Deanna
Deanna is a fan of: Ticket to Ride game, her new one-block-a-month quilting class, Ziploc bags, Family Fun magazine, George Bush, Elder Holland and Elder Eyring, being a stay-at-home mom, (wait, how come I’m never home?) chocolate chips, the cardio cinema at Gold’s Gym, and American Idol.
I saw an idea in Family Fun that sounded great so we tried it this summer before school started. Way fun! I arranged with several moms close by to host breakfast the week before school started to help the kids start getting up a little earlier. Each day we rotated which house we went to. The first day we met at 8:30, the next day at another house we met at 8:00, then 7:30 and finally 7:00 on the first day of school. It was really fun. It gave us that “we’re all in this together” feeling and we had some yummy food. We hosted our breakfast in our new little patio that we built this summer down by the creek (in that dug-out area that looks like a little amphitheater.) We got the crazy idea one day and had sand and rock delivered the same day and in two more days it was done! Carrying sand down in buckets was miserable but placing the rocks was like fitting a puzzle together. We ended up laughing a lot and really enjoyed doing the project together. We got some fun benches and a fire pit so it’s the perfect location for roasting marshmallows and making smores. You’re all invited (not at the same time) when the weather clears up.
I’m still enjoying my calling as Stake Primary President. We had a big service project in the summer for the missionaries serving in the Salt Lake City South Mission. The primary children of the stake gathered to decorate red felt Christmas stockings, cut fleece scarves and painted pillow cases. The best part was that we invited the missionaries from the Sandy zone and the kids shined their shoes. Even President Laney came and had all of his shoes shined as well.
Don
Don is a fan of breakfast on Saturday morning, getting something done on Satruday, team work, great sales presentations, facebook, and my clean garage-well, relatively clean. We really enjoyed going back to Christmas Meadows in the Uintas this Summer. After 10 or 12 impressive poems were recited around the campfire, Noah stood bravely and apologized that, “I don’t remember the words, but these are the motions to what we learned in my class” then it was: right hand up, left hand up, right hand down, left hand down, cross to the waist…etc. as everyone appreciatively watched his flawless macarena. 5 years in the high council was way too fun. It really was. I feel like I was in several high councils because the group I left was 100% different than the one I joined. I’m now being utilized as head Pa (with Deanna) for our ward’s trek group this summer, Sunday school teacher for course 14 and Assistant 11 year-old scout leader.
When Sara Carling came in for the Durham Design Summit she wished me happy new year and asked “Don, what’s your word for the year, you have one don’t you?” umm. Nope. She explained that last year her word was “Create” this year her word is “Perspective”. So I took the challenge and determined that my word for 2009 is “Purpose”. Purpose, because I don’t want to catch myself in autopilot through the days weeks and months this year. I am determined to step to a higher level and “fly this thing” just how I want to. Maybe an evidence of that is the trip I have scheduled with Peter and Levi over Easter to Connecticut and the big apple. My brother Mark’s family lives there and so far only Benji has been with us to visit them. My classmates on facebook are all a-buzz with our upcoming 30 year reunion. 30 years since H.S.? I told my kids that their dad was getting very old. Fifty is just around a couple of corners. Who’s fifty? That’s right, old guys. Your dad is getting to be an “old guy”. Take this vitality, this virile vim and vigor for granted no more. I could see that I was not getting any sympathy. Benji did think it was pretty funny though. And he didn’t deny that 50 actually is really, really old. So if a marathon in my 40th year was a good idea… oh never mind, I think I need to buy a shiny new a car or something… this time “with Purpose”.
Nick
Elder Lambson has had a lifetime of experiences in the last few months: Eating fajitas seasoned with Indian curry, teaching a hair model who won first place in the Saint Petersburg men’s hair modeling competition, playing the piano for children in Kazakhstan as they sang “Scripture Power”, swatting the tiny brine-type flies and kicking out the chapel security guard along with his friends who were drinking beer in the Branch President’s office. Nick loves it and seems very happy in each of his letters. He is such a good letter writer and includes lots of details so we can get a better idea of his life there. We’ve learned that in the summer, it’s hard to get people to church because they are all out on their “dachas which are like a country farm house an hour or two out of the city where they grow their own produce on the weekends and return to the city to work. We’ve learned that Russia is green and very hot in the summer. In the winter, it is the coldest cold. Nick says your lungs start coughing trying to rid you of the enemy, and anything in your nose that wasn’t solid immediately is. For a while, Nick wore a big furry hat that made him look like the big laughing bully kid on “A Christmas Story”. The church stopped sending missionaries from the U.S. and Europe to Russia because of the visa restrictions. Every missionary has to leave the country every 90 days to renew their visa and the cost and coordination is staggering. (Although we just got word that they’ve started to call them again! That’s great news!) Nick’s first visa trip took him to Almaty, Kazakhstan, where he and Elder Antuna had difficulty getting back. They rented an apartment and stayed for over 3-1/2 weeks. The mind-blowing part was the return trip on a 40 hour train ride that was more like the Train to Potevka than the train to Novosibirsk. They made it as far as the Russian-Kazakh border when some Kazakh officials discovered that their visas were dated for the following day. The Kazakhs delivered them to the Russian side. Luckily, some kind Russian soldiers told them about a bus leaving at midnight (so it would be the next day) from a town 20 minutes away. They hitched a ride in the military jeep and waited at a checkpoint until midnight. They did get on the bus but it had standing room only so they stood and tried to sleep standing up for a couple of hours until seats opened up, while the bus driver showed pornographic music videos. Nine hours later they arrived in Novosibirsk. Thank Goodness! Nick is currently serving in the city of Angarsk which is not too far from Lake Baikal. There are about 26 members, 10-15 of which are active and all but one of those are college-age girls. The members are very new so Nick’s companion, Elder Kravchenko is the Branch President and District Leader. He is from the Ukraine. He has knocked many doors and climbed many stairs and taught many people. He has watched 4 elect people join the church and has see their lives change. He is having the adventure of a lifetime and sends lots of love to his wonderful extended family.
Levi
Levi is a fan of his ugly doll, taking cello lessons, watching “Time Warp”, his origami calendar, magic card tricks, making movies with his video camera, his new down sleeping bag, Levi has a cool new scar on the top of his foot. He had a little bump that grew and grew in spite of out attempts to thwart it with duct tape. Here’s his story: “Dr. Royall gave me numbing shots. They hurt like crazy. After the shot the medicine made a lump under my skin about the size of a ping-pong ball. I was lying down and told him I could feel some pain.. I sat up and saw that he had cut about a 2-inch slice on one side of the growth. A few minutes later I sat up and saw him tugging on this white bloody stretchy thing coming out of my foot. He held it with tweezers while he cut under it with a scalpel.” We like to tell Levi that, “ inside the lump… was a spinal cord and a brain… yes, it was his twin.”
Levi began taking cello lessons from Elliott Cheney last summer. His teacher says he is one of the lucky ones because he has such a good ear and good finger memory. He had a holiday cello recital to pass off book one and it was one of the best things about our Christmas. Elliott played duets with each of Levi’s Suzuki songs and so they sounded especially beautiful. At the end of Levi’s songs, we invited anyone who wanted to play to come on up. It was unbelievable. Every single child shared a song either on the piano, violin, guitar or cello.We’ve decided we should make a holiday recital a tradition for our family. Levi got his own cello for Christmas. He enjoyed going to the shop with his teacher and watching how cellos are made.. Levi found a t-shirt that he liked. It has a picture of a cello on the front with the words, “No… I just carry it for the exercise.”
Levi is always up for a new adventure. He was a natural at scuba diving in Mexico last summer and even touched a big green eel that was wrapped around a rock. Its face was scary! He would also go skiing every week if he could.
Levi is a brave soul. He shaved his head bald for Halloween. He left a little bit of hair just above the ears. When he added the flannel shirt and suspenders he looked like his great Grandpa Levi! At school, lots of people thought it was a wig and kept asking him to take his bald cap off! He was stunning! Levi’s current challenge—our Russian conversation class. He consented to join Deanna and me. We’ve made flashcards of all the letters and we’re practicing about 20 frequently used words in Russian which include “beer, wine, coffee, tea, and fur coat”!
Levi is still the most well loved friend in the world. He has such a gift to make others feel loved and important. Just in the last 2 weeks Deanna had three moms call and tell her the same thing—that their boys say that Levi is the nicest person they know. We couldn’t agree more.
Benji
Benji is a fan of corn tortillas, string cheese, Michael Bublé, blowing with an air pump into his mouth so his lips blubber and flair (Levi invented that one), dating, playing the slapping game, talking with pride about his missionary brother, writing in his journal, playing lacrosse, riding his blue scooter, singing in madrigals, soloing the National Anthem in front of large crowds (the count is up to 3). Still quite a tease, Benji rushed in the great room recently and unexpectedly scooped Noah up in his arms. But even more unexpectedly, Benji tripped over the little roller coaster track that had been set up on the floor. He reeled and hopped with a panicked look on his face while trying to get his feet under him and not drop Noah. So funny!
Benji has always been a sweet boy but now has grown into a handsome, kind and spiritually mature man. I appreciate his level-headedness and wisdom even through the drama of dating and school. When Benji is out, he always checks in with us. He asks permission. He comes home on time. He always wakes me to tell me he’s home even if I am snoring loudly. (Sometimes he really has to try hard, he tells me) And if he happens to slide off the snowy road while going to visit a girl and hits a street lamp and takes out an electrical box, he tells us that too.
Benji planned an awesome theme dance last Sat. The 24 kids in his group dressed as heroes. Some were firemen, Robin Hood, or Ninja turtles. Benji and Jerika Michel were Missionaries. They split into 2 groups and each made a super hero movie. The best part of Benji’s movie was when Superman (Robert Hopper) ripped his clothes off to reveal his blue super suit and ran out the front door, slipping on our walk and wiping out. You don’t see that every day.
Benji has been doing conditioning practices for Lacrosse. Then had to stay at a 90 degree squat while passing snowballs the size of a hoppity-hop! He is enjoying his last year at Brighton. He applied to BYU and BYU Idaho and is applying to the U as well. He thinks he may be interested in veterinary medicine but is still just thinking.
Peter
Peter is a fan of facebook, American Idol, snow, fish tacos, his friends, playing lagretto, going to Costco, avocados, watching movies with his friends, going to Mimi’s Café, making Snickerdoodles, his new Nikon camera, waffle irons, food network, the Office, eating out at Sweet Tomatoes, skiing on double black diamonds (against his mother’s wishes) and playing the violin. Peter has grown about 6 inches in the last 6 months. He is now neck and neck with Benji at 6’2”. He’s newly 15 years old and thinks that he should be able to drive already.
Peter, is in 9th grade at Albion. And like his brothers before him is learning to draw a map of the worlds 200+ countries on a blank piece of paper and label each one as required in his Geography Class. Pete is surprisingly confident when it comes to addressing his concerns with his teachers. He was tired of enduring his coach’s favoritism, insults and time-wasting in gym class so he complained and the principal allowed him to check out of school and attend Gold’s Gym instead. Who ever heard of that? After a recent training session at the gym, Pete was so sore that he couldn’t bend his legs. When he dropped a muffin on the floor, I saw him spread his legs apart and try to pick it up off the floor with his mouth like a giraffe trying to eat! Peter’s friend Hayden said, “That’s why I come over here … I don’t get that kind of entertainment at my house.”
Peter was required to do a Job shadow accompanying someone to work for a day. He chose to see the life of a hospital administrator up close and personal by tagging along with his uncle Ezra. Pete filled the Jack-o-lantern candy jars at the office and waited with Ezra at Big-O tires an emergency repair and by then it was time for lunch at Fresh. He loved his turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich. Pete thinks this would be an excellent career.
Peter was invited to play the violin at the Draper Temple Open house. He’ll be playing with 3 other friends on March 3rd. He is learning “Polish Dance” for his recital in April and has never been so excited to learn a song. Pete is really funny! This week, when the organist at church played the same postlude for the millionth time, Pete looked at me and said with fervor, “I… LOVE this song!” Memorable quote while cracking eggs to put in his waffle batter, “Gross! Look at that HUGE ALBUMEN!!”
Noah
Most of the time Noah is NOT a fan of going to school, going to church, going to any concert or recital, going to the doctor, going skiing, going to piano lessons, getting in the car, getting out of the car or going pretty much anywhere. However, Noah IS a fan of anything Pokemon, sleeping in Levi’s twin bed, making his own snacks including little pieces of white bread in the microwave with melted butter, playing “adventure quest” in the basement with Maya, drawing, creating squishy aliens, making webkins movies, and making forts with blankets.
Noah was one of the younger visitors to the “Body Worlds” exhibit that came to Salt Lake recently. When we walked in, the room was quite dark with one light shining on an actual heart that had been painted bright red. The only sound was s lub-dub, lub-dub over the sound system. Noah said, “Mom you said it wouldn’t be creepy but this is creepy!” Then, Noah realized that he could use the little “bodyworlds” notebook to sketch everything he saw. From that moment on he was captivated! He sat down in front of each exhibit to carefully draw each detail—the heart, brain, pelvis, lungs, a fetus as various stages of development and the entire digestive tract. He included every blood vessel. We couldn’t get him to leave! The boys noticed a big hawk trying to get into the chicken run. It kept swooping down. A few days later we learned why.
Noah was a big part of the excitement when Benji was cleaning out the little chicken coop. In Benji’s words, “I see this rat and it was a BIG rat! It ran under an upside-down blue plastic tub inside of the enclosed chicken run. “Noah, quick! There’s a rat in here!” Noah lifted the tub with a shovel and the rat rocketed around and around climbing up the wire walls and ceiling like there was no gravity. Rocket Rat finally found a little seam in the chicken wire and escaped to freedom but it was a good adventure.”
Noah had a great Christmas because Levi had his name for Gift from the Heart. He made a quilt out of pokemon flannelthat folds into a pillow. Along with it was a box of pokemon stuff—a video from D.I., some action figures and a pikachu stuffed doll. Noah was beyond thrilled. He threw his arms up and his head up to the sky and roared and shook in the air. It was a you-tube moment. Quote from Noah while getting into the tub: Ok, I’m getting undressed so don’t anybody look - dot com. Who’s got the bubble bath.com? Did you know Mom doesn’t really care.com? Can somebody please get me a new towel.com? Then while running down the hall to his bedroom, “Aaaaaah! Don’t look! - .com.”
Maya
Maya, 3, is a fan of dollies, webkins, princess clothes, dancing, anything pink, painting, playing with Leah, chicken nuggets with ranch dressing, hiding behind the bathroom door, her new “Princess” primary teacher, care bears, sledding, My Little Pony, singing before bedtime—Tell me the Stories of Jesus, I lived in Heaven or the “song about the birds that get baked in the cake.” She loves wearing sparkly dresses but don’t you dare try to comb her hair or make her wear tights!
Maya has the most cheerful, absolutely tickled pink smile! She is the self-appointed one-man welcome committee for the family. When Daddy and Benji come home, she races from wherever she is to give them a big hug. Maya’s favorite new trick is saying, “I’m gonna raaar you… I’m gonna raaar you …” Then she makes you close your eyes while she sneaks up behind you and yells, “RAAAAAR!!!” Then she laughs and laughs.
Over the past year we’ve been adding to Princess Maya’s bedroom. She has a white canopy princess bed and a vanity with a pretty mirror and little drawers. A little pink chandelier hangs in the corner above her bed. We bought some beautiful rosebud sheets and a fluffy blue and rose comforter. Her little pink lamp shade has Daddy’s pink “GimmeClips” clipped all around the edges. She even as a little dish with pink pixie dust in it and a little metal star wand. She dips the wand in the sparkles and puts them on her cheek or on the back of her hand. She loves her bedroom, but not for sleeping. Oh no.. she insists on sleeping next to our bed or on the floor next to Peter who is sleeping on the floor next to Levi’s bed, next to Noah who sleeps alongside Levi in his twin bed and there’s still an empty bed 3 feet away in the same room!
This year for Christmas Maya received a cute little blonde baby doll that speaks in English and Spanish! She pestered me for weeks before we finally invited her friends over for a dolly party. The only planned activities were to bring all dolly stuff together, strollers, swings, mobiles, diapers, binkies, blankets, and little bathtubs and just play. They sat their dolls at a little table together and ate little tiny muffins.
At Christmas time, Maya found a set of red holiday press-on nails with snowflakes and stuck one to each finger. But they kept getting in the way when she wanted to suck her thumb. So much for fashion.
Maya’s favorite shows are Ni-Hao Kailan, Dora the Explorer, Sponge Bob and of course, her favorite movie is Cinderella (always).
