Eli's 4th B-day

For Eli's 4th birthday we had a sweet lady named Julie (who runs a company called Nature's Critters) come to share with us some cool creatures. She brought a bearded dragon, a turtle and a tortoise, a snake, a legless lizard and a baby hedgehog. The kids loved touching the animals and having their picture taken with their favorite one.

Not to brag. . .

But I love where we live! Ok I had to jump on the bandwagon and give a little shout-out to our wonderful family centered community!

10 Best Towns for Families: 2008
By Michael J. Weiss

Rocklin, California
Population: 53,064
Median income: $81,790
Median home price: $400,000
Households with children: 46%
Student/teacher ratio: 22:1
Residents who recycle: 45%

Most Saturday mornings Brian James, 42, a V.P. for a surveillance equipment distributor, takes daughter Emily, 15, and son Tyler, 11, not to soccer practice but to the trash dump, where they dispose of bottles, newspapers, and lawn clippings. "Of course the town picks up garbage, but we started making the kids go so they'd be more eco-conscious," says mom Kim, 42. "Now they love it. Tyler, in fact, tells us we should recycle more!" The entire town is a green pioneer: The first city in California to participate in "ClimateSmart," a state program to reduce greenhouse gases, Rocklin helps offset its carbon emissions by donating some $8,000 annually to buy up land and prevent logging in nearby forests. The schools are outstanding -- 9 of 13 have been named California Distinguished Schools -- and the streets are safe. Brian boasts about Rocklin's three B's: barbecue, ball games and, referring to the panoramic view of the Sierra Nevada mountains, beauty. "The weather's great, the people friendly," he says. "All the good things you think about in a town you'll find right here."

Going for the Green: After installing solar panels in 2006, police headquarters cut energy bills by 40 percent and CO2 emissions by 5,000 pounds yearly.

Source: Parents.com

Eco-consciousness, strong neighborhoods and state-recognized distinguished schools have brought national acclaim to Rocklin.
The August issue of Family Circle Magazine named the city one of the "10 Best Towns" for families in America. Rocklin was the only California city on the list.
Rocklin's environmentally-friendly achievements were prominent reasons for the selection, including being the first city in California to participate in Pacific Gas & Electric’s ClimateSmart™ program to offset the City’s 1.6 million pound carbon footprint and using solar technology to reduce energy costs for the Rocklin Police Department were prominent reasons for the selection.
"Citizens of Rocklin have always been committed to making it a great place to live, work and raise a family," Rocklin Mayor Brett Storey said. "We are proud of this nationwide recognition as it highlights a citywide partnership between residents and local government to manage resources in a way that provides the best possible quality of life and protects our future."
Family Circle Magazine engaged OnBoard, a New York research firm, to research 1,850 cities throughout the country based on population (between 15,000 and 150,000) and average income ($65,000). From those, the list was narrowed down to 800 based on family-friendly criteria including cost of living, jobs, schools and "green" policies. The communities were then ranked by state, and the highest rated cities in the top ten states nationwide were chosen as winners.
Eco-ConsciousnessRocklin is among the most aggressive cities in California with respect to environmental protection. Following are some of the highlights of this effort:
In 1997 the City adopted an Oak Tree protection ordinance and for the past five years, with volunteer labor, has conducted native Oak tree reforestation and restoration in Rocklin's parks and open space.
At a time when the City was developing, between 1952 and 2003, Rocklin's tree canopy coverage increased by 63 percent setting an example that cities can grow while preserving and even enhancing the environment.
Rocklin's new state-of-the-art police station is one of the City’s most energy efficient buildings. Its solar carports have decreased utility costs by almost 40 percent and provide clean, consistent, renewable energy.
Recycling efforts with the Placer County Materials Recovery Facility ensures that 100 percent of Rocklin residents are recycling whether they know it or not. Residents don’t have to sort their paper from their plastic, but instead, throw it all in the same can, and it is sorted later at the facility. This makes it simple and easy for residents to do their part to protect the environment.
Nearly 19 percent of open space and park land has been set aside by the City to protect and preserve for generations to come.
A Family Community"In addition to our ongoing effort to be a 'green' community, there are many additional reasons why Rocklin is a family community. There are 26 parks and 200 acres of open space – including water parks to keep kids cool in the summer - as well as a myriad of city-run educational activities and recreational programs for pre-school students through seniors. The active participation of residents throughout the community has made Rocklin the award-winning city it is today." Mayor Storey concluded.

Whitewater Rafting

Sunday night we can home to a very burly looking Uncle Jo at the house ready for some fun. . . so Monday we went Whitewater Rafting on the South Fork of the American River. It was fun and we ended up buying some of the pics they took of us at the first class 3 rapid called Satan's cesspool. The last pic is one the boys got her to throw in free from the last rapid called Hospital Bar when our boat nearly folded in half!

San Francisco-Day 2

Outside the Ferry Building

Aaron and Carrie enjoying a nice ride down to Fisherman's Wharf

Ghiradelli square

Lombard St-The crookedest street in San Fran!

Crowded in the cable car

Rice-a-roni. . .The San Francisco Treat!

Day 2 was filled with all the usual tourist stuff-The ferry building, walking, fisherman's wharf, fish-n-chips, salt water taffy, walking, Ghiradelli square, little Italy for dinner, and did I mention walking-LOVE IT!!

San Francisco-Day 1

Carrie and I wound up in matching hats and hoops-great minds think alike!

We picked up Aaron and Carrie on Saturday and headed straight down towards Sausalito. Our first stop was Muir Woods to view the gorgeous and majestic California redwoods. Next lunch at the Sausalito taco shop-we totally recommend it if you are ever down that way! Then we drove across the Golden Gate and went to Golden Gate Park, it was the first time Brandon and I have ever been there. We rented a paddle boat on Stow Lake and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon on the water. After checking into the hotel we ended up at the Giants game for the night. It was a great game against the Dodgers-we won with our last at bat in the bottom of the 10th! ATT ballpark has the most amazing view and the night was gorgeous and clear. It was a great day all around!

8 years and still goin' strong!!!

Yesterday the 12th of August Brandon and I celebrated our 8th anniversary. We had some friends that were married the week before us, and that we haven't seen in 5 years come down from Seattle to celebrate with us. We went to San Francisco this weekend to celebrate. We had a great time and really enjoyed our weekend together. Pictures will be in the next post.

I really want to share with my husband how much I love him so I have picked out 8 reasons why he is the greatest man I know. It was hard to only pick 8 but I tried :).

(FYI these are in no particular order and as a disclaimer if you do not like sappy romantic love letters you might want to consider skipping this post!)

#8-FATHERHOOD

Those that know Brandon or his family know that he has one younger sister Emmalee and no other family in this area. I say that to tell you that Brandon was rarely around babies when he was younger. When we had Blythe it was an eye opening experience for him having never had much exposure in his younger years. To see him now with our 3 kids you would never know! It is as if he was surrounded by kids his entire life. He is the BEST dad and is always so helpful with our kids. He makes sure they know how special and capable they are and how much their Heavenly Father loves them. He is just the kind of dad I always knew he would be and I love him for the impact he has on Blythe, Eli and Tess.

#7-TESTIMONY

It was always important to me to marry a returned missionary with a strong testimony. Brandon definitely filled that requirement. When we were dating we ran into a couple at temple square who were non-members. It was so wonderful to share our testimonies together and get a glimpse of what Brandon was like as a missionary. He ran across the street and quickly bought some LDS literature and had it wrapped for our new friends Susan and Andrew. We will never know what happened to them but I know that seeing Brandon that day gave me some insight into the depth of his testimony for which I will always be grateful.

#6-COMMUNICATION

One of the reasons that I think B and I have such a great relationship is because we talk about everything. There is rarely anything that comes up that we haven't discussed ahead of time. We are best friends and really love to be together. I know that as a result of our constant communication our relationship remains strong and our love deepens year after year.

#5-LOVE OF TRAVEL

When B and I got engaged I gave up a trip to the BYU Jerusalem center to stay with him in Utah and plan the wedding. It was sad for me but B always promised me that we would travel the world together. He is definitely keeping his promise. We have been to Hawaii several times and this year had the chance to go to Europe, visit several countries and tour Brandon's mission in Italy. It was amazing and a dream come true for both of us. I know that it is only the beginning of the travel journal we write as the years go on.

#4-DETERMINATION

One of the things my mom taught me was that it wasn't important to seek after someone who had alot of money, but to seek for someone who was driven for the best this life has to offer. When I met Brandon he was working the night shift at a call center trying to get through school and figure out what he wanted to do. I saw in him such motivation that I knew that he would always work as hard as he could to provide for our family. Through the years I have seen that I was more than right. Brandon has such a drive to make sure that our family is happy and well taken care of. He works hard so we can play hard and make fun family memories together.

#3-GENUINE

If you know Brandon well you know how genuine he is. With him you get what you get and it is always the real deal-take it or leave it! With that genuine heart comes a great capacity for love and service. Brandon gives of himself freely and willingly and looks for quiet opportunities to help others. He is never showy or attention seeking, he has a quiet sense of compassion and charity. I love that he will do the right thing even if no one notices.

#2-FUN

Brandon is one of the most fun people that I know. Truly he is always looking for an adventure and because of that there is rarely a dull moment in the Hardy Home. The kids are I circle around Brando like moths to a flame and love to be showered with his attention and affection.

#1-LOVE

I still remember him pacing outside the Manti Temple waiting for me to arrive. He looked so handsome and nervous and I couldn't wait to be his wife. I love him him because he chose me. I love him because he took me to the house of the Lord and we were sealed together for eternity.

Brandon, I can honestly say eternity is not long enough! You are my partner in everything and I thank the good lord for you everyday. How I was blessed enough to spend this earthly life with you I will never know but I know that everyday with you by my side is heavenly!

Happy 8th baby!

Cousins

If Papa's prediction is correct Shae and Tess are destined to be roommates at BYU and a seriously unstoppable duo. They had so much fun last weekend when we kept Shae and I hope they will always love to be together.

Triathlon

Brandon competed in his first Triathlon with some good friends this past weekend. He hadn't done any training and had a goal of completing the 1/2 mile swim, 16 mile bike, and 3 mile run in under 2 hours. He finished in 2 hours 2 minutes!! It was so awesome to watch him, the kids and I were so proud of him! He was so proud of himself too and was reminded that the competitive fire he had in high school still burns really bright! He is already training for the next one and wants to keep working on getting better every time. The kids were such troopers and cheered Brandon on after each event. And even though he was the one that competed you can see that by the drive home it looked like they were the ones who had run a race (Blythe was asleep in the back too)!!! They crashed for a few hours just to recuperate!!

Charlotte's Web

Blythe was in a community theater production of Charlotte's Web this past month. She was the raccoon and the country reporter. She did so great and loves to perform-really no surprise if you have been around her for a few minutes. It was nostalgic for me because I was in Charlotte's Web when I was about her age. I am afraid she may have been bitten by the acting bug because she is already begging to be in the spring musical! I got some great pictures on Erica's camera so I will share those as soon as I get them.

The Caps

We went to one of the Sacramento Capitols tennis matches with the Collie clan. Uncle Zac scored some great seats through his work. Lindsey Davenport was the headliner and she is one tall girl with a powerful serve in real life! Being at a tennis match reminded me of my cousin Deidra who is an amazing tennis player. She took Erica and I to the Olympics in Atlanta to see Andre Agassi play and I still remember how much fun we had. Thanks again Dedge, you are still the best tennis player that I know in real life!!