Christmas CHOO CHOO Express!

Ripleys Believe It Or Not - the weird museum - has a location right here in St. Augustine. Every Christmas they run a night train through the town of St. Augustine, so people can watch the Christmas lights.

This year we took a family trip on the Ripley express and had a great time doing it. We saw the Christmas lights and after walked down the main plaza and explored. The train was cool and the plaza was pretty and interesting.

Happy Merry Christmas! and a Happy New Year!

It seems like this holiday season just flew by. One day I was fighting with our printer to get our Christmas letters printed (which was why all of our Christmas Cards arrived after Christmas) and suddenly I was watching the ball drop and welcoming the new year. How did that happen?

It was a whirlwind of activity and emotion. I cannot fully express my gratitude to have the opportunity to spend our holidays with tons of family. Meredith is a very lucky young girl to have so many people love her with all of their hearts. Thank you all for making Meredith's Christmas so special.

Following Directions

Meredith Stretching.













Meredith doing Yoga.















Meredith touching her toes.













Meredith jumping.

Meredith peeling potatoes.

Day at the ZOO!

Last Saturday we took a family trip to the Jacksonville Zoo. It was a glorious day. It was the perfect day to go to the zoo. The sun was out and shining and the temperature was cool and very comfortable. All of the animals we visited were out playing or just hanging out. The only animals we did not get to see were the Lions (they weren't in the mood) and the Wallabys ( their habitat was being renovated). We played, we walked, we laughed, we saw and we had a great time.

Meredith's favorites were probably a toss up between the big, ugly black fish and the elephants, or maybe the frogs - the Choo Choo Train was really cool too. Mama's favorites were the lorikeets and the vampire bats - maybe the sloth or killer frogs, No the Giant Anteater for sure. Dada liked the whole Jaguar habitat with the anaconda, the sloth, vampire bats and so much more - the entire area was very cool and the giraffes were great.

Happy Halloween . . .MU HAHAHA!

Last year for Halloween Meredith was a Ladybug - she was soo Cute. This year I wanted to pick out an outfit that would fit her personality a little more - because boy does she ever have a personality.

Well, one of Meredith's favorite things in the world is dancing. She likes to dance all around the house or the restaurant or the car or the store . . . if there is music she will dance.

So, what better costume for our sweet girl then a poodle skirt outfit from the 50's - a time where I think of dancing as a wholesome affair, even if I'm wrong.

Our day started with a trip to the library. At the library on Friday they had a Monster Storytime, a Costume Parade, Trick-or-Treating throughout the library and a Scavenger hunt. Meredith got some jelly beans, some lollipops and some jujifruits - she also won a new book, but she was all about her candy. She loves her candy.

Later in the day she went Trick-or-Treating in our neighborhood with her Daddy. She looked so cute going to her first door with her little pumpkin and knocking on the door. Granted I could not hear a thing because I was at our house giving out candy, but she looked SO cute from across the street. From what Ryan tells me after she went to the first house she said, "All done." and was ready to come back to our house to eat her candy. They ended up going to about 7 houses then promptly returning home to EAT all of the candy she could. The funniest thing was the she was so excited about trying it all (except for chocolate it seem to hurt her tummy) she did not actually finish any of the candy she got.

So our first family trick or treating adventure was a SUCCESS!

Why?

Here All! Here All!

Meredith asked her first "WHY?" question on: Friday, October 24, 2008 @ 7:04pm.

What Happened: On October 24th we were all getting ready for a late dinner. She was sitting at the table waiting for Mama to put her food on the table. She must have suddenly thought she was thirsty because the asked me for milk and this is the conversation that followed:

"Milk, Please."

"Did you finish your apple juice?"

"No. Milk."

"You need to finish your apple juice first."

"WHY?"

Isn't she brilliant. I thought this was a momentous occasion and should be documented for all time.

Graduation to the toddler bed.

This weekend we finally changed Meredith's bed from a crib bed to a toddler bed. She loves it. She has been practicing getting in and out all week. Getting in at this point is much easier than getting out, but she is getting better and better at it. She has only fallen out once. She seems very happy with her new bed.

Meredith's Favorite Questions

In the past few months Meredith has become quite the talker. She knows A LOT of words and she can have entire conversations with us and herself. But Merediths favorite thing in the world is asking questions. She has three specific questions which she will ask over and Over and OVER again, sometimes she even asks them in her sleep.

Her favorite questions:

1. WHAT HAPPENED?

2. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

3. SHOW ME?

She is amazing.

Search for the Great Pumpkin.

This year we all went to a Fall Festival hosted by the same church that hosted the pumpkin patch we went to last year. When we got there we found that we were not the only family out for a fall festival eztravaganza. There were jump houses, pony rides, free cotton candy, popcorn and drinks. There we also about a trillion people milling around and having a great time. Our search for the great pumpkin was VERY successful. Meredith found THE perfect pumpkin.

When we got home we painted our pumpkins. As you can see Meredith had an abstract decorative concept. While Ryan and I did a more traditional pumpkin ghost. Next year I think we till try Meredith's Methods.

Meredith's Hello Kitty Birthday Party!

Meredith's Second Birthday Party was a Hello Kitty Birthday Party. We made pizzas, played relay race games, had a licorige eating contest, played "Pin the Pucker on the Kitty", had treats from a a Hello Kitty Pinata, ate great cake and cookies (which are Hello Kitty's favorites), and had lots of fun.

Meredith's 2 Year Old Check-Up

Meredith went to the doctor last Tuesday for her 2 year old visit. On the way to the doctors office Meredith and I talked about what the doctor and the nurses were going to do and what she could expect and let me tell you Meredith is BRILLIANT! She went into the office she got on the scale and stood with her little hands down ready to be weighed (just like we do at Publix) then she stood straight next to the ruler thing on the wall and they measured her height.

We went into our exam room and the doctor came and she looked in Meredith's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, listened to her heart and lungs and checked her tummy and neck. Meredith did great. She was not even nervous because she knew what was going to happen. Then the shot lady came in. Now, I told myself not to lie to her and I told her about the 2 shots she had to have and that they were going to hurt, but the pain would be somewhat quick and then it would go away. Well she had her shots and she cried and I cried and then we were all done and thank goodness we don't have to do this again for a long, long time. Her next check up is not until she is 3 years old and then there will be no shots.

So, how is Meredith doing? She is 36 inches tall, which puts her at the 95th percentile for other kids her age. She weighs 29 pounds which puts her at the 75th percentile of other kids her age. Her BMI is at 15.8 which is a very healthy weight for a young girl her age. Overall, she is healthy and shiny and perfect.

Meredith is 2 TODAY.

Meredith turned 2 today. She picked out her own cake - a chocolate cake with fudge icing and strawberries. As you can see the cake is bigger than her head. She sang 'Happy Birthday' along with us and then blew out her candles. She is just so smart.

Meredith Loves to Dance!

Here she is doing a little table dancing. Music is in her blood. Some of her favorite dance songs include:

"Brown Eyed Girl" Van Morrison

"Mr. Mom" Lonestar

"It's the End of the World as we Know It" R.E.M.

"World" Brad Pasely

"Back Porch" The Presidents of the United States of America

"The Impression that I Get" The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Butterflies, Flowers and . . . Race Cars?!?

Meredith loves ALL flowers. Real ones. Fake Ones. Pictures. She stops to look at them all. Smell them all. And tries to pluck all the ones she can.

Meredith loves ALL butterflies. She looks for them whenever we go out for a walk or out to explore.

Meredith loves ALL race cars. Yes ladies and gentlemen I said race cars. I have no idea when she saw them first, but now whenever she thinks of them she asks us to find race cars - on TV, in a book, magazine - where ever. I don't get it. I really hope that we do not have another Danika situation - I don't know if I would survive it. I mean really - RACE CARS?!?!

Almost 2!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meredith is almost two. She is almost two years old people (I might need some oxygen). She is almost two and she is beautiful and brilliant. She is loving, kissy, huggy, chatty, bossy, demanding, quick, and adventurous and just . . . so much more - just so much more I can’t even describe it.

She has a head full of light-brown, curly hair. It is wild and unrestrained and perfect. She has these large, almost translucent, brown eyes that telegraph so many of her feelings -perfectly. And the most amazing thing of all is this brilliant smile that lights up her face and makes you feel like you could take over the world when she directs it to you. She is about 34 inches tall (that is almost 3 feet people) and weighs about 30 pounds.

She is definitely a toddler now and she is learning so quickly - and so much. It is unbelievable, incredible and amazingly humbling. I love watching her try new things and decide what she likes and what she does not. Every decision takes place in a matter of seconds, sometimes with hilarious results.

So, what is Meredith like? This little girl growing up SO much every day, what is she really like?

Meredith Loves:

1. Music and dancing. She has made herself the queen of the radio in the car and she is quick to tell us to change the station when there is no music on or when she does not like a song.
2. To sing – granted most of the time I have no clue what she is singing, but she does sing along to the radio, with her Mama and Dada singing and along with Ms Jean in storytime.
3. Outside – Meredith loves to spend time outside. Playing with dirt, rocks, grass, bugs it doesn’t matter – she just loves to hang out outside.
4. Swimming – Meredith loved the water. The pool, the tub, the hose, the sprinkler the rain.
5. Turkey Meatloaf, Soup, Rice and Beans, Chicken, Cheese, Strawberries, Blueberries, Apples, Pears, Green Beans, Corn, Black Beans, Milk and Juice.
6. Books – Reading. Any book really. She does not seem to have any specific favorites yet, but she does love lifting flaps.
7. Toothpaste – We try to brush Meredith’s teeth every day but mostly Meredith eats her toothpaste.
8. Buttons and Pretty dresses. Meredith loves for her clothes to have buttons – it is a daily request. Just recently she has started commenting on her pretty dresses.
9. Hello Kitty – which she calls Hi Kitty and Curious George the only TV show she is allowed to watch.
10. Potty DVD – We recently borrowed a DVD from the library called “Once Upon A Potty for Her” – She loves it.
11. Airplanes, Trains and Boats,
12. Flowers – real, plastic and drawn - to Meredith they all smell good.

Things Meredith DOES NOT Love:

1. Rock-A-Bye-Baby Song – She does not only dislike this song but when she hears it or the tune she cries inconsolably.
2. Oranges – does not eat them but will throw them.
3. Loud and unexpected noises.
4. Pushy people – you know the kind that get into kids faces just because they are kids.
5. Wet or Dirty Diapers.
6. Cold Wipes.

Meredith's First Ice Cream.

At this years Sun's Baseball Game Night Meredith has her first taste of ice cream. We started out sharing it and then I lost all control. She loved it. It was a Nutty Buddy Ice Cream cone - Yum.

Maybe she can have some more next year?

More Kareoke!

Now Meredith has taken over. She is in charge of the microphone.

Meredith sings Kareoke!

The night of Mama's surprise birthday party SOME of us sang Kareoke. However, Meredith did not come close to the equipment. The next morning though, we tried it again and she was all over it.

Mama's Surprise Party

For Mama's birthday, Meredith and Dada got together and planned a surprise party. I did not have a clue - they were great surprise planners. We all got dressed up and looked pretty good if you ask me.

Ruth's Chris was a great place for dinner and after we went over to Mimi and Papa's house for cake and Kareoke. Yep, Kareoke. See next entry for more.

Meredith's first swimming lesson.

Meredith started taking swimming classes at UNF at the beginning of May. She is doing very well. We are working on kicking, paddling, floating and blowing bubbles.