Hailey- 5 months

So Hailey happened to turn 5 months old on Valentine's day. We didn't have a doctors appointment this month, so I don't have any stats, but as you can tell she is getting bigger. She won't fit in her bouncy chair soon. I had some fun in the morning trying to take pictures of both of us to send to Dan for his Valentine's gift. It's hard to get a little baby to look where you want them to (at the camera) but overall I think the picture turned out okay. Hailey has reached the point where EVERYTHING and I mean absolutely everything into her mouth. I do my best to keep the floors clean, but inevitably she will always find the one little crumb that the vacuum was unable to pick up. It's funny to watch her. She is such an absolute joy to be at home with. It's been a big change for me, but one I wouldn't change for the world. I love watching her grow and try to figure things out. She loves to smile, and talk. She loves people. 

Hailey- 4 Months

So yes, like many of my other posts lately I realize that this is very late (about 6 months to be exact), still I wanted to post it.

I can't believe how big my little bug is getting.

Here are the stats from her four month doctors appointment:

• Weight: 13 lbs 8 oz (50%)
• Height: 26 3/4 inches (above 95%)

She recently started rice cereal, the first couple times she was a little unsure about the whole experience, but now she is a champ. We are hoping the the rice will hold her over a little longer... she must be growing or something. She loves to play and be outside. We've been going on walks in the morning and she loves to see everything. She is still a fantastic sleeper, which makes life easier on me. She has recently become fascinated with her hands and feet, it's so cute to watch. I love her more and more each day.

Some old pictures...

But they are just too darn cute to not post...

 Enjoying the bumbo chair

Eating rice cereal for the first time... not so sure about it, 

she may have gotten more on her face than in her mouth.

Christmas in California

So this year for Christmas we headed out to my parents house in California. We were excited to be together as a family. Hailey finally got to meet all of her aunts and uncles on my side. (Although I think the only one she hadn't met yet was Julie.) 

Hanging out with her Uncle Rob

Even though she will not remember it we got her a stocking Christmas morning. She was still a little tired, but here she is. 

 

 The excitement was just too much to handle... passed out Christmas morning with her new toys.

While we were out in California one day we headed up to Los Angeles. We visited the Getty which is probably one of my favorite places in LA. The architecture is amazing. Also there is some wonderful artwork that is there, more than you can ever see in a day. And last but not least, it's free. Seriously doesn't get any better than that. If you are ever in LA you'll have to make it a point to stop by.

 

 

While in LA we also made it a point to stop by and see the Los Angeles Temple. They have recently redone the visitors center there and it's pretty amazing.

Ugly Sweater

If you ask for an Ugly Sweater that is what you will get. Dan had an 'ugly sweater' day at work. We didn't have one or have time to get one, but I have time to make one. Pretty good handy work if I do say so myself... and really very ugly.

Christmas Treats

So one of my favorite traditions is to make treats at Christmas time to deliver to friends and neighbors. This year I decided to make a couple of the old staples that I know I like, but also to try something new. I made a batch of English Toffee and I also made some Cinnamon Popcorn. These are probably two of my favorite treats and since I always taste test the treats before I give them away, why not make something I like. I also decided to try some Lime Meltaway cookies. They were delicious, but I'm a sucker for anything citrus.

Dan and I also made gingerbread house for our FHE (Family Home Evening) activity one night. It was fun to create them. Dan even a miniature replica of his truck.

And of course a special Christmas treat for you from Hailey.

So Content

Since Hailey is a little baldy I like to but headbands in her hair. I don't get as many people telling me that I have such a cute son that way. Although I'm often surprised at how many people still tell me I have a cute son when SHE is wearing pink and has a headband on. Anyways I realize that I have been greatly blessed with a very content baby. I was getting something ready in the one morning and came back to this...

From the picture you can see that she is just smiling and laughing about the fact that she can't see. She really is such a wonderful baby and has been an amazing blessing in our lives. 

I know that this is from a while ago, but I still think it's adorable. This is when she just started to make little happy noises. Now she just squeals.

Family Picture

So glad that when we meet up with my brother and sister-in-law around Thanksgiving time they were able to take some family pictures for us. Thanks guys!

PS Uncle Rob you did an excellent job at getting Hailey to smile.

Hailey- 2 Months

So first I just want to say that I realize that this post is REALLY late, but more than anything I just want a place to post this information so that I remember it.

Here are the stats from her two month doctors appointment:

• Weight: 11 lbs 1 oz (75%)
• Height: 24 1/2 inches (above 95%)

So she continues to be our little lean bean. She is an angel (she just isn't very happy about having her picture taken here). She is sleeping 7 to 8 hours during the nights. Loves to play with mom and dad. We are starting to see her little personality shine through. I love her more and more each day.

Phoenix Temple

So one night for Family Home Evening we decided to go check out the progress that has been made on the Phoenix Temple. It is due to open in about a year. This is Hailey's first visit to the temple. We really wanted her to know how important that we think the temple is, so I'm sure we will continue to return often.

Desert Botanical Gardens

As you have probably noticed we go to the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix quiet a bit. First of all we have season passes (thanks to my parents) and it's just a nice to place to see the desert habitat. When we were there this time there was a butterfly exhibit open. Hailey is always up for an adventure outside. 

 

 

Cutie

There is nothing peticularly special about this picture except that I think it's adorable. I love how her little fingers are woven together. She must be in a very peaceful dream. Love it!

  

Happy Halloween

Yes, I realize that this post is a little late, but better late than never.

I decided that we needed a Halloween 'wreath' for our door. This is another pinterest inspired craft. It was super easy to make. Maybe next year I'll find a spider to add to it.

This year I didn't start thinking about Halloween costumes until about the week before Halloween. To be honest I'm not much for dressing up anyways, but I married someone who lives for it. I turned one of Dan's old white shirts into a pirate shirt for him and he had the rest of his wonderful costume in his costume box. Hailey was a blue fairy. We had her cute blue skirt, so we just used some stiff interfacing for the wings. My costume was just kind of thrown together last minute. I decided that I would be Cinderella, but not the Cinderella in the blue ball dress the Cinderella before. I think that the costume turned out kind of fun. We all got to wear our costumes to our ward trunk-or-treat. We didn't go trick-or-treating cause Hailey is a little young for candy, but we still had a great time.

 

Camping

Dan and I both love to be outside in nature, so we decided to get Hailey out into nature early. She got to experience her first time camping at 5 weeks old and did a GREAT job. We went camping up at Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona. We were up there earlier this year and love it because it's so close. We headed up one afternoon and set up camp. Hailey just chilled in her car seat while mom and dad set up the tent.

After we got camp all set up we went for a little walk to do some exploring. We were camped right next to the creek. It was absolutely beautiful. One of the things that we really like about Oak Creek is that we don't have to go very far from home, but that it is wonderful and green, something we don't see a lot of in Phoenix.

We hadn't gotten very far on our walk before Hailey was out. She just feel alseep in her daddy's arms.

  

She is such a wonderful little girl. She was so content while we cooked dinner, roasted marshmallows and played some games around the fire. She is just so happy to hang out with mom and dad.

 

The best part was that she slept like a dream. I only had to wake up once during the night to feed her, which is her typical routine. She stayed nice a warm and slept in the tent with mom and dad like the little angel she is. The next morning was a little chilly, but she stayed bundled up in her car seat.

After breakfast and clearing up camp we headed into Sedona to do a little exploring. This time we headed up to some trails that were supposedly "handicap" accessible (stroller accessible), but I'm not sure what kind of wheelchairs/strollers would have been able to access the trails that we were directed to. Not wanting to miss a wonderful view or an opportunity to hike mom and dad improvised.

Yes take a closer look.

Since we didn't have a proper baby carrying backpack, Dan used his backpack. We unzipped it all the way, added a blanket for cushion and another blanket for sun protection. She slept the entire time we were out on the trail. Needless to say that we did get a few strange looks. But like a have said before she is a wonderful little girl. And let me tell you the views were definitely worth it.

So glad we were able to enjoy our first of many camping trips together as a family.