Friday, August 22, 2008

Slumber Parties and Other Stuff

Last week I missed a few pictures of all the fun we were having.James, Addie, and Heidi wearing the "Space Chimps" masks I brought them from Vancouver.
Heidi, Sariah, Addie, Liana, and James at the cousin slumber party (8/14)...Addie and Liana did their own makeup and they were so proud.
The girls "camped out" in the basement and watched Looney Tunes on DVD courtesy of Uncle Rich.
***
On Monday, I took the kids to the splash park again with Mom Melin and Elena, while all the Melin Boys had thier own slumber party (well, they call it a campout, but whatever).
Apparently, the adventure began at the Old Saloon in Emigrant, MT (a few miles past the ranch)...

There they are...Mark, Jess, Mike and Rich, tossing back some hard water.
Heading up to Mission Creek

Jess, Mike, and Mark head up the singed trail to Passage Falls, which burned up two years ago.
(if you wanna see where they went, google map "Montanapolis Springs")

Ta-da! They made it!
Rich, Mike, Mark, and Jess at Passage Falls
Flowers on the trail.
The boys ended up camping at the ranch Monday night while I did laundry, watched "The Hills" (so lame), and slept in my bed with my girls.
***
Last night (my only other night off this week), Rich went ot the movies with Jess and Mike in Bozeman. They left right after work and got home at 10:30pm. We had a wicked rain storm and it got really cold (the house was 58 degrees when we woke up cuz I left the windows open as usual in the summer), so it was the perfect night to put the kids down and snuggle up with a pay-per-view movie (after folding two loads of laundry, that is).
So I ordered "P.S. I Love You" which I wasn't all that excited about. But it turned out to be a pretty good movie. I loved the soundtrack! Two of my all-time favorite songs (Fairytale of New York by the Pogues and If I Ever Leave This World Alive by Flogging Molly) played a big role in the movie. I liked that it was made by one sister (Molly Smith, daughter of the FedEx founder) in memory of another sister (Windland Smith) who died at 34 of a heart defect. Apparently Molly read the book right after Windland died and it comforted her a lot. I can see how that could happen--it's such a sweet story. Did anybody else read the book? Does Holly stay in Ireland with Billy? Cuz I would...my lands, that man was lovely. And he sings Pogues songs! Also on my mind were the Clark sisters...cjane's blog post today made me so thankful for sisters!!! Anyway, that was a pleasant surprise, and Rich came home right as the movie was ending.
***
Another thing that has been on my mind: Russia is so incredibly lame. I do wish Georgia would just give the rebel provinces back to Russia instead of trying to force them to want to be in a democracy--it doesn't work that way! Still, I am so mad about the invasion of Georgia, but mostly I am mad at us. I am mad that when a freedom-loving country like Georgia calls for help, our hands are tied because of the muck-up in Iraq. I wish there were an easy way to get out of there and get back on our feet. And have you heard the President of Georgia speak? He is an inspired man and deserves our support.
Yet another thing on my mind: is it just me, or do the two candidates for president seem VASTLY unqualified for what lies ahead of them? Seriously, neither of them seems remotely able to deal with the bag of goodies Bush is handing down. Glenn Beck echoed my sentiments perfectly Wednesday night in his opening bit. Here's what he said:
BECK: Hello, America.
Have you ever had one of those nights where you -- you know, you flip on the TV and two of your favorite shows are on at exactly the same time, and you`re like, "Aw." Or better yet. You know when you`re going to go to the movie and you walk up to the concession stand and you can`t decide between Raisinettes and the Goobers. And then you realize, 'Hey, my wife`s not here. I`m going to buy them both.'
Well, you take that feeling of overwhelming joy. Then you douse it with gasoline, light it on fire, run it through a wood chipper, bury it in your backyard, and then you start to come close to the understanding of how little excitement I feel for either of the two presidential candidates.
Here is "The Point" tonight. I have truly never, ever cared more about our country than I do right now. But I have also never cared less about our choices for who should be running it. And here`s how I got there.
I think most of us would all agree that we`re in a pivotal time in our country`s history. You know, and you see it on television every single night. I think most Americans feel it in their gut. They just know something is fundamentally wrong.
But what we can`t seem to agree on is which way to pivot. I mean, we`ve got some great choices, don`t we? One candidate is especially a socialist while the other one I would call a conservative socialist. He`s pro-life, but pro-global warming. He wants to keep the troops in Iraq but also keep our borders open. He wants to drill offshore, but not in Alaska. What the -- what? That leaves me not only without any candidate, but also without any excitement whatsoever. It`s kind of like being back at the concession stand and they`re out of the Raisinettes and the Goobers, and your wife is with you, and all they`ve got there in the counter is raw eggplant and tofu.
So America, here is what you need to know tonight. If you feel like I do about this election, we are not alone. A new Zogby poll asked people to rank their excitement about our choices on a scale of one to five with one being not at all excited and five being -- the average answer, a very ambivalent three, which not coincidentally, is slightly less than the number of spokes on these pitchforks that I keep here in my studio. (He goes on to chat with Penn Jillette, who's a wild libertarian).
Heaven help us.
And have a great weekend!

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Sunday Night Family Fun

On Sunday evening after naps, we all met up at Jackson Creek for family dinner.Uncle Davy had his ATV and took the kids for rides
Daddy and James enjoyed the outdoors
James got his own ride with Uncle Davy
Heidi brought a bag full of ponies, which the girls all enjoyed
Danny & Addie
Grandma made foil dinners--they made delicious taco salad
After dinner, it was time for s'mores
(Heidi, Liana, Addie and Sariah roast their marshmallows with Uncle Mike in thebackground)
James and his marshmallow
Grandpa & Grandma Melin with their grandkids (minus TJay, Summer, and Matthew):
Holding Jared, Hannah, Rosalie & James;
Liana, Danny, Heidi, Sariah & Addie
The whole FamDamily

Us
Mark & Elena's Family
Angie & Davy's family
The Original Melins, laughing at...

...all the silly grandkids trying to get them to smile.

Good Times!

Ally Tagged Me...

ONE WORD ANSWERS...
1. Where is your cell phone? bag
2. Your significant other? awesome
3. Your hair? straw
4. Your mother? bald
5. Your father? funny
6. Your favorite thing? tub
7. Your dream last night? fat
8 Your favorite drink? Water
9. Your dream/goal? celestial
10. The room you’re in? office
11. Your hobby? papercrafting
12. Your fear? invalid
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Home alone
14. What you’re not? tough
15. Muffins? no
16. One of your wish list items? time
17. Where you grew up? Arizona
18. Last thing you did? breathe
19. What your wearing? clothes
20. Favorite Gadget? Computer
21. Your pets? NONE!
22. Your computer? HPPavillion
23. Your mood? optimistic
24. Missing someone? Mama
25. Your car? minivan
26. Something you’re not wearing? pants
27. Favorite store? Target
28. Like someone? Richard
29. Favorite color? Depends…
30. When was the last time you laughed? morning
31. When was the last time you cried? Friday

Monday, August 18, 2008

Knee Deep

We are deep into cousin fun, with only one more day until the Texas Melins fly home. We are really going to miss them, but we will get to see them in Arizona at Christmas time (Montana Boys+ Arizona Girls= Awesomeness).

My heart is a little achy from reading about two of my greatest fears coming true for some sweet mamas in the blog world. Late Friday I clicked over to THIS blog from Adriane's and was stunned by the tragedy, the faith, and the eloquence therein. Then today I was catching up with my regular e-friends and learned that Nie Nie was in a plane crash with her husband on Saturday night. I can't stop thinking of their four beautiful babies at home...UGH! Needless to say prayers are with the Nielsens, Clarks, and all others affected by this. WOW (this is why traveling to Europe without the children makes me anxious). Keep up with the story via cjane (nie's big sis). News Article Here.

I gotta go tuck in some beebs of my own--Daddy's camping out with his brothers tonight. :) Have a great week!

Friday, August 15, 2008

We Love You, Nana!

So Glad You Were Born!


Happy Birthday, Nana from MelinFamily on Vimeo.

Spring Creek Barbecue

Tonight we went to the reception Barbecue for Jamie Anderson's wedding to the lovely Amory (the wedding takes place tomorrow at Spring Creek). The cousins all had naps and commenced their craziness together again tonight. It was great fun for them to be together...My girls INSISTED on dressing up in white (of all colors) dresses tonight instead of the jeans and cute cowgirl shirts I had picked out (call me crazy, but "BBQ" and "Ranch" and "white dresses" just don't sound good to me!). Luckily we made it home with no major stains. Here are the kids looking at the river--Danny, Liana, Heidi, James, Sariah, and Addie.
Here's the same photo, portrait style.
...and again from the front. I love this one because the kids are laughing so hard.
Addie hugging Cousin Hannah (9 months old)
Sariah holding my hand and being cute
Silly Liana with Heidi (the coke sneaker), James, Sariah, and Addie
Isn't Sariah so sweet in this photo?
Grandma & Grandpa Melin, you've got some beautiful grandkids!
Thanks for the awesome genes!
***
Thanks also to Jamie and Amory for such a nice party...
Best Wishes to you!


Loveable Melin Boys

Tonight at the Barbecue, there was a whole bunch of love flyin' around these cute Uncles...Uncle Mike with James & Danny
The kids attacking Uncle Mike
(Heidi, Liana, Danny and Addie, with Grandpa in the background)

Heidi poking Uncle Mike's eyes, apparently (I think she was messing up his hair, actually)
Uncle Mike & James

Rich & James
Addie loves her Uncle Jess!
Danny, Heidi, and Liana with their Uncles Mike & Jess

Addie hugging Uncle Mark

Uncle Mark at the Park

This tire swing is so much fun! You can hear Heidi screaming pretty much the whole time, with a few squeals from Addie, and Liana has the lowest (and mostly quiet) voice. These girls sure do love eachother!

Tire Swing from MelinFamily on Vimeo.

More Cousin Fun

Last night Addie and Liana were so excited about their slumber party that they made a list of things they wanted to do and brought it to me. I will translate..."-Dress up and Dance and put make up on
-Draw Pictures
-Play with Pet Shop (Littlest Pet Shop)
-Make up stories
-Play Arbl(????)"
Addie was so disappointed that they didn't finish their list--"But MOOOOOOOM! We only did the first two things!" I countered with the fact that Liana will be here for 4 more days. :) I love having little girls!
***
Today we all agreed that the cousins desperately need naps, so we just had a quick little picnic at Pine Creek with the Texas Melins, Grays, and Grandma. Daddy even drove up on his lunch break! After sandwiches, Uncle Mark took us on a tiny hike to the creek where the kids threw rocks and sticks, and we even saw some deer across from us, peeking out from the trees.
Liana and Danny climbing down to the creek
Uncle Davy

Cutie Addie
Addie again
...and again!
Heidi climbing down to the creek
Heidi throwing rocks
Heidi saying "HI, MOM!"...
...and throwing sticks

James loves throwing rocks and making splashes!
But he had to finish his sandwich first
Danny, James and Liana contemplate jumping in the creek.
***
Melin Cousins + Pine Creek= TLA!





FAMILY LETTER 07.28.19

Dear Loved Ones,                                                                                                        We have just ...