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Sorry Elliott. You cannot play with your activity gym. Baby Ellie was there first.

Thanks for my Baptism Bear, Auntie Leah! What should we name him!?!

Happy Father’s Day!  I’m writing the night before Father’s Day – Natalie and I just finished the above Dad’s Worksheet.  We think he’s going to like it!

Although its only Saturday, we already have had a super fun Dad’s Day weekend!  We took Elliott’s 3-month photo at Target this morning – both kids were dolls.  Jordan overheard one family say “Gordito” in reference to Elliott.  When I sat down, Jordan said: “I don’t know many words in Spanish but this is one I do know – Gordito.  A family called Elliott Gordito”.  As you might guess, we heard Gordita often in reference to Natalie in her infant years.

This afternoon, Natalie took Daddy out for ice cream – he cashed in a coupon from his birthday present.  (Whoops – I think we had Daddy pay.)

Dad, I think you should get an ice cream coupon for every one of your birthdays – what do you think?

In Jordan’s family, this is known as a jacuzzi gift… meaning a gift that the giver is equally or even more glad to have given because he/she benefits too.  This originates from a (birthday?) gift that Jordan’s mom one time got Jordan’s dad – yep, a jacuzzi!

Afterwards, we went to the park….

Haha – You’re a goof-a-loof Dado!

Per Natalie’s request, we all climbed aboard a train to Green Bay.  It was tight quarters.

While we’re in Wisconsin, let’s pick up my favorite food – CHEESE!

Natalie and Elliott have the best dad in the whole world!  He is incredibly attentive, caring, fun and loving.  Natalie’s favorite activities with her Dad are: riding bikes to preschool (especially wearing the helmet!), making protein shakes, playing kitchen, tickling/rough-housing, and having dance parties (fav song of the day: Bob Marley’s Three Little Birds song… “Don’t worry, about a thing… we honestly listened to it 15 times today).  Elliott’s favorite activities with his Dad are: being held (he has a cute way of just clinging to his chest), getting “bonked” on the nose and talking about guy stuff.

We are also very lucky to have two fabulous grandfathers in our lives… who raised awesome kids (if I do say so myself) and love being grandpas!

Oh, Grandpa… don’t be silly.  The lion cannot escape from the cage.  You have nothing to worry about.

Boo!  Did I surprise you?

P.S. This is our 300th blog post!?!?

Rocking out like my Dad

Grandma, I’m feeling Colorado-hip in this awesome twirl skirt!

Natalie, I see your skirt and raise you an adorably fashionable newsie cap!

Grandma and Grandpa came in for Elliott’s baptism (pics to be posted soon). So that my mom didn’t have to sleep on the couch and my dad on a cot in the “office,” Natalie shared her bed. The idea was that she would sleep in her new Dora sleeping bag in our room.

It didn’t quite work out that way. Last night, she slept perpendicular between Jordan and me – without any sheets because she gets hot. That made for a squishy, chilly night but who can mind when this is the face you wake up to?!?

Our neighbor has been asking me for almost two years to plant flowers in a pot outside our house. She even offered to get them at the store for us, which meant i didn’t need to go and took out the guess work of what to get, so I finally relented. (Plus, Natalie has been learning about gardening at school).

thanks for the gardening lesson, Susan! Can you help make sure we keep them alive? I will ask my Nana to help too!

As we prepared to water them, we had this exchange:

Mama: Natalie, lets to upstairs to get your watering can and wash our hands.

Natalie: No I don’t need to. I wiped them on your pants.

Indeed she had. Since she was late for school , I just let hand sanitize. The dirt on my pants (black yoga pants – one of the few pants that fit!) matched the spit up on my shoulder that I discovered at a doc appt. I am 100% mom. And I love it!

Will they always get along this well!?!

Yeah, we should definitely ask Dad if we can stay up late tonight! Good idea!

Your cheeks are just so kissable!!!

We have has some fun play dates recently. Elliott had his first play date without any toddlers around… Luke is the almost 4 mo old son of a friend from grad school.

Whoops, my hand is here. Can you grab it?

We went out to dinner with my bosses from work. Natalie loves chilling with Hannah and Jack who are both 3! Hannah is a big sis too so she and Natalie exchanged tips and tricks.

Three cheers for ice cream! Thanks for requesting dessert, Hannah! I didn’t know what it was but I am a fan!

Meet my pals – Panda and Nana!

Natalie is brutally honest many times. For example…. Yesterday, when I left the dinner table for a moment to get something, she told me that she dipped her fork directly in the hummus instead of dipping vegetables (even though we say hummus is for dipping veggies).

Yet, “My Mama/Dada told me…” is an increasingly popular refrain these days… when she wants to get something from one of us. In the last 24 hours, I’ve supposedly told Natalie that she can:

• Have her Daddy sleep with her
• Wear her PJs to school
• Not brush her teeth in the morning

 
Doesn’t that sound like the kind of lax, anything goes parent that you’d imagine I would be?

One thing I DID tell Natalie was that today is her Daddy’s 32nd birthday!! Happy Birthday to our amazing Daddy !!!

You say its your birthday!!!

Yes, you can have a birthday kiss… And not only bc I want you to share these cupcakes!

We also celebrated Mammaw and PAppaw’s 61st wedding anniversary! Congrats!