05/29/2008
People have been giving me a lot of grief about not keeping this site as up-to-date as it should be, so I'm going to try a little harder to get it done more often.
MARCH
March came in like a lion and left like a lion this year. It was quite cold and stormy most of the month, but I am glad that spring was just around the corner. Easter was a small affair for our family this year. We dyed easter eggs and had a small egg hunt with the Abbotts. The boys had so much fun coloring eggs this year that we could have easily done 5 or 6 dozen, unfortunately no one really wants to eat that many hard boiled eggs, so we did our 2 dozen and called it good. We had one exciting day when Jared called me, when Debbie was out of town, telling me that he had wrecked on his bike and was bleeding quite badly. I pulled Jacob out of his crib and herded Seth into the car as quickly as I could and we headed over. I told Seth what had happened and he decided that our car was an Ambulance and that we had to go super fast to save Jared from whatever awful fate awaited him. I had two sets of little siren voices going nearly the whole trip over there. It was hilarious! We got there and Jared had scraped his knee up really well, most of the bleeding had stopped thanks to a neighbor's kind care. We bandaged Jared up and took him home with us. I'll never forget that ride though!
APRIL
April was a fun, but busy month. Seth had his first swimming lessons and started T-ball. The boys also got to fly their own kites for the first time. Seth was very nervous when we got to his very first swimming lesson. He wouldn't go sit with his class and wanted to stay with me instead. It took about 10 minutes to convince him that everything was going to be okay and then, once he decided it would be all right, there was no stopping him. He ended up having a great time and was really, really sad when his last lesson was over. We signed him up to play T-ball this spring with his best friend from Primary, David. Watching a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds play T-ball is supremely entertaining. They field their own balls, run the wrong way, and pretty much don't pay attention to the game. After several games they are definitely getting better, but it is great to watch! Jacob even got into the action during one of the games, he found a spare glove and took off for the field. Luckily, James was in the outfield helping Seth and Jakes just went over to where they were standing and put himself in the game. I think he even got the ball once or twice. He would have gladly gone to bat as well if we had let him.
MAY
The great Henderson family Southern California trip took place the 10th through the 17th of this month. What a trip it was!! We went non-stop for all eight days. Two and a half days spent driving, a half day at the beach, one day in the San Diego Zoo, one day in Sea World and three days at Disneyland. It was insane, but we had a lot of fun.
THE BEACH
Our hotel in San Diego was only about 10 minutes from the beach, but the weather was not ideal for being at the beach. It was only about 63 degrees and windy. That didn't stop Amy, Christian, Hannah and Maggie from donning their swimsuits and plunging in. They were freezing, but having a blast. The rest of us spent our time digging in the sand and flying kites. Jacob got a little bit too close to the water as he was trying to get some in his shovel and a wave came up and drenched him. Poor boy! I didn't have any other clothes for him so he was quite cold by the time we made it back to the hotel, needless to say we put both boys straight into a warm bathtub.
THE ZOO
It was still quite chilly the next day as we headed out to the San Diego Zoo, but the weather turned out to be pretty good for as much walking as we did. The zoo is expansive and we only covered about two thirds of it. The best part of the whole day was when we got to ride the sky ride from the top of the zoo down to the bottom. Both the boys keep asking me when we are going on a sky ride again. The kids also really loved the Children's Zoo, they pretended to be wild animals in an empty exhibit and spent a lot of time in the petting zoo. I think my favorite part of the zoo was watching the polar bear swim, it was quite a show.
SEA WORLD
We started out at Sea World with a bad taste in our mouths after not being allowed to take snacks in for the kids and having the gate attendant throw a royal fit about Seth's name not being on his ticket. We used the tickets the previous day at the Zoo and they didn't say anything about having our names on them, but the Sea World lady was about to hunt James down when he didn't write Seth's name on the ticket the second he walked through the gate. Anyway, after that initial brouhaha, we had a pretty good day. The Sea lion show was super cheesy. The Shamu show was awesome blossom (as Seth put it!), and I'm very glad we didn't sit in the "Soak Zone". We would have been drenched. I liked the Dolphin show best of all the shows, they are very fun to watch. But, I have saved the very best part of Sea World for last! Just as we were leaving the park we decided to check out Shamu's underwater viewing area. We walked down and Shamu was there checking out all the people who were checking out her, she looked like she was about to come over to where we were standing, but she made a quick turn upward instead and then just let loose, green poop rained down toward us. Thank goodness for the glass barrier! Seth was totally fascinated and not at all grossed out, which is strange because just about every human bodily function makes him puke. If you ask him what his favorite part of Sea World was he'll tell you right away, "It was when Shamu POOPED!!!!" Ah, the memories!
DISNEYLAND
This was trip number three to Disneyland this year for us, so we focused mostly on helping everyone else have a good time. I'm not sure we succeeded, because it was extremely hot all three days we were there and we were all worn out from the beginning of the trip. We spent mornings in the park, afternoons at the hotel and in the pool, and then evenings at the park again. It was nice to have the big breaks everyday. I know I stressed myself out worrying about whether everyone else got to do all the things they wanted to, which was kind of dumb, but it's over now. I think everyone had a good time for the most part. Next time we do a big trip like this we definitely need a down day halfway through the week. All in all it was fun to be with almost all of my immediate family for a nice long vacation.
BRYCE CANYON 60 FOR 60
This year my Dad turns 60 so what would be more natural than wanting to run 60 miles in one day? Well, that's just what he did. My siblings and I are all in agreement that our parents are a little crazy about how much they like to run, but this idea is beyond insane for us. My dad had the run all planned out. He started at 4:00 a.m. in Panguitch at the site of the old hospital where he was born, then ran a good 20+ miles into Bryce Canyon, where my sister and I served a continental type breakfast for all the runners and the family. At the breakfast, Dad changed into his trail running clothes and headed out for 20+ miles of trail running all through Bryce Canyon. The weather was quite pleasant, but it must have been a grueling run, going up and down the canyon walls. Anyone who has hiked in Bryce knows that the trails are all quite steep as you head up and down from the rim. There was a small problem with the mapping my Dad had done and it turned out that one of the stretches he ran was a good two or three miles longer than he had originally thought. Unfortunately, it was also the longest time he was going to run without a water stop. He suffered some mild dehydration, but as soon as he had some fluids and a snack he felt much better and was able to finish the last part of the run. He finished about 9:00 p.m. at his old family Homestead in Tropic. My mom ran the first leg and the last leg of the run with him and I think it was the farthest she's ever run in one day too. We were able to meet them just as they were coming into Tropic and took some pictures of them at the finish line. We had a nice dinner with all the participants and got back to our campsite at about 11:00. I still think my parents are quite insane about running and even more insane since they dreamed this up and actually completed it, but I know it was a huge accomplishment for both of them and I'm am very proud of them.
FUNNY STORY
I have a funny story about Seth that I have to write down before I forget it. He and I were renting National Treasure 2 from one of the Redbox machines. We got back in the car and started off and then Seth says to me, "Mom, I have a scripture for you." I said, "Okay what is it?" He says, very seriously, as if quoting a scripture reference, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 152:23... AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT A MOVIE CAME OUT. And the movie was called National Treasure." I laughed SOOOO hard. He ended up being mad at me for laughing at him, but it was so funny.
HAPPY FAMILY
Our family has been so blessed over the last few months that I don't even know how to put all my feelings into words. Seth and Jacob are the best boys in the whole world, they have great senses of humor and are awesome travelers (Which I am very grateful for since we've driven over 2000 miles in the last month). They get along with each other pretty well. Seth is happy that Jacob can finally understand and participate in some of the games that he makes up. And Jacob is happy to follow Seth around and be interested in whatever Seth is doing. (This is sometimes an annoyance to Seth, but Jacob loves it!) James and I have just been trying to keep up with the boys and all the changes and traveling that have happened in the last little while. We are so grateful to be parents and to have our extended families close by to support us.
MARCH
March came in like a lion and left like a lion this year. It was quite cold and stormy most of the month, but I am glad that spring was just around the corner. Easter was a small affair for our family this year. We dyed easter eggs and had a small egg hunt with the Abbotts. The boys had so much fun coloring eggs this year that we could have easily done 5 or 6 dozen, unfortunately no one really wants to eat that many hard boiled eggs, so we did our 2 dozen and called it good. We had one exciting day when Jared called me, when Debbie was out of town, telling me that he had wrecked on his bike and was bleeding quite badly. I pulled Jacob out of his crib and herded Seth into the car as quickly as I could and we headed over. I told Seth what had happened and he decided that our car was an Ambulance and that we had to go super fast to save Jared from whatever awful fate awaited him. I had two sets of little siren voices going nearly the whole trip over there. It was hilarious! We got there and Jared had scraped his knee up really well, most of the bleeding had stopped thanks to a neighbor's kind care. We bandaged Jared up and took him home with us. I'll never forget that ride though!
APRIL
April was a fun, but busy month. Seth had his first swimming lessons and started T-ball. The boys also got to fly their own kites for the first time. Seth was very nervous when we got to his very first swimming lesson. He wouldn't go sit with his class and wanted to stay with me instead. It took about 10 minutes to convince him that everything was going to be okay and then, once he decided it would be all right, there was no stopping him. He ended up having a great time and was really, really sad when his last lesson was over. We signed him up to play T-ball this spring with his best friend from Primary, David. Watching a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds play T-ball is supremely entertaining. They field their own balls, run the wrong way, and pretty much don't pay attention to the game. After several games they are definitely getting better, but it is great to watch! Jacob even got into the action during one of the games, he found a spare glove and took off for the field. Luckily, James was in the outfield helping Seth and Jakes just went over to where they were standing and put himself in the game. I think he even got the ball once or twice. He would have gladly gone to bat as well if we had let him.
MAY
The great Henderson family Southern California trip took place the 10th through the 17th of this month. What a trip it was!! We went non-stop for all eight days. Two and a half days spent driving, a half day at the beach, one day in the San Diego Zoo, one day in Sea World and three days at Disneyland. It was insane, but we had a lot of fun.
THE BEACH
Our hotel in San Diego was only about 10 minutes from the beach, but the weather was not ideal for being at the beach. It was only about 63 degrees and windy. That didn't stop Amy, Christian, Hannah and Maggie from donning their swimsuits and plunging in. They were freezing, but having a blast. The rest of us spent our time digging in the sand and flying kites. Jacob got a little bit too close to the water as he was trying to get some in his shovel and a wave came up and drenched him. Poor boy! I didn't have any other clothes for him so he was quite cold by the time we made it back to the hotel, needless to say we put both boys straight into a warm bathtub.
THE ZOO
It was still quite chilly the next day as we headed out to the San Diego Zoo, but the weather turned out to be pretty good for as much walking as we did. The zoo is expansive and we only covered about two thirds of it. The best part of the whole day was when we got to ride the sky ride from the top of the zoo down to the bottom. Both the boys keep asking me when we are going on a sky ride again. The kids also really loved the Children's Zoo, they pretended to be wild animals in an empty exhibit and spent a lot of time in the petting zoo. I think my favorite part of the zoo was watching the polar bear swim, it was quite a show.
SEA WORLD
We started out at Sea World with a bad taste in our mouths after not being allowed to take snacks in for the kids and having the gate attendant throw a royal fit about Seth's name not being on his ticket. We used the tickets the previous day at the Zoo and they didn't say anything about having our names on them, but the Sea World lady was about to hunt James down when he didn't write Seth's name on the ticket the second he walked through the gate. Anyway, after that initial brouhaha, we had a pretty good day. The Sea lion show was super cheesy. The Shamu show was awesome blossom (as Seth put it!), and I'm very glad we didn't sit in the "Soak Zone". We would have been drenched. I liked the Dolphin show best of all the shows, they are very fun to watch. But, I have saved the very best part of Sea World for last! Just as we were leaving the park we decided to check out Shamu's underwater viewing area. We walked down and Shamu was there checking out all the people who were checking out her, she looked like she was about to come over to where we were standing, but she made a quick turn upward instead and then just let loose, green poop rained down toward us. Thank goodness for the glass barrier! Seth was totally fascinated and not at all grossed out, which is strange because just about every human bodily function makes him puke. If you ask him what his favorite part of Sea World was he'll tell you right away, "It was when Shamu POOPED!!!!" Ah, the memories!
DISNEYLAND
This was trip number three to Disneyland this year for us, so we focused mostly on helping everyone else have a good time. I'm not sure we succeeded, because it was extremely hot all three days we were there and we were all worn out from the beginning of the trip. We spent mornings in the park, afternoons at the hotel and in the pool, and then evenings at the park again. It was nice to have the big breaks everyday. I know I stressed myself out worrying about whether everyone else got to do all the things they wanted to, which was kind of dumb, but it's over now. I think everyone had a good time for the most part. Next time we do a big trip like this we definitely need a down day halfway through the week. All in all it was fun to be with almost all of my immediate family for a nice long vacation.
BRYCE CANYON 60 FOR 60
This year my Dad turns 60 so what would be more natural than wanting to run 60 miles in one day? Well, that's just what he did. My siblings and I are all in agreement that our parents are a little crazy about how much they like to run, but this idea is beyond insane for us. My dad had the run all planned out. He started at 4:00 a.m. in Panguitch at the site of the old hospital where he was born, then ran a good 20+ miles into Bryce Canyon, where my sister and I served a continental type breakfast for all the runners and the family. At the breakfast, Dad changed into his trail running clothes and headed out for 20+ miles of trail running all through Bryce Canyon. The weather was quite pleasant, but it must have been a grueling run, going up and down the canyon walls. Anyone who has hiked in Bryce knows that the trails are all quite steep as you head up and down from the rim. There was a small problem with the mapping my Dad had done and it turned out that one of the stretches he ran was a good two or three miles longer than he had originally thought. Unfortunately, it was also the longest time he was going to run without a water stop. He suffered some mild dehydration, but as soon as he had some fluids and a snack he felt much better and was able to finish the last part of the run. He finished about 9:00 p.m. at his old family Homestead in Tropic. My mom ran the first leg and the last leg of the run with him and I think it was the farthest she's ever run in one day too. We were able to meet them just as they were coming into Tropic and took some pictures of them at the finish line. We had a nice dinner with all the participants and got back to our campsite at about 11:00. I still think my parents are quite insane about running and even more insane since they dreamed this up and actually completed it, but I know it was a huge accomplishment for both of them and I'm am very proud of them.
FUNNY STORY
I have a funny story about Seth that I have to write down before I forget it. He and I were renting National Treasure 2 from one of the Redbox machines. We got back in the car and started off and then Seth says to me, "Mom, I have a scripture for you." I said, "Okay what is it?" He says, very seriously, as if quoting a scripture reference, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 152:23... AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT A MOVIE CAME OUT. And the movie was called National Treasure." I laughed SOOOO hard. He ended up being mad at me for laughing at him, but it was so funny.
HAPPY FAMILY
Our family has been so blessed over the last few months that I don't even know how to put all my feelings into words. Seth and Jacob are the best boys in the whole world, they have great senses of humor and are awesome travelers (Which I am very grateful for since we've driven over 2000 miles in the last month). They get along with each other pretty well. Seth is happy that Jacob can finally understand and participate in some of the games that he makes up. And Jacob is happy to follow Seth around and be interested in whatever Seth is doing. (This is sometimes an annoyance to Seth, but Jacob loves it!) James and I have just been trying to keep up with the boys and all the changes and traveling that have happened in the last little while. We are so grateful to be parents and to have our extended families close by to support us.
