Casa Melin II

Tuesday, June 11, we went out to the house after dinner and took these photos. Most of the action today and tomorrow is finishing the basement framing so it can be wired and plumbed. It's coming along!

We now have a roof and a chimney! We had a few hot days after the roof was done
and that made me happy cuz I'm sure the sun sealed it up good!

The garage side of the house. I am glad we put in a side door to the garage this time.

This is the great room as you come in from the front door.
You can see the staircase to the basement there on the left; the framed up corner behind it is the kitchen pantry and part of the master bedroom; The kitchen is in the back right, and there are three bathtubs sitting in it right now, woo-hoo!

The view from the front window...
a really nice older couple lives in that house and we already have plans to adopt them as grandparents.

Finally, here is my view from the kitchen sink window...
not too shabby, eh?

So there ya go...6-8 weeks and she's all ours. Yay.

More Weekend Photos

Here are a few Luau photos I missed on Sunday...

Carter & Ashley monkeyin' around on the clothesline

Poor Gavin, soaking wet!

Heidi with her squirt gun, probably running away from
 Brody, who had the hose on full blast!

Bikin' Brody
 

On Sunday evening, we had Mom & Dad Melin over for Luau leftovers and a birthday celebration for grandma. After dinner, we relaxed in the yard.

Addie & James on the hammock with Grandma & Grandpa
 on the porch steps, and Daddy and the other kids on the lawn.

My cute pre-mission in-laws

James, Addie, & Niles on the hammock

Summer bliss

Aloha!

Luau/ BYU-H Alumni Hangout
A new family moved into our ward in April and we soon learned they went to BYU-H, so we had to get together and share some of our favorite Hawaiian grinds on Saturday the 8th...it was a great summer kick-off.

Jason, Gavin, & James

Niles & Brody fighting over Ni's bike...it's hard to be two!

Kai, Carter, & Zach playing "volleyball"

Addie looks upset in this picture, but she was having fun.

The Yard--- Heidi, Naomi, Rich, Aaron, Matthew, Kim
(with Ashley & Hailey in the foreground)

As will happen on a hot June day, the kids broke out in a water fight.
Gavin, Kai, Brody, Heidi

After dinner Niles went around and finished off all the drinks.
I like the background of this picture- Carter & Kai having fun on the hammock
and Addie shooting a water gun)

Brody got cold & munched some strawberries.

 

We had such a fun time, we are so grateful to have great new additions to our ward family. Can't wait to do this again! If you're not in these pictures but would like to be, holla and let's plan another fun get-together and summer it up!

Niles Turns TWO!

Our miracle boy turned two on Sunday, May 19th. We had a dinner at Grandma's House with cake & presents, but we did the presents first because Daddy & Grandpa had to go to Stake Priesthood meeting.

I loathe Elmo with a fury as red-hot as his fur. I went to great lengths to keep Niles from getting sucked in--we only watched Classic Sesame Street for the longest time. Somehow he caught a modern episode and it was love at first sight, so we had an Elmo party. Niles got a furry Elmo from Aunt Laura when she was here the week before, and we got him a Lullaby Elmo that says "Nigh-Night." He also got cute clothes from Grandma Melin, a Mega-Blocks Dump truck & coloring book from his siblings, and his favorite of the night--a Leap Frog Birthday cake.

Niles has been obsessed with birthdays for quite a while, repeatedly watching home videos of birthdays past and making us put candles in his food so he can blow them out. We were glad to find a toy that pretty much just plays the birthday song and lets you blow out candles til your heart's content.

I have been so dramatically challenged and blessed by this boy since the day I knew he was coming. I forget sometimes what a gift he is and how much he has changed our family for the better (oh, sure, we've got more wrinkles and less hair and we're tired all the time...but it's all for a good cause!). Happy Birthday, Niles! We're excited to watch you grow another year.

MAY STUFF

I got my first case of Mom Spring Fever this year. I was so over school by May. But then all the activities and filed trips and graduations and final projects began and it felt a tiny bit like torture. I will not elaborate further because someone already wrote a great post that captures my feelings perfectly HERE.

Not Torture: Addie's final band concert. These kids have come a long way this year.
 Addie is so cute playing her flute. I'm really proud of her...

...as evidenced in this photo.

 

***

On the night before their big first grade picnic, James' teacher called and begged me to come help. I usually say no to afternoon things because hell hath no fury like Niles without a nap, but I caved (she will never do that again, I assure you. He was tantrum-tastic). I was glad I went, even with the screaming, because it's fun to be with James and it was a beautiful day.

James

Brother Hugs at the park

Niles

Ms. Linton's First Grade Class at Pompey's Playground

On the way back from the park picnic, we stopped at Rosedale Gardens nursery and they taught the kids about plants and let them pot a flower for their moms. It's a magical place!

we began laying out on our lawn on sunny afternoons, too

 

Heidi had a very belated friend birthday party on May 10th. Aunt Laura came from Helena to have a sleepover at the ranch and do nails with these crazy girls.

back: Querencia, Debbie
front: Addie, Hailey, Ember, Heidi, Marissa, Ashley

Pretty Piggies!

A Less-Silly shot of the girls. It was a fun night; I was glad to have my friend Kim with me to make it even "funner."

We had a good time with Aunt Laura! She stayed Friday and Saturday night, but we let her go home to her family to celebrate Mother's Day Sunday. Here's Niles saying goodbye.

Me and my beautiful kids on Mother's Day after church.

James loved my pretty flowers!

Friday May 17th The Postums stopped by on their way home from a fancy-schmancy police banquet in Billings where Uncle Matt received a life-saving award. It was really fun to see them!

James, Jake and Sam...silly cousins

Action shot! Emily about to smack Heidi with a rice bag. We had so much fun with cousins!

Later that night, we went to a zombie party at the Palmer's house celebrating our friend Mike's 40th Birthday. I didn't get a picture of the girls, but here's James in his zombie make up. It was pretty dang fun.

 

Another thing we celebrate in May is spring finally coming around, although we had 3 weeks of rain so it didn't FEEL very springy. However, there were a few gloriously warm, sunny days where I got to hang out my laundry and let my dishes dry on the window sill. I put out all the caps and stoppers to Niles' sippy cups and noticed that letting them dry in the sun killed all the little moldy spots that were so hard to clean. Magical! I thought--the sun is indeed the best cleanser. Then I immediately recognized an allegory to a favorite scripture in my mind (you can read the scripture HERE). The sun cleans things that seem un-cleanable, and The Son cleans things that seem un-cleanable ("though your sins...be red like crimson, they shall be as wool"). Yes. But you can take it a step further because the sun & The Son are the same (see first reference). Sitting in the sun with my lovies, watching our plants grow, making lots of invigorating vitamin D is a more holy experience since I had that thought.

 

"And he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made...which giveth light to all things..."

--Happy Spring!--