Wednesday, February 28, 2007

17 Months!


You know how when you have an older baby or a toddler, people at the grocery store (at least in the south) always say things like “Awww…is she just gettin’ into everything?” My answer during Mer’s 17th month is a resounding YES.

She IS into everything—and she’s everywhere—all at once. I consider myself a fairly spry, active person, but the little elf outsmarts me at every turn. I constantly find myself spinning on my heels to see where she’s gone. Sometimes she’s right behind me. Sometimes she’s headed for the highway, thumb out.

In her calmer moments, Meredith has some activities that she enjoys that don’t involve sprinting away from me. Top of the list is towel folding (thank heaven for those Lareau genes). She can spend 30-45 minutes with a hand towel or washcloth. She folds it. She smooths it. She waves it in the breeze. Rinse. Wash. Repeat. For a LONG time.


Another activity, this one common to many precious toddlers, is that of removing items from their proper place of storage. Box of wipes? Cleaned that out for ya mom. Container of paper clips? It’s easier to find them if you spread them out on the carpet! Brand new box of 100 baggies? I’ve relocated those to the kitchen floor. To her credit, she often returns some of the items to their original containers. Thanks, Mer.


Finally, I’ll mention her obsession with clasps of all sorts. Here she is pictured with her beloved helmet. (Great Grandma Poo purchased this jewel to protect her noggin from the terra cotta floors in Cali). Mer doesn’t wear the helmet all that often, but putting the chin clasp together is one of her very favorite games.




Finally, we’ll say goodbye with a pic of Meredith helping with the moving. It’s an ongoing process with lots left to do, but she pitches in when she can, and keeps the rest of us motivated.

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Roving Reporter

The Lareaus are in the thick of a move and we're wireless-less. For an update on Meredith's activities, check out the latest entry that Ginger made at www.spickler.blogs. Without dear Gigi, Chris and I would not have been able to clean the Alicia house like possessed charwomen, and it might not have sold in 3 hours. Holy crumb. Gosh, Gigi, maybe we owe you a cut?!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Wishing You (totally inappropriately) a Happy Mardi Gras!



It's pretty tacky to wish you a happy Mardi Gras on Ash Wednesday. But we had a little Mardi Gras gathering at the Huddleston's this weekend, and this is my first chance to post. Holly (mother of the 2 in the picture that are not Meredith) made gumbo from scratch -- including the roux. AND she made beignets! We ate like kings. So even if you're not comfortable celebrating Mardi Gras today, surely you can celebrate a mother of 2 who stands over a hot stove making roux.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Faces of Mer


Ever notice how little ones have so much they need to express to you in the morning? When I go in to get Mer out of the crib around 6am, she goes directly from mournful crying to purposeful pointing. She usually points to something in her crib and begins waxing philosophic about the item. It's all quite serious -- as if she's been waiting all night to discuss this with me.


Then we go to the high chair, where she inhales a banana within seconds. Breakfast is when Meredith likes to experiment with new faces and new consonant sounds. It's weird. She'll try things out during breakfast that don't get worked into the normal repertoire for days. I guess we really do process while we sleep. Kids are cool.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Share the Love!


Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Does anyone else think Chris looks a bit insane in this pic? Ah well, that's why we love him.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

The Animation of My Childhood


Okay, it was bad enough when they made a movie of the Chronicles of Narnia. But Bridge to Terebithia? They are now, officially, animating my childhood. Amber, are you out there? Do you remember me mapping out our neighborhood, making everyone refer to the different regions of Terebithia? How can they animate that? ARGHGHGHGHGHG. Some things are not meant to take shape on screen. Some things should remain distinct in the imagination; but fuzzy, out of focus, and beautiful, when superimposed on reality. And a movie like that would just give you headache. For cryin' out loud, kids, READ.

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Video Comes to Meredith's Blog

Please don't get used to this, cause the Mac still throws a wrench in things when I try to do anything video related. However, thanks to our PC friends the Conways, we've got some video for ya. And it's GOOD STUFF.

In our first video, Nora shows us how that cheesy but appropriate phrase "giggle box" came to be.


Photo Sharing - Upload Video - Video Sharing - Share Photos


In our second video, Meredith shows us how and why she would get kicked out of Harding University (see my last post). Drop it like it's hot, M.J.


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Saturday, February 03, 2007

One of the Happiest Moments of My Adult Life

Please read below to know the source of my joy. It should be noted that Meredith danced the ENTIRE time we watched the video that goes with the story.

here's the youtube of the "mayhem"
http://youtube.com/watch?v=nF4lFFo18Lg


Mayhem at Harding: Dancing Breaks Out

By Susanna Smith, Wednesday, January 31, 2007 5:48 PM CST
The Daily Citizen

What began as a traditional Harding concert Friday night ended with a bit of controversy when part of the audience of HU students took the stage and danced to song, "Shake your Hips."

The event at the private Christian school had garnered statewide media attention by Wednesday, including an entry on the Arkansas Times blog.

Robert Randolph & the Family Band, known for its audience participation, was hosted by Harding in the Benson Auditorium with Amsterband as the opening band. As each invited member of the audience climbed on stage, a student member of the Benson House Management Team for the Campus Activities Board escorted the individual off the stage.

Finally, Randolph challenged the audience saying that the Campus Activities Board could not kick everyone off if the whole audience jumped on stage. Several students jumped on stage to dance, against the wishes of the Campus Activities Board and a Harding Security person.

Zach Neal, director of campus life, said he was concerned about the "spirit of rebellion" present Friday night.

"People understood there was not to be dancing; people understood they were not to be on stage," Neal said.

Neal had instructed the student members of the Management Team to tell the audience, "Don't touch the stage."

Neal said another concern was the approximately $100,000 worth of equipment and production materials that Harding was liable for.

"No other venues like ours allow people on stage," Neal said.

Near the end of "Shake your Hips," Neal approached Randolph on stage and bent down to tell him, "If you keep this up, we're pulling the plug." Randolph complied and the audience left the stage at the end of the song.

During Jason Crosby's piano solo, Neal met with the band's tour manager concerning a possible breach of contract. The tour manager agreed that Randolph's actions could possibly be a breach of Harding's addendum to the performance contract.

Dr. David Burks, HU president, said he was disappointed in the band because they violated the terms of coming to Harding.

"We have a specific rider that spells out expectations," Burks said. "They expressly violated it when [Randolph] repeatedly invited people on stage."

Though the contract says nothing regarding inviting students on stage, the contract does state that "The school permits no dances."

Neal said the school will not pursue legal action, but will make the contract clearer for future bands, including a "no students allowed on the stage" clause.

Friday, February 02, 2007

Snow Princess


Generally, I think it's poor form to refer to your children as royalty if they are not, in fact, of royal descent (at least in public). However, Gigi was the one calling her Snow Princess today, so it's not really me. And in truth, while she may have been a princess who happened to be in the snow, she wasn't exactly a Snow Princess, cause she wasn't really a big fan of the powder. It could have had something to do with the fact that our arrival at the park corresponded with that of two bear-sized dogs, but whatever the reason, Mer wasn't really in her element. Walt, on the other hand, was akin to Lewis or Clark in his single minded devotion to forging new paths and exploring the unknown territory of the park. Brave boy. We can only thank our lucky stars that Cousin Andrea, who lives in the wilds of the Great North, had prepared us with pink snow boots trimmed in fur. Otherwise, heaven only knows what fate might have befallen our princess.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Tivo Gossip


In the spirit of the new year, the updated blog, and the idea that change doesn't have to be scary, I've decided that this blog may not be all Meredith, all the time. Just to entertain myself (and mainly to get feedback from my blog-minded pals), I may from time to time post things that have nothing to do with my precious Jubilee.

Non-Mer topic number one is this: Have you heard the gossip that the corporate monsters will soon make it impossible to fast forward through their commercials when watching shows on DVR? Please, Mister, I watch your commercials if they're good (ie, the Mac vs. PC series), but you have to EARN the right to capture my attention, not just pay a premium for some bully technology. (And I'm using bully in the mean kid sense, not the "that's cool" Brit sense).

So I just did some research, and it looks like maybe we'll still be able to fast-forward, but we'll have to look at banner ads. That doesn't make this story anywhere near the late-breaking premier of non-Meredith topics I was hoping to achieve. However, other news says that the fast-forward button might be completely disabled. http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.showArticleHomePage&art_aid=45264.

What do you think? If they've got the money, should they be able to MAKE us watch? I guess we could always go back to VCRs...