December 2008-Bowling

We took the kids bowling to the new Family Fun Center in Bonne Terre (Missouri) and it was so nice! Hannah bowled with the bumper bowl in and did really good. However it was hysterical to watch because the ball was SO SLOW it was hard to tell if it would make it or if it was going to start rolling back toward us. Although I was not near as good as I remember being (and I don't even remember being very good), so maybe I should lighten up on Hannah!

December 2008-Christmas

Christmas was wonderful! Hannah is at the absolute perfect age and Joshua is just content being right with her! Aaron & Joshua were able to go to Minnesota a few days before Christmas and spend some much needed quality time with his family, and celebrate his brother's college graduation. Then we were all back together in Missouri to spend the holidays with my extended family. Santa made a trip to our Christmas Eve celebration and since Hannah was the only one interested, she was his official helper-she was so excited. Then we were able to go with family to their church's midnight service and although I missed the tradition Midnight Mass, it was nice to be able to celebrate Jesus' birth surrounded by family.

Christmas day we never got out of our pajamas, which is a first for my whole family as we are usually busy going from one place to another. And I've gotta say-it was terrific! The kids got way too much stuff (of course!) but the time with family was awesome. We even added an untraditional card game later that weekend and it was so much fun. The only thing that could make it better is if we could see all our family at the same time, but other than that I don't think it could have been any better!

December 2008-Miss Pattycake

Hannah & Miss Pattycake. For those of you who don't know Miss Pattycake I encourage to explore her website. http://www.misspattycake.com/
She's great in our book, just ask Hannah! She sings preschool songs all about praising God, and different Bible stories, Hannah can recite so much information from her-it's so wonderful. It was Hannah's 1st day off of restriction (from her ear surgery) and we took full advantage and went to see Miss Pattycake at World Outreach. We made it a girls' day out as I took Hannah & her good buddy Hailey to the show, while Daddy & Joshua were up in Minnesota for a quick weekend visit before Christmas.

December 2008-Christmas Card

2008-Year in Review (by Aaron)

We may be politically incorrect but want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. 2008 has been a flurry of activity for our family of four here in Nashville.

The kids have had many ups and downs this past year. Hannah is blossoming into quite a sweet little girl. She takes part in dance class, plays soccer and goes to preschool twice a week. She enjoys reading her stories every night with mom and dad and prays for everyone every night! What a blessing she is to all of us. Walking in her parents footsteps she is quite the little traveler. Just this year she has been to Louisiana a few times, Missouri & Minnesota, and Memphis- she loves that jazz and barbecue! Hannah has also had to endure some ear & intestinal ailments this past year. Luckily her Dr. is at Vanderbilt and their medical record is better than their football record! On December 10th, she just underwent ear surgery where a tiny hole in her right ear was skin-grafted (it had not closed properly after the tubes fell out). She is doing well but is having to adjust to limited activity for a little while but just knowing the surgery will help her to hear Santa's reindeer better makes it all worth it!

Joshua is growing almost as fast as his daddy’s waistline. This little fullback is walking all over the place. He started moving upright towards the end of November right before turning 1 on December 1st. He is a great little brother to Hannah and wants to be around her as much as he can (which is pretty easy since she likes to be his boss!). At his birthday party he decided to eat his entire birthday cake or more exactly ate a small portion and distributed the rest all over his face and hands! We are blessed to have 2 such wonderful kids.

Julie has also kept herself busy, probably more busy than she wants to be! In addition to full-time duties daily with the kids, Julie has participated in several exciting activities. She went to Las Vegas to work an automotive car launch and Julie and her mom went to a great Beth Moore conference in Atlanta. She headed up another very successful “Sew Much More” project where we made 250 dresses for orphaned children in Mexico, Brazil & China and also served on a committee helping to coordinate a great “Girl’s Night Out” event at church. And of course she is creating wonderful dresses, bibs, etc… for the kiddos to maximize their cuteness.

I have also been keeping busy with work and traveling. My travels have brought me to Las Vegas a staggering 6 times this past year, enough to get me a standing reservation with Wayne Newton. This year has also brought me to Florence & Rome, Italy, Napa Valley, California for the first time & back to Edinburgh, Scotland & Nassau, Bahamas (twice). I also had a great golf trip down to Alabama (which was my Christmas present from my lovely wife) with my brother-in-law, father-in-law and father. This was perhaps the best trip of the year as it was a great opportunity to play fantastic courses, bond with the boys and take a pile of money from my brother-in-law!

As a family we have experienced some great things together like strawberry pickin’ with my family, the Murray family vacation in Missouri, a trip to the cabin up north in MN, and a dedication of Joshua at church. Not to mention the numerous visitors that came out of their way to visit us in Nashville! Julie and I also celebrated our 5-year anniversary and took a great trip to Palm Beach, FL for fun and relaxation. My sister, Amanda & her husband Kevin, gave birth to their first child, Levi Davis St. Clair on December 8. It’s so exciting to watch our family grow.

The Lord has given us yet again, another great year. We could not be happier and we hope all is well with you and your families, especially around the Christmas season.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Love,
The Meier's

Visit with Santa

Hannah & Joshua on Santa's lap (well kind of on the lap for Joshua!)

It's funny how perspective changes with the second child. I remember I took Hannah to sit on Santa's lap multiple times when she was little because I didn't want the picture of her screaming, and now it's one of my favorites! So when Joshua screamed, I just smiled and said, "Oh that will be so cute in his book!"

December 2008-Baby St. Clair arrived!

December 9th, 2008 we welcomed Baby Levi Davis St. Clair, our newest nephew. Amanda, Aaron's sister & Kevin, our brother-in-law welcomed their first baby into the family. Levi was born in Colorado Springs and we can't wait to get out there to meet him-we are hoping January will be the perfect time for a family trip. He was 9 lbs even and Amanda was a champion-she didn't have an epideral (on purpose!) She did all the hard work and then after all that 16 plus hours of work, she ended up having to have a C-section because every time she pushed he kept turning (not the right way!) But God is good and all are healthy and home recovering-we are so happy for them.

New Look!

Welcome to the new and improved "Life With the Meier's". Check back often for updates!

December 2008-Joshua's 1st Birthday

I can't believe my baby is a year already! Joshua turned a year on December 1st and we celebrated in Missouri the day after Thanksgiving. It ended up being quite a birthday bash. Tons of our extended family came (which was wonderful) and then we had quite a few "surprise" guests come in. Aaron's folks drove down from Minnesota-they were on the road longer than in town. Gina Russo was in from Colorado and Tim Herc & The Joly's all came down from the city, not to mention Doug, Angela & the girls there from Louisiana-it was quite a competition for the longest journey!

We did a dump truck theme & it was a huge hit, complete with hard hats & all. I made dirt cake and put it in a dump truck, and served it with a shovel for the adults and then the kids each had their own dump truck with cake in it and it doubled as their take-home favor. Since we had an evening part we ordered some local BBQ and served it right out of a dump truck too, super fun! The best part was how Joshua dug into his cake-you had to be there to appreciate it but it was exactly what you hope for with a one year old. He grabbed it, double fisting of course, and never looked back. It was priceless!