Stories from September

It's seems like we've transitioned from summer to fall very quickly.   We've been enjoying the cooler temps for a change.  The kids have been wearing their snow boots and are ready for the NEXT season to come as well.  Now for a bit of randomness, for the mommy record...

*Natalie got her first haircut a few weeks ago.  She did well and conversed about penguins with her stylist during the cut.  Scott got a balloon too for being a patient observer. 

*We went to a presentation at the library put on by the local firefighters.  I was scarred for life by a fire presentation when I was in preschool.  I distinctly remember being so terrified that I cried and cried and had to sit with my preschool teacher away from the other kids.  While Scott and Natalie did seem to be a bit on edge, they handled it better than I did as a child. 
 

*Scott asked me a tough question the other day that I was struggling to answer.  He then said, "Maybe I should wait and ask God that.  Or Jesus.  Or Daddy."    :)  

*Some people at church politely tell me how small my belly looks for only having four weeks left.  The kids, on the other hand, point out regularly that this observation is far from the truth.  Natalie comes up, pats my belly, and tells me I look like the honey bear.  (You know...the one you get at the supermarket full of honey...the pudgy bear with a big belly.)  Likewise, we were talking about costumes the other day, and Scott said, "Maybe you should put on an elephant costume because you're big like an elephant."  Ummm...thanks, son. 

*Me:  Natalie, would you please do me a favor and stop whining?
Natalie:  No!  Be grumpy! 

*Natalie was "drawing" this morning, and handed me a marker too.  She said, "I draw geese.  You draw poop."  This was totally out of the blue, but I guess the two do go hand in hand.  (I'm glad she assigned me poop...much easier to draw than the goose.) 

*My parents brought back some special rocks from the ocean this summer.  The kids have had fun playing with them.  At night, I used to sing four specific Natalie-requested songs to my little girl as I tucked her in.  Lately, she's been saying, "No sing.  Just talk!"  So I've been asking her what she wants to talk about.  Most nights, she responds with "ROCKS!"  So...we talk about rocks before she drifts off to sleep.  A few times she's mixed it up by saying, "Tigers" or "Bees"...but her favorite topic is by far rocks.  :)

*Natalie has been calling other family members "dear."  I'm still trying to figure out where she got this, since we don't really use that term around here.  She's also been referring to herself as "Dr. Natalie" even when she's not playing doctor or anything.  She sometimes corrects me if I do not use her proper title.    

*Scott was supposed to be brushing his teeth the other day, when I saw him dart out of the bathroom to retrieve his toy wrench.  Intrigued, I followed him back in to find this...  He couldn't open the toothpaste, so he went to get the appropriate tool.  Daddy's little boy, or what?! 

Move closer, Molly!

My sweet friend, Molly, came to visit this week.  It is always an enjoyable time for all of us when we get to spend time with her.  Not only did we enjoy doing the normal things...talking, eating out, talking, watching a couple of movies, talking, shopping, and talking...Molly also went above and beyond the call of friendship and helped out with many things.  Just to name a few, Molly brought a special craft for the kids, walked us through how to use my bread machine, taught me a new tasty chicken recipe, and even gave me a Pinterest tutorial.  :)  What a gal!

Sidewalk chalk, fun games (like hide the train as pictured above), crafts, baking, stories...no wonder my kids love her!   Natalie would say, "Go away, Mommy!"  She wanted Molly's undivided attention (and who could blame her?). 

Our tasty bread was a hit and made the house smell oh-so-good! 

On Monday, Molly and I took a roadtrip to visit another college friend, Amy.  Amy and her fam recently moved into a cool new home, so it was fun to see that work in progress.  Amy and I are due only 10 days apart!  How fun!

Thanks again for coming, Molly!  You are missed already!! :)  

This and That

*Someone wants to do EVERYTHING big brother does.  "Me too!" is a common phrase around here.

*We took a trip to the zoo last week.  Despite the beautiful weather, no one was there.  We've never seen the zoo so empty.  It was a great time to go! 

 *Natalie is really into the "CHEESE!" part of pictures now.

*After seeing the first exhibit, Scott casually asked us, "So what would you like to do next?  Ride the train or something?"  He was trying to be subtle and grown up about asking which made us laugh.  He immediately pointed out that the zoo train had a new engine.  We're not sure if it was new or just repainted, but he was the only one to notice, and we believe him.  He WOULD notice that type of thing.  The train ride was his favorite part, of course. 

*Here he is trying his hand at frisbee.  We both need some more practice.  I couldn't get it to really fly across the yard at all.  (Scott thought I was good though...I love his four year old standards!:)  

*I often sing the beginning of "Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus" when I'm wanting the kids to stand up for something.   Natalie was standing tonight in her highchair and I said, "Natalie!  Sit down.  The chair is going to tip."  She immediately responded with, "Okay, Mommy.  Sit down for Jesus."  

*On a similar note, I sometimes take her right from her highchair to the top of the kitchen counter to brush off the crumbs and clean her up.  She likes this and sometimes has asked, "Stand up for Jesus on counter??"  

Oh how we love our goobers!

Family Fair Day

We went to the State Fair today.  It was Natalie's first time to join us as we just took Scott with us last year.  It was hot, there was A LOT of walking, and the smells of the onions frying and animal stalls were very unpleasant.  I guess however if you're two or four and not 7 months pregnant, it can be a lot of fun.  :)   

 The little kids pretend farm area was our favorite again this year. 

Somehow we got on the topic of jobs, and I was explaining to the kids why Daddy had to go to work and was telling them about making money, having a job, etc.  Scott then turned to me and said, "What do you want to do when you grow up, Mommy?"

Did I mention we had to do a lot of walking?! :)  Natalie got a ride.  Scott got a ride.  I was denied.  So not "FAIR!"   :)

An epiphany

I had just tucked Scott into bed tonight when I decided to flip on the Olympics for the first time.  Diving was on, so I got Scott back out of bed to show him a little.  It's a good thing that I did.  He had never seen divers before, and he was very impressed.  As I was tucking him back in, he said with all sincerity, "It took me a lot of time to figure what I want to be when I grow up, and now I know.  A diver."

(He may need to learn to put his head under the water first, but at least he has a vision.)

 

Scott told me the other night that he didn't need to go to sleep because he was nocturnal. 

 

Miss Natalie has been causing us to smile a lot too these days.   Everything is exaggerated.  She tells us she is...

-"VERY hungry!"
-"VERY tired!"
-Car seat is "TOO tight!"


If something is hard for her to do, she says it's "VERY heavy!"


When she wants a drink, she asks for "COLD water" or "COLD milk!"  (As if we often serve them to her warm)

I was forced to wear my glasses for three (long) weeks recently, and Natalie didn't care for them.  She kept telling me, "No glasses!  Just eyes!"

We did some painting this afternoon, and Scott had fun painting a little car.  Natalie had fun making a huge water mess with a small cup full of paint water. 

Jon and I sometimes secretly refer to our favorite pizza restaurant, Donatos, as "The Big D".  Jon asked Natalie last week if she wanted to go to Donatos or The Big D.  She chose the latter.  As we pulled into Donotos several minutes later, she started to cry, and say, "The Big D!  The Big D!"  Obviously, she didn't understand our code.  Scott caught on and told us that he wanted to go to The Big C.  We tried to guess where he was referring to, and he finally told us it was Chick-Fil-A.  This is funny since we rarely eat there as a family.  I have taken the kids to play on the playground there a couple of times though, and I think that's what stuck in Scott's mind.  So we are not just eating out for the fun of it, we are doing it for the betterment of our children's reading and spelling skills.  :)
 

Mid Summer Update

The summer is flying by!  The new baby will be here in less than 15 weeks.  We've been trying to do as many activities as we can since I feel like life will stop come October.  I know this isn't totally true, but we all will be in for some changes (and sometimes that scares me).  The kids are making up their own games and playing together more and more which is very encouraging and fun to watch. 

We've played outside for (very) brief periods.  It's so hot!!

Lots of playdough and another fun trip to open gym time...

I love this picture.  I didn't ask Scott to do this...he just did.  (Natalie still fell off the beam at least three times, but it was a cute team effort.)