2-Year Old Pictures!

Go Diego Go!

Alex is showing off his new bathtub toy! It is a Diego tub trike. He LOVES his bubble bath!


I just love that smile!

Alex enjoyed opening presents this year. Although he tore small pieces of paper off a little at a time, he eventually opened everything. I can only hope that his enthusiasm for anything wrapped in bright colored paper will continue throughout his life. He could have opened underwear or socks and he would have proudly held them over his head and exclaimed "WOW!".

The Santa Picture

Every child has at least one picture like this with Santa! Alex enjoyed the presents Santa brought, but he would have preferred to pass on the personal visit (at least for this year)!

Baby Boy Hayes

A Letter from Alex

Hello Family and Friends!

Momma and Dada don’t allow me to touch the computer. I was able to sneak out of my room during my “nap” to let you know what I’ve been up to. I’m using an on-line Baby-to-English translator, so I hope the grammar is proper.

Boy has this been a great year! I got to fly in an actual airplane – twice! It was really neat because I could look out the little window and see the ground and we were going really fast! This last time I went on an airplane was to visit Dada who is now working in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We’re going to be moving there eventually. There are some pretty big mountains to see! My favorite color is blue. There is even a tram that Momma says we’ll get to ride on next summer up the side of the mountain. There are lots of neat things to do in Albuquerque. We visited the science museum and aquarium! I like ravioli. Next spring we’ll get to go to the zoo a lot!

Oh, speaking of next spring, that is when my new baby brother will arrive! Right now he is with Mommy in her tummy, but I can still talk to him and give him a kiss. I can’t wait to introduce him to you. It’s about time I get someone around here speaking my language.

We have lots of pretty lights around our house right now. The Christmas tree is fun to play with, but Momma always tells me not to touch. I have a monkey named Charlie. I enjoy reading books and watching as much Thomas the Train that Momma will let me.

I don’t quite understand this Santa thing. From what I understand, I am supposed to believe an old, obese gentleman who has been sequestered all year at the North Pole is going to break into our house on Christmas Eve and bring me gifts (if I’m good). I’m a bit skeptical about this based on how he would deliver so many gifts, let alone the resources involved to make the presents. If he is actually doing this, why are so many people shopping right now. Just wait for the fat guy! He would be more believable if he wore a cape. He doesn’t even remotely resemble a Super-Hero. Maybe I’ll write him a letter too. I guess there is no harm in being good just in case I’m wrong. I’ll probably return the remote controls just to be safe.

Well, I think I hear Mommy coming, so I should be going. For Christmas, I hope that fat man brings me toys (Chinese toys taste better). I think I just made a present for Momma (Ha Ha.) I will write again later to give you my new address in Albuquerque.

XOXOXOXO,
Alexander B. Hayes - Superhero (At least that is what my PJ’s say)

Baby Hayes...Boy or a Girl?

Take a good look at the pictures below and see if you can tell if Baby Hayes is a boy or a girl!

A profile of the face.

A profile of the entire body with left hand scratching the head.

Flexing the little bicep!

?????

Trick or Treat!

Albuquerque, New Mexico

As most of you already know by now, the Hayes family is moving to Albuquerque, NM! John has received a once in a lifetime job opportunity that will take us to the Land of Enchantment (that is what the locals call it). Recently John and I took a quick weekend trip down there to have a look around. Coincidentally the annual Balloon Fiesta was taking place at the time. On Saturday morning we got up at 5:30 am and drove a few blocks north to the park where the hot air balloons launch. I think these pictures speak for themselves!

Albuquerque is a beautiful desert place. With average high temperatures in January around 47 and in July around 92 (with very low humidity). There is skiing on Sandia Peak (a 10,378-foot peak) from mid-December through mid-March. The Sandia mountains loom over the east side of Albuquerque. It is virtually impossible to get lost in the city as long as you can see the mountains.

John has started his new job, but will be traveling a bit between Columbus and Albuquerque in the short term. Alex and I plan to stay in Ohio until our home sells. I hope to see each of you a few more times before the actual move.

Apple & Pumpkin Picking

I took these pictures using my camera phone, so the quality isn't that great. We picked apples a few weeks ago. Alex didn't really enjoy getting up into the tree to actually pick the apples, but once Mommy did the work he was happy. Prior to this outing he would only sign the word for apple, but now he says "Bapble".

This past weekend we went to pick out a few pumpkins a Lynd's farm in Pataskala. We drove way out into the fields and I let Alex walk around until he found exactly the one he wanted.

Cousin Gina's 4th Birthday Party!

Thomas the Train!

Last weekend we took a ride on Thomas the train! Alex's face just lit up when he saw Thomas for the first time. We had beautiful fall weather and walked around the station a little before our ride. Thomas pulled us a few miles outside of the Lebanon Mason Monroe Railroad station and then returned us safe and sound. It was a smooth ride!

Big Brother

Have you heard the news? I'm going to be a big brother! Daddy said a big bird would be visiting us next spring. I think he called it a stork...That kinda freaked me out so I decided to vacate the nursery and hide out in my new big boy room!

Anyway, Mommy says this big bird will bring me a little brother or sister to play with! I have promised to share all of my toys (except for Charlie).

Kings Island

We went to Kings Island a few weeks ago for Daddy's company picnic. It was so much fun! I even got to meet Scooby Doo!

Haircut

Mommy just gave me a haircut...it is a little too short on top (but at least it will grow back)!

Summer Time Fun!

The neighbors gave us their old jungle gym a few weeks ago. We added a swing and stained the wood. Alex just LOVES it. He would play all day out there if we'd let him. The rock wall gets too hot in the sun, but he likes to climb it early in the morning or late in the evening when it has cooled off.

He has so much fun swimming in his little pool. Although it only lasts about 20-30 minutes and then he is ready to get out and move on to something else. We haven't gone to the pool this year because I can't see paying $8.00 to swim for only 30-minutes!

This is his new "smile" for the camera. Whenever he sees the camera, he instantly makes this face. It makes me laugh out loud! You can't stay mad at a face like this.

The Wilds

Today we visited The Wilds near Cumberland, OH. The Wilds is a private, non-profit conservation center located on nearly 10,000 acres of reclaimed mine land in rural southeastern Ohio. We got up close to wild horses, camel, donkeys, cheetah, wild African dogs, giraffe, rhino, zebra and deer. This beautiful place is a wonderful location to view the animals in a more natural environment. Afterwards we had lunch at the Outlook Cafe which overlooks one of the beautiful lakes.

Little Helper

The other day we were weeding and mulching outside in the yard. Alex was happy to follow along by helping with his own little shovel and rake. When it came time to spread the mulch, he got a little confused and would pick up a handful of mulch and throw it into the trash pile. Our little helper!

First Haircut

The Smoky Mountains

The Biltmore House - Asheville, NC

This is the family home of George W. Vanderbilt. It was opened in 1895 and has 175,000 square feet inside the house! It even has a bowling alley, gymnasium and swimming pool inside.

The Biltmore Gardens are also very beautiful. It takes approximately two hours just to tour the gardens. There are several greenhouses. They even sell some of the flowers to the public.

This is one of the pathways in the garden. There are numerous spots to sit on a bench and enjoy the sights and smells of the garden.

Here are some of the orchids located in one of the greenhouses.

A visit to my cousin Gina's house!

Boy, did we have a fun time visiting Aunt Terry, Uncle Don and Cousin Gina! Gina has a really neat swing set in the backyard. She let me swing as much as I wanted! We visited their church together on Sunday and listened to the choir sing. Afterwards, we played outside in the backyard a bunch. We used a sled to slide down the side of the hill together! It was FUN!


We visited the Georgia Aquarium one day and saw a bunch of really BIG fish. It was a big place so I decided to take a nap somewhere in the middle (after lunch though). We also visited the Children's Museum which had all the Sesame Street stuff there! Gina and I had a lot of fun playing and learning on Sesame Street together.

We even went fishing with Uncle Don! He caught a few tiny little fish, but nothing compared to the BIG one Gina and I caught! Uncle Don said the fish weren't biting like they usually do, but Gina and I didn't have any trouble catching the BIG fish...

Gotta wear shades...

Our day at the zoo!

With the warmer weather now upon us, we are happy to be regular visitors of the Columbus Zoo! Alex enjoys seeing all the different animals and people watching. Mommy enjoys the exercise and being outdoors. Today we visited the North America exhibit and rode the train. But his favorite thing today was visiting the goats at the petting zoo area. They currently have three kids (baby goats) that are no bigger than a small dog! The bigger older goats were not bothered by the zillions of little kids (children) running around trying to brush and feed them. It was so funny!

My big boy bed

What a great helper! Alex was quick to learn how to use the screw driver and to help Daddy put together his new toddler bed. Just like his dad, Alex was all business when working on a project!

While he isn't ready to actually sleep in his new bed, at least he can play on it for a few months!