our happy girl is back!!

After being sick for what felt like forever, this smiley face has joined us again. I never realized how lucky I am to have such happy baby and get to see this face all day every day. I mean come on, how much bigger can that smile get? And that was just from saying hi to her. Love that girl.

Winter is finally beginning to show itself...hallelujah!

It's time to go make hot chocolate and sit by the fire...mmm...how I love snowy days.

It feels like I should be eating hamburger stew and pie-crust cookies while warming my feet by the living room vent. My sisters know what I'm talking about. Those were the days.

17-10

Enough said.

Grateful #3

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you all had a good one.
Here's what I'm grateful for today...

1. Holiday's and the excuse it gives us to spend hours and hours being with our family.
2. My testimony and the trials in my life that have given me the chance to strengthen and deepen it.
3. Naps in my warm snuggly bed.
4. Grandparents and the chance they give us parents to eat during dinner. And like Tom said today, the chance to digest after eating too. My dad took Hazel the second she started fussing- even though I know he wasn't done- so that Tom and I could enjoy the rest of the meal. He always does that. Love that guy.
5. Tivo. We just got it and it's glorious. Recorded Jazz Games...what on earth could be better?

Grateful #2

Today I am grateful...

1. For my mom and her medical knowledge as a nurse. I called her at 2am last night frantic because Hazel had a fever of 104 and I had no idea what to do or if she was going to die. (yes, once again my being a first time mom is obvious). She knew exactly what to do, told me calmly that Hazel would survive and after doing what she said, Hazel's fever was down and she went right back to sleep. I don't know how I'd ever survive without my mom.
2. For Hazel. With her being sick lately- and more sick than I've ever seen her- it's crossed my mind 'what if the worst happened?'. I spent a long time rocking her and just staring at her beautiful face last night while she slept. My heart is bursting with love for my angel and gratitude for every moment I get to spend with her.
3. For Tom's hard work so that we can live such a nice, comfortable life and I can be home with my girlie. And even though he works so hard, he doesn't obsess about it and he isn't consumed with money; he puts his family first always and keeps his priorities straight. He has found the balance of provider, husband and father and he does it so incredibly well. He is our rock.
4. For Skinny Cows so I can have a treat at night that tastes good and not feel guilty.
5. For snow. How different the season feels looking outside and seeing sunshine and blue skies. I don't know how people live in California.

Grateful

I'm taking my friend Lindsey up on her idea to post 5 things I'm thankful for all this week. I think it's a good way to remind myself each day how blessed I am and after all, isn't that what Thanksgiving is all about?

Today I am grateful for...

1. My family. All of my family- my husband and daughter, extended family, in-laws, everyone. Each one of them is such a blessing in my life.
2. My friends and how much fun we have when we get together. And that we can talk for hours about everything and never get bored.
3. Heat. It has been such a cold day.
4. Modern medicine, infants' Motrin in particular. My girlie has been sick and anything that helps those sad little eyes look happier deserves a lot of praise.
5. Internet. I can keep in touch with my friends, journal (blog) about my life, shop for Christmas presents while Hazel is napping, and the thing I've appreciated most lately, see my niece Sophie grow up through pictures and videos even though I can't be there in person.

Ok, YOUR turn.

HaPpY BiRthDaY ToM!

My awesome husband turned 27 yesterday! He is such an old fart. I met him when he was 22 and he'll always be that age in my mind. I keep reminding him that he's almost 30 and he just looks at me like I'm delusional and need a refresher course in math. Nevertheless, we had a really fun week- went to Park City overnight, out to dinner a couple times, and breakfast and presents yesterday morning. I never feel like I can do enough to show him how much I love him, but hopefully my feeble attempts count for something. I love you Tom and could never do this life without you. Hope you had a good one.

[not doing a cheesy post with every detail of why I love him was his last birthday present...anyone who knows Tom knows that's not his thing. Here's to not humiliating you this time hun!]

Well, I did it

Yes my friends, I chopped 12 INCHES off my hair! Thanks to the stylist, I didn't even have a chance to chicken out. She put it in a ponytail and before I could jump out of the chair it was gone. I could barely breathe. I haven't had this short of hair since second grade. Occasionally I panic when I look in the mirror and don't recognize myself. Or when I try to flip my hair off my shoulder and there's nothing there. But overall I like it. I don't have a headache for the first time in years it feels like. And when I do stumble across a moment of remorse, I remind myself that someone will benefit from my hair and that makes it all worth it.

I need your advice

This is such a superficial thing to blog about, but I just need some help deciding. I have a hair appointment on Wednesday and I am tempted to chop my hair off. It's really long right now- past the middle of my back- and I'm thinking of cutting it to my shoulders. Do you think I should? Or should I just trim it and keep it long? I can't decide!

HaPpY HaLLoWeeN!

Hazel turned into a goldfish last night...and it was the cutest fish I've ever seen! We first went to Dodds & my mom's for her famous Hamburger Stew, Witches Brew (homemade rootbeer), and scones. YUM! Then we trecked to the Koplin's for yet more soup, sugar cookies and ORANGE hot chocolate (and Hazel helped herself to a healthy serving of dog food). We ended the night at the Henderson's where Scott turned into Grandma Beth (see picture below). It was such a fun night- Halloween is WAY MORE FUN with a kid!
Our camera is broken so we had other people take most of the pictures and I don't have those back yet, but here is what I got with our substitute camera...

10 MoNtHs!

Yes, sweet baby girl you are 10 months old today! You are growing and learning so much and it has been the most incredible experience to watch you develop into a little person right in front of our eyes. You bring us so much happiness- we spend so many of our days just laughing at every little thing you do. Here's what you've been up to the last month...

1. First of all, in the first week of October, you took your first steps! This, however, does not mean you're walking. You do not understand why we would make you work to get to us when you could crawl and get there twice as fast. Every now and then we can coax you into walking to us, but you don't like to do it for long. So for now, you are still very much a crawler.

2. You have this funny thing (it's grandma yoj's favorite) where when you're standing or crawling and you get excited, you point one leg out to the side and start kicking it. Kind of hard to explain but it's like a really hyper ballerina. You have also started to walk and stand on your tiptoes. We may have a dancer on our hands already.

3. You give kisses and they are our FAVORITE thing! You lean in with your mouth WIDE open and slobber us. We love it! (this is something you will only love if it's your own kid. Don't worry- I won't make her slobber you.)

4. You click your tongue. I don't know how to explain it but I'll show you when you read this later and are confused.

5. You have learned to clap. And you get so very proud of yourself when you do it. It's too cute for words.

6. When you are standing and something excites you, you start flapping your arms about as if conducting an orchestra. We need to get this on tape.

7. You follow mom around all day long. A couple weeks ago I tried to hide from you (don't judge- sometimes you'll do anything for a break) and I watched you crawl into each room of our house and look around for me before moving to the next room. Yes, you don't just see me and come crawling, you actually go around LOOKING for me and don't stop until you find me. I was laughing so hard when this happened I couldn't possibly be annoyed.

8. When it's past your bedtime and past the tantrum of being tired, you get in a very loopy- and our favorite- mood. You are totally drunken. You have no coordination, laugh hysterically at EVERYTHING, and lay on us and stay still (although I think this is just a lack of energy and coordination to move, but hey, we'll take it as snuggling). Sometimes you'll kiss us and just stay there for a few minutes- with your face smashed against our cheek. Dad and I laugh harder in these times than any others.

9. You still scare easily and unfortunately your father likes to take advantage of this. Let's just say you may be traumatized for life by the tape measurer.

11. You have your two bottom teeth and mom is sad because she is going to miss your gum-my kisses!

10. You are the happiest baby. You smile and laugh all the time- at the littlest things. You remind us to not take life too seriously. And to enjoy even the small moments.