Splash Park Again

We went to the splash park again today with our friends. I think Natalie enjoyed it more today, but she also got upset a couple times when she got "stuck" in the water. She's not a fan of having the water really pour on her. When we first got there, Aiden took her hand and led her around to try to get her to get wet. Then later on, I took her to an area where there are misters that spray, and she wouldn't run all the way through them, but she would go halfway and really get excited about that. Nathan and Aiden also had fun doing that. Toward the end of our visit, she played with Brooke and her older cousin Hannah, filling a bucket that we brought (thanks for the idea, Elisabeth!!!) with water and playing with a plastic shovel and sifter. She's slowly warming up to the big sprinklers at the park, and I bet next summer, she'll have a blast all by herself in the water.

One Year Ago Today . . .

What a difference a year makes! These pictures were taken of Natalie exactly one year ago! I shouldn't be, but I'm surprised how babyish her look is - and where is her HAIR?! :) Also, you can't tell in these particular ones I picked, but I noticed in others - she has NO teeth! ;)

Nat in the Water

I'm experimenting with uploading some video to the blog. Here's a quick video of Natalie playing in the water at my mom's a couple weeks ago. :)

Natalie in Nonny's Pool ;) from Sarah Billheimer on

Another Day at the Splash Pad

We went to the splash pad again today with Katie, Brooke, Elisabeth, Aiden, and Nikki, Nathan, and Aaron. Natalie still didn't really get in the water all by herself, but I think she spent more time in the water this time. She seems to think the water is cold, but if she'd just let herself get totally wet, I think she'd enjoy it more. Anyway, she has lots of fun watching the other kids. Aiden and Brooke have a blast getting themselves totally soaked! It's pretty cute.

All ready to go in her new swimsuit.

Watching Aiden having fun getting soaked.

Elisabeth trying to get Natalie to play.

Playing in the water with Brooke - finally!

Brooke was having fun sitting ON the sprinkler - and Natalie was trying to get her to stand up! :)

Enjoying the water and trying not to get too wet at the same time. :)

Father's Day 2009

Sunday we enjoyed a nice, relaxing Father's Day in Lawton. It was the last trip that I am allowed to take before Mollie's arrival, so I tried to really enjoy being around family. :) It was a long day for Natalie, and since she doesn't nap well when she's away from home, it was a long afternoon for us. ;) She really didn't do too bad once she got past her usual naptime, as long as you let her do what she wanted. ;)

Here's the whole gang at Gram & Opa's. Brad, Opa, Josh, Tommy, Kim, Sam, Sarah (with a very pronounced Mollie!), Gram, Carolyn (with Gavin), and Kathy (with Natalie).

Brad & Natalie.

Gram & Natalie playing with doll clothes. There was some weird yellow lighting in this one, but I thought it made a cool black & white photo anyway. :)

Josh & Carolyn - only about 3 months until the BIG day! :)

Natalie having fun with her Poppy.

Miss Natalie being silly . . . and possibly in some pain from teething.

Tommy entertaining the kiddos.

Natalie with her Papa - in desperate need of a nap . . . and notice the hands in the mouth again!

Natalie & her Papa again.

Zoo Day with Daddy #2

Brad took Natalie to the zoo again this past Friday on his day off. She enjoyed it, as usual, and it went much more smoothly since they didn't have any sunscreen-in-the-eye mishaps! Check out some cute pictures from their trip!

Here are some neat photos Brad got of the animals. Isn't this first one of the butterfly amazing?!

Splash Pad

This morning, we went to a splash pad with Katie, Brooke, Nikki, Nathan, Aaron, and then Katie's friend Maria, Presley, and Molly. The kids had a lot of fun, and even though it was around 95, we were actually able to stay comfortable in the shade since there was a breeze blowing a mist of water on the moms!

Natalie enjoyed the water more this year than last year since she can actually walk (or run!) through the water, but she was still a bit timid. She really only wanted to play if Brooke would run in the water with her. I think she had a great time though!

Good News!!!

Praise Jesus! That's the first, and most important thing I can say about my OB appointment today! I had a lunchtime appointment and had to wait a little bit, but it wasn't too bad. I guess I'm spoiled because usually I have the first appointment of the day and they call me almost before I can sit down! First of all, my blood pressure was really good, which is always reassuring. I had planned on asking Dr. E if I could start having only one NST each week, and I was really nervous about it. I just didn't want her to think I was trying to go against her recommendations. Well, she could not have been more agreeable! She didn't even give it a thought, she almost finished my sentence for me. I wonder if she hadn't been considering the suggestion herself! Anyway, now I only have to make 1-2 treks to Lakeside each week, and only one of those trips is for an NST - yay!!! That means I only have 3 - yes 3!!! - left before Mollie's arrival! Woo hoo! And I thought I had 9! Turns out I miscounted, I only had 8, got to cancel 4 on Thursdays and then she also said I don't need the one on the day before the surgery! YAYAYAY!!

Big Girl Outside

Here are some pictures of Natalie playing outside on Monday. Doesn't she look like such a big girl?!

LOVE this picture (above)!!!!