Photoshoot Frenzy!

So I went crazy taking photos today! I just love it and really want to get better and the only way to do that is shoot, shoot , shoot. So along with driving my kids crazy I pretty much took over 600 pictures. So here are some of are great and okay ones!

Superman to The Rescue (aka How Steve Saved Us from a Terrible Death!)

* Please note all pictures are in fact a reenactment of what took place today after the actual event (with the exception of Charlotte whose photo was taken during the event by Steve)

So it started out as a normal day and the weather was nice. After finishing "Sleeping Beauty," the kids wanted to play outside. They had fun (with a pinch of fighting mixed in) as I fed Gianna, changed my shirt from spit up, cleaned the kitchen, fed Gianna, changed my shirt from spit up, changed her diaper, put away laundry, fed Gianna, changed my shirt from spit up, etc. I decided it was a good time to take some photos so I took Gia outside, after a while realized it was too bright and I should finish cleaning. On my way inside, out of the corner of my eye, I saw something move. I turned to see what it was saw this

I immediately screamed for the kids to hurry and come inside. It was on the wall by the door so I did not want to chance it running inside. Ava had been pushing Minnie in a stroller and was hesitant to leave her but I told her there was not time and she must come in or stay out. Of course she came in. As I dialed all of the numbers I could think of for Steve (meanwhile keeping an eye on our scary friend). Ava was crying because we had left Minnie outside strapped in the stroller with no one to let her out so surely the spider was going to get her.


Steve still wasn't answering the fifth round of calls in the past minute so I called the front desk of his work and had him paged. As he answered the phone I tried to remain calm and tell him he needed to come home now and get rid of this furry beast or else the kids and I would never go in the backyard again. He assured me he was on his way. Meanwhile Ms. Eight Legged Freak (tm) decided she was gonna move, and as protector of my children I was not going to let her out of my sight. So I told the kids the plan, "Mommys going to open the door and we are going to run as fast as we can to the other side of the yard so I can watch the spider". So quickly Mateo ran first but Ava remained frozen inside so I closed the door and ran by Mateo. Ava was not happy with this situation and decided that she wanted out. So we helped her out and climbed on the benches outside.


Meanwhile Steve was on the phone and I had Mateo running up to the door (he was the only brave one) to knock on it because it kept the enormous thing from moving.
However on about his 5th trip to knock the spider fell of the wall, which in turn caused Ava and I to scream for our lives. From then on Mateo was not about going near the door so him and Ava brought me shovels, balls and other things to throw that way and keep the spider away from us. Even poor Diego risked his life for us!



Finally Steve showed up but instead of getting rid of the spider right away decided it was an opportune moment to take pictures of the ferocious jumping thing.

However after taking his snapshots he finally got rid of our scarier and more threatening version of Charlotte's web.



Mateo cheered "yay Daddy" and once again all was well in the Hays household.

*Yes a spider was harmed in the making of these events.

I am sorry to you spider lovers out there,but I am not one at all in fact I have arachnophobia as well as cockroachphobia so this is the way it goes in my place.

(note added by Steve, in addition to the title: The spider was about 1 inch in diameter, max. We're not talking a freakin Tarantula here, never mind Maria's description. A big spider, sure, but the "white butt" that was so fearfully described was some sort of egg or sac or something.)

Move over Betty Crocker!

So today Ava and I did one of the things we love to do in this house: we baked brownies! We made some brownies and as Ava mixed I snapped. Enjoy! Gia and Teo permitted me to take a few too.

By the way the weather was wacky over here - seriously, a mixture of sun, hail, rain, thunder. Too crazy. Now as the kids watch a penguin movie, Steve and I are going to enjoy some delicious homemade green enchiladas courtesy of my Moms Bible study, yum, and the rest of season two of the Office (love it, it's hilarious!).

Did You Dance Today?

Today I was doing what I seem to be doing, or at least attempting to do every day: cleaning the house. I had just about finished up wiping down the last dirty kitchen counter top when Ava came over and asked me if I would dance with her. I had the country music going from her request earlier for "cowgirl music". I glanced over at the tea pitcher sitting in the sink. All that was left was that single, solitary tea pitcher, that needs to be washed by hand, and the kitchen would be complete.

I was about to tell her, "I really need to finish cleaning and then I'll come play." Instead, I decided to put down the rag in my hand and go dance. How fitting that the song on was "My Little Girl " by Tim McGraw? There is a part in the song that goes "Now look at you, I've turned around and you've almost grown." Gosh, isn't that the truth. Gia was sleeping in her swing right next to us and it almost made me want to cry because it seems like just yesterday that was Ava so small and tiny.

So many things lately really seem to be giving me the lesson that "life is so short". The Virginia Tech shootings that happened this week just break my heart for the victims and their families and friends. My heart and prayers go out to all of them. Last Sunday in church Pastor Todd talked about Jesus coming back and how it could be next year, next month, next week, tomorrow, tonight, today, or this second. We just don't know. Are you ready? Do you know where you are going?

He also used a popular quote we have all heard, countless times, to the point where it is such a cliche that no one really takes it seriously anymore "Live today like it was your last". Songs have been written about this, usually country songs (If tomorrow never comes, Live like you were dying, etc). Only he added something to it that made it real. He said "Live today like it was your last because one day you will be right".

This is why I stopped what I was doing to dance with my daughter and to play with my kids. So what if in the next couple minutes someone I know shows up at my house and it's not spic and span. Many moms and wives too often we get consumed in making sure the house is perfect, and often get stressed out trying to get it that way. I know I do (all the time, Steve would add), and in turn it makes me dismiss opportunities to get down and play with my children. It also makes me stressed out, irritable and moody. Getting stressed over this is so silly especially knowing how fast time seems to be flying lately. So I say: so what if your house isn't perfect, so what if you have a pile of laundry sitting on your bed that really needs to get put away before tonight comes and your husband absentmindedly tosses it on the floor, so what if Ava's pajamas and two princess dresses that she has changed in and out of today are in the middle of the floor, it's not the end of the world (yet)!
So I encourage you to put down the mop, turn up the music, grab your kids and dance. Be silly, enjoy life. "live today like it was your last because one day you will be right!!!".

#1 Red Sox Fan

Thanks be to God!

I know Easter just passed, and I didn't get a chance to shout out my thanks, especially that God gave his only Son, Jesus for us. I can't even fathom how He must have felt doing something like that. My heart aches when someone has been mean to one of my children or one of the kids gets a scrape on his head, I can't imagine how I would feel watching them be tortured and hung to die so that others may live.

God has blessed me so much! I could not ask for a better life. I am feeling so thankful today, not because its the best day ever but because I am here, and living life. I am thankful that I have a house to live in and food to eat. I'm thankful that I married such a wonderful man, that helps me in so many ways. He comes home after working all day and getting up early after going to bed late at times or having a restless night of sleep with one of the kids to ask me if I want him to watch the kids while I take a bath or go relax somewhere. He will pick up groceries or run errands with one or all the kids. He is also an amazing father, and the first thing he does when he comes home is go on a hunt to find Ava and Mateo who always go into hiding the minute he shows up. Although their giggles and squeals and their yells of "Hide! Hide!" give them away, he still goes out of his way to pretend not to notice the moving blanket and spends minutes searching every corner, room and shoe looking for them.

I am thankful for my first baby bear. My Ava has such a spirit. She is so strong willed. Although that makes for lots of hair pulling moments, I wouldn't have it any other way. I am glad she isn't shy and I know I will never have to worry about someone walking all over her or any of her siblings for that matter. She will stand up for herself (when she believes that she should get to wear her fancy shoes outside) and for her siblings (no you can't hold Gianna if Ava doesn't see you as being fit and she tells kids in her preschool class to "leave my brother alone" if she thinks they are bugging him). God truly blessed us with her. She keeps us smiling and laughing. The other day, I was trying to explain the true meaning of Easter, that it's not a bunny but Jesus thats important. That we love Jesus because he saves people. I know, probably not the best description, but it prompted her to say, "Mommy, Do you love Spiderman? He saves people too!"

Ava has really helped us perfect our debating skills as she was born to debate. She loves to help and cleaned her room by herself yesterday without me asking (of course this means she just took whatever was on the floor and put it on her bed, in her closet and on her tea table). I truly don't know what I would do without her, and I thank God for each day he gives me with her.

My Mateo is as sweet as it gets. He is never to busy for kisses and he likes to hand them out all the time even to objects like the phone. He is quite the talker and will let anyone that will listen know all about his cars or how he fell on "a big ol' rock" and has a Louis (from Meet the Robinsons) band aid. He is so smart. I know thats a thing we all say as parents but really he amazes people we run into everyday with his vocabulary. It really is quite extensive for him barely being two! He is also pretty sneaky, especially with guidance from his best friend (who happens to be his sister). He can get a bag of string cheese and juice boxes out of the fridge before you can blink. He melts my heart with his smile. His prayers make me laugh. Last night he thanked God for the usual Jesus, mommy, daddy, Ava, Gianna, etc and went on to thank him for "monkeys, Canos (volcanos), giraffes and monkeys (yes again, he is a monkey himself) .We are so blessed that God has given us such a sweet baby boy.

Now Gianna hasn't been with us very long but she has already changed us. Her birth was such a natural and beautiful experience that I know brought us all even closer (even though I didn't think that was possible). Her brother and sister love to be around her. Ava smothers her with kisses and hugs (Gia is not very fond of this yet). They bring her toys and presents. They become very concerned when she is crying and make sure to tell us she is crying even if we are sitting right next to her. Gia also reminds us of how fast time goes by. It seems like it was yesterday that Ava and Mateo were so little too but they have grown so fast. We are thankful for the moments we have with them and as a family.

I'm sorry to carry on, not sure you have made it this far. I am just so thankful for these precious blessings of mine. I'm so thankful every morning that God has given me another day to enjoy them. We never know how short or long our life will be and so I pray that I live each day appreciating the many blessings as well as the road blocks (even though these are often the hardest things to be thankful for) that God has placed in my life. They have all helped me to become the person I am, they have shaped me and I just pray that when I get to the gates of heaven, I can say I have really lived, and that God can say I served Him well.

Thank you God for my family, my life, your love and grace!