Missions and Lions

my little brother got his mission call for our church last week

he will be serving for 2 years in Ghana

cool, right?

I think so

You know what else I think is cool? The above picture!

Thats the Ghana flag painted on his face {not my brothers face, but that would make it even more cool} I told you...COOL!

Back to the story...

the whole family was on the phone when he opened his call and we were all so excited.

When I got off the phone I looked at Brig and Raegan and said

"Guess What? Uncle Alan is going on his mission to Africa!"

Brig got real serious and worried and said

"What if he gets eaten by a lion??"

I love that kid!

Congrats Elder Henderson, we are already so proud of you

First Day of School...

the kids have officially been back in school for a week now...

A few days before school started Brig told me he was excited to FINALLY be a "grader"

Here he is the 1st Grader...

He tried not to act nervous that morning, but I could tell he was a little anxious.

But boy was he ready to get his new Yankees shirt on and head out the door!

And as soon as we got to his classroom his teacher walked up to him and said

"You must be BRIG!"

I loved her already for that and so did Brig.

When he found his table he was at the same table as 2 of his best buddies...and he was set to go!

He LOVED his first day and we loved hearing all about it.

******

And then there is the preschooler, little Miss Raegan!

Oh how she has been excited....she loves school.

The only thing that would have made her even happier is if I would have told her YES one of the million times she asked me if she could start kindergarten...one more year little one, dont try to grow up too fast on me.

I made a BIG mistake and told her she was starting school the same morning as Brig, then that night AFTER she had laid her school clothes all out and gotten her backpack ready for the big day I realized she didnt start for 2 more days. OOPS!

I felt awful, but even though she was disappointed she handled it like a champ.

But that made the REAL THING even more exciting for her...she couldnt wait to get there.

She has the same cute teacher as last year but lots of new kids in her class, she LOVED it and went on and on telling me all about it when I picker her up.

All in all the first day of school was a hit!

As for me...it was a bittersweet week! I loved some one on one time with Morgan, but I missed the other kids too.

I'll pay you a million bucks if you can figure out how to freeze time or at least slow it down.

Any takers??

9 years ago

we were doing this...

9 years later

4 years of school

4 apartments

2 homes

2 states

3 kids

Loads of learning experiences

Lots of growing up

&

Countless laughs

We are...

more in love and happier then ever

which I am sure I thought wasnt even possible on our wedding day, but I was wrong.

I have fallen even more head over heels with my man over the last 9 years, and thank my lucky stars that when I was just 19 years old I was smart enough to snag this guy and take the plunge...

it was the best thing I ever did.

This gets us through

the hot hot Arizona summers

july rainstorms

When Monsoon season comes it pours and pours and pours {which is rare in our little desert}...its a glorious thing really

And we cant help but run out and play in it,

well, all of us except for this hesitant kid....

but even he can't resist the summer rain in the end.

Because yesterday the rain turned the slide into a waterslide, and who can turn that down

What's a girl to do

when her brother is off playing at a friends house?

What she never gets to do when he's around...

Watch a Princess Movie, of course!

Better late then never...

We had such a great time in Utah, I thought I better finally finishing posting about it. :)

We got lots of play time, but also got a lot of relaxing time away from the hustle and bustle of life.

I was pretty bad about taking pictures, but did happen to get a few to show for our 3 1/2 weeks away from home.

While I was in Utah it happened to be my high school 10 year reunion, so last minute my friend Julie and decided, WHY NOT?
So we went and I have to say it was a lot of fun catching up with high school buddies. I was a little bummed Paul was back in Arizona, but lets be honest I am sure he didnt mind...even though he said he would have been happy to go!

While we were in Utah we got to take a weekend trip up to Rexburg to see my little sister Stacie and her darling little baby Lenna.

The kids were all so cute with her and couldn't get enough of her

"tiny toes, her tiny ears, her tiny fingers"
I couldn't get enough either!!

My Dad took us all on an outing to Bear Country while we were there...

it was a HIT!

I tell you what that place rocks. You drive through this reserve with Elk, grizzly bears, moose and even an ALBINO elk, right up my kids alley. Then you get to go through the park and see the baby bear cubs and go through the petting zoo...

They even had rides for the kids.

This was the favorite...a DROP ZONE for kids

It wouldn't be complete with out these little bear cubs showin' what they are made of!

But the main attraction of the weekend was

Lenna Rue

She is just so precious. She is over a month in this picture and is so tiny. She is such a sweet little baby, when she needed something she would LOOK like she was crying but not a peep would come out. Such a doll, I miss her.

The highlights of our Trip To Utah:

lots and lots of cousin time

our getaway to Idaho

Girls Night Out for some shopping in Park City and New Moon to top it off

Birthday Pedicures

Lots of yummy lunch dates with high school buddies

Nana's delicious cooking

Boating in Utah Lake and some JCWS on the way home

Bonding with Buzz Light Year (my nephew Dallas)... or Zerg depending on the day

The Splash Park

Our "traditional" dinner at Training Table with Paul's mission buddies

The Dinosaur Museum

Playing at the park with friends and meeting the newest Lindgren addition

Our triple date Shooting Guns (a first for my mom)

Game Night at the Olsens Pad and the yummiest dessert EVER

Fireworks and UFC night (my family was super good sports about that one)

High School Reunion

The cheap "Summer Camp" so Jean and I could squeeze in some kidless playdates
Playing outside, oh how I love Utah summers

Talon's baby blessing

Utah Shopiing

The Zoo with the Cannons

Naps

Lots of quality time with family

Until next summer....

change

Part of the reason that I think I have been a slacker on my blog as of late is because the thought of sitting down and catching up overwhelms me. I've been in a rut...I admit, my blog has become BORING.

So when my cute sister, Stacie revamped her blog with these fun new tabs I decided thats just what my blog needed to get me back in the bloggin' mood.

I also just happened to get our family pics in the mail yesterday.
I'm not gonna lie, I have been faithfully checking my mailbox and was jumping up and down when they came :)


My high school friend Cori is an amazing photographer and I have been wanting her to work her magic on my family...but she lives in Utah.
When I heard she was moving I decided we better jump on it before she left.

Cori Henderson Photography

Here's just a few

but to see more check out my new tabs :)

Now here's to hoping I have the blogging bug back

A Splash of Color...

I have been in desperate need for some color in my house.

I have a problem with always going with blacks and browns.

I know boring!

So lately I have been trying to branch out a bit and add some color to my house.

I have made some progress but was still feeling the itch to do something different and BOLD...you know break the mold a little.

So while I was in Utah I begged Paul to start a project I have been wanting to tackle for years now

Our Kitchen Cabinets

He has been dragging his feet, because lets be honest this is not a small project. I promised him if he would just put the beadboard in the center of the cabinets I would do the rest. So him and his brother hopped right on the project (they ROCK, I know!!)

So when I got home I had some work ahead of me.

After a week of my entire house being in project mode, lots of sanding, what seemed like a gazilion coats of primer, paint and sealer and some antiquing to top it off, we threw on the new hardware and

wallah....

My new kitchen cabinets!

These are the cabinets under the kitchen sink.

The pictures dont really do it justice...the camera didnt capture the color exact and you cant see the antiquing to well...but you get the idea!
The picture above is probably the closest to what it really looks like

Before:

I love before and after pictures
but

Since the project was started while I was out of town there was no before picture taken. Dang it!

I searched through my old pics and found this pic from a couple years back of my friend Mary with the cabinets in the background.

(Thanks Mary for modeling my old cabinets)

ahhh...it feels good to check another project off the good 'ol To Do List.

Next on the agenda to paint the shelf in our kitchen black.

But for now Goal Accomplished...

a little more color

...and for some reason I am craving cake now :)

Cannon Clan

So really my marathon was just practice for the marathon trip we had ahead of us in Utah. We got to stay in Utah for 3 more weeks, which was a treat. Well me and the kids that is. Paul had to head back home to work for 2 weeks while we stayed and played. Work is over rated.

We missed him. LOTS

We definitely scored while we were there because Paul's brother Sam and Jessie blessed their baby on Fathers Day, so we got to be there for the big day.

He is aDoRaBlE and it was a beautiful blessing.

Talon Edward

Are you kidding me in that little Tux?

The cutest thing EVER, and what was even cuter was how proud his Dad was. So glad we could be there for the special day.

Since most of the Cannons were in town for the blessing we decided to hit the zoo with all of the cousins.

Morgan was breaking not 1, but TWO teeth.

So besides her being a little cranky, it was a fun outing.

We took my sister Jana's little guy, Dallas with us. He is a keeper that kid, I miss my little buddy.
These two definitely do NOT look related, right?
Um ya...twins I know!!


Dont let this picture deceive you! She has had NO problem with any of her teeth coming in, but these 2 were a little rougher for the poor little thing. Fever, runny nose...you know how it goes.
We loved seeing the Cannons.
We got our hopes up that Grandma & Grandpa Cannon would be moving a little closer,
we are still holding out hope for that perfect house to come along so they will!

But in the meantime it was great to see the Cannon Clan.

Pain You Enjoy!

The

Utah Valley Marathon

I did it!  I did it!  I did it!

(That pretty much sums it up,so no offense taken if you stop reading there and just scroll through the pics.  

But if you'd like to read on...have at it!)

  I am not a  natural runner, that is FOR SURE.  But over the last couple years I have learned to really enjoy it.

 And trust me when I say if I could train for this race and do it, ANY of you reading it could too.  So hop on it ASAP!

(please don't JUDGE these pics.  I had a just run 26.2 miles in the rain..and by no means was I looking at the top of my game)

I was so so so lucky to have my friend Janette come to Utah to run the race with me.  She is the most inspirational person.  I mean it.  Sit and chat with her for just a few short minutes and she may have you convinced to not only run a marathon, but to WANT to run a marathon, like tomorrow.  

She motivated and coached me through our training.  Thanks Jet!

We started the freezing, raining morning off with a game plan:

1. NO TIME GOAL.  okay thats sort of a lie, we set a very attainable goal for ourselves.  The best part about setting an attainable goal is it still feels great to blow it out of the water, which we did.  I was told over and over by people to try your best but not set a time goal for your 1st marathon.  My goal was to push myself and do MY BEST...and I can honestly say that I did just that, MY very best.  

2.  Start slow, frustratingly slow, for the first few miles to conserve energy.  Then pick it up gradually to stay steady and finish STRONG!  It feels good to pass at the end, NOT be passed.

3. Stop at EVERY aid station for a drink and to refuel.  Quick stops, but let me tell you they get you through the next few miles and gives your body just what it needs to finish the race.

4. Stay positive, enjoy the experience, and FINISH regardless of the obstacles that may come.

And I have to say that was THE BEST game plan, it worked like a champ.

Besides the rain, it was a beautiful course.  I was lucky enough to have Janette AND my uncle and cousins on the course.  I got to run a lot of the race with Janette and my cousin Tyler and his wife, Hilary.  Having them to talk to and encourage each other was SO nice.  I loved getting to know Hilary and hear everyone's "how you met your spouse" stories.  Whatever makes the time go by, right??  

I also enjoyed my time alone to enjoy the moment, enjoy the beauty and to focus on the task at hand.

By mile 20 when I was expecting to hit THE WALL  you hear about, instead I was feeling great (CONSIDERING!), and as I was coming out of the Canyon Paul and Brig were waiting to cheer me on. 

That was the defining moment of the race for me.  

That little encouragement, to see them and to feel their support was just what was needed and then I was set to go, to finish.

The last 6 miles are history, they were challenging of course but I had the energy that I needed and I knew I was almost there.  

My biggest obstacle was my watch was off somehow so when I thought the last dreaded .2 miles was there I sprinted to the finish line...but then THERE WAS MORE, my watch was off.  But somehow I mustered up the energy to go .2 more miles and I crossed the finish line, and boy was it great to see all these people waiting to cheer me on......

I am the luckiest girl to have so much love and support.  

It was an amazing experience... obviously a physical challenge pushing my body to its limits. But even more it was a mental challenge, pushing through those moments when your body is fatigued and telling yourself you can do anything for a few hours.  

Thats where the marathon theme really played in for me...

Pain You Enjoy

But the most impact this race had on me was in a spiritual way that I will never forget.  Because trust me there were LOTS of prayers going through my mind that morning, and let me tell ya

  

they.were.answered.

and YES I will do one again...but not for awhile :)