Meyer Family

OMSI Fun

2010-01-09T11:17:00.000-08:00

We got an OMSI pass after Christmas, mainly so we have a fun place to go when it's nasty outside (like it has been recently--the basketball hoop was blown over at least 3 times...just yesterday!). Here are some of the things the boys like to do and see:

This is one of Isaac's favorite things to do at OMSI--play with Playdough (or Flubber, which was out yesterday). They have a big Science Playground, for kids under 6, with lots of things to experiment and play with, including a giant sandbox, craft stations, water stations, puppets, and invention centers. We could spend the whole time in this room.

Sorry this picture is so dark, but this is another of Isaac's favorite things to see at OMSI--Samson, one of the world's most complete T-Rex skeletons. It's on display until September.

Here is some sort of water or irrigation exhibit that goes along with soil samples from Johnson Creek. The kids like it because they can dig in the sand and play with the animals in the water.

Bless OMSI for having a fun thing right next to their exit.

Isaac Adam Meyer

2009-07-18T11:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a little update on Isaac, since he turned 3 on June 21st:

Isaac is definitely his daddy’s boy. He excels at gross motor skills, loves to run and be chased by people, and often scares other people by the high-heights he succeeds at jumping from. He loves anything with wheels, bugs, and animals. I rarely know where his bruises come from, and am amazed at how well he knows the Disney Cars characters (he can and does name them all on the street). He likes to play with his brother, I love it when he remembers to say "thank you", and everything is right in the world when he says "I wuv woo, momma" at night. If anyone ever tries to hurt or make fun of this boy...well, I understand the term momma-bear.

Isaac has been blessed with a strong will–and I do consider it a blessing. It can make things hard right now, but I am so thankful for it and am willing to work on honing that personality trait, because as he gets older, he will probably not struggle with peer-pressure and insecurities like some of his peers will.

Isaac can intimidate people with his strong will, so for those people who have worked at befriending him...this momma is deeply thankful for you! Isaac is closer to you than you probably realize. Zac, Cherianne, Cassiday...you three currently come to mind, besides his grandparents and other 3-year old friends.

Isaac, my greatest desire for you is not that you are successful, or make a lot of money, have lots of friends, fun, whatever...Isaac, I hope that as you grow up, you will come to know Jesus Christ as your personal savior. I pray that you will grow up and learn to fear and love Him as your Lord, and that you would seek to do His will...even if it’s not yours. I pray for your wife now (if there is one), that she would do the same. I pray that when you do encounter evil, that you will look to the Lord for guidance and strength.
Lord, thank you for blessing us with this boy and letting us raise him! Please help us do a good job!

Soccer and a Shooting

2009-06-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

Today was Isaac's first day at soccer camp, and, boy, was it memorable! We started off the camp with Isaac refusing to play, which is fine--annoying, because it was hard to get him to stop pulling on my legs, but fine. At least the camp was free, and he got free shin guards and a water bottle! It's got to be hard to coach 3-5 year olds, but our coaches actually did a good job!

What really made it memorable, though, was that while we were watching his friends play, we heard a gunshot.

Yes, gunshot.

When we looked across the field, we saw a few guys run and tackle someone down. Immediately, since it happened near our end of the field, a couple of our friends sprinted towards them (yeah, I know, really smart) and pulled some people apart and broke a fight up. Again, I realize I am surrounded by geniuses. There had been a robbery right next to the soccer field--when our friends sprinted over, people were running away from it, and there were dollar bills all over the place. At this point, I don't know if someone was actually shot (I never saw an ambulance), although I know they did retrieve the gun, but I'm positive it will be on the news tonight.

Isaac did get to see a bunch of police cars, though, since most of Gresham police and some of Portland police were immediately there. He even got to say thank you to one of the officers! I see a future Cops show addict...

I do have to give kudos to the volunteers at Portland Lutheran: they didn't sign up for this, but acted quickly to keep everyone calm and safe. I will probably be back tomorrow to try again. Thank you!

Worship

2009-06-18T16:25:00.000-07:00

Quote from a friend:

"If I'm not brought to a point of worship each day, I'm not sure the day had purpose!"

Loved it.

Multitasking

2009-04-20T19:19:00.001-07:00

I am looking around my house, and here are the things I am currently doing RIGHT NOW all at the same time (Adam's playing b-ball):

*Searching for Caleb's binky and Isaac's milk
*Giving Isaac dinner
*Cleaning dishes
*Packing up diaper bag to get ready for work tomorrow
*Laundry (which has been sitting in the dryer since...Friday?)
*Trying to take garbage out
*Typing up this blog

And on top of all the things to-do, I am worried about having a job next year and anxious about a troubled student.

Jeez, talk about multi-tasking...I feel too scatterbrained and I know it won't all get done...so instead I blog. How do full-time career moms do it? I work 2.5 days a week, and that is sometimes overwhelming.

Easter

2009-04-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

Easter, like every other holiday, was busy with lots of family....but slightly less busy since my family was out of town. Sunday was church, then home, then Grandpa Meyer's, then Grandma Becka's.
Here is Adam with his grandpa Arden. Love this picture--anything showing the different generations are so special to me, especially since Adam was the first grandson, and Isaac is the first great-grandson. Saturday we spent with friends and went to Blue Lake park to do an Easter egg hunt, meet the Easter bunny (I am not into that tradition, but it was kind of cute), and play at the park.

The Paper Will Kill the Children

2009-04-11T14:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, the title sounds kind of silly, but just read on...

I am so frustrated with the fire marshall right now. We spent hours, days, money, tons of time, decorating our classroom, making it a bright, cheery environment conducive to learning, and now the fire marshall came and visited our school and we have to take it all down! I am so sad and frustrated that there are no words. It breaks my heart that this person is forcing us to spend our time making our room less inviting.

Here are just SOME of the things we have to change in our room (because if there is a fire, having no paper on the walls will really save the kids):

*Every wall can only be covered 40% by anything (bulletin boards, chalkboards, charts, etc.), so we have to take down:
-Bulletin boards (no, not quite all of them, but still...)
-Birthday charts
-The Alphabet
-A-Z lists
*Also, things hanging from the ceiling must be at least 24" down (everything in our room is!!!!), but... it can't be made out of paper. And, if it is hanging down, it has to be sprayed with a stinky, dangerous, expensive non-combustible spray. So...
-ALL of the students work and art hanging from the ceiling must come down.
-The curtains in our writing center must come off
-More Alphabet charts have to come down

We also have to get rid of the letters students have written to us, get rid of our personal bulletin board...I am just exhausted thinking about it and want to cry. Obviously the fire marshall does not have children or they just plain do not support education, because SERIOUSLY...like making any of these changes is going to protect our kids any more. We wouldn't want them to take pride in their work at school--let them join one of the gangs that hangs out in the neighborhood. Maybe there they will gain some sort of identity.

Fred W. Decker

2009-04-03T11:14:00.000-07:00

In loving memory of Dr. Fred W. Decker, my mom's dad

Born 1917

Died April 3, 2009

My grandpa was probably one of the smartest men I have or will ever know. He knew something, and had something to say, about anything I ever asked. He also had this amazing ability to continue, and not stop, a single sentence for more than 5 minutes. :0) He impacted the world in so many ways--he was in the Army Air Corps during World War II, he worked for Pres. Regan in the Department of Education, he taught meteorolgy at OSU, was a Freemason, Toastmaster, and so many other things... He led an extremely full life, and was married to my grandma for 66 years. When asked what it what like to be married to her for nearly 67 years, he replied "I wish I had another 67". He followed my grandma only 9 days after she died. He is and will be, like my grandma, very missed.

Charlotte Eleanor Decker

2009-03-26T20:53:00.000-07:00

In loving memory of Charlotte Eleanor Decker, my mom's mom

Born September 23, 1914

Died March 25, 2009

This is the most recent picture I have of her and my grandpa, although it was not taken the last time I saw her (I was still pregnant with Caleb here):

My grandma was a very sweet, cheerful, caring woman. With no disrespect to my grandfather, who is also a wonderful man, when he married, he definitely married up. She rarely complained about anything, even after years of waning strength and poor health, and was always so happy to see others and help people in need. I am sad that my boys will not grow up to know or remember her. She and my grandpa were married for 66 years. She is and will be very missed.

Goodbye Green Thing...

2009-03-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

Adam has had this old Mazda Protege since 2000. I went with Adam when he bought it. It was our first car when we were married. We left for our honeymoon in this car. We drove it all through college. I drove it when Adam joined the Marines and went overseas. It's lasted past our Jetta, our 4Runner, and we still have it with our Subaru.
I've kind of had this idea that we would just keep it until it just won't go anymore, then replace it with something nicer. So, in the hopes that that would be sooner, we've kind of neglected it, hoping to shorten it's life even more, but...

....it still will not die!!!

Let me try to paint a picture of this lovely beast (sorry, no photos, at least not of the Mazda, no way):

We do not change the oil in it--although we do check and add it if needed.
We do not take it in for tuneups or checkups or whatever.
Someone hit it while it was parked, and the person offered to pay for the dent, but we didn't want to make them pay several hundred for a worthless car anyways, so it's had a small dent in it since 2003.
It's been broken into three times, the last time being New Year's Eve of 2007/New Year's Day 2008. We never wanted to waste the $100 to replace the radio, so it has had a nice gaping hole for over a year.
The lock was popped out from the first time it was broken in, which we sort of fixed, but not really.
The passenger side door sticks when you try to open it. I think we honestly put duct tape on it at one time.
If you're driving with the headlights on, the brake lights remain on the whole time.
None of the inside lights work--not even the clock.
...
I hate this car. The thing is stinking embarassing to drive--if I have to drive it to work, I park in the back parking lot. But I've just never been the one to judge a person by their car, and I don't make payments on anything besides our house, so Adam has been so sweet with me and put up with it instead of buying a nicer one that we could probably have afforded. I guess the one good thing about it is that we don't need to worry about ever locking the car doors, because anyone stupid enough to steal this car is just asking for their own headache. Adam and I fight over who gets to drive our other car, so I finally mentioned to him that he should just buy a truck, so...here is our (ahem...Adam's) new truck!

Anyone want to buy a 1993 teal Mazda Protege? It's got...um...real personality.
...

2009-03-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

The most annoying thing about putting your house up for sale is making sure it's clean all the time. It means I have to make sure all the dishes are clean right after we eat, laundry gets put right away, counters are wiped, clothes are off the floor, carpet vacuumed. So, you can imagine my delight when I walked into Isaac's room today:

As soon as he saw me, Isaac proudly said: "See, momma--mess!"

Yeah, dude. Kind of hard to miss it.

This is going to be interesting.

Peekaboo!

2009-03-02T18:56:00.000-08:00

Life after unpredictable

2009-02-27T10:33:00.000-08:00

I’m beginning to wonder if I take things too seriously.

I know I’ve always had a dramatic side, with a tendency to exaggerate, so I wonder if I make things out to be worse than they really are.

After what seemed like a hellish few weeks with Isaac, he’s so much easier. I wonder if he was sick or something and I didn’t know it? Certainly prayers had something to do with it. Sometimes I also think I’ve been unfair to Isaac, expecting him to act older than his 2-year-old self. Yes, he’s a picky eater, but should I be surprised?–myself, my sisters, and my mom were all really picky when we were young, too. So, I’m stocking up on all sorts of random things, and giving Isaac tons of choices, luckily finding something that he wants to eat at each meal. And continuing to give him his vitamins. :-)

Besides Isaac’s much more agreeable nature right now, life is busy, as it always is with kids. Caleb is constantly reaching new milestones (walking at 9 months, finally got his first tooth), and we’re working on potty training Isaac. Isaac has also been introduced to the movie Finding Nemo, which I think has currently moved Cars out of his favorite movie spot. We filed taxes and got our federal tax refund back today. (yippee!) I took my class on a field trip to OMSI–lots of fun, and crazy, but no kids were lost! :-) I’m also working on fixing up a few things in our house, because we’ve decided to put it up on the market probably next week. It will probably take a while to sell because I won’t drop the price much, but we don’t need to sell it desperately so we can afford to wait for now. It’ll be sad to leave our first home, but we’re ready for something else–something bigger.

Here’s hoping the economy picks up this spring...yeah, right.

Caleb is walking!

2009-02-12T16:21:00.000-08:00

Yes, you saw the title--Caleb took his first unassisted steps today! He walked from me to Adam, about three steps, all on his own, and is now walking a few steps more and more!

And he will only be 9 months on Saturday....

Unpredictable

2009-02-12T12:36:00.000-08:00

I feel like this blog has been dedicated to my struggles with my two year old son–maybe I should change the title to "Help Me Please"–but sometimes, it’s the safest place for me to vent. I’m so sorry to those of you reading this. It’s why I deleted my previous blog. I promise there are good times, lots of them, but right now, they’re being far overshadowed by all the bad.

I have been reduced to a short-order-cook, and right now there’s nothing I can do about it. Isaac is ridiculously picky about his food, and I really try to make him something I think he will eat, but it all depends on his volatile mood swings. Last night I gave him the "offensive" dinner of chicken nuggets (something he usually likes–but again, it all depends on his current unpredictable mood), but found out too late that he didn’t want it, so he screamed off and on for 3 hours, either at the table or in his room where we sent him when we had enough. Finally, at 8:00pm, I put the chicken nuggets in his hand, and made him take a bite, and he finished off the rest on his own.
I don’t get it.
Every time I decide that this is the night he’s going to eat what I give him, we have to battle it out for 3 or 4 hours–more often than not, he just doesn’t eat at all–and frankly, I’m just too worn out to listen to that long of a temper tantrum so I usually make him something different just so he eats something and gets over it.
The hardest part is guessing what he will eat. Last week, he only wanted to eat Yoplait’s Thick and Creamy strawberry yogurt. Now, after I’ve stocked up on it, he only wants to eat Disney Cars fruit snacks. For about a month, he only wanted to eat peanut butter toast, but now he won’t touch that. Of course I don’t give him only these things at each meal–but it does mean I have a tougher fight when that’s all he wants to eat. Doctors say to not make meal time a battle; that he’ll eat when he gets hungry enough. He must be an exception to that rule, because no, he won’t eat when he’s hungry enough. Not if it’s not what he wants. Believe me, I’ve tried. I wasn’t joking when I told Adam last night that we may as well dump our savings account down the garbage, because that’s where most of our food goes.

It’s lunch time. Sigh. I don’t even know where to start and I don't want to.

New Year's Resolution 2009

2009-02-06T19:18:00.000-08:00

In 2007, Adam and I made our resolution be to read the Bible straight through. We did it, but then in 2008, I made too many excuses and I'm ashamed to admit it, barely opened my Bible outside of church. Stupid. I realize I've left God out by not spending time with Him. Soooo, this year, my resolution is pretty much the same again: read the Bible through again, but this year I altered it so that I'm reading part of the Old Testament along with the New each week. I've even got my list up above my computer so I can cross off each week's passage (I am such a list person--I get this weird satisfaction from crossing a line through something). I got a late start, though, so I'm still finishing Genesis. I'm getting excited, because each time I do this, I learn something new or find a new way for what I'm reading to be applied to life.

Rays of Sunshine

2009-02-02T20:34:00.000-08:00

After my less than cheerful post, here are some rays of sunshine! Enjoy!

Arctic Blast

2008-12-21T14:16:00.000-08:00

So, for those of you outside of Oregon, we've been hit with an arctic blast. And boy, have we. It is currently 23 degrees outside, and that's warming up. It snowed all day yesterday, we've had freezing rain today, more freezing rain expected tonight, and the wind chill makes the temperature actually below zero. Highways are closed, freeways are closed, and Adam is currently walking to Fred Meyer's to buy chains because no one is allowed on the roads without them. Need I say it?--brrrr.

See the snowman in the below picture? Didn't think so. It's there, under all the snow in our front yard. Adam and Isaac built it about three days ago, and it disappeared pretty much overnight.

Here's a few more pictures of the snow around our place:

Isaac keeps looking out the window and wants to play with his dump truck. Sorry, dude, not going to happen for a while.

Before the real arctic blast hit us, we did get to enjoy some time outside. Here's a couple pictures of us sledding on our street. Notice the pavement? Can't wait to see that again. Hopefully it shows up before Christmas....

Meyer Christmas!

2008-12-12T09:30:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, from Adam, Rebecca, Isaac, and Caleb!

"Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men." Luke 2:14

"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David." Luke 1:67

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

(Thanks, dad, for the pic!)

Energy Trust of Oregon

2008-11-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

When we bought our house, we inherited a fridge in the garage--you know, one that was made before the stone age and probably consumed 10 times the electricity a normal fridge does. We hadn't gotten rid of it because we didn't have a way of driving it to a recycling or appliance drop-off center. Three years later (geez, what took me so long!?), I discovered a way of getting rid of it--Energy Trust of Oregon has an old fridge recycling program, where they come and pick it up, they recycle it, and--here's the best part--they pay you! They took it this morning and will send me a check for $30 in about a month! Whoo-hoo! Let me show you a picture of all the space I suddenly have in our garage:This was taken 2 minutes after the guys picked up our fridgeso I haven't even picked anything up. Here's what I envision with all this extra space:
Sigh. Yeah right. Complete with new truck and everything.

Halloween

2008-11-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

I hate all the scary stuff that goes with Halloween, so it has always been my least favorite Holiday--until now, when I can sneak all Isaac's candy! We let him eat a bunch of it on Friday (Halloween night) then the rest went bye-bye (ie: momma and daddy's closet). Here's a couple pictures of the boys:

I especially like Adam's costume. Isaac was a tiger that refused to wear his mane or whatever it is tigers have on their head. Caleb was the cutest little fish I've ever seen--thanks Vanessa!

Pictures

2008-10-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some updates on the boys. Since he's first born, I'll do Isaac first:

Isaac has been so much fun recently! Today, for example, he has gotten a kick out of telling me thank you for pretty much everything--I take his sock off, "thank you, momma!"; I change his diaper, "thank you, momma!"; I give him a cookie, "thank you, momma!". It makes me smile. He has also recently picked up on calling me "mom" instead of "momma", so I feel like I'm listening to a 6-year old at times.

Isaac loves to make Caleb laugh, which is good, because Caleb has a serious case of hero worship, and would probably be severely depressed if his big brother did not pay attention to him.

Unfortunately, Isaac also likes to take Caleb's things. The other day, we noticed every time Caleb was playing with something, it would soon disappear. We searched for his binky at one point for a good hour without finding it. Then, we noticed Isaac take a toy from Caleb, walk behind the couch, and come back empty handed. This is what we found: Isaac had stuffed all the stuff up inside the couch, which is why we never found it by just looking under the couch. So, we finally found Caleb's toys, the wipes...look, there's my phone...and his binky.

Caleb is such a happy boy! As long as he is fed, not tired, hurt, or sick, then he will smile. He loves for people to look at him and talk to him. A lot of people say he looks like me, but I just think he looks like Caleb.

Caleb is 5 1/2 months today, and is almost crawling! He can get almost everywhere by turning around and pulling himself places, but just hasn't quite figured out how to move his arms forward when he's on his knees to go faster. He is such a mover (just like Isaac)--I already had to put the swing and bouncer away because he could get out of them months ago.

Football

2008-10-16T12:04:00.000-07:00

Ahh, fall is in the air. The leaves are changing, the nights are getting longer, the air is getting colder--we finally turned on our heater--and I can’t help but think, yeah--football!
No, I am not a sports fanatic, although I am occasionally interested about a game or trade. I am ashamed to admit, however, that I have gotten so accustomed to football being played on the TV, Yahoo Sports popping up when I awaken the computer, and hearing random football stats at pretty much all hours of the day and night, that I will often be home and not realize for hours that ESPN is still blaring on the television. I am perhaps even more embarassed to admit that I have my own Fantasy football team--the "Eliminators". I think I've "eliminated" three other teams. :~)

Oh, I just remembered--no, the movie never showed up...no kind soul returned it...so we had to buy it. The clerk almost tried to make us pay the late fee for it, too, but we had to argue with him that we just BOUGHT the thing, of course it is late.

Movie Night

2008-09-27T20:44:00.000-07:00

This is hopefully not a typical movie night for us, but here's how it's going so far: Tonight we stopped at the Gresham Hollywood video, rented "Made of Honor", then ran into good ol’ Freddie’s for some snacks. We grabbed one of their red race-car shopping carts for Isaac to drive, only he wanted to run instead, so we put the cart back, and let him run between aisles as we got our stuff. Then, as paying for our stuff, it hit us: we left the movie in the cart! So, we ran back to where the cart had been, which of course was gone by now, so Adam and I started searching through the store (it’s hard to miss those red carts), asking everyone who had one if they found a movie in it. Of course, no one did. After nearly an hour, no movie in red carts, no movie turned into customer service, no movie returned back to Hollywood. I suspect said movie went home in someone’s purse. So, we re-rented it, and are about to enjoy our relaxing movie night. Grrrr. It better be a good one. Stay tuned...

2008-09-18T13:49:00.001-07:00

Some pictures from the last month or two:
If you go to GSCC on Saturday nights, you may have seen Isaac doing this all the way from the 2-year old class through the auditorium. He looked ridiculous, and completely oblivious to the fact that the whole church was laughing as he bear crawled out to the parking lot.

Obviously not bed time yet.
What a stud!

Sorry, can't think of a title

2008-09-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

Man, it's been a while. I even forgot my blog password! I can't upload any pictures right now (I think the batteries are dead in my camera) so I'll have to post pictures later when I can find more batteries. Here's what we've been up to:

1. Adam and I celebrated our 7th anniversary!!!! We can't believe it's been that long! I am so fortunate to be married to someone who makes it feel easy to be married. Seriously, I cannot imagine ever having chosen someone to marry as perfect for me as he is. Obviously someone was looking out for us. Adam complements me so well--he's so laid back, patient--the opposite of me. We still need to work on things (especially now with kids), but I don't have to worry about many things that a lot of other women do. I love you babe!

2. Both Adam and I started work. Busy busy. I can't tell if it's harder on me or on Caleb for the boys to be babysat 8 or 9 hours at a time. I am completely rushed at school, working through all breaks, preps, lunch, etc. and could easily stay at work past 6 and still not get everything done, but I really want to leave by 4 so I can pick up the boys (Adam's coaching so doesn't get home til 6). It will get easier as the school year picks up. Caleb sometimes has a hard time taking a bottle, which we're working on, but that makes it hard on him (he sometimes tries to hold out til I get home, not very happily). Thank God I only work 2 or 3 days a week right now, and thank you Lord for my mom and Vicki Proctor, who are great with him and Isaac. Love having people I completely trust with my kids.

3. I am ready to move! More important to me than a larger kitchen or bathroom is to have a big room the boys can play in...WITHOUT A TV! Unfortunately I don't think this economy is ready for us to sell yet...

4. I am an aunt again! My brother-in-law Luke and his wife Hollie just had their second baby--Malachi Luke Meyer--on September 8. I am so excited Caleb will have a cousin to grow up with!

5. Adam turns 29 tomorrow (September 19). Any ideas?

Adam's Knee Update

2008-08-04T15:00:00.000-07:00

So here's what happened to Adam's knee: he fell on it during softball practice, still was able to play the whole game, came home and it swelled up probably to the size of a football (maybe bigger). He basically got a bunch of blood in his bursa sac, and it couldn't be drained (which might be because he waited almost two weeks to go in). So, it's still a little swollen, but he can walk on it fine, but he keeps a brace on it for compression and is heating and icing it so the blood can be reabsorbed. It will take a while, but it's gone down a ton. He can feel his knee cap again under the swelling because it's gone down so much. The bad thing is, since he hurt it he hasn't been able to work, but, oh well, it was just a little summer job to make a little money before the school year starts.
Speaking of... I am getting excited for the new school year! Remind me to post pictures of my classroom (minus students) to show you what it looks like. We've been going in about once a week now just to set up and clean. There were still things in the closet and in cupboards that belonged to the previous teacher that we didn't know were there. I am really excited to meet my kids, but a little worried we will have a large class: in the spring, we already had 26 kids, which is already kind of big for 1st grade, but okay. However, there's always a few adds in the summer, especially to 1st because of the private kindergardners coming in to public school (last year we gained an extra 5 from the spring to the late fall), so we're looking at....31?! Hopefully a teacher will be moved down to 1st grade, but until then...yikes! We only have enough seats for 28!

Adam's Knee

2008-07-15T20:11:00.001-07:00

Adam hurt his knee playing softball. I think he landed on it too hard, on a hard ground, and that night it started swelling up like a balloon. Now, 4 days later, it is still swollen (although maybe a little less), and there's bruising behind the knee. I'm sure he tore some sort of ligament, but we don't know what. Has this happened to anyone else? Right now I am having to take care of 3 boys, because Adam can only get around with crutches.

When I make mistakes...

2008-07-10T12:25:00.001-07:00

I am constantly reminded of mistakes I have made. For example, when I drive by our local school bus service station and drive over the crosswalk the drivers walk on to get to their buses, I am reminded of the time when I once drove through it without stopping, and someone was walking across. Yes, I saw them. I could have hit them, but thank you God I did not. It happened about 5 years ago, and I still feel guilty over this thankfully little thing. I still shudder thinking about what could have happened if I had hit them--and all because I was too impatient to slow down. When I am reminded of mistakes like this (or others--believe me, there's a ton...and not just related to driving) I just thank God for forgiving me for making them. Even though I still have to live with the consequences, at least I can have peace knowing Jesus died for these mistakes and covered them.

Lund Wedding

2008-07-05T16:11:00.000-07:00

Sunday, June 29, my youngest sister got married! Elisa married Lt. Chris Lund at Good Shepherd in a military ceremony. Very cool, and really beautiful. They had chosen the date partly so it would coincide with our church's annual patriotic service, so there were lots of red, white, and blue decorations up. The coolest part was at the end, as they kissed, they set off "fireworks" on the stage (it was really confetti shot into the air). That was a surprise for Chris and Elisa, which I almost ruined when I started talking to her about how cool the fireworks would be. I had to quickly cover and talk about the sparklers we were planning on lighting as they left for their honeymoon (which didn't happen, as you'll soon read why).

Yes, Sunday was also the day of thunderstorms, and yes, it poured, and yes, it was an outdoor reception. We joked about thunder roaring right as they kissed (I don't know if it actually did). The rain actually worked out okay, though, because Chris and Elisa had just cut the cake when it started to drizzle then pour, and most everyone had already eaten their first round, so it was a good time for people to leave if they wanted. It did look kind of funny, though, as Elisa and Chris went to take a slice, and half the guests got up and literally ran away! :-) We'll be talking about that forever. Fortunately we were able to move everything up indoors in the church.Afterwards, since we realized we had forgotten to get a picture of the whole family with Cherianne' husband Ben and Adam, Isaac and Caleb, and since Chris & Elisa won't be back in Oregon until Thanksgiving, we all got together to watch them open their presents and get a picture. Here we all are!

Bedtime smiles

2008-06-25T15:12:00.000-07:00

Isaac has been sleeping in a twin-sized bed now for a couple weeks, and he's been doing great! Only once has he gotten out of bed when he wasn't supposed to (which was only because Adam let him go to bed with a balloon to play with on his birthday). He likes to sleep with his stuffed monkey and puppy, and I caught him tucking his monkey in once. The weird thing about his bed, though, is that the person who gave us the mattress insisted it was a standard size mattress--and it is, but the box spring that went with it is extra long and sticks out an extra 5 inches.

And here's something else to smile about: Daddy! (I smile, too!) Caleb is so cute when he smiles! He smiles a lot in the morning, or after a long nap.

The Fish That Was Too Big

2008-06-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize you could catch a fish that was too big to bring home, but Adam caught this 7' 4" sturgeon the other day (I think the biggest you can bring it home is 5 feet). He came back totally drenched with a sore back because it filled the boat halfway with water from fighting so hard. The thing looks like it lived with the dinosaurs!

2008-06-13T15:54:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from the last week or so:
Adam's been going fishing a lot recently, and took Isaac along. Ick...those fish just disgusted me. I don't know why--I like trout, but they just grossed me out this time. Isaac was fascinated with them, and insisted on us bringing them in the house. He even gave them his shoes (which will now remain outside shoes).
Isaac and momma! That's fingerpaint all over him--thank God it was washable. Isaac looking at the fountain at MHCC.
This kick 'n play is a life saver. The batteries died in it about a week ago, and I only just got new ones today (size D--I never seem to have them). What a relief!

What a stud.

Smile!
Hmmm...apparently I didn't get to the dishes in time...

Tough Kid

2008-06-04T11:28:00.000-07:00

Today Isaac and I were playing tag, and he decided to suddenly turn around while I was chasing him on all fours and run head-on into me. I was laughing, expecting him to slow down before he hit me, but nooooo--he ran straight into me with my mouth open. He now has two big teeth imprints in his forehead, and I had to run to a mirror to make sure he hadn't knocked out my front teeth because he ran into me so hard. His reaction? He just laughed because he got momma.

My Little Boys!

2008-05-27T13:27:00.000-07:00

We absolutely love having two little boys in our house now! Caleb is doing great, and Isaac is doing really well with his little brother! Here are some new pictures of the two of them--enjoy!

Taken this morning--13 days old! Personally, I think he is looking a lot like his big brother.

Believe it or not, that is Caleb under all that. Isaac has a fascination with baseball hats right now, so he let his brother wear one. This was the first time we let Isaac hold Caleb by himself. He loved it!

How cute! Actually, I think Isaac was kind of hoping Caleb would move so he could play with the activity mat himself.

Caleb Joshua Meyer

2008-05-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

Caleb Joshua Meyer

Born May 14, 2008 at 9:30 pm

7 pounds 12 ounces, 19.75 inches long

Midnight tonight

2008-05-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

We are going in at midnight to start things going. Please pray that:
1. It doesn't take too long. I'm afraid it may be a day or too before they actually put me on pitocin; it just depends on how long my body takes to get ready.
2. Caleb changes position to make labor a little easier--not looking forward to another 23 hours of back labor.
3. I really really really do not want a C-section. I also really do not want to be pregnant anymore, but notice there are more really's for not having a C-section?
4. That Caleb is healthy and safe!

Baby's coming soon!

2008-05-12T18:49:00.000-07:00

Apparently I'm being induced tomorrow! That is a surprise to me, but a welcome one! Today a nurse from Sunnyside called to confirm my appointment to be induced tomorrow night--an appointment I didn't know had been made! I have an appointment with my midwife tomorrow afternoon, and apparently we'll talk about the induction and confirm it then. I don't know what time exactly the induction is--I suspect it will actually be really early Wednesday morning--but yeah! Baby is coming soon!

Still kicking...literally

2008-04-29T19:22:00.000-07:00

Hey--I know I haven't posted for a while, but we are alive and kicking (some more than others), and really busy. Today was the first day in a while that Isaac woke up without a fever, so we're kind of focusing on getting Isaac well before Caleb arrives. Today was also the first day he started really displaying any symptoms besides the fever, so I'm kind of relieved that we don't have to guess so much anymore why he isn't feeling well (that's what we've had to do so far). At least he's doing much better now--hopefully he will gain an appetite again soon.
Only three more days of work for me! I will miss my kids! Today I typed up our Monday newsletter, and I wrote a note to the kids/parents saying when my last day was/how much I'll miss them all/etc. It was sad! You really grow attached to them after 8 months--even the behavior problems.

WHY?

2008-04-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

On our way to story time this morning, Isaac and I had the pleasure of following this lovely old Nissan. Normally, I do not pay much attention to who I am following, but I noticed this car for a number of reasons: First, besides the puffs of smoke flowing out the driver's side window, the windshield was smashed out, as though they had recently been in a head-on collision that involved the driver almost being flown out the windshield. On the back they had a bumper sticker on the window that said "Drive it Like You Stole It" (I'm sure the cops like that one). But to top it all off, they decided to dangle a replica of their male anatomy from their bumper so that it flew in the air as they accelerated. I almost wish it wasn't a replica. WHY would someone choose to make that sort of statement?
Pleasure driving behind you, dude...

7 weird things about myself

2008-04-16T15:22:00.001-07:00

Diane has tagged me, and since she seems to think I have nothing better to do than respond to her tag, and because we all love her, here it goes: I am supposed to list 7 weird things about myself.

1. I can't do a cartwheel, and I have never tried. I know I will look like an idiot.

2. I hope this baby will come LATE. Yes, you heard me. I want it to come after May 7th, because I want to keep teaching until then. Hopefully Caleb agrees with this.

3. I was going to go sky-diving, but I sort of chickened out the day before we were supposed to go. Adam, Luke, Zac, their dad, and Katelin all went, but I decided not to the day before. In my defense, it was more about the cost than the fear of actually jumping out of a plane. Unfortunately, they didn't let that one go for a while, and it may be a mistake mentioning it again.

4. There were 7 pairs of shoes in my living room this morning.

5. Only 2 of those pairs of shoes were not mine.

6. Of those remaining 5 pairs of shoes, probably only 1 of them fits me well.

7. I (plus Adam) own two wakeboards and bindings, our own lifejackets, and other various water sports equipment, but no one in our family or close friends has a wakeboarding/ski boat. So sad. Anyone want to buy a Parks board? Call Adam.

Once a Marine....

2008-04-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

...always a Marine...but no more Sgt. Adam Meyer! We were very pleasantly surprised today when we got the mail to find Adam's discharge papers from the USMC. I was a little confused, because I could swear he was supposed to be in the IRA until this August, but I'm doing the math in my head now, and I was wrong--it was August 2007. Took a little while for that letter to arrive in our mailbox...

I have such a respect for military men and women, but you have no idea the relief it gives me to know that Adam will never be called up again! It's a little weird to me that those 8 years have already gone by. I don't miss them, but the things we learned through it all...the hard times (Iraq, even the threat of Iraq in 2003)...the fun times (friendships made)...the pride I feel for my husband that he would give up his time to serve...I wouldn't give it up. Don't get me wrong; I would never do it again willingly, but I also would not give up the lessons learned. Some lessons learned were:

1. Never eat a full bottle of spray butter. Or cup of old chew (that still makes me shudder). 2. When in doubt, just break your wrist. (kidding!) 3. When truly in doubt, pray!!!! Both of us gained such an appreciation for prayer through it all--and not even when our prayers were answered the way we wanted. Just the fact that they were answered so obviously made us both stop and say whoah several times.

Here are just a couple pictures of Adam I found lieing around. Unfortunately, everything was pre-digital, so I had to take pics of pics to get these on here, and I didn't feel like digging too hard to find more. It's uncomfortable to bend over now.

This one still makes me laugh. Adam looks so serious, and so young. I guess it was taken over 8 years ago. In real life, you almost always see him smiling.

This is better. Here he's in a blackhawk. And no, it's not just the wind that's making him squint. :-)

Dinner

2008-04-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

We, or I should say I, had a frustrating night tonight. After trying to get Isaac to eat dinner for an hour and a half, and tossing out the third meal of the day that he wouldn't eat (and that is a very common occurence), I finally just sat him down and let him eat spoonfuls of peanut butter, yogurt, and a handful of pretzels and berries. He was so proud of himself. What a weirdo. I can practically count all the things he likes to eat on one hand. And while he's eating his gourmet meal, Adam and I at least got to enjoy fresh salmon for dinner! Kid, you don't know what you're missing...

Snow Day

2008-03-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning to find it snowing outside! Very pretty, but we want some sunshine!

David Cook

2008-03-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have to admit it, we are American Idol fans this year. And big-time Lost fans, too, but that should be saved for another post (Michael is back?! Danielle is dead?!). Did anyone watch last night and see David Cook's performance? Wow! Adam has always really liked him, but I've been more on the fence--until last night. He sang Billy Jean last night, but made it into a rock song. I didn't even recognize it until about halfway through. He reminded me so much of Daughtry, my last favorite idol. After his song, I just sat there, thinking, wow...can't wait to see what he does next week...!

Watch this!

Resurrection Day

2008-03-26T12:52:00.000-07:00

Easter was fun and busy, as usual, this year. These are just some of the "benefits" of split in-laws. We spent the morning with my parents, then drove out to West Linn to spend the afternoon with Adam's mom's side, and then went to Adam's dad's for dinner. It was really fun, but so busy. I keep saying that someday we won't be able to go everywhere, but I think it will be a long time before we stop, because, like I said, it still is fun. Besides, it's been nice not to have to cook an Easter meal yet. :-)

On the way to West Linn, we stopped for gas at the Damascus 76, and as we were leaving, this really nice gas attendant told us "Have a happy Resurrection Day!". I thought that was so cool! I think he's worked there for a while now--older man, always cheerful. It just caught me off guard, because we're so used to everyone secularizing important Christian holidays that we forget what it's really about.

On that note, Isaac got a new toddler's Bible for Easter. He loves it when we read it to him, and always asks, "Sssat?" (translation: "what's that?"). Of course, he's still a little more interested in the pictures of barn animals and fish than he is in Jesus, but it's a start...

2008-03-16T10:09:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine recently posted on her blog about trashy magazines. I got to thinking about boys, and how hard it is going to be to teach them to shield their eyes. I think it would be hard enough to teach girls not to dress a certain way, but how do you teach boys (and girls, for that matter) to close their eyes all the time, especially when some people practically scream for the attention? I consider my sons lucky that they will have good examples in their lives, but I know that won't be enough. What scares me the most is that a lot of people don't see it as a big deal, which is probably why the problem keeps getting worse. I shudder to think what it will be like in 15 years. Seriously, I don't want to think about it...

On a more positive note, here's a couple of pictures of Isaac from the other day. The first one here I thought about just dumping him in the laundry along with everything else:And this morning he insisted on wearing these shoes. He kept tripping all over because, not only are they too big, but he had two right feet.

Ikea

2008-03-13T12:06:00.001-07:00

We finally went to Ikea for the first time a little while ago. I wanted to exchange a gift someone got me, so the three of us--make that four--decided to go check it out on one of Adam's day's off. You wouldn't think there would be so many problems with that. First of all, we forgot that that day was a holiday. Second of all, I didn't know I could go through the exit to get right to customer service. Thirdly, I didn't really want to leave Isaac at the kids play place with complete strangers. So....we all went in the entrance and walked through the entire store, had to walk past the checkers (who got angry at me for taking something past them without a receipt), grab a number to visit a customer service rep, waited 15 minutes until we realized we would be waiting at least another 30 (it felt just like the DMV), and then finally decided to just get in line and buy the thing we were going to exchange it for (which cost $5). In the meantime, Isaac is getting hungry and tired. The whole trip took at least 2 hours.
Lesson learned: Never go shopping at Ikea on a holiday with a grumpy toddler.
The sad thing is, they have a nice dresser there that I want to get for Isaac's bedroom, so I have to brave it again. I'll be going mid-week in the early morning.

Our Little Couch Potato

2008-03-13T11:59:00.001-07:00

Today I looked over at Isaac to see him staring at the TV, completely oblivious to anything but whatever was on the Disney channel. Of course, as soon as he noticed I took out the camera, he snapped out of it. Wouldn't want momma to see him like that! Ahhh...the skills we teach our kids...

I Caved

2008-03-07T14:46:00.000-08:00

After years of resisting starting up a blog, I finally caved. So...here we are! Nothing exciting yet...not much news to share...just waiting to not be pregnant anymore (ie. Caleb to be born). This pregnancy has been fine so far, I'm just so tired of being big and clumsy. I forgot what it was like since I had Isaac. I am so anxious to have my body back that I even went and bought my swimsuit already! Can't wait for the warm weather!