"the tank"

Hazel had her 18 month check up yesterday and is officially giant. She is 28 lbs and 12 oz. and 35 inches tall. I was kind of excited that she is almost 3 feet tall. When we are out people expect her to be "doing" more since she is the same size as most 2 year olds. At her check up her doctor asked if she can say about 20 words, and I said that was probably right. Then Hazel went on to list at least 20 words that she knew, so we decided that was an understatement. This morning, being the proud parents that we are, decided to count, we came up with 62 words, which by the end of the day will be more like 65 or 70. It is unbelievable how fast she is learning right now!

We recently went to the beach for a week, and Hazel got nicknamed "the tank" by her aunt and uncle. She was whipping Will around by the collar of his shirt. She just doesn't know her own strength!


Other news: We have found a place to move! We decided to rent next year instead of buy, since our house hasn't sold yet. We are waiting to hear back about the possibility of our house being approved for FHA financing--and then a possible offer?!

washington

This weekend we went to Washington for Jonathan's grandfather's funeral. Rudy Claassen was 95 years old, he lived a full life, and everyone who was there was there because of him.

Hazel gave out lots of hugs to her cousins, slept little, played lots.




Hazel & Madeline were pretty exhausted after Saturday's festivities.










This is Hazel with her 2nd cousin, or cousin once removed, or cousin...whatever-Bo. We had a great weekend, full of wonderful time with family, remembering "grandpa" rudy.

moving

Well, I have put off this post long enough. We are moving, I am going back to work, and our house is on the market. A French teaching job came up at the new high school where Jonathan's brother's family lives in Palmer Lake, CO. I applied, and through a whirlwind of events we decided that I should take the job. Since the architecture world does not hold much current hope for a job for Jonathan we thought one of us should probably work. So, once again, we will be switching roles. I could not ask for a better teaching environment: a new school, enthusiastic teachers, only 3 preps, and a beautiful location. We are trusting that this is right for our family, that someone will buy our house soon, and that we will be able to live near family.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to you moms out there! We had a lovely day here in Golden. Went up to J's parents house to see Grandma & Grandpa. Hazel is learning more than I can even keep up with lately. She is all about her daddy, when she gets up from a nap, she says 'Daddy?' and yesterday, which happened to be Mother's Day, she only wanted Daddy...oh well.

that's a dog

Hazel said her first sentence yesterday. She pointed to a picture in a book of a dog, and said, "That's a dog." WHAT? How did that happen? She said it two more times after that, then she pointed to a cat, and said, "That's a dog." Oh well, it's a start!






She got some artistic freedom with her grandparent's birthday cards. She had more fun taking the crayons out of the box and putting them back in, than she did coloring!