Our goal is met~

So at the beginning of the Summer I had a goal that McKentri would be able to swim on her own by the end of Summer before we go to Tybee Island in Georgia. We are renting a house on the beach for a week and didn't want to have to worry as much. Well about 2 weeks ago her floaters broke and we bought new ones but they don't fit her very well since she is growing like a weed. She has opted not to wear them when we are at Cherry Hill but she also can touch just fine everywhere except the deep end of the pool. Last Wednesday when we went in the pool I showed her and Boston a couple swimming things like the arms and legs and had them hold onto the side of the pool to learn how to kick really fast. Well we spent like ten minutes with it and then she just kept practicing. Now when she practices she doesn't like me to talk at all unless I say great job (the only time I can talk is if I make it silly like "did you tell your legs what to do or are they thinking on their own" and it has to be in a silly voice otherwise she is still to tender.) So the next day all she wanted to do was practice so we were back in the pool. After about 10 more minutes she has it down. Now she is swimming half the length of the pool and says that its just awesome. We are so proud of her. Now I need to go get toys she can fetch off the bottom and goggles. She is very proud and loves to tell people wherever we go. Way to go McKentri!!!

Happy Fathers Day!

Today is such a great day. It is a day that we get to honor the men/fathers in our life. I have so many people to honor its great! I think that I should start with my dad first. Darrell Redford is such a great guy. He has taught me so many things. He taught me to always finish whatever it is I start. He has taught me that I am capable of anything. He taught me that there are so many different ways to show love. He taught me to always honor my mother and to not yell at her. He is someone who will always take care of his family. He taught me to work really hard. He is great at reading stories and has so many voices for all the characters in the book. He will even read it backwards or wrong to either rile you up or to see if you are really paying attention. He is a great grandpa to my kids and they love to crawl on his lap. He is a great artist and writer. He helped me with way too many projects the night before they were due. He has so much knowledge in so many areas. You can seriously ask him a question and if he doesn't know the answer (which is rare) then he will find it for you. He is thoughtful in ways that no one else is. If he knows you are having a problem with something or looking for something he will look for answers for you on his own time and then e-mail you what he has found. With any surgery or illness I have had or my kids he always calls to check on us. I love my dad! The next person I want to honor is my husband. He is an amazing dad. He loves to be the one to put the kids to bed at night. He likes to read to them, sing songs to them, the younger ones brush their teeth and just listen to what they have to say. He tries his hardest to hit every function no matter how small or big that each one of them have. He stresses so much about them and wants each one of them to be happy. He likes to take them each out on dates, from store and gas station runs, to Hannah Montana movie concerts. He is a great provider who takes his job seriously. He loves to play with the kids individually and as a family. He honors his priesthood and gives blessings all the time. He sets such a good example for all our kids and I am lucky to have him as my husband! There are so many more men in our life that we love and respect. Poppy, Harry, Jim, Mike, Melvin, and all the other men that took part in raising Scott, myself, and even help us with our kids. HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!

Family Reunions-fun or major work?!

So here we are the Henderson clan. This is my mothers side of the family and I think naturally the side that we are closest too. For the last 5 years we have been doing family reunions which is interesting for Scott since we still get together a couple times a month. Yet nonetheless we do them because we love spending time together and also for my Grandma whom we all love and she wants them to happen. Once again this year my mother and I put the reunion together. The men had been wanting to do one on a weekend so that they wouldn't have to miss work and so I found one on the weekend up Little Cottonwood Canyon in the Tanners Flat campground. With every ones summer schedules we did it the first week in June, and we have all since decided that that will never happen again. Friday night was so cold we all had major layers on. Several of us had checked the weather to make sure that all would be okay and it said that it would be sunny and warm. Well, that was a lie... it snowed all night long and I got up at 7 am to make breakfast in the snow!!! I had bought these tents the night before that had the mosquito netting on the sides and put all the food inside it. Well we forgot to put the stove inside as well. Needless to say that the stove wouldn't work in the morning and it took over an hour to do 5 pancakes. The nice thing was that everyone started helping and became a great group effort. We almost left for IHOP but decided to hold out and as always everything did turn out okay. We finally had the coals going enough and had placed the griddle on top so that after those 5 they were popping out like crazy. It did start to warm up but we still had the fire going all day long.
People did activities such as rock climbing, hiking in the snow following my Uncles, and then duct tape wallets in a variety of colors. That night was tons warmer and everyone slept great. Sunday was the warmest day and by the time we went on our hike we actually were starting to shed layers. These family reunions can be so much work to put together but are so fun once you are there. Relationships grow stronger and you start bonds that may not have been there before. The kids just play the whole time and my mom even stays up until 2:30 am in order to play games with all her nieces and nephews. She even rock climbed. We all try new things and learn so much more about each other and we all love it! Next time we just think that we will wait until August. The upside though is that we never had to use any bug spray and no one got a mosquito bite. I totally forgot about my camera and it sat in the car until the last day when my Grandma asked me if I had it for the family picture. So you get to see the group on the last day and that's it. Nathans girlfriend Breeann was taking the picture for us but hopefully next year when she goes she will be Mrs. Nathan Redford instead of Breeann Patch:). (total hint but doubtful he will read this or catch on).

Summer is Near

Summer is coming so fast now! I am very excited. Near the end of the school year I am just as ready as the kids are for school to be out!!! I get tired of having to get them up so early and ready and out the door and driving a million car pools. I am ready to let them get up when they do and pack a lunch and go to either Cherry Hill or Lagoon. I love playing with my kids and so Summer is the best time for me. I like taking them to all these places that I went as a kid and watching their faces light up in amazement and asking if we can come back. Last summer was amazing and we are all looking forward to the same type of Summer. However, at the end of summer we are so ready for the school year. We completely exhaust ourselves and get excited for things to calm down and put order and structure back in our life. I love to take the kids back to school shopping. It is seriously one of my favorite things ever (and they all know it and like to take advantage of it when they can:)) This is going to be a great summer for us because next fall all 6 kids will be in school! I have no idea what I am going to do with myself. Dallin will be in High School (scary to think he is there,) Kylie in 8th grade, Josh in 6th, Ty in 4th, McKentri in Kindergarten, and my little Boss man will be in pre-school. That my folks and the fact that they are going to go to 6 different schools is going to be interesting. WE NEED THIS SUMMER!!!

We crossed the finish line!!!

For the last 11 weeks my mom, Chanelle, and I have been training for the Salt Lake City half marathon. We would run times during the week, take off Friday, and then run miles on Saturday. During the process I got something called Bursitis. That was horrible. I didn't know what I had done so kept pushing it, which is totally my nature, until one Sunday I went to get out of bed and couldn't put any weight on it without it giving out. So I then went to the Dr. where the did x-rays sent me to a sports medicine specialist where they did an ultrasound and confirmed it. I then got cortisol shots had to do lots of ice, stretches 3 times a day, and ibuprofen twice a day at 800 mg. I did this for about 3 weeks but after the first week and a half I was able to run again, just gingerly. I went on successfully and was still able to train. The big day was yesterday April 19. It was such an amazing experience. We got up at 4:45 am., left my house at 5 am and headed down to the Gateway. We took trax up to the Legacy bridge on 4th south where we started the half marathon. For the first 8 miles my mom did a great job. She had hurt her knee two weeks earlier and didn't get to train the last two weeks before the race. In those last two weeks she missed the big 11 mile run which was very beneficial. One mile 10 she started to get dizzy and started to run 5 minutes speed walk 1. On mile 11 she didn't think she could do anymore but being in my family we don't really give up so she pressed on. On the last 1/2 mile she was incoherent but still running. She grabbed my hand and we did the last together. When we crossed the finish line she was crying tears of joy but wanted to sit down. We had a couple ladies that were there to help were trying to see if she was okay. I told them that I needed to get her juice and I think that she would be okay. We got her a massage and she was great!!! The whole experience was awesome!!! I totally recommend doing one of some sort. Whether its a 5K or a half marathon or a marathon. You got such a high and there are so many people on the streets cheering you on the whole way. We ran for cancer and there were posters of children and adults with cancer along the way as well and you really feel like you are making a difference. Scott didn't run with us but he watched near the finish line and he thought it was so cool that he now is going to run the next one with us. Its in July in Bryce Canyon and we have recruit ted more people and so its going to be that much more fun. We crossed the finish line and that in itself was such a cool accomplishment. WE DID IT!!!

I have become my Mother

The other day as I was driving my second carpool for the day it hit me how much I have become my mother. Now my Mother is one of the most amazing woman I have ever met. She is my hero. There is no better way to put it than that. Please also understand that I am not entirely like her, even though that would be a huge compliment. In the way that it hit me that I have become my mom is the way parts of my life have turned out. My mom has 6 kids, I have 6 kids. My mom would be exhausted at night and could barely keep her eyes open after 9 pm, I am exhausted at night and can barely keep my eyes open after 9 pm. My mom would get up very early every morning to make us a hot breakfast from scratch and a home lunch if we wanted it. She always saw us off to school and made sure we said prayers, read scriptures as a family and things like that. I also came home to fresh bread, homemade goodies of some sort every day. It was seriously a picture perfect childhood. Now I on the other hand have a hard time getting out of bed if Scott has kept me up too late since he is a night owl. I desperately try and honestly when my kids are up so am I. I would say that 5-6 days out of the week I make hot breakfast and really try to make the fresh stuff everyday too. This is a little harder for me since I can't eat it. Anyway getting back on track. On this particular day that I realized that I had become my mom, it was the day to day grind I am referring to. This day like so many others starts at 7 am when I get 4 kids out the door by 7:40 am. I babysit for my uncle and Dylan, she just turned 1, shows up at 8. I exercise for 30-40 minutes, and then get 2 other children ready for the day. I drove carpool that day for McKentri's school which consists of four 5 year olds at 11:40 am. I got home in time to make Kylie a lunch and run it to her school. Go home make a batch of cookies and pick up McKentri's group at 2:30. Drop them off and head to Dallin's school by 3:00 pm and pick up five 15 year old boys. Talk about a loud bunch. I have been learning a lot of new phrases by picking these boys up and I tell you what, I am definitely glad to be out of school and married!!! I take them to my house to change, we head to the gas station for a treat and then drop them off at work, Lagoon landscapers, by 3:30 pm. I headed back home in time to have six 5 year olds and Boston in their swim suits and in my tub, yes the all fit, for a mermaid party. I had to get them out by 4:25 pm in time to go pick up Kylie from track. I got her and then dropped her off at home to babysit. All the girls went home by 5 Kylie said. I drove down to Salt Lake to watch Scott be a Small Claims Judge which he does once a month. That started at 5:30 pm and went until 8:00 pm. We picked up some Chinese and decided to finish our date at home with our two oldest children. We watched the Office and ate Chinese and went to bed by 10 pm. I talked to my mom the next day and asked her how she did it for so long and she said that some days she felt ok and other days when she would go home and find her house a mess she would wonder what was wrong with her that she couldn't get anything done. I tell you what she is an amazing person and the fact that she let all 6 of us do so much is very courageous of her. As I go day to day it doesn't seem like so much but at the end of the day I really feel it and I am tired. Yet there isn't anything else that I would rather do than be a mom and wife and raise my family without any regrets. It may be crazy but its a good crazy. Thanks mom for showing me that it can be done!

Vacations are a WONDERFUL thing!!!

Scott quite frequently has CLE's (continuing legal education). These range in places from Salt Lake City, Ut. to Hawaii. This one in particular was in Dana Point, Ca. Sometimes he goes alone and other times if he will be gone long than I get to go with. Generally he will go with a couple of fellow lawyers and so with the longer ones the wives all go. It is fun this way because while the men are in class then the women will play! This CLE was an amazing resort in Dana Point. Its called the St. Regis Monarch Beach resort. Talk about incredibly posh and it was fun to stay there but I personally would not pay the money to stay there on vacation. Don't get me wrong it was wonderful being called Mrs. Petersen all the time and not being able to do much of anything without an employee trying to help. The pool was gorgeous as well as the view. However since I am more of a go go go person I like to do things for myself (for the most part. I mean there is a part of all of us who love to be taken care of hand and foot, regardless it can be a bit too much.) We went with the Kelley's, and the Hague's. Stephanie is on the left with her beautiful baby boy Alexander, and Michelle is on the right. Both are great woman and friends and it was fun spending 4 days with them without our kids.
While we were there we went to a Mission that is still in use. It was beautiful!!! I had no idea that we still had some in use in California. It has been there since the 1700 and the buildings are the originals. A lot of it they have made into a place for history buffs like us to come and see, but they still use the church, the school, and some of the other buildings. Scott and I love history and could spend hours just visiting places and reading and learning. We are the dorky couple who stands at every little marker to read it and find out as much as we can while we are there. Thanks to Dave and Stephanie who located it for us. It was on my list but I didn't know where it was until they came to the rescue when they ran across it accidentally and visited it as well.
I love the place where Scott is standing. It is the original church that collapsed during an earthquake in the 1800's. It has a couple walls standing and some of the paintings still in place. When it collapsed it killed some 40 people by trapping them inside. They actually started restoring the place in the 1800's but did cause some damage and actually blew up part of one wall because they weren't sure what they were doing, but you have a lot of the building.
We also went to the beach. The water was really cold, so we didn't swim in it but we did walk around barefoot. The weather was really nice. I wore shorts the whole time but Scott didn't. He totally fluctuated. He calls me Nanuka of the North because I constantly seem to be hot.
This is the center court at the Mission. It is the same fountain and Garden as when it was first founded. The just continue to take care of it. There are catfish inside the fountain and they are definitely not scared of you. They would swim right up by you hoping that you are going to drop something in. We love to vacation. A lot of the time we do and only go for 3 days or a weekend and this is the longest trip we have taken since our Honeymoon. Scott was gone 6 days I was gone 5 days. We are realizing that it was nice because we started to relax on about day 2 and normally the next day you come back home to the grind but the couple extra days makes a huge difference. Scott attended a lot of classes and I read 3 books, we played, saw a movie, went swimming, did some historical stuff, it was really a perfect week.