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.