Going to GG's House

Well, Grace and Walter went to GG's house for the week. They were very excited as you can tell. Walter fell asleep on the way. Then they decided that playing in the trunk of her car was a good idea. Bye Guys...Have fun!

Tents of Hope

Back in November, I headed to DC with a friend of mine and her daughter to go see her sister. They were in town for Tents of Hope. This project is dedicated to raising awareness for the suffering in Darfur. The tents were purchased or donated and then painted by the various organizations to be sent to the refugees. To spark attention there was a Gathering of the Tents on the Mall in DC over that weekend. They were really truly amazing to see. Absolutely beautiful.

We Are Still Here

Nothing really new to discuss. Still going to court. Still driving me nuts. We lost our camera. The shutter broke, so there are no new pictures either. Of course it would happen right around the holidays. We hope to replace it soon. We do have some Thanksgiving pictures that will be posted eventually. Other than that...nothing to report.

Sweet Memory Lane

Do you remember when?  Here are the rules...

1.  As a comment in my blog, leave a memory that you and I had together.  It does not matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything that you remember.  If we are only blogging friends or if you're a blog hopper who happens upon my blog regularly...leave a comment.  There must be a reason you keep stopping by.  Say something!  If you don't have a blog or don't know how to sign in, sign up for an account. 

2.  Next, repost these instructions on your blog (if you have one) and see how many people leave a memory about you.  It is actually pretty fun to see the responses.  If you leave a memory about me, I will be sure to write one about you. (Stolen from multiple friends)

Ocean View Fun--Update

Well, so court was yesterday...The hearing was for determination of charging him as an adult. He is a ninth grader...yeah. Anyway, the proceedings were continued until December 8th. They will then decide if he will be tried as an adult. He has two charges against him, both felonies...grand larceny and hit and run. So we will see how things go. I have court for the other one on December 3.

Ocean View Fun

Well, as most of you know, if you read Facebook, my car was stolen out of the driveway a few weeks ago. It was taken, involved in a high speed chase and totaled when driven into the side of a house. It has been fun times around here to say the least. I have been without my car for about two weeks. I have been driving Lamar's truck. It is a six speed transmission diesel. Again...fun times. I start all my court dates next week. I begin with the juvenile on November 6th, and then with the adult at a later time. Can't wait....
I pick up my new car this weekend from Fairey. I was given a really good deal on a 2005 Tahoe. Same options as my Suburban with a few more bells to it actually. I will keep you posted on the court sessions:)

First Haircut

We took Walter for his first haircut this past weekend. He did well. Mom...not so much. He sat in Daddy's lap at the barbershop on base with a sucker. I have a few pictures now. I will post the ones of the new do later. He also got shoes. It was a busy weekend:)

Happy Birthday Grace!

Grace turned four today.  Wow.  I can't believe that I am the mom of a preschooler!  Next year kindergarten.  Anyway...we had two small celebrations today.  Candles in the breakfast with a song from Mom and Dad, and cake at school.  We were going to have the "Friend" party this weekend, but due to the tropical low off the coast (CAN YOU SAY MESSY!!) we are postponing until next weekend.  We will still do the family party this Sunday with our surrogate Norfolk family.

Happy Birthday Princess Queen!!  We love you more than ever!!

Artist In Resident

Grace has really gotten into art lately. She loves to paint and draw. Playdough is lots of fun as well. Her drawings of people now have heads, bodies, legs, and arms. For those not in the early education field, this is a BIG deal! This is an example of the Playdough Art done at the island in the kitchen a few days ago.

Bliss

How often does this really happen with all of you that have children???

On The Move

Walter is walking.  Last night he took four steps across the living room to Pop.  Tonight he kept walking back and forth to me and Lamar in the living room.  Good thing we have the gate.  He gets SO excited with himself.  He grins and screeches and walks.  Then he falls and claps.

Happy Birthday Baby Walter

Happy Birthday. Walter is one year old today. He was born at 6:19PM, so he has about two hours until his actual birth moment. I was telling Lamar this morning that it does not seem like he is a year old, but on the other hand, I can't remember our lives without him. He is such a joyful baby. Always laughing, giving hugs, and excited to see his mom and dad. He is in love with his big sister and follows her around everywhere she goes. He is still pulling up and cruising. He will stand on his own for a few seconds but hits the ground once he realizes that he is doing it. He is such a special boy and we love him very much.

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY BABY TYLER WILLIAM ON THE PHONE!!!

Moving on Up!

Well, it is official.  Grace got her walking paper (moving letter) to the Orange Team.  For those uneducated in the VA preschool system...this means K4.  She will officially move on Tuesday, September 2.  The cut off for kindergarten in VA is 5 by September 30, so she will go next year.  We will apply for the all city magnet school and also try for out of district near Children's Harbor.  She is very excited.  According to her she will learn to "write colors."  Meaning, she will learn to spell the names of colors, along with MANY other important events.  There is a state curriculum for 4 year olds that the schools follow.  We will be able to following along at home with it.  She is already interested in reading.  Before we know it, this year will be gone and it will be off to K5.  

Lunch and Learning

Pictures of Grace and Daddy working on the children's menu at "The Eating Place" on Sunday before lunch arrived...

Tripping with Brother

Lamar got the jeep out of the garage. We had BIG fun at our house this weekend. I strapped Walter in, just to see his reaction. He ended up riding with Grace for about 20 minutes. Grace is an excellent driver and only hit the tree once. Walter had an absolute ball. I am so glad that they get along...for now:)

Mekiyah's Birthday Party

Grace went to Mekiyah's birthday party at the skating rink. Would you believe that my little daredevil decided that she wanted to skate. Lamar walked around the rink and held her hand. She wanted him to let go. Looks like we have a skater on our hands.

Yummy Fries!

Hey look! I have two french fries.

Wait!!! You mean BOTH of these are for me??!!
I have two fries. I have two fries. YESSS!! I have two fries!!

Okay. For all of your that are going to yell at me for giving the eleven month old french fries, please keep in mind that he cannot have any milk products. This means ice cream, yogurt, cheese, etc. So, he gets french fries. So sue me!

All About the Shoes

These days with Grace it really is all about the shoes! Shoes are the first thing that she recognizes these days. When we were shopping with Diane and Rachel in Surfside Beach, Grace was trying on shoes in the shoe department. These are the two pair that she chose. She really liked the black patent leather Jessica Simpson Four inch stilletos. We had to promise to go and find her some shoes of her own. She really loves shoes.

Garden City 2008

We are back from our annual Garden City beach trip.  More information and pictures to follow....

One more set from the wedding....

Here is a rare shot of Uncle Walter smiling.  He pulled double duty on wedding day.  Best man and as it turns out...bridesmaid.  We love you Uncle Walter.

Our Front Yard

As most of you know, we have moved to the Chesapeake Bay.  We are right across the street from the beach...so I guess this is technically our neighbor's front yard.

More Wedding Photos

These are more photos of the wedding festivities.  Please pay close attention to the wedding cake.  Walter did attend the wedding, but he was recovering from a bout of pneumonia.  He remained on the porch with Grammy and Pop to enjoy the festivities.  

America's Next Top Model

Grace is definitely in the throes of preschooldom. She has discovered her skills, interests, and temper. She has a new "model walk" and pose that she spends hours perfecting each evening. She has some friends at school that watch the top model show and she is imitating them. She will start PreK this fall and move onto kindergarten next September. I can't believe how the time has flown.

Our New House

Come and visit. We are right across the street from the bay.

News of Walter

Walter is cruising, pulling up, and clinging. He is going through the mommy phase. He loves tomatoes and artichokes. He will eat anything that you give him and not stop until it is gone. He loves to watch his sister and play with balls. He has started to say uh oh, da-da, mama, and shake his head no. What a busy boy will have on our hands.

Hanging out at Home

This is bed time at our house.

Congratulations

Congratulations to Dad and Janet who married on June 21st. Grace was the flower girl and Austin was the ring bearer. Lamar took some wonderful photos, which I will post some of later. Grace skipped all the way down the aisle and dumped her flower petals at Dad's feet. Well, she is a novice flower girl.

We are so happy for the two of you....and Janet...there is no way out now:):)

SLACK,SLACK,SLACK

It has come to my attention that I have turned into a blog slacker. Between moving, weddings, beach trips, toddlers, infants, and work, I have really dropped off. When your father is yelling at you to start posting, it is time:):):)

Love you Dad:)

Moving Still....One Day

Incidentally, we are still planning to move.  We have not closed on the house yet.  It is not ready.  We did the "final" walk through the other day and the hot and cold are backwards on all of the showers...yeah, big deal with two children at home.  There are a few other things that need to be done as well.  Hopefully it will be this week.  It was too HOT to move anyhow.  Supposed to be 101 today.  It is not even summer yet!!!  And this is NOT South Carolina:)  Anyhow, I promise to post pictures when we move.  Particularly of the view.  It is a knock out.  You can see the bay from all of the windows.  I know that we are going to love it there.  

Nine Month Well Baby

We went for Walter's nine month well baby check up last week.  He is doing "beautifully," stated the doctor.  He is off the antacid, but still on the specialty formula.  He is doing everything that he should be doing and even some things that he shouldn't.  I had to drop the crib last night, because his new thing is pulling up and trying to flip over.  He did this into the bathtub the other day, diaper and all, while Grace was in the bath and I was drying my hair.  

Nine Month Stats:

Weight  20 lbs 11 oz (95 %tile)

Height  27 inches (25 %tile)

Head Circumference  48 cm (99 %tile)

Blog Slacker

It is slowly updating. Sorry for the delay!!

Memorial Day

We had several friends and their children over for the Memorial Day holiday. We had LOTS of food. Homemade ice cream, watermelon, ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs...the works!! We set the sprinkler up for the older kids (William, Tyler, and Grace.) Olivia and Walter played outside. Walter decided that watermelon and ketchup were wonderful things. He crawled in Grace's plate, ate the watermelon and ketchup, and then crawled through the dirt. Walter went straight from the outdoors to the kitchen sink, which proceded to turn black with the dirt. He had a great time.

Ocean View Carnival

We went to the Ocean View Carnival with Lindsay and Nana Sue. Grace rode lots of rides and LOVED the big slide. She is so light. She probably would have launched into cyberspace as fast as it was running. Anyway we had fun. Grace and Lindsay rode. Walter ate. It was a typical time for the Hardy Family.