Howdy

My mom found my old Howdy Doody doll and sent it home with me a few weeks ago. For some reason, Scott was a bit nervous around old Howdy. Perhaps it was that big smile. Or perhaps it was those mischievous eyes. I picked up on Scott's sensitivity and did what every good mom would do. I made Howdy "talk" to Scott and then chased him around the basement with the big mouthed doll. We did this for several days in a row. Scott actually liked it...kind of like people like big roller coasters. He would scream (with 90% delight and 10% fear) as he ran from the talking Howdy Doody. I asked him to sit down close to Howdy for a picture. Scott didn't want to take his eyes off of him though. That was a little too close for comfort. If he ends up needing counseling someday, we will see why. :)

Natalie had no reservations however, and she quickly tried to disrobe Howdy.


He is a little freaky...isn't he? Or maybe a lot freaky. This is the reason that I returned him back to my parents house. They were thrilled. :)

ONE

Look who is growing up before our eyes...







Okay...actually we all are aging mighty fast. Time sure flies!

Happy first birthday, Natalie! We love you!

"Give me that cake!"

All part of her plan...

If I get enough food in my hair, down my neck, and up my sleeves...

Mommy will have to put me in the tub!

HOORAY! It worked yet again!

Mr. Scott

In a month from today, Scott will be turning 3 years old! His wants for his birthday are ever changing, and his list is constantly growing. Most of the items he is requesting are trains. He is VERY into the Thomas trains right now. He's even suggested that Natalie receive a few trains for her birthday, as well. What a thoughtful big brother!

Within the last few weeks, we have noticed that Scott has gotten a lot better with entertaining himself and playing independently. Jon thinks it's because Natalie is much more of a busy body and our attention has been pulled more toward her. I like to think that Scott is just maturing. Regardless of the reason, it has been wonderful and amusing to overhear him playing all by himself!

He helped Jon build a couple of things with wood in the garage and loved it! It was like Bob the Builder LIVE! Being the cautious soul that he is, he made sure to cover his ears whenever Jon used his saw or air compressor.



He told us that his truck started leaking "trunk" oil and that he needed to take it to a mechanic. There have been too many quotes from him that have made me laugh lately. I usually jot them down and tell Jon when he gets home from work at night.

Today, we were playing in the basement when Scott needed to run upstairs for a Kleenex. He started to head up, but then came back down to very seriously ask me if I would baby-sit Natalie while he was away. I told him that I thought I could manage to keep an eye on her for a couple of minutes. :)

Guess who apparently discovered my camera? When I went to download my pictures, I discovered about 20 shots of the computer printer, floor, and the culprit. He even took about five video clips of these items, as well. I'm not sure where on earth his mother was when all this was going on. Since my camera still seems to work properly, I was able to laugh at my finding!


I always used to think that I'd want my babies to stay small forever, but I am loving interacting with my soon-to-be 3 year old. It's fun to have conversations with him and to teach him things. He was asking me the other day, "So did God put eyes in me to make me?" and "Does God forgive Mommy? Natalie? Daddy? Grandma? Grandpa?" ...the list went on and on... It's so special, and admittedly, somewhat intimidating, to have these small spiritual conversations with Scott. I want so much to be able to answer his questions in a way that makes sense to him, yet is biblically accurate. It takes thinking through each line or phrase and then anticipating his next question. We pray daily that Scott's heart will be open to the Lord and that he will come to know Christ as his Savior.

Enough for now!

No, we are not pagans

Yes, my kids got forced into a picture with the Easter bunny at the library.

Yes, we did go to an egg hunt and enjoyed the candy. (Scott had a couple of pieces and the rest of the chocolate was put away for later. I sure hope he has forgotten about it...Gulp!:)

Yes, I did forget my Bible on Easter Sunday. (Ironically, the last time I can remember forgetting my Bible for church was two Easters ago.)

Yes, we were running late and I didn't get any pictures of Natalie's first Easter. The matching little hat that she had with her dress never even made it on her head.

Yes, I got paged to the nursery during the service and missed the Easter message. Oh, Natalie Grace!

Yes, my kids are pictured below wearing bunny ears.

Yes, Donatos IS indeed open on Easter.

Despite all of this, we DID celebrate that we serve the Risen Lord. Jon and I are thankful to know Him as our Savior and used the day and activities around Easter to talk with Scott about Jesus' sacrifice and the reason why we celebrate.

Grammy helped Scott gather some eggs.

(I'm guessing that this might be the first AND last year he poses with a pink and white bunny ear headband.)

Natalie's New Tricks

This month has been kind of sparse as far as updating my blog goes. Reason? Check out the pictures below and see if you can guess.




Natalie says, "Okay! Enough already! They get the point! I'm mobile now and have a lot of exploring to do. What's so wrong with that?!"

This little girl is certainly keeping us on our toes. She is walking all over and has no fear. She seems bound and determined to get stitches, and she has me gasping several times a day. She walks at high speed and has more confidence in her walking ability than she should. She tries to clap, jump, dance, and carry large objects while making her way across the room. She really just needs to focus on the walking part, but you can't tell her that!

Her little personality is coming out more and more. She loves to do a happy scream in public and get attention. She has also learned how to fake cry, which she likes to do on her way into the playpen. She must feel that the padded walls are too safe. She has developed a big cheesy grin, which always makes me smile. She refuses to eat baby food or anything on a spoon. She insists on feeding herself. Natalie has recently started bringing me certain books that she wants to read over and over. When we get to the end, she flips it back to the first page and grunts. In the picture below, she is laughing at her great grandma Joyce.

HAPPY 11 MONTH BIRTHDAY, MISS NATALIE!

*A Scott update is coming soon. Both of the kids seem to be growing up on me! He's up to some new tricks of his own.

It's April!

I thought this clown picture was appropriate for April Fool's Day. I kept sending Scott to the other room with jokes to try on Jon this morning. Scott was pretty poor at the joke execution, however, and wasn't too convincing. Perhaps next year he will be a better trickster.

My buddies, Molly and Amy, came for a visit last week. Elliana, who is three months older than Natalie, came too. She let Natalie borrow her clown outfit for a few pictures. As always, we all had a special time together and are ready to do it again soon!
Surprise, surprise...Scott L-O-V-E-S his "new" pick-up truck. He drives just like Daddy.


He's been hauling lots of rocks to various pretend locations around the house. When he had delivered all of his rocks, he asked to take Natalie for a spin. Oh, she's such a good sport!

We took the kids to the zoo last week. Jon and I went on the train ride with Scott. He loved it and said that it was his favorite part. It was a big deal for him, and he kept reminding me to hold on tight. My mom helped to care for Natalie and used her grandparent membership to get us in. It's still odd to think of my mom as a "grandparent."

We bought Scott a new spin toothbrush. Who knew brushing could be so much fun? I think he brushed more times today than I have all week. He's learning how to spit now too, which is great fun for all. Oh to be a two year old! :)