I took a break and now I'm back!

Hi there everyone! I took a little break getting over the Holidays and am ready to get back in my groove. So what's been going on with us??? So much! For starters, we really had fun with our short trip to Michigan for the wedding showers. It was nice seeing everyone and kicking off the wedding activities! In December, we had a nice long visit with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Scott over Christmas. David rented a back-hoe to move around the 300+ yards of dirt that we got from the road construction and he and his dad had fun playing in the mud with large equipment the week of Christmas. The landscape of the yard looks totally different now, much more level as far as the general slope, although it still needs a final grade and top soil. We had purchased a rental property out here, and in the last few months, we have really focused on remodeling it and getting it ready to be rented. It is in Carmichael so if you know of anyone looking for a place to live....:O)

We enjoyed a VERY quick trip to Michigan in January for Stephen and Candace's wedding. It was beautiful!!!! Candace was a gorgeous bride and Natalie did a great job as a flower girl. She smiled and said "hi" as she walked down the isle, wiped out on her dress climbing up the stairs, gave Cousin Justin the Officiant a high five and stood by Jess and me watching the violinist while Candace walked down the isle. She (Natalie) did awesome. Even though she was tried, she stood and smiled for pics after the ceremony. Then Natalie went to Grandma Jill's to take a nap while the rest of the wedding party went to a bridge and hotel in Midland to take pictures in -9 degree weather. No kidding!!! It was sooooo cold! I was very glad I brought my fur coat. The reception was a blast with great food and great friends. It was wonderful seeing so many people that I haven't seen in a long, long time. Natalie was able to make it back to the reception for dancing and even got to see Sparty! Candace's dad rented Sparty for the evening (Michigan State's mascot) and he was around for pictures for a while. Natalie thought he was pretty cool:O). She had so much fun cutting rug on the dance floor. She thought she was so cool because she and Candace had similar dresses and she could twirl. People kept trying to pick her up to dance but she would wiggle and wiggle because she wanted to shake her booty on her own! LOL it was pretty funny! Since we've been back from Michigan, we have been working on getting things in order around here. Oh yeah, did I mention that Mary and I painted Natalie's big girl room while they were here? We completely finished everything a few weeks before Michigan and she is sucessfully moved into her big girl bed room which she thinks is "so beautiful!"- see pics. We installed our front lights, dining room light, hemmed, ironed and hung curtains in our bedroom, finally hung some more pictures and are generally working to get the house in order. I guess the big push is more from me than from David but with good reason. We are expecting a special addition to our family in June. I am currently 20 weeks and we are due June 30th. Family and Natalie found out at Christmas. Natalie is doing great. She seems excited to be a big sister. Telling people on the airplanes and supermarkets that she's going to be a big sister and that "Mommy has a baby in her belly, but I don't have a baby in my belly." It's kinda funny. We are reading the new baby books/big sister books and I really think she's taking things in. Tonight on the way home from swim class (yeah we started that too) she asked me out of the blue if we were going to bring the baby home from the hospital. We talked about how yes, we will bring the baby home once the baby is born, but that the baby is living in my belly. she notices my bigger belly and touches it a lot but she can't feel any kicking yet. We get to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl next Friday. I'm pretty excited. I don't have feelings either way, but I have had two dreams that it's a boy. We will keep you posted!

Like I said, Natalie started swim classes 3 weeks ago. She goes once a week for 30 mins. Tonight was the first night I had gone with her because I had conferences the last two Thursdays. She has learned so much and gotten so much more comfortable in the water in the last few weeks! She is an old pro at going underwater and was even diving for rings by herself on the steps! Very fun to watch. :O) Well, I am starting to get a little tired and I think I've made up for my lack of posting with the length of this post:O) Happy Valentine's Day!

funny little girl...

Mommy: Hey Natalie, Maizie is barking, could you let her in for me please?
Natalie: Ummmm, I'm doing my homework.
Mommy: Your homework huh? Well, do you think you stop you homework for just a moment and let Maizie in, it will only take a second and I'd really appreciate it.
Natalie: (without looking up from her "homework") Absolutely not.
Mommy: I'm sorry, say that again?
Natalie: (finally turning to look at me.) AB-SO-LUTE-LY not.



AHHHHHHHH!!!! It's funny and annoying to her them say your phrases.:O)

Michigan tomorrow

We had a blast on Halloween! It was so much fun this year! We had fun with Tracy and Kevin and Baby Henry- heading to the Sacramento zoo- "boo at the zoo" on Saturday... Although it was really crowded. Then for Halloween Night, we did our court and went to Ms. TC's and then headed to Tracy and Kevin's to finish up the night. We are packing for Michigan tonight, we leave tomorrow for Michigan for Uncle Beave and Uncle Candace's showers and visiting family. Enjoy the pics! Michigan, Here we come!!!

Fall

What a busy October!!! It seems that we only get busier as Natalie gets older!:O) We have enjoyed the start to our fall out here in CA. The weather is finally starting to cool down and feel fall like. A week or so ago, I took the day off work to go on Natalie's daycare field trip to the pumpkin patch. She had a blast. It was such a fun trip! We took a train ride, visited the petting zoo, enjoyed the slides and other climbing toys and picked out a pumpkin for decorating at daycare. The next weekend we went as a family to another more basic pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. Earlier this week we drove 1.5 hours to Truckee, CA to meet with Aunt Jessica for dinner. She was in Reno for work which is only 2 hours away! Natalie got car sick on the way there.... Very car sick. So that part was no fun, but she was right back to her old self immediately after and ate a great dinner! I posted some pictures from the summer on my picasa website but I'm having trouble getting the link on here. I will keep trying.

http://picasaweb.google.com/whitney.sowle/Summer2010?feat=email#


enjoy the pics!

I know, I know, I know

I broke my New Year's resolution. That's pretty good considering I kept it up for 9 months. ( it was posting twice a month for those who don't remember) September was SUCH a busy month for us with heading to WA in early September for David's camping trip and fun with Grandma Mary and Grandpa Scott and then David and I to Chicago and Virginia to visit family and go to a cousin's wedding. It felt like there was hardly time to breathe! Our time in WA was nice, David had his boys time and Natalie and I got some R and R with Grandma and Grandpa. (not sure Grandma and Grandpa did with a 2 year old running around though!) Natalie spent time swimming in the hot tub and playing at a great playground near their house. We did make it to Lake Chelan, although we never hooked up with the boys... which may have been a good thing after hearing the stories! Natalie and I got into it on the way home from the lake and had Grandma laughing pretty good. On the way to the lake, Natalie had complained about the sun being in her eyes. So we stopped and I hung her blanket in the window to block the sun. On the way back from the lake, I put the blanket up before we left.

Natalie: Momma, I don't want the blankie in the window

Me: Well, when we drive out of the park, the sun will come in that window and will be in your eyes otherwise and we won't be able to stop and fix it.

Natalie: the sun is not in my eyes.

Me: that's because it's blocked by the mountain

Natalie: Oh- the mountain?

Me: yes.

Ten minutes go by and we have driven out of the park

Natalie: Momma, there is no sun coming in.

Me: that's because we're still next to the mountain. See, look out the window, see the mountain.

Natalie:Oh a mountain?.

Ten more minutes go by and we're pulling away from the mountain

Natalie with her head under the blanket, looking out her window: See momma, I told you.

Me: What? ?- (not paying attention)

Natalie: I told you the sun wouldn't be in my eyes.

Sure enough, we were away from the mountain and the sun was not in her eyes just yet. LOL!

Another Natalie story:

David picked Natalie uo at TC's and starts driving toward town.

Natalie:Oh, we're not going home?

David (surprised): no, we're going to the golf store, I have to get my club fixed

N: Oh, wonderful. I can pick a club for you?

D: sure

N: Ok. I'll pick out a club for you, M & M's for me, sounds like a plan.

Enjoy some of the pics!

photos and videos...

Getting ready for another trip! We will be heading out to see Grandma Mary and Grandpa Scott on Thursday while Daddy goes for a boys weekend at Lake Chelan. Mommy and Natalie are looking forward to a little R & R!:O) Things have been pretty busy here this summer. It seems like we're either gearing up to go somewhere, just getting home and unpacking or waiting for someone to get home from a trip or traveling for work. David is returning from a short trip to MI to work on the rental units he owns there. I know that although he worked hard, he had a little fun playing as well. :O) He had a nice time visiting with everyone and even got a chance to see Grandma Luey. Natalie and I spent the weekend, just us girls. Friday, I went with a friend to the Just Between Friends sale. It's basically a giant rummage sale. I found some great baby accessories for Natalie as she is just starting to pretend and want to "mother" her babies. I also found a few options for Halloween. I found a cat, elephant, and horse. I wears them all. Daily.:O) I also found a few books for her which turned out to be her favorite thing that I brought home. They were nursery rhyme books and a great series that I'm in love with- the lama lama series. I love the Lama Lama Mad at Mama book. It was perfect timing because Lama Lama whines in the book and we were just talking about whining..... It was good for her to hear it in a book too. Enjoy the videos- the first one is long- her reading her books. I think it's 5 minutes or so and the second ones are of her in her elephant costume singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider and riding her horse. It cracks me up! Enjoy!

Big Girl

Pushing Jenna in her stroller.

Reading "Big Wed Dog Cwippord"

Well, I think I can say that we are officially potty trained. We have an occasional accident here and there and we still wear a pull up to bed- we only need it about 2 times a week though. Whew! That was quite a process! I'm glad we're through the hardest part though. My sympathies to my friend Lisa who is just starting the journey.:O) Natalie and I had so much fun tonight. She is definitely not a baby any longer. I taught her how to use the mouse pad on the computer to play a computer game. She picked it up after two games and can now play the Clifford game on PBS kids independently. Talk about impressive fine motor control! Natalie's vocabulary continues to explode, but it's funny to see her reasoning sometimes. For example, she was watching Dora in our bedroom the other day while I was making dinner. She had been quiet for some time, so I went to check on her. She had gotten the box of band aids from the bathroom drawer and put them all over herself. She was whining about her boo boos (she didn't really have any under the band aids) but she wouldn't let me take them off. Half way through dinner, after two crying episodes and continuous whining, she let me take off the band aids that we covering nothing and miraculously she was just fine and back to her sunny self! LOL I had to explain to her that the band aids make the boo boos feel better; they don't cause boo boos. Pretty funny! We are getting ready to go to Wenatchee next week for a nice little get away. Natalie is excited to see Grandma Mary and Grandpa Scott!