The Meyers Family

Christmas 2008

2009-01-19T12:15:00.000-08:00

Here's a snapshot of pictures from this past Christmas 2008. We spent December 19-22 at my parents house in Eau Claire and had a family Christmas together and celebrated Jackson's birthday. Then we headed to Chilton from December 22-25 - we actually had to head home on Christmas morning because little man wasn't feeling well and hadn't slept all night but all in all it was an excellent time to spend together with everyone. Jackson loves his new walker toy he got from Grandma and Grandpa and goes all around the house with it now!

Thanksgiving 2008

2009-01-19T12:10:00.000-08:00

We always have a yearly Thanksgiving dinner with our Lifegroup from church - 6 young married couples (2 couples have kids and one is on the way!) We had a great turnout again with all the fixins - it was a great way to kickoff the eating too much time of the year to expand our wastebelts a little bit. It's just a blessing to have such a great group of friends near since family is not close and we can share a lot of intimate moments of our life together.

Trip to Boston - November 2008!

2009-01-19T12:02:00.000-08:00

So I took a long-needed trip out to Boston to visit one of my best friend's from high school, Megan Ryan. She's been living there for going on 5 years now and is going to dental school at Boston University. I've never visited her since she's lived there so it was wonderful to get away for a while and see someplace new and just to catch up in general. The city is awesome - very old school and preserved with cobblestone sidewalks and large historic buildings, it's right on the water and has the Charles River running through it and there's also a bunch of parks and trails that give a nature feel instead of feeling only like a city. My favorite quotes from being in Boston were "Wicked Pissah" (which apparently means really awesome) and "Pahk ya cah at Hahvahd Yahd" (Park your car at Harvard Yard - with the Boston accent). All and all, an awesome time!

Halloween 2008

2009-01-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

Wow, we're really behind on posts and I've been getting scolded by my stalker blogging friends to add some new stuff in there if we still want to remain friends. So these pics are from a while back but are still super cute and worthy of a blog post - they're from Jackson's Mother Baby Hour group friends that we hang out with once a week and have play dates with our babies who are all the same age. There's a giraffe, a cat, a duck (that's Jackson!), a lion and a spider. It was probably the cutest thing I've ever seen...those poor babies, we can dress them in anything and they really have no say in the matter.

Fall Beauty

2008-10-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

I realize it has been a looong time since the last post, so it's time to update a little bit. I thought I would post some cute pictures taken this past Sunday at Madison's Arboretum. it's the perfect time of year to do this because leaves are all over the ground and still have their vibrant color. Jackson was not in the best of moods when we took him, we think he was a little freaked out by the leaves and the crunchy feeling, but we did the best we could. Our little man is 10 months old as of Monday, October 20 and is crawling all over the place, eating grown up foods (he loves pizza) and pulling himself up on all sorts of things. Another first that he just had was that he pooped in the bathtub last night - it was actually pretty funny because we never saw it coming. He is a hilarious baby - his personality is in full bloom with funny faces and noises he makes all the time and he loves imitating us when he gets the chance.

Trip to the Zoo

2008-07-28T06:02:00.000-07:00

We've taken many trips to the zoo this summer but this one was special because my mom came down for a visit on her day off to spend some time with her grandbaby. Our favorite animal of the day was the pot-bellied pig that looked so huge it might actually burst if you stuck a pin in it - go figured that it was eating the entire time that we were there looking at him. Jackson is a bit young to fully understand what is really going on at the zoo but I think he likes the monkeys best because they come right up to the window and make funny sounds and guestures.

Jackson 6 Month Pics

2008-07-17T09:06:00.001-07:00

We just took Jackson's 6 month pictures yesterday morning (although he's actually going to be turning 7 months in just a few days). Better late than never! At his 6 month check-up, our little man weighed in at 17 lbs 4 ozs and 27 1/2 inches long putting him in the 80% percentile for height and the 39% for weight - the doctor says that's great and just where he wants to see him. So that means that he's grown 6 1/2 inches since he's been born and has gained 9 lbs and 12 ozs, and all of that in 6 months which is huge. Apparently babies grow the most rapidly in their first 6 months and then after that they slow down considerably so we can actually keep him in some of his clothes for a relatively longer period of time. Jackson loves sticking everything in his mouth (especially paper), chewing on his feet, bath time, making bubbles with his mouth, going for walks in his Baby Bjorn front carrier, having books read to him and having Dave and I play with him and interact in any sort of way. He's a pretty quirky little guy and we've found that he likes to roll from his tummy to his back but not the other way around, he doesn't jump in his Jump Around toy seat he just likes to play with the toys and he's very particular about which baby foods he will eat and when he will eat them (we found that if you sing songs to him while he eats he likes that the best). Such a fun journey this has been with parenting and we look forward to every additional minute :)

Auntie Noel is home!

2008-06-26T11:40:00.000-07:00

The weekend of June 13-15 (plus Monday the 16th) was a big one for the Meyers family. Dave's brother Andy is getting married on July 5 so we were all back in Chilton to celebrate for his bachelor party and for Amber's (the bride-to-be) bridal shower. Plus, Dave's sister Noel returned home on Monday, June 16th after being in England for 9 months. Neither Andy, Amber or Noel had ever seen Jackson before because Andy and Amber live in Michigan and of course, Noel had been gone since Jackson was born. So he got to see lots of new faces and I think it's safe to say that he won everyone over with his cute little baby ways. He got a shirt from his auntie Noel that says "My Aunt loves me very much and got this shirt for me in Greece" - we'll have to wait until he's 4 to wear it but it's gonna look awesome once he does :) It was great seeing everyone and doing so much celebrating - God certainly is working in the lives of everyone around us and it feels like such a joyful time in everyone's lives including our own that we're just so grateful and happy. We'll get to spend some quality time together again soon as a family as we're all heading up for the wedding next week over the 4th of July weekend. Fun stuff!

Summer Fun with Lifegroup

2008-06-21T15:01:00.000-07:00

We have been part of a wonderful and very fun group through our church for the past 4 years called our Lifegroup. There are 6 young married couples that we call our closest friends in Madison. Over the summer our church no longer runs a series of sermons that they set up studies for so it's designed to do fun activities or to take a bit of a break until the fall comes around. We've decided as a group this summer that we're going to go through a marriage series and interlace in there some nights of fun activities such as volleyball/grill out/boating, concert on the square, game nights, etc. A few Wednesdays ago we hit up a local park near one of the couple's homes in downtown Madison and grilled out jalapeno hamburgers and had a potluck with the rest of the food. It was awesome to share time together, to be outdoors in this beautiful weather and just enjoy life together. We try to be extra crafty and take pictures off a timer so that we can all get in them, and this one happened to turn out very well.

Jackson's making friends

2008-06-20T05:35:00.000-07:00

I just had to put this picture up here because it's such a cute one of Jackson playing with one of his friends Henry that we met through our mother baby hour group at the hospital. They are only one day apart so are very similar in their development stages. We know that they're interested in each other almost like it's another toy to play with, not a human being. Plus they just grab anything that's near them so we made sure to have them sitting right by each other so they would find one another. Just a cute one to make you smile :)

Memorial Day Weekend

2008-06-20T05:24:00.000-07:00

We braved the Wisconsin roads and headed up to the cabin for the Memorial weekend. Mom and Dad Hong were very generous and rented a cabin so that we could accomodate our new addition without being in a cramped space with barking dogs and people walking around everywhere. There were 15 Hong family members in attendance which was nice to see everyone since that happens so infrequently at this stage in our lives. We celebrated my aunt's birthday and ate way too much food just because my mom's cooking is so good. Jackson was loved on by everyone but his cousin Kjersten, who is 11 years old, has taken a particular liking to him and wanted to be with him every waking moment of the day. It will be nice when he gets a bit older and is able to go fishing and enjoy the outdoors a little bit more with the men.

Grace's 1st Birthday

2008-05-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

We went back to Eau Claire over the weekend of May 9-11 to enjoy time with family and celebrate my sister's 27th birthday, her daughter Grace's 1st birthday and Mother's Day all rolled in to one. The highlight of the weekend was definitely the lifesize jousting machine that my mom rented from a party company and we got the whole family outside battling it out together on it. Grace truly is one of the most joyful, happy-go-lucky and sweet baby girls you'll ever have the privilege of meeting. She has certainly charmed her family's socks right off and our prayers are that she would continue to grow in to that same healthy, happy little girl that God has created her to be and that she would continue to spread joy wherever she goes. We love you baby girl!

Jackson's Baby Dedication

2008-05-05T10:08:00.001-07:00

On May 3 our friends and family joined us in attending Jackson's Parent/Child Dedication at Blackhawk Church. By doing this, we are public declaring that we along with our friends and family will help to raise our son in a Christ-centered home and environment so that some day he may be able to come to the decision himself to follow the Lord. We're so thankful to have such amazing support in raising our baby and being parents - it truly does take a community of people to successfully raise a child. About 22 children were dedicated on Saturday with kids ranging from 2 weeks old to 9 years old. We had a wonderful time filling up on all sorts of delicious food at my aunt and uncle's house in Middleton afterwards. Thanks to all who were able to make it - we love and appreciate you all!

Austin, TX Trip - April 23 - April 27 2008

2008-05-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

This is the second trip we've been on with our little man in only a matter of weeks. I have to say that he did much better this time around because we had an open seat to put his car seat on during both flights to Austin, TX. We visited a co-worker of Dave's, Craig Krause and his family Amy, Keaton and Hannah at their lovely home in Georgetown, TX. While it was pouring rain in Wisconsin we were enjoying 75-89 degree sunshine weather and lush beautiful landscapes. This was the perfect amount of time for a trip - we were able to go jet skiing on their lake, tubing, grilling out, eating brunch with other co-workers of Dave's that live in the near area, watch the NFL draft, watch a few movies, sit in a hot tub and relax, play some board games, shoot some hoops and teach our friends how to make one of our favorite desserts. On Saturday night of the trip there was a tornado warning for the county we were located in and in Texas you don't mess around with that kind of message. They had a town about 20 miles away that was completely destroyed with quite a few deaths just a few years ago so we were sure to watch the news until we knew the storm had passed. Our favorite 2 sayings we heard quite frequently were "y'all" and "fixin to" - such as "I'm fixin to go make me some queso cheese dip". Apparently I (Angie) have one of the worst Wisconsin accents they have ever heard and Dave wasn't so bad. I don't know if I agree but what can you say, ya der hey!

Palm Beach Florida!

2008-04-13T14:17:00.001-07:00

We just returned from our wonderful vacation to Palm Beach Shores,
Florida from March 30 - April 6. All the Hong ladies (mom, Sarah, Grace and Jessie) were in attendance so Dave and Jackson, along with Jessie's boyfriend Andy had to represent the testosterone in the room. We found that vacationing with a baby is completely different than how we're normally used to vacationing. Babies can't wear sunblock before 6 months so they need to be kept out of the sun and the pool is a little cold for them at this age. Jackson overall did very well with his first flights and with acclimating to the warmer weather. A highlight was when we first arrived in Palm Beach we found out that we just missed the BET (black entertainment television) Spring Bling week where Snoop Dogg performed in the hotel right next to ours the day before. We were a little scared when before we crossed the bridge to get to our hotel on the ocean we had to pass through a really bad part of town and there was a sign that said "no guns, weapons or drugs beyond this point". So apparently it was just fine to have them before that point but once you got to the bridge you had to give them up. Other than that, we just did a lot of relaxing, reading, having wonderful conversations, eating some wonderful homecooked meals in our condo and drinking very yummy pina coladas that our bartender Dave made from scratch. In the mornings we occassionally went out to the beach (since we were up earlier than mosts guests with our little man!) and just walked the shoreline with Jackson and chased after the seagulls. Some memorable moments to share with Jackson when he gets older, that's for sure :)

Jackson - 10 weeks old

2008-02-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to put up some more updated pics of our little man. He will turn 10 weeks old on February 28. He has recently found out that he can stick his fist in his mouth (although not very far!). He has a hard time finding his mouth so he finds his nose and just glides his hand down from there in order to find his mouth. It's pretty darn cute.

Jackson David is here!

2008-02-06T06:59:00.000-08:00

On December 20, 2007 at 7:35am our little bundle of joy, Jackson David Meyers was born at Meriter Hospital in Madison, WI. He weighed in at 8lbs and was 21 inches long. Mom and baby are doing well after 17 hours of labor and ending with a c-section. Jackson's head was sunny-side-up and according to our doctor, only 5% of women's pelvis's are built to deliver a baby that way. We fell in love with him right away and can hardly believe that our little guy is already 7 weeks old. He's already very alert - constantly staring at you with his big eyes. He's a very vigorous eater and sometimes gets himself so worked up when food is available that he almost chokes on it. He's also just starting to realize that he has hands so he's been using them to touch his face and push your arms away if he doesn't want something you're giving him. We love his little smiles (he's especially happy just after waking up from a nap and then his joy turns to anger because he wants some food right now!) and the other cooing sounds he makes. Parenting has been awesome - Dave and I could just stare at him for hours and not get bored. Plus, he gets funnier all the time.

Egypt Trip 2007!

2007-11-02T06:45:00.000-07:00

We just arrived back from a 2 week trip to Egypt from Saturday, October 13 until Friday, October 27. The trip was nothing short of amazing - we were with a group of 10 amazing people and our guides, Eric and Michelle, put together an action-packed itinerary. We started out spending 5 days in Cairo visiting the Pharonic Museum, the Citadel, shopping and dining in the Khan il Khalili Bazaar, visiting 2 Egyptian orphanages and a Youth Scholarship Program English school, riding the camels to the Pyramids of Giza and visiting the Coptic Christian churches and local mosques. From Cairo we flew to Aswan to spend 3 days on a Nile riverboat and toured Philae island, sat on the Aswan Dam and saw a variety of temples including the Temple of Horus. We then arrived in Luxor and visited the Valley of the Kings, King Tut's Tomb, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Temple of Karnack. Then we flew from Luxor to Sharm el Sheik where we took a private boat out on the Red Sea and did scuba diving, snorkeling and relaxing and taking in the beauty. Mom and baby did very well and never got sick once even though Pharaoh's Revenge struck 8 out of 10 of the group. We're now back safe in the states and very thankful to have 2 weeks of memories to tell our little one about someday :)

Amazing Grace

2007-09-23T12:57:00.000-07:00

I just had to put this picture in here of my sister Sarah's baby Grace because she's so darn cute. She was born on May 8, 2007 and is certainly growing in to a happy and healthy baby. Our little guy is going to have lots of fun growing up with his older cousin :)

Labor Day Speed Racers

2007-09-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

I was back in Eau Claire for Labor Day weekend to watch my dad's race and then the whole familiy heads up to Birchwood, WI (near Hayward) for some rest and relaxation at my grandparent's trailer resort. Dave wasn't able to make it because he always has a work conference that weekend in Madison. My dad, Mike Hong, has certainly taken on an amazing mid-life hobby of endurance racing...and he's very good at it. He ran the 2 mile race and his goal was to beat his prior time which was in the high 13:30's - he more than beat that by finishing 28th overall (with 700 + runners in the race - including walkers) and finishing with a time of 13:11. Keep in mind that he just started running at around this time last year. We're hoping to see him on the cover of Runner's World Magazine some time in the next 5 years. My mom also entered this race as a walker but we got some good pictures of her sprinting in at the finish line...way to go mom!

We made it to Noah's Ark!

2007-09-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

This is just to show that Dave and I actually did make good use of the free Noah's Ark tickets we got from the hotel for our rain-filled Dells weekend. Even though Dave got whooped when we played 18 holes of mini-golf and he screamed like a little girl on the Black Anaconda ride (and if he peed his pants I wouldn't know because we were already sitting in water) - I think we both (plus the baby!) had a wonderful time. Noah's Ark is a trip that has been a tradition in my family since I was a little girl so we couldn't go an entire summer without making it to the Dells :)

Wisconsin Dells Monsoon - August 17-19

2007-09-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

We planned a Wisconsin Dells family trip with the entire Meyers and most of the Hong clan (this trip included 20 people) at the beginning of the summer for the weekend of August 17-19. Little did we know that this weekend would bring 6.5 inches of rain on Saturday and temps that were in the 50's. Needless to say, our weekend filled with Noah's Ark water slides and walking up and down the main strip of the Dells was pretty much shot...so we had to come up with another plan. Instead, we decided to go to the Mt. Olympus Indoor Waterpark (apparently the rest of the people that were in the Dells for the weekend had the same idea) and had to wait 30 minutes just to get in to the hot tub. All-in-all, it was still a great weekend to spend time together and have nearly both of our entire families together. The picture to the right shows Dave and his brothers Andy and BJ having fun at the waterpark.

2007 Summer Volleyball League

2007-08-16T18:07:00.000-07:00

Sad to say that we're just wrapping up our amazingly fun summer volleyball league next week after an exciting season of 16 games. Group members included Jocelyn and David Pinkert, some of our dearest and most athletic friends whom we've been in a Lifegroup with for the past 3 years and Dave and Leah Simpson - Leah is a co-worker of Dave's and they're just an awesome and fun-loving couple that was great to hang out with each week. Yes, that's right, there are 3 Dave's on our team! We started the season on May 8 and played every Tuesday night at either 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10pm at the Stadium Bar in downtown Madison near Camp Randall. There were 10 teams total in the league and it looks like we're going to finish at spot #4...not too shabby for a bunch of amateurs! The league gives out prizes at the end of the season based on the total number of games won and the total number of pitchers drank - sad to say we did miserable at the pitcher race finishing at the bottom with a dissmal 2 pitchers. Our team name was "The Lovers" - can't you tell by looking at the picture to the right?

Madison Mallards Game - August 6, 2007

2007-08-16T17:59:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed a complimentary night out at the ball game thanks to Dave's company Freedom Speakers and Trainers on Monday, August 6. All office staff and their family were invited to watch the Madison Mallards play the Green Bay Bullfrogs and enjoy all-you-can-eat and drink. The Mallards were victorious with a 6 to 2 win over the Bullfrogs - highlights of the game were the thunderstorm that took over in the 7th inning causing the audience to take cover and when the pitcher/manager for the Bullfrogs were ejected from the game. We put this in here because coincidentally, this was also our 2 year wedding anniversary and the place where we first met. It was a great night had by all :)

Dave got baptized!

2007-07-29T13:28:00.000-07:00

Dave had accepted Jesus Christ as his Savior several years ago but wanted to make the public declaration of his faith so others may see the work that Christ has done and is doing in his life. The baptism was held on Friday, May 4th 2007. I was baptised at this same event 2 years ago and I must say that it's a powerful experience for everyone who attends, not just those who are being baptized. It was an evening to praise the Lord and see the amazing work he's doing in our fellow Christ-followers' lives. Here's a few of the beautiful verses I pulled from NIV on God's view of baptism:

Acts 2:38
Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:41
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Dave's 6 year class reunion!

2007-07-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, July 21 Dave celebrated his 6 year class reunion. That's right, we said 6 year. Apparently the ball had been dropped for his 5 year class reunion so a classmate of Dave's took it upon himself to organize one for the following year. He graduated in 2001 with 119 students in the wonderful town of Chilton, WI. It was awesome getting to meet everyone and learn a little bit more about Dave's roots. The funniest part of the night was when a classmate of his demanded to be the godfather of our child - we politely turned him down :)

2007 Dane County Fair!

2007-07-29T12:54:00.000-07:00

We loved this picture too much so we had to put it up there for everyone to see :) We went to the 2007 Dane County Fair on July 19 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. Highlights of the evening were when Dave entered a pullup contest with the US Marine Corps (and they tried signing him up afterwards because of his stellar performance :)), watching adorable weimaraner puppies play around their pen, seeing an acrobatic show and watching 4 seal lions perform at their outdoor stage. This pose to the left was taken as a depiction of Grant Wood's 1930 painting, American Gothic. In a few more years, we might start looking a little more like that, don't you think?

We're having a baby!

2007-07-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

Dave and I are expecting our first baby! We had an ultrasound done on July 5th and found out that everything is growing healthy and normal and mom, dad and baby are doing great! . We are 20 weeks along as of July 28 and are due on December 15. We are extremely happy and excited for this big change and development going on in our lives and can't wait for you all to be a part of his/her life in some way when they finally do enter this world. We appreciate all of your prayers of support and encouragement throughout the pregnancy!