Big sister sock puppet

Katie always manages to get lots of smiles from her little sister.  This sock puppet episode was no exception...

http://youtu.be/uxHAs54KpG8

Farewell to Sally Wally

On October 18, 2011, we had to say goodbye to our beloved friend and family member, Sally Wally. 

Thanks for all the lessons you taught us along with all the good times, companionship, love, laughter, memories and slobbery kisses.  We are very sad you had to leave us Sally and we miss you every single day. The house doesn't feel the same without you here.  You were a damn good dog!

First Water Trail. Superstition Wilderness Area, Mesa, Arizona.  February 2009.

6-months old - Baby bathtime

Natalie loves bath time and playing in the water.  She loves the water on her face, splashing in the water and being in the tub.

http://youtu.be/u_SdVClv1kY

Half Year Birthday!

"So mom told me today that I'm six-months old.  I'm not sure what that means, but she sang me a different song this morning and then took my picture before changing my diaper. 

I've recently started babbling lots of sounds and there are 2 specific sounds that I make that mom and dad get really excited about.  One sounds like "mom-ma" and the other is "da da."  They always smile when I make these noises, so I try to make them a lot.

I am starting to sit up on my own really well.  I don't really topple over anymore unless I lean too far for a toy.  And when I do topple over, I don't really care.  I just start "baby snowplowing" to try to get the toy."

Natalie's First Hike

We took Natalie out to hike with Grandpa.  She loved it.  Now that the weather is cooler, we'll need to start planning more hikes with Natalie and eventually with Gus too.

The Arrival of Augustus (Gus) Hayes

Upon our return from New York, we made a quick detour at the airport to the cargo area.  Ever try to find the cargo area at your local airport?!?!  What a nightmare.  Anyway, we eventually found the cargo area and were able to pickup our newest addition to the family, the Yellow Lab formerly known as Tank.

Although it all appeared to Katie that we got lost, the arrival of Tank was well planned.  Whit's Aunt Carol and Uncle Randy and their two labs, Jack and Zoe had a small first litter of pups in August.  As I recall, Tank got his name because he was the firstborn pup and also the largest pup of the liter.

On the way home from the airport we contemplated what his new name should be.  Eventually we settled on Gus as this was the name of the polar bear we met in the Central Park Zoo and also the name of the goofy fat mouse in Cinderella (duh...Gus Gus).

As soon as he entered our home, Sally began showing him the ropes.  She showed him where the back doors were so he could wait to be let outside to go potty; she shared her bed with him; she sacrificed nearly all her toys for Gus to chew on and play with; and she helped him learn to sit.  Nearly every time we told her to sit, he looked over at her and then imitated her.  As such, Gus is now weakly trained to SIT on command.  Gus spent nearly every minute of his first week at the Casa de Hayes chasing Sally and trying to play with her. 

NYC meets Katie

For Katie's fall break, we decided to take her to visit Aunt Adrienne in New York.  So Whit and Katie flew to New York on Thursday while Scott was at a work conference in California.  The girls enjoyed a girls night and went out to dinner and then watched the 80's classic movie, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun."

Friday morning the girls hit the streets and did a ton of walking. Katie was a super trooper and kept up all day.  We just had to carry around a few extra apples and stop periodically for food to help her re-charge.  We walked along the Highline, through the Chelsea Market and in and out of almost every "spinny" door in New York.  We went up to the Top of the Rock for some spectacular views of the city.  Scott arrived around 6 ... just in time to get the key to the apartment as we whisked off to see Mary Poppins at the New Amsterdam theater.  While the girls soaked up all the spoonfuls of sugar they could, Scott spent the evening touring the Chelsea bars with Adrienne's wonderful friend, Maria.

Saturday morning we were up early and on the first ferry out to the Statue of Liberty and then toured Ellis Island.  Katie had a headset and listened to the narration for kids at her own pace.  She learned a lot and was very patient with Scott and Adrienne (the two slowest museum tour guests ever).  After lunch we headed back to town and walked around Battery Park, Ground Zero, through Wall Street (and the protests) and halfway across the Brooklyn Bridge.  Again, Katie was a fantastic trooper.  Our last stop of the day was the Tenament Museum, which was very interesting.  The tour group was small and Katie was the only kid, so she got special treatment from the tour guide.  She even jumped in and asked a few great questions (i.e. where did the people who lived here take a bath?!?!).

Sunday was a little more laid back.  We slept in ... Katie until 9:30 and then headed to The Plaza Hotel and Central Park.  The 3 of us planned a surprise trip to the Central Park Zoo to see their resident Polar Bear, Gus.  After walking around the park for a while at a lazy pace, we ended up in the zoo and boy was Katie thrilled to see that there was a polar bear exhibit.  After the zoo, we visited FAO Schwartz, Tiffany's and the St. Regis Hotel where the rude bartender promptly escorted us out of the bar as Katie was underage (duh). Sunday night ended with Thai food at Maria's and then "Honey I Shrunk The Kids" on the couch at Adrienne's wonderful apartment.

Thanks to Adrienne and her marvelous planning, we had a fantastic time and wish we could have stayed longer. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU.

Click on the photo below to see all the photos at your own pace.