A Journey to Love

As the year wraps up, I figured I should sum it up in a classic list of "Top 10." But for the sake of a catchy title, I am only going to list 9 noteworthy events.  I actually got the idea from my friend Katy last year (okay, I shamelessly stole the idea from her when I saw it on her blog and decided to use it in our annual Christmas card. Sorry Katy.) Any way...in no particular order (yes, I stole that line from her too), here is the the Hasch Household top 9 of 09 (see, it is catchy) : 1. Benjamin turned one This was a big one for us, considering he is our first and only child. I may have gone a tad overboard with his party...if you consider inviting over 75 people for a full on dinner. I spent hours designing his invitation (complete with a picture of him every month of his first year), color coordinated everything (including our outfits), and made 60 homemade icecream sandwiches. All the work and expense was worth it though, because the par...

Christmas was a little different this year from last. Last year was exciting because it was Benjamin's first Christmas . Even though he was only four months old and had no idea what was going on, it was a big deal to us (okay, to me). I made Nathan take a picture of Benjamin and I standing next to his first Christmas tree, we (I) picked out special Christmas pajamas for him, we each bought him special gifts and even wrapped them, knowing full well we would also be the ones un wrapping them. We stuffed his stocking full, sat him on Santa's lap, took him to Winter Wonderland, and sang him Christmas carols (okay, I sang them). It was a magical holiday. This year was still exciting I guess, but in a different way.. Though he still doesn't get what is happening, he does understand the word toy . And I think after yesterday, he understands present as well! He helped unwrap most of his gifts and it was fun seeing his face light up at a gift he particularly enjoyed (such as the ...

I know adding a tiny third member to your family changes pretty much everything about your life. I get that. However, once Nathan and I figured out the whole newborn thing (how to take care of him kind of stuff), we got into our groove. Our life changed, but it didn't change...it was more like we just had this tiny little person tagging along. Benjamin was such an easy baby. One of the most often heard comments I heard throughout the first year of his life (after "Your son is so cute!) was "Is he always this happy?" And he really was! Nathan and I knew how lucky we were to have such a content baby and if we were out somewhere and saw another infant screaming non-stop we would look at each other and silently think, "Thank God Benjamin isn't like that!" (And I'm sure one of us has thought at some point, "What is wrong with those parents?" Yes, we are going to get ours next time I'm sure!) So here we are, cruising through life with this...

We strolled hand in hand, peeking in store windows and walking through the shops of downtown SLO, looking for the perfect Christmas gifts for friends and family. Christmas spirit was obviously in the air, made apparent by the smiles given to us by fellow shoppers and even those driving by on the busy streets. The way the passerby's would grin and nudge their companions as they pointed us out made me glow with pride. "They must see how lucky I am to have him, how much in love we are," I thought to myself as I held his hand tighter. We meandered our way through the crowded sidewalks, stopping to smell all the soaps in "Bath & Body Works" (yes, he indulged me and even let me buy a few!) and peeking in the "Apple Store" to drool over the latest and greatest technology. Then, at his suggestion, we stopped for lunch at "Pizza Solo" and shared a delightful meal while people watching on the promenade. Finally, we lugged all our purchases back to ...

I've missed my little man these last couple of days. No, I haven't been out of town, just out of commission. The stomach flu hit me hard on Tuesday and I was down for the count. My saint of a husband took care of Benjamin (and me) for the last two days so I could get better. I tried to keep my baby at bay so he wouldn't get sick, but it was difficult. Especially since he really wanted me. I mean, how do you resist when your sweet little one year old comes over to you and reaches his arms up because he wants to snuggle with you? (Unless you are trying to read a book...then it's easy to resist. :) It doesn't help that Benjamin is at the age when he wants Mommy over Daddy. Even though Nathan has been a wonderful, fully involved, hands-on parent, most kids this age prefer their mom, and Ben is no exception. I know that when he gets a bit older he will want to be side-by-side with his dad, working in the garage, driving the tractor (gulp), 4-wheeling (double gulp), and...

Opening the gift "Santa" gave him He doesn't seem to be impressed with this classic choice of toys However, daddy showed him what to do And he quickly figured it out!

Yes, you read correctly... dog poop. I've been waiting for it to happen, and today it finally did. Benjamin and I were exploring outside this morning (it finally stopped raining so we could do that again!) and I turned my back for a minute to throw a stick for Sadie. When I turned back around, I noticed that Benjamin was intently inspecting something on the ground. Not just inspecting, but probing. WITH HIS HANDS. I bent down to take a closer look and realized that my son was playing with dog poop. Dog poop . Disgusting. I whisked him up and into the house, zombie style (arms straight out in front of him) and thoroughly scrubbed his hands with my favorite "Kitchen Lemon" anti-bacterial, hopefully anti-dog poop, until his hands (and arms) smelled like a citrus grove. As he sits next to me while I write this, eating a granoloa bar, I have to reassure myself that the anti-bacterial soap did it's job (as did the hot water and vigorous scrubbing for a full sixty seconds...

The fire was blazing (thanks to my awesome fire making skills!), the Christmas tree was lit, the sound of rain softly drifting through the open window (because I am too  good at making a fire-the house was an oven!), and non-stop Christmas music was quietly playing on the radio. All the ingredients for a night curled up on the couch, finishing the most recent novel by one of my favorite authors. Except for one thing. That thing happens to be about two feet tall and knows only one word, which he was repeating over and over while tugging on my pant leg: "Up." I figured that having my sweet little boy next to me while reading by the fire would only add to the cozy evening. Well, add he did. He did sit still for about ten seconds. Then he stood up on the couch and ran to the other end, crashing into my throw pillows (the ones that I place "just so"). He thought this was great fun, so he ran back the other way and crashed into me . Normally I would laugh with him and...

Perhaps it is because I am a new mom (sort of). Perhaps it is because technology has made it so easy. Perhaps it is because I am trying to learn and practice a new hobby (yet again). Or (and I think we are getting to the real reason here) perhaps it is because I honestly believe that there is no cuter child out there than my beautiful son and I want to capture every expression, every moment, and yes, every stylish outfit I put on him, and show him off to the world. Any other mom feel the same way about their children? I'm going to venture a guess and just say yes. But still, do I really need to take 25 pictures of Benjamin raking the leaves? I mean, how exciting is it really to do yard work?  But as I stood there watching him in his adorable sweater, focusing on his task at hand, I found myself thinking "Is there anything cuter than this?" So I dashed into the house for the camera and sprinted back outside (nearly falling out the door in my haste-I'm not joking) ...

This is the beginning of my blog, but definitely not the beginning of my life as a wife and mother. That began four years ago when I married Nathan and three years later welcomed our first baby into the world. The purpose of this blog is simply to remember the memories we are making, the thoughts that go through my head, and the feelings that go along with them. This blog is not written for other people (though please feel free to read and comment), but rather a virutal scrapbook of my precious family. The following excerpt from Possession by A.S. Byatt sums up this blog and really, my life: "What is it? My dear?" "Ah, how can we bear it?" "Bear what?" "This. For so short a time. How can we sleep this time away?" "We can be quiet together, and pretend--since it is only the beginning--that we have all the time in the world." "And every day we shall have less. And then none." "Would you rather, therefore, have had ...