{{some instas}}

hazel in the tub. from Paige Brunt on Vimeo.

this is hazel therese.

this is hazel therese.  she smiles at everyone in the grocery store, but particularly the old ladies that communicate with her in high-pitched baby-talk. 

she doesn't mind when i hold her like a newborn, as long as i'm also singing to her.  her favorite food is avocado.  she blows out of her diaper at least twice a day.  when she gets excited, she wildly kicks her legs.  lately, she scrunches up her nose and sticks out her tongue when she smiles.  her favorite book to read is 'pride and prejudice' {the 'little miss austen' version}.  she often tries to eat my face.  if i used one word to describe her, it would be 'happy'.  she has been so flexible with our ever-shifting schedules and lives.  even when she's teething, she laughs and coos all day.  {it's actually pretty adorable}.  she's in no hurry to roll-over or crawl.  and she begs to a sip of my coke zero anytime i am drinking it.

when people ask me what it's like to be a mom, i think they expect the answer, "it has brought me so much joy".  and really, it has, but that's not my knee-jerk answer.  deep down, i know that being a mom has made me so incredibly happy, but that's not what i think about each and every day.  no, when someone asks me what it's like to be a mom, i tell them that being a mom is just so much fun!  because day in and day out, that's what i'm thinking about most.  i think about how gosh darn fun it is to take care of/love/play with my little girl.  

hot pot.

we celebrated our anniversary by going to hot pot. if you aren't familiar with hot pot, you should be. you pick tons of raw veggies and meat and cook them in a steaming spicy pot of broth right in front of you, and pull the yumminess out with chopsticks and eat it as it gets done.... probably my favorite eating experience. it tops hibachi grills, but only just barely. 

we didn't get a babysitter, but luckily hazelnut was her angel self and our dinner was wonderful with her. we finished the night with cocoa bean cupcakes (snicker doodle and pumpkin, thank you very much), and the breaking bad series finale.

it's funny to think about how we have celebrated, just monetarily, each anniversary thus far. the first year we ate at ruth's chris and probably spent $130. second year, tepanyaki $70. third year, four seasons hot pot $40. next year we'll probably make pb&js and call it good. ;)

conference weekend.

we have lots of family and friends in town this week.  which is really exciting for me, since most weeks i am just sitting around, entertaining a baby, going to the grocery store and cleaning. typically in that order.  it has been so fun to see jordan and christina and meet their darling baby girl for the first time!  she is so sweet.  

as is necessary when people are in town, you have to make lots of treats and keep your fridge and pantry stocked.  {or at least i do.  i have discovered that food is my primary love language.  eeek!}

so far, i have made this, and this.  and i plan on making this before the weekend's out.  and maybe this with strawberries.  we'll see where the wind takes us.

also, did you know that looking at too many pictures of food can actually make that food less appetizing and enjoyable to eat?  who knew?  just so you know, this will in no way affect how much i post pictures of food on instagram or the blog.  consider it helpful to your dieting aspirations if you must.  you're welcome.

this is john brunt.

he loves dancing goofy to get me to laugh, he makes a mean breakfast burrito, and he's always up for an adventure.  he owns twenty pairs of pants but only wears two of them.  he is so patient he could watch grass just to see it grow.  he has to listen to a song at least three times to decide if he really likes it.  he can only grow a neck-beard.  he hates that he can only grow a neck-beard.  he hates it when i pop a zit.  he spends way too much time playing games on his phone.  his diet would consist of cereal, take-out, and hot-pockets if i didn't intervene.  he has several must-see tv shows.  he reads jack reacher novels.  he wishes he could be jack reacher. 

he also happens to be my husband.  and for all the wonderful things about him that i love,{and also the things that i have had to learn to love}, i am grateful.  i have grown to love him so much more than i did that first day i saw him - across the room at jordan's birthday party.... dressed in a long black winter peacoat.... awkward with a little bit of red stubble on his face.  that twitterpation has deepened to a love i cannot express nor could i have ever imagined.  if you had told me, when we were newly married, that infatuation wouldn't linger, i would have told you that you were crazy.  and here i am, post-baby and three years of marriage, and i am telling you, that infatuation is still there.  as is the strength and love of going through trials and challenges together.  the bond of making and taking care of a child together.  the faith and charity that comes from trying to be like the Savior together.  

so happy three years, john brunt.  thanks for making me the happiest woman in the world, three years in a row.  that must be some kind of record or something...

welcome, october.

october is one of my favorite months.  i love when the leaves begin to turn, i love whipping out my scarves and boots, making chex mix, not shaving my legs (shhhh!), and i get excited about the holidays that are on the way.  plus, our anniversary is today!  so, yay!  welcome, october.