Gunlock trip

This last weekend we headed down to Gunlock. Jarom and Ashley Becar came down to hand out with us for the weekend. It was so fun to see them and their cute little boy, Cannon. It was fun to see Ben pretend to be a big brother and share his snacks with Cannon, try to help him walk, and even give him hugs and kisses. We had a great time. Boys went on a long motorcycle ride, even though it was freezing outside. They came back with their faces all red and chapped, but claimed they had a lot of fun. We just wish the weekends would last a little longer. We've talked about getting all the college crew back together for a little reunion at Gunlock. So, let's plan it...

Becar family

I love this picture, they both have their eyes closed. So cute!

Our Beloved Prophet

“Faith in something greater than ourselves enables us to do what we have said we'll do, to press forward when we are tired or hurt or afraid, to keep going when the challenge seems overwhelming and the course is entirely uncertain.”

I know everyone has heard by now that our dear prophet, Gordon B. Hinckley, had passed away. I just have to write a little tribute to the man I loved so much. It is so sad to have him go, but I realize that the sadness is only felt by those who are left behind. I can only imagine the joy that he is feeling after finally being reunited with his beloved wife, Marjorie, and his Savior. He has lived such a great life and left a remarkable legacy behind. He was the prophet since I joined the church. I remember when we moved to the US and I had my first opportunity to attend General Conference. I had never in my life felt the spirit stronger than when that man walked across the stage to his seat. The spirit was so overbearing that I just sat there and wept for the entire 2 hours of the conference session. The spirit once again confirmed to me that Gordon B. Hinckley was the true prophet of the world. I had never doubted that since. I love President Hinckley and I will never forget his powerful teachings and his example. I imagine there will be many great prophets yet to come, but I will never forget the great impact the President Hinckley had on my life and on who I am today.

I love you…

… ‘till we meet again.

2007 - A Good Year

We hope everyone had wonderful holidays. We had a great time spending ours with family. As the new year came, we've been reflecting on everything that happened this last year. These are some of the things that we recollected off the top of our heads...

1. I finally graduated from College
2. Passed NCLEX
3. Got a real job
4. Got pregnant with baby boy #2 (haven't picked out a name yet)
5. Celebrated our 3-year anniversary
6. I turned 25, Scott turned 27, and Ben turned 1. Where does the time go?
7. Scott took his big PE exam (he still doesn’t have the results yet)
8. Painted our bedroom and baby’s room
9. Applied for citizenship
10. Went to Hawaii
11. Went to California and Utah
12. Watched every episode of Grey’s Anatomy and House (just me, Scott is not a big fan of these shows)
13. I’ve been taking up sewing with the help and guidance of my very talented mother- and sister-in-law
14. Scott finished building the greenhouse at Gunlock
15. Read many good books

I think it's been a good year and we feel very grateful for all the blessings in our lives.

Great Tidings of Joy!!!

Scott and I found out today that we are going to have another baby boy and we are thrilled. We had our ultrasound today and the baby is healthy, moving a lot, and just simply as perfect as can be. Our little bundle of joy is due in the beginning of May. I can't believe I'm going to have two little boys. We are really counting our blessings today.

MY JOB

So this is me heading out the door to go to work. My, seemingly, endless education finally paid off. I got a job at the local hospital on a surgical unit. I work night shift (three nights per week), so it's been a little bit of an adjustment. The nights that I work I completely loose track of time or day. I think it's a Wednesday when it's really a Friday. It's messing with my head. Other than that, I really like working nights. It's been a lot easier than I thought it would be. I think I have some serious help from above, because I'm the most awake person on the unit and the only one who doesn't drink coffee to try to stay awake. My bright turquoise scrubs is not my choice (in case you're wondering), it's my unit's dress code. I think it's the only hospital in Las Vegas that has a dress code. Lame, but what do you do?

I'm afraid to say it out loud, but so far...I love my job.

I am grateful for little children

Today has been one of those days when Ben had definitely pushed me to my limits. He had tested and exploited every little bit of my patience. It was a hard day and I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it before I ended up with a nervous breakdown. I was angry, annoyed, short-tempered, and on the verge of tears. I did not feel the Spirit. I questioned how other mothers do it… how they deal with their children when they are completely out of control…how they manage to stay sane… As I was contemplating this, my out-of-control little boy came and asked for some food. I put some food on his plate, handed him a fork, and continued on with cleaning up the mess he had made earlier in the kitchen. A couple seconds later I saw Ben put down his plate and fork, fold his little arms, look at me with his sweet and innocent face and say “bless the food”. I had forgotten to bless the food and he was reminding me. I couldn’t hold back the tears of both shame and gratitude: shame for letting myself get carried away in negative feelings that drew away the Spirit, and gratitude for the sweet little boy who reminds me of what’s really important in this life.

So today, I am grateful for little children.

HAPPY 18 MONTHS

My little boy turned 18 months today. It is usually a big deal for a LDS parent because their kid finally gets to go to nursery. But since I am the nursery leader in our Ward, Ben's been in the nursery since he was about 7 months old. He absolutely loves nursery. A couple of weeks ago, our 2nd and 3rd hours of church got canceled and as we were leaving the building after the Sacrament meeting, he started crying and saying "nursery".

It's so fun watching your kids grow and learn new things every day. Every little milestone seems like such a huge accomplishment and make you the proudest parent.

As a little tribute to my big boy, here's 18 fun facts about Ben:

1. He loves music and dancing. He starts dancing whenever he hears music or sees anyone dance. He asks for music to be turned on when we are in the car. He will even tell you "no" if he doesn't like the song, or "yes" if that's the one he wants to listen to. No joke, he picks the songs he wants to listen to.

2. He loves going to the park. If I dare to try to skip our ritual trip to the park, he will always remind me with "go to park".

3. He LOVES water in any shape or form. He loves baths, swimming pools, lake, rain, puddles, playing with the hose, playing in the toilet water... you name it.

4. He talks A LOT. His latest language accomplishments are "brush teeff", " wa hands", "brush hair", "drink of water", "piece of bread", "get me out", "watch Nemo", "thank you, you're welcome", "real hot", "bunk the head", "read the book", "dig dirt", "go to park", "grandpa here", "I yove you", "don't do it", "no touch"... the list goes on. He really has no problem communicating. He talks all the time, our house is never quiet unless Ben is asleep.

5. He can count till ten.

6. He loves the "Old McDonald song" and sings along with it.

7. He can recognize most of the animals, he knows their names and the sounds they make.

8. He wakes up really grumpy after his afternoon nap.

9. He is Mamma's boy. He asks for mamma all the time, whether he is hungry, tired, hurt, needs someone to play with or just needs help.

10. He has Scott's laugh. If you ever heard Scott laugh, really laugh... it's this deep laugh that sounds like it comes from the bottom of his stomach or something. Ben laughs the exact same way. It's hilarious.

11. He loves books. We have tons of books and he carries them around and says "read the book".

12. He loves chips and salsa. He will dip his chip no matter how hot the salsa is. He's eaten salsa that was way too hot for me. He kind of pants and blows a little but then asks for more. I guess you can't be a Hardy and not love salsa, it must run in the genes.

13. Ben's favorite thing in the morning is to brush his teeth. He goes to the sink and says "brush teeff", then he makes sure I put toothpaste on it. He won't brush unless there is toothpaste. I think he just likes the taste of it, it's the kiddie one so it's flavored.

14. He loves when daddy chases him. In fact, as soon as he sees Scott he starts running away laughing and screaming "get ya".

15. He likes playing with the ball, throwing it, kicking it, whatever. He really gets a kick out of it.

16. He has 2 favorite blankets and, lately, he has to have both of them in his bed.

17. He loves his bed. We had so much trouble with his crib, he kept climbing out of it. Since then we converted his crib into a toddler bed and Ben absolutely loves it. I just tell him that it's time for sleep and he goes and climbs right into his bed. Going to sleep has never been easier.

18. He has the most contagious smile.