Christensenspot

Summer!!

2010-06-06T21:10:00.000-07:00

Summer is finally here! I'm so excited! A lot has happened sense we last posted, so here are some pictures to try to get you guys up dated.

Ethan took some pretty funny graduation pictures!
(yea, those are going on his wedding video!)

Mom biked in Red riding Hood ride with some of her friends on Saturday! she said it was lots of fun, but she forgot to put on sunscreen and she was very red after 8 hours of riding her bike in the sun! (They rode 100 miles!)

Ethan graduated on Friday!!

This is daisy before she got her hair cut!

Ethan and Jacob had a band concert. It was Ethan's last concert.

It was my birthday on May 19! We had a party at grandma and Grandpa Lundstroms, for all the may birthdays, but i don't think we got any pictures.

Cameron had his rain gutter regatta a couple of weeks! he had a lot of fun making his bout, painting it and sailing it!

he got 3rd place! he was very happy! he also broke his wrist about a month ago.

March Fun

2010-04-01T12:07:00.000-07:00

The Moab 1/2 marathon was way FUN. I will for sure try to do it again. Some of my favorite things, sun, friends and running.

Trying to stay warm before the race. We used black garbage bags, hand warmers, and emergency blankets.

Hanging out at the hotel after wards. We sat in the sun and enjoyed the hot tub.

Daisy needs a haircut. Someone decided to help her out and give her a pony tail so she could see.

Clark took the challenge and tried first the "Robo cut". I have no idea how that is suppose to work on a dog. Both our dogs are terrified of the vacuum (which you have to use). On to plan B. He pulled out the regular hair clippers and after several days of trying to trim her up, she didn't look half bad.

Ethan (and friends) decided to be super heros for a high school dance. I think he went as
Capt'n Tie dye.

Cameron has a way of making "childhood" seem like so much fun. Here he is sporting a pair of safety goggles that have been sharpied over to make it so you can't see. At least he is being safe!

Our picture of "Flat Elder".

Elder Christensen and Elder Gardner

January Fun

2010-02-06T19:27:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME (LAURIE)

We had to have some fun with Flat Elder.

Do you think Wesley wants a bite of Carrot Cake?
It was Yummy! I know this since I had a piece 3 days in a row.

Wesley being happy serving the Lord in Jasper, Texas!

WINTER RUNNING

This year I have a goal to do a race each month.
January I went to Orem to run the "When Hale Freezes Over"

Kristin and I Freezing at the race. The sky was blue and the temperature was in the low 20's. We have 4 shirts on to try and stay warm.

Ha Ha, I took 2nd place for my age group. It really wasn't a very fast run for me.

Running in West Kaysville in January. It was cold enough the frost was clinging to the trees. It was a RED burn day, but not to worry. I run for my mental health, not my physical health.

Look what finally came in the mail.

Ethan has this birthday tradition of not actually getting his presents on his birthday for one reason or another. These are his Devil Sticks he got a week after his birthday. I ordered them over 2 weeks before his birthday. I guess next time I will have to order a whole month early.

Blog update and how

2010-01-24T19:15:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ETHAN!

More Brownies, Yum!

CHRISTMAS DAY, DECEMBER 25, 2009

Good morning...Where is Robin?

It's a bigger surprise if you open it with your eyes closed.

Grandma and Grandpa Lundstrom make it an early morning and come do the tree with us.

Could it Be?????

Santa is the best!

CHRISTMAS EVE , DECEMBER 24, 2009

Hmmm... Who ever could Santa be? Grace was to sharp and Santa had to bribe her to stop asking questions.

Robin plays with cousin Eli.

Ethan plays for our Christmas Eve concert.
We wish everyone a Merry Christmas with "Flat"Elder Christensen.
Ha Ha look who is playing Santa this year, Flat Elder.
"Flat"Elder wishes the neighborhood a Merry Christmas!

December 23, 2009 - Elder Christensen arrives in the Texas Houston East (THE) Mission
Elder Christensen with President and Sister Mouldenhaur.
The Elders have come to "pick up" Elder Christensen and take him to his first area,
Jasper, Texas.

Elder Christensen's MTC days. December 2-23, 2009
Here is Houston Texas on the big MTC map.

MTC District
May the force be with you always.

Robin's Christmas Concert with her really bad flute.

Once there was a snowman, snowman,snowman once there was a snowman tall, tall, tall.

In the sun he melted.......
Robin spent a long time making Mr. Snowman and the next day it warmed up and he fell over. Once down on the ground he became the best playground for Daisy Doodle.

December 2, 2009- Missionary Training Center (MTC)
We took Wesley to the MTC today. It was one of the best days and hardest days ever! We have had Wesley in our home for 19 years and raised him the best we could. Today we gave him back to the Lord to finish the job. He will be a great missionary. He has a strong testimony and a great ability to love those around him. We will miss him for 2 years, but are so grateful for the Gospel and knowledge we have of Eternal Families.

We had one final lunch together at IN and Out Burger. Was the food good? I don't remember. I believe I was preoccupied thinking of other things.

We made our way over to the MTC and took pictures and said our last good byes (for 2 years).

Group Hug.

Good-bye Elder Christensen. See ya in 2 years!

As we drove away some of us cried and some of us are made of stone!

December 1, 2009, Wesley becomes Elder Christensen. We are so proud and happy for him. He is going to be a great missionary.
Clark, Elder Christensen (Wesley) and Laurie

Jacob, Elder Christensen (Wesley), Cameron, Ethan and Robin

Grandma and Grandpa Lundstrom with Elder Christensen (Wesley)
Elder Christensen (Wesley), Grandpa and Gandma Christensen and Great Grandma Graham

One last snowboarding trip. The sky was beautiful, the slopes were empty and the temperature was in the single digits!!! Brrrrr!

Wesley Spoke in church the Sunday after Thanksgiving. He was thrilled since there would not be as many people there. We had a nice time with family and Wesley did a great job on his talk.

Clark and the boys pretend to eat the leftovers. Like Clark would let sugar touch his lips.

Apparently, Ethan has had to many treats.

Just hanging out with the bothers playing Wii.

Finding the perfect Christmas Tree. This year we were going to let Wesley pick it out, but then decided he would pick the first tree he saw since he wasn't going to be here for Christmas. We ended up with a really small tree. It was the only one Robin agreed to get.

Walking.......

Looking.......

Not Looking......

Finding......

Cutting......

Decorating the tree for some reason seems to be something I think everyone should enjoy. Hmmm.... not everyone agrees with me on this.

Who knows what Jacob is doing. Not decorating

Ethan tries to figure out how to put a Texas flag on the tree for Wesley.

Wesley hung up 1 ornament and called it good.

Robin and Cameron put the finishing touches on the tiny tree.

NOVEMBER happenings.

Happy Birthday Cameron!

We all love Brownies!

Eating at Cameron's favorite restaurant .....Chuck-a-Rama! I am pretty sure he likes it just because of the self serve ice cream machine.

Ethan showing us how to use chop sticks.

Hot fudge sundae in a cup.

Dads and Sons Pack meeting . I was the only mom to show up so I left. Cameron had fun trying on the fire fighter suit.

Guess who had a Birthday! Wesley turned 19. He is headed out to serve in the Houston East Mission the beginning of December.

Happy Birthday Wesley!

Birthday Dinner At Red Robbin.....YUMMM!

Ethan and Cameron Waiting for food.

FALL

We love Halloween. We are down to only one costume this year. Cameron wanted to be an Archer. Here he is at the trunk or treating.

Cousins, Melissa, Spencer and baby Eli at trunk or Treating.

This is Costume # 2. Cameron left his archer costume in the car from trunk or treating and when the actual trick or treating came around the car was not home so he improvised. Pretty good Mad Scientist.

School Play

Cameron's class did the Headless Horseman play. He was a student of Ichabod Crane.

Band Season!!
Ethan and Jacob both Played the Alto Saxophone in the Marching band this fall. They had an awesome field show.

Jacob

Ethan

New Uniforms next Year. Jacob is Excited, but Ethan is sad he doesn't get to use them.

Robin had a Halloween Concert. I think she went as an old man.

October we made a trip to Lagoon the local amusement park. We started the day off with the white roller coaster at Cameron's request. That was the only coaster he did.

Robin and Laurie on the Sky Ride

Riding the Train. This one we had to force some to participate.

Robin trying on one of the costumes.

Waiting in line for the train. Don't they all look happy.

Cameron had the best time!

Jacob and Laurie hanging out at Lagoon.

The Flying Ace's are always worth a ride.

Music Express rocks according to the boys.

July found us with a new puppy and spending time with an old friend.

Jacob and Quintin have grown up!

Cameron, Robin and Daisy Dooddle.

Wesley's blog

2009-12-04T18:14:00.000-08:00

I really should be better at posting. Maybe this winter. I just wanted to let you know we have a blog for Wes while he is on his mission. It is lifeinthemission.blogspot.com

frequency......

2009-10-04T20:12:00.000-07:00

needs to be improved on this blog. We're doing terrible at it. So to catch up (sort of, wish I could actually get ahead on this thing, but that would be witchcraft :-), School, school, marching band for me and jacob (youtube Davis High School Marching Band Weber Review 2009). Wes got his call to the Houston East mission, he leaves Dec. 2. We went to Lagoon for the first time in years on friday, it was interesting, all the rides seemed much shorter this time. Jacob was brave enough to try some of the roller coasters, but robin, mom, and dad all got motion sick. General Conference was good, Jacob is keeping his no sugar thing, Wes is actually making bank working at subway during the day shift, I keep getting more sarcastic and senioritus-ee, Mom is.......I'll let her tell you. I still can't get over the fact that Clark's beard is gone, its weird. We applied for the HCP again, but there is some dissension over whether or not we should actually go. We got a new swamp cooler just in time for nature to skip fall and go straight to winter (we got hail in September!). Yeah, thats all I can think of right now. Maasalama.

life returns to "Normal"

2009-07-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

Alright it has been a little over a week since we have been home and we are all back to normal (as normal gets) except Ethan who is attending Arabic camp at BYU and Robin who is at Girls Camp at Brighton, Utah. Ethan reported last night that the Arabic is starting to feel like AP Chemistry. Meaning he understands it during class time and then when he gets home to do the homework it doesn't make as much sense, but he can work through it. He also said a boy showed up Saturday who did the work crew for pageant and he has enjoyed talking with him.

Saturday was SPUDMAN! For those of you who do not know, it is a triathlon in Burley, Idaho. I can honestly say it was the funnest tri I have done. The swim is a mile in the snake river. Now this sounds hard, but it is only as hard as you want to make it. My friend and I pretty much floated the whole way. Our time was a stellar 24+ minutes. All we can say is open water swimming is NOT like swimming in a pool. The wet suit was great and I would highly reccommend it.

The Bike was 24 miles. Again, we did not give it our all here either. We took 1 hour and 31 minutes. We enjoyed the scenery (Ha Ha, remember it's Idaho) and just had a fun, shall we say, social ride. Many people passed us huffing and puffing.

The run.... It was a grulling 6.2 miles. I don't care who you are that was a hard run. Again remember Idaho, there are pretty much NO trees on the run. It was HOT. We poured water over ourselves every water stop, ran through the fire truck hose and neighbors sprinklers and were still hot. When we got done I could ring water out of my socks I was so wet. We did it in 1 hour 2 minutes. That was pretty dang good considering the temperature was probably low 90's and the fact that we did a bit of walking through all the water stops.

Our offical time was 3 hours and 7 minutes. Next year our goal will be to come in under 3 hours. Hmm.... we might need to practice that open water swim, be faster in the transitions and actually try on the bike.

I plan to sign up next year again if anyone one wants to join me. It was lots of fun. Oh yeah and you get a medal in the shape of a potato. Just what everyone needs for their collection.

Serendipitous

2009-06-10T11:26:00.000-07:00

I've been hearing Cameron say that word all week. Guess what? He's even using it correctly! And they say that you don't learn anything from T.V.
Well, we thought that summer was here, and then it hailed on Saturday. It was only for about 15 minutes but we were still thinking "What the heck, its June!". Wes graduated on the 2nd, check out the picture(luckily we checked his robes the morning of and noticed they needed to be ironed, some of his class looked as wrinkly as some of the old fuddies on the stage).

If you've noticed by now that this isn't Laurie posting, congratulations! (it was my humbleness, wasn't it? ;-) Its actually Ethan, mom is still so absorbed by preparing to be cast team leader for HCP that she is totally neglecting the blog so I figured I'd better step up.

This week Jacob started Rookie Camp for Marching band and I started Summer Driver's Ed. Guess which of us is having fun (hint: the one whose name doesn't start with a vowel). Its interesting, my rookie year there were about 14 rookies in our section and this year there is only 4 (and one of them is really a clarinetist we stole!).

Sticking to the Jacob and I theme, we both are done with our AP tests and should get our results in the mail in about 1 to 1 1/2 months. Unfortunately, we won't be here. We'll both be at BYU for language camps, him for Chinese, and me for Arabic (well, I've been accepted but they won't tell me how to register, I'm not sure what happens now).

Robin had her 12th birthday last month and has moved to Young Womens. I think she likes it, but I haven't asked so you never know. She's also graduated from elementary school which I know she is happy about. Just wait until she starts junior high.......

Dad is still on his health thing, unfortunately he isn't losing any weight thanks to the luscious beard he insists on growing (its really just a plea for attention, no one else who works for the church can grow one so he stands out like a Zune at iworld).

Here are some more pictures of Wes, who doesn't have any other news because he's been in front of a TV since graduation.
Sorry wes, I couldn't resist. This is wes in his debut role as the cat in the hat for our ward's roadshow. Just be thankful I'm not posting my photos, I was later informed I looked like a gay unicorn (I was a munchkin).

Welcome Spring

2009-04-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

First we had a lot of this, but the weather has finally changed for the better and we are expected to be in the 70's most of the week. It has been a long winter.

Cameron is dreading the spring and summer ( I wonder if he really could be a child of mine) because he hates bees. He has been stung more than any other kid in our family and he is the youngest.

This is Ethan ready for prom. He had a good time. Being the mom I asked him if her dress was pretty and his response was, "It was poofy." I've seen the pictures now and it was very cute.

Ethan brought home this picture after I posted yesterday and I thought I would add it. The prom was at the capital so they went to Temple Square first and took some pictures.

He can smile here because the AP tests are not looming over his head just yet. We have 6 weeks of school left. I am so excited. I am ready to sleep in and not have the kids staying up late with homework. Don't get me wrong. I am pretty sure they will still be up late, just not doing homework.

Another winters tale

2009-02-25T18:38:00.001-08:00

So, I have found that if I don't write about myself I don't have a lot to write about. It feels like our lives are to mundane or boring. Trust me, I would rather that than what it could be. I am still struggling with the whole photo thing. A few years back Clark bought me a nice camera that is a little (a lot) to large for my purse and takes really bad pictures. So, I miss a lot of photo opportunities and then have nothing to post about or so it seems. However I will press on and post boring and no photos as it is.

This past week Ethan and I went to a luncheon at the Little America hotel in SLC for the Freedom Foundation. If you don't know what that is don't feel bad. I had no idea until Ethan told me he had an interview with them for a possible free (not really) trip to Valley Forge. Anyway, there was a luncheon to recognize the Scholarship winners and other individuals that have shown great acts of patriotism. The luncheon was tasty, but I am not sure Ethan could say the same thing. He was a good sport and tried all the food that was placed in front of him, even salad. Although I have to say the face he made while he was eating it would have been a great camera moment. For those who don't know Ethan is my white starch boy. His response to the whole meal was " The Laurals and Priest should have an etiquette night. " The 3 forks thing was a little much. After the valley forge trip Ethan will have to get down to studying for his 5 AP tests. Where did he come from?

We have been having great weather the last few days. Last week was another story with two very snowy days. Robin has been wanting to go snowboarding for several weeks now so Clark took her up on Saturday. It's to bad they didn't take sun screen. They both came back very red faced. However, the trip was a success and Robin can now snowboard quite well and she has regained the use of her limbs that were so stiff and sore the next day.

Wesley informed me there are 8 more weeks of Weber classes. He can't wait. He will still have to wait until the end of May to finish his concurrent enrollment math class before he can graduate from high school and get his associates from Weber. We currently receive more College information letters in the mail than credit card applications between Wes and Ethan. Wesley has decided to got to the University of Utah. His main reason is he can live at home and save on housing costs. The U also has a pretty good Engineering department which doesn't hurt. He is still trying to decide if he wants to go for a semester next fall or try to go on his mission when he turns 19.

Clark has been on a health kick since January 1. He hasn't had any sugar treats. I can't say the same for myself. One day last week he showed me a half eaten bag of cinnamon lips ( I had already seen it quite a bit, thanks). Fortuantely Ethan came to my defense and said he had seen the bag more than me. I should be better. I am runnning a half marathon in 7 weeks and I would really like to not be the fat runner. Of course I should have thought about that when I was ordering my cafe rio pork salad today. YUMMY!!

The good news is I made it through February which means I made it through another winter. Spring is right around the corner. The trees are starting to show signs of life and I have seen a few tulips and daffodils poking up through the dirt.

So that's our lives fun as they are.

2009-02-11T18:26:00.000-08:00

Our lives here seem to be on automatic drive and no one is getting off (unless they are willing to jump from a speeding car). Wesley has 10 more weeks of college and can't wait for it to be over. It will be nice for me also since I worry about him driving in the bad weather.
Ethan continues to be buried in homework most nights as does Jacob (maybe even more so).
Robin has been invited to join the Young Women in the ward to make quilts. She was really excited to go until she found out Clark and Jacob were going swimming with the other scouts. I told her to get use to it.

Here are a few photos from the past few months.

Ethan and Cameron on Cameron's baptism day.

Clark and Cameron on his baptism day

Cameron was way excited to join the club scouts.

Christmas Morning. This is before the paper frenzy began.

Ethan had a birthday in there somewhere. He has his usual brownies since he hates cake.

This is Ethan and the other cousins dancing THRILLER at Nick and Sarah's wedding. It is now a family tradition after being preformed at the 3 cousin weddings and can be seen on Utube for anyone interested.

These next few pictures are of the family playing glow in the dark dodge ball after Uncle Jim's funeral. It was a great way for the kids and adults to end the day. It was way fun and the pictures don't do it justice.

Clark and Steve try to defend their side.

Angel, Jared and Nick take on the whole family and WIN!

2009-01-22T06:24:00.001-08:00

This year I have decided to try and turn my blog into a printable family journal. This means less of me and more of the family, hopefully. The problem with journals is I get behind and before I know it I can never catch up. I am hopeful this is not the case. I had great intentions of writing earlier this month, but was side track by the death of my brother, Jim. So, in his memory he will be the first entry for the 2009 blog.

Here are some of the families thoughts about Jim.

Jim taught us that education was important. He loved to read and talk about the books we were reading. When he was young he loved to play Tarzan and act out the books he had read. He LOVED movies. Anything to do with movies. He was well loved by his ward members. He had a strong testimony of the Gospel. He taught us family is important. He knew how to keep family.

James Christain Lundstrom
1949-2009

All of us together, Laurie, David, Joel, Jon, Robert, Sally, Holly and Jim.

2008-11-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

October (and a little November) happenings

Many of you took your kids voting. So did I, however, mine got to vote!

Trunk or Treating

Spencer plays a very convincing tin man.

Olivia, Donna, Grace and Uncle Robert. Good thing he went to law school. That costume is great!

Sarah and Nick are clearly going as the engaged almost married couple.

Robin is suppose to be a stick figure, which actually looks great in the dark with the glow sticks.

Cameron went as some star wars clone character. If I was the perfect mom I would know what the name is.

Cameron wanted a Halloween party and so after realizing how many Halloween parties my older kids had at this age with the Rochester friends I gave in.

Jacob's band concert was a costume party. They played Phantom of the Opera, which had a very cool Bassoon part in it.

I was going to post these a while ago, but then someone posted a really nasty picture of a broken, stitched finger on their blog and these didn't seem quite as impressive.
He fell down the stairs and the compassionate mom that I am I asked his brothers if Cam was crying or just making a sound like an airplane.

They had to push his toe back into place. That was pleasant. Fortunately, they numbed it up pretty good first.

Obama does equal change

2008-10-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

Today in my study hall period a kid brought in a cardboard cutout of Obama and stuck it facing the window. It was so funny, the kids in all the other classes were trying to figure out why Obama was smiling at them! Then we had the bright idea to take it and sneak it into other classes windows (think the Burger King). It was SOOO funny!!!!! Best day of school I'v ever had!!!

reading-- what a wonderful thing.

2008-10-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend of General Conference (LDS church thing). I always come away motivated to be better, do good things and make a difference. To bad I can't keep those feelings past a few days. Anyway, so this morning I am trying to figure out how to be a better person when it is time to go to school and we can't find the dreaded Library book. I really hate library books and would much rather buy a book then check one out ( I think I still have a fine in Rochester). So, trying to turn it around to being "gratetful" (we learned that this weekend) Here is a list ,although it be very small, why I am greatful for library books.
1. It incourages people to write books so people like me can one day rip apart their house looking for it.
2. I know where my spare change goes. Remember when a day late was 5 cents.
3. My child learns a healthy respect for the Librarian, or at least how to avoid her.
4. My child speaks to me at least once a day by telling me the librarian wants the book back.
5. I clean my house, even if is is under protest.

If you know where Henry and Mudge and the Wild Goose Chase is PLEASE let me know!

How high can you count

2008-09-26T19:32:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention that I do not always motivate those who hear of my exercise adventures into exercising themselves. So, let me inspire you with this latest installment of my learning to swim. I can NOT count. I usual swim with my friend Jeanne who is very good at counting and will tell me when we are done. Today I swam alone. As I swam back and forth I decided to try to swim a mile. That is 73 lengths. I should have known better. It should have taken me 50-55 minutes. I hadn't really thought that through. That is a really long time to swim and keep track of lengths. When I finished what I thought was my 73 time I stopped and looked at the clock. I don't get swim clocks, why can't they put the hour hand on them? The clock said 5 minutes to something. I'm thinking it better be 10, other wise I have been swimming a really long time. Oh, by the way, I am the only one left in the pool at this point. I get out of the pool and figure out it is 11:00! I swam for 1 hour and 20 minutes! I won't tell you that I am worried about being able to lift my arms tomorrow morning because that might make you not want to try swimming.

I think I can still smell pool water.

sounds of fall

2008-09-17T16:05:00.000-07:00

Well, the leaves are turning, the nights are cool and the homework is piling up, that can only mean one thing...Marching band season is here. Last night was parent preview and wouldn't you know it, I forgot the camera. I guess it really doesn't matter since they all look alike and I can rarely find Ethan in the mix (what kind of mother am I). He has several more performances and we will try really hard to get a shot of him in his band outfit this year.

Jacob brought home "the farting bed post" this week. Some of you might know what that is, I certainly did not. It is the Bassoon. His band teacher apparently is desperate and begged Jacob to give it a try. He is excited to try something new, and as long as I don't have to pay for him to play it, we're all good. I guess I'll take his oboe in and get it tuned up in the mean time.

School marches on. Cameron has made it 2, count them 2 days (just this week) with out crying before, during or after I drop him off at school. I am absolutely sure he is a payback child with a little bit of "mothers curse" added just for good measure. The other night he woke me up twice just to make sure I was still there. Hmmm, where else would I be at 12:15 am and 3:39 am!

On another note, meaning lets talk about me, I have successfully learned to flip turn in the pool with having minimal water up my nose. Of course when I do take on water I am sure I am causing brain damage. At least that's what the pain in my forehead would lead me to believe.

What's for dinner?

2008-09-14T19:28:00.000-07:00

So, I need to tell you about my new found friend. I don't really know her. She posts everyday and I love it. Her blog is crockpot365.blogspot.com If you are wondering what to have for dinner check her site out. Of course I don't really make the meals she does, but I could if I wanted to. She made buffalo wing soup today. Sounds good, I have the ingredients, and I have children who would not even try it. So if you are needing a daily blog fix or an idea for dinner you to can have a new friend you don't even know.

I can TRI, but I might fail!

2008-09-08T19:05:00.000-07:00

So, Saturday was the triathlon. I could say it went well, but that would be a lie. I pretty much spent my whole summer learning to swim the front crawl so I could do the back stroke for the swim! I don't know if there is really a good reason for what happened, but here is my version of it anyway. We, my friend Jeanne and myself, stood in line to swim the 400 meters in the 9-10 minute section. As we stood there a fellow competitor asked the life guard if the pool was chlorine. WHAT!!! I have been learning in salt/ UV filtered pools all summer. Okay, I tell myself no big deal. WELL, apparently it was a big deal. I jumped into the pool when my turn came and I made it about 10-15 feet before I couldn't breath out my nose at all. I couldn't figure out what was going on. I pulled off to the side, let some swimmers pass and tried again, still, No air. Even worse, it felt like I was taking water in. At this point I have made it about 50 meters. I do the next two lengthens with my head out of the water. I can't believe what is happening, not to mention this kind of swimming is killing me. At 150 meters a girl close to me flips on her back and I say to myself, I can do that. 13+ minutes later I hit the last wall and climbed out of the pool. I am never amazed at how life teaches me these little lessons. I never even considered that I wouldn't be able to do the swim, I just figured I would be slow or it would be hard.
The rest of the triathlon went as I thought it would. The bike was a challenge. It had a big hill that we had to go up twice. I am clearly a social rider and this was not a social ride. When I finally hit the run I was so happy to be doing something I knew I could do! My total time was 1hour 21 minutes. Will I do another one? Probably, but right now a 1/2 marathon looks pretty nice.

2008-08-29T21:30:00.000-07:00

So in seminary they had us talk about what we did during the summer. About half of the class said that they had gone on trek. I said "I spent 17 days camping on the Hill cumorah, sharing the book of mormon with 38,000 people, my summer trumps all yours". Ok, not really that last part, but it would have been funny.

Day of Firsts

2008-08-25T14:56:00.000-07:00

It was a day of firsts at our house today. First day of Wesley's last year in high school. Jacob's first day of 9th grade. Robin's first day of 6th grade, last year in elementary school. Ethan and Cameron also had firsts. First day of 11 grade and 2nd grade. Cameron told me today when I woke him up that he did not want to go to school and then tried unsuccessfully to convince me he was going to throw up. Ethan on the other hand announced that he was dressed for the first day of school and immediately said probably no one would remember what he wore in two weeks anyway. I informed him they probably wont remember after school.
Another first, I swam 1050 meters today. This is HUGE for me. I have only been swimming 500 and today I thought I am just going to keep going and see how long I can go. I think I can finally count swimming as exercise now. The bike thing.... whole different story. It currently has a flat tire. Triathlon is in 12 days.

two weeks and counting

2008-08-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

It is not cool to have your mother taking pictures as you head off to scout camp at the age of 14,15 or 17 for that matter. So, there is no proof that they actually left. All the boys are gone this week except Cameron. Clark leaves tomorrow and will come home on Thursday night with Ethan (Band Camp Friday). Hopefully they come back happy (and tired).

As per my usual, I said this morning to Robin and Cameron, "School starts in 2 weeks (yes, I got it right) how about we look at those summer reading programs." This was met with lots of groaning as you can imagine. Robin did show me that she had been working on hers before the summer trip. Cameron needs to read 10 hours before school starts. Hmmm, this might prove to be a challenge since he reads about 10-15 minutes at a time.

The triathlon is in 3 1/2 weeks. I am amazed at how often I feel out of shape while training for this thing. Today we biked for 10 miles (I fell over on my bike while clipped into the pedals) then ran 4 miles. The whole time I keep telling myself that 10 pounds would really make a difference. Then I come home and eat. Tomorrow the plan is to swim for an hour. It sounds like a long time, but when you take breaks as often as I do I am not sure it even counts as exercise.

Last days of summerd

2008-08-08T10:04:00.000-07:00

Alright, So I have had a number of people tell me they miss my blog updates. I hope you know that our lives really are not that interesting. We are doing exactly what everyone else is doing right now, counting down the last few days of summer. I do have to admit that leaving for almost 4 weeks has left me with an unfulled feeling about summer. By this time I am usually settling down to the idea of school, fall leaves, shorter days, etc, but not this year. I was shopping with Robin yesterday for a new watch and she couldn't make up her mind. I told her we could keep looking it was still 5 weeks until school started. She looked at me and said, "5" with that tone only a child who is completely dismayed can use. To this I said, "4" questioningly. The response this time was, " 2 mom, there are only 2 weeks left." Okay, in my mind I am planning on 5 I guess.

Last Sunday we did Sharing time in Primary. I made look alike costumes for Ethan, Jacob, Robin, and Cameron. I know that most of those children will never see that pageant, so I brought the pageant to them. We talked about our experiences and characters. We ended with the Song of Cumorah. Now if any of you know that song, you know that Cameron is likely the only person in our family that has a prayer of hitting the high A flat. We told them it sounds a ton better with 700 other cast members at 11 pm.

2008-07-26T22:03:00.000-07:00

HOLY CRAP!!!!!! THE EAST COAST IS FREAK'N HUMID!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >:(

June Happenings

2008-06-28T18:06:00.001-07:00

Hi, all
If you would like to follow along with our summer trip click on the link that says summer 2008 in the right hand column. Aside from that here is a quick catch up on the June happenings.

Jacob finished up summer gym and got his Eagle Scout Award. Wesley got an A- in his summer Intro to dance college class. Clark made a week long trip to San Fancisco. Ethan started summer marching band and sold $300 of cookie dough for his band trip. Cameron took swimming lessons, We learned "Thriller" for Cousin Carl's Wedding. We watched UJ drink goldfish after the kids played with them.Robin sat around telling me she was bored for 3 weeks before we left.

Trek

2008-06-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

Me and the Jman went on trek last week in the wild wastes of Wyoming. The temperatures varied anywhere from about 65 and sunny to 25 and snowy. We decided that the warm parts were when we crossed over into utah. I don't know about J's group, but mine had about 500-600 pictures, so those might get posted, depends on if the readers are trustworthy :)

Memorial Day Rain

2008-05-26T11:45:00.001-07:00

So, It is the third 1/2 marathon I have run on Memorial Day. Two of them have been in the rain and cold, today was one of those. It rained hard and we were Soaked! I'd like to say we were fast, but we ploded along at our 10 minute mile pace. We finished in 2:10. The good news of the race is that there was no photographer since there was so much rain. Running pictures are ALWAYS bad. The second good news was it pays to be 40. Yes, this year I jumped into a new age bracket and now instead of being one of the oldest I get to be one of the youngest. I took 2 place in the 40-49 year OLD women. It didn't hurt that the rain probably kept half of the people away. My next adventure is a sprint triathlon in the fall. I'll be spending all my spare time at the pool trying to learn to swim. Anyone want to join me?

Random Blurbs

2008-05-25T17:57:00.000-07:00

So Mom was going to post earlier today, but took a nap instead. That must mean that its my turn to blog. This week is the last week of school for us, I only have Tuesday and Wednesday, Thursday is yearbook day, and Friday is graduation. I think I got roped into going to graduation to play in the band, I need to check. On Thursday we're helping my uncle and his family move into their new house.

Next week is Trek, which means a trip to Savers or the D.I. for pioneer-like clothes. Last time the leaders prayed for adversity and the trip was subtitled "mudfest". This time I'm hoping that that doesn't happen.

Since the ancient Nephites and Lamanites didn't wear shirts, I've decided that I need to look good without one. Yesterday i did the bonus 'Ab Ripper X' dvd from the P-90X fitness program. Now my legs hurt? I guess that means that my abs were misplaced at birth and they are actually on my upper thighs, I'm a medical marvel!

So mom signed herself up for a Memorial Day half marathon, but then she forgot to pick up the registration, and now she has to go at 5:45 tomorrow morning to pick it up. She's not happy, which means that dinner tonight could have funky taste.

This is Ethan, saying 'vacuums suck', and c ya l8r

2008-05-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

So, I should try to blog more apparently. Leaving it up to E is entertaining, but not always informative. May feels like December. Not weather wise, but definitely school wise. We are trying to wrap up tests, projects, field trips and band concerts all before the end of May. Some how I have scheduled myself for two field trips tomorrow. Hmmm, Not sure how that is going to work. I wish I could say that it will get better when school gets out, but that is so NOT true. The three weeks before we leave are filled with summer gym, college classes, summer band, swim lessons, youth trek, and a family wedding. I am trying hard to stay out of PANIC mode. If I think to much about it I get overwhelmed. I have started a box to put trip stuff in as I remember it. Right now it has sun screen in it which the airlines will probably confiscate.

All of that aside we are finally having some great weather. Clark would disagree with that since he hate the hot. It's a good thing he gets to go on the father and sons campout this weekend in 60 degree weather and rain and not me.

briefcases, sandals, weather

2008-04-19T11:21:00.000-07:00

its E again, sorry we haven't posted in a while, but Moms getting nervous after seeing an article in the newspaper about how mom bloggers can endanger their families (ie, no more pictures/you need a password to enter the blog). So Clark got himself a new briefcase/laptop bag with a combination lock. Problem was, when he set the numbers, they weren't what he thought they were! He/Wes/I spent about a week before we unlocked it (the #s were shifted one over, oops).

So apparently the pageant is very specific about footwear, you have to wear sandals that look like they actually might have worn. When Wes asked why he had to wear "Moses sandals", the response, "Because there weren't really any Tennis Shoes among the Nephites".

The weather has been really crazy this last week or two. In the past 5 days we've gone from 70 to 45 and back up to 70 again, with next week back down in the low 50s (all Fahrenheit, not Celsius). I think mother nature may have Alzheimer's.

On a self-centered note, I was rejected from joining the top band at my high school (waat, wat wawawawawawa). Mom's trying to cheer me up by saying that I'm needed in the other band because I'm the stronger player by myself (oboe is the loneliest instrument). I only really wanted to get into that top band because I would be with somebody, which I haven't been able to do yet (there were 2 spots in that band among 3 players). Oh well, next year I'll make it.

Have fun, be safe, and remember, without chickens there wouldn't be any eggs to throw at people.

2008-02-05T08:11:00.000-08:00

With the passing of our beloved prophet, President Hinckley, there is a grass roots kind of movement to do something in his honor. It's called the Hinckley challenge. Those willing to accept the challenge are trying to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days. One day for each year of President Hinckley's remarkable life. We have accepted the challenge and are on our way. If you want to participate check out the website. Brother Anderson has put a tremendous amount of effort into the site in a very short time. His hope was to have a million pages of the Book of Mormon read during the 97 days. So far 19,300 plus people have signed up.

www.hinckleychallenge.com

2008-02-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

Super Tuesday....Ethan follows the race so close (He's 15) It's killing him his older brother Wesley gets to vote in the November election. Ethan's advice- Get out today and give us someone worth voting for in November!!!

More December Catch up

2008-02-04T15:39:00.001-08:00

Cameron shows off his favorite transformer that he got for Christmas

Robin is NOT sitting on Santa lap this year.

Cousin Nick takes a new approach with the ear rings.

That's how we all feel about hoop ear rings.

Cameron and the Jolly Old Elf.

December catch up

2008-02-04T15:21:00.001-08:00

Ethan and Jacob play an oboe duet for Christmas eve.

Robin played Angels we have heard on high. Jacob plays the piano and Oboe, but would trade both to play the saxaphone in an instant.

December was a very musical month. Ethan and Jacob both had band concerts. They play the oboe. Ethan is in the santa hat. Rob bob and Jacob played in a piano recital.

Snowy Days

2008-02-04T14:55:00.000-08:00

February 4, 2008. SNOWY DAYS. Cameron and Robin sit in a snow bank by the Jalomi ( formally known as the jalopy and before that the 1961 mercedes.)
We have been pounded by storms this January. I don't know how much snow, but it feels like New York. We had six inches this morning. This is Cameron walking home from school. This is the corner we live on. I went out last week and told the snow plow guy that if he keeps pushing snow onto my side walk I wont be able to keep it shoveled. His response was "I have to put it somewhere." Can't he put it SOMEWHERE else?

Robin got a snowboard for her birthday (Yes, her birthday is in the spring--it's early). Clark took her over to the school playground to try it out.

It looks warm, but it is only about 18 degrees. We had the coldest January on record.

2008-01-07T17:05:00.000-08:00

We always go out and cut our Christmas tree down the Saturday after Thanksgiving.

Robin LOVES her hats!

We hunt for the perfect Christmas tree. Yes, it was very warm for that time of year.

Jacob finds the perfect one.

Cousin Brielle (soon to be MRS. Rucks)
wishes it could be her birthday.

Cameron gives us one of his many funny faces.

Welsey and Cameron celebrated their birthdays during November. Wesley 17 and Cameron 7.

Robin and Cameron trunk or treat as a fat tourist and something star wars.
This was before Cameron's obsession of transformers.

Ethan Shows us his muscles from all the push-ups in band.

Cameron enjoys his pie with just a little whip cream. Don't bother with the plate or fork.

Christmas Break

2007-12-23T17:47:00.000-08:00

NO SCHOOL!!! Yeah right, I've got so much homework it's not even funny. Yep, its still Ethan here at the abode posting. Everyone else is too chicken. Basically, everything is running the same as ever here, two wheels on the ground, two in the air. Jacob's happy because his campout got canceled, Wes and I had an argument because I wouldn't tell him what I'm getting mom. I'm practicing piano and trying not to think about home work, and Cameron can't wait for TRANSFORMERS that he is sure he's getting! Robin, Mom, and Dad all are about the same, eating everything the rest of us won't. Oh yeah, one more thing, I CAN DRIVE IN 1 WEEK!!!!!!!!

Christmas Newsletter 07

2007-12-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

Lights, Camera, Action

Ethan spent many many hours marching with the high school marching band this summer. To bad Laurie couldn’t tell which one was Ethan and now we have a bunch of photos of Mckenzie.

You’ve Got Mail & Mail….

Each day the computer tells us how much unread E-mail Clark has. It stopped counting when it hit 1600. Your better off text messaging him.

………98, 99, 100!

Thinking it was a brilliant idea Laurie sent Cameron to school with 100 Q-TIPS for 100 days of school. When it came time to share no one wanted to trade their 100 pieces of candy for a Q-Tip. BUMMER!

Deprived No More

Wesley and Ethan joined the ranks of tech savvy teenagers this year, sort of. The phones can ring, but they can’t text.

What color did you say?

Laurie’s running philosophy this year was “ If you’ve got a cool shirt, I’ll run the race.” She got 4.

Full Circle

Once again we are reminded of “what goes around comes around.” We bought a 1986 Hyundai for Wesley to drive. It just so happens to be the same type of car as the first one we owned.

Public Service

After months of propping up our mail box in a bucket of gravel we got a new one, but only after the mail lady had to pick it up off the ground a few times to put the mail in it.

Turtle…..NOT

Cameron did is best animal impression ever this year. He pulled his arms and legs inside his shirt and then promptly fell off his chair face first. His teacher told him the tooth should be worth at least $5.00.

Now that’s Ironic

Wesley started an early college program this year. Never did we expect to be paying for two educations at once, Wesley and Clark (Student Loans). The loans are now paid off!

Vindicated

Jacob and Ethan each got their own bedrooms this last year. Jacob was finally able to prove the MESSY room was not him.

Scary

Ethan’s proudest moment came when he freaked out his section with his wicked watch tan line. Or maybe when the band won the DAVIS CUP COMPETION! (it was wet)

What does that say

After almost drowning herself by getting drinks so she could read the white board at school we took Robin to get glasses. Now she can see everything.

On your mark, get set, GO!

Robin ran her first and probably last race this year. In the end she got a race shirt and breakfast.

All I want for Christmas

When asked what he wanted for Christmas Jacob said “What I want or what I’m likely to get?”

Hoping you get what you want for Christmas!

Hill Cumorah

2007-12-06T15:47:00.000-08:00

We got a message back from the people for the hill cumorah pageant. They accepted us to go next summer. It should be a really cool experience for the family. We'll spend most of July up there, should be a lot of fun.

2007-11-20T15:12:00.001-08:00

Let there be piracy...... in theatricality

Pirate King

2007-11-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

oh it is it is a glorious thing to be aaaa ... piirrraaaatttte ...... kkkkiiiiinnnnnggggg!!!!!

Thanksgiving

2007-11-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

Well our Allred cousins came in safe and sound saturday night. Some of them showed up to church with us today. Tomorrow even more relatives are flying in for the holiday. Everyone but mom is feeling really thankful, and she's just being her usual stressed out self. School is only M&T so we get most of the week off. As for me (yes its the Ethan again) I went to the regional dance saturday night and had a blast, loads of fun. I also have a band closure party thing on Tuesday which will be great fun. I'm finally feeling like I have a social life. Its really weird. Well, in conclusion, just remember that a bee cannot fly up the nose that already has a finger in it.

School Musical

2007-11-11T19:40:00.000-08:00

So on Friday I went to the opening night of Davis's musical. It's called Pirated Penzance and it is the funniest thing I have ever seen!!! It is a spoof of Pirates of Penzance. The idea is that Penzance is being filmed with silent film actors and vocalists in a sound booth. The vocalists find out that their contracts are rigged and they take over the set! The police come and do a tap-dance routine! Mayhem abounds and the music is amazing! I am so going again next friday. On another note, this tuesday I have a debated tournament and saturday is the regional dance. Ethan

First Posting/Ethan's Band Trip

2007-11-05T19:10:00.000-08:00

This is Ethan with the very first Post on the family blog. (applause recording) Hopefully this will be an insightful sight with lots of fun and interesting news, photos, and video. NOT!!!!!!!! For one thing, we don't even have a camcorder which will link up with the computer. I would still encourage you to check regularly because I love funny sayings and will post as much as I can.

Well I went on the big marching band trip over the weekend. We went down to St. George on Friday. On Saturday they bussed us to Vegas (Viva!) for the Las Vegas Invitational. Despite the absolute glory of our performances, we lost each time. American Fork took first every time, but the gap was always less than ten points. In other news, I have now taken a vow of eating only finger foods and soups for the rest of my life. On the bus ride back, we stopped in Zion's National Park for a couple hours. I had fun, but one of our bus drivers had an allergic reaction and had to leave in an ambulance. Thus all 250 kids had to fit onto only 4 buses (there was a lot of standing). Needless to say, it was the most fun I've ever had on a bus at 10:30 at night.

I hope every one sleeps good the next couple days, because I sure will. Also someone give me some ideas for a new hobby.
Wishing that I could have had a BTR, Ethan
P.S. We got a letter on Friday inviting us to the Orange Bowl. That means if the Rose Parade doesn't happen, we're going to Miami!!!!
P.P.S. The picture at the top is from our first ever performance back in September. Unfortunately, my mom got a little confused with the uniforms and took pictures of Mackenzie right next to me. I am the farthest right in the row in the middle.