Update

Things are as busy as ever with little Nita. She's quickly acquiring some essential life skills. She can now wriggle out of a lap, grab interesting items near her face and put them in her mouth, and fuss convincingly about nothing at all. It's fun to watch her learning. She still hasn't rolled over, but it's not for lack of trying! At about 17 pounds, she's got a lot of weight to move... so we'll just have to be patient.

A few weeks ago, we had Nita's baby dedication at church. (For you Catholics and Presbyterians, this is the Baptist equivalent of a christening or infant baptism.) My grandmother's wedding dress was made into a baby gown, and Nita was the first great-grandchild to wear it! It was beautiful, very royal-family-esque. Our church was pretty impressed with family attendance - we're so fortunate to have family members who really want to be around for special events and can make the trip. Thanks guys!

Nita is also making a few friends. Addison and Kate are only a few weeks younger than Nita, and their moms are friends of mine. We've also been to little Ellie's first birthday party, cousin Corinne's second birthday party, and tomorrow we have a swim date with Shelby (10 months) and Turner (20 months). I'm so glad to be able to hang out with some mom friends... it has been quite a transition from the work scene.

We have picked up one funny/bad habit lately (besides NOT sleeping at night) ... Nita thinks coughing is hilarious! Not a polite 'hmm-hmm' cough. I mean a hacking 'just sucked some potato chips down the wrong pipe' cough. Sam does this on purpose to get a laugh, which is fine. I'm just hoping that she doesn't end up cackling at a scared peer who has just gone under water accidentally. That could definetley send the wrong message and cost me a few mommy friends.

Here are a few pics:

...and I'll have a side of fried pickles and a sweet tea...

Being naked is fabulous!

A little more personal space if you please.

What do you need to know about Nita?

Nita is three months old now (give or take a week), and she is certainly figuring life out . She is quite adept at exerting her will in any situation. And she is as cute as ever! Here is some general info:

Aliases: Nita Pita, Sugar Bunny, Sweet Potato, Chicken Nugget, Butter Bean

Hair: dark brown, curly, falling out a little

Eyes: still blue

Favorite time of day: bathtime

Favorite game: how many fingers can i put in my mouth?

Favorite person: that baby in the mirror

Favorite place: patio swing

Favorite leisure activity: watching ceiling fans

Favorite outfit: birthday suit

A friend of ours, Tricia Butts, took some pictures of Nita for us. Thanks, Tricia! Here are a few of my favorites...

Beachy Keen

After a week in Gulf Shores, my head is filled with corny beach puns... you know, everyone likes to think up a 'unique,' clever name for his or her beach house. I do not think this practice is clever or amusing - just bothersome. Here are some of the worst:

Seas the Day
West Palm Peach (this one was, of course, painted peach)
Conch Out

and my favorite...

Mullet Over

No, thank you. I'll not live in a place named after a redneck hairstyle.

Just Beachy

This week the Hardins, Skinners, and miscellaneous others have been vacationing in Gulf Shores, AL. We've had a fantastic time! Above are some shots (mostly of Nita) from this week... more to follow.

Photos

These first few pictures are of Nita practicing sitting up. I think she still has a little ways to go, but she enjoys trying.

The Nita Gus dynamic

So now we have a little girl and a dog. We weren't sure how Gus would react to having a new center of attention around the house. Would he be depressed? Would he be aggressive? It was an unknown to say the least.

I'm thankful to say now that the little guy has handled himself extremely well. When I first brought him home from being boarded, he didn't even know she existed. She was there, but it was as if Katherine was holding some inanimate object. A few hours later, Nita cried all of a sudden. Gus popped up with a look as if to say, "What is making that noise that's waking me up and can I smell it?!" He checked her out real good, supervised of course, and apparently gave his approval. He'll sneak in a lick here and there, let his ears cover her face, and one time he laid his favorite toy in her swing with her. Yeah, I've got a pretty good dog. I guess the real test is when she tugs on his ears (there's not much of a tail to pull).

I don't think there's a hint of jealousy in him.........

I promise I didn't set this up

Baby's First Road Trip

For Mothers' Day, Sam and I wanted to introduce little Nita to the only set of great-grandparents whom she'd not yet met. Sam's mom's parents, Pete and Eva Duke, live in Nashville... so we set out on our first road trip together! It went well (despite a little fussiness). Here are some pics from the weekend:

Rocking with Grandma (this is how 89% of the stay in Nashville was spent).



Snoozing on the couch... check out those slippers!


Nita and Grandpa hanging out in their PJs on Saturday morning

Bonnie smiling at Nita smiling at Bonnie smiling at...

On the way home from Nashville, we stopped in Tupelo to wish the Skinner mothers a happy day. Nita was the star of the show once again.

Four generations - what a lucky little girl!

Time is Flying

Little Nita is four weeks old today and what a joy she is! She seems so aware... like she can understand what you are saying to her. Her attitude is more grown up, too! She likes to be held sitting up, so she can check everything out. And she loves to be talked to.

I'm doing well too... just generally sleep-deprived. My memory is failing, my vocabulary seems to be deteriorating, and I can't concentrate as well as before. But, of course, it is worth it. What was life like before this little blessing? Hmmm, I can't remember.

Here are some pictures from Easter:

And here are a couple we took today...

Check out this smile!!!

Pictures, as promised

Okay, I realize that it's been way too long for me not to have posted any pictures of little Nita Hardin.... here are a few.

Here's the last pre-Nita picture of Sam and me.

Look at that proud Daddy!!

Welcome little Nita Hardin.

Did you miss us?

Hi, everyone. Katherine here after quite a long hiatus from blogging. The need for posting info about our day to day lives seemed to dwindle once we moved back to Mississippi and face to face contact with most of you was once again possible. Anyway, we're back as you can see with a new, improved look.... Thanks, Laura Tomlinson, for the cool page. I love it!

So, hopefully, our blog's makeover and our recent exciting news will be enough to motivate me keep up-to-date information out there for all of you. Exciting news? Yes, that's right! If you'll note the little darling whose picture is featured at the top of this page, you'll have a clue... little Nita McKinley Hardin was born last week!!! April 9 at 7:32 am, she weighed in at 7 lbs. and 12 oz. and meausured 19 inches long. Wow.

I'll will post updated pics as I get them... she's changing everyday!

Coming home!!!

We're hitting the country road (I-81) this Saturday and coming back to Starkville. We're loading up the truck on Friday, and on Saturday morning we'll be pulling out.

And here's Gus at almost 3 weeks old.

2 weeks down, 6 weeks to go

A Long Time Coming

Meet Augustus McCrae Hardin. He's an English Springer Spaniel and is 8 days old as of today. The photo is from sometime this past week. We'll be getting weekly updates and photos, so we'll keep them posted.

Gus

Mom


Mom again



Dad

I just need a break!

From writing a thesis, that is. For the last month or so, it's been nothing but reading and writing for me. By now, I'm just tired of school. I've had 20 straight years of it, so I can't say I'm all that surprised. I'm on the home stretch now, though, and I can't even imagine the relief I'll feel once it's all finished. To break up the day, I've taken to throwing a frisbee on the drill field. Now, I'll admit that Miss. State has one of the greatest drill fields I've ever seen. Take my word for it, Virginia Tech's is right up there. It's larger, that's for sure. I've got my flick and hammer down pretty well, anyways. Gaurav, my friend whom I've gone through grad school with at the same pace, is just as eager to get outside whenever it's nice. Unlike Mississippi, a nice day in June can easily be 75 degrees with low humidity.

Speaking of humidity, I've always said that's the thing I'll miss the most when we leave. The weather here is ideal: cold winters, hot summers that only last about 2 months, and a spring and fall that are almost 100% perfect weather, not to mention the leaves changing and the flowers blooming. I dread the Mississippi humidity, yet I would be more than happy to endure it for the price of being home.

We've scheduled our move for June 28th, and it's my goal to be finished with a rough draft of my thesis by then. I'll send revisions back and forth to my advisor from MS, and return to Blacksburg to defend in August. As far as living, we'll be renting from my parents month-to-month while looking for a house to buy. It's an ideal situation, and we're really thankful to be able to look for a house without having a lease to worry about breaking.

Another thing I can't wait for is to start my job at none other than Clearwater Consultants. After the rigorous interview process, I was finally able to land that one. Right now, I don't care if I have to work 13-hour days, 6 days a week. I just need a change (I'm starting to sound like Barak). I've actually worked those kinds of hours before when I was running parasail boats, and, while it's not sustainable, it's not so bad as long as you enjoy what you're doing. I'm not looking forward to that clueless period I know I'll go through before I learn how things are done, but that would be a part of any engineering job. I've heard it from my friends who have gone to work, "I didn't know what the hell was going on." It's just something that will take time. I actually had close to a week of bewilderment when I started working in the lab here. There were so many drawers and cabinets, I didn't know where to find a pencil!

In any case, it's been a great two years in Virginia. We've made some great friends, some of whom I'm sure we'll keep in touch with for years to come. One family in particular, the Gilbartes, have truly been a blessing to me and Katherine. Not only have they invited us into their home as their own family, but they've truly been a great example of what a sacrificial marriage looks like. As great as the parents are, I'd be lying if I said our favorite members of the Gilbartes aren't their 4 boys (she's giving birth to a girl in 1-2 weeks). Nathan, Justin, Kevin, and Ryan are 7, 5, 3, and 3, respectively. It is impossible to describe how fun these kids are! Nathan is the over-achiever, Justin is the considerate and generous one, and Ryan and Kevin are twins. They're not twins in the biological sense; Kevin was adopted 4 months ago from Guatemala. But they play copy-cat all day long. For example, a couple of weeks ago Katherine and I were at their house for Justin's birthday party. After cake and presents, Ryan and Kevin were playing in the yard. For some reason, Kevin was walking around the yard with a bundle of sticks held up against his left ear. 10 seconds later, I looked out the window. Now Ryan was following Kevin's exact path..... while holding a bundle of sticks up against his left ear. Who knows?

Maybe the weather won't be the thing I miss the most.

Just before Kevin came home


Playing in the back yard


Twins?

Awareness Test

This is pretty challenging. Just thought I would make an "I'm still here" post.


Awareness Test - Watch more free videos

Look familiar?

We arrived in Nantucket to today to temperatures well below what they were from where we hailed. Also, I noticed something when we landed at Nantucket Memorial Airport. The control tower is the actual one pictured constantly in the sitcom, Wings. I don't guess they actually filmed the series here, but the tower they showed in between scenes was the real thing. Also, we flew to Nantucket in that same kind of airplane Joe and Brian Hacket flew. Go figure.

We just ate at the Even Keel Cafe. I've never had seafood like that before. The clam chowder was excellent, but that was expected. The scallops, oh wow. I've never been a huge fan of scallops, but these were in another league. I think I'm going to like this place.

The control tower at Nantucket Airport



Katherine cooking her feet

And we're off.

In my last batch of posts, I mentioned that me and Katherine are going to Nantucket, MA for a long weekend. That was about six weeks ago. Now we're leaving. Not much has happened between then and now other than staying at the lab day and night trying to finish my experimental work. It's over now, and this will be a much needed break. When I get back, it's writing my thesis. At least that won't have an odd schedule, though.

We were going to take a small plane and fly from Blacksburg straight to Nantucket (with a bathroom break for the girl). Two days ago, however, I learned that the airplane is still being worked on for its yearly inspection. No transportation! I was frantically trying to find airline tickets that didn't cost a thumb and a big toe, and Katherine was doing the same from her work. I reasoned that it would probably be less expensive to drive to D.C., catch a flight to Boston, and take a ferry flight from Boston to Nantucket. I was having no luck when Katherine called. She found a website, Lastminute.com, where she found round-trip tickets from Roanoke (40 min drive instead of 4 hours) to Boston for CHEAP, and it included a rental car!! Woah! I tried to drop the rental car to make it even cheaper. When I did, the price of the tickets more than doubled......... rental car it is!

In a nutshell, we're flying from Roanoke to Boston, driving down coastal MA to Hyannis in a rental and catching a flight to Nantucket where our second rental car is for the weekend. Believe it or not, all of this is cheapo. Maybe I'll do some free-lance travel agent work on the side of my engineering career.

We'll be sure and post about our trip when we get back. I'm just ready for some relaxation. I think I'm averaging 4-5 hours sleep a night for the last 2 weeks.

I QUIT.

I can't think of anything for C. Oh well, that saved me a lot of trouble before I got to X. Laura, I'm interested to see what you put; X-ray and xylophone are not allowed. Anyway, I'll just play a little catch up. There have been a few things I've been wanting to put on here for a while now, and I don't think I need the alphabet to get back into blogging. I just need to suck it up and get to typing.

Did you people know that we have a grocery store right next to our house that doesn't charge us for parking? I know, it's crazy. You can just pull your car up to their store, drive into a parking space, leave your car, and no one asks you for a dime. There's not even a parking meter. I don't know what we're going to do when we leave Christiansburg. I guess we'll have to park on the street, because I refuse to pay to park when I'm buying groceries. It's just not right.

B is for Bed & Breakfast

As some of you might know, Katherine and I have been looking for a house to buy in Starkville. We made the rounds with a realtor over Christmas and saw a few that we liked. I just don't think we saw any that we liked enough to go deeply into debt. I'm sure that'll happen eventually, but we've decided to rent for a few months. That way we can save up enough for a down payment on a $1.4 million lodge on 2,000 acres of prime hunting land with a stocked bass pond near the front porch. Maybe we'll rent for a year instead.

We had already made plans to come home to look at houses again in March. Katherine already had the days off at work, and I had scheduled the airplane. Ever since we moved to Virginia, there has been this notion that we would pack up and go to a New England B&B for a long weekend. Well, this just seemed like the perfect time since we weren't immediately going to be buying a house. I got on the internet and started shopping a trip.

After some browsing, the place to go jumped out at me. I used to love the TV series "Wings" on USA. You know: Joe, Brian, Roy, Loel, and Helen. Oh yeah, don't forget Antonio. What a great show. It was set on the island of Nantucket, MA. That's where we're going. I think it will be a great trip, and Katherine is pretty excited. It'll be fun to see a different part of the country, and the lady that owns the Carlisle House seems really nice, too.

Maybe I can get a bite to eat at Helen's diner when we land?

Why not? A is for Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader

It's been such a long time since either me or Katherine have written on this thing, there probably won't be too many who see this. I figured a good way to get back at it is to start setting goals. And what better goal is there, pray tell, than the alphabet?

That's right. The alphabet. So borrowing the game both from Laura T and from the game you play to pass time on road trips, I'll attempt to make 26 posts in 52 days. I wouldn't even bother attempting a post every day. As a matter of fact, I don't have too much confidence in 52. Hmmmmm, there are 52 weeks in a year..... that's possible. We'll see.

So tonight Katherine and I watched AYSTAFG, and for the first time in the shows history the girl got to the million dollar question. For most questions on the show, it works pretty much the same as Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. You can look at the question and either answer it or leave with the money you have. However, for the $1,000,000 question you must decide in advance whether to take the question or the $500,000 you already have. The most money ever won on the show was $300,000 so this is the first time these rules have gone into effect.

It was pretty funny what happened next. I told Katherine she should quit with the half million. But no, the girl decided to be a gambler. The subject was 5th Grade U.S. History. Here's the question, and no scrolling down until you've answered:

What American was the first human to break the sound barrier?

Given that my dad is an aviation fanatic and that I have heard about every american aviator's accomplishments since before I could talk, I knew the answer. I said she should have taken her money, but no, she got greedy. She had no clue. She started spouting off names like Charles Lindbergh and Howard Hughes (which she guessed), but she had no idea.

Answer: Chuck Yeager! He flew the X-1 Rocket which was dropped in mid-air from a B-29 Superfortress.

But I digress. If any of you ever have the chance to keep $500,000 OR try to win $1,000,000, here's my advice: Don't be an idiot.