Disneyland (again)!!!

As most of you know, we are big fans of Disneyland.  It is one of our favorite trips and I'm pretty sure Josh and I enjoy it just as much as (or perhaps even more than) the kids.  This time we decided to surprise Abi and Brady and didn't tell them about the trip until we were about 10 minutes from being picked up for the airport. 

We left Nattie at home with Grandma as the thought of standing in long lines with a sleep-deprived two-year old sounded more like torture than a fun vacation. Plus, I would put money on the fact that she had just about as much fun as we did being spoiled and having Grandma's undivided attention for 4 days! 

To make the trip even a bit more special, Arizona Grandma and Grandpa joined us and surprised the kids when we got to our hotel in California.  

As soon as we checked in, we headed down to the pool.

Next we all took a turn on the waterslide...

        

      

Then it was time to clean up and head to Downtown Disney and dinner at Goofy's Kitchen.

Of course we had to stop at the Lego Store for our boy.  I'm pretty sure he asked for one of each set while we were walking through the store :)

After a day of traveling and playing we are all starving for dinner.  Goofy's Kitchen is a character dining so the kids had fun getting autographs and pictures with some of their favorites!

The day we arrived was Mom's birthday so we had to get a picture of Goofy with the birthday girl. All the characters also sang Happy Birthday to her and brought some yummy dessert!

One of the funniest moment of our trip also came during our dinner.  As we were eating, Pluto came over to our table. As he was saying hi to the kids, Brady looks at him, totally serious and unannounced, and says "You think you're better than me?"  It soon became apparent that he was talking about Pluto's dancing abilities and was challenging him to a dance-off.  He then hopped off his chair and the following ensued...

I am still not exactly sure where that kid comes from...he is such a hoot!

And then it was back to the hotel for some well-deserved rest before a very early morning.

Day 2: Disneyland

One of our favorite rides was the Haunted Mansion.  

It was decorated inside and out as The Nightmare Before Christmas.

After a few more rides, we headed over to the Jedi Training Academy.  Thankfully both kids got picked to participate in the show.  They had fun learning the lightsaber moves and defeating Darth Vader and Darth Maul for the crowd!

Our Jedi(s) in Training

Brady practicing his moves before his battle against Darth Maul.

Abi versus Darth Vader

After lunch we hit up a few more rides, visited with some characters and watched a parade.

I love this picture of Abi and I on Splash Mountain! 

I'm not sure who the two people in front are but it made for a good picture :)

I wish I knew what Brady was saying to Fawn and Tinkerbell :)

To the end the night we had dinner at California Adventure and watched the World of Color show.

On our last day, we got up early once again and headed back to California Adventure.  

Our first stop was Cars Land!

We were all super impressed with not only the rides but the look and feel of Cars Land. 

It was definitely a highlight of our trip.  

Then it was on to more rides, characters and parades!

This was Brady's snack while watching the parade.  This picture does not even do justice to the mess we left behind on the street (not to mention on his hands, clothes, shoes!)

We then headed back for one more trip through Cars Land before our day was over. 

It was a great trip and we can't wait to go back and share it with Nattie!

Marshawn In The House

Ice Cream Date

Happy 2nd Birthday Nattie!

We have officially hit the "terrible twos" and Natalie is meeting the expectations associated with this dreaded year with perfection.  These days I hear the word "no" with just a glance in her direction and she loves to test the boundaries -- directives given by Mom and Dad are simply just suggestions to her.   Temper tantrums have become a commonplace although I've actually become exceptionally good at tuning them out -- not sure if that is a good or a bad thing yet!  And because she is the third child, she gets away with more than the other two combined.  Things that I would be mortified about a few years ago, generally only land Nattie in a quick time-out, without a second thought. But I guess that's what happens when you have 3 kids. 

Despite her current devilish behavior and typical two year old challenges, even on her worst day, I love her more than words. She is a sweet and goofy girl who LOVES to hang out with her brother and sister. Dance parties (with the lights off!) are her favorite family activity.  

She is very similar to Brady in almost every way, which explains their love-hate relationship.  No one can make her laugh like her brother and he is happy to oblige but they can also be found tormenting each other (usually instigated by Natalie) with pulling of hair or hitting. 

She enjoys being the center of attention and making people laugh. She often calls Josh and I by our first names (and her first look after saying it is to the other kids to see if she is getting a response, smile or laugh from either one of them). She also always refers to Abi and Brady as "the kids".  Her first question to me every morning is "where are the kids?" 

Natalie is indecisive (an unfortunate trait inherited by Mom) and strong-willed (I'll give Dad credit for that one!)  She loves to take baths, wear her pajamas (she would be in them all day if she could) and enjoys putting on jewelry. After she done accessorizing, she usually looks at me and says, "I'm beautiful" or "I'm cute". She likes anything associated with Frozen. She can sing a mean version of "Let It Go", plus most other pop songs, but has a particular love for Taylor Swift.

She is finally at the point where she will sit through me reading a book to her although she occasionally gets buggy and tries to turn the pages before we are done.  She is talkative and likes to repeat everything she says about 4 times.  She is starting to learn her numbers and often can be heard walking around the house yelling out random numbers.  

Out of the three kids, she is turning out to be the pickiest eater-- not a big fan of meat except for meatloaf and sausage and is very particular about desserts too (very strange for Doehne women!) She thinks that any drink she gets at Starbucks is coffee and she can tell you where all the coffee (and ice cream) shops are during a drive around town, even if it is not your destination and you are just driving by one. 

Some of her funniest moments come when she is laying in her crib - either first thing in the morning when she wakes up or at bedtime when she is supposed to be going to sleep.  Natalie does not fuss or cry in her bed in the morning. Instead, we often hear her say, "Josh, come here for a minute".  Or after I put her to bed, I often hear her say, "Mommy, where are you?" If I ignore her (in an attempt to get her to go to sleep), she has discovered that if she says "Mommy, I love you" (which generally sounds like "wuv you"), it is impossible for me to ignore and she'll get a response.  So this is now our nighttime routine after I close her door and it warms my heart every time!

As with all other Doehne kids, she has a myriad of nicknames: Peach, Boog, Bug, Buggie, Bugger, Nattie Nu and Nattie Bananie.

In keeping with tradition, here is her birthday captured in pictures:

Happy 2nd Birthday My Sweet Angel!

Natalie's 2nd Birthday Party!

Today we celebrated Natalie's 2nd birthday. I was hesitant to schedule a party for her after the horrible weather we had during her 1st birthday, so I waited until the week of the party to schedule anything. Thankfully the stars aligned and we got some decent weather. We were able to reserve a park in my parent's neighborhood and a handful of

friends and family gathered to wish Miss Nattie a happy 2nd birthday!

A big thanks to everyone who helped make it happen.

My Silly Little Goose!

Nattie loves Minnie Mouse so it was only fitting that
we had a pink Minnie Mouse themed birthday party!

Nattie loved being the center of attention surrounded by all the kids.

Time to Eat!

Presents!

The boys worked off some energy 

playing football

And all the kids ended the party by playing a soccer game.