Saturday, December 31, 2011

Top five of 2011...

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Highlights of 2011...

Here are some of the highlights from our very busy year...

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Playing in the snow at Duck Creek for New Year's.  Kendyl, Brityn and Ryder doing gymnastics at the beginning of the year.  First annual Flipper Bowl for the Shadow Creek Ward, Suzie went further in the competition than Steve.  :)  School awards for Kendyl and Brityn.  Playing tennis nearly every Saturday of the year.

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Attending Uncle Moose's funeral, just Steve and Suzie.  Spending Spring Break in Hawaii, celebrating Easter on Kendyl's birthday.  Found out we were having #5.  Kindergarten graduation for Brityn.  Found out #5 is a girl.  :)

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Watching the kids do swim lessons and swim team in the heat of summer.  Celebrating the 4th of July with the Cornelius's in Moab.  Steve did the High Adventure with the YW in Moab.  Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Hardy on their mission in Nauvoo.  Climbing up into the bell tower of the Nauvoo Temple.  Getting a flat tire in the way-to-expensive rental car.  Meeting up with the Cornelius's in Chicago and sight-seeing Navy Pier, Sears Tower, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry, Planetarium, and Natural History Museum.


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Kendyl and Brityn started school at a new charter school.   And are playing the piano.

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Ryder started preschool.  Blood pressure escalated and ended up on bed rest.  Had lots of family come to help.


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Leightyn Leolani Hardy was born on October 27th. 

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Enjoyed Thanksgiving and then got a lovely kidney stone the Saturday after.  Took 10 days to discover I had 2 kidney stones, then got to have an outpatient procedure to have them blasted.  :(

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Celebrated a quiet Christmas at home and getting ready to bless Leightyn on New Year's Day.

Friday, December 30, 2011

Christmas Day...

We had sacrament meeting at 9am so the kids decided that they would wait to open their presents until after church. Kendyl didn't even want to see what Santa brought so we had breakfast upstairs. Then we rushed the kids out the back door so they couldn't peek. ;)


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It was nice to go to church on Christmas morning to remember the true reason we celebrate--the birth of our Savior.

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We made it through the whole hour of sacrament meeting with one diaper change--but we made it!


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Everyone quickly changed clothes and the kids were finally able to start checking out all the fun stuff that Santa brought.


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I got a body pillow, while I was pregnant with Leightyn, that the kids all LOVED laying on...so Santa must have figured that all the kids needed their own body pillow.


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And it seems these boys can never have enough dinosaurs.  :)


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Ryder got quite a bit of dino stuff and also some soccer goals and a soccer ball.


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Sawyer got toys, tools, and cars and a Dora wii game.


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Bookmarks for the new books everyone got in their stockings.  And nail polish for Brityn.


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Kendyl got noisy putty and gum in her stocking.



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Leightyn got some teething rings, rattles, and socks in her stocking.  And then she fell asleep for the rest of the present opening.  :)


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Sawyer LOVES his new BYU hat.  He wears it all the time!


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The one big present both of the girls asked Santa for this year was an American Girl doll.  Lucky for them, they were both on the nice list this year!


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Steve gave me the most thoughtful gift this year...I may have even shed a few tears.  Said tears even caused the kids to stop opening their gifts.  He totally surprised me with hardbound books of the first three years of my blog.  This was something I have tried to do before, but got frustrated with the publishing websites and editing process.  Now I have three beautiful books and a big project I got to cross off my to-do list.  Thank you Steve--BEST. GIFT. EVER!!!!


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Here is Steve's favorite present--just kidding--but maybe he can get some more sleep with this on!


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Santa put these sleep masks in all the girls' stockings.  They were a hit and the girls have been sleeping with them on every night!

Christmas Eve...

Christmas Eve was a fun day.

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Sisters :)

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The kids got emails from Santa with a special message and a chance to see if they were on the naughty or nice list.

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While they were quite excited to see the video message from Santa, there were some sweaty hands waiting to see if the green light (good girl/boy list) or the red light (naughty list) came on.

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Luckily the green light glowed for all the Hardy children. :) Whew!!

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We always leave cookies and hot chocolate for Santa, but this year Brityn and Ryder made reindeer food in school.  We had to scatter it on the grass in the backyard so the reindeer could find our house.


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After the treats were all out and ready for Santa and the reindeer, everyone got in their Christmas pajamas to open their Christmas Eve present.  This year the kids decided to open their presents from Tutu and Papa Jack.


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Ready, set, rip!

 
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Zhu zhu pets!


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The kids had fun playing with the new toys--thank you Tutu and Papa Jack!


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We also read the Christmas story from the scriptures and Twas the Night Before Mele Kalikimaka.  It makes the night special doing these traditions as a family.  Merry Christmas!