Marcos is 2

thanksgiving family reunion

Wilson said:

My favorite day was when we spent time at Andrew's house. I got to play his drum set and his PS2 guitar hero III. Andrew is a good wrestler and gets up every morning at 4:30 to work out. I liked eating dinner at the restuarant because they had a waitress who brought drinks and stuff. I filled my plate four times and could have eaten more. I also liked playing keep away at the hotel pool with my cousins. I would have liked to have stayed longer at Valley of Fire. I would have hiked to the top of every red mountain. It was awesome

Cooper said:
What I liked best about our family reunion was playing Grandpas one armed bandit. We used $150.00 in real silver dollars We lost it in less than 30 minutes. It would have taken me a whole summer to earn that much money. I also liked the movie at Zion's National Park. We went to the Valley of Fire. I liked the first hike best, the one with all the caves and blue bellied lizards.We had dinner at the Chuck o Rama. It was really tasty--the ham was the best. I had vanilla/chocolate ice cream with 1 lb of M&M on top. My favorite thing with the cousins was swimming at the hotel pool.

Max said:

We went on a airplane two times! We had peanuts. I raced the cousins. All the cousins know how to swim and we went in the hot tub and the cold pool. We had a feast at a restaurant. We could pick any thing we wanted. I got jello--red and green jello. and brownie and M&M on my ice cream. We went to the church and made stuffing guys. I put lots of stuffing in my guy because Grandma Poodle helped me. The guys were for the kids at the hospital. On our hike we went to the waterfalls and in a cave. We was a cougar in the newspaper, so we looked for it on our hike. I like Grandmas poodles too.


Eliza said:

On our first night we met Jake the dog. It was funny when Jake sat on Max and farted on him. We went hiking the next day in a place that looked like fire because of the red rocks. On our other hike we did a game called rock challenge. You had to jump to each rock and not touch the ground. I was the winner of that game. It was raining hard and we got too wet. We had to change our clothes. The first time I was the cousins was at the race. We had our Thanskgivign feast at a restaurant. I liked visiting my cousins in the motor home. We did a lot swimming. I helped make the dolls for poor people and people at the hospital. When we got home off the airplane there was snow on the ground--but none at our house.

Kelly said:

I overheard Uncle Blake answer his cell phone this way, " I want you baby, I want you bad." It was his wife calling. This is the line that sums up what I love most about The Lundberg family. I love being in the company of couples really in love with each other. From Grandma and Grandpa (almost 50 years), to a couple of very horny nieces and nephews with their boyfriend and girlfriend, Thanksgiving was about feeling the love. I feel more in love with Tony just being around all the happy couples.

Thanksgiving dinner involved waiting for over an hour in a line outside Chuck O Rama in the rain, the ambiance of feeding time on the farm, and absolutely no control over what my kids were eating (mostly ice cream). It was 100% worth it. We spent all morning stuffing and sewing dolls and animals and assembling hygiene kits. We didn't have food to prepare and got to think of someone other than ourselves for the whole morning. We still had the benefit of turkey sandwiches and pumpkin pie that night. Oh yeah--and minimal cleanup!

Tony's Mom and Dad, Russ, Pam, La Risa and I went to the temple on Friday morning. The St George temple was powerful. During the session I had an epiphany. As the movie started and the beautiful scenes of the earth were shown, I realized that the beauty was familiar. We had just spent the past two days hiking in Valley of Fire and Zion's national park with the kids where the scenery was breathtaking. No wonder I like hiking more than any activity I can think of--it's a temple experience.

It was so nice having Mom and Dad to ourselves for a whole night before the reunion. We kept Dad up very late asking questions about Tony's Grandma and Grandpa and looking at beautiful old books that once belonged to them. Mom and Dad's chicken soup was the best I've ever had. It was a miracle to see Tony's Mom doing so well. I was very worried about this reunion exhausting her, and it probably did, but she seemed so happy to have everyone together.

It was the perfect reunion and a wonderful Thanksgiving.

this and that

Sorry for recording this Cooperdog. It will be a great family legend in 20 years.

Cooper (age 9--not yet in puberty) woke up yesterday and announced that he'd had a wet dream. Tell me about it, I said.
Cooper replies, "I dreamed Wilson and I had a waterballoon fight and when I woke up I was wet." Probably need to review a few things with him.

Overheard a very serious 4 year old conversation today:

"OW, OW there is a bee in my shoe and it's stinging me on the toe!" Max says.
"Yep, it's hard to concentrate with a bee in your shoe!" replies his friend Thommy.

We had a service primary activity on Tuesday. I explained to the children that many people in Peru were poor and sometimes didn't have enough to eat, or clothes to wear. One of the activities was to write a letter to the children in Peru in English and then translate into Spanish. Some of the children said things like, "Dear poor people," or "I'm sorry you don't have enough to eat today." These were not mean spirited comments, but they were a red flag to me. I think there is a fine line leading from compassion, to pity, to disdain, to scorn. The lesson for me was to emphasize the doctrine that we are all children of Heavenly Father and he wants us to share with others because we love Him. I guess we have to beware of pride even when we are trying to help people.

Three days off of school this week. It was nice to relax a little. We gave the kids the choice of going to a movie on their day off or donating the money to humanitarian supplies. They all voted to donate. I probably set that one up a little unfairly, but oh well.

Yesterday was a day of rekindled friendships. Out of the blue I received a visit from my friend Denise. She drove all the way out to St John and we spent the afternoon catching up. I'd forgotten (maybe suppressed) how much I miss her. I also really like her kids. Later that night Tony got a call from our friend Rick. Rick lost his wife two years ago to cancer. He and Tony talked for a long time and laughed and cried. Rick told Tony that he misses his wife more every day. I felt grateful for these friendships that have and continue, even after years of little or no contact, to inspire me to be better. Perhaps I am coming to know Jesus Christ by recognizing His personality traits in the amazing people around me.

happy 2nd mother's day

Today after church I came down the stairs to signs proclaiming, "Happy 2nd Mother's day!" Almond Joys were taped to the signs and five giggling children were raiding the cupboards for linens, silverware and good china. Finally I was allowed into the kitchen where a "fancy table" had been set up complete with goblets of Koolaid and colorful plastic plates on gold leafed chargers. I think the whole idea was Cooper's but everyone was in on the surprise. Tony walked in with just as we were saying prayer and the kid's excitement and happiness was palpable. I (carefully) pointed out to the kids how great it would be if we could keep this service feeling all the way to Christmas. I'm learning to relish these instances without guilt or reservation when they come because they are sporadic, unpredictable and fleeting. Max explained the whole thing when he said, "Mommy, I made you dinner because you love me so bad!"

game day

Today was Wilson's first basketball game. He wore his suit to school with all the confidence in the world. During the game, he scored three baskets, 6 of the 10 points. He plays a little rough, but he played almost the whole time. It is sure fun to see him really enjoy and succeed at something. Hopefully he can keep his grades up and keep playing. We are grateful for the leverage.

halloween

We have begun refering to Marcos as "the greaser." This is not a racist nickname. Marcos simply has a bizarre attraction to all things greasy including vaseline and butter. He managed to get two tubs of vaseline and a cube of butter spread fairly evenly through his hair. The good news is that his scalp shows no trace of dryness. He is one silky smooth boy.








Halloween this year was straight out of ET. The most fun halloween we have had in years. We had dinner and trick or treating with our new Seventh Day Adventist friends who have 6 kids that match up with ours exactly. We partied until 10:30 and the kids were absolutely wacky on sugar and exhaustion. That's what itHalloween's all about.

nice try

The fact is, there are some family activities that cannot go smoothly despite planning, preparation or even a hotel room with a pool. Add Stake conference to this list. In an effort to cut down on car time (read: sitting time), I got a hotel room in Pullman so we could attend all our meetings with the least amount of pent up kid energy. The conference was so good and the spirit was strong, but by the end Tony and I wanted to slither out of the chapel on our bellies hoping no one identified us with the children following us to our car.

It was nice to have dinner with Jeff and Stacey for her birthday and they were especially kind to watch our kids during the adult session. We had a picnic in the park after the session and I realized that all the Stake Conference talks in the world teach me less than I can learn in one day from my kids. Just like in graduate school, it was during the clinical experience that the real learning happened. It's just that the hands-on learning is often so less pleasant than sitting comfortably in a church pew being spoon fed the gospel by well prepared speakers.





As an added bonus, I didn't have to make breakfast and the house was clean for 6 minutes on Sunday when we got home, so that was nice.

Our ward party on Friday night was unprecedented; really great. I've whined so much about the ward Halloween party that I'll be eating my words at least until the ward Christmas party. It was held in a cool old barn replete with a snowy owl, hay bales and dry ice root beer. I think the best part was having no trunk or treat. Trunk or treat is device of the devil.

















I'm so proud of my friend Callie. She and her friends had all planned to go to a movie (rated G) when at the last minute they opted for a Satanic thriller instead. Callie declined to go, so her friends started teasing her in that painful way that is worse than punches to the stomach. She described it as not being able to get air when you are drowning. I know that feeling. One of her best friends advised her to "just go, you eventually get used to it." Callie just stared at her in disbelief wondering why she would want to get used to feeling so bad.

Pair this experience with our friend's teenager who discovered that his good friends, the ones he hangs out with and studies with--the good kids--were taking turns having oral sex with each other. I didn't know what this was in high school, much less discuss it. When I hear these stories I am amazed that any kids can survive high school, or serve a mission. Hearing about these experiences were great incentive for setting the new goals and higher standards for our family that were discussed in Stake Conference. I love Callie and am so proud of her.


We took a few minutes on Sunday to remember that one year ago this weekend we were just arriving home with a mighty cute Guatemalan boy. Here is what the kids remember:

Wilson: I remember looking out the hotel window when Marcos came. I remember waiting at the embassy and he cuddled up in my arms and fell asleep. I remember that he screamed the whole way home to St John from the airport because he had never been in a car seat before!

Cooper: I remember when Larena brough Marcos, he came to me but not Mommy! His hair smelled nice.

Eliza: I remember Marcos' little shoes--they were red. We had balloons for him at home. He pushed them but he never smiled.

Max: I cried in my bed when you went to Guatemala. I was waiting for Marcos to get home. I wanted to hug him and play with him really, really bad.

full fall fun

Fall is my favorite, hands down.

1. Fall hikes in the beautiful leaves and perfect cool temperatures.





2. The annual trip to the oregon coast. I cling all year to the memory of my kids running from the waves or buried in sand up to their necks. This year we traded in Thai food for fresh seafood for our adults only night out. We also added a wonderful hike and visit to a lighthouse. As usual our hike up the dunes justified our trip to Tillamook for double scoops and cheese samples. I can't wait for "Tillamint" to arrive in stores this Christmas. I always leave the ocean vacation wanting to be better, to be more charitable and motivated like my friend Andrea and more spiritually in tune and Christ-like as Betsy is. What a blessing to have good examples for me and my kids.











3. Apples. To the tune of 6,000 lbs. I love the smell and the taste of the fresh cider, applesauce and pie filling. I love that my kids invent games with apples and are skilled apple peelers and pressers. Mostly I enjoy the excuse it gives to hang out with people we really like. We made a family day of apple pressing on Saturday, and although we missed Mom, Dad and Stacey, we had a great time. Kimberly still makes the best fall dessert known to man (or woman): Apple Pizza. Cameron is still trying to invent a better cider press using a garbage disposal and hydrolic press. What a nut.

birthday 37

It feels good to be this old. I love birthdays and had such a show of kindness from friends and fimly. From homemade knitted hats, to Moscow ballet tickets, to tender expressions of love from Mom and Dad, I got the royal treatment. I chose to celebrate with a day of solitude and enjoyed a bike ride on the Centennial trail, a visit to the temple and some shopping. Tony's kindest gift was taking the kids the whole day and finishing several "honeydo" projects.

This weekend was General conference. I am so lucky to live in a time when the talks are immediately accesable only minutes after they are given. It is impossible to absorb all the inspirational information during the sessions. It was Wilson's first Priesthood session. He participated in the Rippy tradition of dinner out with the guys and fell asleep during the session.

We've officially kicked off Fall with our famously sticky, caramel apple FHE tradition. I'm still cleaning caramel off the floors and walls, but it is a tradition worth repeating.

Finally, the long awaited weekend at the Beach is here. We leave Wednesday and I can't wait to hear the sound of crashing waves.

I love my canoe

My inflatable canoe has been one of the best gifts Tony has ever given me. Twice this week we went to the lake and enjoyed this late September Indian summer. On Wednesday we learned about barcos in Spanish preschool and carved zucchini boats. Max announced "I'm just like Lewis and Clark!" as he carved his canoe and was elated when his zucchini boat actually floated.

We have almost wrapped up our painting projects for both our house and our friend Mado's. The youth in the ward were great help (Wilson included). Marcos acted his age and found paint to play in on several annoying occasions.

Some school highlights: Eliza, my book obsessed girl, has qualified for special reading services. weird. Cooper, my excellent student and speller has flunked his first three spelling tests because the teacher can't read his writing. I say we get him a laptop. I got a call from the PE teacher that Wilson has not once since the beginning of school brought in PE clothes. They were in his backpack the whole time. hello?!

Another euphoric 36 mile bike ride yesterday. It was sweet of Tony to give me the day while he stayed home and ripped up carpet with the kids. My sexy husband said to me (with his bedhead hair and morning breath) as I was leaving, "Don't think about me while you ride or you'll crash on your bike." You know it baby.