Category: Totally Tatum

The morning was filled with gratitude and a craft. Every year we try to do something artsy in the morning coupled with some type of gratitude. So I thought of a gratitude tree. We got to work and Coopy watched…

Here’s the outline of our tree…

Now we started to share after we colored.

Tot: Us…yes, but let me highlight..Noah, Pikachu, God’s creation…..art..love it!

We posted them in our bar area…never forget your gratitudes! We probably missed a bunch, but at least we focused on these.

Later, Tatum played for a bit while Daddy and I got to work in the kitchen. He worked on the turkey, gravy and stuffing, and I did the sides.

And Tatum helped me with the salad! Chopping and dicing. Perfect job, Taties!

We finally were set and ready for our guests, but first, Tot had the timer on for clean up!

Now…..we wait and anticipate!

Daddy …looks so handsome! WOO! A cook and a hot guy! What a combo.

And me…

Austin came first…what a cutie. We enjoyed chatting with him and hearing about the Black Friday potential buys. (I’ll be avoiding these at all costs unless I can do it from my seat at home..HA!) He is doing so well. I pray he can do the GCU electrician program! GO AUSTIN!

Tot and I played Cat and Mouth to pass the time. A basically brainless pinball game but fun!

We just took more fun pics until Rick, Lisa and Mama arrived. Meanwhile the turkey is almost done! WOOHOO! Daddy and Tot. XO

Love you lovebug!
Coopy is looking for a friend.

My Hay team!

I think I hear Rick! No, that is the turkey calling..”I’m COOKED!”

and the gravy! Oh, honey…delish!

Alright, Rick and Lisa showed and we were ready. Still waiting for Mama…OH YEAH! SHE IS HERE! XXOO!!

Thanks Lisa for taking my pic too..

The spread….salad, butternut squash, mashed potatoes, my cauli mash, green beans, stuffing, turkey and…..GRAVY!

What a grateful meal. We opened with a prayer, and Mama and Tot shared a hymn and another prayer. It was perfect… After the pie of course.

Tatum and I always end the evening with reading and Bible. Coopy was O.U.T! Too much excitement for him.

Hi TOT! He loves the wiggling and the loving.

Family blessings. Time together. Gratitude. We all just basked in this tonight. No frills…just simple joy. Thank you family for making it really special.

Up early as usual, I had the gifts all ready to delegate out through the day. They had been in “anticipation” mode for her up on the dresser.

I set up the island with a sign and gift for more anticipation…and put a goodie in the Art/Play/Quiet time room for her to see as well. I figured she’d go in there to read her Bible and see it. HEEHEE…sneaky, eh?

And she did find it because she was wearing it when I got home from the gym.

Ok, now it is time to launch the fun! Daddy…are you ready back there?

Tatum LOVES…did I mention that she LOOOOOOOVES Pikachu?
So, why not have a mini one around for always!? And of course he needs to be able to see!

She played for awhile until Daddy had the best surprise for her! She has been begging for this. PENCILS! HA! (no…not this, so you’ll just have to wait).

Until then, she helped me in the kitchen with my sourdough bread. I needed a good “knead,” and her Tot hands did the trick. Thank you! I paid her with a hot cocoa. (with marshmallows of course!)

Oh, and in the meantime, guess who texted her?

Yes, Noah..(well Kate, Noah’s mom). He wants to FaceTime with her later. CUTE!
Ok…I think we are ready for more fun for play…

SHE LOVES Legos…and now Lego Friends.

So she immediately got started building while SuperBook played. She loves these Bible History shows.

Connie got her some money, so we decided to head to Target later and purchase a few more “FRIENDS.”

NOW.. it’s time…the OUTING …the surprise from Daddy!

It’s….it’s…

Let’s look closer..

So we decided to head to SBC since they have a Cafe AND a B-ball court next door. Perfect!

Coopy didn’t want us to go.

She immediately started bouncing when we got there..

And we got all warmed up. Go Daddy!

And Tot…she throws with such passion!

We had so much fun!

We then headed to Target to get those FRIENDS!

We did this until………The best part (for me)….HOT FUDGE SUNDAES!

Hopefully your wishes are coming true, Lovebug!

Later, we went to the pool and brought some friends a few cookies. When we got home, we did the rest of the gifts with Daddy and waited for mom to come.

Let’s go!! WE LOVE YOU!!!

First….JAMMIES!

Now, she BEGGED…I mean BEGGED for a history textbook and a grammar textbook (5th grade) It is so.

Shurley grammar ( a girl after my heart!)

Well, if you are going to study, you need some smelly yummy essential oils. In a dog container of course.

Mama!
She always gives cute cards and clothes.

She’ll look adorbs in this! Thank you, Mama!
Later, Tot and I had our girl’s night since Daddy had his men’s group..we planned to celebrate dinner another night. We rented ELF and watched with dinner. Well, Coopy really watched. He is so funny.

And the delish cookies to top it all off. Make another wish, my dear!

What a fun day. When I came to say good morning the next day, guess what she was reading?

History. Yep. and the FRIENDS nearby.

Tatum Hay, these last ten years have been the best, most life-changing/enriching years of MY LIFE. I couldn’t be more grateful and blessed to be YOUR mommy. It’s an honor each and every day to be a part of your life. I get a front seat to see how God is going to use you in this world. He’s already using you in my life and so many others.

MAY HIS FACE SHINE UPON YOU AND BE GRACIOUS TO YOU.

XXOO FOREVER and EVER

Matthew 5:16: “Let your light shine so that they may see your good works and give glory to God the Father in heaven.”

I LOVE YOU!

Our family has been following a show for the past two years. It’s not just any show, but a retell of the Bible with actors and a few “poetic licenses” to add some dramatic effects.
Tatum has been moved by it, but more importantly, she’s resonated with the man who plays Jesus. He is extremely effective as HIM, and He truly adds to the show with awe and wonder. Just like The Ten Commandments and Charlton Heston playing Moses…we see a visual in our minds as we read the OT; hopefully Tatum has some visuals as she relates to the NT.

Well, this year, Season 3 is launched, and they decided to put the first two episodes in theaters. It did not disappoint!
Being about 3 hours long, I wondered if she could sit through it all, but low and behold, she was mesmerized.

The first part of the movie covered the Sermon on the Mount, the introduction to Judas, and the disciples becoming transformed into humbled men (and the women as well). Jesus LOVED ALL people, and He had no distinction in terms of how He treats ANYONE (no matter their sex/color/religion…). He only cared about their dedication in their hearts to being more like Him.

At one point, Matthew returned home to ask for forgiveness from his estranged parents. It was a beautiful scene of humility (on both parts) plus a reunion of new beginnings. His mom commented that Matthew always felt “different….odd,” but she then made him realize that Jesus picked him for a purpose! His “differentness” is now being used to BLESS others and truly make a difference in the world. At that point, I put my hand on Tot’s leg and said…THIS IS YOU, MY DEAR GIRL! I saw this in you when you were born (per her verse Matt 5:16..”Let your Light Shine!”). She always says she feels different/ odd but I always say “EMBRACE THIS and BE YOU!” It was beautiful.

The second part of the movie was about the disciples being assigned to go out and preach. They all stared at Jesus like HOW!? WHAT!? We are NOT equipped! Jesus assured them that they would have all that they need! AND that soon they would have FULL power FULL time (the Holy Spirit), but for now, He is giving them the POWER to heal the sick and perform miracles. They have FEAR and DOUBT (just like we do), but we have not to be anxious for anything (nor fearful) for HE is with us always.

We all walked out of there in silence. (Tatum didn’t want to leave for she wanted to see the next show!)

At dinner, we all shared how much we loved it, and how the Bible truly comes to life as we watch it.

Also, Tatum and I had a lovely talk after the movie that night; she feels so close to God, and she is so passionate about Jesus and filling daily with the Holy Spirit’s power. May we all continue to grow and Christ.
Thank you, Chosen, for inspiring our family.

This has been her mantra for the past couple of weeks.

She is begging for a History Textbook for her birthday; and it hasn’t just been a one time ask. It’s an over and over daily ask. So…we’ll see! This is the one she wants.

She has been reading as many books as she can get her hands on too…George Muller, Corrie Ten Boom, C.S. Lewis.

Reading C.S. Lewis, this has inspired her to write her own history story. Here is the beginning:

Back in Bible times ,by Tatum Hay , an inspiration from God and the , Adventure’s In Odyssey, Bible . I feel that God is nudging me to write this book. November 19 , 2022  is when I started this book, at 8:28 pm. This book is for Stephanie Hay ( my beautiful mommy) , Doug Hay ( my handsome daddy) , Cooper Hay ( my fluffy dog) , Cheri Scharf ( my gorgeous grandma ) , and Coti Scharf ( my fluffy dog who went to see God ) .        Table of contents,chapter 1 , Genesis,( a creation story of how the world really came to be) , chapter 2 , Exodus, ( a story of talking, slavery, and God ) , chapter 3 , Leviticus, ( offering’s, sacrifices, and God ) , chapter 4 , Numbers, ( a story about counting, camp , and God ) , chapter 5 , Deuteronomy , ( talking, spies, and wanders ) , chapter 6, Joshua , ( commands , orders, and spies ) , chapter 7, Judges,( fighting, Angels, judges) , 

Chapter 1 , Genesis. 

Caleb stood in pitch black darkness, an endless void. Then a loud, strong voice boomed, “ let their be light “! Caleb squinted as light suddenly came over him. Caleb stood in total brightness . God called the dark void night, and the brightness day . But God did not stop their , as you think Caleb had no way to breathe. So the next day he made water , and sky. Then Caleb drank a lot of it. Then God made land, so now Caleb could walk. So then he made plants. 

Then she added…..

History.        Table of contents.    

1 33 ADJesus dies and comes back to life

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

1.33 AD Jesus dies and comes back to life.

Peter stood at the bottom of Jesus’s cross. He could not bear to look up. All the preaching, and Him teaching Peter. Peter started crying, he could see Jesus look down at him. He knew that it was real. But it was really really hard. Peter stared as they stabbed Him with a big Speer. No! Jesus died! Peter started to move away from the crowed, he could not bear it. When he walked in his little hut his mom grabbed him and told him it would be okay.

An hour later they were moving to Egypt. It was all so real the wagon bumping across the rocks ,the walking sticks as they hiked along watching , sleeping on their heads in feet and rocks and sticks. Peter could not stand it ,he could not sleep or bear  knowing that Jesus was dead. Rocks and fields were always coming towards him ,and he was always constantly crying or talking to Jesus in his head. But it was no use. One sunny day peter found himself being kidnapped, a black man in a black coat was kidnapping him! He could not move because the man was holding him so fastly all the time. Peter had long days and long nights in a cabin that the Man had. He was…..

She stayed up all night apparently working on it. I found her on the couch in the morning working more.

It was Sunday morning, and she had to get ready for church, so she put on this shirt:

“THE BEST DAUGHTER EVER” which is so true:

It’s so fun to watch this girl. What will God do with all of her gifts?

Daddy loves to make the outside of our home look like a castle. Aahh…just look!

Look closer!

Exquisite and festive! Ready to decorate for Christmas.

This little guy made his way into our backyard…he’s NOT part of the decorations

In the meantime, Tatum and I wrote in our MOM and ME journal.

Here is the prompt:

She wants to be a teacher!

I shared a bit about my past….

We love sharing together.

Saturday blessings!

Our final day….alas.

Tatum and Daddy would build rockets. You heard me…ROCKETS! Yes, this would be a fun activity to do later on, but first, we must build, glue, build and glue. Daddy needed his cappuccino to make this all work.

Oh, and also, right along with this, Tatum earned a HIGH FIVE in Rocket Math! (her online Math tutor) So this was the theme of the day.

I think they are just about ready to launch!

In between all this fun, Tatum and I made GRATITUDE bags for her teachers.

She also worked on her story….

She is all ready to go back to school tomorrow. They’ll also celebrate her birthday in class. (She wanted to give back with these bags…love her heart)

This staycation was a great family bonding opportunity. Daddy, being home from work, had a chance to hopefully relax a bit and laugh. We all needed this time together. Next week? Her 10-year old bday and THANKSGIVING!

Would we do the bike ride? Or the hike? Again, the wimpy gals asked Daddy for another walk…to the coffee shop of course!

But first, Daddy and I headed to the gym. Tatum loves to send texts to Daddy.

She is so full of love..just like her DADDY!

Then, I got one….we had had a minor hiccup, and her conscience got to her. (This is one of her amazing qualities…she cannot go two minutes without making things right) I love this text because it made Daddy laugh…he had to read it to realize he WAS NOT Mommy!

heehhee

I responded…

Love this gal to PIECES!!!!!!!!!!

More to MAMA

More walking to Starbucks to get a bit of movement…

COOPY said: DON’T LEAVE!!

and when we got home, guess what I made!?
HEALTHY DONUTS! No, this is not an oxymoron; they can exist. These are “KETO” so sugar free and filled with GOOD fats!

It made them soooo happy!!!

Then the Tot got to work! (since she should be in school).

Math…..Shurley (grammar) and History. Guess what is her FAVORITE subject? HISTORY!
She asked for a History textbook for her birthday. OH…and a SHURLEY one too. SRSLY.

Later, guess what we did? We went on a bike ride to the park to play basketball with our soccer ball. Oh, and soccer with the soccer ball. Killin two birds with one ball. (not literally)

Finally…the park! (School was in session, so we found a bball court and field which was EMPTY!

Ok off to play soc-b-ball. The soccer ball barely bounces, so we ended up shooting more than dribbling. But, this way we could show off our skills. HA!

GO TOT and DADDY! Look at that arm, baby! SWOOSH!

Ok, time to kick. Much more fun on the field anyway. Daddy and Tot had a one on one. They wished the goals were closer together because they wore out after just a few kicks. But, hey…I was ready to retire by then.

All that running made me tired! (just watching wore me out.) OK, kiddos, let’s ride!

What a fun day. We ended with a nice dinner and gratitude. We are loving this time together. COOPY sure is!