A doo-wop day!

I always wanted a girl. I was thrilled when that reality was confirmed. In fact, I wouldn’t mind a houseful of lil’ ladies if the Lord would allow it. However, one of the big fears I had about having a girl was fixing her hair. I am not a frou-frou hair person – probably because my hair was & is very straight & very fine. There just isn’t a lot you can do with my hair so I never really tried. Alexa, on the other hand, has a lot of hair (thank you Chris). Her attention span is incredibly short so I haven’t had the opportunity to experiment much but I look forward to trying out new things in the days to come (if she lets me). In the meantime, she’s been wearing her hair in what I like to call “doo wops.” It’s easy, keeps her hair out of her face and limits the tangles (i.e. limits the fits she throws when I try to comb the tangles out). She hasn’t been a fan of piggy tails lately . . . don’t ask me why. But, she will let me fix her hair in a “doo wop.” Here’s to hoping she doesn’t figure out the connection.

Pumpkin pride

Just because OU lost to K-State doesn’t mean we should curl up in a ball and pout. (Okay, maybe for just a little bit.) On the contrary, we gotta show our true colors. We gotta show our love. We gotta bling up a pumpkin with some Sooner pride (and hopefully some elusive Sooner magic)! No worries, we will carve a pumpkin after we visit a local pumpkin patch but I just couldn’t resist having one pumpkin jazzed up for the football season.


I got the sparkly pumpkin idea from the October issue of Parents magazine. All you have to do is water down some Elmer’s all-purpose glue and apply glitter. That’s just my speed. Alexa and I used sponge brushes to “paint” our pumpkin with the sticky stuff and then I poured red glitter all over it. Alexa also enjoyed “painting” the cement with her glue-covered brush. Needless to say, we’ll have some abstract glitter art on our front porch until Daddy busts out the power-washer.


Alexa wanted to see if she could manually apply the glitter. Notice the chunk of glitter missing on the right side of the pumpkin. Hmmmm . . . the stolen glitter didn’t adhere to the smooth pumpkin, but there were lovely gobs of glitter all over her hand. It was quite disturbing for Alexa since she hates having dirty hands.

For the crowing touch, I simply cut the OU logo out of white felt and used straight pins to secure it. The magazine suggested small brads but the straight pins worked just fine, especially if you pinned into the ribs of the pumpkin. Easy peasy.

BOOMER SOONER!! (Please make us proud this weekend.)

Side note: This isn’t for the glittery faint of heart. We were both covered in specks of red sparkle and will be any time we walk in & out of the front door for the foreseeable future. My dad would have gone nuts! (The man despises glitter.) Have a wet wash rag & a Shop-Vac ready for easy clean-up. Also, purchase a pumpkin with a stem. It makes moving the pumpkin easier & a lot less messy.

Monday pick-me-up

FUNNY FACES

A friend just commented that she enjoyed the photos on the blog. She asked what editing software I used. I honestly don’t use anything unless I love the image & it has to be lightened or darkened. However, I do shoot a lot of images to get ones that are blog-worthy. I thought it’d be fun to provide a post with the most recent photos that didn’t make the “blog” cut. It’s what happens when you just click continuously & pray for a great story-telling pic. It’s also a very clear indication our little “goosebump” (my random nickname for Alexa) comes with a big personality. There’s never a dull moment. She always has an expression worth capturing. No doubt about it, she’s a hoot. I hope your Monday brings with it several funny faces!

Yep . . . you never know what you’ll capture! This is Alexa’s most recent fascination. I managed to focus on her finger. That’s picture magic, folks, picture magic. Ha! Alexa will be so proud when she’s sixteen.

Happy birthday babe!

It’s official . . . Chris turned 33 yesterday. Whoop whoop!! It was a low-key celebration with a visit to his office for lunch on Campus Corner as well as an intimate party at home (with some fun gifts – check ’em out). Alexa told everyone Daddy turned three. I’m sure he appreciated her view of how youthful he is. (I hope she says the same for me.) I am so thankful for Chris’ life and that it intersected mine. I am incredibly proud of the man he is – respected, intelligent, faithful, hard-working, handsome, patient, funny & devoted to his family and his walk with Christ. Happy birthday honey!! Here’s a look at the day’s festivities . . .

A birthday squeeze for Daddy.


Alexa’s original birthday artwork. (It was a party hat.) She colored over all the stickers. She’s digging markers these days. Thank goodness they are washable.


The birthday goodies. Alexa could hardly keep from opening Daddy’s gifts before he got home. We wore the party hats until he arrived.


My family and I gave him a skydiving adventure. I figured turning 33, getting a promotion at work and graduating in December merited a celebration in the sky. He asked if I’d join him. I said of course I would . . . on the ground. We’ll see if my dad might consider another jump with him.


He’s so excited about jumping out of a plane. CRAZY!!


One of two new shirts from his parents. He’ll look snazzy in his new position at OU.


My weak attempt at making an ice cream pie look festive. It doesn’t have to be pretty to taste good, right!? This definitely won’t make it on Pinterest.


The final hurrah will be cheering the Sooners on to victory today vs. K-State.

BOOMER SOONER & a very happy birthday to my best man!!

Hooray for BSF!

Last Wednesday, Alexa started her second full year in the children’s program at BSF (Bible Study Fellowship). Alexa truly enjoys BSF. You wouldn’t have known that from the way she acted when I dropped her off today. However, she is typically very excited about BSF. She loves her teachers, the music, the activities & the Bible stories. It is all incredibly intentional and very well done. This year, we are studying Genesis and Alexa is learning God made EVERYTHING! Aside from all the obvious things we see in nature, she now acknowledges God made the iPad, peanut butter, the “squirrely” slide, the wash car (car wash), her puzzles, and even pinwheels. She probably gets it better than I do. Indeed, God is the Creator. Here’s a photo session from her first day (we actually got ready with time to spare) as well as a look at her first day last year. Goodness – our little girl has changed!







Praying you enjoy all of God’s creation today & take time to worship the Creator!

She did it!!

Yesterday was a banner day! We came in from playing at the park, and while I started Alexa’s bath water, she sat on the toilet and did her business (#2 that is). There was no hoopla. No pleading. No bribery. I sort of figured this was how it would happen – on her terms and in her time.

I had taken the Great Wolf Lodge sticker chart off the fridge, so I frantically went in search for it as well as cute stickers. I was yelling at Chris to grab the camera. We had to document this monumental occasion. Just so you know, Alexa proceeded to add another sticker to the chart in a matter of minutes (thank you Miralax). Meanwhile, the bathtub was full of water when this entire pooping celebration came to an end - my bad.

I guess Chris and I will have to start planning that trip to Great Wolf Lodge after all. Alexa never ceases to surprise us and we couldn’t be more thrilled by this one!


I had dreamed & prayed about this silly little sticker. Hooray!!


“Aren’t you proud of me, Daddy?”


Just 18 more to go and we’re Great Wolf Lodge bound! Thanks for taking this extended journey with us. We had no idea it would take over two months to materialize.

Alexa’s “halfsie” birthday

Last Thursday, September 13, we celebrated Alexa’s 2 1/2 birthday. My sister-in-law’s friends, Josh & Joanna, celebrate “half” birthdays. We’d never thought of celebrating a “half” birthday before but I’m always up for a reason to eat empty calories. We hope this will be a new family tradition for years to come. Thanks Joanna! As you can see, Alexa loved every minute of her “half” birthday. She told everyone we met that day, “Today is my birthday!” Then, I’d interject, “Her half birthday.” She managed to get some new rain boots out of the deal.


With a little bit of masking tape magic, I recreated her 2 yr old birthday shirt for the day. Alexa insisted we put candles on her cupcake – just like her birthday shirt.


We went to a local cupcakery to select a cupcake. She wanted chocolate chips.


Here’s to 2 1/2! Going, going . . .


Gone!

The past six months have been very full – full of challenges and full of milestones. We are celebrating each one and thanking God for the precious 2 1/2 years He has gifted us with Alexa’s vibrant life. Here are just a few recent firsts for our lil’ girl.

- 1st time to pee pee in the big girl potty (expectantly waiting for #2)
- 1st molar
- 1st day without her pacifier
- 1st time to go to the county fair
- 1st family 5k & 1st toddler dash
- 1st day of AWANAS (She is in Puggles)
- 1st day back at BSF (Bible Study Fellowship)

Alexa loves to do puzzles, play Memory & pretend. She typically has an imaginary friend or friends with her. They run errands with us. They eat with us, and I tuck them into bed with her. I love watching her imagination at play. Alexa loves a good chase. She’ll say, “I’m escaping you,” which means I need to run after her in pursuit of a good tickle. And, she is fascinated with hiding under things. She’ll proclaim, “It’s raining!” and we must find shelter – be it a pillow, blanket or her “cumbrella” (umbrella).

She is also Mommy’s little helper. She especially enjoys cooking as well as rinsing & putting away dishes. When handling glasses & breakable dishes, she’ll say, “Mommy, I be very careful.” Then, she will rinse them and place them in the drying rack. I told her we didn’t need to dry them because God does it for us. The other day, she said, “I put it (the cup) where God dries it.” She is a talker, so most days you’ll hear a mixture of a Bible story, a “Little Einstein’s” episode and a bit of something I said to her that day. She will more than likely be singing it. It’s a hoot. The other day at the library, she told her giraffe, “I’m so proud of you!” I guess she hears that often. That’s a glimpse of our 2 1/2 year old.


Alexa enjoyed petting the sweet baby animals at her 1st county fair.


This lil’ duckling was just 3 days old.


Enjoying a hayride with Mommy.


This weekend, our family completed our first 5k together. Alexa joined us in her jogger stroller – although she insisted on getting out to run. This event supported our local pregnancy center, The Eden Clinic.


Alexa did get her chance to run . . . in the toddler dash. She won!


She was thrilled with her prize – a blue balloon. The girl loves balloons!

Happy 2 1/2 sweet girl! We’ve seen you grow & mature over the last several  months. We can’t wait to see how you will delight us and so many others in the next six months. You always make life an adventure. We love you!!