Soccer?

I'm coming to terms with the fact that my daughter inherited only one thing from me, her dimple. I know her skin tone, her voice, her energy level, her love of animals, are not from my side of the gene pool. This weekend I think we've discovered another paternal trait...athleticism.
We were all pretty bowled over when she learned how to kick a ball. She literally wore out Grandpa Bill with all of her running around after that silly ball. She can actually kick it pretty well.
Since I'm not so sure I've actually ever kicked a soccer ball, and I know her dad doesn't play, I'm thinking it is an athletic inclination combined with a small part of my past manifesting itself almost fifteen years later. I've always been a sucker for a soccer player. And, now that I'm thinking about it, some of my very best friends are soccer players. So, while the skill itself probably didn't come from me, perhaps the affection for this particular sport did.
Anyhow, I thought these were pretty cute.

Thanks Mel...

I've been tagged. Let's see how it goes...

A = ADVOCATE FOR: Reading good books to our children.
B = BEST FEATURE: My eyes?
C = COULDN'T DO WITHOUT: My amazing support system.
D = DREAMS AND DESIRES: To be a good mother and find a career I love.
E = ESSENTIAL ITEM: Vanilla Coke Zero.
F= FAVORITE PAST TIME: Reading.
G = GOOD AT: Writing/Story telling.
H = HAVE NEVER TRIED: Collard Greens.
I = IF I HAD A MILLION DOLLARS: I'd buy a home, be a mom, and freelance.
J = JUNKIE FOR: chick flicks and good food.
K = KINDRED SPIRIT: I am lucky to have many in my life.
L = LITTLE KNOWN FACT: This summer I am going to conquer my fear of fish. In fact, I have already been swimming in the lake...twice! I am determined to water ski as well!
M = MEMORABLE MOMENT: Yesterday when someone told me they were inspired by something I had written in my blog.
N = NEVER AGAIN WILL I: Let my self esteem by determined by another person.
O = OCCASIONAL INDULGENCE: Daishan's Caramel Corn!
Q = QUOTE: "It is what it is"
R = REASON TO SMILE: The future.
S = SORRY ABOUT: Friendships that have been lost.
T = TAG SOME FRIENDS: Candace, Keri, Natalie.
U = UNINTERESTED IN: Folding Laundry and keeping up with fashion trends.
V = VERY SCARED OF: fish...but not for long!
W = WORST HABIT: procrastination.
X = X MARKS MY IDEAL VACATION SPOT: Hawaii
Y = YESTERYEAR DECADE OF CHOICE: The mid to late 90s were good to me.
Z = ZODIAC SIGN: Aries

Sunday at Grandpa's House

Tonight we went over to Grandpa's house to visit with some of our favorite family members who happened to be in town for the day. I had not seen Rhett and Jessica and their girls in YEARS and Shasta came over from the west side, plus Aunt Carol, and Aunt Donna with Rhylie, and even Aunt Lorna and her crew showed up at the end of the day. Grandpa made milkshakes, I ate an insane quantity of Aunt Carol's rolls, and Natalie ate half of Shasta's dinner.
Natalie and her cousin Avry (sp) are only about three weeks apart and they were pretty funny to watch together. At one point they had a hilarious interaction over a book mark that they would steal back and forth and back and forth.
It made me wax a little nostalgic thinking about the days when the ENTIRE family would come over every Sunday afternoon. We would eat and play games and watch the Disney Family Movie...I have so many good memories of those times. Grandpa's fudge, the "Butter Paddle" threat for those caught eating on the green carpet, all of the grandkids singing along at the piano, watching family movies, grandpa's insanely bright video camera light, the guys playing football, or whiffle ball, that goofy yellow moped, Big Red, and just knowing we were family and that was enough. I had such a great childhood. I miss my cousins. I remember talking with one of my boy cousins years ago and he said he wanted to marry a girl just like me. To this day, that is one of the greatest compliments I have ever received.
I hate that we have grown up and that we will never have a Sunday quite like that again. But, I guess that's life and now it's our turn to provide similar experiences for our own children. At least we know how to do that for them.

Bed Head

Her hair is finally getting to the point where it's not so wash-and-wear anymore. My favorite part about her longer hair is her bed head. I have to admit, we are quite the pair most mornings. However, for the sake of documentation I have omitted any pictures of myself. I just love this girl and her crazy hair.

Japanese Peace Garden

It was such a nice day on Friday...finally!
Natalie and I went to the Farmer's Market where we saw a few friends including Loveta, who gave us the most wonderful bunch of lavender. Then, we shared a shaved ice which is absolutely one of my favorite summer treats!
We also stopped by the library where we found the cutest children's CD featuring all of the Beatles songs you could ever want to teach your daughter!
But the highlight of the day was our trip to the Japanese Peace Garden. It was BEAUTIFUL and there were so many things for us to see! Natalie is starting to notice things like the birds, and the big Koi fish in the pond, and how the gravel is the perfect size for her mouth...
It is getting trickier to get a good picture of her now that she is more mobile and aware of her surroundings. So, for the time being, many of our outings will feature pictures of the back of her head, or her ear, or a close up of her forehead...

Ten Months Old

In honor of Natalie's Ten Month Mark, here are my TOP TEN memories of this month.

1- What I had originally thought to be "Mama" is actually her version of "more", which is a huge let down, but makes a lot more sense.

2- She has started biting people. I realized it is a HUGE problem the other day when she tried to bite my mother on the face. I think it's been nipped in the bud but she still tries every once in a while when she's really frustrated with something.

3- She has taken her first steps! It's usually just a few but it's so exciting!

4- There is not a twist top lid in the house she can not open. She has successfully mastered: mascara, lotion, Carmex, face lotion, a water squirt bottle, and her teething tablets.

5- Absolutely HATES her life jacket... as was evidenced this past weekend on a rather lengthy boat ride.

6- LOVES animals. We all know she doesn't get this from me but, I'm determined not to rain on her parade. I have been indulging her with daily walks by the horses, sheep and (rotten) dogs.

7- Makes the hand motions for the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" with only her left hand. It's the one way I can get her to lay down long enough to change her diaper. We sing about that spider a LOT these days.

8- Is now sleeping (mostly) through the night. She wakes up once at about 4:30 and then sleeps until about 7:00. There are not words to express my happiness.

9- Her hair is growing...and lightening! I haven't given up hope on having a blond daughter. Is it too much to ask for one of my traits to be dominant?

10- She's still a pretty good eater and is doing really well at transitioning to more "real" food. I'm having to get more creative though, I didn't realize how nice it was to let Gerber plan her menu up until this point.

Swim Lessons with Crazy Larry

Swimming lessons started this week and we were lucky enough to get into a class with our friends Kim and Elsie. Because I had never done a mommy-and-me class before I was preparing for day one based entirely upon my assumptions of what I thought it would be like. I had assumed it would be a mostly female class, that we would be in deeper water, and that Kim would be the only person I knew. You can only imagine my surprise when I realized there were just as many dads as there were moms, we would not be going into the deeper water...ever, and Kim was NOT the only person I knew.
Sometimes I forget to figure on other people from high school having children. I won't make that mistake again.
So, there we are, taking roll and whatever else when I look up and see some random guy from high school. I'm pretty sure his name is Larry. I say pretty sure because the Larry I remembered from high school did not have a Rat's Tail, gang tattoos, or look like a dirty forty year old man. Right then I realize it would probably have been a good idea to pack a cover up of some sort but, I had nothing. And I suddenly felt very naked. I decided avoidance would be my only defense. Natalie decided that was not an option the minute she chose Crazy Larry's daughter to be her new best friend. I could NOT keep her away from them without some serious effort. Then, because I'm 15 again, instead of just saying hello and trying to be normal, I avoid any conversation, eye contact or general acknowledgment of his very existence. This was not only incredibly rude it was foolish as I apparently momentarily forgot I would be seeing him every day for the next two weeks.
Crazy Larry aside, the lessons have been pretty fun so far. Natalie is more interested in walking around the pool instead of swimming or floating or even going down the slides but she seems to enjoy the water. Elsie is a champ. She plays with the toys and crawls around and actually appears to be getting something out of the experience.
I posted the picture of myself and Natalie for two reasons.
1- I really would like Natalie to know I was there, not just taking pictures.
2- To show Jennifer I am no respecter of people or pictures. I'm not sure what crazy angle this one was taken at but I defy anyone to argue it appears as though I have a large supply of something in my cheeks. Angie took this picture and when she sent it to me, the subject of her email was: Chipmunk Cheeks. You think I didn't consider Photoshop, you bet I did. But for my friend Jennifer I did not.
There is one more week of lessons. I am hopeful we will be able to get into the actual pool at some point, but I'm not holding my breath. Although I do suppose at some point I will probably have to say hello to Larry...