Already 3 and a 1/2!

My Princess Alexandra,

How can you already be 3 1/2? The last 6 months have just whizzed by me all too quickly. You are quite the little person in our home. Sometime I forget all that you know...it really is amazing to watch you at work. You are like a sponge, soaking up anything around you and storing it for a later time. I often am reminded of silly things I once said to you or to another, because I'll hear it repeated out of those cute little lips of yours. Since you are my first-born, I have no comparison...I see this as a blessing. But clearly, you are amazing. You are brilliant, so smart and so precocious...I just love it.

You just love your brother to pieces, constantly asking where he is or what he is doing. Just today, I overheard a cute conversation you were having with him, as you sat next to him with your arm around his back while you were sharing your fishy crackers. "Cade-y boy, I just love you so much." It is your tender heart and your sensitive nature that makes me melt all the more.

You have the BEST sense of humor, I often just can't get enough. The way you laugh at something, or giggle profusely at a Max and Ruby show you've probably seen 100 times too many. Your deep belly laugh as you roll around while you get tickled. The way you like to put your oranges in your mouth so the peel is what you see when you smile, your selected outfits while you play dress-up, your infamous love-affair with those snowman-footie pajamas, your intense passion for brushing your teeth 3 or 4 times before bed! You are one silly girl for sure.


It seems I just can't keep you busy enough. You are one A-C-T-I-V-E little person. Honestly, you have the ability to play with 5 different toys simultaneously! Here lately, pretend picnics with your plastic play food, playdough with all your coordinating accessories, dress-up, coloring, legos, tricycle riding, sandbox play, going to the park, going to the gymnasium with friends, singing with "moos-kick", puzzles, puzzles, more puzzles, playing house, hide-and-seek, reading, reading, and more reading...you name it, you love it.


If we could afford it, we would have our own beach in our backyard. This in itself would be like a Disneyland experience for you on a daily basis. You can't seem to get enough of the water, the sand and the sun. I guess it's that California blood in you after all. And don't worry, one of these days it will get hot enough to bring our play pool into the backyard, I promise.


You are so grown-up. Full potty-trained, both day and night! I am still so impressed on that fact alone. Your ability to fully retain your Sunday School teachings has also been so cool. Just this week when asked what your story was about you quickly rambled back, "Jesus walking on water." Last week, you were most impressed with Jesus' ability to multiple the loaves and fishes. And my favorite is that you know that Jesus lives in your heart...I tear up when you tell me that...

You are becoming more and more, well, you. I see my little Alexandra becoming a little girl. A little girl that needs me in a new way. Not to help you get out of your bed anymore, but to help find the missing puzzle piece, or to read I spy books to. Not to help you put your clothes on, but to help make you your much loved and appreciated bowl of morning oatmeal--seriously, we still can't believe how much you LOVE, L-O-V-E, your oatmeal. In fact, if we sleep anywhere else for a trip or something, it is the first and most important thing you are worried about. It is pretty cute, even if it is the first thing you say to me in the morning. :)

You do have your moments of 3-year oldness, but I guess that comes with the territory. Moments of not listening or getting out your bed 25 times too many. Those not so fun times can easily be forgotten amongst all the other fun and true moments we experience together.

I love you baby-doll. You are precious in all ways. I love you so much. I cherish your little "isms" and the unique things that make you, you. Thank you for always forgiving me when I fail and always loving me. You are incredible.
Love,
Momma

A Girl for Fashion

Our Alexandra can be full of humor on a regular basis. That is, providing some good laughs for both her father and I. Her latest new trick is to change pajamas, upwards of three times, after she has been put to bed. "Those were not good." "Those were too cold," but what she really means is that she was hot and they were more suited for cold weather. "I need some with long sleeves Mom. THESE ones have long sleeves." Long after she falls asleep, I love to sneak in to check on her and am always surprised at what her final jammie set is. They say variety is the spice of life...:)

She has also taken a liking to certain "outfits"--her term not mine. She loves this particular aqua and light green sundress with these 2 daisy flowers on the shoulder straps. She wants to wear it rain or shine. I am not sure what it is about this one particular dress she likes so much. But, it is cute to see her twirl around and around and tell me how beautiful it is.

These are the priceless moments...

Attack of the killer weed!

I am finally believing that spring is really here. This week I also finally gathered enough energy to tackle the many growing weeds in my backyard. In all honesty, I was hoping they might just die off on their own, but no such luck. It seems all the endless rain we've had just keeps adding to their growth and deeper roots. For you to really appreciate the project I was undertaking, I took a picture of one of the weeds. You can actually see the base of our family room window, so it does give you some perspective at how LARGE this weed is...(Sorry Michelle, I know you are just sick to your stomach that such a thing actually lived long enough to grow this big!) Needless to say, we are finally able to enjoy the appearing sun and sandbox in the yard...finally, weed-free! :)



And, here is to my 120th blog post. I am actually amazed I only have that few, seeings how I have been an active blogger since August 2005. To this and many more!

Giggles in the Tubby!

This was too funny...While doing our double bathing ritual before bedtime, Cade managed to figure out how he could squirt water in his face with this star-shaped squishy toy. What a crack up! You get the gist...by the time I got the camera out this was all I could capture! **sidebar: note the bath crayon marks all over the sides of the tub! :)


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Growing Big- 15 Months!

My Precious Peanut~

You are still just that, a little peanut. Busy and into everything, but a little peanut none-the-less. Yet while you are still so little, you are big! Perhaps this is just something a mother can really understand, I am not sure.

I feel like I have blinked my eyes again and here we are, you being 15 months old! At your 15 months check-up this past week, you weighed in at a whopping 20.02 pounds...just making you legal to face forward in your car seat. This puts you in the 3% for your weight and at 15% for your height (at 29 7/8 inches) You are indeed a peanut!

This past month you've been learning new skills like crazy. I think the most amazing one was when you finally used your baby signs to tell me you wanted more of something. I danced around the room with you in delight over your communication with me. To make sure you really did sign "more" I asked you again, and you kept showing me over and over. It is rewarding to know you have been paying attention all these months now! Since then, you have signed "all done" as well. Verbal words are still gargley-gook phrases we can't quite decipher...But DA-DA is your favorite. Even though you don't quite say a whole lot, you understand what we say which is adorable. Sit-down, bite, drink, tubby, go upstairs, hug, kiss, bye-bye, bubbles, snack, all phrases you know too well.


You also began to show all of us how fearless you really are. Standing on toys, climbing up stools, trying to climb out of the bathtub, you really like to see all the attention you get. Can we take it down a notch? I am just not ready to have you being so brave to try anything...I need to ease into this boy thing slowly!


You've also started to show a new interest in several random things around the house. That, if you can't play with or reach, you immediately, and I mean, immediately, show your displeasure. You LOVE holding the phone, especially the white cordless phone you can now reach off the table, and place it up to your ear saying, "Da-da, Da-da??" all the while walking up and down the hallway. I giggle at your extroverted attempt to mimic me or your daddy on the phone. Of course, when you begin to try to call China and I take it away from you, your "throw-yourself-down-on-the-floor-while screaming" fit just isn't quite as cute. :)


You are also the king of repetition- open, close, open, close. Up, down, Up, down. You could do some new activity like walk in and out of the house screen door for hours at a time. You like to try your new skills at the same activity as you master it. It is pretty darn cute to watch those little peanut legs and feet move.

I love you so much. You are such a joy and delight. I cherish all the little hugs (with the cute back pat and head laid on my shoulder) that you give me when I retrieve you from your crib after a nap. You give each one like you haven't seen me in years...when in fact, it has only been hours or minutes. I love you, every one of those slobbery kisses, and all those snotty-nose smears on my shirt...you are so sweet, so very, very sweet.

Love,
Momma

Happy Flower!

Ok, this is too cool. I just had to post this. Though behind on blogging, I have lots of other things to catch you up on, I wanted to quickly post my friend's "Happy Flower." It just seems fitting for all you mothers out there. Seriously, this is real- take my eye-witness report. No tampering, or flower altering done here. No photo altering in photoshop. All natural, 100% God-grown. Amazing isn't it? I always thought Gerber daisy were happy. :)

Date Night!

Brandon and I were able to sneak out on Saturday for a much needed and deserved date night. We normally try to get away together at least 2 times a month, typically for dinner to some great place we don't get to frequent with the kiddos in tow. It seems however, with all that we have been doing lately, we haven't had the chance to make it out on our own.

This time we wanted to go somewhere fun and tasty and a little romantic. Since it had been so long since our last official date night, we decided to splurge a little too. As you can imagine, this opened many more doors. We decided on the Melting Pot. We had both heard lots of stuff about it from friends and family and have always wanted to go ourselves.

WOW! This is not just a restaurant, but an overall destination! It was delicious from start to finish...Cheese fondue, bread, salad, veggies, shrimp, beef tenderloin, chicken...you name it, we ate it. They just kept bringing us stuff to dip! Then, just when you thought you really couldn't open your mouth to eat anymore, you realize that you brought this free dessert coupon (yes, that is right, you read correctly. You too can get our own FREE chocolate fondue dessert by registering with their website fondue club!). So worth it, so very worth it. We chose the chocolate smores dessert- milk chocolate, graham cracker crumbs and marshmallows all melted together for what I might now call, the best possible dessert that has ever touched my lips!

So it was a great night, filled with great food, great conversation and great company. I did learn a few things too.
#1: Even when you feel like you can't possibly eat another thing, chocolate fondue ALWAYS, I repeat, ALWAYS has a place.
#2: If you plan to go to the Melting Pot for dinner, allow 3-4 hours even with a reservation (simmering your food in a fondue pot takes some time).
#3: Alert your babysitter (in this case Nana) that you expect to be gone longer than usual so she isn't left falling asleep on your couch wondering when you will be home! :) --Thanks Mom! :)

Happiness...in shoes!

I would be the first to admit, I am an avid shoe lover...especially cute little baby and kid shoes! I mean really, who can resist an adorable pair, especially those Robeez-- cute, adorable and childproof! Here is a picture of my latest purchase. Look-alike camouflage baby crocs! Cade loves them!

Tuesday musings of a 3-year old

While on a quick drive today to our church to bring Brandon some Starbucks, Alexandra chimed in from the backseat, "Turn the wind on Mom! I want to see my pinwheel spin!" I giggled to myself at her 3-year old request for me to turn up the air conditioner so she could hold her pinwheel in such a way to lazily watch it turn round and round.

Once we got up to the drive-thru, she wondered what that thing was on the starbucks workers chin. "Mom, what is that on his chin?" she asked while I handed the man my money thru the window. I thought it was funny that she was so interested in this mans goatee because her own Daddy has a low cut one. She has never been bothered by his, yet for some reason today, she was most inquisitive about facial hair. I often wish I could crawl into that head of hers to see her wheels turning.
Then, amongst all this thinking she was doing, she nodded off. When I turned around to look at her this is what I found. Note the pinwheel still in hand!