There's a thief among us...

and the suspect completely denies any culpability. I spent a good hour today tearing the house apart in search of the remote control for the TV. We've been pretty good about setting the remote on one of our end tables, but now that Hayley has gained a few inches, I'm beginning to realize that perhaps that isn't the best idea. See, we have one of those complex cable, audio, tv systems that without a remote, you're dead in the water so I knew that finding this remote before Daddy came home to relax for the evening was a matter of life and death. I searched everwhere, pulling the cushions off the couch and looking under furniture. No remote, but I did find a significant amount of Hayley's toys and books stuffed under the couch... who would've thought??

All the toys Hayley had managed to stuff under the couch



I pleaded with Hayley to show me where the remote was, but she just looked at me like I'd lost my mind and went back to playing with her new found toys. I began to think like my Hurricane, tracing the steps to all her favorite hiding spots in our house. I looked under the dining room table, in her hamper, in every single one of my kitchen cabinets and drawers. I checked the office, scoured her room and finally headed off to the master bedroom. I checked the bathtub, under the bed, our hamper, our closet, the shower, all of our bathroom drawers... suddenly it hit me! Daddy had caught Hayley sticking one of her toys in my trash can (located inside the bathroom cabinet under the sink) over the weekend. VOILA!! The remote! It's always the last place you look, isn't it? :-)

The scene of the crime



Hayley still wouldn't fess up to the crime. She claims she was drunk on milk all day long... pretty weak alibi to me!

The suspect... trying to talk her way out if it

Category 5

Hayley picked up a few new words over the weekend. She now says boat (in reference to the raft that she floats around the pool in while yelling at Mommy to "kick"), and bawk for book. I've noticed a deeper connection between Hayley and Chloe and apparently now they are having full fledged conversations. If you ask Hayley what Chloe says she will tell you "Arf!"

Hurricane had a wonderful time at friend Luke's second birthday party on Saturday. She loved the toys, other children, and Luke's dog Satchley! Below are some pictures of our party animal!

Trying to climb into the school bus


Hayley insisted on being in the middle of Ring Around the Rosy


Playing ball with Satchley


Building with the boys!


Refueling... Looks like a hurricane has already worn Daddy out!


Time to play again


Hayley REALLY liked Luke's new toys


Hayley saying "Arf!"

Tiny Bubbles

I managed to wrangle Hayley's hair into pigtails this weekend. It was tough getting those few strands of hair into two different rubberbands, but she sure did look cute!




Now the after pigtails style does leave something to be desired!



Hayley has started to try to copy Daddy and blow bubbles in the pool!

Where the Wild Things Are

Hayley almost got us kicked out of Barnes & Noble today. We stopped in to kill half an hour while we waited for another store to open in the same shopping center. I figured that looking at different books would be a great way to pre-occupy Hayley so we headed back to the children's section. When we arrived we were greeted by a little children's play area, complete with a train set and other children to play with. "This is not going to be good," I thought to myself as Brian set Hayley down. See Daddy hasn't seen Hayley "experience" a new, fun environment the way Mommy has. I do belive that after yesterday's experience Daddy fully understands why Hayley has been annointed with the nickname "Hurricane." There were two little boys playing with the train and a little girl who was quietly sitting on her Mommy's lap. We all made small talk and found each of the children were within 3 months of each other. Hayley began her usual project of hoarding every toy in sight, specifically the train cars. This did not make the little boys happy. She then adopted a stuffed owl that evoked a shriek if taken away. It only took a few minutes before the little girl became terrified of "Hurricane" and cried if Hayley went near her. After Hayley tired of the train set, she decided that running through the aisles yelling and carrying owl was the best way to spend her time. Suffice to say that Hayley was not happy once we caught her. Red faced, we exited Barnes & Noble leaving owl behind as fast as we could. I will say the one word that comes to mind when I think about my little Hayley now... determined.

Below is a video of Hayley running around the house the way she did Barnes & Noble. We have no plans to visit any libraries in the future and my apologies for those of you who end up on a plane with us someday.

You can count on Hayley's vote!

We think Hayley has been doing some sneaking around behind our backs. We're not quite sure if she has just been logging onto the Internet, or actually sneaking out of the house during naptime, but the other day we received a piece of mail revealing her secret activities. The letter was addressed to Hayley Roberts with a return address of "Tancredo for a Secure America." The salutation said "Dear Fellow Conservative." While we're pleased by Hayley's political activism (and relieved that the letter didn't say "Dear Fellow Liberal"... hey, we must be doing something right!), we can't quite figure out how Hayley's name has ended up on Tancredo's mailing list, particularly since Mommy nor Daddy received the same piece of mail! Looks like we may have a little Alex P. Keaton on our hands... she must get it from Daddy!

Another Thursday means another morning of PlayAway. This morning when we pulled in the parking lot Hayley started laughing and clapping her hands. She was apparently aware of where we were going and was so cute I just wanted to squeeze her!

Daddy just returned from a four day business trip and all his girls were excited to have him home. We sure do miss him when he's gone!

Daddy's Little Helper - Trying to show Daddy how to use the drill