Penelope Elise is 2!

Penny's birthday was yesterday, Friday, October 10. We narrowed down Penelope's birthday celebration to 2 things that she adores...

1) A hike to a waterfall in the hiking backpack

2) Swimming at the rec center pool

Swimming won! (due to darkness/rain) My parents and Jessica's family joined us. First we met at my house for cupcakes/presents and then we headed to the Herriman Rec Center pool. We will be hiking to a waterfall soon! 

Penelope is very into swimming and the water. In fact, when we talk about our day at the dinner table, she often says she went swimming, even though she didn't. All week she has been saying, "I'm turning 2 on Friday!" Sadly, as part of my recovery, I am unable to swim. I watched and took pictures at the pool which is not quite how I wanted to be celebrating my big girl's special day. I could hardly keep up with the big kids who are comfortable in the water. Isabelle is finally old enough to go down the slide and she went at least 10 times! The joy on her face was adorable. She also followed James and went off the high dive endlessly. 

Living her best life. Just look at her smile.

At daycare they celebrate birthdays. Penelope wasn't at daycare on her birthday, but we sent her her "birthday treat" the day before. Penelope brought chips. Give her all the chips and she's one happy girl. I let her have 3 bags of chips that day... Oops. She wanted another bag. Doritos seem to be here favorite, but Pringles are up there. She'll take any kid of chip. (She had Doritos, bbq chips, and Cheetos that day.)

Presents: We got Penelope a stroller for her dolls. She is very interested in babies and carries them around. She likes to sing "Rock-a-bye baby" and pretend to put the babies to sleep. She got 2 new babies/dolls and one of them is Ms. Rachel which she is thrilled about. Ms. Rachel sings. Penelope also got a Stitch stuffy, another stuffed animal, a princess dress, a book, and a scooter.

BIO

One of the birthday texts I got about Penelope said this: "Happy birthday to cute Penelope!! She is a burst of sunshine! Love her so much!" This sums up Penny perfectly.

Penelope is the best talker! She talks in full sentences and people are astounded by her vocabulary, especially at daycare. Andrew works from home and when he comes up to join us for lunch she usually says, "Dad, how is work going?" She often says these phrases to me: "Mom, are you making cookies?" "Mom, you're making dinner." "Mom, can I sit on the counter?" "Will you turn on a show mom?" "Isabelle is sad." "James is at volleyball practice."

Penelope knows a lot of her colors! Pink seems to be one she's sure of. She can sing "I Am A Child of God" and knows her ABCs and can count to 10. Though she sometimes skips a number.

She has lots of opinions and makes them known! Some have said she is the most opinionated 2 year old they have ever seen and I agree. She is a spitfire! She prefers Andrew to me and is sorely disappointed on the daily when she wakes up and gets me instead of Andrew (who is usually at the gym). 

Penelope knows what she likes, "Let's go to the library." "I want to go to Jessica's house." "Let's go swimming at the pool." "I want to go to nursery!" Penelope wanders around during church and sits with random people sometimes during sacrament meeting. She is well loved. She is very independent and wants to do everything herself including getting dressed, putting on her shoes/socks, etc. After we go somewhere, she has to close the garage even though she can't reach it. I hold her up to push the garage button. If I close the garage, the fit that results can last indefinitely. Penelope also has to close the door to the garage! Not anyone else.

Penelope is ready to be potty trained! She had a babysitter last week and apparently pulled out her little potty and made the babysitter help her use the potty multiple times. She also went on the potty while I was at the ER and my dad was babysitting her. Hoping to potty train later this month but it's complicated with daycare and travel plans.

Penelope is cuddly and I adore it. She asks to give me snuggles and gives the biggest hugs and kisses. She is a social butterfly and would like to be at school at every second. As soon as we leave daycare, she asks if she can go back.

She sometimes asks to go to timeout and gets a naughty look on her face. Pulling Isabelle's hair will surely get her there and she knows that. If you want to see the cutest thing in the world, turn on the song "Hop Little Bunny." Penelope can jump and it's precious how into it she is.

Penelope's 2 year old appointment stats!

Appointment date: October 20, 2025

Weight: 25 pounds (32%) Her weight has gone up! Must be all those chips!

Height: 32.4 (16%)

Head: 93% (Typical for all our children)

2 is such a fun, but busy age! Penelope can open our fridge! None of our other kids attempted this. She pulls a stool into the pantry to get snacks she wants that are out of reach. And eating dirt still isn't a thing of a past. Watch out world! Penelope for president! I could not love this girl or her spunky personality more!!

Foreseen and Unforeseen Events

Life is unpredictable! I never would have guessed 6 months ago that I would be on the program at stake conference! I didn't anticipate being in the emergency room either, but I once again found myself there. I'm a planner and volleyball, camping, a piano recital, kid updates, and general conference have been on my calendar for awhile. So has my couples trip with Andrew! A trip to Texas this month wasn't on my radar either but I'm thrilled to be going.

Stake Conference

I got asked to speak in the adult session of Stake Conference which was a real dream come true for me. Said no one ever. My topic was missionary work and I'm glad the talk is behind me. I had a really neat experience in the temple as I was seeking guidance for my talk. I felt inspired to change the whole thing. I later learned the speaker after me and the stake president's talk were on "love, share, and invite" which was my original talk. I've never had such clear direction and it was neat to see why I felt so strongly to change it. My parent's treated us to dinner before stake conference at Mi Ranchito which was generous. Jessica came to hear me speak too but left before we took the picture. My grandparents were also there which was so sweet! I have the best family!

Saturday, September 20

Volleyball

I've been anxiously awaiting the day James can play volleyball and that day has come. Our local rec center offers volleyball starting in 3rd grade. The beginning of the season was was painful. The first game was a big letdown. The kids played 3 sets. Nobody returned a serve. Not joking. It was just a game of serving. As the season progressed, things thankfully improved. There's still plenty of room for growth and I look forward to more rallies!

James can serve it deep and he is able to bump the ball back. He was disappointed to hear that volleyball is ending this week (some of us have been counting down). His pal and close friend Taft was on his team which meant for a good time. He also knew a couple others from school. James' coaches weren't very experienced which made things tricky.

Piano Recital

James started piano lessons in June. He takes from Sandra Peterson who lives on our street and is in our ward. Her husband is the stake patriarch. She is phenomenal! She has multiple master's degrees in piano performance and man can she play. I feel lucky that James gets to take from her and better yet he gets to bike there. James is a big fan of playing the piano and we actually have to tell him to stop practicing because it starts to get old 4+ times a day... So sweet of Grandma Langlois to come support James.

Saturday, September 13

Father Kid Campout

This year the annual father kid campout was near Kamas. This is a beloved event for our older children. They were bummed Penelope didn't join them, but maybe she'll be ready for a future campout. James and Isabelle enjoyed s'mores and staying up late. They also learned some valuable lessons that boys only learn camping I guess...

Friday, September 12

Kid update

Penelope: Loves daycare and asks to go to "school" everyday. She goes part time-- every other day. Her teacher says she's a spitfire which is no surprise to us. I guess Penelope asked to come in from the playground and have chocolate.

Isabelle: Outgrew her violin! Time to size up! I got to sub Isabelle's 1st grade class and it was so fun. She gave me giant hugs throughout the school day and told me it was one of the best days this year! It was so cute. I hope she loves me like this forever. I have not been loving subbing but the extra income is needed/nice. Kids can be pretty terrible for subs.

Wednesday, October 1

James: Got an expander! He will be getting braces soon. Poor guy inherited some of my bad bite/teeth genes, but we're getting it taken care of. And no, he didn't get glasses. The orthodontist had him wear those for eye protection. He doesn't complain when we crank his expander which has been unexpected and great.

Thursday, September 18

General Conference

We attended the Saturday afternoon session of general conference. My parent's got great tickets on the ground floor! They only got 4 tickets but fortunately my SIL was able to get some for Andrew and Chris too (on a balcony.) Apparently it was the second most rainy day in SL history. We got 2.37 inches of rain that day. It was a long, cold, and wet walk to the car! The messages were so uplifting and the choir was phenomenal. The next morning, I woke up with one of the songs the choir sang in my head. We kept with tradition and ate cinnamon rolls and lots of other superb food for conference. I loved so many talks and am eager for them to come out. They helped give me peace and hope as I am going through something difficult. President Eyring's talk about being proven struck me and was just what I needed to hear.

Saturday, October 4

Andrew with his brother Logan, Julia, and Hyrum

Loss

I had another miscarriage. While substitute teaching a rotten class, I felt a big gush. I went to the bathroom expecting to see blood but instead saw clear discharge. After messaging my doctor, she told me to head to the hospital. I had to finish subbing first which wasn't easy. I tried my best to hold it together but was on the brink of tears. Luckily it was a short day, so the students got out at 12:30. I quickly dropped our neighbor off at his house and rushed to pick up my grocery order before heading to the hospital. 

Turns out the bug gush was amniotic fluid. After some blood work testing my HCG levels and 2 of the longest ultrasounds (a regular and vaginal ultrasound) of my life, I learned that I was pregnant with TWINS. Neither had a heartbeat. I sobbed. 

I was nearly 11 weeks pregnant and almost ready to share my happy news. I guess one twin stopped growing around 9 weeks and the other around 8 weeks although the doctor suspects their heartbeats stopped around the same time. I didn't think to ask for a picture of my babies and deeply regret that. I still have the ultrasound pic from my last miscarriage. The ER was actually really funny about my ultrasounds in general and recently changed their hospital policy so they didn't show me anything during the ultrasound or say anything. I never got to see my babies. No, I wasn't "clogging up the ER to see pictures of my baby" but apparently lots of people do that. I had a regular ultrasound and appointment scheduled for today. 

There were some very kind healthcare workers. Several cried with me. My mom was there with me when I got the news. Andrew was with the kids at parent teacher conferences but came to the hospital later. Silver lining-- I got to miss conferences which aren't my favorite!

I spent 9.5 hrs at the hospital and had a d&c. The doctor on call ended up being the same doctor who delivered Penelope which was a huge blessing. I like Dr. Burgett. My family made sure everything at home went smoothly and got Isabelle to dance, picked up dinner, got the kids in bed, etc. So grateful. Everything is all so fresh and I'm still processing this devastating news. My ER trip happened on Thursday, October 2. I went to the hospital at 1:15pm and finally got home around 10:45pm. This time around, my kids know about the miscarriage and have had questions. "Penny would have loved to have 2 playmates." They have been very sweet and pray for me. I don't know that I ever want to put myself through this again.

Naming children has always been stressful for me. I usually spend months agonizing. This pregnancy, we were pretty decided and had one girl name and one boy name picked out. The girl name starts with the letter J and the boy name the letter L. I guess we would have needed 2 names. I was due in April close to my mother in law's birthday which she would be thrilled about. Though twins usually come early so I doubt they would have shared a birthday.

I opted not to have my picture taken in the ER with tear stains/makeup on my face and dried blood up and down my legs. I have been so well taken care of and loved. It has been overwhelming. Our fridge is bursting with food. There have been so many tender mercies throughout this hard experience. One of them being that my mom had randomly cancelled her BYU class on Friday. She was free to take my kids as I was resting. My kids said it best when they said: "Wow mom, you're going to have a lot of thank-you cards to write." Feels like everything about my life is different/changed now. The grief/sadness comes in waves.

Vacation

Andrew and I booked a kid-free trip to South Carolina months ago using Andrew's vacation fund from work. We leave this week and the timing aligned nicely. Having a distraction and a way to leave behind this upsetting loss is perfect. We haven't left our kids overnight in over 3 years! So grateful my parent's are watching them! 

Andrew and I had planned on taking a picture together on the beach holding my ultrasound to announce my pregnancy but sadly that won't be happening anymore. Neither of us have been to South Carolina and it has been on our bucket list. We're really looking forward to it.

Fall break is coming up later this month which means no school for a week. I'm taking James and Isabelle to Texas for Esther's baptism. They are giddy to get to ride on an airplane and see their cousins! I am already stretching my belly to make room for all the BBQ food.

My baby Penelope turns 2 this week and I'm crushed. How can this be?? If there's one thing my grief has taught me it's to love the kids I've got because getting them here hasn't been easy for me. I'm going to focus on the 3 wonderful kids here with me instead of the 3 in heaven. Thank you Taylor Swift for dropping your new album this weekend. Her peppy and poppy clean version has been on repeat. Stay tuned for pictures of the birthday girl and our trips!

New Calling, Hiking, and Rafting, Oh My!

Mother nature and I are on the same page during the months of September and October.

Biking in the river bottoms near my parent's house is fabulous. I want it to become a Sunday ritual. Andrew proposed to me on this bridge almost 14 years ago!

Peaches peaches peaches for days. My parent's peach tree is thriving! My mom has made many scrumptious peach pies. Grandma Woods would be proud. 

Baby "Dorothy's"

New Calling

I have been serving as the ward music coordinator for just over 3 years. When I got a text to meet with a member of the bishopric, I was sad. Music has been my baby and I still have more ideas and musical numbers I would like to make happen in church.

As I've had time to process this change I think it was inspired. How would I have gone to weekly young women activities in addition to teaching piano several evenings a week? This would have taken me away from my family a lot! It shows me that stopping piano lessons was the right move and that I was lead to do it. Brother Robbins said they have been trying to call me into young women's for awhile. I truly enjoyed my music calling even though sometimes dealing with people and cancellations could be tricky.

I am now a young women's specialist over 14 and 15 year old girls (formerly known as "Mia Maids"). I taught a couple of these young women piano and love them! I haven't ever had a calling in young women's and am excited! A lot has changed in the 14 years since I was in young women's.

The same week I got called, I went with some friends in the ward on a "Christ Walk" in Heber. The church news has an article about it. The young women in our ward went on this walk during girls camp and several shared powerful experiences they had there. 

The Christ walk was touching. Writing about a trial I'm facing in invisible ink and then later walking through and reading others anonymous answers/challenges was humbling. Collecting pieces of thread at a few stations to later turn in for a bracelet was also impactful. How can I become the beautiful "bracelet"/person I want to become without going through the tough stuff? At the end, everyone wrote down what Christ would say to you as you're going through your trial. What a way to end. Talk about hope.

Hiking

James noticed a trend. We hike on Labor Day. This year was no different. We went on a more vigorous hike called Heughs Canyon Waterfall near Holladay. Several websites clock this hike as 3.5 miles roundtrip. You have to park about 0.4 miles away. According to my dad's watch, we walked close to 5 miles. We did it!

This was a shady and pretty trail. Sunflowers greeted us as we entered. I feel bad for the poor people whose driveway aligns with the beginning of the path. Yikes. The hike begins in a neighborhood. It is a steep climb the whole way. You cross 2 bridges. Near the end, it was easy to slip due to steepness and rocks. It was pretty anticlimactic when we couldn't find the waterfall!! What! We came across endless giant boulders and it was unclear where to go.  Fortunately, we ran into some other hikers who pointed out which massive rocks we had to climb.

By the end, the kids were tired. My dad went ahead and got the car for us so we didn't have to walk the extra distance. We were treated to Krispie Kreme doughnuts on our way home courtesy of Nana and Papa. Thank you!

Rafting

"ABH" which is the "All Brothers Hike" looked different this year. Andrew went white water rafting with his brothers on the Salmon River in Idaho. Andrew drove 10 hours to meet his brothers there. We had to get new tires on his car and do some other maintenance but his car felt brand new after the tires were replaced. They were in a bad state. 

The timing of Andrew's weekend away seemed unfair. On Labor Day evening, all of our kids came down with an abominable stomach bug. There were over 13 throw-ups that night. The next night, only Penny was still throwing up. The first night of ABH, Penelope threw up some more. Lucky me. Our house has reeked of throw up but the stench is finally diminishing after endless loads of laundry and several repeated laundry cycles.  

That being said, Andrew had a blast and like usual the Dittos partyed until the last possible second... He returned home at 4am on Sunday morning which made me nervous. Phew-- he stayed awake and avoided deer. Everyone but Vaughn (BIL) was there, so Andrew + his 4 brothers, + 1 BIL= 6 total men.

I hope our trees will thrive in this cooler weather.. We just replaced this toasted tree. We got it about 1 year ago and thankfully it was still under warranty. Don't mind me just opening all the windows and enjoying the breeze and the green grass. The aroma from a spiced apple toddy candle is currently making our home smell heavenly.

Hi School & Bye Summer!

We kicked off the start of school with annual father's blessings and dessert. James is in 3rd grade and Isabelle 1st grade. James says he has the nicest teacher in the school and Isabelle comes home eager to teach me all the new Chinese words she knows. Deciding which cute outfit to wear on the first day took determination, but Isabelle figured it out and looked adorable like always. I'll be substitute teaching part time this school year.

I've tried to clump and categorize parts of our summer. Check out earlier posts for more specific summertime events (like trips and my parent's return).

Cousin Playtime

We had lots of time to make up for! My kids hadn't seen their cousins Simon and Esther in over 2 years. Jeff and Lindsey and their kids came for a good chunk of the summer. Jill and Daisy were here for a few weeks too so everyone got to be together!

I read a book to the kids and the main character got to make a wish. He wished that he was an only child. Then he was lonely and sad. The end of the book was his siblings coming back. After reading the story, I asked the kids what their wish would be. James said without hesitation: "I wish that Simon and Esther and Daisy moved to Utah."

Bowling

Maybe my favorite picture. Penelope was jealous and sad that Jeff was holding Dorothy, so he quickly picked Penny up too. Notice the tears in her eyes.

Swimming

Smores

Parks/Walks

I taught Simon/Esther piano for a month

Stomach Bug

My parent's brought a stomach sickness back with them and it spread throughout the family. Some dealt with stomach repercussions for over a week. I was one of those lucky people. So was James. Others only had it a day ahem Isabelle. Throw up and diarrhea were involved. It was brutal and dragged on. Penelope threw up 5x one night, and James threw up almost 2 weeks after that. Within that 2 week period, we washed endless sheets, scrubbed carpets, and mopped up puke. Just when we thought we were in the clear, James threw up 5 nights after his last throw up incident. 

Track

The rampant stomach bug meant that James had to miss his last track meet. He participated in the first 2 meets though! Next year he wants to try running the 1600M race. James had the most success running the 400M. Once again Taft did track with James. Having a buddy always helps. We had lots of support this year at meets! All 3 of James' grandparents came!

Swimming 

The kids had swimming lessons the weeks of July 14 and August 11. Adrianna and Elijah Bradshaw swam with us in July and Elise and Dallin Boone in August. Unfortunately the stomach bug knocked us out for a couple of days in July. Thinking we might get to phase out of swim lessons soon because these kids are awesome swimmers. Penny thrived having Annie to play with during swim lessons.

Summer Reading Programs

We completed the library summer reading program twice-- I'm a huge advocate. Free books and coupons-- what's not to love?? This year we also did the Barnes and Noble summer reading program which the kids liked too.

Camp Tracy: Tuesday, July 15

There is a church camp in Millcreek called Camp Tracy and James was lucky enough to go! He was gone from 2:15pm-9:15pm. There was archery, canoeing, shooting BB guns, the trading post, and more. James brought a sack dinner to eat there. He had the time of his life and came home utterly filthy and sporting a nice tshirt! He had thrown up the day before and I wasn't sure he would be up for going. Thankfully he was! He's already talking about going next year. And lesson learned.. I will send money for the trading post.

Rec center camp: July 28-August 1

You have to be 6 years old to participate in the rec center summer camp. There are camps every week during the summer. I signed my kids up the first week they were both eligible (the week after Isabelle's birthday). The camp runs from 8am-12pm Monday-Friday. I loved that it structured our days and gave me some peace and quiet. James has asked that I sign him up for this camp every week next summer! As if! It was cheap, but not that cheap. I believe the cost was $75 per child for the week, so $150 total for us. The last day of camp there was time allocated to trading Pokémon cards. This was a favorite. The kids also got to enjoy the pool 3 of the days. They were bummed the slide wasn't open any of the times. They played group sports, made bracelets, played board games, and more. We asked Elijah and Adrianna to join us and sadly I don't know that they'll be up for doing it with us again. 

Splash camp: August 5-7

This was the second camp that the kids went to this summer at Mrs. B's house. Mrs. B is Isabelle's old preschool teacher. She lives walking distance from our house and puts on great summer camps. Earlier in the summer, the kids went to a science camp. 

This splash camp was 12:30-2:30 on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The last day, the kids wore swimsuits and had snow cones, enjoyed a slip and slide, and more. Izzy got invited to a birthday party for someone she met at this camp. The Bradshaws also went to camp.

Primary activity days camp: Thursday, August 7 and Friday, August 8

Our stake put on an awesome camp from 9:30-noon back to back days. They went all out. I was grateful James could attend. There were different stations that the kids rotated through. They sang the song "My Own Sacred Grove," played pioneer games, had a scripture study class, learned about Joseph Smith, and more. One day, the kids got popsicles and the next day, doughnuts. James got a cool t-shirt that a had a picture of the temple on it.

Hiking

• The "Y" in Provo: Saturday, August 2 and BYU creamery ice cream
• Distance: 2.25 miles roundtrip

My parent's get to hike with us again which means more pictures are taken! Thanks mom. This hike was steeper than I remembered! The kids were champs! James practically ran the whole thing and could have gone further. The graham canyon ice cream flavor was sought after!

• Battle Creek Falls in Pleasant Grove: Saturday,  August 16
• Distance: 1.2 miles roundtrip

We had a good gang for this hike! Jessica's family came as well as my parent's.  George's first hike was a success! This is an easy trail and a great hike for families. Battle Creek Falls isn't far from where we used to live and I've been on the trail a number of times. We have many pictures taken here throughout the years. The hike was shaded and the perfect way to start my Saturday. (After going to high fitness of course.)

 

I have more hikes up my sleeve...

Friends

Lots of playdates. Couldn't resist sharing this cute pic I snapped with Jordan and Alex Bai.

Sundance Theater "The Wizard of Oz:" Monday, August 4

I'm always up for a girls night out! After having to change the ticket date not only once but twice, I wasn't sure that we'd actually make it. We did! It was a gorgeous evening! I couldn't help but giggle at my mom who was in full blown winter mood after the show. She was wearing a warm jacket, had a blanket, and needed her hood on. She's had Brazil blood for 3 years.

Jill was initially supposed to come with us and sadly she couldn't. Grandma Lynda (Gigi to my kids) was an excellent replacement. This was my 3rd time going to this outdoor theater. The "Wizard of Oz" was not the best production I've seen put on there. It was hard to hear Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz was laughable and disappointing. He was a giant blowup. The scarecrow stole the show and was incredible! The butterfly light up wings were special. In one of the dances, some of the actors did the splits and wore the silliest smiles. 

We had a great night and lucked out with a close parking spot.

BambooHR Work Party: Tuesday, August 5

When Andrew said he had a work party I did not expect a full blown carnival. It was unbelievable. We got food vouchers and got to pick from a number of food trucks for dinner. We also were given dessert vouchers and had snow cones later (The churro line was too long). There were over 10 bounce houses, face painting, caricatures, a rock wall, a zipline, a train ride, and more. We can't wait until next year!! And surprise surprise.. I ran into someone I went to high school with. I actually went to a school dance with him and he was in Madrigals with me-- Caleb Smith.

Temple: Wednesday, August 6

Doing sealings together was special and we chatted after while indulging ourselves at Rio Acai. Our babysitter didn't let us pay her and she made my day/night/week.

Lindon Pool: Saturday, August 9

The wicked stomach flu destroyed our original pool plans. Thankfully we rescheduled. Sadly, the weather on August 9 turned out to be crummy swim weather. In fact, my phone said it "felt like 73 degrees." It was very overcast and Penelope was shivering and Izzy cried. We last for 1 hour and 50 minutes before ending the misery.  Most people were beelining for the exit. On our way home we drove by our old house. Even though it wasn't the pool day we envisioned, we still loved hanging out with the Hendricks. 

Catching up on the Restaurants

Since my parent's missed out on several tasty places for a few years, we have tried to make up for that. We've been to Tonyburgers, Mi Ranchito, Papa Murphy's, Cafe Rio, etc.

One evening, my parent's babysit all the kids while we went to a new Ramen place in SLC "Mensho Ramen." (Andrew was working.) It was $$$ but tasty though I don't have much to compare it to.

Random Facts we learned this summer....

Penelope still enjoys eating dirt!!! Sigh...

James has a good arm! At my parent's ward picnic, he dunked the bishop multiple times by hitting the target with a ball. James then volunteered to sit in the dunk tank himself which was a dream come true for him.

Playing in the bed of a truck still entertains my kids for long periods of time.

What a summer!