Happy Birthday Nathan!

Nathan turned one last Sunday. I can't believe it has already been a year. He is turning into a real little boy. He is always smiling, loves trains and balls, anything that moves. He loves to bang on things and make noise. He is starting to walk and babbles a lot. He is such a sweet little guy and I thought I would list my 10 favorite things about Nathan for his birthday:

1. His smile. He has a big heart-melting smile and he knows it. He loves to smile at people at the the store to get them to talk to him. And it works. He loves meeting new people and loves it when they talk to him.

2. His hugs and kisses. He is the cuddliest baby EVER! He always wraps his arms around my neck and lays his head down on my shoulder and then he opens his mouth and gives big, wet kisses.

3. His walk. He is just learning and wobbles around like a drunken sailor.

4. How much he loves his sister. His face lights up whenever Abby walks into the room. He loves to play with his sister.

5. His dance. Whenever music starts, he starts bouncing up and down to the beat and it's so cute.
6. The fact that he said mama before dada. He is truly a mama's boy.

7. How much he loves toys. He LOVES toys and will just play and play all day. He especially loves to crawl after his train and balls.

8. His determination. When he gets his mind set on doing something or getting something, he doesn't let anything stop him. Just today at home there was a ball that he wanted to get, but it was blocked by the end table. The end table has a magazine rack underneath and he pushed himself right through it to get to the ball. Of course then he discovered the ball was too big to fit back through the magazine rack; silly boy

9. His chubbiness. He has the most chubby thighs and cheeks and they are SO squeezable.

10. His laugh. We call it his old man laugh because he chuckles like a little old man and it is so cute.

We love our little man and we are so glad to have him in our family. We love to watch him learn and grow. We are looking forward to many more fun years with him! Happy Birthday to my little man!

Nathan's First Haircut

Nathan had his first haircut this last week. It was getting very long and starting to curl up at the bottom, so we had to cut it. After that first haircut, it just seems that they're not babies anymore. It's official that he's growing up. Aunt Heidi did the cutting and it was quite a chore. We started out in the high chair but he kept turning his head trying to figure out what was happening on the back of his head. Then we tried putting in a movie for him, but as soon as the music started he was dancing. It took about an hour and a half, but we finally got it done. Thanks to Aunt Heidi for a job well done!

Chocolate Baby

I had to add this quick little post because I thought this was just hilarious. We were at Sam's Club a few days ago and the people behind us had a doll that was black in their cart. Abby says, "Hey mom look at the chocolate baby!"

More Birthdays

Abby and Nathan both have birthdays this month. Abby on the 10th and Nathan on the 21st, so we had a little family party on Sunday the 14th. Abby has been begging for a Cinderella cake and so she was thrilled to have one for her birthday. Nathan also got to stuff his face with cake, but he wasn't as interested as I thought he would be. Abby got lots of dress-up clothes and has been playing with them ever since. She also has been dressing me up as well. Jeff and I gave them a bounce house (I know they are SPOILED, but we got a good deal at RC Willey!) which Nathan especially loved. It was fun, but I am tired of birthdays this month! Of course, now I have to start thinking about Christmas...

Happy Birthday Abby!

Today is Abby's third birthday. I can't believe my baby girl is already three! The time has flown by. Can you believe she used to be that tiny baby? She has turned into her own person and has such a sweet and funny personality. She is now going through her princess stage. She absolutely loves Cinderella, pink, jewelery, shoes, clothes (especially dresses!), anything girly. She is definitely a girly girl. My mom asked her what she wanted for her birthday and she said "I don't know." Mom says, "Maybe a new toy?" She says, "Yeah", with some indifference. Mom says, "Or some new clothes?" A very definitive, "Yes. New clothes. I love new clothes." Jeff is already worrying about her becoming a teenager. So I thought I would take the opportunity to tell some of my favorite things about my Abby:

1. The way she gets excited about the littlest things.

2. The look on her face when she is being shy.

3. The fact that she loves the Disney Princesses, possibly more than I do.

4. Her singing--especially my personal favorite 'Once Upon a Dream'

5. The cute dances she makes up while I play the piano.

6. When she calls her dad "Jeff." He does not think this is so cute. One of my favorite stories:

Abby: Hey mom, where's dad?

Me: Down in the family room.

Abby proceeds to walk to the top of the family room stairs and yells, "Hey Jeff. Come here!"

7. Her helpfulness-- she is always volunteering to get diapers, pick up things I drop, help mop the floor, etc. She loves to be my little helper.

8. The way she treats her brother. His face lights up whenever he sees her because she loves to play with him and make him laugh. They share a bedroom and I have to put them to bed one at a time or else she gets up and gets him laughing so hard. It's hilarious to listen to over the monitor, but neither of them would ever go to sleep if I out them down together.

9. Her love and open affection for me. She is always giving kisses and hugs and saying "I love you mommy" and it just melts my heart every time.

10. Her curiosity for the world around her. She is going through the "why" stage and it is driving everyone crazy, but she is learning so much by questioning things.

Last, I thought I would share one of my favorite Abby memories. One night a few months ago, I was playing the piano and Abby was dancing around in the living room to the music. I got into my playing and after awhile, I noticed Abby was no longer there. I stopped and called out her name. No answer. Dead silence, in fact, which all mothers know is never a good thing. I got up and started looking for her. Then I saw the light and heard a little noise in the pantry. I went over and opened the door and this is what I found:

She looked up at me and said, "I'm just playing with the flour, mommy." I couldn't decided if I should laugh or be angry. I said sternly, "you stay right there." She got her wide, scared eyes but then I came back with the camera and she knew she wasn't in trouble. Now we have a fun memory to share! It has been another fun year with Abby. I just love to watch her learn and grow and I am looking forward to many more memories with her. Happy Birthday to my little princess!

Summer Vacation

It's been a busy summer and I haven't been very good at keeping up with the blog. We went to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina last month for a beach vacation with my family. My parents rented a house on the ocean and we spent the week relaxing in the sun. Nathan loved crawling around on the sand and we were constantly pulling seashells out of his mouth. It took Abby a few days to warm up to the ocean. She was scared and wouldn't go anywhere near it at first. She was walking with my dad on the beach and whenever the waves would start to get close she would yell, "Grandpa, hold me! The beach is going to get me!" Abby also flew a kite for her first time while we were there. She loved it! I went boogie boarding for the first time in about 12 years. It was a blast, but much more tiring than when I was 13. We also went to the Wright Brothers National Memorial and the aquarium while we were there. We had a great trip and I enjoyed being back on the East Coast with all the green trees again. Scroll down for more pictures!

More Beach Pictures