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I didn’t get to see Natalie before I left for work this morning, but did receive a fun email date from Daddy.  (Yes, Natalie seems to have traded in “Dado” for “Daddy” most of the time.  Jordan resisted at first – he liked the uniqueness of “Dado,” but her voice is just so cute when she says “Daddy,” that he quickly warmed up to it.)

Nat and I had a really fun morning.  She ate a big breakfast and then we took a bath.  Where did that dolphin toy in our bath tub  come from?  She saw it floating there, stared for a minute, and then pointed and said, “no, no!”  With a very concerned look.  It was almost like there was an intruder!  We also spent some time looking at the ornaments on the tree and she really liked the nutcracker ballerina that spins around.  When I told her that I wouldn’t be home tonight and that mama would pick her up, she repeated what I said like three times and then goes, “mama and pinto.  pick up.”  Hah!  How cute is that?  I said, “Why yes, Pinto will be picking you up, too!”

Since Daddy needed to work late tonight, Natalie wrote him a message to post on the door for him:

I imagine the message hits some of our highlights from tonight, like her matching her hand print to a hand print mold that she and Jordan made (“Yeah – I did it!”), telling him about the fun dance party she had with Kieran at school today on the circle rug and tattling that I took away her wooden egg and spoon after she threw it on the ground.  (That was incredibly upsetting this evening.)  And, an “I love you” and “I’ll see you in the morning” too.

Natalie has begun to be more particular in her old age.  It started over 6 months ago, with her being concerned when she found a long hair on the ground.  Then, it grew to picking lint or small fuzzies or other miniscule items off of clothes or the ground.  A few months ago, she became very concerned about tags – on her animals.  We are now a tagless household – and if she could choose, the tail from her bunny pillow would be removed too, as it gets in the way of reading sometimes.  From there, Natalie has become obsessed with “toe jam” – checking between her toes multiple times a day.  Finally, she now rearranges my hands when we cuddle at night.  Sometimes, its a discreet moving of my hand by her hand – other times, she actually says “head” or whatever else the direction.

I partially blame myself for her idiosyncrasies – after all, she’s the first born and most people probably wouldn’t call me a relaxed mom (or anything else, for that matter).  Oh, as parents, what we do to our children…

Its okay, Mom. At least you are cool enough to let me eat PB&J on the go!

P.S. In other funny Nat news, Natalie had an itchy ear when we were reading stories tonight.  She moved over to “cuddle” with Dad… actually, to try to use his nose to scratch her ear.  What a goofball.

I am posting a day late but we wanted to wish cousin Trevor a happy first birthday! Wish we were celebrating his bday with him in Green Bay.

Hurray! It’s your bday!!!

Drawing circles backwards in flour is apparently a pre-writing activity. Here are the budding authors at Little Gems. (Excuse the ill fitting clothing that, when coupled with short hair, makes Natalie seem more boy than girl.)

Natalie and I spent the morning together – what a treat!  She slept in and woke up in a great mood.  (Another treat, as she’s been a little crabby with me lately.)  We played with her dolls and Dr. Seuss memory game.  Then, we headed to the Children’s Museum, which we hadn’t been to since Sept.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get a lot of great pictures… most of the time, I was chasing behind her, so all I saw was the back of her head.  In the picture above, she’s taking a peak outside of a tent.  Lately, she’s very into saying “bye bye” so that she has her privacy.  Sometimes, its so that she can poop, but not all the time.  She hasn’t gotten herself into too much mischief yet – and I figured there’s not much harm that can be done inside a tent.  Silly me… she soon snuck out the back!

Natalie was happy to go to preschool after the Museum…. she ran over to Ms. Saba’s lap, and Edmond (her BFF) was quick to go by her to say ‘hi’ too.

This Super Princess Cape is perfectly designed to keep me warm on transitions to and from cold cars! Brr…. I don’t remember life ever being this cold!

(Mom’s note: this has more to do with her memory and that we’ve been spoiled by warm weather, rather than it really being that cold. Hello Winter!)

We are thankful for our family, friends and freedom!

This year, we’re supposed to spend Thanksgiving with the VB side of the family. However, we have a wedding in Indy, so we decided to head up to WI a couple weeks early (the 2nd weekend of Nov) for an extended visit. It’s the first time that the whole fam – including Trevor, Natalie and Leah – were together!

On a non-holiday weekend, its always tough to get out of the house (or maybe that’s all weekends). So, while I packed, Natalie very seriously played with my extensive make-up collection:

Natalie Quote: Putting on lipstick is serious business. I don’t have this chance very often!

Natalie quote: Whoa… Aunt Leah, did they teach you how to make those big bubbles in Alaska?

I posted this picture when we were actually in GB but I had to post again. The weather was chilly, but not chilly enough to stop Natalie from playing bubbles! Esp. with Aunt Leah, who Natalie very loudly called “LEAH” many times throughout the weekend, whenever she wasn’t in immediate view. Her voice is esp. cute when she says it – I wish you could hear it!

Surprisingly, Grandpa Dave had not raked the front yard for a few days, which provided a lot of fun an entertainment. Esp. when Aunt Leah would throw leaves up in the air.

Trevor quote: Don’t worry, Natalie. I’m right here. I’ve got you!

A Children’s Museum opened in Green Bay – and my mom has been waiting since April (when she first read about it) to take us all. It was great! Trevor was kind enough to “catch” Natalie going down the slide.

Natalie quote: And then you take a pear and put it in your basket…”
Trevor response: Actually, would you mind passing it my way? I’d love a taste.

Trevor looked on as Natalie grocery shopped (Natalie is a pro, as she helps her Daddy with shopping every Sunday morning before church – lucky Mom!) I cannot believe she’s a head taller than him… they both adore each other and have so much fun.

Natalie quote: I’m always ready to celebrate a birthday! Who’s is it? Oh yeah, Grandpa’s! I hope you like chocolate frosting as much as I do, Grandpa!

The car rides home are always the most difficult part of the trip. Natalie has recently become fascinated with things between her toes…. so in addition to the stamps, markers, Dora videos, baby Kathy and books, we did impromptu pedicures! So pretty, right?

I guess with this post starting with lipstick and ending with a pedicure does illustrate that Natalie has plenty of “girl” in her. She manages to counter balance that with a lot of wrestling moves, which Pinto and I have been privy to this weekend.

Thanks for a great WI visit, Grandpa, Grandma (both known as “Ga-ga”), Aunt Becky, Trevor, Uncle Rob and Aunt Leah!

It’s great to be home! After 3 days away, Natalie’s hair is noticeably longer, and she is saying many more complete sentences. Such as: “Mama no go bye bye”. Which she told me 40 times. Words I am only too happy to abide by. 🙂