Wasn't there a holiday in there, somewhere?

Yes, I am still around. Seriously. I actually am.

I've been so busy baking bread and attempting to potty train* (and doing all the extra diaper laundry that attempt entails), that I haven't had a whole lot of energy left over for much of anything else. However, here are a few photos to make up for it. A little.

Ready to rip and roll!

Xmas 2009 at Chez Hatchet

There were few presents under the tree this year, but piles and piles of them at Grammy's house the night before. Someone went a little crazy with the presents, but 'tweren't me. Here, at home, there was quite a bit of ripping and shredding of paper, even with the few presents we had.

You know what the twins learned about Christmas? Shredding is fun! It didn't matter what was inside, so long as they got to destroy some paper. (And they are destructive little buggers, let me tell you!)

Opening a present from Aunt Cindy.

Oooh! New books!

The twins love this book! Unfortunately, they ripped several pages out of it the day we mistakenly left it in their room on the dresser. They climbed up and ripped out parts of the PIGS! book. The rest of us were very sad. Now we lock up all of their books at night. Sigh.

Logan "reading" his photo album from Cousin Janet.

Photo albums starring the twins (and Caitlin) were a big hit again this year. They love them, carry them around and flip through them all the time. Except that we have to take them away when their screaming/messy fingers/shredding instincts kick in.

Emma sings along to the Beatles for Kids album.

We also got some new music for the kids: Ziggy Marley and The Beatles for Children. Verrah nice.


Eric received some presents, too! Amazing! He was almost forgotten in the feeding frenzy. Even I received a present! A new cookbook: The Bread Baker's Apprentice. You suddenly understand where all my free time has gone, don't you?


Caitlin received yet more books, of course, and a few video games for the Wii. She seemed quite happy with her haul, so all is well.

We spent a very quiet New Year's Eve here at home. Eric and I had discussed the possibility of one of us getting out to a party solo, but decided not to bother. NYE solo isn't as much fun. Finishing off a new book my MIL gave me was much more fun, anyway.

I found 2009 to be a very rough year for me as a woman, mother and a shut-in housewife SAHM. I'm really hoping 2010 will be more to my liking. It's OK so far, but still...no silver jumpsuit? No flying car? No teleporters? The future is a total ripoff so far!

Instead, I'll have to be content with homemade bread. And lots of it!

Why yes, I did make that. And the cream cheese that went on it, too.

And some bagels, for good measure.




* I have been reading all of your comments. Thanks so much for the support and humor and well wishes! Thanks for sticking with me!