Christmas 2008

We had another wonderful Christmas this year. It's always fun to celebrate the holidays with family and friends. This year we were lucky enough to have Jenny, Jason and the twins here for the holidays. They stayed with us for a few days so we could see our adorable nephews and get to know them a little better. We hadn't seen them since March so they had changed quite a bit. Natalie loved having all the kids around, and Justin realized that he does have some fun toys after watching Grey and Finn play with them.

We were home for Christmas Eve with just the four of us. We had nice day decorating Christmas cookies for Santa. Natalie and Justin both decorated their own cookies and ended up eating most of the frosting. After dinner we had a surprise visit from Santa himself. He came to see the kids and find out what they wanted for Christmas. Natalie showed him where the stockings were and made sure he knew which one was hers. It was fun to listen to her conversations with him, like when she told him she made him cookies and wanted to know if he had been eating cookies and drinking milk all day. Justin was interested in him from a far. He didn't want to touch him or get his picture taken with him but was enthralled with his bells. After Santa left we worked our way into pjs and got the kiddos to bed.

Christmas morning was fun. Natalie woke us up just before 7am and was all excited to go downstairs. This was the first year she actually got excited about Christmas morning. We went downstairs and checked things out and then I headed back up to wake Justin up. I hated doing it, but it's no fun opening presents without the whole family. He took it like a trooper. Santa brought Natalie a new bike and Justin a battery-operated ride-on car. The only problem was once Justin saw the car he was on that the whole time and had little interest in opening any of his presents. Natalie seemed to take on that task for him and after opening her own she opened his for him. Once we had breakfast and enjoyed playing with some of the toys we got dressed and headed to Aaron's parents for lunch. We spent Christmas day with Aaron's family and had a really fun time.

We celebrated Christmas with my family on Saturday. I was worried because Justin had come down with a fairly bad cold and had slept most of Friday with a slight fever but he was doing better on Saturday and we all enjoyed spending the day with my family. It's fun watching the kids play together. Sydney is old enough now to play with Natalie and Justin just follows the girls around.

We had a really nice Christmas, except that Justin's cold spread to the rest of us. It hit me around Sunday, Natalie around Tuesday, and Aaron around Wednesday. There has been a lot of sleeping at our house. We are trying to keep our germs to ourselves the best we can. Unfortunately that meant that we had to cancel on our New Years Eve plans with some friends. The kiddos were in bed early and Aaron and I definitely did not make it up until the ball dropped.

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season this year. We wish you all the best in 2009. Here are a few pictures from our Christmas holiday:

What happens in Mexico....

Jamie and I got to take a quick trip to Mexico last week. It was a trip that I had earned through work so one of the best parts was that it didn't cost anything. Natalie and Justin stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Pickens. After five days away, I think everybody was glad to see us get back. Jamie really enjoyed her peace and quiet especially knowing that it may be a long time until she gets anymore long periods of time to herself. I am not much of a lay around the pool kind of guy because I find it kind of boring. But, I managed to tough it out in the 80 degree weather. We came home to a dose of reality with sleet and single digit temperatures. In the end, we had a lot of fun and hopefully we will get to do it again sometime. Thank you again to Grandma and Grandpa for watching the kiddos. We couldn't have gone without you. Here are a few pics.

The greatest gift of all!

We are happy to announce that another baby Curtis is on its way next summer. The due date is June 6. Jamie is feeling much better now after an early bout with night-time nausea. We are looking forward to telling Natalie and Justin. They should be really excited, and I'm sure that Natalie will tell everyone she sees. We will keep you posted on our progress.

O Christmas Tree

After church today we packed up and headed out to find the perfect Curtis Christmas tree. We got to the tree farm...got all bundled up...and then hit the wilderness to find a tree. There were plenty of trees to choose from but most of them were too big for our house...so after hunting and hunting and a little whining from the kiddos we settled on our tree. Here's a picture before they cut it down!

Now we just have to get it in the house and decorate it. I think we'll wait until we all take a collective Curtis nap. Tree hunting is tiring business!

Wooooo Hooooo Snow!!!!

I think we were all surprised by the snow we woke up to this morning....and it's still going!!!! Natalie could hardly wait to get home from church so she could play in the snow. Justin is in that stage that by the time we get him all bundled up he can barely move....but that didn't stop him for joining in the fun. Here are a few pictures:

As much as I love snow...let's hope this is it for another week...I don't want any snow getting in my way to the sun and sand in Mexico!!!!

Fall Catch Up

So I'm a little late...but here are some pictures from the last few weeks. They include pumpkin carving, a Halloween party and parade, Eating Owen's Birthday Cupcakes, Trick-or-Treating, Sydney's 2nd Birthday, and cleaning up some leaves.



Hope everyone has a great week!

Halloween Sneak-Peak

Our church had it's annual Fall Party on Sunday and the kids got dressed up in their costumes for the first time....here's a look at Tinkerbell and Peter Pan:

And here is a video of Natalie bobbing for ghosts....one of her favorite games...I think this was the third time she did it!

Second Fiddle and Cows Galore!

Ok....so I leave for a few days for a church leadership retreat and Aaron stayed home with the kids...and I have now become second fiddle to dad. The kids must have had an awesome time with Aaron because even though they were happy to see me when I got home, Aaron is definitely the kids favorite right now. He's super dad and nothing makes me happier then to see my kids smother him with kiddie love. As you can see he did a good job while I was gone....how sweet is this picture:

Today we hit a fall festival at a pumpkin farm and cheese farm. Here are the Curtis kids getting up close and personal with some cows:

Natalie Milking a Cow

A cow named Sydney giving Justin a kiss

There is apparently no way around it...those ag-roots are showing through!!!

Justin's New Dance Moves

Here's a clip of Justin shaking his groove thing after breakfast this morning.....

Pudding Pops, ABC's, and Tailgating...what more could you ask for?

I remember pudding pops from when I was a kid...so when I saw them in the store I had to get them. Now...for some reason to me they aren't quite as outstanding as I remember...but it must be a kid thing because Natalie and Justin inhaled them! Now...I didn't think Justin was quite ready for a popsicle type item...but during a trip to Grandma and Grandpa Curtis's house he was offered a Dora popsicle and he quite enjoyed it so I figured...put a bib on him...put him outside...let him go to town...and the result...a choco-fied toddler:

As for Natalie...her pudding pop made her a bit goofy but she stayed much cleaner then her brother:

Natalie is also really into performing for the camera...so when you have a minute you'll have to view her ABC's song and dance because I'm sure you'll see it again in about 20 years when she's super famous and her biography can say that she began her singing career when she was just 3 years old!

And finally....ISU tailgating has officially started. We had really nice weather and the kids ran wild. Here are a few pictures from that day:

End of Summer...Beginning of School

So...it's that time of year now...summer has come to an end and Natalie has started preschool again. We ended the summer with a few little adventures which included a night at the ISU Fan Fair, a road trip to the Lincoln Balloon Festival, a trip to the zoo with cousin Sydney, a day at Make-A-Mess, and an adventure to the Fondulac Farm Park. So summer went out with a bang! Here's a few pictures of these little adventures.

Today Natalie headed off to her new classroom for 3 year olds. She did awesome and I had to chase her down to give her a kiss good-bye. This year she'll be going three mornings a week and from the way things went today I think she's going to really enjoy her time there. I'm looking forward to having a little one-on-one time with Justin while she's in school...of course today he spent the entire time taking a nap...but don't worry we had plenty of bonding time last night around 2 am! Here's some school pics:

Let's just hope she stays out of the "Try Again" chair while at school!!!

How many candles on the cake?

Ok...so I guess you officially stop counting birthdays after what....21, 30, 35, 40? All I know is that I had to stop and think...for what is an embarrasing amount of time...to determine how old I turned yesterday. Of course once Natalie told me I was 43 I was able to snap out of denial and realize that I'm still quite young!

I do not have a growing old phobia but it is amazing that as you get older you reach numbers that seem to be old (especially in a college town) but you don't feel old. I look at my kids and realize that this is a great time in my life and I'm just happy to be able to run around after them.

For my birthday bash, Natalie and Aaron made me a cake. Natalie said I had three choices for my cake: Dora, Cinderella, or Max and Ruby. I chose Cinderella and then had to choose between pink or yellow frosting, and I picked pink. So...they delivered me a home-made pink Cinderella cake. I was quite impressed with their decorating abilities. The cinderella portion came off and revealed a Happy Birthday Mom message and it was delicious! I received lots of nice cards...but the cutest on was from Natalie in which she recorded a message for me on the card. I hope it lasts forever because it's the cutest thing ever. We went out for dinner and despite lots of rain had a nice little birthday.

Here's a picture:

Thank you to everyone that sent me a card and/or called me yesterday. It's nice to have such wonderful family and friends that love me.

And for those counting....I'm proud to say that I'm officially 32 years old!!!!

Ozarks Meet The Curtis Family

We packed up the van and headed to the Lake of the Ozarks for our family vacation this summer. Aaron had a work conference so we just tagged along and then extended the trip by a few days.

We had a really good time and I'll give you the highlights. We left on Saturday after Justin's morning nap and after a few stops we made it to our resort, Tan-Tar-A, around 5:00 pm or so. We checked in, had some dinner, checked out the area and then hit the pool. The best decision we made was to get two adjoining rooms...one for the kids and one for us. Therefore, we didn't have to go to bed at the same time the kids did or sit in the dark during nap times!

Aaron was off to golf on Sunday so the kids and I decided to check out the outlet malls...my car registered a cool 116 degrees...so we only hit a few stores, then headed to McDonald's for lunch, and then back to the room so Justin could take a nap. Natalie boycotted her nap that day but enjoyed watching a movie and then having some quiet time in bed. When Aaron got home we got cleaned up and then went to an indoor "cookout" with his work and then it was back to bed for everyone.

Aaron had meetings on Monday and Tuesday mornings so while he was "working" the kids and I hit the pool and it was hot enough that the pool was the place to be! Monday evening we had another dinner with his work and they had some entertainment and on Tuesday evening we headed to Miner Mike's and Busters which was a fun place for the kids. They had a huge maze with ballpits and such for Natalie (and Aaron) and then a smaller area for Justin. They also had some rides, of which Natalie would only try the bumper cars but she went by herself and got the hang of it after awhile. They also had a ton of video games and ride-on machines so the kids had fun and it wore them out which made bedtime easier for everyone!

Wednesday we had Aaron all to ourselves so we saved that day for the indoor water park. We hit that in the morning after Justin's nap and stayed until the kids afternoon naptime and then went back again after dinner. There weren't more then 15 people in the entire park so we had our run of things. The kids really enjoyed the lazy river and some of the water features. Aaron and I took turns watching the kids while the other could go down the big water slides....which we enjoyed. You forget how much fun it is to be a "kid" until you're sliding down that slide going like a hundred miles an hour in the pitch dark and you twist and turn and then take a huge drop just before you hit the water....we each must of hit that slide a dozen times. They also had some smaller water slides that we would take Justin down in our laps which he seemed to enjoy. Natalie wouldn't go down for the longest time...then she would go down with one of us....and by the last hour we were there she went down by herself and then I couldn't get her off them! It was a really fun day.

Thursday morning we got up and headed out after breakfast and stopped at Grant's Farm in St. Louis for a few hours. It was a really neat place and I wish we had planned a little better because our time was cut a little short because of naps and crankiness and such. But Natalie did feed some goats with a bottle and fed a camel and saw some other various animals. I think we'll head back that way the next time we are in the St. Louis area. We made it home Thursday night and we were all happy to be sleeping in our own beds.

Here are some pictures from our trip:

Unemployed one day; Blueberry picking the next

Ok....so it official....I'm unemployed. Little Vincent's last day with me was last Thursday. His mom and dad found someone to rent their house so my guess is that they are moving even as I type this post. Saying good-bye was hard on all of us. Although I've known that this day was coming and in a way was looking forward to having time with just my kids, it was hard to see the little guy go. I think what's hard is after a year of taking care of him I know that in another year he won't remember any of us but hopefully he'll know that he was loved by the Curtis family. It was pretty cute when Lacy and Vince got in the car to leave Natalie climbed in too and wouldn't get out. Of course when you have two grown women crying their eyes out it didn't help the situation. We are thrilled for Vince and his family and wish them all the best. Here's a picture of us on Vince's last day:

Ok....so on our first Monday without Vince we hit the road bright and early and headed to Aaron's parents to pick up his mom and go blueberry picking. What an experience! Natalie had gone last year with Grandma and Grandpa Curtis, but this was the first time for Justin and me. We got to the blueberry farm and got our buckets and climbed up on the hayrack and they took us to a section of the blueberry farm and we worked our way down the row and found a nice little place and went to town picking blueberries. Natalie helped pick, however, Justin spent most of his time eating the blueberries. It was super hot out so after about 45 minutes we headed back and paid for the berries and got back in a nice air conditioned car and went back to the house and got cleaned up. Grandpa came home and took us out to lunch and then it was back on the road. Justin didn't make it out of town before he was asleep. It was fun, and the kids enjoyed themselves and I have a feeling that this will be a yearly tradition. Here are a few pictures:

So anyone that visits this house in the next few days will be eating blueberry cobbler, blueberry muffins, blueberry crisp, or just plain blueberries!!!!

Summer of Fun

So when I looked through the Parks and Rec Summer Guide there were like a hundred things I wanted to sign Natalie up for...but my level headed husband advised me not to over book Natalie so we let her pick two things and she chose gymnastics and swimming. We decided to go ahead and sign Justin up for swimming during the same time just so he could have some fun in the water even though he technically isn't really learning how to swim just yet. Both have been a lot of fun.

Natalie has loved gymnastics and just had her last lesson today. She's just so cute out there doing bridges, somersaults, walking on the balance beam and swinging on the bar. I think she was a little sad that this was her last day but daddy surprised her by showing up for her last lesson so she was full of smiles all day because of that.

As for swim lessons, we are in week two and as much fun as the kids have mom and dad are glad this is the last week. We meet nightly Monday through Thursday so by Thursday we are pretty worn out. It also takes up the night so we haven't had much chance for anything else. However, Natalie is a "duck" and is doing quite well. We'll find out on Thursday if she will continue to be a duck or move onto becoming a "goose" when we resume lessons next summer. Justin is fairly indifferent about the pool experience. He doesn't hate it...and on occasion he smiles and even gives us a giggle...so I would say he enjoys it for the most part. I'm sure next year he'll do better because he'll be able to participate a little more.

The kids should now be ready to the hit the pool hard when we go on vacation in a few weeks! I'll keep you posted!

Roadtrip to St. Louis

So the Curtis Family headed down to St. Louis for a whirlwind weekend and had an absolute blast. We went down with some friends and packed a lot into about 24 hours.

We started out at the City Museum, which is an amazing place. There are a bazillion little mazes and things to crawl on and through and you can crawl from one floor to another. Natalie had a blast...and with dad following close behind I think they both got a pretty good workout. Since I never knew where they would end up, I let the two of them take off and Justin and I did some exploring on our own. We hit a few caves, climbed onto a big whale, and got up close and personal with a few swimming turtles. We met up with the other two in the toddler room which meant that the two kiddos could run wild. Justin loved the ball pit and the slides. He even liked playing hide and seek with me among the pillars. Natalie liked that she could interact with Justin and play together. The huge pile of blocks was a huge hit and Natalie rode the little train. We were there for about 3 hours and still didn't hit all the attractions, so I think we'll be headed back there again. Here are a few pictures of that part of our adventure:

We headed back to our hotel to attempt some naps for the kids which went ok..but not great..and an hour later we were off to the America's Incredible Pizza Company where we met up with our friends. I haven't personally been to the local Chucky Cheese yet, but from what I've heard this was about 3 times as large with miniature golf, go-carts, games, a toddler area, and was a big hit with the kids. We played there for several hours and then hit the pizza buffet and it was back to the hotel for some late night swimming. We all hit the pool and everyone had fun splashing around. Then it was off to bed for a good night sleep. We got up bright and early...at least by Curtis standards...and while the kids were waking up I went down and got some breakfast and brought it back to the room for everyone. After eating we got cleaned up and headed to the zoo and again met up with our friends.

The zoo was really nice and the kids enjoyed seeing all of the animals. There was a lot of walking so we had to let the kids take turns in the stroller. Natalie really liked the giraffes. Justin liked anything as long as he was out walking around. He wore himself out and fell asleep in the stroller around the camels. Natalie liked riding the huge carousel and chose to ride the rhino. I liked the hippos...it was kind of neat to watch them swimming around among all the fish. It's a nice zoo and the right price...free!!! So we had lunch and hit the road home. The kids did awesome during the trip but I think everything caught up with them by the time we got home....it was a chaotic night...but slowly but surely we are recuperating. A few zoo pics...

Gotta Love Summer

We haven't had a whole lot going on these days, although we seem to busy most nights. I've never been a big summer person, but I have to say that with kids this is turning into one of my favorite seasons. It's been so much fun to get out and enjoy being outside. I seriously am dreading winter. I don't know how I stayed sane this past winter while being home with the kiddos. Now if we get bored we just go outside and play, head to a park, pack a picnic, or hit the zoo. I'm actually tan (at least in Jamie world I am) and I'm not sure the last time that happened. Sad isn't it.

As for our happenings. I took Natalie to see Charlotte's web at the outdoor theater at Miller Park last weekend with her friend Nolan and his mom. They had a blast. I think Natalie enjoyed the intermission the best because she could be loud and run around acting silly. Then we went up to Aaron's parents to celebrate Jerry's birthday. It was fun, the kids always enjoy going there because there are new toys and things to do and they get spoiled. Natalie spent the night with them and they brought her home on Sunday. Therefore, Aaron and I were able to rent a few movies that didn't come in cartoon form and watch those after Justin went to bed. It was a nice weekend all the way around. Here's a picture of the birthday boy with the kiddos:

So this week was nice because it was a short work week. Mom and dad were in town so they took Natalie for the day on Thursday. She was so excited, they came and picked her up and while I was trying to talk to them she was constantly saying "let's go". She really enjoyed having some one on one time with them. After Vince headed home that day we took Justin over to the condo and they watched both the kids while Aaron and I had a lovely meal at the Pub II. I know...how romantic...but it was nice to go somewhere we could just sit back and have a beer without spending our time picking up everything off the floor that Justin could get his hands on, cutting up food in little itty bitty pieces, coloring whatever kids placemat was put in front of us, and keeping Natalie from talking (aka bugging) anyone that was in our immediate vicintiy that was trying to have a nice dinner. So...it was a great start to a holiday weekend.

On the 4th we headed over to my parents for a cookout. We planned it perfectly. We got there, let the kids play a bit, and then they went down for naps so we could actually have a complete conversation without interruption. When the kids got up we had dinner, played outside quite a bit and just enjoyed the nice weather. Here's a picture:

We headed home around Justin's bedtime and I stayed home with him while Aaron took Natalie out to watch fireworks. Aaron had a vision of this grand bonding moment with Natalie. He planned everyting very well. Found a great parking spot, packed snacks, got their chairs out and was ready for Natalie to be completely awestruck by the fireworks....however, much to his disappointment, Natalie didn't really enjoy them as much as we thought she would. She didn't like how loud the fireworks were and spent most of the time in the van with the doors closed playing her computer. Aaron, however, had a great view of the fireworks and enjoyed watching them. She was very captivated by the lightning bugs which is kind of fun because I can remember running around and catching them when I was a kid. Here's a picture that captures the experience well:

Today we got up fairly late and got ready and went out for breakfast. Then we headed over to the zoo which Aaron hadn't been to before. Natalie showed him all of her favorite animals and then we went to the park right by it and had a picnic lunch and played. It was a nice day that we rounded out with a trip out for ice cream. Again...you have to love summer!

Happy Father's Day

First of all, I hope all you fathers out there had a wonderful day. Jamie and I both had the opportunity to speak with our dads on this special day. We are both very fortunate to have such great dads. Al and Jerry, we love you.

I spent my father day's doing exactly what I had hoped - spending the day with my lovely wife and wonderful kids. The day started off with a little breakfast in bed made by Natalie. She also brought me the paper, and purposefully left me alone so that I could read it. Natalie was very excited to give me my cards and gift. Natalie had made me a special card for her "daddy". She also bought me a very nice watch that I can use while I am running. She was very proud to give it to me, and I was even prouder to get it. With the age that Natalie is, there are still a lot of "firsts" in her life, and last Sunday was the first Father's Day that she really knew what was going on. Justin is not quite there yet, but he enjoyed being part of the action.

Later that morning, we went out to brunch at Shannon's. We had not been there before, but had heard good things about it. It was extremely busy when we got there, but my "planner" wife had made reservations. It turned out to be really good and affordable. After that, the kids suprised me by taking me miniature golfing. This was another first for Natalie, and she really seemed to enjoy it. After the first couple of holes, Natalie tired of continuing to hit the ball. She then figured out she could just pick up the ball, put it next to the hole, and tap it in. Jamie would ask her what her score was on every hole, and Natalie would respond with, "One." Needless to say, with that kind of round going, she ended up beating Jame and I pretty soundly. We then had fun riding bumper boats and hitting the little amusement park. We then headed home to put our tired kiddos to bed. Later that evening, Natalie and I went to see Kung-Fu Panda. It was a neat movie, and I think Natalie watched most of it. Of course, she does enjoy the popcorn. When we got home, we ate some apple pie that Natalie had helped make for me. So as you can see, my family rolled out the red carpet for me. It is an honor to have such a loving family to make Father's Day so great. A few pictures from the day:

P.S. This summer, Natalie is participating in a Fun Run. It is held every Friday night at the local high school. She gets to run 1 lap around the track. Her motivation is the cookies and juice that they hand out after she runs. The first night she was a little unsure of it, but as you can see in the picture below, she is now getting the hang of it. Jamie told me that she officially swore off running track ever again after high school, but she made an exception for her little Natalie.

Hodge Podge of Summer Stuff

So...we are officially into summer and it's great to be outside! Here's a slideshow of some of the things we've been up to so far this summer. We've been to the Peoria Zoo, the local spray park, spent endless amout of time playing in the yard, pool time is at it's peak, and face painting and slides were Curtis favorites at our church's block party.



And....a video of our little guy walking. He still prefers to crawl when he's in a hurry to get somewhere but it's official...he can walk! I was originally trying to video him getting his groove on while we were listening to Veggie Tales Songs, but instead he put on this little demonstration....it's been a challenge trying to get this on camera so we were happy with what we got!

Tour De Curtis

Sometimes it can be difficult to figure kids out. You watch your little ones struggle trying do things like crawl and walk, and then all of a sudden a little light bulb goes off in their little head. These monumental tasks then become a subtle part of their lives that you then quickly forget that it was such a trying event for them (and mom and dad).

Such an event happened to Natalie this past week. Less than two weeks ago, Natalie could not figure out how to ride her tricycle. We would have to give her little pushes, and even then she couldn't comprehend that she had to pedal and steer at the same time. And then all of a sudden, cue the light bulb. We can't hardly get her off the thing now. Last night, she and I rode all the way to the park and back. Okay, the park isn't that far. But in a proud daddy's eyes, it had to be a least 5 miles. After the ride was over, I told her that we could go on a family ride tonight when daddy got home from work. Of course, she reminded Jamie of this all day. And sure enough, after dinner tonight, we ventured to the park once again. Justin was a little unsure about the whole thing, but his first bike ride went a lot smoother than Natalie's did a couple of years back. And yes, he is wearing a pink helmet. Don't worry, we will fix that.

Justin's first bike ride

Natalie's first bike ride

Ramblings of a Mom

Happy Mothers Day to all you moms out there.

As I woke up today listening to Justin crack himself up in his crib at 6 am; I felt no guilt turning to Aaron and asking if he was getting up with the little guy this morning, which he did happily. I find it really hard to stay in bed and listen to my family downstairs having fun without me, but today I took the time to really reflect back on my journey to becoming a mom.

I remember having a wave of terror run over me when Aaron and I decided that we were going to start a family. I didn't know if we were ready to be parents, or if we would have any clue what we were doing, or if we'd survive all the horror stories we heard about pregnancy and child birth. But, six years later we have survived the births of three children and we have no intentions of stopping just yet.

It's been a wonderful day. This was the first Mothers Day in which one of my children has participated in the day. Natalie woke up early and helped Aaron make pancakes and brought them to me in bed with the paper and my morning coffee. She's Aaron's little warden and is making sure that I don't lift a hand today in any way. She's made me laugh uncontrollably until I had tears rolling down my face...does it get any better then that? Then there is Justin. He is just a shear joy to be around. He's giving me lots of open mouth kisses and those heartwarming smiles. I've never seen a little man crack himself up so much. And I can't forget Aaron, who has spoiled me rotten! Then you have Owen, who the thought of just touches my soul, my firstborn and the one that will welcome me with open arms when I join him in heaven someday.

After a day like this, I just can't help but sit back and smile because I'm so lucky to have been blessed with my family. Not only my immediate family but my extended family. Mothers Day also makes you give thanks for your mom and dad, siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and friends. I sometimes forget to stop and truly give thanks for everything that is good in my life. So for all of you reading my post...know that you were prayed for today!

In honor of Mothers Day...here is a clip of Natalie singing a special song in church this morning...unfortunately I did the recording so it's not that great...but you'll get the picture!

On another note....we finally got Justin in for his one year pictures...and let's just say that Justin did not want to be the center of attention...it took two trips to the picture studio and this picture is a sample of how well the photo shoot went....

We were able to find a few smiles in the little guy...but my disclaimer for those that will be receiving a picture...is that he looks a little disheveled but we were just happy he wasn't screaming!

Hugs and Kisses all the way around!

Dad's Day

Last week, Natalie invited me to Dad's Day at her school. Since Jamie had already been to Mom's Day, I kind of knew what to expect. I was told not to be "that dad", and show up late. I arrived in plenty of time, and Natalie greeted me with a big hug. She sang a couple of songs. The teacher read a story, and then we worked on a craft together. Days like Dad's day at your kids' school are the things you look forward to in your head when your baby is first born. Owen would be five this year, and I often think of what him and his dad would be doing this summer. Probably playing catch and riding bikes. It's now getting time where I can do some of those fun things with Natalie. (I am not saying that the first three years weren't fun, just that you don't dream of changing your kid's diapers and midnight feedings.) I posted the video that I shot of the songs Natalie sang. It brought a small tear to my eye when she pointed at me during the song. (I am comfortable with being a wuzz). Enjoy the video.

Justin's Birthday Bash

Can you believe that Justin is 1 year old?! Well...he'll officially be 1 in a few days, but we went ahead and celebrated his big day on Saturday with a nice little party. We had many family members in attendance: Grandma and Grandpa Pickens, Grandma and Grandpa Curtis, Uncle Brad, Aunt Sheila and Sydney. It turned out to be a really nice day and we grilled out for lunch. Natalie kept us on schedule and as soon as everyone finished eating we opened presents and then it was on to cake and ice cream. We decided to stick with an ISU theme for his party (we did the same for Natalie's first birthday) and had a little baby Reggie Redbird on his cake. He received lots of nice presents and Justin is fighting Natalie for many of his new items!

After the party was "over" we put all the guys to work building a playset for the kiddos. This was our present to Justin...and Natalie...and the guys did a great job. I suspect there will be many of days that we are outside playing...and we got it done just in time for the 70 degree weather that's headed our way this week! A big thanks to Grandpa Pickens, Grandpa Curtis and Uncle Brad for their hardwork...and let's not forget dad...Aaron did a wonderful job getting all the wood cut and the playset started.

As for Justin's 1 year happenings....he's walking along things...but not on his own yet. He's a happy little guy and really enjoys trying to keep up with his sister. He got his first big boy haircut and it just seems that my baby has left and a little man has entered my life. He loves being outside but I have to keep a close eye on him because he'll eat anything. He loves to swing outside and play in the grass...however he hasn't realized that he can crawl on grass yet so he stays pretty much where we put him. He loves to play with my pots and pans and likes to pretend to stir things and is really intrigued by gravity. You name it...he's dropped it and then he just stares at it and makes a ssssss sound while he points at it until you pick it up for him. This is his favorite game as of right now. We've found the first thing he doesn't like to eat....watermelon...we'll try it again later and see if he changes his mind. After his 1 year appointment I'll post his stats.

Thanks to everyone for helping Justin celebrate his birthday!

Some Cute Pictures

We have some cute pictures to share. The first is Natalie in the midst of making her first pie from scratch. She chose to make a blueberry pie...and it turned out really yummy. I think we may have a future baker in our family...the whole family is really happy about this...especially Justin...he loves his sweets!





Next we have Justin who is learning all sorts of new tricks. It's really cute because he watches everything and is now starting to imitate the things he sees. Natalie and I have school time on the days she's not actually in school and he's trying to join in:

And we may have discovered his secret talent that will lead to his future career choice....

....amazingly Natalie lets him brush her hair but still runs from me...so he must know what he's doing!

Arizona....meet the Curtis Family

So the Curtis family went on vacation. We packed our bags, got up earlier then anyone should ever have to, got on a plane....and then another plane, and made it to Arizona in about eight and half hours. We stepped off the plane to 70 degree weather and sunshine...so I think we all felt that the traveling was worth it!

We were able to spend time with lots of family members, on both sides. Aaron's grandparents live in Arizona so we saw them quite a bit. Aaron's parents, sister and family, brother and kids also came out and it was nice to spend time with everyone since we don't get to see most of them very much. It was nice to see the kiddos play together. I also was lucky enough to see my aunt and uncle, cousin and family, and other cousin and wife while we were out there. It had been a long time since I saw most of my family and it was nice to catch up and introduce them to my kids. All in all...lots of family time...which is what we wanted.


We did squeeze some other fun times in, including a trip to the zoo and Aaron went to a Cubs/Sox game. Natalie did some mountain hiking and checked out the local park. We could have probably used another day or two but at least we left wanting to go back.

We had a longer day on the trip home, about ten hours all together, yet it seemed to go faster and smoother then the trip out. We were glad to be home, but it was a bit on the chilly side. The kids are still recouping from the travels and trying to get back into the Central timezone. We are now looking at planning our next big adventure....who knows where that will be!!!

Ouch!!!!

Ok...I'll own up to the fact that our little guy became a man at just shy of 11 months old on my watch. He got up close and personal with the corner of a bottom drawer while helping me sort clothes and he has the beginning of his first of what I expect to be many scars to come. After a call to the doctor and some lengthy him-haw'n on my part I took him to the doctor last night and he received two stitches to an area by his right eye. It was too close to his eye to be glued shut and the stitches will help it heal a little nicer. Thank goodness I didn't have to witness the official sewing up but sometimes it's harder waiting in the waiting room. He was a trooper and I could almost say he is a little proud of his badge of honor...boys...go figure. Anyway...he will survive and so will mom with a little extra helping of guilt. Here's a picture of my little stitched up man...

Bye Bye Bottle and Scary Girl

Ok...so I may be jinxing myself but it appears that my sweet little baby boy is growing up. He officially chose to stop nursing about a week ago and I can't say that he seems at all distraught about his big decision to break loose from mommy. He also decided that a bottle wasn't necessary anymore either...so for the last few days and nights he has been strictly on the sippy cup. For a guy who didn't want anything to do with one until a few weeks ago he has really caught on quickly. It's funny...we bought a bunch of different sippy cups to try to find one that he would drink out of...and the one that worked was the disposable cheap ones that cost like fifty cents. Go figure. We also found that he is starting to grasp the sign language we've been teaching him...he starting to use his milk sign when he's wants his sippy. I tried to get a video of him but of course he wasn't cooperating. However, we did capture a picture of our big boy using his sippy before bedtime:

Now we turn to my little pink vampire. She's been sick ALL week...and I repeat ALL week. It's been one of the longest weeks I've had in quite awhile. Luckily I was able to pass her off on Aaron on Friday while I attended a women's retreat here in town and he got to experience the wonderful world of grumpy pants. She had a pretty high fever and just wouldn't eat or move or use any of her well learned manners...but she did master the art of whining. I have to say that we cut her some slack since she was sick...but boy were we glad to get our energy filled Natalie back today and hopefully couch potato whiny sicky sickerson Natalie will not return for awhile. Last weekend we were at my parents and she "won" some little prizes after getting tickets for games she played. She picked these nice little pink teeth and gave me her scariest monster face....so don't be scared....

We also wanted to remind you that our Internet provider has changed hands and our new email address is curtiskids@comcast.net. Hope every one is having a good weekend!!!

Justin's Bust'n A Move

We spend a lot of time in the kitchen with the radio on jamm'n to music and dancing our little butts off. I figure it's a good way to burn off some of the kiddos energy before naptime. I'm lucky because it's usually a family affair and Justin is fitting right in! Here's a clip of him get'n his groove on....my guess is he get's his dancing genes from his daddy! And as you will see...let's hope he doesn't get his singing gene from his mommy!

ISU GO!!!!!

This year was the first year that the we got season tickets for ISU basketball. In the past, I got season tickets with a group of friends, but this year Jamie decided she was ready to go. We have had some interesting moments, but for the most part the kids have been great. Big props go out to Jamie because many a second half she has been seen walking around Redbird Arena with a cranky Justin on her hip. Since the games don't start til 7 p.m., it creeps into the little guy's bedtime. She does this all so that I can continue to keep an eye on the basketball game. What a great wife!!! The games should get easier as the kids get older, especially once they get more involved in actually watching the games.

FYI: The Redbirds are now 20-8, after a very hard-fought win over Wright State tonight. They have two games left before the MVC Tourney. Go Birds.

Long time reader, first time poster. That's right, this is my first post on our new blog. I will make this one short, but look for some lengthy dissertations from me in the future.

Our little guy crawled for the first time tonight. It wasn't one of those crawl all around the room kind of things, but for a guy that has been too "lazy" to move himself, we will take what we can get. It just goes to prove that even little babies with big heads and big bellies can figure it out. Take that, Doctor. It just so happens that I was the first one to witness this grand event. Same thing happened with Natalie. Every once in awhile the big guy upstairs smiles on old dad. Justin was kind enough to repeat the effort for his mommy. He then preceded to eat a box of Cheerios and take a 3 hour nap! Crawling is tough business. Enjoy the video.

School Time

Natalie loves going to school and today I was able to attend with her. It was Mother's Love Day in honor of Valentines Day and Aaron was kind enough to come and stay with the boys so I could go and enjoy the show. The class sang songs for their moms and then we did a little craft together. It's amazing to watch her in the school environment. She loves her classmates and her teachers. She is just so proud to show off her classroom and all the things she has learned. I think sending her to school was one of the best decisions we ever made. I've attached a video of her singing her peanut butter and jelly song, I hope you enjoy it!

Our New Blog!!!

Ok...so we decided to join the new technological wave and attempt a blog. We figure it will be easier to update then our website so we are going to give it a try. We'll keep our website up and running for a little while but probably won't update it except to put a link to our new blog on it. So let's see how this goes.....and we'll include a picture of our little tykes....