Please click on this pic and enjoy the awesomeness that is mia's freaking ridiculous face, you see we were taking a photo with a digital camera, mia hates technology, thus this face.
Down at the river with the beasties. Lucy thought it would be appropriate to do a sand nose dive, go figure.
Cleo wanted to be a Hawaiian girl for Halloween, she looovveedd it.
Our darling pumpkins
Oh uh and Mia, she wanted to be a pumpkin too. 
What fat heads Cleo and Terra are, and look how cute tiggy taylor looks between them, i think this is my favorite pic of taylor ever.
Here Tay is working on her best Cesar Milan.
One big cyber high five to anybody who can file through their hendo blog photo memory and figure out what these colorful play things are that kept jordan, taylor and kate occupied during conference.
I'll give you a hint, they were not meant for the below purpose.
Cleo models what is closer to their intended purpose
We hung out, played games, attempted a puzzle, had a fire and s'mores, delish!
Cute family
Steve and Katers, we still might steal her and call her our own, don't tell ryan and emily
Then the birfday celebrations began. We went to uber yummy and filling Brazil Steakhouse for a birthday eve celebration with our partners in crime the Bergquists. Aaron and Steve both served missions in Brazil so this restuarant holds a special significance for the Bergies and Hendos. We always joke that if we were to bring anybody else here it would be considered cheating.
The tradition in our family is that we do breakfast in bed on birthdays, well steve thinks that's messy and complicated, which it can be, so in honoring the birthday boys request he got breakfast at the bar.
Steve worked a half day, we met for delicious Capriottis thanksgiving sandwiches for lunch, i headed back to the coal mines, and from what I'm told steve played the wii and chillaxed most of the afternoon.
Then we went to the driving range, this is the only part of the game of golf i enjoy, i like hitting things hard, so that works for me.
Could he be any cuter? If there were a contest for hottest barely turned 30 year old, steve would win, like without even trying.
Happy 30th to my best friend.
... and the celebrating is continuing through october, don't even worry, you know how we do. next weekend we are hitting up vegas to do some more celebration station!
While in NY we celebrated our 4 year anniversary. Time has flown. We celebrated in the best way i can really imagine, we got gussied up, dined at tavern on the green in central park, and strolled lots and lots around the park and beautiful NY. I kept saying over and over how happy the night was making me, being in a big gorgeous city with my honey on a beautiful summer night was pretty much the pinnacle of happiness for me. Steve even got me the pricey perfume i had hinted at, and i love it! 4 yr anniversary = success
Steve had never been to New York, and although I lived in Connecticut as a kid, and have been back since several times, I really wanted to do some of the fun touristy things, most of which I don't remember doing so it was great. We went to china town, the Brooklyn Bridge, wall street, lots of parks, ground zero, saw a show at Lincoln Center, ate lots of nummy food, oh how glorious it was. Below is a photo of Steve enjoying some coco milk. Steve talks about this stuff all the time, he used to have it in Brazil on his mission. He was excited when we were in China town and he found a street vendor who had it, he promptly purchased said coco milk and took a happy sip then offered the coco delight to me, and it was VILE!!!! He just laughed at my bitter face and mentioned that it could be an acquired taste. Real funny, for him at least. 
Brooklyn Bridge, ignore our soginess, especially mine. We were out in the rain for like 2 hours, but pretty much loved it, you see as desert dwellers it's not often we get to sing in the rain, thus was soaked it in.
Rehearsal dinner at Angelo's Pizza. The one right next to the David Letterman show. I've seen many shows where he goes over there of shoots over there, and also the pizza was wonderful.
So fun to reunite with my old North Shore 1st ward friends Lauren and Logan, both of whom live in NY now and have been Paul's buddies over the years as well. We have been homies for a while, in fact many of the hilarious and awesome things i say had their beginnings with these 2. They are funny people and i like them.
So then Paul and Allison got married!!!!!!!!! If I could put like a size 819 font exclamation point here I would. I know I joke a lot, and rarely say serious things on this blog, which is how i like it, but really being in the temple with my incredible older brother Paul and my new sweet sis in law Allison as they were sealed to one another was touching and wonderful. I love my family so much, they are a strength and a joy in my life. To see Paul so happy and in love has been the best thing ever.
Look at what a babe he snagged. Here are some things i love about Allison:
There are so many words i want to say about this photo, i'll just list them. Gangsta, bodyguards, looking hott, dc never did me wrong, look how hott steve is, central park i heart you, stoopid flats ate my feet, we look good.
After the ceremony we walked from the temple through central park to the boathouse where the reception was. If you have never been to New York, i really strongly recommend you go. My absolute favorite time to be there is the fall. You could go for a week and spend all your time in central park, but you should really go for longer and shop, and eat and sight see to your hearts content.
Aside from the bride and groom, my little bro Peter was the total MVP of the wedding. He was on freakin fire. He had me laughing the entire time. I don't know when he got so funny and cool, but i like it. By the way he'll be a freshman at BYU in a few weeks, any body with cute sisters, cousins, friends in provo, you should tell them to find him, cause he's the bomb. Below you'll see he and my dad mock fighting, pretty common occurence in the Stowell household.
Seriously?!?!? I've trained him well
Aww the siblings with the bride and groom.
They were so darling the whole day, and let me reiterate what excellent dance skills the showed off.
Mom and Pam, trouble making sisters. Love these 2 women mucho
The girls and pops, do we look like sisters? Cause most people don't believe that we are whenever we're out and about and mention the blood relation
Peter and Rex, a deadly combo (secretly i think they are hilarious)
The happy couple leaving, honeymoon to Italy, wowzah
Then they were filming a movie in our hotel lobby the day we were leaving, oh yeah that's Rachel McAdams and ....
FIDDY CENT ... can't wait to see that bizarro movie
Jason had all these foodie places we went to, this place was called something about a papaya, can't really remember. Their main dishes were smoothies and hot dogs, strange but wonderful. I don't know if you can tell but I totally loved NY. 
From one great city to another. I hung out in the sweet Chi-town for several days after our NY excursion. Juice took this pic, but I love it so much i had to share the most wicked awesome sky line from the most wicked awesome city with you all.
Mia monster rocking a cubs jersey
Mother and daughter, can you see the resemblance?
Like I mentioned before i shopped, ate, rock band-ed, slept, played with lucy & mia, chillaxed and just had some great fun in Chicago with my fam. One night we went to this crazy cool show called Cavalia. It was kind of like cirque de soleil with horses, so i was totally mesmerized.
These are outside the "big top" where the show was. It made me miss riding, maybe i'll start back up.
I even got to see my ya ya's while home. 
And baby Matthew. Laura and Andy sure did make a darling little baby child.
Maggie, Laura & Matthew, Rebecca and me. We missed you Ann. So good to catch up and talk and laugh, every time we get together it's like nothing has changed. We are the same silly, weird girls we were in high school. 
Great summer trips!!
