zion's park

this weekend we went with paul's parents to their condo in st. george. nate and claire and norah came, too and it was so fun! we got to visit zion's national park, i love that place. it's always so gorgeous no matter what time of year, but fall is my favorite time to go. here's some pics of a little hike we went on in the park.

penny was very happy once we set her up in her fancy carrier.

a pretty waterfall...i love the red rock throughout the park.

little girl getting kinda tired on the way back down.

it really was so beautiful in the park. it was a bit drizzly so the air smelled all clean and fresh, that's my favorite kind of weather. i was surprised at how much greenery there was for how late it is in october.

it was claire's birthday on saturday so debbie and glade watched the babies while us four went and saw thriller, a utah-based show of halloween dance numbers. it was at this really cool outdoor amphitheatre called tuacahn so we bundled up and brought some blankets and i really liked the show. the dancers were so talented! hooray for a fun weekend.

gardner's village

last friday debbie (paul's mom) had the day off of work and we went to gardner's village. it's this little collection of shops and every year they decorate it pretty cute for halloween.

(notice one of debbie's earrings hooked over penny's left ear? one thing that penny might love more than gramma larsen is gramma larsen's jewelry.)

penny LOVED all the pumpkins there. she kept giving them hugs.

i can't wait for halloween!

(penny's gonna be a superhero. i still have to make her costume. which i will probably do the night before like i did last year.)

polaroid penny

i found this free software for turning digital photos into "polaroids" and i kinda like it. maybe one day i'll buy an actual polaroid camera + a scanner so i can save the images digitally...but until then this works for me. it's funny how you don't know what shade you're going to get when you submit a picture, but i like them both anyway.

(sorry for another post with pictures of penny wearing a headband...these are the only new pictures i've taken lately. exciting, i know.)

this image kind of steals my heart.

i was trying to take some side angle shots of her wearing some new headbands for the shop, and then at the last second she looked up at me with the cutest expression and i clicked. offically one of my favorite pictures of this little girl ever.

nienie

i got to see this fine lady speak last night:

i heard about it on her blog a week ago and definitely looked forward to hearing her speak. she was emotional throughout her entire talk. i would've been, too, if i had gone what she has gone through and then had to speak about it in front of a couple thousand people.

if you're not familiar with stephanie nielson, watch this video:

it was such a treat to hear her speak, she was funny and sweet and very honest. one of my favorite jokes: she showed a picture of herself in a full body cast from head to toe, and said that she had woken up from her 3-month coma during halloween time and how thoughtful it was of the nurses to dress her up in a mummy costume.

i loved when she talked about her children, and how much she loved being a mother. one of the saddest parts of her talk was when she told us how, at first, her children didn't even want to see her, because they didn't recognize her or know who she was. and that slowly, they got over it and knew her as their mom. i don't think there was dry eye in the room.

she was there to speak as a part of a program at BYU called "recapturing beauty", focusing on rejecting the negative messages from the media and reshaping our ideas about beauty. she continued with her testimony that if you're having trouble finding beauty in yourself that you can do what she did, turn to the Lord through prayer and He will help you. hearing her faith in prayer and in the Lord certainly makes me feel like i can do the same.

i love how positive she is about her new life. her blog is one of the most inspiring things i've ever read and makes me appreciate the blessings i have in my own life. thank you stephanie!

cottonwood canyon

we've been stuck inside the past couple of days with a cold and were feeling cabin feverish, so we went for a sunday drive in cottonwood canyon. one of the things i love about utah is how close the mountains are and you can be driving up a winding road less than 10 minutes from your home.

this little girl's hair is getting so red! love it.

it was such a pretty day!

utah state fair

last friday the three of us went to the utah state fair for a couple hours. we got some hawaiian shredded pork for dinner and walked around. i love fairs and carnivals, i always think they're so entertaining!

penny petting a very appreciative goat. she also learned to say goat: "gohhh...T!"

with some cute baby cows.

and last but not least...a butter sculpture of farm animals. yep, butter.