Birthday Fun

This weekend Natalie turned ONE! We celebrated with lots of family, friends, food and fun. We had a big red tent in the front yard for the pinwheel-themed soiree and lots of little (and big) friends came to help us celebrate. And boy, was she gifted! I just can't believe she's really one. We're very proud of the little person she's become and can't wait to see what else is in store... For now, here are a few snapshots of the big girl and her big party!

Cruisin'

Natalie got to ride shotgun in Sophie's sweet ride today. The had fun playing big girls in the Barbie convertible. Sophie also let Nat take her trike for a spin. They had a very fun time together. 

In other news, Natalie took 2 unassisted steps today. She may just be walking by her birthday yet! 

xoxo

Lo Mein - finally got this video to post!

Natalie enjoyed some international cuisine the other night. Specifically, lo mein noodles. She was so darn entertaining with these noodles that I just had to grab the video camera. I got so much footage that I had a hard time editing it down. 

Can't wait to see what happens when we introduce chopsticks!

Growing up...

Natalie is less than two weeks from celebrating her first birthday! It's flown by for us, but we're excited to enter a new official chapter--the toddler years! 

Here's a quick update on what she's been up to:

• Her new nanny, Ashley started last week. We love her so far and Natalie seems to really enjoy her company while mom and dad are at work. Last week Ashley took her on a picnic in the park and story time at the library. Fun stuff!
• Her vocabulary has expanded beyond Mama and Dadda. Her two new favorite words are "no" (Gee, wonder how she learned that so quickly!) and "tickle" (she wiggles her fingers when she says it, it's too cute!); she also says "ow" once in a while when it seems appropriate.
• She likes to mimic. Whether it's an animal sound or a fake cough, she'll play parrot all day long!
• Trying all sorts of new food. She thinks she's too big to wear a bib now and she really likes to feed herself. Hence, the need for more frequent baths...
• In addition to becoming blonder and blonder, her growing locks seem to have a little curl in them, particularly in the back. I took this picture of one of her bad hair days from last week. She had a bath right before nap time and this was the result!  
• 
• She loves to walk but still needs the sturdy assistance of a reliable toy or piece of furniture (or sometimes it's one of the dogs!). She still "bear crawls" on her hands and feet and can go quite fast!
• She likes to wave hi/bye/"night night", blow kisses, give (sloppy, open-mouthed) kisses, give hugs (she even pats her huggee with her little hand!), dance, sing and tease. She's a girl of many, many talents and we just love her growing personality.

Today we met Grandma and Grandpa Yost in Sisters for lunch. Then we took a very bumpy trip to nearby Three Creeks Lake. It was absolutely beautiful and nearly 15 degrees cooler than in town (which was very appreciated given the scorching temps!). Natalie really enjoyed splashing in the cool water, collecting rocks and playing with the sand. It was a perfect summer afternoon!

Have a great week!

A Visit to P-Town & 4th of July Fun

This week Nat and I traveled to Pendleton to visit the fam. We especially wanted to visit Great Grandpa Walters who is sick right now. But a cheerful little girl sure did brighten his week. Natalie showered Grandpa with kisses and they had a grand time together. 

Callyn and Maikol were also in Pendleton this week. We spent one afternoon with them visiting the Pendleton Children's Museum and enjoying lunch. We don't get to see them as much as we'd

 like so it was a real treat!

Natalie was also able to visit more with her Uncle Peter, Grandma and Grandpa Walters, Great Grandma Walters, Uncle Ken, Auntie Toni and all kinds of friends. We had a nice time, regardless of the sweltering conditions.

We returned home on Thursday and daddy had really missed us. We spent most of Nat's first Fourth of July holiday working in the yard and putting our new patio furniture together. It was capped off by a BBQ and our traditional neighborhood fireworks show that our neighbor Kaylie and her dad put on in the street.