Saturday, June 25, 2011

the big ate.

so I'm a few days late, but the H-monster is a whopping 8 months old :) let's see what she's accomplished in this time frame:

-she can eat with the best of them
-she crawls to wherever her eyes will lead her
-pulls herself up onto whatever will allow her to have a good grip
-plays Wii games with mommy.... well, sort of.
-laughs at our jokes
-talks to herself, her toys, her blankets, and us sometimes.
-now has one tooth with another close behind
-her hair is starting to show more ;)
-she has made my life better than I thought possible :)

I LOVE my little Hazelnut! Don't get me wrong, I love Quenton with all my heart, but Hazel has found a special place in my heart that will just be hers. We definitly want more children to bless our family, but if Hazel was our only child, I would be content. :) How could you not with a face like this?

I would give anything and everything for this little girl. I'm sure most parents say that, but now I understand that feeling of eternal and unfailing love parents have for their children.

ps, she's doing a better after her fall. She received a blessing from her daddy, and she is a tough cookie :) what a wonderful family I have xoxo 

Thursday, June 23, 2011

sooooo sorry....

Hazel fell yesterday. Off the change table. Her arm is bothering her today, so I'm taking her to get checked by the doctor. I feel like such a terrible mom. I know, every mom has probably said that at least once. I told myself I'd never let her fall like that, and it happened anyway. I know people will say that every child will fall and hurt themselves, but that doesn't make me feel any better. :( I'm almost sick about it. It's especially hard because I have a very vivid imagination, and I sometimes tend to think up worst case scenarios of how Hazel can get hurt (nothing too dramatic), so I worry when others watch her, thinking that she can get hurt. And it wasn't with other people, it was with me. :( Anyway, I suppose this is another learning experience for me. I wish it wasn't at the expense of my daughter, though. She won't crawl or pull herself up because she needs to use her arm for that. And she hurts. I'll post an update on how she does today.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Daddy's Day

so, we went down south over the weekend to visit Quenton's family. It was interesting travelling with an 8 month old! She did pretty well on the way down, but we were an extra 2 hours coming back. We don't mind, though. It was nice to see family. Hazel has grown so much, and it was fun to see her interact with everyone. I can't believe how much she's grown, even over the last month. It seems like she was crawling, growing teeth, and mimicing in just over a weekend! My baby girl is growing out of her "baby-ness".....



visiting at Aunty Mel's house

Father's Day was nice. :) I didn't really do anything special for Quenton since we were with his family, but I did make him some waffels for breakfast and get him a funny card from Hazel and me. :) His orbital sander is coming soon..... What a great dad he is! I never thought he'd be less than amazing, but I can't get over how great he is with our little girl. She loves him! She gets happy and excited when he comes home from work, and they are so cute together when they play with her toys :) He would do anything for her, and I know that for a fact. I'm sure most dads would, but Quenton is one of the most selfless people I've ever met, and I know that family, especially Hazel and I, mean everything to him. He sacrifices so much for us, and has so much love for us. I can't wait to expand our little family soon. :)

Now for my own dad. What a great man he is. I don't even know where to start! He has gone through a lot in his life, good and not so good, and doesn't complain at all. He is my idol. He was never one to vocalize how much he loved us when we were growing up (at least not that I remember), but his actions spoke volumes. Talking to my mom now about different things that happened as I was growing up, I have even more admiration for this wonderful man. I'm sure I don't tell him enough that I love him. Not that he'll ever read my blog, but, I love you dad. xoxo


I love the men in my life. I'm so grateful for their influence, guidance, and love. I feel that this year is going to be full of even more changes than it already has been, some personal, some within our family. I can't wait for the move into our house, and the many opportunities to stretch and grow (because you know they're coming!). Life, this sweet life, is good.

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

to Oprah, or not to Oprah?

so I've been watching Oprah pretty religiously this last season (her final season) and I find myself in deep thought over a number of different topics (which I'll probably share as the re-runs of her episodes are aired). I haven't always agreed with her point of view on some things (will share later), but overall I think she is a powerful influence of good in the world.
The re-run yesterday was her interview with the Judds. It was so refreshing to listen to Wynonna speak, because she was so honest and truthful in everything she was saying; from her ex-husband, to her own personal struggles, to her relationship with her mom. It got me thinking about how I portray myself and even see myself. I used to think that I needed to show people that I was happy all the time, how Hazel is the perfect little girl, how I have everything together, and how I'm so confident in everything I do. That is SO exhausting, even thinking about it makes me tired! Honestly, I've had moments when I've been depressed, more now than before, Hazel hasn't always made me happy, I really DON'T have everything together (sometimes it takes real motivation to do the dishes...), and I'm not as confident as I'd like to be. However, in saying this I feel a burden lift from my shoulders. I don't know about anyone else, but keeping up "false pretenses" is really exhausting. I have felt that I haven't been able to fully be myself around some people, and that's been difficult. I suppose it's time for a change, right?
Anyway, I think Oprah is great. No one is perfect, but I've found a lot of inspiration and motivation to be better by having her show be a part of my life. As someone who has also struggled with weight issues, I think she's beautiful. I'm sure that as I watch re-runs of her farewell season, I'll have more to say about her and the topics she addresses. :) love her or not, she is one of the biggest influential people of our time. and I love her. :)