Big Feet Are In Her Genes

Her great-grandma wears size 12 shoes, her aunt wears size 11 and I wear a size 10. Watch out kid...

I just love this little girl. Can your heart explode if you love someone TOO much???

Easter... better late than never.

Well, here's my Easter post. A whopping week and a half late! =) Things have been busy for me recently, but I imagine life doesn't ever really slow down, now does it?

We didn't have any plans for Easter day until a few days prior when we were invited over to our friends Dave and Jill's for lunch and an egg hunt. They live right on the water and the view is just beautiful (although the picture didn't come out that great)....



It was such a NICE afternoon and Natalie really enjoyed hunting for eggs.


Seriously... I had to take a picture of her in the car because her hair was completely FULL of static. It reminded me of being a kid and going to the Magic House in St. Louis. Somewhere I have a button with a picture of me there and my hair standing on end as I plaster my hand to the static ball. *Whoa... I just looked at the website and it is SOOOO much bigger than when I went as a 10 year old. Hmmm... I guess that WAS like 20 years ago. CRY!*


So I was commenting to a friend of mine here that we (as a family) don't really have any Easter traditions. Sure, we go to church, but we don't do the Easter basket thing or the big dinner thing (Kevin's parents are out of town on Easter usually) and we don't seek out Easter egg hunts (although we've had our own before).

When I mentioned the part about us "not doing Easter baskets" my friend's eyes got big and incredulous. Hmmm... am I missing something? I've noticed that Easter baskets are a BIG DEAL out here on the East Coast. Well, maybe they are a big deal EVERYWHERE and I just haven't noticed it until now. Kevin's pretty anti-candy for himself and Natalie, so I'm not sure what I'd put in Easter baskets if I couldn't fill them with candy. Since he's not much into candy, the only time I can really expect it FROM him is at Christmas. Luckily, my grandma came to the rescue and sent a care package for the three of us: chocolate bunnies, cadbury and caramel eggs and a singing sheep for Natalie. Natalie LOVES the sheep and can now sing along to the tune of "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" with nothing but "Baaa's". What talent!

Things We Have Yet to Learn

*while reading Spot Goes to the Farm*

Me: Natalie, how does a rooster say "bye, bye"?

Natalie: Doodle Doodle!

Me: Natalie, how does a cow say "bye, bye"?

Natalie: Moooooo!

Me: How does a doggie say "bye, bye"?

Natalie: Ruff Ruff Ruff!

Me: How does a sheep say "bye, bye"?

Natalie: Baaaa!

Me: How does a pig say "bye, bye"?

*long pause*

Natalie: Bye!

Meltdown, Aisle 28!

Are you ever in denial that everyone is "REALLY staring at you" at the store because your toddler is SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER? Let's just say that when perfect strangers start ripping open the toys that they just purchased for their grand kids because a pregnant woman has completely lost control of her 19 month-old and is juggling all of her purchases in an effort to force said-tantrum-thrower into the stroller against her very will then you KNOW without a shadow of a doubt that "YES, THE ENTIRE STORE WAS STARING AT YOU AND CRITIQUING YOUR PARENTING SKILLS".

Life Lesson #940234: Don't take your toddler out on errands around nap-time the day AFTER you let him or her stay up until 10pm. It's just not a good idea.

Glucose Test

This morning Natalie and I were at the hospital for my glucose test. I had to wait an hour after drinking a sugar drink to get my blood taken so we were pacing the hallways trying to find something to keep a 19 month-old sane. Recently Natalie has been acknowledging my belly by saying "baby" and patting it or giving it a kiss, so I decided to try to explain to her what was going to happen this summer.
It went like this.

Me:	So, Natalie, this summer we're going to come back here and Mamma is going to have a baby. The little baby boy inside of Mamma's belly is going to come out and say "hi".
	Pause.
Me:	Uh, that sounds a little scary.

Mom and Dad, This Is For You

I accidentally took this video on the memory stick instead of the tape. So the quality isnt very good, but it was easier to put on You Tube. It's 10 minutes of home video, so beware!

Tea and a Tyrant

Natalie has been boycotting naps the past couple days and, as a result, has been a little tyrant. But yesterday, in the midst of all of the whining, I got a bit of fun in with her as we had tea.

I pulled out the tiara she wore for her first birthday and put it on her bear. But, she was insistent that SHE wear it. I was pretty surprised as she's constantly pulling barrettes and the like out of her hair.


We only have a few tea supplies, but hopefully we'll pick up some more this spring at yard sales, etc. She has enjoyed playing make believe more and more lately. It's fun watching her "pretend".

Here are all of the guests of the party. Did you know fish liked bananas? Yeah... it's a little known fact.
I'm not sure she fully gets it yet, though. Notice here she's sitting on some of the guests to get to the plate she wants. Or maybe that's just how she runs things!

And now we have a break for a story. She really loves this one.

Today we played a bit of hide and seek. She really enjoys finding me and the look on her face is priceless when I jump out and surprise her. I'm afraid I didn't get the BEST pictures of her reactions, but these still made me smile.

Natalie's latest thing is saying "no" and whining. A LOT. Of course, the whining has been amplified by the lack of naps but it's been grating nonetheless. Every dinner has been a battle as we try to get her to eat what we put in front of her. One day she'll totally be into chicken salad and the next day she throws it on the floor. She's definitely developing a sense of what she likes and what she doesn't like and perhaps that's just part of being a toddler and entering the "terrible twos" (even though we have 6 more months until she's officially there). I keep saying that this is payback for all of the grief Kevin and I gave OUR parents.