Happy 4th Anniversary!

This is the only picture I had readily available from our wedding. We look young! Can't believe it's already been four years. We're so happy to be celebrating this one together, what a year! Life and love is precious and we're fortunate to have both. Love you Greg!

Good Book, Average Movie

I got sucked into the Twilight spiral despite my attempts to avoid a novel about vampiers by a mormon author...doesn't sound right. But, I loved the book! I'm now on to New Moon. So tonight I dragged Greg to the movie with me, and I was a little disappointed, I thought the book was much better. I give it a B. It also didn't help that the cluster of middle aged women behind us had a comment for every scene in the movie and described Edward repeatedly as "so sexy" "incredibly intense with deep eyes" "oo and ahh" at every romantic scene and did i mention "sexy"? Greg said it was the worst 2 hours of his life that he wishes he could get back. He's such a good sport! When I asked him if he'd go see the second movie with me he said NO!, but that he probably would end up going anyways. haha. P.S. What was up with that vampire Victoria at the end of the movie? She hasn't come up in my reading of New Moon yet.

It's A Girl!

We had an ultrasound today that showed right away that we're having a little girl! If you can't tell this is a picture of her face and her leg is right by her nose and her hand is around her leg, she was very curled up in there. We're so excited. This will be the first girl on the Hardy side, second on the Magalei. Let's hope Luke doesn't tear her apart. The doctor said she was perfectly porportionate which I was pleased to hear. :)

Happy Birthday Greg!

It's good to be able to celebrate Greg's 26th birthday today! We have a lot to be thankful for. Greg, you're an amazing person, an awesome dad, a hard worker, unfailingly positive, and the funniest person I know. Thanks for everything, we love you! Happy Birthday!!

Things That Don't Mix

A garbage disposal and a cell phone do not mix. I know this because Luke put mine down the drain and I turned on the disposal...oops. It shredded my SIM card and the phone so now I have no numbers. If you're reading this, I suppose you're my friend, so drop me an email with your number please!

Tyler & Whitney

I took these pictures for my bro-in-law Tyler and his fiance Whitney. These are some of my favorites.

Luke's First Haircut

19 months of growing hair, one sucker, a popsicle, many chair changes and an eternity later, Luke looks like a little man not a baby. I couldn't throw any of his curly hair away and kept it all...I know creepy.

Very handsome!

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween at a party with our friends. Luke was rockin' as Elvis, complete with sideburns and chest hair - uh-huh!

Too bad I couldn't get him to keep his glasses on. Grandma and Grandpa Hardy were sacks of Idaho Potatoes.

Greg and I were Napoleon Dynamite and Pedro. Greg made an amazing Napoleon. Can you believe they still sell moon boots!! Sweet!

Our best impersonation.

Luke won best costume of the night!! He was so cute, Greg and I took second!

Better Late Than Never

Greg got this antelope in September, but I'm just getting pictures now. He missed the bow hunt because of his accident, but made it for the rifle hunt and got this antelope in Wyoming just a few weeks after being released from the hospital. Since than he's made incredible progress, this trip really helped. He said he was so nervous before he shot his gun, the guy that was with him thought he was having a seizure because he was shaking so bad. To my dismay we ended up with antelope meat, but I have yet to taste of it...poor little antelope. Congrats to Greg though, love you!

Congrats Kristy & Travis!

My brother and sister-in-law Kristy and Travis became parents yesterday...yeah!! They adopted this cute peanut, Brennan Wystan Evenson. Greg and I will still call him by his "suppose to be name" Cohen! :) He is so adorable and is one lucky guy to have Kristy and Travis as parents. He's such a good baby too, congrats! We love you Cohen...Brennan.

Duh!

In all my worries about being pregnant and going to Disneyland my sister-in-law Kristy reminded me it's not me I should be worrying about, but Greg...HELLO! Duh, as you can see here every ride at Disneyland and probably at every amusement park around the world will remind you that those with recent head injuries and major surgeries are not allowed on any rides! How could we have not thought of this?! We had to laugh at ourselves. I guess we will be celebrating some other way this year...oh well!

Can I Go To The Happiest Place On Earth??

Can anyone answer me? Greg and I are possibly wanting to go to Disneyland for our anniversary this December, but alas I will be 6 months preggers, so the question I pose to those who may know is...could I possibly go 6 months pregnant? Can I still ride some of the rides and have fun? Someone please tell me yes, or let me know if I'm dreaming.

Crusty Luke

I had to steal this picture from my lovely sister-in-law's blog. (Thanks Kristy) This picture cracked me up because this is a perfect representation of the "phase" (please be a phase,) Luke is going through right now. This is his crusty look. I think he's hit his terrible two's early, demanding that everything be his right now and throwing little fits. He'll try to do things we say no to just to see how far he can go. So I talked to a friend who said, do timeout. I thought he's too young...she said no, so I tried. Now he'll do what he's not suppose to, tell himself no and promptly take himself to timeout with a smile. It's just a game to him. He's also become quite an acrobat, going limp like gumby when I try to pick him up when he's being bad. He's so cute, it's hard for me not to laugh...better than beating him I guess. JK!

Oh Baby

This is a first look at our new arrivals! Not only was there one baby...there were four! Haha, just kidding. Obviously this is multiple shots of our same cute peanut...maybe I fooled someone! I was so excited to see the baby. I have a feeling it's another boy, but who knows?? It sure was a shaker though, it was twisting and turning like crazy, I have another Luke in my tummy. I am so amazed by how much you can see now with an utlrasound. I'm counting down the days to the right...can't wait for baby #2! Any name ideas? P.S. It seems morning sickness may be fading a bit!! Knock on wood. P.P.S. Greg is also doing excellent. He's back to work 4-hours a day. He's headed out on a hunting trip to Wyoming in a couple of weeks with his dad and brother to hunt for antelope...so you know he's making great recovery! Miracle Man. Pray he doesn't bring home anything for my sake! I don't think I was cut out to be a hunter's wife.

Seriously!

Yeah!! The sin I love to watch starts on Sept. 25 with a full 2-hour episode!!! I don't know about you, but I am so excited for Grey's Anatomy Season 5!!!! For those whose viewing tastes steer you away from shows like Grey's...don't judge me, I love it!! I already have some predictions for this season, anyone else?

Finally...An Update

Apologies, apologies to all who have come for an update and found the same post over and over again...isn't that annoying!! I haven't had internet access and have been yucky sick with all-day morning sickness, but have been told repeatedly to update my blog. Thank you everyone for showing your concern and interest in Greg and our family we have felt your prayers and sincere words of encouragement. We have been so blessed. Greg is doing AMAZING! Today we were able to come home to Idaho for a one night trip to listen to Greg's little brother Tyler report from his mission. Tyler came home from Mexico one day after Greg's accident. We are so excited to be home, if only for one night. Greg will go back to McKay-Dee for a few days after and then hopefully be released home for good. It's been a little over a month and his progress is really a miracle! Since my last post Greg had a second surgery to remove some fluid and old blood that did not absorb. Immediately we could see improvements in his movement. The right side started to increase in ability and his speech came easier and quicker. Since then Greg can walk by himself without a cane. They've made a special brace for his right foot to help keep his toe up. He's getting motion and strength back into his right arm, though it is sparatic. I have to keep a heads up that I don't get knocked out by involuntary movement...everyone else be warned as well. As you can see from the picture the second surgery left quite a scar, we thought the doctor was just going to drill a hole, but apparently not! Still, he's looking good!! A couple days ago he got the flu and was sick for a day, I think he had sympathy preggo pains...maybe? Today when we came home we were blown away by all the care and effort that various people have put into watching over our home. Our lawn looked a million times better than it did before. All the weeds were pulled and the lawn edged. My garden was amazing...I can't believe it really grew! My family cleaned our house up and two friends of our family, Tom and Larry, had gone in and finished our bathroom project which included sheet rocking, tiling and fixing our shower, putting our sink in, haning fixtures and fixing our "handy work." My mom and dad have been watching our tank Luke, who's growing like a weed, since the beginning. We are overwhelmed by everyone's love. Thank you, thank you! I hope one day I can serve everyone the way we have been served.

Then To Now

I think I'm ready to post pictures now...I wanted you to see how great Greg is doing today. The first pictures were taken one day after the accident. Greg had two drains in his skull for blood and cranial fluid, a black eye, a broken cheek bone, a broken clavical, he couldn't breath on his own, he was in an induced coma for 10 days, he couldn't move his right side, the doctors told us it could be days to weeks before he woke up. They weren't sure if he'd be able to move his right side or talk. They also said his emotions would probably be effected, whether short term or permanetly, it was up in the air. They also told me he might have memory loss from the accident or far before that. I prepared myself for the worst hoping for the best. The last two pictures were taken two days ago. Greg is working with therapists 3-4 hours a day in rehab. He is walking with a bit of assistance, working to strengthen his right side. He is talking and understanding everything and still has a great sense of humor. The speech therapist was working with him the other day showing him black and white pictures of various objects. He showed Greg a picture of shoes to which Greg replied, "blue suede shoes." I also told him I wanted to cut my hair short, he told me I had my chance while he was in the coma. His personality is exactly the same and has no problems with emotion. His clavical healed on it's own as well as his cheek bone. His eyes are still a bit bloodshot from fighting so hard and coughing when he was coming out of his coma. He doesn't remember the accident, but has a clear recollection of everything from the night before and beyond that...he did forget our anniversary though, he said he had a "mind lapse." I think he's going to use that one a lot! He is very determined to get back home, he says we'll be out of McKay-Dee by next Friday...I don't think so, though he is progressing by leaps and bounds every day. He is such a hard worker. Someone asked what he liked to do for fun, and he said "hunt and work." Greg hates the hospital food, and has lost around 15 pounds. Our family has truly witnessed a miracle and we thank everyone for their love, support, prayers and thoughts. I also found out a few days after the accident that we're going to have another baby...official announcement!!...we count our blessings everyday. It's been 19 days since the accident, and Greg is already come so far, it's amazing! I'm so glad that Greg is here, that he's healthy and still has his funny personality. Luke loves to see his daddy everday, they go for races outside, Greg in a wheelchair, Luke in his stroller...it's quite funny. Sometimes I wonder how this could have happened, but I can't complain, we've been watched over. I know there is power in the priesthood, power in prayer and that our Heavenly Father knows and loves us, reaches out to us in our darkest moments and never leaves our side. Thank you again for everything, we still have a long road ahead, continue to keep us in your prayers.

Good News

Greg continues to amaze and surprise us all. Last night they took a major step and took him off his ventilator and turned off all meds and sedation...and he woke up! He recognizes and understands us. He's still very groggy and in a lot of pain, but he's fighting hard. He's very very emotional. The majority of damage was done to his frontal lobe which controls emotions, and he's proving it to be so. I would be emotional too if I woke up in a hospital with no recollection of what happened. He is not able to talk to us yet, but he does has good movement in his body. Today they are going to start him going with physical, occupational and speech therapy. I'm amazed how quickly they are getting him going, but they feel he can do it. Greg is our miracle. It's only been 12 days! I'll keep you posted on his recovery and therapy.

Update

Thank you again to all who have called, sent flowers, gifts, cards, said prayers and fasted for our family. It's been a week and a half since Greg's accident and we still feel all of your love and support as well as peace for Greg's recovery. He has yet to wake up from his coma, though he is getting closer. The doctors have been decreasing his sedation and meds to try and wake him up, but it's been tough for him as far as staying calm with all the tubes and IV's. The good thing is he's moving! He can move his left side very well, and his right minimally, but he gets so agitated when the meds wear. He's had to be restrained a bit because he is so strong. The other night while Tyler, one of our favorite nurses was washing him up, Greg grabbed his leg so hard it left a mark. We are grateful that Greg is moving and seems to feel us there and hear our voices. Today he opened his eyes a bit and I could see his blue-green eyes and talk to him, but he is not focusing or seeing me. It breaks my heart. Tomorrow Greg gets the shunt out of his head that has been draining cerebral fluid. Hopefully he will open his eyes, wake up and really see us. I miss him so much. We celebrate the small steps and look forward to new things. Everyday he seems to improve. He's amazing and I love him so much! Since I've met Greg he's been nothing but strong, it's just not in him not to make it back 100%. Everyone keeps telling me how long the process to recovery is going to be, but I just feel blessed to have him, he's worth the wait.

Thank You

Greg got in a pretty bad accident on Tuesday (7-15-08) We're still here at McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden where he was life flighted from the job site. I just wanted to take a second while I'm sitting in the waiting room to thank everyone for their prayers, support and fasting. Our family and Greg are doing well. He was working in Malta when a pulley from the work crane fell on his head. He had a hard hat on which saved his life, but the impact fractured his skull in a couple places causing bleeding. He had emergency surgery to remove the hematoma and the loose bone fragments. The surgery went well and he's been in stable condition since Tuesday night, which is positive. He's been very heavily sedated which keeps him in a comatose state and sleeping. He's had movement in his arms and legs, mostly on the left side and will flutter his eyes when the nurses call his name. The first night I called his name and squeezed his hand, he squeezed back and moved. This is very comforting to me, but not good for him because we really want him to take it easy and rest. The stimulation right now is suppose to be kept to a minimum. The impact of the hit was on his left side of the brain which controls his right side and speech. Everything right now is watch and wait. It's very hard, but we all have a very calm and peaceful feeling that all is well. The nurses tell us there is a long and rocky road ahead, but Greg is doing so well, better than expected. I'm so thankful for all the blessings and miracles we have seen. I love Greg so much and I'm ready for him to come back.

You've Got Mail...Hopefully

For some reason I couldn't get my mailbox picture to upload, darn it, it was cute...BUT, the point is: today is the 15th which means all swap buddy packages should be in the mail today. Hope you didn't forget because it's just as fun to give as to recieve!

Mystery Baby Rash

Okay all you moms...I have one for you. Luke has not been himself lately. He started getting low grade fevers on Thursday morning I chalked it up to teething. Usually when he's teething he can't sleep, but this time he has been so sleepy and taking naps all day instead of just twice. He's been very cranky and clingy, which is really out of character. Saturday his fevers subside, but Friday he starts getting a rash around his hairline. I think it's heat rash. Well, Saturday and Sunday it's starts to spread down his face. The rash is splotchy red patches, not raised, just there and it doesn't itch. Monday the rash spreads to his shoulders and torso and I take him to the physician. He checked for strep, negative. He thinks it's an allergic reaction to something, though for the life of me I can't figure out what is new that could be causing this. The doctor gave us a liquid medicine to take for 3 days, though it seemed to help for a little bit, the rash is still coming back. Anyone had anything similar with their children? Ideas?

Happy 4th!!

Yeah! This is one of our favorite holidays...not just because Greg gets the day off...but because of BBQ's, desserts and fireworks!! We just watched the Hansen Parade go around our block and now we're headed to the horse races and carnival...hope you all have a fun Independence Day!

Storage Sisters, July Is Here

Happy July! Are you feeling the storage itch yet? I have to admit every week I buy something for my storage I just get a good feeling inside...CHEZZY!!...I know, I know, but who cares! So it's a new month and here's the list week by week. For you who don't know, I'm posting storage ideas every month with week by week items to help get your food storage going.

WEEK 1: 50 lbs. Wheat - now this stuff is not cheap. I just bought a ~47lb. bucket for $22, but you can make TONS of stuff with wheat if needs be and it stores for a long time...if you've saved your pennies from last month this will soften the "blow."

WEEK 2: 5 lbs. Peanut Butter - some say PB has a shelf life of a couple years, some say it can last 10+ years...hey, if there's a REAL emergency I can eat 10 year old PB!

WEEK 3: 20 lbs. Sugar

WEEK 4: 7 boxes Mac & Cheese (substitute this for whatever you like, if Mac & Cheese isn't your thing.)

AND of course WATER WATER WATER

And I can't leave you with out some words of encouragement! "We live in a most exciting and challenging period in human history. As technology sweeps through every facet of our lives, changes are occurring so rapidly that it can be difficult for us to keep our lives in balance. To maintain some semblance of stability in our lives, it is essential that we plan for our future. I believe it is time, and perhaps with some urgency, to review the counsel we have received in dealing with our personal and family preparedness. We want to be found with oil in our lamps sufficient to endure to the end. President Spencer W. Kimball admonished us: “In reviewing the Lord’s counsel to us on the importance of preparedness, I am impressed with the plainness of the message. The Savior made it clear that we cannot place sufficient oil in our preparedness lamps by simply avoiding evil. We must also be anxiously engaged in a positive program of preparation.” (L. Tom Perry)

Swap Now Or Forever Hold Your Peace

Just a friendly reminder: You have one more day to join My Favorite Things Swap! I'm so excited to get things traded, do you have your favorite things in mind yet? To find out what you need to do to join the swap please scroll down to the original post...it's simple...it's fun...and it's open for one and all!

Geez!

You ever have one of those days where you wake up on the wrong side of the bed?!? Nothing in particular has set you off to have a bad day, it just is. Everything and nothing at all just bugs you to no end? It's like I saw this sign on the side of the road and suddenly I've arrived!! If you don't have days like this...I hate you! Haha just kidding...sort of.

Flower Child

I drove by this hillside of beautiful flowers in red white and blue the other day and made a mental note: I must come back for 4th of July pics with Luke. I wanted to save them for cards, but they are so cute I can't keep them to myself...and I couldn't pick just one, so here are most of them. We had so much fun and Luke is a good sport...Greg too, he made silly faces and called to Luke. I love my boys! A couple are in black and white, I like playing with the effects on my computer.

How You Doin?

I had to post what a "lady's man" my little Luke is turning into. Yesterday at church I was out in the hall with Luke...again...and was told by a good friend that the nursery will let you take your baby in to play if the parent stays with them...YES, salvation!! So, I took my 14mo. old Luke in and he had a BLAST! He played with the kids, attempted to sing the songs, do the actions with the kids and had snack time all to my delight. But the funniest part was Luke hitting on all the girls in nursery, giving them hugs and trying to get kisses...and the poor guy got no action, but he kept trying. What a little Casanova!

Swap It!

I saw this idea on another blog, but just missed the deadline...so I'm doing my own and I want you and your friends, your sister/sister-in-laws, your mama, your aunts, your cousins, your co-workers...you get the picture...I want you ALL to join in! My favorite things swap is simple:

You will choose at least 3 of your favorite things that will be sent to your Swap Buddy who will be chosen for you. This can be anything...a favorite book, kitchen item, recipes, magazines, crafty tools, relaxers, lotion, lip gloss...ANYTHING...think of things that you'd be excited to recieve yourself. And in return your Swap Buddy will send you their favorite 3 things!

So if you're ready to join all you need to do is send me an email at mhardy831@yahoo.com

telling me this:

-name

-mailing address

-email address

-blog/website/flickr (this is so your partner can check you out and see what you're like)

-a little about yourself

-and if you're willing to ship internationally if needs be

Deadline to join the swap is June, 30th 2008. Swap buddies will be emailed to you shortly after deadline. After you recieve your information you'll have until July 15th, 2008 to get your package for your Swap Buddy in the mail.

This should be fun so join today and help me get the word out by emailing your friends and family, post a link of it on your blog and spread the word!! Any questions or comments drop me a line. Can't wait to get trading!

Baby Steps To Food Storage

So I've started really taking the councel to get a food storage to heart...especially with the price of food these days and the state of the economy...and I'm digging into it. The above is a picture of my food storage....YEAH RIGHT!!! I got this pic off the web. It can be very intimidating and overwhelming once you start looking at all the numbers...for instance: 300 pounds of wheat for ONE person per year??? That means I need to store 600+ pounds of wheat RIGHT NOW for Greg, Luke and I?? That must cost like a million dollars right? This is my thought process...but, I've decided to take it slow, get something every week, look for deals, and build upon our storage step by step...and I'll share it with you. If you follow this 12 month week by week plan you will have enough food for two people for one year, (so if you have more people in your family, you may want to up the number a bit.) It may be boring, but will provide life sustaining nourishment, if needed. The plan is supposed to be set up so you only spend $8 a week, but I think this must be old, prices are so high these days for certain things. Some weeks you will spend less than $8 and will need to roll that savings over for other weeks when you will spend more (like when buying wheat, or milk.) And remember to rotate your storage, that is one of the hardest parts in my opinion. So good luck and do your best...as a good sister in my ward has reminded me..."you will be blessed for your efforts!" So for this month the items to get...if you feel so inclined and motivated are:
Week 1: (I know we're already down a week, but this is simple) 6lb. Salt (fyi: each round cylinder of salt is 1lb.) - Salt will store on your shelves indefinately
Week 2: 5 cans Cream of Chicken Soup - Shelf Life: approx. 12mo.
Week 3: 20lbs. Sugar - Shelf life: indefinite, store in a tight sealed container, keep dry and cool and sugar should last a VERY long time.
Week 4: 8 cans Tomato Soup - Shelf Life: approx. 12mo.
and every month try to store Water Water, Always Water
P.S. If you finds deals or coupons, by all means, share!! Have fun...one last tibit of thought from our first presidency..."Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing.” "We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."

Family Fun

I've decided parents might be more fun as grandparents! Luke and I went down to visit Grandma and Grandpa Magalei in Bountiful last week and had tons of fun visiting Hogle Zoo and the Aquarium in Sandy with Tiffany and Ava. Luke loved all of it...except for maybe when Grandma or Grandpa was holding Ava instead of him...jealous? It was a perfect day to go to the zoo and I hadn't been since I was in elementary. Good news too....I dropped my camera just before we were getting ready to leave in the giraffe pens busting it beyond repair! Yeah, I'm getting a new camera!!! Luke absolutely loved the aquarium. He ran around the coral community and through the tunnels, gave Ava kisses, saw lots of fishes, got soaking wet trying to touch the stingrays, manned the simulated boat - once, twice, three times, and helped Tiffany steer Ava's stroller - all on his trusty monkey leash...I love that thing! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a wonderful week!!

Weekend Getaway

We decided to ditch the sticks and getaway to Bear Lake with some friends this weekend. I had never been there before and we had a great time. It's a cute little town with yummy BBQ and raspberry-lime shakes. We had fun playing and riding 4-wheelers on the beach and swimming at the pool...Luke is a fish!! He LOVES the water and was not scared of jumping off the side of the pool into daddy's arms - whether Greg was ready or not...the kid has no fear, it may be time for swimming lessons. I can also say we went to Paris on the way home! Paris, Idaho that is :)

Monkey Boy

Meet Luke's new buddy! This is the cutest thing I've ever seen...it's a backpack/leash. We had to get something to keep Luke from running across the street to the park across from our house and for when we go out since he's too heavy to carry all the time, but won't sit still.

They kinda look alike don't they?! :)

We were dissapointed we couldn't go try it out today since it was hailing...there's always tomorrow. Hopefully this will be the best $12 ever spent.