Hazel Walks, Kind of

Hazel has been taking 4 or 5 steps at a time lately and we've been trying to capture it on camera.  Finally, while at her daycare's Halloween party, she took a few steps towards her favorite new toy: a piano.

Scary Tiger

This tiger is not a fan of Halloween...

It appears she would rather wear beads instead (supervision only, of course):

Hiking with Uncle Nate and Aunt Marissa

Uncle Nate and Aunt Marissa are in town this weekend, so Hazel decided to show them a good time.  The sun was shining and leaves were changing so everyone took off for the Columbia River Gorge to see some waterfalls- Upper McChord Creek Falls and Elowah Falls, to be precise.

Along the way, Dad tried to teach Hazel a new vocabulary word: LEAF!

Turns out LEAF! is more difficult to say than one would think so everyone settled for a demonstration of the LEAF!

After hiking Upper McChord Creek Falls, Hazel promptly fell asleep for the main attraction: Elowah Falls.

Afterwards, a visit to Hermann the Sturgeon at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery was required.  Hermann the Sturgeon is 70 years old and TEN FEET LONG.  He's a big deal around these parts.

And then Hazel insisted on doing her own hiking back to the car...very very slowly.

Hazel Likes Ducks

That's Hazel in the park in front of our house. She's staring at a bunch of ducks in the water. She loves the ducks and can even say "Da!" when she sees them. She also enjoyed throwing rocks (Wock!) in the water.

The taco salad WAS tasty...

Until Hazel started rubbing in her hair and her clothes and her EYES.  Salsa is not meant for the eyes.

Again? Yes, again.

Lest you think Hazel lives at bike races, we would like to loudly proclaim that this is NOT TRUE.  It's just that Monday through Friday, Mom and Dad are working and Hazel is at daycare, and while she is just as cute Monday through Friday, Mom and Dad often forget to pick up a camera.

So this is what you get: more pictures of Hazel at bike races.  Yes, she is a professional fan.  Yes, she is the cutest bike race-attending baby around.  So here are more pictures from the Cyclocross Crusade in Sherwood.  Now, enjoy them.

Murray steals Hazel again.  Hazel is a little upset that we don't have any more Clif Zbars to give her.

Cross races can make for a long day, given that Dad races at 10am and Mom races at 2pm.  Luckily there are lots of racers to watch, waffles with Nutella (mmmm...) to eat and bells to ring.  And then?  Well, then it's time for a nap.

Post-nap, Hazel has a bit of a revival and becomes the prolific bell ringer she is.  "Go faster up the hill, Mommy!" she heckles.  Babies can be ruthless sometimes.

Packing it in

On Friday, Mom volunteered at the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol Snosports Swap and while she was there, she picked up a pair of toddler goggles and skis for Hazel.  "Sweet!" she thought, "Maybe it will snow this weekend!"

It, of course, did not snow, being that it is only October, so Mom, Dad, and The Hizz loaded up the truck and trailer for a short trip to the coast, a bike race, and points in between.

The first stop was Clatsop Spit, where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean.  You may have heard of the Columbia River?  It's kind of big.  Hazel was duly impressed, especially by the amount of rocks that were used to create the jetty, "rock" being one of her favorite words and all.

Then it was time for a little exploration of the military batteries at Ft. Stevens, some of which were built in 1862, in order to protect the Pacific Coast from the Confederates.  Hazel was stunned that they never made it up here.  She especially liked learning how the military placed mines at the mouth of the Columbia River during World War II.  You can never be too safe, she says.

Third stop on the journey was the beach and the wreck of the Peter Iredale.  The beach at Ft. Stevens is flat for miles- perfect for toddler walking.  And walk everyone did.  For what seemed like miles- or until Mom's back said, "No more!"

Hazel finished off her day with story time and some cuddling in her cozy (and heated!) trailer.  Busy babies need lots of sleep and Hazel is no exception, especially with an early morning of cyclocross racing in her future.

As you can see, Hazel is not so sure what she thinks of morning cyclocross racing when it's 36 degrees out.  A french fry does make it somewhat tolerable though.

Muray stole Hazel during Dad's race and Hazel was quick to tell him, "Dude, let's get out of here.  FAST!"

Hazel goes to the Crusades

The Cross Crusade started today and it was time for Mom to jump feet first in to the fire.  Hazel saw Dad race at a couple Crusade races last year, but this was the first time for Mom to tear it up with over a hundred ladies on the course at once.  Hazel said, "Don't be nervous, Mom.  Just go out there and kill it."  She did a good job calming Mom's nerves and furiously ringing her cowbell.

Upon arrival at Alpenrose, Vanessa immediately swooped in and grabbed Hazel.  She promptly taught Hazel how to properly ring a cowbell, a very important skill for the Cross Crusade.

Vanessa's actions were completely understandable.  I mean, just LOOK at those cheeks.

A little playing with Mom, pre-race, was definitely in order.

Hazel shows herself to be a bona fide Cross Crusade cheerleader while hanging out with Dad.

Lift evacuation

Hazel went to Timberline today to practice lift evacuation training for the Mt. Hood Ski Patrol. After bundling her up in multiple layers due to a snowstorm, Hazel promptly fell asleep.  Unfortunately, she missed the key instruction for lift evacuation and will therefore have to repeat her training on a later date.

Ascent, descent...and a circus trick