Holidaze....

Guess who fell behind in updating her blog?! Yup, it was Catherine Hannah!! It's been a great few weeks that started with a party in Monterey for Catherine's Great Aunt Joan and gave us a chance to hang out with Aunt Megan, Uncle Toph, and Cousin Elle. A week later, Catherine boarded a plane and flew to North Carolina to celebrate Christmas with the Bolands. After searching for weeks to find Santa Claus, where did he finally turn up? In the Charlotte airport, of course. Catherine shared some quality time with Jolly ol' Saint Nick in a rocking chair in front of a Jamba Juice. Inspired by her visit with Santa, Catherine fulfilled one of the oldest Christmas traditions around - she dressed up in a Santa suit and rode a giant wooden giraffe.

After opening presents on Christmas morning, Catherine got the chance to hang out on the back porch with her cousin Spiderman! (known also as Aidan)

Back home in California, Catherine was up to her old tricks, mugging shamelessly for the camera. She wishes you all a Happy New Year, and she's looking forward to smilng with you in 2009!

Chickens, Sweet Potatoes, and Cousins

Better late than never, the Chicken Suit makes an appearance on the blog..... Catherine does her best to make banana squash look like makeup Yep, still got more hair than my dad..... Catherine had great fun recently playing and learning with her cousin Elle

Bouncy, Bouncy.....

A little over-indulgent? Sure. But since it is our new favorite thing to watch, we figured why not post TWO videos of Catherine either A)Preparing herself to dunk a basketball or B) Training for the professional bull riders tour! Enjoy....

Festival O' Grandparents

The arrival of Grandpa and Grandma Boland from North Carolina allowed Catherine the rare opportunity to be QUADRUPALLY spoiled! Luckily, there was plenty of her to go around, and plenty of proud grandparent gushing to be heard for miles around......

Finally worn out after all that spoiling, Catherine settles down for some nighttime reading with Mom before heading off to bed.

Bring on the food, Mommy!

Catherine Hannah got her first taste of big kid food this week, indulging in the culniary delights of rice cereal. Her first reaction - "Get that thing away from my mouth! Where's my bottle!?"

"Hmmmm.... well, OK, on second thought, I guess I'll give that stuff a try..."

"You know, this rice cereal actually really complements my outfit. I think I'll wear some every day!"

"Yo waiter! What else you got back there in the kitchen? Steak? Peas? Chocolate cake? Bring it on - baby is HUNGRY!!"

A Day at the Zoo

A rare Monday with all three of us at home provided the opportunity for Catherine's first visit to the San Francisco Zoo. She loved seeing all the animals and had a smile on her face the entire time!

Hi there, Goat. How's your family?

What's new, Giraffe? How's the weather up there? Hey Chicken. I'm dressing like you for Halloween!

Sunshine with Sunflowers

What better way to celebrate the blooming of Farmer Dad's sunflowers than with an evening photo shoot?

Mom n' Me

Hi everybody, it's me Catherine! My mom and I have been spending lots of fun times together recently. This past weekend, I went on my first plane flight down to Southern California to celebrate my cousin Elle's first birthday. I sat with mom in the window seat both ways, and I slept and ate for most of the flight. Back at home, I joined mom in the kitchen to help prepare a delicious dinner.

Afterwards, mom sat me in her lap and made me laugh over and over!

Life and Times

This week has gotten off to a crazy start! Governor Sarah Palin made a surprise campaign stop at the house last night, ranting about pork barrels and lipstick. Meanwhile, Catherine went for a ride on Dad, and then proceeded to give a stump speech of her own from the comfort of her bouncy chair in the Rectangle Office (aka the living room).

Ahoy, mateys!

Catherine Hannah set sail for Pine Mountain Lake over the Labor Day weekend. She sailed the seas with her friends Owen and Delaney, while the moms and the dads took turns in day care and lazy floating in the river.

And of course, it's ALWAYS a good time for a giant zucchini photo! Turns out this was our last one of the season, but even this monster couldn't catch up with Catherine's latest growth spurt.

So Much To Say..

Inspired by her viewing of the Democratic National Convention, Catherine Hannah has been working on her public speaking recently. She wants to keep her options open regarding a future run for the White House or other public office. Here's a rough draft of one of her speeches, given right after her nightly bath to a captive audience. See if you are as inspired as we were......

The Results Are In.....

Catherine Hannah went in for her two month check-up on Monday. Her first set of vaccinations brought out a lot of tears.... in mom and dad! Our little daughter's never cried like that! Afterwards, though, Catherine went right to sleep. Mom and Dad needed a frozen yogurt to help calm themselves down! Here's her current stats: Height: 2 ' 1/4" (92% for her age) Weight: 11 lbs. 12 oz (56% for her age) Yes, she's long and lean, earning her newest nickname - "Two Feet of Sunshine!" Enjoy these photos..... Dad zooms in for yet another close-up Yes, these are in fact Mouse Boots that I'm wearing, and yes, they are the coolest shoes ever!

Love those dimples!

It's a big crib. Might as well fill the space......

An over due post about the Johnson visit from July. There was baseball, baptism, the Jelly Belly Factory, the Zoo, the Exploratorium, gardening, catch, swimming...the fun never ended! And Catherine did it all. Well, she was there for all of it but sleeping through most! Catherine was so pleased to finally meet and snuggle with her Aunt Missy, Uncle Rusty, Daniel and Aidan.

Speaking of fun with her cousins... Elle sent this picture to Catherine to remind her that being a fashion plate is never an easy job!

Snapshots

Some random shots from the week. Though Mom and Dad had an amazingly difficult time going back to work, Catherine seems to have stayed as happy as ever!