Nathaniel Christopher Black, The One and Only

I've taken some heat from a certain sister (you know who you are) about not including enough Nathaniel lately, so here's a post devoted to my number one son!

Nathaniel is growing so fast I just can't believe it. Sometimes I will look at him and just be amazed at how grown up he is. What happened to that little baby boy I used to cuddle with for hours and hours? Now he's a big 3rd grader who will be turning 8 and getting baptized in just a few months.

The boy is a bookworm. It is incredible how well he reads -- he's on a 5th grade level at least! He recently finished reading the third Harry Potter book and started the fourth, and he will sit and read for hours at a time. Every day he amazes me with the things he knows. I'm so proud of him.

While he does love to devour a good book, I'm sure he would tell you his favorite past time is playing video games. He can beat the pants off of anyone at Super Smash Brothers or Mario Strikers (although I can still take him at Mario Golf)!

He's also gotten into chess. I think it's so cool that at 7 years old he understands the rules and really enjoys the game. He's pretty good, too!

Another thing I really admire and appreciate about my son is what a good big brother he is. He truly cares about his little brother and sister and always tries to help them out. He is conscious of their feelings and sensitive to their needs. And he loves to help mom and dad when we need something, too. I couldn't ask for a better kid! I love him so, so much!

IT IS COLD, PEOPLE!!!

Well.....in a moment of brainlessness I had the idea that maybe we could get the kids outside and take a few photographs. After all, it was a balmy 18 degrees, much warmer than the last few days with temperatures hovering right around zero! It's been a while since we had a good photo shoot, and Chris hasn't gotten to use his cool new lens very much. So we ventured out to a picturesque spot on the Provo River where there's a really neat bridge. It only took a few seconds to realize things were not going as planned. First of all, Lindsey and Bradley fell asleep in the van on the way over; we knew they'd be grumpy when we tried to wake them. (And they were.) As soon as we stepped out of the warmth of our vehicle, it was like we stepped into the arctic. It was dang cold. Within seconds we were surrounded by ducks who evidently thought we might be bringing them a snack. They were pretty friendly at first, but once they ascertained that we had nothing for them, no more Mr. Nice Ducks. To make matters worse, Lindsey took one look at the flock and began to scream her head off. I was surprised that she was afraid of them as she always seems excited to see any kind of animal on TV, but real life is evidently a different matter altogether. The boys enjoyed them, though.



They had fun chasing the ducks around! We tried getting a group shot, but it just wasn't happening.


It really was freezing, as you can probably tell from the expressions on Lindsey's and Bradley's faces. Nathaniel looks like he's doing ok except for his little red nose.




Since Lindsey had had enough, I took her back to the van to warm her up a little. Chris tried to get the boys to smile; he told them to say 'hamburger,' and just as he did, a duck began quacking really loudly just behind them, as if responding. They thought this was so hilarious! Then we got a few smiles.


Still, we had little success in the bitter cold, so we decided to take them somewhere warmer....the mall. They hate going to the mall, but we promised if they would behave we would take them to play at the treehouse, which for some reason they love.



Here are the boys peeking out of the giant tree inside the mall. I don't know why they love this place so much -- it's always overrun with germy little kids and full of chaos. But I suppose they just like the opportunity to play in the middle of the "boring mall."

What's Happening

Life is busy, busy, busy! Chris is working hard as Elders Quorum President in our ward, and he's always in meetings. Add to that his busy work schedule and the two classes he's taking this semester (EMS and Family Finance) and I never see him. I was called last Sunday to serve as the secretary in the Stake Relief Society presidency, and they have already put me to work. It looks like I too will be living in meetings from now on. But it's great to serve the Lord in any way we can, and we have great people here in our ward and stake.

I know I have been lax on the postings, but I also had a root canal last week, and it is killing me. Seems like it's always something with my teeth. Also the kids have been passing a cough and cold between them for weeks. Nathaniel seems to be ok right now, but Lindsey has it pretty bad. And Bradley had croup a couple of nights last week. I can't wait until they are all well again.


Silly kids! Chris caught them goofing around one morning at breakfast. Lindsey loves to do everything her brothers do, including making funny faces. They are so funny together. She also is living life as a nudist these days, and she strips down to her diaper as soon as she possibly can. Whenever I get her dressed, it's the same thing: first she takes the barrettes or ribbons out of her hair, then she takes off her socks and shoes, and then the clothes come off. I don't know how she stands it as cold as it has been here. Even though we have the heater cranked all the time, it can hardly fight the 1 degree temperatures outside! (We've even gotten into the negatives overnight a few times! Oh how I long to be in the warm south!!!!)


We found our little angel fast asleep at the table one morning. I guess breakfast just wore her out, poor thing. She isn't dangling off the edge, though, so don't panic. She had been kneeling on her stool and just lay down on the counter for a nap. I know how she feels.



What a good little mommy, always taking care of her baby. Linds loves her newborn cabbage patch baby that she got for her birthday. She is always concerned that the baby might be hungry or sleepy or cold . . . she loves to tuck her into bed for a nap. (Just like real mommies do!)

WHAT?? This baby is hungry AGAIN???

How 'bout those special effects? Chris is getting pretty good with Photoshop! This is Lindsey after church last week. That skirt is getting too short for her, so I wanted to get some pictures before she outgrows it completely.

Bradley loves his sister so much! Both of the boys are great big brothers. I am so happy and fortunate that my kids seem to really care for each other, although they do fight and argue like all siblings do.

Well, last week I told you Bradley had his hearing tested. Even though his doctor originally told us he did not have an ear infection, the tympanogram they did at the hearing center proved otherwise; he does have an infection in one ear, and this was affecting his hearing somewhat. We are hoping it will clear up on its own, and we will take him in for a retest this week sometime. He seems to be hearing a little better.

That Scootie!

In Bradley news . . . today we took him to the doctor just to make sure he didn't have ear infections. He's been exhibiting signs of possible hearing problems again, and we wanted to make sure he wasn't stuffed up like last time. The doctor said his ears look great, which is a relief, but he is going to have another hearing test next Monday. Hopefully this time it is just a matter of a normal 4 year-old's tendency to ignore his parents.

Aside from that, this kid is amazing. Though he doesn't always open up when we want him to, when he does it's to say something profound. We recently had two really funny and incredible experiences with him. About 3 weeks ago we were driving in the snow to our ward Christmas party when Bradley asked where snow comes from. Chris, the amatuer meteorologist, launched into a scientific explanation about moisture and temperatures and clouds, etc. Bradley then replied, "Heavenly Father makes the snow. He's very powerful!"

Not long after that, he dazzled us again. Some of you may know we've all been sick here lately, especially Chris and me. Chris got it first, and worst! Anyway, I guess the kids overheard Chris lamenting his condition and telling me he felt like he was dying. Bradley asked his dad, "Are you dying?" The ailing Chris confirmed that he was, to which Bradley turned to Nathaniel and said, "See, I told you! But it's ok 'cause he's gonna live again!" Sometimes as a parent you think nothing you say gets through, but evidently the boy pays attention to us and to his Primary teachers. What a kid!

My Big Girl!

These two photos remind me just how fast my baby girl is growing up. Too fast. She is reluctantly trying out the potty from time to time. She has had a few great successes, but no consistency yet! This other photo -- I don't know; she just looks so grown up to me. She's not a baby anymore. The time is flying by like I can't believe. Every day she seems to know 20 new words and is getting really skilled at expressing herself. She amazes us with her beautiful singing all the time. She sings "Sunbeam" and "I Am a Child of God" on a regular basis. Today in the store she was singing "Twinkle Twinkle"-- that was for you, Marmee! And she even sings the alphabet song, getting many of the letters correct! Such a smart little girl. And she's pretty cute too!

Christmas Jammies

Ooops! I neglected to post a shot of the kids in their new pajamas. They were so excited, and they looked too cute. The boys were, of course, overjoyed to have new Cars PJs, and Lindsey looked like a delicious little candy cane! It has become one of our Christmas traditions for the kids to open one gift each on Christmas Eve, and it's always new jammies. Lindsey was chomping at the bit to tear into a package after weeks of trying so hard to resist all the inviting presents under the tree. (She only opened like 2 beforehand!) I don't know how excited Nathaniel was since he's old enough to have figured out the tradition, but when he saw he had Cars pants, all was well. So we took some photos of them dressed for bed, and Bradley's hat was part of his ensemble as usual.
Another tradition we have is discussing the nativity and the story of Jesus' birth. The kids love it because there are visual aids, and they get to help tell the story. Bradley amazed us when telling about the wise men; we asked him if he knew what kind of gifts they brought the Baby Jesus, and he answered, "This is myrrh. This is gold. And this is....um...medicines." What a smart little guy! Lindsey loved playing with the little figures and telling us all about the Baby and His mommy and daddy. After that, we all sat together and I read them T'was the Night Before Christmas. Fun times.

Sunday Best

I'm not sure where Bradley was during this photo shoot -- probably already inside, stripping out of his Sunday clothes.

Happy New Year!

Drew and Amanda's gifts for the kids arrived today -- like Drew said, it's important to celebrate the New Year too. They were so excited to see another box of presents and excitedly tore in. Here are some shots of the fun:

Hi Daddy

Chris received a new lens for his camera for Christmas....he just HAD to have it! So, i expect to see lots more photos these days!

Here are a couple of our little princess, who loves the camera.

Merry Christmas!

Ah, Christmas morning! The kids had a lot of fun, of course, opening all their gifts, and each was thrilled with all the new toys. As usual it was overload for them, but they loved it, Lindsey especially. She insisted on opening more gifts after completing her pile, so she helped Chris out with his.


Nathaniel got a sweet pair of golf shoes from Uncle Josh and Aunt Karol, which he couldn't wait to try on. He's going to look great on the course this spring. And Lindsey was so happy to see her Backyardigans pirate ship from Aunt Mel, and she got a Backyardigans radio from Marmee, that all three of the kids couldn't wait to try out.

Bradley tried on his new Mario shirt, which
fits like a dress, unfortunate-ly. He and Lindsey
enjoyed Nathaniel's new chess set!