the Hayes fam and our life in the burbs

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Random cell phone pictures

Life has been busy. I can't keep up. Here are a bunch of random photos from my cell phone taken over the past few months...

Katie's new eyes

Chic Fil A balloon

Ready for dance class

"Swimming" on Katie's kick board

Silly in the car.

"Driving" at Home Depot

"Hiding" in the cube

"Peeky boo" at the park

Checking for mail from Grandma

Looking through Gus' whiskers

First trip to library

Running with Auntie

Reading on the couch

"Cheers" at park with Auntie

Taking Gus Gus to the doctor

Taking Natalie to the doctor

Red balloon from carwash

Reading with Grampa

Goodnight Moon before nap with Grampa

Ostrich Festival w daddy

Picnic lunch at Ostrich Festival.

Playing soccer.

Serious.

Silly.

Hiking in Superstition Mountains

Zoo with mommy

Helping mommy plant our baby tree

Eating food out of Sawyer's hand
(Stefan and Susie's son)

All ready to go to work to make money.
Her words, not mine.

Stacking cones at first soccer practice.

Going for ride in new chariot!

Gus sleeping under coffee table during March Madness games.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Visit from Grampa Husker and Grandma Becky

Grampa Husker and Grandma Becky were kind enough to arrange their spring (not technically spring but February in Arizona is basically spring when compared to February in Nebraska) trip to conveniently overlap with mommy's 2nd annual ski vacation with Auntie Adrienne. This was helpful for Scott and allowed Grampa and Grandma some extra time with the little ladies in our house.

Relaxing morning time with Grampa and his coffee.

After coffee time each morning, Grampa and Natalie went outside to water the flowers they planted earlier in the week.

Daily trips to the park. "Grampa come on. Hiding."

Natalie really had fun saying "Ready. Set. Go." and then pushing Grampa down the slide.

Playing soccer in the front yard with Grandma Becky!

Playing soccer is hard work.

The silly sisters.

Katie plays a cut-throat game of Cadoo with Grampa and Grandma while Natalie screams for attention in background.

Impromptu cello concert.

Getting ready to head home.

Thanks for all the fun times!!! We love you!!!!!!! Come back soon!

2013 Ostrich Festival

After a weekend of crazy weather, we braved the Ostrich Festival on Sunday morning, bright and early. Miss Katie was a great sport and volunteered to ride rides with Natalie or Maddie when an adult was needed (although the carnival people didn't always allow this). Natalie loved all the smells, noises, small kid rides and funnel cake.

First time on carousel

Katie in front, Vince and Maddie in back.

Scott and long-time friend, Vince

All the girls inside the purple dragon (think tea cups).

A tight squeeze on the "Hoppin Roo" ride before we left.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Birthday wishes

Someone sent me birthday wishes and told me they hoped I got spoiled for my birthday. Looking at these pictures, I am positive that not only did I get spoiled, but I am spoiled. I've got 2 wonderful kids, 3 perfect part-time jobs, my health and even got to spend part of my birthday celebrating with my parents for the first time in so long none of us could remember the last time it happened.

Special thanks to Grandma Becky for making my giant birthday cookie cake despite having an ear and sinus infection (which she at one point described as feeling like knives in her skull), to Katie for meticulously designing and decorating it, to Grandpa Larry and Gramma Judy for spontaneously watching the kids on Saturday night so we could go out for dinner and drinks as just adults, and of course, to Scott for the free tank of gas (woot woot!) and for taking me out to dinner at a restaurant full of stuffed animals and comical drinks and a tour of Queen Creek. Also, many thanks to our good friends who live just down the street for letting us crash by their house on our way home for one last drink and a fantastically fun acoustic sing-along.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Suburban Suds family bottling party

Our Experimental Porter was ready for bottling while my parents were in town, so we put them to work on the bottling line. My dad helped package the bottled beers. My mom took photos of the process.

Step 1: sanitize everything.

Step 2: give audience members snack.

Step 3: open the fermenting bucket and take a whiff (and photo) of your nearly finished product.

Step 4: have husband with very long arms get siphon going. Learn a funny story from my dad about one time when my Grandma Schwisow was trying to siphon homebrew when she was younger. Long story short: she ended up accidentally getting drunk on Sunday morning right before my Grandpa came to pick her up for church.

Step 5: bottle the first of 54 potentially delicious 12-oz beers.

Step 6: encourage the bottle capper to smile for a pic.

Step 7: put audience members to work.

Step 8: pour every last drop of liquid goodness into a bottle. For the record, I am not sweating like a pig but rather just came inside from fixing the downspout in the backyard during a rain storm.

Step 9: clean up the giant mess in your kitchen.

The Suburban Suds Experimental Porter (name TBD) will be ready for tasting on March 17, 2013. I have high hopes for my conveniently timed St. Patty's Day beer batch.