Southern Living

Dear Family and Friends-
The other day I saw a bumper sticker that said "Nobody Cares About Your Blog!" and so maybe it's true, most of the world would not want to read about the Hayes Family happenings, but for those of you do--here's your BIG chance!

We have now been in Charlotte for 10 months. Life feels different enough that I sometimes can't believe I haven't even been here for a year yet, but somehow at the same time, the weeks whiz by so fast I can't keep track! My life is simple in many ways. I wake up a couple hours after Harland has left for work (he leaves around 5:30 this month) to the sound of Cannon jumping in my bed and breathing in my face. We lay there until we hear Henry waking up, then the day officially begins.

Between the daily household stuff and errands, I'm either playing with the boys, taking a walk with a neighbor, driving Cannon to preschool, running or going to a cycle class, doing stuff for Young Womens, visiting friends or puttering around our little vegetable garden. That's a pretty full day. Harland isn't around much right now. It ebbs and flows, of course, but there is a reason that the intern year is notorious for being a bit grueling. This past week, Harland estimated that he spent 100 hours at the hospital.

Cannon is as darling as ever. Although I have loved every stage, I have really looked forward to this one. I just love 3 and 4 year-olds! There is something so amazing and fun about watching the imagination surface--and boy does this little boy have one! Everything is so magical to him, whether it's reading from our Book of Mormon reader and quietly reveling in the fact that the guy mom keeps calling "Enos" is really Superman because he is wearing a red cape , or catching a lizard in our backyard and watching with delight as it changes from green to brown, or running into the living room fully believing a giant magical bunny has hidden all those Easter Eggs and even remembered not to leave Cannon any "gluten-candy"! What would I do without his kisses, his laughter, and the funny things that come out of his mouth?

Henry is still mamma's boy all the way. I feel like we have this special bond, just me and him. Everytime I look in his direction, his little eyes light up and a huge smile spreads across his face. Being a mom is the best! Right now, he is doing his very best to keep up with Cannon--literally. In the past two weeks, he's really gotten the hang of running. Just today, he proved to me that he could almost climb the ladder on our swingset all by himself--and he dives headfirst down the slide. As brave as he sounds, the moment I leave him in anyone else's care, he cries huge tears almost the entire time. The kid eats like he's trying to win a contest--he really eats more than I do, it's ridiculous. He can say "mama," "nanon" (Cannon), "dadda", "cah" (car), "bah" (ball) and a few other things. He does speak a lot of jibberish all day long and tries to get Cannon to wrestle him by rolling on him, sitting on him, or just climbing right on top of him. Those two truly seem to be best buddies.

Finally (if your still reading...) I will do my best to sum up how my other half is doing. Like I said, he is working a ton. The good news is, he really does love it. He comes home with these interesting stories and seems to have a genuine passion for it. So that makes it feel worthwhile. Of course, he gets frustrated with the total lack of balance in his life. Not only does he miss his family, he misses church, friends, recreation and exercise--to name a few. But when he does have that golden day off, we have a great time and try to make the most of it. A few weeks ago, we went to this hilarious Safari zoo where you drive by the animals as they stick their head in your car (zebras) or try to get in for some food ("naughty ostriches"--Cannon). I hadn't laughed THAT hard in a long time, and Henry and Cannon were having the time of their lives. We are looking forward to some much-needed time-off in May, when we plan to spend the week in Orlando with the Hayes family. We can't wait.

Well, I promise all our postings wont be this long, but thanks for reading. And remember, our door is always open to visitors. We have a blast when you come, so never feel like you're intruding.
We love you,
Heather (and the gang)