Feliz Ano Nuevo!

What a happy start we have had to this new year! Seeing my brother Sam happily wed ito lovely Kristen in the Mesa Temple last Friday already made my year. We drove straight through from Livingston to Mesa, leaving Tuesday at 5pm adn arriving in Mesa at noon. The girls were good and it was a nice trip. Of course, hanging out with my grandparents and mom and stepdad in Tucson has been fun and we loooooved visiting the Holm Family in Mesa. Their house is our new favorite resort vacation! I said in a recent e-mail:

The wedding yesterday was beautiful. My former Stake Pres. performed the ceremony and Kristen looked so pretty that I cried when she walked into the sealing room--seriously, she looked like a gorgeous, glowing little angel! They were both just so sweet and tender all day long, my heart was happy to see my special brother finally sealed and happy. The reception last night at Reflections at the Buttes (near El Conquistador in Tucson) was gorgeous--one of the nicest I have attended--and there was dancing for 3 hours. People were totally getting down and celebrating and it was so fun. There were several kids under 10 years old who just danced all night and it was the cutest thing I have ever seen. I wish you had been with us! Rich took some beautiful pictures we will have to post. Part of me wants to fly Rich home and just stay here for a few weeks til winter goes away! I wasn't homesick until we drove across Tucson in Sunrise Road last night and I got a lump in my throat. I love it here, and I love my family so much! I am so grateful for growing up here and all the good people who helped me and loved me. The desert is so beautiful to me--I forgot how much I love it! But like you, my heart is firmly in two places now and the land and people in Livingston mean the world to me, too.

It has been a wonderful vacation and no one has gotten deathly ill, which is an accomplishment! We rang in the new year at my Aunt's house in Sierra Vista, AZ with a family party of games and yummy Mexican food and the best company (my new cousin in law Lacy ROCKS!). It was great. We will be home this coming weekend and I will resume posting. I plan to write a little more family and personal history here on this blog--it's kind of a resolution--so be prepared for that kind of stuff, along with my regular whining and venting and journaling. Enjoy the pictures of my cute bro and pretty new sister--they are beautiful people inside and out and I hope they are having fun in Scotland!

Again, Happy New Year to all y'all!

Congratulations, Sam & Kristen!

Mr & Mrs. Samuel Christopher Layton

December 30, 2005
Exiting the Mesa Temple Friday Morning

Spencer, Emily, Liam, Miriam, Addie, & Jacob--little cousins dance the night away at the reception.
Sam in his kilt at the reception-- Kristen didn't want him to wear it, but mom had to get a picture of it. If only he had played his pipes!

Kris & her bridemaids at the reception

Tired Mommy & Heidi at the luncheon...Heidi loves chips!

Addie & Liam at the luncheon

Sam + Kristen Forever

Sam's Family: back-Amie Post, Matt Post, Jake Post, Audrey Post, Willy, Post, Stepdad mark Drews, Stepdad Jim Post, Grandpa Elrey, Grandma Elrey, Heidi Melin, Dad Jim Layton; front-Rich Melin, Jamie Melin with Addie Melin, Kristen the bride, Sam the groom, Marshall & Abby Drews (my youngest siblings), Mom Lyndo Drews, and paternal Grandma Muriel Layton.

Merry Christmas from the Melins!

It just occured to me that I sent about 100 people to our blog via our Christmas letter and some have not been here before. So if you are visiting via the Christmas letter, WELCOME! There are 3 years worth of family history, stories, rants, and photos here, so feel free to explore. There are links to other family and friends to your right, and the archives are to your right, too--click on any month you want to see. If you are looking for pix of the HOUSE, July and August 2005 are good months to look at, or click here. Wanna see Addie's self-butchered haircuts? Click here . And you can see the girls doing their thing just about anywhere you look here. Here's a fun trip to Disneyland and California, and some photos of our ranch here and here.

There's also a place to leave comments and we would love to hear from you. We know that is is the people--our family and friends-- who make all of these memories matter. It's the time of year we feel so grateful for the eternal nature of relationships and love and for Him who made it all possible. Christ is why we celebrate and His spirit is what brings the light and joy of Christmas. I thank heaven (in my exhaustion) that it comes every year to remind us of all the joy we have now and what we have to look forward to.

Love & Joy Come To You!...

Merry Christmas! We are right in the middle of a wonderful Christmas Day--I love when Christmas is on Sunday! I have tons of pix to post, but here are three of my faves. I'll post more after I enjoy this day with my family! Much love & joy...Last night after reading Luke 2 : Daddy-Joseph, Heidi Angel, Addie-Mary, and Mommy videographer (not pictured: Grandpa- narrator & Grandma -director)
Today after church in our Sunday Best.
This photo captures the whole joy of the holiday for me. I love these two more than anything, and the fact that the Father would send his Son here for us ( and that Mary & Joseph did what they did) means so much more now that I know what it means to be a parent.

Merry Christmas!

What Child IS This?

The girls have their own nativity scene downstairs; it's the Fisher-Price Little People one and they LOVE it, especially Heidi, who wraps the figures in klennex or scarves each day and gives them a nap on the subwoofer next to the entertainment center where they normally reside.

Each night after they go to bed, I clean up downstairs and almost every night I find a new and funny arrangement in the stable. I wish I had been taking notes all month because they crack me up, but here are a few:

(Keep in mind, we have these same type of Little People in other play sets, like a farm, a boat, and a school bus, as well as other small toys that fit in the stable).

--Tonight, Joseph is missing, but the bus driver is standing in his stead.
--Yesterday, Tumnus of Narnia joined the gang in the stable.
--Last week, the donkey, camel, and one wiseman were missing, but there was a Polly Pocket 4-wheeler parked at the manger; way better than that smelly old donkey, I am guessing. Handy for fleeing to Egypt, too.
--A few of the grown up figures were gone, but Baby Jesus, the angel, and the animals were hanging out with Polly Pocket around her plastic campfire the other night.
--One night, Baby Jesus went missing, but Joseph and Mary looked down adoringly on a tiny wnd-up monkey (it does flips!) from a kids meal.
--The goat, the chicken, and the farmer frequently join in the worship, which is as it should be.

PS: Two Willies

Also, tonight we finally watched the new-ish Willy Wonka movie and we quite liked it. It was wacky, as all Roald Dahl stories are, but I can't imagine a wackier combo than Dahl, Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham-Carter. Kooks. It was fun to see some back story, which I am sure we have all imagined after watching the first Willy Wonka. Johnny Depp played an equally-psycho, yet more approachable and childlike Wonka in his oh-so-talented way (fun thing to do: remind yourself that this is the same guy that plays Pirate Jack Sparrow!) And by the way, if you want to see the original Wonka, it's on ABC Family this weekend.

Weirdness

Something weird happened last night while I was working out. At the end of 2 circuits, I go do 5 sets of ten crunches on the rocker thingy, then stretch and go home. But last night I just laid down and started crunching and I did three sets of thirty, almost effortlessly. Well, not effortlessly, because the last set was really hard, but not harder that the 5 sets of 10. And today I am not even sore. Weird. I got possessed by super abs. And I have this rule that you can always do the same or a little more but never less than the day before, so I guess I am on a new plateau as far as crunching goes.

I have that familiar little scratchiness in my throat and a bit of a stuffy nose. I am praying not to be sick on Christmas--exercising, chuggin' Airborne, and eating oranges...ugh!

Update: 8pm--the weirdness is gone and I broke my own rule--I went back to work out tonight and tried to do the mighty 90 crunches but could only do 4 sets of 15 (60). Musta been a fluke.

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY: My sisters Laura & Lisa were born!

The year was 1974 and the place was Safford, Arizona. Willy & I had gone to stay with Grandpa & Grandma Elrey in Tucson while mom recovered from delivering twins (we were 3 &2 years old). Mom & Dad came from Safford with the new babies on Christmas Eve, so it was liek Santa had brought Willy and me each a baby! I remember I got the Sunshine Family dolls for Christmas and I was so excited, but nothing could beat getting TWO baby sisters for Christmas.

Happy Birthday, Laura & Lisa!

And PS: Last Tuesday was my sister Sara's 23rd birthday--I didn't forget and she knows it cuz I sent her a cool card, but I didn't blog it, so now I'm doing it!

Feliz Cumpleanos, Sara!

Layton/Post/Drews Kids, 2001- Mike, Amy, Laura, Lisa, FakeMatt, Sam, Sara, Jamie, Jill, Dana, & Willy

Here are all my siblings at Sara's wedding September 1, 2001 in California (the two tiny adopted ones are missing from this picture and Matt is actual a cardboard FakeMatt because RealMatt was on his mission in New York City). The birthday girls are labeled and I am hiding behind Sara because I am about 7 months pregnant with Addie.

Birthday Girls

Here are the twins as toddlers, with my dad's parents, The Laytons. Laura is on the left and Lisa is on the right (and that's Jamie, Willy and Kliss across the back, and Max Ross in the middle).
Laura with her son Jared last year.
Lisa & Mom in February 2001.