The New Hardy Bunch

It's a bit late, well more than a bit late, but here it is. I'm posting the Christmas update. This is our newly enlarged Hardy side of the family, with the addition of Maggie. In the background is the group effort at tree decoration in the Hardy living room, Palestine, TX.

It was a very special Christmas, being the first one spent with Hardy and being able to see Maggie for the very first time. Hardy just lights up the room like a Christmas tree when he gets excited about his Thomas & Friends gear. Although Maggie does little more than sleep, she does a super job of snuggling and melting your heart. Christmas is such fun with kids.

A Thomas Christmas

"Thomas & Friends" was the theme of this year's Christmas. I don't remember being into fads or toys of any one type, but I have always loved watching other people and kids find something they're passionate about. Hardy's passion is Thomas and more Thomas. He spends hours at a time with his trains, and boy did he get showered with Thomas paraphernalia this Christmas. I love the way he squints at the camera flash. He's such a sweet little guy. He's talking a lot, much more than even 3 months ago. He is a whiz at people names, and when it's time to say grace, he will often name everyone at the table, making sure they've all got their hands folded for the prayer, including aunt "illy" and uncle "kiki."

Snow & More Snow

The snow started Friday before Christmas and didn't stop until Sunday evening. This is the view from our perch. The blanket of snow turns everything pure white. People tend to snuggle up indoors, and the snow sops up the rest of the noise making it deafeningly quiet compared to the typical city hum. Our Sunday afternoon flight was cancelled, but we managed to make it out of town Monday and arrive in Texas just one day late.