At the train park in Scottsdale with the Endlsey'st

 The kids didn't have the best time on the carosel

 Thing 1

 Thing 2

Our Tron costumes.

 They looked much better in the dark

 And our friends...just a couple of big boobs...

HAPPY 29th TO ME

I just wanted to let everyone know that I have the best husband in the world.  Yesterday was my birthday and he got me a new laptop.  I am feeling that this will really help with my blogging efforts.  Thank you husband.  Hope you enjoy the pictures of Florida above.

Florida

At the end of September, our little family went to visit my Aunt and cousin in Florida.  It was great to be able to wear shorts again, play on the beach, and visit with some people we love.  It really was an adventure. 

We went to this super fun park.  This is Curtis with all the kids:)

The plane ride really wasn't so bad.  All you need is a cookie right?

Aunt Noni and Uncle Jim took us to the Alligator Farm.  How cool is that !  We got super close, even pet a baby alligator.  Cooper threw his binkie into one of the alligator pits.  It got gobbled up pretty quick.  He kept on saying "Dee dee go bye bye."  Even a few weeks after we asked them what alligators say.  Kennedy chomped her teeth, Cooper said "dee dee go bye bye."

 Down by the river, this really was a sign that said be ware of alligators.  I'm smiling, but really I was scared to death.  The funny thing is it was right by a canoo ramp built by a kid for his eagle scout project.

 Here is a video of a baby aligaor in the river by the restaurant we ate at. He really was just a couple feet away from us, swimming around. AHHHH!


                                        

A Healer in Every Home

This is not a business blog so I’ve been hesitant to make a post on the subject, but many of you know what a part of my life essential oils have become over the past year. I feel like I should share my story so that casual references to doTERRA won’t leave any readers confused. In October of last year, I was searching for a more natural way to take care of my family’s health. It seemed like Cooper was always getting sick and I just didn’t think it was acceptable to be giving him drugs with such harsh side effects. My sister, Kelli, told me I might want to check out essential oils and that her friends mom would be happy to teach us about them. We went to her house very skeptical of what it was that she could share with us. The more she talked, the more I felt that this was the answer I was looking for. They were natural, they were safe for babies, 50-70 times more powerful and potent than herbs, they work FAST, many of them smell great, they work for bacterial and viral infections, they can help with headaches or stomachaches, there was a starter kit called the Family Physician Kit where I could get started and have what I need on hand for only $150, and above all they went through rigorous testing to ensure purity and potence. It really answered all of my questions. This past year has been a process and a journey. I have bought into the mission of one of my mentors Laura Jacobs “A Healer in Every Home.” I feel it is important for us to be able to take care of our own families. I now have the confidence that I can take care of my family and resources to go to when I don’t have the answer. I feel so blessed to have found doTERRA that I can’t keep it inside of me. I truly do believe that I have something that WILL bless your life if you will give it a chance.


If you want more information go here:
http://www.andithompson.idoterra.com/
www.mydoterra.com/andithompson

Or contact me at:
(435-) 531-1291

Summer of Weddings

I had 3 step sisters get married this summer: on in July, one in August, and one in September. We put a lot of miles on the car, but somehow managed to come home with only a few pictures. All the weddings were fun and beautiful, but here's what we captured from Chelsea's wedding. We couldnt' resist the awesome brick wall.  Sure do love you girls.

I ran my first marathon...

On September 17th, 20011 I ran the Top of Utah Marathon. I didn't have my camera so I'll have to get pictures later, but here are my thoughts....

There was a time when I emphatically said: "I will never run a marathon, that's just too far." Having now completed one and feeling really good about it I emphatically state: "Your mind and body will do anything you train them to do and with ease." A few months before the race, I researched some training schedules and put them together to fit my personal schedule and what seemed right for me. I stuck to this almost exactly. The longest training run I ran was 18 miles and it was hard. The next week I 14 and it was just as hard. I started to realize on an even deeper level how much control I allow my mind to have on my physical limitations.

As the race got closer, I started to wonder if I'd done enough to prepare. As the doubt crept in I forced myself to acknowledge that I had followed my training program so that had to be good enough. I started the race with my dad and my running buddy Shanalee and was prepared for a good time.

What I wasn't prepared for was the rain. As my dad put it "it was raining Buicks!" Even though it was cold and wet and if it had been any regular run I would have called it quits in the name of sanity...I finished it and in 2 minuets better than my goal time of 5 hours. The conclusion: the rain and the thunder was exactly what I needed and it couldn't have been more perfect.

As a recreational therapist or maybe just as a human being, I can't help but relate my marathon experience to life. There are things that seem larger than life to me right now like writing a book, earning a million dollars, reaching millions with a message, and the list could go on and on. There are people who I see as larger than life who are doing these things. The question is "what is keeping ME from doing these things." I've got a song inside of me that I want to sing. Just like with the marathon, if I train my mind and body (and this happens one baby step at a time) I can do whatever I want to do. Here are some of my thought: start a heath blog, write a book, write a cookbook focusing on real family meals that are healthy, contribute to the mission of Laura Jacobs "a healer in every home" by educating moms on how to take care of their families naturally, earn enough money to give in a significant way.
If you've actually found this post and are still reading it, then this is probably a message for you too. What are some of your dreams?

Our two Fourth of July Fireworks

My how they grow...

I don't believe very many people check this anymore because of how often we post, but I stumbled upon these pictures today and thought I would share. Most of these were taken in the hospital. They really were so small. I know they won't stay small, but I hope they stay close.

Look at how TINY he was!

And look at how BIG I was!

He can't walk...but he can climb!

Coops and Kenners Laughing

Babies' First Birthday!

Well everyone, we're one! It's taken us a few weeks to recover from the really awesome party we had, but here we are to share some pictures and tell you what we've been up to. This is us with our cousin Damon on our new picnic table. It's pretty cool huh. I (Cooper) LOVE to climb all over and around and through it. My sister finally learned to pull herself up so she can stand next to it:) But we all look pretty cute sitting at it. We were spoiled by all of our grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. We got a lot of super fun toys to play with and some very cute clothes. (Kennedy speaking...) One of my favorite gifts was the Baby Einstein DVD's. We watch Baby Sign. I love to sign "baby." Sometimes I get so excited while doing it that my mom is worried I'm going to twist my top half right off.

I did a pretty good job of eating my cake. The best part was all of the candy on top.

I pride myself in not being as messy as my sister, but as the "birthday boy" I felt like I had to do my duty and dig in.

This is how they all started out. We called them "duck cakes." We picked them because we LOVE bath time! We love lots of other things too. Our top three are probably food, milk, and mommy. Sometimes we want her to hold both of us all the time...she won't. We love dad too. We start flapping our arms when we hear the door open and we know he's home from work. We love puppies and can spot one from a mile away.

Cooper: I am a great big brother! I am super adventurous so I show my sister how to get into things. She finally learned how to crawl so she can follow me wherever I go. One of our favorite things to do is push all of our little balls under the oven, or pull all the silver wear out of the dishwasher... that's fun too. Another favorite activity is climbing the stairs. I laugh the whole way up. I'm not quite walking yet, but I'm close. Mom doesn't know how close because I've been close for a while. I like to really try things out before I move on. For example, I did the army crawl for months and just barely started crawling for reals. I have 8 teeth and have had 5 hair cuts. I say: mama, dada, ball, nana (banana) and all done. I've got a face you can't help but squeeze and sometimes I laugh so hard I think I might turn inside out.

Kennedy: I love to hold my brother's hand. The only time he lets me is when he's held captive like in his highchair or in the stroller so I take advantage of that. I love music. I sing at church and in the car, I play the drums and until I figure out how to play it I will keep singing the recorder too. I finally figured out the army crawl at 11 months and a week later I decided to really crawl so I could keep up with my brother. Mom and dad make me stand next to my toys somethimes and I don't really like it. I wouldn't even do that a month ago. They called me jello legs. I have 2 little teeth. they help me eat and eat and eat. People wonder how I'm so small since I eat so much. I don't really know so I don't tell them anything. There's only so much a girl can communicate with my limited vocabulary: mama, dada, ball, and nana. I also sign "baby," "more," and "all done." I wear my hair in a ponytail, I give kisses, pat my mom and dad on the back when they pick me up form my naps, and wave "good bye." I also have a giggle that melts my daddy's heart.