tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8504145064090022962024-02-06T21:30:01.140-05:00The Harden Household"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord." Jeremiah 29:11aThe Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.comBlogger71125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-28968376226061985432013-03-28T20:54:00.003-04:002013-03-28T20:54:42.253-04:00Blessings (Part 2)So I shared in my last post (<a href="http://thehardenhousehold.blogspot.com/2013/03/im-blessed.html">http://thehardenhousehold.blogspot.com/2013/03/im-blessed.html</a>) how blessed we are with the friends God has given us, but my blessings go beyond just that. I'm not sure why, but I have been overwhelmed in the past few months with just how good God has been to me! <br />
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My greatest gift at this time is my beautiful son and the ability to stay home with him, but back in August as everyone was preparing to go back to school, I began to feel a little sad and wistful. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love staying home with my son and the role that I now have, but I also loved teaching! Not every moment, of course, but I truly enjoyed my days being filled with planning and preparing, teaching students, seeing them learn new concepts, laughing at the crazy things they said & did that all teenagers say & do, listening when they needed to vent, offering advice when I could, and spending time with them so that I could still feel young too! I loved it! I loved planning prom, putting together a beauty pageant for boys who dressed like girls (yes, yes, I did plan that event! It made us a fortune for prom and was simply tradition at GHS!), going to football games, and just laughing at the ridiculous stories from my colleagues every day! But I wasn't fulfilled despite all the joy I found in teaching. Deep down I wanted something else, but God was telling me to wait, so in the mean time I threw myself into what I was doing to avoid the ache in my heart. Then one day, God decided to grant me my deepest desire, and He made me a mom!<br />
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My life has changed so drastically, but when the back-to-school season rolled around, I admit I was a little sad at the thought of not going back to school like I had for the past 26 years, and I worried about how I would fill my days now. How silly of me?!?! God has always had a wonderful plan for my life, and I've clung to that verse in Jeremiah that says so, but I'm not sure I really got it until this year.<br />
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In the midst of my worrying what I would ever do to fill my days, God began to fill them for me! (And let's be honest, that's the way it should be, but I haven't always let Him.) He opened doors I never even imagined doing! I now keep an adorable little girl very close in age to Ryder, a couple of days a week. I don't talk about it much out of privacy for her, but it has been a great ooportunity for Ryder to learn to share and play with another child, and it's provided a little extra income for our family. I'm so grateful for the opportunity to serve, but God didn't stop there!<br />
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He also gave me an opportunity to get involved in an incredible ministry through my church. I was asked to join the steering committee of our newly started MOPS group as the Publicity Leader. At first, I was a little unsure about the role, but God knew this was the perfect position for me! I still get to use my English background as I prepare a monthly newsletter, but I've gotten to stretch some other areas as I began selling and designing ads for the newsletter, and I swore I could never do anything involving sales because that's justnot my personality, but again, God knew better (of course!). I also got to tap into my creative side by including recipes and craft ideas each month. I never really had time for things like cooking or crafting when I taught, but I always enjoyed those things, so now I really get to try my hand at some new things! It's been so much fun getting to be part of this group and meet so many new women and see families come visit our church because of their experience at MOPS! Not only do I work on a newsletter, but I also get to help plan meetings, play dates, and lots of other fun events, and I get to use that detailed/OCD background in the planning and organizing! God truly knew exactly where I needed to be. <br />
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As I look at what my days are filled with now, I know that this is what I was meant to do all along, I just had to wait for God's perfect timing. I loved teaching (most days), but I had no idea how much I would love what I'm doing now! I hoped, I dreamed, but never in my wildest dreams did I expect this! God truly does give us exceedingly above, all we could ask or think, I'm just sorry it took me his long to know what that really meant! And I'm sorry that I'm not continuously grateful and appreciative of what He's done!<br />
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Yep, I'm blessed, and I'm incredibly grateful, humbled, awestruck, and somewhat intimidated by the awesomeness and goodness of our mighty, wonderful, everlasting, loving, and great GOD!! :)<br />
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Ahhhh, so many blessings, so many great things, and He decided I was worth it to share them with me! The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-23376922070992517242013-03-26T22:32:00.001-04:002013-03-26T22:32:40.213-04:00I'm BlessedThe past few weeks, God has been reminding me of how truly blessed I am, and how He answered a prayer of mine from as far back as high school. All through high school, college, and even our first year of marriage, I had an ongoing prayer request before the Lord. The request might seem silly to most people, but it was a deep felt need in my heart and life. The request was for the Lord to help me find true friends.<br />
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I won't get into details, but I had a rough time in high school, partly because of my own insecurities, and partly because of the people I was surrounded by at the time. But either way, I was desperate for friendship, a true friendship, and spent a lot of time feeling very lonely. When I got to college, I was overwhelmed by the sheer number of people surrounding me, and felt a little lost in the numbers at times. I did begin to forge sweet friendships, and even met my best friend for life, my husband, there. But even then, I was still lacking that connection with other people, where I felt accepted and wanted.<br />
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After Tyler and I got married, as much as we loved our time alone together, we began to realize our need for friendship with other couples, if only to help us see that we weren't the only couple in the world who argued over what to watch on television! I began to pray once again that God would help us to find friends, real friends.<br />
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Fourteen years after my original prayer for friendship, and six years after praying for God to lead us to Godly couples that we could become friends with, I look at my life, and realize that I would be deeply remiss if I didn't thank the Lord publicly for answering my prayer, abundantly, above, all I could ask or think!<br />
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Tyler and I are now surrounded with wonderful friends, more than I can even count! We have friends from church that we share the joys and trials of parenting with, that we share our needs and prayer requests with, and people that we just get to laugh & enjoy life with! It's such a beautiful picture to me, to look around and see how surrounded we are by so many special people who have had impacted our lives in big and small ways! God has been so good to us, and I am so thankful!<br />
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Beyond our amazing friends from church, we have also made other friends through our jobs and brought friends with us from our high school and college years that have grown into deeper, more meaningful relationships over th years. I thank the Lord for each and every friend He has given us, and I am overwhelmed by the way God answered that prayer of a lonely teenage girl, who thought she wasn't good enough to be able to make friends. I know that God led me through a time of waiting for friendship, in order for me to draw closer to Him first, and He truly is all that I need, but life here on earth sure is sweeter with friends to do life with too!! :)<br />
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Friendship is such a precious thing and such a good gift from my Lord!The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-6142027885477758272013-03-26T21:43:00.001-04:002013-03-26T21:43:15.477-04:00Tiny Dancer<div align="center">
Our little man loves to dance! And I love to watch him! It brings a smile to my face every time! I'm not sure where he got his moves from, but I assure you, it wasn't me! :)</div>
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Love this boy so much!!<br />
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The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-35767985042090995332013-03-06T22:04:00.003-05:002013-03-06T22:04:25.570-05:00Ouch!Recently, I've read a few articles that have mentioned my Alma Mater, Liberty University, some giving praise to the school and others harshly criticizing it, but what stung the most were the comments made by people at the end of the articles. I knew people didn't like the school, but to read the attacks made on the students and graduates was kind of upsetting for me.<br />
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There were comments made that said no one should ever employ a graduate from Liberty because their education was sub-par and narrow-minded given the evangelical nature of their education. It stung for people to basically make a claim about me and my ability to participate in society because of where I attended school without knowing me or seeing my abilities. It made me feel like I wasn't good enough, that I didn't measure up. And then I was a little angry, because these people made statements about me being ignorant out of their own ignorance, and they accused me of being narrow-minded because my belief system doesn't mesh with their belief system. The irony of these comments are not lost on me, but it doesn't ease the sting.<br />
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Thankfully, I know who I am, I know Whose I am, I know what I have accomplished despite my so-called "sub-par" education, and I know that I don't have to argue with these people to prove myself to them. Words prove nothing, instead, I hope that my actions and the way I live demonstrate how untrue the comments made by those people really are. <br />
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I knew that people felt that way, but I just hadn't really exposed myself to it recently. I heard it often when I was at Liberty, and even when I first started working. I was aware that people didn't think my school was quite on the same level of other schools, and I was even more aware that peole were watching my every move and judging me, but it wasn't until reading those comments that I was reminded how people felt. It reminds me of what Christ warned His disiples of in the last days. He said that His people would be despised and rejected by men. But He also, taught us through Paul, that when we suffered at the hands of those who hated us, we were to count it pure joy. I don't know that it's easy to find joy in people tearing you down, but it does make me want to work harder to prove what Dr. Falwell always said, "If it's Christian, it should be better." I'm willing to be held to the higher standard that society has set, and prove to them that they're wrong, not by arguing or retaliating with name-calling or attacking the other person's charater, but by loving God, staying true to my faith and beliefs no matter the cost, and loving people, even those who hurt me, because that is what Christianity is really about and that is what I was taught every day while I was at Liberty.The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-15157134187087374112013-01-29T07:30:00.000-05:002013-01-29T07:30:01.216-05:00Is God Really Good?It's the question that prevents many people from ever accepting Christ as their Savior, and it's a difficult question to tackle as Christans; "How can a good God allow something so bad?" I've even heard Christians give in to this thinking saying, "They're a good Christian family, but they're dealing with this awful situation." But the truth is that Christ never promised us a life of ease as Christians, in fact He promised the exact opposite, "In this world you <strong>will</strong> have trouble, but take heart, for I have overcome the world." He doesn't say we might have trouble or that we won't, He says it's definite that we will face hardships. I've even heard pastors say that if Christians aren't exeriencing trials, they're not living the Christian life because Satan doesn't see them as a threat to his purposes here on earth. But we as Christians believe that God is good because we have accepted on faith the truth of God's Word, but the question is what do you say to those that don't have that assurance?<br />
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Some people would say that I have no experience with hardships in my life, so I couldn't possibly understand the horrible things that are out there in the world, and it's true, God has protected me from many horrible things in life, but it doesn't mean that I'm unaware of the challenge of reconciling a fallen world with the goodness of God. In fact, it's been one of the biggest struggles of my Christian life. I have hesitated in sharing this story, because it's not my personal story, and it doesn't have a happy ending yet, but I believe God has taught me so much about His goodness through it that I can't not share it.<br />
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I led what many would call a charmed life, and still do. I have two parents who love me and have been married for almost 30 years. I lived in a nice home, went to a Christian school, grew up in church, went to college, married my first and only love, found my dream job, have a beautiful son, etc. I am so incredibly blessed, and I know that it was all because of God's goodness. Don't think that there weren't hardships or trials in my life, but in the big scheme of life, they are tiny in comparison to what others experience, including someone very close to me.<br />
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For privacy sake, I won't share this person's name, so I'll call them John. John didn't have two happily married parents as a child, his parents were young, unmarried, and not planning to have a baby. His mom showed him little love and was often abusive and neglectful of John, leaving many physical and emotional scars in a very short part of his life. She eventually decided she was done being a mom and abandoned him while he was no more than a toddler. John's dad wasn't much better, while he wasn't abusive, he was far from attentive. He was more interested in being young and living his own life. John needed a stable home, and a relative offered to take him in to their loving home, but his mom refused them out of spite towards the relatives and her own son. Finally, a solution was found and John was placed in the home of an elderly relative, who tried to give him the best home possible with very little money. He went to church and came to know Christ at a young age, but because of his early childhood and unstable parents who came in and out of his life often, his life was chaotic and tumultuous. School was diffcult, teachers didn't know what to do with him, he didn't sit still or pay attention well, and he was constantly behind in his studies. Unfortunately for John, these were in the days before ADHD diagnoses or special education reform, so after being held back once or twice, teachers gave up and just passed him on through to get him out of their hair until middle school, then life changed even more drastically for John.<br />
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At the age of 13, his only real parent figure was diagnosed with cancer, and passed away a few months later. Gone was the only stable home life John had ever known, and even though both of his parents were living, in many ways he was now an orphan. The relatives that had tried to get custody of him from the beginning invited him to come live in their home, and he did for a while, but John was angry, and he was hurting, and his new family didn't know how to help him. They sent him to a new school that tried to work with him, but he began to act out. Eventually, he had dug himself into a hole that no one, including himself, knew how to get him out of. He decided to go live with his dad who was an alcoholic and drug addict. It wasn't long before John joined his dad in drinking and drugs. His life began to spin out of control. He spent some time in jail, he dropped out of school, he couldn't hold a job, he was stealing for drug money, his life was in shambles. Unfortunately, things didn't get better. Over fifteen years later, John's life is still in shambles. He has no family of his own, no home, no formal education beyond 8th grade, not even a drivers' license, much less a car. And in all that time, I've never stopped wondering how a good God could allow John's life to be so incredibly different from mine.<br />
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I have spent more time being angry at God and questioning Him over allowing those awful things to happen to John, than anything else I've ever experienced. My heart breaks for John, I want better for him, but I feel helpless. I have spent many years praying for John, praying that God would change his heart, that He woul make him turn his life around, but after all these years I've not seen any changes. I've spent time discussing my doubts with several Christians that I resect and love, and I've come to recognize that while those horrible things did happen, God never abandoned John. In fact, God gave John many opportunities to change his life, but John rejected them. I still don't undestand why God would allow him to have had such an awful childhood, but I have also come to realize that God never leaves us hopeless and that He can bring good from evil, if we're willing. I've also come to realize that my prayer for John needs to change. Instead of praying for a life change, I'm praying for John to know that he is loved, not just by me, but also by God, and that he was never truly abandoned. I can't imagine the hole that must be in his heart after all the things he's exerienced, but I know that God's love is the perfect size to fill that hole and completely wrap around him, and my prayer is that John will accept it and forgive his past. <br />
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I do believe with all my heart that God is a good God, and I know this because I know that He never intended for us to experience pain, tears, and sin. His original design was the Garden of Eden, where man walked in fellowship with God on a daily basis, but man rejected His creation, and has continued to reject His original and perfect design. As a result, we live in a fallen world, filled with sin, pain, and death. But there is hope, because while on earth we face those terrible things, this is not the end for us, in the end, God wins! He has already overcome this world, and if we choose to accept Him and His plan for our life, we are guaranteed to see a life without pain or death one day. So even if this life is filled with troubles and hardships, it's only a small fraction in comparison to eternity with Him in paradise.The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-55548032516978815112013-01-09T20:23:00.002-05:002013-01-09T20:23:37.385-05:00The Least of TheseThis afternoon, I had the opportunity to do something that I've never done before. I had run to Sam's to pick up some milk, I had forgotten to go earlier in the day, so it was close to dinner time, and I knew Tyler would be home soon, but Ryder needed milk so off we went. As I was putting my cart back, I noticed a couple in the parking lot and the guy, who obviously didn't work there since he wasn't wearing the blue vest, was straightening the carts, I thought we might be kindred spirits, since I always do the same thing. Call it OCD, but those carts drive me nuts! The woman walked up to me as I headed back to my car, she looked distraught, and asked if I had any change that I could share. She proceeded to explain that her car was out of gas, and she was stuck there. The guy offered that they had a gas can. I offered to use my Sam's card and they could fill the can with their own money, but she quickly explained that they had no money, no cash or debit cards. Now, I have no idea if their story was true, and I have a tendency to think the worst of people sometimes and usually just apologize and say I can't help, which is exactly what I did. I walked to my car considering their situation more, then I sat in my car and watched as they approached two more couples. One was older and looked somewhat well off. I heard the woman ask the same questions and then say, "If I had more time I would help, but I have to get these pizzas home for dinner." I thought, "Will they be able to eat dinner tonight?" The other couple shook their heads without even speaking and walked away. At this point, I should've been out of the parking lot and well on my way home, but I couldn't move. I kept thinking, "What if it were me or someone I loved that was in this situation? I would want someone to help!" <br />
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So I said a quick prayer that God would help me, and I got back out of my car, walked over to them and said I would buy them $15 worth of gas to put in their gas tank. I drove over to the pump and met them there with their red gas can. I put in my Sam's card and then ran my debit card careful to keep my information private. The man took the nozzle and began filling the can. They both began to tell me how they both had jobs but didn't get paid until tomorrow and Friday, and that another family member had used the car earlier today and left them without any gas. I asked if $15 would be enough for what they needed, hoping so since we have little money to spare at this time. He said they were on their way to a town about an hour and a half away to pick up their children, a seven month old and two and a half year old so the $15 should be plenty. They said that after Christmas they just didn't have any moeny left because they wanted their kids to have a nice Christmas. In all honesty, I would probably have been doing the same thing, feeling ashamed for having to ask a total stranger for money, and trying desperately to defend myself. I hated that they felt that way and assured them that I understood that sometimes these things happen, and that I wished I could do more but was happy to help. I fished a card from my purse that had information about our church and our MOPS program, and invited them both to visit sometime. They thanked me and even asked a little about my church. They filled their can, thanked me, promised to pay it forward, and the man said"God bless you," and then they headed on their way. I sat at the pump for a few seconds thinking about what had just happened, wondering if I had done enough, if should've asked their name, if I had made a total error injudgment or not. The gas attendant was walking around trying to see if everything was on the up and up, I appreciated that, so I smiled and headed home. <br />
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I have no idea if their story was true, and I'll probably never know, but a passage of scripture kept coming to mind, about going the extra mile for those in need. I also thought about how Christ never questioned anyone's motives when they asked Him for help, He just served others. I don't know if it was a sham, I hope not, I hope I was truly able to help a family in need, but even if it was a sham, the bigger issue was my obedience. I can't answer for the motives of others, but I will have to answer for what I do with what I'm presented. As I drove home, I prayed for that couple, because even more than a financial or physical need, they had a spiritual need, and I hoped that maybe my small action today would plant a seed in leading them to the One who loves them and created them.<br />
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<span class="woj"><em><span class="text Matt-25-34" id="en-NLT-24016"><span class="woj">“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world.</span></span> <span class="text Matt-25-35" id="en-NLT-24017"><span class="woj">For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.</span></span> <span class="text Matt-25-36" id="en-NLT-24018"><span class="woj">I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ </span></span><span class="text Matt-25-37" id="en-NLT-24019"><sup class="versenum"> </sup><span class="woj">“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink?</span></span> <span class="text Matt-25-38" id="en-NLT-24020"><sup class="versenum"> </sup><span class="woj">Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing?</span></span> <span class="text Matt-25-39" id="en-NLT-24021"><span class="woj">When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ </span></span><span class="text Matt-25-40" id="en-NLT-24022"><span class="woj">“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’" Matthew 25:34-40</span></span></em></span>The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-46304248917355074882013-01-03T15:24:00.004-05:002013-01-03T15:24:32.660-05:00So Many Words<div style="text-align: left;">
I'm afraid I've fallen way behind in updating Ryder's progress. Over the last week it occurred to me that I need to get these memories recorded before it all slips away! I'm continuously amazed at how quickly Ryder is changing, growing, and learning new things. I fear I'll forget what he's like at this stage, and be left with no memories of his childhood. This of course is crazy since we take so many pictures, usually of him zooming past me, and we try to video, although he usually stops doing whatever we wanted to capture the moment the camera comes out! Isn't that just how it goes?? :)</div>
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Ryder doesn't talk much at this point, but he understands a lot. I guess I should clarify, Ryder doesn't speak a lot of English yet, but boy can this boy jabber all day long in a language that sounds vaguely like Mandarin Chinese or possibly Zwahili, who knows?! He especially loves to ramble in his unique language when he has a phone pressed to his ear. He'll wonder around the house with one hand clutching the phone to his ear, his head bent to lock it in place with the other hand behind his back as he rapidly spills every unintelligible word he has. I enjoy watching this so much that I sometimes break my own rule and allow him to have my cell phone to let him babble! He does know a few English words, however. "Waffle" is his most recent, and he only says it first thing in the morning shortly after getting up and coming downstairs. He'll run to the kitchen, point to the freezer, grunt, point to the toaster oven, grunt again, and when I take the prize out of the freezer, he exclaims, "Waffle!" over and over again until it has finished cooking in the toaster over, and then replies with "Taintoo," another of his words, when I hand him his waffle. If you can't decode baby talk "taintoo" is Ryder's version of "thank you." It's not quite perfect, and unless you are listening for it, it's sometimes hard to catch him saying it, but we're working on it! Along with "please" but that one seems to be still a ways off in accomplishing. Ryder also says, "mama," which makes Tyler a little jealous, however, I have explained to Tyler that he need not be jealous since Ryder pretty much calls all people that he likes and wants their attention "mama" including Tyler, myself, his aunt Caitlyn, etc. We're working on "dada" if for no other reason than to keep from Tyler getting a complex over being called "mama." :) Ryder also says "woof, woof" when referring to a dog, mainly Boston, or when he hears one bark, and many times if he hears a dog barking he will persist in saying"woof woof" until someone acknowledges him and the barking dog! He says "nana" for banana, but his favorite word by far and away is "ball ball!" This boy loves his "ball balls" and insists that every spherical shaped object is a ball that he needs to hold including tomatoes or peaches at the grocery store, pictures of the sun or globe in books, and any toy that is remotely spherical in shape including a plastic lemon from his kitchen set. We've decided this boy will most definitely be a ball player, or we'll be very surprised!! :)</div>
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But as I said before, although his word count is still in the single digits, this child understands an unbelievable amount of what we say! He knows what I mean when I say bathtime, bedtime, storytime, time to eat or let's make lunch/dinner. He knows that when I say you need your diaper changed that we need a diaper, wipes, and he will lay down in the floor to be changed. If I ask him if he wants to read a book, he'll walk to the shelf, select a few books, and come back to sit on my lap to read. He knows that if I say we're going "bye-bye" he needs to get his shoes on and will go to the basket to get them and then go to the step to sit down for me to put them on. I'm continuously amazed at how well he understands routine and can pretty much act it out on cue. There are times that he doesn't like what I ask him to do espeially if the word "no" is used, and he occassionally throws a tantrum because he wants his way and not mine, but overall he's an agreeable child. He may not know many words, but he can certainly communicate by pointing, taking our hand and showing us what he wants, and if all else fails climbing in our lap and giving us a hug to get our fullest attention.</div>
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I love our sweet, silly boy! :)</div>
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The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-33129437640963161532012-12-21T21:59:00.001-05:002012-12-21T21:59:20.617-05:00Creature ComfortsLet me start this post by first saying that I live in the city. Not like sort of in the city, but really in a nice suburb, no, I live in the city, less than a mile from the airport, the major mall & shopping center, and only a few miles from downtown. So I live smack-dab in the city, but after the events of the past couple of years, you would think I lived out in the country somewhere.<br />
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I have never had so many interactions with wildlife in my lifetime, and this is mostly thanks to our wonderful dog, Boston!<br />
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One evening we let Boston outside, and he immediately began barking furiously. He wouldn't let up, and we knew something was wrong. Tyler went out to investigate and try and convince Boston to come in when he discovered that Boston had cornered an oppossum at the back of our yard, and unlike all the stories you hear, he was not playing dead, he was reared back, fangs showing, and hissing loudly. Thankfully, we eventually got Boston inside and no one was hurt! But that wasn't the last of the oppossum interactions.<br />
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A few months ago, I had just gotten one baby down for a nap, and had another to go when Boston began his ferocious barking again. With a baby on my hip, and no shoes on my feet, I walked out back to find that Boston had once again managed to tree an oppossum. This one, however, seemed completely bored with our dog, but I was concerned in seeing a nocturnal animal out in broad daylight. So there I was trying to wrangle my 85 pound black lab and shoo away a possibly rabid oppossum with a tree branch in hand, all while barefoot with a baby on my hip. I can't even imagine what the neighbors must've been thinking, but I'm thankful they don't have video cameras or know what YouTube is!!<br />
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But that's not even the funniest creature interaction I've had. One fateful night, while Tyler was working upstairs on Ryder's nursery, I went to the backdoor to let Boston in, and had gone to sit back on the couch to rest my swollen ankles and sore back from the extra baby weight. I had just sat down when suddenly a black object came swooping around the corner, heading straight for my head! I let out a blood curdling scream that sent Tyler flying down the stairs tumbling and stumbling worried that someone was trying to kill his pregnant wife. It took me a few minutes to calm enough to get the words out, "A Bat. Just. Flew. At. My. Head!! And then it flew up the stairs, and I have no idea where it went after that!" This brought on an hour long search for the bat in our two bedroom upstairs. We let Boston help track the bat, and Tyler's weapon of choice was the broom and bag to catch it in. I heard lots of bangs and clunks and a few panicked yelps, as I sat safely on the couch below while Tyler and Boston went on the hunt in our bedroom with the door closed. Eventually, Tyler and Boston emerged triumphant with the bat in the bag. I can honestly say, I haven't opened the back door at night since then without cautiously looking around for any creatures flying in unexpected!<br />
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But if bats and oppossums aren't enough, we also have rabbits. This spring, Tyler discovered a nest of bunnies in our front yard while mowing. Ryder and I spent the next two weeks checking on them and nursing them to health. I admit that I teared up a little the day I discovered they had finally learned to jump out of the nest, and only two were left in our yard. I loved that they stayed close by and that one even made its home under our shed, that is until today...<br />
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Today, once again Boston was outside barking, I had just put my babies down for naps, so I looked out the window to see what that crazy dog was making a fuss over this time. I immediately noticed the furriness sticking out from under the shed, and my first thought was, "Oh no, not again! Please don't let it be another oppossum!" But it was too small and when I got closer to the situation, I knew with certainty that it was my baby bunny that was not so much a baby anymore and had frozen to death overnight. I called Tyler to tell him he would need to dispose of it when he got home and headed back inside hoping Boston would let it go. Unfortunately, Boston had other plans in mind and insisted on an immediate burial. He managed to drag the rabbit out from under the shed while I was inside sweeping, but had left it alone since then, I was going to let it wait for Tyler, until a hawk swooped down into our yard out of nowhere trying to snatch up my rabbit. That was the last straw, my baby bunny was not getting eaten by some crazy hawk even if it was already dead! I headed outside in the freezing, windy cold, pulled out two shovels from the shed and carefully worked to scoop up the frozen rabbit, all while squealing, shuddering, and groaning. I finally managed to get the rabbit in a box and was working my way to the trash can trying not to look at the dead creature when I happened to see it's eye wide open, I squealed and groaned again and was about to drop the box in the trashcan when I looked up to see the meter reader staring at me oddly. I sheepishly dropped the box in the trash, and began to quickly walk away as the man called out an awkward, "Merry Christmas," to me. I wanted to turn around and explain, promise him that I found the rabbit that way, and that my dog had nothing to do with its death, but instead I went inside, scrubbed my hands furiously even though I'd not come into any contact with the creature, and texted Tyler to tell him that he owed me big time!!<br />
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I love our dog, but his habit of attracting other creatures to our yard is definitely not my cup of tea! And I worry that if he can find this many animals in the city, what on earth would he discover in the country?!?The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-17360362810877276052012-12-19T00:01:00.001-05:002012-12-19T00:01:58.833-05:00The Santa DebateLately, I've seen quite a few Facebook posts from friends who have decided not to do Santa with their kids. Honestly, I see nothing wrong with Santa, and loved growing up with the tradition, but I'm not at all bothered by others' decisions not to do the whole Santa thing.<br />
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However, I do have a problem with the tone of some of the posts I've seen of people who have chosen not to do Santa. One said they applauded a particular celebrity for not wanting to lie to his children with the idea of Santa as his parents had done to him. Another talked about how they loved their child whether they were naughty or nice and therefore would not use Santa as a deterrent for behavior and would not be doing Santa for that reason. I guess the issue I take with it is the undertone of criticism. <br />
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I ask the parent that says they won't lie to their child and tell them Santa is real, will you also tell them that Elmo is in fact a puppet made of fur and cloth that is essectially dead? I mean, come on, we can play pretend and make believe, and it doesn't mean we're lying, we're just playing a game, and just like games, we play along for as long as our kids want to play. My parents allowed me to believe in Santa for as long as I was willing, and I wanted to believe for a long time even though it seemed unreasonable because it was fun and magical! When I asked my mom if Santa was real, her reply was always, "It's all in what you believe," so if I wanted to believe he was real then he was. Fortunately, I had a much younger sister and got to "believe" in Santa until I was 20 years old. When my 7 year old sister became determined to figure out if he was real or not, I was a little upset with her for taking away Santa after all those years, and I even tried to convince her to keep playing along and not let mom and dad know that she knew. Of course, I knew how it worked, but it was fun! In my mind, it wasn't a lie, it was a fun game of "make believe" that I got to play along with my parents! And I can't wait to play the game again with my own children, who I hope won't read this until they're grown with children of their own, so that we can experience the magic for as long as possible.<br />
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As for the other issue another friend raised about teaching conditional love. I don't necessarily think that's the message that Santa is trying to convey. I do see her point, however, in that parents take the whole, "Santa won't bring gifts to bad girls and boys," deterent too far. But again, in my experience, the emphasis was not in the correlation between behavior and the amount of gifts I got, it was more about the fun and excitement of Santa's secrecy and surprise in what he brought, how he got it there, and when he came. I loved it!! I do see lots of people using the Elf on the Shelf toy, and I suppose that that item can also be taken to an extreme in focusing on behavior, but I think if parents can keep balance and emphasize the secrecy and surprise of finding your elf each day and the mischief they get into, then it becomes more about fun than discipline. Again, I see the point my friend was making, and I know that in some homes Santa as a discipline tool is way out of hand, and is also reinforcing the idea of conditional love, but I think that as parents we can adjust the emphasis to what works for us and our children, and possibly even teach them about unconditional love through the giving heart of Santa to any and all children and his desire to see that everyone recieves a gift, and that all children will obey and honor their parents and do what is right. To me, that is an excellent picture of Christ that might be a bit more attainable for small children and fun to experience and see lived out, but again it's all in the emphasis that parents choose.<br />
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Finally, I've also heard a lot of people say that Santa takes away from the true meaning of Christmas. Again, this can be true if Santa is all you talk about or exceeds the miraculous birth of Christ. But I don't think it has to take away from Christmas. I never felt that Santa took away from the message of Christ, I think we could've done more to intentionally focus on Christ at Christmas, but it doesn't mean that because I believe in Santa that I didn't believe in or care about Christ. It was actually quite the contrary, as a child I remember driving home from my grandmother's house Christmas Eve night and staring up at the sky searching not for Santa's sleigh, but for the Christmas Star that announced Christ's birth and led the wise men to His home. I was caught up in that part of the story more!<br />
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I don't think Santa has to overshadow Christ at Christmas, but I do think that Christ should overshadow Santa. I think there's room enough for both, and I think families can find traditions that incorporate both. But I won't judge anyone for not doing the Santa thing. However, if your child is the one that sends my child home crying because they've decided to tell my child that Santa doesn't exist, well then we might have a problem! But honestly, I don't think it makes you better or worse to include or exclude Santa in your Christmas, and I hope you can feel the same towards me. There are far more important issues to deal with in the world, and honestly, if you're judging me over Santa, then we have far bigger issues to be dealing with, like pride maybe? :)<br />
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And in case you're wondering, yes, we will be doing the Santa thing for as long as my kids will let me, because boy, have I missed him these last 8 years! :)<br />
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The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-8502970981907168102012-12-18T23:15:00.001-05:002012-12-18T23:15:12.811-05:00Writer's BlockIt's been forever since I've written a post. I'm not sure why because I have tons of things to talk about, and lots of ideas. In fact, as I look at my entry list, I see Draft upon Draft, that are posts I began to write on things that were on my mind, but then stopped a few sentences in because the words just weren't flowing quite right, and I didn't have the time to think it through more. I don't know that it's true writer's block that I'm dealing with or maybe just a lack of motivation to sit down and write. I love writing though, and I wish I took more time to do it. Writing is cathartic for me, it's an opportunity for me to get my thoughts organized and figure out how I really feel about certain issues. But sometimes, as is the case now, my mind is so jumbled and there are so many things going on that I fear sitting down to write because I don't know where to start, go to next, or even finish a topic. I usually do well to choose a topic and let the thoughts flow through my fingers, and then I re-read, edit and organize those thoughts and "voila!" I've written something, but I can't even organize my thoughts enough to pick one topic and just stick to it.<br />
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I have an idea for a book that I've considered writing one post at a time for. I know the main point of the book, and I even have several sub-topics for chapter divisions, but I haven't made myself sit down to write anything yet. The thoughts are flowing in my mind, and daily I'm reminded of the need for a book on this subject, and yet, I still can't seem to make the time to write. But it's time. I miss writing, I miss putting thoughts down on paper, on speaking about the issues that are near and dear to my heart. Even if I'm the only one who ever reads my posts, I need to write. So I promise to make the time. I will admit that some have come to expect this blog to be a place where I udate regularly on my precious son, and I still will, but my blog is going to become something more than just a family scrapbook. Here you will also find bits and pieces of the book project I'd like to work on, as well as, some more personal journalistic writings of things I have observed and how I feel/react to them. <br />
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So here it goes, it's time to put pen to paper, or in this case fingers to keys, and start writing once again!<br />
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I'm back.... :)The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-16495384117367038142012-09-27T22:13:00.001-04:002012-09-27T22:13:14.833-04:0013 Month Update<div align="center">
Our baby boy is now 13 months old, and I'm not so sure we can call him a baby anymore since he toddles everywhere he goes! It's so fun to watch him walk, he always looks like he might topple over at any moment and yet he moves so fast!! :)</div>
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So here's a little of what we've been up to this past month.</div>
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We've had to play inside a little more lately due to some rainy weather, but Ryder doesn't mind since he has so many fun new toys to play with like his ball pit and tent!</div>
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He also gave up his bottle in exchange for a sippy cup and baby food for grown up food like powdered doughnuts! :)</div>
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He's such a happy little guy and has such a fun personality! We think he's pretty awesome, and that he's so smart! When I say, "Let's go to bed," he walks to the steps, climbs up after I open the gate, walks into his room, climbs up in the rocking chair ready for bed! He also goes to the table and sits in his chair while smacking his lips as if he were eating when we ask him if he's ready to eat. He knows that "Go find your toys," means to go to his playroom, and he mimics everything we do like trying to put on his clothes by himself, brush his hair, wear our shoes & his, and brush his teeth. </div>
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It's so much fun watching our little guys learn so much! I just can't believe how quickly time is passing and how much he is changing each day! It's hard to believe that a year ago we were at <a href="http://thehardenhousehold.blogspot.com/2011/09/one-month-oldmy-how-time-flies.html" target="_blank">month one</a> of his life!</div>
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The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-38370865050902041292012-09-21T16:21:00.001-04:002012-09-21T16:21:46.345-04:00Do You Trust the GPS?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few weeks ago, on our way home from Sunday lunch with my parents and sister, Tyler and I saw two older ladies trying to determine which lane they were supposed to be in, we noticed the out of state plates, and knew they were probably lost. They switched to the left turn lane and then turned on their blinker needing back in our lane, so Tyler being the nice guy, let them back over. We were laughing at the maps they were waving at each other, and their animated discussion, and we began to imagine the conversation they were having in the car. Tyler wondered why they didn't just use a GPS, and I told him that they probably had one but didn't trust it, so they weren't using it. As we moved through the intersection, they were once again switching lanes and changing their blinkers, and that's when I saw it...they did have a GPS! It was right there in the driver's side window, and it was on, but apparently they weren't listening to it. I had a feeling they were looking for the highway, which was just a little further down the road, but as we turned into our neighborhood, I watched them taking the exit to the mall instead. I thought how silly, and that if they had only just listened to the GPS and trusted it to go just a little bit further, they would've found exactly what they were looking for. And then, I realized that I do the exact same thing.</div>
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God has designed and set out His plans for me, and all I have to do is trust Him, but so often I second-guess His map for my life. I take things into my own hands just like those two women, and I switch lanes, swerving all over the place, creating danger for those around me, and sometimes I even take a wrong exit because I think I know better than Him. When I look back at how many times I didn't trust God's plans for me, I think how silly I must have seemed to God and how frustrated and even disappointed in me, He must have been. I can imagine Him saying, "My daughter, this way, follow Me, I won't let you down, just a little bit further. It may not look like what you expected, but I've got it all under control, just trust Me." I'm so thankful that the Lord's mercy is so unfailing and that He forgives me every time I doubt Him and choose my own way. So while those two ladies seemed so foolish to me, I realized that I'm even more foolish, because while they had a GPS that could still get it wrong if it wasn't updated properly, I have a perfect GPS that will never get it wrong, and yet I still tend to doubt Him.</div>
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"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to propser you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 I'm so glad He has the plans, and all I have to do is trust and follow Him!</div>
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The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-87710311023633305782012-09-05T21:29:00.000-04:002012-09-05T21:29:20.587-04:00One of Those DaysHave you ever had one of those days where you just want to crawl back in bed and let the world pass you by, and start fresh tomorrow? I had one of those days today! It all started at 12 a.m. when I was still awake working on a newsletter for our first MOPS meeting next week. I'm not sure why I stayed up so late working on it, I guess I was just anxious to get it done, but it definitely wasn't a good idea since I woke up feeling exhausted, so I was moving quite slowly, which created another problem.<br />
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I needed to go downtown today to get fingerprinted for a background check, and Tyler was going to have Ryder visit his office while I ran to the courthouse, but I had to be back by 11:25 for him to leave for an appointment. Unfortunately, my slow-moving self didn't get downtown until 10:55, so I didn't have a lot of time, which would've been fine except that I walked to the wrong building. And that might've been fine too had the man behind the window not yelled at me twice to wait outside, and by outside, I mean literally outdoors for almost 15 minutes while I got to listen to a family yell and use very fowl language as they argued with one another. Turns out the magistrate's office is not part of the courthouse, but rather part of the jail, so you can imagine the folks I got to hang out with while waiting for the angry man behind the two doors and a window to wave me in only to tell me I was in the wrong place. No longer having a babysitter, since Tyler had to leave and not wanting to expose my baby to the clientelle I had the pleasure of meeting, because I didn't want his ears to start bleeding, and being that we were approaching lunch time, we headed to my mom's to help her for a few minutes.<br />
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Mom was ever so kind to offer to keep Ryder while I ran back downtown to find the correct door to the courthouse, only I didn't and was sent to three different doors before finally having someone send me to the right door, and I wish I could say they all made up for the first angry man I met, but they were all just as bad as he was. So I was thinking, "Finally, this ordeal is over!" except that when I approached the window and explained what I needed for the fifth time today, the woman said without even looking up, "We stop fingerprinting at 1 o'clock." I was so confused, because it was 12:45 when I parked my car, how could it possibly be after 1 already, and was I going to get a ticket for being parked too long in the 30 minute parking? So I looked up at the clock on the wall, and it read 1:04p.m. SERIOUSLY?!?! I thought this must be some cruel joke, but it wasn't, and she then proceeded to tell me to try going to the county courthouse that was 25 minutes away! UGH! But I really needed it done, so off I went to the county courthouse, and I finally got the fingerprints done, but when I was done, the officer looked at my hands and then towards the bathroom where a tarp was hanging over the entrance and loud banging was coming from inside, and then looked back at me and said, "Ummm, well you can't wash your hands in there, maybe I can find you a rag back in the jail." "Ummm, no thanks! I'll rinse them off in the wate fountain, thanks!" So he kindly brought me a paper towel from the office to dry my hands off, and off I went three hours after I started!<br />
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And if that story isn't ridiculous, I can't even relax at home because I learned today that someone lost their 8 foot long pet python four days ago only a few miles from where we live, and it may or may not be pregnant, and the officials have no idea where it could be. Really? My fear of snakes is making me have irrational thoughts of a giant snake hanging from a tree in the backyard or lurking in the bushes by the front door. I keep getting chills and trembling just thinking of it. <br />
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What a day! Tomorrow has to be better...I hope!!<br />
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P.S. To all those wonderful city officials I met today, please remember that I pay your salary, so try and be a little kinder when I ask you to do your job. I know a lot of the people you meet each day aren't so pleasant to deal with, but that doesn't mean you have to be so unpleasant yourself to everyone you come across, and yes, angry man in the Magistrate's Office you did almost succeed in making me cry, so thanks for brightening my day even more! Also, if anyone needs information on where to find anything at the city jail or courthouse, just ask me, I now know where everything is after my wonderful tour today, but make sure you're there before 1 if you need fingerprints!!The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-58205241016952401032012-09-01T15:20:00.002-04:002012-09-01T15:20:53.461-04:00Ryder's 1st Birthday<div align="center">
We celebrated Ryder's first birthday last week. It's hard to believe that it's already been a year since our sweet little boy made his entrance into the world. I still remember the moment when I finally laid eyes on him as they placed him on my chest. It's hard to put into words what I felt, but my heart melted, and I was so full of joy knowing that this was our son that I had prayed for and longed for. The love I felt for Ryder was so immediate, and every day since I've fallen more in love with our silly little boy who likes to throw the ball, push his cars around the floor, and climb on anything in sight with his toothy little grin and happy laugh. </div>
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We're so blessed to have this sweet boy, and we had so much fun celebrating his special day!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryder opened his first present right after breakfast, since he had a long time to wait until his party!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9keFH4mULw4ShfMw1dXvCxXR4UyWTDXinr-AAPNpUd7gxGcx7WJEOCTGbZ3f0SZdrKJBUeuZ9oKjcuODimj_V56DkaDSgERqWL2ZK9zftxV3pF-13_k5tk4FVmCvYRDyaZMUnOY3IJPI/s1600/IMG_2839.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx9keFH4mULw4ShfMw1dXvCxXR4UyWTDXinr-AAPNpUd7gxGcx7WJEOCTGbZ3f0SZdrKJBUeuZ9oKjcuODimj_V56DkaDSgERqWL2ZK9zftxV3pF-13_k5tk4FVmCvYRDyaZMUnOY3IJPI/s320/IMG_2839.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We love trucks!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our 1 year old!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caitlyn was in a volleyball tournament and came between games! They came in first place in the tournament!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing off his walking skills!</td></tr>
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Such a special day!!</div>
The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-24093619827262435972012-08-24T23:05:00.000-04:002012-08-24T23:05:34.174-04:00A Letter to My One Year OldDear Precious Baby Boy,<br />
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As I sit here on the eve of your first birthday, I can't believe how much joy and laughter you have brought to our lives! You are the happiest little boy with your big cheesy grin and your delightful laugh! I couldn't have asked for a sweeter, more precious baby!<br />
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You were such a surprise to me when I found out that you were growing inside of me, and you haven't stopped surprising us since! From the day you were born when you decided to turn face up right before delivery, or when you came out weighing not the average 7 lbs. that our doctor had been assuring us of, but instead a whopping 8 lbs. 15.7 oz.!!! Honestly, I'm glad that one was a surprise, because I'm not so sure how well I would have handled it knowing you were such a big boy already!! :)<br />
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Your daddy and I are so in love with you! You are so easy going, and so much fun! You are such a character, and are constantly looking for ways to make us laugh by playng peek-a-boo or dancing in excitement! I can already hear your teacher now telling us that you like to make all the other kids laugh instead of pay attention. Not that I'm complaining, because I always liked having those students in class to add life to the group, which is exactly what you do in our home. I didn't realize it before you were born, but we were missing out on so much before you joined our home, you have breathed life into our lives! We are so incredibly blessed to have you as our son, and I thank the Lord daily for the gift He gave us, when He created and formed you and planned for you to be the boy you are and join our home. I can't imagine life without you, and wouldn't trade you for the world! (Well, most of the time, but there were those few months, when you surprised me yet again with no longer sleeping through the night for almost 3 months straight, where I did consider trading you in...but I didn't!! And I'm so glad I didn't!!!)<br />
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I know that the years are going to fly by before you are all grown up and gone, because this first year has gone way too fast already, so when I tear up and cry just humor me, please, because to me, you will always be that sweet, baby boy who needs me to rock him to sleep every day for naptime as you play with your hair and beams at me from your bed where you're snuggling with your stuffed animals when I come to get you up. You'll always be my little man who squeezes me around the neck and opens your mouth as wide as you can to give me kisses on the cheek! I love you my sweet, sweet boy, and I am so incredibly happy that I get to be your mommy forever! Happy 1st Birthday, Ryder!! This day will always hold a special place in my heart, because this is the day God gave you to me!!<br />
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Love Always,<br />
Mommy<br />
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The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-34378813193434262712012-08-23T00:25:00.000-04:002012-08-23T00:29:30.302-04:00What is Love?<div align="center">
<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">What is love <br />Oh baby, don't hurt me <br />Don't hurt me no more <br />Oh, babydon't hurt me <br />Don't hurt me no more </span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">What is love </span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Yeah</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></em> </div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Oh, I don't know why you're not there <br />I give you my love, but you don't care <br />So what is right and what is wrong <br />Gimme a sign </span></em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></em> </div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;">What is love <br />Oh baby, don't hurt me <br />Don't hurt me no more <br />What is love<br />Oh baby, don't hurt me <br />Don't hurt me no more</span></em> </div>
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source: <a href="http://www.lyricsondemand.com/">http://www.lyricsondemand.com/</a><br />
(Are you head bobbing? Cause I totally was! :) Don't judge!)<br />
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What is love? It's one of those deep, emotional, and intrinsic need kind of questions that everyone asks themself at some point. I thought I knew what love was until I became a mom. I thought I completely understood the whole unconditional love thing, but I really had no clue until Ryder came into my life. Well, that and being exposed to a very conditional love from others in my life.</div>
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So let's start with this, 1 Corintians 13, also referred to as "the love chapter" in the Bible says, </div>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></em> </div>
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<em>"If I speak with the <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28667A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></sup> tongues of men and of <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28667B" title="See cross-reference B">B</a>)"></sup> angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28667C" title="See cross-reference C">C</a>)"></sup> clanging cymbal. <span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text 1Cor-13-2" id="en-NASB-28668"><sup class="versenum">2 </sup>If I have the gift of<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28668D" title="See cross-reference D">D</a>)"></sup> prophecy, and know all <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28668E" title="See cross-reference E">E</a>)"></sup> mysteries and all <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28668F" title="See cross-reference F">F</a>)"></sup> knowledge; and if I have <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28668G" title="See cross-reference G">G</a>)"></sup> all faith, so as to <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28668H" title="See cross-reference H">H</a>)"></sup> remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.</span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-3" id="en-NASB-28669"><sup class="versenum">3 </sup>And if I <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28669I" title="See cross-reference I">I</a>)"></sup> give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28669J" title="See cross-reference J">J</a>)"></sup> surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.</span> </span></em></div>
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<em></em> </div>
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<em><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text 1Cor-13-4" id="en-NASB-28670"><sup class="versenum">4 </sup>Love <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28670K" title="See cross-reference K">K</a>)"></sup> is patient, love is kind and<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28670L" title="See cross-reference L">L</a>)"></sup> is not jealous; love does not brag and is not <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28670M" title="See cross-reference M">M</a>)"></sup> arrogant,</span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-5" id="en-NASB-28671"><sup class="versenum">5 </sup>does not act unbecomingly; it <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28671N" title="See cross-reference N">N</a>)"></sup> does not seek its own, is not provoked, <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28671O" title="See cross-reference O">O</a>)"></sup> does not take into account a wrong suffered,</span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-6" id="en-NASB-28672"><sup class="versenum">6 </sup> <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28672P" title="See cross-reference P">P</a>)"></sup> does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28672Q" title="See cross-reference Q">Q</a>)"></sup> rejoices with the truth;</span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-7" id="en-NASB-28673"><sup class="versenum">7</sup> bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.</span></span></em></div>
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<em> </em></div>
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<em><span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text 1Cor-13-8" id="en-NASB-28674"><sup class="versenum">8 </sup>Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are<sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28674T" title="See cross-reference T">T</a>)"></sup> tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.</span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-9" id="en-NASB-28675"><sup class="versenum">9 </sup>For we <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28675U" title="See cross-reference U">U</a>)"></sup> know in part and we prophesy in part;</span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-10" id="en-NASB-28676"><sup class="versenum">10 </sup>but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away.</span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-11" id="en-NASB-28677"><sup class="versenum">11 </sup>When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.</span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-12" id="en-NASB-28678"><sup class="versenum">12 </sup>For now we <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28678V" title="See cross-reference V">V</a>)"></sup> see in a mirror dimly, but then <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28678W" title="See cross-reference W">W</a>)"></sup> face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28678X" title="See cross-reference X">X</a>)"></sup> have been fully known.</span> <span class="text 1Cor-13-13" id="en-NASB-28679"><sup class="versenum">13 </sup>But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is <sup class="crossreference" value="(<a href="#cen-NASB-28679Y" title="See cross-reference Y">Y</a>)"></sup> love.</span></span></em></div>
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<span class="text 1Cor-13-13"></span> </div>
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<span class="text 1Cor-13-13">Recently, I noticed somthing very interesting (at least to me) in verses 2 and 3 of this passage, they both say, "but if I do not have love," and then end with these two statements, "I am nothing" and "it profits me nothing" or in the New Living Translation, "I have nothing." So basically, if I don't have love in all that I do, I am nothing, and I have gained nothing! It also speaks to the idea that love isn't about you, it's about the other person. It's patient, it waits on the timetable of another. It's not arrogant or boastful or jealous, love puts the other person first and doesn't try to one up them or be better than them. Love also doesn't get angry easily or keep a record of wrongs, because it looks for the best in the other person and places that above all their faults. It doesn't seek it's own way in things and then grumble or complain when they don't get their way. Love is inerrantly selfless.</span></div>
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<span class="text 1Cor-13-13"></span> </div>
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<span class="text 1Cor-13-13">Love, unconditional love, is an absolute must in building relationships with people. But it's that part about being unconditional that I never really dwelt on. I love people, I genuinely enjoy other people's company, and I usually try to give people the benefit of the doubt or find the best in anyone, but I never thought about what it means to love unconditionally. That kind of love is totally selfless and sacrificing for the good of another without any thought to your own benefit or comfort. In many ways that defines motherhood for me. I have given up many a sleepless night for Ryder, I gave up my body for 9 months while pregnant and was sick often, not to mention the 8 months I nursed him, and I quit my job to stay home and raise him, which has greatly diminished the amount of extra cash flow in our home at this time. However, I don't say any of that with a mindset of, "Look what I did for you? Aren't I so great? Shouldn't you love me more or do something for me in return?" I don't feel that way at all. I did what I did because I love my son, and I want the best for him, even if it means giving up things for myself or changing my way of life, and I don't consider any of them sacrifices. I consider it a priviledge and an honor and above all a blessing to be Ryder's mommy, and I will gladly do that at any cost because I love him unconditionally. I love him the way my parents love me and my sister. I learned to love Ryder by the way God loved us: I John 4: 9-11 says,</span></div>
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<em><span class="text 1John-4-9" id="en-NLT-30573"><sup class="versenum">9 </sup>God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.</span> <span class="text 1John-4-10" id="en-NLT-30574"><sup class="versenum">10 </sup>This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.</span></em></div>
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<em> </em><span class="text 1John-4-11" id="en-NLT-30575"><em><sup class="versenum">11 </sup>Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.</em></span></div>
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<span class="text 1John-4-11"><em></em></span> </div>
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<span class="text 1John-4-11">I couldn't have said it better myself, God loved us so much that He was willing to die for us, what are we willing to do for the ones we love?</span></div>
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<span class="text 1John-4-11">Is our love for them conditional? Do we have expectations of gain from showing them love or do we simply love them for who they are and how precious they are in God's sight?</span></div>
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<span class="text 1John-4-11"></span> </div>
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<span class="text 1John-4-11">I wish I could say that everyone in my family knew how to love this way, but unfortunately, we're not perfect and there are many in our family who love on a conditional basis of "What's in it for me?" My hope and prayer is that I will never be accused of this kind of love, and that my children will grow up only knowing an unconditional love from Tyler and I and our Heavenly Father, and hopefully we can break the trend of selfish love that is so prevalent in our world today. Because what is love other than sacrifice and servanthood? </span></div>
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<span class="text 1Cor-13-13"></span> </div>
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<em><span class="text 1Cor-13-13"></span></em></div>
The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-40145083246962800982012-08-12T22:40:00.003-04:002012-08-12T22:40:57.030-04:00What We Do for Fun<div align="center">
When you first meet a new friend inevitably the question is asked, so what do you like to do for fun? Tyler and I dread this question. While many of our friends say things like go hiking or camping or play golf or tennis, Tyler and I are well, just not the sporty, out-going type. In fact, while we were dating, most of our dates consisted of eating somewhere new, going to see a movie, or just sitting and talking, not very thrilling hobbies in comparison to our friends. Separately, I like to read and sometimes write, and Tyler likes to play video games, but again, nothing impressive or interesting to share. But we do have one fun obsession that we don't often share with others, so I'll let you in on a little secret!<br />
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Tyler and I are roller coaster fanatics! We love to go to amusement parks and try out as many roller coasters as we can! In the past five and a half years of marriage, we have been to five different amusement parks together. We try to go to one a year, although we had to take a year off last year while I was pregnant, so this year we doubled up.<br />
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Our first roller coaster adventure was to Busch Gardens-Williamsburg. We've actually been there twice, once while we were dating and then again a year after we'd been married. We've ridden every roller coaster in the park, including the Big Bad Wolf before it's retirement after 25 years (which at the time was how old Tyler and I were!), but our all-time favorite has to be Griffon! What an experience, 205 foot, 90 degree free fall at 75mph!! I was totally terrified and considered backing out on riding it, but it was an awesome ride, and we totally turned around and went right back on the Griffon again!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVsm8wNAnzwGWubZJYisxc5fgC1nNPUihlrkgNRbHWXDA7uV9oj8zA64pNtbXhaxkADRHFSL0g4KbNjRCbPQT9FG-2lGoQZydMtVEhOaFGBFTBABhAr8g8XXsH_uhyphenhyphenPaiLFykQ_doV2J6-/s1600/bigbadwoldbuschgardens.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVsm8wNAnzwGWubZJYisxc5fgC1nNPUihlrkgNRbHWXDA7uV9oj8zA64pNtbXhaxkADRHFSL0g4KbNjRCbPQT9FG-2lGoQZydMtVEhOaFGBFTBABhAr8g8XXsH_uhyphenhyphenPaiLFykQ_doV2J6-/s320/bigbadwoldbuschgardens.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big Bad Wolf</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Griffon</td></tr>
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Our second adventure was to Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in Orlando, FL. Unfortunately, we got there a few months before the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened, but we had a great time none-the-less. Although, I'm still holding out hope of going back someday so I can visit Hogwarts and sample some Pumpkin Juice in Hogsmeade (yes, let the nerd comments begin!). Our favorite ride by far was the Incredible Hulk coaster, it surprised us by shooting us off from 0-40 mph in 2 seconds! It was suh a shock, but so much fun! We also rode the Dueling Dragons, and were sure to ride both sides just in case one was better, and on that particular day the red dragon was shut down shortly after we finished riding it, which made me feel even braver in taking the plunge!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkZnU2hdsUmxeoWubnyZ1dnpRRUdG7cTeThLxIp0PkXY_8b5mvEl4cnMb30FUn2ZOySYb1UYdcLF4dOQf93vMTphHfy5RVCcOrcAL5C-sCWydbFBz5KfSKRdcU-eBhYSeCUnj7oRsgCzY/s1600/the-hulk-loops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkZnU2hdsUmxeoWubnyZ1dnpRRUdG7cTeThLxIp0PkXY_8b5mvEl4cnMb30FUn2ZOySYb1UYdcLF4dOQf93vMTphHfy5RVCcOrcAL5C-sCWydbFBz5KfSKRdcU-eBhYSeCUnj7oRsgCzY/s320/the-hulk-loops.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Incredible Hulk</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dueling Dragons</td></tr>
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Our third park was Busch Gardens-Tampa, FL. The rides were all pretty similar to the park in Williamsburg, but were named in accordance with the African and Asian theme of the park. Although the rides were tons of fun, a huge plus was the animal exhibits. We basically got to ride roller coasters and visit a zoo all in one trip! It definitely topped the charts for me in amusement parks that we've visited!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7Tc8HgLH_ueWvGPU1_ZMNHvvhyphenhyphenI9wXd9Nl7ULVr1ltOXh-oX6XyLKV1ZA1mcUXn6vYNLFHsO1Tmof0sX_Du1Oe_hzs6-SzwSsDtMOsqymTJUd84vMFC3KfEicafLGM2VWyo8V6NkAyt9/s1600/busch-gardens-sheikra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7Tc8HgLH_ueWvGPU1_ZMNHvvhyphenhyphenI9wXd9Nl7ULVr1ltOXh-oX6XyLKV1ZA1mcUXn6vYNLFHsO1Tmof0sX_Du1Oe_hzs6-SzwSsDtMOsqymTJUd84vMFC3KfEicafLGM2VWyo8V6NkAyt9/s1600/busch-gardens-sheikra.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheikra (the same as Griffon in VA)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxce6Y6zzbcWxsogLuAtLJftw5iLkSuO51PKYVKHxzMYDXH75eOkrs8n9nabzPskL1zOFIX3V0PWRJDSa9e_FB7XIl513UcN42YGsprMnEKtF5fEne7-1LEb_VeqmJyttL0wx6R_duX2bi/s1600/busch_gardens_scorpion_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxce6Y6zzbcWxsogLuAtLJftw5iLkSuO51PKYVKHxzMYDXH75eOkrs8n9nabzPskL1zOFIX3V0PWRJDSa9e_FB7XIl513UcN42YGsprMnEKtF5fEne7-1LEb_VeqmJyttL0wx6R_duX2bi/s320/busch_gardens_scorpion_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scorpion (similar to Loch Ness in VA)</td></tr>
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Then there was this year, we doubled up and took on two new parks. We started in April with Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN for our 5 year anniversary. We loved the ride the Winged Eagle, and what impressed me the most was that before entering the ride, each visitor reads the sign with the verse, Isaiah 40:31 across it. I loved seeing the Christian theme throughout the park, and we were pleasantly surprised to find so many fun rides and great food! It is a beautiful park too! And of course, we took the tour of Dolly parton's museum filled with her sequinzed dresses and rhinestone shoes and guitars. The woman has some serious bling in her wardrobe!! :)<br />
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Our most recent park visit was this weekend at Carowinds in Charlotte, NC. It was a last minute decision to go, but I think it was the absolute best park we've visited so far! It's not only an amusement park, but also a waterpark (which is another favorite of ours, we've been to Emerald Point and Water Country USA), but we never quite made it over to the water rides, because we were much too busy riding the 13 different roller coasters in the park! We rode every type of roller coaster you can imagine, wooden (the Hurler and the Goldrusher) and metal ones, ones where your feet dangle below you (the Afterburn), and ones where you are simply held in at the waist with nothing to hold onto (the Intimidator, which is probably the longest and scariest roller coaster I've ever been on!!), and then theres ones that flip you upside down repeatedly (the Cyclone) or that throw you backwards (the Cobra), and there's even one that you ride staning up, the Vortex. But by far and away, the craziest coaster we have ever ridden, has to be the Nighthawk, where you are lying down on your back going up the track backwards only to flipped over facing head down suspended from a harness as you dive towards the ground! It was insane, and yet totally fun, so of course, we rode it twice! :)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lHshq0xvbc1rVNQQZbuL0kzUXnCiYF_FH9-vXNOJ8W0SK3r9v0vE-rQD0pNhAawxaV7D3SKhR_sqtThaU77GffMR3TPj9pGKAx2jNY0VCVYaTVspkXwpqsiwo8xq2HFOG8mW0CPxofXb/s1600/Intimidator-at-Carowinds-Trip-Out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-lHshq0xvbc1rVNQQZbuL0kzUXnCiYF_FH9-vXNOJ8W0SK3r9v0vE-rQD0pNhAawxaV7D3SKhR_sqtThaU77GffMR3TPj9pGKAx2jNY0VCVYaTVspkXwpqsiwo8xq2HFOG8mW0CPxofXb/s320/Intimidator-at-Carowinds-Trip-Out.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Intimidator</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczGN4zhZELegmxEFYwe9IJDM7PcrLq-ZbcjW5P9LUQ7d9b2KpJIckOsaFIOLBgGyZPLZUk2TY9tRxruQ8nt9NdHPLWp2RNe-_im4g8UK5wjLpgiVkJ4KQe997I7RoOnogI-kNaO5HZpoV/s1600/cyclone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczGN4zhZELegmxEFYwe9IJDM7PcrLq-ZbcjW5P9LUQ7d9b2KpJIckOsaFIOLBgGyZPLZUk2TY9tRxruQ8nt9NdHPLWp2RNe-_im4g8UK5wjLpgiVkJ4KQe997I7RoOnogI-kNaO5HZpoV/s320/cyclone.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cyclone</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGqDD4n6seS9bMO8bWdH-qBO7jkld0qbslLowANgXPyNakymsQg7_5COaBm2vm3LwxZEpWauUKgEupRUzAlCTNS6gOSiR400V8m8gAP0_L8Od4KPHhFJVv4iBURm9SulbzDPv0actvi7_/s1600/vortex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAGqDD4n6seS9bMO8bWdH-qBO7jkld0qbslLowANgXPyNakymsQg7_5COaBm2vm3LwxZEpWauUKgEupRUzAlCTNS6gOSiR400V8m8gAP0_L8Od4KPHhFJVv4iBURm9SulbzDPv0actvi7_/s1600/vortex.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vortex</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nighthawk</td></tr>
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You might wonder why two quiet, unathletic people like us love roller coasters so much. But to be honest, I really have no idea! It's only been in the last 10 years, that I decided that I'd even try riding a roller coaster. I love the thrill, the anxious anticipation as you await getting on the ride, and the rush as you soar through the air, screaming at the top of your lungs. It's the closest I've ever come to being called a risk-taker! Maybe it's the friendliness of those in line with you as you prepare for the terror that awaits you; we've made many friends over the years while waiting in line for these crazy rides! Another favorite has to be the lovely pictures they take of you while riding, why anyone would ever purchase them to bring home and display is beyond me, but I love stopping by the screens afterwards to see the horrendous face I'm making as I tempt fate once again! Most include me mouth wide open and eyes squinched tightly shut while Tyler grins ear-to-ear, he's the fearless one! :)<br />
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So I suppose in answer to the inevitable awkward introduction question, "What do you guys like to do for fun?" the answer would have to be, "We like to take our own lives in our hands, tempt fate, ride at heart stopping speeds, and take death-defying falls! What about you?" :)<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loch Ness at Busch Gardens-Williamsburg</td></tr>
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The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-84828904946771126632012-07-30T21:11:00.001-04:002012-07-30T21:11:16.145-04:0010 & 11 Month Updates<div align="center">
So between power outages and beach trips and an overall busy summer, I've gotten a little behind on my blog updates, so I'm combining two months to get all caught up!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10 months old</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11 months old</td></tr>
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We celebrated Tyler's first Father's Day and Caitlyn's 15th birthday, Ryder got a new playroom, and we found bunnies in our front yard!<br />
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In the past two months Ryder has gone swimming quite a bit from our trip to Florida to Myrtle Beach, SC to the Hotel Roanoke and even Nana's pool and the baby pool in our own backyard! He is such a little fish and absolutely loves playing in the water, which makes this mommy so happy because I love being in the water too!<br />
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We've also spent quite a bit of time away from home the past two months. We went to Florida as a family, but then we spent five days without power after a terrible storm known as <a href="http://thehardenhousehold.blogspot.com/2012/07/blackouts-and-rising-temperatures.html" target="_blank">Derecho.</a> We got to stay in the Hotel Roanoke,and then with Mawmaw once she got power back. We also spent a week in <a href="http://thehardenhousehold.blogspot.com/2012/07/sun-surf-sand-round-2.html" target="_blank">Myrtle Beach, SC</a> with my family, which was somewhat unplanned but ended up being tons of fun! When we got home, we got to watch Daddy participate in the Commonwealth Games.<br />
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Ryder's major accomplishment is that he took his first steps! So far he's only taken as many as 4 in a row, but once he gets enough confidence to go all on his own, he's going to be cruising all over the place! But for now he's happy to climb on just about anything!<br />
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Ryder also learned to hold his own bottle, clap his hands, and click his tongue! He is so full of personality and loves to laugh! He's quite the little entertainer and keeps us laughing constantly! Life with this little man is so much fun, and we're so incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful little boy!</div>
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</div>The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-35764281098477018672012-07-30T20:24:00.000-04:002012-07-30T20:24:29.438-04:00Sun, Surf, & Sand (Round 2)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So Ryder and I decided to take an unexpected week long trip to Myrtle Beach with my family two weeks ago. I had originally hoped to go down mid-week with Tyler, but his work schedule wouldn't allow for him to leave since they were launching a major project during that time. So after lots of debating, we decided that Ryder and I would go down for the entire week so that I wouldn't have to travel with Ryder on my own. We had a great week with my parents, sister, and her friend, Maria. Ryder loved the water just like in Florida, but this time he also took to the sand and crawled all over the place along the shore attempting to steal anyone's ball that was nearby. </div>
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We went on lots of adventures while we were at the beach including the park, a visit to Margaritaville, and lots of other fun sights and sounds! :) And we had a great time with our family and friend!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner at Margaritaville</td></tr>
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Ryder was such a great sport with all of our adventures, but he was definitely worn out!</div>
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It was a fun trip!</div>
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</div>The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-51004619838976360332012-07-05T21:36:00.002-04:002012-07-05T21:37:47.197-04:00Surviving Derecho 2012<div align="center">
Well, we can add a new experience to our list of life adventures. It might not have been on my bucket list or anything, but it was definitely an experience! We have just spent the past 5 days without power in the Harden Household, and to add a little more <strike>misery</strike> interest to it, it was also in the 90s to 100s every day. The outage began on Friday night when a terrible wind storm known as, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derecho" target="_blank">Derecho</a>, started in. I heard the wind picking up outside shortly after I had put Ryder to bed, so I peeked out the window and saw full grown trees bending in half from the strength of the wind. It was at that moment that we realized we needed to move Tyler's car out from under a tree and take down the umbrella on our deck. I've never seen such powerful winds, it felt like being in a hurricane only without any rain. The winds blew for about half an hour or so at about 80 mph, and before it was all said and done, our power was off, there were tree limbs and branches scattered all over the yard, and damage was all around us. We thought the power outage would only last a couple of hours, but as time wore on and the temperature in our house began to rise, it was clear we needed to make a decision about where we were sleeping. So I did what anyone would do, I texted my parents to see if they had power, totally out of complete concern for their well being of course, and was <strike>dissappointed</strike> sorry to hear that they had lost power too. So we grabbed our pillows, flashlights, pack n play, and Ryder and headed to the basement where it was cool enough to sleep for the night. We repeated this again on Saturday night, but by Sunday, we were desperate for relief from the heat.</div>
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Thus began what I like to call the power outage shuffle! For Sunday and Monday night, we stayed at Hotel Roanoke since no one in our family had power yet and Tyler found a great rate, but thankfully my grandmother got power Sunday night, so Tuesday we made the move to her house and stayed there the next two nights. Thankfully, our power returned Wednesday evening and by Thursday we were finally in our own cool, comfortable home. We are so grateful to so many for their help over the past week of adventures! We had friends offer to let us stay in their homes or watch Boston, we were able to keep some of our groceries in another friend's refrigerator so we didn't completely lose everything in our fridge, and we were able to spend lots of quality time with family and eat lots of yummy, slightly fattening foods while at my Mawmaw's.</div>
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Some highlights of this week included playing in the hotel pool,</div>
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playing with lots of new toys and favorite family members,</div>
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watching fireworks on the 4th of July,</div>
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and staying in an awesome hotel. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryder entertained himself for quite some time picking up the ice bucket, seting it on the shelf, knocking it off, and then climbing through the shelf to pick it back up and start the game over again. There were lots of squeals of delight! :)</td></tr>
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Some of the not so fun parts were moving so often in terrible heat, driving all over town, having to throw out food, cleaning up the yard, and Ryder not sleeping well most nights. However, in comparison to what others faced, we know how fortunate we are. We had no damage to our house or car and none of us were injured from the storm damage. </div>
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The experience has definitely given me a better appreciation for having electricity and air conditioning, the people who have to work outside in these extreme temperatures daily, and for family and friends who were so willing to open up their homes to us during this time.</div>
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I'm happy to say we survived Derecho 2012, and Ryder was an excellent trooper through the entire ordeal! Let's just hope the reports are right and that it will be 50 years or more before another Derecho hits our area!!</div>
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By the way, I haven't forgotten that I need to do our monthly update, we've just had a little going on recently, but I will work on it very soon, but for now I will leave you with a very cute 10 month picture with Cookie Monster! :) Enjoy!!</div>
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</div>The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-81097656230331820182012-06-04T19:46:00.002-04:002012-06-04T19:53:30.392-04:00Nine Months Old & Florida<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbh9j9XzfBdEs9WDKJuKshmOi1Vd155Je46I957ouaM-jortWpoHQBl3tNqhMfp9rQlN8gi9DoGkR5l5T3jNC7yVBDFY6MsFrALJtshWGFUMw-8CmsdISUgnZ-2ImpZfmiD4dGc1E-461/s1600/IMG_2514.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHbh9j9XzfBdEs9WDKJuKshmOi1Vd155Je46I957ouaM-jortWpoHQBl3tNqhMfp9rQlN8gi9DoGkR5l5T3jNC7yVBDFY6MsFrALJtshWGFUMw-8CmsdISUgnZ-2ImpZfmiD4dGc1E-461/s320/IMG_2514.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look how much I grew in a month!!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">hehe...did we fool you? :) We used a smaller Cookie Monster for the first picture!</td></tr>
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Yes, I know, I am super behind in writing this post, because at his moment, Ryder has been 9 months old for almost 2 weeks now! But we were in Florida the day he turned 9 months, so I'm hoping that by posting pictures from our trip in this post, you might forgive my tardiness!</div>
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So for updates on our nine month old boy: He now has SIX teeth! Yes, you heard me correctly, six teeth! He cut four top teeth at one time while we were on vacation in Florida. We knew that the front two were coming, but I was surprised to see the two on either side come in at the same time! My baby is starting to look more and more grown up!!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look closely and you can see those bottom teethies sticking out! :)</td></tr>
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Other major developments this month include crawling and pulling up on everything in sight. Ryder started with his own version of the army crawl where he used his hands to drag himself forward, then he finally used to learn his feet and knees to help him and eventually got his stomach off the ground and started to really crawl. However, he has a tendency to lie flat on his stomach and push himself around the hardwood floors with his toes, while carrying around one of his toys. It's pretty funny to watch! :) I'm going to have to capture it on video one of these days!</div>
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As for the pulling up, Ryder surprised Tyler and I with this new talent. I was fixing food in the kitchen and had Ryder in the pack-n-play, since I can't keep a close eye on him now that he's crawling, and when I turned around from the sink after rinsing some green onions, I found Ryder standing in his pack-n-play beaming at me! It took me a few seconds to figure out what was wrong with that picture and then it hit me, "Ryder, you're standing up! When did you learn to do that?!?" Tyler and I think he must've been secretly practicing in his crib at night when we weren't watching because he is quite the pro at it! :)</div>
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Other big events this month of course included my first Mother's Day, a trip to the strawberry patch with my parents and Caitlyn to pick strawberries, Ryder's dedication at church, and Ryder's first flight on an airplane and trip to Florida!!</div>
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We had a good time on our first family vacation. It was definitely an adjustment from our trips before we had a baby, but we thoroughly enjoyed watching Ryder explore and play in the water! Tyler and Ryder got to spend lots of time together, and it was fun to watch them be such good buddies! Ryder loves getting to spend time with his daddy, so he was thrilled to have his palymate around so much!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So worn out! </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ocean made Ryder sleepy!</td></tr>
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<br /> Ryder had a few little bumps in the road while we were there. He caught Hand, Foot, & Mouth disease and cut four teeth, but he handled it like a champ, and we couldn't have asked for a better behaved baby and incredible weather! Ryder seemed to make friends wherever we went, and we had quite a few strangers offer to take him home with them, which Tyler felt was very strange! :)</div>
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All in all, it's been a busy but fun month!! And we're looking forward to a fun-filled summer!</div>
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</div>The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-3414197274607637232012-05-18T14:01:00.000-04:002012-05-18T16:12:48.004-04:00Dedication<div style="text-align: center;">
Sunday was Dedication Sunday for Parents and Children at our church. </div>
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They hold a dedication service once a year on Mother's Day, but rather than calling it a Baby Dedication like many other churches, including the ones I grew up in, our church calls it a Parent-Child Dedication service with an emphasis on dedicating parents. I like that our church emphasizes dedicating us as parents to the job of training and teaching our children in Christ. It was an honor to be part of the service and to know that so many people have committed to pray for our family as we raise Ryder and teach him about our God who loves him even more than Tyler and I can. Ryder loved the service too! He was thrilled to be up in front of so many people, and he beamed when the congregation clapped for him! Not to mention, it was another excuse for him to sport his sear-sucker suit! :)</div>
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It was such a special day for our family. Tyler's family made the trip in for the service, as well as my family. Afterwards, we all went to my parents' house to eat, celebrate, and play with Ryder. This was the first occassion since our wedding that we've had all of our family together, minus Garrett who was preparing for his finals and college graduation. It was a special day, and I'm so glad I got to spend my first real Mother's Day with family celebrating my precious boy!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three Generations of Harden Men</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four Generations</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ryder's Aunties</td></tr>
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<br /></div>The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-24126540810357737832012-05-18T10:24:00.002-04:002012-05-18T10:24:09.538-04:00How Does Your Garden Grow?<div align="center">
"Mary, Mary, quite contrary,</div>
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How does your garden grow?</div>
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With silver bells, and cockle shells,</div>
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And pretty maids all in a row!"<br />
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OK, so my name's not Mary, and I have no idea what silver bells or cockle shells are, and I was pretty certain that pretty maids were nice looking single women, which I can assure you are NOT growing in my yard! However, I am learning to become a much better gardner, and the lilacs, peonies, roses, petunias, geraniums, begonias, etc. are all abloom this year! Our first two years of marriage, I was convinced that our house was where plants came to die, and that I had inherited a black thumb instead of a green thumb like my mom, both grandmothers, and even my great-grandmothers. So coming from a long line of Southern women who are all excellent gardeners, you can imagine my disappointment when everything I tried to plant died, including a pumpkin sitting on our front porch for Halloween that rotted out after only a week! But I was up for a challenge! I was determined to learn how to plant and grow flowers! I love all the beautiful colors, and well, to be honest, I hate failing at anything. So I started working at it. I learned what flowers were mostly resilient, and began to experiment with others. It was definitely a process of trial and error, and I'm not claiming to be a great gardner, I just learned what could survive my semi-black thumb when it comes to gardening.<br />
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This year I had a lot of work ahead of me. After taking a bit of a hiatus from gardening last year due to my large, pregnant belly and record breaking summer heat, my flower beds were a mess. There were vines growing over the monkey grass and threatening to overtake our shed, there was monkey grass growing into the lilac and azalea bushes, and there were bamboo bushes that were climbing to heights of seven and eight feet, not to mention the many weeds growing all over. Needless to say, I had my work cut out for me! But I'm pretty pleased with the result, and after a couple of weeks of hard work, it feels good to have finished the project and see the fruit of my labor. It takes work to grow a garden, but it takes even more work to grow the garden of the heart.</div>
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I enjoy gardening. It's cathartic and allows me time to burn energy and clear my mind, plus I love seeing the end result and knowing it's because of all the work <em>I</em> put into it. Over the years, as I've been digging around in my flower beds, I constantly am reminded how ironic it is that the plants I want to grow take so much work, while the plants I'd prefer not to grow (you know, those little things called weeds) can thrive without any effort on my part to help them. It always makes me think of the curse after the fall of man in Genesis, and how we must now toil and sweat in order to make the ground produce what we desire. It certainly makes me wonder what the Garden of Eden must have looked like without any dandelions or crab grass. But it also makes me think of the "fruits" growing in my own life. Those things we don't want growing in our lives, selfishness, pride, hatred, greed, etc., come so naturally and can take root at anytime, and when left unattended, can begin to grow wild and untamed in our lives choking out the good fruits in our life. Meanwhile, the good fruits, or the Fruit of the Spirit, take work, well at least they do in my life. I have to work at demonstrating patience, loving others, controling myself, being kind to everyone, or even having joy in all things. I have to tend the garden of my heart regularly, seeking what God wants to grow in me, and allowing Him to pull out those weeds of sin and prune back the will of self, so that His fruit might abound in my heart. I love to have a beautiful yard that catches the eyes of others, but even moreso, I hope that I am drawing the attention of the world because of the work that God is doing in my heart, and His love shining through me. It takes work, and sometimes the process is painful, but in the end, hopefully it makes me more like Him and draws others to my Savior. <br />
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</div>The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-79509076372298753442012-05-17T15:59:00.001-04:002012-05-17T15:59:15.237-04:00Motherly AdviceIn respect of Mother's Day having been on Sunday (yes, I know I'm a little behind on this, we had a lot going on last week), anyways, as I was saying, in respect of Mother's Day I want to share some words of wisdom that my amazing mom always told me, and that has served me very well in my lifetime.<br />
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<strong>Words of Wisdom #1: "You have to be a friend to have friends."</strong><br />
I used to give my students sayings like this and ask them to explain it in their own words and tell me if they agreed with it or not for daily journals, and I always started the year out with this one. But I was surprised by some of their interpretations of this saying, thinking that they had to be someone they weren't to please others or earn their friendship. So I always had to explain to them what my mother meant by it, and why it meant so much to me. You see, I was kind of a shy kid growing up, and still can be at times, and I would often complain that I didn't have any friends. My mom would explain to me that because I was so standoffish (I don't really know if that's a word, but I use it frequently, so in my dictionary it is), others interpreted my behavior as being stuck up. I was surprised by this, because I definitely didn't feel that way, so she taught me that I had to be friendly to others and show them that I was interested in them, so that we could strike up a friendship. It sounds really easy, if you're like my mom or sister, but for me, it was a daunting task. But as I've gotten older and followed her advice, I've learned how right she is. I guess another way of explaining her advice is, "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care." The art of making friends comes in selflessness and pure joy in learning about others. As a result of my mom's advice, I have gained many friends in my lifetime, and am so thankful for them!<br />
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<strong>Words of Wisdom #2:</strong> <strong>"Get your chores done first, and then you'll have the rest of the day to do whatever you please."</strong><br />
Believe it or not, when I was younger, I was a huge procrastinator. I hated doing book reports or school projects and would put them off for as long as I could. I realize now that I put things off that I felt like I wouldn't be successful at or that I had never tried before and feared I wouldn't be good at, and I often catch myself doing that now as an adult. But my mom was not a fan of my procrastination, mainly because it always resulted in me dissolving into tears or being up half the night literally worried sick over it, and mom holding my hair back and patting my back. So mom made a rule that we always had to get our chores done first, and then the rest of the day was mine to spend how I chose (which was often with a book in hand!). Now as an adult with an endless "to-do" list it seems, I am so thankful that my mom made me learn to get my chores done first, so that I had something to look forward to when they were done. Knowing that I can sit down and read a book or watch a movie after a hard day's work makes me work much faster, and then I rest comfortably knowing nothing is still hanging over my head to be done later.<br />
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<strong>Words of Wisdom #3: "Life is what you choose to make it, regardless of your past."</strong><br />
I can't stand whining, complaining or people making excuses! This pet-peeve was often tested as a high school teacher. But I truly can't stand when people choose not take responsibility for their actions and try to blame others. My parents both came from difficult backgrounds, but they chose to make their own lives better, just like my grandparents before them. My mom and dad have lots of reasons why they shouldn't be good parents or have a strong marriage, but they chose to make improvements in those areas of their lives, and rise above what they were raised in. Everyone faces hardships and troubles, and sometimes there's nothing you can do to fix those things, but you can choose how you face it. You can whine and complain about it, but that usually just makes things worse, so my mom always would say, <strong>"Just get up and shake it off and keep going."</strong><br />
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My mom is an incredible woman. She may not be perfect, but I think she's as close to it as possible, and I'm so thankfu that God blessed me by giving me such a strong and wise woman to look up to and learn from. She loves my sister and I unconditionally, and she sees the best in us. She encourages us, and sometimes admonishes us. She listens, and she wipes our tears. My mom is my best friend and the one I turn to, when I need advice or want someone to celebrate with me. She's the one I look up to, and hope to be like one day. I don't know if I'll ever be as good of a mom as she is, but I'm certainly going to try, and I'm so thankful to have her example to follow! I love my mom so much!<br />
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</div>The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-850414506409002296.post-49765629484891003542012-05-10T20:43:00.002-04:002012-05-10T20:43:33.223-04:00What You Get When You Have a Baby, a Dog, and a Newspaper<div style="text-align: center;">
Ryder and Boston started playing together, but I think we might need to work on learning to share!</div>
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</div>The Harden Householdhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02184999208621152075noreply@blogger.com0