Birthday Buddies Finally Meet!

My friend Christie and I have known each other since Freshman year of college. We roomed together in the Alpha Chi house, at Cheley Camp one summer and both lived in Denver at the same time. So, we go back pretty far :)

Our friendship has grown and strengthened over the years as we have ironically gone down lifes bumpy road simultaneously and have pulled each other through some of the big bumps. It seems as though whatever comes her way is bound to come mine and vice versa.

Here are a few of the similarities: Both have a husband named Travis, both have mom's named Debbie, her husband's middle name and Natalie's middle name are the same (had no clue when I named Natalie Rae!...this is something I just discovered yesterday!!), Natalie and Lily were born less than a day apart, both girls weighed exactly 7 lbs and were exactly 20 inches. On a sad note, we both had 7 year old golden retrievers who suddenly passed away from a rare hearttumor (her dog passed over the summer and Max passed in December) both of us had a miscarriage between after our first pregnancy and before our 2nd. In general, it seems as though anything major happening in one of our lives, seems to fall upon the other within a short amount of time....job changes, marriage, kids, etc...some happy, some not so happy, but either way we have been going through it together . There is no doubt the crossing of our paths was planned long before we knew each other.

Christie lives in Ft. Collins, Colorado now with her husband and almost 2 year old daughter, Lily, and they are expecting a 2nd baby in September. No, we are not going through this together!...she is just catching up to our 2 kid status :) She and Lily made a trip to Dallas this week to visit her parents and we decided it would be great to get together since they were so close. So, we decided to meet in the middle at Gainsville to have lunch and do a little shopping. We had a GREAT time :) Natalie and Lily are still very close in size, but Lily's vocabulary is well beyond Natalie's! Hopefully our sweet girl will start learning a few more words now that she can HEAR us :) Anyway, it was so much fun to see Christie...she is doing great and I am so excited about the new baby...can't wait to find out what she is having....if it's a girl they are considering Hannah for a name (she knows about our Hannah, but has loved the name since she was a child!!!)

Lily is the sweetest, most layed back little girl and pretty as can be. She looks just like her Mama and Grandma....imagine that right? Natalie looks just like her Mama and Grandma! Natalie was a little slow to warm up to Lily, but she finally came around after awhile. She and Lily really enjoyed watching the ducks out the window of the Cracker Barrel where we had lunch. They also had lots of fun climbing the fireplace hearth and jumping off at the end. The gift shop had lots of interesting things to look at and the girls had fun playing with all of the toys.

It's been 5 years since Christie and I have seen each other so it was really good to see her...makes me think of all the fun we had together in our younger years. While we lived in Denver we made tons of day trips to Keystone, Breckenridge, and Vail to ski. Ahhhhh, I miss those days! I am so thankful that Christie and I have managed to keep in touch over the years despite the distance between us. It's always fun to talk to her to see what new things we have in common :) Final thought on this subject for the day....will our girls share life's up's and down's like their mom's do???? It will be fun to find out :)

Who Said Tubes Were A Big Deal???

Natalie's tubes went in this morning! She did fairly well. Lots of crying and whining while we were in the pre-op room. Luckily this part only lasted about 20 minutes.

The OR nurse came to get her with a pre-heated blanket which she wrapped around her as soon as she took her from us. Natalie immediately quieted down much to our surprise. Usually she HATES strangers (or anyone other than mommy or daddy for that matter) but she went right to the nurse with no fight...or even the evil eye! I am sure most of you are picturing that signature frown and furrowed brow about now :) They said she never cried the entire time she was in the OR.

Her "surgery" was really quick. About 15 minutes after we left her we were able to go back in to be with her in recovery. She had already been awake for a few minutes before I went back in with her and still no tears!! The nurses said that is VERY RARE. Of course all good things must come to an end, right?? Well, about 3 minutes after I picked her up the tears began to flow. She didn't want anything to do with the nurses she had made "friends" with :) So, about 20 minutes after she awoke, we were allowed to take her home.

She cried about 1/2 of the way home and then suddenly stopped...she started looking around and had that "where the heck am I???" look on her face. Since that moment she has been perfectly back to normal. Of course we came straight home and had some snuggle time in the rocker and watched one of her favorite cartoons (Oswald). Pretty soon, she hopped down and played on her own while I got lunch ready. She scarfed down her lunch meat and crackers and brought her empty plate to counter and started signing "more!" So, 2 plate fulls later she was finally full and emphatically signed "all done". After lunch she gladly went to her bed for a nap. Memaw picked Nathan up from school today so Natalie could get a good nap in...guess it's a good thing we had that plan as she slept from 1:15 to 4:45! Guess she needed to sleep off that anesthesia!

After an awesome nap, she woke up refreshed and ready to play! So far this evening she has not shown any evidence of her surgery this morning so I suppose she is completely back to normal now :) She loves the bracelet from the hospital...she's been wearing it around all afternoon.

Thanks to everyone for the prayers for a smooth morning. It wasn't all roses, but it went better than we had hoped. She doesn't seem to be too traumatized by the ordeal and she should feel a lot better now that the fluid can drain properly. We are hopeful that the tubes will prevent future ear infections and allow her to hear a little better which will should help increase her vocabulary. We'll keep you posted on any new words we hear coming from our sweet baby girl!

Family Vacation

We left Norman around 6 pm on Thursday and headed for the mountains...Quartz Mountains that is :) Not enough time or patience to make it to the Rockies so SW OK will have to do :) We got off to a great start thanks to Papa George loaning us the Expedition equipped with a DVD player. We popped in a new Wubbzy video, got the kiddos dinner at McDonald's and didn't hear a peep out of them the entire drive! We arrived at the entrance to Mt. Scott (near Medicine Park) at 7:58 pm. The sign said, "gate closes at 8 pm" so we had to turn around and save the mountain for the next day. We stopped back by Medicine Park and had a fabulous dinner at the Plantation Cafe. The kids were less than well behaved as they had 2 hours of pent up energy they were ready to unleash! So, we scarfed down our fried food as fast as we could and got out of there :) We took a walk across the MP bridges...so pretty covered with Christmas lights! The kids loved running across :) Wish we could have seen more of this area in the day time.

After a quick walk through Medicine Park, we got back in the car in search of a place to stay in Lawton. Luckily, we found a great hotel with a small wall between the beds which made it easy to get the kids down. Well, maybe easy isn't the right word....more like easier. The kid's beds were right next to each other and they did what you would expect kids to do when it's time to go to bed....they giggled their silly heads off!!! Sooooo cute! Travis and I layed in bed listening to them for quite a while before we enforced sleep time :) So, to all of you parents who find yourselves in this situation in the future....put the older child in bed with you, put the younger child in his/her crib, THEN, when the younger child drifts off to sleep, put older child back in their bed. This worked like a charm for us...wish we had started with this plan to begin with :)

The next morning after breakfast we headed back to Mt. Scott. The road was long, windy and narrow. I stressed the entire way up. Once on top, Nathan couldn't wait to get out and go exploring. So, he and Travis went out and climbed some rocks and took in the beautiful view.

We stopped at the Nature Center and Museum and the kids really enjoyed looking at all of the creatures. Nathan loved the deer antler exhibit and Natalie liked the butterflies...go figure!

Back in the car and off to our next adventure...Quartz Mountain! We hope to stay at the Lodge there sometime this summer, so we decided to go check it out while we were so close. The area is fabulous! Who knew Oklahoma had such great scenery...so different than what we have around the Metro. The Lodge overlooks the lake which is gorgeous...blue water!!! We are really looking forward to spending more time there this summer. While we were there, we decided to hike one of the smaller mountains. Travis carried Natalie to the top, but Nathan was such a trooper and climbed all by himself! With Daddy leading the way and Mommy hanging back to catch anyone who falls...Luckily we all made it to the top and back down again with no problems :) Once on top, we let Natalie go exploring. Nathan is our little mountain climber...he really enjoyed the hike. We saw tons of cactus plants on the hike which fascinated Nathan. He was quick to point out some that had a heart shape to them...so observant!

After our hike, we piled back into the car and headed home. Along the way, we came across a fun park and had to check it out. Nathan and Travis rode the go-carts and tilt-a-whirl while Natalie and I sat in the car (she was glued to Wubbzy and we were not about to take her away from it!!) She was too small to ride anything at the park anyway. We all had yummy snow cones which was the perfect snack after a long day of sight seeing, hiking and go-cart riding :)

I just have to document these curls! As a young child playing "house" I always dreamed I would have a brown haired little boy and a little girl with blond curls. Can you believe that is actually what came to be??? Funny, huh?!! My precious kids are absolutely perfect and I am so blessed to have them. I am trying really hard to stop and look at things through their eyes a little more these days...the world is so interesting from their perspective :) Today Nathan got his hands dirty and he was washing them he says to daddy, "mommy would say, "oh great!"" I overheard this comment from another room and thought, wow, he has me down pat!! So, my lesson for the day is to stop obsessing over dirty hands and let the kids be kids!

Trip to the Zoo

The kids and I took a trip to the Zoo this morning! We packed a backpack full of snacks and sippy cups and off we went. We arrived around 10:30 and the park was packed! We had to park across the street at Remington Park it was so crowded. Luckily, I brought the harness buddy for Nathan to wear. No one was able to squeeze between us and he was always within arms reach :) Natalie sat perfectly in her stroller most of the trip. She was fascinated by the animals...and the people! Nathan's favorite animal was the giraffe. He seems to remember them peeing on each other...such a boy!!!
We rode the tram when we got there. It was great....the driver told lots of interesting facts and stories about all of the animals along the way and we were able to see almost ALL of the animals. The weather was so great, they were all out and runnin around. We also walked through the OK Trail and saw all of the animals and creatures that are indigenous to Oklahoma. Lots of snakes and other reptiles...even alligators!!! This exhibit is really neat...they have a waterfall that closely resembles Turner Falls...check out the pic of the kids watching the water crash down into the pond below :) We stood there for about 5 minutes because they couldn't take their eyes off the water.
After the OK Trail, we called it a day and headed back to the car. Natalie was asleep before we got out of the parking lot :) They had a great day...Mommy too :)

Spring Break is off to a GREAT start! The weather is perfect...mid-high 80's yesterday and today so we have been playing outside as much as possible :) Travis brought home a new basketball goal last night and he and Nathan spent most of the evening putting it together.

Great News! My cousin has been trying to adopt a 2nd child and their prayers were answered yesterday! They got a call about a newborn baby boy!!! They brought him home from the hospital today and of course we all went over to check him out :) He is a beautiful baby and sweet as can be!!! Nathan thought he was a girl because all babies must be girls, right??? Natalie thought he was one of her baby dolls and she wanted to hold him :) The kids had a great time playing with cousin Kyle.

Mommy got a new camera yesterday and look at all of the fun pictures we have taken with it over the past two days....LOVE it!!! It will stay in my purse or the diaper bag at all times so I can capture all of the fun things we do wherever we may be.

Natalie had a follow-up appt with her Ear Nose Throat (ENT) doctor this afternoon.....just as suspected, she will be getting tubes. The surgery (ahhhhhh, scary!!!) is scheduled for next Monday. Supposedly she will be back to "normal" immediately following the surgery...well, after she comes out from under the anesthesia anyway :) We'll see how that actually goes.

We are hoping to get up to the Zoo tomorrow....I'll keep you posted on whether we make it or not :)

A Day at the Omniplex

Today Nathan's pre-K class had a field trip to the Omniplex in OKC. We had a WONDERFUL time! Natalie was at school so it was a great day forNathan and mommy to spend some quality time together without little sister getting in the way :)

We went to the planetarium and learned about the stars and planets, played with tornados, did some weather forecasting, slid down the pole in the firehouse, and climbed the huge tree house.

Pretty Red Sparkle Shoes

These shoes have been such great entertainment for Natalie. She wears them constantly...outside, to the grocery store, to pick up brother at school....whenever we need shoes, these are the ones she insists on wearing :)

You can see in the pictures that she is actually wearing them over the pajama feet... ouch, that can't be comfortable! Guess she is practicing for all the times she will squeeze her feet into high heels later on.

Helpful Big Brother

Since Natalie couldn't quite do the bike thing on her own, Nathan decided to rig up the bike cart to his bike so he could pull her around the yard. He managed to get it securely attached and we were all hopeful it would work...unfortunately he wasn't quite strong enough to pedal with her added weight. What a sweet big brother! We are so proud of him :)

First Bike Ride

It was such a beautiful day on Saturday! A little windy, but still a great day to be outside. The kids enjoyed riding their bikes...yes, Natalie too! Well, she tried anyway. We got Nathan's bike out and she immediately climbed on and tried to pedal!!! We didn't think she would grasp the concept at this age (Nathan was almost 3 when we got the red bike for him...maybe he could have been riding at 2 also!). So, we drug the little red bike out of the attic and got it all set up for her. She gave it her best...tried to pedal with all her might but she just wasn't quite strong enough. Maybe it will be a little easier on the pavement. Anyway, she had a great time getting on and off, and trying to push those pedals and she looked darn cute doing it :)

Say Cheese!

Add "Cheese" to her list of words! She has that down pat and says it perfectly when you pull out the camera.

So far she can say...

Thank You...comes out very clearly and in the right context! She says thank you every time you give her something, or when she gives you something :)

No...she says this to just about everything :) We are taking full advantage of this by asking some key questions...Do you want a shiny sports car when you turn 16?...NO! Are you going to date before you are 25?...NO!

Mama...her favorite person in the whole world, well, besides brother and daddy :)

Daaaaaaddy!...breaks his heart when she won't come to him. She is stuck on Mama these days, but is slowly coming out of that phase.

Hannah....we know what she is saying, but this one might not be understood by everyone :)

There are a few others, but they are skipping my mind at the moment...I'll add them when they come to me :)

Natalie's New Babies

I found a lady on Etsy who makes the most adorable handmade baby dolls. She does such beautiful work! I received the dolls about a week ago and put one on the shelf for her to play with and the other on top of the chest of drawers for decoration.

She has been playing with the baby on the shelf all week but didn't seem to notice the doll on the chest until this morning. She went to the chest, pointed to the doll and loudly grunted, "uh, uh!!!" to let me know she wanted it ... and NOW!

We played with her new babies for quite a while this morning and had so much fun. She loves to take the hat on and off. We also got out her old baby headbands and one of Natalie's newborn outfits and she really enjoyed dressing her new babies. I have to admit that I had just as much fun as she did :)

Check out the picture of Natalie in the same outfit we dressed her baby doll in :) The picture was taken the night we came home from the hospital with her...funny how the baby doll fills out the outfit better than she did :)

Want to know more about Joyce's baby dolls? Please visit her Etsy Store ... http://www.etsy.com/shop_sold.php?user_id=5659060

Natalie Sick Again!

Monday, March 2, 2009
update ... dr. appt this afternoon with pediatrician confirmed 2 ears full of fluid and pus....so, looks like we will be putting some tubes in her ears afterall :(

Natalie is sick again! She has had a cough, runny nose (yuck...the green stuff), raspy voice, and high temps. She has been coughing through the night and in general not sleeping well. She has been up at least once each night for the past 3 or 4 nights. Lot's of whining through the day and won't eat hardly anything. Milk doesn't even seem to appeal to her right now. We suspect ear infections...AGAIN! We have a dr. appt this afternoon at 2:00 and will find for sure what is up with those pesky ears. Since last July, she has had 5 infections in her right ear. We were referred for tubes in Dec after the 5th consecutive infection. The ENT appt was in late January and luckily the ears were clear at the appointment. We have a follow-up appt with the ENT dr. mid-march to see if the right ear is still clear, if not they will likely put in a tube to help with drainage. Prayers for a clear ear this afternoon!!! Hopefully this is just a cold and it will run it's course without plugging the ear.

This pic was taken yesterday of our sweet girl cuddled up in the rocking chair with her blankie. All she wants to do is snuggle and watch Noggin.