Did I mention she was busy?

It was another full day for Natalie Ann Brooks....she started this morning in her bedroom emptying out all the dresser drawers she could reach and taking the cushion off the rocking chair. Then Scarlet had to get in on the fun! These two are going to be partners in crime I can already tell!

This evening as I was getting her dinner ready she found the box of plastic utensils in the only cabinet still accessible to her and proceeded to crawl around with a fork in each hand while sucking on a spoon! What a sight!

What did we do for entertainment before Natalie?

Just a few pictures!

Thought I'd share these with all of you....what a smile....a little sweet, a little devious....pretty cute.

Little Miss Mischief!

Now that Natalie moves around so quickly (she crawls with great agility and speed and she cruises like a superstar)she is into EVERYTHING! Left alone for a minute and she will find her way to her forbidden favorites....the printer, the pantry, Charlie and Scarlet's water bowl, the VCR (yes, we still have one), and any one of the very few remaining plants Corey hasn't relocated to our bedroom or his office. We now have all the cabinet doors locked but I kept one accessible to her and as you can see it's just the right size for her curious little self! The plant finally went elsewhere today because both Corey and I are tired of saying "no" every two seconds when Natalie heads toward it. She sees us coming and immediately gets herself between the plant and wall just so it's all the more difficult for us to capture her......I was determined to have a house that didn't look "child proofed" but it's slowly becoming that way and it's much more enjoyable around here!

About those cheeks......

All this time we've thought that Natalie's chipmunk cheeks were just for looks.....well, it turns out they store little treats for later. A few times throughout the day I'll notice her lips tightly closed and a very mischievous look on her face.....that is an unmistakable sign that she has something in her mouth she's not supposed to have. The other day (after noticing the clues) I did my sweep of her mouth with my finger to discover the three items pictured below.....a leaf, a stem from a pear and a paperclip! Good grief! As I recovered each item in disbelief I put the soggy treasures onto the counter. Corey said, "you've got to get a picture of that." So I did. There is no telling how long they'd been in there. Needless to say I check her mouth a little more often these days. And now we know why those cheeks are so plump!

All Smiles

Natalie was so cute today when she woke up from her morning nap....very playful. She loves peek-a-boo these days and hides her head (but mostly just covers her eyes) whenever she can and then she cracks up when she reveals herself and I squeal, "I see you!"

The Toy Box

Betty and Franc brought Corey, Kristen and Amber's childhood toy box with them over Christmas to have a new life in Natalie's room. Uncle John made it for them and it's really cute. Our plan is to refinish it someday soon but in the meantime it has already been filled with her many worldly goods! She loves peeking to see what's inside, taking all of her toys out and putting a fraction of them back in.

Today she was playing in her room by herself and all of a sudden I heard all this squealing and giggling. When I went in to find out what was so funny I realized she was INSIDE the toy box. She had climbed in, managed to stay upright in the process and was very proud of herself. The funny part is that Corey always said his best memories of that toy box are when they took all the toys out and got inside.

The Road Less Travelled....

The path of least resistance really doesn't matter to Natalie. She has no problem navigating over, around and under anything in her path....she actually prefers an obstacle course....as you can see by the way she moves "through" the piano. More often than not, when her travels take her past the piano, she opts to go through the space in the legs, through both sets of bench legs and finally through the other set of piano legs. This is apparently more appealing than just passing it by.

Lazy Weekend

All three of us have been under the weather lately fighting colds so we had a pretty laid back weekend around the house. Natalie definitely makes relaxing a little challenging, but it sure is fun to have our little pint sized entertainer to keep us laughing. More and more of her little personality emerges every day and it's so exciting to watch!

Reunited!

Raggedy Ann and Andy arrived last night in a big box of Christmas presents that Grandma Charlotte and Grandpa Rod sent and it was quite the reunion! Natalie absolutely loved these two dolls at first sight in Palm Springs.....and it was love at second sight as she saw them again. Corey beat us home last night and had them waiting for her on the couch when Natalie and I walked in. Too cute!

 

Christmas in Palm Springs

We just returned from a wonderful week in sunny Palm Springs visiting Grandpa Rod, Grandma Charlotte, Aunt Ashley, Uncle Matt and Great Grandpa and Grandma Grifall! Natalie had so much fun entertaining her constant and attentive audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She LOVED:

-The STAIRS!....she went up again and again until she was too physically exhausted to continue! Thank goodness we don't have any at our house!
-Breakfast out with Grandpa Rod and Daddy every morning! She sat in a high chair at the restaurant chewing on a teething biscuit and then napped in her stroller while they went on a long walk.... Grandma and Mommy stayed home and relaxed!
-Raggedy Ann and Andy....she saw them as soon as we walked in the door and just started squealing. She'd drag those enormous dolls all around the living room....good pick, Grandma!
- Last but not least....the POOL! She could have stayed in that pool all day if we let her. She floated around like she owned the place!

Thanks for a great trip Mom and Dad!