Visiting the Allens

Last Saturday, Kelli and I loaded up with Brooks and Kaylin and headed off to see Jennifer's new house in Hattiesburg. They built next door to her parents. The house is adorable, and Ethan has done some great landscaping! The babies had a great time together! Brooks and Lily chased each other around, and Kaylin just sat as content as could be and watched. Although, she did do lots of rolling around! We girls loved getting together, too. Funny how the conversations have changed in just a year! It was a great trip, and the babies were wonderful travelers. Looks like we'll have to plan more roadtrips!

Off to the Fair...

Well, we're off to the Neshoba County Fair tomorrow afternoon. Brian went today to help his parents get settled in the cabin. So, I'm trying to get mine and Brooks things packed. I'm pretty sure that I've managed to get everything but the kitchen sink. I told Pam that they were going to have to add an extra floor just for Brooks' things! We won't have internet access, so I hope that I don't have blog withdrawals!!! We'll have lots of pictures to show next time!

Brooks says, "I'm ready!"...

Brooks Is So Excited...

Because he has a little cousin on the way!!!! Brent and Eileen are expecting a little one in January, and we are so pumped! Jack is very happy about becoming a big brother, and we know that he is going to be great at it because he is so wonderful with Brooks. All is going well with the pregnancy, and Eileen looks great! 6 months and counting...

Tiny Dancer

Tonight we were sitting around, and Brooks was having his snack. While I was looking at a webpage, a song came on that gave Brooks the giggles. So, I took him out of his highchair and brought him closer to the computer. He got so tickled and started bouncing up and down! The video isn't all that clear, but it was too cute to pass up. Looks like he got his moves from his Mommy!

Checking the Mail with Daddy

Brooks always gets happy when Daddy gets home because he knows that it is time to go and check the mail. They do this each day. He is quite the little helper!

Daddy also wanted Brooks to show off his shirt. We are so excited that it finally fits. He wore it to school today to make sure that everyone knew that his daddy was the man! Thank you Uncle Brent and Aunt Eileen for getting this for Brooks. Now he and Jack can wear their matching shirts!

Our Little Talker

If you have ever been around our little one, you know that he is quite the talker. We're still not sure where he got that from yet??? Ha! So, this is his new thing. He lifts his hands and just lets it all out! Brian calls him our little preacher.

Our 3rd Anniversary!

Our 3rd wedding anniversary was Wednesday, July 16th. Even though the day itself wasn't that great since Brooks and I were sick and Brian was busy all day long, we still were able to sneak in a dinner out by ourselves the night before. It was great to just be able to sit and enjoy ourselves and laugh!

3 years ago

and today...
Our little family

Bad Week...

Well, I haven't posted in several days and for good reason...we have had a not so great week! Our sweet boy woke up Monday morning with 102 degree fever and feeling just down right miserable! So, we all know how it works at the doctor's office...you call at 8 a.m. and get in at 4:30 that afternoon. The verdict...strep throat! So, we were home with that most of the week. And as my luck goes, Brian had the Mississippi Coaches' Clinic the whole week! In addition to attending all the classes they had to attend 2 all-star games going on. And finally, to top it all off, I got a stomach bug on Wednesday, which happened to be our 3 year anniversary! One of the days we were home, I did get to get some laundry done. Brooks tried to help...

Becoming Such a Big Boy!

Brooks turned 8 months yesterday, and we cannot believe how fast the time has gone by! We're scared that we'll blink, and he'll be graduating from high school. Each day is a brand new wonderful adventure. He is such a funny child...does something to make us laugh each day. He is quite the little monkey these days. We might just have a climber on our hands! He just can't sit still. He loves being on his feet, so it is so cute watching him boogie over to something and immediately pop up on his feet. Sometimes he lets go like he assumes that he'll just stand there. One of his favorite spots is the back door. He loves to look out the window!

Brian has picked him up from daycare the last couple of days, so it is always interesting to see what they are up to when I walk in from work. Today, he was in his high chair telling all kinds of stories and snacking on some banana puffs. He LOVES his puffs!

Bath Time

Brooks loves bath time!!! As you can see, he is such a little monkey splashing around. I had to change clothes after his bath tonight because he got me soaking wet.

A Special Day Remembering Ben

Today, we visited Salem Baptist Church in the Burnside Community of Neshoba County. It was a very special day...remembering the life of Brian's best friend Ben Myers. Ben's family held a Memorial for him. On July 9th, it will be 10 years since Brian and his best friend were involved in a tragic car accident coming back from getting things finalized on their rental house in Oxford. They were hit by a bus on the driver's side, and Ben was killed instantly. As you all can imagine, words cannot describe the pain that Brian has felt all these years. Even though I never met Ben, his amazing character and the influence he had on Brian is very evident. As hard as the day was on Brian, it meant so much to him to be there for himself and Ben's family. After church, we went to Nana and Pop's for a wonderful lunch and a good visit. Nana and Pop were so happy to see all the new things Brooks is doing.

Happy Birthday Dodger!

Dodger turned 8 this 4th of July! Happy birthday Dodge!

4th of July

Madison Central hosted its annual 4th of July Wooden Bat Tournament, which meant that Daddy spent every waking minute at the field. This is the biggest event of summer ball for them, but the best part of it is...IT'S OVER!!!! Daddy is finally through with baseball for the year!!!!!! We are so glad that he will be home each night to play with us...plus, he has lots of diaper changing to catch up on. Since Daddy was gone all weekend, we headed down to Crystal Springs for a day at Lake Copiah to play with his cousins. We found the perfect spot for our picnic and did lots of splashing around in the pool. He loves the water! Then, we headed over to Anna and David's for a fish fry. He didn't last too long because he was so tired from the day. What a great first 4th of July!

Happy 1st Birthday Lily!

Lily Allen turned 1 year old today! Where did the time go, Jen?

So Much To Catch Up On!!!!

It has been over 2 weeks!! In addition to Brian's baseball and cutting yards and my never-ending "stuff", we have been so busy lately that I haven't been able to keep updated. Here are some of the things that we have been up to...

New Things Each Day!

It really amazes me how each day brings something new with Brooks! He is so mobile now and not afraid of anything!!! I'm the overprotective mommy following him around to make sure that he doesn't fall down or bump his head. He loves to be on his feet, so he pulls up on everything. He is working on cruising the furniture, too. He loves to talk and talk (poor thing...got that honest from Mommy and Daddy!). He also loves anything that he can bang and make noise. Coming home from daycare each day, we look forward to a small snack of banana puffs and juice. It is the sweetest thing watching him pick up those little snacks with those little fingers and put them in his mouth. My little guy is growing up too fast!!!!

Tomato Festival

Being from Crystal Springs (once known as Tomatopolis of the World), you just have to experience the Tomato Festival each year! It would most likely be a completely boring event to you if you weren't from there, but it is just a great time to get to see those that you only get to see about once a year. This year was especially nice because I got to show off my little man! Friday night was BBQ and Blue Jeans, a charitable event sponsored by the Junior Auxillary. Anna, who chaired it once again this year, did a great job! Saturday morning started off with the kid's parade. Kelli and I "pimped out" Kaylin and Brooks' strollers with tomato paraphenalia. We brought up the caboose of the parade with the Herringtons...we got several laughs out of the morning! Then, we cruised around the flea market, which never appeals to me all that much!

Brooks' First Vacation

At 4 a.m. on June 21st, we hit the road for Brooks' first vacation. We headed up to the Ozarks in Missouri to visit my family and do some good ole' rainbow trout fishing. I was surprised that it didn't take much longer than the average 6 hours to make the trip. Brooks was the best little traveler! The two carloads carried Mimi, Dondaddy, Brian, me and Brooks, Brent, Eileen, Jack, and our good family friend Matt. We stopped by Mammoth Springs, AR on the way up to see the ducks and take some pictures. We hit the Eleven Point River early Sunday morning and fished and played in the water and on the sandbar all day. That night, Uncle Randy (the best fishing guide in the world!) fried and baked our catches from the day! It was the best! When we weren't fishing, we were visiting with Grandmama and the rest of the crew. It is such a gorgeous part of the country and is very dear to my family's heart! It was a wonderful trip! Del, Ann, G'ma, Randy, and Wendy...thanks for the great hospitality!

Brooks and Lily's Playdate!

On Friday, June 20th, we had a great visit from the Allens. Ethan was playing in the state tennis tournament here in Jackson, so Jennifer and Lily spent the afternoon at our house. This was the first time that Brooks and Lily could really play together since they are both mobile now. And boy, did they have fun! They were being sweet with one another one minute and bonking the other on the head the next. Lily was so funny all day...we kept making her make faces. We just laughed and laughed. It was a great visit! We can't wait to see them again.

Brooks Starts at a New School!

Monday, June 16th was Brooks' first day at his new daycare. We have really been happy with everything and are looking forward to him enjoying many days ahead there. He has already found a little girlfriend there. She is such a cutie! His teachers say that he just chases her around and they play and giggle with one another. It's adorable!

Father's Day

Brian had a great first Father's Day! Brooks decided to wake up at 5 a.m. that morning, so he and I decided to do a little art project for Daddy's present. We got him a book on the L.A. Dodgers, so Brooks "signed" the inside cover with his sweet little handprint. The instructions simply said, "wash hands with a mild soap and water when finished with ink"...yeah, not so much. Poor little thing...I probably scrubbed his hands 5 times that morning. It was well worth it to see Daddy's face, though! Then, we went to church and came home to hang out all day. I had to do some serious cleaning since Brooks is all over the place, so Brooks and Daddy had some great special boy time. Nana, Pop, Uncle Jon, and Brandi came by to visit for a while. The boys took a good nap after that.

Mommy's Day Off

I have reduced my hours at work and am only working 4 days a week now. Today was my second week with my new schedule. It was wonderful to be able to actually get through my long list of things to do. After all my errands, I picked Brooks up and we went to Wal-Mart. He LOVES Wal-Mart!!! It gives him the chance to people watch, which is one of his favorite things to do. We dropped off the groceries and headed over to Kelli's. Kaylin was going to try rice cereal out for the first time. She did great...made a few funny faces, but ate it all (well, what didn't end up on her face). Brooks is so funny with Kaylin. He wants to get to her every chance he can get. He already has several girlfriends, so I hope all his other sweet baby girls don't get jealous about his date today. He loves you all!

Kayin after cereal...look at those gorgeous blue eyes!

Looks like he is giving her some advice!Oh, how sweet...kissing her hand!

He's moving now!!!

People have been telling me these past few days...pack up all your nice things! He is crawling all over the place and pulling up on the furniture now. As excited as we are, this overprotective mommy won't be letting him leave her sight anytime soon. Guess it is time to do some serious baby proofing.

Getting To Know the Dogs

Brooks has really become interested in the dogs the last few times he has been to Nana and Pop's. He just watches and watches them. Sometimes, he looks at them and just laughs. Here are a couple of picture of him with Dodger.

Dodger giving him kisses

He isn't scared of them at all
Such a sweet boy!

He Crawled!

He crawled for the first time last Friday night! He has been working on it so hard and actually took two "steps". He can already scoot all over the place, so we were really excited to see him move on all fours. He only takes a few "steps", but we are surely proud of his progress. He gets really frustrated and rocks back and forth when he is trying.

Here I Go! You are watching, aren't you?
Whoa! That was hard work!

Jack's 5th Birthday Party

Jack (my nephew and Godson) turned 5 on June 5th. He had a really cool party with a huge water slide! Since Brooks couldn't exactly go down the slide, we got a "just his size" pool that he just loved. Everyone had a great time! Jack was the sweetest little thing...taking the time to thank everyone as he opened his gifts. It's hard to believe that he is going to school this Fall.

Brooks' First 7 Months

Since I started this blog 7 months after Brooks was born, I'll catch you up on some of our favorite pictures from these last 7 months. He has been such a good baby! He is the happiest child and such a flirt! I can't believe how quickly time flies...

Robert Brooks Hardy

Robert Brooks Hardy was born November 8, 2007 at 12:20 p.m. measuring 7 pounds 1 ounce and 20 inches long. He was good to his mommy by making her endure a very short labor. It was an amazing day!!!! We are so blessed!!!!

One day old

Just a couple hours old!

Coming to see Mommy for the 1st time