18 Months

Natalie is 18 months!

And, now we have adorable pigtails!  

At the beginning of the summer, Natalie couldn't get enough of Moana. But, then we left the Moana DVD at Grammy and Papa Mike's house. So, I pulled out our Frozen DVD to try to something different. I skipped to the song "Let it Go," and Natalie was hooked. She is Elsa obsessed. She started by calling the movie (and Elsa) "Go" because of the song, "Let it Go." 

Now Natalie can say "Elsa" and "Ana," but she still occasionally calls Elsa, "Go."  She likes both characters a lot, but Elsa is certainly her favorite. She yells "Go!" at the TV, which means, "please play the Frozen move now!" In fact, she went through a time this summer when I would get her out of her crib in the morning, and the first thing she said to me was, "Go!" She wanted to start her day with a little Elsa and Ana. 

Here is Natalie sleeping with her Elsa (Go) tucked under her arm. 

This month Natalie started requesting whole apples to eat. I think she wants to be like the Minons that eat bananas and apples in the Minion Mini Movies.

At 18 months, Natalie loves swimming, being around other kids, being free to wander and roam, and going outside. She runs to our back patio door and says "side," which means outside. Then, she says "shoe" and goes looking for her shoes. She's just so much fun!

We took a weekend trip to Springfield, MO at the end of July.
Daddy played in a pinball tournament. 

Then, we went to the zoo. I expected it to be small, but it exceeded my expectations. We had such a great time!

The highlight was getting to feed the giraffes. Natalie even got to give them a few lettuce leaves.

The reptile house was a favorite too. 

Train time!

Hurts Donut Shop

Natalie's donut choice...Cookie Monster. 

Luke's donut choice...Dirt Cake. 

Then, dinner at Lambert's. It was Jacob, Natalie, and Luke's first time there. 

Luke would have sat and tried to catch rolls all night if we let him. 

He was so happy when he caught one!

Then, he yelled "HOT!" and dropped it on the table. 

This girl chowed down on fried okra. 

A great dinner!

The next morning we checked out of our hotel and went to a beautiful park. 

Lunch at Springfield Brewing Company. Natalie always loves mac and cheese (the beer was mine). 

Luke was proud of his giant root beer float. 

Last stop-Fantastic Caverns 

The cave had a lot of interesting history. We had a great trip!