Where have we been!?!

Sorry for the recent absence.  Natalie's been quite busy traveling hither, thither and yon.

First we spent a weekend in VA Beach with Aunt Shashee (That's how Nattie says it).  The weather was TERRIBLE - so we spent a lot of time bundled up and in the hotel indoor pool but we still enjoyed our time together.

Out to dinner together

She loved the patio - when it wasn't raining

We have a water baby, for sure!

Mom!  You are embarrassing me in front of my new friend!

The Pool Diaper "badonkadonk"

We had a great time playing and laughing.  I think we need to make long weekends with Aunt Shashee a new tradition!

Happy Birthday Aunt Leslie!

Today - and this weekend we are celebrating Aunt Leslie's birthday!  Unfortunately I don't have a recent picture of Leslie with Natalie (something I will be sure to remedy this weekend) but here is one of my absolute favorites from last year.

Happy Birthday Aunt Leslie!  

We love you!

Congrats Uncle Ryan!

Uncle Ryan defended his Master's Degree yesterday and Natalie and I were there to show our support!  We couldn't be more proud!

Congrats Ryan!

New hairstyles

Ms Debbie has been experimenting lately with all the different ways she can play with Natalie's hair.   None of them last very long since one of Natalie's favorite hobbies is to pull out anything you put in her hair - but its fun to play, regardless.

There are a few phone pictures of the recent "up-do's".

The Puppy Dog Ears

I just love her sweet expression here!

The Pineapple

She loves jewelry. 

The crooked Piggy Tails

Her unhappy face here is b/c Roscoe wouldn't hold still for her.

 

 

I'm sure there are many more iterations to come - the only limit is how long Natalie will hold still and if we can get a picture before she pulls it down. 

:)

Best $1.00 I've ever spent

Natalie and I are regulars at Target - and the $1.00 spot is a favorite.  We ended up with some glow sticks that I thought we'd play with this Summer but last Saturday we were up early and contending with some painful, top molars.  

So we cracked about 10 of them and went back to Natalie's room to play...

Thanks to Pa-Paw for putting up the blackout curtain the weekend before!  Just in time for the light show.

 I think she'll probably love fireworks this Summer too.

She loved it!  

The next trip to Target we bought 7 more containers of glow sticks - just in case :)

Easter Fun!

We had been counting down the days for about three weeks and it finally arrived; Mamaw and Papaw arrived on Thursday evening!

It was a wonderful weekend of playing, laughing and lots of pictures.  They came bearing gifts!  But we couldn't wait until Sunday for the Easter bunny to deliver it - so here Natalie is on Friday morning enjoying her new sandbox!

Saturday we spent the day playing and shopping but Sunday Natalie really put on a fashion show!

Her Easter dress was so pretty and she really seemed to enjoy wearing it.  The hat didn't last long, but that was okay - she was just as beautiful without it.

Running around outside before lunch

A rare picture with her Easter bonnet

Such a pretty girl!

We found out pretty quick that Natalie is a Daddy and Papaw's girl.  I've already mentioned that Natalie must say "Daddy" at least 100 times a day... well... If we asked her to say Mamaw she would say "Pa-Paw" and just grin!  She knows what she's doing.

And she has him wrapped around her finger too!

Sitting on Mamaw's lap in church

She had a nice lunch and a good nap then the easter egg "hunting" really began.  (Hunting is in quotations because it was more picking up easter eggs than looking for them)  She had yet another cute outfit that matched her easter pail perfectly. ;)  She was enjoying the egg hunting until she realized that the eggs had goldfish and junior mints in them.  Then she was ON A MISSION.  She would shake every egg and the ones that rattled she would bring them straight to me to open.  We had so much fun!

Such a happy girl!

Looking for the Junior Mints...

The time flew by way too fast and Monday came and Mamaw and Papaw had to go home.  But we'll see them again soon!

Ya'll come back now, ya hear!

FIFTEEN MONTHS OLD!

I've never done the month by month thing for Natalie's development (mainly because I'm not that organized) but since we have some super cute pictures from the day AND she turned 15 months old today here's the update:

Talking: Natalie repeats pretty much any word you say (so be careful what you exclaim) and asks for things when she wants them.  Apple? Up? Daddy? Puppy?


Walking: She doesn't walk anymore - she runs.  Everywhere.  Which means Jon and I at least trot to keep up.  She has a new pair of purple Saucony running shoes for her new found love of running.  Check out the kicks!

Thanks Mamaw for the cute outfit!

Eating: Still a big fan of the old stand-bys: veggie burgers, pasta with squash, peas and black beans, and now she enjoys home-made venison meatballs on the regular as well.  This thrills Jon... MEAT!  She also loves this recipe for green lentils.  And I love that she loves it too! 
No more bottles - she's a sippy cup, cup and straw girl now and she never looks back.

Teeth: She is up to 6 and 1/4 teeth.  The seventh one is through the gum and working its way up to functioning height.  I'm pretty sure teething is the only thing that Natalie does slowly.

Sleeping: When our girl is ready for bed, she is ready for bed!  Don't fool around, don't try to rock, or sing, or cuddle.  She will wiggle and point to her crib with both hands.  She just wants to be laid down and the door closed behind you.  She's a great sleeper. 

Spring is here and she (thanks to Nana, Mamaw, Aunt Crystal, Leslie and Shannon) has an adorable wardrobe awaiting her.  TONS of sundresses and cute outfits.  Here's her ensemble for church this morning.  She was the hit of the 10:00 service.

Enjoying the Sunday Afternoon

I love this shot

Pure Joy

On a stroll with Daddy

Jon and I spend our evenings marveling at what an incredibly happy little girl we have and how very blessed we are.  We are amazed and very thankful.

Natalie - we love you.  Right up to the moon and back.