So I'm Behind....WAY behind...

In this post Haley is 1 year and 2 months old:

Well, saying that I have been a slacker is an understatement these days. I apoligize to those of you who don't get to see Haley often for not doing a better job. Maybe this month will be a better one :)

We have had a crazy past couple of weeks. First, Haley finally started walking, A LOT. She walks just about everywhere and is into everything :) It's great :) Last Sunday (2/8) Ethan left for the State Fire Academy for a week. We had great plans, he rode down with the guys from the station, and Haley and I would pick him up when I got off work on Thursday and we'd head down to the coast to see our best friends, Stuart and Sarah, and their two girls, Pressley (2 1/2) and Paige (3 weeks old). WELL, Ethan left, and I started to get sick. It came on like a ton of bricks, and by the time he called to tell me he was there....I sounded like a frog! Of course, just my luck. Well, I was determined I wasn't getting sick, but it didn't work. I went to the doctor on Monday, then tried to go to work (even though the doctor advised against it) and was home by that afternoon. Rachel, my sweet sister in law, went and picked up Haley that night to keep her away from the crud....but it didn't work. She brought her back to me Tuesday morning, and we both were sick. Long story short, we ended up staying home Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday before going to get Ethan Thursday Evening. We finally started to feel better some time on Wednesday I think. Rest does a lot!

We got to the coast and had a WONDERFUL time! It was so great to see the Carothers family, AND Ethan's dad was in town from Tennessee, and Rachel and Jason came down, so we got to hang out with the family too! It really was an AWESOME trip, and everyone had a wonderful time!

Haley is growing and changing every day. Her favorite things these days include necklaces and her firetruck. Also, she is quite polite...she says "Thank You" when you hand her something, or she hands you something LOL. Of course, it doesn't sound quite like you and I would say it LOL. Fun stuff.

Well, enjoy the pictures below, and I'll try and get back on the blogging wagon :)

Love,
Susan

Sweet Baby Paige Barrett Carothers

Pressley and Haley in the tub

Pressley going down the slide :)

Pressley and her "sweet" face

Haley going down the slide

Laughing after sliding

Sweet girl :)

A firewoman and her beads

Playing on Chloe's bus :)

Fun before bed

In this post Haley is 1 year 1 month and 14 days old:

One of Haley's happiest times is right before bed. We get her out of the bath, get her dressed, and let her play a few minutes before bed. Thursday night we snapped a few pictures before we put her down, and you can see how excited she gets when she plays :)

She is really growing and changing every day. She is fully capable of walking, and does so often, but she knows she can get somewhere faster crawling, so she drops down to a crawl most times :) She's talking, though we're not always sure of what she is saying, though "dat" seems to be a favorite. She is a true joy, and we are so thankful to have her in our lives :)

Susan

Big Buck Fever

In this post Haley is 1 year 1 month and 14 days old:

Well, hunting season is over, and like all avid hunters, Ethan had "Big Buck Fever" from the day it opened. While he was successful in securing plenty of meat to last us until next year, he had yet to "catch" that Big Buck he was out for....until Friday!

Ethan shot this 8 point on the last day he was able to hunt this year. We are very proud of him, and can't wait for ole Bucky to grace our walls :)

Stomach Virus....

In this post Haley is 1 year, 1 month and 10 days old:

Well, as I write this post, I am in bed, recovering from my SECOND stomach virus in as many weeks. I guess I am just lucky like that. I started feeling bad yesterday after lunch, and it just went down hill from there. Thanks so very much to our wonderful family, my mom came over and took care of Haley last night, as Ethan was out securing food for us for the coming year :). This morning, Ethan had to be at the Fire Station early, so Aunt Rah stepped up and came and got Haley and took her to daycare for us. Tonight, Mom picked up Haley from daycare and took care of her until she went to bed. We are VERY thankful to both of them, and hope that this will be the last bout of stomach issues this house sees!

I was able to snap a few good pictures of Haley this weekend, and thought I would share. The first picture, she is sitting in her little chair, "talking" on my phone. Ethan says she learned to do that because that is ALL she sees me do, but I beg to differ :) The second picture was just cute (I thought) so I had to share :)

The last picture is of Haley in her snow suit on Sunday. It was cold, so I bundled her up to take her for a walk. She was toasty, I on the other hand was not. It was a short walk, but I thought she sure looked cute dressed like that. Too bad we don't have REAL snow for her to have to wear it in! Thanks to our good buddies Meg & Liza Bair for sending us that :)

Ok, guess that is all for now. Will be sure to disinfect the computer before I put it up. Hope everyone else is well :)

Susan

A little Nostalgia

In this post Haley is 1 year, 1 month, and 3 days old:

As I have shared, we lost my dear grandmother on New Years day. I remind you of this to give a little background for the pictures in this post. When I was a baby (nearly 30 LONG years ago) my Grandma Hollis hand sewed me a beautiful dress. My daddy took a picture of me in it, and it is by far one of my favorite pictures of myself. I know that sounds very vein, but the picture reminds me of her love for me.

When I was about to give birth to Haley, mom brought over a bag full of blankets and such that were mine when I was a baby. Now remember, no one knew what we were having, other than Ginger, the nurse at the Doctors office who did the ultrasound, and she was sworn to secrecy. Anyway, included in this bag of stuff was this dress. Mom had kept it all this time, and even though she was SURE that Haley was a boy, she figured it was time for me to hang on to it instead of her.

Little did I know how special it would be to me to put Haley in this dress, and try and recreate this picture.

So, enough of the background info....here are the pictures

Baby Susan (at about a year or so)

Baby Haley today

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

In this post Haley is 1 year 30 days old:

So, Haley L O V E S the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, it is the only show she'll stop what she is doing to watch. Her FAVORITE part is the end, the HOT DOG DANCE. Well, this morning I was in here doing some things and the TV was on the MMC. The song came on and she sprang into action. Enjoy! (Sorry the video is on it's side, I'll learn one of these days!)

Catching up....

In this post Haley is 1 year and 28 days old:

Well, I must say that January hasn't been a good month for posting. Here we are on the 15th day of the new year and I am just now sitting down to write a post. I apoligize, life has been busy, and I haven't taken the time I should to update you all.

We started the new year on a sad note. On New Years Day, my Grandmother Sarah Virginia Hollis passed away at the age of 85 years of age. She had been in poor health for some time, but her death was somewhat unexpected. Ethan, Haley and I were planning to leave for NC for Elijah's birthday on New Years eve, but due to Grandma taking a turn for the worst, we elected to leave a day early. We got to Greenville, SC on New Years Eve, and I was able to see her, and tell her how much we loved her. She passed away the next day. She will be very much missed, but there is no doubt that she is in Heaven, and celebrating meeting The Lord!

Our visit to the mountains was not as exciting as we'd hoped, but we did celebrate Elijah's birthday, and go to Ethan's parents cabin in TN. It has really come a long way, and we look forward to vacationing over there!

Haley has been really blossoming these past few weeks. She is "talking" non stop, but we are having to try and figure out what she is saying! She got her last round of shots until Kindergarten this past Friday, and I am not sure if it was harder on her or me! I'm just glad it's over!

Ethan and I are doing well, trying to stay warm in this cold weather we are having! Our dear friends Stuart and Sarah are expecting their second child next Friday, and we are really looking forward to a trip to the coast next month to meet little Miss Paige! We know Pressley is going to be a great big sister, and can't wait to see the whole family!

I'll make a slideshow of the pictures we have been taking, and post that soon! Until then, check out the video below and you can see exactly what Haley has been up to!

Love,

Susan