Loyal & True

We got to take you, Emrie and Aunt Cassie to your first OSU Game Day. This was a big deal because it's one of your Daddy and I's very favorite things to do. We look forward to football season every year and this year we knew was gonna be a little different. We have season tickets but aren't going to many games for several reasons, but one of those is that you have to have a ticket. At five months.
We were leaving for vacation after the game and Emrie and Aunt Cassie decided to come up too. Granna came and kept you at Aunt Chelsie's house while everyone else went to the game. Here are a few shots from this fun day!

First Haircut

We knew from the first day of your sweet little life we wouldn't make it to one year before you would have to have a haircut. Aunt Cassie wanted to do it when you were two weeks old. Momma came around a little sooner then Daddy did but he finally agreed it was time. On September 18th you got your first haircut!


BEFORE...


DURING...


AFTER... Good job Aunt Cassie!


Your precious little locks


Happy Family after your first haircut

Five Months

My Lovie,
I cannot believe you are five whole months old! I don't even remember my life before you. You have rocked my world and I'm so thankful it will never be the same again. You are such a blessing in every sense of the word. Every month on the 16th I've reminesed to that day in April. From the first moments with you and through all the milestones you've already accomplished. You amaze me everyday with some new trick.
You weigh 19 lbs. and 5 oz. Are you kidding me? You are gigantic! Everyone thinks you are older then you are because you are so big. In less then three pounds we will have to get a larger carseat because you have outgrown your infant seat already. You are 24 and 3/4 inches long. That my friend is the 75% in length and don't worry you're in the 90% in the weight category. You do get really heavy quickly for other people but I guess I'm just used to it because we manage ok for quite a while. You are wearing size 3 diapers and your about to grow out of your 3-6 months clothes. You have timed that just right for the seasons to change too. You're just good like that, I guess!

You went to the nursery at church for the first time a few weeks ago and while you were there you got your first major sickness. Some sweetness shared her bronchiolitis with you. You had a horrible cough and didn't rest well. It was so scary and pitiful to hear you coughing and not knowing what to do. It was a rough first week but it slowly went away in about two weeks. Needless to say you did not go back to the nursery the following week. After sitting out for one week, we did brave going back and you did great.
You eat 6 oz. of formula every three hours or so during the day. You eat the whole thing and then sit up and burp almost immediately. You still get it all over your chin. You have started craning your head around while you're eating to see what's going on around you, which has been a bit of a challenge to keep you clean. You never spit up until the last two weeks. Now you spit up a little at least once a day. I don't know where that came from, but we have learned to hang on to the burpie for a while after you eat. You still wake up once during the night, usually around 4 am, you eat and go right back to sleep.

We started rice cereal this month and after a few days of getting used to the spoon and texture and the addition of some banana you LOVE it! You dive at the spoon if I don't get it to you fast enough. You make a HUGE mess and we have to go straight to the bathtub after you eat. So cute though!

You are very tricky these days! You can sit up pretty well.
You grab your toes and the roll from your booty to your belly while you are sitting up.

While you are on your stomach you raise that sweet head up and look all around, pushing up on your strong arms.

You roll over both ways, but not very often. It's like you know you can but you chose not to. You have discovered the high register of your voice and you lay and scream as loud as you can and then laugh, take a deep breath and go again. It's so funny to watch you crack yourself up.
You suck on your fingers ALL the time, especially your thumb, and have recently added your toes to you snack list.

You LOVE water! Whether it's a bath or pool you just kick your fat little legs and giggle.

Your hair was super long, like to the middle of your back when it's wet. You got your first haircut at five months and two days old. Your Daddy took sometime to decide it was time for your beautiful locks to be cut.

But Aunt Cassie did a great job and you look SO handsome!
You are ticklish under your arms and hate when people mess with your feet. You are still so sweet and laid back. You have such a sweet contence and laugh easily. People still stop us to talk to or about you everywhere we go!

You love to be outside and now that the weather is cooling off we are spending a lot more time outside. You do great in your stroller and you are ok in the car seat if someone is in the backseat with you.

You give sweet lovies and grab our faces, especially Daddy's beard, a lot.
You like to read and I think you are starting to remember a couple of our favorite books.
You are just so observant. You really study new places and people. This is strange to me because you always wake up in new places and we are around so many different groups of people. You like new people but you give a good look over before making up your mind to show them your sweet smile.

You know Momma and Daddy for sure. You have started reaching for us when you want one or the other. You also recognize your Aunt Cassie, Aunt Chelsie, Uncle Delton, and Granna. I think you already know that they are apart of your Momma and Daddy so you love them extra. You also have your favorite among the kids at church. You are still a big hit and enjoy getting passed around and loved on by so many people.
You have noticed Thatcher and you LOVE him! Next to Emrie he is your very favorite toy. You reach and lunge for him whenever you see him. He likes you to, but he always wants to lick your hands and feet. I think in a few more months you will both be good friends.

Like I said, Emrie is still your very favorite! You both light up when you see each other and makes both Aunt Cassie and I so happy. It's so fun to watch you start to interact with her and reach for her. She does seem to get some of your best lovies.
When you wake up from a nap you cuddle down into my neck and it's just precious. You ease your eyes open and smile and nuzzle down into me again. One of my favorite times of my day.

We also took our first official vacation to Eureka Springs, Arkansas with Gammie Diana, Uncle Delton and Bob. You were so good! I wasn't sure how you'd do but as usual you were perfect!

We also went to Stillwater for your first OSU Gameday. You stayed with Granna at Aunt Chelsie's house while Momma, Daddy, Aunt Cassie, Emrie and Uncle Delton went to the game. We can't wait to take you to your first game! You Daddy is so excited to share that passion with you.
You have been a super busy little fella. We seem to stay that way. You are the perfect addition to our family and we couldn't have assembled a more perfect fit into our family. You are just precious to my heart in a way I only imagined and dreamed of before. You are the best thing that's ever been mine!


I love you a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!
Momma

For a reason

We have been on vacation in Eureka Springs with Chris's family this week, and while it hasn't been the smoothest week of my life, it has brought with it some fun memories from a summer I spent in Arkansas when I was in college. The summer between my sophomore and junior years at OBU I interned at Parkway Place Baptist Church in Little Rock. It was great experience overall, but it was hard. Mostly because I had never been that far from home for that long, but it was definitely a stepping stone as I began to spread my wings.
That summer we took an overnight trip to Eureka and it's been fun walking around and remembering.
While I was in Little Rock God provided a surrogate family, especially a Momma, for me. The Greer's. The pastor of the church had two students in the youth group and his wife was very active. I immediately feel in love with their family, especially both of the Greer Girls!
I spent lots of time with Megan, who I think was about to be an 8th grader and is now a junior in college. (Are you kidding me?) We went to the movies, out to eat and shopping a lot throughout the summer. And I spent plenty of time at their house, as well. She was so much fun and it was such a blessing to be able to love on her for three months.
Nancy, my Arkansas Mom, just loved on me every chance she got. I think somedays her support was the only reason I stayed around all summer. She showed me such a beautiful picture of hospitality, love and discipleship. We talked a lot about what it was like to be married to someone in the ministry (in 2003, three years before I'd marry right into a similar position) I remember her telling me the importance of being supportive and making our house an inviting place for my husband to come home to. She shared with me hard stories of struggle inside of church work and how tough it is when people aren't nice to the man you love. Sweet Nancy taught me so much that summer! She was so fun and such a hoot! She taught me to sew, took me on fun errands just to get me out of the church and we even shared a canoe on a river trip and laughed so hard we both wet our pants a little! Haha.
I hope someday I can be that kind of encouragement to a younger sister who so badly wants to follow the path that God has for her. It was such a pivotal time in my life and Nancy was such a blessing to me at the perfect time.
I made lots of good memories that summer in Arkansas but I think I learned even more.

Four Whole Years

Four years ago this weekend I married my best friend. It was an excellent decision and I haven't regretted it one single time!

Emrie Lue

Today my sweet niece Emrie turned three! I cannot believe that she has been here for three whole years. She is a hoot to say the least. Her over-abundance of personality makes for lots of laughs and very few dull moments. She comes up with the craziest things! Emrie captured my heart the second I knew she was a girl during my sister's pregnancy. I was just so excited to meet her and love her. She will always hold a special piece of my heart. I have had the privilege of spending a lot of time with this sweet girl since day one and I still can't get enough of her. When I've gone a couple of weeks without a little Emrie-love I do all I can to arrange a little hang out time.
I got to take Emrie to her first movie this summer and she LOVED it! We saw Toy Story 3 and she just sat and watched so sweetly. We love to sing songs and count. She is so smart and it amazes me all she picks up on these days. That girl LOVES to shop, wear jewelry, dress up and get her nails done. She is a true girlie girl and full of drama.
It has been a true joy of my life to watch my sister love her baby girl. She makes no apologies when it comes to Emrie, but she is also paying for her raising a little bit. It's hilarious to watch! Emrie has so much of Cassie in her it is not even funny! The things she says, how she says them and her reactions to things are a mirror image of her sassy Momma.
And maybe my favorite thing lately is to watch how Emrie LOVES Tucker, most of the time. She is adjusting to not being the center of the universe all the time, but she is so sweet with him. She just kisses, hugs, pats, talks and entertains him constantly. And Tucker returns the love! He does all he can to get to her and return some of the love. They are so sweet together and are going to be good friends. She gets SUPER excited to see him and is a great little helper.
Oh my Emrie Lue what would our world look like without you? I don't even want to imagine it. You are precious, perfect, sassy and a true Meyer girl. We are all just crazy about you and it is our privilege to watch you grow and learn and change. You are so special! YOUR AUNT MAC, UNCLE CHRIS & TUCKER LOVE YOU TTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSSS much!!!

Purcell, America

Purcell has always been home to me. Even though I haven't lived there in ten years when I say home I'm usually referring to my hometown. Probably because my entire family is there, my heart is there. Both parents. Grandparents. Sisters. Niece. Everyone, but my family of three lives within a few miles of each other.
Our long term plan has always been to end up in Purcell. Someday. Down the road. But since Tucker has joined our family I find myself longing for us to be there sooner rather then later. All of that would be fine and a non-issue really if my husband was in any other field besides ministry. We don't just move to where we want to live, we have to be called. And right now we are most definitely called to Sayre.
We have an amazing church. One like I've never been involved with before. A pastor who not only loves us but defends, encourages, and values both Chris' ministry and mine, as well as, has the same ministry viewpoint as we do. We have a group of students that is special and passionate and really when we talk about the future we say, "we can't leave until after _______ graduates." That says something. Planning our life and ministry around students who are such a part of our lives we can't bear the thought of leaving. We have NEVER had anything remotely close to the church family we have been blessed with in Sayre. Our church LOVES my husband. They support him. They value his role. They are proud of him in a way that only people who have watched a person grow from a child into adulthood can be proud of someone.
They have welcomed Tucker into our church family with open arms! He has more grandma's than anyone can count. He is dotted on constantly. We weren't sure how everyone would feel about our adoption and the fact that our baby isn't white like the other 98% of our congregation. But they love him almost as much as we do. They have played a huge role in Tucker's life before we even knew we would have Tucker. They were so faithful to pray for us and over throughout our journey of infertility and adoption.
I have a place in our church. A vital role and ministry. They love that Chris and I do ministry together and that is not the case with every church.
But even with all those great things I still I wish my sisters were just around the corner and my mom and Nana were down the street. Weeks go by where everyday I wake up and go to sleep wishing we were closer. The two and a half hour drive (especially with a four month old who isn't too fond of his car seat) just isn't feasible as a day trip to hang out or shop or go swimming. Sometimes all the church family in the world still can't compare to having your actual family close by.
I don't know how long we will be here. I don't know if we will ever actually live in Purcell. But I really hope we do. It's funny that I get more homesick as an adult then I ever did as a kid. Someday. Maybe.