Long Time Gone

 I know, I know - I suck at keeping this blog up to date. I have so many posts that are started, but then was having trouble with posting pics, etc. So, let's do a down and dirty update:

• Natalie is getting SO big. She is 15 months next week (Time - you are not listening! You were supposed to slow down!). I cannot believe it. 
• She is walking everywhere, loves being outside and "talking"
• We have spent a lot of time at the park in our neighborhood and she is the most popular girl there. All the bigger kids want to play with the "baby." She is shy at first but them warms up and loves it. We leave covered in sand! 
• She knows a ton of different signs - milk, all done, more, hat, eat, ....
• She just learned to blow kisses - ahh, love!

April has been a busy, and hard, month. We had two weeks of visitors - grandma and Aunt/Cousin. That was a ton of fun! But in the midst of that, we had to put our very beloved dog down. It was so insanely hard. And I miss her every day. The house is so quiet without her. She had cancer (which we found out in October) and was starting to go downhill fast. She was basically starving to death as she wouldn't eat. And a few days before we put her down, she had a lot of trouble breathing. It was her time... but it doesn't make it any easier. She was the best dog I have ever known and I know Natalie misses her too. For a while, she was still pointing to the door to let her out every morning and then would point to her bowls and say "woof". We got her creamated and are going to spread her ashes in her favorite places this summer.

We also just got back from a trip to DC - me for work, Matt/Natalie to visit some of our BFFs. It was a tough trip, and I don't think they will be traveling with me for a while. Natalie, while she does great on the plane, has a really hard time sleeping in strange beds - thus none of us got any sleep really. And we are still kind of off some...

My angel babies have been on my mind a lot lately - for various reasons.

 And in other news - I just read today that I was nominated by an AWESOME blogger for a blogging award - the Liebster award- which means "beloved" in German. This award is given by bloggers to bloggers who have less than 200 followers (thanks to my 27 followers!!!!). If you guys have some free time, go check out her blog - she is SUPER funny and has the cutest boys ever. Betty Tuesdays.