Fun in the Sun:Wyoming (Day 4)

We have been trying to get together with my cousin and her 2 boys for the last couple years on our trips to Wyoming and our timing has always been off, but we were finally able to connect and spend the day playing in the yard and in the sprinklers. The kids had a blast. It was fun to watch another generation of Hayes kids play together and it for sure took me back to fun times at the VH ranch.






After playing for a few hours they wanted to swing.

Makaylee has an obsession with climbing stairs, so I tried caging her onto the deck. She did manage to escape, but not before I got some fun pictures of her eating the railing.

Birthdays in Wyoming (Day 2-3)

We drove back from Windsor in time to make Attie Jo's friend's birthday party. The house had the most amazing play area; equipped with not only an enormous swing set, trampoline,

sandbox and zipline, but a monstrous rock climbing wall. Caleb wanted so badly to go on the zipline, but his super cautious self could not let go of the 8 foot ladder to get to the pulley. After about an hour of waiting in line getting to the front and then chickening out I finally said we are done. He then went and found Aunt Kay Kay, who took him over and lifted him to the pulley, so he could go about half the distance of the zipline.

All the while, Makaylee was chewing on a box of nerds she was carrying around and she finally broke through. Nerds were everywhere and she was bending over, face to the concrete eating nerds off the ground. It was adorable, but of course I never moved fast enough to get it on film.

The next day we celebrated Attie's birthday at the city pool and the kids had a blast in the water.


I forgot Makaylee's swimsuit, so for a little while we were looking a bit WT.




Makaylee thought this slide was it. And both kiddos were entertained for a substantial amount of time.





After the pool closed we headed to the park for yummy dinner and birthday cake.


Attie wanted a sea creature and Diego Party, so we attempted to merge the themes together and ended up with a pretty cute cake.


The kids had lots of fun playing and watching Attie open her gifts.

She was real excited about her new princess bike.
The party was a success.

Week in Wyoming (Day 1)

Last week we decided to go to visit Attie Jo for her 4th (can you believe it!!) birthday. Traveling 4 hours on a plane with 2 toddlers is a bit overwhelming and this trip seemed right on par. We were running late to the airport, so Cory had to drop us off at the curb and I had to take my 3 bags, a stroller and 2 carseats. You may ask yourself, why not curb check? Well, the line was far too long and I didn't want to risk missing our flight. Once I got the big bags checked and boarding passes I went back and got the kiddos from Cory waiting at the curb. We loaded up now only 1 bag, a super huge purse, 2 car seats and a stroller and headed for the security check. uh...oh, Caleb had to go potty. He needed to go the last 20 minutes of the drive, so I knew he couldn't hold it any longer, but if we lost our place in line at security it would be risky to make the flight. One thing about looking this pathetic is the world becomes a lot more friendly. The nice man in front of us overheard the conversation and said go ahead and I'll save your place and watch your stuff. Fewy, the bathroom was right there and we were able to make it before any accidents and get back in line in a few short minutes. Cory found a temporary parking lot and came back into the airport around this time and not being as timid as me asked if we could move up in line, so we wouldn't miss the flight. Again, the world was a much nicer place and let us move up in front of probably 30 people. We made it just in time to get the very last aisle on the plane where your seat doesn't recline. The kids were exhausted from there 4:00 am wake-up call, so they were both a little restless and fussy. Thankfully, we were seated next to a very kind young grandma, who was patient with the yelling and occasional bump. After much squirming for the first leg to Chicago I decided to put Makaylee in the carseat and Caleb on my lap. The second half of the trip went much more smoothly. Makaylee slept and Caleb watched Bolt on my Iphone. I love this little device.

I am writing this part down to remind myself and encourage anyone reading that people are always watching and observing our behavior. After, I got off the plane the sweet lady next to me asked me if I was a Christian. I replied yes and she proceed to say, "I thought you were, you really handled yourself well and did great with your kids." That was such an encouragement to me, because usually in these situations I am so stressed out that a meltdown is just around the corner. I am just thankful God is growing me in this area, so my meltdowns are less frequent. Oh, but the coming week sure showed me I have a lot of growing still to do.

Attie wasn't able to come to the airport, because they won't let more than one person back to the gate, and I desperately needed Kaycee's help with my bags. Caleb was confused and kept asking where's Attie Jo, but we soon were united at the Haverty's house. The kids had tons of fun playing, making forts, pillow fighting



dancing



and to all of our surprise wrestling without any major conflict.

Thank You Mr D.

This post is a little late coming, but I finally got the pictures and wanted to remember the fun family time.

We went to yet another Pirate's game, which was an awesome time. Cory's coworker and sweet girlfriend came with us and we really had such a fun time. I loved having time with someone who likes to analyze and think about life and behaviors as much as I do and the kids loved everything about the experience. How could you not? We got to sit in the Lexus super comfy sets right behind homeplate, have unlimited snacks and drinks and they provided dinner before the game with a yummy dessert table all for FREE!!

I titled this post thank you Mr D. because the team the Pirates happened to be playing had the infamous guy that helped led to the end of Cory and his exfiance's relationship. Without Mr D. I wouldn't have my Mr R. and be married to a wonderful, kind hearted, ever wanting to be sharpened, loving daddy, hard working and so many more amazing qualities man.

Meet Up @ Troy Hill

Well today I attempted to create a life here in the Burgh and met up with some mommies from a playgroup I found online. I was a little anxious about meeting total strangers, but I have to say we really had fun. It was nice to get out and have some social interaction.
We went to a place called Troy Hill Splash Park. The neighborhood looked a little rougher than I'm used to, but I am learning the Pittsburgh aesthetics are much different than Dallas. I really don't mind it. It is kind of refreshing seeing people live within their means. This is not a dig on all of Dallas, many of my friends there are extremely wise with money, but Dallas is kind of known for the home of the $50,000 millionaire. Anyway, we met up with 2 other families. Everyone was super friendly and besides a couple small disputes over toys the day couldn't have gone any better.
Kids really are a perfect ice-breaker. I took a few pictures of the day and managed to capture all of the little ones except sweet little Lucy, Michael’s twin sister.

He is the little guy in the white shorts and was full of spunk. I really enjoyed his energy. He actually reminded me of one of Caleb's buddies, Hampton at 14 months old. All the kiddos had fun running in the water and even Makaylee braved the chilly summer air to splash around.


Keeping up with two, 14 months olds when there are lots of stairs and long falls was not really working for Grace, so the twins stayed and played in the water will the rest of us headed over to the playground adjacent to the splash area. It was getting a little chilly for our thin Texas blood.

This is sweet Clara, she was a bubbly 15 month old that was always willing to smile for the camera. She and Makaylee had fun together. It was fun to flash forward and think about the friendships Makaylee will build.

Makaylee had fun being a big girl and going down the slide with Clara’s big sister Sophia. She was a very loving affectionate little lady once she warmed up to you.

Caleb was cracking me up. I think it was all the estrogen. He decided he was too little to climb any of the equipment without my assistance. We definitely need to find him some crazy boys to hang out with soon.




I know this probably is braggadocios, but could she get any cuter!!