The Growing Clutters

Cleveland Retreat

2011-12-19T22:03:00.000-06:00

The selection of slippers - so comfortable!

Santa made a special visit to us while we were in Wisconcsin, so we left a cookie and some milk out for him. In return, he left a donut for Natalie. I think that was her favorite part.

Great Grandpa and Grandma had a "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree outside their house that was so pretty.

Natalie opening up her presents from "Santa"

Ally Cat and Natalie playing together. More like Natalie playing with Ally while she was trying to get warm by the fire.

Our Gingerbread House - nothing compared to Aunt Pat's, but it was fun to make!

Great Grandpa's first time using Skype on Uncle Brad's iPad - it was fun to watch!

John and Natalie doing lifts

Natalie and Ally "bonding" time. Natalie was pretending that she was the Mommy and Ally was the kid.

Clutter Christmas 2011

2011-12-11T17:42:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was our first Christmas gathering of the year. We spent the day at Dave and Anissa's with the whole family.

We had appetizers and desserts...

Natalie went to take a "rest" in the girls' room. She started on the bottom bunk, but when I went to check on her at one point, she had made her way to the top.

Made time for a couple rounds of Guesstures and later on some Catchphrase.

Natalie showing her Uncle Jackson how to play with babies

Making a gingerbread village - Corinne's showing Josh how it's done the right way

Uncle Jackson cracking up at Rich's funny voices

"I want to hold Baby Jackson!"

Jackson thought this present looked good...

...good enough to eat!

She loves to kiss babies!

Caramel-filled Chocolate Doughnut Holes

2011-12-08T21:07:00.000-06:00

This is what I endeavored to make tonight. It was quite a lot of work and they didn't turn out like the picture, but they still taste great!

Pre-fryed doughnuts

Mid-process

The finished product - delicious!

Our New Home

2011-12-07T19:06:00.000-06:00

It may have some construction flaws, but it's our masterpiece (Pay no attention to the hole in the roof).

A Year of Blessings

2011-12-07T11:28:00.004-06:00

I have been attending a new church since about May. As much as I loved my former church, I needed an earlier service to attend, so I decided to visit the church that my cousin was going to be getting baptized at this summer. The first time I visited, I was hooked. The music, the kids' area, the sermon, the people - everything was what I had been missing.

I feel that I have grown so much in the past 6 months - more than I have since high school. God has been working in me to see the positive in all situations (though I admit I haven't done so 100% of the time, it has been an improvement from my former attitude).

God has been working in my life to help me get out of my comfort zone. I have attended a class to help form a small group for Adam and myself to join. Since this class ended, we have formed a small group that will satisfy my desire to connect with people at church, but also to grow spiritually.

Because Adam works weekends and is unable to attend church on either Saturday or Sunday, it was important to us that we find a group that could meet on the days he is available. Adam has even been able to use his leadership skills to put together a whole Bible study on the sovereignty of God. We did the first lesson last night and I was amazed at how well it went. We had great discussion and can't wait to meet again to go over more of the questions/verses that are left.

All of this to say that God has been blessing us this year - beyond what we could even have imagined. We've had our struggles (physically, financially, marriage, etc.), but with the support of family, the encouragement of meeting new friends, and focusing on God's promises for us, we have sustained no damage and have grown immensely from these experiences.

8 months? Really?!

2011-12-06T12:25:00.003-06:00

Wow, I guess I've been kind of slack in updating the blog! Here are some pictures from the past few months:

The Secret

2011-04-07T18:36:00.001-05:00

2010 Christmas Dance Show

2010-12-20T20:39:00.004-06:00

Pictures and videos from Natalie's dance show!

Preparations For the Big Show

2010-11-29T21:06:00.003-06:00

One of the three songs they will be doing for their Christmas Show. This class started out with about 9 boys and girls. It's now down to five girls - and two of them have red hair.

What are the odds of that?!

This is what I'm supposed to be doing, right?

Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T20:53:00.005-06:00

The Gradual Progression of Revealing the Tummy -

Silliness was a theme of the day.

Flexible Monkey

2010-11-01T10:57:00.002-05:00

Natalie had so much fun this Halloween. We went door-to-door this year for the first time. By then end of the hour and a half, she was telling me which houses we could go to (the ones with the lights on), ringing the doorbells, saying "trick-or-treat" and saying "thank you" after getting candy.

By the end of the night she was saying that her Elmo bucket was getting "so heavy" and she didn't want to stop! She can't wait for next year when Daddy will be able to go with us. Maybe we'll even make him dress up too!

The Finished Product

2010-10-29T19:33:00.002-05:00

Natalie and I made her apron today. It only took us 2 1/2 hours - I thought it would take days since she was helping me. She is so excited to wear it that she wanted to wear it to bed!

Monkeys in aprons

2010-10-27T11:44:00.002-05:00

As of yesterday Natalie and I have started a new project - making aprons. This weekend when we were up in Grand Rapids, we saw some cute kid-sized aprons and she kept saying "want one peeze?" Though it was hard to say no to such good manners, I did not want to spend over $20 on something that I could ~~easily~~ potentially do on my own at home. And Natalie and I could have a good time making it together.

So, last night we went to JoAnn's and bought fabric for not only one, but TWO aprons (I decided I wanted to make one for myself as well since I've been trying to do more cooking and I don't have one). I had an easy time finding fabric for my apron, but Natalie's was another story.

When I asked her what she wanted on her apron she said monkeys (she is going to be a monkey for Halloween and has been obsessed with them lately). Do you how hard it was to find monkey fabric?! I thought that would be something that would be easy, but we could only find two - and one of those said "slumber party" all over it. Luckily the other one that we found was cute and she liked it.

We will post pictures showing the progress we've made (or not made) as well as pictures of the finished product.

Shrine Circus 2010

2010-10-02T21:18:00.004-05:00

The BEST part of the whole circus! These elephants were amazing. They were offering rides on them during the intermission, but Natalie said, "not ride elephants!".

A new attitude

2010-09-27T21:13:00.004-05:00

This week we tried a new technique to get Natalie dancing. Though it was embarrassing for one of us, it really helped the other one. Natalie would only stay on the dance floor during the ballet portion of class if I was there, dancing, along side her. Adam was kind enough to take a picture of the moment.

Jesus Loves Me

2010-09-21T19:25:00.002-05:00

Try #2

2010-09-20T18:45:00.003-05:00

So, as excited as Natalie was to go back to dance class this week, she was a little more hesitant to get on the dance floor. Here's pretty much as far as she got. She wouldn't even go on the floor until it was tap time. She just wanted to "watch".

Natalie's First Dance Class

2010-09-18T17:37:00.002-05:00

Dance Class

2010-09-13T19:06:00.005-05:00

I know, it's been a while since our last post and this title isn't very creative. The only excuses I have are that I haven't been taking very many pictures (therefore don't have any to post) and I'm getting over a cold and running low on sleep and any creativity I may have had.

Here are some pictures from dance class tonight. I am hoping to get some editing done on the videos tomorrow, so that you don't have to watch 45 minutes of video.

Ballet slippers (as Natalie calls them)

Tap shoes

Checking out all the other boys and girls in her class

Another redhead!

Doesn't she just look so happy?!

Two and a half years old and this is her first time being taught in a group with other kids. I guess she did pretty well (no tears), but hopefully next time she'll be more interested in what the teachers are doing instead of finding her 'X' on the ground and yelling "Mommy! Found it!"

Better luck next time

2010-08-11T11:45:00.001-05:00

We didn't succeed with the potty training. Natalie didn't want to sit on the chair, so we're not going to force it right now.

Potty Training

2010-08-02T22:16:00.001-05:00

Here we go! Tomorrow starts our first day of potty training! We'll keep you posted on our progress.

We are still alive

2010-07-31T20:30:00.003-05:00

Between not having a working memory card for the camera and being busy with the summer, we haven't been taking as many pictures. Here are a few random ones.

Watching Elmo

Our New Adventure

2010-06-27T12:17:00.002-05:00

In order to save money in the future and to get Natalie started on learning some basic skills (and because I think it will be fun) we are starting a home pre-school with her.

It is a Bible-based curriculum that will help her learn more about the Bible, colors, letters, numbers, animals, science, shapes, etc. It includes lots of worksheets that we can do together as well as activities, book/song suggestions and lots more.

Hopefully this will also give us something to do on the days when it's raining or when we're just looking for something to do!

Now, we'll just have to see if she's interested or not!

Children's Museum

2010-06-08T09:45:00.009-05:00

Natalie and I went to the Children's Museum on Sunday with Nana Kim, Aunt Stacy and Cousin Marissa.

Painting water on the rocks

The girls got to color on their face and both wanted matching Elmos on their foreheads.

Playing with water pressure

Boat racing

Fountain!

Such a dork - I know. But Natalie LOVED it!

Please ignore the crazy dancing woman with the black shirt on. She was just enjoying dancing with her daughter and not paying attention to the grandmother videotaping the whole experience.

Minnehaha Falls

2010-06-08T09:39:00.003-05:00

We had a picnic in the park - Natalie and Adam shared a PB & J sandwich

Twins Game

2010-06-04T12:25:00.005-05:00

I know, the Twins game we went to was weeks ago. So, you might ask why I haven't posted pictures yet. Well, I just haven't had (or made) the time to do it.

Although it was a great time and we got to see the crazy squirrel...

... the game got rained out and we didn't get to see any runs. We're planning on going back again to hopefully see a whole game!

Pool Time!

2010-05-18T13:19:00.002-05:00

Birthday Party

2010-05-17T19:59:00.004-05:00

This is for all of you that thought I wouldn't get Natalie's birthday pictures up until her third birthday - ha! It only took me a month!

Fishing Opener

2010-05-17T19:42:00.002-05:00

Though we didn't catch any fish, we had a great time on Saturday at some lake in Lino Lakes - Sorry, can't remember the name of it!

Natalie had more fun watching for the fish than actually trying to catch them.

Friday Fun

2010-05-17T09:39:00.003-05:00

Natalie and I went to the park on Friday since the weather was finally nice. She got to ride her new bike that she got for her birthday and wear her new helmet.

This was a big deal for her to walk on this bridge - the first time we went to this park, she wanted nothing to do with it! By the time we left she was even walking across without holding on and jumping up and down to make it bounce. We spent at least half an hour on this one part of the playground.

This One's for Adam

2010-05-13T14:33:00.001-05:00

Hey there. I was going to change our blog background to something more summery, but then I saw this...

I love you, Adam!

Not quite yet

2010-05-04T12:08:00.001-05:00

For all of you waiting to see pictures from Natalie's birthday, you'll have to wait a little bit longer. I need to collect them from other people that took pictures because when I looked back at our camera, we only took a few pictures and they were all before anyone even got to the party!

So, hold tight - they'll be up soon!

Happy Birthday Natalie Rose!

2010-04-15T09:39:00.004-05:00

Natalie got to open her birthday presents from us yesterday - she loved her Mr. and Mrs. Potato Heads as you can see in this picture. There were five different "outfits" that they could wear.

She also loves her new sandbox! Luckily it has a lid so the neighborhood cats and dogs won't use it as a litterbox.

Friday - going home

2010-04-09T19:40:00.004-05:00

Today was the day that we came home. It was a day that Mommy and Daddy called "bittersweet". I guess that means that although it was very sad leaving Connie and the puppies, I was very excited to be heading home.

I was pretty good on the plane again. I got to stand up and walk around a lot, and I had some new books from Connie that I read over and over and over again!

This is a picture of me trying to look out the window at the clouds.

By the end of the flight I was getting pretty tired, so I laid on the floor and rested. I didn't really fall asleep though because it was too exciting.

This trip was so fun that I can't wait until the next time I get to go somewhere far away. Daddy and Mommy say that the next time I fly I will get my own seat to sit in. That will be really fun!

Thursday...our last day :(

2010-04-08T15:19:00.022-05:00

Today was the most fun out of all the days that we've been here - at least in MY opinion! I'll see if you can figure out what we did today by this video Mommy took of me:

Yep - we went to a Dairy Farm!!! It's called the Happy Cow Creamery. The cows there really were so happy. I even got to pet a few of them!

This picture of me and Daddy is a funny one. It was SO windy out I had to squint my eyes.

We got to the farm a little bit earlier than the school kids did, so we got to see some things that they weren't going to be able to see during the tour. In the back of the barn are all the young cows. They were very excited to see us!

One of them even tried to lick my shoe off! Their tongues kind of feel like a cat's tongue does - scratchy!

This is the group of Kindergartners from Fork Shoals Elementary School. They were very wild!

Did you know that they use machines to get the milk out of the cows' udders?! One of the kids thought they were called gutters! They have to get up at 5:00 in the morning to milk all 66 of the cows. That is really early!

After our tour was done, there were these mommy cows eating some hay. I was so excited to get this close to them! Mommy tried to tell me that we were going to have hay for lunch too, but I said, "Noooo" and shook my head. She changed her mind and we had sandwiches instead. I'm sure glad she listened to me!

For dinner we went to this cute place called Stella's. They had really good macaroni and cheese, shrimp, and parmesan fries! Connie has a special bag called the Magic Bag that she keeps with her when we go out to eat. If I'm really good and sit at the table like a big girl, she lets me play with one of the things in her bag. Tonight when she pulled out the bag, she had a birthday present for me! That was a surprise!

It was a puzzle with lots of farm animals on it! I got them all right on the first try - Connie was very impressed with my puzzle skills. They also let us color on the table with crayons. Stella's is the BEST!

When it was time for dessert, Mommy, Daddy, and Connie had Butter Pecan Bread Pudding. It looked good, but then I saw what I got - an Elmo cupcake!!!

Here are a few pictures of me eating my Elmo cupcake. I really liked the frosting!

When we got back home, I was all hyped up on sugar, so there was NO way I was going to go to bed right away. We let some of the dogs in and I got to play with them. I love when their tails tickle my face!

I really want to stay at Connie's, but Daddy and Mommy say we have to go home tomorrow. :( That makes me sad, but you know what?! Only one more week until my birthday party! It's going to be so fun! I can't wait to tell you all about that adventure too.

That's all for tonight, but I will let you know how the plane trip goes tomorrow. Mommy hopes that there won't be too much bouncing while we are flying, but I love that part. I always say, "Wheeee!"

Tigh tight! (Night night)

Wednesday...Wow!

2010-04-07T15:18:00.021-05:00

I'm so excited to tell you all about today! Connie brought this "tet" home from work so that I could play in it. It's so much fun to crawl in and out of it.

On our way to the Cowpens Battlefield we saw this water tower that was a big "peets" (do you know what that means?) I made sure everyone saw it.

There were a lot of signs that we had to read. Mommy took most of the pictures while Connie, Daddy, and I looked at them.

We sure did a lot of walking today! Mommy and Daddy tried to get me to walk faster, but I was so distracted with everything around me that it took us over an hour to walk one mile!

This is a monument that Daddy took a picture of - I'm not really sure what it was for. Daddy took pictures of what was written on the sides and I put them on here so you could see it too.

I even took time out from our LONG walk to give Daddy a hug. I love him so much!

These flowers are so pretty and smell sooooo good! Connie says they're called azaleas. I can't wait until we have flowers back home that I can look at and smell.

Here I am playing with Dinah (the little dog) and a whole bunch of other dogs. Then there is a little bit of video of Daddy doing his exercises. He is so creative!

Tuesday's in the 90s!

2010-04-06T14:32:00.013-05:00

Today, when I woke up, we had blueberry pancakes. They were yummy! After breakfast we made sandwiches and I packed some "couples" (Mommy says they're called "pickles", but what does she know?). Connie had to work, so Daddy, Mommy, and I got in the car. They told me that we were going somewhere that had a bunch of animals, but I really didn't understand until we arrived at...THE ZOO! I thought I would impress them, so I decided to say "zoo" and their faces lit up with delight. I sure know know how to make them happy!

Our time at the zoo started off with about 15 minutes of Mommy and me being sprayed with stuff so that we wouldn't get burned by the "shun" (Oh, that's right...you big people call it "sun", don't you?).

The first animals we saw were ducks and turtles. I would have been happy staying there watching them, but Mommy and Daddy made me go see the elephants. I had never seen a real one before, and today I got to see TWO! By the way, I think that's my favorite word - "two". I'm always pointing out things that there are two of - dogs, bones, cups, anything I find. Maybe it's because I will be two next week???

Don't you think this elephant is cute? He turned around just in time for Daddy to take the picture.

These monkeys are cute, too. We saw lots of different kinds of monkeys - black, brown, white, big, little. We even saw a little baby monkey!

Luckily for those of you who are afraid of reptiles, Daddy took this picture at an angel where you can't see any animals. Did you know that the this zoo has a whole building filled with snakes, lizards, turtles and frogs?! I loved it in there. Expecially because I was out of the sun.

Do you want to know what I was thinking while Mommy was taking this picture? Too bad! She wanted to know too, but I wouldn't tell her. What do you think I am looking at?

These are Toco Toucans. They were fun to watch because they started fighting with their beaks when we walked up. Can you guess what I said when I saw them? That's right! TWO!

You know the Gorilla statue at Como Zoo, and the Turtle at the Minnesota Zoo? This zoo had a bear! I really wanted to stand, but Daddy said it wasn't safe. Thanks Daddy for making sure we didn't have to take a trip to the hospital this week!

At this zoo, they have farm animals! The goats really loved to be pet, and the chickens and roosters were saying "do-do-do"!

We left the zoo and went to a picnic area to have our sandwiches and "couples". Here's a picture of me and Daddy going for a short walk.

I can't believe how nice it is here! The man on the TV this morning said that the high was going to be 91 degrees! I'm sure glad Connie has air conditioning!

You know how much I love to give hugs and kisses, right? Well, Connie's dogs and cats are getting lots of them from me. This is Aaron - he's a black lab and he's really fun!

Remember this duck from last Christmas? Connie still had it! "Cuckies" are my favorite!

This is Olive. She doesn't have a tail (like me). Olive is such a sweet kitty.

My mommy told me that when she was little, she used to read books in dog kennels. I thought I would give it a try. Guess what?! It is fun! I played in this kennel tonight while Connie was teaching a dog class. It's just like being in a "tet" - Daddy and Mommy say that it's "tent", but that's too hard for me to say.

I can't wait to let you know what we do tomorrow. I think we're going to a battleground from the Revolutionary War. I don't know what that is, but they told me that there will be lots of space to run around so it sounds like it will be lots of fun!

Marvelous Monday

2010-04-06T12:43:00.007-05:00

Hi! I bet you thought this would be Melissa, but it's Natalie. My mommy said that I could do this picture and movie thing for the week that we are on vacation.

Today we woke up really early to fly on a big huge airplane! It was so exciting! While we waited to get on the plane, I ran back and forth from window to window watching planes move around and fly up in the air. Our plane finally arrived and we got on FIRST! The ride on the plane was really fun. I got to sit on my mom's lap almost the whole time. We colored, read books, ate snacks, watched Elmo, went to the bathroom, ate some more snacks, walked up and down the aisle to stretch our legs, and ate more snacks! I didn't cry or get fussy at all during the whole trip!

When we got to the airport, Grandma Connie's friends, Robert and Judy, were there to bring us to Connie's house. It was a long drive there, but when we got there I was able to change into shorts, a tank top, and even put my sunglasses on! It is so warm here - I love being outside when there's no snow and I don't have to wear layers of clothes!

In South Carolina, there are different plants, bugs, and flowers than we have at home. They even have these prickly things that fall off of trees that Connie says are called Sweet Gum trees.

But, I think my favorite part of today was meeting Connie's dogs! She has little dogs, big dogs, black dogs, white dogs, and she even has GOLDEN dogs!

Today was so much fun. I can't wait to see what we do tomorrow! I may even take a nap since I didn't take one today.

Persistance is the Key!

2010-04-02T18:30:00.013-05:00

I have been trying for weeks to get this photo on the blog! I hope it works this time!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-02T18:15:00.006-05:00

Natalie and I dyed eggs this past week. We had to buy the dye that came with Elmo decorations, of course!

Her "happy" faceAll done!

A love of reading

2010-03-29T10:45:00.000-05:00

Natalie got a new bookshelf/reading cubby from a friend of mine at work. She took a 2 1/2 hour nap in it yesterday. I guess that means she likes it!

Help!

2010-03-22T20:05:00.001-05:00

Anyone know where the link went to upload video? Or how do I do it now? I've got a great video of Natalie, but can't seem to upload it the way I usually do.

Thanks!

Happy Birthday, Elmo!

2010-02-20T19:37:00.003-06:00

Nana Kim and Natalie went to Borders at Rosedale today to celebrate Elmo's 3rd birthday. Natalie won free admission to the Children's Museum in a drawing!

Our Dancing Queen (or more appropriately named, Dancing Princess)

2010-02-03T20:54:00.007-06:00

I am enjoying using my work computer to put together movie clips using iMovie. I hope I never have to give it back!

I hope you enjoy this one!

ABCs already?! Well, not quite the complete ABCs!

2010-01-29T20:16:00.003-06:00

I'm really bad at writing things. I'd rather just post pictures and videos. So, here you go!

Gettin' a Groove on!

2010-01-22T09:39:00.003-06:00

Here's video of Natalie dancing to some music on the TV.

Sorry, it's kind of a short blog!

What a day!

2010-01-16T21:02:00.004-06:00

Sesame Street Live!

(through pictures and video)

Matthew John Clutter

2010-01-05T19:07:00.002-06:00

We just found out that Dave and Anissa have named their baby boy Matthew John Clutter. John was Dave's father's name and is also Adam's middle name.

A Time For Everything

2010-01-05T14:01:00.004-06:00

As I started this new year, I was looking forward to all of the blessings and lessons God would teach me. Starting a new year with a wonderful husband, a joyful daughter - just two of the many things to look forward to this year.

However, in learning lessons, sometimes it can be painful in order to fully learn the lesson God has for you.

For those of you that didn't know, Adam's dad, Dave, was married last summer to a wonderful woman - Anissa. Shortly after they were married they were surprised to learn that they would be expecting a new baby in May of this year. As you can imagine we were all surprised yet extremely excited for the new addition! Things were progressing fine and although dealing with morning sickness, Anissa was doing (and looking) great.

Yesterday morning she went in for her 20 week routine appointment. The doctor could not find a heartbeat and let her know that the baby was no longer living. They rushed her to the hospital and started inducing her for labor. By the time Adam and I got to the hospital around 6:00, she was having contractions only 10-15 seconds apart.

Anissa delivered her baby boy at 6:15 last night.

The nurses were able to get his footprints and we were all able to see him. I was blessed with the opportunity to hold him and I wouldn't take it back for anything. To see his cute little button nose, his tiny fingers and toes, his ears just starting to form... how could anyone say he was only a fetus??? That baby is Adam's brother - whether he made it out of the womb alive or not, he will be waiting for us in heaven.

The doctor said that the baby's umbilical cord was spindly and much thinner than normal. It was also wrapped around his neck, torso and arm numerous times. This is what most likely caused him to not receive as many nutrients as normal and ultimately the reason he passed away.

Baby Boy Clutter hasn't been named yet, but he most definitely is a part of our family and will always be remembered in our hearts.

Christmas at Great Grandma Cleveland's

2009-12-29T23:35:00.002-06:00

Playtime with Boppa Brian

Snow!

Pretty girl

Christmas at the Mild's

2009-12-29T23:19:00.005-06:00

I thought this was the cutest picture ever. I hope Adam and I can be this loving when we're older.

Baby!

Another gift?! For me?!

The brothers

Uncle Bronco! At least that's what Adam calls Bryan. We'll see if it sticks.

Melissa, Adam, Great Grandma Mild and Natalie (who sees something off in the distance that she would love to go get!)

Nana Loey and Boppa Marky

Cleveland Retreat

2009-12-21T09:28:00.006-06:00

Natalie and Kristen working on Christmas ornaments

First experience playing in the snow!

WEEEEE!

Sorry it's so short. It wasn't a very steep hill so that she wouldn't fall off the sled!

Natalie listening to music

Christmas with the Bonasera's

2009-12-09T19:06:00.003-06:00

Natalie loves her cousin Justin. She crawled up in his lap the minute she woke up Saturday morning and shared her baby with him.

Doesn't she look tiny?!

Natalie enjoyed hugging Odie all weekend

Our crazy, crazy girl!

Natalie and Justin cuddling once again

Thanksgiving - a wee bit late

2009-12-09T18:49:00.002-06:00

We've been kind of busy lately, so I am just now getting to posting pictures from our Thanksgiving celebrations.

Here's Natalie and Boppa going through flashcards - something she loves to do whenever she's with him.

Eh-moh! At Grandpa Dave and Grandma Anissa's house

Cousins Kristen and John

A Surprise Visit

2009-11-22T13:19:00.003-06:00

Already???

2009-11-09T09:24:00.003-06:00

We've entered the world of potty training! Natalie decided last night before bath time to sit on her potty chair and actually go to the bathroom! She was a little startled when it started to play music but got excited when she realized what she had done. So, we're going to try potty training and see how she does. Although we will keep you updated, we realized not everyone wants to know all details involved in this process and will try to use discernment as to what we share (both descriptions and pictures!) :)

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T17:13:00.007-06:00

Pumpkin Carving

This marker smells bad!Ooey gooey!

Our little baby chick!

And her baby chick (the costume was too small for the dog, so we put it on a baby instead!)

Bonasera Wedding

2009-10-13T17:09:00.002-05:00

Adam's cousin, Ed, and his fiancee, Casey, got married this past Saturday. We had a great time and Natalie was amazing during the whole ceremony.

Mark, Nancy, Tony and Mike - the four Bonasera Kids

Cousin John walking Natalie to her pew

Playing with Ed's other cousin Adam's daughter, Peyton

I have a video and more pictures to upload later of Natalie's favorite part of the evening - the reception!

Are you in there, Daddy?

2009-09-24T08:26:00.001-05:00

Natalie trying to get in the bathroom to see Adam

You know you were raised in the suburbs when...

2009-09-16T11:46:00.005-05:00

Monday night Adam and I went to the Twins game at the Dome. It's been a long time since going on a date didn't include a stop at Menard's! We went to Old Spaghetti Factory first and then made our way to the Dome. After the game, we started walking back to the parking ramp.

However, since neither of us ever go to the city, and we came out a different gate than we entered, we had no idea where we were in relation to the ramp. Almost an hour later, we finally found the car.

Now, this could have been one of those moments where you get frustrated and may start to argue. In this case though, it just gave us something to laugh about. It reminded me of one of the reasons I married Adam - his ability to find humor in all kinds of tough situations.

Joe Mauer and the Indian's 1st baseman - both #7

Game Day

2009-09-13T16:45:00.003-05:00

Some pictures of things we've found in the closet while cleaning out

Our little punkin

Waiting for daddy to come home so we can watch the game

Natalie's new Game Day clothes

See my teeth?

Going Back in Time

2009-09-11T07:59:00.002-05:00

Our little princess at the Renaissance Festival

A Python - she really liked it

State Fair

2009-08-28T21:15:00.003-05:00

Wearing Daddy's hat

Dancing to the music on the DNR stage at the fair.

And for some reason we just had so much fun that we didn't take any other pictures the whole time we were at the fair. Sorry!

Family

2009-08-14T13:21:00.002-05:00

My Girl

2009-08-14T13:06:00.001-05:00

Some hair and a dog

2009-08-08T07:41:00.002-05:00

Post-naptime hair

My new puppy - thanks great Grandma!

Organzing the lid drawer

2009-08-06T15:46:00.002-05:00

A Clutter-ful Wedding

2009-08-06T14:35:00.007-05:00

Anissa, Dave, Sam, Adam, Josh and Jordan

What a rare picture to find - all three of us in one picture!

Here comes the bride!

A short video of Adam and Josh performing "I Could Not Ask For More" by Edwin McCain

You may now kiss the bride!

A family dedication

Mr. and Mrs. Dave Clutter!

Playtime at the Clutter's

2009-07-30T08:19:00.003-05:00

Adam and Natalie jumping around in a pair of scrubs while folding laundry

It's been a while

2009-07-29T20:32:00.006-05:00

Natalie, Adam and I went to Dairy Queen on Monday for lunch. She was very excited!

Natalie's first piggy tails

Trip to Como Zoo - Daddy showing Natalie the tortoise

About five minutes before the Sparky show they started playing music. Natalie had all those around us laughing at her.

We caught the best part of the Sparky show on video. But someone tell me, has the show always only been 10 minutes long? Adam and I both remembered it being longer than that.

After the zoo we went to the playground. Natalie had a great time on the swings and the slide, but she loved the dirt most of all.

What's next? The bathroom?

2009-07-19T09:07:00.003-05:00

Picture Perfect and Learning to Clean

2009-07-12T20:35:00.005-05:00

After coming home today, we went to pick up Natalie's picture we had framed.
It turned out perfectly!

We caught Natalie cleaning the house today - with some of Adam's workout equipment. It's a start, at least!

Hayward Vacation

2009-07-12T18:46:00.004-05:00

Natalie had her own fort built by Grandpa Doug so that she could sleep while we were still up at night. Notice the duct tape?

At the Seeley Art and Music Festival, Natalie made friends with this huge dog. He was one of the calmest dogs I've ever seen!

Sledding in June?

2009-06-30T20:15:00.004-05:00

Grandpa Doug and Natalie had fun last night running around on the sled!

It's Done!

2009-06-28T15:06:00.000-05:00

A Superior Anniversary

2009-06-25T21:35:00.008-05:00

Waiting for Daddy to get home so we can LEAVE!

Someone tell me - what is that???

Days with My Girl

2009-06-12T18:58:00.002-05:00

Basement Update

2009-06-11T13:14:00.004-05:00

We are down to the last two steps: install carpet (being measured today!) and have new furniture delivered. Here are pictures of the sofa, chair and ottoman. It should be all done in two weeks. Then all we have to do is the bathroom, because we're not worrying about that right now.

Can you see it???

2009-06-02T18:27:00.003-05:00

Adam has been very busy today and just finished putting the trim on!

Now on to the rest of the doors and the carpet! We also have to paint the doors the right color (they will be the color of the trim).

Laundry Time

2009-06-02T17:18:00.004-05:00

I've been working with Natalie on how to fold socks. She and I feel the same way about it...just throw them all over and move them from basket to basket until you desperately need a clean pair of socks! Thank goodness for summer and sandals!

The Colors of Summer

2009-05-26T22:31:00.003-05:00

North Coast ...... Chipmunk

Adam and I were on a roll tonight. We decided to get the ceiling painted and once that was done, we decided to just start on the walls too! I was only going to do my work room, but once we realized how much fun it was to see color on the walls, there was no stopping us.

Tomorrow we are going to buy trim and finish the painting (hopefully). One more step closer to being finished!

Memorial Day Fun

2009-05-25T21:19:00.003-05:00

A great way to start the day...Dancing!

And walking!

Water time with Grandpa Doug

Our little singer

A Visit with Grandpa Cleveland

2009-05-24T13:46:00.001-05:00

Nap Time

Snack Time

Primed walls

2009-05-23T21:20:00.003-05:00

First of all, I really need to get more creative with my post titles.

Second, the basement walls are all primed!

Next step - paint the ceiling and the walls!

Outdoor Advertures

2009-05-23T21:07:00.003-05:00

Here's Natalie enjoying her very first swim of 2009

A Few Updates

2009-05-21T08:52:00.005-05:00

1. The basement is all primed and ready to be painted! I'll post pictures later.

2. The tree people that damaged our driveway deducted our bill to pay for it.

3. The tree people that also broke our neighbor's fence may or may not be fixing it.

4. Natalie continues to get more cute every day!

2009-05-19T06:41:00.005-05:00

This is what Adam looked like after only half a day of sanding the walls in the basement.

Sorry, Adam. I had to post this. You're the one who took the picture!

Natalie's new Hula Hoop dance moves

Adam says she looks like an old farmer man!

She's been working on climbing stairs at daycare

(Ours aren't quite ready for her to climb yet. They're still just dirty wood - no carpet)

The After Effects of Cutting Down Trees

2009-05-12T20:45:00.002-05:00

The driveway gets gouged from the dumpster - will they pay or not, do you think?

Before
During

After...oops!

2009-05-05T19:25:00.005-05:00

Natalie's first ponytail (looks like she was there for the signing of the Declaration!)

We have an egress window now!

Before After

Natalie has been enjoying the nice weather this past week. We've spent a lot of time playing outside.
A relaxing bonfire after a long day's work.

Natalie practicing her walk with Great Great Great Great Grandma Mild.

Hey, I CAN see the (dim) light at the end of the tunnel!

2009-05-04T10:55:00.005-05:00

I don't have pictures to post right now (I'm on a break at work), but I was just too excited to wait until I got home to make a post. We are making some huge progress today!

1. Adam and Mark are putting in the egress window today.

2. Once the window's in, they can put the last piece of sheetrock in and finish the mudding.

3. Once the mudding's finished we can sand.

4. Once the sanding's finished, we can PAINT! This is the step that I have been anticipating for months!

Hopefully by the time I get home tonight, I will be able to take some pictures and then everyone can share in my excitement. :)

You know what I just thought? Once the basement's done, we will be done with remodeling.

But then I had another thought...

What about the KITCHEN?????

A New Game

2009-04-22T21:03:00.002-05:00

Natalie learned how to toss a ball tonight while on a picnic. She's going to play softball or be really good at skee ball, don't you think?!

Progress in progress

2009-04-14T20:02:00.003-05:00

CEILINGS...

AND WALLS!!!!!

Parties, Easter and Doctors - OH MY!

2009-04-14T19:21:00.009-05:00

Party Dress #1 - Pre-party

Party Dress #2 - Party

Opening Presents with Cousin Marissa

Party Cake

Notice the handprint?

Eating Birthday Cupcake (wearing Party Dress #3)

Party Dress #4 - Post-Cupcake

Playing Piano with Cousin Julie

Can I have some, PLEASE Cousin Tony???

Playing the organ at Great Grandpa and Grandma Mild's on Easter Sunday

12 Month Picture - and on the first try this time!

One Year Old Statistics

Height - 2'6" (80%)

Weight - 20 lb. 14.4 oz. (49%)

Head Circumference - 18" (70%)

A Birthday Ride in the CUB Police Car(t)

Transitioning

2009-04-10T15:01:00.002-05:00

Since Natalie's birthday is on Tuesday, I decided that I needed to clean out her dresser and transition from all the clothes that are too small to her 12-18 month clothes (mostly 18 months). The two of us worked together listening to music and dancing while \pulling the old clothes out and putting the new ones in.

This is a video of Natalie helping to open and close the dresser doors. Notice how she has learned to move her head out of the way, so as not to get hit.

Fish!

2009-04-07T18:25:00.005-05:00

All three of us got to spend a day together (something which rarely happens) and went to Underwater Adventures at the Mall of America.

Turtles ("tur-tul" as Natalie says in a whisper)

(see the blue Easter egg in there? They were everywhere.)
Alligator, anyone? Scary!

Look, a fish!

Natalie signing "FISH" double-handed

A Girl with Curls

2009-04-06T19:53:00.003-05:00

Look at those post-bathtime curls!

Natalie also had a run in with a friend's table today. Like always, she cried only for a couple of seconds and was done! What a trooper!

New Discoveries

2009-04-05T20:34:00.004-05:00

Natalie has never before used a pacifier. We gave her one today that we had around the house and she loved it, but wasn't quite sure what to do with it other than chew on it.

She's also started sucking her lips in. We're not sure if it feels good on her gums, or if she does it because she gets a response from people.

Our new spinning and bouncing games:

This video was taken sideways, so only those who are not faint of heart should watch it (it kind of makes my stomach queasy!).

Woof! Woof!

2009-03-29T19:54:00.002-05:00

Natalie's version of a barking dog:

New Furniture

2009-03-29T17:06:00.002-05:00

Natalie got some new toys/furniture this weekend from Grandpa Doug and Grandma Kim. We tried it out today and she LOVES them! Her mittens were all packed up and behind lots of things, so we made do with some socks.

Here's her slide - she knows to hang on and then she scoots her way closer to the front and slides down with a grin and a giggle.

Natalie also got a picnic table. The thing she loves to do most right now is to kick at the leaves and hear them crinkle. She's also very good at turning around so that she is sitting sideways and can reach down and grab leaves off the ground while remaining seated.

Framing Finished

2009-03-28T12:49:00.002-05:00

We're finally ready for the framing inspection! Here's a picture of the family room:

And a picture from the living room down the hallway with the bathroom on the right. My work room is at the end of the hallway.

Once the framing inspection passes, we can start sheetrocking. One step closer to a finished basement!