Natalie's First Christmas!

What a day! Natalie was quite taken with all the excitement today. She didn't quite know what to think at first when she looked under the tree and saw so many new packages. But she dove right in and got into the swing of things rather quickly! She received lots of adorable toys, outfits and books......beautiful books about the story and spirit of Christmas.....of course, her favorite part was the wrapping paper and ribbons.

She received a push toy from Grandma Betty and Grandpa Franc and she stood right up, grabbed the handle and took off walking around the room. What a sight! She tired out pretty quickly but didn't want to stop. She has only taken one step (about a week ago) so this new mobility surprised us all! The girl has just been waiting for her first set of wheels!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Natalie has loved her first Christmas so far. The tree has been a constant source of amusement and now the wrapping paper, ribbons and relatives have her so excited that she hasn't had a decent nap in days....she's just having too much fun and doesn't want to miss anything! Grandma Betty, Grandpa Franc and Aunt Amber arrived Saturday and she has been eating up all the attention. Merry Christmas Eve everyone and we'll post more pictures tomorrow!

Tiny Tunes!

Now that Natalie can stand, she pulls herself up on just about anything......including the piano. She's loved to pound on the keys for a while now....but up until tonight she's needed to be on Corey's lap while he's playing. Now she stands up, reaches for the keys and plays away.....although it does help when she can stand on her tired dad to get a better angle!

Surfing!

One of Natalie's favorite things to do these days is "surf" around the living room on either the inflatable camping mat or a blanket. She climbs on and Corey or I drag her around the living room. She manages to stay on even around some pretty fast couch cornering. This is typically an early morning activity so that is why you only see our feet and nothing else!

Ha Ha Ha!

Or "ack", "ackghh", ackghhh" if you're Natalie. She has this new laugh that is part cough, part cackle, part cat scare tactic (it works, they run) and a whole lot of drama. We're not quite sure where she learned this but it appears to be here to stay for a while. Gone are the sweet giggles....unless she's being tickled! We were in Target the other day and she started to cackle.....two ladies in front of me in line quickly turned around afraid she was choking......I had to explain that it's just her new laugh.

Busy Girl!

There is just one word to describe Natalie lately (besides "adorable," of course) and that is BUSY! She never stops moving these days. She's crawling on her knees now.....only reverting to the army crawl when she really wants to get someplace quickly......ironic, I know, as this is definitely the slower method....but it's the one she's most comfortable with still. She follows me all over the house. She visits the Christmas tree, the bathroom, the kitchen, her bedroom (to tear every book off her bookshelf) and the computer room like she's following a treasure map. And she is in constant pursuit of a cat. They outrun her still....thank goodness. Oh, and she's pulling herself up to a stand like a champ!

Our Tree!

We went to cut our own tree at a really great Christmas tree farm today. A whole hillside was covered in Frasier Firs and we found the right and perfect one for Natalie's first Christmas. We went with our good friends Drake and Rachel and Glen and Jenessa......and we adults were outnumbered by all our cute kids.

The Thumb!

Natalie seems more attached to her thumb than ever. What's interesting is she only sucks it when she is feeling something soft in her other hand. She loves to touch hair (hers or ours) but soft things made of yarn are by far her favorite! This sweater was made by Aunt Karen and when Natalie wears it she sucks her thumb most of the time. As you can see, her other hand never lets go of it......pretty cute.

Brave Turkeys!

There is a very large family of wild turkeys that roam our neighborhood streets and today they visited us! I guess they figure the major turkey eating holiday is over for the weekend so it's safe to go for a walk!

Thanksgiving in Michigan

We just returned from a week in Michigan for Thanksgiving. It was a great trip....Natalie was able to expand her fan club to include Uncle John, Uncle Merrill and Aunt Linda, and "Grandpa and Grandma" Don and Sheila and friends Tom and Kathy. She also got to hang out with Uncle Keith and Aunt Edie again and our friends Jason, Becky and Tristen......and then there was Aunt Amber.....who scooped her up and snuggled her at every opportunity. Natalie charmed them all and we had such a great visit with everyone!

Natalie discovered stairs.....she doesn't really know how to climb up them yet but a favorite pastime was to sit on the top stair and "jump" toward Corey who caught her as she giggled....great! She also pulled herself up to a stand on the dishwasher to retrieve a set of measuring spoons that she eyed as I was unloading the dishes. She was very proud of herself...and I was proud of myself for getting to the camera in time!

 In Daddy's old high chair!

Totally pooped!



Thanks for a great trip Grandma Betty and Grandpa Franc!