Eli's Birthday Party!

What a fun day! We headed out for a new kids gym for Eli's 3rd Birthday Party. Here is Alexa all dressed up and ready to go. She wanted to wear her RED dress. It was a little chilly, so I grabbed this fabulous little navy sweater that Grandma E just sent her. Perfecto! Look how cute!

The party was pretty fun. Alexa's favorite toy was the pretend treadmill. Just wait until she's older and has to work out FOR REAL. She also loved the cake but was confused because she thinks every birthday party needs to have CUPCAKES. Thankfully, they did have pizza, which is the other thing she thinks every birthday party must have. Yum!

Henry's 6 Month appointment

Henry is six months old today, so off to the doctor's we went! He weighed in at 16 pounds and 1 ounce. However, since he was 15 pounds and 1 ounce at his four month appointment, his doctor was concerned that he's not gaining weight at the same pace. So, we'll be increasing his bottles and starting solids! Here is Henry at the doctor's office. My big baby is suddenly a skinny little guy!

After the doctor's appointment, I dropped off Henry at day care. Look how happy he is! Love this pic!

March Photo a Day No. 29: Feet

With a baby in the house, taking a photo of feet should be easy! Except my baby doesn't like to keep his feet still. He's always kicking! For fun, here is a look at just a few of the photos I took in search of the perfect "feet" shot:

And here is my final product... Day 29: Feet! Rubber giraffe feet made in France, aka Sophie, the most popular baby teether ever!

Happy Henry

Broke out a new outfit and had to take a photo of my happy little guy! He's so cute and cuddly!

Got to daycare just in time for the morning walk! Go, Henry, go!

Updated: Alexa's 10 Favorite Books

My office is organizing a book baby shower for a co-worker - just like the one they threw me three years ago! Anyway, it got me thinking about Alexa's favorite books. It's been a while since I updated her Top 10 Favorite Book List! So, without further ado, here are Alexa's current Top 10, in no particular order:

Alice the Fairy, by David Shannon

Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, by Mo Willems

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, by Mo Willems

Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion, by Mo Willems

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak

The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein

Doggone Dogs, by Karen Beaumont

Robert the Rose Horse, by Joan Heilbroner

Put Me In The Zoo, by Robert Lopshire

Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman

Another trip to the Theater!

We had such a good time at the last Imagination Stage show that we got a group together to check out the next one -- Aquarium. What was so great about the show was how interactive it was. The kids were given props, like a giant sheep pillow, and then they had to bring it on stage. Unfortunately, Alexa just wanted to horde her props and not participate! Her friend Ella kept saying, "No, you have to give it back!" Another thing that's great about these shows is that the kids sit around in a circle and the "stage" is just the middle of the circle. We all sat together on the floor. It was great! Of course, the girls were more interested in the penny well in the lobby. Oh well, still a great experience!

Fun day with momma!

Daddy was stuck on an airplane all day coming home from the Indiana game, so Mommy took Alexa and Henry to music class! And, of course, to the Italian store afterward for "tookies" with Avery!

It was a rainy day, as you can see from the above pictures, so after Alexa's nap I came up with a fun indoor activity -- we made cookies! Well, I made them and Alexa dumped some things in the bowl and made a mess. But she had fun! We all had fun eating them. :)

Finally, here is a detail shot of Alexa's hair clippies! Grandma Lil made them! She found paperclips with the butterflies on them and transferred them to clips. What a great idea! They are super cute!

Go Indiana!

Indiana made the Sweet 16 and Daddy flew down to Atlanta to join his college buddies at the game! So to show team spirit, the kids rocked the red at school today. Hoosiers!

You may notice in the above photo that Alexa is sporting a new backpack! It was a gift from Grandma E that we pulled out for her to wear on the bus/metro. See Daddy and Alexa walking down the street together? They left the stroller at home and took the bus/metro for the first time today!

UPDATE: Despite all the team spirit, IU did not prevail in the basketball game. Boo! Alexa and Henry still had fun playing around. They didn't exactly watch the game...

FLASH FROM THE PAST: Wonder where Alexa got her Indiana cheerleader's top? From her cousin! Here is a picture from the archives. Samantha as a toddler at Daddy's law school graduation!

Cherry Blossoms 2012

We had a really long, fun day exploring the Cherry Blossoms! Instead of going downtown to the National Mall, we headed to Kenwood, a local neighborhood nearby that is filled more with residents than tourists. The blossoms peaked much earlier this year due to the warm winter. It was beautiful!

We settled down next to a low branch for a nice picnic at Kenwood Park. Turned out that branch was a premier photo op! Of course we took our own photos on the branch... As did many others! And nearly every kid who sat on the branch (Alexa included) fell off! Oooops!

After our picnic, we took a stroll through the neighborhood. Alexa enjoyed buying lemonade and cookies at a local stand! She also loved pushing her baby doll down the street in her doll stroller! It was gorgeous, every street was more beautiful than the last.

After all that walking, both kids took a nap in the double stroller as we headed back to Bethesda. When they woke, we went to another park and Henry went in the swing for the first time! Alexa had fun pushing him. He loved it!

Finally, we enjoyed a nice dinner outside at our favorite pizza place. And Alexa had her first taste of creme brule. She loved it!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

What a fun-filled day! Alexa and Henry donned their green outfits and posted for probably the most adorable brother-sister photos yet. Then Alexa wanted to pose for a photo on the doorstep, her favorite place to take a picture. Of course, she decided to copy Mommy and bring all her pocketbooks along.

Our first stop - Music class! Today was extra special because the kids got to ride pretend horses! Of course Alexa was sure to ask first and loudly for a RED horse. During the big band song, her favorite instrument to grab is the marching drum.

Our next stop - St. Patrick's Day Brunch with friends at Bethesda Row! Alexa played with her friends Ella and (big) Henry while little siblings Jack, Cora and (baby) Henry tried to keep up. Meanwhile, Mommy's enjoyed green mimosas. Yum!

After all that excitement, we headed home for naps. Alexa passed out! And, after some playtime, Henry passed out too!

Finally - After naps, we took a short walk to a neighborhood park. The cherry blossoms are blooming early this year. What a great day!

Henry's first ride in the jogging stroller

Henry's almost six months old, so he got to take his first ride in mommy's jogging stroller last weekend! We used a body pillow to make him comfortable. He loved it! We checked out all the Spring flowers. So beautiful! What a great day for a run.

Henry does some finger painting

Henry had a fun day at day care today - he got to try his hand at finger painting! Looks like he was pretty good at it. He's a real pro at making a mess, so it's no wonder. Check out his masterpiece!

March Photo a Day

Here are some of my March Photo a Day photos! See if you can match the photo to the prompt:

Someone you talked to today

Something you wore

Neighborhood

Bedside table

Noise
Smile

Fork

Red

Up

Purim Carnival at the Temple

To celebrate Purim, which is a Jewish holiday in which kids dress up and celebrate the Esther story, we headed to the Temple for a Purim Carnival! Alexa was very excited to dress up in her Big Sister Fairy costume, which is a total original. Here she is playing fairy princess in the front yard!

Daddy and Henry dressed up as Superman! Look at them... So cute, I love it! My supermen!

At the Carnival, Alexa had a BLAST in the little bounce house!

She also got a special treat ... Her very first taste of cotton candy! Not my brightest idea. But look at these cute photos! She loved it!

Finally, Alexa and her friend Ella had a ton of giggles running through the bouncy obstacle course over and over and over! 

After such a great time at the Carnival, we took some very tired kiddos out to lunch with friends. And then home for a loooooong nap!

Music class and a birthday party!

We had a full and fun day today! It started with music class. Alexa loves all the props. The first song always involves the little back eggs that you can shake. Another song means it's time to break out the drums! The scarves come out for the gypsy song! Alexa always wants the red scarf. She also always wants to help put the props away!

After music class, we loaded up in the car and drove to Virginia for Will's 1st Birthday! The party was held at the same toddler gym where his sister Rigby had her 1st Birthday. Friend Nate had a party here too. Alexa loves this place. Henry is starting to like it too! 

Delicious

As I mentioned, Henry loves to play with his feet! Here he is rolling around as we were getting ready to take his 5-month photos. He's so soft and has that intoxicating baby smell. I'm sure with a boy, both will change. So I'm savoring him now, at this age, in this moment. Delicious.

Alexa discovers the joy of ... dress up!

I've been waiting for this pink elephant bin to arrive forever! I ordered it on a Black Friday deal so I could have a place to put all of Alexa's dress up clothes: high heels, fairy costume, doctor jacket, train hat, flower lei, Snow White dress! Well, it's a big hit. Alexa loves dress up! Especially her fairy costume, which she likes to wear when we read the book "Alice the Fairy." So fun!