Disneyland!

We had a blast at Disneyland! Hazel loved every minute of it:)

Grandma and Grandpa got her a huge sucker first thing.

Merry-go-Round. At first she didn't want to get on the ride, but once it started she was in heaven. She cried when she had to get off.

After that she was all about the rides. She wanted to ride Dumbo so bad but the line was horrendous. Luckily for us Tony ran in to one of his former students who was a manager there and he gave us two passes to jump to the front of the line. We used one for Dumbo:)

Mid-morning Hazel decided she was tired and took a nice nap on my shoulder:)

Hazel also LOVED the Nemo Submarine ride. The second picture is hard to see but it's Hazel with her face pressed right up against the glass. Too cute!

Mr. Toad's Wild ride

She made a ride while waiting in line:)
Jungle Cruse ride

Peter Pan

Santa brought Hazel and I matching shirts which he found at Target for only $10 each. So much better than paying $30 each in the park.

By the end of the day Hazel was exhausted. She fell asleep in her stroller and so we stayed for dinner and a few more rides. It was a great day!

California!

We had a wonderful time visiting Mike's family in California! It was very relaxing and great to see everyone. We didn't take nearly enough pictures while we were there, but here's a sampling (in reverse order. I hate how blogspot loads pictures to the beginning of a post and not the end, and I'm not in the mood to move them all around. But I digress, back to the point...)

Hazel in the airport waiting to go home. She was an angel on both flights!

Of course we had to make a few stops to In-N-Out. It's only Mike's favorite restaurant of all time. I must admit, I love it too!

Hazel and Aunt Jamie

Check out these adorable hats. Jamie got one for me for Christmas and I love it! It's so cute and fun especially when they're all lined up:)

Hazel loved playing with Grandma B.

Another mandatory stop was the ocean. I love the ocean! Hazel didn't even mind getting her toes in the sand. I think the vastness of it all scared her though because she clung to my hand/leg/body for dear life the whole time we were there.

Hazel loved playing with the "bug" app on Grandpa's iPhone. The "bugs" were bacteria that multiplied when you fed the donuts, repeated everything you said in a high pitched voice, and laughed hysterically when you tickled them. Who comes up with these things!?! Hazel loved it though.

Christmas Day all of Mike's extended family came to the house for dinner. Hazel met lots of people for the first time.....

Great-Grandpa Craig and Phyllis

James Allen whom Hazel loved. I think they would be 2nd cousins.

Hazel, TJ, James Allen, and his mom Noella

Hazel loved riding a little bike Grandma got for her.

It really was a great trip. Also, thanks to some very willing baby sitters Mike and I had three date nights! Three! In one week! It was wonderful. One night we hung out at the mall (which quickly overwhelmed me. Now I see why people from California complain about the malls here). One night we got in a short date in Disneyland after Hazel fell asleep. Grandpa and Grandma took her while we rode a few rides and watched fireworks. Finally, we took a day to go to the temple and out to lunch. It was the first time we've gone out to a sit down restaurant alone since she was born! Thanks Teri, Tony, and Jamie for babysitting!

Christmas 2010

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! It was so much fun to see Hazel's reactions to everything. She LOVED the Christmas tress and lights. After we took down a small tree she had in her room, she still asked for her "tee on" every night for about two weeks! She also loved opening presents and getting new toys. Watching her made me appreciate the joy and magic of Christmas all over again. More than anything else, I was amazed by her attention when we taught her the Christmas story. She sat quietly listening to the story of our Savior's birth and signing baby over and over. Kid's understanding of the gospel and the things that really matter in life is amazing!

Hazel in front of our tree with her advent calendar signing "candy"

On to the festivities...

We spent December 23rd at my parent's house to celebrate with them and to prepare for our flight to California on the 24th. Hazel opened her presents from us and Gram and Grandpa while we were there. She got a play kitchen from my parents which she LOVES! She also got a Cabbage patch kid which she loves and calls "Tutu" (I love the name my mom gave her and Hazel readily accepted:))


Mike and I got fitted for the slopes:) Mike got new (ugly in my opinion but he loves them) ski pants and a helmet. I got a pair of skis! I can't wait to try the out:)
Then we were off to sunny California! We hadn't been out to Cali since I was pregnant with Hazel so we were very excited to go. The weather was a bit cold by their standards but felt great to us. We landed Christmas Eve and were able to go to the famous "Charlie Brown" house. These people have their entire house decorated with Christmas themed Charlie Brown displays. It is amazing!

On Christmas morning we had a wonderful breakfast (Thanks Tony!) and by noon we were ready to open presents. Grandma and Grandpa B. had shipped some of Hazel's presents to us in Colorado so we wouldn't have so much to bring back. She had a blast opening those before we left. She got some ADORABLE clothes:)Then in California came the toys which she loved. A See-and-Say, a toy phone, and best of all tickets for the three of us to go to Disneyland!
The highlight of Christmas day was getting to talk to both Alicia and Harrison! They are both serving missions for our Church and get to call home two days a year - Christmas and Mother's day. Harrison called and talked to my parents in the morning, but I was able to call him for a few minutes too. Alicia was lucky enough to be able to Skype with the family. It was great talking to both of them!

Some Updates Below

I got some of the pre-Christmas updates done so check them out. Coming soon, Christmas and our trip to California.

Activation Day!

Two weeks after Mike's surgery, we returned to the audiologist so they could activate his implant. It's a pretty detailed process, but I'll try and explain it.

They started by placing the implant on, but hooking it directly to the computer. Each of the 22 electrodes was tested then set to the lowest volume that allowed Mike to hear a small beep. The computer then creates a personalized "map" that is programed in to the implant.
After everything was set up, the audiologist turned the implant on the for the first time and had me talk to Mike for a few minutes while she adjusted more things. Here is his face as he heard the first sounds.... I love the expression! They warned him at every appointment that it would seem very, very loud and he would hate it at first. But, he actually said it sounded weird but not bad and it wasn't overwhelmingly loud. The audiologist then did some simple tests to see how well he was hearing. To say he aced every one is an understatement. She was shocked how well he did and said people NEVER do that well on their first appointment.

He was able to tell the difference between her saying a one-syllable word, a two syllable word, and a three syllable word when she covered her mouth so he couldn't lip read. (Most people struggle to do this at the first appointment, but he did it with no problem). Then he was able to tell the difference between three different two-syllable words. Finally, he was able to understand as she spoke common phrases. At this point both he and I were in tears over how well he could hear! It will still take some time for the implant to reach it's full capacity, but he is already so pleased with the results.

The implant came with two external sound processors. Mike picked a charcoal one for everyday use...

...and a white implant. Why white? So it will match his suit while he works in the temple:)

I didn't mention, but this was on Mike's birthday. After we were done, we went to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate! It was a great day! Talk about a one-in-a-lifetime presant.

Santa Visit and Nutcracker

The first weekend in December Santa was coming to visit at my parent's dentist. Since Hazel and I were up visiting them anyways, we decided to take Hazel to visit. The entire office was decorated for Christmas and they had TONS of homemade cookies. Hazel loved the decorations and the cookies as you can see...

Hazel with her Gram

When it was time to see Santa and Mrs Clause, she wasn't so sure. I was pretty impressed she didn't scream or cry. Instead she just kept saying "No, no, no!" and reaching toward me to get her off. Not too bad for an 18 month old I guess.

This year I was able to perform in the Nutcracker again with Littleton Dance Academy. I was only going to play Clara's mother since I'm not in shape to actually dance, but they ended up needing one more girl in the Waltz of the Flowers. So I had about a month to dust of my pointe shoes and get back in shape. I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly my body remembered all the technique:) I've lost a little bit of flexibility, but still have it! It was a blast and reminded me how much I miss dancing. I would love to get in to teaching again at some point, but right now I'm too busy.

My Dad also performed as one of the party parents. They were going to try and put Hazel in the party scene like last year, but this year she wasn't so cooperative. Every time I had to hand her off to go off stage she would cry so she got cut. But, Mike brought her to see the show and she LOVED it! She sat through the whole show and watched without a peep. That's my girl:)

My Dad and I in our party costumes.

My beautiful dress!

I cannot tell you how behind the poor blog is. I have about 10 things I want to post, but I just haven't had the time. Here's a great picture to tide you over though....

Mike's face the first time they turned his implant on. More on that (and everything else after the holidays). Have a very Merry Christmas!

So Much to be Thankful For

Thanksgiving this year was different, but very nice all the same. We truly have so many things in our lives to be thankful for. Here are just a few....

- Our fun, little family and the fact that it's an eternal family
- Our membership in the Church
- My job and the opportunity for Mike to go to school
-Mike's implant - from the insurance approval to the surgery everything went as smoothly as possible and we couldn't be more thankful.
- Our wonderful, supportive families - Mike's brother drove all the way from Utah to be here for his surgery. Thanks TJ!
- Food on the table, a roof over our heads, and so much more than we actually need
- Hazel who is happy, healthy, and developing normally. She recently learned to open pen caps and I was so annoyed because of the inconvenience to me. Then I thought of some of the kids I work with who struggle to learn basic skills like that and I was so thankful she is learning and developing so well.
- Our Savior, Jesus Christ, who's atonement gives purpose and direction to our lives
- The freedoms we enjoy in this country and all the men and women who fight to protect our land
- The newest Harry Potter movie:)

Like I said, this is such a small portion of the things we have to be thankful for. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving break with lots of family time, turkey, and fun. On Friday Hazel and I went and hunted down our Christmas tree which looks beautiful in our apartment. Enjoy some pictures...