Our little bug is turning one

Hazel is turning one on June 1st!

We'll be having a Little Ladybug Party on

Saturday May 31st from 11-2pm

at our home.

We will be serving hot dogs, burgers and lots of cupcakes!

We'd love to see those of you who can make it.

(If you need directions, you can call/email/comment on the blog).

See you Saturday!

David, Janelle, and Hazel

Caged

Now that Hazel can pull herself into a standing position, it's difficult to keep her in her crib at nap time.  This picture is actually after a nap.  She was holding onto the railing and bouncing and laughing so I got a few pics and then she decided she'd had enough and she wanted out.  Cutie patootie.

Mother's Day

Hazel chillin' on the couch with her cousin James.

It was also Kevin's (David's Dad) Birthday celebration.  Kate is showing him how one of his new massage gifts works.

And, luckily Sunday is a day of rest.

Mother's Day was wonderful! (I'm catching up, so this sounds like old news). We spent the day up in Ogden valley at David's parents house.  We had a BBQ outside and played games, opened gifts, watched movies, and ate a lot of good food. I'm so lucky to have such a great family.

Sunshiny Day

The other day we were working outside and I took Hazel out onto the grass to play (and EAT). I gave her a pear to lure her away from the dirt and grass and I thought these pics turned out to be pretty darn cute.

A weekend at Zion's

Hazel kept taking her hat off on the trail, so Brad wore it for her

Bradley trying to catch some water off of Weeping Rock

Janelle, Hazel and Bradley at the campsite

Mom, Jay, Brad, and Hazel
Zions is beautiful!
Hazel hangin' with her mom in the car

On Friday, May 2nd we took off for Cedar City where my mom is currently living with her husband Jay. They're staying with Jay's brother (they're planning on building a house in St. George) who has one of the most beautiful homes I've ever stayed in. Cherry wood floors, dark mahogany-stained trim, travertine bathrooms, and a theatre room where the chairs actually shake and rumble during loud and action-packed scenes. Even the sheets on our bed felt like they were 4,000 count--it was wonderful!

The next day we headed over to Zion's for a beautiful hike. Jay used to work at Zion's for years so he showed us all of the secrets that most people don't know about (like this tiny little arch that is barely noticeable in the rock in one place). They hiked with us up to Weeping Rock and then we (David, Hazel, Bradley and I) continued up further towards Observation Mountain (or Point? I don't remember right now). We hiked for about two hours and then decided that we'd better head back to camp for dinner. The weather was clear, sunny and cool. The scenery was breath-taking--it was just what we needed!

That night we camped in the park next to the river, eating pita pizzas and s'mores. Bradley made a new friend, a little girl from the campsite next to us, who happened to be a pretty savvy card player. Everyone slept great except for me. I've decided that I love to camp, as long as I have a pillow and a pad underneath my sleeping bag (neither of which I had this time). Sunday we returned back to my Mom and Jay's, went four-wheeling, took naps, ate great food, and headed home. I just LOVE vacations.

What does a lion say?

Hazel is getting pretty good at copying what we say now. This is her rendition of a lion (and a bear, a puppy, and most any other animal).

Easter Weekend (backtracking a bit)

I forgot to write about Easter! The Thursday night before Easter I had a fun evening in Park City with my mom who was getting ready to move to Cedar City. They left on Easter day and I miss her terribly, but I'm excited to visit her down in beautiful southern Utah. We spent the rest of the weekend with David's family in Ogden playing games, watching movies, and eating lots of wonderful food and sweets. I put on a scavenger hunt for the little ones on Saturday thanks to my Dad and his witty rhyming skills. He used to write out an entire day's worth of clues and send me all over the farm in Oregon, hunting down a basket of goodies. I loved it.

Sunday morning church was wonderful and then to our surprise and great lady in the ward invited us over to her house, or farm I should say, to see an entire little family of baby chicks see just bought. It was so fun for all of the kids to hold and touch these sweet little critters. She also let us visit her other animals which included chickens, goats (which she sheers to make and sell angola wool!), rabbits, and sheep. We had a blast.

That was our Easter! I'm very excited for next year when Hazel has a little better idea of what's going on. She does seem to enjoy being around her little cousins who are equally fascinated with her, especially Sam who is about seven months older and is determined to toughen her up and push her around a bit. It was a great fun weekend.

Janelle