The Last of the Thanksgiving Pictures

We arrived in Minot on Wednesday night and didn't even have to wear coats--I would guess it was in the high 40's, but windy. ON thanksgiving morning, the temperatures had dropped to the teens. It was then I realized that I had not packed the girls' winter coats--just fleece jackets. So by noon, they were stir-crazy, so Kelli suggested we walk down to the playground with the kids, and my kids had to borrow coats.Addie, TJay, & Heidi
Heidi running away, faceless TJay, and Addie leaving the playground after a brisk 10-minute romp.
James in his Indian hat
Matthew in his Indian hat
Kelli's fabulous TG feast.

More Thanksgiving Moments

Addie, Heidi, and Summer having fun Friday night
Heidi & Summer--born three weeks apart

On Saturday, we went bowling at the lanes on base. This was Heidi's first bowling experience and she did really well.
Heidi & TJay and Heidi's victory dance (she cracks me up)
Addie did really well wiht the granny roll--she even got a strike!
Even though the ball is rolling away from her, I like this picture cuz it looks like Addie is being chased by the ball.
On the way home on Saturday, we saw MOUNTAINS (the only mountains in ND) of sugar beets right on the MT/ND border.
across the street from each other

Behold the Cuteness, part 4 (co-starring Matthew)

Here are some pictures of our cute little "twin cousins" James (born 9/5) and Matthew (born 10/3). Matthew's gonna knock you out!
Bug Eyes
Too cool
James is starting to crack up whenever someone talks to him...
...it really is the sweetest thing

(Great-Grandma & Grandpa are gonna have so much fun with him!)

PS: Happy Birthday to my cool brother-in-law, Darrin!!

A Plethora of Photos

I am up super-late doing laundry, so I thought I'd upload some photos from recent adventures. We don't have photoshop here at Jess & Kelli's house, so I am only adding a few of the photos--I'll add many more when we get home Sunday.

So first of all, we have some photos from Addie's birthday on Tuesday. She had a "Pajama Party" with all the girls from her Sunday School class (except Hailey, who couldn't come because she had already left fo Thanksgiving) from 6:30-8:30pm. Group Hug! Breana, Kelli, Addie, Gracie, and Sarah at the end of the party. Each of the girls decorated a foam frame (see Kelli's on her lap) and then we printed out a photo like this for them to take home.
Aunt Laura came over from Helena to paint the girls' toenails with all her fancy nail stuff. Each girl got to choose from about a million colors and Laura also had decals and sparkles to glue on their nails.
Addie woke up early Tuesday morning to this glorious sight: A Princess Bike!
Heidi was happy for Addie (well, at least in the morning---by night time she was real tired of it being Addie's birthday and not hers!). Heidi got a Barbie bike for her birthday back in April, so now she and Addie could form their own pink-and-purple-cycling gang...
...here they are outside riding bikes on Tuesday.
Part of the fun of Thanksgiving is getting to play with your cousins! Addie got the Cars DVD for her birthday, and TJay has the Cars toys, so they have been playing Mater and McQueen all day! They are so cute together. Earlier, TJay couldn't find Addie, and I think his mom suggested he play with Heidi and Summer. He said, "No--I want to play with a girl who doesn't wear diapers!" Heh, heh.
Uncle Jess, the Turkey Chef!
"One little, two little, three little Indians..."

(Summer, Addie, TJay, and Heidi)

I made foam indian hats with the kids while Kelli was cooking today. I wrote things they said they were thankful for on the feathers, and they are standing in front of the Minot Melins' Thankful Tree, where more blessings are listed on leaves.

The perfect ending to a perfect day...the girls enjoyed a bubble bath before bed.

Guess Where I Am?

I'm on Minot AFB in Minot, North Dakota! We are spending Thanksgiving with Rich's brother, Jess, and his family (Captain and Mrs. Melin, as it says on the front of the house). The drive was good, and I am pleased to report that the boring flatness of the Great Plains conitinues all the way up north! We are having a great time already--it's been fun meeting baby Matthew and introducing James Ole. And the older kids are having a blast, too. I don't know how much I'll write this weekend, but we'll be home Sunday and I will blog Addie's AWESOME birthday Pajama Party--it was sooo much fun! Until then, Happy Thanksgiving to all yall...may I refer you to last year's post for my favorite Thanksgiving thoughts.

On This Date in History...

...21 November 2001, Adeline Rose Melin

was born at Alta View Hospital in Sandy, Utah.

She's our firstborn and has taught me to be a mother, how to truly love, and has given me a reason to try to be better every day. I had hoped (for her sake) that she could have gone to kindergarten this year, but I am so glad she didn't (for my sake). She is a great helper and I love spending time with her during Heidi's naps. She is sensitive and articulate and curious and I feel so lucky to be her mom.

[photos left to right, top to bottom: first bath 11/21/01; 3 months old; First Birthday babydoll with Grandma Melin; Second Birthday Pumpkin Pie; at 3-years-old with Heidi; Fourth Birthday Cowgirl Hat; Addie at almost five]

a favorite old song:

"She lives in this house over there

Has her world outside it

Scrapples in the earth with her fingers

and her mouth

She's five years old ...

Today is her birthday

They're smoking cigars

He's got a chain of flowers..."

-the sugarcubes, 1988

The Blustery Day

It's a windy, cloudy fall-ish day in Livingston. Heidi is down for her nap, James is almost ready to go, and Addie is watching "The Great Mouse Detective" on VHS, which she borrowed form Grandma Melin's library last night. I tried to post a short post last night, but the power kept going out (because of the wind), so I gave up.

We went to the library today, which is no longer any fun with all three kids. They can neither stay in the Children's Section nor can they obey the rules the whole time. James gets fussy, Heidi gets noisy and gets lots of books off the shelves or tries to run upstairs. Addie is the only one who really gets the concept (because we have been going there for four years and she knows how to be quiet and find the books she likes). She found a couple of fun books, two of which we read for pre-school time today. I chose two out of the enormous pile Heidi made, and we came home and made paper Jack-in-the Boxes ("boxen?") for "J" day (our regular pre-school was cancelled due to most of the kids having a GI virus or chicken pox).

My dryer is not heating up, so the clean, wet clothes are mounting. Figures it would quit a week after we drop $1400 for a new computer. Maybe I can get a new matching set with the tax return. *sigh*

I got this e-mail (as lots of people have, I am sure--it's a year old, but it's for real--I looked it up before I mentioned it) about the balsam wreaths placed on every grave at Arlington National Cemetery by the Worcester Wreath Company of Harrington, Maine. If you've got some pocket change to spare, you might want to donate to their project. Click here to check out their site.

And now, James would like to have a bit of a snuggle before he naps, and Addie would like me to read her a story, so I'm outta here.

Pumpkin Obsession

The first year I lived in Provo, I lived in a new basement apartment with Jeanne & Mary. A kooky married couple with scooters and chemical imbalances and lots of cats lived upstairs. On Sunday nights we would all get together (with other friends, too) to watch In Living Color and Twin Peaks. Our refreshments invariably included Pumpkin Choclate Chip Cookies from Smith's Bakery and Pepsi to drink. That's where I fell in love with Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies.

I finally found a recipe for PCC's that can take me right down memory lane. They are so good that Addie and I made 8 dozen of them and froze them for the holidays a few days ago. Because I love you I will share the recipe with you.

Mix together:
1c sugar
1c pumpkin
1/2 c oil
1 egg

Sift together and add to the above mixture:
2c flour
1/2tsp salt
1tsp cinnamon (I added a shake of nutmeg, too)
2tsp baking powder

Dissolve and add to the rest of ingredients:
1tsp baking soda
1tsp milk
1tsp vanilla
1c chocolate chips
1/2c nuts

Bake 10-12 minutes at 375 degrees on greased cookie sheets
(do not overcook--cookies are cake-like, or as I said, "just like little muffin-tops." So Top-o-the-Muffin to ya, or in other words, Happy Thanksgiving!)

Possibly the best music video ever made

I heart Weezer. To this day.

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY...

November 13, 1944:

My Dad, James Arthur Layton,

was born in Thatcher, AZ.

He, like my James, had two adoring sisters...Happy Birthday, Dad!

We love you!