Time is flying...

Yep, we're all but through all of January already! To be honest, I kind of expected the 8-9 weeks after the new year to go quickly, so I shouldn't be too surprised.

We've gotten back into our "normal" routine. Atrium (Montessori-based preschool at Christ the King) on Wednesday mornings for Marie, story hour and craft time at the Library on Thursday mornings for both the kids, heading into the office a couple days a week for me, hitting a prenatal aquatics class on Thursday nights, and trying to keep up with the rest of the day-to-day.

We've also been getting some things ready for Baby Brother to arrive. First of all, Joey got to move out of the crib into his Big Boy Bed. It was really a pretty smooth transition, pretty similar to Marie. We haven't had any trouble keeping him in bed when he's supposed to be. In fact, he generally waits until we come upstairs in the morning to get him up. It is obvious that he has been awake because as soon as we open his door, he pokes his head up, pops to his feet and starts jumping up and down. Wish I was as chipper as that in the mornings!


We've also been finding the boxes and tubs with baby items. They are not quite unpacked, washed, and appropriately put away, but Marie is really looking forward to going through everything so I'm sure we'll get to it soon. On the baby front, we've started our weekly OB visits where we monitor the baby's movement and heart rate. So far, there has been nothing to cause any concern whatsoever. He is really active...more so than I remember Marie and Joey being. As long as things continue as such, we'll probably talk about inducing around 39 weeks, just a little over 4 weeks away. Talk about time flying...

Another thing we've done to get ready for the baby was to stock our freezer with lots of yummy, quick meals. For that task, Grandma and Grandpa Meinhart came up for a few days. Grandpa and Jon spent a lot of time occupying the kids while Mom and I spent our time in the kitchen. Overall, I think there are 6 freezer casseroles, a big batch of vegetable soup, cooked chicken, ground beef, turkey, and Chorizo, muffins, and lots of broth for making noodles and the like. I feel like we at least have the eating situation under control. Thanks, Mom!


We also got to celebrate Grandma's birthday during their visit. Again, the kids really got a kick out of getting to celebrate an adult's birthday. Marie made and wrapped Grandma's presents especially for her and they both helped to blow out the candles. Hopefully it was as special for Grandma as it was for them!




Grandpa Meinhart and Uncle Mark were able to head out to the sledding hill with Jon and the kids a couple of times during the visit. Marie and Joey just never tire of it. I'm not complaining whatsoever. I think it is great that they're getting fresh air and exercise. (I've not been as good at getting them outside during the days as I have been in years past.) Grandpa taught Marie how to bail from her sled if she was heading for a tree or straw bale. This was a bigger hit than I would have expected, even to the point where she rolls out of her sled before she gets all the way down the hill, much less close to an obstacle. She always ends up laughing though! Grandpa even went down the hill a couple of times...though I'm not sure he ever bailed. Uncle Mark took quite a few trips down the hill as well. His finishes were also generally spectacular...at least from the kids' perspective.

Marie, having just bailed from her sled...no trees in sight!

Mark, going head first down the hill.

Joey, trying to be just like Uncle Mark with Dad and Grandpa looking on.

Mark, after diving to stop Joey from going (head first) into the brush at the bottom.

A couple of weeks ago, Marie and I headed to the Marquis Theater in Northville to see a show with god-daughters Rosie and Lilly. This time it was a little different though because it was just the four of us. We had decided to take Rosie and Lilly for a little outings so that their parents could have some down time before their baby boy was born (he was just born on Wednesday and everyone is doing great). We saw Little Red Riding Hood and I think it was a success...with two four-year olds and a three-year old, you're bound to have a couple of rough patches (like having to go potty RIGHT before the show starts even though they were asked multiple times before that, like the community box of popcorn being spilled all over the floor, etc.). After the show, we headed to a bookstore / cafe for some juice and a couple of stories. Then we met Jon and Joey for pizza. Needless to say, I think EVERYONE was tired by the end of the day.

That's all the notable news I can think of right now. The kids have really been getting along relatively well lately. They do a good job of playing together for the most part. They only occasionally end up screaming at each other, mostly because one of them is not doing what the other one wants him/her to do. Marie has been a big help around the house recently. She has always tried to be a help, but I'm starting to give her more to do, both in amount and level of difficulty. She is taking it all in stride and loving it!

Joey continues to talk a lot. He tells us stories and jokes, sometimes about things I can't believe he remembers. He has such a personality and definitely has an ornery streak. The other night, when we were praying / reading books, he wanted to sit where Marie was sitting. After asking a couple of times to sit there, he nonchalantly asked her where her bear was...thinking that she would get up to get it and he would have the chance to steal her seat. Sneaky, sneaky...but it didn't work. Marie didn't fall for it.

We're also getting into the potty training routine...or at least trying. Joey definitely doesn't look forward to having to stop what he's doing to go to the bathroom. And, he doesn't bring it up unless Marie has to go, it is a terribly inconvenient time, or he's trying to get out of doing something else. But, we have to start somewhere.

Finally, both of the kids are excited about getting to watch one more Steelers football game. You can guess who is being their influence!

(No, those aren't real glasses. They are part of Marie's dress up clothes. Though, I'm sure it is only a matter of time...)

Christmas 2010...Hanging Out

(Note: If you are a follower of this blog, you may want to go and read the earlier posts for a more chronological telling of our 2010 Christmas break.)

Sandwiched into all the other visits, celebrations, and happenings over the Christmas holiday was just some general hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa's house. There were lots of toys to play with and lots of books to be read. We also headed outside quite often to scare up the rabbits that have been eating Grandpa's blackberries and sit in the tractor.





The guys worked on their own project out in the shed whenever they could. Grandpa is building a loft above the portion of his work area that has the concrete floor. The loft is both for storage and also potentially for being able to hang some curtains and heat the area. I think there was a lot of head scratching and calculating going on, but by the time we left, some real progress had been made.


We hope that you all enjoyed your Christmas as much as we did. We are so thankful for all the quality time we were able to spend with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Matt, Uncle Mark, and Aunt Sarah. Family is such a blessing!

Christmas 2010...Caroling (or "We Should Do This More Often")

During the Meinhart Christmas celebration, one of our (somewhat) family traditions, Christmas caroling, was organized. A group of whoever is available has done this in years past and it has always been a good time. In fact, that is one of the things that Jon remembers and talks about most from our early days of being married. It was decided that we would meet on Tuesday night and hit a few of the caroling hot spots.

The tradition as also been in the past that Dad was responsible for bringing the mayo jars. These are small jars with convenient screw on lids, so that your refreshment of choice is properly contained even when it is put into your winter coat pocket for safe keeping while you hold and read from the caroling cards. Here you can see said jars being prepared.

We made a few stops, mostly to the homes of Great Aunts and Great Uncles who now live alone. Since the word had gotten out that we would be stopping by, they were all prepared to welcome us with drinks and snacks. (Did you know that designated drivers are required for Christmas Caroling?) Great Uncle Louis even broke out a couple of bottles of his special blackberry wine!











We sang a few songs and spent just as much if not more time visiting. Everyone we saw was very happy to see us and I think that we brought a bit of Christmas Spirit wherever we went. I would have to say it was a success. Marie and Joey even liked it (they both got to partake in some of the snacks AND taste pop for the first time). On the way home, they were both pretty tired, but Marie said it best, "This Christmas caroling is fun! We should do it more often! Can we go caroling for Thanksgiving and Easter??"

Christmas 2010...Great-Grandpa Boeds

Since the snow had prevented us from going to visit Great-Grandpa on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, we decided to drive over to St. Louis on Monday. We made it there by lunch time. Grandpa was feeling relatively well, though a bit discouraged by the weather as it keeps him from getting out and about as he'd like.

We generally visited in the afternoon and were glad that Aunt Kathy and Uncle Jim were also able to stop by for a visit. I think that Great-Grandpa really enjoyed watching the kids run around and play with each other. He also got a kick out of the rolling/laughing monkey that we brought (a Christmas present for the kids from Uncle Dave and Itxaso). It has a sensor on it so that when it "sees" something move, it starts laughing and rolling around. Marie really got into it. Joey also liked it, though only when he was at a safe distance from it. :)


We finished the day by taking Great-Grandpa out for dinner at one of his usual restaurants, Bob Evans. Marie and Joey ordered their respective favorites, spaghetti and french fries. We drove back home afterward. It was another full day, but we were so glad that we were able to see and visit with Great-Grandpa.

Christmas 2010...Meinhart Christmas

The day after Christmas (Sunday) we all went to church, though we weren't as successful at getting ready and out the door in time to all sit together. :( Nonetheless, Marie really enjoyed getting to sit in front with Grandma and Grandpa and Joey entertained the few pews behind us with his antics (such as covering his ears during the rendition of the Gloria). From church, we headed over to celebrate with the extended Meinhart family. We had soup and sandwiches for lunch and the ever present table loaded with appetizers and desserts. Would it really be a Meinhart gathering without it?

The representatives from our immediate family at the Meinhart celebration.

Of course there was the annual transferal of the Meinhart Mishap Award. The traveling trophy was lovingly handed on from Allison ('09 recipient) to Eric ('10 recipient), who by the way both had wedding (and beverage) related stories to tell.

Another activity included a gingerbread house decorating contest. We split into five "teams" and were given general instructions and guidelines in addition to a time limit. The judges (chosen either because of their knowledge of construction, artistic ability, and creativity or because somehow they wrangled their way out of the competition) then determined via a set of vague categories the "winner". The results were interesting to say the least...here is just one example, though not the chosen winner.

Other than general visiting with family, we also sang Christmas carols and gave the kids a chance to play with their extended cousins. We had a great time catching up and the time flew by as usual. It seems our gatherings are always that way. Can't wait until next time!

Christmas 2010...Snow Fun

If the snow is going to keep us home on Christmas Day, we might as well enjoy it, right!?! It was a bit cold and windy outside, but we ventured out to try out one of the kids' Christmas presents. Uncle Matt had gotten them snow/sand molds. Joey couldn't quite handle them by himself, but Marie could use the smaller molds. Marie had just as much fun using the shovel and helping to fill the trash can which was brought in as an impromptu mold to aid in the building process.



Here Joey is "hiding" behind one of the walls in its initial phase as Jon "threw" snowballs at him.

Uncle Matt, Jon, and Grandpa did most of the actual building. I think they enjoyed it as much as the kids! When they were done with the fort, it had three walls, towers, and a door, just the right size for Joey and Marie. It must have reminded Marie of grocery shopping though, because she started calling it a deli. As the construction neared completion, Joey and Marie were taking care of any of our food and beverage needs, ranging from snow cones, to chicken soup, to pastrami sandwiches.




In the days to come, we would have to check on the fort (deli) whenever we went outside. It held up pretty well. Here you can see that after four days a lot of the other snow and melted and yet it was still standing!

Christmas 2010...It's Here!

Getting the kids down for naps on Christmas Eve was (understandably) a bit challenging. Not only was it Christmas Eve, they were at Grandma's house, they were in the same room, and Joey was in a bed that he could easily get in and out of. But, naps did prevail and they went to sleep. However, due to it taking longer than expected to settle down, it wasn't too long before we needed to wake them up to get ready. Ah well...better than nothing, right?

We had a yummy chicken dinner with the family and then got all dressed up in our Christmas best. We made it out the door in time to get to church for the pre-Mass Christmas music AND to get enough seating for the whole gang! To add to the wonder of the night, by the time we were on our way, it had started snowing. There was enough music and kid-involvement during Mass to keep Marie pretty occupied during the longer-than-usual service. But, by about halfway through, Joey got pretty restless and we had to start encouraging him to sit still and be quite because there were going to be presents at Grandma's house when we got there. It worked, but he did associate opening presents with Grandma's house for the next 4-5 days.


By the time we were on our way home, there was a significant covering of snow on the ground and roads. We slowly but surely made it home. The kids were very excited to get to open their presents. They got to play a little bit, just enough to wet their appetite. We decided in the interest of time, they would be the only ones to open and the adults would have our exchange after Marie and Joey were settled into bed.





The next morning, Marie went straight for her stocking to see what St. Nick had left. She dug right in and was more than willing to check everyone else's stocking as they emerged from their warm beds.


We settled in for a day at home with the immediate family since the Meinhart gathering wasn't until Sunday and since the snow and weather caused us to postpone our drive to St. Louis to see Great-Grandpa Boedeker.