Hardman Family Blog

Summer

2011-09-04T17:19:00.000-07:00

We spent most of this summer in Utah and Idaho, visiting family and friends. While there, we attended: The Hardman Family Reunion in Cour D'alane, ID and the Lindsay Family Reunion at Bear Lake, the Don Lindsay Family Reunion at Kings Hill, ID, and my sister Heidi's wedding in Salt Lake City! We went down South with Julie and had fun at the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point (and earlier, in Ogden!) and went to the art museum in Springville. We attended church in almost all of these places and by the time we came home, I was SO ready to unpack my suitcase and stay at home for a while.

Cassie Stallings, Olivia Black, Brooklyn Hardman and Olivia Lynn sitting on Heather. Abbie was none to thrilled to share her mommy! But we returned her just as good as new a few minutes later.

In Idaho, we did SO many fun things. One of these was going to tour a gold mine.

nerd.

We played at the amusement park in Athole, ID. Say that name out loud. I do. hehehe

A Brief Note of Thanks

2011-05-11T19:03:00.000-07:00

My thanks all of our friends and family who prayed with and for us during the April 27th tornados and the aftermath. We are all doing very well although I still jump whenever I hear a siren go off. (Even when it's the playskool toys!) Our neighborhood was safe from the worst damage and while some lost trees or had minor damage, it was nothing compared to the areas that were most devastated. I have some pictures to share and some more thoughts to organize and share, as well. But for now, we are just grateful to still be here and to have been so blessed.

Heywood Banks Pancreas.wmv

2011-02-24T12:38:00.000-08:00

Awww, the pancreas. Such an important and oft-overlooked organ. This is from my favorite song-writers on the Bob and Tom show!

Spinning

2011-02-18T18:27:00.000-08:00

So the other day I tried spinning class. Class description: stationary bicycling. Pretty much, a skinny little instructor tells you when you should turn the little dial of torture to make the biking harder and harder. I've tried and failed before. I was determined to finish the whole class this time. This is roughly how it went:

8:30 - I start up, 3 petal strokes in, so far so good. I like the instructor.

8:35 - It's getting hard and that was supposed to be the warm up. Ouch.

8:39 - Oh sweet mama, it's only been 4 mintues? I think about giving up; decide not to just yet.

8:43 - I think that it might have been a dumb decision.

8:45 - Yep, dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb. But I've stuck to other dumb decisions so I'll stick to this one.

8:50 - My quads scream despite the fact that I'm going about 1/2 the speed of everyone else.

8:46 - I hate everyone else. (except Emily who, bless her heart, thought I could acctually do something this hard)

8:50 - I think mean things about the instructor. This gives me a surprising boost of evil energy.

8:56 - Evil energy wanes.

9:05 - My legs go blessedly numb.

9:08 - I realize I need heavens help to get through this class so I think 5 good things about the instructor (but I still don't like her.)

9:09 - I. am. going. to. die.

9:10 - Instructor announces cool-down time.

9:14 - I start to like people again, in general. I forgive the instructor for her sadistic tendencies.

9:15 - Done. Stretch. Endorphins have a chance to catch up with me.

Do I plan to do it again? Yes. That was brutal but I burned a TON of calories. So even though I might wimper a little, me and my jelly legs will be there next week when I hope it will be a little easier. (oh, please let it be easier!)

School's IN (let the angels sing)

2011-01-18T20:13:00.001-08:00

Today was the first day of school for my children after a full week of snow days. When you include weekends, that's 10 days off. So, they went back to school after Christmas break for 4 whole days, then got a week off for snow and then Monday for MLK Jr. Day. I tried to pretend that I loved having them home for that long like some of my friend did. (actually they didn't pretend, I think they really liked it) But I can't pull it off.

There were parts I liked. Like, not having to get up and get them ready for the bus by 7:00. That was great. Whole days in PJs? Super! Cereal for dinner? Sure! And we did a few things that were fun (like snowball fights) but mostly, the boys experimented with new ways to make each other crazy and Brooklyn added...maybe two decibels to her things-are-not-going-my-way-scream. And I decided to remove her binkie this week too because apparently I'm sadistic like that.

But today.......today I willingly got up at 6:00 AM and joyfully bundled them up and cheerfully waved them goodbye. I spent the day alone with Brooklyn and was actually SO happy to see them when they came home. So my conclusion? I am a better mom when there are not so many snow days in a row so lets keep things warmer, huh?

Post

2010-12-26T15:45:00.000-08:00

We have celebrated a beautiful Christmas here in FL with family. We've all been fighting off colds (and mono, for me, of course) but we really have enjoyed being here and visiting. We've played on the beach, watched movies, played games and enjoyed the children. Tomorrow we head home again. And I'm ready for life to get back to normal now. Who's with me?

For those Parents of Mine

2010-12-22T06:58:00.000-08:00

Sewing from the stash

2010-12-17T20:01:00.000-08:00

Having mono has severely restricted my ability to get much of anything done. But I sometimes have windows of an hour or so when I have the energy to sit and do something. I have found that I can still sew if I break it up into 1/2 hour increments and I can still draw. These things let me sit mostly still and conserve my energy without causing me to go berserk with boredom. There's nothing like sleeping all day to make me feel useless.

So...... Project!!! I decided that my stash of fabric is too big for me to buy any more until I've used up a significant amount of what I already have. Every year, the kiddos get new jammies for Christmas and this seems like the perfect time to kill two birds with one stone. So, the challenge is to use only fabric and notions that I already have on hand and make some cute PJs for each kid.

I had enough to do two of the above. One is for Brooklyn and the other is slightly smaller and will be for Olivia, my niece we're spending Christmas with. (......if it fits her and if her mom likes it. :) Each little night gown has a hand-made flower and ruffled bloomers.

Now on to the rest of the kids. But I'll start tomorrow. :)

From November, Fast Forward...

2010-12-12T08:32:00.000-08:00

It's been delightful around here. I love the weather. It's a nice, long Fall and now cold and snowflakes (that won't stick) just before Christmas. So here's what we do here in Alabama......

Pose

Run!

Jump

Play!

Run hard so we can......

Eat!

And Eat...

And Put Olives on Our Fingers

And Eat Some MoreAnd MoreAnd More....

Then stop... And Decorate!

And Keep Decorating

Oooooooooo!

Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!

Merry Christmas!

Late and Little Germs

2010-12-09T22:18:00.001-08:00

It's just after midnight here and I just finished my super-long report on an unknown bacterial species for my microbiology class. I know, that sounds less than exciting but it's really very great. See how cool they look? I will actually miss the little germies maybe a little bit. But not too much.

And speaking of germs (or in this case, virus')....My Dr. called with the results for the blood work she ordered. I have mono again. uggg. The last time I had it was over 12 years ago while Rhyan and I were engaged. The more I think about it though, the more I realize it's fairly relieving. It means that my desire to sleep as much as I can is now totally justified. Because if there's one thing I can do, it's sleep....anywhere.....anytime. Especially right now. Goodnight.

Fall

2010-11-19T06:27:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Fall weather and my beautiful baby girl

Halloween

2010-11-01T10:56:00.000-07:00

We participated in our wards trunk or treat this year as we do every year. Lots of candy fast + easy night=me likey. We didn't get around to carving pumpkins this year. I didn't feel guilty about it like I thought I would and I just checked and I still don't feel guilty. hmm.

Casey made his own robot design and Rhyan and I made it a reality. That kid's an engineer at heart, just like his daddy. He wanted me to make him into a centaur with flying bat-wings and red, glowing eyeballs that he could really look out of. He even had the idea that Joshua could be the back-end of this creature. (Josh's desire for participation was completely irrelevant in his point of view) I am flattered in his belief in my abilities at costume making and happy that he obviously thinks Josh is the self-sacrificing type that would "take one for the team," but, sheesh.

I was a three musketeer and Brooklyn rode a horse.

Yes, the ever popular Harry Potter joined us on Halloween and got his wand taken away on no fewer than two occasions for using it inappropriately to whack his brother.

Brooklyn was adorable, of course.

She always is.

Erika was the only Hermione in attendance at our trunk or treat, I think but there were at least two other Harry Potters. (mine was the cutest, though) (Sorry Adam!)

And the yummy mummy dogs we had. On a pumpkin plate. We dipped them in ketchup blood. How Halloween-cool are we!?

Back

2010-10-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

I've been super busy around here and fairly overwhelmed by the idea of trying to catch up on my blogging so finally, today, I decided that I will just start where I am. We've been blessed to have my Aunt Julie out here to visit us. She took an apartment nearby and we've been playing and exploring the area for about 6 weeks. We have had an enormously fun time. One of our adventures was a trip down to Gulf Shores on the weekend of Oct 15. We had a really great time and made so many memories! Erika is herding a school of fish that came very close to shore. Casey caught a net-full and he's maybe never been so excited! He was truly distressed when some fought the net so hard that they got themselves wedged in the little holes and got decapitated when he tried to pull them out. ewww.

The boys spent nearly every waking minute on the beach and never once got bored. A little sunburned, yes. Bored, no. Part of one morning and all of that afternoon they built their fort (above) and 4-5 cute girls complimented them on it as they walked by. Then they spent another entire afternoon digging up mussels (below) and watching them burrow back down into the sand. Fascinating!The evenings and mornings were delightfully cool and the days were in the low 80's. Perfect.

This is the cute house we stayed in. It was 3 bedrooms and had enough beds for all of us. We were very close to the water and had fantastic views.

This is our first morning foray onto the beach (below)

Moving

2010-08-02T19:06:00.000-07:00

We moved the majority of our stuff on Saturday and I am typing this while sitting cross-legged in an almost empty apartment. Kindof. Just a few more trips and we'll be done. Maybe. It feels weird. When I get this computer over to the new place, I'll post some pictures of it in all it's not-unpacked glory.

Tuscumbia. Beautiful, Simple, Comfortable

2010-07-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

Our good friends the Henries came with us to see Helen Kellers birthplace. We switched kids up and so the drive was really fun for everyone.Erika and Casey looking at some of the pieces in the museum.This is Helen's original bed. She shared this upstairs room with Annie, her teacher. The bed is toddler sized.

This is "the" key that was used by Helen to lock Annie in her room.

This is the cottage that Annie took Helen to live in so that they could have one on one time without family interference to her teaching. It is literally only about 50 feet from the main house and separated by only a small flower garden. Kind of amazing.

Here is the dining room where the family ate and where many of the stories of the early times with Helen took place.

And of course, the pump, where Helen finally was released from the darkness of her mind! Fantastic!

Everything was smaller than I had imagined it. The home, I would guess, was about 2000 square feet and had 3 bedrooms. The master bedroom was on the main floor, across from the parlor and down the hall was a the dining room and a sitting room. Upstairs had two good sized bedrooms. One for the girls and one for the boys.

It was a very modest home by today's standards. But the Kellers were very upper class. They were the rich people. Social expectations have grown and changed. It's amazing to me how much I "need." What size of home is "too small." It has reinforced my desire to live simply. The furnishings in the rooms were simple and beautiful and the rooms didn't seem too small because they didn't have too much stuff. My goal is to live that way, too. Beautiful, simple, comfortable.

Helen Keller Week!

2010-07-20T09:24:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we started reading this book about Annie Sullivan and her experience teaching Helen.

Then we went to the library to find a book in Braille to explore with our fingers. What do we use to read braille?............
That's right. Our fingers.

Our library had this awesome book called "The Black Book of Colors" It has written words, raised braille and raised images for little fingers to explore. We closed our eyes and explored the book together. We also checked out the braille signs by the doors and on the bathroom plaques. Now that we're noticing it, braille is everywhere!

Today we will finish the book and I also got the Disney version of the movie for us to watch.

During this week, we have plans to explore our other senses in many fun ways, write coded messages to our cousins using braille dots and finishing out with a trip on Friday morning to Helen Keller's birthplace in Tuscumbia, AL. If you want to come with us, give me your email in the comments and we'll coordinate the trip!
Can't wait!

Day 2, Imagination Stirs!

2010-07-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

Well, day two of our little experiment was better. They only asked for the TV/Computer a handful of times and were more resigned when I directed them elsewhere. They actually found some things to do by themselves today, too. They spontaneously played a board game together and even did a little imagination play.

Wow, though. TV is so much cleaner than 4 children using their imagination. I was reminded today that this is as much an experiment for me as for them. I have to let go a little and let there be more of a mess for the cause of non-zombie-brained kiddos. I had to repeat that thought continually as I wiped water off the bathroom floor and swept the kitchen floor for the third time in as many hours.

My plan is to be more involved some days and let them fend for themselves more on other days. Today was a fend for themselves day. Tomorrow is an involved day. We're starting our Helen Keller week. I've been looking forward to this. We're reading a book, watching the movie (it's educational and I'm doing it with them so it's excluded from our screen-free time), learning some more sign language and going to the library to learn more about braille and then we're planning a trip to Helen Keller's birthplace which is not far from here! You're welcome to come along.

Torture Week - day 1

2010-07-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

I decided to do a no electronics week for the kids as they were getting a little too attached to movies, Netflix and the Wii. Like....end of the world sobbing every time I made them turn it off. When I suggested this, they looked at me with incredulous and stricken little faces as if to say, why would you DO such a thing? "You mean like....all electronics, like ALL?" Yes, everything with a screen. So radio is OK, TV, Computer, Leapster and Wii are out. I was met with disbelieving silence and quivering lips.

So, today is day one. It's been rough.

15+...Number of times they've asked to turn on the TV

15+...Number of times kids have whined that there's nothing to do

15+ ...Number of times kids have been sent to their room for incessant whining

35+...Number of times Brooklyn has called someone a tupidhead

30+..Number of times I've heard, "mmOOOOm! He/She (fill in the blank)

2... (but the night is young) Number of times Erika's slammed her door

Family Fun Magazine promised me that it would be worth it.
I'm waiting for the good times. I may be waiting a while. Will I be able to stick with it? Tune in next time for..............day 2!

Blueberry pickin'

2010-07-15T09:56:00.001-07:00

Our good friends here took us blueberry picking a few weeks ago. There is a fun little blueberry farm here owned by someone I call "Blueberry Man" (but not to his face) where you can eat as you pick and it's a lot of fun! We got there pretty early. I think it was about 9:00 AM. It was already swelteringly hot and humid but a beautiful day with blue sky and sunshine. See the squint-ee kids below? Yep, nice and bright.

The kids were eating most of what they picked. Which was fine with me! But I was roasting. Actually, I think it was more like being steamed. HU-MI-DI-TY

I think I was even starting to wilt a little when a delightful, cool breeze started....See the clouds coming in and blocking the heat a little? Lovely.

I was really making progress filling my bucket and enjoying the cooler temp when....

It suddenly went darker, and cooler......and darker......

(by this time, Casey had given up on blueberry hunting and had moved on to grasshoppers)

And then it seemed like night time all of a sudden and we had to sprint to Blueberry Man's covered work station as the clouds opened up and Alabama tried to WASH US AWAY.

Run, babies, run!

Safe under Blueberry Man's roof we couldn't really hear much over the racket of the rain hammering the tin but we could weigh our blue berries and pack them into bags. Yum.

It looks like Rhyan is marvelling at the sheer amount of rain but really he's just imaging blueberry pie.

We snapped this picture, grabbed our blueberries, and made a B-line to the van through the rain.

Another Alabama Adventure!

More Family Visits

2010-07-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

We have had more company this month. We welcomed Mom and Dad Hardman for a visit over the 4th of July.Swarming Grandpa. We're so Excited to see the Hardmans!

4th of July at Dublin Park was great

We also explored the Star Wars exhibit at the Space and Rocket Center

When we went to Cathedral Caverns, butterflies kept landing on Joshua and Casey 'cause they're so darn sweet! (they're going to glare at me when they find out I wrote that. haha.)

Mom and I attended a session at the beautiful Birmingham Temple. This was the first time I've been to this temple. It was a beautiful drive down and really fun to go with Mom.

And, of course, we loved our Flint river trip as well. This time we saw much more wildlife. We saw giant gars in the water and several kingfishers flying around. We also saw turtles and other birds. It was cooler, too. Afternoon to evening is the best time to go!

Some Family Came to Play

2010-06-09T08:38:00.000-07:00

So, I'm a little late blogging this, but my Mom and Dad came to play with us the last week in May. We did so many fun things! One of my favorites was canoeing down the Flint River. Fist Bump!

We stopped to play in the river, floating downstream and then hiking back up-river to do it again!

We found a shady spot to stop for lunch. Casey found and lost a minow catcher. He was so sad. I was less sad.

Brooklyn did remarkably well on this long trip.

We had 3 canoes and 1 kid Kayak. What memories!

My Mom and I were in a canoe together. We hit every log on the river, I swear! I haven't laughed that hard in death-defying situations in a long time. (I use the term death-defying very loosly here as the river was rarely over 5 feet deep and the "rapids" were usually under 3 feet deep and not really rapid so to speak) Anyway, when my mom complained to the owner that he gave us a canoe that ran into things, he apologized and promised to give us a free upgrade to the non-run-into-things canoe on our next trip. Good guy.

Drug Busted

2010-05-12T06:14:00.000-07:00

So, there was a drug bust right outside our apartment Saturday. I slept through the party, the brawl and the ensuing sirens, lights, pat-downs and drug sniffing police dogs. Rhyan told me all about it when I woke up the next morning. I was so mad he didn't wake me up. *pouting* I like to see people getting arrested just as much as the next person.

We had just decided that we would stay here another 6 months but that very afternoon we went shopping for a new place to stay. It was long and arduous and we didn't immediatly find anything that we wanted to commit to. In the end we remembered that we're lazy and don't want to move all our things again until we buy a house. I think we might stay here and hope that it was a very isolated event. But we still haven't signed anything and reserve the right to be very wishy-washy until we do.

There is supposed to be a meeting today about NASA's future plan and the newspapers report hopes that this meeting will resolve many of the issues between congress and President Obama. If reports are correct, then we may get to start looking at homes sooner than we thought. I'm trying to stay as objective as possible. You can probably guess how that's working out for me. Will I ever learn to be patient?

A Letter to my Dear Husband

2010-05-02T19:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Husband,

If you only knew how much I want to spend and don't....

Sincerely,

Your Wife

Pictures from Around Here in April

2010-05-02T18:59:00.000-07:00

Erika sporting a skirt/scarf combo she made herself!

Brooklyn in her box-bed

Brooklyn doing more with the box-bed idea

A Trip to the Botanical Gardens. (love that place!)
more Botanical Gardens

Easter Egg Hunt at the Henries

Decorated Egg-Heads

First day of Pre-school *sniff*

Messing around instead of studying bone anatomy

So that was our April. It was good. How was yours?

Admiration

2010-05-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

I sometimes lament the fact that so much of our news is bad. Disasters, recessions, people hurt and broken, fear. I get so inundated with these stories sometimes that I forget to see the things that are happy, whole and uplifting. With that in mind, I thought of some good people to post about. These women are doing hard and wonderful things and they have touched my life and changed it for the better.

One of my friends, Elizabeth has always dreamed of being a writer. She has many kids. She has many responsibilities. But she loves to write and she hasn't let a lack of time or energy stop her. (she's doing a great giveaway, so you can click over if you want to enter!) This is her dream and she doesn't give up on it. She writes every night (and many days) and manages to balance this in her busy, beautiful life. I am certain that one day in the near future, I will be able to find her name on Amazon under "authors."

Heidi is my sister and one of my best friends. She is a talented artist and graphic designer. Her sense of humor matches mine perfectly and after midnight, we are hil-ar-ious! She graduated a year ago and because of an oversaturated market hasn't found a job in her feild yet. She also struggles with serious depression. One of the many things I love about Heidi is how hard she fights! Everytime she gets knocked down, she rises up and moves on. She doesn't always see it but she is so strong.

Another friend and I "met" over a blog swap. Julie is a missionary mom raising her two little boys in Hungary with her husband. She didn't speak hungarian before she moved there. (and she is still learning) Hungarian is an extremely difficult language to learn. They have had medical scares and housing difficulties and are very far from the world they knew. What makes her so amazing though, is that I can tell through her posts that she believes in what her family is doing. It's hard but she's bringing the people of Hungary to a knowledge of their Savior. She spreads joy.

Emily and I just met a few months ago. She has worked hard and with great dedication (and success!) to improve her health. She's done this both for herself and for her family. In her blog, she talks about wanting to have fun with her kids. physical fun! It's been really hard. It's taken a lot of time. She's stuck it out, forgiven herself for slip-ups, found activities she loves and she is an inspiration to me. Her new blog, Awesomely Healthy, is one of the ways she shares her success with those around her. I really think she's one of those women who wants everyone to win. Don't you love people like that?

There are SO many more amazing women in my family and in my circle of friends. How wonderful that there should not be enough room to list them, let alone tell you about their lives. Chances are, if you're reading this, that you are one of them. Thanks, everybody, for being my good news!

A Letter to my Dear Children

2010-05-01T05:37:00.001-07:00

Dear Children,

Stop waking me up at 6:30 AM on Saturdays and Sundays. It makes me grouchy.

Love,

Mom

Momcation

2010-04-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

Here are my kids during Dr. Seuss week. Crazy hair day. Obviously. I dyed the boys hair with koolaid, not so obviously. Don't strain your eyes. You can't tell.

I have just one week left in this semester. I just took my lab final today. I misspelled Brachialis, and two other muscle names with "Brachi" in them. Darn darn darn.

I also found out that I don't care about anything in my history book from chapter 52 - 551/2. I find myself slipping into a coma after about 2 paragraphs.

In other news, Rhyan recently informed me that I need a vacation due to generally excessive grouchiness. I glared at him murderously which proved his point nicely. (or grouchily. Whatever)

Happy Easter!

2010-04-06T05:44:00.000-07:00

We had a really nice Easter. I am going to pay for the time spent shopping for clothes durring my test today. But it was worth it. Spring is finally here!

and...

2010-03-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

I totally got them the Easter stuff. Pictures to follow.

Easter is Sneaking Up on Me

2010-03-27T06:41:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the last Sunday before Easter and since there is no church on Easter Sunday, I am going to put everyone in their Easter stuff tomorrow. But I forgot about that until yesterday so no one acctually has Easter stuff. Darn Darn Darn. Now I have to choose between the studying that I should do (big test Wed and the following Mon) and getting Easter dresses/ties that I want for a family picture. hmmmmm. Where will the priorities fall.....

So, I loved Alice

2010-03-09T05:56:00.000-08:00

Rhyan and I reticently went and saw Alice in Wonderland. I really didn't want to see it. I don't like Tim Burton stuff. Ever. But then my favorite hair doing place, Babes in Hairland started doing "Alice hair" and so I decided that the movie might have some merit, if only for hair inspiration.

Well, I was wrong. It was fantastic. I can't wait to see it again, actually. But it was too scary for any of my kids. I wouldn't take them to it until they are at least 10. Of course, my kids have a tendency to use scary movies against me at bedtime when they're SO SCARED "because of that one movie we saw that one time, remember it, Mom?"

So, your kids might be OK with it. I won't judge you if you take your little-er kids there. See? I'm not judgemental like some people.

Southern Food or Kung Fu Panda: How Jack Black Ruined my Children

2010-03-05T10:23:00.000-08:00

In Kung Fu Panda (which I love) you will remember when Po gets hit in the nether regions and exclaims, "Oh...my tenders." Those three words have made more trouble in our house than I care to admit. As many times as I have tried to help them understand the real definition of "tender" as found in the dictionary, my boys still insist on referring to it as an anatomical descriptor.

Can you see where this is going? Why it might be a problem? Yes. There is a restaurant in town called Tenders! (the exclamation point is part of the name, And does not indicate excitement on my part.) No big deal except....we drive by it all the time. And I have to listen to the snickers and totally inappropriate humor of 5 and 7 year olds, every single time. I've succumbed. I don't even fight it anymore. My motto...turn up the radio and ignore it. It'll go away, right?

And you know what? None of my lectures about "tender" definition even got through. Apparently at school, they offered chicken tenders. *gasp* Casey came home shaking his head about how weird Southern food is, and could he PLEASE take cold lunch tomorrow because why would anyone eat those?

Explanations are pointless. Why even try?

A Day Without Excuses

2010-02-27T18:07:00.000-08:00

Apparently today is not a holiday. I specifically wanted it to be a holiday somewhere but it's not. I found out here. So that means that there was no good reason for me to eat so many Starburst jelly beans. So very many Starburst jelly beans. That used to be for Easter.

Facing my Fears

2010-02-24T20:47:00.000-08:00

I have a fear that I may have to start twittering, a thing I vainly hoped to avoid. This is not a snob issue. Some people avoid tweets because they're kinda trendy. I avoid them because, like others before me, I have a fear of looking stupid in front of teenagers and I also fear new technology. Still, I do love the sound of bird song so the name twittering has a certain appeal.

However, I know I'm treading on dangerous technological ground because I feel a little panicky every time FB changes the layout....and I take 5 painful minutes to text something like "u still up?" because I can't figure out the dumb itap stuff despite having been shown on 3 different occasions. My sisters know when they get that message that I'm about to call anyway. (They're so rolling their eyes right now because probably your grandma can text faster than me and they know it.)

Which leads me to my next fear. Being judged. Mostly by Australians. I've always known that Australians were cooler than me. It's the accent perhaps. I think it all started when I fell in love with that unattainable Man from Snowy River. Be still my heart. I realized that I could never be his dream girl because I don't have wild, brown tresses or play the piano while darkly emotional or even wrestle badly behaved horses. The only thing I have is an authentic leather Australia-type hat that I got at the Utah State Fair.

Well.....a little while ago, my map showed that someone from Australia had visited my blog. An Australian! On my blog! And that Australian didn't leave a comment and hasn't been back, leading me to believe that either she (we'll assume it was a woman) got lost and never meant to come to my blog in the first place or that she's Judging me. You already know which one I think it is.

Anyone seen a squishy lobster around?

2010-02-23T12:39:00.000-08:00

Lobstee is lost. You may commence to mourn.

Laughter and Tears

2010-02-23T11:56:00.000-08:00

My sister and aunt came to visit us this last week. We took a walk along the greenway and after a while, sent Rhyan off to drive the car to the other side, where he was to pick us up. My naivete knows no bounds. This was the first time we'd walked this and I had no idea how wretchedly looooong that trail is. It would have been OK but Brooklyn decided it would be much more entertaining to have fits and yell like a banshee for about the last mile. So charming.

Julie taught the kids how to play chess. They love it but you have to watch them carefully because their players sometimes make amazing moves that no chess piece has ever gotten away with before.

Kids being bugs in a spiders web at Birmingham zoo. I was really disappointed with the zoo. They are under construction and none of the cool animals were available to see. The alligators were hibernating and I suppose I can't blame the zoo for that (though I am trying to find a way). No elephants, hippos, big cats or the apes that were all advertised. Half the zoo is under construction. Only one measly giraffe.

Maybe I'll go back sometime when they're done. Maybe. But only because the nice lady at the front gave us an ice pack to put on Brooklyn's forehead after she ran into a chair. If the zoo had had howler monkeys, which they didn't, I'd bet on Brooklyn to out howl any of them any day, any time.

For more heart-stopping entertainment, we hiked Rainbow trail. So beautiful. So peaceful. So dangerous for little boys who like to jump near cliffs. Through some miracle and a lot of, "GET AWAY FROM THE EDGE!" we all survived and enjoyed nature.

For Heidi and Julie,
We miss you already! You would have cried to see the quivering lips and tear stained faces of those kids after we dropped you off. Brooklyn crying through her tears, "keesses. I give keessses Jueee, Heidi." Casey and Erika taking turns sniffing.
Come back soon!

A Fairy-Tale Existence

2010-02-06T16:25:00.000-08:00

There are times in my life when I connect with fairy tales. Like when Erika grumbled that she "is JUST like Cinderella," the way I make her empty the whole dishwasher and all.

It's not all a fairy-tale, certainly. Even if I call my kids dwarfs and dye my hair black, no bird is going to come scrub my bathroom. But there are still the little joys.....like Joshua's Kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Rothstien. No one in the class can say it right. It's a lot easier to call her Mrs. Frosting. It's like Candy Land. Awesome.

But I've noticed more sinister paralells too. Sometimes I bribe the kids with sweets and candy and It's not like Candy Land. Remember Hansel and Grettle? ....And the witch who measures Hansel's finger to see if he's plump enough to eat yet? Well, about every month, I measure Erika, just waiting for the day that her arm is long enough to move the clothing from the bottom of the washing machine into the dryer. She's almost there.

*kackle kackle*

Pain in the Neck or New Fashion Statement?

2010-02-05T06:37:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday I picked Josh up and tore a disc in my neck. Pain! And I spent the whole day whining in various Dr.s offices. On the plus side, I got this fashionable neck brace! I think it really accentuates that sweet chubby cheek look that is so in vouge right now.
My kids have been so great to help out around the house. Erika set the table for dinner and made everyone a sticky-note crown. We're so chic, it's scary. I mean, just go find pictures of Paris.....(France, not Hilton) Everyone is walking around with paper crowns. And the latest neck brace in ecru.

This is Brooklyn's new shirt dress. I did smocking on this one. I think I'll swap out the buttons with some cute sunflower ones, though. Smocking was easier than I thought it would be.

And finally, making cookies with a good friend. These girls cut out, baked and decorated many cookies each. I decorated my own and it was hard because I didn't want my frosting to have touched their frosting. I avoid frosting-saliva mixtures whenever possible. It was a good time, saliva notwithstanding.

A New Dress

2010-01-25T06:20:00.000-08:00

I've been wanting to make this little shirt dress that I found on Presser Foot. (see side bar) It's a little summer dress refashioned from an adult sized dress shirt. I do know it's still January. I just might be in denial though. Maybe. I loved the way it turned out and it took only two hours from start (including making the pattern) to finish.

And what I love even more? The fact that my baby poses like a runway model. Only way cuter.
I'm ready for summer. Click here for the tutorial at MADE.

Just a Bit of Alabama Randomness

2010-01-21T06:42:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn learned a new word. Sniff. She stands close and breathes through her nose at me. Then looks up and says, "I niff you." delightful. Except I'm always afraid she's going to 'niff' too hard and get a boogey on me. So I'm still working on where to draw the line between encouraging new word use and booger avoidance, both very important things in my life.

The kids don't like school lunch here. But they love that they get daily snack time. I get them good snacks but we run out fast because I eat them too. But I'm going to stop any day now.

I'm hoping I never meet anyone from our moving company because although I'm usually against acts of violence, I would be all for someone in that company getting punched in the nose. Or even getting a really hard nuggie. Or a swirly. I'm really quite flexible.

The Art of the Ninja-Mother

2010-01-10T20:01:00.000-08:00

In the course of my life, I sometimes find it necessary to pare down our possessions. Because my children make priceless treasures out of questionable items, I often have to do this on the sly. Here is the technique:

When getting rid of broken toys (or not broken but terribly annoying toys) from a child's room, it is best to employ the art of Ninja-mothering. I, myself, have almost perfected this difficult parenting style. It involves Moving noiselessly into and out of closets while humming your chosen theme song and carrying loads of these toys. One must learn to crouch behind laundry and potted plants in a believable way, peer around corners with back pressed to the wall and duck into the shadows at a moments notice, becoming invisible and undetectable. It is helpful to wear something in the same shade as your wall for this maneuver.

There are also the secondary and much underrated skills of slipping something into the trash in such a nonchalant way as to avoid all suspicion and, of course, swaying like a snake to distract them from what's in your hands.

Of course, you could do this while they are at school but I wouldn't recommend passing on this chance to hone your skills.

Despite all my cautions, sometimes I get caught. I know when this happens. I hear someone wailing, "Whyyy is my special Q-Q-Q-tip in the gaaaaaarbage?" Then I just do what everyone else in the family does when in trouble.....Blame it on Brooklyn.

Credit to Elisa Moulton for the idea of Ninja parenting.

Quirky is the Best Way to Describe it, I Think

2010-01-08T21:55:00.000-08:00

I have heard that some people think it would be boring to stay home with kids all day long. I refute this. I've never yet been bored with my kids.
This is Lobst-ee. He's one of Joshua's favorite toys and one of my favorite examples of quirkiness at our house. As you can see, Lobst-ee is made of a gelatinous, rubbery substance and looks very much like a live lobster. Yet, this is who Josh likes to sleep next to on his pillow. Not a soft, plush toy, no....just a cold, squishy crustacean, thanks. I was equally mystified when he was about a year old and preferred eating rolly-polly bugs over mashed potatoes.

Anyhow.... Lobst-ee is well loved and often slung around by the pincers. This caused one appendage to come off and the other was only hanging on by a thread. There were tears and wailings and gnashings of teeth so despite the fact that I would be happy to see Lobst-ee go to toy heaven, I tried to fix him. I sewed his sticky little soul back together and made him a shirt to cover the scars. Joshua was SO happy. Casey was jealous.

Meet Spik-ee. Casey's soft plush Webkinz without a trace of spikiness about him. Spik-ee had to have an outfit. Not just a shirt. I refashioned one for him from a 25 cent Target tee. It has a matching hat too.

End of story: Lobst-ee is up for more rough and tumble play, Spik-ee is nice and warm and Mom is the hero of the day! Kids are SO not boring.

Happy Birthday Brooklyn!

2010-01-03T12:42:00.000-08:00

It took a little time for her to figure out how to blow out the candles but she got it in the end!

Party games included Ring around the Rosie, Poor Poor Kitty, and I Have a Little Doggie

We love our little girl so much and it's hard to believe she's three. Especially when I'm still changing her diapers, grumble grumble. But I digress. This little one brings life, laughter and joy into our home and we're so happy to have her with us. Plus, she IS starting to use the potty.

Thanks Julie and the Lindsay Family

2010-01-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

Brooklyn had a fantastic Birthday on the 27th! Thanks to all who called and made her day wonderful. We love all of you.

Endings

2010-01-01T15:03:00.000-08:00

Our vacation is ending. We're sad about it here at our house. My Brother and Sister-In-Law just left with their baby girl and to add insult to injury, they took their Wii with them. *sigh*

More vids

2009-12-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

Christmas vids of my kids

2009-12-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

From loved ones far from home: Thank you for the Christmas loot!

Poo Poo Kitty

2009-12-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

This is for my family back at home. I thought you might enjoy Brooklyn's rendition of Manhattan Transfers' "Boy from New York City" or, in our house, the ooo-aaa oo-aaa poo poo kitty song.

Update and an unexplainable complex

2009-12-15T07:47:00.000-08:00

My awesome parents gave me a GPS for my birthday. It has been invaluable while we are here. I use it every day multiple times. My ability to get lost has shrunk considerably. And that was a pretty stong point in my personality.

I have noticed, however, that I have issues. Whenever I miss a turn, or choose to go a different way, the nice female compter voice say, "recalc-u-lating." At first it makes me laugh but after a while, I start to feel guilty. It dosen't make any sense. My heart rate goes up and I want to apologize and everything. Somehow I think it's genetic, though. The other day when it had to "recalc-u-late" several times, Erika said, with a nervous twinge, "Mom, I think you better turn, it's gonna get mad." Aaaa, nature vs. nurture. ie...how much of this can I blame on my mom?

In other news, everyone is doing great. Casey has a cough and is home from school. So he feels great, Josh is having a party at school and yesterday won a free skating party that the school was giving away. He feels great. Christmas is coming. We're feeling it.

Here is a picture of our apartment when we firts got here. All that junk in the corner was in our van. How did it all fit? Rhyan played the kids Leapsters. He got up to Jedi Master on Jedi math!
And this is where I found the boys on the morning of the first day of school. Hanging out under the sink in the bathroom. (it was still empty at the time) They liked this new hideout!

It Starts Young

2009-12-10T05:44:00.000-08:00

Here we are in Alabama. Everyone is doing great except Joshua. He's been sick all week. First a fever and now an upset stomach. I hope he gets better soon. Mostly because I want him to be well and comfortable but also because he and Brooklyn fight all the time. And my whine meter is at capacity currently. Brooklyn is enjoying her MP-3 Player from Grandpa Lindsay.

Erika has made many new friends here already. She has transitioned really well. She is enjoying school, too. Erika says, "This school ROCKS" One of her favorite things about it is that they have snack time every day! She also likes doing group projects. She doesn't like PE because they are apparently very militant in there.

Casey agrees. He is doing better in class now. He didn't like the first couple of days. It was harder with so many new things going on at once and his teacher yelled a bit. (I'm not sure if this means he really yelled or if he just talks loud) In any case, it was hard for him. He's doing better now, though.

Josh is loving all day kindergarten. Though he's only been in school for 3 1/2 days now with all his sick days. Geez. He's doing the best at the "yes, ma'am/sir" thing. It is expected here and kids who don't say it sound rude. We're getting there, though.

I'm getting unpacked and feeling pretty good. Rhyan is doing well at his job. They should get him a computer and a phone any day now. It's good to be back on the computer, though. The world is a much smaller place with blogs and FB.

On the Road

2009-11-23T18:06:00.000-08:00

Here we are in Amarillo, TX. I'm typing at the business center in our hotel. Brooklyn cried through most of Arizona but other than that, no mishaps. More to follow. Eventually. I miss my blog world very much.

.........

2009-11-14T14:31:00.001-08:00

Packing. Packing. Sadly packing. Numbly packing. Eternally packing.

Time to start Christmas, the real way!

2009-11-13T07:40:00.000-08:00

My good friend, Sue from Navel Gazing at its finest, (good friend as in, I'm sure we would be good friends if we had ever met, but I've posted comments on her blog before :) is collecting coats and warm winter wear for refugees here in SLC. They are in desperate need. Many moved here from warm areas and have no cold weather clothing. One family had 4 kids and 1 coat and they took turns with the coat! Sad! Since we're moving to a warmer climate, we're getting rid of some of our nice, gently used coats, hats and gloves and this is the perfect opportunity to do a huge amount of good with them.

SO.....

You can help, too. Buy new coats/warm outfits or send your gently used ones to this address:
(you can drop them off, too)

Gayane Manukyan
Attn: 100 coats for kids project
Refugee Center at AAU
1588 S Major Street
SLC, UT 84115

When you're done, go to this blogsite and tell Sue how many you gave because our goal is 100 coats and we want to keep track!

I'm headed to Salt Lake on Thursday of next week so if you have some that you'd like to send with me, please have them to me by Wednesday and I'll take them down for you! See? Easy.

Think Back.....Aaa, yes. The Giveaway!

2009-11-12T06:12:00.000-08:00

Close your eyes and think back.....way back....farther.....remember last February? Yes? Good. Then you may well recall when I held this give-away. It's the one where I'm supposed to craft gifts for three lucky commenters. Just as a reminder here were the stipulations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year (It will probably be after May when I'm in my new house.)
4. You will have no clue what it is going to be.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

As you can see, I have completed it this year! No small feat whilst trying to complete a Biology class and moving my family for the third time in a year. (did you notice how craftily I excused myself for taking so long?) But that's not the only reason. It's taken me so long because, darn it, the three ladies that won the giveaway happen to be amazing crafters themselves and it's frankly intimidating to be sending them my own handiwork when my inner critic keeps me up at night, saying "They could have done it better themselves." But the great thing about this giveaway is that they didn't have to do it themselves! So ladies, scroll down to see what you've won! ( I sound like a game-show host)

My good friend, Valerie was the first winner. Now let me tell you why Val was so hard to craft for. First of all, she makes amazing cakes. These are not just nice, easy, little-frosting-on-top cakes. These are works of art in frosting and fondant. Wonderful. Second, she does amazing things with paper. She's a stamp-it-up person with a flair for design. And an amazing, contagious laughter that I miss hearing. (wish we lived closer)

For Valerie, I made a set of fall-leaf place mats. The appliqued leaves were traced from the real thing and they reminded me of something that could be stamped. And she can use them when she serves one of her amazing creations to her friends or family.

The next lucky winner was another good friend, Caroline. I spend way too much time devouring her crafty blog. ie...another intimidation. She sews the way I eat Reeses Pieces Peanut Butter Cups. mmmm. Reeses. (actually, she sews way more often than I eat those, but not more often than I wish I was eating those.)

For Caroline, I knew sewing stuff was out so I whipped out the paint and scrounged up some mouse-shaped rocks from my inexhaustible supply in the yard and....Voila! A Mama mouse and her family. The babies are about the size of the tip of my thumb. Now I made these before I knew that her children had mouse fetishes. They are going to LOVE these! So, if you want them for yourself, you will have to be Very, Very sneaky with them. I know because Brooklyn loves these very mice SO much that she's absconded with them more than once. (I think there's Christmas potential there) Needless to say, they are a 3+ kind of toy, too small for babies, perfect for a church bag, though. I chose these because they have amazing imagination potential, something I've admired in Caroline all the years I've known her. Plus, I think we may share a love of all things little.

And......another good friend (and my cousin), Angela was the final winner! Yet another crafty lady. Angela does everything. Wedding cakes, cards, sewing, baby bows, writing books. She's also an experienced connoisseur of fine insta-cares. (haha, just kidding, Angela!)

For Angela, I made a circus reading tent for her to read to her children in. (and let them play in themselves, of course) I found the mesh bed tent online a couple of years ago. I got a couple and they have been sitting in my craft box since then. I added circus props on top and there you go! Like all my winners, Angela has always impressed me with her parenting skills. I chose this project for her to reflect that and to continue to encourage her kiddos to love reading. (The other day she posted that she woke up to find them "reading" to each other. Cute!) I've seen these tent things set over an adult chair so that you can snuggle and read together. I've also seen it with a cushion underneath so kids can feel like they are in a real tent, as modeled here by the Beautiful, Miss Erika.

This project has been so much fun and I've had a blast thinking about some of the many strengths of these amazing women and trying to find somthing fun that might reflect some of that back to them. I'm glad I know each one of them! Now, you three can start watching the mail.

Movin' to Alabama

2009-11-03T06:47:00.000-08:00

It's official! We are on our way to Alabama in just a few weeks. It's been a rough road to this decision but it's finally made. Now, trying to make all the millions of arrangements!

Gearing up for Holiday Fun

2009-10-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

Well, as you all know, now that Halloween is almost here, it's time to start.......Christmas projects!!!!!! What do you mean you didn't know that? Good thing I'm here to enlighten you, then.

Here's my first, for Brooklyn. I found this cute dolphin family at Walmart. Kind'a boring by itself. So... I made a little mattress for each dolphin.

But then they looked cold.....Fleece blankets!

And I've been wanting to do this little bag from here: http://modernquiltlove.wordpress.com/2009/07/14/perfect-box-pouch-tutorial

So I did. Now they have a home.

With handles.

One Project down. It may be the only project to get down if we end up moving our family across the country. We'll see. We'll see.

Fun Sorting Activity for Kindergarten/1st Grade

2009-10-27T20:02:00.000-07:00

Joshua is in Kindergarten and they are doing reviews of sorting this week. We decided to have some fun with it and I dumped a bunch of porcupine rings out on the table. He had a pair of tweezers and one ice cream dish for each color of ring. First, he refined his hand/eye coordination by picking each color up with tweezers and putting it in the appropriate dish.

Then I challenged him to count how many were in each dish and write the number. (Counting, number recognition and writing) Then he got to put the dishes in order from fewest to most. (Math vocabulary and Skills)

It was really fun and kept him absorbed for a long time. It also helped him sharpen his skills in so many different areas. So much fun!

Significant Things that Happened today

2009-10-23T14:55:00.000-07:00

1 - I got a package in the mail from Julie, in Hungary. Cool. It has two, handpainted wooden flutes, two decorativly shaped pencils, two Chocolate bars (yum) and a real live, hand written note. Love it. Brooklyn and Josh helped me eat one of the candy bars.

2 - I helped in Josh's class. They had a pumpkin party. Brooklyn and Josh got to decorate and eat sugar cookies and candy corn.

3 - Due to helping in class, Brooklyn didn't get a nap. But she did find the tootsie rolls and ate two.

4 - Due to the no nap thing, Brooklyn ran around like a banshee on Caffeine in a state of hyper-alert-over-tired sugar rush-ee-ness.

5 - Due to the running around, she popped her elbow out of joint.

6 - I popped it back into joint for the first time ever - without Dr. assistance.

I wonder what wonders we'll experience tomorrow.

One Sweet Little Lamb

2009-10-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

Ready for Halloween!

Bags for flash cards

2009-10-21T07:39:00.000-07:00

Josh's flash cards were always getting mixed up and falling all over his bag. So I decided to do something about it. Some time ago, my friend Caroline did a tutorial about baggie storage. (see her link at the bottom) I altered it a bit by sewing down the center of two slide top zip-style baggies. That made two compartments in each. Then I followed Caroline's tutorial and added a strip of fabric to the bottom, sewing the two baggies together. Then, just slip the flashcards in. (We happen to have 4 sets) I like the pull-top zips because my kids can open and shut them effectively themselves and I think they are less likely to pop open. I reinforced a couple of holes that I poked into the fabric and stuck them in his homework folder where they are always available right where we need them!

http://obsessivelystitching.blogspot.com/2009/09/zipper-bags-for-organization-tutorial.html

Halloween Pumpkins

2009-10-20T08:48:00.000-07:00

Yay! Pumpkin carving. Halloween, here we come!

10/16/09 Iron cleaning!

2009-10-09T20:58:00.006-07:00

I just learned something invaluable! If you ever iron the wrong side of interfacing on accident, you know how much goop gets on your iron. Yuck. Well, I just found the trick to take it right off! Dampen down a Bounce dryer sheet, place it on a towel and rub your warm iron on it. It takes the goop right off. Like nothing! Amazing. Just a thought for you to store away in the recesses of your brain for some day in the future.

10/15/09 More mermaid

2009-10-09T20:58:00.005-07:00

Mermaid and a trip to the corn maze, posted 10/15/09

2009-10-09T20:58:00.003-07:00

Well, after 3 days of work, I finally finished Erika's very involved mermaid costume that includes a matching candy bag! She is so excited and I think it turned out really cute.

We took Grandma and Grandpa out to Logan for a fun evening at the American West Heritage Ctr. We slid on the giant hay slide, rode ponies, and a horse drawn carriage. We heard stories from a witch, played in the giant stacks of hay, rode the kiddie train and did all sorts of fun things. We capped off the night by going through the giant corn maze. We all had such a good time.

Aaaa, the flu...

2009-10-09T20:58:00.002-07:00

Casey was tested for H1N1 today. The test came back positive. Now we're all on Tamiflu. Joy.

Haloween Prep

2009-10-09T20:58:00.001-07:00

I just got back from Joann's with a bag full of fabric and a couple of $1 patterns. Hooray! A lamb and a mermaid are in the making.

Still Love Being A Mother

2009-10-07T14:13:00.000-07:00

Erika saw my face as I saw Brooklyn's and said, "Well, at least get a picture before you start yelling." ........Out of the mouths of babes, people.

Shhhhhh...........Alexis Kay Moulton

2009-10-06T20:57:00.001-07:00

I have a new niece. Little Alexis was born this evening. 6lbs 8oz and 20 inches. She has lots of very soft fuzz on her tiny head and is absolutely beautiful! Elisa is doing well and she and Trent seem very happy.

Still Waiting

2009-10-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

And waiting, and waiting, and waiting.....It's so hard to be patient. Will we get a job offer? Tune in next time.... Or the time after that. Maybe.

Letter to the Fairy

2009-09-30T18:24:00.000-07:00

Dear Toothfairy,

The tooth is in the tea pot. The pot is for you. There is a treasure box that has money for you. A penny and a dime. Toothfairy, thank you for the dollar. Goodbye toothfairy.

Casey Hardman

A trip to Alabama

2009-09-30T07:38:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Rhyan and I took a trip out to Huntsville, AL. Rhyan had an interview out there with a company called Jacobs. It looks like a good company. We'll see what comes of it. It was interesting getting off the plane there because it felt very much like Indiana when we first went there about 7 1/2 years ago. I stepped off of the air conditioned air plane and again felt as if someone had thrown a wet filter over me. The air is heavy and wet, harder to pull into your lungs, and there is the distinct smell of humidity. Not crisp like it is here. We looked around at the area and met up with some friends of ours that moved out there about 2 years ago. (They are how we found this job) Over all, it was exhausting and fun. My wonderful Aunt came and stayed with the kiddos at our house so that they wouldn't miss any school. Here is a picture of her taking a picture of Brooklyn. (oooo, tricky)

Rhyan and I found a fun outdoor mall very much like the Gateway in Salt Lake City. In the middle, there is a river and a bridge.

At the mall, there was a 1 1/2 hour wait at the steak house we went to. So we ate a place called Ketchup that happens to be going out of business. Consequently, they were out of the Southern Food we wanted to try. ie...fried green tomatoes. Blast! Rhyan did try the crayfish and fried catfish which he really liked.

And now, in a totally unrelated video, Joshua brought home an imaginary enemy this week and the two of them just can't seem to get along. In fact, it gets pretty violent. I had to be stealthy to even get this video, by the way. I didn't want to get myself beat up. Whoever this dude is, he's obviously pretty tough and he has the advantage of being invisible, which is hardly fair.

A Birthday, Some Mice and All Things are Brooklyn's

2009-09-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

My Casey turned 7 on the 15th of this month. He had a fun family party and requested an ocean/beach cake. A nod to our Oregon vacation this past summer. Brooklyn walked around pointing at the presents and decor saying, "mine bags, mine pretties, mine cake"

Aaaa....Cake and SingingYummo!

Erika and I spent the morning on a sewing lesson. We each sewed up a pink, felt mouse.

They actually turned out really cute and Erika did a great job with only a little bit of coaching. She put on the eyes, nose, ears and tail all on her own. These little mice are about one inch long and cute! Brooklyn looked at them and immediately grabbed my mouse. "mine." Simply stated. No room for argument.

Good Night, all. And Happy Sabbath.

2009-09-15T13:27:00.000-07:00

We've had all sorts of festivities these past few days. Peach days was a roaring fun time. Grandma and Grandpa bought the kids tickets for a couple of rides. Brooklyn didn't appreciate them as she should have, though. She cried while Grandma held her on the merry-go-round. And you can see if you look real close that Brooklyn is holding Erika's hand over her eyes durring the barrel ride. If you can't see it, it can't scare you, right? (Erika is the one in the pink hat)

The kids all liked petting the cows and they even got to try to milk a mini-cow. They all got a few drips out, too.

Then we got to the rides that Brooklyn liked. Well, loved would be more accurate. She was over-joyed to ride on the horses.

Casey and Joshua both took turns shooting at metalic decoys. Casey was a dead-eye! He got a ton of those suckers!

Here you can hear more than see Brooklyn being joyful.

In other news, the job search continues. Hope you are all having a wonderful fall!

Job Search

2009-09-09T11:51:00.001-07:00

Well, it's official! Rhyan's looking for a new job. He's enjoyed working out at ATK but with the probablility of a layoff coming up in January and again in March, we've decided to be proactive and look around. So if anyone knows of any open jobs in Mechanical Engineering anywhere in the country, (or out of it, for that matter) please pass the information along. We'd appreciate it!

Back to School

2009-09-02T20:16:00.001-07:00

First day of school, Erika's lip quivered on the bus but she did OK. I followed behind and met them at the school to walk to classes the first day. Everyone loved the teachers. Yay.

Adorable, no?

Fair and Rodeo Time, Yeehaw

2009-09-02T10:29:00.001-07:00

So, somehow, months just slide right by me. We've had a crazy August which is now, obviously, gone. My kids grew little tiny white pumpkins this year to enter at the fair. They were so cute and the kids did actually weed and water every now and then to get those little guys to grow. But I forgot what a pain it is to get 4 kids and 6 vegetables bathed and to the fair grounds on time to enter the little suckers so that the kids can feel good about the $1 they get in prize money. I actually felt a little like Cinderella except I was carrying the pumpkins instead of the pumpkins carrying me. (ignoring, of course, the fact that I'm married, have 4 kids and prince charming would have rolled his eyes had I even suggested we go to a ball)

Then we went to the rodeo. It was only the third rodeo I've ever been to and I didn't remember them being quite so long. I did enjoy it but the drunk people enjoyed it more. A lot more.

My favorite part was the calf roping. Only a few of the cowboys were successful and when I looked at the kids, they were cheering for the calves. "Run. Run, baby cow, run!" PETA execs in the making? I guess they don't approve of that kind of bovine violence. Or maybe my kids are just the kind that root for the under-dog. Or the under-cow, as the case may be.

Tank Wars and Cousins

2009-07-30T10:28:00.000-07:00

We got to have my nephews over for a couple of days last week. The kids played and played and had a blast. Rhyan sang them songs and they helped him play the piano. So cute. Then on Saturday we helped Elisa move into her new house and had our first ever Tank War! Meet the Piginator, the princess getta, the bat, the eye ball and Joshua's and Rhyan's tanks.

All ready for the match up. With Elisa and Trent's house behind us!
Lining Up.

Let it Begin!

Brooklyn was not impressed.

The aftermath. So much fun!

My Regata of Choice

2009-07-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

We took the kiddos down to the park near Julie's and raced our boats on a deliciously hot Saturday in July. Before the event, Julie cut out and glued each boat for the children (and the children at heart) and then we painted and decorated to our hearts content. Then on the dedicated day, we headed out to race our boats in our very own regata! The kids had a blast casting boats into the stream and then catching them before they went under the bridge of no return. Sadly, Joshua's boat did go under that bridge never to be seen again despite the dedicated prodding with large sticks which did unearth a long-dead bird, about a ton of garbage and someone's primary lesson attached to popsicle sticks. And a good time was had by all.

$$$, I mean, "free" kittens

2009-07-27T14:44:00.001-07:00

Meet two new members of our family. We picked up Whiskers (black and white) and Penny (Calico) about 2 1/2 weeks ago and they are doing pretty well. I just didn't know that free kittens could get so darn expensive. Geez. They are awfully cute, though.

Happy Birthday Joshua!

2009-07-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

Joshua had his 5th birthday on Tuesday. He'll be starting school this year. Hard to believe. We also have two new kittens. Outside, of course. I'll post some pics tomorrow of the new additions. Joshua requested a hamburger cake for his big day.

Grandpa and Grandma Hardman, Heidi and Grandpa Lindsay came to help us celebrate.

PS. A New Fear

2009-06-26T13:36:00.000-07:00

P.S. I just watched a daddy long legs attack and kill a little grasshopper. Another small segment of my childhood innocence dies. Daddy long legs are fairly vicious. I have a new fear. In fact, they are not really even in the same scientific order as spiders. They are Opiliones and have only one body segment. Some eat small insects and others eat only dead stuff like leaves and animal matter. They are not poisonous and don't bite humans though I don't plan to test that theory. Thank you Google. Guys, it's fairly obvious to me that I'm going to have to spray the window well. I'm apparently fixated and the pulsating, popping mass of insect life forces me to look but also causes me nausea. I'm not getting anything done down here. I don't like killing, even grasshoppers, which I hate with a passion bordering on psycosis. But this must be done. I will try to do it tonight in order to spare you another post about it. You're welcome.

The Stuff of Nightmares or, The View Out My Window

2009-06-25T10:44:00.000-07:00

In our new house, the computer is set up in the basement right next to a window with a good sized window well. So while I'm working on the computer, I can gaze out the window at the gravel at the bottom of the well. Boring, right? Not so. For in my window well are trapped about 30 grasshoppers of varying sizes, at least 3 big black crickets, some rolly polly (potato, pill) bugs and at least 3 spiders, one wolf and two of the web building variety. Also there have sprouted at least 100 tiny Siberian elm seedlings. Hateful things, Siberian elm seedlings. But I have my own, gross, little terrerium. So lucky......really.

Moved in

2009-05-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

Well, we're sort of moved in. Everything is either in the house or in the garage. Except the vehicles. (of course) They've been banished to the driveway for the time being. Pictures later when I can find the camera. :)

New Pictures, Family and Home

2009-05-10T09:13:00.001-07:00

On Friday we had two very talented ladies, Leah and Danni, take our family pictures. We got the CD back yesterday and loved the pictures they took. They spent an hour with us and now we have about 150 pics to choose from. Here are a few that I really liked.

AND.......

The Almost-Finished House
we get to move in on Saturday the 16th

Aaaa.... The toned-down yellow paint. Much better.

Josh in the hallway

View from the dining room to the kitchen (and laundry room beyond)

The master bedroom accent wall.

The Boys room is a very nice blue and they chose their own ceiling fan which looks like the earth and the fan blades are the stars. I'm planning a from-earth-looking-up-at-the-stars theme. I also found a little table for them, perfect for legos.

2009-04-29T11:30:00.000-07:00

You may know this young man as Joshua. But he no longer wishes to be called Joshua. His first choice in name change was to be called "Casey." (awww, so cool that he loves his brother that much) But after some convincing that it would be too confusing, we sugested that he could go by his initials if he wanted. So Josh has a new nick name. When you see him next, you may call him JD. He thinks it's a rockin' awesome name.

biology woes

2009-04-29T06:41:00.000-07:00

Update:
I have postponed my test until Friday.

I have a biology test today. Woe is me.

An unforgivable ommission

2009-04-20T12:10:00.000-07:00

I forgot to write in the previous post how grateful I was for all the help I got on those two days. My Mom and Julie came up all day Friday and Saturday and my Dad also came up Saturday. Everyone worked thier tails off that whole time. Verleen brought us lunch one day and she and Gregge helped watch kids for part of that time too. Even though it feels like a never ending project, it would feel 10 times worse without the cheerful help I got. Thanks everyone!

Knock You Over Yellow

2009-04-19T17:54:00.000-07:00

We are painting the accent walls in our house. And negotiating to have the main areas repainted by the professionals. They did a bang up job but the yellow that looked so innocent and bright on that tiny little paint chip has morphed into a really, really, bright, knock-you-over kind of yellow. So, we're going to have to redo that. The other rooms are really coming along quite nicely, though. This is one of my favorites. It's the girls room, pink on one wall, stripes painted on one wall and white on the other two. (The hope in that is that leaving two walls white will keep you from feeling like you're drowning in Pepto Bismol)

And here is the Yellow Room. The picture doesn't do it justice. I almost fell the first time I walked in. I'm considering a letter to Sherwin Williams thanking them for the subtle humor that I wish we'd picked up on before we painted. The color is called "Butter Up." It has a base ball-y sound, don't you think? That's because every time you walk into the room, it's going to hit your senses like a buttered baseball going 70MPH. I have been working on these projects for 2 days straight, 10 -12 hours a day and I'm feeling really worn down and tired and more than a little discouraged. I'm glad today was a rest day but I have a full sheet of paper filled with To-Do's for tomorrow and none of them even take into consideration any regular household things. Send me your well wishes. I sure need them.

The Artist Formerly Known as Casey

2009-04-12T17:11:00.001-07:00

Casey has informed us that he would like to be called "Rock Star Shake-a-doo." Mm hmm. You can see why in the following pictures (which really capture what it's like to be a boy who needs such a name and which will probably be used in his wedding collage.)

Peace Out, Dude!

BAPTISM PICTURES

Erika and Papa just before the Baptism

Erika and her dear cousin, Bethany

Bryce and Hyrum

Mayu, Erika and Hannah

These are Erika's best friends from Brigham and it was really special for her to have them here on her special day.

Newest House Pictures

2009-04-04T12:03:00.001-07:00

We have siding. We have drywall. We have putty. Oh yea. It's coming along.

You Could Be Saving A Bundle

2009-03-26T09:54:00.000-07:00

We were driving through town yesterday when we passed a billboard with this picture on it. Erika was the first to point it out to everyone. Joshua was kind of excited saying, "Hey, we've seen that on TV." Casey looked up at it and nonchalantly commented, "Oh, that's just the money you could save with Geico car insurance." Two things were then apparent to me. One: Geico has a fairly effective add strategy and two: My kids are watching way too much TV again.

A beautifully snowy day

2009-03-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

And today looks just like that picture. Last week 74 degrees. Now snow. I really don't mind because I know it will be gone by Saturday. It's supposed to be beautiful!

2009-03-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

My Friend Charity tagged me in this picture Tag.
Here's how it works:
1: Got to Document/pictures
2: Sixth file folder
3: Post sixth picture
4: Blog about it
5: Tag 6 others

This was the first snow fall of 2008. I think it was in September or something but the kids loved it. They woke up, saw the snow and headed out into it immediately to build a snowman.

I tag the 6 people who want to do this.

St. Patricks Day and Baptism Dress

2009-03-19T18:02:00.001-07:00

Here is our fun from St. Patricks Day. This first blurry picture is of the box the kids decorated to put in the moonlight on St. Patricks Eve. Legend has it that a box left overnight will be filled with leprechaun gold. The leprechauns don't like this, naturally, and they hide their boxes so that the kids (hopefully) won't find them. But my kids are natural hunters and they found the box pretty easy the next morning. It was filled with gold candy coins and real coins for the piggy bank too. It was quite a haul.

Now this is the leprechaun trap the kids and I made. It has a trap door on top with gold painted rocks and a rainbow that we used as a lure. Though it's blurry, we also put a sign on it saying "No Leprechauns and No Climbing" Because we all know how much those little devils love to break the rules.

Sure enough, the next morning the trap had been sprung but there was no leprechaun. He did leave a note, taunting the kids and egging them on for next year. Casey took the disapointment better than I imagined he would. The chocolate and bubblegum coins may have played a part in that, though. He has already designed a new and improved trap for next year.

And finally, here is the baptism dress for Erika. It is a two piece pattern and she looks so cute in it. We are planning the baptism now. If any of you friends and family will be in the area on March 28th at 9:00 AM, please email me. We would love to have you. hardman_andrea@hotmail.com

Sandwich

2009-03-15T09:34:00.000-07:00

This morning when I came upstairs, my kids had been up for a while and they had a candle (grandma helped them light it) on the table next to a sandwich made especially for me. They had also washed the table and counters so that I would have this wonderful surprise. It was such a sweet thing that they all worked on together and I was really happy with them. They all watched anxiously as I took my first bite. "Do you like it? Do you like it?" Not really but I didn't let on. I just ate my turkey, cheese and sugar sandwich for breakfast. And it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it sounds, actually.

Zoo and Stuff

2009-03-11T12:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went down to the zoo with my mom and dad. We had a really fun time and I had my camera the whole time. But I only took a picture of this turkey. I can't tell you why. I was facinated with the gobble noise that they make. So weird. Brooklyn loved it too. I'm almost done with Erika's baptismal dress. There is only pressing left. This was a really hard dress to make so I'm glad it's done and looks right. Erika really likes it.

And here is the latest house pictures. We have a roof now. This first picture is the back porch. I love the beam that spans the back.

Front view

New House Pictures

2009-03-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

All right! We have our framing started. This is what it looked like on Monday when I went to check it. I knew they were planning to start it and the wood had already been delivered.
This is what it looked like on Tuesday evening when we went by. We had one wall and a floor to walk on. This is Rhyan looking at our future master bedroom. The two little squares are going to be accent windows. And this is how it looked last night when we went by. More walls and the trusses for the roof have been delivered. The garage has been framed up and I'm not sure if we have stairs or not yet because I had all the kiddos with me so I didn't want to tramp up there. (it was cold, too) Here's a closer and blurier picture. That front corner window will be the boys room and the other window visible looks out from the living room. I'm really hoping they get the roof on tomorrow so that we can stop worrying about the weather slowing them down. Here's to fingers crossed for dry days. */*

Brooklyn is doing better too. Her tooth is slowly moving back into place and doesn't seem to be hurting her anymore. Yay. She also just started pretend singing to her dolls, which is a good developmental step for her. In other news, I went to the elementary school that the kids will be attending next year and got them all signed up then went into town and got Brooklyn her immunizations, raced home and got Casey into school. Whew. What a day.

Brooklyn's mishap

2009-02-28T19:03:00.001-08:00

There has been saddness at our house. Yesterday morning we took Brooklyn to her singing class. They use all sorts of fun "instruments." Brooklyn was using percussion sticks and stuck one in her mouth, immediately fell forward off her chair - face first. The stick struck the floor and pushed her tooth back about a 1/4 inch. She also cut her lip and gums. Now, a day later, she also has swelling and bruising up by her nose on the left side. When she fell it scared me to death. We raced her to a pediatric dentist but he wasn't there. So we found another dentist in town who was able to look at the damage. He said it would be OK and that the tooth will acctually straighten itself back out over the next few months. So, we're just watching it and continuing with a regime of Ibuprophen every 6 hours or so combined with a LOT of love for my poor baby.

Not the most attractive pictures but they do show the poor little tooth.

You can see the tiny cut on her upper lip in this one and she is even more swollen now than she was when we took this picture but she is a trooper and only complains when the Baby Ibuprophen wears off.
I know she'll recover in time but keep her in your prayers please. It's been a traumatic couple of days. Thanks.

Supposed to Shmupposed to

2009-02-26T07:31:00.000-08:00

The builders were supposed to start our framing last week. Then we had a mondo snow storm. then we were supposed to start this week. It rained. So now we're supposed to start sometime next week. Sigh. I feel really discouraged with it. It feels like we've been here forever and it's hard to believe that this house will ever get done.
Especially when I watch HGTV "My big amazing renovation." They always get done in 1/2 hour. TV is so great. I wish in real life I could use some speed up button or something. That would work. I'd stand at the construction site with my remote control and speed everybody up. Of course, they would still have to get there and get started! Geez.

By the way, I've found a fun way to pass these blaze February days. I like this blog of inspiring ideas. It's fun and I go there about every day. She's having a giveaway and I'm posting this to get my extra entrys but I would probably post it anyway if I'd thought of it. I like her stuff. The link is on my side bar too.

Give Away!

2009-02-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

My friend Krystal is doing this and it looked fun. I, too, like making things and giving presents!

The first Three people to comment on this post will get something made by me! My choice--but just for you.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It'll be done this year (It will probably be after May when I'm in my new house.)
4. You will have no clue what it is going to be.
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.

The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your blog. The first 3 people to do so and leave a comment telling me you did, will win a marvelous homemade gift by me! Let the games begin!! Oh, and I have to be able to contact you with mailing information!!! I promise it will be something good!

Good Luck to all!