FAMILY LETTER 12.30.18

Dear Loved Ones,     

Well, there are about 30 hours left in 2018. It has been a marvelous year! Our holiday season has been busy but so sweet. Next year we won’t host EVERYTHING, but it was fun to just stay home this year.

Since I last wrote TWO weeks ago there have been major events, like Christmas Eve and Day, and ADELINE GOT HER DRIVERS LICENSE! I had no idea what a wonderful Christmas gift this would be to myself, but it really has been. It has been so great to have another driver in the house to better enable my hibernation. We bought her a little Outback last summer, which she has personalized with stickers and a box of mix cds and tapes to play, so she is off and running. Hooray! So that happened 12/17 (Monday). The next night (12/18) was James’ 7^th grade band concert, followed by a celebratory dinner at Fiesta en Jalisco. His was the very last concert of the season for us, hence the dinner. The rest of that week was a flurry of Christmas prep. The kids had drawn each other’s names and we took one or two of them on a shopping date each day, which included shopping and a meal, so that was a fun way to get some one-on-one time with them in this busy season (next year we will plan better so we can enjoy the kids individually). The week culminated with a surprise overnight date with Rich Friday-Saturday (12/21-22). He thought we were going out to dinner and wrapping presents at the office for the kids, but I had made arrangements for his mom to come stay over with the kids so we could go do whatever we wanted for 24 hours. Usually we’d go to Billings, but the temple is closed and the roads were icy, so we just went over to Bozeman. We had such a nice time together—that’s definitely a new tradition. We DID go to the office and wrap presents just before going home Saturday, and Rich took Addie and Kristina on a date to Bozeman for their dinner/shopping date. Meanwhile, I prepped some food for our Italian Christmas eve dinner and fed the kids who stayed here. We watched “Christmas Vacation” and “Arthur Christmas,” and earlier in the week, we watched “Home Alone” with the little boys for the first time, and they laughed and laughed. It is so fun to see joyful traditions passed on. I used to be kinda bummed about my kids being so spaced out, but it’s so cool to watch the big kids creating magic for the little kids.

Our “Christmas Adam” (12/23) Sacrament Meeting service was really special. We sang all the Christmas hymns as usual, and the Primary and choir sang lovely numbers. But this year, I gave 4 speakers a Luke 2 scripture and asked them to give a 5 minute talk about the principle/attributes of that scripture and they all did a totally amazing job. We were so very edified! We enjoyed getting home before noon and resting and finishing up our Christmas preparations. We made a few deliveries of treats with carols and Addie helped me stuff the chicken breasts for our “herb-stuffed capon” main dish Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve day (12/24), is, imho, the best day of the year (besides Easter) because anticipation is maxed out, and so is the joy. After some last-minute deliveries and visits and a bunch of food prep and decoration, our Melin Family gathered around 4pm to celebrate. The kids played for a while and made some little crafts, then we ate at 5pm. The dinner was delicious! We had a nice antipasti salad, shrimp linguine, stuffed capon (chicken) and bruschetta for dinner, followed by a bunch of yummy cookies. We gathered downstairs by the fire to read some Christmas stories and exchange cousin gifts. Afterward, we put out some cocoa and cheesecake and said goodbye to cousins around 7:30. Shortly thereafter, the elf brought our pajamas to the door and we all got cozy. We opened our ornaments from Nana and Papa Drews and sang some songs. Then we went back downstairs to watch “The Man Who Invented Christmas,” a story about Dickens writing A Christmas Carol. The kids all made beds in the living room by the fire and fell asleep there. We went upstairs and tidied up and stuffed stockings. Rich set an alarm for 3am (12/25) and snuck out to “check and see” what Santa brought. I slept right through that for the first time (!), and the kids facetimed us (hahahaha) at 6:30am to ask if they could come upstairs. So we jumped out of bed and met them at the stairs, cameras in hands, and watched them come up and discover what Santa brought them. Everyone seemed happy with their gifts, especially the boys, who got Lego sets and games that kept them busy all day long. Our Melin Family stopped by around 1pm to visit (after they attended the Community Christmas Dinner), and then the Joneses came over as it was getting dark. It had begun to snow and they didn’t knock, they just started singing “Let It Snow” at our door. It was the sweetest surprise! A whole fresh wave of joy swept over the house as everybody teamed up with their buddies and shared all the fun Christmas tales and treats (they brought divine orange rolls!) and some hearty, nourishing beef stew for dinner. Robyn and I just talked and talked for like 4 hours. The kids played games and had a nerf war, while the girls and their dads started their traditional Christmas break “Twilight” marathon. Neighbor Nick Feldtman, home from college (used to date oldest Jones sister, Eden, who is serving a mission right now) stopped in to say hello, and was mobbed with hugs. We finally all got drowsy and said goodnight to our Jonesies . Rich and I went to bed with the little guys, but since we have another driver, we let the girls go watch more Twilight with Jones girls. I’d wished for snow and there was a lovely blanket over everything and we sent them off and my heart almost burst from all the Christmas perfection. That particular moment brought these lyrics to mind: “In these frozen and silent nights/ sometimes in a dream/ you appear /outside under the purple skies/ diamonds in the snow sparkle/ our hearts were singing/ it felt like Christmas time…” Robyn and I had just been saying, these silent moments where your heart is bursting with gratitude—this is Christmas.

The week continued on in the blur that is the week between Christmas and New Year’s every year, staying in our jammies, playing all the games, eating the leftovers (or some cleansing smoothies), watching the movies, hanging out with the friends and family. On boxing day evening (12/26), we met up with Melin family to see “Mary Poppins Returns” and I could not have been more delighted or moved. I am always leery of remakes and sequels, especially of iconic classics, but Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda have all the talent and personality to create a worthy follow-up to Julie and Dick. It was just beautiful. And the song, “Where the Lost Things Go,” was particularly poignant, and frankly, wrecked me, as I recalled conversations with my dear friend Rhett as he faced widowerhood, and his sweet kids missing their awesome mother. Since I’m already running long on this letter, I include the sweet lyrics:

Do you ever lie awake at night
Just between the dark and the morning light
Searching for the things you used to know
Looking for the place Where the lost things go

Do you ever dream or reminisce
Wondering where to find what you truly miss
Well maybe all those things that you love so
Are waiting in the place Where the lost things go

Memories you've shed, gone for good you feared
They're all around you still though they've disappeared
Nothing's really left or lost without a trace
Nothing's gone forever, only out of place

So maybe now the dish and my best spoon
Are playing hide and seek just behind the moon
Waiting there until it's time to show
Spring is like that now, far beneath the snow
Hiding in the place Where the lost things go

Time to close your eyes so sleep can come around
For when you dream you'll find all that's lost is found
Maybe on the moon or maybe somewhere new
Maybe all you're missing lives inside of you

So when you need her touch and loving gaze
Gone but not forgotten is the perfect phrase
Smiling from a star that she makes glow
Trust she's always there watching as you grow
You’ll find her in the place where the lost things go

ALL THE TEARS. Oh, my heart. Every song has a gospel symbol theme. I’m really excited to own the movie and learn all the songs. We bought the soundtrack before we even left the theater, and we enjoyed a pizza dinner with all the Jellis, Grandma, and Uncle Mike afterward. Later that week we watched “Pele” on Netflix, and we highly recommend that, too.

The other big event of the week was our Girls’ Day In Book of Mormon Readathon from 9am-6pm Saturday 12/29. We tried to be obedient and read it by the first, but I won’t finish the BoM until the second or third. Nevertheless, I have experienced so many blessings and insights reading straight through this time. I will try to record them if I can find words, in a separate document. The Jones girls came over and we ate healthy snacks and had a wonderful cold day together reading and snacking and having outbursts like, “Can we all just agree that Fathers’ blessings are the best chapters in the BOM?” (I read from Alma 36 to Helaman 5, so you can guess that was MY outburst ;)). Rich went out to the ranch with the little guys and came home around 6pm with some yummy Chinese take-out. Thoroughly awesome day. And today (Sunday 12/30) was also wonderful. Primary is going great—we had a huge high five after our LAST SHARING TIME EVER today. We had naps and played our new meme game and all is right in the world. Looking forward to celebrating the New year tomorrow with our local loved ones, wishing you all were with us. We wish you a blessed week, a Happy New year, and send you lots of love!

Love, Jamie and Rich and Family

12/17/18: LICENSED DRIVER IN DA' HOUSE!

12/18: Seventh Grade Band Concert

Sweet Baby James on French Horn

Ammon pretending to play brass with the band

Celebratory dinner at Fiesta en Jalisco after the concert 12/18

Our Family Christmas card picture for 2018
Taken Thanksgiving weekend, hanging at the Jones Home.

Keepin' it real
(photos by Robyn- on ig@erobyn)

Our Christmas card 2018 update

12/20: Big smiles watching Home Alone for the first time
(Ammon is in the chair; Niles is on the beanbag in the dark)

This is a photo Aunt Jill sent me of our niece Mairi Layton on 12/21
I laughed and laughed and laughed when I saw it.

Richard and Me on our Christmas Date 12/22

Heidi making crafts on Christmas Eve day 12/23

Christmas bruschetta!

Reading stories on Christmas Eve
Grandma, Kristina, Heidi, TJay, Addie, Lexi

Jess, Mike & Ammon

Rich reading "If You're Missing Baby Jesus"
(until he got too choked up to read)

Jelli cousins in their festive Ugly Sweaters on Christmas Eve

Boys opening their ornaments from Nana and Papa

Kristina, Heidi and Addie exchanging sibling gifts
in matching jammies from the elf

Our brood, all cozy and ready for bed Christmas Eve.

Christmas Day! 12/25: A favorite gift from Uncle Jess

Christmas Day Lego Binge
(lasted for 14 hours)

Christmas Night visit from Neighbor Nick

The last gift of Christmas: fresh snow!
A white Christmas for mommy!

8-hours of Book of Mormon on 12/29

Clara and Addie reading 12/29

On point. ^^^

Our silly make-a-meme game
Played as a family 12/30

Ammon and Dad choosing captions

Addie and Niles choosing captions

FAMILY LETTER 12.16.18

  Dear Loved Ones,                                                                                              

Okay, it has been a long busy month since I last wrote and I seem to do this every holiday season. There is just too much fun to be had on Sunday nights to be tapping away on my keyboard. But I always miss recording important moments. Like all the sweet thoughts shared around the table on St. Lucia Day at a candlelit Swedish dinner. Or the absolute delight of the second grade Christmas Program. Or the fact that we got most of the people on our hayride to sing carols with us at the Downtown Christmas Stroll last weekend. But I will try to recapture some moments here as we approach the Christmas and New Year holidays.

Since my last letter, Adeline turned 17 on Wednesday 11/21 and her cute friends came over early in the morning (it was the first day of TG break) and decorated and made her breakfast at 7:30am—it was so sweet!!! We hosted Thanksgiving for 26 loved ones on 11/22. Dinner was delicious and each of us had two siblings and their families with us, which we LOVED—cousin time is always awesome. My sister Sara’s kids stayed the weekend again and we took them to Museum of the Rockies and made Sand Art Brownies and watched movies and played games before we met up with Sara and Rob (who live in Great Falls) at my brother Matthew’s house in Helena on Sunday night 11/25. We also stopped by to visit my sister Laura, her husband Darrin, and her granddaughter, Lilith. Short but sweet visits with all of them, and felt so grateful for family love.

On Tuesday morning 11/27, Heidi had dental work in Livingston, and Addie had her wisdom teeth extracted in Bozeman. It was pretty fun cuz Kristina and Izzi came along to Bozeman to have silly conversations with Addie while she was drugged up. Her recovery went well and she only felt yucky for 3 or 4 days. Within a week the holes in her mouth were fairly closed and she had just enough coverage left on her dental insurance policy to get it done with no cash charges for us, for which we are extremely grateful, especially around the holidays!

On Friday, 11/30, Addie had her “friend Party,” which was a dinosaur-themed party with a taco dinner and a chocolate dino cake (she made it herself and it was so cool), and also included a lot of singing—they even went caroling to neighbors, and not just Christmas songs. Crazy kids. I suppose it’s better than blowing up mailboxes or skateboarding illegally like SOME hoodlums I know used to do. It’s worth mentioning that during the party, former President George HW Bush passed away. He was the president when I graduated high school and when I left on my mission, and the first president I voted for (in 1992—though he lost to Bill Clinton). I think he was the last truly honorable person to serve as president, may he RIP.  

Saturday 12/1, I hosted my CTR 7/8 class for a pizza and cookie party. They earned it by bringing their scriptures to class and by overall awesomeness, so we decorated cookies and took them to “lonely old people” (their words). While we were planning it, Beatrice Jones asked, “After we give them the cookies, can we sing at their door? And then go inside and talk about Jesus? Because then we will be just like missionaries, oh, I am so excited!” This smooshed my heart big time; having an older sister on a mission is clearly influencing her, and I love how earnest and eager this class has been. I am truly going to miss them…teaching them has been a gift to me from my Heavenly Father. On 12/9 I was called and sustained to serve in the Primary presidency with Sadie Reyna (President) and Janelle Bowden (2^nd Counselor). I still get to be with my kiddos every week, but in a different way. Presidency will be so much easier with the new block—less administrating and sharing time, more time for shepherding and loving!

Anyway, back to 12/2—that was the night of the First Presidency’s Christmas devotional and it was so lovely! I loved how much everyone talked about music. I think as we become more of a Zion society, there will be more music. For real. We had the Wilton family over for tortilla soup and got to know them better. They are a really fun family! Monday 12/3 we had Grandpa and Grandma Melin over for dinner and Family Night. I made a ham dinner with funeral potatoes because the past few funerals we have gone to did not have that meal and we have been missing it! ;) We all put together missionary boxes with treats and winter survival kits (cold remedies, vitamins, hand warmers, etc) and hand-made cards. It was a fun night. On 12/5, we learned about Krampusnacht (see photo) and the next morning (12/6), Kristina gave us all advent calendars full of delicious German chocolate for St. Nicholas Day. Her parents sent so many delightful treats for the family; we love sharing her traditions. Friday 12/7 we attended the Downtown Christmas Stroll, starting with watching Adeline and the Chamber Choir perform at the Murray Hotel. We then walked over to the Pickle Barrel to watch some of James’ band friends play in brass ensembles and get some hot cocoa and soup. After that, we went on the hayride a couple of times. The time I went with Heidi, we got our whole wagonload to sing carols! The next day (Sat 12/8), my brother Matt and his family came over for some cousin Christmas fun. We had pizza for lunch when they arrived, and then we made gingerbread houses. Rich took Matt and Ashley on a barn wood hunt while I stayed and played games with cousins and started dinner (Swedish meatballs and dill potatoes), then we exchanged white elephant gifts (early, before dinner because Addie had to attend a concert), ate dinner, and watched “Elf” by the fire, eating cookies and cocoa. We stayed up late and had a parental chat after the kids went to bed, and attended a wonderful sacrament meeting together the next day. It was super sweet to be with Jake, Sam, and Emily again—it has been a long time since the kids really got to hang out, and I really think they need each other more now. So we will for sure be doing that more often. After church I attended the community choir concert, then after dinner we had a nativity skit practice with the Jelli cousins and the Jones family and our accompanist, Rachel Buniger. Kelli and Robyn did an awesome job costuming the kids and getting things organized for the performance the following Saturday (12/15). Rich was a great stage manager and I did my best to direct. The kids were adorable and their singing just pierced my heart right through! Robyn also commented to me how sweet the evening was—“Tonight just made my Christmas. It was everything.” Beautiful chaos!

Monday 12/10, the Christmas fun continued as we attended the high school choirs Christmas Concert, wherein all three of our girls performed. The music was beautiful and the photo session afterward was its own fun event. We love our girls, and their friends, and their friends’ parents, so these events are always pretty joyful. The following night, I hosted a little surprise birthday gathering for a sister I minister to, Adair, who turned four-oh (shhh), at Gil’s Goods. We had a nice dinner and visit and 8 other sisters came and showered her with love and gifts. It was terribly cold and windy, gusting over 100mph, and the smoke from the wood-fired oven at Gil’s was blowing back down the chimney and out into the restaurant, which made it feel like we were at a campfire…so cozy and fun! I think Adair felt special and loved, and we all had such a pleasant time, which was the goal. Thursday night 12/13, we hosted a St. Lucia Day dinner at our house for our Melin Family. Addie wore her costume and we made a Swedish meatball dinner with potatoes and red Christmas cabbage (which was delicious, and Kristina says they eat in Germany, too), plus Lucy Buns and gingerbread cookies. We ate by candlelight and the big kids shared thoughts and scriptures about light and why all civilizations throughout time have celebrated the winter solstice with festivals of light and how that has been a type and symbol of THE LIGHT of the world, Jesus Christ. Such beautiful time spent with family.

Friday 12/14 there was no school and the girls helped me make some Primary Christmas ornaments and Addie baked Clara a birthday cake for her 18^th birthday party that night. While we were working on ornaments Friday morning, I received an email from the church explaining that instead of advancing on their birthdays, the youth would start advancing through their classes on January first as a group, according to birth year, and that 11 year-olds would start attending youth meetings January 1^st of the year they turn 12. So bye-bye Valiant 11s…you get to be with the youth and be ordained and attend the temple (!!!)—amazing changes, which of course threw us a curve ball as we planned 2019 in Primary—WOW! That afternoon we all attended Niles’ second grade Christmas program, which was so cute. Then we picked up Niles and took the whole gang over to the Shane Center to watch James perform with the middle school drama club in a middle school adaptation of A Christmas Carol called “Three Ghosts and a Jock” or something like that. Heidi is the mentor for the club, so she helped with the show. I felt really proud of both kids for getting involved and staying involved and bringing some drama to SGMS.

Saturday 12/15 we attended our beloved Livingston Ward Christmas Brunch and performed our little nativity for the crowd. It was short and sweet and the kids were just delightful. We were exhausted, though, so we went home and napped a little and did some chores and little Christmasy things the rest of the day. Today was our first day as a presidency in the Primary. I did a little musical sharing time, combined with singing time. We talked about the 4 gifts from Jesus (as mentioned in the first presidency’s Christmas message) and sang songs to remind us of those gifts. Robyn is such a great chorister—we are lucky to have her! I think Primary singing time is the most important and most lasting teaching that happens in the church. The value of a good chorister cannot be over-emphasized, imho.  So here we are, watching Christmas movies by the fire, doing puzzles, eating treats people keep bringing us, soaking up all the Christmasiness of December. I’m super excited for my kids to finally get out of school because all I want to do is stay in our jammies and eat good food and play fun games and watch good movies and sing beautiful music together for like two straight weeks. We wish you all the love and coziness and LIGHT of the season. Have a great week and keep in touch!

 Love, Jamie and Rich and Family

FLASHBACK to 2002: Addie's First Birthday,
2 months after we moved to Livingston

Addie's surprise birthday breakfast with her wonderful pals;
Jeanette Jones lettered this lovely sign

Breakfast Club 11/21/18
Ammon, Addie, Heidi, Clara, Jeanette, S
ummer, Brianna, Izzi, Niles, & TJay

Sweet kids-- such a fun morning!

Later that night (11/21)...Rich took the kids to Chico for Addie's birthday
and I got the turkey in the roaster and set up the house for Thanksgiving

We had a joyful Thanksgiving gathering & the food was so good!
Clockwise from six o'clock:  my bro Matt Post, SIL Ashley Post, my sis Sara Hamlin,  BIL Rob Hamlin, Riley (Ashley's), Matthew Jelli, TJay Jelli, Heidi, (at the back table)  SIL Kelli Melin,  Rich's bro Jess Melin (Jelli), Summer (Jelli), Simon (Jelli), Adair Peacock (friend); (in the middle) Lexi (Jelli), James, Kaylee Hamlin, Rich's bro Mike Melin, Addie, Raef Hamlin; (right table) Brady, Ammon, Cooper, Niles, Kristina, Richard /Jamie

Pictionary with Kaylee, James, and Riley 11/24

Museum of the Rockies with Hamlins 11/24

Quick visit with my sis Laura & Darrin &
Laura's darling granddaughter, Lilith

Addie's 17th Birthday Dino-Friend Party 11/30

Amazingly delicious taco bar

Fun Friends

Addie, Brie, Katerina

Izzi

Jeanette & Clara

Erin

Adele

Chase, Antonio, and TJay

Gathered around for gifts after "caroling"

Party Animal

Makin' missionary boxes for FHE with the grandparents

Addie making notes for missionary boxes 12/3

It's nice to have the grandparents with us! 12/3

Celebrating some fun German traditions.

Niles and Ammon watching Adeline sing at the Christmas Stroll 12/7

Addie, Izzi, and Jeanette after the hayride 12/7

Mom, Heidi, Ammon and Sophia on the hayride 12/7

Sacrament meeting good bye selfies with Uncle Matt and Aunt Ashley 12/9

Flashback to Christmas 2008- sweet baby cousins!

Much bigger, still sweet 12/9/18

Nativity practice 12/9... Simon and Niles as Shepherds

Addie Mary, Beatrice Angel, TJay Joseph, Elanor Angel, Jeanette Angel, Lexi Angel

James as a hairy Wiseman (with Matthew and Rex) 12/9

Post-choir concert photo shoot 12/10 at PHS
Kristina, Lexi, Heidi, and Summer

Jeanette Jones, Olaia Connelly, Adele Welch, Addie, Izzi Petry,
Clara Jones, Brianna Pittman, and Erin Petersen on 12/10

Summer, Kristina, Addie, and Heidi 12/10

Addie and Heidi

FRESHMEN! Ember, Ilana, Heidi, Nick, (?), and Molly 

The choir dads want their pictures taken too!
Lope Jones, Gunnar Petersen, Rich Melin

12/13/18: Happy St. Lucia Day!

Lucia Buns, fresh from the oven -12/13

Candlelight Swedish dinner with
 the Grandparents (Lucia Day Royalty) & Matthew -12/13

Matthew, James, Rich and Ammon at dinner -12/13

Addie/Lucia at dinner - 12/13

Aunt Kelli and Summer sharing a scripture after dinner 12/13

St. Lucia and her littlest star boy 12/13

St. Lucia reading tomten tales with Kristina

Lucia dinner tomten

Christmas Brunch Nativity Sat. 12/15

L-R: Kristina, Heidi, Niles as shepherds, James, Rex and Matthew as three kings; Addie and TJay
as Mary & Joseph with Beatrice the angel with the star; Elanor, Jeanette, and Lexi as Angels.