My mom with half of her grandkids: Liam Post, Jake Post, Heidi Melin, Spencer Post, Melanie Post, Ally Petersen with Jack Petersen, Adeline Melin, and Isabelle Petersen (Saturday at Thanksgiving Point).

Back in the Saddle

We took a wee vacation to photograph a wedding and enjoy a mini-reunion with my mother, a sister and two of my brothers and their families. The kids were so cute together—all 4 new babies were there—and Addie got to play with her favorite cousin, Liam. Then Saturday while we were all together, my sister Sara (in Michigan) had her second baby, a boy named Brady. The wedding was beautiful, the reunion was fun, and the weather was great. It was a fun end to our summer (the posted photos will show some of our activities, like our visit to the Family Farm at Thanksgiving Point).

Favorite Funny from the trip: we were at a light in Bozeman and there was a VW truck that said “powered by bio-diesel”—and Rich said, “That’s Hippy-rific!”

New words in Addie Language:
“Cassum”=Can I have some?
“Pinair”= Put it in there.

Enough for now--the natives are restless! Good 2B home...

Heidi enjoyed the Farm at Thanksgiving Point

Addie & Christa Gray Lyon at Christa's reception on Friday, August 27th. 

Nana Lyndi ( my mom) with her 4 new grandbabies: Jake, Heidi, Jack, & Spencer. 

Girl Cousins: Isabelle, Ally, Melanie, & Addie 

Addie rode a pony at Thanksgiving Point... 

Jack & Heidi played after a bath on Thursday;Belle, Ally, & Addie bathing, too 

Later Saturday night, we had popcorn and watched "Timeline." Matt & Amie snuggled up with Jake & Heidi for a while. 

We attended a windy outdoor wedding Saturday night. Adeline looked so cute running around with the other little girls in dresses! 

When it was time to go, Addie wanted to stay and dance! Here she is dragging me out on the floor to dance, and that's Matt & Amie behind us. 

Jake gives a high-five while playing with Heidi tonight as we watched the Olympics...Yay USA!

Heidi took a nap under a tree in the backpack while we refreshed at the creek. 

Jake and Heidi having all kinds of Cousin Fun! 

Here are the Posts at the falls 

Here are Matt & Jake waiting safely on shore... 

Here is Amie playing in the creek, too. 

Here is Addie playing in the water when we reached the falls. She was so brave---she walked all the way up and practically jumped into the creek!

Heidi got sick last night so I took her to the doctor first thing this morning to find she has one infected ear and is now on amoxicilin. She's been a good sport. After the doctor visit, we had lunch at Pickle Barrel, then headed down the valley to Pine Creek where we hiked to Pine Creek falls. This picture shows Matt and Amie at the beginning of the hike--Matt carrying Heidi, Amie with Jake.

Addie is amazingly good at playing computer games with the mouse. Here she is coloring Dora the Explorer on nickjr.com...it's her new favorite "special activity," narrowly beating out playdoh.

Addie really likes playing with Uncle Matt's dog, Toby. She was feeding Toby dog food one tiny chunk at a time. Here she is at bedtime.

Here's another of Heidi with Aunt Amie

Amie & Matt arrived tonight shortly before 7pm. We immediately got Jake and Heidi together to play and they were so cute. Here's Heidi with Aunt Amie and Cousin Jake just before bedtime.

Excuse me while I practice posting photos...here is what our house looked like on July 25th. It looks pretty much the same now, but with a roof and and garage pad over on the left. 

Heidi Lynn says hello from under the sheets after her nap on Monday, August 16. Putting sheets or blankets over her face makes her giggle with delight. 

Return of the Post

It has been more than seven months since I last posted here and I don't know why that made me feel like I couldn't just start up again. I suppose trying to "catch up" seemed too daunting. So I won't catch up. I'll only tell you that we are alive and well and now we are four...

Meaning that Rich, Addie, and I are still alive, and I had my baby girl on April 15, 2004 (during the "Apprentice" finale at 9:40pm) and she is delightful and healthy and smart and beautiful. I thought I couldn't love a baby as much as Addie, but I do. They are fabulous kids and I love being their mom. I can't believe I'm their mom sometimes (I mean, they are cute and smart and funny, etc...did I really give birth to all this?), but I do love it.

Oh, yeah...we named the baby Heidi Lynn. Heidi because (a) it's Germanic like Adeline and (b)all the Heidi's we have ever known are so cute and fun. Lynn because it's my dear Grandma's name and my middle name.

Also, we started building our house in a mutual self-help housing development. That means we get a nice low interest rate and lots of support from the USDA. Plus, we all help build the 10 houses in the development as our downpayment--about $13,000 in sweat equity. It's cool because I am learning how a house goes together, which makes maintaining a house as an owner a lot easier. I am also learning what a wimp I am--I only work there 2 or 3 times a week (Rich goes almost every day) and I get blisters and a sore back everytime! Tonight we were rained out by a wicked summer storm while trying to backfill window wells, so I didn't get sore, just wet and muddy.

It's super late and I am super tired and my whole family is asleep, so I must say g'nite. But I will be posting more often, trying to document this time in our lives.

Sisters...Addie holding Heidi on April 18th