Our Girls In a Basket!

I came to check on Emily yesterday after feeding Haley and when I got to the play room she was sitting inside one of the wicker baskets just cheesin' away! She was so cute I had to run and get my camera:) When I got back though, as usually happens, she was out of the basket, so I just Haley in for a quick photo and then she wanted to crawl back in....that usually works! So we had fun with a couple of pictures and Emily really enjoyed just playing in the basket. After I finished taking a few photos I bet she played in the basket with her toys for about 30 minutes! She was just too cute! I love being a mommy to these 2 precious princesses that Heavenly Father sent to our family!

Haley found the basket to be just her size, and VERY comfy!

Emily was excited to figure out that she could fit into the basket too!

Doing a little leg stretching!!

What a little cheeser we have!

She got so excited when I put Haley in her lap! She is such a great helper!! These two girls melt my heart!

Emily thinks Haley is so funny when she flails her arms and has difficulty when her fingers and mouth are trying to make contact!

Haley starts to cry and Emily is not quite sure what to do about it!

My Favorite Shot!

Our Cute Little Haley Elizabeth...

...has officially become a Thumb Sucker (just like her big sister!). It has been pretty cute to watch Haley discover her hand, then her fingers and lastly her thumb! She still is pretty new at it, and misses quite often and end up just sucking on the end of her hand until she realizes she is not really latched on to anything and then she starts to wail!

She is FOUR WEEKS OLD today! And she still loves to eat, cry and sleep (mostly during the day, but we are working on getting her little schedule turned around).

Haley also really enjoys being propped up on the boppy so that she can see what is going on around her! She has such a sweet personality! She loves to look around and she has started to smile when she sees something familiar....usually Mommy, Daddy or her Big Sister, whom she LOVES!!!

As I mentioned earlier, Haley LOVES to sleep. And one of her favorite places to snooze is in her car seat. She is such a funny girl! Her head is a bit smaller than Emily's was at this age, so most of Emily's hats are still too big. At least Haley is good at improvising! This is one of her preferred methods of sleeping...with her hat over her eyes! You would think that would get annoying to her after a while, but no....she takes after Mommy I guess, I can't go to sleep without an " eye pillow" either!

Easter As a Family of Four!

We had a very nice Easter weekend! It was full of fun, family and love! It was wonderful to be able to spend it with both of our sweet girls and to reflect on the wonderful blessings they are in our lives. And another one of my favorite things about Easter is that it gives me a little bit of extra time to stop and reflect on our Savior, Jesus Christ, and all that He did to make it possible for my family and I to be able to be together....not just in this life but for Eternity! I am grateful to have had time to reflect on the Resurrection of Christ. It makes me happy and brings me great hope for the future, not just for my future, but for the future of my family and all of those who surround me. And knowing that one day I too, will be resurrected and have a perfect body once again is a very comforting thought. And I am grateful to have been able to focus on that peace this year particularly as we are in the midst of life with a newborn and trying to sell our home while our new home is being built. It is a stressful time for us, but I am grateful for the tender mercies of the Lord that he showers down upon us when we least expect them. And I am grateful that amidst all that our Father in Heaven and Our Savior Jesus Christ have to keep up with that they are able to reach down and help out me and my family and keep their eyes on us and their arms wrapped around us!

Since we were a little preoccupied this year, we didn't snap too many Easter pictures, but we did get a few family shots, which was nice! However, I still can't figure out how to fix the picture at the top of the blog....but at least this time our WHOLE family is in the photo!

We decided to head to the front yard, before leaving for General Conference on Sunday, to take a few family photos! Especially since the girls looked so adorable in their matching dresses that Mommers got for them!

Micah and I both decided that Emily was DEFINITELY the most excited one about this picture!

In between sessions of Conference, we headed to Mema's for an Easter lunch and Emily got to spend some time with Mommers, Mema and some of her Great Aunts and Uncles!

We decided to take a few more photos before heading out!

As you can tell by the looks by the look on Haley's face and Emily sucking her thumb that picture time was definitely OVER for the day!

Good Times!

The girls and I had another successful day together yesterday! It was nice, now that our house is ready to be put on the market we were able to just spend the morning together playing and snacking and taking pictures! All of which we all three enjoy doing!

Haley is 3 weeks old today! I can't believe how quickly time flies! Emily and Haley are growing more and more in love with each other....well most of the time! Other times, Emily is not a huge fan of the fact that Haley just lays around! It's pretty funny sometimes when I ask her if she wants to hold Haley she gets all excited and then when I put Haley in front of her, she just pushes her over. I think she gets excited and thinks Haley is going to do something cool when I let go of her, but instead all she does is cry. But that is okay, in a few more months they will really enjoy playing together! But for now, we are just enjoying this beautiful spring weather and continuing to learn and grow together as a family of FOUR!

Haley enjoying some tummy time....or at least she was until she zonked out!

Ahh, look at those big bright eyes!! Since Haley was awake and pretty active and happy, we thought we would take a few pictures ~ as she is debuting her new hair bow that her Aunt Sarah made for her! I love her little toes too!

Together time on the couch! As you can tell picture time was almost over! Haley was about to cry and Emily was definitely NOT amused!

Emily loves taking care of her little sister!

Love this shot....kind of looks like Emily is checking to see if Haley has a stinky diaper!

And the answer is "YES!!"

Emily checking out Haley, trying to figure out how she can "make her all better".

I truly love watching these two get acquainted and learn more about each other. Their little spirits and hearts are so tender. We are so blessed to have these two little princesses in our lives! Another productive and successful day in the Gray Home!

FIRST Day Alone with My 2 Girls!

We have been very fortunate that since Haley has arrived, we have had a lot of help as we adjust to being a family of FOUR and also since we are preparing our house to be put on the market....which by the way it will be officially ON THE MARKET by THIS AFTERNOON! So, if you know anyone who is looking for a cute little house in Ruckersville, VA please send them our way! I will also put up the picture link too later today!

So, you know me and documenting life with pictures....so I had to capture a few precious moments of my first full day alone with my girls! I must say, they were both troopers. Haley slept a lot, but when she wasn't sleeping she was a great sport as Emily kissed and hugged her and patted her head almost constantly. Emily is such a great big sister already and she gets very concerned about Haley when she starts to cry! I love watching her nurturing instincts that are already in place! Haley was just happy to have attention whenever she needed it, she really didn't care what kind of attention she was getting...even if it was a million pats on her head from her big sister!

I truly love being a wife and a mother! It is what I have been dreaming of doing since I was a young girl and it is exciting to finally be living this dream. Even though it is tough at times, and sometimes I feel like running down the street screaming it is the tender moments that always snap me back into reality. And I am so grateful to a Heavenly Father who allows us to have these "tender mercies" in our lives at the exact moments that we NEED them the most!

Without further ado.....here is our first day together in pictures............................

Emily woke up Happy and Ready to Play!

I put Haley beside Emily on the changing table while I changed her diaper and this is how she responded. She was very concerned about making sure her little sister was comfortable.

Later on during the day, when Haley got a little fussy...I asked Emily if she could rock Haley for a minute and she was happy to help out!

A little later I turned around and this is what I found! What a funny little girl we have!

Haley enjoyed chillin' out on the couch for a few minutes!

What a cute little face. I love her Serious Looks! This one is especially endearing, as she has a serious but also a bit of a joyful expression! I love this little "sweet p"!

Another content and peaceful moment in our day!

Haley participating in one of her favorite pass times during her first few weeks of life! What a cute little sleeping "Honeybee"! We are so glad you came to our family!

On Thursday night, after a day of yard work, we decided to give Haley her first bath...plus she just lost her umbilical cord earlier that morning! Our baby bathtub is still under the house, and since neither of us wanted to go searching for it, we decided to heat up the bathroom since and put her in there! And She LOVED it!

Well she MOSTLY loved it, but her expression here cracks us up! So dramatic:)

Now she's regained her composure and contemplating what the bath business is all about!

Yay! Haley made it through her first bath at home and now she's all cozy in her PJs and ready for a good night sleep! Which by the way, she is a pretty good sleeper already. Most nights she can make it for FOUR HOUR stretches. Some nights she gets hungrier than others, but for the most part she likes to sleep.....We are so glad too! She definitely takes after her sister

so far! Emily LOVES her sleep!

Our Girls First Photo Shoot Together!

We were excited to have a visit from my oldest brother, Josh, and his family a few days after Haley was born! It was nice to see them and to introduce them to our newest little girl! My sister in law, Ellie, really enjoys photography and is really good at it too! So, while she was coming down anyway, she offered to take some "sister pictures" of Emily and Haley!

Haley was pretty cooperative for the photo shoot, as she just layed back on the pillows, but Emily was hit and miss with being photographed this particular day. Fortunately we were able to capture a few pictures of our two princesses together!

Emily is such a great big sister, however, lately she has been feeling a little under the weather, so it has made her a little more irritable and clingy. But no matter how bad she feels she is always wanting to know where Haley is and wanting us to bring her over so she can kiss or pat her head, foot, hand....whatever she can reach. And Haley, since she still is only 2 weeks old....is like a little sleeping rag doll and appreciates all the love and attention for now:) We hope it will continue!

Everything is going well for our family, although life is a little stressful right now as we are trying to prepare our house to be put on the market. Micah went back to work on Tuesday and luckily my mom has been able to take off some this week to help out with de-cluttering our house, making the outside pretty and helping to take care of the girls! She has definitely been a lifesaver!!

For now, here are some pictures from the photo shoot that was taken the Saturday after Haley was born....and our little Haley just turned 2 weeks old on Tuesday!! One day I will hopefully be able to post more recent pictures, but these are too cute to pass up!

In deep thought

Wondering how to sleep amidst a bed of roses!

"Well this is certainly not how to do it!"

"Ahh, much better. A soft pillow and a cuddly lamb. Now this is something I could get used to!"

We loved this picture and how is shows the growth difference between Emily and Haley. It's hard to believe now that Emily was even smaller than Haley was at this age! We love our girls!

Emily's favorite pass time! Kisses for Haley!

A perfect moment in time! I am thankful for my wonderful family and all that my Heavenly Father has blessed me with. Even though parenthood and family life can be really stressful at times, it's moments like this that make me stop and realize that everything is worth it! And I am so grateful for these reminders!

Our First Week With Haley Elizabeth!

Our sweet Haley has been with us for 8 Whole Days now! And Micah and I can hardly imagine our family without her! And Emily definitely agrees with that (even though she can't verbalize it yet). She has been a great BIG SISTER so far! She always wants to know where Haley is and what she is doing and is so eager to give her hugs and kisses! It melts Micah and I's hearts every time we see them together!

We are fortunate to have Micah off work with us until this coming Tuesday. He was able to save up enough vacation to take off for TWO WHOLE WEEKS! And it has been GREAT having him here as we all adjust to being a family of four! Plus it has enabled us to travel around town a little bit too, especially since I am not able to drive until this coming Tuesday, since having my c-section.

We have had several fun times together as a family since Haley has arrived and we just wanted to make sure that we recorded a few of them! We have been able to take a few walks, visit Belvedere (our future neighborhood), go grocery shopping, learn new skills that Emily has acquired (climbing up on our step ladder), capture some "classic" Haley moments, sleep in, enjoy many meals from several sisters from church. We have indeed been extremely blessed with friends and family to watch out for us and make sure that we are taken care of during our adjustment period!

Now for a few pictures that capture some of the highlights of our first week together as a Family of Four..................

Our Sneaky Little "Sweet P" getting a little higher up, so that she can enjoy a different view on the world!

A crazy shot of Haley, as you can tell she is NOT a fan of getting dressed quite yet:)


As most of you know who have had newborns....one of the things they LOVE to do is SLEEP! And our little "Honeybee" is no exception! That is what makes this picture so priceless! We get to admire her beautiful eyes!

We have taken several walks over the past week, but this was a picture of 3 of my favorite people all ready for our first walk together as a Family on Saturday March 13th! It was a little brisk out, but it was nice to get out and get some fresh air for everyone!

Here's how Haley spent her first walk in our neighborhood!

I love this picture of Micah and Emily! Emily REALLY loved sitting in the front of our double stroller! She is such a Big Girl now!

This was another funny moment! Micah had made some protein shakes for us one morning for breakfast and we decided to share some with Emily and as you can see she is no stranger to her cup! She enjoyed the shake so much that she didn't take the cup away from her mouth for about 5 minutes straight! She just slurped and slurped until the whole thing was GONE!

Time for another walk. This time we went to Belvedere, our future neighborhood! We have been so blessed with Great Spring weather this week! We love going on family walks! It was a little windy yesterday, so we had to double bundle Emily....that is why she is wearing Daddy's sweatshirt!

A full body shot of Emily in Daddy's sweatshirt! It was so big on her she didn't really know how to maneuver with it on! What a cutie!

Here we are, our first family photo in front of our lot, our future home!! We are getting very excited about all the possibilities!!

Emily is such a little ham! We heard her over in the corner and when we came to look this is what we saw!! I think she is ready for another walk!

Emily has also gotten really good at some "Yoga Moves" lately and this is one of her favorites!

When Haley was down for one of her many naps, Emily and I grabbed the monitor and went outside for a walk around the yard while Daddy was cutting the grass! She really enjoyed exploring in the back yard!

Haley, being only one week old, can sleep almost anywhere doing almost anything! Here she is resting peacefully on Daddy's hand!

What a precious little face! I love the moments when her eyes are open! Especially now that she is starting to focus more on the things around her!

Here's Emily doing her best to hold on to Haley! They are such great friends already! Just imagine the fun they will have when Haley is ready to play!

There's nothing like some love from your sister! Something our girls love to do quite a lot!

One of their first official moments where they were focusing on one another, almost like they were having a quiet conversation!

When Emily was little she LOVED to be swaddled. Haley however is quite different in the regard. We swaddled her up pretty tightly and when we checked on her a little later this is what we saw! She is a squirmer and she enjoys having her hands close to her face when she sleeps!

Since Haley turned ONE WEEK OLD yesterday we decided to dress her up and start her picture log! This is going to be the pink bear that we take Haley's picture with over the next year! We thought this dress was absolutely adorable too, and since it's a preemie one we thought we better put it on her while we still could:)

You can tell that Haley is not amused or affected at all really by her friend the bear! We shall see if that changes over the next year!!

We hope to be able to get some more pictures up in the near future, but for now this is our family and what we have been up to. Life is good, we are blessed. Heavenly Father definitely has his eye on us and for that we are so grateful. We are going to be quite busy over the next couple of weeks as we get our house ready to be put on the market, so posts might be few and far between, but we will do our best to update as we can. We love you all and thank you for all of your help and support and love that you each show to our family in your own unique ways!