owen enjoying the turtle
staci and kyle
wesley did eventually get brave and enjoy a ride on the turtle
kevin and wesley
kevin took me on a nice ride and then I took over and took him for an even more exciting ride! (: I think I scared him a little. these are way more fun when you aren’t the person hanging on for dear life. (:
kyle, staci, and laura
sun and sand
madalyn
kevin even had a turn on the turtle
lisa, staci, and laura
staci and laura
this picture says it all. the wards have been on vacation!
kevin’s family held their first ever family reunion over the holiday weekend. aaron & sarah (being the oldest family) took charge and did a fantastic job planning this get-away.
we gathered at bear lake in utah on friday afternoon and stayed through monday afternoon. we were hoping it would be relaxing…and it was. we were hoping the weather would be PERFECT…and it was. and we were hoping to have lots of raspberry milkshakes…and we did!
it was our first time ever going to bear lake and we were so pleased. I hope we go back again soon.
we spent friday just settling in and relaxing in the house we were renting. it had a great view of the lake and garden city. we enjoyed that house to it’s fullest.
saturday we wasted no time and spent the day in the water. we rented a couple wave runners for a few hours and when that fun was over we headed over to the north beach to play in the sand and shallow water.
staci and kyle getting ready to play on the wave runners.
kevin and wesley
madalyn LOVED playing in the sand and really wanted nothing to do with the water
this little turtle we brought was a HIT! and owen and kimball had a great time playing together.
eleanor and madalyn had more in common than just physical similarities (you could tell they were cousins) and they also both loved the sand!
sisters (laura and staci)
kevin and wesley
wesley really enjoyed the wave runner, but he wasn’t so fond of getting wet.
enjoying the sun and fun with my hubby! it was so fun to be able to play all.day.long together!
HEAVEN I tell ya! this girl was in heaven!
owen showing off his shell collection to his cousins.
owen, kimball, simon, aaron, and brian
earlier this week a couple of my old high school friends came to pay me a visit. I hadn’t seen either of them since our 10 year high school reunion (nearly four years ago) so I was SO happy to see them.
facebook is great, but there is nothing better than being able to chat face to face! they both looked beautiful…and it was entertaining to watch our little kids play together.
me and jenny
cassy and me
ahh…highschool! I NEVER want to go back but I am thankful for good friendships made during that time. thanks ladies for the friendship and memories.
last weekend kev and I competed in the scenic river classic. kevin did the 10k run and brenda (my neighbor/friend/running partner)and i did the 5k.
getting pumped up before the race. (; those are our game faces.
brenda has proven to be great running company. she helped me knock 6 minutes off my race time. (; we finished just seconds over 30 minutes and we were both pleased with the time. now we have even higher expectations for the next one.
after the race
kevin’s goal was to finish the 10k in 62 minutes and reached it with seconds to spare.
it was a fun race. looking forward to the next one.
each month my parents try to attend a family home evening at one of their children's homes. june just happened to be our month!
we had them over for dinner, a short lesson, and then dessert…of course!
we really love this tradition and look forward to sharing the evening with grandma and grandpa. unfortunately, kevin was working late so he missed all the fun! BOO! hopefully next time. (;
this week I am beginning to sense some of the extra joys that come with being a mother.
I started a chore chart and have assigned my little ones chores for the first time in their young lives. I have been dragging my feet on this because I felt like I would just have to redo everything they did which would defeat the purpose. but, I came to my senses and I cannot stop myself from smiling each morning when they wake up and start working.
now I know what I have been missing. they love feeling important, they are learning to work, and I love having things dusted, vacuumed, and wiped off every morning. even if it isn’t perfection…it’s still so rewarding! the cutest little workers I have ever seen.
I let madalyn loose with a dust cloth and a wash cloth each morning and she goes to town.
this week wesley’s job is vacuuming and he couldn’t be prouder pushing that monster around.
owen is in charge of wiping down the bathrooms each morning and said “this is so easy”. then he asked, “so, now what are YOU going to do?” LOL.
no stone left unturned. she loves wiping things off.
we followed tradition and spent memorial day in malad, id. it rained and was VERY cold. I only took a couple pictures.
it wasn’t the best showing from the harding family… BUT, i sure loved seeing the people who did come.
and yes, owen did get his bullet shell from the gun salute. 
kevin competed in his third sprint triathlon last saturday. he really enjoys them, but I think he is crazy for doing one this early in the year. IT.WAS.FREEZING.COLD! it didn’t rain on us so there was a minor improvement from last year. because it was so cold a few competitors even opted to drop out of the race because they couldn’t stay in the water. but kevin survived and finished the race 5 minutes faster than the last one.
right before the swim
transitioning from the swim to this bike
the kids stayed busy playing on the play sets in between warm up sessions in the car (per mom’s request)
the bike race
transition from bike to run
the kids watching for dad to finish
sprinting to the finish line
proud kids (owen is sporting kevin’s finisher medal from the last race)
finisher
last thursday was owen’s last day of school. he was asked to say a part in the assembly tribute to their retiring principal. he did a great job!
he is so excited for summer and even more excited to be in first grade (which means no afternoon NAPS)! (:
owen and his school buddies
happy summer everyone!
