Carrie and Chuck

Carrie and Chuck got married in May! Miles was ring bearer, although, sadly, I have to admit that he did not do a good job. He went early, practically ran down the isle, and then stopped and did something silly in the isle at the front. However, everything else was just beautiful and we had a wonderful time!

Just Trying to Catch Up

I don't even know how to catch up 3 months. The more I try, the more I miss, so I'm going to just hit the highlights and add some photos in a bit.

• Work is going great! I'm enjoying my new position and new staff.
• Ahmad is also enjoying his new job at the Atlantic Athletic Club
• However, it stinks that I work during the week and he works weekends.
• Miles and Hailey weren't going to start daycare right away after moving, but after 2-3 weeks, Miles started being sad he didn't have any friends, so we started them early. Then after a few weeks of just daycare, Miles started Pre-K.
• Miles does awesome at school and even complained they didn't do enough work at first like they did at his old school. They started giving him homework!
• Hailey also does great at daycare; she loves it!
• Miles started soccer and is awesome. He loves to play and does a great job. They practice for an hour a week and then have a game on Saturdays. They don't really keep score, but I guess this last game (that I missed) was the only one that took them so far. Miles usually scores several times and all I hear is "he's so fast!"
• Miles also has made a good friend at soccer and had his first real playdate over the weekend
• Hailey was in a pageant this past weekend. Yes, a glitz pageant. However, I didn't glitz her out enough and she got shy on stage (except for her talent where she blew bubbles!), so she didn't place too well. She did a beauty portion, outfit of choice (where she was a cowgirl with pink boots), and talent. She ended up winning an honorable mention in talent and Princess in her age division. She got 2 trophies, a nice sash and a crown/tiara. However, I think she really did have fun because she kept telling me she wanted to dance. And when she didn't get to, she cried. And cried. And cried. All through crowning. Miles was there for part of the pageant and after we picked him up from his playdate, he told Hailey how he was so proud of her for doing so good. :) And, some ladies who work the acting scene in Birmingham talked to me quite a bit. They loved Hailey. They thought she was beautiful and had a sweet demeanor. I gave them my email address. :)
• Miles continues to be such a great big brother. He takes care of Hailey and is so nice to her, even when she's being 20 months to him. He gives her his toys or food if she wants it and tries to hug her all the time. If she doesn't share with him or give him a hug when he wants it, he gets sad and tells her that she's making him sad. It's too precious and also breaks my heart!
• Hailey is talking talking talking. I can't even count how many words she has. She will repeat most anything you say and I can understand most of what she says. She also sings a lot of songs like Twinkle Twinkle, ABC's, Wheels on the Bus, a prayer from school, a hand washing song, the Clean Up song, and she will count.
• Hailey is definitely left handed.
• Miles is going to be the red Power Ranger for Halloween, even though he's never even seen Power Rangers and Hailey is going to be a purple butterfly with a tutu style skirt.
• I went to California for work the middle of September. By myself. I ended up having a great time, but it was so strange to be away and on my own. We had a very grass roots-ish type conference that was inspiring for 2 days and then I spent Saturday wine tasting and seeing wineries with 2 co-workers and one of their boyfriends. It was wonderful. My mom came in to help that weekend because Ahmad was working. She had a great time being Nana! She took Miles to his soccer game and they played at the playground. Then Sunday we went to Chuckie Cheese (a fav of Miles all the sudden) and hung out. Monday I took off work and took mom to get mani's and pedi's for her bday, which was that weekend. We got quite the treatment! Now she will be back this weekend to help again because I have to work a festival in town all weekend. I'm so glad she's coming! It's so strange. Prior to moving here, we left the kids with someone (Amber and Jeff) exactly twice. Well, and with my parents once while we went out to eat. Now that we are here and Ahmad works the weekends, our schedules clash quite a bit! We've had to scramble and use sitters a lot. I'm always nervous about it and hopeful we can get something worked out. So far, it has been ok.
• I'm also heading to North Carolina to our office there next week for a short training. And then I might go to Indy to train a staff there in November. It's crazy! I hadn't flown in about 4 years and now all the sudden, I'm going everywhere!
• OK, I think I've hit the highlights, but I know I'm missing a lot. Hopefully I can fill in the blanks and start moving forward now. :)
  

Moving to ATL

Ok, by now, I'm sure you know the Keyes Klan has moved to Atlanta, Georgia. We moved the weekend of July 4th, so it's been almost 3 months now. 3 months seems so long and so short at the same time! The highlights of the move included:

• packing up a U-Haul with a 4 year old and a 1 year old running around
  
• realizing that the truck we rented was too small for all out things and trying to figure out what to do at the last minute. Eventually, we left some things at the house for Jamahl and Tiphanny to enjoy.
• Leaving Indy much much much later than we had planned and arriving at my parent's house about 11:30pm
• Not really even getting a chance to say goodbye to our house
• parking our U-Haul and trailer in front of mom's house while we laid daddy to rest
• stopping at a Mountain Inn on the way to Atlanta
• unhooking the tow dolly prior to unloading the car and being in it when it all rolled backwards and got stuck (thankfully actually) in a drainage ditch and then paying $150 to a tow truck to do something we could've but were too afraid to do ourselves
• having our credit cards all put on freeze on a holiday weekend because we were using them out of town
• having my in-laws fly in to help us out for the weekend
• trying to make Hailey feel better and understand the move through a five day 102 degree fever
• not being able to get our couch into our living room and after sitting on our back porch, giving it away on Craig's List
• finding bugs in our apartment and needing it sprayed. More than once.
• having Comcast come 3 times before getting our internet, phone and cable to work
• having ADT come twice to install our security system
• having a fuse blow to our brand new dryer
• then having a fuse blow to our brand new washer
• not doing laundry for over a week
• finally getting unpacked
• then packing everything up to fog the apartment
• unpacking
• again
• finally getting situated and moving forward in Atlanta
  

My Hero, My Dad

You might be aware, and you might not, that my daddy passed away on June 27, 2011. This is one of my favorite pics of him and the one we used for his memorial. Even as I type these first few sentences, my eyes fill with tears. This is the reason my blog came to a halt. But this is something I want to write about, I just needed to have a strong day. And maybe a few glasses of wine! Dad has always been sick, off and on. I have more than a few memories of visiting dad in the hospital when I was growing up, or mom telling me he was sick again. I used to get so upset. I remember one time that mom told me she wasn't going to tell me what was going on if I got so upset. How could I not? I don't blame her, but that was my daddy. And I didn't understand. It was always something, his back (I believe he had 13 surgeries), intestinal problems (he had several feet of his intestines removed), knee surgery, shoulder surgeries, collapsed lung, a heart issue...always something. But he was such a trooper and had more lives than anyone I know. God had a plan for him. He was such an inspiration to me and to those around him. He got down, but he always came back. And he always thought of others and his impact on them and how he could help them. He was truly God's pupil. Up until the last few months of his life, he was still asking how he could help out at church. I'm glad I got the chance in one of our last conversations to tell him what an inspiration he was to others and how much others admired and respected him. And how much I did as well. Several years ago, daddy was diagnosed with COPD, a lung disease. His health began to decline and we would celebrate if he went a year without going in the hospital. Then it went to seasonal visits, once in the spring and once in the fall, with pneumonia. He would fight it off and come home, but each visit lasted longer than the next. He would spend weeks in the hospital fighting to breathe and come home. This year, 2011, he had 7 admissions to the hospital. He was hardly home. After a several week stay ( I think maybe 6?), he did come home, and within 2 days, he fell. He had these twitches that would completely throw him off balance and he'd drop things or fall. Well, he fell. And then he lost consciousness. Mom was there and with him, trying to help him. She called 911, but thought she had lost him. Well, she didn't. He was admitted to the hospital and the cause was unknown. They found more pneumonia, which he had just been treated for and he was in for another stint. He stayed about another 6 weeks I think and then was released to a rehabilitation center to gain his strength back. Everyone had decided he wasn't safe at home for himself or for mom. So, he spent about 5 weeks in the rehab center, did very very well, and was released home. He was home for 5 days. On Sunday, he told mom that he wasn't feeling well and was contemplating a trip to ER. They decided to go late that night. Mom called the next morning and told me that there was nothing they could do. His CO2 levels were extremely high and the acid in in blood was too high. He wasn't moving enough air to resolve this issue. He was against ventilators and the doctors didn't think that would help or work anyway. Mom told me he had 1-3 days to live. We packed up and headed home, with our impending move to Atlanta only about 2 weeks away. I was able to talk with dad and he was able to see Ahmad and the kids when we got there. Michael was there too and Matt and his family arrived the next day, as they had been on vacation and had to get home and reorganized to get to NA. They made it too while dad was still alert. Dad asked me why I was there and I told him for him. He asked why Matt and everyone was coming in and I told him because he was sick. He asked if he was very sick this time. I said yes. He asked if this was it, and I told him probably. It was one of the hardest conversations I've ever had. My dad. Over the next 8 days, we watched dad decline. We watched as he became unresponsive to any of us. We waited. It was the hardest 8 days of my life. I had been preparing myself for the loss of my dad for some time because everytime he went into the hospital, I thought, this could be it. Well, I wasn't prepared for this. I think I always assumed I'd get a call and it'd be all over with. At one point, we decided ICU wasn't for dad any longer and we transferred him to hospice. We had actually looked into hospice 2 hospitalizations ago. Or palliative care. And dad decided he wanted to get better and come home. Which he did. But now, I was glad we had done that research and knew our options. He was transferred to a unit across the street. He was very well taken care of. I barely left his side. I stayed the night with him several nights and held his hand all night. He wasn't responsive. We made sure he was comfortable as far as we could tell. That was his one fear-that he would be in pain or know that he was dying. We tried to make sure that didn't happen. I'm pretty sure it didn't. It was the toughest time of my life. I had planned to return home to work and work on the move, when the nurse told me I should stay. So I stayed. It wasn't that day or the next. But I stayed. Finally on Sunday, with a move only days away, I decided to go back to Indianapolis, a 2 hour drive from dad. I worked Monday and dad passed Monday at 6pm. Everyone was there but me. I wish I was. But I know dad would've told me to go. It was such a tough decision. I worked Tuesday morning and then worked on finishing the packing for the move. We got our truck a day early, packed up (that's a story for another post) and headed home. We parked our U-Haul in front of mom and dads while we stayed for 3 days. The viewing was Thursday and I was so touched by everyone's condolences. It was so nice to see people I hadn't for years or to meet people I had only heard about. Dad's funeral was Friday at Our lady of Perpetual Help church and he was buried afterwards at Kraft Funeral Home and Cemetery. After visiting with family that afternoon, we left for Atlanta around 5pm.

I miss my dad. I always will. I think about him every day. I think about what he would say in certain situations or something would remind me of him or a saying of his. He was an amazing person. An amazing father. He was always there for me. He was silly. I sat on his lap and read the bible when I was little. He listened to my woes of childhood. He bailed me out when I got into trouble and told me that we would always handle things as a family. He let me know he was always there for me, no matter what. And that he loved me with all his heart, no matter what. That was the thing mom and dad always told me. And I believed them. And I still do. I know dad is proud of me. I know he loved me. I hope he knows I was proud of him too and that I loved him too. I can't find enough words to express what kind of man he was or all the accomplishments in his life. But, I do think those I mentioned are the most important. He loved his family and we knew it. As a parent now, I can say that is probably the most important thing. Gosh, I could go on and on. I think I have. I'm sure this is something I will come back to again and again. But for now I want everyone to know what a wonderful father and man my father was. He's missed and always will be. I love him with my whole heart, no matter what. I'm proud of the man he was and strive to live my life in a similar fashion. He's my hero.

I think I'm ready!

OK, I think I'm ready to get back at 'em. I'm sorry about the long peace and quiet. There has been so much going on lately! But I don't want to forget a second of it, so I want to get back on pace with my blog. So, bear with me as I travel back in time to get caught up on the important adventures we've seen in the last few months!

I know I know

OK ok ok. I know it's been about forever since I've posted. I'm working on it. Thank you to those who continue to check in on me. I have a lot to say about what has been going on for the past almost 3 months, but am having trouble finding the courage and words to express myself. So much as happened, I don't even know if I can get caught up! But I will try. This is the first step. I hope to be back in touch soon. Love you all!

And The Beat Goes On

Fun things happening around the Keyes' House lately:

• Hailey loves to pray at dinner. Once everyone is seated, she reaches out her hand to Ahmad and says "pay!"
• Instead of saying "peek-a-boo", Hailey says "Boop-a-boo!"
• Hailey is also saying "bye-bye", "moo", "hoo-hoo", "more mommy", "nose", "eye", "thank you" ("da-doo"), and can make the elephant noise and fish sound
• Hailey has begun saying "mommy!" when she cries at night :(
• I sing a "Hailey Hailey Hailey Girl" song with "clucking" in the middle and now Hailey will interject the noises at the right place when I sing!
• Hailey can point to her head, eye, and nose
• Miles has done so awesome with his soccer! He made several goals and always put in a great effort
• Miles has gotten very good at sharing with Hailey; he loves to make her smile!
• Miles told me that when making his Mother's Day card for me at school that he told his teacher the reason he loved me was because he had a big heart and that he loves Hailey too.
• Miles said when he grows up, he wants to get a job with games
• Miles is very proud of himself that he can kill bugs in the house now. Granted it takes like 5 minutes to assess the situation and actually accomplish it, but I'm thankful nonetheless
• Miles decided that it would be a good idea to put pictures of everyone on their door to their bedroom so that when that person was inside sleeping, everyone else wouldn't miss them. He took it upon himself to take his family photo, get the tape, and tape it to his door.
• I bathe the kids together and when I rinse Hailey's hair, sometimes she fusses. Miles takes it upon himself to move her hair back out of her eyes for her and tell her that it's ok.
• I overheard Miles telling Hailey that when she tells him 'no' and to 'go', it hurts his feelings. He's just trying to help her and he's her big brother and he loves her. He asked her if she would not do that anymore because it made him sad. She nodded yes.
• Hailey has begun telling me when she's going poopy and she likes to sit fully clothed on the toilet and then flush.
  
• I ran, yes, RAN, the entire 13.1 mile Mini Marathon!
  

• Oh, and we're moving to Atlanta! It's been a crazy crazy month-lots going on, but I was offered a promotion to be Branch Director in our Atlanta, Georgia office and we accepted! We will be moving the very end of June...