F is for FREEZING

All I need to say is that it's a blizzard outside & the temperature is 21 degrees but with the windchill it feels like 7, THAT'S RIGHT SEVEN FREEZING DEGREES!!!!

oUr ChRiStMaS aCtIvItIeS

The month of December always has so many fun activities!! This week has definitely been snow, snow, & more snow!! My kids got to put on ALL their snow gear (thanks to Aunt Chrtine!) & went sledding with their dad in the backyard. Josh was quite the trooper. It was so cold & he happily took the boys outside to enjoy the fluffy white snow that has been falling for days now. Rex only lasted about um let's say 60 seconds. He hated being bundled up & he didn't like to touch the snow. Tate absolutely loved every minute of it!! Watch out Aunt Jenn, you've been teasing him about having a snowball fight & I think he's been practicing!

Josh, Hayden & I were able to go to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir mini concert & the taping of Music & the Spoken Word. It was such a wonderful experience being in the conference center & hearing the beautiful music sung about our Savior's birth. President Monson & President Uchtdorf were there also. It was such a neat experience for Hayden to see our prophet. We are so thankful for the sweet spirit we felt that Sunday morning.

Hayden has been learning some fun Christmas songs at school. We were able to go to the Christmas Jingle Jam where she & her classmates performed the cute songs. It's so fun seeing her with her teacher & friends. She's such a great girl & she did a great job singing The Reindeer Rock & Christmas Is A Feeling.

Here Comes Santa Claus!

I don't know about you guys, but the Harward household is definitely ready for Santa to come! My kids got to sit on Santa's lap & surprisingly enough all of them willingly sat there. No tears at all! Rex was so excited to see Santa (my other kids at age 2 wouldn't even look at him!). Rex just stared & him & kept telling him he wanted cars, cars, cars. Tate was hilarious. He sat there, but he was leaning so far away from Santa that I thought he was going to fall off backwards. Hayden, being her true self, got a little shy & soft spoken when she started telling Santa what she wanted. Why can't she talk like that at home? She's just like her Aunt Jenn when it comes to having an inside & outside voice:) I remember my mom always telling Jenn when we were little that she needed to talk quieter (I too am constantly telling Hayden that same thing). Too funny! It's so fun creating these fun memories with my kids & I love being able to see Christmas through their eyes.

Thankful for what I have

We have some friends who are going through a real trial right now. They just gave birth to a darling little baby girl who's heart is not doing very well. They have pictures of her hooked up to these machines & cords & IV's going everywhere. I can't even imagine what they are going through & how they are feeling. They are so strong & faithful & I hope they know how many people are praying & fasting for them. She writes updates everyday about their babies status & I anxiously check their blog to see how things are going each day. It's during times like this that make you really stop & think about what's important in our lives. I am so thankful to have a husband & kids who are healthy & happy. I am thankful for wonderful friends & family who support & love me no matter what. I am thankful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me & my family each & every day. I am thankful for this Christmas season that we have to celebrate the birth of our Savior. I know that through prayer & fasting miracles can happen & I know that this precious baby girl is being watched over by our loving Heavenly Father.

Twilight Obsessed

Last night a group of 20 of us (my sisters, nieces, cousin, sister in law & friends) went to the midnight showing of Twilight. We had a great time. We started out meeting at Red Robin & hung out until we could go to the theatre. We were acting like a bunch of teenage girls. We were giggling & just plain old being silly. Why does this book & movie bring out this side of us? I actually really liked the movie but whenever Jasper would come on the screen my sister Christine & I would get the giggles. I couldn't look at him, he was just way to goofy. As for Bella & Edward, GREAT choices for those roles. I thought they fit the characters perfectly. I don't think that the movie is as good as the book but I thought it was a lot fun & I want to definitely see it again. Thanks Jenn for planning a fun night for us Twilight lovers!!

Disney on Ice

Josh's parents took us to Disney on Ice this last weekend in Salt Lake. It was a lot of fun & my kids had a blast. We rode trax downtown & my kids thought that was awesome. I think that Tate was the one that actually enjoyed the show the most. He was hilarious. When Buzz & Woody came out, he was waving & yelling "HI" at them. He thought that they could really see him & that they were waving back to him. It was great. My favorite part was Nemo & Dori's costumes. They were interesting to say the least. All I'll say is that their eyes were positioned in a very funny place on their costumes :) Thanks again Grandpa Adrian & Grandma Leisa for a very fun night!!

So much for Happy Halloween

So I get Hayden all ready for Halloween yesterday morning. She was all dolled up looking like the cutest Hannah Montana you've ever seen. I sent her off to school and two hours later I get a call from the school nurse saying that Hayden had thrown up & wanted to come home. Of all the days to get sick especially throwing up sick. How sad!! She laid around the rest of the day & I hoped she would feel better by the evening so that we could at least go to the church to do trunk or treating. Well, needless to say she didn't feel up to it so we didn't go. Luckily this week we had a neighborhood Halloween party, a Halloween party with my cousins & Tate got to go to his pre school Halloween party. So I think the kids will be fine about not getting to go trick or treating. For some reason, my kids couldn't make up their minds about what they wanted to be this year. Each party they were something different. For one party Hayden was a hula girl & the next she was Hannah Montana. Tate went back & forth from a Power Ranger to Bumblebee the Transformer. Rex was a little confused on if he wanted to be Buzz Lightyear or Batman. He decided that he would just wear both of the costumes at the same time. Crazy kids!! Anyways I feel bad for Hayden for having to be sick on Halloween & having to miss out on all the fun. I guess we'll always have next year to look forward to.

Moving Prayer

Last night when Josh finished up with our family bedtime prayer Tate said, "Daddy that prayer moved me." Josh & I looked at each other and we were thinking "Oh yeah, we're doing something right, he felt the spirit." Josh asked Tate, "Was it a good feeling in your heart or all throughout your body?" Tate replied, "No daddy, your prayer made me move my body all over like this." He started rolling his body all over the place. There went the spiritual moment. Josh & I lost it. We started laughing so hard because here we thought he was actually moved by the prayer & in truth he probably didn't hear a word Josh said. Oh well, what do you do. At least we're trying, right?? Maybe someday he will be "moved" by one of our prayers.

It's beginning to look a lot like........Halloween?

Wait a minute, I thought snow was supposed to be for Christmas not Halloween!!! That was part of our agreement for moving back to Utah. I don't know what's worse trick or treating in 100 degree weather in AZ or when it's snowing in UT & you have to be bundled up & no one can tell what your costume is. Yes, it's true we got our first snow storm this weekend & my kids loved it. They loved watching the snow fall & they even had to try a little taste of the snow (don't worry, it wasn't yellow!) They have seen the snow before but this was a whole new experience for them. They were so sad that the snow had all melted by the afternoon. Josh & I reassured them that there would be plenty of snow coming in the next couple of months & to not get to upset about it. To add to our fun snowy weekend we got to visit with our friends Heather & Tyler. They were visiting from Arizona & had come up to go the BYU football game. It was so fun seeing them & it made us really sad to see them go. We had a lot of fun times with them in Gilbert & we are so glad that we got to see them this weekend.

HaPpY 2nd BiRtHdAy REX!!!

Oh I can't believe my little guy is already two years old!! Ahhhh. Where has the time gone? I swear it was just yesterday that I had him. Rex is such a fun kid. When he was starting to talk we joked that he spoke Rexanese because none of us could understand a word he was saying. He certainly has started saying a ton more in the last while. I love having conversations with him. He has the best facial expressions. My favorite is to watch him watching Toy Story or Cars (his two most fav movies). He is constantly talking about Buzz or McQueen. He loves to go on rides in his Papa Kank's (that's what he calls Grandpa Frank) big truck to see the goats, horsies & wild deer. He loves to cheer for the Coug's and yell Rah, Rah, Rah, Rah Rah, GOOOO COUGARS!!! (You should see Josh smile when Rex does this!!) Rex loves to play at the park & he's definitely not afraid of heights!! Scary for me. Rex gives the best hugs & kisses. He loves to cuddle, as long as he has his three favorite blankets. I'm so glad the Rex is in our family. I can't imagine life without him. He brings so much joy to our family and I love him so much. HaPpY BiRtHdAy REX!!!

Tate's chosen profession (for this week)

So I was driving over to my sister's house today and Tate & Rex were with me. We were jammin out to the radio and "We will rock you" came on. Tate said, "Guess what mom, when I grow up I want to be a rock n roll guy." I replied, "Tate, you can be anything you want to be." (isn't that what we're supposed to say?) Well, I was really thinking "I hope not!!" The thing that worries me is that last week he told me that he wanted to be a motorcycle guy & the week before that he said he wanted to be a race car driver guy. Not that there is anything wrong with these professions, but for my little Tate, I certainly hope that he ends up doing something that isn't quit so dangerous or crazy. I'm sure glad that we're getting out of the frightful fours. He is starting to grow up so much & it makes me sad to think that he's going off to kindergarten next year. Sniff, sniff. Where did the time go? Tate is so funny, one minute he likes to watch Power Rangers or Transformers but then the next minute he's watching Strawberry Shortcake or Hollie Hobby with his sister. He's been known to wear princess shoes every now & then too. It doesn't worry me a bit because I know that he's certainly "all boy"!! Love ya Tate!!

Pics of the house

So here are some pictures of the house. We've been trying to get things hung on the walls & things put where they belong. It's great having a basement!! Those boxes I don't know what to do with, I just take down to the basement. I don't know where we fit all our stuff in the house in Gilbert!! I really like our new house & it's been fun decorating it to feel like "our" home. Every once in a while one of the kids will say that they liked our other house better. I don't think that it's the house they miss so much, I think it's the friends that we had at our Gilbert house that they are missing. I have to say, I definitely agree with my kids. We miss all our AZ friends so much & we think of you often. We love being near our families & we wouldn't trade it for anything, but we do miss all the good times that we had in the valley of the sun. Any who, here are the pictures. Half Bath

Family Room & Kitchen

Family Room

(Josh's brother is going to build us some bookcases for the sides of the fireplace)

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Hayden's Room

Hayden's Room

Tate & Rex's Room

Tate & Rex's Room

Tate & Rex's Room

Full Bath

Laundry Room Upstairs!!! Love it!!

We do have a living room on the main level, but it only has the piano in it. Oh well, someday we'll have furniture in it. No rush for now.

What we've been up to the last while

House Hunting

So I know this whole house hunting thing should be fun, but guess what, it's not really that fun. I think it's stressful driving around trying to find houses & neighborhoods that look interesting, & then you call on the houses & they are either 1-to expensive or 2-under contract. We've been driving around doing this for the last two weeks & I can't wait until it's over. We have found a couple of houses that might work out, but they are foreclosures, so it makes things a little more difficult. Anyways, enough complaining about that. We have also been able to have some fun with our families the last couple of weeks. We went to Lamb Day on July 19th in Ft. Green & had a wonderful time at the parade & park. We celebrated July 24th with Josh's family. We were able to go the zoo & also to the Utah Bee's baseball game that night of the 24th. They had a fireworks show after the game. We had a wonderful time & we're so glad that we get to do all these fun things with our families. It's my mom's birthday today, I won't mention how many this is for her, but I just want her to know that she's the best mom EVER. I hope that when I grow up I can be just like her. Happy Birthday mom, love ya!! We miss all our AZ friends & I hope everyone is doing great!!!

Safe and Sound

Wow it's been a crazy & long couple of weeks. I can't believe that we're finally in Utah & ALL our stuff is in my parent's garage. My parent's came down on Sunday & loaded up our van & took the boys with them on Monday. We finished up loading the truck on Tuesday morning & Josh & I pulled out of Bruce Court around noon. It was really hard walking through the house for the last time & pulling out of the drive way knowing that we'll never be driving back into the garage again. I cried all the way to the 17. It was such a great place to be. We loved our cul-de-sac, our ward, the school, our friends, Josh's job, the list could go on & on. It's a lot easier leaving a place that you don't like, but with Gilbert, there's not one thing to complain about. (Well maybe the heat in October!!) We absolutely loved our time there & we'll truly miss Gilbert. We pulled into Moroni at midnight on Tuesday. It really wasn't that bad of a drive. I'm just glad we made it without any problems. Wednesday was spent unloading the truck & getting the truck to the drop off spot in Spanish Fork. We met up with my sister & her cute family at Training Table for lunch. (Gotta love the cheese fries & dipping sauce!!) Josh started his new job today and I'm just trying to catch my breath. We are so excited to be back with family and I know that this is where Heavenly Father wants us to be. Thank you so much to all those that called, stopped by, helped clean (Heather), or watched my kids so I could pack. Thanks to my family for helping with the kids & taking such great care of them. You'll never know how much that meant to me. So now we start the next chapter of trying to find a house. We'll keep you posted on what's happening with our family. Change is always stressful, but we're excited for what's ahead.

Hayden's Swim Team

This summer we decided to sign Hayden up for the Gilbert Rec Swim Team. It was pretty intense. She had practice Monday thru Friday mornings for 45 minutes each day. Her swim meets were every Saturday & they started at 7:30 a.m., but she needed to be there at 7:00. The meets would easily last a couple of hours. Even though it was crazy getting her to the practices & the meets, she had an awesome experience. They worked them really hard each practice and she would come home totally exhausted. In some practices they would have them do 100 meters without resting. She learned the butterfly, breaststroke, freestyle, & backstroke. I am so proud of her. It wasn't easy & she never gave up. I know that I couldn't have kept up in those practices. I hope that she learned a lot from this experience & that she realizes that with a little hard work & dedication, she can do anything. We love you Hayden!!!

Comfort Zone

Why does it always seem like when we get comfortable it's inevitable that change is going to happen. It's like that with jobs, where you live, church callings, having babies, etc..... I am someone who gets in my comfort zone & I don't like to venture out of that zone very much. I have a hard time with being the new one on the block. Growing up my dad would always say "This will be a great learning experience for you." Well guess what, I think it stinks! I've been thinking about this a lot with our move coming up & I just get this sick feeling. I know we'll be fine but I just can't wait until we get settled. In the church news a while back, there was an article about this same topic. It talked a lot about how we have to have faith in order to come out of our comfort zones & do the things that we know we need to do. I know why we go through change but I just don't think it's very fun. I know that we'll grow & learn more about ourselves but I just wish we could figure this out in other ways. What's ironic about this whole thing is that I felt this same way five years ago when we moved to Arizona. Looking back at our time here I wouldn't trade it for anything. I've grown in so many ways & I know that it was a great learning experience for me (I know Dad, you told me so). I know that I will have a great experience with this next move & that with the right attitude & with faith, I'll be fine.

We've finally joined the blogging world!!

So here's some info about our family. We have been living in Arizona for that last five years, but we are now getting ready to move back to Utah in two weeks. CRAZY TIMES!!! We have absolutely loved our time here in AZ & have made some wonderful lifelong friends. Josh is a physical therapist & loves to golf any chance he gets. I love to spend time with my family & friends, shop (& I don't mean for groceries at Walmart), & read Stephanie Meyer's books (can't wait until August!!!). Hayden is seven years old & she is so smart. She's a great sister & a huge helper to me. She's so kind & she loves to have fun & laugh. Tate is four years old & he loves to play golf, jump on the tramp, & ride his bike & scooter. He's already had a broken arm & I know it's not going to be the last because he tells us he wants to be a motorcycle guy when he grows up. Rex is 1 1/2 years old & is always a step behind Tate. He loves his sister "Dee Dee", but may love her princess shoes even more. He has a lot to say, but we don't speak Rexenese. We are excited for our next adventure in Utah & we'll try to keep our blog updated on what's happening with our family.