Finnley's blessing

We will be blessing Finnley this Sunday Jan. 3 at 1:00. Everyone is invited to come and then we will be having a luncheon after at my mom and dad's house. Our ward house's address is 1125 W. 300 N Lehi, UT. Call if you have questions 801-602-9399, 801-360-5439. Hope to see you there. Lots of love, Mariah

FINNLEY RAI BARTLETT

Our beautiful Finnley Rai (ry) Bartlett arrived on October 29,2009 at 2:36 pm a full 10 days early. Weighing in at a whopping 9 lbs and 14 ounces and 19" long. And yes, we did make it to the hospital this time. Thank goodness! ! Her size was a total shock to us as well as my doctor. Finnley weighed 3 lbs more than Boston and 2 1/2lbs more than her big brother Roman. When she came out her cheeks were so chunky that my doctor said she looked like a little sumo and she did. So the nickname stuck, she is our "little sumo". Labor and delivery went without any complications.

We are all very happy to have her home and a part of our family. Boston and Roman love her to death and fight over her. Roman is very protective of her already which is very cute and Boston is so excited to have a sister and to even share her room. Before we found out what we were having Boston said that she only wanted a sister because she already had a brother. Anytime we talked about her possibly having another brother she would get so upset that she would cry. But now that Finnley is here she has been telling Enrique and I that we need to have another baby brother. I keep saying lets just enjoy Finnley right now.

I am sorry it took me so long to get this posted we have had a few complications and it has just been crazy. But all of us are well now and we are getting back into a routine. Love you all, love the Bartletts

Hooray December Birthdays!

Sorry it's so late! Welcome to the newest member of the family, Mary Suzanne Fitch. I never even knew that Mariah and Enrique had Finnley until a week or so ago (sorry I'm not more in touch)!

We've Moved!

Our new address is:

5901 Elmore Ave. Apt. M16
Davenport, IA 52807

Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

Liz and Nate

****** Meeks Family Christmas Party ******
DeAnn's House: Saturday December 19th 2009 @ 4:30pm
Please Bring a side dish to share.
We are not going to be doing a gift exchange this year but we would

love it if everyone would bring a new un-wrapped toy for the

"Toys for Tots".

mark your calendar.

Just wanted to let you all know that we have finally set an official date with the doctor for our c-section. It is Sunday Dec. 13. Unless nature decides to do something before then, we'll be welcoming our little girl into the family then. We'll keep you updated and post some pictures when the big day arrives. We still haven't decided on a name.......

November Birthday!

GIRLS WEEKEND 2009: CHANGE IN PLANS!!!

Because the cabin is up a private canyon, the roads don't get plowed. With all the recent snow and rain, I've been told that the road is too muddy/snowy to get up. So, we are moving our Girls Night Out to

JANET'S HOUSE

everything else will still be the same. Same food, same time (6:00) same everything. Anyone is welcome to sleep over at Janet's house, or DeAnn's. Or you can go home and sleep in your own bed if you want. but we'll still be having breakfast together Saturday morning, and going somewhere in the afternoon.

Please let us know that you've gotten the word. Either e-mail Susan, or text or call Janet or Susan. We want to make sure nobody misses out or ends up stranded in the canyon!!!

Happy Birthday October Babies

GIRLS WEEKEND 2009

Collene suggested that we do soup and salads and breads this year for dinner. Any objections? Does anybody want to be in charge of organizing the food assignments? We'll need stuff for breakfast in the morning too, and of course, bring any snacks you want.

How many are coming anyway?

The Cat is out of the bag.......

In case any of you don't know yet....I've been keeping a secret for the past few months. We finally let the cat out of the bag and posted on facebook and my personal blog last week, but it occurred to me today that I should probably post it here too.

I am 27 weeks pregnant with a little girl. (that's almost 7 months along.)

Back when Emma was born, Bub and I commented to each other that if we ever had another one, we thought it would funny not to tell people unless they flat out asked us "are you pregnant?" You've got to be really brave or really rude to ask a woman that. We just giggled thinking of all the awkward moments of people staring at my stomach. There comes a point when things become rather obvious you know. Slowly, people caught on. Mostly here in our neighborhood. It didn't hurt that Aiden announced it in primary. That got the rumors flying in the ward. So most of our neighbors and ward members have known for quite some time. Some of our friends, and some of the family have picked up on it too. But Bub's parents just weren't getting it. I look pregnant. At least Bub and I think so. but they never said anything. We dropped hints. But nothing. Emma even told them several times "There's a baby in Mommy's Tummy!" But they didn't seem to pick up on it. We wondered if they really were suspicious, or just oblivious. Several weeks ago, Bub slipped up and let his brother Chris know. He was really surprised. And being the 'man on the inside' told us that no-they really didn't have a clue. They weren't even suspicious! On the one hand, we were amazed and really curious about just how long we could go on with all of this. On the other hand, it's been nearly 7 months! I think we were ready to just get on with things. So, last week we told them. The were surprised and excited.

We didn't think it was right to make any big official announcements until they had figured things out. So please don't feel bad if this is new information for you too. :) We had a fun time with it- which has been good for me. My pregnancies are usually too full of worry to be any fun.

Like I said, it's a little girl. Emma is ecstatic. She kisses my tummy and says "I love you baby sister." and puts her finger in my belly button and says "Tickle tickle" Aiden....well, I think he's excited. But he doesn't say much about it, and I really think he was hoping for a brother.

The official due date is December 30. But because of the emergency c-section I had with Aiden, I have to have c-sections everytime, and they won't let me go past 36 weeks for fear of things rupturing. They will schedule a c-section for us somewhere between 34-36 weeks. which puts us somewhere between November 18-Dec 2. We'll just wait and see how things go, and what the doctor says. So far, so good.

In case any of you have the magical ability of deciphering ultrasounds, this one happens to be a picture of her face. Who do you think she looks like? And what should we name her?

the big 4-0 Happy Birthday DeAnn!!!

We are celebrating DeAnn's 4oth birthday at 6:30 pm tonight at Murray Park. Bring your own picnic dinner. Cake and ice cream provided. Playground for the kiddies. Hope you can come. Call janet with any questions. Even if you can't come, or get this late, let's try to send Ditto 40 birthday wishes! Post here, on Facebook, text her, e-mail, CALL and/or best of all show up to give her a hug and tell her she doesn't look a day older than 29! Wish her Happy 40 in as many ways as you can. love you sis!

GIRLS WEEKEND 2009

Hello Everybody,

Here is some basic information about our girls weekend, so you can get it on your calendars. Things are going to be a bit different this year, so take note:

I was able to reserve Bub's family cabin for October 9-10. It is located a couple of miles up Parley's canyon in a little private canyon. (It's called Mt. Aire canyon if you want to google it) There is a gate at the bottom of the canyon that I will have to unlock to let people in. I will be at the gate at 6:00 pm and again at 8:00pm to open it for everyone. If neither of those times will work for you, let me know and we can arrange something. But if it's at all possible - please try to make one of those times work for you. I'd rather spend the night enjoying your company than driving up and down the canyon to open the gate.

Because it is a family cabin, we have to clean up after ourselves. (dang it, Karyn! You've spoiled us all these years!) including laundering sheets and towels. I don't suppose any of us want to spend the time to do a batch of laundry before we leave, so you might want to bring your sleeping bags/blankets and a towel for the morning.

There are 7 double (queen size) beds, one crib, three couches and floor space for sleeping. I think one of the couches might fold out, but I'm not sure. We will probably divy out the actual beds by age/physical condition, so you may want to bring cots, foam matresses etc. just in case.

Also, there is no cell phone service there. It is rumored that there is one spot you can stand in to get service, but I've never been able to find it. If you need to use your cell phone there, you'll have to drive down the canyon a ways. Possibly to the gate.

There is only one small 12 inch TV there. So - we need someone to either bring something. (hee hee. I'd like to see any of us haul a tv along!) or we'll need someone to plan some games/activities, unless you'd rather just 'hang out'

It probably doesn't sound like much compared to what we've had in the past, but it's a nice comfortable and clean place. One of our favorite things about it is that it is so quiet and peaceful there. There is a stream outside that runs through the front yard. If you crack open the windows you can listen to the babbling brook all night. talk about relaxing!!! There's also a screened in porch that is a wonderful place to just sit. One of the couches is there if someone wants to sleep on it. All the bedrooms are higher up, and looking out the windows makes you feel like you are living in the tree tops. I hope you'll all love it as much as we do. I'll post more details as time gets closer, and we'll figure out food and stuff.

Hope to see you all there!

Sooz

September Birthdays

Hey, does anyone know Diane Hammons Meeks? I got a funny email from her today and I have no idea who she is. I would be tempted to think that it was randomly sent to my email as a mistake, but since it's from a Meeks, I have to wonder. Does anyone know who she is? She also sent the same email to Joey Meeks and Lorie Jeena Meeks. Any clues?

August Birthdays!

Our ancestor in the Friend Magazine

I was looking through the August 2009 Friend Magazine and there's a cute little story about an Irish girl named Mary Jane McCleave on page 36. That name is very familiar to me, she's the 3rd wife of Priddy Meeks. They are my 4th great grandparents. I have a copy of his journal and based on the information from the magazine article and the journal, I'm pretty sure the article called Ribbons for Shoes is about her. I asked my dad about the dates and stuff and he agreed. What an amazing thing, to see an article about an ancestor in a magazine- totally random. Check it out if you can, it's a sweet little story. The art work is nice too, they gave her dark hair, which I love! You can find it at friend.lds.org. Hope you enjoy it too!

July Birthdays!

Sorry its late!

Ian Meeks Rosner is Officially Here!

Hooray our little Ian is finally here! Ian Meeks Rosner joined the family on June 26, 2009 at 2:33 pm. Weighing in at 9 lbs. 11oz. and measuring 21. 5 inches tall, he’s definitely a Rosner! Ian looks just like Davey and has a full head of dark hair (Davey did too at one point but it all fell out and grew back lighter). Labor and delivery went well. I was induced on Thursday night after finding cloudy amniotic fluid in an ultrasound earlier that day. I was already 2 days from the due date and they estimated Ian to weigh 9 lbs. 4oz. so the doctor suggested we go to the hospital. Sure enough during labor when the doctor broke my water it proved that Ian had gone #2 in the fluid. Labor was progressing slowly and I was given Pitocin to get things moving. Within just a few hours it was time for Ian to be born. I labored and delivered without any pain medication. Phew! What an experience that was! Ian had the umbilical cord loosely wrapped around his neck once and had breathed in some of the dirty fluids. He was pretty quickly taken up to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for respiratory distress. Ian spent the next 4 days there on oxygen, IV fluids and antibiotics. I recovered well and came home on Sunday. Thanks to wonderful nurses and lots of faithful prayers, Ian came home yesterday, healthy as can be.

As for the game winner… We look at all the guesses and have determined Mariah and Enrique to be the winners! We based this on their guessing the closest birthday and size. The prize will be mailed to you (I haven’t decided what to send yet, some sort of gift card). Thanks to everyone for participating, it was lots of fun!

We hope you all are doing well! Take care and much love to you, Allison, Brian, Davey and Ian

Ian (haven't decided on a middle name) Rosner

Born June 26th, 2009 at 2:33 p.m. He was 9 lbs. 11 oz. and 21 and a half inches long. Allison and Ian are doing well! Pictures will come as soon as I get some. Oh wait, lets not forget the extra amazing part Allison gave birth to Ian with no medicine or epidural. GO ALLISON! You are a strong woman! Yay Ian! We are glad you are here!

Ditto Salad

Here is the famous pasta salad recipe.

Curly colored pasta
Zesty Italian Dressing (kraft)
Salad Toppings ( find them by the bacon bits)
Salad Supreme ( spice isle)
Cucumber; peeled and chopped
Tomatoes; chopped
Broccoli; chopped
Green Onions; chopped (optional)

Boil pasta al dente. Rinse in cold water. Drain.
Mix in big bowl, pasta, veggies and salad supreme.
Add in toppings and dressing. Toss well.
I use about 3/4th of the bottle at first. The rest later if needed. The pasta will suck up a lot of the dressing.
*You can use any veggies you like.

June Birthdays

Long Distance Baby Game

I thought it’d be fun for us to all play a long distance baby shower game. Our little man is due to join the family in just a few more weeks. The game involves guessing:
1. The date he’s born
2. His height
3. His weight
4. Suggest a name
The game is: the person(s) who makes the closest guess to the first three items will get a prize (some sort of gift card mailed to your house). Place your guess by adding a comment to this post.
Things to remember: The due date for Little One is June 27th. Davey was a week overdue and was 9lbs. 13oz. and 23 inches tall at birth. The name suggestion is just for fun and will not be taken into account for the prize. We have a name or two in mind but I just want to see what everyone else comes up with.
This game is open to everyone, not just the ladies. Just keep it to one guess per family please!
We hope you are all well. Happy guessing!

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

Just thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes with you all! Feel free to retaliate!  

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

this recipe makes a lot.  I usually fill up at least 2 13x9 pans.It's good for entertaining, or you can put an extra pan or two in the freezer before baking for another day.

about 3 cups chicken, cooked and cut up

1 brick of cream cheese softened

1 cup sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 medium onion chopped

1 small can sliced olives

2-3 cans enchilada sauce

about 16 tortillas

shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  Coat the bottom of a 13x9 baking pan or dish with a thin layer of enchilada sauce.  set aside. Mix cream cheese, sour cream, and chicken soup till smooth.  Add Chicken, onions, and olives, (or any other ingredients you'd like to add)  Spoon some enchilada sauce onto a tortilla and spread it around a bit, then spoon a few tablespoons of the chicken mixture.  Roll up and place in pan. when pan is full, drizzle enchilada sauce over the top.  Bake for 40 minutes.  sprinkle with shredded cheese.  Bake for 5 more minutes.

 

Finally, we've moved!

Happy Birthday - April & May

courage

courage is the word that comes to mind when i think of jim's fight against cancer. he faced the battle with such faith and optimism! i always marveled at his courage to face each new day. i will miss his cheerful enthusiasm for life.

i've been remembering so many things these past few days. like the cute pink outfit jim picked out for hannah when she turned one. he explained he knew just what a little girl would like, after all, he had two of his own.
when we were all in san diego for nate and liz's wedding, jim took some of us sisters out to lunch at the califonia pizza kitchen, but not before we dragged him to a store looking for a slip, earrings and other last minute items. he was such a good sport. i know we all had a fun visit that day.
just last may, jim & patti arrived on my doorstep with gift in hand for baby easton. it just so happened i was preparing to go to primary children's to have easton tested for his projectile vomiting. i was a bit of a wreck. jim explained all about boston's surgery for pyloric stenosis. when it turned out that's what e had, it was so comforting for me to know boston had been through the same thing and it turned out fine. i was glad they stopped by precisely when they did.
i will also remember the priesthood blessings jim gave me since dad wasn't here to do it.

i hope some of you will share memories too. i think it's healing and hopefully patti and the kids would enjoy reading your thoughts here as well.

xo
janet

I just wanted to take the time today to tell you all how much I love you.
It's family that see us through the good and the bad and we couldn't get through it with out each other.
I love you all!

Emma has been going to the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind here in Ogden since January.  As part of her physical therapy there, she has been in a dance class.  For those of you who may be interested, she'll be performing in a dance recital on Monday night. (April 27) from 6:30-7:30 at her school.  I think she'd be tickled to have anyone come.  If you are interested - give us a call and we can give you directions or any other information you might need.  I'll try to post some pictures later. :)

PLEASE PRAY FOR JIM!!!!

check www.jimmeekshealth.blogspot.com for details. 

 Things are critical right now, and he really needs our prayers. 

Good Luck to Jim for a successful surgery and speedy recovery today!  Don't forget to keep him (and his family) in your prayers.

Happy Birthday March Babies!

February 22, 1985

Twenty-four years ago today.

Fast and Pray for Jim!

Jim's surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning (Wednesday Feb. 11, 2009) at 8:30 am.  Mariah has asked that we all 

FAST AND PRAY for him.  

Happpy February Birthdays

When ever I smell sawdust, I think of Dad and his wood shop under the carport in the Sandy house.  He kept all his nails, and screws and little bits and pieces in coffee cans he collected from work.  (we also kept our crayons in a big green coffee can he brought home from work.)  He helped us paint rocks, and make cardboard picture frames to sell for our 'mini-society' and school.  He helped us to use the left over bathroom tiles to make pot holders for mothers day. (which I still have, and use) I climbed scaffolding with him, and helped him to put siding on the house.  He taught me how to paint with long up and down strokes.  We used saw horses and plywood planks with tablecloths over them for family dinners in the back yard, or under the carport.  I also remember the small tables and chairs he made for all the grandchildren for Christmas one year.  (Thanks to Colin for making a table for my kids!!) 

He spent long hours in the basement seated at a card table building his model planes and painting them with those itty bitty jars of paint.

He also loved to draw house plans.  I remember being excited for the new house he had planned to build on the lot in West Jordan.  It had a bathroom like the brady bunch - two doors opening to a bedroom on each side!  It was across the street from a church, and we teased him that if we moved there, he would become the bishop.

What do you remember about Dad and his hobbies?  

Guess who is turning 8?

I can't believe she is growing up so fast! Hannah is getting baptized on Feb. 7, 2009. We hope you will all join us for this special day. There will be a light dinner at our home following the baptism. Please call me for time/ directions and to let me know you are coming so we know how many to plan on. Congratulations Hannah! We love you.

Dad loved a good joke and loved a good story. Oh and by the way, Dad's hair wasn't greasy, he put stuff on it to keep it flat. Do you remember that he went to bed with a nylon stocking on his head? That was to keep it flat too.

Dad used to bring funny stuff home from work. He had an amazing laugh and loved to laugh with us. I kept a few of the things he brought home. Here is one of my favorites I'll share with you.

YOU'LL GET IT IN THE END

Upon arriving home in eager anticipation of a leisurely evening with the new issue of True (a magazine), the husband was met at the door by his sobbing wife. Tearfully she explained, "its the druggist . . . he insulted me terribly this morning on the phone." The husband drove downtown to accost the druggist and demand an apology. Before he could say more than a word or two, the druggist told him, "Now just a moment . . . listen to my side of the story first. This morning, the alarm failed to go off, so I was late getting up. I went without breakfast and hurried out to the car, but 'll be darned if I didn't lock both the house keys and car keys inside. I had to break a window to get my keys. Driving a little too fast, I got a ticket for speeding and then about three blocks from the store, I had a flat tire. When I finally got to the store, there was a large group of people waiting for me to open up. I got the store open and started waiting on the people when the darn phone started ringing. Then I had to break open a roll of nickels against the cash register to make change, and they spilled all over the floor. I got down on my hands and knees to pick them up . . . that darn phone ringing all the while. When I got up, I hit my head on the open register drawer which made my head reel and made me stagger against the showcase of perfume and half the bottles fell to the floor shattering to bits. The phone was still ringing and I finally answered it. It was your wife . . . she wanted to know how to use a rectal thermometer. AND I TOLD HER . . ."

I've had that story for years. It's great.

One year, I think I was in 9th grade, Dad invited me to go to work with him because they were having a Christmas party at work and I was out of school for Christmas break. Some of the guys he worked with were a little rough around the edges. The night before the party, we drove all the way downtown to a special novelty shop where dad purchased a "bottle of whiskey" for the gift exchange. I don't remember if it was for a specific person or if they just picked random gifts. Anyway, this bottle of whiskey looked like the real thing, a fifth of booze, but actually, it was filled with honey - the color of whiskey. Dad took great pride in wrapping it and putting it under the tree at work the next day.

I don't remember what happened with the whiskey bottle or who got it or what their reaction was, but I do remember what dad got. I was standing next to him when he opened it and I don't think he knew what to do with his 14 year old impressionable son standing there. He was so embarrassed! Someone had given him an ice cream cone with a very large pair of women's breasts (plastic) on top where ice cream would normally be.

He looked at it for a minute and then at me. I started lauging. He said "lets not say anything about this" and stuck it in a drawer in his desk. I never saw it again and I was never asked to join him for another office party.

I remember dad would let us do stuff with his hair (comb over). He would lie on the floor and we would put our colored plastic barrettes from the top to the bottom. I remember his hair was greasy but we loved it! I also remember the whisker rubs, Dad had a great 5 oclock shadow and would come home from work and rub our little faces raw.

Karyn

What do you remember about.....

I know that Dad had a great and sarcastic sense of humor. I remember him wanting to name our pet rabbit "Skillet".  As little girls, we were horrified at the thought.  But now I appreciate it and think I must have got some sarcasm from him. I was too little when he died to remember many specifics though.  So, my question today is :  What do you remember about Dad's sense of humor? 

Memories by Mickey

Posted by The Roz's for Mickey
Okay I think this will be fun but we have to have some rules. First it dosen't matter how you spell it as long as everyone gets the meaning. Second we dont have to be great writers like Suz ans Jim. That being said I will be happy to post some of my memories for everyone to hopefully enjoy.




Gramps, its like Jim said we spent alot of time at their house when we were little. Gramps would have me and Jim weed the garden for him and I remember finding a big grasshopper and having Gramps showing up how to pull its head off and watch it jump around, how fun, I dont think I could do it today without barfing. Gramps would take Jim and I places, I dont remember Cottenwood, but I remember Murray park swimming pool and Deseret gym. We would thae the bus to Salt Lake Gramps would whistle Christmas toons, of corse this was in July, I dident care we were on an adventure at the time it was so much fun putting the mony in the meter and watching it fall down the little tube. I was so excited for it to be my turn to pull the bell cord for our stop. At times now I reflect back to those times and wonder if it was the same for Gramps as it is for me when I am with Keith, Mickey and Davy. Last summer when Darcie brought the boys by for a little visit they were leaving and I went out and Mickey was crouched down so close to ground looking and I asked him what he was looking at and still squatting he turned his little head and said "bugs" and turned back to the little tiny ants on the ground.( See picture, his lips are blue from eating a ring pop) I instantally flashed back to Gramps and wondered if he felt the same things for us as I do for thease wonderful little boys that have brought so much joy to my life. Next time I will tell you about the slipper.




Nana was so good to us, I dont remember her ever raising her voice at us, but we knew when we were in trouble. The worst punishment was sitting on the stool in front of the fridge having to watch the clock, 10 minutes is a very long time for a little kid. I dont think that clock even worked. Once a week Nana would make bread and I think most of the time those were the days Gramps would take us somewhere, but at time we would get to help, I liked kneeding the dough and after it would rise if I was good I would get to pop it and kneed it again. It would smell so good while it was baking and Jim and I would howl for a taste as soon as it came out of the oven. Oh how much I the taste of Nanas fresh baked bread, when I was about 8 or nine I ate some fresh baked bread at school and got very sick and have never been able to eat fresh bread sence.




Dad, I am sitting here wondering whitch memories to share, I have so many. One time when he was building the house in Sandy he called and asked me to come and help him with the car port, so on Saturday I went over early to help. When I got there it was just Dad and I. Now I need to remind you that back then I was lucky to weigh in at a buck twentyfive after thanksgiving dinner and I think Dad was maybe a buck and a half, a couple of heavy weights to say the least. Well anyway I lifted the trusses up to Dad and he leaned them aganst the main house roof, once we got them all up we started to set up starting at the far end and working our way in twards the house. I think the trusses were about 25 or 30 feet and there were about 10 or 12 of them but it took us most of the day with a short break for lunch at McDonalds. Soooo after we got the last tress up and nailed in place Dad wanted to check Square, soooo we checked it and guess what it was off 3/4 of an inch, after Dad made this anouncement to me I quickly stated that it was close enough gor government work. Boy I hhought he was going to have a cow right there on the roof and I was going to have to deliver it. So after a 15 minute lecture on why we dont do anything like government work we spent the rest of the day taking the trusses down so Dad could square up everything and next week we put up the trusses and it went much quicker becaust we had some idea of how to do it. Sometime I will tell you about doing the sheetrock.




Well I think thats enough for now, I am kinda tired and I dont want to be too long winded.

Happy New Year!

Hello Family,
I just wanted to update everyone with what 2009 will hold for us. We bought our first house! We've actually had the keys for about 2 weeks but it needs some updating before we move in. The house was built in 1981 and we're looking at February as a move in date. Brian will be doing all the work himself, remodeling 2 bathroom, the kitchen and doing some flooring and paint. Luck for me he's very handy like my dad. Dad will be coming to help Brian in January. I'll send out the address once we've offically moved.
The biggest reason why Brian is doing all the work himself is because we are expecting a baby! Yes, another "Baby Rosner" as Leon puts it. Our Little One (as we've named it for now) will be joining us in June. We are very excited! We're having an ultrasound in the end of January and I'll post some pictures then. Any guesses if Little One is a boy or a girl? How about name suggestions?
Love to all and hope your 2009 is great! Love, The Roz's

Meeks Family January Birthdays

The only birthday I don’t have is Robin’s. Would someone please let me know when it is? Also, please correct me if any of the birthdays aren’t correct or yours isn’t listed. Thanks!

Hi Suz, What a wonderful idea. I think you’ve tried to get us to do this before and we haven’t been very responsive. Sorry about that. Sometimes, it is difficult to take the time to sit down and write about stuff for many reasons.

I love your memories! Mick and I spent many summers living with Nana and Gramps while our mother was ill. I think that started when I was about 4 and Mick was 3. We slept in the extra bed in Gramps’ bedroom. I remember asking Nana about why they had separate bedrooms once. Her response was that he snored too much and drooled on his pillow so they decided to have separate rooms. I guess it worked for them.

The cherry tree out front was of the Queen Anne variety, my favorite. I remember being instructed in the proper technique of picking the cherries. Gramps was good at getting Mick and I to do many chores for him. Mowing the lawn and it had to be just so. Two rounds in one direction and then one round in the other direction. We then had to rake all the grass up and spread it just so in his garden out back. Edging the lawn every summer was a pain. It had to be just so too.

I remember their house before the back was added on. Dad actually added on the back of the house that you remember. Originally, there was nothing beyond the kitchen out that way. So, there was the living room, the kitchen, two bedrooms and that small bathroom. When I was a young teenager, Dad built on the entire back of the house which probably at least doubled the size of the house for them. He loved to build.

Gramps’ office wasn’t actually downstairs, but was in what would have been the garage on most houses. You did have to go out the back of the house and then turn left to get to the office. It was old and funny smelling for sure. He had those old leather adjustment tables that always reminded me of medieval torture racks or something. I received many adjustments there. I loved to hang out there sometimes with Gramps and ask him questions about Chiropractics. He was fascinating and had some really interesting concepts. There used to be an actual human spine hanging in his office there too.

Gramps used to sit in his chair there by the front door where he would read the paper, listen to the radio and watch TV all at the same time. If Mick or I tried to change the TV channel so we could watch something we were interested in, Gramps would drop the newspaper down a couple of inches and tell us he was watching that as he peered over the paper.

Heck, I’m so old that I can remember when the started building the original Cottonwood Hospital across the street. Several times a week, Gramps would take Mick and I across the street after the workers had gone home so that we could see what progress they had made. I remember looking at the footings and then the foundations and walls as they went up. When they started doing the electrical work, Gramps would collect the little plugs they knocked out of the electrical boxes. We watched them build that place. Amazing.

Nana was wonderful. She would read to us and we’d sit next to her on that green couch when she did. She was a wonderful cook, except that she insisted that we eat prunes – I still hate them to this day!!

I learned at a very young age to answer her questions in very particular ways. I remember once being asked about my last bowel movement. When I couldn’t remember (what kid would?), I learned quickly why an enema bag always hung in the shower! After that, if I was ever asked about a BM again, I answered with a very quick “last night” or “this morning.”

We used to sit on the porch and blow bubbles through wooden thread spools using dish soap. Buying bubbles was a luxury otherwise.

Nana taught me how to hand stitch. She would do mending on her old treadle Singer Sewing machine and I would hand stitch scraps of cloth she would give me. I still do hand stitching sometimes and often remember her teaching me how.

Wow, what memories you have stirred. Thanks!

Jim