Meredith Moves Out (and some Cali pics)

This week, at the tender young age of 2 years, 5 months, Meredith left home for the wide world (actually, for Waltie's place). Clothed in hand-me-down Keds, a bathing suit cover up, a ski hat and a bib, she carefully packed a bag with the essentials. If you're wondering what was essential, as I certainly was, it was her new fake crocs in spring-a-licious orange and yellow, two books, and Angelina Ballerina. I begged her not to go, but she's very strong willed. By this point, she's probably half way to her destination, and I bet she's really cold. Just kidding, I gave her a sweater. Ha. I kill me.

So anyway, here's a few more Cali pics.


I. LOVE. POPPIES.


Gotta swim. Gotta get thrown in the air.


Aunt Erin teaches Mer the subtleties of cribbage.


I. LOVE. POPPIES.


Moody palms.

Trouble in Paradise

The trouble in Paradise was Meredith's dad. It all started when Grandma Poo took us to dinner at the club and it turned out to be a theme night: Spain, specifically. Not an organization to do things by halves, this club had gone all out. There was a pan of paella about 5 feet wide. There was rice pudding, flan, and orange cake. There was a 50 foot buffet with every Spanish delicacy imaginable. And, of course, there were Flamenco dancers. After a lot of stamping and twirling and scarf flinging, they wanted volunteers. In a room full of those in the 70+ age range, there weren't a lot of takers. But Chris was there to fill that awkward pause. He couldn't have been more thrilled to fill the awkward pause. And I have to say, he brought the house down...

Luckily, Dan Dan was there to capture the moment with his handy iPhone. Anyone who knows Chris knows that he'll be glad to tell you this story in much greater detail. Just ask. But I give you fair warning: the terrible Spanish accent isn't optional.

Paradise Found

I didn't take many pictures at Cousin Jaclyn's wedding. I did a lot more chasing. Sorry. And Meredith was so obsessed with watching these "big girls" that her mouth was hanging open in admiration most of the time. Not so photo-worthy.


We love you, Jaclyn! (And Scott, too, of course!)


So, besides wedding festivities, there's also been the usual exploration of all things beautiful.



See you soon!

Big Time

Mer thinks she's big time this week. To start with, she got to go to her first show (A Year with Frog and Toad) at the Orpheum. It's an incredible theatre. She went with Josh, Walt and her Daddy and enjoyed the first half. Then there was a long intermission, and she lost interest. I think we've all had that experience. So she and Chris explored the theatre for a long time and then went home. Here's Mer sprinting down the aisle.


Then on Thursday, we flew to California for cousin Jaclyn's wedding. Our flight was cancelled, so we flew out of Memphis at 7:15pm (that's right, a mere hour and a half before Meredith usually calls it a day). We did the usual plane change in Dallas, then went on to land in Ontario at 1am, Memphis time. Precious Uncle Dan Dan and Aunt Erin picked us up there and we drove to Palm Desert. Meredith hung in there and was altogether the most flexible member of the family.


So, if you ever want to have some laughs, here's what you do. Give your toddler a carry on suitcase with a pull handle. Allow him or her to walk about 8-10 feet in front of you. If your toddler walks with authority, as if she were a 50 year old investment banker about to miss his flight, this will add greatly to the humor. Follow your toddler at a distance and watch people stare. This entertainment was the only thing that kept me cheerful on Thursday. Thanks to Aunt Judy and Uncle Paul for providing the toddler luggage!

Happy Girl

On a beautiful Sunday morning, Meridy's dad promised her a trip to the park. After her nap, she was determined to take that trip to the park, despite the fact that the beautiful day had become something quite different and her dad was now deeply embroiled in paying taxes. So the trooper and I set off for the park and she played, as children will, as if it was a perfectly park-ish day.
 

In other news, I have a little tidbit of humor for the 3 people who read this blog who will get it. And 3 may be a stretch. So we're driving down the road yesterday, listening to the blessed WEVL as we do when Her Majesty allows us to deviate from our standard musical diet of Kindermusik, and an Ani Difranco song comes on the radio. I'm enjoying it; I've always enjoyed Ani. And it's one of her more mellow songs, so Mer isn't telling me to turn it down. And then from the back seat I hear, "Mommy, is that lady mad?" I confirmed that Ani sometimes is a little mad, and Mer's advice was: "She needs to feel better." Which is just really funny if you know Ani's music. Especially since it was a song where Ani swears she's NOT mad, just misunderstood. From the mouths of babes, and all that. And that concludes this edition of musical minutia.

Why Not?

Show some love for Memphis. Colgate is giving away a new playroom for a hospital, but the city has got to win the popular vote. So click HERE to vote! What can I say, I love to root for the underdog.

We Heart You

To all the folks we've loved before...

Happy Valentine's Day from the artiste and her sentimental daddy. (And the mom that records it all).

Am I Blue?

It's nice to know that some things don't change. Every other Friday, Meredith and I go to the bank, she picks a lolly, and then watches to see her tongue turn bright colors that are not found in nature. I remember doing exactly the same thing. Good times. Later in my childhood, I learned that it's pure delight to get a cherry flavored lolly (or better yet, one of those Jolly Rancher sticks that you could lick to a lethally sharp point) and dip it in a glass of Dr. Pepper. Needless to say, quite messy. She's going to have to figure that one out on her own, cause I'm not sharing that idea with her for a couple decades.

Sick in Memphis

Mer: Mommy, I'm sick.
Mommy: What's wrong?
Mer: My stomach hurts and I have a fever.
Mommy: Hmmm...I think you're probably hungry. How 'bout a granola bar?
Mer: No. I'm sick.
Mommy: What about an apple?
Mer. No, mommy, I'm sick. I need some barbecue.

Silly me.

Balance Restored in the Universe

I didn't say it was restored here in the Lareau household. You can't have balance in the home of a two year old. But balance was restored when a relatively good guy (Eli Manning) beat a decidedly bad guy (Shady Brady). My apologies to the dear relatives who spent lots of time living in Patriot-land. I just can't endorse cheaters. So when the world started spinning out of control (ie, Favre threw an interception), I had to start hoping that Eli stood a chance. And it was so good to watch the last five minutes of that game. I haven't been so excited about a sporting event since the Mavericks were almost good during my seventh grade year. 

In other news, Meredith spent part of the Super Bowl creating fashion accessories for everyone at our house. It should be noted that Darren (far left) got noticeably interested in the project. Guess the American football was boring him. Kudos to Lyndi for being Mer's muse in this distraction.