20 Years Today!

wedding photo

Twenty years ago today my dad walked me down the aisle into Jan’s arms.

I, Melinda, take you Jan…”

That was the moment I had dreamed about for years. Jan was the man I had hoped for, prayed for and waited for.

To have and to hold from this day forward…”

We were young and in love – with our future together all figured out.

Now, 20 years later, I look back and smile.

“For better or worse…”

We’ve been through lay-offs, unemployment, moves, new jobs, illness, depression, droughts, floods, and a 10 year (and counting) house renovation.

We’ve survived 5 pregnancies, labors, and deliveries followed by 17 years of parenting.

We saw dreams come true, miracles happen, and God’s hand of blessing.

We’ve had less “richer” than “poorer“,  but also less “sickness” than “health“.

We’ve laughed together, cried together, and sat quietly together when no words were necessary.

“To love, honor and to cherish from this day forward…”

His hand is the one I reach for, the shoulder I cry on, the smile I melt over.

He is my best friend.

…until death do us part.

Commitment.

A Golden Ticket to Adventure

Summers are for making memories, taking adventures, and exploring new places.

Which is just what Dagmar and Angel Girl did!

Dagmar celebrated her Golden birthday just a few weeks ago, and Angel Girl celebrated hers last year. As a special “Golden Gift” Poppa and Nana got them tickets for the Laura Ingalls pageant in Walnut Grove, Minnesota and took them up for a special weekend.

The Little House books and the show were huge favorites of mine growing up! My girls were both raised with massive doses of both, so a trip to a Little House site is a little like a pilgrimage. :)

Yes, Mom was a kinda jealous.

I got to stay home.

With all the boys.

Cooking massive amounts of food by myself and watching millions of episodes of Man Vs. Wild.

Not that I’m complaining or anything. :)

No, actually, I was thrilled for them! It was such a special trip for the two of them as sisters!

PLUM

They visited the site of the dugout and even waded in the creek like Laura and Mary. (No sign of the giant crab however!)

CREEK

They took time to find the bridge that we had a picnic on as a family a few years ago when we visited. (I personally love this picture! When did my baby girls get so grown-up and beautiful?)

cast

They loved, loved, loved the pageant! They took some pictures during the show – but every picture included the back of the head of the guy in front of them (who really needed a neck trim!) But after the show they got to pose with the entire Ingalls family (at least the pageant family!)

They enjoyed some time in Walnut Grove the next day – including seeing Alison Angrim (she played Nellie Oleson on the TV show) and touring the museum – before heading to the Twin Cities and COUSINS!

JUMP

How’s that for an end of the summer hurrah?!

A Golden Birthday Surprise!

We have a birthday double-header every July with Pedro’s birthday on the 15th and Dagmar’s on the 16th.

This year is extra special with Dagmar turning sweet 16 on the 16th – making it her golden birthday.

We couldn’t let this special day go by without something special – so we cooked up a little surprise – 3 of her favorite cousins!

Balloon Faces

It was logistical feat of genius to get these gals here – one lives 4 hours away, one 3 hours and one 2 hours – and none of them drive.  But the look on my daughter’s face said that all the phone calls and secret conversations were worth it!

Oh the craziness that is happening in my house right now!

Vuvuzela

One niece brought her vuvuzela (or stadium horn – just like those they played at the World Cup Soccer Games). It’s been heard now in every corner of my house and all over the property. I wonder what the Amish neighbor’s think?!

I dropped the girls off at the local thrift store this morning while I got groceries (yes – we’ve gone through a lot of food!).

They had a blast at the “Fill a bag for 50 cents” sale! I picked them up one hour and $2 later.

They’ve filmed a movie, ate bunches of food, played frisbee, had a water fight, cartwheeled across the yard, picked blackberries, and celebrated 2 birthdays.

I think they even slept – at least a little!

Happy birthday Sweet Sixteen! May all your birthdays be this golden!

Slumber Party – Round 2

The addition of 8 extra children made it another full weekend here! But what a fun one!

My sweet friend Cinnamon trusted me to watch her children again (you may remember the Toxic Slumber Party of a few weeks ago!) while she and her husband had a much needed weekend away before he is deployed to Afghanistan in a couple of weeks.

Nuby

I can’t believe she actually shared this adorable little guy with me for 2 days and expected me to give him back!

Let me tell you – that belly was made for “bubbling”!

Pop-cyicles

The weather was great – sunny but not too hot and humid. Perfect for popsicles and playing outside!

You may notice that Angel Girl and Grace are quite dressed up.  The older kids worked together and filmed 2 hilarious videos over the weekend.

Late prince

All of our dress up clothes were brought out and used – we like to pick up odd and random items at thrift stores and garage sales to make our movies more interesting!

This child shall remain anonymous although I will tell you that his name begins with a “G”.

Oh wait – all the kids have names that start with a “G”! :) And they have more nicknames than any other family I have ever known! Bob, Nubby, Lolli, Figgy, Gigi…the list goes on and on.

Trust me – it could get really confusing to an outsider!

Granton

Didn’t I tell you this little guy is adorable? He’s also a little parrot – repeating whatever you say.

Sunday morning in church he was sitting on my lap when his sister asked to be excused. He looked at me and said “Where go?”

I whispered, “She had to go potty.”

“Ohh”, he answered quite loudly, “Potty. Potty. Potty. Potty.”

There were definitely some chuckles around us! :)

LG

Yep. It was a pretty crazy weekend! Lots of laughter, lots of food and too little sleep!

And no stomach flu!

Success!

Family Camping

We had another amazing all-family camp-out weekend! With the crazy fun people I’m related to – what else could you expect! :)

Every year we rent the group camp area at a State Park – complete with a kitchen/dining hall, small cabins, and our own bathhouse.

We heard about a little worried this year when we heard several reports about flooding at the park. They were true. The only road through the park was still covered with flood water. The week before they had to evacuate the campground in the middle of the night as the river started to rise. But the our group camp area was on high ground and still open – so we had the entire park to ourselves!

The first day we took a hike to see the high water – it had receded quite a bit, and left behind amazing sights – like a picnic table 6 foot up in a tree – and a deep gumbo -like mud.

It also left behind mosquitoes! Lots of mosquitoes. Big mosquitoes. Bug spray was our friend. I lost count of many bottles we used up. By the time we came home some of my kids looked like they had chicken pox!

But we still had fun hiking the trails that were open and spending time playing in the creek. What is it about water and rocks that makes guys want to build a dam? And mud that makes kids want to cover themselves with it? :)

We even squeezed a hot dog roast and sparklers in the first day – which was a good thing – since the second day was a total wash! It rained all day.

But that didn’t stop us! We had a special church service, played lots of games and even had an “Improv Night”!  Each family brought a bag of random props, we exchanged them and had about 10 minutes to come up with a skit using them. It was hilarious!

But then the whole weekend was filled with laughter and fun. That’s what happens when you spend time with people you love.

Memories happen.

A special thanks to my niece Faith for the pictures!