I Love My Family!

SAY WHAT???!!!???

Wow, it's been a while since our last SAY WHAT post. I decided that this might be a good one to throw into the mix....it's a simple "IN MY HEAD" kind of SAY WHAT post.

I am currently sitting at our computer balancing the checkbooks. I usually like to do this a few times a week (I know, I'm a little obsessive), but lately life has been getting in the way of my neurotic obsession with our checkbook. As I am documenting various transactions from several receipts, I just came across a receipt that was slightly tattered. Aftr documenting the transaction, I silently asked myself why the ATM would document the transation in such a bizarre way...06/17/10. It is the 10th month of the year...and perhaps the transaction took place on the 17th of the month...but where was the year 06 coming from...??

After staring at the receipt for several minutes, I quickly realized that there was nothing backwards about the receipt at all. Papa H had apparently cleaned out his wallet and had given me all of his old receipts. (You see this is nothing new. He tends to hang onto the receipts until I ask about certain transactions that have been posted online...seriously, I can solve a coffee-and-donut-I'm-having-a-bad-day kind of mystery in a matter of 1 receipt! *wink* I think it's a little game that he likes to play with me.) Tonight though, he decided to pull out the big guns and really test my skills. Oh yes...the receipt that I came across this evening was from back on JUNE 17th of this year!! Seriously??!!!???

I guess it's better late than never, right? No wonder our checkbook has been off for several months!!!!!! *wink*

Happy 1st Birthday, Little Miss Weenie!

Date of Birth: 10/25/2009

It's hard to believe that almost a year has gone by since we got her. Time sure does fly, doesn't it? Happy 1st Birthday, Little Miss Weenie!

TUTU's for sale!

Handmade tutu's are officially on sale! We are working on getting someone to create an 'online store' for us to sell our handmade items. For now though, we wanted to post a sample picture of our most recent sale items. Handmade tutu's can be ordered (and custom made based on your color choices) for $15. The choice of having beads added to the tutu's is also available. We can make them in any color (or combination of colors) you choose. We have the following colors to choose from: white, red, light blue, navy blue, light pink, hot pink, light purple, bright purple, black, green, brown, yellow, and orange.

The sky is the limit with our tutu's! They can be custom made to fit ANY size (ranging from newborn to 110 years of age). Plus, they make great birthday and Christmas presents!

Oh wait...did we mention that for an extra $4 we can make a matching headband to go along with the tutu? (Below is a picture of a purple tutu that has been decorated with a custom made Hayes flower....and the matching headband has been placed inside the waste for you to see.)



Please send any orders to us at rdphayes@yahoo.com . As always, you can catch us on Facebook too! Go check out HAYES FAMILY ADOPTION to follow along on our journey!

Thanks again for all of your support! We love you all. XOXOXOXOXO

Monadnock 2010

After a WONDERFUL weekend away at Monadnock, I'm back at home with my family. Aaaaaahhh...there's nothing quite like going away to recharge as a wife, as a mother, as a friend. The past weekend was filled with MANY blessings. I got to spend the entire weekend with one of my best girlfriends. I met several new friends from all over New England. I recharged my soul and I was encouraged in ways that go well beyond what my brain can even comprehend. It was an awesome weekend, that's for sure.

So, when was the last time y'all took an extended period of time away from home to just recharge? I would love to hear about it....and I would love to hear about any future plans that you might have.

Fundraising Event Schedule!

Last night we sent out a mass email to all of our email contacts. If by chance you didn't receive anything (and you want to), please send an email to: rdphayes@yahoo.com . We would love to keep you and everyone you know in the loop on various fundraising events.

Monday, November 1st (7-11am)--Cockpit Cafe (near the airport) in Sanford--> Come enjoy a nice breakfast and the owner will give us a portion of the proceeds!

Saturday, November 6th (9am-2pm)--BOTTLE DRIVE in Sanford/Springvale. If you are able to give us a hand for this event, please let us know!

Saturday, November 20th (9am-3pm)--Noble Craft Fair at Noble High School in North Berwick Maine!

Sunday, November 21st (1pm-5pm)--Get Fired Up (Pottery Studio) in Sanford. The owner has agreed to give us 25% of all proceeds from the event. You and your family can paint pottery or buy gift certificates for the upcoming holidays! (Even if you don't make it into the studio, the owner is still willing to give us the proceeds for gift certificates purchased over the phone.) Please make sure that you mention our adoption when you come in to paint or buy gift certificates!

Saturday, December 4th (time TBD)--Waterboro Elementary Craft Fair at Massabesic High School!

Thursday, December 16th (6pm-8pm)--Shop Til You Drop event at Margaret Chase Smith School in Sanford. Several other vendors will be on hand to meet all of your Christmas shopping needs!

We have several other events in the 'works' so we will keep you posted as those are scheduled. As a reminder, please let us know if we don't have you in our email contacts!

Thanks for all of the support!

Iron (stomach) Chef

PQ woke up full of energy this morning. He decided that he wanted to have an Iron Chef competition with me. So without any hesitation, he chose the secret ingredients. Those ingredients were: Green Peppers and Apple Cider. (Two great tastes that go great together...oh joy!)

PQ whipped up a delicious bowl full of stew. He used green peppers, apple cider, eggs, cranberry sauce, water, and feta cheese. YUM...I know you're drooling just by the sound of it!

I decided to make scrambled eggs using apple cider in place of the milk. I added some chopped green peppers to the mix and scrambled them to PQ's liking. (I thought they were DISGUSTING...and PQ actually liked them.)

Introducing: Iron Chef PQ

PQ's Stew

Although it smelled like vomit, the appearance was somewhat similar. After tasting the stew, we both agreed that green peppers, apple cider, eggs, cranberry sauce, and feta should NOT be used in any meal. We giggled while we pretended to be Iron Chefs...and we both agreed that we would let the real Iron Chef's take the prize. (It was fun though...*wink*)

Destination: Craft Fair

Tomorrow is our 1st official craft fair fundraising attempt. Thanks again to A-man for making us a sign! After the fair, we are heading 'up North' to spend the evening with DT & MT. We will definitely keep you posted on how we did at the fair when we get back home on Sunday.

Looking for MomtoJandE

"Mom to J & E"...are you out there?? We just got a notice advising that you left us a comment on OUR NEWS post. Unfortunately, we're not able to view any of your profile/contact information. If you're up for it, please send us an email at rdphayes@yahoo.com . We would love to stay in touch. Thanks again for your interest in our journey! :)

T-SHIRT FUNDRAISING BEGINS!!!!

Future Big Brother...

Please help us make this a reality!

$15 each (and they can be shipped anywhere in the US for an extra $5 per order-up to 5 shirts.)

Please let us know if you or anyone you know wants to place an order! We can be reached at rdphayes@yahoo.com

Thanks!!!!

Thank you.

Isn't it awesome how people rally around you when you need the extra lift? Isn't it great to feel the love of friends all around you? People seems to be popping out of nowhere to help us along on our adoption journey. We have been so blessed by all of this! Just when we start to think ahead about the money that we need to raise in the upcoming months, God sends someone into our lives to remind us that He is faithful. He will provide according to His will. It's mind boggling, really.

Over the past few weeks, we have had numerous people step up and offer to help us. Offers range from cash donations to craft donations that people have made and are going to allow us to sell for a profit. In addition, friends (and strangers) have completely rallied around us and have been supporting us through prayer. We are completely humbled by all of this.

To all of you who are reading...just know that you're in our thoughts and prayers. We love you...and we can't thank you enough for the support that you've already provided. :)

We love you, PQ!

Dear PQ,

How do we begin to tell you how much growth we've seen in you lately? We've noticed how your acting and reacting to certain situations and it's amazing to see you mature. You're changing each and every day that passes. It's hard to believe that you're already 7 years old. Time sure does fly, doesn't it? We wanted to take a few minutes to let you know how special you are to us. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful little boy as our son. God is doing some pretty amazing things in your life, PQ. We are extremely proud of you. We love you!

Love, Mom & Dad
XOXOXOXOXO

Technical Stuff

We did it. We caved. We're officially on Facebook. In the event that you haven't already seen it, please go check out our pages!

HERE

or

HERE

We also linked a DONATE button on the right side of our blog. If anyone wants to donate to the adoption, please click on the DONATE button located to the right. :)

Thanks for everyone's support!