Summah time!

It's been a long time coming but this will be Natalie's first full brace-free summer! And we are stoked... we've definitely been making up for lost time.


Playing at the beach in her best beach bum duds



















Riding in every car or airplane shopping cart we lay our eyes on



















Playing a funky beat for her fans




















Rocking her fairy wings



















Spending more time playing at the beach

And strolling through the "daisy flowers" as N likes to say.

We are definitely loving this summer.

An oldie from the brace days

I found this picture while I was cleaning out my inbox today. It was taken May 24, 2009 - almost a full year ago. What a whirlwind of changes since then. It's hard to see but this was back when Natalie was still wearing her brace (this was her first brace actually). The velcro was so worn out that we used to put duct tape on the straps so it would stay closed. It was a pain in the butt but to be honest it seems like something that happened ten years ago not just one.

I think that's mostly because now she's so busy, running, hopping, climbing, dancing, twirling and lately "flying" as she likes to squeal while running around the kitchen with her arms outstretched.

It was a tough road for sure - but it sure is sweet when you make it to the end of that journey.

Paint!

I took Natalie to a new playgroup this week - in the hopes of meeting some kiddies (for Natalie) and some moms for me. Choosing the group was a bit random, I found it online and thought what the heck let's check it out. And I'm so glad we did - it was fantastic.

There's an open play area, a sandbox, a puzzle station, a train table and..... Natalie's favorite.... a painting station. It's complete with smocks, easels, lots of paint colors and line to hang your paintings to dry.

Now everday when we leave the house she looks at me and says "Paint?" It's so sweet. We'll have to make it a regular part of our week.

It was great for me too, I met two moms and next week Natalie and I have our first official Halifax playdate.

Rain, rain...

We've had some serious rain for two days so Natalie had a chance to test out her new raincoat (thanks Nanny). She gets really excited when I pull it out of the closet. I can't wait for the rain to ease up a bit so I can take her outside for some puddle splashing.

Sunny days

The weather here in Halifax was amazing this weekend (11 degrees) so we decided to introduce Natalie to the city. We took the ferry from Dartmouth to Halifax (Natalie's first boat ride) and spent the morning touring around the waterfront. Natalie was a social butterfly introducing herself to every kiddo in sight with a giant "Hi kids!" She was absolutely hilarious. We played at the pirate ship playground, checked out the boats docked in the harbour, danced to a few accordian tunes and then had lunch on the waterfront. I think Natalie is going to like it here :)

Wagon's east

After ten years of life in the west, we're moving back east. In fact we're already in Nova Scotia searching for a house. We'll stay in Cape Breton until we find our abode and then we'll be Halifax bound. Hooray! We can't wait to put down some roots and start the next chapter in our little family's life. Looking forward to new year filled with cozy nights watching snowstorms, lots of visits with grandparents, summer days at the beach and even rainy days for splashing around in puddles.

More Halloween Fun

It was cold and dreary here today and everyone seems to have the flu so I took Natalie to Market Mall for some Halloween fun. They had a great Halloween display with tons of pumpkins and a little maze. Natalie loved it, she zipped through the maze and tried to kiss every pumpkin she saw.

Here are some pictures of the fun. And there's more Halloween goodness to come, tomorrow it's Babies Go Boo at the Library and a Halloween dinner. Then Saturday it's a community Halloween party followed by trick or treating with the Abbotts. I can't wait!