we're fans.

rise and shout!  

the cougars are out.

really missing our atlanta pho restaurant today.

her little personality.

i always knew our children would be stubborn.  just based on john's childhood stories, (like the one time his dad was holding his hand and john yanked his arm back in protest so hard that he dislocated his own shoulder!)  plus my own memory of my own head-strong nature as a child, (and let's be honest, john and i have not grown out of our stubbornness in adulthood anyway....) i thought there was no chance that we wouldn't get at least one child who knew his or her own mind. and boy, we did.

i have really enjoyed getting to know our little hazelnut's personality as she has increasingly shown it.  even though i spent 9 months growing her, i had no idea what she would be like until she came. and then, once she was here, i still felt like i didn't really know much about her - except that she was the sweetest little human i had ever held, and that i would love her forever.  but as she gets older, i have learned more and more about the lovely spirit that she is.  she is happy, loving, cuddly, patient (she gets that from her father), friendly (smiles/giggles at strangers), easy-going, darling (am i right?!) and definitely knows what she wants.  she is delightfully willful.  and i can't really be surprised.  (john and i have headstrong DNA i suppose....) 

hazel never hesitates to let me know what she doesn't want.  she has such an easy-going nature, but when something isn't right, she doesn't wait to tell you, in her own little way.  this stubbornness really came to light when we tried feeding her solid foods.  to be fair, some babies don't like solid foods at first.  and it was apparent that she definitely didn't.  but we persisted for a total of 3 days, and she resisted until the below video was filmed and i realized that my darling headstrong girl wasn't ready.  so we put a pin in it.  because really, there's no hurry (i really only started her because i wanted to be able to leave her with a babysitter at some point in the future... but alas!).

hazel therese, you are a delight!  can't wait to uncover more of your personality over the years.  it's a privilege to be your mother.

we hate solid foods! from Paige Brunt on Vimeo.

better late than never! hazelnut at six months.

someday home.

i dream of smooth, white walls.
i dream of peach trees and raspberry bushes in the backyard.
i dream of cozy homemade quilts and a good book by the fire.
i dream of hot chocolate, snuggles, and sleeping in.
i dream of falling asleep to the clash of waves.
i dream of bare feet on endless hardwood floors.
i dream of card games into the late hours of the night.
i dream of dancing to old records.
i dream of someday home.

happy sunday!

1.  17 lbs 10 oz 84%, 27in 92%

2.  my last picture of atlanta

3.  polka dots and the pool

4.  sneaky singing-time pic

5.  the atlanta temple

6.  hazel's jawa bath towel.  john says, "hoooteeenie!" the entire time she's wearing it!

7.  no caption necessary.

8.  frisbee golfing in roswell, one last time.

9.  a happy sight

10. another happy sight

aaaaand we're back.

whoa.  it took a long time for me to get back on the computer.  between unpacking, cleaning, and soaking up family time, we've literally had zero time to take pictures, let alone upload them!  but here i am, finally sitting down to document.  

what can i say about two plane rides with a 6-month old?  DON'T DO IT.  but honestly, if it wasn't in place of a 28-hour drive, it wouldn't have been worth it.  hazel is just not a flyer.  she screamed during the entire take-off of both flights.  lesson learned:  don't take a 6-month old on two flights in a row.  one is okay.  two is not.  and fly in the morning when she's happy.  

anyways, during the flight a really nice french woman that spoke zero english helped me with hazel. she held her while she screamed and i tried to get my crap together, and then distracted her later on when i was trying to do who knows what to keep her happy.  grateful for little french strangers that are willing to help out.  

the past week here we have mostly just spent time with family and helped a teething/post-shots baby hazel.  john is getting ready for mba school and i am all for this dry heat.  bring it on, utah!