Otherside of the Mountain

Construction

2011-09-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

I have grown to love our little home and its quirks. When our basement first flooded a year ago and damaged the one room downstairs I had a little pitty party with myself for a few days and then "bucked up" and stopped dwelling on it. So when the basement flooded again this year and damaged all of it. I was able put behind me and instead of thinking about the bad I thought of how eventually we will be able to finish the basement for a second time with some new ideas.

The past few weeks Bryan and my Dad have been working on digging a trench around the house to hopefully (fingers crossed) fix the flooding problem in the basement. Hayden has been in heaven with all the tools and machinery that has been around.

The kids enjoyed playing on the big dirt pile. I caught Hannah a few times dancing, playing air guitar, piano, and drums on it.

Six for a Day

2011-09-23T10:01:00.001-07:00

In Hannah's class they celebrate the August birthdays in September so that the summer birthdays dont feel left out. This last Tuesday was Hannah's "Birthday" in her class so I made cupcakes and took them to her class. When she got home she told me that she was no longer five but was now six. After arguing with her for a bit I told her that she could be six that day, but the next day she went back to being five. She was ok with that compromise.

Heidi's 1

2011-09-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

Heidi's first birthday was pretty low key. We got together as family and celebrated with barbequeing and enjoying cake and ice cream. Heidi was grumpy most of the time. She was working on getting both top teeth, which a few days later they popped through... finally.

Heidi's new walker "Dino"

Her Lion Cake.

I decided to use a new frosting instead of the classic buttercream and was a bit worried. It was very different to work with and it was my first time using it, but I have to say it turned out pretty yummy!

She was a bit unsure of the cake and ice cream sitting on her tray. She kind of just picked at it a bit and then finally tasted it...

and loved it!!!

I am so blessed to have Heidi in our family. I love:

*that in the mornings she always has a smile

*her laugh

*how she will stand in the middle of a room holding onto one of the fringes on her blanket and laugh at how proud she is of herself

*that she picks up toys and puts them back in their places (she kept trying to help put french fries in the to go box yesterday at Las Margaritas)

*that she gets a huge smile on her face and trys to crawl out of my arms when Dad comes home

Kindegarten

2011-08-31T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hannahs First Day of Kindegarten was yesterday. She has been very excited for this day for awhile. Im not so sure that she is as excited anymore. Yesterday she went into her classroom and let me leave without breaking down. Today, however, was a bit more of a challenge she stuck close to my side which was to make sure I didnt leave Im sure of. I am very excited for her b/c I know once we get past this first week and she really starts learning that she is going to have a blast.

5 Years Old

2011-08-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

Hannah turned 5 on the 18th.

I am so grateful to have her as a daughter. I love:

* her smile

*her imagination

*how caring she is toward her brother and sister

*how she is continually learning

* that she is my girly girl, but also my tom boy

*that she plays with her barbies but also cars, motorcylces, and trains

* her musical ability

*how much of a smarty pants she is.

UTAH

2011-08-31T08:56:00.000-07:00

In July Bryan and I got some crazy idea to load the kids up in the van and drive 8-9 hours to Utah. It turned out to be not as bad as it could have been. We made our first stop at Independence Rock.

The tiny figure on top is Bryan.

We ended up staying in Rock Springs and letting the kids play in the pool at the hotel. I think that that was their favorite part of the trip :$ The next day we got up and headed to SLC where we met Shawnee and Grama H and they joined in the fun of taking the kids to a discovery museum.

After the museum we went to Logan where we stayed with Shawnee. We visited the Logan temple while there. I think the kids enjoyed seeing the many temples since the closest one to us is 3 1/2 hours away.

We also took a day and visited the Hogle Zoo. I think the best part was the baby elephant. He/She was quite a character.

We of course had to ride the carousel and of course Hayden had to have a fit when we had to get off. Which resulted me having to carry him off and clocking some kid in the head with my camera.

After the Zoo we got a tour of the Conference Center. We walked through the floor of Presidents. It had head statues of all the Prophets and also pictures of all the apostles that the church has ever had. Then we went to the top and got to look around and even got to see a proposal. After the Conference Center we went over by the Reflection pond and just looked at the temple before leaving. Everyone was tired and hungry so we didnt spend a lot of time on Temple Square.

Heidi did so well riding around in her stroller. I was very impressed.

On our way home we decided to have a different change of scenery and went by Bear Lake. Before we left Papa told Hannah that she had to take her "Birthday Suit" and swim in Bear Lake so that was one of the things she wanted to do.

We did not however let her swim in her "Birthday Suit" but let her put her feet in the lake.

Hannah

2011-07-11T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hannah has started piano lessons and has been playing for about a month now. She loves it. She often reminds me that she needs to practice and sits down to do it. I am very amazed at her ability. Her teacher has even commented how well she is doing and that she picks up things better than her 7-8 year old students do. We also found out that she will be attending kindergarten at the school she is supposed to!!!

Hayden

2011-07-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

We have always said since he was born and it is still true: Hayden is all boy. He loves to play with any of Dads tools that are left out and within his reach. I think his favorite is still the tape measure if he finds one he will always ask for me to clip it to his side and I will often find him measuring something. He also has a knack for getting hurt. Just recently he feel off his bike and into the step that left a nasty bruise and the left side of his face a bit scrapped up. And for the best part: he is potty trained. He still sleeps in a pullup at night, but we have been accident free, during the day, for about 2 weeks now!!!

Heidi

2011-07-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

This little Cutie has been keeping us busy. She started crawling about a month ago and hasnt stopped. At first she wouldnt go on the tile she would stop at the edge of the carpet where the tile began and would wait a while and then would cry for you to come get her. She has gotten over her dislike for the tile and now will crawl all over it. She has also started to pull herself up on anything she can find and I will usually find her in her crib in the morning standing up holding onto the edge smiling. And with her being one of our kids she loves her blankets. If she sees it on the floor she will crawl over to it and snuggle up to it for a second and then shes off to find something else to play with.

4th of July 2011 (long post)

2011-07-06T14:01:00.000-07:00

This last weekend the kids and myself went camping with my Mom, Dad, brothers: Jordan and Tyler and their families, and also my sister: Carissa and her family. We left Friday afternoon and made camp at West Ten Sleep on Buffalo side of the mountain. Then Saturday we got up and went over to the Greybull side of the mountain to attend the Merlin Sessions Reunion. Then on Sunday we spent a little time hiking and riding 4-wheelers and then we packed up and went home. We ended up spending more time in the car than actually camping but it was a good time to be able to see family that we dont get to see very often. We didnt do much on Monday. We spent our time around the house being lazy and that night some good friends, Taylor and Cody, came over for dinner and we went out in the middle of the street to watch fireworks through the trees.

Drinking Buddies (Heidi & Parker)

Heidi and her Great Grandpa Sessions

Tyler and Cami brought up their horses, Pistol and Mellow, and they did a great job giving everyone a ride on them.

The Fearless Riders & Hayden

Hannah on Mellow

Hayden & I on Mellow and Tyler

Sheena & Keith on Mellow and Tyler

Q came up Saturday night with Dad, and the kids had a great time playing with him and chasing him around threatening to spank his butt. To answer his question of what he did to have the kids all ganging up on him is that they love their Uncle Q.

Parker & Q

Keith & Jordan

Grandma Sessions & I

Mom & I

Not sure who this guy is but it actually turned out to make a good picture with him in it.

The Lyle Sessions Family

L-R: Jordan, Mike, Tammy, and Mom (standing)

Hayden, Tyler, Hannah, Cami w/Kaitlyn, Sheena w/Keith, Me w/ Heidi, Carissa w/Parker, Kenton, Matt, Kalton (sitting)

Grandma and Grandpa Sessions (in the front)

I also learned a few things this weekend:

* camping with a 10 months old is not all that fun
* putting to babies (3 months) apart in the same car for 3 hour drive is not the best idea
* as much as I thought Hannah and Hayden would be afraid of horses they arent, they LOVED 'em
* Heidi snores
* You put myself, my Mom, and Grandma Sessions hiking together we are bound to find the trail that is the longest way back to camp

* And no matter how long it takes to get to the camping spot, or listen to 2 crying babies for 3+ hours in a car, or having to listen to each kid whine at different times in the day over some little thing it is all worth it b/c I love spending time with my family

Haydens Birthday

2011-05-13T12:43:00.000-07:00

My 3 year old!

He was so proud of his Choo Choo cake.

Easter 2011

2011-04-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

This Easter was fun for all with several easter egg hunts, dying eggs, family, food (of course), and also new church clothes.

I have the CUTEST kids EVER!

what not

2011-04-15T14:52:00.000-07:00

I have read alot of blogs that start off with "it was been awhile" and in my case it could seem like it has been awhile since I let the curious readers know what we have been up to but in my reality it really seems "like it was just yesterday." That seems to be the general feeling about everything. I think that life just keeps moving at a steady pace that when it comes time to redue a task that "it seems like just yesterday" I completed. But there are no complaints here. I would rather be busy than having to sit and pass the time away slowly.
I am planner. I have my weeks planned out at the start of the week with an idea of what will be going on that week. I take each day and break it down by if there are any events that desire our presence and then plan the various weekly chores around those events. So that everything that needs to be accomplished gets done. It helps the week go smoother for me and I dont get stressed out when it comes down to the last minute. I had a very similar plan with Hannah and kindergarten. A couple of weeks ago that plan changed. Hannah makes the cut off date to enroll for kindergarten this school year by about a month. So we had decided to wait another year and then enroll her and hope that she got into the pre-k program this coming school year. There was a very high chance that she would get in b/c I hadnt heard of anyone not getting in in the recent years, but as it turns out she is to old for the program since she can go to school this coming school year. So to make a long story even longer :) we are enrolling her in kindergarten. The preschool she has been attending is amazing she loves her teacher and so do I, but she really needs more structure and more time than just 2 hours to advance. So once the decision was made there was a peaceful feeling and I knew that she would excel both socially and academically. I did get a good laugh when people made the suggestion of me teaching her at home. I believe that there are people who are ment to be teachers and I am not one of them. I did once toy with the idea of going into education but I wised up and realized that it would be better for my sanity and the kids well-being that I not pursue it.

In other news I have finally started, again, and this time have made it past the second day with potty training Hayden. We started at the begining of the week I put him in undies and deal with whatever happens and then at night he gets a pull-up. He was been doing really well and I look forward to the day when I can say its been a long, messy, business but it is finally over and he is potty trained.

Fun in the Sun

2011-03-17T15:54:00.000-07:00

Last week it was GEORGOUS outside. Something we had been waiting for for awhile. The kids had been getting a little bit stir crazy having to stay in the house. Since Heidi came along the other two have been deprived of any errand running that requires me to get them in and out of the car multiple times, I have found that it is more hassle than what its worth.

So the GEORGOUS weather gave us the opprotunity to get out and enjoy the outside:

And even bikes need gas!

White Chili

2011-03-11T10:47:00.000-08:00

There are only a few things about winter that I like and one of those things is soup. There is nothing better than being able to have a nice warm bowl of soup on those cold winter nights. I have about 4 different potato soups that get made regularly b/c they are the ones that I know my little family will eat. So since Bryan has been out of town for the past few days I decided to take advantage of his absene and make chili. I dont mind the traditional "red" chili. I especially like it on baked potatoes with some cheese, but I actually prefer White Chili. To me it is much tastier. I got this recipe from my wonderful sister and love it.

White Chili
1lb chicken, thawed and diced
1 med. onion
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 T oil
2 15 oz cans garbonzo beans
1 14.5 oz can chicken broth
2 4oz can green chilies
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 C sour cream
1/2 C heavy whipping cream

Cook the chicken, onion, garlic powder in oil until chicken is cooked. Add beans, broth, chilies, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered for 30 min. Stir in sour cream and whipping cream. Serve with tortilla chips and cheese. ENJOY!

*Last night as I was rumagging (sp?) through my cupboards I found that I didnt have any cayenne pepper. You can leave it out if you like the chili is already a bit spicey the cayenne pepper would just add a bit of hotness to it as well. Either way it is delisous. *

Mornings

2011-03-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

I got a good laugh later earler this week when I got a chance to think about the events of Tuesday morning. I woke up that morning to sad whimpering at the bedside. I knew without looking that it was Hannah and knew right away that she wanted in our bed (we have a rule that the kids are not allowed to sleep in bed with us, so if they wake up in the middle of the night they can bring their pillows and blankets and sleep on the floor) The morning ended with me finding Hannah standing in the doorway with the door open, in just her panties, yelling at her Dad as he was leaving for work.

Little

2011-03-04T12:39:00.000-08:00

Over the past months I have noticed that Hannah is going to be the runt of her cousins. She got blessed with not only my good looks:) but also my height deficiency.

Then while over in Lville I got to make another observation while visiting my sister and her little boy.

Heidi and Parker:

3 months apart

Same size feet

Same size hands

Practically the same length (I think Heidi beats Parker by 1/2 an inch) she doesnt stand a chance either.

Lets just hope that Hayden ends up being taller than his sisters!

Lville Trip

2011-02-20T15:44:00.000-08:00

A couple of weekends ago we got the pleasure of heading to Lville. We packed the van and headed out on Saturday morning. After a few close encounters like almost getting blown away at the Wheatland BK; the wind, as Bryan likes to put it, swerving the van and making the sheet cake have my butt print in it, and having to stop in the canyon, in the middle of the road, for the dum-dum WYDOT people, we made it and finally got to meet this Q.T. Pie:

Lil. Parker

Beautiful Family on Blessing Day

All of the Jackson-Sessions side that came up

For memory purposes:

(Back: Mike Sessions, Grandpa & Grandma Sessions, Carissa, Parker, Quintin, Jordan, Cami, Dad, Tyler

Middle: Tammy Sessions & Heidi, ME, Sheena & Keith, Mom a& Hayden

Back: Matt, Kenton & Kalton Sessions, Bryan, Hannah, Kaitlyn)

Q.T. Pie

2011-01-29T14:14:00.000-08:00

Its a good thing that she is little...

otherwise this wouldnt be so cute.

Ice

2011-01-29T13:58:00.000-08:00

PROCEED WITH CAUTION...thats what we had to tell people when they ventured over to our house. Our driveway was a sheet of snow with a bottom layer of ice and then our steps up to the door were iced over. It really has been awhile since Ive seen the driveway and wondered if maybe it had changed. And sure enough after all the hard work of shoveling ice chunks out of the way the driveway looked the same. But I guess it wasnt a waste of time since Hannah was able to get use out of it being cleared.

Our Christmas

2011-01-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

I just love Christmas now that my children are starting to understand Christmas better. It also helps that at least two of them can now open their presents on their own and are more than willing to help everyone else with theirs.

Love Hannah's expression

Haydens Choo-Choo

Heidi enjoying her play mat

G.G. and Heidi

A once and a lifetime event...Hayden playing with Keith

(Hayden is really not a big share-er right now so usually he is telling Keith no or is whining for someone to come get him)

My two Grandmas

Christmas Eve we went over to Grama and Papa's and enjoyed delicious food. For the last couple of years we have let got of the traditional turkey and ham meal and adopted a very delicious Prime Rib meal. Which I think is way better. Then Christmas day we had our own little Christmas at home and got to watch the kids delighted faces tearing off the wrapping paper and then went over to Grama and Papa's again for a Christmas Breakfast.

Single Digit Temperatures

2010-12-31T22:48:00.000-08:00

Oh the weather outside is frightful and....

we're the idiots playing in it!

Gingerbread

2010-12-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

All of the Jackson grandkids...for now!

Last night everyone gathered at our house and enjoyed some navajo tacos and also Sheena had made gingerbread houses for each of the kids to decorate.

More candy ended up in Keith and Haydens mouth then on their house

And for Kaitlyn and Hannah more candy ended up on their houses than in their mouths.

2010-12-13T10:15:00.001-08:00

Now who wouldnt want this little present under their tree?

Decorating

2010-12-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

You know its bad when your 4 year old daughter asks her Grandma to come and help decorate your house b/c you just never got to it for Thanksgiving. Ever since Halloween Hannah has been bugging me to decorate our house. She would see all the house that were decorated for Halloween or Thanksgiving and would point them out telling me that that persons house was decorated and then she would ask when we were decorating ours. I would usually avoid answering this question by distracting her with goodies to eat, but it only worked until we saw the next house decorated. So when I finally brought home the Christmas decorations one Sunday her eyes got big and was full of energy to decorate.

So once it was all done she asked, "When are we going to decorate some more?"

Turkey Day, Sledding, Bowling

2010-12-05T15:25:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving we went over to Lovell. We had great food, great company, and great fun. Hayden had gone over a few days before with his aunt Shawnee and the rest of us went over Tuesday night. The roads were good until we got to Greybull and everything just turned white. So the rest of the way there was snow packed road and blowing snow. It was wonderful, but it would not have been a trip to Lovell in the winter if we didnt encounter terrible words.

In preschool Hannah made a pilgrim costume and here she is looking very cute and also a little bit Little House on the Prairie.

This is Heidi and her cousin Ethan they are almost exactly 3 months, just off by 1 day.

The kids got to go sledding down 7th street in Lovell and they also got to enjoy a game of bowling. Hayden also got to go to his first movie in a movie theater: Megamind. He did very well sitting in his seat eating popcorn.

I love this picture Hannah is giving a thumbs up.

A Mixture of Crazyness

2010-12-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

At the begining of Novemeber I packed up all the kids and we drove to Lville (laramie) for a quick visit with Carissa and Quintin. I think a lot of people thought of it as pure crazyness, but I needed to get out of the house and go somewhere far from Gtown (gillette) I had not gone anywhere for a good 3 months and was going a little stir crazy. I got the kids and myself all packed up then loaded into the car. Heidi was fed and then strapped into her carseat and then the older two were strapped in. Then as a last minute thought remembered that the portable DVD player was being a little touchy and with my fingers crossed strapped it to the seats and turned it on. After a few minutes of tinkering with it and a few words, said in my head I took it down and placed it nicely under the seats and debated what to do while driving towards Mcdonalds. There was an interesting commentary going on in my head. about what to do. I couldnt decide whether or not to just head out and pray that the kids would be perfect angels without it. I had really painted a pretty picture of Hannah and Hayden falling asleep or sitting in their seats so nicely that I didnt even know they were there or brave taking all three out of the car again and treking into Wal-Mart to see what wonderful options they offered. Then it hit me...Radio Shack was right by Mcdonalds and usually didnt get too busy at one time, just on occasion. So instead of braving Wal-Mart we braved Radio Shack instead and walked out with a new DVD player. Then after spending 45 minutes setting it up and trying to figure out how to turn it on and a few more words said in my head again we were ready to go. Needless to say the ride down was great. I really didnt hear a peep out of the kids except the occasional snore or heavy breathing, since all three of them ended up falling asleep. Needless to say the DVD player worked great.

Even though getting down to Lville took awhile once we got there we had a great time. That Friday it was such a beautiful day that we packed a picnic lunch and went to the park. Hannah and Hayden had a great time playing on all the equipment with Uncle Q. Heidi had a great time sleepig in her carseat. Then on Saturday Carissa and I went to her baby open house while uncle Q watched Hannah and Hayden. Before we came back I had to make sure to bring him a Mtn Dew as a great big thank you. Then that night Carissa made pizza and the kids got to make their own. THANK YOU Carissa and Q for letting us come.

Grandparents

2010-11-08T14:00:00.000-08:00

I have such wonderful memories of my grandparents. I will always remember going to Grandpa and Grandma Jacksons house for Thanksgiving and having the football game on and for Christmas the movie A Christmas Story playing in the background. My Grandpa Jackson would always get me hyper before we let to go home and that was usually by tickling me until it seemed like I couldnt laugh anymore. I would go and help Grandma Jackson wrap Christmas presents and while there would get a story or two about my Dad growing up. I also remember watching the movie While You Were Sleeping and Sleepless in Seattle with her. I remember going on walks with Grandma Sessions. When she lived in Moorcroft we would go looking for arrowheads and after she moved to Casper we would walk around the block with her dog Festus. Summer break I also got opprotunities to stay with Grandpa and Grandma Sessions. We didnt do anything really special it was just to be able to spend time with them. I learned to love shopping with my Grandma Sessions. Grandpa Sessions has always been a hard worker getting up in early in the morning and returning in time for dinner. He always went to bed after dinner and I could always hear the tv in his room and it was always a western. I also had the privelage of knowing my Great Grandparents. I remember going to Lovell to visit Great Grandpa and Grandma Negro. We always called Grandma Negro G.G. and it was Grandpa Chuck. I remember Grandpa Chuck wearing his Yankee hat. I swear he slept with it on. We would go down to Utah every summer and while there we stayed with either my Great Grandpa Tyler or Great Grandpa and Grandma Jackson. Everytime we arrived at Grandpa and Grandma Jackson it seemed like G.Grandpa Jackson was sitting at the table playing cards. G.Grandma Jackson was always smiling and it always seemed like she was doing something in the kitchen. Also at their house was a tree swing that we would take turns riding on. I remember always taking Great Grandpa Tyler out to eat. Or we would go visit him at his house. He really was an amazing man. Him and my Great Grandma Tyler served a mission together in Hawaii. He also taught himself how to speak spanish. We would aslo call my Great Grandpa and Grandma Sessions Grandpa and Grandma Ha-Ha because they had these dolls they got from Hawaii. A couple of years ago I went into the house that they used to live in and didnt even realize it until I walked in. It brought back a few memories.
I am so glad that my children are having the same opprotunity to know so many of their grandparents and hopefully they will be able to create memories of their own.

Halloween

2010-11-08T13:36:00.000-08:00

Setting the scene: we walk up to a house that has a gated entrance before you get to the door. In the entrance it is decorated for Halloween, fake spider webs with fake spiders and such, There is a statue of a porcelian doll which to me kind of looked chinese. Hannah, Hayden, and Kaitlyn are up by the door treat buckets in hand getting ready to ring the bell and say the magic...give me candy (j/k)...trick or treat and I watched as the porcelian doll turned her head and Hannah flipped out. Ran to Grama crying. The funny part was just minutes before we were reminising about the house. How when we were younger the couple would have a coffin in there and the husband would be in the coffin scaring kids and the wife would be a statue of some sort standing by the door. Since then the husband has passed on but the wife continues to hold up the tradition.

Halloween this year was fun. Hannah loved wearing her costume and couldnt wait to be able to go Trick or Treating. We got to carve pumpkins at Papa and Grama's on the Sunday before. I couldnt get Hannah or Hayden to clean out their pumpkins, and Hayden only wanted to use the knife to cut. He threw a fit when I wouldnt let him. Then on Saturday we went to the church and got to enjoy some fun carnival games and also Trunk or Treat. They got to decorate "Eyeballs," shoot marshmellows out of a marshmellow gun, and they even got to practice their roping on a pretend cow. Then on Sunday we went out to Grama and Papa's house and they got to go Trick or Treating with Kaitlyn and Keith. Heidi even got to enjoy in the fun by being strapped to Grama in the baby carrier. It was fun to watch them and also to listen to them. The first house we went to the girls got their candy and then you hear Hayden saying "my turn," and of course Hannah getting scared will always be a priceless memory. Then we also got to enjoy Sheena's yummy carmel apples. Which I have to say is one of the top things I look forward to with Halloween.

Hayden and the Dentist

2010-10-31T21:37:00.000-07:00

Hayden got to visit the dentist for the first time this week. A few weeks ago he fell and hit his lip and split it open and also damaged his tooth. It took us awhile to realize that his tooth was not pearly white but a bit more brownish white. So after realizing that it wasnt chocolate on his tooth I called and made an appointment to get it looked at to make sure that there wasnt damage that needed to be worried about. I wasnt sure what behavior to expect so I had Grama watch the girls. Hayden did wonderful. He didnt let the assistant lady look in his mouth, but once the dentist (who was a guy) asked he opened right up. It did take two little play monsters and a lot of coxing to get him to let them to take a picture of his teeth. Any time the camera came close he would cover his face. We found out that there was no damage to his tooth just that when he hit his mouth blood drained into it turning it colors. It may go back to being white or it may just stay brownish white only time would tell.

If you look at the tooth on the right you will notice a slight change in color from the others

Heidi's Blessing

2010-10-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

Sunday we blessed Heidi in church. The Hendershot's from Lovell all came over and my brother and his wife as well as my sister and her hubby all came up from Laramie. And also our family here in Gillette came. It was a great sacrament meeting. The blessing was wonderful and then to top it off it was fast sunday and Hannah got up with the help of Bryan and gave her testimony. She usually will bug us on fast sundays to go up and bear her testimony especially after seeing other little kids go up. It just reminds me of how precious our children are and how I admire their courage. Standing up in front of poeple and talking scares me. I get plagued with nervous fidgeting and not to mention that my mind goes blank, but Hannah got up there without any fear. I do want my family to know that I have a testimony.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is true.

I know that families are forever.

I know that we are lead by a living prophet just as they were in the Bible.

I know that Jesus is our Savior and that he died for us.

Heidi's blessing dress is the dress that my Mom wore when she was blessed as a baby.

After I got looking at the pictures that we had taken of Heidi in her dress I noticed this one and couldnt help but think that this look reminded me of Hannah.

So I got digging through pictures and found this one of Hannah Halloween 2006:

Too Cute for Words

2010-10-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

Lifts

2010-10-08T21:32:00.000-07:00

Hannah and Hayden had until recently just been dancing solo but today they decided was a great day to start practicing there dancing lifts with Grama.

Heidi even had a great time watching

2010-09-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

We have been adjusting to our family of 5 well. I was expecting it to be a hard transition b/c of all the comments from people, but it has been pretty great. Hannah just adores Heidi and is always wanting to hold her and play with her. Hayden just ignores her. He will give her some attention even though it is only for a moment. He does like to help turn her swing on, give her kisses, and put her binky in her mouth when she is crying. I do have to say I am LOVING not being pregnant, even though the whole 9 months was worth it. I can handle the recovery and the pain that comes with it and could do it over and over again but being sick just kicks my butt.

Heidi had her 2 week check up yesterday and is doing great. She is 7lbs 10oz and 20 1/2 inches. She has started to stay awake a little more after each feeding and does fairly well sleeping at night.

Hayden has been keeping us busy. A few times I have found him coloring on the wall. Once with a black sharpie and the other time with chalk. I have to say that I am grateful for Citrol. It took the sharpie off the wall very well, probably a little to well b/c it also faded the paint a little and now I have some more to add to my touch up list for painting. He also the other day was not watching where he was going and fell down the stairs hitting his face on the railing first and then tumbling down a few stairs. I wish before he was born I had invested in a bunch of band-aids. It seems like he is always falling down and getting cut up.

Hannah has started preschool for this year and is loving it. She will point out all the letters she knows when she sees them some where and will also tell us how to write them. She is also big on wanting to know when something is going to be. Like for instance she keeps asking how many more days till Halloween. But she doesnt like hearing that it is 33 days away and insists that it is only 5.

Bryan has been keeping his self busy as well. After Heidi was born he built a shed so that we would have more room to store our junk and we have been talking about getting a garage up sometime in the next few months. It amazes me how talented he is with his hands. He has also been spending time in the sky. He has been working toward getting his pilots license and any chance he gets trys to go out and build up his hours.

4+1=5

2010-09-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Heidi Brynn

September 9, 2010

7lbs 6oz

19 in

Hannah

2010-08-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

As per my last post Hannah is now 4 and I wanted to take some time to write down a few things about her.

*Lately she has been more motherly. She is always checking up on Hayden and if he gets hurt she has to see the owie and kiss it better for him. She also tries to help him if he gets frustrated with something. She has also taken up playing with her dolls more. The baby has also been given the nickname Boo so she is always asking what Boo is doing and when she is going to come. She is excited to see her and keeps telling me she is going to help.

*She is also definitely a girl. She loves to put on her play dresses and get all glammed up with shoes, rings and crowns. Hayden also ends up being her Prince so she pretends she is in trouble so he will come save her.

*She is very curious always asking questions about things and learning more. If she recognizes any letters she points them out says its name. H is still her favorite though. It still amazes me the information that she retains. Last week was the first time she was able to tell me what she learned in Primary. I was so excited for her. She got to be the reverence child a few weeks ago for church and got to stand up by the pulpit folding her arms as the people came in. She did a wonderful job she just stood up their smiling and was so cute.

*She loves books and will sometimes be seen carring around 4-5 of them. She will just sit and also look at them and recently has started to "read" them herself by making up her own story. She also makes sure that we dont forget her bedtime story.

Our Four Year Old

2010-08-23T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hannah turned 4 last Wednesday. She had been waiting for this day for a long time. Ever since about May she would ask if it was her Birthday yet. So when her day arrived she was so excited. That night we let her open our presents and Grama and Papa came over and brought theirs for her to open. That day she helped me make cupcakes and so that night we sang Happy Birthday and let her blow out the candles. She got a new 12inch bike which she kept riding around the house. She had been telling me early that her little red trike were too small for her and she had to go slow b/c it wasnt big enough and she needed a bigger bike. It was very cute. She also got a cd player and a couple of new cd's for it. One of hte cd's was a Phineas and Ferb (show on Disney) soundtrack as soon as we put it in she started singing and dancing.

Then on Saturday we had a party at one of the local parks and invited family and some close friends. She wanted to have a carriage cake, a few months ago I found the pan and she decided thats what she wanted. So I baked the cake and my Mom decorated it (THANKS MOM). Hannah had a lot of fun running around the park and enjoying ice cream, she didnt want any cake.

Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate!

Fun in the Sun

2010-08-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

spending time floating around

girls stopped to have a tea party

you can see Keith in the background we gave him a bucket of water and a little shovel and it entertained him for a long time

getting drenched by Dad

The time was finally taken to air up the little swim pool and fill it with water so that the kids could enjoy playing in the water. I have not had the energy to take the kids much of anywhere by myself so we have not made it to the city pool this year. Also the fact that I really do not want to put on a swimsuit myself has stopped me. But they have loved the little pool. The slide even ended up in it and they had a blast going down it. Even when Bryan started pouring water off the stop and then literally throwing it at them when they went down. We also went over to my Moms one weekend when she had Kaitlyn and Keith and she aired up her pools and some floaties and the kids had a blast.

Camping

2010-07-23T13:57:00.000-07:00

We were able to enjoy the Big Horn Mountains for a few days and it was wonderful. We went up for the traditional camping trip with my Mom's parents and her brothers and their families. The kids had a blast getting dirty, riding 4-wheelers, using their fishing poles, going on walks, and climbing.

4th of July

2010-07-16T17:35:00.000-07:00

I know that this is a little late but better late than never right? For the 4th of July this year we were over in Lovell visiting family. While there we had a great time and the kids loved playing with their cousins that they dont get to see as often; And of course we lit off a few fireworks of our own. Hannah and Hayden enjoyed it alot especially the snaps, once they got the hang of actually getting them to pop on the ground. Hannah, of course did not enjoy the ones that made loud noises and Hayden loved it.

ER Visit

2010-07-08T16:20:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday the kids and I went with my Mom and cousin Tristen to Casper to visit with my Grandma Sessions and also to visit Sams. Side Note: as a kid I used to hate going to Sams and now its one of my favorite stores. While we were at the mall the kids where playing in the play area and Hayden being our little daredevil was jumping off of the play bridge and landed on his left ankle wrong. After the incident he cuddled up to me and ended up falling asleep. We went and did alittle more shopping and after he woke up he took a step and ended up falling. So after much debate I decided to take him to the ER. My wonderful Mom went which was good b/c I wasnt able to go into the x-ray room. I got to stand outside of the door and hear his cries. After a few hours we found out it wasnt broken just sprained. I learned that it is very hard for a little kid to break their foot b/c it isnt fully developed yet, as you can see from the x-rays above. I was told to let him walk on it when he was ready and it took a whole week for him to be ready. He would just crawl around or walk on his knees. Now his little knees are all scrapped up and bruised a bit. He just started walking on it Tuesday night and since then he walks slowly and limps just a bit. Im just glad that he is ok. While at the hospital Hayden was more worried about the ID bracelet they had to put on him. He wanted it off and a nurse walked by with purple scissors and he spotted them and kept pointing and grunting and saying cut. A nurse did come in a cut if off for him and he got a popsicle.

While waiting for the Dr.

Still waiting...

Enjoying his popsicle (w/o the ID bracelet)

Makin' Mud Pies

2010-06-22T12:16:00.000-07:00

It has finally become warm enough to let the kids play with the Mud Pie Maker that Hayden got for his birthday. And when I say warm enough I mean it is warm enough that I can strip them down and hose them off with the hose before letting them in the house.

2010-06-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Sleepy Hollow's annual summer garage sale event. Sleepy Hollow is the subdivision that I grew up in and my parents still live in, and every year at the begining of June the homeowners that want to participate, hold garage sales at the same time. My mom, Hannah, and my niece Kaitlyn all went this year. I do have to say we did not get any really great finds. I did, however, find a few outfits for baby girl and some overalls for Hannah. Dad was kind enough to watch Hayden and Keith while we went and walked around. When we got back we found Hayden like this:

he is such a boy. It took awhile for us to get him out of it and ended up letting him eat his sandwhich in it. When it comes to any type of tool or machinary Hayden is all about it and probably already knows how to use it better than I do. Then the rest of the day the kids played in Grama and Papa's yard.

I finally finished my first blanket. I made it for baby girl. I picked out the fabric before we knew what we were having. I just couldnt pass up the cute bugs.

Hannah the whole time while I was making it kept asking where hers was. So I went to the store picked out some fabric and have started making hers so that she can get it for her birthday. The tricky part is going to be finishing it when she is either sleeping or gone. I was able to work on it this week. Bryan had classes for work down in Denver for a few days and I went with him. My wonderful sister and her hubby where brave enough to watch the kids for us. THANK YOU CARISSA AND Q!!! It was much appreciated. While in Denver I did a little shopping and spent the rest of the time sewing Hannahs blanket together. Bryan and I also got to go to the temple. While there Bryan commented how the last time we were there the fountain wasnt running and I had to point out that the last time we were there it was blizzarding out and the fountain most likely woudl have froze.

On another note ever since Carissa got married she has talked about her and I being pregnant at the same time and it has finally happened! CONGRATS YOU GUYS!

*I was just going back though posts and looked at the one I posted about the last time we were in Denver and I have to say that the fountain at the temple was going and it didnt freeze so both Bryan and I were wrong.

Hail

2010-05-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

Last night we got our first severe thunderstorm warning. Right before I was about to put the kids to bed it started raining and not seconds after the rain turned into hail. I would have to say that it hailed for a good 5 minutes and they seemed to get bigger and bigger as they fell. Unfortunately the truck wasnt able to escape some dents and I am not sure how the van fared. The kids enjoyed the after effects of being able to hold the hail and then throw it after.

And not to disappoint anyone here are a few pictures of the kids.

Oh No

2010-05-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

We had decided awhile ago to convert our playroom into a master bedroom with bathroom included. This all came about b/c of a leak from the upstairs bathroom that had created mold on the ceiling in the playroom. So Bryan started demoing a bit. He started by knocking down the wall between the laundry room and playroom and then all work stopped. Then about a month ago he installed the egress(sp?) window and then work stopped again. I want to utilize my whole house and not being able to the last 5 months has bugged me. Lately I started bugging Bryan about getting it done. I have been worried that it will be an ongoing project that sits for years and I want it done before the baby comes so I have a little bit of time to get the nursery ready and get my house back in order. Well come to find out our project is most likely going to take a little longer than planned and a bit more work is involved. We came home from a trip to Casper to find that our basement had flooded just a bit. Water came in from the laundry room and ran along the wall into the spare bedroom and also came in to our little storage area and ran along the wall into the family room. Luckily the worst places where the water decided to pool were in the rooms that had tile or concrete floors. So last night after all the tears had passed and my knees and back had gone numb from having to kneel to vacuum up water I was able to see the little light at the end of the tunnel that this to shall pass and that it wasnt really that bad nothing got destroyed (except my carpet in the playroom, not from the water) and we still had a house standing. Bryan started demoing some more. The family room wall is missing half of the wall and also there is concrete missing so we can install pipe and a subpump. So now I really am not able to utilize my whole house we are pretty much confined to the upstairs and already I miss being able to tell my kids to go downstairs and play and it has only been a day.

Finally

2010-05-17T12:48:00.000-07:00

Why I love warm days:

Picnics

Riding Bikes

Slides

Sandboxes

Cute Faces!

The last few days it has warmed up considerably here. I was able to finally wear capris and the kids were able to enjoy the outdoors. Fridaywe got to spend a few hours outside. I watched the kids play and Bryan mow the lawn while I sat on the deck and worked on my tan. It was glorious. Then on Sunday I took the kids to the park, we went for a walk after dinner, and also roasted marshmellows on Papa and Grama's fire pit. I think that we have taken advantage of these days very well and hope to take advantage of the others to come.

2010-05-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

We had another Dr. appointment yesterday. I had no problem gaining weight between the last appointment and this one so I dont have to worry about taking a supplement. The Dr. asked me what I did and I told her that it was amazing what happens, since I no longer throw up 3-4 times a night. Everything is looking good. I also learned new information about c-sections. We were told at one point, probably by someone not from the medical field, that you were only allowed so many c-sections. My Dr, however, said that she worked at a Catholic hospital she had performed women's 12th and 13th c-section. It is just that with each pregnancy and each cut your are more at risk for complications. Just to make sure that no one has any confusion we are not planning on having 12 kids, it is 6-7 kids to many for me and I am sure I can say the same for Bryan. We do get to have another ultrasound at the next appointment. They werent able to see some of the things they needed to with the heart since it wasnt developed enough.
This last weekend we went down to Laramie to see my sister, Carissa, graduate from UW with her bachelors in education. CONGRATULATIONS CARISSA! We had a lot of fun. Bryan enjoyed playing the WII and beating Carissa's high score in the 3-point shootout competition. Hayden enjoyed throwing balls at Q. Hannah enjoyed playing with the marbles. And I enjoyed getting to spend time with my Sissy. The kids also got to go swimming at the hotel that Papa and Grama stayed at. Hannah had a bunch of fun. She got to play in there with her cousin Kaitlyn. Hayden didnt want anything to do with the water. He hung out with Papa in the chair. Carissa did get him to come sit on the side and put his feet in the water for a bit. I did take my camera down but it spent its time in my backpack.

Happy Birthday GOO

2010-05-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

Hayden's second birthday was on Wednesday. So far he:

* has just started to talk more, some of the words are: Mama, Dada, Papa, Grama, Tris, ouch, down, out, hi, bye, juice, ball, blow, balloon, puppy,he also has said Tyler a couple of times one of his first words

* loves his blanket and prefers the ones with fringes

* already knows what annoys his sister and loves doing it

* loves copying Hannah and playing with her

* loves to leave and go anywhere in a car

* is ticklish all over

* loves balls

* has an extra sense when a power tool is turned on and runs toward the sound

* loves tools, his own and his dads

* a tape measure is one of his favorites, he loves to carry it around and measure things

* likes to look at books before going to bed

* doesnt like to have his hands dirty

* likes the vacuum as long as its not on
*nicknames are Mr. Magoo, Goo, Gooza
*loves it when Daddy comes home

We did a small party for him on Thursday and celebrated with pizza, cupcakes, and ice cream. Its hard to believe how big he is getting and realizing that he isnt going to be my baby anymore.

2010-04-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

This morning we woke up to windy-blowing-cold snow. Only in Wyoming do we shovel our April Showers. I am very ready for the weather to start warming up. I have even tried sending warm vibes by wearing capris and it seemed to work for awhile. We were lucky at the begining of this week to have warm enough weather to where the kids were able to play outside. I got Hannah's trike out and she has discovered that she can finally use the pedals. It is so cute everytime she gets on it and starts pedaling she becomes very proud of herself that she can do it. We even got the opprotunity for cousins Kaitlyn and Keith to come over and play, well Kaitlyn did most of the playing while Keith sat and watched and played with toys.
Lately Hayden has helped me do the dishes. I swear he has a built in sensor where he can hear running water everywhere b/c it never fails evertime I turn on the faucet he comes running. he will help me clean out the dishwasher and then will get a chair and push it up to the counter so he can reach the water.
Hannah is done with Preschool for at least a couple of months. Her teacher is doing a summer session so Im debating whether or not to enroll her. She really enjoys it and loves her teacher. She really has learned alot. She is able to point out some letters and numbers, and is even writing some of them. I love to see her learning. Im so glad to that I choose to enroll her b/c there is no way that I would have been able to sit down and teach her. I really admire and am thankful for all those teachers out there b/c I know that I wouldnt be able to do it, I just dont have the patience.
The kids enjoy using my laundry basket as a toy. This morning I found Hannah in it laying down reading one of her Pooh books.

It is funny b/c Hannah and Hayden can be playing so well together and then the next minute they are going at each other with fists. This is one of the few pictures that I was able to get that they were enjoying each other.

Things for Bryan and I have been going well. Last doctor appointment we were able to determine that we were having a girl. I just love the ultrasounds. My favorite part is being able to see the heart beating. Ever since my anatomy classes I have been fascinated with the heart. The whole body is fascinating with how everything works together but without the heart it all falls apart. I also was told that I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight and was told if I dont gain any between the appointments that I will have to take a supplement like carnation instant breakfast. It was kind of a shock since I have never had a problem gaining weight. Its weird this time around I havent been really hungry, I eat enough to keep the nausea to a minimum.

Decisions

2010-04-23T09:12:00.000-07:00

I was browsing around the Target website and found these two adorable BABY GIRL shoes. Now I just have to figure out which ones to get...or maybe I should just get both!

Easter

2010-04-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

Easter this year was once again fun. We once again dyed eggs. Hannah loved using all the colors and even did an egg where she used all the colors.

Hayden enjoyed playing in the dye the most and in the end had blue-green fingers.
Then on Sunday morning the Easter bunny almost did not wake up in time to hide the eggs :> Once Hayden saw the Easter baskets with candy he went straight for them. If he had his way he would have ate candy all morning. I was able to get him to find a few eggs.
Hannah was really excited to find all of the eggs. Then once she found them all she wanted to do it all again.

Then that afternoon we went over to Gramas and Papas and enjoyed wonderful company and wonderful food. I know that I ate to much but it was all just to great. Then the kids once again got to find eggs. We also celebrated Papa and uncle Q's birthday.

2010-04-01T07:47:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning to snow. It wasnt surprising since after running errands yesterday I got asked twice what I thought about the "snow storm" that was coming. I am relieved to say that it is not all that bad, we did get a few inches and it is probably cold outside, but all in all it looks pretty. I had a doctors appointment a few weeks ago and had gotten my hopes up for a few days that I was finally going to be feeling somewhat back to my old self again for whatever reason this pregnancy has been the worst for "all day sickness." My doctor had this idea to put me on a zofran pump which would provide a steady drip of medicine into my body. At first the idea was a little unsettling to me but then I got thinking about it and I knew that it would work, and at this point I am willing to try anything. But then a few days later they called me letting me know that Wyoming isnt licensed or something to have the pump so they were not able to get it. We did however try B12 shots which I got a few days ago and doesnt work. My only relief for a bit is the zofran pills they seem to dull the nausea, its still there just not as bad.
The kids have been doing great. They are full of so much energy. It was nice when the weather was good to be able to put them outside and let them play on the porch. Bryan also made them a little sandbox which they love to dig in. This week is Spring Break for Hannah. It has made me realize that I need to start coming up with projects for her to do once Preschool is over at the end of April. She really has been learning alot. She will point out letters to me when she recognizes them. Hayden is getting bigger. I have been trying to get him to talk more lately. He still seems somewhat content to mumble with his mouth closed. He can say a few words: dada, mama, papa (which seems to be his favorite), grama, ball, and car. I figured that his talking has been a bit slow is b/c of his paicifier so we have started to limit his time with it. He only gets it for nap and bed time. And within the next month I am going to get rid of it.
Bryan has started working on the master suite again. He has been spending the past few days digging out dirt and tearing down the wall to put in an egress window. That is pretty much done so now he can start working on framing in the closet and bathroom. I am excited to see what it will be like when it is done.

Games

2010-03-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hannah has been begging me to let them play the games that they got for Christmas. After Christmas I had put everything away and forgot about the games so when Hannah found them again we had to get them out.
The kids loved Break the Ice. Mainly they loved being able to hit the blocks and watch them fall down over and over. They didnt care that the object of the game was to keep the polar bear from falling.

Next they love to play Ring-a-Round-the-Rosy. They do it in nursery and after the kids fall down they sing a little chant that goes: Cows are in the barnyard eating buttercups, ice cream ice cream we all stand up.

and that makes three

2010-03-11T12:35:00.000-08:00

The last few months have filled with old adventures of running to the porcelian hole in the bathroom at least once at night and on the lucky few days two or three times. I have gotten some nausea medicine and it seems to work well during the day but nighttime still seems to knock me on my butt. Also, it seems that the kids naptime and bedtime have become mine also. By the end of the day I am ready to crash and just let the sleep wash over me even if it is only a few hours before I am woken up again by being too uncomfortable or another wave of nausea hits me. I was thinking even though I have gone through this twice before that the sleep deprivation came later on in the nine months, but I guess I was wrong and it starts during the about the second month. For those of you who may not have guessed...I AM PREGNANT. We are very excited to welcome #3 into our lives in September. I am due on the 17th, but will go in around the 10th or so to get cut. We were able to have our first ultrasound at the begininng of March. It was of course amazing to hear the little heartbeat and to have some proof that there is a baby in there. The heart beat came in around 160 bpm and Bryan already thinks that it is a girl b/c of the old wives tale of girl having a faster heartbeat and boys having a slower one. Both Hannah and Hayden were true to that.

2010-01-12T19:15:00.001-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYAN!!!

Laramie

2010-01-12T15:21:00.000-08:00

This last weekend we went down to Laramie to visit with my sister, Carissa, and her husband Quintin. On Friday after we got there Bryan, Q, and Dad went down to Denver to watch a Nuggets game. Who by the way beat the Cavaliers 99-97(Go Nuggets)! While the kids and I stayed down in Laramie with Carissa and had tons of fun...one thing that wasnt as much fun was that Hannah, Hayden and I went and got our H1N1 shot with Carissa but afterwards....

we enjoyed not one but...
two ice cream cones...
we also swam in Carissa's big bath tub...

...

and walked on the ceiling...

flew around in blankets...

played hide and seek...

found Q.

and last but not least played Wii.

Thanks Carissa and Q for the wonderful weekend!!!

Chunky Monkey Pancakes

2010-01-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

I have always loved to bake. I remember as a little girl helping my Mom make cookies and then as I got older doing it myself. Since then I have progressed from cookies to pies and some other goodies in between. I did, however, have a huge dislike for cooking especially after Bryan and I got married. I think some of that dislike atributed to the fact that I was pregnant and everything made me sick. Luckily in the past year or so I have shed that dislike for cooking and have grown to love it. I especially like to find new recipes by looking through cookbooks or searching the internet. I found a recipe for Chunky Monkey Pancakes and decided to try them out on the kids first since Bryan isnt open to to many new things.
They loved them and I love them which means the recipe is a keeper. The real test will be to see if Bryan likes them, of course without the nuts.

Chunky Monkey Pancakes

Combine together in a large bowl:

1 C. flour

2 Tsp. baking powder

1 Tsp. baking soda

1/4 Tsp. salt

In a seperate bowl whisk together:

3/4 C. milk

3T. butter, melted

2 eggs

1 T. sugar

1 Tsp. vanilla

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and stir in hte wet,

careful not to over mix the batter.

Gently fold in:

1 large banana, diced

1/2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 C. nuts, chopped

*You can also leave the nuts out and they are still good*

Christmas Projects

2009-12-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

I had only one project that I wanted to get done for Chrismas this year, and it was the presents I was doing for my cousins, Taryn and Tristen. They have been lifesavers by being wonderful babysitters, I know that Hannah and Hayden just love playing with them. THANKS a BUNCH GIRLS!

The picture on the right is Salt Lake Temple and the one on the left is Mt. Timpanogos Temple.

Christmas

2009-12-27T10:32:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas. Christmas Eve we went over to my parents house and enjoyed a wonderful meal of Prime Rib. Then Christmas morning Hannah and Hayden got to finally open the presents under the tree. Hannah loved it she was a great helper passing out presents and also ripping into hers. She got an early start early this week opening a few. Hayden, however, was only interested in the Santa gift that they recieved this year. Then we went back over to my parents house to enjoy breakfast. My Mom this year made wonderfully delicious Pumpkin Waffles with Carmel Syrup. The kids once again had fun playing together and the adults enjoyed each others company.

Santa brought a Play Center
HHHMMM...

Haydens New Ride

Hannahs Cozy Coupe

Overall Brothers

2009-12-21T14:54:00.000-08:00

It is that special time of year again and here is a run down of whats going on in the Hendershots, over the mountain, house:
*christmas shopping is done
*presents are wrapped and under the tree
*kids and puppy are constantly trying to find new ways to open the presents
*gingersnaps with pumpkin dip, truffles, fudge have been made
*peanutbutter balls, caramels and more gingersnaps with pumpkin dip are on the to do list
*constantly whipping running noses, mainly Haydens
*once again get to look forward to freezing temperatures :-(
*decided not to do a Christmas card this year
*contemplating in doing a New Years card instead
*looking forward to seeing my little sis
*as well as being surrounded by both my brothers and their families
*Christmas is only 4 days away
*and wishing everyone has a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS
*thinking that very is a weird word

2009-12-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

My Little Boy is Growing up...

Before

After

I sure do miss his curls and also his boying baby look, but I have to admit he is going to have a hard time keeping the ladies away.

New Hair

2009-12-03T16:57:00.001-08:00

Today I took the plunge and for the first time ever added color to my hair. Yup, that is right I have never dyed or colored my hair. So for the sake of something different and to get rid of my long layers, I went and cut my hair and added highlights and lowlights.

Surprisingly I really like it. It usually takes a few weeks after I cut my hair that I actually start liking it and that is just going in and getting it trimmed. Im guessing that means this cut is a keeper. Who knows...we shall see.

My Name is Titan...Hear me Bark

2009-11-19T17:12:00.000-08:00

This week we went and looked at Lab puppies and lo and behold one ended up coming home with us. It was cute when we went and looked there were about 5-6 puppies and the owner let them our of their kennel and they all came running out. At one point I hear "Eh Eh" from Hayden and look over and they are all crowded around him with one little black one knipping at his coat. I wished I would have had my camera it was so cute. The puppy we picked peeked his head out of his dog house in the kennel when the owner opened the door and then went back in. We didnt know that there was another one until the owner went and got him. He also told us that he was the bigger of them and that he was the lazier one. So we said wrap him up we will take him. We named him Titan and Hannah likes to tell people that he is her Chocolate Puppy b/c we told her he was a chocolate lab. He has been pretty mellow since we brought him home. He is starting to get more comfortable around us so his little personality is starting to show and he is starting to get more playful. I just cant wait until he is potty trained, it is not one of my favorite things to do. I at least know that I have to be patient and it will happen.

Taking a Nap

Crafty

2009-11-14T13:35:00.000-08:00

Lately I have gotten a little crafty. I found on another blog a step by step guide on how to make "Cinch" Bags. I made on for Hannah to use for her backpack for Preschool and one for Hayden. I am really amazed at how well they turned out. It was the first time I had used a sewing machine so with the help of my Mom and her sewing machine I was able to do it.

I also decided to make the kids a Quiet Book for sundays during Sacrament. Last Sunday was the first Sunday that they got to use it and it worked marvelous for Hannah. It kept Hayden entertained for a little bit. I am going to be starting on a second one so that in months to come I dont have to worry about them fighting over it. I know that I have a little bit of time to get it done since Hayden is only entertained with one item for about 5 minutes. I used the Finch Family Games book to do it. They say to use file folders for the projects but I figured it would be best to but them in a binder to keep it all together and not all over the place. Below are a couple of the pages. I also laminated pages that they could color on and got the washable crayons so I can just wipe the page off with a wipe and they can use it again.

On Wednesday the kids and I went down to Casper. One of the main reasons was to go to Sams Club and stock up on some items again, but also to go down and see my Grandma Sessions and Mom. Mom has been down in Casper helping Grandma redo her kitchen. While down there I was able to get the kids Christmas done. Alls that I have left for them is to find Hannah a pair of brown shoes that I am going to order on-line. I am thankful to say that I am half way done with the Christmas shopping. Also when we got home that night there was a little trampoline still in the box setting up against the wall. When I saw it I was a bit skeptical and was thinking that it was "an accident waiting to happen." So during lunch yesterday Bryan came home and set it up. I am still skeptical and waiting for one of the kids to get hurt. But they do love it and it is somewhat perfect since it seems like they have springs built into their legs.

Halloween

2009-11-04T14:53:00.001-08:00

Luckily after being snowed in at Denver we were able to make it home in time to take the kids trick or treating. This year Hayden was the Fearless Fireman and Hannah was the Pretty Princess. We took the both of them around my parents neighborhood. Hannah enjoyed it and went up to the doors and said Trick or Treat and let them put the candy in her bag. Hayden just dropped his bag and held out his hand for the candy. Then later on myself and Sheena took Hannah and Kaitlyn around a few more blocks. They enjoyed, especially the part where they got candy. Sheena once again made yummy carmel apples, so delicious (Thanks Sheena)!

Fearless Fireman
Before Trick or Treating

Pretty Princess, Hunter, 3 Little Deer, Snow White, & Worn out Fireman

Celebrating 4 Years

2009-11-04T14:32:00.000-08:00

Last week Bryan and I went to Denver to celebrate 4 years of marriage. The original plan was to leave Wedneday and come back Friday, but instead we left Tuesday night and got back Saturday afternoon. Southeast Wyoming and Colorado got hit with a storm that came in Tuesday night and lasted until Friday. Denver was supposed to get 12-24 inches of snow. I am not sure how much they recieved but it snowed the whole time we were there. While there we went to the temple and when we drove up there were probably about 10 cars in the parking lot including the temple president and workers. We also went and watched the DENVER NUGGETS play the Utah Jazz and beat them 114-109. (GO NUGGETS!!) It was a grea game.

We got up Friday morning and made our way to the Colorado state line and found out that the interstate to the Wyoming border to Cheyenne then from Cheyenne to Wheatland was closed so we wasted time walking around the outlet stores and then decided to go to Laramie to visit with my sister and brother. Driving to Laramie from Ft. Collins was a good drive until you hit the Wyoming border and then there was an invisible wall were the wind picked up and blew snow all over the road. It was crazy I think they ended up closing that road after we got through. But all in all it was a great trip.

Leaves

2009-10-20T14:09:00.001-07:00

This last Thursday I stepped outside with Hayden and the diaper bag and headed to the car to load up to go get Hannah from preschool and as I got to the door it was looked and after doing a franctic search for my keys I realized that I had left them inside my locked house. So needless to say I went into a frantic rush calling Bryan and then my Mom (the two people that have keys) over and over again. I was finally able to get ahold of my Mom who came in and picked up Hannah for me and then Bryan a short time later came and unlocked the door. Luckily it was a nice day and I took the time to acess my yard and decided that this weekend we were going to clean it up. I was able to be productive in my time locked out and got the porch cleaned off and most of the kids toys put away. So this Saturday Bryan and I worked on the yard. With the snowstorm at the begining of October we had branches that still needed to be picked up and also by our porch we had leaves on top of leaves just stacked. So we got our rake and lawnmower and did the front and the back. At the end of the day we were proud to say that our yard looked good. Then with the wonderful Wyoming weather on Monday it was very windy and we now once again have a yard full of leaves. It seems to be a never ending circle and Im not sure if Im game for it.

2009-10-09T14:13:00.000-07:00

It was a sad day on Tuesday. I had to load Chevelle up into someone elses truck and let her leave. I didnt watch her drive off b/c I was already crying and didnt want to make it worse. Monday night she bit Hannah on the head. Hannah wasnt hurt she just had a couple of red marks where Chevelles teeth got her. We later found out that her left leg might be hurt and that Hannah probably hit it, which provoked the biting. However Bryan and I had already made the decision that if she ever bit our kids she was gone. We have now made the decision that our next dog will be a puppy so that we can train it and it will be raised around kids jumping, climbing, poking, sitting on it constantily. So our search begins...

Musician

2009-10-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

Hannah loves to play instruments and she seems to have a tendency to stray toward the brass ones. It could be b/c we have a trumpet and trombone, but either way she loves to play them both when Bryam gets them out. I also find her at the piano playing it. She has to have her a music book open and she will flip through it and play the songs. I hope she keeps her love of music, especially when the time comes to put her in piano lessons.

Winter is Here

2009-10-05T14:15:00.001-07:00

We had our first snow of the season on thursday. It wasnt much and if you didnt look right away in the morning you would have missed it b/c it was gone by the afternoon. There was just enough to cover the top of the van. Then this morning we woke up to this:
Needless to say whether I am ready for winter or not it is here. Not only did it snow but it was a wet and heavy snow and broke a few branches in our yards. I was woken up last night to a loud noise and then Hannah running into our room crying my name. Once I woke up a bit I realized that the power had gone out. After a bit we realized that a bunch of branches from the tree in our backyard broke and took out our service line that provided us with power. So after a few hours of no power the city worker was able to get it fixed.

The branches that took out our power

Our front yard

The irony of the whole situation is that Bryan and I were getting bids to see if it would be better to have someone else come and trim our trees or if Bryan and a friend could do it together. One of his worries was that it would snow and a branch would land on our house.

Last Month

2009-10-05T13:59:00.000-07:00

I am going to try to combine what could be three posts into one. This is our recap of last month.

First: Hannah started Preschool at the begining of September and has been loving it. Since she has started she has became a little more independent. Also the best news is that she is potty trained. We have gone two weeks accident free. YEAH!!!

First Day of Preschool

Second: The kids and I went camping over Labor Day weekend up to Battlepark, where the men go elk hunting. We had a good time. Hannah decided that she did like the four-wheeler after all, as long as it was Jordans. He has some cubbies for various items on the back and it makes a built in seat that she would sit in. The bad part was while we were up there Hayden didnt feel well. On the way up the mountain he was very mellow, which for those of you who know Hayden knows he isnt a mellow kid, then all Satuday he was like that. So we kept him pumped full of tylenol and later found that he had 2 teeth coming through.

Third: A few weekends ago the kids and I went down to Laramie to celebrate my sisters birthday. We had a lot of fun. Carissa, Mom, Hannah, and I went to the Farmers Market on Friday and then on Satuday we looked at some of the downtown stores.

HAPPY 24TH BIRTHDAY CARISSA!

Another Day

2009-09-03T19:18:00.000-07:00

Today was one of those days. It seemed like everytime I turned around Hayden got hurt. First off I was sorting through laundry since today is laundry day and I hear the kids laughing and I begin to wonder what they are doing and then Hayden starts crying. So I come out and lo and behold Hannah has taken the couch cushins off of the couch and is jumping on it. This wasnt the first time this had happened so I figured that Hayden must have been jumping also b/c anytime big sister is having fun he has to get in on the action. So he ended up hitting his nose on something. Then after that it was a serious of bumping head on objects and falling down. Then tonight as I was herding the kids in from playing outside to take a bath Hannah starts to close the door as Hayden is trying to escape and ends up getting his arm in the door. Luckily it was just a little scrapped. So I am hoping that tomorrow it is better for him. Especially since we will be heading to the mountains. Today was a lazy day for us and we all (except for Bryan he was out working) hung around the house in our pjs and for my sisters sake I made sure that Hannahs hair wasnt messy.

I also had to throw in this picture of Hayden. I think I took it right before his nap.

Fun Friday

2009-08-31T09:55:00.000-07:00

On Friday I got to watch a couple little girls of a friends, Lexi and Rylee. It was nice for Hannah and myself to have friends come over and play with. They had a lot of fun from....

Eating Mac & Cheese

(Lexi & Hannah)
Playing on the Bed
(Rylee & Hannah)

Drawing
(Lexi)

Pushing each other in the Stroller

and at the end of the day my little munchkins were wore out!

Recap

2009-08-26T15:03:00.001-07:00

These pictures are in no particular order. I am sad to say that summer is almost over. I am not looking forward to the cold. But maybe now things can slow down a bit. First off the Gillette Stake this last May had the opprotunity to create a 4th ward and we have had the privelage of being put into its boudaries and being apart of it. Bryan was given the calling of 2nd counselor in the Elders Quorum and I got the calling of Enrichment Leader. So far it has been interesting I have had to come out of my shell a bit and do things that I dont like to do. We are in the process of putting together a Super Saturday for October and I am looking forward to when it is all done with. The process in itself has been a learning experience. I get to to teach how to make the Family Home Evening Board you see on the right.

Hayden has already started the terrible twos. He likes to hit anything and everything within reach if he can. Most of the time this happens to be his sister. Sometimes I think he does it to get a reaction and other times it is if he doesnt get his way. And following the hitting once he gets in trouble his temper come in to play where he walks around crying mouth wide open or will bang his head on the nearest object (once it was my leg). We found this quite comical when he was a bit younger, but know it is more often. So hopefully the many timeouts and trying to show him how to be nice will pay off soon. I did have to add this picture b/c he looks to innocent.

Hannah also celebrated her 3rd Birthday. For her cake she wanted a castle and anytime you asked her old she was that day she said 2. Now it has set in and she is 3. I watch her everyday and it seems as if she learns something new and just amazes me with it. She is also going to be starting Preschool in a few weeks. I debated on whether or not to sign her up b/c she still seems so young to me, but the opprotunity arouse and I figured I would take it. I know that she will love it and it will also give Hayden and me some quality time together.

Last but not least my youngest brother, Tyler got married a few weekends ago. CONGRATS TYLER AND CAMI!!! It was a beautiful ceremony and we are glad to have Cami in our family. I already see her fitting right in. Hannah got the opprotunity to be the flower girl. However it did not got as I saw it in my mind of her walking down the aisle all by herself. No instead she cried as we were waiting in the hallway and would not go to anyone but my sister. So we finally worked out the plan that she would down with Aunt Fanny (my sister). She did however love her dress and was so excited to have a princess dress like Cami.

We also took the opprotunity to have a 4 generation picture taken of my Grandma Sessions, Mom, Me, and Hannah. How neat is that.

Baby

2009-08-11T10:48:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Jordan, Sheena and Katie Bug on their ADORABLE new addition Keith Christopher (sorry if its not spelled right).

Vegas Baby!!!

2009-07-27T19:42:00.001-07:00

Sometime in June my Mom, myself, and my Sister, Carissa, went to Las Vegas for fun. I LOVED it and cant wait to go back. I know I might be a bit crazy but the Strip was awesome and I cant wait to go back. I think we had a great time, but I know I did. I enjoyed getting to spend time with my Mom and Sister. We were able to go to a few shops on the strips and then we also went to some Premium Outlets just off of the Strip. We went and seen a few shows. The first was Le Reve. It was a water show about a love story and the people did all these jumps and dives. The second was The Phantom of the Opera. It was really neat. We also went and see the Human Body and Titanic Exhibits. I really enjoyed the Human Body Exhibit it just fascinates me. I also did a bit of gambling and of course didnt win, but I couldnt leave Vegas without playing the slots a little. What I loved the most was going into each of the hotels/casinos and seeing all the different themes.

What happens in Vegas...we had to get a picture of the sign

for the ladies in my Dads office.

Beautiful Sister

Speaks for itself

My New Friend

Chevelle

2009-07-27T19:33:00.000-07:00

It has been about a month since we became the owners of a dog. We were able to get a 2 year old Great Dane, named Chevelle. I was a little worried b/c of her size but she is a quick learner and listens very well. Hannah and Hayden both just love her. Hannah has to make sure that she says good-bye to her if we leave and also good-night when she goes to bed. And Hayden just gets this big smile on his face and tries to bark.

Busy Bees

2009-05-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

With the weather getting nicer we have been trying to spend most of the time outside. I spent a day this week cleaning up our backyard finally. I have also been getting stuff together to plant a garden this weekend. I am excited I have never done this, but I look forward to seeing what happens with it and to see if it is something that I will make a habit of doing each summer. My memories of my Mom's garden growing up was going out and helping pick weeds occasionally and also seeing, at the end the product that came from all Mom's hard work. Hayden has gotten a bit braver and has started to walk short distances. He gets all excited and tries to run, but ends up on his hands and knees. Hannah is potty training I just decided that I had to buck up and put her in panties, and deal with the mess as it happens. It has gone well I am still waiting for that day when she will go poop in the potty I can already see how glorious that day will be. She will occasionally tell me when she has to go potty and every know and then I catch her doing the potty dance, so she is getting there. Bryan has started to work on our driveway, getting it ready to pour concrete. He is outside at this moment digging up stumps and doing dirt work. I am actually down here waiting for the house to come crashing down on me with all the noise that he is making.

This video is Hannah singing her "Chocolate Song." I learned the song from my little cousin Tristen. When she was younger probably about 3 or 4 she would sing this song and everyone got a kick out of it b/c it was so cute. So I couldnt resist teaching Hannah.

Go Fly a Kite

2009-05-23T14:54:00.000-07:00

This week we took the kids to the park across the street from us and introduced them to the joy of flying a kite, or airplane as Hannah refered to it as.

Hannah spotted the park while kite flying so while Bryan was trying to get the kite out of the tree we went over and played in the park.

Hayden's First Birthday

2009-05-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

At the begining of this month we celebrated Hayden turning one. That night he decided that we would start celebrating early and woke up at midnight to start the party and didn't go back to sleep till about 4 in the morning. During those hours I was able to reflect back, when I wasn't doosing off, on the day he was born, or you could say pulled out of my stomach. One of the things I remember is when they showed him to me for the first time he looked just like Hannah and he was so little. I am grateful to be his mother. I just love waking up to his smiley face everyday and hearing his laughter. He really does brighten up a room.

Birthday Boy

Easter Outfits

2009-04-14T13:20:00.000-07:00

Just as I promised Carissa here are the Easter outfits that they recieved from Papa and Grama Jackson (thanx). I know I am biased but I do have the cutest kids.

Pretty Princess

Ladies Man

We joked that if there were any girls in our ward around his age they would be all over him.

Smile

2009-04-14T13:13:00.000-07:00

After the Easter Egg hunt on Saturday, while Hannah was sleeping Hayden was able to have some Mommy time. He spent most the time laughing. And I was able to capture some fun moments.

Easter Fun

2009-04-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

We dyed Easter eggs Saturday night. It is neat to see that Hannah is starting to get into the holidays. She was excited for the Easter Bunny to come and hide the eggs and for some reason she thought that he was down stairs and would yell at him to come up.

Then on Sunday we came home from church to find that the Easter Bunny had come and hid the eggs. Hayden wasnt that interested in finding the eggs but he did enjoy his basket.

I am thankful for Easter and once again having a chance to remember our Savior and the Resurrection. I was thinking about the song "I Know that My Redeemer Lives," the two words that are said over and over in the song that really hit me were "He lives." It reminded me of my testimony and the truthfullness of those simple words. I am thankful to say that I know He lives and one day I will have that same opportunity.

Cookies and Eggs

2009-04-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

Hannah loves to help me in the kitchen so on Saturday Hannah helped me make sugar cookies. She loved to roll out the dough.

We finished baking the cookies just in time to go to the Easter Egg Hunt put on by the Rec Center at te soccor fields. They split the kids up by age groups onto seperate fields and had plastic eggs and candy thrown all over. Hannah had a lot of fun. I forgot my camera but I did get an after picture.

Little Things

2009-04-10T13:38:00.000-07:00

It still amazes me how much that Hannah picks up from all the everyday little things of life. In nursery a couple of weeks ago they learned about the temple. And when she came home and seen the picture of the the Billings Mt temple that we have hanging she knew what it was and since then she has asked that we sing to her the primary song "I Love to See the Temple." It makes me thankful for the many teachers in the church that give up there time to help teach my children.
At night we would tickle her back to help relax her, but lately she has wanted us to tickle her elbow. I was laying down with her last night and I watched her pull down her sleeve and start tickleing her own elbow.

Snow, Snow, Go Away

2009-04-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

Once again this last week we welcomed more snow. Luckly it was not as bad as the first storm and the town didnt have to be shut down. I also checked the weather report for this week and so far it says that we are supposed to have 40-50 degree weather. Of course living in Wyoming I know that it can change. So I am crossing my fingers that the snow is over. At least for awhile.
Things here have been slow and calm, which is great, no complaints here. Some of the things that have went on are:
*Hayden is off of the bottle and using just sippy cups, he is almost done with formula also, we just have one can left. Wahoo!!!
*With the cold Hannah's asthma got worse. So at night she pretty much coughed the whole time. Now that its gotten a little warmer she is getting better. That is the hardest thing to listen to at night and what makes it worse is that there was nothing I could do.
* Bryan has started cutting down trees and preparing "The Mud Hole" so that we can pour concrete this summer.
* I have so far shed15 pounds with the help of our wonderful Christmas gift, The Treadmill. I only now have 10 more.
*I finally got a gate to block off the top of the stairs.
*Potty training has been put on hold. I got tired of having to wrestle with Hannah to go sit on the potty. So I am going to wait a little while and hopefully when we try again she will be more excited about it. If anyone has any tips or anything that worked for them let me know. I can take all the advice I can.
So that is our life at the moment. Here are a few pictures of the kiddos. Hayden really loves the slide he will sit at the top of it and rock until he gets enough movement to get him to slide. It is so cute.

Snow Fun

2009-03-25T19:22:00.000-07:00

Today we were able to have a little fun in the snow. Hannah got to build her first snowman and make her first snow angel. Hayden also got his first real taste of snow.

Stuck at Home

2009-03-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day that many Gillette residents decided to venture out. A blizzard hit town around Monday morning and snowed all day. We got 15-20 inches of snow. Then Tuesday was spent phowing and digging yourself out of your homes. Our snow drifts reached to about the middle of our fence in the backyard, but my Mom said at their house the drifts went all the way up there fence and into the neighbors yard. It was very interesting driving around town. Snow was everywhere and most of the streets were just barely wide enough to get two cars through. Not to mention that it was warm enough to start melting it and so there is water everywhere. And our wonderful driveway is once again a big mud hole. And to top it all off tomorrow we are expected to get another 1-2 inches.

After the Storm

What we woke up to
(That is Hannah standing by the window)

Weekend

2009-03-05T15:03:00.000-08:00

Being Naked and Snooping

(Hayden's Favority things)

Walking around in Fanny's heels

(Hannahs favorite type of shoe)

Q and Hayden

Hannah & Fanny

I know that it has been ahwile since I have posted. I have not wanted to it seems sometimes that too much time is spent at the computer when there are other things that could be done. This last weekend the kids and I went up to Laramie to visit with Carissa (Fanny) and Quintin (Q) . We had a very good time. And were so greatful that they let us take over their apartment for a few days.

Saturday was nice so we took the kids to the park. Hannah had a blast there was even another litte girl there about her age and they kinda played together. She wanted to try out all the equipment. Hayden wasn't to sure about it at first. He did not like the dead grass, but who can blame him. It also took him awhile to even touch the sand, but once he did he had no problem with it.

January 23rd - Crawling

2009-01-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

It is interesting to see how differently babies crawl from others. Each is unique in there own way.

2009-01-22T13:18:00.001-08:00

The other day Hannah comes upstairs, goes into the bathroom and then shuts the door. So I gave her a minute and then went in to see what she was up to and I find her leaning over with her head in the toilet coughing. Since then she has done that a couple of times. And I figured that she saw me throw up one to many times while I was pregnant with Hayden. It is funny what she remembers. I swear she has a mind like a steel trap.

Pictures

2009-01-20T11:03:00.000-08:00

I was cleaning one day and when I found Hannah this is what I found

Handsome Boy

Dancing Barbie

No its MY turn

Update

2009-01-19T20:58:00.001-08:00

I know that is has been awhile since I have posted so to give you an update here is what has been happening. NOTHING...no just kidding.
* I finally started to potty train Hannah. I had been saying that I was going to start over the past few months, but it just seemed that things would come up and I would postpone, but finally I set a date to do it at the begining of January and stuck to it. We have been doing it now for about 2 weeks. The first week did not go as well as I hoped. My patience at the time was very little so I would get discouraged and we would start all over the next day. So we have kept at it and she is somewhat finally getting it. Today we had only one incident were she went in her pullup. That is milestone in its self. I am enjoying not have to deal with two sets of diapers though.
* This last weekend Bryan and I went up to Billings. He volunteered to pick up a company truck and bring it back so we saw it as a good opprotunity to go to the temple. The kids stayed with PaPa and Gama Jackson for friday night and pretty much all of Saturday so that we could get up early and leave by 6 to make the 10:30 temple session so that we could go through with Geralding and Shawnee. Then afterward we went and ate at Old Chicago. It was very good and I ate more than I should have. We of course did a little bit of shopping. And Bryan let me get a new church outfit so that I could feel pretty (he is the best).
*Bryan had found a new hobby making signs for other people. It has brought out his creative side and it is really neat to see the different signs and how he decides how to make them unique. He has also got a new calling in church he is assitant advisor for the young men which pretty much means they want him to help with the Duty to God.
*I have not been up to a whole lot. Last week I finally started working out on our new treadmill and love it. I love the burn and its one of my natural highs. I also read the Twilight series. I caved into the craze of it and have to say that I really enjoyed the books. I also have a new calling in church. I have been called to be a teacher in the Primary to the CTR 8. I am really excited about it.
*Hannah is crazy as ever and seems to just be go go going. She has started playing with Barbies and loves to have me switch the dresses that they are wearing over and over again. She also loves to wear dresses herself. She comes to me in the morning saying she wants to wear a pretty dress. Just for a little change I make her wear pants every now and then especially on the cold days. She also loves to play in her playroom. For Christmas she got a slide and also a kitchen. So she will be down there playing at her kitchen usually making soup.
*Hayden is still very happy. There are sometimes if you smile at him he will start fake laughing, well that is what it sounds like at least. He is really working on trying to crawl. But he does get around really well without. He scoots backward and rolls and then will turn himself around. He is getting really good at. I imagine any day now he is going to be crawling and getting into Hannah's toys. He has also got hit two bottom teeth.
So all in all we are doing great and cant complain. Hope that things are going well for everyone else. Have a great Tuesday!

Bryans Birthday

2009-01-19T20:04:00.000-08:00

The Birthday Boy

Birthday Pie (Banana Cream)

On Jan. 11 we celebrated Bryans birthday. Of course like any of our specail occasions Bryan was on call and right before we left for church that morning at 9:30 he got a call saying that a water line broke. So needless to say the kids and I did not see him until around 7:30. For his birthday I had invited my family over for his birthday dinner. He had chosed to have Baked Potato Soup and Banana Cream Pie. I do have to say that he made some good choices. Luckily he was able to make it home to be able to be sang to and enjoy some pie before he was called out again. I just hope that this next year we will be able to celebrate some special occasions without having to worry about him being called out.

Guessing Game Answer

2008-12-30T14:43:00.001-08:00

Just to let everyone know that the picture was of Hannah. Good guessing everyone.

Christmas

2008-12-30T14:07:00.000-08:00

This one is heavy, how does Santa do it?

And if we just peek in here...

I heard that it is better to eat the paper first

For Christmas this year we packed up ourselves and the kids and loaded up a few presents and headed over to Lovell to spend it with the Hendershot side of the family. We all had a great time. The drive over wasnt as fun. Bryan decided that it would be best that we left Monday night instead of Tuesday morning so that we could beat the storm, but actually we ended up right in it that night. So a 3 1/2 to 4 hour trip turned into 5. One goodt hings was that the kids finally fell asleep after we got off of the mountain and slept the rest of the way. We pretty much just hung around the house except on Christmas Eve we went over to Powell and helped Sariah celebrate her 7th birthday at McDonalds that morning. Hannah had a great time climbing on the equipment. I was surprised that she sat down and ate some breakfast. For Chirstmas we had gotten the kids a Tree House Climber and since we did not want to haul it over to Lovell Bryan put it together Sunday and Hannah woke up to it Monday morning and played on it all that day. And had to drag everyone who came over down to watch her play on it. I hope that everyone else had a wonderful Christmas and that you this New Year brings you much happiness!

Guessing Game

2008-12-15T16:24:00.000-08:00

Hayden

Hannah

Bryan was looking through some pictures and found a picture that confused him he was not sure which of his children it was. I thought it would be fun to see how many people know the Hendershot Clan children.

Who am I?

Santa and Winter Weather

2008-12-15T12:19:00.000-08:00

This last weekend was our ward Christmas party and of course they had a special visitor, Santa. Hayden of course did fine he sat on Santa's lap no problem, but when we went to put Hannah and Kaitlyn on his lap Hannah started freaking out which of course made Kaitlyn start to freak out so needless to say we were unable to get a picture. This is of Grandma carrying them away with there gift boxes.

There are days that I love living in Wyoming and then there are days that I wake up and question why I am still here. Especially since I hate the cold. Saturday afternoon temperatures dropped and since then we have been below 0, yesterdays high...-9. I am looking forward to Wednesday when we are supposed to be back up in the 20's.

Choices

2008-12-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

I have had time to ponder on one of the wonderful gifts our Heavenly Father gave us and that is our agency and our ability to choose for ourselves. I recently caved in to the craze of Twilight, I went and watched the movie and then read the book. In the book there is a character that can see future events and as long as the people keep making choices that take them to the future event it happens, but if a different choice is made then it changes the future all together. I think that relates to life. We were sent down here to prove ourselves and return to Heavenly Father. I am sure that before we came down we had a plan outlined with all the right choices that we were going to make. But as we became old enough to decide for ourselves we realized that it wasnt as easy to always make the right choice and sometimes ended up off course and on a different path. We then had to make a series of good choices to get back on course. It seems that it is a neverending cycle b/c there will always be a time that we make choices that are not always right and take us off course for a little bit until we are able to find the right path again. I am very thankful for all the good choices I have made and for the blessings that I have recieved from them.

Our Little Helper

2008-11-25T12:29:00.000-08:00

Hayden happy as ever

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Daddy's Lil Helper

A couple of weekends ago we went over to Lovell to visit with our family over there. While there Bryan helped his Mom put up Christmas lights and Hannah being the good little helper that she is wanted to help.