This summer just screamed by for us and the fact that Nathaniel is now a third of a year older is shocking. Perhaps it was the fact that mom was elated to be out of the first trimester (which was true), but it's most likely the fact that we were pretty busy, so we will try to keep this update as short as possible.
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| coffee drinker |
Appearance
As far as appearance, Nathaniel looks about the same. Mom did cut his hair shorter for the summer because he just gets too hot since his hair is quite thick.
Likes
Singing, dancing, following brother around, climbing trees, mowing the lawn, hitting things with sticks, throwing balls, riding his tricycle, helping, digging in the dirt, collecting rocks, playing games, playing with tractors.
Other Notes
Nathaniel sounds like beaker when he is sad or tired. His voice gets super high and whiney and he is almost impossible to understand.
He is still in his crib, although he climbed out months ago. We threaten him that he will have to sleep in the pack and play if he climbs out since he decided that he hates it.
He is super independent and wants to do everything himself.
He loves to help and gets made if he can't. He always wants to shut the van door, press the garage door button, bring his plate and cup to the sink, wash his hands by himself.
He bites in self defense against his brother. We are working on this and it has become much better and he rarely does it anymore.
Is upset that he doesn't get to go to preschool this year.
Nathaniel talks a lot and says long sentences that are typically around 5-6 words in length, sometimes longer and sometimes shorter. Some of his favorite sayings and other cute things:
"Yeah. I do dat."
"Hiya brudah"
"I want mama do it"
" I want fwaffles for bweakfast."
What We Did:
The summer started off with a bang with celebrating Nathaniel and Edmund's birthdays with a double party. We had 10 guests staying with us which made for a fun and chaotic weekend. The boys loved having all of the family around, eating cake with their friends, and opening presents.
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| birthday boys |
Summer also means gardening, and the boys have been thrilled to get to help dad more this year. They helped with planting almost everything, helped with harvesting, and, of course, eating.
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| bringing the tomato plant to dad |
We all attended Vacation Bible School at UALC. This is the first year that Nathaniel has been able to really go. The first year, he was only a few weeks old, and last year mom put him the nursery because he didn't want to hold still. He loved the songs and dancing and was thrilled to spend time with his friends Aliyah and Rebecca. The boys got to dress as their favorite character on the last day and they decided to dress as "kitty" the fire dog.
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| vbs fun |
The boys LOVE tractors and trucks, so we took them to their first touch a truck event this summer. They had so much fun climbing on everything and getting to see all of the machines up close.
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| ready to do some work |
Summer also means lots of walks to the local park and bike rides. This year Nathaniel learned how to ride his tricycle and he likes to try out brother's balance bike. We also spent lots of time at the zoo, having play dates with friends, and visiting different parks in the area.
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| little biker |
We celebrated the 4th of July by visiting grammy and grandpa's house in Indiana. Nathaniel loved swimming in the pool, playing with their cousins, and watching the fireworks.
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| swimming |
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| happy 4th of july |
We were also lucky enough to have the Styles family come visit us for a weekend in July. The boys had a blast hanging out with Mary Kate and Evan. We took them to the zoo, COSI, and hung out around our house.
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| backpack kids |
We also took our big summer vacation this year to the north shore of Lake Superior in Minnesota with mom's family. We went to Gooseberry Falls, Grand Marais, and Duluth while we were there. The boys loved spending time with their northern cousins, throwing rocks in Lake Superior, roasting marshmallows. They both did pretty well with all of the driving. There was not much napping, but lots of fun.
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| the plantenberg cousins |
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| mama and nathaniel |
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| checking out the trains |
With school in session for most kids, mom took the boys to Slate Run Farm for a morning. The boys had a blast checking out all of the animals, helping herd the sheep, and Nathaniel got to help milk his first cow.
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| farm boys at heart |
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| cow milking |
With fall quickly approaching, we also took Nathaniel apple picking. This kid LOVES to eat apples and can't wait until we go again in the later fall.
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| apple lover |
Nathaniel is excited to become a big brother. He always wants to give the baby a kiss on mom's tummy and can sometimes be found with a ball strategically placed up his shirt. We pray he is just as excited after the baby arrives.
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| baby bump |
Looking forward to fall adventures with this boy and seeing him become a big brother!
-Eric & Anna
