Green Thumb

"I like dirt"

Our little Green Thumb - Natasha helped daddy

plant some cucumbers, cilantro and banana peppers this
past weekend. She loves being outside in the grass
and obviously the dirt too!

We definitely don't have a girly girl on our hands

Exploring the texture and eventually the taste of dirt

"I'll take that, daddy"

Balancing all by herself... just waiting

for her to take her first steps

Such a cutie pie

Natasha knows the importance of stretching and staying hydrated

Watching Baby Signing Time... she can sign "more" and "milk."

It is the cutest thing to see! She also has a couple of other signs

but I haven't figured out the meaning of those yet.

11 Months!

Who's 11 months old?




Natasha is 11 months old!

She loves to garden

At Seaport Village in San Diego

Before dinner

Out to breakfast

Exploring the sand

Swinging

Time to slide

Mommy and me at Balboa Park

Natasha is 11 months old and she is moving all over the place. I can't believe that we might have a walker by her 1st birthday later this month! So, what's new with Natasha? Well, she is a busy little bee that loves the outdoors. She likes to play in the sand at the park and help mommy and daddy garden... it's all about different textures with our little one. Natasha also likes to help put away the dishes from the dishwasher (especially the spoons). She is curious about everything and "asks" what things are by pointing her chubby little finger at things. Her words include, "dada," "mama," and "duck." She has only said "duck" a couple of times. Usually in the bath tub with her rubber duckies, but she did say it while feeding ducks at a pond.

Last week we were in San Diego for a few days while Zac had a work conference to attend. Natasha and I decided to tag along and explore the city. We spent our days in the sun walking around Seaport Village and Balboa Park. It was a great little getaway and Natasha did great being away from home. She is quite the little traveler and will be visiting her 3rd state (Minnesota) in April.

Have a great weekend!

Check me out!

Walking with her walker
Climbing the stairs

So proud, but now has to figure out how to get down!

Check me out, walking!

Check me out, climbing!

Boy, are we in trouble now! Natasha has had a big week for such a tiny girl. First, she finally cut her first tooth. A little fussiness and some night waking, but other than that it has not been too bad (I may regret those words later). Then Natasha started walking with her new walker toy. She does a great job controlling the walker especially from the carpet to the hardwood (don't worry, we stay fairly close by just in case). And now Natasha can climb the stairs... time for baby gates! I see many exhausting days in my near future chasing around our little one.

Next up... 11 months on Thursday!

Have a great week!

Be My Valentine

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!

XOXO,

NATASHA

Sunflowers and Tutus

My absolute favorite photo!

So full of smiles

The crooked smile

There is that tongue

Wow, we are already into February and the sunny days continue with warm weather for us, Southern Californians. With the nice weather, there have been many outings to the park to go swing and slide down the slides. After taking a break for the holidays in December and Janurary, we have a couple of play dates set up for this month with the 2010 Babies Club, so Natasha will get to see her friends soon. Our little monkey continues to bring us smiles and laughter everyday. She is pulling herself up like a champ and even has dared herself to let go for a bit to try and balance. She loves to walk (while we hold her hands), but crawling is so much easier. Natasha has even been saying "mama" to me. However, it's only when she is mad, sad, hungry or fussy. But it still counts and melts my heart each time. "Dada" still gets smiles and giggles. Natasha still loves music and her music class on Monday mornings. She does a great job shaking the bells and maracas and listening to the songs we sing.

The beautiful pictures posted above were taken on Saturday by a local photographer in Ladera Ranch. She was running a special for mini sessions and I couldn't pass up on the good deal. It was Natasha's first professional photo shoot and she did a great job flirting with the camera. I am hoping to use one of the photos for Natasha's birthday invitation. And the flowers seen in the photos will be apart of the decorations for her party.

Speaking of birthday parties, Natasha's BFF, Kyra turns the big 1 on Friday and her party will be on Saturday. We are very excited to celebrate the special occasion with her and her parents! Hopefully, I will have some photos to post next week of the girls together at the party.

Enjoy the rest of the week!