Natalies

I've always loved my name, because I thought it was unique enough without being off the wall. But as an adult, I'm surrounded by Natalies! Last night, for example, there were no fewer than 4 Natalies at the baby shower. And they are quality ladies, I'm telling ya! So here we are: Natalie Anderton, Natalie Jones, Natalie Cottam and Natalie Scott. And this is a shout-out to all the other lovely Natalies in my life {I'm looking at you, Natalie Ludlow!}! You girls are all fabulous. And you've got a great first name!

Fridge o' Fame

Last year when we visited our friends Rick & Jen in February, I was tickled to spy our Christmas photo taped up on their fridge, along with all the other family photos they collected over the holidays. I thought that was just the best idea. I've always got a basket full o' photos that I never know what to do with - why not tack 'em up somewhere where we can see 'em? So this year I started taping up photos as soon as we started receiving them. It got a little out of control - we filled up the entire front and a bit of the side of our fridge. And a month later, I'm SO not ready to take them down. I love looking at photos of our friends and family when I'm in the kitchen. Maya and Mason will both go plunk down and start asking questions - "Who is this?" "Where do they live?" "Is this little girl my age?" "Do they have stairs in their house?" (Maya's current obsession...) It's such a lovely reminder of all the wonderful people we are lucky enough to have as friends. Some might think it's tacky or clutter-y or ugly, but I, for one, love it. And it's my fridge so I'll do what I want to it! :)

{Did you make the fridge???}

"Babies Are Such A Nice Way To Start People"

One of my best girls, the always-fabulous Kristi, is getting ready to have baby #3 in a few weeks...a mystery baby! She's got a boy, she's got a girl, so she's ready for whatever shows up! We did a really casual girls' night out shower for her in our favorite spot - the back room at LaMadeline. Seriously, I've been to more birthday get-togethers, baby showers and girls' nights there than I can count. It's perfect - we can be as loud as we want, we can stay as long as we want...everyone gets their own food - love it! There's not too much you can do for decorations, so I just brought red, yellow, blue & white balloons, stuck the strings into vases and filled the vases with gumballs. Voila - centerpieces and a little after-dinner snack in one! I whipped up a little "Welcome Baby Wright" sticker (which included one of my favorite baby quotes, from the title...), filled li'l bags up with gumballs and tied 'em up with blue, yellow and red polka-dot ribbon as favors.

I printed up some advice cards, and we all made predictions about Baby Wright - boy, girl, extremely good looking? How heavy, how long? {I realized later that I'd predicted 8 pounds, 8 inches - now that would be an interesting looking baby!} Early or late? And we all included our best advice for Mama Kristi. My advice? Enjoy snuggling that baby as much as you possibly can! The madness ends quickly - unfortunately, so do the snuggles. So snuggle it up while you can!

Some Words About Simon...

Here's the latest on my almost-3-month-old baby:

• He's sleeping through the night almost every night! Which is just delightful!
• He's still his fussiest in the later evening hours - 8-10pm, usually.
• He love love loves his binkey! My first child to be a binkey baby! But he's picky. It has to be the Avent brand. The rest he just spits right out.
• When he catches your eye, he'll let out a squeak and smile so big I think his face might explode. It's absolutely the cutest thing.
• I cheated a little on my no-dairy diet and instead of punishing us with total fussiness, he just spit up a little bit for a day or so. Hmm. That I can handle. Maybe it's time to start easing it back in...
• He can hold his head up really well and pushes up from his tummy. Not much in the way of rolling yet, but he's on his way...
• He's still in our room with us. We just like having him here, I'm not going to lie. He'll probably make his way into his own room when he starts bugging us (i.e. never!) or when he's mobile enough to crawl out of the co-sleeper onto the bed - and then dive head first onto the floor. We shall see.

We are just enjoying that boy, we really are. Having a baby can be frustrating at times - it just really limits how much you can expect to get done. But he's so lovable and sweet and really hardly any trouble at all. We are so grateful for that boy!

Some Words About Mason...

Here's the latest on my almost-3-year-old boy!

• He can be a real stinker about the baby. He likes to say things like "I'm going to 'baum' the baby" or "I'm taking baby's binkey!". Sometimes he'll follow that up by actually plucking the binkie. But usually no "bauming", thank goodness.
• He love love loves to build! Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys, wood blocks, Mega Blocks, whatever. He and Maya are always building little towns with paths to and from everything. They're rather intricate and very cute.
• He loves to fix things. You'll often see him carrying around his tools, looking for something to fix. Which is adorable until he starts "fixing" the TV by hammering it. He's adopted Handy Manny's phrase "We can fix anything!", and it's very cute.
• He's mostly given up his afternoon nap, at my insistence, since I just couldn't do the nightmare-ish bedtime battles. Which makes for a droopy boy in the afternoons most days. I miss his spunk, but haven't figured out a happy medium.
• He joins me in the kitchen pretty often: "I want to help wis you!", he tells me. I love having him help "wis" me.
• He's still in love with his cars, and plays with them in all sorts of ways. Creating families, whole stories to go along with them. It's pretty amusing.
• He's proven that he CAN pee and poop in the potty, but I'm still too lazy to potty train him. The week after his birthday has been set aside for that. Ugh. I'm already dreading it.
• He's outgrown all of his 3T clothes - which I just bought him in October! That boy is growing machine! I have to say, he looks much better in clothes that fit - and Target has had a lot of good clearances lately, lucky me.
• He's getting very excited for his Cars birthday party in 2 weeks. This will be his first "real" party, and he can't wait. He's requested a bounce house (monster truck will have to do, since I can't track down a Cars one that isn't outrageously expensive to rent), a pinata and cupcakes. Can do! Any time you need to talk him out of a tantrum or a funk, just bring up his birthday and his eyes light up!

Mason is such a delightful little guy. I feel super, super lucky to be Mama to him, that is for sure!

Love Love Love

These 3 do my heart good!

Dwell High Chair

It's almost that time again...another month and Simon will be joining us at the table. Due to my slothful cleaning habits, I've had to (had to!) throw away 2 highchairs - Maya and Mason's were both too nasty to keep around. I'm thinking this might be the one. You know, cute enough that I might actually want to keep it clean enough to pass along to baby #4, if there ever is such at thing...

At Target, don't you know...

Pushing My Music Preferences On My Kids From a Young Age

Coldplay, the Killers and Bob Marley. Okay, okay, Maya also loves the Jonas Brothers (this is her song), but what can you do? Anyway, it definitely helps that Coldplay makes cool videos, like the "robot movie" (as Mason calls it) for the song "Talk" and now, the puppet video for "Life in Technicolor II". That happens to be Simon's song. Each of my kids has a song assigned to them when they're babies. It has to be current, relevant to them and something we love. Life in Technicolor II was an easy choice for this Coldplay-obsessed Mama. It's one of my absolute favorite songs ever. And as a bonus, this is a super cute video! {To read about Maya & Mason's songs - "Bigger Than My Body" and "Upside Down", go here.}

Sweet Tooth Dishtowel

So I guess most of us aren't in the market for $14 dollar dishtowels, but if I was...I'd definitely get the sweet tooth dishtowel. So kitschy and cute! I bought some aprons that are similar to this as Christmas gifts. Now I'm kicking myself for not keeping one for myself. Because we all know who has a sweet tooth around here!

Fair Isle Mucklucks

I'm loving the fact that these muckluck slippers have an indoor/outdoor sole. Would I wear them to the grocery store? Yes, I probaby would.

On sale, too!

Simon's Hat

Our friend Hannah made this adorable hat for Mr. Simon, and his head is finally just the perfect size for it. We think he looks rather cute sporting it - thanks, Hannah! Hannah is a clever and crafty lady - you can check out her Etsy shop here. No hats, but lots o' cool items!

Baby Faces

"Slimon" (as we like to call that droooooly baby) will be 3 months old next week. Wha?!

Sand Box Quilts

These beauties have me wishing I had even the slightest idea how to sew a quilt. Or the cash to buy one from Sand Box Quilts, that would work too.

Mason's Birthday Gifts

Mason's birthday is coming up in a couple of weeks (3 years old already?!) and I'm trying to stick with my "quality toys" resolution. Since we've done nothing but build build build since Christmas, I thought a set of wood blocks like the ones I had growing up was just the thing. {There a lot less expensive than I thought they'd be...}

Melissa & Doug wooden block set

My parents are getting him this Melissa and Doug Architectural Unit Block Set to add to them, which will be fun.

And I also picked up the adorable Melissa & Doug Farm Blocks for the heck of it.

Of course, I will also be buying him a few little Disney Cars to add to his collection. We all know I can't help myself when it comes to Cars, and at least for now, he plays with them quite a lot. What I should be buying him is new pants. That kid has gone from a 2T to a 4T in the past 5 months. Talk about highwaters! Thank goodness we wear shorts most of the year here, but he's going to need a couple o' pairs to get him thru to spring...

Today's Lesson: Little & Big

Just look at my babies! Anyone else think it's high time I potty train that giant boy?!

Old Friends

*Note - the ethereal nature of the photos is due to someone (not gonna mention any names...) sticking her french fry fingers onto the lens of the camera.*

Friday we got together with one of Chris' oldest friends, Dan Dyer. Not oldest, age wise (they're the exact same age, in fact, born on the same day), but you know what I mean. I got to meet his cute wife, who I've gotten to know via blogs. She's a creative Mama, an excellent photographer and just as cool in person as I expected her to be. And the kids got to play with their adorable girls. Maya loved having a friend to be silly with and run around with. They were cute together. And it's fun to watch friendship extend into the next generation. Next time, we get to visit them...in New York City, no less! Lucky us!

Snuggle Sac

After seeing Danielle's amazing baby photos (you MUST check them out - they are fantastic!), I'm dying to get a Snuggle Sac for Simon. How cool are these? And she's right, the perfect photo prop. Now I just have to figure out what color...

{CricketCreations' crochet and knit items are the absolute cutest. Check them all out here. I'm loving the loafer booties.}

Duck & Cover

It seems like all the news is bad news lately. Knock on wood, none of the news is my news, but it just seems like it's in the air. My prayer-list grows longer by the day. I've got friends who have recently lost their spouse. One of those spouses was also my friend - which means I lost a friend. I've got friends with sick kids - from runny noses to leukemia and everything in between. I've got friends struggling with unemployment. I've got friends and family that are worried for a million different reasons. The world is crazy right now! It makes me want to duck and cover and hang on for dear life. (And hide all my money in my mattress...)

But I suppose there's a much better way to deal with all this than cowering in a corner....or worrying myself sick. A friend and I were talking the other day and she described a perfect moment she'd recently had with her family - and that she just knew how important it was for her to enjoy and remember that moment, because she knew it wasn't going to be like that forever. For everyone, inevitably in life, hard times come. So we have to appreciate each moment. Enjoy the good stuff. Be grateful for it. As one of my favorite singers, Glen Phillips says in his song Duck and Cover:

Blessed are the humble, blessed are the meek
Blessed are the hungry, blessed are the weak
Blessed are the ones on the other side
And blessed are we just for being alive

One day I stopped wanting anything at all
The heavens opened up like a waterfall
No use in worrying about when it ends
Just for now be thankful for what I get

One way or another a man’s gonna suffer
Makes no difference the way you wanted it
But friends and lovers, don’t you duck and cover
Cause everything comes out the way it should in the end

I have so much to be grateful for right this moment. I have three beautiful children who I love more than I ever thought possible. I have the greatest husband anyone could ask for. He has a job. We have a home. In fact, we have everything we need and more. I have great parents, in-laws and so many wonderful friends. I have my faith. I know God lives. And knows me. And that whatever He sends my way, I can handle it. And I might not always get what I want, but as the song goes...

One way or another, one way or another
You won’t get what you wanted, but you’ll get enough for sure
One way or another, the winter pays for the summer
Won’t get what you wanted, but what you got’ll be good

Little Boys

These boys have their Mama's heart, that is for sure. Sweeties, both of 'em!

Goji Dress

Ooh, how I want it. Maybe when I lose the baby weight.

Owl Hold Your Change Purse

I'm usually lugging around my gigantic bag, filled to the brim with diapers, toys, snacks, etc. etc. But for the rare occasions when I'm on my own, this cutie would be perfect to toss my drivers license and debit card into.

Kitschy Cute

True Love's Kiss Dress. Sooo cute.

Just Like The Big Kids

Santa brought Maya a real "big kids" Razor scooter. That girl can zip around with the best of 'em, I'll give her that!

Easy Rider

Guess who got a Big Wheel for Christmas? Stay off the sidewalks, my friends!!

Strawberry Fields Forever

Cute + cozy Strawberry Fields Coat. Lovely.

Be Mine

Ooh, lala, I'm loving the Be Mine Peep Toes from Chinese Laundry. Over 50 percent off here.

Gingerbreadstravaganza 2008

After hearing about my Aunt's huge gingerbread building get-together that she does with her 11 children and 8 million grandchildren, I decided we needed to adopt a similar activity on Christmas day. Everyone brought decorations and we all went to town. Chris & Tara and Mom & Dad built from a pre-made kit (Booooo! Cheaters! Just kidding.) and Chris, Matthew & I all built from graham crackers. I also made mini-houses for the kiddos that they decorated, while shoving as much candy into their mouths as possible, of course.

Chris & Tara were the smarties - they hot-glued their house together. Dad & Mom's just kept falling apart and they finally gave up. Same went for the graham cracker houses. Math eventually abandonded his (and Chris pillaged his crackers for his creation). Chris and I perservered. Mine was supposed to be a retro, Brady-style house. It didn't exactly translate, but I was happy with how it came out. Chris' was chalet-style. HUGE and cool, and Maya deemed it the winner. I'm hoping we can generate more enthusiasm for this next year - Chris and I had a blast making ours. Hopefully next year will be bigger and better!

Stewardess Chic

Care for peanuts? Oh, I'm loving this!

High Rollers

We all (minus little bro Matthew) went bowling on the day after Christmas. This was supposed to be my triumphant return to bowling - I've always been a darn good bowler (thanks to earning my college PE credits in bowling class for several semesters...). But this was dismal. I came in dead last, behind the kids. Granted, they had bumpers, but still. It was a sad, sad day. I'm going to have to sneak out to brush up on my skills so I can cream everyone next time...

Broken Glass Jello

My mom was once the queen of layered Jello {she's now retired...}. This broken glass jello really appeals to me...sounds YUMMY and looks purty. Check it out here.

{Shoot, who is this via??? If I remember, I will let you know.}

Blue + Red

+ 3/4 sleeve, double-breasted perfection. Half off, no less. Here.

Christmas Faces

These guys were super excited about Christmas this year - Christmas morning was a blast. And despite all of the crappy plastic Littlest Pet Shop and Cars toys they received, the most popular and played with items came from Grandma's house: Lincoln Logs and Tinker Toys, and the wood blocks Santa brought to our house. They've seriously played with each of those sets every single day since then. It's always the "investment" toys that are memorable. The rest of it has all been lost under their beds since December 26. Note to self: quality, not quantity!

Just What the Dr. Ordered

I seriously dig the new Dr. Suess line at PB Kids. So cute, so colorful, so fun!

Check out the line here.

Christmas Eve PJs

New PJs for Christmas Eve seems to be a tradition with...just about everyone, actually. It's long-standing in our house, and includes the pajama race (which I won this year, thankyouverymuch!), a highly competitive, half naked minute or two of family fun. Here we are modeling. Girls got pink plaid. Boys got gray stripes. Little boys got Cars and Batman. And Princesses for Miss Maya, of course. This year all the adults got high school tees, which included the school colors, mascot and year (my smart Mom found them online somewhere...). They were super fun and a big hit with us all...

Boot-y Licious

I still haven't bitten the bullet and splurged on a nice pair o' boots. Good thing, though, because I keep finding new pairs that I love more than the last. These are at Anthro, and not a crazy price for a sweet pair of boots.

We LOVE This Boy...

Smitten, in fact.

Think I Can Squeeze Into A Girls' Size 10?

Hmm, that would be a no. Too bad, because I'm loving this cardigan. On sale for girls here.

Last Day of 2008

My most wonderful blessings of 2008! (Minus Simon, of course. We don't let him lay in the leaves yet...)

{I'll be playing catch-up with a whole bunch o' weeks-old photos over the next few days...}

Tweet Tweet

I'm checking out the Twitter thing - as if I need another online addiction! I'm natcottam, if you'd like to keep up with me there...or join in the fun yourself!

In The Bag

This is my latest must have bag. First, it's huge. Second, the front and back are completely different and both completely adorable. Third, it's from my absolute favorite store, but at a price I can actually stomach, for once.

Available in two other combo patterns, too.

This Boy Has Outgrown His Nap

It's a sad day for me, because I never love my children more than when they're napping (I kid, I kid!), but the bedtime battles have become epic; tempers have been lost (mine), blankies have been confiscated (Mason's) and I'm no longer up for it. Today, no nap. And instead of escorting Mason back to his room for the 10th time in the last three minutes, I'm peacefully typing on the computer. How's that for an answer?? Now I just have to figure out how to keep he and Maya from killing each other in the afternoon. Fun times.

He's growing up in all sorts of ways, that boy! He's quite a talker. He remembers things and catches on to things that I wouldn't expect him to. He's getting better at sitting at the table for (almost) an entire meal without wandering. He's eating his vegetables and fruit and (sometimes) drinking his milk. He peed in the potty for the first time the other night, and has done it several times since then. (I'm not mentally prepared to force the issue right now, so it's elective potty using. February is when I was planning to potty train, and you know I can't deviate from the plan very easily.) He's coloring and cutting and gluing and doing crafts with Maya. He's quite an expert at teasing his sister - genetically inherited from his Daddy, from what I understand! He's shouting things like "IT'S NOT FAIR" and using "I'm not feeling good" as an excuse to not clean up his toys, put his shoes on, come to the table, etc. He's just a funny, crazy, delightful little guy. I quite like him a lot.

Even when he's not napping.

I'm A Pepper...

I started to blog about these Sgt. Pepper tees a while back, but changed my mind when I noticed their $78.00 (What the?!) price tag. Now that they've been marked down to $29, I will blog about them. But I probably won't buy them, even though they are dang cute. But after watching my kids mud wrestle on the lawn of Maya's school today, I was grateful that they were wearing $5 to $15 Target and Marshalls specials. I just can't expect my kids not to be kids because I bought them ridiculously expensive t-shirts, now can I?

Find 'em here.

Doing What I Can With What I Have

"The question for each man to settle is not what he would do if he had means, time, influence and educational advantages; the question is what he will do with the things he has."

- Hamilton Wright Mabie

I've come across so many wonderful quotables lately, but haven't posted them because I didn't have the perfect photo to go along with and/or no time to add my thoughts. No more of that! I'll share them and you can add your own thoughts. And I don't even mean in the comments section {although - feel free!}, but in your own brain. :)

I will quickly say, though, that this particularly applies to me. I'm always saying "If I were rich, I'd...fill in the blanks." "If I had more time, I'd..." Etc. etc. I love the idea of not needing MORE of anything to do something. Just do whatever you can with what you have. Brilliant.

So This Is The New Year...And I Have No Resolutions

{Wimberly Trail of Lights 2008}

Just kidding, I do. {That's a Death Cab For Cutie lyric, in case you were wondering.}

I have lots of resolutions, in fact. I'm just taking a more casual approach to it this year. No elaborately detailed type-written list taped to my mirror {Not that there's anything wrong with that...I just can't type very fast with one hand while holding the baby - hence less blogging going on!}, no big family theme posted on the wall in vinyl lettering {Though I like the idea.}. Instead, just an inner resolution, if you will, to "enjoy every moment". A resolve to do more of some things {housework, playing with the kids, cooking actual meals, getting together with friends, being organized} and less of others {yelling at my kids, eating crap, spending money, wasting time on the computer}. But the emphasis is on the enjoying!

Most of all, I'm just excited to see what this year has to offer. Last year brought me wonderful things - my baby boy Simon, the amazing experience that was Savior of the World and finally divorcing myself from my worrywart ways. I have absolute faith that the Lord has great things in store for me this year - and for all of you too.

One thing I'm doing for me is letting myself off the hook. Being kind to myself about my roundy round baby body. Accepting that my house may be a mess, but that doesn't mean I am. And heck, if I don't feel like blogging for a day or a week or whatever, then so be it. No pressure. Just doing the best I can. And enjoying every moment.

Happy 2009! I hope you enjoy every moment, too.