Father's Day Camping in Ennis

Upon arrival at our campsite, Niles was fast asleep. This made setting up a little easier.

Niles really liked hanging out in the "potty area" of the tent trailer. Luckily we weren't using it because the campground had nice restrooms.

James & Heidi watching Megamind before breakfast...Saturday morning cartoons.

Getting ready for Saturday morning breakfast

More Niles, "helping."

I will have to get teh Virginia City photos off Rich's phone...meanwhile, here's James in my rear view mirror on the way back to Ennis from VA City.

Main Street in Ennis...that store called Benjie's reminded the kids of their poor cousin Ben who had a bike wreck last week. Hope our Benjie is feeling better!

We went to the Father's Day fishing derby in Ennis...Niles watched.

Our beautiful Heidi waiting for a bite.

James & Daddy fishing

Heidi & Addie at the picnic after the derby.
The winning fish was caught by a little tiny girl...it was 25" long!

The photo doesn't do justice to the beautiful sunset we watched on Ennis Lake. It was so fun to discover a new beautiful spot only an hour from home. I think my Dad Layton and his boat would LOVE it.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads in our life, especially the Father of our family...
Rich, you're THE BEST!

First Week of Summer Break

Saturday (6/9) was just plain crazy--it was freezing cold (40-55 degrees) and Richard was super sick with a tummy bug. I picked up and processed our Bountiful Basket as well as a huge load of groceries from a trip I took to Bozeman with the kids. I brought home some Samurai Sam's Yakisoba bowls for dinner and Daddy was able to eat a little of that and he was better by Sunday. At church I did Sharing Time then came home to serve a birthday dinner for my MIL, Grandma Melin who celebrated her 65th birthday on Sunday.

Grandma getting a birthday hug from James after dinner and before cake--Grandma's request was Strawberry Shortcake, so we had that with Angel Food cake, and then a coconut pound cake with pineapple and banana topping, all with freshly-whipped cream, of course.

Heidi, James, Grandma Rosalie, Addie, and Grandpa Tom.
We're so glad Grandma was born!

Earlier in the week, Addie brought me these flowers from her bike ride. They look so pretty in my kitchen window, I had to take a picture. They've been cheering me up all week long!

In addition to my cute bouquet from Addie and my ever-present kitchen goddess, the herbs we planted on April 21st are full-grown and delicious...it's so fun to toss fresh herbs into our food, right off the window sill (there is oregano, sweet basil, and cilantro inside; outside we have rosemary, sage, German thyme and lemon basil, and baby spinach & buttercrisp lettuce...radishes are coming soon!)

Today we are preparing for Daddy's requested Father's Day/Birthday Campout in Ennis, MT, and we are babysitting cousins Hannah and Rosalie while Aunt Angie and Cousin Danny are cub scouts' day camp. After some Disney Junior and some iPad games, the kids painted some beautiful watercolors. Now they are terrorizing each other in the sprinklers outside, even though it's like 62 degrees out there....sillies.

Hannah and James are pals!
***
So next post will be all about camping and Daddy's two special days...Happy Summer!

Three Things



First: For Cuteness' Sake




Second: Here is something delicious I threw together last Monday that rivals Cafe Rio in deliciousness. It's a yummy salad made with leftover beef chuck roast from Sunday Dinner. Here's how I made it:
-Monday morning, put the leftover roast in a small crock pot with a few TBs of water & a half cup of Kirkland Organic Salsa (and if you like it, a cube of Knorr cilantro flavoring) and heat it on low all day.
-Chop some fresh greens, green onions, cilantro, & tomatoes; shred carrots and cucumbers and toss them together with a squueze of lime juice.
-Assemble the salsa by putting a layer of On The Border brand Cantina Thins tortilla chips on your plate and smashing them into small pieces; add salad, top with shredded beef from crock pot, 1/4 cup of Costco Mango-Peach Salsa, and a few more tortilla chip crumbs.
The photo was blurry, but it was delicious. I do this with pork roasts, too, and it makes great salad, tacos, burritos or even taquitos (if you wanna live dangerously and deep fry them ;)).




This is a teacher gift I made for James' awesome Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Mogen. The tag says "Enoy the Sun!" and "Sunny Summer" with a note from James on the back. I'm kind of into practical, non-edible gifties these days (I hope the recipients are, too).



Back In May

Little Birthday Boy at his fiesta on his first birthday.

While I was in Utah with Niles Rich took the big kids to play at the park one night.

Also while I was in Utah, the Oscar Meyer Weiner came to Livingston!

I got home from Utah on May 25th, a rainy Friday night, so we stayed in and had pizza and played games with thei Family Fin Family Night kit. the kids loved it and I was so glad to be home!

Addie had a recorder concert and a special duet playing Ode to Joy.

Addie playing recorder
***
On May 30th, Heidi's second grade class took a field trip to Mammoth in Yellowstone. Rich took the day off to go with her.

Heidi on the bus.

Heidi & Daddy on the bus to Mammoth.

Heidi's fielt trip group at the museum in Mammoth.

Heidi & a friend

Burned trees on the terraces at Mammoth

The surface of the terraces

Heidi sitting down to do a charcoal drawing of the terraces.

Artist at work

All the kids sketching

Rich has black adn white mode on his new phone camera

Panoramic of Mammoth

Our cute little artist

Heidi at Mammoth after a fun day with Dad & her class...only 6-1/2 days of second grade after this!

The First Week of June

On June first, we went to the ward potluck and it was a beautiful day. We made Dole's Baby Romaine Salad with cranberries, walnuts, feta, and green apples with a curry dressing and it was so yummy (google the recipe). It actually got eaten. On June 2nd, we cleaned up our house, then we cleaned the church as a family, and we reeeally cleaned it--like bleaching the toilets, returning materials to the closets and libraries, cleaning the erasers, etc. It was fun and exhausting--it took us almost 4 hours! Rich rewarded us with a fun family lunch at the Pop Stand followed by a nice nap. When I got up, I started making pies and crock pot dinner for Sunday. While I was rolling out pie crusts, Addie and Heidi came in to the dining room to show me a dance they'd made up. During their dance, Addie slipped don the wood floor and landed on her wrist. She turned pale and wailed, so Rich took her to the ER (all of these pix are from the phone)...


Addie at the R waiting to see the doc, pobrecita.



Rich & Addie

Dr. Coleman and the nurse gave Ad a temporary cast.

All better! She now has a cool, custom molded removable cast for a few weeks.

On Tuesday June 5th, Rich took the kids to the model train museum in the basement of the Depot. They loved see ign the hippie van in the model.

check out those tracks!

cute model town, not unlike ours.

three silly kids at the model railway
***
June 8th was the last day of school. James did a program with his kindergarten class, and then graduated to first grade!

James singing in his program



the whole class (minus Ashley ;))

James receiving his certificate and summer bridge book from Mrs. Mogen

PROUD FIRST GRADER!

The kids' releases were staggered, which means it took a whole hour to get them all out of school--James at 11, Heidi at 11:30,  Addie at 11:55. We went to the lagoon and enjoyed Subway sandwiches while Niles chased geese and tried to get in the water the whole time. Afterward we went to Western Drug's sods fountain for sundaes, then the kids all had birthday parties. It was a fun end-of-school!

Hollandpalooza

Today I made a post on facebook and this is what it said: “Someone or something is forever telling us we need to be more handsome or more wealthy, more applauded or more admired than we see ourselves as being….”…”Who is it that whispers so subtly in our ear that a gift given to another somehow diminishes the blessings we have received? Who makes us feel that if God is smiling on another, then He surely must somehow be frowning on us? You and I both know who does this—it is The father of All Lies.”(-JR Holland, 2002). Competition is not Heavenly Father’s way…so just keep putting one foot in front of the other, onward, ever onward. ♥

I love that graphic...I would love to print it on a canvas and hang it in my house.

You may recognize that Holland quote from THIS POST--I wrote about it on my other blog a few years ago. So many things he has to say mean so much to me, they come at just the right time in my life to teach me (Elder Scott is super good at that, too, but more on that later). Anyway, I just wanted to share what happened to me when Elder Holland first gave that talk back in April 2002.

I remember the day clearly; we lived in Provo in the little white house. Addie was 5 months old and we'd been married for  14 months. I was still in a post-partum fog, but keenly feeling everything.  Rich's parents had come down for conference weekend to visit family and they helped us clean up our yard. They slept on our gosh-forsaken futon and played with Addie, and all of it, especially in retrospect, was so kind of them. They had headed home Sunday, so I was laying on our bed with baby Addie, watching conference on our little bedroom TV. As I listened to Elder Holland, it finally struck me, finally sunk in, that Heavenly Father's love for us is infinite. Not only does that means we will never stop loving us, it means he also loves EACH of us--every single one--equally, infinitely. In a finite, greedy world it is hard to wrap our little minds around a love that is immeasurable, that is never diminished as it is divvied up. But on that lovely Sunday, laying there loving my baby girl more than I have ever loved anyone or anything, I finally got it. Heavenly Father doesn't deal in commodities--it's all free, flowing, and without price. My motherlove gives me a taste of that, and in turn I am better able to trust my Heavenly Father because I know He loves me--and all of us--like I love my precious babes.

This talk also made me feel vindicated in not being competitive. I know how good or bad I am, and the only judge that matters to me isn't giving out ribbons and trophies. If YOU need a ribbon or a trophy, I want you to have it-- I don't think less of you. I'm just trying to cheer on every runner.

***

Elder Holland gave a similar talk this past April. Instead of teaching from the parable of the Prodigal Son, he used the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard. It was equally beautiful. I also posted earlier in the week about that talk. I re-watched it Monday for personal study and it made me think of my dear little sister who tried to take her own life last Wednesday night. I fasted Sunday for lots of things, but one blessing I really hope for is that during this hospital stay, someone who can really help her will find her. I also prayed that something will help her let go of the things she has lost and help her to find value in herself as an individual--not just as a wife or mom--but as God's beautiful daughter who still has life and hope and purpose. These words are so beautiful to me:

"I do not know who in this vast audience today may need to hear the message of forgiveness inherent in this parable, but however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love.

It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines.

"Whether you are not of our faith or were with us once and have not remained, there is nothing in either case that you have done that cannot be undone. There is no problem which you cannot overcome. There is no dream that in the unfolding of time and eternity cannot yet be realized. Even if you feel you are the lost and last laborer of the eleventh hour, the Lord of the vineyard still stands beckoning. 'Come boldly [to] the throne of grace,' and fall at the feet of the Holy One of Israel. Come and feast 'without money and without price' at the table of the Lord."

I love you, Pickle.

***

I also had a most edifying & fun two-hour phone visit with my pal, "Aunt" Debbie today. It was so nice to talk and catch up on life and count our blessings. I have been feeling a little under-nourished from the outside, and Holland + Deb this week was like water + sun for a wilting spirit.

To read JRH's whole 2012 talk, click HERE.
To read JRH's whole 2002 talk, click HERE.