We're so glad you're here!
Posted on | April 21, 2014 | 5 Comments
It's a GIRL! I'm beyond thrilled to introduce the newest member of our family... welcome Juniper Louise. She was born Friday night, 4-18-14 at 10:10 pm weighing a surprising 8 lb 8 oz (Hazel was only 6 lb 14!), and 20 inches long. She has long dark hair and is the spitting image of baby Hazel, we've even called her Hazel a few times. The birth was nothing short of magical, and we were home a few short hours after & have been doing well since. I'll leave you with a couple of pictures from her first 24 hours.
A 100 Acre Wood birthday bash!
Posted on | February 15, 2014 | No Comments
I may be a week or two late, but I wanted to share with all of you Hazel's 2nd birthday bash with her best bud Sawyer. Sawyer's mom and I decided to do a joint birthday since our girls were born just days apart (same due date!), and both love Winnie the Pooh. So we put our creative minds together (haha) and came up with this! My heart fills with joy looking through these photos - from the lovely weather to our awesome guests, it was a perfectly amazing day.
The above sign was actually at the end of our long driveway that meanders through the woods! Kind of bummed I didn't snap a photo of it in that location.
All of the props in the above photo were for our 'photo booth,' a silly idea I thought at first but we got some memorable shots out of it!
Because a keg is a necessity for boys in the pacific northwest, even at a 2 year olds party!
Hazel actually started crying before we lit the candles as all she could think of was 'eat. cake. now!' Fortunately once the candles were lit, she loved all of us singing (so much that she almost burned her hand grabbing the candle, despite our practice at blowing candles out the day before).
Can you tell my kid doesn't get sugar very often? This is her first time eating a real cake, as last years cake was more of a banana bread.
Friends forever!
The only unfortunate part about having a birthday bash in February is illness - of course all six toddlers and three infants that attended came down with RSV about 3-5 days after our party! A little influenza followed by RSV is no way to spend the first 6 weeks of 2014, I promise you. Fortunately we are mostly healthy now (mom & dad now have it). Just getting illness out of the way before the new bundle joins us in 2 short months!
Two times around the sun!
Posted on | January 31, 2014 | 3 Comments
Can you believe this little lady turns TWO tomorrow? She's a total book nerd these days (she demanded the glasses, by the way) & the theme of her party is Winnie the Pooh. Can't wait to share it with all of you!
Redwood Love
Posted on | May 25, 2013 | 2 Comments
Oh my friends, we had such a magical trip to the redwoods for my birthday at the beginning of this month. I had grand plans to share photos with you earlier but as soon as we got back we both jumped back into work, and then this week Hazel has been cutting four teeth (canines & molars, oww!) and she also has a pretty bad cold, which of course I caught. We are officially on the mend now, however. Hooray!
The weekend started off with a four hour drive to our destination - Jedidiah Smith National Forest in Northern California. We stayed with friends that live on the bank of the Smith River, and from their doorstep to the redwoods are just a few miles away.
Day 1 we got there in the late afternoon and it was an unseasonable 90 degrees outside, so all of us headed to the river to have a fire and roast some weenies on the beach. It was my birthday that day, and I was so full of joy and feeling so loved.
Day 2 we hiked to some of the largest redwoods, or so our tour guide (aka our buddy!) said. They were a bit off the beaten track and I wish the first photo below did it justice. Later that afternoon we headed to another friends house, they live 'off the grid' on the Smith River. We lounged on the beach most of the day, then ended the evening with brick fired pizza and home made ice cream by lantern. Another successful day!
Day three we were supposed to go home but we decided to stay just one more day. We woke that morning and went to stout grove, just the three of us. I'm not sure why but it was one of my favorite parts of the trip! Hazel hiked further than I've ever seen her hike before, and she was so in awe of all of the trees, pointing at each and every redwood.
Later that afternoon it rained, but we didn't let that stop us from doing one more hike.
Day 4 we headed home, but not before hitting up the beach! Brad went ocean fishing with his buddy that am and they caught a salmon, which we happily took home with us. I'm pretty sure the beach was Hazel's favorite part of the trip - she was sooo giddy, laughing and running on the sand! I think she loved the fact that she could run and if she fell it didn't hurt?
She found a hot wheel (above), which absolutely made her afternoon!
I will be surprised if anyone got to the end of this, and thank you if you did! Definitely put the redwoods on your bucket list if you haven't already.
...
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves."
~John Muir
- April
- I am a RN & natural momma in the Pacific Northwest, married to a beautiful man I adore. Nature is my niche, animals get me. I read and I write, I hike and I love photography. Welcomed our daughter Hazel Annan earthside in February 2012 after three years of infertility & our second miracle daughter Juniper Louise in April 2014.
