Camp Liberty!

On Thursday we cleaned up the house and packed up for our camping trip. But first I went to the doctor at 1:45pm. I had a good visit with Dr. Reid about my recent head and body aches. She suspects it's my migraines returning with a vengeance, but wants me to have a CT scan on Monday morning. She prescribed me some medicine that costs $20 per pill with insurance, so I told the pharmacist to only give me two of them ($40) until I know if I even need them! I think I will talk to the doc about going back on the Imitrex inhaler if it's migraines--those are a lot cheaper! She ordered a bunch of bloodwork, too, so all of you that chastised me for not going to the doctor should be satisfied now :).

So I left the clinic and went right into the van and out to West Boulder via Big Timber, MT. It was a beautiful day--so clear and green--and we really enjoyed the ride. Soon we turned off onto West Boulder Road, crossing the Brokaw's ranch, which was full of these darling brown cows...

How now, brown cow?
At home on the range

***

Toward the end of the road, you hang a right and next to the Boulder River there's a fabulous forest service cabin...

It has a rustic little kitchen and electricity...

plus a dining room ,wood stove, and lots of beds and cots, for only $30 per night!

Here, Grandma Rosalie briefs the kids on the rules of the campout Abby & Addie watch as Grandpa's dutch oven dessert bakes on the fire...
Heidi in the smoke
Bubby snuggled with Daddy Thursday night/ Friday morning

during the big thunder & lightening storm

I did Addie's hair in the morning Grandma served a delicious skillet breakfast of eggs with sausage and fruit...
...and the kids fueled up for our big Independence Day hike
James loves fruit snacks!

Here are all the kids in their CAMP LIBERTY T-shirts...

Abby, Marshall, Heidi, James & Addie

My three cutie punkin's!

Our Family at the trail head
Daddy & Heidi along the trail
A beautiful meadow recovering from the 2006 fires
make way for horses!
We reached the bridge after a little more than a mile

Abby over the Boulder River
Marshall over the Boulder River
Addie on the bridge
On the way back down the trail, we cooled off in a creek!

James chased a butterfly all the way down the road and into the grass
My hikin' boy
After our hike we had quiet time--naps, painting, legos

It was a nice afternoon, and it got overcast so it wasn't too hot.

Later, after Uncle Mike's afternoon fishing lessons, we had a yummy dutch oven chicken pot pie!
And after dinner we tried out our awesome new camp shower!

Addie and Abby got really clean and really giggly
Game night after showers and s'mores
and forest-safe "fireworks"...

***

It was a WONDERFUL trip!

Thanks for planning it, Mom & Dad Melin!!!

Here's Swingley Road on the way home...awesome!
Bye, bye, West Boulder! (That's the Brokaw's on the right)
Those California fires are giving Livingston lots of haze...sunset Saturday night
Happy Trails!

Round 'Em Up!

So we made it to (and thru) the parade, except I forgot to take the camera. Luckily we sat with Aunt Jenn Claar, so I'll get some photos from her. The kids had a ball and scored all kinds of candy and weird novelty swag, like American Bank frisbees, beach balls, and Ty stuffed animals from the Animal Shelter float. It got pretty hot out there (90 degrees IS HOT for us, stop laughing Arizonans), but we had plenty of water and popsicles and it was really fun. The heat sapped my energy, though, so I had to pull myself together, cool down, and report to work at the hotel about 45 minutes after we got home from the parade. Rich had the kids all settled down in the cool downstairs family room watching "James and the Giant Peach" when I left. I think they're having pizza for dinner and packing up for camping tonight. I hope I get to sleep in my bed with Rich tonight--I miss him! Heidi keeps comng in our bed and he doesn't like sleeping with Heidi, so instead of moving her, he just goes and gets in her bed. Last night I had Heidi and Abby in my bed, Marshall on the couch, and Addie on the family room floor (which left an empty queen bed and a empty twin bunk--punks!).

On a total tangent, I gotta tell you how much I love me some Amy Winehouse! That girl is just such a crazy crack whore with such a smokin' voice! I keep waiting for her giant beehive to just topple her 97-pound body right over (she looks totally top-heavy, doesn't she?). I was watching "I Love the New Millenium" last week and they said some hilarious and totally true things about her. First, somebody said, "That girl is, what, a buck-five? [105 pounds] And she sings like a 300-pound black lady!" Another person said she's like our generation's Janis Joplin--a totally talented, can't quite blossom because of her drug problem. I recorded a concert on VH1, the 46664 concert for Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday. After reading rave reviews about Amy Winehouse's performance there, I was excited to watch it last night. Sadly, my homegirl was still slurring and gazing off into space as usual. I guess if she reamins upright it's considered a great show, eh? I quite enjoyed the rendition of the Special's "Free Nelson Mandela"--remember that song was quite the anthem for me-n-my-peeps back in the 80's. Anyway, God bless poor Amy Winehouse and her drug habit...tried to make her go to rehab, she said, "No, no, no!"

Today, so far

As you may have learned by now, July 2nd is The Big Day here in Livingston...it's the Roundup Parade (see the 2007 , 2006, 2005 archives) and the kick-off for all of the fun Independence Day Celebrations. We just stopped home to grab some lunch before heading out to our parade spot, so I thought I'd post some pix of our day so far... Abby slides down "the water hill," dodging James, while Addie looks on and Marsh preps his ride.
Nicole helps Heidi
Ivy helps Heidi
...she's "the ice-blocker that could" (there's Marshall, too)
Marshall getting ready for take-off with Heidi in front of him

Heidi & james
Go, Abby!
Addie made it to the bottom!

James climbed up the hill and sat by Gracie...
...cheering on the sliders
...and trying to take the blocks back up the hill! What a cutie!
Go, Marshall!

Abby & Addie perfected the belly slide--so much fun!
Two cute girls
Giggling at Marshall's wipeout
Addie about to wipe out
Bubby loves Aunt Abby...he can say "Abby" but for some reason he calls her "Lala."

***

So that's part one of our fun day! Stay tuned for Parade pix, and then we'll be out in the woods at the West Boulder Forest Service Cabin for the rest of the week. Yee-haw!

P.S: On a LIGHTER NOTE...

There's this little baby whom I have been waiting to meet for decades now...

On Monday I found out that this little baby will be gracing the earth 'round about February and I am so excited.

Every time I think about this little baby, I get a little joy bubble and I feel really super happy, forgetting whatever my woes may be.

Grow, baby, grow! I can't wait to squeeze you!

PS: No, I am not incubating this baby (HECK NO, I'm done) but I love, love, love its parents!!!!

Losin' My Religion

I suppose it's a good thing to be so busy that I can't really dwell on any one thing right now. Too busy to make a doctor's appointment to find out why I get dizzy and why my vision gets blurred, my hearing goes in and out, and the back-left of my head still feels like someone smacked me with a baseball bat (I didn't write about when the back of my head--you know the little bump at the base of your skull?--swelled up like there was a bratwurst under my scalp. My mom had her worst night right after "The bratwurst" and the left side of my face went numb and my head was pounding, so I just took care of her and assumed I would be fine--I am still operating on that assumption) ; too busy/distracted to do a good job at any of my three callings; too busy to care that my kids' rooms are trashed; and too scattered to be sad that my Mama is now bald...

Mom & Grandpa Bill

Mom had Mark shave off the rest of her hair last night (Tuesday);

Isn't she so pretty bald?!
Tuesday morning Mom felt good enough to garden! Here she is on the front porch snuggling with her mama...Laura took this picture and I think it's so sweet. I can't wait to see her again.

Somewhere Down the Crazy River

Today we headed out at 9:30am to play at the ranch and have a picnic at Sacajawea Park.

The water on the Yellowstone is still way-high, after a month, and there's still lots of snow to melt. Remember our beach & camp site from this post, or this one (scroll down)?

They're under water!

There were deer near the garden when we drove up the road
Over by the houses, the kids played in the tree and rode the swings...here Addie and Heidi climb the I-beam that will one day support the Pirate Tree House.
"We made it!"


Abby and Heidi in the tree
Abby and Marshall climbing down from the tree
Addie and the sun

Bubby swingin' in the sunshine...

look at that high water!

On the way home from the ranch, the valley looked so beautiful...

look at those black angus!

I love those mountains!


Later we went to picnic at Sacajawea Park...James was excited about the cows!
Adie & Abby as Lewis & Clark
James as Pompey
After quiet time, we all enjoyed some popsicles!



***

And that's our day so far! Right now we are getting ready to have tacos for dinner and plan our Independence Day camp out for FHE...good times, yo!







PS: You can watch/listen to the song here.

Weekend Photos

Ahhh, summer at Casa Melin
It's so warm, James wants to wear a skirt

The kids and the cousins love the wading pool daddy bought for them
James discovered the hose
Water is FUN!


We're so glad to see Grandma Rosalie again!
Our Summer Solstice/ Birthday BBQ Party on Saturday night--everyone sings Happy Birthday to Rich!
James was excited about Daddy's birthday candles

(one for Daddy and one for Grandma)
Daddy opens gifts as Rosalie, Heidi, Uncle Mike, and James look on
Daddy's coolest gift

Abby & Marshall later on Saturday night...
...we had some post-bath/ pre-bed s'mores to test out the new firepit
James thought it was super fun! He kept saying, "HOT!"
Tonight (Sunday), Abigail and Adeline graced us with a Fashion Show.

Heidi, Marshall, and James got in on the action, too.

I will upload the video ASAP, because it is something to behold!

***

I still feel yucky, but got some rest today. I hope for good sleep tonight and lots of energy to face the day tomorrow! ;)

***

PS: I just got an email that reminded me that some of my blog readers may not know that Marshall and Abby are my two youngest siblings. My mom and stepdad have had them since they were babies (adopted them in 2000) and they both turn 9 this year. I thought mom might rest easier if I (and my other sibs) entertained them for a few weeks until we have a grip on how to deal with the chemo. My mom also has a great ward--lots of church support--so they will be fine spending the second half of their summer break at home. I will take them back to Washington at the end of July.

Solstice

Tonight we celebrated Rich's birthday with a BBQ, gifts, and then, after baths, s'mores in his new firepit. Earlier we went to Bozeman to see King Fu Panda and eat Mongolian BBQ. It was fun but I am exhausted.

I still have a trip hangover, and this one is especially bad. My throat swelled up and my headached on the way home from Washington and it's only gotten worse. It's as if my body was just sucking up the lack of sleep for 16 days, and then it just crashed or something. Don't get me wrong--I am grateful that I stayed well at mom's. It's just that I could use some energy here at home, too, to entertain these five rambunctious punks! ;) I am praying for a good night's sleep and no cold symptoms tomorrow!

Rich is such a trooper, as always. I am so thankful for his support and strength, always pushing through and doing what needs to be done. I think we work so well as a team, but I am also thankful that he's always so strong when I get weak. It was fun to celebrate him today, as well as welcoming summer and remembering (silently) Gramaree on her birthday.