Tuffy!

Hey everyone,
Congratulations Julie and John on Joyce, I can't wait to meet, see, hold her, she sounds so sweet. Emilie, Marc, adn Stephen it looks like you had so much fun in New York!
I just wanted for all of you to know that I got a new horse named Tuffy, she is a paint that ain't, 10 years old, she is so sweet/gentle, kind, so much fun to ride and i love her so much, Kay is doing awsome, and so is Sammy. Thank you so much Mom and Dad for letting me get Tuffy, she is part of our family like Kay and Sam. I miss you all so much and I am doing well with everything/ school-work-horses/dogs, etc. Anyways I am sorry but I need to go out and feed Tuffy, Kay and Sammy, So I will write more later. I miss you all so much. I love you all so much,
love always,
Mels
I will try to get pictures of Tuffy on the blog as soon as I can and of Kay and Sammy.
I am so glad that we are a family forever, that we are so close, and for the many blessings, good luck!
I love you all so much!

New York

Pictures from our weekend...and a video!

Presenting...

Our new little girl raced into our lives with little advance warning! Last Thursday evening, Julie’s Braxton Hicks really intensified and by midnight, we realized that they were not only getting stronger, but also longer and just minutes apart. We called our midwife to let her know what was going on. She was interested, but told us to take a shower and relax and perhaps things would calm down. Well the shower was relaxing and ended up helping Julie’s cervix open even further. The contractions lengthened, strengthened and now were down to a minute a part. We called our midwife again at 2am after a combo throw-up/water breaking moment. Julie and I continued to labor together while our midwife and her assistant were setting up. Julie began pushing around 4 and our baby was born just after 5 early Friday morning – 5 lbs 10 oz. Our little family is doing great. We’re resting and are just amazed at one happened. Julie and I woke from a nap on Friday afternoon and were fishing through what was real and what felt like a dream. We’re happy to have woken up to see our baby girl between us. Our midwife, Mary Helen and her assistant, Summer, were absolutely incredible. Mary Helen spent a little extra time with us on Friday to ensure everything with our early baby was fine. We love them so much. Mary Helen was the first person we met in Bloomington and we are forever grateful for that!

We’re naming our baby Joyce Nally Searcy after a dear Searcy family friend. Julie and I tried several different name combinations, but we kept coming back to Joyce. When we put Nally in, it felt so right. We hope that she will be the kind, loving, sweet, and generous person Sister Nally was to our family.

Today was the Martin Luther King holiday and I didn't have to work. The weather was perfect -- very rare this time of year in Seattle -- so I suggested we go for a good snowshoe hike in the mountains. Rebekah has had a bad flu bug and did not want to go and she wanted Rosie to stay with her. Andrew opted to stay with Rosie and Rebekah and for some reason Melanie chose not to participate in this hike.

So Paul, Alsine, Evie and I headed up to Crystal where there is something like 90 inches of snow. We started at the lodge and headed up just off some of the ski trails. In places the powder was so light and fluffy that even with our snow shoes we sank almost to our knees. The sun was out in full force and the mountains were in all their glory. It was a day we will not soon forget. I have included a couple of pictures from the day to give you a feel for what we enjoyed.

I also attached a photo of Andrew and Sam down by the river.

To the Fam,
I've recently been taking some sweet photos (if I do say so myself). The first is a pending lawsuit BYU is going through. The second one of the more successful spike guys. Then we have some cylinders I've been working on for a while. These didn't turn out to be exactly what I wanted (I was actually going for more of a cityscape...) but I think their interesting. If you zoom in, they look like photos of celestial bodies, or groups of galaxies or something. The final photos are some vases who's siblings are in a show right now. THE END

Bonj

Here are some photos. The first is Mlle. Marguerite on top of the antique maie that Xavier's parents gave us for Christmas (she gives us some perspective on its size). It is cool - the top opens up and it was originally created to store bread in. 

The others are of the flea market we went to this weekend in the north of Paris (les puces). We found all sorts of neat things. The little wire thing Xavier is holding on the subway is my incredible (!) find. It was marked an absurd 250 euros. I didn't even really want it, but I wanted to just talk to the guy anyway - I said, 50 euros. And strangely he went for it. Xavier says it is because it is a piece of junk, but actually all of our many umbrellas fit very nicely and they look right at home. Also pictured is Xavier's cape - he bought a cape. Apparently the police in France all used to wear this particular cape. It has a hood and when he puts it up he looks like the grim reaper. Lovely. Then there was the dog I wanted, but it wasn't for sale. Darn. I so want a domesticated animal. 

Relax Yourself

It is best to do this exercise lying on the ground (imaging my voice running through your head - punctuating the words, emphasizing relaxation):

Relax your toes, relax your toes, relax your feet.
Relax your feet, relax your feet, relax your ankles.
Relax your ankles, relax your ankles, relax your shins.
Relax your shins, relax your shins, relax your calves.
Relax your calves, relax your calves, relax your knees.
Relax your knees, relax your knees, relax your thighs.
Relax your thighs, relax your thighs, relax your legs.
Relax your legs, relax your legs, relax your legs.
Relax your bum, relax your bum, relax your tailbone.
Relax your tailbone, relax your tailbone, relax your hips.
Relax your hips, relax your hips, relax your stomach.
Relax your stomach, relax your stomach, relax your chest.
Relax your chest, relax your chest, relax your back.
Relax your back, relax your back, relax your shoulders.
Relax your shoulders, relax your shoulders, relax your biceps.
Relax your biceps, relax your biceps, relax your elbows.
Relax your elbows, relax your elbows, relax your forearms.
Relax your forearms, relax your forearms, relax your hands.
Relax your hands, relax your hands, relax your fingers.
Relax your fingers, relax your fingers, relax your neck.
Relax your neck, relax your neck, relax your chin.
Relax your chin, relax your chin. Relax your forehead.
Relax your forehead, relax your forehead, relax your cheeks.
Relax your cheeks, relax your cheeks, relax your nose.
Relax your nose, relax your nose, relax your mouth.
Relax your mouth, relax your mouth, relax your head.
Relax your head, relax your head, relax your head.
Relax your whole body.

Ah ha ha.

New Years Day Snow Hike

This morning Rosie, Julie, Marc. John and I went for nice hike in the snow in Mount Rainier National Park. The avalanche conditions were dangerous so we decided to do a hike along the Carbon River. We wanted to hike to the suspension bridge by the Carbon Glacier but the terrible floods from the November 2006 storm washed out the road in numerous places and you can only drive to a place that is five miles from the old Carbon Glacier trailhead. So to get to the glacier you now have a 15 or 16 mile walk round trip.

There was quite a bit of snow but not enough for snowshoes. As you will no doubt remember that part of the park is a temperate rain forest with massive trees, moss on just about everything and even in the dead of winter, brilliant green all around.

I have attached four photos from the trip:

• Julie and John inside the trunk of one of the giant trees. It looks like a hobbit's home.
• Rosie going under one of the many trees that have fallen on the trail.
• Julie, John and Marc on a tree over a part of the river.
• Rosie, Marc, John, Julie walking by a tree trunk that went down in the storm. Look how large that tree is.

We wish all of you could have been with us.

Dad

I also added one of all of us on Christmas morning in the PJ's Rosie gave us.