Hangin' With the Mayes Boys

July 3, 2012

Nicholas is 15 this year, and for the first time, he got to take a solo vacation to visit his male cousins in Washington.  It was a pretty big deal for him, since he usually spends summers surrounded by his sisters and his three girl cousins. He loves his sisters and Aunt Lisa and the girls of course, but I don't blame him for wanting to spend some time where there's a little more testosterone in the house.  Uncle Scott and Aunt Julie were great hosts, and Nicholas couldn't have had more fun on his visit.  Nicholas got to play lots of video games with Matthew and Micah, and got to know his baby cousin Nathan.  In addition to video games, the boys also played frisbee, picked cherries, went up to their cabin, had a bonfire, and road ATVs, among other things.  Scott and Julie also said that Nicholas was a polite and respectful house guest, which I was happy to hear--not that I thought he wouldn't be!  Long before it was time for the visit to end, Matthew, Micah, and Nicholas already had plans for a repeat visit next year.

My Handsome Nephews

August 31, 2011

My brother posted these pictures of my handsome nephews recently. Golden Gate Photography in Washington did a fantastic job capturing the boys--I love these photos!

Little Man Nathan

February 28, 2011

My sister-in-law Julie came to visit last weekend from Washington, so I finally got to meet my newest nephew, Nathan. They came to visit Julie's mom and grandmother for some birthday celebrations on their side of the family (including Julie's), so while she was in town we decided a pizza night was in order. What a sweet baby boy he is! He was happy as a clam, even though he was a tired little guy, and was quite content to let us all pass him around while he got to know a few of us from his daddy's side of the family.

Nathan with Grandma

Nicholas bonding with his newest boy cousin
Julie and me
Nathan was absolutely fascinated by Uncle Doug's beard!
Bree hanging out with Nathan
My sweet baby Nathan giving Auntie Donna some love
Mama and Nathan
Being social can be quite exhausting; after fighting it off valiantly for quite awhile, Nathan finally gave in to sleep.

We're Putting on a lot of Mileage This Week

February 21, 2011

This is going to be quite a busy week, but in a really good sort of way. That being said, this is something like what my driving map will look like:Brianna's got auditions for "Hairspray," on Wednesday, possibly with callbacks on Friday. Nicholas has track practice every day after school, plus his first track meet on Thursday. Danielle has softball practice every day after school except for Wednesday. She'll find out this week whether she'll be on A, B, or C team, so it's a big week for her. She also has an indoor soccer game on Friday evening and on Saturday afternoon.

This week is also my brother-in-law's birthday, so there's a pizza party gathering tomorrow night in his honor. My sister-in-law Julie is making a trip out from Washington with her new baby Nathan this week, so on Friday night we are having a reunion pizza party for all family and friends to gather together to visit with her. (And I finally get to meet my new nephew!)

In addition, this week we've got to work on Danielle's biography project and Nicholas' History Day project, both of which still need a lot of revision and supervision. Bree also has an orthodontist appointment, at which time hopefully they'll give us a definitive answer on when she will finally get those things off--we've got senior pictures to schedule. Finally, we've got to figure out how to find the time to make the house clean and sparkly before our annual Red Carpet Oscar Party this coming Sunday.

Busy, busy, busy, but I'm totally looking forward to the week!

Bouncing Baby Boy

August 4, 2010
This summer has been such a bountiful one for the extended Mayes family! First, my niece Tiffany made me a Great Aunt for the first time when she introduced Miss Graci Raelynn into the world. Then, my sister-of-the--heart Cheryl brought home the beautiful Miss Marlo Rae to join our extended family. And yesterday, my brother and sis-in-law made me an auntie once again when little Nathan Andrew made his debut at 7:25 p.m.

Nathan will have quite the story to tell about his birth when he's older. He was quite comfortable right where he was, and was in no hurry to be born. More than a week after he was due, the doctor decided he needed a little nudge. I'm sure Julie, who was probably starting to worry that she was going to be permanently pregnant, was ready to be induced. They went into the hospital yesterday morning, and the light at the end of the tunnel was finally in sight.

Towards the evening, I got a text from Julie. Naturally, I was expecting to hear that Nathan had been born. Nope. She sent me a text letting me know that while the doctor was administering the epidural, Scott suddenly passed out. Not one to do things halfway, he didn't just pass out, though--he hit his head on a cabinet on the way down and managed to give himself a severe concussion and cut open his head. A CAT scan and six staples in the head later, the doctors decided it would be best to send Scott home for the night with some friends so that he could recover. I talked to Scott just a bit later, and he said he had knocked himself out so completely that it took him about half an hour to be able to tell the doctor where he was and why he was in the hospital to begin with. A little scary, and I'm sure a bit disappointing to Scott that he wasn't there when Nathan finally made his appearance, but ultimately it was probably for the best that he went home to recuperate.

Today they posted pictures on Facebook so that we could all 'meet' our newest member of the family. Scott brought older brothers Matthew and Micah to the hospital--the whole family together. I'm still struggling with the fact that they are so far away and I don't get to hold Baby Nathan right away, and I don't honestly know when I'll get to. In the meantime, I'll have to content myself with lots of pictures until I get to visit.
Congratulations, Scott, Julie, Matthew, and Micah--you'll have to give Baby Nathan extra hugs and kisses for me until I can get there!