Riding Lessons

This fall Grace and Sophie took a few riding lessons. They LOVED them! I loved looking at these pictures today too. They are from October and it was so warm and sunny.

Dessa was visiting, picture of us courtesy of Luke.  Both girls really loved the horses and their teacher. Her name is Katie Smith.

Grace really was a natural. She was not nervous or scared at all. This is her first time on her horse. Can you see how relaxed she is? My little animal lover. I have to admit that there is a part of me that is scared of any animal bigger then me, and some that are much smaller. Not my Grace. 

 Noah and Luke had a ball playing around the farm while lessons took place. They ran and swung on the tire swing, chased the barn cats and dogs, played many versions of Star Wars on a small playground, fed rabbits and goats and visited a rather loud donkey each time. Even mom got to enjoy and have fun because all kids were happy and busy.

First Love

So far this is my all time favorite picture drawn by Noah. It is him, his Dad and Molly.

Noah adores Molly. Perhaps too much. She can't even get a moments rest in her crate. When she has had enough she goes under my bed, right in the middle. Away from little fingers trying to play, annoy and love her. I am amazed at how much a part of our family she is now. My sister told me once that pets are magical for children. I completely agree.

Happy Hardy Thanksgiving 2011

There is a first time for everything

This weekend I went on my first ever girls trip. My dear friends Susie, Leesa and I drove to Savannah, GA and met up with several of Leesa's friends to run the Rock n Roll Marathon, or in my case, 1/2 marathon.
Here we are after the race. We all ran together for the first 3 miles. With almost 30,000 runners we literally ran shoulder to shoulder. That was a bit crazy for my taste. It was fun to do such a huge race, and the bands all along the course were fun, but I don't think I will do it again. Susie and I only ran the 1/2, the rest of the crew did the full marathon.  The amazing Joseph actually ran 42 miles. He ran from our water front rental house to the start line and then did the marathon. He is the first ultra marathoner I have met and it was so fun to get to know him.We finished in Forsyth Park full of beautiful moss draped trees and this incredible fountain.
I was surprised how much fun our trip was. I hear all the time about women traveling together and I completely get it now. We had a great adventure which was also amazingly relaxing. Savannah is beautiful.  I could not get enough of the garden squares all through the historic downtown and the incredible architecture. Every where you looked there was wrought iron, worn brick and stucco, ivy smothered walls and fences. So, so beautiful.


On Saturday night Leesa, Susie and I ate at a Moroccan restaurant. The food was super yummy and they had belly dancers. This sweet one convinced us to get up and try a few moves. You can see how empty the restaurant was at this point or I don't think I would have been brave enough!

As I reflected on how rejuvenated I felt on the drive home I was reminded of this quote by Majorie Pay Hinckley about how women need each other.
“We are all in this together. We need each other. Oh, how we need each other. Those of us who are old need you who are young, and hopefully, you who are young need some of us who are old...We need deep and satisfying and loyal friendships with each other. These friendships are a necessary source of sustenance.” I realize how much I am sustained by my friends emotionally and spiritually and I am grateful. I am also grateful to an amazing husband who was so happy to take over all things family and house for 3 days so I could go play.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Hardys!

May the force be with you...

Halloween celebrations started early for us this year with a trunk or treat this past weekend. Super fun. I adore Halloween and am enjoying what is most likely the one and only time my kids chose themed costumes.

Sophie was funny. All day she kept talking about how the time frame was wrong with she and Grace's costumes. You couldn't have Amidala and Leah at the same time. She was also determined to have a gun to complete her outfit.

The Healing Power of Art

Our Grandma has been visiting for the past 2 weeks. Yesterday afternoon we took her to the airport to go back to Utah. There were some very sad kids in the car on the way home. Sophie cried the entire 25 minute drive. I was SO tired and just wanted to do a quick cold cereal dinner, put kids to bed and rest. The girls really wanted to decorate their pumpkins for a school contest. Luckily I relented.  We had a fabulous evening creating some adorable pumpkins. I was amazed once again at the power of creating. The girls did their pumpkins (except the carving and hat attaching) all by themselves. Sophie and Grace let the boys help paint, everyone was happy. Really. It is the best night we have had in weeks. We even squeezed in time to play in the rain with Molly before it got dark. Times like this make me so grateful to me a mother of young children.

(Mom- Sophie got a hulu skirt you got the girls years ago from the dress up box for her witches hair. Totally her own idea. It worked perfectly!)

New Favorite

We are a bit obsessed with galaxies far, far away at the Hardy home lately. My kids used Kidzui (a pretty great search engine just for children) to search for Star Wars videos this weekend. They called me upstairs to see this one. It is the best laugh I have had for a long time. How can you not love DV and his Stormtroopers doing Michael Jackson?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8ZvsFCxxCU

Learning from Failure

I was reading Segullah today and someone linked this article from wired.com in their comments. It is a fascinating report of a scientific study showing how some of our brains learn from failure. I thought it was really incredible. I also think it is exactly what the Savior teaches us. The point of life is not to avoid all failure, it is for our failures to instruct and humble us. When take a good look at people I want to emulate they are not perfect or without challenge in their lives. But they are incredibly positive, don't give up, can laugh at themselves and just keep getting up when they fall down...again...and again...and again. Christ's grace is a very real part of their self concept.

I am recommitted to helping my kids (and myself for that matter) strengthen our "growth mindsets".  Cheers!

http://m.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/10/why-do-some-people-learn-faster-2

I had no idea cantaloupe could kill me...

I heard an very inflammatory news report yesterday about the listeria outbreak tied to cantaloupe. Really? One more thing to worry about? We love melon and I had heard that you should always scrub them before slicing and eating. I have never done it though. Isn't that interesting? I hear a great health tip that would take about 30 seconds to a minute but have all sorts of reasons for not actually DOING it. Anyway, I found this great article from an Oregon newspaper this morning about cantaloupe and bacteria. It has some tips about eating cantaloupe that I didn't know. It is from Sept. 15th and so their numbers about the outbreak are old.


http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2011/09/cantaloupes_again_found_to_har.html


Here is the short version - always wash melons before slicing and eating and don't leave them out. Refrigerate them when finished ie - don't leave them on the counter all afternoon...cantaloupe are more susceptible to bacteria because of their rough skin. BTW the article does mention how much melon we all eat and how few of us get sick. 

Finally...

My rescheduled 40th birthday triathlon was on Saturday. I look so official...like I really know what I am doing. I am surprised I could smile like this before the swim. I was so nervous! The guy next to me was an identical twin. He (or his brother) raced by me all morning.

 750 yard swim, first in open water. Even felt great enough to wave to my kids as I got out of the water.

14.5 miles on my bike.











3.1 mile run.

The end!

I honestly have never had so much fun competing. I hope there are many triathlons in my future.

I finished about 10 minutes faster then I thought I would. How often in life do we do better then we think is possible? It felt good.

Luke & Noah's First Day

Luke and Noah started preschool this week. They are having a blast so far. Is it crazy that I am already worried about next year when they start kindergarten? Silly I know...

First Day of Second Grade

Sophie and Grace had their first day of 2nd Grade today. I have a better picture of Grace but I thought this was funny... she was not so excited for school this morning at all. Of course none of us were happy about the 6am wake up it required. The girls chose coordinating outfits and wore matching best friend necklaces. At the end of the day Sophie was really upset that she had not been able to talk to Grace all day. They had assigned areas (?) for recess, so even though they were out at the same time couldn't play together.

I have such mixed emotions about my kids growing up. Summer went by too quickly and was so fun...none of us were ready for it to be over. But here we go, ready or not...

Sophie's First Sewing Project

All summer Sophie has been asking to sew her own skirt. We used a skirt of Anna's for inspiration. Sophie completely designed this herself. I helped with some of the sewing. She did about 85% of it herself. I think it turned out adorable! The other kids all sewed pillows also. 4 straight seams, putting in stuffing ='s a pretty fun afternoon.

PS - Thank you mom for teaching me to sew myself as a little girl.

Florida Keys

I have blogged less this summer then ever before. It is sad to me because it has been an amazing few months and I have not recorded very many memories. I am going to try to catch up a bit. Jason and I just returned from diving in the Florida Keys. It was wonderful! We got some additional certifications that now make us able to dive deeper and longer. We are excited to be able to dive some wrecks in North Carolina on the coast now. Our underwater camera has a very limited depth limit, we could only bring it on one dive and the visibility was not great.





We were diving from Islamorada. We saw some things we had never seen...huge Goliath grouper, monster parrot fish, a bat fish, several enormous eels...lots of fun stuff. I am a bit surprised how much I enjoy diving, I really, really love it! Jason has wanted to dive for a long time. I just figured I would be brave and try it with him. Now I am a true convert. So much beauty under the ocean!

We found a bit of local history also.

This is Fort Taylor, Civil War fort in Key West. We had no idea it was there.

The very beginning of highway 1, southern end of the US. Key West was fun to see. I enjoyed driving past Ernest Hemingway's house and there are loads of beautiful old Victorian homes. I don't need to ever go back though. It is super crazy and very crowded. The sparsely populated, more wild keys are definitely more my style.

Happy Summer Adventures to all!

Odds, Ends and a Limerick

My favorite picture from 4th of July

 We had just gotten home from the library and I found Sophie reading on Molly's bed. The poor dog doesn't even get to have her own bed.

 Noah loves Molly to pieces. Sometimes she hides under my bed to get some peace from him and Anna.

This is Sophie's latest limerick:
There once was a fairy named Mary, who had a friend named Kerry. Every time Mary was on the roof, Kerry would hear a poof. It seemed kind of scary.

I have never written a limerick in my life. Makes me smile.

Happy Fourth of July!

 Happy Fourth of July!

Official Retraction

I am officially taking back my not so subtle suggestion that Luke or Noah was the culprit in the great gerbil episode. I got home today from running an errand to find our neighbors son IN MY HOUSE, door ajar, gerbil lid off again on the floor. Thankfully the gerbil was still in it's cage playing with a few marbles he added. I am glad my mom radar is working ok because I really thought both boys were telling me the truth the other day, there was just no other likely explanation. Moral of the story...sometimes life is weird and unlikely and your neighbors 5 year old is hanging out alone in your house. Also, always double check to make sure your garage door is locked.

Lost & Found

It seems that as soon as Jason leaves town lately things get really interesting around here. When we went to get ready for bed last night the lid to the gerbil cage was on the floor. Cutie Pie was dead in the cage and Sprinkles was no where to be found. Although the gerbil food and wheel were in the boys room they both swore NO ONE touched ANYTHING. The girls totally believed them and sadness turned into sobs of fear because either a robber or a ghost had to be responsible... mass hysteria ensued...

Thankfully Grace picked up her dead pet and put her in a box for our first backyard burial.

Sophie wrote the speech. The grave marker says, "The box under this tree has Cutie Pie Hardy in it. She has a joy in our heart." We went to bed all in my room with the door locked because the kids were so freaked out. I went to sleep convincing myself that there is NO WAY a gerbil could climb up into my bed.

This morning Grace was home from school with pink eye, Luke had a fever of 103 and I was desperately looking for the missing gerbil. I remembered my friend from church telling how their pet hamster got out and ruined the couch by chewing up the insides. Totally grossed out, I didn't know if I would rather find Sprinkles alive or dead. The silver lining was that rooms, closets and cupboards got completely cleaned... but no gerbil anywhere. Molly, our supposed terrier who was bred to find and kill rodents, decided it was a grand morning lay around napping and was no help at all.

After thoughts of exactly how stinky a dead rodent in my house would be, late in the afternoon I told the kids that I would pay $20 to anyone who could find the gerbil, dead or alive. Sophie promptly got a flashlight and looked under an overlooked piece of furniture. There was Sprinkles! Sophie cried the first tears of joy in her 7 year old life. While crying and laughing at the same time she told Grace that her gerbil would be both of theirs now.

After everything calmed down I asked the girls to say a prayer and thank Heavenly Father that they were able to find their pet. In unison then chimed that they already had. Together in their room these sweet girls had already offered a prayer of gratitude to a Father in Heaven they know loves them and is aware of their lives. Everything else today was suddenly so worth this one moment.

Happy 7th Birthday Sophie & Grace

 Yesterday Grace and Sophie turned 7. It is so hard to believe that 7 years have gone by and these cute babies have become sweet little girls. Jason and I were talking last week and realized that we have been parents now longer then the time waiting for our children to come to earth. I see pictures like this and just want to pick my babies up one more time and love on them.

  

The girls had their first ever friends birthday party. It was puppy themed fun and craziness. Thankfully my good friends came to help. Even with 5 adults helping it was still barely organized chaos. Sophie and Grace were in heaven. They did so well as hosts, I was really proud of them. The welcomed everyone and walked them to the backyard, helped to serve the cake and ice cream and were super gracious about all of their gifts.

I thought the dog pinata was a little creepy to be beating with a stick but the kids loved it.

I am so blessed to have these girls in my life. Watching them play and  laugh yesterday as they celebrated their birthday was so fun. When we were opening gifts Luke gave the girls a ladybug habitat and Sophie was so excited she picked him up off his feet and swung him around in circles. One gerbil bite and several minor mishaps aside, it was a great day.

Poor Grace

We spent the evening in the ER last night. Grace was playing at the neighbors and dislocated her elbow. I thought for sure it was broken, so did the ER dr. We are super glad it is just a dislocation, she will feel much better in a few days and only has to wear a splint. Poor kid. She was such a trooper. She only lost it completely when they put her IV in. But this is the girl who screams bloody murder for a simple shot. Once they got some pain meds in her she was a happy camper.

We had a nice conversation on the ride home. When I was carrying Grace to the car to get to the hospital I asked her to say a prayer. She said that she already had and it was not helping! Poor kid. Of course I said multiple prayers the whole evening, especially on that 20 minute car ride with a child whimpering and crying in pain and trying to be brave. On the way home we talked about prayer and how it helps us, that it didn't take Grace's pain away, but that the Lord helped her to be brave and strong and everything turned out ok. Christ doesn't take away challenges in our lives most of the time, but He does strengthen us to be able to meet the trials we have. She totally understood. The faith of my children continually  inspires and humbles me.

On a lighter note. I had to laugh at the wood chips all over the hospital bed and floor and Gracie's filthy hands and feet from playing outside. The kids had been at the neighbors and tried to put up a tire swing on their own. Grace was the lucky soul to try it out first and it didn't go so well.  I actually had the nurse bring me a wash cloth to clean her up while she was still sedated. The nurse that helped us was named Ben and Grace thought that was fun. Our kind neighbor took the other kids for me since Jason is out of town, fed them pizza and put them to bed.  I was mortified that she saw the state of my house. Seriously. It was awful. All things considered I feel very blessed. Grace will feel better in a few days, be able to hit the pinata at her birthday party this Saturday and is overjoyed at the prospect of a day chilling on the couch watching tv. The Lord really did help her and all of us. Recognizing that fills me with gratitude.