The Rest of the {December} Story

After recapping the highlights (and low lights) of December, there are still so many little things that I want to record about December.

Actually, let's start with a few November pictures. Hazel using Jason's head as a pillow (he was totally asleep).

Jason tries really hard to be home on Monday night for FHE, but that doesn't always work out. This particular night, we had popcorn and green smoothies for dinner while watching Planet Earth. My girls loved it.

This simple, silly moment is what makes life so great. Hazel thought me taking licks of her lollipop was the funniest thing ever. Her little giggle was priceless.

I took Margo to Costco with us. Everyone thought her and Hazel were twins. No, in fact, they are nearly 15 months apart. Margo screamed a lot (thanks to an undetected poopy diaper) and at one point, her pacifier fell down and rolled under one of the food pallets. You can imagine what a site I was on my hands and knees trying to get it (don't worry Angela, I sucked the dirt off). Once I finally got checked out, I loaded everything into my car and pulled it to the front to load some tables and chairs I'd bought. When I opened the back of my car, my tomatoes fell out and every single one rolled out of the container. And, I spent my record (by a long shot) on that trip. It was kind of eventful and I was pretty happy with myself for not crying.

We went to see the lights at the temple the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I don't think I've ever gone that early in the year and while it was still pretty crowded, it was so nice not to be freezing cold. I love lights. I think I always will. They make everything more magical. I also thought about being there two years ago while I was in labor with Hazel.

Since Jason shredded our sheets with his feet, I've been on the hunt for the perfect sheets. Perfect means super, super soft for super, super cheap. I found some at Marshall's after staring at the sheets for about 30 minutes. As I was walking to the checkout, I noticed a tiny little slice in the plastic package and a tiny little slice in the sheet, the obvious damage of a box cutter. I put them back on the shelf and left, frustrated that I wasted all that time. I kept looking and several weeks later, I found some at Costco (not their brand - that's what we had last time and they didn't last very long) and bought them. I took them home and threw the fitted sheet on the bed, only to find this:

Are you serious?? The chances. Fortunately, Costco still had some in stock so I was able to exchange them.


We got our tree up right at the beginning of December. Hazel loved helping decorate. She'd find a chosen spot on the tree and deposit every single ornament there.

I hate setting my tree up. I bought it for $5 at a garage sale from a lady in my old ward. I think we've had it for 5 years and when I bought it, she said it was about 25 years old. In the middle of setting it up this year, I marched into our bedroom and told Jason he better go set it up fast before I go buy a new one. I have been planning on buying a new one for years. The problem is, I think I'm going to wait until after Christmas and get a really good deal, and then they are gone by that point. Our tree really isn't too bad, but it sheds like a real tree and it's super short and really fat. I need a nice, tall slender one for this house. Let's see if I chicken out again next year, but I really hope this is the last year we have that tree.

Just a random note to my mom from Clara (I love (!!) seeing how she spells things.

Der gram I hav Bin vre good this wer I lov you vre meth (for anyone that can't read a 5 year old's writing: Dear Grandma, I have been very good this year. I love you very much.).

We are kind of lazy on Sunday morning. We hang out in bed as a family for a really long time. I love hearing the kids giggle from Jason. Pure happiness.

We got our first two 3-D movies in December.

These birds line the wires this time of year for hundreds, possibly thousands, of feet. And I also want to point out the beautiful sky. Thank you, Arizona.

Where are the fashion police when you need them?

We, like everyone else, have been so sick this winter. Like sicker than ever, no exaggeration. One night Hazel had a fever and absolutely refused to go in her crib. She's never done that before and I couldn't resist her with her rosy, hot cheeks. I was up until 5am working and staring at her in all her preciousness.

Clara learned to shoot a bow (and was quite proud of herself).

Clara went to a birthday party.

I started a new client in December - Jack-in-the-Box. It's really close to my dad, so him and Dave have met me for lunch a few times. It's pretty fun, even when they are acting like teenage boys and staring at their phones while we're having a conversation.

Daniel and Ashley came for a visit

And lots of other girls attacked Daniel

I took Clara to see the Nutcracker. She loved it and it was better than I expected, although next year it would be fun to splurge and see a professional production.

I can't really remember what led up to this, but one night Lilly turned into a donkey and Clara turned into Mary. 

We went to Bass Pro Shop to see Santa and I was reminded how much Hazel hates looking at the camera.

See? Every single picture.

One morning I took my kids to Wal Mart in their pajamas and bought McDonald's for them to eat in the shopping cart. I posted it on Instagram and my dad said: That awkward moment when you realize YOU are the people of Wal Mart.

And Hazel stamped her upper lip over and over and over.

We delivered Martinelli's for neighbor gifts and Clara took every single one to the door. She asked me what she should say and I said, "Sing, 'We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year'". So she did. To every single house. Then she followed it up with, "Love the Penrods!" We ran out of time our first night and then our bout of strep throat came just two days later, so we never did finish handing out the Martinelli's. The extra bottles are still sitting on my kitchen counter.

Now that February has begun, I hope this is my last post about events in 2012. It's about time I move on.

Rachel & Kids Come for a Visit

Also on the 26th, Rachel and her kids arrived from Utah. I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but I love that since Hazel's birthday is the day after Christmas, Rachel and her family have been here every year to celebrate, including the year she was born. I can never really describe how much I love hanging out with my sisters. It doesn't matter how infrequently we talk or see each other, our roots go beyond our time here on this earth, and I can feel it when I spend time with them. Rachel was here for about a week and we ate out every chance we got. Sometimes the food was better than others, but always the company was great.

The after party. We are a book obsessed family, in case this picture doesn't make that obvious.

Casey Anne reading a book to most of the kids.

While Clara reads by herself. I love how social she is, but also that she is totally and completely fine hanging out by herself.

Lunch at Joe's BBQ.

Dinner at Gallo Blanco. The salmon was good, but the roasted vegetables were incredible. I think about them all the time.

Cousins flocking around Aunt Lilly.

I asked Annie if she could help me get Hazel to smile so she walked over to Hazel and tried her hardest to pull those cheeks out enough to get a smile on her face.

Lunch at Backyard Tacos (for the second time).

Lunch at Zupas on New Year's Eve Day. My dad saves all his change and then takes us all out to lunch when a bunch of us are together. Lunch for 20 people? That's a lot of change.

Playing in the cultural hall at a church.

Obviously only 1/4 of these children are trained to obey my voice. :)

Little twins.

For New Year's Eve we started the night at my parent's. Oh wait, first, Rachel made me dinner. She made us Superfood Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette. It was delicious. Okay, back to my mom's. Things got a little out of control with the push-up contest. 

 

We then took our party to Debbie's house.

They had fireworks.

And my all-time favorite: sparklers.

 

Clara still wasn't feeling super great, so about 10:30pm, we headed home. Oh yeah, it was also FREEZING and the fireworks made Hazel cry (so Aunt Angela saved her and took her inside). Jason was also sick and stayed at my mom's to watch sports and had already gone home. It was the first year I remember not caring if I was up until Midnight. I think the sicknesses over the holidays just wore me out. I am excited for a new year. I love the refreshing thoughts that come with the start of a new year.

Earlier that week, Clara and Lucas began planning a tea party. We decided New Year's Day would be the best day to have it, so that's what we did. It was absolutely darling to watch these kids plan and prepare for it. They took it super serious. They handmade invitations and handed them to all their cousins and even a few friends we ran into when we were out to lunch. Then, Rachel and I helped them make butterfly and flower sandwiches, apple slices with bear cores, bunny cucumbers and chick cheese. Please take a minute to look at Lucas' menu. First word: pampkakes. He wanted pancakes so bad. 

 

Dinner at Cantina Laredo

On Rachel's last day, we hiked up "our mountain". I think it's known as Spook Hill to everyone else, but it's close to our old house, so Clara has always called it our mountain. Rachel let Lucas wear his PJ's, so I let Clara. How's that for responsible parenting, just do what everyone else does? It wouldn't have been too bad except that Clara's pants were a good four inches too short. But no one cared. It was a beautiful, sunny day and we had a nice little hike.

 

It was a bit windy up the mountain (I always feel a little silly calling it a mountain because it's more like a hill or a knoll) and Hazel wanted to be held the entire time. I think I had some extra energy from who knows where because I hiked most of the way up with her (Rachel saved me at the end) and hiked down with her. Good thing she's light.

 

Lucas has mastered photo-bombing.

After the hike, Angela, Rachel, Margo and I went to Windsor for lunch. Sometimes you just need a burger, right? It was huge and delicious and the perfect way to spend our last day with Rachel (until next time).

I don't think I've ever not been able to get Margo to smile. She loves me so much. Unless I'm babysitting.

Rachel said: I'm going to remember how I feel right now.

 

And then, she left.

Hazel Turns 2

Hazel turned two on December 26th. She was sick on her birthday, but we celebrated anyway. We had our family dinner at Angela and Clint's that night and we sung to Hazel (and Angela and Clara) with dessert.

Two year olds are fun. Hazel loves to be a little stinker, and smiles and laughs when she is. However, when I'm patient/calm enough to give her two options and I'm not emotionally charged, she usually makes the good choice instead of choosing time out. It is so hard for me to sit back and let her make her choices. I imagine this will become immensely more difficult when she's a teenager. If you tell her to share, she doesn't always. If you tell her it makes people feel happy and it's nice and walk away, she'll do it. She's also started to notice these things without any prompting from us and I love seeing her notice someone that wants something and sharing. She thinks telling me she's happy will get her out of taking a nap or going to bed and when I tell her no, she quickly says just what she wants over and over instead of asking for it. For example, she begins with, "Mommy, banana please." If I tell her no, she'll ask again, I tell her no again and in a demanding voice she sternly says, "banana!" After everything I say. She loves to color, loves to wear shoes, still loves to destroy things (although she's getting better at helping me clean up) and loves to strut around the house. Her little walk alone makes me smile daily. She waddles, she puffs out her chest and walks around like she owns us. She eats well, sleeps well and is just all around a little ball, or string bean rather, of joy. 

She ate her cupcake from Clara's birthday in about 15 seconds.

Here are some of the funny things I've recorded Hazel doing/saying in the last few months.

Every morning for months she'd say, "Bitiful mow-neen!" I think she started this in the summer and I think it came from me singing, "Oh, what a beautiful morning!" at the top of my lungs (thanks, Dad).

For a while, she kept saying, "Fight-choo!" (fight you). This comes from reading The Grouchy Ladybug book.

Whenever I ask, "Where are you?" She says, "Hiding!"

She also says things that I don't have to look far to know where it came from...
"Minute, coming"
"Hurry, hurry" while breathing heavily, almost panting

She used to be the master of one word sentences: Walk. Inside. About two months ago, she moved on to full sentences.

The day after my birthday she came up to me and said: "Happy bir-day mama, cha, cha." (Clara always sings cha, cha, cha with Happy Birthday)

Mid-November, she started bounding/hopping and then running. It was scary since she's not so stable but it sure looks cute.

She says, "Stop it." whenever anyone is bothering her. A few weeks ago Jason was doing something obnoxious and I told him to stop and he wouldn't. So I said, "Jason, stop it." He still didn't stop and Hazel said, "Daddy, stop it." He kept doing it to get a reaction and Hazel said, "Jason, stop it!"

Two of her favorite words: no! and mine!

She's now grown out of this, but several months ago she would pull my hair or smack me and instantly hug me and/or rub it. Speaking of hair, she's recently become obsessed with brushing everyone else's hair - possibly because she doesn't have any of her own? :)

Also in November, she took up blaming James for everything that went missing. That lasted a week or two and then she started answering me with "front yard" if I ever wondered where something was.

Again in November, she saw me laying on the chair and said, "Momma sleeping tired night-night." That was her longest sentence at that point.

She has the funniest faces and presses her lips together and gets up in my face and stares at me. It makes me laugh so hard. She sucks her thumb to fall asleep, but only if she has her blankie with her. Since it's so minimal, I haven't cared enough to do anything about it. When I check on her at night, she's not sucking it so I'm not too worried. Almost every single time we are in the car, she switches her shoes from the correct feet to the wrong feet. Usually I don't switch them back because I know she will just do it again. She loves to sing and breaks out in song in the car, at church, while she's eating or anywhere else she feels like it. The best part about it is she has great pitch and rhythm. She loves reactions and when people laugh at her, she'll repeat whatever it was she did to make others laugh. Then she'll give you her smug little smirk with her lips tight together.

Hazel has such a great personality. She's pretty easy going most of the time, but definitely has her opinions. I love being her mother and we have absolutely loved having her in our home the last two years.