Newborn Natalie, Blowing Bubbles

We took this video of Natalie while we were still in the hospital.  She was less than 24-hours old and was blowing bubbles in her sleep.  At the time, we thought it was fascinating.  And now, it seems like years ago.

http://youtu.be/DjQdIbh6nTo

41 weeks later...

...it's a GIRL!!!!  We finally got to meet Miss Natalie Jane Hayes, born April 20, 2011 at 9:20pm.  Natalie weighed in at 9lbs, 2oz and measured 21in.

We came home from the hospital 2 days after Natalie was born and so far, both mom and dad are doing well with the new addition.  Natalie is sleeping/eating on a 4-6 hour schedule and we are thankful for this already.

Katie and Sally are adjusting to life with a newborn in the house.  Sally is learning to keep a safe distance and sleep when the baby sleeps and Katie is doing her best to be helpful in any way she can.

All in all, we are very thankful for a healthy addition to our family and are cherishing every day with lil Miss Natalie.

Click on the photo below to scroll through the photos at your own pace...

Tribute to Sally

Last week we learned that our beloved Sally (i.e. Sally-Wally, Sally Struthaz, Wonderdog, Yellow-Dog, Dog-Dog, Sally Sosa, Sally Schwisow, Silly Sally, Slobbering Sally, etc.) is living with a defective heart.

After we witnessed her collapsing at home, we took her to the emergency room and thanks to a canine cardiologist, we learned that Sally's heart is barely operating properly and that she is living on borrowed time. The doctor gave us a very short and bleak outlook on our remaining time with Sally, but as with most things involving Sally, she's proved them wrong already.

This news hit all of us as a big sad surprise. We have made the most of our "bonus time" with Sally and are treating each day with her as a special treat. I know that she's just a dog who eats off the floor, licks her butt and chases hot air balloons, but I think all of us learned a lot of great lessons from Miss Sally. Life is short and unpredictable. Enjoy every moment you have with the ones you love and always say goodbye as if it might be the last time you get a chance to say it.

Thank you for all the wonderful laughs, kisses and fun times Sally. You really are the best and sweetest dog ever.  We promise to enjoy every extra day we have you in our lives.

34 weeks

According to the doctor, everything is measuring perfectly, the baby is positioned correctly (head down) and the heartbeat sounds great!!!  All wonderful news.  So I guess now all we have to do is sit back, kick our feet up (mainly mine) and wait...

Please ignore how completely exhausted I look.  This was after week 2 of single parenting and trying to hold down the fort during Scott's work trip to Singapore and Asia. :)

Chandler 5K Challenge

Katie signed up to do her first ever 5K race this year.  Sadly, Scott's work decided to send him to Asia the weekend of the race.  And being fairly pregnant at the time, there was no way I could run the race with her.  I happened to mention this to my fabulous sister who proceeded to purchase a last minute ticket to surprise Katie and come visit for the weekend.

Katie woke up on Saturday morning for the race and wondered into the kitchen only to spy Adrienne drinking a cup of coffee.  You could tell it took her a few minutes to realize it was real and then she just smiled from ear to ear.

With minimal training, Katie and Adrienne completed the race in approximately 36 minutes.

Below are some photos...

32 weeks -- YIKES!

We've finally reached the 32-week mark.  Woo-hoo!!!

How did that take so long and yet happen so soon?  What happened to all the things we wanted to do before the baby comes?  We still haven't signed up for a birthing class (and are quickly discovering that it is likely too late).  We haven't thought about a pediatrician.  We don't really have any solid names picked out yet.  But we have a carseat, a crib and diapers/wipes lined up and ready for action.

At our last appointment, the doc said everything was measuring and looking fine.  Here's what 32 weeks looks like at the Casa de Hayes...

Tumbleweed Race - January 2011

Katie's second race of the season was at Tumbleweed Park in Chandler. It was a beautiful day for running and there were TONS of kids at the race. This time the course was a little less than 1.5 miles but it was almost all off-road and there were more schools/kids competing. Katie did not place in this race, but she sure had fun.

MLK + Daddy + Katie + Sally Day

As usual, Katie was out of school on MLK Day this year. So Scott took the day off from work and took the girls hiking at Camelback Mountain. They all successfully made it to the top and enjoyed a Daddy-made picnic lunch together.

Poor Sally-Wally was so exhausted that she climbed in the back of Scott's truck and slept the whole way home...and for the next 2 days.

Basha High Race

With some encouragement, Katie decided to do running club again this year at school.  Her first race of the season was in mid-January (I know, I know...I'm slow getting this stuff up) at Basha High School.

Although she didn't place this year, she finished strong and was very proud of herself.  The main difference between this year and last year: the decision to run with friends or leave them behind.  I think the photos tell the story pretty well. :)

Click on the link to scroll through...

Four Peaks 12-Hours of Papago

Since Scott got his new mountain bike last year, he's been competing in all sorts of crazy races that "normal" people don't even think twice about. His latest event was a 12-hour ride through Papago Park in Phoenix/Tempe. He rode with his trusty partner, Jason. They took turns riding 7.5 mile laps for 12 hours straight. They're both a little crazy.


Because I was feeling a little lazy, I really only managed to get one photo of him and sadly, it's not even an action shot...but none-the-less, this is Scott after his 7th lap.

25 weeks

After returning from our annual family New Years ski trip to Colorado, we found a package in the mail from my mom. It contained this smiley face silver dollar pancake pan that Katie received as a gift for Christmas but that we could not fit into our suitcase during our return trip from Nebraska.

Right about the time I discovered it in the box Scott decided that it was time to update our "belly shot" portfolio...and this is the result.

P.S. - I promise I didn't actually hit him.

2010 Hayes Family New Years Ski Trip

The 2010 Annual Hayes Family New Years Ski Trip took place this year in Pagosa Springs, Colorado.  We were lucky enough to have our wonderful next door neighbors, Kris and Courtney, and their two kids, Andrew (4) and Brynn (2), join us as well.

The day we arrrived in Colorado we were fortunate to receive 18" of fresh powder.  The following day we got somewhere between 10-15" more.  While I spent my time working remotely from the cabin, learning how to change a diaper and periodically shovelling the front walkway, the rest of the crew hit the slopes.  Katie and Andrew each spent about a day in ski school (this was Andrew's first time ever) and the adults reported that it was insanely cold but that the snow on the slopes was fantastic!

All in all, the trip was a great success and we can't wait to do it again next year...with Baby.

Below are a few photos from our trip...

Christmas 2010

This year for Christmas we visited my family in Nebraska the weekend before Christmas.  Sadly for Katie, there was no snow.  Sadly for me, the annual Schwisow-family stomach flu was there.  As if being pregnant wasn't fun enough.  Despite the no snow factor and stomach flu, it was great to get to see everyone and spend time together.  Next year, we may just stay in Arizona for the winter in order to avoid the pukies.

Katie celebrated Christmas with her mom this year, so Scott and I had the holiday to spend together.  It was kind of a nice treat to have our last Christmas pre-baby to spend alone.  We slept in on Christmas morning, wrapped some presents and then enjoyed a leisurely 7 mile bike ride along the canal near our house.  On the way home I felt like I was working much harder than previously without much progress.  When I looked down, I noticed that I had a flat tire, go figure.  After our bike ride we headed out to spend the day with Scott's family...although I apparently forgot to get my camera out of my purse.  Although it was too short (as always), we enjoyed a great visit with Uncle Mark, Aunt Meridith and lil Riley.

Below are some photos.  Click on it to scroll through them at your leisure...

Baby Hayes: 21 weeks

We had our big 20-week ultrasound last week and we are still working on getting the photos prepped for uploading. Most of you have seen them somewhere (text, Facebook, or in person) but for those who haven't...we're trying. The results of the ultrasound were much to be thankful for: 2 arms, 10 fingers, 2 long legs, 10 toes, a fully functional heart, 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 nose, 1 mouth.

In our house, this is what 21 weeks pregnant looks like. Hard to believe there's a cantaloupe in there! After seeing this on the computer screen though, Whit is terrified of what 40 weeks will look and feel like.

Mom-to-be is still feeling great and keeping up a normal lifestyle. She's been walking in the evenings (hoping to train Sally to behave on the leash so that someday she can walk the dog AND push a stroller without something getting injured) and occasionally trying to run. Dad-to-be is a wonderful support system.




Sending our love to all!

Post-Turkey Mountain Bike Ride

After all the turkey and stuffing was gone, we decided to go for a family mountain bike ride.  We packed up our bikes and headed to the San Tan Mountains, just about 20 minutes south of our house.  Katie mastered the trail map and her bike.  She was very tough and really seemed to enjoy riding off-road.

We'll be sure to try it again sometime soon...

Hayes Family + 1

As many of you already know, we are expecting the newest addition to our family on April 14, 2011.  So far things are going very smoothly and everything seems fine.  We will be exactly 20-weeks along on Thanksgiving Day. 

Katie is excited to be a full-time big sister (she has a baby sister at mommy's house) and when asked if she would prefer a baby brother or baby sister, she replied with a very mature, "well, I think a boy would be fun because I've never had a little brother, but I think a girl would be okay too because I know a lot about having a baby sister.  But really, it doesn't matter what it is as long as it is healthy."  What an awesome kid!

In the meantime, Sally-Wally has decided that it is her job to train us into the art of not sleeping a full night.  She's been up and down and whining and inside and outside and inside and outside and still whining every night at least 4-5 times.  Guess she's taking her roll as big sister very seriously.

After our next ultrasound on Wednesday, we'll post some photos of both the baby and Whit's growing belly!

Labor Day in Colorado

As has become tradition, Labor Day weekend was spent in Aspen with friends from across the country for the annual Motherlode Volleyball Tournament.  This year we decided to take our time, bring our bikes along and make a summertime roadtrip with Whit's new car through Colorado.  We stayed in Durango, Crested Butte and finally made it to Aspen.

Bear Canyon Camping

We were desperately seeking some relief from the 110+ temps of Phoenix, so we packed up the car and headed northeast towards the Mogollon Rim.  We searched and searched for the perfect campsite but had a slim selection because we arrived on Saturday afternoon.  But with a little patience and help from the front seat navigator (Katie gets to ride up front when we are on forest service roads), we were able to find a great camp spot just south of Bear Canyon Lake.

Sunday morning we packed up our campsite and headed for the lake to do some fishing.  Katie's excitement for fishing lasted about 5 minutes and then she came down with a mild case of "the grumpies."  We stayed a bit longer and Scott was able to catch a crawfish/crawdad.  Katie was mainly interested in making sure he was returned to the water.

After our luck ran out at the lake, we headed home on the Rim Road for a scenic change.  Katie ooohed and aaaaahed at the scenery while Whitney and Sally napped in the backseat.  We stopped for lunch in Strawberry, Arizona and then toured the Natural Bridge State Park.  Sally was not allowed to hike on the trails that led down to the water, so we took turns hiking down to the cave with Katie.

All in all, a wonderfully exhausting weekend for all.  So exhausting that I think Sally is still sleeping...

Katie's 9th Birthday

Believe it or not, Katie turned 9 this year.  Where does the time go?!?!  For her birthday, Katie decided she wanted to go rock climbing and then have a sleepover. 

Five of Katie's friends met her at ClimbMax gym in Tempe to learn to climb.  Daddy, mommy and Whitney all learned to belay so that they could assist the kids with climbing.  After cake at the gym, the girls all came back to Daddy's house for swimming and a sleepover.  At Katie's request, Chef Daddy made a special batch of french toast for all the girls.  :)

The Fourth of Nebraska

This year we decided to spend the Fourth of July in Nebraska to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary.  As usual, the trip was busy and too quick.  We were able to see nearly everyone, but the time together never seems to be enough.

It was great seeing everyone again.  We love you all!!

Click on the slideshow below and a separate window will open so you can scroll through the photos at your leisure.