A journal entry about the BOSS

His pajama shirt that states, "I'm the boss around here," has become a self-fulfilling prophesy. Logan is always making me laugh with his silly logic and peculiar habits. He loves to hide whenever dad comes home. He drinks and pees more than anyone I have ever met. He absorbs new information like a spunge and is quite insightful. He loves being with his mom and really treasures all of his grandparents. He is a great cook, a super-duper reader, and works hard at school. He has become quite an ice hockey player and loves to pretend that he is a basketball star. Infact, he wears his jersey and shorts whenever his spiderman costume is not on. HOWEVER, this nearly 4 year-old little boy has transitioned from a sensitive, adaptable, easy going, mommy/daddy pleaser to a tyrant in a spidey man costume. As I sit here, he is chasing three friends with a gun in each hand. Last night he started to become so delirious after after resisting bedtime that he ran himself right into the closed door! (His sleep hygeine is a joke.) He can throw a tantrum lately that shakes the roof. And he has mastered whining rather than talking. He has been sassy and incouragable the last few days. Seriously, I will go ahead and blame myself for pampering him. The kid pretty much gets our attention whenever he wants or needs it. What else would I do? He knows that I have the time. The little dude is always with me. Where is the happy medium between spoiling and neglecting when you only have one child? I will have to keep working this one out in my head. In the mean time, I am going to go break up a fight.

Abrubt End

Maddy moved out. 

Digging deep to find it....

In the depths of winter I finally learned 
there was in me an invincible summer.

~ Albert Camus

Multimedia message

Great grandpa is teaching logan how to paint!

We will miss you

This is my beautiful, sweet Grandma, Jaquoline Ferney. She was loved very much by her family. My grandpa took wonderful care of her. She was a fantastic woman and a very good friend. Grandma had a strong testimony of the truth that she learned through her life. She and my grandpa were married for 61 years, and were sealed in the temple 13 years ago. She was a talented skiier, golfer, socialite, and storyteller. She had a serious obsession for shoes and jewelry. She usually wore atleast 6 rings at a time. Grandma even had a fake pinkie fingernail that was dipped in gold. She loved to dance growing up. Grandma spent most of her time fishing and camping in the summers. She took her girlfriends on fishing trips in Island Park. She loved her ladies golf league and organizing the Women's day ski trips at Targhee. She took suntanning seriously and once showed me how to surround your body with tinfoil to attract the sun rays. She really loved little children. Logan adored his grandma as much as she did him. I have been a lucky girl to live only blocks away the last 2 years. She died on Sunday night, at the age of 78. I will never forget that night together. She motivates me to attempt to make life as fun and exhilirating as she did. Party on grandma, I love you love you love you. 

A quick catch-up

This past Saturday Brad, Logan, Maddy and I started home from Calgary. Due to some monstrous roads, we detoured over to the cabin outside of Kalispel for the night. Upon our arrival, we discovered that the driveway had remained peacefully undisturbed by any neighboring snow plows through the winter. Moreover, the area had experienced some record-worthy snow dumps. What a wonderful surprise to greet a path of fluffy snow that measured above Brad's waist! Well, being the dignified man of the family, be began to dig with a shovel until he could envision his manly truck busting through the drifts and onto the trail:) We tried, we got stuck, and we got neighbors to help us out. We then loaded some essentials onto Logan's sled and followed the deer trails down into the cabin. Logan loved every minute. After sharing a bath tub (clothes on)between the four of us to warm up the frozen piggies, we went to bed anticipating the rest of the next day's drive.

Okay, now I have to just record a few of Logan's latest and greatest words. I forget whatever pearls of wisdom he shares unless I record them promptly after regaining my composure.

"Mom, do you have hair under your arms? Nope. Hold on, I'll be right back. Daaaaad! Do you have hair in your arm pits? Woah! That is awesome. I want some!"

(After refusing for the umpteenth time to go climb into bed, he starts to sob as I tell him that he will be grounded and to get up those stairs and into his room.) "Mom, I love you but I just can't do this."

"Heavenly Father, please bless mom that she will start excersizing." (He had heard me recite my New Year's resolution to start lifting weights more regularly.)

"Logan, you are so cute." (very angrily) "MOOOMMMM! STOP IT! I am not cute! I am cool and you know that."

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Our Canadian Christmas Adventure

Have you ever seen a rainbow in the winter, arching over the sun, while it is snowing outside? A gracious picture for Christmas Eve day, don't you think? We finally got on the road to Canada in the late afternoon, and pulled up (as is customary) at 4:00 am. to a fully awake Harker home. Sleep cycles within these walls are a unique phenomenon. Anyhoo, on to Christmas Eve....

Let it begin with the breathing treatments, thanks to Grandpa's midnight prescription. Logan loves to start asthma attacks from a mild cold. He is such a trooper, poor little dude. He felt miserable over Christmas, but he has pulled out of it pretty quick.

Logan's favorite Christmas surprises were a miniature Lamborghini model and Ferrari Pumas just like grandpa Orin's, his Lightning Mcqueen race track from grandma and grandpa Ferney, and all other forms of car paraphenelia. Santa brought Logan cap guns! I never thought that I would see the day that Logan would be given guns to play with. Thanks alot, Santa. Aunt Caroline will not allow Camden to play with them, sorry Caro!

This nativity program was the most unique performance ever. Jesus was a girl, the angels were more like Jessica Simpson and Britney Spears in a duet, the 3 yr. old donkeys were acting like they had mad cow, the shepherd hadn't showered in days, and the narrator resembled a circus tent. Props go to Val for her sense of humor.

g
GO FLAMES, GO!!!

4 generations of Harkers- Logan, Brad, Orin, and Jack.

We love you grandma Peggy!Great-grandmas are pretty precious, and Logan is lucky enough to have four of them.

Maddy came with us to Calgary and is having a.... well, an interesting vacation!

This pic is taken from the kitchen window at Brad's parents house. Beautiful!

Pre-Christmas at the Ferney House

The Raymond Christmas party was hosted at my mom's house this year on December 20th. Props to mom and dad for working tirelessly for three days in a row to entertain us. Here is a picture of some of the great grandchildren that are carrying on the family line, looking exactly like we did at their age. We missed 4 cousins that couldn't make it this year. 

Nice pan Rach! We had a little family party and a sibling gift exchange the next night after church. Can you possibly think of a better way to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas than eating Prime Rib and watching Dark Knight? Okay, so I wasn't a fan of the movie.  Ty and Rach had to head back to Utah the next morning. We spent the next day packing and cleaning. That night the Stosich and Harwood families came over to the house for the evening. Then on to the north pole! 

Nic, Joe, and a weird moving shot of Bailee. Poor thing got her tonsils out on Boxing day.

The nativity was acted out in amazing form, with a little bit of BYU action going on in the background. Our condolences to all the friends that made the long treck to Vegas for the dissapointment.

Rach and Ty cheezin' for the camera. They spent Christmas with Ty's family in Utah.

Jesse, Kim and baby Peyton

I stole a few pics off of my sister's blogs so that I could show off my beautiful nieces and nephew. This pic is of Logan and Peyton at Rach and Ty's house in Utah. They babysat several weeks ago while Brad and I went to a rockin' coldplay concert to celebrate our 7th anniversary. Brad was pretty darn ecstatic. Those guys know how to put on a concert! Viva La Vida baby! It is refreshing to enjoy the entertainment of true musicians when the opportunity comes around.

Kudos go to Rachel (my younger sis),the best aunt on the planet. She goes way above and beyond to spoil these kiddos with her attention.

If anyone knows Nichole (my other sis), you know that she is a go-getter. I think this characteristic is required to keep track of Ella. She may be the cutest toddler ever, but she has "mischievous" written on her forehead! 

Happy birthday to Bailee, who just turned 6. She is a fabulous little girl! You make me smile beans!