We Got Our Camera Back!

For those who were wondering WHY it has been SO LONG since you have heard from the Grays....WE ARE BACK!! Our camera had a few broken parts and so we had to send it away and it took about 3 weeks for them to fix it and return it to us, but we are back up and running now!

Yesterday we went to play with Dooders and Eliza for the day. That always makes for good times and interesting pictures and fun videos. Now that Emily and Eliza are older, it is fun to watch them play and interact. They are very opposite, Emily is more timid and laid back and Eliza is more outgoing and full of energy, but when it comes to play time they love nothing more than to be together!

Dooders pulled down the mattress off of one of their bunk beds shortly after we arrived yesterday and Eliza and Emily enjoyed JUMPING ALL DAY LONG! And Haley even got used to rolling off of it too:) All three girls had a blast, they giggled, they ate, they played, they laughed and took SHORT naps~In short, it was another fun day at Mimmi and Dooders' house!

Then last night we got to go to my Dad and Step-Mom's for dinner. Usually when we go we either forget our camera, it's in the shop, or we wait until dark and can't get outside to get any pictures! But last night was different, the weather was Great....so we snuck out a few minutes before dinner to get a few photos, which turned out really well! It is always fun when we get to go different places and see different grandparents and cousins. I am so grateful that our girls lived so close to pretty much all of their cousins. (All of their cousins live within 2 hours from us!). I know this is a blessing that we sometimes take for granted, but it only takes a visit to a friend's house whose family is far far away...or a sick baby, or a doctor's appointment....to realize just how fortunate we are and how fortunate our girls are to be so close to their cousins!

Now for a few snapshots of the fun we had yesterday......

Reverting back to a year ago:)

Haley sipping on her Sippy Cup for the Very First Time!

You can see she's a fan!

All Comfy Cozy and Ready for Nap Time!

"Nap Time, What Nap Time? I'm ready to Play, Mommy!"

Now for some pictures from our photo-op at Pop and Bamie's last night......

Haley with her Aunt Jessie sportin' her "serious face"!

Chatting with Bamie!

Now she's ready for that Kodak Moment!

Haley with Pop! I wonder what she would say if she could talk?

Micah and Pop with the Girls!

Daddy and his little Honey "B"

Kisses for a sweet baby girl!

Family Photo....Haley's trying to straighten out my glasses!

Family Photo Op, Take Two!

Can it be that my Baby Girl is 6 Months Old??

As I sit here writing this post, it is so hard for me to believe that my little Haley Boo has turned 6 Months old! It's even harder to believe that we also have a 20 month old and even more astonishing that 2 1/2 years ago that we weren't sure that we would be having these adorable girls at all!! I am so grateful to be a mom, and since this post is for my little "Honey B" I want to share some of the things that she has learned over the past month and share a little glimpse with you of why we love her SO MUCH!!
Haley is such a quick learner. She adores her big sister and does all that she can to keep up with her, and that is no small feat! Haley just had her 6 month Well Visit today and here are her statistics:
Weight: 15 Pounds 10 oz. 50% Percentile
Height: 25.4 inches 45th Percentile
Head Circumference: 42.5 cm 50th Percentile
This month Haley has:
~ Begun to eat more baby food! She LOVES prunes! She LIKES peaches, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, applesauce, and pears! She DESPISES bananas! For her 6 month "birthday dinner" I was going to make her some baby food carrots with some organic carrots that we had gotten, but things got away from me and when I came back to check on my carrots they had BURNT UP! Everyone was okay, but the carrots were a goner!
~Haley also has her own sippy cup now and she is learning to manuever it. Right now she just gets water. She loves to chew on the end and she knows that she needs to turn it upwards in order to get the water out and into her mouth! (I will get pictures when we get our camera back) ~She is learning to sit up better and better! She can pretty much sit up all by herself now, although sometimes she takes a tumble, but don't we all take tumbles every now and again? ~She is REALLY starting to interact with Emily now! She is so amused by the things Emily does and you can see the glimmer of excitement in her eyes of how she longs to be like her! I hope you grow to be just like her, Haley, she is such a good example of what a big sister should be!
~Haley had the hardest time adjusting to our new house, it took her several weeks to settle into a schedule and a routine. She has just now started to be able to go to sleep easily at night and for naps in her crib! She loves to be held and adored!!
We are just so in love with our little girl! She is the happiest, most content baby! She loves to be loved by everyone! If you smile and talk to her you will be her friend for life! Haley, thanks so much for coming into our family~we love you more that we can even express!

Since our camera had to go to the shop to be repaired, our good friend ~ Anna Quillon~ came over again and took photos for her 6 month photo shoot! We had so much fun with these pictures! The girls were just as happy and inquisitive as ever!! Our first photo shoot at our new house and everyone survived it (Even Anna!!).

Here's our sweet 6 Month Old with her "What You Talkin' Bout Willis" Face!!

All laid back in her chair!

Checking out her cute tummy!

I love this adorable shot!

Side Profile

Protecting Her Bear! Man, I LOVE those toes!

"It's Okay Bear, I will take care of you!"

Great Friends!

Emily reading some scriptures on the porch!

Now she is taking a try at the ladder!

She made it to the Top! As you can see, she took her accomplishment VERY seriously!!

Now she is worn out and ready to head back inside!

"Bye Bye!"

Our First Family Photo By Our New Front Door!

Take Two! I am so lucky to have these 3 amazing people in my life!

Our House is Finished and We Have Moved In!

We officially closed on our new home on Monday August 23, 201o! We were supposed to close on Friday August 20th, but there were a few technical difficulties that held the closing off until Monday. However, the builder allowed us early occupancy, which was GREAT, that way we were still able to have our big Move on Saturday August 21st! My parents took the girls for the day, which was a HUGE help, and Micah and I rented a Budget truck and met some guys from Charlottesville 2nd ward at our old house and they helped us pack a few more items, essentials like the cribs and the computer, and load it all up into the truck! Then we were off to Belvedere to meet a few guys from the Charlottesville 1st ward (and one trusty friend from the 2nd Ward) who graciously helped us unload into our new house!
Then the real adventures began....unpacking the boxes!! We have unpacked most of our stuff I think we are down to SEVEN boxes now:) So it is a nice feeling each time one more box gets busted down and disposed of! And our house is feeling more and more like our home!!
We are all adjusting pretty well! Emily has been a champ ~ she enjoys her new play room and her new room! She is still sleeping like a champ:) Haley, on the other hand, is having a little bit of a harder time adjusting! For some reason she is having a harder time falling to sleep in our new house! Maybe it is because there are more windows and it's lighter and brighter....I have no idea! But I am really hoping we can work it out soon, because this mommy needs a little bit of a breather during the day....a little quiet time of my own:) But we are making it work!
Overall, life is good and we are adjusting to our new home and I am LOVING being "in town" now! We are so grateful for all of our family and our friends who have helped us and are still helping us along the way as we are making this new transition and turning this house into our home!!

May 5, 2010 ~ The First Photo Taken!!

My Handsome Micah driving the Budget truck to our new home!

The Move Is Complete, The Truck is Cleaned Out and Ready to be Returned!! And we are Ready for a Nap!

August 31, 201o ~ Our Home is Completed!!

I can't tell you how much we are enjoying our upper porch!! Love Love Love it!

Haley LOVES Prunes!

Haley is definitely our expressive daughter! She is full of spunk and individuality, even at just 5 1/2 months old! She definitely has a mind of her and she knows what she wants and will hold out as long as possible for it!
She cracks me up every day with her sweet smile and her cute little belly laugh. And I fall more and more in love with her when I look at her and I can see the adoration in her eyes for her big sister!
Haley started out slowly with baby food. She didn't like peas or bananas! And since her reaction was SO BAD we didn't feed her any more foods for a while after that. Recently we have started up again. We want I had no idea that they made baby food prunes, but thanks to a good friend of mine, I found out that Gerber makes them and Wal Mart sells them. And then I found out that Haley LOVES them! And since she was so cute and so expressive last night I had to snap a few shots!!

"Seriously, these prunes are no match for me!"

Close Up of Haley, Post Prune Enjoyment!