Play date with Avery!

Alexa's friend Avery was home from pre-school this week, so we made a play date! Alexa showed Avery her new trampoline. She also showed her how to jump while holding a stroller and talking on the phone... Hope she doesn't multitask like this when she gets her driver's license!

Alexa also shared her new car! She pushed Avery in the car and they both drove it together. The girls had so much fun playing! Just look at their expressions! They were cracking us up. We can't wait for another play date with Avery!

Alexa and Henry on the activity mat

Awww, Alexa is giving Henry hugs! She likes to cuddle with him on the activity mat. She looks up and shows him how to grab the toys. And then she gives him hugs! So cute.

National Aquarium with Avery and Sophie

Today was a holiday, so we figured we'd check out the National Aquarium! It's downtown and we always wondered about it. Well, now we know. It was small -- and expensive! Not worth the drive for just 30 minutes of entertainment. Oh well, it was nice to see friends and get out of the house!

The Hangover - Daddy/Henry-style

Alexa: It's a BIG Christmas tree!

Yes, this tree is very big! And it's covered in big shinny balls! And pinecones!

Henry's 1st visit to the National Mall & downtown D.C.

Henry was born in Washington, D.C., but today marked his first trip downtown! It also was his 1st visit to the National Mall. Since Daddy was off this week, he wanted to see the new Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial. So we drove downtown and had lunch at Logan Tavern in our old 'hood, then visited the memorial. What a beautiful day!

Panda bears and lions and Anne at the Zoo!

We had a fun morning at the Zoo today! We got there early, so there were no crowds and the animals were all out and about. Check out the panda bear waving to us! Alexa loved watching the panda bears eat what looked like watermelon, here favorite fruit of the moment. We also checked out the elephants and flamingos! Alexa is shrugging her shoulders because I asked her what color they are!

When we headed to see the lions, Alexa got a surprise! We ran into my friend and Anne! Alexa and Anne were so funny. They each had their own snack trap and took turns inspecting what each other had in their snack trap and wanting what the other had. So cute!

After Alexa's nap, we went to a nearby park and met Daddy at our favorite new restaurant for lobster rolls! Alexa didn't eat much of her dinner. But she enjoyed ice cream for desert!

Play date with Anne at a Capitol Hill park!

Daycare was closed today, so we headed to Capitol Hill for a play date with my friend and her adorable daughter, Anne! We went to a great park and the girls had a blast running around!

When we got home, Alexa asked to eat outside. And then she asked for French fries. Since I didn't feel like making anything, we piled back in the car and went to get some Micky D's! Shhhh.... Bad Momma! It was delicious and we had fun eating outside. Plus, she got a Smurf in her Happy Meal. :-)

More Starbucks, tricycle fun and playground with Eli!

A great Sunday... More Starbucks! This time, she stole my chocolate/banana smoothie. It was yummy but she wouldn't give it back! Doh! That's what I get for introducing her to the good stuff. When we got home, she played on her new tricycle, although she still can't figure out the pedals.

After nap, Alexa enjoyed a fun play date with her neighborhood friend Eli at the park! Eli brought some trucks to push down the slide. Great idea!

Starbucks and Apple Store - We support both!

Alexa is learning at an early age that coffee = Starbucks! When Daddy gets us coffee in the morning, she always wants her own cup (filled with water or milk) and lately she's even been eating our Starbucks breakfast sandwiches! I won't object, because the egg is healthy for her...

Alexa is also learning at an early age that the Apple Store is FUN! We had an appointment today to talk to the computer folks about photo storage and backup options and Alexa enjoyed playing computer games!

More cute blue things for baby brother!

I can't help it... They were on sale! Cute, huh? Who says they don't make cute stuff for boys...

Alexa's new tricycle!

Alexa has a new pink bike! Well, not new, but new to her. When we were over at our friend's house on Sunday, they gave Alexa a tricycle that their twin daughters had outgrown. Alexa has a bike that we can push, but this one is a big girl bike. She loves it! Not that he knows how to ride it yet...

Speaking of "Made by Grandma" items...

Alexa isn't the only one getting handmade stuff! Check out this pillow and elephant that my mom made for baby brother's nursery! I love them!

And, here is a sneak peek at Alexa's birthday outfit... Perfect for her train party!

Alexa is 23 months!

Alexa turned 23 months while we were on vacation in Ocean City, and we finally found time to mark the occasion with her monthly photo shoot! Alexa now knows the routine and will stand at the top of the stairs and say "cheese!" But you only have 1/2 a second to take the photo before she is off and running! In any case, here are the photos I got... Can you guess which shot is posed?!

Note that Alexa is wearing a gorgeous pillowcase dress handmade by Grandma Lil!

Pizza with the big girls!

We went over to a friend's house for an afternoon play date and impromptu pizza party. Their twin daughters are 2 years older than Alexa, but they were very sweet and played with Alexa too. They dressed up in costumes and let Alexa play with their baby dolls and other toys. Alexa had a blast! She even ate pizza outside with the big girls. So fun!

Playdate with Avery, Ella and baby Cora!

Alexa's friend Ella just welcomed a new baby sister, Cora Alice! We finally got to see the baby at a play date at the park. The girls all crowded around to watch Cora get her diaper changed! It was so cute, they were all very interested in the baby - for 5 seconds before running off to play!

It was so cute watching all the girls play - they giggled and had a blast. So cute!

Hummus is the BEST

Yup, it's safe to say Alexa likes hummus! Here she is at one of our favorite neighborhood cafes. And, no, she did not want to share! Yum.

Dylan's Candy Bar

Alexa's cousin Samantha got Alexa a very special treat from NYC! A t-shirt from the posh, super hip Dylan's Candy Bar, which was created by Dylan Lauren, daughter of designer Ralph Lauren. It's an uber popular hangout in NYC that offers up the most delicious goodies! Alexa didn't get candy, but she got this super hip shirt!

One last trip to the boardwalk!

As you can see, our last day was the only overcast day, which was nice because it made it easier to leave. But before we could go, we headed to the boardwalk one more time! We did all the boardwalk must's. Pizza! Fudge! Caramel popcorn! Ice cream! And one last ride on the merry-go-round!

Playground! And a relaxing afternoon at the beach.

After all the great beach days that we've had, we decided to take a day off. Instead, we checked out some of Ocean City's playgrounds! We liked this one the best because it was shaded...

And then, of course, we went in search of... Ice cream!

After her nap, we headed to the beach for some afternoon play in the sand. Alexa had fun with Mema learning how to make castles with her plastic cups. Kids are so easy to please!

It was late in the day and the beach wasn't crowded, so it was very relaxing. What a great way to end a great week!

BIG NEWS! And ANOTHER great beach day!

We woke up to another great beach day! And a new little baby in our lives! After our wonderful night out with Grandma E and Judy, we got home to find out that my sister was about to give birth to Alexa's little cousin. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep that night as we waited up to hear word of her birth! We finally heard that tiny little Athea Vivian was born at 9:28 p.m., weighing 3 pounds, 6 ounces and measuring 16 inches long. She was 5 1/2 weeks early, but cute as a button!

As Athea was enjoying her second day on the "outside," we headed to brunch at our favorite place! Alexa didn't want to sit in the high chair (a new thing) so she sat (sort of) in the booth with us!

And then we headed out for more beach fun... Alexa made more drip castles, this time on her own! It was amazing to see what she remembered learning from Seth. She also played with Daddy, Grandma E and Judy! What a great day.

More beach and my daughter, the model

What can I say, another great day for the beach! We were so lucky with the weather on this vacation. Today, we hit the beach with everyone -- Grandma E, Judy, Papa Howard and Mema, plus Alexa's cousins Jessy and Seth! Alexa was in heaven. She ran around, splashed in the waves, learned how to make drip sand castles from Seth and helped bury Jessy! Of course it helped that the day started with doughnuts from Brown's! Yum!

After all the beach fun and a long nap, Alexa stepped out in her cute bubble outfit. She. was. so. adorable. that mommy could not stop taking pictures! We started off at Papa and Mema's house, where Alexa played with the dog on the patio........

She then started cracking up when Papa asked her to give him five and then moved his hand!

Her laughter continued outside as Daddy continued to play the high-give game with her. Silly girl!

Then at dinner, Alexa was the child of many faces! Talk about a silly girl!

After dinner, it was time to strike a pose...

And finally, the best way to end a wonderful day? Well, duh. Ice cream!

Children's museum! Water park! Ice cream!

Another great day of vacation... Daddy went to play golf with grandpa, so Alexa and I went with Gram to the Children's Museum. What fun! Alexa played basketball and puzzles, uncovered dinosaur bones, went shopping in a play supermarket and rode a rocker!

In the afternoon, we took Alexa to check out the water park on the boardwalk! It was pretty warm out and we were glad to cool down. Alexa wasn't sure what to make of all the kids running around! She was on the young side for the park, but she had fun. She was a bit skeptical of the lazy river but liked the kiddie pool!

While at the water park, Grandma E and Judy came to meet us! We then walked down the boardwalk and had dinner together, followed by Alexa's new favorite boardwalk treat... ice cream!

Alexa plays on the beach with her cousins!

Today was a little overcast, but that didn't stop us from having a great day at the beach! Alexa's Aunt Heather and Uncle JP brought cousins Jessy and Seth to the shore to play. And Miss Linda brought Kaylin. Alexa was all smiles all day. She loved playing in the sand with all the big kids! And she loved jumping in the ocean with Mema!

Cape May Zoo, train and carousel!

Another great day! To take a break from the beach, we headed to the Cape May Zoo. Alexa loved it! The zoo was great and very shaded, plus it was FREE! Alexa saw goats, camels, peacocks, flamingos, giraffes, zebras, deer, baby leopards, a tiger, a lion (who roared at us!) and an ostrich.

At one of the pens, the baby leopards were inside their den, so people were disappointed. But Alexa yelled: "COME OUT!" And they did! As we were walking away we heard a lady say, "We need that little girl to come back! She got the baby leopards to come out!"

After the zoo, we rode a little train along the outskirts of the park. It wasn't on tracks but Alexa liked it anyway. She kept saying "choo choo!"

Next, we headed to Grandpa Howard's store. On the way, Alexa had fun playing with a sticker book I bought her at the zoo. Yay for stickers! It was funny to watch her, she put them all on her legs! She had fun checking out the trinkets at grandpa's store before we headed to lunch!

Later in the afternoon, after lunch and Alexa's nap, we headed to the boardwalk to ride the carousel! Alexa fussed at first, but as we got going, she loved it! She especially liked the rings that I got every time we went around. She was happily holding them until a boy who worked at the carousel came up and took away the "golden ring" telling her that she had won a ticket for a free ride! She took the ticket but wasn't sure she was happy with the trade. Daddy, meanwhile, said getting the golden ring on her first ride was sure to be good luck. After the ride, Alexa gave her horse a hug. Awwww!

More beach! Plus, Alexa discovers Bob's Lemonade!

Another beautiful day, and another great day at the beach! Alexa enjoyed playing with her pink beach chair and the bucket and shovels that Grandma Lil bought her in Duck, N.C., last year. Fun!

Papa and Mema came with us to the beach. Alexa enjoyed going to the water with Mema and playing with her Grandpa! She was especially excited when Grandpa got her some water ice. Yum!

After her nap, we took Alexa to the boardwalk and while I was taking pictures, she stole my Bob's Lemonade! Doh! Apparently, she likes lemonade. And pizza. And ice cream! What a great night!