Chubby Cheeks

We just had to share these pictures that we took of Natalie tonight while we were getting her ready for bed. This just proves she's cute from every angle! Every time we put her on the changing table lately she wants to sit up and look at that super cute baby in the mirror.....who can blame her?

Piano Player

Any of you who have heard Natalie first hand or over the phone know how much she loves to hear her own voice.......she hums, she squeals, she babbles, she screams and she squeals some more! (Did I mention the cats want to move out?) She also loves listening to Corey play the piano and wants to play, too.

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Hot Tubbin'

A new favorite pastime around here is getting in the hot tub with Natalie. She LOVES to splash! She gets a very serious look on her face and she slaps the water as hard as she can until we're all as wet as she is. Corey has the tub a little bit cooler than usual for the summer and Natalie seems to really like it. Look at that belly!

A New Seat at the Table

Natalie is now sitting at the table in her booster seat. We skipped the high chair all together because we really don't have room in our kitchen for one. And she's drinking water out of a cup now......how time flies! She takes about two sips and the rest ends up sprinkled on everything in sight! She's eating squash, pears, sweet potatoes, avocado and bananas now!

Just Playing

Natalie is definitely into playing now. She always wants toys or books to play with and, of course, chew on. She'd actually prefer to play with remote controls, cell phones, keys and kitties, but we try to redirect her....constantly.....toward age appropriate toys. You might notice a common theme with Natalie called "I really don't mind playing while something sits on top of my head." Corey put this little "taggie" blanket (handmade by our friend, Victoria Sloan) on her head while she was playing and she just kept doing her thing as if it's perfectly normal to play while a small blanket rests on one's head. The blanket finally just fell off when she tipped over. And watching her with the cats these days is pretty cute. She wants them to acknowledge her so badly and they'd just prefer not to. Today, Scarlet was so desperate to rest in the one sliver of morning sun that she could find that she risked being dangerously close to Natalie to do so. Brave, sweet Scarlet.

The Many Faces of Natalie

Today when I was taking some pictures of Natalie I noticed just how many expressions this child can make in a matter of seconds. This holds true for moods, too! She can go from content, to delighted to upset in the blink of an eye! She keeps us on our toes, that's for sure.

Cooling Off!

After driving around town in the heat this afternoon, we decided the only way to cool down was a nice cool bath! Bath time was once all business...she was pretty anxious to get out as quickly as possible.......now she'd be happy playing in her little tub for hours. She's happiest when she's splashing water everywhere!

The Lazy Days of Summer

It has been hot and sticky here lately! We break into a sweat as soon as we walk out the door. Natalie's been spending her days doing a little light summer reading as you can see. And if you look closely...she's showing off those new pearly whites when she smiles! She's just getting cuter everyday.

6 Months Old Today!

It's hard to believe, but Natalie is 6 months old today! It's been an exciting couple of weeks for her.....she got her first tooth while we were in Lake Tahoe (Our good friend Allyson Denney was the one to discover it....poor Natalie.....her clueless parents thought she was just cranky because of the time change!) Now she's working on the second one...it's just barely peeking through and will make an appearance any day now. We're at least prepared for this one with teethers in the refrigerator and Tylenol for the poor kid! She also tried her first "grown up" food this week......avocado! A definite favorite in the Brooks household, however, the youngest member of the family is not so sure how she feels about it yet. She eats it....and she manages to wear it as you can see....but she makes a funny face before she swallows it. Happy "half" birthday, Natalie!!