Natalie's First Dance Recital

"Get Your Head in the Game" This is the hip-hop dance portion of Natalie's first dance recital. This was the coolest thing I have ever done in all of my life. We were blessed to have Auntie Char come down from Sac too! That is her there in the middle!



She LOVES that hat!

COACH Sunglasses Came Today

I won these last week, eBay, and they arrived today, whohohoO!! Cute eh?

UPDATED: Ok, I took them back to the store, they were not feeling right on my face and kept sliding down..so I got these! They are different than what I usually get, they are a lighter, or blonde, tortoise, so I really like them and they feel right!

Another Blanket

Ok, I finished another blanket, it is Natalie's size, just for her. It turned out pretty good, so now on to another blanket, or maybe a scarf. I am waiting for my Jo Ann shipment to arrive with all of the yarn I need to make a Spice Throw too.

Dance Pics!

Here are a couple of Natalie's Dance Camp pictures. Next week she is doing her show for us! We are really excited about it because they have been working on those dance routines for 3 weeks now.

Natalie and her teacher, Sara

I love this pic of my Mom and Dad, it captures a little silliness and a lot of love!

This is my aunt Char and I, she is the coolest Auntie ever! People say that we look like mother and daughter, good stuff!

My horoscope today...

I'm a CANCER.....
In order to persevere during this potentially tumultuous day, you are going to have to take a bit of a 'so what?' attitude to all the goings-on. Sure, things are not running smoothly, but do you really want them to? How boring would your life be if everything happened on schedule and according to plan? You have to realize that conflict and confusion are great places to find ideas and inspiration. Don't let obstacles get you down. Let them inspire you!

**I'll be posting some dance photos tomorrow**

*whew* I finished it...finally!

I have been working all week on this blanket. It turned out great! Of course there are things that I notice that I will do differently the next time, but overall, not bad for my first baby blanket. I followed the Seija Set pattern from The Happy Hooker book. Next on to the hat...but I am glad I did this it is cool and great practice.

Oh, it has a horizontal hole in the top 3rd of the blanket because it is made to go on the car seat cuz the buckle fits through it. Really cool.

On to the hat!!!

Lots going on!!!

Natalie went to a princess party - here she is all dressed up!
I picked up my platter I did at the Day Art Studio in Pleasanton, it turned out great!!

Another goodie!

We did an OldNavy photoshoot, she was old navy from head to toe, so I wanted to take some pictures, but it is tough to get in there, so we will see.

Vegas Baby!

Well, Sunday night, or should I say Monday morning, we got back from Vegas. Tony's sister Tammy got married. It was a great trip and I think Natalie really enjoyed herself.
This is her eating her waffle at the Paris hotel buffet!!! Yumerooo! Best buffet in Vegas!

And of course, sitting by the pool. Although she didn't do much sitting, she was in the pool for hours!

M&M World! Natalie got to make her own special bag of M&M's. She picked the colors and I filled the bag. Oh and Mom, do you notice what is on her back? She took that cat backpack everywhere with her.



And here she is, the Flower Girl. She did a great job as flower girl, she was given direction on what to do and she executed with grace and perfection. Well, she is MY daughter!

Good stuff!

June 13th and Swim Lessons!

June 13th we took Natalie to Chilis for her b-day. She wanted them to sing, but when they did she said she wanted to hide. :( It was kinda funny! Plus, she would not take off her goggles, so it was all a hilarious night.

Another celebration = Tony got his braces off!!! Alright Tony! After 4 years and finally getting braces to fix his teeth, they are beautiful!

Swim Lessons started again and Natalie is the bad girl of the group! She hangs out by the edge of the pool and pulls in all the toys. She really likes the kickboards, gotta get her some for Uncle Sean's pool! It is also a struggle when there are cry babies in the class and the moms sit right at the side of the pool for the kids to cry to, so the instructor's focus is on them more than the comfortable kids. But it is great for her to get in the water and learn more stuff!

All the parents think she is so cute in her towel, she instantly becomes a princess.

Natalie's 4th B-day Party

We had a great time at Natalie's Party. So, I asked Natalie what she thought of the party?

Um, it was great,
and I blowed out the candles,
and some of these (littlest pet shop characters) came and
some Shrek buddies.

Then she started talking about Disneyland, so overall, she had a good time!

I Finally Did It

Upgraded my camera that is. I like Tony's Nikon D100, but an SLR can be bulky and I like to carry a camera in my purse. So here it is. I upgraded from the Canon SD200 to the SD900 and *whew* it is NICE. 10 mp really makes a difference when I am printing the 4x6s out.
Here are a few goodies I took tonight!

I tell her every day that she is tremendous!

Just Some New Pics

Fiddling with the camera these past few days. Just a few goodies!

Natalie's Last Day of School

Well, Natalie's last day of school was this past Thursday. They celebrated Summer Birthdays and since Natalie's is June 13th, she was celebrated. So sad I wasn't able to be there all year long, the moms seem really great! I would have loved to get to know them.

Natalie the Birthday Girl at School

Natalie and her buddy Michael! Yes, the Michael that all the girls talk about!

Natalie and her teacher MaryAnne singing "Happy Birthday to Natalie"

Bethany & Natalie Dancing at Disneyland

This is too funny, check it out!! Give it a second or two to buffer.

Natalie Playing on Her Laptop

She knows how to open the laptop, log in and start her own games. Wow, that is pretty cool. Life is good!

Been Busy

Wow, been busy, these weeks just fly by! Trying to get things ready for Natalie's b-day party too, so we will see. Going to Vegas for sis-in-law's wedding so I am looking forward to that too! So much to do, so little time.

Some inspiration...(excerpt from Ali Edwards' blog)

Ten Thoughts on Whole Living

1. Your home is more than the sum of its walls. Make it a sacred space.
2. Creativity is a lifestyle, not simply an activity. Let it expand you.
3. True forgiveness springs from love, not regret.
4. Learn something new. Emphasize the trying, not the succeeding.
5. Spend some time in the dirt. You'll be amazed at what nature can inspire.
6. You don't have to have a perfect body to feel great in it.
7. Define yourself by who you are, not the roles you play.
8. Find rejuvination in five minutes of silence.
9. Contribute to abundance. If you no longer need something, pass it on.
10. Find direction in your life by looking where you want to go, not where you don't.

Introducing..........Harry the Bunny

Well, here he is, so far. Harry has no eyes or nose yet, going to Michaels today to see what I can find for him. He turned out OK. Next time, I know what I need to do better, but he is here, nonetheless. His arms kinda look like he is breakdancing or something. LOL.
Here is what I am TRYING to do. It is called amigurumi a Japanese way of creating and constructing crocheted animals and dolls. Yes, I started crocheting, it is cool, not scarf weather, but when it is, I will have lots to choose from.

Oh and last weekend, My Auntie Char turned 50!!! Here is a pic of Natalie and Kaia! She sure loves her family!

Disneyland 2007

Papa, Gamma, Bethany, Jadyn, and Natalie

Bethany, Natalie and Jadyn

Natalie got a moment with BUZZ!

Lucky Girl got to touch Lightening McQueen!

Princess Ariel in her Grotto!


Can't pick just one. What a great time we had at Disneyland this week. I couldn't choose just one picture, they were all so good. These girls love each other so much it is awesome. Natalie went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and she survived! Sean, Dad and I were roller coaster maniacs! Starting with Space Mountain and hitting California Screamin' twice. Good stuff! Next year.....LegoLand? SeaWorld?

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to all! Gramma and Papa came over and we did an Egg Hunt in the backyard. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time. I sure love this age. She is so much fun!