I Love My Gang!!!!

I just want to let the gang know how much I love them and how much I love being their mom. Valentine's Day is upon us and it's all about the love. I especially love days like the bowling day we had earlier this week.


A few days ago we went to the bowling alley for our family reward. We had made it through the month of January and our clean up after yourself experiement. We actually did it. So we were rewarded Monday night with a game of bowling. Everyone loved since they know how to play because of the fake wii that Santa brought us. Julia thought she would get a spare everytime. It was a lot harder than the fake wii. Matthew did really well and Henry was sad because we didn't let him play. He did take a couple of shots down the alley next to ours but the balls got caught in the gutters. Tom let him take a couple of shots down our alley and he was so excited he jumped up and down yelling "I win, I win".
When we left Matthew cried because he wanted to keep the bowling shoes. He loved them and wanted to wear them to school.

It's That Time of Year, Again

I can't believe it that it is January again and that basketball season has started. The kids are once again in the Rocklin High School Little Thunder League. Julia is on the Cougars, Thomas is on the Hawks, and Macie is on the Rage. There weren't enough girls for Macie to play so they have put her in the Rocklin Rec. League. She practices on Friday nights and plays on Saturday mornings. Last Sat. Thomas made a 3 pointer and made 3 regular baskets for a grand total of 9 points and his team won. He was soooo excited. Julia has been learning how to keep her hands up and try not to let the other team make a basket. She gets to be on the team with her best bud, Billie Mae Bates. They are so cute playing together. We had to tell the girls the first week to let the other one play and not follow each other around. I love watching them play. Matthew will get to participate next year as he will be in Kindergarten. Watch out world Matthew is coming. :) Anyway, happy January and all the basketball that comes with it.
Tom and I got to go out on a date Friday night. Mom babysat and we went to the movies. We saw Leap Year. We both loved it. It was a classic romantic comedy with humor. We would definately see it again. It was nice being by ourselves, but of course we spent most of our time talking about the kids. :)

Hay, Happy New Year!! :)

Well the Hay Gang made it to another year. Welcome 2010! One person here at the Hay House is very excited for 2010 because it is the year he turns 2 digits, you know 10. Thomas is thrilled to be into the year 2010. We welcomed the new year in Hay House style. We were going to have another family come over, but they couldn't come. The gang was a little disappointed, but it turned out all right and we had a ball. We rented 7 movies and watch 3 last night and 2 more this morning. We started the night out eating candy and watching Paul Blart-Mall Cop. It was very funny. Then onto homemade pizza and watching UP and then ice cream sundaes while we waited for the Ball to drop in NYC. At 11:45p.m. we put on our party hats and plastic leis and started blowing our horns. We counted down from 10 to 1 and then yelled and blew our horns. Not one Hay Gang member fell asleep and we were in bed by 12:05p.m. We had some fun! The only thing we missed was the sparkling cider and they usually get that on New Year's Eve so the gang was a bit sad about that. Happy New Year!

Gearing up for Christmas Celebration #2

The Gang is all geared up for tonight. You see my parents were out of town for Christmas and they returned home last night. They are hosting the family tonight for dinner and more presents. My kids can't wait and are very excited to see what Gram and Pa has gotten for them. We are also looking forward to giving Gram and Pa their gifts from us. One is homemade and one is somethng great that Gram is going to love. We're going to be having create your own sandwiches, maccaroni salad, and chips. Yummy!!! More on tonight later. :)

The Day After

Well we survived the Christmas fun. Grandma and Pa are out of town and were unable to come for the Christmas gift unwrapping, but Auntie, Uncle, Emily and Ali were here. It was a huge surprise for the gang and they did not disappoint in the screaming and happiness department. Tom and I just kept looking at each other and smiling. The kids were so cute and happy with their gifts. It was a very joyous time. On Tuesday we will have another Christmas with Gram and Pa. I better get to finishing Pa's gift and get Grams wrapped. I tend to wait until the last minute on some things. We had a really nice day playing with our gifts and relasing as a family. Our dinner was yummy and we had great company to share it with. We did have a couple of items break on us. Of course Tom and I weren't surprised at the breakage. We live with a few destructo derbies. Today, I have taken back an item and bought Macie a pair boots to replace the pair she got for Christmas that she didn't want. Tom is off to return an item that broke and Macie's boots. Other than that we are relaxing and having fun as a family. The house is a disaster, but that is easily remedied.

The Hay House 2009 End Of Year Report

If you are here reading about us, the Hay Gang, you more than likely received our Christmas card telling you to come here and find out what has happened to us this year. Thanks for checking in on us. We want you all to know how blessed we are to have such a great support system of family and friends. Our year has been full of family outings, kids accomplishing many things as they grow older, and lots of fun. In March we went with Pa up to the snow. We packed a lunch and made a day of it. What fun we had. With Auntie, Uncle, Emily, Ali, Ashley and Grandma we traveled to Six Flags for a day of fun in the sun. We left Henry home and made a day of it seeing all the animals, riding rides, and eating. We went on our second camping trip at the end of July. We swam, ate, played in the water, roasted marshmallows, and got very, very, dirty. The 3 older children were on the Loomis Basin Dolphin's Swim Team and participated in the Rocklin Little Thunder Basketball league. The other 2 were always there cheering on their big brother and sisters. If you're still reading then we are going to fill you in on how each child is doing.

Macie who turned 10 this year is a very creative and talented girl. She loves to sing and is singing in the Parker Whitney School Choir, taking violin, swam on the 9/10 swim team, and played basketball. We also were able to watch her perform in the Parker Whitney talent show in May. She had a couple of lemonade stands this summer and has been given the money making job of co-recycler with Thomas. Macie says that the best thing about this year was going to Arcata to the HSU homecoming game where Pa was put into the Hall of Fame. She also said seeing her cousin Brad and meeting his girlfriend, Justine, was great as well.

Thomas is a very bright and active 9 year old boy. He also was on the 9/10 swim team and played basketball. He has taken up the violin this year and sings in the Parker Whitney Choir. Thomas has earned his wolf and bear badge in cub scouts this year and will be moving onto Webelos when he turns 10. Tom is his cub leader and that has been very fun for the both of them. He loves his job as a recycler. Tom brings cans & bottles from work and Macie and Thomas sort them and I take them to get the money. Thomas says that the best thing about this year was spending time with my family.

Julia is 6 and in the first grade. She has an Alternative, Augmentative, Communication device to help her speak. She is progressing very well. She is in Special Ed and is mainstreamed into Reg. Ed for all subjects except Language Arts. Julia loves all things pink and loves to play with barbies and dolls. Summer of 2009 was Julia's first season on the Loomis Swim Team. She swam for the 6 and under team and at the awards ceremony was awarded the most improved 6 and under girl and received a trophy which she proudly displays in her room. Julia says that the best thing about this year is being a first grader.

Matthew is a 4 year old pre-schooler. He is having the time of his life at school. There is sand to explore, bars to climb, swings to ride, and slides to slide down. He also is learning a few things as well. Matthew is taking swim lessons so he can try out for the Loomis Swim team like the rest of the gang. He is doing so well at lessons the only problem is that he doesn't like going and screams the whole way there. He goes on Tuesdays and is very happy when he finds out it isn't a Tuesday. During the summer he took gymnastic lessons. It was right up his alley, and he was a great little climber. Matthew says that the best thing about this year was that he gets to go to school.

Henry is 2 and into everything. One of his favorite things to do is watch Signing Time!. He will bring me the DVD's and keep at me until I put it in. Along with learning to sign he is also learning to speak better. He has qualified for speech therapy and sees a nice girl at JabberGym in Roseville. We are constantly amazed at how far he is progressing. He likes to play with cars, Julia's barbies, and loves to ride his stuffed pony. He is very funny and keeps us all laughing. Henry would say that the best thing about this year was that he got to see his cousins Ali and Emily, visit with Grandma and Auntie, but best of all going with Pa to get hair cuts and shop at the grocery store.

Wow! We can't believe what a year it has been. We love you all and wish you all a Happy Holiday Season and hope that you can find the true meaning of Christmas. Please check back with us here at the Hay House blog. You never know what you might find out about us. :)
Here is a sweet video helping us to remember the true maning of Christmas. Enjoy

A Tree, A Parade, and A Snow

We here at the Hay House are officially in the Christmas Spirit. We have out tree up and that brings the Christmas season to us. We decorated the tree for family home evening last week. Of course, it wouldn't be a Hay House Christmas without something going wrong. I had bought 2 strings of lights at Costco and while hanging them on the tree we realize that we need more. I run to Costco with the girls and yes, you guessed it, they are completely out of what I needed. So the girls and I decide to go to K-Mart. I buy 4 more boxes, bring them home, and Tom hangs them. We have the tree lighting time and the lights are two different colors of white. Who knew that could happen. Then the kids got to stay up late and decorate. Once again this year we only put the kids ornaments on the tree. It is so pretty and they love seeing their ornaments on it. Saturday night we were in the Auburn Festival of Lights Parade. It was very cold and we got to ride on the Head Start School Bus singing songs, hanging out the windows yelling Merry Christmas. We did this because Matthew goes to Head Start. He loved that the night was all about him. Then on Sunday night we had snow. The gang couldn't believe it that it actually snowed in Rocklin. It has been very cold the last few nights. Things have frozen and some people are without power. We are busy getting everything ready for Christmas to come.

Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Christmas Trees

We had a terrific Thanksgiving. The new picture at the top of the blog was taken at Thanksgiving. We very rarely have family pictures so this was a favorite for me. We ate and laughed and talked with our big extended family. I think the final count for dinner was 53, and if you can believe it that is not all of us. We left the gathering with full bellies and tired eyes. Got home and put everyone to bed and then I went because I was getting up early to go to BLACK FRIDAY. Yipppeee!! My mom and dad went with me and helped me get the items I wanted. I know that I said I was done, but who can resist a few last min. items at good prices. I even got a couple of things for birthdays coming up. I came home and got the gang ready to go to Costco where we got our Christmas tree. This year we got a Noble Fir. I love how green and piney smelling it is. Kelly and Scott and gang were with us as well. They got a huge tree. Costco is such a great value. Brad even got one to go back to school with. He won't be coming home this year for Christmas and we won't see him until his graduation in May. He will be working this year over the Christmas break. We also got our annual Christmas tree getting picture. We are in typical Hay form for the picture and we got a picture of everyone together. It might be our last year for the Christmas Tree adventure.

Signing Time is having a SALE!!!!!

This Saturday, Sunday, and Monday Signing Time! will be having great sales. Please check them out.
Saturday November 28, 2009 $15 Off Any Order of $50 or more

Sunday November 29, 2009 Spend $50 or More and Get Free Shipping on Your Order

Monday November 30, 2009 Get 20% Off All Gift Sets at Signing Time

If you want in on the great deals just click here.

Thanksgiving

I am grateful for this time of year when we give thanks for our blessings. We are blessed here in the Hay House to have such a wonderful group of people to be there for us when we are in need. I'm grateful for my parents, sister, brother, husband, nieces and nephew, and my little gang. I love being a stay at home mom and I'm blessed to be able to stay at home. This year has been hard for everyone to make ends meet and we have blessed to make it every month. Here is a video that gives thanks. Enjoy!

A Little Update

Hi everyone, A lot has been going on around here in the last month since I posted. I am very grateful for my family and all the challenges and joys that they bring. We have been knee deep into homework, violin, chior, swim lessons, and school. The month has just flown by. I am officially done with christmas shopping and looking forward to wrapping and getting the tree up. I love Thanksgiving with all the promise of the holiday season. This year we will be having dinner with 48 members of our extended family at my cousins restaurant. We have done this the last few years and it is terrific. A proffessional kitchen, restaurant dish washer, togo containers make it all very easy for us all to enjoy ourselves. Everyone brings something to contribute to the dinner and the feasting begins. I plan on going to black friday again this year, even though I am done christmas shopping it should be fun. :) I met with the kids teachers for parent teacher conferences. The gang is doing well and we can look forward to learning much more in the year to come. Macie and Thomas sang at the Veteran's Day ceremony at the city cemetary. I took Macie and Henry to visit Matt and we had a good visit. We are now getting ready to go to the church for tithing settlement. I now need to make sure that everyone has shoes, socks, and clothes on. :)

It's About TIme!

Hello all! It has been a loooong time since I have blogged. Let me just tell you what has been going on around here. Tom has had to have his gall bladder removed. I'm glad to say that the surgery went well and he is doing fine. He is having a little trouble holding any of the gang and some trouble lifting. At the beginning of the month Fairytale town hosted a party with the Sac. 20/30 club for families of special needs kids. I took Julia, Macie and Thomas for games, crafts, music, and a bbq. It was very nice and they even gave us t-shirts. We were gifted some really nice and expensive carpet. Our neighbors across the street were given some nice carpet from a man who was re-doing his floors. The carpet he had was only a few years old. Our neighbors couldn't use it so they called us. We now have beautiful carpet in our living room. Please no shoes in there. Julia did you hear me? :) We had to have help moving all the furniture out because Tom can't and I have had a bad back since my accident last October. I also went to Tahoe the first week in October. I am serving on the Policy Council for Placer County Action Council. It is for Matthew's pre-school. The Tahoe trip was for training. I got my own room and they fed us some wonderful food. It was loads of nice alone time. Matthew went on a field trip and I got to go with him. It was a very rainy day so they just rode the bus to the Loomis Flower Farm, picked out a pumpkin, and got back on the bus for the trip back to class. I think it was a great field trip. To kids that little just getting on the bus is a trip. :)
The kids (Macie and Thomas) had their Tony Crane dance. They were cute. Thomas was awarded his Bear Badge at the last pack meeting, and Macie was declared the Grand Prize winner in the Rocklin Chamber of commerce Chili Cook-off coloring contest. She gets to go to a winners party at McDonald's this Thursday. They will give her her prize on that day. She is thrilled. Last weekend we traveled to Humboldt State University for my Dad's inductee ceremony. He was inducted into the HSU Athletic Hall of Fame. We all had a blast and went up on Thursday night so we could have some fun on Friday. We went to the beach which was gorgeous. We couldn't have asked for better weather. Then we went swimming in the hotel pool. We had the place to ourselves. In fact a couple of young guys came in and turned right around. Are we that bad? :) It has been a jam packed month, and I sure hope I can update a little more frequently than monthly.
Here are a few pictures from our adventures: