Henderson Adventures!

Disneyland

2009-10-13T20:56:00.000-07:00

Kind of at the last minute, I strong-armed Craig into a Disneyland trip over the Fall break. We used miles to fly to So. Cal., and we used hotel points for 4 free nights (now there's a perk to a business travelling spouse). We met my parents and my brother and his little family there to enjoy the parks together. In spite of some sick kids every single day, we really enjoyed ourselves. The parks were all decorated for Halloween, so that was really fun to see.

We saw Mickey Mouse on the first day. There was no wait at his house, can you believe it?!!

Carly's favorite was the teacups. She always would try to get in a pink one. :)

We all loved one of the newer rides at California Adventure called Toy Story Mania. This has started a Toy Story and Toy Story 2 movie watching craze at our house. And, Adam LOVES Buzz Lightyear.
Adam and Carly rode the merry-go-round next to California Screamin' over and over while all the bigger people rode the coaster. Megan did it at least 5 times! Thank you, baby switch passes!

On our last day, after my parents and brother had left, we went back to the parks for another 1/2 day. Everyone got to pick the two favorite things to do one more time. And, we stood in the hour long Princess Fantasy Faire line to get these shots and talk to the princesses. It was the longest line we had, actually.

I was praying for Ariel to be there (the princesses rotate in and out), and she was! Carly was so cute--she said to Ariel, "I see you in a movie!"

Ashlyn's 11th Birthday

2009-10-13T20:45:00.000-07:00

I do parties for the kids on alternating years, so this was Ashlyn's year to celebrate with family. She had dance on her birthday all evening, so we just had cake and ice cream when she got home. A couple of days before, she got to go to the store to pick out a new bike (a ladies' bike, can you believe that??) Craig had been out of town on business, but got home just in time to eat cake.Ashlyn seems so grown up to me these days. She has always been responsible and conscientious, but now that she is older it seems different. I am truly blessed to be her mother--she makes me look good, but it's all her, not me. I love you, Ashlyn.

Carly Turns Five!

2009-10-13T20:36:00.000-07:00

Carly turned five on August 31st. She started Kindergarten this year, which has been kind of traumatic for me. She is loving it so much, and now I can't believe that I almost decided not to send her. For this birthday, she had her first "friend" party. We went to make bears at Sparetime Family Fun Center (very similar to Build-a-Bear Workshop). Each party goer got to choose and make their own animal. It was a hit.

I had to get this super cute top for her to wear to school and for the party. When will she wear it again? I know, not too practical, but I couldn't resist.

Carly's Surgery

2009-10-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

On July 31, Carly had an otoplasty (cosmetic ear pinning surgery) on her left ear. It was a corrective surgery to pin back her protruding ear, or her "floppy" ear, as we have always called it. She was born without the stiff cartilage in that ear only, and we always planned to have it fixed before she started school. So, here are some older and some very recent "Before" pictures, as well as some after pictures. She looks great, and we are extremely pleased with the results.On the day she was born. See the ear protruding? It was literally folded down when she came out.This is Carly at 7 months. The one ear definitely sticks way farther out.Here's Carly just days before the surgery. Both the pics above and below were taken at Snowbird this year.

This was taken at the surgical center post surgery. She had to wear this dressing for a few days, then a headband over the ear to hold it back while healing for a couple of weeks.
Here's Carly today!! The results were excellent! We love our Carly, and she says sometimes that she misses her "floppy" ear. I am grateful that she won't have to deal with questions or teasing in the future, and that we live in a medically advanced era where this kind of thing can be fixed so easily (It sure wasn't cheap, however!)

Trying to Catch-up

2009-10-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

I've been going back and forth--try to catch up and post pics of all the things I have missed since I last posted on this blog or just skip to now. I decided to try to catch up because one day I plan to print this blog into a book, and I would feel bad if I just left out 3 months of the whole year. We've had vacations, surgeries, birthdays, etc. It just wouldn't be right. So, it may take me a few days, but my goal is to do several posts covering what we have been up to since the end of July.

First up is Snowbird. We have a time-share condo at Snowbird every year at the end of July. We've been going since I was about 5 years old. This year my parents were there, along with my brother Brad, Amy, and baby James. We enjoy being able to see them a bit more since they are in Rexburg. Our very close friends the Stepans also joined us for about half of the week. We had to do everything we usually do: hiking, alpine slide, rock wall, mechanical bull, zip line, etc. It was a blast.

We did a short hike to Lisa Falls with the Stepans on Sunday. We were literally standing right at the bottom of the falls getting wet after a very short hike from Little Cottonwood Canyon Road.

Megan on the climbing wall.
Ashlyn hanging on to the mechanical bull.
This is the group at the top of the Peruvian lift, after you walk through the tunnel.
The men started throwing rocks to hit targets and see how far they could throw. Adam (and everyone else) had to copy them. Luckily, no one else was around so it was relatively safe.
This pic of my dad, Brad, and James was from our hike to Donut Falls with a lot of the Walker cousins.
This is the whole Westmoreland group on the Donut Falls hike.

Alex and Ashley's Wedding

2009-07-11T00:46:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to the bride and groom, married July 6, 2009. After the wedding was a yummy dinner and dancing. We all had a great time dancing, but unfortunately, I only have shots of the kids. Adults dancing would have been way funnier. In fact, I realized after I got home that I didn't take half of the shots I would have liked to. I wonder if it had anything to do with that 17 month old boy that I am always chasing after.
Wyatt and Teamon seemed especially into the dancing, especially during Michael Jackson's Thriller.
We tried and tried to get all the cousins to pose for pictures, but Adam was super uncooperative. He was actually screaming in every single one I took, which you can't see in this one below because his head is down. Too bad my camera doesn't do video/audio, although maybe that's not something I actually want to remember.
We love our family and love spending time all together. We are grateful for the opportunities we have to make these memories.

Sedona

2009-07-11T00:11:00.000-07:00

Sedona, Arizona is a really beautiful place. The scenery is just amazing. I am not a fabulous photographer by any means, so my pictures don't really do it justice.

Monday morning before the wedding we went to Slide Rock State Park. You would sit on the rocks in the creek and the water would push you down, like a natural water slide. Here's Claire on the slide.
Megan was so hesitant to try the slides, but once she tried it she didn't stop! The water was shockingly cold, so most of the adults only tried it once or twice.
Ashlyn is the brave one. She did the slide first of anyone, and jumped off the cliffs with Aunt Allison first, too.
Craig took Carly down. I think she was glad she tried it afterwards, but she wasn't too happy during. By the end she was clinging on to Craig's neck with what looked like a death grip. I think her reaction was more related to the water temperature than anything else. She even insisted on jumping off the cliff with Craig, too. She just has to do whatever her big sisters do.
My camera battery died while at the park, so I didn't get any pictures of the cliff jumping. We had a great time.

Grand Canyon

2009-07-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

On our way down to Arizona for Alex and Ashley's wedding, we stopped at the Grand Canyon with Todd, Lisa, and the boys. We went to a few different viewpoints for pictures and saw the sunset on the first day. We were there on the 4th of July, and it just happened that we ended up at a good old fashioned barbecue/4th celebration at the local trailer park/campground. We had a great time, and it sure beat McDonald's.
We hiked along the rim on the second day for about 2 miles, which was about all the kids could do, even with strollers. Thank goodness for the free shuttle buses that go all over inside the park. After a picnic lunch and some Navajo Indian jewelry shopping, we headed on down to Sedona.

June Catch-Up: Florida Reunion

2009-07-10T21:44:00.000-07:00

We spent a week at the end of June on Florida's Gulf Coast with the Hoffman/Henderson family. Craig's grandparents live in Bonita Springs on the beach. The girls had a fabulous time all week with cousin Mariela, who lives in Arizona.

Quite a bit of time was spent on the beach, as opposed to in the water, because the water was uncharacteristically rough. Grandpa Clawson said he had rarely ever seen the waves that big.

We worked on a 1,500 piece puzzle all week, which we glued, mounted, and gave to Nana Clawson. We stayed up until 1:30 am our last night there to finish it. Of course, Craig hid the last piece so he could be the one to put it in!

The kids had fun seeing the ventriloquist perform at Mel's Diner.

One of the week's highlights was a "talent show" put on by all the cousins. The girls did a dance, Mariela sang with Carly, and Wyatt and Teamon even had parts. They set up an "auditorium" on the lanai, complete with assigned seats, tickets, and reminders to "Please turn off all cell phones, and no flash photography." Aunt Lorie helped out as the music technician/stage hand.

Even though the water wasn't great for swimming, the waves made for excellent boogie boarding. In all, I think at least 6 pairs of sunglasses were swallowed up by the rough water, never to be found again.

I didn't get my camera out too often because Buzz always had his out. I'm sure he'll send me a disc with all his photos. It was definitely a memorable week.

June Catch-Up: Dance Recital

2009-07-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

I have posted before about Ashlyn's dance, so now it's Carly's turn! Both of the girls had a recital June 9th. Carly just danced in this recital since she is too young for competition. Her number was called "Strawberry Shortcake." The little ones are so cute dancing, and Carly has a lot of personality when she performs.

My little poser in her cute costume. Too cute!

My Little Climber

2009-05-21T18:42:00.000-07:00

One of Adam's new hobbies is climbing. He had me seriously scared today--TWICE! First time was this morning, when Carly came downstairs while I was on the treadmill to tell me that Adam was standing on the desk in the family room, reaching for a balloon that was on the ceiling. (See desk in pics below and try not to notice the laundry basket.) He was just standing up there pointing at the balloon and grunting.

The second scare was after dinner tonight, when he succeeded in climbing all the way up a barstool and right onto the counter (for food, of course). I caught these pics of him after he was already on the barstool. Beats me how he got on there without tipping the stool over. This is all in addition to the other daredevilish things he can do, like jumping off the couch and going down the yellow wavy slide in our backyard like superman. It's quite a new experience for me, this boy thing.....

Carly's Preschool Graduation

2009-05-21T18:24:00.000-07:00

Carly is on to Kindergarten! Her graduation ceremony from Performance Preschool was held yesterday. The class did a cute program which included a bunch of songs and a couple of dances. Carly was really groovin' during the "Hokey Pokey"--so much so that I was laughing so hard I was crying. She will miss going to school all summer, but she is growing right up and will be on to bigger things.

Carly's teacher was Miss Connie. Her cousin Wyatt was in the class with her.

More from the St. George Weekend

2009-04-27T23:07:00.001-07:00

Pool time at the Hotel!

Eating ice cream at Blue Bunny after all the dance is over on Saturday night.A couple of years ago we came here and ordered "The Grand Canyon," so we had to come back and order it again.
We had a fun and relaxing time outside the St. George temple and in the visitors' center, too. Got some great pictures! Megan took both of the ones that I am in. She's slightly obsessed with cameras.

On the drive home on Sunday, we decided to stop at Cove Fort. We loved it! The last time Craig and I were there was when I was pregnant with Ashlyn. The kids had a great time, and it was a perfect Sunday activity and a good way to break up the five hour drive.

All of us inside the fort.

Megan inside one of the rooms.

Ashlyn and a good view of the inside of the fort.

St. George Dance Competition

2009-04-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to get this posted for a week. It's been in the back of my mind, nagging at me. I'd rather be reading at this moment because I'm really into a book right now, but I gave myself this Monday night deadline to do this post.

We went to St. George for Ashlyn's annual dance competition at Dixie College (this is her 4th year competing at Luv2Dance Studio). This year we brought the whole family for a nice sunny weekend getaway from the rainy, chilly Northern Utah weather.

This year I am actually impressed with Ashlyn and her team. They are getting so good! She dances in three numbers. The first picture is of her Show routine. It is called "Dance Evolution." Ashlyn's group represents the 40's era with the song "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy." So cute. Other teams from her studio do different eras starting from the 1920's to today. I love the high school girls that wear gold M.C. Hammer pants and do a "Hammer Time" dance from the 90's.

Another one of Ashlyn's routines is "Hard Knock Life." She is to the very far right, almost cut off. I was trying to get the whole group in this one. I missed a few girls (there are 16). This group is called Elementary Elites, and they are the top team for 4th/5th graders.
This dance is super cute, and they have placed first at every competition this year so far. They use the rags and pails, and it just brings out so much personality.
Her third number is a jazz number to the disco song "Boogie Fever." I like this costume the best--the white vinyl boot toppers rock! This group is half of her Elem. Elites group. The other half does another number, and one time they competed against each other. How bummer is that?!!

So, while Megan has opted out of the dance this year and Carly is just beginning, Ashlyn is still loving it. She says she'll stay with it through jr. high at least. I love watching her, and I'm impressed at her developing skills.

Carlyisms

2009-04-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

This morning Carly slept in much later than usual. I just let her sleep, which is different from me normally waking her up when I get the girls going. I mean, who wants to do breakfast and dressing, etc. in shifts? When she finally got up, I asked her why she slept so late, and if she was extra tired. She said, "I had to sleep in today because I was up reading last night in my bed "til one!" I just had to laugh. She's been saying all kinds of funny things lately, sounding like such a grown-up. Her new favorite word is "apparently". She says it all the time. I was looking all over for Adam's shoes and it was: "Mom, apparently you didn't remember to bring Adam's shoes." Or this one, when I was calling her name loudly, "You didn't see that I was right behind you, apparently." Stuff like that. Too funny.

Easter 2009

2009-04-16T09:19:00.001-07:00

I'm finally getting around to putting up these Easter pictures. I finished hemming the dresses on Sunday morning around 10:30 am--cutting it close, I know!! They turned out O.K. Carly's made me crazy because I cut down the pattern for the big girls to her size (I was just guessing on it), so that one had so-so results. I had to keep cutting the neck hole bigger to go over her head, but then her shoulders are too narrow to keep it from sliding around, as you can see below. I probably should have put a zipper in hers. Oh well.

Craig took these shots of the kids outside before church. I really dislike 1pm church, but on Easter Sunday it is kind of nice.

Easter morning is pretty low key at our house. Adam was wild over the candy, of course. Craig made us all breakfast, which was nice since I still had to finish sewing dresses. After church we went over to Craig's dad's house and had a nice dinner and egg hunt with family. It was a great day.

Easter Dresses from the Past

2009-03-30T16:05:00.000-07:00

I have been sewing the girls' Easter dresses every year since Megan was a tiny baby. I thought it would be fun to post pictures of my past creations on the blog to get me in the Easter dress mode. I almost decided to not make them this year, but tradition has won out. I realize that it won't be much longer before my girls will not want to wear homemade OR matching dresses. So, be on the lookout for the new dresses this Easter Sunday.

2008

2007

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2001

Nonnie's Visit Was a Hit!

2009-03-23T21:01:00.000-07:00

Do you think we could maybe squeeze a few more grandkids into this picture? We had a fabulous time with Carla over a long weekend here in Utah. She came out to visit these growing hoodlums (and maybe their parents, too). We went to Ashlyn's first dance competition on Saturday and shopped and ate out way too many times. It was great. The kids, especially Megan, threatened to wring the life and energy right out of her. I am sure she'll need a vacation from her vacation. These kids would literally fight each other for her attention.I snapped these pictures because all 7 of the kids were trying to play the game Let's Go Fishin" with Carla, and if it looks crazy and crowded and loud, then that's because it was!!

Adam and cousin James

2009-03-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago we went up to Rexburg for Baby James' blessing day. We had a great time seeing family that we don't live close enough to see often. Thanks for having us up, Brad and Amy. This picture is actually from about a month ago when Brad and Amy and James came to Utah and stopped over at our house for a night. I took this pic of Adam and James just as they were leaving. Isn't it crazy how fast babies grow and change? Adam and James almost exactly 11 months apart in age. Adam looks so big next to tiny James.

My New Favorite Soup

2009-02-18T12:27:00.000-08:00

All this bad weather has had me thinking about soups. There's just something comforting about a big pot of yummy soup simmering away on the stove. My mother-in-law gave me this recipe around Christmas, and I loved it so much! My favorite soup at Olive Garden is the Zuppa Toscana, and this is a copy of that soup. It's taken from my favorite recipe site, http://www.allrecipes.com/. As a side note, if you are trying this recipe, I used way less of the red pepper flakes, and I also used the pre-cooked, crumbled bacon that you can buy in a bag (saves a few steps and has fewer calories). I cut the recipe in half, too, which fed my family with no leftovers--next time I'll make the whole recipe and keep the leftovers, so YUM!

Super-Delicious Zuppa Toscana

1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
5 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth
6 potato, thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 bunch fresh spinach, tough stems removed

DIRECTIONS
Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Cook the bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through. Mix the spinach into the soup just before serving.

Haircut for Adam!

2009-01-28T11:41:00.000-08:00

We said good bye to the baby wispy hair in the drummer boy pics below. A few days ago I buzzed Adam's head. It was a little traumatic for me, but now I totally love the new big kid look. He is walking all over now, no more crawling to get from place to place. His birthday is tomorrow, so I'm sure I'll have more to post soon.

Science Fair

2009-01-28T11:33:00.000-08:00

Ashlyn did a great Science Fair Project. It was called "The Diaper Challenge." I wonder what influenced that choice??? 5th grade is very project oriented. It feels like it's been one thing after another all year. This is the kind of thing that absolutely requires parental involvement (i.e. Mom). I will add that Dad helped out with the graph, and it turned out way better than I would have ever made it. I think she had a lot of fun doing it and putting the board together. I thought I'd post a quick picture of the board she made. We are proud of her school efforts.

We May Have a Future Drummer in the House

2009-01-28T11:24:00.000-08:00

Since we got home from our Christmas trip to California, we have been playing a lot of Rockband. One day when I was on the treadmill downstairs with the kids, Adam picked up the drumsticks on his own and started banging on the drums. It was so funny because no one showed him what to do, he just went over and did it. I had to run and get the camera to capture the moment. Now it's been a couple weeks, and he has become slightly obsessed with the drumsticks.

Megan's Baptism

2009-01-02T00:23:00.000-08:00

Megan had her baptism today. She was so excited she could hardly stand it. We are so grateful to all those who came to support her on this special day. What a great way to start off the new year! I hope Megan was able to slow down for a moment to feel the spirit that was there. We appreciate Nonnie for having a wonderful dinner at her house afterwards. Megan had told Poppie that she really wanted a chocolate fountain for her baptism day, and Poppie came through for her and found one! It was really great, and we kept it a secret right up until we were setting it up and she realized what it was.

Megan, you are a special girl. You are so full of life and personality. I love how you were blessed to use your energy for good and to help others. We love you, and we know you made a great step towards fulfilling your potential as one of God's most precious daughters.

It's Great to Be Eight!!

2009-01-02T00:14:00.000-08:00

Grandma Westmoreland was ready with a party for Megan right when we arrived to her house in California on Dec. 26th. All the California Westmore- lands were there to celebrate, and Nonnie and Poppie and Auntie Lorie came over too! Megan was all smiles, just loving the attention. No, she was not at all tired of opening gifts! Turning eight was her best birthday yet, I think!

Christmas Jammies and More

2009-01-01T23:54:00.000-08:00

I loved the Christmas jammies for this year. I have sewn them every year since 2001 (I think), but this year I decided to buy them. Maybe sewing jammies for 4 kids just isn't reasonable. With all the good deals out there this year, I was able to buy these cute jammies for possibly what it would have cost me to make them. So, I will re-think the sewing Christmas jammies every year tradition again next year, and we'll see what happens.
Christmas morning was all about the Rockband. There were other gifts, but they all paled next to this one. We played for over an hour before we had to get packed up and ready to start the first leg of our drive to California. Merry Christmas to us!Carly with her 'big' gift: a fancy cash register with a million little pieces that I know I will be picking up over and over in the days to come.
Adam is just too cute. I can't believe he'll be one year old in just a month. He got a musical table which is great entertainment!
Who doesn't love a Hannah Montana Barbie that plays the same 10 seconds of the same song whenever you press a button on her stomach? Yes, Carly got one too. Gotta love it.

Christmas Eve

2009-01-01T23:36:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve is Grandpa Steve's birthday. So it is extra special, and we always celebrate with the Henderson's. Megan's birthday is the day after Christmas, so we have lots of celebrating to do around Christmas. Here's the two of them about to blow out candles.

The girls decided that they wanted to provide entertainment for our Christmas Eve at Grandpa Steve's birthday party. So, they did a dance that they worked on for a few days (all day, every day, and with MANY song and choreography changes).

All the cousins sang a few Christmas songs accompanied by Ashlyn, and Ashlyn also performed her best Christmas songs on the piano. She is getting very good, by the way.

Christmas Village

2009-01-01T23:29:00.000-08:00

A couple of days before Christmas, we met our friends the Stepans for dinner, and then we went to see the Christmas Village in downtown Ogden. It was pretty cool, although we almost froze to death. Good times.

Gingerbread House

2009-01-01T23:25:00.000-08:00

We've been a bit sporadic with this tradition, but I came through this year and we got a ginger- bread house made with the girls. We just did a kit, and it was quick and easy; turned out cute, too!

Preschool Program

2009-01-01T22:46:00.000-08:00

Carly's preschool had a Christmas program on Dec. 17, and I just had to put up some of the pictures because she looked so super cute. She got to visit with Santa after all the kids sang a bunch of songs. In the pics, she is next to cousin Wyatt. Aunt Lisa couldn't believe how cute Carly was in her red skirt and blazer. That's just 'cause she only has boys--no cute little girls to dress up.

Ornament Tradition

2008-12-20T00:03:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-01T09:59:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-30T17:52:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

7 weird/random things about me

2008-11-23T19:17:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-03T16:18:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-02T18:51:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-15T18:32:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-15T17:57:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-15T17:45:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-10-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

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!!

July 4th

2008-08-13T14:48:00.001-07:00

We have been on trip after trip this summer. It all started with 3 days in Provo for stadium rehearsals and Ashlyn's dance performance at Stadium of Fire. She danced in a huge opening production that was Olympic themed for 2008. It was very cool. Then we got to see the rest of the performers, including Miley Cyrus. The fireworks were the best and longest that we had ever seen. It was a fun experience for Ashlyn.

The Greatest Dad in the World

2008-06-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

Craig is the greatest Dad in the world to the four greatest kids ever. He's also a wonderful husband, and we are all lucky to have him. We had a very low key Father's Day at home with the family. After dinner we took a bunch of pictures in the backyard. Happy Father's Day!

Salt Lake Bees Game

2008-06-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

Craig took the girls to a Salt Lake Bees baseball game last Saturday night. They took the Frontrunner train and Trax to get there and back, which I think was an adventure of its own.
The girls joined the "Knothole Club" and got free t-shirts signed by the mascot among other benefits. The club is just for kids.
Here's a nice picture of Ashlyn with the field and the mountains in the distance. I'm sure the girls will remember this for a long time, and maybe Adam and I will go to a game with the family when he's a little bigger.

As a by the way, you may have noticed in the pics that Ashlyn's hair is cut. In May, she cut off 12 inches of her hair and donated it to Locks of Love. This is the second time she has donated her hair. She is enjoying having short hair, I think. Also, last week Megan lost one of her front teeth (see first pic). So, thirty minutes after she loses the tooth, Ashlyn says "I think I have a loose tooth, too!" It was an eye tooth on the bottom, and after I checked it and realized it was really loose, I told her to just pull it out, and after about 2 minutes she did! They both lost teeth on the same day, which was way funny!

Dance Pictures

2008-06-16T21:10:00.000-07:00

All three girls had their dance recital a couple of weeks ago. Ashlyn was in competition again this year for the third year and competed in 3 numbers. Megan and Carly each did one number in the recital. So, we got to see our girls in 5 numbers on one night. It was fun, and they all did such a great job. I videoed it, so those who want to see it, I will bring it in July when I go to California.

Adam's Blessing Day

2008-06-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from Adam's Blessing Day on April 13, 2008. It was so great to see all those who came. Adam received a very nice blessing from Craig.

2 Month Check-up

2008-04-01T20:58:00.000-07:00

Adam had his official 2 month well-baby checkup at the doctor's office yesterday, and he weighed in at 12 lbs. 7 oz. and measured 23 1/2 inches. To me, this seems huge because my girls were much smaller at the same time, but the doctor says that he is just a little over the 50th percentile in weight and just under the 75th percentile in height. I do expect Adam to be pretty tall because Craig is so tall. So he is doing well. He did get diagnosed with reflux, and I now have medicine to treat him. So far it doesn't seem to be helping. The doctor thought he has colic, too, which is sometimes related to the puking. Anyway, at least he looks cute. I did catch one smile so far on camera, even though he kind of turned his head.

Happy Easter

2008-03-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

I know I am a week late, but that's what happens when an infant lives at your house. We had a great Easter Sunday. The girls looked lovely in their Easter attire. Yes, I sewed again. I thought that this year I may not be able to keep up the tradition, what with the new baby and all, but I couldn't let myself and the girls down. Luckily I had bought all the fabric and patterns last summer on a fabulous sale, so all I had to do was plan, cut, and sew. This year I made the big girls skirts. It saved me tons of time and was a little more "grown up." So then I just had Carly's dress, and I absolutely love how it turned out. I'll put up some pictures of previous years dresses if I can get around to it, because it would be fun to see them all. I started when Megan was just an infant and Ashlyn was 2, and I've sewn the girls' Easter dresses every year since then.

Super Speller!

2008-03-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn continues to amaze us with her spelling skills. She finished in the top 15 at the district 4th-6th grade bee that was held on Feb. 21st. There were 90 contestants--all the top spellers from the elementary school bees. She never missed a word through the 6 rounds of competition. The top 15 now go on to the Davis County bee, where 45 total spellers, including 7th and 8th graders, will compete down to the final one winner. The winner of that bee (on March 20th) will get to go to Washington D.C. to participate in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Ashlyn has practiced hard, and we are so proud of her. She also has A LOT of natural talent when it comes to spelling, which I'm sure is related to the amount of reading that she does. We figure that an older student will probably be the winner, but it will be good experience for her, and she definitely has potential to totally win it in the future. I am looking forward to see how she does on March 20th. She keeps impressing us all!!

A New Haircut for Julie

2008-03-10T20:47:00.001-07:00

I chopped off all my hair a few weeks ago. It feels so good. I think this is the best haircut I've ever had. The stylist took out probably half of the thickness of my hair, so it feels so much lighter. And, she cut it dry, which I always thought they should do with my hair. I had to buy a new fancy flat iron so I could do it better. No more ponytail everyday for me!

6 weeks old

2008-03-10T20:28:00.000-07:00

Adam is 6 weeks old! Here are some recent photos of our little guy, who is getting bigger every day. Check out how chubby his cheeks are now. I think he is about 10 pounds now. He has been enjoying keeping us up at night, screaming loudly, and changing his outfit several times a day due to leakage. In fact, I need to go change a blowout now.

Here's Carly and Adam. She loves to "help" me with him when she's not busy playing pollys, barbies, or dress up.

Our New Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-01-30T19:02:00.000-08:00

We decided to name our baby Adam, Ashlyn calls him apple, because of "Adam's Apple." He is such a blessing to our family and very, very very, very cute. :) We LOVE him so much. He ended up being a HUGE blond like Carly and has a lot of hair. We all can't wait for Adam and Mom to come home.

Blondy!!!

2008-01-29T16:56:00.000-08:00

We had a new addition to our family today at 1:49 PM MST. He weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and was 20.5 inches long. He is the smallest of the Henderson kids. He also has lots of bleach blond hair. We'll have to add photos of his hair later, so check back for updates. For now we just want to hurry and get photos on the web for everyone to see. And, no, we haven't chosen a name yet but I think we'll have that figured out before the end of the day.

Spelling Bee Winner

2008-01-19T19:08:00.000-08:00

First, I have to apologize about the quality of the photograph. This is what happens when you forget to take your camera to an important event and are forced to take pictures with your cell phone. But who cares? Ashlyn won her school spelling bee this January as a 4th grader. This was the most nervous and scared I have ever seen her. She told me later she thought she was going to puke. Her face was pale, but she performed under pressure. She was competing against 5th and 6th graders. She beat them all--which only supports the theory she has her mother's intelligence. She was smiling and her mother was wiping away the tears. Next month she will be competing against 7th and 8th graders to see who will qualify for the county and then the national spelling bee. We are all really happy that she did well, and we hope she does well in the next round.

Princess Stinky Pants

2008-01-19T18:37:00.000-08:00

Seriously, Carly can get upset when you call her "Princess Stinky Pants." Carly likes to model and do pretty poses. She shows lots of emotions, (crying, laughing etc.). She LOVES Polly Pockets and Dress-Up. She is an important member of this family and can make people happy when they're sad. She has her ups and downs sometimes, but still she is a Sweetie Pie.

Rock Climbing Fool!!!!!!

2008-01-19T18:31:00.000-08:00

Megan isn't afraid of anything--not even a rock climbing wall when she is wearing a skirt and no shoes! In this picture at the school carnival last Fall, Megan is climbing the wall and is about three quarters of the way up. It's tough to tell in the photo, but she is wearing a skirt and she has no shoes on. We tried to talk her out of climbing, but there was no chance of convincing her to visit the face painting booth with all the other girls. No, she was going to the top! Go Megan!!!!

Easter Egg Hunting is a Sport! :)

2008-01-19T18:27:00.001-08:00

Stay out of this girl's way. She'll run you over for a silly little Easter egg. Look at the serious face she is making. We had a great Easter egg hunt in '07, and Ashlyn won with the most Easter eggs in her basket. She may have run her little sisters and cousins over, but at least she didn't steal the eggs from their baskets after they spilled them all over the lawn. We love Ashlyn!