So Much to Say, So Little Time!

I have to go float the river, but I have so much to say about my huge crushes on Sarah Palin and Bobby Jindal, and how stunning it was that crazy ol' McCain chose SP for VP, how I had a spiritual revelation during the last night of the DNC, how my love for The Daily Show grwos with each election, etc...

For now, two things.

First, MY MAMA IS TUMOR FREE!!!! With Dr. Simon's and Awesome Nurse Tammy's help, lots of nasty chemicals, she WHOOPED LYMPHOMA'S BOOTY! She had her PET scan on Thursday and saw Dr. Simon on Friday and he said she doesn't have to do her last two treatments! He is going to give her some recovery time and then fire up the ol' radiation. When she called yesterday, Addie heard me talking (and crying--do you know how much better this makes my Europe trip?) and she said, "Is that Nana?"
I said yes.
Addie said, "Is she all better?"
I said, "Almost! The doctor said he doesn't have to give her any more of that medicine at the cancer center!"
"She's better already, before Christmas? You said she would be sick until Christmas, and she's better already? I'm so glad!"

We all are, Addie!!! She must have got your balloon wish last weekend! ;)

SECOND, this hilarious (PG-13) spoof on the Obama Biography. It made me laugh out loud. Enjoy--More later!

August in Retrospect

(actually, it's just a bunch of pictures I never posted).

Oh, PS: I keep getting questions about our Eurpoe Trip coming up 9/17-10/01, so may I just direct your attention to the "LONDON CALLING" icon over there on the right? It's a link to our travel blog and all your queries shoudl be answered there. Gracias.

Also, I updated the 08.23 post about the balloon launch with a video of the Provo event.

*****

Floating the Yellowstone River (08.16)

Rich's canoe tipped over pretty much first thing when we got in the water and James was surprisingly concerned. He kept standing up in our raft, watching Daddy, shouting, "Oh! Oh!" This picture was taken a few minutes later and he still has a very concerned look on his face. (don't worry--he got over it and had a fun time).
Heidi and Addie would always rather be IN the water than ON it...
Rich took this picture of Jess in front of him in their shared canoe.
Here's canoe #2 with Davey, Sariah, Danny, Liana, and Mark
(yes, I was the only "mommy" that went--what's up with that?!)

This picture cracks me up because you can see that I am freaking out about my kids doing crazy stuff, while Mike is just grinning. See James trying to touch the water, Heidi standing up and yelling commands, and Addie trying to row us closer to Daddy's canoe...what a circus.
Me, James, Heidi, Addie, and Uncle Mike just chillin' in our raft...

it was so beautiful out there!

A darling shot of Sariah, Danny, and Liana.

We Love the River!

*****

That night, James and Amory got married right next to the river.Look at the cool wedding cake (this was not the groom's cake--it was THE cake)!
(Addie and Liana were so excited that Amory gave them trout cookies)
The night before we enjoted some cupcakes in honor of Nana's Birthday

(you may have seen the video of this even posted earlier).

*****

We also stole some grate pictures from Mark's camera...

...like this one of him and Jared in the garden at the ranch.

...and this one of Mark leading the kids on an expedition at Pine Creek (08.14)...

...where they played in the creek and saw these deer!
Here's Mark on the Boys' Hike/Campout surveying the big burn from summer '06.
And I had to steal this photo because it is so quintessentially Grandma Rosalie in August. Here Liana and Sariah watch her tend her awesome backyard garden (and she's got another one at the ranch). I thank heaven every day for her green thumb, which cancels out my black one (is that a curse for being a desert rat? No, couldn't be because my dad grows a mean garden, too. It's just my burden, I guess. It's amazing my kids are still alive!).

*****

So there you have it! Bring on September!

On This Date in History...

...My sweet nephew Brady Hamlin was born

in 2004 ("the year of the nieces & nephews"

--3 nieces, 4 nephews, and Heidi to boot!)

"You, my brown-eyed boy..." eating an ice cream at Multnomah Falls this summer.

We Love You, Brady! XOXO

*****

PS: Where have all my readers gone? Long time passing...

Please humor this ol' goat and leave a comment ( or de-lurk)!

WWNND?

Today is "NieNie Day" on the internet

(see here and here and here and here and here).

Lots of people are auctioning things, or buying things.

Me, I'm just trying my best to answer the quetion of the day with my actions:

"What Would NieNie Do?"

Would she preserve fresh fruits and vegetables for hte coming winter (I mean, if they HAD winter in AZ)? Yes. Would she bake fresh and healthy cookies for her family? Yes. Would she love on her little ones all morning (and feed them aforementioned cookies and let them make a mess)? Yes.

Then would she put little ones down for nap and enjoy a romantic lunch with her hubby while watching European Travel Tips DVDs? Probably.

So check, check, check, and check.

Now, I don't know if Steph has a testimony of SIESTA like I do, but in Jamie's world a cool, windy afternoon + napping kids + clean, quiet house= NAP FOR MAMA!

Here's to you, Nie! XO

The End of Wednesday

While I was uploading yesterday's video of Addie's school, Heidi swiped the camera and took these (among other) pictures: Bright flowers for a rainy day...
The poster we made for family night, which is hanging on the door to the garage (right by the hooks for jackets and backpacks).
Heidi's Self-Portrait

***

After we picked up an elated Adeline at 3:10pm, we drove over to Grandma's and harvested green beans and talked about school....

We brought the bans to our house for processing and storage.
My workstation


Two fresh onions and three tomaters hitched a ride with the green beans.
1 hour and 40 minutes from garden to dinner plate--
Steamed, drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with S&P
YUMMY! Lots of vitamins for energetic kids!
(Addie & Heidi playing with our neighbor, Taylor after dinner)

First Day of the First Grade

The Story of Rich's Life... Rich writes a check for Addie's lunch ticket near the playground.
My (tall) first grader!

Silly Heidi gives Addie a Good-Luck-Hug
James thinks the Playground is awesome

As The Bell Rings... from MelinFamily on Vimeo.
As The Bell Rings... from MelinFamily on Vimeo.

Addie waiting in line to go into her class

We parked behind this cool old truck near the school
***

Update: I woke up this morning with the whole left side of my throat & sinuses swollen. It hurts to swallow or sniff, so I have been blowing my nose every five minutes. Something bad happened back there. Oh, well.

Seriously, So Lame

Here's something funny (it's SATIRE).

In other news, I have a super sore throat because I CHOKED on my medicine tonight like some kind of invalid!

No, really, I just chugged my two night pills with a soda that was sitting on the counter as I ran between putting Addie to bed and taking James downstairs. So I picked up James, and when I laid him down (gross alert) I had massive kickback that went up my nose, wherein a pill became lodged at the convergence of my ear-nose-throat in some little fold of tissue. It was horrific!. I gulped and breathed deeply as tears began pouring from my eyes, and I kissed James good night. I bolted to my bathroom and started gargling and sniffing water, but the burning--oh, the burning--continued.

I did everything I could think of (including trying to dislodge the bugger with a Q-Tip, which made me gag and throw up, which then made me realize that it's really not that hard to be bulimic, although I have never been able to make myself throw up before). Finally, I just got some gum (hoping extra saliva would help the cause) and a hug cup of ice water and the horrible bitterness eventually dissolved and went away (coincidentally, right about he time Hilary stopped flappin' her jaw on the DNC coverage I was watching--had to see my homeboy, Brain Schweitzer warm up the crowd--I'm still conservative, but I love that guy [Montana Rox]!). A nice pink grapefruit bubble bath and a new issue of Real Simple calmed my frazzled nerves, and now I am just finishing up some of Addie' back-to-school stuff before bed.

Yes, my darling is heading off for her first day of the first grade tomorrow. She will be in Mrs. Phillips' class, and Mrs. Phillips is Grandma's neighbor. We have heard mixed reviews about her, so we are hoping for the best. Addie's skills have backslid quite a bit this summer, and I take responsibility for that. All those nights I spent with her last school year learning to read kinda went out the window since our summer schedule didn't really give us a quiet half hour each night before bed. I hope she'll catch up quickly and enjoy learning. I am so excited for her to start writing and doing more science. She has such fun ideas and good questions and all of that starts to come out in writing (I won a poetry contest in the first grade, believe it or not; don't ask me how I even KNEW about poetry at that age, but I did!). I keep fantasizing about my girls being adults and being awesome people and two of my best friends...isn't that weird? I think it's because of all the fun I have had with my mom this summer (despite that sucky cancer).

Anyway, I am so excited for Addie, and next week Heidi starts up (preschool, 11-3pm). Her teachers are coming over tomorrow to meet her, and I love that. She will be way more comfortable on the first day after having them in our home. James and I are going to be LOVIN' IT--livin' la vida siesta! Heh, heh!

Well, I better go. I am getting a head/neck ache from all that choking I did earlier, so I better take the Tylenol and hit the hay.

HAPPY BACK-TO-SCHOOL EVE!

On This Date in History...

...my SIL Audrey was born! Audrey is a beautiful woman and a great mom, and we miss her!

Happy Birthday, Audrey! XOXO

Hope Floats

I'm not generally one to join in random activities to support causes, but I couldn't resist joining in the balloon launch in support of the Nielson family today. Of course, I have to work tonight and Richard took the kids to the Playmill Theatre in West Yellowstone with his parents, so we let our balloons go early (at 2pm instead of 6pm). Inside each balloon is a dedication to the Kinneards, Nielsons even tho' we spelled their name wrong), and Clarks with Job 19:25-26 written beneath, and wishes for "Love, Hope, and Healing." Addie, Me and Heidi with our balloons.

"Ready, Set...
...there they go!"

As we let them go, Addie watched hers for a long time, and then said, "Maybe mine will fly to Nana's house, because we want her to get better, too!" I smiled and my heart swelled up a little thinking about (a) what a sweet and thoughtful girl Addie is, and (b) how every family has a heartache, and NONE of us are exempt from the need for The Comforter and The Great Healer. One wonderful thing I am learning through the blogosphere is how far-reaching, how necessary, how touching, how infinite the atonement of Christ really is. Just think how crushing some of these burdens would be without Him, and then think about that night in Gethsemane...all of the heartache, all of the pain of all the world AT THE SAME TIME.

And then give thanks.

I know He lives and loves us. I know the Nielsons and their loved ones will be "encircled about in the arms of His love" through their trials.

***

Here is a little slideshow about the Nielsons if you're curious. And if you live in Mesa or Provo, you might still have time to join the launches at Kiwanis Park or at the Arizona Temple.

UPDATE: A video of the Provo Launch

Note to Self:

Click here to read up on Courtney's Paris recommendations. Also, dear self, make your pre-trip list because September is practically here...only 26 days 'til take-off. Remember the legal documents, the school notes, the calling cards, the pocket photo album, the loading of the ipod, and the "cleaning-like-you're-never-coming-back-and-people-will-go-through-your-stuff." Call Matt and Amie and see if you can bribe them with Chico Passes and a comfy bed on Sept.18-20. See? There is a lot to do and you need to get crack-a-lackin'.

Hugs,
Self

On This Date in History...

My darling grandparents were wed in 1950

Papa Bill & Gramma Lyn, 2005

Gram & Gramp share a smooch, June 2008

And my sassy sister-friend, Adriane, was born in 1972

Adriane with her cute mom, Kathy

Happy Anniversary, Grands!

Happy Birthday, Adriane!