Here is a video I took of Alexa dancing tonight. It was on my cell phone so it will be fuzzy but it is classic Alexa dance moves!
We went to Miss Maya's dance recital. She did a great job and it was fun for Alexa to watch all of the dancers. She was really into it!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Apron
For my birthday last year and this year, my mom got me a sewing machine. (Yes, I turned the big 30 on the 16th, yikes). It is pretty fancy, even does embroidery. Anyhow, while in Utah Greg's mom assisted me in sewing my first item. I'm positive she cringed the whole 3+ hours it took me to make this (like how I go crazy when someone is trying to use the computer and I just want to push them aside and do it myself) but she was very patient and let me learn.
This apron is the finished project. I had ambitious dreams of making them for all of Alexa's friends for Christmas but that did not happen. Sorry girls. Maybe for your birthdays! :)
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Gavin 7 Months!
My little man is 7 months old today.
No doctors appointments for the 7 month visit but he is still "healthy" as you can tell from the photos.
He is starting to babble a lot and yesterday started saying da-da quite a bit. He doesn't know that da-da is Greg but I am still jealous!!!
I wish that I could say that he is still a great sleeper but that would be a lie. He hasn't been sleeping well since our last trip to Utah for Thanksgiving. Knuckle-head. He is taking more consistent naps though which is great. His long nap is even at the same time as Alexa's 2-3 hour nap. HEAVEN!
He is getting more active and lunges for things when he is sitting. This usually results in a face plant. It is pretty funny.
My favorite time of the day is just after baths and before bed. I feed Gavin in his room on his glider and Alexa has begun to join us. I get them both in my lap for a nice cuddle and we read a book, giggle and Gav messes with Alexa. Pulls her hair, punches her arm.. you know, typical annoying little brother stuff. It is so much fun.
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Brunch With Santa
Today we had brunch with Santa at one of the local golf courses. We made reservations early in the week for 11am which was great because most of the crowd didn't show up until about noon. We had a delicious meal and Santa came to visit each kid at the tables. Alexa had been talking about it for a few days. Listing off each toy she was going to tell him to bring her. When the time came for her to talk to him, she got really shy. She did blurt out that she wanted him to bring her a princess dress but that is it. Gavin on the other hand just wanted to play with his beard. In fact, he about pulled it right off. Santa had to re-adjust before he went onto the next table. It was really fun and even though Alexa was a little nervous, she talked about it all day.
The weather was beautiful and the golf course was so green. I had to take some pictures... me take pictures you say? Only about 10 rather than my normal 50 per day. Enjoy!
Eating & Waiting For Santa
Friday, December 12, 2008
What a difference...
What a difference a year makes. I was just going through some old photos (I have taken 5474 in about 2 years... yikes) and I am laughing so hard at how huge a difference a year makes. Mostly in Alexa but in our family in general. Here are some pictures from last December.
Alexa with short pixi hair!
Me with DARK hair! Crazy!
Gavin not even here yet!
**My photo editing skills have obviously improved too. In fact, Costco made me sign a copyright form because they thought these last pictures I took were done by a professional. Kudos to me! :)**
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Christmas Photo Shoot
We took the kids to the park to take pictures for our Christmas card. I was worried that I didn't have many cute ones because Alexa was hyper and not wanting to smile normal (as you will notice). But I did end up getting a few that I liked.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Playing Catch-up
Shaving with Grand Dad & Cisely
Halloween with cousins
Halloween ~ Alexa & Gavin
I have had a lot of pictures to post and just haven't done it. Here are a few, I'll add more tomorrow.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Gavin - 6 Months Old
Today Gavin is 6 months old. Wow, the time has flown by.We take him in for his next check up on December 10th.
Just two weeks ago he wasn't sitting for more than a minute or so, now he can sit forever it seems. Last week at music class I think he sat for 30 minutes. He is eating solids now and only really likes prunes and mixed cereal with fruits. He REFUSES to take a bottle and that is getting really hard for me. Hopefully he will get used to that soon.
My favorite thing about Gavin is that he is reaching, it is so cute to see him get excited to see you and reach to be held. He is still a little chunk, I think this is why he isn't rolling over much. He'll go from his belly to back and I know that he can go from back to belly but it's almost like he gets scared when he is nearly there and flops back onto his back.
He now has 2 teeth. The first he got on Oct. 29th and the second on Nov. 3rd.
He is so dang cute and so happy.
He is so dang cute and so happy.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Alexa 2 1/2
Yesterday was Alexa's 2 1/2 birthday!
I wanted to share this cute video of her singing her new favorite song, "I am a Child of God". She started singing it out of nowhere while we were in Utah a few weeks ago. I don't sing it to her that often so I am not quite sure where she picked it up but she sings every word. It is too cute.
SCROLL DOWN TO TIURN OFF THE MUSIC ALREADY PLAYING
She still loves to sing all day every day, obviously. She also likes to dance a lot as well. Greg tells her that she is a modern dancer because of the weird way that she moves her body. It is really funny. She is over the Wiggles for the most part and really doesn't care too much for TV which is a good thing. She is obsessed with Princesses and MUST wear a skirt on a daily basis. If I need to get pants on her I have to convince her that they are "Princess Pants". She is my little Mommy and always wants to help feed, change and dress Gavin. She loves to bounce now too, our nightly routine is eat dinner then jump on the couch cushions. Her latest talent is drawing people, here is a typical picture. She said that this is Gavin.
She is too funny and keeps us laughing all the time!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Picture Time
I really found Alexa cleaning the floor in her Cinderella Dress.
2 little Monkeys jumping on the couch
Trying to sit up 
CHEESE Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Oh where, oh where have you been?
In the past few days I have had several emails, texts and messages asking... "Where are you?"
One cute friend and neighbor asked if we had moved. (I wish)
Apparently we have dropped of the face of Queen Creek, Arizona because we have been gone more than we have been home this past month.
To answer all of your questions, no we have not moved. We are still residents of Arizona, we have just gone on vacation for nearly a whole month.
We were doing the Disney thing for 8 days then we came home for a little more than a week and took off again. Greg went to Miami with the boys of his family and Danny. For Fathers Day, Shantel and I planned a boys trip to go see the Buffalo Bills (Greg's NFL team) vs. The Miami Dolphins (Danny's NFL team). It wound up being 6 guys and they had a great time.
I on the other hand had grand plans for a weekend vacation. The plan was to stop in SLC for 2 days before heading off to Minnesota for 2 days to visit the Deans of Apple Valley (and surrounding areas). My plan failed. I went to SLC then kids got sick and flights were too full. Needless to say, we didn't go to Minnesota and my weekend trip to Salt Lake has now been a week today and I have no plans to return... Okay at least not until this weekend.
The kids and I have just had too much fun playing with cousins that we are staying through Halloween. Greg stopped here in UT for less than 24 hours on his way home from Miami. He is then returning Thursday night to do some trick-or-treating with the little princess and turtle.
We have had so much fun, I am not excited for the weekend to come when we have to go back home.
Girls will be girls... playing all day, every day!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Gavin - 5 Months Old!
Last Friday, little G turned 5 months old.
No doctors appointments this month but he seems to still be growing like a weed.
He is finally starting to show some hair potential and is a drooling fool due to a tooth I am convinced is coming soon.
He rolls from his belly to his back often, loves to eat his hands and chews on his thumb. He has also found his feet this past month and loves to pull off his socks and play with his toes. He is also nearing the sitting up stage. He can balance for a little while but usually needs just a bit of assistance.
He loves to sit on the floor while Alexa plays and usually wants whatever toy she has. Even if she is playing blocks. He wants the one that she has in her hands. No other block will due.
He is still a doll and happy as can be! We love this boy!
No doctors appointments this month but he seems to still be growing like a weed.
He is finally starting to show some hair potential and is a drooling fool due to a tooth I am convinced is coming soon.
He rolls from his belly to his back often, loves to eat his hands and chews on his thumb. He has also found his feet this past month and loves to pull off his socks and play with his toes. He is also nearing the sitting up stage. He can balance for a little while but usually needs just a bit of assistance.
He loves to sit on the floor while Alexa plays and usually wants whatever toy she has. Even if she is playing blocks. He wants the one that she has in her hands. No other block will due.
He is still a doll and happy as can be! We love this boy!
Saturday, October 11, 2008
We Did It!
Okay.. I know that we are lame. I mean really, who has a 2 year old who has NEVER had a babysitter (besides grandmas).
On the 5th it was our 7th wedding anniversary. We were on our vacation so when we got home I decided that we would just get it over with and ask someone to watch our kids while we went on a date. I had it planned for several days and didn't tell Greg. He ended up leaving work early which messed me up a bit but it still worked out okay. I told him that we needed to drop of some stuff to Britany for a party that she was having the next day (LIE). We drove to their house and I told Greg that I would just run it in and take Alexa so she could say hi to Maya. We got out and I walked around and got Gavin out. Greg couldn't figure out why I would need to take him in too. And all of their gear. I came back a few min later with no kids and we went out to dinner. I was so proud of myself for FINALLY taking this huge step. (huge for me.. most of my friends are way more brave than I am).
Anyhow, I gave Alexa a kiss and told her I would be back. She didn't bat an eye. She just walked up the stairs to the play room and had a great time. Gavin was good too. Except he was starving by the time we got back. I had packed some milk for him but it must have leaked out of the bag because the container was basically empty besides a few drops of what hadn't spilled out. Luckily we made it back at about the same time he needed to eat again. :)
Anyhow, Thanks Brit, Jer, Maya and Kenyon for entertaining our kids and giving us our first real "planned" date in YEARS! It was great!
Here are some pix that Brit took of the play time! Alexa & Maya just happened to wear the same outfit. Those two are so cute.
Anyhow, I gave Alexa a kiss and told her I would be back. She didn't bat an eye. She just walked up the stairs to the play room and had a great time. Gavin was good too. Except he was starving by the time we got back. I had packed some milk for him but it must have leaked out of the bag because the container was basically empty besides a few drops of what hadn't spilled out. Luckily we made it back at about the same time he needed to eat again. :)
Anyhow, Thanks Brit, Jer, Maya and Kenyon for entertaining our kids and giving us our first real "planned" date in YEARS! It was great!
Here are some pix that Brit took of the play time! Alexa & Maya just happened to wear the same outfit. Those two are so cute.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
All By My Self
Alexa's new thing is saying, "all by my self". She wants to do everything by herself from getting dressed, going potty, doing her hair (yikes) and anything else she normally needs help with. She is such a goof but it is fun to see her trying to be more independent. Now we just need to explain to her how cool it is to go to Nursery ALL BY HER SELF!!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Disney World Vacation
We returned home last night at about midnight from an 8 day trip to Orlando and the Bahamas.
We spent 3 days at the Disney Parks then took a 3 night Disney cruise to the Bahamas then back to the parks before coming home yesterday.
Beware, there is a lot of text below and I am in no mood to edit so it just rambles. :)
Alexa did great on all of the flights. On the way there we did give her benadryl because we were so unsure about how she would do so she was sleepy on the first leg but then was totally fine from Atlanta to Orlando then back home yesterday she was also great. We stayed the first portion at the Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort. On the bus ride there they played a video about Disney World. When it started she shouted, "Ahhh Happily Ever After". It was too funny.
Day 1 - Magic Kingdom. First stop, Dumbo. We saw John & Kate + 8 ride this so she has been
talking about it for weeks. She loved it and threw a fit when it was time to get off. It was by far her favorite ride.
She also did the Jungle Cruise, Monsters Inc, Aladdin's Flying Carpet, The Carousel and Pirates to name a few. She liked them all except Pirates. She was a little scared but didn't flip out which is good.
We had dinner at the Living Seas at Epcot which is surrounded by an aquarium. the kids loved that.
Day 2 - Was Epcot... not so fun for kids but it was really pretty. We had dinner in "France" and had a window table to see the beautiful fireworks. Alexa and Gavin were both mesmerized.
Day 3 - Wild Animal Kingdom - We slept in that day, the kids were exhausted. We arrived at the park in time for lunch with the family then went on a few rides. Alexa was just 2" too short to ride the rapids but she really enjoyed watching Greg get soaked.
Day 4 - Cruise time! We took a bus to the boat and were on board around 1 pm. We ate lunch and took a tour of the boat. It is so cute, full of Disney Charm. The kids water slide is Goofy's glove. It was pretty fun. They have areas on the boat for each age group. Alexa wasn't quite old enough to go into the 3-5 area on her own but we could go with her. She LOVED it! They had a computer game area, book area, dress up area, craft, movie, pirate/tree house area, dance floor etc etc etc. She was in HEAVEN. The first time we went they were teaching the kids a dance from "Lilo & Stitch" she was so funny trying to do it (so was Greg). Then the characters came to dance with them and give them high-5's etc. She thought that was so great.
On the boat there are character greetings nearly every hour. Party's on the top deck each night with fireworks off the boat, dancing with characters, food and a big screen with movies above the pool. There is also a Broadway type show each night. I'll be honest, I never saw one (I was getting massages etc :) ), but everyone said that they were fabulous.
As I mentioned there is a spa, basketball courts, several swimming pools, characters left and right, 3 major restaurants, several bars/cafes etc. It is massive and so fun. We have been on cruises before and the rooms on this boat are bigger because Disney is geared towards families. There is even a bath tub in each room which is rare. Our room had a queen bed. A couch that turned into a "big girl bed" (for Alexa- She thought that was great) a bunk bed above the couch and room for a crib for Gavin. I was so impressed.
One night was a Pirates party. They gave everyone on the boat a Pirates bandanna. Captain Jack Sparrow repelled off of one of the smoke stacks and Pirate Micky Mouse Zip Lined over the crowed to save us from Captain Hook. It was so fun.
Our first stop on the cruise was at Nassau. It wasn't too much fun for us. It was extremely hot and not much to do but shop and we weren't in the mood. We only stayed on the island for an hour or so.
Stop 2 was at Disney's private Island, "Castaway Cay". We saw the Flying Dutchman from Pirates... it was Awesome! The island is not very big but beautiful. There is a lot of beach area and it is very well shaded. You can snorkel and find buried treasure, sunken ships and a golden Mickey under the water. Alexa and Gavin both loved the beach. It was a first for them both. It was a lot of fun. Luckily they were fully covered in sunscreen because I have a pretty good burn.
Day 7 - We got off the boat and went back to the Magic Kingdom for one more day of fun. It was Greg and my anniversary. So my mom kept kids for us for a few hours so that we could do some big kid rides together. Thanks Mom!
It was very hot and humid but all and all the trip was a huge success. I will admit, Greg was right. It was REALLY hard with Gavin. At least the parks were. The cruise was great. If I hadn't been nursing still, we should have left him home. Although all of the cousins and grandparents would not have allowed that.
Alexa doesn't know what to do with herself here at home with out loads of attention. She keeps asking where everyone is. She had several playmates and aunts and uncles to chase her, dance with her and lift her high so she could be "So Tall". She was quite spoiled. She was SO excited to see princesses but was very shy when the time came. But she really enjoyed most of the rides. I was spoiled having so much help from everyone too. Austin was often my "muscle" when Greg wasn't around to help with heavy lifting and the girls all kept Alexa in site for me. Gavin was just chill. He HATED the bus rides to and from the resorts/parks and somehow knew that it was time for me to eat a meal and would not want to be sitting right when my food came but by the end I figured him out and got him to sleep just in time for dinner.
Happy 60th mom! Thanks to you and dad for the great trip!! We had so much fun!
Oh Yeah! Alexa's new favorite song is, "Yo Ho Yo Ho a Pirates CISELY". We asked her if she wanted to go on the pirate ride again and she said, "NO MORE YO HO" but she really likes to sing the song.
We spent 3 days at the Disney Parks then took a 3 night Disney cruise to the Bahamas then back to the parks before coming home yesterday.
Beware, there is a lot of text below and I am in no mood to edit so it just rambles. :)
Alexa did great on all of the flights. On the way there we did give her benadryl because we were so unsure about how she would do so she was sleepy on the first leg but then was totally fine from Atlanta to Orlando then back home yesterday she was also great. We stayed the first portion at the Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort. On the bus ride there they played a video about Disney World. When it started she shouted, "Ahhh Happily Ever After". It was too funny.
Day 1 - Magic Kingdom. First stop, Dumbo. We saw John & Kate + 8 ride this so she has been
talking about it for weeks. She loved it and threw a fit when it was time to get off. It was by far her favorite ride.She also did the Jungle Cruise, Monsters Inc, Aladdin's Flying Carpet, The Carousel and Pirates to name a few. She liked them all except Pirates. She was a little scared but didn't flip out which is good.
We had dinner at the Living Seas at Epcot which is surrounded by an aquarium. the kids loved that.
Day 2 - Was Epcot... not so fun for kids but it was really pretty. We had dinner in "France" and had a window table to see the beautiful fireworks. Alexa and Gavin were both mesmerized.
Day 3 - Wild Animal Kingdom - We slept in that day, the kids were exhausted. We arrived at the park in time for lunch with the family then went on a few rides. Alexa was just 2" too short to ride the rapids but she really enjoyed watching Greg get soaked.
Day 4 - Cruise time! We took a bus to the boat and were on board around 1 pm. We ate lunch and took a tour of the boat. It is so cute, full of Disney Charm. The kids water slide is Goofy's glove. It was pretty fun. They have areas on the boat for each age group. Alexa wasn't quite old enough to go into the 3-5 area on her own but we could go with her. She LOVED it! They had a computer game area, book area, dress up area, craft, movie, pirate/tree house area, dance floor etc etc etc. She was in HEAVEN. The first time we went they were teaching the kids a dance from "Lilo & Stitch" she was so funny trying to do it (so was Greg). Then the characters came to dance with them and give them high-5's etc. She thought that was so great.On the boat there are character greetings nearly every hour. Party's on the top deck each night with fireworks off the boat, dancing with characters, food and a big screen with movies above the pool. There is also a Broadway type show each night. I'll be honest, I never saw one (I was getting massages etc :) ), but everyone said that they were fabulous.
As I mentioned there is a spa, basketball courts, several swimming pools, characters left and right, 3 major restaurants, several bars/cafes etc. It is massive and so fun. We have been on cruises before and the rooms on this boat are bigger because Disney is geared towards families. There is even a bath tub in each room which is rare. Our room had a queen bed. A couch that turned into a "big girl bed" (for Alexa- She thought that was great) a bunk bed above the couch and room for a crib for Gavin. I was so impressed.
One night was a Pirates party. They gave everyone on the boat a Pirates bandanna. Captain Jack Sparrow repelled off of one of the smoke stacks and Pirate Micky Mouse Zip Lined over the crowed to save us from Captain Hook. It was so fun.
Our first stop on the cruise was at Nassau. It wasn't too much fun for us. It was extremely hot and not much to do but shop and we weren't in the mood. We only stayed on the island for an hour or so.
Stop 2 was at Disney's private Island, "Castaway Cay". We saw the Flying Dutchman from Pirates... it was Awesome! The island is not very big but beautiful. There is a lot of beach area and it is very well shaded. You can snorkel and find buried treasure, sunken ships and a golden Mickey under the water. Alexa and Gavin both loved the beach. It was a first for them both. It was a lot of fun. Luckily they were fully covered in sunscreen because I have a pretty good burn.
Day 7 - We got off the boat and went back to the Magic Kingdom for one more day of fun. It was Greg and my anniversary. So my mom kept kids for us for a few hours so that we could do some big kid rides together. Thanks Mom!
It was very hot and humid but all and all the trip was a huge success. I will admit, Greg was right. It was REALLY hard with Gavin. At least the parks were. The cruise was great. If I hadn't been nursing still, we should have left him home. Although all of the cousins and grandparents would not have allowed that.
Alexa doesn't know what to do with herself here at home with out loads of attention. She keeps asking where everyone is. She had several playmates and aunts and uncles to chase her, dance with her and lift her high so she could be "So Tall". She was quite spoiled. She was SO excited to see princesses but was very shy when the time came. But she really enjoyed most of the rides. I was spoiled having so much help from everyone too. Austin was often my "muscle" when Greg wasn't around to help with heavy lifting and the girls all kept Alexa in site for me. Gavin was just chill. He HATED the bus rides to and from the resorts/parks and somehow knew that it was time for me to eat a meal and would not want to be sitting right when my food came but by the end I figured him out and got him to sleep just in time for dinner.
Happy 60th mom! Thanks to you and dad for the great trip!! We had so much fun!
Oh Yeah! Alexa's new favorite song is, "Yo Ho Yo Ho a Pirates CISELY". We asked her if she wanted to go on the pirate ride again and she said, "NO MORE YO HO" but she really likes to sing the song.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)