Happy Birthday Hazel!

Happy 3rd Birthday HAZEL!!

Hazel, Hazel, Hazel. When I was looking back at your birthday posts I was shocked to only find two! It feels like you've been with us for much longer, since the beginning of this family, really. Also, you speak like a five year old a lot of the time, so I think that's also throwing me off.

You've always had a fiery side to you yet you're pretty easy going when plans change or when your sister dictates all the games you play together. But you will still stand up for yourself when things go to far. You're not ultra sensitive though. A story that I love about you is about the one time you were jumping on some large inflated thing with a bunch of other kids. Some older kid came up and knocked you over on purpose, but instead of crying or getting upset you stared at him, got up, and then went and started knocking down other kids like, "Oh is this how we play?" And I couldn't help but laugh. Another time you were waiting patiently in line with a bunch of kids and they kept cutting and you ended up last, so the next line you marched right up to the front like the rest of them.

Recently I was remarking that you are my "easy child." I jinxed it and the past couple weeks you have been revving up to be an emotional "three-nager" with all your fiery passion. You're also rather bi-polar. You'll be feeling goofy and request, "Tickle me!" and so we will and you'll be laughing so hard and then mid laugh you stop, scream, scowl, and yell, "DON'T TICKLE ME." It's very confusing.

 I am obsessed with your copper curls and crystal blue eyes. Your morning hair is absolutely crazy. You are strong and solid built. You have boxy feet and a cute button nose. With all of this and your cute little voice, you often remind me of Shirley Temple.

You are still attached to your swaddle blankets. You lost one a year ago but still have two. You take them with you all over the house and wherever we go. You like to hold the tags and your little fingers have worn holes into parts of it.

You have always had an incredible memory. Even at ages when you were suppose to easily forget things, you never have. I will tell you that you have to wait for something until daddy gets home, hours later, but the second he walks in you remember. In the morning when you wake up you will remind me of promises from the night before. It makes it so that we really have to mean it when we promise you something. You have so many stuffed animals on your bed and I tried sneaking some away that I never see you give attention to, but no. That night you will notice and have a meltdown. Even if we try and get you to forget about it, you will talk about the stuffed animal for days and weeks until we finally go back to the shed and fish it out of the "exiled toys" bag.

One of your favorite things in the whole world are.... "bum bum" jokes. All we have to do is say the word "BUM" and your day is made. You're obsessed with Halloween. You loved that holiday and still talk about it and how this year you are going to dress up like a bat. You love to talk and chatter. You tell stories all of the time. One that you told for a good week was, "Once I was a lonely kid. I didn't have a mom or dad. But then the Holy Spirit came and I was happy again!" You add all the theatrics to it as well. You love to make up songs and sometimes your songs are 15 minutes long.  You use words like "actually" correctly and it's adorable.

You love anything tiny. Little trinkets are your thing. The smaller the better. You love tiny little magnets or stickers and you pretend that they are tiny drinks or whatever strikes your mood. You love to pantomime. I'll catch you filling up invisible ice cream cones from an invisible machine, despite all the toys around you. You pour over books, pretending to be apart of them. For example, if there is a bush painted on the page you pretend to pick berries from it and then put them in your little invisible basket.

You love to be my "special helper" but not if it involves cleaning your room. You want to always take care of me. Just me. Nobody else. You've always had a special attachment to me. Not just in the way that you want to be near me but you reserve your vulnerable emotions just for me, like you're not sure you can trust anyone else with that side of you. You're hesitant to accept affection from others too, but you'll cuddle with me all day.

One of your favorite things in life is your tumbling class. You love to run around and "be brave." You're quick to learn new skills and your teachers have remarked that you have a talent for it. That's always fun to hear, to know that maybe this will be one of your "things," you know? Whether it leads you to be a gymnast, rock climber, or trapeze artist- you seem to love and have an aptitude for the active realm.

My little Hazel basil. I hope you always feel loved. I'm all stressed now that you're the middle child but I hope that these years you got to spend as our baby will forever be in your heart. It's funny that you are such a firework but yet I am most calm and patient with you. I've never lost my temper with you. (Don't get me wrong... I've been frustrated many times as well! haha Just haven't snapped, you know?) Since the day you were born I've been so focused on the moment and keeping calm. I don't know why or how, but it's real. (And now I'm probably jinxing this...) 

You are always so excited about life; you are full and bursting with light and happiness. Your energy is contagious and as one family member says, "It's always a party with Hazel!" 

So today the party is all about YOU. We love you so much! Having you in our family is one of the best things that's ever happened to us. Happy birthday to our Hazel nut!

THIS PAST YEAR HAZEL HAS:

Gone to the church history museum

Mastered the teeter totter

Attended several plays-
(Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, Willy Wonka, Alice in Wonderland)

Gone on dates with daddy

Painted her own nails

Took a dance class and had a recital

Started tumbling class

Took swimming lessons

Took countless trips to museums, the aquarium, gardens, and animal farm

Toured an Art museum

Went to weekly library story time

Became Potty trained!

Had a bird land on her head

Hiked

Went to the zoo

Helped plant flowers

Rode on a big horse

Tripled her hair amount

Played in the mud

Got sick

Visited a graveyard

Got a big girl bed

Went to a pirate show

Got some mermaid face paint

Played her first mini golf

 Did lots of swimming

Became a big sister!

Went to many movies

 Went boating

And tubing!

And sledding!

Rode on a sky tram

Roller skated

Jumped on a trampoline bungee thing

Laid in a hammock

Got old fashioned photos

Went to Lagoon and rode on rides

Tried backyard camping

Held sparklers

Rode a city train

First time to Chuck e cheese

Made a pinata

Took photos

Got to pet a zebra, camel and a lemur! And fed a kangaroo!

Fed the ducks

Peed in the woods and on top of a mountain

Went to the dinosaur park

Saw a balloon festival

Picked raspberries and apples

Leaf hunted

Went to the scarecrow festival

Crafted many crafts

Was bit by a pig

Dressed up as an alien for Halloween

Carved/decorated a pumpkin

Sat in a fire truck

Met Santa

Decorated a gingerbread house

Went to a Christmas light festival

Set off a sky lantern

Went to the nutcracker ballet

Saw the ice castles

Went to her first circus

Learned to do yoga

Played in the snow

New states visited:

North and South Carolina

Nevada

Repeat States:
Idaho

California- Lake Tahoe

BIRTHDAY INTERVIEW:

What's your favorite color? Yellow
 You favorite toy? Choo choo train
 Favorite TV show? Super Why
Favorite snack? Bananas
Favorite book? The Book of Mormon
Special things you like to take to bed? All of my stuffed animals
What's your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? Birthday Food
What about for dinner?  Birthday dinner
What is something mommy always says to you? Questions
What makes you happy? Laughing Bum
What makes you sad? Being so grumpy
What makes you laugh? Bum bum
How old are you? Three
How old is Mommy? Four
How old is Daddy? Five
What is your favorite thing to do? Build a whole house, decorate the whole house
Who is your best friend? My whole family
What do you want to be when you grow up? Scuba diver
What are you really good at? Carrying stuffs
What am I (mom) good at? Carrying grass
What is daddy good at? Going that and that and doing this! (crazy face)
What is June good at?  (Does a crazy face)
What are you not very good at? Being grumpy
What did you do today? Jump jump jump on the trampoline
What is your favorite food? Bananas!
What do you like? Hard bananas
What is your favorite song? I love you!
What do you want for your birthday this year? Grass toy.... bum toy
What is your favorite animal? Monkey
What is love?  The Holy Spirit
But what does it mean when I love you and you love me? Hugs
What does daddy do for work? Decorate and eat
Where do you live? City city
Where is your favorite place to go?  Holy Spirit Anywhere else? The choo choo train
Any last words? *Sings incoherently*

Birthday Bonus!
The actual interview: