happy birthday sam!

kevin's brother, sam, turns 28 today!

happy birthday sam! it's a beautiful day in idaho falls so i hope it's just as nice in logan...a great day for celebrating! hope you have a wonderful birthday!

heigh-ho, heigh-ho

heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off to work kevin goes!

kevin started his first day of work today and we couldn't be more excited.

he accepted a job with sundance rehabilitation and will be one of two physical therapists at idaho falls health and rehabilitation (a skilled nursing facility).

we are THRILLED about this new opportunity!

AND...because we will now have a little bit more of a schedule we are tackling the potty-training again! heigh-ho, heigh-ho!

one WET memorial day...coming right up

today we spent memorial day in malad, id. we do this every memorial day because most of my mom's family is buried in the malad cemetery. after we visit the cemetery and partake of the wonderful memorial day service and gun salute that they do at the cemetery (old towns are great for that) we have a harding family reunion by having lunch at the park and enjoying a friendly game of kickball!

well, this year we spent most of the time under umbrella's and the park shelter. it rained NON-STOP. kind of a bummer! but it was still fun to see family!


me, my sisters melissa and natalie, my mom

hey...how come nobody told me my umbrella wasn't opened all the way!? no wonder i was still getting wet.

i really didn't take any pictures-which i am sad about. and i didn't visit many grave sites because the rain was crazy and we got there a little late. i will have to do the "we remembered..." thing for this side of the family next year. but, i was able to visit my great uncle's grave site...ralph harding.



wesley on the ride home. he really knows how to relax. he cracks us up the way he crosses his legs when he is in his car seat.

owen on the way home. he is wrapped in towels that he had to buy in malad because he played so long in the rain that his pants and shoes were SOAKED! he is showing off one of the four quarters that his great grandma gave him.

the eve of memorial day

i LOVE memorial day! there is just something about seeing family gathered around the grave site of a loved one that tugs at my heart strings. and i love that we have a holiday were EVERYONE beautifies the headstones and remembers family that has passed on.

sunday evening we joined my grandma manwaring, my parents, and some siblings to go visit and beautify the grave sites of my grandpa and other family members on my dad's side. we stopped at three different cemeteries between idaho falls and blackfoot.

we remembered:

holley a. manwaring-my grandpa. when i think of grandpa i remember how he ALWAYS whistled while he worked. and if he had a motto i believe it would have been "slow and steady gets the job done"! i loved him and we miss him.

ron and sheila gardner-my dad's oldest sibling and her husband ron. together they had TWELVE children.

james basil and edna manwaring-my grandpa's brother and his spouse. i love the name basil!

herbert and clarissa manwaring-my grandpa's grandparents. herbert was the pioneer on the manwaring side who joined the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints while living in england. at the age of seventeen he traveled to salt lake city by himself promising to send money later to bring the rest of his family. once in salt lake city he asked the prophet brigham young if he would please pay to bring his mother, father, and brothers to salt lake. brigham young provided the funds to herbert under the condition that he would repay (the perpetual immigration fund is what the church called it) and he brought his family to slc. one of his brothers that he brought over was george manwaring-who wrote several hymns...one of which was joseph smiths first prayer. another very cool thing about herbert is that his son, hyrum manwaring, played a significant role at ricks college and the college named the manwaring center after him. i am proud of my heritage and the inspiration that herbert had AND FOLLOWED to make that trek from england to slc by himself! what a legacy he left behind!

emma teresa holley manwaring-my grandpa's mother.

arthur manwaring-my grandpa's father, herbert manwaring's son.

raymond johnson-my dad's nephew who passed away at the age of 7...car accident.

george w. and betsy o. capson-my grandma manwaring's parents.

clara ann capson-my grandma's baby sister who passed away at the age of 7 on christmas eve. she had scarlet fever and it took her quickly. grandma told us that the night before she passed away she was telling my grandma that she was not afraid to die because heavenly father would take good care of her. what a brave little girl!



wesley-enjoying all the beautiful green grass at the cemeteries. one reason we are thankful for all the rain!

kevin trying to keep wesley warm. by the time we got to blackfoot it had REALLY cooled off!



owen-enjoying all the trinkets people left at different grave sites.

a boy can dream...

we were dumped on this weekend! the rain felt like it never let up.

this is owen saturday night, sitting in our bedroom window dreaming about all the great things he was going to do in the huge puddle that accumulated behind our apartment building-run through it, throw rocks in it, fish. monday won't be here soon enough!

happy valentine's day to us!

i know...it's may. but, yesterday elena and i redeemed a portion of our valentine gifts from our husbands so it was like valentine's day all over again! we each received spa gift certificates and decided to spoil ourselves with pedicures yesterday. SO FUN!

it was wonderful to be pampered and then enjoy a delicious lunch with just the two of us! thank you to our wonderful men for watching the kids and allowing us to have so much fun!

my thoughts

the american idol finale was AMAZING! i love watching a program full of musical performances. great entertainment!

as much as i complained about members of the top 12, it was fun to see them all again! yes, even kristy lee and jason castro.
i can't wait for so you think you can dance to start.
careful paula. you are going to fall out of that dress.
what is jordan sparks wearing? that's too bad.
the jonas brothers are overrated.
one republic sang owen's favorite song! i will have to let owen watch this tomorrow. he'll love singing and dancing along. and he actually does know some of the words. except for he likes to sneak "i'm sorry" into parts of the chorus too. such a cutie!
BLAKE! blake lewis is SOOO cute!
those pips are TOO entertaining. ben stiller kills me. love that guy!
why can't i have thighs like carrie underwood. man, she looked great! emily-can you make my hair look like her's? to bad she sang my least favorite song. oh well.
david archuletta already has a commercial!? GO DAVID!
david cook sure was on fire tonight! maybe he can win this thing tonight.
george micheal sure looks old. strange.

here come the results...and it's...ugh...i'm so sad this is over...holy cow, simon is apologizing...okay...and it's...DAVID...DAVID...DAVID...COOK! holy moly! i love it! from bar tender to millionaire.

HOORAH! can't wait for january! gosh...what a great show!

happy birthday brandon!

happy birthday to my brother-in-law, brandon! he turns 26 today! brandon is one of the nicest guys you'll meet. very thoughtful, compassionate, and all the little kids LOVE that he will get down and play with them!



i can't believe that the most recent picture i have of you is from december. sorry brandon. but, isn't it a great one with your little family?! hope you have a fantastic day today! and we can't wait to celebrate with you tonight! so glad to have you in our family.

working my...you know what...off

you fill in the blank...and i am sure that is a spot on my body i need to minimize. so, with this awesome spring we are having i have started "running" at 6:30AM around the greenbelt with my sisters (emily, natalie, and kaylin). more like a speed walk that looks like a jog...but, i am working on it. i am actually really liking it. i have NEVER been a person who likes to do anything faster than a walk so me enjoying this is a big deal.

then last week i convinced kevin to pull my bike out of storage and the boys and i have been having so much fun riding around idaho falls with our bike trailer. since thursday i have already logged roughly 20 miles! if any of you know a way to track my miles on my blog let me know. i think it would be fun to see how far we went this summer. elise-it seemed like on your blog awhile ago you were tracking how far you had run....do they do that for biking?

so, this morning when i went on my "run" something around my knee area was killing me. no fun! i came home and scheduled an evaluation with my own personal physical therapist (don't let me fool you though...he is tough to get into. he is busy studying for his licensing exam in june). and the verdict is...pes anserine bursitis. basically, in terms i understand, the little pad of fluid between my knee bone and tendons is inflamed on both legs.

doctor's order: take it easy for a couple days, better stretching before and after i exercise (holding each stretch for at least 30 seconds...otherwise, it does no good. i learn something new every day), anti-inflammatory, and ice.

how fun is that! and it didn't even cost me a penny (actually it cost WAY too much to put him through school, but you know what i mean).

it's over!

tonight could have been american idol finale as far as i am concerned. david cook is going to take it all home!

ps my camera is broken. it may be awhile before i get more pictures posted. ):

the after party continues

we ending the day with a party at my brother's house. jarom and elena were so great to allow us to party there! and i am sure it didn't take long for you to figure out how we entertained ourselves there. GUITAR HERO! we created a guitar hero bracket and rocked it out! a perfect day! thank you to everyone for sharing it with us!



elena even decorated in kevin's behalf. (;

not a worry in the world...oh, except for that darn licensing exam in june!



like father like son

the after party

once we were done in pocatello we jetted home so we could celebrate with the rest of the family. we started off with a delicious lunch/dinner at texas roadhouse with kevin's sisters and mom.



laura, carolyn, and rosanne. aren't they beautiful?! and they are SINGLE (except for the one in the middle...(: )!

kevin, owen, and me

wes-right after we took this picture he dropped and broke this plate. little bugger!

the freshest batch of physical therapists

so proud of my man!

kevin wesley ward, dpt

i took this video of kevin as he was being hooded...but, because i was SO nervous, jittery, and unable to function i didn't get it started on time and i also started clapping while i was recording the video...with the camera in my hand. sorry! but, i thought some of you might want to watch it. so...for your viewing pleasure.

note: watch the big viewing screen to the left of the stage...you can see him much better.

announcer guy: "kevin wesley ward. doctor of physical therapy..."

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

graduation day

saturday morning we got a few pictures with the boys and then headed to pocatello at 8am. it was just kevin, myself, and carolyn that were willing and eager to sit through the three-hour ceremony (and we certainly don't blame anyone else)! (;



our family

with "diploma" in hand. look at my hot graduate!



the happy couple

kevin and his proud mother

let the festivities begin...

wow! this past weekend we celebrated something that we thought would never come. kevin completed graduate school and is now a doctor of physical therapy! we are so proud of him and his hard work!

friday night his department held a dinner banquet at idaho state university in the student union building. kevin, me, my dad (my mom was out of town), and kevin's mom (his dad was back in illinois for work) all made the drive down there to enjoy the good food and fun. kevin's two sisters were kind enough to watch the boys for us while we were gone. it was a great way to celebrate his accomplishment in a more intimate setting and to spend more time with his classmates and professors.



carolyn and kevin

six of the twenty students in the physically therapy class of 2008.



jenny, chelsea, and me. we liked to call ourselves the pt widows.

truman g. manwaring

justin and amber added another member to their family today. truman g. manwaring was born this afternoon and he is HANDSOME! of course we had to go and meet him tonight...and yes, he smells as sweet as he looks. congratulations to the justin manwarings!

i did it!

i did it! i completed the hinckley challenge by reading the book of mormon in 97 days! and i actually finished it a couple days early. one of the best things i have done.

it certainly has convinced me that it shouldn't take me a year to read the book of mormon. so, i will continue to try to read this book every three months.

you are all invited!

as my count down clock displays kevin's graduation is VERY near. we couldn't be more excited!

because we are poor students we didn't send out any formal invitations to his graduation ceremony. but, we wanted you all to know (especially those who are close by) that we would LOVE for you to be a part of our big day. if you would like to join in on any of the festivities please do!

kevin's graduation ceremony will be THIS saturday (the 10th) at 10am in the holt arena.

then, that evening jarom and elena have graciously agreed to host a party at their home in kevin's honor at 7pm. finger-food, drinks, and fun will be provided. (;

p.s. if you don't know where jarom and elena live than call me and i will give you directions.

please!

i have to begin this post with a conversation from last night as we were sitting down to watch american idol.

me- (chanting) "go home jason! go home jason!"
owen-"no! jason doesn't want to go home!"
kevin-"who do you want to go home this week, owen? david cook, david archuletta, jason, or syesha?"
owen-"they have to sing first!"

he knows how it works! clown!

anyway, there was something weird about last nights american idol. i found myself wanting to fast forward (we watch it later on our dvr) because it was either boring or painful!

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send poor jason castro home. every time he gets on the stage i feel like can't breathe because i am praying so hard that he doesn't mess up royally. and last night he was like watching a train wreck that i couldn't take my eyes off of. i was thankful and completley agreed with simon's simple response, "jason, pack your bags." nuff said.

david cook's song choices were both "weird for me" (doesn't that sound like something randy would say).

syesha was awesome and i loved how she got all emotional after randy's comments. i really felt like she put her whole soul into it (UNLIKE CASTRO).

david archuletta certainly is consistent. and loved how he stuck that "beautiful girls" part into stand by me. very clever. but, i don't get why everyone is ranting and raving over his elvis presley song. is it just me? i thought it was kind of boring.

i can't wait to hear what you all thought.

wes turns 1! cont.

since yesterday was so gorgeous we did a picnic at the park for lunch. we all had a great time...especially the birthday boy!


wesley and daddy having fun in the sun.

wesley has a variety of nicknames...but, they all have one word in common. BUG! so, in honor of his nickname i made him bug cupcakes. they turned out pretty cute.


we learned from our mistake earlier and i "helped" wesley blow out the candle on his cupcake. he was terrified when we brought it close.

we had a little birthday party for wesley last night and all of our family that lives close by came to support him. he loved the company and the fun gifts they were bearing. thanks everyone! i love this picture of wesley enjoying the duck and book grandma and grandpa gave him. his legs are crossed and everything. cutie!

wes turns 1!

yesterday was wesley's big day! it's hard to believe that our little baby is one.



he was totally enthralled by the big balloons everywhere. we were a little disappointed in how little time he spent playing with his new toy. but, maybe once the balloons all pop he will find the bead maze more interesting.

our handsome little guy in his new birthday outfit.

wesley enjoyed a full-on birthday breakfast (pancakes, bacon, eggs, and orange juice) courtesy of his dad. and yes, i made him wear this silly birthday hat. he loved it and kept it on the entire time. he also burned his finger grabbing the birthday candle on his pancakes so that is why there are some tears streaming down his face. poor little guy!