Hendrickson Family Blog

Puzzles, Rainbows, and a Scooter

2012-02-08T15:04:00.000-08:00

These days, Daniel loves . . .

. . . doing puzzles . . .

. . . coloring (he drew the protozoa, but he enlisted my help to make rainbows on the corners - he chooses the color sequence and I do the drawing) . . .

. . . and taking an occasional ride on the scooter.

Anna likes kicking her feet to make the bugs swing.

The Cost of Free Fro Yo

2012-02-06T14:50:00.000-08:00

Today is the first National Frozen Yogurt Day, and we heard through the grapevine that a local Yogurtland was giving away free frozen yogurt from 4pm to 7pm. Free fro yo? The kids and I piled into the car and headed off to celebrate this momentous occasion.

I expected the place to be crowded, but I didn't expect . . .

. . . a line that stretched halfway down the block. We ended up waiting 45 minutes and learning the life story of the family in front of us.

Was the free fro yo worth the wait? Hard to say. In some ways it was a fun adventure, and the frozen yogurt was delicious (better than Menchie's, to be honest), but that was a long wait for the kids. I don't think I'd do it again. Ah well - live and learn.

New Skills

2012-02-04T14:43:00.000-08:00

Joy is learning a lot of new skills lately, such as . . .

. . . cooking (we were making frozen banana bites) . . .

. . . folding laundry . . .

. . . and riding a bike (er, trike).

Anna's just trying to learn to sit up straight.

Anna Meets Food

2012-02-02T15:24:00.000-08:00

Our pediatrician encouraged us to introduce solid food to Anna when she was five months old, and I decided today was the day.

Big Sister was on hand to provide moral support.

"Ummm . . . I'm not sure what I think of that white stuff on the orange thing."

"What IS this???"

"I wanna stay on a liquid diet!"

We called it quits after two "bites" (meaning two insertions of spoon, followed by two expulsions of rice cereal). We'll try again tomorrow.

You'll learn to love this "food" stuff, Anna. Really.

Aunties

2012-01-29T14:51:00.000-08:00

We took Anna for another stroll today . . .

. . . then headed to my parents' home to hang with the fam and some visiting aunties.

We even got in some Facetime with Uncle Andrew on Heather's iPad.

We assured Anna that Aunt Lisa is friendly and does not bite, but she remained unconvinced.

Strolling Along

2012-01-28T14:43:00.000-08:00

Anna is old enough to sit comfortably in a stroller now . . .

. . . so we took her for a little stroll this afternoon . . .

. . . to Menchie's (of course). Daniel was duly impressed that Joy had put gobs of sprinkles on her four flavors of yogurt, but I think he was even happier to finally get his own bowl (complete with sour gummi worms).

Joy really enjoys pushing the stroller along. She likes to help out, and she loves her baby sister.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T14:22:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of Chinese New Year, so I did a little internet research then served up a dinner that will bring us good fortune in the new year. Or something like that.

Dinner included pork fried rice, red smoothies, and an even number of mandarins. Oh yeah, and scrambled eggs for Daniel, who has not yet discovered that fried rice is awesome.

Joy and I also made some festive decorations, because red brings good luck and cutting paper is fun.

Curly

2012-01-09T00:06:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what Anna's hair looks like before I comb it out after her bath?

Now you know.

"Thanks, Mom. That's much better."

Dressing Up

2012-01-05T15:11:00.000-08:00

Joy has been having fun wearing her birthday dress-ups lately.

She's also taken it upon herself to train her sister in the art of stylish flubdubbery.

Even Anna's swing got a little makeover. Rather chic, no?

Pony Hunting

2012-01-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

When the kids and I went out front to play this afternoon, Joy proposed that we play "Hide the Pony."

It was a fine idea, but her brother kept giving away the pony's hiding spots . . .

. . . so the pony decided to chill on the blanket with Anna . . .

. . . while Brother and Big Sister ran up and down the block. Good times.

New Year in the Park

2012-01-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

It was a lovely day today . . .

. . . so we paid a long-overdue visit to the park.

Daniel spent most of the outing meditating in the sandbox.

Joy wanted to climb the big tree, and I told her that she was welcome to do that if she could climb it on her own. This is as high up as she got.

She had much better luck with the jungle gym.

Breakfast, the Cabin, and One Missing Page

2011-12-28T10:05:00.000-08:00

Since Christmas fell on a Sunday this year, our presents waited patiently at home while we attended church for an hour. They asked me to sing, if you can believe it. The number actually went pretty well, except for the point when my accompanist (Phillip) discovered that he was missing a page of the song. Oops.

Back at home, Daniel had fun playing with his new magnet fishy puzzle . . .

. . . Joy loved her new Pixar storybook . . .

. . . Phillip thought it was fun to get a scale model ornament of his motorcycle . . .

. . . and I was delighted to receive a new mouse (my old one had become really temperamental).

The next day we went to Pink Grandma's again for Phillip's birthday breakfast, and to spend a little more time with Emily and John before they flew home . . .

. . . then we headed up to the cabin for a few days with my family. I don't have a lot of photos of this week, but I suppose I captured the most important thing: that we spent it with people we love.

Merry Christmas!

Music and a House Call on Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Christmas Eve at Pink Grandma's house tonight.

We played the white elephant ornament game . . .

. . . and sang Christmas carols, . . .

. . . then Joy used Phillip's old toy doctor kit . . .

. . . to give Anna a thorough check-up (who knew you could check a baby's blood pressure in their leg?).

Doctor Joy also inspected and vaccinated anyone else who would sit still long enough. Every test she performed on me found some new ailment I didn't know I had.

Joy was really excited about the Christmas Eve music program, . . .

. . . and Phillip and I love the painting Pink Grandma gave us as a Christmas gift. I'm not sure if it was specifically of the Sacred Grove, but it certainly reminds me of that. Thanks, Mom H.

Stickers and Gumdrops

2011-12-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

We headed to Pink Grandma's house today for some holiday fun.

While Anna played with Uncle John and Aunt Emily . . .

. . . and Daniel scribbled a lot . . .

. . . the rest of us made gingerbread houses.

Mom, Laura, Emily, and John made the one on the left; Phillip, Joy, and I made the one on the right.

Joy also made a fun Christmas picture with Grandma.

Just three days until Christmas!

Cards At Our Fingertips

2011-12-22T22:38:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you combine . . .

. . . toddler fingertips, washable ink pads, and a fun holiday idea from a creative friend?

A cute little boy with a cute little Christmas card.

Reprisal of a Historical Impression

2011-12-21T20:29:00.000-08:00

Hey, Anna . . .

. . . do you know how to do an impression of the fall of Rome?

Sure! You start with the Pax Romana (27BC to 180AD).

180-193 AD - Period of insurrections

285-306 - Reign of Diocletian, empire split in two

455 - Vandal army sacks Rome (make sure to make a surly Vandal face)

476 - Last emperor deposed by Barbarians, beginning of Dark Ages (aka Terrible Twos)

How'd I do?

Homework Already???

2011-12-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

Recently Joy was at a friend's house when the oldest son was doing homework, and she asked to do some, too. The mom wrote out some little things for her to do (e.g. fill in the blanks in the alphabet), and Joy has been asking me to assign her more homework every day since then.

Here she is working on her latest assignment.

Today our little student filled in letters, identified shapes, and drew pictures.

We should probably explain to Daniel that it's not OK to look at someone else's paper.

Speaking of Daniel, he's taking an increased interest in art these days. He likes to color in his dinosaur coloring book, or tell me what letters or shapes to write in it.

Daniel also enjoys creating sticker art with his shirt as a canvas.

DIY Decor

2011-12-19T21:29:00.000-08:00

I decided to improvise with some of our Christmas decorations this year.

I can't seem to find a tree topper I like, so I put a pinwheel at the top instead. Maybe I'll try making something more traditional next year, but I kinda like the rainbow quirkiness of this year's "star."

I've had similar trouble finding a tree skirt I like, so I bought a $10 holiday tablecloth at Target, cut a line out from the center, and voila! Instant tree skirt.

In keeping with the do-it-yourself theme, Joy decorated our door with some of the fun holiday crafts she's made at preschool. You can tell how high a child can reach by where they hang their decorations.

Happy Birthday, Joyful One

2011-12-12T22:03:00.000-08:00

Guess who's five years old this week!

That's right - it's been five years since this young lady joined our family.

A couple days ago we went to Pink Grandma's house to celebrate with dinner and cupcakes.

Joy received the magnetic equivalent of paper dolls as a birthday gift (note Joy and Grandma's collaborative artwork adorning the windows in the background).

Today we had my family over for dessert and presents.

While Joy opened gifts, Heather entertained Daniel with his favorite YouTube video: the Fantasia version of Noah's Ark, starring Donald Duck. Heather soon had quite an audience gathered around her phone. Good times.

Happy Birthday, Joy!

Christmastime is Here

2011-12-03T21:45:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

At our ward Christmas party yesterday we were treated to a French horn quartet (you can see Daniel in front of the stage, listening with rapt attention), . . .

. . . and the kids posed for a picture with some guy in a red suit. It's funny--I can't quite bring myself to tell my kids that some bearded guy flies around in a sleigh and leaves presents under everyone's trees, but I still feel compelled to have them annually photographed with a red-suited stranger handing out candy. Humans are not rational creatures.

This afternoon we checked out the Southern California equivalent of snow drifts (a.k.a. lots of palm fronds blown down in the big wind storm a few days ago) . . .

. . . before heading to my grandma's house to watch the First Presidency Devotional. We had a lovely time, but this was the only good picture I caught from it. Awww . . . aren't they cute?

Beauty Pirate

2011-11-29T21:35:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if Anna looks worried because her sister is a little wild . . .

. . . or because Joy's actually a pirate with a pink eye-patch.

Puzzling with Papa

2011-11-27T21:20:00.000-08:00

It's been an eventful Sunday.

Joy gave a talk in Primary (with her helpful Daddy holding the visual aid) . . .

. . . then we drove to my parents' home during naptime.

The kids had fun doing puzzles with Papa (Daniel's wearing a bib because Anna makes them look so cool) . . .

. . . and we scored some elk meat from my dad's recent hunt (thanks, Papa :). Roast, anyone?

Thanksgiving II

2011-11-25T00:54:00.000-08:00

After Thanksgiving Dinner last night we all headed up to the cabin.

Andrew made us some carrot cake pancakes this morning . . .

. . . then we set to work putting up the Christmas tree.

Joy helped decorate . . .

. . . while Papa took Daniel on a walk.

This evening we went to Uncle Mark's house for a SECOND Thanksgiving Dinner. There were about fifteen adults and fifteen kids in attendance. It was chaos, in a good way. We had a great time.

And then we got a flat tire on the way home. On the freeway. Yeah, it was awesome.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T22:54:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Thanksgiving at Uncle Nile and Aunt Breta's this year. After savoring the sumptuous fare . . .

. . . we played Dress-Up, . . .

. . . dominoes, . . .

. . . and a few wild rounds of Pit, . . .

. . . and just enjoyed being together. As I reflect on my blessings this time of year, my family, my health, and the Gospel are at the top of my list.

Pre-Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-22T22:12:00.000-08:00

The kids decided to get into the holiday spirit by having a pre-Thanksgiving feast today.

They even dressed up in a Pilgrim hat Joy made at preschool and a little Indian headband we put together here at home.

For some reason they decided to switch headgear before the first course.

"The corn has been particularly good this year, Mr. Bradford. May I also recommend the brownies?"

The Pilgrims may not have approved of cards, but apparently the Indians enjoyed a rousing game of Uno after a good meal.

Mountain Morning

2011-11-12T16:42:00.000-08:00

It was rainy and windy last night, but this morning dawned lovely and cool.

We fed the blue jays . . .

. . . then Papa took the big kids for a walk.

It was a nice day for a stroll . . .

. . . and a game of Cootie.

Two Little Pigs

2011-11-11T16:33:00.000-08:00

At the cabin tonight, Papa introduced my kids to a game he liked to play when my siblings and I were young. It's called The Three Little Pigs. I recall it with a mix of nostalgia and residual trepidation.

The "pigs" would hide in various rooms of the house . . .

. . . then the "big bad wolf" would knock on the door and demand to come in. Of course, the wise pigs deny him admittance, whereupon the wolf threatens to huff, and puff, and blow their house in.

The wolf then opens the door and the pigs must flee to the next "house" or risk being "eaten (translation: tickled like crazy).

I'm happy to report that the little pigs got away safely . . . this time.

The Joy of Voting

2011-11-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

Joy was delighted when I told her it was election day today.

After I cast my ballot, a volunteer helped Joy with the practice ballot. Joy opted to reelect Abraham Lincoln . . . and virtually everyone else on the list. Yup - this girl loves to vote.

Here we are sporting our "I Voted" stickers.

Ribbons and Creative Spelling

2011-11-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

We've had fun with Pink Grandma this week.

She and the kids had a dance party at our place a few days ago.

Apparently it was a freeze dance party - you had to occasionally stop moving, then get your groove on again.

Today we visited Grandma for dinner and played with her magnetic alphabet. She had bought three of each letter, but there still weren't quite enough to spell all the names in our little family, so we spelled Daddy's nickname instead. :)

In case you can't quite make it out, his nickname is "P Dizzle." Long story.

Halloween Weekend

2011-10-31T15:36:00.000-07:00

It's been non-stop Halloween fun the past few days.

At our ward's "Trunk or Treat" activity on Saturday Joy proved she could hit the broad side of a pumpkin at two paces. Of course, the point was to get the beanbag in the hole, but the game hostess gave Joy a treat anyway.

This year Daniel (literally) grasped the concept of trick-or-treating, and garnered almost as many sweets as his big sister.

On Sunday we visited my parents' home to carve pumpkins with Papa, Uncle Robbie, Uncle Sean, and--of course--Aunt Heather.

Here's how the Jack-o-lanterns turned out.

At Joy's school today all the kids came in costume. Harry Potter helped them decorated haunted houses, then they had a costume parade and a little Halloween program.

We did so many fun Halloween activities over the weekend that trick-or-treating tonight almost seemed anticlimactic. I didn't want to disappoint the kids, though, so I took Joy and Daniel to knock a few doors on our street. The neighbors on our block don't get many trick-or-treaters, so they were very generous with their treats. Happy Halloween!

The Fairy and the Cowboy

2011-10-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

The big kids dressed up in their Halloween costumes today, . . .

. . . and we took a little walk . . .

. . . to a free Halloween party our community hosts at a local park. Joy had a great time on the inflatable bouncers.

Daniel spent most of his time just surveying the proceedings, . . .

. . . but he had a great time playing with the balloons once we got home.

Anna and Mat

2011-10-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

We introduced Anna to our little play mat this week.

Joy showed her all the fun animals she can look at and play with.

Anna seems pretty intrigued by it all.

So do her sibs.

Haunted Shack

2011-10-24T15:39:00.000-07:00

For our family home evening activity tonight . . .

. . . we made a haunted shack (an October cousin of the gingerbread house) out of graham crackers, icing, and candy.

It helps to have an engineer in the family.

He even carved graham cracker tombstones for the yard.

The candle really adds to the spooky ambiance, don't you think?

Family Fun

2011-10-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

We had a relaxing evening at home tonight.

Anna chilled with her new blanket on Joy's bed.

Joy and Daddy played Monopoly on Daddy's iPhone.

Daniel played with the train set . . .

. . . and gave his little sister some kisses. Awwww.

And me? I had fun taking the pictures. I love that digital cameras allow you to take dozens of shots and just keep the one or two that turn out well. Huzzah for modern technology!

A Gift, Some Tunes, and Colorful Weaponry

2011-10-21T15:11:00.000-07:00

We had a couple fun visitors yesterday.

Pink Grandma came in the morning, bearing a recorder and some colorful beads to make into necklaces.

She also brought a blanket for Anna, courtesy of Aunt Jennifer. Anna thinks it's swell.

Our neighbor Luke came over to play in the afternoon. He and Joy squared off using our inflatable light sabers. Use the Force, Luke.

Grandma let us borrow the beads until her next visit, so Joy suggested that we "dress up fancy" like Fancy Nancy does. Do you like my hat?

Of course, Daniel (aka "Chuck") thinks these colorful necklaces are boleadoras, and uses them accordingly (consequently, the beads are usually put away when he's awake). If you need someone to take down a runaway steer, Daniel's your man.

Fiery Furnace and Windows

2011-10-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

On our last day in Arches . . .

. . . some of our group went for a hike in the Fiery Furnace. I stayed back at camp with the kids, since the Furnace is a labyrinth of stone and we didn't want any of the bambinos to get lost.

Phillip said the Furnace hike was his favorite part of the trip because he loved clambering around on the rocks.

My brother Andrew drove down for the day, and joined them on the hike; it's always great to see him.

In the afternoon my parents watched the kids while Phillip and I went on a date to the Windows. After doing so many activities at the speed of toddlers, we enjoyed hiking around together at our own pace. I sure love my sweetheart.

Here Phillip puts the South Window Arch in perspective. The Windows were impressive, but he still prefers his Mac. :)

We've had a great time at Arches, but we're getting worn out and it's time to head home.

Admiring the Landscape

2011-10-14T10:36:00.000-07:00

We started our second day in Arches with . . .

. . . a rousing game of Duck, Duck, Goose . . .

. . . then a hike to Landscape Arch, one of the longest natural spans in the world at 290'. You used to be able to hike under it, but since 1991 three big slabs (the biggest was 70' long) have broken off the narrowest portion, so the park closed that part of the trail. Dad thinks the arch will crumble completely in our lifetimes.

While the adults admired the arch, Daniel got in touch with nature by doing a little sand painting.

Joy and Daddy went on a little hike of their own, . . .

. . . then we drove across the park to visit the massive Double Arch near the Parade of Elephants arches.

As sunset approached, everyone hiked up to Delicate Arch while I watched the kids back at camp. Sunset at Delicate Arch is a breathtaking sight, and Phillip has dozens of pictures to prove it. I'll just post one. :)

Tapestry Arch and Broken Arch

2011-10-13T15:28:00.000-07:00

On our first day in the park we decided to take a short hike to some arches near our campground.

While Grandma and Uncle Rob watched Anna at camp, we hiked to Tapestry Arch with Papa and Aunt Heather.

We climbed right up under the central arch and got a nice view of the valley.

Daniel wasn't in a big hurry to get to the next stop, so we took turns carrying him most of the way.

If you look in the foreground of this shot, you can see a small stack of rocks called a cairn. In years past, some thoughtful soul placed cairns every few yards along the trail to help people find their way. The dirt path is easy enough to follow because it's so well trodden, but when you're hiking on bare rock it's nice to have the markers to show you where to go. I suppose that's like life--sometimes the right choices are obvious, but other times they're not so clear and I'm grateful for the Gospel to guide me.

Our last stop was Broken Arch. The arch is so named because there is a big crack at the top. It isn't actually broken . . . yet.

Road Trip!

2011-10-13T15:21:00.000-07:00

My parents rented an RV this week, and we set off on a road trip to Arches National Park.

It was nice to be able to sleep on the long drive.

Anna slept like a champ in her new basket (thank you, Baby).

We pitched camp in the Devil's Garden, . . .

. . . then Joy climbed rocks with Aunt Heather . . .

. . . while Anna and I hung out with Uncle Rob.

More fun pics forthcoming!

Fun Times

2011-10-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

It's starting to get chilly, but we're still finding fun things to do, indoors and out.

Like playing with Daddy's train . . .

. . . jumping in puddles . . .

. . . tossing a ball around out front . . .

. . . having a seat on Daddy's sweet ride . . .

. . . and testing out Anna's new Moses basket. I think it's a little small for you, Buddy.

Multi-Kid Photo Shoot

2011-10-06T15:57:00.000-07:00

While we're on the subject of photographing the bambinos, here's the evolution of a holiday photo shoot with all three kids:

Initial shot - decent but not great. We can surely do better.

Someone is making a weird face because I caught them mid-blink.

No one is looking at the camera.

The baby is starting to get fed up with all this photographic nonsense.

And . . . the baby is officially DONE with the photo shoot. Time to put the camera away.

Joy Shoot

2011-10-05T15:04:00.000-07:00

Here's the evolution of a typical photo shoot with Joy:

Initial, neutral position

Getting a little silly

Very silly

SUPER silly

Now that we've gotten all THAT out of our system, here's a smile.

Halloween Treasures

2011-10-04T14:48:00.000-07:00

I love the holiday season. We're already gearing up for Halloween.

We have a little pumpkin family outside our door . . .

. . . and last night I made a little treasure hunt for our home evening activity. My dad makes treasure hunt clues with fun poems and riddles, but I kept it simple this time--just sticky notes telling Joy where to go for the next clue.

Soon enough she found the treasure in the diaper bag.

There was a holiday outfit for each of the kids.

Joy was so excited that she put her shirt on right away (it matched her shorts ;). She even wore it to bed tonight. Guess I picked a winner.

Inspiration and Relaxation

2011-10-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

We gathered with family to watch General Conference this weekend.

Anna was stoked. Actually, most of my photos from our time at the cabin were of people sleeping in a car seat, . . .

. . . on the porch (perhaps it was cooler out there?), . . .

. . . or on the carpet. Beds are so overrated.

I swear we watched Conference, too, and it was inspiring as always.

We also got to meet Mom H's new dog, Poppy, . . .

. . . and we all cuddled Anna a lot. It was a really good weekend.

Sardines and Dominoes

2011-09-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

Just a few glimpses of our little family these days:

No vacancy in the back seat of our car.

Joy and Daddy proud of the winding paths they created in their game of dominoes.

Daniel loves to name colors, and his current favorite book is Mouse Paint. After you read the text on each page, he names every color on it. In this case it was, "lellow, bwoo, bwoo, lellow!"

Fun, Games, and a Blessing

2011-09-25T14:34:00.000-07:00

Anna received her baby blessing from Daddy at church this morning. The blessing was beautiful, and it was wonderful to see so many family members there to share the joy.

In the evening we went to my parents' home for dinner and a rousing game of Duck Duck Goose.

Daniel's still a little confused about how the game works.

Fortunately he has Daddy to help him out.

Happy Autumn

2011-09-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

Today is the Autumnal Equinox (first day of Autumn), and we celebrated in the usual way:

. . . by baking pumpkin cookies!

Joy made sure the butterscotch chips were of acceptable quality . . .

. . . then dumped the rest into the mixing bowl. Joy excels at dumping.

I probably should have photographed the finished cookies, but let's face it - when I'm around pumpkin cookies, I'm usually too busy eating to think about photography.

We also collected some fall leaves and made leaf rubbings to tape on our door.

Apparently, like most art projects, leaf rubbings are a very subjective thing - there's no single right way to do them.

Books and Cuddles

2011-09-22T16:11:00.000-07:00

Pink Grandma came to visit today.

She read to the big kids (I like the picture of of Joy on our monitor, looking over their shoulders) . . .

. . . and cuddled Anna a while.

Of course, no one cuddles Anna more than her big sister.

Homemade Yogurt

2011-09-16T15:21:00.000-07:00

I recently tried making yogurt in my crock pot. It tasted fine but didn't thicken up much, so I did a little research and decided to try making yogurt with a thermos instead.

First I heated two cups of 2% milk in the microwave until it was 180 degrees (it took about 4 minutes), . . .

. . . then I let it cool to 110 degrees (that took about 45 minutes).

I stirred in a couple tablespoons of yogurt (I've heard Stoneyfield is good because it has six different bacteria cultures), . . .

. . . then poured everything into a big thermos (which I previously rinsed with boiling water to heat and sterilize it). The milk has to stay around 110 degrees for over six hours or so for the yogurt culture to do its thing, and I figured an insulated thermos was the easiest way to achieve that.

Sure enough--six hours later the concoction in my thermos was thick and still 106 degrees (sorry you can't see the thermometer--you'll just have to trust me). I poured it into a clean container, then put it in the fridge to chill and thicken up some more overnight. I bet it will taste great with some honey stirred in tomorrow.

A Fishy First Day of School

2011-09-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

Today was Joy's first day of class at her new preschool.

Of course, she chose to wear her signature rainbow pants.

Her teacher welcomed us to class . . .

. . . and the kids got to choose whether to start the day playing Sea Creature Bingo (the class is doing an ocean theme for the first few weeks) . . .

. . . or paint bubble wrap to stamp bubbles on paper (while the parents all snapped lots of photos).

After a few minutes, Joy's teacher told the parents it was time to go, so Joy gave me a hug and told me I could leave. I was glad she felt comfortable enough to let me go, but I also felt a little wistful. [Sniff] My little girl is starting school. Before I know it she'll be leaving for college.

At the end of the day, Joy was excited to show me a sticker picture she made, and to tell me about all the fun things she did. We're both eager to see what the rest of the school year holds for her.

Out and About

2011-09-10T22:52:00.000-07:00

We've been sticking pretty close to home lately, but I try to get the kids outside at some point each day to burn off some energy and stave off cabin fever.

Sometimes they just run around the courtyard.

Other times they go for a ride . . .

. . . or out on a limb.

You're Welcome

2011-09-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

Little Anna is receiving a warm welcome from her siblings.

She's getting cuddles . . .

. . . and kisses.

Lots and lots of kisses.

Our Anna-ouncement

2011-08-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

Before

After :)

We're thrilled to announce that Anna Marie Hendrickson joined our little family this past weekend. She weighed 8 pounds 10 ounces, was 22.5" long, and came into the world with no complications (thanks, Little Girl).

She followed her big sister's example, being born with lots of dark hair, and getting a touch of jaundice in the hospital. Fortunately, after a little light therapy (she was the Blue Light Special for a few hours) she was cleared to come home . . .

. . . and meet her sibs. Joy has already given her lots of kisses, and Daniel (our man of few words) even has a name for her: Mih-mih. They both think Anna's pretty nifty.

Welcome, Anna. We love you already.

Accessories and Reptiles

2011-08-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Joy asked me to read Fancy Nancy a few times this afternoon, then informed me that she wanted to dress up "fancy." We don't really have any dress-up clothes (which one of Joy's gal pals finds utterly scandalous) . . .

. . . but Joy decided my scarf fit the bill nicely.

Lest things get a little too girly around here, Daniel makes it abundantly clear that his favorite toy is his stuffed lizard, followed closely by our wooden train set.

A Miner Addition

2011-08-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Phillip returned from Utah today . . .

. . . where he and the family celebrated John and Emily's wedding.

We're so excited to have Uncle John be part of our family.

Awww . . . they're so cute.

Joy and Calvin

2011-08-15T09:29:00.000-07:00

Joy is a big fan of Calvin and Hobbes.* I have several old C&H treasuries, and I view her interest in them with equal parts nostalgia and trepidation (Calvin is very entertaining, but as a parent I'm realizing he isn't the greatest role model).

Joy likes looking at the pictures on her own, . . .

. . . or having me read her a few pages.

She'll even "read" C&H to Daniel, if he'll hold still long enough, . . .

. . . though he usually prefers board books.

When she isn't reading, Joy likes to plink around on the piano (usually either "Praise to the Man" or some little tune of her own creation) . . .

. . . or practice flying.

*Just a heads up: The comic archive I linked to has great examples of C&H strips, but the commentator has a potty mouth.

An Open House and Open Arms

2011-08-13T16:45:00.000-07:00

We are excited to welcome a new member to the Hendrickson family. No, Baby Girl hasn't arrived yet--I'm talking about almost-Uncle John.

He and Emily came to visit us last night, and Joy had a great time playing with him. Looks like Joy built the Mesa Temple and John made the Los Angeles Temple.

Tonight we attended an open house to celebrate Emily and John's wedding next week.

It was fun to see familiar faces . . .

. . . and get to know John's family (here are his mom and sister chatting with Pink Grandma, while Joy deepens her relationship with Grandma's iPod).

After the guests headed home, the kids had a little after-party party with Grandma and her pop-up books.

Welcome to the family, John!

Cheesy Playdate

2011-08-10T15:24:00.000-07:00

Nicole and I made cheese today. That's right, I said cheese.

We followed this mozzarella recipe, adding citric acid (courtesy of Whole Foods Market) at 55 degrees . . .

. . . then some liquid rennet (also courtesy of WFM) at 88 degrees. You can see that the milk is already starting to curdle.

At 100 degrees we scooped out the curds . . .

. . . then microwaved them a few times, squeezing out more whey each time. We then kneaded them a bit . . .

. . . and rolled the resulting cheese into balls. Considering that we started out with a gallon of milk, we didn't produce very much cheese. Now I know why cheese is so expensive.

We ate some of the cheese for lunch with bread and fresh basil. It was pretty good for a second attempt (our first was last week, using a different recipe, and the milk never curdled), but the flavor and texture left a little to be desired. Practice makes perfect, they say. My next dairy-related project will probably be yogurt, though--I hear it's easier, and we love it even more than cheese.

Speaking of home dairy production, we didn't want the kids to feel left out, so Nicole gave them jars of heavy whipping cream to shake until it turned into butter. The result was pretty soft and needed salt, but they seemed to have fun, which was the whole point.

Incidentally, Daniel's jar privileges were promptly revoked when I informed Nicole that he can open childproof caps. Fortunately, there were plenty of light switches to occupy him in lieu of the butter jar.

Burritos and Corn Dogs

2011-08-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

This morning we went over to Red Grandma's house for a swim.

The cool water felt lovely on such a warm day.

Joy played in Grandma's raft . . .

. . . while Daniel and I tossed the ball around.

Then we dried off (here's Joy being a "burrito") . . .

. . . and went inside for a delicious lunch of grapes, corn dogs, and Hot Tamales (you can have 'em, Daniel; I'll take the Junior Mints).

Art at the Station

2011-07-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

The kids and I took a walk this morning . . .

. . . and found an art class painting a cafe near the train station.

If they'd known we were coming, they might have passed on the cafe and painted Joy's colorful pants instead.

Castles in the Sand

2011-07-21T15:54:00.000-07:00

We decided this would be a fine day to visit the park.

Joy pushed her brother in the swing for a while . . .

. . . then built a sandcastle (and decided it needed some sprinkles).

Hmmm . . . what to next?

True Grit

2011-07-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

The kids and I joined some friends at the beach today.

When I put up our umbrella, Joy immediately moved into sun and lay down. I thought she was a little young to care about getting a tan, but she explained that she was just trying to get warm in the sunshine (it was surprisingly cool there for a July day).

As for the liquid portion of the beach, this is about as close as Joy wanted to get to it. We tried wading in the ocean together, but having even a few inches of water rushing toward her feet was apparently unnerving to Joy, and she fled in terror at least twice before the water even got close to us. Eventually she suggested an alternative: I could pick her up and dip her feet in the ocean after the wave had rushed past me. We did that a few times, then Joy decided to spend the rest of the outing playing in the safe, stationary sand.

Daniel was content to do that the entire time.

He also ate several fistfuls of the gritty stuff. Ew. I can't see how the flavor or texture could be remotely appealing, but hey, he didn't ask my opinion.

Jedi Academy (and Cake)

2011-07-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

Joy attended a friend's Star Wars birthday party this morning.

After some brief training in lightsaber handling (i.e. use sabers to pop bubbles) . . .

. . . the kids got to square off with Darth Vader himself. They were supposed to take him on one at a time, but the eager young Jedi all mobbed him at once . . .

. . . and Vader soon fled out the back gate to fight another day.

Um, young apprentice, touch not the red end of the saber. Burn you it can.

Tacos, Trains, and Dominoes

2011-07-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

We took the train to Memorial Park again today.

The playground was fun . . .

. . . but the kids' favorite part was still watching the trains go by. My favorite part was trying some Al Pastor tacos at King Taco down the street.

And speaking of fun, Joy has discovered that she likes playing dominoes. She and I often play several games in the afternoons while Daniel is napping. It's probably educational since numbers are involved, but she doesn't need to know that.

Forest Getaway

2011-07-09T16:55:00.000-07:00

We decided to take a little family camping trip this weekend.

Daniel would have been happy going anywhere as long as we took the lantern along.

We set up camp next door to my parents, and stayed up late eating Dutch oven cobbler, roasting s'mores, and watching the campfire embers glow.

This morning Joy and Papa woke up early . . .

. . . and Daddy and Daniel slept in late . . .

. . . then took a nice walk by the stream. We all enjoyed getting away from it all for a little while.

Classmate Playdate

2011-07-07T22:30:00.000-07:00

Joy starts at a new preschool in the fall, and the mom of a fellow student arranged a playdate at the park today.

Here's Joy swinging with one of her future classmates . . .

. . . and Daniel being a backseat driver to the girl's sister.

There was some guy named Buzz at the park, too, but I don't think he's in Joy's class.

Joy's Holiday Star Shirt

2011-07-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

I recently saw a fun craft idea on a friend's blog, and decided it would be a fun activity to try with Joy over the holiday weekend.

We cut some stars out of freezer paper (you can buy it at the grocery store, near the foil) . . .

. . . then Joy arranged them on a shirt and we ironed them on, shiny side down. Joy wanted to make a "J" design on her shirt - we won't tell her that it's backward.

Up at the cabin we painted the stars with fabric paint . . .

. . . and blow-dried them dry. We then added another coat of paint, and blow-dried again.

Once the second coat was dry, Joy pulled the freezer paper off . . .

. . . and voila!, a hand-made holiday shirt! Since it was a little big on her, Joy can wear it next year, too (hopefully she'll still think it's cool a year from now).

Fun and Games

2011-07-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

Our family headed up to my parents' cabin for Fourth of July weekend this year.

There was bunting . . .

. . . and hunting. Rob and Joy never did manage to catch a blue jay, but apparently they enjoyed the suspense of trying.

Daniel enjoyed reading with Aunt Heather . . .

. . . and Joy discovered that she likes playing Chinese checkers.

And, of course, we had a lot of fun on the lake - until the fireworks started. Joy decided they were WAY too loud for her liking, and she didn't mind letting everyone know it. We're bringing her some earplugs next time.

Birthday Boys and Lost Treasure

2011-06-27T16:54:00.000-07:00

This evening we attended a family party in honor of Papa and Uncle Rob's birthdays. We ate a delicious dinner, played hide & seek, tossed the bocce balls around, then went inside for dessert.

Joy helped serenade the birthday boys . . .

. . . then assisted Rob as he opened his presents.

If you look carefully, you'll see a big box of Junior Mints in front of Papa. Joy was so inspired by all the gift giving last Sunday that she wanted to give Papa a late Father's Day present today. We bought him some Junior Mints earlier this week and wrapped them up, then for some reason Joy decided to hide them. Of course, we couldn't find them for days. Fortunately, I finally happened upon them last night. The Lord truly answers prayers.

Sweet Reward

2011-06-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

We filled up our Sweet Jar earlier this week . . .

. . . and had our sweet reward. Mmm . . . Menchie's. :)

While there's no doubt that we enjoyed our fro yo, it's harder to say whether the exercise in recognizing each other's kindness significantly benefited our family. I felt like most of the pom poms were put in by yours truly, acknowledging things people would have done even if the Sweet Jar wasn't sitting on our table. Ah well - if nothing else we got a sweet outing out of the deal.

Trikes, Trouble, and Purplish Frog

2011-06-24T15:19:00.000-07:00

Pink Grandma came to visit today.

She colored a pop-up card with Joy . . .

. . . and they played a round of Trouble, . . .

. . . then Grandma read a few books with Daniel before taking him for a ride around the block on his tricycle. A good time was had by all.

Thanks for visiting, Grandma!

Father's Day Weekend

2011-06-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

We've had a fun Father's Day weekend.

Saturday evening Phillip's dad joined us for dinner and helped us make a new model train setup.

Sunday evening we joined my family to honor all the dads (present and future) in our clan.

We guessed whose shoes were whose (any guess which ones are Phillip's?), . . .

. . . admired the manly centerpieces, . . .

. . . and did a little hiking . . .

. . . and rock climbing. :)

Love to all the dads in our lives, especially you, Phillip. Thanks for working so hard and loving us so much.

Pom Pom Games

2011-06-16T21:16:00.000-07:00

At Family Home Evening this week we started a Sweet Jar.

Every time we see a family member do something sweet (e.g. helping out or playing nicely), we comment on it and put a pom pom in the Sweet Jar. Once it's full, we'll go someplace sweet: Menchie's!

When Papa came to visit the next day, he showed Joy some fun things to do with the spare pom poms. Joy had so much fun that she and I took turns making up more pom pom games today.

We made a pom pom rainbow . . .

. . . and pom pom pyramids . . .

. . . and even pom pom people.

And, just in case you're wondering, Joy does know how to smile.

Sew Easy and Sew Fun

2011-06-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

This evening, the ward Relief Society got together to make T-shirt dresses for children in third world countries. Once they're finished, they'll be shipped to the Church's Humanitarian Center for distribution wherever the need is greatest (probably Africa).

Many sisters brought their own machines, and we worked assembly line fashion. I have minimal sewing skills and no machine, so I brought my iron and ironing board to press seams instead. And I helped everyone eat the snacks we brought.

We have a goal to finish 100 dresses this summer. Tonight we started 65 and finished about 25 of them. Sometime later in the summer we'll have another activity to pick up where we left off and finish the rest.

Jammin'

2011-06-07T16:00:00.000-07:00

My mom, sister, and I got together to make some strawberry freezer jam this afternoon.

Heather says mashing berries is SOOO much fun. :)

Mmmm . . . just look at all the ruby red goodness in those jars. Thanks, Mom.

Groupers and Pigeons and Sharks--Oh My!

2011-06-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

We visited the Aquarium of the Pacific with some friends today.

We had a lot of fun checking out the endless variety of fish ("Just a little closer, Dad--I can almost reach that shiny, silver one").

The giant spider crab is still the freakiest thing in the aquarium (and possibly the planet), but it was also kind of unnerving to see Joy standing next to a huge grouper that looked like it could swallow her whole.

On the other hand, I had a good laugh observing homo sapiens windexia (a glass-cleaning subspecies of human).

Joy is a fan of Finding Nemo, so she was pretty excited when we found a tank full of clown fish and blue tangs.

She also enjoyed petting the bamboo sharks, which I had to agree was pretty cool.

Daniel's favorite part of the outing was chasing pigeons around.

Stickers and Swivels

2011-06-03T17:07:00.000-07:00

We gave Pink and Red Grandma notepad frames for Mother's Day this year.

Pink Grandma and Joy decorated one of the pages when we visited today.

Joy's pretty proud of the result, and rightfully so. I'm amazed at what they created with just some stickers and colored pencils.

And speaking of fun, back at home our neighbor let Joy try out his unique scooter. You don't have to put your foot on the ground to move it forward--you just swivel your hips. Joy swiveled her head more than anything else, but she still managed to propel it at a decent clip.

Graduation Party

2011-06-01T16:45:00.000-07:00

Joy's preschool group held their graduation party today.

The kids decorated their initials . . .

. . . then heard a story and played a fun alphabet game.

Time for a class picture - smile and say "summer vacation!"

Here's Joy receiving her certificate. It's been a fun year.

Who Needs a Photo Booth?

2011-05-26T15:59:00.000-07:00

Joy and I decided to wear hats on our walk today, and we agreed that this momentous decision deserved to be visually recorded for posterity.

Unfortunately, some parties initially had trouble smiling for the camera . . .

. . . so I told Joy that if we did a smiley picture . . .

. . . we could do a silly one after it.

Trains Trump Parks

2011-05-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

Most of the time when I take a walk with the kids . . .

. . . the view ahead of me looks like this . . .

. . . and the view behind me looks like this. It's not that Daniel can't keep up; he just usually prefers to take things a little slower. I guess Joy was the same way at his age.

This particular stroll took us to the train station, where we caught a train to a fun park.

The kids immediately set to work climbing and sliding.

Joy and I even played a game of Tic Tac Toe.

The biggest attraction, though, was the trains that came by every few minutes. Whenever the kids heard one pull into the station, they would drop whatever they were doing to go peer through the fence and watch the train disappear into a tunnel. Who'd have thought that a train would be more captivating than a playground?

The Joy of Art

2011-05-22T14:13:00.000-07:00

Joy's passion for art continues.

Some of her works are fairly easy to interpret (even if her expression isn't), . . .

. . . while others are more abstract. I asked Joy what she was painting here, and she replied that it was just something fun, with spikes.

Joy also likes to print random coloring pages off the internet (it's never too early to get ready for Halloween!), . . .

. . . and today she brought this home from Primary. At first I thought they had discussed King Triton in Sunday school, but Joy informed me that it was, in fact, the prophet Abinadi (with a crown and a really impressive tan).

More Unconventional Cooking

2011-05-17T22:31:00.000-07:00

A friend recently introduced me to Shelf Reliance's freeze-dried foods. Many of their freeze-dried meats, fruits, and veggies store for 25 years, and they taste like the original version (as opposed to, say, canned meats which always taste like some variant of tuna). I was particularly impressed by their powdered milk, which actually tastes like milk instead of some bizarre mutation of it. I've never tried any other powdered milk that I could bear to drink straight, but you'd have thought SR's came direct from the dairy.

I bought a few of their products to try in my own kitchen, using their Crazy Good Chili recipe. I confess I tinkered with it a little bit (I added beans, and since I didn't have the freeze-dried corn or onions I used frozen and dehydrated, respectively), but otherwise the ingredients and seasonings were pretty consistent with the recipe.

The result was very tasty. The meat looked a little odd (like uniform-sized pellets), but the flavor and texture were great, and I definitely plan to try more of their products. Assuming they are as good as the things we tried tonight, I'll buy more to slowly add variety to our food storage. I'm grateful to have found sources of meat, fruit, and veggies that actually taste good, because most canned meats and produce aren't that great, and I probably won't have access to cows, chickens, or a farmer's market in an emergency.

On a different note, I tried making my usual chocolate chip cookie recipe in the solar oven a couple days ago.

The kids agreed the result was even better than the muffins.

Random Sampler

2011-05-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

What have the kids been up to lately?

Literature Appreciation

A Solitaire Variation of Trouble

Bouncing on the Lifeboats

Resting up for Tomorrow

Solar Cookie Muffins

2011-05-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

I finally worked up the courage to try making cookies in my solar oven today.

My cookie sheets don't fit inside the oven, but the "no fail" solar cookie recipe I was trying said I could use mini muffin tins instead. The choice turned out to be fortuitous, because when I sampled the finished "cookies" their taste and texture was surprisingly muffin-like. I've since compared the recipe to several others, and found that it's a near perfect match for an oatmeal muffin recipe in one of my cookbooks. Weird.

Fortunately, the mix-up didn't keep the kids from gobbling several muffins apiece.

Hmmm . . . I think it needs a little more salt next time, Mama.

Down By The Station

2011-05-09T16:35:00.000-07:00

The kids and I took a stroll to a local train station this afternoon.

Joy loved watching the trains go by . . .

. . . and Daniel could have sat for hours watching the stoplights change.

Joy and I also worked on our soccer skillz . . .

. . . and checked out some temporary sidewalk art someone put up for our cultural edification. If you can spot Joy in this picture, you get a virtual cookie.

Joy at the Temple

2011-05-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

My sister Heather and her fiance Sean were married for time and eternity in the LA Temple today. It was a sacred, beautiful occasion, and most of the time I was so excited for my sister that I wanted to squeal like a little girl.

Aw . . . aren't they cute?

Joy was excited to be there with the bride . . .

. . . and Papa . . .

. . . and the big coral tree . . .

. . . and the Savior. Because, after all, He's the whole reason eternal families are possible.

Family + Food = Party

2011-05-05T22:13:00.000-07:00

Daddy spent the night at my parents' home fixing Papa's computer . . .

. . . and this morning the kids and I took the train out to join them . . .

. . . for the traditional pre-wedding dinner with our extended family and Sean's. As always, Aunt Lisa did an amazing job with the food and decor, and it was fun to touch base with family members who had come from out of state.

After dinner Joy palled around with Cousin Sophie (where could she be hiding???) . . .

. . . and played tic-tac-toe with Aunt Heather . . .

. . . while The Butler opened the door for everyone as they came and went. He also consumed most of the potato chips at the appetizer table while Joy nibbled the lettuce garnish.

Here Comes the Sun

2011-05-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

We had another (mercifully brief) heat wave this week, so Joy decided to take a dip in the pool today.

She is now tall enough to walk along the shallowest part of the pool and keep her head above water, . . .

. . . but most of the time she still prefers to use a pool ring . . .

. . . then wrap up in a cozy towel afterward.

Chili con Cornbread del Sol

2011-05-03T23:40:00.000-07:00

The days have been sunny lately and the weather is heating up, so I've decided to do some more solar oven experiments to avoid heating up my kitchen.

9:00am - Preheat oven while mixing up chili (I browned and seasoned the beef last night).

9:20am - Cover the chili and put it in the oven, which has heated to 225 degrees in just twenty minutes.

12:00pm - Turn oven to face sun again.
2:00pm - Turn oven again. Chili smells great.
3:30pm - Add another pot with cornbread batter in it. Pray it turns out well.

4:15pm - Remove cornbread and discover that it looks spongy, but it feels done. Take it inside to cool.
6:45pm - Sun is setting but the oven is still a toasty 175 degrees. Phillip arrives home for dinner, so I bring the chili and oven inside.
7:00pm - Eat dinner. The chili's OK--great texture, but the seasoning is kind of strong. It smelled milder and more tomatoey a few hours earlier, so perhaps I should have simmered it for six hours instead of nine. It's nearly impossible to burn things in a solar oven, but the flavor or texture can still suffer if you cook them too long. Try, try again.

The cornbread was delicious.

Easter Games

2011-04-24T15:56:00.000-07:00

We've enjoyed the egg hunts, candy, and general fun of Easter, but I wanted to make sure it had a spiritual element, too. Last night I cut out a picture of Christ, and a wax paper outline in the same shape. I explained to Joy that the picture represented Christ's body, and the wax paper His spirit. We put His "body" in a box just like His friends did after He died on the cross, and His "spirit" went up to "heaven" (the shelf of our piano).

This morning, Joy was delighted to see that the "tomb" was empty, and Christ had resurrected (I taped the "body" and "spirit" together so they wouldn't come apart again). And then we made pancakes, cuz no celebration is complete without some good food.

After church we headed to Papa's house for dinner and some holiday family fun. Joy played "Red Light, Green Light" with Papa and Uncle Robbie . . .

. . . then they played "Duck, Duck, Goose."

Since the circle of players was really too small to sprint around, they decided to run around the sofa instead.

Then Joy showed Papa and Daddy how to do a puzzle . . .

. . . and Papa taught Joy how to play croquet.

Here's Joy showing the ball who's boss. Good times. :)

Temple Outing

2011-04-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

We took a family trip to the LA Temple today.

Joy did some hi-tech doodling in the Visitors' Center . . .

. . . and we strolled the grounds so we could see . . .

. . . a newly-sealed bride and groom exit the north door to greet their loved ones. We're so excited for Heather and Sean to be sealed next month!

Also, I couldn't resist taking a picture of this statue of a mother dancing with her two daughters and son, since we'll have two girls and a boy after Baby arrives.

Early Easter

2011-04-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

Pink Grandma came to visit today and treated us to some early Easter fun.

She hid Easter eggs for the kids . . .

. . . then she and Joy played an alphabet matching game . . .

. . . to spell words like Spring, rabbit, and Savior.

Meanwhile, Daniel played with my new desk chair* . . .

. . . then had fun reading with Grandma.

Thanks, Grandma!

*Yes, my new "chair" is an exercise ball. I always sit with lousy posture in regular desk chairs, and I've heard that sitting on an exercise ball can improve posture and tone core muscles. I found one for $10 on Craig's List, and figured it was worth a try. At any rate, the kids love our new "toy."

Big Little Boy

2011-04-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's hard to believe my "baby" boy is old enough to . . .

. . . "read" books . . .

. . . climb ladders at parks . . .

. . . and go down big slides by himself.

My Little Buddy is becoming such a big boy.

Newb Camp, Art, and Grilled Pineapple

2011-04-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

While the bambinos spent the weekend with my parents (thanks again!), Phillip and I went on a fun road trip together.

Our first stop was at Zion National Park. We called this Newb Camp, since we have little camping experience and we forgot so many things (gloves, cocoa, etc.). We did do most things right, though. For example, we brought good, easy food (which we successfully cooked and ate), and cozy sleeping bags (it was COLD that night). Also, Phillip staked our tent so it didn't blow over when the wind picked up in the middle of the night.

While we were there, we took a short hike to the Lower Emerald Pool (fed by the waterfalls in the photo), . . .

. . . and on the way out of the park we stopped at a rock shop where Phillip bought some highly-magnetized hematite balls that clack against each other when you toss them in the air. That was seriously one of the highlights of the trip for him. :)

For lunch we hit Cabela's to try their buffalo burger and sandwich. We made the stunning discovery that buffalo tastes . . . just like beef. Oh well, at least now we know. The fries were the best I've had in years.

Our next stop was BYU, my beloved alma mater. We bought some Y gear at the bookstore, then toured the Carl Bloch exhibit at the Museum of Art. It was very inspiring--I gained greater appreciation for the Savior, and for Bloch's ability to bring out both the divinity and humanity of scripture stories he portrays.

And then we went to Tucano's Brazilian Grill for dinner, which was seriously one of the highlights of the trip for me. Ahhh . . . grilled pineapple, feijoada (Brazilian rice and beans), and more kinds of rotisserie-grilled meat than you can shake a stick at. :)