It's been a LONG time!

So I guess I'm not very good at this blogging thing, and again, I am thinking I can do it. Yeah, with 3 kids and a full time job! Who am I kidding? But, now that I have a big desk in our office/dog room/junk room/eventual craft room, I might be able to keep a blog. But then again, I can't even keep up with the kid's journals so I guess we'll see.



A lot has happened since I last posted. We have 3 beautiful boys. J.K. is 4 1/2, Isaac 2 and Stewart is already 7 months. We have 2 Beagles, Alli and Whiskey. In October 2007, we moved into a new house just about 2 miles from our old house which we now rent out. The new house is more than 2x the size of our old, 4 bedroom, 2 bath. About 1 month after we moved in, we were delighted to learn that we were expecting a 3rd child, Stewart. It amazes me how God works. In August 2007, I decided that we could no longer stand the cramped surroundings of our home and began searching for a new home. Johnathon was hesitant at first but soon realized that we could do it. After researching the schools, we decided on the neighborhood. It's a wonderful neighborhood, close to shopping, elementary school is in the neighborhood, and overall a nice place to live. Moving was quite an ordeal, something I never want to do again, really. We had lived in our other home for over 7 years so we had accumulated way too much stuff. I hurt my back the weekend before we were moving so I was unable to really help for the actual move. Plus, my dear hubby wasn't much help when it came to packing. We were blessed to have our housekeeper and some helpers assist us in packing. About 2 weeks after we moved, we left on vacation for my cousin's wedding in Massachusetts. It was so wonderful to have a vacation and visit with my family. When we arrived home, we were delighted to find our house fully setup and decorated, boxes emptied by our wonderful housekeeper and my dear mother-in-law. I have no idea how long it would have taken us to unpack and settle if we had done it ourselves. We changed things very little from the way Diana did things. She really knows my style!
We celebrated Isaac's 1st birthday just after we came home from vacation and that is when I started getting sick. At first I thought I had the stomach bug, it was going around, but finally after nearly 3 weeks, it struck me that I might be pregnant. Two days after Thanksgiving, we found out for sure! So, since I was still nursing Isaac 24/7, I had no clue when I got pregnant. I spoke to my ob's nurse and figured I was about 6 weeks. We scheduled the first appointment and ultrasound for late December. The ultrasound showed that I was more like 9 weeks when we found it! I was nearly done with my 1st trimester already! My pregnancy was fairly uncomplicated. Isaac stopped nursing when I was about 5 months along. I was kind of ready for it but still sad since we didn't make it to 2 years, my goal. When we found out we were having our 3rd boy, I was thrilled! I was worried that I would somehow be disappointed, but I wasn't in any way! I love my boys! Around 6 months I had to go on blood pressure medicine b/c mine was starting to rise. The first med my new cardiologist put me on would knock me out. I was so tired, I couldn't stay awake at work. It was horrible! The new med, one I had taken before, was much better. Because of my health history and past pregnancies, we scheduled the induction for the eve of June 11th. I worked up until and even on the day I was going into the hospital. That's what I get for working in the family business! Labor wasn't too bad. (My ideal delivery would be a quiet one in a birthing center, no meds.) Because of a heart condition I have, I am told to get an epidural, but my ob allowed me to say when I needed it. Like always, they had trouble getting it to work properly. It worked off and on for a couple of hours, and finally they told me to lay on my side. Just after I did this, the baby decided it was time. They called my ob who had to run over from her office, just barely making it. I love how they tell you not to push, but when that is what you're body is wanting to do, there is no stopping it! Another dr was all suited up just in case mine didn't make it. I also had a nice audience of students! The epidural was not working, and the anesthesiologist came in to try and adjust it but whispered to my mom that there was not time for it to work. Baby was born in just a few pushes. The birth of a baby is such an amazing experience. Many women fear labor, but I embrace it. Of course, I sometimes during it, feel out of control which I hate, but I remind myself that it is a natural, beautiful thing and to let my body do its thing. Stewart was born in the afternoon of June 12th. My labor with him was 5-6 hours shorter than with Isaac and J.K. We had yet to decide on a name for him so it was Baby Hardman for 3 days. Since I had named Isaac, I allowed Johnathon to name Stewart. My only request was for the middle name to be Taylor, my maiden name. I had reservations about Stewart due to a cartoon show (Family Guy) and a skit on MadTV. It took me a while to get used to the name, but now it is my son's name and I love it.
Having 3 boys took some adjustment, mainly for Isaac. He can be brutal boy! Finally around 6 months, Isaac started to realize that Stewart is more than a disturbance in his life, he might actually be fun! We celebrated more birthdays in our new home over the past year. For Christmas we drove to Massachusetts to not only spend the holidays but also to celebrate my Grammie's 90th birthday. My mom flew up, surprising Gram, and then we showed up a few days later after nearly 34 hours in the car to surprise her. It was an incredible vacation. The days before we arrived, they had over 18 inches of snow fall. The snow slowly melted away, but before it was all gone, there was another nice snow storm allowing us more playtime. The boys loved to sled. We built a snowman, made snow angels, threw snowballs. Johnathon went skiing several days. He offered to take J.K., but J.K. said he would fall. I don't even think he understood what skiing was, but he sure knows the consequences of it! Johnathon had to fly home to get back to work just before New Years so my mom drove home with the kids and me. The drive home was much easier. We stopped in Tennessee which made all the difference. Next time, I will be sure we stop on the way up!
It hasn't been easy to get back into our normal routine; I'm still adjusting! LOL Last weekend I celebrated my 30th birthday. I was pretty grumpy the week of it, not looking forward to it at all, but it turned out well. I don't know why I have been so afraid of turning 30. Some kind of mile marker for me, I guess. I don't necessarily feel older. I must admit that 30 has treated me pretty well so far. The last two weekends I have accomplished quite a few things around the house. I got my new desk in my office at home, bought the piano I have been dying to have, painted J.K.'s new nightstand (did that today), setup some storage in the backyard for the kids toys. (It's a big Rubbermaid storage box my dad used to use to store his racing tires in. I didn't realize how big it was until we had it setup. It was then that I realized we really need to buy our kids a playhouse. They immediately started playing it; J.K. got a blanket to lay on the bottom of it. It was so cute! So, I think we will surprise them with a playhouse for Easter. It's got to be better than the sandbox which was last year's Easter gift. It was filled to the rim with sand then and now is completely empty! I think the sand is all under the deck!) I have yet to finish organizing my desk, but I know it'll happen soon.
Well, I can't believe how much I remember of the last year and a half. I will add more posts this week with updates on my boys. They sure have grown! Well, I brought work home to do so I best get to it! More updated posts to come!