A Few Misc. May Photos

Natalie with cousins Porter and Grace at Meega and Poppop's house.

This little light of mine...!

Raaaaawr!

Mmmmuah!

Sigh. It's only a matter of time before she figues out how to dispense water from the cooler.

Soap mohawks are kewl.

So fresh and so clean clean.

Natalie's First Swim

Our neighborhood pool is officially open for the summer! Hooray! Allen and I took Natalie for her first dip in the pool on Sunday. First we waded in the baby pool for a bit. She got brave and let go of my hands and was in for a bit of a surprise when she fell forward into the water. The shock only lasted a few seconds before she was all smiles again.

Next we ventured into the big pool. She did great with everything except when I tried to float her on her back. I don't think she's a big fan of the water in her ears.

We started her first swim lesson today. We sang a song where we "washed" the babies' faces and hair (to get the babies used to the water on their faces and heads), let the babies kick on their tummies towards toy ducks, and even dunked them under briefly. She was a trooper! No tears for the entire 30 minutes, even after the dunk. She may be swimming circles around me before the summer is over.

Disclaimer: Yes, I realize that Natalie's hat and swimsuit could not be more mismatched. I will be adding several solid sun hats to her wardrobe, pronto!

Brave little girl, letting go of Mama's hands.

(Splash!!) Hey! What was that for?!

Not too sure about sitting down in the water.

No worries. We're all smiles again!

Swimming with Mama in the big pool.

Girls on the Run 5k

As I mentioned in this post, Lyndsey invited me to be her running buddy in the Girls on the Run 5k two weeks ago. It was a lot of fun to see soooo many young girls all pumped up for the run. After pinning on our numbers, getting our hair dolled up, slapping on some temporary tattoos, and warming up to Lady Gaga and the Blackeyed Peas, we were off! Lyndsey did a great job for her first 5k. She never doubted herself and was in great spirits the entire time. She warned me that she has a pretty good kick and that I may not be able to keep up at the end. Turns out she really does! Maybe she'll be a half-miler like her ol' Aunt Sally some day...

Matching Girls on the Run tatts? Check.

Green hairspray? Check.

Race numbers pinned on correctly? Doh! Hey, maybe 891 sounded like a better number to me than 168.

Natalie getting some Q-time with Uncle Jerel.

Granny and Peepah take a turn entertaining Natalie.

Lynsdey gives the family two thumbs up at the 2-mile mark.

Cute group shot of the Dawsons after the race.

Natzilla getting her exercise too!

An Aamoth Reunion

Hooray! I'm finally getting around to posting some pictures from our trip to visit my sister's family two weeks ago. Around Easter, Lyndsey asked me to be her running buddy in the Girls on the Run 5k. (If you're not familiar with Girls on the Run, it is a fantastic organization that teaches pre-teen girls across the country about self respect and self confidence through running and teamwork. I'll be adding pictures from the run in a separate post.) There was no way I could pass up the opportunity to spend some time with the Dawsons and support Lyndsey in something that is near to my heart, so we started making plans to drive up to Troutman, NC. Allen wasn't able to make it that weekend, but luckily my parents wanted to go and were kind enough to chauffer me and Natalie there and back. (Thanks Mom and Dad!)

It was great to spend some time with Karen, Jerel, Lyndsey, AJ, and Lars, who I don't get to see nearly as much as I'd like. I know they enjoy getting to see Natalie too. Unfortunately she's going through an incredibly clingy phase and spent much of the weekend stuck to me like Saran Wrap. I don't think everyone got their fill of cuddle-time with her, so I certainly hope that the next time we all get together she'll share the love (and give me a break!)

It's never too early for piano lessons! Natalie had fun banging on the piano with Aunt Karen.

Bedtime? Can't you see I'm hanging with Aunt K and Unce J?

Natalie's first Pebbles hair-do.

Start your engines! (We were in Nascar country, after all!)

This is the "you will have to surgically remove me from my Mama" look.

Hanging with Daddy

Natalie "helped" Allen while he watered the back yard. This was too cute not to post.

Is that a goatee?

Check out Natalie's sweet prune goatee. Pure awesomeness.

Fun with Baxter

Natalie thinks Baxter is downright hilarious. It's fun to see her interact with him more and more. If only Baxter would enjoy the "interaction" as much as Natalie obviously does...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV87KDssQkU&feature=channel


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okLBJdxVII0