You Sleep

Well, I must say that we are not as exciting hosts as we used to be, now that we have a little one. She does encompass a lot of what we say & do. And, as a result, we sometimes are quite boring to our guests....

Well, at least Brad & Traci were playing the sleep game this time instead of just being bored from us! Natalie enjoys someone going to sleep, and then waking them up. Which, in fact, was what she did last night twice for me (but that is another story!).

She really enjoyed the visit from Brad & Traci! Love you guys!!

Light fight

Due to time constraints, instead of traveling to a Christmas farm this year, we decided to purchase locally. So, no pictures of traveling to the site, picking the best tree, and cutting it. Instead, we'll fast forward to pulling it out of the truck.





No, Natalie wasn't hoisting the tree, but she was interested in it from the time we mentioned "Christmas tree." She is really enjoying it this year. Which leads to the fun decorating it. She really liked the lights. Well, so much that she tried to hold on to them and it kind of was a tug of war for a while between her & Woody.



But, the tree was finally decorated & now ready. The funniest thing is that she will take ornaments off of it when we aren't looking. Kind of sneaky with this action!

Thanksgiving Pics

Here are the Thanksgiving pictures from the last few days. I know we had a good time at Woody's parents' house over the holiday. Natalie just enjoyed a change!

We walked up to a neighbor's yard to see their horses. Natalie enjoyed the close view of the horse.

She also was able to play in the leaves while she was there. She enjoyed that a lot!

Then, it rained so the activities were pushed indoors. But, they did have a garage where she could ride a tricycle. She practiced and was better and better each time. And, the rain dried out, so she could go back outside.

The traditional table shot...what a feast! The turkey "feathers" are blessings written down and shared at prayer time.

Thanks, Grandma & Grandpa!

One for the Team

Happy Thanksgiving! I am late posting this story, but I think it goes to telling how much we can take for our kids. We went out to a family friendly fast food restaurant, which happened to also have a playground area indoors. Natalie really enjoys this playground, but is a little timid to go up the big staggered steps. Especially when there are a lot of other, bigger kids. This is how it was when we were there last. So, Woody went to help her up to the slide and then slide down. The first time, the main issue was that there were kids going up the slide when they were going down. The second time, Natalie wanted to play at the top, so Woody waited. While he was waiting, one of the kids was especially taken to him. He would roll over Woody and hug him. But, the final act came when the kid licked him on the arm. Yuk! Talk about taking one for the team! Woody then took Natalie & they manuvered down the slide. I guess Woody is thankful today for good antibacterial soap!
Really, we are thankful for all that the Lord has blessed us. We hope that you too have found the ultimate blessing, which is salvation in Him.

Things that Bother

Things that bother Natalie lately:

1. A drop of water on her outfit. It doesn't matter what it is, she wants a new piece. If it is a shirt, she wants a new shirt. (Too bad this doesn't help potty training!)
2. Socks that are not lined up with her toes. I know, I don't like this either.
3. Not always being able to choose her outfit. She wanted winter things when summer arrived. Now, she wants to wear summer things. Today I just put on a sweater over her short sleeves & moved on.
4. Food moving off her plate. She is doing better with utensils, but sometimes a piece of food gets misplaced. She especially doesn't like it on the table. I have to keep a sponge to wipe it off. Of course, if it hits her outfit, we go back to #1.
5. One of her animals falling off the bed. I try to sneak & put away animals so that this is less likely to happen, but one night she woke me up because Elmo fell off the bed.
6. She is very aware of characters being "scared." Elmo had a video when he was scared, Junior Asparagus, and she is aware of these feelings.
7. She seems to be more timid of the dark. We keep a nightlight anyway, so this isn't much of an issue unless she moves into a room that does not have the light.
8. She is getting better, but she used to want my full attention, even if she is watching a video. She went through a stage where she wouldn't let me leave!

These are some growth changes that I know will change as she does. She is doing great with hugs, loving, trying to help out, playing by herself, imaginative play. It is a really fun stage to watch her grow!

Who Said That??

The other day, I was noticing that my voice was saying things I never thought that I would say...
"Don't swing on Mommy; Mommy is not a jungle gym."
"Eat your food--don't play with it."
"Clothes are only taken off at bathtime."
"You need to obey Mommy--Mommy tells you this for a reason."
Wow, these and other things similar actually came out of my mouth!
And, I notice Natalie repeating some things that I say, usually the bribes I am trying for potty training.
"If you potty, we'll go to McDonalds and get an ice cream."
"If you don't go to sleep, no videos tomorrow."
"We missed out on another potty prize!"
What a blessed time to hear what she is picking up. But, how many of the things I say are "pearls of wisdom?" I pray that my words are more than commands or bribes that she remembers, but meaningful and lasting for life.

Fort Time

Woody built Natalie's first fort to explore tonight.

Natalie really liked it, especially holding a flashlight. But, the best fun she had was tearing it down. But, she loved the "tent" and asked for it again after we put everything away.

Major Sacrifice

Today, Natalie woke up with a sore throat and a little runny nose. This means she was not able to go to church per the policy. So, we stayed home & watched videos this morning. Woody took my place at 2 year old Sunday School. What a trooper! I know he would have rather been dressed up, in a photo shoot--and that is saying a lot!

Which is what he had to do after lunch when he returned. We are getting prepared for our annual Christmas shot this year. Here is an outtake, that I love Natalie's expression. And, her little foot!

No more chores for the rest of the day!

Nature Walk

What a beautiful fall time it is! We decided to take a trip to go to the mountains to hike. You may ask, was Natalie taking that picture? Even though it looks at her height, she wasn't with us. The memory in my head at the moment the picture was taken was of her beaming as she rode off with her grandparents. She didn't miss us a bit!
We had a good hike, then returned home. It was strange to just be by ourselves, but we enjoyed a few hours of time together.

Two years ago

How time flies! 2 years ago, Natalie was crawling around, almost to walking. I was working, taking her to day care.

She seemed to be changing daily. Now, there is a lot less physical change, but her emotional growth is very rapid. We are having a few issues with temper as well as strong will. But, like all other growth, it should be a stage where she learns to better control her emotions as well as understand that she should obey Mommy & Daddy. At least that is what we're praying!!

I'll fly away

We were able to go to meet (as a surprise) Grandma & Grandpa as they left town at the airport. Natalie enjoyed running around the airport as there were plenty of water fountains. She really enjoyed throwing pennies into the fountains. And, there was a man playing a miniature guitar in the courtyard that took her attention. Of course, she loved the visit of the grandparents most. And, the airplanes!

So, this afternoon she liked running around the yard pretending she was an airplane. She wanted Mommy to do this too, and Mommy complied. I don't think that Woody thought that was an activity for him, though!

Natalie's Favorites Part 1

I'll update this from time to time to try & keep up with her growth.


Favorite toy - right now it is her battery operated car. She loves to push the pedal & go in it. However, steering isn't a high priority. Mom has to run beside her and steer.

Favorite words - Mommy (said several hundred times per day, usually when she wants something), easy, beach, help (when she is needing help). She also uses please & thank you.

Favorite places to go - beach (it is going to be a long winter while she waits for this!), playgrounds, grandparent's houses, and church (especially if Emma is there).

Favorite people - grandparents, Emma, JoJo...really she likes most anyone that she sees regularly.

Favorite foods - chocolate (she comes by this honestly), strawberries, ice cream, lemonade, shrimp, goldfish

Favorite time of day - whenever she gets to watch a video. She is enjoying our wedding video right now.

Favorite game - it's my least favorite game - she likes to keep opening the door when she is put to bed at night. Several dozen times! We were so blessed when she just went right to sleep.

Favorite activity - crafts, singing an action song, dancing, dressing up (putting on a "party" dress). She did like dressing up for Halloween as a princess. It fit her quite well.

Why is it so hard?

Sometimes, it seems like everything flows backwards. Why is it so hard to get your children to do what you want them to do? You don't have to teach them to throw a tantrum--that comes programed innately. You don't teach them to say, "Mine!" It only takes one child saying that in front of them. But, you can spend over 100 hours coaxing, prodding, planning for potty training...and it never seems to click.
Today Natalie & I went to church together since Woody was working. We were running late. She had a really cute outfit on, however. I left her in nursery while I went to church. Then, I went back to see her before I started teaching the other class of 2 year olds. She said she wanted to go to potty. I was so excited. We went to the potty and she did potty. Great! However, my horror when we went to pull up her pullup. The hem of her dress was wet! Oh, no! We hadn't tried in so long I forgot to hold up her dress high enough for her. So, she ended up in a summer outfit for the second hour of church.
Of course, she hasn't wanted to go the rest of the day. Only that once! But, maybe it is a start!

Thanks to Kim and Jo Ellen

Thanks for Kim & Jo Ellen being much of encouragement to have this great way to keep in touch. Their blogs are ones I read all the time to keep up with what they are doing. Thanks to you both!!!

Beach Trip

We just returned from a trip to the beach that was very fun. We met with Mimi & Papaw. It was great time together, great seafood. It was a little cold, though. But, Natalie still had fun

whether on the beach playing with sand or watching Woody fish.

We love our little princess!

Keep the Joy

Focusing on the joy from the source of the joy.

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from His love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Phil 2:1-3

We're so glad to be blogging. Such a great way to share how we are doing to friends & family, as well as show some of Natalie's newest adventures.