Catching Up

Last week, on the day I got home from Arizona, we got another new baby cousin down in Del Rio, Texas...
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Last night we had a yummy, healthy dinner followed by coloring eggs for FHE...

Heidi, Daddy, James, & Addie at the dinner table. We had broccoli & carrots, broied lemon chicken breasts, and baked potato chips. The lemon chicken was very easy and turned out great...try it!

1/4 c olive oil

1/4 c lemon juice

1 clove garlic minced

salt & pepper

Mix up and marinade chicken breasts for 20 minutes, then place on broiler pan (covered with foil in my case!) 2-3 inches from broiler. Broil each side for 6 minutes on high and VOILA!

Addie coloring eggs

(this is her new favorite hairdo--wavy from braids-- because "I look like Sasha and Malia Obama.")

Daddy, James & Heidi

James really got into coloring the eggs!

Addie, James, Heidi, and me

James, Heidi, Addie, and me

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Later, we loaded the dishwasher and Heidi took this picture of Polly the fawn.

Heidi took this picture of her frog this morning.

Nice dirty countertops.

Heidi also took this picture of our table this morning...the morning sun pours through the kitchen and dining room windows in the spring and summer (SE-facing)

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Before I went to AZ and Grandma Melin went to Florida, Grandma made the girls these Easter dresses. Addie chose the fabric & the pattern on our date to Billings in February, and they turned out so cute, I think. Here they are trying them on for hemming.

March 26th Easter dress fitting with Grandma...so fun!

I know, I know...

...enough about my Arizona trip already! But here are a couple of vidoe clips, and then I'm done, okay? :)


Dane C. at Devers' from MelinFamily on Vimeo.


Owen on Blessing Day from MelinFamily on Vimeo.

More Pictures from LAST SUNDAY

Mostly For Nana...Owen with his great-grandma Dever
Owen and Aunt Lisa

Sam showing Owen to Damien & his daughter.

Damien and Sam with their boys.

All the blessing participants...

Great Uncle Sam Elrey, Great Uncle Matt Elrey, Cousin Kurt Dever, Great Grandpa Dever, Uncle Mike Christiansen, Great Uncle Ralph Mayberry, Great Grandpa Elrey, Dady & Owen, Grandpa Layton, Steve Labounty, Grandpa Dever, Damien, Cousin Dave Mayberry.

Darling little Maddie Labounty (her mother is a Van der Werf, mom)

Great Aunt Lorelyn snuggling Owen.

Lisa & Uncle Matt

My stepmum, Becky, Dad Layton, and Aunt Maxine

Aunt Maxine, Becky, Lisa, & Amy

Damien, Sam, and Grandpa Bill (with teh Dever Grandpas in the background)

The Elrey Table at lunch time

Gramps, Gram, Uncle Matt, Lorelyn, and Aunt Elaine's elbow.

Papa Dever, Great Grandma Dever, Owen, and lovely Kristen.

Proud Daddy

Dad Layton

Cousin Dave

Sammy lit Grandpa's candles

Sam & Amy comparing boys

Little Pals

Owen was telling Aunt Lisa some stories.

Tuesday Photos

I ended up staying in Tucson for 3 nights because Sam wanted to go to the Career Fair at the UofA, so I chilled with my grandparents on Monday and half of Tuesday (sorry we missed you, Miki!). We walked (and shopped) at Park Place, ate Kristen's yummy leftovers, read, napped, and generally enjoyed the silence AND the company...March 31: Grandpa Bill, Me, and Grandma Lyn in front of their house.
This is the house on Eastland where I spent most of my AZ life.

My mom was taller than those palm trees when she graduated from high school...

look at them now!

Kristen's parents' backyard, where I enjoyed the weather and rocked Owen.

Blossoms everywhere at Devers'

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Tuesday night we headed back to Phoenix to Layton's house so Owen could go to the doctor on Wednesday morning. He was a good boy and didn't even cry when he got his shot!

Owen loves sunshine (and his silly dad)

Kristen is such an adorable mother.

Here she is snuggling Owen in the waiting room.

(Do you like his All-Star sneaker socks? His Daddy bought them).

The beginning of a yawn...

...more waiting...

Owen feeling perky after a nummy lunch.

Owen chatting with Daddy

Look at that profile! I think he's a great blend of Sam and Kris!

I'll miss you, sweetie boy!

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I got a wicked migraine on Tuesday night and Wednesday and didn't have the presence of mind to take photos of my slumber party with Celeste (Arnett) Hall and her fabulous kids, nor our wonderful PF Chang's dinner with Stephanie Ingermanson Lund, Marce Mason, and Cassie Mason Bacon (in fact, my headache got so bad that I barfed at PF Chang's and ended up not getting any dinner. I know--tragedy! What's worse is that I threw up an $8 migraine pill AND the L&L BBQ Spam Musubi I'd eaten for afternoon snack--SHUCKS! I did have a great time with everyone after that, though, so it was totally worth it. I even stayed up chatting with Celeste until nearly 2am). Thanks everyone for the wonderful time. I will write in more detail about the good visits, impressions, conversations, etc., when I get a chance. For now, it's time to make some treats while Daddy is at priesthood meeting...HUGS 2 ALL!

(especially to all the Hall and Christiansen kids with whom I am now smitten!)

May I have your autograph, robngeo?

Read THIS wonderful article about two of my dearest friends and thier fabulous art/life.

Love it, guys. You're amazing.

A Chilly Reception

So I got home safe and sound on Thursday morning. My dear amiga Celeste delivered me to the Mesa Airport at 4:30 am (after a whole 2 hours of sleep--we could NOT shut up, but I'm glad we had such a fun visit). I caught my plane at 6am Mesa time (just as the sun was rising over the desert--so beautiful) and landed two hours later at 9am Billings time. I was able to call the cab as I was de-planing (I didn't check any luggage), so I waited about 2 minutes for the cab and was driving home in my Civic on I-90 by 9:30 am. I got home at 11:20, just as Rich had delivered Heidi to pre-school and my friend Erin was babysitting James. It was so sweet to hug my boy! I brought him a little prop plane toy, so he played with that for a while and then we had some quiet time before eating lunch with daddy and napping, then picking up the girls at 3pm IN THE SNOW!!!!! Rich took us to Mark's In and Out for dinner and the whole family slept in my bed that night. It's so good to be home!

Blessing Day Photos

Great-Uncle Matt, Baby Owen, and Papa Jim

Grandpa Bill blowing out his candles

Aunt Lisa and Baby Owen

Kris & Sam welcoming their guests

All the blessing participants

Great-Grandpa with Owen Elrey Layton

Sweet Baby Owen with Great Grandma Dever

Papa Bill & Nana Lyn walking to Devers' house, site of Owen's blessing and Papas birthday celebration.

My Fab Weekend

The sun us up
the sky is blue
it's beautiful
and so are you
dear prudence
won't you come out to play?

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Man, it is so beautiful in AZ! I'd forgotten what a sonoran spring looks like (gorgeous) and I'm in love. Flowers in the desert! 75 degrees, sunny with a light breeze! Sign me up! When I got off the plane and put on my sunglasses I almost cried.

My trip down here on Saturday was lovely. I left my house in Livingston at 5:34am and drove to Billings. I parked the Honda at the Sleep Inn and called the yellow cab to pick me up at about 7:50am and drop me at the airport at 8:15-ish. It took me about 15 minutes to check in and get thru security, so I had an hour until my plane started boarding. I went to a cafe and had an orange and a croissant and read my Family Fun magazine. By the time I read the whole thing, it was time to line up at gate B4 and catch my flight to Mesa. It took a while, but we were in the air by 10:20am Montana time. I took my seat by the window and waited for the other 2 passengers to come. It turned out to be a father and son from Livingston (the Murphys), and it was the son's first flight, so I traded seats with him. He was so cute--they were really nice and made the trip pleasant.

We landed in Mesa at noon, which was 11 Mesa time. Sam picked me up about 10 minutes later and we drove out to Ahwatukee to Lisa's house. We wished her stepson Joey a happy 13th birthday, and then we all met Dad Layton and Becky at Mimi's Cafe for lunch. It was such a nice visit with them--we had delicious food and such a nice time talking. We parted ways and Sam and I headed down to Tucson to help Kristen get things ready for Owen's post-blessing dinner and Papa Bill's 84th birthday. I rocked Owen for 2 hours while Kris and Sam arranged her parents' house for the festivities. It was so sweet to sit in the Devers' gorgeous garden-of-eden backyard, watching the sun set over Pusch Ridge, snuggling my sweet baby nephew to sleep.

At about 8:30 pm, Sam drove me down into the valley to the Grandparents' house to sleep over. It was a sweet homecoming--so nice to sit in the quiet and chat with the g'rents on Grandpa's birthday eve. We chatted for a couple of hours, then went to bed. I slept in my old bedroom, on the Jenny Lind beds with the windows open. It was a perfect night's sleep! Little birds woke me up for church at 7:30am, but I went back to bed for another hour and a half! HOORAY! Best sleep ever! I went to the grandparents' sacrament meeting, then home for a little rest before we headed back to the Devers' for the baby blessing/dinner. It was so very sweet! Kristen's grandma, sister, and other extended family came, and all of my mom's siblings came, plus our sister Lisa, cousin Dave, Dad and Becky Layton and Aunt Maxine. The circle of blessing was HUGE, and the party was sweet. I hope Grampy had a good day--there was a whole lotta love in the room!

I am just hangin' out with Sam and Kris, ready to head back down to Gram & Gramp's house. I am so looking forward to another great night of sleep. I think I will feel so much better when I go home to see my babies...YAY! Thanks, Rich, for letting me come, and to all my amigas who are helping him with the kids this week. I am having a wonderful time, but I miss you guys like crazy! Hugs! (fotos coming soon)...