she started it

So a few things about my youngest:

We started this blog when Hazel was born - nearly 3 years ago! I can't believe it has been this long. Consequently, a good portion of this blog is about Hazel. One of the best things about having a blog is that it has served as a journal of our family's life. Kind of scrapbooking meets journaling meets keeping up with/getting to know everyone.

• Hazel is definitely a youngest child. She holds her own in defending herself amoungst the rest of the family.
• Hazel makes great faces. When you tell her to smile she does this:








• It is kind of scarey looking. But when she looks at the picture she says, "That's not smiling."
• Hazel gets very very grumpy when she's tired and/or hungry. Not unusual for anybody, but with Hazel, there is a limit to how much she can stand. When it's too late, she won't eat and just falls apart. She resists eating anything and so we have to just shove it in until her blood sugar gets up. Then everything is alright with the world again.
• Hazel loves to organize. (see this previous dedicated post to that subject.)
• She can't say "f" or "v" sounds.

• When it's time for bed Hazel wants you to sit or lay down by her "for just one minute".
• She has nightmares about snakes and monsters.
• She likes to "drive home" from the mailbox (3 houses down).
• She loves to use my camera.
• She has an awesome cackle when she laughs.
• She is good at scissors and coloring.
• Loves candy.
• Hates to have her hair in any kind of clip or ponytail. So her hair is in her face all the time.



• Can paint her nails all by herself.
• Loves to sing and dance. (We were at the mall last week and they were playing some kind of hip hop or something on the speakers and she was just dancing away and trying on jewelry!)





• Loves to help me cook and bake and lick the beaters (even when it's just shortening - eww).
• Loves Backyardigans, Max and Ruby, and Super Why (she is Princes Pea, at your service).
• Loves to go shopping - her favorite is the grocery store.







• She still finds binkies around the house that I haven't thrown out yet. She wants to put them in her mouth so badly. But gives to me for safe keeping.
• Hazel reminds us every evening that we need to say prayers, read scriptures, and sing a song (so she can lead).
• Hazel is my baby and goes with me everywhere. I love her to pieces. It is awesome to be loved so completely in return.

up next: aspen!

Aspen is 11. Sometimes Aspen acts like she is the eldest and the mom, but she is the second child.

She and Toby have been best friends their whole lives.

She has grown a lot the last year. She is a whole head taller than Toby! (see here)

Aspen makes friends with everyone, everywhere.

She is a great big sister. Also a great babysitter.

Aspen loves to dress up. When she was little she wore her dress ups everyday, all day. She is great at pretend. When she was little she would play with whatever was on hand. If there wasn't anything, she'd play with her fingers! She still lies in bed after lights out and plays with stuff. I find it under her pillow the next day.

Aspen is really good at crafts. I hear "Mom, are there any crafts I can do?" a lot. She comes up with a lot of ideas on her own too. She is learning to sew too. She is very creative. She shares with her friends a lot too and teaches them how to do stuff.

She likes to write. She started a writing club at school. She also got a typewriter for her birthday.

Aspen likes to sing and draw and color.

She is going to start the flute in band next year.

She likes to cook and makes great pumpkin cookies (she had a cooking club with her friends for a while.)

Aspen doesn't like to fuss with her hair much. So she grows it out and cuts it off every couple years.

Aspen likes to do things for other people and makes everyone around her happy.

Aspen is a peacemaker and stands up for the right.

here's toby

Toby is my first born. He's almost 13. Here are a few tidbits about him:

He's a good looking kid. He seems to look good in all his pictures.

When Toby was a baby, we lived in Chicago. When people would see him for the first time they called him the Gerber Baby and told me to get him into modeling. (If Toby knew that and I had actually done it, he would be very embarrassed. He doesn't like being the center of attention.) But I didn't want to deal with the time committment.

Toby loves to read. He reads quickly. He will read the same book 3 or 4 times in a row. Then if there isn't anything else to read, he'll read it again. He read all of the then available Harry Potter books(5) by the time he was 7 1/2. He loves non-fiction, spy novels, fantasy, science fiction, and, of course, anything with bodily function humor (typical of preteen boys). Actually, he will read anything available. He takes a book with him everywhere.

Toby hates to get dirty. He uses two fingers to scrub the floor or dishes. He can play outside in the dirt without getting any dirt on him. But...when we are at the beach he puts sand all over himself. He says it feels good.

Toby has two pet birds, Mango (pictured) and Banana.

Toby makes great faces. Especially in pictures.

Toby plays the french horn, the trumpet and the piano. He is good at them all. He is also very skilled in horn repair according to his teacher.


Toby loves to cook and likes most foods. (Although we've had to push on some foods, but he ends up liking them.)


Toby is a good artist. He really likes to draw dragons and mythical creatures.


He is a creative poet. I'll have to round up his poetry and post it sometime.

He likes to be scary. He dressed up as a vampire one year and went around scaring all the little kids at the ward party. Vickie couldn't keep this picture on thr front of her fridge - it scared the other grandchildren.


He is missing 4 ribs (very rare). But he never lets it stop him.


He is a good big brother.


He is very silly and loves to crack jokes, especially puns and plays on words.


He gives me loves everyday and tells me he loves me. And we love him.