Graphic...Rated PG13 material, so if you have a queasy stomach don't look!

So the past few weeks have been difficult for our family, especially Justin. The Sunday after Thanksgiving he walked out of my sister's house and slipped on the icy stairs and went up in the air and landed on his back. The small of his back and right between the shoulder blades. We went to the doctor a few days later and this is what he looked like...

Then a few days after that we went to get an x-ray and he looked like this...and actually it got worse than this. It wrapped around his belly around front. It was very disturbing to look at, like someone took a baseball bat to his back.

So after the x-ray the doctor suggested that he see a spinal specialist but that she didn't really see anything wrong. Breathe...then after another week of not getting better he went to see the specialist. He said he thought there was something broken and ordered another set of x-rays and an MRI. So while driving home from the MRI place yesterday this happened...

ARRGGHHHH! He feels like screaming and so do I. Could things get any worse? Well, yes. They put him on temporary disability at work until he can return at 100% workablility. We aren't sure when that will be. After 4 weeks he goes down to 60% salary...yikes! We are hoping and praying for the best! What else could possibly go wrong? Well, I ran out of gas today and I thought I was going to have a coronary until I realized it was just an empty tank. Exhale!

The Guest Room is now open!

Our guest room in the basement is finished and ready for visitors. There is no door knob, no baseboards and no closet doors but it is still visitable. There is a place to hang your clothes.

I am a bargain hunter and I got some great deals for this room. I think it is the best shopping I have done in a long time. Bed, mattress and box spring, dresser, mirror and nightstand for a whopping $107. I had the bedding and things to look pretty on the dresser. The only thing I am missing is a lamp and for now one will just get borrowed from another room. Part of me wished I could buy furniture and refinish and make money...but the other part of me says too much work and mess so I just do it for myself. I repainted the bed, dresser and nightstand to be a little shabby but with a modern twist. The mirror was just plan wood and I used a stencil and some spackle to make a raised design then did some distressing and I think it is so cute. You can't really appreciate it in this picture.

The bed was pine and I took off the wood scroll and painted it brown.
Vinyl! I love doing vinyl and making cool things. I had a friend want these chandeliers and after making them for her this week I decided that they would look cute in the guest room. It is an easy solution for hanging something or buying something. I love it!
So, if anyone is ever in Utah and needs a place to stay...come over to our house!

I wonder...

I wonder what my kids think when they finally leave for school in the morning? How many times have I asked them to get their shoes on? Or to put their homework in their backpacks...Come on, let's get going! Hurry Up! Did you brush your teeth? No? why not? Go back upstairs and brush your teeth. You don't have any clean pants???? Did you check the laundry room??? See you do have clean clothes. What? You forgot to do a page of your homework? I asked you yesterday if you had homework and you said no. Get it out and try to do it before you have to leave. Yes, you have to ride your bike today, I have the baby (I watch) and it is a nice morning...soon it will be snow covered and I will drive you then. No, I am not afraid for people to see me in my PJ's when I drop you off at school. There are things for breakfast just not your favorite...I will get more this week. You need lunch money? AHHHHH! Ok, I will put some in your account.....and it goes on.

I swear I talk more in that hour in the morning than I do all week. I am sure when they leave they are as relieved as I am to have them out of the house. I really don't understand why this ritual every morning is so stressful. I need to take a nap now!

Dylanism...

I had to write this down before I forgot it...

So with two active boys in the house we often find ourselves smelling terribly stinky feet or stinky hair after an afternoon outside. Our mudroom smells horrible and I need to get an air freshener for it. So this morning in the car on the way to school I told the boys they are going to have to bathe more...this is not an option anymore! And I asked Dylan if he would like me to get him some deodorant and he quickly said "YES!" and Alex said he wanted some too...OK, couldn't hurt. Under Dylan's breath I heard him say, "I am a grown man now!"

HAHAHA, he's 10. It was so funny.

Young Women in Excellence

Tonight at church the Young Women's group had their Young Women in Excellence Program. This is the first year for Emma to be in Young Womens and we are so proud of her. She has made great friends and her leaders are great too. They did a spoof on the Oscar's...they called it the Torch Awards and each girl was videoed doing something they love such as jump roping, playing the piano, playing soccer and so on. Emma and her friend Sam played a duet on the violin and viola. They did great. We are so proud of Emma and the choices she makes daily. Some of the girls got together after school to crimp their hair. Then she came home and got dressed in a semi formal dress we picked up at a Thrift store (they really didn't want us to go spend money on a fancy dress). I even let her wear mascara...which in my house you have to be 14 for. She looked beautiful! I think I am rambling...but I just want her to know we love her and are very proud.

You're doing better than you think you are!

So we had Stake Conference a week ago at church and one of the speakers was Sister Julie Beck. I must admit that from the beginning her talks have left me uninspired. I don't know about you but I like to leave feeling good about myself and not the other way around. Well this last week was the same. Her theme...You are doing better than you think you are...and she spoke about this for several minutes and then she said...(why does there always have to be a BUT) BUT, you could do better than you are doing...I just wanted to crumble in a ball and cry. What happened to you're doing great, keep it up! Make all you can of your day! Go you!!! Anyway on to my point...

I was at Walmart today and I heard a not very happy child which isn't unusual but this was a little different. This child was screaming like someone was hurting her. She was hitting her mom and tearing her glasses off her face. Swinging her arms and screaming, did I say screaming? At one point her mom sat down right on the floor on the frozen food isle and put her head in her hands and cried herself. She also had another child with her who was crying as well. I wanted to help but you never know how that will be received? After a few minutes she got up, child still screaming and walked to the checkout. I circled around trying to think of something to say to help but then the child stopped. I think she was exhausted. The mom picked her up and hugged her. I went down to the other end of the checkout to...checkout and as I was paying I saw she was walking my way to leave. As I walked out behind her I just couldn't let her leave without telling her she did good. She didn't scream at the child, she didn't spank her, she kept her composure the whole time. I can't say that I could have. So as we got out of the store I approached her and told her what a great job she did, that she handled it perfectly! She handed me a look of defeat and sighed with a grateful "Thank You" as she stroked her daughters hair. We talked for a few minutes and both parted to walk to our cars which happened to be parked beside each other. I got into my car and waved, she waved back and smiled.

YOU ARE DOING BETTER THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE...NO BUTS ABOUT IT!

Summer Fun Part IV

Wildlife...we saw so many things. I had a running list but can't find it but let me see if I can remember. We saw many moose, elk, buffalo, geese, snake, cranes, fish, antelope...and more. We were lucky in Yellowstone since some of our family hadn't been there before...

moose at the river while fishing
hot tubbing!
Can you say bonfire??? The kids went out there one day and built a huge fire...SMORES!!!
washing the four wheelers
Family pic in front of Old Faithful.

We had fun just being together and are looking forward to next time.

Summer Fun Part III

So we also had a Riggs Family Reunion. We went up to a cabin in Island Park, ID. We played games, hot tubbed, Yellowstone, and just hung out. We had so much fun playing outdoors and just spending time together. We missed Freddy and Nancy but are hoping next time they will be able to come. My pics loaded backwards and I am not going to start over so...

Here is my dad watching the kids fish...nice hat, my dad has a style all his own.
Dylan and Matthew at the river
Horseshoes!
Four wheeling was a big success...I think they could have done it all day long every day!
Getting ready!

Summer Fun Part II

More of the Hayes Family Reunion...

Family Home Evening
Playing in the sand
Emma wake boarding...go Emma!!!

Summer Fun Part I

This summer we had many things going on...We had a Hayes Family Reunion at Bear Lake and we had a great time! We had a day of family games and everyone had a great time. We played red rover, water ballon toss, squirt gun war and many others.
Squirt gun war...
The kids got to make a t-shirt and they turned out great. Instead of tie-dye, they rubber banded their shirts and used spray paint. So much less mess and they had fun. I was surprised at how much they looked like tie-dye. They are still soft and washed great.
We rented a boat for the day and some tubed while others wake boarded...or at least some of us tried to wake board. It has been a long time since my kids have been on a boat and they enjoyed it. Bear lake was beautiful and clean. We were there all day and only walked away with the slightest of sunburns. There were sand castles and moats and water guns.
We also had family pics taken. I haven't seen all of them both they turned out good. I can't wait to get the proofs so I can see how they all turned out. Here is Grandma and Papa with all the grandkids. We have added 5 peeps to our family since our last pictures. Amazing how they change in just a few years.

We had a great time thanks to Melanie who planned this year!!!

Alexism

I can't resist the funnies that come out of Alex's mouth...

Emma and Alex were talking about paint and stuff (a popular topic since the last 2 weeks I have been painting the basement) and Emma said something about plaster. Alex asked what plaster was and then under his breath said, "Man I have a lot to learn."

I love him and he keeps us laughing!

just a few more...

not so good with the blog...here are more pics

Our new house...

Here are some pics of our new house. We really love it and are feeling at home here. I have slowly been putting my mark on decorating it but have come to a stopping point. I did the Living room, entry, Emma's room, kids bathroom, started the family room/dining/kitchen but haven't finished. I told Justin since we move rather often that this time I am going to try to get it all done the way I like in the first year or so so I can enjoy it before we move again. So far I have been pretty successful. For now this is it...more to come...

Things happen for a reason???

I know that there is a plan for us but sometimes in short scheme of things this seems strange to me. I guess maybe in the short scheme things really don't matter. But here in the Hayes home we are struggling with a problem. You see our home in Katy never sold. It was under contract when we left for Utah and was supposed to close the same day our Utah house did. However, the sale fail thru due to the buyers who weren't really serious about the house that were trying to do something not very nice. Anyhow, because our company gave us the equity money a day before they backed out we were able to get our new house. But the problem lies in that we own 2 houses at the current time...which we don't want. Our company is taking over our payments and the costs of the home but our name is still on the deed. We did have another buyer this last week but they seemed to have backed out as well. I am getting very discouraged as well as worried about the situation. I know that if this didn't happen we wouldn't be were we are today, in a beautiful home and getting adjusted. We were fortunate in that we are together after 7 months apart from our daddy...so maybe that is why this happened. I still am confused about our house not selling, we have gotten such positive feedback since we put it on the market. So, if you think to include us in your prayers we would appreciate it. I will keep you posted. Thanks!

Getting settled

So we are finally in our new house and have been for about a week. Things are getting into a normal routine and the explosion of boxes has been taken care of...mostly taken down the the basement for future explosions. The kids started school a few weeks ago and have had a great time getting to know friends and a new school schedule (much less hectic than Texas). I am starting to remember what it is like to live in Utah with all the LDS people around. That is a comforting thing. The kids have meet everyone on our block and discovered all the friends at school that live so close. So far we have experienced crazy weather...from sunny and 70 to snowing and 30. We also had a tremendous wind storm the other day and I had to go rescue the kids from the field with the car because it was too windy for them to even get on their bikes. I have been told that that was unusual for our area but it does get windy here. That is what happens when you are in the valley. We are also getting used to the house...there are no closets besides in the bedrooms (who builds a house without a coat closet?) And we are lacking a game room but there is a ton of storage in the basement so I guess that makes up for it. We are hoping to finish the basement one day but I don't think it is as much of a need as we thought it was going to be. Our Texas house was so completed as far a decorating goes that it will take a while for me to get things where I want them and to get used to the space here. I have a great kitchen with lots of space and I am loving that, except for when I have to clean it. I have found some great bargains on a few pieces of furniture and things and am excited to get it all together. For now it is one day at a time...I am hoping to have the house as clean as I can soon so I can take some pics and post a link for those who are interested in seeing where we live now. It has been so great being close to family and being able to do things with them. We can't wait to see more family soon. That isn't to say that I don't miss Texas, I do cry occasionally for the very reason that I am sad to have left my home and friends. This just doesn't feel like home yet and it will probably take a while. One day at a time.

Alexism and on the move

So the movers came on Monday and packed the whole house in just over 4 hours. WOW! They came back on Tuesday and packed everything into the truck. That took almost 8 hours. But now I know how to pack, wrap and load. It was boring for Justin and I those two days but I am glad he was able to come home. I had a few items of business I had to get too those days so with him here it was easier. Today we are going to eat breakfast at IHOP. (One night I was tucking Alex into bed and he started to cry. I asked why he was crying and he said because you and daddy get to go to IHOP???) I laughed but he didn't appreciate that. So I told him we would go before we moved. Then we have to arrange our airplane backpacks with toys and entertainment and then leave Katy, TX forever. Ok, may be a little premature to say forever but I don't see us coming back here to live. I do hope to visit. As a matter of fact my 20th high school reunion is this summer and I am hoping to come for that. Anyway, we have enjoyed living in Katy. We have enjoyed our ward and hate to leave it. We have loved our home. We are looking forward to the future we will create in Utah. We are excited, nervous and sad all at once. So, ready or not here we come.

Alexism: yesterday when the kids got home from school the movers had already left and there was nothing left in the house and Alex came in and looked around and said, Wow it seems so empty...) Huh, Alex, maybe that is because it is empty.

One more...we checking into a hotel on Monday and the kids were excited because we don'tstay in them often at all. So upon inspection of it and the room Alex stated, "Now this is a life I could get used to."

HAHA, funny kid!

Hey Heather Hansen

I would love to view your blog...send me an evite:

thehayes05@gmail.com

Thanks!!!

Into the final stretch...

Justin comes home today, yea!!! We have a few things we need to get done on the house and then on to laundry and packing. I am so thankful that we have movers for this move. This process has already been stressful, I can't imagine having to pack the house and arrange to move the stuff myself. What a blessing. However, I do have to say that some of the stress comes from the relocation company, what a pain to deal with them...you can't do anything without their approval first, which means tons of phone calls and e-mails. (note to self..stop complaining!) We truly feel blessed with this opportunity and what it means for Justin's job and our family. We are so excited to be close to family and for our kids to have cousins to see on a regular basis. They haven't even complain about the move and the friends they will miss. It is all about how they will see cousins and make new friends. I am so thankful for that! We are excited that this time next week we will be in Utah. That the hard part will be over. We will be together again as a family. We should be in our new home the last week in March and then the unpacking begins. I am excited for that, it gives me yet another excuse to purge. Well, more to come on the saga of our move later. I hope getting into the new house goes smoothly and we can start to relax a little but. So long for now...adios Houston, it has been great!

More...

Well, it has been a very long few days as we have negotiated the inspection repairs...nothing too bad except that the people buying our home have been very hard to work with. We feel that we are giving our house away to a certain extent. We also feel that we need to be in Utah with Justin as soon as we can therefore we need to sell it. Turning their offer down and relisting crossed our minds a few times but the need to be together again was greater. So after all of the praying, pacing, not sleeping, not eating (no I didn't lose any weight), crying it is finally done. (the other day in the car we were talking about Emma wanting to be some kind of doctor when she is grown...I said she could be a psychiatrist and she said what is that? It is when you are having emotional problems or stress you go see someone to talk about your problems...Alex said, "that is what you need Mom, you are a very stressful person." He meant I was stressed out and he was right.) Papers have been signed by both parties and attorneys. I have to say that today was such a peaceful day. No thinking or worrying involved! Well on to bigger and better news. Justin and I put in an offer on a short sale home back in January. If you don't know, short sales can take a very long time and you may have several offers on one home. It can take months...several months. Well we saw this house when I went to Utah in January and we just loved it. We saw quite a few homes and this one stood out to us almost the minute we walked in. I told myself I didn't want the same type floor plan we currently have and this home is like that but it is different enough that it didn't even matter. It has enough finished bedrooms so we won't have to try to finish a basement to fit our needs. That in itself is exciting. So many homes had three bedrooms and unfinished space in the basement. Anyway, when we looked at I was dying, thinking no way can we ever get this house. When we got in the car and drove away our realtor said you would be crazy not to put in an offer. There was no risk involved because you can always get out of a short sale, almost to the last minute so we did it. Anyway it can take a long time to hear if the bank has accepted your offer, not to mention if there are multiple offers...well as crazy as this whole journey has been the day we got an offer on our house we found out that the bank accepted our offer on the Utah home. We are elated and can't contain our excitement to be back together in our own home. We are grateful to my sister for so willingly letting us stay with them for a while and I am partly sad because it probably will be a few days vs. a few months. But we will be close enough to jaunt over to one anothers houses for a visit. I also have another sister that lives overseas and they have a house in Utah that they will stay in during the summer...FUN!!! It'll all work out as Justin always says, not that I argue that but it seemed to have taken forever on this one! More to come...

House update...

Well, we have a firm offer and papers have been signed. The only hinge now is the inspection. It was yesterday and I have not heard anything yet as to what if anything needs to be done. I am hopeful that there isn't anything that would jeopardize the sell. As of now the movers are scheduled to come on the 8th and 9th of March and we will leave the 10th or 11th. Everything is so confusing but we should have a more definite schedule later this week. I can't believe it is almost over...I can hardly wait for these next few weeks to pass. I will have to find something to keep myself busy. We are so excited to be in Utah near family and especially with our daddy. We have had a crazy 6 months. I have to say that my kids have handled it like champs and I am so proud of them. That isn't to say that we haven't had meltdowns but all in all we have been just fine. It will be nice to not have bedtime duty every single night, as a matter of fact I am thinking about taking a month off. Anyway we are happy to have this time almost past us. That's it for now..more updates to come.

No News is Good News???

Whoever said no news is good news wasn't waiting on something. For us no news is bad news! Our house is still on the market without a whole lot of interest. We are starting to get nervous, anxious and just plain tired of waiting. We are going into month #6 without Justin home and I think it is wearing on all of us. Bad bedtime last night proves that theory...I want my daddy! Well, I want your daddy too! We are hanging on and praying that things will be looking bright soon. We did have some interest on the house last week but they ended up buying another house. We are hopeful that there will be someone else who loves our home. In the meantime we have placed an offer on a home in Utah that we will be sad to lose it if we can't sell our in the next few weeks. It is a short sale home and one that would be perfect for our family. It has enough finished room that we wouldn't have to rush to finish a basement. Short sales are hard to get but for some reason this one seems to be a piece of cake. I hear stories of it taking people months and months to get a short sale home. This house only had one other offer on it and the bank counter-offered and the buyer backed out. So we are the only offer in the running and that is a big bonus for us. So it is all still a waiting game. That is the update thus far, when there is more news I will pass it on...

Alexism...

I can never resist these little Alexisms...he is just so sweet!

The other night at about 3am Alex wandered into my room...he said, "Mom, I am lonely. Move over."

Since Justin is still working out of state it is easier for me to let the kids bunk with me when they need to. Alex is a hard one because his arms and legs tend to always drift to my side but that night I just couldn't send him back to his bed. He was after all lonely at 3am. I can't wait until he grows older to see how he turns out. He is certainly a lover and not a fighter!

Visitors

So I popped on today to check the blog and to read others and I noticed an odd happening...there are about 25 visits today according to our daily map of visitors, most of which are out of the country. This is strange because we really don't have that many regular visitors. There were visitors from places such as Malaysia, Chile, the UK, Moscow, Germany, Mexico, Ecuador, Portugal, Costa Rica, Spain and several places in the US. So I am not sure why we were so interesting today but glad everyone stopped in.

Alexism...

So today after running errands and visiting with friends I had a migraine. I took some medicine and a hot shower and took a nap and then was feeling a little better but still a little nauseous. So I told the kids I didn't feel well and that they needed to go to bed nicely and be quiet in their beds. Alex told me, "you'll feel better tomorrow and who knows it may be your lucky day!"

He always makes me feel better!!!