the Hartbeat...

Correction to Last Post

2009-09-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

So, I must correct my last posting. The "I Pledge" video was not what Obama showed to students yesterday. Instead, it was apparently a video hosted by Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher.

It was still a disturbing video.

I Pledge

2009-09-08T05:18:00.000-07:00

I just watched the "I Pledge" video that Obama is supposed to show to schools today. I am left feeling empty and hollow inside.

The moment in which we pledge our allegiance to any one man is the moment in which we become un-American. Have we forgotten to whom our true allegiance lies? "...One nation under God...."

I read a part of the last Conference issue last night to try and calm myself down after watching the video. I received a tender mercy. President Monson said, "As your humble servant, I desire with all my heart to do God's will and to serve Him and to serve you." The world would have us pledge our allegiance to one man, to one power. The gospel would have us pledge our allegiance to God and to His people. How grateful I was for that tender mercy and for the example of a prophet.

I place my trust in the American people to see through the "pledge" of Barack Obama and to realize the true "pledge" that the Spirit would have us make in our hearts.

I pledge....allegiance to my God.

Shelf Reliance Giveaway

2009-06-22T06:56:00.000-07:00

So....I know that it has been a long time and I plan on updating the blog this week with pictures of the house, etc.

However, Shelf Reliance is having a special promotion and if I tell you about it on our blog then I can sign up for a drawing in which they will give away a free Shelf Reliance shelving unit and....come on! who doesn't want a free shelving unit.

You should check it out! All you have to do is visit their blog website page and you can enter the drawing or do 4 other things and enter. You can enter up to 5 times. It is really exciting! My parents bought their shelving units and they are pretty slick.

Anyway, their website is http://www.shelfreliance.com/blog/.

Uncle Ashton's shirt

2008-11-16T21:15:00.000-08:00

So, my mother let Mitchel use one of Ashton's shirts, when we visited my family last, and then let him keep the shirt. He LOVES Uncle Ashton's shirt! In fact, he is also very particular in how he wears it. He must have the "fun" stuff in front although that means that he is wearing it backwards. It is so darn cute!

This is the front of the shirt.....

Boy, his smile sure melts my heart!

2008-11-13T07:27:00.000-08:00

Jackson decided to jump in bed with Mitchel one morning. It was just too cute that I had to take a picture. Don't I have the most handsome boys in the world! I sure love them and feel so blessed to be their mother!

My Rest from the World

2008-10-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have been absent from the world for so long. Our family has been racing from one thing to another and I forgot how to breathe. I appreciate all of those who still have faith in our little family and have kept checking on our blog even though we hadn't posted things in so long. It has made us, or rather me, feel so loved! Thank you for checking in on us. Well, a lot has happened and so it is going to take some time to catch you up on the happenings of our family. So, I guess that means more blog entries...... :-)

I have been so moved within the last little while, thanks to my mother, to do many things. The list gets longer and longer but I have felt the need to really focus on our blog more and to begin a blog of my own to express my feelings about my testimony and experiences and life in general outside of my beautifully cute boys. I originally started one some time ago but I kept it private because it contained some very personal feelings and I felt odd sharing them with everyone, especially with my friends. I didn't know what others would think of me if they read my thoughts. However, I have recently been very touched by some of my friends who despite how personal their experiences were they shared them. How grateful I am to them because they have blessed my life. I have recently been going through one of the darkest times in my life and it has been difficult to find the sunshine in each day that I know the Lord has put there. So, I want to join those who have shared their experiences in hope of maybe returning the favor. Their experiences and testimony increased mine and lifted me in the times that I needed lifting. My blog, if you would like to read it, is hartexpressions.blogspot.com.

Well....on a lighter note, I wanted to share some of the pictures with you of some of our most recent experiences. I need to begin again....so think of that period before as my respite....my moment of rest....and now I am coming back with a fury!

So, when it was much warmer....Nana took us out to the main square in Eagle to enjoy the water fountains.

It is quite the spot in the city. As you can see, the kids had so much fun. Mitchel loved being able to stand on top of the water and make it stop with his toes. Jackson had fun and then a little girl showed up (she is wearing pink in the picture). She was fascinated with Jackson and couldn't leave him alone when he was playing. So, for a period of time, he stood by me because he was just unsure of her. I guess I don't have to worry about him being a flirt :-)

Afterwards, Nana took them to get some ice cream at the local Burger Den. They were so delicious!

Well, It's Been Long Enough....Don't You Think

2008-06-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I certainly didn't plan on taking this long to post our pictures from our trip. It has been a crazy fast couple of weeks. Life just hasn't stopped! We went to the beach and then we took some time when we got back to wind down - everyone really needs a vacation from the vacation I think - Jackson got sick, we went on another trip to Wallowa Lake, Oregon, etc. Anyway, here are the memories that we created on our trip to the Gulf!

Vacation....At Last....

2008-05-23T11:31:00.000-07:00

I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are to be able to go on our first "Real" family vacation. We have had time at Christmas to visit family, which was fabulous, but school was always in the background. We have never really been able to just get away with family and enjoy the beach, visiting monuments or parks, etc. Well, it has finally come.....Zack's parents, for graduation, have paid for us to join the family on vacation at a beach in Mobil, Alabama. We are so excited! So, our next post will be our pictures from Alabama....

Happy Anniversary!

2008-05-21T06:43:00.001-07:00

We have been married 4 years today! I remember how excited I was just to get to a year so that we could actually use years instead of months or days to describe our marriage. I can't believe how fast time flies though! It has been a lot of fun and hard work. We have moved 6 times, had 2 kids, worked at 5 jobs, finished school, joined the Air Force.....and the list goes on and on.

How grateful I am for a husband who is my listening ear, my confidant, the love of my life, my best friend, a worthy priesthood holder, a leader in our home and a father. I Love You so much!

Building the Sandbox

2008-05-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

As you can see from our last entry, the playset outside in Nana and Papa's yard was just that...a playset. Well, about 2 weeks ago, it was converted to a playset sandbox. I have to say that I wasn't really happy about it because I HATE sand. I think sand belongs on the beach and that is where it should stay. I hate trying to clean sand off children and trying to make sure that it doesn't track inside of the house. Needless to say, Nana told me that I would certainly get used to it. I am happy to report that I have! The boys absolutely love it and it has allowed their imagination to grow!

Swinging Is Fun To Do

2008-05-05T08:09:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest things about being here in Idaho, besides being close to family, is the fact that Nana and Papa have a backyard. My parents back in Arizona had a backyard but there was a pool so the boys could never really just run around without someone being outside and without much worry and stress; the Idaho backyard is free of all said pools. The boys have loved being able to run around on the grass, play in the planter beds (nothing is growing in them yet), swing on the swings and play on the fort and trampoline. Jackson LOVES swinging in his swing and jumping on the trampoline. He would jump and swing for hours if we would let him! So, we thought we would let you catch a glimpse of their fun.....

The Sabbatical

2008-04-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

I realized the other day how long it has been since we last posted an entry on our blog. Our sabbatical was for good reason though. Zack finished school and we moved up to Idaho to live with his parents until he enters active duty in December. Although we certainly miss Provo, we weren't completely sad to leave because we will be back in August for Graduation and Commissioning.

The highlight from the last week though was Mitchel's excitement in being able to ride in the moving truck with Daddy. I cannot begin to describe how he would light up and how animated he would become in telling me the stories of his trip with Daddy. I know that he will cherish that time with his Dad and even though he might not remember it, his Dad sure will.

A piece of advice to anyone that is moving in the near future though: Penske is a great moving company! We originally were going to rent a Uhaul truck just because that is the first company I think of when moving. However, my best friend was telling me that when her sister-in-law used Uhaul, it almost broke down on them a couple of times. I asked for a free quote from Penske online and then when someone followed up with me, I received a discount of almost $75. We didn't have any problems with the truck and it was unlimited mileage!

On the other hand, we are settled in Idaho, enjoying the different scenery and enjoying our time with family!

Jackson's New Words

2008-04-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how quickly kids grow! Within the last week or so, Jackson all of a sudden decided to start talking which has been really fun. Normally, Jackson won't let you take pictures or a video of him because he wants to see what is going on but this morning he decided to be the perfect subject....so, here is Jackson performing his new words!

Hiding is so Fun to Do

2008-04-19T13:44:00.001-07:00

One of Mitchel's favorite things to do is to "Hide." The funniest thing is that he really isn't very good at it. He likes to hide but when we play like we are trying to find him, he immediately pops out of hiding! It is so funny to watch. Over General Conference weekend, our best friends from Mesa, the Ritchey Family, was over and so they borrowed our pack-n-play for their littlest daughter. Well, Mitchel and Jackson found part of that pack-n-play and decided to try and hide.

Can you find them?

So the Hart Boys Love to Wrestle

2008-04-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

What can we say?! We just love to wrestle....or at least the boys do - I just take the pictures. They sure have a lot of fun doing it though. I love to see my boys having fun especially with their Dad. It is funny how different they are when they get time with their dad! They sure are loved!

No Nap = TIRED

2008-04-14T22:30:00.000-07:00

This was taken some time ago but it was so cute that I had to share it. He hadn't had a nap (back in the day when he still took naps) and was so tired that he fell alseep at the table while watching a cartoon as I made dinner. It is just so cute!

Please Indulge....

2008-04-10T13:08:00.000-07:00

Today was Zack's last Parade and Review for the Air Force ROTC and his last Awards Ceremony. It was exciting to see him finally join the Commissionees as part of the Parade! We are coming to end of our schooling, which I know each of you can relate to. It is such a bittersweet feeling - school is ending and we will be leaving Provo behind finally although there are so many wonderful memories here.

As a part of the Awards Ceremony today, Zack received several honors....which, if you will indulge me.....I would love to brag about my husband. He is such a wonderful man who truly LOVES his country and will be a devoted leader in the Air Force. I cannot say enough about his work ethic and his ability to lead those who are below him. Today he was honored with "The Commander's Outstanding Senior Award." He was also designated with "Distinguished Graduate" which will actually follow him from the ROTC to the actual Air Force. It will be on his records for his entire career with the Air Force (and there are very few awards that do).

In addition, he received the "Major General David Sawyer Memorial Award" for his Integrity, Love of Family and his Devotion to Country. It was such an honor and we are so grateful to have received it. There is a picture of it below. It is beautiful!

The General Conference Pillow Fight

2008-04-07T21:07:00.000-07:00

Although we LOVED General Conference, the boys were certainly tired of being cooped up for 2 days so the "Big Man" started a pillow fight....I think they got their angst out!

Our Favorite Pastime

2008-04-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

I have decided that boys are extremely easy....It's just cars, trucks, dinosaurs, bikes, scooters, blocks and anything that is hopefully indestructible. The Hart's favorite pastime is Matchbox cars. We just can't get enough of them and the funny thing is, that with as many as we have, the boys can tell when one is missing.

2008-04-07T09:03:00.000-07:00

During Conference weekend, Grandpa Hart and Uncle Joe came to visit us. It was so fun to have them. Jackson sure enjoyed spending time with "PaPa" as he calls him and absolutely LOVED his glasses!

Disinherited from the Will?!?!

2008-04-04T15:28:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, I am a mother who hangs on to the curls of her little boys for as long as possible. Mitchel was at least 18 months old before we finally cut his hair.

Zack has been adament for about the last month about cutting Jackson's hair but my batting eyes have kept the shears away from Jackson's head until the beginning of this week. Zack and Mitchel both needed a haircut so as fate would have it, Jackson did too. I am being a little bold right now because I haven't actually figured out a way to tell the grandparents without them disinheriting us from the will so....well, Jackson's hair has been cut!

I have to say that he has become such a little man in the last couple of days. At first it was very weird to look at him because he didn't feel like my baby. However, it has grown on me and I love my little boy's new look. I was originally going to have it cut before our family pictures on March 25th but let's face it, I was too chicken. Now, in hindsight, I wish that I had.

Since this hair-cutting expedition was a family event, Zack got into his swim trunks to keep his clothes safe from the hair....since he knows how much I love finding hair afterwards.

The Beginning....Again

2008-04-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

I originally started a blog while we were in Chicago over last summer but it soon got put to the side. Over the last couple of months, I have had so many people ask about our blog wondering if we were still alive since it had never been updated and was just standing still. So, I finally began to revamp our blog and make it look better than it was the first time. I am new to this whole thing so let me tell you, it has taken some time and patience on my part. So, thanks to all of the committed blog readers....we are back in action and will begin adding to this blog more regularly so that we can keep in touch with you as well.