{kisses} - i love teaching her tricks!

kisses. from Paige Brunt on Vimeo.

i'm going to wax philosophical here for a second folks.

as hazel grows and develops, and as i have been working at a rehab facility, i have noticed a pattern. the development for babies and the elderly is the same, just reversed.  hazel learned to lift her head, then to grab things, then sit up, then crawl, then feed herself, then walk.  and soon, she will learn to talk and go potty and do all kinds of things for herself.  as she gains function, i notice my sweet elderly patients losing some- in almost the exact reverse order that she gains it.  it must be difficult to feel your abilities slowly slipping away. and each day i work, i feel for the few my patients that are in that stage of life.  it must be scary and frustrating at times.  it is my job to help them, and help hazel to smoothly transition from one functionality to the next, and it's a daunting task.  each day i am saying a silent prayer that i will do and say the right things.  at times, i fear i fall very short.  but i am appreciating the things i learn from each one of the people in work with.  i believe even more now in God's goodness and His plan for each of us.  He has provided a way for us to return to him.  not only that - but He has provided us with unlimited happiness, if we only follow His life example.  He has said, "i am the resurrection and the life.  he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." {john 11:25}

things hazel loves:

i've been doing these love life posts for awhile now.

and the other day i was thinking about all the things that hazel loves, and how i want to remember her quirky cuteness forever.  so, here is a list of things 11-month-old hazel loves.

holding/playing with/eating socks
unfolding the laundry right after i've folded it
pointing at clocks
eating avocados and asparagus
dancing to music {particularly her mozart cube}
pitching a fit when i stop her from wrecking something {like my mother in-law's alphabetized dvd collection}
scrunching up her nose and smiling at strangers
trying to stick her fingers in my mouth when nursing
dogs
reading books
diet coke {i am semi-responsible for this}
baby einstein
holding my phone
bedtime snuggling

snapshots of life lately.

the battle has begun.

this is the face of a baby/toddler that won't eat her food.

this little bug has been refusing table food lately.  it's been a battle of wits as she puts everything i give her in her mouth, and then promptly spits it out! even ice cream. you heard me. ice cream. she must suspect that i'm planning on weaning her in the next few months, and has retaliated in full-force. 

i guess i shouldn't be complaining, since she had always been an amazing nurser and i haven't had to worry about her getting the nutrition she needs.  i'm backing off for now, and hoping that she'll be ready to take it down a notch in a few weeks (the nursing, i mean, because i love it, but i don't want it to be forever ya know). we are raising a stubborn child, and sometimes i think it's very lucky for her that she's so cute. ;) 

motherhood is...

motherhood is sleepless nights.
motherhood is making food or cleaning it up, pretty constantly.
motherhood is praying for the energy to keep up with a budding toddler.
motherhood is being a nurse, a psychiatrist, a teacher, and a maid all in one.
motherhood is a thorough exercise routine.
motherhood is a full-time job.

but motherhood is also....
snuggles in the middle of the night.
the privilege of loving and caring.
fun, and spontaneous, amazing, and infinitely worthwhile.
feeling close to a perfect little someone in a way that only a mother can understand.
and so, so rewarding.


what is motherhood, to you?

the things we do when john has a school break.

the sea of hormones has ebbed. and it feels sooooo good being myself again, i can't even tell you! now for some documentation.

the mba school has these "breaks" that are meant for first-years to find internships for the summer and second-years(that's us!) to find jobs if they haven't already. but since my stud-muffin already has a full-time offer(hurray!), we have had him all to ourselves the past few days. six days off from school, i tell you! what wonderful things are we to do? 

we went and saw "sacred gifts" at the byu museum of art. i snuck this picture but there was zero flash and there are pics of this all over the web, right? the exhibit was amazing, and free. if you live within an hour or less of byu I say it's totally worth it!

we had a gift card to outback that's been sitting on our fridge for months. we finally decided to use it! will you just look at her face? i can't begin to estimate the beautiful relationship these two have, and i don't ever plan to.

and finally, we went up to honey and papa's house to hang out and show off our new tricks. excited to see what the next few days will hold.