Hanging out with Daddy

There's no place like home - right next to Daddy.

Breakfast at the farm - again

The neighboring county had breakfast on the farm too. Of course, we couldn't let that opportunity pass us by:

Of course, breakfast on the farm includes milk...

And who can say no to a bouncy-jumpy-thing-a-magic?

The long slide was also a hit.

It was a very warm day, so we made sure we had ice cream in the shade...

It was such a warm day that we decided to skip the rest of the festivities, so that we could get into some air condition!

Happy half-birthday, Natalie!

Natalie had her half-birthday in June. Of course, we took the opportunity to celebrate:

Natalie's half-birthday-breakfast-table

We even got her a small present:

Pink glitter glue - the big bottle that she had wished for for so long.

It wouldn't be a (half-)birthday without a candle to blow out.

Later that day we went to the amusement park. It was a very warm day, so an ice cream snack was in order.

Natalie is now old enough to go on some bigger kid's rides:

Where's Natalie (Hint: Look up!)

But the merry-go-round is still an old favorite.

Happy half-birthday, Natalie! Hope you enjoyed the day!

Breakfast at the farm

This year, we met up with Aubriella and her family for Breakfast at the Farm. It was a beautiful summer day, and we had such a great time.

I guess it was a little windy.

Natalie the Cow!

Natalie got to pet a bunny. It was very soft.

Of course, there was also face painting. What a pretty flower.

Brayden, Brian, Natalie, and Aubriella on some very big farm equipment.

Memorial Day

We had a great Memorial Day. First, we met up with Aubriella and her family at the Memorial Day Parade.

Natalie waiting for the parade to start.

Natalie and Mommy, still waiting for the parade.

The parade started. Natalie was very focused.

This cute little truck stalled almost right in front of us. Even though the driver tried really hard, he couldn't get it started again. He ended up having to have it pulled to the side. Natalie thought it was very interesting.

Gotta love this one. Such a pretty girl.

After the parade, we went to a park for a picnic and some playtime.

Aubriella and Natalie played so well together (as always).

Natalie and Aubriella.

What a great day!

At the carwash

On a warm day in May, Natalie helped Daddy wash the cars. I think she had a lot of fun:

Getting ready...

Hey, where did the sponge go?

Little Miss Mischief...

Not sure what's more wet - the rag or Natalie's clothes...

Gotta love this one. There's just something about it...

Graduation

Natalie graduated from 4K! It was such a proud day!!!!

Here are some pictures from the big event:

Each kid walked into the room one at a time when their name was called.

Natalie, standing with her classmates at the front of the room. They made the graduation hats themselves. They sang some songs for us - it was super awesome! One was about how there were really small when they started, but now they've grown and they've gotten so smart. One was about going for a ride in a car, putting on sunglasses, putting on a scarf, putting on the radio, etc. Really great.

Then, they got their diploma. Each kid walked up to get it, and shook hands with the teacher. Just like it should be.

Such a proud girl!

After they got their diplomas, the kids sat with us parents and watched a slideshow the teacher had put together with pictures from the school year. It was really well made. The teacher made sure we got a copy of it afterwards, such a great thing to keep.


And after graduation there was a surprise for the kids behind the school - the icecream truck came! It was a perfect ending to a perfect ceremony.

Take me out to the ball game...

The last outing in the school year was for a baseball game - the first home game of the season. Natalie and I had a great evening.

Natalie watching the game and enjoying a special treat - a blue soda.

It was an unusually cold day in June. In fact, we ended up bringing our "just in case" blanket from the car, and Natalie watched a good part of the game wrapped up like a burrito.

Cold or not, we rooted for the home team and really enjoyed it!

The cupcake tower!

Natalie got a cupcake tower from her Aunt. She loved it! Of course, she wanted to make cupcakes the following weekend. And, of course, each cupcake had to be different, so we could really show them off on the new cupcake tower:

So Pretty!

Seeding the garden

In May, we seeded our garden. It looks so nice when it's just seeded and being watered, so very springlike:

Good thing I don't have a picture to post of it now. Here in August, the weeds are about knee-high...

Parent breakfast in daycare

For "Week of the young child", daycare had a lot of fun things planned. One day was make a puzzle together, one day was make a sculpture with playdough, etc. The best day was Friday, when we had a parent breakfast:

Natalie had such a great time. She was so proud to have Mommy and Daddy there.

The kids had made muffins and coffee cake the day before. Natalie had helped with the muffins, so of course that's what we had.

Afterwards, each kid got a balloon, and us parents helped write their names on a tag attached to it. Natalie got her favorite color.

And all the kids let the balloons go from the playground at the same time.

We're hoping someone will find the balloons and write a letter back. So far, only one kid got a letter back, though (not Natalie). So, if you find a balloon somewhere with a name attached to it, would you please be so kind and send a card or letter back?

Helping Daddy "fix" the tractor

When Daddy works on the tractor, Natalie works on it, too. She borrows his tools and rags, and she "fixes" things. She's quite good at it, too:

Such a good helper!

We now return to our regularly scheduled programming...

But first a quick update.

I'm doing well. I've been back to work for a couple of weeks now, and though I was somewhat tired in the beginning, I'm feeling stronger every day.

Yesterday I had a follow up visit with my plastic surgeon. He seems pleased with the results, as am I. From his perspective I'm all healed from the last surgery, and he told me I can do whatever I feel like - go play rugby, if I want to (not that I have any plans to do that...) I'm still supposed to take it easy because of the hysterectomy for another couple of weeks, though.

And other good news: I've my hair is growing longer, and I got my eyelashes back!

All in all, things are moving in the right direction, slowly but surely.

I noticed that I'm falling way behind on blogging. So, I've uploaded a bunch of pictures, and I'll be posting them in the near future in as much of a chronological order as I can. Stay tuned!