The Year In Review (a.k.a.-The Brag Letter)

Greetings to Family & Friends! We're trying something new this year. We've always been morally opposed to the "brag letters" we get from people at Christmastime. I mean, I love hearing about what family & friends have been up to, but its the "Oh, our daughter is such a little princess!" and "Little Tommy just loves playing with trucks & getting dirty!"- that really drives me nuts. So, just a little news flash to all who write these puppies- ALL two-year old girls are princesses, and pretty much ALL little boys love trucks & dirt! This is not unique information! Also- I don't care how smart your kids are or how much they excel at soccer or the piano. Sorry about the rant.
Anywho- long story short- we got a fantastic letter from Seth's cousin Clint Wallace last year that completely restored our faith in the brag lettter, so we're giving it a try- with our own little spin! If you want to know what's new with the Wallaces, you'll have to check our blog. Since your here, you obviously took us up on it, so thanks ( & congrats) in advance.
Here's an overview of 2008 in the life of Seth, Mandy & kids!
We're starting the year off with skiing photos. (After all, we are the skiing Wallaces!)

Noodle just learning- he was just 2 years old & dying to wear his big brothers helmet.

Here we are on a family trip to Goblin Valley in April (the kids had Spring Break). We went with a bunch of friends from our ward & had a great time!


This was an awesome slot canyon hike we took the kids on called Little Wild Horse. This is our neighbor Scott carrying Noodle.

In May, Mandy ran a 1/2 Marathon! The first & sadly probably the last. My back just won't let me run! I loved every minute of it though & am so glad I did it. My best girl Brooke held my hand every step of the way!
My sista's ran, too. They are awesome & by the way, Lisa runs like the wind, that little turd. I guess that's what six kids in 4 years will do to you!
Also in May, Seth & I took a backpacking trip to Escalante for our anniversary. We didn't have any money to go someplace cool, but we wanted to get away, so we decided to try backpacking. We had so much fun, and seriously- backpacking is an unusually rewarding & surprisingly romantic getaway. I recommend to all couples & the whole trip only cost us $150. By the way- this was the day after my 1/2 Marathon and if I do say so myself, I hiked like a champion!


Smurfy's First Birthday! My baby is getting so big! Time for another- or not. Seth swears I'm not getting any more of his boys. (the swimmers, that is.)
This summer, we had two sets of house guests. Seth's step-mom & her kids came to stay for a week or so, followed by his brother Jeremy's family for a few weeks in August. We had a great time, and while being a hostess can be difficult, I have to admit, I love having a full house!


These are photos from the Harward family's annual Bear Lake trip in August. A great time as usual with all the usual Harward family madness. 17 adults and 19 children in one house. YIPEEE!!!

My mom playing catch on the beach with Noodle. Priceless.....



Kenni's first day of school. Isn't she sassy? (as my mother would say!)
Sparky's first day of Kindergarten. Oh, my little boy is growing up! (BTW, Kindergarten starts a week after the rest of school- in case you were wondering why Kenni is wearing a different outfit).
We snuck a quick trip to Lake Powell in September with Seth's mom & Uncle & his family. How could summer be complete without LP?????
Lesli & Jodi on the tube. Truly one of the highlights of my year. If only I knew how to get video off my camera & onto the computer, you could see the real thing. It was hysterical.


Seth rode in the Logan to Jackson bike race again this year. For those of you who speak rode bike, that's LOTOJA. He did such a great job & rode all 207 miles without complaint. His mom was a fantastic pit crew as usual.

One really fun surprise was Seth's Dad, who came all the way from Japan to see his son race. He showed up just as Seth got to the top of the King of the Mountain climb. It was so fun for him to see Bob cheering on the side of the road. What a great surprise! I think Bob also got the biking bug from watching this event. He swears he's going to do it next year. That would be so much fun. Well Bob, now you're stuck. You have to do it now!!!
Seth's fantastic Biking Buddies. A.K.A.- The Mountain Green crew.




Well, since we started the year with skiing, I figured we should end it with skiing as well. We just got our first real dump of the year, which means......time to get up on that mountain!!! We hope you have a fantastic holiday season & we'll see you on the slopes!!!!!
Love,
The Skiing Wallaces!
(p.s.- the video clip is lame, I know. It was the only thing I could find on my computer that was ski-related.......)

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! In addition to the usual reflections of Gratitude (family, friends, home, etc.), my brother coined a very fitting list of things us Harwards in particular are Thankful for. He presented it Dave Letterman style at our Group FHE a few weeks ago & I thought of it again today. So, thanks for sharing with me Bryce & I hope this makes at least a little sense to you outsiders.
(From 10 to 1)- Here are the Top Ten things the Harward family has to be Thankful For:
10. Birth Control (like any of us has heard of that!)
9. Bag Balm
8. Blip Blom
7. We put the fun in dis-fun-ctional
6. For as crazy as we are, none of us has ever been on Jerry Springer
5. The gift of Knowing It All
4. You never have to ask our opinion
3. Valium
2. Adult Wet Wipes
and finally, the Number 1 thing Harward family members have to be Thankful for..........
That we get to spend ETERNITY with all this craziness!!

Happy Holidays to everyone else who spent Thanksgiving with their crazy relatives!

Bond Party

Our friends the Bonds had a "Bond-Theme" party at their house to celebrate the opening of a new ski movie. (I know, a strange combination, James Bond and Skiing.) It was so much fun though,& the costumes were the best! Seth asked me not to post these pics (you'll know why as soon as you scroll down the page)- but they were so hilarious, I had to! Anyway- you were supposed to dress up "James Bond style". Seth & I found some really great clips from some old Bond movies where James Bond is of course being chased by bad guys, but he is skiing down some mountain in a killer early 90's one-piecer. And that, friends, is how our costumes were born. Somehow, though, the one-piecers weren't enough. Seth had been secretly growing a slimy moustache, and his hair has gotten so freaking long he was able to slick it back into a nasty little pony tail. The results were....
astonishing. So chester the molester. Anyway- it was enough to win us first prize for the whole getup. Overall, a great night with great friends.


My prize for winning- new ski gloves! Which is great because I lost at least 3 pairs last year. Or, should I say, I lost ONE glove to three different pairs. (Why does that always happen????)
Ewww...... People kept saying they didn't even recognize Seth. It was so funny!

Denver, Baby!

Last week I got to do something most of us moms rarely get to do.... I snuck away! Away from kids, husband, homework, dishes, laundry, etc. & flew to Denver for 2 way too short days to visit my best friend Jami! It was such a blast. Jami's little sister Jaclyn was going to help Jami with a boutique she was having & I tagged along as a surprise. I really had the greatest time & got to do some things I never get to do at home. I went shopping for grown-up clothes. Yup, clothes for big people. I swear, I have not been in a store that made clothes past 5T in a long time. I ate delicious meals with no buggers on my sleeve, no little mouths begging for bites, no yelling to get off the table and eat your vegetables! I stayed up late & watched movies, read smutty magazines & all that good stuff. Jami & Jaclyn had their little ones, but for once, I was alone. Ok, I really do love the little bugger-noses, but it was so nice to have a teensy, tinsy break. Thank you Thank you Thank you Sandi for making me go & buying my ticket!!!!! It was the best!



So, we were at the mall & this store was having a huge "Twilight party". Some of the actors from the movie were there signing autographs & books. We were so bummed we didn't know about it, so we missed out. However, we didn't miss out on scoring some awesome T-shirts! (Yes, poor Jaclyn has been deceived. She is a "team Jacob"-er. Boo. Hiss.)
I swear, this place has the most amazing breakfast I have ever had. Their pancakes are amazing, their crepes are to die for, and their omelettes are unlike anything I have ever tasted! I was so impressed I took a picture so I would remember to go there again sometime. Does anyone know if they have these in Utah? Soooooo good!
Jami's little boy, Crew. You can tell he loves me!
Jaclyn's baby, Lexi. This girl seriously has the fattest baby girl thighs I have seen in a long time. They were so stinking cute.
My girls. So much fun! I just wish they weren't so miniature. I look like a heffalump just standing by them.