Starbucks Coffee, yum yum!

After enjoying Sunday Fun Day with Avery, I took Alexa to Starbucks. To keep her away from my latte, I got her an empty cup for her to "pretend" drink coffee. She loved it! However, everyone else at Starbucks must have thought I was feeding my toddler coffee! Ha. Alexa also really loved the madeline cookies!

The A's hit Sunday Fun Day

A kids theater near our house has a Sunday Fun Day program where kids can hear a well-known story and then sing songs and do arts and crafts related to the book. We decided to check it out today and Miss Avery joined us! So we dressed the girls up again in their matching "A" t-shirts. Look how cute! Our little A's! Thanks again to Mommy Mae for the adorable shirts.

Also while at the Fun Day, we ran into Alexa's older friends Julia and Sarah... Wow! How fun!

Alexa the rocker and tunnel crawler

Look at our adorable little rocker chick! Alexa is all dolled up for the day in her denim ruffle skirt, tights and new winter boots! And here she is jamming with her electric guitar, a Christmas gift from Aunt Heather, Uncle JP, and cousins Jessie and Seth. Rock on!

For lunch, we headed to downtown Bethesda to try out the Uptown Deli. We ordered Alexa matzo ball soup and a bagel. She finally ate the matzo ball with applesauce, but refused to wear a bib! Luckily, she didn't get too dirty. But the place got packed! Alexa walked off her meal afterward.

On the way home, we stopped by Toys R Us to pick up a tunnel. Alexa had enjoyed it at yoga this past week and at her friend Nate's party. This tunnel was on sale at TRU and with a coupon I got it for $15! (regularly $30) Alexa LOVES it! She keeps crawling back and forth. And playing hide and seek. So cute!

Surprise visit from Catherine!

We were very fortunate that the big snow storm did not knock out our power. But many of our friends were not so lucky. So we invited our friends to stay in our guest room with their daughter, Catherine, who is Alexa's age. That made this morning really fun for Alexa! She showed Catherine all her toys, including her kitchen. Too bad we had to go to work because the girls looked like they were having fun!

Update: Catherine and her parents came over again tonight since their power STILL has not been restored. So the girls got to play for a little while Saturday morning as well! Fun!

Snow! Snow! Snow!

Whew. Last night was a bit crazy! The weather forecast was predicting a heavy snowfall, so the federal government shut down 2 hours early. We picked Alexa up at daycare and hit the road t at 3:45 p.m. It usually takes us 45 minutes to an hour to get home. But the snow started falling -- hard and fast -- right after we got on the road! We got stuck in traffic and didn't get home until almost 8 p.m.! Alexa was a real trooper. We were so glad to make it home. Here she is enjoying the snow this morning, as Daddy shoveled our driveway. Meanwhile, Alexa discovered the joy of EATING snow! Doh!

Toddler Yoga with Avery!

When I was out maternity leave, one of my favorite activities was going to baby yoga. Alexa loved it too! My friend Blythe introduced me to this wonderful yoga studio that offers lots of classes for kids. We went several times when she was a baby and learned some fun poses to do together. Our last class there was just about the time that Alexa started really crawling. She was all over the room! Well, that was nothing.

At today's toddler class, my little runner ran all around the room! All the other toddlers sat in their mom or caregiver's laps nicely. Not Alexa! She wanted to explore! She proclaimed to the class that the radiator was "hot!" (It was mildly warm, but "hot" is one of her new words.) She also loved crawling through a nylon tunnel tent like the one her friend Nate has. (Note to self: Gotta get one of those!) And she had fun chasing bubbles and balls. Here she is playing with her birthday buddy Avery.

Also, check out their cute matching  "A" T-shirts, courtesy of fabulous Mommy Mae! I actually won a give-away on her site! If only the girls would stand still so I could snap a proper picture. Is that possible with active toddlers? Arg!

Ba-ba-ba-ba-Babara Ann! (video)

These videos were from dinner last night. Alexa was enjoying her latest favorite song... In the first video, she's dancing along and clapping her hands. In the second VERY SHORT video, she started singing along! And in the third video, she decided to play with her tongue, which she has lately discovered. I wish they were all on one video. Anyone know how to stitch them all together? In the meantime... Enjoy!

Sunday = Steelers!

Here we go Steelers, here we go! And here's Alexa all dolled up to watch the Steelers playoff game at a friend's house. We tried three ponytails to get her hair out of her face. Look how cute!

Over at our friend's house, Alexa loved playing with the other kids! She especially loved getting to know her friend Julia, who is two years older. Alexa went to Julia and Sara's 2nd birthday party when she was in my tummy and to their 3rd birthday party when she was almost one. She also enjoyed watching "fa-ball" on the TV and eating lots of junk food like chips and chocolate cookies! Pizza? Not so much.

Grandma E and the Baltimore Aquarium!

Wow, what a fantastic day. Grandma E came to visit us this weekend, so we went out for lunch and planned to go see a kids show called "Aquarium." Unfortunately, the show was sold out! So... We did something even better. We took Alexa to see a real Aquarium! She loved looking at all the fish and had fun making friends with the other little kids. What a fun day! Thanks, Grandma E!

Alexa loves playing dress-up!

One of Alexa's favorite things to do is to play dress up with my jewelry! She loves to go to my bedside dresser and fish out my bracelets and necklaces and put them on. How cute! Here she is last Saturday. After we got home from the parties and she took a nap, Alexa got all dressed up. My pretty little girl!

Walk around the block!

Today was a holiday, so Alexa, Daddy and I all stayed home! I had a doctor's appointment in the morning, so Daddy took Alexa to play at MusiKids, then to lunch. In the afternoon, Alexa and I braved the cold to take a walk around the block. She loved looking for dogs! And checking out the slide! I loved watching her... My little cutie pie!

Sunday means... Football!

Alexa put on her Steelers jersey again and guess what? The Steelers won! Let's go, Steelers!

Anne's Baptism & Aliyah's Open House

Alexa had a fun day with all her friends! First, we went to Anne's baptism. Alexa didn't pay attention to the details. All she wanted to do was run laps around the Catholic Church! At least she had a good time! Afterward, we went to brunch with Ellie and her parents.

After brunch, we headed to my friend Jen's open house to meet her new baby Aliyah! She is a little doll! Alexa had fun playing with the other kids and watching all the dogs. Here we are with my friend Kim and her daughter Ellie, and my friend Jen and her daughter Aliyah. Alexa did NOT want to be held! (Thanks to Jen's husband for the great shots he got of Alexa when she WAS smiling!)

Another video - Alexa's dog toy!

Alexa had fun this morning playing with her barking dog toy from Aunt Jen and Uncle Dani. Check it out! She loves her new toy!

Ooops, forgot about these videos!

Took these in Arizona and totally forgot to post them. First up , here is Alexa and Tommy Toot!



Second, here are some videos of Alexa eating dinner. Or, more accurately, NOT eating her dinner!

All About Alexa at 16 Months!

Another month has flown by and Alexa is now celebrating her Sweet Sixteen! She's 16 months old! Amazing. Alexa continues to run around, talk up a storm and sing and dance. She is so much fun! Anyway, here are her 16-Month photos... Which do you like the best?

All About Alexa at 16 Months:

• By far her best new trick of all time: When you ask her for a HUG, she'll lay her head on your chest or wrap her arms around your neck. Awwww! She gives me a hug every night before bed. So cute!
• Speaking of understanding simple commands, not only can she wipe her face with a washcloth, but she understands me when I tell her to "wash her face."
• Loves to flip light switches UP and DOWN... and UP and DOWN... and UP and DOWN... 
• Has figured out how to reach her hands through the slats of her crib to find her pacifiers! Then, when you hold her over the crib, she'll throw them back into the crib, one by one.
• Has figured out how to unroll a toilet paper roll!
• Has figured out how to unwrap presents and LOVES tearing the paper!
• Has 4 more teeth! Her bottom two molars came thorough at about the same time as (surprise!) her canines came in. Ouch! Total teeth count is 10.
• Has fed a giraffe.
• Has ridden on her first merry-go-round
• Likes chicken nuggets and french toast! Tried her 1st tortilla!
• Has bigger feet. She has gone from a 4.5 to a 5 shoe size in just two months!
• Has hair so long that she can wear pig tails! Yay! Soooo cue!
• Can put on her own hat, and also say the word "hat"
• Speaking of, she is now up to 27 words, including new words, "buy-bye," "ba-ball" (football), "boo" (as in pika-poo, which she says after pulling a blanket off her head), up, down, "all-ight" (all right), ice, book, "shoo" (shoe), and I swear she once said "cup cake"!
• At least 10 times a day, rushes to the front window and climbs up on her step stool to look outside, then excitedly exclaiming "dog!" or "woof!" despite the presence of one or lack thereof

* * *
And now, check out how much Alexa has grown!

Alexa plays in the snow!

So far, no snowmagedden this year. We did get some snowfall, but not much and it hasn't really stuck. So when we got a couple inches today, we were quick to break out Alexa's snow boots and snowsuit! Her pretty snowsuit is from her cousin Samantha! Anyway, we went out back and Alexa played with the snow while checking out these beautiful Adrondiak chairs that Papa and Mema brought us. Can't wait until it's warm enough to chill in the back yard in these chairs!

And now, here is Alexa walking in the snow... She looks like a giant pink marshmellow!

Look who can climb into my suitcase!

Look who can unroll a toilet paper roll!

These photos were taken in our hotel room on Christmas Eve. Alexa refused to sleep, but she had a ball with the toilet paper. So I grabbed my camera! Very thankful that this discovery happened in a hotel and not at home. Unroll, baby, unroll!

Guess who came to visit us tonight?

Papa and Mema came to see us! They had a trade show in Baltimore and came down for a little visit. Alexa had a good time playing with Papa when she got home from daycare! She was busy putting her Little People inside her new doll house. What fun! We can't wait to go see Papa and Mema at the beach this summer!

More THEN and NOW photos!

This is fun. I am having a blast looking at Alexa this year compared to last year. It's amazing to see how much she's grown! Alexa continues to love reaching into her toy bin for her favorite toys. So I worked up a fun THEN and NOW collage. Here is Alexa at 6 months:

And now... Here is Alexa at 16 months! (Thanks to Ms. Blythe and Avery for the cute dress!)

THEN and NOW: Alexa and the Christmas tree

In honor of taking down our tree... Here is Alexa staring at the Christmas tree in 2009 vs 2010. Can't believe how much she has grown! Last year, she couldn't sit on her own and was just learning how to roll over. This year, she's running and talking. Amazing!

Alexa's 2nd Northwestern Bowl Game!

And her 2nd Northwestern Bowl Game loss! Boo! But Alexa had fun eating French Fries, playing with pom-poms and telling everyone that we're watching "Fa-bowel"!

And now... A look back. Here is Alexa enjoying her first Northwestern bowl game, exactly one year ago! Note: She's wearing the SAME sweatshirt! It's just a little bit tighter this year...

Christmas on New Year's Day!

Since we were away for Christmas and didn't want to pack all our gifts, we decided to celebrate it on New Year's Day, when we got home. So as soon as Alexa was awake, I made some cookies and we tore into the gifts under the tree! Alexa LOVED tearing the wrapping paper. That was her favorite part! Until she saw the cookies... Then she decided that she wanted to eat them ALL! By the time she was done opening gifts and pounding the cookies, she was nearly passed out on the trash bag full of wrapping paper... Whew!