What The Hays?

The Ocotillo Excitement

2012-01-25T19:13:00.000-08:00

So, the President came to our neighborhood. Yeah, the President of the USA. Cool, right? I mean, I don't really care who the President is, if he comes to your neighborhood, that's cool. My kids thought so, too. So when they got home from school, we walked down about a block to Dobson Road to watch the President arrive at Intel where he was giving a speech. There were a lot of lovers/haters there. I told the kids to be quiet, and not disturb anyone's (mostly stupid) signs. It was a good experience for them. I felt a little patriotic, honestly.
Here's his car in the midst of all the police.

Newest Pinterest Project

2012-01-19T13:51:00.000-08:00

This one was so fun! I had about 10 church friends over doing it with me, and they all brought pinterest recipes for lunch. Now, that's LOVE! (By the way, the Pinterest recipe I tried was Carmelitas. Holy Moly, yum. Words cannot quite describe.)

Just one guess..

2012-01-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

...who got lil' miss dressed this morning. Mariah tried to offer subtle hints to him, but to no avail.
And, do you see the wound on her head? Ouch. I guess I shouldn't let Jackson supervise her out back anymore...

Cell phone sunset

2012-01-03T08:30:00.000-08:00

When this is your view while you're eating dinner, does the food really matter? If I lived here, would I take this for granted or would I remember to take a decent camara with me everywhere I went? Also, should it be against the law to order a chicken dish while eating at a beachfront resturant? Ben says yes.

A room with a view

2012-01-03T08:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I've blogged. It's been even longer since I've sat on the patio of a hotel gazing endlessly at the waves coming in. COMPLETELY alone. Without a single place to go for the whole day. Without a single little kiddo fighting with his brother. Without a single diaper in my purse. Ben had to come to CA for a training seminar, and he asked me to tag along. So he's gone for the whole day, and I'm here:
on Laguna Beach, with a day full of possibilities. I think my camara and I have a date with that beach down there. And I have a date with the little pastry shop down the street for lunch. And all the little shops and stores are calling my name. What a day it's going to be. I've never been so excited to spend an entire day with... myself.
I'll blog about Christmas when I get home. Maybe.

Her favorite ride...

2011-11-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

...is still Chandler. (And I LOVE this picture. Pure joy.)

The truth. The madness. The hilarity.

2011-11-13T14:33:00.000-08:00

It's hilarious, really. The things I do. I sometimes wonder if there's anyone out there as crazy as me. When I was pregnant with Gabby, I never slept. I know, big surprise. But insomnia is bad enough, but when you're pregnant with insomnia, you can just consider yourself on the brink of death. I was. I was desperate for some good sleep. I decided that it was the mattress. The really fancy, expensive mattress that we had just recently bought that I now hate. Too soft. I thought I liked soft. I don't. So I stole the only mattress in the house that I thought was comfortable from Chandler, gave him a different one, and put his on the floor next to my huge fancy mattress. I laid my big belly down, and slept like a baby. So guess where I slept for the duration on my pregnancy?
I had Gabby, and knew something needed to be done about my sleeping arrangements. I decided I'd put the beloved mattress on TOP of the huge fancy squishy mattress so that my bed would officially be too tall to climb in without a ladder. But maybe I'd sleep fine up there. One night of that, and I knew it wouldn't work. I could feel the squish of the fancy matress under me. Too soft. So I went to Home Depot and got a board. Seriously. Put that under my mattress on top of my mattress so as not to feel the softness of fancy mattress. Oh, no. Too hard. So I added a matress topper, doubled over, and voila. Perfection. Imagine the look on Ben's face when he saw this scene for the first time. Priceless. I'm sure he was thinking, "Wow. What did I get myself into, exactly?" He just laughed. Out loud. Then said, "Hon. You're crazy. Not kidding" And he puts up with the board giving him the occasional splinter. Ha ha. Not really.
At night, it's a production. I start by drinking just the right amount of water to wake me up once- not twice, and early enough that I'll be able to go back to sleep. I get ready for bed, and climb in. I must read a book before going to sleep. I has to be interesting, but not interesting enough to keep me awake, and almost always nonfiction. (Right now it's "Leadership and Self-Deception". I highly recommend.) I read until I am falling asleep. Sometimes it's 5 minutes, sometimes it's 2 hours. I sleep with one hard and one soft pillow under my head, and one pillow on each side of me. I have a t-shirt that is perfectly folded that I put on my head. I have a ceiling fan to cool, and another fan for white noise blowing at all times. When the lights go out, if I don't immediately fall asleep, I get back up and read. We repeat that sometimes several times. When I get up in the middle of the night, I can almost always tell if I'm going to fall back to sleep or not. If not, it's more reading until I fall back to sleep. Sometimes that doesn't happen.
So there. How's that for crazy?! So when you see me and are tempted to ask, "Are you tired?" Just assume the answer is yeah. I am. Exhausted. But it's a happy exhaustion.

The Pretty, and the Kinda Ugly

2011-11-08T20:23:00.000-08:00

First, the ugly:
Chicken. Raw. 45 pounds of it. I bought it, (I had tons of coupons. No way I paid $1.99/lb for it) trimmed it, cut it, and stuffed it into 45 pint jars. It looked awesome. Like this:

Then, I put it into a giant pressure canner on a camp stove in my backyard and pressure canned these babies in two batches. Out they came, looking so much better:

Yum, right? Who wouldn't want to crack open a jar of this and have a feast? In all truthfulness, it's awesome. And totally easy. I throw it in soups, enchiladas, on a BBQ chicken pizza, little chicken salad sandwich. And, awesome food storage. Crazy. Who knew I'd ever can chicken? Mama'd be proud.

Now, the pretty:

One of my first (and proudest) Pinterest projects. I'm totally addicted.

Why Bother?

2011-10-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

It's really no wonder that Gabby was the oldest of all of my children to walk. She can pretty much hitch a ride with any sibling around. Jackson loves to drag her all around the house on any blanket for a little ride. All he has to do is throw down the blankie, and she lays down and holds on for dear life. He has yet to ram her into any walls. I'm waiting...

Little Miss Walking Pants

2011-10-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

I happen to think there are few things in the world cuter than watching a baby learn to walk. When that baby is Gabby Hays, it's like double the cuteness. She's been walking pretty good for just a few weeks now, and I still love to watch her. It's like they turn from infant to toddler (albeit a somewhat druken looking one) right before your very eyes. As luck would have it, the weather has turned beautiful, and Gabby would rather take her walking to the front yard grass. Here she is in motion (with her blankie, of course):

Go get 'em, girl!

Here's mine:

2011-10-10T12:37:00.001-07:00

Can't you just see me on this cute thing? One day, it will be mine. Oh, yes.

Kids crazy for the Harley

2011-10-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

So Gary, our neighbor and now my children's new best friend, took my kids up on their request for a ride on his sweet Harley Davidson bike. Yes, the one Jackson was sitting on a few days ago. Now, they want to "Live To Ride." (Good thing, because I don't think Ben'll ever come around to the idea of a motorcycle, so Maybe Chandler will get one when he's a wealthy attorney.)
Here's Chandler getting geared up. He had helmet, sunglesses, leather vest, jacket, riding gloves... I think he's found what he wants to be for Halloween.

Here's Mariah ready to go. So. Much. Fun. Thanks, Gary! (And, so much for hating all of our new neighbors, I guess.)

Hays Family Fashion

2011-10-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

Surprisingly this entry about Hays Family Fashion has nothing to do with Jackson. He's usually the biggest fashion offender in the family, but there was a pretty big offense last night. Let's get to that in a minute. First, the interesting:
Who knew it was such a huge fad to put feathers in your hair that are aptly named "hair feathers"? Not me. Mariah knew, though, and she was ALL OVER this. I'm not really sure how to feel about it, but there's worse things than a purple feather attached to your hair for a few months. Right?

Now, the handsome:

What a big kid. Does he or does he not look like a little missionary? Love.

Now, for the big offense. Ben and I were going on a date last night. I got ready to go, and was in the kitchen fixing the kids some dinner while Ben went to get dressed. Out he walks wearing these shorts:

I love these shorts. I bought them for him. He has a handsome plain brown polo that he wears with them. However, the brown polo was apparently not to be found, so he paired these fine shorts with this:

A blackish polo with some strange pattern on it. I looked at it, and siad, "Oh, no."

He said, "What? This isn't ok?"

I think the look on my face said it all, because he was halfway back to our closet before I could get out, "That is SO not ok, babe."

I must give the guy credit, though. He's learned how to make me happy. Whenever we have somewhere to go, I almost always ask him, "What are you going to wear?"

And, he almost always responds with, "What would you like me to wear?" Then he puts it on with a smile. Gotta love that!

Hey, nice bike

2011-10-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

Our new next door neighbor has a few toys that Jackson and I like. I might have to get to know him a little better before I take him up on his offer for a ride, though.

I can't believe it, but...

2011-10-02T20:10:00.000-07:00

I get to be the mom of this awesome kid. He's a deacon now. A deacon. And the least annoying deacon in the ward, according to the priests. (Not that that's saying much, really.) I have a 12 year old. Wow.
He happens to be the coolest 12 year old ever. He is so totally 100% his dad. He so mature and responsible for a 12 year old. All he wanted for his birthday was a suit for church. He looks like a little man in it. I can't believe I don't have a picture of it yet. I love, love him. It's so not cool to love your mama when you're 12, but totally ok to love your baby sister, and he does. She loves him so much too. It brings tears to my eyes every time she cuddles up to him with her paci and blankie. Precious.
Chandler gave his first talk at church last week. His assignment was how the 10th Article of Faith relates to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. He did such an amazing job. He just gets it. His faith and thirst for gospel knowledge blow me away. Again, his dad.
I can't wait to watch Chandler grow and change. What an awesome kid. Wish I could take some credit for that...
On another good note, we had Parent/Teacher conferences this week, and Jackson hasn't been expelled from Kindergarten yet, so hooray!
Actually, his teacher said he's such a good boy, and she rarely has to discipline him in any way. What a wonderful surprise for my spirited social little man. And, so pleased he saves is best side for lucky me!

Gabby and her BFF

2011-09-19T11:27:00.000-07:00

I swear, she likes him more than me. No lie.
And, this is the only picture I've taken since we moved. But I have located my camara, charger, and downloading cord thing, so maybe I'll be good for picture taking again. We'll see.

The Promised Picture

2011-09-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

Jackson ready for school. Read the following post for clarification.

Moving on

2011-09-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged since Gabby's Birthday. We moved. Not very far away, and to a super cute, awesome Chandler house with an office for Ben. It was hard, though. I hate moving so much, especially when you leave behind the best neighbors and friends the world could ask for. I've decided to only hate my neighbors from now on, then I won't be sad when either they or I move. Good idea? I thought so.
As a consequence of the move, I can't find my camara charger. I have a dead camara with some great picuters on it. (Especially the one of Jackson in his undies, shoes, and socks. He woke me up like that early one morning and proclaimed himself "ready for school". I said, "I think you might want to put some more clothes on than that." To which he said, very logically, "Yeah, you're probably right. I might get a sunburn if I wear this." As if that's the best and only reason not to go to school in your undies.) (Love him.)
So I'll find my camara charger soon, I'm sure. It's in one of these boxes of junk. Then, back to blogging. The subject's the same. The background's a bit different. I'm off to get my toes done with that beautiful ex-neighbor friend now. If I had a camara, I'd take a picture of it...

Happy birthday, Baby Goochess

2011-08-14T10:26:00.000-07:00

Unbelievably, Gabriella had her first birthday on August 8th. This was the best look I could get out of her on her birthday. Appearantly, she's as upset about her getting older as I am.
Is this not the best part of the 1 year old party? Watching them pig out on the cake? Entertainment like that just doesn't come around all that often. She wasn't so sure at first. Tiny bites of frosting:

Then, well, she got the hang of it.

Gabby is our favorite plaything here at the Hays house. She's so spoiled. She has no hope. She's still teeny, and not really even close to walking yet, but this girl knows how to eat. She'll eat virtually anything we put in front of her. (except broccoli, and now potatos.) One of her faves? Just crack open a can of tuna or salmon and throw it on her tray. (Maybe she's part cat. We don't know.) Love you, Gabby Lou!

Quiet. Shhh...

2011-08-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

Wow, my house is so quiet. Gabby sleeps. alot. I have quiet time to do whatever while she naps. My house isn't any cleaner, which remains a mystery to me. I thought once Jackson was in school, there'd be no one here to make messes, plus all the extra time I'd have to clean. Both of those are kind of theoretically true. But who wants to waste a good quality quiet time cleaning. Boo. Also, I make messes. I used to just blame the kids, but there I am, tearing up the kitchen three times a day. Then I have to clean it up. And Gabby has gotten progressively messier. She throws food. And she's mastered dumping out all the toys, (while smiling cutely at me), but hasn't mastered picking them up. Heck, my 12 year old hasn't mastered that one yet. He just had to pay Ben to remove his dirty clothes from the bathroom this morning.
So, we're transitioning. Jackson is doing great at school, but comes home in a mix of tired/wired/whiney/grumpy/emotional. It's quite a display. I'm sure he will adjust in no time. And Gabby misses all of her playmates. She expects ME to sit on the floor and play the day away with her. The nerve. So she'll need to adjust to being neglected once in a while. Poor thing. And I need to adjust to the quiet. I miss my Jackson. I never knew the air conditioner was so loud.

Fisrt day of School

2011-07-28T10:42:00.001-07:00

We got back from vacation on Saturday night. Kids started school Monday morning. 6th grade, 4th grade, and Kinder. And the house is quiet. Happy schooling, little people!

Vacay, baybay!

2011-07-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

So, we decided as a family that being in Phoenix in July pretty much really stinks, (like, literally) so we decided to ditch the heat for pretty much the whole month. It was brilliant, and hopefully will be repeated every July! So, we went to Vegas. I mean, can you think of any better place to take 4 young kids? ("Don't look down, Chan. Oh! Don't look up, either! And, don't look at the cab! Or bus! Or girl walking toward us!") We stopped at the dam on the way. Saw the new dam bridge. It was impressive. It was also funny that all of the people were complaining about the 90 degree heat.
So, yeah, nothing to report about Vegas. Except Jackson got a horrible ingrown toenail that was disgusting and super painful for the little guy. Good thing we know a good podiatrist or two. (Thanks, Uncle Sean.) At least the pain distracted him from all of the bad stuff on the Strip he shouldn't be seeing. Anyway...

We went straight from Vegas to Lehi, Utah. Could those two places be any more polar opposite?! We all loved Utah. We hardly ever saw any of the kids. They were always off doing something. Chandler and Hunter walked to Smith's like every hour to buy ice cream. Mariah and Jessie were holed up in Jessie's room listening to Taylor Swift and drooling over Justin Bieber. Seth and Jackson were playing video games and fighting, like usual. And the moms and dads played hours of Pinochle, Cities and Knights, and Dominion. Dominion is a new addition to our game repertoire. It was way fun. Unless we only played with mean cards, then not fun. I, by nature, am a super sweet person who hates being mean to anyone. Even during a game. ;)

Jessie and Mariah right after the fashion show they put on.

Chandler and Hunter dreaming about the brownies.

Then we went to Colorado to visit with my family. Fun. This is 4 generations of awesome chicks:

My 90 year old Grandpa playing Wii with Jackson (hilarious!):

My grandma is an expert at all things baking. She loves making tarts, so she gave Mariah her own tart pans and came over and made tarts with us one day. It was one of my favorite days on our trip.

Mariah with her finished product. They were, of course, awesome. And they lasted about 10 seconds.

What's a trip to GJ without a cruise up the Colorado National Monument? The day we went was PERFECT. A little rainy, nice and cool. Beautiful.

We went over to Colorado Springs to visit the Christensens, our best friends from High School. We spent the week trying to convince them to move to Phoenix. Then after spending the week hiking around and seeing the sights of the Springs, I couldn't help but think, "Why would ANYONE leave this for Phoenix!?" It was so gorgeous, and the weather was perfect. I know I'd FREEZE in the winter, especially at Shannon's house, but the summers can't be beat. And neither can the PK Subs and Pepsi for nearly every meal. Yuuuummm. Italian Combo? Yes, please.

This was on one of the most beautiful hikes I've been on in a while called 7 Bridges. Again, perfect day. Overcast, cool. I was in heaven. Of course, I didn't have Gabby strapped to me, so it was possibly less enjoyable for Ben. Here's the kiddos on the 7th bridge.

Lastly, we went to Lubbock, TX to visit some of Ben's family. We were having way too much fun eating donuts and mexican food, going swimming and going to the movies to take many pictures. This cute Kati girl has grown into a giant since we last saw her. Her and Chandler had so much fun playing the card game "Ratuki". Look for it. I recommend.

We had such an awesome time. It was so great to see so much family and friends that are as close as family. Maybe they'll come visit us when it's gorgeous here and they're freezing to death. Here's hoping...

Oh, Jackson turned 5....

2011-06-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

...like a month ago. Busy! Summer! Cool cake, right!? Miss Kim next door made it. She also brought over and set up, with the assistance of Mr. Kim, her two giant inflatable waterslides for his party. Seriously, I had tears in my eyes, and a heart brimming with love for my neighbors. Happy being 5, Jacks!

My husband, the flower man

2011-06-24T09:19:00.000-07:00

Well, the bishop at our church, Bishop Nemeth, HAD to go to Hawaii for 10 days. Poor guy. So Ben, as his trusty 1st Counselor, was put in charge of holding down the fort in Bishop's absence. It just so happened that one of the sweet little widows of the ward passed away after a massive stroke. So, Bishop called Ben to go to the hospital in her final hours and visit with the family. This was a first for Ben. Then, after having gone to literally 3 funerals in his whole life, he got to conduct and speak at his first funeral. He was at the church that day from 7 am until 9 pm with about a 2 hour dinner break in between. When he came home for dinner, he brought me a little surprise:
Imagine my delight at the sight of this beauty! I mean, what wife wouldn't want a half-dead, wilting, giant, stinky, satin bow falling off funeral bouquet to display on her counter? LOVE IT! No, not really. I took one look and seriously laughed out loud. Hard. His defense? "The old ladies tought you'd love this, and they stuffed it in my car. Along with all the leftover rolls and chocolate cake." Awesome. So, my kids went to work on the 90 peices of cake, and I went to work on these flowers. I took out like 10 flowers, made a cute little bouquet:

It was actually kinda fun. The rest of the fabulous flowers, along with the chocolate cake that my kids didn't manage to devour met their doom in the garbage.

I froze the rolls for later use.

And yay for Ben and his first funeral. Next time, bring home some salad and potatoes so I don't have to cook dinner, k?

For Grandma

2011-05-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks for the bow, Grandma! It's like a party on my head! Love it!

The new, high maintenance, me

2011-05-26T09:20:00.000-07:00

I am forever telling Ben how lucky he is to have me. I know. So fully of humility am I. I think as far as girls go, I am pretty low maintenance. (Well, except for my penchant for buying unnecessary footwear.) I'm not the girl who can't be seen without makeup. In fact, there are weeks where the mascara only sees the light of day for church. I'm not even picky about my makeup. Revlon? Just as good as MAC. I swear by Cetaphil for my delicate, sensitive (thanks for that, mom) face. Nothing works better. I hate blow-drying my hair in the summer, and it's never seen a drop of hair color. I wear flip-flops as frequently as possible, and high-heels as rarely as possible. These are a few of the reasons that the events that took place yesterday were somewhat surprising to me.
I went to get a haircut. That's not surprising. I have short hair. It needs frequent trims. So, there I was, enjoying my trim, chatting away with Miss Natalie. Out of the blue, she says, "Do you need you eyebrows waxed today?" Is this a suggestion? I wonder. Do I really have unruly eyebrows, or is she just doing her "upselling" thing? I didn't want to chance it. I blurted out, "Yes!" Then, we were past the point of no return. I wasn't taking it back. I've barely given my eyebrows a second glance. I mean, I've plucked a bit here and there, (like once every 20 months) but have never considered waxing. Now... shoot. I like my new brows. I'm doomed to forever being a waxer. Next time it'll be my lip. Then my chin. Then I'll be talked into some highlights "just to brighten up my face." In one fast, spontanious moment, I crossed the line. Look out, pocketbook, High Maintenance Hillary is here. With fab looking eyebrows.

Here's a warning, Gabby:

2011-05-19T20:14:00.000-07:00

You just shouldn't trust boys. It may just seem like fun and games, but it usually ends badly for sweet, unassuming gals like us. Just remember that.

Strings on Things

2011-05-17T16:08:00.000-07:00

This is totally Gabby: She has a string that is coming unraveled on her bumper in her crib. The second I lay her on her back for her naps, she rolls on to her side and plays with this string until she falls asleep. She always finds the loose strings on everything, and plays with them, especially if she's tired. If she can't find strings, she plays with my hair when she's tired. Such a funny little thing.

The Internship

2011-05-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Mariah was certain for a long time that she wanted to be a veterinarian. Just recently I had to provide the devastating news to her that being a veterinarian isn't just prancing with puppies and cuddling kitties all day. They sometimes have very unpleasant jobs, up to and including putting suffering animals to sleep. Well, as I imagined she would, she decided she definately DID NOT want to be a veterinarian anymore. So she changed her mind to teacher. Perfect. I mean, though there may be days as a teacher where you may WISH you could put someone to sleep, there's no follow-through. So, I thought why not get her started on this path? It's not too early. She's full of patience and vigor. So, I've hired her as an intern. Her job? Teach Jackson all of his letters and numbers before July 25th. (That's his first day as a kindie.) It's an unpaid internship. Unless you count dinner as payment, which I totally do. So far, her performance has been magnificant.
Which leaves me with the question: Why do kids respond better to whoever is not the Mom trying to teach them? El frustrationo.

A funny Jackson story. Or two.

2011-05-14T08:47:00.000-07:00

Jackson was playing "this little piggy" with Gabby. He just learned how to do this from me, and he loves it. She loves it too. So, I guess he kind of forgot the words, so he decided to make them up as he went: "This little piggy went to the market. This little piggy... um, got in a car crash, but had Geico insurance..." That's all I heard. I started laughing too hard to pay attention to whatever else he was saying.

When Ben woke up a few mornings ago, he went to see what Jackson was up to. He found him in the bathroom, stripped down to, well, nothing, sitting on the potty backwards with the lid closed, and his arms up on the back of the potty. Ben said, "Jackson, what ARE you doing?"
Jackson turned and said, "I'm saying my morning prayers!"
How very spiritual that boy is.

Easterish Stuff

2011-05-12T10:21:00.000-07:00

So it would seem that 4 kids is just one too many for me to be a decent blogger. Easter was only what? Like 3 weeks ago. I'm still trying to recover. From Easter, and from the killer sinus infection I had at the same time that all of my kids got the worst cold of the whole season, also from a nasty stomach episode that Jackson had, and from some other "mamma drama", so to speak. Good times around here. On a positive note, we haven't seen the gopher since we buried the traps, though. Not sure if there's a gopher actually in a trap. I'm too chicken to look. So here's some pictures:
Mommy and Gabby on Easter Afternoon, lest anyone think my children are motherless. (They are on occasion, but I'm hoping they'll be ok in spite of that fact.)

She loved the eggs. She'll love them more next year when she realizes she gets to hunt for them and find good stuff inside.

Before the big hunt commenced. There were something like 130 eggs for my 3 kids. Ok, Grandma, I think that's enough. I mean, honestly... (she did fill most of them with various amounts of money this year, which my older two especially loved. Jackson loved it too, because he couldn't figure out why Chandler would give him TWO whole jelly beans for a dumb old quarter. He thought he was scoring pretty big!)

I was giddy that Easter wasn't during tax season this year as it usually is. This meant Dad could be home to color eggs with us on Saturday night! Woo hoo! But then, they decided to have Stake Conference that weekend, so he had meetings all night, anyway. Boo hoo. Luckily, Aunt Bonnie and Uncle Paul were in town from Texas, and they came to color eggs with us. We had so much fun! I think they enjoyed it, too. Their grandkids are teenagers now, so they hadn't colored eggs in a long time. (wish I had a better picture with Uncle Paul, too. I was too busy making sure Jackson didn't crack every single egg he was "coloring".)

Some eggs.

HAPPY SPRING!

Gopher

2011-04-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

So, how to get rid of a gopher. ? ! . We've had a little "pet", shall we say, roaming and digging his little way through our yard. Never in the grass. Never in the garden where the yummy carrots and veggies grow with abandon. Just in the rocks. We thought he was gone on several occasions, but alas, he keeps popping back up. Just like "Caddyshack." Not that I ever saw that movie...
Our first attempt at getting rid of him was to call the exterminator. I mean, I'm a do-it-yourselfer all the way, but rodents... I don't do. So Mr. Rodent Man came out and laid bait. Like 10 times. All he managed to do was poke several holes of varying sizes in our drip system and charge us money for it. Thanks, Mr. Rodent Man. Love you. So, we decided to take matters into our own hands. Ben stuck a hose down a hole to try and flush him out. No. We tried sticking things down there like Juicy Fruit gum, human hair, and other various odd things. We tried sprinkling fox urine granules all around his tunnels in an attempt to scare him with the scent of a predator. We even had Jackson pee on a few holes, because he seems predator-like. (And he had a lot of fun doing it- for the cause.)
So none of this has worked. It's last resort time. Traps. So Stan went to ACE, picked up some traps, we watched a few minute tutorial online about how to set them, and now we wait. I'm not excited about finding a bloody gopher, but I've tried to be humane. This gopher's not interested in humane.
Well, this might be the end of the story for now, except that Mariah got word of the traps. Busted. Big time. "MOM! The gopher probably has a family! He just wants to find food and shelter. He's trying to provide for his family, just like dad! You CANNOT kill him!!"
Well, now I do feel a little badly. Sorry, little gopher fella. Your days are numbered. Hopefully.

Busier than a...

2011-04-18T09:24:00.000-07:00

what? Busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest? Yeah. Tax season is over. Today. Yahoo! I can have a husband back. You never really know how much you miss 'em until they're not there to compliment your cooking. It's just you cooking for kids that complain about everything you cook until you get to the point that all you cook for dinner is pancakes, because, well, they're easy and kids don't complain about pancakes. So tonight, it's cuban black beans and corn bread. All my kids hate it, but I LOVE it, and so does Ben. So we'll celebrate over our black beans and tune out the complaints. I'm pretty good at that. So, yesterday was Sunday. Here's a family portait right before we left for church: Lovely. After church, Ben, who spent his day visiting Primary, recounted the following (hilarious) story to me: In Sharing Time, they were talking about service, and ways that we can serve other people. The teacher was having volunteers come up and share a way that they could serve others. Of course, Jackson was waving his arm like a wild man until he was chosen. He went up in front of the Primary. Sister Primary asked him what he could do to serve others. Jackson said, "I could raise someone from the dead." Sister Primary, a little surprised, said, "Yes, I guess if it was what Heavenly Father wanted and if you had the priesthood, maybe you could do that." Jackson heard Ben telling me this story and said, "Um, I have the priesthood, because I'm a boy. Boys have the priesthood, and girls have babies." Alrighty then. Really, I have no idea where he comes up with this stuff.

Sweeties

2011-03-23T20:26:00.000-07:00

We had a little outing yesterday. It was basically my kids' (and most kids') dream come true. We have a new candy store here in Chandler that is aptly named Sweeties. Perhaps "candy store" is an understatement. I should probably say candy warehouse. Huge. Full of any candy you could dream up from today or yesteryear. Idaho Spuds? Check. Razzles? Done. Wax Lips? Got it. There were so many "Oh, I remember those!" moments. So fun. Well, we went with Grandma and Uncle Andy, and a bit of a shopping spree was permitted. So, here's Jackson with his goods. He did end up with some of those waxy pop bottles that you sort of chew the juice out of, and spit the wax out. Nasty. Why did I ever think those were good?
Here's Mariah. She went more for the bulk bins. She got a good mix of gummies, chocolates, and jaw breakers.

And Chandler. He got one of those giant pixie stix that I thought were so awesome when I was his age. Yuck. And some Sponge Bob Crabby Patty junk.

And then there's little Gabby, who was permitted to have no candy.

And here's why: check out the rolls she's getting on those thighs! Ha ha, not really. I just love the chub she's finally getting. Is there anything more fun in the world to squeeze?! I thought not.

As for me, I got a Moon Pie. Not as good as I remembered, for sure. But not bad. And I got Ben a Big Hunk and a Sugar Daddy, because, well, he's my Big Hunk and my Sugar Daddy. So there.

Happy 7 Months

2011-03-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

It really has been a happy 7 months. I can't believe how much I love this stinking cute girl, and how completely blissed out I am by my life. (Yes, I am ignorantly pretending the huge stack of laundry will get done by the laundry fairy at this exact moment.)
So How did Miss Gabby Boo celebrate her big 7 months? Well,
she had her first taste of a little thing called powdered donut. Jackson picked these out for Family Night treat. You go for it, girl. Get after that donut.

Then, after her bath and jammies, she helped dad shave.

Yeah, it's a little late in the day to be shaving, but he doesn't usually shave between church meetings. Which is basically every 4 hours... or so. Business casual means you don't have to shave, right? That's what I told him. And he's his own boss. He can do whatever he wants with his face. Well, except I boss him sometimes, but I like it when he goes a few days without shaving. It's rugged and manly. (Yes, I just described my CPA husband as rugged and manly. It's true.)

This fella got to go to Grandma's for the WHOLE day today. He was oh, so excited. I was too. But then I missed him. It's so quiet when he's not here to tell me that I'm grounded from Toy Story Yahtzee for not giving him good snacks. Luckily, he'll be back in a few hours. Hope he had fun!!

What's in a name?

2011-03-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

I asked Jackson in the car the other day if he liked it when people called him "Jack". It's just one of those names that always gets shortened, although almost never by me. Well, ok, I call him Jacks sometimes. Anyway, he said, "No. I don't like Jack. It sounds too much like Jack-in-the-box." So I asked him if he liked to be called anything besides Jackson. He said, "Well, I guess it would be ok if you called me Jordon."
Huh?
Then he said, "You could call me Jacko if you wanted to."
Hmm. I think I like Jackson.

On Sunday Mornings,

2011-03-04T08:33:00.000-08:00

this is what my living room turns into. We don't have church until 1:00, and I'm kinda diggin' it. Plenty of time to get me and my 4 kids pressed and ready to go, get in Gabby's nap, have a proper lunch, finish up lessons, so forth. My kids always build a giant fort. They love it. They're happy. They're quiet. What more could a mom ask for in entertainment? These forts are HUGE, too. Big enough for Mariah to have her own room, and a home office. Big enough for Chandler to have his own room, and a home office. AND, big enough for Jackson to have his own room, and... a casino. That Jackson. He's a gamblin' man.

Hippies and stuff

2011-03-02T07:45:00.001-08:00

Yesterday morning, Mariah announced that she wants to be a hippie when she grows up. I think this is great news. I mean, you don't need a college degree to be a hippie, right? One less kid's college to pay for. I sincerely hope she's talking about the non-LSD type of hippie. And not the hippie with loose morals. Perhaps she doesn't truely know what a hippie is. And I'm not going to explain it to her at this time. At least not in full detail. I will admit, however, that she does have some "hippie" tendancies. I am positive that if she had her choice, she'd be a vegetarian. She is such a creature lover. Her and a few friends recently sent letters to the governer of AZ asking for stricter regulations on puppy mills. She really did her research on this, and wrote what I thought to be a very informed 9 year old letter. I'm sure Jan up at the capitol really appreciated it. She also wanted to donate stuff to a no-kill shelter. She used some of her own money to buy supplies that they needed, and we donated a dozen or so old towels. She loved visiting the shelter, and is dying to be old enough to volunteer there. Wierd for me, because I'm NOT an animal lover. Although the little pup named Nixon was stinkin' cute...

She's a bit of a tree hugger, for sure. We have a garden out back where we grow some fine foods. I made a salad the other night with a head on leaf lettuce I had pulled from the garden. Mariah, in complete seriousness, said, "Mom, I'm not sure if I can eat this salad. Isn't pulling out the lettuce like pulling the earth's hair? Not nice." I laughed, and she got mad. She was completely serious. She also told me I should be cloth diapering Gabby. "Eliza's mom does it, and it save's "X" pounds of trash from the landfill." K.

So, to display her "hippiness", she wants to wear peace signs on all of her clothing. Luckily, that's easy enough- they're everywhere. She's such her own little person, and it's so fun to see that. It just goes to show, they come as they are. We better love them. And support their good ideas, even if we're ok pulling the Earth's hair for a tasty salad.

Workin' it out

2011-02-14T16:00:00.000-08:00

I've recently come up with the most brilliant plan that I think I've ever had as a mom. I'm seriously so proud of this one. I have an 11 year old that is just itching to have a later bedtime. I have a 4 year old that needs books read to him every night. Now the 11 year old "earns" the right to stay up until 9:00 if he spends 10 minutes reading to the 4 year old. LOVE it. Also, I taught Mariah how to change diapers, so basically I'm not really needed around here anymore. Oh, except to wash and dry the 6 billion loads of laundry we procure per week.
Oh, and gabby says "Happy Valentine's Day" a few days late.

Once, there was a day in Phoenix...

2011-02-13T09:44:00.001-08:00

...when it was cold enough for Gabby to wear a cute sweater. And a hat. I know. That's WAY cold.
I can hardly believe that this little creature is 6 months old now. She's a whoppping 14 pounds, and 24 1/2 inches. She's diggin' the cereal and veggies now, and after a few rough nights of crying, she sleeps through the night most of the time. Hooray, Gabby!! (mostly hooray mommy, who gets to sleep a little more.)

Surprise, surprise...

2011-01-28T13:01:00.000-08:00

It's another funny Jackson tale. He was in the bathtub the other night. I was searching for the baby tylenol that I had earlier that day to give to Gabby Lou. (Poor thing is just in misery with a few teeth trying to break their way through.) I couldn't find it, but I had an idea of someone who might think it would be a fun little thing to play with, so I head to the tub.
"Jackson, do you know where Gabby's tylenol might be?" I ask.
Jackson says, "I have NO idea where it is. But... I think I might have seen it walk outside by itself. I bet if you took a flashlight out back and looked on top of the shed next to the garden, it might be there. I think it walked out there by itself."
What's a mom to do? I know, right? Go get the flashlight...

And...hooray, he learned to ride his bike without training wheels! And, yes, he rides his bike in outfits like this everyday. And, yes, I drag his hiney all over town dressed like this everyday, too. This momma has learned to pick her battles. Fighting over wearing flannel pajama pants with t-shirts and sweater vests in unmatching shades with an unmatching flannel over with flip-flops in December.... not worth it. Not with this boy.

Suits me

2011-01-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

Jackson asked me if his Super Hero swim trunks were clean, because he wanted to wear them for his bubble bath. Why swim trunks make a bubble bath better, I know not. But in Jackson's little world, everything is better wearing swim trunks.
I said, "I don't know, bud. I think they might be dirty. You might just have to wear your birthday suit for your bath."
He said, "Oh, you mean my shark swim trunks?"

And, don't get me started on the lion towel he got from grandma for Christmas. Not just a towel. It gets worn for pretty much every occasion. Even in public. Picture to come...

Fun (at Chandler's expense)

2010-12-31T14:44:00.000-08:00

Kids are so fun as they get older. Especially if they are awesome kids like Chandler. He's fun to talk to. He gets our jokes. He's totally helpful around the house and with the younger kids... So, anyway, last night Ben and I went out to tell Chandler to go to bed. Then we went in to the kitchen to get a drink and turn off all the lights. We turned the lights off, and I came up with the idea to hide in the dark of the kitchen and scare Chandler when he came to get a drink. We heard him go brush his teeth. Then, he started whispering for me. I was trying so hard not to crack up around the corner. Ben kept elbowing me and shushing me. Finally, he came tip-toeing toward the kitchen in the dark. We jumped out at him, and... well, he was scared. He fell to the floor yelling, "Oh my gosh!" We were laughing so hard, and he had this look like, "Who ARE you people!? Why did you do that!?" Then, I hugged him, and his heart was totally pounding out of his chest. Then, I felt a little bad. But not bad enough to stop laughing. I hope he's forgiving. And, I better watch my back. He might just get revenge.

Itsy Bitsy Gabby Lou

2010-12-31T14:23:00.001-08:00

Gabriella is 4 months now. (Actually she had been for a few weeks. I'm slow. And holy overwhelmed. But that's for a different day.) She weighed in at a whopping 11 pounds, 13 ounces. She's so little still. Nice in a way, but I'd be darn happy if she decided to go ahead and sleep through the night. Or take a nap longer than 15 minutes.
She is a huge HUGE mommy/daddy's girl. Other people just won't do. I'm surprised by this since she is still so young, but WOW. She totally knows if someone other than mom or dad is holding her. And she ain't diggin' it.
She rolls only from her back to her tummy, and then gets totally ticked off that she can't get back. She plays this fun little game all night. This is another surprise, because don't babies usually roll tummy to back first? Maybe I'm remembering wrong.
She seriously is the most precious thing to me. The fact that I never sleep or get anything accomplished all the day long is ok most of the time. I try to focus on the facts. And the fact is, this little one will grow. And she probably won't want me to cuddle her forever. None of my other kids will let me cuddle them much. So I'm going to cuddle her, and apologize to you if you come to my house. It will most assuredly be a pig sty.

It's a love/hate thing

2010-12-28T20:11:00.000-08:00

I've realized I have a love/hate relationship with sleep. I just finished reading a book about a woman's struggle with anorexia. It was very enlightening. I realized that the way she thinks about food is the way I think about sleep. I wake up every morning obsessing over how much sleep I got (or more likely didn't get) the night before. I can't help it. I calculate in my mind like an anorexic counting calories how many minutes I've slept, and somewhat subconciously decide what kind of day it will be based on my calculations. The conversation in my head goes like this, "I read from 10 until 10:37. Lights out. I last looked at the clock at 10:45, probably fell asleep at around 11. Gabby woke up at 2:37. She was back down at 3:03. It took me about 20 minutes to fall back asleep. I woke up at 5. Couldn't go back to sleep. Got up and read until 5:40. Gabby woke up again until 6:15. I half-slept while feeding her in the rocking chair until I heard Jackson at 6:50. Ok, how much sleep did I get? Is there a possibility I might be able to rest during the day today? No. I can't. I won't sleep tonight if I do..." and on and on it goes.
Is this abnormal? Do I need to go to rehab? I think I do. I need to rehab my sleeping habits. I've just always been a terrible sleeper. Just ask my mom. Or any of my best freinds when I was young. Or my husband. I'm surprised he hasn't had me committed, because some nights it FEELS insane.
Last night, however, my head hit the pillow, and I was out. It was beautiful. I'm hoping for the same tonight. I've heard insomnia gets worse as we age. Yuck. I guess I'm destined to always be an OCD sleeper. And the love/hate continues...

Cheatin'

2010-12-23T08:20:00.000-08:00

Jackson was running through the house chanting, "Mommy has a boyfriend! Mommy has a boyfriend!" I was in my room with Ben when he came in to chant this to us. I said, "I DO have a boyfriend, Jackson! Guess who it is! Daddy!"
He said, "Mom, dad's just in love with you. He can't be your boyfriend!"
Hmm...
Then Ben tried to make Jackson admit that my boyfriend is the UPS man, as I've been pretty excited to see him every day for the past few weeks. (I think I AM also in love with Amazon. Call me the cheatin' kind.)

Hide and Seek

2010-12-07T10:31:00.000-08:00

Jackson loves to play hide and seek with me. He always begs to play. He is hilarious to play with because he ALWAYS hides in the same place, (under the covers on his bed), and he always giggles before I even get there. So, needless to say, his H&S skills need some mastery.
So we were playing, and he hid in his usual spot, giggling all the while, and I found him. Then it was my turn to hide. He was counting in his room, and I hid behind his door. Not too tough. He counts to ten REALLY fast, and then starts looking. He walks right out the door and is looking through the house sporadically calling for me. I stay hidden, and the calling stops. I stay hidden for another good 5 minutes. I begin to think I've hidden too well, and go to find him. I'm looking all over the house for him, and finally Chandler tells me he's out back. Is he looking for me out back? That would be a No. He has totally forgotten all about Hide and Seek, and has moved on to whatever activity drew him out back. Good thing he informed me. Good times.

World's best smell

2010-12-07T10:17:00.000-08:00

Is there anything in the world that smells better than a freshly bathed baby? I just love the way their skin is so super soft, they smell so sweet like the delicious baby lotion. I just love to drink it all in. The one thing I love more is my husband who loves to bathe his baby girl right before I put her to bed, then he smells like a daddy who just bathed and lotioned a baby for the rest of the night.
What could be better than that?

Sentimental

2010-11-18T12:10:00.000-08:00

Mariah snuck in and took this picture of Gabby Lou and I, and I'm glad she did for this reason: Gabby is wearing a nightgown that every one of my kids have worn. Anyone one who really knows me knows there are very few things I am sentimental about. I hate clutter. I don't hang on to things just to hang on to them. If it doesn't have a purpose it doesn't belong in my house. BUT... this nighty I am sentimental about. I have to keep it forever because every baby wore it, and I want to remember.
There is just something remarkably special about having a baby around. Every time she smiles and laughs, I feel like my heart is going to burst. Especially so if she is smiling or laughing at another one of my babies. Babies' smiles are what makes the world go 'round.
On another note, we were driving somewhere the other day and Gabby was crying. She HATES the car. I said over my shoulder, "Oh Gabby, it's going to be okay."
Jackson said, "Mom, she's crying because she has a flower in her eyeballs and she lost her Paci."
Then to Gabby, "Gabby, if you just keep your mouth shut, it won't be a problem."
Wow. I promise, I never say that to him. No, really! I don't. He got it from "Fantastic Mr. Fox." One of those movies Chandler would've NEVER been able to watch when he was 4. Oh, well. Us moms do what we can. And try not to laugh too much at the inappropriate things that our 4 year olds say.

Have you ever...

2010-11-12T08:58:00.001-08:00

inadvertantly washed a cowboy boot in the washer? I don't know how that thing snuck in there. But now I have to wash the other one, because this one looks remarkably clean now. Dang.

Halloween

2010-11-12T08:49:00.000-08:00

We had a wolf (without his cool mask), an Elphaba (without her cool hat), a Gronkle, and a little monster. (She was a monster that night, too. Not a big fan of the Trunk or Treat yet.) And then, there's Ben. There just aren't words to describe. He told the Bishop he was going to wear this suit to give his talk at church the next day. The congregation would have been mesmerized, that's for sure.
My kids' favorite part is dumping all of their candy out afterward and sorting and trading. They did this for days, until the candy suddenly "disappeared". It's a Hays Household Mystery.

The Multitask

2010-11-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

It's kinda hard to blog and nurse at the same time. Darn it.
I have more to say about that later. When I'm not nursing. Which will be in X more months. Gabby keeps kicking the keyboard, and I keep editing. Doubly hard. Some things are more important than the blog, I guess. Like nourishing an infant. What could be more important than that? I keep telling myself that as all other things buzz in total chaos around me. and Gabby. nursing.

What I know for sure...

2010-10-19T15:16:00.000-07:00

...is that having a baby around is so much easier when you have an 11 year old and a 9 year old who can't get enough of baby. Here's Mariah with Gabby in the sling that my tiny neighbor Stephanie optomistically thought would fit me. Right. It's just right for Mariah, though, and Mariah thinks she's awesome toting Gabby around in it.
Chandler equally loves toting her in this carrier. (The sling is too girly.) He was out front walking around with her when his friend Josh came up the street. I've never seen him move so quickly inside. Evidently its only cool to love your baby sister in the confines of your own home.

See the ball Mariah is sitting on? This is the key to Gabby's happiness, thus also the key to peace in our home. We sit on this ball and bounce her at least 50% of the time she's awake, and occasionally use it to put her to sleep. It's a miracle, really. The second you start bouncing, she's silent. I am quite amazed at all the things I can do (and see Ben do) while holding a baby and bouncing on a ball.

As a bonus, all three older kids know how to clean up after themselves. AND... they occasionally do it. Awesome.

Very Alarming

2010-10-13T08:36:00.000-07:00

Last night an odd thing happened at the Hays home. Very odd. And funny. I got up at about 4:30ish and glanced over to see what time it was. The alarm clock is on Ben's nightstand, (I have my own personal alarm clock named Gabby) and I couldn't see it. I thought maybe he threw a pillow over it or something. I went in to use the powder room, then came back to uncover the clock and find the time. I was walking toward Ben's side of the bed when I noticed a bright red glow under the sheet. I lifted the sheet to find Ben with his arms wrapped around the alarm clock in a kung-fu grip. It was then that I almost fell to the floor laughing. What in the world was he dreaming about that necessated such protection of the alarm clock? I pryed it out of his sleeping hands and put it back on the nightstand. And he, of course, has no recollection of the event.

Funny things

2010-10-11T16:25:00.000-07:00

The funny thing is, Gabriella is two months old now, yet barely bigger than a newborn. (And smaller than some newborns with unfortunate moms.)
She is 9 pounds 10 ounces, and 22 inches long. Still so little. She's definately getting bigger, though. She's so stinking dang cute and fun, and such a clinger. Wow. SUCH a clinger.

Now, the truely funny thing: Jackson. (I know. Who knew the funny thing would be about Jackson?) He decided the other day to go ahead and give his hair a wash. In the bathroom sink. With half a bottle of Warm Vanilla Sugar antibacterial hand soap. He scrubbed it in and then went to rinse. Well, the sink is a bit too high to stick his head under, so he problem solved. He's a problem solver, that boy. He just went ahead and dunked his little head in the potty to rinse that soap on out. This was the scene I walked in on. 3 things crossed my mind: 1) Fury. 2) Totally disgusting. 3) relief that I had scrubbed said potty a mere hours before. I yelled at him to proceed directly to the shower while, I admit, stifling a little laugh. Hee hee.
Last night while reading scriptures we were talking about being humble. Had a whole discussion. Then Ben asked Jack if he knew what it meant to be humble. he said, "Yeah. It means to be proud. And...I just taught myself how to fart." What a spiritual moment.

Dear Mom,

2010-09-28T14:46:00.000-07:00

This whole thing with the Silly Bandz... it's a little out of control, don't you think? I mean, I know they match my outfit and all, but I'm only 7 weeks old. I think I might be a little young for these kinds of accessories. Just a thought.

Love,

Gabby

Trend:

2010-09-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

Headband as big as the baby's head:

Picture Day (again)

2010-09-18T16:14:00.000-07:00

I think these just speak for themselves. Check out this awesome gal's work here: http://www.kfarnsworth.blogspot.com

Gabriella's Blessing Day

2010-09-09T13:20:00.000-07:00

Gabriella was blessed by her dad on September 5th. She didn't particularly enjoy the experience- she screamed through the entire blessing. I don't really remember much of what Ben said, though my sweet sister-in-law took notes of what she could hear. I do remember telling my brother Chris as I handed her to him (Ben was sitting on the stand), "She's so slippery. Don't drop her."
We got the most teensy dress we could find, and it was still huge on her. Even the teeny headband had to have some grandma alterations. I'm just not used to tiny babies. She's still not as big as Mariah was when she was born.

It was a great day. I wish I had a picture of Ben and her, but he was at church for the few hours before and after. We may have to play dress up again to get those.

Irresistable

2010-09-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

Husbands holding tiny babies, trying to sneak in a nap. That's irresistable. (Proof that she liked her pacifier for a few days. No more.)
Typical Jackson. He answered the door like this, and said to the neighbor at the door, "I wear underwear on my head!" Then he ran off. (Yeah, they were clean underwear, but still... what a wierd kid.)

2010-08-30T10:14:00.000-07:00

I just love how Jackson says "Oitmeal" instead of "Oatmeal". So cute.
And, my fortune in my fortune cookie yesterday said "Your days will be filled with sunshine and happiness." So true. That's all.

Love

2010-08-19T15:19:00.001-07:00

Someone in our house is totally and completely in love with his baby sister:
Someone else is still undecided:

As for me, I stand with Chan. So in love with this little thing. I feel so unbelievably blessed by my life right now. (And just a little freaking out that I'm mom to FOUR. woah.)

On my mind

2010-08-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

I took this picture the day my water broke. I was having a craving, can you tell?
It was AWESOME watermelon!

So, here's the big birth story. Mostly it's for my own personal record, so skip it if you're reading this and not interested. (But who's not interested in a good birth story? I love to hear everyone's own and very different stories. You NEVER hear a woman say, "That's exactly how it happened for me!")

So, on Saturday Night, August 7th, I went to bed at 10:00 pm 37 weeks and 4 days pregnant, and more tired than I remember being in a long time. That evening, we were over at mom's house for dinner and Canasta. Her and I took Charlie on a pretty good walk. It was HOT, but I just felt like I needed to walk. I fell asleep the moment my head hit the pillow, which is truely rare. About 1 hour later, I felt an odd but familiar sensation. (My water has broken before labor with 3 out of 4 pregnancies. All in the middle of the night.) I have not moved that quickly in quite a while. Standing safely on the tile, I yelled for Ben. 4 times. He was, evidently, sleeping well, also. Once he woke up, though, he knew there was only one reason for me to be yelling at him from the bathroom. His first words? "Why does this always happen in the middle of the night?" Good question. So he starts calling moms, and I start packing my bag. No, I had not done this. Much better to do this in advance than when the moment comes, and you're running around dripping wet. I really forgot everything I actually needed. Oh well. So, at about 11:30, we were on our way to the hospital. We couldn't go to the one closest to us, because only certain hospitals here will allow a VBAC, and I had a C-section with Jackson.

On our way to the hospital, I texted about 10 people. At least half of them texted me back, and I wondered, "WHY are they awake? It's way past bedtime!" One of my closest friends, Lezlie, was at the movies. I told her to come on up to the hospital when her movie was over. She was there when Mariah was born, and it really is a blessing to have a friend or mom there who has some comprehension of what you're enduring. At least, that's what I think.

We were at Banner Gateway Hospital in Gilbert. They checked me in, and off I went to triage. It always cracks me up when you tell them your water broke, and you're standing there dripping wet, and they ask, "Are you sure?" Um, unless I just lost all control of my bladder, and there was gallons of fluid in there, YES, I'm sure.

We were in triage for a while. Because I was trying for a VBAC, the nurse told me my doctor needed to be there from the moment they admitted me until I had the baby, so they were calling my doctor, and waiting until she got there to admit me. It was fine, I wasn't having very many contractions yet, Ben and I were just hanging out talking, taking tired pictures of each other.

We got to our L&D room at about 1:00 am. Shortly after that, I got a visit from the anesthesiologist, my best friend for the night. I had yet to have a real contraction, but we decided to place the epidural, so just in case anything happened they could get her out fast. My doctor gave me 2 hours to get contractions going, then we were going to start pitocin. Like I have any control. So we turned down the lights, and rested. Ben slept, Lezlie graded papers, and tried to analyze the contractions, and I willed my contractions to get closer and stronger.

No such luck. At 4:00, they started pitocin VERY slowly. They didn't want the contractions to get too intense with the VBAC. Consequently, it seemed like it took forever to get those contractions going. So, at 4:00, I was dialated to a 4-5 and 50% effaced. By 7:30, I was at a 5 and 80% effaced. SOO slow. The doctor and nurse seemed to think everything was going ok, though, so I didn't worry. I just thought I'd be laying there for another 50 hours. My contractions were still 4 minutes apart, and not all that strong. (At least according to the nurse. I didn't feel a thing.)

About an hour later, at 8:30, a nurse different from my own came in and said the baby had "variables" in her readings, meaning her heart was a little up and down. She helped me turn a little more on my side, and it was at this point, we realized I was WAY too numb. My leg fell off the bed, and I didn't even know. So hilarious. I was watching them move my legs, but it totally felt like they weren't attached to my body. It was crazy wierd. Oh well, I was pain free.

A few minutes later, my regular nurse came in, and decided to check me to see if we were making progress. She barely took a glance, and then chaos insued. She practically sprinted to the door, and yelled, "Someone go find Dr. Allen. This girl's complete!" (Whatever that means. I assumed by the way everyone was rushing around, it meant that baby was halfway out. Which she just about was.) Tools were flying, Dr's were throwing on capes and hats and booties. It was

mass madness. I had to push through one and a half contractions, and there she was. Teeny tiny, itsy bitsy, little Gabby.

This pregnancy was so hard, so precarious. It seemed like they found something wierd every ultrasound. I kept thinking it would be a miracle if she got here healthy. Well, she is such a little miracle. Every baby is a miracle, but she just seems particularly miraculous to me. And I'm so happy and relieved that she's here and I don't have to be pregnant anymore. We made it. Now, the fun begins! And by fun I mean teaching Jackson to love his baby sister. It will be an adventure!

She's here!

2010-08-12T09:27:00.001-07:00

Gabriella Cleo Hays

7 lbs

20 inches

August 8, 2010

2010-07-31T07:39:00.000-07:00

“If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years how man would marvel and stare.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

Well, it hasn't exactly been a thousand years since it has rained, but it felt like it. So after school on Thursday when the rain was pouring down, there was really no choice for us to marvel and stare... and then run and play in it. It was a blissful moment for the kids. Jackson was sure it would be too cold, and that he'd need a jacket. It took a minute to convince him that he'd be fine just playing barefoot with no jacket.

Rare things should be cherished. We cherish rainy days.

A Concern

2010-07-23T08:53:00.000-07:00

Ben thinks I'm a worrier. I'm not, really. Not compared to my mom. Or his mom. They are worriers, big time. I am usually pretty good at letting things roll off, and trying not to control the things I can't control. I am concerned, however, about how Sundays and getting ready/going to church are going to go when this little one arrives.
This last Sunday was a nightmare. It was literally one catastrophe after another that culminated with Jackson dropping and breaking my camara, then Mariah and Jackson getting in the car while Chandler and I were looking for a book that Chandler needed for the talk he was supposed to give and hadn't even started yet, and Mariah starting the car WITH THE GARAGE DOOR CLOSED! (I hesitate even mentioning this, as I know how my mom and mom-in-law will now worry about my ability to mother their grandchildren.) Of course, I freaked out. I yelled, and turned red, and screamed, and cried at Mariah in an attempt to impress upon her little mind the danger of what she had just done. This is how we drove to church. The car was silent except for Mariah sobbing in the back. Not my finest moment as a mom, that's for sure.
Then, how to handle a newborn and 3 other kids alone during Sacrament Meeting. I've been going over the scenarios in my mind, and I'm sure it will come to this: either I'll be nursing while sitting in my pew, (no way), or Jackson and I will be taking baby to Mother's Room, where he will terrorize all the other moms and babies. And there's a bunch right now. I just can't wrap my brain around how this is all going to work. It will, though, right?
There. I'm sure I just totally made my case as a non-worrier.

Spa Day

2010-07-13T17:03:00.001-07:00

Mariah, that girl after my own heart, had a "spa day" with her friend Anya. They had so much fun! Here they are soaking their feet, after which they lotioned them with special feetie lotion. (Yeah, I let them use my Crabtree & Evelyn stuff- I'm so nice, I know.)
Then, they did chocolate masks. The cucumbers were their idea, I'm not sure what movie or show they saw that made them think facial=cucumbers, but they thought they needed them.

I say whatever entertains when it's 110 some odd degrees outside- get nuts.

Bumpity, bump, bump

2010-07-12T09:05:00.001-07:00

Six more weeks to cook. And... we're both cooking right now. Whose idea was it to build a huge metropolis in the middle of a super hot desert, anyway? And whose idea was it to move me here?! Oh, wait. That was my idea. I'll think it was a terrific idea in about 4 more months.

The Flippin' Hays

2010-07-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

Summertime is officially on in Phoenix. It is as hot as the day is long. Our bishop, who happens to have the sweetest backyard pool ever, left town for a few weeks, and told us to use his pool at will. We took him up on the offer. Gladly.

They love each other, usually.

Jackson is CRAZY out of control in the pool. He thinks he's 10, and should be perfectly capable of doing everything Chandler does. Scary, usually.
Off the waterfall.

Sibling love on the diving board.

Everyone was in on the flipping action. Jackson even tried a few, and belly flopped. He was totally unfazed, though. Summer fun.

Have a bowl, baby

2010-07-03T18:19:00.000-07:00

We ran out of suitable cereal bowls, and this huge ceramic bowl was sitting on the counter, so the kids got creative. I think they got plenty to eat. At least they shared.

What've we been up to?

2010-06-24T21:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the answer lies in the laundry. Two and a half loads of just towels yesterday. We've been swimming pretty much constantly. Jackson knows no clothes but his swim trunks currently. He even wore them to bed tonight. Good thing he has 3 pair. We were contemplating a trip to Colorado, but I've been feeling like this pregnancy has been a little precarious, and I didn't want any medical surprises in Colorado, or worse, somewhere between here and there. Could you even imagine? My water breaks in Tuba City. No thanks.
I did have a regular Dr appointment today after my follow up ultrasound with the perinatologist. The first words out of my Dr's mouth? "Wow, you baby is measuring HUGE!" That was exactly what I wanted to hear. We agreed to hope she's a few weeks early. Those hopes only take you so far, however, so we'll see.
So there's our summer so far. Swimming and being giant pregnant. I hope the next few months are just as uneventful as June has been.

S'mores

2010-06-14T10:36:00.001-07:00

The weather in Chandler this spring and summer has been something else. It has been SO nice and cool! There have only been maybe 4 or 5 days over 100 degrees. To put that in perspective, last year we had 10 days over 100 in the month of May alone. So, to have a weekend in the middle of June where the temps are in the 80's with no rain feels a bit odd. We didn't complain, though. Instead, we went to the Poole's for a spur of the moment Smore's Party! (Only in Phoenix would 88 degrees be considered perfect weather for building a fire and making s'mores.)
So, we were sitting around the fire, the kids are off playing, and Kim and I are discussing our inability to use a leaf blower, when suddenly we hear Jason chuckling. I wondered what was so funny about our leaf blower conversation, when we looked over at him. He explained that he had forgotten to take the little paper cup off of his Reese's cup before making his S'more, and he just bit into it. So funny. Not so yummy, though.

I had to edit my HUGE belly out of this picture. I looked ridiculous. Maybe it's because I was standing next to Miss Skinny and Petite herself. Yeah, that's the excuse I'm going with.

Kim and Jason. Fabulous neighbors, and awesome S'more's hosts. (I mean, how many people have retractable, color-coded roasting sticks? I mean, really.)

Memorial Day

2010-06-14T10:25:00.001-07:00

So, this is a bit delayed, but I had a few pictures of Memorial Day that I loved.
My kids all got "tattoos" on their cheeks, and they thought they were so cool. I never let them do the fake tattoo thing, but I was being an especially nice mom.

The bike parade around the block was fun. Good fun, good neighbors, good day. I sat my big pregnant self under that blue shade thing, and hardly moved while my kids brought me varying flavors of snow cones. The one with all the flavors mixed? Not the best, and I'll leave it at that.

Mr. Goodbar

2010-05-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

Chandler had a little end of the year party at school. I was sick, (big surprise), so Ben went in my place. Chandler's sweet teacher made little awards for all of the kids in the class. Just a little something about them that is special. Ben told me when she started that Chandler leaned over and whispered, "I'm probably going to get the Best Athelete." That's my boy. So humble about his sports skills... So, no, it wasn't the Best Athelete. He got the "Mr Goodbar Award" because he is always so trustworthy, (his teacher has told me more than once if she needs to know the truth about anything she'll ask Chandler), and because he's such good friends with everyone in the class. Maybe he was disappointed that his best friend Chris got Best Athelete, but as a mom, I'm way more proud to have a "Mr. Goodbar."

4D Coolness

2010-05-26T20:14:00.001-07:00

Well, I guess after today I can say there are certain advantages to having the living pee scared out of you. On Monday, I was going in to have a routine ultrasound to make sure the placenta, which was a bit low at 18 weeks, had moved up. During the ultrasound, they found what they referred to as "echogenic bowel" and they referred me to a perinatologist. I asked my Dr. what it meant, she told me it could be any number of things. So what do I do? Of course I immediately come home and google "echogenic bowel." This is when the terror ensued. I saw words like soft marker, cystic fibrosis, Down's Syndrome, lesions, ect. I couldn't stop reading. I sat all day and dissected every article. Then, I didn't sleep, woke up, read some more, then didn't sleep again. Finally, today I went to the Perinatologist a complete, sleep-deprived mess. The tech took us back where she performed the world's longest ultrasound. It was at least 45 minutes. It was cold, my belly was covered in gunk, and my heart was pounding out of my chest. I was so nervous, and the tech can't really say anything that's going on. After taking pictures of every part of her at every possible angle, (we even got to see 4D proof that she's a she!) the doctor finally came in. She started talking, and I immediately felt at ease. She said that though there was a bit of "echogenicity" in her bowels, she could not see any evidence that it was a true echogenic bowel. Then, she went over her whole little body, and described to me how beautiful she looked. And how big she was. 87th percentile already. She did say that she had a concern that the placenta was a little large. She said it was probably no big deal, but could lead to later problems, so we need to have regular ultrasounds for the duration of the pregnancy.
The perk is we get to peek in there and see this:
And this:

That's her little hand there above her head today. Pretty cool. Hopefully I'll sleep soundly tonight and be faithful that she's ok after all.

27 weeks...

2010-05-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

Cute one first: (yes, that is her foot touching her forehead. bendy little baby. and the umbilical cord is right over her mouth.)
And the not so cute one:

There's for all you that wanted to see a big belly picture. Laugh away. It's only getting bigger, and I still have 3 months. 3 months of Phoenix summer. Now you can really laugh.

Chandler's Stage Debut

2010-05-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

I need to start by saying that Chandler's teacher (who I am SO happy to say he will have again next year! Yea!) is THE BEST! She is young, and cute, and just the right mix of super strict yet super cool. She has been so good for Chandler, and I hope Mariah will be lucky enough to have her for a few years, as well. Every year, she plans and puts together, almost single-handedly, a musical for 4-6 graders. She announced back in October that this year they'd be doing:

Chandler came home from school and said he'd like to try out for the musical. I almost died of shock. This is the boy that never met a sport he didn't love. I never had him pegged as a "Musical" kind of kid. I looked at the audition form. He needed to prepare a monologue and a solo. Ok, monologues I can do. Solos... not so much. He also had to fill out an audition form answering all kinds of questions about what he wanted to do and why. He said on his form that he wanted to audition because it was on his list of things to do in his life from his "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Workbook." Now it made more sense. I thought, if nothing else, the auditioning process would be good for him. He worked so hard to memorize his monologue and solo before the day of auditioning came. His teacher told him that day that there were 75 kids auditioning for 25 parts. He suddenly got so nervous. It was so cute. Deep down, I wasn't really nervous because, well, he's a boy. I thought of the 75 kids auditioning, probably 60 of them were girls wanting to be Belle. He did great at his audition, even though I have never seen him so nervous. It would be a few days before he would know anything. He couldn't stop talking about it for those days. Finally, he got an envelope at school, but he didn't want to open it until he got home. He was so thrilled when he opened it and found out he wouldn't have 1 part, but 4 parts. I was outwardly very excited for him, and I was inwardly thinking, "Does this mean I'm in charge of making 4 costumes?" Indeed, that's exacty what it meant. But more on that later.
They practiced 3 days a week for 6 months. Chandler loved every single minute. He was the only 4th grade boy in the cast, so he felt so cool hanging out with the big kids, and became friends with all of them.
The performances were at the beginning of May. I volunteered to be a backstage mom, so we had a week of dress rehearsal at the high school whose auditorium we were using. It was exhausting, but so fun to be back in that little world again. Chandler's 4 parts he had that his mom (with a bunch of help from Grandma Cami) had to procure costumes for were: Monsieur D'Arque (the evil owner of the asylum), a fish man/villager, a wolf, and a plate. He had 8 costume changes. For one of them he had to change from plate to Monsieur D'Arque in 90 seconds which included getting a moustache and beard drawn on, and a microphone clipped on and attached. He was so nervous about not being able to make it, we practiced it at home for a good hour, so we could get it as fast as possible.
The play was awesome. I was amazed at the talent of these kids. What a great experience it was for Chandler. He is already talking about next year's play, and a few of his friends who came to see the play told Chan that they want to audition next year, too. I didn't get too many pictures, because one of the moms took tons to make a cd, but here's a few:

When they were backstage, they'd play card games between scenes.

This is Chandler in his villager costume. I was surprised how totally ok he was with me smearing makeup all over his face.
Way to go, Chandler! You were awesome! Can't wait for next year...

Love and Logic

2010-05-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

I am on the cusp of being the mother of 4. Weird. So Ben and I thought we'd better get the three we already have under control, like, now. So we are rereading my favorite parenting book, and putting it into practice. Which, ironically, means giving up a lot of control. Maybe this is why I haven't blogged in a while- it's killing me. I had no idea what a control freak/helicopter mom I was. Especially with Mariah, for some reason. She wants to do her own hair now. Well, ok. She's 8. Can she honestly do her own hair in a way that her teacher won't think she lives on the streets begging for spare change? No. BUT... will she learn? Yes. And does it matter right now? No. So, I'm letting it go. (Except on Sundays. We all have our limits.) Chandler doesn't have hair to do, but my mightiest efforts have still not taught that boy to wear matching clothing. Again, mom getting driven crazy by his outfit choices. Now, while I'm confident Mariah will learn to do her own hair, I am quite afraid Chandler will never learn to color coordinate. I mean, Jackson can pick out an outfit that matches better. Seriously. But, again, does it matter?
So I'm letting go. And my tongue... about to fall off, it's been bitten so many times.
But the good news is, I am getting oh, so good at offering choices, using thinking words, showing true empathy, letting natural consequences, not lectures, teach the lessons, trying not to say no, and intstead using the "You may... when..." phrase. Yes, there have been a few nights that my kids have not been invited to dinner ("You may come have dinner with us when your room is clean."), have chosen not to eat dinner (I'm sorry. Dinner is only served in our house for 10 minutes, and you missed the window. But don't worry, we'll have a big breakfast tomorrow."), and gone to bed hungry. ("Oh, you weren't done with your dinner? Well, you got down from the table, so we thought you were all done. Mom and dad always finish our whole dinner before we go play.") Ect. But they're learning the ropes. It's working the best on Jackson. I think this may be because he needed it the most. (poor guy.)
So wish me luck at trying to undo all the parenting I've done thus far, and just letting go. And if you see Mariah on the street, please remember that she really does have a mom that loves her. Even if she looks like a neglected orphan, she's not. She's just being parented with love and logic.

Go Fish!

2010-04-29T14:27:00.000-07:00

Mariah was in the Second Grade play, "Go, Fish!" She was a clown fish. So funny were those little clowns.
Here's the whole group of funny little clown fish:

She had a few speaking parts, and a big solo. So brave. Way to go, Mariah! Way to make your Thespian mom proud!

Jacksonisms

2010-04-29T14:13:00.000-07:00

I can't remember what it was I made for dinner a few nights ago, but Jackson was none too pleased about it.
"I can't eat this Mom."
"Why not, Jackson?"
"Because it's not likable."
Logical.
Today, we were walking through the Kohl's parking lot, and Jackson saw a nice little white car. He said, "Look, Mom! That car looks just like Dad's!"
I said, "Yes, it's white like Dad's, but Dad drives a Corolla, not a Corvette."
He wishes...

The songs she writes

2010-04-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

When I woke up this morning, Mariah told me she was writing a song. She writes lots of "songs". She asked me if I wanted to hear it. Of course I said of course.
She said, "Ok. It's called "Baggy Pants"."
I said, "Ok, Phoebe."
She looked at me with a very confused look, then proceded to sing. And I laughed. It was about boys at school who think they're cool who wear baggy pants. Totally hilarious. Then, the best news: she informed me that the song was dedicated to me. Huh? I don't wear baggy pants. Well, those maternity jeans can look a little baggy sometimes, I guess. But only when I totally sag them so they aren't tight on my belly... is that why boys at school sag their pants?!

Kids Can't Keep Secrets, Dad

2010-04-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

Hillary to Ben: "Did you let Chandler stay up until 10:00 last night to let him watch "Friday Night Smackdown"?"
Ben to Hillary: "Of course not! He went to bed at 9:48."
Hillary to Ben: "Did you let him watch "Friday Night Smackdown"?"
Ben to Hillary: "Oh. Was he not supposed to watch that?"
Hillary to Ben: "Um, no! Trashy women and trashy men fighting, and it's so fake anyway."
Ben to Hillary: "Oh, so kinda like "The Bachelor"?"

Touche.

Can't resist

2010-04-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

This is Olivia. She's my friend from a few doors down that came over to play today. She happens to be the cutest little thing EVER, and while we were playing today I noticed a few things:
1. I cannot wait to have a baby girl. Even though she won't have blue eyes or strawberry blonde hair, she'll be awesomely cute, I'm sure of it.
2. My house is SOOO not baby proof.
3. When there's a 1 year old around, you get nothing done. (I forgot...) and they make huge messes with chocolate Teddy Grahams.
4. It will be a miracle if Jackson ever lets our baby do anything independent of him. He was carrying her around everywhere. So funny.
Thanks for the reminder, Olivia, of the adventures to come. Now, can I eat those sweet cheekies??

The thinking of little boys

2010-04-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

Mom: "Jackson, it's time to go to the park. Go in and go potty really quickly."
Jackson: "Mom, I don't need to go."
Mom: "Honey, go try. We're going to Dobson Park and there are no bathrooms there."
Jackson: "Oh. There's only trees?"

You have just GOT to love little boys. Life is just as simple as finding a good tree.

What's in there?

2010-03-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

So, here's the preface to the story. Jackson was a tiny infant, maybe about 6 months old, when Ben and I made a little discovery. Totally on accident, all of our children's first names started with the same letter as the previous child's middle name. (Chandler's middle name is Michael, so we have Mariah. Mariah's middle name is Jayn, so we have Jackson. Jackson's middle name is Gordon, after Ben's grandpa.)
So I said to Ben, "I guess we're done then, because there aren't any good names that start with the letter G."
He immediately said, "Gabriella."
There were no other names. He said it like it was a statement; like we are going to have another girl, and her name will be Gabriella. I was speechless. I think, deep down, I knew he was right.
So when we found out we were having another one, Ben was 100% sure it was a girl. I thought it was a boy. I even found a boy name that started with the letter G (Grayson) that I loved. Deep down though, I wanted it to be a girl. I wanted to even out the numbers a bit. And really, who can resist all those dang cute girl clothes?
So, I had my ultrasound on Thursday. I was 18 weeks and 2 days pregnant:
No, this is not me. This is a cute girl that was a Young Woman in my ward in Pinetop who is also 18 weeks pregnant. What the heck? Does she even look pregnant? I have a belly like that on my thinnest non-prego day! Here's me:

PLEASE someone tell me that this is just because she's having her first and I'm having my fourth, and I'm not really going to have a 15 pound baby. Wow, so huge already!! (In my defense, I'm actually 19 weeks pregnant here. But, dang.)

So anyway, the verdict is that Ben was right all along, as usual, and it will be a little Gabriella. I hope the torture she's been putting me through for the last few months isn't a forecast of the teenage years!

It's way too nice...

2010-03-18T08:31:00.000-07:00

It's way too nice outside, (pefect Spring Break weather), and it's way too nice having my mom here to wake up with the kids and make them pancakes while I sleep until eight every morning to worry about things like throwing up (still), and recovering from nasty colds (while simultaniously throwing up). How can anyone feel bad when, really, everything is oh so good. I love the weather. I love going outside and sitting in the sun and watching my kids run around me. Love it all. In spite of it all.

Grapefruit Cake

2010-03-09T19:27:00.000-08:00

So, I'd had a few people inquire about the grapefruit cake. I plan on making it this weekend when Ben's Aunt and cousin are in town, because Ben doesn't eat sweets, and let's face it, I don't need to eat an entire cake by myself. It's my friend Gina's recipe, she's made it a few times, and she's one of the best cooks I know, so I trust her implicitly. It sounds just like a little piece of heaven. I'll stay posted on how it goes. Until then, here's the recipe:

Cake:

2 ½ c flour
2 c white sugar
1 t baking powder
1 ½ t baking soda
½ t salt
3 eggs
1 c canola oil
½ c freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
½ c freshly squeezed orange juice (I used tangelos from my tree)
1 banana, smashed
12 oz sour cream
2 T orange zest
1 t grapefruit zest

Grease and flour bundt pan. Preheat oven to 350.

Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then add eggs and mix until combined. Add oil; mix until blended. Next add grapefruit and orange juices, and banana and mix until smooth and creamy. Lastly add sour cream and zests; just mix until combined and smooth.

Put cake batter into 10inch prepared pan and bake for about 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (Mine took 60 minutes)

When done turn onto serving platter and let stand about 15 minutes then poke small holes in top. Pour glaze on partially cooled cake. Let cool about 1 hour and serve. (I didn’t poke holes, I just poured it over the top. Next time I’ll try it the way it says.)

Glaze:

¼ c grapefruit juice
2 c confectioners’ sugar
1 T orange zest
1 T grapefruit zest
¼ c finely chopped pecans (I left them out)

Mix juice and sugar until combined. If it is too thick add more juice a tablespoon at a time. Stir in zest and pecans.

I baked!

2010-03-06T10:31:00.000-08:00

Yeah. Yummy banana bread. I had to blog about it because I think this marks the first time my oven has been used to bake something besides frozen pizza in a solid 2 months! It took all of my energy that day... and then it took me two weeks to blog about it. That's the way we roll right now. I'm building up my energy to bake a grapefruit cake. I think it may happen next weekend. We'll see.

WHY!? Oh, why?...

2010-02-18T07:10:00.000-08:00

Here's the thing. Here I am. Pregnant. Again. This happens to be my fifth (yes, fifth) major pregnancy. (Some may not know I had a late term miscarriage at 17 weeks between M and J. One of the worst days iminaginable.) This seems to be a lot of time in the last 11 years that I have been sicker than a dog. I have many loving loved ones. Many of them are not members of my faith. They all have the same basic question: "WHY!? Why are you doing this to yourself again, Hillary Hays? Don't you think this is too much?" Most days I want to agree. Is there ever enough energy, time, money, space, love, etc... for one more little one? What good can possibly come of stretching yourself so thin? Bringing a baby into this world requires a huge amount of sacrifice and selflessness. For everyone in a family. Especially my family, because I am so sick for so long. So, speaking purely from the view of the world, yeah, I probably don't have any business having another baby.
BUT... the view of the world matters very little in situations such as this. I strongly believe that every one of the children I have belong to Ben and me. They were meant to be mine. If I didn't have them, they may not have had a chance to come to this earth, which is such an important part of our Heavenly Father's plan for us. However, I was certain I was done having babies after Jackson. I got rid of most of my maternity clothes. I was handing out baby stuff to random people. I didn't want to even think about being pregnant again. EVER again.
Then, my dad died. There is nothing quite like watching someone die right before your eyes that will bring you to your knees begging for peace and comfort. I had a whole week between the day he died and the funeral to really ponder all the things I believed about life and death. There was one particular image that kept coming to my mind every time I thought about what my dad might be doing now, and the image brought the most overpowering feeling of peace. That image was of my dad holding a baby. Not just any baby, but a baby that belonged to me. A baby that was waiting for their turn on Earth. My sister-in-law Ayme had similar images come to her mind, and when we were talking to each other about it, the tears flowed freely, as they often do when sharing such sacred, spiritual feelings.
From that moment, I never really thought about the fact that me (and my family) would have to endure another pregnancy. I could only think about getting that baby here, from my dad's arms to mine. A few months of constant nausea and vomiting seemed a small price to pay. Right now, the price seems huge. Too much, most days. But I know when this baby finally comes, it will seem like such a small price. So, yes, while it is about sacrifice and selflessness, it is so much more about faith. I have faith that I am doing exactly what I am supposed to be doing right now. And I have faith that everything will turn out exactly how it is supposed to. And I have faith that Jackson will be totally fine, even though he watchs 4 hours, minimum, of TV per day right now. I mean, look at how awesome Chandler is, and he did this at home with me twice!
So, while I know there are some who still won't understand, I'm so glad I know what I know. And I'm so glad I know the things that bring true and lasting happiness in life. And I know my children totally understand. And I know that, as sucky as I am to be around right now, my husband totally understands. What else matters?

Pretty Trash

2010-02-11T17:38:00.000-08:00

Today, Jackson was sure that he wanted to donate his special blue blanket to a little boy who doesn't have a blanket to cuddle with. Very charitable. I'm sure he'll change his mind tonight at bedtime. Anyway, he wanted to gift-wrap it. Who am I to argue? He got out a big Christmas gift bag, and carefully placed the blankie inside. Then he brought the bag to me and said, "Ok, Mom, now I need some pretty trash to put on top to hide the present!"
Oh, I laughed so hard. But then I thought about it, and if you didn't know it was called "tissue paper", pretty trash would be the perfect way to describe it!

The Generosity of Gina

2010-02-05T14:44:00.000-08:00

I have a friend. Her name is Gina. Gina is the girl that I saw from a distance at church the first Sunday I was in Pinetop, and instantly knew I wanted to be her friend. She is the most darling girl you will ever meet, with the most darling 4 boys. She's gorgeous without even trying- inside and out. I wish I had a picture as proof.
Now, I am like most people in the world. I say to someone who's struggling, "Let me know if you need anything. Anything at all. Just give me a call!" And, I mean it. I would really do anything I could to help any of my friends/aquaintances/fellow ward members/neighbors who needed me. The problem is, most people are too afraid to ask. That's also me. I hate to put people out. I hate to ask for help. So, I never do. (Except my kids. I ask them to help all the time.)
This is what makes Gina special. She doesn't ask. She just anticipates. She knows I've been laying on my couch constantly for the last few months, and she imagines what my house must be looking like. So, she shows up on my doorstep with a bag of rags and goes to work. Now, here I am, half dressed, literally. I had enough energy to put on a sweater, but not enough to change out of my pj pants. And my house? Wow, I think she could tell she was needed that day. What a mess. I was so embarrassed, but not embarrassed enough to argue. I really did need help. I really did need my Gina friend that day. I hope everyone has at least one Gina friend in her life. And I hope I can be more like her. Thanks, Gina. You're an angel.

I just noticed...

2010-02-01T17:23:00.000-08:00

Steve Nash: Great guy. Good hair?
Kurt Warner: Great guy. Good hair?

So, we're watching the Phoenix Suns game tonight. Good fun. They aren't the best, but they aren't the worst, either, and besides, they're fun to watch. So I'm watching and cheering when the realization occurs to me: my hair looks at the present moment just like Steve Nash's! So, we've discussed my hair and lack of doing it, but really? Steve Nash? I mean, I'm a big fan. I really am. As far as pro athletes go, AZ got the best ones in Steve Nash and Kurt Warner. But to style my hair like Nash? Hmm.... Maybe I should switch to Kurt Warner hair. All in favor...

Too Good To Be True

2010-01-24T12:28:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I'm referring to my Ginger Trips. They were good until I tried one last night while particularly nauseous, and my gag reflex and tummy did not cooperate. No more Ginger Trips for now.
Also, no three hours of church this week. I went for one, and in the one hour, Jackson managed to get a hole in the knee of his fairly new church pants, which was extremely disheartening. Even more disheartening, he managed to totally and completely annoy the old lady in the huge orange hat sitting directly in front us, to the point that every five seconds, she would turn and either tell him to be quiet, or flash me the stink eye. I couldn't take it. He was being good. As good as can be expected. I mean, this is Jackson. Ball of energy and fire. I was sooo annoyed.
I just started to bawl. Seriously. Right in the middle of singing, "Did you think to Pray?" Here I am, trying to focus on not running out of the chapel to throw up, trying to keep my 3 kids quiet and occupied, wondering how many will follow me if I have to sprint out... the last thing I need is the stink eye from Mrs. Huge Orange Hat. Can't we all just assume that we are all just trying to do the best that we can?? Anyway, after Sacrament Meeting, Ben came up and said, "Having a bad day? I'll make sure the kids get home." And with that, I took my ugly self out of there. In a hurry. With Jackson yelling, "I want to go with you, Mom!! I hate Primary! Sunbeams are stupid!!" (Yeah, that's word for word.) Better luck next week.

Today, there's hope of survival

2010-01-22T07:24:00.001-08:00

In case I haven't mentioned it, it's worth repeating: I live on the world's best corner with the world's best people. My friend Lexa, who's about 4 houses down, brought me some stuff upon finding out that I was so oppressively sick. This stuff:
I had my doubts. I mean, everybody has something that worked so fabulously for them, and NONE of them work for me. Believe me, I'll try any semi-sane sounding thing anyone mentions. Also, I have tried ginger in other forms (teas, snaps, ales) with no luck. But, the night she brought them, Ben was at church, I was nauseous to the point of despair, and I thought why not? I popped one on in. It's a small, unassuming wafer. NOT tasty. But I choked it down. I seriously IMMEDIATELY felt relief. It was a trip. A surprisingly good trip. So, now, I go on about 4 ginger trips a day. (That's the max.) I hope it keeps working. At least I can function, and that's all I'm asking for at this point.

My Wish

2010-01-20T08:05:00.000-08:00

You know what I really wish? I wish it were fashionable for women to wear hats. Like a little baseball cap, or something, like guys always wear. I think it is fashionable if you live where it's really cold, then you get to wear those cute little fuzzy beanie hats to run all your errands. I mean, it did rain here all night last night, and it's really cold... to me, but it's still supposed to be 60 degrees today. I'm thinking I'd be the only one that would think a cute beanie hat would be appropriate today. Everyone else would think I was crazy... or too lazy to do my hair, which is the truth. I mean, I just hate doing my hair sometimes. It takes seriously so much energy, only to get totally messed up by the 19 naps a day I require.
On another note, Jackson's new favorite movie is "The Little Mermaid". This movie always reminds me of my 3 girls I grew up with- Shan, Sarah, and Abby. We watched this movie a million times when we were like 12, memorizing every word and lyric, and singing it at the top of our lungs. It's amazing how you can go a decade or two without hearing a song, and yet still know every word. That's "The Little Mermaid" to me. As well as the song, "The Search is Over", but, now, that's a different story.

Heartbreak Hotel

2010-01-18T12:08:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, Ben planned a little getaway to San Diego, sans kids, for us to celebrate his birthday. I was so excited. Love little getaways. Well, then I found out I was prego, and my excitement diminished significantly at the very thought of even hopping on an airplane. Let's face it, I'm not really doing any hopping of any kind these days. I kind of thought, though, that I could go. I mean, I could do a little dinner, maybe a movie, maybe find a quiet bench on the beach and relax. Low key. Well, we finally came to terms with reality: a trip to San Diego was not a very good idea for me at all. So, the reservations have been cancelled. The plane tickets have been credited. And instead of the sand betweeen my toes, I'll be at home... faithfully eating and napping every 2 hours. Sometimes the sacrifices are big, aren't they?

I, very proudly, made it!

2010-01-17T14:04:00.000-08:00

I actually got up, got all three kids ready for church alone, and made it through all three hours of church. I did have to go to the car and have a NutriGrain in the middle, but this was huge for me. HUGE. Now, I think I deserve a nice, long nap.
Ben was having a Sonic craving last night, so we left the kids home and went to pick up Sonic for us. I didn't know if there was anything there that sounded good at all. Much to the dismay of the drive-thru dude, I stared at the menu for like a full 2 minutes debating. He didn't understand that I'm prego, and I NEED to weigh each option very carefully based on my ability to keep it in my belly. When I was pregnant with Jackson, I CRAVED cherry Limeades up in Pinetop. No WAY this time. I ended up ordering mozzerella sticks and a banana split. Odd. But good. I also had one of Ben's onion rings. Yuck. But his extra long coney dog looked pretty decent, strangely. So, we ate our Sonic and watched "Mission Impossible 3". That's a hot date night, right there.

Strange Things

2010-01-15T07:18:00.000-08:00

There are always strange things that happen with every pregnancy, and this one is no exception. Here's some examples:
Reading, watching TV, and being on the computer all make me very motion sicknessy. I can only do these things in very small amounts of time, then I have to nap.
The only two things I can even remotely stand to drink are orange juice and milk. I seriously cannot stomach anything else. Especially water. I can choke down my vitamin with water if it is lukewarm tap water.
I've been craving watermelon like crazy. Impossible to find good watermelon in January. Why can't I be craving grapefruit!?
I am the absolute sickest at night, and it is sometimes very difficult to fall asleep in the midst of the nausea. Lucky Ben gets to see me at my worst (and grumpiest). He's probably dying for busy season to start.
The smell of any human breath totally grosses me out. It doesn't matter if you just brushed your teeth.
I have no desire to get ready for the day, I have no desire to talk on the phone, and I have no desire to leave my house. Ever. This is very wierd for me.

I was so excited this pregnancy, becuase I found out a few years ago that they had a generic for the med Zofran, which, even though it was prohibitively expensive, I took with some success with Mariah. Didn't work this time. Made me more sick. I was so bummed. So I am making due with the Unisom/B6 cocktail. I do think that helps. If nothing else, maybe it helps me sleep through the nausea. I'm also trying very hard to eat every two hours. Eating is such a huge chore.
The good news for me is, I only have one kiddo at home, and he's 3 1/2. He's been such a good boy, and is so sweet to let me sleep on the couch while he watches movies. We limit it to 2 a day. One for my morning nap, and one for my afternoon nap. And Chandler and Mariah are a huge help around the house. I taught Chan how to steam mop, and he's pretty good at it. They've been good at picking up my pile of slack. So that's how we are so far. Me- on the edge of death, Everyone else- Surviving in spite of that fact. 30 or some odd weeks to go....

Ok. Finally some Christmas pictures...3 weeks later

2010-01-14T13:18:00.001-08:00

We had a most relaxing Christmas this year. It was lovely. I was so relaxed, I took like 4 pictures of the whole event. Oh well. The kids look about the same as last year... right? (I'm such a slacker.)
I was impressed by the candy log cabin (they used pretzel rods, so they wouldn't have to bake all those sheets. Genius.) that was built by the pro's- Ben and his brother, Andrew.

Jackson added the Lego guy, and HAD to have a picture of him.

So, there's the highlights of our Christmas. Awesome. The highlight of my Christmas, personally? This:

This would be the view of my Christmas. (And pretty much everyday since then.) It's for a good cause, though. And that good cause will appear around the middle of August sometime. Until then, I'm afraid of what will happen to my blog. I'll do my best, but it might be filled with a lot of WHINING. I apologize in advance if this is the case. So look for a little complaint or two. I want the miseries documented well, just in case I get the crazy notion that this is a good idea ever again in the future!!

A Survey For You

2010-01-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, so here's a survey.
Which would you least like to find in your house?

A) A scorpion
B) A mouse
C) An armed burglar
D) A child-abducting UFO

See, when you put things in perspective, finding a scorpion in your house isn't such a big deal. Even if it is huge. And New Year's Eve. Late. And alive. And in the POTTY!! Now, I can't even enter the room without looking. Oh, well. There are worse things... right?