The Growing Grimes'

Christmas time is here...

2011-12-23T13:28:00.000-08:00

We've had so much fun getting ready for Christmas this month! Lexi has actually enjoyed doing all sorts of activities. She has also been very interested in reading about baby Jesus. She has a little nativity set of her own (that she can play with & not break) and she likes to have Mike or I read the story & act out what's going on. It's fun to see things through her eyes. We are thankful for so many chances to share the gospel with her!

Sweet Emily turned 3 months old on the 7th!

Before her Christmas program for Mother's Day Out. She said the Pledge of Allegiance & sang Jingle Bells.Getting the lights on the Christmas tree.Emily just watched. :)Our 1st real tree! Lexi did such a great job decorating.Making cinnamon applesauce ornaments.Ta-Da!!This year Lexi picked a Gingerbread Train.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-23T13:15:00.000-08:00

Tom & Mandy & the kids were able to come down for Thanksgiving! It was so much fun to have the kids together!! They also got to meet Emily for the 1st time. I think they liked her. ;) The time seemed so short, but the good news is... we'll see them soon for Christmas!!

Buddies!

At OprylandCute kiddos!!Our familyUncle Mike play Superman Uno w/Val & Sil.

Gatlinburg w/the Grimes

2011-11-30T13:19:00.000-08:00

At the begining of November we took a trip out to Gatlinburg w/Jason & Janene and Jeremy, Christie & the kids! We were there Sunday-Friday. We had so much fun being in a cabin all together!! And Jeremy, Christie & the kids got to meet Emily for the 1st time!

We took off after church. Lexi slept most of the time!

Making a bird house.Helping Gaga in the kitchen.:)Cousins!!We celebrated Papa's birthday while we were there. With only 1/2 of a half lung... the kids had to help blow out the candles. ;)We went to a show at the Dixie Stampede. The preshow was music. Lexi loved it!! The show was awesome too!!At the Riple's AquariumShe really just wanted to play in the water.Cousins again.Dunking oreo's w/Papa!Lexi wasn't real pleased that we were leaving after this picture. She decided she wasn't going to smile for anything.

Halloween!

2011-11-12T19:45:00.001-08:00

Halloween was so much fun this year! Lexi actually got into it. Like last year, we went to the Fall Festival at church. Emily didn't care so much. But she sure made for a cute kitty. :) And Lexi was Cinderella. She had a hard time deciding which princess to be. Cinderella was one of two costumes they had in her size. She loved dressing-up and still loves to wear it around the house! Of course- she got WAY too much candy! Pretty sure we will be eating it for another month. I won't complain too much. ;)

Cinderella w/her princess pumpkins!Dancing around outside.

Pumpkin Patch!

2011-10-26T20:13:00.001-07:00

We went to a pumpkin patch on a Monday, since Mike is off on those days. Lexi loved it! They had lots of animals. She thought the moo-ing cows were awesome! :) She loved the train the most though. She got to ride it twice, because mommy is such a softie. She knows how to work me. Ha!!

She thought it was awesome that the cow was moo-ing at her! :)Found one!Emily opened her eyes long enough to see a few pumpkins.Checking out the big pumpkins!Riding the train w/Daddy.We may or may not have had a breakdown going back to the car. She wanted to ride the train all by herself. So... mommy took her back to she could.But she ended up not wanting to go by herself. So... I got my turn at riding with her! :)

a few more...

2011-10-26T19:41:00.000-07:00

Just a few more pictures to enjoy.

Matching outfits!!

Lexi is growing up so fast. I knew she would seem older once Emily was born. I just didn't realize how sad it would make me. We love watching her be a big sister! She is such a sweet, sweet girl!!!

Pictures

2011-10-26T19:05:00.001-07:00

No rhyme or reason to this post. Just pictures. Hope you enjoy looking! :)

Sweet baby girl at the hospital.

Snuggling w/Daddy at the hospital.

Waiting at the dr. office at her 2 week check-up. Look at those cute rolls!!!

After bath.

Sisters!

Lexi LOVES to hold Emily's hand. So sweet!

holding hands again. :)

Daddy & his girls. Go Hawkeyes!

1st day home

2011-10-13T18:09:00.000-07:00

It felt SO good to leave the hospital! I was ready to come home about a day after she was born. Mike & I both knew things would be stressful at home, but we were just ready to get started. Lexi was very excited to have Emily home. She said things like "Emily is out of you tummy" and "She gets to stay with us." The 1st morning of having Emily home Lexi said, "I'm so happy she is home."

Ready to get sister inside!

Not sure what to think now that she is home.

Our daughters!

Lexi was showing Emily the tag on her blanket. Lexi has to have her tag in her hand while sucking her thumb, so she felt it was important for Emily to know where her's was too!

Introducing...

2011-10-13T16:26:00.000-07:00

Emily Elizabeth Grimes was born September 7th at 1:55pm. She weighed 8lbs 11oz and was 20.25inches long. She had some dark hair, which totally surprised me. Lexi basically had no hair. :) I had another c-section. We decided once we got to the hospital & they said it could take 24 hrs +, it would just be nice to get her out. Everything went great & recovery has been much easier this time around.

Right before leaving for the hospital.

Totally unaware of just how much life was about to change. :)Meeting sister for the 1st time.

Kisses!

Checking her out. Head to toe! :)

1st family picture of the 4 of us.

Holding sister for the 1st time. Such a sweet moment!

Ready to come home!!!

Lexi is so in love with her!! She loves to hold her & hold her hand. She can't seem to give her enough kisses. It's been so much fun watching her love her baby sister. Emily is just about perfect. The only thing that would be better is if she slept through the night. ;) I still can't believe that we have 2 kids. Are we old enough for this?!?? I love it though. The Lord has blessed us with these two beautiful daughters that we so do not deserve. But we'll keep them! :)

Couple new pictures

2011-08-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

*Our blog has been doing funny things & I haven't been able to get it to work right. This has been ready to post for about two months. Sorry!*

These are just a few recent pictures. Nothing new going on here. Just trying to be patient while we wait for Emily to be born. I think we are all more than ready!! :)

Ready for a lunch date w/Daddy!Sleeping Beauty. :)

A small update :)

2011-08-09T13:00:00.000-07:00

A few things have been going on since we got back from Iowa. The day after we got back, I was admitted to the hospital for a little over 24hrs. My amniotic fluid had dropped a lot while we were in Iowa. After the 24hrs though, everything was looking great & I was able to come home. Since then, my fluid has gone down a little, but not low enough for them to do anything about. We are praying that everything stays the same & little miss Emily stays put for the next 4 weeks! A couple weeks after that, Mike went with our church's youth group to summer camp. With all my "issues", we asked my parents to come down while he was gone. They happily said yes. I am so thankful they, and my cousin Abby, were able to come and stay with Lexi & I. We had lots of fun w/them!!

making Papa take her for a ride!

She loved Abby!!

reading stories to Papa.

crazy girl- wouldn't give me a normal smile at Pancake Pantry.

love you Ab!!

Since they left- we've been busy getting ready for Emily. Trying to finish up her room and get stuff cleaned & washed. I've been stressing out -just wanting to make sure everything is in order and ready. It's funny because I'm not really an organized or structured person. This is totally different though. I guess it's just some major nesting. :) I love Mike so much! He's been so supportive & helps keep me calm. Not sure what I would do without him.

Sweet Lexi before church one Sunday.

Princess!

"Helping" in Emily's room.

I am 35 weeks today! Like w/Lexi, I'll be having Emily no later than 39 weeks. That means no longer than 4 weeks. Wow! I can't believe how fast it's going to be here. We are so excited to have another daughter/sister!! Can't wait till we can show off lots of pictures of her! :)

Visit to Iowa

2011-08-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

Well this is long over-due. Just like everything else I post on here. :)

We were able to go to Iowa at the end of June/beginning of July. We spent a few days w/each family. It was nice for me, to have other people help take care of Lexi. And Lexi, of course, loved all the attention! We drove to Iowa all in one day. Talk about a sense of accomplishment. Lexi had just started potty training a week or two before this. We put her in a pull-up and off we went. Every stop we made, she was dry! And she was very good about going potty every time there was a chance. We made it in a little over 12hrs, which is great time w/a 2yr old! On the way home though, we split it up into two days. Daddy didn't think he could make the whole drive in one day. That was ok though. We rented a hotel room in St. Louis and just enjoyed our trip home!

Traveling... such a trooper!

Lily, Lexi, & Madi. (Parker was still at camp)Doing chalk outside w/Gaga Nean.I love this picture!!Hard at work- decorating cupcakes!And enjoying one of her creations. :)Snuggle time w/Papa Steve.We spent an afternoon/evening at Jody & Jaci's riding motorcyles & the golf cart. It took Lexi about 2 minutes to decide she wanted to ride. And she LOVED it!! It was very hard to get her off.Valerie, Lexi, Natalie Taking probably a 30 second break to talk to Gaga Shell (of Shelf as Lexi calls her).My sweet husband. He may be worse than a little boy. He loved every single second of riding around on the motorcyles!!On our way to a 4th of July parade.SO excited to see a school bus!!!Being silly w/Uncle Chad!Lexi & Great Grandma Septermore playing w/the cousins!Watching fireworks w/Daddy. This was her 1st experience w/them & she loved them!!Love her so much!!!

Behind Again

2011-06-05T13:21:00.001-07:00

I haven't forgotten that we have a blog. I just don't get to it. :) Being pregnant and chasing a toddler is a full-time job! There hasn't been too much going on. Currently I am 25 weeks (will be 26 on Wednesday) pregnant. We found out that baby #2 is a girl & her name is Emily Elizabeth! It's so fun to talk about her by name and hear Lexi talk about her & to her. She is very excited to become a big sister!! Mike & I celebrated our 5yr anniversary on June 3rd. We were able to get away a couple weekends earlier & go to Gatlinburg w/out Lexi. It was so nice!! We are so thankful to have "family" from church that loved on her while we were gone!!

At 20 weeks- Lexi thought she had a baby in her tummy too.

Helping Daddy put together her big girl bed.

She has offically moved to a new, big girl room!!

So far, she loves it!

Before going out to eat the Saturday of Mother's Day Weekend.

There isn't a sweeter job than being a mommy to this girl!!!

Lexi has a new found love for donuts! It's become a special treat for her & daddy!

She still loves to help me do anything. She was helping me w/chocolate here. :)

We got her a swimming pool for the back yard. This girl might be part fish.

Drying off.

Dancing w/Daddy at a wedding.

April

2011-04-27T10:47:00.001-07:00

So it's been awhile since I've updated. Sorry! I've been awful at taking pictures lately. And there really hasn't been much going on. Here are some pictures of Lexi from the past month. I should be updating again soon. Tomorrow we have the ultrasound to find out what the baby is. Lexi has said from the start, she's having a sister. We shall see... :)

One night Lexi was playing in her room, by herself, before bed. Mike & I soon got instructed to come back. She had been busy making us supper. She had a plate, bowl, cup, spoon & fork for all of us. Then there were boxes of food. She was so proud of herself! It was so sweet!!!

Ready for church!

Playing w/her phone. What else is new? :)

The Saturday of Easter weekend, we had our family time. Lexi had some eggs/candy to find when she woke up. She loved every minute of it. When she picked up the 1st piece she said, "I think I should eat it."

Her new swimsuit & matching sandals!

Easter morning.

Never got a picture of us w/daddy. Oops!

Her new thing in the mornings is to grab 'lank' and run to daddy & say, "lets snuggle." I don't think he minds. :)

Love her!

Such a daddy's girl!!!

Papa & Gaga's visit

2011-04-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

Mike's parents came for a visit the weekend before Easter. As always, it was great to spend time w/them! Lexi loves all the attention!! :) Papa helped daddy w/projects around the house, which was wonderful!! We were able to go to the zoo and spend lots of time playing! Papa & Gaga even helped us paint Lexi's new room. When we get everything put together & she moves into it, I'll post pictures.

Making sure Papa doesn't need her help.

Easter egg hunt!

Collecting as many eggs as she can in one hand.

The Zoo

Riding in the stroller didn't last too long.

new friend!

Lexi loved putting all Papa's change in here. :)

As always, the time goes too quick. Thanks for visiting & loving on Lexi! We love you & miss you!!!

Visitors

2011-03-18T11:29:00.001-07:00

The 1st few pictures are of Lexi & the last few are from Jeremy, Christie, Madi, Parker & Lily's visit. They came down durning the kids' spring break. It was fun to spend time w/them! Lexi hasn't stopped talking about them yet. :) She loves her cousins so much!!

I heard from her room that morning, "Mommy, I get dressed." HA! This is what I saw next. :)

Daddy was supposed to be watching a video w/her. ;)
Playing w/Lily.

Reading stories.

Lexi & Madi had matching pj's. Lexi refused to look at me for the picture. Figures!

Madi reading to Lexi & Parker.

Big News!

2011-03-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

Yes!! Lexi is going to be a big sister!!! Baby Grimes is due Sept. 14th. We couldn't be more excited! The Lord is so good to us & has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams! Lexi likes to say her baby sister is in mommy's tummy. We don't know yet, but will find out as soon as we can, if she is right or wrong. :)

Life the past few weeks

2011-03-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

Life the past few weeks has been a blur for me. Lexi & I flew up to Iowa Feb. 20th. My grandpa has had cancer for years. This is a guess, but I think it was somewhere around 9 years. Every time it flared up, he fought it hard. He was the mystery patient to all the doctors. Unfortunately, the cancer came back stronger than his body could fight. He passed away Monday(21st) night. Death is never, ever easy. Even when you know it's coming. I am so incredibly thankful that I was able to be there in time to tell him I loved him. He's been an amazing grandpa and the thought of going to Iowa and not seeing him is so strange. I'm also extremely thankful I was able to tell him I was pregnant a few weeks ago. The two pictures below are ones I will cherish forever!! Grandpa loved "real" country music. He was a great banjo player & two years ago at Christmas, he got them out. He & Mike played them for awhile while Lexi sat around & watched. It's memories like that, that I'll never forget!

We got back to Nashville March 2nd and have just been trying to get back to normal. That's been a little difficult though. I've been having tons of "morning" sickness in the evenings. And then on Saturday, we found out Lexi has a double ear infection. So... things have just been crazy! I'm hoping the next couple days are low-key & more normal. We have a big weekend ahead! Mike's sister & her family are coming to visit!! Lexi has been talking about them the past few days. It's safe to say, we are all excited to see them!

January Update

2011-02-03T10:56:00.000-08:00

January was a busy, fun month!! It seemed to go by very quickly! We celebrated our baby turning 2. We also hit another big milestone... Lexi started Mother's Day Out. She is only doing it one day a week, but it was still a pretty big deal for mom. We were also lucky enough to have snow a couple times. And then nearly 70 degree weather at the end of the month. The weather down in the south is just crazy! We are loving every minute of watching Lexi grow-up. She is so independent & loves to do things on her own. It's still hard to believe that she isn't a baby anymore.
Here are a few pictures from the month...

dancing :)

1st day of Mother's Day Out

Singing/Cleaning

Lexi's Birthday

She looks too grown-up in this picture. :(

totally enjoying her cupcake!

She got a trike! She doesn't understand how to make it go yet. We'll get there. :)

Our baby is 2!

2011-01-19T11:26:00.001-08:00

It's hard to believe that our baby is 2 today. Time has gone so fast! It has been such a blessing to watch her grow from a baby to a toddler. She is so beautiful & so full of energy! The Lord has truly blessed us more than we could have ever hoped for!

This morning- watching a video message from Madi & Parker!

Jan. 19th, 2009

Jan. 19th, 2010

Our sweet 2yr old!

Alexia Joy- we are so thankful for you and can't imagine life without you! We love you!!!

Iowa Birthday Party

2011-01-15T05:49:00.001-08:00

We had a birthday party for Lexi while we were in Iowa. I'm sure it's a little confusing to her, but this way all of our families get to celebrate w/her! It was a Minnie Mouse themed party.

My sister-in-law Mandy made the cake. It was AWESOME!!!

She knew what that was right away... money! :)

She didn't really want to eat cake... but she loved the ice cream!!

playing w/her cousins!

watching the last people leave her party.

Thank you grandparents, great grandparents, aunts & uncles for spoiling her! We love all of you so much!!!

Snow Day

2011-01-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe, but it snowed for the 3rd time this year!! We probably got 5 inches at our house. It couldn't have come at a better time, since daddy already has Mondays off. This was Lexi's 1st time playing in the snow. She is smiling in most of the pictures, but she really wasn't too thrilled. She hated touching it, laying in it, walking in it. When we were getting ready to come in, she finally decided it was ok to throw it around. Guess we have some work to do to make her a little less girlie. :)

Sunglasses complete the look. :)

She thought it was funny for about 7 seconds.

She did love playing on her swing-set though.

Throwing the snow around.

And done. :)

Christmas w/the Grimes

2011-01-10T13:07:00.000-08:00

Lexi got sick on Christmas night. We had planned to leave Sunday, right after church. We decided to let her take a nap before we left. After a big nap, we hit the road. She did awesome! We got to Mike's parents on Monday afternoon. It took a couple days for Lexi to get back to normal. Even if she didn't feel totally normal, she sure enjoyed playing w/her cousins!

Opening presents!

Lily & Uncle Mike

We went to the Bass Pro Shop to go bowling. We had an hour wait, so we walked around the store. Lexi loved watching the fishies. :)

And she did great at bowling!

Loving on Lily.

Sitting in Lily's chair. She thought it was pretty funny.

Doing some more coloring.

SO excited about her school bus toy from Great Grandpa & Great Grandma!

Checking on Lily.

And of course... Oreos w/Papa before we left.

Christmas w/the Septers

2011-01-10T12:44:00.001-08:00

We stayed with my family second. Unfortunatley Natalie got sick on Saturday night. We had planned to do our family Christmas on Sunday. We went ahead without Tom & Natalie. Then I ended up getting sick Sunday night. Even though it wasn't what we had planned, our time was still great. We got to see our family & that is all that matters!

Hugs for Natalie.

Playing in the kitchen w/Valerie.
Getting cookies from Uncle Tom.

The girls opening their presents from Jody, Jaci, Ab & Jarad.

More hugs for Natalie. :)

Me, Lexi, & Abby!

Reading w/Valerie & Aunt Mandy.

A potty chair for her dolls. It plays a song, just like hers.

Helping Val open a present.

Checking in on Papa.

Playing with her new puppies from Great Grandpa.

We had a good, uneventful trip home. Luckily, Mike never got sick. It's never a trip to Iowa without some sickness being passed around. Hopefully our next trip isn't so exciting. :)

Christmas

2011-01-07T19:50:00.001-08:00

Christmas was a lot of fun this year. Lexi actually got into opening her presents. It was fun to watch her get excited. We also got her a Little People's Nativity Set. She is still a little young to fully understand, but we talked a lot about baby Jesus and why he was born. We were so aware this year, of how easy you can forget all about the birth of Jesus. It's fun to buy present for your child and talk about Santa & look at Christmas lights. In the end though, it's all so empty. We pray that as Lexi gets older, we'll continue to remember this. And that we'll continue to share with her about the birth of Jesus and how He came to save us!

"chaa-stick" in her stocking.
New Mickey Mouse videos.

Trying the chapstick out!

A doll house.

Lexi helped make omelettes!

Playing with her new baby doll.

This was her present from Gaga Shell & Papa Steve. Her very own kitchen! She loves it!!

Dec. Picture update!

2011-01-07T19:20:00.000-08:00

Singing?!?

She loves her minnie mouse jammies. Every night when we tell her it's time for bed, she says "Mickey mouse (she is just now learning the difference between mickey & minnie) is dirty." This is typically true because she wears them the 1st night they are clean.

She loves chapstick!

Such a girl! She walks around in my high heels better than I do.

We made it out to Opryland before Christmas. It was beautiful!!

This is perfect! Glad she was w/daddy! :)

Throwing money into the water.

Uncle Chad came to visit. He, Mike & I went to a Garth Brooks concert. Lexi loved getting to play with him! She read him lots of stories & made him play w/her baby dolls. He was a good sport!

Christmas time is here...

2010-12-15T11:37:00.001-08:00

Since we were in Iowa over Thanksgiving weekend, we were a little late getting our tree up. Lexi had some practice at Papa & Gaga's, so she was a pro when it came time to decorate ours! It's been fun getting the house ready for Christmas with her. She is such a great helper!!

Getting some help from daddy.

Her "spot" for all the ornaments.

Getting ready to make her 1st gingerbread house.

Beautiful!

This would be Lexi singing/dancing. Crazy, crazy child!

Such a daddy's girl!!

Thanksgiving Pt. 2

2010-12-03T18:48:00.000-08:00

These are the pictures from our time in Iowa. We enjoyed getting to spend so much time w/family!

Lexi LOVES Parker!!!

Helping Gaga w/laundry.
watching t.v. in the laundry basket.

waiting for Jeremy, Christie, Madi, Parker & Lily to get to Gaga's!

putting "make-up" on Papa!

Her favorite hiding spot was in the pantry. Madi & Paker played along w/her!

Mike getting some snuggles w/Lily.

Lexi loving on Lily. She did lots of that!!

We got to help decorate the tree!

putting the star on.

cute kids!!

Thanksgiving

2010-12-03T12:40:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving this year was not what we were expecting. The Monday of Thanksgiving week, Mike's grandpa Grimes went in for open heart surgery. Due to complications from an aneurysm, he passed away Monday evening. This was totally unexpected. We booked a flight to KC on Monday night and arrived in Iowa on Tuesday afternoon. The first couple days were very surreal. While it wasn't the outcome any of us expected, we are totally confident in the Lord's plan. We know, without any hesitation, that grandpa is in heaven. He is loudly praising our Lord. Mike & I learned some things we never knew about him. He had a simple, yet deep love for the Lord. He loved to talk to others about Him. There was no fear in sharing the gospel. What a lesson for Mike & I to take away from all of this. I think we were both convicted of our fear of man and desire to have the boldness to proclaim the gospel!

Our time with family was very bittersweet. We were able to meet our sweet niece Lily a month earlier than we had planned. We got to spend quality time with Mike's parents and his sister & her family. We got to be with extended family that we really haven't been around for awhile. Most importantly, we were able to celebrate grandpa's life. How lucky is he? His faith is now sight! We long for the day we are able to join him in worshiping the Lord forever!

November

2010-12-03T12:08:00.001-08:00

The start of November was pretty normal. Mike started getting ready for the Christmas concert at church. We started doing a little Christmas shopping. We enjoyed the 70 degree weather. :) We watched lots of football. The pictures just give you an idea what Lexi's been up to.

Never enough toys.

Watching videos
Sleepy little bear

Walking around in Daddy's shoes.

She usually wears clothes, I promise! I think she was getting ready for bed & decided she wanted to put her boots on instead.

What a face!

Our little Herky

Watching football... giving mom some attitude.

This is a mix of a grumpy/tired face. It's pathetic!!

Our little LadyBug

2010-11-04T12:55:00.001-07:00

Lexi was a ladybug for Halloween this year. She didn't enjoy the costume at first, but once we started taking pictures of her, she loved it. We went to our church's Fall Festival. She enjoyed the games, but I think next year she'll really understand/enjoy it! We didn't do anything else. I think she's still a little young. Maybe next year.

doing her hair.

"cheese"

At church

bowling

Talking to Mark.

Eating a chip from Grandma Cindy.

The duck pond game. She loved it!

Daddy had to drag her away.

Enjoying a sucker before we got in the car.

We stopped by Phil & Heidi's before going home. Lexi hasn't stopped talking about Sammi since. :)

Random Pictures

2010-11-03T13:55:00.000-07:00

I realize that when I update, I do like 3 or 4 updates and then wait a month to update again. Sorry! This post is just some pictures of Lexi from the past 3 or 4 weeks. She is really growing up. Unreal how fast time goes.

Tom & Mandy- does this outfit look familiar?

Trying out her new shoes.
She still loves cheese! :)

She put all her toys on daddy and then they decided to take a "nap".

Cool dude!

Daddy was gone for a few days & was sick when he got home. Lexi made sure to take good care of him!!

She loves daddy's ipad!

Helping mommy swiffer the kitchen floor.

Mrs. Potato Head's glasses.

Still cheering for the Hawkeyes!!

She loves to throw as many toys as she can find, into her crib. Then she likes to get in w/them and go to "sleep". Silly girl!

Lexi's pumpkin

2010-11-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

We (well- Mike) carved Lexi a special pumpkin this year.

The perfect pumpkin.

Scooping it out.

Daddy's little helper!

Giving Daddy some love. :)

He did such a great job.

ELMO!

When Elmo started getting old, Lexi was very concerned for him. She kept saying, "Elmo funny eyes." She said it over & over & over. We told her Elmo had to go bye-bye & he quickly went to the trash. Then we just enjoyed out little pumpkins around the house.

Gentry's Farm

2010-11-03T12:26:00.001-07:00

While Mike's parents were here, we went to Gentry's Farm. It was very busy, but lots of fun! Lexi loved every minute of it!

We had a little walk from the car

Love her!!

Making her way to the slide

She would have done this for hours.

Playing in the corn

Ready to take her pumpkin home!

Papa & Gaga Grimes visit

2010-10-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

Mike's parents were able to come for a visit a couple weeks ago. They were only here a few days, but we made the most of it!

watching Patty Cake

Papa thought it was nap time.

After-nap snuggles w/Gaga.

And of course... dunking Oreo's w/Papa before they left. Look at those eyes... that's one happy girl!

We love & miss you Papa & Gaga! Thanks for all the spoiling! :)

ABC's

2010-10-09T09:12:00.000-07:00

Lexi has learned how to sing the ABC's. Well, at least part of them. She has decided to leave out I through V. Looks like we still have some work to do. :)

Spring Hill Country Ham Festival

2010-10-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

(Just a note: there are a total of 3 new blog posts. I may have been bored.)

I was very excited about this festival! I heard about it last year, but for some reason we ended up not going. Now that we live down here though... we had no choice but to go! The weather was beautiful! We had lots of fun but realized Lexi will enjoy it more next year, when she's old enough to really do the activities.

I was pretty impressed at how unafraid she was of the talking dog. She kept waving to him and tried to get as close as she could.Picking out a necklace.
This is the Target dog. She very badly wanted to go see him.

Again, I was very impressed that she actually got this close to him.

Drawing on a little pumpkin.

Sitting down, waiting for Daddy to bring us some lunch.

Well, she said cheese but forgot to look at the camera.

Try #2- she was busy eating a snack.

Helping Dad eat some of his lunch.

I was excited to get her some cotton candy. I had such high hopes that she would love it. Yeah- not so much. She put some in her mouth & then took it out and said, "no like".

She got a balloon animal.

Heading back to the car after a morning of fun!

Happy girl!

End of Septermber/Beginning of October

2010-10-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

Just some updated pictures!

This is what happens when you don't get the bathroom door closed. :)

Glasses that came in her Sonic kids meal. She loves them.
She also loves for other people to wear them, even Pooh.

Giving Pooh some love!

She loves to get behind curtains and then just be in her own world. She was reading books here.

Super cute outfit! (you can't really tell, but the shoes are sparkly!)

Getting ready to go out w/Daddy.

She didn't have time to look at me.

Away they go.

Papa & Gaga Septer's visit

2010-10-07T12:05:00.001-07:00

My parents came to visit at the end of September. It was so nice having them here! Mike & I went to Chattanooga over night. Steven Curtis Chapman was in concert there, so that was Mike's birthday present. On Mike's actual birthday, we went out to eat & to a Predators game. (It was my 1st hockey game, and I loved it! I can't wait to go back!) Having my parents here meant having a build-in babysitter, and that was something we really enjoyed! I think Lexi may have enjoyed it more than us though. She sure knows how to work her Gaga & Papa! :)

My mom brought down my Pooh bear. Lexi took to him fast! She loves to laying on him!

Story time w/Gaga

I got this table for her at ToysRUs. It's perfect because she has become obssesed w/coloring.

She helped me decorate Mike's birthday cake. The little dots between her & the cake pan are the sprinkles she spilled. :)

She also got her hand in the icing. She knew exactly how to clean it off! :)

Sitting w/Papa

Telling stories!

Putting Gaga's money in her piggy bank.

Sharing her candy w/Papa

Lexi's life the past month

2010-09-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

This is the typical blank stare we get anytime before about 10:00. Takes her awhile to wake up in the morning. (just like her mom!)

Laundry baskets make great entertainment!
These next two sum up pictures w/mom. She'll smile & be cute for her dad, but not me.

Lexi has a new love for coloring! She knows where we keep the colors and asks to get them out about 8 times a day. I've been surprised at how well she is doing. It's not like she colors in the lines, but she pays close attention to detail and knows exactly what she means to color.

She loves to wear her sunglasses whenever she knows we are leaving the house.

She will be cheering for the Chiefs this football season! So far, I think she is bringing them good luck. :)

She is a very hands-on eater. This is a new way to eat pb&j. Just get the peanut butter & jelly off and leave the bread alone.

Finished!

We kept Madie Rankin for an afternoon. Lexi loved having a playmate!

She is starting to look older. I told Mike the other day she looked like she was 12. I know in about a blink of an eye she will be.

She found a new hiding spot- in the closet in the spare room. She loves it!! She will open the door, say "HI" and then close it and kind of giggle.

Peeking out

This picture is just for Grandma Nean. It runs in the family! :)

Look how long her ponytail is getting. The black & gold bow is in support of the Hawkeyes! :)

So as usual- I feel like she is changing & growing up every day. She talks ALL the time. It used to be jibberish, but now it's turning into sentences that make sense. She trips on her own feet/gets hurt often, but it doesn't bother her. She cried and then goes about playing. I like that she's not too dramatic about it. However- she is dramatic about not getting her way. Such a girl! ;) Daddy is totally wrapped around her finger. He will never admit it, but he is! She loves him so much!! We kind of love her too! I really can't imagine life without her!!

Iowa Visit

2010-08-25T12:16:00.001-07:00

We spent two weeks in Iowa in August. It was a great trip, but a long time away from home. Lexi seemed to have some issues with allergies when we 1st got there. Between allergies, teething, and being in a new place, it took her some time to adjust. One thing she didn't have a problem adjusting to, playing with her cousins!! She loves them SO much!! She also named the grandma's this trip... Gaga. It's been the only name she's had trouble with. So Gaga it is!

Natalie, Valerie, & Lexi

so sweet!

It's always fun to play with new toys

With Uncle Tom at Great-Grandma's 85th birthday party

That is Lexi is the back. Besides baby Caleb, Lexi was the youngest there. She enjoyed watching the kids, but never got brave enough to join in.

Picnic at Gaga Shell's

Ready for the IA State Fair!

Madi, Parker & Lexi checking out the cows

Crazy bear!

Madi, Lexi, & Parker

She loved going down the slide alone!

Bedtime stories w/Papa

Dunking Oreos with Papa before we hit the road.

Over-due Update

2010-08-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

So this update is a little over-due. I meant to get it posted before we left for Iowa, but that didn't happen. I wanted to give an update from Lexi's 18 month appointment. As of 7/29 she weighed 24lbs 4oz (50th percentile) and is 33in long (close to 90th percentile). She is becoming her own person more & more each day. She talks ALL the time, loves to sing & make up her own songs, and now loves to say, "I do". ha! She has no problem rolling around in the dirt and is not afraid of bugs. She loves to help me around the house. Laundry & emptying the dishwasher are her favorites. It has been so fun to watch her the past few months turn into a toddler.

This is her new backpack to replace the huge diaper bag.

Being goofy in the laundry basket

Dress-up w/her new tutu

Such a good helper. Mike mulched out front and she helped even everything out. :)

She loves to play w/our old cell phones. She has some interesting conversations. Wish I knew who was on the other end & what she was telling them.

This girl loves cheese! She would eat it every meal if we would let her.

The last of our summer visitors

2010-08-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

Jody, Jaci, Abby, & Jarad were our last visitors for the summer. Lexi hasn't stopped saying "Jaci" & "Abby" since they left. She loved playing with Abby & Jarad!

Playing in the kitchen

Running around in Jarad's hat!

All that playing sure makes a girl sleepy.

One night while we were all at the table eating, I heard some noise in the kitchen. I peek around the wall to see this...

She opened the bag of cookies all on her own.

Excited to take our guests to Sweet Cece's!

It was so much fun having them stay here for a few days! That's it for our visitors this summer, but we take off Sunday for Iowa. We will be there for almost 2 weeks. We are looking forward to more time with our families!!

Summer Visitors

2010-07-21T10:37:00.001-07:00

We've had company in town since the end of June. First, my parents came down while Mike went to summer camp w/the youth group. They got to be here over the 4th of July. Lexi loved having grandma & papa all to herself!

Super cute dress that great grandma & great papa got for her. It worked out great that the 4th was on Sunday.

A couple days after my parents left Jeremy, Christie, Madi & Parker came down. They got into town Friday night, but Friday morning I had to take Lexi to the dr. She had a temp. of 104.2. It was a virus and so she was kinda down & out till their last day here. Such a bummer!

Parker took this picture

She was too busy to smile for me. She was helping dad make homemade ice-cream.

busy, busy!

Reading books w/Uncle Jeremy

We also took them to Sweet Cece's!

yum!

Quick picture before bed. Even though she didn't feel the greatest, she loved getting to be with her cousins!

Another post will be coming soon about our last visitors. We have loved getting to see so much of our family this summer! We also can't wait to go to Iowa in a few more weeks. Mom & Dad are especially excited to go to the state fair! I think Lexi is most excited to play with all of her cousins!!

Father's Day/Extra Pictures

2010-07-14T11:12:00.001-07:00

I know I'm really behind on updating. Sorry! Our summer has been busy. I'll do my best to get some more updates on here soon!
Father's Day is hard for us to celebrate on Sunday. Between church, long lines at restaurants, & nap time, we celebrate on the days surrounding Sunday. We gave daddy his gifts on Saturday and then we went out to eat on Monday.

Taking Daddy his gift

Helping dad read the book she made for him

These are just some random pictures-

Watching "Melmo"

She always sits with her legs crossed. Where she learned that, I have no idea!

Coloring!

Ready to go to church. In our house, you don't say it's time to go unless you really mean it. The minute you say, "Bye, bye" she is at the door.

She found some of mommy's chapstick

Peek-A-Boo

Smile!

2010-06-24T09:55:00.000-07:00

This pictures is from a wedding we went to a month ago. I'd say the photographer got a pretty great picture, wouldn't you?!?!!

Quick picture update!

2010-06-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been so long since the last update. Not much new to tell around here. Lexi is very active! She loves Curious George & Elmo (or Melmo as she calls him)! She is talking all the time. And she pretty much runs everywhere now. It's been fun (and a little sad) to watch her go from baby to toddler.

We are now accepting applications for future husbands. :)

All dressed up for her 1st wedding.

She is still daddy's girl!

Proof that she isn't a baby anymore.

We got her a little pool for the back yard. She LOVES splashing!

She also loves chocolate!

Trying to walk in daddy's shoes.

She still loves to read! Anytime company comes over, she makes someone read a book with her! I don't think Heidi minded. :)

Great Papa & Great Grandma (Mike's grandparents) came for a visit! It was so good to spend some time with them!

And Grandma Nean was on that trip too! Lexi loved all the extra attention & snuggles!!

Wild child!

She loves to color. You just never know when a picture might show up in your mailbox.

That's all for now. I'll try to do better on updating. Hope everyone's summer is off to a great start!

Mother's Day

2010-05-17T10:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this was my 2nd Mother's Day. That means my baby is growing up way to fast! It was perfect! I feel like the luckiest mom in the world. I love this girl with all my heart!

Bringing me my present.

She did the coloring all by herself!
My card!

1st attempt at a picture... right before leaving church.

At home.

Being a ham!

Totally over the picture thing.

Swimming & Dancing

2010-05-16T11:19:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple video clips of Lexi. The 1st is of her swimming when we were in Chattanooga. The 2nd is of her showing off some of her moves. :)

Mike's week off cont.

2010-05-10T20:26:00.000-07:00

I heard on the news, due to the flooding, Cheekwood was offering free admission Wed.-Fri. We decided anything free is worth checking out! Wednesday we packed up our lunch and headed out.

This is the best out of 4 attempts. They need to make cameras faster, to catch her looking. ha!

Love, love, love this girl!

Not a fan of sitting still.

Getting a lift!

Could have been such a good picture. There was just way too much going on for her to care.

Getting another lift.

Checking out the pretty flowers.

This is a girl on a mission!

We wore her out again. :)

Chattanooga

2010-05-10T19:19:00.001-07:00

This past week Mike took some much needed time off. We decided to take an over-night trip to Chattanooga. This was Lexi's 1st night sleeping in a hotel. Yeah, that didn't go so well. Mike fell asleep before she did. ha! She also got to eat her 1st meal out at a restaurant. In the past we have always taken food for her when we go out. Why in the world should we pay $5 for Kraft mac & cheese?? On Monday we went to the zoo (nothing to write home about), went swimming at the hotel, ate at Texas Roadhouse and walked around a mall. Tuesday we went swimming again, went to the aquarium, and then came home! It was so great to get away for a little while and just be a family!

Picnic lunch at the zoo

Very sleepy... possibly because she wouldn't sleep on the way there.

At the hotel, helping dad figure out what we should do next.

So many options!

Excited to try out her new swim-suit!

She LOVED swimming!

She also loves her daddy so much!!

Mommy didn't swim the 1st time. Somebody had to get some cute pictures!

All dry from swimming and ready to go out to eat.

Tuesday morning: reading a book & breakfast in bed.

Swimming time again!

Ready for the aquarium.

Trying to catch a butterfly with daddy. (It was unsuccessful)

Checking out the penguins. She loved them!! Makes mommy so proud!

It was a quiet ride home. Such a cute sleeping baby!

New Pictures

2010-05-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

These are just a few pictures of what Lexi has been up to lately.

Helping Daddy get the mail.

Running around the house w/oven mits on.

Playing with her baby doll. She is really starting to enjoy taking care of them.

Helping Dad play guitar.

Check out her stance. She has recently started standing with her left foot popped up.

Daddy & Lexi built a fort durning the crazy storms.

Hairstyle courtesy of Daddy

80's work-out chick! :)

Another post will be coming soon of our trip to Chattanooga. We were able to take an over-night trip this past week.

15 Months Old

2010-04-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

On Monday Lexi had her 15 month check-up. She now weighs 23.8lbs and is 31.5 in long. She is a little above average on both of those. The doctor says she is just perfect! Not that we didn't already know that though. :) She had to have 2 shots. Of course she cried, but it only last about 2 minutes. She is such a little trooper! Mike & I realize a little more each day, that she is not a baby anymore. She is babbling all the time. Her favorite things to repeat back are "bye" and "love you". Everyone said it while I was pregnant and I knew it would be true... I just never realized how true- Time flies! She has been such an incredible joy in our lives. We are so thankful to the Lord for her!!

Swing-Set

2010-04-08T11:40:00.001-07:00

Lexi got a new toy!! Over Easter weekend, she got her very own swing-set. It was a very, very exciting day. Nearly every morning, she looks out the window a few times. I think it's safe to say, we'll have lots of fun this summer!

Waiting patiently...

Half done
1st time in her very own swing

She loved it!!

Trying out the glider

And the slide

One happy little girl!

And her least favorite part... coming back inside.

Pictures of Lexi

2010-04-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

This is a much needed picture post. Enjoy!

She loves to help anywhere she can.

Wearing mommy's apron & headband.

1st time being out in the grass.

Silly bear! She still thinks it's so funny to put things on her head.

Wrestling w/Daddy

Never mind the face... she was being silly trying on all her hair bows.

She loves to play w/her ball!

Peeking outside

Playing w/bubbles

Visits from the grandparents

2010-04-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

We have been very blessed the have both sets of grandparents come visit within the past month! My parents came when Mike went out to Shepards Conference. Then his parents came for Easter. Lexi loved every single minute of the spoiling! ;)

Grandma Shell & Papa Steve brought down a few birthday presents we couldn't manage to bring back w/us at Christmas time. This was one of them. Boy was she excited!!

Playing ball w/Papa

Getting kisses from Grandma

I love this picture!!

waiting for Grandma...

Lexi was showing Papa Jason what a great helper she is!

He is pretty funny!

Getting a lift from Grandma

playing ball outside w/Grandma

Thank you to both Grandmas & Papas for everything!! Lexi misses you all like crazy!

Learning to dunk Oreos!

2010-04-06T12:57:00.000-07:00

This is a pretty big milestone in Lexi's life. Papa Jason has a tradition of teaching his grandkids how to eat & dunk oreos. I think it's safe to say, Lexi enjoyed every minute of it. :)

Quick learner!

yum!

Easter

2010-04-06T12:32:00.001-07:00

Here are the few good pictures of our sweet Lexi Bear on Easter Sunday.

Quick picture w/Grandma & Papa before church

being silly!
This is the best we could get of the 3 of us.

After church, getting ready for lunch!

Sorry!

2010-03-18T18:38:00.001-07:00

I'm so sorry there haven't been any updates lately. Our computer is broken (I'm on Mike's work computer now). We aren't sure when our computer will get fixed. As soon as it does though, you'll have a great update! :)

Just so you know... Lexi is walking all over the place!!! She is pretty big stuff. Can't wait to be able to show you pictures of her. She is growing up so quickly. I never knew it would be this much fun. We are daily amazed by the blessing that she is!

Until next time...

Moving!

2010-02-09T07:56:00.000-08:00

Sorry there haven't been any new posts lately. We are a little busy getting ready to move!! We will finally have our own house. It's very exciting, but crazy busy around here. To hold you over for a few weeks... here are the most recent pictures of Lexi.

Here is our very 1st house!

LOVE HER!

Mommy's scarf was a little too big.

She loves the dishwasher! If she hears it open, watch out. She is on her way to help.

Daddy was showing her how we load it up.

That is all for now. I don't know when I'll post again... sorry. We will let you know when we are all settled in our new home & how Lexi adjusts to it.

Dancing Queen!

2010-01-29T12:24:00.000-08:00

Lexi loves music! Shocking, I know. ha! For a couple weeks anytime she heard music, she had to dance. It's not normal "dancing" though... She isn't standing up. She is actually sitting down. And it might be one of the funnier things we've since her do yet.

Birthday at Home

2010-01-20T13:39:00.001-08:00

We decided to spend Lexi's actual birthday (Jan. 19th) at home, just the 3 of us. We already had a big party in Iowa, and she is too young to understand what's going on. Next year we'll do something more special. It was fun to just be home that evening, as a family. It is so hard for me to believe, that my little baby is 1. The past year seriously flew by! We are so thankful to the Lord, that He chose to bless us with this sweet baby girl!

"Oohh... this could be fun!"

Learning to push her new doll stroller.

1st tumble with it.

She learned that it doesn't go over people.

It also doesn't go through the couch.

Didn't take her long to get the hang of it.

Alexia Joy, we love you more than you could possibly know! We are continually praying for your salvation. There would be no greater joy than to see you come to know & love the Lord.

Birthday Party in Iowa

2010-01-20T13:27:00.001-08:00

This post is long over-due! We had Lexi's "big" 1st birthday party while we were back in Iowa. It was very important to Mike & I that our families were apart of her big day! I didn't get many pictures on our camera. Hopefully I'll get copies from anyone else who took pictures that day! :)

Getting ready to head out

The set-up

The cake/cupcake table

The pretty flower cake!

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate Lexi's birthday. Even though we live far away, we still want Lexi to know her extended family. Which also means... we think Nashville is a great vacation spot for anyone in our families!! :) And we will soon be in a house, so you are more than welcome to visit any time!

Happy 1st Birthday Lexi!

2010-01-19T07:29:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe how fast this past year has flown by. Our baby is 1! Neither of us knew what to expect the 1st year on this amazing journey of parenthood. We are continually blown away by God's goodness to us. Mike & I are so thankful for this life that was given to us. We look forward to watching this beautiful child grow and being able to teach her about our wonderful Savior!
We love you Lexi Bear!

Christmas in Iowa

2010-01-13T12:54:00.001-08:00

We traveled up to Iowa a couple days after Christmas and spent about a week & a half there. It was crazy busy as usual, but we are so thankful to be able to see all of our families every time we visit! This trip was pretty hard on Lexi though. We were going to split up the drive both ways and stay at Chad's in St. Louis. Well, we decided to drive the whole 12 hours, no stopping at Chad's, both ways. What were we thinking???? On the way back home, we were thinking we wanted to get home so she could see her doctor in the morning. The day before we left, we took her to a doctor and found out she had ear infection. Then, when we got back and took her to her doctor, we found out she had croup. Our drive home was pretty miserable. She couldn't breath well and kept coughing. She is all better now, but those few days when we got home were pretty sad. We'll have to take it a little easier on her next time!

At Papa Jason & Grandma Nean's

So cute!!

Papa and the girls

Helping Grandma win a game!

Lexi loved playing w/her cousins.

Painting w/pudding. She was such a girly girl about it. I guess she doesn't like to get her hands dirty.

Lexi learned how to climb stairs. We tried to block off the stairs when we were all in the basement. She thought she could still manage to get through. She got stuck. :)

Blocking off the other set of stairs. She loved climbing them... thought she was pretty big stuff!

Just doing what Grandma showed her to.

At Papa Steve & Grandma Shell's.

A drawer full of lids!! What could be more exciting?!?!!

playing w/Valerie

All 3 of the little blond-headed girls! :)

Natalie & Lexi loved playing together!! Wish they could play together more often!

Lexi stood up and grab Uncle Chad's finger before she realized who it was. The look on her face says it all.

"A box!!! How did Grandma know what I wanted for Christmas???"

Lexi enjoyed watching me open her gifts. Hopefully next year she'll be ready to do it by herself.

Family Picture (Lexi is trying to blow Natalie kisses!)

Grandma Shell & Papa Steve w/their beautiful grandbabies!

Cousins!

(two out of three looking is pretty good.)

While we were there, Grandpa got out his banjos. He & Mike spent an evening playing for us. Lexi of course, thought she needed in on the actions!

I love this picture!

Christmas Eve & Christmas Day

2010-01-09T12:35:00.001-08:00

Even though Lexi didn't really have a clue what was going on this year, it was still fun to spoil her a little. :) We very much enjoyed getting to spend our 1st Christmas with her at home, just the 3 of us!

Watching dad open his gift on Christmas Eve

All dressed up & ready for the Christmas Eve service at church
all the presents under the tree

Christmas morning!

cute!!!

a pretty bow!

talking on her new phone

checking out all her clothes

playing w/her new music tabledoing some more talking. she is such a girl! :)

Christmas Fun!

2009-12-17T08:04:00.000-08:00

This year getting ready for Christmas has been a new level of fun! In previous posts you saw how we decorated the apartment. And then our pretty Christmas pictures. Here are the latest Christmas activities Lexi has been up to!

Helping make Christmas cookies

Getting ready to decorate (or maybe eat) one.
Yep- eating it is much more fun than decorating!

"Mom, I REALLY like sugar!!"

A much needed bath, after eating her 1st Christmas cookie!

Last weekend was A Dickens of a Christmas in downtown Franklin. Mom didn't take too many pictures. It was pretty cold, but Lexi seemed to like it for the most part.

Here she is all bundled up & keeping warm w/Daddy.

They had a little petting zoo, which she obviously wasn't old enough for. So we just looked at the animals through the fence. This was probably her favorite part of the day.

Here are some other things Lexi has been doing this month...

She loves to help mom fold clothes. :)

She LOVES standing. She really hates sitting down to play. I'm sure walking isn't too far away.

Just being cute, as usual!

Learning how to text. Ha! Ok, so not really. But she does love to have people talk to her on the phone. She especially lights up when she hears daddy's voice!

We are so thankful for such a beautiful, healthy baby girl! We look forward to teaching her the true meaning of Christmas in the coming years. The decorating, baking, etc. is fun, but Christmas is about so much more than that. Our prayer is that we never get so caught up in "fun" of Christmas that we loose sight of what the Lord has done for us. May we always worship & praise Him. Not just this time of year, but always!

Some of Lexi's talents...

2009-12-16T13:33:00.000-08:00

Here Lexi can be seen showcasing a few of her talents. She is learning to play drums and is picking up singing very well! Don't worry, we'll be making money off her in no time. ha!

In all seriousness, she loves that she can create all these new noises and be so loud. It's a joyful noise to mom & dad's ears!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-13T12:42:00.001-08:00

I cannot believe Christmas is less than 2 weeks away. We are so excited to spend this Christmas together as a family! Thank you to Andrea McKay for taking these pictures for us.

We hope you all have a very blessed & merry Christmas! We love you!

Christmas time is here!

2009-11-30T18:59:00.000-08:00

This year we decorated for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. It was one of the few free days we had w/Mike. He is going to be very busy the first part of December. Lexi was a great helper!! We are so excited to have our 1st family Christmas with her this year!

Trying to get the tree out of the box.

A little harder than she originally thought. :)

This is the look she gave the tree the rest of the day.

She really liked the lights! She even offered the help dad see if all of them worked.

Inspecting all of the decorations.

There are 3 stockings this year!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-27T14:18:00.001-08:00

We wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving (a day late). Lexi had a great 1st Thanksgiving! Mike & I are so very thankful for this precious child the Lord has given to us. We love all of you so much and are thankful for you too!

CRAWLING!

2009-11-11T10:23:00.001-08:00

That's right... Lexi is crawling!!! Mom & Dad weren't sure it was ever going to happen. Now life will never be the same. :)

FALL

2009-11-10T12:38:00.001-08:00

Over the weekend (in between Lexi being sick & me picking up what she had) we were able to go enjoy the beautiful fall weather down here! It's was in the 70's all weekend. We finally went and checked out a park not too far from our apartment. It's awesome!! Lexi got to trying swinging for the 1st time. She was more interested in the girl swinging next to her. She also got to play in the leaves. I'm sure she thinks we are totally crazy... the things we put her through. ha! As long as it makes for a good picture, right?!?? :)

This is as close as we could get, to her looking at the camera.

Snuggling dad on the way back to the car. It may have been a little colder than we thought it would be. Never fear... dad fixed the problem!

I feel this is an appropriate picture to end on. She is such a goof! We love her more than words could possibly describe!

Excitement!

2009-11-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

We have a new way to express our excitement around here. Lexi has figured out how to make the dog sing to her. She gets really excited when she gets it to sing a certain song. It's so cute to sit and watch her figure new things out. She just keeps growing up. We are loving every single minute of it!

Pink Leopard

2009-11-01T14:02:00.000-08:00

Friday night our church had it's annual Fall Festival. Last year after Halloween we bought a costume on clearance for Lexi. We totally guessed on the size... and we were wrong. ha! That's okay though... we were able to find something just as cute!! We took a very, very cute pink leopard! Lexi & I came home before it was over. She isn't much of a night owl. That's alright... it was still fun!!

uh... what's on my head???

still trying to figure out what the deal w/the pumpkin is

we thought about starting a zoo... this is Lexi the Leopard with her friend Nadia the Monkey!