Hays Update// Spring 2018

It has been too long since I wrote. I'm sorry. I wanted to sit down before everything starts today and get an email out to mom and dad. (*OK, so that was written at 8:30am this morning and now it is 9:30pm and I'm finishing up).

First off, happy easter! I'm so excited to watch conference today. It was neat to hear that Elder Gong was called as one of the apostles. I felt personally connected to him while at BYU. He was my stake president and once gave a Q&A. It was right in the middle of my broken engagement and I felt so confused about the "stupor of thought" and how the spirit guides us. If it is a good thing and two people love each other, why would they have a stupor of thought? And why would the spirit tell them to not be together? And can mental illness confuse or block your ability to feel the spirit? I stood up and asked my very confusing question into the microphone and didn't feel like I communicated it well and didn't get the answer I was seeking. Afterward, I pushed my way through the crowd and asked him again and explained some of the background to my question. I don't remember exactly what he said but it was something along the lines of, "Eve was the first to decide to leave the garden of eden..." He said a few more things, but the important message when I left was that my heavy heart had hope. I've liked him ever since. 

Life is really good. The girls have been out on spring break this week so we spent a good part of the week doing adventures and playing. I took all four to Goblin Valley and Little Wild Horse canyons by myself. It was an all day adventure and we met up with friends for half of it. I bought lots of junk and took them to get burgers and fries in Green River as we drove back home. 

We had such a great time doing an easter weekend float with mom and dad last year that we decided to repeat the tradition. We camped at the same spot but this time with the Allreds. The kids had a great time playing all evening. They stayed up late around the campfire and woke up early ready to hunt for eggs. 

It has been so nice not having to get anyone ready for school in the morning and makes me excited for summer. 

Work for me is back in full swing and I am editing every free evening again and trying to answer emails and anything else I can in the in-between minutes every day. 

It was so fun to have Lindsey here a few weeks ago. We hiked, talked, played games, went for runs and played with the girls. 

OK, it's evening now and I'm finishing this letter. Felicity had a birthday a few weeks ago and I hate to admit it, but I am so glad it's over. She talked about her birthday every day for months. We made a piñata (wrapped a cereal box full of candy), which she loved and talked about every day until we finally broke it open at her birthday party 9 days early. She was so cranky on her birthday. Maybe all the anticipation finally caught up to her and she wailed on the stairs until it started. Then she was ok during the party. 

Liesel's first grade class wrote and composed a folk opera about a jumping mouse. It was very cute and she was the lead jumping mouse. She wrote all of her parts and sang them wonderfully. They also painted the set in art class and made their own costumes. It was adorable and I was very proud of her. We got her report card and she had 100% or higher on everything. She just started the first Narnia book, "the magician's nephew" and is liking it so far (she's nearly done with it). She is still in love with horseback riding but I worry every week she's going to get hurt. I went with her to horseback for my birthday back in February and the horse tried to buck me off twice. She's still in soccer, but she spends most of the time doing cartwheels and rolling around dreamily on the grass. I'm her "coach" which means I run around the field yelling, "Go get it! Good job!" which Bridgette cries in her carseat from the side and Felicity grabs my legs begging for the other teams Capri Suns and fruit snacks. Liesel is getting so much older and more responsible. She is very emotional and dramatic, but also very tender and kind. She loves one-on-one time but that is unfortunately pretty rare. 

Hannah is playing soccer on Leslie's team. She is still going to preschool, but half the time I keep her home because she entertains Felicity so well and because she doesn't want to go. I can't believe she starts Kindergarten in the fall. She is always making me laugh. The other day we were all sitting on my bed in the morning and I was nursing after getting home from a very early run. She will frequently pretend to call grandma Hatch and have these fake conversations. Well, I was telling Brian that he needed to wake up with Felicity if she pee's the bed because "getting up three times at night is torturous." Hannah says into the phone, "Yeah, having kids is just torturous..." and rolls her eyes. We all started laughing. She also came up with an idea to trick someone for April Fools by filling an Easter egg with a snake head (although I am fresh out of those). She is so helpful with Bridgette. 

Felicity loves to be silly. You give her an inch and she'll go a mile. For example, at bedtime if you are silly with her once, she will not settle down and stop laughing and trying to climb all over you the entire time. She has grown about two sizes and is giant compared to other three year olds. She loves nursery and is the only one in there. They love her and she sits on their laps reading books the whole time and eating fruit snacks. Her nursery leaders even brought her by a birthday present.

Our best friends, Clay and Leslie Allred, are moving to Flagstaff, AZ. Clay leaves in a two weeks and Leslie leaves June,1st. We are seriously bummed about that. We went to their house for Easter dinner tonight with the Penrod's who are also probably going to leave at the end of the year.

Brian was offered a job at Joshua Tree Nat'l park. We considered moving there for his job, but ultimately couldn't trade Moab for the Mojave desert. At the time it seemed fairly serious, but now that the decision is made, it seems hardly worth mentioning. 

Bridgette Elisabeth Hays was blessed this month. Brian blessed her with faith, that the priesthood would be a blessing in her life and to be a peacemaker. Those are the things I'm remembering right now. 

I love you all. I feel so tired. Goodnight.