Back in October: Party With Postums

Matt and Amie had Thursday, October 18th off work & school, so they cam eto Livingston to visit us!Of course we had to make out traditional trip to Chico for Pizza dinner and swimming.

At dinner, we realized the last time we had been together at Chico, I had stayed out of the water because I was sick and prego with James and I held 10-day-old baby Sam the whole time. Now Sam is almost two and James loves to float, Matt has been to Iraq and, and we just felt really grateful that things are, miraculously, "back to normal!" It's so nice to be together again!
Here's crazy Heidi jumping off the edge of hte pool...it's super steamy because the water is hot and the air is cold. MAtt is probably watching the Indians' game on the pool bar TV...
And here is Super Jake following Heidi's lead...those two little three-year-olds are like two peas in a pod! SO FUN!

Heidi, Addie, & Jacob
Matt & Amie brought muffins from Wheat Montana Bakery, so we ate them for breakfast with yogurt and juice on Friday morning. The stuffed animals also ate muffins, apparently.

After breakfast, I hid some Halloween treats and made some clues and sent the kids on a treasure hunt around our house.

Here's Uncle Matt reading one of the clues to the kids
Here we are walking to find a clue. ..

...more walking (taken by Amie)
Addie was excited to find a clue on the slide out back.
And here, Addie, Jacob and Heidi listen to Uncle Matt read the very last clue...they foudn the treasure box on the front porch and enjoyed their treats. And then the Postums had to head home to Helena. We're sooooooooo glad they came to play!

Back in October: Fall Birthdays Rule

This is a picture of Addie & Heidi on 10/20/07 getting ready to go into Boston's and Alexander's birthday party (they are born the same week--Boston is now 6 and Allyjander is now 5)
Here's their yummy jack-o-lantern cake
There's the back of Alexander's head blowing out his candles
Heidi helped Alex open and play with his gifts
Addie (along with Kelli adn Gracie) helped Boston open her gifts and then all the girls went downstairs adn played dress-ups while the boys adn Heidi played dragons and dinosaurs. We LOVE Boston & Alexander!

Back in October: Family Night Cookies

On Peter's Last Night with us, we made Halloween cookies The girls decorated them...
...James was curious...
...he thought they were GREAT!

Back in October: The True Story of Halloween

That's mom, ready to take the kids Trick-or-Treating at the banks in her Pumpkin Shirt
Heidi, Addie, and James at the bank
Addie's Jack-o-lantern
Mommy's huge Jack-o-Lantern
Our proch
AT THE TRUNK OR TREAT...
Addie and Boston

Heidi and Alexander

(her knight in shining armor)
Cousin Danny the Astronaut
Cousin Rosalie the Witch

Grandma with James wearing Rosalie's witch hat
Addie at our trunk
Uncle Mike (Yosemite Sam) surprised the kids and took the trick-or-treating

Danny, Mike, Addie and Heidi
Heidi played with Uncle Mike's cowboy gear when we got home
Addie won this cute cake at the Trunk-ot-Treat cake walk

Coma

can't complete sentence
up too late
Helena for FHE
dinner at Mac Grill with mom, mark, matt, amie
delicious
more please
left over tiramisu
mmm
seven cousins swimming at Hampton Inn
So cute
So fun
So tired
LOVE and ADORE extended family
miss mom
crazy goodbyes
LOOOOOOOONG drive home to Livingston
Wicked windstorm
bazillion trucks at Livingston Truckstop
semi trucks blown over all over I-90
gusts around 70mph
wreath gone from front door
stroller gone from front porch
collapse into bed at midnight
sleep thru howling winds
woke up to lots of snow
hope Drews are safe
need nap after 5 blood tests this afternoon
photos coming soon
can't wait for 9 days in Vancouver starting Friday!

Happy Veterans' Day

Thank You

Punk Gospel

[This is my all-time favorite picture of mortal Jesus--it's by Bloch and he's being comforted in Gethsemane. It reminds me what he did for me]


There are a lot of people in my Ward Family (church) overcoming addictions of many sorts-- substances, behaviors, attitudes--and at church today, I heard lots of real, sincere, "How are you"'s. It really made me think of THIS scripture in Mark in the New Testament, about how Christ's church is a place we come to be healed, not to show off our righteousness or our wellness. It felt a little different today, like a family caring for each other and I like days like that. I wish people who stay away because of their sins knew they'd be in good company if they came to church, and they'd be stronger when they left.

One conversation made me think of an old favorite song. I found it on YouTube! It's not allowed to be embedded, but you can click here to go watch the (still-so-sizzlin'-hot-it-gives-me-chills, one of the best shows I have ever seen) video to Social Distortion's Ball & Chain.

Here are the lyrics:

"Well it's been ten years and a thousand tears
And look at the mess I'm in:
A broken nose and a broken heart,
An empty bottle of gin.
Well I sit and I pray
In my broken down Chevrolet
While I'm singin' to myself
There's got to be another way

[Chorus:]
"Take away, take away
Take away this ball and chain
'Cause I'm lonely and I'm tired
And I can't take any more pain
Take away, take away
Never to return again
Take away, take away
Take away.......
Take away this ball and chain.

"Well I've searched and I've searched
To find the perfect life
A brand new car and a brand new suit
I even got me a little wife
But wherever I have gone
I was sure to find myself there
You can run all your life
But not go anywhere..."

***

" And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them. "

-Ether 12:27, The Book of Mormon

For Jill

Read more here about this clever show and its creators (or read Jill's 11.09.07 post and comments).

Quite the Day

So I got up this morning knowing I didn't have to go anywhere (Addie was off school for conferences/ end of quarter--PS, she's an exemplary kindergartener with great reading AND math skills; her teacher said she is so excited about science and asks the most relevant questions when the science team comes--that's cool to hear), and I decided to make it a Christmas Prep Day. I was determined to finish sewing the stockings I started embroidering in August. Here is the result:

They are hanging from cute little stocking hangers I bought at last year's Christmas Clearance (in Cottonwood, Arizona, believe it or not!) -- the hangers inspired the stockings, and we are excited to fill them up and send them down to Houston to my niece and nephew.
Here's a close up of the embroidery--I mostly free-handed it, but I sketched the snowman in pencil.
Addie thought we needed a model in the shot...:)

ANYWAY...while I was sewing, I was waiting to hear from my SIL, who went to the hospital at 1am to have her baby. At 10:25am, the phone started ringing off the hook to tell us we have a new niece! They hadn't weighed her or named her yet, but she was here. So on Rich's lunch hour, the kids and I met him at the hospital to visit his little sister and her baby...

I LOVE Heidi's face in this picture, and Addie being the little mommy with her cousin, who is now named Hannah Beth Gray.
AAAWWWWWW...
Addie was so excited about baby Hannah!

James was even MORE excited, and was so sad when we took the baby away! (He kept making these high-pitched noises like "Dee-dee-dee" and patting the baby; then he kept poking her eye and saying, "Eye? Eye?" )
We gave the poor tiny (6lb 90z--I bet Angie is so glad she married Davy adn got some small genes!) overstimulated newborn Hannah back to her mom and said good bye...doesn't Angie look great 2 hours after giving birth?!
James is so excited to play with his NEW COUSIN!



So we went to lunch together, then I brought the kids home and we read and played for a while (Ad & Heid had started fighting like cats and dogs), and then separated for quiet time--James went to sleep in his bed, and I told the girls that they could lay on the couch and watch "Island Princess," while I lay on my bed for a while. About 15 minutes later, Heidi came and snuggled me and crashed. I arranged her blankets and went to check on Addie and she had crashed, too (this was around 3pm). So I turned off the movie and went to sleep with my babes...it was a dark, cool fall afternoon--perfect for hibernating! We were only awakened by Daddy's footsteps a little after 5pm!

Daddy brought fresh bread and ice cream home, so we had potato-corn chowder with bread and juice, and then ice cream and we had a movie party, watching "Ratatouille." It was quite the day, and now I'm the last one up...Good night and enjoy your weekend!

November, so far

The night after Halloween, James ate some of Addie's cake walk cake, then went to his favorite special spot--the drawer under the TV in the Living Room.
Also, on the 2nd, I think, Addie got her book order books. One of them is "Puff, The Magic Dragon," which she wanted because she learned the song in music class. The book comes with a 4-song CD and the illustrations are gorgeous! The kids really love it.

And Now...a Tuesday Evening at the Melin's

Daddy is at work

Addie is at Ballet

Mommy is making dinner

Heidi is herding her bazillion animals (as usual)...

...and sometimes ACTING like her animals.

James Ole is "helping" mommy cook...
...taking a ride in his Magic Cakepan...

...He certainly motivates me to keep the floor clean!

And FINALLY...I'm BACK!

...that's right! Last night I gave a shower for my neighbor, Shauna-Anne, and it included a Soup Supper. I delegated and took it easy...I even took a NAP yesterday when Rich came home for lunch because I didn't want to wear myself out with party prep (as I am wont to do--there is always something more you can do. BUT, I am also learning that when your body says "enough" then it's enough!). But I did make Cookhouse Chili, Pumpkin cookies, Chicken Noodle Soup, and Potato-Ham Soup. The house smelled heavenly, and I think Shauna-Anne had a really good time. I felt really good about being able to do something "extra" again.

Today is our very first Parent-Teacher conference. Woo-hoo. We got a babysitter so we can celebrate! (HA). Anyway, that's the news. What's up with you?