Natalie

Groggy and sleepy after the dentist

Practicing her soccer moves

her soccer medal and new hole-y smile!

On May 20th, Natalie had her fractured tooth removed. We chose to have her sedated for the procedure. She was due for a cleaning, and as her teeth were being cleaned, yet another cavity was found. Every time we visit the dentist, those pesky cavities pop up. The dentist filled the cavities and then pulled her tooth. We are grateful that the whole tooth was able to be removed. Sometimes with fractured teeth, part of the tooth breaks off and leaves the root, which could lead to infection and surgery. They placed her tooth in a tiny pink tooth coffin. She did extremely well, and as usual, the office loves to see her pretty face. She recovered quickly and was eating dinner that night. She likes to show people her new smile and tells them, "I have a big hole in my mouth!"

Natalie finished soccer as of today. Last week, she even made a goal! Go girl! She didn't enjoy soccer as much as t-ball, so we'll stick with dance and t-ball for now. We are getting excited because her recital is June 20th. She will be in two dances, one for ballet and one for tap. Adorable costumes! Her first recital! I'll probably cry. Is anyone interested in coming to her recital? Let me know!

Beautiful Kids!

What can I say? Good looks run in the family!

Birthday Weekend =)

Sisters at heart

Swimming with Daddy/Uncle Luke

Sophia bowling with Daddy

Twinkies, or should we say Tinkies!

my Louisiana BFFs! Kelly, myself, Lauren

Lauren took this awesome picture of me diving

Ryan loves the pool!

"POW! POW!" What has Uncle Mikey started!

Wii Karaoke with my hubby

Swing time! Weeeeeeee!

They are ready for their close up!

Beautiful Babies!

What a great birthday week! First, on May 12th, my sister, Denise (Aunt Nisey to the kids), gave birth to my nephew, Alexander. Natalie was beside herself with excitement. When we spoke with Nisey (Daniel's sis) that evening, Natalie proudly proclaimed, "I have a new baby cousin! He's a tiny baby right now." We were able to speak with Daniel's mother as well, which hardly ever happens so it was a really good moment. She kept thanking me for sending so much stuff for the baby over the past months. She emphasized how appreciative they all were for everything we have sent. I told her that is what families are supposed to do. I am a very proud Auntie and want to help (and spoil) as much as I can! There is still one more big package that we will be sending to Nisey and her family. I actually became an aunt twice this week when Daniel's half-sister gave birth to a baby girl on May 14th. To make the week even more special was the arrival of Sophia, who was here all weekend!

I turned 29 years young on May 16th. I say 'young' because that is how I feel. I was teased about next year being the big 3-0. I'm not scared. I say bring it on! I have a young heart and soul. I have so much more to learn and experience and give. I think about my bucket list and know that there is so much more for me to do. The day itself was wonderful. The day started off with Natalie's soccer game, where she made her first goal! She was so proud! She ran all the way over to me to hug me and proclaim, "I did it! I made a goal!" Sweet moment. After soccer, we partnered up with the rest of my family and joined them for bowling. Natalie and Sophia bowled with me and Luke. It was so cute! Sophia (assisted by daddy) would push the ball as hard as she could, but a couple of times the ball stopped short and we had to run down the lane and retrieve it. Natalie is getting pretty good at bowling by herself. She carries the special bowling ball they have for kids (a neon orange, 6 pound ball) and tosses it as hard as she can. Both girls ended up with one strike each and even had the exact same score up until the 10th frame. It took the four of us an hour to bowl one game! LOL! After bowling, I took the kids home for nap time. They fell asleep on the way home, so I just tucked them into bed. I sat on the bed to read a little bit and ended up napping as well! Cool! After we all woke up and stretched, we headed back to my folks' place for birthday fun! The girls were given new, matching Tinkerbell swim suits and they squealed with delight. For my birthday, my parents said I could invite some friends over for BBQ and Pool Fun. Daniel, of course, was our griller for the evening. He made mouth-watering burgers, dogs, and chicken. So good! My friend, Kelly, brought over home-made spinach and artichoke dip. Amazing! After swimming, we ate and played guitar hero with karaoke and even had a bonfire in the back yard. So much fun! It was a great evening.

The kids had a great time in the pool. Ryan has decided that he can swim. He will move his arms and legs as if he already knows what he is doing. He actually likes to put his face in the water! He will come up and just laugh, and then go under again. So cute! He will even jump in the pool. I am constantly amazed at his physical abilities, which reach far beyond his age. Sophia is like Ryan in the pool, unafraid of the water. She even jumped off of the diving board to her daddy! Brave souls! Natalie is still hesitant to put her head underwater, but we made some progress when Sophia was showing her how to use the goggles. She would tell her, "look underwater, Natalie!" So Natalie tried, and it worked! If she has on her goggles, she will put her face in the water. Thank you, Sophia! On Sunday, we took the kids to the park. The dads had as much fun playing around as the kids. We took Mikey with us because he revels in being an uncle. Ryan has even started calling for him by name...sort of. We know he is saying "Mike", but it comes out more like "bike".

Overall, it was a blessed week and weekend. The Lord has blessed my life with good people. Please keep my uncle in your thoughts and prayers as he recovers from his injuries. He is in good spirits and ready for the road ahead. I admire his strength and determination. Praise God!

Mikey's Girl

Mikey has a new gal in his life. Her name is Giselle (we call her 'G'). She is part of our bowling group on Saturday mornings. Mikey broke up with his former girlfriend, Wendy. Her parents don't allow her to do, well, anything. She goes to the same workshop as Mike and to bowling, and that is it. Mikey wanted someone in his life who had more energy and whose parents would allow her to do more, like go to movies and swim. My mother and Giselle's mother, Mary, have become good friends over the course of this past year. We look forward to every Saturday morning because of the people we have met and have become close to. Giselle is active and such a sweetheart. She is a former gymnast and loves to swim. She is carefree and so much fun. Her parents (fellow Italians) are good people and we enjoy them. Mikey has fretted the past couple of months because he has wanted to take Giselle to the annual Ball sponsored by his work. He didn't want to take Wendy anymore and was afraid of what we all would think. We told him that it was his life and his choice and to do what he thought was right. He decided to take Giselle to the ball. Both sets of parents joined them Saturday evening for a night out. It was a special night and Mikey had a blast! My parents even commented about how he looked so happy with Giselle. Wendy's parents, on the other hand, wouldn't even talk to Mike, Giselle, her parents, or my folks, which we thought was so silly. Oh well! Mikey looks forward to more good times with his new gal. Aren't they cute? He even bought a corsage to match her dress!

Mother's Day 2009

my Mother's Day gifts from the kids

Natalie painted her name! So cute!

Mother's Day photo with my beautiful children

Ryan's new floaty and water gun. He loves the water, and Uncle Mikey taught him to say "pow pow!", so now he runs around "shooting" people.

my Marvelous Mom!

me and my Man

What a wonderful mother's day! The children must have sensed it was a special day because they slept in, which daddy and mommy really appreciated. The night before, Natalie helped me make a mother's day cake. Her favorite part is the frosting, and I think she eats as much as she spreads across the cake. =) Unfortunately, I had to work a few hours before we could celebrate the day. Daniel dropped me off at work and took the kids over to my folks. I was unaware that they were all in cahoots to make my mother's day gift. Daniel picked me up from work and returned to my folks' house where the kids had been swimming and playing. They sat me down and told me to close my eyes. When I opened them, I found myself looking at personalized clay pots decorated in the kids' own painted pictures. How sweet! Natalie even painted her name! She was so proud, and I was proud for her. Natalie painted flowers and butterflies on her pot while Ryan's hand and foot prints adorned his pot. My mother planted an Asparagus fern in Natalie's pot, which she says was a favorite of her mother. In Ryan's pot is a plant that we don't know the name of, but my mother has kept alive for a couple of decades. It was given to her by her mother, and is the only plant that she has been able to keep alive through all of our relocating. I am still so touched that she shared my grandmother's love for plants with me.

The men did all the cooking and cleaning for our special day. Daniel is amazing with the grill and made shrimp, pork chops, and veggies. Soooooooooo goooooood!!! Mom and I decided to enjoy the pool and took a swim with the kids. She is such a neat lady. I know because she is my mother that I am bias, but she really is quite the individual. I am very blessed to have such an amazing woman for a mother. She loves me for everything that I am, faults and all. She opens her heart and her arms to everyone around her, offering hugs and support, even if she might see things from a different perspective. She loves my husband, and he loves her. She spoils her grandchildren, and we let her. She has worked non-stop throughout her life to make everyones lives better. I still cannot believe she is in her sixties. She radiates so much love and energy. And she still has her fire-red hair! Some like to call her crazy, but they are just jealous of her passion and the wonderful family she has raised. Here's to you, mom, and I pray for many, many more years to come!

Tough Kids

We had a little accident the other night. I had to go into work for a while to get some paperwork finished and I brought the kids with me to play in the play area. As we were getting ready to head out the door, Natalie had been playing around and hid under a table. I told her to come along, and as she put her hands down to climb out, her hands and feet slid right out from underneath her and she smacked her face against the concrete floor. I think everyone within a few miles could hear her painful cry. I noticed blood and calmed her down so that I could investigate. She had loosened a tooth, one of her front teeth. Yikes! I called the dentist the very next morning and set up an appointment, which was this afternoon. They really enjoy Natalie at the office. She's bubbly and bouncy and not afraid. I just sat back as she followed the assistant to get x-rays and then skipped back to be examined by Dr. Todd. She told him exactly where to look and he just smiled. The x-rays revealed that her tooth is fractured by the root. This means that the whole tooth has to be removed. She will have to have a hole-y smile for another couple of years before her permanent teeth push through. In a few weeks they will sedate her and remove the broken tooth. The other three front teeth are loosened as well, but we are just going to let them take their natural course and fall out on their own. Poor girl! Her teeth only hurt when she brushes and when she eats some of the harder foods, but doesn't complain otherwise. She is one tough girl and likes to tell the story of her loose tooth and how the tooth fairy will be coming to visit soon. Such a trooper!

Ryan had a scary moment Tuesday morning. While running amok and climbing all over creation, he slid off the couch on his tummy trying to land in Natalie's little pink rocker. He had good momentum going, and before I could catch him he had landed on his head. His body kept going and his feet flew up and over and he landed on his back. Of course, this was all slow motion in my eyes. I waited for him to move (because you want to see if they can move before you touch them otherwise you could cause more harm). He slowly rolled over, got to his feet, rubbed his head, and with a furrowed brow said, "Ow." I laughed...I couldn't help it! It was out of relief and gratitude that he was okay and also from his expression. What did he do next? Tried it again! Silly boy!

In my last update I neglected to mention a couple of things about the kids. Natalie can now spell and write her name. Woohoo! Ryan is able to get out of his crib and brushes his teeth with his own toothbrush, or at least tries. He has also been watching all of us go to the bathroom. He is starting to show interest in the potty, though he still just tries to play with the water. Yuck! Kids grow so fast. I am reminded daily how precious life is and that we shouldn't waste a second. Who cares if someone hurt your feelings 5, 10, even 20 years ago? LET IT GO! Move on and just love one another! Who cares if the dishes aren't done? LET IT GO! Enjoy life and the people in it! One day our lives will come to an end, and when you look the Lord in the face, will you be proud of the way you lived? Will you be proud of who you are and what you have become? Think about that the next time you look in the mirror. I'm getting off my soap-box now. =)

Our little family

We had scheduled family pictures, but Daniel was stuck at work

Enjoying the warm weather

Mikey and Natalie playing in my folks' pool

At the park with the kids. Weeeeee!

Good grief! So much is going on I don't even know where to begin. It's same ol' with Daniel and I and our jobs. Dan loves what he does and isn't at all worried (yet) about the car business. He's been doing it for so long he has a nice list of repeat and referred customers. I love teaching Zumba and wish I could teach it everyday all day! It's so much fun! It's like a dance party for an hour. You burn a massive amount of calories and have a blast doing it! My last class was 40 people! Wow!

Natalie absolutely loves dance. She looks forward to it every week. She won't even go into class without her tutu. Cute! Her recital is at the end of June and she practices her steps at home. We are so proud of her! She isn't really into soccer, but I'm glad we tried it this year. We want to expose her to different sports and activities throughout her childhood so that she can choose what she truly loves doing and we'll go from there. So far, she wants T-ball and dance. I'm looking into some pre-schools for next year. She isn't able to start kindergarten until the '10-'11 school year. We thought a year in pre-school would help get her acclimated to the school routine. Then again, miss Social Butterfly probably wouldn't have a hard time adjusting. One of the most beautiful things about Natalie is her openness.

Ryan is wild and rambunctious and all boy! He is the cutest little monkey! He runs everywhere and climbs everything. He is able to get up and down from the beds, couches, and even the stairs. He loves opening doors to discover what is inside. He has to have his hands in everything. He wants to learn, learn, learn! Ryan is talking more and repeats a lot of what we say to him. Natalie likes to help. If he reaches for a toy, she makes him say please 'first'. At his 15 month appointment a couple of weeks ago, he is 32 inches tall and 21lbs 10 oz. Both kids are tall and skinny like their daddy. One of the best things about Ryan is his appetite. He wants to eat all the time and will eat anything. Natalie is our picky baby, but Ryan is open to trying anything! He loves apples, bananas, potatoes, toast, pasta, and chicken the best, but will eat whatever is put in front of him.

I'm sure there is more to tell, but at the moment my brain is done recalling the past few weeks. Until next time...love each other and God bless ya!

Sophia

Precious

I'm really bad about dressing the girls alike...but they are soooooo cute!

Natalie, Ryan, and Sophia checking out the animals

I bought bubble stuff for the kids. Sophia loves the bubbles!

Retrieving the ball while playing T-Ball with Natalie

Sweet Sophia was here during Beverly and her family's visit. Luke was able to have her that Thursday through Monday. She is so cute! Her hair is getting lighter and longer every time she visits. She is a loud and energetic toddler, and when the three kids are together...well, you can imagine the squeals, laughter, and even growls echoing through the house. Sophia still isn't too fond of Ryan. She tries to keep him from everything, which in turn causes him much distress. They yell at each other and then one of them will eventually start crying if an intervention doesn't happen soon. The concept of sharing hasn't quite dawned on Sophia, and Natalie still struggles with it, and Ryan just doesn't care about it. =) Each child thinks that the universe revolves around them, so sometimes things get rather interesting. Natalie knows which toys are for which child, but Ryan and Sophia think each toy belongs solely to them. A lot of patience and teaching goes on in this house when I'm watching all three kids! But every now and then, when she thinks no one is watching, Sophia will walk up to Ryan, give him a hug and kiss his head. So cute! The girls, as usual, are best friends and can't be without each other. When Natalie is really missing her Sophie, I will have her call and tell her good night. Maybe someday Sophia will do the same for Natalie. And, of course, hearing Sophia belt out "ZIA!" just makes my heart swell until it bursts! I love that girl! We were supposed to have Sophia this past weekend, but we have to wait another two weeks.

Family and Friends

Ready for a night out

Best Friends Forever!

Dave and Nick helping the kids feed the giraffe

GIRAFFE!

Hooray for brothers!

We have been blessed in the past couple of weeks to have family visit us from afar. My Aunt Beverly and her husband were here from Idaho. My cup runneth over to know that family would travel so far just to see us all! Their camper was parked in my parents' driveway. They are making a trek across the states and have stopped to visit us for a while. They arrived on the 15th and left on Monday. They came down here two years ago and we are so very happy that they have returned. Beverly and my mother grew up together, attended school together, got married and had kids together, and at one point even lived next door to each other. Feel the love!

Beverly's son, David (my childhood BFF and cousin), and his partner, Nick, met her here on the 15th. They were only able to stay a few days, but what fun was had during those days! They attended my Zumba class on Thursday and were a huge hit! I was really impressed with their energy and moves, and my class has asked for them to return. On Friday, we all went to the Global Wildlife Center (Sophia was also with us). Beverly, David, and Nick were able to feed and pet a giraffe, which absolutely made their week. The girls, having been on a few trips to the wildlife center, knew just what to do and had so much fun feeding the animals. Ryan even got in on the fun, though he did try to eat the feed from the bucket. On Saturday morning everyone ventured to bowling (I had a Zumba expo and met them all later at bowling). What a great group of people! David, Nick, and Mike taunted each other and there was laughter throughout the morning. After getting home, the crew ventured to a Crawfish Boil in Hammond (about 15 minutes away). There was a plethora of food and drink, and even free helicopter rides! Woohoo! I took my children home for their naps. Us moms know how important those naps are so we can avoid meltdowns later. After the boys got home and changed, my bff Lauren and I picked them up and took them across the lake to Bourbon Street. Luke was able to join us and that was awesome! So the evening was about introducing David and Nick to the French Quarter as well as celebrating Luke's recent freedom. We danced and laughed for hours! We didn't want the night to end. David and Nick left for home that Sunday, but not without all of us promising each other to visit. They are such neat people...smart, successful, good looking, and so generous. They purchased a membership to the wildlife center for me and the kids so we are able to go as many times as we want for an entire year! I didn't know what to say and wonder how I'll be able to repay their kindness. All of the children adored them and called them Uncle Dave and Aunt Nick. LOL!

Aunt Beverly and her husband stayed for another week. They prepared ribs and potato salad one night for supper, and boy howdy! It was awesome!!! I miss them all so much and am in the process of making a movie of their visit so that we all can remember it forever! I look forward to the summer months when we will have even more family and friends visiting us, from Idaho and Kansas and Texas. Feelin' the love!