Get well soon, Papa Bill!

Papa Bill we love you and can't wait until you're feeling better and ready to go home. Sorry we can't be with you, but we're praying lots and lots for you and your big heart.
love,
Linds, Morgan, Max, and London

Happy Birthday, Mom! "YOU Are My Sunshine"

Today my mom would have been 90 years old. Wow. She was with us two years ago for Thanksgiving, and now she is gone. I miss her the most when I think about how much she loved the grand babies. Pictures jump into my mind of her on the floor with them. She adored them. The girls loved it. She like to hold them, and we were always a little bit nervous about that, but so happy to share the girls were always brave about it. The other night I was leaving Jenn's after helping a bit with the baby. I was helping a lot because I had Kate and John in my car for an overnight at Gramma's. Kate wanted me to help her with the "Intsy Bintsy Spider" song. I was happy that I knew it and could help her. She asked me if that was my favorite song. I told her that "No, I like the sunshine song". She wanted to know what song that was, so I sang it to her. Of course that was an emotional mistake. I immediately started thinking about the times that Mom had helped me with my babies and what a very special time that was. Tears ran, but we made it home safely. Children and babies are always such a welcome distraction. Thanks Mom, for all that you taught me! Happy 90th!

Thanksgiving 2010

Another wonderful year coming to a close. My favorite holiday, Thanksgiving, is in the books for this year. We had such an amazing day. Events occurred that resolved into a feast of daughters and sons this year like we have never had before. What a treat for us. Jeff, Jenn, Linds, and Liz, along with their adorable families were able to be with us to indulge. We had a wonderful day of visiting, food, and even games. We are so grateful for so much this year. We can only hope that we will earnestly strive to be worthy of our many blessings. Thanks to all for so much!!

New Sunday Clothes

Thanks for London's SUPER cute dresses! I don't have Max in his plaid shirt because he insisted on his vest and tie. Or his dad did. I can't remember. Anyways, Gramma Horsey, thanks for the adorable outfits! The kids LOVE finding the "hidden" horses on their clothes!




Thanks Aunt Jenn! I LOVE my sweet dress! I hope you are having fun with your new baby! And I hope he's easier than I was;)


love,
London

Happy Halloween, y'all!!

Happy Birthday Mom

I'd like to try a new kind of post for birthdays. At least for mom.

I was reading Sister Hinckley's book on "Small & Simple Things". I read through all of her quotes and little excerts on life that go with the quotes. I wanted to pick one that really described my mom and use that to express how I feel about her and her "legacy" rather than throwing random words together to spell her name. (I'm limited in my creativity and I'm sure I've just used the same words year after year...) So, I thought I'd use a source that had that "flare" with words. Sister Hinckley happened to nail my mom right on the proverbial head.

Now, while my mom means a million different things to me ranging all over the spectrum, the one that stuck out most to me was this one. The part in this that sealed the deal for me was "'You can't teach your children to be good. The best you can do for your child is to live a good life yourself.'"

My mom happens to be the greatest example in so many areas of her life, I couldn't simply choose a quote on "testimony" or "faith" or "service" or "dealing with trials" or so on and so forth. My mom has simply been an amazing example to me of living a good life. In every single way.

Mom, I hope you had a fun South Carolina style birthday, but I've missed having you just 30 minutes away and I want you to know that I can't wait for you to get back. I believe with all my heart (tears are coming...) that this page in this small book was the perfect way to tell you how I feel. I love you with all my heart and hope to high heaven that (besides looking just like you) I have some of the same qualities that you possess and can be a similar, even if only slightly, example to my children.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

Love,
Jenn

King Benjamin's tower

I got a really cute idea this year for General Conference from the Friend. We first read in Mosiah chapter 2 how King Benjamin's people "gathered themselves together throughout all the land, that they might go up to the temple to hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them." so that's what we did. we pitched our tent right in front of his tower and waited to hear our prophets words.  It was a great teaching moment for us from the scriptures and we had a lot of fun playing in the tent throughout conference. I think it's going to be a new tradition at our house.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TRACIE!!

Happy Birthday Tracie!! We are so happy that you are part of our family. We are excited that we will soon be together for a great visit. We miss you and wish that we could be with you on your special day. But remember that we love you! I will always think of you when it is time for the Relief Society meeting. I will never forget driving ALL OVER St. Louis looking for a Stake Center. Where was GPS when we needed it? I think we did find it eventually. Love you!!

T stands for the TRAVELIN' woman. This girl loves to travel.

R is for READ READ READ!

A is ACTIVITIES (well, games, actually)

C is for Care Bears. You LOVE Care Bears!

I is for INTERESTED in HISTORY.

E is for ENERGY to organize and plan. Always the one to help us do lots of fun things.

We love you!!

Couldn't resist.....

So proud of this one that I just couldn't resist. I haven't quilted it yet, but it is READY!

Friends at Last!

It took a while, but they are at last friends. So fun to watch! Only a few seconds!

Maddie, meet Dexter

Gramma & Papa,

Thank you for letting us "puppy-sit" for the weekend. Not only did everyone in the neighborhood fall in love with your brand new 8 week old golden retriever puppy, Maddie, but everyone in our house did, too. Especially Dexter, our 4 month old kitten. They got along quite well. And here’s proof:

It was hard to say good-bye once the weekend was over, and yet, so nice to be able to get a full night's rest. But we love her and she's welcome to come over anytime... once she's potty trained. :)

Love,

Kate & Johnny

9/11

I had thought I would do this the other day, and then I let it go. Tonight I was inspired by cousin Patty's post, and I just couldn't let the day go unremembered.

I was getting ready to go to school. We were watching the events on TV. I was still teaching 6th grade at the time. The kids were pretty shaken up. We always did "current events" in the morning. I will never forget that the news up until that day was all about the sharks in Florida. It seemed that every day there was a new attack. After 9/11, we didn't hear about the sharks any more.

We visited DC that October. We had planned the trip before the attacks. It was devastating to see the Pentagon. It was amazing to see all of the flags everywhere, including the one on the Pentagon. All of the houses were covered with them, wherever we went. I will always be grateful for the spirit of patriotism and unity that we felt in those days. I was grateful to read the stories of heroism that had taken place. The story of the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania is still inspiring. We will always remember, always.

Happy Birthday LIZ!!

Happy Birthday to Liz!! We had a fun Sunday dinner. All of her favorites. Chicken and Broccoli Bake, hot rolls, and chocolate sheet cake. No Princess cake this year!!?? My baby is 22. I can't believe it. She is just as pretty as ever, as always just as nice. We had Jenn/Codye, Jeff/Brooke and families. Oh, yes, and Josh. We had a lot of fun. Jeff and Brooke and the boys even got us to play their new game. It was great to be together. Happy Birthday, Liz. We are SO grateful that you are part of our family.

E is ELEGANT. Liz likes to do things in a beautiful and formal way.
L is Literature. She loves to read .
I is Independent. There are days that we don't even talk.
Z is ZUNDEL!
A is Articulate. She speaks well, and doesn't tolerate poor grammar.
B is Beautiful! So glad that you got to see Preston last week for those gorgeous golden locks.
E is Early! She is always on time, unlike some of the rest of us.
T is Teachable. She is interested in learning all kinds of things.
H is Horton. Wow! You really hit the jackpot with Josh!

LOVEYOUTONSMOM

The week....

We had a rather full week. We had another visit to our favorite IHC Marriott. Bill is the lucky recipient of stent #6 and another stent got "reballooned". Not so fun for him, but hopefully feeling better. His arteries really like to hang onto that plaque. On a happier note, we went to Nevada and picked up our latest addition. Chris and Deena were kind enough to share their pick of the litter from their dog Madison's batch of puppies. Our new doll is going to be called Princess Madison, otherwise known as Maddie. She likes her new home, and we are nuts about her!

And the name is.....??? Help us name her!

Paula Deen's Eclair Cake

I didn't take any pictures because we ate it too fast....

Cake:
1 box graham crackers
2 (3 1/4 oz) boxes instant French Vanilla pudding
3 1/2 C milk
1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping (thawed)

Frosting:
1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 C cocoa
3 TBS butter, softened
1/3 C milk
2 tsp light corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla

Butter bottom of 13x9x2 pan. Line with whole graham crackers. In a bowl with electric mixer, mix pudding with milk for 2 mins on med speed. Fold in whipped topping. Pour half pudding mixture over graham crackers. Place another layer of whole graham crackers on top of pudding layer. Pour remaining pudding mixture over and cover with another layer of graham crackers.

For frosting, blend together sugar and cocoa. Add butter and milk, mixing well. Add corn syrup and vanilla. Stir until creamy. Cover cake with frosting and refrigerate 24 hours.

Seriously, this is sooo flipping good!

Closets done, drawers done, quilt done.....summer done

This has been a productive and relaxing summer. We got to have two really fun trips. One was a reunion with Bill's cousins and some kids and grandkids. One was to Seattle for a very special wedding. We finished some projects in the house. We got a lot of cleaning and organizing done. Bill made a successful transition to home dialysis. He passed his Echo cardiogram with flying colors, not once, but twice! He is getting closer to being back on the list. I got to spend some time in the sun. I got to have lunch with some awesome cousins. I have two new projects to start and one finished. I have one week left officially. Next week I will be heading back to the routine. So grateful that I love the people at Oak Hills!

Happy Birthday to Papa Bill!

Happy Birthday Gelder William Lewis. We were all so happy to celebrate your birthday today. Your favorite kind of party, too. A picnic at the pool. It was a great day. Now you are sitting at the kitchen table looking over your cards. Life just does not get any better than this! Love you, old man!

LINDSAY

Happy Birthday, sweet daughter Lindsay. I was 29 years young when you were born. Pretty close to your age right now. I was just a kid. So are you! You were a pretty easy baby! You were an awesome addition to our family. You are a wonderful daughter, wife, mommy, and sister. You have had a lot of adventures in your 28 years. You have accomplished a lot. You have a lot of inner strength. We all learn from you. I am so glad you had a fun weekend. I hope there is cake on your day. If not, we will take care of that when you come.

L--lookin' very foxy for an old married lady with two kids!
I--in the mood for a Coke. Anytime.
N--never miss a beat. Always dedicated to your family, every minute, every hour, every day.
D--definitely the fashion queen, with princess London coming on fast.
S--spunky and sassy. You stand up for yourself and your crew.
A--a schedule. You are always organized.
Y--Yes, to playdates, dinners for friends, letting your kids make messes, home school for three year olds, and crafts, crafts crafts.

LOVEYOUTONSLINDSAYZUNDELLEWISMATHIE

Pink Parfait

I have always wanted to go to Victoria Island and see the Butchart Gardens. Bill has wanted to go, too. So when we scheduled a trip to Seattle for Trace and Lisa's big event, we decided to go. I got my passport at the last minute. You CAN get passports within a week. Anyway, we took a ferry to the island on Sunday and spent the night. The island is GORGEOUS. On Monday, we walked around a bit, had a lovely lunch overlooking the "inner harbour", and then drove to the gardens. We spent about two hours there. Of course, my camera battery died, and so I was dependent on phone pictures. I did take a lot of them, and they are all on Facebook. The gardens were worth every bit of effort it took to get there, and then some. They are amazing! I think we would both love to go back. We are so grateful that we got to see them. Our trip was fun. Last night after we got home about 11:30, (after getting lost in IDAHO!!!), I said "Everything that was important went perfectly, and everything that was unimportant went wrong". Oh well. Most special of all to me about the gardens was the "Pink Parfait" rose. This is what was planted at my home when I was growing up, and it is what we have in our yard. To me, there is not a prettier rose. And the smell in incredible.

Congratulations Trace & Lisa!!!

Law and Order

Recently I haven't had much interest in Law and Order. I have seen them so many times that I just haven't been watching them any more. This last weekend was a Marathon. So I recorded a bunch. So after a VERY busy day of a funeral and getting ready to go out of town, I am watching an "oldie, but a goodie" instead of packing. So I wanted to share one of my favorite lines from L&O. It would be Adam saying to Jack, "Well, you got an innocent man to confess to a crime he didn't commit. Maybe this job is getting too easy for you." Love it! Love Adam, love Jack! My favorite pollster Scott Rasmussen did a poll on what TV show is missed the most! You guessed it!

Happy Birthday America

Today I was driving in to see Dad as I often do. I go past the Bountiful Cemetery on my way there. I pass this place about forty times a month, but I never have time to stop. Today was different. I had a little bit of time, and I decided to stop. About three years ago, I discovered this statue at the cemetery. It is AMAZING. Today I decided that it is going to be my tradition every July 4th! It is called "Appeal to Divine Providence". It is Ben Franklin, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. I love it! I also love the story of our country and the men and women that sacrificed, worked, and dedicated their lives to the cause of America.

Miracle Number Three

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!! I am reading the book called "The Seven Miracles that Saved AMERICA". The third miracle is the fog in New York during the revolution that allowed Washington's army to escape Long Island. It truly was a miracle. Part of this miracle is the Declaration of Independence. When we consider what today's Washington DC is like, it is more a miracle than ever. Thank you JOHN, THOMAS, GEORGE, and BEN. You deserve a lot more than one day of appreciation!!

"Gramma Farm"

I keep telling the kids that their kids are going to call me Gramma Farm. I get called a lot of different Gramma names, but not that. But every trip to my house includes a visit to our neighborhood Llamas. They love us, and we love them!

Cousins

Well summer is here, and I am looking for long stretches of time. Not finding those, but I am sleeping in a little, sunning a little, (well maybe more than a little), and relaxing a little bit too. Today I got to do something REALLY fun. I have this wonderful cousin named Patty that came for a visit from Virginia. I knew this because we are FACEBOOK FRIENDS!! Thanks to FB and Patty, mostly Patty, we got together today. She organized a lunch at Little America for all of us Zundel cousins and a few Andersons. Great food, great conversation, great fun!! Thanks, Patty. You are one classy Chi Omega STILL! By the way, I told Dad that Neil was coming for a week visit. I think he is fine with it. Don't discount that little idea. AND I think a "Cousin Reunion" was born.

LIz the Grad

Ok, I know it's a few weeks old, but I was just going through some of my May pictures and couldn't resist posting these cute pix of Liz's graduation. YEAH! Now there's only 1 of us left to graduate from the U. Sorry to disappoint, but I may try to finish thru USU.... would everyone be so mad!!!

The Proud Hubby. What a great hat! (too bad it wasn’t RED!)

Look at that beauty…

The proud niece and nephew who

couldn’t WAIT to give those flowers to Liz. J

The one who started that

“graduating from college trend”…

YEAH MOM!

The big sis who set another good example

(Linds, how did I not get a picture of you???

Yeah though for graduating!)

YEAH LIZ!

WAY TO GO!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Thanks for spending your vacation at the Lewis Marriott

We just enjoyed a fun filled week with Tracie, Aaron, and Spencer (aka Stickerman) Norton. It was way too short, but we did do a lot of fun things. Stake Conference at the Conference Center, a day at the museum, temple trips, Brigham City/Maddox trip, a pretty adorable six year old's birthday party, graduation day, and Mothers' Day at Grand America. Thanks for taking your break with us. We are always so happy when you come and so sad when you leave. Hope your trip back is a safe one. We love you!!

Graduation Day for Lizard

HAPPY GRADUATION YOUNG LADY!! Quite the fun day. All thanks to you. So happy that this is behind you. You make a very pretty Utah Alumnus!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all the amazing mother's in my life!
Tracie- I look up to you as a mother because you work so hard with Spencer and his new school experience. You are really determined to help him and don't let him take the easy way out. I know when Max starts school I'll be able to call you with all sorts of advice!
Jenn- I look up to you as a mother because you know how to show your kids a good time and get them active. You've made being outdoors a priority and I really admire that. Your kids definitely love nature!
MOM- I look up to you as a mom for MANY reasons. Some of my favorite are:
You are constantly learning. You make every experience a learning one and something to grow from.
You are completely selfless. If you aren't taking care of your kids (lending cars, taking trips to see them, taking them lunch at work), you're taking care of your husband (how many trips to the hospital this spring?). If you aren't taking care of him, you're taking care of your dad (do I have any snickers, mk?). If you aren't taking care of him, you're dealing with your calling in the church (5 trips to the church today ALONE to help people get in). If you aren't dealing with all of THAT, you are making a quilt for your grandkids (and letting them pick out the fabric). You are always thinking of others and how to help.
And, you always have the right thing to say. I love you, mom! Happy Mother's Day!

*And a special tribute to Ida, I know I could always count on you for a good plate of food and quick lay in the sun. We all miss you this mother's day. All our love.

Tribute to our Ida

Our Dearest Ida,

We were passing through Brigham last weekend and had to make a special stop an see the beautiful flowers at your grave. Kate insisted on drawing a picture for you, which we tucked away behind the flowers, although I'm sure the sprinklers still got to it.

We love you so much and we miss you quite a bit. But we know that you are happy living with your brother and sister and your mom and dad and Heavenly Father and Jesus. Our friend up in Logan has a cousin who was 9 months old. He went to live with Heavenly Father, too. We know that you are getting to hold him and probably some more tiny babies, something you always loved to do.

We miss you and think of you often. We love you.

Love,

Kate, Johnny & fam

Thanks for the great trip!

We fed the birds, fish, and yes, it is a turtle!

Morgan carving a wonderful turkey dinner.Last weekend we ran away to Arizona to see Morgan, Lindsay, Max, and London. We had a really nice visit. The kids were adorable. We got to celebrate Max's 4th birthday with him. He had two very fun birthday parties. We arrived during his Star Wars Party. What a great event. We enjoyed the sun, conference, good food, and great company. Not to mention adorable grandkids. We are looking forward to seeing everyone in May!