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My blog has only six followers, one of which, absurdly, is me.

I like the word absurdly.

A Blessed Baby!

Sunday, Feb. 7, was the day Hannah got her baby blessing in church. Hannah wore the most beautiful white dress and was wrapped so lovingly in the softest pink blanket. She was happily sitting in my arms and staring in wonder at the back of somebody's head when all of a sudden she was passed into Daddy's arms and led up to a group of men who all stood in a circle around her and looked very reverent. This, to everybody else, was completely normal, but to poor Hannah it was more than she could handle.

And so, unlike my previous three children who slept or cooed through their baby blessings, Hannah wailed for all to hear. The microphone projected her cries through the building and straight into my heart. Oh! My Hannah! Her blessing was rather short, but I have been assured that her life will be no worse off for it.
Rob's parents were in town for the blessing, but somehow they didn't make it into the camera. The kids had a blast with their grandparents, and Rob and I even got paid to go on a date! Woohoo! How often does that happen? : )

And yes, I realize that was over two weeks ago, but that is exactly how long it took me to be in the same room with the camera and the computer at the same time. Minus a crying baby. That's what it takes to get me to blog. See the equation below.

Me + camera + computer - crying baby = Blog post and pictures!

Have a happy day!

Parties and Post-Holiday Chubbiness

I think I must have just blinked or something. It's 2010. Amy is 2. Hannah is nearly 2 months old. Last I remember, I was struggling to remember to write 1996 instead of 95 on my papers at school. This year will mark ten years since I graduated from high school! I'll pursue that thought in a few months. Yikes.

So we're only a few weeks into the year, but already we've had a major holiday and two birthdays. I love January. It's a let-down for many people, but for me it's another month of the Holiday Season. Starting with New Year's Day, lasting through Amy's birthday, and culminating with MY birthday! And boy, what a birthday it was! Kevin threw up more times than I can count!

But we'll start with New Year's Day. We went to the Exploration Place for their New Year's at Noon celebration. The highlight of the celebration was a balloon drop at noon. It was actually quite frightening--they dropped those darn balloons on a writhing mass of screaming demon children who immediately began stomping on as many balloons as they could (lest some of the smaller children get any balloons) after they had scored one for each hand and one in their teeth for good measure. And over the sound of screaming young ones there arose the shrieks of the frantic mothers who were all convinced that their own young ones were going to be stomped along with the balloons. Add to that the actual sound of the balloons popping and the mash and shove of the crazed bodies, and you have a real sweet party! It was insane.

We also visited all of our favorite exhibits and had a jolly good time playing in tornadoesand exploring the caves.
About two weeks later our young friend Amy decided it was time to shed her potential to fly for free, so she turned 2. She plays the part well. She is a happy jolly thing who completely lives up to her middle name: TERROR!!! Just kidding, her middle name is Joy and she is a joy 100%. I don't know who came up with the phrase "Terrible Two," but I think it must apply more to the parent's reactions to the 2-year-old than to the actual 2-year-old. I have yet to have a terrible 2-year-old. They're adorable and so so fun. At least mine are. (Most of the time, anyway.) (I suppose if Amy were awake and stealing the mouse right now instead of napping I'd be singing an entirely different tune.)

She had a great birthday and got lots of girly stuff (4 dresses, 4 hairbows, a purse, and a My Little Pony, among other things). It is so fun to have a little girly-girl! I love Amy so much!!

Ten days later we got to celebrate my birthday. And for the first time in about 8 years or so I didn't have to make my own birthday cake! Rob suggested a Dairy Queen ice cream cake and I was only too happy to agree. But even better than that was dinner. I chose, strangely, to make dinner myself instead of going out to eat. And what a dinner: BACON-WRAPPED CHICKEN!!! And mashed potatoes! And salad! (Salad is not exciting, but it helps balance the bacon-wrapped chicken part.) It was PHENOMENAL. And I hate the word phenomenal, but I must use it in this case. (The only other time I've used the word phenomenal is in connection with the Broadway musical "Wicked.")

I was also spoiled with a breadmaker and a beginner's glass bead making kit (I am so excited about that one!!!). Woot!

And now that my birthday is over, the holiday season is officially over and I am left with a vast amount of post-holiday chub compounded further by post-baby fat, and with the new breadmaker in the mix I have no idea what to do about it. Exercise, I suppose, but it's too late to make New Year's resolutions now. Ah well. I guess I'll go upstairs and eat some bread while I contemplate this conundrum.

In the meantime, enjoy this priceless picture of Amy and Hannah. Thanks for reading and have a happy day!

Merry *Late* Christmas!

Here's a post of mostly random things; I lack the presence of mind right now to tie everything together, but I want to share these pictures and this video.

I hope everybody reading this had an even greater Christmas and New Year celebration than we did.

Hannah is growing quite nicely and is a beautiful one-month-old wonder now. What a joy.


And here are Amy's thoughts from her visit with Santa. I hope the video works for you! It certainly did not for me! Nor could I center it.

Sittin' with Santa

At the church Christmas dinner this year, they brought out Santa for the kids to talk to. Kevin was so fast to get on Santa's lap that he was done and gone before the photographer was set up. So we got pictures of Tanner and Amy on Santa. Tanner had a great time of it and made sure to tell Santa that he wanted a remote controlled Wall-E, which, unfortunately, I'm almost certain Santa won't actually bring this year.


Amy---poor, sweet Amy---was forced to sit on Santa's lap mainly because her sadistic mother wanted a picture of Amy screaming on Santa's lap.


We heard all about it afterward, too. She kept saying that "Hanta" was "wood." (Santa was rude.) But at least he gave her some "handy." (Candy.) Toddlers are so much fun!

Welcome, Hannah!!

Rob and Kathryn Chase are thrilled to present
Hannah Lynn Chase
Born November 30, 2009 at 10:39 am
8 lbs 6 oz
20" long

After a long nine months and then a whirlwind labor that went so fast I almost had to skip the epidural (shudder...), Hannah has finally joined our family!!

We are so pleased to have another jolly little soul in our ever-growing family. Each one brings so much joy and happiness to our home that we scratch our heads in wonder and say many prayers of thanks.

Tanner, Kevin, and Amy are enjoying Baby Hannah very much. When we brought Hannah home from the hospital, my parents hid the older siblings behind a blanket and when they removed the blanket, there was Mommy and Baby Hannah! Their jaws dropped, and Amy's binkie even fell out.

Amy was a little disappointed to discover that Hannah is not specifically hers, but she loves Hannah very much and gives her many kisses and head pats.

Tanner loves Hannah too and always remembers to wash his hands after school before he says hello to his newest sister.

And sweet Kevin is taking it all in stride and loves to hold Hannah whenever he can.
Hannah is proving to be a real cutie with a beautiful face full of newborn wonder.
We are having way too much fun with her and she has become a very important part of our family.

We love you, Hannah! Thanks for coming!

For more pictures, visit http://picasaweb.google.com/robandkathryn/BabyHannah

Stay at Home, Mom!

I was talking to a young mother who has one 3-year-old girl. This mother told me that she's had it with watching this girl all day every day, and she absolutely has to get a job and put her daughter in daycare or she'll go insane. I told her what she needed was to give the little girl a sibling to play with. (This could be construed as a tactless comment---I am famous for making them---but the condition of my belly at present allows me to make certain types of comment without too much reproach).

The conversation didn't really go anywhere, and I certainly made no impact on her resolution to quit being a stay-at-home mom. But it made my heart hurt for her and for her cute little girl.

I would never voluntarily leave my children to go to work. The thought of having somebody else raise my little ones is appalling! That is MY job. These are MY little ones. Nobody else in the entire world can do for them what I can do for them. Nobody else can love them as I love them.

There are days when I go bonkers and realize that being a stay-at-home mom is hard hard hard hard hard. There are times when I let my children make me so mad that I am surprised at myself. My house is often a mess, my shoulders are often covered in peanut butter or worse, and I am often greeted with angry faces as I turn a corner.

But then, as I put the kids to sleep, I hear a little voice say "I like you and I love you and I think you're beautiful and pretty." These children I have are my most precious blessings from heaven. They are so cute and so sweet.

And that's enough soapboxing for now. I just wanted to say I treasure not just my children, but also my role as their mother.