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Nice Hair

It's time for some pictures!

 Our home continues to be crazy. This is Maren, after one of the kids got to her with some bright blue fingernail polish.

 We've been going on a lot of walks lately. The weather has been beautiful, and the kids are at an age where we can let them explore and wander around on their own. This, along with the next few pictures, are from different walks we have taken.

 Climbing season is in full swing- I love living close to the rock! I go out alone at least once a week, Rachel and I go together about once a week, and we teach a small rock climbing class on Fridays. Our kids are getting into it too. They all love climbing, but these pictures of Addy were the best we had. She was so proud of herself. All the way up she had the biggest grin on her face and she repeated over and over "I am doing it, I am doing it!" When she got to the top, she proudly announced to the world- "I DID IT!" It was pretty cute. I hope she maintains her enthusiasm as she gets older.

 Friday morning I took Evelyn fishing at a little pond close to our house. We caught 5 fish, brought one home for lunch, found a cave, went on a walk to "flower-land," and had a great time. I sure like doing stuff with her.

And of course, Rachel had a birthday. 31- wow! She is getting old! Here she is with the kids and the presents they gave to her.

Whoever created and set aside a special day for all Mothers certainly understood what motherhood was like.  They understood the crazy, and occasionally thankless job that rarely allows a mother to slow down and take a break.  They understood how important it is for a mother to have time to feel absolutely appreciated.  They understood that it is important and healthy for children to recognize how much their mom does for them, and to take extra time to show their appreciation.

I am thankful for Mother's Day. I am very lucky to have four wonderful children who are just great kids!  I am very impressed with each one, and I love watching them learn and grow.

I must admit, however, that sometimes the day to day can be just plain craziness!  It can be loud, crazy, demanding, and intense here at the Hazard home.  There is so much that I am responsible for as a mother!  That weight of responsibility can sometimes be a little bit overwhelming.

I think the person who created Mother's day realized this.  I do not think I am the first mother in history to feel these feelings.  I am glad that there is a day set aside where the whole focus is on appreciating the things that mothers do.

This whole week has kind of been a 'Mother's week' for me.  The kids are finally getting old enough to understand Mother's Day, and want to get in on the action.  I have received countless cards and pictures this week proclaiming their love for me.  I have received many flowers and sweet sentiments from them as well.

Today has been a pretty perfect day.  I woke up and Evelyn brought me a drink of water and a stack of  picture books to read in bed while the kids prepared breakfast with Logan.  Evelyn checked in on me just about every two minutes to make sure I didn't need anything. They surprised me with an excellent omlette, orange julius, and a variety of breakfast sides.  Wow.  I never have omlettes, and this one was amazing! Then, when I came out Evelyn presented me with a brand new shiny red blender!  We haven't had a real blender for at least two years!  We have been using a magic bullet for all of our blending needs (thanks Lori and Sheldon).

Miracle of all miracles- we arrived at church on time!  Sadly, I can't remember the last time that happened... We try hard, but that is the one place that I simply can not get to on time.  Then, all three of the older kids went to the front and sang their Mother's Day songs.  This is the first time I was able to hear Adalie and Jackson sing with the Primary.  It was very sweet.  I loved the huge smiles and waves (maybe a little bit inappropriate, but very cute),

I haven't had to clean anything, and Logan is preparing dinner as we speak.  I love this!  Also, a few minutes ago the kids came up and announced that they cleaned the playroom to surprise me.  They did an awesome job, and they even folded all of the blankets in the tree house.

I have to mention that the kids created a beautiful dinner setting for me while Logan and I were on our date earlier this week.  It was completely Evelyn's idea.  They used towels for tablecloths with a pretty ribbon down the middle of the table.  The setting was complete with fresh picked flowers and hand made place mats for each person.

As I sit here and think about this week and the enjoyment I have found today I realize how lucky I am.  I have a wonderful and thoughtful husband all year around.  We have a deep, and amazing relationship. He doesn't need a holiday to do the dishes and make dinner for me.  I also have four sweet and thoughtful kids who love me and go out of their way to show me their love.  I also have more blessings than I can count.  Despite (and a little bit because of) the crazy day to day chaos around here, I absolutely love my life!

I am, however, still thankful for a day where I can be pampered and just loved!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!  Especially to my own wonderful mother and mother-in-law.

May is one of my favorite months!  Last weekend was our 8 year anniversary (see the previous blog post), this weekend is Mother's Day, next weekend I get to look forward to my birthday, the following weekend is Memorial day!  Logan and I get to look forward to our yearly weekend getaway to celebrate our anniversary.

Our Anniversary

Exactly eight years ago today I woke up early and went running. It was a beautiful morning. Later that day I said "yes" to the best, most important, and most life-altering decision I have ever made. I decided to spend the rest of eternity with the love-of-my-life, Rachel.

Eight years! So much has happened since then. I graduated from BYU, and later from dental school at Case Western. We have gone through 3 pregnancies and have 4 wonderful children to show for it. We have lived in 3 different states, and 5 different houses. I have gone through 2 jobs, and we are currently running our own business together. We have gone on countless hikes and bike rides. We have enjoyed each other's company through the best moments of both of our lives. We have also been there for each other during the hardest moments of our lives.

It's been perfect. I don't say that in a Pollyanna sort of way either. It hasn't always been easy, or even fun. But most of it has, and the hard parts have made us stronger and closer and more committed to each other than ever. Today, Rachel is still the love-of-my-life. She is also an amazing mother, business partner, and most of all, friend.

On reflection of the past 8 years, I can see how our marriage has really been a stabilizing influence over the rest of our lives. Sometimes it seemed like the only stabilizing influence we had. Our lives together have been crazy. Really crazy. A lot of it you are able to read and experience with us on the blog- but some of it is purposely withheld because we don't feel like it should be totally public information. Things like personal finances, relationships with bosses, personal conversations, matters of faith, matters of politics, child raising, family relationships, etc. These things are too personal and/or too dangerous to talk about in a public arena. Just know that the past 8 years has been a crazy and wild roller-coaster of experiences, and if that's the case, then our marriage has been the seat belts that make the ride fun and exciting instead of terrifying and insignificant. I know that whatever happens, I will always have my Rachel at my side.

So, here's a big thank you and I LOVE YOU to Rachel, the woman who has given me the best 8 years of my life. I like her quite a bit.

Absolutely.