Ho Ho Ho

Santa Claus is coming to town! We took Natalie to visit Santa today and sit on his lap. We were SO impressed and pleased with how well she did. We honestly thought she wasn't going to go for it at all. We've really been talking it (Santa, Christmas, etc) up the last few weeks so maybe that helped. I think so. She also has quite a few Christmas books with Santa in them that we've been reading and a special one from great aunt Laura about Jesus' birthday. Merry Christmas!

Ma-ree Kiss-mus

Natalie can say Merry Christmas and it the sweetest, cutest thing that I've ever heard besides "I love you". I bribed her to be still and say it for the camera by telling her she could watch Elmo's World if she did. So, you'll see that she quickly does the task at hand and moves on to the more important thing; getting in position to watch TV. It sounds as clear as day to me but to you it might sound more like "Ma-ree Kiss-mus"!

Welcome, Welcome (Christmas)

Natalie watched How the Grinch Stole Christmas for the first time today with her Daddy's encouragement. At first she was reluctant and kept requesting one of her favorites shows (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) but a few minutes into the Grinch and she was glued! Not too long after watching it she started singing "Welcome, Welcome, Welcome" and hasn't stopped since! It is her version of the main song "Welcome Christmas" in the Dr. Suess story & movie. Having a young child at home can sure put new life into the Chirstmas spirit. :)

Blogging

Some of my blogging friends are participating in National Blogging Month this month which means that they will post a blog a day in November. I had to laugh at myself when I even considered doing this myself b/c I currently have TEN started (but not quite finished just yet) blogs dating back to our beach trip in September that I still need to post. And, really, who are we kidding? ...by the time I finally get around to posting it no one will care what we did in September. But, this blog is also to provide memories for me to look back on in years to come. So, be on the look out b/c one day real soon I'm going to get caught up on here again! Right?!?! I mean, I'm not a procrastinator, not at all!

Marengo Creek Farms

Natalie and I went with our Moms & Toddlers group to Marengo Creek Farms today. It has been raining A LOT the past few days so I was worried that the farm would be a muddy mess and went with Plan B for Natalie's outfit (she had the cutest smocked pumpkin dress to wear!). Natalie didn't seem to mind wearing blue jeans and a fleece jacket though. LOL. :)


The toddlers had a great time playing in the big tub of corn, running through the hay maze, and going on the hay ride. Natalie loved all the animals there but her favorite part of the whole trip was hand-feeding acorns to the sheep.

Lee County Fair

We took a family outing to the Lee County Fair yesterday afternoon. Our main motivation for going was my hope that there would be an animal exhibition for Natalie's entertainment...too bad there wasn't! So we walked around to see the sights and such. Natalie did get to ride a pony and really enjoyed it!


We also thought she might like to ride one of the kiddie rides....she loves to play in her friend's toy cars so I decided the big-rig train was the best bet. At first, she was SOOO excited but then it started to go and we weren't right by her side anymore and she got really, really, really upset. For those few minutes, I felt like the WORST Mom on the planet. We won't be making that mistake again anytime soon!

(this was before the ride started; still happy!.....I won't post the pic of her crying that Ryan snapped)

Party in Pink

While getting lost in Blog Land; I stumbled across Fringe Girl's blog and discovered that she had come up with the idea for a Party in Pink to celebrate that October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. When I read about it; I knew it was something I needed to do. I know three breast cancer survivors in my immediate family and this post is in honor of them (my step-mom Ronnie & her mom Ann and also my grandmother Mavis). I also found a lump in my breast at a very young age and it turned out to be benign but I learned at a young age to "feel your boobies". So, post of pic of yourself wearing pink (or maybe a loved one like I did...I cheated and am using a pic of my baby Natalie at 12 months old b/c she is too cute to resist) on your blog and join the Party in Pink; you'll be glad you did something in honor of others!

Natalie's "Blue Shoes"

I told Natalie this afternoon that we were going to get some new shoes as she needs a few pair for fall/winter. I mentioned it a few more times as I was trying to get things in gear for us to leave the house and before I knew it she was saying "blue shoes". She continued to talk about her "blue" shoes at the store while trying them on and also when we got back home to show them to Daddy. It is too cute to watch her walk in them as they are hard-soled Keds which she isn't used to wearing so it is kinda funny to see her lift her feet up with each step!

Ha-bee

If you're ha-bee and you know it clap your hands. Natalie and Claire went to toddler story time last Thursday at the Auburn Library and at the end of the class the librarian sang "If you're happy and you know it" and everyone sang along. That was the FIRST time Natalie has ever heard that song. A few short hours later while eating lunch she kept saying "ha-bee" to me and smiling; then it finally clicked! She was trying to sing the song and wanted me to sing it for her. So all day yesterday and today we've been singing the "ha-bee" song. I told her today it was "happy" and she actually pronounced it correctly which made me proud. Here is a video of Natalie singing the "ha-bee" song at dinner time tonight.

We love you so much

Natalie,

We love you so very much! You have blessed our lives more than we could have ever realized. Each day with you is such a joy and so much fun. Seeing the world through your eyes makes life more meaningful.

Love, Momma & Dadda

"I hold you box"

I just couldn't resist sharing this....Natalie is so stinking cute these days with the things she says. She has just started putting four words together sometimes and all day today when I changed her diaper she would reach for the wipes box and say, "I hold you box"! TOOOOO CUTE!

Happy Blogiversary

I've been blogging for a year now! I remembering thinking when I started that I would be proud of myself if I averaged one blog a week.....which would be 52 total blogs.....well, I managed to do even better than that. Yay for me! We'll see if I can keep it going.

18 months old

Natalie Claire is halfway to being a two year old!!!! Please slow down time, please!

She had her 18 month check up and is doing great. Our pediatrician asked me how many words she knows and I stopped to think; then he said, "Is it at least 20?" and I smiled and said, "It is at least 200." I'm such a proud Momma of my baby's verbal skills! She now weighs right at 25 lbs. (more on our home scales) and is 33 inches tall. She got a few shots and never even cried one tear!!!! The nurse was in awe (so were Ryan and I!).




We are trying to transition from two naps to one. It has not been the easiest thing to do and results in a grumpy, fussy toddler some days. So on most of those days we aim for an earlier bedtime. We've had to switch back and forth b/w two naps and one depending on how much sleep she has had. We're hoping Natalie will adjust to the new routine soon enough. I'm now beginning to think I know why so many babies & toddlers are whiny all the time though....it is because they are over-tired!

Natalie has learned Ring-Around-the-Rosy from her friend Claire. It is too cute, she sings it as best she can and twirls around and then falls down when she gets to the "all fall down" part at the end.




She is putting three words together now and says things like "see daddy shoes","go bye bye park","shhh dadda sleep", "where it go?" and "see big truck" (which doesn't sound quite like truck if you follow me so Ryan thinks it is pretty funny). She has learned the pronouns "me" and "I" which really baffles me as to how she even picked that up! She is super smart!



Natalie has such nice manners and has learned to say "please" and "thank you" and "bless you" when someone sneezes! She has also learned "yes" and "no" which helps when asking her questions but sometimes I wish she didn't know the word "no" quite yet. :)

She continues to impress us with the signs she learns from watching the Signing Time DVDs. The new ones she has learned this month are: please, bicycle, sleep, coat, hurt, boat, and book.

Future's So Bright....

I gotta wear shades!

Momma's Little Helper

Natalie had so much fun with this toy vacuum at her friend's house. She had just watched Ryan vacuum earlier the same day at home and kept pointing at the vacuum saying "keen, keen" meaning "clean" which is what she calls the vacuum cleaner. I hope we've got a Momma's little helper in training.

Sips N Strokes

I went to a new place in town, Sips N Strokes, with a group of my friends for Mom's Night Out. We had a GREAT time and really enjoyed ourselves. It was A LOT of fun! Here are some pics of us with our finished project (one of the whole group and one with my good friend Meredith).

Braves Game

We went to visit our good friends Zach and Kasey in GA this weekend and went to a Braves game too. We had great seats thanks to Kasey! The Braves pulled out a win in the bottom of the 9th inning so it was a pretty exciting game. (sorry the pic is blurry; it seems whenever we ask someone else to try and use our camera that is what always happens).

Green Girl

Natalie seems to be a little green............


oh wait, that is just green crayon on her face! :)

17 months old

Our little firecracker is 17 months old now! The toddler stage is in full swing. Natalie is constantly into anything and everything. It is quite a challenge to try and keep up with her these days. It is becoming almost impossible to get a picture of her these days (you have no idea how many of the ones I try to take end up being of the back of her head or the side of her or her on the ground since she is CONSTANTLY in motion) She loves to run in the yard & down the halls. She can kick and roll a ball. She can climb up onto the ottoman and can get herself down from the couch and our bed (which is pretty high up so we watch her closely).

Natalie absolutely loves the pool and we have been working on some basic baby level swimming skills with her from the book Learn to Swim. Ryan really enjoys working with her and she is learning to jump in from a seated position and also to hold her breath while being submerged.





She enjoys coloring and playing with play-doh (which isn't allowed very often but when; it is under direct supervision). She has learned to blow kisses and holds her hand up to her mouth and blows kisses to most anyone or anything (haha) without prompting. She recognizes the sound of a plane and stops what she is doing to yell out "plane, plane" if she hears one (even while indoors and busy playing or eating). Natalie now recognizes hot (hot food, hot water, etc) and will tell us when something is hot. She blows on her food if it is too hot. So cute!

She is also putting two words together and says things like "read book" and "see car" and "hey mo-mo" (elmo). She has learned some new signs in the past month from the Signing Time DVDs: hat, sleep, fish, wash hands, and ball. She cut five new teeth in the past month (three of which were molars).




****Also, I finally got around to snagging my Mom's pics from her Picasa album to finish this post that I started back in June so please check it out b/c it has the CUTEST pics of Natalie getting dunked in the pool.

Vroom Vroom

Natalie is very interested in cars (not toy cars, real cars) and loves it when we let her play inside the car pushing all the buttons and turning the steering wheel. Look at the giant smile on her face; she is so excited about it!

Hiding Spot

Natalie has discovered how to climb up into the bathroom cabinet and it is her new favorite game. She was so proud of herself a few days ago when she first did it. She climbed all the way in and then reached out to close the door behind her. I would say, "where is Natalie?" and she would slowly open the door back up with a big grin on her face. SOOOO cute!!!!

Belize

(photo courtesy of our friend Sallie Martin)

Ryan and I went on a scuba diving trip to Ambergris Caye, Belize with our friends through Adventure Sports. It was a week long trip and we had a wonderful time. The weather was wonderful, the diving was awesome, the water was beautiful, the food was great, the hotel was nice, and a good time was had with all of our great friends! We went out diving each morning and saw lots of cool things like nurse sharks, turtles, mooray eels, & goliath groupers. We would relax by the pool in the afternoon and have a few cocktails with all of our group and then go out to dinner in the evenings. One of the days we went back inland and did a jungle tour that included ziplining and cave tubing. I took over 400 pics and this is a link to some of them on Facebook. Here are just a few of us enjoying our trip!

Back Blogging

I am going to appoint myself Queen of Back-Blogging. I start so many blogs and then never get around to uploading the pics to go along with them........then finally one day I get it all done (while procratinating housework most likely). So, as you might have guessed.......I just posted quite a few "old" entries to the blog. Enjoy!

16 Month update

Little Miss Natalie is busier than ever these days. She is learning to run and enjoys practicing that everyday. Her vocabulary continues to grow each day and is constantly amazing Ryan and I both. She picked up some more signs from her favorite DVD- horse, cracker, cereal, Mom, & Dad. She can sing some of the words to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and also Row Row Row Your Boat. It is too cute!



She has a new found love of dirt and likes to play in it any chance she gets. This is a huge thrill for her but not so much for me b/c I'm not really a dirt kinda girl. She is beginning to want to climb things...like up on to the top of her picnic table, up onto the fireplace hearth, and she also tries to climb on to the top of the coffee table too! She can reach almost anything on the counters now by standing on her tippy toes and really stretching. We think we've put things out of her reach and suddenly she comes around the corner with it in her hand. All you can do is smile and laugh!

Happy 4th of July

We traveled down to Glenwood, AL (by way of my sister's house in Ramer) to celebrate July 4th with my Step-Mom's family. On Friday afternoon my Dad, Step-Mom, and Grandmother came over to my sister's house in Ramer to visit with us & see Natalie. Then on Saturday, we headed to Glenwood for the cook-out. They had lots of good food (and delicious dessert!). Natalie had a blast following around the big girls and trying to do whatever they were doing. She got dirtier than she has ever been playing in the sand and going back & forth over to the big drink tubs to get handfuls of ice & water. We ended the day with a swim in the pool. Hope everyone had a Happy 4th!

Foo Foo

We have a new creature who comes to visit us outside our kitchen window..........little bunny Foo Foo. Ryan set up a bird feeder (that I gave him for our anniversary) right outside the window and we have birds, squirrels, and chipmunks who visit it daily. Now, just in the past few weeks, we've noticed a rabbit in our yard. All of the sudden, last night & this morning, the bunny has come over to eat the grass that is springing up from the seeds on the ground. Natalie goes crazy and says, "foo foo, foo foo" over & over. Too cute! I sing Little Bunny Foo Foo to her and do the hand motions so when I told her that was a bunny outside the window she immediately called him Foo Foo. When he hopped away she said, "Bye Bye Foo Foo".

Little Begger

Natalie could have just eaten her own weight in food but if she sees someone else eating then the begging begins. LOL. "More, more, more" over & over. We went to a playdate the other day and I think she ate just as much as me! She also wants to become quite the little snacker. She goes to the pantry door all day long and says "cook, cook" (for cookie) or "kix, kix". I really think she would snack constantly between meals but we're trying not to let that get out of hand. We want to encourage three wholesome meals with a few healthy snacks instead of eating cookies (animal crackers or graham crackers) every thirty minutes all day long. Easier said than done with a persistent toddler! :)



Trying to look sweet & innocent before she begs for more "cook"

Dunk me, Daddy!

We went to the pool in my Mom's neighborhood yesterday while in town to celebrate my sister's birthday and see my step-niece who was visiting from Ohio. My Mom and Ryan both mentioned how much Natalie loves the water and wondered how she would respond to being dunked. I was hesitant at first but, boy, she REALLY LOVED IT! I think the pictures say it all.