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

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!