Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day!

We kicked off my dad's birthday by celebrating a day early.  He and my mom had tickets to see Paul McCartney play at Globe Life Park that evening, so we met them for lunch at Newk's--the restaurant that has perfected strawberry cake!

Happy Birthday, Dad!

We love you!

The next day we went to the Omni Dallas for Justin's 40th surprise birthday.  So great!

Unfortunately the pool closed down right when we got up there, so we moved back inside. 
First stop was the bar, then we went up to Justin and April's suite.

All 7 of us couples met there and had a blast catching up.  April and Justin moved away two years ago and some of us hadn't seen them since then.  There's nothing quite like old friends!

A few hours later, we were headed to dinner at The Common Table. Love my date!

We had a great time sitting on the patio all night.

Cheers to Justin and cheers to fun friends!

Father's Day was the next day and we hosted both families at our house. 
It was Andrew's very first Father's Day--check out his cutie patootie!

Not only is Jared a great dad, he's also a pretty sweet Uncle.  Mason loved hanging out with him. 

We cooked out burgers and were able to spend quality time with all of these dads. 
Everyone wore their "Dad" heart tattoos proudly.

Happy Father's Day!

Just Dance

June 8, 2019. Cameron Nicole has been talking about that date since she began dance class back in August, I kid you not!  June 8th was her recital day. Her day to shine bright up on the big stage.  And wear make-up, and have her hair curled, and wear sparkly costumes.  In short, a girly girl's dream come true.  

Dance class was so fun this year with this sassy group of girls!

Miss Thang was too young for the class, technically, but I got special permission for her to be in it.  I'm so glad she made the cut, because she more than held her own the whole year.

The Little Mermaid was the theme, so they played movie clips in between each dance number.

Jazz was up first and these cuties danced to Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.  

They did great and Cami was front and center.

Hip Hop was next.

These girls jammed to Beyonce's Crazy in Love and were beyond adorable.

Cami's confidence was so cool to watch.  She was awesome!

Our favorite part, though, was her little solo during it!  Get it, girl!

Edge Dance did a great job putting on the whole production.

All the little girls got to come back on the stage and dance in the finale...

but I'm pretty sure that Cami's favorite part was getting to hold Miss Olivia's hand, aka Ariel, at the end.  She's been her dance teacher all year and Cami just adores her.

Everyone was so happy to see our little dancing diva perform.  Maddie came with Gigi, but Boom had to take her to a soccer tournament before the show ended.

Memaw and Poppi got to stay for the whole show, though, and brought Cami some pretty flowers too.

Lila and Daddy even made it in time, all the way from East Texas!  Lila was super tired, but she still had a big smile on her face.  Way to go, Cameron!  We are so very proud of you.

In true fashion, we didn't just have camp pick-up and a dance recital that day.  Jackson had a baseball tournament and was playing in Euless.  We changed clothes, grabbed lunch on the way, and made it to the fields.  The game was delayed, which gave us some time for silly pics while big sister napped in the back of the truck.

My heart was so happy.  My little girl had done so well, my big girl was back home, and my oldest was playing really well!

Jackson's team lost the first game, but he brought his A game, especially when facing off with an old teammate.  Jackson struck him out and then a few innings later they switched roles.  Brock can bring the heat, but Jackson got a hit off him.  Whew!

Dominic and his fam came to watch the Eagles play their second game.  Such sweet friends!

We arrived home at 6:00 that evening and left again 15 minutes later for Jackson's indoor soccer game.  The never-ending day just kept going.  The Golden Rockets won big and we celebrated a successful day with dinner somewhere good. 

We can't wait for Cameron's dance recital next June, but I just pray that it doesn't coincide with camp and any tournaments!  

Sky Ranch for Lila

Year Two of Sky Ranch was so much easier...especially on me!  I knew exactly what to expect, didn't feel overwhelmed with all the planning of theme nights and what to pack.  And I didn't even boo hoo all morning long every time I thought of Lila being gone for a week.  Great success!

Calley went with the girls instead of Madison this summer.  Such a great group of friends.

Who's excited to be at Sky Ranch again?  These girls!!

When we arrived at their cabin, we checked out their activities for the week.  From the lake, to the pools, to the bible studies and night events, these girls were going to have plenty going on.

Lila got bottom bunk again, with Brooklyn above her.

Calley and Lauren were right across from them, and they were at the back of the cabin, with a great view.  Score!  They couldn't wait for us to leave.

One last hug from all of us and were were headed back home.  We were certain that Lila would have a fantastic week, full of amazing memories.

 

It took a few days, but I finally spotted Lila in the camp pics.  She and Brooklyn looked like they were loving life at the lake!

The next day, I found Lila and Lauren at the cafe, enjoying a refreshing drink.

As much as I enjoyed seeing Lila with her friends, I smiled the biggest when I saw her with a new girl.  My shy girl was making new friends!

We saw a few more of her at the night events.  Such an adorable tiger.

And the whole cabin on the their dance party night was super cute.

She seemed to be enjoying the playground...

and loved hanging out with Lauren and Riley, too.

Jared had to pick her up from camp at 6:00 am, in order to get back in time for Cami's dance recital that day.  I didn't get to talk to the counselors and hear what they thought about Lila, so this camper award was extra special.  They gave Lila the Warm Hearted Award for her amazing heart, telling her that, "You are so kind to everyone you meet...it has been such a blessing getting to know your sweet self and your love for Jesus.  This week we learned that not only are you kind and generous to all, you also have a servant's heart."  Nailed it!  They loved her. 

Later that day, I found a letter addressed to me and Jared.  It was a note from Rylie, one of her counselors, telling us how impressed she was with Lila.  It brought me to tears.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Hays,

It has been an absolute joy getting to spend time with Lila!  She has a heart of gold that shines bright to anyone around her.  She is so incredibly kind to everyone she meets and makes me want to be a better person.  She has a child-like faith that is curious to know more about our awesome God!  Lila and I became buddies this week and I am writing to ask your permission to stay in contact with her.  It has truly been an honor working and learning from Lila's actions, words, and heart from Jesus.  I can tell that she was raised well and that one day she is going to do great things for His kingdom. 

Sincerely,
Rylie Ray

WOW!!  This simply blew me away.  Her counselor was able to see Lila exactly as her daddy and I do.  She's such a great person.  Rylie included her email, home address and cell phone number, telling me that Lila could contact her using any method.  We spoke on the phone that afternoon and I thanked her for taking such good care of Lila at camp and for wanting to continue their friendship.  Lila was dying to get on the phone, so I let her chat after that, and they have kept in touch by email and phone ever since.  Every time they talk, it makes Lila's day, which makes my heart happy.

Sky Ranch 2019--Great Success!

Party Down

Summer time is cool for lots of reasons.  Everything is more fun, even birthday parties!

Gavin's 12th birthday was a pool party at his new house with this good group of boys.

Calley's birthday was at the new Urban Air Adventure Park--so cool!

And Grace's party was in the pool, despite the rain.  Fun, fun, fun!

Summer is also the best, because when mom babysits, the kids are all home to help! 
These three adore their cousin Mason.

I'm pretty sure the feeling is mutual.  He was such a happy little camper all day!

He got plenty of snuggles from his sweet cousins...

and gave us so many smiles.  Love it!

Lila's friend came over to play that afternoon, 

so Mason and I were the lifeguards on duty after he awoke from his nap.

Chloe and Lila had a ball playing volleyball...

and doing some stunts.  Yeehaw!

And this little guy kept those smiles coming all day. 

Summer, simply put, you are the best.