Snickerdoodles with Nana

My mom came up last week and, being the genius that she is, brought snickerdoodle dough with her. The kids had a blast making them and I had a blast eating them. It worked out for all of us!

The kids are just thinking, "I want to eat the dough..."

Sarah, I can hardly handle how cute you are. Goodness gracious.

Roll in the cinnamon and sugar, take a bite, put on the tray.

Hannah Grace doing what she does best...

Moses was kind enough to make sure there was a picture of mommy. Lawsie.

I have now eaten approximately two dozen cookies. Goodbye forever, pre-pregnancy jeans. Goodbye forever.

Love

Love

If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place,

but have not love - I am a housekeeper, not a homemaker.

If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements

but have not love - my children learn of cleanliness, not godliness.

Love leaves the dust in search of a child's laugh.

Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window.

Loves wipes away the tears before it wipes up the spilled milk.

Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys.

Love is present through trials.

Love reprimands, reproves, and is responsive.

As a mother there is much I must teach my child,

but the greatest of all is... LOVE.

From Michelle and Jim Bob's book, A Love That Multiplies.

Wonderful, crazy, tired, lovely days.

These days have been such a whirlwind. There was the time that Sarah was crying, Hannah was eating, Moses was spilling the Nesquick on the pantry floor.. and there was pee on the carpet, vomit all over Sarah... and one Mama. Then there are the smiles Hannah makes in her sleep, Sarah's silliness, Moses' sweetness.. These days are so wonderful, exhausting, frustrating, exhilarating, all in one. Can I get an amen?

I have been trying all sorts of things to keep Moses and Sarah occupied. A picnic with cheese crackers usually does the trick. Play Doh, coloring, and videos are way up on the list, too!

My daughters. Precious, precious girls.

The wonderful Brittany Mirabal did our family pictures a couple weeks ago (you can check out her blog HERE and her photography website HERE). I love this picture. Real life, happening.

My mom just left, Kat is back to work, Miah is starting back to work full time... this three day weekend is the last hoorah before real life begins. I kinda feel like I'm just taking a deep breath and jumping in with both feet. Here goes nothin'!

The past 10 days.

How is it even possible that Hannah is over a week old already? Time.is.flying. I'm trying to soak her up, nap, and love on the rest of my family as much as possible. See ya in about 18 years, ha!

Here are a few pictures of our week.

The Sarah Bo is now sporting a pony tail.

The amount of cute in this girl is just over the top.

"Moses hold Hannah Grace?"

We have a swaddle free tummy sleeper.

The thing Sarah likes most about her little sister? The paci's, or "baht" as she calls them. Hannah could care less about the thing and Sarah takes every opportunity to snatch them up!

Moses just loves his littlest sister.

As of last Tuesday she was 9lbs 15oz. Holy smokes.

I wish I had more to share, but my time is so limited these days.. and best spent on snuggling three little cuties and their daddy. I know you all understand!

Diaper Rash Cream: The Big Guns

Hello all! A whole lot of life has been happening over here. Jeremiah's dear old grandfather passed away, my grandmother is in the ICU, our dear friend Mary is bravely fighting cancer, and in the midst of it all sweet Moses has had a stomach bug for the past 5 days. Five. Oh man. You may remember, this happened last year, too. We did not go in for IV's this time, thank heavens. I thought I would share our go-to diaper rash cream when things are really bad. You can get a prescription for it, but you can get the ingredients over the counter for the same cost as a $10 copay. All you need is some Ichthammol Ointment and Maximum Strength Desitin.

You can get the Ichthammol from you local pharmacy. It is kept behind the counter, but does not require a prescription.

(Why does blogger do this?)

And a tube of the good ol' standby.

You just put the Desitin in a small dish (that has a lid!) and heat it up for a few seconds, and then add the Ichthammol - which is pretty stinky stuff. We call it engine grease! Make sure the container you mix it in has a lid for storage! We just put it on the rash with a Q-Tip.

Here's to happy hiney's!

Hayes Happenings

I just had one of those mommy moments where I am praying out loud for the grace to make it through the next 30 minutes. Goodness gracious, these little people stretch and refine their parents - and that's not a complaint. I am so grateful for it!

I recently made up a game plan for our days. It is wonderful for many reasons, but one of the biggies is that I am sure to get some quiet time in the mornings before the babies get up. There are some verses that have really been helping me get through the day gracefully. I have them written down and posted. They are what keep me centered in these crazy, crazy, wonderful days.

"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near."

Phil 4:5

I so desire to be gentle with my babies from the moment they wake until I tuck them in at night (and again in the middle of the night). Obviously, the Lord desires it too!

"But we hope for what we do not see, with PERSEVERANCE we wait eagerly for it."

Romans 8:25

I am persevering through the daily challenges of motherhood, and so desire to run this race well.

"The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps."

Proverbs 16:9

This one is so helpful when my best made plans fail.

"Do not complain, brethren, against one another so that you yourselves may not be judged; behold the judge is standing at the door."

James 5:9

Not even about my children.. or naps that get cut short.. or ANYTHING!

Speaking of naps getting cut short.. I think I hear a Sarah!

Life happens when you don't have your camera.

Sometimes things happen around here that just crack me up, but for whatever reason I can't grab my camera. Thank goodness for my blackberry! Here are some pictures on my phone that make me smile.

Say-way is sleeping, Mama is showering, Moses is.. pulling the dental floss out of 3 containers...

Our big girl is eating cereal every night!! She likes it...

Sweet Bonnie.. driving with Mo's clothes in her window to dry them as we headed from the water park to Target...

This little girl is so.darn.cute!

Say-way and Mama...

Oh.dear. This is what I had to fit in the car on our trip to Albuquerque.

My sweet little cuddle bug.

Survival of the fittest.. or something.

How in the world am I going to keep a record of these crazy days if they continue to be.. crazy? Anyone?? Even now I should be sleeping because I got up at 5am to assure my garden would be watered and that my family would have clean clothes and dishes to eat off. And then the babies wake up.. and then we go running.. and get the oil changed.. and stop by the grocery store in town so I can finally get some pear juice... and then and then and then. Oh! And I have started the elimination diet which I have decided needs a new name because it sounds like I'm cleaning out my insides (and for those of you who know me, well, you know that story) instead of just trying to manage Sarah's reflux. That darn reflux - it WAS under control until it decided to not be under control anymore. And while our well meaning ped gave her a new rx last week I just couldn't bare the screaming for 3 or 4 weeks until the medicine kicked in. So for now I am eating turkey, pears, sweet potatoes, squash and rice. Yep. That's it. Glory. The good news is that Sarah is a new baby. Much less crying and more sleeping! Yay!

Hopefully I will be back with the cutest video of Moses after our nap! Don't hold your breath, though :)

Surviving the First Six Weeks Part II

Here are a few things and people that have made this past month wonderful!!

Making sure my little man gets plenty of play time. He prefers it to be outside.

A sweet husband that really likes his kids.

Oh shoot, how did that get in there.

A wonderful mother in law (that is Moses in this picture).

Thank you for all the trips to the grocery store, washing our floors, doing our laundry, playing with our kids, doing our dishes - all of it. You're so darn wonderful!

Thank you for spending a whole week with us, Mom! We sure enjoyed having you!

Look how much fun Moses is having!!

And when all else fails, just have a cup of Joe!

I can't believe that Sarah will be one month old tomorrow. Time is FLYING. Real life begins tomorrow - Jeremiah had to return to work full time at some point! Everyone has gone home and my mother in law is even going to be in Canada for two weeks! Ack! Truth be told I'm excited to give this mom of two thing a go. I'm ready for a little real life!

Surviving the First Six Weeks.

Someday she is bound to ask me what is going on with her pants...

As these first few weeks unfold I thought I'd share what has helped make the one-to-two transition easier.

• Having meals prepared and in the freezer has been great. I have a list of what I have on hand on the side of the fridge and cross it off as I use it.
• I keep a running grocery list. People always ask what they can do and now I know how they can help! I just give them my grocery list :)
• Miah and I talk out each day the night before. I know what his expectations are, and he knows what I need. We also talked in the weeks before about how we would handle the hospital stay, his paternity leave, etc.
• Divide and conquer! Jeremiah takes one and I take the other! It works.
• We divvy up the night, too. We both need a lot of sleep (8-9 hours) and we've found a way to make it work and we are both really rested as a result. Well, as well rested as you can be with a 17 month old and a newborn!
• I'm easing into being alone with both kiddos. A couple hours here, a few hours there.. it has really been nice to try to figure it out!
• Chill out on the scheduling, Susan Hayes. Right now I TRY to have her nap in her crib at least once a day and sleep in her crib at night. However, she is pretty fussy from 9pm-12am, but does well in her bouncer during that time so we're going with it. We may need to train her out of it later, but for now Miah and I are both getting a few more hours of sleep and as a result are much happier parents!

More thoughts to come.. what are some things you all did to survive the early days??

Managing the chaos.

Man, things have been nuts around here! The main contributor to my craziness has been fatigue, I think. A one year old plus being 24 weeks pregnant makes for one tired mama! As a result I have been trying to find ways to streamline my life. I want to make sure I manage my home well, and get the rest my body so desperately needs. It has been trial and error, but I have found some things that work. If anyone is interested, here is what goes on around here on a daily/weekly basis!

Bills - they get paid right as they come in the door. No waiting around on them or I will simply forget!

Meal planning - This month I am trying something new. I planned my entire month's meals at the beginning of the month, purchased what I needed and made everything ahead that would freeze well. I will have to go to the store occasionally to buy milk and fresh produce, but that's it! I'm hoping this will cut down on cost since everything was bought in bulk. We shall see! Sometime this week I hope to get our meal plan, recipes and shopping list up. I will also try to post how I streamline the whole process, too.

Cleaning - Oh cleaning. Darn cleaning :) I am half joking, but man! Being a SAHM means that I clean things that get dirty in minutes. BUT I will stop the complaining before it really begins. Each morning I try to get up before Moses and make the bed, wipe down the bathrooms and empty the dishwasher. If a load of laundry needs to be thrown in, I do that, too. Things I don't do: wash bottles and sippy cups until the end of the day and I do not pick up toys until Moses goes to bed. No way, Jose! :) Mondays - floors. Tuesdays - bathrooms. Wednesdays - kitchen. Thursday - bedrooms and laundry. Friday - prepare for the guests that come each week. Saturday and Sunday - I just enjoy my family time! *Disclaimer! This list serves me, and not the other way around! If I'm not up for cleaning and need to rest, that is what I do!

I have also been trying to fit exercise in each day. Not much, just 20-30 minutes on the treadmill and some weights. I try to do this while Moses naps and then I take a quick shower and spend the rest of nap time off my feet! It is a perfect time to fit in some Bible reading and a short nap.

Alright, that's it! I'd be interested in how you other SAHM's manage your days!

The wanderer's.

Now that we are moving into our new home.. with a small kiddo... and another on the way... this move feels much more permanent than others we have gone through. We have traveled here and there, never really bought furniture and never really had a place of our own. This is a big, big move for the Hayes family! I can't help but look back at everywhere we have been and feel so, so blessed by all the friends we have made along the way! Here are some photos of our journey in no particular order!

We lived in Socorro for a bit. While I adore each and every person in the photo I do not care to live there ever again :)

My mil and her sister's and nieces came to Oahu for a visit!!

Sweet Molokai.

Maui day trip! You can do fun things like this when you LIVE IN HAWAII!!

DC to visit Jeremiah's brother and wife!

We climbed down this to get to the leper colony. Yes. There is a leper colony in the United States.

Kayaking out to the "Mok's".. it was hard!

Going to the park with Baxter! Part of our daily routine!

Boys will be boys! We loved living in Kalae!!

Hands down the best part about living on Oahu was the hiking! Phenomenal!

Ahh! Wonderful Molokai!

Sweet Moses...

Us crazy kids hiking out to see the lava.. in the dark.. after a drink (or two).. in a storm...

I ADORE the Big Island!

Getting ready to run my first marathon on the island of Maui!

The view from our condo in Kaneohe!

We are so blessed, and our journey is just beginning!