picture catch up

We're overdue for another batch of random catch-up pictures! So here they are!

What kind of family blog would this be without a nekid, dimply-butted baby picture!?
And here are a couple ballerina shots from picture day in Natalie's dance class!

Jackson lounging on the swing with his bud Jack.
And a few from a trip to the zoo - These shots where everyone looks weird are classic in their own way...
Natalie and cousin Rozella riding on the oxen.

Jackson and Natalie modeling the hats I made them. Natalie and I have been trying to figure out something to make with this Hello Kitty fabric we picked up at goodwill!
She always makes Jackson smile - melts my heart.

The baby boys watching my dad play at my uncle's house. Baby Steven is about 4 months younger than Jackson.

And my Aunt Toni, Uncle Brett, and their three boys Preston, Calvin, and Cameron were all in town for my cousin Nick's graduation. We all went to the Med, and Natalie and Calvin drew portraits of each person at the table.
Nat looks pretty snazzy in Nick's shades...
It's like the first day of Summer when the splash parks finally open!

Natalie's new skates, (princess skates with matching pads!)
And Natalie helping me cook while Jackson entertains himself on a stalk of celery.
Jackson and Jack again... Jackson really wanted to suck on Jack's ear I think.
And I think that about wraps it up... which is a good thing because I think the kids are waking up!

five babies in five months

So I probably mentioned that when I was pregnant with Jackson so were all of Natalie's friends' moms. Well, though the youngest are already two months old, last week was the first time we got them all together! So here's the whole playgroup, with the top row, babies in order from oldest, (Jackson - age 7 months) to youngest (Vivaan - 10 weeks). The babies are matched up with their siblings below them.

Jackson's first hike

We did our first hike at Chautauqua last week and it went really well.

Natalie checked out our route ahead of time so we wouldn't get lost.
We went with our friends Alley, Zane, and baby Bode, (his first hike too!)
Zane just loves Jackson, and since Jackson loves any attention, he thinks Zane is pretty great too.
Natalie did pretty well, but she pooped out a few times. I bribed her (and me) with Indian food afterwards. She still tells me she doesn't want to go hiking again, but we're going to have to get her over that with regular shorts hikes.
I'll keep you posted on how that works out!

Erie town fair

We started the day very early to make it to the Erie Town Fair this year. They changed the balloon launch format, and made people ride shuttles to and from the location. So we met our friends early at the bus stop so we wouldn't miss the launch.

But the balloons were delayed so we got to hang out for a while. The kids had snacks and we all had some pancakes.
Then they finally began blowing up some balloons.

Jackson was unimpressed.
Natalie got to sit on this guys balloon for a photo. Another man offered to take her up a few feet, but she was too scared.... oh well.
Later that morning we headed to the fair down town. Natalie's dance class did a little performance and after that we got some lunch and walked around a bit.

And Natalie met her first Storm Troopers!
Then she got her face painted!!

And of course she had to go back and show the storm trooper how fierce she was.
It took a long time to make our way back to our car. We drew some pictures and picked up a balloon and lots of free candy.
We didn't have time for a nap before heading to my cousin Nick's graduation party. But Natalie said she wasn't tired anyway.
Yeah right! (30 seconds later).

dance recital

Natalie's big dance recital was last month. No one was sure how well these kiddos would do on a real stage, (my old high school actually!) with all the lights and people. But they did great! These pictures are all from the dress rehearsal, but there are links to the videos at the bottom. This time the videos aren't nearly as good as last time, but I think you'll get the idea. Natalie got distracted halfway through her ballet routine and began to try to find her mark on the floor, but her tutu was in her way! She did a bit better for the tap routine. Since this she has also performed the tap number at the town fair! She really likes getting up in front of everyone. Hopefully she keeps her fearlessness!

Here are some of the girls waiting in the audience. The dress rehearsal took about three times longer than the actual show!

They had to have a little dance party!
Waiting next to the stage between numbers.

Jackson was tired of waiting.
And here they are practicing the tap number.
The video for the ballet routine is here, and the one for the the tap routine is here.

Okay - well that's it for the dance recital, but I've just scheduled posts for about this time each day this week! So check back tomorrow!!