I've just decided to make a daily updates a goal, at least for long enough to create a habit.

People often comment on how long Hannah's hair is. Here's a decent shot of it.

Long Overdue Update!

So, I bemoan the loss of my camera to the sands of Bear Lake. It was nice while it lasted.

Then we got new phones that supposedly take pictures, but we couldn't figure out how to download them... until today! We're all well and happy and healthy. And my Hannah is so amazing!

Here are a few pictures of my pretty, pretty princess. As soon as I figure out how to get the videos off our phones, you'll have scores of maximum cuteness to ogle.

There is Life on this Blog!

Okay, so... let's just say we've been having persistent computer problems. And persistent finding the camera problems. And also I (Marilyn) have been having a really hard time spending sit-at-the-computer time due to my back problems.

However, I really do want you all to know that we think of you often and that Hannah is amazing and that I really really need to make time for blogging again. Even if my posts are short and I can't find pictures of Hannah to go with them.

And, that's the whole story.

So, please leave a comment if you would like me to post more. I'd love to know if anyone still occasionally checks my blog for signs of life.

I need my camera! *cry*

Hannah is officially mobile. She is crawling, or more accurately scooting. I think she doesn't like the feel of carpet or tile on her knees, so she uses one leg to push and she goes everywhere in a semi-sitting posture. She'll go up on her knees to try and stand up when holding on to things, but that's it.

Anyway, I wish I could take a picture or a video, but our camera is MIA for the last month or so. I am hoping it will turn up as we start to organize everything in preparation to move. I have zero clue where or when, but I am positive we will be moving at some point and I am going to be organized before then!

No Invidious Persons Allowed

Today I was reading an article about the censorship of Verdi's operas in Victorian London. I came across the most interesting factoid. Did you know that you were not allowed to "represent on the stage in an invidious manner a living person, or a person recently dead"? There goes half of the opera repertoire! I mean, isn't it the quintessential ending to have the soprano die after singing some high note?

(Why anyone would put a "person recently dead" on the stage is beyond me. That's gross.)


For the random fact file, here are the seven prohibitions on the Victorian stage, as set forth in the Report of the 1909 Joint Select Parliamentary Committee on Stage Plays :

The Lord Chamberlain . . . should license any play submitted to him unless he considers that it may reasonably be held
a) To be indecent;
b) To contain offensive personalities;
c) To represent on the stage in an invidious manner a living person, or a person recently dead;
d) To do violence to the sentiment of religious reverence;
e) To be calculated to conduce to crime or vice;
f) To be calculated to impair friendly relations with any Foreign Power; or
g) To be calculated to cause a breach of the peace


"I'm sorry. Your play is prohibited because you have a living person behaving in an invidious manner. We only allow living persons behaving vidiously on our stage."

First Mother's Day

It was my first official Mother's Day. Last year is exempt because Hannah was on the way but she was not here quite yet. Ryan went out of his way to do sweet things for me all day, which is not out of the norm but was nice anyway on a "special day." I awoke to Ryan (and Hannah) bringing me breakfast in bed, which was a gourmet feast. I had to take a picture on my phone because we can't find the camera, but now I can't figure out how to get it from phone to computer. Well, nevermind.

Imagine a beautiful tray complete with omelet, asparagus (breakfast of champions!), fruit salad, mango nectar and soymilk. He did the omelet with two kinds of cheese, a luxury we usually don't have, and a julienned sweet bell pepper salad. The asparagus was steam-infused with herbs and was perfect (still a little crunchy). The fruit salad was his piece de resistance: mango fan, strawberry sliced thinly, kiwi (love kiwi!!) and fresh raspberries. My husband likes to watch Iron Chef America in his spare time. Can you tell?

Then he took away the tray and did the same thing for Mom Smith, with whom we are currently living. We went in with Hannah, who sat nicely on the bed and ate pureed veggies. As a side note, Hannah is unique. While other children's mothers have to sneak veggies into foods they will eat, I have to do the opposite. I have to sneak fruits in with the veggies. How crazy is that?

We had a lovely dinner with my parents and syblings. Then we all gathered around the table for a special treat, the Mother's Day missionary phone call. My brother Marcus is in sunny California serving an LDS mission. We put him on speakerphone and he was able to tell us all the latest mission news. Then we were able to take five minutes individually to say hello. The highlight of this for me was when Hannah said "bye-bye" to Uncle Marcus with both of her little hands waving inverted farewells.

Then we opened presents. Ryan had done some Super Secret Squirrel Business this year to surprise me with something special. He got me a small pendant and, with Mom's help, some earrings made of Murano glass from Venice, Italy. If you are not familiar with this amazing stuff, check this out: http://www.glassofvenice.com/murano_techniques.php#61 My pendant is a sky blue with forget-me-not flowers. The earrings match the pendant. It is really too lovely, and the best part is that I saw these on display in the store the other day and thought how much I would like something like that for Mother's Day, but I hadn't said a word to anyone. He must have read my mind.

So that was my first official Mother's Day, at least the relevant, festive parts. It's such a shame we can't find our camera (again!) and you will get no pictures of the darling little reason I can celebrate Mother's Day. We need to buy a back-up camera for days like that....