THE BEST Thanksgiving!!

A week or so before we received our call to serve in the Family and Church History Headquarters Mission we found out that our daughter Stephanie Lund and husband, Darrell were going to have a baby!!!!!! This was a wonderful surprise--their first and long awaited by their Grandma. The day after we received our call we found out that they were having TWINS!!!!! Yes, two babies. Something I had always wanted. A couple of weeks later we found out the twins were a boy and a girl--one of each flavor!! (Sorry about all the !!!! My kids always tease me about how many I use when I write anything. Hey, this was exciting and I couldn't decide where not to put a !).

Since Stephanie was already 3 months along when she found out, the waiting time was really cut and the due date was 2 December. The doctors told Stephanie that they would induce labor at 38 weeks instead of 40 weeks which meant the new date was 20 November--the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

We were given permission by our mission president to be in Chandler, AZ the week the babies were born. Such a wonderful Thanksgiving it was going to be.

We decided to drive, since flying standby at Thanksgiving is a pretty risky proposition. We spent the first night in St. George, UT with my Mom. We had an extra special blessing because our second daughter, Jennilyn Ball, and her family were also visiting "Nana". We were able to see our only grandchild, Malena, that night and for a few hours the next morning. That was a wonderful time. Here is a picture of the 4 generations!!!

It is hard to believe that Malena is growing up so fast! She will be eight (27 July) the day after our release. We planned it that way so that we would be able to attend her baptism, although the mission does allow missionaries to leave and attend special family events. We were not quite sure when we put in our papers to serve if that was still possible.

The babies were born 20 November right before 10 pm. The 20 November is very special because that was Len's dad's 108th birthday--Carl Frederick Gunner Ingermanson.

Drew Robert Lund came first and weighed 6 lbs. 1 oz. and was 19 inches long. Three minutes later, Harper Kayla Lund made her entrance at 5 lbs. 11 ozs. and was 18.5 inches long. They were very healthy and had all their important parts!! Mom didn't even have a c-section which was a wonderful blessing!

They came home on Thanksgiving Day which really made the day even more "thankful". Len left a couple of days later, on Saturday and I stayed until the next Thursday.

Twins are a lot more than twice as much work. They have got to be 50 times more work. I can only imagine the next few years. Good luck to Stephanie and Darrell. They are not having these kids when they are in their 20s. They are in their 40s!!!!! They are doing an incredible job. These sweet babies are really blessed to have such awesome parents.

The day before I left, our youngest daughter, Emily Hawken, flew in from Bellevue, WA to help for a week. This was a double blessing because she was a great help with 2 more hands but she is expecting her first baby in March 2013 and this was the best prenatal class she could ever take---she got to learn first hand with TWO babies. She did say that things were not as hectic as she had envisioned and that one would surely be easier than two. She is a photographer and took over 370 pictures while she was there.

Our daughter, Julie, flew in from St. Louis, MO while Emily was there to also help. That's right--FOUR adults and TWO babies. Julie was able to do a 10 day transfer with her company, so she did work during the day at the Tempe, AZ office. That was an awesome thing her company did since she had no vacation to use.

Here are some of my favorite photos of THE BABIES as they are known in the family. There are several posted on Emily's blog--NOT 370+! Take a look, you will not be disappointed. Just click on the colored link and it will take you to the pictures.

This is a pretty new Drew.

Here is new little Harper.

Here are some of Aunt Emily's pictures.

Here are the ones Stephanie sent showing how their going home outfits now fit--almost don't fit in Drew's case. He has really filled out.

I can hardly believe they will be 8 months old the next time we see them.
Yup, I think you can see why it was THE BEST Thanksgiving!

Slacker!!!

Sorry I have been such a slacker in posting things on the blog. I have kind of hit a spot I never thought I would be in--not wanting to be on the computer. No, that is not quite correct. I just don't want to write or create on the computer.

My duties on our mission have me training new Family History Center directors over the phone, one-on-one. I absolutely love that part. The hard part is writing and sending the follow-up email after the training. That is the part that is burning me out to wanting to post to the blog. My follow-up emails tend to be lengthy and in much detail so they take a lot of time to write. . . so when I get home at night, the last thing I want to do is type long posts.

I have never been really good at letter writing, as many of you can vouch, because I tend to be really long winded and write way too much and in too much detail--just like right now. When I was 15, I had a really good friend who moved back to Pittsburgh where her family was from. I vowed to keep her informed of all that was going on in Idaho Falls. I would send her 50, yes 50, page letters. I guess that is where it all began.

I have never been really good at keeping a journal because again, I get too long winded and it takes too much time to write in such great detail. On our last mission I was really faithful in keeping a journal for the first 6-7 months and then things started to falling apart the last 5 months. We also had a family blog that fell apart because I didn't keep it up like I should have!

This time I was going to be better. Blogs are so popular and I read lots of them, so surely I could keep up like all those other bloggers. I thought that this blog could serve two purposes: 1. Keep everyone informed about what was going on with us, thus eliminating writing letters and 2. It could serve as a journal of sorts. I just forgot one thing--blogging is just another name for writing letters that reach lots of people at one time AND journaling. So. . .my long windedness has not gone away and I have fallen again into the trap of getting behind.

Since it is 30 Dec and there are just 1.5 days left in this year 2012, I am again reflecting on the past and projecting for the New Year. I will try better to post more often because I really do have a lot to share with you. This is an amazing experience and I do want everyone to know what is going on. I will be posting about things that have happened over the last several months and they may be late and a little out of date but I hope you still enjoy them!

May your New Year--2013--be the best ever!!!! May you enjoy good health, happiness and joy in life around you.

Poem: A Genealogist's Christmas Eve

I have read this poem several times on different websites. It is very appropriate for this Christmas Eve. Oops, I forgot to post this on Christmas Eve! At the end I posted a couple of websites where I have seen the poem. I do not want to infringe on anyone's blog copyrights.

Genealogist's Christmas Eve

'Twas the night before Christmas
When all through the house
Not a creature was stirring,
Not even my spouse.

   The dining room table with clutter was spread
With pedigree charts and with letters which said...
"Too bad about the data for which you wrote;
Sank in a storm on an ill-fated boat."

   Stacks of old copies of wills and such
Were proof that my work had become too much.
Our children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.

   And I at my table was ready to drop
From work on my album with photos to crop.
Christmas was here, and such was my lot
That presents and goodies and toys I'd forgot.

   Had I not been busy with grandparents' wills,
I'd not have forgotten to shop for such thrills,
While others bought gifts to bring Christmas cheers,
I'd spent time researching those birth dates and years.

   While I was thus musing about my sad plight,
A strange noise on the lawn gave me such a great fright.
Away to the window I flew in a flash,
Tore open the drapes and yanked up the sash.

   When what with my wondering eyes should appear,
But an overstuffed sleigh and eight small reindeer.
Up to the house top the reindeer they flew,
With a sleigh full of toys and 'ole Santa Claus, too.

   And then in a twinkle, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of thirty-two hoofs.
As I drew in my head, and bumped it on the sash,
Down the cold chimney fell Santa--KER-RASH!

   "Dear" Santa had come from the roof in a wreck,
And tracked soot on the carpet, (I could wring his short neck!)
Spotting my face, good 'ole Santa could see
I had no Christmas spirit you'd have to agree.

   He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work
And filled all the stockings, (I felt like a jerk).
Here was Santa, who'd brought us such gladness and joy:
When I'd been too busy for even one toy.

   He spied my research on the table all spread
"A genealogist!" He cried!  (My face was all red!)
"Tonight I've met many like you," Santa grinned,
As he pulled from his sack a large book he had penned.

   I gazed with amusement--the cover it read
Genealogy Lines for Which You Have Plead.
"I know what it's like as a genealogy bug."
He said as he gave me a great Santa hug.

   "While the elves make the sleighful of toys I now carry,
I do some research in the North Pole Library!
A special treat I am thus able to bring,
To genealogy folk who can't find a thing."

   "Now off you go to your bed for a rest,
I'll clean up the house from this genealogy mess."
As I climbed up the stairs full of gladness and glee,
I looked back at Santa who'd brought much to me.

   While settling in bed, I heard Santa's clear whistle,
To his team, which then rose like the down of a thistle.
And I heard him exclaim as he flew out of sight,
"Family history is Fun!  Merry Christmas!  Goodnight!"

                                                                       --Author Unknown

Here are a few of the places I have seen the poem:

http://genealogy.about.com/library/blchristmaseve.htm

http://news.legacyfamilytree.com/legacy_news/2012/12/genealogists-christmas-eve.html

http://newsletter.k-f-g-online.info/V3/n1/a_genealogists_christmas.htm