New 'Hood Different Day!

I know this isn't exactly a news flash to most of you but we moved...again. We now call Casper, Wyoming home...and I get a lot of people asking me how we like it.  It has its pluses and minuses like most places but there are two huge reasons why this was a good move for us at this time.  First, Matt is home 90% of the time.  This is a MAJOR change...last year, he was home 30% of the time which was NOT FUN and late last year, it bumped to 55%, which was an improvement but still hard on the family.  Having him around more has made all the difference for me and the boys.  I tell people that we could really live anywhere as long as we are a full-time family and this really proves it for us!  

Second BONUS for moving here was Quinton's schooling.  His teacher in Utah was competent enough but that's about it.  Quinton and his teacher just did not mesh well AT.ALL. Quinton went from being a happy-go-lucky kid in the 1st grade to a stressed-out "behavior problem" kid in the 2nd!  Now I think Matt being gone was a small factor in that but really, it was the conflict between Q and his teacher.  I got the school counselor involved and was working so hard with Quinton but everyday was a struggle and it broke my heart to see Q come home with his head down every single school day.  I was really struggling to know what to do when this move came up and I saw it as a GREAT opportunity to resolve the situation.  Fast-forward two months in his new school...and his attitude has done a 180 degree turnaround!  His new class size is almost HALF of what it was in Utah and his new teacher praises him so much more and it's working!  Not once has Quinton come home with a note about his behavior!  He is HAPPY when I pick him up and he is THRIVING in his new school!  Another major bonus is that his teacher does not CLING to the Common Core standards and is genuinely TEACHING to the kids and not AT them!  What a difference this makes!  We were doing 2 hours of homework a night in Utah...here it's 15 minutes!!!  In Utah, he had to read a "school" book three times a day and turn it in....here, he can choose any book he likes and needs to read it a minimum of 20 minutes a day.  Subsequently, he has finished his first 100+ page chapter book ON HIS OWN and even wrote the author a letter telling her how much he loved her book!  I can't say enough what a blessing this move has been for our family!

But for me, it feels like another move...same life just different scenery.  I love to meet new people but I am also tired of it, know what I mean?  It's exhausting starting all over again and again and again!  Just this week, I have FINALLY signed the boys up for activities!  It has been a nice two months not shuttling kids anywhere but they really need the activity and I need the distraction.  Another Casper bonus: I signed Sawyer and Quinton up for Ice Hockey lessons!  Ha, ha!  They love ice skating with Matt!  I am way too chicken...remember, I grew up in Florida!

I'm not sure if anyone checks this blog anymore but I rather like keeping it as our family journal!

Spring Time

Apparently, I take a few pictures even though I haven't put much up on the blog...but my little helper has noticed and was saying CHEEEEESE while trying to take my picture in this picture!

 

I swear I have seen this face before....try twice more...Gavin looks so much like his brothers! I can't get enough of this kid's giggle and he is always so happy to see me in the morning!

 Sawyer turned three in April which is so hard to believe!  I love this spastic kid of mine!  He tries my patience but he has the biggest heart so it's hard to be mad with him for very long.  A hug or kiss from this kid makes my day! 

Recently, I've noticed that his language hasn't been progressing so we're trying some learning programs to help him with this and work on his social skills as well.  Sawyer has very definite opinions about things and people and heaven help you if he doesn't like you!!!

That's all for now...time to try and sneak in a nap...

Where Have All The Harkers Gone?

We are still here!

Seriously.

I promise.

Alive and well...but busy!

 

I can't believe it's been since August that I blogged but it's true and if anyone is still checking this page...well, thank you for being faithful!

 

I don't think I will attempt to make note of everything that has happened in the past 6.5 months but I want to mentionThe passing of one of the world's best Granddads there has ever been!  My mom's dad, Grandpa Gardner, passed away in November.  It was hard for me because I have been lucky enough to have 3 of my grandparents still living and the older I get, the harder it is to let go of some of the most loving and generous people in my life. 

All of that being said, I know he is much happier not being held back by physical limitations in this life.

I love you Grandaddy!

 

Quinton is a smart 1st grader with a bit of attitude for his mom but is always quick to hug me and will always be my first baby!

Sawyer at two and a half is affectionately known as the "destroyer" because he is all about finding out how things work and then making them not work anymore...yep, that about sums him up!

 

Sweet, sweet baby Gavin is already 6 months old!  I can barely believe it but I have the baby weight to prove it, LOL!  He is a very sweet baby and despite my desire to break our "Harker Boy Mold", he seems to ahve come straight from it!  We all love to hug and kiss and squeeze those sweet baby cheeks!

I know this may be a lame attempt at an update but Gavin is already awake and Sawyer...well, he's doing Sawyer-ly things that I have to put an end to before someone gets hurt!



The Big Move of July 2012!

I know I am way behind on blogging but I have to plead my case as a mostly single-mom who is ginormously pregnant (36 weeks tomorrow) and just lacking in time and energy...oh well!

Back to our big move!

Mobile to Lehi, Utah and our new house, which I LOVE but sometimes feels like the movie Money Pitt with Tom Hanks and Shelley Long.  Everything looks nice and new on the surface but sometimes, when you use it or touch it, it falls apart!  For example, we have a cute mailbox but it was pretty wobbly on it's stand.  It finally fell off it's stand this week and Matt is out of town for two weeks so I had to figure out how to re-mount it in 100 degree heat...little stuff like that keeps popping up.  I still enjoy our new house but home ownership is HARD!

The moving truck being unloaded:

At least the boys were easy to find that first day moving in!  They LOVE the backyard!

 My super awesome dad drove down from Idaho to help us move!  I think he entertained the kids more than he unpacked but hey, it takles a village!  This is the garage...I wish I could say it looks less full of boxes but it doesn't....I am too pregnant at this point to have any desire to move ALL of this stuff in the house!  I venture out here once in a blue moon...mostly for baby stuff...but not too often!

 I wanted to throw in some pictures of the boys from 4th of July.  We had such a fun day and ended it spending time with Matt's parents...not bad for a crazy couple of weeks!

 Here's Q, playing with his sparklers!  Check out those mountains behind him!

I know it may not seem like a lot but it took 2 trips to the bathroom, a sippy cup refill, a fight break-up and some additional refereeing to get this blog post up!  Crazy, I know!

Better Pictures of the New House!

Whew!  I found more pictures of the house online so I thought I'd share since a few people wanted to see the trampoline buried in the backyard!

This is a view of the side yard with cute little pergola and raised bed garden with sprinkler system.  My dad and nieces and nephew went by the house today and called me from it...my dad is ready to start planting the gardens before we even get there!

 Here is a view of the backyard from the opposite side of the sideyard above.  I really like the look of the stamped concrete deck in the back.

 This is the front room again but Matt tells me there is a great view of the mountains from that front window...I can't wait!

 This is still the front room from the fireplace looking out to the hallway/dining area.  The sellers put a flat screen on that far wall with benches in front but I have already been pinning ideas on Pinterest to put a nice coat/cubby system here since the house doesn't have a real mudroom.

 This is one of the bathrooms...I am not actually sure if this is upstairs or downstairs in the basement but I am guessing it's the basement bathroom.

 I like this view of the kitchen because from here, it looks like it's a nice wide space to work in and cook!  I like the white kitchen so much, I am having a friend at Tin Barn Creations repaint our wood dining set!  The table will be a nice pale yellow and the chairs will be creamy off-white.  I am really excited to see how it will all fit together!

 This is the little office nook in the kitchen.  I can just picture Quinton sitting here whining about doing his homework!

 I think this is the upstairs guest bathroom.  I love the high end tile finishes!

 And one of my favorites, this is the master bathroom!  It is not one of the biggest we saw during our house hunt but I LOVE the tub with the chandelier above it and all of the nice tile finishes in the bathroom.

 This is the shower...nice!  I'm thinking a glass door would look a lot better than the curtain, though.

 The tilework at the base of the shower...

 Looking into the master bedroom from the bathroom.  One of the fun surprises is that little grey rectangle in the bottom right of the picture is a laundry shoot!  How cool is that???

 The master closet...I may need to store some stuff in the basement closets but it'll be nice and roomy, I think.

 The media room in the basement.  The sellers are leaving the black sectional and the surround sound!  I can't wait to have movie nights in this house!!!

 The laundry room: The sellers had TWO sets of stackables in this laundry room...too bad they took them with them!  I am excited for the nice shelving though for sorting clean and folded laundry!

 A better look at the shelving in the laundry room.

 One of the basement bedrooms that actually looks like it gets pretty good light.

 The raised garden beds that my dad is all ready to plant!

 The famed buried trampoline which Alabamans have a hard time picturing, I think because of the water table here.  If you did this in Mobile, it would be full of rain water most of the time!

And that is the tour for now!  I am glad I found the rest of the pictures online so I can keep a good vision of it in my mind.  We are madly packing and getting ready!

Matt leaves tomorrow for another two week stint in Alaska so I am bracing myself for a crazy two weeks.  Wish me luck, though!

The American Dream

Matt and I celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary this weekend and what better way to celebrate than to buy a house, right?

With Matt's current client, he is in Alaska or traveling to/from Alaska about 16 days out of each month...barely leaving two weeks at home with me and the boys but at least when he is home, he is not working which is a treat in and of itself that makes up for the time he's gone.  Within 2 days of receiving this job offer back in February, we found out we are pregnant with baby #3 which is a HUGE blessing but also VERY daunting given the new schedule we were presented with his new client.  Needless to say, my lack of blogging over the past few months has been a direct result of just how hard it is to be a part-time family.

As part of this job transition and rotation lifestyle, we made the difficult decision to leave Alabama for Utah and all of the prospects of family support that it holds for us.  We haven't loved Alabama the past 20 or so months but we have loved the people who have become our friends here.  Through MUCH discussion...I mean A LOT of discussion, we decided to try and buy a  house in Utah.  We know the future holds more relocations for us but we decided that buying a house now would be a good long-term investment, even if we have to rent it out on down the road.

The poast 4 months has been a supreme blur of looking at houses online, looking through list after list that realtors have sent us and going back and forth between renting and buying...BUT, all of our hard work has paid off...we hope!

This is the house in Lehi, Utah that we are under contract for...finally!

I know it looks old on the outside but the inside has been a complete remodel!

Personally, I think the white picket fence is a little cliche but oh-so-cute (and functional with a 2 year old who LOVES to wander)!

 This is the living room as you walk into the front door.  The floors are a beautiful travertine tile which I think will hold up to my boys pretty well!

 From the doorway looking into the dining room.  Originally, we had wanted a family room that opened to the kitchen & dining areas but I really liked the flow of this house.  No, I haven't been in it but Matt was there on Friday and both he and the agent LOVED this house.

 The kitchen...what can I say?  Usually I like the nice natural wood colors but this kitchen just seems so crisp and clean and modern.  I can HARDLY wait to get in the house to see it all for myself!

 Another angle of the kitchen from the dining area...it looks more spacious in this picture.

This is the hallway that houses the three upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms, looking towards the family room.  The stairs lead down to the basement that has three more bedrooms, a storage room, a media room, laundry room and full bathroom.  Can you say bring on the houseguests???

There are more pictures to the house but I can only get so much posted right now!  I am too excited to move on to our next chapter that includes making this house a home for our growing family!  Maybe my next few posts will be about the joys of packing with a handy 2 year old!

Four on the 4th!

I am so far behind on posting updates to my blog so I thought I'd start with a baby step...four pictures from last month on the 4th of April!  I know, it's random...oh well!

Last month, my big sister had a law conference in New Orleans and since it's only about 2 hours away, I was game to go and spend the night with her and enjoy the big easy without kids!

I look awful in this picture - no really - I was still in the throes of having bad morning sickness so this was the cutest I could do for myself with no energy and trying not to puke from the weird smells!  But I do love my sis!

Quinton's school celebrated Dr. Suess' 100th birthday and they were able to dress funny (but still in uniform).  This was our best Dr. Suess look! 

 Just a funny picture of Sawyer being cheesy as is usually the case...he always cracks me up!

Matt and his shadow mowing the lawn.  It was funny to watch!  Sawyer walked behind Matt the whole way with his tractor - up and down the rows- acting like he was mowing, too!