Thanksgiving and BYU-Cal Berkeley game!

We headed out to the Bay Area to go to the BYU-Cal Berkeley game, which we were really excited about, then less excited as the season progressed, then... it's a surprise! Keep reading to find out how the game went. We were out in California for Thanksgiving and got to spend some time with Hazel's favorite peeps.

We took this picture with the plan to send out a Christmas card. Don't worry about the fact that you didn't get one. It's because we never sent any. Or even made an e-version to post on social media (which was plan B).

Only calm at the Thanksgiving table if Uncle Casey would hold her. And feed her candy, probably.

We went to the Cabot Science and Space Center in Oakland with Mike and Jewel. Hazel was really into the black hole exhibit. Don't fall in!

Mike and Jewel also witnessed Hazel's first ice cream cone, which was really mine, but her little tongue power-licked it all down, so unlucky for me. That honey-something flavor would have been really memorable had I tasted it. Chris, however, is holding that video hostage on his phone, where he keeps all of the photos and videos I try to nicely ask him to share with me.

True fans. We even braved the Cal section for the game, which led to some extra-good times.

Loved sitting with Grandma.

Someone had to teach her the fight song. Which we sang at each touchdown. Which we had more of than Cal. We won! Go Cougars!

Hazel really likes the Wheatleys, especially Lisa's bling.

Labor Day weekend in St. George

We spent the long Labor Day weekend (more than two months ago...) in St. George visiting Spencer. I love national and state parks and was excited to visit Snow Canyon State Park while we were there. We did a very hard hike to Jenny's Canyon and then spent some time walking around the petrified sand dunes. I enjoy hiking and exploring and it was fun to visit a park I hadn't been to. The drive through Snow Canyon is beautiful.  It's a relatively small park so it felt sort of surprising to suddenly be surrounded by great rock formations and dunes. We also did some swimming and a lot of hanging out, learning about fractals (Spencer and I got sucked into an educational program on television and couldn't get out. Also, why is the Discovery Channel and History Channel filled with shows like "Finding Bigfoot" and "Cajun Pawn Stars"?) and watching "The Lego Movie" (which is why "Everything is Awesome!" has been coming out of my mouth daily for two months now).

I was keeping Hazel awake until we left at 3:00 p.m., so she was pretty grouchy at this point. Then she got ahold of this paper and was much happier, so I let her play with it and even eat some. She loves paper the way I love ice cream.

A little nervous because she knows tickling is coming...

Just having a grand time while I got my chili-cheese fries craving satisfied.

She was in a peek-a-boo phase. Also, the ottoman in the foreground was where she first pulled herself to standing.

Even napping at Uncle Spencer's makes her smile.

Uncle Spencer let Hazel bring this very exciting red cup toy home, which made her weekend.

Red dirt is good for the body.

Cool phone camera, Mom.

This face sums up hanging out with Uncle Spencer.

Happy Birthday Hazel!

Hazel turned one! It was back on her birthday that this happened, which was a while before I am actually writing this. Maybe I'll backdate this post so it looks like I wrote this around her actual birthday. Here are a few pictures of Little Hazey that help illustrate what she's like.

On her actual birthday. I remembered to take a family photo, but we were all a little hangry.

Loves reading books, but has to turn the pages, or else book closed, it's all over.

Showing her grandma the baby doll (from Grandma...) after opening her birthday gifts.

At one year old, you wouldn't know that she's tiny for her age if you catch me holding her, as we look about the same size...

Beginning to learn how to relax on the couch with the help of Baby Einstein's First Signs.

Likes to push the stroller, which gets tiring, except for the person riding in it.

Has figured out the most fun way to ride in a shopping card. Also the most dangerous (maybe except (PSA!) putting a carseat that seems like it fits on top of a shopping cart up there, which should never happen!).

"Oh hey, today I turned one."

At one, Hazel is the queen of the table, whenever there is a table."

Has learned the skill of carrying three important food items at once.

Learning to work out. Thanks to Uncle Spencer for the workout gear.

Just kidding, this isn't Hazel. It's me. Just trying to show her what she has to look forward to in about six months (including the hair barrette and dress, which I have, waiting for her. I'll ask my mom about whether she has the shoes still...).

Sand Hollow tri in St. George

In October we went to St. George for a weekend to do the Sand Hollow tri. Kelsey, Kendra and I were finally able to do a tri all together, and my dad and Trevor decided to do it. Then Uncle Reed and Colton decided to do it. So we pretty much dominated the awards ceremony, but what can you do?

Pumpkin Patch

We visited Wilkerson Farm on Saturday to pick out some pumpkins. Hazel climbed the hay and pumpkin stack, ate some hay and enjoyed a wagon ride. Usually she only gets wagon rides at her babysitter's so this was a real treat. Plus, there were pumpkins inside and she got to pick one out just her size. I mean, she tried to pick one out the same size as her but couldn't pick it up, so she picked one out that was the smallest of them all, sort of like how she is smallest of them all.

Just offering me some of her dried-cornstalk-lunch.

I think she understands how self-timer photos work because she looked away just in time, every time.

I warned her about not breaking off that perfect curly stem.

Oh my parents are vegetables? Whatever.

Visiting Albany, New York

This month we spent a long weekend visiting my grandpa in Albany, New York. We watched him—at 80 years old—play in a tennis tournament with the SUNY Albany women’s tennis team. Watching them play got me, Chris, Trevor and Kanani excited to play with him on Monday. He showed us a thing or two on the tennis courts, including how to lose. So that was a good time.

Watching tennis with Grandma.

My grandpa has a very consistent shot and perfect placement.

Sometimes you have to take a tennis break and eat leaves.

While there, we visited Altamont, where my dad and his family lived when they first moved to New York. It was a nice little town and I almost expected to see Lorelai and Rory come around the corner. We didn’t. Instead we drove to Indian Ladder Farms and picked apples. Hazel loved having an apple of her own to hold and chomp and we filled two big bags of apples to bring home and store in our cold cellar. More importantly, we ate cider doughnuts. I’ve always heard that apple farms have delicious doughnuts and since I’m always on the hunt for delicious doughnuts (since I don’t live close enough to Stan’s) we waited in the long line. Okay, Chris waited for us in the long line. So good. I need to stop finding good doughnuts outside my county. It’s sort of depressing on Saturday mornings.

Hazel really liked this bull.

It was fun to pick apples, and we brought home 20 pounds of my favorite variety, empires.

Hazel covered her face with her apple for most of the photos because it was so delicious she couldn't put it down.

We had some nice strolls through upstate New York and the neighborhoods my dad lived in. We spent the evenings in my grandpa’s home, singing along while he played the ukulele. When I was growing up, my dad sang to us while we fell asleep in bed—I remember him bringing a folding chair into the hallway between the kids’ bedrooms—and many of them are songs his dad sang to him. It’s always special hearing my dad and grandpa sing and it was an extra treat to have Hazel there to enjoy it, too. She and my grandpa were quite taken with each other. She warmed up to him quickly and he was smitten with her busy, observant personality.

Nature walk in the forest behind my grandpa's house.

Hazel and Grandma are definitely best friends.

Four generations!

This is one of the houses my dad grew up in. My grandma, Adele, built on to this house herself. She was a strong person.

Hazel is a little easier to hold when she's sleeping. Here she is with her great-grandma Teresa.

Sleeping on Great-Grandpa.

We had so much fun visiting with family and soaking up the fall weather and beautiful autumn colors. Can’t wait to do it again.

I wish I were this size so I could stretch out on an airplane seat and sleep on a pocket full of diapers. I love the Ergobaby Performance Carrier and this new use only increased my feeling.

Selfie while looking out the airplane window.

Flying is most fun when you can take selfies and then look at selfies on Grandpa's tablet.