Easter Egg Hunt!

Today we went to an Easter Egg Hunt at a friend's place. Court smoked up a bunch of meat for the event...which was delicious! Seems like we've had lots of BBQ lately...but I'm not complaining because it is soooo delicious!

Anyway....they had all the dads go out in the front yard and hide the eggs. Then they let the kids 4 and younger have a 2 minute head start. Meredith had a lot of fun. Here's some fun pictures...

All the kiddos lining up for the egg hunt.

Look closely and you'll see lots of Easter eggs!

Collecting Eggs

Wearing Bunny Ears

Perusing her loot.

Comparing Loot with cousin Taylor.

The people who threw the party just got 4 little bunnies. They were so cute and all the kids had tons of fun holding them. Meredith loved petting the bunnies...but we had to work with her on being "soft".

Trying to get her to kiss the bunny.

With her cousins.

Brian Baity on the News

Most of you probably know my friend Brian Baity.  You know that dude I Barbecue with.  

He is also an artist and made the news in Salt Lake City because of his carving.  This is the Video.

The 10th Semi-Annual Conference Sunday Barbecue

Here are some of the Photos of the Day (Including the TV outside close to the cookers). Mmmmmm. Meat.

Sesame Street LIVE!

A few weeks ago, Court's sister called and asked us if she and her husband could take Meredith to see Sesame Street Live. Meredith is a Sesame Street fanatic, and they knew she would love it. Of course, Court and I had to tag along! So yesterday, we loaded her up and headed to Beaumont. The show itself was okay...definitely more entertaining for the kids. I couldn't really even tell you too much about the plot because I was so focused on Meredith and her reactions to what was going on. It was fun to watch her dance and yell out character names, letters of the alphabet, and numbers. She was so excited, although she didn't like it when the characters got too close. Our tickets were for one of the back rows, up high...but we were surprised to see tons of empty seats down on the floor. During intermission, they were selling Elmo balloons down in front of the stage. Meredith looked at Court and said, "Daddy...Elmo loon?" Of course, Court couldn't say no. Even though those dang balloons were $10 a piece! Yikes! But Meredith loved that balloon...sadly we left it at Court's parents house on accident, so her enjoyment was short lived. (Mom and Dad - save it for us...Court says he has a helium canister at work, so we can blow it up for her again!) Anyway...after intermission, we stayed down on the floor and sat in the 5th row since no one sat there through the entire first half. That allowed Meredith to see the characters up close and personal. Like I said, as long as they didn't get too close...she was very happy. Here are a few pictures and a video.

The video is a collection of clips of Meredith watching the show. It was pretty dark in there, so the video is not the best. And I admit it may start to feel a little long...sorry! But you get to hear her say the names of some of her favorite characters and dance around. I figured it would be something fun for her to see when she's a little older. I mean, I never got to go to Sesame Street Live when I was a kid, but if I did, it would be fun to see myself at 2 years old dancing and talking about all the characters! Her initial reaction wasn't as strong as we expected, but I think she was more shocked at first...like, what? Ernie's here? Elmo? What? We'd been telling her all week that she was going to see Elmo on Saturday, but she'd just look at us like, "What are you talking about?" LOL.

Waiting for the show to start:

The show from the perspective of our original seats:

3/4 of the way through the first half, Meredith started getting a little restless, so I took her down to the floor...there was a big open area at the back where I could stand and let her run around a bit...she liked being able to run free and dance around...here's the stage from that perspective.

Waiting for the 2nd half of the show to start

Meredith spent most of the 2nd half standing in the aisle dancing. At one point, I was talking to Matt and I saw her take off running out of the corner of my eye. By the time I got to her, she was almost to the stairs leading up to the stage! I was so embarrassed! But most of the people who saw her just laughed.

The show was called "Elmo's Green Thumb" and the gist of the show was that Elmo had this new friend "Sunny the Sunflower." Sunny had out grown his pot, so Elmo had to find the right spot in Big Bird's garden to plant it. So, they visited different parts of the garden and talked to the ladybugs and crickets. Then they finally found the perfect spot.


Meredith got to shake hands with some of the characters...of course, she was shaking like a leaf and clinging to me. If they stood there too long, she'd start crying. As soon as they walked away, she was fine. I guess they would be huge and scary to someone so little.
The Count

Grover - Meredith calls him "Grober"

Cookie Monster - so tall you can't see his eyes in this picture! LOL!



After the show ended we went up and took a picture in front of the perfect spot Elmo found to plant his new friend "Sunny the Sunflower"

Thanks Uncle Matt and Aunt Kari for such a fun time!! ;)

Here's the video of Meredith at Sesame Street LIVE!

Time Out For Women 2009

On March 13th and 14th, I was lucky enough to get to go to Houston with some family and close friends to attend Time Out for Women. It was so much fun! It was especially perfect timing because I had just finished reading the Book of Mormon in 40 days. So I was on this huge spiritual high, and then got to go and listen to some really wonderful presentations for 2 days - it was the icing on the cake! The theme was "Sweet Assurance" and the presentations focused on how we can strengthen our own testimonies and gain the sweet assurance that even through the difficulties we face, we can still feel close to our Father in Heaven and have his spirit with us. For me, I heard a lot of messages focusing on hope and strengthening family relationships. I'm sure if you asked others who attended, they'd say they heard other messages too. That is the greatest thing about these Time Out for Women events...you get to have very personal spiritual experiences!

On Friday, we headed to Houston early so we could do some shopping and go out to eat before the event started. It was a blast! We went to the Sam Moon outlet, Kohl's, The Woodlands Mall, and Target...oh so fun! Even though she wasn't with us, Meredith made out like a bandit! She got some new clothes and books! For late lunch/early dinner, we ate at The Cheesecake Factory... so good! Then, that night we got to hear from Sheri Dew, Abe Mills, Jenny Jordan Frogley and Kenneth Cope. Sheri Dew never disappoints...she shared some stories about her family and encouraged us to stay on course and to not let the current state of the world and/or the personal challenges we may be facing deter us from having hope and being happy. Then Kenneth Cope, Abe Mills and Jenny Jordan Frogley each performed some of their music. Abe Mills was in my broadcasting program at BYU, so it was especially fun for me to see him again. He did a funny medley of classic "boy band" songs. He invited all the men in attendance to come up and be in his "boy band". There weren't very many men there...but they were all great sports and went up on stage. Abe sang and they followed his lead in doing some dance moves. Afterwards, we all went to TGI Fridays and ate and then went back to the hotel. I fell asleep fast and slept hard - I was exhausted! Here's a few pictures from Friday night...

The Boy Band!

Kenneth Cope

The Cheesecake Factory
On the left...me and Caryn.
On the right, from back to front....Michele, Sunshine and Jennifer

Saturday we got up early, got dressed and ate breakfast at the hotel's continental breakfast...which was pretty good! Then we headed over to the event. The presenters were Mary Ellen Edmunds, who was VERY funny (ok, they all were funny, but I thought she was funniest), Brent Top, Chris Stewart and Wendy Watson Nelson (wife of Elder Nelson). In between each speaker, Kenneth Cope, Jenny Jordan Frogely and/or Abe Mills would perform a couple of songs and then present the next speaker. We ate at the Mall for lunch and did a little more shopping before heading back home. I rode back with Michele and Jennifer...and we had quite a nice visit for the entire ride home. I really felt the spirit as we talked about things we learned from the event and each shared some personal experiences. It was neat....we laughed, we cried...I don't think I'll ever forget that ride home! That night, I again fell asleep fast and slept hard...what a great weekend!

Mary Ellen Edmunds

All of us

Back row (L to R): Caryn, Jill, Grammer (my grandmother-in-law)
Front row (L to R): Danita (my amazing mother-in-law), Sunshine, Michele, Me, Jennifer

I have to give a special thanks to my mother-in-law and my father-in-law who made the event extra special (you know what I mean)! Thanks so much! I can't wait for the next Time Out for Women!

Meredith's 1st Shiner

Meredith got herself her first shiner today. It's not too bad...but it's definitely the worst injury she's had so far in her life...which is a good thing, I guess. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but I think she somehow tripped and caught the corner of her eye on her potty chair. She cried pretty hard...poor baby.

Here's a couple of pictures:





You can't really see the shiner in these. I just thought they were so darn cute that I had to post them!

Future American Idol?

Meredith has developed a love for singing...it's so cute! Her favorite song to sing is "Part of That World" from the little Mermaid. Just today she came walking out of her room singing the "A..B..C.." song. I didn't even know she knew that one. I haven't sung it to her much, so I was surprised to hear her singing it. I've been trying to get her singing on video, but usually once I pull the camera out, she stops and refuses to do it anymore. So tonight, when she started singing in the bathtub, I grabbed the camera and started recording. I finally got it on video! YES!!! She also sings "Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam" and the "A..B..C.." song on this video...so it's kinda long... but I think it's worth watching! Enjoy!

P.S. Sorry you have to endure my singing... :)

Random Photos

I was just cleaning off my camera and came across a few random photos that I thought I'd share...


Meredith loves stickers, so the other day I bought a pack of them at the dollar store and let her have at it. She stuck them to her shoes, her shirt, her coloring books. And, of course, I got in on the fun and stuck some on my face, which she thought was funny, so we put a bunch on her face and arms.




This picture is from a few weeks ago when I was getting ready for church. Court usually has a meeting the hour before Church starts, so most Sunday mornings I'm on my own getting myself and Meredith ready to go. A few weeks ago, after I finished putting my shoes on, I went looking for Meredith and found her in the bathroom sitting on her potty chair talking on her play cell phone. I asked her who she was talking to and she said "Matt." Matt is her uncle...she won't go near him when he's around, but she sure talks about him a lot!



Here we are getting to hold baby Parker for the first time. Parker is my sister-in-law Kim's first baby...such a sweet and darling little boy! Meredith wasn't so sure about him, though. Especially when her own mom was holding him and kissing him. Her face in this picture tells the story. Now, whenever we see a baby, she says "Parker!"



Court took this picture...he found her giving her Winnie the Pooh friends a ride on her horsey. She loves those little Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals and carries them around with her all the time.


This is from one of our recent trips down to Court's parents' house. Meredith was doing her tired whine, so I handed her her "bankie" and pretty soon she was quiet. When I looked back, she had fallen asleep with her blanket over her head.

Silly Girl

Meredith is such a character! She's at such a fun age. Here's a couple of cute videos:

Court took Meredith out for a daddy/daughter date. They went to McDonalds and then he took her to the dollar store and let her pick out a toy. She picked out this yellow ball with the "Iron Man" logo on it. Funny kid. But we've had some fun with that ball. She absolutely loves it!




I was doing the dishes earlier and Meredith came up and started "helping." Pretty soon, she found a beat! LOL! Check her out! ;)

My Root Beer! No, My Root Beer!

I decided that I wanted a Root Beer the other night. Meredith decided that I needed to share it. Guess she showed me who's boss.

Is This a Talent?

The other day Meredith was falling asleep while eating her lunch. I couldn't resist the opportunity to get the moment on video. I'm not sure if I should be worried that my child will continue eating even when asleep. LOL! Would this be considered a talent??

Meat Fest 2009

Court decided that he wanted to bbq up a bunch of stuff on New Year's day. So we had some friends over and Court bbq'd ribs and pork shoulder and chicken legs and even a racoon (eww! I could not bring myself to try any!). We did karaoke and ate all afternoon...it was a really fun day. Later that evening Court and I went with some friends to see the Benjamin Button movie. It has been sooo long since we've been to a movie. We had a really good time and the movie was pretty good. They did a good job of aging Brad Pitt and then making him look really young. So, anyway, I told Court I'd post a picture of his smoked 'Coon...

Christmas and Beyond

I've been a bit lazy as of late, but I finally have pulled my Christmas pictures and videos from my camera so I can post them here. We had a nice, and uneventful Christmas. It was just the 3 of us, which was kinda strange...I'm used to having lots of family around. But it was fun to watch Meredith open and play with her presents. It was a good day. She got her little kitchen set, some books and coloring books, some stuffed animals, a new outfit, and a potty chair. She also got the movie "Elmo in Grouchland" which we've watched a million times already. She loves Elmo.

This is some video of Meredith seeing her Christmas Presents for the first time:



Here's some pictures of Christmas Morning:









Meredith got a potty chair for Christmas. She hasn't been too interested in it. I've sat her on it a few times and when I do she cries and says, "No! I don't want it!" So, I'm not expecting she'll be potty trained any time too soon, but we still have it out and talk about it and she looks at it when she's getting ready to take a bath. I read on the 'net somewhere that you could help your child get ready for potty training by letting him/her decorate the potty chair with stickers and letting him/her sit on it and play with it in his/her bedroom. Earlier today she mentioned the potty chair, so I brought it out of the bathroom and for the first time she gladly walked over on her own and sat on it. Court and I lavished her with praise, which she loved. Then she decided to sit Elmo on it. So we praised Elmo too. It was funny. She was so excited about it. So, I hope she's finally warming up to the potty chair.

Opening the Potty Chair on Christmas.

Finally warming up to the potty chair.

Helping Elmo go potty.