We have no clue how she got in there it must not have been easy!

Minnie Mouse

Mermaids!

I like the bandaid on the forehead!

Eating Suckers with Friends.


Waiting for the ferris wheel

They made out trick or treating.

Obsessed with the laptop!

Playing in potatoes flakes and no it was not planned.

She loved the gooey insides!
 
She drew the face and I cut it out.  Alexis actual hates the insides of pumpkins! 

  In May we had a little photo shoot done with our crazy big family.  I just got them so I thought I would share.

 

 Family picture(Greg is the only one missing)

 He loves kissing me in pictures!

 Megan can you smile?  I love when Alexis smiles and tips her head.  So cute.

No I can't smile mom....

Moo

Yesterday Megan walked up to me patted me and said "moo."  Later she tried lifting my shirt up.  Today she wanted to nurse during the day, I have decided in an effort to start the stopping process to not nurse during the day.  So several times she would lay down and trying to lift my shirt and I would tell her no milkies.  After a few moments she would except the cup of juice or water that I was offering.  About the 3rd time of this she walked over and got my nursing cover that I have hidden behind the little table and handed it to me.  She is very determined to nurse whenever she wants.  I won though!  I will still nurse her first thing in the morning, because then I have an excuse to stay in bed longer, and at night before she goes to bed.  It is so relaxing for her that is just makes it easier to put her in bed.  I am a bit sad, but relieved.  Not nursing her will give me lots more freedom from my worries that she is going to want to nurse and I won't be there.  Silly, but true.  Oh and she hates Santa.  I can't wait to get the picture from the ward party!  Ha it is going to be hilarious.  I really should have just gone in and stood there letting her see what happens, but I thought if I just plopped her down that we might be able to snap one picture before she noticed....nice try but she instantly looked back.  She was arching her body away from Santa, I tried stand by him holding her(almost took his beard off picking her up, opps) Tried having her stand in front and nothing worked so I cut our losses and left.  When Grandpa gets back from Mexico we will have him put his suit on without the beard and let her get used to it and try and get a good picture.  Alexis asked Santa for an American Girl doll.  Santa is getting her the copy cat doll from Target to see if she can take good care of a doll like that before getting the real one.  The AG doll's are $100 a pop and the one from Target is $30.  Big difference for a 5 year old.  Besides when we do get her a AG doll I want to take her up to the store and have it be a really fun day of getting her doll and eating lunch with her.   Honestly she probably won't notice the difference unless she has it right next to a AG doll.  The eyes open and shut on hers and they don't on the other.  There is a horse for the doll that I am so tempted to get, but then I need to find another present for Megan and it was tough buying for her this year. 

Alexis can count and write to 100.  She downloaded it into her brain. 

Daddy is my Hero.

Alexis age 5

Megan's words at 17 months
kiss
no
dog
sis
alexis
hot and puts her hand up like stop
Please
stop
don't
grandma
grandpa
momma
dadda
brrrr
baby
juice
cup
tickle tickle
nose
eye
toes
shoes
mine
more
hiya (this is for both hi and bye)
cheese
She can also sign please and more
loves babies real or pretend, climbing, playing hide and seek, peek a boo, summer saults, playing with Alexis, markers (eating and coloring on her body and clothes), doing laundry which includes carrying clothes around putting themin and out of the machines and shutting the doors.  Absolutely loves being outside and going to get Alexis from the bus.  Talking on the phone, playing with the Wii remotes and the phones.  Helping me unload the dishwasher one spoon at a time and looking out the window.  She likes to howl like a wolf and meow like a kitty.   She is such a fun baby/toddler and lights up the room with her sweet personality!  We sure love this baby!

To the airport we went to pick up Daddy.  Alexis was so excited she was jumping up and down as we got our shoes on.  Britt texted me while I was still on I-5 passing Kent which stressed me out just a bit because Megan was crying and I didn't think we would make it in time to park and go in.  Well as luck would have it the airport is a mad house and with his flight coming in 20 minutes early they had to wait to be docked.  traffic was so slow getting to the terminal so I decided to park.  As we walked away from the car he texted me again saying they had just docked.  So glad I parked because driving around again would have taken forever.  We went in and went to the escalator closest to United and hoped we had the right one.  While on the phone we confirmed that he was coming up to that one, he told he was coming up.  Alexis was watching so I asked her if she could see him and she said nope.  I looked and he was indeed coming up but with the beard, hat and anti-glare glasses he didn't look to familiar.  When he got closer she realized it was Daddy and hugged him tightly.  Megan was standing about 3 feet away and was really unsure.  Britt just picked her up not even giving her a chance to fuss.  he put her down on the sky bridge so she could walk across but she wouldn't so Britt offered to pick her up she looked at him turned around and backed it his arms.  She has been so cute by coming and snuggling on his lap and not wanting to be put to bed without him.  it is like he wasn't even gone.  Thank Heavens for Skype.  We have more to be grateful for then ever before!

I told Alexis I was going to sit on her with my big butt.  She wisely replied you don't have a big but it is just large, and mine is small and Megan has a cute little butt.  Funny stuff.  Britt is in the air on his way home for Thanksgiving.  I have never been more thankful for my little family then I am right now.  I never appreciated having a good job and good health more then this year.  We are blessed and I can only hope that it will continue.  In Ward Council we talked about Fast Offerings and how the windows of Heaven will be opened if we give and that the difference between tithing is that the only time in the scriptures that window is plural is when referring to Fast Offerings.   I have never been really consistent with paying Fast Offerings partly because I thought it had to be paid on Fast Sunday, which is not so.  I have committed our family to paying a generous Fast Offerings.  

DSCN2097

Silly Children

Silly kids

Putt putt golf

Zoo with L kiddo's

PP 2011

Pumpkin Patch

Today I have been thinking of those who serve in the Armed Forces and more directly the Army, because that is where most of my family and friends are.  A friend lost her husband yesterday in Iraq and it is just so tragic and heartbreaking.  It causes me to think of my brother in law Lim who has been there 3 times and possibly a 4th before the end of the year.  I am so grateful that he has made it home safe every time, he had some close calls that had the holy ghost not directed him may not have turned out well.  I think of Travis who is just starting his Army career and probably faces Iraq soon also.  I can't really explain why this has me so emotional, I cry about 15 times a day thinking of my friend.  Maybe it is because Britt is away from us right now and maybe it is because this is the only soldier to die in this war that I personally knew, but I am struggling to hold it together.  War stinks.  I am forever grateful to those Men and Women who devote their life to serving our great nation and my family.  Thank you Lim, Travis and Andrew you are in my prayers.

I just notice that the last 4 posts have begun with Alexis.  I think Megan needs a post....

Megan was skyping with daddy tonight and tried to put candy corn in his mouth.  It was adorable and it had both of them laughing!  She also says please now, only it sounds more like peas.  She also says grandma and grandpa and that sounds more like gampa or gama.  Sunday night we put skype on the TV so daddy was really big and Megan would say dad and then do something silly like run in a circle or dance.  She would say dad over and over!  She also says mom, not mommy or momma.  She blows kisses by making kissing sounds towards you complete with puckered lips, at least she is starting to understand that kissing mommy is better with her lips closed.  She also is Houdini with belts and buckles and squirms out of them in the shopping carts.  So she was in the basket, can everyone see where this is headed?  Everything was great and we were headed to check out and all of the sudden she pitched herself over the end and flipped over landing on her back.  Scared me to death.  I hate that cement feet feeling.  Alexis was even stunned and tried to catch her but couldn't get a hold of her.  Now Megan will not go in a cart at all.  I will use my stroller, that for some reason she is just fine with sitting in for hours.   I am still rattled and am a bit nervous about going into the store with my kids.

Alexis is in a mood lately.  If I ask her to do something that she doesn't want to do like get ready for bed she will run down the hall, yell something about how mean I am and slam her door.  Then she will come out and demand I give her a TV show or a fruit snack or some other treat.  So I am tried of always asking her to say nice things or to act kinder to get what she wants so now she will do extra chores.  So tonight she had to clean the living room floor without crying to not be in trouble.  I also saw this really cute idea that used clothes pins to help the kids visualize how they are acting and the effect it will have on the things she wants most, sweets and TV.  So Sweets for Sweets is going to be introduced.  If she wants desserts, fruit snacks or other treats she will have to keep her pin up, she can earn it back up by doing things for me.  Not sure exactly how I am going to arrange it but I will take pics when my thoughts become reality.   Something has got to change around here and it better be her attitude!