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!

Train Park with Grandma E!

On Saturday, after Alexa's nap, we headed to a local park that has a train! We are planning to have Alexa's birthday party here, so we wanted to share it with Grandma E. Alexa was excited for the "choo choo train" and looked way cool in her sunglasses!

After the train, Alexa got a drink from the hippo water fountain, then copied the older kids by walking up this barrier wall. I was terrified, but Daddy held her hand and stayed by her side. When she made it to the end, we cheered and she had the biggest smile on her face. Go Alexa!

The playground at this park is amazing, it's more like 10 different playgrounds meshed together. Alexa had a blast! 

But her favorite playground by far was this one... I didn't think she would be able to climb up this ladder, but she insisted. And she made it! Of course, Daddy stood right behind her just in case. The slide was also to steep for my taste... But Alexa loved it!

Train! Fun! Water play!

Alexa had an action-packed Memorial Day holiday. Since it was forecast to be HOT, we headed to the Choo Choo Train early, hoping to get in a ride before the heat set in. Apparently everyone else had the same idea. It was packed! Luckily, we got seats and Alexa enjoyed the ride!

Back home, Alexa played with cousin Samantha, Grandma E and Pop before they left to catch their train home. She was pushing her shopping cart around and cracking up!

The day DID turn out to be super hot, so we decided to use the heat to our advantage. We took Alexa on a walk around the block in her trike, hoping the heat would wear her out and help us put her down for a nap. It worked! She slept 2+ hours!

When she woke up, we had a last-minute play date with Eli from down the street. We broke out the kiddie pool and stacks of cups and the kids dove in. They were dumping water and laughing so hard it was hilarious! At least we all cooled off!

Zoo! And then a BBQ!

We had a busy but fun day today! It started with a trip to the National Zoo. Silly me, I thought everyone left Washington, D.C., during holiday weekends. I was wrong. The Zoo was a zoo! It was also HOT! Still, we enjoyed walking around and seeing the animals. Alexa got to see elephants, pandas, lions, monkeys and donkeys. What could be better? She kept saying "Anna-molls"!

After the zoo, Daddy's friends from his hometown in NJ came over with their kids for a cook out. Alexa had a blast playing with all the older girls! They played bubbles with her and played catch with her soccer ball. And, of course, it all ended with ice cream! Alexa loved the ice cream part.

Goodbye Grandma E! Thanks for coming to visit!

Awwww, this has got to be one of the cutest pictures ever! Alexa has become an expert hugger. It's so great! Love her hugs!

Zebras at the Zoo!

Daddy and Grandma E took Alexa to the Zoo today. Apparently, her favorite animal was the Zebra! She kept staring at them. She also got to see the new baby lion cubs! So fun, wish I was there!

More fun with Grandma E!

Looking for something to do, Daddy remembered the Sunday Fun Day events that I've taken Alexa to in the past. Since tickets were still available and it happened to be about a book featuring Alexa's FAVORITE color (Harold and the Purple Crayon), he signed her up! Yay! Looks like a lot of fun!

After lunch and a long walk, Daddy and Grandma E took Alexa to our neighborhood park. Alexa then insisted on walking all the way home! That was fine with Daddy. He was hoping to tire her out!

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 picks out a Christmas tree, then lights Hanukkah candles

Yes, Chrismukkah has begun in our house! And begun in earnest. Daddy and I took the day off and we all bundled up and headed out to a farm to cut down a Christmas tree! This was a big adventure for my family. Since I grew up in Hawaii, we always BOUGHT our tree. We never cut one down! Grandpa Tom was over the moon excited.

Here we are checking out the trees... Alexa liked a small one her size. But we wanted a big one for our living room! We finally found one and before I had time to change my mind, Daddy and Grandpa chopped it down! Way to go!

Back at home, we lit the Hanukkah candles, lit Shabbat candle and enjoyed some yummy Challah. Check out our beautiful menorah. Thanks, Aunt Missy!

Finally, after dinner, Alexa got a Hanukkah gift from Grandma E and Pop! She immediately dumped out the books and wanted Daddy to read one. How cute! She also got a piano from Grandma E and Pop. Stay tuned for some photos of her playing it... She loves it!

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!

Four Generations

We finally took this picture on Saturday. I can't wait to frame it. What a beautiful picture! Four generations: GG, Daddy & Grandma E!

A nice day for brunch!

After several very hot and humid days, we were blessed with a beautiful summer day! To celebrate, Alexa and I got up early and went for a morning run with the jogging stroller. Then we headed to Bethesda for a nice brunch! Alexa had so much fun! She got excited when she saw two dogs and flashed huge smiles whenever we held up a cheddar crunchie, her new favorite snack... So cute!

And speaking of cuteness, look at our little darling... Here she is with Daddy and Grandma E.

One more picture... So cute I just want to squeeze her! My little doll!

Alexa LOVES Challah! Yes she does!

Grandma E took the train down today for a visit, so we picked up some yummy Challah and lit the Shabbat candles. What a wonderful way to start the weekend! Alexa, as you might recall, LOVES Challah! She ate hers, grabbed at ours and had a ball. What a cutie!

Click to enlarge!

A nice walk in Brookside Gardens!

Some of my mom's group friends recommended Brookside Gardens in nearby Wheaton, Md., as a nice place to take a walk with the stroller. With Grandma E and Pop in town visiting, we decided to go check it out! The park was beautiful! There was a wonderful paved path surrounding the grounds, which featured trees, a lovely lake and lots of colorful flowers, including a rose garden. Unfortunately, it was a hot day, so we didn't last long. But it was a really nice escape from the city. We'll certainly be back!

Click to enlarge!

Another great day with Grandma E!

Alexa woke up happy, and she was even happier when she got to practice pulling herself up! Look at that smile. What a cutie pie!

She continued the smiles as she downed her breakfast. Yum! She LOVES her teething biscuit, by the way. It's her new favorite thing.

Finally, we headed to Alexa's swim class! Alexa was still not sure what to make of all the water. But this is a great way to get used to it. That way, she'll be right at home in the pool when we visit Grandpa Tom and Grandma Lil!

After swim class, Grandma E and Alexa had a girls night while Mommy went to a baby shower and wedding reception. It was nice to get away, but I missed my Alexa!

Wonderful day with Grandma E!

Daddy is in Vegas, so Grandma E came down for a girls weekend! We met up with some of the women and babies from my mom's group for brunch -- and had cupcakes with Blythe and Avery!

Then, because it was such a nice day, Grandma E and I took a LONG walk while Alexa took a LONG nap! When she woke up, she was in a very happy and smiley mood. So we walked to a park and she had a ball in the swing!

When we got home, Alexa ate SO MUCH FOOD! She downed a 4 oz jar of winter squash followed by a 4 oz jar of Pears and some applesauce, which she gulped down while gumming a teething biscuit. Finally, she played in her bath before going to bed. Whew!

I took these photos on my Blackberry during the day and e-mailed them to Daddy so he could see what we were up to. He wrote back that he missed us!

A visit from Grandma E!

Grandma E took the train down for the day so she could hang out with baby Alexa! We had a nice afternoon playing with Alexa on her activity mat.

Check out this adorable pink ruffle outfit from Alexa's other grandma. It fits and she looks so cute in it! Thanks, Grandma R!

Grandma R got to see Alexa roll over for the first time when she was here for the holidays. She helped teach Alexa how it's done. Now, Alexa is rolling both ways!

So Alexa showed Grandma E how she rolls over! She also showed Grandma E how she gets up on her knees! And how she does the "down dog" yoga pose!

Click HERE to watch a 25-second video of her getting onto her knees and rolling onto her back!

Click HERE to watch a 70-second video of her rolling back onto her tummy and continuing to practice her crawl. She's getting better and better!

Here is Alexa showing Grandma E how strong her arms are. She can push up to straight arms!

She also showed Grandma E how she sits up!

And how much she loves her Bumbo chair!

And how much she loves her exersaucer!

But most of all, Alexa loves her grandmas!

Later, we all gave her a bath and she stuck her foot out like she was reclining at a spa. Ha!

Then Grandma E read Alexa the personalized Fairy-Tale storybook that she got her for Hanukkah!

After the story, Grandma E gave Alexa a bottle. And Daddy put her down to sleep! What a nice day. Thanks for visiting us, Grandma E!