Snow Day

Well this is the second year in a row that we got snow in Pearland! We think Natalie must be the lucky charm. :) It was so beautiful and snowed for several hours on Friday. Natalie could hardly walk in her big coat, but we had so much fun!

Cute moments

Just wanted to share some cute pics of our little toddler.


She likes to "let us in" when we close the cabinet door and knock on it.

Her penguin Halloween costume.

Natalie's newest talent is giving people "massages." She will lay her hands flat on your back and pat, pat, pat then rub, rub, rub. Our friends love it!

Update

Well howdy. I am way overdue for an update. Does anyone even read this blog anymore??? Our sweet girl is now one year old and definitely a toddler. She took her first steps a few weeks ago and of course it was a BIG deal around here! Lots of cheering. Below are some pics from her birthday (Sept 14th). Enjoy!

July with the Traylors

Natalie is 10 months old now and cute as a button. Here she is playing dress up with Mommy's jewelry.





Jake and I were blessed to get away for a little vacation to Las Vegas for our anniversary. We stayed with some wonderful friends from our Sunday School class, ate some amazing food, saw some spectacular shows, and overall had a wonderful time!

Mini Milestones

What a day! Natalie has accomplished two things today... right in front of my eyes!! She can now officially CRAWL. She's been doing the rolling, army crawling, scooting on the tummy for awhile now. But today, she put it all together, got up on all fours, and graciously maneuvered across the room. And I must say, she's pretty fast! She can also sit up on her own now. She's been sitting for long time, but only when we put her in that position. Now she can pull herself up from laying to sitting. Whew! No wonder my legs hurt in the evenings! Guess I have been chasing her around most days.

I gotta go now... she's stuck under the coffee table!

Lake Limestone

Well we've made our first couple trips to the lake this summer. Always so fun.


One of Natalie's favorite lake activities is to sit on the porch with no clothes and eat a cool, drippy piece of watermelon. We throw her in the lake when she's done to clean off!

Yes, this is my daughter driving our boat. "It's no big deal, Mom."

Picture Perfect.

Wow, here we are in front of the camera. :)

1, 2, 3... Summer!

We've got some catching up to do!

First...

FLORIDA.

Ah... what a wonderful time we had. Wish I was there now. Jumping in the waves, playing in the sand, soaking in the luxury of our 5-star hotel. Yes, that's right. 5, count em, 5-star hotel. We splurged on this for one night of our 5 night stay, and I must say it was well worth it. Though it is a bit of a culture shock. Jake and I hardly knew how to behave! The staff anticipates your every desire. Valet parking is the only option. The room was spectacular. The pools... awesome. Natalie soaked it up. Only the best for our baby.

Though the sunshine state was hiding its rays, we still hit both Miami Beach and Palm Beach. We were rained out on both occasions, but still had lots of fun.

Update on Natalie:

She is 9 months now and full of energy. She is almost crawling. Mostly scooting backwards and getting stuck in a corner or under the couch. She loves to experiment with all the new sounds she can make. One day will be "How LOUD can I be?" Followed the next day by "How LONG can I hold a sound/screech for?" She is too fun!!

OH!!! And she said her first real word this week. She was sitting in her high chair eating breakfast. I was talking to her about how we were going to buy Daddy a Father's Day present. She looked right at me and said, "Dada!" It was so clear and on subject! Very exciting. Of course I called Jake at work to tell him all about it.

That's all for now!

Fun times

What a wonderful weekend we had!

Friday, Jake and I celebrated our 4th anniversary. I meant to get a picture of us, but I forgot. Picture me in a super-cute purple dress and Jake looking dreamy. :) My parents came over to babysit (thanks, Mom and Dad!) and Jake and I escaped from Pearland for the evening. We had a romantic Italian dinner at Maggiano's. Oh yeah, and it was prom night. So I loooooooved being in the bathroom with all those skinny teenagers. Hehe. Then we saw a movie and came home late! It was a great date night.

Saturday, Jake and Natalie made me breakfast in bed for Mother's Day!! Jake let me sleep in while he completely took care of Natalie. I stayed in my pj's and read a magazine till breakfast was ready. Then we went to Kemah for a little family date. THEN we bought Natalie some fun new toys (see pics below), then came home and cuddled on the couch with a movie. best. day. ever. :D


Natalie in her new pool and swimsuit.

I think she likes to swing!

Next Baby Stage

I think we are entering the next baby stage... preferences.

Natalie is scooting, rolling, stretching, reaching, and almost crawling. Guess it's time to break out the baby-proofing items for the house. She is also entering her stage of likes and dislikes. She's a little more insistent now with letting us know what she wants. "I want to be held." "I want to play!" "NO sippy cup!" "Mommy, pleeeeeeeease change my diaper." "More milk! More milk!" It's fun to see her little personality coming out. I think she is still so sweet though. She never wails or screams. Just little, cute "humph!" sounds. I feel sorry for my next baby; my expectations are so high!

Her favorite time of day is when her daddy comes home. Oh my goodness. You'd think he's a rock star. She is overjoyed and squeals with delight. And I swear she talks to him. Tells him all about her day the second he's in the door. And she wants his full attention. Wonder where she gets that from??? :)


Mommy, can we read a book?

That sweet smile.

Oh yes, this is a new accomplishment. She can feed herself! I put the spoon in front of her, she stares at it for a few moments, eyes widen as she realizes her food is on there, feet start kicking wildly, then reaches for it, grabs it, waves it around, and (woohoo!) finally reaches the finish line- her mouth! Very little food is consumed this way, but it is exciting to watch.

7 months old

Oh my goodness! I can't believe it has been almost 3 months since my last post. Time flies when you're a mommy.

Natalie is as cute as ever. Her new tricks/skills include:
*lots og giggling
*talking (mostly screeching)
*sitting up
*eating fruits and veggies in her high chair
*getting toys out of her toy box and playing with the box
*jumping like a crazy woman in her jumper
*grabbing on to everything and putting it in her mouth
*making as much noise as possible my stomping her feet on the changing table

Ok, so I must brag about my little one for a moment. We get SOOO many compliments when we are out! From everyone in the church nursery to the grocery store. Everyone tells me what a happy baby I have and can they take her home? NO WAY JOSE! But really, she is like that even at home. She starts smiling the second she wakes up and doesn't stop all day. Whatever she has, I want to bottle it up and sell it!

Lately she has entered her curious stage. I suspect this will stay around for awhile. She becomes bored with her toys and wants to play with all my things: my necklace, my grocery list, my hair, daddy's buttons, ect. Now she has become fascinated with the grocery aisle. I thought she was going to pitch herself out of the cart reaching for the pasta today. :)


Just hanging with my favorite person...

I really don't care for these peas...

Sweet pea!

Look mom! I can stand up!

Just chillin' in the tub.

January days

Well 2009 is proving to be a great year so far! I am so looking forward to my time as Natalie's mommy. She is so fun to be with! Everywhere we go we get so many comments on what a happy baby she is. She smiles constantly! Which makes me smile.

I was saying a prayer for her the other night and just expressed to God how much I love this little girl. Then I realized, He loves her even more than I do! whoa! "That's a lot of love," I thought. Then it hit me that God loves me that much, too. I can't quite comprehend that, but I sure am thankful for it. It helps me understand just a tiny bit more why He reaches out to us so much to show that love. Who wouldn't want that?!?! :)

Is that a baby in my basket?!?!

In cute tie-dye from Cousin Shelby. :)

Her shirt says "This is my little black dress." Thanks Aunt Katie!

Ahh... the first solid food...

Such a mess! But oh so cute!

Natalie is 4 months old!

My beautiful girl is growing everyday. We're so thankful for our healthy and very happy baby!

New talents: rolling over, reaching for toys, laughing and smiling