Hardy Party!

Halloween

2010-11-04T21:29:00.001-05:00

I know...I know...it has been a RIDICULOUSLY long time since I have blogged, but trust me, it is not because I haven't wanted to! 'Swamped' doesn't begin to cover what we have been since school has started this year, but hopefully, I'll be able to catch up. We had a great Halloween weekend! Jakob was decided on his costume month ago. It was really fun to try and fit Lily into his scheme since she doesn't care still. I know that those day are coming to an end! So, we had Mario and Baby Toadstool this year. We decided to take a cue from the youth at our church and 'reverse trick-or-treat' this year. With the craziness of our schedule this fall, we have been blessed with friends and family who have loved us, covered for us, helped us, and just plain put up with us! It was a really great time hopping from house to house to say, "Thanks!"

Mario and Baby Toadstool

Yes, it was a bit hard to hold up!

Sweet Lily Bug

One excited Super Mario

MeeMaw and the kiddos

Sweet Anne and her (unpictured) parents, Dug and Cherie

Trick or treat, Joy!

Tracy, Joy, and their adopted kids

Jakob and two of his favorites, Megan and Molly

Plus Lily

Jakob and Aunt MerMer, the iPod

Jakob, Lily, and our other two children, Barclay and Bryce

Happy Fall!

Really? Preschool?! REALLY!!!???

2010-08-30T00:15:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow, my sweet baby boy starts preschool! AH! I thought I was so okay until tonight as we were working on his first 'homework' assignment. (Details to follow!) I listened to him go on and on and on and on about how excited he was to meet new friends, 'get comfortable' with Mrs. Gassiot, and do more homework. He is so smart. So kind. So creative. So funny. So loving. So big. I broke all of the 'rules' tonight and laid with my big boy until he fell asleep. He held my arm like he always has and rubbed it until he was dreaming away. Before he drifted off, though, he said, "Mom, I think I might miss you tomorrow. Will you wait in the parking lot for me?" I am so very blessed, but tonight, I am 'that mom.' Kind of sad. Kind of excited. Incredibly proud. Clearing off the camera card for a gaggle of pictures tomorrow morning. You know, totally normal.

Mansion Next to Yours

2010-08-23T23:03:00.000-05:00

Oh, how I wish I had more time to write tonight, but this is all I've got, and I don't want to forget this story. Tonight in the Market Street parking lot as I was buckling Jakob into his seat, he grabbed my hand and said, "Mom, when I grow up I want to be a designer." "What do you want to design, buddy? What kind of designer?" I asked. He replied, "I want to design houses. One for me, a little one for Lily, and a humongous one for you and dad. I will put them all in a row so we can live next door to each other. Then, I will come over and eat your food." That settles it...we're building a family compound.

Good Cop, Bad Cop

2010-07-07T22:37:00.001-05:00

Okay, maybe good mom, bad mom! When Jakob turned 1, I was planned and stressed to the nines! However, I only sent e-mail invites 48 hours before Lily's party. Last minute? I think, yes! However, Jakob's party was two months ago, and I have not posted a single picture from it. Lily's party is being at least partially posted THE DAY OF her party!!! It all evens out, right?! Let's all pretend the answer is "yes!"

Our precious birthday girl!

...and her daddy who bought himself a birthday gift that matched the festivities!

We had to move Jakob's birthday party in May at the very last minute because of a drenching rain storm that ruled out our backyard. Guess what it has done all day?! That's right! It rained! Even though we were rained on a bit during the party as well, we didn't let it drown our spirits!

Time for gifts!

Aww! Sweet baby!

I dare you to say "no" to these beautiful blue eyes!

The cake saga...my beautiful friend, Joy, again helped me with the cake for my children. (Just wait until I finally post pictures of Jakob's cake!) Last night when we went to bed, everything looked great! This morning, however, the strawberry ladybugs had oozed, peed if you will! :-) Oh, well! It all makes for a memory, right! Lily certainly didn't care! See below...no captions necessary.

Disclaimers: no child, especially Lily Hope Hardy, was injured in the eating of this cake. Also, no adult hand helped decorate the aforementioned child. Thank you.

After her bath, the black icing was still oozing from her nose! Ha!

One partied out little lady bug.

Happy Birthday, Lily love...how blessed we are and how loved you are. Sleep well, my Lily bug.

Happy Birthday, Lily Hope

2010-07-07T08:38:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, our little Lily Bug. Enjoy your cake!

Anatomy of the Jump

2010-06-29T16:28:00.000-05:00

First, my apologies for falling off of the bloggin' wagon! We are having a great, nay FABULOUS, summer together! More stories later, but for now, enjoy my birthday-suited son enjoying his pool yesterday!

Hope you're having a great summer!

The Doctor Is In.

2010-05-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow is Jakob's 4th birthday...I know...I'm in shock, too! More about that later. I am working on cleaning the house really well, praying for the rain to hold off until 2 pm tomorrow, and stuffing party favor bags. Jakob came to me with his stethescope on and said, "Mommy, the doctor will see you now." Reluctantly, I went with him to his bedroom where he asked my what the problem seemed to be. I told him my arm was sore from vacuuming, and he gave me an ointment from a plastic corn cob...said that would do the trick. Just as I thought the appointment was over, he said he need to listen to my heart. After double checking with me where exactly my heart was, he listened carefully and said with a very concerned face, "Uh-oh, Mom. I don't like the sound of that. I think there's a problem. YOU HAVE ITCHY-ARM-ITIS!!!!" There is no cure according to Dr. Jakob. His recommendation is to rest during his naptime. Classic, buddy.

Thanks for the Kudos!

2010-04-19T09:58:00.000-05:00

This morning, Jakob and I were sitting on the couch playing Memory on phone when he looked up at me and asked where Lily was. I told him I had laid her down for her morning nap. He politely patted my knee and said, "See mom, you are a good mother!" Thanks, buddy. I didn't know I was under question, but I'll take the compliment any day! Good grief, I love this kid!

Sometimes...

2010-04-08T22:50:00.001-05:00

...you just seem to find yourself in an unexplainable situation. Word.

The Big One?

2010-04-07T23:29:00.001-05:00

Yep. I am turning thirty years old in a mere 30 minutes...1:21 am, to be exact! Leading up to this day, I have really anticipated being very sad or solemn or whatever. That, unfortunately, is just how I work. You see, in my mind, I am still the 20 year old leading worship and playing Kookie Kickball at church camp all summer long in a much smaller jean size and with straighter teeth! That's just how I see myself. Now that the 'big one' is actually here, however, I am closer to the proud side of the spectrum and further from the dread side. I am so blessed in my current state of being...saved by a perfect, sovereign God; loved by an incredible man who just happens to be my best friend; adored by these two beautiful little people who share my nose; handed a legacy of godliness from my parents who have become my true friends; befriended by a group of people who share in my life (the good, bad, and ugly) as we seek the Throne together; gifted with my honest-to-God dream job with the most glorious students and co-workers I could dream of; and challenged to surrender. Wow. I can promise you that the 20 year old in my mind thought nothing of these things. She couldn't have even imagined what was ahead. If she only knew, she would have hurried along because the ride only gets sweeter! Although there is much that I wish were different about myself, tonight I am choosing to think about the things that have been molded and shaped over these years. What a difference a decade makes! Hopefully one day soon, I'll have time to think on and write about the things that I have learned in each of my three decades, (ouch. okay that one did hurt a little!) but tonight isn't that time. Nope. Tonight is just me saying, "Thanks, Lord. How about a few more?"

Yes, I know this was a TON of pictures, but I've been alive for THIRTY YEARS!!! A lot has happened!

Wordless Almost Wednesday!

2010-04-06T19:56:00.002-05:00

Y'all don't need captions, do you?!

Happy Easter!

The 'Real' Meaning of Easter: Jakob Style!

2010-04-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

I have been saving this story until this weekend...it melted my heart. Jakob has become quite the eager learner and is starting to really understand how things work, why things work, and what things work together. But, let's face it...he is still 3, and things can get a bit confused! Jakob has learned his five senses and loves to point out whenever he is using one of those senses. Love it! A few weeks ago, my mom and dad were here on a quick visit, and my mom was telling Jakob the story of Easter. In her telling she said, "Jesus came and died to take away our sins." Jakob looked obviously concerned and quickly asked, "But, Nana, will Jesus give our senses back?!" You're good to go, buddy. You will still be able to smell, touch, see, hear, and taste but with a forgiven spirit! Praise be to our God for His most gracious gift this Easter weekend!

Backfired

2010-03-16T12:31:00.000-05:00

Jakob has struck again. This morning as I was trying to wrestle my strong and overly-dramatic three-year-old into getting his crazy thick toenails trimmed, I looked around our living room, gazing purposely over his head and asked, "Is there a big boy in this room? I'm looking for a big, tough boy." Immediately and without hesitation Jakob mimicked my actions and cupped his hand to his mouth, "Is there a mommy in the room who will just hold me?!" Point taken.

Eight Months and Three Years

2010-03-08T10:00:00.000-06:00

Yes. Eight. Months. Old. Seriously. I am telling you, it seems like as fast as Jakob grew/is growing, Lily is leaving him in the dust! It seems like this is flying by faster than it did with Jakob, and I do not like it! Lily's six month appointment was Friday. That's right. Her SIX month appointment was two days before her EIGHT month birthday. I am that mom, and I am okay with it. Lily weighs 17 lbs 5 oz and is 26 inches long. She is still wearing most of her newborn or size one shoes. Her feet are crazy small and petite which means we are way getting our money's worth in the shoe department! She is sitting unassisted very well and standing while only holding on to one adult finger. She is so not interested in crawling or being on her tummy. She is rolling quite nicely from front to back but would never in a million years choose to roll from back to front, thus putting her on her tummy by choice! Never. She finds her red-headed temper quickly when put on the floor, or on the couch, or in her high chair, or in her bouncer, or in her crib, or...you get it. The girl likes to be held. A lot. As much as I may not like my hip attachment all day, everyday, I must admit that I love it at the same time. I know now that this time is all too fleeting, and I am trying to soak up these times with her. She is incredibly happy and will smile for anyone. Still no teeth and no swollen gums, but lots of slobber and chewing. Lily is still stuck on only saying 'da-da' and 'bye-bye,' but is making all kinds of sounds and loving to 'sing along' with the choirs at school. Jakob may very well be her favorite person on the planet right now. She watches him with such interest and will laugh on cue at his magic tricks she has seen three thousand times. She is better with a three-year-old's sense of humor than I am! :-)

Speaking of that three-year-old, he is as funny as ever. He has changed so much in these last few months. He is increasingly thoughtful, responsible, and grown-up. This last week he was asking me about relationships in our family. Here's how it went: "Daddy is your husband, and you are his wife. (wrinkled eyebrows and finger tapping on pursed lips.) hmmm...very interesting." It is so funny and rewarding to see him really start to take ownership of himself. From things as little as washing himself in the bathtub, dressing himself from head to toe, and opening his own car door to major things like saying prayers with specific requests, cleaning his room when asked without argument (not everytime!), and desiring to learn anything and everything we will talk with him about. He LOVES to cook. He will help measure, pour, crack eggs, stir, and of course, eat! He asks to wash dishes with us, sweep the floor with us, make the bed with us, fold laundry with us...are you catchin on that it is all 'with us'?! It may take a lot longer to get my tasks accomplished, but I am praying that God continues to give me patience in the timing in order to spend that time with Jakob and teach him all of these things. He is SO ready to learn to read, write, and do math. He is forever counting fingers: "2 fingers plus 3 fingers is FIVE FINGERS!" Love it. He isn't coloring in the lines or writing legible letters, but he is trying. He will sound out every word. On some days, I feel like we talk in syllables all day long. "Mommy, say but-ter. Say Lil-y. Say Jak-ob. Say...." You get it. It is so much fun to see him hit this stage of life. I just worry that Jared and I don't keep up! He will go to preschool in the fall for three days a week, and he is more excited that anyone. We 'practice' having preschool several times a week at his prompting.

This post (after reading over it) could seem a bit 'braggy', but please know my intent is to make a record for myself, not to throw out a comparison stick in any way. One of the things God is teaching me right now is just how perfect His timing is in all things. Just take a gander at Ecclesiastes. Enjoy whatever 'time' you're in today!

Jakob's Cat Like Ninja Skills

2010-02-26T21:01:00.000-06:00

A lot of really great Jakob stories have passed us by during my time "away", but true to form, he provided us a doozy to come back to! Some people in this little tail (yes, that is an intentional typo) will remain nameless so as to protect their identity! Yesterday, the Hardy foursome had a few things we needed to do including going to a friend's house to visit for a bit. While these people are precious friends, we aren't at their house often, especially with Jakob. They have two cats who were not familiar with Jakob and with whom Jakob was not comfortable. They introduced one as 'Monster Cat' and told funny stories of it being dropped down the stairs one to many times as a kitten. Ha! What a cute and funny story! Jakob, in case you didn't know, is crazy afraid of animals...crazy. We've come a long way, but he was obviously nervous around the cats. (As a quick aside, these cats have been raised around kids, they are inside cats who are current on all of their shots, and they are loved by the most wonderful family...truly) He was sitting on the couch next to Jared when the cat innocently hopped up. Cue Jakob quickly standing to move behind Jared. Prepare for it. You know what's coming. That sweet, slightly off kitty cat pounced onto my sweet Jakob. Pounced might be putting it lightly. It enveloped his torso. Picture this: the cat's belly was on top of Jakob's head and its previously assumed 'clawless claws' were going to town on Jakob's back, neck, and arm. Wow. Wisely, Jakob's reflexes took over and he crouched into a ball, protecting his face. Jared grabbed a handfull of fur to pull the cat off of Jakob, our sweet friends were mortified, there were screams I think, and their beautiful lamp had taken its final bow onto their lovely hardwoods. Jakob freaked. Bless his heart, he was hurting really badly, scared to death, panicked, and embarrassed. He has never held me so tightly in his whole life. Our poor friends (who we are NOT upset with in ANYWAY whatsoever) were understandably beside themselves. They had had the cat declawed, but in the way of all things 'Jakob Hardy,' there were still some claws left in there when that cat felt threatened. Last night in the bathtub, Jakob said to Jared, "I think Miss ____________ is wrong. Her cat does have claws." Yeah, buddy. I'd say so! What a memory.

Where does the time go?

2010-02-23T11:46:00.000-06:00

Wow. It has been a while to say the very least! One way to tell when things around here have gone crazy is to see how long it has been since my last blog update! Whew! While the busy-ness has been so much fun and rewarding, it required that some thing take a backseat. The blog got pushed to the rear-end for sure! Since Christmas, we have had eight straight weekends of work-related contests, clinics, concerts, and commitments. (like the alliterations?!) One of these days I'll catch up on everything on here (yeah, right!) but in the mean time, let's just pick up where we are, shall we?!

While thing have been quite exciting and successful professionally lately, the greatest accomplishment of our lives has come into fruition. That's right...JAKOB IS POTTY TRAINED!!! Eight months, 16 days. Longest. Year. Of. My. Life. God love him, he proved everyone right...one day, it just clicked. Praise the Lord! I know without a doubt that I learned a lot more during this journey in Jakob's life than he ever did! I have been so embarrassed at the amount of time it has taken to reach this point. "Jakob is so smart." "Jakob could teach others how to do what he refuses to do." "Jakob is just doing this to spite me." "What have we done wrong?" "What must people think of our parenting skills?" Yep. Thought it all and more. God has really started a change in my thinking toward other parents/situations. What a life lesson I should have learned a long time ago: you just don't know the road someone else is walking. Give some slack. Give compassion. Shut. Your. Mouth. It has been a tough lesson, but one that I pray will stick with me and continue to revolutionize my thinking and my parenting.

Lily is 7 and a half months old. Seriously. We are having more fun with her. She is so laid back until she gets hungry or tired. Then, she goes 0 to 60 in no time at all! Her hair is continuing to turn the most beautiful shade of red and her attitude matches it perfectly! Just like Jakob, she is a late bloomer in the teeth-cutting category. We have buckets of drool and no teeth to show for it. Poor thing. She said her first word on February 1: 'Da-da.' You can imagine Jared's excitement! Soon after, she mastered 'bye-bye' and the wave. We are trying so hard to soak her up during these last non-mobile days. Her laugh. Her smile. Her excited discoveries of her hands, feet, and tongue. Just her. I could eat her up!

Jared and I are just trucking along. I realized that my Christmas cards are still sitting, unfinished, in the floor. We may be sending St. Patrick's Day cards with a Christmas theme and Lily's birth announcements. I am still the world's worst at actually sending things. Sorry. We are preparing for concert and sightreading contest on March 11 which is Jared's big day, but doesn't require any after-school work! Halleluia! 5 rehearsals left. Yowzas!

I don't even have a new picture to add. I'll work on that. Now, where is my camera cord again?

this is IT!!!

2010-01-07T22:39:00.000-06:00

Okay, if you read this blog often or know me personally, you know exactly what this blog is about...my life's worth. Okay, not entirely, but it is certainly what my job comes down to each and every year. This is Area audition weekend. Who will and will not be with us in San Antonio for the TMEA All-State Choir? We have 11 students going with us this weekend, and I could not be more proud of their hard work and dedication this year. They have been working this music and auditioning stage by stage since July...July, people. I don't have that much dedication to my home decor! If you happen to think of 11 random kids or one crazed vocal coach on Saturday, please send up a prayer (or a thousand prayers!) for strength of voice, calm presence, and crisp precision of technique. We have all worked so very hard for this weekend, and I pray that we will have more celebrating than not this weekend! Thanks, faithful friends!

The Greatest Decade

2009-12-31T18:24:00.000-06:00

2010. Wow. Can y'all believe it?! When I think of just the numbers side of things, it seems like yesterday that we were holding our breaths for Y2K fallout. When I think of the situational side of things, however, it seems like 2000 was a lifetime ago. I was a sophomore in college, not even dating Jared, serving as Miss Wayland, and refusing to grow up. I was 'working' for my college choir director. (I missed more often than I showed up, that is for certain!) The circumstances of my life were not the greatest, made so by my own choices. I can only imagine the massive prayers sent up by my parents during the beginning of this decade. How sovereign God proved Himself to be.

Highlights of the decade: Jared. Jakob. Lily. I loved our engagement, wedding, and honeymoon. It was all home-made. ~~Cheap.~~ Practical. We were so truly broke. Although I would re-do the color scheme, the gift registry, and the flowers, I wouldn't change the outcome of June 8, 2002 for anything in this world. I remember our first apartment was the tiniest thing you can imagine. What should have been the 'master bedroom' for our unit was the laundry room for the entire complex. I need to remember that aparment when I feel my current walls closing in around me! This decade brought Jared and I the gift of debt...yep, the gift. We have now officially climbed out of the pit and on to solid ground. What a gift to fight together against a common adversary and come out on top. God proved Himself to be our Deliverer and our Portion. We bought our first home after living in more rent houses than I care to remember. We have jobs that allow us to serve others as a family. Jakob has been with us at good ole FHS since day #1. God love him, all of his milestones seem to happen in the choir room. I'm sure Lily's will too! I love that, though. We are blessed to share our days with one another: good, bad, or ugly. What a gift the Lord has given our family through Frenship and our 'jobs.'

As I look back 10 years ago, I see way too many of the same character flaws within myself than I should. Lack of margin. Lack of follow-through. Lack of relationship. Lack of self-control. Lack. Lack. Lack. I'm not one on resolutions. (lack of follow-through and self-control, you know!) But, this decade I hope to allow the 'lack' to be filled up...to be made found 'lacking in nothing.' I cannot fathom that when the next decade rolls over I will be the parent of a 13 year old and a 10 year old. Nuts. Simply nuts. One thing is for certain, we lack not in laughter, joy, love, and fun around here, and for those things, I am ever truly grateful to my Father. Happy New Year, y'all.

Christmas in Pictures

2009-12-27T21:13:00.005-06:00

Since I have been the worst blogger ever in the last few months, I decided to make up for a bit of lost time by sharing a TON of our Christmas pictures in one fatal dose! We truly have had a great Christmas so far. As previously mentioned, this is our first Christmas at home for the whole break, and we may become spoiled! Hopefully, there will be time and energy in the future to tell some of the stories behind all of these pictures, but if not, make up your own version of what you think might be happening in the pics! Okay, enough words...I'm going back to the fabulous people you see below! Happy New Year's-week!

The Hardy Holiday house including an impromptu mudroom!

No longer just dreaming of a White Christmas!

Frosty Hardy

Lily's First Christmas

Christmas Eve

Christmas morning complete with a well-built-with-love-in-the-snow trampoline and a broken high chair!

Merry Christmas!!! (I promise that I was involved in all of these activities even though the pictures don't prove it! I have reached the 'never in another photo, only taking the photo' stage of my life.)

Smart kid.

2009-12-25T21:15:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas from the Hardy Hacienda! While I have so many great pictures and stories to tell from our week so far, one story takes the cake, for sure. This year, Santa brought Jakob a trampoline. Not only was it the only thing he asked for, but it was on sale on Black Friday including the enclosure, and my couch cushions need a break! It takes Jakob quite a while to warm up in the mornings...he takes after me in that manner! This morning, however, we were fully expecting him to be up and at 'em quickly and with great excitment for the tampoline fully assembled in his backyard. Not so much. Here's how it went down:

Everyone: JAKOB!!! Good morning! Merry Christmas

Jakob: *nothing but tired stares*

Me: What did Santa bring you, Buddy?!

Jakob: (referring to the box under the tree and spoken in truly dull tone) a trampoline.

Jared: Where did it come from?!

Jakob: (totally straight-faced and uncaring) Wal Mart.

He did wake up and warm up to things pretty quickly, thank goodness! We hope your Christmas was filled with the light of Christ and the laughter of the season. Merry Christmas!

Christmas STAYCATION!!!

2009-12-20T16:48:00.005-06:00

Whew! We made it to the end! Another semester come and gone with much blood, sweat, and tears left behind from the Hardy, Party of 4. While I am so excited for a little break, I'm sad too. You see at our house, childhood milestones are recorded as to which time of year and which contest are going on. For instance, Lily's first real sickness was during Solo and Ensemble assignment week. Jakob first crawled in the choir room during Celebration rehearsals, 2007. I'm sure every house has their way of remembering milestones, but here they coincide with the choir schedule. Drives me nuts sometimes. I mentioned Lily's first sickness. yeah. That would be right now. Miss Thang has been one sick little puppy this week. What started out as a runny nose and small cough turned into many nebulizer treatments and at least 3 sleepless nights. We'll see what tonight brings. This is not be complaining, though. I have seen this week just how blessed we are around here. While there have been some seriously scary moments for us with Lily this week, I had no doubt that she would be fine and we would get through without a scuff or scar. I have been so mindful of other families who deal with these things consistently and without the promise of "everything will be alright" at the end of it. God bless those families.

It has been a nutty few months. Here's the catch up: my parents are moving to San Angelo. Sold their house. Offered on a new house. Punk buyer in Oklahoma backed out, so they had to back out in San Angelo. boo. Join us in praying for them as this is a yucky time of hear to sell a house. We are so sad to be 'losing' our vacation place in Oklahoma. We haven't been anywhere on vacation since they moved to Oklahoma because their house was truly the most relaxing place on this earth. Nevermind the free babysitting! Here are some pictures from their house when we were there for Thanksgiving. Oklahoma, we'll miss you dearly. Welcome back to Texas, mom and dad...we're glad you're here!

Our boss as school is still having some medicals complications from a cancer diagnosis which has put Jared in the driver's seat on and off during this semester. The choirs are HUGE. The success is HUGE. The work is NEVER-ENDING. The reward is ETERNAL. Nothing more to say there. We are blessed beyond measure in our profession...and busy beyond comprehension.

We are staying home this Christmas...a first in the Hardy family. We are staying home for both of the previously mentioned reasons: 1. my parents have no home (well, sort of...you know what I mean.) 2. we are having to work through the second half of this holiday break 3. Jared's brother's family moved to Lubbock 2 weeks ago. We are excited to be able to be with all of our family (minus my sister and her sweet boys. boo!) at some point during this Christmas week. So, Merry Christmas to y'all! Enjoy your break, no matter how short, wherever it is that you and yours land this year!

Best Show on TV

2009-12-10T22:06:00.003-06:00

Tonight at a big family dinner, Jared and I were asked if we were into the Office. We responded that we were not. I know that it is a huge show and most people who watch it absolutely love it, but we just haven't ever gotten into it for some reason. Then, we realized that our 'office' is just us. Jared and me. Our Office is more like Glee.

Stupid is as stupid does...

2009-12-06T15:39:00.007-06:00

Isn't that how the saying goes? I have neglected my blog for weeks now for two reasons: 1. We have been incredibly swamped, and the internet has been the thing that lost out on time. 2. I had dislocated my camera cord and couldn't upload any pictures. Well, don't you just love when your forced to own up to your own stupidity? Come to find out, our computer has a slot for an SD card. Who knew!? It wasn't until I was trying to find the USB slot to charge the iPod that I saw this strangely familiar looking card slot. Hmmm. I still don't have time today to sit and type, but I DO have time to upload some pictures of two pretty great kids. We've missed you, blog world.

mmmm...peas

So close to sitting all by herself!

Good grief. How do you not fall all over yourself for those eyes?!

Jakob helping to build his new bunk bed.

Dear Camera Cord,

2009-11-09T11:02:00.002-06:00

I miss you. Where in my house are you hiding? I have so many great pictures to post on my blog, and your absense is really complicating things. Please make yourself known soon so that I can upload new photos. (new = pictures from the last 6 weeks) Thank you.

Sincerely,

Carla, your owner

Oh, Jakob...

2009-11-04T17:58:00.003-06:00

...how you make my days funnier! This morning, after waking up DRY in big boy underwear for the first time ever, he was being forced to 'shoot the water', as we say in these parts. He was whining, crying, and generally making it sound like torture when he looks at me with angry eyebrows and says through a growling voice, "Mom-my! I AM NOT RE-SIS-TING YOU!!!" Then, this afternoon at the school he came into my office and asked for the keys. I handed them to him, and he immediately came back with, "Thanks, mom. You always have just what I need...just like Kelly." What? Who's Kelly?! He informed me that I was like Kelly from Kelly's Hardware Store in Sheetrock Hills on Handy Manny...always having everything Manny needs for the job! Thanks, Buddy. I figure being compared to anyone from Sheetrock Hills is high praise coming from a 3-year old!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-04T09:56:00.003-06:00

(otherwise known as 'posts for those who have lost their camera cord and have no time to write a real post.')

Beaming

2009-10-25T21:27:00.003-05:00

Today in the Sunday edition of the Lubbock Avalanche Journal on the front page of the Local section in colored photos (that's a big deal!) you could find a feature story on my amazing husband! It publically praises him for all of the hard work he does, the lives that he impacts, and the heart that he has. I have grown to love, respect, and admire him more than I ever dreamed possible 7 years ago. If you have a minute, check it out! I am SO proud of him.

http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/102509/fea_508731440.shtml

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-14T16:20:00.002-05:00

Dodged a Bullet

2009-10-09T10:01:00.004-05:00

Well, we have only dodged one so far! More on that later... We are hoping to dodge a HUGE bullet tomorrow. As some of you know, tomorrow is our first audition in the All-State process aka 'Carla's Job.' This audition and preparation is part of the reason we have been so stinking busy lately. We are hoping to dodge the flu bullet. As of yesterday, 6...SIX!...of my top students were running fevers and losing their voices. AH! So, my heart is in a panic for them, and I am so hoping that none of them actually have the flu. I am naive enough to pray that they are just tired and allergy-stricken...here's hoping. We'll see tomorrow if we did, indeed, dodge that bullet!

Yesterday, however, we dodged an even bigger bullet. (There shall be no comments on my poor parenting following this post! Got it?!) Lily was asleep on our bed while Jakob was watching morning cartoons. This is not uncommon in our home. I went to make his lunch, reminding him if they needed anything to call for me. Reminder...we live in a very small house. I'm not far away. So, I'm packing lunches when Jakob comes into the kitchen and whispers something to me. I thought, "Surely he didn't just say what I think I heard." Yep. I did. "Mommy, I dropped Lily." This is so surprising since he rarely takes interest in her! I walked back into my room to see my 3 month old laying prostrate, face planted into my bedroom floor. First time in a while my clothes laying everywhere actually served a positive purpose! I scooped her up, and her screaming became much more elevated. She just simply doesn't cry, so all that noise leaving her body FREAKED Jakob out...FREAKED! He starts screaming and throwing his hands from his head (classic Jakob drama) saying, "Oh, my Lord! Oh! My! Lord!" After I was certain that Lily was okay, I noticed that Jakob was sobbing into his hands. Broke my heart. I scooped him up with her, and we checked Lily out together to prove that she was okay. After things had calmed a bit, I asked him for more details and why he picked her up. As innocently as possible this is what he said, "I wanted her to see Mickey Mouse."

3 Months & Bedtime Stories

2009-10-07T08:34:00.004-05:00

My sweet Lily Hope is three months old today. I am not as sad & sappy as I anticipated! She is coming into her own, sweet personality, & this time around I know the real fun is about to begin! Seriously (my friends will attest to this) she is the most easy-going baby EVER! She sleeps or plays during lessons, church, meetings, choir, small group...you name it! It is like she knows when it is time to just chill. She is MUCH more smiley than Jakob was at this age. He was dramatic from the very beginning! She loves to stand up while holding someone's fingers, coos back at you as though she's in a full on conversation, lights up when she hears Jakob or Daddy enter a room, and reserves her biggest smiles & sweetest moments for her momma. We have a very special knit to one another already, & I love it. In spite of our crazier than normal life these last few weeks, Lily has flourished...we are SO blessed & happy!

Jakob is as hilarious as ever...popping out one-liners more quickly than I can write them down! Last night at bedtime he decided he would tell Lily the story of Spiderman. Here was his intro: Lily...you're my original Lily. God made you that way. Just like God made Spiderman original. He lives in Lubbock, you know.

Alive...I think!

2009-10-05T00:38:00.003-05:00

Yes, we are alive, but VERY behind! Why on earth am I writing a blog at 12:40 am when this week is going to be such a blur?! Because I have stinking cute kids! I'll explain a lot more about what we've been up to later on when I have a real second to sit and waste, but for tonight...enjoy! My dryer is calling me...bzzzzzzzzzz

Old Testament 101

2009-09-15T22:42:00.001-05:00

Tonight at bed time, Jakob told us that Abraham's wife's name was Mallory. Nice.

Makes Perfect Sense to Me!

2009-09-14T09:11:00.004-05:00

When you're putting off housework and cooking...write a useless blog entry!

Jakob has begun dressing himself, and mommy has decided it isn't worth the fight to make him match or look non-homeless!

Lily, the chunkiest ballerina of all! We're breaking the mold around here!

Sittin' pretty!

Finally...a picture where Lily resembles Jakob! They ARE siblings!!! But, really!? Is she this big already?!

Remind Me...

2009-09-13T15:42:00.002-05:00

...why I do some of the bone-headed things I do! Friday night I packed up my two precious children and three precious students and headed to Frenship's football game in Abilene. I had worked all morning to get things together: blankets, changes of clothes and underwear, pull-ups for the trip home, snacks for the trip and the game, separate bags for the car and the stands, and the list could go on and on! I was prepared! What could I have possibly missed? Hmmm...how about checking a map and a weather report. We left as soon as sectionals were over, but still got off later than I had hoped. Jared texted me the directions as he was already there with the radio crew. Over half way there, we went through a small shower so I called Jared for a weather update. Rain. Nothing bad, just non-stop rain. "Surely it'll pass before we get there!" I thought, foolishly! No umbrellas. No hoods. No ponchos. Newborn and three year old. Good, Carla. Really good. I decided these were the things memories were made of, though! No worries! I brought long sleeves and pants for the two of them. It would be fine! About this time, it hit me that I had no earthly idea where on the road to Wylie Jared's directions began. I saw an exit that sounded familiar, but passed it. Bad idea. 40 minutes, one emotional melt down in front of my children and my students, and one gas station in the middle of no where we finally ended up at the stadium...after half time had ended. Great. I then dropped my son's pants in the mud and forgot just about all of Lily's stuff as we headed up into the stands and into the rain. I must have looked like the worst mom of the century as we walked up there without an umbrella with my 2 month old. Poor Jakob. He was so excited to go and see the Tigers. He LOVED sitting in the rain and refused the umbrellas that my sweet Jared had wrestled from somewhere. The only problem was that we were only there for about a quarter and a half with our sweet Tigers losing. Jakob was not too thrilled when the game ended. "Momma! We JUST got here!" No kidding, Buddy. So, we drove almost 4 hours (that includes the guided tour of the greater Abilene area!) to watch roughly 30 minutes of a game and then return home at 2 am. Thank goodness for Bryce, Barclay, and Lauren! They were such a HUGE help and are the ones who actually got us 'un-lost'! I took a huge humility pill and tried to find the humor! They say they'll even do it again with me, but with printed instructions!

Off To The Races

2009-09-09T09:03:00.005-05:00

That's what we are...off to the races! This school year is in full swing already, but dare I say that we are enjoying this one more than any other?! My decision to cut the studio back has been one of the best I have ever made as we have MADE dinner and eaten it together nearly every night. I know, for some that seems so 'normal,' but it had never been the case with us because of my studio's schedule. We are LOVING the new year! With the new school year comes all kinds of other firsts for our little fam: Jakob's first day of PDO this year and Lily's first shots. Jakob has had a great first week of school, FREE FROM ALL POTTY ACCIDENTS! (free only at school...home is a totally other story!) Yesterday when we picked him up, his teacher from last year told us that he called out during nap time to his class, "Guys! God will be happy if we stay on our nap mats!" If that isn't the most ironic thing he has ever said since he is the great nap evader!

He wanted NO part of taking the 'first day' picture this year.
"Mom, if you make me take the picture, I'll just go back inside."
Okay, maybe I'll look at you for just a minute...
"Jakob, if you'll just fake one smile for me, we'll go get donuts!" Success!
Jakob found a very old pair of glasses of mine in a drawer this week and has been wearing them ever since. Jared took the lenses out so as not to hurt his eyes, and Jakob pitched the longest, most intense fit known to man. "Daddy! You make me blind!" He has a slight flare for the dramatic...

Lily had her 2 month check up yesterday with Dr. Liz! True to form, Lily did amazingly! She now weighs 11 pounds 12 ounces and is 23 inches long! That is in the 75 percentile for both height and weight. She got three shots and did wonderfully. Dr. Liz's nurse let me hold her during the shots, something we didn't ever get to do with Jakob. It was SO nice to hold her tightly during the shots. She cried at the initial poke, but finished within seconds of her shots. She went on about the day like nothing had happened. She is smiling SO much, starting to 'talk' back to us, and stay awake for much longer periods of time. She sat up in my lap on Sunday morning listening to every word of Todd's sermon without a peep. Precious!

Miss Lily working on tummy time. She usually just falls asleep when put on her tummy.
Sweet, smilin' girl
Hello, beautiful...
Completely limp...

There's my girl.

Lily can sleep anywhere.

hmmmm...maybe black hair doesn't become us!

Special Announcement!

2009-09-05T14:23:00.003-05:00

Go and check out Lily's birth announcement! Ashley has once again out done herself! I LOVE them!!!

Football Fridays with a Little Jakob Wisdom

2009-09-05T08:54:00.005-05:00

Woo Hoo! Football is BACK!!! No one is more excited than Jakob and me! He has been to just about every Frenship games since birth...even the ones that were so cold I landed in the 'bad mother' column. Oh, well! He loves it as much as I do! Last week, my mom graciously kept Lily while Jakob and I had a date to game. We had one of my favorite times together that we have ever had. Jared is the color commentator on the sidelines for Frenship football radio, so it is just me and the boy in the stands...SO FUN!!! Cheering for a winning team is always a little more fun, too!

Jakob and Daddy on their mics! (Cell phone pictures only from last week! Sorry!)

Last night, I decided to venture into uncharted territory...both kids to the game...Yowzah! Thanks to my husband buying the two season ticket seats next to us (Thank you, Jared!) I called in reinforcements by the names of Bryce and Barclay! Rachel stopped in to help out also. I strapped Lily in the carrier, got Jakob all set with his backpack of goods, and off we went! We were so not on time, but that's okay. We made it with about 5 minutes left in the first quarter...it was already 20-0 in favor of our Tigers. Ouch.

Bryce and Lily

Barclay and Lily

The only not-so-good part of the night turned into one of the sweetest things Jakob has ever said. There were a group of high school guys who had painted themselves and donned scary Halloween masks and makeup in the name of 'spirit.' Anyway...Bryce took Jakob to go to the bathroom, and those guys were in the bathroom getting all 'psyched' up. Jakob FREAKED out...FREAKED. He was shaking, crying, and truly frightened. Poor Bryce! They came back up to the stands, sans pee, and told me all about it. Jakob crawled into my lap, laid his head on my shoulder, wrapped his arms tightly around my neck, and began reciting a verse we say at night time. He was chanting it almost...over and over. "The Lord is my Helper. I will not be afraid. The Lord is my Helper. I will not be afraid. The Lord is my Helper. I will not be afraid." Over and over. Bless his heart. After half time, the pee attempt was made again, only to find the Tiger mascot half-dressed, taking a break. Jakob FREAKED again. Bless his heart! This morning, we woke up with our sweet, still-scared boy in our bed. He picked up a book and began 'reading' Bible stories to us....never mind that the book was a Halo book! Anyway, he told us all about David and Goliath in great detail and threw in some Three Little Pigs. It was a great rendition of both stories. Then, he made his correlation between Goliath and those 'bad guys' from the football game. Here is Jakob's application: "The Lord is my helper. I will not be afraid because He will huff and puff and blow your house down!"

Wordless Wednesday

2009-09-02T17:40:00.001-05:00

Nana Came 'Home!'

2009-08-28T10:11:00.003-05:00

Every time my mom leaves, Jakob asks, "When is Nana coming back home?" So sweet! Well, Nana came home this week! Each year, she so graciously comes during the first week of school to allow Jared and me to work out the kinks at school and get things accomplished while Jakob and now Lily can ease back into our schedule. It is the GREATEST gift that she gives us...time with our kids!

Lily was so happy that Nana was coming!

Silly face dances! (My mom is going to kill me!)

Priceless time...

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-26T21:37:00.002-05:00

Ready or not...

2009-08-23T18:12:00.003-05:00

...here it comes! School starts tomorrow, and I can hardly believe it! I think we're 'ready' as far as the 'stuff' of school is concerned, but we are certainly not ready as far as our motivation is concerned! We have had such a glorious summer with our family!

This weekend, my phone was stolen at Wal Mart on tax-free weekend after our eye appointment was cancelled....all in about an hour. SO, today I got the next best thing on the Sprint network to the iPhone...the Palm Pre. I have no idea if I like it yet as the Sprint network is down to Pre Activations until at least 8 pm tonight. There. I have complained. I am perturbed.

Okay, on to much happier and less crabby things! Jakob has had an interesting week. He has had some not-so-great moments, but has had some true-to-form Jakob moments also! We had some friends stay with us this weekend, and therefore, Jakob slept in our bed. During his nap on Friday on our bed, he found a RED SHARPIE in my office stuff. I didn't think. My sweet little artist in the making took FULL advantage of his private time with the dreaded marker. (What's more ridiculous is that this little occurrence happened AGAIN last night only with a water-based marker! We are about to outlaw markers from this house!) As frustrated as I was with the fact that he was covered from head to toe and my sheets were decorated in permanent marker, I had to take pictures!

Lily has just been trucking along, sweet as ever! She is smiling a lot now, especially in the mornings. This week at the school, she was an absolute angel...slept, ate, pooped, smiled. Perfect. She will be with me this year at school, everyday, just like Jakob has been since the very beginning. I am so blessed to have my job with this benefit, this gift. So, tomorrow we're off...Jared, Carla, Jakob, and now Lily...off to Frenship High School to have more glorious family time!

Jakob, Lily, and Daddy on Jakob's nap mat in my office. This picture was taken moments after Jakob picked up and carried Lily across the room...I know, not good. It was with permission, I assure you! I'm telling you! It was a crazy kind of week!

Joy(?)Land

2009-08-18T22:57:00.002-05:00

Our church has a Joyland night every year...I just learned this! It was not only Jakob and Lily's first trip to Joyland, it was mine too! I don't feel as badly as I thought I might, though, about living here for this long without going to our famed amusement park after hearing of all the people who have been here longer and were there for their first time! :-) It was a lot of fun and is super geared toward kids...other people's kids! Jakob panicked on the helicopter ride (goes in a circle), on the chariot ride (also, in a circle), and would only get on the carousel with Mr. Tom. Joyland has a ski lift that goes just above the trees for the length of the park. Jakob did agree to ride it with Jared, and then with me. As Jakob and I were riding (at the speed of a turtle!) the ski lift, I pointed out the little orange 'roller coaster' to him. This ride is the equivalent to riding in a car on a bumpy road...at best. I asked if he wanted to ride it, and this was his response, (while patting the safety lap bar) "No, mommy. This is my roller coaster." You gotta start somewhere, I suppose!

The Things We Do For Our Children

2009-08-09T23:57:00.002-05:00

What we didn't document was just minutes before this picture was taken, I was blowing up the pool WHILE nursing Lily. I know, I should wear a cape!

May I Recommend...

2009-08-07T22:50:00.003-05:00

...two things! I'm no BlogHer reviewer (or whatever...I don't really get that!) but do I ever have two recommendations for YOU! The first of which is a new baby lotion that was NOT around last time I was worried about a baby's bottom being all kinds of smooth. I gave up on Jakob's after he managed to get 30 splinters in his rear end in his Sunday School room. Hopeless. Dr. Liz, the incredible, gave us gifts upon gifts for Lily, and I took note. Here is another great thing about being friends with your pediatrician...you can REALLY trust the products they bring to your baby shower. Anyway. I digress. In the big bucket of joy (as I've called her gift) were two fat-daddy bottles of lotion WITH the pump, which is the most important thing of all when trying to hold up legs with one hand and lotion with the other. It just gets messy otherwise. They are both Johnson and Johnson brand and one was the soothing nighttime scent, which I used with Jakob, so I naturally gravitated to that one for the last month. Tonight, however, I was feeling rebellious. I ventured into the world of (insert trumpet anthem here) Vanilla Oatmeal. Glorious. Truly. It will not only lather my sweet baby girl, it will replace my Bath and Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom. Love it. Again, Liz, you're my hero!

Okay, the lotion was great and all, but the next recommendation could very well change your life. It certainly changed my night. It is my great goal to start this INCREDIBLY hectic school year with an organized, everything has a place and every place has a thing, house. Got it? If we can't find a nook for it, the item in question is leaving our house! This is a difficult task, however, when the other people in your house aren't exactly feeling the pressure to spring clean in the summer. So yesterday as I was browsing the isles of Target, I saw a light shining down from heaven on a dry-erase, magnetic chore chart with magnetic stars and rewards. Oh. My. Word. Earlier today, I sat down with Jakob and showed him his four daily tasks. Toys. Books. Dirty Clothes. Costumes. Pick up everything, everyday and get to put your star magnets on the chart. When you earn a specific number of stars, you get a big prize. Not only did my stubborn three-year-old pick up (really pick up) his ENTIRE room tonight for the first time in his life without falling in the floor screaming "I can't!" and "I don't know how!", but he picked up the ENTIRE HOUSE of his toys. I wasn't going to push the envelope tonight, you know. To my great pleasure, though, he rescued his golf clubs, light swords, and baseball stuff from my living room WITHOUT BEING ASKED!!! The only downside...he told Jared and I we weren't going to earn our stars for our room. He's right. Not today anyway! Who cares if he poops his pants multiple times daily?! He loves the chore chart! (No laughing when tomorrow night's post is all about how the chore chart has failed me!)

One Slice of the Pie

2009-08-07T00:44:00.004-05:00

Today is Lily's one month 'birthday.' What a wonderful month it has been. The sad part, though, is that one piece of our twelve month pie is forever gone. I hope I took enough pictures! This is already one incredibly fun and blessed journey...bring on the rest. I like pie.

What in the world have you people done?!

Me and my girl

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:14-21

My, How Things Have Changed!

2009-08-05T15:20:00.004-05:00

Wow. My sweet girl is four weeks old. Wow. We have had the most glorious month, though! I have loved literally every second with her and have tried so hard to enjoy and savor each moment. I still feel like it has flown by, but I feel much less sad than I did with Jakob, since I feel so much more in control this time around! Lily is great. Great! Here are her milestones over the past month: She sleeps. A lot. An awful lot. She eats. A lot. An awful lot. She pees. A lot. An awful lot. We have been peed on more by our daughter than we ever were by our son. I swear, she feels the air hit her hiney and lets the river flow! Too funny! She is SO not lady-like when 'taking care of business.' She grunts and yelps through every poop and toot! Seriously. It's like an old constipated man! It is a real show to watch. I feel a drama queen coming on strong! She is Monday, she started smiling at appropriate times and in response to us. I LOVE that time! She started trying yesterday to push with her legs whether in our lap or in her cradle. Lily eats every three hours at the longest. Here is the proof!

Lily at four days old...5 pounds, 11 ounces

Lily at 2 weeks, 7 pounds

Lily on Sunday afternoon, roughly 4 weeks, each cheek weighs 2 pounds (ha!)

Well, Lily is hungry again. I'll blog all about our wonderful vacation later this week. I'm off to fulfill my duty as Elsie!

One Can Only Hope...

2009-07-26T13:56:00.009-05:00

...that I turn out like my mom. She (and my dad) have been absolutely irreplaceable in our lives over this last month. You see, my mom and I are very similar in a lot of ways, which caused some pretty entertaining yet heated moments when I was in high school. Let's face it, the last thing you want to be at 16 is your mother! However, as I look back at our relationship, even the door-slamming days, I see just how special my mom is. I must admit that one of the reasons I was so excited to have a little girl was to hopefully have the kind of relationship with Lily that I have with my mom. I am learning that there is nothing quite like that bond. My mom was diagnosed with MS when I was around 10 years old. I have vague but specific memories from that time. I do remember wondering if it would always be like 'that.' Painful. Stressful. Tiring. Hard. By the grace of God alone, it has not always been like that for my mom. I have watched her with Jakob over these last three years, and I swear to you, she who should have the least energy, has the most! Jakob and Nana leave the rest of us in the dirt! I adore watching my son with my mom. He looks at her in a way that no one else sees. He always has. It is as though he has known from the beginning that Nana was wholeheartedly in his corner. I am so excited to see all of the things that Lily and Nana share together as well. (If the wall, yes I said wall of bows in her room is any indication, we are in trouble!) Mom has made me feel much more adequate as a mom than I really am. She is so encouraging to me. She, alone, knows when and when not to make a suggestion or give a compliment. I love that about her. She is my very best friend...just check our cell phone minutes if you doubt that! That friendship, though, has developed since Jared and I have married. She was my 'mom' when I was still living with them. Friends? Sure. Parent? Absolutely. My mom is such a godly example to me in marriage and parenting...truly Proverbs 31 right down to the making of your own garments! The point of all this? Mom has had Jakob for nearly 3 weeks, either here or in Oklahoma. They have swam, made crafts, had sword fights, cuddled, read, sang, danced, and the most important thing of all...she has continued in the unsuccessful potty training bid! She has cleaned out his poopy underwear for three weeks now. I told you, she is a saint! We are going tomorrow to spend this week at mom and dad's house, and we could not be more excited! But as we go and resume our role as Jakob's caregivers, I just wanted you to know, mom, that you are my hero. I thank you for loving me, Jared, Jakob, and now Lily with an unconditional, prayerful love that I can only hope I return to my children. It is truly my hope and fervent prayer that Lily will think of me as I think of you...it would be my highest compliment. I love you, momma.

Nana with Jakob

Nana spending some special time with Jakob getting ready for Lily.

Nana with Lily

Nana with Jakob and Lily

Nana playing Cars dominoes with Jakob 'and' Lily. No one else would get in the floor at the hospital. See what I mean?! She is Superwoman!

Me, Momma, and My Babies (looking lost and frightened with Jakob!)

2 Whole Weeks!

2009-07-22T22:23:00.006-05:00

I feel as though I haven't really written anything since sweet Lily was born! Shame on me! She turned 2 weeks old yesterday, and since this blog is mostly a way for us to hold on to memories, I'm including some crazy kinds of things in this and future posts...please don't feel obligated to read! :-) When we left the hospital, Lily weighed a hefty 5 pounds 11 ounces.

At her 2 week check-up yesterday, she had grown half an inch to 20 and 1/4 inches long and had gained to 7 pounds! Woohoo, Lily! Jakob weighed 7 pounds exactly when he was born, so I have been holding her a little extra tightly today, knowing that from here on out, the days of my small baby are done. Weird. I know.

Lily is an extraordinarily great baby. She is eating every three hours (roughly) and has never had an issue latching on. It is truly amazing how much less stressful breast feeding has been this time around since one of us kind of knew what we were doing! I am able to enjoy her at this stage much more so than I did with Jakob because I am not freaking out...I mean really freaking out...at every little thing. I feel much more in control. Ready. Not lost. She is pretty angelic, if you ask anyone around here.

UPDATE! It was pointed out to me by those who love me most, I think ;-), that I look as though I have enormous legs in this picture. I assure you that although my legs aren't small, the hot pink bulges in this photo are the boppy. Maybe I can use this picture though as a before and after for losing baby weight! Mmmmm....I may be on to something! Ha!

We are trying so hard to think of all of the similarities and differences between her and Jakob when he was at this stage. It is funny all of the things that I totally forgot from when he was a baby! Some things, though, are coming back when we see her do things. Priceless. That in it's entirety will be another post, but my favorite thing Lily has reminded me of is the way Jakob yawned. It wasn't the yawn in and of itself. It was the all-out fit that he threw after he yawned! It was almost as if he hurt himself while extending his bottom jaw! Funny now. Freaky then!

Jakob is with my parents this week in Oklahoma living the good life! I am really missing my sweet boy tonight. This picture is of him as we left for the hospital two Tuesdays ago. He fell asleep 2 hours early that day as he and I were reading a book on the couch. It was probably better for me that I didn't have to kiss him goodbye that day as I was an emotional basket case. Shocker. I know. He may not be a potty training champion (details and requests for advice to come on that subject!) but he is one special, precious little boy. I am one very proud and blessed momma. Short story of the last two weeks: sleep, eat, poo. Repeat at will. Love, cuddle, stare. Repeat and soak up at will. I am praying God touches my memory in a way that I didn't know to ask for when Jakob was this small.

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-21T23:47:00.004-05:00

2009-07-19T18:29:00.005-05:00

I hate how time seems to creep along the last few weeks of pregnancy, and then it FLIES by once your baby is here! Hate it! Such is life, though! I will figure out a better way to be a more frequent blogger, I promise, but this week I just enjoyed my sweet family. My mom has been here since Lily was born and left today with my dad and Jakob. More on mi madre later...I have had a great first week home with my sweet boy, beautiful girl, loving husband, and super mom! Here are just a few pictures of our fun!

My mom made the greatest onesies with tutus before Lily was born! We were so excited to put her in one of them!

beautiful girl...

Chillin' with daddy today after the house emptied.

First time to church all together. We are a pretty blessed crew!

4 Years vs. 1 Week

2009-07-14T22:15:00.004-05:00

July 14. What a day? Today is a day of expectancy...expecting each year to be reminded of just how dark some days can be; expecting this year to be reminded of just how joyful some days can be. July 14, 2005, the day that lilies and hopefulness came into the forefront of our awareness. July 14, 2009, the day that Lily Hope Hardy was due. My goodness...how good is our God? How perfect is His timing? How countless are His mercies? How good is our God? He is the God of full wombs. He is also the God of empty ones. He is the God of healed marriages. He is our God in plenty, and our God in want. He is God...sovereign, loving, and abundant. What else should be our response to our God but to lay back in His strong but gentle hands, throw our arms limp to His power, and rest?

Thank you to my precious friend, Ashley, for taking inspired pictures. You will never know what this picture in particular means to me on this day. Check out her amazing vision at http://www.ashleyrodgersphoto.blogspot.com/.

Lily's Big Day

2009-07-13T15:50:00.004-05:00

Today is a big day for Lily! She got to/is going to get to meet some very special people in our lives! She had her first appointment with....drum roll please....DR. LIZ!!! I could just slap myself because I forgot to take their picture together! I even had my camera in the diaper bag, and Liz had this great top on today...it would have been hot! :-) The good news is that a medical professional agreed with us that she is perfect! Her jaundice looks better, (we're still waiting on the numbers) she is pooping and peeing like a champ, and best of all...she is only 2 ounces short of her birth weight! Woo Hoo! She lost down to 5 pounds 11 ounces by Friday in the hospital, and she weighed 6 pounds, 2 ounces today! SO glad to hear and see that her eating every two hours is paying off! Tonight, Lily is getting to meet "Anna's mom," (as Jakob calls her) Ashley! Ashley is one of my favorite people on the planet...we share the same hatred for phone conversations and love of all things electronic communication! She is my facebooking/texting counterpart! She is also an AMAZING photographer who is shooting my sweet Lily tonight. I canNOT wait to see how Ashley sees Lily through the lens of her camera. I am probably having a super hormonal moment right now, but I am so overwhelmed at how God has placed such precious people in our lives at this time. I am so proud that these people in Jakob's and Lily's lives are more than just acquaintances...they are dear and faithful friends to our family. I am busting with excitement about tonight and feeling more than just a little blessed. THANK YOU LIZ AND ASHLEY!!! LOVE Y'ALL!!!

Since I didn't get a picture today (I really could just kick myself!) I thought I'd give you some from our last morning at the hospital.

Lily is so small and petite when she curls her long skinny legs up, she totally fits under her 12x12 lovie blanket. It melted our hearts!

Lily is so much smaller than I expected that NONE of the clothes I brought to the hospital as possible coming home outfits fit. I knew that they would probably be a little big, but they were ridiculous...falling off of her in all directions! Nana to the rescue! She went out on Thursday and found more than one beautiful option for us. This is the dress we decided on...baby pink with smocking and embroidered flowers at the neckline. I LOVE IT. Lily's feet are unlike anything we have ever seen. They certainly don't belong to Jared or me. They are long...LONG...with toes that could totally pass as other newborns' fingers. Crazy! Anyhow, finding socks for this sweet child has been insane. Today, I tied ribbon around her ankles (loosely, of course!) to hold them on! Mom, again, found these beautiful booties that worked perfectly! Seriously, what would we do without our moms? Can I be this super hero for Lily someday!?

Blogger Buddy

2009-07-12T23:50:00.004-05:00

I am way too tired to type much tonight, but my sweet girl is perched on my chest and insisted we share some pictures with everyone! One of these days, I'll take advantage of all of the WONDERFUL naps I'm getting thanks to Nana and Daddy and add stories to the pictures, but that day isn't this day! We are all doing great...eating every 2 hours or so, sleeping wonderfully, and changing lot of diapers! Hope you had a great weekend! Lily and I are going to catch some shut-eye before our next date!

Our little sun goddess!

Having fun at McDonald's with Nana! (There is a story attached here!)

Thank you, Aunt Mary Jane, for rushing to our rescue and buying preemie clothes! We love you!

Blue's Clues time with my sweethearts...I may never wear makeup again if it means spending that time with my precious kiddos.

If you can't seem to get your own thumb to cooperate, use mom's!

Absolutely melt my heart...

I think these are pretty self-explanatory!

Little Bit of Everything

2009-07-10T07:02:00.005-05:00

I think I may have found a new career possibility...documentary production! I am sitting here trying to be a responsible (i.e. bored out of my mind right now) adult by watching the mother/baby 'channel' at the hospital. Seriously, the year in these videos must be roughly 1976 and features a 'new' requirement of the car seat...a plastic, rocking horse looking thing! SO funny! There must be a better option out there, surely! Lily is in the nursery for her last assessment. I am so excited to be going home today where we can really begin to figure out one another. I hope that I have enough time to share all of the great things that have happened in our first three days with Lily, but today is not that day! i hope you enjoy some new pictures while I go and try to catch a few minutes of sleep before they bring my sweet bundle back to me. Tonight, we blog from home!!! HOORAY!

Jakob teaching Lily all about how to play with his new Cars dominoes...one of his gifts from Lily!

Yep...I know a man who is in big trouble with his heart!

Female version of Jakob!
I'm having a pretty good time with the bows...understatement? Yes, I know!
Can you see the attitude dripping from this picture?! Absolutely frightening!

We are pretty pleased with our little corner of this world...

...so grateful to our Father.

24 Hours of Bliss

2009-07-08T22:42:00.005-05:00

Wow. So long anxiety, hello bliss! We have had the most wonderful day with our family. Jakob could NOT be more precious, kind, loving, excited, and helpful. He has been such a joy to watch! Yesterday as Jared came down the hall from the OR heading to the nursery, Jakob yelled, "MY Lily Hope!" He hasn't stopped saying that since! All of these pictures have wonderful stories, but I'm going to save on the details tonight and get some rest. Here is a quick update, though...Jakob had an accident free potty day today! Atta boy! I cannot say enough to my parents and brother for their taking up the Jakob circus this week. That will be another blog unto itself! Lily has been an absolute angel today. We are still so shocked at how tiny she is...perfectly petite! She is nursing fabulously, filling diapers wonderfully, and sleeping peacefully! Jared and I are SO enjoying our time alone here in the hospital. 'Romantic' walks around the maternity floor, late night jello dates...you know, the good stuff! We are trying to savor every moment we have before life slaps us in the face again. I am recovering really well...sore, but good. We have had such a great time with our friends coming by for short, perfectly timed visits and look forward to seeing Jared's family tomorrow evening when they return from fetching Meredith after her return from Uruguay. I'll fill in the details on these pictures later, but for tonight...enjoy! We certainly are!

Yeah...it is just a little too big for our tiny little head! She'll get in it, though! Of this you can be certain!

Jakob singing the Veggie Tales Theme Song to Lily. You can hear the action on my brother's Facebook page...

Hope you're all having a great, blessed week. Squeeze your family and friends...I cannot wait to tell all about how so many of you have stunned us with love this week. Good night, all!

Lily Hope Hardy

2009-07-07T23:32:00.003-05:00

Okay, our computer ran out of disc space to load more than 5 pictures, so you're getting just a few highlights until we get a flash drive here tomorrow! That would be the one thing I didn't think of checking...hard drive space! So, for sake of time and mama-fatigue, here are the important things! We are BOTH doing great and feeling fine. Our first feeding went fabulously, and we couldn't be more smitten with our beautiful baby girl! 'Til tomorrow night...

Lily Hope Hardy

5:38 pm, July 7, 2009 6 pounds, 4 ounces
19 and 3/4 inches long
totally adorable and adored...

She Better Be Something Special...

2009-07-06T11:03:00.004-05:00

...because Lily's big brother is quite the riot! You all know he has some classic one-liners! On Saturday, though, he put the whole story together. I was absolutely dying! I was hanging stuff up in Lily's room when Jakob beckoned me to the living room for "choir practice." Peculiar. I walked into the living room to find all of Jakob's favorite 'friends' lined up on the (and I quote) "risers." He told me it was time to rehearse. "Sit down, tall back, Mommy." Then he positioned himself in his chair, (I don't know where this came from since no one sits for a second in the choir room, but oh well...he's probably the smart one!) and counted off the group. "a-one, a-two, a-one, two, three, four! This little light of mine! I'm gonna--- STOP! That's MY part guys!" I lost it! Then, I got in trouble for laughing during 'hearsal.' Figures! This sort of action continued for a few minutes when he brought Donald Duck to me on the couch, and I kid you not, this is exactly what he said. "Donald can't sing. He needs some private time, Mommy. Donald, come back when you sing better." Rehearsal was over for the day.

This was the stretching part of the warm up, I suppose! (I don't plan on incorporating this into our rehearsals...don't worry!)

Last Weekend of Lasts

2009-07-04T23:29:00.003-05:00

I tend to think of things in really weird ways when it comes to dates and big, life-changing events. For instance, I had a bottle of saline solution in the headboard of my high school bed for four years. I opened the bottle (and used all of it) during my freshman year, but the expiration date was in the month and year of my graduation. I remember thinking that there was no way that date would ever arrive! Sure enough, though, the bottle expired and I did, in fact, graduate from high school. This weekend has been filled with 'lasts' and next week will be filled with 'firsts.' It is really crazy how life changes. I think Jakob senses a little bit that things really are going to be quite different, also. We were both exceptionally clingy to one another today. Nothing got done on my list, but I had a great day with my sweet boy...our last day of just the two of us. My parents and brother will be here tomorrow and Jared is off from the dealership for a week! I'm so excited and ready for all of the help that is here and coming, but I must admit that I have loved these weeks of just Jakob and me more than I can say. After Jakob was born, I had a really hard time (for longer than I care to admit!) being totally okay with everyone being around...holding, cooing, doting, etc. It had just been the two of us for 39 weeks, and I liked it that way! Who knows if I'll have the same feelings with Lily, but one thing is for certain...I have treasured my summer of just Jakob and me. (Just during the days...I don't want to make it sound like Jared isn't here! :-) Trust me, not only is Jared here, but his love for me this summer is an entire blog unto itself!) So, yes, today was spent with somewhat sad thoughts: our last lunch just to two of us, our last nap time together just the two of us, our last game of rolly-ball just the two of us, our last time making muffins just the two of us, our last...you get it. While I am so tremendously excited beyond words for Lily to be here on Tuesday, I have been overwhelmed today with just Jakob. His humor, his heart, his voice, his face...my baby boy. I am so proud to be his mommy and so excited to see him as Lily's big brother...a whole new 'first!'

Our last family of 3 (and a half!) picture! Happy 4th of July!

Year Old Watermelon!

2009-07-03T22:01:00.003-05:00

My sweeter-than-watermelon boy last July...

He'll Grow Out of It...Right?!

2009-07-02T22:51:00.004-05:00

Potty training...not done yet...he's not telling us when he needs to go...still counting on at least one poopy pair of underwear per day...but still with our heads up! He does so great if I just take him every now and then, and I have no doubt that it will...it will...just click one day. We see signs of him getting closer to that light bulb moment, and hopefully his regression won't be too terrible when Lily gets here. We'll see. Anyway...since he isn't telling us when he needs to go yet, we have decided that battling the 'when to stand up vs. when to sit down' fight is just not wise right now. I know there are differing opinions on this, but until I feel like he won't poop by accident while standing up, I'm not going there! He'll get it one day! I digress. So, we haven't been having that conversation. By osmosis (meaning: by watching daddy go) Jakob decided last night to go standing up. Jared took him to the potty last night. Here is the scene: Jared and Jakob in the bathroom. Me, on the couch. (where else would I be?!) Jared begins making over-the-top, silent arm gestures for me to come quickly with the camera to the bathroom. This is what I saw. I give you Jakob's interpretation of standing to pee.

Please pardon the condition of our bathroom...I'm waiting on my mom to get here and clean it! (Just kidding, mom...well, sort of!)

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-01T23:24:00.002-05:00

Finally Done!

2009-06-30T23:30:00.004-05:00

Thank you all SO much for your packing suggestions! Keep 'em coming as things may come to your mind! I currently have a list going of literally everything appearing in the comments. Chapstick...I didn't even have that the first time around, and in retrospect, I wish I would have! Nice one, y'all! Tonight, Jared and I finally finished Lily's room...well, except for shampooing the carpet, but that will happen tomorrow night. ALL of the bedding and accessories were HANDMADE by my mom. I cannot tell you enough, momma, how incredibly special these 'things' are to me! You did such an incredible job! All we're missing now is a sweet little girl to fill the empty spaces! Tuesday's coming...

This fabric is where all of the madness started! I saw it and fell in love long before we were pregnant. We went and bought all they had the day we found out we were having a girl!

Part of the shoe rack from Daddy...he's a good man!

Couple a great Craigslist find with a new, coordinating seat cover, and you've got yourself the perfect little rocker for a little nursery!

My absolute favorite things in the room...Jakob and Jared's artwork for Lily complete with the verse and song lyrics from where her name came.

Lookin' For a Little (okay, a LOT) of HELP!!!

2009-06-30T13:50:00.002-05:00

Three years and two months ago when I had Jakob, I swore that I would never forget a single detail. WRONG. I have forgotten so very much from that time in life. (Enough of that part. I'll be bawling in no time if I continue down that train of thought!) However, this week some things have slowly but surely started to come back to me. This morning Jared and I took Jakob on a tour of the hospital (with a tour guide, of course!) where we will be next week. I am so glad that we did it. When we first arrived, Jakob was expectantly shy and clingy. We could tell he was very unsure of the surroundings and where he would be leaving mommy. But, after about 15 minutes he was telling us he wanted his own hospital! I am hoping that his anxiety will be calmed next week at the hospital. MY anxiety, though? It grew by leaps and bounds today. I started packing a few things this week as they came out of the dryer in an attempt to keep this week as low-key as possible. As we were walking those halls today, I realized something: I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT I BROUGHT TO THE HOSPITAL! I DON'T REMEMBER WHAT I WISHED I WOULD HAVE HAD LAST TIME! HELP!!! Here is where you come in! Tell me what you took that was a huge help, what you wished you had in the hospital, or just the obvious things! Trust me, my mind is gone! There is no suggestion too obvious! I'm counting on YOU!!!

My Snoogle Bug

2009-06-27T22:43:00.004-05:00

I don't know who is loving this pillow more...me, Lily, or Jakob!

Jumping on the Wordless Wednesday Bandwagon

2009-06-24T15:41:00.004-05:00

Just a Little Off the Top

2009-06-23T23:40:00.005-05:00

Today was Jakob's first real haircut. His entire sweet, long life has been spent under the novice, learning scissors and clippers of yours truly. Poor kid. Jakob doesn't do so well, though, with new experiences, so we didn't want to take our first-timer into the barber shop/salon thingy during a peak time. You all know I don't do well with menacing glances in public places! So, anyway, this morning Jared needed a haircut also (as we know that we are about to be taking a LOT of pictures!) so we decided that first thing in the morning would be a great time. Much to our surprise, Jakob did awesome! He had a few moments with 'that look' in his eye, but he was so great! He flirted with the stylist...a sure sign that he is comfortable! He has been checking himself out in windows, mirrors, and clean cars all day long. So cute! When all was said and done, this was his response, "Wow. I look four." There you have it.

Not so sure about this, mom.

This is my sad face. Remember? Goodness, he looks apprehensive!

Daddy's got a death grip!

Seriously! Jared totally has him in a head lock! Whatever it takes!

All that for a blue Dum Dum?! Oh, well...I do look four.

The Snoogle Bleeds

2009-06-21T22:59:00.003-05:00

Today, although it was Father's Day, Jared let me have some time off! After church, I went to the mall to do some last minute shopping before I refuse to leave my home again while Jared and Jakob stayed home to nap and 'take a break' before we all went to the golf course this evening. Jakob had to nap in our room due to a sword fight incident that involved the ceiling fan and light bulb just before nap time. That's another story. Anyway, Jared thought that Jakob was out and went to the other room. However, Jakob was not out. He silently proceeded to go through my side table drawers and make himself at home. Among the things he found and explored were my ever-present Tums collection. I can't get a straight answer as to whether or not he ate any, but he's pooped since then and hasn't shown any crazy sign of delirium, so I'm guessing we're okay. The worst, though, was my red toenail polish. All things considered...you know, a three-year-old, unsupervised, red nail polish...the outcome could have been MUCH worse. However, now it looks as if the great Snoogle got cut...or worse! So, before we go to the hospital, I'm hoping to find a Snoogle pillowcase! He got in big trouble from his daddy. When I came home, Jakob said to me, "I'm sorry I hurt your Snoogle, mommy. I didn't know it would bleed. Please don't be sad at me." Truth be told...I kinda like the new polka dot look!

On a different note, Jakob is as funny as ever. As you all well know, we're in the throws of potty training. Today was a GREAT day...again, another story. Anyway, last night at bedtime, Jakob asked to talk to Lily. So in his own way, he lifted my shirt and said these words straight to my belly button: "Lily Hope, they don't let you wear diapers around here anymore." Truer words have never been uttered.

True Art is a Process...

2009-06-20T22:40:00.003-05:00

...as clearly proven by my 3 year old! I am done with Lily's room! (pictures coming, I promise!) The only thing that is lacking is some art that I wanted Jared and Jakob to do. Tonight was the night, and my oh my, Jakob delivered. It may take 2 full weeks for that poor canvas to dry! He kept saying, or yelling, while he was painting, "Lily is going to LOVE my snakes I paint her!" I could see the snakes at the beginning, but after that, we went to a smiley face, and then to all out collage. Jared's is thought out and precious, but he wasn't nearly as messy, so the pictures weren't as good! :-) These canvases are my favorite things in her room now...even more special than the Mood fabric!

The finished masterpiece!

The Many Faces of Jakob

2009-06-19T10:39:00.005-05:00

My camera has been dead since the end of May, thus, the lack of blog posts lately! On Monday, though, Jakob asked me to take his pictures. Surprisingly, he was in the mood, so this is what I got from my little 'model' when asked for the specific faces. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a goober on our hands!

...happy face...

...sad face...

...mad face...

...sleepy face...

...dancing face...

...silly face...

...surprised face...

...Daddy's face...

...singing face...

Two Steps Forward...

2009-06-17T21:12:00.003-05:00

...fifteen thousand steps back! How's potty training going? Well, this time last week, I would have said, "Great! We're still having some accidents, and poop is a no-go, but really...we're doing great!" Fast forward to today...we're doing horribly. The last two days, he has refused to wear big-boy underwear and asked for a 'diaper.' We haven't ever called pull-ups diapers, and all of a sudden, he has figured out what they really are and that he would prefer to wear them. Yeah. I am currently trying to stay calm and non-frustrated as I feel time crunching down on me! When we started two weeks ago, I really felt certain he was going to have it down and done before Lily was born. (Yes, I was and am quite prepared for great regression when she arrives.) Now, though, who knows. I don't want these last two weeks before she is here to be spent in utter frustration and poor experiences. I want us (Jakob and me) to have a great time together. We'll see. I'm not giving up...I'm just going back to the drawing board. Any and all suggestions (with regard to the fact that I am so out of my mind tired right now...please be polite! :-)) are more than welcome! Here is Jakob helping Jared mow yesterday. Those aren't shadows on his inner thighs...soggy thighs and the negative effects from said event...yep, that pretty much sums up my week so far! :-)

Now I Lay ME Down to Sleep

2009-06-07T15:57:00.002-05:00

Okay, so really, I have no complaints about pregnancy right now. Today, I am exactly one month away from Lily's arrival. Sure, I've got heartburn at night, a bit of lower back discomfort, and short fuses, but really, not that bad at all! This week, however, I have been the non-sleeping zombie. I can't seem to fall asleep at night, and if I do, I can't fall back asleep after I get up to pee...again! I'm tired. Part of my problem, I think, is just that I'm not really comfortable. So, I saw this pillow at Babies R Us and honestly rolled my eyes, thinking that there was no way that was necessary for $65.00. Then, I saw it for $40.00 at Baby Depot, still rolled my eyes (only a bit this time) and forgot about it. Around 3:30 this morning, however, I wasn't rolling my eyes. I needed to try something. So, this afternoon, I took myself and my 10% off coupon that I stole, I mean borrowed, from a magazine in my doctor's office, to Baby Depot and bought a Snoogle Pillow. I am laying with it right now trying to hold my eyes open and suddenly, all is right with the world. I recommend it to anyone, with or without a bun in the oven!

Little Red Riding Hood

2009-06-06T09:17:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Jakob and I saw something on TV about Little Red Riding Hood, and so we talked about it all day. Everything went back to LRRH. Yesterday afternoon, however, I needed to go and get a couple of things from a couple of places to help in the house organization. So, off to Dollar Tree we went to get two more baskets for Lily's vanity. Jakob asked to hold one, and then proceeded to skip, no, all-out-sprint to the other side of the store while screaming, "My mommy's the big bad wolf!" Our shopping excursion went down-hill from there, but nothing else was funny, and I don't want to remember it today! This is one fairy tale where the big bad wolf won...take that Mr. Red Riding Hood!

My Greatest Accomplishment in the Making...

2009-06-03T22:01:00.003-05:00

...is a potty-trained son! I know so many of you can relate! I consider myself to be an accomplished woman: I am married to my very best friend and the love of my life; I have a beautiful son and lovely daughter on the way; I absolutely love my 'job' and the work that I do. Accomplished. But NOTHING in this world, short of salvation, may compare to the joy, nay, absolute delerium that is creeping into my life with each and every potty prize! June was officially declared as potty month at our house. This was the time when I knew I would be home with no where to be, completely focused with Jakob on crossing the single greatest milestone of his life! (Okay, slightly over-dramatic, but still!) We started yesterday, and I am proud to say that he has not had a tee tee accident since! Poop...different story, BUT I hear that pooping is the battle for a lot of toddlers, so I am refusing to get discouraged about it! He is so proud of himself and excited every time we hear the tinkle. We even braved a public restaurant today and used a real potty...twice! I know we have a long way to go before I dare call him 'potty trained,' but things are really going well, and I am so very proud of him...and of me! Thank God for Jared who comes in for reinforcements at the end of the day when holding Jakob and Lily seems impossible. What a team! Thank you, babe! With all of this excitement, there is this sadness in my heart that he is SO not a baby anymore. Today I was taking off all of the tags from Lily's clothes, blankets, and what-not when Jakob came in and asked to help with Lily's stuff. He stayed with me for nearly 20 minutes (an eternity in Jakob's world!) putting clothes in the hamper, tags in the trash, and toys in the toy basket. It just hit me what a great helper he is going to be with Lily. He is really getting excited about her being here, something I'll expand on in a later post. He is so precious to my heart, and I have absolutely loved being his mommy. While I really have a hard time wrapping my mind around sharing my time and attention with him and Lily, I am so excited to get it going and see my sweet Jakob with her.

Save the Date!

2009-06-02T08:58:00.003-05:00

I love modern living! Only in 2009 do you sit down with your doctor, your husband, and three day planners via cell phones to decide which date is most convenient for your child to be born! Gotta love it! That's what we got to do yesterday, though! July 7 it is...Lily's birthday, unless someone like God has other plans! :-) (That would be fine too!) We are so excited to have a date set for her arrival and a deadline set for our to-do list. I am considering posting my to-do-before-Lily list on the blog and checking it off here for accountability purposes! Regardless...we are pumped! In the next month, I plan on stuffing this poor blog with Jakob's baby pictures as I am growing ever anxious about adding to our clan. Jakob and I are trying hard to potty train this week...I need these pictures to remind me that I do love him and he is an adorable little man. We'll see what kind of crazy stories come out of this week on the toilet! Should be fun!

Jakob at one day old wearing my favorite hat!

Swaddling was never an option for Jakob...he worked those arms and legs out from the very beginning. Don't fence me in! The arms above the head were a sure sign of real sleep.

Our favorite Jakob-baby face! Those lips made our days...ooooo!

I am so thankful for my sweet little boy!

Jakob's first day to church at 6 days old. Good grief! Argyle never looked so cute all hidden under the harness straps!

Bit o' blueberries...bit 'o nostalgia!

2009-05-27T17:16:00.004-05:00

Do you realize how many things I have NOT posted?! I don't even have Easter pictures up yet! Sheesh! Let's hope I get a LOT done during the month of June! Jared and I leave tomorrow for Austin with 19 of our students for State Solo & Ensemble Contest...my FAVORITE contest/trip of the year! Actually, I hate the contest...its tainted, but the trip is great! While the kids go to Schlitterbaun on Friday, our accompanist and I go shopping at the outlet malls in San Marcos!!! Hooray for miles and miles of discount clothing and goods!!! We already have our day mapped out...just in case I crater half way through the day and the humidity of south Texas! This year, though, since I'm like 4 and a half weeks from Lily Hope coming to say, or scream, hello, Jared and I are going separately so we can take our time and stop when needed. I am just now starting to get slightly uncomfortable...nothing bad at all, but not bus worthy! That is for sure!

Yesterday morning, Jakob and I made blueberry muffins together. We have started doing this every two weeks or so. He LOVES to pretend like he is cooking, so it seems like a natural fit. He did so well yesterday mixing, pouring, scooping...everything. Last night in bed, though, this was his prayer: "Hey, God? I make blueberry muffins today with Mommy. (Pause.) Yeah, we make them for You. (Pause. Looks at me) He says that made Him happy." Melted my heart...it made me happy too! (The picture above is NOT of our muffins, trust me.)

Two of my friends have done posts this last week about giving their sweet little ones baby food for the first time...thanks for the memories Ashley and Emily! So, with all these thoughts of food, past and present, I thought I would pull up Jakob's first tries with the spoon. I think he was better prepared for the moment than we were, truthfully! Who holds a spoon that way and kneels on the floor to feed their baby?! Good grief, I was clueless! But, look at those sweet fat rolls...one thing was for sure...he was a fat and happy breast baby until we had jar foods! Have a great weekend, everyone!!!

Happy Anniversary, Bob and Valarie!

2009-05-26T07:26:00.003-05:00

Today is my parents' 30th Anniversary...wow! I am so in awe of those two as individuals, but especially as a couple. They have always shown Brandon, Leslee, and me such a Biblical example of marriage...a gift I didn't appreciate in its fullness until I was married. When I think about all that they have weathered over their 30 years together, it makes me tired! I mean, my high school years alone were enough to ruin a marriage! I remember when I was in late elementary/early middle school and my mom was going through the hell that is Multiple Sclerosis without a definite diagnosis. I watched my dad care for her before all others. He showed me how to be loved by my husband someday. My dad cleans the kitchen for my mom most nights, if not all nights...including the stove! I don't mean a wipe-down...I mean, he takes apart the gas burners and cleans the kitchen! What a guy! Daddy, I love the way you cherish mom. I love how you serve alongside her and allow your strengths to boost her weaknesses and vica versa. I admire your patience in all ways...why didn't I get that trait!? I thank you so much for never leaving, for always providing, and always making home fun. I really never knew we lived in the ghetto until we were out! Ha! Thanks for my sad, sick sense of humor...I owe it all to you! Thank you, dad, for your godly guidance and counsel to Jared and me during these last 7 years, especially the last three. I know that you will be cheering the loudest when we are debt free together. Mom...my mom. You all know what I think of her as my momma...incredible! AS a wife, a Proverbs 31 woman...stunning. I remember growing up that my mom ALWAYS had a dessert made for dinner. One night Brandon and I were whining about what she had made (ridiculous in hind-sight!), and she said something along these line to us, "I will always make what dad wants before I make what you want!" That is so not word for word, but it stuck with me greatly! I have never doubted my parents' love for us kids, but we all three knew that we were not at the top of the list! My mom made lemonaid out of lemons more often than I ever knew at the time. My parents sacrificed so very much for mom my to stay at home with us, and we never knew it! Mom was so careful to make the days fun, creative, and full...who knew that the rest of the world didn't have grilled cheese and kool-aid everyday during the summer and call it a picnic?! Our house was a home because of my mom. As soon as Brandon and I were old enough to stay home alone for a few hours, my parents went on a coke date everyday when he came home from work...they still do. I love it. My mom has shown me how to stand with my husband and love him even if I don't necessarily agree with him all of the time. Mom, you showed me how to hurt gracefully and love endlessly. You inspire me to be a more Biblical wife to Jared and mom to Jakob and Lily. Thank you so much for your example. I know that both of my parents are mine and Jared's greatest prayer warriors and cheerleaders. I am so proud of them and for them! Enjoy Alaska, y'all! We love you so very much and wish you the happiest of anniversaries!

Behind the 8 Ball!

2009-05-20T15:33:00.007-05:00

Whew! We are so close to being done with this school year! Woo Hoo! South Pacific went WONDERFULLY (if you exclude those dozens of new grey hairs I have now!) on Friday night. Beauty and the Beast went WONDERFULLY (if you exclude those dozens of new grey hairs Jared has now!) on Tuesday night! Jared's TVMS concert is tonight, and we will be in Austin next weekend for State solo and ensemble contest. Then, Jared starts his summer work at the dealership on Monday! Whew, I tell ya! While we are tired (understatement of the century!) we feel very accomplished and proud of our kids! In the meantime, we had some pretty significant events in our lives this weekend! Jakob turned 3...THREE...on Friday! Crazy. I swore that I would not be the mom who always says, "I just can't believe it! Time goes so fast! It seems just like yesterday he was a baby!" And yet...I said all of those things over the weekend! Since South Pacific was Friday night, we had a small, family-only party on Saturday evening. Cutest thing, though...Jakob believed with all of his heart that South Pacific was our high school students' gift to him for his birthday. He sang along, narrated for Nana during the show, and let her know who everyone really was. SO funny! Afterwards, our kids sang Happy Birthday to him while he was on stage, and he smiled this smile of absolute bliss...I have never seen his face look like that before! It was truly priceless. So...here is the first of many posts from this weekend, but this one is the most important of all: Jakob's birthday!!!

Jakob's first doctor's kit: "Now, I'm just like Dr. Liz!"

Jakob and MerMer on the playground

Jakob's fan club (minus a few!) Nana, Daddy, BB, Pa, MerMer, and Jakob (mom behind the camera with Poppy and Bubba at work in Oklahoma and Perryton)

Jakob's Backyardigan Cake

He LOVES people singing to him!

Evidently, we did well!

He's getting so good at giving that posed, 'make-my-momma-happy' smile on cue!

Jakob with BB, Pa, and MerMer...they are ALL pretty fond of one another!!!

Sorry you can't see their faces, but I just love this one!!! Jakob and Nana are pretty tight, to say the VERY least!

Need an Excuse....

2009-05-11T17:06:00.002-05:00

....to pray tonight? Here you go: the school board meets tonight with plans to finalize several 'additional positions.' I will be there at the beginning to introduce and honor our 21 State Solo and Ensemble Qualifiers. Please pray specifically for one of those 'additional positions' to be a NECESSARY choir director! Closed door session starts in roughly one hour, 6 pm. Thanks for petitioning on our behalf!

"We do not make requests of You because we are righteous but because of Your great mercy." Daniel 9: 18b

Fruit Salad, by Jakob

2009-05-08T23:18:00.004-05:00

Start with half of an apple (served out of a used Baskin Robbins cup, of course!)

hmmm...I think I can do better than this...

Show a banana who is boss

This is why God gives us flexible cheeks...

Finish off with rasberries from Daddy!

These are of Jakob at roughly 18 months old. I found them tonight, teared up, and decided it was time to share! Go get yourself some fruit!!!

Past, Present, and Future

2009-05-06T10:09:00.003-05:00

Last night Jared and Jakob bought my Mother's Day gifts. We have done SO much work in our backyard this spring trying to get a play-haven ready for Jakob this summer since his world is gong to be quite crazy. The problem is that there is (was) no where for adults to sit. I had mentioned to Jared that if we could swing it (ha) I would like a really nice porch swing to sit in this summer with Miss Lily while Jakob played. I really didn't expect him to swing it as well as he did! I'll have pictures of the backyard toys he bought me later. For today, I just want to thank Jared for the amazing dad and husband he is. I cannot wait to see him recreate this moment with a pink bundle of joy. I love you, Jared.

Sorry, Mom...

2009-05-05T10:59:00.005-05:00

I really hate cleaning house. Hate it. I enjoy and prefer a clean house, but I would enjoy and prefer for someone else to do it! For those of you that know my mom, she is a Proverbs 31 woman through and through, and God bless my parents, they tried with me, they really did! My mom and I used to fight when I was growing up over typical things (mainly because we are crazy similar in so many ways!), but the number one door-slamming offense was that my room wasn't cleaned. Knock-down, drag-out fights. I have always hated cleaning. My mom, however, keeps the most clean, yet comfortable house you could imagine. I love her for that. I love her even more when she comes and does my house that way! Jared and I lovingly refer to her as the 'night fairy' when she comes and things 'magically' get done! It seems as though many people who hate to clean or tidy up marry their polar opposite...a neat freak! Those people usually end up in a very workable, compromised, clean and tidy relationship. God's greatest joke? Jared and I BOTH hate it. We both work in chaos quite nicely, thank you very much! All that to say this: the month of May is crazy...we all know that! Next weekend is the musical, Jakob's birthday and party in our backyard, and Lily's baby shower! What a fun weekend! The catch? My mom and brother are coming to spend a long weekend with us, and we are having Jakob's party at our house. SO...I have to clean. Thanks to the H1N1 Virus and over-dramatic cancellations, I suddenly have more time on my hands! So, today while Jakob is at PDO and Jared doesn't need me in class, I am trying to get a lot done. (The fact that Jared had to go buy new underwear was a sure sign that laundry was WAY behind...I know, it is not something I'm proud of!) So, here is my top 10 list of things I hate cleaning/doing the most around the house! I'm hoping when I get this off of my chest I will have a blazing productive day!

10. Vacuuming around furniture and toys (I should probably move things, I guess! hmmm...)

9. Clearing off furniture to dust in West Texas wind and dust...it is a pointless venture!!!

8. Washing windows (Okay, I have never actually done this, but I know I need to, and it just seems pointless...again, the West Texas wind and dust.)

7. Making beds...I still stick by my elementary school argument, mom, that it makes no sense to make something up that you are going to crawl back into that very night! And yet, I'm trying to teach Jakob to do so. Vicious cycle. I think this makes me a hypocrite.

6. Matching and folding socks. Does anyone else's skin/fingertips feel funny after folding a basket of socks?

5. Wringing out a mop. I really wish that Swiffer Wet Jet was as great as advertised.

4. Cleaning bathtubs and shower walls. Give me a thousand toilets over one tub surround any day.

3. Unloading the dishwasher. This one might not be as bad in a bigger kitchen where everything had a place. I wouldn't know. Maybe I'll go shopping later for kitchen organization. Shopping...there's something I can get into!

2. Folding, hanging, and putting away laundry. I really don't mind doing it, I just hate putting it away...except for Jakob's clothes. I love folding and putting his away...always have. That's weird, I think.

1. Doing dishes. Jared knew before we married that I just didn't do dishes. I almost added it to our vows. I hate it. He knows that I am either groveling for forgiveness, setting the 'mood,' or finishing up a study of being a better wife if I do the dishes. Hate it. With a passion.

Okay, I'm off to hang up (ugh.) another load of laundry followed by unloading the dishes Jared did last night and finishing up what is left in the sink. No, I'm not apologizing or setting a mood...just figure that after complaining this much, I should go be productive while he is at work. Merry Maids, where are you?!

Nostalgia, Part 2

2009-05-02T22:49:00.003-05:00

I was telling a friend last week that I was beginning to remember the things that women are made to forget after childbirth...otherwise they would not have any more children! You know what I mean, right?! Here is a semi-play-by-play of Jakob's arrival into this world: I went into labor around 6 am on Monday, May 15, 2006 and had Jakob via c-section at 9:00 pm that night. It was a very long day of membrane stripping (sorry...that may have been too much), pitosin adjusting (on, off, on, off, on...), water breaking, and never getting past a 4! I wasn't a labor champ as it turned out! And that was just fine with me! By the grace of God, He had really prepared my heart for that outcome, I believe. I was completely at peace when the decision was made to slice me open...or maybe I was just completely oblivious to what was really going down! Jakob was stuck, and my body just didn't seem interested in getting things over and done! So, our healthy 7 pound baby boy came into this world to a very tired but proud momma and daddy! Here are the night before pictures...

Young, dumb, and unassuming....

I really canont believe that I am putting this picture on here...but it does have a great story! Jared and I wanted to have all of these artsy pictures taken before Jakob was born, but alas, we were broke as all get out! So, my mom took this attempt the night before. I couldn't see the bottom of my belly for the last two months or so and had missed the arrival of those inevitable stretch marks. We didn't have a torso-length mirror in our bathroom, so I never saw my bare belly and the lines that were popping up and out. I would lie in bed and tell Jared how glad I was that I didn't have any stretch marks. He never said a word...never. It wasn't until we took this picture that I saw them...I nearly died of embarrassment! I couldn't believe that he didn't tell me one of the MANY times I 'bragged' about my belly! Now, we just think its hilarious...and I'm watching the 'roadmap' form this time around!

Jakob Mark Hardy, 9 am, May 16, 2006...12 hours old

One perk of a c-section?...Daddy gets to change the first diaper!!! No black tar for me!

Our first family of three picture!

I cannot believe that we are only 9 weeks away from being a family of four...crazy! I am so ready to see her face, smell her skin, and steal those sweet moments that have no words of explanation. Jakob was and Lily will be worth every bit of discomfort, pain, and inability to roll over in bed for MONTHS without full-body effort...that is the part I mentioned forgetting about! I swear that rolling over post-c-section is the worst part of all, but bring it on!!!

"Daddy's in Trouble: He Can't Build."

2009-04-26T13:47:00.008-05:00

Those were Jakob's words, verbatim, last night as Jared and Company began to build a special treat for Jakob. (Obviously, not true...but really funny!) Jakob's birthday is May 15 which is also the performance date for South Pacific. Needless to say, we knew we would be rearranging things a bit this year! The purpose for the garage sale last weekend was to make enough money to buy Jakob a really special gift this year, as his summer is going to be rocked with the addition of Miss Lily Hope. He LOVES being outside...loves it. So, we decided that we would get a swingset/fort thing if we could at all afford it. Thankfully, one hugely successful garage sale later...we could! We are so blessed to have a ton of awesome friends, and two couples of them really came through yesterday! Jacob and Tyson VOLUNTEERED, that's right, to come and help Jared assemble it. They started around 4 unloading and labeling the pieces and finished around 11 last night. This morning Jakob was at our bedside at 5:30 am asking to go outside and play! I am so excited that he will be able to retreat to his playground this summer when things get a little girlie on the inside! THANK YOU SOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSOSO MUCH JACOB AND TYSON!!! (thank you to Kassie and Lauren for lending your spouses all afternoon/evening!) We are forever grateful to you for your friendship!!!

Jakob worked on the box while the big guys worked on the structure. This 'happy' face is a bit of a lie as he pitched quite a fit to be in the middle of the real action!

So...dad eventually gave in a bit!

The Ja(c)(k)obs!

Notice that the sun has now retired. These guys are AWESOME!!!

This face is worth every penny and every minute!!! We cannot believe he is almost 3!!!

I spy many hours of fun in the future!!! (Hint for future builders of said swingset: label your pieces with sidewalk chalk!)

Jared still has to attach the swings and trapeze bar today, but the structural parts are done and FABULOUS!!! I am so thankful for all of the comments either by blog, e-mail, or in person concerning my last blog. God has been very gracious in giving Jared and me energy this week to get things done, and we are slowly but surely marking things off of the to-do list! Today, in fact, we are spending the afternoon and evening outside as a family working on the yard and planting flowers. I NEVER would have dreamed that would have been possible earlier this week! Now, don't ask if we have clean laundry because we don't! BUT...we are going to have some quality time together today. If you smell us this week, just smile and nod!

Tie a Knot in the End of the Rope...

2009-04-22T08:23:00.002-05:00

...and hang on! And hang on we are...for dear life! This is the time of year that school teachers, students, and families just slap a smile on their faces and vow to get through! This year, though, seems a bit crazier than normal, both professionally and personally! I am going to do my best not to gripe or complain in this post, because I love what we do...really love it. In saying that, though, the Hardy Party could use a serious prayer if we just come to mind! We are in the middle of not one, but TWO musicals: South Pacific (HUGE AND AWESOME) at the high school and Beauty and the Beast at one of Jared's middle schools (smaller in scale, but with 13 year olds...need I say more?!). South Pacific will be performed May 15 and Beauty and the Beast goes on May 18. In the middle of that weekend will be Jakob's 3rd birthday party and Lily Hope's baby shower (both of which I am more excited about that anything school related!). Whew! Until then, we are having evening rehearsals from 6:30- 9 three days a week which are proceeded by private lessons from 3-6 daily and on Saturday in preparation for next week's studio recital. Needless to say, my kids and I are seeing a lot of each other these days! Jared is building everything for the middle school performance before May 8 when we all go to Amarillo for Greater Southwest Music Festival. Yee Haw. So, that's school...I think! I'm certain that I'm leaving something out, but whatever!

Monday at my doctor's appointment, I was told that I had "failed my first pregnancy test." (Just my doctor's sick sense of humor!) Evidently hemoglobin is an important part of your blood. Who knew!? Mine has dropped just over 4 points in 4 months, officially classifying me as anemic. Not that great, I understand, for someone facing a necessary, planned C-section! Thankfully, it should be a relatively easy fix with iron supplements and lots of steak! It does help explain why I have been so tired for so much longer this pregnancy.

The main thing that I am asking you to pray for if we come to your mind, though, is Jared's job. No. It is not in jeopardy. Quite the opposite! I need to speak very carefully, as nothing has officially happened, but we do feel the waters rippling and the whispers starting. When we came to Frenship almost 6 years ago now, Jared's main job was to build the numbers back in the choral program. As a team, that is exactly what has happened. Many of you know that Jared teaches at 3 campuses and has done that for three years now. That is not normal. We had seven choirs compete at contest this year and receive sweepstakes, (yea!!!) and Jared took four of those groups. He does a LOT. He handles it fantastically, but we are starting to really feel it more than ever as we prepare for life with two kids. We are really striving to clear some things out of our schedule to become much more family fixated...at our home and not our offices! Well, long story short, we will have over 225 students at the high school next year...225. That's huge, y'all. We are having to open up at least one other choir class as we cannot put everyone in the classes we currently have without having 90-100 voice choirs...nightmare in the making! We have asked for a third director at the high school who would take half of Jared's job. (do you hear the angels singing?!) The new director would do men's choirs at one middle school while Jared directed the men's choirs at the other middle school. Then Carl and Jared would move toward more of a true co-directorship at the high school, a trend that is really catching on in Texas. The third director would assist in those choirs, accompany, and teach at least one high school section of men's or women's choirs. Our administration has been absolutely fantastic in helping us get this position. From our principals to our superintendents, they are on board and see the massive need for this position. We have decided at the request of our administration to add a year-round elementary honor choir that will meet weekly under the direction of, you guessed it, Jared Hardy. We were so excited about this since Jared's school load would be lightened considerably with the acquisition of this new director. Two school board meetings later, though, the economy has evidently hit our part of the country, or at the least the fear of it hitting. As of February, we had found, interviewed multiple times, and obtained the most incredible guy for this new position. We love him, our administrators love him, and our HR people love him. We just had to wait for the 'yes' that must come from the school board. This is where we need prayers. There have now been two hiring meetings for new personnel and as of now, no choir director has been approved. As of Monday night, we were told that it didn't look good. My heart sinks at the thought of Jared's schedule next year with not only this year's responsibilities, but MORE. Add all of that to the joys and stresses of a new born and a three year old, and I am border-line freaking out for my family. I believe with all of my heart that satan is at attack as Jared and I are truly tying at God's urging to create greater margin in our lives. Would you please specifically pray for this position to be approved by our school board? We are unsure of when the next hiring meeting will be, but I trust God will bring it to your heart/mind in an appropriate time. Please pray for the school board members as they do have so much to weigh. I understand that completely, but I am praying they take care of their own. We need this. Our district. Our program. My family. We need this. Thanks for letting me rant and for praying.

Come and Get It!!!

2009-04-17T11:03:00.005-05:00

Okay, so I know that I said I would do any blogging this week, but I have to confess something to all of you! I am a recovering scrapbook-a-holic! I have decided to go all digital in my scrapbooking, so I planned on selling all of my 'stock' tomorrow. However, after going through JUST PART (not even near all of it...shame on me) of my stuff this morning and last night, I realized that I had a bigger problem than I ever dreamed!

12 x 12 papers only!

same stack in relation to a Coke can!...I know, I have a problem!!!
81/2 x 11 papers only!
random scraps that I grouped together by color or theme

stickers, tags, rub-on transfers,...a FULL diaper box!

So, as I was going through everything this morning, I thought I would see if anyone from around here wanted to TAKE any of this stuff before I sell it to the masses (fingers crossed!) tomorrow! If you are interested in getting some FREE, NEVER USED scrapbooking supplies, please just come by tonight after 7! Jared and I will be in the garage getting things sorted, priced, and hopefully, ready! Anyway, no pressure what-so-ever! I will not have my feelings hurt if no one comes by, but I wanted to make my 'loot' available to friends first! Okay, now, I'm off to work, then voice lessons, then a night full of de-cluttering joy!!!

The Low-Down, or Down-Low, or Whatever...

2009-04-14T21:47:00.002-05:00

I am so behind with so many great stories and pictures from the weekend, but alas, they will have to wait! This week, no this month, is turning out to be one of the busiest on record! So, I thought I would fill this with my excuses and then go immediately to sleep, because I am feeling incredibly pregnant tonight. Jared and I began painting Lily Hope's nursery on Saturday. I really thought this would not be a big deal. We've painted a lot of rooms in our short lives together. However, my over-ambitious self has put more on her plate than she can eat!!! The base coats are done, of course, because Jared did those. The decorative painting done by me...not so much! I had hoped to be done by Sunday night. Now, I'm hoping to be done by Sunday night...a week later! We had middle school contest today. Jared took his two middle school men's choirs, and I accompanied both as well as our varsity women's group at Frenship Middle School. One twelve hour day later, Frenship has FOUR more sweepstakes awards under its belt, and two of those are Jared's!!! So, Jared took four choirs this year (2 high school and 2 middle school) and waltzed away with four sweepstakes! I am so proud of him!!! We had a great time this year returning to our first-year roots with me as his accompanist for all groups. I'm telling you...we make a pretty great team! We are trying to register for our baby shower (more details coming later thanks to my wonderful, glorious, outrageous, ooo-la-la friends!) before Friday. That isn't stressful, though! Give me the pricing gun! Saturday is our official last day to have a garage sale. So, I will be spending the rest of this week's evenings digging, sorting, and pricing all things Hardy-junk! Good grief. I'm tired and signing off for the rest of the week! Hope you have a GREAT one!!!

Nostalgia, Part 1

2009-04-09T22:26:00.006-05:00

It is happening. I am becoming increasingly sentimental about no longer being a family of three. Tonight, Jakob asked to see baby Jakob pictures (not all that unusual), and we began going through old pictures on the computer. Then, it hit me. I didn't blog when he was a baby. I use this blog 9 times out of 10 to remember all of the things that he does and says! I don't have that for when he was a baby! So, I've decided for the next three months, I will post some occasional baby Jakob posts...just to make myself feel better! Here is our fat, happy baby at around 4 months old during a diaper change. I should have known then how crazy-active he would be!

Yep. He stole my heart from the very beginning. Tonight, as we were all three laying in his bed saying prayers, Jakob changed his nightly prayer 'routine.' Normally, this is Jakob's prayer: "God. Tank you for da girls." Seriously. That's it, every night. But tonight, it went a little more something like this: (Staring straight at the ceiling) Hey, God? Whatcha doin'? Oh! You playing wif Lily Hope? You take care of her 'til Jakob does? Okay. Sleep good, God." I like the new updated version!

The boy guarded his food from the moment he was born! He was one chunky-monkey!

Quite the content face after that pumped bottle!

I have simply had ENOUGH!

Our sweet baby boy at 10 days old. Jared's brother's wife, Rachel, owns a photography business and took these for us! It was such a fun day, and we could not have been more happy with what she captured! I could post thousands, but I'll spare you all! Check her out at http://www.trinityphotography.net/. Thank you, again, Rachel!

Happy Birthday to Me...

2009-04-07T21:39:00.005-05:00

Yep. He is one of my favorite gifts in my life, April 8 or not. Tonight, after picking him up from BB and Pa's house, Jakob told us he needed to go to 'his grocery store' and get 'candles, birt-day cake, bloons, and curtains for the stage' for mommy's birthday party tomorrow. I need no thing in this world...I need, I want boys. I am blessed...even if tomorrow does mark the first day of the last year of my twenties!

In a Really Good MOOD!

2009-04-05T14:22:00.007-05:00

I have been waiting to do this post for WEEKS! Most of you will probably not connect with me in my distinct PASSION for this post, so bear with me! There is this little show formerly on Bravo (now on Lifetime due to a legal battle...yada yada...) called, drum roll please, Project Runway. During whatever season of Project Runway is airing, my life stops on Wednesday nights at 9 pm...stops. I don't bathe Jakob. I don't answer my phone. I don't pee. I just watch. Glued to the television, waiting to see what AMAZINGLY GOOD or BAD design comes down the runway. I LOVE IT. Okay, I think you get that part. The designers on Project Runway purchase all of their fabrics at Mood Designer Fabrics in New York City.
These are the judges posing in Mood: left to right, Michael Kors, Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, and Tim Gunn. When we learned that we would be going to NYC on choir tour this year, I immediately began to drop hints in Jared's ear that I just wanted to go and get a plastic bag from there. Nothing spectacular. Just let me walk into the building and get that precious black bag with the gold writing. In truth, I knew that was a very slim possibility, as my job in NY was to be a chaperon. A group of high school kids don't want to go to an upscale fabric store. So, I gave up the dream of getting to go to the only place in NYC that I really wanted to go! Until...a certain misfortune came through for me in the form of my sweet husband. Here is the short version: before we even knew we were pregnant this time, I found this fabric that I absolutely fell in love with. I told Jared that if we ever had a little girl, I wanted her nursery to be done in similar fabric. As soon as we learned we were having a girl, Jared and I left the doctor's office and headed toward the fabric store. They only had 2 yards of my original fabric in stock. I bought all of it and the coordinating fabrics that I wanted to work with, as my precious, talented mom is MAKING all of the bedding and coordinates for Lily Hope's room! So, here was the problem: after we searched literally EVERY JoAnn Fabric store from Albuquerque to St. Louis and their distributors, we learned that there was no way of getting any more of the original fabric or the selected curtain fabric. Bummed doesn't begin to describe my emotion. I was devastated, as only a pregnant woman can be when she has her heart set on something for her baby! It was bad. My sweet husband, though, has paid attention in our marriage! In a quiet moment two days before we left for New York, he whispered (literally) in my ear, "Don't you think Lily would love having curtains hang in her room from Mood?" I stared blankly as though he was speaking another language. He actually KNEW what Mood was?! Good man. So, off we went. Our boss graciously let us 'disappear' from the group for an afternoon, and we caught the F train to 34th street and walked three blocks to 37th...the Fashion District.

I could not contain myself. Picture this. 40,000 square feet of fabric, floor to ceiling. Not in vertical 'bolts' like at a 'normal' store, but on 6 foot rolls, just piled horizontally on top of one another. Three stories of material bliss. We walked around for nearly two hours comparing my fabric samples next to THOUSANDS of yards of fabric. We saw a roll of Armani suit fabric that was $7,000 for 10 yards of material. Crazy. While we did not pay $700 per yard for our fabric, we did find it, and it is PERFECT! Jared gave me my favorite New York memory, by far. (Insert the sound of trumpet anthems here) Here it is!

These are two of the coordinating fabrics with the Mood fabric. I'm saving the original fabric that started this whole fiasco for the post that reveals the finished products when my mom is through sewing, which could be quite some time! You're the BEST, mom! Lily is going to absolutely love her nursery...not because its from Mood, (that's why I love it!) but because Nana made it!

Hot Dogs Roasting By Open Fire

2009-04-04T22:18:00.004-05:00

I thought I would let you see some of the other pictures from last weekend during our indoor/outdoor camping trip! On Saturday night, we decided to take advantage of our awesome fire and roast hot dogs and smores. We had SO much fun and realized that this little mishap of a weekend had brought about a new tradition for our little family.

Don't worry...Jakob didn't get to hold the hot dog in the fire...Daddy did all of that! We just needed a good picture!

Bubba made the PERFECT s'mores marshmallows!

Jakob spent much of the weekend in his big boy 'unders'! He did very well, and in fact, just now got out of bed and asked to go tee-tee! Breakthroughs all around! Don't you love the fashion statement we're sporting complete with the make-shift bed on the floor in the living room!?

Jakob's 'Story'

2009-04-04T09:32:00.005-05:00

So, while checking everyone's blogs just now, Jakob climbed up in my lap and asked what I was doing. I told him that I was checking my blog...our blog. It is all about us...Mommy, Daddy, Jakob and Lily Hope! He then asked if he could write a story. Here is what he felt you all needed to know!

It has to be blue. (referring to the volume light on the laptop.)

Let's tell Cayden, "We make a big mess."

I want to say I make a mess. I make the mess.

I do...to...to da...dat COMputer. I have my own computer.

I going to watch Oso.

Bye, Mommy.

Rosa's Gone Bad...

2009-03-31T20:04:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I freely admit that I have a MAJOR problem with caring far too much about others' opinions of me. Hello. My name is Carla, and I am a people-pleaser...galore. I cannot stand it when I think I have hurt someone's feelings unintentionally. I 'interpret' looks of others far too often and read into what I'm sure they're thinking. Long story short, our small group, whom I love so deeply, met for a casual dinner tonight at Rosa's. Taco Tuesday night. Cheap, good food. Seriously, all of Lubbock County finds their nearest Rosa's and goes to town on a taco plate. It was a rough day before dinner ever began. I have chosen to cut my private studio by one third and this week marks the first lesson I have had with my students since they have been notified of their 'fate' in the studio. Today wasn't fun. So, we go to dinner with the rest of world and sit our children at a booth directly across from our table. They were kids. They were a bit loud. They were kids. They tried to have a puppet show over the back of the booth. They were kids. Did I mention...okay you get it. Remember, the ENTIRE city of Lubbock seems to be at 50th and Indiana. Its loud. Everywhere. The adjoining booth to our children, though, seems to be filled with the one family in all of West Texas that thought it would be a good idea to have a nice, quiet dinner at Rosa's ON TACO TUESDAY NIGHT!!! After a good 20 minutes of watching the grandmother-figure turn to glare at our children and then glare at us, my blood pressure sky rocketed, and I turned to my husband at the brink of tears and let him know we were leaving. I am so embarrassed that I let that woman's look, whether it meant what I thought or not, effect me so severely. Jared and I were in the middle of such a fun conversation with Chas and Erin, and I ended the evening so abruptly. (If our home were cleaner, guys, I so would have begged you to come back over and watch American Idol...but there is an 'experiment' growing in the kitchen sink!) So, I guess this is my ranting/apology to my precious small group. But, SERIOUSLY! If you are looking to have a family dinner filled with substance, don't go to Rosa's on Tuesday night...or at least don't sit in a connective booth with my son! He's TWO for crying out loud!!! On that note, good night. Happy reality TV night!

A New Day!

2009-03-28T10:17:00.005-05:00

Well, first of all, I have several updates from my late-night ranting last night! First, Jared went down this morning to pay for the wood we 'borrowed' from the college guys and to buy some more from them for tonight. He's SO much more honest than I am...I considered their wood just payment for all of the times their huge Rottweilers have come to have diarrhea in our bushes! I digress. Jared, wonderful as ever, kept a fire roaring all night long and saved the day!!! This picture is from just a bit ago. See?! Not too bad for your first home-ownership fire, right?!

Now about Jakob. After I got off of the computer, we called the on-call number and spoke to the second most wonderful doctor ever...second, of course, to our Dr. Wiz. (Jakob totally says her name correctly 9 times out of 10 now, but I just like the way Wiz falls from the tongue!) The on-call doctor was patient, thorough, and reassuring. Jakob had, in fact, had an adverse reaction to the penicillin. Thankfully, he never had any breathing problems, just a crazy looking rash from the tip of his head to the bottom of his feet, literally! His poor face look like we had painted him like a clown...red face with a white oval around his lips! Today, it's funny. Last night, not so much! So, we Benadryled, Tylenoled, and slept really pretty well at our indoor/outdoor slumber party! The BEST part of the whole thing happened this morning! I had planning on called Liz this morning and just double checking everything I had learned last night, especially the new prescription. But, before I could, SHE CALLED US!!! Blogs do work miracles! So funny! She had checked the blog this morning and called us...I cannot stop smiling about that! Jakob even talked with her on the phone. He is now reminding us that he talked to 'bootiful Dr. Liz.' He saw Liz's bridal portraits and quickly let me know that HIS Dr. Liz was 'bootiful.' Too funny! So, back to the pharmacy we go today. We are so thankful, however, that we are going for just another antibiotic and nothing more serious! Thank you to the on-call doctor from last night! You made me feel non-dumb and very safe! But you know, all in all...it was a really fun night that we will repeat for years to come...without the broken heater and adverse drug reaction!

Romantic Fireside?

2009-03-27T23:59:00.003-05:00

So, in true Hardy fashion, our heater went out today. After 5 pm. After the snowfall. After people make house calls to fix/replace a furnace. After the time of year when people sell firewood. Yep. Thankfully, we have a fireplace. A gas fireplace, at that. Unfortunately, we haven't ever had that gas line tested and decided that today, with a fire, wasn't the day to 'just check it out.' So, Jared rummaged through our alley to find twigs and downed branches for a wood-burning fire in our gas-burning fireplace! After all, we've got single-digit wind chills, people! To make things even more fun, my brother is here with us this weekend. Nothing like having company and no heat for them! Thankfully, he had an arctic sleeping bag with him, so he's fine. After Jared had exhausted our sad smattering of wood clippings around the house, we got desperate. Please don't report my husband. We have this house on our street that is illegally filled with too many college guys. They are, to put it kindly, not the best neighbors in the world. They do, however, have a wood pile beside their house that has been there, unused for the year and a half we have lived here. So, Jared got resourceful and 'borrowed' a few pieces while we decided what our next move should be! I know! It's awful! But wait...after we thought some more...he went back and got more! Please. I'm begging. Don't have my husband arrested. We're expecting a baby, for crying out loud! Well, at around 11 tonight, he went to see if maybe, just maybe WalMart might have some wood left. No. They did not. So, he did the next best things. No! He did not go back to our neighbor's home! How could you think that?! He went to a construction site and took their scrap wood! So, now, I'm sitting here in the living room, on the futon mattress, next to my sleeping child and x-boxing husband, listening to the loud crackle and pop from 2 x 12 pieces of wood. So, romantic? No. Industrial and daring? Absolutely!

On a more serious note, we took Jakob back to the doctor today, thinking he had another ear infection. He doesn't, thank the Lord. He does have a sinus infection, though, that has been hanging around for around three weeks. We started a stronger antibiotic tonight. Since he has taken that around 9 pm, he has broken out in a rash, especially on his face. He is asleep now with us, but is moaning and saying, "owie" in his sleep with a death grip on his chin and mouth. I feel pretty certain that he is having a reaction to this stronger medicine, but not quite sure what to do next. So, I'm off to pray and talk with Jared...and consult WebMD. Hope you and your are warm tonight!

Love

2009-03-24T23:09:00.004-05:00

The famous Love Block was catty-cornered from our hotel on this trip to NYC, so of course we couldn't pass up a photo-op! I DO love this man...a lot!

And then, there is the other love of my life, my sweet Jakob boy. I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted a picture of him! I will remedy that soon! After all, I STILL haven't posted pictures from Christmas, for crying out loud! Anyway, these are a few weeks old while he was so sick. As awful as his being sick was, we got the best cuddles out of that time! I am quite fearful of how my heart may burst when Miss Lily gets here. I cannot imagine feeling this for all three of my sweet loves: Jared, Jakob, and Lily. Bring it on!

Your Own Personal Tour!

2009-03-21T22:02:00.005-05:00

Well, I won't blame a single soul if no one reads this post as it is full of all those scenery pictures one seems to take on every vacation and then never look at again! So, this is my attempt at looking at them more than once! Pictured above is almost our whole group, minus sponsors and directors, at the fountain in Central Park. Our first morning there (Tuesday) was our private bus tour. Our tour guide, Julie, was wonderful...I mean really wonderful. She was quirky and genuine. Here are a few, I swear, of my favorite images from the tour! Remember that most of these were taken from the inside of a bus, so no cracks on the photo quality!

These signs, and other like them, were sponsored by Mt. Sinai Hospital...too funny!

Yeah, right!

Central Park...I could have posted 3,000 of these, either from this trip or one of the other two times I've been! Good grief...

Jared and I were able to be in New York with our college choir in April before the World Trade Center attacks in September of 2001. Like of us I suspect, I am still very in awe at the events of that day. It really does seem so surreal at times when you aren't there all of the time. When we were in New York on our last trip (2005) we visited this church located directly across the street from the WTC site. If you don't know the story, there was not a single pane of glass broken in the church while the skyscrapers surrounding the WTC were damaged beyond salvage. It stands as an amazing testament and was used as a headquarters of sorts during the days and weeks following the attacks. It really is an amazing place to visit. The pictures above, though, are part of the story that touched my heart the most. In case you cannot read the inscription, here is what it says:

"As firefighters change from their "civvies" into their gear, they hang their civilian boots on the spikes of Trinity Church. Boots unclaimed at the end of the day belong to firefighters who lost their lives in the World Trade Center. Their boots became a memorial."

They believe that the church was unharmed because of the huge sycamore tree that stood on the property, at the end of the small cemetery on the site, in between the church and the WTC. That tree was so huge and grounded that it withstood the blow of the tons of debris that rained down and blew toward the church. Here are pictures of the roots of that tree that have been set up as a memorial.

The World Trade Center Site today, well, on Tuesday!
The beginnings of The Freedom Tower. This is going to be the coolest building, really.
The WTC Sphere that stood between the two towers the day they fell. The sculpture has been moved to nearby Battery Park for now.

Fagedabowdit!

2009-03-20T12:14:00.007-05:00

$15 may not seem like much money, but when that is the fee for using the same internet I can get for free at my local, Texan McDonald's...no thank you! Fagedabowdit! (for you New Yorkers out there!) I had every intention of posting daily from our trip until we got to the hotel and learned that we would be paying $15 per day for internet usage. I decided to wait and post from home! We had a great trip on the whole. I have bragged about how non-pregnant I have felt for the last 6 months...it caught up to me this week! There is nothing like New York City with 50 teenagers to remind you just how pregnant you are! I did fine, but by the end of every day I was swollen and tired with a capital T-I-R-E-D! So, needless to say, I am so glad to be home and blogging from bed while watching March Madness games! Life couldn't be better! This was mine and Jared's third trip to New York, and we got to do some things that we had never done before, so I have lots of fun stories! I'll spread them out over a couple of days, though!

We left on Monday morning and had hassle-free travel for the most part! Other other flight group can't say the same, bless their hearts. No matter how many times we go, one of my favorite parts is now watching our students' faces for the first time when they step off of the bus in Times Square. There is nothing like it really. Their heads all go straight up and their necks look as if they're going to snap because they are back so far! It was the most quiet we had all week at that moment! Monday night, we had dinner at Planet Hollywood and spent a little bit of time shopping the vendors on Times Square.

Jared battling Freddy at Planet Hollywood. We had to tip this guy...what a city.

Jared and me on Times Square Monday night in front of the new musical 9 to 5, adapted by Dolly Parton!

Funny story...if you know my sweet Jared, you know that he knows everyone. As we were waiting for our hotel to get us taken care of, Jared and I were waiting with our kids on the sidewalk. We stayed at the Hilton, Times Square which is across the street from the Ziegfeld Theater. We noticed a crowd formed with cameras (paparazzi) and such and started asking the right question, "Who are you waiting for?" We learned that the NY premier of Duplicity, the new Julia Roberts/Clive Owen film, had just finished in the theater, and they were about to leave! WooHoo!!! So, we are all waiting, and three of our not-so-bright freshman girls run across the street to "get a better picture." They just didn't understand that a cab wouldn't stop for them! So, Jared yells, I mean really yells, for them to get themselves back across the street via the appropriate crosswalk. All of a sudden, we hear this voice hollering back saying, "Sir, please stop yelling at these kids!" My heart stopped until we saw one of our professors from Wayland with her husband come through the crowd! It was hilarious! She said she knew it couldn't be anyone but Jared once they heard that big 'ole voice! Even on Times Square, Jared's voice is recognizable!

So, that was Monday. Tuesday, was St. Patrick's Day...the most crowded I have ever seen NYC. It was unnerving trying to keep up with that many kids in the midst of flowing green beer! We took a tour of the city, had lunch in Little Italy, rode the Subway for the first time, shopped in Chinatown, and saw South Pacific at the Lincoln Center Theater. It was a great day! Enjoy some pictures!

Lucky Lily couldn't go unrepresented on St. Patty's Day! I made this little tribute shirt at like 11 pm the night before we left! Nothing like pre-planning!

Jared, on the other had, bought a shirt off of a vendor the night before so as not to be pinched (or shot) or whatever on Tuesday! The beads turned his neck green!

Here we are at the Statue of Liberty on the tour. More tour pictures to come later!

Goin' to the Apple!

2009-03-15T18:27:00.003-05:00

Jared I leave tomorrow morning for NYC with around 50 of our students for a FUN Spring Break Vacation! Usually on choir trips, we have to perform at a venue, but since this one falls completely within Spring Break, we don't!!! Hooray! Stress free!...yeah, right! We are getting to do so many cool things this week. This trip is the third time Jared and I will be getting to go to New York, but we are thankfully doing some new and exciting things while we are there this time! I am not going to tell you about them, because I am going to try my hardest to blog every night from our hotel! We'll see! However, you know the plan! I can't find the pictures on either computer from our last trip to NYC (I know, that's not good...). I was going to post a picture from that trip to get us all in the spirit. SO, a picture from Hawaii 2 years ago will just have to do. Too bad I can't break out the flip flops for this trip! Me in the belly of a submarine at Pearl Harbor...not very scenic...should have thought this through a bit!

My Husband, the Superstar!

2009-03-11T17:42:00.003-05:00

Well, if this is really the Hardy Party, then I must take a moment to brag on our fearless leader, Jared. Today was UIL Contest and Sightreading Contest for our high school choirs. Jared took 2 of our 3 choirs today: Sub-Nonvarsity Mixed Choir and Nonvarsity Women's Choir. They both got sweepstakes awards! Hooray! Our top group, who Mr. Brown conducts, also received straight ones. Long story short, our program continues to set itself apart, both in individual and collective accolades. Jared never ceases to amaze me on these days. I could NOT do this. Give me one-on-one instruction. Jared, on the other hand, seems to bring the best out of every single student on the risers and prepare them to be really great. This year, I had the privilege of accompanying him, so I got to share the stage as he led his kids. It was the best seat in the house. He is so encouraging, yet demanding. He teaches them to expect nothing but the best from themselves, and they don't. He is truly a brilliant musician with ears that defy my brain! He so quickly and efficiently hears their problems and fixes them precisely...I am still trying to figure out what measure they're reading! We are so truly blessed in our positions at Frenship, but may I say that Frenship is truly blessed to have my husband. I watched my sweet boyfriend of 8 years smile like a little boy at the success of others today. I love him with every fiber of my being, and I am so proud and honored to share his name. Okay, I think I'm going to go have a date now! Have a great night!

Jakob's Princess

2009-03-09T16:02:00.008-05:00

Well, its official! Jakob has his first ear infection. I would have been so much more shocked if Liz had said anything but that after a weekend of pain and fever for my poor boy. She was, as always, tremendously wonderful and so kind to Jakob and his waxy ears. (Can I get an 'Amen' from the moms who stink a the wax removal!?) Anyway, after his appointment, she asked if he thought that Lily Hope should get a sticker. He, of course, said yes, and she returned with a great Cinderella sticker. He carried it very carefully to the car and then into the house. He took it back to his room and got very quiet...I know, "what is he doing back there?!" He came into the living room just as I was about to go figure out what was broken. Here is what played out:

Jakob: "Mommy. Sit down."

Me: "How about you use your polite words."

Jakob: "Mommy. Sit down right now.......please."

Me: (deciding this was not the time for a teaching moment) "Okay."

Jakob: (lifting up my shirt and leaning into my belly button) "Wily Hope...you did a very good job today with Dr. Liz. She gave you a sticker." (he puts it on my tummy, right over the belly button) "This is Cinderella, Lily. She is a princess, just like you." (he can't decide if its going to be Wily or Lily, so most conversations have both ways in them!)

It was the sweetest thing. I cannot wait to see him with her. I also cannot wait for the ear infection to be a thing of the past!