Grundberg Family 2014 Highlights

Grundberg Family 2014 Highlights

Stevie began 4th grade this year, and he turned 10 several weeks later. (Note that some time ago, he deemed "Steven" too formal, and he now goes by the more approachable "Steve" outside the family.) This fall, he joined an extracurricular robotics club, where he served as one of the lead programmers. His team took part in two Houston regional competitions, and in the more recent outing, the team took home 1st in the programming category and placed 4th overall.

First Lego League World Class Challenge - November 15

"The Legonauts" - Bayou City Classic - Dec. 6

At school, he enjoys the GT program, and he also joined the 4th/5th grade choir (which meets before school twice a week).

First Choir Concert - Dec. 16th

"North Pole Musical" - December 16

David turned 8 this year, and shortly thereafter he was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

He began 3rd grade in the fall, and he was recently accepted into the GT program.

David still loves to sing, be it alone or in front of a large crowd. His performance credits for the year include a rendition of “In Summer” at the school talent show and a long solo at the Stake Primary music program at church. He also stepped up in the 11th hour to cover a solo in our stake's Christmas program when one of the scheduled performers fell ill.

Steven and David began formal piano lessons last year, and they closed out the 2013-2014 school year performing with fellow students in their first recital. Despite their greenness, they were easily the most polished players of the group (which could be written off as pure talent, though the initiated will understand that behind most every successful young piano student is a mom who wanted her money’s worth). Working to establish their double-threat credentials, the boys also landed speaking roles in their grades’ corresponding music programs at school.

Stevie's 4th Grade Music Program "We Had Jazz"

David played the Angel Fish in his 3rd Grade Music Production of "Go Fish."

In the fall, Steven and David participated in the city’s soccer league where, in keeping with the MLS aversion to plural nouns, they played for teams named “Dynamo” and “Revolution” respectively.

David's first game with "Revolution" in September

Steven's first game with "Dynamo."  He scored a goal on his very first game!

The boys are also active in Cub Scouting; David joined up with the Wolves over the summer, and Steven was promoted to Webelos. In our most recent rain gutter regatta, Stevie garnered top honors in his den, while David emerged as the pack’s take-all champ.

David won first place over all.

Stevie took 1st place in the Webelos.  

Jacob continues to stand a head taller on average than other members of his 4-year-old peer group.

Jacob standing next to his best friend Journey, who is 3 months older than him.  Granted she is a little tiny, but this is such a hilarious example of Jake's giant-ness.

He loves to learn, and he is an avid fan of books. He is learning to read now, though he has already committed many of his favorite titles to memory, and he has long enjoyed "reading" them to Grace. He is also an enthusiastic singer, and he absorbs lyrics and melodies with ease. He is very good friends with his baby sister, and watching them play together easily beats TV and internet as the best entertainment in the house.

Over the summer, Jakie swam his heart out at the neighborhood pool, and he even conquered the diving board.

At the beginning of the year, he transitioned from the church nursery to become a fully credentialed member of the Primary (children’s Sunday school).

He is currently enjoying his last year of preschool, and he can't wait to start Kindergarten next year, mostly so he can ride the bus with his brothers.

Gracie is 2 years old, and she now carries herself in conversation with ease, to the detriment of anyone else with an opinion. Like her brothers before her, she has developed a fondness of singing, and she boasts a varied repertory of first verses, including standards like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, seasonal favorites like Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, and special interest numbers like Spider-man (that's right, the theme song to the 1960's cartoon series). She approaches each with the sensibilities of a diva, and few things draw her ire as consistently as another's attempt to sing along.

Here's a little video of Gracie singing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"

Miss Grace currently travels with an entourage of stuffed animals, most notably "Baby Lion" (Simba from The Lion King, whose gender she arbitrarily reassigned) and "Baby Hippo" (whose gender was kind of up for grabs anyway). She enjoyed a strong start to potty training over the summer, but a sudden bout of ennui (and perhaps some parental malaise) stymied progress, leaving her ambitions all wet. Gracie loves to run, jump, tackle her brothers, climb on Dad, snuggle with Mom, and play with friends or by herself. In short, she is strong and beautiful and smart and stubborn and everything parents could want in a 2-year-old girl.

This spring, the entire family participated in the annual Houston Yuri's Night fun run. Jenny and Stevie ran the 5K, with Stevie finishing 4th in the "14 and under" category, beating Mom by 2 whole minutes! David and Jacob ran a kid's K accompanied by Dad, with Jakie finishing 9th in his age group (8 and under), and David finishing 2nd overall.

Jenny continues to serve as Stake Music Chair at church, and this year she also took up the reigns as director of the Stake Choir. For Easter, she produced "Greater Than Us All" at the behest of stake leadership, whereas she handpicked a more variegated program for Christmas (including a Celtic number with percussion, a hand-clapping gospel a capella piece, and the Hallelujah chorus). For both productions, she recruited and wrangled supplementary musicians, including a full hand bell choir at Christmas, and all agreed she did spectacular work in both instances.She has a gift for making meaningful connections with others, which can be observed in the swollen ranks of the choir, as well as the eager participation of musicians in and outside the church.

(One of the family members of the bell choir videotaped the Hallelujah Chorus for the stake Christmas concert.  We were secretly pleased).

Poster for the Stake Easter Program "Greater Than Us All" - Jenny's first opportunity to direct the League City stake choir.

This fall, Jenny joined the Bay Area Chorus for their 50th anniversary season.

Jenny's first concert with the Bay Area Chorus - A Veteran's Day Salute (Nov. 11, 2014)

In addition, she belongs to CONSONO Houston (with Steven), a choir of singers from all over the Houston metropolitan area.

CONSONO members from the League City stake - after our Christmas concert in Sugarland, TX on Dec. 20th.  Starting from the left, Micah Blake, Rebecca Busselberg, Caroline Busselberg, Bob Reeder, Amanda Westwood, Steven Reeder, Chris Reeder, Andy Young, Jenny, Steven, Paul Busselberg and Lois Howell.

She continues to teach voice (albeit reluctantly), and one of her high-school students will be competing for All-State choir in January. Jenny has found a renewed love for dance in Zumba, and she has transitioned this year from enthusiastic acolyte to keen instructor at a weekly classof friends (they call it Footloose Friday, and their numbers continue to grow, in spite of the disapproval of the town elders).

Jenny with zumba buddy Andrea Fronk - creator of "Footloose Fridays."

Steven is still bossing around computers at work. He was recognized in September for having earned yet another industry designation, this time in Spanish.He also leads Stevie's Webelos den in Cub Scouts and teaches the 5 to 6-year-olds in Primary at church. With Jenny, he performed in several numbers in the League City Stake's 1st annual musical theater tribute A Trip to Broadway, including a duet with Jenny on Suddenly Seymour from Little Shop of Horrors.

"Magic to Do" from Pippin

"There is Nothin' Like a Dame" from South Pacific

"Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors.  

Through August, he played lead guitar in a garage bandof middle-to-late-aged church dads still wallowing in classic rock, crossover country, and late-90's alternative.The group's name was 3º, which will be familiar to some as part of LDS afterlife cosmology (i.e. the three degrees of glory), though in practice, the name seemed more closely aligned with the three degrees of murder, given their treatment of most of the material.

Steven in his official "3º" bowling shirt.

These days, Steven will occasionally play with friends from work, but he spends the majority of his musical energy on recording independently, as well as lending support to Jenny's musical productions on various instruments.

Steven and Jenny celebrated 12 years of marriage this year, and they look forward to making it a baker's dozen in the spring.

One of the stranger of our engagement photos.  Twelve years later and we're still pretty strange.

We are healthy and happy, and we couldn't have asked for better kids. They genuinely seem to like each other, and despite no shortage of personality friction among them, the number of belly laughs far outweighs the number of tears in our house. We thank God for all we have and all we are, and we wish you all the best this season and in 2015.

With love,

Steven, Jenny,
Stevie, David, Jake, & Gracie

Weekly Catch-up of Summer Happenings

For family night we played Monopoly Empire.  Gracie was on my "team" and Jacob played on Dad's.  I was surprised at how much fun we actually had, and how well the older boys played.  At the eleventh hour, however, Daddy and Jacob rolled a miraculous hand, and immediately after going bankrupt WON THE GAME!  There was much victorious, over the head hand-shaking.

Wednesday found us at at a day-trip with the Cub Scouts to the Armand Bayou Nature Center.  I had never been before, and it was really neat!  There's lots of natural wildlife exhibits and hiking trails.  I'd like to go back when I have more bug spray and better shoes on.

I just want you to know that MOMENTS before, the boys were running around and laughing like crazy.  The frowns aren't from the amazing time they had or the delicious popsicle they're enjoying, they're from Mom forcing them to take  yet another picture.

Stevie in particular insists on rolling his eyes at me every time I ask for a picture.  Come to think of it, he's starting to roll his eyes for numerous other reasons as well.  He's not even ten years old, for crying out loud!  I didn't think all this attitude would be here for at least another 2 years!  A friend suggested that I bop him on the back of the head when he rolls his eyes and say, "Whoops, didn't want your eyes to stick that way!"

It rained for the rest of the week, so we spent some time shopping and hanging around the house.  Gracie received her first (of many I'm sure) tiara, and David got a new pair of swimming goggles.  

But other than a few night-time giggles involving the Mario and Luigi hats, we had a pretty boring week.

Yes, my sweet baby girl is wearing her older brother's old pajamas, complete with adjustable crotch.  I always thought I would dress her like a princess in every instance, but then I remembered how cheap I am.

Cow Appreciation Day

Oh yes we did.

David is mid-moo.

So Chic-fil-A has a "Cow Appreciation Day" where they will give a free meal to anyone who comes in wearing a cow costume.  Naturally being as cheap as I am I took advantage of the situation.

Stevie Jr. was absolutely mortified about the whole thing at first.  He didn't even want to get out of the car.  But the lure of that delicious free chicken sandwich was too much for him to pass up.

Stevie Jr. looking less than pleased.

Don't worry- he felt better after he ate.  Here he is after quickly freeing himself from the cow costume.

The rest of us had much less shame.  We proudly brandished our homemade cow masks and ate with relish. 

So traumatic childhood experience aside, free food is good!