Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Our Little Mad Hatter Turned 2!

While trying to think of a theme for Hazel's 2nd Birthday I came across some cute tea party birthdays and from there I came across this quote from Alice and Wonderland and knew it was the perfect fit for our Little Nut.

"We're ALL quite MAD here,
You'll fit Right in."

Hazel's personality has literally exploded this year.  She is still an itty-bitty thing, but she knows what she wants and isn't afraid to exert all 24 pounds of herself to get whatever that might be.  She is wild and crazy and fun loving and she keeps us on our toes nearly every second of the day.  She wants nothing more than to be a part of whatever the big kids are doing.  She is Sadie's mini me, she loves to be tickled by Daddy, and she adores her Grammy.  I don't think we can even imagine how many adventures this next year will hold, but we are looking forward to it and holding our breath a little.  Brandon says she's going to be our base jumper.  Not sure how I feel about that at 2!









I absolutely LOVE how full our table and home are these day.  So thankful for all the family we have to celebrate with. 




Grammy made a tradition of taking the kids to Build-A-Bear every time someone turns two.  The two year old gets to pick out a new stuffed animal and the older kids all get to pick out a new outfit for their stuffed animal.  Sadie has Cuddles, Wyatt has Rusty Bear, Cooper has Floppy, and Hazel picked out Honey Bunny.  The boys are into super heroes so Wyatt picked out a Captain America outfit for Rusty and Cooper picked the Incredible Hulk for Floppy.   Sadie is into anything fancy so Cuddles got a wedding dress with glass slippers, and Hazel couldn't really decide on anything other than boots so she got an Anna outfit to go with the boots she wanted.






Love this Budding Little Friendship between Hazel and Autumn.

 Hazel got these pink cowboy boots for her birthday and I don't think that she has taken them off since.  She LOVES them!!!!  In fact when I took her into the doctor for her check-up they made the mistake of asking her to take them off so that they could weigh her.  YA NOT HAPPENING!  She ran around the office, acted like the crazy little nut that she is, stood on the table for the entire exam and finally stood on the scale with her boots as i fed her m & m's to keep her in place so that they could get a weight.  

Hazel's first time getting her nails painted like her big sister.







Friday, January 26, 2018

A Trip to Arizona

So I am currently a full year behind posting pictures but I'm determined to get caught up this year because it makes me sad to think of all of the things that will be forever lost in my jumbled memory if I don't get them recorded soon.

This was our trip to Arizona in February of 2017.  It was one of our crazier family endeavors, but we were glad to have had the chance to celebrate Great-Grandpa Swier's 80th birthday and to see Great-Grandma Moss, as well as all of the family we miss from Phoenix.  

Our whirlwind trip started on Thursday evening after work as we headed up to Portland.    We had decided that with an early morning flight we should probably get a hotel room up there just to make sure we were on time.  Hazel had been sick earlier in the week but seemed to be on the mends or so we thought.  By the time we got to the hotel she was starting to run a fever again and we were beginning to worry that we weren't quite at the end after-all.  However, at this point we were committed.  So we all slept, made it to the airport in time for our flight, and all considered everything went really well.  We had Kendra, Andy, and Caleb with us which was a HUGE help and the kids had a blast as none of them could remember ever flying on a plane before.

 This guy loves his Uncles and so do we.  They are so incredibly patient with his endless questions and requests.

Antie Kendy was literally a lifesaver on this trip jumping in to help whenever she saw panic in my eyes, which may have been quite a bit.

We had the baby row and they both did great.  We even squeezed in naps during the flight which was awesome!!!



Grandma and Aunt Kathy were at the airport ready to pick us up in a 15 passenger van, and from the airport it was off to lunch and then to see the dairy in Laveen.  This was pushing our luck as all of the kids were absolutely exhausted at this point and Hazel was coughing so much that people were staring at us during lunch, but I knew that it was probably the last chance I'd have to walk this house and dairy and I just had to do it.  There are so many precious memories of this place, and being there just made me feel so close to my Dad.  I could literally just close my eyes and be in years past.  It was such a surreal feeling and so crazy to watch my own kids run around where I grew up.



Cooper and Hazel slept in the van most of the time we were there.  They were sooo tired.  Poor things!

Our House






The playhouse Grandpa built for us with the goat and sheep yard behind it.

Our pool

The Barn



This was my Dad's office.



After seeing the dairy we headed to Wayne and Cindy's house to hang out until dinner.  Their home was such a blessing and they were such gracious hosts as we were coming with not only 5 small kids but sick kids.  We had a whole section of the house to ourselves with bunk beds and a crib and bathrooms.  They also has an awesome playroom.  I seriously cannot imagine what we would have done if we'd been in a hotel with everyone at their breaking point as they were.  


For dinner it was Peter Piper Pizza!  Another favorite memory from growing up.  We meet cousins and aunts and uncles from the Swier side of the family down there for pizza and games I think it was at this point that we started to wonder if Cooper might be coming down with something.  

Back at Wayne and Cindy's we put the kids to bed and hoped for the best with Cooper.  Unfortunately by the next morning Cooper was running a fever and Hazel was feeling so miserable and lethargic that we ended up taking her to urgent care.  They were concerned about pneumonia however after a breathing treatment her oxygen levels improved enough that they didn't have to admit her.  So then we filled prescriptions for her and meanwhile Cooper slept almost the entire day while the others played and I tried to enjoy the time with my Grandma who had come to visit with us for the day.  

 Urgent Care :(





Grammy Moss

Saturday evening the rest of the Moss family joined us for dinner which was a blast.  So fun to see Aunts and Uncles and Cousins and all the kids that I've seen photos of but have never really met.  We had a great time laughing and catching up.


Finally on Sunday we surprised Great Grandpa for his birthday.  We were just barely surviving at this point but still so thankful to get to be a part of this special celebration.  Once again Pat and Sandy were gracious hosts for our pathetic bunch.  Cooper slept almost the entire time and we were just praying we could all hold up for the trip home.  Kendra and Andy flew with us once again and like I said previously LIFESAVERS.  I could cry even now just thinking of what would have happened without the extra arms and patience that they brought.  



We landed late Sunday evening, a few hours before Hazel turned 2, and will always look back on this whirlwind trip with a mixture of "what were we thinking?!?!!" and gratitude for the time we were able to spend with family, and for the village we have supporting us in this parenting journey.