Monday, November 26, 2007

Turkey you could really sink your teeth into (if you have teeth, that is)

Thanksgiving 2007: So much to be thankful for. At the top of our list of course is Natalie. She celebrated her first Thanksgiving at our house and we were visited by her Grandma and Grandpa Yost, Grandma and Grandpa Walters and Uncle Peter. It was fun to think back to last year's Thanksgiving when we spilled the beans about our future baby Natalie. What a difference a year makes!

This year, Jeramy was on a mission to have the perfect Thanksgiving turkey. And boy, did he succeed! But what a process. We brined it overnight, then made a special rub to season it with, then he smoked it for 9+ hours and then we finished it in the oven for a few more hours. This poor bird went through a lot, but we all agreed, it was the best turkey we'd ever eaten! If only Natalie had teeth, she could have enjoyed it too...














She loved all the attention she got from her grandparents and uncle and she even sat on (no, not 'at', but literally 'on') the table with the family for a portion of the dinner.















We spent much of the rest of the turkey-induced-coma-of-a-weekend taking pictures of Natalie for our Christmas cards. Grandma and Grandpa Walters brought their portable studio and got so many adorable shots, that I still can't decide which to use on the card. So, if you happen to get a lot of pictures stuffed in our card this year, you'll know why. I could upload them to the blog now, but why spoil the surprise?
Overall, it was a wonderful holiday weekend and we appreciate the family that traveled to see us. And for those that couldn't come to see us, you were missed! We're so thankful and blessed. Now, it's time to get those Christmas decorations out of the attic...

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Giggly Girl! (and some more skunk pics!)

Tonight Jeramy was playing with Natalie on the floor and he invented a sound that Natalie thought was hi-larious! Luckily, they were thoughtful enough to allow me to grab the video camera and document Nat's giggles for the first time. I dare you to watch this video and not giggle yourself! (Make sure your sound is turned on!)




Oh, and here are a few more skunk pics that my friend took at the Halloween party we attended...

The cutest (okay, the only) skunk at the party!


We call this one "Road Kill"

The pumpkin didn't really like her costume as much as Natalie liked hers!

Monday, November 5, 2007

A fall visit to the valley...

This weekend we headed to the Willamette Valley to visit friends and family. I forget how beautiful it is there in the fall. We really don't get autumn colors like that in Bend.

We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Yost. Natalie enjoyed spending some quality time with Grandpa on the couch and getting smothered in kisses by Grandma! They babysat Saturday night so Jeramy and I could go out to dinner (our first date without the babe!) to celebrate our 3rd Anniversary. At dinner, Jeramy remarked how weird it was to not have Natalie with us. How quickly she's become the center of our world!

We also got a quick visit in with Natalie's cousins, Jared and Chloe. They have grown so much over the past year!
Then we headed to Onie's house where we met great, great aunt Julie. It was a fun visit and Natalie was on her bestest behavior.

Her newest trick is to almost roll over. She gets about 2/3 of the way, but can't quite make it. My bet is she'll be rolling over within a week or two. All of that almost rolling has certainly taken a toll on her beautiful hair! She's got patchy bald spots now, but we're hopeful she'll get it back again someday! She constantly has something in her mouth (usually her hands!) and is drooling a lot more so we think a tooth may be in her not-so-distant future. But, she is very happy most of the time now and is quick to offer a smile to brighten your day.

Much love from Bend...

Friday, November 2, 2007

First Halloween & Other Milestones to Celebrate!

We celebrated Natalie's first Halloween on Wednesday. When pondering what an adorable 3-month old would be for Halloween, of course the first thing you think of is a skunk, right? Yeah, don't ask me how I came up with that one, but she did turn out to be the cutest skunk you've ever seen (or smelled!).

Growing up, my Grandma Jean and mom spent hours every year making one-of-a-kind Halloween costumes for my brother and I. No detail was ever overlooked and my classmates' cheap, off-the-rack costumes paled next to ours. So, now that I have a child of my own, I knew I couldn't let Grandma Jean down by buying just any old $15.99 poly-blend costume. But my dilemma: I have zero sewing skills (Grandma was a perfectionist and after she made me rip out one too many imperfect seams, I gave up my sewing lessons at the ripe old age of 8. Why didn't I have the patience and the foresight to let her teach me???).

So my solution was a hybrid that involved a hot glue gun, some wire and velcro. A black hooded sweat suit, some faux fur and way too many hours (not to mention a few burns from the glue gun!) later, and the lil' stinker had her first costume! I know it isn't anything near what Grandma Jean would have thrown together with less effort, but I know she would have been proud and would have loved to see Natalie's smiling face poking out of the hood.

So, on her first Halloween, she visited mommy's office and then was off to get her picture taken at Focus Pocus portrait studio (Because Grandpa Walters wasn't around with his camera!). She smiled at the camera like a pro and we got a priceless pic. (I intend to upload more photos that show you the entire costume.) Then we took her to her friend Gracie's first birthday party. At one point during the party, Natalie fell asleep, so I laid her on a blanket, face down on the floor. We started calling her "Road Kill" because she was sprawled out with a furry tail sticking up in the air. Where was my camera you ask? At home! We visited more friends after that. So, overall it was an eventful and fun night.

Last night was eventful too. The three of us were relaxing on the couch and I was tickling Natalie's tummy. Out of nowhere she let out a loud peal of real, honest-to-goodness laughter that caught us so off guard that we just stared in disbelief. She laughed several times after that while we played and it was so fun. Of course, today we tried and tried to get it out of her again but she must have forgotten how to do it. Grandma Walters gave her a teddy bear that giggles when you squeeze him. I thought that might trigger her memory, but no luck. But I did get a cute picture of her hugging him.
She grows and develops a little more every day and we're just along for the ride! And what a fun ride it is...