Thank goodness for the diaper!

There were some moments at grandma and grandpa's house that got a little crazy! I think that the kids just LOVE to be there and end up bubbling over with much jubilee and craziness!! We are all just glad to have a home away from home....right here at "Da-ma and Bomp-pa's!" Hope you laugh lots!

Fun at Grandma and Grandpa's!

Just another member of the family...

Pumpkin Pancakes by Olivia Anne Lemmon

To make Pumpkin pancakes you need:2 cups of flour,1/2 cups of flour,4 tsp.baking powder,1 tsp.of cinnamon,1/8tsp.allspice,1 1/2 cups of milk,,1 cup of pumpkin puree,3 eggs,and1/4 cups of melted butter.Sift together dry ingredients.Combine milk,eggs,butter,and pumpkin puree dry ingredients into batter.One batch makes about 20 medium size pancakes

Here's our cutiferous newest addition!!! Reese Ruby weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces. She was 19 & 3/4 inches long. She was born November 21st at 11:58 AM. Yipee for grandchild # 14. Girls are rockin the board!!!

The Meredith Family four years ago!

Four Years!

October 23, 2004!
Well, our fourth wedding anniversary is coming up! It feels, at times, that time has gone by so fast, and yet other times, it seems as though we have been married much longer! Our life together has been quite the adventure so far! When Russ and I got married, so many people told us that marriage would be the biggest and hardest adjustment we would ever make! Even after we had been married a year, we looked back and thought, "Hey...what was supposed to be so hard of an adjustment?" Now four years later we can come up with plenty! Here are some highlights we wanted to share with all of you!

-Amber trying to play "Dance Dance Revolution" while she was very very pregnant! Jenny just laughed, Geoff was just envious that Amber was BETTER than he was...and Geoff and Amber even had the same sized bellies! Amber will NEVER play that while being pregnant again!

-Anna Belle being born only 9 months and 6 days after we were married! If Anna was born any later....poor Amber would have popped...especially those "kankles"! We will always remember the kindness of Rob too, calling after Anna was born and asking grandma if Amber's nose was any smaller! We appreciate everyone's concern on her part! We both have to agree that Amber looks much better when she doesn't look like the Michelin tire marshmallow man!

-Two weeks after Anna was born, Amber went rock climbing. Don't ask us how! She's always been quite determined in anything she sets her mind to! But hey...her rock climbing days are over. Nursing two babies has sucked away her most prized possessions...no muscle left...in fact, not much of anything left...she is currently putting the Band Aids to good use!

-Speaking of no muscle...Russ likes to occasionally pose in front of the mirror and flex his muscles to see how he looks. I hear Geoff likes to do that too. And Rob and Rex like to rub their LITTLE tummies....S-E-X-Y! All of us women just can't keep our hands off those handsome Meredith boys! Major turn-on with the tummy rubbing! Keep it up boys!

-Amber has to take credit for being such a great influence for Geoff and Rex when they all went to ISU together! We'll always remember the day she convinced Geoff and Rex to skip class and they all went to McDonald's for breakfast. It was all fine and dandy until Amber accidentally told Jenny about it at work...oops! We remembered to be much more careful after that! :)

-We miss having scones with everyone, playing games and getting so mad at Geoff for always having the darnedest luck, and then laughing until the whole house shook! Even Grandma would get those crazy giggles, and her shoulders would start a shakin, and she'd have one hand over her mouth, with eyes shut tight, just a bouncin and a tootin and a cryin! Don't start laughing grandma!

-We know you all probably miss our dear little Anna...you know, how happy and excited she gets to see everyone? Maybe someday that will be true! Until then, she will grace everyone with her frowns and pouty lip, crying if you tease her, and a scowl and grunt when you say "Hello!" (she is getting better!)

-Let's try not to remember all that Anna has accomplished at your home! Drawing on the table with pen, she's probably the reason Gill's mini DVD player broke, spilling red powerade on grandma's comforter, peeing in grandma's bed and in many places on grandma's floor when we were potty-training her. Oh, and we cannot forget the time Amber took Anna out of the bath and she left a trail of poopies from the bathroom to the office!

-Anna asked Amber about a week ago if we could go to dam-ma and bomp-pa's house. Amber had to explain to her by taking down a calendar and showing her that we probably wouldn't get to see them for all of these days (in October and most of November), until Thanksgiving. Amber told Anna it would be a long time for her. Anna started crying. She truly loves her grandma and grandpa! You guys are truly Anna and Carter's only constant grandparents in their lives and we are so grateful you are there! You definitely make up the difference!

-Sunday dinners were our favorite! Eating good food, laughing and talking and sharing stories. Thank you so much for so many great memories with everyone! If you have a favorite memory, share it too! There's nothing better than remembering the "Good Times"!

Happy Birthday Jett!!

Happy Birthday Jett-ums! We love, love, love you!!! You are a cutie-goober nut too! You are probably getting so big and learning to do so many cool things, huh? You're probably getting sooo strong too! And I bet you run so fast and jump so high! Be a good boy and help your momma, ok? Hope you have a happy happy day!

Happy Birthday Jenna Bean!

Happy "late" Birthday Jenna!!!! We love you! Sorry we couldn't get this video on sooner but Russ's computer was broken! Hope you had a wonderful day! Ask your mom to let you type on the computer and you can tell all of us what you got for your birthday and what you did! We are so proud of you! You have grown up so much and you are so smart and such a cutie-goober nut! He he he!

Aren't my kids Precious?

The Patients at Grandpa & Grandma's House

First Chels...yup, I had oral surgery yesterday. I'm pretty sore and swollen and such but it's not too bad. They had to poke me three times before they got the IV to work. Poor Dr Steve Holm was feeling really bad that he didn't get it the work the first time. He kept saying "I'm so sorry! You are NOT a pin cushion. Poor guy, I was fine. Dad gave me a blessing yesterday before the surgery and he blessed me that everything would go perfectly and that my body would heal well and that I would be my calm and happy self. So, of course, that's exactly how it went. I even remember once during the surgery he said "That's perfect! We need to take a picture." And I said something like "Nah that's okay we don't need pictures."

The doctor even came by to check on me on his way home from work. He's such a nice, genuinly concerned guy. He said he's coming today to check on me too. The spot in the picture was a little purple and that concerned him. Purple means it is either bruising or there's not enough blood reaching the area. If there is not enough blood he said it won't heal correctly. But Dr. Steve said it looks okay for now and today it isn't as purple. So yup, just as the blessing said I'm healing great.

Speaking of healing we are all rooting for the new addition to our family. The diddle ditty we found in da dack dard under da deck (as Halle would say!). It is so little and sweet we are all in love...including Grandpa. He's the little mommy.

Or maybe the mommy is Gill or Grandma...

Okay so now it's Peg's turn. We named the cute diddle diddy Shadow, because it's so dark that when Livy found it she thought it was a shadow. So cute...

Hmmm...Caramel Popcorn is the BEST! (Especially for watching football!!!!)

Alrighty, I think it's about time somebody else posts something on the fantastic blog. Isn't Ambiferous the best?! Alright here's the easiest recipe for caramel popcorn that is to die for...
Here's whatcha need:
1C unpopped corn
1Cube butter
1C brown sugar
1/4C Caro syrup
1 pinch salt

Then:
1. Put everything in a glass bowl and throw it in the microwave for 2 min.
2. Start popping the corn
3. Take the mixture out (careful, it's HOT) and stir really well to dissolve sugar.
4. Put it back in the microwave for 2 more minutes
5. Pour over the popped corn & stir.
6. Get messy!...or don't but enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Squares-Amber Meredith

I LOVE Autumn and fall foods! I can never wait for autumn to come fast enough so we can enjoy all the yummy foods...like Pumpkin!!!

PUMPKIN PIE SQUARES

1 C Flour
1/2 C quick cooking oats
1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C Butter

FILLING:

2 cans (15 oz. each) pumpkin
2 cans (12 oz. each) evaporated milk
4 Eggs
1 1/2 C Sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves

TOPPINGS:

1/2 C packed brown sugar
1/2 C chopped pecans
2 TBSP butter or margarine, softened

Combine the first four ingredients in bowl and mix until crumbly. Press into a greased 9x13 in. pan. Bake @ 350 for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Meanwhile, beat Filling ingredients in bowl until smooth. Pour over crust. Bake for 45 minutes.

Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over filling. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes. Cool, then cut into squares. Cover and refrigerate leftovers.

Recipes Please!!!!

Okay everyone...now is the time to start sharing your secret recipes with the rest of us! Jenny...we all know you have many, including some great "yummy chocolate dessert" treats, and Jenilyn...what about that awesome alfredo sauce and corn bread recipe? And then there is grandma....who is the cook of all cooks...we need yours too! Lets come up with some fresh and new ideas....and then maybe in the next few months we can get together and share our new recipes?? Let's make the theme Autumn...since fall is approaching...and we can share our favorite fall recipes! Then let's all plan a weekend in September to get together! How does it sound? And after we are done taste-testing everything, we can bag and box it all up and we will send it your way, Jeigh!!! he he....What? You don't think that's a good idea?!! Hey...if Rex can eat week old smokies....he'd love our treat! Anyway...let's get to posting!

Two Peas in a Pod!

Mason and Jenna, our two four year olds, are the best of buds! Mason is all BOY and Jenna wants to be all BOY...so they get along just great!

Kissing Cousins!!

"Come on Jett, give me a kiss!"
Schmmmmmmoootch! Feel the love?
Ummmm.....not so much!

The Three Mischievous Three-Year Olds!!

Rylei, Anna, and Halle....do you think these "angelic" girls could cause any mischief?

All those Meredith "Boys"

Rob, Geoff, Bobber, Russ, and Rex. We love our Meredith boys...even if the girls are better!

Carlos and Erma Meredith

Carlos Earl and Erma Meredith, the parents of Robert Meredith.

William and Anna Murri

This is a picture of DeAnne's parents, William and Anna Murri.