Busy Year Ahead!

So we definitely have a busy year ahead of us but we couldn't be happier or more excited! So far I'm not feeling too great but if this pregnancy is anything like the first three, it won't be long and I'll be feeling better. We'll keep you all posted!

Moved but still unpacking...

We are now moved! We are still unpacking and organizing but I'm so glad the actual move is over and we have internet again. I will take some pictures and get them posted as soon as things are a little less messy. Until then here are some pictures of some fun things that we did before we left Rexburg.

EEK... one more week!

We move one week from tomorrow!! I'm so excited! This is a HUGE change for our family, which can be a little scary but we are lucky enough to know that, no matter what, we are not alone. We have a loving Father in Heaven who cares about us and the changes in our lives. We can do anything as long as we have that knowledge and live worthy of His blessings! This has never been more clear to me than at this time in my life. There are so many things that had to happen to make this move and graduate school possible for our family. Things that we had no control over! What a great adventure for our family! Well, I better get back to packing. I just couldn't contain myself so I had to share my feelings with you all! Here are a couple pictures to tide you all over till we get settled. They are from Chris' 30th Birthday Party.

Summer

Wow! What a year so far! I can't believe its JULY! Its going too fast but we are trying to enjoy it while we can. Here are some pictures of the last few weeks for you to enjoy (if anyone is still reading our blog). Some of these were taken in WA where the girls and I went to visit my family and some friends. We are all doing well! All the girls are growing so fast! They amaze me with something new each day. I love them and look forward to each day with them. Chris has been on two wildland fires already this summer so we haven't seen much of him but he's home fore now and we are loving it! I hope to post again soon but with my track record I wouldn't hold my breath. Now its time for me to get busy packing for our big move at the end of August!

News!

I know that nobody probably reads this things anymore and I can't say that I blame you. So much has happened since my last post that I want to share with you all and then of course our big news.

Since my last post, Sam turned 4! She's such a great helper and loves learning anything and everything. Caitlyn turned 1 a few weeks ago! She's such a sweet baby and loves playing with her sisters.

We spent Thanksgiving in Washington with my family and had a great time. The girls loved spending time with cousins and still ask when we get to go back. Christmas was wonderful! We spent it at home and enjoyed the quite joy of the season.

The new year brought with it many changes and excitement. Chris spent a few weeks traveling all over the US to interview for grad schools. We are SUPER excited that he's been accepted to Loma Linda University in CA and will start PA school in September. SO with this news comes our preparations for moving. We are more than ready for some warmer weather!

We hope every thing is going well for all of you! I will try to be better at posting more often but no promises.

Something Different... And pictures!!!

I don't usually write about stuff like this so, if you're not interested in reading my frustrations, I'll understand if you stop reading now. Have you ever had a hard time getting over something? Well, that's where I am now and I'm not really sure why. I know that on some level I'm choosing to feel the way that I do but I think I'm ready to let it go... maybe.

Whenever I think about it I remember this quote by Elder Bednar, "When we believe or say we have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else." You can read the rest of his talk HERE.

I'm hoping by writing this and getting it out I can start to let it go. Now on a lighter note... PICTURES!!!

Five months later...

Yikes! I have been horrible with the whole updating thing! I'm not even sure where to start... so I guess the beginning is a good place. It may take me a couple days to get caught up but I am determined to do it.

Since my last post a lot has happened! April was pretty crazy with the start of Chris' last semester of school at BYU-I, me taking classes, Caitlyn's baby blessing, Ashley's 2nd birthday, and Sarah (Chris' little sister) coming to live with us.

We did Caitlyn's baby blessing on the April 10th. We have been so blessed with this sweet little spirit in out family! She is so happy most of the time and eats/sleep wonderfully! Chris' parents and sister Sarah were able to come for the blessing as well as many of our friends from the Fire Department. You can go here to learn about baby blessings.

One month already??

Caitlyn is getting big way too fast! At 2 1/2 weeks old she already weighed 9 1/2 lbs! She is such a wonderful baby! She sleeps and eats well and loves to snuggle! She loves attention, especially from her sisters and is so alert whenever she's awake.





As for the rest of us, we are doing well. We have all had a cold but it hasn't been a bad one so we are getting through it. Chris and I are counting the weeks to the end of the semester next month and look forward to getting a little bit of a break before next semester starts. Chris will be graduating next semester and we are SO excited to be thinking about and planning the future for our family!

Samantha will be going to preschool two days a week starting in May and she couldn't be more excited! Ashley is becoming such a big girl. We started potty training her, which is always an adventure but she hates being wet or having an accident so I'm hoping that it will go quickly. Other than getting used to being a Mommy of three girl,s I have been trying to keep up with chores around the house, and homework for two classes.

Welcome Baby Caitlyn!!! (Updated)

We are so excited to welcome a new baby girl to our family!! She is so precious! Caitlyn May was born on Feb. 8th at 4:35 PM. She was almost a pound bigger than both her sisters at 8lbs 10 oz and 20 inches long! She is so sweet and hardly cries at all so far! (Her big sisters are so in love with her and constantly want to help take care of her!! Here are some pictures!)

Our Big Girl!

I can't believe that Samantha is in Sunbeams! She is officially in primary at church. She gets to go to her own class, although she still asks to go play with the toys in nursery. She has adjusted so well and even read a scripture in front of the entire Jr Primary today (with Chris' help of course)! She loves her teachers and is so excited each week for church. Time has gone by so fast, I can't believe that she three! We are so proud of her and all of the milestones that we have been able to witness her reach! I have a picture to post but its on our other computer so I will post it soon!

Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years

We were very blessed this year for many reasons. Since This Christmas especially we have been reminded of the many things that we have to be thankful for. We weren't able to travel this year but we truly enjoyed spending the holidays together. We loved having a nice quiet Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New years this year. We missed spending the holidays with our extended family but were happy to be able to teach the girls why we celebrate the holidays and what they are truly about. Thanksgiving we spent here at home and had a wonderful dinner and LOTS of leftovers. Christmas morning we made a special breakfast and watched The nativity Story while we ate. Then we opened our presents and played with all the new things for a while. We are all so grateful for all the gifts from everyone and the girls loved tearing through the paper to see what was inside! For dinner we went to TK and Tia's house and enjoyed delicious food and great friends while the kids enjoyed playing together. New years eve we didn't really do anything too exciting. We rented a movie to watch before the girls went to bed and then Chris and I just relaxed until just after midnight before going to bed. New years Day we went to Tk and Tia's again and had even more delicious food and so much fun with everyone! Now its back to school for both Chris and I. Things are about to get super busy again with school and a new baby so I apologize in advance to anyone who actually reads our blog for the lack of future updates. I will try my best to keep you all up to date.

Here are a couple picture of our Thanksgiving feast!

Drum Roll Please.....

Chris passed both the written and practical tests for his National Registry Paramedic Certification!!! He's officially a paramedic!!! We are done with that part completely!!! I'm so proud of all that he has done and all of the hard work that he has put into becoming the best paramedic he can! I'm excited for him to continue to learn and develop his skills as he gains more experience and applies the things that he has learned. Through it all he has managed to still be completely there for me and the girls! He is AMAZING!!

What we've been up to!

Wow, it has been way too long since my last real post! So in this post I will try to get everyone up to date on our family! Here goes nothing...

July

Chris finished the Paramedic program!!! His Mom and sister Sarah were able to be here for his pinning ceremony and to help us celebrate his birthday. We were so happy that Sarah was able to stay for a couple weeks and go camping with us! Camping was interesting with the girls but so much fun with so many friends!

August

We didn’t really do anything special in August because Chris spent a lot of time working. We knew that he was going to be leaving in September for an internship so he wanted to work as much as he could before then. The girls and I spent a lot of time at the fire station but enjoyed it. We enjoyed the summer weather and going for walks to the park. Chris was gone for a week on a wildland fire near Pocatello but enjoyed the experience and getting to be outside all day everyday.

September

Chris left for Provo where he was to do an internship with Provo Fire Dept. for his paramedic certification. We went down and visited and enjoyed getting to know some relatives better. On our first visit to Provo we were able to spend time with most of Chris’ siblings and their families. It was so much fun to see everyone. We went to the BYU vs UW football game and enjoyed time with family. The girls were so happy to get to play with all of their cousins on that side of the family. Samantha still talks about the football game and yelling “Go Cougars!!” She loved Auntie Lisa teaching her how to cheer for BYU.

Chris was able to come home for our second ultrasound. We were told that I would need one more ultrasound because I had Placenta Previa. Our doctor wasn’t too concerned because it was only “marginal” previa rather than complete but he wanted to make sure that I wasn’t going to have to have a c-section.

Chris and I celebrated our 4-year anniversary, although we were in different states at the time. So much has happened in the last four years and I am so grateful to have been able to share them all with such a wonderful man.

October

October started with my birthday on the 1st and even though Chris wasn’t able to be here I had a wonderful day. The girls and I had a play date and a friend made me a surprise cake! That night the wives from Chris’ shift at the fire department took me out for a girl’s night while one of their husbands watched the girls. It was so sweet of them and made my day! I am so grateful for such wonderful friends and look forward to returning the favor!

Chris decided to switch internships because he wasn’t getting the number of calls that he needed in order to finish on time. The girls and I went down to Provo for a few days and were very happy to bring Chris home with us!

While we were waiting for the paperwork to go through for the internship change Chris played in his first performance with the Madison Fire Department Pipe Brigade. He played the bass drum and did a great job! He will be playing the snare drum for the fire department’s Christmas party in December too!

A week or so later we were packed and headed for Washington so that Chris could finish his internship in Yakima. We stayed with my parents and truly enjoyed spending a month with family. The girls were able to spend time with almost all of their cousins on that side of the family!

The girls enjoyed dressing up for Halloween although we didn’t do a whole lot. Samantha was Minnie Mouse and Ashley was (as Samantha says) a “regular” mouse. They were both super cute and enjoyed trick or treating to a few relatives houses.

Ashley started nursery!!! YAY! She loves it once we get her interested in something and sneak out of the room!

November

We were in Washington for a little over half of November. We celebrated Samantha’s 3rd Birthday! (I know! I still can’t believe that she’s 3!!) We had a party for her at “Granny and Gramp’s” house. Chris’ sister Karey and her family came over so there were a lot of kids to play with. After the actual party the adults had a bowling tournament on the Wii! It was so much fun! Samantha says “thank you” for all of the birthday presents and cards!

We also enjoyed visiting some friends while we were there and helped my parents dig potatoes and make apple sauce/cider. We dug about 1500 lbs of spuds while we were there! We all enjoyed playing in the dirt and getting dirty! Chris finished his internship and we made it home before the bad weather hit too bad.

We are so grateful for Mom and Dad letting us stay with them while we were there.

We got a couple of big snowstorms just after we got back to Rexburg and were glad that we got back when we did. We spent Thanksgiving at home together, which was a huge change from the last few months where Chris has either been gone or we have been traveling. It was so nice to consider all of the ways that we have been blessed this year and all that we are grateful for. We made a complete Thanksgiving dinner and the girls were so excited to get their own glasses of sparkling cider.

We had our third and final ultrasound today (the 29th). I am happy to report that I do not need a c-section!! Everything looked great and the baby is healthy! I am starting to get uncomfortable and am looking forward to February, though! Samantha told me the other day that she wanted to eat all her dinner so that she could have a “big belly like Mommy!” She’s so funny!

So for now things have quieted down. Chris is home a lot more since he is only taking three online classes right now. The girls and I are loving all the time that we get so spend with him!

I am sorry if I have forgotten anything and “should” be able to keep up better now that we’re home and things aren’t so crazy!

The pictures that I want to upload aren't working right now but I will try again later!!

Ultrasound Pictures!!

I have a lot to post about! We have been SUPER busy and have had a lot of fun and I want to post about it all. To start with we had our ultrasound today!!! The baby looks great and we can't wait to meet him or her! We will be surprised again as to whether its a girl or boy!!

Here We Go Again!

Most of you probably have already heard, especially if you're family, but we are expecting another little Henderson in February! We are very excited, although I personally will be more so when I'm past the yucky part. Samantha can't decide if she wants it to be a girl or a boy, Chris and I are hoping for a boy but of course we'll be happy either way!

The favorite duck!

I don't know what it is about this duck but both the girls love eating it's head. After I took the picture of Ashley I realized that I had a very similar one of Samantha! Well, I though that I would share them with you all.



The first one is Ashley... just in case you weren't sure. I'm not sure how old Samantha was when this was taken but it wasn't much older than Ashley.

We're alive!

Wow, I have been so bad about updating this thing! Lets see… where should I begin? I guess I should start with our Baby’s 1st birthday! Ashley turned ONE!! I can’t believe it’s been that long since she was born! She has grown and changed so much! She is so sweet but also so stubborn and independent! We love our little monkey girl SO much!!! We had two birthday parties for her but both were small. We had one at the fire station one the day the Chris worked. The whole crew (including Chris) ended up being really busy so we pretty much celebrated with the crew’s families. Then we had a family party at our house with Tia and Tucker. We were about to skype with my parents so that they could sing “Happy Birthday” with us and watch her destroy her cake. She has really started trying to use words and put words together, which has been so fun to see! She’s still pretty small for her age but runs around after Samantha like there is no difference. The girls are so close and are constantly looking out for one another. I love that they have such a close relationship, (for now at least…let’s hope they stay close once they become teenagers). Well, here are some pictures!

Oh and my plan is to update everyday if I can to catch you all up. Wish me luck!