Wednesday: Museum of the Rockies

One last summer trip to M.O.R....

Where the Wild Things Are! James playing dino-boy
Dino-girls

They roared their terrible roar and gnashed their terrible teeth...

We had a fun day (with lunch at Burger King). Addie is having a sleep-over with Grandma Melin tonight, and tomorrow is Heidi's turn. One more week til we're back-to-school...

Monday: Pine Creek Play Day

My friend Debbie has a tradition with her kids where they camp for 4 or 5 days right before school starts for one last summer HURRAH! They have other plans this year (since all but one of her kids is a nearly-grown teenager), but we still had a play day/ picnic up at Pine Creek on Monday.

Jenny, Haylee, Rosalie, Terin, Danny, Cassidy, Heidi, and Addie walking toward the creek
Jenny, Cassidy, Haylee, and Terin (beeeeehiiiiiives!)

Heidi feels the icy-cold creek water

James and Rosalie join in

Shoes on the creek bank

Danny and Addie at the creek

Heidi, Debbie, Hannah, Me, and James just chillin'

Me & my cutie-midgey-niece, Hannah

Heidi & Aunt Debbie=Best Pals

Heidi, James, and Hannah coloring on the picnic blanket

Heidi

Rosalie, Addie, & Danny checking out some butterflies

Addie & Danny in the woods

PEEK-A-BOO!

Aunt Debbie sent the kids on a fun treasure hunt (for tootsie pops!)

James and Hannah opted out of the treasure hunt cuz they were too tired!

They had a drink and watched a Thomas DVD instead.

Addie enjoying her sucker

Danny relaxing in Aunt Debbie's hammock

Addie & Danny got the life...

Debbie & Heidi

***

On the way home, we encountered a

Montana Roadblock...

(don't mind my nice cracked windshield)

I took this out the passenger side door...how now, brown cow?

Around the bend we found another roadblock, this time with horses.

(this is the ledge where Rich & I were engaged, BTW)

This is the last switchback coming down Pine Creek road...

the ranch is in the distance there...

I love Paradise Valley!

Too Cute to be a Pirate

These photos were taken at our Pirate FHE last week,

but I forgot to post them!

This is my terribly adorable niece, Lexi Melin:

aka: "She-Jay"

(that's what Angie was calling her because she looks exactly like her older brother, TJay. :))
Way Too Cute!

More Sunday Photos

Melin Kids out on Clyde Park Road

Sunday, August 16th

***

Also, yesterday marked the one-year anniversary since the Nielson's plane crash in St. John's, AZ. Stephanie (who lives in Provo now) marked the anniversary by hiking to the "Y." She also found the courage to post a photo of her new face on her blog. It's all just so miraculous...really! Who survives severe burns on 80% of their body and then climbs a mountain a year later? There are SO MANY miracles all around us that we don't recognize with out hindsight because we take our challenges day-by-day. But love is all around--God is all around, and our lives, our children, our health are all gorgeous miracles.

Coming Soon...

Sunday after church we drove a mile or two into the country and took pictures of the kids. Here are a few favorites... (I will load the rest soon!) Three little sillies!

My Favorite: Addie, James, & Heidi

(Back on our street)