Strep Throat Invasion

Two-thirds of the Hardy household have been infected with strep throat. Collin woke up Thursday morning with a slight temperature but seemed fine all day. Friday he woke up with a temperature again and I brought him to the doctor where he tested positive for strep. He came home and sat with me most of the day watching every episode of Barney our DVR held. Friday afternoon I started to get a sore throat and went to the urgent care clinic where I tested positive too. Needless to say we had a lazy weekend laying on the couch watching television together. Good thing Daddy didn't get sick so he could take care of us. Let's hope strep throat stays away from our house for a while.

So Blessed

Patrick and I are in a small group at Northpoint Church on Tuesday nights and have been doing a very eye opening study. I have been reading the book For Women Only, which has been very enlightening. It has really made me stop and see how blessed I am to have such a wonderful husband and father to my son. Patrick works hard each and every day so I can stay home and spent quality time with Collin. I know it is a huge responsibility to have to carry the financial security of a family on your back and I do not thank him enough. I am beyond blessed and am making a point to let him know how happy and thankful I am each day for all of the things he does. I love you Patrick and am lucky to call you mine!

Let It Snow!

This morning we woke up to snow covering the ground! It was so exciting since it rarely happens in Georgia. Since the roads were a bit icy, Patrick did not have to go to work until later in the morning, so we all decided to bundle up and let Collin go out and play in the snow. This was his first time being able to play in the snow. He absolutely loved it! He was not at all bothered by the fact that it was below freezing and very windy, he just wanted to run. He first had to run up and make sure the monster truck survived the snow (he is so concerned about his favorite monster truck) and then walked around in the snow and watched the big kids sledding in it. Despite the fact his little cheeks were red as beets, he could have stayed out all day. However, he only made it about five minutes since he refused to wear a hat or gloves. I am so glad he got to experience a snow this year. Maybe we will get a little more before spring comes!

Flurries! Flurries!

Well, the weather people have been forecasting snow for this afternoon but we were not too hopeful since we do not get a lot of snow in Georgia. However, while Collin was napping I looked out the window and saw flurries. As soon as he got up I put on his jacket and let him go out and experience snow flurries. He was very excited to go outside since we have been couped up due to the cold temperatures. He immediately ran up the hill to make sure the monster truck was okay and then proceeded to go and investigate the white areas of the yard. Let's hope we get some more so he can experience real snow tomorrow.....a rarity in Georgia.

Wild Thing...You Make Mommy's Heart Sing

Just thought I would share with you how Collin looks every morning when he wakes up. Gotta love the big cowlick. Such a cutie!

Monkey Joe's

Today we took Collin to Monkey Joe's. It is an inflatable play area that just opened up in the Vickery area. Collin absolutely loved it! As soon as we got there he ran and got into the toddler inflatable. It had lots of animals in it but he was obsessed with walking across the alligator. Once he got tired of that inflatable he convinced Daddy to take him on all the big kid ones. The two of them had a blast going down the big slides and playing peek-a-boo with each other. It was so cute to watch. Here are some pictures from his adventurous day.

We Just Had To Brag

In November Patrick and I had Collin's speech evaluated at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. As a former teacher, I had a gut feeling that he should be saying more words than he was and knew that early intervention was the key. The evaluation stated that he was significantly delayed due to his lack of being able to hear out of one ear before his tubes were put in. After about a month of waiting to hear from the insurance company, we decided to go ahead and enroll him in therpy. He has had two visits with one of the best speech therapists ever, Ms. Lorissa, and has shown so much progress. Below are a list of words Collin is now consistantly saying.

mama
dada
nana
papa
more-along with the sign
moo
neigh
quack
bow wow (Daddy taught this one)
ball
boom
zoom

He is also attempting to say please but does have the sign down for it. We cannot be more thrilled and thank the Lord that our prayers have been answered and he is now communicating! In two thirty minute sessions he has made this much progress. We just had to brag!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Hardy family! We had a low key evening in since we could not find a babysitter and Collin was not going to be able to stay out all night. We did have a nice family dinner at Longhorn's and then came home to watch some movies. It was low key but fun!