First Day of School

Ava started preschool this week! Let's just say we weren't sure how the first day would go but she LOVED it!! I am so so thankful! She got up Tuesday morning and was so excited to go.


She is showing off the bag her teacher made for her to carry all her papers home. I loved seeing her be brave this week! I love that God is building into her courage one step at a time! She is a different girl than last year at this time and it is so fun seeing her become more independent.

Two Big Birthdays!

It's hard to believe but Cooper turned 3 on August 27th!! All of a sudden he seems so big to me! This summer we took the kids to see the new Winnie the Pooh movie in the theatre. It was their first one on the big screen. Because of that Cooper wanted to a Pooh cake. My attempts in the past to make birthday cakes have been big disasters so I'm not sure what overcame me this year. Oh...I know it's this latest thing called Pinterest that I'm loving! It was here that I found how to make a very easy Pooh cake...and it was!! Cooper is our full of energy comedian these days! He keeps us laughing that is for sure. He definitely has his tantrum moments but lately I've really seen how he tries to help others be happy. He is a non-stop talker these days and I love having full on conversaations with him!

We also celebrated another big birthday....Matt turned 40 on August 26th! It was a great weekend to celebrate the boys in our lives!

Here is Coop with one of his gifts....he is waiting to take our orders at the McDonalds drive thru:)
And here is Matt with one of his gifts... a Chicago Bears vs. Cleveland Browns pre-season game at Soldier field in Chicago. It was a first for Matt to be at the stadium.

This was a spontaneous trip in the sense that I gave Matt the tickets a little less than a week before the game...so we needed to make plans for our kids, where to stay, etc. The bonus was we asked our good friends, Steve and E, to go with us and they were able to! Steve is a Browns fan so the guys had a great time and E and I are Magnificent Mile(the big shopping district downtown Chicago) fans...so it worked out well:)

Missing Jenna and Bethany

I don't think I posted earlier this summer but we hosted two X-Project interns this summer! It was a treat! One of the reasons we bought this house was because of the space it has to host others. Jenna and Bethany called our home their home for 8 weeks this summer. They fit right in! We count it such a privilege that our kids had a summer with these 2! They love the Lord and they loved us and our kids so well! I'm usually an early to bed kind of gal but I stayed up way past my bedtime a few nights a week just talking with them or watching So You Think You Can Dance that we'd DVRed. Let's just say we've had to go through Miss Jenna and Miss Bethany detox these last few weeks. The day after they left we actually headed to Camp Grammy (more to come on that later when I get some pics from "Grammy" or as we call her Nana:) So as we returned and pulled into our driveway I automatically started looking for Jenna and Bethany's cars:( We miss you Miss Jenna and Miss Bethany!

A Few Firsts

Well...we did it! We took a leap and went camping! And I'm relieved to tell you it was lots of fun! Don't get me wrong...I still think camping is a ton of work but the kids had a ball! Ava kept asking if we could stay another night but one night was a good start:)

We went to a nearby state park only 30 minutes away. We found a great spot to pitch our tent...which by the way seemed so much bigger when it was just Matt and I camping:) Yeah..it says it's a 4 man tent but these 2 little ones take up space! We went to a small beach off the lake to play for part of the afternoon. Not the cleanest looking beach but the kids loved playing in the shallow water and in the sand! The pic below is after playing on the beach we realized how full of sand they were...like in every crack and crevice...we rode directly to the shower to wash off. Instead of putting their sandy suits and shoes back on we stuck them back in the bike trailer just wrapped in their towels. They thought that it was so funny! We did smores of course and they slept great!

The other second first for the summer was bowling! We found out kids can bowl free for the summer so we took advantage. Matt and I bowled too which was fun to do together. I wasn't sure if the kids would even be able to pick up the ball but they had a 6lb. ball and they did great. Well...it did take a few minutes for the ball to roll slooooowwwly down the lane:) But, glad to report none got stuck!

Lots of fun memories!!

No Green Thumb Here

If you could see my flower pot sitting on my patio table you'd agree that I really don't have a green thumb. I'm always questioning when to water and how much to water. In fact, Matt came home today from work and the first thing he asked was, "Um, what's with that flower on the table outside?" In other words....you should either help that thing or get rid of it:)

Well, thanks to my parents we planted a few vegetable plants because we have the space in our flower beds to do it. Somehow they are doing great!

Our tomato plants look great...they are loaded already. Due to a very bad wind/thunderstorm last night they were pushed down some but I think they'll be fine. We also have green pepper plants, cucumber and zucchini.
And here is our first cucumber!! We picked it today and the kids thought it was great...oh and they thought it was a pickle:) Looking forward to some fresh veggies!

Summer

I know it's July and I'm just now talking about summer! It feels like in some ways summer has just begun here. This last weekend we were able to get to the fountain/sprinkler at our local outdoor mall. It was alot of fun to see Ava jump right in. Last year she was still a bit fearful. She loved getting wet from head to toe!

Here are a few pics from our 4th of July weekend! The kids actually spend most of the weekend with my parents which was a win all the way around! They love it:) On Monday we took the kids to a nearby town for their parade...I need to make a mental note to not do that one again. There are tons of parades in the area and this one....well it was long but not tons of fun things and very slow.

The kids loved it though....again...it was so good to see Ava's growth from last year:) She no longer threw a fit when she saw people dressed up in character costumes! She didn't love it still but didn't say a word. Way to go Ava! Thanks to my friends who remind me that these things are just a season and they'll be gone before I know it. I wish you could see Coop's face a little better in the picture below...his chin has blue drool running down it:) Yep...he loved it because there was lots of candy involved!!

Hope you enjoyed your 4th and are loving the summer so far!

Gigi

During our vacation we had been in contact with Matt family about Matt's grandma. Her health had been declining and it seemed she might pass away during the week. She did indeed go home to be with Jesus that week. Our kids and the other great grand kids know her as Gigi. I have been a part of the Hardy family for almost 9 years now and Gigi was a sweet sweet lady! Full of life, loved to learn and have fun. I always remember her doing a crossword puzzle at the kitchen table, or reading the paper or playing a game with us kids. We were able to celebrate her life together as a family knowing she is now in her true home, heaven. Several months ago, Matt's sister initiated a conversation with Gigi which led to her placing her trust in Jesus and what he He did for her on the cross! Her passing opened up many conversations with Ava who had lots of questions about death and where Gigi was. The other day Ava and I were reading her Bible before bed and we were talking for some reason about how we aren't able to see Jesus physically right now. She then looked at me and said, "But Gigi is seeing Him now." I love child-like faith! It ministers to me and my heart.

VACATION

So much has happened in this last month...where do I begin? VACATION!! The second week in May we took off with my parents to Williamsburg VA. We had a great week of being away. I think the kids highlights were the Condo and the small beach we went too:) Their American history....not so much:)

We did it all...went to colonial williamsburg, jamestown and yorktown:)



The kids loved spending time with mamaw and papaw....Matt and I enjoyed an evening out on a date. I think I'm realizing that with the kids at their ages the beach is a great place to vacation. They literally could play all day in the sand and the water which means I could lay all day sipping a nice drink and reading a great book:) Vacation next year - still to be determined - but I bet it will involve sand and water.

Easter

We headed over to Indiana for most of the Easter weekend. We had lots of fun with my family and with my mom's side of the family. There were lots of snuggles with Granny...

puppet shows galore put on by papa.....

and of course easter egg hunts... I'm so glad the rain held off for us to do it:)

We came back Saturday and I began to not feel so well. We did manage to go through the Resurrection Eggs with the kids (cute way to share the Easter story) and to make Easter Tomb Cookies. I woke up Easter morning with a horrible sore throat....ick! I was so bummed because of course this meant missing out on church but it also meant us missing out on lunch with our dear friends! I literally slept the whole day and gargled lots of salt water (my mom's trick for sore throats) and now am fine. So this year the Easter pics do not include mom.....but look how cute the rest of the gang is!!

You would never be able to tell from these pics that Cooper threw the biggest fit because of course he didn't want to do pictures....how does that always seems to happen?? We somehow squeeked a few out of him!

Fun with Friends!

Last weekend some of our sweet friends from Colorado came to visit! Joel was coming for his job and they decided to bring their whole family early to get some time to visit and catch up! We were thrilled! Joel and Mindi used to live here and go to our church. In fact, the first time we met them was our first time visiting our sunday school class. They introduced themselves and invited us out for lunch after church. Sadly to say that doesn't happen often on a first visit to a church. We felt so welcomed by them and had a great time over lunch. We have been so encouraged by their love for the Lord and for others!

The night they arrived we had several of their (and our) other friends in town over for pizza! That equals 11 adults and 12 kiddos!! So much fun! The kids had a blast!!


Joel and Mindi have a daughter, Lucy, who is about 2 months older than Ava and a son, Noah, who is about 1 week older than Cooper! The last time we saw them Lucy and Ava were just 1 and Mindi and I were pregnant with the boys! It was so fun to see them hit it off as if no time had passed since seeing each other years ago.

The girls had a blast playing with their babies and of course bossing their younger brothers around:) We went to the children's museum a couple of times which was a big hit for everyone!



After just a great time connecting with one another and seeing our kids play together I'm wondering when we can plan a trip to Colorado to visit them???? Hmmm...I'll work on that:)

Spring!!

Spring has sprung around here! Oh how we love it!! Especially on a day like today! We've taken advantage of the warmer weather around here! The kids helped pick some flowers from our backyard and put them in a vase for our kitchen window! Love it!

I've also found a great thing for the kids to do while I'm making dinner...watering the flowers or whatever they find to pour water on:) We bought these elephant watering cans awhile back and pulled them out this week. They LOVED it and didn't want to stop when dinner was ready! I LOVED making dinner without having to break up a fight or pulling someone out from under my feet:)

We've already eaten lunch and dinner out on out back porch! Oh how I wish it would stay like this....there we NO BUGS to contend with!! I've been thinking lots about Spring and as a result Easter and new life and how Jesus is alive on His throne. And with that I am thinking of my sweet friend Jasmine. As most of you know she was a student in the Bible study that I lead and she drowned a few weeks ago. I cling to the truth of this Easter season and take great hope in knowing because she knew Jesus she is now in His presence! Below is a picture of the track team of which she was a part of...they came over to watch the NCAA final game last week. I missed her alot that night. I'm so thankful that I will see her again one day!

Where has February Gone?

I haven't updated in a while so here are some pictures of some of what we've been doing around here.... Ava and Cooper are into PRETEND PLAY...that's alot of what they do all day long:) Here they are with their superhero capes on that they received from a friends birthday party back in the summer.

Can I just say I can't wait until spring!!! This is one reason why...look at that static in their hair:) So ready for no more static, no more hats, no more coats....

We started a new tradition here at our house...LOVEY BUNDLES for Valentines Day:) I'm not a crafty person really but let me say I may have found a new hobby.....anything to do with a glue gun! I made these cute little bags from felt and a glue gun. I found them online and they gave a tutorial on how to make them. So...the idea will be as the kids get older we can put little treats/notes, etc. in each others lovey bundle in the month of February. This year I just put some things in there that they opened on Valentines Day.

We also made a fun dessert in the shape of a heart one day...they love wearing their princess and thomas aprons they got for Christmas.

One of my Favorite Things

One of my favorite things is sitting around a table and hearing students talk about how they are doing and how God is meeting them! I loved hearing them talk about the realness of how difficult at times it is to walk with God and I loved hearing them talk about how they've decided to trust Him rather than themselves!

When we returned from our travels over the Christmas break we came home to this group of friends! They are students and some staff from this past summers X-Project. We had a blast catching up, remembering stories from the summer, laughing and just being together again. I love that God changes hearts and lives....mine included!!!

Christmas....

Just in case you were wondering, I do realize it's mid-January and most stores already have Valentine's candy and swimsuits on their shelves:) BUT, I had to post some pics from Christmas! I don't know about you but we here at the Hardy house aren't so sure about Santa as you can tell from this picture:) Coop sat for maybe 3 seconds and decided he really didn't want to be on this strange man's lap! Ava...well, no pics for her because she wasn't even going to be caught in the same room with this strange man!

We had a great time celebrating at our place as well as our families! Ava loves every single one of her babies she received! Here she is with her American Girl bitty baby whom she named Baby Ava. Her cousin Seth received her twin...wish they lived closer together to play together!

Here was one of Cooper's favorites....a box! After opening lots of fun toys this is what we found him doing...it's the simple things I guess:)

It kind of looks like Ava is pretending to be asleep here in my lap but she really is asleep. This NEVER happens....she laid down and was out in just a few minutes....I absolutely love how much fun she has when we are at our families! She wears herself out:)

I asked Ava what was her favorite gift from our family Christmas at home. Her answer, "My princess bucket!" Remind me next year of the pure delight in their eyes as they open their stocking stuffers which include things like $1 princess buckets:)