The Beginner

Things I Have Forgotten To Post

2009-09-03T09:16:00.005-05:00

I have been terrible about blogging. Once I found out I was pregnant with Cooper it all dropped off. Things I have forgotten to post:

Began Crawling: 6mo
Began Walking: 9 1/2 mo
Eating Solids: 9 mo (by 10 1/2 mo began refusing baby food. Only wants the real stuff!)

Love this face...

Logan is growing so fast. His vocabulary increases daily. Just yesterday he thought he had lost the race and said "dammit!" Makes a mother proud!

Ohhh! there is soo much more I have forgotten!

I will try and keep up with both blogs:

this one and http://backofthepackrunningtosavelives.blogspot.com/

I may be changing the name of the link since I feel a little guilty it leaves Coop out. I'll keep you updated.

Help! I NEED A NAME!!!!!!

2008-08-26T16:16:00.002-05:00

This child is due in less than 4 weeks and so far we are going to call him "The Baby" because we can't make a decision on a name. Any suggestions out there? Names I am currently toying with:

Nathan Roger
Zachary Nathan
Rowan Nathan
Rohan Nathan
Evan Roger

The names in my family are not very useful...

Father: Rodney Gale
Brother: Roger Mac
Grandfather: Vildie Vernon & Eual Rueben

I have thought about changing Roger to Rodger so as not to leave my father out however it looks silly. Nathan is the male version of my name so I'm kind of partial to it but not set on it.

Any ideas????

Nationals or BUST

2008-07-27T20:24:00.023-05:00

As most of you know Austin has been here for the summer & has been heavily involved with baseball. We just got back from Nationals. It was extremely exciting!!!!!!!

The beginning of the week the boys trade pins & compete in games. Austin won "Homerun Derby". He hit 3 balls over the fence. Each averaging around 270ft. He could have possibly hit more but his dad was pitching to him and I think was way more nervous then Austin!

We won our first three games that seeded us 3rd however our first bracket play we lost. The tournament was double elimination so we had to win 6 more games just to make it to the championship. Unbelievably we did it!!!!!!!!!! In order to win the championship we had to beat the undefeated team twice.

We lost. 7 to 6 in the bottom of the 6th inning but it was exciting all the way to the end. Austin did a great job pitching & playing 2nd base. The team received medals & watches. Austin also received, along with 4 other players, a plaque for "All Tournament Team"

As you look through the pictures... Austin is #10 and has been affectionately named "Big Papi". This was nickname took place long before they even knew Big Papi was his favorite player. Also the picture "He's Safe!" is Austin sliding into home & knocking the ball out of the catcher's hand.

Out of the Mouthes of Babes

2008-04-18T18:37:00.002-05:00

So I get a call from the daycare today. First thing that goes through my mind... YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! He can't be sick AGAIN. But my worries were relieved when the Assistant Director was laughing on the other end.

A.D.: "Now Natalie... You have to promise me you won't get mad at Logan..."

Me: "What did he do?"

A.D.: "Logan's teacher brought him to me and told him to tell me what he said"

Logan: "I say DAMMIT at my house!"

A.D.: "What did you say?"

Logan: "I Say DAMMIT at my house!"

A.D.: "Who taught you that word?"

Logan: "My momma taught me DAMMIT"

Okay... in my defense he mentioned the word last night while we were playing Wii and we had a similar conversation

Momma: "Logan what did you say?"

Logan: "DAMMIT"

Momma: "Where did you learn that word?"

Logan: "Berke" (his cousin)

So it seems Logan is willing to throw anyone under the bus... it's just a matter of whose asking.

Been Busy!!!

2008-02-24T17:30:00.016-06:00

Let's see.... Jeff and I went to Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It was our present to each other for Christmas. Prior to going we signed on the dotted line on having a new house built. This is our land

This spot of land is located on a corner lot. It will have 3 bedrooms & an office. 3 car garage and a large backyard and front yard. As exciting as it all is it is very overwhelming also. Anyway, we signed on the dotted line and then headed for Eureaka Springs, Arkansas.

This was our room:

This was the wildlife we woke up to every morning:

This is what the town looked like:

Seriously... I thought Florida was tacky?? This town was one big yard sale that ran all year long. It looked as though people just shopped other yard sales for something to put in their own.

I wish I had taken a picture of the two ladies who came to give us massages in our rooms. I prayed the whole time that one of them wouldn't have a stroke right there.

Then we got back and found out we were PREGNANT! Logan says he wants a sister and personally I do think we need to even balance out the home. I am a little out numbered but other than that... a girl scares the hell out of me and more than that out of Jeff.

That about covers it all. We are currently at 10 weeks and due mid September, which probably means it will be a girl. No morning sickness thank goodness just tired all the time. Hard to find time to write but I will try and be better with the updates.

Tell Me Again... Why did we leave Florida?

2007-12-11T18:15:00.000-06:00

Well the first of the Ice Storms have hit. I have missed 2 1/2 days of work for this ice storm. This pathetic excuse of an Ice Storm. I call it pathetic because last year looked more drastic and devastating however we never lost power.

What I don't understand (Heather & Michelle you can probably back me up on this) is the minute a drop of snow falls or the potential of ice to hit the ground the schools are closing. When I was growing up it was next to impossible to get a snow day. You couldn't see outside your windows for all the snow and the roads were an ice skating rink. That only meant first period was off. Am I right? Of course Michelle was the smart one (I think)... she is reaping the benefits we never had growing up.

I probably wouldn't be so bitter if I was getting compensated for the days missed or if I didn't continue to pick jobs that expect you to come to work no matter what!

Anyway, enough of my ranting, here are a few pics for those in Florida. Those in Mass... this is nothing to what you go through. I bet schools don't close there the minute Mr. Freeze Mizer so much as sneezes.

But the good news is Logan is learning how to cook during this extra time off from school

Yep! He did those all by himself. We just put them into the oven for him.

Back Home

2007-12-01T22:17:00.000-06:00

We are back home but thinking of Florida regularly. Glad to be near family but miss Austin and the Ocean. Logan tells us daily that he wants to go on a plane and see Austin.

Our last day on the beach was windy, cold but still beautiful. Would love to show you the pics of the dolphins playing and jumping in the water... but I deleted them. Sorry. I was trying to make room for more pics and the I got delete happy.

Here are a few pics from our last two days...

We created our dream home, as well as, a home near by for those who come to visit. It has a gorgeous beach view. There is a bridge close by that will bring you to our castle.

Captain Memo's Pirate Ship

2007-11-24T18:54:00.000-06:00

We started out the day with a little "Booty" Burying:

Went back and relaxed. After Logan got up from his nap we headed out to the Pirate Ship. If you are ever in Clearwater, Florida I definitely suggest this trip. It was such great fun for the kids and adults. Definitely geared around the children there were water gun fights, story telling, treasure hunts and dancing. However very thoughtful of the parents... the fare included complimentary beer and wine.

Just Another Day at the Beach

2007-11-19T21:25:00.000-06:00

Our last two days at the beach have been incredible! Logan took to the water immediately.

On both days we have seen schools and schools of Dolphins. In fact today there were some not 25 feet from us. I would have liked to have gotten more pics but you never knew exactly where they were going to surface and I am not too quick with the camera.

Logan had his first Alligator bites (taste like chicken)

At the Worlds Longest Ocean Front Bar. Exactly how that is determined I'm not sure. Is that some one's job to measure bars on the beach? Or is it like the World's Best Lasagna?

Needless to say Logan is feeling right at home

And so is Austin since he has his Wii to keep him busy when we are not. However his little brother won't stop mimicking everything he does.

Tomorrow we are off to "Captain Nemo's Pirate Ship"

Vacation

2007-11-18T21:34:00.000-06:00

We are currently vacationing in Tampa, Florida. This is a huge treat for me because the last real vacation I had was right after Logan was born. We went to Twenty-Nine Palms, California so Austin could see his brother and then to Massachusetts so his Meme & Pepe could see him.

Since then I have had the long weekends here or there. The family getaway my mother puts together at Grand Lake and some camping trips but not the real thing. A long week away from work and worries. A hotel with nothing to contemplate but, do we take a nap or go back down to the beach.

So... the beginning of our trip, not so good. We got to the airport in enough time to check in, relax, and assure us to get a last minute stop at the bathroom (because of course we are potty training). Obviously it has been forever since we traveled because we forgot to check to see if our plane was running on time. We were supposed to leave at 11:50am. When we got to our gate it had been delayed to 12:30pm. No big deal... we will start our vacation now. Bloody Mary's anyone?

Jeff then goes to check. It has been delayed until 1:30pm. Seems the original plane had mechanical difficulties. Our brand new computer which we just got back from technical support has little to no sound! For those of you who have small children... this is not good!!! We try anyway and it buys us a little time.

When we finally board ($55 short of our spending money) Logan is all excited. We give him a sucker because this solves his need to run up and down the aisle (it's way past nap time, mind you).

This works wonderfully... in fact it might has well been a pacifier.

What you are missing in this picture is the 20 minutes it took for us to pry the sucker from his mouth in the 30 minute flight. By the way... that is all he needed before we got on to the LONG flight. No time to take pictures then. We were too busy saying "Stop yelling", "Sit Down!" "Am I going to have to take you into the bathroom?!"

A computer with sound would have been excellent right about then.

Must be in the DNA

2007-11-07T08:18:00.000-06:00

Seriously where do kids get these things....

Logan was at the dinner table complaining his tummy hurt. He had also made a comment to this fact earlier that morning. It wasn't affecting his mood or his eating so I assumed it must be gas (he ate a can of green beans the night before along with two hot dogs).

So I ask him... "Do you have gas?" He proceeds to lean left and raise up his butt. Then lowers it and says "NOPE"

Demoted

2007-10-19T16:58:00.000-05:00

That's right I have been demoted.

I am now referred to as "Mom". No more "Mommy" or "Momma" What's next to go? Goodbye kisses at daycare? The fight over who loves who more?

My main question is.... Why is "Daddy" still "Daddy"?

Baseball Player, Actor or Director?

2007-10-02T09:20:00.000-05:00

I know every parent tries to imagine what their child will be when they grow up. So of course I am no different.

Baseball Player (Preferably for the Red Sox)
Jeff and Austin have a natural talent for sports. Especially baseball and it seems this talent has not passed Logan by. You can pitch the ball to him and he will knock the bleepty-bleep out of it. We have pretty much ruled out batting practice in the house (Even if it is a plastic ball).

Actor
Logan at an early age started learning how to pretend, use facial expressions and play his mom.

Director
His bossiness makes me think director. As he is acting and playing with you he stops and starts telling you how to act:

Logan: "No, Like this" he starts shaking his hands in fright "then 'aaahhh' and fall down. Okay!"

If you don't do it right. He stops all playing and explains it again. He just hasn't learned to use the phrase "CUT"!

All I know is... I hope it pays for our early retirement!

Quite Impressionable

2007-09-27T15:12:00.000-05:00

You're Anne of Green Gables!
by L.M. Montgomery

Bright, chipper, vivid, but with the emotional fortitude of cottage cheese, you make quite an impression on everyone you meet. You're impulsive, rash, honest, and probably don't have a great relationship with your parents. People hurt your feelings constantly, but your brazen honestly doesn't exactly treat others with kid gloves. Ultimately, though, you win the hearts and minds of everyone that matters. You spell your name with an E and you want everyone to know about it.

Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

I'm not sure this really represents me but it is funny that this is what came up. Hope & I spent many hours watching this movie and were just talking about recently.

Early Wakenings

2007-09-26T11:38:00.000-05:00

5:30a.m. I am sleeping soundly. I have a 1/2 hour of blissful sleep left before I have to get up and get ready to go to my so called "job" when I am rudely awakened by "Mama! Mama!" I go running into Logan's room concerned something major has happened.

"What! What's wrong!"

"I have to go pee pee."

I am thinking... isn't that why you have diapers on? I reach down thinking his diaper must be full only to realize he doesn't have a diaper on.

"Where's your diaper?"

"Right Here!" He hands me a perfectly good, dry diaper. "I go pee pee in the potty"

Thrilled he is working on his potty training. Just wish he could have waited a 1/2 hour.

Kindred Spirits

2007-09-25T08:56:00.000-05:00

Hope and I have known of each other since Junior High. However we didn't become friends until high school. In fact we both dated Craig N. I asked him to the Christmas dance but he was already going with Hope. However, Sophomore year we were both placed in Drama together and once again dated the same guy.

She had gone out on a date with Ross W., he then asked me out. He also asked me to the Prom. I was worried that Hope would be upset and struggled over how to tell her. One day Hope was sitting behind me looking at Prom dresses (GREAT!) and Mrs. Martinez, our ever so tactful drama teacher, comes up to her and tells her to put the magazine away and says "it's not as if you are going to the prom anyway". I turned around in shock. I saw tears welling up in Hopes eye and told her "don't you dare cry, don't you give her the satisfaction". Hope didn't cry but you could tell she was devastated.

After class I went to Mrs. Martinez and told her she needed to apologize to Hope. I was quite mouthy in high school. Luckily Mrs. Martinez saw the error of her ways and went to Hope's next class and apologized.

I ditched German class to go to the Library where Hope did something that hour. I can't remember what and told her about me and Ross going to the Prom together. She didn't care, she had been pining over Rick.

Since then Kindred Spirits were born. I ditched German regularly to hang out in the Library with Hope. We spent nights in my backyard sneaking cigarettes planning our future and how we would attend our 10 year Reunion, jet plane or limo (mom, if you are reading this, this even after dad beat my ass for smoking... sorry). We vandalized Mrs. Martinez's car with pads and tampons (I know... disgusting) and felt self righteous about it. We attended the Psychic fair every month in hopes to find out what the future held. Many nights spent at Village Inn, smoking cigarettes, discussing the fate of the world, or the next Batman movie.

We graduated, we fell in and out of love, we grew up. We stayed in touch, then we didn't, then we did. All those times we didn't talk I knew we would see each other again. We were Kindred Spirits.

We are grown now with families of our own and as you can see from the pictures... our children are Kindred Spirits also.

Paranoia

2007-09-12T22:38:00.000-05:00

My worse fear is losing Logan. I feel as though I don't deserve to be this happy. No, I should re-phrase that. I don't mean that in a despairing, feel sorry for me, type of way. I just can't imagine that in my selfish, self-serving past that I did anything that said I deserved such a great husband and child.

Why do I bring this up... He is sick. It seems everytime he gets sick it is worse than the last time. This time he is running a fever higher than ever, 104.8. Doctor tells me this is nothing to worry about. I'm not the kind to worry unnecessarily. At least not openenly, but when Logan gets sick I start going into the paranoia phase.... he has been eaten up by mosiquitoes lately, is it West Nile? Does he have some obscure disease? My best friend would laugh at this paranoia. She is a hypochondriac by nature. I tease her non-stop about it... she would find this quite humourous.

Now that I put it on paper and it is out there to see.. I see how silly it all sounds and I can let go of that fear. I think.

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!!!

2007-09-07T14:34:00.000-05:00

Is there anything more gloriously fun than watching your child eating an ice cream cone?

Snuggle Me

2007-08-31T22:03:00.000-05:00

I cried the day my son went from a crib to a big boy bed. I know it is silly but all of a sudden he wasn't an infant anymore, he was a big boy.

He now no longer has me rock him. He crawls into bed and says "snuggle me". How can I resist? I crawl in bed, hoping to keep some kind of routine and authority, I tell him "okay, but just for a minute." He crawls into my arms. I lay there savoring every second.

A minute goes by, okay... 5 minutes, and I tell him it is time for me to go to bed. He say's "one more, than no more" and throws his body on me, covering me like a favorite blanket. How can I resist. We lay there a little longer and then I tell him it is time for me to go to bed... "Okay mommy, wuv you"

Good lord... If I cried the day he wanted to sleep in his big boy bed, what am I going to do when he no longer wants to snuggle me.