Saturday, April 28, 2012

Touch-A-Truck

Today we took the boys to the Touch-A-Truck festival in Alpharetta.  It was heaven on Earth for Collin.  The festival had every kind of vehicle you could possibly imagine including a trolley, limo, UPS truck, police car, SWAT van, big rig, ice cream truck, school bus, double decker bus, and video game bus just to name a few.  Collin loved it! His favorites were the big rig and a "Fun Bus" that had several activities inside and then a slide he had to go down to exit it.  Parker was  to little to get in any of the vehicles on display but was in awe of all the people and all the different horns that were beeping.  I am sure in a couple of years he will love it just as much as his big brother did. 

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Parker's Baby Dedication

Today was a very special day in the lives of the Hardy family. Today Patrick and I dedicated Parker to the Lord. The Baby Dedication ceremony took place at our church, Northpoint. It was an awesome ceremony. They had a church staff member give a speech about the importance of raising children in a Christian home. Patrick and I then got to share the 5 traits we hope to instill within Parker with our family. The 5 traits are:

1. To love others
2. To know God and follow his word
3. Respect authority and others
4. To have a generous heart
5. Display self-control

Patrick and I plan to instill this traits in Parker through modeling and daily activities. We also vowed to start two habits in our family to assist in the teaching of these values. They are to read stories and say our prayers together each night and to eat dinner together and share our day or anything on our hearts. We were lucky enough to have our family vow to hold us accountable for teaching Parker these traits and promise to pray for us in our journey. Momo, Granddaddy, Papa, Aunt B, Uncle Jon, and Aunt Lotis all came to the event and vowed to pray for us and Parker in hopes that he will come to know the Lord and follow his Word.  What a blessing!

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it
~Proverbs 22:6

Saturday, April 21, 2012

JCUMC Spring Carnival

Today Collin's preschool had their annual Spring Carnival.  Collin was beyond excited about meeting his pal Vincent there and exploring it all. As soon as we arrived Collin tested every inflatable they had to offer.  He loved them all!  He then followed his friend Vincent to the games where they won some really cool prizes like toy airplanes and cars.  We then rode the train as a family.  Parker was not too sure about it at first but seemed to enjoy it once it started moving.   Daddy and Parker then headed home so Parker could get some rest while Collin and Vincent explored everything else.  He was brave enough to ride on a spinning apple  and told the worker to make it go faster. It was going to fast the worker had to stop to let some kids out that got to scared. Needless to say he was extremely dizzy when he emerged from it.  When then went to the reptile show.  Mommy is not fond of reptiles and terrified of snakes so I sat in the very back while Collin touched everything that the man showed.  He even touched two different snakes!  He is defiantly not scared of anything!  We had so much fun at the Spring Carnival and cannot wait to go back next year!

Monday, April 16, 2012

Parker's 1st Surgery

Today was the day Mommy and Daddy had been dreading.....Parker's first surgery to put tubes in his ears. Parker has had constant ear infections since he was about 5 months old and cannot seem to get the fluid to stay out of his ears and keep from causing an infection. Patrick and I became very concerned about it when Parker had yet to say a word at one year of age and failed a hearing test at the ENT. After talking with his pediatrician we decided tubes were a must. So within two weeks we were scheduled to have them in. Poor Parker even got an infection the week before his surgery. Bless his heart! So this morning we woke sweet Parker up at 5:45 a.m. and headed to the Pediatric Surgery Center in Atlanta for the procedure. When we got there he was happy as could be and had no clue where he was at. However, as soon as we got back to his room and he saw all the nurses and doctors, he knew exactly where he was at and he was not happy about it. Luckily we brought a DVD player to keep him entertained until it was his turn. Patrick went back to comfort him while he was getting put to sleep. The entire procedure was less than fifteen minutes and we were able to cuddle him in the delivery room. He was still really sleepy when we saw him and he was able to fully wake up in our arms. The doctor said everything went well and all the fluid was drained from his ears. He goes back in two weeks to make sure everything looks good and retest his hearing. Our fingers are crossed that he can now hear and we will hear that sweet voice say "Mama" or "Dada" soon!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Easter 2012

The boys had a fabulous, fun filled Easter weekend. Early Saturday morning the boys began the festivities by dyeing Easter eggs. Collin did all of the work while Parker watched from his high chair. Collin loved making "rainbow eggs" or eggs that had been dipped in every color dye we had out. We then let the eggs dry and then had an Easter egg hunt. Collin loved running though the yard hunting eggs. Every time he picked up an egg, he would shake it to make sure there was something inside it. Once all the eggs were collected, he opened them up to find a new Matchbox SUV and several quarters he could use to buy ice cream from the ice cream man. We attempted to have Parker hunt some eggs, but he was not a fan of the wet grass and wanted to be held. On Easter morning the boys awoke to find their baskets full of treats from the Easter Bunny. Collin got a coloring book, new crayons, a new Bible, candy and his prized Nissan Xterra Matchbox he had been begging to get for weeks. That Easter Bunny sure is smart! Parker got a big blue ball, a shape sorter, and a Backyardigans DVD. Both boys were beyond thrilled with what they received. Afterwards we attended church then headed to Uncle Jon and Aunt Lotis' house for another egg hunt. Uncle Jon and Aunt Lotis had over 100 eggs hidden with yummy candy in each one. Collin loved having a partner, Lotis' niece, to hunt eggs with. We then enjoyed dinner together and headed home. All in all the boys had a great, fun-filled weekend!

Monday, April 2, 2012

To Papa’s Lake House We Go

This weekend we packed the boys up and took a weekend getaway to Papa’s lake house. He just bought a gorgeous house on Lake Wedowee in Alabama. He also just bought a new boat and had all the family over to take a ride and see his new home away from home. The boys really enjoyed the trip! Collin loved playing with Autie and riding all over the lake in the boat. Papa even let him sit in his lap and help drive which he loved! We called him Captain Collin. He was so excited to be able to help Papa navigate around the lake. Parker, on the other hand, hated the boat! As soon as we got him down to the dock and put him in his life jacket, he began screaming. The screaming continued throughout the three minute or less ride he took. He was not a fan of the wind blowing him or the life jacket. He did, however, love exploring Papa's house and banging his rings on all the different floors to see what kind of noise it would make. All in all the boys had a wonderful weekend with the Dunaway side of the family. We cannot wait to go back, especially when it gets warmer and Collin can swim in the water.