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.

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!

Yum ... Pizza!

Another trip to our favorite pizza place... Alexa chowed down on the pizza. But Daddy is teaching her some bad manners!

Teamwork!

Alexa was so excited to see her friend Brandon at swim class today. The kids even teamed up to figure out how to open this big fence. Alexa was sure that it could be opened. Brandon wasn't so sure, but he helped out anyway. Since they were working on the wrong end of the fence, we were more than happy to let them try as hard as they wanted! Soon, swim class started and the kids forgot all about the fence.

After swim class, we headed to our favorite local pizza place. Alexa loves coloring while we wait for the pizza. She often asks me to draw her a dog and then colors the dog. She also likes us to draw her a giraffe or elephant!

Daddy's girl

We had brunch with Grandma E before her train on Sunday and look who was in such a good mood! Alexa was all giggles with her Daddy. So cute! (And thanks to GG for Alexa's adorable outfit!)

Too Cool for the Pool

Saturday means it's time for swim class! This is Alexa's 5th class, and Grandma E got to come and watch! Alexa was excited to see her friend Brandon, so she tried to give him a hug. But poor Brandon wasn't sure about the hugging. The kiddos ran around until it was time to go in the pool!

Meanwhile, Grandma E got this great photos of us in the pool with Alexa. She practiced kicking, blowing bubbles, climbing out of the pool and jumping back in on the count of three. Her favorite part of swim class comes at the end, when everyone gets a toy to play with!

After swim class, we went out to lunch at Cafe Deluxe. We'll definitely be back. They have a wonderful feature that is great for kids -- paper tablecloths that you can color all over! Alexa had a blast making pictures with Grandma E!

Alexa and Daddy get silly at Mussel Bar

What a great day! It started with swim class at the outdoor Bethesda Pool. Alexa went to her first class with Daddy last weekend. This weekend, Mommy got in on the fun! Alexa's friend Brandon is also in her class. They had fun kicking, jumping into the pool and blowing bubbles (sort of)! After swim class, we headed to Bethesda for lunch at Mussel Bar. Alexa and Daddy had silly face contest!

Moanalua Gardens and dinner at Buzz's

Another great day in paradise! Today, we met up with my friend Renee and her son Ashton at Moanalua Gardens Park. I had actually never been to this park before, but when I looked up the directions it was described as an off-the-beaten-path spot in Hawaii with beautiful large canopy trees. It was stunning!

Alexa and Ashton had fun playing. And check this out... Alexa got her first kiss! They were so cute. Alexa took Ashton's hand. Then Ashton kissed her on the cheek. And then they hugged. So cute!

After the park, Alexa took a long nap. And then we headed to check out grandma and grandpa's condo. Alexa had fun watching the ducks in the pond right outside the balcony!

Finally, we ended the day with dinner at our favorite local spot: Buzz's Steakhouse. Yum!

Lunch date with Avery on a beautiful day!

Today was a beautiful day. It was even better because we had lunch plans with my friend Blythe and her daughter Avery! We tried to push the high chairs together for a photo, but Alexa protested! I tried so hard to get photos of them together, but to no avail! This is the best I could get. Next time!

After lunch, Alexa took a nap in her stroller so Daddy and I took a long walk. Alexa insisted on walking most of the way home! She enjoyed looking at the pretty flowers and sitting in the back yard with Daddy. It was a beautiful day and we all stayed outside as long as possible. We can't wait for Hawaii!

Hummus and ice cream, oh my!

We had a good food day today! We have been trying to get Alexa to try hummus FOREVER. Today, she finally did. And she liked it! She saw us dipping the pita bread in the hummus and copied. Yum!

Also today, we FINALLY got Alexa to try ice cream! Not necessarily a nutritionally beneficial thing. But exciting nevertheless. But she would only try it if we gave her the spoon and let her feed herself. She won't let us feed her! So, yeah, it got a bit messy. Oh well!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Today is Daddy's birthday! To celebrate, we had a babysitter last night so we could go out to a nice dinner. Then, on this bright but cold Sunday, we headed downtown to meet friends Steve and Connie for brunch in our old 'hood. Yup, Logan Tavern, baby! Alexa enjoyed coloring on the table, pouring her water on the table, talking on her phone, reading books... Everything but eating! But she stayed busy and we had a good time.

Another play date at the National Building Museum!

Today was a rainy day, so it was CROWDED at the National Building Museum! We met two moms from my mom's group and their girls. They were already in LINE when we arrived. And the museum hadn't even opened yet! Holy crazy! Once it did open, we rushed down the hallway to the Kid's Zone and got in. But there was such a long line that we only had about 30-40 minutes to play. Still, the girls had fun! Here are Alexa, Avery and Ella checking out the eco-doll house!

After the doll house, the girls wanted to play in the REAL house. But they all wanted to sit in the chairs! Except Alexa was a bit obsessed with her favorite puzzle toy. She has found and played with this SAME buckle puzzle EVERY time we've been here. Uh oh, does that mean we need to get her one?

Finally, here are more pictures of Alexa playing... Again with the puzzle! She also enjoyed playing with the trucks and the train. If you ask Alexa, "What does a train say?" she'll smile real big and say "chooo! chooo!"

After all the fun in the Kid's Zone, Tricia and I took Ella and Alexa out to lunch. Look how cute the girls were! They shared Kix and laughed when they reached out and held hands. So cute!

Pizza at our favorite local place - Yum!

Alexa had a good time at Mia's today. She gobbled up her pizza! She also had several apple slices. Look how cute she is! I had fun taking photos with my new camera. The light is really nice in these shots because the weather was so nice that we got to sit outside! Yay for springtime! After lunch, we walked to downtown Bethesda to visit the Apple store and buy Alexa more books at Barnes & Noble!

Sunday brunch - Waffles!

We took Alexa out to brunch today. And she got waffles. Do you think she liked it? Um, yeah! She LOVED her waffles! She sort of liked the fruit. The veggies we offered her? Not so much. Why eat veggies when you can eat WAFFLES! Yum!

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!

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!

Tortillas and Puppies!

We took Alexa to Mosaic Cafe today for some homemade tortillas! Actually, Mommy was craving the tortillas... We went there two years ago and LOVED the warm homemade tortillas! Yummy! These were actually Alexa's FIRST tortillas! She had fun trying to eat them! It was chilly out, so after lunch we headed to the Mall to see... puppies! Alexa loved all the dogs!

Speaking of dogs... Alexa's relations with Aunt Kelly and Uncle Ben's two little dogs has been a work in progress. At first, she was curious about Lorenzo and Moon Doggie, but as soon as they came toward her, she ran the other way or hid behind us! But after a few days, her curiosity won out. Check out the photo below right of her petting Moon Doggie! Yay! Breakthrough!

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!