Cowboy Natalie

I caught this picture of Natalie the other day. She was just playing around, when all of a sudden she put on her pretty summer hat, rode her elephant, and told me that she was a cowboy! It looked so cute and funny that I tried to catch it on video. She didn't say it again, but the video still turned out pretty cute if I can say so myself...

Random acts of kindness

Last weekend, I had numerous great experiences of people just being kind and considerate.

When we were at the amusement park, Natalie needed to use the bathroom. Of course, we needed to wash our hands afterwards, and of course I didn't have a stepstool for her (someone should really invent one that would be small enough to fit in a diaperbag, but that's another story), so I was lifting her with one arm, trying to wash both her hands and mine at the sink. The lady in front of us noticed, and before she left, she made sure that there was enough paper towel hanging out of the dispenser for us so we didn't have to fight with the dispenser. A small thing, maybe, probably something I would not have thought of doing myself for others before I had Natalie, but still something so very important and kind - from a perfect stranger.

The next day, we were at the grocery store, picking up something from the bakery isle. There was a lady filling up the displays, and when she saw Natalie, she went in to the bakery to get her a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. Yes, it's a good PR trick, but it was still very sweet (not just the sugar in the cookie, but the gesture also).

Then, outside of the grocery store, we were putting our cart away in the cart corral when Natalie noticed that there were two "little dogs with big ears" in the car parked next to the carts. She looked at them with great interest thru the carwindow. Then the owner came out to the car, and she asked if Natalie wanted to pet one of the dogs. She held the dog up so Natalie could reach. Again, a perfect stranger, doing something nice for us and for Natalie.

I am so grateful to those people. Not only did they help give Natalie some great experiences, but they also helped teach her - by example - how to be kind to and considerate of others. I will try to remember that in the future, so I too can show her by example how a simple gesture can mean so much to someone else.

One cool ride!

On Sunday, we needed to pick up a few things at the local grocery store. Natalie had the luxury of riding in a racecar! At first, she made sure she was stearing us in all kinds of directions, but after a while she decided to chill out and enjoy the ride:

Girls night out

A couple of weekends ago, Natalie and I went out for a "girls night out"! First, we stopped at the icecream place:

Yummi!

Then, we went on to the play area at the mall. The slides are always fun:

But the big hit came when she got to ride the pink panther truck. She has never tried something like that before.

Her smile when the thing started to move was priceless:

Sorry for the blurry pictures. I didn't have my camera with me, so they are taken with my cell phone. But to me, her smile shines thru even the most blurry of pictures!

At the amusement park

This morning, we went to the local amusement park. We met Aubriella there (and her Mom and Dad too, of course). The kids had a great time!

Future Olympic medalists in synchronous swinging...

The merry-go-round is always a hit.

Partners in crime - or at least in the ladybug ride!

A party on the deck

Last weekend, we were sitting outside, just finishing up dinner. Natalie really wanted to go and play on her swingset, but Karsten and I needed to finish up dinner and clean up, so Karsten suggested that Natalie could take Baby Natalie (her doll) out on the deck and show her how nice it was outside.

Well, Natalie decided that Baby Natalie needed to have a party. And of course, she needed to have some toys at her party. Shortly thereafter, we took this picture, thinking that it was kinda cute and funny how neatly everything was lined up:

She kept going - and going - and going... After about another half hour of this:

... Well, here's what the deck looked like:

I think it was a pretty good party!

Chocolate!

The other day, Natalie got a chocolate covered chocolate-biscotti...

At the Zoo

On Sunday, Natalie and I spent the afternoon (after her nap) at the Zoo. It was a beautiful day, and we had such a great time.

Looking at the penguins

Just chillin'...

Riding the Dinosaur

I'm at the top of the world! (Or at least at the top of the slide...)

Cupcakes are for eating

Of course, Natalie got to taste one of the cupcakes we made on Sunday:

One, two, three sticky fingers...

Uh-oh, my hands got all dirty...

... But it's really yummy!

Playing dress-up

The other morning, Natalie got into the closet where I kept her halloween-costume from last year. Of course, she had to try it on. And she also wanted the apron on that I had put away in the same place. So here she is, wearing her jammies, bumble-bee outfit, and apron:

Imagine that...

Yesterday, Natalie decided that her and Baby Natalie (her doll) were going to make me a chocolate-birthday cake (no, it's not my birthday). Here's her recipe:

- One small plastic cup filled with (imaginary) sunscreen
- Water from the faucet in her kitchen
- One purple pom-pom
- One white pom-pom
- One red ball-pit-ball
- One yellow ball-pit-ball

Put the first four ingredients on a blue plastic plate. Put the ball-pit-balls in a colander and a serving dish from her kitchen. Bake it in her dishwasher. Put it in the kitchen cabinet above her fridge to cool it down. Then top with green frosting (a green ball-pit-ball).

Let me tell you, it was very, very yummy!

A Happy Mother's Day

This morning, Natalie and I shared a great time over breakfast. We talked about all the things outside the window and all the fun things we wanted to do today, and we watched Sesame Street together.

We played around in the basement, just running around being all goofy and silly. We played music and danced around. We ran around the little half-glass-wall in the middle of the room, playing peek-a-boo and making silly faces.

We made necklaces, both out of yarn and pasta and of the more edible variety.

We made cupcakes, and we put frosting on them and as many different kinds of sprinkles as we could find in the house.

Natalie and I watched her favorite "movie" about the Fisher Price "Little People".

Right now Natalie is napping, and I get a chance to blog about my beautiful little girl.

I can't imagine a better way to spend Mother's Day.

Natalie and Baby

Natalie's best friend Aubriella has a new baby brother. Last weekend, Aubriella came over for a playdate, and she brought her baby brother (and her parents, too of course). And of course, we all had a great time.

Natalie was so proud that she got to hold Baby Brayden. She was very careful and gentle, and she even sang the ABC song to him: