As many of you know - we named Carli Lynn after her two granddads. If you haven't read about why, you should check out this post in July: Carli Lynn.
Well, God must have thought she was her Granddaddies's granddaughter, b/c from behind there is definitely a resemblance! We have a new poll going - which granddad does Carli take after these days...
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Carli's Name Sakes...
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
Carli Lynn just want to send out a quick - HAPPY THANKSGIVING! The Hays family has much, much to be thankful for this year - most of it includes this little angel!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Why I Choose Keith
So tonight Keith and I decided to completely clean off my laptop and reinstall everything hoping to get it to perform to its peak ability...and in doing so I found this word document. Before we got married Kyle Wade asked us to send him notes about why we choose each other. This was mine - it's only been two and a half years of marriage - but it is still fun to sit back and re-read what I was thinking in those days before we married. Hope you all enjoy learning a little about us!
After that my relationship with Keith started to grow into a friendship. I knew he was a man of his word and good natured when he lost a flag football bet and wore my bright orange “Some Girls have all the fun” intramural shirt for three days. I really don’t think orange was his color b/c on the last day he claimed he had a migraine and didn’t show his face on campus!
From there, my friend lost interest in Keith, the semester ended and we all went home for Christmas break. The next semester Keith and I had two classes together. The fact that Keith came and set by me in one class didn’t register anything with me. And when our professor came by and said something to us about a budding romance, I quickly set him straight saying we were just friends. The professor just smiled, winked at Keith and told him he had a lot of work to do. I was a little surprised by the professor’s bluntness, but again nothing registered with me. God probably was starting to wander how many opportunities he was going to have to give the two of us before something finally happened. Turns out it was a lot. We went through the whole semester talking off and on. It never occurred to me that he may have been interested because to me he was off limits as my friend had liked him, plus my first impression was still playing in the back of my mind, he was a city boy that drove a Chevy (I come from a very strong willed country Ford family) and loved Garth Brooks…really, I didn’t think he was my type.
However, God certainly was smarter that I was, and apparently knew me better than I knew myself…The semester was coming to a close, we had only 6 weeks left till graduation. I stayed after class one day to talk about a project with my friend Amber. When we finally left we could see Keith slowly walking to his truck. That’s when the fog of naivety cleared and it clicked. Here Keith had been walking with me after class every Tuesday and Thursday and I had honestly never thought that it was more than just two ppl going to their trucks in the same parking lot. Uh huh…Keith had started parking his truck in the same lot as me a long time ago. So as Amber and I watched, Keith got to his truck, glanced back at the building and left. Yep…things were about to get interesting…but I had avoided the awkward situation for the time being and I wouldn’t see Keith until after the wkd. But alas, God had another plan. That night I sit down at my computer to check my email before going to bed and I had an email from Keith. Sure enough, he was interested. I was taken aback, flattered and not real sure what to do. I did know that it took a lot of guts to write that email, so I couldn’t leave him hanging. So I responded with my friends blessing and the heaven’s let out a huge sigh of relief.
Keith and I went out that Friday night, March 26, 2004 and saw each other every night there after. So, as you can see I really can’t say I choose Keith…perhaps circumstance threw us together…but I’m pretty confident that God picked him out just for me and then had to work nine months to get me to see the perfect man that I would eventually spend the rest of my life with.
I’m not really good at saying mushy things…or any of that kind of stuff. So instead, I will just write what is in my heart; if it comes out mushy…it is purely coincidental. J Keith is my best friend. He is the one I can tell anything to, I cry on his shoulder, I get mad at him for no reason, and he doesn’t care, he loves me anyway. Keith is my first thought in the morning and the last person I pray for every night. Keith is the one I want to share every exciting moment with and the one I want at my side when I have butterflies in my stomach and have to stand in front of a bunch of people. Keith is my everything. I cannot imagine going through life without him. We’ve been through so much together in the last two years, it sure seems like it has been longer.
My Grandma has always told me that you could tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his mother. Keith’s relationship with his mom is amazing. There is an amazing amount of love, respect and genuineness between them. And I look at his parents, and I see the love that they have between them, and I am so thankful. I know in my heart and without a doubt that Keith will always love me. We have been so blessed to have such wonderful examples of love in both our parents, and in our grandparents. God has truly blessed us.
Keith’s faith in God is inspiring because he is so humble. Keith is not very vocal about a lot of things, but I love to sit next to him in Sunday school class and watch him contemplate the discussion and every once in a while throw in a comment. He is very well versed in what the Bible says, but more so he is always trying to live it. Our prayer time together is always something I look forward to. It is a time when I am so blessed to hear what is really on his heart, and with God Keith never withholds what is on his heart.
I suppose I could go on and on about what Keith is to me. But it is all summed up in a few words. Keith is God’s Chosen One for Me. I have never been more confident in anything more than I am that I love Keith Hays, and I am excited and very ready to commit to him for the rest of my life and his. Keith is my best friend, my confident, my soul mate, my partner and as of May 20, 2006 is stuck with me forever! J
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Hair pics
Okay - I'll be brave - I don't like these pictures, I look tired! But, I promised pictures, so here they are!
After - hair is normal. Sorry for the green tint
(I used the webcam to take this one)
Monday, November 17, 2008
Fast Learner...
This is by far the funniest thing ever...
Sunday night we went over to Eli and Amy's house to watch the Cowboy game. Carli got almost as much attention as the Cowboys did! Tori is our friend who teaches first grade here in Whitehouse - and she put her teaching skills to good use last night. She taught Carli how to stick out her tongue! It is so cute! I tried and tried to get a picture of it - and I did finally - but first watch the video. So cute!
Exhausting work! Amy put me right to sleep!
Eli is in denial - he does have baby fever!
>
I did get my hair cut - I'll post those pics later in the week. Unfortunately - the hair cut didn't do anything about how tired I look! ha! :)
Friday, November 14, 2008
Our week in Pictures
Well, I didn't do well keeping up the blog this week - so now I am resorting to telling you about the week in pictures...
First - Carli helped me cook dinner one night. She doesn't like to be cradled in the "Moby Wrap" or held close to me - but she prefers rather to face out and see what is going on. I have a feeling when she starts moving on her on, she will be into everything. This picture is at 5.5 weeks and she pretty much holds her head up without any help from me. And if I do try to help her out - it makes her mad!
Then last Saturday Aunt Betty and Dionna came to visit! They timed it just right b/c Carli had just woken up from her nap and was ready to eat. She was having trouble nursing that day b/c of drainage in her throat, so I was pumping and feeding her with the bottle. Aunt Betty got to feed and burp her.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Caught on Camera...
A SMILE! Yes, it took a lot of missed smiles, almost smiles and funny faces - but we finally got that first "caught on camera" smile! She loves to smile at her daddy - isn't she just precious?!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Carli's One Month Celebration
Carli spent her one month old celebration meeting one of her Daddy's best buds - Michael. Michael and Keith have known each other since the 4th grade - crazy! Michael was the one that encouraged Keith to ask me out - he took our first "couple" picture for us and even followed us to Arlington! :) They are about as close as two buds can get - and I think that is pretty awesome. I had the great privilege of keeping Michael's son, Ryan, for about 5 months when he was a baby. He was about 9 months old when Keith and I moved to Whitehouse - crazy how much the kid has grown, he will be 3 in March! He was barely crawling when we left and now he runs all over the place! ha! Michael and Ryan drove down last Saturday to meet Carli for the first time...
Me and my buddy Ryan
Ready for Church
Monday, November 3, 2008
Waking Up is Hard to Do!!
Here is a video we took Saturday morning when we were trying to get Carli to wake up...this is only appx 3 minutes of the 45 it took to finally get her to open her eyes! When she sleeps, she takes the job seriously!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Carli's First Halloween
Shea checking out Carli's outfit