Thursday, September 30, 2004

Generosity

It's the last day of the month (Happy Birthday, Susan) and I have just squeaked in the last of my monthly visit teaching for church. The message this month was really good for my "gratitude attitude"--about being generous with our time, talents, and material abundance.

Here are two thoughts for today:

“Anything you do not give freely and abundantly is lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.” –Annie Dillard

"Never suppress a generous thought."-Camilla Kimball

You don't have to give money or stuff--even a kind thought can be generous.

Wednesday, September 29, 2004

Number 100

Look! It's my 100th post and it's a good one. Addie is just slaying me tonight! Just now I told her to go get her jammies on and she looked at me and said with exasperation, "*SIGH*--Mom, I don't understand what you want! I don't understand!"

Can you believe this? She's not even 3 yet! And right after that, about 30 seconds ago, she was trying to put a necklace clasp together and she said, "Oh, my gosh, I'm gonna die!" out of frustration. YIKES! She picks up EVERYTHING I say!

Meanwhile, Heidi is squealing for help, so gotta run.
Thirty-Three Things

Here's my birthday list of things I am grateful for...

my faith
other people’s faith
a happy, functional marriage
a good kind husband who is my best friend
my smart and hilarious daughter, Adeline
my sweet, sparkly little Heidi Baby
my education
my family of origin
good in-laws
my extended family who helped raise me
being an American
living in the West—open, clean beautiful
my knowledge of right and wrong
my comfortable home
the opportunity to build our own, even MORE comfortable home
indoor plumbing and electricity
our cool town
a relatively healthy and able body
my literacy and so many forms of communication
a car
smooth, fast free ways all across the U.S.
shoes and clothing
All 5 senses and a conscience
books to read, especially scriptures
delicious and abundant food
bubble baths
caffeine free diet coke
comforts like lotion, pain reliever, lip balm, and refrigeration
getting mail—snail or electronic
repentance & forgiveness
birth (so many healthy births in one family this year!)
The Great Plan of Happiness
the lagoon and Sacagawea park
Recovery

By the pictures, you'd think our weekend was fun and flawless, but you'd be wrong. We didn't take pictures of the bad part. Like when we got home from the cook out and started to watch "Mean Girls" and Addie threw up all over me in the living room. Or how I caught the bug (violent little bug it was) early Sunday morning and proceeded to pass it on to Rich, who fell ill Monday night and didn't recover until last night. We got a sad email from Matt back in Helena that the bug got baby Jake, too. SHUCKS! Only Heidi, Matt, and Amie escaped the yuckies.

So that's the main reason my Grateful Birthday list is still not posted. Today I am tending an extra little person and packing for my trip to Utah this weekend, so I will try to squeeze it in.

The best news of the day is this: I finished all the laundry yesterday AND put it away. Quite the feat after 8 days of 4 people's clothes/linens, conisdering that one is potty training, one is a baby, and 3/4 were sick this weekend. I also Lysol-ed the heck out of the house yesterday, too, so that bad little bug should have been squished into oblivion.

Monday, September 27, 2004


It's Fall in Livingston (this is Yellowstone Street). Posted by Hello

Here's our house from the front... Posted by Hello

Here's our house from the back... Posted by Hello

Moon rise over the ranch--the perfect ending to the perfect day. Thanks, Matt & Amie, for making my birthday weekend so fun! Posted by Hello

Here are all the kids snuggled up by the fire...that's Jake, Heidi, and Addie Posted by Hello

Amie making roasting sticks. Posted by Hello

After Chico, we had a hot dog and marshmallow roast out at the ranch. Here's Heidi, Matt & Rich at the campfire. Posted by Hello

There's sweet baby Heidi floating at Chico. She absolutley loves the water! She would lean back and close her eyes adn hum to herself. Jake loved the water, too, but he was a splashing maniac! Posted by Hello

After working on the house on Saturday (9/25) morning, we all went to Rosa's for Pizza (with bday cash--thanks mom!) and out to Chico Hot Springs to relax. Here are Uncle Matt & Addie enjoying the warm water! Posted by Hello

Matt and Baby Jake get into the party spirit! Posted by Hello

Me opening my gift from Addie (a flowery shirt from Old Navy)...Addie made the party hats out of scrap paper. Posted by Hello

By the time the cake was ready, we were all in our pajamas...but look how excited everyone is! Posted by Hello

Addie and Amie stir the batter (this is Friday night, after our dinner date to Rib & Chop House) Posted by Hello

Friday Night: Matt and Amie and Addie in my kitchen making my birthday cake! Posted by Hello

Friday, September 24, 2004

Zipadee-Ay- and Hi-Dee-Ho

I have been 33 for 10 minutes now and it feels very much like 32. But, being the Christian girl I am, 33 has always seemed like a mile-marker age for me. Christ supposedly completed his mission at 33 and I can't help thinking, "Hmmm, what have I done to change the world in 33 years?" I've actually been pondering that all week and I have come up with some really good things I have done, but also a long list of things still to be done to make a positive difference in my world.

I also started a list of 33 things--constant things-- that I am grateful for. When I finish it later today I will post it. Thanks for remembering me today, grandmas and moms and dads and friends and aunties (so far). It's been a lovely day with my girls and my brother Matt & his family. Life's too good.

More to come (it's time to read stories with Addie)...

Monday, September 20, 2004


And here is another GOOD MORNING from the Melin girls--watching Sesame Street on mommy's bed this morning! Posted by Hello

Here's Jake trying his best to scoot over and get Heidi...maybe they will teach each other to crawl! Posted by Hello

After stake conferece, we drove up to Helena to visit my brother Matt and his cute family. Here is Heidi on his floor, trying to scoot over to Cousin Jake... Posted by Hello

I have to post both of these cuz I can't pick a favorite! Posted by Hello

Yesterday was stake conference in Bozeman. We had to laeve the house by 9am for the 10am meeting--here are the girls waiting for us to leave. Posted by Hello

Friday, September 17, 2004


The end of the parade (these are taken thru Addie's bedroom screen, hence the fuzz). Posted by Hello

The Park High homecoming parade just clattered past our building (we live across a street and a creek from the high school). I think it's funny that they are called the Rangers and their color is purple just like ours at Rincon/UHS in Tucson. The lawn mower there says "Mow 'em down Rangers." Clever. Posted by Hello

Thursday, September 16, 2004

Here is a letter I just sent to my dear Arizona amiga...it captures lots of recent musings:

ADRIANE!! I was reading this blog and I thought of our conversation about this movie...

<...And a note on 13 Going on 30. When I said I was enjoying it, I was not being facetious in anyway. I LOVED that movie. >>
http://jorydayne.com/aevi/books/2004_07.php#000485

You have to go read this. You might get addicted. I like reading about this 20-something artist boy in Provo getting ready for a mission to Hawaii soon. He and his entries remind me so much of Kevin Bergeson and our life in Provo 14 years ago, it's almost painful. It's like a big stab in my gut that all the things from that time period (which was very bittersweet but influential) are not a part of my life at all now (well, except my Buchert friends--my second family). Kevin has died, Aaron is across the breakup abyss, and all of the art kids from BYU have scattered and gone off to lives very unlike mine, mostly. *SIGH* Sometimes it almost makes me cry that my little family will never know Kevin or Aaron or GayPaul or some of my kooky roommates from Frankenhaus...I had always planned on it.

That said, I am so glad it's all over. Life is so peaceful now, relatively, I mean. I sure don't miss the drama back when every single person in my life had a chemical imbalance. My husband could not be more centered--the most amazingly balanced man on the planet (which has somehow made me think that I can be, shall we say, a little more "mercurial" myself--kind of a new thing for this steady-loyal-same-ol'-same-ol' girl! I am trying to rein myself in and return to being Old Reliable. Maybe it was the pregnancy hormones).

Man, I am going off-----time for bed. Just remember I love you and your fabulous family (baby girls RULE!) ...


Heidi says: Life as a baby can be...[yaaawn]... dreadfully boring Posted by Hello

Addie got a haircut today (at the "haircut store")--they went a little wacky on the bangs (she has a cowlick so they always look crooked, just like mine)--but she was so proud of her new 'do! Posted by Hello

This is what Ad looked like right after her haircut--the stylist wanted to curl it, so we let her. Sally, Dick, Jane & Addie. Posted by Hello

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

Winkin', Blinkin', and Not On Your Life

It's no secret to anybody who knows us that Addie is a terrible sleeper--naps and bedtime have been a huge battle since day one (well, maybe day five...). There have been a few weeks at a time when she "gets it"--no matter how much she cries, she's going to bed, even if we have to lock her in her room. But then there is always an illness or a trip to a foreign bed or something that sets us back and we have to spend another few weeks getting back to bedtime. UGH!

Now we have had the set back of pretty severe cough/congestion for the past few weeks, coupled with becoming potty trained. We put a pull-up on her for bed, but she gets up and potties on her own. Which is a good thing, I know, except she has the hardest time getting back to sleep. She is driving us CRAZY, and last night I pertnear rang her gotta-pee-at-4-am-neck. So tonight we didn't give her any drinks after dinner (and boy is she mad about that one) plus we had a long talk between books and prayers about staying in bed and not waking everybody up when we go potty.

We had a nice lovey talk, and I gave her a kiss and said, "You be a good big girl and stay in your own bed and tomorrow we'll put your castle bed back up."

She smiled sweetly and said, "I'll be good, mom. I not scream and I wake up when the sun comes up....okay? I be good and cry in my pillow." Awww. That broke my heart. I told her she didn't have to cry at all, she just had to remember that everybody sleeps in their own bed and if we have to get up at night, we have to be very quiet and not wake everybody up. She agreed and pulled up her covers and asked me not to close her door all the way.

She's a crack up. I hope we have learned our lesson and that Heidi will be excited to sleep in her own bed, and will sleep through the night. Heidi is already a good, long sleeper (although her naps are shortening, dang it!) so it should go smoother. It's just amazing how much a kid with bad sleeping habits can throw the whole family life of kilter. I am just not a sane person without regular sleep, you know? (see last Friday's entry if you have any questions about that!)

Anyhoooo...life is good and much the same as it ever was. Just figuring it all out as we go along.

Tuesday, September 14, 2004

Addie, Heidi, and I were laying in bed this morning, slowly waking up. I got up and went in the bathroom and I overheard this:

[in a high-pitched voice grown-ups use to talk to babies]
"G'morning, baby! You wake up? ...You have a good dream? ...Oh, sweetheart, I so happy to see you!"

I returned to my bed and Addie and Heidi were holding hands and Addie said, "Look, mama---Heidi woke up and she loves me! She's my friend!"

Some moments are sweeter than anything. I'm going back to snuggle with them!

Monday, September 13, 2004

FAMILY LETTER 07.28.19

Dear Loved Ones,                                                                                                        We have just ...