Test Drive and Flight

Since Natalie didn't have time to ride her big wheel last night, we went out to ride today. First, we rode the pink car around for a few minutes since we hadn't done that in a while. It was a good test drive for a while.

Then, Natalie took a break by sitting at a pine tree. I didn't think much about it...it was only about 50 degrees, not really warm. But, in the midst of thinking of other things while she played, I looked down. And, horror struck me as I saw and mentally counted quickly about a hundred fire ants on her outfit. The "nest" wasn't apparent as it rained the night before. I quickly snatched her up and started removing layers of clothing. As I carried her to the house, I threw the outer clothing and jacket in a pile. Then, we went inside for a bath. She had already been bitten 3 or 4 places by this time. But, with all the excitement, she still took a nap. Mommy took a nap too, after wishing there were some way to exterminate all the fireants out of the yard.

Oh What Fun

It was a great Christmas! Christmas eve, Woody read Natalie the Christmas story before bedtime. We awakened fairly late, and Natalie did not wake until about 8:20. Probably the last year for some rest! After cinnamon toast and scrambled eggs, the opening of presents began! First were the stockings. Natalie's held some bracelets, candy, a DVD, a snowman, and a book for the bathtime. She took her time investigating each one. This continued with each present. She inspected each one and played with it before proceeding. It made Christmas last a long time!

She enjoyed several presents, wanting to play a couple of DVDs in between, but we stayed with the presents.

She loved the jumper from Mimi and Papa, and kept bouncing on it for quite a while after Woody labored to blow it up. She was there supervising the inflation process.

Rich & Susie arrived for lunch and dinner, and brought a lot of presents with them as well! Natalie enjoyed time with her Grandma & Grandpa.

Christmas Past

Oh, to look back at the first and second Christmas times with Natalie. First Christmas time picture...this is a favorite. Here, no real interest in the presents, just trying to explore everything.

Then, last year, here on the outdoor slide. She had just learned how to open presents when it all stopped. But, the new toys still remained!

Next post will be this Christmas...I know it will be full of excitement for Natalie!!

Swiiinggg

Swing time! Woody has been working on a new swing for Natalie for quite some time. I'm kind of nostalgic about the old oak tree that used to be our swing place. Now, it has been abandoned for a new, designed swing area. Take two gently used telephone poles that were removed from their former location, several 4x4s and 6x6s, a lot of swing hardware, many hours of work from a ladder and harness for Woody---and you make a sturdy swingset just in time for Christmas.

This has been the only present (other than clothing from Mimi & Papa) that Natalie has opened early. The rest are waiting until tomorrow morning!!

Celebrating the Season

We've had a few family celebrations of the Christmas season this past weekend. On Saturday night, we went to a local zoo that has a light festival. It was a lot of fun, although a lot of traffic. Highlights of the trip included hearing the word "Potty" while we were in the middle of traffic. Woody grabbed the travel seat out of the back and it was put to good use for Natalie! She really liked the baby goats that you could feed with a bottle. And, to see different animals in a kind of petting zoo.
On Sunday night, we went to our church for one of their Christmas programs. This was the first time we attempted to take Natalie to "big church." She sat next to another friend in her Sunday school group, Maggie. Maggie was a seasoned "big church" little girl. She didn't move around much or talk loud. Natalie had a couple of times she talked loudly, mainly to ask if the choir was singing again. She also could not sit still. But, she did better than it could have been. It may be a while before we attempt trying church again, though.

New addition

You will see a new addition up there...yes, we have a bundle of joy on the way. Praise the Lord!

Blur of Activity

Wow, what have we been doing since Dec 3? Have we been out of the country? No, we've just been busy with getting ready for Christmas. Also, we have been blessed with some family time as well. We returned from a trip to the "big city" to see Woody's brother Peter and his wife Emily. The main star was, of course, their 2 month old son Nathaniel! Here we were with Nathaniel when we arrived, which was after a 4 hour delay on the flight.

We had a great time with our nephew! And, Rich & Susie were there for more family joy as well.

Natalie was staying with her Mimi & Papa while we were away. We then travelled on a brief trip to see them at their house. And, to see their kitchen remodeling. It's getting closer, although it has been a big waiting time with several roadblocks. We stopped at an indoor inflatables place, and I kick myself for not having a camera with me. We were the only ones there in the toddler room. Natalie (and Woody) had a blast!

Potty Training in Less than A Year

Do you think I would sell any books if I wrote one? We have had a struggle with potty training. Thanks to some hints from our friend Jennifer, we are doing a lot better. The things I have found that work:
1. Prayer
2. Not giving treats for any other reason. Not for being good in the grocery store or any other reason. Only potty merits treats.
3. A sticker chart for each time she goes.
4. Putting her on the potty whether she wants to or not. Big mistake earlier was to ask and see if she wanted to go. We go every 30-45 minutes.

We've had a few accidents this weekend, but for the most part it has been a blessing. Woody did have a good suggestion for when we went out. We put a pullup over the panties as extra insurance. It worked last night. Good idea, sweetie!

One other funny story that also involves our friend Jennifer. She invited us out to lunch yesterday with her family after church. We had a good time of fellowship and food. Then, we went to say goodbye. Natalie was to hug everyone. She hugged everyone, but she also had to kiss one of Jennifer's boys, Jo-Jo (short for Jonathon) on the cheek. So, later when we were asking her what she learned in Sunday School, she said, "I kissed Jo-Jo." That was the big thing for the day! But, she did at least have some other details from the morning that were more what we wanted to know!

Cookie Decorating

Saturday, we attended a storytime and cookie decorating event focused on the Christmas season. It was a wonderful time for Natalie to enjoy both being around other children, learning the true meaning of Christmas, and enjoying some new activity with cookies!

Here's Natalie at story time. She had snuck up there early, which worked out well when it was actually time to help decorate the Christmas tree with the balls. The gold ones were to remind of heaven, the black of the state of our heart without Jesus, the red for His sacrifice for us, and the white for the new heart with Him. It is kind of like the salvation bracelet if you have ever seen. They also talked about the baby Jesus and His birthday. We sang songs too, which Natalie really likes.

But, cookie time was also a big hit. She really enjoyed decorating, and I thought it was a really neat way to use frosting with paintbrushes. And, of course, the candies were a hit too!

Ah, the best part of decorating cookies!