"Having a place to go is home-
Having someone to love is family-
Having both is a blessing!"
Greetings from the Other Side of the Hard Parts
21 hours ago
Friday, May 30, 2008
This is a video of Anna and Carter after lunch. We were trying to get Carter to clap his hands, and this day he started doing it! It is sooo cute, but of course as the mom, I think all that my kids do is amazing! Anna, watching and participating, noticed that too much of the attention was focused on Carter and not herself, so then she starts competing for my attention. Anna does not normally like to perform anything for anyone! We have had a hard time getting her to do any of her cute things she does on video! So, this video is priceless for we got Anna to "perform" too! Enjoy!
Spotlight For Haylee Wayment!
This one's for Haylee, who demanded that I put pictures of her on my blog!! For all of you who don't know Haylee, let me introduce her to you! Haylee is 16 years old and is a sophomore at Twin Falls High School. She scarily resembles a potato and she loves potato chips! Wonder if there is a connection? Hmmmm....anyway, Haylee is very enthusiastic about EVERYTHING and also very dramatic about EVERYTHING! She is quite boy crazy right now and tries desperately hard to not fall in love at first sight! She loves a guy who will open doors for her, hold her hair back while she's spewing, gaze dreamily into her eyes and speak to her without words!! *sigh* She wants a man who will cook and clean and even put the toilet seat down! 
Haylee is actually a very awesome girl and we all love her very much! Yes, she may argue with you until there's nothing left to argue about, and she might over react just a bit, but how many of us can say we weren't the same in high school too? Haylee is very talented and can draw and play the piano. She loves to read and is a very deep thinker. She has top grades in school and is already planning her future in collage, planning on serving a mission, and one day marrying and having lots and lots of babies!!
Haylee cares the most about her family and would give her life for any of them. She is the best aunt in the world and has a special place in our hearts! Anna is always talking about Hay-hay and she tells me quite often about our trips to Hay-hay's house....see Haylee, Anna will always remember you no matter how close or far apart we are! Anna always tells me, "Hay-hay my friend. I yike hay-hay. I call Hay-hay on da phon...Hay-hay wan come to my house, seep in my bed? I pay wif Hay-hay's dogs, dey yike me, dey not mean, dey not bite me!" We love you Haylee!!!
Hot Potato!!!
This post is dedicated to Haylee Mae Wayment and Emma Elizabeth Wayment, my two younger sisters who have both been mistaken for myself! We look alike and act alike in many ways! BUT, we all can admit that I am definitely the cutest and most brilliant one of all!!
Anyway... one evening Anna and I were playing potato head, where I get to create one and Anna gets to create one. After our potato heads are done, Anna wants me to play like they are alive and they do various things like walk, go to the pretend store and such! It's very fun, believe me, and sometimes I like to make my potato head do crazy things and say crazy things just to see Anna's reaction! To all you parents-try it sometime-your kids' reactions will be worth it!
These particular potato heads pictured were kindly named by Anna. The one on your left was named Emma and the one on the right was named Hay-hay (Haylee). Anna and I played with Emma and Haylee for quite some time! If you look close, you can see the resemblance! Haylee really does have a potato head bum-round and lumpy- I'm serious, and Emma has that same round pink nose and pear-shaped bod! You guys are the hottest "potatoes" EVER!!! I love my little sisters! Call me! It's a once in a lifetime chance to be depicted as a potato!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Anna got a bike for Christmas in 2006. She has not been able to ride it until just recently because her feet couldn't reach the pedals! She has been dying to ride her bike since she got it, so you can imagine how excited we all were when she figured out how to finally pedal the thing!!! Here is a video of her literally riding it all by herself for the first time! I am so proud of her...she is becoming such a big girl! It has been sooo much fun seeing her reach milestone after milestone! I am so glad I have had the opportunity to be home with Anna and to be there for each and every accomplishment and failure too. To all of you mothers out there who stay at home with your kids I say, "Way to go!" Being a mom is hard and women give so much, sacrifice so much, and expect so little in return. You go girls!!
President Ezra Taft Benson said that "a child needs a mother more than all the things money can buy. Spending time with your children is the greatest gift of all" (Come, Listen to a Prephet's Voice [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1990], 32) So, all of you moms out there, if you are having a bad day, or your children are driving you crazy, you remember that the women are the Lord's secret weapon and He needs us in our homes influencing our children and being there for them. Remember:
Cleaning the house
While the children are growing
Is like shoveling snow
While it's still snowing.
As moms, we can't do everything, but we must focus on the time that we do have and make the most of it. Sometimes it means putting off the dishes and mopping the floors and sittiing down with our children and making our time theirs. The time we spend with our family is priceless. Do the best you can and don't feel bad about anything! We should feel grateful for our opportunity to serve, nurture, and teach our children.
Spring is here? May 1, 2008
May 1, 2008 we got a huge snow storm! I figured I would take advantage of the opportunity and build a snowman with Anna! We had lots of fun and Anna really enjoyed eating the snow! She enjoyed feeding Carter the snow too! After Carter woke up from his nap, we took him outside too, where he got to experience the snow for the first time up close and personal! He kept touching the snow and pulling his hand away, trying to figure out the stuff! He enjoyed Anna feeding him the snow! As you can see from the pictures, Anna and I built an awesome snowman with wings! Very cool! I was pretty mad that it snowed in May, but after our little activity, I was glad we had a chance to play in the snow and make a fun memory together!
Have you ever seen such an awesome snowman before? Here is Carter touching the snow...he seemed so puzzled about it all!!
Here is Anna chowing down on a nice chunk of snow and then giving a baby-bite of snow for Carter to enjoy too...how nice! Only a few hours after we made our snowman it was melting and falling apart! By the end of the day, half of the snow was gone! Crazy!
Good times!!
Meet our Family!!
This is Russ's oldest brother Rob, and his awesome wife Jenilyn, and their five kids Dallen, Jacob, Carson, Carli, and Rylei.
Let me tell everyone a little about this family, OK? (don't worry all of you others, it will be your turn to be spotlighted on my blog too!) Rob is a "deliveryman" and he is wicked awesome at it we think! When Rob is around, you can always find all of his younger siblings there. Rob wouldn't admit it, but he has been a great role model to the Meredith clan. Many times have we called to seek his advice...and yes...he gives some pretty good advice! Rob is a hard worker and he loves his family....and he can sing!
Jenilyn....where do we begin? Affectionately known as Mrs. Potts (you'll have to ask her about that!), she is a true "soccer mom". She always has cute hair, tan legs, and will deny that she is WONDERFUL! She runs a house full of kids who play soccer, basketball, dance, snowboard....and everything else too! She cares so much about her family and is always doing something for her sister, mother, in-laws...to make our lives a little easier. Thank you Jenilyn for caring so much about us! Jenilyn is sincere and honest and will tell you like it is! She loves baby boys and will take one if you give it to her...but beware, she might not give him back! She probably likes baby girls too! She loves the gospel and is always bearing testimony in one way or another to us about her experiences or thoughts she has had. We love Jenilyn and hope she knows it!
Ok Meredith family...we love you and we love Dallen cuz he's a stud...what's an ovum again?, Jake cuz he's a little pill, Carson is just Carson-hey, stop teasing Carli!, Carli is the best drama queen EVER, and Rylei is our queen of bum cleavage! If you loved this spotlight, let us know, we'll be sure to do it again!
A Little about Carter...and a bit more!
Carter, also affectionately known as Bubby, is 10 months old now. After Carter was born and we got him home, we were sure he would be the best baby ever! My one desire more than anything else was that he would not be colicy like Anna was. Sure enough, though, Carter started crying every night, and just like Anna, he was mostly inconsoleable! With Anna, it seemed awful, and maybe because it was our second time around with a colicy child, Carter didn't seem quite as awful! We just got into a routine where I would wrap him in a blanket and hold him just so, and then just pace the floors of our tiny apartment singing or humming every primary song I knew! We got it down to a point to where he would only cry for 30-45 minutes and then he would go to sleep! Carter wasn't crying anymore at nights by the time he was 4 months old....hurray!
Ever since we got him home, Carter has been a great eater and sleeper! We learned a lot with Anna about what NOT to do! One thing I vowed never to do again was let my babies sleep in my arms! I let Anna do it, and she never would sleep in her crib! I had to teach her to fall asleep...whew, that's hard! With Carter, when he would get sleepy, I would feed him, and then put him in his crib, and halleluia, he learned to go to sleep by himself! It is the best thing any parent could do for their child and for themselves!
Carter is a happy little boy and he loves mom and Anna. When he started laughing, it was Anna that he would laugh for, not mom or dad! Anna has loved being a big sister and helps a lot...sometimes too much! I found her feeding Carter various things he would definitely choke on or things he just couldn't have yet! She is always piling toys on his lap and telling him what is and isn't OK to do!
Carter just barely started to crawl Memorial weekend and we are all so excited! Just like his sister was, Carter discovered he could walk holding mom or dad's hand, and that was all he wanted to do! If we layed him on the floor, he would cry like we broke his heart! So, for awhile there, we listened to a lot of crying from him as he pleaded with his eyes and his wails for someone to walk him around!! Anna would show Carter how to crawl all the time, so now when he crawls Anna excitedly tells me, "Mom, bubba's crawin, come see, come see!" She has also come to realize that now Carter can get to her and her toys....not good! She tells me quite often to take him somewhere else, to put him down for a nap, to feed him so that he won't get to her and her toys! Her newest phrase is, "Mom-mom, Bubba's buggin me! Yeave me ayone bubby!"
Carter is curious about everything, and has to explore every nook and cranny of our apartment! He loves books and paper and anything Anna has in her hands! He also loves little, minute pieces of anything left on the carpet, where he promptly puts it in his mouth! Then he screams and cries when mom has to pry it out of his mouth! Did I mention that I vacuum a lot? Carter eats heaps and mounds...he now weighs over 20 pounds and is in the 75% for his height! His favorites are macaroni and cheese, cheddar cheese, little chocolate chips, ravioli, bananas, apples, applesauce, graham crackers, ritz crackers, licorice and suckers, yogurt, green beans, beans, any pasta....list goes on and on! It has been so great to have a baby be such a good eater! Anna was the pickiest eater ever! Some days we wondered if she would end up just starving because of all the foods she refused to eat! Luckily she is growing out of that some!
Well, this post is long enough, and there will be much more to come! We love our kids more than life and it has been our greatest joy to watch them grow and develop and learn. Parenting has also been the toughest thing Russ and I have done and we rely so much on the Lord and those who have gone before us! Thank you to all of our family who have been such a blessing to us in our times of need!
Ever since we got him home, Carter has been a great eater and sleeper! We learned a lot with Anna about what NOT to do! One thing I vowed never to do again was let my babies sleep in my arms! I let Anna do it, and she never would sleep in her crib! I had to teach her to fall asleep...whew, that's hard! With Carter, when he would get sleepy, I would feed him, and then put him in his crib, and halleluia, he learned to go to sleep by himself! It is the best thing any parent could do for their child and for themselves!
Carter is a happy little boy and he loves mom and Anna. When he started laughing, it was Anna that he would laugh for, not mom or dad! Anna has loved being a big sister and helps a lot...sometimes too much! I found her feeding Carter various things he would definitely choke on or things he just couldn't have yet! She is always piling toys on his lap and telling him what is and isn't OK to do!
Carter just barely started to crawl Memorial weekend and we are all so excited! Just like his sister was, Carter discovered he could walk holding mom or dad's hand, and that was all he wanted to do! If we layed him on the floor, he would cry like we broke his heart! So, for awhile there, we listened to a lot of crying from him as he pleaded with his eyes and his wails for someone to walk him around!! Anna would show Carter how to crawl all the time, so now when he crawls Anna excitedly tells me, "Mom, bubba's crawin, come see, come see!" She has also come to realize that now Carter can get to her and her toys....not good! She tells me quite often to take him somewhere else, to put him down for a nap, to feed him so that he won't get to her and her toys! Her newest phrase is, "Mom-mom, Bubba's buggin me! Yeave me ayone bubby!"
Carter is curious about everything, and has to explore every nook and cranny of our apartment! He loves books and paper and anything Anna has in her hands! He also loves little, minute pieces of anything left on the carpet, where he promptly puts it in his mouth! Then he screams and cries when mom has to pry it out of his mouth! Did I mention that I vacuum a lot? Carter eats heaps and mounds...he now weighs over 20 pounds and is in the 75% for his height! His favorites are macaroni and cheese, cheddar cheese, little chocolate chips, ravioli, bananas, apples, applesauce, graham crackers, ritz crackers, licorice and suckers, yogurt, green beans, beans, any pasta....list goes on and on! It has been so great to have a baby be such a good eater! Anna was the pickiest eater ever! Some days we wondered if she would end up just starving because of all the foods she refused to eat! Luckily she is growing out of that some!
Well, this post is long enough, and there will be much more to come! We love our kids more than life and it has been our greatest joy to watch them grow and develop and learn. Parenting has also been the toughest thing Russ and I have done and we rely so much on the Lord and those who have gone before us! Thank you to all of our family who have been such a blessing to us in our times of need!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
"If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle."
-Vincent van Gogh
-Vincent van Gogh
All in a year...
The first year of Anna's life was full of "good times"! Anna started out, when she was only a few weeks old, with colic. It was very trying for Russ and I as we would pace the floor at night while she wailed and screamed, being inconsolable! We learned great patience in those first few months! As a baby, Anna was very quiet and not as expressive as other babies. It was as if she had to take in everything around her, and study every person in the room to convince herself that everything was OK! Anna has been observant ever since...but we feel like it has been a good trait for her. I think she will be a very good judge of persons.
Anna never crawled until after she learned to walk! Anna hated being on the floor and refused to even be in a crawling position! All she wanted to do was hold mom's hand and walk everywhere! Of course, as anyone would assume, mom did just that! But we would advise parents to encourage crawling first! Amber just about broke her back leading our little Anna-bug all around the house for months!!
Anna loved to read books, play with her babies and stuffed animals, color, swing and dig in the sand, play with grandpa Meredith, take baths, and most especially be where mommy was! We could say she was and still is a Mommy's girl! Anna has always loved animals and has a special interest in dogs and cats. She loves going to the fair to see the cows, horses, goats, sheep, and pigs!
Anna could be classified as a "grumpy" child and has learned the art of sticking out her bottom lip! She is not one to wake up with a smile upon her face, and has always been grumbly in the mornings. We have to give her some space and time to "blossom" in the mornings!
On the other side, Anna is very imaginative and creative, and she loves to build and create. She loves building with blocks, Lego's, or anything! She also has a flair for drawing and painting...hmmmm...wonder who she got that from? She is becoming quite the little artist! Anna is also very organized and always does things in a certain order and fashion. If that order is interrupted, she can get very frustrated! Ever since she was little, she loved to put things in a bucket, then take them out one by one. She would also line toys up all in a row on the floor, or arrange them in a certain way in her doll house or whatever it was she was playing with! If mom or dad did something the wrong way, or out of order, she let us know!
As we have watched Anna grow, it has been very satisfying and full of surprises! We have not been the most perfect parents and there are times when we feel like Anna has more to teach us than the other way around! We are learning as we go and find that all we can do is try our very best, and then the next day try a little harder!
Anna never crawled until after she learned to walk! Anna hated being on the floor and refused to even be in a crawling position! All she wanted to do was hold mom's hand and walk everywhere! Of course, as anyone would assume, mom did just that! But we would advise parents to encourage crawling first! Amber just about broke her back leading our little Anna-bug all around the house for months!!
Anna loved to read books, play with her babies and stuffed animals, color, swing and dig in the sand, play with grandpa Meredith, take baths, and most especially be where mommy was! We could say she was and still is a Mommy's girl! Anna has always loved animals and has a special interest in dogs and cats. She loves going to the fair to see the cows, horses, goats, sheep, and pigs!
Anna could be classified as a "grumpy" child and has learned the art of sticking out her bottom lip! She is not one to wake up with a smile upon her face, and has always been grumbly in the mornings. We have to give her some space and time to "blossom" in the mornings!
On the other side, Anna is very imaginative and creative, and she loves to build and create. She loves building with blocks, Lego's, or anything! She also has a flair for drawing and painting...hmmmm...wonder who she got that from? She is becoming quite the little artist! Anna is also very organized and always does things in a certain order and fashion. If that order is interrupted, she can get very frustrated! Ever since she was little, she loved to put things in a bucket, then take them out one by one. She would also line toys up all in a row on the floor, or arrange them in a certain way in her doll house or whatever it was she was playing with! If mom or dad did something the wrong way, or out of order, she let us know!
As we have watched Anna grow, it has been very satisfying and full of surprises! We have not been the most perfect parents and there are times when we feel like Anna has more to teach us than the other way around! We are learning as we go and find that all we can do is try our very best, and then the next day try a little harder!
Monday, May 26, 2008
First Family Photo!
"When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed,...will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses? When the surf of the centuries has made the great pyramids so much sand, the everlasting family will still be standing, because it is the celestial institution, formed outside telestial time." (Elder Neal A. Maxwell, Ensign, May 1978, 10-11)
"My fruit is better than gold" Proverbs 8:19
"Gordon B. Hinckley reminds us, "Sacrifice is and always has been the very essence of motherhood" (Motherhood, a Heritage of Faith, pamphlet [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1995], 4). You can expect that not all that sacrifice will be fully appreciated. You can expect the world to look past or not value your accomplishments. But you can feel the peace in knowing that you are making the best use of your time when you use it to help your loved ones" (Virginia U. Jensen, Families-It's about Time, Women's Conference, 1999). 
A Blessing
Anna Belle, what a beautiful little angel she was here, dressed in the whitest of white, pure and untouched from the hands of this world, it was as if we could almost hold her close enough that a bit of some heavenly dust might rub off onto the rest of us and help us raise this daughter of God.
One saying I heard once and have loved ever since, should be hung in every home:
"Pay Attention to what you Love!"
Oh, may we pay attention to our little ones for they are our greatest blessings!!!
One saying I heard once and have loved ever since, should be hung in every home:
"Pay Attention to what you Love!"
Oh, may we pay attention to our little ones for they are our greatest blessings!!!
Anna Belle Meredith
Anna Belle Meredith was born July 29, 2005! She weighed 5 lbs 11 oz and was 19 inches long! Anna was the prettiest and most petite little baby! Russ and I just couldn't believe the little miracle that she was to our new family and were in awe of the power we had to create such a perfect baby...and we felt an enormous responsibility to care for Anna for we knew she came from our Heavenly Father.
These choice little spirits that are sent to our homes are priceless and nothing is more important than to raise our children within homes where there is love, respect, patience,values, integrity....where mothers are there to nurture and teach, and fathers are there to inspire, guide and direct...
President Gordon B. Hinckley has said, "The strength of the nations lies in the homes of the people. God is the designer of the family. He intended that the greatest of happiness, the most satisfying aspects of life, the deepest joys should come in our associations together and our concerns one for another as fathers and mothers and children" (Ensign, May 1991, 74).
These choice little spirits that are sent to our homes are priceless and nothing is more important than to raise our children within homes where there is love, respect, patience,values, integrity....where mothers are there to nurture and teach, and fathers are there to inspire, guide and direct...
President Gordon B. Hinckley has said, "The strength of the nations lies in the homes of the people. God is the designer of the family. He intended that the greatest of happiness, the most satisfying aspects of life, the deepest joys should come in our associations together and our concerns one for another as fathers and mothers and children" (Ensign, May 1991, 74).
Thursday, May 8, 2008
For Time and All Eternity
"...marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children." (The Family: A Proclamation to the World)
Russ and I were married October 23, 2004 in the Idaho Falls temple. We felt a great peace and power knowing we would then be yoked together, forever giving our lives to one another in service of the Lord and in bearing children.....creating our own little family.....making our home a little bit like Heaven. Never could we imagine what life had in store for us as we ventured out into the world...
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