June busy-ness and some May madness

Hello again from the Hay family!
June has been another busy month for us.  We started out the month with a trip to LaPorte to visit with Ed's family.  We had a great time visiting with all of his family, and are looking forward to (hopefully) another trip up sometime in July.
Jeanette has been busy helping plan relief society activities for church, making a page for a group- made quiet book for the kiddos, and tending to the yard and our new garden.
Oh yea!  At the end of May, we put in a lot of man hours to complete our first vegetable garden in our new home!  We decided to go with raised garden beds, which required us to smooth out a section of yard with some (free!!) topsoil we got off craigslist (yea craigslist!).  We wanted to do a raised bed with some really cool interlocking border stones we had found at lowes.  But when we went to pick them up, they were completely out!  After hunting down the area manager, we found out that they had stoped making them because the stones were breaking at the intersecting point, and that it would be another 2-3 weeks before they would get anymore.  We had already put off getting this garden put together (long story there), and we didn't want to waste any more time.  So, we decided to go with wooden raised beds.  We drew out the plans, got the wood, and in less than 24 hours time, had three 12x4 ft beds and 2 4x4 ft beds.  We later added a third 4x4 bed to even things out.  That, believe it or not, was the easy part.  Shoveling, and moving the 5 cubic yards of dirt from the driveway to the beds was the hardest part.   Needless to say, by the time it was all said and done, it took about a week of being outside for most of the day for us to complete our beautiful raised beds:

So we now have 16 tomato plants, several zucchini, cucumber, butternut squash, yellow squash, watermelon, cantaloupe, corn, green bean, pea, carrot, green, yellow, and red bell pepper, jalapeno, and strawberry plants.  It's a few weeks behind schedule, but we are looking forward to a fruitful harvest.  JD loves to help mommy by grabbing handfuls of dirt and dropping them wherever he chooses.  The little turkey...

The Schafer Gang

Fathers day weekend we took our annual trip down to Spring Mill State park for our family reunion with Jeanette's Dad's side of her family.  We had a blast, as usual.  We are getting to be pros at camping in a tent with little ones.  Sure, we're completely exhausted by the end of it all, but that's just cause JD loves to do exactly what we tell him not to... like run towards and down the road.  Again... he's a little turkey!

The Schafer/McNeely Siblings

Little goober with ketchup on his nose

I'm not doing anything, Momma!  Just eating my cupcake!

And this is what happens when you let go of the little man while trying to get pjs on him!

Speakin of the little turkey, last month he had surgery to repair an inguinal hernia. He was a champ!  We had a great surgeon, and 24 hours after his surgery, you would never have guessed that he just had surgery.  He was pretty sleepy afterwards, and didn't want to leave momma's arms, but the next day- forget it!  Back to running around and being the crazy kid that he is!  He had his surgery done at IU Health Riley, and I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am to live so close to the best pediatric hospital in the state.  Fantastic employees- from the receptionist to the very last nurse, all were great!  AIDET in action! (All my IU Health buddies will get this!)  Seriously, as a health professional, Jeanette knows that what we are taught to do as health professionals doesn't always happen.  But everyone in the outpatient surgery department at Riley puts what they are taught into action!
So minus his little scar, little man is back in action!

I guess I didn't write about our month of May- I'm a little scatter-brained today!
Oh yea, we made a lot of trips to the airport (Which both kids love- they both get excited when they see an airplane in the sky- which is often at our house since we are so close to the airport).  We sadly had to take Corban (Jeanette's brother) to the airport so he could move out to Utah :-( We took Joel and Chelsie (Jeanette's brother and girlfriend)  to the airport so they could visit Hawaii, and then we picked them up with they got back.  And then we took Jeanette's Dad to the airport so he could visit Casey (Jeanette's sister), Chris (Jeanette's brother-in law), Corban, and her new neice Ana for Ana's blessing.  Lots of airport visits, but like I said, we like going to the airport.

TRIED to get a good smile from her...

And this is what happens. 

Lilly also graduated from her first semester of Preschool!  She did amazing; At first I think we were all concerned, because she just wasn't catching on to the whole alaphabet thing.  Then one day, BAM!  Little priss just starts naming all the letters off one by one.  She has done awesome with Dawn, her teacher.  Thankfully Dawn understands goofy, talkative little class clowns... and that is Lilly to a T!!!

With Dawn, at their parent program

I'm sure we've done more- but that's a lot to remember!

Not too many plans for the rest of our month- Next month is looking to be busy with a 4th of July party, Lilly visiting Mimi (Ed's Mom) for a week, the start of Lilly's dance classes, swim lessons for the kiddos and who knows what else will come up!! But we are looking forward to it all!!

Until next time!  Love and hugs to you all!

Spring has sprung

Well Spring has finally come around here in Indiana- although I am beginning to wonder if it will ever stick.  But, like my grandpa always used to say, "Don't like the weather? Stick around 10 minutes- it will change!"

I always say I will keep up on this blog, and I never do.  Oh well, I've been busy enjoying my children and generally just getting stuff done!  We've done a lot over the past few months. My brother and I took a trip to the Louisville temple and did all the temple work for my grandparents- It was a great experience actually doing work for my own family.  I rediscovered my love for family history work- I only wish I had more time to work on it!  When I was preparing the names for the temple, I found myself spending 8 hours putting in more names, correcting information, adding information, and combining records.  I loved doing it! I had to promised myself that I won't do it more than one day a month, because I know I would get into it and not be able to stop!
In March, we took our yearly trip to Florida.  It was absurdly cold that week, especially considering we were in the keys!  But we did get some warm days, and at least a little bit of a tan.

* Did I mention how hard it is to get a good family picture?*

*Isn't she just so freakin cute?!?*

*Don't get me started on this little trouble maker- cute and he knows it!*

                                                                                             

The view from our bedroom- it may have been cold, but you can't beat the view!

We stayed at a resort we stayed at four years ago, and it was just a great choice now with two kids as it was with no kids.  Quiet, peaceful, but still had lots to do.  We went for a boat ride out into the ocean,  rented some bicycles and biked down to the seven mile bridge and back, and, of course, spent a lot of time at the pool and the beach- enjoying that white sand.  

 *Seriously, how cute are these two!?!*

Unfortunately, our vacation was cut short, both in physical time and mental relaxation time. Ed's grandfather passed away on March 5th while being prepped for open heart surgery.  It was fairly unexpected, but at a whopping 85 years old, he had lived a long good life.  And, though medicinilly induced, died in a peaceful sleep. We left Florida early Friday morning, and then traveled all day, but we made it (barely) to grandpa's viewing.   

*May 2012* Four generations of Hay men

We miss Grandpa dearly, but are grateful for all the time we did have with him.  Explaining everything to Lilly felt daunting at first, but I'm so grateful for the knowledge of the plan of salvation.  It makes it easier to not only explain to a three year old, but easier to grieve when you know death is not the end of our existence.  There is life beyond this mortal existence and it is far better than we could ever imagine it to be!

What else happened in March?  Oh yea, I got another year older. No big hoopla, but I was blessed to be surrounded by family, and was even lucky enough to get cake for three meals in a row- yep, I got cake for breakfast on my birthday.  We went to one of Grandpa's favorite breakfast spots in Michigan City for breakfast, and they brought me a piece of cake!  And I didn't complain one bit (though I didn't eat it right then- I was too full from a big breakfast!).  

Later in March, I got to go to Time Out for Women- a fantastic women's conference put on by Deseret Book company.  I had a blast!  My best friend Mary Beth and good friend Katie both came with me, and we had a great time.  I did have to miss the Friday session, though, on account of me still recovering from a nasty bout of strep throat and bilateral ear infection. I hope to make it to another one sometime soon- if not next year, definitely the year after that! 

We spent Easter weekend at home, and were invited to dinner with some good friends from church.  I've had a great time getting to know everyone from our ward, and I have to say, I love it!!  There is no doubt in my mind that we are where Heavenly Father wants us to be!  

Outside our home after church

Me and my little man

As for April, it hasn't been too eventful.  We have been busy making this house our home- more specifically- the yard more beautified and livable.  When the weather has been sporadically nice, the kids run around and enjoy our big backyard, while I've tried to figure out what is already planted in the ground, and what I can add to it!  I've got a lot going on, and I can't wait to see how it will all look this summer.  Let's just hope it lives up to the pictures I have in my head!  

The longer we live in our home, the more I love it.  There are always people out walking through the neighborhood, we live a reasonable distance from everything, and though we live in the 11th largest city in the US (Indy?  Yes... I know, right?!  Never would have guessed that!), it still feels like a town or small city. Call me crazy, but I love my flyover state.  

 Look at my little stud-muffin.  Lookin cool in his fedora!

   

Well until some post in the distant (or not so distant) future - Much love to all!!! 

January 2013

Well the first month of the year is coming to a close!  It seems like it has just flown by... heck, I can barely remember what we have done this month (let me pull out my handy dandy calendar so I can remember). Ah,  Yes!
Well in truly parental fashion (parents of young children anyways) we rang in the new year in bed...asleep.  Party animals, I know!  We had all intentions of staying up- even had the sparkling grape juice by the bed... and it didn't get opened until the next day- at dinner time!  But hey, gotta enjoy it while the kids don't care.  One day I'm gonna have to keep my eyes open just so I can shoo the kids off to bed afterwards.
We are finally enjoying a decrease in the amount of time that Ed spends at work.  (Yea for the end of the holiday shopping season!) Ed actually had a week of vacation from the 5th to the 13th- and we partied it up by staying home and getting stuff done around the house (yea us!).  We did take one day and went up to the Indy Children's museum - and we all had a great time. (The Indianapolis Children's Museum the the biggest and best in the world! We are so blessed to live so close.)  JD is growing so quickly, and he caught on to a lot of the different activities there fairly fast.  That week we did have the missionaries over for dinner one night as well.

  But the real highlight of the week was my younger brother's homecoming.

I made signs for him, and just about everyone was holding a sign- They read "Welcome home from Bolivia Elder Schafer, Uncle Corban, Son, Cousin, Nephew, Little Bro- I had people write a little note on the back of each sign that represented their relationship to Corban- so I wrote on the little bro sign, my dad on the son sign, etc.  

  My brother Corban arrived Saturday afternoon from Bolivia after serving his mission for 2 years!  It was wonderful!

 My dad stayed with us the night before, and after he got home, we had a little homecoming shin-dig at our house.

My Dad and brother 

 We were even able to include my sister (who lives in Utah) in on the whole thing at the airport via skype- on my phone!!

Amazing technology! Funny enough, the advancement of technology in the past 2 years had Corban pretty baffled.  I think he's getting used to that (and speaking only English again).

We even got to go down to Franklin ward this past Sunday to hear Corban give his homecoming talk in church.  It was great to hear him speak.  And he has roped me into speaking in the Evansville ward with him in two weeks... lucky me! (note the sarcasm here ;-) Actually I am looking forward to it.  I haven't been back down to Evansville in a while, and I get to do something I haven't done in years... sing with my dad and brother in Sacrament meeting.  Wish us luck, we need it!

And I can't forget, we had a big birthday in the Hay household on the 18th!  My baby boy is now 1 year old!  He is the sweetest, most cuddly little thing, running around the house and keeping momma busy.  He eats SO much!  And it shows!  The boy is in the 98th percentile in both height and weight (31 3/4 inches, and 26lbs 11oz), and greater than 98% (20 inches)  in head size!  I gotta biggin'! We didn't do much, but we had birthday pancakes for breakfast and cupcakes after dinner! And he got a great ball pit from his Opa that he and his sister LOVE playing in!

Other than that, I have just been trying to find a good routine, and trying to keep my sanity most days ;-)  I never realized just how hard being a stay at home mom would be.  At least when I worked, I got a break from work and from home.  Sure, I was still busy as all get-out, but I guess what shocks me is how I still can't manage to keep up with the laundry, the cleaning, the dishes, and the cooking.  And I'm home most of the time!!!  Amazing how busy two little ones can keep you.  But around here, we just keep moving forward and improving day by day.  That's really all you can do- keep trying to be a better person, and keep moving forward.
Well that's all for us, and for the month of January.  Hopefully I'll get a little bit better about updating this. Don't hold your breath, but my goal is at least twice  once a month! Until next time!  Our love to all
The Hay Family

Thanksgiving

We were blessed to have a very full house for Thanksgiving- 18 people in all were here for Thanksgiving dinner.  Our home was full of people, laughter, love, and not to mention some amazing smells coming from the kitchen.  I feel so blessed to have the amazing Brenda Dear so close to our house- she so graciously let me use her oven to cook up the many casseroles and side dishes we had to accompany our 25lb turkey (prepared and cooked by Ed's step-dad, Jimmy), another 14lb turkey (prepared by myself), and a ham!  I must admit, we had WAY more food than what we probably needed, but there was the possibility  of more guests, and I didn't want to chance it by not having enough!  I didn't have to cook for another week after Thanksgiving.

We had a wonderful time, and my only regret is that I didn't take more pictures, or at least assign someone to take pictures.  Thank you to all who came and who helped out, and thank you for helping make our first Thanksgiving in our new home a success!  We hope to have many more family gatherings in the future.