Welcome to the Hayes Family Blog

Moving Again!

2009-01-28T13:34:00.000-08:00

We're moving again, but this time Chloe's not too happy about it. She's been so spoiled with having a doggy door (as well as a yard since we've moved to this house that we're in), and now she's losing her only luxury. Oh well! Like I've said before -- Chloe is no longer the baby of the house and she's had to adapt to getting the 2nd place treatment.
It is going to be quite different not to have a yard again, but for the amount of time that we actually spend out in the yard -- we usually spend more at the park down the road (that we will continue to have). However, it's going to be super nice to have 1,000 sq. ft of more living space and have it all be practically new. Chad will have his own office to study in, plus we'll still have room for guests when they come. We're really looking forward to it! It's going to be so nice.

Happy New Year!!!

2009-01-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

Wow! Guess it's been a while since I've posted anything on here. Hopefully I can get my act together and be a little more consistent. Life has been nothing but crazy these past few months.
But the holiday's are now over and a new year has begun. 2009 is going to be quite a year of transition for our family. Chad will be retiring from the Navy sometime in May and then will begin attending med-school at MUSC in August. God is so good! We can't thank Him enough for all that He's done for our family. Who knew last year at this time that Chad would need a pacemaker and that he would be accepted into medical school this coming fall? Only God could have made it work out so perfectly.
Thank you to all who have been praying for Chad and for our family these past few months. We have not taken them for granted.
Happy New Year!!!

She may act goofy sometimes, but she sure is smart!

2008-10-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

Last month she learned a lot, but this month is even more surprising to me. Sadie is so much smarter than I think she is. I think I'm still in baby mode, when she's in learning mode. This is a picture that I took of her this morning when she was acting as goofy as she could be -- putting on her winter hat and rainboots while still wearing her pj's. She cracks me up sometimes & she knows it! It's as if I created a little comedian or something. (Her Uncle Jim would be very proud.)
Anyway, today while I was reading Sadie some books and doing some little "learning activities" with her as we do every morning... I came to the realization that she her speed of learning has gotten quicker and quicker. Just within the past couple of weeks Sadie has learned:
- to say "hi" and wave (at the same time)
- to say "peek" & "boo"
- to say "that?" when I ask "what's that?"
- to point at pictures of Chad and say "da da"
- how to make the noise of an elephant, kitty, and cow
- where her nose, ears, hair, teeth, tongue, and toes are (she points at them)
- how to drink out of a straw (which may sound silly, but she's always just chewed on it)
- how to clean up toys and put things away

Sadie's New Cozy Coupe!!!

2008-10-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

With Sadie being adventurous and loving the outdoors, we decided that it was time to get her something new to play with outside in the yard. So we bought her a Cozy Coupe... the toy that I probably most wanted while growing up and never got. I must have asked Chad a million times what the weight limit was on this thing because I'm dying to get in and take a ride in it. Apparently I'm a little over the limit. I swear it's a lot smaller than it used to be...
Anyway, on the bright side -- Sadie absolutely loves it!!! She's not quite sure how to push herself forward in it, but she's definitely getting the hang of it and loves to get in and out like a big girl!

Playgroup at the Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

We had our annual playgroup at the pumpkin patch, and it was totally different than last year. Last year we had to prop up the kiddos against the pumpkins, and this year we couldn't get them to sit still. They were all trotting around the patch picking up the pumpkins and throwing them thinking that they were some kind of orange ball or something. We had a blast!

Jason & Diana Come to Visit

2008-09-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

Our friends Jason & Diana came to visit us for the weekend. They are good friends of ours from high school, and were there "the day Chad and I fell in love". It's amazing to think that we are all getting so old. We've been friends for years now, and have still managed to keep in touch.
We decided to go and visit Patriots Point, and ended up having a wonderful time! The second picture is of Chad pretending to do his "used-to-be dream job". It was neat to see what the Navy ships, planes, and subs were like years and years ago. Glad to know that they aren't quite like that anymore too!

The Rays Came to Visit

2008-09-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

The Ray family came to visit after 4 months of John being out to sea. It was so great to hang out with them for the weekend. They are very close friends of ours and we had missed them dearly. Sadie enjoyed showing Ava all of her toys and teaching her all of her neat tricks. Thanks again for coming! We love you, and look forward to visiting you in Jacksonville soon.

Ocean Baptism

2008-09-16T16:27:00.000-07:00

We finally had the opportunity to go to an ocean baptism that our church was having this past Sunday, and two people from our small group were baptized! It's so exciting to see how God is working in all of our lives. (The picture above is our whole group.)

Sadie is already planning for her future....

2008-09-16T16:18:00.001-07:00

I guess since Chad's through with studying for the MCAT, Sadie decided it was her time to begin. She wants to be a doctor like her daddy.

A Big Mistake...

2008-09-16T13:31:00.000-07:00

Apparently it was not "the day" to take Sadie in to have her pictures made. I should have known better, but I decided to wing it anyway (and you can see why I am kind of regretting my mistake). It was practically impossible to get her to even smile, and normally that's so unlike her. However, not only was it a bad time to take her -- she wasn't really feeling good either. Oops! At least I got a couple of good ones. I'll be sure not to make the same mistake next time.

Dedicated to the Grandparents

2008-09-09T17:48:00.000-07:00

I just realized that Sadie's 14 months old now and I hadn't even videotaped her doing any of her neat little tricks... so this is just a clip of some of things we've been working on. (Oh, and it's dedicated to the grandparents because Sadie is sending lots of love along with it!)
She's signing!!! I thought she'd never do it. Since Sadie was 6 months old, we've been working on baby sign language. We first worked on please and eat, and I think she finally caught on to those around 1 year old. Then all of a sudden -- she began learning quicker and quicker. It was truly amazing to watch her catch on and actually understand, as well as be able to communicate with me. Now she is able to sign: please, eat, drink, more, and all done.
We love you Grandma, Grandpa, Nanna, & Poppa!!! XXXX OOOO

Playing Out in the Yard

2008-09-04T17:00:00.001-07:00

Nothing could be better than playing outside in the yard... or so that's what Sadie thinks. Lately, because of the weather not being quite as hot -- I've allowed Sadie to go out in the yard to play for a little while. Guess I didn't realize quite how much she was going to enjoy it. It's like pulling teeth to get her to come back in. Sadie loves walking around in the grass and chasing Chloe (our miniature schnauzer) around the yard. She has just gotten into actually playing with Chloe and will bring her toys and play fetch with her. It's pretty funny to watch. Sadie thinks it's a fun game, and Chloe is thrilled to finally have some attention. Hopefully the weather will continue to get cooler so that we can have more outdoor play without the heat and humidity.

This Child Loves Her Boots!

2008-08-29T12:42:00.000-07:00

Nanna & Poppa came into town this past weekend and bought Sadie an adorable pair of rain boots. They made sure to buy them a little bit on the big side so that they would be wearable for the winter and fall... However, Sadie just hasn't had the patience to wait. I put them in her closet on the floor and I swear she'll go into her room at least 3 or 4 times throughout the day and bring those boots to me for me to help her put them on. It's hilarious! She'll stand there (as she is in the top picture) and beg me. She then walks all around the house in them, takes them off, and brings them back for me to do it again. She must love wearing boots and she knows how cute she looks in them too!

Our Trip to Montana

2008-08-28T12:32:00.000-07:00

The day finally came when we were able to take our trip out to Bozeman, MT to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. It was absolutely beautiful out there! I think I must have told them a million times while we were there that I thought the mountains looked so fake. Talk about a change of scenery. I felt like I was in another country or something! While we were there, we did some hiking up to a waterfall, we went through the Lois and Clark Caverns, and Darla and I, of course, did some girl shopping while the guys went fly-fishing. It was a very relaxing trip and we had such a great time with them. Thanks again Jim and Darla for making our stay more than wonderful! We love you so very much!

Sadie's 1st Official Haircut

2008-08-12T16:18:00.000-07:00

Yes that's right! It was time to take Sadie to have her 1st official haircut by someone other than Mommy... Mommy was having a rough time figuring out what to do with all her hair, and was tired of chasing Sadie around the house while cutting pieces off a little at a time. Hair was everywhere and needless to say, trying to cut it while she now knows how to walk is pretty much pointless. Sadie did an absolutely perfect job of behaving herself. I couldn't have asked for it to go any better! They put her in a red car, and she sat there and "drove" around ringing the silver bell that was on the hood of it, and watching a movie all at the same time. How much more fun could a haircut get?! I have a feeling she'll be begging to go there very shortly. (After all, it beats Mommy cutting her hair.)

1st Time Walking at the Beach

2008-08-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

We decided to make a beach trip on Saturday... which was the 1st time we had been since she's been walking. It was quite an exciting adventure! Walking completely changes everything. Sadie knew she was a big girl and wanted to hang out with other "bigger" girls who were building sand castles and digging trenches. We had a blast watching her toddle all around the beach. It made the trip even more exciting than usual, and I think she would have stayed all day if we would have let her.

Playgroup at Our House

2008-08-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

Riley-Roo and Ellis Anne came over to play today for playgroup, and boy was it a lot of fun! Sadie enjoyed playing with her two buddies and showing them all of her neat toys. Its so great to have such wonderful friends!

Sadie is Officially Walking

2008-07-30T07:08:00.000-07:00

The big day came whether I was ready for it or not... the day when Sadie's 2-3 steps turned into 20 and she was walking everywhere! I don't think I was quite prepared because in my mind I still had another month or so to get ready. I was on my way home from work Monday night and Chad told me the news... of course, I was in denial until I came home to -- what used to be my baby girl walking up to greet me. (It's so funny to see her clap for herself afterwards too.)
Chad asked if I was ready to admit to myself that Sadie is now a toddler. No!!! I'm not ready! I know that she no longer drinks out of a bottle and is drinking "big girl" milk, I know all of the Gerber snacks say that they are for Toddlers, and I know that she is now old enough to have temper tantrums, but Sadie, in my mind, is not a toddler. I guess it's time for me to realize that now that she is toddling around everywhere, I need to start thinking of her as a toddler. It's sad in a way, but more than exciting!

Sadie's 1st Birthday!!!!

2008-07-14T06:46:00.000-07:00

There was Hello Kitty stuff everywhere!!! What can I say?! I don't think I've ever had that much fun at a kids party before! Probably because this one was a great milestone for our family. We had such a great time... and the best part about it was that Sadie enjoyed her day! It was so neat to see her eyes light up that morning when we walked out of her room and the whole house was decorated with pink and green! She was a little scared of all the balloons at first, but shortly realized that they were a bunch of fun. Oh, and of course watching her dig into her birthday cake was one of the best moments. She couldn't get enough of it. We actually had to take it away from her so she wouldn't get sick. (I think she finally decided to go to sleep around 10 or 11 o'clock that night because she was so full of sugar.) She did end up getting a little tired of opening presents, but still enjoyed all of the neat things that she received.
We are so blessed to have spent the day with all of the people we love so dearly. Thank you again for all of you who came. You helped to make it a perfect day!

Jim, Darla, & Kade come to visit from MT!

2008-07-12T13:51:00.000-07:00

I absolutely LOVE my brother, sister-in-law, and my nephew - Kade!!! God has truly blessed me with such a wonderful relationship with them & I do not know what I would do without them. Darla is the sister I dreamed I always wanted, not to mention she's also my best friend. Her and I just "click". Even though she lives all the way out in MT, and I live here in Charleston -- it's like we live next door to each other. We have the greatest relationship, and I thank the Lord every day for bringing her into my brother's life. He truly couldn't have found a better wife... and best yet, couldn't have given me a better sister!
So, they finally came to visit us! We had such a great time. Kade went to the beach and the pool for the very first time. He absolutely loved the water! Chad and I tried to show them around Charleston as much as we could, but it was pretty tricky with 2 kids and their schedules. We managed to do a lot, and made some of the best memories together. Thankfully, it won't be too long until we see them again... We're going to be able to visit them in August and are looking forward to it!!

Family Vacation at Fripp Island

2008-07-12T13:26:00.001-07:00

Chad's parents rented a house on Fripp Island for a week so that our family could have a vacation together. We had so much fun with them. It was great to finally have a break from our everyday life and just spend a week together doing nothing but fun and relaxing things. We went to the beach a lot, swam at the pool, took Sadie to the park, went biking, went fishing, and enjoyed some beautiful scenery.
There were deer EVERYWHERE! They would come up to us (if we called them) -- and Sadie even had the chance to pet one. She got a big kick out of it.
It was nice for Sadie to be able to spend some quality time with her Nanna & Poppa. You could tell she really enjoyed being with them... oh, and it was nice for Chad and I to have some free babysitting available. We had a lot of nice little dates. Best of all though, we all got to be together as a family! It was very special and memorable.

Sadie's Dedication & Mother's Day

2008-05-13T07:46:00.000-07:00

We finally had the opportunity to dedicate Sadie to the Lord & it even happened to be on Mother's Day weekend. Both of Sadie's grandparents were able to make it and Chad's brother, Uncle Daniel, was even able to come! What a blessing it was to have family here for it. We even had some friends of ours dedicating their children as well. The Surratt's dedicated Miles and the Allen's dedicated Grace. Seacoast provided such a beautiful service. What a very special weekend it was for all of us... especially me for my very 1st Mother's Day! Oh, and to top it all off, Chad did a wonderful job of making me feel like the most special mom in the world. He always spoils me. :)

It was an "Uncle Daniel Weekend"

2008-04-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

Chad's brother, Daniel, called us up on Thursday and asked if he could come down to visit for the weekend so that he could go to the beach. And of course the answer was yes as we always enjoy having him. We had a great weekend! Sadie loved playing with her Uncle Daniel. She wouldn't stop staring at him the entire time that he was here. It was fun to watch her crawl over as he was watching tv and try and get his attention by showing off. As always - the beach was a bunch of fun! The waves weren't big enough to surf on so Uncle Daniel tried to teach Sadie how to play (what he calls) "foot"ball instead!

Our Trip to Greenville

2008-04-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

Christmas was actually the last time we had visited our parents in Greenville so it was definitely time to make another trip up there. We got up there Friday evening and spent the night with Chad's parents, and then Saturday afternoon we went to my parents and spent that night with them. It all went by so fast! Whenever we go up there, we always feel as if we don't get to spend very much time with either of them because we are splitting up the time... But, it was a great trip and it was so nice to see them all. Sadie had a good time showing off her newest little tricks. I could tell that she really loved all of the attention that she got from them and all of the lovin' that they gave to her. Sadie is one very blessed little girl to have such wonderful grandparents who love her so much and spoil her rotten!

Sadie's Blossoming Personality

2008-04-16T07:35:00.001-07:00

Brace yourselves everyone -- because Sadie's little personality is beginning to really come out! She can be absolutely hilarious sometimes. In fact, last night after Chad and I finished eating dinner, we just sat there at the table and were entertained by her little faces and gestures that she was making while sitting in her high chair. Lately she is really into scrunching up her nose and smiling super big (like in this picture)... she knows she's cute. oh, and shaking her head no. She will be walking behind her little push lion just shaking her head no, and sometimes even falls over because she loses her balance. So, we asked ourselves who needs a tv if you have a baby to do all the entertaining?? Anyway, Sadie couldn't just stick with the crawling. She had to start pulling up on everything and walking behind her little push lion. I feel like all of a sudden, she is growing up so fast. It seems like we were just excited that she could sit up, and now she knows how to do everything but walk. Yikes! It is all so much fun though. I wouldn't trade it for anything! I always think that the stage she is in at the time is the best one, but then each stage that she goes into just gets better and better.

Our Family Trip to the Beach

2008-04-14T08:12:00.000-07:00

So, it was finally a nice enough day to go to the beach on a Saturday as a family. How fun!!! We had just gotten a new jogging stroller from a friend of ours (that she had found at a garage sale that morning) -- so we were extra excited about going to try it out. This was also the first time in a very long time that Chad was able to go with us so it made the day very special. Wow! We are so blessed to live right near the beach. The weather was beautiful. We walked for about an hour and a half while Sadie napped in her new stroller. So, I guess she liked it... We never knew what we had been missing out on when we didn't have a stroller with big tires to go through sand. Boy did that used to be a big pain! Sadie had an exciting day of eating some "new" things. Chad and I brought some pretzels along with us for a snack and somehow Sadie ended up sucking on them to get all of the salt off... and then when we left the beach, we stopped and got some Marble Slab ice cream and we gave her some of ours. The first bite of ice cream that she took was hilarious because she had never had anything so cold in her mouth before. But, then she just kept wanting more. -This came as no surprise!

Our Trip to Jacksonville

2008-04-07T12:20:00.001-07:00

Well, we decided that it was time to make another weekend trip to Jacksonville to visit our wonderful friends John and Whitney, as well as their new addition to the family, Ava. What a great time we always have with them. They are such a sweet little family! Ava is now going on 3 months old, and boy does she make Sadie look/act like a "big girl". Sadie and Ava were born 6 months apart, and even though they will be in the same grade someday, right now it feels as if they are more like 6 years apart. It's always so much fun seeing the girls together. Sadie likes to hold Ava's arms and hands and occasionally tries to grab at her hair... and Ava just sort of puts up with her. Getting good pictures with the two of them is a huge challenge. I try to entertain them when Whitney's taking her pictures, and then she does the same for me. We always manage to get a bunch though.
It's truly amazing how fast time goes by. Chad and I are especially reminded of this when we see how teeny Ava is and how we could just sit there and hold her for hours and hours. Those were the days... the easier days when Sadie wasn't crawling all over the place and getting into things. I thought seeing Ava would make me wish Sadie were that little again, but really it doesn't. It just reminds us of how much we should enjoy each and every stage that Sadie goes through because of how fast she is growing. Speaking of stages... we are very thankful that Sadie now sleeps through the night when we go on trips. What a difference it makes in how much more we can enjoy ourselves.