21.. I mean 22 months and counting!

Dear Natalie,

I am so sorry. I didn't write a letter to you last month. Not that I didn't have anything to say about you because I do. I haven't seen so much growth and progress in such a short period of time - it's unbelievable. You constantly floor me with all your knowledge and understanding. I regret not taking careful notes of all you say and do. Maybe it is because it has just been a busy past two months - one month of which we traveled. Maybe it was a little too much vacation? Yah, right! It was busy though, so hopefully with all that has happened I'll remember some of the most significant things that have transpired. Fortunately I take A LOT of pictures of you and iPhoto helps me remember what you have been up to.

At the end of May, when it was a little cooler during the day, you were still spending a lot of time outside in the back yard. You still use your tools (rake, shovel, brooms) to tidy up the yard. I would estimate that the majority of your day was spent out there. As it got hotter, I would explain to you that it was "too hot" to go outside and play. One day you pointed to the patio floor and said "shade". I had obviously forgotten that if we were in the shade it wasn't as hot and therefore could still go out to play!

Of course, playing in the water - your favorite thing to do - also keeps you cool. You think it is hilarious to squirt me with the hose. It's fun to get wet with you.

During the past couple of months you have proven that you are more self aware. You look at various body parts on me and then look at yours - noticing how they are similar. You frequently kiss my bellybutton and call it "Cute" - I'm glad you think so! You also learned to say "See me!" when you want to look at yourself in the mirror. You spend a good amount of time checking yourself out from head to toe.

Although it was getting hotter outside, you sill wanted to spend time at the park. You are now big enough to get yourself up to the slides with only a little help from me. On this particular visit I helped you play on the monkey bars. You hung on, with my help, for at least 10 minutes until I couldn't hold you anymore. Since then you have been saying "monkey bars" and do so whenever you hang on anything - and you are frequently looking for things to hang on!

I have also let you to "walk" Nixon. You hold his leash and follow him around and at the same time yell out commands to him like stop and wait and go. Although you are bossy, I think Nixon loves your walks just as much as you do.


Here you are learning the concept of echo. I taught you echo a few weeks earlier and you remembered what it was right away.

Lately your personality has really started to manifest itself. I love it. You are strong willed, determined, independent, stubborn and yet also VERY VERY nurturing - especially with babies, whether you know them or not. You also have a sense of humor! I can joke with you and you know it's a joke. You laugh and say "No" because you know I'm trying to fool you. It's amazing to me to see your level of comprehension. It's also a lot of fun!


Your love of Dora is still going strong. You are entertained by her on a daily basis. It is so fun to see you just kicking back, enjoying some cheese puffs while you watch your favorite Explorer and her friends. You know all the characters names. Boots and Benny the Bull are your favorites right now. You have even started to interact with the show, answering questions when they ask them. You have even said a few Spanish words they are trying to teach!


You are still very helpful around the house saying "I do it!" You are determined to do everything!


You are also very social. Sometimes it takes a while for you to warm up to other people, but when you do you love to play with them. It seems that most people love to play with you, too!


While we were in San Diego for 2 weeks, you developed an obsession with the ocean. You love it. You love the sand, the water, and even watching the surfers! You frequently ask to go to the ocean now. I wish I had one to take you to! We would definitely be beach bums. I love the ocean, too.


While we were in Utah for a week, I learned that you love fireworks and have no fear around them. I also learned that you love cars. Well, I already knew that one, but you particularly loved a certain toy car I think because you could get in it and drive around in it without help from an adult!


You also love the mountains. You seemed to be right at home here. Getting dirty, playing with fire, eating 'smores, touching insects. I also love the mountains. If we lived closer to them I guess we'd be mountian bums, too.



One thing I know for sure is that you love your back yard, especially when your friends come over to play.


And even when it's 100+ degrees out, you still want to play outside! Fortunately I think you realize that water helps keep you cool. A few weeks ago after I came home from work, you and Grandma were in the back yard plying on the trampoline. After I sat down next to Grandma, you went over to your little water filled blow-up pool and carefully scooped some water out into one of your cup-like bath toys. You then proceeded to carefully walk back over to where we were sitting. I asked what you were doing recognizing you had an agenda. You looked at me and said very sternly "YOU". You then walk right up to me and poured your cup of water on me. You thought it was so funny! Then you went back to the pool, scooped up another cup of water and turned to Grandma and said "YOU". We couldn't stop laughing it was so cute. What a fun personality you have!


I have also learned about your passion for ice cream, particularly when it's in a cone. So every once in a while we pick up a cone from the McDonald's drive-thru. While we were out and about one day, I realized we needed to eat something and figured I could pick up a few cheese rollups at Taco Bell. As we pulled up to Taco Bell's drive-thru and you said "Ice cream?". You must have associated the drive thru with ice cream - how observant!




You are very physically strong and talented. You are getting really good at jumping on the trampoline. You can jump pretty high and can even do tricks like 360 spins in the air...well pretty close to a 360!

Another "trick" or game you have learned is "slamming" people - thanks to Uncle Nick. You might even be a WWF star one day if your love of "slamming" people continues. To slam someone, you push them down and throw your body on them, being sure to say "slam" while you do it. You also make the slamming victim make moaning noises so they sound hurt. You know it's a game and you aren't mean at all when you do it. It's actually pretty cute.

You are really talking up a storm. You have been saying at least 3 word sentences and sometimes 4 and 5 word sentences. It is very easy to communicate with you - which makes both of our lives a LOT easier!

Recently, you have also started calling me and your dad, Mike and Karla. You were calling me one day, "Mommy, mommy" and because I didn't answer right away you started calling "Karla, Karla". Ever since then you say my name pretty often to get my attention. The same goes for dad. It's very funny to hear. So funny that it doesn't even bother me!

On July 15th you said your first prayer before going to bed. It was precious. You were so proud of yourself when you finished, too.

Just last week you were able to really communicate with me - helping me understand what you wanted. Out of the blue you started saying something that sounded like "Gay - ch" with a very hard "ch" sound. I couldn't figure out for the life of me what you were trying to say. So desperately looking around and trying to figure out what was in your room that sounded like "gay-ch", you calmly looked at me and said "name". Right then I realized you were saying "Gage", the name of one of your friends. You wanted to know where he was and were trying to ask me. You frequently run through a list of people you know, asking me where they are. Anyway, I was just amazed that you understood that Gage was a name and that by telling me "name" you would help me understand what you were saying! Seriously, you are so bright and you show me how you comprehend things like that on a daily basis - if only I could remember them all!

Well, you are now in training to be a big girl. I recently picked up a "Potty" book. It's really cute and you love to have me read it to you. Because of your huge interest in this book, a few days later I picked up the cutest potty for you to use. You were SO excited when I brought you into the bathroom to see it. You wanted to try it right away and actually ended up going poop in it! You were so excited. I took a picture of it - thankfully - because when I flushed it down the toilet, you were devastated! The picture helped you cope with the loss. You have yet to successfully use the potty since, but I know that you'll come around shortly. You often go in there to try again. And besides that, if you earn 10 stars your reward is to go swimming at Grandma's and get an ice cream cone on the way down!



Here are a few of my favorite words and phrases you have been saying lately:

* Freezing! - whenever you are cold or feel something cold.
* Cool down - when you feel something hot (water or the temperature outside) and you think it should be cooler.
* Soaking wet! - anytime you are wet.
* Awesome! - when you do something awesome, obviously! You also put your hands up over your head like you are cheering. It's so cute!
* Nice! - along the same lines as awesome.
* I come - you say this whenever anyone is going anywhere and you want to go with them.
* Turn on! - when you look at pictures on iPhoto and want them to be movies.
* What you doing? - Self explanatory.
* Where you going? - Again, self explanatory.
* I wash *! - regarding *hands, *dishes, or anything you have and want to get wet.
* Pasu, blanket, bottle - Pasu is your (pacifier) and you say these three things when you are tired and want to lie down.
* I do it, self - obviously when you want to do something by yourself.
* Fall down - when we're on the trampoline to make us pretend to fall down. That is followed up with a "You okay?"

And the list goes on.

Well, unfortunately there are also a few things that aren't my favorite to hear. These phrases are most often a part of the tantrums you recently started throwing. The biggest frustration you have is when you want to do something that you really shouldn't be doing. When I tell you that you can't do it - like cut your food with a knife - you cry and stomp saying "I do it! I do it!" a simple phrase that sometimes can push me over the edge. You pretty much have to do everything on your own. It's good to see you wanting to be so independent. It's just hard sometimes when I can't let you be - and we both get frustrated!

Besides phrases and words that I love to hear (and not love to hear) I always love to hear you sing. You have become a lover of singing. You sing all the time and frequently request us to sing with and to you. Especially your favorites - Shoo Fly, Dina (Someone's in the kitchen with Dina...), London Bridges (especially when the part of "silver and gold" comes up), The Wheels on the Bus (especially the crying baby part - whah, whah, whah). You also love to sing Hymns at church. It's SO cute to hear you sing along. I always hope you are singing loud enough for the people in front of us to hear, just so they know how really cute you are! You also request us to sing "loud" anytime we sing anything with you. You also request us to turn up the music "loud" when we are in the car. It gets painfully loud sometimes and you still want it "loud".

One last thing, you have YET to spend a really good amount of sleep time in your very beautiful and expensive crib. Right now you are sleeping on a blow-up twin mattress on the floor next to the crib. So, if your crib's purpose is just to make your room look cute, it's doing a great job! But I can't really complain. At least you are sleeping in your room all night long and not in our bed! It has been wonderful!

Well, these past two months have been so much fun. I have really enjoyed the opportunity to spend 3 weeks away from home with you - which means away from regular daily duties - allowing us to spend more time playing with each other.

I love you.

Love,

Mommy (Karla!)