Ben and Mackenzie

Bryan's younger brother, Ben, got married Oct. 10th. Here are some pictures of the event!!

The boys walking in...or rather, dancing....to a Michael Jackson song.

Their little sister, Sydnie, was the flower girl and dressed just like the bride. All 3 brothers were crying as she was walking down the aisle. I dont look at the bride when she comes down the aisle...I like to look at the groom and the smile on his face. Ben's was priceless!Ben and MackenzieOur cute little family "Aunt" Sydnie, Bryan's little sister, and the girlsCody, Bryan and Ben The girls favorite part of the night was the dancing, and boy did they do a lot of it. Favorite dance partner? Daddy, of course. I did a little, but I was feeling a litte sick, so they stuck with daddy most of the night.

September 29

My grandfather had been sick for a while. But recently, it had gotten worse and he was diagnosed with leukemia. It took over fast and within a couple of weeks, he passed. He knew it was his time and he was at peace. He was able to have all of his 5 girls together to say goodbye and he had led a wonderful life. So, we made the trip up to Wheaton, Il for the services. The whole family was able to make it...all the cousins and spouses and great-grandchildren were there. Some of us, including myself, had the opportunity to speak at the funeral and share some of grandpa's favorite scriptures.

As sad of a time as it was, it was good to see the family. The kids had a great time with thier cousins, my sisters children. I was able to spend some good time with my sister, who lives on the complete opposite side of the country, Washington. We went to a favorite spot growing up in Wheaton...Cosley Park!Lisa's kids and my girlsThe kids decided to have a "sleepover" in the living room one night. I was surprised that they were all asleep by 10pm!All of the cousins, spouses, and great grandchildren, with grandmaThinking about fhe plane ride home made me nervous. I flew alone with the kids on the way up, and the way back home, I was alone with them as well. I thought they would be horrid, but they were so good! They listened to music and didn't fight at all!!!!

First things first....

Well, I am trying to upload all the pictures from the past 3 months. But, before I do that... Most of you already know, Melick baby #4 is on its way! Thats right...sometime in June!!!

We are back. Our computer is fixed and up and running. I have SO much to catch up on. 3 months worth of updates. So....stay tuned!!!! Lots of pictures to go along with the updates so we dont bore you in the process.

We are still here...kinda. Our computer completely broke and until we get it fixed...who knows when that is...I am doing work at the library. Lots of updates to come....hopefully soon!!!

This used to hang in my house growing up, and now I have it in my kids room...

Cleaning and scrubbing can wait til tomorrow, Babies grow up, we've learned to our sorrow So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep, I'm rocking my baby, and babies dont keep. I never really understood it until I had my own children....

So, what have you been up to?

You would think with Hana and Maddison in school, it would give me so much more time to get things done, like cleaning and the massive piles of laundry. No, I dont do that. Instead, we play! Chloe has LOVED having me to herself. So, this is what we have been up to.....blowing bubbles, going swimming, going to the library, looking out my bedroom window to see if "Mr. Spider" is still there...because if he is, that means he is NOT in my bed!

Waiting for long periods of time in the car rider line for the girls at school...getting slurpee's and talking to friends on the phone while waiting in car rider line...seeing aligators while picking up the girls at school...yes, he was outside, across the street from where we pick them up!Pulling massive amounts of weeds...before....After...Chasing Big Redplaying dress up

finger paintingplaying with the webcam when the computer was broken...the camera still worked! and finally, we sleep. She was so worn out one day, that she fell asleep like this...notice the undone laundry next to her!!!!Stay tuned for more exciting adventures!!!!

Just another day....

Living here, there are lots of animals all around us, thanks to the Munns. So, I constantly have people coming to our door for different reasons. One day, a lady came running up and said "you know your big black animal that is out there?" "Oh, you mean the WATER buffalo?" "Yeah. I think he may be in trouble. I just saw him walk down to the lake and he went under water! Do you think he is ok?" "Yes, mam, he is a WATER buffalo. That is what they do."

Well, one day a couple weeks ago, I was leaving to go take Chloe swimming, when a truck pulled in our driveway. A man jumped out and said he saw the water buffalo and the longhorn fighting and now the longhorn was running down Pine Grove Rd towards 192 and there was no one out there except a little mexican man trying to chase him. So, I drove out and sure enough, poor Jorge was trying to coax Big Red with a bag of food. It wasnt working. I got Bryan out there, Daniel came, and a few neighbors and I chased him with the car. He ended up going into some peoples back yards...

He headed down Pine Grove rd....and the guys would try and get him while I blocked him off with my car. It took a while, lots of traffic, some close calls with a few trucks, but they finally got him back to the pen.

Chloe thought it was funny!

Never a dull moment, I tell you!

First Day

School started already. Can you believe it? That was a quick summer. It is going to be thier 4th week already. I am very pleased with the teachers they both have this year. Maddison loves her teacher, but still wants me to walk her to class every morning and cries when I drop her off, but her teacher says she is fine the minute I leave. She is a little social butterfly, though. We walk through the halls and everyone stops and waves to her and will tell their parents "thats my best friend, Maddison". I have watched her through the window several times after I leave, and she is always talking to someone...which makes me feel good. I was told last year she needs to work on her social skills. Obviously, she has worked on them.

Hana, on the other hand, is up before I am in the morning, ready to go. She loves school. She doesnt want me to walk her, she has to be dropped off outside so she can walk herself. She loves when Maddison lets her take her to class. And, she comes home and tells me every day that she didnt get any tallies that day....basically, if you are talking or do something wrong, you get a tally...depending on the number of tallies....you get notes home, lose recess time, and so on. So, supposedly, she is the only on in her class who has never recieved a tally.

The only thing they dont like is the fact that they have to wear a uniform this year. Hana is alright with it, but Maddison despises it. She likes to express herself in her clothes and hates to wear the same thing as everyone else. That is when she goes and gets her silver sparkly shoes!

I am back

and I am a certified computer geek. It is so crazy to think how much you rely on the computer/internet until it becomes unavailable. We contracted some viruses...16 to be exact...well, maybe more, but at least 16. Dont know how, but we got them. After countless hours of trying to remove them, anti-virus programs, anti-spyware, blah blah blah, I gave up and our computer shut down, completely. No Windows, no internet...nothing. My only connection to the outside world....sad, I know. But really, when you have friends and family...my sister (my BEST friend) lives in Washington, so when I can talk, she cant, and when she can, I cant....3 hour time difference....it becomes hard to chat and email and all that jazz. The realization that I had to pick up a phone and CALL...ugh. My phone minutes have run up...sorry Bryan. So, now I am rambling. Anyway, it has been a rough few weeks...feels like a month. Well, I figured it out tonight. Thanks to my dear friend, Heather, who spent all afternoon...with a house full of 9 kids yelling and screaming and dancing and singing...we got it figured out, for the most part. When I got home, I just was not satisfied, so I messed around some more. I removed the anti-virus program and voila....the computer is back to running perfect. Who knew???? So now, the fun begins. A lot has happened in the past 2 weeks. The girls started school, Big Red, the longhorn, got out and was chased down Pine Grove Rd....oh, many pictures to come. I am just happy to be back!!!!!