Gulf Shores, AL

We went to Gulf Shores, AL on another one of our day trips before Chris started school and it was awesome.  I wish we lived closer to those white sandy beaches and aqua waters... I feel a little more at home when I'm near the ocean.  I'm glad that Hazel was in heaven too. 

A Visit to Mobile and the USS Alabama

When we got to Mississippi, we had a few weeks to settle in before Chris started school.  During that time we took a couple of day trips to explore the south and one of them took us to Mobile to see the USS Alabama.  Chris had grown up visiting ships like this one with his dad and he was like a kid in a candy store walking around that thing.  I on the other-hand, got a tad bit claustrophobic with the heat and humidity in such tight quarters.  It was pretty cool to see the ship though and read about its history and the veterans who served on that ship.  I'm so grateful for the freedom we have and for all the men and women who have served and fought so courageously for our country.

We got to walk around in this submarine too and look at some old planes.  I thought being on this ship would be hard... but I can't even imagine being in a submarine.  

Hazel got a little tuckered out in the heat.

I love this picture of Hazel with Chris.  She hardly ever cuddles like this, unless she is super tired and her dad is holding her.  She loves him oh so much and I'm pretty lucky to have both of them in my life. 

Goodbye Utah

After camping in Doheny with the Foster clan, Chris and I (and baby girl) drove back up to Utah for a few busy days of packing and saying goodbye before heading to Mississippi.  Chris got into the masters program for geography at the University of Southern Mississippi and we wanted to give ourselves some time to get settled before he started school.  Luckily, we had most of our stuff packed before we left for California, so those last few days weren't too stressful.  We used a company that lets you rent space in a commercial truck (you pay by square foot) and Chris used his master packing skills (aka Tetris skills) to load up our stuff.  His little brother Spencer was nice enough to come help us and we were done in under 2 hours.  Pretty awesome if you ask me.  We took a few breaks from packing to go swimming at the PG pool one last time, get Nerds slushes from Sonic, go to Chris' last indoor soccer game, and to say goodbye to some friends.

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Also, this picture was from before our California trip, but Hazel finally got to meet her cousin, Cody!  Tyler and Rachel were visiting Utah so we met up a couple times while we were all in the same state.  Cody is THE cutest.  These two are going to be best friends. 

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Pool Break

How cute is that baby back?? 

Chris, Neal, Garrett, and Jack at dinner

Brooke and Bradley, Me and Haze

The Truck

Our Stuff

Our Empty house.  I wish I would have gotten pictures of our apartment before we packed up... It was a dark little cave, but it was where we called home for 2 years... and our first apartment after we got married.

This is Hazel and her friend Lyla... they were born just about a week apart.  Our friends were the best and had a little bbq get-together before we headed out.  We were lucky to have so many good friends in Utah... and we are going to miss them!

Chris and his master packing skills.  He managed to get our stuff to fit into 5 feet of this truck.  Wowza.

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The moving truck came on July 22.  Chris started driving to his parents house in O'Fallon, IL that morning and Hazel and I hung out for a bit until our flight that evening (After driving to California with a baby that hated her car seat, we decided that getting her and I a plane ticket would be beneficial to ALL.  It would mean less stops for Chris, less tears for baby girl, and less stress for me).  Hazel and I were greeted at the airport by Grandma and Grandpa Hair and Auntie Amanda... and Chris made it to IL the next day.  We had so much fun hanging out with everyone, and Hazel LOVED all the attention she received.   

Hazel turned 4 months while we were there.

She also learned how to pick her nose.

Hazel and her daddy at Grandma and Grandpas house

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 It was so nice to spend a few days with family while our truck was en route to MS... but we were anxious to hit the road and find out where we would be spending the next 2 years. 

Leaving O'fallon... Finally headed to Hattiesburg, for REAL.

Hazel was really sad about moving... I kind of felt like this too, but we are excited to start a new adventure

 We got to Hattiesburg on July 28th, found a place to live the next day... and moved into our apartment on July 30th.  It was a whirlwind of a week (month, really) but we are so glad that everything worked out.  The members of the ward out here got wind we were coming and they sent 6 guys to help us unload all of our stuff!  Southern hospitality is REAL you guys... the people here are awesome.

Doheny

This year the Foster clan had our reunion at Doheny State Beach instead of our usual San Clamente... It was fun to camp at a different beach, and I appreciated not having to carry Hazel and all our stuff up and down the GIANT hill at SC.  The nieces and nephews had so much fun running around and playing games with Grandma.  We had fun too, but I think Hazel and I both will appreciate camping trips like this when she is a little older and actually knows what is going on.  Ha!

It was actually our 2 year anniversary while we were camping... Chris and I were able to sneak away and get dinner together while my mom watched Hazel(first time with just the two of us since she was born). I'm so lucky I got to marry my best friend.  He's the greatest there is and I often wonder what I did to score such a rad husband.

Our campsite was off a little ways from the rest of the family's.  I didn't want to bother everyone with a crying baby in the middle of the night (although, now that I think about it Hazel was sleeping through the night back then... that was heavenly).  Our campsite was about 30 feet away from the train tracks... which basically means, we felt like we were sleeping ON the train tracks every night when the train rolled through at 1 am.  Thankfully Hazel slept through it.  Its funny how I grew up thinking I was a big camper because we would go camping at the beach twice a year... but now that I am grown I realize that California beach "camping" is NOTHING like actually camping.  But hey, I won't complain about public restrooms, showers, and the Del Taco across the street.  Not to mention, falling asleep to the sound of the ocean... I mean train.

Sleeping babes

 Another perk of camping at the beach in California, is your High School friends will come visit you!  Lindsay drove up from San Diego to hang out with me and Hazel.. and she bought Hazel the CUTEST pink dinosaur bathing suit!!!

Needless to say, I think we all had a good time.

Adorable, right?!

July: California

Chris and I decided that since we were moving across the country at the end of the summer, we should have an extended stay in California while we were still in the west.  We made it to Redlands for the 4th of July (the 4th is my favorite and Redlands has the BEST fireworks show)... and spent most days swimming at the 5th Avenue.  The Foster clan (minus Trevor and his family) went camping at Doheny for a week while we were there too so it was definitely a fun-filled trip to California

My beautiful mom and sisters before the fireworks

Baby Girl and Chris at the stadium, July 4th

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Hazel took her first dip in the pool and its only fitting that it was at the 5th Avenue.  I grew up swimming here so it has a special place in my heart.  Hopefully this was just the first of many 5th Avenue pool days for baby girl.

 

Love my farmer-tanned mountain man... he put in some hard work this summer to earn those tan lines.

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Also, while we were home my nephew Chase got his mission call!!  I cannot believe that he is old enough to go on a mission!  I feel like it was just yesterday that the tiniest, chubbiest, cutest little boy joined our family.  He is going to be such a great missionary and we are so excited for him.  He reported to the MTC on Oct. 1 to the Wichita, KS mission. 

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We were able to meet up with some friends at San Onofre while we there too... Jennilee is one of my very best friends and I hadn't seen her since just after we got married!  Far too long if you ask me... but we met up with her and her family, along with some friends from Hawaii and it was sooo fun.  Hazel loves the beach as much as I do.

 

Best friends...10 years and counting

On the way home from San Onofre, Chris and I stopped for some tacos in one of his old mission areas.   They were so good they were picture worthy and definitely worth blogging about.  My mouth is watering just thinking about them. 

 

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Hazel drove us to Garden Grove for a couple of days too to visit Chris' aunt and uncle.

 

Hazel and her second cousin Brantley... we tried really hard to get a decent picture of the two of them but this was the best we could get.

Hazel and Aunt Sara

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 And this is Hazel looking as cute as ever after church... love this little outfit.  Every girl needs a good tutu

It's like stealing candy from a baby... Hazel thought she could pull a fast one on us and be a candy-STEALING baby but she was caught red-handed.