The Amazing Race 2008

Team 1

• Misty
• Caleb
• Julie
• Tyler
• Bret

Team 2

• Scott
• Cassi
• Broc
• Kathleen

This year's Amazing Race consisted of 8 tasks

1) Catch the clock- The clock we were supposed to photograph at exactly 41 past the hour was not working so we improvised.










Team 2












2) Create your own Christmas Lyrics- Make up new words to the song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", including choreographed dance moves and sing it to Lisa Sauer.







Team 2...actual movies to come later








3) Snow sculpture creation- Each team had to make a train with enough cars to equal the number of team members.



Team 1...tiny, tiny but they finished quick!














Team 2...creativity at its best (using the fire hydrant as the top of the train engine)










4) Pay the price- After reading a historic Wenatchee legend we had to find a pay phone & call Dad to answer comprehension questions.

5) Christmas creations- Each team member had to decorate an ornament that was later judged by the grandkids.

6) It's a puzzle- After figuring out a 16 word pass phrase in order to get the "secret package", we completed a puzzle at the WRAC.







Team 2








7) Fore again!- Frisbee golf in a foot of snow.








Team 2











TEam 1











8) Random acts of kindness- 5 random acts of kindness had to be performed at some point during the race. After a little coaxing, this older lady finally let us help her out of her car. Team 1 chose to leave some money at the WRAC so the next person to buy something would get it for free. Guess who the next people to buy something were? A very hungry pregnant lady and her team...yes that's right, Team 2 got a snack while at the WRAC on the tab of Team 1, what are the odds!





Team 2

Team 1

Although Team 2 won the lyrics, ornament, & sculpture portions of the race, Team 1 pulled off the big win by winning the choreography & time portions. (They beat us by exactly 1 hour.) We missed our other team members (Mindy, Josh, Jason, Alexa, & Adria) but hope this tradition continues throughout the years so we can all partake of it's greatness! Thanks Mom & Dad! It was super fun!

Come What May, and Love It

If there is one thing I need to work on as a mother it is taking life less seriously. I have a personal goal to laugh at least once per day. Somedays that small task is harder than it should be. So when we read this talk by Elder Wirthlin http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=b5f44bb52a73d110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1

"Come What May, and Love it" the counsel hit a little too close to home. I determined once again to find ways to laugh and enjoy this journey of motherhood. Later in the week, I was having a really hard day. Just your typical bad mom day, so I determined to find something to laugh about. I said a silent prayer and then I started looking at the kids as funny rather than annoying and guess what! I laughed instead of taking life so seriously. I was so grateful for divine help. There are days that is the only thing that works!

Ready for some snow fun?

Record snowfall hit Spokane today! Are you all ready for some winter fun. Wishing you all safe travels!

Preschool Nativity

Dalyn's Preschool presented a Nativity Program for the residents of a retirement center as part of their Christmas Party. It was a wonderful program that reminded us all of the beauty and love this Christmas Season has to offer. These sweet chilren showed through their example that Christ is at the Center of this Holiday Season.

Christmas lights for Josh

Josh & family,

Sorry it took me so long to respond with pictures of our Christmas lights. But it took quite a while to count the 1,800 bulbs on our living room Christmas tree. I kept losing track of where I left off. It got really confusing. However, I figure we have about 25,305 Christmas light bulbs on our house and yard. We look forward to seeing all of you. One of the events for the amazing race could be to verify the Christmas light bulbs we have put up.

One of the fun things I did this year was to spell out Merry Christmas on the back fence. Lots of people have called us or mentioned that they have seen our Christmas greeting as they were driving along Western Avenue. Anyway enjoy the pictures.

Merry Christmas. Love Dad

Thanksgiving 5K

What a great way to start out the day! We ALL walked a 5K (our entire entry fee was donated to the UT Food Bank and LDS Humanitarian Services).

Laura really enjoyed her first 5K.

The two Barbs had a great time as well.

December at the Bret Gundersen Home

Eve turned 6 on the 11th. She had a fantastic (early) birthday with her grandma and grandpa.

Laura had her first solid foods.

Bret & Kathleen had a great time with Mindy & Josh on their double date to the Omniture Christmas party (the party itself was pretty boring but it's always fun to be with Mindy & Josh).

At Beckham's blessing, we captured on video one of the saddest moments of Cooper's young life...mom holding another baby. Now I maintain that had it been an ugly baby, Cooper would have been fine, but the amazing cuteness of Beckham overwhelmed his usual sensible nature and threw him into histeria. Enjoy.

Preparing for a brother

I got Cooper a $5 doll at Wal-Mart to help prepare him for having a baby in the house. He took to it really well. While at the store, before we bought it, he held it very gently the whole time. And on the way home I heard him giving the baby kisses. Let's hope this is a good sign of things to come (probably not since any time I hold another baby he points at it, shakes his head, and balls till I give it back) but I'm still hoping! Here's a couple pics of him enjoying his new baby. I love seeing this sweet side of him!

Holding hands, playing airplane, showing his cars, giving kisses.

New E-mail

I have a new e-mail address. Please update your address books. I promise I will not change it again for a long, long time...unless something super cool comes out and makes me want to change again.

Broc

gbroc435@live.com

Christmas at the Dahmers

20 strands of lights...who's got us beat?

The most amazing baby to hit the earth.

The Perfect Tree

Carmel apple cider, shoulder rides, candy canes, ugly Christmas sweaters, warm hats, cold weather, the perfect tree, Christmas lights, smell of pine, Christmas music, ornaments, "Cooper don't touch!", Christmas pj's, lights off....ahhhhh...It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

New Mexico & Lights

New Mexico


For Thanksgiving this year we headed down to New mexico with Caleb's fam for a couple days. It was fun, filling, and relaxing, as Thanksgiving should be. We then headed back to Utah to spend a couple days with Mom & Dad going to the Temple Square lights and Body World exhibit. We love spending time with family! (Sorry, no pictures of Body World were allowed but it was pretty cool! Thanks Mom & Dad!!)