An older brother's protection

As I get older, I look back and am so thankful that I had and still have such a loving older brother. My brother, Ben, has always taken care of me and in a sense, has been my all time bodyguard. As long as I can remember, he's been my protector. When a little boy at daycare stole my pillow, Ben made sure he got it back for me and that little boy knew not to take my pillow again. Our parents divorced when I was a baby and Ben was four and when we would go to my Dad's for the summer, my Mom made it a point to tell Ben to take good care of me. When I'd get scared of the dark, he'd let me fall asleep in his room. When a boy broke my heart, he was always there with a consoling hug and let me know that it was that guys loss. He taught me how to love the game of soccer and taught me how to be tough on the field. He had to sit in the back seat with me and keep me calm after I broke my arm and my mom was driving to the hospital like crazy, as she should in that situation. I was a freshman in high school when Ben was a senior. He'd always let me tag along with him. Not many brothers would let their bratty little sister tag along, but mine did.

I've always told God that I wanted a little boy first and then a little girl so she'd have a brother to always protect and look after her just as my brother did for me. There is nothing like an older brother's love for a sister. God has heard my prayers ever since I was a little girl. My husband and I were blessed to have a little girl, Ellie Marie, on August 12th, 2014, exactly one year and four days after our Hayes was born and soon became our angel. As I now hold my daughter sleeping, I can't help but think about how she DOES have an older brother like I have. Hayes is in Heaven watching over his little sister and protecting her. I know he's going to help Jesus guide her steps, and she'll never be afraid because her older brother will always be there for her, just like Ben has been for me. 

I am so thankful and blessed that God gave me Ben and am even more thankful that God gave Ellie her older brother, Hayes; her very own personal bodyguard. It will be a sweet sight to witness as her love for Hayes grows with each passing day. 

The day we welcomed our baby girl to our family.

Our angel turns one

Today is our little man's one year birthday. I am writing this at the exact moment our Hayes entered this world. As I sit and collect my thoughts about everything that took place one year ago, I can only smile knowing that our son was born. We were blessed, even if it were for a short period of time, with the most amazing little boy a Mom and Dad could ask for. 

It seems like yesterday I was holding Hayes in my arms and kissing his precious little face. I remember my tears of joy falling on his face when I held him for the first time.

We've made it through a lot of firsts that I didn't know how we'd make it through. Cody's birthday only 21 days after we lost our son, first day back to our jobs, Thanksgiving, Christmas, my birthday, the beginning of 2014 and our anniversary. Those days were hard knowing our baby boy wasn't with us, but we made it through with the strength of Jesus and with the knowledge that our Hayes was celebrating those days with us, only in Heaven. 

Jesus is throwing Hayes such an extravagant party for a one year old in Heaven. His loved ones are surrounding him, and his Daddy and me will celebrate his birthday here on earth. 

Happy 1 Year Birthday Baby Hayes! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of you and we are standing Hayes Tough today, as we will every single day here on out. I love you Hayes Lee Hall!

Our new family motto

Anyone can walk into our house and find the tv on ESPN at any given time. We are just a sports family. Soccer and baseball are the favorites, but we watch anything competitive related to sports. We also enjoy the inspiring stories that occur each day in the world of sports. People, young and old, are always overcoming something in the sports world. Each story can tug at your heart strings and make you grateful for where you are at in life.

On Father's Day, Sportscenter had a segment that covered Jim Kelly's battle with cancer. Cody was especially locked in because he is a huge Buffalo Bills fan. He grew up watching Jim Kelly. He was one of his heroes.(I can still see a tear in his eye when you bring up any loss to the Cowboys in the Super Bowl.)

Well, in this broadcast, Jim Kelly's oldest daughter was being interviewed about her Father's fight and determination to beat this terrible disease. It was so touching to see her love for her father. At one point she began talking about what her Dad would tell her anytime she was struggling. He would tell her to be "Kelly Tough". When she heard this, she knew she could give it her best fight.

My wheels immediately start churning and I turned to Cody and asked if we could start using, "Hall strong". He one upped me and replied, "We should use Hayes tough". My heart melted. It was beautiful and it just fits. Hayes is the toughest little man that we know. He never stopped fighting. There was no fear in his beautiful little blue eyes. I imagine the word quit would have never been in his vocabulary. 

Hayes tough. What a beautiful family motto. Any time I might be struggling or having a bad day, I'll remind myself to be Hayes tough. We may have borrowed it from the Kelly family, but the sentiment holds the same truth. We all have to be tough and get back up if we get knocked down. I know this is what our little boy would want us to do. Be Hayes tough.

Our testimony

Cody and I were invited to come back to the church I went to in Mansfield, to share our story and testimony with the congregation. We jumped at the opportunity that God was putting in front of us. We've always said since the beginning that we will share Hayes' story when the moment arises. It doesn't have to be in a church setting every single time; it might be with a stranger that asks us if we have children or even a co-worker.

As we drove to Mansfield, our nervousness was beginning to peak it's little head out. We'd been practicing what we wanted to say for weeks, but I am not much of a public speaker and I didn't want to do a poor job with such an important story. The sermon started and a few songs into the music, the band began to play, Oceans. I knew right then and there that we were going to be just fine because Hayes was giving us that little piece of extra confidence that we needed. Like I've said before, he's always there when we need him the most.

We were given our cue to step up on the stage and we hit the ground running. There were moments that I had to gather myself because I couldn't help but start crying when I began to speak about how hard Hayes fought. Such a big fight in such a tiny little body. Even now, just thinking about how strong he is, brings tears to my eyes. We spoke for close to twenty minutes, and as we finished, a sense of peace came over me. I asked Cody afterwards if he felt the same feeling, and he said yes. He said it was extremely healing to share our testimony. God gives us a testimony for a reason. So we can share how great he truly is. I encourage anyone of you who may be reading this blog, who has gone through the loss of a child, or even any type of struggle, to share your story. You don't know how many people's hearts will be open to what you have to say and even begin their own journey of healing because of you.

Sharing our testimony with Community of Hope

 

Here is the link to watch and hear our testimony:

 

http://vimeo.com/97259202


My morning angel

Each morning I drive to school, I get a little reminder that Hayes is watching over me. As I turn down the main road for work, I always have to pull down the visor because the sun is shining right in my face. When I pull the visor down, there is a little light reflection that appears on it every single time the sun is shining through the clouds. The reflection, to me, appears to be an angel flying across my visor. I can see wings and everything! And what is this reflection from...it's shining off of the locket I never take off that has Hayes' picture in it. The wording on the front of the locket reads...MY ANGEL. What an amazing way to start my morning. Each time I see it, I say out loud, "I love you to Hayes. Thank you for watching over me sweet boy."

All in a name

Have you ever looked up the meaning or origin or your name or your children's name?

Before we knew we were having a boy, I wrote out a list of boy's names. (I didn't need to write a list for girl's names because Cody had already named her Ellie Marie.) I got online and searched for Irish names since Cody has an Irish heritage and ancestry. My list probably had about 25 names. That night, we went to a Baylor baseball game and I decided to read my list to Cody. He shook his head at so many and then I said the name, "Hayes". He sat up a little straighter in his chair and said, "I like that name." So my response was, "Did we just name our little boy?", and indeed we had. We played around with the name the rest of the night and I even remember calling my parents to tell them. We both had it in our minds that he was going to play baseball so I would tell Cody, "And up to bat....number 4...Hayes Hall". It just sounded so very absolutely perfect and to name him at a baseball game made it even sweeter to Cody.

Several days after we had gotten admitted to the hospital, Cody's cousin sent him a text that referred to Hayes name. I never thought about looking up the meaning of the name; we just really liked it. Hayes means "hedged area". We knew at that moment that Hayes was being protected because Jesus had placed a hedged area of protection around him. Hayes was being protected. When the doctors didn't give us a chance, Hayes fought for 6 more weeks. He was being protected. Even in Heaven, I know in my heart that our baby boy is being protected, and now, he is helping Jesus place a hedge of protection around his family. It's all perfectly in his name.

Hayes' March for Babies Walk

What an emotional day! It was amazing to meet so many family's and hear them share their stories about their angel babies and how they imagine them in Heaven with each day that passes. I pictured all these sweet babies gathered around Jesus pointing out their Mommy's and Daddy's on Saturday morning and telling Him how  proud they are for each of them. I was also proud of all the Mommy's and Daddy's pushing forward and honoring their babies. Yes, it's a difficult journey, but so many people proved that with the love of God in their heart, moments of joy can be brought about by such sadness.

Cody and I know how blessed we are by Hayes. We will share his story to anyone willing to listen.  We also know how blessed we are by our family and friends. Without their love and support, I'm not sure we would be where we are today. So much love has been poured over us from the first evening in the hopsital.

We set a goal to raise $1388 for Hayes' March for Babies team. WE REACHED THE GOAL! "Hall"ing it for Hayes raised $1435. I thank all of my family, friends and coworkers who donated to Hayes' team, and also joined us to walk on Saturday. It makes my heart smile to know that this money will help save other babies around the world. It may be a small amount in the big scheme of things, but even the smallest of amounts can make all the difference. I encourage you to get involved with your local March of Dimes campaign. I promise, you will be amazed at the joy you experience after you see how your support can change the life of a baby. I encourage you to volunteer at your local NICU. You will never be the same after holding the tiniest of babies in your hand. These babies can feel your love cover them.

Pictures from our walk

"Hall"ing it for Hayes team

Mama Cane, Matthew and Seth joining us for the walk

Butterfly wings to honor babies born to soon, full term, with disabilities and our angel babies.

The Hall crew

Baby Mack. Hayes' cousin born less than a month after him.

My husband and me

Baby Matthew. A NICU graduate!

Our team cake. Hayes would have loved this.

Pops and me

One simple sentence

One simple sentence or exchange of words can bring so much emotion to the surface. Our pastor, PK, has been preaching a sermon series that covers the spiritual tools that can equip you on handling grief. Even though I feel Cody and I are walking faithfully through our grief with hands held and faces towards Jesus, we still have sad moments. I think this happens for anyone dealing with a loss or sickness. Grief can be overwhelming. It can control your daily activities if you don't know how to handle or recover. So, Pastor Kevin's sermon really spoke to our hearts. He said one simple sentence that broke me down, but in a good way.

"He can never come back to you, but you will one day be able to go to him."

One powerful sentence. Even though I knew this already, just to hear someone say it out loud was moving. Tears began to stream down my face. What truth can be found in such a simple statement. Yes, it is true that there is nothing that Cody and I can do that will bring Hayes back to this Earth, but we can do everything in our power to be able to one day be reunited with him, kiss his precious little face, hold his hand, and sweep him up into our arms. WE must continue to live a faith filled life together. There will always be sad moments, but we need to call on Jesus in these moments so He can carry us out of the pit. He will wipe away our tears and remind us of our beautiful angel in Heaven that is watching and waiting on us. But I know in the meantime, Hayes is having a grand time and sending his love down to his Mommy and Daddy.

Sweetest of Dreams

Dreams are always so interesting to me. Why does our mind come up with such creative little movies while we are alseep? Was it something I watched. Something I said. Something I overheard. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there that have researched and come up with exuberant answers of why people have dreams, but I'm not looking into it. I'm sure it's quite a few scientific words that are way above my intellect.

However, I enjoy when I have sweet dreams. Lately, I've been having dreams of Hayes. Dreams where my mind has come up with what he would have looked  like as a teenager. Silly things he would have done as a child. His first steps. These dreams always have me waking up with a smile and at the same time I'm sad when they are over because these are moments that I won't get to experience with him. But, I'm glad I get to at least have these special moments with him in my dreams. Maybe it's God's way of giving me glimpses into our world with Hayes, even though he's not physically here with us.

My favorite dream of Hayes was a few nights ago. It was so vivid that I think Hayes was giving me a little insight into what he has been doing these last few months. In my dream, I was at my Granny and Grandpa Miller's old house. (They have both passed away in recent years.) My Granny came to get me from the kitchen and my Grandpa was motioning me to come and join them outside. At first I was hesitant but I soon learned that there was a party taking place. (We always went to their house for holidays and played outside because they had so much land.) There were people I recognized, but there were also people I didn't recognize. One man walked up to me and told me he was from the Rosario side of the family. The more I looked around, it looked like it was a party for a child. Then my Granny walked me over to a picnic table, and there was Hayes, sitting in a high chair smiling and laughing. The next thing I knew, he was out of the high chair and running to me and jumping into my arms. I can't describe how happy I was at that very moment...and then I woke up.

The smile that came across my face was probably the biggest smile I've ever had, other than when I got to see Hayes' sweet face for the very first time. These smiles were probably comparable. I struggled to go back to sleep with all these happy thoughts running through my head. I was so excited! My family members in Heaven are celebrating with Hayes every single day. It's always a party and he is just fine. He's always happy with our loved ones surrounding and taking care of him. Even family members that I may have never met before are watching over Hayes. They are always taking care of our little boy. And then when I do get to see Hayes again, he's going to know who I am right way and run and jump in my arms.

March 5th

March 5th will always be an important day for Cody and I. March 5, 2013 is the day we got the best phone call from a doctor telling us that our long struggle of infertility was over and we were finally pregnant. There was so much excitement, tears of joy, and a sense of relief that we were finally going to be parents after a nearly three year struggle. So many thoughts ran through my head that day. Is it a boy or girl? Will it be twins? What will our baby grow up to become? There was never a sense of worry or fear.

 

March 5th marks the day we found out we were going to have a baby. Little did we know that this day would also signify the day that we learned that I had a little soldier for Heaven growing inside me. Jesus knew how important this little baby would be. Even though we didn't know whether or not we were having a boy or girl, God knew we had Hayes growing and God also knew that he was going to be His soldier.

 

Our baby is a soldier in Heaven! This thought makes me smile. I picture our Hayes as the little soldier that was drawn by Precious Moments creator, Sam Butcher. The drawing is titled, Onward Christian Soldier. It's a little boy holding a shield and sword, his helmet is too big and covering one eye, (almost like my favorite picture of Hayes, except it's his NICU blanket covering one eye) there are a few bandages on his face, but he's smiling. I know our Hayes is a soldier in Heaven for us, fighting for us to continue to get stronger and smiling the entire time. He has the most precious smile. Even though I only saw it for a split second, his smile is forever engraved in my memory. March 5th. What a beautiful day. WE will forever be parents.

My Hayes tinted moments

There are moments in my day when I know Hayes is saying, "Mommy, smile because I'm right here." Some moments are subtle, but others are so big, that I have to tell people around me. I've decided to keep track of all those BIG HAYES tinted moments.

September 3: Cousin Mack: My amazing sister in law was pregnant at the same time as me. Amber I love you! Her husband and her were having their first child, Mack. There was a scare a few days before baby Mack made his entrance into this world and all I could do was pray and ask Hayes to watch over his cousin. Well, Mack made his big debut and everything went smoothly. When we made it to the hospital to meet our new nephew, we were stunned to see the name of the doctor on call for Mack. I can't wait to tell baby Mack that his cousin in Heaven has been watching over him ever since the day he was born.

October 5: King of Country concert: I asked Hayes to join us at the concert because I knew he would like the music. This is who was sitting near our seats. 

October 25: Driving to Color Me Rad packet pick-up: I thought I had gotten lost while driving out to pick up packets for a fun run we were doing to honor Hayes. I decided to pull the car over and type the address into my phone to give me step by step directions on how to get to the venue from where I was actually at. When I pushed "start" the lady began giving me directions. The very first thing she said was, "Turn right onto Hayes Ln." My mouth dropped open to look around for the street sign with his name on it. There was not a street sign or side road in sight. That was my little man telling me that I was going in the right direction. I know that I will never get lost again because I have Hayes in my heart leading me.

November 4: Baylor basket:

I talked to Hayes all day today. I just had to constantly remind him how proud I am to be his Mommy and that my love for him grows each day. I asked him this morning to give me another tinted moment. When I thought I might not get a "Big" moment today, my husband brought home a surprise. He was given a basket at work to honor Hayes' birth. They accidentally got his birthday wrong, but this is another moment that reminds me that my little man will always tell me that he's here. Thank you for my reminders sweet baby Hayes.

November 8: Strong name:

This week has been hard. Hayes' due date was supposed to be this Saturday, and instead of anxiously awaiting the arrival of our baby boy, we are mourning our loss. Today has been an especially difficult day. Hayes would have been three months old. Although I have a heavy heart, I have to remember that Jesus is throwing Hayes an out of this world celebration. Our family members that have gone before us get to rejoice with our sweet baby as he is turning three months old. Jesus is at his party! And what a day to have a Hayes moment! My sweet friend Crystal made us an amazing piece of art. It's make up is strong and can't be easily broken. Just like our baby. Just like our spirit and trust in God. Once again, Hayes is dropping little reminders that he is okay.

November 14: Hayes' song: I had a moment today. I was at the gym trying to complete a post-pregnancy workout, which is a chore now, and as I was doing step ups, I notice a lady nearby working out and she was pregnant. Something just hit me and sadness began to overwhelm me. I had to gather my things and rush out of the gym so nobody saw me crying. Once I got to my car, tears were welling up. I turned on my car with my head low. My radio stays on K-Love and when the car started, my radio began immediately playing the song we played for Hayes almost every night while I was in the hospital on bedrest. "Oceans" by Hillsong United. That is his song. We played it for Hayes while he was in my belly and as we were sitting alone with him at the funeral home while our family was waiting outside. Each time I hear it, it reminds me of my little boy. Hayes coming to my rescue again. Now my tears of sadness turned to tears of joy as I thought of my son. He always comes to my rescue.

January 8, 2014: Always to my rescue:

As I was driving home from a meeting with my March of Dimes rep, K-Love was on my radio. This station has been a lifeline so many times over the last five months. A nurse called in and was asking for prayer. She was explaining that a patient came into the hospital at 28 weeks pregnant and was going into labor. She ended up losing both of her twins. All these negative emotions started to rise up inside of me. My heart began to hurt for this woman that I have never met as I remembered all the feelings of sadness that I experienced on the day we lost Hayes. Just as tears were welling up in my eyes, the K-Love DJ's began to play a song. What song would I need at that very moment? Hayes' song. That's what I got. As his song started to play, all those negative emotions were flushed out of my mind and I was overwhelmed with peace. Hayes came to my rescue yet again. I know he hates to see me cry so he made this song play. My tears dried up and all I could do was smile thinking about my little boy. I pray the woman I have never met finds the same peace that I find on a regular basis. I pray her twins send her blessings each day, just like Hayes does for us. I love you Hayes.

January 9: Hayes says hi to Grandma:

Hayes is now branching out and giving others beautiful moments to let them know he's watching over them. My Mom sent me this picture of a sign in a front yard. I think he just wanted to say Hi Grandma. I love you!

 

February 21, 2014

I have coached a high school soccer team for the past 5 years, and this season I decided to have someone else take over. It was a tough decision because I love coaching, and my group of girls have always been such outstanding young ladies on and off the playing field. Several of my girls even came to visit me in the hospital during my bedrest with Hayes and they attented his viewing. Like I said, amazing young ladies who have hearts of gold! Well, this season, the girls created a new Game Day shirt and surprised us by honoring Hayes on the shirts. They had the letters HH placed inside a heart on the right sleeve. When I saw this, I immediately cried. Our little Hayes is being honored on a soccer field every Tuesday and Friday. Not many parents are lucky enough to say this. My hope is that when parents and students buy these shirts, they will know about our sweet angel in Heaven. There he goes again making an impact in people's lives. When the girls wear the shirts, I'm sure opposing players and parents ask what the HH means, and then there is another opportunity for everyone to know about an important little man who fought a good fight. Well, today, out of nowhere I had a craving for a Sonic Blast. Haven't had one since high school, so it truly was out of the blue. I should have known Hayes wanted me at Sonic at that time. I saw a man that I had never met before at the restaurant next to Sonic wearing a Robinson soccer shirt with the HH on the sleeve. Whether he knows it or not, he is honoring our baby just by wearing that shirt! I needed a Hayes tinted moment today, and I surely received one.

 



 

March 18, 2014: Sweet soccer girls

Cody and I were asked to attend the last district home game for my old Robinson Rocket girls team. It also doubled as their senior night but they had something up their sleeves. After the senior girls were announced, the announcer started talking about Hayes and tears began to stream down my face. The girls released balloons in honor of Hayes before their game. What a sweet sentiment! They gave me a blue and white rose, a balloon and a soccer ball with all their signatures on it. This soccer ball will go into Hayes' nursery. As Cody and I watched as the balloons floated out of sight, he leaned over to me and said, "Hayes likes watching the balloons." I know Hayes had a huge smile on his face as the balloons drifted towards him in Heaven. (PS...our girls also won 2-1. I bet there was a little nugget in Heaven cheering them on!)

 

April 16, 2014: Under construction

There is so much construction on the highway where we live. Cody and I like to joke that it may never get done. As I was driving to Temple for a dr's appt, I looked over at some of the construction taking place on the access road. And what do I see? There is a plastic barrier of some sort with a date spray painted on it. What date did I see? Of course it was my baby Hayes' birthday. I obviously had to pull over and take a picture.

 

April 17th, 2014: While praying

I always pray on my way to work while listening to K-Love. I thank Jesus for all our many blessings and also thank him for watching over Hayes. While praying this morning, I said out loud, "Hayes, I would love to hear your song this morning." My little man always comes through. Less than 15 seconds later, the song that was playing ended, and Oceans (Hayes' song) began to play. What a perfect start to my day knowing my sweet baby is asking Jesus to play a song for his Mommy to let me know he hears me.

 



My mission for Hayes

Ever since I got done with college, I have prayed about what God truly wants me to do with this life he has given me. What is my calling? What is my purpose?  Is it teaching? I feel like I'm good at teaching and I love my job, but I question if this is all God wants me to do. When we lost Hayes after spending our night in the NICU, I felt a strong push to become involved with March of Dimes. It wasn't an immediate push, but I can honestly say there was a nudge here and there.

March of Dimes has a mission to help babies and families that are in the NICU. They have developed medicines that have saved countless babies lives. This organization helps moms have full term pregnancies and researches the possible problems that could threaten the health of babies. I know much of this research was used when trying to save our son's life. Other than the doctors and nurses, March of Dimes developed medicines that gave our Hayes a fighting chance. I can't imagine the feeling of hopelessness that would have overcome us if we knew that there was nothing that could be done the moment he was born.

So, Hayes has helped me find my calling. I'm going all in with supporting the March of Dimes. My Hayes is going to help me save the lives of other babies that have to spend their first days or even months in the NICU. Of course, I won't be discovering medicines or redefining any research that has already been done, but I can raise money to help this organization. By helping March of Dimes, I can share Hayes' story with millions of other families and be a source of inspiration and hope in stressful times. This is the path God chose for me and who am I to try and deny this path?

I've set up a Family team to honor our sweet baby Hayes. We're going to be called, "Hall"ing it for Hayes. There are walks all across the country that support March of Dimes. If you or someone you know has lost a precious child, please encourage them to visit the March of Dimes website. Encourage them to create a Family Team to honor their child. By participating in a March for Babies walk, a family can connect with other parents who have experienced the same loss, or share in the joys of their child being saved with the help of NICU efforts.

If you feel that "push" to find out more about March of Dimes and get involved with saving future babies, please feel free to visit their website at www.marchofdimes.com, or if you would like to find a March for Babies walk, go to www.marchforbabies.org. If you live in the Central Texas area, I can help you set up a Family Team. All of our angel babies deserve to be recognized and honored at such an amazing event.

If you feel that "nudge" to donate to my sweet baby Hayes' team, you can at
http://marchforbabies.org/team/t2110311. Even if you don't feel that nudge, please share our Hayes' story with others. He deserves for everyone to know about the good fight he fought.

Every 8th brings new joys and blessings

The 8th of every month brings so many emotions to the surface. Hayes is 5 months old on this January day. Even though it is raining and cold outside where we are, I know Hayes is enjoying a beautiful sunny day surrounded by our loved ones. I always imagine Jesus raising him high in the air, like a proud father, and saying, "This is your day little man." Although I am sad that Hayes is not here with us on this January day, I smile knowing the glory he is experiencing at this very moment. 

God continues to amaze me. Cody and I have so many family members and friends that have given us a great deal to smile about. As I look back, I am starting to realize that God does put you in certain places in your life to create bonds with the people around you. He constantly uses friends and family around us to remind us of his glory. My Baylor soccer family set up a fundraising account to raise money so we could plant a tree and plaque in Hayes' honor between the soccer and baseball fields! What a blessing for us as Hayes' parents. I send many blessings to Lori Viggiano-Jones for coming up with this extraordinary idea and putting it into action. We will have a place to go and sit with Hayes and even enjoy a game or two at the same time. :) 

My dear friend Candace Robert sent the fundraising site to all our former soccer teammates. April Wilson and her teaching colleagues created lesson plans to help raise money for Hayes' tree. I am truly thankful for all the love and support that is overflowing for my family and our sweet baby Hayes.

Hayes is showing us all his love through the love of others. Thank you to everyone who has already donated to Hayes' tree. Tears of joy have streamed down my face many times over these last few days seeing the generosity of others. Please know that Hayes is smiling down on each and every one of you! Our angel is soaring to new heights because of you all!