traveling once more

when we drove to and from dc over thanksgiving
we decided that everyone should take a turn driving
hazel took her turn during breaks
she would get out and wiggle and drive for a bit
it was so cute i had to snap a pic

note: she is only wearing pants and a sweatshirt
her other clean clothes were too buried
and she made a huge mess of the other outfit she was wearing
thank you dear
we'll work on potty training again tomorrow

winter is upon us!

i'm loving the snow
i grumbled and complained
but i'm LOVING it!
you can talk to me again in the spring
when it is still snowing
i have a feeling i won't like it nearly as much
but for now i am embracing it
when we get back from california
i have plans to go sleding and snow shoeing
i think we'll go snowboarding in tahoe while we're out that way too
the mountains out here are...a bit different
so here i am, i'm embracing optimism
even if i almost ate it multiple times in heels on my way into church

Tubby Time!

my mom gave hazel this little bath
and made her this towel
she gets so excited
and splashes all around
it's super cute
and it keeps her from smacking her head on the faucet
now i just have to keep her from trying to stand up
just thought i would share a few pics

Zellie is almost 1!

it occurred to me today that Hazel will be turning 1 quite soon
on December 20th I will have been a mom for a full year
it seems like she's been in our life for forever
and it is hard for me to wrap my head around the fact that she isn't a little baby anymore
she will be walking soon
and more like a toddler
she amazes me daily and i love her so
she makes it all worth it!

I said it first here and I'll say it again: I LOVE YOU!

3 years ago we had just started dating
he told me he loved me after 10 days
and I was crazy about him,
but it took me a bit longer to say it
when christmas break came
he said he couldn't wait another week to see me
and flew me out to see him and his family for New Years
The whole plane ride I couldn't stop thinking about how much I loved him
that night, in DC, I told him I loved him
that trip was amazing
I think it was when I started to really understand that he is my soul mate

Last week for Thanksgiving we got to go back
and relive one of the dates we had back then (thank you Keith and Jeanene for watching Hazel!!)
all of the memories came back
how full of life he is, and how alive he makes me feel
I love him more today than yesterday
and am Thankful everyday for being blessed with a better husband than I ever imagined

Back then I can remember seeing him with his nieces and nephews and
thinking he would be a great dad someday
now I get to see him with Hazel
and I see more and more what a perfect match we are
and how good he is to me
I feel so lucky and so blessed!

Maine: Vacationland

We went to Maine for a weekend and played a bit on the beach. Too bad it was crazy cold. I hear the surf that weekend was fabulous though. I'm not sure there is a warm enough wet suit in the world to convince me to get in that water.

Hazel is getting so big! She thinks she can walk, but knows she can crawl with amazing amounts of speed.

Here are a few pictures of one of our weekend adventures.

HaPpy HaLloWeEn!!!

hazel's first halloween!
our little hazel bug turned into a lady bug for the night
she looked adorable
and mom and i dressed as bugs to match
a bumble bee and a butterfly
brandon's work trip ended up lasting closer to halloween
so he missed the church trunk-or-treat
and on the night of halloween
we took it a bit easier

mom is in town for the week
so we have been having a great time
playing, shopping, and doing little projects
thank goodness for cheap southwest flights
a round trip, coast to coast for under $200
hooray!

brandon is now back though
thank goodness
i didn't know i could miss him that much
i'm so lucky to have him
what a great match
love, love, love him!!

has it really only been 2 years?

brandon and I celebrated our two year anniversary last tuesday
it's funny how it all has become this time warp
it feels like it wasn't that long ago
but at the same time, i don't remember life without him
he makes every day so much better
just because i get to be with him
i couldn't ask for a better, more thoughtful husband
and he is such a good daddy to hazel

on tuesday i woke up to a bouquet of flowers perched sneakily on the shelf
i took him to work and met him later for lunch
he had no idea at the time, but i spent the morning trying to recreate one of the flavors of cheesecake from our wedding
i made the lemon raspberry one
then made a few things for a picnic lunch and met him at work
we found a little picnic table and had a delicious lunch full of his favorite things
guacamole, homemade salsa, and hummus with foccacia sticks and simply lemon, lemonade
it was perfect
that evening we got ready and dropped hazel off at a friends house
brandon had done some research
and found this little seafood place called Surf in downtown Nashua
everything we ate was fantastic!
we had calamari with this great dipping sauce for an appitizer
then he ordered cod, but this wasn't just any cod, it was crusted and laid on a bed of chowder with this pesto sauce around it...it's hard to describe, but it was very tasty
i got a virgin pina colada,
and what i thought would be a simple salad
with shrimp, tomatoes, proscuitto, some delicious cheese, and dressing
somehow they turned this normal sounding $10 salad into this perfect blend of flavors
brandon and i traded bites, and loved every minute of it
the restaurant has a great ambiance too
it's right on main street with these pretty round paper lanterns hanging
and wonderful service

then while we waited for dinner, brandon presented me with four options for weekend getaways
he had done a bunch of research, but wanted my input on what we should really do
the options were NYC, the coast of Maine, Cape Cod, and 6 Flags
(i've been wanting to go to an amusement park since I was prego and couldn't)
we decided that we would do a short day or two trip with camping to Cape Cod last weekend, then a trip to the coast of Maine in the next few weeks
We'll go see NYC sometime when it is all lit for the Christmas season
too bad hurricane bill threatened Cape Cod, but we ended up having such an amazing time at the beach on Thursday and Burlington and Sharon, Vermont on Saturday that our anniversary week ended better than i could have ever imagined!

sorry i forgot to take pics on the day of

downtown Burlington, VT

what a fun city!!
after we went to Sharon
we came here
the whole downtown is blocked off to cars
so we just wandered and looked in shops
they had some fun little boutiques and i got the most amazing mustard yellow rain jacket!!!
brandon convinced me that i needed it
i can't wait for cool weather so i can wear it!
Burlington is right off Lake Champlain
so we walked to the waterfront too
we ate at a little pub and had their fresh made root beer and ginger ale
it was delicious
brandon said the ginger ale reminded him of what you would find in England

Sharon Vermont

this is where Joseph Smith was born
it's only about 1.5 hours from us
so we went for a little drive on Saturday
it was beautiful
just pretty through provoking
to think where he started out
in a humble 20ft by 20ft little house
there was music on the grounds
and we just wandered and appreciated the beauty
i didn't realize before what a beautiful little monument and visitors center there is
i would highly recommend it to anyone in the area!

hazel has teeth!!!

can you see the two little stubs coming through
i think this is the first pic where you can really see them
she seems a lot happier now that they have come through

hampton

we decided that we would love to buy a house in this area
we drove through and looked at houses for sale just for kicks
we are in no place to buy a house
just had a little afternoon of daydreaming after our morning at the beach
then we found this gorgeous bridge
you'll notice hazel trying to eat me in one of these
that is how she kisses
if you give her a few kisses
she'll look at you, grab your face and come towards you with her mouth wide open, it's hilarious and oh so cute
i can't get enough
and i don't even seem to mind the pile of drule left on my face
those are the moments that make being a mom soooo worth it
it gets better and better by the day
this was a perfect little day trip!

i love beach cleanup days!

we went to jenness beach for the nemo beach cleanup last thursday
and we hung around for an extra hour or so at the beach
it was beautiful!
what a perfect day
we too a walk down the beach
set up a tent for hazel to play in while we ate and I sunbathed
then we went for a little drive along the shore
i can't believe that we live only and hour from this
we had way too much fun!

pilates time!!

hazel and I doing a little pilates
and the bicycle
it was great
she was kicking
and giggling and screaming
hilarious!
brandon had to get a shot
haha

sweet baby girl is getting so big

this is right before church last sunday
what a doll
she really is soooo good
she just plays
and is starting to get into things
but dang she is cute
i have way too much fun!

swimming

this is what we did most days while we were in layton
played in my mother in law's pool
it was perfect swimming weather
we also went to brandon's trade show
which was so cool
tons of companies
and we got to see all of their 2010 stuff
not to mention a few freebies and Nemo's awesome booth
what a great end to a trip
got to see family and have a blast

blythee sharing her bed

hazel took at little nap in blythe's bed
blythe was quite willing
she came and shared and helped her with her bottle, how sweet

I won honorable mention!!

so i went to vegas for my furniture competition
it was great, they paid for my hotel, flight, had a fancy awards ceremony with a 5 course dinner
it was sooo much fun!
amelia came with and we played and shopped most of the days
we found this great little place for breakfast called house of blues
i got my first pencil skirt
and we roasted in 110 degree weather
Oh, and I won a prize!!
Honorable mention in a national competition
and $250 bucks! I won't complain....

california here i come...

...right back where i started from
that's all i ever learned of the song
i'm so excited to go on my trip
but a bit nervous
i don't do well without brandon
it's like i'm addicted
we'll get to play for a week of the trip
but this will be the longest stretch we are away from eachother
dang work
no...i love his work
it just hits home that we are officially grown ups
with a little girl and all

i am so thankful for him
daily i realize how lucky i am!
i am in love more today than i was two years ago
and more today than yesterday

the 4th and hazel sitting up on her own

we just had an amazing weekend
with aubrey and phil in town
not only did we have perfect weater
but went on a few mini adventures as well
on friday brandon and i went to a movie
for the first time since hazel was born
then did a big house clean up before the quebes came
on saturday we went to a craft fair(turned out to be a flop) then kimball farm for lunch and ice cream
oh my it was amazing!
it's this beautiful little home town place
with great food, golfing and little animals to see
that afternoon we went to the pool at our complex
it could not have been a more perfect day!
then headed to a ward picnic where we ate
and played volleyball
that night we watched some fireworks from afar
then lit some of our own
who knew, new hamshire sells crazy cool fireworks!
sunday was pretty low key including a walk and a long nap
it was a perfect weekend!

next week this time i will be in california for jenn's wedding, how crazy!

beautiful blue skies...let's go for a walk!

so for family night last night
we decided to go for a walk
it has been rather rainy
but yesterday it seemed to have cleared up
we wandered over to marshalls, sports authority, and shaws grocery to get a redbox
as we are leaving i feel a drop or two and don't think much of it
it progressively got worse, and then all of a sudden
we were consumed in this crazy downpour
we laughed and ran
hazel babbled and loved it
and we got home a little wetter but all in one piece
it was great

note to the sun: please come visit us soon

harvard...where smart people go

a few weeks ago
brandon had a little work in boston area
so we made a date out of it
we ate sandwiches in this awesome cafe,
dance along the river (joined a party with music),
and went on a great walk just around sunset
this was all right around harvard
it's a beautiful campus!