Christmas in Cali

What an amazing time in California! So many little cousins for hazel to play with, Eliza's beautiful wedding, and so many memories!I don't even know what this is, I think it is food for her toy kitchen. Little Blythe was just so excited about everything.

Charlotte was so delightful and excited all morning, I'm not quite sure what this pouty look is about, but it looks adorable!
Not the best pic of Hazel and me on Christmas morning, but the only one I could find. She was LOVING it! All the people and wonderful wrapping to crinkle!
Please note amelia's footsie PJs as she sits on the mantel. This is all of the sisters, brothers-in-law, and nieces and nephews from the whole Steele family. Man, what a lucky Christmas! I'm so blessed!

gettin all crafty

i like to sew cards some days
sometimes they turn out cuter than others
i'm rather proud of this one
my valentines postcards didn't come out nearly as cute
either way, it's a fun process
well, merry christmas two months ago!

hazel's pretty new dress

this is one of hazel's new Christmas outfits
yes, i know it is February
but we took about 3000 pics over christmas
so i am a little behind
thank you mam-ma!

how did my little baby turn 1 ?

I'm still amazed that Hazel is 1
I was informed in a babycenter email I receive shortly after her birthday
that she is now a toddler
what!? I thought that didn't come until at least 18 months
oh well, she almost walks and is into everything
and I love every minute of it!
A few updates on Hazel:
-she does a ton of sign language, things like more, eat, drink, bye-bye, attempts the i love you sign, toilet, and all done
-she goes potty in her mini toilet on a regular basis, but we are not really training yet, but she'll often go two or three times a day if we are around home
-she LOVES playing guitar with daddy
-she has gone full swing of not ever letting me hold her to the point where she'll get in moods where she really just wants a good cuddle
-she still will go to other people without much of a problem and hangs out at friends houses regularly
-her hair is long and curly, and i have no idea where that came from. Remember, long is relative, but for a one year old, she has quite a bit of hair!
-she totally adores books and i often find her in her bedroom climbed up on the big arm chair, just flipping through the books
-she has started to dance recently and will wiggle and shake to most any music
I don't think we'd ever given her ice cream before her brownie ice cream pie
she was shocked at first, then loved it!
iI love the company Boon, they make her high chair(not pictured as we were in CA) and I just love their designs
I broke down and finally got her the sippy, bowl that sticks to the counter, and fancy utensils that are supposed to help her learn to feed herself


I love her! we have so much fun!

I lovingly refer to this as a Jesus Dinner

Lydia said that some of her friends have a tradition
that every Christmas Eve, that have a dinner that resembles what Jesus would have eaten
so I got to participate in some of the shopping
but Lydia is really the culinary master here
you all can do this too, don't be intimidated
buy a whole fish and broil it in the oven with lemon and a few spices
pick up some Mediterranean flat bread, goat cheese,
and honey with honeycomb in it from Trader Joes
grab some fresh fruits and nuts from any supermarket
she also made a sauce with butter, lemon, and fresh herbs
then you can sit on the floor and eat with your hand
as you might notice, we even dressed up a little

try it! it made for some great memories!

ah, California in Winter

we took similar pictures in New England before we left for our month in California
let me tell you, I wouldn't be running around barefoot in Nashua!
it was so refreshing
at the same time I expected to come back to New Hampshire to find mighty storms
and heard horror stories of 5 feet of snow outside patio windows
guess what, that big storm that just hit the east...measily 2 inches
and that is being generous
now on a normal day I would be celebrating
but come on! I want to use my new snowshoes and go sledding!!
Dear Mother Nature,
Bring it on!!

highlights of the december steele family photo shoot

we went to california for christmas break and brandon got a little camera happy
which is wonderful to have 3000 pictures to choose from
but how in the world do you choose?
i think i'll figure out how to set up one of those slide shows soon
it was sooo much fun to be there
to enjoy the sun and 70 degree weather for a while
so many amazing events a couple days in san francisco, eliza's wedding, christmas, new years, a trip to modesto to see sarah's family, etc.
hazel got to see all of her cousins on my side
and over thanksgiving got to see all her cousins on brandon's side
we feel so blessed that we got to see so much family over the last couple months
more updates to come...but this is all i have energy for
i have a terrible case of stomach flu...and i will spare you the details,
but time for a nap while hazel naps