Where is Natasha?

PEEK-A-BOO!

Natasha has a new game she loves to play. She will use her blanket, her hat, a napkin or in this case, her jacket to play peek-a-boo. It is so cute to see, so enjoy!

Here Comes Santa Claus...

Our week started off with a visit to Santa... Natasha was not too sure of him.

No tears though, but no smiles either.

Family Holiday Party

Auntie Lizzy and Natasha

Practicing her standing... not pulling herself up yet, but definitely trying!

Having fun with Hailey (Natasha's future babysitter)

The "Cousins"

Opening gifts and it's not even Christmas yet!

End of the night and in her Christmas PJ's

Other photos from this month:

Good thing our tree is on a table

Where are the baby gates?

Just melts my heart... I love those smiles!

Fell asleep during dinner

What a mess - peas on the face, asleep and losing a sock

Poor baby girl and it wasn't even her bedtime yet

Bundled up for the last UCLA game of the season

The decorations are up, the tree is trimmed and the lights are hung, not to mention the cold weather outside... definitely feels like Christmas to me. On Tuesday, I dressed Natasha up in one of her Christmas outfits and headed to Mission Viejo Mall to meet Santa. Natasha was not too pleased with meeting this new stranger. On the verge of crying we snapped a few pictures and the one at the top was the best. I think she would have been less frightened if we had to wait in line for awhile so she could observe Santa from a distance, but we were the only ones there. Maybe next year there will be some of those sweet Natasha smiles that we all love.

On Wednesday (in another holiday outfit), we headed over to the Link's for our annual Christmas exchange with the extended families. We all had a good time and I think Natasha really enjoyed opening up presents and took a real interest in some of the gifts she received. Hailey was a big help to Zac and I by watching Natasha while we participated in the gift exchange/steal with the adults. She will be a wonderful babysitter for Natasha in a couple of years (and I hear her family rates are great)!

Our baby girl will be turning 9 months on Christmas Eve! The year is almost over and pretty soon we will be having a one year old running around the house. Natasha is a great eater and is starting to venture away from purees and towards bigger pieces of food (still with no teeth). She still loves banana and I am able to give her bigger chucks of it now. She also loves spaghetti, steamed carrots and broccoli and cheddar cheese. However, she still wants to be spoon fed (preferably with a silver spoon... just kidding). I don't know if she doesn't like food on her hand or if she is kind of a neat freak and wants her tray clean. For example, she will take a steamed carrot and try to get it into her mouth, but if it doesn't go in on the first try she tosses it on the floor. The only thing she does eat from her hands are her Mum Mum crackers, which she loves. So, she just needs a little bit more practice. Besides being a good eater, Natasha is becoming more and more mobile. Not yet crawling forward, but she will scoot backwards or roll to get to places. The other day while I was changing in the bathroom, I had her in our room on the floor with some toys. About a minute later I heard crying and didn't see her. She managed to roll under our bed and couldn't figure out how to get herself back out... mommy to the rescue! Now when I have to turn my back to her or have to leave the room for a short time, she will be put in her pack n' play.

Thanks for checking in on our little munchkin! There will probably be new photos up after Christmas, so stay tuned. We wish everyone a wonderful and safe Christmas!

Love,

The Larsons

1st Thanksgiving and Colorado

We are back from our trip to Colorado and we all had a blast! It was a full weekend of firsts for our little Natasha. Here is a recap of our time in beautiful Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

First time flying privately to Colorado

First time at the Flying L

First Thanksgiving and it was so special

First time in the snow... was not too sure about it.

First time on the mountain... future skier in the making.

First Gondola ride up the mountain

First sled ride in the snow... still not sure about this cold weather.

Tuckered out from a wonderful weekend filled with good company, delicious food, love and lots of laughter... Thank you Bill and Marsha for a great Thanksgiving Holiday!

Now bring on Christmas!

If you would like to see more pictures from our trip just click on the link below and click on "Thanksgiving."

http://thelarsonfamily11.shutterfly.com/

Happy Holidays!

Let it Snow!

I'm 8 months old...
... and I'm ready for the snow!

Some other photos of me from this month

"I'm just going to eat this!"

Swinging... was not too sure about this

Goofing around with daddy

Yogurt face

I'm 8 months old today and I'm ready for some snow! I'm off to Colorado with my family to celebrate my first Thanksgiving. Even though there is no sign of any teeth coming in, I will still be eating my share of turkey and sweet potatoes. While I'm away, I will be practicing my crawling. I'm not there yet, but I like to roll around and scoot on my butt to get to my toys. I also can get on all fours and rock back and forth. My mommy and daddy better watch out because I will be on the move in no time. I'm still a chatter box and if you aren't paying any attention to me, I'll let you know it... as if I don't get enough attention already. Mommy loves that I can entertain myself for longer periods of time so she can get stuff done around the house. But I make sure she doesn't spend too much time away from me in another room. I love to show off my bouncing skills in my Exersaucer and I'm curious about all noises (big and small)... I also like creating them too. The most fun is at night when I get to climb all over my daddy and grab his beard with my death grip. He makes me smile with his funny expressions and the sounds he makes! Well, I sure hope there will be some white stuff on the ground for me to explore this weekend. I know it will be chilly, but I'm prepared since my crazy parents like to keep the windows opened year around... mommy finally turned on the heater today!

Thanks for checking in on me and I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Playdate with Kyra

Lunch with my BFF
Kyra enjoyed her spaghetti

Patiently waiting for some banana

"No thanks Mom, I'm fine with just Sophie"

Playdate with Kyra

Last week my mommy and I drove up to Culver City to hang out with Kyra and her mommy, Jackie. We walked across the street to the mall and had a yummy lunch. Then we went back to Kyra's house to play with all her toys. She wasn't too sure about me playing with them, but I don't blame her... they were lots of fun! It was a great day and next time we get together we will be all dressed up in pretty dresses for my Uncle Matt and Auntie Lizzy's 30th Birthday Celebration!

Halloween Festivities

Natasha's 1st Halloween!!

So expressive

Climbing on mama


More pumpkins

Our little pumpkin

Babies 2010 Halloween Party

(Sawyer, Bailey, Natasha and Emily)

Watch those hands, Zachary!

Look at that bald head and that cute little tooshie

Natasha and McKinley

Pumpkin and Candy Corn

Asleep during Stroller Strides Trick or Treating

Awake for the group picture

They all look like they are in trouble

Halloween Night

Standing tall

We said so long to October with many fun and festive events and are continuing the fall celebrations into November. Instead of music class today, we had a potluck party. And once again, Natasha got to sport her pumpkin tutu. As for the Halloween events, our Babies 2010 Halloween party was last Thursday. It was so much fun and it was great seeing all the cute babies in their costumes. We managed to get a few pictures of the babies together, but we had to act fast! On Friday, after my workout with Stroller Strides we did stroller to stroller trick or treating with all the kids. Unfortunately, Natasha was still napping so she missed out on that, but woke up in time for another group photo. It was a little bit easier to get these kids together because they are all a tad bit older than Natasha. Saturday, we had a break from the Halloween costumes and dressed up in our UCLA gear for tailgating and the game. We won't discuss the outcome of the game, but I am glad that USC lost too. Sunday was Halloween and if you have ever been to our neighborhood you know there are lots of kids around. Natasha had fun helping pass out candy to all the trick or treaters. I think she thought it was a game since we were constantly opening and closing the door. From 6pm to 8pm we passed out 250 pieces of candy (give or take, since I may have indulged a bit this week). The streets were so packed with kids and parents, that you had to be very careful driving around. It was a great night and next year we plan on taking Natasha trick or treating!

We hope you all had a great Halloween too!