Are we smiling yet?

A couple weeks ago a friend from the ward told me that she had two coupons for a free 8x10 portrait. She was taking her little girl to get a picture done and invited me to do the same for Hailey. Pictures can be picked up after an hour and there is a play place at the mall so we planned to get the pictures taken, play for an hour and pick the pictures up. Sounds pretty good huh. Well, not so much. We got there and they couldn't see us until 12:40, over an hour and a half away. My friend asked, "But don't you take walk-ins?" I was a little baffled, but thought, "Well, it's just as much my fault for not suggesting making an appointment when it crossed my mind." I just a assumed and we all know what that does.

Since we were there and the girls where in dresses we decided to stay, play first, take pictures and pick them up on a later date. Well, Hailey had stayed up late the night before and after playing at the play place for a few minutes I could tell she was ready for a nap. Needless to say, two hours later, she wanted nothing to do with following the directions of some unknown person in an unknown place, being isolated from her mommy. She liked a little rocking chair and seemed to be okay with that for a second. The funny part was the photographer and the other mom trying to tell Hailey to stop rocking in the rocking chair . . . "Your kidding, right?"

TANGENT: Those directions came from a mom that doesn't need latches on her cupboards.

This same mom asked me, "How do you have anything low at your house?" after watching Hailey play with all of her coffee table decorations.

"I don't."

This same mom asked me, "You buckle Hailey into the cart?" when we went groccery shopping together.

This same mom, when getting her daughter's pictures taken says, "Put your hands here Teya, put your feet together Teya, smile Teya," and Teya complies. TANGENT COMPLETE.

So anyway, we thought we might entice Hailey with a sucker. "Here Hailey, pose for the camera and you can have a taste of the sucker. Now pose again and you can have another taste." Ha! It was like taking candy from a baby. . . have you ever tried taking candy from a baby? So we have some pictures with red eye brows, tear-filled eyes and a green sucker smile.

I was actually pleasently surprised with the results. Now that the experience is over I think the pictures are pretty funny! We picked the first one. It's a mild-mannered depiction of Hailey, but pretty cute.

We've been teaching Hailey to say her name when asked. It's pretty cute to hear her say, "Hay-yee Fuw-ness." She caught onto the concept apparently because she quickly started rambling everything off with a last name. "Mom Fuw-ness. Dad Fuw-ness. Bear Fuw-ness. Blankie Fuw-ness. Milk Fuw-ness."

She learned the "Happy Birthday" song in nursery and she loves to include everone in that as well. "Happy Burfday Dad, Hay-yee, stroller, blankie, carseat, baby, blocks. . ."

Sometimes she forgets what she started off doing.