Eggs

I know all of you are very impressed with the fact that you're reading/seeing something on my blog besides last year's thoughts of JP moving up to Pre-K.  Nothing has changed except my boys are still growing up way too fast for my liking:(  Other than that, same old story. I'm still juggling a job, my husband, precious baby boys, and lovely graduate school.

 However, I can say with confidence that I'm overly excited that all those drives back and forth to Troy, Alabama will be coming to a close on June 20th.  I will be going back for my last two courses of graduate school on May 23. Four nights a week. {BOO!} But, it will be so nice to see the date: June 20th, 2011 on the calendar and know that I will be OFFICIALLY done with graduate school!

I've contemplated on whether or not I should retrace our steps on the blog for this past year, or start from today.  I'm going with the latter at the moment.  The thought of going back looking for pictures, etc. and uploading them to the blog in itself is stressing me out.  For now, my hopes are to update once a month{let's see if I can stick to it} on all the events that are going on at Hardy Hill. 

What am I going to discuss? Easter egg dying.  Before I begin, I must thank the following people for their generous donations.

1.)  PaPa R and Missy (my parents): tailgating table(ROLL TIDE)

so I wouldn't have to worry about making a mess inside my house.

2.)  PawPaw and MawMaw Hardy:  two dozen farm fresh eggs from their chicken coup.

3.) Missy: food coloring

Moving on....I roused the boys from their nap and told them I had a suprise waiting outside for them.  Just the mention of 'surprise' gave my boys their boost of energy for the day.  I led them out the front door towards the table I had set up on the front lawn with all of the eggs, decorating tools, and a glasses of sweet(sugar-free) lemonade.

Here are photos of our 'egg-xciting' afternoon(in no particular order)....

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before

after

Where does the time go?

It seems as though it was only yesterday that I walked through the doors of Guardian Angel Day Care to take a tour of their facility. The place where I'd send my baby boy while I went to work. In my mind it was yesterday, but in reality it has been THREE (quick) years.

There were numerous times throughout the day that I would catch myself glancing over at the clock in my classroom wall and begin imagining what he might be doing at the very moment: possibly eating, sleeping, playing with his friends, singing, learning, drawing, was he in the indoor gym or outside, ya-da, ya-da, ya-da...? I would be lying if I said it did not tug at my heart to drop him off every day while I went to my 'second' job. It was never easy and never will be. The best part I looked forward to the most was picking him up! I couldn't get out of the doors of AES quick enough to see his face light up and his infectious smile when I would walk into his classroom. He would run towards me with his arms stretched open-wide and give me the biggest bear hug you could possibly imagine!! {And I could also tell what he had eaten that day because he would wear it on his shirt} :)

We have been blessed beyond measure with the quality of care, love, and teachings(academics and most importantly, biblically) that he's received these years at GA . His teachers have been REMARKABLE. Mrs. Rita, Mrs. Jean and Mrs. Katrina(JP's teachers) hold a very special place in our hearts. They have loved and treated my baby as if he belonged to them. {That always made this momma feel good!} At the end of the year, they hold a Promotion Ceremony for the three-year olds for them to show us what they've learned through the course of the year. It was phenomenal! All six classes were 'color-coded' and every little munchkin on the stage were so cute and did a fantastic job. Their 30 minute program was filled with everyone in unison singing Bible songs, pledging to the flags(US and Christian) and the Bible, reciting their colors, numbers, parts of the body in Spanish. It is truly amazing how the soak up so much knowledge at a young age!

His days at GA are over. **sniff, sniff** Starting August 9th, he will be 'down the hill' at GACA for their Pre-K program. **another....sniff, sniff** It is unbelievable to me that my baby has become a little boy right before my eyes!

My favorite children's book, "Love You Forever," is a story of how a little boy goes through the stages of childhood and later becomes a man. The mother holds her newborn son and looks at him lovingly and softly sings these precious words:

I'll love you forever.

I'll like you for always,

As long as I'm living

my baby you'll be.

I often read this to John Parker right before he goes to sleep and I don't think I've ever made it through without getting teary-eyed. He'll be a man before I know it! For right now, I'll cherish those precious 'baby' words he says to me: "Mommy, I want to hold YOU!" He'll always be my baby!!!

You've waited long enough....here are some pics from JP's important day!

JP with his precious teacher(our friend), Mrs. Katrina

Family Photo(minus Sawyer)


The Stage

Right as they were marching in.....he glanced over and saw me!

(Kept his hands behind his back and didn't dare budge out of line--

perfect angel during the entire program)

Singing their hearts out!

Exiting the stage....still poised

Next year, he'll be wearing a cap and gown for his Pre-K graduation. I'll be a basket case. I just know it!

Six Years

Six years ago yesterday, Jeremy and I exchanged vows at Bethany Baptist Church then headed off to our reception at Hickory Ridge Lodge where we cut our beautiful wedding cake as family and friends looked on. We made our first toast to each other, then headed to the dance floor where we danced to one of Alabama's greatest hits, "Forever's As Far As I'll Go". These six years of marriage has gone by super fast, but a lot of wonderful memories made. (I think having children has helped speed up our life together).


I had the BEST time at my wedding. I don't recall a song that I didn't dance to the entire night. If you know me, you know that I love music and I love to dance. Therefore, there was no way I was going to let one of the most important nights of my life pass me by. I had such a great time that I didn't even attempt to try the meal that I had requested Mr. George and Mrs. Brenda Gantt to prepare. My husband, family and guests were able to enjoy the delicious(so I was told) meal of pork tenderloin, chicken fingers, potato casserole, lima beans, salad, rolls, and an old(clean) wagon full of a variety of fresh fruit. For beverages, we offered lemonade, sweet tea, coca-cola(from the bottle), and water. (Since I was sweating from head to toe, I made sure to keep myself hydrated). My wedding was just like I had envisioned-PERFECT! After the reception, we headed to Montgomery so we could catch our early flight heading to Atlanta and then to Hawaii. We had the BEST time of our lives during our eight night stay. First, we went to the Oahu(which wasn't that great). It was too touristy for us, but we were able to visit Pearl Harbor. After spending three nights there, we left on a jet plane bound for Maui--our fave! We rented a jeep and drove around the entire island, hiked to a water fall(where we rebelled and got in even though it said, "Danger-Watch for Falling Rocks) and many other wonderful activities. I'll always cherish our time spent in paradise!!!!

**I have pics from our trip to Hawaii that I hope to post soon. They need to be scanned into the computer....***

Although there are hundreds and hundreds of reasons of why I love, Jeremy; I'll only name a few.


I love how easily we can talk about anything and everything.

I love how his shoulders and chest make a great pillow.

I love how he takes care of me even when I'm not sick or pregnant.

I love how he understands and gets me like noone else ever could.

I love his strong arms that always holds me so tight and safe.

I love how silly he can be, and how he always cheers me up.

I love what a great father he is to our boys.

I love that he allows me to go to Zumba class so I can exercise.

I love that he helps out around the house: cleans, washes clothes/dishes, etc.

I love that he reads/prays to our boys.

I love how he knows how I'm feeling, even over the phone, or just from the way I say hello.


I love how he takes care of the boys while I'm away at graduate school.


I love how he LOVES me!



Seriously there way too many to put them all down. But pretty much my husband is the best, he was perfectly made for me.

I love him!!!!!

They love bubbles,

each other, and being outside.......

and I loooooooove them!

Ten Apples Up On Top!!!

John Parker is a HUGE fan of Dr. Seuss--as well as his mommy. We have quite a collection of these wonderful books that bring so much joy and excitement into our home. He really loves having a book read to him, and I enjoy our reading time together. So, since this is "Read Across America" week , I thought I'd share these..........

With the help of his daddy, he was actually able to balance two apples 'Up On Top' for a nanosecond before falling to the ground. He had so much fun with this little experiment.

"John Parker in the Hat"--check out JP's handwriting!!!

(the bottom one of course) He LOVES writing his own name!!!

Excited to share his funny hat with us!

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Lastly, I had to include some pics of my precious little one that also wanted in on the action this afternoon. (He also LOVES reading a book with his mommy and daddy!)