Can't believe I never posted this picture. It certainly got sent out to grandparents.

Look at that little imp. Something is up with that boy. I suppose it could just be that he is two... but I think that he is really just starting to realize that Kieran has stolen our attention. He still loves Kieran and gives him kisses and makes sure he has his blanket and pacifier... but Dex has been climbing into my lap and demanding cuddles. This hasn't happened in a really long time. He's generally pretty independent. There is much showing off of his will. Strong will, that boy. He pitches fits, and it is so hard for everyone because we are so low on sleep. Everyone. Including him. Because he fights it.

Bedtime has become one of the worst times of day. #2 being nap time. We are working on it, and tonight we tried something different, and he was actually asleep by 9:30 which is really good. I wouldn't care if he was awake if he would stay in his bed... or even in his room. It becomes a game, and... ugh. I don't need to get myself worked up right now. Because he's actually asleep and it's 10pm and I can actually have a few minutes of alone time because *gasp* Kieran is asleep too.

It's less than three weeks until we go home to visit! I am so excited. Slightly nervous about travelling with two small children by myself... but not really. I am borrowing one of those dollie things that you can strap a car seat to for in the airport. I will have a car seat to put Dex in on the plane. (Instead of being in my lap and fighting him to stay in his seat for four hours) We caved and got a portable DVD player and headphones. Last year we were in the car. A. Lot. (And he had a double ear infection and I didn't know it.) So he was pretty much miserable. I can't believe I didn't get one then. However, with two kiddos to tow around... this year... when we're in the car for awhile he can watch a movie.

I really struggle with keeping the house clean. Playing with the kids, educating Dex some, doing the laundry... those I can do. Keeping the clutter and dishes at bay... that's a whole other story. With two kids, I find it almost impossible to clean. When I get a free moment, all I want to do is sit down and take a breath for a minute. However, Logan and I have been working on getting the house a WHOLE lot more organized. There has been furniture rearranging and stuff put away in tupperware boxes and... it's getting there. There is still a lot to get done, but I am SO much happier with less junk on the floor.

Tonight we flipped Declan's bed over, so it is now a loft bed. (Let's hope this works out and doesn't end up with a broken arm. It's really not that tall, but still). I then decided to make use of that space and put his low shelf with drawers of toys in it. I had been keeping toys out of his room to make it a place to sleep.. but he hates sleeping anyway... and since the bed is higher, it kind of created a place just for him. (And it's not in our living room... yay! Now there are some toys, but it's mostly his play kitchen and there is actually room for his easel). So the living room and the boys' room looks much better.

I think I'm going to stop because I'm pretty much rambling. I don't talk to a whole lot of grown-ups, so it's nice to let the words all spill out sometimes.

Oh, and there was some baby picture taking this weekend... but Logan has the camera in the car at work. So... soon! They will be up soon!

Night all!

One week!

One week until we are boarding that plane and heading East. I'm so excited (even though I'm sure that sounds like a broken record by now). I'm trying to travel without a lot (because I know that our warm clothes will take up my whole bag) but I have some GREAT ideas for some gifts to make once I'm there. Surprises, surprises.

I also really can't wait to show everyone how much bigger Dex is. He seriously astounds me every day in how much more he can do. I kind of really wish I was able to have him in a Montessori environment at this age. He would do so well with a more structured daily environment. I know that where he is now, everyone is doing the best that they can, but I hate how high the ratio is. It makes it so hard for the teachers to spend quality time with the kids. There is also such a "Mine, mine, mine" feeling around the classroom. That is not at all the case in Montessori. He would definitely do well with having his own work and learning to be patient and peaceful. Who knows what our next step will be, but perhaps in that direction.

Our apartment is slowly coming together. We have more ingredients in our kitchen and more furniture. However, shelves would be awesome. Our living room has no furniture which means nowhere to put our stuff! Freecycle, Craigslist, and yardsales are becoming our new best friends. I'm working on getting a new SD card and researching new cameras, so that soon I can post pics. (Also working on cleaning up messes constantly)

Now that we are more settled, both have jobs, and have a place to live, I'm thinking more about how to get to where I want to be. I'm really not fulfilled at my job, and as scary as it is to really think about... I think that teaching might not be the place for me. I have been scared into staying in the same type of profession for the last few years, but really need a change. I am so grateful for the discounted child care, but with having my Master's... I feel as though I can do something more. I'm just not sure what that more is. My really silly wish is that I could get a nice camera and see if that could lead me to taking portraits. However, I don't have a nice camera (and only so much money that could be put towards it) and don't really know very much about professional photography. I also think that it would be awhile before that could take off enough to help support my family. Just a silly wish I guess.

However, people that know anything about cameras... any advice on what I might want to take a look at/ what I should be looking for in a camera?


See all those at home soon! Hugs from the Hardages!

Holiday Ramblings

Still fighting with AT&T to get our internet settled. A bit frustrating, but what can ya do. I guess the neighbor's spotty stolen internet will continue to suffice for the time being.

Two weeks and one day until Dex and I are East Coast bound. I am SO excited to see my family and friends. Like unbelievably so. However, I do have one minor thing that I'm a little nervous about. The weather! This East Coast girl has gotten pretty used to THIS kind of weather...

Right Now	Next 36 Hours

	Tonight	Tomorrow	Tomorrow Night
Fair	Partly Cloudy	Mostly Sunny	Partly Cloudy
61°F	57°	77°	40°
Feels Like: 61°	Low	High	Low
Past 24-hr: Precip: 0 in Snow: 0 in	Chance of Precip: 20%	Chance of Precip: 20%	Chance of Precip: 10%
Wind: From S at 3mph	Wind: SSW at 9 mph	Wind: SSW at 9 mph	Wind: NNE at 14 mph

Seriously. 61 at 9pm. And tomorrow is a high of 77. Really not sure I can go back to...

Right Now	Next 36 Hours

	Tonight	Tomorrow	Tomorrow Night
Cloudy	Clouds Early / Clearing Late	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy
38°F	31°	42°	29°
Feels Like: 30°	Low	High	Low
Past 24-hr: Precip: 0 in Snow: 0 in	Chance of Precip: 20%	Chance of Precip: 20%	Chance of Precip: 20%
Wind: From NW at 12mph	Wind: NW at 13 mph	Wind: WNW at 18 mph	Wind: W at 13 mph

High of 42? I don't know about that. I'm not sure I have located enough long sleeved shirts yet.

I cannot wait to share how much my little man has grown. In the last four months he has truly become a real toddler. When we left he was walking but just barely. He now runs everywhere he goes. His smile is one of the biggest I've ever seen and I'm constantly getting compliments on how good and happy he is. (Though trust me... I also know the tantrums well... he just mostly saves those for mommy and daddy) I can't wait to have brunch in Brookline and patron the Starbucks in Newton. We will see all kinds of babies in Guilford and snuggle with Nana in Franklin. We'll see the sea on the Cape and the mountains in Vermont. I am so excited to remind my boy of his roots. Even though it hasn't been that long. He's little and I'm sure he won't remember.

He gets to experience the Christmas I grew up with. Christmas Eve with my mom's family and opening ONE gift (even though mom pretends EVERY year that we won't get to). Christmas day with my dad's family. The craziness of the Yankee Swap and so many kisses and cousins that are just his size. He will actually care about Christmas. He will touch every decoration he walks past and bounce to the music. I'm sure he will make cute faces all day that will reward him with sweets that my family will sneak him. He will unwrap his gifts and play with the wrapping paper. He will love to watch the Christmas movies that I grew up with. I can't wait to share it all with him. It stinks that Logan won't be with us to celebrate it, but it means that we get an extra Christmas when we get back. Once we leave Logan will be busy building this...



!!!!!! For our return. SOOOO excited for Dex to see it when we get back. The best present ever. (Thanks grandma!)


Also... on a slightly different note. I've been saving for awhile. Graduation money, birthday money, etc... and I think I'm almost on my way to...



A new camera. I've been thinking about it for a long time, and I think that I'm really ready to make the commitment. I don't know when it will happen exactly, but I want to be able to take great quality pictures of Declan and get more into it. If anyone knows anything about cameras, I'm definitely taking advice on what I should be looking for.

So all in all, I'm happy to be going home soon. Not so psyched for the weather. But ready to take on the holidays. And so ready to get to show it all to Dex. Love to all and can't wait to see those that read this back home!

Adventures

So the internet will be back in full force as of next week, making this easier to keep up with. We have been a busy little family recently. I am so excited to have had so many adventures and even more are coming up.

Last weekend we went to Dallas. While we were there we visited Logan's family and friends. Declan had a blast. Logan's stepmom showed Declan how to start using a violin and it was absolutely amazing to see him be so interested in playing an instrument. It sent my mind off in daydreams about what he will be one day. We also had a great time hanging out with Jenny and Abby. We slept over their house on Saturday. There was a great family dinner, and lots of playing and giggling between the two cousins. We stayed up much too late playing horses and watching movies and eating popcorn. It was so nice to have Declan have another kid to run around with, ensuring my thoughts that there needs to be another child along the way.

We spent the next couple of days going to work and school and recuperating from the lack of sleep from the weekend. Declan now loves going to school. He has learned to say "Jacquie," his teacher's name, and loves to blow everyone kisses as he shouts "bye bye" at them.

Tomorrow Logan's mom comes to town so even more adventures are surely on their way.

And the even bigger news is that in a month Declan and I will be taking a trip home! Two weeks on the East Coast for these two. So everyone at home that reads this... get ready.

Arkansas!

Well... we have been on our trip for two LONG days of driving so far. We've made it to Arkansas and have finally stopped for the night and have actually found WiFi for the first time on the trip. (PS we tried using it at McDonald's and... well... it didn't work. You suck McDonald's) It's late and we need to sleep so we can finish out the rest of the ride tomorrow so this is just a short update as to where we are. I'll write more about the trip later but some highlights...

*Tennessee takes FOREVER to drive through. Legit I think it took 12 hours.

*We weren't able to take a trailer... we ended up taking a truck and towing our car. More about that debacle later.

*Stopped in Bucksnort, TN. No really... Bucksnort. Come on. (Note from Logan... they must have a good dental industry there. It seems as though they were able to save three whole teeth for the gas station attendant)

*We miss Declan like crazy.

*The waiter at Cracker Barrel (who called me Ma'am in every single sentence, even if he wasn't talking to me, he worked it in there somehow) is praying for our us and our trip. It was sweet but a bit of overkill. I'm really not doing the story justice now. He was ridiculous.

Needing sleep now. Until next time we are Texas bound!

Home Again, Home Again...

So here we are... back at home, and I'm back at work. First I suppose I'll finish updating on the rest of our activities in Texas and then will get more back to my thoughts.

I left us off on Wednesday afternoon. First we went to lunch at ThunderCloud with KC and had some awesome subs. Then we checked out the Austin Children's Museum. I recommend it. It was really great for small ones that are still crawling or just walking. We spent Wednesday night having dinner with Zak, Lauren, and Austin at Z&L's apartment. We there had a delicious pizza dinner and learned more about who gets to take up more space in the apartment. (The answer is not actually Zak or Lauren... It is Zak's bikes) Declan met his new dog-brother, Marlowe, and we had a good time. Especially Declan, who found a new pet... or maybe he was supposed to be Marlowe's pet... I'm not really sure.

Thursday we grabbed Austin (of the person-variety, not the city-variety) and went house hunting. We saw some nice places and learned that we would probably be more interested in living in South Austin rather than the North, and can afford so much more than where we live now for the same price or less than what we pay for our current basement apartment. We had lunch at Chuy's and had so much good Mexican food. It perhaps deserves it's own post... thanks for the suggestion Laura! KC and the boys came over to Jill's for dinner so the little cousins got to play again.

Friday was our last full day in Austin. We spent the morning taking a three-hour hike with Declan in a hiking backpack. It was awesome and also deserves it's own post. Declan was great and had a fun time on Logan, Austin and my back... then my front where he took a nap. Since he had napped we went to lunch at Mr. Natural's, and then went back to Jill's to take a swim. Everyone came over for dinner, and we had a great enchilada casserole and tres leches cake.

Alas we had to leave Saturday morning. We took another plane back to Dallas. We went back to Logan's dad's house where Declan took a nap and we waited for Chuck and Jess to arrive from OK. They came and we all went to have a delicious sushi meal. (Although I never thought I would be the one to suggest sushi) After driving for a bit we found a really cool playground in West Dallas. It was kind of artsy... the play structures were more like fun sculptures that spun and bounced.

After our mini-trip back to Dallas, it was once again time to jump on a plane SUPER EARLY Sunday morning. Declan was good... but a little more fussy than the other plane rides. He was getting worn out for sure. He fell asleep in the last fifteen minutes of the plane ride only to have to wait around in the airport for four hours waiting for our layover flight. One more plane-ride and shuttle drive and we arrived home at last. Realizing we had no milk or food in the house, we hopped back in the car and got groceries. Back to real life.

And now I'm back at work and we are working on getting back to routine. Home again, home again, jiggedy jig.



Austin Children's Museum

TEXAS

So folks, we are smack in the middle of our trip to Texas, and while I have a moment I figured I would give a quick update for those missing us at home. Our trip has been absolutely wonderful so far. I'll try to give an overview, but sitting in the sunshine with my husband while our baby takes a nice nap may lead to some distractions.

Boston to Dallas. What can I say? I am so lucky to have such a wonderful child. Declan was so excited to be at the airport and amused everyone sitting around him by his popping up and down around the windows to look at the planes. Thank goodness the windows go down to the floor. I learned a lesson about nagging Logan... that sometimes it does have a point. After getting through security, I asked him (although I figured he had done what I had asked him and told me five times already) if he had packed the bottle in the carry-on or in the checked bag. He looked at me like a deer in headlights and admitted that he had totally forgotten a bottle at all. So no bottle for Declan on the plane. OK, so seemingly disaster one. We had purposely waited until after our trip to wean him off of a bottle. Well... it seems as though we were being pushed in a different direction. Declan is being weaned off of a bottle right now.

We were seated right behind another couple with a baby that was only a few weeks younger than Declan. So they had a great time looking at each other, grabbing each other's hands and playing. However, this meant that Declan did not go to sleep. For a long time. He had more energy than I have ever seen him have. He was looking up front, to the back, standing in our laps and then doing the most amazing flips that I have only ever seen a water mammal do before. Eventually he fell asleep (with only a sippy cup and no medication). He then slept for the rest of the plane ride.

TIPS FOR TRAVELLING WITH AN INFANT: Sippy cup or bottle for sure, some small toys though they only hold their attention for about two minutes and LOTS of snacks. I think Declan ate for about 2/3 of the plane rides and I think the chewing helped with his ears.

We then arrived in Dallas where we got to meet Logan's Dad and stepmom for the first time. We got to show off our beautiful, well behaved child, and it was a good time. We spent the next day going out to lunch with some of Logan's friends and then had dinner with Logan's family at his sister Jenny's house. We had some delicious pasta, and Declan got to play with his 5 year old cousin Abby and his 3 year old cousin Owen. They were adorable together, and it was really nice to see the dynamic between them.

That was Saturday. Sunday was a pretty chill day. We let Declan sleep as much as he wanted (and since he had been waking up the household at 2am screaming because of teething we were grateful for any moments of down time). We then went out with Jenny, Abby, and Cory and had a nice afternoon letting the kiddos run around at the playground and eating at Souper Salad. I have been hearing Logan talk about this place for a long time and was pretty happy we got to go and experience the buffet. The best part was Abby;s sharing. She came over to Declan with her vanilla ice cream cone. (Now, just a note... we really don't ever give Declan sugar at all, so this was a pretty rare treat) She had her cone and a spoon and would spoon little bites into Declan's mouth. It was adorable. Declan was in love.

Monday morning we met up with my cousin, Brendan for breakfast. We went to the Original Pancake House, which had Texas sized portions for sure. After a great meal, we dropped him off and packed the fastest possible to catch our plane to Austin. We got picked up by Logan's Aunt Jill and went to Freddie's Place for dinner. (I don't know if you have noticed a theme here, but eating is a pretty important part of our trip so far). There we met up with a bunch of people from Logan's family. After catching up, we needed to get the little man in bed, so we headed back to Jill and Dennis's house.

I don't know how to even describe their house and the view. It is like a hotel . They live right on the edge of a huge cliff overlooking a big forest, and their house is infused with nature. From the pool to the reading chairs next to the fireplace outside to our own guest house... I am in love. This house may have a pretty big affect in the decision to move or not.

Oh right! We are in decision making mode about moving now!

Yesterday, Tuesday, we went and saw (and I met for the first time) Logan's grandpa, and had a nice lunch with him. Declan was more interested in crawling under the piano while we were there than eating, but it all worked out. We met up with my friend Mat for dinner at the Green Mesquite and Declan fell in love again. He and mat clicked instantly and I'm pretty sure that Declan (and I for sure) was sad to see him go.

We have been spending our nights reading by the fireplace and our days exploring and taking down time by the pool. Declan has his own personal swing and sandbox, and loves getting to be outside all the time. We will be going to look at some houses tomorrow, and after the rest of our time here, we will have a discussion and make a decision about moving soon. So for now, I am going to go and enjoy the sunshine and my husband's company.

Love to all (both here and back home!)