A Golden Birthday

 Happy 24th Birthday to me! 😄

Despite being apart from family and friends in the valley I had the most wonderful day! Due to the long weekend Jared had Tuesday off which meant I got to spend lots of time with him and we got lots of projects done outside which is one of my favorite things to do. Hazel was a good girl and went down for her nap on time which always makes me happy, and in general she was really good all day (which was a huge improvement from the day before...). 

My 24th birthday started with a new routine: get up before Hazel and go for a little walk in the backyard with Jared, then Jared and I check on the chickens, let Nova out, play with her for a bit and get back inside before Hazel wakes up!

As we were finishing up breakfast Hazel let us know that she wanted to go outside by bringing Daddy his shoes! I'm still not sure how she manages to carry his shoes...but she has Daddy wrapped around her little finger and he can't say no. 😍

Raking up a few grassy patches here and there on the lawn. The wagon has come in very handy for pulling Hazel around, projects around the yard and sometimes both at the same time!

Hazel LOVES it outside! She will happily play with grass, dirt, sticks, go for wagon rides, walk around the yard, play with her water table and be carried around in the backpack carrier! 

In the afternoon we went to Art Knapp's to pick up a Fall Fiesta Maple tree, (which was one of the projects on the list anyways but I was super excited to get it on my birthday!) we also got some more soil for the tree and my garden. I was definitely hoping for a bit of a bigger tree.... but I'm still excited and hoping that it grows fast once we plant it!

Hazel helping unload the soil...

On Monday I finished planting my garden, the corn, green onions and beans that I started inside got moved outside. And on Tuesday we also got a tomato plant to finish it off. This year I planted beans, lettuce, carrots, green onions, corn, potatoes and tomatoes. I'm very curious to see how they all turn out!

At this point the only ones you can really see is the corn... 

To finish off my wonderful birthday day we went out for dinner at the Brizola Grill Restaurant, which is in the Super 8 Hotel. It was my ideal place to go out, super quiet (there might have been 3 tables used at a time), in a beautiful setting as the hotel has an atrium in it, and good sized meals that sent both Jared and myself home full!

Thanks again to everyone who sent happy birthday messages and card and phone calls. They were all very much appreciated and were the "icing on the cake" of my day! 

Chick Update

"How are the chicks doing?" Well, they are growing fast! After they were in their box for a few days we moved them into a crate so they had some more room to run around. They lasted for about 2 or 3 days in the crate before they were almost able to jump out and my house started to smell like chicken barn...

So Hazel and I set up the chicken coop that Jared and I put together in the shop about a week earlier. Hazel LOVED playing in the sawdust and throwing it around. She did discover that it doesn't taste very good though...

That evening the chicks got moved into the chicken coop.

Starting to get more adventurous

and bigger 

and more feathered

May 16 - just over 3 week old. At this point they have at least doubled if not tripled their size. 

May 18 - It's getting easier to tell which ones are which now. The lighter ones are the roosters and the darker ones are the hens. There are still quite a few that are in the middle and quite hard to tell so we will have to wait till they are older before we really know how much of each we have. 

I still loved watching them run around, not quite as cute as when they were little chicks, but still very entertaining. (Video Below)

Grandpa and Grandma's Quick PG Visit

 Grandpa, Grandma and Aunty Elise can up for a quick visit for Hazel's first birthday! They arrived early Monday afternoon, so we had most of the afternoon to spend together. Warming up with looking at some books.

It didn't take long of Hazel to warm up to the idea of having a constant playmate aka Aunty Elise

(Video Below)

Hazel's first present for her first birthday, one of many! Thanks to all who send cards and presents. All of which she has very much enjoyed. 

Eating crackers on the couch just like Aunty Elise, the things Mommy only let you do on your birthday...

Some down time reading books with Grandpa

Thanks again for coming all the way out to celebrate! Lots of precious memories were made. 

Hazel is One!

It's been a busy few days! But Hazel is ONE!

It has been quite the bumpy month. Sometimes sleeping through the night, sometimes not. Sometimes super happy and playing nice, sometimes screeching at mom all day. Sometimes eats well, sometimes throws it all on the floor... Hazel learned to walk just before she turned one which also led to lots of ups and downs... literally... 

But overall Hazel is a very sweet little girl and still has Daddy wrapped around her little finger. 

Me trying to take pictures of Hazel while ready books because the typically photo shoot isn't going so well as she likes to move around to much... didn't get to many smiles though as she was to captivated by the book...

With Hazels new abilities I re-did her play space again, so far it has been working very well and I think it look really cute as well. 

It has also worked out great for Jared as it is easier for him to lay on the floor and play with Hazel in the evenings, which has started to become quite the regular event 😍

I think is is one of my new favorite pictures 😍

Mother's Day

 

My first Mother's Day with Hazel, as last Mother's Day I was pregnant and had yet to meet my little baby. Hazel spoiled me by sleeping through the night on Saturday, so I was well rested for Sunday and she was also a very happy girl today.

Jared spoiled me a bit as well, he made all the meals today and got me a Mother's Day/Birthday present, a wagon! This is a very handy wagon as it has the ability to dump or tip like a dump truck, very helpful when moving dirt or debris around. 

Also might be quite fun for Hazel too!