All Things Natter

Raccoon Toons

2012-01-08T15:57:00.000-06:00

A family friend of mine, Matt Taylor, has a comic strip called "Raccoon Toons". Each week he posts a new comic, except this month he will have one up every weekday. Pretty sweet! I remember reading his comics that he would post in the school paper. Anyway, Matt is holding a contest to have yourself drawn into one of his comics. All you have to do is like or follow his comic strip, post or share one of your favorite strips, let him know, and then eat a cookie. Yes, eat a cookie. Love it! So, here is my favorite strip because it was something similar to what happened to me once. It was Halloween of 2006 and Scott decided to play a little trick on me. He placed a phantom decoration in the bathroom of our apartment. I was pregnant at the time and so I had to get up at night to use the bathroom. I walked in, turned the light on, and freaked out! I screamed and ran back to the bed. Scott laughed his head off because he thought it was funny to watch a prego lady fly across the room and land on the bed as she fled from the bathroom. I wasn't too happy. Scott took down the phantom and I made him swear he wouldn't do that again. Sadly, I don't think I ever used the bathroom that night. So, here is the comic strip. Enjoy and check out Matt's website for Raccoon Toons!

Loving Life

2011-12-24T10:25:00.001-06:00

This picture was just too cute! I sometimes find it hard to capture a good smile from the little ones. It takes patience and timing and it seemed to pay off for me. I thought I would share this smile with you. It makes me smile just looking at it.

We also had the chance to go to Utah for my Grandma Flack's funeral. It was sad to hear she passed away, but it was a happy occasion too. I know that she is with our Father in Heaven and is so happy to be reunited with Grandpa and her son. It was lovely to have the family all together for the funeral and to also visit family from the other side of my family as well. I love you Grandma and miss you, but I know you are happy!

Eliza and Heber with Great-grandma Hall

Gideon and Great-grandma Hall

Eliza did a really good job. She even got a strike!

Heber had a blast and wanted to carry the bowling ball on his own.
We had to keep and eye on his toes for him :)

Some Fun Filled Days

2011-12-08T22:34:00.001-06:00

So, some exciting things have happened in the last month or so. First of all, my brother Brent came to visit us for a few days. That was so much fun. We took the train into Chicago and wanted to go up to the Skydeck in Willis Tower to get a good look at all of Chicago. We got there and were told that there was no visibility up there due to the rain clouds. Crazy! So we skipped on that and just walked around the city a little in the rain. I held Gideon, Brent held Heber, and Eliza walked. She was a trooper. The next day we went to Starved Rock State Park. That was beautiful! We had fun on our hikes and Eliza liked playing as a troll who wanted a password each time we went over a bridge of any kind. It was a blast!

Eliza, Brent, Scott and Heber

Uncle Brent with Heber, Gideon, and Eliza

Heber celebrated his second birthday and I made a train cake for him. It was a lot of fun and he absolutely loved it. Every morning after his birthday he would see his cake and get all excited. And he really enjoyed eating cake for breakfast. So did Eliza. Heber really enjoyed his birthday.

We also had a good thanksgiving and both Scott and Heber had a hair cut. Yes, that means that Heber's hair is much shorter, more like a buzz cut. It looks pretty cute. I still miss those curls, but I guess my little guy has to grow up.

Heber's new hair cut

Finally, I have been working on Gideon's Christmas stocking. I have made one for each of the kids and I just finished Gideon's and I really like how it turned out. Each stocking has a theme around an elf. Eliza's stocking is an elf crashing into a candy cane, Heber's is an elf looking into his sock stocking, and now Gideon's is and elf climbing up the chimney. Scott helped me come up with the ideas for each stocking and then it was up to me to figure out how to put them together, without any kind of pattern. I'm pretty proud of them so I thought I would share.

Eliza's stocking

Heber's stocking

Gideon's stocking

We are excited for the holiday season and we hope you are, too. Here are a few pics of Gideon. He has started sleeping through the night, has begun sucking his thumb, and is doing better at sitting up on your lap. Such a handsome little dude!

This is how he likes to sleep sometimes

Fall Crafts

2011-11-03T11:01:00.000-05:00

Here are some crafts that I have been working on recently. They have been a ton of fun and I'll give credit where credit is due to the original creators.

Tin Can Lanterns

I made these by first freezing water into cleaned out tin cans. Then I cut a piece of paper the size of the can and drew a picture on the paper. I taped it to the can and poked holes along the drawing so that when you take the paper off and place a tea light inside, it glows through showing the picture.

Jack 'o Lantern Jars

This was a really cute idea and a lot of fun to put together. For directions, click on the name above to take you to the site for the tutorial at the site http://www.u-createcrafts.com/. All it takes are mason jars, mod podge, tissue paper, black paper, and tea lights. Sweet!

2x4 Turkey

Here is another cute and fun craft created by the same author as above. These take a 2x4 block, paint stick, ribbon, paper, paint, feathers, decorative paper, craft sticks, and mod podge.

"Fall" Blocks

This fun craft is found on the site http://www.makeit-loveit.com/. I like her blocks a lot better than how mine turned out. Still, it was fun and I was just going crazy with it, if you couldn't tell. And yup, some of the little balls have fallen off. Oops.

Fireflies

These fireflies are thanks to the site http://www.ohdeedoh.com/. The kids had fun playing with these little light up bugs once we had them put together. Supplies...Easter Egg, flameless tea light, pipe cleaner, silver duct tape, marker for eyes and mouth, and sharp scissors to poke holes for the legs and antennae.

Turkey Hair Bow

This idea came from LiliBugBoutique who is selling a much cuter version on etsy.com. Follow the link above to find her beautiful creation.

I know there are a lot more crafts out there that I can't wait to do. More to come in the future!

First Haircut

2011-09-26T16:36:00.001-05:00

I finally did it. I cut Heber's hair. It was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. Okay, maybe not, but it was like Heber went from being the baby to being the older brother. I suppose it had to happen since he is not the baby anymore. Still, it was hard to make that first cut and after that I knew I had to finish. I know my cutting job is not the greatest and I will probably try and clean it up some more, but I think I did okay.

Here are the before pictures...

...and here are the after pictures.

I'm all grown up!

Here are some pictures of Gideon and Eliza, just for fun.

Two Weeks Old

2011-09-12T15:05:00.000-05:00

So, I was sitting and thinking today and realized that it was September 12. Nothing really fancy or special about today, except for one thing. Today is Gideon's due date! Today was the scheduled day that he was supposed to come, the day that I would find out if we were having a boy or a girl. Instead, we got to find out two weeks ago and have loved having Gideon with us. He is such a sweet little guy and I love him to death. So do Eliza and Heber, which means I have to keep an eye on them, for Gideon's sake. Gideon is sleeping well, starting to stay awake more during the day, and is on a consistant four hour eating schedule. The one thing I look forward to at this point, when Gideon decides to start sleeping through the night. That would be heavenly! Until then, I will dream of that day and continue the crossword puzzles to keep me somewhat alert while I feed him at night. Wish me luck!

Gideon at five days old

Grandma Hall with her newest grandson!

Gideon is sleeping on Scott's chest.
Scott's foot...yeah, really bad sprain playing volleyball.

And just for fun, here are some pictures of all three kids when they were about two weeks old. Take your guess as to which picture is which kid. Then I'll give the answer at the bottom. Good luck. I find it amazing how closely they all look alike.

Baby #1

Baby #2

Baby #3

Answers:
Baby #1 - Gideon
Baby #2 - Heber
Baby #3 - Eliza - face paint was done by Scott. Such a daddy thing to do.

It's a Boy!

2011-08-29T11:36:00.002-05:00

So, I woke up Friday morning feeling some contractions going on. I wondered if they were intense Braxton Hick's contractions, but after feeling their intensity and having a consistant frequency and duration that I could track, I called my doctor to see what was up. She had me come in, checked me and said that I was definitely in the early stages of labor.

Long story short, she sent me to the hospital, I called Scott to come and join me, luckily I had already dropped the kids off, and at 2:10pm I had our little baby boy. He is 2 1/2 weeks early, 6 lb 5 oz and 19 inches long. His hair is on the darker side, so we aren't sure what color it will be. I still can't believe he is here, but we are blessed and he is wonderful! Eliza and Heber have been very excited, too.

Proud Papa

Happy Mommy

Eliza, Heber, me and Gideon

Big sister Eliza and Gideon

"I have a baby" Heber and Gideon

Daddy and kids

The siblings!

Blessings in Disguise

2011-08-24T18:01:00.000-05:00

So, today is the first time I have been in a car accident. Before you worry too much, yes, I am okay and so are the kids. And yes, the other driver is okay too. Long story short, I was making a left hand turn and wanted to get to the median before entering the other side of traffic. I saw that there was one car who had their blinker on to turn right and assumed everything was clear. Somehow I missed the other car that was in the inner lane so as I started to turn into the median, I saw the car coming at me. He slammed his breaks, I pushed the gas to try and get out of the way without throwing myself into the other traffic. I thought we were in the clear, but I was wrong. I felt the tap as he hit my back left bumper and I saw that his front left bumper was crunched. After filling out and accident report and me getting my first ticket (yeah, lots of firsts) we parted ways. Luckily we were both okay and he was very friendly and helpful at the same time. I, of course, apologized constantly, and in my head I was grateful that we were all okay.

So, I got to thinking and realized that I had a prompting to bypass this section of the road and instead of taking this shortcut, to head out to the main intersection. If I had listened, accident avoided. But, because I didn't listen, well, let's just say I learned my lesson. Despite the bit of damage and the accident and the ticket, we are all okay and I have most definitely learned my lesson.

We came home for lunch and I said the prayer and thanked Heavenly Father for keeping us safe. Eliza asked why I did that and so I explained to her that we should give thanks for everything. This crazy situation turned out to be a good teaching lesson for my kids as well as a lesson on heeding the promptings of the Spirit. My blessing in disguise.

More from the Natter Family Reunion

2011-08-15T09:20:00.000-05:00

I am so sad that we had to come home already, but we had a wonderful time visiting with Grandma and Grandpa and the whole family. The kids absolutely had a blast and of course, they were not happy to leave either. Who ever is happy to leave Grandma and Grandpa's? So, here are some remaining pictures from our trip. We got to go to Northwest Trek, which is a wildlife preserve and ride a tram through the park. We rode right through a herd of American Bison. Pretty sweet! We also got to enjoy a scenic train ride near Mt. Rainier. Beautiful! Also, there was a day where us adults go to take a break from the kids and go mini golfing. Sadly, I don't have any pictures of that. Either way, enjoy the pics!

Caribou

Big Horned Sheep

American Bison

Gooo Cougars! Yeah, I miss BYU

Fisher

Scott, Heber, Grandpa and Eliza watching the beaver swim

Heber and Scott with a cross section of a tree.
The center plaque says it's life began in the 1300's, before the Renaissance.

The Cousins: Aliyah, Rylie, Eliza, Heber and Jackson

Riding the train. The kids loved being able to run around.

Our Family

Mt. Rainier

Eliza, Jackson, Heber, Aliyah, and Rylie

Natter Family Reunion

2011-08-09T11:23:00.000-05:00

Well, we made it to Washington for the family reunion. Luckily, I was able to make it. It has been a lot of fun so far with everything from a wedding to going to the beach. Here are some pictures just to keep you happy. More to come later.

Heber asleep on Uncle Michael

Eliza the flower girl

Eliza, Kate, and Heber

Cousin Jackson trying to get the food

The Wedding Cake - flowers by Scott

Uncle Danny and Aunt Marina and the Best Man, Curran

Dad dancing with Heber

Eliza dancing with Daddy

Cousin Aliyah and Heber playing in the sand

Natter Family at the beach

Heber and Uncle Michael

Heber and Great Grandma Hendricks

Cousins Jackson, Aliyah and Rylie

Catching Up - May through July

2011-07-06T09:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, so I realized that my latest post was Mother's Day and it is now past the 4th of July and I have not updated anything yet. Sorry! So, here is my quick attempt to catch everyone up.

May

One of the gals in our ward asked us to make the boutonniere for her date to Prom. Since Scott has been so busy, that meant I got to put it together. I actually made two to give to her: one was a full rose and the other was a rose bud I created with some rose petals. I think I did pretty well.

Scott and I celebrated our 5th Wedding Anniversary. I still can't believe five years have gone by. We went out to dinner the night before and then went geocaching on our anniversary. That was fun.

Heber went on his first camp out with Scott for the Father/Son stake camp out. The two of them had a lot of fun and Heber did really well.

We also got to celebrate Eliza's birthday and she really liked her cake, although I wish it would have turned out better. For some reason I just can't get frosting to cooperate with me. Maybe I need to take a class...

June

We took a family camp out to Governor Dodge in Wisconsin. Beautiful! We all really enjoyed the trip, until we had to go to sleep. Yeah, we had to cram all four of us into a three man tent. You would think it would have been okay, but combine four bodies, the youngest one constantly squirming around in his sleep, 90 degree heat at night, and no ground padding. Up, you guessed it. Not a good nights sleep. Next time we go camping, it will be with either two separate tents or one big tent with three rooms or something along those lines. And, I guess being five months pregnant doesn't help much either. Still, I loved the trip!

Walking with Daddy on the Steven's Falls trail

Top of Steven's Falls

Eliza, Heber and Scott next to the falls

Erin and Eliza. So nice and cool!

Our "Hansel and Gretel"

Standing inside the spring house

Can you tell I'm pregnant? :)

The Spring House

We also said good-bye to Aaron and Kate. They moved to Arizona for Kate's residency. Yes, we miss them. It even took Eliza a few days to realize that Aaron's dog, Akela, was gone and not coming back. Eliza misses them. We all miss them. Though, I will admit, it has been nice to turn extra room into a play room for the kids. We miss you Aaron and Kate!

Aaron, Heber, Kate, and Eliza. We miss you!

Scott got to go on a high adventure trip with the Venture Scouts in our ward to Boundary Waters. It's at the border of Canada and the US up in Minnesota hence the name Boundary Waters. He absolutely loved the week away from any form of technology - meaning no one could contact him from work.

Scott cliff jumping

The fisherman

Calm waters at camp

The boys!

The kids have also had some fun this month playing in the sprinkler after I'm done watering the garden. Eliza has even had the chance to go jet skiing with Scott on Long Lake with a family from our ward. I'm so jealous of that!

Scott had his birthday so we celebrated that at the end of the month. Happy Birthday Scott!

Is that pie on fire?

July

Happy Fourth! Wish I had pictures of us out on the lake at night watching the fireworks, but I didn't bring my camera so missed opportunity. The only pictures I have to show for the Fourth is Heber eating the beater of cookie dough. We made cookies while Scott and Eliza went jet skiing. Heber's hair is getting pretty long. I keep thinking I should cut it, but I can't get myself to cut off those cute curls. Maybe I'll give in at some point...when he's two? What do you think?

Helping with the corn

Hee hee hee!

Yummy!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-09T23:29:00.000-05:00

I had a very lovely Mother's Day. I got breakfast in bed, flowers, chocolate covered strawberries and a floral arrangement done by my wonderful husband with flowers picked by Eliza. The weather was beautiful with sunny clear skies. I really had a special day!

I just want to say that I am truly grateful for my mother and all she does and has done for me. I couldn't have asked for a better mother. I am also blessed to have my mother-in-law who I love just as much. I cherish both of my mothers.

Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy the pics of some of the flowers from our garden. Love it!

Peruvian Lilies from my parents and Roses I bought to make a boutonniere

My arrangement from Scott and Eliza - all flowers from our garden!

Growing Up

2011-03-11T16:04:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how quickly my kids are growing up. In workout class this morning I was reminded of the fact that Eliza will be in Kindergarten in only two years time! It can't be! I look at little Heber and he isn't just a baby anymore. We changed his crib into the transitional bed to get him ready for "the big kids bed". Plus, he always wants to do what Eliza is doing. He loves coloring, trying to read books, and is just all over the place. The mornings have been crazy because the kids have been up by 6:00am or even 6:30am. So, I let Heber out and he goes and playes with Eliza in her room while I try and get some more sleep. Yes, I should just wake up and start the day, but I also want that bit of sleep. Is it too much to ask for? I guess they can't stay young forever. Too bad. Oh, and if you can't tell by the pictures, Eliza decided to cut her own hair and give herself bangs. It could have been worse, so I didn't put up a big fuss about it. She does know that she needs to talk to me about any hair cutting in the future.

The Tower of Uncle

Coloring Fun

BLIZZARD!

2011-02-02T11:53:00.000-06:00

Yup, we got pounded last night with a ton of snow. The most I think I have ever seen in my life. It was crazy to look out the window and see that the snow was up at least two feet. It was enough to cover Heber if we were to sink him in the snow. We did go out this morning to enjoy it and to shovel. I first had to dig our shovel out because Eliza decided to hide it. That was fun. I am also very appreciative of our neighbors who offered help with their snow blowers and such. A good community effort to help dig everyone out of the snow. Thanks!

Looking out into the backyard

Heber in the snow

Eliza climbing a mountain of snow

Let It Snow!

2010-12-10T00:28:00.000-06:00

Snow has finally arrived for the first time this season. I was beginning to wonder when it would come. We have had fun in the snow. Eliza jumped right in and started making snowmen and snowballs and just running around. She is so excited. Heber, on the other hand isn't sure what to do. He just kind of stands there wondering what to do. I can't help but laugh when the poor boy falls over and can't get back up because he's so restricted in his movement by his snow clothes. It's pretty funny. Wow, I sound horrible! Either way, we are having fun!

Mommy, I can't move!

Making a snowman

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T15:33:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving this year was just the four of us and it was nice. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have family here to celebrate with us, but sometimes it's nice when we can do things on our own. I don't know what to say exactly, so I'll make a list of my 10 Grateful Things. Enjoy!

1. My Family - that's easy
2. The gospel
3. My kids laughs
4. Internet that actually works ;)
5. Working with the kids in Primary
6. Singing crazy songs that my kids join in on
7. Sleep and naps and sleep
8. Listening to Eliza make up stories and songs
9. Cuddling together and watching a movie
10. Delicious homemade pies: apple, pumpkin, lemon meringue, and chocolate pudding

I'm sure I have a ton more that I could add to the list, but this will do for now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't they look good? Yum!

Happy Birthday

2010-11-27T15:23:00.000-06:00

We got to celebrate Heber's 1st birthday this month. Still can't believe a year has gone by already! He has learned so much and can do much more. He is walking, can sing back to you, will say Eliza's name as "li-a." Too cute! He has eight teeth all in front and two top molars coming in. He has learned how to crawl up and down the stairs and how to tackle his stuffed animal. I'm sure he practices for when he can tackle his sister. He likes to sit and play the piano and play with his sister. He has the biggest smile and is such a cuddler. What a boy!

Opening his gift with sister's help

What is it?

Okay, this is supposed to be a red racecar with dark blue lines. I wish someone would have told me you have to buy it red if you want it truely red. It was frustrating, but tasted so good and Heber doesn't know the difference...I hope.

Yummy!

Summer in November?

2010-11-27T15:13:00.000-06:00

Yeah, the weather this month has been weird. The past few years we have had snow flurries by the beginning of the month. This year, not so much. It felt like I was back home in California. We had two days of 70 degree weather! In November! It was strange. We went to the park and enjoyed being outside as much as we could. It was fun wearing short sleeves to the park. I'm sure we could have gotten away with shorts if we wanted. The kids loved it and I loved it, too. Now we have to hunker down and prepare for the bitter cold of winter to come.

Okay, so these pics aren't from the extremely warm day, but they are fun pics at the park.

Fame?

2010-11-07T16:58:00.000-06:00

So, I entered Heber into a Wizard of Oz photo contest. Some of you alread know this from the mass email that I sent out to vote for him on Parenting.com. I was pretty proud of the picture and think it's pretty cute, though I may be a little biased :) I think I'm entitled to it. Then I found out through my sister-in-law that his picture was used in an article for the Dollar Store Crafts website. I was surprised that someone would use his picture. Who would have thought that someone would have found it out of a listing of hundreds, thought it was cute, and used it in their article. Needless to say, I'm touched. And I don't think there's a whole lot I can do about it. Besides, I kind of signed away my rights to the photo when I submitted it in the contest. I only hope it is used for good.

Anyway, here is the article. Enjoy!
http://dollarstorecrafts.com/2010/11/cute-baby-costumes/

Also, here is the Wizard of Oz contest photo
http://www.parenting.com/Child/wozcontest/contestant.jsp?ID=42445560

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-01T16:15:00.000-05:00

We hope you all had a Happy Halloween. We sure did! Enjoy the pics.

Eliza carving her pumpkin

Heber had fun playing with the pumpkin innards, putting them in his mouth and then spitting it out.

Planning how to carve his pumpkin

The finished product. Can you guess which pumkin belongs to who?

Answer at the bottom of post.

Eliza in her witch/wizard costume. It changed every day.

Heber the Scarecrow

Trunk - or - Treating

The pumkin is home grown. Scott was very proud!

The ghouls!

Answers to pumkins - from left to right...Erin, Eliza, Scott, Heber

Family Pictures

2010-08-25T16:11:00.000-05:00

So, we finally went and got our family picture taken. The last one we had was when Scott and I got married. Yeah, we were definitely due for one. While we were on vacation in Washington, we decided to get our picutes taken. Enjoy the family photos!

Forever Young

2010-07-02T22:56:00.001-05:00

Sleeping with Daddy

I should not take pictures of myself :)

This is the life!

Heber is so happy to sit in a high chair at the table. Bring on the food!

Smile!

My wild child

Sibling Love

It's all in how you sleep

My happy boy!

Wrestling with Daddy

Birthday visit with Daddy at work

Fun in the park

Eliza's Birthday

2010-07-02T22:29:00.000-05:00

I asked Eliza what kind of cake she wanted. She told me she wanted a pink cake and flowers. So we found a picture of one in my Wilton Cake book and she liked it. I had to tweak it so it worked for her, but I think it turned out nicely. I'm learning that cake decorating is a fine art. Props to those who make theirs look so lovely; I don't compare. At least Eliza loved it and she couldn't keep her fingers off of it. Happy 3rd Birthday!

Family Vacation

2010-07-02T13:53:00.001-05:00

So, I know that there is a lot that I could say about our family vacation, but I want to keep it short. Basically, we joined Lewis and Tacie in Nauvoo for when she went through the temple. We then took two days to drive down to Arizona to visit with Stephanie and Joseph. Then a day trip up to Utah where we stayed with my relatives for Lewis and Tacie's wedding. Then another two days to get back home with the final few hours of the drive spent with a little girl who ended up with food poisoning. Poor kid. At least we made it. It was so much fun and went by so fast. The kids did great and I think it's something we could do again.

Here are pictures of our trip. I think they tell the story better. So, enjoy!

Hay Ride in Nauvoo

Grandma and Grandpa Hall and Heber

The happy couple in the middle: Tacie and Lewis

Steph and Joseph's dog Sammy with Heber

Eliza or a dog...?

Lee's Ferry at North Rim Grand Canyon

Colorado River from Navajo Bridge

One little dinosaur...

...and the other dino

Eliza, Great-Grandma Hall, and Heber

Heber and Uncle Anthony...too cute!

Lewis and Tacie cutting the cake

No cake all over the face?

Dancing with Daddy

My cousin Mitchell and Heber

Roots & Shoots Charity Event

2010-04-24T13:08:00.001-05:00

Scott had a charity event to go to for work. Each employee is asked to do acts of service so Scott chose to help at the booth JMA had set up at the event. Roots and Shoots is a very earth friendly organization that is also affiliated with Jane Goodall. So, JMA had a booth to plant white oak or spruce saplings. I got to bring the kids along and help out too. It was so much fun. Eliza got to plant an oak tree, played the African drums, and colored pictures. It was a chore just to get her to stop long enough to eat something. Everyone thought she was just adorable and people couldn't get their fill of Heber either. I was glad we went and it was so much fun!

If you would like more information about Roots and Shoots, click here

New Discoveries

2010-04-24T12:51:00.003-05:00

Wow, where to begin. I realized it has been a while since I have posted anything, so hopefully I can bring you all up to speed. Not that there is a whole lot really, just that we have had some fun lately. The pictures should be able to tell most of the story.

Heber learned to stick out his tongue

This is what happened once I refilled their water after it had been empty for a day. Clearly they couldn't wait for the other to finish. Sorry guys!

The Care Bear pillow I made for Eliza. She picked out the fabric. I have some left over material so I might try a skirt or something...haven't decided.

Kohl's Children's Museum

Easter egg hunting at home and at a friends house.

Heber's first taste of Rice Cereal. Do I have to eat it Mom?

I found my feet! Yummy!

The docile garter snakes in our backyard. They're fun to catch.

Happy Birthday

2010-04-24T12:30:00.000-05:00

I had a lot of fun for my birthday. We celebrated it a day early since that was when Aaron would be home so he could join us. Aside from the awesome gifts that I got, the highlight of my day was baking my own cake. It took a little longer that I would have liked. But, that's what you get when you only have one round cake pan to use. I found a recipe for a mint cake. So, the cake part was a white cake flavored with mint extract and a section of the batter was saved to dye green and then add to the white cake, swirled in. I just used chocolate to fill and frost the cake. That was fun. Then I got to frost my cake using the cool cake decorating kit I got last year. My cake was really just one big experiment, but it was so much fun! Scott thought it was funny that I had declared I would make my own birthday cake. I liked it, it tasted amazing, and I think I might have to make it again sometime. Besides, I got to eat most of that cake, with the help of Eliza because Scott and Aaron are not big cake fans. More for me!

Picture Some Fun

2010-03-06T23:19:00.000-06:00

I thought it was so funny that Heber managed to stick his thumb inside his pacifier and essentially suck his thumb. Too cute!

Scott and Eliza building a snowman. Eliza loves her time with Scott.

Ready for bed and staying warm on the couch.

"Cheese"

Akela sleeping on the table. I think she's clamed it as her own.

Me and the kids

Can you smile, Heber?

Snacking on our hike

Heber in the backpack, watching Scott and Eliza eat their snack.

Playing Pooh Sticks, which is dropping a stick on one side of the bridge and watching to see whose stick will come out first down streem on the other side of the bridge. Eliza could have played this game all day long.

Fun Times

2010-02-22T09:41:00.000-06:00

We have had a few fun adventures lately. The first one I think Eliza probably enjoyed the most. Scott had brought home some tulip bulbs a month ago along with some pots. So, about two weeks prior to Valentine's Day, he and Eliza planted about 15 pots of tuilp. Scott gave Eliza the task of covering the bulbs with soil once he had planted them. She kind of packed them down a little harder than he would have liked so he had to go back through and losen the soil a bit. All that mattered to Eliza was that she was having fun with her daddy.

Then Valentine's Day came around. Eliza had fun at play group frosting sugar cookies and heaping sprinkles on them. She loved eating the cookie as much as decorating them. Actually, she only wanted to eat the frosting. Didn't care much for the cookie part. Silly girl. Scott had to run out Satruday night to get his Valentine's gifts for me and Eliza. The poor guy has been so busy plowing that that was the only time he could go.

Frosting cookies

I just had to take these pictures of Heber sleeping with his puppy and sucking his thumb. And taking a bottle! Yeah! We were able to leave Eliza and Heber with two gals from our ward who offered to watch them so we could go to the temple the temple. Oh, happy days!

Scott took a few days off this past weekend and one of those days we spent up in Wisconsin near Devils Lake. Scott has this dream of owning property in Wisconsin so that we have a place to go to for camping and who knows what else. Kind of like or own place to get away. He found one site to look at and so I figured it wouldn't hurt to endulge in his little dream. Of course this dream of his also includes building a log cabin, having his own saw mill, a wood fed stove for cooking and no electricity. Just backwoods it, so to speak. I tell you it's rather tempting, but not right now. We still have to pay off Heber and I would rather have my family complete before we think of buying property. We'll see who wins in the end. But, while we were there, we took some time to hike at Devils Lake. Scott had Heber in the backpack and pulled Eliza behind him in the sled and I got to use my Cross-Country skiis. If only I could go as fast as they do in the Olympics...first I have to learn not to fall and how to turn. Wish me luck!

Playing and hiking

Learning to ski

Eliza dancing with her daddy. I am so jealous!

Thumb Sucker

2010-01-26T21:40:00.000-06:00

To suck the thumb or not to suck the thumb? That is the question. Heber has recently figured out that he can suck his thumb. It's cute to watch him put his thumb in his mouth and then practically grab his face with his remaining fingers. But the question I have is whether I should let him get used to sucking his thumb? I think I would prefer the pacifier over a thumb because a pacifier can be weened from and then tossed where a thumb cannot. It's kind of attached and can't be tossed away. As it is, he still prefers a pacifier, but will calm himself with his thumb if he can get it to his mouth. Meaning, I really don't have much to worry about now, right? Either way, who knows what will happen. Eliza only occasionally sucked her thumb, obviously prefering the pacifier. Maybe Heber will be the same way. And then again, maybe not. I guess we'll see what he decides. Choose the pacifier!

My Nutty Kids

2010-01-19T11:16:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I wonder about my kids, including Scott! Just kidding. Eliza is one strange little girl sometimes and it can be quite entertaining. The other day Scott's mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table talking. Eliza decided to entertain herself by using her unusual organizing skills. Her object of choice? The refridgerator!

Yes, she decided to move everything around and stick bottles into drawers and pull the produce out of the bins and move them elsewhere. I can't tell you exactly how she was trying to organize. All I know is that she was trying to shove as much stuff into the drawers as she could. I was having too much fun watching her engrosed in rearranging the fridge that I just had to let her go. A week later, I still haven't reorganized it yet. Oh well.

Heber is still as cute as can be. He just went in for his two month check up and he did really well, despite the five shots he got. Poor kid. He was pretty cranky all day yesterday, to say the least. Luckily, today he is back to his old self. He weighed in at 12 pounds. Good grief! They marked the table to see how long he is but the doc forgot to actually measure that so I did those at home. He is now 21 inches long. That's my boy! Healthy and strong. That's all I could ask for. I did feel kind of bad for the med student who came to check him out. The pour guy introduced himself and then informed me that it has been a couple of months since he has had pediatrics. He looked a little lost, but I'm not worried about Heber and the doc came in after and checked him out. No worries. Just hope the med student gets a little more comfortable and I think he'll do just fine.

For as much of a handful these two can be, they really are good kids. Even Eliza is a little angel, that is when she isn't loving her brother to death (literally), talking back and trying to be the adult. She is a big help. Can't wait for her to get out of her current phase, but that just brings on another one which could be better or worse. Oh well. Batten down the hatches and prepare for one exciting ride!

Happy New Year

2010-01-05T17:01:00.013-06:00

Well, Christmas was a ton of fun. We were lucky to have Scott home with us. He was supposed to snow plow, but the weather turned out to be nice so he got to stay home. Eliza had a blast opening up her presents and she ended up with a pretty good haul this year. Heber just slept the whole time. Too cute.

Eliza and her gifts

Then, both of our families came out for Heber's baby blessing. We had a very full house, but it was so worth it. Eliza loved playing with all of her many uncles and with her grandparents. I have enjoyed it too because I got to have help with Eliza. It's not easy keeping up with her amazing energy level, but I wouldn't have her any other way.

Heber's baby blessing

All the family is here

Eliza and Uncles sledding in the backyard

It's fun to watch Eliza with Heber. She can be a little rough in her loving, but I think she's learning. Just have to keep an eye on her and reign her in sometimes, but other than that, I think she's doing alright. Hope you all had a wonderful New Years!

It's a Boy!

2009-11-23T09:19:00.010-06:00

Heber James Natter

November 19th, 2009

8 lbs 7 oz, 19in

He is such a cute little guy and we are so lucky to have him in our lives. His delivery went so much smoother than Eliza so I really can't complain too much. I feel pretty good, but am still taking it easy. Don't want to over do it.

Eliza absolutely loves her little brother. Occasionally she tells us she wants to hold her baby sister and we have to remind her it's her baby brother. I think she finally gets it now. She's pretty gentle with him for the most part, but luckily he's pretty resiliant and puts up with her so far. We'll see how long that lasts.

Again, I am so happy to have Heber as part of our family.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T17:38:00.005-06:00

So, I hope all of you out there had a Happy Halloween! We actually had a bit of fun. For once our village finally decided that it was okay to go Trick-or-Treating on the day of Halloween. Course, that might only happen this year and next if Halloween lands on a Sunday. But, if it is on the weekday again, then the village will push it to the weekend and have it on Sunday. Not to mention that the times to go Trick-or-Treating is during the day. I remember when we would wait until after dinner to go out Trick-or-Treating. Sad how things change.

Anyway, Scott has been sick for the past few days and opted out of taking Eliza out. I was planning on staying home, but that changed. So I called a family in the ward and asked if she and I could go out with them. Eliza lasted about an hour walking around in her costume before she decided she was done. That meant we all walked back to their house, evaluated our haul, and then Eliza and I came back home. We took a break and indulged a bit in the loot and then went out to the neighbors homes. Then we were done. It was so much fun and I was glad that I could go with Eliza, and that I still managed to fit into my costume.

Anyway, now we have to work on limiting how much candy Eliza eats. Not easily done. Part of me wants her to eat as much as she wants so she either eats it all and it's gone or gets sick and decides she's done with candy. Oh well. It was still a great day. Hope you all had as much fun as we had!

It's Autumn Time!

2009-10-20T09:13:00.013-05:00

Well, I can't believe it, but Autumn is already here. It's weird because I feel like we haven't had much of a summer and now Fall is here and next think you know it will be Winter. Not sure I'm ready for the snow yet, but what can I do.

Yesterday was such a beautiful day that Eliza and I spent quite a bit of time outside. We got to run around, play, and dig. I think Eliza's favorite part was playing in the leaves. Our back yard had so many on the ground that I had to make more than one pile of leaves.

The other activity we got to enjoy the other day was Shades of Autumn at Stade's Farm and Market. Each October they open up their farm and have lots of booths, rides, food, a pumpkin cannon, and a hay ride out to the pumpkin patch to pick your pumpkin. That was a lot of fun and funny. We barely made the final hay ride of the day out to the pumpkin patch. The ride had just left and we had to run and catch up with it. I couldn't run, but I walked as fast as I could. One of the workers had to race out to stop the hay ride because the tractor driver wasn't responding to his radio. I felt bad, but no one else cared.

Riding the Pony

Feeding the goat and llama

Playing in a big box of feed corn

Either way, Fall is here and I'm pretty excited! I love the changing leaves and the beauty it brings. I have always loved this time of year here because I never got to see this back home in California. The other exciting thing about right now is the fact that baby number two is almost here! Just under a month to go. Yeah!

Hall Family Visit

2009-08-11T17:05:00.015-05:00

I was so excited to have my family come and visit over the weekend. Kind of crazy though, because Scott's family just left and my family arrived only two days later. I could care less. I'm just glad I was able to see them again and to see Brent before he leaves on his mission to the Dominican Republic in September.

Grandma and Eliza

Brent, Mom, Travis, Me and Eliza

Even though the stay was short, that didn't cut back on the amount of activities we did. We spent Saturday cooped up for a bit due to a nice rain storm that came through. Later, Anthony and Travis went with Scott to the Elder's Quorum activity for a barbecue and to shoot guns. So jealous! Mom, Dad, Brent, Eliza and I went to the Botanic Garden. The flowers and the shrubbery was absolutely beautiful! I think my two favorite areas were the Japanese Garden and the Waterfall garden.

Eliza in the Gardens

Watching the ducks

Monday we got to go into the city. We drove past the Temple and through Northwestern University on our way into the city. We also drove past Wrigley Field, US Cellular Field, and the Sears Tower. (I know it's the Willis Tower, but it will always be the Sears Tower to me!) We then parked at Navy Pier and walked around the pier, had lunch, walked to Grant Park and then made our way back home.

Giving Baby a hug

Sadly, my family had to leave on today, but they left with a bang. We got to make Molasses cookies and Eliza had fun pounding the dough so she could use the cookie cutters. Anthony and Travis had a blast putting the sprinkles on the cookies. They turned out really well. Cookies made together as a family always have some way of turning out super awesome!

Grandpa reading to Eliza

Making Cookies

Travis and Eliza

Aside for spending every waking minute together and playing games late at night until we were so exhausted and would laugh at everything, I loved having my family here. I wish the stay wasn't so short, but it was so worth it! I love you guys!

Natter Family Reunion

2009-08-04T10:12:00.029-05:00

So, this past week has been awesome! The Natter family has had the chance to come out to our place and have a family reunion. After everyone showed up, we took off for the Dunes in Indiana. Scott's boss was gracious enough to let us stay at his beach house from Saturday to Tuesday. We spent every day going to the beach and Eliza absolutely loved the water. The last time Scott, Eliza and I went we couldn't get her into the water. This time, she was running and jumping in, forgetting the fact that she doesn't know how to swim. Luckily one of us was always around her so she didn't drink up too much water.

Playing Games

Relaxing in Lake Michigan

Eliza running down the dune

We spent all of Tuesday driving down to Cuiver River State Park in Missouri. We ended up spending that night in a hotel instead of at the campground because of all the rain and because some of our stuff got wet from the drive down. So, we set up camp on Wednesday, played in the river, went on a hike, and just relaxed. Scott and Steve had fun catching crawdads and little Jackson was excited to see his dad, Tim, meet us there.

Lounging on the fallen tree

Scott hunting for crawdads

Walking in the river

We also got to spend Thursday in Nauvoo and watch the Nauvoo Pageant that night. It was an amazing production and we all had fun with the pre-pageant games and activities.

Family Pic in Nauvoo

Circle Dancing

Scott and Eliza dancing

Watching a puppet show

Friday's activity took us to a cave in Southern Illinois. I was a little nervous about going into the cave, but I had a blast! We hiked in as far as we could go and then Scott's dad and I came back. I couldn't stay in the cave much longer and I couldn't do all of the exploring like everyone else got to do. That's the joys of pregnancy: big stomach and nature always calling.

Group photo before entering the cave

Scott and I are posting on wall

Scott crawling through the cave

We came home on Saturday saying good bye to Tim, Lindsey and Steve before we left camp. They flew out from St. Louis that afternoon. We then had to say good bye to Scott's dad and Danny on Sunday and today we said good bye to Riki, Jackson, Scott's mom and Grandma Hendricks. It's sad to see everyone go, but we had such a wonderful time.

Ultrasound

2009-07-07T12:45:00.008-05:00

First of all, I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July. We got to meet up with some of the other families in the ward and played softball. That evening, Scott, Eliza and I went to the local KMart parking lot and watched the Round Lake fireworks. It was a lot of fun and Eliza clapped and cheered after each firework. She also like playing with the sparklers earlier in the evening. I would put those up, but sadly they are on Scott's work camera and I have not downloaded them yet. Hopefully I can soon.

Two days prior to the 4th, we got to have our ultrasound for our next baby. We brought Eliza along with us and she kind of wondered what was going on. She watched as the technician scanned my stomach and found some good shots of the baby. Eliza really had fun looking at the picture of the baby in my tummy. All she did the rest of the day was talk about the baby in Mommy's tummy. She also held onto her personal picture the technician gave her.

Eliza seemes to enjoy the fact that there is another baby coming into the family. She likes to put her hand on my stomach and see if she can feel the baby. When we ask her if the baby will be a boy or a girl, she almost always responds, "A baby girl." So, we'll see what happens come November.

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July!

Indiana Dunes

2009-06-01T13:26:00.016-05:00

This past weekend we had the chance to go to Scott's bosses lake house in Beverly Shores, Indiana. It is a couple of blocks away from Lake Michigan and near the Sand Dunes National Park.

We spent Saturday morning playing games until it was warm enough to head out to Mt. Baldy, the largest sand dune in the area. We climbed up to the summit of the dune and took a picture at the top. It was crazy to look out and see Lake Michigan so far below us. Scott then suggested that we run down the side of the dune to the beach. He took off running and practically jumped his way down. I followed with Eliza and we got going pretty fast. It was a good thing I held onto her hand because she would have toppled over and rolled down the entire side of the sand dune.

Scott was the only one brave enough to go into the water. He took Eliza with him and she was not too happy about that. The lake water was about 40 degrees or so and the only way you could stay in the water was to get past the numbing point. After the second time Scott took Eliza into the water she wanted to get out so badly that she cried and said, "I wanna go out!" followed with a "Pleeeaaase Daddy!" How could Scott resist not letting her come back in.

Eliza played in the water as long as it only touched her feet. She did help us collect rocks to skip in the water. Braden Kizer and his wife, Natalie, had joined us for the weekend. He was the champion rock skipper of the group. Natalie also took pictures as we buried Eliza in the sand.

All in all, it was a really fun weekend and I'm sad it's over already. Eliza really took to Natalie and she had a blast getting her toe nails painted before we came home Sunday afternoon. Such a girly girl when she wants to be. Not sure what I will do with a girl who is girly. Learn quickly I guess.

Memorial Day

2009-05-27T11:44:00.020-05:00

We had the wonderful opportunity to spend the morning at 6 Flags with our friends Carli and Ryan Woodland. They were gracious enough to invite us to go with them. Since they bought season passes this year, it gave them a free ticket each. So they invited us.

Eliza had a blast with their daughter, Hayden, riding on the little kids roller coasters. The first one they got on was a little ladybug car ride and they were the only two on it. Once the ride stopped, the ride operator undid their seat belt and Hayden was ready to get off. Eliza instead put the seat belt back together and asked "Another ride?" Hayden was just as excited as Eliza to go for a second round.

They went on a few other rides and there was no way to really keep them away. Once they were done with one ride, they ran to the next one. Luckily the kids section was practically void of anyone else so they were able to do what they wanted. The two of them had a blast!

We ended our day at the park going to Hurricane Harbor. It was a bit cold and windy, but we put on our swimsuits and jumped into the water. It was cold, but the kids loved it. Luckily the wave pool felt like it was heated so Eliza and Hayden tolerated that better. Either way, we all had a lot of fun and Eliza almost passed out in Scott's lap as we took a ride around the lazy river. Thanks to Ryan and Carli for inviting us over. Hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day!

A Week of Everything

2009-05-23T09:10:00.019-05:00

Two weeks ago was the craziest week we have ever had. Course we expected it because of everything that happens and will continue to happen every year. What I mean is Mother's Day (May 10th), our wedding anniversary (May 13th) and Eliza's birthday (May 16th). Yeah, we set ourselves up for that one. What made it interesting though was the Saturday before Mother's Day, Eliza decided to get sick. The poor girl wasn't too happy about that, especially since we had ordered pizza that night and that is one of her favorite meals. Needless to say, we had to skip out on church for Mother's Day, but I couldn't complain too much about that. Luckily no one else got sick and it was only Eliza. Scott and Eliza did make breakfast in bed for me: an omelet and an orange julius. So delicious! I think every mother deserves breakfast in bed.

Wednesday was our wedding anniversary (3 years) and Scott ended up feeling sick. He came home early from work and I had to cancel the reservations I had for dinner. Maybe we will go there for his birthday next month. Anyway, we did manage to get out for a little bit. We ate dinner at Panda Express before going to the movie theater and watching Star Trek. AWESOME! I really enjoyed the movie and I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a movie to watch, especially those with an understanding of the Star Trek saga. For those who don't, like Scott, you will still enjoy the movie. Scott said he thought the movie was really good.

Then for Eliza's birthday, Scott and Aaron had to go and run some errands and I worked on a cake for Eliza. I made a teddy bear cake with chocolate frosting. I was pretty proud of it, seeing that it was my first time I had attempted something like this before. Next time I will flip the cake over after I level it. Frosting doesn't like to stick to the cake part like it does to the crust.

We did manage to finally go shopping for her birthday once Scott and Aaron got back and I had finished her cake. That night we had pizza for dinner and then celebrated her birthday. She had a blast opening her gifts and was really thrilled about the bike we got for her. She hasn't quite figured out the mechanics of pedaling yet. Saddly, we did not take very many pictures of her but I got a lot on the video camera. Now, I just have to figure out how to get the video onto the computer without the proper hook-ups.

So, that was our crazy week. Somehow we made it though and I think we will make it though more to come.

I'ts Official

2009-05-22T08:17:00.002-05:00

It's time to say welcome to the Natter clan to the world of blogging. Well, I guess it's more like welcome to me. I doubt Scott will ever post anything on here, so it's really all up to me. I hope that this will be fun for family and friends and if you care to laugh, then by all means go for it! Anyway, I think this will be fun and we'll see how I do. I can't type much right now because I will be heading off to a workout class in the next few minutes. So until then, this will have to do. So, welcome friends to All Things Natter out here in the beautiful flat and windy plains of Illinois!