I love you people, I swear...

...it's just that life has required a lot more LIVING this week than OBSERVING. I will post again soon, but for now, here's an excerpt from an email I shot off to a girlfriend while I was in the throes of The Weekend. How are all of you? Comments will be appreciated, and Michelle, if you read this, I promise to answer your email TONIGHT! Part of it (the part about wood floors) could be answered here (I love my wood laminate, but if I could have real hardwood--like walnut or something, I totally would. And a maid to clean it, while we're dreaming).

GRRRRL....so awesome to hear from you! I have had the day from HECK, and it's almost 10pm and I am still sitting here in the sweat pants and torn T-shirt I did yard work and wood hauling in this morning, if that tells you anything.

Heidi turns three tomorrow, and HOLY HANNAH, I hope the threes aren't as terrible as the two's! We have all kinds of stuff to do for church tomorrow, but I am excited to have cake and presents tomorrow after naps and watch the new Charlotte's Web with her (the DVD is one of her gifts and it is one of my all-time fave kid books). She'll have a small party/BBQ with fam & friends Monday night. I'll have to send pix of the skirts and headbands I made for the girls--they are wearing them to church tomorrow, even though they are "play skirts" (can be worn to school).

About cleaning windows--yes, I clean them every year. I usually use newspaper and windex in the inside, and then I use that Windex hose stuff on the outside. It does a pretty good job except if you have windows where your sprinklers spray and leave hard water spots. I usually go back over any bad residue with the newsaper and windex outside, too, and I even had to use a green scrubby on one basement window.

I actually have wood laminate floors, but I used to have wood and I swear by Murphy's Oil Soap and the Vileda mop that folds in half with the washable pad. I love it and I love the smell. I still use it on all my wood furniture because it works and the smell gives me happy childhood memories (I can still sing the song from the commercial if you care to hear it..."I've
been using Murphy's Oil Soap on this wood floor of mine, now the dirt is finished but the finish is fine...").

I have to get to the tub and to the bed ASAP, but I will just tell you that all the sibs are doing great, some better than ever. My sister (who was also my best pal) went to detox, rehab, and just graduate with her 90-day chip from NarcAnon. She is totally of pain killers and has fully recovered from a hysterectomy she had in January and I am really excited to see her again and have her be truly present AND pain- free for the first time in years! My crafty friend Jenn is coming with me to Utah--MORMON MECCA-- because she has never been to SLC (WTF? And she calls herself LDS!) I am excited to show her around because, frankly, Salt lake is tons-o-fun.

Keep in touch and let me know how the housekeeping goes. ...Jamie

More Fun at Heidi's Party

James and Cousin Rosalie Share the Love







Cousin Pals on Vimeo

On This Date in History...

...April 15, 2004, our Heidi Lynners was born!
Happy Third Birthday, Heidi!






Heidi's Third Birthday on Vimeo

On This Date in History...

...My Dear Georgia Bee was born back in 1964!

Happy Birthday, Amiga!

Here we are back in 1997 whenI was visiting Provo...

I'm waving and Georgia is biting an apple.

Erin Casper holding Brandon, Geo holding Sam Egan, Jamie holding Brittany Capser, and Heidi carrying Mags

...and here is a picture from a color-copied collage, which shows not one but TWO BIRTHDAY GIRLS...that's Georgia rubbing Heidi's belly (that's Maggie in there), and Heidi (another dear amiga and Georgia's SIL) had a birthday on Wednesday, so

FELIZ CUMPLEANOS, DEAR HEIDI

(sorry I'm so late, but there is an AWESOME card in the mail to you!)

Georgia, Enjoy your day! I am so sorry I have failed once again to get your package in the mail, but GOOD BIRTHDAY NEWS! I can deliver it in person next weekend! Please can we have a gathering sometime on Friday, Saturday or Sunday at which most Provo Bucherts are present and can play with my sweet baby James? I miss all yall so much. And what say ye, Utah Amigas? Anyone up for lunch on Friday 4/20? I'll be in Lehi, so e-me and I'll e-you my cell number and we'll rendezvous!

On Friday...

...we left Livingston at noon for Idaho Falls to photograph a wedding and finally have our anniversary overnight temple trip. I had never been to the IF temple, but that's where Rich was endowed, so I was excited to check it out. My awesome visiting teacher Marianne and her daughter, Caitlyn, came adn had a slumber party with my kids Friday night, then Gram & Gramp Melin picked them up on Saturday morning when they got home from the Billings Temple. Rich & I stopped briefly in Bozeman at I Spy Design so that Rich could submit some photos to their new stock photography site, Wild West Photos. It was a great visit and I am really excited about the new site.

Althoug it was warm and sunny in IF, spring hasn't quite sprung there yet...I thought this bare tree was so beautiful!
We arrived home to WINTER in Livingston. This is a photo taken in Bozeman as you head toward the pass that leads east to Livngston. Beneath those clouds lurked frosty, windy, twenty-degree weather and lots of left-over snow. (Luckily, the sun blessed us on Easter morning).

We had a lovely little vacation--thank you so much to our babysitters and to the Harveys, who paid for our trip and were sealed on Saturday--congratulations!

Easter Part I: The Booty

Okay, before the booty, I have to show you our Easter decorations from Grandma Lynn and Nana... Grandma gave me this tree years ago, but I didn't have a nice, safe place to put it until this year, and we had so much fun putting it up. She also gave us the egg jar, which we filled with Cadbury mini-eggs, of course, and the pearly eggs and the bunnies in the window sill.

Nana sent us cute cards and those cute egg boxes are from last year.
Last week during spring break, I had to be creative with Addie, so we made these Martha Stewart party puffs from gift tissue (8 sheets of 20x20, fan-folded, tied, and poofed out) . I have also succumbed to the window clings because the kids LOVE them and they are a fun and easy decoration (cheap, too--most of the time I get them at Community Thrift for 25 cents!)

Easter Morning...Addie checks out her basket and her book, "A is for Abigail" by Lynne Cheney (whom I once met at an Independent Women's Forum thing back in 1996).
Heidi with her basket and her Pixar story collection
James was suprprisingly excited about his Peter Cottontail book!
(excuse my appearance--it's 7am on a Sunday!)
James gives his bunny a kiss!

Easter Part II: Dressed Up for Church

You probably know that we go a little crazy about special days around here. This year for Easter, I was so proud of myself for showing such restraint. We only gave the kids a few plastic eggs filled with fruit snacks and jerky (hey- they LOVE the stuff, and they'd already had way too much candy this week anyway); they each got a book and a small, bouncy stuffed animal from the Target Dollar section (they were super cute and fit into church bags). I also didn't buy any new Easter clothes for them this year--Addie wore a pretty dress from Michaela Claar, Heidi wore an Addie hand-me-down, and Bubby wore a cute outfit that was a gift from Grandma Becky when he was born (Thanks, Becky--isn't it CUTE!?). The day was topped off by the fact that THE SUN CAME OUT FOR EASTER! If that's not the most beautiful symbol of the day....! Here's Addie looking so grown up, I almost cried!
I'm not sure what the girls were looking for, but this picture reminds me of THIS picture from Mother's Day two years ago.
Heidi, my little joy-bubble!
Here they are climbing around at church--love Heidi's face!
My three little duckies...
Sweethearts in the Sunshine!
I love all three faces in this picture!

Easter Part III: Dinner & Egg Hunt at Grandma's

Heidi found lots of eggs at Grandma's.
Addie found one of Grandpa's trickier hiding places

--look how excited she was!

Danny, Heidi, Addie, adn Grandma on Gram's back porch. The kids got those darling embellished bags as a gift from their super-fun grandparents.

What a Happy Easter!

New Heidi-ism

Sometimes when Rich is referee-ing the girls, he says, "Addie, you worry about you, and Heidi worry about Heidi!"

Heidi has turned this on us, so that when we tell her not to do domething, she says, "Mom, you worry about you and I worry about me!"

Spring, My Eye (II)!!

This is how my street looks...not so spring- ish.

You may recall my writing about last year's April (click) snowstorm with the same title. Yeah...it's snowy, but we need it! I just hope it doesn't stay cold for too long! Here are some fun pix from this past week...

Heidi with our first daffodil bloom last Friday
Heidi with our "Spring Fever" flowers...
...and the same flowers on Monday.
Poor Daffodil in the snow!

Week in Review: Tuesday in Springdale

It snowed all night Monday night but the sun came up in the morning and melted the snow away. We got ready and headed out to the Orton's ranch in Springdale.A shot of blue sky above my mini-van on our way out of town
Here Summer takes us and the Larsons to the barn to get ready to feed the baby cows. Some of the mommy cows had twins and they can't feed both babies, so Summer has to bottle feed them.
Here's Heidi with her mud-protector bags on her feet in the barn.
A sweet little calf begs for milk
Summer Orton helps Heidi and Cailin Orton feed the calf
Jenny Larson and Addie feed the calf
Heidi is just as excited about the mud!
On the way home, we saw all these deer near the Orton's
This is the school house (still in operation) in Springdale...I think it's so cute and Cailin is so lucky she gets to go to school there!