Merry Christmas to us!

Today, Jared and I got to meet our new baby face-to-face! In the 2 years since we've had Jakob, our doctor added another sonogram earlier in the pregnancy...fine by me! So, we are measuring at 11 weeks, 5 days. The technician, Ludy, kept using the word "perfect" during the exam. Can't beat that! We had a great time, and it really helped me get even more excited about numero dos!

I guess its about time...

A few of you already know this news, but for those that don't.....

................

.....we're having another baby! I am due in July, (I know...its going to be hot!) and we couldn't be more excited! We had really hoped to keep this a bit under wraps until I was completely through my first trimester, but since I'm starting to show, (it really DOES happen much sooner the second time around!) and since our Christmas cards announced it, I figured it was time to blog about it! So, here is our Christmas card picture that exclaimed we would be celebrating Christmas in July this year!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...

...whose is the ugliest of them all? There were lots of options at our 1st Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Party last Friday! Our ABF traveled the long interstate to good 'ole Abernathy to celebrate at Jared and Kristin's house. We all brought our favorite Christmas tradition foods...well, some of us brought our favorite Christmas tradition foods! Ashley and I created new traditions according to what United and WalMart had to offer! Ashley came up with submarine sandwiches, and the Hardy's brought that traditional spinach-artichoke dip in a bread bowl. Yep. Ring in the holiday cheer! We had everything from homemade meatballs (Erin), a real, baked in your own oven, ham (Kassie), taco soup (Courtney), and fresh fruit cobblers (Kristin, I won't rat you out!). It really was quite yummy! We took Olan Mills style pictures in front of the 'fire place' and the tree. Notice: I took the pictures with my not-so-professional camera, so please take some pity! Ashley and her secret agent husband escaped my sad lens, but there's always next year! Anyway...enjoy!

Jacob, Kassie, and baby Jacob/Kassie - just posing by the 'fire.' Yes, that is a blinking tie and Christmas tree earrings...on Jacob!

Burt and Courtney - Courtney looks a little like Jennifer Aniston's current GQ cover photo with Burt's tie draped across her!

Jared and Carla - God only knows what I was doing with my face. Good grief.

Chas and Erin - pulling off the pensive Olan Mills moment. If only I knew how to do a double exposure with another picture of them in a faded oval in the bottom corner!

Jared and Kristin - our wonderful hosts for the evening and resident newly weds among us all...lovingly staring off at the ceiling! Jared pulled off the Feliz Navidad portion of our sweater party!
Courtney learned out to play, or rock out, on Guitar Hero!
A bit more intense!

We all agreed that Chas bore a striking resemblance to a homeless man, especially before he took off the hat! So, this is scary homeless man with Sassy. What a pair!

I'm baaaaack!

Whew. That was awful. While Jakob is still on the sickly side, I am feeling like a new woman right now! Woo Hoo! I should be doing the mountains of laundry that have stacked up over my illness, or addressing Christmas cards, or wrapping presents (nothing is done...nothing.), or figuring out what to buy people for their Christmas gifts. Hmmm. I may be back, but I'm behind! I have a TON to say since I've been out of the loop, so I may post many times today! Check back if you really have nothing else to do! Yesterday, I had a doctor's appointment in the morning and Jakob had one in the afternoon. Jared and I have been praying about and thinking about leaving Jakob's pediatrician for several months now. Nothing really bad happened, she is a great doctor, but there just was really no connection between us...something I didn't realize I needed badly. So, when he got so sick, we knew that we needed to take the leap. In a true God-sized fashion, He began to work His plan out! At our church, there is a precious woman, Elizabeth, who just finished her medical "stuff" (I don't know the correct terminology!) and opened her practice. So, I knew that Elizabeth was wonderful with everyone at church, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Jakob was cranky with a capital C and not in the mood to be anywhere but in bed. I was quite worried about how this would go. Would Liz even let us come back?! To my glorious surprise, she treated Jakob as he has never been treated before. I didn't know what to do! She talked to him and only him for probably the first five minutes, at least. They talked about Frenship football, Veggie Tales, Christmas, and who knows what else. By the time she finished, he was even answering her questions and exaggerating on them just a bit! To some of you, that may sound totally normal with your doctor, but it just hadn't been our experience. When Liz brought out the instruments, she was SO wonderful to help Jakob feel more comfortable with them before she just lunged at him with a stethoscope. At the end, she gave him Veggie Tales stickers stuck to either side of a tongue depressor made into a fan of sorts. He slept with it last night and is playing with it right now. He talked about Dr. "Wiz" all afternoon. I really cried, Liz, when we got to the car because I just felt so relieved, so cared for. Thank you, Dr. Goldwater! You are the GREATEST!!!

For stinking real.

Well, its here AGAIN! Jakob and I are both sick as dogs. We went to a wonderfully fun Christmas party Friday night (picture coming soon!) and woke up Saturday morning in the weeds. Saturday morning turned into Saturday afternoon, Saturday night, Sunday morning (the worst of all), Sunday afternoon, and Sunday night. I think we are both feeling a little better this morning, but the nasty 'symptoms' are still hanging around. For stinking real...I am TIRED of being sick!!! Merry Christmas, none the less!

Hardy Holidays!

Well, we finally decided that it was Christmas time at the Hardy Hacienda this week. We have all been battling sickness of various forms, so getting inspired and motivated to get it all out and up was a challenge! But...we did it! At least as much as is going to be done this year! We are a bit on the tired and exhausted side these days. Jakob is going to make Christmas more fun than ever this year. He LOVES Christmas lights and is delighted at every sign of Christmas. He argued with me tonight at bedtime that Jesus was only a baby, not a man. He may have a hard time at Easter! Anyway...thought you would enjoy the pictures of the week. Hope you are enjoying the season!

Jakob hanging the first ornament on the tree. Its a picture of him at his first Christmas.
It took a lot of thought, and eventually, momma hung it for him...under his supervision, of course!
Then, he ate his first candy cane. It was a big hit...especially after he realized that you could suck on it to a point and create a sword! Fabulous.
That is a candy-coated cheese face!
The finished product...yee haw!
That's right, you're gonna get it at every angle!
Fireplace mantle. Okay, I'll stop labeling...you know what this is!

The candy trees

Well...here's to doubting that I will have my home clean and tidy enough over the holiday season to have anyone but immediate family over! So, consider this your inside scoop of the Hardy Holidays...just imagine that its all clean and organized. That's what I do everyday...just close your eyes and dream! Alrighty...

That's My Boy!

In case you don't know, Jared and I are HUGE sports fans. Sports fans of all kinds and at all levels. We are a devoted Frenship family, however, and do not miss a game. Our boys, God love 'em, were underdogs from the start this year and went into the fourth round of the playoffs today with a record of 13-0. Couldn't be more proud and excited! Jakob has become quite the fan himself. Last week it was too cold for him to go to the game, and he threw an ENORMOUS, 30-minute-long fit for Nana and Poppy while Mommy and Bubba went to the game. He's got our genes, what can I say?! Well, after an AMAZING game today, our Tigers fell by 2 points with 2 seconds left on the clock. Jakob has learned to look for the straight zeros to know that a game is over. When the clock hit 00:00, Jakob started screaming, "NO!!! MY TIGERS!!!" He screamed and cried that for probably a solid minute. I felt so badly for him. He really was upset, as were the 8,000 or so of the other Frenship faithful in attendance today. After Jared was done with his post-game interviews for the radio station, we three headed to our car, with heads hung low, wondering what we would do next weekend without Frenship football. When we got into the car, Jakob said, "There Frenship basketball today?" In fact, my love, there is!!! So, after dinner and a short drive back to Wolfforth, we went to cheer our next Frenship team to a one-point victory in a nail-biter in their tournament! This post has much less to do with Frenship athletics and more to do with the fact that my son is a great sports fan! I couldn't be prouder!

Diamond in the Rough

I am embarrassed at how long it has been since my last post. I know you have all just been waiting with baited breath to learn about what's going on in our life! I think I've just taken a vacation from life this last week. We had a GREAT week of thanksgiving, and I will post more later about all of that. Thought I would share, though, our little comedian's latest hijinks's. Earlier this week, Jakob and I were reading Aladdin, and Jakob was, surprisingly, paying very close attention. When we got to the page with the cave of wonders, Jakob said, "Dat tiger scares me!"

I assured him that he had no reason to be afraid. The cave of wonders would allow the Diamond in the Rough to enter. I tried to have a sweet conversation with Jakob about how he was a diamond in the rough, chosen by God without merit. It was lost on my sweet boy. He looked at me with the most serious face and said, "Mommy...I not a dimund in 'de ruf...I a Jakob in 'de Hardy!"

Jakob's Vacation

I have had a wonderful week so far in a toddler-free home! It has been so nice to rest, recover, clean, and organize without Jakob's 'help.' Several people, though, have asked if I'm okay without having Jakob for this long. I probably should not be as okay as I am, to be perfectly honest! However, Jakob LOVES being at Nana and Poppy's house. He's okay, so I'm okay! Thought I would share with you two pictures my dad sent me from his phone to show that Jakob is having the time of his life! Pirate hats at the donut shop and play dough with Nana! Life is good...in Texas and Oklahoma! I am getting excited to have him back, though. No one hugs like he does!

Sorry for the small pictures, but you know camera phones! Funny Jakob story from his week of vacation. As you can see, my dad doesn't have a lot of hair, and the hair he does have is turning grey. The other night, my mom was trimming my dad's hair when Jakob came into the room. With a very concerned and worried voice, Jakob asked, "Poppy?! Where's your brown hair go?!" After a long laugh, their evening went on. Mom bathed Jakob and asked him afterward if he would like a hair cut like Poppy. (Jakob needs a trim badly!) Jakob grabbed his head with both hands and answered in a panicked tone, "No Nana! I want my brown hair!" SO funny! He thought that he, too, would lose his brown hair if it was cut! Poor Poppy. Getting Jakob to cut his hair may be a lost cause for a while!

Sick and LOVING it!

Well...its been a week, to say the least. Just as our busy weekend was starting out, my body began to shut down. I made it through Saturday on pure adrenaline and guts. Saturday night at dinner, however, I knew that I was going downhill quickly. By the time I got to my bed, my tonsils were covered in white spots and my head weighed twice its original weight. By Sunday morning, fever, fever blisters, congestion, and just general yuckiness had taken up residence. So, my sweet husband left me in bed on Sunday morning where I stayed until Tuesday morning. I really don't know if I have been that completely floored in a very long time. I was done. I think my body just refused to take one more step. So, I am trying to listen to it sooner than later so as to not provoke it into hiatus again! In light of my illness, though, my mom and dad offered to take Jakob until Thanksgiving when they are coming back to our house! So, yesterday, we met them with the boy who wasn't having a hard time leaving us AT ALL! Since everyone is coming here for Thanksgiving, I am so grateful to have this week to get the house really cleaned and my body really rested. Date night every night! THANK YOU MOM AND DAD! I feel better already!

What a group...

FOURTEEN!!!

That's right! Fourteen move on to the final audition with 2 alternates in the wings! Most in Frenship history! Most in our Region! I cannot over-emphasize my sincere joy for our students who learned yesterday that hard work, truly hard work, pays off. What a gift to watch them succeed yesterday as individuals and then lead out today in our Region's All-Region Concert. They are such a special group, and I am eternally blessed to coach them. If you prayed for or thought of my kids...thanks!

WOO-HOO!!!

Kelsie, Senior, 1st Chair, Soprano 1 (3-year All-Stater looking to make history!)

Erin, Junior, 4th Chair, Soprano 1

Brooke, Senior, 3rd Chair, Soprano 2

Emily, Freshman, 4th Chair, Soprano 2

Taylor, Junior, 5th Chair, Soprano 2

Dakota, Junior, 4th Chair, Alto 1

Kandra, Junior, 1st Chair, Alto 2 (Returning All-Stater)

Denisha, Senior, 2nd Chair, Alto 2

Namanda, Junior, 3rd Chair, Alto 2

Molly, Junior, 4th Chair, Alto 2

Bryce, Sophomore, 2nd Chair, Tenor 1

Brian, Sophomore, 5th Chair, Tenor 1

Barclay, Sophomore, 2nd Chair, Tenor 2

Jordan, Sophomore, 6th Chair (1st Alternate), Tenor 2

Kashif, Senior, 2nd Chair, Bass 1

James, Senior, 6th Chair (1st Alternate), Bass 1

For Real?

Well, anyone who has been near me on a weekday over the last two weeks will attest to the fact that I am a bit on the loony side of life right now. PreArea auditions are tomorrow. Did you hear me? PREAREA AUDITIONS ARE TOMORROW!!! I am realizing that I am a bit over-involved with not only my students, but with their success. I cannot do anything tomorrow. They have to go in and do what we have worked on for so many weeks. And yet, I think I may be more nervous than they are tonight! In my job, there are only five days or so that really matter to my 'career security.' All Region, PreArea, Area, Solo and Ensemble and TSSEC. So, tomorrow is the second of three auditions for my students' All-State Choir hopes. They're good. I mean, really good. I have been on their backs for about three weeks making them believe that they were really behind. BUT...today, I dragged myself into my living room feeling like they were as ready as could be...or at least the ones that want to be there! I am praying that their efforts more than pay off tomorrow! But to every great week, a little poo must fall, I guess! Tuesday during lessons, I knew that I was really feeling icky. My voice was really tired and sore...not a good thing for a vocal coach. By about midnight, I knew that strep was moving in. So, I took yesterday off and spent the day downing antibiotics and gargling warm salt water. Of all the weeks? Really? Oh, well...if someone had to get it, better me than my students. After all, I really cannot audition for them tomorrow...no matter how much I might want to!

First Weekend in November

Okay, since I'm still in the mood of celebrating Jared's birthday, I thought I would just share with you a story that shows what a romantic he is. Nine years ago, I was, somehow, Miss Wayland Baptist University. After you win Miss Wayland, you are the coordinator of the 'pageant' the next year. So, the first weekend of November, 2000, I was coordinating and giving away my title. It was during this year, though, that Jared had begun to develop a little thing for me, and I was completely oblivious. He had helped me for hours in preparation for the pageant. He put together a group of guys to sing in an in-between and turned pages for me as I performed my final talent. He was at every single practice, right by my side, helping me however I needed it. I think I should have picked up on the signals he was sending! At that time, Miss Wayland was a two night affair. On opening night, all of the contestants get their beautiful flowers from their sponsor organizations, family, and such. I, however, really wasn't expecting anything since my year was over. When I went downstairs, however, there was this absolutely gorgeous, HUGE arrangement on my dressing table. I mean, this thing was bigger than anything we had at our wedding. I couldn't believe that my dad had spent that much money on me! Then, I opened the card and read the most kind words from my best friend, Jared. I think everyone in that dressing room knew what that card really said, except for me! It seemed like all 27 contestants watched me read that card. I gushed after I read it, "Don't I have the most amazing friend ever?!" As they all rolled their eyes, I continued getting ready. I never allowed myself to believe that someone like Jared Hardy, handsome, witty, charming, talented, just perfect, could ever be with someone like me. But, after the pageant that night, Jared let me know that his card wasn't just about friendship. It was about a lot more. We were engaged the following August. Okay, so all that to say this...I judged the Miss Wayland pageant last weekend. I love getting to do this as my time in those shoes were so blessed and special. On Friday afternoon, Jared drove up a little later than I expected him. He walked into the house with two dozen roses. He remembers year after year that he sent me my first of many bouquets of flowers on that first weekend in November and still does to this day. Goodness gracious, I love him!

29 ain't so bad...

Today is my groom's birthday. We didn't do anything spectacularly extraordinary. We went and had breakfast this morning, activated Jared's new phone (his gift), shopped a bit for some new furniture for Jakob's room, had lunch with his parents, took a nap, and are home now watching the Red Raider game. You know what I absolutely love about my husband? He is my absolute favorite person in the entire world to just hang with. He is my favorite friend...truly my soul-mate. I love to laugh with him, cry with him (or on him), be silent with him, sing with him, shop with him, golf with him, play video games with him...I just love him. He is in such a sprint right now to become a greater man...a grounded man of God. He inspires me, loves me deeply, and prays for me daily. Can't ask for much more than that. I love you, Jared...happy birthday!

Knock Knock

So, last week in the Jeep, Jakob and I had a conversation that went a little something like this:

Jakob: Hey, mom? (He never calls me that...so I took notice)

Me: Yeah, buddy?

Jakob: Knock! Knock!

Me: (with a very puzzled look since we have never taught him jokes) Who's there?

Jakob: Cheetah.

Me: (Still with wrinkled eyebrows) Cheetah who?

Jakob: (while cracking up...no...cackling at himself) CHEETAH YATER OW-IGATOR!

He hasn't stopped saying that joke this entire week, and he still thinks its just as funny! Fun times ahead!

Halloween's of Yesteryear

I mentioned earlier this week that Halloween falls at a very busy time of year for us. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten very good at planning ahead. BUT, I am better than I used to be! This year, I did buy everything for Jakob's outfit on Wednesday before the big day on Friday. It might not have been assembled until 5:15 pm, but it was the property of Hardy Procrastinators Inc. Jakob's first Halloween, we were so broke and so swamped that I make him into a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs out of materials found at the local Family Dollar. I cannot believe we did this to our child. So, that was October of 2006. Jakob was five months old. Do you see the look on his face?! Its a mix of confusion, panic, and disbelief. So, then last year, I decided that we would not go the homemade route. We would buy it...like real families do! However, Halloween last year fell on a Wednesday night. Wednesday in ministry for us were always incredibly busy and rushed. To top it all off, we closed on our first house last October 31. We stopped at K-Mart to buy our dining room table (classy, I know) on our way to Abernathy that night for the trunk or treat stuff at the church. While we were there at the customer service desk redeeming our rain check for the table, I saw a skunk costume in the return pile. We bought it, sight-unseen! I didn't even check the tag! It was too small, so we cut the crotch out of the costume in the Jeep in the K-Mart parking lot before we left. Our poor child...he is either going to be the most resourceful person in history or in counseling for life...

Again, look at the face!

Who's Boring Now?!

On Sunday, Jakob told one of his Sunday School teachers that his hair "was boring." He tells me this all of the time, but it changed the game when Mrs. Kristy heard of how we are torturing our son with a boring haircut. The bigger picture here is that Jakob absolutely hates having anything sticky on his hair. Obviously, this includes hairspray, mousse, and gel of any sort! He freaks...literally freaks! So, with limp, thick hair and no gel...you get boring hair! That is until you get all hot and sweaty! Then...this happens!

Pardon the poor picture quality...web cams aren't known for their pixel count. (Is that even the right verbiage?)

How-loween

HOW on earth do people with multiple children pull of a successful Halloween each year? Here's the deal: October and November are two of Jared's and my most busy months out of the year. Jared has done two car deals this week, thank you, Lord! But, they do take up large chunks of time out of our evenings. We are two weeks away from our next All-State audition, so I am swamped with lessons and sectionals. On Thursday night, we had a football game in Abilene and didn't get home until the 3 am hour. Jared decided not to go to bed that night since he had to be at a meeting at 6 the next morning. So, needless to say, he was walking around on borrowed time Friday! I think he even remembers teaching that day! On Saturday, Jared spent the day judging middle school all-region choir auditions and I spent the day in Plainview judging Miss Wayland 2009! While it was a great day for each of us, it made it difficult to stick Halloween in the middle of it all! Originally, Jakob was going to be Larry Boy so that we could reuse his hat from the Veggie Tales Live night. However, I could not find purple pants in Jakob's size that didn't have glitter in the fabric. So, in a last minute attempt to recover some sort of Larry costume, we decided on Larry, the Pirate who doesn't do anything!

We did have a great time, though. After sectionals Friday afternoon, Jakob and I headed home to get ready while daddy wen to pick up a special surprise for mommy. Details to follow in another post! We went to Grandma's (Carla's grandmother) assisted living home to visit all of her friends at their Halloween party. Jakob loved it, and mommy and daddy have loved eating the loot!

Then, we went to see Whitney, Bryce, and Barclay. The boys took Jakob around their neighborhood while we hung out with the Whites...one of our favorite things to do!

Then we, headed to BB and Pa's house where Jakob spent the night! Stressful? Yes. Fun? Absolutely. Teaching us lessons in pre-planning, organization, and time management? Goodness, I hope so!

Save the Ta-Ta's!

When you don't get to spend all day, every day with high school people, you can tend to believe the trends, statistics, and horror stories you hear. I, however, am blessed to be able to spend my days with many exceptions to the rules of high school hellions. Pictured above are two of my blessed exceptions. Taylor (left) and Lauren (right) have both been in my private studio for two full years and are starting their third year with me. I was talking with a friend from college today about our college vocal coach, and I mentioned that I thought of Mrs. Hodges as more of a life coach. Mrs. Hodges inspired me to return her influence in my life to others who come to my studio. Goodness, I hope they learn more than solfege from me! Anyway, these two beauties are both freshman at good 'ole FHS. Lauren just made 6th chair in the high school all-region choir and Taylor missed district choir by two chairs...as freshmen! Such an accomplishment. I want to focus for just a minute on Lauren, though. Lauren is my student who always asks me, "Can we do that just one more time?" "Before I leave, can we put it with the accompaniment?" She works so hard. She is so wonderful to share with me often how much she enjoys our times together, for more than just singing. I absolutely love teaching Lauren. I love just hanging with Lauren. The last year for her family, though, has been hard to say the very least. You notice the shirts we are wearing...Tigers for a Cure. Lauren's mom designed them just after her final surgery from her long, hard-fought battle with breast cancer. Lauren's maternal grandmother passed away this summer after her battle with breast cancer. This freshman understands the brevity of life in a very real way. Lauren leads out on our campus for awareness of breast cancer, its survivors, and its victims. On the day of our high school all-region auditions, the Lubbock Race for the Cure was being run. Lauren was understandably upset to have missed being with her mom on this day to celebrate both of the precious women in her family who have been touched by this haunting disease. But, in true Lauren form, she showed up that morning wearing her Race for the Cure shirt, including her mom's and grandmother's names on her back as if she were running that day. She was, instead, singing...representing her mom and grandmother in an incredible fashion. She kicked tail, too. I mean...really kicked tail. I am so blessed to have Lauren and her family in my life. Thank you, Lloyd and Suzanne, for sharing your precious girl with me.

Don't give up!

This is going to be incredibly random! Today was a frustrating day at school. I bragged a few weeks ago about my students, how well they did at our first audition. The problem is that they have been working on this music since July. They are tired. They are busy. They are high schoolers for crying out loud! The music is very difficult. The time frame is shorter. These are all of the things I heard today from my precious students. Here is what I felt like during one part of my day...I felt like I wanted this worse for my students than they do for themselves. Frustrating. I have some new ideas for tomorrow, though. Its a fresh day. A new start. My students will be fine. They will kick it into gear. The best part is that tonight, as I was laying with Jakob in bed, he looked up at me and said, "Don't give up, Mommy." Ah...thank you, God, for speaking to me through the still, small voice of my child. So, on with the fun, random stuff!

I hope this is the only time I have to see him 'assume the position!' He was so proud of himself for climbing up onto that part of his bed. He called it his 'trick!' Too funny!

I just love this! Last weekend, Jakob was really fighting a nap, so Daddy fixed it all in the recliner. Daddy was out a long time before Jakob was!

This is my brother, Brandon, and Jared during Red River Rivalry (it will always be the Red River Shootout in my heart!) weekend. We had a great time with Bubba until he got the stomach stuff! We will be gracious Sooner fans, though. We are just hoping for a Big 12 National Champion this year! Maybe Tech will have their chance again the Horns! We'll see! Have a great week!

Homecoming!

Okay, Barclay! Here they are! We had a great Homecoming football game this year...Tigers win! Really, that isn't all that unusual since we are 7-0. Jakob gets more and more into it each week as we watch the Tigers on Friday night, the Red Raiders, Sooners, and Longhorns on Saturdays, and the Cowboys and Colts on Sundays. He really has no hope!

Under the Friday Night Lights with one homecoming date in my arm and my other homecoming date in my ear!

Bryce, Jakob, and Barclay...Thank you, Barclay, for looking at my camera!

Rachel (Bryce's date), Bryce, Jakob, and Barclay

Whitney, Jakob, and Becca

Uh, oh! He's seeking wisdom from 'Brok-wee!'

Jakob helping Daddy out after the game!

Jakob ran around the field afterward yelling, "Mommy! I a Frenship TIGERRR!"

We needed to have a little conversation about mommy's needing a photo-op! Jakob just doesn't get it sometimes!

My two favorite Tigers on the "Big Bwue Paw"

We weren't even out of the parking lot yet! What a night!