tigers and sharks in vietnam

To celebrate Memorial Day, Mom and Dad, Jeff and Stacey and their friends Brian and Kelly joined us for a BBQ. We had a little emergency when our ice cream maker died, but the other LDS family in town had just finished with theirs and saved the day. It was particularly nice to have Dad share new and previous told stories of Vietnam. For example, once he and friends had been swimming in the South China Sea. With it's colorful fish, it was like swimming in an aquarium. All of a sudden a helicopter started shooting at them so they swam as quickly as they could to shore. They were surprised to discover the helicopter had been shooting at shark--not at them. Another time the helicopter shot a giant tiger that had been roaming through their camp. Dad said it was giant and fierce, even dead. Dad emphasized that he felt that heavenly Father protected him because he was keeping the commandments. Because he was a college graduate, 25, returned missionary who neither smoke or drank, some of the men thought he was an officer planted in their group to keep an eye on them. He was not ashamed to report exploiting that mistaken identity. As we further talked about both my Grandpas' military service, I realized how ignorant I am about war. The thought of sending my husband or my boys to war makes me sick. I hope I can turn that emotion into gratitude.

A couple of nights ago I was in that halfway point between awake and asleep and I started thinking about Primary. I felt the most overwhelming feeling of responsibility and protection for all the children in the Colfax ward. I could see their faces. I wanted desperately to make sure that no one had gone to bed hungry, that they had brushed their teeth and had a story, that they had said their prayers and been tickled and snuggled in warm soft beds. I've never felt those feelings so powerfully before for children other than my own. I wish I had the resources, time and energy to do what my heart, not my head, wants to do.

mountain climbing

We have just returned from a whirlwind trip to see Mt St Helens and Mt Rainier. Despite my best efforts at careful planning we ran into a few problems, namely EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED. The roads were closed, the caves were closed, even the entrance to Mt Rainier was closed. We drove along walls of snow at least 15 feet tall on Mt St Helens and barely squeezed through 6 feet diameter felled logs across the road. It was a much harder winter than any of my travel planning books anticipated.

On Thursday we parked the car at the gate to Mt Rainier and started walking toward a trail called "Grove of the Patriarchs." After and hour and a half we decided to turn around and thankfully Tony found a beautiful trail to "Silver Falls." Watching the powerful water carve out the rocks and carry entire logs downstream in torrents of aquablue was absolutely thrilling. When we finally returned to the cars it was 8:00pm and the kids had hiked over 6 miles. I was so proud of them. We drove that night to Silver Lake, entrance to Mt St Helens.

Our "cozy" cabin at Silver Lake came with the worlds smallest sleeping accomodations, a sagging water-logged ceiling and the scratching of mice all night. Thankfully, Audrey and the girls stayed in the lodge and their room was much better. Cooper was sorry we couldn't stay to fish because the lake was famous for Bass. He did enjoy feeding dog food to the 3 foot carp that came to annoy the ducks at the dock. After a yummy breakfast of pigs in a blanket and strawberry whip cream french toast, we were on our way up to the visitors center at Mt St Helens. I was surprised at how many memories came back from when I was 8 years old and we walked out of church to a pitch dark sky and a soundless world. We learned so much about the destruction and power of the blast. Tony was fascinated with the survival stories. The weather was cloudy so we didn't see much of the mountain, until just before we left. The clouds parted like curtains and we got the best view for about 10 minutes. The ranger said it was the best shot they had had in three days. We felt like we'd had a little miracle, or at least a tender mercy.

On the way back down we stopped at a second visitors center, geared for young kids. Here we "flew a helicopter" over the mountain, measured our handprint against a bear's and got to touch the mangled wreck of a truck after the mud flows. We learned things like: eagle's nests can be 20 feet deep and 9 feet wide and weigh up to 2 tons--fascinating. We finished the afternoon with a beautiful hike through the "hummocks" or chunks of mountain that were blasted down the valley.

That night after a rather tasteless Mexican dinner we stayed at a blessedly rat-free Best Western with both a pool and breakfast buffet. Audrey, Amy, Callie, Natalie, Tony and I stayed up way too long talking and laughing and reminiscing. We felt so lucky to have them on the trip with us, not just because they were such great help with the kids and Audrey brought her famous chocolate cake, but because we love them so much and it felt like being with family.

Wednesday was our big disappointment. After driving all the way up the mountain we discovered the road closed. Instead of a 45 minutes straight shot, we had a three hour back track. We took a short hike and then drove like crazy to try to catch our train. We missed it by 20 minutes. We were all so disappointed that fuses were short and tempers flared. We took a short hike to Lazer Caves, had a picnic and headed home. One highlight of the night was that we had dinner at a new Indian restaurant in Yakima. It was delicious and nothing brings me greater pleasure than watching my kids try and enjoy new flavors. We got home late that night and collapsed in our beds with visions of lush mountain scenery, lungs full of clean mountain air, and deliciously sore muscles.

Tony and I worked like Yin and Yang this trip, one of the best parts for me. If given the choice, I still choose unpopulated mountain vacations in rain and snow to the crowds of Disneyland. And, we reminded ourselves often, even the disappointments make for great memories.

The temperature hit 90 and the Lundbergs hit the the lake. After such a long winter the Lundbergs have declared that summer has officially begun. That means that if Brother Kenneth Workman is coming to Rock Lake to fish, Cooper gets out of school to accompany him. It also means less formal meals, later bedtime and NO media. It was a really pretty day at Boyer Park with the Kolbs and Workmans (minus Betina). Tony is the only one crazy enough to ski in 52 degree water, but everyone enjoyed quick dips in the frigid water and the new hot shower. There was a painful sunburn lesson learned by two boys who refused sunscreen, so I doubt we'll have to remind them again all summer.

Wilson had a hard week. Wednesday was the anxiety producing event of a band concert. The band teacher told the kids that the concert started at 7:30, so 7:30 is all Wilson heard. It didn't occur to Wilson that he needed to be at school before 7:30 to get his instrument or music ready, because he only thinks one step at a time. So at 7:26 when I brought the babysitter, Wilson was sitting at the computer in his sweatpants. Love and Logic would have told me to let him miss his concert and use the word "bummer" a lot with heartfelt empathy. Instead I started shrieking like a halloween witch on Meth and drove his sorry butt to the school at law-breaking speeds. Furthermore, school has become more tedious than ever and missing assignments have increased again. That means Mom's frustration level skyrockets (here comes the barking Chihuahua again) and the battles begin. To top it off Wilson showed poor judgment and really frightened Eliza's little friend Roxy. I get so upset by these these incidents that I immediately assume that Wilson is a pathological bully who enjoys watching children cry. After a lot of prayer and phone calls to my rational husband (always on call when these things happen) I regained rational thought. Wilson occasionally does stupid things that get him in a lot of trouble and make me feel like the world's worst parent, but he isn't a mean boy. Thankfully, he felt very badly, wrote apology notes to both Roxy and her parents and even took the little girls out to ice cream. It didn't hurt that Roxy's Dad is his baseball coach and firmly mentioned that "if he ever scared his little girl again, he'd have to hurt him." I don't think there will be a next time. The older Wilson gets the more I feel that shift of influence from Tony and I to other adults in his life. It is a scary feeling.

Marcos is grumpy lumpy. It may have to do with the huge molars jabbing through his poor little gums. He went to nursery for the first time today and when I went up to check on him, he was fast asleep. Thank goodness for Audrey.

I can't convince Max to wear cool clothing. He is such a creature of habit that he puts his winter clothes on despite the onset of warm weather. The image I will have permanently etched in my mind is Max in his yellow duck boots riding pell-mell down the street on his little red scooter. I will almost be sorry when he learns to ride his bike. At least he'll still have his duck boots.

Cooper is all about fishing. He is feeling a little sad about the news that his best friend Noah is moving, but seems to have no paucity of friends. He and I are sinking deeper into our sugar addiction. We've added Swedish Fish to our list of indulgences.

The kids just got back from flying kites at the park. The breeze blowing through the windows is straight from heaven. The house is a wreck, Marcos is naked, Tony is asleep on the couch. What a lovely Sunday.

log fight-log wins

Tony is at the "three strikes, you're out" injury level at scouting activities. Two years ago he nearly lost his eye (pupil is still dilated) during a freak tube rope accident on the boat. Last year he nearly died of pneumonia during the white water rafting activity and this year he broke his nose when it made a rather abrupt stop on a log. He promises it looks worse than it feels but with two black eyes and a swollen forehead, he can't be feeling that great.

Despite all the suffering, he and Wilson had a great time. The following is Tony's account:

We went on a 5 mile hike, up 2100 feet to a hot springs called Stanley Hot Springs. We were on the last leg of the journey, and we had to trek through snow, and cross a river. We made a rope bridge...walking on a log and steadying ourselves with a rope that was tied to trees at each side of the river. After passing over the main log (With a full pack), I had to walk over another 10 foot shorter log. I started to slip, and instead of trying to steady myself I tried to leap/step onto an adjacent log. The log was farther down than I thought. So prior to my foot hitting the other lower log to stop my fall, my nose/head hit the first log. It was the most awful sound...ÇRUNCH. I began to bleed from both nostrils, and I quickly examined the damage. I was obviously conscious (good sign), and none of my limbs were broken (also good sign). My nose self exam showed good alignment, and it almost felt straighter than before (yea, right). The nose had a couple of abrasions on the outside, and the bridge of my nose began to swell precipitously. Someone filled a ziplock bag with snow and I tried to keep it in place while I hiked the last mile in the snow. I got to camp, put up the tent in the dark and found Wilson had been sitting in the hotsprings for the past hour. After setting up the tent and sleeping bags, Wilson and I both prayed. I prayed that I would be able to continue to breathe through both of my nostrils in order to sleep well, and my prayer was answered. I did not had any breathing difficulties. We got to bed and slept through a fairly cold night (off and on), and then woke up to a beautiful morning. We again took a couple hour dip in the Hot Springs and then broke camp. What an adventure. It was definately worth it.

Wilson's account:
I went on the rope bridge--it was easy but my dad did have some problems. :/ we got cold but we overcame it in the end. :) my camel pack was leaking:( and I got wet and cold:< we found ticks in everyones hair except me. We burned the ticks with a match but when I told my mom she was scared to sleep with dad. !) In the hot springs there was a lot of yellow green bubbly algae. Some of it was just plain slimy. Ben threw some in my hair when I was sleeping in the stream:( We used a space blanket to make a dam so we would have a hot tub. The next night in my bed was the best sleep of my life.

Eliza and I took Mom to lunch and out shopping on Friday for Mother's Day. She found some cute church clothes and Eliza had a great time trying on all the high heeled shoes. Speaking of shoes, I wore bright red, patent leather, 4-inch heels to church today. It bordered on obnoxious, but it was my mother's day assertion that being a Mormon is fun, being a Mom is fun and I am determined to live every minute of life outloud.

strong women

The best part about being in my 30s is the realization that I can have a strong body. Before 30, I blame my Mom's robbed health, my lack of coordination, and absent competitive edge as reasons for being a wimpy girl. I regret the wasted years as a wimpy girl. I love being surrounded by strong women. For the girls I ride bikes with, a strong body goes hand in hand with emotional strength. All of them are incredible, get-things-done people who are infectious in their determination and optimism. The Mother's Day bike ride is such a highlight of my year, it's almost sacred. I was passing a friend when she started yelling, "moose, moose!" I thought she was name calling until I saw a momma and baby moose just a few feet away. We also saw eagles and blue herons in the most beautiful scenery. It was a perfect day, despite the fact that One Shot Charlie's did not serve french fries.

Last week I got to attend my third Kindergarten Mother's Day tea. Eliza, the smiliest girl in the class, the school and maybe the whole world, served me a piece of cake and a glass of punch and it was a priceless gift.

Apparently having five kids has lowered my standards and pushed me over the edge enough that my friends are beginning to notice (and worry). Two of my very kind friends in town kidnapped me last week and I am happy to report that I am no longer a pedicure virgin. It was more than a little uncomfortable for several reasons. First, my feet are truly disgusting and I was embarrassed beyond words. Secondly, the women who performed the pedicure were Vietnamese and sat on little stools visibly lower than the large padded and elevated throne where I sat. I did not like the visible class distinction of that set up. I know it is irrational, as these women were making a good living doing this, it just felt awkward. With that said, I really felt grateful to my friends for such a kind gesture and Max said my bright red toenails looked like strawberries.

Tonight for Family Home Evening we worked on our garden boxes. The weather has finally been warm and it made me so happy to see all five of my kids get really dirty. Even our little "Squatemalan" is mobile and confident enough to get into the action.

I'm looking forward to Mother's Day. Despite the fact that all of my kids will eventually need therapy as a result of being raised by a crazy person, my five miracles bring my happiest moments, with the exception, of course, of the annual Mother's Day Bike Ride.