Mother's Day & 13 month update

Happy Mother's day to all of you mommies out there - it really is a special day to celebrate all of the love and responsibilities that entail being a mommy. It's a wonderful all-time job that is the most amazing blessing for anyone to receive. We spent Mother's day pretty casually - brunch with my mom (morel mushroom/ham/veggie/cheese omelets and fresh fruit ... yes.), a long nap for Haze, a couple of hours playing outside and working in the yard, and then Burrachos for dinner at Carson park followed by a rollerblade ride. As you can see from the picture, I am not the most confident rollerblader, hence the protective gear. I had asked for the gear for Christmas thinking it would help me feel more at ease and able to go fast without the fear of falling. I was RIGHT. Look out world, here I come ... ON ROLLERBLADES!!! It was great, obviously.

As a little 13 month update - Hazel continues to amaze us. She makes us laugh all the time and is just so sweet! She's such a spunky, independent little honey already. She is so happy most of the time and just a pure joy to be around. I love her! She also: *TALKS a ton and has been repeating a lot of things we say. Not all of them are perfectly understood, but some things she's repeated are: animal sounds (mooo, baa, ruff, meow), i love you (wuv woo), all done, book, bubbles (buba). Some words she says more clearly are: mama, dada, daddy, dog (DAWWWGGGG), nana, uh oh. *blows kisses and waves bye bye when prompted verbally or when someone puts a coat on goes by the door. *WALKS!!! 6 steps is her record. She's so proud and totally awesome. *loves her babies ("dadas" in a soft voice) and pushes them on her little walking car to go for a ride. *loves carrying around anything with a handle ... lunch boxes, coolers, daddy's shoes, whatever. *loves carrying around anything small ... bandaids, hair binders, tampons, whatever. *loves opening containers and putting things in or taking things out of them.

A last little update - we had a 2nd annual "4 Generations" trip at Kalahari resort - SO FUN!!! Haze loved the water and I loved getting away for the weekend. Hazel did not, however, love sleeping in the new environment. She knew all of the activity going on around her and sleep/naps were last priority for the little party girl. We came back rejuvenated albeit not especially well-rested.