Natalie's 1st Birthday party

Birthday girl and her AZ Grandpa Larry

Cousin Andrew bombs the girls in the pool

Katie and Brooklyn

Can't believe we almost got rid of this play castle a few years ago.

The birthday girl and Aunt Wendy

Ooooooooooh, presents!!!!

12-month birthday / A year with Measurement Marty

"I think this morning was extra special --- mommy, daddy, Katie and Gus all came into my room to sing Happy Birthday to me!!!  Well, as you know, Gus is a dog so he didn't sing, but he did come in with everyone.  After mom changed my diaper, I laid still in my crib for just a split second so she could take my picture with Marty.  Not more than a second though because I don't want to miss anything that might be going on elsewhere.

Unhappy in my crib, despite everyone singing to me.  April 20, 2012.

We went out into the kitchen like usual but there were different colored polka-dot balloons all around the house.  And there was a special sparkly silver one tied to my high chair just for me.  Cool.  And on the wall in the kitchen, there were lots of pictures of me and Marty and a sign on each one labeling my age.

On display in the kitchen for my birthday: A Year With Marty, the Measurement Monkey

I may be one now, but I am still not quite sure about walking on my own.  I'd rather crawl because I can go much faster.  I like to walk while mom or dad hold my hands, and I like to walk even if they only hold one of my hands, I just slow down quite a bit.  I have a whole bunch of words that I like to say and I know what they mean: bath time, issssssssssssshy (fishy or Goldfish cracker), milk, thank you, more please, yes, shoes (I am kind of in love with shoes), hat, dog-dog, woof-woof, ssssss (Gus), airplane, water and baseball. 

Time to get ready for the day.  Hugs and kisses to everyone.  Momma says I'm having a birthday party soon so I'll be sure to nag at her to post those pictures soon.

Love,
Natalie Jane"

Happy 1st Birthday (cake) Natalie!

I spent the better part of 2 days making cakes, cupcakes and mini-cakes for Natalie's 1st birthday.  She had her own cake on the real birthday at home with her family and the rest of us shared a mini-cake that I made for that night.

She was not quite sure what is going on, but she remained very focused on the candle.

Despite eating most everything in the world, Natalie was not so sure about her cake.  She poked at it a bit and then decided she didn't like the consistency of the frosting and started throwing the frosting on the floor for Gus.  After dad gave her a little taste of the frosting, she decided it was ok and dove in, slowly.

Daddy helps her taste the frosting rather than throw it on the floor for an eager dog.

 After getting past the frosting issue, she dove right in to the cake. 

Hey woof woof -- come lick my fingers!

Not too messy, eh?

Yay!!!!  That was pretty yummy mom.  Thanks!!

It's a beautiful day...

We were fortunate to have some extra time to spend with Auntie Adrienne this spring.  It was especially awesome because of my new work schedule that allowed me to spend time with her like we haven't done since I was in high school and she was home for summer break from college (and we didn't really appreciate hanging out with each other as much at that point in life). We were able to do fun things like go for walks in the wagon to the park and play. 

Here are a few pictures from one random beautiful Arizona spring day at the park...



Click on the picture to open a new window that will allow you to scroll through the photos at your own pace.

Hoppy Easter

With a squirmy toddler, this was the best I could do for a shot of the girls together on Easter.  I think Gramma Judy managed to get one of the whole family but I haven't seen it and don't have a copy of it.  Natalie managed to sit nearly all the way through church...thanks mostly to the plastic Easter eggs filled with Cheerios stashed in the diaper bag, the bell choir and the loud music.

Easter morning 2012: post-Easter bunny basket scavenging but pre-church

 (Larry/Judy -- if you're reading this, could you e-mail those pictures to me??)

Sister Saturday

Everyone told us that it would happen fast ... and I knew that it would because it is simply inevitable that kids grow up.  But I never thought it would seem to happen so fast.  Lil Miss Natalie is nearly one year old and every day she is acting more and more like a true toddler.  She wants to do what she wants to do when she wants to do it and does not appreciate anyone telling her otherwise.

Hmmm.  I wonder how I make this thing go...

 Katie is a fantastic big sister and always willing to help Natalie with things, big or small.  When Natalie showed an interest in riding Katie's old tricycle, Katie hopped on and helped her with some extra grown-up assistance from our surprise guest, Aunt Adrienne.  The result was a sister-filled trike ride in circles around the courtyard.

Just a little Saturday morning big sister and little sister trike riding.

Baby bathtime bliss

As I recall from my years of babysitting, not all kids enjoy (or even tolerate) bath time.  On the flip side, our kid absolutely cannot get enough time in the bath tub. 

More recently she's started trying to eat the bubbles or bob for her toys with her mouth wide open.