Happy Birthday Natalee!

Happy Birthday Natalee!!! And you thought you were the only one that would ever post on the Tuber and Beth family blog. Thank you for being so diligent and creating great Birthday posts this year about Mom, Dad, seven kids & their spouses, and tons of grandkids. Now it’s your turn to get blogged. Natalee’s birthday is December 5. She’s so busy keeping up on everybody else’s birthdays, trips, and events that she probably forgot about her own birthday. Here are a few of the first things that come to mind when we think of Natalee…

Natalee loves animals, which might be part of the reason that so many animals now call Tutu’s house home (much to Mom’s delight). Natalee’s first pet (not counting Tuber or Beth) was her cat Freckles. She got Freckles in DC and took him with her when she moved to Idaho. In addition to Freckles, Natalee has cared for many other creatures that have at one time or another called Inkom home, including Minnie, Lando, Chase, Leia, Cougar, Silver Fox, Monique, Lucky, and Baxter (RIP).

Live-Right and the Clean Museum have been blowing up lately and Natalee has been right at the center of it all. It seems like she is always either working at the office with Mom, traveling to baby conventions, or putting baby banana posts on Facebook. Without her, there is no way the Baby Banana Brush would have 244 friends on Facebook and 695 followers on Twitter!!! Natalee’s
creativity, writing ability and Y-generation savviness have made her the perfect person to lead Live-Right’s marketing strategy into the digital age. It’s no surprise that with Natalee around, Mom now has a new Droid phone and Dad is loving his I-pad (and he uses it for more than just calculating tips).

Speaking of Wizard tip calculators (or Willards from Bob Sacomano’s Dad), nobody is superior to Natalee at quoting Seinfeld. Natalee can also handle herself well when it comes to quoting Better off Dead and Deep Thoughts. Natalee loves TV, movies and pop culture. She enjoys going to the movies in Poky with Dad and has even persuaded Mom to sit down and watch a little TV now and then.

Everybody knows that Phillips are naturally gifted athletes. If someone asked you what was the greatest Phillips athletic accomplishment, you might guess Ryan breaking La Serna’s single season TD receiving record for the 90’s (1 TD), Ricky’s bench pressing max (though there were rumors of creatine use) or one of Nancee’s insanely long runs in cross country. Well you’d be wrong (just like when you guessed Flippy). Only Natalee can proudly proclaim that she was named to the all-CIF team! She earned this high distinction in Water Polo during her Senior year. Although Natalee is no longer elbowing/kicking her opponents in Water Polo these days, she’s still the best swimmer in the family and is always willing to give out free swimming lessons.

One of Natalee’s big milestones this past year was her graduation. She graduated with a Bachelors degree in Sociology from Idaho State University. I think she may have even helped Dad with his homework along the way. Congratulations Nat!

Last but not least, Natalee is known for being an amazing Aunt to her many nieces and nephews. They all love hanging out with Aunt Natalee. She is cool enough to hang out with the older grandkids, and also great at babysitting the younger ones. Natalee’s brothers and sisters love it when she comes to visit because the kids are always so excited to see her and everybody has a great time (the pictures above speak for themselves). Even when she’s not visiting, Natalee is a fantastic skyper and enjoys playing silly games over skype to bond with the little ones (e.g., singing Popcorn Popping to Esmé, playing Peek-a-Boo with Nolan).

We love you Natalee!!! Happy Birthday!!!

P.S. Extra Message from Nancee:
Happy Birthday Nat Spat!!
Thanks for doing blog posts all year about everyone. You deserve the best post of all just for remembering all those birthdays, let alone knowing so much more about everyone. Thanks for always being willing to talk to me on the phone and helping me to be more open. You have a lot of strengths that you don't give yourself credit for. You are soooo helpful with all the grandkids wherever you go. You are always willing to give of yourself to anyone in need. You have an incredible knowledge of pop culture. Your vocabulary and book reading skills far surpass mine. You are a very good friend and sister and always easy to talk to. Hope you have a great birthday buying lamps for the house.

P.P.S. Extra Message from Spencer:

Natalee,

You rock - pure and simple! Thank you for being who you are - an awesome kid sister, a world-class Aunt, a blogger extraordinaire, and a genuine friend. Thank you for all the time, thought and sweetness you put into making my birthday blog so special! We love you, miss you, and are determined to clomp you in Quiddler some day!