Happy Boxing Day

I haven't posted in a while but it has been BUSY. New house + old house+ job + Christmas + life = no time for website. Boo-to-the-hoo. Anyway, I downloaded all our pictures and what follows is my rambling about some of those pictures. Enjoy.


So far, it has been a fairly uneventful Boxing Day. Geoff had to work, Hazel and I lounged around until 8-ish.* We have played many rounds of tea party, blocks and hanging dresses in the closet. Oh, wait, I really meant to talk about Christmas and whatnot.
A couple weeks ago we had our cookie party and it was, again, fabulous. And I got this adorable picture of Hazel with Nate & Orson. They are all fairly close in age and, obviously, ADORABLE.

Hazel decorate a lot of cookies after everyone had left. The red sprinkles came out rather quickly.

But, that didn't much matter as mostly Hazel just likes the frosting.**

Apparently, our child is a hologram. This is a fairly new development and we are hoping to cure her. We got a new camera and it is lighter, cheaper and hardier than the D-SLR. Thus, Hazel has been taking a lot of picture. There are a lot of fuzzy shots of the floor and/or her finger but once in a while she gets a good one or two. Digital is awesome for kids.

Cousin Ben

Auntie Jenni. And a tiny bit of finger.

Hazel got everything she asked Santa for: light-up toothbrush, her very own toothpaste, a closet and toys. Santa truly got off cheap this year. Lucky too because I hear he just bought a house of horrors*** and is thus fairly broke. It worked out because Hazel got PLENTY from the relatives.
Just a little holiday FYI, you can always tell a zombie by the hammer and ghostly eyes set in a pale face. Do not be fooled by the happy face.

A week or so I took off work early and Hazel and I went to the zoo. It was pretty cold but there was almost no one there. I love the zoo in the winter. The animals are more active, there are almost no people there and oh, no people. Plus, there are plenty of places to warm up, so it isn't too bad. Last year, they had a baby giraffe and we went a couple times a week to watch it grow. Oh, but I digress. Here is a cute shot of Hazel and me at the zoo.

Hazel rocking her mad shades. Or, training to be some sort of law enforcement personnel.

*Seriously, what is wrong with my kid that she doesn't understand a day off means SLEEPING IN! And sleeping in does not equal 7:30am.

**I tossed this bag of frosting after she was done with it. And this was after the party.

***HORROR!!

Tree! Kitchen! Hair!

Christmas started early this year. Nat, Tim & Alex are in town so we had "Christmas" up there today. Hazel got this awesome, awesome kitchen from Tutu & Auntie Michelle.* And some fake food to play with in it from the Texas family. (not pictured, I believe it is being washed in the sink" And we started to set up our Christmas. I finally bit the bullet and moved to a fake tree. Sure, it is not all pine-y but, as I was stringing hundreds of lights I remembered I hate stringing lights. It is the longest, most tedious part of decorating a tree. So, I want to do this once (One and Done). Which means I need to pay attention to where the tree comes apart for storage. Which leads to this:
Hazel loves the tree and has been putting the candy canes on, even though we are truly not done putting lights on.

This is actually from a couple of days ago. But notice the outfit. Socks with sandals! Eek. Notice the stance as well, this is totally an action outfit.

And then it got better. My kid is crazy.

Also, as a side note: Hazel and I just ate some delicious ham and cheese quesadillas that were made in her microwave (okay, so they were really made in the real microwave and finished in her's but it is the thought that counts and she thought it was awesome). How sad is it that my kid has a nicer kitchen than I do? And, if I count the doll houses, a better functioning house...I have got to get something down on this place.

*Not that I am complaining, because I did agree to this kitchen but it took me almost THREE hours to put this dang thing together. People make fun of how long Ikea stuff takes to assemble. Let me tell you, that is NOTHING. There were 216 pieces that I assembled by hand. Plus, the entire time Hazel was "helping" because she was so. excited. to. have. a. kitchen! At least she loves it, because there is nothing worse than putting in hard labor for your kid and then getting, "meh."

Thanksgiving

Okay, I am a day late (and probably a dollar short) but I just got Internet in the house today. For the holiday, I am compiling a list of some of the many, many things I am thankful for, in no particular order:

- My family (This is, actually, in the correct order. I am the most thankful for my family)
- My house (both, actually. And I will be even more thankful when we have renters. Anyone looking for a 2-3 bedroom, 2 bath bungalow in Sugarhouse?)
- That we are finally sleeping in the house we live in (now if we could just get the rest of our stuff out of the old house and new house settled we would be golden)
- Internet and TV right in my house (and a warm baby sitting on my lap watching YouTube while I update my blog, and my husband programming the TiVo mere feet away from me)
- Gobs of leftovers in my fridge (stuffing? Don't mind if I do.)
- My job (sure some days it sucks to have to work, but they pay me decent, I get to stay at home with my baby and (in theory) I get plenty of time off)
- Four-day weekend
- My friends (how do people have kids and/or move without friends? Probably they have to pay lots of money to strangers. I am thankful I have friends.)
- My health, the health of my husband and up until last night, the health of my child (really, in the grand scheme of things, the hacking cough and stuffy nose are not too bad. I am truly, deeply, daily thankful that my child is healthy)

I am definitely thankful for more things. But, I am not thankful for getting enough sleep. Because I don't.

Happy Thanksgiving All!!

The Wilde Manor

Okay, so this picture has nothing to do with the rest of my post and was taken almost a month ago but I think it is adorable. Thus, I put it on my blog. Okay, so here is the update of my casa.

We have painted the living room, dining room, kitchen, the south bathroom, and the new bedrooms. Basically, we have painted most of the main floor, except the entryway, the north bathroom and what I am now calling the closet, formerly a kitchen. And it is all white-white-white. Like I live in an igloo.

So, here is the dining room, in the process of being painted. See how I taped off all the windows? And then Geoff got mad because some go vertically. This is what you get when you hire a CPA to do your manual labor. I am not meant for such work! The long view of the living/dining room. I am very proud of the wall that is no longer there. It really makes the room look better.

And the kitchen in progress. You can't really tell but the three closest cabinets were painted at this point (they are all painted now and have pulls and look great). This actually a fairly accurate representation of the paint color. I.E. gross. Oh, so here is one random story: I finished putting all 25 (!) handles back on my cabinets and thought everything was looking pretty good. I asked Hazel what she thought of the kitchen. She said, "It's kind of hideous." HIDEOUS! It looks like a million times better and she said it was "kind of hideous."

And, this is Hazel's soon-to-be bedroom. The part Geoff is working on had a giant piece of paint come off. I don't know how. I am sure I didn't pull it off. But, I sure was proud of it when it was off. Anyway, my point is this: Hazel's soon-to-be bedroom has a LOT of trim. Miles of it. A ridiculous amount of trim. It was/is (not done yet) a beast to paint. And needs a second coat. Or third, or fourth or whatever we are on.

Oh, but look how much better it looks already. We did not paint the fireplace. And we probably won't until we remodel the main floor. And the floor is, as Hazel would say, hideous. Notice the plastic covering adhesive remover in the bottom right corner. I don't know what we are going to do with the bedrooms. The both had carpet with pad that was glued to the floor. Everything was so old that the pad has basically bonded with the paint and whatever else was on the wood. It sucks.

The dining room post paint. But, pre-carpet removal (obviously). I-G-L-O-O.

The kitchen in painting progress. I realize I am in no order here and it would be nice if I would group kitchen with kitchen and what-not. But, not going to happen. I am exhausted and lucky to be coherent enough to type. And upload pictures. Seriously, Internet, what more do you want from me???

Here is our bedroom, post painting. Ummm.....this is kind of a lame picture. I wonder why I uploaded it. Maybe I am not as coherent as I first thought. Anyway, I thought about painting another color in the closet and window seat insets. But, I don't know what color. I totally get mind-freeze when it comes to picking colors. Thus, the igloo.

Hazel got tired while lazing around not really helping at all.* And decided to cover herself with newspaper and have a nap. It seems I am raising a hobo.

Although, it seems she can rouse from her hobo dreams to have a hobo snack on the floor. Notice, no carpets. Yee-haw! One day, we will refinish the floor and they will be beautiful. So sayeth the Meadow.

And now I am going to put my little hobo and myself to bed. For I am, as they say, exhausted.

*Seriously, my kid is NO help on this house thing. I would go so far as to say she is, in fact, a hinderance. Luckily, my mom came down last week and took care of Hazel. Then Hazel had a sleepover at Tutu's house. Then she started REALLY missing her mom and dad. She has claimed the Harry Potter room under the stairs and it is now full of stuffed animals, a monkey chair and her portable DVD player (which was meant to be because the nail holes that were already in the wall totally fit it.) So, then she can be around us without actually getting in the way. Except that she likes helping. Okay, this is the longest side note ever. Meadow out.

Things I've Done

Stolen from Jenni's blog. It is like being tagged but not. Things I have done are in bold.

1. Started your own blog (technically, it is Hazel's blog, but I started it)
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii (not yet this year, however. Oh, Hawaii....how I miss you and would rather be there than working on the Wilde Manor)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (I don’t really think this is possible, if I couldn’t afford it there is no way I could give it.)
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo (does karaoke count?)
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (depending on the definition of “art”)
15. Adopted a child (my dogs were my first babies)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train (I have, however, slept on a non-overnight train and spent the night in a train station)
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (that is immoral, also, I am a workaholic. I barely take sick days when I AM ill)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Ran a Marathon (ha!)
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse (total eclipse of the heart?)
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run (double-ha!)
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (taught myself? I had schooling, but I am counting it)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (really, I am never truly satisfied, I am a paranoid crazy person about money. I really don’t want to be this way, but I am.)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David (there was a reproduction at the UMFA and Hazel was obsessed with his package, much to the amusement of the guard)
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (the line was like 3 hours long, we just saw it from the bottom, next time we will go to the top)
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (HATE IT!)
52. Kissed in the rain (this is a lame question, and kind of girly)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China (I totally want to do this and would have gone the year I got my MBA if I hadn’t got knocked up)
57. Started a business (okay, so I am really just in the process of it, landlords have to have a business license)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason (Although, I think there is always a reason)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter (In, no. Under, yes)
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar (love it, but not enough to buy it)
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades (seen them, haven't "toured" them)
75. Been fired from a job (triple-ha! I am toooooo awesome)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (kind of)
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (Hazel's first year and our trip to Europe, totally counts)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (never)
88. Had chickenpox (barely)
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury (Oh, quiz-thing, why must you mock me!!)
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club (I totally want to have a book club, however, maybe I will start one)
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake (yuck, I have been in it, but I wouldn’t “swim”)
97. Been involved in a lawsuit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Thus, I have done 64 things on a RANDOM list. I am going to start my own life list. Currently, I just need to get dressed so I can go to a viewing. The list probably needs to be longer and more long-term focused.

"Packing"

Packing is sometimes hampered by playing.This was while we were sorting the toy box of infinite stuff. We found the Spiderman (on Hazel) and Pokemon (on me) capes. I don't think either of those characters actually wear capes in "real-life". Geoff and I bought the capes on the infamous trip to Tijuana when the mexican wrestling mask was purchased. *Sigh* Poor, missing, mexican wrestling mask. Anyway, good times...Things I find funny about this picture:

1. The ridiculous cape.
2. Geoff's crazy waving (he is sorting computer junk)
3. How the camera is so heavy that Hazel can't really take a decent picture.
4. Something weird going on with my hair.

And here is a brief glimpse into the chaos that surrounds us.

Tattoo for the day. Oh, she is a tough one with the tiny baby hands.

Happy Birthday!

When we went trick-or-treating at Jenni's work (the county), I would prompt Hazel to say "Happy Halloween!" but more likely than not, she said, "Happy Birthday!" Still, two and an ice cream cone excuses a lot.

Geoff and Hazel dressed for trick-or-treating at Jenni's work. I wore the hat (it says "Ice Cream") to work for my "costume" but for Jenni's work I dressed as a princess. The princess and the wig were Hazel's choices.

For Shauntil's party, I dressed as a "domestic terrorist" notice the TNT. I found it hilarious. Next year I vow to have better costumes. And maybe plan ahead. Then I can have just one awesome constest instead of three lame ones.

Geoff and Hazel grew pumpkins this year. This was the biggest one. Geoff carved it into a spider with web. I don't have a picture of that, but here is Hazel possessively hugging it. We went to the Red Butte Garden After Dark. Hazel made a monster head (dirt and grass seeds in a circle of netting. We made a yogurt cup face for it when we got home. And then it grew! And grew! And GREW! It is awesome. We spray it with water almost every day.

Last week, Hazel and I made cupcakes for Alex's 2nd birthday. It was a disaster. Nothing turned out how I wanted. The frosting didn't set up, I had a "helper", ummm...other stuff. They sucked. But Hazel had great fun helping and licking the beaters.

We wore aprons while we cooked. I think the outfit here is smashing. Not shown: Me FREAKING out about the stupid cupcakes not working. Seriously.

An actual account of the last two minutes at my house:
Meadow: Who's that cute baby?
Hazel: Hazel in a twirl dress!
Hazel: I want to see my blog.
Hazel: I want to play Sam's blog.
Hazel: I want to see my feet!
Hazel: I want to play Sam's blog.
Hazel: Feet! Feet! Feet! Feet!
Hazel: My hair is so pretty! Like Zoe Jane.
Hazel: I call me 'Hazel Zoe Jane Hazel'
Hazel: *Wanders off to pick the candy wrappers off my lovingly modge-podged candy bucket*
"Open your eyes wide." "Your EYES!"

Today Hazel and I went to early voting. And waited in line for 30 minutes. And then I had to do a provisional ballot because of a name change (SEVEN YEARS AGO!!). It took about an hour total. And Hazel spit some milk on the floor. And two old men were openly racist. But look how cute my kid is! And she allowed me to put in pigtails.

Our week

This picture is a good indicator of yesterday. Even the mermaid was in timeout. I am just saying some days are hard.

Today was better. Except when it wasn't. But, the mermaid behaved. So, that's good.

Tonight we went to the Red Butte Garden After Dark. It was pretty awesome, but COLD. Luckily, our wicked-smart friend, Christie went too and she had handwarmers. Oh, Jordan went too, but he did not bring us handwarmers. The Red Butte was fun. They had stories and crafts and blacklights. My contacts glow in the blacklight. So much that it was like looking through a dense fog. Like I have cataracts. Oh, and they had face painting. Hazel's awesome face paint:
And the entire family: We all have evil mustaches. Geoff had his the longest, that is why he is extra evil.

Halloween

Okay, so I made this costume for Hazel, per her request, and I am not loving it. Can you tell what she is supposed to be? And should I just suck it up and let her wear it or make her a, newly requested, princess costume. Or buy a princess costume? Or try and re-work this one? What say you oh wise internet?

Whoa. That's a lot of pictures

In no particular order (because, dude, Blogger uploads pictures stupidly, and then I have to move the code to keep the pictures clickable, so just deal with it.)

Geoff and Hazel unpacked the Halloween decorations a while ago and Hazel found this: A GIANT LADY HAND! ACK!
Oh, and we went to the zoo. At the begining of October, I only remember because I got off work early because of the ground breaking for our new building. But, this zoo trip was special because we took the camera. Here is Hazel and mama on the elephant. She has never been brave enough to stand in front of the elephant while he sprays but this trip she did and it was hilarious. If I was a better mom, I would have video. One day you will have to come to the zoo with us and see it for yourself. And then keep it in your brain, because I will probably never make a video of it.
Oh, and Hazel sat on the rhino statue with NO HANDS! Oh, what a brave little girl.

And Hazel and Geoff rode on the carousel. Hazel is riding on the panda bear because she has a panda bear on her shirt. I love the little look in this picture.
Oh, and I was attacked by an alligator. Hazel jumped on the alligator's back and tried to scare it off with ummm....I got nothing. I don't know what she is doing. But, she obviously didn't care that I was being attacked.

Hazel normally hates the snake slide, but she went down it a couple of times. I think it helped that there was another little girl there.
Apparently we are done with the zoo. We had some packaging from ummm... a package? and Hazel found it and LOVED it. She dressed in it for days. And the kitty dressed in it. Good times. Maybe one day we will be able to afford real clothes for her (stupid economy) until then, she is happy wearing brown paper.

Oh, back to the zoo. We were being those gopher things. The name of which is currently escaping me. You know what I mean. At the zoo. With the faces. And they live in holes.
One day Hazel got in the Sharpies. Or Shapies as I call them. Geoff was having some asthma issues, laid now for a bit and this was the result. Hazel and the mermaid have matching drawings. ALL OVER! And the wall. And my computer desk. And probably other things we haven't found. And this was a while ago.

Hazel and Geoff found a praying mantis. And then it attacked. The praying mantis (or A praying mantis) reappeared today on our back window. Weird.
Just highlighting the fashion choices of my child.

And more.
Oh, and this was today. We went to the farmer's market and Hazel decorated a pumpkin. It was a witch.

Oh, the eyes fell off. Luckily, the mama has some glue and I was able to save the eyes. However, it is doubtful the pumpkin will ever be able to play the piano.
Tattoos: Oh, and we went to the bird zoo (aka Tracy Aviary) today for free day. Hazel was tired. Before the bird zoo (aka bird park) we walked to the game store (about 1.5 miles) and back and we walked around the farmer's market (see the above pumpkin) and we walked to the bird zoo. Thus, she was really tired. So tired, in fact, that she fell asleep about 6:30pm whilst we were lounging on the couch (Geoff is at work tonight) and has stayed asleep.
Geoff and Hazel skating board. They are super-cute. Notice Hazel's safety gear. She found Geoff's knee/elbow pads in a donate box.* She is in love with them.
A tea party with Dr. Evil.

Hazel adores Nacho.
The feeling is less than mutual.

*Okay, so we are in the process of buying a new house and let me tell you. It is a pain. We have nine years of junk accumulated in this house. NINE YEARS! That is a lot of stuff. And now we have to sort it, pack it, donate it, toss it and/or move it. Exhausting.