Haley

I have been noticing a lot of changes in Haley's looks lately. Part of that is her teeth. She has an expander in her mouth right now that is widening her jaw and as a result she has a fairly large gap between her two front teeth. But it's more than just her teeth, her face is changing, maturing I guess you could say. Sometimes I find myself just staring at her because I can't believe that my baby girl is growing up, turning into a woman. Well, I didn't realize how much she has changed in the last year until I saw a picture hanging on the wall at my mom's. At first I thought it was a picture from a few years ago but when I took it down and checked the back it was just last year. I was amazed at the difference. Take a look.

This was last year - 8th grade fall picture.

This picture was taken last week on Christmas.

Can you believe that's the same girl!

She really is growing up too fast and I think the fact that she is my only daughter makes me want to keep her younger even longer. Knowing that she could be out of my house going to college somewhere in just 4 short years makes me really sad. I can't even imagine her not being here. Hopefully she will blow off that whole BYU idea and stay local.

On a different note, her braces will be going on in two weeks. Unfortunately, they are only putting the bottom ones on for now so she will have to live with that gap for a little while longer. Poor girl has suffered from non-stop teasing from her friends and family about it. Thankfully she's a good sport and plays right along with it. She is proud that she can stick a straw between them.