Driving Lessons

After a grueling 6 hour drive down to San Diego, I decided that I needed a back up driver. Tata volunteered to give the kids driving lessons so that they could take the wheel when I needed a break heading back up North.

 First they took lessons old-school, stick shift.

                                    

 Then they took it up a notch and worked on their automatic-driving skills...

 

Turns out, they're naturals. Watch out, they'll be on the road in no-time!

A Week for Ryan

This week we headed down to San Diego, sadly without Ryan who was unable to join us because of work. Hopefully he will enjoy his time, but I know he will miss us. I'm going to try to document a little all or most days, just to say we love him and are thinking about him each day. I know every thing we do I am thinking it would be even better if he was there with us. : )  Today, we met up with my cousin Erika and her kids, Jade, Wyatt and Ellie at the Wild Animal park.      Just to make Ryan laugh, Ill point out that the kids are actually something like 4th cousins.  There's no "cousin-boundary" in our family. Cousins are cousins, period. End of Story.

 

July 5th, 2014

On July 5th, we lost our cousin Kelsey Kennedy, to cancer.
We will miss her and I can't even begin to imagine what her husband Chris, her parents and her daughter Alexa are going through as the finality and seperation of death sets in.  The most beautiful hope and peace right now, for us, is found in rejoicing at the vision and knowledge of her uniting with and worshipping Christ, holding her unborn babies and having a whole, healed body in heaven, this day. Kelsey grieved her miscarriages greatly and I hope that she is enjoying kissing those babies and basking in His love and radiance.
 I know the joyfull truths, I experience peace through knowing them and through the Holy Spirit, but I am also grieving for for the Kennedy and Scoggins families, and for other families who have "prematurely" lost dear ones. I have to say, I hate cancer and I hate the death, sin and corruption that is on this earth. There are so many terrible, painful things that happen here on earth, most of them are things I don't even have to experience living in the U.S, coming from a loving home...etc...

Knowing that I am in a place of ability makes me want to use my time and our resources to love and help others in every way possible. Losing loved ones makes me want to appreciate every beautiful moment I have here, while at the same time always growing in my conviction and excitement that this life and  this world are not what I live for.

Please join us in praying for the Kennedy and Scoggins families as they move forward. We will miss Kelsey dearly.

http://thekennedycrew.blogspot.com/

Love,

 The Hayes Family

 II Corinthians 4:13-18: “It is written: ‘I believed; therefore I have spoken.’ Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, because we know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to Himself.  All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.  Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen in eternal.”

4th of July

4th of July this year began the 3rd with a little Mommy and me, (and me...and me!) camping trip out to Morro Strand campground. My sister invited us to watch the Cayucus parade with her and Uncle G, so I figured I would get a jump start on the drive over there by hanging out in Morro with my dear friend Julie and then camping at the beach the night before.

...see my prego belly! This was the view from our campsite! It was so relaxing to be hanging out, with really nothing to do, at the site and on the beach. Having the van made it so easy! Camp was all set up about 10 min max after we parked and ready to go in about 15 after we woke up. Everyone says that half the work of camping is the packing, unpacking, setting up etc. and it's true for us. However, it's looking like we're getting the system simplified and easy! Perfect for taking lots of camping trips with little ones!

We meandered up to Caycus on the morning of the 4th to see the sand-castle competition... Notice Kaila's stinky attutide. I mean, you can imagine what a tough life she has. Beach, camping that night, Aunty just bought her her own hot chocolate, now sitting in front of amazingly cool sand sculptures...sulking. 

I had no sympathy ; )

...more sulk. (I mean what's going through her head!? "I won't look at the camera. I won't smile. I won't enjoy that colorful mermaid, or that sand-dollar covered castle and dragon, or that giant tree frog on a leaf...wait, well, maybe I'll look at a few of them...")

...followed by the Caycus 4th of July parade where Ryan joined us after his morning bike ride! We went home, rested then had dessert and did backyard fireworks for a quick hour at a friend's house before bedtime.  

It's been so fun to be able to expose our kids to the things we enjoy, and now we plan to stay around the house and rest for the remainder of the weekend!

Lil- Angel

This was an actual conversation I just overheard...all in sing-songy voices while picking tomatoes and green beans in the garden this morning. It was the first two lines that originally caught my ear.

K- I'm a little angel, I'm a little angel...

J- I'm Jesus..can I sit here?

K-No, only angels sit can sit here...

J-I'm a blue angel  (both kids still singing...)

K- I'm a pink angel...only pink angels can sit here...

J- I'm a pink angel...

K-I'm a blue angel...

J- I'm a black angel...

K- I'm a black angel too...

J-I'm an angel... can I have a tomatoe? (still singing)

K- No.

J- KAILA... (sounds like fighting...also, he has about 5 in his own hand.)

K- I'm a little angel, I'm a little angel...

I cant stop laughing and had to write it down...especially for Ryan, at  work. xoxox

Mineral King

We finally made it up to altitude again...It seems like it had been so long since we had been in the high mountains and I really missed it.

our campsite on the creek.

Educating the kids in the ways of creek-dipping!...all three kids. Josiah, Kaila and...Baby #3, 6 1/2 months old, tucked all safe and sound in my belly!

Kaila opted out, just toes for her.

Josiah and I went big... obviously it was freezing!

I went home and immediately began researching where to take kids backpacking...unfortunately, we have a few obstacles still standing in our way of making a back-country trip...

a two year old, a three year old and me being 7 months pregnant. Believe me, if we could pull it off, I would go backpacking this summer, but it's not looking like a great time. 

Cant wait for the next adventure...

Father's Day

Father's Day Weekend found us spending the night on the coast in Shell Beach. Ry and I rode with the kids down to Avila along the Bob Jones Trail, met up with Granny and Tata, then we all went to the Avila Valley Barn and ate lunch and got ice cream.

We came to shell after my last (extra-long) week of work and, needless to say, we were all tired and ready for the relaxation. Josiah decided to rest on a pile of warm sand in the parking lot while waiting for the trolley. 

Then, on Fathers Day itself, Ryan and I enjoyed biking to our local favorite coffee shop and talking while the kids played in the kid corner and drank their special hot chocolates.

Later that evening, we went to the Sea Venture on the ocean to listen to my dad play music for happy hour and then have a big family dinner. 

I have so many amazing dads in my life. First there was my own dad who loved me from the beginning, and Ryan's dad who was loving him at the same time. Both amazing fathers. 

Now, I get the privilege of sharing life with Ryan as a father. He is patient, sensitive, caring and nurturing. He reads to the kids, takes them fishing, cooks us great super-healthy breakfasts every single morning, and he carries our family through everything. Plus, he is hands-down my best friend and the person I would choose to hang out with and spend my free time with any day. He points me towards acting in truth and love and doing what is right, in all circumstances, and helps guide me into living a more peacefully balanced life.  I could never have asked for a man who was a more perfect fit for me. 

Above all, I am so thankful to The Father, for all of the fathers in our lives.