25

Mar

Playing Dress-Up

This week, while Hazel's babysitter is (STILL) on vacation, I have been trying to get a big head start on packing, since I cannot do school work while she's awake.  The house is a wreck, I am crazy stressed out, and Hazel keeps finding the scissors or tape dispenser with its sharp metal teeth.  Then she does something like this:

While I'm not an idealist, meaning that this kind of silly stuff makes all my stress melt like butter, it does help some.  I mean, look at her!  This picture sucks because she was dancing and would not stay still.  That is pretty cute, people.
PS – Hazel added another word to her repertoire today:  "poo-poo."  And every time she says it she laughs.  And I do too.  

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20

Mar

St. Patrick’s Day Stroll in Clinton

Today Clinton had one of many annual "strolls," during which lots of people come into town, there's food everywhere, and Hazel and I walk around looking at everyone.  This stroll was the first St. Patrick's Day event, so it was a little confusing, but still fun.  There was a potato contest, which Amos entered by making his Uncle Charlie Brown's famous brown potatoes (yes, he for real had an uncle named Charlie Brown).  This recipe basically consists of pounds and pounds of onions cooked down into a dark brown deliciousness that we use to cover roasted potatoes.  Little salt, little pepper, and it's perfect!  He didn't win, however.  I don't know whether it's funny or crazy that a casserole featuring potatoes, cheese, and Rice Krispies actually won and his potatoes did not…you decide!  

Hazel in the park, walking around and watching the crowd.
Amos at the table, handing out potatoes to everyone (the pizza was from another person).
Hazel, watching the crowd and having a snack.

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19

Mar

Spring!

Now that we can go outside, I'm back to taking 88 pictures of Hazel per day!!

springspringspring

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17

Mar

AH!!! Best March 16th EVER IN HISTORY.

WE ARE MOVING BACK TO ALABAMA!!!!

Amos has taken a position with Athens State University in Athens, Alabama that will begin in August, although possibly during the summer semester.  This awesome location is 3 hours from my grandparents, 6 hours from Amos's entire family, and 0 hours from my mom & stepdad, little brother, stepsister, and all three nephews!  How awesome is that?!  
BEST NEWS EVER.

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16

Mar

Hazel’s Future’s so Bright…

…she's gotta wear shades.

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15

Mar

Food, again.

I have been talking about food or teeth on this blog for the last 70 thousand entries, and today the theme continues.  Many of you know that Amos and I are interested in food, real food; he likes to make his own sourdough starter, and I like to make super healthy baby food.  For the past few months, as Hazel has transitioned into eating everything we do, the things we do eat that are unhealthy seem just so, so much worse.  We definitely do not give those things to her, but seeing her get upset about not sharing all that we have has made me adamant that we need to further refine the way that we eat.  Thus, I cook now.  The interest that started when Hazel started eating solid foods has sparked into a full-on blazing inferno.

Today's foray into the kitchen began when I read this cool recipe for the "Too Many, but Just Enough Ingredients, Veggie Stew" on one of my favorite blogs, "Healthy.  Happy.  Life."  I tried to make this last week and it was delicious; today I wanted to make it again with a few changes:  I wanted to cook the roux longer and slower, leave out the pasta and rice, and change up the vegetable a bit based on what we have here.
So, the roux.  This is difficult for everyone except Emeril, right?  
Is that a roux?  I cooked it forEVER, even called Mama for advice, but it didn't get darker.  Luckily it still tasted good. And, uh, yeah, that's Fleet Foxes.  I kind of forgot about the sound.
Anyway!
I took a few pictures, since I had the camera out and ready.
Veggie StewVeggie StewVeggie Stew

Hazel wanted to help, but she was busy eating the inside of a samosa Amos made yesterday with a side of graham cracker.
Later, though, we had some fun putting her doll's hat on and watching it fall to the floor.

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14

Mar

All Teeth Considered

When thinking of recent Hazel news, I realized that the common thread of this week's happenings all related to her mouth.  We have continually been in the throes of teething joy, which all you moms and dads and nannies and grandparents need no elaboration upon.  Hazel now sports four bottom teeth, four top teeth, and four potential molars pressing on her poor gums.  Daily Tylenol and wine help.  I'll let you decide who gets what medication.

The bad news is that she's starting biting people!!  My sweet daughter attacked a friend at the babysitter's house with her sharp little fangs a couple of days ago, and she *just* got out of a 10-minute time-out for nipping me during playtime this morning.  Are we entering the "terrible two" phase?  Does it really start at 19 months???  Ok, I know it does; since I got pregnant parents have talked to me about their kids' behavior, and how you really don't know how your child will develop and react.  The biting incident bothers me more than anything else so far, just because she's actually hurting someone else.  Hopefully we can nip this in the bud right away.  Yes, pun intended.
The last little bit of the oral trifecta I'm slinging this morning is the cooking lesson Hazel just gave me.  It basically starts with finding something in the kitchen and then putting it in your mouth.
Cooking_01Cooking_02Cooking_03Cooking_04Cooking_05

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11

Mar

Snowless Sidewalks!

It's been warming up a little here (although a March snowfall isn't totally crazy), and so the sidewalks are gloriously free of snow!!!  While the green still has some snow piled up, we have been letting Hazel walk outside a little the past couple of days.  Yesterday I tried to take a new picture of her, and this classic Hazel expression is what I got 🙂

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10

Mar

Speaking of socks…

The only thing I'm knitting in the midst of all my school work is a pair of socks for Hazel.  This is going to be the year of socks and mittens, by the way.  Tonight I finished one of the pair, and so I had to share even though the other has yet to be made.  

I made up the pattern, which is really simple, and got help on the sizing based on a chart one of my knitting friends gave me.  They are purposefully a bit big, as I hope they will fit best in the upcoming spring and really through next winter.  And now for the funny part:
Despite the finger in the mouth, Hazel is actually crying here because I am not letting her hold the camera.  Little photographer 😀

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09

Mar

Talking!

Hazel has been saying (or attempting) a TON of new words, including the following:

    • bellybutton (she can point this out, too)
    • car
    • two
    • hello
    • Hazel
    • baby
    • Donna (her sitter's name)
She is so CUTE when she's trying to copy us.  Last night we were asking her questions which were all answered by "car," so it was really funny for us to hear her 'talking' with us.  Also, she has been showing a lot of interest in this baby doll that her Papaw (my stepdad) gave her.  This baby gets 88 time-outs a day, sits in the high chair, partakes of Hazel's graham crackers, and sleeps with her now (although cover-less; Hazel snatches the cover away from her every night and laughs like a maniac).
She is just growing so quickly now.  I thought, when she was smaller, that things happened too fast, but this is like light speed compared to those early months.  Seriously, I can't keep up!  
Oh, one more new thing!!  We live in an apartment at the top of a staircase, which we let Hazel crawl up and down when we are going somewhere (of course, with one of us behind her).  Yesterday Amos took Hazel to work with him (it's his Spring Break) where he worked with her on walking up and down the stairs holding his hand and the hand rail, and she was ecstatic apparently!  I can tell that she's thrilled when she successfully does something we do, and this is a big one.  :)

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