The Hardings

Back in the Saddle!

2010-02-26T10:34:00.000-08:00

O.K. I will admit it.....the time I spend on the computer, is really a time when I escape from reality, escape from my children, escape from my messy house, or should I say, escape from anything in my playbook that has responsibility written next to it! For the last several months I have said to myself, "Quit looking at everybody else's blog, Facebook, etc. and start spending that time creating yours." So...I am back in the saddle once again.

2009-10-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

March 7, 2009 - Jack's turns 8 and gets Baptized!

The day after we moved in to our home on Overlook, was Jack's 8th Birthday.

He was so lucky to be able to be baptized on his birthday.

Grandpa and Grandma Bowman flew in from Ky to be here for his Baptism.

It was a little crazy as you can tell from the top picture.

It was a great day! Jack was so excited to get his very own set of scriptures!

Grandma Bowman gave a wonderful talk on Baptism and Jack's primary teacher gave a talk on the Holy Ghost.

Afterwards, we all went to Famous Daves and celebrated Jack's birthday and baptism.

Moved...March 5, 2009

2009-10-17T10:48:00.000-07:00

We moved from Williston Road in Minnetonka (pictures above) on Thursday, March 5, 2009. This was our 3rd move in a 1 1/2 years. Ladies from my church came and helped me pack and clean...they were angels! The movers came at 3:30 pm and were finished at 1:00 am. My parents flew in from Kentucky that same night. Jamie brought them home from the airport to our new house on Overlook Drive in Minnetonka/Hopkins (pictures below). I felt so bad..the house was a disaster and my dad had just had surgery on his shoulder and Jamie had a herniated disk and there wasn't a place for them to sit. After the movers were finished I went back to the Williston home and finished cleaning it. I got home at 2:30 am. What a Day!!!!!

2009-10-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

This is my first table display...at my first party...The Hostess was Tracy Carson.

I started Silpada Designs in February 2009. I have loved every minute of it. I have met so many wonderful women and not to mentioned ...I LOVE the JEWELS!!!

It has helped our family out financially as Jamie is going to school..plus it lets me get a break and go to a party for my job! I Love it!!!

It has helped me get out of my little box and reach out to other people, which I so find that I love to do! I have learned and grown because of Silpada and I will continue to grow and as I take my business to new levels.

Catch Up Time!

2009-10-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

It has been almost a year since I have last posted anything. A lot has transpired in the last year. We have moved 2 times, I started Silpada Designs, Jamie had a herniated disk, Jack got baptized, James received the Priesthood, and many more little moments, some we have forgotten and some we will never forget.

There is so much to write.....so I thought I would tell our story as I post pictures from the last year. Oh! did I forget that our computer crashed....Best Buy said our hard drive was so bad we wouldn't be able to save anything..thank goodness for our Home Teacher at the time, Bro. Schien, who took it home to his house and retrieved all of our pictures. What a Blessing! I had felt for a while that I should burn the pictures onto a CD, but I never got around to do it...then it crashed...I was sick to my stomach...and then Bro. Schein saved the day!

Videos of Tyson

2009-01-30T19:24:00.000-08:00

Life in a Bouncer!

Discovering his Shadow!

Haylie and Tyson

2009-01-30T18:42:00.001-08:00

moving

2009-01-28T11:36:00.000-08:00

Just found out:

We have to move by March 1st!

2009-01-16T11:01:00.000-08:00

Tyson's new Haircut!

Ammon's 10th Birthday

2009-01-15T10:36:00.000-08:00

Ammon had a sleep over for his 1oth birthday. He was so excited, because our family as a rule of no sleep overs. He said this was a chance of a lifetime. The night went really well. They are a good group of boys. They ate pizza, cake, played games, video games, watched a movie, and talked way too much about girls. Yes, they are all girl crazy! My eyes were opened that night! They woke up and had eggs and doughnuts and then Jamie took them all to their Basketball game. They are all on the same team.

Celebration with the family. We had an oreo blizzard cake from Dairy Queen. He got a new baseball mit.

Gangsters of the Street

2009-01-04T04:59:00.000-08:00

What My Name Means

2008-12-30T22:30:00.000-08:00

What My Name Means

By: James Harding

Names are important because they give a description of who you are. What else they do is makes you unique from others so you can feel different and not forgotten. Names are different they come from the whole world Chinese names, Spanish names, and American names and so on.

My name is James Warren harding IV it comes from along line. So me, my dad, my papal, great grandpa, and my great great grandpa all have the same name. So I feel really special being in a long line of the same name and that makes me very different.

So nicknames they are very special they take your name and form it into another name. I have a nickname like miniwong and here is the story. So as long as I can remember my uncle has called me miniwong. I do not know how he came up with it but still today when I see him he calls me miniwong it makes me feel special.

Some names are disappointing and other are great to people and here is my story. Here is the great thing about my name, my name was past down 4 generations if James Warren Harding IV and I have to pass it on. The bad thing about my name is that there are a lot of nicknames that would go with my name.

So that is my name and about the history about my name.

Jeremy, I thought you would like this!

My Mom

2008-12-30T22:20:00.000-08:00

My Mom

By: James Harding

The person I think has the most courage is my Mom. She does not have the kind of courage of being strong in a bad situation, but she has the kind of courage of being brave. The three reasons that show she is brave is that she deals with five kids, she has to be alone while dealing with us, and she has to worry about show homes.

In our family we have 5 kids. My mom has to take care of all of us. she is always worrying about the baby and when to feed him. she has to put up with fights every night by my brothers. She has to make dinner for brothers and sisters. She is very busy with us and I do not know how she does it.

My mom is on her own a lot. This means it can take a long time to get things done. She does not get enough help and has to do most of it by her self. She misses my dad but stays strong for are family.

Besides dealing with us kids she has to show homes. She has to worry to keep the house clean all the time. She has to worry about a showing every day. The worst of all is that she sometimes she has to clean the house alone. But best of all she is amazing at it.

Even though my mom was in a bad situations she still has courage and fights through these hard times. I admire my mom for these reasons.

This was written back in August. The perspective of my oldest child. This opened my eyes!

Christmas Morning 2008

2008-12-30T21:54:00.000-08:00

Woke up early - made Cinnamon Rolls

Boys opened Stockings

Ate Breakfast

Opened Presents

Played all day

Mom cooked and built Jack's Castle (I think there was a million pieces)

Finally mom collapsed on the couch

Christmas Eve Morning 2008

2008-12-24T21:40:00.000-08:00

In October, our family drew names for Christmas. The boys have been earning money since October, to be able to buy a present for the name they picked. Our family went to the mall and we split-up and bought the presents. The boys were so excited! On Christmas Eve morning, we opened them!

Jamie - Jennifer

Jennifer - Ammon

James - Jamie

Ammon - Tyson

Jack - James

Haylie - Jack

Tyson - Haylie

Christmas Eve Night 2008

2008-12-24T21:08:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas Eve night with the Daems Family. We had a wonderful evening! We ate dinner on the floor. We had nuts, dates, figs, chicken, flat bread, hummus, and grapes to eat. (foods that represented what the people in Christ time might have eaten) We dressed in robes and talked about the birth of Christ. We watched an excerpt from the movie, The Nativity". It was so nice to focus on the real meaning of Christmas, before the big day of presents.

Haylie's Preschool Christmas Program

2008-12-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

She participated in the first half of the program. Then she decided to sit on mom's lap and watch, for the second half.

Giggles #2

2008-12-24T10:48:00.000-08:00

The Simple Things

Yum! Sweet Potatoes

2008-12-23T17:51:00.000-08:00

Tyson @ 51/2 Months

2008-12-23T17:36:00.000-08:00

HO! HO! HO!

The Fabulous Five

2008-12-13T15:04:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Ammon's English Paper 4th Grade

2008-12-06T20:10:00.000-08:00

My Brother Tyson
By: Ammon

My brother Tyson is a gentle happy lad. Tyson is 4 months old. He's a chubby baby, but when he gets older it'll be muscle. He also has dazzling eyes. They're sparkly blue. We call him our Mexican baby, because he is as tan, as a man who has been tanning for months. How he got tan I think he got it from my dad. "His smile is so sweet." He smells like soap and shampoo, and sometimes milk. Tyson feels clean and fresh like anything you could imagine. His skin is as soft and smooth as leather. I love it when he goes ahhhhhhhh "it's so sweet." His black hair is so soft and thick. Tyson's hair is as black as midnight. He's crying and whining sometimes relaxes me. Sometimes he hums. "Tyson is so cuter than a newborn kitten!" He has many personalities some of them are he can be sad, because he is hungry. He also can be tender, and happy. Tyson is so sweet!!!

Ammon's 4th Grade Music Program

2008-12-04T19:44:00.000-08:00

What Child is This

2008-11-30T19:06:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T19:27:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving. We invited the Miln family to share Thanksgiving with us. They are members in our ward at church. They also were in my parents ward in Kentucky, when my dad was Bishop. Small World! The food was Amazing and the Turkeys were delicious. Natalie even made Derby Pie from my moms recipe. We closed the night with a good old fashioned game of Bingo with lots of prizes for the kids!

2008-11-20T19:27:00.000-08:00

Jamie took Jack and Haylie to go see Santa. Jamie just happens to be Santa Claus 's Personal Trainer. Jack asked for army men and Haylie asked for princesses.

Jamie with his Mama and Sista

2008-11-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

We had such a GREAT time with Freda and Nicki here. It was so sad to see them leave. Their visits always go so fast!

Tyson's First Haircut

2008-11-09T17:02:00.000-08:00

Tyson's First Haircut

Before Picture. If you look close at the top of his hair, you can see that his hair is sticking up as a giant curl.

What are you doing up there?

O.K. I'll hold real still!

Can you hurry up please, my neck hurts?

After picture. I know it is hard to see.

I don't think he likes it.

Yes, I know, cutting your child's hair at 4 months. We usually do the first haircut at one years old, but Tyson's hair was out of control. So Nanna cut it.

Blue Sky

2008-11-07T11:18:00.000-08:00

BLUE SKY

World's Best Ice Cream

In Uptown Minnesota

Freda and Nicki came to visit for the week-end. We were so excited to have them here! We have converted Freda on Blue Sky Ice Cream. It is the Best!!! So we went to Blue Sky on Friday and ate lunch, and then had our ice cream. We planned on going back the next day, on Saturday. We did, and when we got there, they were closed with a sign on the window that said, -Closed for the Winter- We were so disappointed!

Snow White!

2008-11-07T05:06:00.000-08:00

James comes and wakes me up this morning. Look mom, it snowed last night!! I looked out my window and this is what I saw!

School Pictures

2008-11-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

James - 6th Grade

Ammon - 4th Grade

Jack - 2nd Grade

Tyson Dressed for Church

2008-11-02T05:10:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T18:52:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween Morning!!!

James - The Nerd

Ammon - The Football Player

Jack -The MuMMy

Haylie - The Frog

Halloweening with Friends!

Trick or Treating

We had a wonderful Halloween! The weather was great, it was in the low 60's. James and Ammon went trick or treating with friends. Jack 's friend, Cooper, and our next door neighbors, Matt and Jake, came with us. Jamie took Haylie up to the doors, while I pushed Tyson in the stroller. Tyson was having a great time!

Haylie's Preschool Halloween Parade

2008-10-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

Haylie had a Halloween Parade at preschool. She dressed up as a Princess. She still is a little shy there, but she loves to go!

Jacks Bloody Halloween

2008-10-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

Jack came in from playing football outside with a real bad bloody nose. I know...Gross!!!

But since it was Halloween, I thought the blood was cool!

Tyson 4 Months Old

2008-10-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

He is becoming so much more aware of his surroundings.

If I put him down or walk over to him and he sees me, and then I walk away, he will start crying.

He can hold toys in his hand and put them in his mouth.

He giggles and smiles all the time.

He kicks and splashes in the bathtub.

The Birthday Boy

2008-10-20T04:34:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 36TH BIRTHDAY

JAMIE!!!

We had one of Jamie's favorite cakes. A Dairy Queen ice-cream cake. Except this time we got a Reese's Blizzard Ice-Cream Cake! It was YUMMY!

He got an Incredible Hulk shirt. For he is the Hulk of our family.

Jamie gave some ice-cream cake to Tyson. Yum! Yum!

We celebrated Jamie's birthday all week-end!!!

Saturday - Date night - got real babysitter -Blue Sky (our favorite ice-cream) - Shopping at Mall of America

Sunday - Breakfast (doughnuts, scrabbled eggs and fruit salad) -Dinner (sweet chicken fingers and fried rice) - cake, ice-cream and opened presents

Monday - Jamie stayed home in the morning - made breakfast (omelet and fruit) Jamie went to school and then went to work.

Ten Things You May Not Know About Jamie!

1. He is going to Chiropractic School to build a better future for our family.

2. He works part-time at LA Fitness to help ends meet.

3. When he is not studying, you will find him throwing the ball with the boys, changing diapers, feeding Tyson, cleaning, and yes, he will watch t.v. and catch a snooze if possible.

4. He works out everyday and keeps himself in great physical shape.

5. He loves to camp and be outdoors, especially if it is cold. He also likes to lay in the sun, whether it be by an ocean, lake or pool.

6. He is so very kind and always willing to help others.

7. He desires to do what is right and is humble enough to be taught.

8. He loves his children and is a hands-on father.

9. He loves Blue Sky ice-cream and kit kats.

10. He loves to be home with his family.

and one to grow on...

11. His wife loves him very much!

Haylie turns 3

2008-10-06T16:33:00.001-07:00

Haylie turns 3. I can't believe it. I tried to sponge roll her hair the night before, but as you can see in her birthday pictures most all of them fell out overnight. If anyone has tips on sponge rolling hair, that would be wonderful.

Her day was full. We had 2 football games. 2 sessions of conferance, her birthday party, a house showing, and grocery shopping.

So what is up with the "Princess Cake"? 3 or 4 months ago, Haylie saw the "Princess Cake" in the Bakery section of Target. She would want the cake everytime we would go to Target. I had to purposely not go into the bakery section so she wouldn't see it. So for her birthday, we told her she could get the "Princess Cake". That is all she talked about.

After the showing, around 2:30, we came home and she went down for a nap, a much needed one. We woke her up at 5:30 for her party. It took her a while to grasp what was going on. She had sensory overload. And since she had sensory overload, the rest of us got sensory overloaded as well. But as the night carried on, she calmed down and had fun playing with her new toys and eating her cake.

The giggles

2008-10-06T15:14:00.000-07:00

General Conferance

2008-10-06T06:33:00.000-07:00

Wasn't General Conferance wonderful? I feel a lot of the talks were what the nation and I needed to hear, especially with what is going on in our country right now. Hope, simple life, prayer, live in the now, etc.
As much as all the talks were wonderful and uplifting, they also showed me a lot of what my weaknesses were. I started to feel defeated or I would ask myself the questions, How can I do that? When can I do that? Then I remembered a popular scripture in Ether 12:27, and what my brother, Jeremy and I have discussed before.

The scripture reads: And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

1. If we have the spirit with us, we will recognize our weaknesses (the Lord shows them to us) so that is a good thing.
2. We have weaknesses so we can be humble and turn to the Lord. What if everyone here on earth had no weaknesses and and we all were blessed with strengths. Just imagine what it would be like?
3. If we humble ourselves and have faith, the Lord will make our weaknesses become strong unto us.

Most of the time when I think of my weakness, I do not automatically humble myself and turn to the Lord. I start trying to figure out in my head how I can overcome them and fix them myself. It turns out that I start to get frustrated and start to feel hopeless, because I do not have the answers. I am so grateful for the scriptures and our Heavenly Father who provides them for us to learn and to lift our burdens, only if we turn to Him.

I love the last part of this verse, because I feel I can humble myself and turn to the Lord for help and exercise my faith, that the Lord will then make my weak things become strong, I don't have to. WoW! my burdens feel lighter already!

Remembering Our Summer of 2008

2008-10-03T20:46:00.000-07:00

Now that Summer is over and Fall is Here, we thought we should look back on the many memories we have from our Summer.
Our first highlight of the Summer was the birth of Tyson Wayne. We had many friends here who helped us out the two days I was in the Hospital. The day before I went in to the hospital we had a showing and the day we came home we had a showing and the boys had baseball games. It was real busy and it hasn't stopped yet. The Lord is strengthening me everyday.

This was the first Summer the boys played Baseball in Minnesota. They played at Glen Lake Optimist. They had a blast. Haylie would play at the park, and all the girls Ammons age would keep an eye on her and play with her. She thought she was big stuff. Everyone liked Haylie.

The boys would get a big group together and go up to the baseball fields and play all day. The Summer was full of Baseball.

Here in Minnesota we go to "Lake Beaches" instead of pools. WE joined Shady Oak Beach for $50 for our whole family all summer long. We could not believe how cheap it was. We spent a lot of time there. The first time we went, we found out that all of Glen Lake goes there too, so the boys had all their friends from baseball and school. Tyson even was there when he was about 1 week old and he visited many more times.

In July, my mom and sister Judy and her two kids, Madison and Zane ,came to visit us.
We had a very exciting and fun filled week. We swam at Shady Oak, visited the Mall of America and the kids rode rides at the amusement park all day and had so much fun. We also visited the Underwater Aquarium in the Mall of America. It was great having them up here. My mom, Judy and I went to go see Mama Mia, what a fun girls night out movie.

When my mom and Judy left, they took James, Ammon and Jack back to Kentucky for a week. That was the week I potty trained Haylie, and Jamie studied for his finals for school. We were able to escape to Lake Calhoun and we walked around the lake for 3 miles. It felt so good!

Jamie, Haylie, Tyson, and I headed for Kentucky in August. This was Jamie's first time back since we left Kentucky about a year ago. We had to get the house cleaned, in case we had a showing while we were gone, so our plan was to clean Friday and leave early Saturday morning. Well, we did not get done cleaning until 11:00, and we thought why go to sleep for a couple hours and then leave, so we were very spontaneous for us, and we left at midnight and surprised our family.
We had a great two weeks. We spent the first week staying at my sister Jill's house and then the 2nd week staying near Jamie's family. We blessed Tyson on Aug. 10, and Jamie gave the most beautiful blessing. I actually heard this one and so many people wrote down the words, that I think I have the whole blessing written down.

When came home back to Minnesota on Aug. 17, Jamie still had 2 full weeks until he started school. We were busy, I think Jamie wanted to go back to school for a vacation. We still had not gotten our routine down with having 5 children.

Our summer was fantastic and was filled with wonderful memories. Just like time is as we get older, there were days that seemed to last forever and months that flew by.

Do We Pout Before the Lord?

2008-10-01T17:05:00.000-07:00

I came across a really good article in Meridian Magazine. It is about pouting before the lord, throwing tantrums. I thought it was perfect timing for me, with what I have been doing, POUTING! http://www.meridianmagazine.com/lineuponline/081001pout.html

Mothers Know Best

2008-09-30T13:23:00.001-07:00

O.K. so I call my mom yesterday after complaining to Jamie how I feel that I have been given more than I can handle. I wanted her to say "I'll come up and help you". Who doesn't want their mother to come and help them when times are tough? But what I got was not what I wanted to hear. I didn't what someone to help me fix my problem. I didn't want advice, because I had every excuse why it could not be done.
I explained to her all my frustrations. She said the tail is wagging the dog. She said, do you remember when i would sit all you kids on the couch and tell you to sit still and do not say a word and I would wave the wooden spoon. I said I remember the wooden spoon, but not sitting on the couch.
She said sit the boys down and let them know what is expected of them and that they need to help out.
The last thing I wanted to do was bring the boys in from playing outside and tell them to start working. For I thought I would get into another grumbling session with them and I did not have the energy to do that anymore.
So, after I hung up with my mom, I sat there for a minute and i decided I was going to do it. I felt the spirit after I decided and I new what I was doing was right. So I called them in , not knowing what I was going to say. I had them all sit on the couch. I could tell they new I meant business.

In a nutshell I said, the Lord provided us with families so we can all work together. He did not design families for the parents to do all the work and the children go and play. what is happening is while you guys are out playing, I am in the house stressed out with all the cleaning, cooking, your homework, Showhomes work, taking care of Haylie and Tyson and many other things. The Lord does not what me to do all these things by myself. We are to work together. When you guys go and play football, one person can not play all the plays. It takes the whole team. I think they got the point, for after that I assigned them some work and they all pitched in and cleaned with good attitudes. I felt empowered and all of a sudden I had more energy, because I was doing the right thing. I wrote them a thank you card, thanking them for their good attitudes and help.
Jamie came home from work that night and reiterated it to them again.

Isn't it wonderful that the Lord created families and didn't send us down here to be by ourselves. He wanted us to have a unit where we could rely on each other, have fun together, and learn from one another. It takes a family to get all the things done we need to do. Just like football, one person can not make all the plays, it takes the whole team.
I need to remember this.
Being in Minnesota, the Lord has taught me through many examples to turn my heart and mind towards my family, my husband and children. Being away from extended family in Kentucky, we have grown closer and stronger. When times get tough, we have learned to step it up. But we all need a little reminder every now and then.
So, thanks to my wonderful mother, our house got cleaned and we all went to bed with love in the air!

Haylie's First Day @ Preschool

2008-09-30T11:08:00.001-07:00

Haylie was so excited to go to preshool this morning. She thought she was going to get on the bus with her brothers, when I told her that I was going to take her, she was a little disappointed. Her teacher is Mrs. Mitchell and she goes to the All Saints Preschool.

I was so excited for her to go to school. Being surrounded by so many boys, I wanted her to find some girl friends. I love the school. It had such a good feeling about it when we toured it. She will be introduced to so many new things. I can't wait to here all about it from her. She has already brought home a new song about a butterfly.

After school she shared this song with me. Again I am sorry about the layout of the video. The computer will not let me turn them around.

Pretty in Pink

2008-09-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

Haylie, Pretty in Pink, in the dress Grandma Bowman bought her for her birthday. As you can see in the video, twirling is Haylie's favorite thing to do in her dresses. Sorry about the video, I couldn't figure out how to turn it around.

By the way mom, she got a lot of compliments on her dress at church today! You picked a winner!

Football Pic's of Ammon

2008-09-27T10:50:00.001-07:00

Several games ago, Ammon sprained his ankle. He has had to ice it a couple times a day and wrap it when he plays. The picture where Ammon is on the ground is where Jamie is wrapping his foot.
Ammon is having so much fun playing. It is amazing how much they improve after a couple games.
We are playing the Minnetonka team @ Wayzata.

Tyson @ 3 Months Old

2008-09-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

Home on Williston Road

2008-09-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

In order for us to live inexpensively here in Minnesota, we are in a program called, Showhomes.com. We are a Home Manager. We live in houses that are for sale. We stage the home with our furniture, and we keep the home clean and we show the home. When the home sells, Showhomes moves us to another home and comes and hangs up our pictures and decorates our new home. Our first home was in Chaska, Mn, the home was on the market for 11 months and when we moved in, it sold in 2 weeks. This is our second home in Minnesota. We will have lived here for 1 year on October 12. We believe our first home in Chaska, MN was just a temporary stop, until this home was ready. It is truly a blessing for us that this home has not sold. We feel the Lords hand in our lives and how merciful he is.

We have 1 neighbor, with which we share a driveway with. We couldn't have better neighbors. They have 3 boys, Zach age 12, and Matt and Jake, 10 year old twins. They love sports and our boys play with them everyday, all day as you can see in the video. They play football in our front yard and baseball in their front yard. They also have a dog named Maggie. Haylie has a wonderful relationship with their dog. She will sit on their front porch with Maggie and watch the boys play baseball. One day, I went running after Haylie and picked her up real fast. Maggie saw, and started barking at me and didn't stop barking until I put her down. She is very protective of her.

We love the area. The boys have made good friendships and everyone from their school lives just a couple miles away, and plays in all the same sport leagues. We hope we can stay here till the end.

Faith

2008-09-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

I have learned a lot these passed 6 years. Can you believe it has been 6 almost 7 years since Jamie went back to school. Who knew the ride we were undertaking? We sure didn't. Looking back I do not regret a thing. Yes, it has been so hard, there were times where I thought we weren't going to make it. I believe through it all the Lord was trying to get me to rely upon him always and have faith. Faith is the kicker. Because in order to have faith, you have to walk first into the dark, not knowing what is going to happen. There is nothing logical to it. If there was, it would not be faith.
In the Book of Mormon, Moroni says ....dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. I like how he says trial of your faith. Because it is a huge trial to start walking into the darkness, not knowing what will happen. Jamie and I have walked into the darkness so many times and the Lord has been there for us every single time. It has strengthened my faith and it has strengthened my trust in my Heavenly Father.
I also love the scripture in 1 Nephi 7:12 Yea, how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.
I came to a realization for myself just the other day. My new phrase is "Just Start". I will give you a couple of examples.

1. I was nervous to start a blog. I didn't feel good in my writing skills, I didn't know how to use the program, and I saw all the other blogs and didn't feel like I could measure up, so I never started. Then I "Just Started". I noticed that as I put the effort in and kept going, I could feel that I was being strengthen and I started to enjoy it and learned how to do it. Now I can't wait to blog!
2. I have just recently started to exercise again. I didn't want too because I was so tired and if i was going to do anything when I could do anything, it was going to be sleep. But I didn't like the way I looked and I didn't like the way I felt. I also wanted to feel good, so I could better serve my husband and my children. So I knew I had to, and it was going to require work to change. The first couple days of exercising was so hard. My heart was not in it. Then what I noticed, was I felt better and I now I make sure I get the time in each day and I am enjoying it. The lord blessed me. He could not of blessed me, if I did not "Just Start".
3. One more example..... a wayyyyy messy kitchen. We all know what they look and feel like. Looking at the mess is overwhelming. But what happens when you "Just Start"? It doesn't seem so bad after all, and usually, after the kitchen is cleaned, you go start on another room in the house.
So that is my thought for the night... "Have faith and "Just Start" what ever it is you desire" Let the Lord help you, for he can do all things according to his will, if we have faith in him.
So Let us be Faithful to Him!
Do you have a Faith building story? Please share.

Family.......It's about time

2008-09-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

How I love Family!

Family is there through thick and thin!

Family is unconditional love.

Family is helping in time of need.

Family is fun.

Family is memories.

Family is sharing.

Family is visiting!

Family is forgiving!

Family is joy!

Family is faith.

Family is charitable.

Family is silly.

Family is a good walk in the park.

Family is praying for another.

Family is a phone call away!

Family is deserving.

Family is work.

Family is food.

Family is a good vacation.

Family is Christ centered.

Family is missed.

Family is a good talk.

Family is a good shoulder to cry on.

Family is honest.

Family is kind.

Family is unselfish.

Family is Eternal!

Are You Cereal

2008-09-21T20:05:00.000-07:00

Cereal is one of the best foods! You can have it for breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner, or even as a dessert. Cereal can range from being healthy to being down right junky! Cereal can also be deceiving. For example, my kids favorite, CoCo Krispies, has less sugar than Frosted Mini Wheats. After the kids go to bed, nothing beats sitting cross legged on the couch eating a bowl of your favorite cereal, listening to nothing, but the sound of the crunch of every bite.

Haylie's Swim Lessons

2008-09-21T19:41:00.001-07:00

Haylie just started swim lessons at the YMCA. This was her 2nd lesson. There are 3 kids in the class. A girl named Brook, who cried the whole time and would not go in the water. A boy, named Finn, who would go into the water, but would whine and cry to his mother off and on.. Then there was Haylie, who when she jumped in the water yelled, Woo Hoo! Yeh! and clapped her hands!

Tyson Wayne

2008-09-21T19:29:00.000-07:00

Cute!
Cuter! Cutest! He is our first child to suck on their fingers to calm themselves into going to sleep!

Tyson says Hello

2008-09-21T18:21:00.000-07:00

Tyson says Hello to all of you in Kentucky!

Tyson is getting so big! He started sleeping in his own crib this week . He shares a room with James.

He is sleeping well too! Last night he went down at 10 pm and did not wake up until 8:30 am. WOW! It was wonderful!

2008-09-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

Football Pic's of James #81

The Fabulous Five

James Ammon

Haylie

Jack

Tyson

One of the reasons I am grateful to have started this blog is because no matter how hard my day has been, when I sit down to update my blog, I start to feel such gratitude for my husband and my children. I have never thought of myself to be great in writing or in expressing my thoughts, so I always get a little nervous before I start to write something. But as soon as I sit and start typing, I can feel the spirit guide me.

Life has been crazy hard since Tyson was born. There are days where I just what to give up and not do this whole mother thing anymore. I never thought it would be this hard with 5 children.

Then I read the scriptures. In the Book of Mormon, in Alma, it says that when we put our trust in the Lord he will strengthen us in our afflictions and in our trials. That is true! When I earnestly say my prayers and read the scriptures and call upon him for help throughout the day, he strenghthens me and lightens my burdens. He is the only one who can help me right now. He must miss me very much! For isn't it usually through afflictions and trials that we seek after him more earnestly? Ha! Ha!

I am so grateful, that I have the knowledge of my Heavenly Father and saviour, Jesus Christ. That I know they live and love me and my family. I know they have, do and will take care of me and my family, for that is how we have gotten where we are today. With God, all things are possible!

I call my children the Fabulous Five, because they truly are fabulous! They each are unique and bring a special spirit into our family. James is kind, Ammon is witty, Jack is tender, Haylie is our princess and Tyson is our bundle of joy!

They are growing up so fast. I have to remind myself to enjoy each moment and not wish that the day will soon come to an end.

Fun Pic's

Explanation of Pictures

1. Jack is at Shady Oak Beach. In Minnesota we go to lake beaches instead of pools.

2. James and Ammon dressed up at Jill and Rich's house when we went to Kentucky last August.

3.The three amigos at a Louisville Bats game in Kentucky.

4. Haylie and I at the aquarium at the Mall of America.

5. Our Princess.

6.Haylie with her cousins Caleb and Keifer.

7.James in the middle of a haircut.

8.and 9. Some family pictures one week before Tyson was born.

10.Cute little Tyson.

Our Football Players

2008-09-11T16:59:00.000-07:00

James and Ammon were so excited to play football this year. It is not as easy as they anticipated and they weren't able to play the position they wanted, but they still love it. I have been impressed with them. James is playing with boys who have already played 2 years. He is keeping his chin held high, working hard and having a good time. There are 5 boys on his team that are in his school class and all the others go to his school as well. Ammon just loves everything about it! He comes home from practice and says "Mom, I hurt someone today" and "Mom, I 'm going to hit someone today", I say , Well, if you do, make sure you ask him if he is O.K. and don't just walk off! Ammon has sprained his ankle twice already and Jamie had to pick him up from school today because he hurt it worse on the playground. Consequences! Consequences! He was supposed to stay off of it and not play football so it would heal. So now he will not be able to play in the next game. A Lesson learned, I hope!

The First Day of School

2008-09-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

The boys were so excited to go back to school. I always get a kick the night before, because they have such a hard time going to sleep.

To them school is just one big play day with their friends. I hope they keep up their ethusiasm throughout the year.

They attend Glen Lake Elementary in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The school goes from 1st -6th. James is in the 6th grade and his teacher is Mrs. Miller, the nicest teacher in 6th grade. Ammon is in the 4th grade and has Mr. Spreitzer, which was his 2nd choice for teacher and he is known as a very fun teacher. Jack is in the 2nd grade and has Mrs. Miller who is so nice as well and she grew up in Louisville Ky and went to Westport Highschool (small world). We were so grateful our house did not sell, so the boys were able to attend the same school they did last year and be with all their friends they have made through school, baseball and football.

Haylie, Tyson, and I had a great day as well. I have been waiting for a calm day ever since Tyson was born in June, and today I finally got it. It feels good to start getting Haylie and Tyson and myself on a schedule and to once again try to get my household in order.

They have grown so much over the summer, and not just in height. I love those moments when you look at your children and you feel so pleased that they are yours and marvel at their beautiful spirits. I am so grateful I have children who desire to do what is right, who are kind, who are good examples to their friends, who are happy, and who help me become a better person.

The Harding Herald

2008-08-18T17:30:00.000-07:00