GOODBYE TO A DEAR FRIEND...

Lexi passed away this past week. We had here as a part of our family for almost ten years. This has been very hard for all of us. She was our protector as well as our friend. We love her so very much and I do not know if I will ever get over her loss. I still call out her name and one time I thought I saw her but it was just another dog coming across our yard. The reality sank in as it has often done over this past week and I find it hard not to cry. We buried her in the back yard under three trees in plain view of our porch. I will plant wild flowers there in a few weeks when the weather is warmer.

Daddy daughter dance

One of the traditions of Merwin Elementary school is the annual daddy daughter dance. Here Rachel is wearing a dress given by Grandma and Grandpa Hardy and daddy looks dashing in his suit. Kim later said that the fathers would not dance that is except him. He cut up the dance floor right along with Rachel and had a great time.

A baby shower

I made a diaper cake after my sister showed me her creation and guided me on how to make one myself. Oddly enough we both were giving showers to two different expectant mom's on the same day who were both having boys. The thing is she is in the mountains of Colorado and I am in the midwest! The shower I gave was eventful as I ended up spilling red punch on one of my friends and at the end I dropped the remaining real cake while trying to clean up. The diaper cake was a hit and I am sure now that the baby is born they have put them all to good use. The baby was born the very next day. We had the shower just in time!

New Beginnings 2009

Sariah joined the rest of the Young Women of our ward for new beginnings. This was a time for them to reflect and also welcome the new girls. Sariah gave a talk on the Prophet Enos and the power of prayer.

VOLCANO!

Sariah and Benjamin had to do volcano projects for Science class. Benjamin's was chosen as the official guide for the rest of the students to emulate. His group created a volcano out of paper mache and then blew it up with fire crackers and did a video to present to the class. Sariah's was a little more on the safe side and rather delicious. She decided on making a cake and we worked on this together. The cake was a big hit! She had to place flags on the different features of the volcano and do an oral report along with a written report turned into the teacher. The best part was sharing the cake with her friends in class!

Seeing SPOTS!

This was a beautiful sight to behold. While we were there this majestic creature paced back and forth around the pond and then all of a sudden went after a flock of ducks. No worries the ducks were safe becuase they scared the Cheetah away by quacking loudly. Who knew that would work?

Tampa Zoo

Seeing eye to eye...

Gary chose to face this dragon head on!

Asian wing of the Tampa Zoo

Tampa Zoo

We spent a terrific day exploring the Tampa Safari Zoo. There were so many beautiful animals to see and the best part is that you can get so close to them. There were even opportunities to feed the rhino's and giraffes, ride the camels and "pet" the rays. There were an abundance of wildlife in natural settings you really felt like you were in their natural habitats. By far this was the best zoo we have ever been to!

Shells, Shells and more Shells!

Gary really loved finding the shells under the water and buried deep in the sand. Imagine his surprise when he dove down and pulled up a beautiful shell that still had a crab living inside! Rachel was also busy collecting shells and I helped them both throughout the day. It was such fun shelling because you never knew what you were going to find. By the end of the day we had more then we could bring home and had to make a choice of which ones to bring home.

Caldesi Island 2008

FUN in the SUN!

Kim even got into the fun by letting Benjamin bury him in the warm sand. The one thing about being buried is that you cannot control what is happening to you!

Caldesi Island

Caldesi Island Florida

We went to an Island in Florida that is renowned for it's white sand and shelling. To get there one must go to Honeymoon island and take a boat from there. Caldesi was beautiful and we enjoyed a fun filled day searching for the perfect shells, sun bathing, and swimming even though the water is a bit chilly in January!

B-A-S-E-B-A-L-L!

You got to love this sport! Sun, groomed fields, the smell of leather in a well worn glove, the feel of a bat in your hands, the great announcers that make it so much fun and above all the baseball players giving it their all!

Disney Classic 2008

Braves Stadium

This was our last day in the Disney Classic. We all took pictures in front of the stadium and out on the field after the game. The Montreal team crushed us and it was very humbling. All in all they were completely unbeatable and won the Classic without batting an eye! They were amazing to watch! They were such good sports that we even took pictures with there team after the game. A special thanks to every one who contributed to Benjamin's Disney fund. This was an amazing opportunity!

Disney World Classic!

While in Disney Benjamin did a great job. This was a good experience for all the boys. They even got to play in the Braves spring training field inside the Disney Sports Complex. We all learned a lot and are looking forward to being able to go again in 2009.