13 and a half months

Ok, back at it. Its been 13 and a half months since my last blog, which annoys and frustrates the heck out of me but, hey, at least it hasn't been 14 months!

I had plans to put "start blogging again" on my New Years resolution list. But then I thought, "wait a minute, I'm enjoying this season of life a pretty darn lot and I want to document it, dang it!" So here I am. No resolutions. No promises. Just going for it.

So, let's see, 13 and a half months. I feel like I need to catch the cyberworld up on the Meyers comings and goings over the last year + 1 1/2 month....

Late December: found out we were pregnant!

January: Some unkind nausea (like I never had with Lucas).

Early February: Announced it to the grandparents.

Late February: Interviewed for an Adoption Counselor position at ECFA

Early March: Went by myself to visit my dear friend Monica in Lima, Peru.

Late March: Its a girl!

Early April: I'm offered the adoption position!

Mid April: Mark gets an offer from his old boss to work for him as an Associate after graduation...we're gonna think about it...

Late May: Mark graduates!! Graduation party at our place to follow.

Early June: Mark accepts the job in Denver

Late June: Mark lives with friends in Denver for 5 weeks while working part-time and studying for the BAR exam. I put in my notice at work.

Early July: Hunky Dory!

Late July: Mark signs a lease on a house in Denver. I have my last day at ECFA. Mark takes the BAR exam. Mark returns to IL. We pack up. Mom throws me a baby shower.

Early August: We move to Denver.

All of August: Unpack and get ready for baby girl.

September 5th: Riese Adele Meyers makes her appearance 2 days before her due date. She's beautiful in every way.

Mid September: My mom and then Mark's mom and sis visit to help out and meet baby girl.

September thru current: Mark and I get used to this phenomenon of parenting more than one kid.

Mid October: Mark passed the BAR!!!!

October 20th: Lucas turns 3! Rocket ship b-day party. The only way to celebrate a 3 year old boy.

Early November: Me and the kiddos visit family in IL.

Mid November: Mark gets sworn in and is officially an Attorney!

November 24th: Celebrate Thanksgiving with our friends The Neuhausels.

And that pretty much brings you up to speed. Now, when I say this, don't get me wrong because the past year has been filled with joys and blessings...BUT...I would not wish that much change and transition in such a short period of time (see late May thru Late September) on my worst enemy.

We've survived and recovered. Although I may be experiencing the slightest bit of PTSD symptoms after writing this post. So that should do it for today.

Happy 2nd Birthday Big Boy!

How 2 years have come and gone, I'll never know. But they have! And we had a wonderful time celebrating the little man and his two full journeys around the sun!

Check out the fabulous cake Aunt Carol made for the shin-dig. A work of art!

It didn't take long at all for lucas to grasp the concept of opening his prezzies.

The little conductors sporting their party favors.

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo! Lucas Turns 2!


Lucas enjoying some cuddles from his cousin Lydia:)

And we had so much fun at the first party, we just had to do it again with the Dekalb crowd!:

We love you sweet boy.

still moments

Just about every night since Lucas was born I have quietly snuck into his room to check on him before calling it a night myself. I’m sure my mom friends can relate. I just love watching him in that peaceful state...especially after days filled with furniture jumping, word jabbering, door slamming, swing flying, stair climbing, playground running and snack requesting:) At the end of the day, there is something just so truly remarkable about the face of a sleeping little one. So still. So utterly peaceful. With his smooth skin, round cheeks and long eyelashes. It always reminds me of the sweet innocence and vulnerability of my little man.

I can’t help these days but to think about how big he has gotten. I remember so vividly gazing at my little infant boy over the side of his cradle, so tiny and swaddled so tightly in his snuggly blanket. And now, I gaze at him in his “big boy bed” with his Thomas bedspread pulled high up around his neck, looking much too much like a little boy. In those quiet moments in his dimly lit room, I try to soak up that moment as if no other moment has ever existed and no other ever will. I remind myself that when he is grown and gone, with a family of his own, and his love of Thomas only a sweet but distant memory, this little boy, with his pale plump skin and tossled hair will forever be a part of the very tapestry of my soul.

"Blogger"

Its been a while. Its been a long long while. I have missed blogging. I have discovered in the past that when I get in the habit of regularly blogging it affects the way I process the world. Blogging means choosing to hold onto those fleeting thoughts that endlessly pass through mine and everyone's mind, for just a few seconds longer--to hold the thought captive, to turn it around, then the other way. The thought is tasted, perhaps chewed, and if I'm really lucky, even digested. And before I know it, I find myself more rooted in my thoughts and a bit more alive.

To make a practice of this means leaving margins in my life Allowing for pauses in the mind's seemingly unending babble relating to plans, responsibilities, obligations and entertainment. It means leaving margins for longer than just enough time to fit in a few REM cycles before the babble begins again in the morning.

And with that said, I'm back. Determined to leave more margins in my life. Determined to allow space in my day for such digestion of thoughts. No time like they present they say. Thus, I would like to reclaim my title as "Blogger" once more.

Lucas' 1st ocean experience

Lucas at the ocean from Lindsey Meyers on Vimeo.

While visiting Grandpa Tim in January, we made a trip to St. Augustine where Lucas laid eyes on the ocean for the first time! It wasn't a sunscreen and sand castle kinda day, but it was memorable none-the-less. Thanks for a great trip Grandpa Tim!

perspective

I am coming to discover that perspective is everything. There are lots of cheesy cliches out there that talk about how its not as much what happens to you but how you choose to respond to it. Or how its not about the destination, but the journey. But I've also come to realize that the things that often sound the most cliche in life, have gotten that title because of the unrelenting truth found behind the cliche.

And so I say again, perspective is everything...well maybe not everything, but an awful lot. And it never hits me more than looking back at another year that declared itself the present, no sooner than to be stored in a photo book and placed on the shelves of our memories. Truth be told, years are nothing more than planet Earth taking another jaunt around the sun. But we of the people-kind seem to like the ideas of beginnings and ends. We love 2nd tries. We love new hope and an opportunity for a fresh tomorrow.

As I look back on 2009, I have the opportunity to choose. Do I choose a perspective that focuses on disappointments, unfinished goals and valiant thoughts that never made it outside of the walls of intentions? Because there were plenty. Or do I choose a perspective that attempts to see these past 365 earth rotations in light of a story so much bigger and grander than me and my accomplishments, failures, disappointments and trials?

So I reflect on the beautiful and redemptive growth that occurred over the past year. None of which had much to do with the hopeful resolutions that began the year (not that I remember any of them). Some of that growth includes:

*making my peace with the kitchen (thanks Food Network).

*staring my own materialism in the face and loosening my grip just a bit more (thanks banking account).

*developing new professional skills and knowledge (thanks job).

*discovering a depth of unconditional love for my son so great that it absolutely scares the bejesus out of me (thanks Lucas).

*uncovering a renewed heart for Christ and His church (thank you Jesus).

In many ways, 2010 has a lot to live up to. I have a feeling its (He's) up for the challenge:)

A year ago today...

Yes, I know I'm not actually posting this on 10/20/09. I started a post on that day and have been trying to figure out how to upload this video since. I finally figured it out!!

This is a tribute to my favorite little boy's 1st year of life and his mommy and daddy's first year figuring out parent-hood.

What an adventure and JOY he has been.