Random.

Nate loves playing in all the boxes that his Christmas presents were shipped in. He has about 6 good sized boxes that he jumps in and out of. He also found a folded up box and sat down and played with it like it was a laptop. It took me a minute to realize what he was doing. He was "typing" on it and opening and closing it. It was cute. Then at Christmas he found all the straws and stuck as many as he could in his mouth. He looked like he had big walrus whiskers. Adorable.

Whoops.

"Sorry Mom, I just wanted to see what would happen if I took a bite out of the bag of black beans and twirled around."
I am pretty sure that is what he's trying to tell me.

Cowboys.

We got to go see the Cowboys play today at the Bengals stadium. Nate had a blast and Mitch was happy to find out that we weren't a jinx. The only Cowboys game we've ever been to was the last one in the old Texas Stadium and they lost. So now we know it wasn't our fault that they lost that one time we attended a game. Because apparently in the world of sports that is possible and completely logical. Anyway, Nate was hilarious . He would yell when everyone got excited and always ended up cheering for the wrong team. I'm pretty sure it was because anytime something good was happening for Dallas, Mitch would get wound up and I think Nate was trying to figure out what kind of "game" his dad was trying to play with him. Then, Nate thought he was in heaven after he stole most of Uncle Cody's popcorn. There was also this older gentleman that was calmly watching the game, all the while Nate would get super exited and yell right beside him and the man would just laugh. He thought Nate was the cutest. And who doesn't? But it was a happy happy day of family fun.

Well, we found Curious George on the Netflix..So in the morning, Nate gets to watch an episode while I make his breakfast. And his favorite way to do that is in his laundry basket, with a blanket and pillow. He will drag the basket everywhere. So he can sit by Mufasa, read a book, or play with his drums. Laundry baskets are awesome.

Finger painting.

Nate had mixed feelings about finger painting. He really wasn't sure what the point was and I think he was disappointed that it didn't taste good when he tried to lick it off his fingers. At first he was careful and just poked one finger in the paint and smeared it on the paper..then when the paint started to build up on his fingers he wanted it off so he started wiping it on his tummy. So we'll have to work on it some more and I'm sure he'll get the hang of it.

Trees and airplanes.

Nate loves trees. Anytime we go outside he stops and talks to all the trees on our walk. Once he pulled off a big piece of bark and had this look like "Oh my goodness, I broke it!"...goofy.
Since we live right beside a small airport, there are always lots of smaller, low flying planes and Nate loves those too. Anytime he hears one, he stops and won't move until he's found it in the sky and shouts "airplane," which sounds more like "arrrhpin." Close enough.

Mufasa, Mufasa, Mufasa. He is such a good dog. He doesn't care when Nate uses him as a step stool, or when Nate yanks his tail to make him move out of the way, or even when Nate comes out of nowhere with a sand wedge and smacks him in the head. But, Nate has his moments where he super sweet. He kisses his nose and when I'm not looking he calls Mufasa up on the couch. It's pretty cute.
Also, Nathaniel's new thing is to look and talk to people through the bottom of the door. Whether you're going to the bathroom or trying to get ready for the day. As soon as a door closes, Nate will be perched outside watching your feet. :)

Boots.

Nate loves to bring Mitch his shoes whenever he gets ready. But now that it's getting colder, it is boot season. Nate had a harder time dragging the boots to daddy and decided that they look much more fun than his usual tennis shoes. So he hopped in, well struggled for a few minutes trying to get in until we helped him in. He thought the boots were awesome.

Love this kid.

He is just the sweetest, cutest little kid ever.

Sick baby.

The poor little monster is sick. He's made himself a little spot in the couch and he hardly moves from it. He'll venture out for a few minutes to see what Mufasa is up to, but then he comes back to his little cave. His cave is wedged between me and the cushion and three blankets, two pillows, his cup, Mitch's playstation remote, and his old Easter basket, which he likes to occasionally put over his head..it's pretty pitiful. But thankfully he usually gets over being sick pretty quickly

Now when Mitch leaves for work, Nate runs to the window and rips open the blinds so he can watch him leave. It's the cutest thing ever.

A step forward.

Yippy for Nate and his new big boy seat. He is now facing forward. He was hilarious when we first put him in the display one at the store, acted like a king on his throne. When I opened the car door later for his first ride he looked stunned. He looked at me like, "wow, is that for real?!" It was great. He loves it and his spiffy cup holder. He grabs his cup, takes a sip, and puts it right back. Cup in, cup out. And he does that over and over and over. He loves being able to look out the windows and seeing Mitch and I in the front. Now it's just so weird to look in the rear view mirror and having a little boy looking right back at you. He looks way too grown up in the new seat. Hopefully he'll still be able to sleep well on our trips to Memphis. But for now he's like a king on his throne. :)

Roll Tide.

Well, someone is ready for the start of college football. Mitch is totally excited to have someone to watch the Alabama games with. Today was a dress rehearsal to make sure Nate's outfit fit, it's a little snug, but oh well..Nate will be decked out in his little Bama jersey for their first game this Saturday. Mitch spent all this morning trying to get him to say "Bama" or "Roll Tide." Which is just what I want..Nate still calls me "babah" most of the time!

Magnets.

So, this is another fun game Nate likes to play. Bremol sent him a bunch of magnets for his birthday and his favorite thing to do is stick them tithe front door..and the front of the washer and dryer..and the refrigerator. Pretty much every appliance in the house. He sticks all the magnets to the door and then violently swats them off. He's been doing long enough for me to sit here and blog about it. :)

Animals.

Nate runs around and sets all of his dinosaurs and safari animals up. It's funny to walk in and he's pretty much up-ended everything in his room but he will have all the dinosaurs standing up just hanging out with the safari animals.

Dentist

Well, we finally found a dentist up here! Mitch went and he is going to have to have his wisdom teeth pulled! Which is way better than having to get them cut out, but you still get the cool drugs. That sounds bad, but whatever. Anyway, Nate met a little girl his age while we were waiting. He was fascinated by this eleven month old. He really hasn't been around other kids since Rylee left, but he was nice and not too shy. She kept faking him out with her toys and he would walk around and poke her like, "hey, that's not cool." It was funny.

Fair.

Nate went to his first fair last weekend! The only ride he could go on was the carousel, and he was not a fan. He was okay at first but two minutes into it, he started fussing. I guess he was getting dizzy. So after that he just relaxed in his stroller and watched people. Mitch and I have discovered that since we've gotten a little more..plump..there are some rides we can't really sit beside each other comfortably. Hah. And also I make stupid faces on rides and cameras on phones have gotten much better. Other than that we had a wonderful time and were reminded that no matter where you live, you will always see ridiculous and very inappropriately dressed people at fairs.

Funny baby.

One of Nate's new little games is taking everything he can get his hands on and tossing it in the tub. We definitely have to keep the bathroom doors closed. But if we forget, he's very quiet and sneaky about it. Half the house is in the tub before you know it!
Also, the box from the Nerf gun we bought is one of his favorite things. When he first climbed on top of it he was too scared to stand up. So he just started whining because he couldn't get off or stand up, he was stuck perched on his box. It was hilarious. Now he apparently does yoga on his box. :)
Nate can also open the front door now, he was amazed the first time like "ahh, look what I did!" He's such a big boy now. When we get ready to go, we put on his shoes and he grabs his blanket and heads for the door. It's a little sad for me to watch him open the door and walk out, but he's just growing up.

I think I surprised him when I pushed him really high in the swing. :)

Nate and the water hose.

Long video, but I just couldn't stop recording.

Mud.

Nate fell in a mud puddle at Granddad's. He was all good until he couldn't get the mud off his hands. Then he really broke down when I started taking pictures instead of helping. Then we hosed him down and he was really weirded out by that.

Reading.

Daddy and Nate reading his new cow book he got for his birthday.

Nathaniel is finally getting a top tooth! Woot! Hopefully he won't be fussy on his birthday, which is tomorrow! Ahh! We are super excited! One year old, phew! He can walk wonderfully in his shoes now. His new loves are bananas and broccoli. Oh, and toilet paper. He's worse than a dog. He'll snatch a roll and take off running and rip it apart as he goes. When you say his name, he drops it and looks at you like nothing has happened. He has discovered how fun Mufasa's wagging tail can be. He's eaten a rollie pollie, or how ever it's spelled. And we cannot wait for our trip in a week or so. We will have to have a little birthday party for everyone is Memphis. Love you guys!

Awesome.

I really love the crap, I mean CULL pile, at Home Depot. I don't know why it's called CULL, but who cares. I found awesome scrap wood to make some shelves for the cedar chest and a piece of wood to make a giant ruler so I can mark Nate's height on over the years and take with us as whenever we move. :) And the best part!? I got it all for only $1.50! Yay! So who cares if I don't really know how to make shelves and completely screw up. But now that I'm thinking about it, I don't really think Todd screws up. :D Also I'm pretty sure he isn't aware that I'm going to talk him into making me some shelves. Anyway, awesome crap for cheap, cheap, cheap. Yippy!

Walk this way..

So the marathon has begun..Nate likes to flush the toilets and lock himself in his room. He can find my nose, Mufasa's nose, and his own tongue. He laughs all the time. Nate has finally figured out to run when we growl and come after him, but if you are too close he falls over backwards and 'plays dead,' oh it's hilarious! He has started to try and climb on everything. Trying to load the dishwasher is impossible with him around. He can close it, open it, even if it's locked, turn it on, and climb on the door. He is an amazing and wonderful boy. Mitch and I still can't believe how cute he is and how lucky we are.

My name is Nate, and I'm cuter than you.

Swing low..

Nathaniel loves to swing! And he's finally used to the grass. So when the weather is perfect, which happens quite alot up here, Nate loves to spend the day outside. He crawls around in the grass and tries to eat leaves and rocks. Or he swings. Last time he fell asleep while swinging. But as you can see in the picture, he generally cries his eyes out when you stop swinging. He gets over it quickly but he really let's you know how mad he is when it's time to go inside.

A boy and his dog.

Nathaniel and Mufasa are so funny together these days. They play tug-o'-war and 'read' books together. It's so sweet. Nate also gets lazy sometimes and will drag his table over to Mufasa so he can sit on him and play. The first time he did it, I almost fell out of my chair. I'm not sure if it was because of his laziness or cleverness. But I'm going with the latter. Nathaniel also can officially walk now. I really need to get a video put on here of him walking.
We are also really excited about his birthday coming up! Ahh, one year old! I can hardly believe it. Ugh, I don't want to believe it, time is passing absolutely too quickly! Well, we can't wait to see everyone for the Fourth of July! Love you.

Nate and Daddy

This is Mitch's little lookalike. I was dressing Nate for the day and realized it was the pretty much the same thing Mitch had on. :) Nathaniel looks much cuter of course, but Mitch is happy he has a little Bama fan in the house.

Blue jean baby.

Ahhh, I love his little jeans. He looks like a little man.

Tooth alert.

Nathaniel finally has a tooth! Woohoo! And it was a breeze. No screaming or anything. We didn't even have a clue until I felt a bump a few days ago. He's a little trooper. Seriously, best kid ever.
And he's pretty much in 12 month clothes now, which is sad. I cried when Mitch dressed him in some big boy jeans and a t-shirt. He just took off walking on his little push mower thing, diaper hanging out of his little Chaps. :(
Man, he loves lasagna. But not too keen on lima beans, which I don't blame him. He still eats like a horse though.
Mitch started working four 10's this week, so his schedule stinks even more than usual, but he has Fridays off now so it's not too bad. It should make it easier on trips down there. So Yippy