Alexa's 2nd Halloween! She's a football!

Alexa was adorable in her Halloween costume as our little football! Everyone commented on how original it was. Here she is a the costume parade this morning at the Farmer's Market. I told people over and over that my mom made it for her. Yay for a winning costume!

Here is Alexa and her friend Ella, who was an adorable Snow White, at the Farmer's Market costume parade. The girls were all over the place, it was hard to get them in the same frame for a photo! 

Alexa's friend Avery, who was a beautiful purple butterfly, also came to meet us for the costume parade. Here are all the girls with their daddies. So cute!

After a long afternoon nap, Alexa was up and ready for our neighborhood party. We went as players and she was our little football!

The neighborhood party ended with another costume parade. Alexa got a late start and kept running the wrong direction, so we got left behind, but she still had fun! At the end of the parade, all the kids posed for photos!

Finally, as the sun was setting, Alexa and I took off for some trick or treating. We only hit about 12 houses. Alexa is too young to eat the candy or say "trick or treat," but she really enjoyed the crinkle candy wrappers and picking a piece of candy out of a tray and putting it into her bucket!

Kaitlyn's 1st Birthday Party!

With the election coming up, I had to stay in town in case something came up. Luckily, that meant we were able to hit Kaitlyn's 1st Birthday party! Alexa had fun playing in Kaitlyn's Pumpkin Patch. She even picked out her own pumpkin to bring home!

Here are Alexa and Kaitlyn sitting on the haystack... We couldn't get both girls to look at the camera at the same time! They were cracking up though, and trying to EAT the hay! Doh!

After cake and a short video about Kaitlyn's first year, the girls had fun playing on Kaitlyn's new activity center! Alexa loved the ball pit and she loved sliding down the slide too! Additionally, she played with Kaitlyn's mega blocks and ride-on lion. Upstairs, she pushed Kaitlyn's alligator walker all around the house. Isn't it fun to play with new toys? Alexa thinks so!

Kaitlyn is my good friend Kristin's little girl. She is only 7 weeks younger than Alexa! You might recall when she was born, and when they first met. Click HERE to see the girls over the past year!

Our little PINK SKELETON!

How could I resist this over-the-top pink skeleton pajama set?! It even GLOWS IN THE DARK! We tried it, but Alexa thought we were trying to put her to bed without dinner and protested, so the lights quickly came back on. But she glowed! After our little dress-up session last night, she chose this one! Well, we did. We thought it would be very comfortable and EASY. Yay! Here we are at daycare's Fall Festival! Alexa had fun with her friend Avery.

We took off early today and were able to take Alexa for a walk before dinner. She loved riding on her trike, talking on her cell phone and watching the dogs run around the field. She also waived at everyone who passed us on the path, which cracked us up! (Remember this Zutano hat? It finally fits!)

OK, but what should Alexa wear to daycare?

Daycare is having a Fall Festival tomorrow, which is basically the PC way to refer to a Halloween Party! We heard that some of the kids dress up in costumes. But Alexa gets her daycare clothes so dirty that I didn't want her to mess up her football dress before her big day! So... What to wear? We had a little dress-up session tonight... Ballerina? Pink skeleton? Stay tuned to find out what she chooses!

What should Alexa be for Halloween?

If you recall, last year Alexa was a duck and a ladybug. So what should she be this year? She's too old to wear a baby bunting costume... And almost too old to wear a silly animal costume as well! Here are some costumes I liked on my first go round... I really like the owl costume and a bunch of outfits from Pottery Barn Kids, but they are $50 each! I still like the Wonder Woman costume...

So, basically, I didn't find the perfect costume. I wanted to find something cute and comfortable, but also clever and unique. And I wanted to find something that would allow Alexa to dress up with her Daddy. Then it hit me... How about a football?! These photos were my inspiration... But mainly I was looking for a football dress, like the one in the picture below, top right.

I e-mailed my mom and she immediately pulled out a pattern, requested measurements and hit the fabric store. In literally just a few days, she sent me these photos! The cutest costume ever!

And now... Here's Alexa, all dressed up in her football dress! She can't wait for Halloween!

Click to enlarge!

My first race as a Mommy!

Today was a beautiful day ... For a 10 mile run! After training for months, I finally laced up my shoes and got back out there. Two years ago, before Alexa, I ran the Army Ten Miler and Marine Corps Marathon. Then, when I was pregnant, we ran the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler. Today, I finally completed my first race since she was born! It. Felt. Great. Well, not at Mile 8, which sucked, and not now that I am sore, but still, it was amazing to run again! Here is Alexa stealing my post-race bagel. It was so great to see her after my run!

Click HERE to see video of me crossing the finish line, and all the "official" photos!

On my birthday... Shoe shopping... For Alexa!

This is something we've been meaning to do since Alexa started walking two months ago... Get her feet measured for shoes! There are two places that people around here go to... Stride Rite at Montgomery Mall or Ramer's. We met my friend Blythe and her daughter Avery at Ramer's, a small kid-friendly place that has a huge following. So huge that as we were leaving, we ran into another friend and her daughter!

At Ramer's, Alexa's foot was measured and we were told us that she should wear a size 4.5, which is larger than the size 4's that we had her in. They also showed us a bunch of "First Walker" shoes with extra support in the ankle. However, Alexa has progressed beyond that stage. She is now running! So we chose a very cute for a more experienced walker. We opted for velcro over laces. Alexa liked them immediately! We also got her some show shoes in case we have another huge snowfall!

After buying Alexa some shoes, we had a nice brunch at Bread and Chocolate, followed by a nice walk in our neighborhood. Then I went to sleep early. What a great birthday!

Alexa's 10 Favorite Books

One of my mom friends asked recently for ideas of things for kids to do in the car. Alexa actually loves reading her books in the car! So I made a list of some of her favorite books... Basically, at this point, anything with a picture of a DOG makes the list! These are the books SHE reaches for and carries around the house. I have a different list of favorite books, which I'll include at the end.

First 100 Words
by Sarah Phillips

Touch and Feel Neighborhood Animals
A Baby Einstein Book

Baby Einstein: Mirror Me!
by Julie Aigner-clark

Little Puppy Finger Puppet Book

Peek-a-boo, I Love You!
by Sandra Magsamen

My Big Animal Book

A Good Day
by Kevin Henkes

The Going to Bed Book
by Sandra Boynton

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you See?
by Eric Carle

Goodnight Gorilla

by Peggy Rathmann

Finally, as promised, here are a couple of MY favorite books. The top one gets me every time. It just soothes my soul to read it. I also like the museum book a lot. Very cute stuff.

On the Night You Were Born
by Nancy Tillman

I'd Like the Goo-Gen-Heim
by A.G. Hollingsworth

More Pumpkins! And farm animals too!

Today was a beautiful fall day, so we headed out to meet some mom friends at Homestead Farm, another popular farm that has a pumpkin patch and apple orchards. Alexa loved the hay ride!

She also had fun trying to pick UP a pumpkin... She did not succeed. And since we already have a pumpkin that she and Daddy bought at Butler's Orchard last week, we just looked and did not buy!

Back at the farm, Alexa REALLY enjoyed visiting all the animals! She saw chickens, cows, goats, pigs and sheep. She kept saying "dog" at every animal and rattling the cages. So funny!

Click on photos to enlarge!

Fun at the playground!

This past week was a challenge... I had a work trip to Missouri, so I was away from Daddy and Alexa for THREE NIGHTS! Since she was born, I have not been away from Alexa for even one night. I was sure she would be OK, and she was. But Daddy said she spent each night when they got home form work/daycare searching for me room by room. Daddy said she also burst into tears when she saw a photo of me on the wall. Thankfully, I got home today and we had a wonderful lunch and afternoon playing at the playground!

Click to enlarge!

All about Alexa at 13 months!

I know, you were all sad that the monthly stickers have ended. Well... We were able to get ahold of some more, so the fun continues! However, in light of the fact that we now have a walker, you can expect this next series of photos to take place anywhere... anywhere we can snap a shot of our active toddler! So... Which one is your favorite? As usual, I can't decide!

And now... Some fun facts about Alexa at 13 months:

• After a couple months of walking, Alexa has taken the next step (literally) and is running!
• She loves going down slides, climbing into her chair and riding on her trike!
• Now, in addition to blowing kisses, she kisss us on our cheeks!
• She is also SINGING! Well, it sounds more like wailing, but it's adorable. First song she sang to: "Blackbird" by The Beatles
• Alexa loves carrying bags on her arm, just like mommy!
• She also likes "talking" on her cell phone, just like daddy! When it rings, she puts it to her ear and says: "Da?"
• Her favorite word by far is "DOG" and you can immediately get her to stand up straight and look around intently by saying, "Alexa! Dog! Dog!" Hehehe.
• She now says "Uh oh" when she drops something (or throws it on the floor). It's pretty funny!
• She is up to FIVE words: Dada, Mama, Dog, Duck and Uh-oh.
• She laughs and laughs and laughs when you tickle her or hold her upside down, so cute!
• She has FOUR teeth, two on top and two on bottom. We still think the molars are coming...
• She can feed herself, either by grabbing the spoon and putting it in her mouth, or by putting her whole hand into a jar of applesauce and then licking her fingers.
• She has been growing a ton. She is now totally into 12-month outfits but growing out of them fast! So we are now focusing on 18-month items. Also, her show size is now 4.5/5.
• She can now drink out of a straw! And that means...
• No more bottles... Alexa drinks all of her milk from sippy cups or straw cups. Yay!
• Also, no more sleep sacks! She is walking so much now that we didn't want her to trip, so we have moved her into Carter's fleece sleepers, which have traction on the feet.
• Alexa slept her longest ever while we were on vacation in North Carolina... 13 hours! Wow!

Alexa picks out a pumpkin!

Daddy was off and daycare was closed for Columbus Day, so he took Alexa to a daycare play date at Butler's Orchard.

From Daddy: "We had a great day. Allergy shot, about three hours at the orchard. We played in the hay, rode the big slide, looked at the ponies and picked out a great pumpkin in the pumpkin patch. We also played with Avery, Naomi and other school friends. At one point, Avery and Alexa were walking and holding hands, so cute. Then Daddy and Alexa had a lunch date in Bethesda. For the record, American Tap Room has a great steak sandwich. She did very good at lunch. Also, she drank her milk out of the sippy with a straw without a problem."

Here is Alexa with her daycare friend Avery, who is a year older. So cute!

If you recall, this is where we got our pumpkin last year. Now that she's older, Alexa was able to enjoy the excursion so much more! Check out our little comparison...

Go Steelers! Go Steelers! Go Steelers!

Alexa got this Steelers jersey from my friend in Pittsburgh. And she could not wait to wear it! Have you ever seen a cuter Steelers football fan? Well, my friend is having a little girl any day now, so then we'll have two adorable Steelers babies! Whoo hoo!

In the afternoon, we went over to Aunt Missy's house to hang out with Grandpa Howard, Mema Wanda, Great Uncle Richard, Great Uncle Mike and Great Aunt Sara. Alexa had fun seeing everyone! She also had fun running around in the back yard...

On our drive back to DC, we stopped for lunch and Alexa had fun drinking water from a STRAW!

Alexa's 1st Bar Mitsvah

We drove up to New Jersey last night for our nephew's Bar Mitsvah. It was Alexa's first fancy event, and she was such a good girl! She didn't cry during the service and held up very well with very short catnaps in the car. Plus, she was as cute as a button in her fancy dress and black patent leather mary janes. Alexa was very proud of her big cousin Jason and had a great time at his party!

Click to enlarge!

Look who came to meet me!

After work, I was walking home from the bus stop when Daddy and Alexa on her SmartTrike surprised me! What a great surprise! And look who's loving her new trike... :-)

Alexa takes a spin on her SmartTrike!

Daddy assembled Alexa's new SmartTrike last night... And an excited Alexa took a spin on her new trike this morning. She LOVES it! Thanks to Grandma E and Pop for such an awesome birthday gift! If you recall, Alexa first tried out Brandon's SmartTrike a while back... So we knew it would be a winner!

Alexa's first day in the Toddler Room

Sigh. My baby is growing up! This week, Alexa is transitioning from the infant class to the toddler room. Today was her first day with the big kids. It was also chilly out, so she got to wear this cute outfit from Aunt Eileen! How cute? So cute!

Long drive home sweet home

After a nice week, we headed home... Alexa took a long nap for half of the five-hour trip. Then she played in her car seat, mostly cuddling with her doggy!

Finally, blue skies and sun!

What a beautiful day! The sun was out and we enjoyed blue skies. It was still windy and chilly on the beach, so we only stayed for a short time. Alexa had fun playing with her toys. She put the rake and shovels into her bucket and then took them out. She also climbed up into an adult chair. Fun!

After our beach fun, we walked down the familiar path back home so Alexa could nap...

In the afternoon, we decided to go bike riding! It was Alexa's first time in the bike trailer. She seemed to like it, but she had just eaten lunch and unfortunately her stomach didn't do so well. So we only rode for a short time. Still, it was lots of fun! We are hoping to do more bike riding in the future!

After our ride, it was so nice out, that we headed back to the waterfront shops to toast to a great trip.

When we got home, we decided to take one last walk along the beach...

Alexa had fun playing with Daddy and giving him big hugs. Daddy loved every minute!

Then, at the last minute, we decided to catch the sunset! So we headed back to the boardwalk that we had discovered yesterday. Alexa enjoyed watching the sun sink into the water... It was actually her FIRST sunset! First of many... What a great trip!

Click on photos to enlarge!