Day 5: Binkies and Balloons

Hazel turned 3 a couple weeks ago and she has gotten more and more verbal. This has made her attachment to her binkie pretty dramatic. I got it in my head that 3 years old would be the magic number to get rid of it, but really hate the idea of tainting the actual birthday and Christmas that comes 5 days later. Two weeks ago I got really tempted and cut the tips off a few, but family came into town and we didn't have the guts to stick with it. Tonight, we went ALL in! I read some advice online and we really liked some of the ideas of packing up all the binkies and sending them to new babies or the binkie fairy takes them to the babies. One comment said she attached the binkies to helium balloons and sent them the the babies in heaven and it hit a note. I went and got balloons and here is how it went:


She was so enthusiastic as it was going on, but we were nervous for bedtime. She said she wanted her binkie, but we talked about it a lot and asked her if someone took her binkie or she gave it away and she told about how she gave it to the babies and it will make them happy. She went to sleep by 9:30, here's to hoping that she sleeps well the rest of the night and naps tomorrow! I think we'll have a lot of activity filled days so she is so exhausted she just passes out.

Day 4: the adventures continue...

When we came home from the park hazel went right into her coloring and I fixed a healthy lunch for Brandon and I of quinoa, grilled chicken, and zucchini and hazel had some chicken nuggets with zucchini. Then she said "I be a pirate!" and I realizes she was remembering Eliza's party from last week where we all wore hankies on our head and played games. I played along and got two bandanas and we each put one on. I often think about doing some version of home preschool and try to think of crafts that go along with whatever she is excited about that day, so we decided to color and fold paper boats and take them out for a maiden voyage in the fountain in my parents backyard. She kept going "arg!" and "eye matey!" it was cracking me up. Look closely at her flag and see if you can find the H she drew and her version of skull and cross bones. You'll notice in the pics desi is standing on his own and crawls like a crazy man.

I got hazel some abc magnets at the grocery store to put on the fridge, but the magnets don't even work. She could care less and got so excited to find the H for her, the L for me, the B for Brandon, and then got stumped by the D for Desmond. She then on her own, grouped them like this, I swear, she surprises me daily with how smart she is!

Day 4: Just an ordinary day at the park with a toddler

I took some pics early on in our trip of hazel sitting on a horse and Desmond standing, but in an effort to give an honest portrayal of my daily life, I would like to share these with you. We had a little picnic lunch with go gurts, trail mix, carrots, and as hazel took a drink out of my water bottle she spilled a few drops on her clothes. Before I know it, I turn around and see hazel stripping off her golden pants. awesome! I was briefly frustrated, then couldn't help but laugh, do a quick debate if it was too scandalous, then snapped several pics. Gotta love my sweet 3 year old!

Day 3: January 3, 2012

Today we had the pleasure of going to dinner at the Nugent's house. Spencer and Jen had us over and we got to see their gorgeous almost entirely custom interior. It got my brain going about all of the options and possibilities out there. It's not very often we come across another couple that are both designers as well. We got a full tour and I wish I took pictures, but they don't do it justice. Spencer's says Jen dreams it up and he just builds it. Sounds like a great deal to me! In our house we have a rule that I will cook anything if Brandon does the dishes and it has worked well for us so far. We enjoyed what I think was filet mignon, if not, it was the most magnificent non fillet mignon I've ever tasted cooked perfectly. Before we came, spencer actually asked "do you like steak?", um YES! Then we hatted and the kids played, mostly with hazel enjoying being the big kid at the house, Oli (their adorable 10 month old) looking at her with google eyes and showing off his mad dance moves, and Desmond setting new records with his crawling speed. We got to talking about the vibrams that spencer was wearing and he not only let me try on a pair that were too small for him, but let me keep them! He tried to claim it was to avoid a return trip to the post office, but I don't mind the reason, they are fantastic and I've been curious about them for years. I think I shall go for a little run tomorrow in them and see if they help my shin splints. See! Aren't they fabulous!

Day 2: January 2, 2012

Hazel had a fun filled morning going on an outing with her Granddaddy Q and got some new paints and a fancy hello kitty sucker. She was in heaven. As we were coming back downstairs from getting paper to draw on, she goes "where my boys?!" (her daddy is from Detroit you know) Brandon, desi Q, and granddaddy Q were in the other room. Here she is playing with her new paint pen/markers. While they were out, I got a 2 mile run in, played a little soccer, and Desi Q and I went on a glamorous outing to the grocery store. I keep forgetting how big he is getting as he sits on his own with a firm grip on the bar in front of him and a huge grin. Grocery shopping has never been quite so cute!

Day 1: January 1, 2012

Not sure I dare do this, but I want to challenge myself to do a post a day. It may not always be clever on long, but it will be my version of journalist and keeping updated photos of my family and adventures.

Goals for 2012:
1. Write/post a pic daily on here
2. Dip below my pre baby weight before Desi turns 1 so I feel smoking hot for our 5 year anniversary trip this August
3. Push myself spiritually

This last week most of our family has been horribly sick with the stomachs flu. We thought it had gone and hazel and I had escaped it's evil grasp, until we were 10 minutes into our 2 hour drive home from my parents and it caught up with Hazel. Feel free to use or not use your imagination on that one but I will leave it there. That means our new year was rung in with loud fireworks outside and me sleeping soundly in my bed completely oblivious. Brandon told me we can go on a date this weekend and celebrate and make out at midnight. Sounds great to me. With all of our sickness and staying at my parents and extra few days we opted out of attending church today, instead we listened to a talk by Elder Uchtdorf (yes! I spelled it right on my first guess!!) and taught Hazel a lesson out of the sunbeam manual called "I am thankful for animals". It was adorable, she knew every animal, their color and sound they made when applicable. (If anyone could fill me in on what noise a giraffe makes I would greatly appreciate it.) we then each chose an animal to act out and brandon was a bunny, I was a doggy, and hazel was a lion, Desmond was napping happily. We talked about Noah and where eggs and chicken nuggets come from. Hazel is in denial and refused to believe it. Haha. She is cool with sweaters coming from lambs though. Then colored in a bunch of animal images I printed off (thank you google image search) and assembled them on this sheet in the pic. It was sweet and amazing and so nice to have some quiet family time for a few minutes.

the final countdown

Here is one of the last documented pics of my pregnancy, here I am 8 months prego, right before my baby shower (thrown by some of the best visiting teachers and friends a girl could ask for!).


Same day...I had des about two weeks later.
Brandies and I at this great little hole in the wall fish and chips place in Portland, Maine.

In early March, Brandon took me to Portland, Maine for a little babymoon/birthday present. We had the most fantastic time shopping at the outlets, having fish and chips, wandering downtown, I got a pedicure, more shopping, fresh lobster dinner, checked out a great bakery, discovered When Pigs Fly bread, and had this amazing romantic quality time together before our family of 3 expanded. He spoiled me rotten and I loved every second of it! Amidst all of the shopping, I also realized it is kinda lame to shop for myself and we got Hazel this really cute outfit with a matching dress, shoes, hair bows, and undies from H & M. Our friends watched her overnight and by the time we got back, she was perfectly content moving in with the Hanns, they do have a swing in their basement after all.