Why me?

I was having the WORST day.... :)  I was grumpy and definately not looking on the bright side.  There was a point in the day where I heard that inner promt...  you know, the one that tells you that everything is going to be alright...  Well, I brushed it away.  I wanted to mope.  :)  Yeah, that's right, I'm pathetic.... if you didn't already know...  Anyways, it is interesting how things can turn around without you even noticing.  I am thankful for that.  All of a sudden, "Why me" became "Why ME?"  I don't know if that translates in text, but it was a good thing.  Instead of all the thoughts about things that I don't enjoy in my life right now, all the good and amazing things I have started to creap in.  Things like this...

And this....

Things like.... a body that allows me to go and do whatever I want.
                     a strong desire to learn, that keeps me going even when I feel like I am not enough.
                     a faith that makes me feel close to my Heavenly Father.
                     a country where I am free to live how I want.
                     two sets of parents who love me no matter what.

I really could go on and on....  but I won't.  I am just saying...  This day turned out way better than I thought it was going to.  :)  Oh and I finally hung our family picture... (with my new hammer, of course!)

(I didn't want to take it out of the frame and scan it, so I took a picture of it on the wall.  haha)
Well, Taylor got home earlier than usual.... so we are going to watch us some LOST: Season 6... The Final Season.  Yay!

Are All Girls Born With A Love For Shoes?

It was way too cold today (at least for the end of August).  The girls and I went out to get some school supplies for Lily, since her first day of kindergarten is on Thursday!!  (I will not cry.  I will not cry.)  We happened to come across the CUTEST winter boots for Lily.  They are lined with real wool.  I am sure you can imagine the coversation I had with Lily about that....  I kept telling her how they sheer sheep and take their wool to make clothes and things to keep us warm and she kept saying, "Like, a real animal?"  It kind of grossed her out.  But the fact that these boots are the cutest shade of red won her over.  Here is the fashion show we had when we got home...

Needless to say, she was in love and I was lucky that it was cold outside so she could actually wear them.  :)  And, we couldn't leave poor Lexi out because it hurts her little feelings.  (You see, she has that love of shoes as well).

I think she can pull off animal print.  Don't you?  Anyways, from my girls to all of you...
HAPPY BOOT WEATHER DAY!!

ps> don't pay attention to the huge pile of sheets waiting to be folded.... and all the toys strewn about...  our apartment is the size of a shoe box and looks messy no matter what.  :)

On the Sunny Side of the Street

The girls and I went to the zoo yesturday.  It was hot and sunny and we were all bored after our nap.  :)  So, instead of wasting the day inside, we decided to walk over to the zoo.  Well, I walked, they road in the wagon.  I kept forgetting to switch arms while pulling and I swear my right bicep is double the size of my left.  :)  Anyways, we had a nice walk over to the zoo with the sunshine all around us.  We got there and played at a small park they have and then we ate ice cream cones.  Alexis managed to get hers all over herself and from then on I kept getting strange looks from other mothers.  Oh well, she was having fun and enjoying her icecream to the fullest, so I wasn't about to stop her.  :)  Plus, that kid manages to get dirty no matter what!!  Someone once told me (Violet) that when I stop caring about trying to keep them clean, it will just happen on its own.  Well, I'm trying.  :)  After the icecream and seeing the camels, the giraffs, the stinky pigs, flamingos, and some peacocks, Lily decided she wanted to go see the butterflies... 

I am so glad we did!!  Isn't that awesome!!  She wanted to catch one so bad and I kept telling her that butterflies are really fast and don't usually land on people.  Well, here's proof folks....  you CAN actually catch a butterfly!  (Here's one of Lexi...)

I was so scared Lexi would squish the butterfly, but she was so smitten with it, that she was very gentle. 

You can just see it on her face. 

Man, I love those two!!  I have two of the silliest, cute, quirky, dramatic, sweet girls out there.  It is interesting how, the moment you become their mother, your whole universe revolves around them...  It makes me glad that I have made the decisions I have, to put me on the road I am on now...  With these girls around, its always the sunny side of the street!  (Even when it rains. )

See, This is what I mean...

Well, it has been a few days since my last post.  Family was over, I was sooo sick, and today was sooo hot that we couldn't just waste it inside.  :)  But here is a small note to prove a point.  I said I wanted to write this blog so I could get my memories put into a book so I wouldn't forget them.  It's a good thing too, because I totally forgot one of my most awesome birthdays ever until just recently, when my mom talked about it.  I remember it now because she reminded me, but I thought I would write it down so I have it for future reference.  Taylor and I were not married very long.  Well, long enough that I was prego and was showing.  Anyways, he took me to our favorite Italian restaurant (Abrusso's - and I don't think I spelled that right).  Anyways, when we got there, my parents were sitting at our table.  :)  It made me cry, but I tried to hide it.  It was such a nice surprise because I always miss my parents.  I even still cry sometimes when we have to leave their house.  :)  Anyways, we had a great dinner (which ended up being free because the owner loves Taylor... come on, who doesn't).  Then he surprised me (my parents came too) with tickets to West Side Story, the play.  It was so great.  And Taylor never complained about the singing, which was a big deal.  :)  It was good.  I can't believe I forgot about that!  Now, hopefully I never will.  :)

Saturday is a Special Day...

Well, not much happened today.  I worked all day and then did some grocery shopping on the way home.  Taylor got to go golfing with his Dad and some friends.  Lily and Alexis made cupcakes with Nana.  Now the girls are in bed and I am straightening up the house before tomorrow.  (Which is what I should be doing right now.  :) .  But as I was going about the day today, I kept thinking of things I want to remember later.  So...  Here are two things I want to remember.... when Alexis says goodbye to someone, she loves to say "See ya", like she is a big girl or something.  The other thing is that Lily LOVES the Ghostbuster song and sings it at the top of her lungs....  maybe I should get a video of that.  She loves taking the "blue" car because she knows a CD with that song on it is there. 

Oh Oh I Want Some Mo-ore...

Today was a good day.  It was our family birthday!!  Yay!  So, obviously there would be presents.  Lily and Alexis got to go to Build-a-Bear and build a friend.  Lily has had her eye on the Hello Kitty for a while, so that was the obvious choice for her.  (She named her Angela).  :)  

Alexis went in another direction.... a Velociraptor she named "Roar".  :)   Needless to say, the girls were in love.  :)  In fact, we forgot them (Angela and Roar, not Lily and Alexis) at Nana's house accidentally and after many tears, we agreed to go back and get them.  I got Taylor a really nice shirt and tie for work and some handsoap from Bath and Body Works because he loves the way they smell... although you cannot tell anyone I said that.  *smile*  For my present, I have to give some background.  A few months ago, Taylor lent our hammer to someone, but we don't remember who.  Well, actually, Taylor swears he got it back from "whoever" a long time ago.  I have torn the house apart looking for the hammer so I could hang our new family photo up.  I mean, what is the purpose of getting a family picture and then having it sit in a frame on the top of our deep freeze since July?  Anyways, he got me my very own (beautiful) hammer.  I am actually pretty excited about it because it means I can hang our photo and it means I was RIGHT.  :)  But, I chose to take the high road and not mention that small fact.... to him atleast.  Anyways, he told me that there is more on the way, but it had was on order.  I had no idea what it could be and after making me wait all day, he told me what it was when we were at dinner.  I got so excited that I clapped my hands and made a happy squealing sound...  that I am not proud of.  :)  Do you want to know what it was??  Okay.  I'll tell you.  He got us tickets to go see the NEON TREES!!! 

I am sooo excited!  I don't think I can wait until September 21st!!  I had been searching for tickets for weeks but I could never find any and finally gave up, thinking they had decided to cancel the Canadian part of their tour.  Anyways, I was spoiled rotten and feel a little guilty about it because I have no idea how much it might have cost....  but, for this atleast, I think I will stay in the dark. 

And to top the day off, Lily and I went to Value Village and we got her the most beautiful drees for 4.99.  I also got a few items that will hopefully be turned into the cutest project...  but I am not going to reveal it yet.  For that, you have to wait.  :) 

It was such a good day, it is hard to see it end. 

Lets Do Old and Grey

Happy Family Birthday Taylor, Lily, and Alexis! 

I am up late.... can't sleep and it is officially August 20th, 2010.  That means I have been married for 6 whole years now.  This may seem like a short time to some and a little longer to others, but to me it feels like it is just the beginning.  :)  No, I'm not saying I feel like a newlywed.  In fact the words from the song "Comfortable" by Fleming and John sum it up pretty good when they say: "I think that you'll agree - we've become predictable.  But I really don't mind being this comfortable."  Yes... I really don't mind being this comfortable.  When I say it feels like the beginning, I am saying that I know there is a lot more to come.  In the past six years we have learned to live together, you have survived my cooking, we both survived two pregnancies and well, about five years of not having a good night's rest.  We have two BEAUTIFUL girls who are not only cute, but really funny too.  We have moved 4 times so far (and hopefully will again soon  :).  We survived one year of us both working and going to school... and will survive many more.  We are about to embark on a new chapter in our life... the one where your children start going to school and before you know it, you turn around and you are old.  :)  Although there have been many new experiences in the past six years, I anticipate many many more wonderful things to come.  I am thankful for the day Auntie Sandra didn't know my real age, or else you may not have ever wrote me that nerdy note asking for my number.  I fell in love with you so quickly but I now realize that it was such a small love compared to what it is now.  The love I have for you now is so much deeper than it was back then... so much more comfortable.  Thanks for the past six years my handsome boy...  I love you.

Love N.

Go Go Go Daddy!

Taylor is part of a city-wide "touch" football league.  Last night they played in McMahon Stadium and we decided it would be fun to go and watch.  The girls thought it was so great.  They were so busy running up and down all those stairs (with me running after them) that we didn't get to see Taylor score his team's only touch down.  But atleast we were there right?  Here is a picture of Taylor right before the game started and right after I told him he really needs a haircut.  :)

As you can see, he reeeaaallly wanted to have his picture taken.  Ha ha.

Taylor's team didn't end up winning, but we had fun having the stadium all to ourselves.  :)
(My legs hurt just looking at those stairs again!)

New Kid on the Block

I finally did it.  I finally got up the guts to start my very own blog!  Wow.  If you had told me a year ago that I would start a blog now, I would have scoffed.  No way!  Not me!  Well, I blame Aunt Tami.  She is the one who finally inspired me to do it.  Ok, some background information...  I have an extremely bad memory.  There are times when people will ask me if I "remember when...." and alot of those times, I don't.  I really fear that I won't remember all the "good stuff" when my kids are all grown.  So, as I was sitting and talking with Aunt Tami, we got on the topic of blogging.  I told her the only way I would ever blog is if there is an actual way to "save" the blog enteries.  To which she informed me that you can actually get your blog made into a book!  What?  When did this happen?  In an instant I was converted.  I could just imagine, down the road, when my kids are all grown *sniff* and being able to look back at my family memories.  I am writing a blog about every day life.... its challenges and rewards.  I plan to record those memories I don't want to forget and I am going to share the lessons I learn from just living life.   These are Natalie's Notes....  my notes on life. 

P.S.
As the title of this post suggests, I am a nubie at this blogging thing.  I don't have everything figured out just yet, but give me some time and... well, we'll see.  :)