Last Week in Pictures

I already wrote about how I was sick last Sunday here. What I didn't say was that Addie got herself dressed so cute for church, I had Rich take a picture:She came in and asked me if she could borrow my pearls and I let her wear them...such a little lady!

***

Later Sunday night, Mom nad Dad Melin invited us over for a soup-and-bread supper to celebrate James' birthday. The 5th is also my FIL's Uncle Dave's birthday, and he was in town, so we invited him and his wife over, too.

Birthday Boys! James=4, Dave=71


Uncle Dave parked his RV out at the ranch the past month, and we were celebrating the completion of the gazebo anyway, so Mom Melin made this fun cake to look like the ranch--gazebo, firepit, Dave's RV, and the boathouse along the river!

On Thursday night, we came home from decorating the church gym and found this adorable cake in our freezer. Our Slovakian "son", Peter, had snuck it in to surprise James. We were so sad to have missed visiting with Peter that night, but we really enjoyed the DQ cake!

"Thanks, Peter!" from Addie, James, and Heidi

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Friday Night was our Back-to-School Family Sock Hop up at the church.

We had so much fun planning the playlist, decorating with the Young Women, decorating socks for the funky sock contest, and just being crazy with our ward family!

Melissa & her son Curtis spinning on the dance floor

The Jeffrey boys holding up the wall

Addie and her friend Tyler were inseparable!

Here are Addie & Tyler, with Oliver and his little sister, Gloria, looking on.

Hailey and her little sister Lydia

New kindergartener McKay helping Jared lift up his little sis, Suzy.

The adolescent huddle

Group Shot (Sarah pulling up Addie's socks)

Brother Young cuttin' a rug with his son

Yours truly, enthusiastic activities chairperson!

Lydia and Hailey

Sarah and Carter

(I was so impressed with Carter, age 12--he asked all the girls to dance so politely and made the dance so fun for all the 'tweens, as well as dancing with his siblings. What a ladykiller!)

McKay and Seamus

(I regret that I didn't get Seamus wearing his fedora--he was full-on Michael Jackson!)

Suzy (nearly 2) kind of ruled the dance floor.

She was the Dancing Queen, Young and Sweet...

Addie adn Ty, still bustin' moves...

Lydia, Hailey, and Jenny L.

My darling hubs doing the robot to Beastie Boys "Intergalactic"

[aside: I loved that they used that song in "Diary of a Wimpy Kid!" I also loved that they used a mom who looks just like me to do the dance]

This handsome guy took a break and had a root beer float or two!

Hailey, 9-year-old beauty...

and lastly, Jared, age 7, dancing to the last song of the night.

[I am sad that I missed the "Whip-It" conga lines!]

I think this was a super fun night and I am so grateful for the families who came and shared our family's passion for intergenerational dancing, and to the Relief Society Presidency for serving the sundaes and floats!
***

Today we had a lot of chores to do to get ready for winter, like harvesting more from both gardens, cutting the lawns really short, winterizing the tent trailer and storing it at the ranch, preserving vegetables, laundry & mending, etc. It was also, however, the 9th anniversary of 9/11 and my grandfather's funeral. Around 11am our time--the time the funeral was going on in Tucson--I snapped these photos of our family (Heidi was at a friends' house playing).

James swinging in the back yard

Rich cleaning up the back yard

Addie helping with the grass clippings.

...and I snapped this picture of myself being a hausfrau.

It was a good day. A good week.