Mommy And Daddy's Present For Natalie

Well, it's kind of hard to hide and wrap a present like this, and we bought it used from a friend here locally. So we just went ahead and gave Natalie her kitchen. She's a little young, but lots of her playdate buddies have sibligs or are older. So it will get lots of loving. It speaks English, French, and Spanish, ooh la la. I'm going to target to get her some food for it from the dollar bins. She seems to like banging open and closed the doors, fine by me! Much quieter than the real cabinets she's been banging!

9 Months Old

Wow. As long as Natalie has been alive is as long as I was pregnant. It sure seems she has been here a lot longer that. Once again she was bribed with Cheerios to take the picture. She did pretty well considering she has a double ear infection. Poor baby!

Thanksgiving

The Matthew's were nice enough to invite us to a breakfast and a dinner with their families. Natalie had fun with Liam and Jamie all day. I let her have a bite of candied yams too. It was a long fun day, and awesome that we could all ride in the minivan together instead of taking seperate cars.


We tried to get a nice family shot, but someone was always not looking. First Ryan, then Natalie, then me. So this is the best you get!


Natalie sat in her bumbo at the table so she could feast with us. So did Liam!



Jamie tried to pose with the kids and help them sit up. It ended up looking like he was choking them. Ha ha! Good times.

Van and Baby Drivers

Here are a few more shots of the van in the daylight. Natalie had playgroup today and her and Carter rode the car together.

Surprise!

Nope, Natalie is not going to be a big sister!

We are now minivan owners! I never thought I would be, but let me tempt you with their features. 7 seats (perfect for riding with other couples/families), dual power sliding doors (when your hands are full), air vents for the middle and back (everyone is happy), better gas mileage than an SUV, and the list goes on! Moveable captains chairs, fold down into the floor back seat. Anyway, here's a pic!




Not the best pictures, but it was getting dark and the batteries died.

Natalie "Walks"

This is Natalie's newest trick. She's using the walking toy to get around the house. Drake is not really sure what is going on. He's a little afraid of her being upright and moving so quickly.

Bundled Up!

I woke up and it was 31 degrees out today! Not good. So we got Miss Natalie all bundled up to go out looking for minivans and to get groceries. She slept the whole time in the car because she was so warm. She sure looks cute. No such luck on a van yet - we're waiting on a call for one we like.

Fantastic Fall Foilage Tour

Natalie, Ryan, Drake and I went for a drive down the Colonial Parkway. Very scenic and lots of trees that are changing. Natalie was much more interested in sticking leaves in her mouth, but we got some good pictures. I love the one with her hair blowing in the wind. The one of her by the fence you can barely make out her top two teeth.

Mom's Night Out

More pics of me and my friends on our night out. We had fun. Also this weekend, I held a benefit for Polly's son Liam (link The Matthews') to raise money for his doctors, hearing aids, and the like. It was called Strike Out Silence and we held it at the bowling alley. We raised $650 and still counting! Everyone had a great time for both events.

Natalie is a Dog?

What do you think?

Natalie Dressed for Winter

Oma sent Natalie a lot of hats and mittens. Today was the first time we put a hat on for her to go pick up pizza with daddy. She looked so cute. She has 2 more hats that have fur around the face and a built-on scarf.


Here is what Natalie looks like AFTER the hat. YIKES!

Dressed Like Mommy

Natalie is stylin' in her poncho that I wore as a baby. I love the way it looks on her. Of course, people reminded me, that nowadays no one would put long strings on kid's clothes for fear of a lawsuit. She looks so cute. And some of these pics even slightly resembles me! I like in the last one she looks like she's grabbing her hood.

Bananas Over Breakfast

Here's N munching on non-pureed bananas! She likes them but they are a bit slippery to pick up!

Yes She Has Parents

Ryan was commenting this evening that there are not many pictures of us anymore. So tonight in the peace and quiet that is Natalie sleeping we took a picture to remind everyone that she does in fact have parents.

The tired look on my face comes from a busy day of church, cleaning the house, going to the commissary (grocery), making beans and broccoli and freezing it for Natalie, doing her laundry, putting away her too-small clothes, making chili cookies cheese/crackers for our bible group, having bible group, and finally watching the Dallas Cowboys game. Isn't Sunday a day of rest??? Ryan adds "Cowboys Rule, Rams Drool". Helpful.

Friend Today

Natalie's friend Carter was here again while his mommy was at work. They had fun. Note Natalie's bad hair day! First, we had a playgroup at Panera for breakfast. Then we went to the commissary and Carter rode in the top and Natalie rode in the actual cart part. They had fun! I bet people thought we had twins, yikes! Natalie is having a hard time sharing. She kept taking everything Carter had, and when I gave her something else, she'd take his toy too! Guess we need to work on that!