Merry Christmas!

Well this year was my second Christmas and what a wonderful time I had! It all started on Tuesday with dinner with our friend Sally and I practiced opening presents. Wednesday was my last day at Miss Becky's house until the New Year and I practiced opening more presents. Then on Christmas Eve Mommy and I went to Mass with the Portmans, Grandma, and Aunt Judy. I saw Maria sing and it sounded beautifully! Then we went back to our house for a Christmas Eve dinner with Grandma, Aunt Judy, and Aunt Anna. The next day was Christmas and all of that practice was put to good use. Santa brought me a lot of fun toys and books. Then in the afternoon we all went to Megan's house to play and open more presents! Finally today we started out by having breakfast with friends of Mommy and Daddy's from college. Then we went to Grandma and Grandpa Knapp's for more Christmas.

I had so much fun the last couple of days and I am TIRED! I am looking forward to staying home tomorrow and playing with all of my new toys!

Wow look at all of these presents!

RRRRRIP!

I wonder what's in this one?

Taking a break to read Curious George!

Trying out my new easel.

I think Daddy and I will have lots of fun with my new blocks!

Megan and I playing with her new kitchen. Don't you love our Christmas PJs?

Megan and I are sitting on Mommy and watching Uncle Joe's train! WooWoo!

Here I am with my Knapp cousins. We all had so much fun today!

Cuddles with Grandma Knapp!

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

"Visions of Sugarplums danced in her head."

"Merry Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!"

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween Everyone! I had a spooktacular time trick-or-treating for the first time this year. Maria and Sarah came down and walked the neighborhood with me so they could teach me how it is done. We had a great time.

Howdy Partner! It's farmer Natalie Mae (and Cowpurnicus) here to wish you a Happy Halloween!

I brought Sarah with me, she is one of my favorite sheep on the farm. And Sister Maria too.

Here is one of our pumpkins!

One of the best parts of the evening was when we came back to the house. Mommy let me have some M&M's. You can even see some of the evidence around my lips!

Happy Fall!

Yesterday after a fun day with Maria, we met up with Sarah, Uncle Bob, and Aunt Debbie for some pumpkin picking. It was so much fun.

So many pumpkins to choose from...


I like this one.

This one is just my size.

Aunt Debbie showed me how to keep my hands warm by putting them in my pockets.

18 Months...

Here are some recent 18 month pictures, by my personal photographer Aunt Judy.

What's in here?

A couple more pictures from Indy.

What's in here?

Hi Mom!

A visit to Indy

A couple of weekends ago Mommy, Daddy and I went to visit the Cramers in Indy. We had a really fun time. Alex and Gabe taught me about hockey and we visited the Indianapolis Children's Museum. I especially liked playing in the water and sand!

Put me in coach, I'm ready to play!
This was my favorite place to sit at the Cramers.
The baby dinosaur wants to visit the museum too!
This is better than bath time. The best part was using the hand dryer when I was done!

I could do this for hours!

A note from Mom and Dad...

Wow what a wonderful 17 months it has been. Natalie never ceases to amaze us. Each day is a wonderful new experience as she learns more and puts new things into practice.

As Natalie becomes more and more comfortable with walking she is less and less interested in being carried or riding in the stroller. Sometimes this is challenging when trying to get grocery shopping done or making our way out of a busy store like IKEA. We can tell she is on the verge of running too!

A few months ago we noticed that Natalie wasn't really eating as well as she used to. At first we just assumed it was picky toddler eating, then we decided to let her try to eat holding a fork or spoon on her own. Now she has become quite a pro! She is even eating Cheerios and oatmeal all by herself. In addition, she has learned how to drink with a straw and she thinks that is the coolest thing ever!

Her communication skills are developing by leaps and bounds (OK maybe we are biased). In addition to her sign language vocabulary growing, so are her verbal skills. One of the favorite things we have heard her say so far is, "Love you too, DAD!"

Natalie you are the light of our life. We love you very much, SWEETS!

What's in Natalie's purse?

Yep, you read that right. I have a purse. Every girl needs a purse to keep her essential items. Most of the time I carry the purse around the house with me. Sometimes I hook it on my little stroller and push it around the living room and kitchen. Occasionally Mommy and Daddy let me take it with me when we run errands. One day Mommy told me that it was time to go, instead of walking to the garage, I headed the opposite direction to the living room so that I could grab my purse first.
What does a 17 month old keep in her purse? Well, I have my John Deere keys, a crinkly dollar bill with a puppy on it, my cell phone, and a few little friends. Sometimes I also keep my pacifier and drink in there, and on occasion (when Mommy and Daddy are not looking) a bit of waffle or maybe some goldfish.

For Aunt Anna!

Have a Happy Birthday Aunt Anna! We love you!
Love-Natalie, Mary, & Charlie

Some Fun Pics!

Not much of an update just some fun pictures to brighten your day!

Just chillin'!

Hello!!!!!

Reading the Sunday funnies!

Eating a bowl of Cheerios all by myself.

Cincinnati Children's Museum!

The adventures with the Portmans continue, this week it was the Children's Museum. The best part was that I was allowed to touch and play with all of the exhibits.

The Ohio State Fair

Last week the Portmans took me to the Ohio State Fair. I had so much fun there was so much to see. I loved all of the animals, ice cream, and people watching.

I am not so sure about the horses. They are pretty big!

The sheep are ok. More my size!

This photo is titled: Udder Concentration
I learned how to milk a cow. Daddy is very proud.

Well they might be just pictures, but I was still excited to see Freddy and Frieda! GO BG!

YUMMY!

Is there anything better than ice cream at the fair?

He knows my name!

I can't wait to go back!