A Bountiful Harvest of Cuteness

Autumn time has been especially fruitful for our family this year. Not only did we get our Sweet Baby James, but a nephew AND a niece, too! I know we mentioned them before, but look how they're growing...

Rich's brother Jess, & his wife Kelli welcomed their third baby, Matthew Hampden Melin, in October.

Here's TJay (the oldest) playing with Matthew.

We are so excited to spend Thanksgiving with them in North Dakota!

My brother Willy & wife Audrey had their 4th baby this month...look at Liam (#2) loving his baby sister, Maeby Lynn Post (#4).
Audrey with Maeby
Spencer (#3) with Maeby (#4).

We are excited to meet these sweet little babies over the holidays, and we love and miss their families!

Thank You

The Common Soldier
Nobody cared, when he went to war,

But the woman that cried on his shoulder;

Nobody decked him with immortelles;

He was only a common soldier.
Nobody packed in a treasured trunk

Folded uniform and officer's fair;

A knapsack held all the new recruit

Might own, or love, or eat, or wear.
Nobody gave him a good-by fete,

With sparkling jest and expensive wine:

Two or three friends on the sidewalk stood

Watching for Jones, the fourth in line.
Nobody cared how the battle went,

With the man that fought till the bullet sped

Through the coat undecked with leaf or star

On a common soldier left for dead.
The cool rain bathed the fevered wound,

And the kind clouds wept all night;

A pitying lotion Nature gave,

Till help might come with morning light —
Such help as the knife of the surgeon gives,

Cleaving the gallant arm from shoulder;

And another name swells the pension list

For the meager pay of a common soldier.
What matter how he served the guns

When plume and sash were over yonder?

What matter though he bear the flag

Through blinding smoke and battle thunder.
What matters though a wife and child

Cry softly for that good arm rent?

And wonder why that random shot

To him, their own, beloved, was sent?
Patriotic hearts, wipe out this stain;

Give jeweled cup and sword and no more;

But let no common soldier blush

To own the uniform he wore.

Shout long and loud for victory won

By chief and leader staunch and true;

But don't forget the boys that fought —

Shout for the common soldier, too.

-Author Unknown

All Honor To Her
He offered himself for the land he loved,

But what shall we say for her?

He gave to his country a soldier's life;

'Twas dearer by far to the soldier's wife.

All honor today to her!
He went to the war while his blood was hot,

But what shall we say of her?

He saw himself through the battle's flame

A hero's reward on the scroll of fame;

What honor is due to her?
He offered himself, but his wife did more,

All honor today to her!

For dearer than life was the gift she gave

In giving the life she would die to save;

What honor is due to her?
He gave up his life at his country's call,

But what shall we say of her?

He offered himself as a sacrifice,

But she is the one who pays the price.

All honor we owe to her.

-Author Unknown

[I found these poems HERE]

Even though you're all still alive (with limbs in tact), I wanted to thank all the military men I know for your service to our country. I also want your families to know that we recognize their sacrifice, too. I have three sisters-in-law who go long stretches home alone with their children while their husbands serve our country, and I want them to know that I admire them-- I don't think I could ever do what you do and hope I never have to! Thanks to all of you, and those who have gone before us, for the gift of freedom.

Behold the Cuteness, part 3

This is James on Sunday, exactly two-months old. James just wanted to show off his Sunday clothes

...and his yawn...


...and his half-smile (that's about as good as it gets, unless you happen to be a very cute great-grandma, in which case he will give you his biggest wide-mouth grin and even giggle for you! No joke! He has done that for my grandma and for a lady I visit teach who happens to be a great-grandma, too. I get big "thank you" grins after a feeding once in a while, but he's saving them up, I think).

Happy Two-Month Birthday, James!

First Tuesday

So , yeah, I voted today. I voted FOR one candidate, and for one initiative. With the rest of the candidates, I was voting against one by voting for his/her opponent...like voting for the "least bad." That's kind of sad. Sometimes I hate the two-party system.

What I hate even more is career politicians. It's okay to have a career in politics (well, I prefer the term "public service"), but will someone please explain to me why there are no term limits for senators? I can't think of a good argument against a two (or even three) term limit. How can you represent a population you're not even really a part of anymore? The KEY WORD is REPRESENTATION...don't get me started.

I love democracy and I love to vote. May the least bad man win!


Oh, PS: I was running thru all the Oprah's I tivo'ed last week and lo and behonld, there was a girl from my mission on Oprah last week. If you saw the episode about the girl who gave birth at home and threw the baby in the quarry, at the end , they had the reporter from Idaho that got the Safe Haven Law passed there, then adopted a Safe Haven baby. That reporter served in North Carolina with me! (CJ, remember Sister Johnston? Remember how she wanted to be Murphy Brown? Well, she is--at least in Idaho ;))

Wannabe

I am up late waiting for some Cheddar Dill Bread to bake. I am having the missionaries and my in-laws over for dinner tomorrow night and I have a very busy day tomorrow, so I started dinner tonight ( what should turn out to be a really good beef stew with three kinds of bread on the side). I'll post the bread recipe if it turns out good.

James is two months old today. It kind of makes my heart hurt how fast time flies.

In the morning I am going visiting teaching with my companion of over three years. Our assignments recently changed and now visit two families who live out in Cokedale. It's a fun drive when the dirt road is decent! We got to choose our message this month and we decided on THIS address given in last month's conference...one of the best messages for anyone of any faith, I believe.

While I've been waiting, I have been taking in some YouTube... I am posting links to two 80's music videos that totally defined (a) my high school musical tastes and (b) more importantly, my fashion sense. Now, I wasn't too into being a Wannabe, but if there was anyone I ever wanted to be (besides Gidget) it was Belinda (this particular incarnation only) or Maria (any incarnation). The hairdo's in theses videos were particularly inportant to me, as were Belinda's sunglasses and hoop earrings.

Ahhhh, great stuff.

Interesting News...I wonder what will happen now?

Good News...

...I've got a new niece as of 9:29am (11/03)!
Welcome to the World,

Maeby Lynn!

(yes, you read that right! Just like the girl on Arrested Development)

Maeby Lynn Post
(with her mom, Audrey)
6 pounds 7 ounces-- 19 inches long--Darling!

Congratulations, Posties!

Halloween

Both girls dressed as witches on Saturday, but Addie wanted to be a cat on Halloween.
Heidi was a darling witch! They scored lots of treats at the Credit Union & the grocery stores, but very few from the neighbors. We only went a few places before we were too cold (and I was too sick--little did I know I would have a nasty fever and GI trouble all night, plus mastitis symptoms, too)...
...so we came in from the cold to snuggle up and watch Monster House.

Here are my three babies: Addie being a Sweet Cat, James being a Grumpy Pup, and Heidi being a Hyper Witch!
Can you hear the cackling? James looks rightfully scared!
Awwww....hope you had a Happy Halloween, too!

Behold The Cuteness, part 2

Look at James, just chillin' on Daddy's pillow.
Our Bubby is getting so big, but we can still barely get a smile out of him! Oh, well--at least his pacifier makes him happy--I've never had a pacifier kid (we've been calling it his "foo"--half of what Sam called his "Foo-foo"--don't ask me why, except I hate the word "Binky").

Today he weighed in at 12 ounds, 8 ounces and he's 24 -1/2 inches tall.
Here's how James celebrated Halloween. Asleep in a puppy costume.

Trunk or Treat

Saturday night (10/28--Happy Birthday to Uncle Jess & Uncle Michael) was our annual Trunk or Treat/ Halloween Carnival at church. This event always sneaks up on me and by the time the party starts, I am exhausted from getting ready. This year was no exception, but at least we decorated our trunk this time!

Rich took this photo as we entered the church building to have fun at the carnival...
...Addie shows off her ring (booty from the fish pond) with her friends Kelli & Gracie
Here's Heidi at the Young Women's fish pond with Kelsey Gray
For once it was warm enough to Trunk-or-Treat without coats, but it was too windy for witches' hats! Here's Addie with her crazy witch hairdo showing, getting treats from Brother Jeffrey.
Rich, Heidi, Addie, and Grandma Melin show off our trunk...boy & girl jack-o-lantens at the "Pumpkin Prom"!

Sisters Weekend

Our Sister Weekend started on Thursday October 19th with a pit stop at Dad Layton's house in Pocatello, where James I got to meet James III (I am, of course, Jamesjunior according to my dad, aka James II). Laura took these cute pix... One & Three
J-Diddy

After a good night's sleep and a shower at Dad's, we kept on truckin' to Utah on Friday morning, 10/20...here's a photo of the state line at 80mph.

We stopped at Temple Square on our way to my sister Jill's house, so we could buy some stuff at the distribution center and see the Joseph Smith movie at the Legacy Theatre (that's another post for another day, but it was BY FAR the best church movie ever made...I didn't cringe once! It was beautiful and moving and I am so glad we stopped).
My lovely niece, Ally, with her cousin James
Hangin' at Jill's house Friday afternoon

(that's Jack and Dad post on the couch, Jill dressing James after the bath she gave him after he threw up all over her, and that's me on the other couch).