Brody....... Our little HUN WARRIOR! Luckily he's not quite as fierce as Atilla.

A national icon - the Disneyland Teacups! One of my favorites - seriously! Brett was off puking somewhere. Oh the things we do to make our kids happy!

I think Stoney looks a little "GOOFY" in his hat!

Gunny & Peity in Toon Town

Brett finally earned his ears! A proud moment in the Harward Home!

Let me show you how I use my MUSK-ELZ to lift this most heavy weight!

I am the luckiest woman in the world! I have my very own Chip-N-Dale! SA-WEET!

Who knew Mickey was actually a Rastafarian?

Peity's wondering, "Where's the fire?" While Brody's thinking, "When's it gonna be my turn to drive!"

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.

This has been a HUGE year of new things for Brody. It's amazing to think that he has been a part of our family for 2 1/2 years. It's wierd to think that he has been with our family now just as long as he lived in the orphanage. Although things started out rough, I can't imagine our family unit without his pokey hair, his crooked smile, his moon-shaped eyes that disapper when he smiles, his love of sleeping, or his never ending appetite - eating anything (except tomatoes) & everything!

Here is what Brody has accomplished in one year (from age 4 - 5):

1. He can pedal his big wheel by himself!

2. He can hop on one leg over 25 times! (6-months ago he couldn't even stand on one leg!)

3. He can make his bed & clean his room by himself!

4. He can fold his own clothes!

5. He can brush his own teeth!

6. He can wipe his own bum! (and do a dang good job at it may I say - no skid marks!)

7. He can run down a hill without falling!

8. He can run up the stairs - alternating his feet! THIS IS HUGE!

9. He can almost go down the stairs - alternating his feet! AGAIN.... HUGE!

10.He can SPELL his name!

11.He can WRITE his name!

12.He is able to communicate better when he's frustrated, rather than throwing fits!

13.He can catch a football (at least half the time) when it's thrown to him!

14.He can tackle his older brother, Stoney (a feat not many can do!)

15.He can cross the street by himself (watching for cars) and not be terrified to do it!

16.He has 2 best friends & they are unseperable from breakfast to bedtime!

17.Has passed up his older sister (by 2 1/2 years), Peity, in heigth! (not a big shocker)

18.Learned all his colors this year at preschool & can't wait for Kindergarten next year!

19.His coordination has become almost perfect (not - as you can see in the video. :))

Brody continues to progress, move forward, and amaze us everyday! He has such a cute, loving personality & loves to be happy. In primary this past Sunday, right in the middle of sharing time Brody stood up and proudly announced:

"I am Chinese! And I love to eat!"

In a nutshell, this phrase partly sums up who he is. We have been trying to teach him about where he came from, and who he is, so that he can be proud of his heritage. He is a joy to our family and we will be forever blessed and grateful that our Heavenly Father led us to him.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Brojangles!

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.

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.

It was our ward's Primary Program, and to say that the kids were good would be an understatment. For a Utah ward we have a rather smaller primary than normal (around 50 kids), but they all sang their hearts out, and they all knew the songs so well, even the little Sunbeams, which Brody is a part of.

Each child had some sort of speaking part, and some even had singing parts. Peity had her own little solo part, where she sang the sentence, "I Am A Child of God." She sang so well and was exactly on key, she did awesome! As a family we were so graciously volunteered by the choirester to sing a number called "Home". Brett wasn't too thrilled, but he was a good sport, and we got through it just great.

All the kids knew their lines, and said them with such feeling. Peighton actually memorized everyones parts, just incase someone forgot their line, we called her the Understudy for everyone. Stoney was asked to give a few sentences on his experience in the temple when we had Brody sealed to our family. He wrote this all by himself, and he did an excellent job. Brody, along with all the other Sunbeams, said the exact same line, "My name is..... I am a child of God." Gunner game a poem on being a Missionary. He memorized the whole thing, and said it with such feeling and without any mistakes. He did AWESOME! Here is the poem:

When I grow up and turn 19
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!

The spirit was present during the entire program, and many-a-times you could see several througout the congregation wiping their eyes, or sniffling.

The theme for this year is" "I Am A Child of God." They focused a lot on being a missionary and helping other kids know that they are a child of God. One of my favorite parts of the program was when the Elders sang the first verse of "Called to Serve", and when it came time to sing the chorus, all the kids popped out of their chairs, and in full voices sang the chorus, "Onward, ever onward...." Chills ran through my body, and as I looked at each of my children there on stage, especially my boys, I pictured each of them in their dark suits & ties, and their name badges that say, ELDER HARWARD. I look forward to that day, when we can send our first child out into the world to be a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For Stoney, that is only 8 1/2 years away!

I'm so proud of my kids and for the way they all were able to let the spirit speak to my heart. I'm so grateful that my Heavenly Father felt me worthy to be their mother. They each are such examples to me each day, and when I hear them sing songs like the ones they sang yesterday, it makes me realize just how lucky & blessed I truly am to have all of them in my life.

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!

CURSE YOU RUBICS CUBE!

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?!

YES WE CAN!

A time of much needed change is upon us. What an exciting time to be alive and be a part of this great nation as we made history last night! As our 44th President-elect, Barack Obama, gave his acceptance speech last night, I was in awe of the powerful words he spoke, as were those - it seemed - who attended his speech, live. He spoke with such conviction, it seemed almost as if he were speaking to each person individually.

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....

YES WE CAN!

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.

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:

Cassidey: A Hoochy Mama

Stoney: An old lady - with boobs, even.

(Top Row - L to R: Garrison Wren - Dracula; Gunner - Nerd)

(Front Row - L to R: Brody - Iron Man; Stoney - Old Lady;

Peyton Wren - Barbie Cheer Leader; Will Wren - Old Lady; Peighton - Gumball Machine)

Gunner: A most excellent nerd.

Peity: A Gumball Machine

Brody: Iron Man

(I was kind-of bummed because Brett & Bill sent the kids out before I could get individual pictures of each of the kids, but at least you get an idea of what they looked like.)

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!

All hail The Great "D.I."!

Princess "Pei-Pei" Turns 7!

Time..... An idea made up by Man.

Time can either be a good thing, (anticipating the end of class, dinner's ready, or bed time), or a bad thing, (anticipating the end of class, dinner is late, or bed time.) But time is something a parent dreads when they realize their baby girl is growing up way to fast!

Our littl princess, Peighton, turned 7-years old on October 28. It seems like yesterday when we received the jaw-dropping news, (before being wheeled in to have a hysterectomy I might add), we were pregnant with her! Peighton came into this world with a BANG! and her life has continued to be so ever since!

(Peity opening her birthday gifts. We thought it was cute that Stoney

was as interested in her Jewely Bead Kit as Peighton was.)

Although her birthday was on the 28th, we did not celebrate it until the next day because of many different conflicts. So Peity so kindly decided to celebrate it on the 29th, when all our focus and attention could be placed on her. What a smart girl!

(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.

(While Peity was busy cutting her cake, Gunner was busy finishing off the rest of the icing.

When he was finished, he had it all over his face & hand. That's our Gunner!)

This is Peighton in a nutshell.

P = always PATIENT with everyone. Loves PHOTOGRAPHY

E = always ENERGETIC. Always EAGER to learn.

I = INQUISITIVE about everything. IRRESISTIBLE laughter

G = GIFTED artist. Loves to live the GOSPEL. Enjoys GIVING of herself.

H = our HARDEST WORKER. Loves giving & receiving HUGS.

T = always THOUGHTFUL. Our TINY princess. One TOUGH girl.

O = tries hard to be OBEDIENT. Always OPTIMISTIC

N = NEVER quits. Loves having her NAILS painted. NEVER stops!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRINCESS PEI-PEI!

WE LOVE YOU!

Nothing Like A Sweet Tooth!

Halloween just isn't Halloween without some overly frosted sugar cookies to get you in the goulish mood & heighten your sweet tooth.

The kids had been begging us for the past few days to make cookies, and me being the terrific baker I am said, "Tomorrow. I promise!" Well, that promise was put off for 3 days. Finally, on a lazy Sunday evening, Brett decided to be the kids hero, and he made up a batch sugar cookies. He even made homemade icing! He truly is the BEST!

After dividing the icing into different bowls and adding different colors to them, we went to town. At first the cookies looked like easter eggs. I reminded the kids that these were for Halloween, and that triggered their creative juices. Soon we had cookies with pictures of witches, frankenstiens, pumpkins, cats, etc., flowing out our ears. It was really fun.

We sure had a fun time decorating, making a mess, and in Brody's case, just plain eating as much frosting as you could possibly eat. Brody would ice a cookie, lick it off, ice it again, and again, lick it off. He did this to at least 5 cookies. The cookies were suppose to be passed out to friends & neighbors, but after seeing the whole "licking thing" going on, we weren't sure which cookies had not been "double iced." But hey, the thought was there, right?

It started our Halloween preparations off to a good start!

A MARY KAY WEEKEND IN PARK CITY!

This weekend was spent in the beautiful mountains in Park City, UT. I was lucky enough to attend The Brothers National Retreat for Mary Kay! Before I went I was having a little pity party and really not wanting to go. Thank goodness I have a husband who, at times, knows better than me, kissed me, and kicked my booty out the door! Man, I love that man!

I listened to speakers who are EXTREMELY successful in Mary Kay. They taught us (over 250 women) how, we too, can be successful if we are willing to "get our hands dirty" by working hard, and NEVER GIVING UP! It was also spent raising money for The Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation, which gives money for cancer research, as well as giving towards helping women & children affected by domestic abuse. What a great cause!

I learned that even though the confidence or belief level in yourself isn't quite where it should be, you can lean on your team leader's until the belief in yourself comes. This has been my main area of struggle. This was the #1 reason I joined with this WONDERFUL company, to build my self-confidence & belief in myself. It has been a slow journey, but it's getting there.

New friendships were built during this weekend, also. My friend & sponsoring director, Arianne Morgon, had the insight to put me in a room with a fellow director/friend of hers, Michelle Hughes. I was able to stay with several women within her organization, and we instantly bonded. I was able to attend things that had I not been in this room, I would not have had the privedlege to attend. IT WAS AWESOME!

During one of the evenings, we learned about "Dressing for Success." How to look your best, not only by the way you dress, but by the way you wear your hair. There was a fashion show, which I was lucky enough to be a part of. I was able to have a professional fashion designer pick clothes out just for me that would help me look more professional, and if you know me, I needed all the help I could get. According to all my friends, I looked GREAT, but I so wasn't use to wearing jeans & high heeled boots & DANGLY EARINGS. I sort of felt like a bloated Hoochie Mama, and was waiting for someone to ask me how much I charched. :P Then, me, along with several of my other friends strutted our stuff in front of over 250 women! It was AWESOME (I think)!

One of the highlights during the weekend was to see the transformation of one of my new friends, Colleen Beller. This woman went from a beautiful women with LONG, LONG hair, to a HOT, SEXY WOMAN with a very updated, professional style that totally enhanced her facial features. She looked AMAZING! One of our roomies, Alex Messerly is a great stylist, and was able to help her feel comfortable about making this BIG change! I can't believe the change, and she was even able to donate her hair to locks of love!

Yes, this was a well need weekend get-a-way! One that was needed not only for the outside, but more importantly, for the inside too. I just need to apply what I heard & get out of my own way & get my butt moving. So.....

DIRECTOR, HERE I COME! JUST YOU WAIT & SEE!

JANUARY 2009!