a part 2 to Spring 2009. Unfortunately Cooper has not learned to sleep well. It is probably my fault (isn't everything the parent's fault?)...or maybe he's just following in Zack's footsteps. We pray every night for a good night's sleep (literally). He's gotten over the need to eat during the night...but he's not gotten over the mommy comfort need (which is supposed to get worse during the "separation anxiety" phase which is supposed to be rearing its ugly head any day now). I did get some wonderful sleep during my girls' trip. I also had a wonderful time laughing and talking and just being with some of the best gals around! Thankfully the UTC campus was deserted (just after graduation)...otherwise people would have thought we had lost our minds. We were beyond giddy at returning to our alma mater!! There were soooo many "remember when..." moments. We peeked into our old dorm apartments and believe it or not they had the same furniture as when we attended.
The flood gates on Mike's freelance work opened again (right as I was preparing to go out of town--of course)! He also aced his research/writing masters class. (He was only shooting for a C). Zack (finally) got tubes in his ears (right in time for the summer pool season-uggh). Cooper looks like he may be on the fast track for a set also. Zack's latest "obession" is with Scooby Doo. He uses his screen time to watch an old school episode almost every morning. A few times he's said or done something and I've said--where did you learn that?...His answer--"I saw it on Scooby." He has properly used the word "yikes" on several occasions.
Cooper is on the move. He can crawl, stand up, cruise, climb the stairs and scare me out of my wits. Poor guy--he's so fast and Zack's SO demanding...consequently the fellow spends a good deal of time in what I call "the corral" (a baby gated square of floor). The other safe option is his walker which he drives as if it were a sports car. The boys have tons of fun chasing each other around the kitchen, dining room, living room loop. Other news: We had a great egg hunt in our backyard for Easter and found some cute little baby bunnies in our side yard right before Easter. I thought I had killed them--I was digging up a large weed and heard the most awful scream! Thankfully the scream saved their little lives. Several mole babies weren't as lucky. They were "taken out" by Ashley otherwise known as the "mole huntress." The mole babies parents definitely need to be investigated--who makes a nest in a fenced yard with two dogs!! Other wildlife news--I included a picture of Zack with his 5 painted lady butterflies that we "grew" from caterpillars. We had a fun time on Zack's field trip to the zoo. We had to stay with his girlfriend Autumn the whole trip! Cooper loves the food mommy makes him. Bananas remain the big hit. Thankfully they are SUPER easy to make. He's super attached to his crocheted blanket from Na-Na. When he's tired he'll crawl to the blanket and fall face first down on it. As you can see in the pictures his hair continues to defy gravity. I've included a photo of Cooper wearing the same outfit that Zack wore in my very first post on the blog. Look for yourself how similar but also different they look. You have to click on Fall 2007 on the side and then it will give you a chance to click on the Welcome post. :) PS-I'll try to get some video posted on Facebook some time soon.

Spring 2009

The first year of babyhood goes by so quickly. It seems as if you just "figure 'em out " and then they start doing something new! No longer does Cooper enjoy laying on his play mat and mouthing his toys--he wants to be on the move and into everything. He can't crawl (YET) but he's able to get off the mat. He's perfected the roll over and is able to sit alone (but still falls if he reaches too far). His fave activity is bath time. I swear he would jump in the tub each night if he could. He absolutely detests rice cereal....soon we're going to venture into veggies. Zack is an excellent big brother---he acts as "mommy" sometimes and tells people what Cooper needs/wants. He also entertains Cooper with his crazy antics. We've enjoyed our indoors time this winter (indoor tents, games, games, and more games, reading...and I even let Zack bring the tee-ball tee indoors for a "game" the other day.) Of course we're ready for the warm weather though--and will enjoy it even more if/when the "tree house" materializes. Mike was slammed with freelance at the beginning of the year. Luckily he's had some downtime recently as he's caught the nasty cold that almost everyone in the family has had (hopefully I'm stay the lone hold-out). Last month I had the privilege of being a human vomit bucket for Zack at the pharmacy while we waited for his antibiotic prescription to be filled for his raging ear infection. I can still recall the awful smell and the look on everyone's faces. I'll close with some of my favorite Zack moments. We went to the peditrician's office for a check up of the ear fluid. Zack was talking as if he were an adult (he loves conversing with the dr). Dr. Will asked if Zack would be a doctor when he grew up so that he could work with him. Zack said he wanted to be a police officer. Dr. Will said that it was a dangerous job and the bad guys sometimes hurt police officers. Zack said he'd just have to blow his whistle really loudly then.
We were driving to Grandma and Grandpa's house when Zack spotted a “Frito Lay” truck. He said "Catch that truck Daddy, we need some chips."
I won't post a video this time on the blog but I am posting a couple of cute ones on Facebook so look for them.

Winter 08-09

Well, I've been a stay at home mom for over a year now. Of course--it's been wonderfully challenging!! While Zack's grown during the year--I've also "grown." I can laugh at the memory of Zack putting his clothes IN the toilet after I told him to put them in the bathroom.
I can almost keep my sanity when Zack pushes every button I have (while Cooper is hungry).
Zack's 4 now--by God's grace we made it through the terrible three's. (The pic below is from Zack's "glow in the dark party"--we went glow golfing after having cake at home.) We still do our "lessons" but now they are more laid back. We read over 20 books a month. I try to spread out the subject matter over various non-fiction subjects. We love the library! Here's a couple of funny conversations we've had with Zack recently.
--I explained that he had to take cough medicine--he looked at me and said, "But, I don't WANT to cough." (he thought cough medicine caused one to cough)
--Zack was whining about having to pick up his toys--he looked at Mike and I and said, "we can get it done much faster with 6 hands."
We all had great holiday season. Christmas was lots of fun this year for Zack, especially. We had three different count-down things (calendar with chocolate behind the date doors, paper chain and ornaments).
Cooper's doing well. He went through a week of NO sleep. But appears to be coming out of it after he accomplished rolling over. Per Zack-Cooper's already said his first word, "A." Sweet Cooper makes me feel as if I've won a Grammy each night when I sing "Twinkle Twinkle" and he flashes his huge grin.
Mike had a great break from teaching, his master's degree program and freelance over the holidays. Wouldn't it be nice if vacation could last year round?

Fall 2008

It has taken almost 10 weeks but now we are starting to settle down into being a family of four. We actually can make it out the door to church and only be about 5 minutes late. I still don't eat many hot meals...but I have mastered the art of getting out of bed at 3am, turning off the baby monitor movement alarm (I don't know how many times I set it off by picking up Cooper without turning it off), feeding Cooper while dozing myself and getting back into bed without really thinking. Cooper is doing well. He's quite an armful (75 percentile) and very strong. I loved him from the moment I saw the pregnancy test results but now I have totally fallen in love with him. He smiles huge grins, "talks" and "plays." Mike can get some of the biggest giggles from him by acting totally silly. Zack had a great Halloween season. He did develop a case of "I'm scared of..." Last year only a few things scared him. This year--many more things were scary. He dressed as Frankenstein. He got a lot of use out of the outfit: costume parade at preschool, the Ghouls at Grassmere (zoo), costume pizza party at Mission Friends, party at the Van Metre's and of course Halloween night. Cooper was a trooper as he was drug along to the many events. He woke during trick or treating and tried to drink some of his cold bottle as we walked from house to house. Thankfully we went with enough friends so that someone could push the stroller and help me keep an eye on Zack at the same time. The video of Zack and his friends dancing is from the Van Metre's party. Zack has adjusted to his new preschool well (Thank Goodness!!) Those 10 hours a week are what probably kept me out of the insane asylum during the first few weeks after Cooper's birth. Mike's professor this quarter at Savannah has been...shall we say "challenging." He is looking forward to a much deserved quarter off. I'll close with a line from one of Zack's many creative jingles, "I forgot to change my baby's diaper..."

Cooper Joins the Family

Cooper is a joyful addition to our family. He's a pretty laid back fellow. He doesn't mind that his big brother makes tons of noise (all the time). For the most part, I have to wake him for his nighttime feedings. He makes us all smile when he looks around serenely checking out the world. He was a super patient at the cardiologist (almost slept through the EKG). The cardiologist says that the murmur is a small opening between the ventricles. The NICU docs didn't hear it because the pressure in the ventricles is the same at birth but changes when the lungs get used to breathing air. Thankfully the gap should grow together on its own. We have a check up scheduled for 2 months.
Here are some pics and a cute video of the little guy for those who haven't got to meet him yet.

Summer of 2008

Air conditioning is a fabulous thing! I think I appreciate it more because I'm 35 weeks pregnant. (The picture of me is from mid-July.) The due date is September 2nd but Mike and I are hoping that Cooper will make his appearance around August 27th so that we can take advantage of the break between quarters at ITT. I completed my Lamaze course this past week. I'm VERY thankful to my mom for being drafted as my labor coach. I sort of see myself as Peyton Manning though--I'll rely on her for some guidance but I have acquired the skills to hopefully be able to "call" most of the "plays" on my own. Mike, of course, will be a star supporting offense player as well. Zack is as prepared as he can be for the birth of Cooper. His world will still be rocked but maybe he'll have enough strength to weather the quake with ease. He's enjoyed his final summer as an only child. We took swimming lessons, saw the play Go Dog Go, enjoyed Cheekwood's fairy tales exhibit and went to the international puppet festival at the library to see one of his fave bands "Adam and the Couch Potatoes." Before it got too hot, he had great fun catching lightning bugs in his "new" back yard. We finally completed the landscaping/fencing project that was our yard. Zack burns his 3 year old excess of energy by running back and forth from the house to the very back fence. (Remember we have an acre and 1/2 and have a slope, so after a couple of times he's even gasping for air.) The dogs also love/loathe their yard. They've officially become outdoor only dogs. As for indoor activities---Zack has become very adept at navigating a computer. We gave him Mike's old Mac laptop and he took to it like a fish to water (remembering some of the short cuts I still can't remember). He's also now watched the original Star Wars trilogy. One morning instead of his usual 30 mins of PBS or Disney, he asked for the movie. So, day after day he'd watch 30 minute portions. His other current passion is the card game Uno. He's very good---so much so that instead of letting Zack win we actually have to try and beat him. I enjoyed another fabulous time away with my college roomies in June. We kept it low key this year and went to Helen, GA (which is a touristy recreation of a Bavarian village in the northeast mountains.) We rented a great house, spent hours gabbing and ate some really good food. My next post should be earlier than normal--I plan to blog about Cooper's birth. Be watching for it.

Spring 2008

We went a little stir crazy being stuck in the house during the cold rainy weather but now that the sun has been shining, we are all back to our pleasant selves. Zack hit a huge milestone in March. He was completely potty trained!! It was a difficult task especially since I supervised the task while having a horrible 5-day stomach bug. We followed our pediatrician's recommendation and went bare bottom for 3 days solid. Amazingly enough, he had no accidents the very first day. The following days were fraught with accidents but we persevered and embraced our strong-willed child. We celebrated success and kicked off April's unit study at the Rainforest Cafe. Other fun times included a trip to the Easter Egg Farm, Adventure Science Center and bowling. Zack enjoyed several weeks of classes at MyGym to help him get rid of his excess energy. We are so lucky to have a patient old dog in Asia. Zack pulls on her and bosses her around too much but she still loves him. Mike is still extremely busy with work, school and freelance. Our yard is still a work in progress, but the end is in sight. We have scheduled a survey and are lining up a fence installer. The pregnancy is going smoothly with back pain and sleep difficulties as expected. I only wish I could enjoy "Sleepyland" as much as Zack does. Sleepyland is our make believe place that we travel to each night (or nap). We choose a fun mode of transportation and have to make it past 3 sleeping dragons and a toothbrush checkpoint before entry. When we are there we can play and eat most anything imaginable. One final fun story--during the first days of being potty trained we had a playdate at MOPS (mothers of preschoolers). It was held inside at the church gym due to bad weather. The kids were playing on the riding toys and with balls while the moms sat around and gabbed. I was talking when the moms all stopped and said "who does the little naked boy belong to?" It was Zack. He had gone on his own to the potty and wasn't able to get his pants up. He walked all the way across the gym with his pants and underwear around his ankles. I've included photos of Asia and Zack, Zack bowling, Zack "sketching" with dad and from the Easter Egg farm.

Winter 07-08

Zack turned 3 this past November. I truly believe that the person that made up the phrase "terrible twos" did not yet have a three year old. We have had great power struggles over the potty, food and just about everything in between (not sleep--thankfully!). On the other hand--he comes up with some really funny sayings and ideas and soon after feuding with him, you are laughing uncontrollably. Here are just a couple of funnies: "I don't like real food. I only like jellybeans...His name is Chewbacca because he likes to chew things...No, I have the power. I am the Daddy." Christmas was lots of fun this year. He got a Little People Nativity Set and so during the Christmas service at church he was able to somewhat follow along as the preacher read from the Bible. After Zack heard a word that was familiar he would loudly call it back out to the preacher--"Mary, Joseph, Jesus." We took him to see Santa but hadn't prepared him that Santa would ask what he wanted. So, caught off guard he quickly answered that he wanted a puppy for Christmas. No puppy arrived under the tree (thankfully). His favorite gifts appear to be a kids digital camera and some "super pro" roller skates. He loves to take pictures of the house--he's got some great shots of the floor and the oven. In other news--I was able to leave my job in January for a permanent position at home. It's been quite a transition but I wouldn't change back for a minute. We spend our time playing and learning. (I'm sure you all that know me well wouldn't expect anything different...this month we are learning about America, the president, our flag, etc). He gets some good play time with other kids through MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) and BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). Zack still visits Nana and Poppy in Smyrna on Thursdays---which is my day to do all the housework and get groceries. I'm worn out on Friday but am so thankful to be able to get all that stuff out of the way. Mike has been working like a mad-man! He's teaching 6 classes (on 6 different days), learning his new chair duties and trying to keep up with the mountain of freelance that has poured in. On top of this we embarked on a major yard project (think-- lots of trees removed, loads of dirt, backhoes, etc). Plus--as most of you know--I'm 10 weeks pregnant (Sept 2nd due date). I've got a minor complication that has granted me an early peek at the little guy or girl this coming Thursday. Maybe I'll do a special post with a shot from the ultrasound...

Special Aunt Gana Post

Aunt Gana-
Hope you are doing okay! We are so sad that you won't be able to make it up for Christmas! We will miss you and will be praying that you will have an easy time with the treatments. Thought you might want to see a few recent photos of the fam. We went to see the decorations at the Opryland Hotel. There's a really cute pic of Zack with one of the stuffed elves. He's gotten into this habit of making silly faces for the camera so it is more difficult to capture his sweet smiles. We also went to the ICE exhibit near Opry Mills. This year's theme was the Grinch. Zack really liked watching the cartoon so we took him to see the exhibit. He was frightened to enter because it was dark and there was a green light at the end of the hall...we just picked him up. Then he almost ran through the rest of the exhibit--not from fear but from excitement! He loved it.
I've also included a silly video clip--hopefully to make you smile when you don't feel like it.
Love ya bunches--Sara, Mike and Zack

Fall of 2007

In September the Merediths enjoyed a much needed family vacation to Seacrest Florida. We rented a house close to the beach and relaxed. This was Zack's first visit to the beach. You can see in the picture that during his first feel of the ocean he kept a strong grip onto Mike's hand. He quickly learned to enjoy the waves and sand. He also loved chasing the seagulls. Lisa, Rob and Grace joined us for a few days and we all enjoyed our visit to Gulf World. A few weeks later Sara got to return to Seacrest with her girlfriends. We enjoyed leisurely reading on the beach and the great food and music in Seaside. Zack experienced another first this fall---his first tent camping trip. We spent the night at Cedars of Lebanon in honor of Andrew's 1st birthday. It was a chilly night but Zack loved being able to snuggle between mom and dad on the air mattress. He bravely explored the "cave" at the park. Actually, it was just a rocky overhang but from my childhood memory I had called it a cave. Halloween was a very big deal this year. First, we enjoyed treat stations and festivities during Ghouls at the Zoo. Zack was too frightened to make it past the creepy professor (Aunt BeBe), who was stationed near the front door in the "Monster Lab." However, he absolutely loved the haunted hay ride. He still talks about the dragon and other "smooky" (Zack's word for spooky) creatures. He also enjoyed the festivities put on by the Town of Smyrna and the party at the VanMetres. Finally, we dropped by Trunk or Treat at the church and then trick or treated with his friend Avery. Many people thought that Zack's costume was a cow. (It was a dalmation.) During trick or treating he started telling people, "It's okay if you call me a cow." During an afternoon of work in the yard I managed to sprain my wrist. I was digging a hole and jumped on the shovel. The shovel went out from under me and I ended up on the ground on top of my wrist. It snapped. I was in terrible pain. Mike couldn't hear my yells over the chain saw motor so I had to make it down into the yard without passing out. The doctor and nurse assumed from the terrible swelling that it was broken but thankfully the x-ray showed no breaks. Diapering with a splint is not an easy task! We are looking forward to a bye-bye diapers party over the long Thanksgiving weekend. I'll let you know how it turns out in my next post.

Summer of 2007

We have had a great summer. We started off in Arkansas for Memorial Day Weekend. Zack loved being out in the country at his Grandpa Mosley's house. As you can see in the picture he loved "driving" the tractor. We found lots of wildlife to examine, including a grasshopper that Zack tried to kiss and a little box turtle. He also really enjoyed spending time with his Great Uncle Tom who patiently read him book after book. We attempted to take a family photo at Opryland Hotel using a tripod. As you can see it was difficult to find one with everyone looking at the camera at the same time! I had a wonderful time on my girls' trip to Tybee Island Georgia. I am so blessed to have been friends with these girls since college. We had so much fun being silly! Zack enjoyed his first Fourth of July display of fireworks ever! In the past he's been asleep well before the festivities began. This time he stayed cool by enjoying posicles with his pals and playing in the water. We recently went to Beech Bend Park in Kentucky. It was one of the over 100 degree days. Zack got to ride several of the rides before the heat became unbearable. His favorite was the Haunted House. His dad assures me that Zack didn't see any of the blood and guts because Mike was covering Zack's eyes with his hand. It was very nice to cool off during the heat of the day in the water park area. Zack's current fun undertakings include playing with "coinees" (pennies and nickels), reading Dr. Suess books ("Fox in Socks" is quite a challenging book for dad and especially mom), and making "A Mess." A Mess is just as it sounds. He takes all of his toys out the toy box and off the shelves and makes a great big pile. It gives him such joy! Usually he's very good about picking up afterwords. He continues to surprise us with his reasoning and veral abilities. Recently we were discussing our errand plans. Zack piped up with "why doesn't daddy go to the store while we wait here and then we can go to the playground." Also one morning after he woke me about 20 minutes earlier than normal I told him he had a couple of options (get back in bed or go play quietly). Now he wakes me morning by asking, what are my "moptions?" P.S. If you want to see any of the pictures in a larger format just double click on them.