Happy New Year (almost)!

We have been having so much fun, and eating such yummy food out here in New England. That is for sure one thing I miss about being out here, the delicious Chinese food ( you cannot find it anywhere else, or I have yet to find it this good), the great pastries and Italian food. I gain weight just thinking of the food out here.
We had a couple days of a snow storm and I ended up cooking these , I just love Ree's http://thepioneerwoman.com/, and her recipes are scrumptious!

Thanks to all the snow we definitely had a super white Christmas. The kids had so much fun playing in the snow with Steve!! I took pictures but those ones will have to wait till we get back to New Mexico next year (really in 2 weeks).

Wow, can you believe that 2008 is almost over? I can't, although I am looking forward to a new year, with a lot of new beginnings for our family. This year we will start our adventure in Kansas, Ava will start kindergarten (trying to decide on homeschooling still), and Steve and I have a couple other challenges we are going to try out this year. It's going to be exciting and hard, and I llok forward to discovering more of God's plan for us.
Here are a couple pictures from my sisters camera. I hope everyone has a happy new year, the kids and I will be counting down and drinking sparkling cider, since Steve is in Kansas again. We miss him so much. Love to you all, may this year be one you truly live the life you dream!

before being put in the oven


After, and not lasting more than 5 minutes in the pan.

Walking In A Winter Wonderland.

The kids and I came out to New Hampshire to surprise my parents for Christmas. The plane flight really wasn't too bad. The kids did good for the most part and Gianna didn't scream or cry like she did on the way back from Florida. It was getting on and off the plane that is always more difficult. Luckily on my last leg there were the nicest people around me in line that helped me both getting on the plane and off. It's so refreshing to come across nice people when you are flying with kids. We got off the flight got a sky cap to help us to the rental car and we were off to surprise.
Everyone was very surprised, in fact they left us caroling on the front door step in the freezing cold for about 5 minutes, thinking we were neighborhood kids and hoping we would just go away ( my dad was already in bed, and my mom was falling asleep). It was great to see their faces.
Steve is joining us out here on Friday, and I'm so excited. It's going to be fun to have a big Christmas with my cousins and all the kids playing together like we used to do when I was little. I can't wait. Right now the kids are strapping on their snow pants, boot, jackets, and mittens and heading outside to play in the snow.
I am trying to figure out if I can post pictures out here if not I will post when lots when I get back. I hope everyone is having a week, only 8 days left until Christmas!

Ava is 5!

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!
Today was Ava's 5th birthday party and I just can't believe she is 5. She is truly amazing, in so many ways. Her fashion sense these days is unforgettable. She will not wear jeans, no matter what. She prefers 2 piece jogging sets, or dresses with leggings. She cracks me up with the big vocabulary she uses.
She is very assertive (or would you say bossy?). She is truly her mother's daughter. Her artistic side continues to grow, she still constantly makes up songs and has a passion for drawing and painting. I love her more than words can say. I can't wait to see what this next year has in store for us.

My Three Silly Animals!

The kids put on their costumes this morning, and so I managed to get a couple good ones of them together, I don't know the last time I got them all looking at me and smiling, so you may just see this again on our Christmas cards this year!!

Missing Our Superman!

About four hours ago our favorite man in the whole world headed out for Kansas. He is stopping in Edmond tonight to stay with family and then heading on tomorrow to Lawrence.
It's amazing how much we miss him, even though it has only been a couple of hours. Bedtime will be especially rough because that's "daddy time". Unlike Steve I have yet to earn my official "Monster Checker" badge, Gianna always seems to go down so much easier for him than she does with me, and of course there will be that empty spot in the bed next to me at night(although a 4 year old blonde will try and fill it for now). In fact right now Gia is going around the house calling for "Dada". Heros and Prison Break won't be as fun to watch without someone else to yell at the TV with, and this will be the first Halloween without daddy. We miss you Steve!

I think this time apart will be hard, but thankfully we have such wonderful friends and family to help out. We also know that God is watching over us while we are apart from one another. The house will be officially on the market, Monday. Right now houses are averaging between six and nine months to sell, but I pray we are a rare case and it doesn't take that long. We are excited to start our adventure in Kansas, and are so thankful we found such a great place and position, until then we will soak up the moments we have with friends and family here. God has truly blessed us, even when the one we love is miles apart we still feel so blessed!

Back From Disney World.

We are back, and boy do I understand why some people say they need a vacation after their vacation. We had lots of fun at Disney but boy do I feel like I could sleep for a week!

The kids were the perfect age, the magic was so real and I will never forget Ava's face the first time she saw Princess Aurora when we had lunch at the castle, and Mateo's excitement when he was chosen to become a Jedi and fight Darth Vader! It was so worth it if only for those moments. Gianna was amazed and in awe of everything, she was constantly dancing with all the music. She loved the rides and was convinced that she was a big girl and required her own seat at all times.

Ava braved anything she was tall enough to go on, including the Tower of Terror. In her words, the drops were fun, but the "thunder people" in it were scary. Her favorite rides were Soarin', Big Thunder Mountain, and Splash Mountain. Mateo loved the two toy story rides best (of course). The new toy story ride at Hollywood Studios is awesome! We had a blast dressing up in costumes and trick or treating at the Magic Kingdom for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party and looking at all the cool special effects around the park and the characters in their own costumes!

I did learn a couple things on this trip.

1) I will not fly anywhere with Gia for at least a year (she was atrocious on the plane with her incessant screaming. Not crying, mind you, but screaming like a little banshee).

2) Bringing glow sticks with you from the dollar store is genius and saves you sooo much money when they bring out the light up stuff at night.

3) If you are planning a trip soon look into pin trading, my kids had a ton of fun doing this!!

4) When going to Hollywood Studios make sure the first thing you grab is a Fastpass for the toy story ride, they run out of them fast!!

5) I'm pretty sure that after this trip I will be having no more children, I really thought I wanted four but this trip has taught me otherwise, three really is more than enough for us :)

I promise pictures soon, Steve is leaving us for Kansas Saturday and we have soooo much to do but once things are more settled I will update with pictures.

There's No Place Like Home, There's No Place Like Home, There's No Place Like Kansas?

We are moving to Kansas!! We are very excited, it will be sad to leave our family and friends here in Albuquerque, and our amazing church, but it's time to start a new adventure.

We absolutely fell in love with Lawrence and Kansas City while we were there. People are so friendly, it was green, and it felt like a great place to be. We are hoping to have our house on the market by the end of the week. We leave for Disney World in ten days and when we get back Steve will head out, and the kids and I will stay here until the house sells. I just know the end of the year is going to fly by!

Last week I was up in Dallas for a girls weekend, it was lots of fun! I did a couple photo sessions, hung out with a mama friend of mine on her birthday and had a great time, and then on the weekend some of my best girl friends and I had a blast. We went to Fort Worth and saw this great 80's cover band "The Spazmatics", they were hilarious. We all decided to dress 80's style, we laughed a lot and had a great time.

I have lots of pictures to post and will try and get those uploaded today, but I better get back to packing for now.

okay here are some pictures of Lawrence.












one from our night with the spazmatics!

Kansas?

So far the only leads in the great job search across the country have lead us to Kansas. Steve and I will be flying out on Sunday or Monday to Kansas City, and then driving over to Lawrence, Kansas. The company he will be interviewing with was kind enough to fly the both of us out to check out the town and to interview Steve further. It's where KU is, so it's a college town, and I like that, and it's greener than here!! The thing that scares me most about a move there is tornados. That is not something I want to experience at all, but will have to if we move there.
We have heard lots of good things about it, so I'm excited to check it out. It's about 25-30 minutes from Kansas City, which will be nice if we get an offer and decide to move there. I'm still really hoping that something will pop up in the Dallas area for us, but thankful that we at least have a possibility right now. We are trying to get the house ready as fast as we can to put on the market. It will be hard to leave the family and friends we have here, as well as our awesome church, but it's kind of hard to stay somewhere without a job.
Anyways I will keep you updated in the job search and come back with pictures from Kansas. I hope everyone has a great weekend!

In the Midst of Another Storm.

I know I have really been lacking in blog land lately! Things have been a big stormy in our life right now. About three weeks ago Steve was let go from his job (again!). How this happens twice in a six month period is a mystery to me. I mean it's not just because he is my wonderful husband but he is a smart guy and he was working hard. The company decided they wanted to go in a new direction and so no longer needed someone with his expertise and thus he is out of the job.

Right now we have laid out several different ideas. We are trying to find something here in Albuquerque but in all honesty there is nothing here, I mean absolutely nothing. Which brings us to our next plan which is to find a job somewhere else in the country that will pay to relocate us. We are looking at Dallas, TX (would love Plano or Frisco). Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, and North or South Carolina.

Again we know that God has a plan for us, and that we will end up where we need to be. It has been harder to deal with this time around. I'm trying to book some extra sessions to help pay bills. We have lots of friends and family helping us out and praying and for that we are so thankful!

This past week at church Todd talked about how we all go through storms in our life. We are thankful that during these storms we can turn to God, and know that He is faithful and that he will provide. Things aren't always how we would like them to be but it's these storms that make us stronger both as a family and in our faith!

Thank you all for your emails, calls and support. We are truly blessed to have such amazing family and friends!!
We love Ya!

Happy to Be Sleep Deprived!

Yesterday morning we got up bright and early, it wasn't easy. I am most definitely not a morning person in the least, so getting up anytime before 8 is hard for me. I have to say though that it was completely worth it!
I hopped out of my warm bed thinking I could always take a nap later and that this was important. I went and grabbed clothes for the kids and dressed them while they lay in bed not wanting to get up (with the exception of Gia). Finally coaxed Steve out of bed, he got dressed we grabbed a couple nutrigrain bars for all of us, jumped in the car and headed to the church.
We met up with about another 245 that had also put aside their desires to stay in bed a little longer on a Saturday morning to come be a part of second Saturday.
From the church we headed to a park here in Albuquerque to serve food to the homeless. It was such a wake up call and I really wish I would have brought my camera. Seeing so many people there, made so many things that I had worried about this past week seem so insignificant. One of our friends Amber got out of her car with some blankets she had bought to hand out and was immediately approached by some people asking if they could have them. It broke my heart.

Amber and I made I don't know how many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for sack lunches, while our husbands and kids served the warm meals that had been prepared. I wish I could have taken a picture of all these adults serving food and these three kids barely tall enough to see over the pans on the table, with gloves on too big for their little hands asking people if they wanted some corn bread and handing it out. They didn't ever complain that they were bored or ask to go home. I was so glad that we had decided to come and serve as a family. I would give up sleep for this any day.
I think we are going to continue to head down to the park a couple Saturdays a month to help out. I want my kids to grow up knowing how blessed we are by the simple things that we all too often take for granted everyday like a warm bed and a choice of cereal for breakfast.
I desire to have a servants heart, to continually serve those around me and in my life. To not get wrapped up in the selfish and greed that has become such a stronghold in this country. It is so easy to get hooked on keeping up with the Joneses, to want the latest stuff, bigger houses, with closets the size of a bedroom, cars that have better sound systems than movie theaters, purses that cost more than some people make in a year.
Last night at church Todd's message spoke a lot about serving. It was inspiring as always. Check out the podcast it should be up tomorrow or Tuesday.

http://sagebrushcommunity.com/

My Photography Blog!

Okay so I finally got my photography blog and will now just be using this as a personal blog.

Here is the link to the new blog.

http://mariahaysphotography.blogspot.com/

August Rush!

Wow I cannot believe that August is already here! This summer really has flown by, we have had lots of fun and I'm so ready for the fall. It is seriously one of my favorite times of year, leaves changing (although we don't see much of that here in New Mexico!), pumpkin carving, hot cocoa and apple cider, warm soups and stews with home made bread, and the smell of cinnamon apples or pumpkin candles burning in the house, Yum! Just talking about it makes me wish it was here already.


Oh and the I have started planning Steve's 30th birthday party! Would love any fabulous theme ideas!! Was thinking of doing the 90's, it will be super fun!!

I will have my photography blog up hopefully by the beginning of next week. My sessions for September and August are really starting to fill up so email me soon if you want to book one and I will have some mini session info coming soon!!

My friend cindy tagged me and I must list 6 quirks and then I will tag some others and leave you with a goofy face from Miss Gianna!

1. I like to eat pickles with a straw at the movie theater (I know that sounds totally weird and I'm not sure why I do it, but I always have and I love it!)

2. I'm obsessed with kissing my children I swear they are the most kissed and squeezed children on the earth, I just can't get enough of them (well maybe some days I feel like I can)

3. I talk to God on a regular basis throughout the day mostly praying for more patience :)!

4. I sing constantly while cooking, cleaning, in the car, in the shower, blow drying my hair, (ask Steve our household is like a 24 hour musical we are always singing, Ava seems to have picked up this quirk as well)

5. I love crafty things and have the tendency to start projects but have trouble finishing them.

6. I have been told I have a mirror face that I make when I'm trying on clothes (in fact I think it was caught on camera once!)

Okay so there are my quirks.

I will tag

My friends and fellow mamas Megan and Erica

Three fellow fab photographers I met at a workshop Rachel Leah and Ellen

One of my Best Friends ever,Beth

These are the rules...

- Link the person who tagged you
- Mention the rules on your blog
- Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
- Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them
- Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs letting them know they have been tagged.


Miss Goofy face Gianna

Summer Fun!

Wow it's been a while hasn't it? I'm sorry we have been so busy this summer! There has been photo sessions, sword fights (KB toys has these great foam swords, Teo and Daddy vs. Mommy and Ava), summer programs, pool time,birthday parties,family in town, 4th of July, trips to the aquarium and so much more.
Steve and I had date night on Friday and went to see the new batman movie. Oh my what a great movie, one of my new favorites and probably the best I have seen in theaters this year!
Gianna seems to have grown so much the last few weeks. She has absolutely no fear, and at a birthday party the other day was climbing everywhere thinking she was one of the older kids, it was so funny to watch!

At the aquarium a couple weeks ago we were standing at the big window looking at the fish and I pointed to a sting ray.

Me: Look Mateo that stingray is the same size as you!
Mateo: Yeah, is he three?

Gosh I love that boy!

Ava loves art especially painting everyday she asks to paint, I finally went and bought some nice paper and acrylic paint for her masterpieces. She is in heaven painting all the time now!



I'm sorry for neglecting the blog lately, I'm gonna try and update a lot more! I'm also working on a separate thread for my photography!

Here are some pictures I snapped today (Gia was napping).

Makes Me Melt!

He walks over as I'm editing pictures and asks me "Mom, can I snuggle with you?"
My heart immediately melts. How much longer will he want to cuddle? I treasure every second of it because I know this stage will go by way to fast. He is so sweet in so many ways. He is a mama's boy completely but all boy. He loves to make noises that I never even knew existed. He constantly throws out "I love you mommy"'s. Sometimes after a hard fall he tries to act tough but that lower lip gives his hurt away. He is such a blessing!

My Happily Ever After!

Steve and I have been having lots of fun lately. We are going over the book "The Five Love Languages" in our life group and it has been fun. Each week we have to practice one of the languages, and it has been lots of fun. During quality time week Steve and I were hanging out and had fun taking some pictures (from which the one above was taken) while I set my camera on a trash can and set the timer. We celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary last month and I can't believe it has been six years.
He makes me so happy. We are always laughing, and even though life can get crazy with three kids we still make it a point to spend time together! I look forward to the time we spend together after the kids get tucked in for the night whether it's watching our favorite T.V. show or staying up later than we should talking about anything and everything. We have been making a point to go on at least two dates a month. Sometimes it seems like after we have kids, we concentrate on them so much that we forget what it was like to have time together alone with each other. It's important though to keep the sparks flying and to remember why you fell in love and got married.
Steve and I met the first day we moved into the dorms to start college life. We were in the same dorm and they were going over the rules. I sat next to him while he made smart remarks about some of the rules. We exchanged numbers and mentioned we might see each other later that night at a concert they were having outside but I never saw him again until the next semester, he was in my spanish class.
It's funny to me to think back to those moments and how I had no clue that Steve would later become the man I would marry and have children with.
Six years later I can say that I am more in love than I have ever been with him, and I can't imagine my life any other way! I can't wait to see what the next six years have in store for us. It has most definitely been happily ever after!

Maria Hays Photography!

Well it's off the ground and I'm already having a summer special!! I have a few more pictures to add but please let me know what you think!! I would love any and all comments!!

Here it is: http://www.MariaHaysPhotography.com

Thanks to all of you for your encouragement and your support to help me get this off the ground. Thank you Cheryl Muhr for the motivation and the tools needed to actually go ahead and do it!!

Most of all thank you Steve for the constant encouragement and the praise when I was beating myself to a pulp over a bad session!

Gianna's First Pigtails

I can do Pigtails now in Miss Gia's little curls. I think she looks super cute in them but you be the judge!

My Tough Little Man!

My sweet boy, is definitely all boy. He is constantly with a scratch of some sort on his face. Well this past week he got a little more than he bargained for during a game of hide and seek. He either tripped or was pushed (we are not sure because the people who were supposed to be watching him were not!) and landed on the corner of a table leaving him with a bloody nose, fat lip, and a trip to an emergency dentist. His tooth got pushed back and an x-ray showed it was horizontally fractured. Well the dentist said to watch it see if it might go back in place. Unfortunately that didn't happen and yesterday he had to have it pulled out. He was so brave through all of it.
The only problem now is that the root is still in there, we are praying that it comes down on its own and remains to look okay and not get infected or else they will have to put him in the hospital under anesthesia to get it out. I'm really praying that will not happen.
Anyways here are some pictures of him today, his smile still makes my heart melt even with a missing tooth, maybe even more now!

I'm Back!

Sorry the past couple of weeks have been so busy and I feel like I've been running around like a crazy woman (although I guess I sort of am)!
I just got back from Phoenix this past weekend. I went to a photography workshop called "The Secret Workshop" and let me tell you it has changed my life. I'm so very excited to get my business off the ground. My website should be popping up within the next week or two and I will be having a grand opening sale!
I'm really so excited that I can hardly type without squealing. Cheryl Muhr lead the workshop, and let me tell you this woman is amazing! She is inspiring in so many ways, genuine and a wonderful mom. It was truly wonderful getting to know her and learning from her!

Anyways, I also had the privilege of taking newborn pictures for my dear friend Kari. Oh sweet Cole is so precious in every way. He was just so gorgeous that I could eat him. So I thought I would share a few pictures of both Cole and some from the workshop.












From the Workshop