Ornament Tradition

How long do you have to do something before it is considered a tradition?  This is the third year now that I have made ornaments for neighbor gifts, teachers, Craig's co-workers, and family. The first one I made in 2006 was a heart.  We added a Charles Dicken's quote about Christmas being in your heart.

In 2007 I did this navy blue wood plaque ornament with an embossed snowflake stamp. Underneath the snowflake is another stamp that says "Snowflakes are like friends, each unique and each a gift to treasure."

And now, this year I ordered some craft kits from a company, and the girls all helped me make these super cute little nativities.  We had a great time together.  They are big enough now to actually be helpful, and it truly was more fun for me to have them doing it with me.  None of us escaped without a few burns on our fingers from the glue gun, though!

So I guess I have a tradition to keep up with now.  I do actually already have some ideas for future years in the back of my mind.

Craig's Crash

Craig got tossed off one of the horses at the Ranch on Thanks- giving day. Apparent- ly the saddle was not on tight enough, even though the mountain man had checked it and tightened it before they left for their ride.  He landed on a big half-buried boulder, which cracked his face open and left him with a nasty black eye.  He got 4 stitches in the cut above his eye.  He also landed on his shoulder, which is bruised and sore.  He has had a lot of swelling and pain around his eye socket.  Megan told everyone at church yesterday that he got his wounds from Ultimate Fighting.   We all thought that was too funny.

Dancing Hoodlums

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

7 weird/random things about me

I got tagged to tell 7 weird/random things about myself.  I post, and then I tag seven more people to post.  We'll see if I even can think of 7 people to tag.

1.  I have never done a tag before.  Seriously I have been tagged more times than I can count in emails, and I have never ever responded.  So it is weird that I am doing this one.

2.  I love cruises.  For our honeymoon, we did Cabo/Puerto Vallarta/Mazatlan, for our 10 year anniversary we did Key West/Bahamas/Cozumel, and a year ago we did Cabo/Ensenada with our kids and my parents.  What do I like the most about them?  Well, as a mom, it is HEAVEN to not have to worry about where and when and how the next meal is coming.  Even on other vacations I have to worry about this, but not on a cruise!  So much extra space in the mind freed up for other enjoyments.

3.  Conversely, I love to cook and to bake.  I love to try new things, and I wish my family would love absolutely everything I made.  I guess I just don't like to feel the responsibility of providing food for the family.

4.  I have been running A LOT to lose my baby weight from Adam.  I thought I hated it.  I thought I only did it because I had to and it is the fastest way for me to shed the weight.  Well, last week my treadmill broke, and I had to wait a week to get it repaired.  I just about lost my mind all week because I couldn't use it.  I guess I don't hate it like I thought I did.

5.  I love a bargain.  It's hard for me to like shopping with kids, but I sure do like to find a deal.  I hate paying full price for anything.  I rarely will do it.

6.  My current favorite beverage is Diet Pepsi Vanilla.  It calms me.  I love Dots candy and licorice.  Same effect.  Of course, almost anything chocolate, which I try to eat sparingly because of the nursing thing.

7.  I think I have the loudest kids in the world.  I wonder how it happened, where they got it.  I guess it must be me, because it's certainly not Craig.  I suspect that I may be slightly deaf, because I absolutely can NOT hear the TV when Craig has the remote when we are watching it at night in bed.  Without fail, I have to say, "Turn it up, please."

Sorry if I tag you, I just don't have that many options.  I tag Sheila, Sherrie, Amy Liz, Jen, Melinda, and anyone who reads this who feels like doing it.

Halloween Costumes

This year our family went with classic Halloween characters. It was the first year that Megan and Ashlyn were scary characters. We had a great time trick or treating because Nonnie and Poppie were in town. Plus, the weather was absolutely fabulous, probably 60 degrees, which is wonderful for Halloween. Adam was "Baby Bones." He didn't do any trick or treating, but we had fun dressing him up.

Ashlyn was the "Gossamer Ghost." We saw a costume online called that, but instead of ordering it, we made our own version. It turned out great. You can't see, but her wig is three feet long.

Carly made sure everyone knew she was a "cute witch," not a scary witch. I had made this for Meg when she was 4.

Megan was the Bride of Frankenstein. Her costume turned out great, too, I think.

Family Photos

We had family pictures taken in October. If you go to the link below and look for AA Henderson, you can click and view a slide show of the pictures we took. We thought some of you might enjoy seeing them. After you hit the play button it may take a few minutes for the slide show to load.


http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewalbum.html?bm=132444

Water Baby

Adam loves the water! This is so different from Carly, who screamed everytime she got wet until she was 18 months old. Not Adam, though. He just loves to play in the tub, in the sink, or in the shower. I just thought these pics were so cute. He is really developing a fun personality. He crawls well, pulls up on furniture already, and waves Hi and Bye. So far he has 4 teeth, all of which just came out in the last 3 weeks.
Pictures taken 09/2008.

Ashlyn's 10th Birthday Party

I just can't believe my oldest is ten! How did it happen? Ashlyn is a great girl, and we all love her so much. She had a "friend party" this year here at our house. Her birthday was September 23rd, and her party was the Saturday evening after that. We had ten extra girls here, along with the 3 we already have. Let me tell you, I got the tiniest glimpse of what we are in for in the years to come. It was a wild, screaming affair. We decorated frames, made friendship bracelets, ate pizza and cake and ice cream, and opened presents. It was a success!

Carly Turns 4

Happy Birthday to Carly! We celebrated with a family barbecue on her birthday, August 31. It was raining like crazy, but we just moved in under the pavilion.

Since cousin Ty's birthday is just one week before Carly's, we celebrated together.
Carly loves this bath toy Ariel doll. She doesn't know how to take a bath anymore without it.
Nonnie got Carly this super cute leotard to wear to her weekly dance classes. She modeled for us so we could send a quick text to Nonnie later that evening.

Baby Cousins

My cousin Jeff Capell, and his wife Sheila, spent the week at Snowbird also. Jeff and Sheila's second baby boy, Jordan, was born the day after Adam (Jan. 29 and Jan. 30). I took these cute pics the day before we left. I think it's so funny how different they look. Adam is long and lean, and Jordan's so round.

Summer Catch Up!

Today is THE DAY! Yes, today I am finally catching up on more than two months of blogging. First a month had gone by, and I was so busy. Then the guilt set in, and I thought I would never be able to catch up the way I wanted to. So, more time went by. Anyway, here I am doing one big summer catch up post. I just didn't want to skip over what fun we had this summer. It all started with a trip to California in July, where we spent some time at my parent's house and Craig's. While we were at my mom's, the girls mostly spent time riding horses. This was Megan's first year riding a horse all by herself. Both of the big girls love it.








We also had a great time with Jason and Jen and their kids, and Kyle and Amy and their kids. Neil and Sherrie came over to visit as well. We thought it would be fun to take a grandkids shot, since all nine were there. As the pictures show, it was not really all that fun. I'm not sure why nine kids under ten couldn't just sit still and act cute at the same time!!


The girls have a tradition at Carla's house. Every time we are there they paint the playhouse. And every time they paint the playhouse, the "washable" paints always completely ruin some article of clothing. It's inevitable. I know this, and yet I cannot say no. Who can say no to Carla anyway? This was the first year that Carly was an active participant.

After returning home to Utah, we spent two days doing laundry and packing up to go to Flaming Gorge with the Henderson side. We spent a long weekend boating, skiing, wakeboarding, and tubing. Ashlyn and Megan both tried waterskiing for the first time, and Ashlyn actually got up for a few seconds. The lake was beautiful, and we would love to go back next year.

Snowbird was up next during our summer of trips. We were there July 26 to August 2. We have a condo for a week each summer. The Walker side (my mom's) has been doing family reunions there for close to 30 years. We stay at the Iron Blosam Lodge. We always swim and hike a lot. Pictures below include the girls in the pool, and hiking to Cecret Lake with our good friends the Stepans, who came up for the first few days we were there.

Marissa, Megan and Ashlyn, Best Cousins Forever!!