Pictures are not so good. They are pictures of pictures. Sorry! We did not have a digital camera back in the day! Photos of Prego about to pop, Hospital after birth, Sam playing scrabble with Charles. Just wait John, next week YOU will be lying in a hospital bed with Mindy and baby Ben! We are so excited for you guys! It is a very spiritual experience. Just remember when the doctor says, "Push!" that means Mindy - not you! No dislocating her leg like Charles did to me!

Here are some photos of Sam and Dan when they were just little ones. Sammi was always our smiley kiddo and Daniel was not so smiley for awhile. Perhaps when the cord was wrapped around his neck it gave him a headache! I think Sammi was so pleasant so it would be encouraging to have more! I remember wanting another one right away. They were so fun as babies I really look forward to having another one. It has been awhile. Long enough that I have forgotten the pain of child birth! That is a miracle!

Being pregnant this time has been different. I feel generally good, but sometimes I do get really tired. The hard thing is not being able to rest when you want to with the other kiddos. They are not quite old enough to leave unsupervised, maybe when they are 20! I try to get them to "relax" with me every now and again. Naps are a joke though. I am in awe at those who have really huge families. That is amazing. Those women must be super-human. My number used to be 12 children - that was before going through labor. Our current Stake President has 12 kids all living at home. It is just so cool and amazing that people are capable of doing that. They have my total respect and admiration!

So I ran today. It was really weird weather. It was 60 degrees but there were 45 mph winds and rain. So I went out and wrapped Daniel all up (Sammi was at school) and I put a blanket over the stroller for protection. I had to go today because I saw my crooked lady out walking - it looked like she was going to tip over! Anyhow, I went out in the elements and I felt like I was going to blow over. There were peices of trees flying in my face. Pine cones were flying from the huge pine trees and rain was slapping me in the face. I was wearing a baseball hat to protect my head and eyes and it sort of helped. Sometimes the wind blew so hard I felt like I was running in place - not going anywhere. When that would happen I would grip onto the stroller with both hands pull out my strength and say "bring it on!!" and I would run harder. It actually was a slightly spiritual experience. Something about being out in the real weather having your physical and mental strength challenged. It was a good chance to talk to God, ask for strength, and be amazed when I was able to push through it. I love the experiences I am able to have when I go out for a good run. There is nothing like it.

I hope you are all well! Love you lots!

Here are some pictures of Sammi with her brand new smile. She lost both of her top teeth within two days - it was so weird! Her teeth are already coming in underneath. I think it is pretty cute. She now talks with a little lisp. Today they had their practice for the Primary Program and it was pretty cute. She did a great job on the "I am a Child of God" in Spanish. She gets to sing with her best friend Julia so she is happy about that. She also has a cute speaking part about keeping the 8th commandment about not stealing. She says something about riding in a police car if you do steal - it is funny. They said they let the kids write their own parts this time. Some are pretty interesting. I love the Primary kiddos though, they are so cute. In January Daniel will get to join the primary - I cannot wait to see how he does there! I think he will love it. They are both growing so fast! How do you slow them down??? When the baby is born Daniel will be 4 years old! Wow!

The other picture is of Sammi with the block castle I built for her. It is always fun to play with blocks!

Here are some pictures from our travels to Alaska back in May 2006. Sammi and Daniel loved Sage Doggie, and I was shocked that they were not afraid of her. She really is a sweet dog - and coming from me that means a lot (I am not a doggie person). I just think the picture of the kiddos and Sage is so cute. It was so fun to see them interact with a large animal since they never really had before (or since).

Movers and Shakers. . .

Here is a picture of my almost 15 week gut. 4 more weeks and they can tell if it is a boy or girl! Hooray! Any guesses? I think it is a boy, then again, I have always been wrong. We have a girl name and no idea for boy names. We are just going to pull it out of a hat. So far, I am still in my regular jeans but they are starting to squish me when I sit down. The picture was taken by Sammi - she gave it her best shot!

Here are the kiddos doing Tae-bo. They actually do pretty good!
1-2-3 kick!
Sammi lasted a little longer than Daniel. He said he was too tired.


The other night when I was doing Tae-bo I thought the kids were in bed. They got out of their room and were peeking at me. Then they said, "We want to do Tae-bo!" I told them if they went right to bed then tomorrow they could. So they went to bed - amazingly. I turned it on for them and they followed along pretty well. Sammi has done it many times before but Daniel has not been as interested. Here they are giving it a good go. . . it was very entertaining.

Mission Impossible. . . The Letter Delivered!!

Comments and photos by Kary. . .
Commentary: On Saturday, October 28, 2006, Elder and Sister Lindquist's call to serve came in the mail. This was definitely a "thumbs up" day. Mom and Dad were faithfully serving at the temple the day their call came, so I was responsible for checking the mail at 12:30 and Mom would call at 1:00 from the temple to see if it had arrived. As I approached the mailbox, I was so excited and nervous. I knew how long Mom and Dad had been waiting for their white envelope from the First Presidency to arrive. I opened the mailbox and it was there! Mom called right at 1:00 and fortunately I could give her good news. I told her she had received a letter from President Hinckley. Her response was a very calm "Hallelujah!" They came home from the temple at 3:15 and opened their call. They were both radiating. Their countenances were full of light and joy! Notice Mom's glow as she's walking up the stairs (this is not an oil of olay moment, she was really glowing.) Mom and Dad made it over to the couch and Mom opened the white envelope. The letter read: "You are hereby called to serve as a missionary of the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. You are called to the Samoa Apia Mission. Your primary assignment is to labor with the Church Education System in Apia, Samoa as the International Teaching Education Program Coordinator. It is anticipated that you will serve for a period of 18 months." Mom and Dad were thrilled with the good news! They have been preparing for their mission all of their lives. They always give of their time and talents to bless the lives of others. We are so pleased with their willingness to go and do what the Lord commands. We know our families will be blessed for their service. President Hinckley's letter verifies the blessings that await those that serve the Lord. Their letter reads: "The Lord will reward you for the goodness of your life. Greater blessings and more happiness than you have yet experienced await you as you humbly and prayerfully serve the Lord in this labor of love among His children." Well done Mom and Dad. We love you and know the people of Samoa will love you to.

(Mari commenting. . .) Sorry the pictures got a little out of order, it is too painful to fix it! : ) The cute little snuggle boy is Stephen out for his first ride in the snow.

Christmas is coming. . .

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. That means it is almost time to go and get our tree from our favorite tree place. I am so excited! I went to Albertsons yesterday and they had taken all the Halloween stuff down and replaced it with Christmas - I love that! This means the season for Polar Express and other classic Christmas shows. They will come off of the shelves and entertain us and get us "in the mood". We will probably be getting our tree in about a week and a half or so. Have a mentioned that I LOVE the holidays?!

Charles also gets into the holidays. Last year we got Daniel a train set as his main gift. I sent Charles into Toys R' Us to pick up one extra peice of the set and when he came out he had 5! He could not resist. He is funny like that when it comes to Christmas. Last year he bought a Christmas tree stand that could hold a redwood tree. He said we "needed" it. This year he got a special wrapping paper holder from Costco, he said we "needed" it. I can only imagine what is to come. I love that about Charles. He can still experience life with excitment and childlike imagination. It makes me so happy to see him experience such joy and to go a little overboard when it comes to having a good time. It reminds me of someone else. . . Dad? : )

Changing gears. . . Last night I did my advanced Tae-Bo tape for my workout since it was so freezing outside. Wow, it sure felt different having a little something in the way of my "abs" or rather my gut. I did it though, and it actually felt good. I love a good punching and kicking session with Billy Blanks. He has been my trainer for almost 10 years! That is when I first started my Tae-Bo. I think one day when we have some extra money (which is far, far away) I would like our family to all do Martial Arts together. I think Sammi may need to learn how to beat up the boys and defend herself, and Daniel is really flexible. I really enjoyed it when I did it. It is fun to see what your body can really do. I even broke through wood and everything! Anyhow, I am so happy I have been able to maintain exercise at the same level so far and I plan to keep going! This Monday makes 15 weeks along! Hooray!

Hope you all are well and good!

This was FHE pumpkin carving night. We baked the seeds and everything. The kids had fun but they did not want to help scoop out the seeds. They designed the pumpkin faces and then we carved them. We put candles in the pumpkins, turned out all the lights and then we told pumpkin stories - the kids loved it. You'll also notice Sammi's two front teeth. They both fell out within two days of each other. Now she will be singing, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth. . ." It is really cute though - I love it! She made her pumpkin with two missing teeth, it was a pretty cute design.

Dressed and ready to go. . .

Here they are all cozy and ready for action. Sammi has on tights, socks, shoes, two pair of pants, a long sleeve shirt, jacket and mittens. Daniel had about the same. They actually stayed pretty warm. It was only 20 degrees outside! Brrrrrr!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

I have been trying to post pictures for a few days now and it is not working. I will keep trying. Anyhow, Halloween was lots of fun. It was freezing, very freezing. The kids had to get all bundled up and we found a great neighborhood to go to. It was the kind of neighborhood that passed out king size candy bars - it was amazing. All of the houses were decorated so that made it really fun. Some of them were so scary that the kids would say, "I think I have enough candy!" It was a silly time. Cold, I was very cold!

Now the problem is candy. We have so much candy. I think I am going to let the kids pick a few and have Charles take the rest to school or something. I do not need sugar-high children, or sick children. What a funny holiday Halloween is. The kids sure do love it though. I rememeber I always loved it.

Hope you all had a fun Halloween! Now, on to the REAL holidays!!!