Summer Moments – Moments of Meghan

Summertime with Grandparents

December 4, 2022December 4, 2022Meghan1 Comment

It’s nearly Christmas, but I wanted to make sure I took some time to write down thoughts about this past summer.

We were fortunate to have both sets of grandparents visit us this summer. John’s parents arrived the weekend before Amber was born. John’s dad was here for a little over a week. And since Amber was born via a c-section, John’s mom graciously stayed for three weeks after Amber’s birth so she could take care of our kids while I recovered. This was especially helpful since I wasn’t permitted to lift anything heavier than Amber, which meant I couldn’t do simple but necessary tasks like lift Drew into his high chair or get him in and out of the bath. Drew also didn’t know how to go up or down stairs at that point and always had to be carried, something I could not have done.

After his mom left, our whole family (except for Amber) came down with a virus that we think Drew picked up from another child at the nursery at our church. So we asked my parents to delay their trip so they didn’t get sick as well. Once we were all better, my parents drove out from Utah and stayed with us for three weeks.

We had lots of fun while grandparents were here and it was helpful to have extra grown-ups around. Highlights of the summer include:

– A day swimming and kayaking at the lake with Melissa, Trevor, Morgan, and Will in addition to Grandpa Adrian and Grandma Kathy (this day also happened to be my birthday.)

– Date nights for John and I (with free babysitting from the best babysitters in the world). Two favorite dates of mine were (1) dinner at Pavemint followed by a Memorial Day concert in the town square by the American Legion band and (2) dinner at an authentic Italian restaurant by our house (that we always talked about wanting to try) followed by eating “formations” (thick milkshakes) from Spelunkers while watching the sunset up in the Shenandoah mountains.

– 4th of July fireworks at the 4H center.

– Attending the Washington DC Temple Open House with our older three children and work colleagues/friends of John.

– Front Royal splash pad.

– Launching (and losing) rockets.

– Attending another town square concert.

– Splash Pad and MOD pizza in Gainesville.

– The kids first time riding on the metro and a visit to the National Zoo.

– Dinner with the entire Morgan family at Maggiano’s, one of our favorite restaurants.

– Lots of kid/grandparent dates (which meant quiet time for me!) to the Lego store, train store, Fireman’s Carnival, Chick-fil-A and more.

Below is a photo dump from all the fun family time.

Myrtle Beach 2020

September 15, 2020September 15, 2020Meghan1 Comment

We recently returned from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Because of COVID-19, we haven’t traveled at all in 2020. We are fortunate to have an aunt and uncle who live in a private beach community in Myrtle Beach. This made us feel comfortable (and excited) to head down there and soak in the sun, sand, and ocean.

Brooke loved the ocean. I spent a lot of time with her sitting on my lap letting the waves wash over our legs. She was so cute to watch. She thoroughly enjoyed getting in the water. David on the other hand did not like the ocean at all. The first day down at the beach, he got very upset any time any one of us got in the water. I could tell he was scared that something bad would happen to us. John ultimately took him back to the house for a nap that first day.

Each day David got a little more comfortable. It was a SLOW process. He never got super excited about the ocean, but he did like playing in the tide pools that would form as the tide went out. I finally figured out that he was much more comfortable if we told him we were going to “clean our feet” or “wash our hair” (depending on how far out we went in the ocean) before we went into the water.

One thing David did love was the golf cart my aunt and uncle have that we drove down to the beach each day. He loved riding the golf cart. We also took a couple golf cart drives through the neighborhood while we were there, and he was in heaven. Brooke liked “driving” the golf cart while sitting on John’s lap.

My aunt and uncle are great cooks and have lots of fun snacks for kids. We ate very well, and our kids LOVED eating frosted animal crackers, fruit snacks, and Oreos. They had never eaten frosted animal crackers, and I believe they may think those are the greatest cookies ever.

One of my favorite times at the beach was our last night there. After we put the kids down, John and I picked up dinner and drove the golf cart to the beach. We ate a delicious meal and then walked along the beach and talked as the sun went down. It was so fun to have time with just John (without a child around wanting attention haha).

Another experience I enjoyed was on the first day when John took David back to the house for a nap. Brooke ended up taking a nap in my arms. Since we were in a private beach community, there were very few people around (my siblings also came down for the weekend, but they hadn’t arrived yet). As I held her and looked out over the ocean, my heart felt so much gratitude for God and for my family. I offered a silent prayer as I looked out over the ocean and the beautiful scenery that surrounded me that my heart would always be willing to do and accept His will in all things. Seeing the magnificence of the ocean, I was reminded that God is all powerful. He has a plan, and He is in the details of our lives.

I think everyone in our family had a great time. Even though David didn’t love the ocean, he spent a good part of the drive home letting us know that we needed to go back to Diana’s house. Even this past Friday, he asked if we could go to Diana’s house.

Summer Life

July 16, 2020MeghanLeave a comment

I just got back from going on a walk with the kids, and while there was a nice breeze, I am hot and Brooke’s cheeks are bright red.

Speaking of Brooke, she has blossomed so much in the last few weeks. Her language development is coming along nicely. She says hello, hi, out, shoe, hat, eat, and “mel” for milk (or any drink really). I think her first official word (aside from no) was milk, which is quite fitting since she has let us know from very, very early on when she is hungry. She is also a great walker. Once she learned to walk, she didn’t look back. Her demeanor has also changed over the last few weeks. She is consistently a bubbly and happy almost 17-month-old. At some point every day, John asks me, “Where did this happy girl come from?” Happy was not a word we often used to describe Brooke as a baby. But now we use it every day! Below is a (blurry) picture that captures her happy spirit.

David’s language skills are also expanding. I can understand most everything he says, and he’s starting to speak more in longer phrases/sentences. He loves to sing songs, count, and he has a great memory. He watches two TV shows every day – “Tigerhead” (Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood) and “Sunny Days” (Sesame Street).

Brooke and David like to make each other laugh (it’s adorable!), and they are starting to actually play together more and more. David also loves to tell Brooke what to do. He calls her “Brookie,” and I think the way he says it is so sweet.

Below are some snapshots of our summer 🙂

Father’s Day 2020 – Brooke and David are lucky to have John as their dad!

A double rainbow outside of Brooke’s bedroom window.

We took a drive last week in Shenandoah National Park. It had been shut down for a while, and we’re excited it’s back open. David didn’t want to smile at the camera.

We’ve played with a lot of bubbles and colored with a lot of chalk this summer.

We like going to Marker-Miller Orchards to get fresh produce. They have rocking chairs that David loves to sit on.

Labor Day Weekend at Myrtle Beach

November 3, 2019Meghan1 Comment

I can’t believe it’s November! I meant to write a post about our trip to Myrtle Beach a while back, but I’m just now getting it up. We headed down south for Labor Day Weekend and visited my Aunt Diana and Uncle Kevin. My sister Melissa and brother Trevor also headed down to Myrtle for the weekend. We had such a fun time!

One of my favorite memories was swimming in the ocean with John and my siblings. It was so fun to swim in the waves and talk about life. I also loved playing card games with my aunt, uncle, siblings and John after our kids went to bed. Watching David explore the beach was so fun too. He is at a very cute and fun exploratory stage.

My aunt and uncle are such gracious hosts and live in a private beach community, which means the beach is never crowded. We had fun relaxing at the beach, eating delicious food (my aunt is a great cook), and playing games. We always have a fun time down in Myrtle!

During the drive down, the kiddos were pretty good. Although when we got there (at nearly midnight), David woke up and decided he didn’t want to go to sleep and stayed up until 3 a.m. On the drive back home, David and Brooke took turns whining haha. It was our first time road tripping with two kids, and we definitely learned some things.

Summertime 2019 Moments

September 10, 2019MeghanLeave a comment

Fall is almost officially here! Fall is my favorite season, so I am excited. Summer has been good to us. Last week, we returned from a trip to Myrtle Beach. I’m hoping to write a post on that this week. But before I do, I want to record some of the other moments of summer we experienced.

We attended the Jefferson County Fair and had fun watching mutton busting, greased pig racing, and the tractor pull, as well as looking at all the animals and eating fair food. My sister Melissa and friend Keri came with us. The weather was beautiful, which made it extra nice. I really enjoy going to the fair each year.

On a recent trip to Winchester, I was stopped at a stoplight, and when the light turned green, my car wouldn’t move forward when I pushed the accelerator. I turned the car off and back on, and then it worked just fine. Then a couple days later while driving, the power steering and accelerator stopped working. We took my car into the auto shop and learned the engine was failing. I bought this car (a 2009 Hyundai Sonata) a few months after I graduated from college. I bought it used and was so proud of the purchase. It was my first big adult purchase. I remember during the first few weeks of owning the car, I was so excited to get off the metro after work and drive my Sonata home.

Since the engine was failing, we decided it was time to upgrade to a minivan. We bought a 2019 Honda Odyssey. While cleaning the items out of my Sonata, I felt a little nostalgic. At first, I wasn’t excited to get a new car (my Sonata has been with me through so much – which I know is silly to say since it’s just a car ha!). I’ve ending up loving the van though.

I started a monthly service club in my neighborhood to meet my neighbors and do some good in the community. Recently, while studying Christ’s counsel in the New Testament to love our neighbors as ourselves, I realized I don’t really know my neighbors, and it’s hard to love people that I don’t know. (I realize Christ’s counsel doesn’t only apply to our literal neighbors, but I figured it’s a good place for me to start.) During our first service activity, we decorated cookies for the local fire stations.

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John bought a bike and has begun cycling on Saturday mornings. He bought a trailer for David (and eventually Brooke) to ride in. At first, David wasn’t a fan of his helmet. So before their first long ride, I let David watch TV on our bed while wearing the helmet to help him get used to it.

John and I both celebrated birthdays this summer. Below is a picture of John’s presents on top of the birthday present he gave me. It’s an armoire he knew I’d been interested in purchasing for our bedroom for a while.

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We had our main level painted. It’s something I’ve been interested in for while. After painting our bedroom myself, I decided that I wanted to pay to have someone do our main level. I saved up the money I earn from doing my consulting work. I only work a couple hours a week, so it’s taken me a while to save. But I’m so happy with how the results turned out. We had paint samples around the main level for a number of weeks. We knew we wanted a gray color. The color we ended up selecting was Fawn Brindle by Sherwin Williams.

David and Brooke continue to grow so quickly before our eyes. This summer David transitioned out of his high chair. He eats lunch at the kitchen island, and we all eat dinner together as a family at the table in the dining room. Below are some cute pictures John took of David while he was playing in our guest room

We’ve enjoyed exploring parks and going to the pool this summer. David’s confidence has grown so much over the last few months. The first time we went to the pool, he wouldn’t leave my side. The last time we went, he was constantly on the move. His favorite part of the pool we go to is the barnyard splash pad. Below is a picture of him going down the slide.

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It’s been a great summer!

A Visit from the Iowa Grandparents

September 5, 2018MeghanLeave a comment

Near the end of August, John’s parents came to visit. While they were here, we headed into DC and visited the Newseum and the U.S. Botanic Garden and ate a delicious dinner at Carmines. We also visited Gettysburg. Unfortunately, David did not really tolerate the Gettysburg museum well (he’s normally super low key). So, he and I spent a lot of time trying to figure out ways to be happy, and bonus, I dropped my phone and cracked my screen haha.

Of course, the main attraction John’s parents wanted to see while they were here was their grandson 🙂 They were here for a week, and we enjoyed spending time with them. I especially appreciated them watching David for me while I went to a hair appointment that ended up being four hours (that’s a story for another day, but I loved how my hair turned out in the end, so it’s a win!).

David touching a piece of history at the Newseum.

David didn’t want to take a picture with mom…

John’s parents in front of the U.S. Capitol Building.

David’s preferred way to tour the botanic garden – napping with one foot up.

One final picture the night before they headed back to Iowa.

Hawaii 2018

July 28, 2018July 27, 2018MeghanLeave a comment

At the end of June, John had a 10-day work trip to Hawaii. He asked me if I wanted to go with him for part of the trip. I jumped on the opportunity! My Daly grandparents met and were married in Hawaii, and I’d always wanted to go. My mom graciously agreed to watch David while we were away.

We spent the entire time on the island of Oahu. We stayed in Waikiki beach and were able to tour different parts of the island. Highlights of the trip include visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center, visiting Pearl Harbor, and taking in the beautiful scenery as we traversed the island.

One thing that fascinated me was how far we could go out in the ocean at Waikiki beach and still touch the bottom. One day we were about 100 yards out and the water was only waste deep. The waves are very calm this time of year, and we enjoyed floating on inner tubes.

Our hotel room overlooked the ocean. On Fridays in Oahu, they shoot off fireworks around 8 p.m. We were able to sit on our balcony and watch them. We also happened to be in Hawaii on July 4. Once again, we were able to sit our balcony and watch the fireworks.

The LDS Temple where my Daly grandparents were married.

Goodbye Summer 2017

September 7, 2017Meghan1 Comment

Today is September 7. While fall doesn’t officially start until later this month, it seems like summer is gone. I love fall, so I am not complaining 🙂 Since I found out I was pregnant back in February, I knew our baby would be born in the fall. Fall seemed forever away then, and now it’s here. This means that soon our little boy will be here too. On Labor Day, we put together the crib. Even though we don’t have a crib mattress or bedding yet, seeing the crib makes the nursery actually feel like a nursery.

While John was in Europe recently, I also put together the stroller.

About a month ago, we had a little bit of a pregnancy scare which required an ultrasound. This allowed us the opportunity to see our baby’s face on a 3D ultrasound. We’ve seen his face once before, but at that time, he didn’t quite look like a baby. This time around, we were amazed at how much like a baby he looks! Thankfully the scare we had was a false alarm and everything is fine.

The summer has been good to us. My brother Trevor interned in DC this summer, and it was fun to have him close by. Before he returned back to BYU for his last semester of college, we headed to the Jefferson County Fair. I think we will make this a yearly tradition. We watched mutton busting, which was adorable and terrifying at the same time, and enjoyed seeing all the different animals. It was a true West Virginia experience.

Before I end this post, I want to give a shout out to Dollar Tree balloons. I got four balloons from the Dollar Tree as part of the decorations for John’s birthday. His birthday was over a month ago and this crazy balloon lasted until I finally decided to deflate it this past weekend. That was $1 well spent!

Summer Trip to Iowa 2017

July 12, 2017July 12, 2017Meghan1 Comment

We make an effort to get back to Iowa (John’s home) twice each year to visit his family. One of those visits is either Thanksgiving or Christmas, and the other generally falls sometime near the summer. This year we decided to head to Iowa for the 4th of July and John’s cousin’s wedding on July 8.

On July 1, we packed up our new car and headed West. I haven’t mentioned the new car on the blog, but we did buy a new car back in May. John and I have always been a one car family (sort of). You see, right before we got married, John’s Taurus died. We decided not to put money towards fixing or replacing it. I took the metro to work each day, and so we didn’t really need two cars. Plus, John’s uncle who lives in Taiwan had asked us to keep his van at our home and drive it around every few weeks. If we ever needed to be in two separate places at the same time, one of us could drive the van. John’s uncle returns from Taiwan this summer, and with a baby on the way, we decided it was time to get a second car. Since the new car is the main car John will drive, he got to pick it out. We wanted something fuel efficient since our commute to work each day is 40 miles one way. We ended up with a Honda Civic. The gas mileage really has been phenomenal. Our roundtrip gas cost to and from Iowa was less than $100 total (we drove over 1600 miles).

The trip was a nice break from normal life. His mom and sister threw me a baby shower with family and friends in Iowa. Our little boy will be very loved once he arrives, and his impending October arrival is becoming more and more real as we begin to accumulate baby items. Sometimes John and I walk into our (currently empty) nursery and look at the few baby clothes we have hanging in the closet. It’s crazy to think that those clothes will soon be worn in just a few months.

To celebrate Independence Day, we attended “Red, White, and Boom,” the annual Quad Cities fireworks show on the Mississippi, which was very impressive. The fireworks show actually took place on the eve of the 4th. On the actual 4th of July, we watched the Quad Cities 4th of July parade and had a cookout with the extended Longenecker family.

Jenny, Marty, and John waiting for the fireworks to begin.

The 4th of July also marks the anniversary of when John and I got engaged. It’s been two years since this next picture was taken on that very day right after we got engaged.

On Wednesday, we took a day trip to Chicago with John’s immediate family. I had never been to Chicago, so it was fun to cross another major U.S. city off the list of cities I’ve visited. We spent the majority of the day in the Museum of Science and Industry (John’s favorite). There we toured a real German U-boat and visited exhibits on space, weather, agriculture, and the human body. We were able to see what a baby looks like inside the womb at 25 weeks. Since I’m 25 weeks pregnant, it was really neat. It was amazing to see how a baby at 25 weeks looks like a real baby. Afterwards, we went to a park to see the Chicago skyline and then went and visited the iconic “Bean.”

On Thursday and Friday, we had a nice time bowling, shopping, eating Whitey’s ice cream (twice in two days!), playing games, reading, and relaxing. John found his old guitars at his parents house and starting playing them again. We ended up taking one of them home with us back to West Virginia.

On Saturday, we attended John’s cousin’s wedding. Sadly, I didn’t get a picture of the happy couple to post on my blog. The ceremony and reception were beautiful. This cousin is on John’s mom’s side of the family. It was nice to visit with the extended family for a happy occasion. Last year, we saw the extended Urmie family twice but both times it was for funerals.

We left bright and early Sunday morning and made the 13-hour drive back to West Virginia. It’s crazy to think the next time we go to Iowa we’ll have a baby with us.

Until next time, Iowa!

Philadelphia LDS Temple Open House

August 24, 2016MeghanLeave a comment

On Saturday, we had the opportunity to go to the Philadelphia LDS Temple Open House. Before any LDS Temple is dedicated, there is an Open House. Any and all who want to see inside the Temple are invited to take a tour. John and I had the opportunity to attend the Open House. As we walked through the Temple, my heart was filled with peace. The Philadelphia LDS Temple is beautiful. You can see pictures of the inside here.

Temples are very sacred to members of the LDS faith because it is in Temples that we learn about our Savior Jesus Christ and how we can return and live with our Heavenly Father again. It is in Temples that families are “sealed” together, meaning that family relationships will last beyond death. As I walked through the Philadelphia Temple with John, I felt very grateful to know that I will be with him forever.

On the front of each LDS Temple is inscribed “Holiness to the Lord. House of the Lord.” We believe that the Temple is the Lord’s house and we can feel His presence there. When I go to the Temple, I truly feel “at home.” I feel a familiar peaceful feeling, and it reminds me that I feel “at home” because I am a child of God and His divinity is within me – it’s within all of us.