Spring Break (SB) came in with a bang and left the same way. We had a great SB this year spending time together as a family and making those ever precious memories!
This year Brett and I decided to surprise the kids. When we first started discussing what we should do for SB we found some great deals on Salt Lake City Passes that would get us into a ton of stuff and we'd stay in a hotel in Salt Lake and have a great time. The kids were actually really excited to be able to do this.
A few days later as Brett and I were putting the finishing touches on our vacation and just before we purchased the City Pass tickets, we played with the idea of going to Disneyland instead. We found a family through KSL.com who were going to DL a few days before us and we shared 6, 6-day hopper passes with them. They used the first three days and we used the last three days. It cut our costs in half! It worked out GREAT! So after figuring this out we decided it would be really fun, and that we would surprise the kids, so Disneyland it was.
Time came for SB and we headed down to Orem to spend a night with Grandparents. Our kids couldn't figure out why we wanted to drive to Orem if we just had to turn back around the next day to go to Salt Lake, but they didn't care too much since they weren't in school. It was all in the journey, right?
After a night at grandma's, we headed off to Vegas. The only one of the kids who knew where we were going was Cassidey. That was because Brett couldn't keep it a secret and had to blab it to one of the kids. He said it was because he was using it as a bargaining tool to get Cass to raise some of her grades. Yeah, right! :)
Once we got to around Nephi, the kids started asking the ever famous question, "How much longer?" We kept telling them, "20-minutes!" We did that all the way to Cedar City. Seriously, I mean at what age do kids develop a concept of time? When we stopped in Cedar City for gas, I had made some puzzles for the kids to fill out, a Dot-to-Dot with a word puzzle, and also a crossword puzzle. This was going to tell them where we were actually going.
All the kids helped in figuring out the puzzle and when they were done, they looked at us with blank stares and just said, "Ok, we're done, not what?" This is where I'm thinking our kids need to be put in a Disneyland Resource Class or something. I mean one puzzle said, "Come and play! I can't wait to see you!" and the crossword puzzle had all kinds of Disney words as the answer, including the word, Disneyland, which Stoney wasn't able to figure out, and the it said below the puzzle, "Come and play!" and the STILL DIDN'T GET IT! We had to literally spell it out for them that we were going to Disneyland instead of Salt Lake. Once we finally told them, and it registered in their brains, they were really excited.
We stopped one night in Las Vegas, but the kids weren't too impressed with it. I thought they would oooooh & awwwwww over the lights and stuff, but not so much. They wanted to get to California.
We arrived in California around 2 pm and checked into our hotel (The Candy Cane Inn) which was absolutely FABULOUS! I highly recomment this hotel. We decided to unwind for a bit, especially since we had to wait for the family we were sharing the tickets with to show up at our hotel, so the kids went swimming. We finally got the tickets around 4 pm, decided to eat dinner before we went to DL, and then we headed off to DL around 7 pm.
We were shocked at how crowded it was, but once we got our bearing and grew accustomed to the crowds we navigated around really well. We didn't really do any of the fast pass tickets, instead we went to the really popular rides while the parades & fireworks were going off. Because of this we were able to walk-on to most of the really big rides we wanted to do, like Splash Mountain, Materhorn, Pirates of the Carribean, Haunted Mansion, etc. Of course there were some rides that it just took forever, and some our kids were willing to wait in line, while others, they didn't want to waste the time.
One of the rides the were willing to wait for was Tower of Terror! It is one of the most AWESOMEST rides I've ever ridden on! The kids loved it and wanted to do it again, but by the time we came out the ride had doubled in length so we decided to forego it. Brody didn't enjoy it too much. Throughout the ride his eyes were as big as saucers and his mouth was open wide! I think he thought he was screaming, but no sound was coming out of his mouth. Poor kid! I think we scared the scream right out of him.
The favorite ride the kids liked and wanted to do over and over again was Splash Mountain. They loved it! Me, well, I don't remember it going to fast or being so bumpy inside, but the plunge down the mountain is always a good time.
The day we spent in California Adventures was a fun time. The weather was pretty cold for California weather, but we all decided we would rather have it that way than scorching hot. The first ride the kids wanted to go on was Grizzley Rapids, you know the one where you all sit on a giant innertube boat and you race through water water rapids. Yeah, well, we were all wearing sweatshirts, and mine was really big. I told all the kids to take their jackets off and I stuffed them inside mine. I then put it in the middle of the boat. Normally their is a sealed canister-thing, but not this time, it was open, but I didn't think it would be a big deal. Boy was I wrong! Half-way through the ride, a HUGE WAVE came over the top of me, soaking me and landing on top of my sweatshirt. Good times! Thank goodness it didn't soak through the jacket onto the other jackets inside. The best part of it all was that I was wear a WHITE T-SHIRT! Well, I was feeling pretty dang sexy, and I'm surprised DL security didn't escort me out stating that this was a family environment. But we did have a good time, even though I really the only one who got wet, which it took me almost the entire day to dry off. Lucky me!
The kids had just as much fun swimming in the swimming pool at the hotel as the did at DL. Every morning they wanted to swim until at least 11 am so we never got to DL until at least 2 pm! Who's kids are these anyway?
When it came time for us to head out, we were going to stop in Las Vegas and spend the night again, but the kids just wanted to get home, so we loaded everything up and headed out for the 12 1/2 long out drive, which actually I thought we made it really good time.
Spring Break was a great time this year. We made some great memories, did some fun things, and most importantly, we spent time together. Look below at some of our SB pictures and see for yourself.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
SPRING BREAK 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Feeling Truly Blessed Today!
I have been following the newsposts the past few days concerning actress, Natasha Richardson and the skiing accident she was involved in. At the beginning, when the media listed her in critical condition I wasn't sure how bad her injuries were, since sometimes the media tends to blow things out of proportion. However, her condition was truly critical as I learned this morning from news articles stating that she had passed away last night from a tramatic head injury. All-of-a-sudden this scene hit home like a brick. Thoughts of an accident 18-months ago came reeling through my mind, and I felt truly blessed to have been given a different out-come.
It has now been 18-months since the infamous Dodgeball game in Longmont, CO, where I basically ended up tripping over my feet, falling backwards, and hittting the back of my head on our church gym floor. Just like Ms. Richardson, I too thought I was o.k., saying, "I just had my bell rung a bit, that all, I'll be fine." But again like Ms. Richardson, things changed, my health declined and I had the headache of my life. After tests were ran it was discovered that I had a golf ball sized bleed in the front part of my brain. To make a long story short, I ended up having a 10-day ICU stay in the hospital, where part of that time was spent fight to keep me alive.
I have thanked my Heavenly Father many times over the months, forever grateful that my life was sparred and I was able to continue here on earth being a wife & mother to my family. And although I still have lingering issues, and some things that may never get better, I know the outcome could have been entirely different.
When freak accidents like this occur it really makes you stop and think about what is important and how truly blessed we are, because in the blink of an eye everything can change. I am so grateful to have been given the chance to stay with my family; To have family and friends who stood by to give love, aid and support to Brett & my family during my stay in the hospital; To be blessed to have recovered so well, and knowing that I continue to be blessed everyday; Thanks to so many who continue to give love and support in the aftermath of that difficult time.
Even though I don't personally know Natasha Richardson, my thoughts and prayers go out to their family during this difficult time. She seemed like a wonderful woman, someone who seemed was successful at juggling life with her husband of 14-years, her children, her infamous family & the spotlight. Again, I am eternally blessed and thankful to all of you, and especially to my Heavenly Father.
My Baby Turns "5"!
You know I'm a slacker and have been put on the "Crappiest Mom's in America" List when I wait 17-days to BLOG about my youngest child as he heads into a new phase of his life, or has pictures to mark this momentous occasssion 'cuz the camera is broken! All is not lost though, I will be adding updated pictures soon! YEAH!
Brody Jugant Harward celebrated his grand old number "5th Birthday" on Sunday, March 1. He has been waiting for this day for 365 days - and I am not kidding about that. Brody has asked how many days 'til his birthday comes ever since his 4th birthday. It was almost anit-climantic when his birthday finally did arrive because I think he thought something miraculous was going to happen, but, well, if you refer to my first paragraph you'll understand why.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
IT"S ABOUT FREAKIN' TIME!!! - SHEESH!
-K-, so keeping up on the going on's of my life is definately not my strong suit. I think I need to come to some agreement as to updating & posting on my blog (that's such a gross sounding word - who thought of it anyway?) For some reason, whenever I get on the computer, my mind goes to mush and the next thing I know, I need to pick my kids up from school. Crazy, I know, but it's true. So I try to ignore the computer as much as I can. But, that doesn't do me any good when I'm trying to teach my kids about the importance of journaling. It's kind-of like "do as I say, not as I do."
When I was in high school, I was really good about journaling. But something happens when you become a parent. I'm not quite sure what that is exactly but something definately does happen. If I figure it out, I'll tell you.
So right now, I'm trying to committ myself to updating my posts at the beginning of every month. That's no so overwhelming, nor will I not feel guilty if I don't post every day. Then, if I want to add a post within the month, I'll feel like I'm going above & beyond the call of duty and I'll feel like a super mom. How awesome is that. See, it's all about tricking yourself, something I do quite often.
New pictures will be coming soon. My sister-in-law took some great family pictures a couple weeks ago, so I'm patiently waiting for her to send me the CD of all of them. Yeah!
Here's to monthly (maybe more) postings.
Monday, November 10, 2008
The Song of a Child
Hearing a child sing is one of my favorite sounds. No matter how on or off key they are I love how hard they try, and the serious look that comes over their faces, especially when it's a serious moment. This was the case yesterday.
I’ll be the best missionary you’ve ever seen.
I might be called to Montana or Brazil
But no matter where I’m called I’ll be thrilled!
I’ll find those seeking to know the truth,
Their names might be Sam, Jane, or even Ruth.
But as I sit and think I realize,
I don’t have to be 19 or be really wise.
I can share the gospel even when I’m a kid!
I can teach people just like Alma did!
Sharing the gospel with those I know,
Will surely make my testimony grow!
Sometimes it might be scary to do,
But God will help me & bless me too.
So I’ve decided even if I think it’s scary
I’ll share the gospel NOW & be the BEST missionary!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
30 Years of Frustration!
The Rubics Cube has been one of the #1 toys since the 70's. It has brought facination to millions throughout the world. However, I am not one of these millions. The Rubics Cube has brought me nothing but complete confusion & frustration! I would spend hours upon hours trying to twist and turn this cursed cube with having maybe two squares (not sides - but squares) match as the ending results of my hard work.
However, as I began to master this cube, I realized that all I needed to do was either peel off the stickers & replace them so all the colors matched on each side, or, I would break each block off and rearrange them so the cube match (which, I might add is no easy feat in & of itself - those little blocks are tough to click back into place.)
I gave up on this stupid brain teaser long ago, hoping for it to never cross my path again. Then yesterday that all changed. Stoney ran in from school excitedly waving something colorful in front of my face yelling, "Look what I won at school! Look what I won at school!" He was finally able to get his excitement under control and what do you think he showed me? A BLASTED RUBICS CUBE! Sweat began gathering on my brow, and fear & anxiety pulsed through my body!
Throughout the rest of the afternoon, and well into the evening, I avoided the blasted thing, but I secretly heard it calling my name, "Cammie, you know you want to try! Come on, you can do it - NOT!" Ending with an evil laugh (I know, I'm psychotic.)
After watching Brett work it, and succeed at matching one side, I thought, "That didn't look so hard. What the heck." I listened to the coaching of Brett, and with my tongue sticking out of the corner of my mouth, I twisted and turned like a pro, when suddenly (30 min. later) I came away with one complete side of red, all matching! You heard right, I matched more than two blocks, and I didn't peel off any stickers or pop out any blocks! I did it! Me! The Rubics Cube Retard!
I was so proud of myself, I began doing a celebration dance around the living room. I handed the cube to Peighton, my 7-year old, as I continue my victory dance, which only lasted about 10-minutes. That's when I heard Peity scream, "I DID IT!" I quickly stopped in my tracks, turned & looked, and what did I see? Peighton, standing there holding the cube high in the air, showing me that she had matched one color! WHAT THE HECK!
The proud feeling I had inside was completely thrown out the window. Not because I wasn't excited for Peity, but this was the first time Peity had ever tried to work a cube, and what did she do - her very first try I might add - MATCH ONE COLOR! Oh well, I'll continue to try - NOT!
P.S. This just in. As I was typing this entry, Brody decided to play with the stupid thing. In less than 5-min, he had all but one silver block matched. Seriously, WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
YES WE CAN!
Althought I did not vote for Obama, I still thought if he were elected that he would do a good job. I feel that NOW is the time when we need to start becoming "One nation under God" again. Put political sides behind us, and get back what has been missing for so long, our commitment to this great country, the United States of America! It's time to get the reputation we have had since this country was founded, as being the best nation, the strongest nation, the nation that every other country emulates to be.
May we all make the same commitment that President-elect, Barack Obama, mentioned in his speech last night. May we all remember, and act on the words that were so prevalent throughout his speech....
Monday, November 3, 2008
Here Comes The Northwind
I've been a blogger for 6 months now, and for those of you who follow along, you've noticed I change my background as much as my address. Sorry about that, but I get bored of typing on the same page day-in, day-out, so just like in the movie "Chocolate" starring Juliette Binoch & Johnny Depp, my blog page feels the northwind blow and realizes that change is about to happen.
I've found this great blogsite, "The Cutest Blog on the Block" (http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/). They have simple, cute backgrounds for every season & / or occasion. The best part about this site, is that all thier posted backgrounds are free! And they have teaching links to help you design your blog the way you want. How great is that! So, as you might have noticed, my page has gone from a freaky, haunted house, to the calm, soothing colors of fall (my favorite season, by the way.)
I also found the great website playlist.com. Now I can different music that goes with the individuality of each page.
I know this probably takes more time than I should be committing to my blog, but it's fun to change it every so often, and keep you on your toes and wondering, "What is Cammies blog going to look like today?" Check back in a month & see the new change.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
We "D.I." for Halloween
Here in Providence, Halloween seems to be as important a holiday as Thanksgiving or Christmas because my kids have been out of school since early Wednesday afternoon. I did hear that the teachers chose not to deal with the whole sugar rush thing their students are on for the day, so they conveniently scheduled parent teacher conference during this time. Man, are they smart! I thought the kids would be sad that they didn't get to wear their costumes to school & have class parties, but they didn't say a word. They were way more excited that they got a 4 1/2 day weekend instead. Hey, their not dumb!
I hate coming up with ideas for costumes, and I hate even more the outrageous cost of the costumes, but this year, being our first Halloween back in Utah, we utilized D.I (Deseret Industries) to the fullest. Normally, in years past, we have spent at least $80 on Halloween costumes - crazy I know, but when you're buying costumes for 5 kids, it starts to add up.
But when we took the kids to DI, they were in costume heaven! All of a sudden, their creative juices began flowing and they picked their costumes all by themselves. So, thanks to those who decided to get rid of these marvelous pieces of clothing, our halloween budget this year was only $9.78! and this was what our kids were transformed into:
Our kids (along with our good friends, Bill & Jen Wren & their family) had a great evening running from house to house, filling their bags (pillowcases) with as much candy as they could possibly get. I must say, in years past, they got sooooo much candy it was rediculous. What was even worse was that half the candy went to waste because half of the candy was the crappy kind that tasted like wax, or someother unspeakable substance. This year however was completely different. They didn't get near the amount of candy they had in years past, but the size & quality was incredible.
Can's of soda pop, bags of chips, HUGE giant size candy bars (you know, like the 4 x 6 or 7 in candy bars), regular size candy bars, etc. They hit the jack pot! Man, where were these houses when I was growing up. I was totally jipped!
This was Cassidey's first year she didn't go trick or treating with us. She ventured out alone with her friends. They went to a few homes, but decided they wanted to watch a scary movie instead, which turned out to be a lame, disney-like musical of a Cinderella-like story line, starring Selena Gomez. Teenagers!
All-in-all, Halloween '08 was a huge success! The kids didn't stay out late, in fact, Peity came home earlier than everyone else, partly because she was tired, and partly because her costume was falling apart. She kept pooping out "gumball" balloons as she walked from house to house. By the time she got home, her "gumball" supply was almost completely depleted. They all said they had a GREAT time, and they are actually almost finished with their candy! Woo Hoo!
Princess "Pei-Pei" Turns 7!
(It took Peity a couple tries to blow out all her candles. Brett always gets a kick out of getting the re-lighting candles. I love that he is always a kid at heart.)
(Peity got the big job of cutting her own cake - which she frosted herself. She thought she was big enough for the job, now that she is 7.)
Our family does not have traditional birthday parties. Instead, we choose to throw parties on special occasions, such as: 1 yr. - First year of life; 5 yr - First year of Kindergarten; 8 yr - Being Baptized; 12 &/or 13 yr - Receiving Priesthood, entering YW, & becoming a teenager; 16 yr - Getting Driver's License; & 18 yr - Graduation / Adulthood. The rest of the birthdays are celebrated with family, which makes it more personal and we focus, as a family, only on the birthday person. The kids seem to like it and it works well for our family.
This is Peighton in a nutshell.
