Merry Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas from Mexico City! We've had a great Christmas. The best part has been having some of the kids here. We miss the rest of our family!

Christmas Party

We had our annual Christmas party for church this friday. The entire ward was involved in the preparations. They really know how to party!

First, one of the missionaries played Christmas carrols on his sax - including Ryan's favorite - "Let it snow."

Next was the Pastorale, or Nativity - Mary and Joseph along with angels , shepherds and plenty of animals.

Here are the animals making their entrance -

and a very pensive pastore (shepherd) . . .

then reyes magos (three kings) huddled with a little oveja (sheep).

The young women performed a Thai Christmas dance . . .

and the kids broke open the biggest piñata I've ever seen!

We had a blast!

Question

What do the following items have in common?
elbow macaroni
canned tuna
bottle of rum
bottle of tequila
bottle of wine
bottle of vodka
bottle of brandy
can of peaches

There is a prize for the correct answer to this one.

Institute

Our last day to teach Institute was this week. We had a great semester with some outstanding students:

To celebrate we had dinner at Tacos Leo. Fabulous tacos!

We're going to miss the students.

So cute!

I think everyone has to agree that this picture would win a photo contest. Unfortunately, I don't know of one.

for Bex . . .

more pictures of snow in Texas . . .

Remember how much fun we had using our trash can lids for snow saucers?

Anyone know what year this was?

Is it me . . .?

Today dad-the-bad brought home a gift box for me from one of his clients - fancy moisturizing creams and soaps from Guinot. Does it say something about me that I was more excited about the giant gum balls in the bottom of the crate than the designer contents?

First Day

Today was my first day riding in the "clinica movil" or mobile clinic for those who are linguistically challenged. Professionally speaking, it has to rank as one of the the best days I've had in Mexico City. We drive a huge bus equipped with two exam rooms and a dentist chair to very poor sections of the city. There we park the bus and see patients all day - and most of them are little kids. They stand out in the cold waiting for hours to be seen.

Not right or wrong - just different

This weekend was the long-anticipated Stake High Priest dinner dance for which we (through our assignment on the High Council ) were responsible. It highlighted some of the cultural differences that I have discovered since moving here.

Some of the highlights:

• When I stopped at Costco to pick up my cakes that I had ordered, they were not decorated. I had written instructions on the form to write "Feliz Navidad" in green and red, which I thought was pretty simple (and I wrote it in spanish) They explained that I had to pick a number of an example they had in their book and write the number in the little box. Apparently, they don't think outside that little box.
• No refrigerator in the kitchen at the Stake Center - making it a little tricky to prepare dinner for 200 people.
• We were told to expect 200 people - approximately 50-60 showed up.
• The event was scheduled to start at 7pm, with a short fireside by the Stake Presidency, then dinner at 8pm.
• Since the Stake President didn't arrive until 9pm, and we were the only ones there at 7, we finally started at about 8:30 and dad-the-bad conducted, gave an impromptu talk, and led the music.
• The tacos we ordered (700 of them) arrived 2 hours late.
• Trying to track down the tacos, dad-the-bad called probably twenty times and was always told they were "very close" and had left more than an hour or two ago. Apparently they came by way of Acapulco.
• In spite of the chaos, everyone had a GREAT time!
• They taught me some line dances, and I actually can do them.
• When it was over (midnight) everyone stayed to clean up - they mopped, boxed, swept, and even insisted on following me home to help me unload.
• And nobody complained. (not even me - well maybe a little about the tacos not showing up on time)

Thanksgiving Fun

Since I was forced to leave Mexico early, I got a headstart on the Thanksgiving festivities. We had a great time!

First on the agenda - shopping!

I went shopping with everyone but Shawn and Brandon. We got some great deals - from jammies to cribs.

Next was the long-awaited trip to the zoo!

- complete with a ride on the train!

Next was a trip to Brazos Bend, our favorite State park.

We wore out Devin and Annie

I enjoyed making gingerbread houses with the girls - even if they didn't

And Devin's birthday party was a slam dunk!

He even let Ashley bust open his piñata.

A wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thanks, everyone!

Chrismtas letter

The Year at a Glance - 2008
As you can see from our card, we had a busy year. The two major events included the marriage of Lindsey to Brandon Harper and the birth of Annie Sue Peterson. Other happenings:

Bethany graduated from residency, moved to Katy, passed the board exam for Ob/Gyn, and gave birth to Annie all in the same month – just a week before Lindsey’s wedding. Yep, she’s wonder woman. (and Mabel loves her little sister!)

Ryan’s big announcement this year is that he and Brianna are expecting their first child in April of next year. They’re decorating the room in a surfing theme, so here’s hoping it’s a boy, or dude, they’ll be painting a pink surfboard. He’s also enjoying his job at Chevron.

Brittany takes the prize for most stable job – teaching physics in our nation’s capital. She loves her students and she claims they make her look good. I think it’s the other way around. Since her job is safe, she’s enjoying the economic slow-down with all the great bargains.

Ashley is staying busy in Dallas, same great job, same firm. She’s currently taking prerequisites for grad school, which she plans sometime in the future. For now, she’s enjoying spending her money traveling the world.

Carrie is at two kids and holding. She holds down the fort while Shawn “tends (pretends) to be doctor” as 2-year-old Caroline puts it. Carrie spends most of her spare time baking and exercising, hoping one will cancel out the other. Must be working – she looks fabulous!

Lindsey is our newlywed college student, along with her hubby. Great time to be in school! She gets free food at her campus job, and he is a do-it-yourselfer - he even bakes bread every week. Lindsey will graduate next year, but Brandon is double-majoring, so he will take a little longer.

We cherish our family and friends, and wish each of you a beautiful Christmas season.

Please preview the above letter, which will be sent with the Christmas card. (Please see my shutterfly projects). Any objections, changes, comments, suggestions must be posted prior to Carrie mailing out the cards, which will be in about one week. I'm very open to feedback.

Grateful

In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. Dietrich Bonhoeffer

I'm grateful for:

• a wonderful two weeks with family


• five beautiful, funny, caring daughters who are best friends


• the best son anyone could ever hope for


• three great son-in-laws


• one awesome daughter-in-law


• four of the funniest grandkids ever!


• and one more to come . . .


• a great husband who gives me opportunity for growth - and lots of it!


• that we can afford plane tickets


• that I got through immigration without problem (well that's not entireley true)


• that Mike is stuck there instead of me


• a job I love


• knowing the truth


• grandchildren who will make gingerbread houses with me even when it's more for me


• coming home to a completely rennovated car - for now


• having a driver when I want one and not when I don't


• that my kids feel comfortable teasing me


• my health


• more blessings than I deserve

Memories of Poodle

Happy Birthday, Poodle!! (Sorry this is a day late, but I didn't have my computer with me in Houston)
There are many great memories of Poodle, but these are some of my favorites:

Her High School adventures:
Getting her out of school when I had a break from school so we could go to lunch.
Being the only one in her physics class that wasn't cheating on the exams. (Ironic that she's now a physics teacher)
Refusing to complain when she fell while rollerskating with friends. I forced her to see a doctor, who confirmed she had a broken arm.
Insisting on competing in Color Guard with above-mentioned arm (she soon found out it was a little difficult to catch the rifle with a cast.) She stayed at the practices and watched them practice while her arm was in the cast.

Her Sports adventures:
Picking daisies in right field - she really wanted to play baseball, but when she signed up she found herself out in right field most of the time. She entertained everyone by dancing around brushing the flowers with her mitt. (not to worry, the ball never even came close to her)
Running around with "google eyes" on the soccer field. She made upside down goggles with her hands and ran around on the soccer field oblivious of the soccer ball or her teammates.
Swim team - this was her favorite. She and Andy Holleman painted their faces for the races and wore off more energy running around than swimming. As payback, she gets to coach swimming for Bullis School.
Actually, in high school she competed
in color guard and track and did quite well. And her second attempt at baseball with the fam was a smashing success.




The Stubborn Era:
Poodle takes the cake as most stubborn child, although actually, she doesn't come across that way. She seems so sweet and easy-going. Try getting her to go into a store, or get her picture taken when she has decided she doesn't want to. This photographer almost had her for a minute, because he was so funny, but she held her ground, stolidly refusing to smile.

Poodle, the adventurer:
We have great family memories of fun trips with Poodle to Utah, Yellowstone, Brazil, and Mexico. She has also been to France, Costa Rica, and on a Sisters' cruise. She not only has a sense of adventure, but a great sense of humor as well.









And, as we all know, she has been and always will be the queen of fashion!

I love you, Poodle!

Bad news is good news!

Today Claudia called to ask for my passport and FM2 - it expires in two days. I told her I needed them to get on the plane this friday when I'm scheduled to go to Houston. She then informed me that I couldn't leave the country with an expired FM2. Could you hear me scream in Houston? Dad-the-bad had the best solution - leave tomorrow for Houston BEFORE the FM2 expires. I should have no problem getting back into the country with the expired document. And if I do, I think I can deal with it. Meltdown averted!

Aztec Stadium

Today the Mexico City Temple was dedicated by President Monson and Elder Eyring. It was a beautiful ceremony. We watched from the Stake Center.

Last night as a prelude to the event, we attended a cultural extravaganza at Aztec Stadium, which holds 120,000 people. It was nearly filled to capacity.

Each stake participated in a portion of the program, which detailed the history of the Church in Mexico. Most of the youth performed dances associated with different epocas.

(This is a picture of some of the "Aztec" dancers lining up before the show. It was too dark to get photos after they began to dance)

My personal favorite - the missionaries walking in singing "Called to Serve," 2,000 in all!

And, of course, the crowd went wild when they saw President Monson. They all brought white handkerchiefs to wave at him.

A great experience!

Eclairs

For those of you who were losing sleep over whether or not there would be eclairs for Christmas when you visit Mexico - the answer is YES!! A trial run this week proved that, although the high altitude here wrecks havoc on almost every baking experience, eclairs work beautifully! Our cherished Christmas tradition will live on.

New Assignment

Apparently Claudia and I did a great job on the last stake dance. We've been assigned another - this time with a dinner. The date is December 5, so we only have five days after I return from Thanksgiving. At least it's the Christmas season and the decorations will be easy.

Temple open house

Dad-the-bad and I attended the Mexico City open house today. It will be dedicated next sunday and will open soon thereafter. We're excited, as I had never been inside before today. It has been under construction for the past 1 1/2 years. It is beautiful! The decor is perfect - a very Aztec theme - throughout. A wonderful place to spend a Saturday morning.

What you missed . . .

This was the front-page news here in Mexico City November 5, which trumped the US election news. The US election news apparently trumped this story, because I don't know any Americans (except Ashley) who have heard of it. A lear jet carrying the Secretario de Gobernacíon, Juan Camillo Mouriño crashed at Reforma and Periferico (not far from our neighborhood,) killing him and 5 others, along with several others who were hit by the plane, including 40 injuries and 20 damaged cars. Because Mouriño had been an enemy of the drug cartel, President Calderón ordered a thorough investigation into the cause of the crash.

I think I have to agree with dad-the-bad

it just might be cheaper to hire a driver.


(actually, this doesn't look bad. Angel fixed the bumper that was hanging off into the street. )

Meltdown # 37 . . .

but then who's counting? Last night I was trying to get online to check the status of my medical license in the US, and I couldn't log on. The prompt stated my number was invalid and didn't exist. What????

I called this morning at 8:01 to find out why. Thankfully, I was told I actually have a valid license until June 2009, but wasn't given access to the computer because I didn't need to renew it yet.

DON'T SCARE ME LIKE THAT!!

I was so happy today that I didn't even swear at the big pipe that came out of nowhere and ripped half of the front bumper off my car.

And the winner is . . . . .

Coop Dog!

I'm sure nobody is surprised, because apparently Cooper was everyone's favorite pet. Interesting, because only Bex and Shady were living at home when they picked him from the animal shelter. Coop definitely was dad-the-bad's favorite. Cooper knew the sound of his cab dropping him off every thursday night, and always went crazy. I'm sure the neighbors are glad we're gone.

Ryan reminded me that we actually had a few more "pets" than were mentioned. Some of these were temporary ones, but nonetheless survived (more or less) staying at the Reeds'.

Lab rats - although no names were given, I brought home from a lab workshop several baby rats. We had injected the mother with a substance, not knowing she was pregnant, causing her to give birth to several cute little rats. Because the lab was going to destroy them, I took them home to Lindsey, knowing she would never forgive me if I let that happen. She cared for them, letting them crawl all over her for several months. Finally, it became evident we couldn't keep them and needed to let them fend for themselves in a field nearby. Lindsey built an escape cage for them, complete with an escape hatch for them in case they were chased by a predator. According to Ryan, these guys could catch and eat wasps in mid air.

Spike - (not Spike the iguana) this guy was the Challenge class pet hedgehog. Every weekend one child was chosen to take him home to care for him. When it was our turn, Lindsey was excited. Because she is a pushover for pets, she let him out of the cage to "roam around" for awhile. She forgot to watch him carefully and soon realized he was "lost." The first clue was hearing a scratching sound coming from the wall. Sure enough, Spike had crawled into the wall through a small corner gap in the baseboard - too small for us to get him out. Thanks to dad-the-bad, he took off the baseboard and lured him close with "treats" and using a heavy glove, pulled him out to "safety."

Hamster - (another class pet ) this time Bethany offered to keep the class hamster for the entire summer. I'm not sure how it happened, but he escaped as well. We thought for sure he was a gonner, and Bethany was worried about what to tell her teacher. We were planning to buy another hamster when the day before class started we found him scrounging around the garage. We returned him - missing one eye, with scraglyl fur, and looking anorexic - the next day. We were never asked to watch a pet again.

Spritzie - Lindsey's hamster - we only had him for a short time when Lindsey fed him Captain Crunch. (See comment #1) Apparently they can't eat that kind of treat and he suffered the consequences.
We also adopted many a turtle - none of them stayed long - as well as countless frogs that Lindsey collected each night in a bucket on our walk around the neighborhood. She insisted on "keeping them" so we left them in her open bucket on the front porch. She was always disappointed in the morning when they were gone.

Poodle in Washington D.C.

This past week I spent a few several days visiting Poodle in Washington D.C. The best part was seeing her. Here are some of our adventures:

Baking: We made chiffon cupcakes (yummy and light)

and caramel apples.

Teaching physics: (actually Poodle taught, I watched.) They had a robot battle, which was quite exciting. (robots from her robotics class) and another class rode bikes down a hill and calculated their coefficient of friction for the ride.

Solving mysteries: The case of the vanishing chocolate-covered marshmallow clown face-on-a-stick.

Apple picking: (we ended up settling for a trip to the country store and me choosing a pumpkin from this pumpkin patch.)

Community service: We attended a "trunk or treat" at the local ward and gave out Halloween candy. Poodle and Rochelle dressed up as flowers.

Bargain hunting: With Poodle closeby, I managed to find two pair of jeans (regular price $99.00) for $7.97, and a cute scarf (regular price $38.00) for $5.00. It's amazing!

and finally Dining out: We ate at several great ethnic restaurants.

A perfect trip to D.C. Thanks, Poodle!

Dear Fernash,

I can't read your blog.
And I really want to.
Check out Shady's 10 easy steps to make your blog cute! (actually it's cute, I just can't see the print)

Thanks and love you,
Mom

Dear Poodle,

Do you remember I'm coming tomorrow? Sure hope so.

Love,
Mom

Public Service Announcement

The following announcement was posted on the AAP website: (See link to the right)

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is doubling the amount of vitamin D it recommends for infants, children and adolescents. The new clinical report, "Prevention of Rickets and Vitamin D Deficiency in Infants, Children, and Adolescents," recommends all children receive 400 IU a day of vitamin D, beginning in the first few days of life. The previous recommendation, issued in 2003, called for 200 IU per day beginning in the first two months of life.

The change in recommendation comes after reviewing new clinical trials on vitamin D and the historical precedence of safely giving 400 IU per day to the pediatric population. Clinical data show that 400 units of vitamin D a day will not only prevent rickets, but treat it. This bone-softening disease is preventable with adequate vitamin D, but dietary sources of vitamin D are limited, and it is difficult to determine a safe amount of sunlight exposure to synthesize vitamin D in a given individual. Rickets continues to be reported in the United States in infants and adolescents. The greatest risk for rickets is in exclusively breastfed infants who are not supplemented with 400 IU of vitamin D a day.

Adequate vitamin D throughout childhood may reduce the risk of osteoporosis. In adults, new evidence suggests that vitamin D plays a role in the immune system and may help prevent infections, autoimmune diseases, cancer and diabetes.

Please visit the above link for any questions regarding the study results.

Reed Family Pet Hall of Fame

Our family has quite a history with pets. So much so, that if the SPCA saw this list, they would probably ban us from ever owning a pet again. But they were a big part of the lives of our children for many years. Please vote for your favorite Reed pet.

Woodsy - Golden Retriever puppy - which says it all. Purchased for dad-the-bad for our 5th anniversary. (we also had three children ages three and younger) Very much a puppy - jumped on the kids and made them cry, pulled the laundry off the line, chewed everything imaginable. Sold back to the owner two weeks later. Happy Anniversary, DTB!

Paloma - Many years later another try - this time a very large black Great Dane. More of a horse to the kids. They rode on her and jumped on her. She was great to run with - people saw us coming and moved to the other side of the road. Unfortunately, she insisted on being in the house (her whining was unbearable) and brought enough fleas with her that I looked like I had chicken pox all the time. Was given away.

Lucky - (actually not so lucky) got his name from Ryan, who picked him out from a litter of rabbits. He was the runt, and Ryan nursed him back to health. Disaster struck when one of our house guests thought Lucky needed some "space" and let him out of his cage, not knowing that our neighbors had dogs trained to hunt rabbits. They literally ripped down our fence to get to him. Sad :(

Sonja - Funny story - one Saturday when I was very pregnant with our 6th child and trying to take a nap (we had a young women slumber party the night before at our house) dad-the-bad awakened me to tell me he was taking the kids to the animal shelter and would I mind if he brought home "something." I told him I didn't care if he brought home an elephant, just please let me sleep. It wasn't an elephant, but a large German Shepherd. Sonja was at the shelter because she had attacked her owner's smaller dog, not the greatest reference for her. She was taken back to the shelter a week later when she attacked one of the neighbors and bit him. Very sad day for Ryan and DTB.

Max - We were talked into taking Max by a neighbor who didn't want him. Max was a perfect dog for the kids - playful, energetic, friendly, but he came with some boundary issues. No matter how high or deep the fence, Max could escape - which meant that every garbage day I would get bombarded with calls from angry neighbors. He was the ring-leader of the neighborhood and convinced the dog next door to accompany him on his escapades. Eventually we found a friend with a nice large ranch with no fences. (he's still chasing their chickens)

Winkie - (DTB's personal favorite) The best word to describe Winky would be "frisky." This rabbit could jump four feet into the air, turn a summersalt, spin around, and land on his feet. Winky also had some "libido issues." Once dad-the-bad was under the car changing the oil, his big gray mop of hair sticking out, and Winky mistook him for a female rabbit. I'm surprised he survived the experience (Winky, not dad-the-bad). DTB was not Winky's only victim. He was also friendly with Lindsey's stuffed "Shamu" whale, as well as other stuffed animals, and even the dog next door.

Spike - Sad to say, we never quite bonded with Spike, nor he with us. Actually, he was Brittany's iguana - her 13th year birthday present. Spike tried to whip anyone that attempted to pick him up with his long, spiked tail. Sadly, he died of anorexia nervosa before we could get him into therapy.

Chumley - was named after my brother. Chumley - a stray - was rescued by Lindsey after falling out of a tree when he was only days old. Lindsey cared for him consistently and he was growing well - until one sad morning. He loved to sleep under my truck (on the axle.) I took off early for the hospital one morning and, after several minutes heard a meowing sound. Suspecting the worst, I pulled over on the freeway and tried to find the source of the meowing. I never did, and we never saw Chumley again. I still feel guilty.

Value Time - (short for Value Time Cream Sandwich - the kids felt was a more creative name than Oreo) VT was a black and white stray cat with no tail - technically not ours, but since Lindsey fed him every day, he claimed our home as his own. He was the stud of the neighborhood, and every few months we would see a new batch of little kittens running around - always one of them black and white with no tail.

Alice - Classic case of Narcissistic personality disorder with borderline traits. This cat's favorite family member was Ryan. Every time he came home from college Alice would pee in his suitcase. (Don't ask me how she knew which one was Ryan's.) She shredded our new couch, carpet, and chair - stolidly refusing to use her scratching post, and left "remnants" in every closet in the house. Since we couldn't get her into a shelter, we finally paid Lindsey's friend $100 to "find her a home" while we were in Spain. She dumped her on a lady with so many cats she never knew she had one more.

Pedro - (actually a female cat) Product of a pregnancy/toxoplasmosis rescue mission. ( I'm a sucker for pregnant daughters.) Pedro had gender identify issues (thanks to Brandon and Clark), and suffered from bipolar disorder. She finished off the couch Alice started, and also took care of the carpet on the stairs. Pedro would come flying through the house, slip on the wood floors, crash into the wall, and then race up the stairs - for no reason at all. We paid another $100 in cat food for a sweet Mexican guy in our ward to adopt her.

Cooper - My personal favorite. Other than a few phobias and a slight case of OCD, Cooper was the best dog ever! He loved long walks, playing catch, and dad-the-bad. He was consistent as the North Star, and refused to go a different route on our walks. If we tried, he bolted and pulled us back to the usual trail. He was afraid of getting into cars/trucks, and once inside he would stick his rear end out the window instead of his head like normal dogs. He is now in "dog heaven" with a family that lets him stay in the house, sleep in their bed, and eat gourmet dog food. We miss you, Cooper!