The Harker Family

My favorite people

2012-01-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

Oh, how I love my family! Whatever I did to deserve this much happiness I'll never know, but I am so grateful!

This picture truly reflects what my life is like on a day to day basis. I am "smashed" between all these boys...but I'm loving it!

It is an honor and a privilege to be the wife of Mike and the mom to Mitchel, Max, Mason, and Miles. I wouldn't trade it for the world!

Looking Back at 2011

2012-01-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

This past week has been wonderful! It has been so nice to be out of school and have the kids home and be able to catch up on some things. One of the projects I worked on was getting all my pictures from 2011 printed into books by Snafish.com. They came a few days latter and I LOVE them! Another thing I did was burn all the video I took last year onto DVDs. So by doing all of this, I was really able to look back at 2011 and reflect on the things that happened. The conclusion I came to was that 2011 was a GREAT year for our family! Of course there were some downs, but mostly it was filled with lots of ups and some great memories. Here is my list of some of the things I will remember about this year:
Downs
1) Our roof started leaking and we had to pay big bucks to get a new one. Luckily, we found some really great roofers who did an excellent job and our insurance payed for about a fourth of it.
2) Our water heater leaked all over our basement and we had to get a new one of those too. In the meantime, we went about 3 days with no hot water and did a lot of boiling of water to take showers etc.
3) Really, that is all I can think of.
Now for the Ups (and there are a lot of those!)
1) I got my braces off and I love my teeth
2) Traveling/Camping
Zions
Goblin Valley
American Fork Canyon/Timponogos
Las Vegas
Yellowstone
Canyonlands
SeaWorld/Legoland
3) Being a Ma and Pa on Trek
4) Not one visit to instacare or the pediatrician for sickness or injury
5) Getting a part time teaching job that I love and having Mike still be employed
6) Meeting new people in our new ward (I guess a down was leaving all the people in my old ward)
7) My last Girls Camp as YW president
8) Seeing my kids do well in school
9) Watching my kids play sports, enjoy them, and improve
10) Spending lots of time with our families
11) Being healthy and continuing to go to the gym every morning
12) Celebrating birthdays and holidays
13) Having movie nights with my kids every weekend while snuggling on the couch
14) Max's Baptism
15) Miles learning to talk (a lot!)
16) Mason graduating from preschool
17) Mitchel reading the Harry Potter series and loving it as much as I did
18) Realizing that everyday is a blessing
I am looking forward to 2012. We already have a few camping trips planned and I know I will continue to enjoy watching my boys grow and learn. My goal this year is to let go of guilt. There were many times this last year when I just didn't feel like I was measuring up and it hindered my progress to move forward. So this year, my goal is to just do the best I can and not worry about how the world is judging me. All that matters is doing what I know is right and letting Heavenly Father be the judge. If I feel all right with him, then I know I am doing okay. Our other goal as a family is to read from the Book of Mormon every night. If I expect my boys to be missionaries someday, then they better understand the book that our whole religion is based upon. I hope they gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon and I hope my testimony and understanding increases as well. We've been giving the promise that if we read daily, the Spirit in our homes will increase, conflict will lesson, there will be more obedience, more joy, and more peace. So we are going to put that promise to the test. Here's hoping for a great 2012!

Christmas

2011-12-28T13:27:00.001-08:00

I loved getting ready for Christmas this year. I did almost all of my shopping on line and used the Freebies2Deals web site to find some of the most amazing deals on things my kids really wanted. It felt like Christmas day all month when the UPS man came to my house to deliver another package. So when it was finally time for the actual day, I was ready.

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve at Jeff and Suzie's house. Since is was on a Saturday, we started early at 2:00 p.m. which I loved so I didn't have to entertain the kids all day. We had yummy food, sang songs, and played with their pool and fooze ball tables, but the best part is spending time with family.

I also love the acting out of the nativity. I thought Miles would jump in this year, but he still wouldn't have anything to do with dressing up of being a part of the show. He did watch it all intently though. The other kids seemed to take it more seriously this year, especially Mason and Allie who were Joseph and Mary. Allie held on to baby Jesus so lovingly and sweetly. It was really cute.

Christmas Morning

I was surprised that my kids slept as late as they did. It was 7:00 a.m. before I finally heard Mitchel get up. We got the rest up and went downstairs to see what Santa had brought.

A new bike for Mason. (He wanted a dark green one, but Santa must have run out of green paint or something)

A Hot Wheels wall track for Max. He also got three other sets that connect to this one.

Miles got Chuck the Truck. He talks and races around the room.

Mitchel's picture just got deleted from this blog and I can't seem to get it back, but he got a Kinex for his Xbox.

I made a delicious Christmas breakfast of muffins, bacon, eggs, and chocolate milk. Then it was time to get ready for church. Luckily, I had planned ahead and made sure that all the clothes were ironed, layed out, and ready to go. I had joined the ward choir this year and we had practiced for months to get ready for our Christmas day performance. It was beautiful and really brought the Christmas spirit. I am glad I got to be a part of it.

After church we opened the presents from Mom and Dad. I got just what I wanted from Mike, a Kindle Touch! I love to read but I hate going to the library and I always seem to wrack up too many fines (I think we owe over $30 right now). The kids got more games for the Xbox, some movies, and LOTS and LOTS of LEGOS!! I think everyone was happy. Mike bought his own gift this year, a blue ray player. Another gift was that I wasn't sick this year. All my boys had a little cough, and Mike had a bit of a cold, but all of that didn't touch me, which I am very grateful for.

After our presents we went to G&G Millers for lunch and opening presents with the Miller cousins. A wonderful afternoon. Then back home for the evening to play with our new stuff and just chill out. It was a perfect day.

The day after Christmas was actually my favorite though. The morning was spent watching the kids build all their amazing Lego creatures. That afternoon, Mike and I went to see "Mission Impossible." Awesome movie!! That night we went to Missy and Jeff's for the Harker family party. We found out that Aunt Kari is expecting another baby, so that was good news. I was able to give Matt and Holly their wedding video (finally) and gave everyone a copy of the movie I had made for Pat's life, including the awesome surprise birthday party we held for her this summer.

I am so lucky to belong to two such amazing families. I am so glad we all live close enough to get together and enjoy being together. It was a great Christmas and I feel very blessed!

Christmas Tree Photos

2011-12-19T07:42:00.001-08:00

I decorated my tree this year with all new decorations that I bought last year on clearance at Target. I like how it turned out. It reminds me of a "Who" tree from the Grinch that Stole Christmas. Mitchel actually did most of the decorating and I think he did a great job. We still haven't had the chance to take a "real" family photo, hence the reason I didn't send out Christmas cards this year. But one Sunday before church I did manage to get some cute ones of the boys in front of the tree.

We are all so excited for Christmas this year and for the chance we have to be together. I personally feel very blessed and grateful this Christmas season for the many blessings I have in my life. I know that Heavenly Father is watching over us and helping us through all the ups and downs. I am so grateful for our Savior and the sacrifice and love he gives to us every day. I am grateful to be teaching my children the gospel and I am even more grateful for their tender hearts. They really do want to choose the right and follow Christ. I am so blessed to be a mom to these amazing young men. Merry Christmas everyone!

Gingerbread Houses with Grandma

2011-12-12T15:43:00.000-08:00

What would we ever do without Grandma Miller? Last Christmas she bought these awesome gingerbread house kits on clearance and gave them to me to save for this year. They were in perfect shape and so for a Friday afternoon activity we thought we would but them together. The best part was that Grandma Miller showed up at our door at the very minute we were getting them out, so she stayed to help us put them together! So much fun!
We have learned in past years to NOT try to use frosting to stick the walls and roof together. Instead we use hot glue and everything stays together perfectly. Then we have tons of frosting to put on all the candy.

It's fun to have all my boys at an age where they all can participate and they all think it is fun, even Miles. He was very proud of the buttons and eyeballs he put on his gingerbread man.

Here are our finished products. We couldn't have done it without Grandma's help, so we are so glad she stopped by.It made the afternoon much more fun (and much less stressful for me!)

Good job Harker boys!

Thanksgiving California Trip

2011-11-30T15:25:00.000-08:00

Thanks again to my awesome sister Tracy, we were able to get away for Thanksgiving break to sunny California. My kids have been wanting to see Legoland for a long time now and so Aunt Tracy made it happen. We left Tuesday afternoon and drove to Vegas where we spent the night at my very good friend Julie's house. She was so kind to let us all crash there. The next day we drove the rest of the way to San Diego. We had a week long pass to Sea World, so we started out there.
The most important thing to see is the Shamoo show and we actually saw it twice. The older boys sat close to the front and got splashed on by the whales during the show. Luckily, I had thought ahead and made sure they all had ponchos with them. We also saw the Sea Lion and Dolphin shows. All of them were amazing and the boys loved them!

Sea World only has a few rides, the most thrilling being Atlantis. It gets you soaking wet, so again, I was glad I had the ponchos with us. The boys rode this several times.

When you get off that ride there is a huge tank full of sting rays. Very cool!

The penguins.

Sea turtles.

And lots of fish!
We had our Thanksgiving meal here at Sea World. It just wasn't the same as being home with all the family eating turkey and such.

The next day it was off to LEGOLAND! The weather was perfect, but since it was the day after Thanksgiving, it was pretty crowded.

This was one of the first things we saw, Lego Mount Rushmore. I had to take a photo since this is kind of a special place for our family.

The rides at Legoland are okay. Not too thrilling and certainly not as creative as Disneyland. But the cool thing at Legoland are all the things they have built out of Legos. This Christmas tree was huge!

We also met some very amazing characters build out of Legos. They have a whole area dedicated to Star Wars where everything was built out of Legos. It was amazing to look at and probably my favorite part of the whole park. Here we met Darth Vader.

Chewey and R2D2

Later we met Harry Potter and Hagrid.

And even Indiana Jones.

The next day we went to Sea World again to see everything we missed the first day. Then it was time for the long drive back home. It was a pretty quick trip with lots of driving, but I know it is a trip my kids will remember forever.

Halloween Party

2011-11-04T12:56:00.001-07:00

My sister is awesome! She decided to throw a family Halloween party this year and make everyone in the family come dressed up. Her house was decorated so cute and she had plenty of activities and fun food for the kids. We had a ghost, a fireman, a cheerleader, Superman, Harry Potter, and a lame Dad who wouldn't dress up.
My mom's was the best! The green face paint totally threw Miles for a loop and he wouldn't even come near her for the first hour of the party. Eventually he warmed up to her though. My kids loved hanging out with all their cousins.

Steve and Brenda won the best costume contest. Totally hick, white trash people. They even had a bumpkin dog. Hilarious!
The two super heroes. (Isn't Tracy looking great!)
I also was pretty lazy when it came to finding a costume and so I dug out my old Taylorsville cheerleading uniforms. Sixteen years and four kids later, they still fit!!! I was so excited.
Our activities included Bingo, eating Halloween themed food, carving pumpkins and a balloon popping game. We also threw in a little Wii "Just Dance."

Great Party! Maybe we should make it a annual tradition?

Pumpkin Picking

2011-11-04T12:29:00.001-07:00

A pumpkin patch appeared this year on the route we take to get to Grandma Miller's house. We decided to stop by a few days before Halloween to let everyone pick out their own pumpkin.

The results of the pumpkin carving will be seen later.

CANYONLANDS!

2011-10-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful camping trip for the Harker family this fall break weekend. The weather was perfect! I am in denial that this is the end of the camping/hiking season. We have had some great adventures this spring/summer/fall and I don't know if I can wait another 6 months to do it again. Here we are at the entrance to Canyonlands National Park. This was our first time here.
The scenery is absolutely amazing. We were at a place called "Island in the Sky" because it is a big mesa raised up above the rest of the canyon where the Colorado and Green river cut through. We were on the edge of cliffs most of the time looking down. Good thing no one fell off!

We hiked our little tails off. This first one was called "Grand View," and yes, the view was grand!

As always, my boys have to have a snack break at the end of the trail.
Next was the "White Rim Overlook Trail." This was probably my favorite one because you could see for miles and miles in all directions. Got a little nervous though with my boys so close to the edge.

By the end of that one, Miles was pretty pooped and Mike had to carry him back. Even though he looks dead, he isn't.

The last hike of that day was to "Mesa Arch." You are supposed to hike this one in the morning to get an amazing view of the sunrise through it, but evening was pretty too.

The next morning it was back to the visitor center to claim our Jr. Ranger badges.

Our first hike of day two was to some ancient Pueblonean (sp?) granaries where they used to store their food and such. Really amazing to think that people actually lived off the land here since it is just desert with little water.

Next was "Whale Rock." Pretty much a bunch of very steep slickrock that took us way up to another amazing view.

At the top!

After that we did another hike to "Upheaval Dome," and then drove into Moab for some dinner and ice cream. Mike, always the adventurer, wanted to drive back to our camp on a unpaved, crazy dirt road that went up and down cliff faces and over rocky, unmaintained road. He loved using his 4 wheel drive and felt like king of the cliffs. (I on the other hand had white knuckles the entire 2 hour drive!) This is one stop where you can look down at the Colorado River. Gorgeous!

So once again, it was an amazing adventure! Utah really is a beautiful state and it is no wonder why people from all over the world come to visit. We met people from Texas, Wisconsin, and France. I am so glad to call this state home. I can't wait for the end of winter so I can get out with my boys and have more fun adventures! Grand Canyon in April for spring break. I can't wait!!

Max's Baptism

2011-10-15T17:14:00.001-07:00

Max was baptised on October 8, 2011. He has been looking forward to it for a long time. When I asked him if he needed to pray about it to ask Heavenly Father if it was the right thing to do he said, "I already know it is the right thing to do because Jesus was baptised." What a smart, righteous young man Max is!
It won't be too many years in the future when Max will be as tall as his dad. I am so glad he has such a righteous, priesthood honoring, man to look up to.

Max's Grandpa Miller gave the talk on baptism. He threw a baseball to Max at the beginning to get his attention, then talked about how life can be compared to a baseball game. He told Max that keeping the commandments is like hitting a solid hit and that his baptism is putting him on first base. Eventually, his goal will be to return to "home plate" with Heavenly Father and Jesus. He also told him that we are all his coaches and fans. It was a really good analogy and I think Max understood what Grandpa was telling him.

Grandma Harker gave Max a talk on the Holy Ghost. She gave Max a white bag filled with things to remind him of the roles of the Holy Ghost. There was a compass, a flashlight, a heart, a brain, an ear, a blanket, a cell phone, and the scriptures.

When the baptism was over, Mike confirmed Max and gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost. He gave him a wonderful blessing that told Max to stay on the right path and to listen to the promptings he would receive throughout his life.

Afterwards, all our family joined us at the church for a luncheon of sandwiches, salads, chips, soda, cupcakes, and cookies. Yummy! It was wonderful to have everyone there to share this special day with Max.

Fall Sports

2011-10-04T07:49:00.000-07:00

Each of my boys has been participating in a sport this fall. It makes getting to each game and practice a challenge, but somehow Mike and I manage to tag team pretty well and get everyone where they need to be.

Mitchel has been doing Taylorsville Rec basketball on the 5th and 6th grade team. Mike is his coach. I don't have any action shots because they never turn out very good on the court. Mason has been playing Taylorsville Rec soccer on the "Green Grasshopper" team. He LOVES it and is actually quite good. During this particular game, he scored 3 goals. YIPPEE!

And Max has been playing in the Taylorsville Babe Ruth league with the the 8 year old Taylorsville Team. He usually plays right or left field.

I have loved watching all of my boys play each sport. I don't know if any of them have any "natural" talent. but for now they are all having fun and learning a lot. It is a joy for me as their mom to cheer them on. Each boy's season is almost over, then we'll take a short break until Jr. Jazz season. All three of them want to do that. Go Harkers!

Loving September

2011-10-04T07:27:00.000-07:00

The weather this September has seemed absolutely perfect to me and a great way to wind down the summer. A few weeks ago, we got a Friday off of school, so to me that means it's time for an outing. We spent the morning running errands with my sister, then took a drive up Big Cottonwood Canyon to explore around Silver Lake. I was hoping for some fall colors, but the leaves hadn't changed quite yet.
My boys are so lucky to have such an awesome Aunt and I am lucky to have such a good friend who will come and hang out with us! We all love you Tracy!
I needed to get a picture of Max to display at his baptism. I love how the sun is sparkling off the water.

There are docks out on the lake that people come and fish off of. Right when we came by, two men caught fish at the same time. They let my boys real them in and touch the fish. Mason was so excited. He had never touched a real, live, squirming fish before!

The men said we could keep them, but since we didn't have anywhere to put them, we just threw them back in the lake. I hope they survived.

It was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon. I am so glad we live so close to the mountains and can enjoy them whenever we want.

(As a side note, the next weekend we drove up this same canyon while listening to General Conference and ALL the leaves had changed to a bright, golden yellow. Apparently, I was just a week too early for the photo shoot with my boys.)

Brace Face #2

2011-09-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

Look at the new BLING Mitchel got! What a cutie! Mitchel's teeth were actually aligned pretty well, but he did have an overbite. Since the opportunity came our way, we thought we might as well fix it while we could. Mike had to take him to get them on since I was at work. When I saw him for the first time I was blown away. 1) He looks so cute with them and 2) He looks so much older with them. It's like I have a teenager in my house! It is nice that I can empathize with him since I've been through it too. The first few days are pretty rough. But he has adjusted quite well and hasn't complained a bit (unlike me who complained about them every day!)

Max Turns Eight!

2011-09-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

Max celebrated his eighth birthday on the 7th of September. It was a crazy, busy day, but he managed to have a great birthday. Birthdays at the Harker's always start with some presents in the morning. Max had to hurry this year because he had to get to school.

Presents are followed by a birthday breakfast of Mom's famous Bisquick pancakes. Then it was off to school.

When Max got home, he headed straight to the ballpark for his game. He is playing on the eight year old Taylorsville team. It wasn't Max's best game and he struck out on the last ups, but he still had fun.

Right after that we headed out for a family party at Fat Cats for bowling and pizza. Grandma and Grandpa Miller joined us for this one. Max bowled an amazing game and almost beat everyone.

He got what he wanted the most from G&G Miller, a real, flying, remote control helicopter.

By the time we got home it was time for showers, brushing teeth, and going to bed, so we didn't even get to eat the cupcakes I had made for him. So we saved them for the next day and he was able to blow out his birthday candle and make a wish.

I'm so glad to have Max in my life. He is so affectionate and loving. He makes me feel like I do a good job as a mom. I am glad we got to share his eighth birthday with him and we are looking forward to his baptism in a few weeks.

First Day of School

2011-08-31T08:15:00.001-07:00

Is summer really over? School started so early this year (Aug. 22) and it really felt like our summer was cut short. Oh well. Everyone was excited to go back and begin another year of academic growth. Mitchel is in 5th grade this year. It blows my mind because I can remember my fifth grade year like it was yesterday. I was so boy crazy by then, I had the most fabulous teachers, and that was the year I knew I would also be a school teacher someday. I hope Mitchel loves it as much as I did.
Mitchel's teacher is Ms. Miller. He also will rotate into Ms. Laver's class for some of the subjects. His cute friend Hayden is in his class so that will make it nice for him.

Of all my kids, Max was the most excited to go back to school. He is so social and loves being around people. He is also very smart and loves to learn. Max is in 2nd grade this year. He is by far the tallest and most people think he is in 3rd or 4th. His teacher is Mrs. Duckworth. Mitchel had her too and we absolutely love her! She is so kind and caring and fun. I love how she makes the kids feel and she gives them so much confidence in themselves. He is going to have a great year with her.

My sunshine Mason started Kindergarten this year. I had him all signed up to go to morning Kindergarten, then my principal wanted me to switch to working in the afternoon. Luckily, Mason had qualified for the "advanced" Kindergarten and they wanted him in that class in the afternoon.

He was so excited to go and be like his big brothers.

His teacher is Mrs. Andrews. She is a short little lady who loves these little Kindergartners. (The sun was shining right in their faces when I took this picture.)

And I had my first day of school too. Like I said, I switched to afternoons, but I'm not sure what I will be doing yet. The 4th and 5th grade teachers are trying to decide how they want to use me the best, so we shall see. My classroom is all ready though for whatever they throw at me. So another year begins. I hope we all have success and learn a lot. School is a great place to be!

Yellowstone!

2011-08-18T15:06:00.001-07:00

I wish I was eloquent enough to describe our trip to Yellowstone and all the beautiful, amazing, inspiring, fun, and amazing things we were able to see and do. But since I'm not, I will let some of my pictures do the talking.

We are so grateful and lucky that Grandma and Grandpa Harker came on this trip with us. Not only are they so much fun to be with, they make rounding up the boys much easier for me and the boys love being with them.

Miles was pretty lucky. He got rides from Dad almost every where we went.

We love playing in the rivers at Yellowstone. They are at least 20 degrees warmer than the water in Utah rivers and lakes because of all the heated water that gets poured into them by the thermal features.

My one shot of Old Faithful. Actually not even one of my favorite features in Yellowstone. We saw other geysers, hot pots, hot springs, and steam vents that are even more impressive.

One afternoon they offered a Jr. Ranger "Animal Olympics" for the kids. They competed against animals in holding their breath, jumping, running, balancing, smell, staring, and other activities.

Mammoth

Cooling off with a sweet treat. We got ice cream almost every where we went. Very yummy!

We hiked our boys to death, and they loved it. This was by far our longest hike to Fairy Falls, 5 miles round trip.

And this is my favorite thermal feature called "Dragon's Breath." It totally sounds and looks like a dragon could be living in this cave.

For our last lunch we decided to splurge and went into a little town just North of Yellowstone. I had my very first buffalo burger. It tasted like a really good hamburger, but cost more.

Yellowstone might be one of my favorite places on earth. It was a wonderful week full of great adventures, good company, fabulous food, cool temperatures, beautiful sites, and memories that will last forever (with the 120 pictures that I took). It was the perfect way to end our summer.

More Summer Fun

2011-08-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

Oh how time flies when you're having fun! This summer has felt like the fastest one yet! I can't believe it will be over in a week. Here are some of the things we have been doing these last few weeks.

On the 24th of July, I ran the Deseret News 10K. This is my favorite race because I love the course. This is right before the finish line where I am sprinting with all my might. I came in with a time of 57 minutes. I was pretty happy with that and I felt great!
Then I met my family along the parade route to watch the parade. One of my favorite traditions.

This year my stake had a float in the parade. One of my young woman got to ride on it for this parade and I was out in the street yelling and cheering for her. Our stake won the animation award.

That night, my Dad had two extra tickets to the Bees game so I took Max who is becoming quite the lover of the game. He asked about all the rules and was really interested the whole game. There were fireworks afterward which was fun.

The first Tuesday of August we took advantage of the $2 Tuesdays down at Thanksgiving Point. We went after lunch to the gardens and so it really wasn't even very crowded.

Another afternoon we used my City Deals coupon I had bought months ago to go to the Dinosaur Park in Ogden. Miles loved seeing all the "real" dinosaurs and hear all the noises they make.

We also went to the Herriman/Riverton "Beach" one afternoon. My kids loved digging in the sand and splashing around while I sat on the beach and read a book. Very relaxing! Until the clouds rolled in and it started to rain, so our trip was cut a little short.

All of these events took place in the first week of August. We then packed up and left for Yellowstone for a week, so that will be my next post. We've had some fun and I am glad the boys are still at an age where they will hang out with their mother. I don't know how many more summers I'll get like this, so I am grateful for the time I do get to spend with my boys. They are awesome!

Vegas!

2011-08-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

How lucky am I to have a sister who is also my best friend? Pretty lucky I would say. She has wanted to go to Vegas for a while to jump off the Stratosphere, so finally, we made it happen. Here we are arriving at the airport in Vegas ready for the fun to begin. The first afternoon there we drove to see the Hover Dam. That thing was huge and amazing. We went on the tour through the power plant and got to see how it all works. We also went to the visitor center where it shows how and why they built the whole thing. Totally amazing that man was able to figure out how to control the massive Colorado River.
This is the new highway bridge they just built last year so they would have less traffic going over the dam for security reasons. That is also an engineering marvel.

It was very hot!!!

That night we went with our tour guide Julie, my friend who lives in Vegas and who let us stay at her house, down to the strip. We went through some of the casinos and watched the shows that they do on the street.

I loved the Billagio fountain show. Very impressive!

The next morning, we set out to do what we came for, watch Tracy jump off the Stratosphere. You can't believe how high up it is. 855 ft from the top of the tower all the way to the bottom. She payed a hefty penny to do it, but it really was awesome!

All suited up and ready to go!

The Clemens family came with us to watch the jump and have lunch with us after...if Tracy lived.

She lived and loved it! She screamed the whole way down. Later that afternoon we went back to the strip to look at some of the other casinos and do the Coke and M&M museums.

We then returned that evening to the top of the Stratosphere to ride all the crazy rides they have on top. Way fun and a little scary.

This is the picture they took of us on the one that shoots you to the top of the needle on the Stratosphere. I am on the left and Tracy is in the middle. Pretty funny we think.

The last day of our trip we had some time to kill before going to the airport. We had gotten our fill of the strip and done everything good Mormon girls could, so instead we went to see the movie "Captain America." LOVED it!

I thought I should at least put in a dollar to the nickel slots. I put it in, pushed the button a few times and was up to $1.20. Then I pushed it a few more times and got down to $0.20. One more push put me at $0.70 so I figured I would cash out then. So I took my ticket and went to the window and got my 70 cents. Funny huh! The picture was totally worth my 30 cents!

We still didn't have to be to the airport quite yet and decided that we better eat at at least one all-you-can-eat buffet while in Vegas. The Clemens told us about one in a new casino that they thought was the best and they were right! It had everything for a great price and was so yummy. This is my dessert plate at the end. Do you think I gained weight on this trip? You bettcha! We rolled on out of there and went to the airport to go home.

It was so much fun to be in Vegas with my sister and friend Julie. It was great to take a break from being a mom and wife for a few days and just have some girl time. I am so glad that Tracy and I are such good friends. I love spending time with her and just being ourselves together. I am so lucky to have her as my sister. Good times!

Girls' Camp

2011-08-01T19:16:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I just attended my 5th girls camp in a row as a YW leader. What a blessing and fabulous opportunity that has been in my life. I am sure that my testimony and love for the gospel has grown even more than the girls these past five years. I am grateful for every girl and every leader that I have been able to attend camp with. Each one of them has blessed my life more than they could possibly imagine. Even though Girls Camp is a lot of work, it is all worth it, and I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has allowed me to be a part of this amazing experience not just once, but five times. Am I lucky or what???!!!

Our theme this year was "ER-Eternal Rewards." Our camp directer is a nurse, so this theme seemed fitting. Each of us got a pair of scrubs to wear at camp. The leaders got hot pink per my request. Some of my leaders absolutely hate pink, but indulged me enough to not complain about the color too much. These are some of the most amazing, spiritual, and dedicated women in the church and I am blessed and honored to work with them and call them my friends.

Jan-Beehive adviser, Julie-Secretary, Dianna-Personal Progress, Megan-Mia Maid adviser, Kimberly-Camp director, Me-YW president, Shireece-2nd counselor, Willow-Laural adviser, and Kristin-1st councilor

This is the first time in my five years that ALL the leaders were able to attend. How cool is that? We had so much fun together and each leader did a perfect job on all their lessons and tuck-ins.

These are the girls in their 1st-4th year at camp. They are all such cuties. Each one of them are so talented and fun and they all get along great. Not one of them complained or left anyone out. I love all of them!

And these are the awesome YCL's (youth camp leaders, or the Laurals). They were a riot! They actually planned a lot of camp and made sure that everything was taken care of. The younger girls were even given the chance to go "snipe" hunting. The YCL's also gave out fabulous awards to each camper at the end of camp that were absolutely hilarious and fitting.

Of course every girls camp has crafting. This is Julie trying to teach us how to boone doggle. It was pretty complicated and frustrating, but we each gave it a go and did our best.

We took a hike around camp Timberlane and stopped for a photo opp.

Aren't we the cutest group ever?

One of our fabulous traditions is the skit. We bring up a bunch of different props and the girls just have to make something up on the spot. It wouldn't be fun unless the leaders did it too. This is our "rap" number during our skit.

Another tradition is doing a service project. We cleared out a campsite that hadn't been used for a while and spread wood chips around the camp. It was raining a little during this but again, there was not one complaint or whining from any of the girls. They worked fast and hard too.
My favorite tradition at girls camp is eating!! We always have the best food and plenty of it.
So this is probably my last girls camp, at least as a YW president, for a while. I have loved every minute of it and am so grateful that I got to learn and grow with these girls. I love them like my own daughters and will remember with fondness my time at girls camp. I love each and every tradition and of course testimony meeting. It has been fun to watch the girls that have been with me every year grow and mature and learn more about the gospel. They will make fabulous wives, mothers, and leaders someday. I am excited to watch their lives progress.

More Summer Fun

2011-07-24T16:33:00.001-07:00

My mom and I were talking the other day how we have a "compulsion" to take pictures of everything and document our lives and the lives of those we love. Why? you might ask. We both came to the conclusion that it is the Spirit of Elijah working in us to document our lives. Both of us don't feel the need to do "traditional" family history where you look up ancestor names and such, but we do feel a great need to tell our story and make sure that our kids and grand kids know who we are and know what their childhoods were like. I also feel it is important for me, because I don't want to forget a moment of my kids growing up. When they are all out of the house and I wonder where all the years have gone, I won't really have to wonder, because I will have it documented right in front of me. I know already that the memories will be fresh and the feelings will be right with me. So, in my own small way, I am fulfilling the scripture, "He will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers." Or in my case, mother. I do feel like there is a reason I am taking all these pictures and writing everything down. But for now, I am enjoying doing it and I am glad I have this blog to share them on.

So here are some of the latest summer adventures I have taken with the boys. We spent an afternoon getting tons of exercise and all hot and sweaty at Airborne.

Another day, all my old ward friends got together at the Herriman Splash Park.

Another day we invited the neighbor boys over for a little slip-in-slide fun.

Along with some pool fun.

And a little bit of sprinkler fun.

My family and I spent a whole Saturday driving up to Bear Lake for my cousin's daughter's wedding. It took forever to get there and then we only stayed for the 30 minute ceremony. I'd never been to Bear Lake before though, and it was beautiful.

On a side note, Tracy got a speeding ticket on the way there, I didn't get a famous raspberry shake, and we were starving by the time we got back down the canyon and ended up eating at Chuck A Rama in Logan. The wedding was pretty though.

On a sunny, but windy afternoon, we spent the day at the Kearns Pool. If I would have known how windy it was going to be, we wouldn't have gone. It made it super cold!! Aunt Tracy joined us for a very fun and relaxing day at Cherry Hill. This was Miles' first time there and he loved it!

In between some of this fun, I also went to Girls Camp for four days, but that will be a whole separate post. Loving summer and wish it would last forever!!

Mason's 5th Birthday

2011-07-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

My little sunshine, Mason, broke his promise to me. He promised he would stay 4 forever and now look what he has done! He's gone ahead and turned 5!! He woke up to a great morning of presents from Mom and Dad and the traditional birthday pancakes with candles.
He got some pretty fun stuff.

The "weapons" were of course his favorite.

That evening we threw a family party for both him and Miles, since Miles' birthday got overshadowed by the big surprise birthday party we threw for Pat in June. Mason was happy to share his special day with his little brother.

Tracy is our one family member who has a house big enough to fit us all in, and she is so willing to let us use it for our family parties.

Once again, I am so grateful that both sides of our family live so close. Everyone was able to come to help us celebrate.

Each boy got their own cake to make a birthday wish.

Miles knows how to eat cake!!!

I sure do love these two! I tried to get Mason to promise that he would stay 5 forever, but he told me, "Mom, I can't. I have to get bigger." I do love watching them grow, but I sure wish it wasn't happening so fast.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-13T16:38:00.000-07:00

AMERICAN FORK CANYON

I am so grateful to be married to someone who is willing to go to all the work to take us camping, because trust me, it is a LOT of work. But we have so much fun together and see so many beautiful places and things, that it is well worth the effort. For the 4th of July weekend, we went up American Fork Canyon. It was fun to go camping in trees, since we have been doing a lot of camping down south in the red rocks for a while. This was the sunrise on the first morning. Gorgeous!
A breakfast of pop tarts and cereal.

There is a little place called "Cascade Springs" where the water has been traveling under the mountains for like 2 miles and then all the sudden comes out of the ground in these beautiful springs.

It is a Harker camping tradition to always have one dinner of hot dogs roasted over the fire. They always taste better while camping.

The next day, Aunt Tracy joined us for a hike up to Timpanogos Cave. It is a very steep hike, but my boys are troopers and did a great job!

I love the view and how you can see down into Utah County.

We made it to the top!

The inside of the cave is so cool.

As always, the boys earned another Jr. Ranger badge. I think they are up to 9 or 10 now.

Before we packed up and headed home, we played a little round of baseball. Max has a killer swing and was knocking them way over the trees.

FOURTH OF JULY

We got home from camping in the afternoon and found our flag from the scouts in our yard. Miles is obsessed with flags right now and points them whenever he sees one. He wanted to stand by this one for the rest of the day.

That evening we headed out to Murray Park to hang out with the Millers and Harkers while we waited for the fireworks. This is one of my favorite holidays because it is so low key and relaxing.

The hit of the night was the glow bracelets Grandma Miller brought for all the grandkids.

It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend. I love being with my family and participating in our traditions. We have a lot of fun together and we are lucky to have each other. I am also so grateful to live in the United States of America. We are so blessed!

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

2011-07-09T19:58:00.000-07:00

Even though my house is in constant chaos (a mess!) and I have a bunch of projects I should be working on, I don't want to let this summer pass by without having some fun with my boys. So, these are some of the things we have been doing while I ignore all the "should dos" and instead focus on the "want to dos." We spent one Monday at Murray pool. The best part was right after we got there, we ran into Suzie with her kids. That made the day extra fun because my boys LOVE playing with their cousins!

We spent another afternoon using a killer deal I got off City Deals to Hollywood Connection. They love the roller coaster!

Did a little mini golf.

Rode the carousel.

On one of the cooler days we headed on over to the West Jordan park.

Some days we have spent at home on our very own Slip and Slide.

Or playing with squirt guns and just getting soaking wet.

Summer is by far my favorite season of the year. I wish it could last so much longer. That is why I feel like I have to shove as much into it as I can. Loving it!

Important June Events

2011-07-07T06:26:00.000-07:00

The end of June was jam packed with so many amazing events for me and my family. All of them happened the same week as Trek, so it was probably the busiest week of my life, but also one of the most amazing. On Thursday, June 24th, my brother-in-law Matt married Holly in the Draper, Utah temple. Matt was never one to date very much, at it was getting to the point where we all wondered if he would ever pursue marriage. Then one night he was introduced to Holly and he fell head over heals in love. For the next few months he turned into a totally different Matt then we had ever seen before. His romantic side came busting out and he did all he could to win her over and to agree to marry him. We are so excited to have Holly join our family. I will no longer be the only Harker daughter-in-law. I was filming the whole event so eventually, they will have a lovely wedding video to remember their amazing day.
Holly loves bright colors so these are the outfits my boys wore to the wedding and reception. Aren't they the most handsome boys you have ever seen? Yeah, I thought so!
The next day, Friday June 25th, was Miles' 2nd birthday. He has such a personality!! He can be the most stubborn pill one minute and the cutest sweetheart the next. He is so funny and silly and yet can cry and wine his way into getting what ever he wants. He definitely keeps me on my toes!

For his birthday, he got some new pajamas and a Slip and Slide. Of course we had to test it out right away.

That same day, was a HUGE surprise birthday party for my mother-in-law Pat's 60th birthday. The Harker kids had been planning this party for months. All the family from everywhere, neighbors, and friends of Pat were invited. Mike was able to get all the tables, chairs, linens, a snowcone machine, and a dunking booth from Diamond. His sisters decorated everything with pictures of Pat's life. I made a slide show movie showing Pat from a baby until now. Kari made a book with letters from all her family telling her how much we love and appreciate her. We had dinner and a DJ too. It was an amazing party and Pat was totally surprised.

(I have a way cute picture of Pat with her cool cake, but for some reason I can't get it to load here on my blog!)

And last, but not least, after 2 years, one month, and two weeks, I got my braces off!!!! It feels so good and eating has gotten fun again! I love my new smile and of course now it all seems worth it. But I really did hate every minute of having braces. Its good to feel like myself again and not always be worried if I have leftover food stuck in my teeth. Love it!!

So June was a killer, but so full of some amazing events and memories. I am glad I have tons of pictures to remember it all because really, it was kind of a big blur.

Trek 2011

2011-06-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

What a blessing and privilege it was for Mike and I to be called as a "Ma and Pa" for our Stake Trek. It was also overwhelming and stressful. There were many meetings to attend, materials to gather, things to prepare, and lots of prayers. But when all was said and done both Mike and I agree that Trek was one of the best experiences we've ever had and we loved every minute of it! We chose to call our family the "Happy Harkers." We focused on the scripture in 1 Nephi 4:6-7 which says, "And I was led by the spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do. Nevertheless, I went forth..." We wanted to get across the fact that even though Nephi faced some tough challenges, that at times seemed almost impossible, he still went forward with faith and with a good attitude. (Unlike his brothers who were always murmuring.) We talked about how you can choose your own attitude in all situations and decide how you will respond to challenges.

(Thomas, Kevin, Boomer, Bishop Kemp, Me, Mike, Kimmy,
Whitney, Erica, Keven, and Uncle T.J.)

This is our Trek family on day one. We had just gotten off the bus after a 5 hour bus ride. We were all excited and ready to go.

I really feel like Heavenly Father picked the perfect family for Mike and I. I loved all their personalities. They were all so willing to do everything and pitch in and help. They also played all our silly games with us and even taught us some new ones. Every one of them wanted to be there and I think all of them got something out of Trek. They were also fun to talk to and hang out with. I would be honored if my boys turned out like these teenagers!

I bragged that I had never been beaten at stick pull. Because of that I was challenged by some pretty fierce competitors and was beaten several times. This is the Stake YW president, Jackie Standing, and luckily I was able to beat her.

Mike and I are standing at the actual place they call Martin's Cove. This is where they stayed for five days until the rescuers came and where many of them died and were layed to rest in the snow. We were all asked to be very quiet and respectful here and all the men removed their hats. The spirit was strong here and we all knew we were on hallowed ground.

Later, several of the members of our company "died" and Mike was one of them. I also lost one of my daughters and our uncle was the one taking people away. So when all was said and done, I only had 8 people of my family left to help pull and push the cart for a while. Having Mike "dead" wasn't too emotional for me this time because for some reason he also "died" on our last trek and I knew he would be coming back in just a little while.

Statues have been put up to honor the four men who helped the people cross the freezing Sweetwater river. The river normally is only five feet across but because the people were already half frozen to death, crossing that small river seemed impossible. Four men are given credit for helping hundreds to cross. We also crossed the river, but it felt wonderful to us since it was hot that day. I don't know how those pioneers did that in the freezing temperatures.

We didn't really have to walk very far during our Trek. I think in the three days, we did a total of 13 miles or so. It wasn't very physically demanding, but because of the place we were and what took place here, it was emotionally demanding. The spirit was very strong here and I was able to feel such amazing gratitude and a connection to the pioneers here.

I was sad to see Trek end. I loved our family and felt like we were able to bond and have fun together. I am grateful that Mike and I got to experience all of it together. Doing things like this strengthens our relationship and marriage and makes us appreciate each other more. We are so blessed to be members of this church. We owe so much to these faithful pioneers who gave everything they had so that we could have the lives we have. I am grateful that I got to strengthen my testimony while on Trek. It was an experience I will always cherish and never forget!

Crazy, Crazy month of June

2011-06-25T11:56:00.000-07:00

My plan was to document this summer week by week like I did last year. This month though was probably one of the busiest, craziest, most stressful months I have ever had in my entire life. There were just too many things I was responsible for and too much work that had to be done. Luckily, I also think spending time and having fun with my kids is also one of my responsibilities, so those things got done too. On the last day of school, my kids came home to find all sorts of summer time fun surprises waiting for them on the kitchen table. Water guns, a pool, beach toys, popsicles, stuff like that. We all were so excited for summer to begin!
Mason and Mike finished their spring soccer league. Mason was an AWESOME soccer player. He is very aggressive and was able to score a lot of goals. He loved it!

On the first Monday after school was out we were lucky enough to have a warm enough day to fill up our pool for the first time and test it out.

Another afternoon we invited Grandma Miller to Temple Square with us just to walk around and enjoy the beautiful flowers. (and to take lots of pictures)

I am so grateful that Grandma came. I know these are the kinds of experiences my boys will remember having with her forever.

We also took advantage of the John Huntsman free day at "This is the Place State Park." It helped me get into the Pioneer spirit for the trek I would be taking in the next week.

Mike had a birthday in between all our craziness. Both these boxes held new t-shirts for him and out of the four, he only liked one. Next year I'm just going to give him a gift card to save me the hassle!

It was also time for our annual stay up at the Park City condo. Aunt Tracy came with us and we stayed up Monday to Tuesday and went up again on Friday. Most of that time was spend swimming.

This year we also decided to take a spin on the Alpine Slide. Mitchel and Max were old enough to drive their own while Tracy and I took the younger two as passengers. Everyone loved it and thought the chair lift ride up and the slide ride down were "The best thing ever!"

And of course, there was Father's day. Could these boys look any more like their dad?? They are all so handsome and I am so blessed to have all these good boys (and man) in my life!

In between all this fun was lots of work. Mike and I were spending hours on end planning for Trek. I also had a couple videos that I was working on. There was our 14th wedding anniversary, Cub Scout camp, Matt and Holly's wedding, dentist appointments, YW activities, lawn mowing, house cleaning, tons of laundry, shopping, and very little sleep.

The next few weeks don't look very relaxing either. I have to give 2 talks in Sacrament meeting in the next four weeks, Girls Camp the third week of July, making the Trek video to show at a fireside, editing two wedding videos, running a 10K, and all the normal "stuff" too. The boys are dying to go to some swimming pools and our house looks like a disaster. But I guess that is what this stage of my life is all about, go, go go! Summer is happening and going really fast already.

Goblin Valley/Little Wild Horse Canyon

2011-06-04T09:30:00.000-07:00

Goblin Valley is one of the coolest and weirdest places I have ever been. It really looks like an alien planet.
(why Miles won't look at the camera, I have no idea. I think he inherited that from his Grandma Harker)

It is such a cool place to explore. We love climbing all over the hodo formations and finding caves and such to play in. We spent a half a day here just climbing around.

That evening, we went on another hike to nowhere. We were supposed to find an arch, but never did. Here we are taking a break.

The next day, we spent the morning hiking Little Wild Horse canyon. This is a very cool slot canyon that gets pretty narrow in places.

My kids always think it's time for a snack break every ten minutes on a hike. Here are some of the "power snacks" I bring them, Fruit Roll-Ups, Pringles, and Slim Jims. Yeah, I know, really healthy huh!

This is my favorite picture of all. You can really tell how water and flash floods have formed this canyon. Very cool!

Mason is one tough little dude!

We had a great time over Memorial Weekend. The weather was windy, but nice. Summer has officially begun!!!!

Preschool Graduation

2011-05-23T14:13:00.000-07:00

My little sunshine, Mason, graduated from preschool this last week. He has loved every minute of preschool. He was one of only a few who received 100% attendance. His teachers were absolutely wonderful and everyday he came home with some new project they had been working on. He loved singing all the songs and would practice them at home for anyone who would listen.

The Graduation program was adorable. All the kids knew exactly where to stand, what to say, all the words, and when to hold up their special signs. Mason got to hold up the big, fat turkey during the Thanksgiving song and he thought that was quite the honor!

This is Ms. Jacque asking Mason what he wants to be when he grows up. Nice and clear Mason said, "I want to be a ROCK STAR!"

Mason was really lucky to be able to attend preschool with his best friend Hank who lives just down the street. These two are what best buddies should be. They play so cute together and love being with each other. It also was nice that we could carpool to preschool.

Mason, we are so proud of you. You are already a star to us! Thanks for doing such a great job on your program and singing so well. I got a little emotional through some of it because it is hard watching you grow up, but at the same time, I am so excited for you. You will be the best Kindergartner ever and I know you will love every minute of that too. Thanks for lighting up our lives with your sweet, cheerful, loving self! Congratulations little graduate!

My Highest Priorities

2011-05-16T14:20:00.001-07:00

Like any busy, working mom, there are 101 things I should be or could be doing every moment of everyday. There is never enough time to do everything I should do, let alone what I want to do. But through it all, it is these four faces that make everything worth it. They are by far my most important asset and investment. They make my life worth living and give me something to look forward to each day. I love these guys!

A Decade Old!

2011-05-06T19:40:00.000-07:00

Can this really be true? Can I really be the mother of a ten year old? Where has the time gone? Will Mitchel ever know how he has changed me, made me better, helped me to learn and grow, and given me a reason to wake up everyday? It's been quite the experience for both of us and I am so grateful that Mitchel was willing to come down first and show me the ropes of being a mom. The morning began with presents from Mom and Dad. Mitchel is really fun to find presents for because he loves to build things and anything related to Science. The best place for stuff like that is Hobby Lobby where Mike found him some rockets to launch into space. We also got him a build your own remote control car among a few other little things.
That afternoon, we went out to lunch at The Mayan. Then it was time for the family party that night. We invited everyone in both the Miller and Harker families, and most everyone came. That is a lot of people for my little house, but we all squeezed in tight to celebrate with Mitchel. Grandma Miller made the cake and cupcakes while I made Lemon Bars (Mitchel's favorite dessert).

Mitchel loved all the attention and gifts he received from his cousins, but his biggest surprise was an Ipod from Aunt Tracy and Grandma and Grandpa Miller. Tracy had loaded it up with over 100 songs and Mitchel has been jamming out to it around the house ever since. Max and Mason could not be more jealous and now both want one of their own.

I really can't believe how grown up Mitchel is becoming. He has so many great qualities. I think in honor of his tenth birthday, I will list 10 things that I love about Mitchel.

1) He loves to read and has really gotten into the Percy Jackson series lately along with Greek and Roman Mythology.

2) He is a hard worker, he works quickly, and he doesn't complain about working hard.

3) He is a good big brother and shares everything he has with his younger brothers.

4) He is so dang smart. He soaks up information like a sponge.

5) His laugh when he watches something funny on T.V. or reads a funny part in the book is so genuine and contagious.

6) He is very close to the spirit and can recognize when he feels the Holy Ghost.

7) He has a strong desire to do the right thing, even though it is hard sometimes.

8) He likes to stay up late reading, and yet is able to pop out of bed in the morning. He must be a night and a morning person (a little bit of Mike and a little bit of me)
9) He loves school and loves to learn.

10) He is very particular and has his favorite of everything and knows exactly what he likes and doesn't like. I guess you could say he is stubborn, but I think later in life, this quality might come in handy, even though it drives me crazy sometimes.

Mitchel really is amazing and I just feel like he is destined to be great in this life. Maybe every mother thinks that about her kids, but for some reason, I just know Mitchel is here to do something special. He was sent here, at this time, to our family for a reason and I feel a great responsibility to teach him well and to help him see his potential. I am so blessed to be his mom. I know that sometimes I am a little more hard on him than the others and I expect more out of him, but maybe that is the curse of being the oldest boy. I love him more than my heart could express and he truly has been a blessing to me these past ten years. Happy Birthday Mitchel and I love you!

Easter

2011-05-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

Not much to say about this holiday, other than, it happened.

Coloring eggs was good. Getting an easter basket was better.
Putting Easter baskets on our heads while driving to Easter dinner at Aunt Tracy's was even better.

Finding eggs filled with candy was the best!

That's all we have to say about that.

Spring Break 2011-Zion National Park

2011-04-23T18:40:00.000-07:00

It is always so hard to choose which pictures to put on here after a vacation. I take A LOT of pictures. This trip was just what we all needed to escape the cold, dreary, rainy spring we have been having here at home. Zion was full of sun and perfect, short sleeve shirt temperatures. We took Aunt Tracy and Grandma and Grandpa Harker along with us too. This was our first chance to test out our tent trailer that we bought in January. It was awesome! We were able to fit all our stuff in it and still have plenty of room for all of us to sleep very comfortably. (G&G Harker slept in a tent)

I love how the side of the trailer pops out with this table. We can all sit and eat breakfast on it out of the cold.
The hikes in Zion are beautiful. Since it is early in the Spring, there are a lot of waterfalls that disappear later in the summer.

These are the "Emerald Pools."

This was the view on the way down from the Emerald Pools. It was amazingly gorgeous and this picture does not do it justice.

We saw some petroglyphs. Zions is really secretive about their petroglyphs and don't advertise how to get to them. This is the only one the ranger would tell us about.

As always, the boys earned their "Junior Ranger" badges.

Another cool hike was "Weeping Rock." The water right now is just pouring down through all the sandstone and it makes these green hanging gardens. Again, the view was so much more amazing than what a picture can show.

What would a camping trip be without a little sword fighting? (and yelling, and getting in trouble, and bugging each other, and getting dirty, and jumping off rocks, and just being crazy boys!)

Mike and I took one hike by ourselves. It was a short one that I can't even remember the name of, but the view from the top was awesome.

On the way home on Friday, we took a few side trips. One was to the ghost town of Grafton, UT. Mason keeled over and died so we put him with the rest of the dead people.

Our last stop was to Kolob Canyon where we took another short hike to the overlook. Look at those white, puffy clouds and blue sky. It felt great! Once again I am so grateful that Mike taught me how to love and appreciate camping and hiking. It is such a great time for my family to be together. I love everything about it, except for the smelly laundry when we get home. We already know we will have to return to Zion in the future because there was a lot we were not able to see. Mike and I are dying to do the Angel's Landing hike, but couldn't because it is too dangerous for our kids. Hopefully in a few years, we'll all be able to do that one together. It was a great trip and I'm glad we were able to get away for a few days.

My Favorite Weekend

2011-04-07T13:23:00.000-07:00

I LOVE conference weekend. Obviously it is great because we get to sit around in our PJ's all day and snack on whatever we want. But I also love it for the "recharge" I get from listening to all the uplifting and inspiring messages from true prophets and apostles of God. I'll be the first to admit that being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is time consuming, demanding, and a lot of work. There are times that I think to myself, "Is this all worth it?" Then I watch conference and I am again reminded that YES! It is all worth it and I can totally do it! Conference makes me want to be a better wife, mother, friend, sister, daughter, teacher, YW president, neighbor, and everything else. It puts life back into perspective. It focuses me again on the eternal perspective of things. This conference in particular reminded me again that I am here for a purpose and there is work for me to perform. Will it always be easy? No. But the scripture "Where much is given, much is required" always comes to mind. I am so blessed and I know that Heavenly Father will make it possible for me to do all that he wants me to do. So, I loved watching General Conference. I wish it would last longer. (Which is really funny, because as a kid, I thought it lasted forever!)

So here are some things that kept my kids busy over Conference weekend. Friday the weather was so absolutely gorgeous that the kids went out to build a "fort" in our tree. On Sunday morning, the tree looked like this. Quite a change!

During the Saturday morning session the boys got busy making blanket forts. It got really frustrating when Miles kept tearing it all apart. They also worked on their conference books from Primary.

We have a tradition of letting the boys bring up their big tub of Legos during the Sunday session so they can quietly build while listening.

I'm always amazed at the things these guys build. I don't understand how they can piece everything together and actually make something out of it. These were the cool ships they made during conference.

I am so thankful to have a testimony of the Church. I know that by living and following the things I have been taught, and that I know are true, my life has been blessed. I know that true happiness and joy comes from doing what the Lord has asked us to do. I am so grateful for our living prophet and for all who lead and guide our church. I am thankful that I can raise my boys in the gospel and look forward to them serving as missionaries and becoming amazing husbands and fathers. I know that it really is all worth it!

Time Together

2011-03-27T08:41:00.000-07:00

Mitchel's Date Night

Max had his date with mom last week, so this week it was Mitchel's turn. Mitchel got a date with both of his parents. We started the evening at Wingers, both mine and Mitchel's favorite restaurant. What can we say, we LOVE the Winger's creamy amazing sauce! Yum!

Next, it was off to Kingsbury Hall for a production of "The Boxcar Children." Mitchel has read almost every single one of these books and loves them. The play was based around the first novel where the kids run away and make their home in a railway boxcar.

These were the actors. It was performed by kids who take acting classes at the U after school. I've always thought that Mitchel would love the theater and acting. When he was in second grade, his class did a performance of the "Frog Prince" where Mitchel was the frog, and he was really good! Since then, I've tried to talk him into trying acting. After seeing this play, I think he might be interested. He absolutely loved every minute of it. His smile went from ear to ear all night and he leaned over to me several times saying, "This is so exciting," or "I love this Mom."

When the play was over, he said, "I want to see more plays Mom." I asked him if he thought he might want to be in one and he said that he would. Taylorsville Rec Center has a drama club called "Up With Kids" so I might try to get him involved in that. It was a wonderful date night and we all had a fabulous time.

Going Green

Thought I might as well put in the St. Patrick's Day pictures I took.

Grandpa and Grandma came to visit that night bringing us a huge tub of popcorn. Notice how Grandpa wasn't wearing any green. He got pinched several times!

Afternoon Mess

One day after school this week, I was trying to clean up the kitchen. It was cold and snowy outside, so Mason and Miles were a little bored. I had the brilliant idea to get out paint for them to play with. If my goal was to clean the kitchen, then I failed miserably! It just got a whole lot messier.

(Look at Miles' amazing eyelashes! They are so long)

Miles tried really hard at first to keep the paint on the paper, but after a while, painting himself was much more fun. After this little art project it was off to the tub. Needless to say, I didn't do much house cleaning that day, but no worries, there is always tomorrow!

The Best Date Ever!

2011-03-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

I got to sit by the cutest boy in the entire Energy Solutions Arena this past Monday...my cute date MAX!

Mike had gotten two tickets from his boss at work, but he had his own basketball game that night, so instead, Max volunteered to be my date for the evening. He really likes basketball and we were both so excited to go. Our seats were behind the opposing team bench, row 17. Great seats!

I always smuggle in my own popcorn. No way am I paying $7.00 for a bucket. Max was happy with that.

The game was so exciting! The Jazz were ahead for almost the entire game until the last few minutes. Then the 76rs caught up and the game ended up going into overtime. Max and I were jumping up and down, yelling and screaming.

Across the court from us, in the very front row, were my brother Steve and sister-in-law Brenda. She had also been given tickets to the game that night. During the exciting part of the game, Bear came and sat down next to them and I got this cool photo of them cheering together.

The Jazz finally ended up pulling out the win in overtime. Max loved watching the confetti fall from the ceiling. We had so much fun together. He was a great date because he actually talked to me, cheered with me, yelled with me, danced with me, laughed with me, and kept telling me how much fun he was having. I don't get to spend time with my children one-on-one very often, so this was such a special time to spend with Max and see his personality. I think he is going to grow up loving basketball as much as his dad. He is so charming and fun to be with and I am sure in the future, he will make an awesome date for some lucky girl!

Oh the Fun We Have!

2011-03-05T16:23:00.001-08:00

I have a promise in my patriarchal blessing that says I "will walk the streets of New Jerusalem, unhampered by regrets." Maybe because of that statement, I have tried to live my life with no regrets. I never want to look back on my life and say, "I wish I would have done that." That is especially true when it comes to spending time with my kids. When they get too old to hang out with their mom, I don't want to look back and wish I would have spent more time with them, or done more fun things with them, or just enjoyed them more. So, I am living in the now and taking advantage of the time I get to spend with them in their childhood. I mean look at them! They are so adorable and really there is no one on the planet I would rather hang out with than my four boys! Here are some of the fun things we have done together over the last few weeks. We got a Friday and Monday off of school in February for President's Day. We spent the Friday at a place called "Airborne" in Draper. The whole place is covered with trampolines with different areas to goof around in.

We played dodge ball in one area. Max and Mason have pretty good throwing arms and hit me way more times than I hit them. It was a riot!

We also spent time playing tag and jumping off the trampolines into a pit full of foam squares. I got the best workout of my life and my legs were sore the next day from so much jumping. We will definitely be going here again!

On Monday, we went to the Jean Fullmer Recreation center to their indoor pool. I wish the water would have been about 10 degrees warmer, but we had fun splashing around. Mitchel and Max loved the water slide. It made us all look forward to summer when we will be able to swim outside.

At the last Cub Scout pack meeting, Mitchel received his Bear award. Right now, Mike is his Bear leader which makes it extra special for Mitchel. He is enjoying working on his achievements and hopes to get some arrow points before he turns 10.

I am loving Facebook. I have become a "fan" of Salt Lake City and so they show different things going on around the valley. One of the things advertised was free Saturdays up at the Fine Arts Museum up at the U of U. Each Saturday has a different theme. The first Saturday in March was "air" so we took the kids up. We first went to a lecture about weather forecasting. That was cool for Mitchel because he had been studying this in fourth grade science. He knew all the answers.

They also had a room where the kids could make kites. We worked really hard on them.

Then we went outside to test them out. Unfortunately, there wasn't much wind, so we will have to wait for another day to really test them out.

I absolutely love spending time with my boys. They are so full of energy and wonder and make any outing an adventure. I love that I get to have the experience of being a mom. Another line in my blessing says, "You will know the joy of motherhood." I have to say that being a mom is a joyful experience. They are the light of my life and I am so grateful for every moment.

Feelin' the LOVE!

2011-02-17T16:13:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I was really into Valentines Day this year. I don't know if it's because Mike and I are on a relationship "high" right now, or if I am just feeling really grateful for my boys and being a mom, or maybe some of both. Whatever it was, I really wanted to show my family how much they mean to me and make this Valentine's day something special. So to start off the morning, I left a few presents on the table that I knew my boys would love! The Star Wars Trilogy and some Valentine suckers. The balloons were for Miles because that is his favorite toy.

Mitchel and Max were thrilled. You just can't tell in this picture because I had just woken them up for school and it was 7:00 in the morning. We actually watched all three movies over the next two days.

At school that day, I gave my fifth graders some heart shaped brownies. I even got some valentine cards from some of my students.

Mason loved putting his name on all of his valentines to give to the kids as preschool. After school that day, Mason and his friend Hank, went through each of the cards in their boxes and told me who each one was from. They loved all the little treats they got too.

This was the only picture I could get of Miles holding still for more than two seconds. He was happy to have two of his favorite things, a sucker and a balloon.

Mitchel and Max of course came home from school that day also with a box full of valentines and treats. Yummy!

That night, I didn't make a "fancy" meal, but I at least set the table with some festive, heart plates and napkins. We then dined around the table on spaghetti and garlic bread. It was nice to actually serve the food from the table and have a normal family dinner. Afterwards, we ate my favorite valentine treat, a double cream lemon pie from Marie Calanders!
Mike gave me a hotel stay at The Little America that we will be using at the end of this month. My gift to him will go along with that night. Can't wait for that!!

So it was a great day to tell those that mean the most to me how much I love them. I truly am the luckiest wife and mom on the planet. My heart is full everyday of the love I have for my family. Luckily, one day out of the year I'm allowed to decorate in red and pink hearts and really let all that love goosh right on out!

Birthday #34

2011-02-13T08:59:00.000-08:00

This year my birthday happened to land on a Wednesday. Unfortunately, that didn't work out for me too well since I had school, meetings, and Young Women's that night. Fortunately, I was able to convince everyone to celebrate my birthday a day early with me on Tuesday. The fifth graders were going on a field trip to the symphony that morning, so I was able to take the day off work. I went to the gym, then came home and made an awesome birthday breakfast of homemade waffles before I sent all the kids out the door to school. I even still took Miles to the babysitter that morning. That left me with three hours to work on some YW stuff and go shopping, all by myself. After picking up Miles and Mason at noon, we met Mike at Super Salad for a birthday lunch.

That night, my parents, Mike's mom, my sister Tracy, my brother Steve and his wife Brenda, and my family all went to celebrate at "The Old Spaghetti Factory." This has been my favorite restaurant since I was a kid, and now my kids love it too. I was spoiled rotten with some fabulous gift cards that I can't wait to use.

The next day, on my "real" birthday, it was life back to normal. I even had to stay after school for an hour and a half meeting. Mike did get me a cake though, and that night before Young Women, I blew out the candles and made a wish. Then left while my boys devoured the cake.

We held our YW New Beginnings that night. Our theme was "Building on our Personal Progress." Our decorations were so cute and the girls did a great job. At the end they sang me a beautiful rendition of Happy Birthday. Thanks girls!

To end the night, I went home and read all 45 Facebook happy birthdays. That was awesome and totally made my day.

So I've made it to 34. I'm still closer to 30 than 40. I still feel like I'm in my 20's. I have an amazing life and I'm blessed with so many wonderful experiences and opportunities. I couldn't ask for anything more!

My Little Scientists

2011-02-08T13:15:00.001-08:00

One thing I love about my children is how curious they are and are always wanting to learn new things. Mike and I have tried to encourage this by giving them gifts on Christmas or their birthdays that will foster this love of learning. When I buy the gifts, I fully expect to be a supportive parent who is helping their child gain knowledge through hands on activities. Unfortunately, these projects are also messy and time consuming, so even though my little scientists have asked several times, "Can we build that volcano you got me for Christmas today?" or , "Would today be good to start making the bricks to build the castle you got me on my birthday?" somehow the answer always seemed to be, "It's too messy." or, "We don't have enough time today." But persistence payed off, and finally this last Friday, when we had nothing else to do, we broke out the Volcano making kit and the Medieval Castle making kit. I was right, they were both messy and took a lot of time, but it was well worth it. My boys had a blast making them and they worked so well together on both projects. I was really proud of them.

This is the volcano exploding. Mix some colored vinegar and baking soda together and low and behold, you have lava coming right out of the volcano!

To build this castle, first the kids had to make the bricks. This required mixing some "cement" and pouring it into a mold that made about 25 small bricks. Then they had to wait about a half and hour for it to dry before they could take the bricks out of the mold and make some more. The castle requires over 500 bricks, so you can imagine how long this process took. In the above photo, Mitchel and Max were finally starting to glue the bricks together. They got the entire first tower made, only to find a few hours later that they didn't use enough glue and the whole thing fell apart. By then I was sick of the whole mess sitting on my counter, so I boxed it all up. The castle construction will have to wait for another day.

I do love though how much my children love to learn. They read everything they can get their hands on. They want to know the "why" and "how" of everything. They rarely complain about doing homework and actually seem to enjoy it. Mitchel's favorite is Science. He will come home from school and teach us everything he is learning in class. He seems to remember every detail. Max loves reading and writing. He has made several books of his own that are actually quite clever and funny. He is a great writer and speller. Mason is starting to get into it all too and is a whiz at Math and is great with sounds. I love how smart they all are! If there is one thing I have done right as a mom, it's reading to my kids and helping to foster a love of reading, books, and learning. It is totally paying off! Hopefully Miles will follow in his brother's footsteps.

And the winner is...

2011-01-27T19:43:00.000-08:00

MITCHEL!!!

Tonight was our stake's annual Pinewood Derby. Mitchel wanted a rocket car and so he got online and researched and designed his own car. Then Mike shaped the wood while both sanded and painted to get the finished product.

Before the race.
The competition was fierce. There were 16 cars and most seemed well designed. We were hoping that Mitchel's would at least make it down the track since we hadn't tested it before hand. The first heat proved that Mitchel's car was the one to beat! It zoomed down the track in 3.7 seconds, the fastest one of the night. After all the heats were over and the official results were in, Mitchel had taken first place over all! (We did have one tense moment when his wheel came off during one of the races. Luckily, Mike the mechanic was able to fix it quickly)

And here is the winner!

He received a first place hat, two certificates, and a extra large Crunch candy bar, which was his favorite prize of all.

Proud parents

And really, Mike was just as big of winner as Mitchel. He had some very late nights over the past week making sure that Mitchel had a car he could be proud of. Way to go Mitchel and Dad! You both are winners!

January Thaw

2011-01-19T19:23:00.001-08:00

The snow finally melted enough and the temperatures warmed up enough that we decided to take a little outdoor adventure for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Our original plan was to go to a bounce house place, but it was packed and the prices had been raised, so we opted for the West Jordan Park instead. My kids love this place!

We only stayed for about an hour, until my toes were too cold. The boys could have stayed a lot longer. It did give me hope that Spring will be here again someday and when it is, we'll come back for a picnic!

I looked out my window

2011-01-11T12:40:00.000-08:00

I looked out my window and what did I see? Even in January there are some things that are amazingly beautiful. Cold, yet beautiful at the same time.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-31T09:09:00.000-08:00

Oh, where to even begin. I can't say this was my favorite Christmas ever. In fact, I was so sick throughout the entire week, that I spent most of it in a drug induced coma. But, for the sake of my blog, I will do my best to remember what happened this Christmas.

Our family home evening before Christmas consisted of making a sugar cookie mess. The intent was to make them and save some to set out for Santa, but after decorating an eating a few, the fun was over and I threw the rest of the cookies away. Aren't I a Scrooge?

Mitchel also spent the entire week before Christmas very sick. He missed Mon-Wed of school. On Tuesday though, they perform the Christmas concert for the kids at school and it is the best program of the year. Since he had practiced so hard during the month, I made him get up and go to at least that so I could film it. It ended up being a wonderful concert. Every grade does such a good job of teaching the students the songs and they perform them perfectly. I love it!

Max's 1st grade sang "Santa brought me Choo-Choo Trains" and "I've Been Waiting for Christmas." Wonderful!

Here is Mitchel looking half dead, but the 4th grade sang "When Christmas Comes to Town, from the Polar Express" and "I Want some Silly Bands for Christmas." The Polar Express song made me cry. Loved it!

The Harker's have a tradition to get together on the 23rd of December for the annual cousin gift exchange and soup eating. By then, I was pretty sick, so I think we all had fun?

Here are the Harker cousins with one or two missing.

Christmas Eve was spent at Jeff and Suzie Miller's house. We ate, and ate, and ate, sang Christmas carols, played the chimes, and did the nativity. Again, I was mostly in a coma, but I think it was a good night.

Acting out the Nativity was always my favorite tradition as a child, and I love now seeing my own kids do it. I had a shepard and two wise men this year. Miles didn't want to participate yet.

Christmas morning, somehow Santa came, even thought no one left him any cookies to eat. He brought....

Legos and a Kung Zu pet for Max.

A scooter and Batman for Mason

An electric Snap Circut set for Mitchel (really cool!)

A new trike for Miles

I didn't even get one picture of all the kids in front of the tree. While making Christmas breakfast, Mason threw up, I was still feeling like crap, and Mitchel and Max were coughing all over the place. How Miles didn't get sick, I'll never know, but I am so grateful!

Next it was off to Grandma and Grandpa Miller's.

The hit gift was "Pillow Pets!" Each grandchild got a different one. My boys love theirs and now carry them all over the house and sleep with them and have many pillow fights with them.

That night we all just went home to play with the games and toys we got. I went to bed for a long time. The next day, Sunday, all of us but Mike stayed home from church. I slept most of the day again. Seriously, I was wiped out! Finally by Monday I figured it was time to get my act together and clean some stuff up a little. To this day (New Years Eve) I am still coughing, but finally feeling back to normal.

So, Christmas happened. I hope that as time goes on I'll only remember the good parts and not remember being in my death bed. But it was still a good time spent with my boys and hopefully it was a good one for them!

18 months...nursery here we come!

2010-12-29T17:23:00.000-08:00

My baby officially turned 18 months on Christmas day.

Miles is turning into quite a little character! He fits right in with the rest of my crazy boys. He loves to run and chase them all, wrestle, make messes, and drink lots of chocolate milk. Seriously, I think he is addicted to the stuff. He loves to carry around his blankie and it's still a struggle to get him to let go of his binki. His new game is run away and hide. He is quick too! He has figured out how to turn the water on to the bath tub, so I always have to make sure the bathroom door is closed. We are looking forward to church in this new year now that he will be able to go into nursery. We are hoping that the Sabbath really does turn into a day to worship, learn, and listen, instead of carry, chase, and try to make Miles not scream.

Miles is so full of life and energy. He never stops moving. He also is the messiest eater on the planet. The crazy thing is that he still isn't talking yet. Oh, he babbles lots of things, and he can understand everything I am saying to him. But for some reason, he doesn't want to form any words of his own. Should I be worried? I don't know yet. He is such a cutie though and makes us laugh a lot. He also is a trouble maker and makes me do a lot of extra cleaning and picking up. Oh well. I'm glad he is getting older and more independent. I couldn't do the newborn thing again. I am getting prepared for the potty training stage soon, and once that's over, it will be smooth sailing right?

Anyway, happy 18th month birthday Miles. I love you, crazy boy!

December stuff

2010-12-19T17:12:00.001-08:00

This month has just flown by. I can't believe Christmas is this week. Life has been busy as usual, but we have found the time to have some fun as well. A few weeks back, we had a major snow storm that dumped about a foot of snow on our yard. As a result, the boys spent quite a bit of time sledding down our hill, despite the fact that it was 10 degrees outside. Getting Miles into all his snow gear was exactly like to was for Randy's mom in "A Christmas Story." It took forever to get on the snow pants, boots, coat, hat, and mittens. Then after being outside for exactly 5 minutes, he had had enough and wanted to come back inside. Another fun thing we did was build gingerbread houses. In the past, I've been too cheap to buy one of those precut ones, and instead usually used graham crackers. But this year my boys talked me into it since we found one that included 5 different buildings for only $10. Luckily, the day we were going to make the houses, I read my friend Laurie's blog. Her family had also attempted to make a house earlier in the week. Unfortunately, the frosting that is supplied with the kit does not hold the gingerbread pieces together very well. She lamented on her blog how she wished she had just used her hot glue gun. "Brilliant!" I said and that is exactly what we did! It worked like a charm and all of ours stayed put together perfectly!

A neighbor of mine had told us a couple of months ago about a Science show they do up at the U called the "Faraday Lectures." It is totally free and is geared toward kids and showing them about chemistry and science. It was so cool! I took Mitchel, his friend Hayden, Max and Mason. We all loved it. They made things blow up, smashed things, changed the color of things, lit things on fire, pretty much a boy's paradise. We learned a lot too!
I've been pretty busy with weddings over the past few weeks. The latest one was just this past weekend in San Diego. Mike's cousin Justin was getting married in the San Diego temple. I've done his other two brother's weddings as well. So they flew me out there on Thursday (I took two days off school) and we took some beach pictures of the two of them while Mike, his brother, and their parents drove down. The wedding and reception were on Friday. Then we all drove back home together on Saturday. It was a quick trip, but well worth it. I think their video will turn out awesome.

Here we are at the reception. The cake was delicious!

So it has been a busy December. Lots of work and not as much play as I would have liked, but I'm looking forward to the Christmas break and spending some time with my kids. Maybe I'll even get my house in order, but don't hold me to that one.

My Cup is Overflowing

2010-11-23T12:41:00.000-08:00

"...and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." Alma 34:38

I've always been not only a "glass half full" kind of person, but really a "cup overflowing" kind of person. I think I've been able to see from a very young age the blessings from the Lord in my life. We had a lesson in Young Womens this past Sunday on spiritual gifts, and I think one of mine is being able to feel gratitude easily. I also think that this has helped me to be a pretty happy person through out my life as well. There is just no doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father knows me and blesses me daily! I can feel his hand in my life all the time and recognize that all these blessings and tender mercies come from him. So because it is Thanksgiving, I thought I would list some of the things I am grateful for. This list could probably be endless, but I'll just post a few.

First and foremost, I am thankful for my relationship with my Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. My testimony began a long time ago as my parents taught me and made sure I went to church every Sunday. I can't really think of a time when I doubted if the Church was true or if I was a child of God. I remember vividly on the Sunday I was confirmed after my baptism when I stood and bore my testimony, and then bawled for the rest of the meeting because I felt the Holy Ghost so strongly. If I ever did question, I always thought back to that day. Since then, and especially as I've been married and had children, I've tried especially hard to have the Holy Ghost as my constant companion. Through my teaching and service opportunities in the church, and in following the commandments, my knowledge and love of the Savior has continued to grow. I know now, like I've never known in my life before, that I can not do anything by myself. The Savior makes everything possible and magnifies my efforts 100 fold.

I am thankful for my home. It is small, there is not much room to store things, most of my furniture is hand me downs, it is rarely spotless, I live on an annoying hill, but I LOVE my home. We have created so many family memories in this little house. I always know where everyone is and there are lots of times when we just have to get cozy to watch a movie together or eat together. I love my neighbors, neighborhood, and ward. I love living where everyone else is "in the same boat" financially. I love having neighbors I can borrow a stick of butter from when I need it. I love that there is at least enough rooms in my house that I can have a toy room so I can just shut the door and I don't have to see the big mess all the time. I love that it is hard to tell when my new carpet it dirty so even though I know I haven't vacuumed for a while, you can't really see the dirt all that much.

I am thankful for the blessings of the temple.

(this is from the last wedding I just filmed)
It is obvious when Mike and I haven't been to the temple in a while. Our tempers are shorter with each other and we just don't seem to connect as well. Somehow, when we make the effort to go, our relationship is blessed. I am so grateful to know that Mike and I and our children will be able to be together forever. I love that as a couple, we have our ultimate goal in mind, and everything we do is to get us to that goal. It unites us as a husband and wife and it gives us direction in raising our children.

I am thankful for my calling with the Young WomenThese are "my girls." So what if I wasn't given daughters of my own, instead he gave me 17 of the most wonderful, amazing, and talented girls to hang out with. It's amazing to me how Heavenly Father gives us the ability to love those that we serve. They truly are a blessing to me and I love the experiences, especially camp and Youth Conferences, that I get to have with these girls. It is fun watching them grow up and to see their testimonies grow.

I am thankful for my job

(My "Success Maker" computer club in the morning.)

(My fifth grade reading class.)

How lucky am I to be able to get up each morning excited to go to work? How many people can say that? I absolutely love my job as a teacher. Besides being a wife and mother, I feel like it is what I was put on this earth to do. There are so many things these kids need to know and their learning abilities and styles and levels are all so different, so every day is a challenge. But they are full of potential. More than anything, I feel like my job is to help them be successful and know that they can do more than they think they can.

I am thankful for my extended family

Even though this picture only shows the Miller side (I don't have one of the Harkers) I am so blessed to have some of the best parents, in-laws, grandparents for my children, brothers, sisters, nieces, and nephews on the planet. I am so lucky that we all live relatively close to one another and can spend holidays and special occasions together. Some of my best times are spent with them.
I am thankful for my own family

How could I not love and adore these sweet faces? I am amazed and grateful daily that Heavenly Father entrusted some of his choicest spirits to come to Mike and I. I feel the great responsibility of raising them to be righteous men. They make me smile constantly. I am so proud of how curious and smart they are. They soak up knowledge like little sponges. I love that they get along (most of the time) and watch out for each other. I love how they won't go to bed without family prayer and a hug and kiss from mom. And then even more grateful that they stay asleep all night. I hear my friends complain that their kids wake up in the middle of the night and come into their room or in their bed, and mine have never done that once! I love that they are willing to help around the house. I love that they don't demand unnecessary things (like toys or treats from the store) and I haven't seen a temper tantrum out of the oldest three in a really long time. They are trying so hard to do their best and live what Mike and I are trying to teach them. They want to be obedient and I just know that they are here for a special reason. All four of them have a mission Heavenly Father wants them to fulfill while here on earth.

Along with my children, I am so thankful for Mike. Everything I have listed is because I chose to marry him. I wouldn't have any of it if it wasn't for his willingness to love and take care of me. He has had to really step up to the plate lately with me being so busy with Young Womens and school. He gets the kids where they need to go each morning, and he is NOT a morning person. He stays home while I go to meetings or activities and never complains about it. I am loving watching the relationship between him and our boys grow. I know they are looking up to him and learning to be like him. I couldn't ask for anything more. He is my partner through it all and gives me hope and encouragement when I need it the most. I will love him forever!

Of course there are a million other things I could list. My life is "full to the brim" with blessings and I am so thankful for each and every one.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Oh We've Got Trouble!

2010-11-11T19:57:00.000-08:00

See this sweet, innocent face? Well, don't let it fool you. This kid is nothing but trouble! He is into EVERYTHING! I go into one room to clean up one mess, and come into the next room to find it all torn apart. Books, Tupperware, Kleenex, toilet brushes, nothing is off limits to this kid. His new favorite toy is the toilet. Mason went into the bathroom the other day and was freaking out because his socks got all wet. "How?" I asked only to find the bathroom floor covered with toilet water that Miles had splashed everywhere. Last night I came home from Young Women's to find every cupboard and drawer in the bathroom completely emptied with the contents strewn all around the house. (Yes, nice babysitting Mike!) And right now as I am typing this he is throwing a soccer ball all around the office and knocking things of the desk. He has also started throwing some pretty good temper tantrums by flopping down on the floor and grinding his nose into the carpet. The other night we went to get our family Christmas photo at Target. The family shot went well, but when I wanted just one with the boys, Miles wouldn't have any of it and flopped right onto the floor and started bawling. A few weeks ago I got a call from a dispatcher at 911 asking if I had an emergency at our house. Apparently Miles was playing with the phone and dialed 911.

Of all my boys, this one is by far the most spirited and demanding. He climbs on everything, wants to be picked up, then gets mad and wants to be put down. Most the time I don't think he even knows what he wants. He sure is giving me a run for my money.

But despite it all, he is super cute and can be pretty funny. The other boys laugh at him all the time, which might explain why he continues his "naughty" behavior. He LOVES the reaction he gets from the older three. Everyday is an adventure with him, that is for sure!

Halloween

2010-11-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

Halloween happened. It started with the pumpkin carving for Family Home Evening. Each child did all their own gut scraping and carving. They all did a great job. I have some pretty creative and independent children.

Even Miles got in on the fun flipping pumpkin seeds all around the dining room.

The spooky, finished products.

My two animals. A dinosaur and an elephant. I did not buy one new costume this year. All of them were hand-me-downs. That saved me a lot of money!

My two fighters, a ninja and a pirate.

This is Mitchel's fourth grade class after the big parade. His teacher's costume was by far the best! She was the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland.

Mason also had a parade that day at preschool. These are his teachers Ms. Jackie, Ms. Chris, and Ms. Carol.

Halloween afternoon was our first ever Trunk-or-Treat. Because of the rain, we had to have it indoors.

The turnout was great!

Later that night we went out Trick-or-Treating for real. First we did a few houses in my parent's neighborhood, then came back and did our block with some of our neighborhood friends. When all was said and done we had a pile of fat, lard and sugar sitting on our counter top. I didn't even have a bowl big enough to put it all in, so I had to go get a tote!

Another Halloween come and gone. Time goes by super fast. I am grateful that I get to experience all these holidays with my kids. They sure make life more fun!

Paris? London? Rome? No...Moab!

2010-10-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

What a perfect fall break we spent camping in Moab, UT. I wish I could describe the absolute joy and relaxation I feel when I am camping with my family. It's like every single moment is a wonder to me. I love the dirt, the fire, the quiet, the nature, the simpleness of it all. I think I would rather be camping with my boys than anywhere else on earth. I truly have become a nature lover (but not quite a tree hugger.)

Anyway, here we are at the entrance to the park.

Our first hike was called "Park Avenue." It takes you through a "road" of rock formations that feel like buildings on all sides of you. This is near the end and the formation is called "The Three Gossips."

Later that evening we explored "Devil's Garden." Here there are several hikes that take you to different arches. The one below is called "Landscape Arch" and is the longest known arch in the world. It is longer than a football field. A few years back a big chunk of it fell off of it in the middle. Goes to show you that these things aren't here for forever, so you better see them while you can.

On that same hike we found "Navajo Arch" along with a few others. By the time we were done hiking around, it was getting dark.

The nights and morning were pretty cold, so we all got bundled up the best we could. We actually all slept really cozy warm with our sleeping bags and the 100 blankets I brought.

The weather was absolutely perfect the entire time. High 70's in the day and 40's at night. Cold enough that the fire felt wonderful to sit around at night and cool enough during the day that we weren't sweating to death on the hikes. We camped on BLM land which meant there was no running water or toilets or anything like that. I know it sounds weird, but I like that even better than staying at an actual campground. It feels like you are all by yourself. The kids can run around and yell as much as they want (until I yell at them to knock it off.) It's just part of the freedom of camping.

Every park we go to, our boys have to be Jr. Rangers. The one in Moab is actually pretty easy and my kids were able to earn it in a day. They loved their badges and wore them for the rest of the trip.

Of all the hikes that must be done in Arches, the one to "Delicate Arch" is a must! The hike is up some steep slickrock but it is totally worth it. To see the famous arch is an amazing experience. It is breathtaking!

We all gave it a thumbs up!

These are my "artistic" photos of the arch.

Balancing rock is also a must see (but you can view it right off the road) We walked around it though and showed off our balancing skills. One day this rock is going to go tumbling right off too, and no one knows when it will happen.

On our way out of Moab, we stopped at this little trail the rangers had told us about that had real, live dinosaur bones still in the rock. It was pretty cool to see the real thing right in front of us. Even the boys were impressed!

Another short trail led us to dinosaur foot prints. They really were here!

I really do wish I could describe the actual feelings I felt while we were here. It is hard to put into words the appreciation I have for this beautiful, peaceful place where I can spend time with my favorite people on the planet. The only way I can think of is to say it is "pure JOY!"

I'm loving the weekends

2010-09-26T07:46:00.001-07:00

Now that I am a working five days a week, I am totally understanding why everyone lives for the weekends. It's even better when you get an extra day off like we did on Friday. I don't want those kind of days to go to waste, so I took my kids to the Thanksgiving Point Dinosaur Museum, a place we never made it to this summer.

We took our neighbor, Hank, with us. They all had so much fun posing like dinosaurs every time I took a picture.

Love all the hands on activities to do there.

My boys are awesome hunters. Look what they were able to take down!

Future paleontologists.

The other fun thing that we are now all involved in every weekend is sports. Mitchel had his first basketball game (no pictures yet) and Mason and Max are playing Taylorsville Rec soccer. Mike is the coach of Mason's team. Mason loves it and is actually quite good. In the two games he has played so far, he has already scored 4 goals.

(Don't you love Max's bony knees. I swear he is nothing but bones and joints!)

Happy boys! They are loving it and it is so fun to watch them play.

When we went home that afternoon I was again filled with such gratitude to be a mom to these amazing boys. I am so lucky that they are healthy and happy and able to participate in "boy" things. It is fun to sit on the sidelines and watch them. I am looking forward to hopefully many years of being the best cheerleader ever for the Harker team!

Dirt digging and Fair Fun

2010-09-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

What do you get when you have dirt, a few kitchen spoons, and four boys? A big hole of course! My boys spent an entire Saturday digging a hole in the backyard, where they weren't supposed to, and made a lego fort with a moat. Pretty fun! And they worked together without fighting the entire time!

Monday night was family night at the Fair. My Dad and Tracy joined us as well . It was pretty crowded and for some reason, my boys were not all that impressed. We made them walk through all the animals and booths selling crap. They just wanted to ride the rides, but there is no way I was paying for them to ride those death traps.

The best part of the family night is the "All-you-can-eat" ice cream. You pay $3 extra dollars to get into this tent where they have Aggie ice cream, Dryers, Creamies, and Fat Boys, then you eat as much as you want. It was yummy and I think between all of us, we ate at least 10 fat boys. The name of that ice cream makes it all too obvious as to what happens after you eat it.

Over the summer the boys read 10 books each and were awarded some prizes for the fair. They got free admission tickets, a free drink, and one free ride. Finally when we were ready to leave we let them use their free ride. It took them a while to decide which one they would use it on.

Then they picked this octopus looking one. It was actually really cool and they were laughing and smiling the entire ride. So, in the end, they decided that the fair was pretty fun.

Other than that, we have just been busy with school, work, homework, and keeping up with everything. Life is going to just keep getting busier with me starting my "official" teaching this week, Max and Mason starting soccer and Mitchel starting basketball. Good times had by all!

The many adventures of the Harker boys

2010-09-08T12:13:00.001-07:00

Once upon a time, there were three boys with the same last name who kept their mom very busy. One of them, the oldest, was much involved in the cub scouting program. Although his mom frequently forgot weekly den meetings, and his dad put off making the boat until the night before, he was still able to participate in the annual "Rain Gutter Regatta." He chose a pirate theme for his ship which meant his mom drove frantically to several scrapbook stores looking for the right size stickers. But luckily, he was happy with the results.

Unfortunately, his boat did not perform so well and fell over with every puff of breath this Harker child could give. It got a little frustrating, but in the end, a good time was had by all.

Meanwhile, the two middle Harker boys were having adventures of their own. Alas the time had come for a birthday celebration for the one turning seven. A party in the canyon was planned on the 6th day of September including breakfast and fun for all the family.

It was a splendid event full of exploring, food, family and fun for all.

The gifts were plenty and just what this Harker boy was hopping for. All was going well until his younger brother thought it was time to mix things up....

So he caused a great commotion by falling backwards into the fire. With lightning quick speed, his father dashed over and pulled him to safety, ripping his pants and underwear in the process. In the meantime, there was much screaming with panic and swearing by other members of the party. By some miracle, the only injuries sustained were on the fingers of the left hand. After a quick trip to Insta Care later that afternoon, this little Harker was bandaged, drugged, and doing much better.

But the adventures were not over yet for this one. The next morning he began his long school career by attending his first day at Jacque's Preschool. He was all smiles and couldn't wait to be like his big brothers.

Even better was the fact that he would have the same teachers that loved and guided his older brother. Mrs. Chris and Mrs. Carol, two of the best preschool teachers on the planet.

Max had not yet had his fill of birthday fun though. He woke up bright and early on his birthday morning to find some presents left by his loving parents.

And was treated to some birthday pancakes before heading out the door to another adventure in first grade.

The entire Harker family wanted to celebrate with Max, so off they went for a bowling adventure at Fat Cats. The competition was fierce, yet somehow Mom managed to rise to the top. (at least for the first game)

More food was consumed.

The birthday boy was happy.

And thus ends another exciting adventure in the ongoing Harker series. Join us next time for more chills and spills as this drama unfolds.

My Love of Running

2010-09-04T15:10:00.001-07:00

If you would have told me three years ago that I would be a "runner" I would have laughed at you and said you were crazy. Why in the heck would anyone want to run just for the heck of it? Well now I am eating those words because I LOVE RUNNING!

It all began for me the summer of 2008 while attending Youth Conference. The Young Men's president at the time wanted to get a running group going in the neighborhood and asked if I and another guy wanted to start running with him in the mornings. My first response was "He** No!" But he talked me into it and we had our first run of about 3 miles. It actually wasn't so bad and I was proud of myself that I was able to do it. (Luckily, I was in shape from doing classes and working out at the gym). After that we just kept increasing our mileage until that same summer I signed up to do the 24th of July 10K, my first race ever. After that race, I was hooked! It was so much fun and the runner's high was awesome. After that, I figured I might as well keep going and signed up to do a half marathon that fall in St. George. Two weeks before that race, I found out I was pregnant with Miles. That half was probably the hardest thing I have ever done! I couldn't walk normally for about a week after. Since I was pregnant, I retired for running for a while, but still kept working out at the gym.

After having Miles the next summer, I started running a little bit and did a 5K. Then winter came again and I concentrated on spinning and weights. This summer I was ready to try again to conquer another half marathon. The guy who got us running in the first place has since moved out of our neighborhood, so I trained all summer with two other neighbors, Mike and Abe. I have been really lucky to have them because they have pushed me farther than I ever thought I could go.

So Mike (my neighbor) and I ran the 24th of July 10K together and just today, the

Salt Lake City Half Marathon.

It was AWESOME! The course started at the Mountain Dell Golf Course and went up Little Mountain for the first 4 miles. After that, it was a gradual downhill down Emigration Canyon. We ended at the U of U. It was an amazing run and I felt great the entire time. I kept thinking, "I can't believe I am doing this and that this is actually FUN!"

The finish!! My time 2 hours 3 minutes!! I could not have been happier or more proud of myself!

My running buddy Mike. He lives on the same street as me only about 7 houses down. Can you believe he is 52? I have a hard time keeping up with him most of the time. He sure has pushed me to become a better runner.

The best part of the whole race was seeing my family at the finish line holding this cute sign. It brought tears to my eyes and it felt great to have them all cheering me on at the finish. I love my family!! (And thanks Tracy for thinking to do that and helping the boys make it. I loved it!)
I am going to laminate it and hang it up in my classroom.

So I can honestly say that I LOVE running. It makes me feel so powerful, strong and like I can accomplish anything. I love that it is a sport where you are only competing against yourself. Each run is just another chance to run harder or faster or longer. It is an amazing feeling! I am grateful that I have a body that can run. I have already signed up for my next race, the Women's Only 10K on October 9th. I can't wait!

First Day of School

2010-08-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

As much as I hated to see summer end, I absolutely love when school starts as well. I love the new clothes and backbacks. I love the smell of school and books and paper and sharpened pencils. I love that I had my own classroom to go to this year. And I love that my kids are as excited for school as I am. This is us on that wonderful morning. For some reason we all chose green for our first day of school outfit and I didn't even realize it until I saw this picture.

Mitchel is in fourth grade this year and Max is in first.

Mrs. Penton. Her baby is due in November so that will mix things up a bit for Max then. Max will also get to have some of the other teachers too since they ability group for Math and Reading.

Mrs. Linford. She was my sister-in-law, Kari's, mission companion. Funny huh. She is so cute and energetic and fun. I'm sure Mitchel will love her. He'll also get to have all the other fourth grade teachers too since they run it kind of like Jr. High with each teacher being in charge of one subject and the kids rotating around.

So it's looking like it will be a great year for the kids. I haven't started teaching my own class yet. We are going to get all the kids tested in DIBLES (a reading test) first and then decide how to split them up. I'm hoping to get an "official" class after Labor Day. For now I have just been going and helping the third grade teachers and getting trained on the DIBLES test. I can't wait to get my own students!

The End

2010-08-22T07:48:00.001-07:00

Can I just say that I hate, hate, hate the end of summer!! The whole three months go by way too fast and there is just too much I want to do with my kids and time seems to just slip by until here we are again at the beginning of school. I love the lazy, carefree days of summer where we can go where we want and do what we want and stay up late and sleep in. I love, love, love spending time with my family of boys and feeling their joy as we participate in summer activities such as swimming, camping, exploring, etc. I think it is even better as a mom than it was for me as a kid. Probably because I appreciate each moment and realize how little time I have with them all being little. I have experienced pure joy this summer just watching them play together and listening to them laugh and talk about how much fun they are having. I hate it when it ends because I know it means we are one summer closer to my kids getting "too old" to hang out with their mom and closer to them growing up and being missionaries and husbands and fathers and leaving their poor mom to entertain herself. Okay, so maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but really, I do see how quickly this childhood thing goes by and I am determined to cherish every moment. (And document it all on this blog so I never forget)

So here are the things we did to celebrate this last week of summer. Monday night for family home evening, we hiked up Ensign Peak. It is a short, pretty easy hike, but the view of the city from the top is amazing.

Tuesday we went back for one more dip in the Herriman Reservoir. It was a perfect day spent with some friends from the ward.

(My body is just as white at the end of summer as it was at the beginning. I am the sunscreen Nazi)

Wednesday was a day spent at Lagoon thanks to my sister who got us free passes through her work. Mitchel got to take his friend Ethan.

Unfortunately there are no pictures to post of this last summer adventure thanks to the following two rides.

I took my oldest camera in a little camera case to wear around my neck. When I went to board the Jet Star II, I was told that I couldn't carry anything on the ride, even if it was secured around my body. So I had to get out of line and not ride. Well, I wasn't going to let the teenage workers at Lagoon keep me from getting some really cute pictures of all the fun we were having. So I took the camera out of the case and put it in my pocket. All was well and I got some great pictures of the kids in kiddie land and Mason and I on the Music Express. Then it was time to ride "Wicked."

Well there is a reason they tell you to leave all loose articles with a non rider. Half way through the ride, my camera fell out of my pocket and went who knows where. I didn't even realize it until the ride was over and it was gone. I'm not too upset about loosing the camera per say. It was old and didn't take the greatest of pictures and I actually took it in case something like that happened. But what I am upset about is loosing the few good pictures I had on it of our trip to Lagoon. Oh well. Just know that we had a great time and we loved it. My favorite part was riding the "Turn of the Century" with Max and we both put our arms and legs out and closed our eyes and pretended like we were flying. It was such a simple, carefree moment with my son and one of those living in the moment feelings. The other was riding the wooden roller coaster with Mitchel. He just yelled and laughed through the entire ride just like a nine year old should on a ride like that. My Mason moment was on the Music Express. Since he is still to short to ride a lot of the rides, every one else rode another ride and we rode this together. He was laughing and smiling the whole time and loved that the ride made him "squish" me. We were both grinning from ear to ear and hanging on for dear life. So fun!!!

The rest of the week was spent getting ready for school and cleaning the house. So this is the end of summer. I am so glad I have this blog that I can look back and read about and remember all the fun we've had together. My boys really are a joy for me to be with and I hate that I have to send them off to the care of someone else for 7 hours a day. But I also know that they will learn a lot a gain experiences that I could not give them at home. I am hoping that they will find joy in learning academic and social skills and that school will be a positive and uplifting experience for them. I hope I can teach them to get along without me and to figure out how to solve problems and how to deal with the "real world." I also hope they know that they are unconditionally loved by me and their dad and that no matter what things are said to them at school that home is the place where they are safe and where they are the most important, special person on the planet. I just want them to be happy and know who they are and that they are so important and amazing and smart and handsome and so full of potential. Good luck at school boys and know that I'll be here with hugs and kisses when you get home!

Getting ready and Fun with the Youth

2010-08-16T15:54:00.000-07:00

What a crazy, busy, stressful, amazing, exciting, hard working and yet peaceful and relaxing week this has been. Monday I went to my classroom for the first time to drop off some of my things and this is what I found. I was expecting to be put in a classroom that didn't have a teacher last year and was empty. Instead I got put in the classroom of a teacher who left on maternity leave in the middle of last year and left all her crap! So instead of just moving in the next day like I'd hoped, my mom and I spent the entire day cleaning out all of her crap!

This is me saying "What the crap am I going to do with all this crap?!"

But we got to work and I actually found a lot of very helpful and useful items and all the supplies I could possibly need. We filled up about 8 very large garbage bags and also threw out a broken book shelf and lots of crappy storage containers.

My mom in the middle of the mayham.

I wish I would have taken a picture of these cabinets before we cleaned them all out. There was paper stacked and tossed everywhere all mismatched. Supplies where all over the place with no rhyme or reason. So we matched everything and put everything in totes and now I know where all the staples, paperclips, glue, markers, etc are and they can be easily accessed.

It took the next day with my mother-in-law and my mom to get all the bulletin boards up and the desks out and everything all cute and clean, but here is the finished product. I love it and it totally feels like "my" room!

So after working on that all week, the next adventure was Youth Conference. The young men's president (who is awesome) and I worked together to make it all happen. I planned the place and all the activities while he did all the food. We went down to Manti where my sister-in-law's husband's family has a house. They let us camp out on their lawn. Our theme was

"Life....THE Amazing Race!"

The first thing we did was baptisms at the Manti temple. Very cool!

These are "my girls." Since I don't have daughters of my own, I honestly feel like I've adopted these. I love being around them and feeling of their energy and enthusiasm. I care about them like they really were my own daughters. We have good fun together and I am proud of how they are living their lives.

The whole group. 11 Young Women and 6 Young Men. A small group but you won't find a more amazing group of youth in the church!

Now with the leaders. Me, my second councilor, my secretary, and one Mom, the Bishop, the Second councilor in the bishopric, and the Young Men's president. We have amazing adult leaders as well who really care about these kids and magnify their calling.

That night I put everyone on a team and we had all sorts of races and competitions against each other.

The next morning, we did an "Amazing Race" through the city of Manti. The team would get a clue, then have to walk there to perform a challenge before getting their next clue. SOOOOO fun!

The winning team!

The afternoon was spent swimming at Palisades State Park. We all just chilled out in the water and swam and sat on the beach. Very relaxing and a great way to wind down the summer. One particular Young Man threw me in the water not once, but twice! Thanks Jake!

I got back at Jake for throwing me in the water by showing him that I have bigger muscles than he does!!

Manti city will never be the same now that the Ridgecrest 1st Ward youth have been there. They truly are the future leaders of this church and I am amazing at how prepared, righteous, courageous and amazing they are. It was a wonderful weekend and I know my testimony grew by being with them.

So pretty much I didn't see my kids all week and I appreciate so much the babysitting and care given to my children by others. I could not have done any of these things without Grandmas who love me and love my children. I also am so grateful for a husband who supports me in my calling and steps up when I can't be home. He is a wonderful father and I think the kids are benifiting from spending so much time with him. I am one lucky mom and I know Heavenly Father is watching over me and blessing me.

Week Nine- Summer is almost over!

2010-08-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

This will probably be my last post counting the weeks of summer. It has all just gone by too fast! The last two weeks of "official" summer will mostly be spent in my classroom setting everything up and getting it all ready. In fact that will probably be my next post. But this past week, we were able to do a few more fun summer things. Monday we went swimming at Murray Pool.
Miles has totally gotten used to the water and was running around and splashing like crazy. I had to keep chasing him around to make sure he didn't drown. About 2 hours into it, I picked him up and he just crashed on my shoulder. We spent about another hour like this while the other boys continued to play and swim.

Eventually, the clouds came rolling in and it started to sprinkle. Luckily, this was about the same time we were ready to leave so it worked out perfectly.

Another day we took Mitchel's new friend, Ethan, with us to the West Jordan Park. It was fun to get to know him and he is a cute kid.

We went to Jumping Jacks this week to just exercise and use some energy. That was the day I forgot my camera though.

But the best part of the whole week was the camping trip we took over the weekend. Friday night was the ward campout just past Heber in a place called Walsburg. When we got there it was already almost dark and then the next morning was spent keeping Miles happy, so I didn't get one picture of us at the ward campout. It was fun though. We decided that packing everything up for one night just wasn't worth it so we planned on camping one more night. We drove through the Alpine Loop and got a perfect spot in a place called Timponogee (or something like that). Our camping was extra fun because we had Aunt Tracy with us.

Miles really has a hard time when he is taken out of his normal environment. He is also just in that "naughty" stage where he gets into everything and runs into the road and basically just causes trouble. He got to spent some time in what we all call "baby jail." Not his favorite place.

The kids like to play card games when we go camping. This is our newest favorite "Monopoly Deal."

That evening, we went on a hike up the canyon. We went as far as everyone's little legs could go. It was beautiful.

At one point Mason was whining so much that Mike picked him up and carried him too. I hope Mike doesn't have back problems for the rest of his life!

This was the top for us.

That night it was a little chillier, so we all snuggled around the campfire and made different kind of S'mores. The best was cinnamon graham crackers, melted Caramello candy bar, slices of apple, and the toasted marshmallow. Can you say "YUMMM!"

The next day (Sunday, yes we decided to miss church to extend our camping trip) we went on one more hike in Pleasant Grove. My friend had told us about it and it was on our way home (sort of). It is called Battlecreek Falls. The hike is only about a mile long, steep, and kind of ugly, but at the end are these two cool waterfalls. Where they come down is really shallow, so we just got right in with our hiking boots and everything. It felt awesome and was so fun!

Mitchel and Max even braved going all the way under the falls. Nice and cool!

Camping is by far one of my favorite activities. It is a lot of work to get everything ready and packed up, and a lot of work to clean it all up when you get home, but the memories are priceless. I love that there are no distractions, no T.V., no phone calls, no Facebook, no computer games, no washing machines, no vacuums, no time limits or schedules. We can just do what we want when we want. We can stay up late and sleep in. We can just sit and listen to the wind in the trees or be hypnotised by the fire. We can eat all the junk we want. We can get dirty and wear no makeup and not even change our underwear if we don't want. It is such FREEDOM! If we could, we would spend every weekend in the summer camping. I love it that much! I am so sad to see this summer coming to an end, but at the same time I am excited for school and my new job. Luckily I know that time goes by too fast and pretty soon it will be summer again and time for more adventures.