Hayes Family

five years old?

2011-04-12T20:05:00.003-05:00

Could this be true? Yes!
Happy Birthday Brody!

You're the most amazing 5 year old, I know!
Funny.
Outgoing.
Sensitive.
Loving.
Passionate.
Athletic.
Honest.

and of course....

...the best big brother ever!

I'm so lucky to be your mom.

one

2011-03-09T15:52:00.004-06:00

Jett's ONE! Happy Birthday "BUBBY"!

Now....I admit, the picture above is adorable......BUT these next 3 pics are the faces of Jett I see everyday! Smiley. Crazy. Funny. Just simply Jett.

Walking. Has conquered stairs (both up and down). Good eater. Carseats turned around. Has sooooo much love for his big brother. (I hope they'll stay BEST friends) Let's see...what else...lately has become pretty attached to mommy, but when Daddy walks through the front door, his face LIGHTS up. Oh, and sleeps with a bunny blanket thingy that is his BEST friend when he's sleepy. (heck, all the time really) Says "Uh Oh" "Mama" "Dada" and jabbers all the time, including high pitched screams of happiness. I love it! Can't wait to see what you will do next.

hello world

2011-02-28T20:56:00.005-06:00

remember me?
new camera + 350 photos = procrastination in uploading them.

but....here's what we've been up to.
Brody just finished up his last "bitty" basketball program.
Next up? K-1st grade sports! (He'll be 5 in April!!)
Can NOT believe it. He did great!

these next 2 photos just made me laugh..so I added them. brody sings and dances for anyone, anywhere, anytime. he was singing and dancing in our driveway a couple weeks ago and I was just snapping away! He makes me smile.

and his jeans, favorite pair, wears them WAY too often.
notice the big rip under the newly sewn patch? good times.

this little man has kindergarten round-up this week! WHAT?
a tear just rolled down my cheek.

and jett. my darling little (almost) 1 year old.
love the drool rolling off his chin in this picture below.

signature cheesy smile (4 toofers)

thats it. now, that wasn't so bad. maybe I can keep it up.

love my family

2010-12-06T09:27:00.002-06:00

We finally got a good family picture!

Merry Christmas from the Hayes!

love

2010-11-23T18:19:00.002-06:00

baby's 1st christmas tree

5 years

2010-11-05T14:43:00.002-05:00

Pat and I celebrated our 5th anniversary by going back to were we spent our honeymoon. In a cabin overlooking Beaver Lake in Eureka Springs, AK. It was great. We went canoeing, ate out, slept in, watched movies, went on a hike, went shopping, just hung out. It was heaven.

I honestly had never been canoeing before. I was nervous to even get in the canoe, I mean it was like 60 degrees out, so I was thinking water would be splashing in. It didn't, and it turned out to be a lot of fun. My competitive self wanted to row faster and harder than Pat, and he was just trying to go straight, so we found ourselves zig-zagging across the lake. Funny stuff.

Hopefully we can go back in 5 more years.

Attempt #1

2010-10-13T13:06:00.002-05:00

I attempted to take some photos of the boys this morning...key word "attempted!" I'll try again another day. Jett wouldn't smile for me (yet he smiles all the time, go figure). Brody was a cheeser as usual....and he was the one I had to bride to let me take pictures.

That's all I got. I'll try to catch Jett when he's his smiley self again.

Photo opts

2010-10-10T17:39:00.005-05:00

Cutesy face from my 7 month old! He's does this all the time....lays on his back, arches his back, and looks backwards...so funny!

Almost on the move...

Beautiful blue eyes!

Brody's photography attempt (sorry daddy)

photo opt

me and the cheeser

after a scrumptious meal of green beans

Ok let me explain these last 2 pics....Everyone's been asking us "Who does Jett look like?" Our answer, "Has Brodys head shape (or Crappas!), some of Brody's features...I don't know." This first pic (sorry for the blurriness) is my Grandma Joyce when she was about 6 months old. This is her ONLY baby picture she has.

Resemblance?

look what I'm doing...

2010-08-30T13:49:00.002-05:00

Jett Patrick at almost 6 months

me and my boys

2010-08-16T13:42:00.002-05:00

We've been really busy lately and the summer seemed to fly by, so when the weather cooled down a little (cooled down, as in lower 90s, seems weird to say) me and the boys took some time to enjoy a nearby park. Jett is 5 months old now. Here's what he's up to nowadays....rolling over all the time...I put him down on his back and he immediately rolls to his tummy, but hasn't mastered rolling back over, so he gets frustrated until someone comes to the rescue. Talks a ton, more like high pitched squeals, so funny! Still no binky, I've tried a few different kinds, and then finally gave up, he prefers to stuff his entire hand in his mouth to suck on.

Brody's had a lot of fun this summer with his preschool's summer camp. They took 5 field trips, Deanna Rose, Beanstalk Garden, Bowling, Pump it Up, and T-Rex restaurant. They got to ride the school bus and sing songs on the way. Brody's been to 3 Royals game so far this year with his daddy....I joined them to see the Royals play the Yankees. (Sadly, there seemed to be more Yankee fans at the game then Royals fans)

my boys...

Big brother pushing little brother

Rain is a Good Thing

2010-07-21T14:50:00.003-05:00

Brody's "version" of Rain is a Good Thing!

And if you listen at the very beginning, that's Brody introducing his next song. Since we've taken Brody to a few concerts this summer, he starts off all of his songs by talking to his "audience" and explaining his next songs. Then he walks around the room giving us "hi-fives" as if he were on stage giving them. I'm telling you, it's hilarious! Enjoy! (Oh and the sword is his guitar)

Summertime

2010-07-09T13:40:00.008-05:00

Harvest, Stampede, T-ball, Wiffleball....

This year was Jett's first wheat harvest. He didn't get to be at the field much, but we did get to have a picnic lunch....with, what else? Fried chicken, macaroni salad, watermelon, oh, and cherry pie! I know, we're spoiled. Grandma Joyce does us proud!

GG and Jett

Getting the picnic set up.

Stretching out.

Brody and Daddy in the truck.

Then we took Brody to see Luke Bryan at the Country Stampede. He loves the song "Rain is a Good Thing." Check out the video below! haha.

Then we had T-ball early this summer.

Good game. Good game. Good game.

We also played in our friend Brian Arellano's Memorial Wiffleball Tournament. We miss him. We took 4th out of 30 teams. It was a lot of fun. And the kids had fun.....(see Brooklyn below).

Tatted up. haha.

Dan, Shane, Pat

Oh and today Jett is 4 months old! Can you believe it?
He is getting so big.....wearing size 6 months clothes, talking all the time, sucks on his hands (constantly), doesn't like a binky (believe me people, I've tried), I'm trying to wean him of being swaddled at night, he loves his jumperoo and exersaucer. Hmmmm what else? Oh, the drooling! Brody did it too. I can't keep an outfit dry to save my life. Bring out the bibs!

recent events...

2010-06-02T15:51:00.008-05:00

First....a little update on baby Jett. He's 3 months old now. He smiles all the time at just about anyone, sleeping through the night, starting to giggle, loves his big brother who smothers him with love! Just a cute, happy baby!!!!!

Second....in honor of Memorial Day, wanted to remember all of our loved ones who are looking over us from heaven. We visited Pat's grandparents on Monday. Grandma Ethel, who passed away last August and Grandpa Ed (who I never had the honor of meeting) who passed away a little over 11 years ago. We miss you and hope you guys are happy to be back together again.

Third....we took Brody to see Brad Paisley in concert. Brody likes Brad Paisley but LOVES Justin Moore, who opened for Brad Paisley. Brody loves country music and can memorize a song after just a few times hearing it. He's got "Backwoods" and Small Town USA" pretty much down! Here are few pics from that night.

Fourth......Brody just finished soccer, here he is getting his medal from "Coach Pat!" :)

Brody made the last goal of the last game. Pat definitely had a "proud Daddy" moment. I saw it. And Brody through his hands in the air with so much excitement....it was hilarious! Jett went to all of his big brother's games....just sat on my lap and took it all in.

Now onto t-ball, last sport of the summer. Then swimming lessons. Whew....

Date with Daddy

2010-05-05T20:36:00.004-05:00

Pat took Brody to a Royals game last week, just the two of them! It was a very eventful day for them.....Slugger came by for a visit and scared Brody to death, then Pat and Brody got on the "Smile Cam" on the big screen and Brody hit a home run at the "Little K".

Billy Butler is Brody's favorite player.

Brody running the bases and the "Little K"

The Slugger that doesn't scare Brody.

Brody with his football medal. Now on to soccer.

And, of course, a picture of Jett. He's smiling all the time and I almost got a giggle out of him. Here he is at 2 months old.

4 years of Brody

2010-04-12T15:21:00.004-05:00

Today our first born is 4!
Born on April 13, 2006 at 9:01 pm. Brody Scott Hayes.
4 years....MAN, I can't believe it! Seems like yesterday when I told your daddy I was pregnant and our world, as we knew it, changed....
let's take a look back at your 4 years.

4 days old (this was taken on the day we brought you home from the hospital)

1 year old (standing, not walking yet)
2 years old (and crazy as ever!)
3 years (you're so cute)

4 years old (and a big brother now!)

Happy 1 month Birthday!

2010-04-09T15:30:00.003-05:00

Happy 1 month Birthday Jett!

You're 9 lbs. 12 oz. and 22 in long!

Superman holding Jett.

Cute picture

2010-03-31T13:56:00.002-05:00

Sinead, Ann, and I teamed up and tried to have a photo shoot with Jett. It was very humorous....Sinead was the photographer, Ann was in charge of positioning him, and I was in charge of lighting (meaning I held a lamp over top of him)
Anyway, we got a few good pictures...I thought this one was so cute!

Compare.

2010-03-29T22:20:00.002-05:00

Jett Patrick

2010-03-15T14:13:00.003-05:00

Introducing Jett Patrick Hayes

born Tuesday, March 9, 2010 7:46 am
weighed 7 lbs. 9 oz
20 3/4 inches long

Here are just a few a pictures from our first few days with Jett. They are a little out of order, but oh well. The first one is Jett's proud big brother Brody sporting his new shirt from Aunt Ann and new hat from mommy and daddy.

Mommy meeting Jett.

Daddy and Jett, soon after he arrived.

Jett's doing great. We are adjusting more and more everyday as a family. Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes for our family. We are happy he is here happy and healthy. Can't ask for anything more!

PBR

2010-03-06T20:42:00.002-06:00

Pat and I took Brody and Brooklyn to the PBR event last night at the Sprint Center. How funny are these pictures? Makes me laugh every time I look at them.

Well, 2 more days til we meet our new lil guy! Can't wait! Say a little prayer for us.

I can't believe this is our last weekend with just Brody.....makes me tear up a little........ok I'm totally sobbing my eyes out right now! (I'm a little emotional, what can I say) Don't get me wrong, I can't wait to add our new lil guy to our family, but I can't help but think about the last 4 years of my life. Lots and lots of days, were spent with just me and Brody hanging out while Daddy worked. Parks, pools, bike rides, walks, jogs, movies, lunches, naps....all of that just the 2 of us. Its hard to think about that all changing. Brody, I know you're so excited about meeting your new little brother, Daddy and I are too........but I want you to remember these last 4 years of us together, I will never forget and I loved every minute of it! I can't wait to make more memories with my 2 boys! Whew....where is a Kleenex when you need one?

1 to 9 months

2010-02-12T20:30:00.002-06:00

Baby Hayes #2 due into about 3 weeks...

Snow Fun

2010-02-10T20:59:00.003-06:00

Building Mr. Snowman

We (well I guess just Pat and Brody) got to use Brody's new sled he got from great-grandpa Gary and great-grandma Carolyn for Christmas. He had so much fun!
Less than 4 weeks to go til our lil guy makes his entrance into this world. Brody walked into the baby's room (his old room) the other day and said "Mommy, I'm so excited for my baby brother to get here!" I said "Oh honey, I am too." He replied, "Mommy, he's not YOUR little brother!"

BRO vs. BO

2010-02-01T20:26:00.003-06:00

Bro Knows...
Bo Knows...

My money is on Bro!
Happy Monday!

33 weeks...

2010-01-28T20:38:00.003-06:00

A little over 8 months....I meant to take the picture last week but kept forgetting....so here I am at 33 weeks. Due to complications with delivering Brody, we had to have a c-section.....so we have tentatively scheduled this lil guy's c-section arrival for March 9th. If I were to go into labor before that date, then we'll see where that takes us. Just praying for a healthy baby.Overall, I've been feeling pretty good. We got Brody's new room finished earlier this month and he's been sleeping in his new "big boy" bed for a couple weeks now. So far, he loves it! Seems to be sleeping better there than he was in his old room. (knock, knock) He evens refers to his old room as his baby brother's room....which is adorable! The baby's room is pretty much ready, except for some bare walls....got the walls painted (thanks hubby and sis), baby clothes unpacked (thanks mom), everything is cleaned up and ready!

It was a very Merry Christmas!

2010-01-03T15:42:00.004-06:00

Group shot at Mom and Dad's...we think the kids smile better for a blinking red light than they do with us taking their picture!

"Crappa" with his kiddos.

The newest recruit for the KC Chiefs! (God knows they need him!)

Do these goggles make my cheeks look big?

GG & Papa Larry with their Greats!

sledding on the farm...

Christmas morning at our house....Grammy Kris celebrated with us!

I hope your Christmas season was blessed! We had so much fun this year making the spirit come alive for Brody.....advent calendar, Santa Claus visit & list, cookies for Santa, "Twas the Night Before Christmas", seeing the look on his face Christmas morning when he saw that Santa read his list and knew EXACTLY what he wanted!
Happy 2010!

I tried...

2009-12-19T21:16:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday.....wow, 30!

2009-12-07T13:11:00.006-06:00

Happy 30th Birthday, Patrick! Ahhhh....such a cute cowboy!Shout out to my big bro, Allen, Happy Birthday to you also!

Disney on Ice!

2009-12-02T20:45:00.006-06:00

Mom and Dad took all of us to see "Disney on Ice" over Thanksgiving weekend! The kids loved it....thanks Grandpa and Grandma!

Brody's favorite act was Toy Story with Buzz Lightyear and Woody

I think it was Easton's also...

We started Brody in swimming lessions at the YMCA during the winter! He's in a group of 5 kiddos around the same age and loves it! Here he is swimming with Miss Shelby, his swim teacher.

His painful "CHEESE" smile!

Baby Boy Hayes

2009-11-20T16:51:00.001-06:00

Growing...

TRICK-OR-TREAT 2009

2009-11-07T21:39:00.003-06:00

HALLOWEEN 2009

Granite...

2009-11-02T15:47:00.003-06:00

Before

After
You really can't tell from the above picture...but the countertops we had before were ivoryish with brown leafy things all over them! I know. Whatcha think?

4 years ago....

2009-10-30T14:17:00.002-05:00

......this happened! (well, 4 years ago yesterday)

Thank you, honey, for 4 great years! Almost 10 years together, 4 different homes, 3 different towns, and 2 boys! (It's weird to say 2 boys now, instead of one!!) LOVE YOU!

3 words...

2009-10-23T16:14:00.000-05:00

IT'S A BOY!

Fall Fun...

2009-10-18T15:35:00.004-05:00

Playing in the leaves...Jumpin' in the leaves...

A couple weekends ago, the 1st NASCAR race of the season was at the Kansas Speedway, so it was fun to see a few of the cars up close! Here is Brooklyn, me, and Brody!I had my 10 year class reunion a few weekends ago...good times! (Wow, I'm old!) Homecoming Friday night, Piotique on Saturday, Dinner that evening. Go class of '99!

Flag Football & Dentist

2009-09-21T09:25:00.002-05:00

Brody starting flag football last week. His first game is tomorrow night. Daddy is the coach and I must say....has WAY more patience teaching 3 & 4 yr olds football than I thought. Brody favorite position is running back. (Because he says he's faster than everyone else...geez....tell us how you really feel Brody) haha. Go Tigers!

Brody also had his first dentist appointment. He did great! Here he is with Dr. Matt.

Baby Hayes #2

2009-09-14T13:50:00.005-05:00

Due date March 14!!!

Summer T-Ball

2009-08-28T10:46:00.003-05:00

Brody had a great time this summer playing T-Ball. Pat and I coached his lil team and it was so much fun....HOT, but fun! Flag football starts in 2 weeks......

Big Green Tractor...She's Country

2009-08-21T11:41:00.006-05:00

Brody's new obsessions.....singing these songs in the car, in the house, on the playground, even to his teachers/friends at preschool!

(And sorry about having to turn your head to the side...it was right side up when I edited it)

First up....Brody's version of "Big Green Tractor" (warning....dizziness may occur)

Next up...Brody's version of "She's Country"

Saying Goodbye...

2009-08-19T13:47:00.004-05:00

We said goodbye to Pat's Grandma Ethel, a couple weeks ago. It's always sad to say goodbye, but we know she's happy and peaceful in heaven. The memories that I have of Grandma Ethel are playing pitch at family events....laughing with her because her laugh is sooooo contagious, and listening to stories about her life. Her gifts were always amusing because we never knew what we would get, usually something she finds lying around her house, that has never been used. Funny. We will miss her....I'm so glad she was able to come to Brody's 3rd birthday party and see our house...because we knew our time with her would soon be over.

This was her senior picture....I think is was taken in 1941. She was 18. So beautiful!

The picture below was taken last August at Grandma's 85th birthday.

I never had a chance to meet Pat's Grandpa Ed....but it feels like I did. I hear so much about him. And wish I could have met him. It was thundering/lightning at Grandma Ethel's burial service, and Pat and his family said that was probably Ed and Ethel bickering back and forth at each other again! It's nice to know they are back together again!

We miss you both!

Royals Game...

2009-07-18T13:54:00.002-05:00

We took Brody to another Royals game....the last time we took him was when we was only 18 months ago (I think) so this time was a whole new "ballgame"...so to speak!!

We were on the jumbo-tron during the "Smile Cam!" Our friend Beth took this picture for us!

We took Brody back by the fountains and new kid-friendly area of Kauffman stadium! If you haven't seen the new stadium after all the renovations...holy cow, go check it out!
Above is my boys watching the game from right next to the fountains...

Here's Brody reachin' for George Brett.....maybe Brody's statue will join George's someday at the K!!!!! haha....hey, a mom can dream, right?

Finally, we made it to the Little K! They let kids hit the ball a few times and run the bases!

Good times! Happy 30th Birthday Trav, we had a great time!

Wheat Harvest 2009

2009-07-03T23:09:00.004-05:00

Well, here we are again....wheat harvest! We went back again to help out....Brody loved it! The older he gets the more he understands......however, he still has this fascination with SWATHERS (oh yeah, thats the first thing he would like to ride when we go back to my parents....it was the story of the century when the swather had a flat tire, I think he went up to the shed to visit it a handful of times while waiting for it to be fixed) Anywho.....this trip was all about the combine!
The picture below, first of all is ADORABLE, but he was following "Crappa" around while he serviced and oiled up the combine before starting the day.

Daddy and Brody in the wheat field...love it!

something about this picture below....just makes me thank God for growing up on a farm and for the opportunity to share the memories that I grew up making with my family and making even more memories

playing in the dirt at the field

The pic below.....what can I say....makes me smile every single time I look at it. I can just hear Brody saying "Wait for me Crappa, what are you doing Crappa, why are you doing that Crappa, can I help?"

Brody helping Grandma water her flowers

Beautiful sunset after a great day of harvest

Wiffle-Ball Tourney

2009-06-22T14:10:00.002-05:00

We spent this past weekend at the 7th Annual Brian Arellano Wiffle-Ball Tournament. Brian's family have put this tournament together every June in his honor since 2003. Tons and tons of people come to this event every year to have a great time with family and friends and mostly to honor the memory of Brian.

We also had time to do some swimming at Pat's Aunt Julie's pool! Brody LOVES going off the board....he would do it all day long if we let him!! That's Pat's cousin, Jeremy, and his little boy Kolten in the background. We had a great time!

This picture was taken a few weekends ago at the T-bones game. Aren't my boys so CUTE!?!?

Honeybees & Panda Bears

2009-05-22T09:31:00.004-05:00

Brody had his year-end Honeybees program at Church last Wednesday...so here's a video of him singing "I'm a Happy Honeybee....buzz, buzz, buzz!" (He's the one close to the teacher with plaid shorts on)

And Brody had his last soccer game last night! Grandma & Crappa even came to watch the Panda Bears. Brody's next season goal...to work on going just for the soccer ball & not so much on who he's going to "accidently" knock down next.

Pat and I had a great time coaching the Panda Bears....and, HEY, I even learned a little about soccer! Go figure...

Taking you back...

2009-05-15T10:45:00.002-05:00

I posted a few pictures on Facebook in honor of my lovely sister turning 30....so I thought I would share this picture of the 3 of us back in.....oh it was probably 1982, I think!

I remember that chair so vividly, plus we had a couch that matched!!!!! Oh yeah!

Just a little update on big man Brody....preschool is going really well, he comes home singing songs about the days of the week, the months of the year, it's darling! He is finally catching on to some of the kids' names, it seems that his new "best friend" is Clayton, he also have a twin brother in the same class, but the teacher says Brody knows exactly which one is Clayton. Brody has his first "Honeybee" program at church next Wednesday...they practiced last Wednesday and Brody came home excited to tell me the Bible verse he gets to say is "Love one another... John 15:12" so hopefully I'll get some pictures of that. And lastly, Brody had a soccer game last night and did really well...he went after the ball the whole time but shoved a few kids along the way...so we'll work on that! Have a good weekend!

Green Acres

2009-05-09T10:26:00.004-05:00

(You may have to PAUSE the music at the bottom)

Brody got a cookie jar from Great-Grandma Ethel for his birthday that plays music. Here is the debut of his newest single "Green Acres"...ENJOY!

Happy 30th Sis!

2009-05-08T11:33:00.003-05:00

Ann is 30 today! Help me wish her a VERY Happy Birthday! Wasn't she the cutest lil girl?!

See you tomorrow night!

New Toy...New Sport

2009-05-06T10:38:00.006-05:00

Pat's new toy!

Brody's new sport! SOCCER!

He started last night and Pat and I are his coaches...and yeah, I pretty much know N-O-T-H-I-N-G about soccer, but I guess I know more than 3 & 4 year olds! We have 11 kids on our team and the kids decided they wanted our team name to be the "Panda Bears"!
Go Panda Bears!~!~!

MEXICO...

2009-04-30T12:03:00.002-05:00

Our vacation was so much fun...so I am so excited to show you all a few pictures from Mexico!

Above in order: Allen, Sinead, Kory, Ann, Patrick, me, Jerod, Amy, Luke, & Amber

The 10 of us

Above is one of the lounge pools.

My bro and sis!!!

Thanks "fam" for making this trip a BLAST! And thanks to my mom and dad for taking such good care of Brody while we were gone. Sounds like he had a blast and can't stop talking about the farm. He asked me this morning "Can I go back to Gramma's and Crappa's?" He loved it! (And "GG"...he said he will try to pay more attention when he goes potty!)

new deck...

2009-04-19T10:38:00.002-05:00

Spring project....new deck!

Dane and Pat hard at work...or hardly working? Hmmm.

another view
The floor is on...

Railing on...next step, adding stairs and skirting!

It's my party...

2009-04-19T10:22:00.003-05:00

Here are some pics mostly from Brody's birthday party. Grammy Kris came up a week earlier and celebrated his birthday with him a little earlier.

Here are Brody and his cousins enjoying his new trampoline!

Caleb, Alyssa (babysitter), Aunt Julie, cousins Erica and Braedon

cupcake time!

After his blew out his candles...

with Julie and Grammy Kris in the background...the kids help Brody open his presents...

Morgan, Easton, Addi, Erin, Brody, Brooklyn, and Keara with bubbles...

He's 3! Here's a FLASHBACK...

2009-04-13T14:38:00.007-05:00

Brody's 3!!! (Well to be specific...he'll be 3 at exactly 9:01 p.m.)

Daddy and Brody in the hospital....he weighed in at 7lbs 14ounces.

1st day home

At about 7 months old after bathtime!
I've always loved this picture of him and his big ol' smile!

1st birthday

2nd birthday (sorry it's blurry)And this was taken last Saturday at his 3rd birthday party! Doesn't he look so old?!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today gets me thinking about when Brody was a baby and his daddy and I weren't getting much sleep! We were sleep deprived parents learning how to deal with a brand new baby and making mistakes left and right but one thing was certain...he was (and always will be) LOVED! I'm sitting here, with tears in my eyes, because I know that my baby is growing up, and it feels like yesterday that he was sitting in that wicker chair from the picture above! He's 3 now! Don't you think he needs a little brother or sister? We'll work on that :)

Happy Birthday Buddy!

March Snow Storm

2009-03-29T15:46:00.002-05:00

We went outside today to enjoy this crazy March snow storm that hit yesterday.
I took this picture this morning....now at about 4pm, the eyes, nose, mouth, and one arm have fallen...and FROSTY is the only white snow left in our front yard! It melted already!!!!

So proud!

New beginning...

2009-03-26T21:17:00.002-05:00

Brody's last day of "In home daycare" was today. Mrs. Shan & all of his friends will be missed. Brody loved going to Mrs. Shan's every Tuesday and Thursday! He has been going to her house since he was 3 months old!!! Now at almost 3 YEARS old....he's heading to PRESCHOOL! Shan said I didn't give her enough notice that I was wanting a picture of her and the kids, so I got the 4 older kids together for a pic. Here's Morgan, Josh, Brody, and Addison.
Wish Brody luck at adapting to an actual classroom setting and meeting new friends! And pray for his Mommy and Daddy!

Sleeping...

2009-03-25T14:39:00.002-05:00

There's just something about a sleeping child. I just adore this picture! This was a few days ago when my dad came to visit and Brody spent the whole day outside with "Crappa" and Daddy building his new swingset! No nap, sunburned, and just plain dirty.....needless to say he crashed at bedtime.

Visitors...

2009-03-16T13:22:00.004-05:00

We had some visitors stay with us this past weekend and since the weather was warmer we played outside a lot and Brody got to show off his baseball skills. Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for staying with us. We had fun!

GG and Grandpa Larry got Brody this rocket launcher for Valentine's Day and this is Brody's favorite toy right now.Here's GG giving it a try!

Brody and Grandpa Larry aiming for the car!

We also have some other news. Brody will be starting PRESCHOOL the first of April. He has been going to an "In Home Daycare" on the days that I work....but starting in April he will be going to an actual classroom with 2 teachers and 20 kids! Exciting....but we're a little nervous. We went and toured the school last week and Brody seemed really excited to visit all of the classrooms and see all the kids! Patrick and I will even get to go to parent/teacher conferences!!! Our little boy is growing up! Wish us luck.

Carpe Diem

2009-03-01T09:35:00.002-06:00

On this day, 6 years ago, we lost someone very dear to our hearts. We miss him everyday! We wish he would have had a chance to meet Brody. We're pretty darn sure he would have been one of Brody's favorite "uncles!" Brian was Pat's college roommate and one of his best friends.

We miss you, Brian! Carpe Diem...

Swimming Fun!!

2009-02-19T14:39:00.002-06:00

We went swimming on Valentine's Day after my niece, Brooklyn's, birthday party. Brody had a blast even though the water could have been a little warmer!

Uncle Joey....

2009-02-08T15:27:00.004-06:00

We got invited to go see Dave Coulier (aka Uncle Joey) at the comedy club last night with our neighbors, Chris and Sara! He was pretty funny...did all of his crazy voices and everything! Sara even shouted "Cut It Out!" at one point and Dave asked to see the hand gestures!
Birthday Cheers for Chris! He turned 29!
Sara and I!

And this last picture was from a few weekends ago, when my sissy and I had a girls night out! And of course we had to get a picture! Thanks for being the very, very bestest sister EVER!

Spring Flashback...

2009-01-28T11:16:00.003-06:00

Oh...how I want Spring to get here!!!! I was just looking over last years spring photos and came upon 2 of my favorites. We had a little bit of a dandelion problem in our backyard, and Brody was helping his daddy by picking them! He also had a mohawk..how cute is he????

I've been neglecting my blog a little bit, because SOMEONE introduced me to facebook!!!! I'll try to do better...

Best Buds...

2009-01-14T10:26:00.002-06:00

This is a picture my aunt took from Christmas. I can't tell you how much Brody LOVES to play with his cousin Aaron. Aaron keeps him busy all day long when they play together.
At this very moment Brody is sitting on my lap looking at this picture repeating "Look Mommy, it's Aaron.....can we go 'pway' with him. Look Mommy, it's Aaron....can we go 'pway' with him." And what's funny is that I can remember when Aaron was Brody's age and wanting all of us to play with him.

DWTS...LIVE

2009-01-08T20:28:00.009-06:00

So being the avid Dancing with the Stars viewer and fans, my friend, Sandi, and I decided to take it all in...LIVE @ the Sprint Center last night!

BUT....probably the highlight of the night was going to "The Record Bar" in Westport to see Mark Ballas and Derek Hough perform with their band after the DWTS concert! And if you're not familiar with whose these guys are....first of all, shame on you....but they are 2 of the professionals from Dancing with the Stars. Actually Mark and Kristi Yamaguchi won 2 seasons ago and Derek and Brooke Burke just won this past season. Pretty cool...

Arica, Derek, Sandi

Sandi, Mark, Arica

We also got a picture with Maurice Green, who was Cheryl Burke's partner last season. Maurice actually sat down at our table for a quick "chit-chat" before leaving the bar to catch the tour bus! Before we left the bar we had a fairly long conversation with Derek about random stuff on DWTS, her girlfriend (Shannon Elizabeth), him being sick a couple weeks ago, on whether or not he'll be on the next season....all kinds of good stuff! Sandi...thanks for going with me...good times!

Sandi, Maurice, Arica

Holiday Highlights...

2009-01-05T11:52:00.003-06:00

Well, here are just a few highlights from our Christmas holidays. We did have a slight BUMP in the road.....we spent Christmas Eve in the Emergency Room! Pat's mom came up to share Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with us and Brody had just finished leaving Santa his milk and cookies....when he tripped and hit his head on our rock fireplace...UGH!!!! We knew immediately he was going to needs a few stitches, so we cleaned him up (head injuries seem to bleed FOREVER) and we headed to the ER. One of his bears (that he totes everywhere) got a little blood on it, so we put a band-aid on bear and took him too! The nurse let him watch Pinocchio and gave him a popsicle after he was all done....so Brody was ready to go back to the hospital the next day!!! But he's good now, got the stitches out on New Year's Eve, let's hope it will be a while until we make that trip again!

Anyway, on to the pics.... my sister has this picture up too, but I just thought it was too funny...so here it is again!

Family shot....not too bad for 5 kids staring at a red blinking light!

This was pre-stitches....looking through the bags!

Christmas Collage...

2008-12-29T15:53:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Hayes Family!!!!

Cold Weather = Inside Fun!

2008-12-14T18:50:00.004-06:00

Another cold weekend.....we bundled up a couple of times to get exercise outside, but mainly had to find fun activities indoor. This is an example of one of them:

Some more exciting news: The YMCA had their Annual Christmas Party last Friday at Crown Center....and Patrick received a VERY prestigious award - Employee of the Year! WOW...he was shocked but very honored!

Good times...

First comes the Deer, then comes the Tree...

2008-12-09T19:32:00.005-06:00

Deer Hunting and Tree Decorating.....gotta love it!

For the last 2 years, I decided to go hunting with the guys on the last day that we plan on being home for hunting and both years, Pat gets his deer on the last day we are home to hunt....I must be GOOD LUCK!

Can you see the difference between the next 2 pictures?Yep, Pat shot the deer in the head and the right half of it's antlers broke off....CRAZY!

On a less "bloody" note.....we bought a brand new Christmas tree this year. (We decided the small 2 foot tree I've had since college should now be replaced with a new 7 foot one) Brody was such a GREAT help this year with our new Christmas tree. We had such a fun night decorating. I love this picture.....he's concentrating so hard to get it in just right place!

Thanksgiving Fun...

2008-12-03T11:34:00.002-06:00

It's officially the Holiday season.....my favorite part of the year! There's just something about about this part of the year - Thanksgiving, both Pat and my birthdays, Christmas, New Year's.....I LOVE IT!

We spent last weekend on the farm and below is a picture of Brody and Easton being so proud of their LONG line of toys!!

Here's a close-up....
The four older kids got to sing at church on Sunday. Here they are practicing the day before. They sang "The B-I-B-L-E", "ABCs", and "The Itsty Bitsy Spider".......the whole church was laughing out loud! (I'm pretty sure I saw tears in my dad's eyes...it was VERY special day)

left to right - Brody, Keara, Brooklyn, and Easton

Here's Brody and his "Crappa" lounging around after our Thanksgiving meal!

A couple weeks ago we celebrated Thanksgiving with Pat's side of the family. We tried and tried to get a good picture of Grandma Ethel and her great-grandsons. This is the best one I got - here's Anderson, Brody, and Kolton.

Happy Holidays!

I've Been Tagged...

2008-12-01T13:07:00.007-06:00

Chelsie tagged me with these questions - and I have to admit I've never done one of these before, not even through email...I'm usually the one that stops the chain of those "get to know me" emails......so here goes!

Husband's name: Patrick Scott Hayes

How long married?: 3 years

How long dated?: Almost 9 years......yes, I know, it took him FOREVER to propose...don't get me started :)

How old is he?: He'll be 29 next Sunday. Happy early birthday to him!!!

Taller?: He's taller by about 2 inches - I have to pick my shoes wisely, or I'm taller than him!

Who can sing the best?: He'll say he can, I'd say I can...Well, it might depend on the song...he can hold his own with "Three Blind Mice" or "Old Mother Hubbard" - (Brody loves to listen to his nursery rhymes in the car...it drives Pat crazy) otherwise, he mostly listens to Sports Talk Radio.

Smart: Hmm...good question? For the sake of an argument, I'll say it's a tie! Sports - Him.... Math, numbers, etc. - me.

Laundry: It's weird....a couple years ago, I would say he did his, I did mine & Brody's. Nowadays, I do it. He's more particular about how his clothes are folded, so I've adjusted. But he still packs his own bags when we go on trips or go home for the holidays....

Paying bills: Mostly me...he's just responsible for giving me the receipts! If he did the bills, he would question me about every transaction :) It seems to work.

Who sleeps on the right side of bed: He does....but he would rather us sleep together in the middle on our KING size bed all night long! Me...on the other hand, need my space when I sleep~weird, I know. We've had many discussions about this thing I have about needing my own space when falling asleep.

Mows the lawn: Mostly Pat....he LOVES it! But I also love to mow....so I'll help out quite of bit with mowing.....now mowing and racking the leaves - I'll gladly let him do it!

Cooks dinner: Probably both of us....mainly me, just because I'm home most of the days to plan out the meal....but I just have a hard time figuring out WHAT to cook....once I do, I'm fine. He helps me decide.

First to admit they are wrong: WOW...this is the hardest one...we are both STUBBORN.....I'm leaning more towards....wait, no, I don't know. Ok, me (see how hard that was?)

Who kissed first: He kissed me....we were watching "Big Daddy" - I'll never forget it!

Who wears the pants: We don't wear pants in this house either!

Here he is!

Now I'm tagging:

Ann, Sinead, Michelle, Traci, Bethany, Kiley

Chiefs vs. Saints

2008-11-17T14:15:00.004-06:00

Pat and his buddies at the Chief's Game yesterday! Travis, Dane, Joel, Pat, and Jason - wish they could've brought better luck to the Chiefs :(

Bundled up...

2008-11-12T14:51:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to share this cute picture of my little man. This was Sunday night....we were all bundled up because Daddy had flag footbal game and it was COLD! When we got home, we started a fire and I snapped a few pictures....this one just stuck out at me.
Well, Happy Wednesday.....I can't believe Thanksgiving is just a couple weeks away! WOW...

More Fall photos

2008-11-03T13:21:00.002-06:00

Wow, 3 posts in one day! I just feel like so much has happened and I want to share all of it! These are just some fun Fall pictures from the last week or so.
Daddy was throwing leaves at Brody after he jumped into the leaves & I captured this picture.....CLASSIC!Ready, set, JUMP!We carved pumpkins with some of our neighbors last weekend. The kids mostly played in the leaves while the adults carved all the pumpkins....but they had so much fun!I think all together we carved 8 pumpkins, so this family pic was taken before they were all displayed.

Almost forgot these....

2008-11-03T13:03:00.003-06:00

I can't believe I almost forgot to include these pictures. My dad is going to kill me....but I couldn't resist! Everyone was getting in the Halloween spirit! Here's Grandma and Brody.
Grandpa Rick loves to get his picture taken...can't you tell? What's funny is that his hair used to be this shaggy when he was in high school.......oh, those were the days!

Halloween Pics...

2008-11-03T12:24:00.004-06:00

Here we are getting ready for Trick-or-Treating!! Brody was Lightning McQueen's Pit Crew!!! (If you haven't seen the movie CARS, you may not know who that is...as we found out during the night)

Enjoying his Combine Pumpkin.....thats what that drawing is supposed to be (excuse my artistry)
I know, I know........was a great looking family!!!! Not sure who we are supposed to be...punk rock daddy, and crazy wig mommy, I guess!

Fall Fun...

2008-10-20T14:55:00.002-05:00

Ok, so we got invited to go to the KC Pumpkin Patch this past Sunday. It was sort of a last minute decision to go, so I left the house without my camera. So the pictures below are taken my cell phone so they may not be the best quality. With that said, we went and had a great time.....hay rack rides, HUGE pumpkin patches, haunted barn, petting zoo, pumpkin launches, you name it!

Here's Brody and Addi. Her and her parents live close by us and the kids go to the same daycare.....so they have a great time together.

Chiefs Game...

2008-09-28T21:43:00.002-05:00

Well, Grammy Kris came to visit this weekend so we thought.....why not take her and Brody to their very 1st Chief's game! And did we pick a good one......they WON!! To Denver, no less! Great game....except it was H-O-T!

We had GREAT seats....Brody wasn't sure about the noise level in Arrowhead Stadium...scared him a little....Chiefs fans are CRAZY!

This is a picture of their 1st touchdown of the day....Go Larry!
Me and my baby boy! We had a fun, busy, exciting weekend!

Tiger Bike Night 2008

2008-09-21T19:37:00.009-05:00

Last Friday night was "Bike Night" at the Tiger's football game. For those of you who are not from Clay Center.....a HUGE group of "Bikers" gather before the game to support the Tigers and help to get them geared up for the game. My mom and dad enjoy being apart of this event every year. (I shot a video of them, but every time I upload it, it turns it sideways on me....any suggestions on how to fix it?)

Brody loved seeing all the motorcycles go by and kept saying "Rrrrmmm, Rrrmmm!"

Adorable.....huh?

"Chase Me Daddy"

2008-09-11T20:34:00.003-05:00

This is Brody's favorite game to play! "Chase Me Daddy" is what Pat hears the minute he gets home from work!

We haven't had much going on since Labor Day weekend....plus, I must mention, we received the 1st place finish in the Annual Palmer Slow-Pitch Softball Tournament. Yea, go Jerry's Juicers! Thanks to Stacie and Barrett for asking us to play. Once I get the the team picture, I'll be sure to post it (hint, hint Stacie or Kristin!!)

85 years YOUNG!!!

2008-08-23T21:28:00.003-05:00

Pat's Grandma Ethel turns 85 on Monday and we celebrated her birthday with her today. We don't get to see her as often as we would like, so it was great to be able to be there today to help her celebrate with all the family. We love you Grandma! (I tried to snap this picture really fast because Brody was getting irritated with Mommy...as you can tell by his facial expression)
Pat's cousins, Mike and Jeremy, both have 6 month old boys & this was the first time they were all together....so, of course, we had to take a picture. Here's Kolton, Brody, and Anderson. It's weird that my little baby is the OLD one now...(sniff, sniff)

Family Fun in Omaha...

2008-08-18T09:36:00.005-05:00

We spent this past weekend in Omaha with my family. We went to the Omaha Zoo on Saturday along with about 100,000 other people!!! It was packed....I've never seen so many strollers in my life.....well, except the last time we went to the Omaha Zoo!! Oh well, the kids loved it! We spent the rest of the weekend just hanging out at Allen & Sinead's house.

This gorilla just sat right by the glass and Brody (and Daddy) got to see it face to face.

Looking at the giraffe's...
Pat, Brody, Easton, and Mom are all looking at the monkeys!

Easton and Brody "posing" in front of the elephant. They didn't quite understand what picture we were trying to get.
We lined the kids up by age...starting with the oldest at the top. (Keara, Easton, Brooklyn, Brody, and Braxton) along with Grandpa & Grandma, of course.

Brody pestering Brooklyn again....this time with sticks!

Check out Ann's blog - she might have some more pictures from our weekend also.

Oh....the love of family!

2008-07-22T17:29:00.002-05:00

Ann and the kiddos came to visit last week & we had so much fun together!

Here's the big boy, Braxton-he'll be 3 months old next week! Isn't he adorable?!

Brooklyn, the cutie-pie in her pigtails!!!

This picture is PRICELESS! Our lil' sensitive princess....I think she was upset b/c she saw a fly in the pool! And after 3 days with Brody, she was definitely ready to go home. Brody's way of "playing" is different than Brooklyn's.
But they still love each other!

Wheat Harvest

2008-07-07T22:21:00.004-05:00

Its becoming a family tradition every year to travel back home and help out with wheat harvest. Brody was in heaven all week long! He rode in the combine with Grandpa almost everyday. He'd wake up from his nap saying "Ride in da combine?"

My amateur photography skills hard at work!

I love this picture of Brody grabbing for a cookie. This was during one of our picnics at the field. I have so many great memories of wheat harvest while I was growing up... it's exciting for me that Brody is experiencing it already. His eyes would light up when he saw the combine heading his way to pick him up.

Twinkle Twinkle...

2008-06-15T09:42:00.004-05:00

(You may have to scroll down to the bottom and PAUSE the music)

I wanted to share a quick video of Brody's version of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star." Bathtime seems to be his "singing" time, so that's when I captured it.

If you want to make a request for his next single, please feel free. He has a short version of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Humptey Dumpty" also.

Patrick's 10 year Class Renunion in Winfield

2008-06-10T22:09:00.003-05:00

Winfield's Class of 1998 celebrated their 10 year class reunion this past weekend. Here are a few pictures from the event.

Here are some of the guys posing so nicely for the camera.

Island Park in Winfield

2008-06-10T21:59:00.003-05:00

We spent this past weekend in Winfield with some friends. We took the kids to Island Park to see the geese and play on the castle playground. Here's Brody and Hank.

Playing hide and seek with Daddy.
Dan, Abbie, Hank, and Libby joined us at the park. We always have a good time spending time with them! Wish we could do it more often.

Fishing Trip...

2008-05-27T17:58:00.002-05:00

We went home this weekend, and Patrick was determined to get some fishing in. So after trying a few ponds that morning, my grandpa and Pat found the "gold mine."

They weighed one of them and it was about 5 lbs. They caught 10 total that morning.

Here's my Grandpa Larry and Patrick showing them off.
So because they had such great luck at the pond in the morning, we decided to go back that evening with Jerod and Amy. Here's Amy showing off her "Catch of the Day!" Isn't it ADORABLE!

Feeding the Ducks and Geese...

2008-05-18T13:44:00.000-05:00

We visited Shawnee Mission Park this morning to see all the geese and ducks. They always make me very nervous b/c they come running right up to us, knowing they are going to get fed....but Brody thinks it's so much fun!

Except here, he must think they are going to play a game of "CHASE!"

Brody thought it was neat to see the baby geese, so he would try to take the bread right up to them, but the Mommy Geese weren't liking that AT ALL! They kept making hissing sounds at him, to keep him away.........it didn't work!

After a while, Brody started eating the bread himself. One goose came right up to him and tried to snatch the bread out of his hand!

Yard Help!

2008-04-27T22:37:00.000-05:00

Now that spring is here, Patrick has been outside working on the lawn. Dandelions everywhere! Patrick hates them....Brody LOVES them! He likes to bring me bouquets of "pwetty fowers!" Here he is picking "flowers".

Brody is 2!!

2008-04-19T11:11:00.000-05:00

Brody turned 2 last Sunday! I can't believe it's been 2 years! Here's a picture of his "Dump Truck" cake.

He was so EXCITED when he blew out his candle!!
Brody didn't want to get his fingers dirty so he ate his cupcake with no hands!!
Aunt Ann gave him a tunnel for his birthday....it was a big hit!

KU - National Champions!!

2008-04-09T21:01:00.000-05:00

We all watched the Championship game at the Sports Book @ Bills Casino! We had the entire section to ourselves with a ton of TVs. It was great!

Jerod, Patrick, & Tyler are placing their bets!

Here's some of us showing off the $money$ we won because KU defeated Memphis! Go Jayhawks!!!!!!

VEGAS pics...

2008-04-09T20:38:00.001-05:00

Here we are after the KU vs UNC game on Saturday! We watched the game at ESPNZone in Vegas...and sat next to a group of students from Duke. We were all rooting for the Jayhawks!

This is us outside of the Bellagio Hotel and Casino.

Again, in front of the Bellagio watching the water show.

We all stayed at the Flamingo Hotel and Casino. It was about 75 degrees all weekend and felt wonderful!!
Here's the whole crew at Ceasar's Palace doing some site seeing! We were waiting on Luke and Amber's flight to get in.

Family Pic...

2008-03-31T16:22:00.000-05:00

Here's the newest family picture from Easter! I'm usually the one behind the camera, so we finally got an updated one of the 3 of us.

EASTER!!!

2008-03-24T15:21:00.000-05:00

We spent Easter weekend on the farm this year! Luckily, the weather was good, so the kids got to play outside most of the time. Brody's favorite activities are riding the gator, the tractors, seeing the "big combine", and feeding all of Grandpa's cows. He talks Grandpa's ears off when they're "farming"!

Here's Brody with his Easter basket "Lightning McQueen" from the movie CARS!

Weekend Fun!

2008-03-17T12:31:00.000-05:00

We spent the weekend hanging out with friends in Wichita. Pat and his buddies from high school always have a great time catching up! Here they are preparing for our BBQ!~

They always seem to pick up right where they left off! Their 10 year reunion is this summer...can't believe it!

And the kiddos love playing together! They also enjoyed bathtime...Hank, Libby, and Brody! They will love this picture when they get older.

Brody loves his BEAR!

2008-03-08T17:20:00.001-06:00

Brody has found a new friend in a bear that his Daddy gave to his Mommy on Valentine's Day. It has velcro on it's paws & Brody loves to wrap it around his neck to carry around. Soooooo CUTE!

"Jumping Around"

2008-02-27T10:46:00.000-06:00

Brody thinks he's superman sometimes and loves to jump off things. Here he is jumping off our cedar chest and loving every minute of it.

Christmas 2007

2008-01-09T11:34:00.000-06:00

As Brody gets older, the holidays get more & more exciting every year. We hope everyone has a wonderful new year!!