Gone Country

This weekend we took a trip to south Georgia to visit Collin's Great, Great Aunt Gloria and Uncle Ford. They were my Mom's aunt and uncle and have taken on the role of grandparents in our lives. They live in a small town south of Macon called Unadilla. Since it is a three hour drive, we decided to head down Saturday afternoon and then spend the night so Collin wasn't in the car too much. Collin had a great time. He ran all around their house and was into everything. I was so scared he was going to break something but luckily everything remained in one piece. He especially loved the train that came near their house throughout the day. Everytime Uncle Ford heard a train coming he would shout "train" and Collin would run to the front door to watch it go by. He LOVED the train.





He also partook in the southern tradition of eating a lot. It seemed like he ate the whole time he was there and especially loved Aunt Gloria's sweet potatoes. He demolished them! Here is a picture of Collin with Ford and Gloria after lunch.



Collin also got to go see some real John Deere tractors at my Granddaddy's farm. My Granddaddy was a farmer until he passed away a couple of years ago and has a farm full of equipment. We took Collin over to see the tractors up close and he loved it. He just ran around them in awe of how big they were. Maybe next time he can take them for a ride! I know my Granddaddy was looking down from heaven so happy to see his great grandson loving everything about the farm life. I know he would have loved Collin to pieces and laughed at how his granddaughter who was always so prissy ended up having a son who is 100% boy.





We also made the hard trip to the cemetery to see my mom, or Nana's, grave. We cleaned it off and put some pretty flowers on it. I know that she is in heaven but it is always hard to go and see her name of the tombstone and know that she is really gone. It helps to know she is in heaven now and free of pain and will be reunited with us one day.

Collin's On A Misson

Collin loves to play outside. Recently he has become fascinated with running up our street to see what he considers to be the best thing on Earth.

Here he is taking off up the street.



Wait, he's pointing. He sees it.



What could it be?





A MONSTER TRUCK! Yes, this is our neighbor's truck and Collin is OBSESSED with it. He stares at it out our bedroom window and has to go see it every time we go outside. The tires on it are as tall as Patrick and I are. Collin wants this to be our next car. Could you imagine me pulling up to carpool in something like this? Ha!

Everyday after we see the car we have to go all the way down the street to see Collin's friend Rocky. Rocky is a miniature beagle that Mommy loved since the day his owners got him. I guess this love has passed on to Collin because everyday we have to go and see Rocky. Collin will get down in his face and start babbling to him. It is so cute! I'm glad the neighborhood is so entertaining to Collin.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Rain, rain go away! It has literally been raining for ten days here in Atlanta. And when I say raining, I mean pouring. Since Collin loves to be outside, this has been absolute torture for him (and Mommy and Daddy). So what do we do when we cannot go outside? These pictures tell it all!

As I was putting some of Collin's clothes away, he found these duck slippers in his drawer. I put them on him and he was absolutely fascinated by the fact that his feet looked like ducks. This keep him entertained for about thirty minutes. He even scared the cat with them.



Here is a picture of what Collin did to the playroom. He absolutely destroyed it playing with everything. Unfortunately he got bored with this after a couple of hours and wanted nothing more to do with the playroom.



The forecast is calling for sun soon. Let's hope so!

Boys Weekend

This weekend Daddy and Collin had a boys weekend. Patrick was nice enough to volunteer to watch Collin while I went to the beach with some of my girlfriends. I left on Thursday afternoon. Grandmommy came up to watch Collin on Thursday and Friday and then he was all Daddy's for the weekend. Friday morning Patrick got up extra early to pack Collin's lunch for school and get him dressed and ready to go. Grandmommy said he did an awesome job and was on top of everything. On Saturday they sent Grandmommy home bright and early so she could get home before the major rain came. Collin and Daddy then met one of his work friends and his two kids at Cracker Barrel for some breakfast. They then headed down to the Alpharetta Fun Fest where Collin watched the firetruck and police car until it started raining again. They then went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch and came home to play and watch some football. Throughout the weekend Patrick even sent me pictures via cell phone to show me what Collin was doing. I have to brag on my wonderful husband. He did a great job and kept Collin safe and sound. I cannot express how wonderful it makes me feel to see Patrick and Collin interact. It makes me love him even more!

I have to admit that I missed Collin terribly while I was gone. Those four days and three nights were a long time to be away from my baby. Although I knew he was in wonderful hands, I missed his little smile and cuddly hugs. The trip made me realize how blessed I am to be able to spend everyday with Collin and to have two wonderful boys in my life. I love you Patrick and Collin!

Collin Is One And A Half Years Old

On September 3rd, Collin turned 18 months old. It is hard to believe he is already one and a half years old. Today he had his 18 month doctor visit. We were going to skip it in fear of the swine flu going around the office, but decided we better stick to the schedule and go see Dr. H. Collin only weighs 24 pounds and 2 ounces (25-50%) which is down from 25 pounds a couple of weeks ago. He is 33 and 3/4 inches long (75%). The doctor said Collin looks great which is always good to hear!

Collin can do so many things now. He is a very happy child who loves all things boy. His favorite things to play with at the moment are his big yellow dump truck filled with mega blocks, matchbox cars, his shape sorter, and his little "WOW" cars that make noise when you push them. He also loves to look at books and sing songs, especially ones about Mr. Sun. His favorite book is Things That Go. He especially loves the monster truck and digger but can identify most of the big machines. I have no clue where this interest came from but it is so funny to watch him. Every time we drive down the road I have to point out the machines and different kind of vehicles we see. Collin is definitely 100% boy!

Collin also loves to show off how smart he is. He has recently started working on his colors. He can identify red, blue, green and yellow consistently and give you blocks and other items that color. He also likes to draw (or scribble) on the paper as long as Mommy starts by drawing a "Mr. Sun" at the top.

Collin is still not talking as most children his age are. He can say Dada and Mama but that is about it. I know he understands everything we are saying to him because he can follow my directions and bring me what I ask for. He is just not verbalizing anything yet. The doctor did not seem too concerned about this, but said if at his 2 year visit he still had not progressed to where he needed to be we would look at some therapy. I am going to just continue to put on my "teacher hat" and try to find fun ways to encourage communication at home and hope that it comes.

Patrick and I feel so blessed that God provided us with such a happy, healthy, precious little boy who fills our hearts with joy and makes everyday an adventure!

Labor Day Weekend 2009

Every Labor Day weekend the Hardy side of the family gathers in Birmingham for a family reunion. This year Collin had a blast playing with all of his cousins. He especially took a liking to Hollye Ann, who turned two in June. He followed her along like a little puppy dog and wanted to do everything she was doing. Whenever we would ask him where she was, he would scour the house looking for her. We wish they lived closer so they could play together more often!



Collin also loved when Patrick's Uncle Don got out the guitar and started singing. Collin loves music and this was no exception. He got very excited and had to make sure he played with his toys right beside the guitar. He got especially excited when Don's daughter Mary Emma played "You Are My Sunshine", Collin's favorite song!



On Sunday, we went with Grandmommy and Granddaddy to the Birmingham Zoo. It was wonderful weather and Collin had a great time. He got to ride the train that went around the zoo. When the train first started moving his eyes got huge. I think he was a little scared! He held on tight to Daddy but seemed to enjoy the ride. After that we went to visit the lions and tigers. Collin loved them since they came right up to the glass for him to look at. We ended our Zoo adventure by letting Collin play on the playground. He loved going back and forth across the swinging bridge. Mommy and Daddy were a little nervous but our little dare devil did great on it.

Collin's First Day Of School

Today was Collin's first day of school. Mommy did not get much sleep last night worrying about whether he would like it and be a good boy. I had butterflies in my stomach like I used to have before I started school. Before school started this morning, his friend Mackenzie came over to get some pictures.





When I dropped Collin off, he was crying. I left feeling so sad but kept telling myself it was for his own good. It was very quiet with him gone. I was able to get all my grocery shopping done, get an hour workout in, eat lunch and vacuum the whole house. However, I missed him so much. At 12:45 I went and picked him up. He was riding in a big red stroller with five other kids. He was the only one awake in the stroller and was making whining noises. As soon as he saw me he wanted out. The teachers said he was a little teary but had some spurts of energy. His teacher called me this afternoon after I e-mailed her and reassured me everything was okay. She said he, along with many others, cried on and off for the first hour. She said he loved outside time (imagine that) and the indoor playground. She said he also loved painting and was very interested in it. According to his teacher, he would only get upset when things calmed down and he realized his Mommy wasn't there and he wasn't happy about it or when other children started to cry. Collin did not eat any of his lunch but was more concerned with looking at what everyone else was doing. I was a little worried that he did not have a good day but his teacher reassured me this is an adjustment and will take some time for him to get used to. I am hoping he will become more comfortable at school each week and grow to love it.