Kitty's birthday party

Archer has a stuffed cat he calls Kitty.

Archer kinda loves this cat.

And Archer has a cute little personality that I really can't resist... So when he informed me that October 10th was Kitty's birthday, we just HAD to celebrate! We had a birthday party for Archer's Kitty. We invited our friends, the Bagley family, over for Cake and outside play. I made a collage of the cute little chocolate cake covered faces...

Did you notice that Kitty has a piece of cake, too? :)

Halloween

You might ask yourself, "Is Mandy behind on blogging?" The answer is 'Yep'.

Here are some fun Halloween pictures....

Tanion was a ninja, Robyn was a butterfly and Archer had 2 costumes - an Army guy at school and a Pirate at the church trunk or treat parties...


Also, we went to a pumpkin patch to get our pumpkins again this year. The kids had a lot of fun finding their PERFECT pumpkin... And then cutting it to pieces later on that day. :)


Hope you all had a great Halloween (you know, over a month ago!)

Kid Pictures

My kids (all 3 of them) have decided that taking pictures is pretty darn fun. Hmm... I wonder who they get that from? :) I have an old digital camera (that likes to randomly turn itself off when you are about to take the best picture of your kids) that I've let the kids take pictures with. I think in the months of October and November, the kids took about 400 pictures. It's fun to see what they take pictures of. Here are some of their fun pictures...

Hardman Family Pictures :)

So I have a lot of pictures and a lot of blogging to do, but with working at a 'real job' kinda makes me tired at the end of the day! So I thought I would share these beauties and try to post a few blogs over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Jeremiah's mom decided to do family pictures for Christmas this year (no complaints from me!). They took some really great pictures. I have attached some that I was able to scan. I think they turned out pretty fantastic. :)

Much Love! :)

The Hardman Grandkids
*I took the first one in the leaves, the rest were taken by the professionals*

The Twitch and Sandra
Hardman Clan :)

back: Sandra and Twitch
front: Jed (29), Jeremiah (30), Jessica (25), Jake (21)

Just an update...

Hi Everyone!

Sorry, I know it's been a while. And I don't really even have any pictures to show for it. (I've lost my cord that I connect to my computer to download pictures, but as soon as that is found, I will post some. PROMISE). But lots has happened so I thought I should share, even though there aren't any NEW pictures to go with it. READY FOR AN UPDATE???

MANDY UPDATE:

I got a job! Well, actually, I got 2 jobs! :) I had been applying for like 3ish jobs a day. For 3 weeks. I had lots of interviews for lots of positions.

JOB #1: APX ALARMS, SCHEDULER:
I was offered a job on Oct 6th or 7th or something (started on October 11th) with APX Alarms. The company has some amazing perks and some equally amazing staff. My job title: Scheduler. Basically I call technicians to go to people's houses to install new alarms, upgrade to newer alarms, or fix broken alarms. Here's the kicker: I have to get appointments for people that aren't already available... Meaning I have to call people and ask them to work overtime. IT'S SUPER BUSY, KINDA STRESSFUL. But the company is good. The perks are good. The food is FABULOUS! I put in my notice to leave last week (with an "I'm really sorry I didn't last longer!" letter) because I got job #2.

JOB #2: UTAH STATE, OFFICE SPECIALIST (ie. SECRETARY):
On week #2 at APX, when I left for the day, I turned my phone off silence and saw I missed several calls and had a few messages. I checked my messages and to my surprise, I had a message about the State job I applied for. A Secretary for a Maintenance Department at a hospital for people with disabilities. It was the job I wanted. I called him back and was offered the job! :) Super excited! So I have accepted and start on November 1st. I can't wait. The pay is more and you get insurance from day 1. :) :) :)

JEREMIAH UPDATE:

Jeremiah was laid off from Utah Timber Frames because it's just too darn slow in the construction industry. His boss there said he will give him a superb reference (because, you know, the boy has SKILLS!). Jeremiah has been applying for pretty much everything, everywhere. Hoping he'll find something stable that he likes soon. He's had lots of leads, so hopefully one will pan out. In the mean time, he's staying home with the monkeys and showing me up on the house wife duties. I hate to admit it, but he keeps the house cleaner and dishes and laundry done better than I ever did.

Also, Jeremiah and I are attending Dave Ramsey money management classes. Jeremiah's done great about selling things we don't need anymore. He's actually got almost $500 in our emergency fund. He's sold guns, ammo, scuba equipment, skates, sunglasses - I'm super proud of him and his dedication. He also called Dish Network and canceled our satellite (which was the last of our 'luxury' items!

DARTANION UPDATE:

DarTanion has finally decided that reading isn't terrible. In fact, he's finally starting to enjoy reading! YAY!!! He's been reading our family a chapter or 2 each night from different Frog and Toad books. DarTanion is doing better at school and is making new friends.

Since I had training at APX, Jeremiah took DarTanion to see Odyssey Dance Company's Thriller (I won 2 tickets on Facebook). Jeremiah laughed because they were probably the only Father / Son combo attending (without a wife/mom). They both loved it. Tanion, of course, liked the dance numbers with guns, swords, killing, blood - oh, and the clown. :)

ARCHER UPDATE:

My cute little Kindergartner has been doing super awesome in school. His teacher has said that sometimes she still has to do some redirection with him, but that mostly, he's doing as he is told. :) I think it might have to do with the reward sheet we've created. Looks like I'll be buying a new Thomas train next weekend! His teacher has also decided that Archer is ready to start learning to read. She has sent home little books for him to practice. So exciting!

Also, Archer has a passion for making his own books. He's made probably 2-4 per week, about everything and anything (food, bodies, numbers, letters, animals). I look forward to each little book's completion. I've got a surplus of little blank books (construction paper front, blank pages inside) for him to make.

ROBYNSON UPDATE:

Oh, Robyn... She is learning more every day about using her cuteness to get what she wants. She will come up to you and give you a big hug and say "I love you!" then she'll smile and walk away. Usually into the kitchen, where she grabs a cookie, Root Beer or a string cheese and ask you to open it. :) Or into the computer room and get a game (her current favorite is 'Break the Ice') and bring it out for you to play with her.

Robyn has been more whiny lately, but I think it's because suddenly it's not just Robyn and Mom at home anymore. It's Dad and Robyn. And Dad doesn't give Robyn the same kind of attention as mom. And he isn't as big of a push over. :) She loves chasing the boys around when they get home from school. I think she misses having them around, too.

The Family :)

(except Jeremiah - he had to work)

Well, that's a condensed version about what's gone on with our little family. Of course, there was a trip to Tooele to Jillian's birthday (still have to upload pictures, sorry!) and Alona's baptism (I'll do a post on my other site: www.itonlymatterstomandy.blogspot.) I hope I can post pictures soon of our pumpkin patch / carving adventures and other fun things... As soon as I find that darn cord...

Hope all is great with all of you! Much love!

Playing Catch Up...

Sorry, friends. I've had kind of a busy month. Or so it seems. :)

I've been applying for jobs like a crazy woman. And going to interviews. And watching kids. And helping out at the boys school. And trying not to lose Archer. And running errands. And writing the Primary Sacrament Program for our ward. And staffing our Nursery. And organizing my still messy and cluttered house. And garage. And I've typed and lost this blog. TWICE. And you get the idea. :) So here are some cute pictures to hopefully make up for my absence... Hope you enjoy! :)

Robyn still likes to get dirty...

I found her a costume at Savers for $7!

Archer got a hair cut and hasn't tried to re-cut it yet!
Don't you love the mullet he had going on? :)

Archer LOVES making crafts
(he insisted I take all these pictures of his playdough truck!)

DarTanion's still obsessed with guns and swords!

Our kids and the Bagley kids formed a band :)

Our Nephew Draysen turned 9!

I found this great picture of me and my Jedd (circa 1993)
I added the one from his wedding to show you how much we haven't changed!

Jeremiah has been a horsey a lot lately...
Robyn named him 'Pinto', like the horse on Dora

He's going to be the death of me.

Cute Smile - Devil Hair

If you guessed (by the title of this blog) that this will be about my sneaky little Archer, then you were CORRECT!
Archer's first day of full-day Kindergarten was last Thursday. I've been meaning to do a post about that, but haven't yet. It was even semi-eventful. My little guy decided that since he never walked home before (because I'm such a mean mom and don't let my 5 year old little guy walk 5 blocks down a busy road by himself) that he was going to. Without telling anyone. Yeah. Lovely.

Archer's 1st day of school... Shirt says "I walk to my own beat"

VERY TRUE.

I showed up at the school for Parent Teacher Conferences with Tanion's teacher but had to get Archer from his class first and he was no where to be found. I wander the playgrounds and halls yelling for my 5 year old who is gone. I ask our friends if they have seen him. Nope. He's vanished. I start to panic when the playground is empty and all the other kids have gone home and he's still not there. I call my neighbor to see if he, by chance, walked home. Sure enough, Archer was there with her little guy, Sean (who is 10). Archer ran through the other 3-4 intersections before he caught up with Sean who was almost at the stop light by our house. I don't want to think about it too much because I'm sure he probably didn't look to see if cars were coming or if he was okay to cross. I asked her to keep an eye on him while I went to the Parent Teacher Conference that I was now 25 minutes late for. She agreed. When I got home, I asked him WHY he would walk home when I told him that I would be picking him up... His answer? "Because I've never walked home by myself before." Yep. Just wanted to do it. Me, Jeremiah and my upstairs neighbor lady all gave him the whole "That's dangerous for reasons 1, 2 and 3 and don't do that again cuz you scared mommy" lecture.

Think that story is the reason for this post?
Nope.

That's just a "SEE!?!" story. So you can sympathize and know that he is a child that just likes to do stuff like that.... There are actually several on the blog about him doing things like that... But now for the story that inspired this post...

stupid tube slide...

This morning, I decided to let him walk to school with Tanion and Sean. They agreed to stay right with him and make sure he was safe. I am trying to be an understanding mom and let him have freedom. But, yeah, maybe not anymore... The boys all headed outside without jackets on. I told them to come downstairs and get their jackets on and Archer still needed his backpack. I had to use the restroom so I said to Archer - "I'm going to the bathroom and when I get out, I'll get your book order in your backpack and you can go. Come get your jackets." Less than 2 minutes later, they were gone. They had grabbed jackets and left. Without Archer's backpack.

I was annoyed but not bad. I know how panicky Tanion gets about getting to school on time so I figured he was trying to rush everyone else. I changed Robyn from jammies to regular clothes and grabbed my shoes and purse. I put the book order in the backpack and headed out to my car. I figured I'd just go drop it off to his teacher with the other school supplies that I was finally able to go buy. I got into his class just as the first bell rang. That's the "okay, come inside" bell. The kids have 5 minutes to get into class before it starts. I watch kids filter in through the doors and hang up coats and backpacks. No Archer. I hang out until the 2nd bell rings 5 minutes later. Still no Archer. So I head outside and start looking around the play areas. I'm yelling his name, walking around - nothing. All the kids are inside and Archer is no where to be found.
So I'm thinking he just realized that he doesn't have his backpack and maybe he went to his class anyway or maybe he's at the office checking on it... Or maybe (thinking it's a worse case scenario here), he's walked back home to get it. I check with his teacher and he's still not in there. I tell her I'm going to go see if he's walking home to get his backpack and ask her to call me if he shows up there. I left the backpack in his cubby area and head down the hall. I run into Tanion and ask him - just to be sure - if Archer stayed with them while they walked to school. He said that they all stayed together and maybe Archer went to Sean's class. I knew he wouldn't so I kept walking to the office. No Archer.

I drag Robyn to the car, load her in and drive home. He's no where on the sidewalks on the way there. I check my house - he's not inside there. I knock on my neighbors door. He's not there. Great. Lovely. Dang child! I tell my neighbor to call me if he shows up and let her know that I'm heading, once again, to the school.

I call the school while I'm on my way there and asked to be transferred to his teachers room. When his teacher answered the phone, she said he still wasn't there - but then her door opened. In walks Archer. Without shoes or socks on. She asked me if I wanted to talk to him and handed him the phone.

I was fighting the urge to scream at my kid - I could feel the anger boiling up and my voice raising. I tried to calm myself down enough and ask him where his shoes and socks were. I know he had them on when he left the house. He informs me they are on the slide outside. Then I asked where he had been. Again, he says the slide outside.

He told me that he saw AND heard me when I was out on the playground before, but that he didn't answer me. He was in the covered tube slide - hiding from me and everyone else because he still wanted to play outside. I calm down enough to tell him that he scared the beegeebers out of me and that I would go get his socks and shoes off of the slide and come talk to him in his class.

I hang up and am ready to hug, then kick the kid across the street.


Seriously, I love this little guy. I mean, how could you not? He's the cutest little independent stinker around. He's super curious about thing and he likes to do his own thing. Play by himself. I love his facial expressions, personality and his cute little apologies. But it's honestly going to drive me batty! I don't know how many times I can handle him disappearing (or so it seems) from school. I think the kid needs a 24 hour chaperon.

Any takers?