More Fall 2015

Alexis has started to become a little more independent recently.  She will take some toys into another room and I can hear her talk to herself or pretend to talk on the phone.  It is so cute!

She has also started singing along and dancing when there is a song on.  It is really cute to see her personality coming out more and more!

Halloween 2015

Alexis was less than excited to dress up for Halloween this year.  I had to bribe her with candy while I put her dress on.  I asked her if she wanted to be Anna or a ladybug and she said, "No!"

This is the first year we actually took her out trick-or-treating.  She didn't have any idea what we were doing at first but she caught on pretty quickly.  Unfortunately I only got a few blurry pictures of her actually going door to door.  I will say that trick-or-treating in California is a little different than in New York!  It was 85 degrees in California lol

Towards the end she said, "Momma, this is fun!"  

She was really excited about all the candy she got in her pumpkin!

These are pictures of her from the last 3 years on Halloween. It is amazing how quickly the time has gone by and how fast she has grown!  It seems like just yesterday she was a little strawberry!

I have a few pictures from Halloween in 2009.  Audrey is a little older in this picture than Alexis is now.  She looks just as thrilled as Alexis did lol

Cute little chickens!

Alexis is going to be a big sister!

Alexis is going to be a big sister January 19, 2016 (or sooner)  Right now I am 29 weeks along.  It has really gone by fast although I am starting to get more uncomfortable.  When my sisters came to visit at the beginning of July, I thought it would be fun to have Alexis wear this "Big Sister" shirt to see how long it would take them to figure it out!  The first morning that Rachel was here she didn't say anything.  I finally had to say, "Alexis, did anyone notice your shirt?"  Then of course Rachel got it right away.  She said she had read the shirt but figured the shirt must have been on clearance and that is why we had it! I had Alexis wear the shirt a few days later when Leah and Michelle arrived.  Leah read it right away and said, "Are you a big sister?"  I thought she had figured it out but she hadn't lol It was so funny!  I also sent a picture to Joanna and she didn't get it right away either. The next time we went to Napa, Alexis wore the shirt and Brett's mom figured it out immediately =)  My sister Rachel just had a baby last week.  She was about 10 weeks ahead of me.  It was really fun to be pregnant at the same time!

There is a somewhat new blood test that can be given that screens for chromosome abnormalities and can also determine the gender at a pretty early stage in pregnancy. We found out around 13 weeks that the baby is a boy!   I was really surprised because I had felt like it was a girl since I had felt so similar to when I was pregnant with Alexis. Brett has a Superman shirt so I thought it would be fun to get a matching onesie.  When it came in the mail, Alexis insisted on trying it on lol

I am posting a couple of pictures I have of Alexis over the last few months or so.  Her cousin, Cessiley, made her this cute tutu!

She loves playing at the park!

Alexis loves playing with our phones or tablets any chance she gets lol 

We have talked to Alexis a lot about having a baby brother.  She does talk about
"Baby Jaxon" but I don't think she really grasps what it actually means.  She will find out soon enough!  My mom ordered this blanket and when it came in the mail Alexis carried it around and kept saying, "Baby Jaxon love it?"  I really do think she will be a great big sister!  I can't wait to see her reaction when she sees him for the first time!

North Carolina Visit- Last Day

I can't believe how fast the trip went.  When we first got there a week seemed like such a good amount of time but it really just flew by.  We left in the evening so we had most of the day to hang out. Here are Audrey and Alexis riding bikes one last time before we left.

Audrey and Phoenix each had art classes to go to.  We went to the park while we waited for them and then we enjoyed a nice dinner at Panera before going the the airport.

Alexis was great on the flights again!  They were a little longer going east to west but Alexis was really just so good.  She kept saying her ears were popping and it felt funny.

Our layover was in Houston again and she was being so funny while we were waiting to board the flight to Sacramento.

She was eating sour patch kids and just having so much fun.  I was a little worried how she would do on the last flight since it was late but she was able to be distracted with my tablet and then fell asleep for a good chunk of the flight.  She was a little cranky when she woke up but was happy to play with my phone (which she NEVER gets to play with) for the rest of the time.  We were really excited to see Brett when we landed.  Alexis ran to him and gave him a big hug.  It was really cute.  It was nice to be home but the trip to North Carolina was so awesome!  It was sad to say good-bye to everyone. Rachel told me that Audrey cried the rest of the night and it just broke my heart.  I am so glad we were able to visit!  In the days that followed after we got home, Alexis would often talk about seeing Audrey and Phoenix again and when we were driving anywhere she would say, "Audrey's house?"  I am so glad that even though we do live so far apart, we are able to still see each other somewhat regularly.  I am so grateful that Alexis has formed such a special bond with Audrey and Phoenix. Alexis still talks about all the things we did when we were there and I know she had a great time!

North Carolina Visit- Monday and Tuesday

On Monday morning my dad left.  It was so nice to see him and Alexis had so much fun with him. We went to the zoo that day.  I unfortunately only got one picture.  When we got through the zoo gates it was clear that Alexis wanted me to carry her rather than walk.  There was no way I was going to be able to carry her the whole time!  Luckily she seemed receptive to riding in this rented zoo stroller.  I am so glad she was willing to ride in it most of the time because it would have been really hard if she didn't.  It was really nice of Travis to push it too =)  I wish I had taken more pictures!  It was a fun day but by the end we were all pretty tired.

Audrey and Alexis pretending to sleep Tuesday morning =)

We went to Marbles again on Tuesday.  Alexis had such a good time when we went before and Audrey and Phoenix always enjoy going there.

All the kids had fun playing in the fire truck.  It isn't the best picture but you can see all 3 of the kids!

Alexis wanted to make a pizza the other day that we were here but it was much more crowded and she didn't get a chance to.  I am glad she could have some time to play here on this visit.

This was her finished pizza!  It is cute how she decided to arrange the ingredients.  

Audrey and Phoenix got this Anna nightgown for Alexis.  I tried it on her that night to make sure it fit her well.  After I put it on her, Audrey put a nightgown on over her pj's and rolled up the sleeves to match Alexis.  It was just so cute.  They both look so content here.

North Carolina Visit- Sunday

Sunday was a relaxing day.  The weather was back to being nice and sunny!  We had a nice big breakfast before going to church.  The waffles Rachel made were especially good =)  Here are Audrey and Alexis in their matching dresses and hair!

Audrey took Alexis for a ride in the blue jeep =)

Alexis was able to spend some good quality time with my dad.  We don't get to see him very often so I was really glad he could come down for the weekend.

Alexis was so excited that Grandpa helped her ride Phoenix's red bike.  She still talks about how much fun it was!

Rachel made chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes and salad for dinner.  It was so delicious. Basically everything Rachel makes is really good and it was so nice to have so many wonderful dinners when we were visiting.  After we ate we had to take Michelle to the airport.  The time she was there went by super fast but I was so glad to be able to see her for a few days.  On the way home from the airport we stopped at a park.  Phoenix was really excited that he caught this praying mantis =)

He definitely loves bugs!  

Audrey and my dad played with Alexis on the playground a lot.  It was nice to be able to watch them have fun.

While I was sitting with Rachel and Travis I got at least 10 mosquito bites on my legs =(  I haven't had a mosquito bite in so long and these seemed especially itchy!  I am glad Alexis didn't get any bites!

North Carolina Visit- Saturday

Saturday was the only day that the weather wasn't ideal.  It rained pretty much all day and was much cooler.  Since it was raining we were kind of limited to what we could do.  We ended up going to a plantation house that was pretty close.  The kids are relaxing under a blanket before we left.

Alexis was fascinated by the rain.  She hasn't really been in the rain much since we live in California and are having a major drought.  Her reaction to the rain was so cute.  She wanted to stand in it and just let it fall on her face.  She liked splashing around in it.

The plantation house had a barn that had a few goats in it.  Michelle and Alexis are looking at a few baby goats.

Alexis was excited to be able to pet one of the goats =)

We went to Target later on that day and Alexis kept saying, "I cold".  That night Rachel made chili for dinner and we got some ice cream from a place close by that was very good.  Alexis ate most of mine!