Hazel and The Beach

After months and months of waiting we finally made a trip out to the beach! And it was just as fantastic as we'd hoped it would be - the weather was just right. It rained during the night but remained dry during the days, and even warm! There was a bit of a wind, but nothing truly outrageous.

For March, it was lovely.



We stayed in Twin Rocks again and took Hazel to God's Finger, Oswald West, and Cannon Beach. I think we'll hit Nehalem, Seaside, and North Beach on our next trip...which is in only a few weeks! Tis the season for beach trips...

We really enjoyed packing Hazel around. It was tiring but we took it in turns and had a blast. We discovered a new place to buy excellent fish and chips in Cannon Beach, so Nate is really looking forward to our next trip out there.

God's Finger:





Oswald West:





Cannon Beach:





Rockaway:




Even thought it looks like we hit all these beaches in one day, well, okay so we did. It was a busy trip. We were late in getting out there so we really only had Sunday to trek around to all the stops we wanted to make. Hazel was a trooper!

Hazel and the Tulip

These pictures are from probably a month an a half ago - I fully intended to post them promptly, but of course I didn't. Don't worry, I think I'll begin to get much better at this now that I'm no longer working at Starbucks. Did I mention that? Oh yes, handed in the green apron...I'm glad to be home with Hazel now. Not that my hours really took away from her, they were so limited. I was working three or four mornings a week 4:30am to 8:30am. When I returned from work, Hazel and I would lay down and nap together for a couple hours and then our day would really begin in the afternoon. I rarely spent any quality time with Nate - I'd fight to get into bed by 8:30 or 9pm most nights. But now I sleep as long into the morning as Hazel will let me, and right now she's napping while I'm updating this blog! Nate and I have been able to catch up and hang out together the last three evenings and it's been wonderful. So the world looks a little brighter with this simple change of a job.

Back to the pictures. Hazel sat with Nate one morning while we had breakfast together and it was *cute, fun, adorable, wonderful* (all sorts of girly terms can be used here).

for the love of little girls

Hazel's Dedication

She's such a wonderful little girl, I just have to start by saying that. It was such a blessing to have her dedicated at church. We set aside Sunday, March 15th, and invited some friends and family to join us to celebrate her dedication.

Hazel did well! She didn't spit up, toot, or fill her pants while Pastor Brett held her and prayed. He mentioned several times how adorable and "comfy" she is, which only caused my heart to swell to the bursting point.



We had lunch at Macaroni Grill following the service...




I have to take the opportunity to mention here that Hazel is mesmerized by Grandma Jo's voice. She stills and stares whenever Grandma Jo speaks to hear - it's fascinating to watch Hazel's very physical response to Grandma's voice.


When we got home from church and lunch, I took some pictures of Hazel. With every day that passes, Hazel becomes prettier. Or so her parents think. Every time Nate returns home from work, he comes to kiss us hello, and he stares her in the eyes, pauses, and then says, "Yup, you're cuter. How'd you do it, girl?"

A smattering of events.

First, a very nice cleaning and paint job was done at our new house! We had Stephen helping Nate practically every day to finish the paint job by the time we had a crew in to clean. Things looked so pristine before we moved in - it was amazing and we are so grateful for all the help we had, both cleaning and moving. The before and after pictures are so different...




Second, Maggie was born, a much looked forward to event! Of course, you can't tell from Hazel's expression. Congratulations to friends Adam and Julia!





Third, Nathaniel's due date sprang up on us; March 13th marked year two of his missed due date. We visited his grave with Hazel after picking up some flowers from New Seasons. It feels weird to not set aside an entire post and dedicate it to him on this day that was so important to us, but it also feels like healing that I can post only one picture and not feel guilty about it. God is good.


Hazel's dedication is coming up! We're so excited and I can't wait to share pictures from the event.

Oh, and about Hazel's blankie, I wasn't kidding. A parting picture to make you chuckle.

Going back a bit.

These few pictures are from Nate's birthday this past January. I think they're kinda fun.

Hazel and her blankie.

Hazel has become incredibly attached to my old blankie, one that I used to sniff while I sucked my fingers. A couple weeks ago I thought it would be cute if she liked it - I haven't really been able to get it away from her since...

She grasps it in both hands and pulls it straight up over her head to cover her face. It's a show to behold. And at night when I wake up with her, she's clutching it like a lifeline. I'm loving that my old blankie is being loved on all over again!

Hazel as she is today.

Just to hold you over until I can reclaim the camera...






(She jumped sky hgh at the flash initially. I about peed my pants from laughing at her reaction. I'm mean.)

So we've moved! And yesterday we got our Internet finally set up so I'm back online...

I have pictures to post of the house before we moved all our junk in. And then, as rooms are completed, I'll post pictures of those as well!

Things are moving slowly here. It's taking mucho time to get things out of boxes and put in their rightful places. My day was made yesterday when Nate mounted our curtain rods and hung the curtains. Of course, I'd washed the curtains but not ironed them so everything is super wrinkly, but they're up! I decided to take them down one at a time to iron them and make things look really good around here. I can't find my dining room table - I can sure find all the boxes around it, and I can even get a peek at its four legs, but it's been awhile since I've seen the top. Someday...

Hazel is doing really well. She's growing like crazy, and her cheeks are beginning to even out. We're going to neurotherapy weekly to work out the torticollis (sp?) on her neck. Those weekly appointments are a surprise and blessing. They're being scholarshiped to Hazel - her PT feels that she really needs them but they're highly priced. Beyond our ability to pay. It's been a special gift from God that we're able to take Hazel to these appointments. The clinic is being so good to us.

(Oh, Necia, you know the PT - her name is Crystal and she was a grade behind you at Pacific. SMALL WORLD!)

Crystal shows me new exercises to do with Hazel at every appointment. We're teaching her to turn her head to both sides equally. Torticollis keeps her from turning her head to the right - at least it's hard for her. We're working to loosen the tightened, shortened muscles on the right side of her neck so that she can turn her head with ease; the ability to turn her head to the right will enable to use her right hand and arm more effectively, too.

Usually the pediatrician wouldn't catch torticollis until 8 or 9 months of age, but our pediatrician is a wonder and caught it early. So we're on the ball now and Hazel is improving! We're not sure how long we'll be going to these PT appointments - minimal, 6 weeks, maximum, she's walking.

It's a kick in the pants to watch Hazel at the therapy sessions, though - she's not a huge fan of Crystal because Crystal touches her neck. She doesn't like her neck being touched so she bunches up her fists and tightens into a near ball. I probably shouldn't laugh, but the look on Hazel's face kills me. So now we're working on "fun touching" of her neck (tickling and playing) rather than all business touching (stretching and cleaning out her crevices).

Okay, Hazel is chatting loudly next to me and wanting my attention. So now I'm off!

Quick Trip

Man, my brain is fried. I'm sitting here trying to remember when we took this trip, but I can't! I think it was two Sundays ago. Nate's been busy working the other six days of the week, so Sunday makes sense. I'll pretend it was Sunday.

So on Sunday, January 25th, we decided to get out of the house after listening to a sermon pod cast - Nate let me sleep through the alarm. I was exhausted. We decided to brave the cold and take Hazel to Multnomah Falls. I dressed her to the max - thick tights, a onesie, fleece jammies, 2 pairs of socks, a coat, and a hat, not to mention the two blankets I was prepared to wrap her in.

Even with all of her layers we never got her out of the car at the falls. It was so cold, made even worse by the strong Gorge wind that was blowing. We'll go back when the weather is a bit calmer, I think.

[Nate driving]


[Hazel sleeping in the back seat]


[Um, me]

After the falls, though, we headed out to Mom and Dad's hangar to see them. It was a long drive from the Gorge, but it was fun - the poor plane looked like it had been in a wreck, though. It's going through it's annual physical examination. Poor plane has no privacy.

I have some fun pictures that are stuck on the camera right now. I'll find a way to get them off soon! I especially want to show you some before and after photos of the house. So exciting!