All About the Aukers

Long Time Gone - Time to Play Blogging Catch-Up

2009-06-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

So I am really not sure where the last two months have gone...but I do have some fun excuses: was on vacation for two weeks, been busy with swimming lessons, been enjoying the weather outdoors...

So let's work backwards:

Today we celebrated Father's Day.....and Chad worked his butt off. He was up at 5am-ish working in the yard! So much for relaxing and taking it easy huh! In our defense we did cook him up a big breakfast...although it was pretty lame as I was trying to juggle the kids at 6am and a kitchen. Most all the food was cool (if not cold)...but Natalie showered him with cards and gifts and pictures to hang up in his office.

Chad and Natalie put in their garden! They bought their tomato plants several weeks ago and transplanted them outside today...along with bell peppers. Natalie loved it, although Chad admitted she was more in the way than helpful....but she got such a kick out of it. And it turned out great. They also planted flowers, and we had to teach Nat that these flowers are not to be picked: picking wild flowers is one of her most favorite things to do.

Her first tomato

Two days ago (Friday June 19th) I was in another room and heard Nat scream pretty bad.....now she is a slightly dramatic kid so I wasn't too worried.....but I quickly learned she was hurt. I found her in the family room next to the rock fireplace covered in blood...coming from her head. She was running to a hiding place and tripped and slammed her face right into the rock wall. Luckily she missed jabbing her eye.....but she had a deep cut two inches above her right eye. I took her into the Peds office and she got three stitches. She was so freaked out by the blood (we were both covered) (I had no idea heads bled so much)....but her fear was quadrupled when they wrapped her in a big blanket to do stitches (think straight-jacket). She totally panicked...as did I just watching. She put up one valiant fight. It took four of us to hold her down and still while Dr Berger stitched her up. I cried...I felt so so bad for her. She was begging us to let her go saying, "Momma, it's too tight, I am too hot. I don't want to be snug like a bug in a rug Momma. Let me out." It was awful. We survived and now she is happy to swap out different fun bandaids each day- her favorite is Hanna "Ontana".

She is back to her same old self just a couple of hours later!

Brett was caught playing footsie...yes, flirting footsie. We had Maddie and Emma over one night and Brett sauntered right over to Maddie (who is three weeks younger) and put on the moves! He was all about footsie.....just a preview of years to come they tell me.

The beginning of June we travelled to Colorado for Nicole and Blake's wedding...and Natalie was the flower girl. She had us worried....the night of the rehearsal was rough. She was PAINFULLY shy. She did not look up at all when walking down the aisle.....she stood up at the front with her fingers in her mouth....not a smile to be seen. She was pretty nervous/shy. We gave her a huge pep-talk and she did great the next day.

Waiting for our curls to set!

Natalie and Clayton

She was still nervous.....in fact she forgot to toss flowers while walking up the aisle.....but she remembered at the end of the ceremony....and tossed them behind the bride and groom...LOL

She was a trooper....in her dress ready to go by 2pm (without a nap for the day) and handled two hours of pictures...then the wedding...and then another hour of pictures. She had had it finally....and had a mini-melt down which she blamed on her "itchy dress." She begged me to let her go to bed. "Mommy, I just wanna eat and then go take a nap. I am just so tired Mommy.

Grandma trying to protect her from the "itchy dress."

Brett was a handsome baby himself...looking adorable in his little suit and tie.

He is all over the place now......crawling for weeks, walking along furniture, making his momma crazy! His sweet little personality makes our days! His new favorite game is the "pacifier pop". He takes a paci and sticks it in our mouths and pulls hard and gets a kick out of the popping sound it makes. He laughs so hard. I will be kicking myself the first time the entire household comes down with an illness at the same time......but for now, we aren't scared of letting germs get the best of us. He is starting to wave...especially at himself in the mirror. He has not said "momma" yet, but you can bet he will point out each animal mount hanging on the wall...Chad taught him of course.

He is a stubborn little guy: when Natalie was learning not to touch things, it took one hand slap, maybe two.....this kid.....he just keeps going back for more. He gets into everything.

The week before the wedding I went on my Annual Girls Trip: My mom, sis Jaime and Stephanie and Leah celebrated Jaime's 30th birthday on a cruise in the Bahamas. We had a great time...the weather was a bit lousy (rained alot, and if it wasn't raining it was so hot and humid your face melted off) But it was sooo great to be away on vacation. I could have been cruising the city dump and been thrilled.

The Big Three: our Nassau excursion: dolphin watching, snorkeling and kayaking.

While I was on my trip Janice came to Flagstaff to spend time with Chad and the kids. She gave Chad the chance to work a couple of days and they all got some great quality time in with Grandma. I laughed so hard when I saw her pictures: wait till you see what she dressed Natalie in. LOL LOL I guess it was my fault as last years clothes are still in a drawer. LOL Nat looked like a raggamuffin squeezing into high-waters. LOL (Janice- you know you're the best still). It was hysterical.

They had lots of fun....went to the movies, out to eat, checked out our future camping site in Williams, and the kids experienced their first fishing trip. Natalie LOVED it. She out-fished her daddy three fish to his two. Her Barbie fishing pole was a hit. Although she is still a bit like her momma: she refused to touch the fish! LOLNatalie had so much fun with Grandma...and was thrilled to see her in Colorado four days later.

We celebrated Mother's Day in Phoenix. Baby Brett got his first experience of the pool. He loved it.....but boy is that kid WHITE. He does not have one bit of my coloring to him. He had fun hanging out in the baby pool sling thing. Nat is super comfortable in the water....and looking forward to another round of swim lessons (starting tomorrow)

Kick Kick Paddle Paddle- Swim Lessons

2009-05-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest things I miss about Phoenix are the swimming pools. We had one my entire life growing up, as did just about every friend and family member. Most of my childhood memories include a swimming pool. Granted, it does not get too hot here in Flagstaff, but I really miss just the simple enjoyment and fun a swimming pool gives. And Natalie is a girl after her momma's heart.....she is a water baby. She would spend all night in the bathtub if we let her. And I can't tell you how much she loves swimming in Nana's pool in Anthem. So this is the year for swimming lessons. We got her signed up at the city's Aquaplex. My pictures are super dark (crappy camera) and far away....but she had a blast. There are only three kids in her class and her good buddy Emma is one of them. They are learning the basics: floating, blowing bubbles, paddling, kicking, etc. I am anxious to see how well she does. Enjoy the pics.

Right out of the mouth of Babes

2009-04-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

So this is a transcript of the conversation between Chad and Natalie tonight at the DINNER table:

Chad: So Natalie, what letter did you learn about today at school?

Nat: "T" t-t-t- T"

Chad: Great, what word starts with the letter "t"?

Nat: ummmm....ummmmmm

Chad: what word starts with "t"?

Nat: (still thinking) ummmmmm

Chad: I will give you a hint. It is something we talked about this morning...starts with the letter "t"

Nat: huh...."turd?"

Chad: well I was going for tomato.....but yeah, I guess turd works.

Me: seriously.....did she just say "turd?" why does she even know this word? Are you kidding me?

Lions and Tigers and Bears...Oh My!

2009-04-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

"Momma, the giraffe got his slobber allllll over me! EEEWW!"

Nat was thrilled when her grandma and grandpa paid us a visit from Colorado this last weekend. The big event planned was a trip to the Out of Africa Wild Animal Park in Camp Verde.

Our day started with a Safari ride, and out of nowhere a HUGE giraffe walked by the bus and ate right out of our hands. He just stuck his long neck in and and his VERY LONG tongue out and ate up all the carrots. It was hysterical. We all gave our carrots to Nat who loved every minute of it.

We spent the entire day there and had so much fun. Nat got such a kick out of all the animals, most of which she recognized from her new favorite movie The Lion King! She even laughed right back at the laughing hyenas...she got over her fear fast!

We were able to see all the predators being fed....pretty awesome. Natalie was convinced it was Simba!

Baby Brett really could have cared less....as long as he had his Cheerios and a nap here and there, he was happy.

Nat gave us all the goosebumps when she got right in and became friends with two pythons.....100 pound pythons...I am sure these pics will give her Papa nightmares!

Our day ended with a Camel ride for Natalie and I...I had a death grip on Nat....it was quite bumpy...but she loved every second and wanted to go again as soon as we got off.

It was a fantastic day and we were all worn out when we got home. We spent the rest of the weekend taking it easy and catching up on lost time with Grandma and Grandpa.

Brett showed off his new crawling skills.

Nat LOVED her new fishing game....infact, we all had fun with it.

Brett is confused as to why this baby doll looks so much like him! LOL

Daddy and Brett: real men can kiss their daddys!

2009-04-20T20:23:00.000-07:00

We were in Phoenix alot this last month....and so glad to be there. While Flagstaff was getting rain and snow and awful winds, we were soaking up some sun in the Valley. We really enjoyed it all......and soon it will just be too hot to bear. We enjoyed my brother John's football game with the Phx Fire Dept, a FABULOUS shopping spree with my sis, a nice night out with my mom, and of course Easter with the family.

Fun at the Park in Anthem

Nat had loads of fun while Baby Brett enjoyed hanging out in the stroller.

We stopped by Miss Karen’s to see Muffin the dog.

After a quick and fun bath we headed to the Mall to see the Easter Bunny. Brett wasn’t so sure. Natalie was so concerned that Brett was properly introduced to the Easter Bunny. And she made sure he knew that Brett wanted lollipops for Easter. As we were leaving she was hollering “I love you Easter Bunny. I love you.”

Baby Brett is starting to crawl……

But oh how he wished he were big enough to fight off his Big Sister when she pulls these stunts:

A fun BBQ after John’s Football game….got to visit with our neighbor Tracy…it had been almost 5 years!

Easter was Great…..Nat loved hunting for eggs. She would tell you that she was going to hide them for you to find, and she would just drop them out in the wide open, and then she would find them for you. It was a riot!

Damon and Nat hunting for eggs!

We spent Easter Sunday over at Aunt Kim’s….had a lovely lunch with the whole family.

the Moodys: Eric, Carolyn, Christina, Alison, Uncle Jack, Aunt Julie and Baby Owen (1 year old)

Nat and Owen dancing! Her favorite thing to do.

Aunties are the best!

the Eatons: Aunt Kim, Uncle Rick, Vanessa, Adrienne and Rachelle

Nat’s attempt at jumping rope!

Mothers and Daughters: Nat, Jaime, Mom, Joy and Grams

Lots of goodies from her family.

Baby Brett and Rachelle

the Moody Family

the Belisles and Aukers

Spring Time

2009-04-20T20:01:00.000-07:00

It has been a while: so here is the latest! We were in Phoenix alot this last month....and so glad to be there. While Flagstaff was getting rain and snow and awful winds, we were soaking up some sun in the Valley. We really enjoyed it all......and soon it will just be too hot to bear. We enjoyed my brother John's football game with the Phx Fire Dept, a FABULOUS shopping spree with my sis, a nice night out with my mom, and of course Easter with the family. Fun at the Park in Anthem

Original Blog from 2006- Natalie's First Year

2009-03-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

This might be silly. I was going thru my Favorites List on AOL and noticed I had a link to another blogging site.......I totally had forgotten that I had a blog when Natalie was really young. I didn't do a good job of keeping up with it. Anyways, I decided to transfer the entries over to this site.....just for sake of organization.

A few pics: and some cute details on Nat's first year. And it brings back lots of funny memories for me.

March 27, 2006

Well.....I heard about these online journals through a few friends. I hear they are a great way to keep family and friends updated on what's going on here in our lives. With all of our family out of town it will be fun to give them some details of Natalie's day to day activities!!
She is almost 6 months old. I cannot believe it!! And she is a character for sure!! I will try not to bore everyone with too many silly details!!
Ok.....she is on a great schedule! I have no complaints! She usually wakes up between 7 and 8 am every morning! Like clockwork! Some days I can hear her wake up and talk and play in her crib for quite a while! When she is good and ready she lets us know.....she'll start to get really noisy!! She is so funny when we get her up out of her crib! Sometimes she is shy and won't look at us right away!! She pretends we aren't there! And other days she is yipping and yapping and shines her big smile on us right when she see's us!! It makes my morning for sure!!
Well, this morning has already been a crazy one. She decided to throw up breakfast! It wasn't as bad as last night's fiasco! Today was some cereal and peaches and apples. I am not sure why it happened...but it got all over. I had just washed the high chair cover from last night and luckily hadn't put it back on yet! Not a huge mess! But she was covered.....gross! The worst is when she looks at it on her arm or legs and then rubs her hands in it and then touches her face! EEEWWW. Anyhow...we did a quick costume change and got some more food in her. All is good now!!
She is taking her nap now...it is almost 10am. She usually goes down about two or two and a half hours after she wakes up. Her naps last from one to two hours. Gives me great time to jump on the treadmill or online...or pay bills..or whatever!! I appreciate it!!
So we had a first this past weekend: the Nursery at Church!!!! We decided to try it out! Didn't go so well!! Basically we got there early so we could ease her into it...well that didn't happen! The nice lady Nancy took her from Chad right away and started to walk her around the room! She was doing ok! No tears...she wasn't even looking for me. So we left...and I cried. Yup cried like a baby! I was so sad to let her go! Even if it was only for a little over an hour! Anyways...we got to our seats in Church and I was trying to hide my tears...and after about 15 minutes my friend Autumn who had just dropped off Olivia in the Nursery came up to me and said..."your princess isn't too happy in there." I told her to be straight with me....should I go and get her? She said she would have if she were me. So....just as service was starting I went back towards the Nursery. As soon as I opened the door to the hallway I could hear her wailing! Poor Baby! Boy was she worked up! Nancy was trying everything to soothe her...but she wouldn't have it! I took her and it took a good 10 minutes to calm her down. So we hung out in the Nursery together for a long while. She became pretty happy and was playing with toys and the other kids. It was a little tough because she was the only one that couldn't sit up on her own....anyways...after a while the other kids were put into high charis around a half moon table and ate Cheerios. We haven't done Cheerios yet so Nat got a bottle. Afterward I put her into a high chair with the others and she did great! I was able to sneak away! When service was over I went back to get her and again I heard her wailing as soon as I opened the door! But they promised me she had just started! Two minutes before. She immediately calmed down...and we were on our way! We will definetely try again next week! It will just take time I am sure! Autumn said Olivia had to be rescued for the first five or six times! Whew! It's normal then!! Part of the problem was my fault! According to her schedule she was ready for a nap when we arrived...and the Nursery doesn't have beds or cribs at all...so poor thing had to stay awake for an extra two hours! My Bad!!
Well....that's it for now! I am re-reading this and an hoping it's not too boring!! Life as a stay at home Mom is a little....routine-like. More later!!

March 26, 2006 Later in Day

Well....now I know why Muffin was throwing up! I woke her up from her morning nap and noticed she was moving her tongue around in her mouth in a funny way! She has a tooth!! Her first one is peeking thru! Yeah! It is tiny but hard and rough! Too funny! She has kept her lunch down so far! Chad missed it. He is in Phx for a two day class...but we called him at lunch and told him all about it!
More later!

March 29, 2006- it's Supposed to be Spring Right?

LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW! Isn't it supposed to be Springtime? I am so tired of this weather! But we definitely need the moisture here in Flagstaff! So no complaints!!
Well my Muffin is doing better today! No projectile vomiting yet! She kept breakfast down...we'll see about lunch! She woke up this morning with her second tooth! It is so cute! It is on the bottom too right next to her first one! And she has been playing with them with her tongue all day! So cute! I tried a teething biscuit last night...but she couldn't quite hold onto it. She would get it into her drooly mouth and then drop it! In time I suppose!
Not much else to report. Chad got home safely....he missed her so much! He said that it was only one night but it felt like days! I hope I do ok when I have to leave her for my Girls trip in a month!
Note to self: Nat hates peas. Last night she gagged on them. LOL LOL Then her gagging brought on a whole high chair splattered with throw-up! AARRGGHH. She does so well with all other green vegies: spinache, beans, but not the peas!!

April 13, 2006- Nat's First Word, Well Kinda, ok Not really

We spent the weekend in Phx....Chad had to go to Sacramento for a conference. While he was gone Natalie learned a few new tricks. She says the "d" sound.....and it almost sounds like "Da-Da." Typical, I spend all day every day with her and Dad gets all the glory!! LOL....it is really cute actually. She also makes this funny clicking noise with her mouth now. Almost like fish lips.....LOL LOL
She got her 6 month shots last week.....she did great. She was done crying before we even left the room! She weighs 15.12 lbs and is 29 inches long. That puts her at the 50th percentile in weight and off the charts with height! Seriously. The Doc said his chart only goes to 95th percentile and she was past it.....LOL LOL He called her a leggy supermodel!!! Works for me. I think Daddy wants her to be a beach volleyball player! LOL.
We are headed back to Phx for Easter in two days. It was beautiful down there....perfect weather.
We are trying out Soy formula......this kid has the most sensitive belly. We put her on the "comfort- easy to digest stuff" a few weeks ago....and she is back to spitting up really bad....pretty much throwing up. So we tried Soy...it was great, but so so expensive. We'll see what happens. I just want her to keep it all in whatever it is.
Chad really missed Nat. We woke her up when we got back from the airport so he could love on her. She is such a good Muffin. I will miss her alot when I leave for my trip. Janice (Chad's Mom) is going to make a visit that weekend which will be great!
Well more later.

April 30, 2006- I left Nat for the first time

Every year my mom and sister and I take a Girls Trip! We have had some wonderful times and have made some fabulous memories! We have been to New York City twice, to Hollywood, to Chicago and this year we wanted to go to San Antonio! But, I hadn't left Natalie before. We decided to make it a shorter trip this year...three days rather than five. Chad was awesome enough to take off a couple of days from work and his parents made a trip to Flagstaff to visit too! It was great!
My trip was awesome...we ate lots of chips and salsa..drank lots of Margaritas...and did lots of shopping!! We stayed near the River Walk. It was some great relaxing and rest....that was well needed! I missed Natalie for sure...but I did not have any Mommy Melt Downs!! Chad called one particular time and left a voice mail of her letting out her big belly laughs!!! It was great!! Mom and Jaime and I laughed all night at it!
When I got home Saturday night Chad and Janice had Nat all bathed and smelling sweet....in her PJs and waiting for me. It was nice! I walked in and at first she really was not sure about me. She just looked at me and then looked at Chad and Janice as if to ask if I was "ok". It was funny! But what was I expecting really? She is 7 months old....I guess she really can't run into my arms screeching "mommy...mommy." I was thrilled to have her back in my arms...and she had learned something new...she put her forehead right up to mine...eye to eye.....too cute! I did Miss her tons!
Well...now I feel way comfortable about leaving her. I definitely benefited from the few days away as much as she did.....more most likely!! And Nat got some great Daddy time and of course time with Grandma and Grandpa!!
Now it's back to our normal routine!! More later!!!

June 03, 2006

Wow, it has been quite a while since I have updated this journal....so here goes! May was a big month for us. Nat turned 7 months on May 2nd and had alot of new and fun things happen! Let's see: Mother's Day was great! Auntie J (Jaime) kidnapped her and had professional pics taken for me for a surprise Mom's Day gift! They turned out adorable (even though she was not very smiley that day.) She is sitting up in the pics...which was new for her 7th month! She is very good at it now. It took her a while, I just blamed that Belisle head of hers....she is a bit top-heavy!! But she has it down now! And she loves to sit up. It's a whole new world for her.
Cheerios: what a hoot. We tried them at breakfast one morning with Grandma and Grandpa....and if you could see her facials. She looked like she was eating something horrible...and almost looked like she wanted to gag. We were all cracking up at her. But she got used to the new texture and loves them. She is still trying to get the hang of getting them to her mouth by herself. She gets one in her fingers and then sucks her thumb.....with the Cheerio right on her lips. What a goof!! Every now and then she gets one in. Mom usually has to help!
We got her a walker and she scoots all around the house. I realized just how dirty my floors are! She loves it. The first night she had already worn a hole thru her footy PJs......shoes on from now on!!! Anyhow, she likes to troll around the kitchen while I am working in there .....had to finally start babyproofing...electrical outlet plugs went in yesterday!!! I have alot of work to do when it comes to Babyproofing. Maybe I can just teach her not to touch? Can you do that with an 8 month old? I already tried. We have a house plant on the floor....and she tore off a leaf and it went in her mouth. So I got down on her level and told her no and swatted her hand. And she stuck that bottom lip out so far and cried...like I really hurt her feelings. I had to turn away because I was going to either cry or laugh myself! I felt so bad....but anyways, on the third reprimand she finally got it and walked right past it after looking around the corner to see if I was watching! LOL LOL We'll see what happens!
She is still on such a great schedule, although I am finding that I can really push her limits. If I need her to stay up late or skip a nap she adjusts very well!! One day in May we had grad parties and other events all day long and she did awesome. She was a happy camper all day.....stayed up till after 9pm and was great! I am having less and less anxiety about our cruise in Sept now. I am hoping she does well.....everyone else seems to think she will be fine. You know, I have ALWAYS been the person who would see a kid on a cruise and say "who brings a baby on a cruise?" And now I am that person. Ironic!!! I just pray it goes well!!
She says Ma-Ma and Da-Da and Na-Na all the time. I doubt she knows what she is saying but it sure makes us smile!! Ma-Ma debuted on Mother's Day. Quite appropriate!!
She is huge.....long and skinny! Bigger than any other babes her age that we come into contact with! Sometimes I think I expect too much.....even I can forget she is still so young for her size.
We have experimented with homemade baby food......it's going ok so far.
So sorry if this is so long and boring to any of you! Just like to get the updates out.
Chad and I are doing well. Chad is still so busy getting the landscaping in. It's coming along great! He is doing an awesome job! I should sign off...today we are hitting the Annual Flagstaff Fajita Cook-off. I am cooking with Bank One/ Chase again. Hopefully we will hold out first place title!! It's a gorgeous day here today.....88 degrees...and cloudy! Love it!!

"Dog with a bone"

2009-03-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Ever hear the phrase "dog with a bone?" I often refer to my grandma and mother as a dog with a bone. They get an idea and don't rest until they reach their goal.

I was that dog with a bone yesterday. My mission started at noon when I opened the oven and a screw from the handle flew out at me...and then vanished. I searched and searched and then thought, maybe it fell between the glass and the door. So I took out the screw on the other side to look between the panels.....and that screw flew out at me and the whole door and glass fell off and apart. And the second screw went missing. What the heck??? And this is hapenning while Chad is two hours away and fishing.

I look EVERYWHERE for these two screws. Under everything....the oven, the fridge, everywhere. They are gone. No kidding.

Online it shows me I can order two screws for this oven for $5 plus $7 shipping.....are you kidding me? I figure: Chad built this house...there must be two screws in his garage that will work.

I am on a mission! I try a dozen. And I find two that will work, until I get the correct ones ordered.

By 7pm, the job is done.....yes, 7pm.....that's what two kids will do......stretch your day wayyyyy out.

I was proud of myself.....Chad was ticked......he is sure I stripped the threads....we'll see.

The best part.......I woke up this morning to find Natalie working on her oven. LOL LOL LOL She told us her door is broken and she needs to fix it. LOL LOL This made it all worth it.

All the while, Baby Brett is happy as a clam.....he is sitting up now and it's a whole new world to him.

Spring is in the air

2009-03-04T12:26:00.000-08:00

Spring is just around the corner, although I have to remind myself that March can be one of the coldest months in Flagstaff. It is no secret that I am SOOOO over this winter. Last week was just GORGEOUS. It got cold again today, but before it did, we had a picnic yesterday. All Nat's idea. And a great one at that.

Brett loved being outdoors.....although I doubt he will ever be the Sun Baby Natalie is.....he definitely has his Daddy's fair skin.

He found his feet....loves them.

"Open Wide" Nat's First Visit to the Dentist

2009-03-01T18:44:00.000-08:00

Natalie had her first dentist appointment on Friday. She was so excited about it and talked about it for weeks. She has been reading two books at home for weeks....one being The Berenstein Bears Visit the Dentist. She couldn't wait to see all the tools, just like in the book! LOL

Waiting Her Turn

She knew all about the "bib." Miss Donna was so nice and sweet.

She was thrilled to have "Baby Sister" with her the whole time.

Miss Donna searching for "sugar bugs".

She thought the suction tube was hysterical....she even got to use it on Baby Sister.

Getting "sparkly" teeth with her new Princess toothbrush.

"I like going to the Dentist Mamma."

It was a great visit for Natalie...not so much for Mommy! read: start flossing!

Anyhow, she cannot wait to go back. And she asks to use her Princess toothbrush at least four times a day. LOL The coolest part was when she got to watch a movie while Mommy had her teeth cleaned!

The rest of our weekend was a little crazy. The kids ended up getting sick. Baby Brett got his 6month shots and a flu shot Thursday and has been miserable since. Although, he is such a sweet kid, he is still smiling in between tears! LOL Natalie had a terrible cough and runny nose for days! Not fun....no one got much sleep this weekend.

I know he does not look sick.....but he was. LOL

About three minutes before I took this photo he threw up his entire dinner.....his second vomit session of the day (breakfast too).

Told you so....he really is sick. He has never fallen asleep in his high chair before.

Looking forward to a healthier week!

V is for Valentine

2009-02-14T19:39:00.000-08:00

Chad and I are celebrating our Valentine's Day next weekend in Vegas....headed there for a wedding. So today was all about Valentine's Day as a family.....not so romantic I know!!

Baby Brett got a FABULOUS gift for his first Valentine's Day.....his first tooth! He woke up this morning playing with his tongue and blowing bubbles! Sure enough......it had broken through! And he has been blowing bubbles all day!

He is six months old tomorrow and he is still just the best little baby ever. I am so in love with him.....the kid never cries.... he is always sooo happy. God is sending us a message for sure: Have more babies!

Nat is such a good big sister.....she still likes him. She welcomes him so warmly every morning and after each nap. "Good morning baby boy. I love you. How's my Bubbas?" she says. Melts your heart!

We got alot of snow this week, so Chad and Nat had some fun this afternoon. They made a huge snowman and a few snow angels.

We used pieces from our Mr Potato Head and he turned out great.

The snow was pretty deep for the snow angels....Chad and Nat had their own system of getting her into fresh snow!!

She was so proud! Daddy too.

"I'm a Princess Mama....look at me, I'm a Princess."

2009-02-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

So Natalie has been asked to be the flower girl in two weddings this next year.....Chad's cousin Nicole is getting married this June and my cousin Adrienne is getting married next January. We have tried to explain to Nat what this means.....and it all came together for her the day we took her to the bridal shop to be fitted for her dress.

She was thrilled....and it was ALL ABOUT the dress. She looked darling and danced around the place like a little Cinderella. Well, not quite as graceful......if she wasn't careful, she could have easily danced a tear right thru the hem! She was sad to take it off and didn't understand that she had to wait for hers to come in the mail.

I cried of course! My little girl is not so little anymore. Ok, help me, how do I convince Chad to have more babies?

2009-02-03T13:32:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Yes, I am a month late! And much later on getting this blog updated. I have no great excuse!

Christmas was wonderful. We travelled to Colorado the week before to spend it with the Aukers. We had a wonderful time....and the kids did incredible on the 12 (supposed to be 8) hour drive....we hit lots of weather! But they were troopers!

Baby Brett got a Bumbo....quite a cool/funny thing. He likes it.

Grandma and Grandpa with the kiddos

Family Pic

Nat enjoyed her cousins so much this trip. She is at just the perfect age. She had a hay day with the whoopie cushion (my sweet little girl...not anymore) It was hysterical. She got asked to be in her first wedding....she will be in Nicole and Blake's wedding this June as the flower girl. We can't wait.

Brett got in some special time with everyone too. He started teething that week....but didn't let it get him down too much! He got to meet the rest of his family in Colorado!

Great Grandma with the kiddos!

Our 2008 Christmas card pic......seriously, I am pretty sure I bought my kids on EBAY as they look nothing like me.

We headed to Phx for the rest of the week. It was a lovely time. Santa brought Nat her first kitchen! She loves it. She and Nana played "Restaurant" for days.

Baby Brett got a quad....too funny!

We stopped by John's firehouse on Christmas Eve.....I got to out on a call....I am a sucker for them! We missed JJ at Gram's but he was with us the rest of the week!

I apologize.....not too many fun details with this blog....I cannot let a month go by without updating. I forget all the fun details. It was a great week and a half....snow storms and all. And we are a month into the new year! More fun blogs to follow!

25 Random Facts about Me!

2009-02-03T13:15:00.000-08:00

So, there is this list going around FB. I got sucked in. It was very fun to read them from friends/family. I finally took ten minutes to do mine. I got a bit of heat from some friends/family on a few items........and truly, it is not meant to offend/upset anyone. It is what it is: my list of 25 facts about me!

Share Rules:Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.(To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app), then click publish.)

1. I NEVER thought I would still be living in Flagstaff AZ after college, but I do and I LOVE it. The summers make it ALL worth it. And really....it is still so close to Phx.

2. If you had asked me three months ago, I would have told you I was done having babies....and now I am trying desperately to convince Chad to have TWO more with me.

3. I often think about what life would have been like for me if I had followed my dream of being a broadcast news reporter. But at the same time, I have no regrets!

4. It bugs me when perople tell me that my children are so well behaved/good/mild mannered because they were born that way!

5. When I am in a fight with my husband I sit back and think that if it were not for him I would not be the mother to the two most precious little people in my life. My mom was not kidding when she told me that once you have kids, you cannot imagine life without them. And it makes me love my husband more no matter how mad I am at him.

6. I did not enjoy being pregnant....and it was pretty textbook!

7. I broke my arm as a kid when I tried doing a cartwheel off the top bunk of my bunk bed.

8. I lead a Bible study weekly out of our home, a huge challenge to me, but I have grown soooo much. And learned ALOT.

9. My four years at NAU were the most FUN years I have lived....however, I am so glad they are behind me and I cherish my life today! It only gets better each day!

10. I am a people-pleaser...to a fault sometimes.

11. My mom and sis are the greatest travel buddies ever: New York City (2x) Hollywood, Chicago, San Antonio, Boston, San Diego and coming this May the Western Carribbean.

12. I am absolutely in love with my son...I could eat him right up...and my daughter.....I can't even tell you....I hate to see her grow up so fast....they are my joys in life.

13. My very first sale as a liscenced investment banker was for $1,000.000.00....really, it was. I was on cloud nine.

14. This last holiday was the first time in ten years that I actually thought I could live in Montrose Colorado...it has come a long ways.

15. I am ALWAYS striving to be less judgemental.

16. I am Pro Life.

17. I am a conservative.

18. I have a love for junk food (particularly Fast Food joints, JIB being my favorite.)

19. And I wonder why I cannot lose all of this baby weight!

20. I belong to Jazzercise...it is not just for old ladies....but I do need to go more often.

21. It grieves me to hear people say "I don't believe in Christ." I am a Christian and it makes me sad to think of not having some friends and family members with me in Heaven.

22. I need to devote more of my time to God, prayer, Scripture.

23. I don't know how to drive stick

24. I am a scrapbooker...but I am very behind!

25. My "to do list" is wayyyy too long to have actually completed this survery thing!

LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW

2008-12-16T20:02:00.001-08:00

A HUGE winter storn hit Flagstaff today...most of the state actually. We got about ten inches of snow here in Bellemont. Nat asked to go out and play in it all day. I convinced her to wait for Daddy to get home. The minute he walked in the door, she jumped on the idea. She got all dressed up in her snow gear (which is too small for her already) and we realized we didn't have snow gloves for her. Sooooo....Mommy had a brilliant idea. We put two pairs of socks on each hand, wrapped each hand in Saran Wrap and added one more sock to each hand. LOL LOL It was perfect. She stayed warm AND dry! And she thought it was hysterical.

They tried to build a snowman....but the snow was too dry.

SOOOOOOO, Snow Angels it was.

She loved every minute of it. Oh yes, as you can see we forgot a snow hat too. Oops. We are expecting another 20 inches or so over the next 36 hours. Yikes.

Over the River and Thru the Woods....to Nana and Papa's House We Go!

2008-12-16T19:23:00.000-08:00

Natalie got to spend a fun filled weekend with her Nana and Papa. I hosted a cookie swap (pics to follow soon) and they offered to take her for a few days. We made the mistake of telling her she was going a month too early. That is all she talked about for weeks.

The day finally arrived....we met my folks in Verde for lunch and to send Nat home with them.

That first evening they went to the Outlets at Anthem to see the state's tallest Christmas tree. She would not get too close to Santa that night....she patted his knee...but that was it.

She stuck close by her Papa....and her reindeer ears were too cute.

Back at Nana and Papa's she had her own special little bed up in their room. Nice and cozy with her Christmas quilt and pillow.

Nana's sweet friend Mary gave them a funny smiley face mask....and Nat and Nana had too much fun with it. Nat actually took this pic of her Nana. Pretty good!

Nat's turn to wear the funny face.

The next morning Nana took Nat to go have breakfast with Santa Clause.

Today she and Santa were tight! She told him that she wanted a kitchen and play-doh!

They made a special stop off at the park. Sher missed her dinosaur buddy!

The slide is always fun!

Then there was the fun night with her cousins at Zoo Lights. Here she is with Ella!

Getting ready to go! Sidney and Ella and Nat

Fisrt there was a really fancy dinner at McDonalds....their favorite.

Holding hands

Nana hand made this darling Christmas tutu for Nat. She LOVED it.

Nat and Nana made a beautiful Gingerbread House...

Natalie cannot wait to go visit again....she really enjoyed the special attention. And Chad and I REALLY enjoyed the time at home with eachother and Baby Brett. It was SOOOOOOOO quiet at our house this last weekend. Papa has a new nickname for Nat "my litle Yapper."

A bad winter storm threathened the North, so her visit was cut a little short........but she sure had a great time. She has not stopped talking about it. Thanks to mom and dad for giving Nat such fun memories and for giving Chad and I a very appreciated break!

Why I Love Christmas!

2008-12-11T13:05:00.000-08:00

Ok, if anyone can tell me how to add pics to my blog in a manner that they can be moved around, put in an order I prefer...please advise. I typed out this blog entry then added pics and they go to the top of the blog in backwards order?!?!?! Help.

Ok, now on to the blog.....in no particular order...sorry.

My pumpkin pies: who knew I had to buy deep dish pie crusts...oops.....and yes, that would be my oven needing a good cleaning....don't judge! LOL

Making pumpin pie with my two Pumpkins! Even Baby Brett got in on the action!

Off to Pre-school!!

Nat reading her baby brother Christmas books

Not a fan of peas!

Finally...the blog:

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this time of year. Yes, it can be stressful at times...but if you don't let stress get the best of you....it is just downright PERFECT. Last night I was preparing a HUGE trough of company potatoes for Chad to take to his work party. While I was busy in the kitchen, Natalie was being the best big sis ever and reading Baby Brett all of her Christmas books. He was fascinated.....just stared at her.

We had Christmas music playing and I could hear Nat attempt to sing at times.....adorable. She pretty much mumbles through the song and then belts out "Fa la la la la la la la..." So funny.

So Brett tried peas last night...not a fan. He spit bubbles, kept shoving them out of his mouth with his tongue....but after a while he totally gave up and I guess realized that Mom is in charge....and he finished them. But not before sneezing and covering me in peas.....yuck! This afternoon he had peaches....oh boy...he loves his fruit....like most. He gobbled it up so fast......I couldn't keep up. If I was delayed at all...he gave me an earful!

He is growing up so fast........and he is still that baby that is so good he tricks you into having four more. He has been sleeping thru the night for over a month now and it's only getting better now that he is eating food. He used to wake up around 4 or 5am, I would "binky" him and he would be good to go till 7. Now he is sleeping soundly until almost 8am every morning. It is awesome. All about BABYWISE.

He is trying to roll over...but I think his cheeks are too heavy! J/K Or it might be his head that I am sure weighs ten pounds! But don't let my dad catch me teasing Brett about his head......Papa is a little sensitive on that issue. LOL Love you Pops.

Nat goes to Preschool once a week. A friend here in the neighborhood invited three other kids plus her own three year old and conducts school every Thursday out of her home. It is such a treat....for us all. Nat loves it and learns so much...and I really enjoy and appreciate the couple of hours with just Brett. I can get so much done. Today they learned the letter "I" and she was so excited to tell me all about it. As she was coloring at her table after lunch, she walked right over to me and said "Look mom, ice cream, I is for ice cream," I was so proud. She is a sponge.

The other day I was putting her down for her nap and she asked for a drink of water. I said, "no, you just had apple juice." She looked at me and said, "mommy, that's not very nice of you." I said, " I am sorry, but that's the deal." She in all seriousness said, "Well, then I guess you won't be getting any Christmas presents this year Mommy." All I could do was laugh. Nothing gets by her.

My Christmas schedule has absolutely taken off full speed. It started Tuesday (two days ago). And will continue like crazy until Dec 28th. On Tuesday my Home Group took dinner to a Women's shelter. It went really well and I am sure we will do it again. Tonight I am going to a scrapbook class with my girlfriends: Holiday Homemade Gifts. Should be fun. Tomorrow we are taking Nat to Verde....she will spend a nice long weekend with my folks in Phx. Fri night I am hosting a couples pizza and game night with some friends (they will be the Guinea pigs on my pumpkin pie), Saturday I will be baking 7 dozen cookies, Sat night I am scrapbooking with the girls after church and a dinner date with Chad, Sunday I am hosting the 3rd Annual Bellemont Cookie Swap, Monday I am picking up Nat from Verde, Tuesday we are hosting the Home Group Christmas Party dinner, Thursday we leave for Colorado for Christmas with the Aukers, return Monday to leave for Phx Tues for Christmas week.....wheeeeew. I get tired just thinking about it. And what am I doing: BLOGGING. Go figure. I think i am in denial. My To Do List is three pages long....no joke.

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Christmas~

2008-12-06T13:35:00.000-08:00

We decorated for the Christmas season this last week. Chad even put lights up on Nat's playhouse.....it looks adorable. She was so proud. She takes her play phone and calls up all of her friends and asks them to come see her lights.

Natalie attempted to help me decorate the tree. She put all of the snowmen in one spot....so cute.

But she was so happy with her job well done!

And then for big news: Baby Brett tried cereal.....and loved it. Our Dr. told us to wait till he was 4 months old, I started Nat at three months and it went well...so I split the difference and Brett is loving it at three and half months old. It took him just a short while and he got the hang of it. Today we added squash! And I could not shovel it in fast enough. He joined the right family as we don't hide our love for good eating!

Full, fat and happy!

I am proud to say I am so close to being done with all of our Christmas shopping! Just three more items....and I will be totally done! It was much much harder this year with two kiddos. Hard to get out there and shop. But Nat loved helping me wrap. She would take each package when I was done wrapping, and would find the perfect spot for it under the tree. And she knows which packages belong to who too. She will take me to the tree and point out presents and tell me who they are for.....and she is correct. She has a crazy good memory!

Thought this was cute: enjoy

1. Wrapping paper or bags?

Paper with huge fancy bows....thanks to my mom for starting that habit. And everyone in the family knows to take their bow and hand it back to me when they open the gift..it's all about recycle/reuse! LOL

2. Real or artificial tree? We have a fake tree, I think we had a fake one as kids due to allergies! But let's admit it...they are just so easy and there is no cleanup!!!

3. When do you put of the tree? Normally, the weekend after Thanksgiving. It takes a whole three days to decorate this house for Christmas....and I gripe about it the whole time. But this was the first year Natalie really appreciated it. She loved all of the fun things we put out.

4. When do you take the tree down? Right after the New Year.

5. Do you like Eggnog? not bad.....but my favorite holiday drink would have to be Sangria!

6 Favorite gift received as a child? My dog Sunshine....I got him when I was really young...white with a red ribbon tied to him....

7. Hardest person to buy for? probably my dad......he has everything, and if he doesn't, he goes out to buy it for himself!

8. Easiest person to buy for? Chad......if all else fails...a Cabella's gift card makes him so so happy.

9. Do you have a nativity? three actually....a big beautiful one, a children's one, and a plastic Veggie Tales one foe the kids to play with!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail....usually a family pic....but I am so not on the ball this year with cards

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? 12. Favorite Christmas movie? the old school Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer movie

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? As soon as possible.....hard to do with kids I have realized

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Sure....but it is my secret

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mom's company potatoes and sweet potato casserole, Aunt Kim's sweet Chex Mix, and all the cookies from the Annual Bellemont Cookie Exchange

16. Lights on the tree? Yes - white lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells 18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? always travelling. We have yet to stay in Flagstaff for a Christmas! This year we will be in Colorado for the weekend before and then Phx for the week 19. Can you name all of Santa's Reindeer? Of course!

20. Angel on the tree top or star? A big stuffed snowman....that is the theme of our tree.

21. Open present on Christmas Eve or morning? Has been Christmas Eve since we were teenagers....we would stay up till like two a.m. This year we will do it Christmas Morning with Nat and Baby Brett once Uncle John gets off work

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? the crowds while shopping....Black Friday went really well for me this year....but I hate the lousy attitudes people get-pushy, pushy and just grouchy! Come on people.....it's Christmas!

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Snowmen....one year my mom found like 50 ornaments on sale. They now take up residence on our tree! Nat gets a kick out of it. 24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner? Didn't we cover this already?

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? the Message version of the Bible, and healthy children!!!!

Weekends are our favorite!

2008-11-16T11:25:00.000-08:00

NAT AND MOM MATCHING IN OUR BOOTS!

DADDY MADE TONS OF BEEF JERKEY...EVEN A HEART FOR NAT.

BABY BRETT AND DADDY IN THEIR BLUES.

NAT LOVES TO PLAY DRESS UP

ALL SMILES!

AND HERE GOES THE SEARCH FOR THE THUMB

It's always fun here in the Auker home on the weekends. This was the first weekend we have had in SIX, yes six weeks, without company. Don't get me wrong....we LOVE hosting. We just have never experienced six weekends in a row of having company. It started in the very beginning of October: my folks, the Horton's from Prescott, John John, Jaime and Steph, my folks again and Chad's folks. It was wild.....so it was nice to do not much of anything this weekend. We had some funnies:

The kids and I were hanging out and Natalie was playing with her toy food....she offered me a plastic strawberry, and it dropped on the floor and rolled under the bed. When she pulled it out it had a dust bunny stuck to it (can you imagine?) Well, she panicked....I told her to chill out and "brush it off." "Brush it off?" she asked me. The next thing I knew she was in my vanity drawer, had pulled out my hairbrush and was brushing the strawberry! LOL LOL It was so cute.

Her new thing is singing praise and worship songs. I heard her last week singing to herself...."Savior, he can move the mountains. My God is mighty to save." It was precious....made me cry actually.

Nat got invited to spend a few days in Phx with her Nana and Papa...and we made the mistake of telling her so. She is sooo excited....she WILL NOT stop talking about it...and the trip is a month away. She cannot wait to go to the park, the pool, Zoolights, see Santa and "Kissmiss" trees. The very first thing she said this morning when we go her up was, "Did you know I am going to my Nana's in December?" Chad said, I love your folks, but we should never have told her so early....she won't let it go." LOL LOL She constantly asks us if she is still going?

A few minutes ago she comes up to me and says, "Gary, my baby has an owie." Yes, Gary. Who the heck is Gary? I asked her if she called me Gary and she confirmed it.....really? The imagination of this little girl. I am apt to think it might be because Charlotte (her best buddy) has been insisiting on us all calling her George this week. LOL Funny little girls.

Chad has spent the majority of the weekend making jerkey.....15 pounds of elk jerkey. His folks brough us almost 50 lbs last week.....so he has plenty to play with. Anyhoo, Nat loves it. She is a salty girl. He made her a piece in the shape of a heart. It was really sweet.

This morning we went to church and Nat got to wear her new boots.....with a dress. We decided to be matching...and I wore my boots. She got a real kick out of it...she told her teacher and friends at Sunday School we were twins. See pics. Daddy and Baby Brett happened to be in blue too...and Nat pointed out that they too matched. Nothing gets by her.

Baby Brett is three months old as of yesterday....such a sweet baby too. I took him to a church meeting yesterday morning and most everyone at the meeting didn't realize I had a baby with me...he didn't make a peep. He is so so easy going and content. He has been sleeping thru the night for a few weeks now....still a great nurser...and just all around happy. He has been desperately trying to find his thumb....although he manages to get his entire fist in there...not just his thumb. And he is all smiles. He just brights up the room. We had our first "projectile vomit" exerience two nights ago. Go figure. Natalie was like that all the time for months....but not Brett. This is the first time he has done it. Just major major spit up. Gross....he covered me, the rocker, the walls.....he didn't get a drop on himself. HOWEVER: he is the kind of baby that makes you want four more if you could be sure they would all turn out as easy as him!

I Refuse to Let her Lose her Nap

2008-11-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

I pride myself on keeping my kids on schedules. Ever heard of Babywise? It's gospel for us here. Natalie has been on a schedule her whole life...don't get me wrong, I can be flexible....but she is such a happier kid when we stick to schedule. Anyhoo...many people tell me about how their kids dropped their nap at age three. I refuse to let it happen. Don't kids nap in Kindergarten still? I look so forward to one pm.....Brett is already sleeping and Nat goes down. I used to nap too when I was pregnant, but now I love the time to get stuff done (emails, blogs, facebook-real productive I know).

Well, lately Nat has been playing me. She gets into bed, and every twenty minutes or so she has to: pee, poop, get a drink, pick up baby sister who has fallen off bed, hug and kiss me, tellme how much she loves us, etc. She will think of anything. I usually cater to the pee and poop requests.....don't want any accidents. But after a while, I am over it. Well, she is finally at the age where she understands Christmas and Santa Clause. And BINGO....that is the trick. I finally told her that I was going to give Santa a call and let him know she was being naughty.....and she panicked. "mommy, Santa wants to bring me a kitchen for "kissmiss", don't call him." Back to bed, and not a peep! Love it.

The other day we were telling Nat about how Christmas is Jesus' Birthday. We told her that we get together with family and celebrate. She got a real kick out of that. She immediately went to her table and made Jesus a Birthday cake, and then she took the ToyRUs toy catalog and started picking out gifts for Jesus' birthday! And this morning I caught her looking thru the book and singing Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Fall is in the air

2008-11-04T13:24:00.001-08:00

This weekend Nana came to visit and brought Natalie a tricycle from Aunt Duffy and Uncle Dan. She loved it....and learned really quickly how to ride it. She and Nana took many bike rides around the lake and neighborhood.

Got a couple of family pics.....although Baby Brett hasn't gotten the hang of looking at the camera yet.....guess I'll cut him a little slack since he is all of 11 weeks old.

Nat just loves her baby brother. She tells me several times a day how much she loves Brett. And I know he feels the same for her...If I am nursing him and she walks in the room, he hears her voice and he strains his little neck to get a glimps of her....all while keeping a lip lock on me. It's so funny. He is starting to smile more and more this week and he spends alot of his smiles on his big sister. And Natalie repeats everything we say to Brett. She gets in his face and says "where's your smile baby? how ya doing buster? hi bubbas," etc. And she strokes his little face.....oh it makes me melt.

Our little Muffin girl is just growing up so fast. She says the funniest things...and does the funniest things. She likes to nurse her baby dolls now. Shirt up, baby on boob, burp-rag and all. It is hysterical. She says she is feeding her babies "booby-juice." LOL And can the girl eat!!! Seriously.....she eats three packs of oatmeal each morning and still claims she is hungry. Where is she putting it all? Oh to have the metabolism of a three year old!!!

Halloween 2008

2008-11-04T13:11:00.000-08:00

We had a fantastic time trick or treating for the first time this Halloween. The kids loved it. After a fun pizza party and a session of face painting we hit the pavement. Natalie was the kitty cat...Bella was the teddy bear and Char was the ducky! They loved their face makeup and their costumes kept them so cozy and warm on the cool evening. We tried to make it to the church's Harvest Festival....but three three year olds are a little slow! We made it around one block in almost an hour! LOL

Our pumpkins were a hit. Chad made one Cinderella and the other Snow White. Just perect for the girls.

The kids had a blast going door to door. They were so polite too....lots of "thanks yous" all around.

Natalie desperately wanted to take her candy to bed with her. Of course the first thing she asked for the next morning was her loot.

Poor Baby Brett.....he was a blob for Halloween....I at least got him into a cute Halloween sleeper...but do you think I could have gotten one picture of him??? Poor kid.

Blogging Again

2008-10-23T22:21:00.001-07:00

So I figured it is about time I join the world of Bloggers. I have been Myspacing and Facebooking it for a while now, but it seems this might be the way to go....I will try it out. Life is good. It is getting chilly here in Flagstaff, need to break out the warm clothing. Ok, let's be honest....I need to go shopping for warm clothes. Not much seems to fit perfectly ever since Baby Brett joined our world. The things a woman goes thru for her babies. That being said, I feel a shopping spree in my near future. Tonight Natalie gave us a good laugh. She was in bed, and singing The Wheels on the Bus. You know the song. She goes thru all of the verses and then adds one of her own, "the Natalie on the bus says 'I'm the big sister, I'm the big sister, I'm the big sister.' Chad and I were laughing so hard. She makes us smile and laugh all the time. I really need to write it all down. And she just loves her baby brother. The other day Brett was fussing and crying and she came over and said, "Mommy, I don't want Baby Brett to go up on EBAY. Let's keep him" Obviously she overheard me. LOL LOL She is a riot.