Names for Amy's Baby

     Amy and Tim are having their first baby boy in about a month and they haven't decided for sure what to name him yet.  So, what better family home evening activity than thinking of names for Tim and Amy's baby?!  We had a blast coming up with them and I think it was most fun to see what the little ones came up with.  You are welcome Amy and Tim. :)

Natalee emailed her list to me:

Andrew( our neighbors grandsons name )

Sean( so mom doesn't use it, a mean kids name )

Anthony( a friend from Pierce)

Alexander( I love this name, you could also call him Alex )

Leo( lab rats )

Adam( lab rats )

Chase( lab rats )

I looked up names and one was Baby. I wonder what country uses that name?

 

FYI:Lab Rats is a TV show Natalee really likes right now. Not classroom pets.

 

Haylee's suggestions: Tim Jr., David, Conner, Daniel, Jacob, John, José, Mason, Jake, Mike, Jeff, James, Martin, Gabe, Saul, Carl, Tegain

 

Mackenzie's suggestions: Alexander, Jaren, Caden, Nathaniel, Travis, Kevin, Geoffrey, Isaiah, Gabriel

 

Kelsey's suggestions: Andrew, Nathan, Jeremiah, Liam, Aiden, Darren, Blake, Sebastian, Joseph (or Joey)

 

Nathan's suggestions: Joey, Shawn

 

Daren's suggestions: Harlan, Christopher, Carlton, Laston (inspired by a mixture of Lassiter and Carlton), Sheldon, blah, blah, blah, I'm not even typing the rest of the ridiculous things he came up with.  Daren's totally serious suggestion: Noah, he has always loved that name.

 

Lisa's suggestions: Luke, Gabriel (I really like the meaning), Jackson (Jack!), Owen, Zachary (also a great meaning), Benjamin, Grant, and Aaron

 

Just to clarify, this is not to try to sway you from using any name that is currently your favorite.  We chose this activity with the knowledge that you are still unsure if you want to use your current favorite and are looking at other options.  So we thought we could give you some alternate ideas just in case one of them stood out to you and helped you make a final decision.  Happy name hunting!

Cornelius and the Mouse

     We are snake-sitting for the summer!  Natalee offered to take care of Cornelius, an albino corn snake that belongs to Mr. Whiting, a science teacher at Monroe.  He is a very friendly snake, but it didn't take long for Natalee to decide that she doesn't want to be a snake owner after all.  About a week after getting Cornelius, it was time to go pick up a mouse from Mr. Whiting for him to eat.  Natalee was having a hard time choosing because she thought all the little mice were adorable.  Mr. Whiting finally grabbed a black one for her to take.  We took the mouse home and she put Cornelius in and the mouse together in a plastic bin.  She was feeling horrible about it, but Cornelius didn't eat it.  It turned out Cornelius was about to shed and we ended up keeping that mouse for almost two weeks!  The worse part: Nathan adored it.  I kept catching him playing with it.  He would take it out of the plastic bin and carry it around and put it on his shoulder and put it up to his cheek and make it "kiss" him.  Once I caught him rolling it between his hands like he was making a play dough snake and had to quickly stop him.  I was wondering if the mouse was starting to look forward to the snake. :)  We had brought in a huge black plastic horse feeder to put it in with Cornelius.  Once when Cornelius didn't eat it again, it was still in the feeder and Nate picked it up and was holding it.  I told him to put it away and leave it in there so he did.  Seconds later I turned around and he had climbed in with the mouse and was talking to it.  Silly boy!
     Well, Cornelius did eventually eat the mouse.  And luckily, Nathan wasn't devastated about it one bit.  He didn't seem to even notice that the mouse was gone.  But it was still hard on Natalee.  I predict that she will stop asking for a snake and I'm guessing this is her last time snake sitting too.

Baby Bird Update

     On June 1, all three baby birds hopped out of their nest.  Unfortunately, this was much to the delight of our two dogs.  It is a wonder that any of them survived.  Somehow the girls went out just in time to save one.  They thought they had saved two and put them both in the nest.  But one of them died right after they put it in the nest.  The last one hopped back out and we realized the nest just wasn't a safe place for it anymore.  We took it in the house for the night and then locked the dogs up the next day so we could reunite it with its mother.  She found it right away and started taking care of it.  I read online that our little bird was at what is called the "fledgling" stage.  During this stage it lives on the ground and its mother takes care of it and teaches it survival skills.  We brought it out front in the hopes that it would survive better.  We even put it in a large open container and locked the cat in the garage.  Daren walked out of the front door just as some other cat was about to get it.  We ended up bringing it in for the night one more time.  But since our lives couldn't revolve around the baby bird, we put it out the next morning, made sure the momma bird found it, and went to run our errands.  We never saw any evidence that it didn't survive so we just hope that it did and wonder if any of the little birds flying around are our baby bird.

Happy Birthday Nathan!!!

Here I'm 2....

.....Now I'm 3!!!

     On June 26th I said goodnight to my 2 year old and the next day said good morning to my 3 year old.  I can't believe this little guy is 3!  We had such a fun day celebrating.  We started with present opening.  Each of his sisters (except Avery) found a gift for Nate from something they owned or at the Dollar Tree, or both.  They sure love their brother.
     Daren and I gave Nathan a batting tee, a baseball mitt and ball, a pack of wiffle balls, and some refill bullets for a Nerf gun.  Natalee gave Nathan her Nerf gun.  Haylee gave him a car ramp that she had purchased at a yard sale and all her old Go Diego Go toys.  Mackenzie gave him a glow in the dark snake that grows in water.  Kelsey gave him a pair of Cars goggles for when we go to the pool and her old Go Diego Go blanket.  It was so fun watching him unwrap his gifts.  He squealed in delight with every present he opened.  His sisters were so happy.
     After lunch we went to the pool with Grandma Moffitt and cousin Steven, who was visiting from Utah.  Everyone had a great time!  Nate wanted an ice cream but they ran out so we got him a Gatorade instead.  He still loved his Gatorade.
     We left at about 4:00 and came home to make dinner.  I didn't really know what Nate's favorite dinner was (I really didn't want to make chicken nuggets) but I know he always wants seconds and thirds when I make meatloaf.  So we had meatloaf, baked potatoes, and orange flesh honeydew melon.  I hope he liked it but he was pretty distracted by having his best cousin over.  Nathan and Jetty have become very best friends ever since Jeff and Amber moved here.  I'm so happy he has a little boy to grow up with.  One of these days he's bound to realize he doesn't have any brothers. :)
     Nathan opened some more presents from family.  Grandma Poetschlag gave him $5 to buy something for himself.  Grandma and Grandpa Moffitt gave him a remote control car (Finn McMissile from Cars 2), and Jetty gave him a pack of 2 Nerf guns that he picked out for him and Nate to play with together.  The two immediately went off playing guns.  They make the cutest gun noises. :)  It was so adorable.  Nathan also got his present from Grandma Bobbi.  It was a Cars sleeping bag in a hamper.  He has been sleeping with it every night and just adores it.
     I think our little boy had a pretty happy birthday.  Today it was thrilling for him to weigh himself on the Wii Fit Plus and move from Baby Stats to a Body Test.  It made his Mii go from a baby to a standing little dude and he just laughed like crazy when he saw that. :)  Nathan is such a fun little boy and we are so grateful for him.  Having a little brother does mean occasionally being shot by Nerf guns, hit by plastic swords, etc. but the girls seem okay with it. :)
     A funny thing that happened after his birthday dinner and presents: my mom was trying to take a picture of him shooting his Nerf gun so I told him to shoot Grandma so she would have the perfect angle to take a great picture.  Well, Nate was standing right by Grandma Poetschlag who was sitting in the recliner and he obeyed me instantly.  He turned and shot Grandma Poetschlag right in the neck!  She was a good sport about it and played dead with her tongue out and everything, which made him laugh.
     Happy birthday sweet little guy!  We love you!

The kids wanted some frosting after I finished decorating the cupcakes....so I gave them some!

 

Kelsey is ready for the pool.  The dollar is so she can buy herself an ice cream.  Just before this, she was sitting on my bed and said to me, "Mom, Nathan still looks like a 2 year old to me." :)

Wrinkly toes! Nathan stayed in the water a LONG time!

He was worn out and had to take a little nap after swimming.

 

 

Avery the photo bomber!

 

20 Questions 2013

Nathan William Hardy, age 3

*It was hard to keep Nate's attention long enough to get answers to all these questions from him.  Some things I was pretty sure about and just answered for him.  I put an asterisk next to those ones.

1.What is your favorite color? blue
2. What is your favorite toy? *cars or guns
3. What is your favorite fruit? *banana
4. What is your favorite TV show? Wild Kratts
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? *chicken nuggets
6. What is your favorite outfit? *he really likes his basketball shirt with matching shorts but he also likes his skateboard shirt (he wishes he had a skateboard)
7. What is your favorite game? *'spit in the eye' or 'don't eat Pete'
8. What is your favorite snack? *fruit snacks
9. What is your favorite animal? dinosaurs
10. What is your favorite song? *Castle on a Cloud? (he sings it pretty well)
11. What is your favorite book? *Cars: Rematch/Cars: Mater in Paris
12. Who is your best friend? Jetty Moffitt!!! (so excited that Jeff and Amber and kids moved to Ridgecrest!)
13. What is your favorite cereal? *he likes lots, there isn't just one that stands out
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? *ride scooters (or play in the dog's water)
15. What is your favorite drink? *apple juice
16. What is your favorite holiday? *I'm going to say Christmas since he loves opening presents so much. :)
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? doggie blanket
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? cereal
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? *He always asks for seconds when we have meatloaf so that's what we had for dinner on his birthday a few days ago.
20. What do you want to be when you grow up?


Kelsey Rose Hardy, age 5

1.What is your favorite color? purple
2. What is your favorite toy? barbies
3. What is your favorite fruit? bananas
4. What is your favorite TV show? Wild Kratts
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? chicken nuggets
6. What is your favorite outfit? purple striped What a Doll shirt/skirt with shoes on it
7. What is your favorite game? Wipeout (for the Wii)
8. What is your favorite snack? Ritz crackers
9. What is your favorite animal? ponies
10. What is your favorite song? I Am a Child of God
11. What is your favorite book? I Love School, by Hans Wilhelm
12. Who is your best friend? Kylie Hill, Torstun Grover, and Amanda Workman
13. What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? biking
15. What is your favorite drink? water
16. What is your favorite holiday? Easter
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Boy Dog
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Cinnamon Toast Crunch
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Quesadillas and apples (for the grown ups there's apples and spaghetti)
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a doctor


Mackenzie Rae Hardy, age 8

1.What is your favorite color?blue
2. What is your favorite toy? barbies
3. What is your favorite fruit? bananas and grapes
4. What is your favorite TV show? Wild Kratts
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? ramen noodles
6. What is your favorite outfit? blue basketball shorts and British flag shirt with blue "vest"
7. What is your favorite game? sardines
8. What is your favorite snack? burrito
9. What is your favorite animal? birds
10. What is your favorite song? 1000 Years by Christina Perri
11. What is your favorite book? Fablehaven by Brandon Mull and Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke
12. Who is your best friend? Mallory Cosner, Bella Vargas, and Vadie Grover
13. What is your favorite food? Doritos
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play tag
15. What is your favorite drink? orange juice
16. What is your favorite holiday? my birthday
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? stuffed dolphin named Dolphy
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Frosted Toast Crunch
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? Hot dogs topped with mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? bird trainer


Haylee Breann Hardy, age 10

1.What is your favorite color? blue
2. What is your favorite toy? I don't know
3. What is your favorite fruit? pear
4. What is your favorite TV show? iCarly
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? burritos
6. What is your favorite outfit? light pink flowered skirt, hot pink ruffled top, black flats
7. What is your favorite game? Hoyle Word Games (on the computer)
8. What is your favorite snack? S'mores
9. What is your favorite animal? tiger
10. What is your favorite song? "Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime"  and "Do Your Ears Hang Low" (both are songs on our InsideOut 'Sharing Time' CD)
11. What is your favorite book? Percy Jackson series
12. Who is your best friend? Grace Cannon
13. What is your favorite cereal? Cinnamon Toast Crunch
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? swing
15. What is your favorite drink? chocolate milk
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Fleece blanket
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Toast peanut butter and jelly sandwiches
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? spaghetti tacos
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? I don't know


Natalee Marie Hardy, age 11

1.What is your favorite color? pink
2. What is your favorite toy? kindle fire
3. What is your favorite fruit? strawberries
4. What is your favorite TV show? Doctor Who
5. What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? cereal
6. What is your favorite outfit? skinny jeans, T-shirt, long chain necklace with charms on it, high heels
7. What is your favorite game? Uno
8. What is your favorite snack? candy
9. What is your favorite animal? Zoey (our dog)
10. What is your favorite song? We are Never Ever Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift (also her favorite music video)
11. What is your favorite book? The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins
12. Who is your best friend? Catherine Elsie Marie Cannon (aka Katie)
13. What is your favorite cereal? fruit loops
14. What is your favorite thing to do outside? play with Zoey
15. What is your favorite drink? Sierra Mist
16. What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you at night? kindle fire
18. What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?cereal
19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? cheesy chicken and broccoli over rice (aka: dogfood)
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? a kindergarten teacher

First Tooth for Avery Grace!

     Avery has been SO grumpy!  It was such a relief when her tooth finally came in and she cheered right up!

Almost Crawling

     Look what Avery has been up to lately!  She's going to be crawling before we know it!  We are going to have to be very careful about what we leave out.  If the kids leave their shoes anywhere near her, she will try to eat them. :)