Birthday Party

 

Natalie went to a birthday party yesterday and met up with her friends Ethan and Grace. Here she is with Grace in one of the bouncy houses having a great time!

Ultrasound and Doctor's Appointment

Natalie couldn't go with us to the ultrasound last week because no one under the age of ten was allowed. Not that she would have particularly liked that appointment anyway because it was so long. Natalie's getting a brother in July and she's really excited about it! Although she will not be helping us change his stinky diapers!

The following day after the ultrasound I had a doctor's appointment where they listened to the heartbeat. She was able to go along to that visit. When asked how the heartbeat sounded she said, "Thump, thump, growl, growl!"

Sunday Fun

 

Natalie and Kamryn enjoyed the outdoors and the beautiful weather we're having today.

Mark's Backyard Adventure

 

Mark started a new project yesterday. It's called tear down the deck and rebuild it with treated wood. Looks like he's having a blast doesn't it? One of the neighbors and I have bets on how long it'll take to complete, but our guesses will remain a mystery.

Super Saturday

Natalie started out her day by going to dance class. Today her friend Kamryn rode along with us which made the trip more interesting for her. In the afternoon she spent some time with her Poppy and Grandma. Natalie is the sample queen at Costco, and today's samples were delicious. She tried pancakes, muffins, and a variety of other goodies. She got a pedicure, made a necklace, and watched Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 again. It was a great day!

Parent Teacher Conference

When I picked Natalie up from school today I informed her that after dinner we'd be returning to school for a parent teacher conference. She almost leaped out of her seat in excitement and anticipation of returning to school. She loves it! She made sure to eat quickly so she could get back and hopefully do some art. I think the girl would spend the night at school if we let her! The conference went a little past their closing time, so one of the ladies that works in the office brought Natalie around the building to help turn off the lights. It was good for her to see all of the kids get picked up and go home and that the teachers go home too. Sometimes I think she believes people are there all day and night! We talked about why all the lights were turned off and that all the students and teachers go home at the end of the day. She told me about the cookie stash in the office. It was a big deal for her to be such a great helper.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Natalie and I brought home so much candy, chocolate, and cupcakes today that it practically fills up our entire kitchen table. That's a lot of sugar! On top of candy she had toys, a balloon, playdough, and other assorted items. If you want candy or chocolate, please stop by and help yourself! I am more than happy to part with 99.9% of it. Happy Valentine's Day!

Harley Girl

Natalie had an exciting day at her Poppy and Grandma's house. She rode on Poppy's Harley for the first time by herself! She squealed with delight as the Harley took off on her first trip. She loved it so much she begged to go again. She'll definitely be back to take a ride another day!

She also got to drive the John Deere tractor and ride in the back with Schatze. She was busy today making necklaces and keychains with grandma and, of course, watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2. It was a cute movie and one that I'm sure she won't get tired of watching easily. She had a fun-filled day and crashed in the car on the trip home.

Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2

Natalie has been wanting to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua 2 from the time she saw the first commercial for it. Today she is the proud owner of flick. She's never seen part 1, but I'm sure it's not too difficult to catch up and figure out the plot. Advertisers sure know how to get to kids (and their parents!) It does look like a cute dog movie, but I'm sure I won't be say that after the 25th viewing!

Medicine Excuse #29

Natalie: At school my calendar said it's been 10 days and I shouldn't have to take my medicine anymore.

At least she's creative!

Feeling Better

Natalie insists she's feeling so much better that she shouldn't have to take her medicine anymore. She hates the way the medicine tastes and comes up with lots of ideas why she shouldn't have to take it. We explained that the medicine has to run its ten day course before she can stop taking it. No explanation helps though! Luckily she hasn't gotten a fever and has been able to go to school and feel decent all day. Seven more days of medicine to go!

Feeling Yucky

When I picked up Natalie from school today her teacher said she'd been complaining that her ear hurt. She's had a lot of drainage lately and it stopped all of a sudden. So between that and the fact that her ear hurt I figured something was going on. She has an ear and a sinus infection. Since there's no fever she can return to school tomorrow. She's not thrilled about taking her pineapple flavored antibiotics, but she'll have to get used to the flavor for the next ten days. Let's hope this clears up quickly!

Lady Antebellum Concert

Natalie attended the Lady Antebellum concert today at the rodeo and was really excited about it. In fact, in the middle of the rodeo she was asking when the concert would start. She seemed to have a great time, and even sang along in certain parts of some of the songs. They sang all their hits and even sang a brand new song from their upcoming third album. It was nice to hear that they sounded just as good live as they do on their CDs. On the way home she listened to their CD and was so exhausted that she crashed in the back seat in less than ten minutes. A good time was had by all!

Let's Rodeo!

We spent the day at the rodeo grounds, watched the rodeo, and saw Lady Antebellum perform. Natalie has visited the rodeo grounds before, but had never seen a rodeo or concert until today. On the rodeo grounds she loved seeing the animals. She even watched several cows getting milked. Shamu was there dressed up as a cowboy and she was thrilled to give him a high five. Last year she had ridden a pony (one that's hooked up to a circular contraption and walks in a circle) and was dying to go on the ride again. That was the highlight of the rodeo grounds for her.

At the rodeo she enjoyed watching the cowboys get bucked off of their horses, but her favorite part was the bull riding. She was also fascinated by the mutton bustin' and says she'd like to participate next year. Somehow I just can't see her trying to hang onto a sheep for dear life, but she seemed convinced and willing to try it.

Snow Day!

It's a rare day in our city when school is called off - especially for snow! It's about a one in five year event. Roads are shut down, everything closes, and there's no school! We only got about 1/2 inch of snow at the very most, but it was enough to play in for the morning. Natalie was up around 6:30 am giving us the full report on the snow. In fact, she was so excited to go outside she just threw her jacket on over her pajamas! The snow only stayed until around noon, but it was fun while it lasted!

Brrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

This post was going to be titled something else originally, but at the last minute I decided to make it rated G.

South Texas has been hit with an arctic blast! It's so cold that the city is having rolling blackouts to keep up with the demand for energy supply. Now that's an interesting concept because my house had no power the entire day from about 6:45am-4:00pm. Our house is still cold. My school had power the entire day. So much for rolling blackouts!

Natalie's school had a different situation. Half of the building she's in had heat and the other half did not. She was on the side without heat today. They had to wear their jackets part of the day until they switched classrooms to the main building. Today was supposed to be western day. A horse was supposed to come to the school for pictures, but it was too cold for the horse to visit.

Snow is in the forecast for Thursday and Friday. I know it's not a big deal to you northerners who read the blog, but it's crazy weather for us down here. I am hoping for school to be called off so none of us has to deal with the insane drivers out on the roads.

Lovely.....just as I was in the middle of this blog post the electricity went out! Luckily I had copied it so I didn't have to retype the whole thing. It's going to be a loooooong cooooold night here!