sarah in real life

I'm Moving...

2010-03-01T21:20:00.000-08:00

I'm moving my blog to WordPress...for obvious reasons! So you can now find me at:

www.sarahroundhill.com

Big Week

2010-02-28T14:16:00.000-08:00

It's been a crazy full week. We were busy every evening, and then yesterday I threw my friend Lauren Soini a baby shower. It was a fun week, but exhausting. I did a lot of entertaining, which I love, but it takes a lot out of me.

Haze had a big week too. She cut her 5th tooth on Thursday, finally started drinking milk from a sippy cup, and started walking Wednesday night! She's been taking steps since the beginning of the month, but when asked if she was walking I would reply, "only accidentally." Now it's definitely intentional and she take lots of steps (not just three falling ones). It must have worn her out, cause she got quite sick last night. She has a horrendous cough and perpetual snot running down her face. Her spirits are up, but I feel so bad for her. Sleeping is the hardest for her. She coughs more and is super congested. Hopefully she'll get better soon.

Also this week, I chopped off about 7 inches of hair. I'm not sure how i feel about. I don't hate it, I'm just in shock I think.

We're all home today, taking it easy and cuddling Hazel back to health. Sadly we were supposed to have the Leffel's over for dinner, but with Hazie being sick, we had to cancel. We've been watching the Olympic hockey game (USA vs Canada) this afternoon and perhaps we'll have takeout for dinner. Not the Sunday we had planned, but kinda nice to relax together.

Jordyn Turned 4

2010-02-22T22:16:00.000-08:00

On Sunday afternoon we celebrated Jordyn's 4th birthday. (Jordyn is my cousin Erin's little girl, and our goddaughter). Hazel got to wear her party dress she got from Aunt Susie on her birthday. I love that little girls wear party dresses for their birthdays...when does that stop? I miss it. Perhaps I'll wear a dress on my birthday this year.

I love this one: girls just sitting at the top of the stairs.

Hazel loves dogs and cats. This is her with my cousin Shea petting Kato the Cat.

Afterward we went to say goodbye to my grandpa. Here's Hazel with her great grandma Ingraham. Hazel is number 14 of 15 great grandkids.

We've really been enjoying these sunny days...It's not super warm, but it's so beautiful out. We've been going on as many walks in the afternoons that we can, before the rain comes back.

Glenn Ingraham

2010-02-21T22:39:00.000-08:00

My Grandpa Ingraham passed away this evening. He was a man who loved Jesus and told everyone he met about Him. Even last week while at the hospital, he asked a nurse, "Do you know Jesus?"

We were able to see him this evening at his hospice care facility, to say goodbye before he passed.

This is from Christmas Day. It's Grandma and Grandpa with 8 of their 15 great-grandchildren.

Please keep my dad, his 2 brothers, and my grandma in your prayers this week as they deal with the loss of their father and husband of 65 years, but also rejoice in the fact that Grandpa is now with Jesus and pain free.

Sunny Day

2010-02-18T23:09:00.000-08:00

Dan started his new job on Tuesday, and it's been a fantastic week! He loves the job, and we both love that it's work from home. He probably puts in more hours, but they're flexible hours, so it works really well for us. We get to have breakfast together, which upgraded from cold cereal to eggs, and we get to have little lunch dates (cause Hazel is napping). I was nervous that Hazel would pester him while he worked, but she's done really well at leaving him be...and I have too! I love having him here and I love the flexibility he has. He can break from work and watch Hazel while I make dinner, (which for some reason is the only time of day that Haze is clingy and wants to be held). Yesterday for lunch we ate and watched LOST. Today I got to go shopping while Hazel napped. And this afternoon, which was absolutely GORGEOUS, we went for a little walk in the sun. Seriously, 59 degrees and sunny in February? I'll take it!

This is from yesterday...Hazel and I were going through the ads. Her face just kills me. If you click to enlarge the picture, you can see that she was saying, "ooooooohhhh!" It was super cute.

Average Day

2010-02-17T18:51:00.000-08:00

This face brings me so much joy! Hazel is talking more, eating more, napping more, and doing quite well! Here's an average day in our house. Hazel and I wake up between 8:30am-9:00am, we both brush our teeth and head upstairs for breakfast (which now includes Dan since he started his new job yesterday)! We all have eggs: Haze gets 2 fried eggs and some fruit, and Dan and I have eggs over-easy or a fritatta or something. Then we play in the living room for a while (Hazel with her toys, me with the Internet). We head down for me to get ready for the day, then we usually leave the house on some sort of errand (on Monday's it's Gymboree class at 11:15am). We come home, I nurse Haze and then she goes down for her nap (somewhere between 12:15-1:00) and she naps for 2 hours. During her nap I have lunch (which now is with Dan)!!! I also do my bible study, return emails, clean up, etc. When she wakes up, she eats lunch and then we head out again (sometimes to Gymboree for open play gym. We come home and when Dan is done with work, he takes over Hazel watching and I make dinner for the three of us. The evenings vary (Mondays is movie night, Tuesdays is Bible Study with Church, Thursdays I have Bible Study with my cousin, and Dan volunteers at the church with the tech group. Wednesdays or Fridays we usually have someone over for dinner. When we're free for an evening we all play in the living room...Hazel gets super silly between 7pm-8pm before bed, so it usually involves a lot of laughing from all three of us. Then at 8pm I nurse Haze, put her to bed, and Dan and I usually catch up on our recorded TV shows or watch a Netflix movie. And that's our average day.

This is the face of pure joy:

Bosom Buddy

2010-02-15T22:07:00.000-08:00

My neighbor as a child, is my "Bosom Buddy" to quote Anne of Green Gables, (which we watched together as kids). She moved to Eastern Washington when we were going into 4th grade, but we have remained dear friends over the years. She was a bridesmaid in my wedding and even lived with us 2 years ago for a few months while she started her new job at Children's Hospital in Seattle. Her name? Carrie Pauls, aka: Carebear.

2008

2004

This weekend we went out to her parents house in Colfax, WA and all the "kids" came home for the weekend too. We had such a wonderful time. Janice, Carrie's mom, makes amazing country home cooking, so we literally ate ALL weekend long. We celebrated Jeff's 25th Birthday, played Pictionary-Down-The-Line, Hazel played with Addison, Deanna's 2 year daughter, we ate and laughed and ate some more.

Jeff

Addison and HazelDeannaDaddyMommy

Janice had brought out all of Deanna, Carrie, and Jeff's old toys; the toys I had also played with as a kid. It was so fun to see Hazel playing with them too. She LOVED the mini Pound Puppies, and the Little People.

Does anyone remember Pound Puppies? I had a stuffed animal, and there was a cartoon too. And my oh my, Little People have changed a lot over the years.

They've gone from this (image source):

To this (image source):

Addison got a Barbie Jeep for Christmas so the girls had fun with that in the Church Gym, while the boys played a killer variation of Dodge Ball...as in they almost killed Norm, Carrie's dad.

It was so fun to relax on the farm. Dan and I try to go every year, but we hadn't made it the last three years. I'm so thankful to have such a dear friend and family whom I share so many childhood memories with.

Wonderful Weekend, and Quite Productive

2010-02-07T22:10:00.000-08:00

Last night was delightful! We left Hazel in good hands...

We headed to Jak's all gussied up. We got there at 5pm only to find an hour and a half wait, but we passed the time by chatting, sipping a gin and tonic, and playing games together on the iPhone.

Then came dinner...I've said it a million times, and I'll say it again, I love this restaurant! It was so delicious, as always. I got the blue cheese salad, top sirloin with a side of Gorgonzola cheese sauce, potato pancakes, and an nice glass of red wine to wash it down. Dan has been wanting to try their burger for quite some time. It was rated 3rd best burger in Seattle Magazine. The bun made it stand out, and Dan says the beef was hands down the best he's had in a burger. Then we shared Creme Brulee for dessert!

We exchanged our Valentine's gifts when we got home...I got him Dark Chocolate Covered Strawberries, and he got me Amaretto Truffles! It was a Happy Valentine's Day for sure!

Today we continued our painting quest. The kitchen is now finished. It took forever, with all it's little nooks and crannies. We still have to do the bathroom, perhaps Wednesday night....

Then we went to Church, and headed home to watch our recorded Superbowl. Hazel gets super silly in the evenings before bed. Giggly, fearless, bouncy, and spastic...Tonight was no exception. I stood her up and let go to see if she'd "walk" towards me (which is really more of a lunge/falling motion. Instead she just stood there for like 5 seconds. It was SHOCKING since she's never stood up by herself before. Then as the evening progressed and she got more crazy, she actually took a few steps. What's more amazing is that we caught it on video! Anyways, I'm by no means saying that Hazel is walking now, but she did take her first step last night, stood alone for the first time tonight, and took some more steps this evening. Exciting times ahead!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

Today is Valentine's Day! Well, not to most people, but for Dan and I it is. Grandpa Dale and Nana are going to watch Hazel tonight while Dan and I go out for dinner. We're going to Jak's, our favorite restaurant.

We're celebrating today for a few reasons...
- We have a gift card that expires tomorrow
- Next weekend we'll be out of town visiting friends in Colfax, Wa
- We have a sitter!

Last night, we continued our painting project. We did the entry and dining room. All we have left is the bathroom and kitchen, which we can hopefully finish tomorrow. Here's some pictures of the process: Hazel's quarantine area, Dan painting, me cutting in, halfway through wine break, and finished project.

This is Hazel's new face...it comes with a monkey noise.

A family that wears converse together, stays together...that's how the saying goes right?

My Thoughts Are All Over The Place

2010-02-03T14:15:00.000-08:00

My thought have been all over the place. Mostly dreaming of Scotland, trying not to worry about our condo, and thinking about de-cluttering, organizing, and home repairs.

Hazel is helping Dan fix the dishwasher

Step one...dealing with our Condo. We're praying for God's wisdom and guidance in selling or renting it out. Ideally we'd like to sell it, but the market is crummy so we're prayerfully considering what to do. We're going through our stuff and selling/Goodwilling a lot of it. The idea of living more simply is so refreshing. I like that we're gonna downsize a bit. We've got boxes that we've moved at least 3 times, that have never been unpacked...verdict: whatever is inside is not really needed. Most places are rented furnished in Scotland, so we really don't have to bring much, plus electronics don't work there, and things like bed sizes are even different, so we don't need to bring bedding. All we really need is clothes, and then Hazel's toys and stroller.

I had a nasty head cold this weekend, but we still managed to get our office painted. We are painting most of our upstairs, and we're planning on doing it here and there as time and Hazel allows. On Saturday, one of us would watch Hazel who was quarantined in the living room, and the other would paint. We managed to finish it off during her nap. I'm proud to say, not a drop of paint got on Hazel!

In other news, January came and went...

- We managed to see TWO movies (note: in 2009 we only saw 2 movies all year). Avatar 3-D IMAX and Sherlock Holmes. Both were enjoyable.
- Dan and Hazel were sick a few weeks ago, and I had it this last weekend, but we're all feeling healthy now!
- We spent at least a week celebrating Hazel's first birthday.
- I'm really enjoying this season of Chuck!
- We celebrated Finn's 3rd birthday on Sunday!
- Hazel got her 4th tooth...I have no idea when. It was just there one day! I think two more are coming soon.
- We finally had movie night on Monday again. Groundhog Day...Fantastic! I love our movie night group.
- New job, new dreams

...and that's what I was up to over the last month.

Years of God Leading and Preparing a Way

2010-01-28T09:55:00.000-08:00

Fall of 2003 my brother Brian and Kellie left for Scotland to start a Church, Re:Hope. God was calling them, but it was so hard to let them go. God has been using them in such an amazing way over the years. In December of 2004 we went to visit them. We were there for the first gathering in their church building. We thought about joining their team, but at the time God wasn't calling us there.

In March 2007, I went there for my 25th Birthday. I got super cheap tickets and met up with Erin Hanson. My love for the Church and for Scotland continued to grow.

In April of 2008, Dan and I went again. We found out we were pregnant with Hazel the morning we flew out. We had such a wonderful time. Dan got to helped demolish the stage in the old Church building to expose the tile floor and stain glass windows. Our hearts grew for Scotland and for Re:Hope . When we came home, Dan tried applying for jobs over there. He heard back from one, but they were too small a company to hirer internationally: (paying for visas, and flying us out, etc.). We didn't feel called to try and raise support and head over as missionaries, mostly because half of the people we would have asked for financial support from, were already giving to Brian and Kellie, and if anything, we wanted them to give more to them, not give to us instead.

We went again in May of 2009, this time bringing Hazel. By the end of this trip, our hearts ached for Scotland and the Church there. Although we didn't get to see first hand all the times and ways God was moving through Re:Hope, we kept up with it and heard about it through Brian and Kellie. We've been praying for and with the Church for years now, and it's so amazing to see all that God has done there.

Last September, the company Automattic, creator of WordPress, contacted Dan about a WordPress Phone App he had made for Google phones. He looked into the company and found out they were a work from home business in which there were employees all over the world. We instantly got excited about the idea of Dan working from home, and the idea of home being Scotland...Dan applied for some open positions and time came and went. Then in December, they asked Dan if he'd be interested in some contract work for building a website. Well, he accepted, built the website, and a few weeks ago talked with them about a possible job. After a few phone calls, they offered him the job last Wednesday! He's given his resignation notice at T-Mobile and starts for Automattic February 16th.

God has made a way for us to go to Scotland, the company doesn't mind if we go, basically we can go anywhere that has Internet! So now the journey begins. We are planning on selling our place or possibly renting it out and heading to Scotland on a year visa. The earliest we'd leave at this point is August, we have some summer plans and we have to deal with our Condo before we can go. If God wants us there longer, we'll work on a longer visa. We don't see this as a permanent move, but more like a year or possibly two. We are so excite to live in Scotland. We are so excited to be with Brian and Kellie. We are so excited to work with Re:Hope and be involved in it's ministry.

This year will be big, full of trusting in God, and praying for his leading and guiding. We are so very excited for this opportunity and can't wait to see how God brings it all about.

*the last two pictures were taken from Brian's blog of the new church building

Updates

2010-01-22T12:46:00.000-08:00

Here are some updates on previous posts...

The weigh in for Hazel on Monday was OK. She only weighs 18lbs 3oz, but they didn't make me schedule a weight check again, so I was pleased. Hazel came down with two ear infections yesterday, so we've been dealing with that. She much better today, so that's encouraging.

I mentioned that I love Rosemary and Olive Oil Triscuits...well turns out Hazel loves them too. We snack together on them, she gets quite aggressive to get them!

About the hair cut...I'm still not sure what I'm going to do, but many of you commented on an in-between length, like shoulder length. Is this what you mean?

When going through the pictures, I found these and they made me smile...The first is of Grant who is now 4! And the second, is of Ethan and Emma, also almost 4 years ago.

Hazel

2010-01-15T16:15:00.000-08:00

It's been a good year...and I'm not referring to the last 365 days, but rather 2010. (Not that the last 365 days haven't been good, they've been quite good, just for this particular blog post, I'm referring to 2010...the last 15 days). Haz and I have started a new schedule. She's down to one nap in the early afternoon, and we've begun the weaning process, dropping one or two feeds in the afternoon/evening, substituting them for solids at Lunch and Dinner time! We both are enjoying the new routine.

These are some of Hazel's current LOVES:

Her Daddy - Probably my favorite thing everyday is Hazel's reaction to Dan coming home from work. As soon as she hears the key start to unlock the front door, she drops whatever she's doing, smiles ear to ear, and gets in the crawling position. Once Dan walks through the door and she sees his face, she bolts straight for him, grinning and giggling!

Books - She got tons of new books for Christmas, and she loves looking through them...and eating them sometimes too.

Gymboree - We try to make class on Mondays, and we usually go to open Gym once or twice a week as well.

The Window - She still enjoys gazing outside...She even got under the curtain the other day when it was pulled shut.

Baths - She always has loved them, but she got bath toys for Christmas from Auntie Erin, so now the bath time takes more like 20 minutes instead of 5.

To talk - She talks (babbles) non-stop now. It's super cute. She looks at you and talks away, as if you understand her every word.

Third and Bird - I don't really let Hazel watch TV...except for Third and Bird. It's a British Cartoon about Birds with English accents that say things like "Brilliant" and "Trousers". It's super cute and Hazel loves watching it. We had some youtube episodes, but for Christmas, Mollie Ashworth gave her a DVD! And Aunt Kellie gave her some books and a CD of some of the stories. She dances when the intro song comes on...and gravitates towards the books. And I have the CD in the car, which always keeps her awake on the way home in the mornings before her nap.

Must have been an intense part

Hazel's 1 year check up is on Monday...It was scheduled for earlier this week, but due to her new one nap routine, it conflicted with nap/lunch time, so I pushed it back. I also pushed it back to try and fatten her up more. She weighed 18lbs at her last check up 2 months ago...she weighted 18lbs a week ago...So with the push of LOTS of food, I've gotten her up to about 18.6lbs as of today, and hopefully a bit more over the weekend for her appointment. I don't want them to make me come in for another weight check a month later. To give it a little perspective, the Gap size chart for babies says 6-12mo clothes are for babies who weigh 17-22lbs...12-18mo clothes start at a weight of 22lbs. However Hazel is super tall, so she needs the 12-18mo clothes in length, just not width!

Anyways, that's what Hazel has been up to this year: eating, play time with dad, reading, eating, gymboree, window gazing, eating, baths, talking, eating, Third and Bird, and eating!

To Cut or Not to Cut...

2010-01-13T13:04:00.000-08:00

I like my hair short, and I like my hair long...I just hate the in-between, and how long it takes to go from short to long..

I've had my hair long for a few years now. I remember growing it out; it felt like it took forever! I'm debating whether or not to go short again for the summer. Any advice? What's your opinion?

Short
Long

One and Crazy

2010-01-07T20:27:00.000-08:00

Two people this week have told me "you have quite an active little one". And this "active little one" got her first shiner last night! (It's above her left eye)

It's not really bad, but it's definitely a bruise. She fell into the metal foot-board on our bed. It's slightly puffy, and purple, but didn't seem to phase her much today. I'm actually kinda surprised she never got that injured over the first year. The only other thing I can think of is the time Sadie's leash gave her a rope burn on her leg. I hope, now that she's one, she doesn't get hurt more...but with learning to walk, I can only see this occurring more than I'd like.

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl

2010-01-06T13:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Hazel's first Birthday! I sang her "happy birthday" all day long and she loved it. We had a fun day full of firsts: ice cream, milk, honey, strawberries, and being called a toddler according to babycenter.com!

We went to Gymboree in the afternoon to play and see Auntie Erin.

Then after dinner, we headed to Seattle to go to Molly Moon's for Ice Cream with friends. It was Hazel's first ice cream, and she loved it! She had Strawberry, I had Honey Lavender, and Dan had a Cinnamon ice cream milkshake.

We felt so blessed to celebrate with friends. The fact that they would want to drive to downtown Seattle, during traffic, and try to find parking, just to have ice cream with our Hazel Mae, warmed our hearts!

As I was looking up the popularity of Hazel's name yesterday, I found a new meaning for it that I LOVED! The definition most places give is from the English origin meaning, hazel tree, or nut bearing tree, etc. But I stumbled upon this one: "Alternatively, the name can also be derived from the Hebrew hazā'ēl (God sees)." LOVE IT! (found on this site)

We love you dearly Hazel, Happy Birthday sweet girl!

Party Girl!

2010-01-04T00:12:00.000-08:00

We had two family birthday parties for Hazel this weekend. She did quite well, and really seemed to enjoyed them, (even though she had a bit of a cold).

Hazel likes to sit on top of things. If her highchair tray in on the ground, she climbs on and sits there. She did the same with her gifts. It was pretty funny.

Dan and I got her this Rocking Hippo for her birthday. We actually got it like 9 months ago when Baby Style was going out of business. Hazel LOVES it! We didn't let her see it til Saturday at the first party. She was instantly drawn to it. The pictures captured her excitement quite well!

The theme was purple, after the purple hippo gift. (I couldn't find any purple hippo themed things). I made Coconut cupcakes and Chocolate ones. The coconut ones were hands down the best cupcakes I've ever made. Thank you Martha Stewart! Hazel seemed to enjoy them too!

Birthday Party Success!

Happy January!

2010-01-01T14:27:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years! It's been a great year...the year we became parents to sweet little Hazel Mae! Hazel turns ONE on Tuesday, which I still can't really wrap my head around. Here's a collage of her, one picture from each month over the past year. It went so fast, just like everyone said it would! (click on the picture to enlarge it)

Mario & Luigi

2009-12-29T14:44:00.000-08:00

Dan and I borrowed the New Super Mario Brothers for the Wii from my brother Pete. We played it for two days straight, til it was passed and we had to give it back. It has a two player mode, which at times can be tricky and more frustrating then just having one player playing. During those times, or for things I just wasn't good at, Dan (Mario), would pick me (Luigi) up, and play as if one player.

"Thanks for carrying me Mario for all the hard parts!" Then the joke began to build until it ended up like this: (click here for Dan's blog ). Oh Dan, you never cease to make me laugh!

Soooo Good

2009-12-28T14:20:00.000-08:00

December was so fantastic! I got to spend so much time with my family. I'm sad it's coming to an end. Pete and Sarah left to go back to Portland yesterday, and Brian and Kellie fly out for Scotland on Wednesday.

I learned some things as well this month. For starters, I realized I do much better at my house then other peoples homes. Hazel is just at that stage where she wants to crawl around and explore everything. My house is "Hazel Proofed" so it's not a big deal. I feel like I'm hovering over her at other homes and then I have to take the breakable ornaments, for example, away from her, which only makes her upset. She naps and feeds better at home too, which puts me at ease. Plus, I feel so blessed when my house if full of people, especially eating meals together. It fills me with so much joy.

I try to be a flexible mom, but it's hard. I noticed I was able to enjoy the meals and times at home so much more. I was relaxed and comfortable, even though I was feeding 8 adults and 8 kids. Entertaining is my gift, so it's a joy not a stress. Is that me not being flexible or is that just life with an almost 1 year old? Sarah, my sister-in-law, is such a flexible, relaxed, amazing mom. She just brought 4 kids, of which Eden was only a month old, up to Seattle with Pete, and travel from event to event without a blink. I have no idea how she does it. I admire her so much as a mother.

I do regret, if that's the right word, that I didn't get to enjoy Christmas Eve as much as I wish I would have. Hazel was tired from lack of nap, wouldn't nurse, and was cutting a tooth...All this to say, I was exhausted and missed out on enjoying the holiday with the Roundhill Family.

So much family, so much love, so much food. December was really was such a blessing. To celebrate Christ's birth all month with the ones I love...Doesn't get much better than that. The tree is down, the daily routine is back, and the dieting has begun. I'm looking forward to the New Year...which starts out by my baby turning 1!

Christmas

2009-12-27T21:34:00.001-08:00

Sadly, we didn't take any pictures Christmas Eve. Hazel was cutting a tooth, so we were tending to her most of the evening. We celebrated with Dan's family and had a wonderful time...I only wish Hazel would have been feeling better so I could have enjoyed it more. Here's some pictures Dan's mom took of each little family!

Christmas morning we served Brunch here with my brothers and their families. Menu: Egg Strata, Coffee Cake, Satsumas, Bacon, Hash Browns, Mimosas, and Coffee! It was delightful. After the meal the kids opened their presents. Then Stephanie and Emma played with their craft gifts, Hazel napped, and the rest of us played/watched Beatles Rock Band! I was a great morning.

I love this shot, cause I got everyone in it! (except Hazel was napping)

Then we all headed up to Lynnwood to see Grandma and Grandpa Ingraham for a bit and my Dad and Ann met us there.

Then we all head to Aunt Dona's for more food, more gifts, and more Family!

It was a Merry Christmas indeed!

Christmas Eve Morning

2009-12-24T14:29:00.000-08:00

Since we'll have a full house tomorrow morning, and a busy day going here and there, we decided to have our family (of 3) Christmas this morning. We had egg nog coffee and our traditional rice cereal for breakfast. Then Dan and I exchanged our gifts to one another and gave Hazel hers. She also opened her gift from Mollie Ashworth, her best friend that lives in Scotland! (Take note of the "Happy Christmas" paper). Julie, she LOVED the Third and bird video, she watched two episodes this morning! Thanks so much!

Pre-Shower Family Christmas (I love the puffy eyed morning look)

Post-Shower Evening Attire

The Last 5 Days

2009-12-23T22:28:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago we had the Leffels over for dinner and Wii, and Jeremy asked me, "What are you most excited about for the holidays?" I immediately replied, "Spending time with my brothers and their families."

It's probably my most favorite thing in all the world; to spend time with Brian, Kellie, Peter, Sarah and Dan, and all the kids: Ethan, Stephanie, Emma, Grant, Owen, Lexie, Hazel and Eden! But to add to all that Christmas traditions and Holiday fun, it's utter perfection!

It all started last Saturday at 3:30pm! Everyone, including my Dad and Ann, came over for dinner, then we headed to the Bellevue Botanical Gardens for their lights! It was misty wet out, but still quite fun.

Then on Sunday we all met up in Downtown Seattle, which we grew up doing every year as kids. My Aunt Dona and Uncle Kim were there too, as well as my cousin Erin and her daughter Jordyn. Pike Place, Hum Bow, Original Starbucks, Seattle Center...We tried to go to the Sheraton Hotel to see the Gingerbread Houses, but the line was too long. After that, we all headed to Romio's for Pizza!

Then Brian and Kellie came to stay with us Monday and Tuesday night. Monday was relaxing and fun. Kellie made cookies, the boys played Wii, and we all just hung out. That night, my Dad and Ann came to watch all the kids and Brian, Kellie, Dan and I went to Jak's for dinner and then Trophy Cupcake for dessert! It was so delicious and so much fun. (The pictures are on Brian's camera, so I'll have to upload them later).

On Tuesday, Erin Hanson came over in the morning and stayed through lunch. Pete and Sarah came over for lunch, and stayed until kid-bedtime. It was the perfect day...We had tuna melts for lunch, we all took a walk to the park, the kids played hours and hours of Wii, Bohnanza was played, Emma and Stephanie made snowflake decorations, we had Macaroni Rosa for dinner and Pete got Cheese Cake and Lemon Meringue Pie for dessert. Then after the kids went down and everyone went home (except Brian and Kellie) we sipped some wine and watched TV. Then Andrew and Stephanie Platter came over for a bit to reminisce and laugh. All in all, one of the most perfect days. I love family, and I love having my house full of people, I especially love feeding people, and I love long walks where you chat as you walk along. It was a perfect day!

Brian and Kellie left this morning and Dan and I went grocery shopping to restock the house for Christmas Morning Brunch, when they all come back over for food, gifts, and fun! I LOVE my family, I LOVE Christmas time, I LOVE eating meals together, and I LOVE Jesus Christ! GREAT GREAT WEEK! My heart feels so full.

Laughter is Contagious

2009-12-17T21:02:00.000-08:00

I just had the most wonderful evening with Hazel. I know she's not even one, but she brings me so much joy and delight...we both laughed so hard tonight. She would squeal with delight, which would make me giggle, which would make her laugh, which would make me laugh. I haven't laughed that hard in awhile. It was so refreshing!

Here's how the evening played out. We both ate a bowl of pasta with basil and olive oil, (mine also had tomatoes and Parmesan cheese). It's fun that we can eat the same things now; she's just getting so big. Then I was done and ate a piece of dark chocolate, and Hazel signed "more". So I fed her half of jar of PeachBananaOatmeal. Then she signed "more", so I fed her some sweet potatoes. I can't believe how much she packed in!

After dinner we played on the floor of the living room while Rick Steves told us of London in the back ground on the TV. Then I got out her walking toy and the laughter ensued! She's never walked so fast with it. She went from living room to dining room and back and forth for like a half hour. She was ecstatic! So happy, so proud, so giggly. We laughed and laughed, (the tickling helped). These next pictures were taken consecutively as she walked right past me. They're blurry cause she was moving so fast and I was just using my camera phone.

Then I put her in her new jammies...I love the stripes! They're a little bit long, but her old ones are too short. This picture is blurry too, cause this kid wouldn't stop wiggling tonight! She had so much crazy giggly squirmy energy!

Then I fed her and put her down at 8pm...she was out by 8:05! The two or us had such a great evening!

Hazel is truly a delight and gift from God! She's such a blessing to Dan and I and we thank God for her daily!

Annual Movie Night Christmas Party

2009-12-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

Last night we had our 3rd Annual Movie Night Christmas Party! We had a great time, good food, and a fun white elephant gift exchange. Here's the evening in picture form:

Camera Phone Photos

2009-12-13T13:44:00.000-08:00

Here are some random pictures I took with my phone of Hazel this month... My phone can really capture her huge cheeks, and big eyes.

December first, Starbucks date with Dad

Eating Cashew Chicken and Rice (minus the Cashews)

Car ride...so cold outside

Lunch time

Coming home from Portland, in desperate need of a bath. CRAZY HAIR

Family Time

2009-12-13T12:27:00.001-08:00

I knew this month I'd either blog a lot, or hardly at all. So many blog worthy things, so little time! Family Christmas has begun! Brian and Kellie are in town now, and we all headed down to Peter and Sarah's in Portland last week. My mom and her husband came us as well. We celebrate Christmas with mom, and 6 birthdays...meaning we ate A LOT! It was so fun to have all 8 nieces and nephews together. And we got to meet Eden, our newest niece.

Bundled up from the cold

We went to the Children's Museum with Pete and Sarah one afternoon. Hazel was actually big enough to play around this time. It was fun to watch her explore.

These three girls are all one year apart. Lexie turns 2 today, Hazel is 1 in about 3 weeks, and Eden was just born 4 weeks ago. It will be fun to watch them all grow up together.

This is what the "big" kids did in the evenings. They'd eat dinner crazy fast, and head upstairs to Pete and Sarah's room to play Super Mario Brother's Wii!

This is from Ethan's Birthday on the 7th at the Jensen's before we went down to Portland.

And this is the Whole Gang...2 Grandparents, 6 Parents, and 8 kiddos!

Gift From God

2009-11-30T13:08:00.000-08:00

We had Hazel's baby dedication last night at Church. The verse we chose for Hazel and will continue to pray over her is Colossians 1:9-10 "And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing the knowledge of God."

She is such a blessing to Dan and I. She'll be 11 months old on Saturday and we are so thankful that God allowed us to be her parents. I don't know if it was the dedication or the fact that she's almost a year, but I've been thinking a lot about this past year with her. She is such a delight and gift from God. We love and cherish her so much. Thank you God for entrusting us with such a precious gift.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2009-11-28T22:06:00.001-08:00

This is the weekend that keeps on giving! Thanksgiving day was delightful and delicious. Then on Friday we had Beau, Bridget and Finn, Erin and Marta over for Brunch. Eggs Benny, Mimosas, coffee, tea, fruit, muffins, and cinnamon rolls! Feast number two! Brunch is my favorite. The food is so good, and we always end up sitting at the table for hours talking! I LOVE IT! Sadly I have no pictures from this wonderful morning, but later that evening, we spontaneously decided to hop in the car and head to Seattle for the tree and Macy's star lighting. It took us 11 minutes to get to Seattle, and it took us 50 minutes to park. We drove up and down the Pacific Place garage three times. Hazel loved the Fireworks...it was so cute to watch her.

This brings us to today, which has been one of the most productive days ever!!! I can't believe all that we've gotten done. Dan got us coffee this morning, and I made eggs and english muffins for breakfast. Then we got ready for the day and headed to Home Depot for a Christmas tree. We had a gift card, that we thought only had some change left on it, but to our surprise it paid for our tree and we still have some on it for later! We also hit up the Trader Joe's for much needed groceries! (Hazel's finally big enough to ride in the grocery cart, and she LOVES it)!

Then we came home for Hazel's nap, and decorated the house with Christmas delight!

After that we headed to Target to buy Christmas and Birthday presents for our nieces and nephews. We ended up finding Christmas gifts for 10 out of 13 nieces and nephews and Birthday presents for all 5. Our house if full of TOYS!!!

Then we came back home, had dinner of stuffed peppers, cleaned the house and baked a cake for Hazel's baby dedication tomorrow. While I was doing the dishes, Hazel decided to climb right on into the dishwasher. I took some quick pictures with my phone, before taking her out.

All in all we've had a great extended weekend, and still have one more day left! Life is good...God is good!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T21:52:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Dan's family. I didn't take any pictures of the amazing food, but we all went a little photo crazy for the girls...Mom bought all three of her granddaughters Sparkly Christmas Dresses. Elianna's was red, Grace's was hot pink, and Hazel's was light pink. The girls were soooooooooooo cute.

We had a wonderful relaxing time. My Thanksgiving Day Miracle was that Hazel ate three times at mom's!!! She has a really hard time eating for me when we're not home. She's actually been eating quite well recently, which is such a blessing!

Playing with Aunt Susie

Reading with daddyPeek-a-boo with Jayden

Going Organic

2009-11-24T15:40:00.000-08:00

Last night Dan and I watched the documentary Food, Inc., "An unflattering look inside America's corporate controlled food industry." (quote from IMDB) I thought it was fascinating.

Since Hazel has started eating solids, I've been giving her primarily organic food. I just felt like the food industry had changed so much over the last 25 years, and so have kids, weight, illness, etc. I don't have the stats that the two go together, but I just wanted to feed Hazel foods without all the added sugar, and junk. It's really hard to find food without High Fructose corn syrup for example.

Learning about the South Beach Diet 5 years ago, changed the way I looked at food. Watching this movie also changed the way I looked at food. The animal cruelty is wrong, but my main concern is for healthy natural foods. I wanted it for Hazel...but after watching the movie, I'm going to start cooking with more organic foods for Dan and I as well. The only draw back is the price. It costs more to go organic, but it's important enough to Dan and I, so we'll start to make the change.

One random thing I learned from the movie: I have no idea when most vegetables and some fruits are in season. The movie talked about buying produce only when it's in season. And I realized most of the time, I have no no idea when that is!

If you like documentaries, I'd recommend this one.

One disclaimer: I didn't watch the scene where they butchered the pigs, and Dan said he's glad I didn't watch it.

Favorite #12: Triscuit: Rosemary & Olive Oil

2009-11-23T13:06:00.000-08:00

I enjoy Triscuits...but I LOVE the Rosemary and Olive Oil flavored ones. I could seriously eat a whole box in one setting if I'm not careful. They are absolutely delicious. Plus, they're kinda healthy! Whole grain wheat, no sugar, South Beach friendly!

Question of the Day?

2009-11-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

Does anyone have pillows that they love? I'm willing to spend $ on good ones, but I never know if they're good or not so I get the cheap ones. I don't want to spend a lot of money on a dud! I'm ready for some great pillows! I haven't been sleeping well, and I think my pillow is to blame. Kellie, did you get your guest bedroom pillows in Scotland or here? They are down, and delicious!

image from: www.sevana.com/concepts/pillow/index.html

What's On My Mind

2009-11-18T10:07:00.000-08:00

November has been a bit strange. (Warning: my thoughts are all over the place this morning, so this may be a bit scatterbrained).

For starters, dealing with Sadie was awful. It was hard to see her suddenly invalid and draining to care for her. Then it was hard to let her go. The day after we put her down was brutal. I kept saying, "she's just a dog, why does this hurt so much." I prayed that God would take away the pain, and he did. I've been much better since. It's strange not having her, but it doesn't hurt anymore.

Then little Eden, who was born last Thursday, has been back in the hospital the past few days with what my brother called, Jaundice gone bad. (Everyday a human breaks down and disregards red blood cells. When that happens it creates a biproduct wast called Bilirubin. Basically you and I have a "1" count of Bilirubin. Newborns break down more blood so a typical count for them is 10. If your Bilirubin count goes to 30 it can cause serious brain and nerve damage). Edens count was 23. The saddest part to me was that she had to be in this light therapy chamber thing, and they couldn't hold her. I can't imagine not being able to hold your new baby. BUT...she's doing much better now. As of last night her count was down to 14 and Sarah was able to take her out and nurse her and hold her for a bit. Hopefully they'll be able to take her home in a few days.

Thanksgiving is about a week away. How did that happen! I'll confess, I'm the one that starts listening to Christmas music November 1st, and sets up my tree as early as Dan will allow! But this year, I think with all the craziness, I just haven't gotten into the Christmas mood yet. Last night I put on my favorite Christmas album, Sarah McLachlan's Wintersong, to try and entice me...but it didn't really work. I'm super excited for December, because we're going to spend so much time with my family (going down to Pete and Sarah's, my mom is coming there too, and Brian and Kellie will be here). But it still seems so far away.

November started out rough, but this week has been a breath of fresh air. Shopping with Dan on Sunday, Movie night Monday, and Bible Study last night. I think November is turning a corner. Holidays are coming...family time is almost here. God is good.

Aunt She-Ra

2009-11-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I became an Aunt again, to Miss Eden Renee Ingraham! We got to video chat with her last night. She's so precious. Congrats to Pete and Sarah! We can't wait to go down and meet her in a few weeks.

When Owen was little he used to pronounce my name as She-Ra. Now that he's older, he can can call me by my full title, Aunt She-Ra: Princess of Power!

I LOVE being an Aunt and I love all 7 of my nephews and 6 of my nieces, plus one more niece due in March!

2009-11-10T21:00:00.000-08:00

Mercedes (Sadie)

10/7/02 - 11/10/09

We had to put Sadie down tonight. She just hadn't had any significant improvement since she initially woke up with it on Friday. Because of that, and other signs, the doctor believes it was an issue of the brain rather than the ear. So she probably had a stroke or a brain tumor.

We got her for Christmas almost 7 years ago. She was a great dog, and we'll miss her.

Sadie...

2009-11-10T15:34:00.001-08:00

It's been 5 days and no real change...she may have more control of her head and neck, but that's about it. Please continue to pray for energy and strength for Dan and I. It's exhausting and frustrating to care for her.

Sadie Update

2009-11-08T12:41:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a horrible weekend! I don't even know where to start. The doctors still think that Sadie has Old dog Vestibular disease, which is the equilibrium thing. She has no function of the left side of her body, or both back legs. Saturday she was able to sit up, and today's improvement was that she could eat solids. So we brought her home to see if she gets any better over the next 3-5 days. It's just about the saddest thing ever. We had to buy a kennel and pad it for her to be in, and put down pee-pads since she can't walk, stand or go outside. We have to give her fluids via a IV like bag with a needle, twice a day, along with many other meds. It's almost too much for me, but we don't want to/can't pay $250 a day for her to stay at the vet.

It's been an emotional roller coaster all weekend long. Yesterday we were sure we would have to put her down today. Today it's almost unbearable for me to see her in her condition, even though it's considered an improvement. As awful as it sounds, this was my worst case scenario...I would have preferred full recovery, or no recovery and putting her down. This limbo seems so bad, it's miserable to see her in her current state.

Pray for energy and strength for us to care for Sadie, and for a speedy outcome.

No New News

2009-11-06T16:15:00.000-08:00

Sadie's condition remains the same. The vet is keeping her over night. He thinks she probably has the equilibrium issue and is waiting for her to get better on her own. We won't know anything else until tomorrow.

Poor Sadie...in a padded cage, with an IV, unable to move around without falling.

LONG NIGHT

2009-11-06T10:18:00.000-08:00

Last night was the strangest, longest night...or shortest, depending on how you look at it.

For starters, all the food I gave Hazel before bed, didn't help her go longer between feedings. She fed often, and even had a 5 minute freak out during one feed. But I'm working on plan D, which is a repeat of plan B...so here's hoping.

But the craziness started at 5:30am. Sadie woke up and was making quite a bit of noise so I turned on the light to see her stumbling around. I told Dan something was wrong with Sadie. I put her on the bed. She couldn't use her back legs, her head was tilted, and she was rocking herself a bit. Yah, something was really wrong with her. We kept her in bed with us...but I couldn't sleep. She was being so weird. At 6:30am Dan looked online to see what time our vet opened, which was 7am. So he jumped in the shower and took her in.

The vet opens at 7am but the doctors don't come in til 8:30am...kinda strange. So he dropped her off and we waited for a phone call. (He brought home Americanos, ate breakfast and headed to work an hour early, which on the plus side means he gets to come home an hour early tonight)!

He got called and Sadie has one of three things...Old dog Vestibular disease, which is an equilibrium thing, or she had a stroke, or it's a brain tumor! It's probably the first, which just goes away after a day or two. They're giving her meds, and I guess waiting it out. Dan's supposed to call again this afternoon to get an update.

Soooooooooooooo weird. As some of you know. I have been debating getting rid of Sadie since we had Hazel. We have a Love/Hate thing going on. I LOVE love love Sadie. She's a great dog, and is super cute with Hazel. I HATE having a dog right now. We have no yard, so we have to leash her to take her out, and it's much more complicated to do with Hazel. Plus I have no patience with her and her normal dog needs: food, cuddles, etc. We keep going back and forth. Keep her just a bit longer til we move and get a house, or just throw in the towel.

I am a bit embarrassed to say, but both Dan and I thought this might be the end for her this morning...and we were both ok with it. Horrible thoughts, I know. Well, long night/early morning, and no real answers yet, but I'll keep the Internet posted when we know something.

Here's the last pic I took of Sadie

Not Much Happening

2009-11-05T20:33:00.000-08:00

Nothing really going on this week. Here's 5 things off the top of my head.

1. Hazel turned 10 months old today...so crazy. (I love her curly wispies...you can see them if you click on the picture below).

2. She past her weight check on Tuesday, gaining a full pound in the last month. (Hooray for cheese).

3. I'm super sleep deprived this week. But I'm reading and trying new things to help stop Hazel from night feeding so much. This evening I let her munch on cheese, banana, oatmeal, cheerios, and apple puffs from almost 6pm-8pm. Hopefully that will fill her up enough to last longer than 4 hours!

4. Dan and I got a date night last night. We went to the Matador in Redmond for dinner and drinks during happy hour. Soooooooooo delicious.

5. I got so wet today with Hazel while trying to get in and out of Costco. I think Hazel liked feeling the raindrops on her face. She just kept looking up and grinning. (The picture below is what her raindrop face looked like...all squinty and cute).

Favorite #11: Caramel Apples

2009-11-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

Last night I made Caramel Apples...They were super delish! Dan and I always get a caramel apple when we go to fairs, Disneyland, or anywhere else that serves them. It's kinda become a tradition to get one and split it! I've never made them before last night...but it ended up being one of the best ones I've had, but I think it's cause I refrigerated them for a bit, so the apple was nice and cold. YUMMY in my TUMMY!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T22:15:00.000-07:00

Our Little Chicken!

She was so funny in the costume. She's super skinny (only 10% in weight but 95% in height) but her cheeks are huge and oh so kissable. When we put on her poofy costume, all you could see was her huge cheeks and she looked like quite the rolly-polly baby!

She couldn't put her arms down all the way (like in the movie A Christmas Story). And she kept toppling over, from being a bit off balanced.

But she was one cute chicken!

We went to Dan's sister Rebecca's house to trick-or-treat with Jayden and Grace (Indian Jones, and Tinkerbell). All in all, a successful first Halloween for Hazel.

10 Things On My Mind...

2009-10-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

1. I'm exhausted! Hazel has been feeding a ton a night and nothing I do seems to make it stop!

2. Hazel cut her second tooth on Wednesday...(this could have something to do with my first point).

3. We just got The Swell Season album, Strict Joy. I'm listening to it this morning. I told Dan it sounds like "Once 2". And he said, "wouldn't 'Once 2' need to be called 'Twice'?" I thought it was quite funny!

4. Hazel's poop smells like poop now! It's gross. (For those who may not know, baby poop smells different...not good, but not gross. Once they start solids more, it all changes)!

5. I'm super excited for Halloween tomorrow. Hazel's gonna be a little chicken! We're going down to Dan's Sisters for dinner and trick-or-treating.

6. Hazel loves pulling herself up to look out the window. She stares out there forever.

7. I'm having a harder time with the fact that Hazel is turning 10 months next week. I don't know why. Maybe cause it's double digits. It just seems too crazy.

8. I can't wait for December! Brian and Kellie will be here, and Pete and Sarah will have their new baby girl. Christmas is great, but Christmas with the whole family is Epic! Brian and Kellie haven't been here for Christmas in YEARS!

9. I've been dreaming a bit about Hazel's first birthday party...I'm thinking a purple hippo theme, but it's proving harder than I thought. So if any of you see purple hippo party things, let me know!

10. It's Friday...Thank you Jesus! At one point, I wasn't sure I'd make it through this week. Hurray for the weekend!

Fun Fall Famliy Fotos!

2009-10-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

WARNING: The images you are about to see are dangerously cute. Please proceed with caution.

Yesterday we went to the park near our house to take some family photos. We ended up taking 130!!! These are some of my favorites.

Last year we took these pictures in the same place...What a difference a year makes!

*All photos taken by Dan

Great Date Night

2009-10-22T20:00:00.000-07:00

Last night Dan and I had a GREAT date night! We dropped off Hazel and my Dad's in Seattle and headed to Mr. Gyro's in Greenwood for the best Gyro's in Seattle! Their gyros are amazing their falafel is fantastic and their hummus is to die for!

After dinner we headed over to Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford! BEST Cupcake EVER!!! I had the Snowball: chocolate cake, with coconut buttercream and pink shaved coconut. And Dan had Chocolate Peanut Butter: chocolate cake with peanut butter buttercream and crushed peanuts.

It was the most fantastic cupcake I've ever eaten! This summer we went to Cupcake Royal and Trophy BLEW THEM OUT OF THE WATER! The cake was so much better, more moist, and flavorful, and the frosting was soooooooo creamy and good. 10 times better at least!

I realize that you may think this post is full of exaggeration...but I stand by every statement I've written!

I'm alive!

2009-10-21T10:24:00.000-07:00

I finally feel a bit better this morning! That was 5 long days of feeling crappy!

Hazel's changing constantly...She now primarily crawls on her knees as opposed to her army crawl. She got her first tooth last Wednesday, and it wasn't nearly as awful as I feared it would be. She did quite well; just about an evening of fussiness and that was it! We've been trying to bulk her up for her weigh in in November...She loves cheese, so we've been giving her LOTS! The fact that she likes cheese is just another proof that she's our little girl! (That, and the fact that she has her Daddy's blue eyes). I'm mean she's not eating Goat, Roquefort, Wensleydale, or anything like that, but Cheddar has a special place in my heart as well!

And for randomness, these are some pictures I took while driving last week. The last ones are of the beautiful fall trees! And the first one is of a truck I drove by...Why would you want to advertise that there's ONLY 3% real juice??? What's the other 97%? YUCK! (You may have to click on the picture to see it enlarged).

Flu and Pumpkins

2009-10-18T20:42:00.000-07:00

Well it's been a crazy weekend. Thursday night I came down with the flu. I didn't go to the doctor, so I don't know if it's swine or regular, but I would guess swine only cause it seemed mild for the flu. We were supposed to go out to a fancy dinner with Dan's co-workers Friday night, but instead, he brought home Pho for dinner and we vegged out on the couch for the evening. Saturday we just laid low with a few ventures out for errands. I will say that this flu is pretty crummy, but it's a thousand times better than the stomach flu. I HATE the stomach flu.

There's something special about Pho when you're sick

Today the sun came out, so I really wanted to go to the pumpkin patch to get some photos of Hazie Mae...So I loaded up on Advil and we headed to Remlinger Farms. From looking at facebook, it appears that everyone went to a pumpkin patch today. In October, if the weather is nice, especially on a weekend, you have to take advantage.

She got her shoes dirty for the first time!

This evening, we made breakfast for dinner, and just lounged around trying to regain some energy. (I think Hazel has the bug too, but she's been handling it really well). Here are some shots of her crazy curly hair. She was sweaty from the fever, so her hair got extra curly.

Hazel LOVES books

Favorite #9 & #10: Jimmy Fallon and Chuck

2009-10-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy watching Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. I think Jimmy's done a great job taking over Late Night. He's humble and hilarious! My favorite weekly bit he does is the Thank You Notes on Fridays. I also really liked the 7th Floor West bit, but that's not on anymore.

Other shows I've been watching this fall: The Office, Parks and Rec, Flashforward, How I Met Your Mother, Castle, and So You Think You Can Dance. 30 Rock starts back up this week, but I have to wait til MARCH for Chuck to start back up! If you haven't seen Chuck, I highly recommend getting the first few seasons and watching them before March! It's a great show!

Crawling

2009-10-13T10:49:00.000-07:00

As of Sunday, Hazel has really started crawling on her knees (vs the army crawl she's been doing for months). If she wants something higher, or it's not to far away, she'll use her knees, but she's still faster on her belly, so that's her primary method of transportation!

2009-10-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

Last night Dan's Dad was given the Pathfinders Award at the Museum of Flight! The award honors individuals or teams from the pacific Northwest for significant contributions to the aerospace development. John was honored for his work at Boeing from 1965-2002.

It was a black-tie optional event, and so I got to get a new dress! It was so fun to get all glammed up! My friend Lauren Soini makes her own jewelry and she let me borrow a set! You can see some more of her stuff on her website www.ophalenstudios.com. (The necklace I wore is featered on the homepage even).

Here's the whole family: Dan, me, Craig and Rebecca (sister), Dad and Mom, Kevin (brother) and Susie, and Kent (brother) and Ann.

And this picture includes Dan's uncle Barry, his Grandma and Grandpa, and his cousin Elton with his wife Heather.

It was such a special evening honoring Dad and being with the whole family. Plus who doesn't like getting all dolled up once in a while and I think Dan looks so dashing in a suit!

Mom Question

2009-10-08T21:06:00.001-07:00

I have a question for all you mom's out there...What sippy cups do you like? I've heard that you have to just try a bunch out until you find one your kiddo likes, but I don't want to buy a million sippy cups. Plus most come in 2 packs, and I really don't want a tons of cups Hazel wont use. So I thought I'd ask and see if anyone out there has favorite brands and styles that their kids liked.

And to clarify, this would be for a beginner cup user...

9 Months Old

2009-10-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

Hazel Turned 9 months old today! She still just army crawls around everywhere, and now she gets up on her knees and then goes to sitting, and then pulls herself up on things. She's been doing it for the past month or so, but she really mastered it in the last day. She's been pulling herself up onto the couch all day long, and last night at 11:30pm I went to feed her and she was standing in her crib, so Dan had to lower it down. Then this afternoon she was standing in it again...I have no idea how she reached and pulled herself up. (However it's low enough now, that it's ok if she's standing in there). I'm fearful for tonight...she keeps pulling herself up, and then I think she's kinda stuck. I'm not sure she knows how to get down.

She still loves Sadie...the two together make me laugh. She kind of pesters Sadie, but she takes it well. Hazel crawls over to her and pulls her legs, ears, or fur, and Sadie takes it for a bit, then gets up and walks away, out of reach.

I don't know if I've ever mentioned it on the blog, but Hazel has her Daddy's long eyelashes. I love them! I always told Dan he had Mr. Snuffleupagus lashes cause they were so long and kinda draped over his eyes. Hazel will love this when she's older!

Today was a full day. I had a doctors appointment first, and Hazel did alright. She just chilled in her stroller.

Then I took Hazel to her appointment. I think she had more fun at hers (aside from the shot).

She's grown 10 inches since she was born! She's 29 1/4 inches long (which is the 95th percentile) but she was only 16 lbs 6 oz (which is only in the 5th - 10th). The doctor was a little concerned about her weight (but I'm sure it's just from her cold, she wasn't really eating any solids when she was sick a week ago). It's crazy to think that she gained 1 pound in August, when she was going through that feeding frenzy, and she didn't gain anything in September (or gained then lost weigh when she got sick). I have to go in in a month for a weight check. The doctor told me to give her high calorie foods, like butter and full fat yogurt. Her exact quote was, "when she has pancakes, put butter and syrup on them." When she has pancakes? Hazel has never had pancakes or anything that solid. She hasn't had much aside from pureed food...except Cheerios. She loves her Cheerios.

On a completely unrelated matter, last night we bundled up and walked down to Starbucks. Hazel was wearing her pink sweatsuit. We call her "Little Mac" when she wears it cause she reminds us of Little Mac from the Nintendo game Punch Out when he's running/training in New York.

October 2nd

2009-10-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

I've said it a million times, but I love the fall. I love how September eases you into October. I love the food, I love the trees changing colors. I love to sunny yet brisk days. I love wind and rain storms. I just love it all.

I got Hazel some cute boots for the fall, from Target that she fits into now. She likes the boots, but she LOVES her daddy.

Today, Hazel and I had some time to kill before her nap, so we decided to walk down to Safeway and pick up some groceries, then head to Starbucks for a drink. It was fun to bundle up and be outside.

On the way home Hazel liked to kick her legs until the blanket became unswaddled so I'd have to tuck her all back in. She'd just giggle as I wrapped her all back up. I love that kid!

Rockin' Out

2009-09-27T15:48:00.000-07:00

We've been pretty busy recently, but on our down time we've been playing Beatles Rock Band.

It's really fun, and the best part is, you actually know all the songs! We held off getting Rock Band and Guitar Hero World Tour, for quite awhile. Our place is small and I didn't want to have to store all the instruments. But then, Beatles Rock Band was announced and I knew it was a must have! I got it for Dan's Birthday, but we had to wait til September for it to come out. We've been enjoying it ever since!

Our first night playing

A week later with the Collins'

Oh the Food

2009-09-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

Dan and I go to the Puyallup Fair almost every year. We love going, but our favorite thing is the FOOD! We dream weeks in advance, about what we're going to get.

Dan took off on Friday and we headed down in the early afternoon. Our first stop, Lunch. I got a Philly cheese steak sandwich from a random booth, and Dan got a pulled pork sandwich with curly fries from BBQ Pete's!

Then, a Christmas Miracle: We ran into the Leffel's!!! We spent the afternoon fairin' it up with them. It was so fun! We saw Giant Vegetation, Dan and Talia drank Dairy Gold chocolate milk, Talia had an ice cream cone and shared a lick with the fam, Deena and I split an Elephant Ear and shared it with Martin and Talia, Dan had a scone, and Marin and Talia played carnival game and each won a stuffed animal thanks to Jeremy! It was a perfect afternoon.

We also had our first family photo booth pictures. And then the three of us slit a caramel apple on the way out. Love the fair, Love the food, Love the Leffel's!

Wicked

2009-09-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

Last night Dan and I went to see Wicked at the Paramount. It was our second time seeing it, so I was a little nervous it would be as magical and amazing as the first time. Oh but it was! It's such a great play, and I love the music.

I love the story (it's the story of the Wicked Witch growing up), it's funny, and the music is fantastic. I was giddy from start to finish.

We also had much better seats than last time. We were somewhere in the balcony the first time we saw it, but this time I managed to get row P! We were right under the edge of the balcony. We could see it all. I could even make out the microphones! So fun. Thank you Dan for taking me!

Run In At The Grocery Store

2009-09-23T15:49:00.000-07:00

Something happened yesterday afternoon, that I've always wanted to happen...I ran into someone I knew at the grocery store!

Let me go back a few years to explain...At our Church, Mars Hill, we have midweek community groups (CG). Our church is so large, that this group really becomes your church family. You're supposed to be in community with these people. It's more than just a bible study, you share life together, eat meals together, and help one another out. For example, these were the families that brought us meals after we had Hazel. Until recently we never lived close to our group. When we were in Puyallup, our CG was in Federal Way (about a half hour away). Then when we moved up here we started going to a group in Issaquah, (again about a half hour away). We do a lot in Issaquah, (Costco, Trader Joe's, Gymboree), so it didn't feel to far away, and it felt like we were somewhat involved in that city. We recently felt lead to change groups, and when I looked online, I found that there was now a group that met about 2 miles from our house! We've been going for about a month and a half and it's been great to really feel the sense of community IN the community we live. There's been a big push at our church to serve and be involved in your local neighborhoods. So it's been nice to go to a group where "your local neighborhood" that everyone lived in was actually the one we lived in too.

And it finally happened! I ran in to someone from our group at the grocery store! It probably sounds silly, but it made me so happy. The idea that we're getting to know the people in our city is exciting to me. I'm not sure if any of this makes sense, but as Hazel and I strolled back home from the store (we walked down today since it was so nice out), I couldn't help but smile and be glad!

My Current Theme Song

2009-09-22T16:46:00.000-07:00

Do you ever hear and song and think, "That describes how I feel right now, perfectly!" Well, the Dave Matthew's Band, has a new album with the song called You & Me, and I feel like it's my current theme song for how I feel about life with Dan.

I just feel like, with God's provision and guidance, Dan and I could do anything right now!

Also, I really like the line "when the kids are old enough, we're gonna teach them to fly!" Get your arms ready Hazel, it's flyin' time!

Update on Booger Face

2009-09-19T09:53:00.000-07:00

Well, things got worse yesterday. Instead of being slightly out of it and boogery, Hazel was crying really hard on and off all day, and couldn't nap. (She's doze off, and then wake up moments later crying). After every ounce of me was drained, I called and made her an appointment to see the doctor. Sadly she had gotten an ear infection. Poor poor kiddo.

She's doing pretty well this morning; she's smiley and happy. She still has gobs and gobs of snot streaming down her face, and has that kinda dazed look in her eyes, but hopefully she's on the mend!

Booger Face

2009-09-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

Poor Hazel. She has quite the cold. She hasn't been sick much in her life, I think only one other very mild cold last spring. But this one's a doozy. She hasn't complained much at all (meaning she hasn't been fussy or anything), she just has a harder time sleeping cause she can't breath! Poor kid looks miserable. Boogs down the face, and eyes slightly swollen and seepy. She's a little more on the mellow side too, and is sucking her thumb more than usual.

My love language is definitely touch. Hazel's is anti-touch. She's never been a cuddler, and hates to be rocked. But she's been waking up at night more with this cold, so I've actually be able to use the rocking chair we bought to rock her back to sleep. I love it! But I hope she feels better soon, cause I feel so helpless when she's sick.

Shower Time

2009-09-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

So our shower has been very weak over the last few months. Then a few weeks ago I noticed our kitchen sink water pressure was down as well. So I told Dan to look on the Internet and type, "who to call for low water pressure." He, however, typed "how to fix low water pressure." I love the Internet, and I love Dan! I'm not sure exactly what he read, but I guess that there was a lot of mineral build up in our faucets. So he switched our shower head for the guest bathroom one, which rarely gets used, and Presto Change-o, shower pressure back! He then read that if you soak the shower head in vinegar for 24 hours it will clean it out.

I had already showered that morning (before he switched the shower heads), but he hadn't. So he jumped in to try it out. He was absolutely blown away! He couldn't stop talking about it ALL DAY LONG! Here's just a few of the comments he made throughout the day.

- After his shower he came up and told me, "It's like bathing in fairy tears!"

- Later that day we were talking about life in general, and he said, "I feel really good..." I thought he meant about where we were in life, so I said "Yeah, I totally agree", but then he finished his sentence with, "I think it's cause of my shower this morning!"

- Then later that evening, I kid you not, he said, "second to the cleansing of the Holy Spirit, the shower cleans you more than anything else in the world!"

Well, needless to say, I was quite excited for my shower the next morning. I'm not sure it lived up to Fairy Tears and the Holy Spirit's cleansing, but it was quite amazing!

It went from this:

To This:

September so far

2009-09-13T16:10:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a good September so far...nice and relaxing.

Labor Day weekend we stayed local, having people over for dinner, going to a 3 year old's birthday party, eating eating and eating, and we went to Gymboree too.

Gymboree

Hazel loves watching Dan play video games

Top Pot Doughnuts on Labor Day morning

This weekend, we went to the cabin with Pete, Sarah, Stephanie, Grant, and Lexi. We had so much fun. We ate way to much, we played many many games of Bohnanza and Ticket to Ride, and we hiked all around.

The view for our Picnic Lunch

Grant
The crystal clear pond
Hiking
Best Friends: Hazel and Lexi
Uncle Pete Time

The rest of the month seems quite full on the calendar, but it should be fun: Movie Nights, Hair cuts, lots of people over for dinners, Wicked, work, Puyallup Fair, Birthdays...I do love my Septembers!

Thoughtless

2009-09-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in awhile, but I really don't have much to say. It's been a good week. Hazel is back to sleeping at night with no feeds (Praise the Lord)! And we've been up to our regular routine.

We've been eating good here at home. Costco sells the best steaks, the only drawback is, it's Costco, so you get A LOT of meat. So Saturday we ran some errands: Bellevue Square for Snow Leopard for Dan, and Issaquah REI for new shoes for me. Since we were in the "quah" we thought we'd hit up the Costco for some Filet Mignon! We grilled up two of them for din din with mashed sweet potatoes, and blue cheese salad. Then on Sunday we used one to make Beef Stroganoff, and on Monday we used the last in some Green Curry. Beef-tastic weekend!

We started movie night back up. We've left the 80's and are starting the 90's in full force! I'm excited to meet more regularly again.

Hazel is as crazy as ever. She's climbing up any obstacle, and eating quite well too. (She's moved beyond sweet potatoes now). As I think I've mentioned before, about ever 2 weeks Hazel has a new facial expression that she makes all the time. Her current one is cute...in real life. She scrunches up her nose and breathes fast in and out through her nose, making a cute noise. However, this particular face, does not translate well in photo! And as you can see, it made it difficult to get a bear picture on Monday...

That's all the update I can think of...

I'm excited for September. I love them here in Seattle. The weather's still sunny, but gradually gets cooler to ease you into fall. Pumpkin Spice is already served at Starbucks, but I'm not quite ready to partake. But come October, I'll be in full Fall Mode. Even Top Pot Doughnuts will serve a Spiced Chai Doughnut and a Pumpkin one too...I can't even wait to try them! I love summer, and I love fall, and I love that September in Seattle is the perfect bridge between them.

Ramble Ramble Ramble...But with colors!

Truth Be Told

2009-08-26T19:29:00.000-07:00

We love this kid!

While taking her bear shot, we got this...

It made me laugh so hard when going through the pictures.

August

2009-08-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

August has been quite a month, full of extreme highs and some lows. I've blogged about a lot of the highs: our anniversary, Dan's birthday, Lakeside, and Hazel's cuteness! But the lows are kicking our butt.

Dan's had a big work project this month that's had him working lots of overtime (luckily mostly from home). Last night was the launch and he went into work around 2am not getting home until 11:20 this morning!!! He's sleeping now. Hopefully this is the end of the craziness. I'm pretty sure it launched so he should be done with it.

And as for me, little Miss Mae has been going through a crazy growth spurt, eating every 3 hours around the clock! I've been quite exhausted. She was sleeping from about 8pm - 6am with a feed, then sleeping til 9am. But this month she's been all over the place with sleeping, and she's been eating at least twice at night if not three times. I think/ hope and pray, that it's slowing down a bit. She's going through some huge development changes too (crawling, getting up on her knees, pulling her self up to her knees) and the "books" say that this will mess up the sleeping for a bit too. All in all, she such a delight, so you can't be too upset, especially with a face like this!

All this too say, we're kinda ready for August to be over! I'm so glad Dan's project is done, and hopefully Hazel will start sleeping better soon.

We went out to dinner on Friday night (Yelp-Friday, as we call it), to an Indian restaurant in Bellevue. It was called Monghul Palace, and it was super delicious! We got Butter Chicken and Coconut Curry and well, this was the end result:

We wiped the bowls clean with the Naan!

Hazel just played while we were there

This was at the Gordon's birthday party last night...Hazel loves her Andrew, just as much as we do!

And a Happy Birthday Shout out to my Brother Brian today! Hope you had a good one. (This is his fam this summer in Northern Ireland).

Salmon Bake

2009-08-20T12:27:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took Hazel to Camp for the first time for the Salmon Bake!

Ferry line

Ferry

Our nephew Chris was on staff this summer as the BMX bike guy. It was sad to say goodbye to him yesterday; he is leaving tomorrow to go to Emmaus Bible College. This it the current, youngest/oldest cousin pair!

Oh how I love this place! I was so glad to see friends, eat delicious food, and introduce camp to Hazel!

So. Much. Fun.

2009-08-12T18:13:00.000-07:00

Last night was so amazing. We took a group of friend to the Crab Pot for Dan's 30th, and spent the evening, laughing, eating, and celebrating Dan! It was way to much fun! I highly recommend this place for a party! We were so excited to spent the evening with friends, we just underestimated the fun factor of the eating experience.

The Place

The Weapons

The People

Before Food

After Food
This is how it's done

Dessert

And then craziness ensued

Happy Birthday To The One I Love

2009-08-11T09:50:00.001-07:00

Guess who's 30 and Awesome...This guy!

We went to the to the EMP on Saturday both cause Dan had never been and because there was a Jim Henson Exhibit. I'd show you some great pictures from it, but you're not allowed to take any while in the exhibit. But one cute story...Dan always shows Hazel the Mahna Mahna video from youtube. And they had the puppets there so he showed her while singing the song. People laughed, but she seemed to sorta get it and smiled.

I've said it before, and darn it, I'll say it til I die...I LOVE THIS GUY!!!

We're celebrating big tonight, so hopefully I'll get some pictures and post them later.

One More Collage

2009-08-05T16:45:00.001-07:00

These are four consecutive pictures taken of Hazel this morning, within a 30 second window. She's just so expressive...and so darn cute! (click on it to see it larger)

7 Awesome Months

2009-08-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

Hazel turned 7 months old today! She's so big now! She's about 15 lbs 12 oz, she's still only eating sweet potatoes, she army crawls everywhere, she hasn't mastered sitting unassisted, she's quite vocal, and she has just as many facial expressions as ever.

This is her this morning chewing on her old binkie, which she only uses as a toy now

Over The Last Month

I call this look, CRAZY EYES! It's usually accompanied by her yelling Ha Ha Ha over and over

I love this kid so much! She makes me laugh all the time. We have so much fun. Oh and the other thing she just starting doing, which melts my heart, is she reaches for me when I'm going to pick her up. LOVE IT!

In non-Hazel news, Dan and I had a fantastic anniversary on Monday. The Matador was so delicious and we made it in time for happy hour, so it was crazy cheap! We saw The Proposal, and it was so fun to be at a movie theater again...I felt like a kid as I rocked back and forth in my cushy chair! We also scored free popcorn, soda, and $1 candy with our Regal Crown Club card! Dan got me these roses in the morning with a Starbucks Americano!!! LOVE HIM DEARLY!

Last Week and Today!

2009-08-03T12:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged in awhile cause it's been too hot to sit at the computer, but Hazel and I survived the heat last week. Our rooms are downstairs, which is soooooo nice, so with a fan, the nights weren't bad at all. After Hazel's morning naps we'd just head out and leave for some place with AC, usually Gymboree. But on Tuesday, sweet Bridget and her lovely mother Jody let us come to their refreshingly cool house to swim and have dinner. It was such a blessing to be out of the heat and with friends!

Finn kissing Hazel

We finally opened Hazel's Maclaren Stroller. She loved it! We put her in it in the house and she went nuts, kicking and smiling!

On Saturday we headed down to Portland for an American/Scottish wedding. (The bride is American, the groom is a friend from Scotland). It had kilts and bagpipes, but other than that I think it was pretty American.

(pictures taken from facebook)

Today is our 7th Wedding Anniversary! I've been so blessed to be married to my best friend and such a kindhearted loving man! Dan took the day off and we're headed out to a movie (I haven't been to the theater in 7 months) and then off to the Matador in Redmond for dinner! I could go on and on about how wonderful Dan is...but I think Ethan and Emma described him quite well last summer.

They have to be touching him at all times

When Brian and Kellie asked them why they loved Dan so much (and let me tell you, they LOVE him), they replied, "Because he never gets mad!" Later they asked me if he ever got angry, and I had to say, "No, not really." It's so true, he's such a loving husband, friend, uncle, and man of God, and I love him dearly!

Picture from our Trip in Scotland, hence the green pasture of sheep

Brilliant Idea

2009-07-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

You have to watch this video that my friend Marta posted. It's fantastic. I only wish I had done something like it at my wedding. (My wedding party would have been pretty perfect for it)! As the bride, I probably would have come in after the song, with my dad, but other than that, I love it! If you are engaged, take note of this video!!!

Super Random Post!!!

2009-07-21T21:14:00.000-07:00

Over the past 6 months I've come to observe that if a guy wants to hold Hazel he will simply ask, but girls seem to wait for an invitation or something. Here's the deal, I'm not gonna ask if you want to hold Hazel, because to me, that's kinda forcing her on you. (How are you supposed to say no to that)? Soooooo, if you want to hold her by all means, just ask. I LOVE it when others want to hold her. I hold her all day, everyday. I enjoy seeing others hold her and it's nice to give my arms a wee break. I have no problem with other people holding my baby, (assuming you're not sick and your hands are relatively clean)! So there you have it, my random observation and rule of thumb...Just Ask!

I'm not ready...

2009-07-21T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hazel has starting "crawling"...well it looks more like a caterpillar move. This changes everything! She's only 6 1/2 months, I thought I had at least another 2 months. Here's the video we sent the family this morning as proof.

In other news, on Saturday we celebrated Dan's grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary!

Here's Uncle Craig

Aunt Rebecca with her baby Grace

Good Week, Good Weekend

2009-07-13T16:20:00.000-07:00

Dan and I had a great week and weekend. On Wednesday we had a date night and dropped Hazel off at Grandpa Dale and Nana's. We went to Ray's Cafe for a delicious dinner of Clam Chowder, Crab and Shrimp Cakes for Dan, and Linguine with Clams for me. It was so delicious. Then we headed to Cupcake Royale for some coffee and chocolate cupcakes. (Triple Threat for Dan and Peppermint Party for me)! We had such a fantastic time just being together and looking back on the past 6 months.

Then the weekend came. Friday night my brother Peter and his wife Sarah and their kiddos, Stephanie, Grant, and Lexi came over for dinner and games. We taught them Bohnanza and they liked! (But really, I've never met a soul who didn't like this game).

Saturday we had a chill morning, and then headed out to my cousin Jessie's wedding in Edmonds that afternoon. It was a gorgeous day on the water.

Then we went to Bridget's art Debut, also in Edmonds, for a quick pop in. However, we ended up staying for a hour and a half. We had a delightful time chatting with Beau and Bridget, but this delay our schedule, making us miss a BBQ we were supposed to attend in Seattle, (so sorry Marta). Our drive home was lovely, the setting sun was absolutely spectacular.

On Sunday, Pete and Sarah came over again for Lunch and games. This time we added Ticket to Ride to the mix. I can't say it enough, I love hanging out with my brothers and their families. They are so dear to me.

This is Hazel's weekly bear shot...I love how she's holding bear's hand! And the cute outfit is from our dear friends Andy & Julie in Scotland!

6 Months and Counting

2009-07-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

Hazel turned 6 Months old on Sunday. It's hard to believe it's already been half a year! We love her dearly and enjoy being a family of three. She's still about 30th percentile in weight (almost 15 pounds) and 75th-90th percentile in height (26 3/4 inches). She's not crawling, but I would consider her quite mobile. She rolls and spins and pushes forward a bit with her legs. She is eating sweet potatoes pretty well and has been sleeping from 8pm to about 6am, feeds and then sleeps again til about 9am. She's also starting to take two naps instead of three, staying up longer during the day.

Today we went to Gymboree Play and Music for her first class. We both had fun, I think. She wasn't laughing and smiling huge, but she was taking it all in and mesmerized by everything, (including Erin, her teacher/Auntie).

Dan and I have a date night tomorrow. We're dropping Hazie off at Grandpa Dale and Nana's for the evening while we go to Ray's Cafe for dinner. (It's our first dinner date in six months, but we've been able to go out a lot with Hazel cause she does so well). We're hoping to have another date night this month to go see a movie, (also something we haven't done in six months. Last movie we saw was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 3 days before I went into labor. I don't recommend sitting through a movie in the theater while being that pregnant)!

Oh the 4th!

2009-07-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

We had another great day on Saturday. Hazel again slept in, we had a casual morning, then headed to Snoqualmie Falls and hiked down to the bottom. There were a million people there and it was a million degrees, (both of those are approximations to the best I could tell), but we had a fun time.

We came home, showered off all the sweat and dirt, and then headed over to the Platter's for dinner. Oh how I love this family! Hazel got to see her first Sparkler!

I headed home to put Hazel to bed, but the gang headed to Lake Boren Park (about a half mile from our place) to watch the firework show. To quote them, they all "forth of juloved it!" I watched a bit from the deck and it seemed to be a good show.

Today we're taking a day of rest. Hazel again slept in, (I think I'm finally getting caught up on sleep), and Dan got us Starbucks to go with our breakfast parfaits! We're headed to church tonight, but perhaps a walk or something this afternoon.

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone! Hope you had a great one!

Hazel is 6 Months Old today!!! More on that tomorrow.

*photos taken by Dan

Hooray for 3 day weekends!

2009-07-03T20:22:00.000-07:00

We had the most wonderful day as a family! Hazel slept in a bit, and then we all got ready and headed out to Seattle. We started off at Zoka for coffee and split a scone. Then we headed to the Zoo.

Even though it's blurry, I love this one cause it looks like Hazel is telling Dan a story
Dan showing Hazel his favorite, the Penguins

My favorite, the Hippo

We got Hazel a parasol for her stroller when we were in Scotland. EVERYONE over there had one and they were the cutest thing I'd ever seen. We hooked it up today and not only is it super cute, it's amazing and practical. It keeps the sun off Hazel but still allows her to see out, (unlike the hood of her stroller that only comes down part way, keeping her legs in the sun and blocks her view). I felt so European and chic! Everyone kept commenting on it and asking about it. (This US site sells them too if you're interested: www.shadybaby.com, or you can order them from the store Mamas and Papas where we got ours).

After that we went to Mr. Gyros, our favorite Greek place only to find it closed for the holiday weekend, so we headed to Costas Opa in Fremont, and it was quite delicious...(their hummus had an insane amount of garlic, so we are avoiding others tonight)!

We've just been lounging around this evening at home, and trying to stay cool. Hazel's been sporting the diaper, and Dan and I are sipping Gin and Tonics. We just had such a wonderful time together. It was so nice for Dan to have the day off!

Refreshed!

2009-07-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

I had a hard week and a half. I was burned out. Hazel was doing 2 night feeds again, (instead of 0-1) which makes me exhausted, which makes me impatient, which makes me get angry, which makes me feel so bad for the damage my anger does...vicious cycle! We were even on vacation in the most relaxing place, but I had such a lousy attitude. I didn't know how to snap out of it. I'd get wonderful little breaks, but it didn't seem to be enough. (Dan let me sleep in one morning, I got to lay by the pool one afternoon while he watched Hazel, etc.). When Hazel has a hard week, I have a hard week, making Dan have a hard week...again, vicious cycle! She learned how to yell/scream cry and seemed to be so angry all the sudden. It was soooooo draining. Especially in the last 4 hours of the car ride coming home from Montana. Monday night I broke down and repeatedly asked Dan for forgiveness for my horrible attitude, and taking it all out on him. We prayed together and tried to come up with some helpful solutions; (more date nights, getting to church more, etc.). Tuesday and Wednesday were still so hard, but I was able to keep my anger more in check. Hazie was just exhausting, which is quite out of character for her.

Wednesday evening we headed down to Tacoma, and Hazie again was not enjoying the car ride...We got to Jeremy and Deena's and were completely spent. On the way down I told Dan, "I hope Hazel doesn't cry the whole time we're there. And I hope I don't cry either!" I was completely and emotionally drained.

And then...God's wonderful gift of Fellowship! What a delight. We had a delicious dinner, and wonderful conversation, laughter, and games. (There's something healing about talking with another mother and realizing you're not at all alone in this. The fact that Deena, a women I greatly respect as a mother, went through the exact same thing and felt the exact same way, is so encouraging). We came home, and went to bed late, and Hazel slept through the night! This verse has been brought to my mind all morning: Lamentations 3:21-23 "Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

"New every morning" I really feel this today. I'm refreshed, encouraged, uplifted, and full of hope. I wish so badly that I was a laid back mom, but it's not who I am. I will daily struggle with giving it over to God, but I will receive His grace daily as well!

*photo taken by Dan in Hawaii

Sweet Potatoe-licious

2009-07-01T08:03:00.000-07:00

So I feed Hazel some Sweet Potatoes and she ate them! No more yucky rice cereal for her. I only wish I'd tried this sooner.

MONTANA

2009-06-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

Road Trip! We headed out to Montana on Thursday morning. It's about an 8 our drive, but we traveled at Hazel speed, so it was more like 10 hours! She did great going there, however coming home yesterday was not so fun. She did well up until Spokane, and then was done...for the next 4 hours!!! She did fine when we'd stop and take her out of the car seat, or if we were singing and shaking the rattle (which we did from about Ellensburg on). We were completely drained by the time we got home!

We went out to celebrate Grandma and Grandpa Ortman's 65th Wedding Anniversary! It was great to see all the family on Sunday at the party.

I was especially excited to see Heidi (Ortman) Mager, who I hadn't seen for probably 15 years, (since camp days). It's fun to now be related to her. She has a little girl, Rowan,who's only 5 days younger than Hazel!

Hazel has now met all 8 of her Great Grand parents!

It's so beautiful and peaceful out there. We just love being there, relaxing and having fun. We try to make it out at least once a year.

Hazel's new favorite thing to do is chew/suck on the bottom of our cold beverages!

Update on food...no update at all. It's been about a month of trying rice cereal, and she doesn't really do much with it. (Notice the tongue out in the first picture). I think I'm just gonna move to veggies and see how that goes.