THIS AND THAT

I am so thrilled to report that one of my dearest and best friends accepted Jesus into her heart last night. God works in the best and most mysterious ways! A little over a year ago I became facebook friends with a girl who was dating a guy I had known for years. Right away our friendship bloomed. We had so much in common and got along wonderful. We were walking at the park in the afternoons and talking online all day and even took my boys to the zoo and on a picnic. She was there for me when Joe was deployed and we have been there for one another from the beginning.
I invited her to attend the LOVE DARE class that my parents were leading at First Baptist church.
She attended every week and it changed her life.
It led her to Jesus.
My dad had asked me several weeks ago for her phone number to follow up with her and check in on her. Although I had given it to him at the time he had yet to call her. Last night, as I sat home with no power, it was unknown to me that my dad was calling my friend. He had felt called to do so all day. God was truly at work. My friend made a profession of faith to my dad on the phone. She will be making this public VERY soon! I am happy for the coming day when she will walk down the aisle at church to make her profession and later be baptized. She will not only be one of my best friends but my sister in Christ! NOTHING BETTER!
I am so happy and feel so blessed that God used my family and myself to lead this wonderful person to Him!


Speaking of my dad...
Yesterday my mom had to pick up some photo archive cds that my dad had made from his camera. I had to share some with you today. I was shocked at how much my boys have grown and changed. Shocked at how life has changed for my family in the last several years. AND shocked that my dad had over 900 pictures on his camera that spanned the last 4 years!




















This is what I miss the most of anything I have EVER lost.....














When I saw the pics of my niece and nephews yesterday my heart broke and I couldn't stop the tears. They have grown so much and changed from the way I remember them the last time I saw them. It's so sad how harsh words and twisted stories can destroy lives. Everyone makes mistakes and everyone has disagreements but I never saw something like this happening. I miss my brother...my best friend. I miss the friendship I was beginning with my sister in law. I miss my niece and nephews. I miss family gatherings and holidays when we are all together. There is always a void in my heart now that they once filled. It's been so hard. It never gets easier. I wish my boys could understand why they can't see their uncle and aunt and cousins. I wish I could prove to them that they aren't forgotten and are still loved and missed. I wish I could somehow feel that way myself but I can't. It is like grieving a family that has died. You long to see them and talk to them and be around them but you can't. Your mind goes over all the things you did WRONG and all the things you should have done different but now it's too late. You are full or regret and hearbreak. You wish they could see things the way you see them and understand the REAL reason why things happened. That you NEVER meant to hurt them....but now it's too late. Now it will never be the same. I miss them all more and more everyday. I wish God would heal this hurt and bring this family back together. The way it is right now isn't good for any of us. The boys miss playing with their cousins. My parents miss having us all together. I miss all of that too. I miss EVERYTHING. Chatting with my sis in law during the day and laughing along with my brother. I miss seeing all the kids play together and having that bond with my niece and nephews. I didn't even get to bond with my youngest nephew. I have only seen him a few times in his young life. I long for the way things once were. I hate this has happened and that it has continued for nearly a year. Life is so short. Time is so precious. We can't get the last year back. I just wish we could make a better future and learn from the mistakes of the past. To find love and forgiveness amongst hurt and disappointment. I'd give just about anything to have it all right again.

Happy Friday!

HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE! HOPE YOU HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND! HERE ARE MY FAVES THIS WEEK:

1. This hilarious comparison! I laughed so hard when I saw it. My only regret is that I didn't think of it first!


2. Can't they both win? LOVE THEM BOTH!!! COUNTRY MUSIC RULED IDOL THIS YEAR! YAY!


3. They are gonna have a baby!!! He's the baby daddy! WHOO HOOO!


4. OUR SOON TO BE NEW HOME! I can't shut my brain off when it comes to this place!


5. My visions for the front porch of the new house. I would like to take ideas from each of these concepts and create my PERFECT porch! I can see me now reading in the swing with a glass of iced tea!






Do you have any other ideas for my front porch? I'd love to hear or see pics!

What are your favorite things this week?

Momma's Boys

THERE IS NOTHING LIKE BEING A MOM
ESPECIALLY A MOM TO 3 LITTLE BOYS!

I scrub the wall of fingerprints,
Pick up the mounds of clothes.
I sweep the dirt that shoes track in-
Wish I could use a hose!
Meals are served from dawn to dark,
Dirty dishes crowd the sink.
Just when they’re washed and put away-
Everyone wants a drink!
The washer pulls the dirty grime
From pants worn thin and patched.
They look so very neat and clean-
Yuck, look what the pockets hatched!
Broken bones and bloody knees,
I should have been a nurse.
I take it all in shaky stride-
Just grateful it’s not worse!
Screams and shouts and arguments
Test the keeping of my cool.
They left the neighbor’s faucet on-
See their new front yard pool!
A soothing bath is ecstasy,
A reward at the end of my rope.
Raising boys isn’t really bad-
But first I must wash the soap!
A rose can say I Love You,
Orchids can enthrall;
But a weed bouquet in a chubby fist,
Oh my, that says it all!

There are boys in my house - and Spiderman shoes
And 200 papers in various blues.
There's Bob (he's a builder) and Thomas the Train,
There's a fireman coat to wear in the rain.
They have cars on their shirts and frogs on their hats
There's a glove and a ball and a red plastic bat.
There's dirt on a face and a smudge on a nose;
Grass stains on knees and sand between toes.
There's bathtime at night with bodies to scrub,
And when we're all done there is dirt in the tub!
There's bandaids and bruises and curious bumps,
There's smiles and laughter and sometimes there's grumps.
There's odors most icky; there's boogers so green
There's more yucky things than I'll ever get clean.
There's piles of laundry; there's stories at night;
There's bedtime and bathtime and dinnertime fights.
There's cars and there's trains and there's books about trucks
There's Scoop, Lofty, Dizzy, and Travis, and Muck.
Sometimes there are bugs, and sometimes there are frogs;
Sometimes they are lions, or dinos, or dogs.
There are cute little vests and darling neckties
Dragged right through the mud - oh what a surprise!
There's running and climbing and jumping and falling
And laughing and crying and hugging and brawling
And rolling and losing and finding and creeping
And whining and stealing and sometimes there's sleeping.
There's tantrums and time outs and extra loud noise -
There's love in my house shaped like three little boys.


There is an enduring tenderness in the love of a mother to a son that transcends all other affections of the heart.
– Washington Irving , writer



There is no great joy in my life than being a mother to my 3 little boys. They are all so different and so special and oh so wonderful!


LANDON JOSEPH HARDIN

Oh my dear Landon. You are my biggest challenge. Just like mommy you are super strong willed and stubborn, independent and strong, mild not meek. You are so super smart. You are mature for only 4 and you seem to know so much about the world already. Sometimes it scares me just how much you can pick up on in life. You LOVE your cars. You are happy just playing by yourself with your cars for hours on end. I love how you blow kisses then wave immediately after over and over again and how excited you get to snuggle in bed with mommy. You can't give us enough hugs and kisses goodbye. You won't go to bed without your yellow dragon blanket and mommy HAS to tuck you in...no one else. You love your foxy and sad puppy stuffed animals as much as you love to swing while at the playground. Green is your VERY favorite color. You LOVE warm clothes especially your fleece pjs which you wear all year round. You aren't a fan of heat or dirt like your brothers. You LOVE cartoons but more than anything you just like to take your toys and find a quiet spot to play. You have a grand imagination to boot. You are an amazing little boy even if you sometimes try and be boss. I love you "Little Landon".


ANDREW THOMAS HARDIN

You are sweet beyond measure. You LOVE to snuggle and cuddle. You are all country boy. You can pedal the heck outta your John Deere peddle tractor. You just love it! Being able to play outside brings you so much joy especially when there is water and dirt! You LOVE things that are black and white - panda bears, dalmations, penguins (Happy Feet as you call them). Blue is your favorite color especially "GO Cats Blue"! You are so tall....you get that honest! The size of your hands and feet scare me...you are gonna eat us out of house and home as a teenager I bet! You already remind me of T-Rex, such a carnivore! Somedays I think you look just like daddy and other days you are all Cox! I am jealous of your complexion and how easily you tan in the summer. You are a water dog and LOVE your PawPaw and NaNa. Your bedtime routine is so much like Landon's. You have to have your white dragon blanket and mommy HAS to tuck you in as well. You are fearless to the point it worries me. I hope you don't grow up to be some kind of stunt person. Mommy would be a nervous wreck! You have such a kind heart. You are insanely loving and sweet. You are a perfect blend of your dad and I. I love you my little peanut. (HA! I win...you can't say I love you more this time cause you can't read......yet.) =)


CADEN ANTHONY HARDIN

My big little boy. My mischievous little rascal. You keep mommy on my toes every second of every day. Although exhausting you are so fun! You have more energy than anyone I know. You are mommy's boy and Grandad's best buddy. You love attention and get it no matter what it takes. I don't think you are ever clean. Sometimes I have no idea how you even get so dirty. You are truly the "clown" of the family, without a doubt. I adore your red hair and the freckles across your nose. Your favorite color is pink and you are in no way ashamed to let everyone know about it and that pink is for boys too not just "gurls". You won't go to bed without your Lightning McQueen blanket and you usually want mommy or daddy to lay down with you. You are strong and solid. Loving and VERY cuddly. You are the epitome of a little boy. You grew up so fast, I guess it was bound to happen. No way were you going to not keep up with your big brothers. You did so so fast that I sometimes forget you are so much younger than they are. But luckily I still get glimpses of my "baby" and I treasure those moments. I love how you tell mommy you are gonna stay little so mommy won't be sad. Oh how I wish you could. You were the perfect completion of our family. I love you to the moon "monkey".

TO ALL MY BOYS....

YOU ARE MY HEART AND MY SOUL. I AM SO BLESSED TO BE YOUR MOM. HAVING THE ABILITY TO STAY HOME WITH YOU AND TO WATCH YOU GROW HAS BEEN SUCH A JOY AND HONOR. YOU ARE ALL SO SPECIAL TO ME AND I LOVE YOU ALL WITH ALL MY HEART. I THANK GOD FOR EACH ONE OF YOU. I WILL BE HERE FOR YOU ALWAYS. NEVER FORGET YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON ME. I WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN AND NEVER JUDGE YOU. I WISH YOU ONLY A LIFETIME OF LOVE AND HAPPINESS.