My New Adventure

I figured that I had posted a lot about Natalie lately so I wanted to add something a little different and give you an update on myself if it's not to vain!  Ever since Natalie was born I knew that I wanted her to learn sign language to help us communicate.  I started searching for information and learning a few signs.  She wasn't at the age where she could sign back yet but I wanted to start early to get myself in the habit.  In my search I found a program called Baby Signs Inc.  Long story short, I took my certification and am now an Independent Certified Instructor for the program.  This means that I can go and teach classes to help other people get started with their own signing experience.  Natalie is now signing and learning so much more now that we can 'communicate'.  It has definitely helped me to get to see the world through her eyes.  Just seeing how it has benefited us, makes me so much more excited to be able to teach others!  I will post pictures another time of her signs.  It is a little scary to think that I am actually a small business owner but I know that I can do it.  The hardest thing right now is finding the time to work on getting things set up and going.  I enjoy it so much though!  So for my business pitch, If you have any questions at all or if you or someone you know is wanting to learn about Baby Signs Inc, just let me know!  I will be happy to answer any questions you might have! 

Unravelling Mischief

This summer I decided to rearrange the living room to give Natalie a little bit more of a playing area.  We took down a shelf that had been holding Dylan's stereo so with that came the question of what to do with the stuff that had collected on the bottom shelves.  I had put everything into a box until I could go through it and decide what to do.  Well, Natalie happened to find an old cassette tape.  I had taken it away a few times already but she happened to find it again.  The tape was no match for her little fingers!  The next few pictures shows you how it 'played' out! (Get it?)

The look on her face just screams 'BUSTED!'

Breakfast in a Basket

When Natalie gets up in the morning the first thing she does is get milk and then we wait a little bit before she wants her cereal.  One morning I had just finished folding the laundry and then got up to get her cereal.  When I came back she was sitting beside the basket hitting the side.  So I put her in there and she was so thrilled!  Needless to say this is where she had her breakfast, all proud as can be and watched about 15 min of 'Backyardigans'!  Oh and of course, the cat had to be close by, you know just in case.  

Yummy!

Natalie absolutely loves to walk so I put her in her walker and let her cruise around.  One day she was going around and all of a sudden it got very quiet.  I knew that she was concentrating on something so I  peek around the corner and her she was playing with the 'Coffee Mate' container and it's contents!  She was so interested to see how it moved on her tray when she tried to grab it.  Then of course came the tasting phase!  I ended up getting out the vacuum to clean it all up and then washed the floor. 

 It was EVERYWHERE!

 

A Few Extras

Here is a collection of some pictures from the summer.  I have more with stories but I figured I would post these ones all together.

Natalie has learned a lot this summer.  One thing was how to sit up by herself.  This however proved to make nap times more difficult.  This one particular nap time, she was crying for a while after we put her down and then all of a sudden it stopped.  I went in to check on her and she had fallen asleep like this!  It was pretty cute but she didn't nap for long.  

Another summer time activity that Natalie absolutely loved was going for walks.  I would put her in her jogging stroller and off we would go.  Ok maybe it wasn't that simple.  Of course Spencer would come with us so I started attaching his leash to a belt around my waist so I could keep him close at least.  Then trotting behind us a ways would be the cat.  At first Spencer would pull hard but after a few bumps of the front tire and a few kicks in the rear he got the point!  Now when we go, he walks right beside the stroller.  It is something that we all can enjoy.  Sometimes in the evenings we could convince Dylan to come with us!  

Natalie loves to feed herself.  I guess that comes with age right!  As you may notice, Tess has assumed position and is ready to pounce on any little scraps that fall!

 From her highchair Natalie can watch Spencer and the cat on the deck.  

A quick cuddle time with Dad!

Friend or Foe?

This is Natalie....

 and this is Tess....

 And this is how they play!

 (The tail is not actually going into her mouth, it just looks like it!)

The poor cat.  I am not sure how she puts up with it or how Natalie handles it but somehow they manage to co exist and get along!  They get jealous of each other when one is one my lap but other than that they actually do manage to get along for the most part.  Tess is learning to play gentle and Natalie, well we kinda let her play rough with the cat.  It deserves it most of the time.  Being a kitten she is very playful.  Along with that, we are not sure if she is entirely with it!!  She is a kitten off of one of the cats we rescued from our dog last year.  That cat got ran over this year and left three kittens.  Dad caught them all and managed to tame two of them down but this one was wild.  You could never catch it.  The night we brought her home, she was completely different....tame as could be.  Since being in the house, she has yet to hide and run away from us.  It would probably actually benefit her if she was a little more fearful of us!  Oh ya, the mess on the floor in the last picture, they got into the mail!  But what ya gonna do?! 

Cabin Getaway

This summer we had the opportunity to get together with the Paetkau family.  It has been a long time since we have all got together without a wedding to go to so we picked a date and all gathered for the weekend.  We stayed in a cabin just north of Kenora, On.  We had our own lake access so a lot of our time was spent out there.  There was no running water or electricity in the house but we had enough lanterns and flashlights to go around.  It was a fun weekend and I am glad that we got to go!

Friendships

When deciding what to write I looked for a quote that would define our friendship with Jaymi and Jared.  I couldn't find anything that was just right.  I know I have posted about them (or you!!) before but I don't think that anything I have said really expresses our gratitude for their friendship.  We always look forward to the time that we get to spend with them.  It is never for a long time but we can always continue like we have never been apart.  I have never had a friend that has stuck by me like Jaymi has.  I have watched her grow over the last few years into such an incredible person (you always have been).  I really admire her involvement with the church and community.  And Jaymi, Jared is such the perfect husband for you!  He is kind and caring and I can tell just how much he loves you.  I am glad that when we get together, we don't have to force the 'boys' to spend time together or give them some sort of dialogue to talk about!  It just comes natural to them.  

I did find the following quote that I want to leave with.

"A good friend is hard to find, hard to lose, and impossible to forget..."