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!

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!

Pool fun in Annapolis

We enjoyed a wonderful day at our friend's home in Annapolis today. Alexa was so excited to see her friend Kaitlyn that she nearly bounded out of my arms to run over to her. We had a little trouble getting Alexa in the pool at first, but when she saw the other kids sitting in their floaties and enjoying the water, she started having fun too! Outside of the pool, she loved Kaitlyn's toys, especially her lawn mower!

In the afternoon, Alexa's older friends Julia and Sara arrived as Alexa ran around in her adorable Kumquat outfit. The outfit was a gift from Grandma's friend Lucille. I'm glad it still fits her, it's a 12-month size!

Choo Choo! It's Mother's Day!

We had a lovely Mother's Day. My only request was to sleep in and RELAX! Done and done! Alexa, however, kept asking me about the beach. "Mama, walk beach? Beach?" Apparently, she missed Hawaii. I tried to explain that we couldn't go to the beach, but maybe we could go to a Choo Choo Train? She was sold. Apparently a Choo Choo Train is an acceptible Plan B when the Beach is unavailable. Good to know. So instead of the beach, we spent the day visiting a new park in the area that has a ton of cool play areas and, most importantly, a working Choo-Choo Train. Alexa LOVED it!

After the park, we grilled out in our backyard! Also, I showed Alexa how to blow dandelions and she was fascinated! She picks them every time we take a walk and calls them "blow flowers."

Last day in Hawaii!

On our last day in Hawaii, we headed to Lanikai Beach one more time... And Alexa made a friend! Actually I think she just wanted the other girl's toys. They were cute playing together. Unfortunately, the beach was REALLY windy. We headed home for naptime, followed by some pool play.

Alexa decided immediately that she loved her new Roxy hoodie! "Purple!" she said. Yes, it is. Check out how cute she is! She was serving up "shots" of water in a bottle cap and giggling up a storm.

More Kauai vs. More Winward Mall

After a nice breakfast and walk around the grounds, Daddy and I enjoyed our last day on Kauai at the pool, relaxing and doing nothing. It was fabulous!

Meanwhile, back on Oahu, Alexa spent another morning playing on the Winward Mall waterfalls and toy cars. Looks like she had a blast!

We got home in the afternoon and took Alexa on a walk to Kailua Beach to see ... DOGS! It was windy, but she enjoyed playing in the sand and yelling "Hi!" at all the dogs she saw. So cute!

We sat outside for dinner and Alexa had another ice cream bar. Uh-oh, what have we started here?!

Lanikai beach with Kamakoa! More pool!

We had a great day at Lanikai Beach today with my friend Cheryl and her son Kamakoa! Alexa was pretty fussy at fist, but she eventually warmed up to the sand. She even started chasing birds around and using her bucket to scoop sand! We also got her into the water by playing games. When we said goodbye, she gave Kamakoa a hug. It was so cute!

After Alexa's loooong nap, she enjoyed some afternoon pool play with Daddy and Grandpa Tom!

Alexa feeds ducks! Plus more beach & shave ice!

Another great day in paradise! Alexa got up early again, so we took her for a walk on Duck Lane to see, you guessed it, ducks! We saw a few, but when we started feeding them, more ducks started high tailing it over from all over to get scraps of bread! We also saw some baby ducks. Alexa was mildly amused.

After all the fun with the ducks, we headed for Kailua Beach Park. Daddy set up the umbrella and mat and we had a great time hanging out. Alexa tried chips for the first time and, big surprise, decided she liked them. She also tried on Daddy's sunglasses. Around noon, she got tired and we headed home for a nap.

After Alexa's nap, we headed out for some more shave ice at Island Snow! Yum! Alexa has started calling it "Purple Ice" because that's the color of shave ice Daddy had the first time she tried it. Ha!

Alexa's visits Kailua Beach & Island Snow!

Alexa got up early, so we headed to the beach! She was admittedly a little upset when we first got to the beach. Maybe it was the wind? She didn't want me to sit down, or put her down. Finally, we coaxed her into sitting on the towel. Then we got her to play with her toys. She ended up having a great time!

The same scenario repeated at the pool. Alexa loved her swim classes last summer, but cried when we took her in the pool! She finally calmed down and had fun playing next to the pool. Silly girl!

We ended the day with some shave ice at Island Snow! This is one of my favorite places in Hawaii. It's only about five minutes from where I grew up. And, as you can see from my collage below, it's also frequented by President Obama, who has spent two Christmases in my hometown. Cool!

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!

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!)

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...

Alexa checks out Bobo's and Saguaro Park!

We heard it on good authority that the No. 1 place for breakfast in Tucson is a little dive diner called Bobo's, so off we went! And, oh yes, the rumors are true. This place is delicious! The pancakes are the best, they are huge and yummy beyond belief!

After a very big brunch, we loaded into the car and drove out to the Saguaro National Monument, which is basically a huge wide open desert expanse spotted with thousands of saguaro cactus. Alexa napped while we drove. Finally, she woke up and we braved the cold to check them out!

Back home, Alexa was very happy to see her friends Lorenzo and Moon Doggie. She pet them, let them lick her face and tried to put her hat on them. Ha! How far she's come since her first days with them. I bet she'll miss then when we leave tomorrow!

Alexa loved the Tucson Zoo!

Today was so much fun! Sunny. Beautiful. Wonderful day at the Tucson Zoo! We got an early start, hit a drive-through Starbucks (love it) and arrived at the Zoo in time to make the 10 a.m. giraffe feeding! Alexa was a little unsure of these giant creatures with long tongues, but she eventually gave them a carrot stick! (Carrot sticks, by the way, cost $1 each. Holy expensive! At least it's for a good cause, all proceeds go to benefit zoo conservation projects.)

Next up, Alexa enjoyed checking out these bald-butt monkeys. There were a ton of kids in this play room, coloring and listening to a story. Alexa wasn't interested in anything else but the monkeys! (Update: These strange-looking creatures are called lion-tailed macaques and they are endangered.)

Next up - another monkey! Or is it a gorilla? (Update: It's a mandrill, which is actually a large monkey.)

She also enjoyed checking out this ugly-looking creature. We're not really sure what it is... (Update: It's a capybara, the world's largest rodent. Basically, a very large guinea pig.)

And here she is peering into the water looking for otters! There's one, wait, there's TWO!

Next up - A llama! And anteater!

She also saw a black panther! Zebra! Ostrich! Bear! Tiger! Warty Pig! Oh, my!

Oh, and of course, Alexa saw elephants!

After all the fun at the zoo, we took Alexa on a train ride in the park next door. What a great day! Alexa loved hanging out with Aunt Kelly and Uncle Ben. Thanks for taking us to the zoo!

Alexa hits the Wild Wild West!

After a fun day at the zoo, Alexa took a nap before our next adventure. We took her to Trail Dust Town for dinner at Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse! What fun!

One of the attractions in Trail Dust Town was a carousel! Alexa enjoyed her first ride on a carousel, but she was a little unsure what to think of it. There's a carousel at a park back home, so once the weather gets better we'll have to check it out!

Finally, we headed to the restaurant for dinner! Alexa discovered a new favorite food - chicken fingers! Check out her adorable Wild West outfit and pig tails. Our little cowgirl!

Christmas in Tucson again!

This is Alexa's 2nd Christmas in Tucson. Sort of. Last time we were here, Alexa was just a ball of cells! And we didn't even know that she was preparing to join our family. Look how big she is now! It was a tad easier traveling with her last time, especially since she's now so squirmy! Luckily, she slept for the last hour of our 4-hour flight. She wore her Christmas PJs from Grandma and was soooo cute!

After a nap, Alexa helped Aunt Kelly open presents she got for Lorenzo and Moondoggie!

And after another nap, Aunt Kelly helped Alexa open a present the dogs (and Aunt Kelly and Uncle Ben) got for her! Yay, some cool wooden stacking blocks!