Saturday Fun

Nate, Natalie, and I had a lot of fun yesterday. We went to Whitnall Park in the morning and went tobogganing. What a blast! They have an iced track that lets you feel like you are flying down the hill.

In the evening, we met up with some friends to go to a place called KE-West Sports. Natalie had fun playing on the large indoor playground with Will, and we all attempted mini-golfing. It was fun for about half of the holes. By the last 9, Natalie was tired, and Nate was tired of playing with a 2 year old and being behind a group of slow people. Next time we golf with Natalie, it appears that Nate will let the 2 of us play and he'll be a spectator. Other than the last 9 holes, we did have a good time. :)

Boy Germs

This morning, Natalie had me laughing when we went over to the Espinosas. One of the boys had put his blanket in his mouth and was then attempting to share it with Natalie. She told him that she did not want it because it had "boy germs" on it. I thought that was a pretty funny way to put it coming from a 2-year old.

Tonight, we enjoyed another fun evening at the Betty Brinn Children's Museum. They had a special evening for a new exhibit that they are opening. There were very few people there this evening which was very nice for us. Last time we went, it was very crowded. Natalie had a great time on the dance floor tonight. I think she and I could have stayed in that section all night.

Winter Wonderland

We enjoyed a fun weekend playing in the snow. Yesterday, we spent some time at Grandpa Wes and Grandma Julie's in central Wisconsin. Walking around the woods in the snow was fun. We attempted some sledding, but the hills were too small. Grandpa's new "ATV" was fun to ride around on as well. Next year, we'll get him to attach a rope and pull us around. :)

Today, after Natalie's nap, I took her to a great sledding hill in Germantown. When we took her there last year, she enjoyed it but I didn't know how she would react to it this year. She and I both had a blast! It was even better for me when she decided to walk up the hill with me. We were able to go down more times this way. The last time we went down the hill, we hit one of the jumps the kids had made, and we got some great air. It was awesome!

Nap

After work today I was quite worn out from the week, and fell asleep on the couch after dinner. Lynn and Natalie were in the kitchen finishing their dinner and Natalie heard me snoring. She asked Lynn if that was me. Lynn told her yes and Natalie said "He makes me want to take a nap".


too funny

Like father, like daughter

A few weeks ago, Nate got a cool kid's computer game from a co-worker. He showed Natalie how to use it, and she just loves it. Tonight, I had the chance to see her in action on the computer. It's so cute to watch her move things around with the mouse, and understand what she is doing with the activities. I think she'll pass me up in her computer knowledge in the next few years. :)

Natalie and I had a fun day today running errands and playing at home. I finally made a batch of play dough for her -- or I should say WE made a batch of it. The only thing I don't like about it is the oil residue on your hands afterwards.

Ice Skating

Natalie had a fun weekend with Uncle Gary and Auntie Theresa while we hosted a fun Christmas party this weekend. She had her first experience on ice skates at the Pettit Center. Uncle Gary's first lesson for Natalie was how to get up on her skates if she fell down. The second pointer he gave her was how to fall. She had fun doing "Crazy 8's" with Uncle Gary, and being carried around the oval with her cousin Brian. It looks like I will now have to take an "Uncle Gary refresher course" before I get onto the ice with Natalie. :)

Painting was also on the agenda this weekend. I think that I'll have to look into putting together an art scrapbook for her with all of her neat pieces of artwork that we've brought home over the course of the last few visits.

We ended this fun weekend with dinner at Stonefire Pizza with Uncle Gary and Auntie Theresa. The water room was a hit again tonight.

Grandma and Grandpa Weerts

Today, Natalie and I had a very nice day with my parents. We went down and played games like Go Fish, Candy Land, Memory, and Hide'n Seek. We baked cookies that even Mommy could make. Grandpa bought the sugar cookies that you pull out of the package and put on the cookie sheet. Grandma was trying to slow Natalie down when we were eating dinner. As Natalie was stuffing her grapes into her mouth, my mom asked her what they tasted like. Natalie looked at her a minute, thought about it, and said that they tasted like grapes. My dad said that she set herself up for that one. We had a good laugh at that one. After that, Natalie got silly and started telling jokes. We were all laughing at her comedy routine. With all of the cookies she had today and all of the excitement, I am hoping that she will be asleep within the hour.

Basketball

We took Natalie to a Concordia basketball game this afternoon. She had a good time dancing in the bleachers during time outs, cheering the team on, and running around the gym at half time.

The other morning while I was working on something in my office, Natalie was pretending that she was going to the grocery store with her "babies" (dolls). She decided that she had to go do something quickly, so Natalie brought her baby stroller in next to me and asked, "Can you keep an eye on my baby?" I thought that was pretty cute.

We are continually amazed at the words and phrases Natalie uses accurately. Tonight Nate asked her to do him a favor, and Natalie's reply was, "Certainly!" Later, she was playing with her necklaces and stating that they were just adorable. :)

Bed time seems to be hit or miss with her response to going to sleep like a "good little girl". Tonight, as she and I were rocking in her room, Natalie told me that she was not going to call out, cry, throw her blanket or "nose rag" (burp cloth) out of her bed, scream, get out of bed, or play. I didn't know whether to believe her or not, but thankfully she was telling me the truth.