It's been a busy few weeks since my last post!! Billy came home on October 8th after being gone to Ft. McCoy for three weeks. October 8th happened to be my 30th birthday, so he was my best present, especially since he doesn't have to travel again until January!!
We've spent lots of time with Misty, John, and John, Jr. over the last few weeks, as well as Mom and Dad since Mom stayed with Misty for three weeks to help with the baby. On October 9th, we took Alexa to the children's museum. They have a 40 foot replica of a child which is one of their "biggest" attractions. Alexa, however, didn't want to be anywhere near him!
Dad came up on October 12th and went with us on Alexa's class field trip on October 13th. It was so cute! They got to pick out a pumpkin, go on a hayride, and meet all kinds of friendly farm animals! The little girl in the photos with Alexa is her friend Allie.
Brody had his four month check up this month and weighs a whopping 11 lb 8 oz (apparently my kids are just small babies). He keeps us smiling all day! He's so happy and laughs all the time. He's rolled over from his stomach to his back several times, and rolls really well from his back to his side, but hasn't quite flipped completely onto his stomach from his back yet.
As you can see from the photos, he's also made friends with one of our cats.
This week, I started teaching music at Alexa's preschool (translation: I sing and act silly with the kids and get paid for it!). We had so much fun! Mondays I sing with the one year olds (that involved a lot of me singing and them staring), Tuesdays I have three and four year olds, and Wednesdays I have two year olds.
They get to wear their costumes on Monday the 30th, so I had Alexa try her costume on today to make sure everything fit well. Her Aunt Misty picked everything out! They got her the Minnie dress and headband at Walt Disney world, and found the gloves and shoes in Charleston. Alexa LOVES her outfit and wore it all day today! I'm sure it's going to get quite a bit of wear before Halloween ever hits!!
And of course this blog entry wouldn't be complete without an amusing story about my precious three year old...it actually got cold enough in Columbia this week for us to turn on our heater for the first time. As is typical with the first time the heater runs for the season, the entire house had a burnt plastic smell for a few minutes. Alexa, upon noticing the pungent odor, promptly asked her father, "What's mommy cooking?"
Hmmm...I really did think my cooking had improved since college. Maybe not...
Emily got her wish. Back in college, when I teased her for her incessant obsession with her hair, or her prim and proper mannerisms, or the best yet, her prissiness, (and she teased me for a long list of other idiosyncrasies), we 'cursed' each other. I told her I hoped that one day she would have a daughter who was a total tomboy, and she told me she hoped I would one day have a daughter who wanted to carry purses and wear dresses every day. We are now on day 7 of the dress wearing phase.
And why do we wear dresses every day? It's a simple answer. Because she's Cinderella. If you don't believe her, watch her walk in her prissy dresses, holding one side of her skirt between her thumb and her forefinger as she sashays down the halls. And when people tell her she has a beautiful dress, what is the response? "I know." (we're working on "thank you.")
So, now for the explanation of the beans. Several weeks ago, Alexa opened our pantry door and told me she needed a snack. I asked her what she would like, and she told me beans. I thought this was an interesting response, but not an unhealthy one, so I offered her every type of beans that we had, and she told me no, with increasing frustration. We ended up with a fruit snack that day. Later that week, I made a crock pot recipe that incorporates sausage and four types of beans. She didn't eat any of it. I couldn't figure out why my child continually asked for beans, yet refused them every time I offered them, until grandma and grandpa came into town. Alexa spent the night with them in their motorhome, and when I went by the next day to pick her up, she said, "Mom, I had beans with Grandma, and look, she has more!" I followed her tiny pointing finger to a container of M&Ms. Beans. Now, here's the interesting part about Alexa's new favorite snack. She hands back the brown M&Ms stating she doesn't like chocolate. Go figure.
Life is definitely entertaining! You really never know what a three year old will come up with next! I bought her some pink mary jane shoes the other day because they had the disney princesses on the inside sole. I was tired of seeing her wear her disney princess tennis shoes with her dresses because, as she put it, "princess shoes match a princess dress." I had no idea a three year old even contemplated matching! One day, she went so far as to put on blue socks with her princess tennis shoes and her pink dress because, "the blue matches the blue on Cinderella's dress." That would be the Cinderella on the side of her tennis shoes! So yes, we ran our errands with a flowery pink dress, blue socks, and tennis shoes, all the while holding the side of her dress with her two fingers. All we need is a tiara.
Brody also makes life entertaining in his own, smaller way! He adores his sister, watching her, smiling at her, and even laughing at her anytime they are together. His laugh is precious and we make fools of ourselves trying to hear it again and again. This is the age Alexa was when Billy deployed to Kuwait. I'm just so glad he will be around to watch firsthand with Brody all the milestones he only saw on video with Alexa.
Anyway, that's enough rambling for tonight! Hope you enjoy the photos!!
It's been a busy few weeks since my last post!! Billy came home on October 8th after being gone to Ft. McCoy for three weeks. October 8th happened to be my 30th birthday, so he was my best present, especially since he doesn't have to travel again until January!!
We've spent lots of time with Misty, John, and John, Jr. over the last few weeks, as well as Mom and Dad since Mom stayed with Misty for three weeks to help with the baby. On October 9th, we took Alexa to the children's museum. They have a 40 foot replica of a child which is one of their "biggest" attractions. Alexa, however, didn't want to be anywhere near him!
Dad came up on October 12th and went with us on Alexa's class field trip on October 13th. It was so cute! They got to pick out a pumpkin, go on a hayride, and meet all kinds of friendly farm animals! The little girl in the photos with Alexa is her friend Allie.
