Last Day

This past Friday was officially my last day at work. It was one of the hardest days I've had in a very very long time. I have never left a job that I didn't want to leave. I've always been ready to move on, until UTSA. But truthfully, I knew that when I married Zach that I would have to be willing to give up a few things along the way, and this is one of them.

I came to UTSA in October of 2005. Most people don't know, but when I moved to San Antonio it was on a whim. I had no job, one friend, a place to live, and enough cash to get me through three months of job searching. I was nearing two and a half months of unemployment when I got the call for an interview. I went and really liked the atmosphere of the office and just prayed that they would call me back and offer me the job. A few days and a second interview later, I got that call. I was two weeks away from having to go back and work retail, ugh.

I worked my way up in the same office over those almost five years. I loved the people I worked with (well, most of them) and the work that I did. How many people can say that about their jobs?? I was really lucky. I could have seen myself staying there for many many years. When Zach got the orders to Key West a few months ago, the end of August seemed forever away. And then it got closer and closer to having to say goodbye. I had been dreading last Friday for so long.

And then it got here. I can't even tell you the last time I cried that much. It felt like saying goodbye to family. We have shared so much in the last few years. They got to see me single, dating, engaged, married, pregnant, and a mom. I will miss them more than words can say.

I know that this is the end to a wonderful chapter of my life and I am now moving on to another chapter, one where I get to be home with my little girl. I am so sad to leave, but I am looking forward to getting to spend more time with Haley.

Houston, We Have A Climber

We have discovered that Haley likes to climb the stairs. Normally, we'll let her climb up the first stair or two and then it's back down to the bottom. Zach or I are always right there holding on to her, so no need to worry. Here are a few pics:

Almost had a little spill, but Daddy was right there to catch her.

Just about there!

We thought we could wait on baby gates until after we moved, but it appears we might have to go ahead and do it after all!

Swim Lessons

Haley had her last swim lesson for the summer this past weekend. She even received a certificate of completion (with her last name misspelled, arg). I was a little nervous at the beginning, wondering how she would do, but she really enjoyed being in the water! Although, I think she mainly prefers to splash around. I'm sure we will keep doing swim lessons because it is such a good thing for kids to learn at any age.

Here's a little peek into Haley's walking abilities

Bye Bye Bottle and more

It's official! Haley is off the bottle (the baby bottle that is) and we have made the transition to the sippy cup. We wanted to do it sooner rather than later so that she wasn't quite so attached to the bottle. It was a little bit of a struggle at first, but she got the hang of it pretty quickly. I think she actually enjoys the sippy cup much more than the bottle because it's easier for her to hold and she can do it all by herself. She's already becoming so independent!

Speaking of independent, Haley is loving walking around. She's not on her own just yet, she just needs to master standing up by herself. She is a fan of the upside down laundry basket, her walking toy, and furniture. She pretty much walks around everywhere until she gets too tired, or bored. It's only a matter of time before we're chasing her around the house!

A small update to a few days ago, Haley now has her eighth tooth. She cut seven and eight last week. All these teeth are coming in very handy for eating all sorts of yummy things. She is completely off baby food because she just wouldn't eat it anymore. We are having all sorts of fun experimenting with table food. She is not a picky eater at all and loves just about everything. She loves noodles (because they're squishy), fruits, and even vegetables! Now if we can just get Zach to eat those vegetables :)

Cute story time- Haley has started shaking her head no recently and it's puzzled me how she learned to do that because we don't shake our head no to her. After thinking about it a little more, it came to me! I've always given Haley little eskimo kisses and she was doing it back! I rub my nose on her little nose and she shakes her head back and forth to give the kisses back. Then she opens her mouth to bite my nose and giggles. It is truly one of the cutest things ever.

Family Time

This past weekend were were able to spend with family before we leave for Florida. The journey began on Friday when we went up to Buffalo Gap to see Grandmom Dot. We stopped along the way in Fredericksburg (which I love!) and did a little window shopping and had lunch. We evenutally made it to the Gap and had a great evening. Haley even got her first sink bath. Saturday morning we got up and headed out for Lubbock. After picking up Dad from the airport, we set off for the pool! Now, this is no oridnary pool. This is where we used to go swimming when we were kids. I can't begin to tell you how neat it was to have my little girl swim where I used to swim when I was a little girl. It was such a wonderful thing! And we got to share the experience with Grandmom, Aunt Susan, Jessica and her gorgeous kiddos, Hannah, and Dad.After a fun-filled afternoon in the pool, we went over to Aunt Susan's house and spent the evening on the back porch talking and laughing. It was a wonderful evening!

The next morning it was time to see the rest of the family for brunch at Uncle David's house. It was so great getting to see all my cousins! I am SO proud of all them and all the great things they are doing! Jessica is a fantastic teacher and mom. Dustin is going to Tech to be a Landscape Architect. Derek is almost ready to graduate and be an RN. Hannah is starting at Tech and will be in the Goin' Band from Raiderland. The twins, Dillard and Autumn, are so cute and almost 16! Wilder is just a bundle of engery. They are all so precious and I am happy to call them family.

All the cousins

The newest edition to the family- Mateo

Grandmom with her Kids

A kiss from Grandpa

It really was a great weekend! We had so much fun getting to see everyone and let them meet Haley. It is going to be sad to not have these kinds of gatherings after we move, but hopefully everyone will come visit!

Some of my favorites

So here are a few of my most favorite recent pictures of Miss Haley

First time with bubbles

First boo boo, you can kind of see it on her cheeck

Loves the laundry basket!

Just too cute!

Loves helping with laundry! I don't mind :)

As always, check out more from our Family Pictures link :)