11.30.2009

We'll miss you love sac!

This was the final time I sat on this love sac with the boys...because we just sold it on craigslist! We were sad to see it go, but it just wasn't working in our new (smaller) place!! AND now we actually have a spot to put up our christmas tree! (pics of that to follow...we are setting it up and decorating it tonight for FHE!)


I think the thing I am most thankful for is no more jumping from the train table to the love sac! It's just one less thing for the boys to possibly hurt themselves on... Maybe someday if we ever have a basement or a big bonus room, we'll get a bunch of them and it will be fun to hang out and watch movies!

11.25.2009

I am thankful for...

People who inspire me to be better. Namely, Laurel Christensen. I only knew her briefly a long time ago...when I was living in Salt Lake. She was my sister's friend...and our paths only crossed a few times...and I'm sure she just knew me as "Sonya's little sister" as did a lot of my sister's friends. I bumped into her at Time Out For Women 3 years ago, and wasn't sure she even remembered me, but when I said "hi" she DID remember me! Well...I recently discovered her blog...and am so thankful for it! She is amazing with words and truly has a gift for speaking. I always feel uplifted after I read her blog. Please take a few minutes to browse her blog...you won't be sorry. Her latest post is about the atrocious act that Adam Lambert (former American Idol contestant) performed the other night on the AMAs. Check it out HERE. She says what I was thinking much better than I could...it's worth reading.

LOVE YA LAUREL!!!!

11.20.2009

New Moon Party!!!!!

The long wait for the release of New Moon was finally over last night! Kristie, Melanie, Megan and I had so much fun planning and putting on this party! I love all the fun little details...it was awesome! We were sad that a lof of our friends couldn't make it because of the stake leadership training that night...but I know they were with us in spirit! Most of them met up with us at the theater...some went to the big newport though...anyway... We had so much fun waiting in line for the movie and the movie definitely did not disappoint! ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!!!!!! (I wish they'd remake Twilight!) We even got interviewed by an aspiring broadcast journalist about our homemade t-shirts...if she ever sends the link to the youtube video, I'll post it!

I never thought I'd say this (because I LOVED Edward in the books)...but through this whole process of planning the party and rediscovering New Moon, I realized that I LOVE JACOB! There were a few times in the movie that I seriously started to cry -- teary eyes -- and my heart was just aching for Jacob!!!!!!! But...ultimately I am happy he didn't end up with Bella -- he deserves so much better! Ha, ha!

I never got a picture of my t-shirt...but here is what was on the back...I found it somewhere online and was laughing so hard I knew had to use it for my shirt!!!!!

The front of my shirt said, "Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?"

Now, for pictures of the party!!!!
Our yummy spread!!!!!!! I'm so proud of how all the food turned out! It was fun!

Kristie's famous home-made oreos!!! DELISH!


Jacob wolf cookies

sparkly Edward cookies

ICE cold apple water (Edward) - with bloody rim!
(We also had Red Hots Cider - Jacob - but it's not pictured)

Vampire Bites Cupcakes... so cool!


Dog Bone Bread Sticks in our cute doggy treat cannister!

garlic dog bones
quotes and decorations..

Melanie had this christmas ornament out...we thought it was very appropriate!

more quotes

Thanks to Barbara for helping with the banner! It turned out SO cute!
and we replaced all of Melanie's family pictures with Twilight Saga pictures -- even one of Stephenie Meyer!

a close-up of our "ruffled tulip" pens

a happy Bella and Edward -- don't come across pics of them smiling very often...
and the movie soundtrack, prize for the trivia game

quotes from edward and jacob -- and pics of both of them kissing bella
+ our super cool book marks - edward and jacob!

werewolf kibble goodie bags -- chocolate peanut butter chex mix with miniature dog bone sugar cookies! I thought they turned out SO cute! (and tasty!)

a close-up of the tag that i designed and the cute little dog bone cookies (1.25 inches!)

The party planners! (L-R, Me, Kristie, Megan and Melanie - our gracious hostess!) I helped design Kristie's and Megan's t-shirts...Kristie's says "Edward Prefers Brunettes" and Megan's says, "I run with the wolves" -- Melanie's neighbor did hers, and it has a kind of stick figure lamb jumping off a cliff and says "Stupid Lamb" -- So cool!


our fun sign-post...Melanie actually found out the exact mileage from Fountain Valley to those locations...we thought it was pretty cool!

our first guests arrive... Erica is putting on the final touches... They had the coolest glitter spray and looked so sparkly!!!!

Barbara shows off her cute t-shirt -- it says "Team Jacob, Real Men Don't Sparkle" :)

Cheyenne and Kelsey taking our New Moon Trivia Quiz...

Chelsea looking so cute, enjoying herself

Hannah -- our Trivia Winner!!!! GO HANNAH! She won by 1/2 a point!

Our t-shirt contest finalists: Maddison and Barbara -- Maddie won! Her prize was the New Moon Movie poster...which I think she already had...oh well!

Some of us waiting in line at the movie...(L-R: back, Tracy, Edie, Me, Kim, Julie, Kristie, Melanie, Jessica. front, Julie and Melissa.)

We actually had about 17 people in our group...it was awesome! And we scored on good seats because Kim's cousin got in line at like 11am - so when Kim and Edie showed up they got in line with Kim's cousin - like 14 people back! Then when they got in the theater, they saved us seats...it didn't make other people very happy, but it all worked out in the end!!! So, even though I was ticked off at first that they didn't stand in line with us...(I just wanted them with us b/c they are so fun!)...it was really nice to have that advantage and to have them save us seats. Thanks for all the fun times ladies! Can't wait for Eclipse next year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

11.19.2009

a sweet poem

In preparing for my talk this coming sunday, I came across this poem on sugardoodle.net (LOVE that site!) and unfortunately, it doesn't have an author...but, I really liked it and wanted to share!

Thank You, Lord


Lord, thank you for this sink of dirty dishes;

We have plenty of food to eat.

Thank you for this pile of dirty, stinky laundry;

We have plenty of nice clothes to wear.

And I would like to thank you, Lord, for those unmade beds;

They were so warm and comfortable last night.

I know that many have no bed.

My thanks to you, Lord, for this bathroom,

Complete with all the splattered mirrors, soggy, grimy towels and dirty lavatory;

They are so convenient.

Thank you for this finger-smudged refrigerator that needs defrosting so badly;

It has served us faithfully for many years.

It is full of cold drinks and enough leftovers for two or three meals.

Thank you, Lord, for this oven that absolutely must be cleaned today.

It has baked so many things over the years.

The whole family is grateful for that tall grass that needs mowing,

The lawn that needs raking;

We all enjoy the yard.

Thank you, Lord, even for that slamming screen door.

My kids are healthy and able to run and play.

Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me says

You have richly blessed my family.

I shall do them cheerfully and I shall do them gratefully.

11.12.2009

be thankful

I took this cute little message from a blog I follow (a bushel and a peck - see my sidebar for the link) and decided to share it with all of you.

How do you and your family show thanks?

11.11.2009

Thank You, Veterans!

"When the United States entered World War II, the U.S. government turned to ordinary Americans and asked of them extraordinary service, sacrifice, and heroics. Many Americans met those high expectations...These men and women came of age in the Great Depression...They had watched their parents lose their businesses, their farms, their jobs, their hopes. They had learned to accept a future that played out one day at a time...When Pearl Harbor made it irrefutably clear that America was not a fortress, this generation was summoned to the parade ground and told to train for war.

They answered the call to help save the world from the two most powerful and ruthless military machines ever assembled, instruments of conquest in the hands of fascist maniacs.

They faced great odds and a late start, but they did not protest. At a time in their lives when their days and nights should have been filled with innocent adventure, love and the lessons of the workday world, they were fighting...in the most primitive conditions possible. They fought their way up a necklace of South Pacific islands few had ever heard of before and made them a fixed part of American history -- islands with names like Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal, Okinawa...They went to sea on hostile waters far removed from the shores of their homeland.

For many, the war years were enough adventure to last a lifetime. They were proud of what they accomplished but they rarely discussed their experiences, even with each other. They became once again ordinary people, the kind of men and women who always have been the foundation of the American way of life."

-- Tom Brokaw, The Greatest Generation


This is my grandfather (my mom's dad) (far right - the strikingly handsome one!), Roy Lindorf, who at the youthful age of 22, supervised and directed the administrative work of the 160th Infantry division as a First Sergeant in a heavy weapons (machine gun) company in the United States Army.

Here is a quick time line of his life during those years:

March 3, 1941 -- Inducted, sent to Camp San Luis Obispo
Oct. 12, 1941 -- Roy and Myla (my grandmother) are engaged to be married
Dec. 7, 1941 -- Pearl Harbor bombed
Dec. 7, 1941 -- Shipped to Fort MacArthur, Los Angeles
April 1942 -- Shipped to Ft Lewis, Washington
June 1942 -- Promoted to First Sergeant, Age 22
Sept. 1, 1942 -- Baptized LDS church, American Lake, Washington
Sept. 4, 1942 -- Married Myla B. Stay at Ft Lewis, Washington by Chaplain Neslin
Sept. 5-7, 1942 -- Honeymoon, Vancouver, BC
Sept. 1942 -- Shipped to Camp Stoneman, Pittsburg, CA
Sept. 26, 1942 -- Sailed out of San Francisco Bay to island of Hawaii (21 days after getting married!)
June 5, 1943 -- Bruce Lindorf born, Roy becomes a father!!!!!!
Sept. 26, 1943 -- While pondering in a pineapple field, Roy received inspiration that he would survive the hostilities intact AND he would be home by July 1945. Here is an excerpt from a letter written to Myla (his wife): "Let's set our star for July 1945. I feel so sure that the time of victory will be so close to that moment that you could touch it with the end of your little finger."
Christmas 1943 -- Shipped to Guadalcanal - next 18 months spent on various islands in South Pacific, involved in very risky, scary times battling and chasing Japanese in the hills of the Philippines
May 9, 1945 -- Relieved from combat duty in Panay
July 1, 1945 -- Depart Panay to Leyete; 3 week trip by ship to Los Angeles
July 28, 1945 -- Discharged, Fort MacArthur, San Pedro, CA
Aug. 6, 1945 -- Atom Bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan (also the day MY father was born!)
Aug. 9, 1945 -- Atom Bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan
Aug. 14, 1945 -- Japan Surrenders

This is the last bit of his story...when he got discharged and was able to go home.

"When I got discharged...I found my way to the Red Car, rode it to Slauson Avenue, got off and caught a bus to Pacific Blvd, got on a street car, got off and transferred to the bus that went within a block of where Myla lived. It was about 9pm by the time I got there. I had my big barracks bag with me. I heard her in the kitchen, so I quietly pulled open the screen door and threw my Army hat in. Myla was scared to death, too! She was also doing everything she could so that she wouldn't have to work the next day. I had called and said I would be home the next day. She was frying chicken, making potato salad, and making a chocolate cake. She had taken a bath and had her hair up in curlers and was running around doing all these things in an old baggy nightgown. What a reunion!"

He hadn't seen his wife for almost 3 years and had NEVER met his son Bruce who was 2 years old by the time he came home.

I am so thankful for the stories and books I have about his service in WWII...it has really helped me understand and appreciate his sacrifice for us better.

Today I am thankful for all of those who have made similar sacrifices. For those who never came home, and for the families who allowed their fathers, sons, brothers, husbands, sisters, wives, daughters leave to serve our country and to fight to protect freedom.

I will end this tribute with a quote from Harold B. Lee,

"Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail. This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of the new Jerusalem. This is the place that the Lord said is favored above all other nations in all the world. This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple. This is the favored land in all the world. Yes, I repeat, men may fail, but this nation won't fail. I have faith in America ; you and I must have faith in America , if we understand the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are living in a day when we must pay heed to these challenges.

I plead with you not to preach pessimism. Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. This is the favored land. This is the land of our forefathers. It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through."

(Ye Are the Light of the World, 350-51)

11.07.2009

Did you know...

...that Luigi is a tambourine master? No? Well, see for yourself:

11.05.2009

11.03.2009

October Fun

Warning: LOADS of pictures to look at in this post!

Our trip to the Pumpkin Patch started out fun...
with Drew examining a gourd...



The boys looking cute behind the pumpkin cutouts...

Jakob and Joshy racing on John Deere tractors...

self-portraits are the best!

Jakob was a good big brother as he made sure Drew didn't fall out...
...but after this ride, all 3 boys were screaming and crying...
TIME TO GO HOME!

Just a random snapshot of our cute little Drewbie!
Fun times making BATS at Sister Kerr's house...


She even gave us yummy spider-snacks...

...and bloody monster eye-ball punch!

She is the Hostess with the Mostess!

all the little kiddos

who wants a kool-aid smile when you can have a bloody smile? ha ha!

trunk-or-treating was fun...even though you'd
never guess it by the look on joshy's face!

It didn't take long for Drew to grasp the concept...

Here's a happier Luigi and Dragon Drew!

Pumpkin carving...messy, but SO MUCH FUN!!!!

Drew's 2nd Birthday Party... mmm, Monster Toes!!!

...and Ghoulish Grins!

I didn't have time to carve a big number "2" in this
pumpkin...thank goodness for sharpies!

I had been singing "happy birthday" to him all week long...
so he LOVED it when everyone started singing to him!
All the young Hanson cousins...

He put these in and said, "Mwahh, haa, haah, haa!" CLASSIC moment!

All of us who aren't afraid to have a little fun with costumes! (hint, hint...BRAD!)

The cutest little dragon butt I've ever seen!

October was also full of soccer games, a trip to Florida for my niece's wedding, lots of unpacking, fevers, trips to the ER for unexplained stomach problems (Joshy and Drew), homework, etc., etc.!

We hope all of you are having a fun fall!!!