Summary of Natalie's Weekend with Mimi

Okay, first of all excuse the photography of these images. I won't list all my excuses, but I will say that I just wasn't on my game. To begin with, I got my camera out at the game to capture the "cheerleader" in this little sweetheart only to discover in the mist of me making sure I had everything before I left the house (rain jackets, etc.) that I forgot my memory card. So I missed the first few shots that I really wanted to capture, but then I borrowed on from a good friend. Thanks, Delynn! Natalie was so excited to see her Aunt Cari cheer (and Alexa too). She really wanted to be down there with them cheering. She really thinks she's a cheerleader too. She would follow their moves. This is the first game that Natalie got to attend this season with her Aunt Cari as cheerleader. I picked her up before the scrimmage, but it was cancelled because of rain. Cari was sick at the first game and then last week was out of town and Natalie didn't get in town until Saturday. So finally! Natalie gets to see her Aunt Cari cheer and she has a ball cheering too! It was a great game (even though we did lose and even if it was so muggy that I felt like I ran through a sprinkler by the time I left). [I just added another image since I just realized that I posted this image twice.]

Natalie loved seeing people she knew and giving them hugs. I wished I had a photo of her and every person she hugged. I would have a really long post if I did. LOL! She truly is the most hugging child I have ever known. Here she is with Tori. Tori had to go get her a Viking tattoo. Natalie is soooo into tattoos...much more than I care to mention. So, of course, she was thrilled to get a tattoo for her face! Thanks, Tori! Natalie loves you!

Saturday morning I had an outdoor portrait session scheduled and I had intended to leave Natalie sleeping and hoping that she would sleep as long as possible so that she wouldn't be in the way. Painting is still ongoing at my house. But after it finally got daylight, I see it was going to be too yucky to capture the beautiful wall portraits that I knew this client wanted. So I re-scheduled and then started trying to think of something for Natalie and me to do to get out of the house out of their way! We decided on the SATURDAY MORNING MOVIE PROGRAM at the Grande Theater in Alexandria. This was perfect! For $3.00: a movie, popcorn and a drink! Something for us to do that didn't cost a fortune. The movie was wasn't new movie, but it was new to me and Natalie. Cari has the movie, but I've never seen it; we saw "Spirit--Stallion of the Cimaron". After the movie we killed more time at Wal-mart, purchased a few things, then got lunch at Subway to take to the park.

Natalie wasn't that worried about eating. She really just wanted to play,

but she got really excited when she saw this...

I had to make her eat and drink her milk before she could play.

I took just a few pics and then put my camera in the car so that I could play with her.

It was pretty and hot! We had a lot of fun and finally Natalie made some new friends and I was allowed to rest and watch.

The next day (yesterday) we went to church. They had their first Children's Church Service. We went to lunch at Nicki's. Natalie at beef tips. Poppa and Aunt Cari came home in her car and I met Natalie mommy and daddy in St. Francisisville. Natalie and I had ice cream while waiting on them.

It was a special weekend for Natalie and Mimi!

I love that little girl so much!

~~Natalie's Mimi~~

BACKTRACKING #2: Park in Pineville (04.27.09)

Cari got her braces off on Friday the 24th. They squeezed her in so that she could have them off for prom which meant us making another special trip back to Alexandria to get her retainer. Natalie staying here with us here in Vidalia (both set of grandparents) during the last two weeks of school to prepare for and take finals at LSU. So since Natalie had not had a nap, I thought we could play at the park before heading home. The play time at the park would help that nap come easier to her. So after Cari got her retainer, we headed to the Sonic for ice cream and then on to the park.

I had only been to the park one other time when Cari was much younger with her school group as part of field trip, but I drive past every time we go to Alexandria. Since most kids were still in school, there weren't many people there at all. Natalie had so much fun running for one thing to the next. After I finished my ice cream (Natalie decided she didn't want her fries--which was what she wanted instead of ice cream), I got my camera out. [She did, however, eat some of her cold fries on the way home. Children would definitely rather play than eat when they are hungry!]
So of course, I wanted to have a stop and look at Mimi for some of the photos. Action pics are nice, but a Mimi wants to see her beautiful LITTLE SWEETHEART'S FACE.

This photo of her flip flops in the sand seems to say to me: "summer has arrived".

Not to happy about looking at Mimi. She would much rather be swinging. This little girl loves to swing and has since she was very young.

"I AM looking at you, Mimi!"

Much happier here...

Cari still giving me a "closed-mouth" smile in this one. She is still adjusting to the new clear/plastic retainers that she just picked up at the orthodontist.

She loved this school bus.

It was finally warm enough for Natalie to wear some of her spring clothes. We had so many cool snaps that we had to keep going back to her fall/winter clothes. This was one of the cute little dresses that I bought her very early own from Gymobree's Happy Rainbow line. Doesn't it look cute on her. It goes with the same line the she had on in the Easter pics. And yes, we now that she should wear the plaid top with the plaid Bermuda shorts, but Natalie didn't. Brittany told me that she had two sets matched up...the plaid top with the pink shorts and the plaid shorts with another top, but these days Natalie LIKES TO MATCH THINGS. So we are learning to not give her certain choices!

I do not know what this tube thing is called, but it was like modern style seesaw or something. If anyone knows the of this, please comment and tell me. We are clueless. Needless to say it wasn't funless! LOL We had a lot of fun with this. I play on it too.

A GAME OF MONEY SEE, MONKEY DO

This image should be shown first. While Natalie saw her Aunt Cari playing on these monkey bars and insisted that she help her do it!

GAME TWO OF

MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO

Natalie's turn.

...down she goes!

Can't seem to contain her enthusiasm in this one.

Since it was about time to go, I asked Cari to take some pic with Natalie. Sometimes (not always since becoming a teen) she is such a good sport!

At this point she was still having so much fun. That is until I tell her we have to leave. Stay tuned for Part Two at the park.

~~Natalie's Mimi~~