Birthday Baseball

We got free tickets to the Mariners game on Natalie's birthday.  We had great seats, and so much fun as always.  Kendall got to meet the Mariner Moose which completely freaked her out.  Her reaction to him was hilarious!  Instead of birthday cake Natalie got two suckers.  She would suck on one, then realize she had another so would switch to that one.  So funny to watch her. 

Double fisting!

I loved watching her eat her suckers! 

Moo!

David got Natalie to MOO! the other night.  OMG...so adorable!

Sitka

The boys ventured up to Sitka the last week of June for some fishing and time with cousins.  David  enjoyed quality fishing time with his Dad, brother and friend Brad while Ryan had a blast with Aunt Jenny and cousins Jack, Luke and Grace.

Brad and Michael

Michael and Bill

All in a days work!

Dancing Queen

Here is a little video of Kendall showing her best dancing moves.

Happy 4th of July

The kids and I arrived in Minnesota Monday.  All three of them did AWESOME on the plane.  The little boy in front of us really made them look like angels!  After our flight we had a long drive to the cabin.  The kids did amazing on this leg of the trip, too.  After over 12 hours of travel we arrived at the cabin safe and sound.  We had an amazing lightning storm to lead us there, and lots of help from Uncle Charlie and Aunt Jeannie.  I couldn't have done it without them.  Well, I probably could have but it was so nice to have their help.

We couldn't be happier to be a the cabin for the next 9 days.  The kids have been having so much fun with their cousins (we are missing Jack, Luke and Grace) in the 90 + degree heat.  We have found summer, and are loving every minute of it.

We'll soon head down to the lake to enjoy the Tulaby Lake parade.  It will be a fun day.  Happy 4th to you!

Natalie at One

Miss Natalie is quite the handful at one.

She still does not sleep worth a darn.  She's up multiple times a night.  We're beginning to think her sole purpose in life is to make us crazy.  If this is true, she has almost reached her goal.

Her smiles light up the day, however.  I have never met a kid who smiles so much.  It completely melts our hearts.

She has 7 teeth, soon to be 8.  This could be the reason for the sleepless nights, but one never knows.

Her eyes are a dark bluish / grey.  I had to look really hard the other day because they seemed a little brown to me.  But I am quite certain they will stay this bluish / grey color.

And she's walking!  I'm completely caught off guard when I come around the corner and find her standing there.  I'm so used to seeing her down on the floor, not on two feet.  She still prefers to crawl most of the time, but I can see her turning the corner to walking more.  She gets more and more confident every day.  She can really cruise if she's holding onto a toy in one hand.  I remember Kendall doing the same thing.

She has more than enough confidence with her climbing skills.  She can now get up on the couch and the coffee table.  Her favorite thing is to stand up on the coffee table.  Really not safe.  Ryan scolded her the other day for trying to walk on the coffee table.  She is a serious monkey, I swear.  I looked at our bar stool height dining room chairs and thought to myself that it won't be long before she figures out how to get up on those.  The good thing is she knows how to safely get down from high places by turning around and sliding down on her belly.  Smart girl.

Miss Natalie is also learning how to make her presence known.  The screeches and babbles are endless now.  The babbles are beyond adorable.  She mimics almost any sound you make, which is so fun.  The screeches are deafening.  When her and Kendall get going it's ridiculous.  I'm sure the neighbors wonder if we've adopted wild monkeys.  Kendall usually starts the screaming, then Natalie mimics her.  She's not saying too many words, only MaMA and DaDa for now.  I'm sure that will change in no time!

Even though the sleepless nights are getting so old, this girl is completely precious.  We are having so much fun watching her personality really come out.  And watching her interact with Ryan and Kendall is priceless.  My cup runneth over.

One Year Stats:
21 pounds, 14 ounces (80th percentile)
31 inches (95th percentile)
Lots of dark brown hair
Bluish gray eyes
Clothing size:  12-18 months

Natalie Time

While the boys were in Sitka, Kendall went to stay with Grandma Karen for a few days.  That left just me and Natalie for some one on one time.  I was so excited to have only one child to take care of for a few days.  Unfortunately, I was the left with the worst one!  I really don't want that to sound so mean, but it is the truth.  Natalie requires much more attention that Ryan and Kendall do.  She is into everything, on top of everything and so finicky about things.  Oh, and then there is the no sleeping part.

We did have fun, though.  We got out to enjoy Kendall's tricycle.  She thought that was so much fun.  It is something that won't happen when her sister is home.  She was so proud she could get on and off all by herself. 

Our nanny, Hanni, enjoyed having just one child for a few days, too.  She took Natalie for a long walk one afternoon, and when I arrived home I found this sitting in my living room:

We both thought she looked completely adorable sleeping in Hanni's stroller.  She is so sweet, most of the time and especially when she's sleeping!