WITH OUR ONE AND ONLY HUNNY BUNNY 

HARD TO BELIEVE NEXT EASTER WE WILL BE A FAMILY OF FIVE

(You'll have to excuse the pictures, Mark left town for J.J.'s wedding and took the good camera...  so, not all, but a lot of  Easter pics are Iphone pics... sorry)

Cant put into words how proud I am that she is OUR daughter.  She could not be any sweeter at heart.  Lately, every time I look at her my heart just melts.  Love this beautiful baby girl so much!!!

"Its just too hot and I'm just too hungry to be wearing all this dress mom!"

"mom, i am ready to eat lunch already"

"MOM IS HAVING TWINS???  SAY WHAT???"

Egg hunting like a Champ!

Decorating her Easter Cookie

So many things running across that little mind right now....  cant get over how tightly her fist are clasp...  she was terrified.  

Poppy bought her two ducks and two geese....  every little girl needs baby chicks for Easter!!!

Which brings me to the worst childhood memory of all time....  one year, my dad bought me an entire brood of baby ducks.  I raised them from the incubator, to the heat lamp, to the small pen, and so on.  One weekend, my dad and I built the most fantastic pen you have ever seen.  Chicken-wire for days!!!  We built it down by the bayou extending out into the bayou so that the ducks could swim and play, yet still couldn't get away.  That same evening, we were all outside sitting on the patio eating supper and watching my ducks (who by now loved me and followed me everywhere).  All of the sudden, out of no where, a GIANT alligator jumped up out of the bayou on top of my perfectly placed chicken wire cage and ripped it to shreds.  He consumed ALL of my baby ducks.  He ate them.  Right then and there - with everyone watching. And just like that, he was gone.  There were hardly any feathers left....  I was totally distraught - all of my ducks were GONE.  EATEN BY THAT BEAST!!!!  I needed therapy.  My dad was totally distraught that he had been in that bayou all day in his waiters not knowing that an alligator was lurking under the muck.  Isn't that a terrible story???  Worst childhood story of all time.......

Rose Easter cake made especially for her by her Bon-Bon

Sarah Kinley's Birthday Party!

The Easter Bunny came to visit

Making her own Easter Cookies at home

Dying Easter Eggs

It was all fun until she dropped one and apparently I didnt boil them long enough....  SPLAT...
Im really not sure if she had ever seen an egg break open before - she was highly confused....

Don't judge....  it was way more fun to dye Rose than the Easter eggs...  We are just practicing on our parental skills before the twins arrive!!!

WE HAVE EXCITING NEWS TO SHARE !!!

BABY HARDIN TWINS 

ARRIVING NOVEMBER 2014

I honestly can not describe to anyone how utterly shocked I was when the sonogram tech decided to share the love and inform me that there was a

"THIS ONE" and a "THAT ONE"....  

At first all I thought about was NICU, premature births, underdeveloped lungs, incubators, poor eyesight, the list goes on and on...  I have not for one minute been naive on this situation.  But... as I was driving home, in the total silence, a wave of total emotion flooded over me.  It was not fear, it was not worry.  It was total gratitude for this GIFT we have been given.  I have never in my life felt so many emotions at one time -   Unworthy of something so special, yet so honored that the Lord trusted US with this journey.  I just feel as if HE gave this gift to us - wrapped in a scarlet ribbon.  Every time my prayer begins as "Lord please... make their hearts strong, make them healthy, etc.... "  It always ends with... but THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.  In all my life I think I have failed to thank the Lord as much as I have the last few days. I know its still early, not to get too excited, and that anything could happen....  But I just look at it this way....  regardless, God picked us.  And we feel special and honored and accepting of the challenge! So, now, along with praying for healthy babies, I also pray that we can be half the parents God has so gratefully trusted us to be.....  

THINGS WE'VE BEEN UP TO...

A RANDOM COLLECTION OF IPHONE PHOTOS

RELAY FOR LIFE

Not scared of anything .......

One cool chick

The biggest supporters! 

The Dinosaur Exibit

It has started.... 

AUNTIE RAE-RAE GOT HITCHED

INTRODUCING .... MRS. CURTIS GLEN WHITAKER

I must say, I was incredibly nervous about Rose's behavior the entire weekend.  It was almost hard to enjoy myself when I was constantly thinking things like:

"What time does ROSE need to be here for pictures?"

"Mark, did you find her leotard?"

"Mom, seriously, you need to get her home and put her down for a nap!"

"How long did she sleep?  Like really 2 hours or just and hour and half?"  

"Where is her other shoe?"

"Mark, dont you dare lose that bow!"

"Rose, use your inside voice, Please don't scream out loud while they are praying"

"Ok, I have to entertain her for how much longer?"

etc... etc... etc.... the list goes on and on!!!!

"But I just dont know if I want you to get married Aunt Rachael"

Part of me was extremely sentimental that my very best friend since 1st grade was getting married.  Almost like I had this very selfish part of me not wanting to "share" her (you know, because I own her and she is mine!)(JK), then there was this other part of me that was thinking how incredibly happy she was and how I wanted nothing more than to relish in the moment with her and enjoy every little thing and take it all in - so that when we are 75 and sitting on the beach somewhere and talking about her wedding day I would be part of all the "do you remember?"  conversations.... Then right in the middle of my sentimental moment there was this monster (mother of a 2 year old) inside me screaming "Get this show on the road....  we are on borrowed behavior time..."

My BEAUTIFUL Lifelong Friend

So this is how it went down...........
1.  The doors opened
2.  She pranced right in
3.  She spotted Mark
4.  She screamed for Mark (My Daddy, My Daddy)
5.  She took out running diagonally across the church to see her daddy
6.  She never made it to the front
7.  Game over........
8.  My dad gave her a pacifier right before pictures
9.  She screamed throughout pictures because I wouldn't let her have her Big Red Passy in Rachael's Wedding Photos
10.  She danced at the reception until she passed out early and we had to take her home (missing the send-off, and hence missing one of the "do you remember" conversations I'm sure we will have when I'm 75.)

I just have to remember, even tho my little flower girl didn't make it all the way down the aisle, and even though it was hard to enjoy every single moment because I was dealing with the little flower girl, the closest thing I will ever have to a sister got married!  She is happier than I have ever seen her, and CHEERS to many more memories together as moms!  I cant wait to see what the next chapter in her life holds!!!!  

AND GOD BLESS ALL MOMS EVERYWHERE....