FAMILY LETTER 03.17.19

Dear Loved Ones,        

Top o’ the morning to ya! We are doing home church all day today because Niles and Ammon have ridiculous coughs. These boys bark all night long and I wake up in a panic cuz it sounds like they can’t breathe, so I lose sleep, but they wake up at 7 or 8am like nothing happened and run me ragged. Every. Time. Today we are taking it easy while Daddy and the bigs are at church. We just read some stories and started cooking the corned beef and cabbage for a big family dinner tonight for St. Paddy’s day.

I’m reflecting on the past two weeks realizing not much has changed. There’s still 3 feet of snow outside, even though the storm is long gone and the sun has been out. The borders of the snow hills are melting from underneath and the streets are full rivulets running down toward the river. I pray the melt continues slowly even though the ice and snow are so annoying. When it melts too fast the flooding is ridiculous. As it is, I think the Missouri and Mississippi are going to flood with all the snow pack out here.

I guess the major developments are that the girls auditioned for “Beauty and the Beast” on March 5^th. Only a few freshmen were cast, and Heidi was passed over, which broke my heart a little because we all know she’s the best 9^th grade singer 😉 but Kristina and Addie were cast in the chorus of townspeople, and our Clara Bella got the lead as Belle. So they will be busy with that through mid-May.

In the middle of the week (3/8) I got a text from my half sister Rhonda telling me her mother (my stepmother at one point) had died and they were in Idaho going through her belongings. Turns out she had died 4 weeks earlier and had only been found on March 4^th. She had struggled with mental illness for a long time and her children were pretty much estranged from her, but I still felt heartsick for her and for them—no matter how crazy things have been, no one should die alone. So sad. We weren’t able to go down for her services, but I would have, to support my siblings because I love them so much and they really got the short end of the stick as far as family goes—we definitely love and need each other!

I spent a good chunk of time between 3/4 and 3/10 helping Addie collect video footage and editing it for the Educator Awards night on 3/13. She and Clara and TJay served on a Stake committee, advised my me and the public affairs committee, that presented awards to two teachers who best support and exemplify standards found in “For the Strength of Youth.” Clara and Addie MC’ed the evening and did a really great job. Their teachers felt very honored and there were quite a few people enjoying time together who otherwise wouldn’t set foot inside our church building. Mission accomplished. It will be even “awesomer” next year now that we know what we are doing. And I will remember to take pictures ☹ On 3/14 James played in the worlds shortest band concert (12 minutes) and we took him and cousin Matthew out for ice cream. I also got to go on a date with him to a sing-along matinee of “Mama Mia” where we enjoyed the music in spite of the terrible plot. He’s in the thick of being an Annoying Deacon, but I have faith that he will come through it and turn back into my sweet boy. And have acceptable personal hygiene without being dragged to the shower, lol.

This is such a weird time of year. The girls have been struggling with illness and school (mid-terms), and I think we all have a touch of the S.A.D. from this eternal winter. I’ve had some one-on-one time with them this week, just working on their future plans, mental and emotional health, spiritual growth checks—you know, mom maintenance. My girls are so different from each other but amazing and so full of kindness and selflessness under the crusty outer layers. I’m sad for the extra hurt they experience because they are so sensitive, but I am also glad that these experiences will make them less likely to ever be the sort of teenage girl who hurts the people around her when she is so self-absorbed. They have their moments, but I know it could be SO.MUCH.WORSE. They’ve got big plans… “I want a girl who gets up early/I want a girl who stays up late/ I want a girl with uninterrupted prosperity/who uses a machete to cut through red tape/with fingernails that shine like justice…” I started singing “Short Skirt/Long Jacket” by Cake to them, but they didn’t get it. Parenting fail (this was fixed immediately, btw; they will know it by heart soon).

I wish I had more inspiring things to say (it’s Monday morning now), but I had a very weird night’s sleep, full of strange dreams and leg cramps and concerns—not worry, just, you know, the 5-ton weight of parenting—so I haven’t much to share, except that families are where it’s at. Gospel living brings unspeakable joy and peace even in the face of life’s biggest curve balls. The best thing we can give each other is a soft place to fall and help back up on our feet, because fall we will, for certain, and we recover best when we can bounce of the unconditional love of family and friends-that-feel -like-family, and rely on ther mercy and merits of Him who is mighty to save and is The Source and unconditional love.

We love and miss you all. Wishing you all a wonderful week, full of SPRING SUNSHINE!

Love, Jamie and Rich and Family

Back in the snowpocalypse (first week of March)

The sun came out...

...but the snow isn't going anywhere! (Ammon 3/12)

Addie, Jeanette, and Clara at auditions 3/5

The first of a few not-good photos I took of the Awards night.
This is one of the awards that was presented

Setting up Tuesday night 3/12
with Ranger Purple and Gold

More from Tuesday set-u-...so grateful for help from Robyn Tyner, Kelli,
Rich, Matt Johnson, Greg Fawcett and my kids (not pictured)

Members of the PHS Chamber Singers came and sang "Angels Among Us"
It was very sweet; I should have mic'ed them tho.

Heidi my minstrel on a Sunday afternoon

Silly Ammon in the tub

Hanging out on a Sunday night: Niles, Addie's new fella Kenyon, and Addie

Forgot to mention in the letter: Dad Melin was hospitalized and put back on his CLL medications after a terrible bout of pneumonia. Of course he was fully dressed and refusing to sit down when we stopped by to visit 3/9. He went home on 3/11.

St. Paddy's dinner with cousins-- Addie and Lexi

Simon, Ammon, and Niles

TJay and Jess

Matthew and James

The luckiest little leprechaun!
Grandma brought green jello!

Also failed to mention in the letter that my dishwasher died and I got a new one.
I'm still making friends with it.

C'est moi!

I tell my kids this on the daily

FAMILY LETTER 03.02.19

Dear Loved Ones,

We are writing to you from our snow cave under 3 feet of snow, from which we dare not emerge into the below-zero temperatures which blew in right after the blizzard, thanks to an “arctic blast.” We have burned through most of our wood, but we have been cozy and mostly unscathed (except for getting stuck repeatedly at the end of our own driveway in the mountain of snow left by the snow plows). It has been a good week to stay in, and not just because of the weather—Influenza A has been rampant in our town as well. I think we may have a mild case of it at home, as all of the kids have run fevers and had body aches and sore throats this week. But I’m sure it would have been worse if they had been running around at school and going to activities this week.

Before Snowpocalypse-2019, we had a lovely weekend in Provo, Utah for Brittany’s wedding. We took Addie’s BFF Clara and left early, between snow storms, and we had clear roads 95% of the way. We met the Parks Family in Idaho Falls at Chick-Fil-A for dinner on Valentine’s night, which was perfect because Ammon has a crush on Emma Parks and he brought her a rose 😉 We spent the night in Pocatello with Papa Jim and Grandma Becky. It was super fun to catch up with them. Dad made us a yummy breakfast and we left around 10am on 2/15 for Provo. We rented an Airbnb house in Provo and we intended to drive straight there and check in, but traffic was terrible, so we went to IKEA around 1:30pm and got the boys some new bedding and grabbed some lunch. The traffic was even worse when we left IKEA, so we headed down Redwood Road and visited Petersens. We had a family dinner planned there anyway, and we realized we couldn’t drive down to Provo and back to Lehi in the traffic so we went early for some cousin time. Our boys are always so excited to see Jack and Ben, and we got the bonus of Nana and Papa and Uncle Sam’s family later, as well. We had a fun night catching up, eating salad and pizza and laughing with cousins. We headed down to our house in Provo around 9pm. James and Niles stayed over with Petersens. Saturday morning 2/16, Rich ran down to Trader Joe’s to get us groceries for the weekend while the girls and I started getting ready for the wedding. Rich and I left around 9 to attend a session at the Provo City Center temple before Britt’s & James’ sealing at 1pm. The session was lovely and the temple was gorgeous. Our hearts were full remembering our own sealing as we celebrated our 18^th anniversary on February 17^th.  It was nice to hear new words in the sealing ceremony and to hear the insights from the sealer to Brittany and James. They are sweet and humble kids, fresh from the mission field, focused on living the gospel, with the whole world at their feet. They are going to be good companions and great parents. I am so excited for them. I have loved James since Britt first told us about him in 2016 and we saw photos of them together, but I haven’t had a chance to really get to know him. Rhett (Britt’s dad) shared some heart felt thoughts about James with me and we had a good cry. Rhett gave James what I believe to be the highest praise for an in-law: “He’s all the things you hope for your children, you know?” OH YES I DO KNOW, Rhett. And I am so exquisitely happy for The Caspers and The Gardners. What a JOYFUL union. Petersens and our kids met us outside the temple after the wedding, and came to the reception later, too. It’s always fun to hang out with Jill and Drew and there is just never enough time to catch up!

After the sealing we, had a very late lunch at a hole-in-the-wall Mexican place with Todd, Heidi, and their girls. It was such a fun visit, and never long enough. Rich took Kristina and the little boys back to the rental while I ran some errands with Addie, Clara, and James. We all met up at this cute reception center barn in Mapleton and had a fun, sweet, and simple reception. There was pie instead of cake and lots of happy dancing and visiting and hugging. There is no group of people I love more than our Young Ones Family—they are as precious to me as my blood family and my in-law family, and they bring me so much joy. I am especially grateful now that Erin has graduated, for all the times we have spent (and will spend) in the temple together. The friendship between our kids is an especially sacred gift to me; I hope it will sustain them throughout their lives, just as the love between Heidi, Erin, and I has sustained me.

Sunday morning 2/17 (Anniversary!), Heidi and her family had to head back to California, but Rich and I took our kids to church in Provo with Heidi’s mom Ellen (Mama B) and Heidi’s sister Jeanne (my roommate before Heidi) and Heidi’s brother Rob and his wife Georgia. On the way, we picked up Heidi’s eldest son, Sam, to join us (he’s living in a BYU house with his Roseburg bandmates).  After church we shared lunch and had a long edifying talk while the kids painted and played with the dogs. Georgia shared a home-keeping podcast with me and we had a sweet talk about marriage and all the ideas attending a sealing the day before had brought up. Rich took the little boys home for a nap and the rest of us followed around 3:30. We had invited friends over to visit us at the rental Sunday night so we wouldn’t have to drive around all day, but Rich ended up taking the boys to visit Matt Stoker while the girls and I stayed in, waiting to visit with Lisa Reed while we watched Victoria and ate Trader Joe’s California rolls. It was a good night. Monday 2/18 we packed up and headed home so Clara could make it to 6pm rehearsal. The roads were fine til we got to the Montana state line, then they were snow-packed and the sky was gray. But we made it home safely and on time.

Tuesday 2/19, I was in a total post-trip funk, but I managed to unpack all the suitcases and the IKEA bedding and wash it all and make the boys’ new bed. I didn’t want to go to the store, but the only fresh produce I had were sweet potatoes and onions and some questionable spinach. What I DID have was a bunch of fun new spices from TJs and some coconut cream, so I made some Indian Butter Chicken, but stirred in some coconut cream to the tomato curry base. People…it was DIVINE. There is something about Indian food that is so warming. I think it’s the ultimate comfort food. I’m including my not-so-well-written recipe (see photos) in case you care to try. It’s guaranteed to make you cozy! Wednesday and Thursday 2/20-2/21 were more of the same. Rich and James went with the YM to a laser tag activity on Wednesday night but the girls stayed home because their activity was scheduled for Saturday-A sledding trip up Mill Creek. Thursday James had an orthodontist appointment in Bozeman and Heidi needed to shop for a few things, so I picked them up, and Ammon, and took them to Bozeman at 2:30. We shopped and went to the ortho and picked up some Papa Murphy’s Pizzas for dinner and headed home. There was no school Friday, so the kids had a bunch of friends over to watch movies. Heidi and Kristina started a Harry Potter marathon on Thursday night that lasted until Saturday night! But the wintery weather made watching movies by the fire seem like the best way to spend a weekend!

The girls did make it out on their fun sledding trip on Saturday 2/23, before the SNOWPOCALYPSE-2019 descended upon us on Sunday night. Saturday evening the Joneses came over to share another batch of butter chicken and a big platter of fresh veg and fresh hummus. It was the coziest of evenings, but Robyn and Rex got sick overnight and couldn’t make it to church on Sunday 2/24. This is always a tragedy for me because Robyn is such a great Primary chorister and it’s hard to sub for her. She has a gift for teaching the kids not just music, but all the things of the Spirit. I awkwardly tried to fill-in by reviewing the words to “I’m Trying to Be Like Jesus” with the kids and challenging them to return and report each week on the ways they are trying to be like Jesus. Their teachers will talk to them about their efforts and help them to put little paper footprints up on the wall, starting at our portrait of Jesus and making a path all around the room by the end of the year. Hopefully that idea sticks. I sure do love that song, and I love the fiery Spirit that has been present in Primary this year. I feel like Heavenly Father is pouring out a special witness on these kids. It’s like nothing I have ever experienced before, and sometimes I expect to turn and see angels or flames or something, the Spirit in the room is so strong. I know those children are precious to God and he is preparing them to do great things in His name.

Monday 2/25 I felt ambitious to really get my house in order, especially by cleaning up the kitchen and refrigerator. I needed to do a menu and a big Costco shop, but didn’t feel like shopping Monday, so I just cleaned. It felt great. I rewarded myself with some time to stitch some baptism pillows for the plethora of nieces and nephews I have being baptized this year (including Niles). It was relaxing to listen to podcasts and create. The kids came home and the boys helped Rich fill the wood box because the snow was forecast to continue all week, leaving a foot or two on the ground, and we might be housebound. The forecast was right this time. It started snowing harder and harder Monday, but we made it out to see the girls’ choir concert at the school. They did an awesome job and we were glad to get home as the snow really started dumping that night. I sent Addie to the store because I had a feeling I wouldn’t be going to Costco anytime soon. She brought home plenty of staples and snacks and fresh fruits and veg, because not only are we battling snow, we are battling colds and influenza as well.

Addie and Niles missed school on Tuesday 2/26; it snowed all day and I seriously barely made it home from picking up the other kids in a 4WD Outback, made for driving in snow! It was just so dang deep and not plowed! I told Ammon’s teachers we wouldn’t be coming to school til the snow let up and they said they and some other teachers who live out of town had to get hotels because the highways were closed. I gathered up my little chickens and prepared to stay home, even if Wednesday was a school day (the rarely call school days here because NOBODY wants to make them up in June—we get like 80 nice days per year, we are NOT spending one of them inside a stinkin’ school!). However, they DID call Snow Day for Wednesday 2/27…the first and only snow day since 1989!!! Addie and Kristina had planned an after-school birthday party for Katerina (the other exchange student from Austria), so they had all day to get ready for that. Addie had some friends over to watch a movie in the afternoon, then they surprised Katerina at 4 and partied until the other kids had to go to rehearsal for “Mama Mia!” The snow was RIDICULOUS, and it just kept falling. Youth activities were cancelled, obviously.

The only improvement in the weather is that it got up above zero instead of being below zero for a few days, so school was back on Thursday, even though we couldn’t get out of our driveway without digging help, and the kids were feeling sick. So we ended up staying in on Thursday and Friday as well. Heidi went to school on Friday 3/1, but she was the only one. Friday night, we had a Girls’ Date to the opening night of “Mama Mia!” Rich took the boys out to Rib and Chop House for burgers and pasta, then they rented “First Man.” We girls went to Mustang Foods for dinner before the show and it was AMAZING! Addie said, “Mom there are tears in my eyes because my food is so good!” She had salmon over veg couscous. I had a citrus pistachio salad and crisp fried pork belly over kimchi with matchstick veg and sauce. Heidi had filet mignon with potato fries and grilled romaine. Kristina had roasted chicken over orzo with peas. Even my little appetizer of gluten free crackers with shallot butter was dreamy. We slid through the snow to The Shane Center to see the show and it was DELIGHTFUL! Lots of Addie’s good friends are in the show, which made it extra fun. They boys especially made us laugh til we cried. I think we will go back to see it at one of the sing-along matinees (since we were singing along anyway). We drove Clara home and returned safely to our house just as the snow started falling. Again.

I snuggled up with Richard around midnight. No sooner had we dozed off, than Ammon came in our room after coughing til he barfed. We cleaned up his bed and changed him and he fell asleep between us. His fever shot up and he threw up one more time, then we all slept soundly from 2am-8am Saturday 3/2. Rich got up and removed some snow and refilled our wood box before the kids or I woke up. We did some Saturday chores, watched movies and played games by the fire, and stayed in yet another day (it really is way too cold to enjoy playing in the snow, but shoveling gives us fresh air and exercise).

The kids had as assembly with Alex Sheen. Turns out Kristina filled out
a promise card from him last year in Germany, promising herself she would
 do an exchange year in America and this year, WHILE ON SAID EXCHANGE,
 she got to meet Alex. AWESOME!

Alex and Heidi

James, Alex, Heidi

Valentine's Breakfast before roadtrip

Dictator LOVE

I drove the GIRL CAR to Idaho 2/14

Dinner in Idaho Falls with The Parks

Addie, Emma, Mitch, Clara, Kristina, and Heidi

Ammon with his Valentine, Emma 2/14

Dad and me, Friday morning 2//15

Mark and Mom at Jill's house 2/15

Jill, Mom, and Me 2/15

Addie and Clara at Jill's 2/15

Sam and Me 2/15

Sam and Mairi 2/15
with Niles' snake puppet

Niles with his snake puppet 2/15

Isabelle, Sam, and Owen at Jill's 2/15

Mairi and Ammon 2/15

Kristina and Heidi dying each other's hair
at our rental 2/15

Clara making cocoa
at our rental 2/15

Happy Wedding Day! 2/16

Addie, Eliza, Tarah, and Brittany at Provo City Temple
2/16 - Young Ones 2.0

Maggie and Addie at the temple
2/16- Young Ones 2.0

Brittany and Amon

Brittany and James

Brittany and Niles

Maggie and Lily Egan 

Maggie and Lily with Britty
2/16- Young Ones 2.0

Crazy Aunties! Me and Heidi with our Britty - 2/16

Mr. & Mrs. James Gardner
*all the heart eyes*

Heidi, James, Brittany, Me

Chasta, James, Brittany, Rhett

Daddy Daughter 

Heidi, Brittany, Me
Auntie kisses!

Reception Time! 2/16 in Mapleton

Half the Egan Family- Todd, Sam, Lily, Mags

James and Sam

Rich and Drew
BROS

Drew and Jill

Jill and Heidi

Sam and Addie Jitterbugging

James dancing

Bouquet toss!

Sunday afternoon at Buchert Tribal Headquarters
Heidi, Jeanne, James, Me, and Ellen (Mama B) -2/17

Kristina made friends with Moxie

Tongues out means I love you

This is what happens when you snap selfies on my phone
Addie and Clara 2/17

Clara Bella 2/17

Heidi smoochies

James and the dog

Me, Georgia, Rob, and Moxie in a perfect family photo- 2/17
***

Our snowed-in twist on Butter chicken

Sleepy Ammy

Boys Room finally done!

Girls' Choir Concert 2/25

Kristina got to translate their beautiful German song.

Ilana, Summer, Remy, Rose, Kristina, and Heidi

Heidi and Ilana

Ember, Kristina, Ilana, Rose, Heidi, Remy

Kristina, Sophia, Ilana, Heidi= besties

Three Musketeers 2/25
***

Niles and Ammon checking out the back deck during
SNOWPOCALYPSE 2019

Playing Games on our first Snow Day in 30 years 2/27

Playing Telestrations at Kat's birthday party 2/27

Girls' Night Out 3/1- Dinner at Mustang

Opening Night 03/01/19--such a fun show!

Me in winter.
And always, pretty much, let's be honest.
But everyone excels at SOMETHING :)