The Jacksons

Alexa's Announcement...

2012-02-20T12:43:00.001-07:00

In case you haven't heard the news...

Alexa is going to be a big sister!

I'm 12 weeks along and due August 31.

More Festivities

2012-02-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

We went to Benihana's on Monday night for Steve's Birthday. We loved it! The Hibachi Chef really enjoyed entertaining Alexa. She had a blast!

Earlier Monday, one of our friends threw a fantastic Valentines party for the kids. They had a blast and they had so many fun activities to do. Thanks Ann!!

Just look at all those cuties!

Just some random pictures of Alexa earlier in the day Monday. She has been so much better at letting me do her hair!

I can't believe how long her hair has grown!

On Valentines Day I made waffles in the morning! Luckily our waffle maker is heart shaped! I love my two sweet valentines!

The Big #29 for Steve!

2012-02-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

On the day before Steve's birthday I threw him a surprise party! He hadn't thought of any presents that he wanted for his birthday, but I knew that what he really likes are surprises and hanging out with friends!

The Surprise: Steve thought that we were going to Benihana's for dinner so we got all ready and went out the door. But before we left, I told him that I had a big present for him hidden in the vacant apartment below ours. Little did he know that I had our friends hiding in the vacant apartment to surprise him! I had the room decorated with streamers and balloons. I think that Steve was genuinely surprised!

We ate a bunch of food upstairs in our apartment where the ladies hung out with the kids. We sent the guys downstairs after dinner for a little risk and poker playing.... until midnight! Yikes! Luckily the kids all went to sleep and the girls had projects, chatting, and snacks. We love our wonderful friends! Thanks for celebrating with us!

Sleepover!

2012-02-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

Alexa got to have a sleepover with Addy! In reality we were just babysitting overnight, but the girls sure had fun! It has been fun to see them growing up and being such good friends!

They had fun in the morning doing puzzles and somersaults. And Alexa was doing some interesting dance moves in most of the pictures.

January 2012

2012-01-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

*Steve finished the Hunger Games series and enjoyed it.

*Alexa knows how to get in and out of her crib easily, but luckily she stays in there when it's time for a nap or bed time.

*Alexa loves to dip her food, she'll eat almost anything if she can dip it.

*I was summoned for Jury Duty, but I got excused because I'm a stay at home mom.

*At bath time in the morning Alexa knows how to undress herself, put her clothes in the dirty clothes, her diaper in the genie, and then goes potty all on her own.

*I am really enjoying teaching the seven-year-old kids this year in primary. I do miss the cute little four-year-olds though!

*Alexa started having a hard time going down for her nap at noon. So now she has her nap at 1:00 for about an hour and a half.

*I've found that managing 73 units is more time consuming than 48, haha... but I'm keeping up with it as well as I need too. It's easier knowing that the end of apartment managing is in sight! June keeps coming faster, yikes!

*Steve is sad that college football is over.

*Alexa loves saying, "Chase me Momma!" I followed her around with my camera this last time.

*Alexa loves carrying around a purse or bag, just like mommy! She likes to match things, and be the same as things, and copy what we do and wear. She also let me do braids in her hair. When I was done she said, "It's just like TayTay's hair." Taylor is her little cousin in Utah and I was surprised that she remembered that Taylor has worn her hair like that before!

*Alexa has the cutest personality and we love her so much!

The Same

2012-01-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

Alexa has really been into matching and being the same. She notices anything that is similar and loves to have the same cup or the same color on her toe nails as me, among many other things. She was watching Tangled and wanted to be the same as Rapunzel. And later she wanted as many flowers in her hair as possible to match Rapunzel.

Christmas Break Week Three: Dawson's Return

2012-01-08T19:22:00.000-07:00

Dillon was blessed by Carlton on Sunday the 1st of January in Pleasant Grove. We got to see a lot of family there. Steve and Carlton had to fly home for School on Monday. The rest of us drove back to St. George to get ready for Dawson returning home from his mission in San Jose, CA Spanish speaking.

Dillon's Blessing Day

The Grandpas

Back in St. George

Temple Quarry Hike

At the new St. George air port waiting for Dawson

Here he comes!

Alexa was six months old when he left

Meeting Dillon for the first time

Dawson looks so great and we're so glad he's home safe!

One of the first things he wanted to do was rock climb

I did it too!

All the way to the top!

Grandpa and Grandma Datwyler came to visit

On a hike a Pioneer Park

Rock climbing again, this one was harder and taller!

Making my way up

We are sure glad to have Dawson back!

Not pictured: Doing a temple session with Dawson, listening to a lot of great missionary experiences, playing games via video chat with Steve and Carlton, and enjoying sitting around with the family, with all 4 siblings home! I can tell that Dawson served a faithful and honorable mission. I'm so proud of him! It's awesome that he speaks Spanish and is so mature now :) We sure love him and wish him the best in the upcoming big decisions of his life!

Christmas Break Week Two: Orem

2012-01-01T16:47:00.000-07:00

There was no snow in Orem, this was a first for us during Christmas break. Alexa had the greatest time ever with her cousins!

Reverse Charades

Dress up at Nana's

Marshmallow gun

Sleeping uncles

Cousin Train

A special visitor

Cousins

Marinn's Pinkalicious Birthday Party. We were so happy we got to celebrate with her!

Marinn and Alexa

Getting nails done by Nana

Marinn letting her nails dry

"Sleepover"

BYU basketball game with my family

Alexa was looking for Cosmo the whole time, finally he came up our isle and Alexa got to give him a high five. She was only slightly nervous :)

Thanks mom and Ashley for some of these pictures. Not pictured: four square playing, marshmallow gun war, lots game playing, wonderful dinners every night, Steve golfing again with his brothers, and going to lunch with our friends the Stewarts. Thanks everyone for a great time!

Christmas Break Week One: St. George

2011-12-25T15:57:00.000-07:00

We couldn't have asked for a better visit to Utah this year! The weather was fantastic and the company even better! I took a lot of pictures and had to narrow it down a lot...

Alexa with Grandma's Tree, she loved all the decorations!

Cafe Rio Visit, one of several

Playing in the leaves

Meeting Baby Dillon

Alexa loved it when Dillon would touch her

Grandparents!

Service at the soup kitchen

St. George Temple

Andrew made Alexa a swing in the tree

Finding baby rocks on our hike

Shooting marshmallows with the guns we made as gifts

Gingerbread houses

Alexa dressed as Mary, she loves Baby Jesus

Family photos

Lindsey is a great mommy! And Dillon is a super sweet baby!

Enjoying some gifts Christmas morning

Visiting Great-Grandma Flake. Alexa loved dancing to her musical Hallmark cards.

Helping baby Dillon with his bath. Alexa loves Baby Dillon!

Not pictured: A lot of 4-square playing, some hikes, mountain biking, yummy food, lots of baby Dillon holding by me, playing games, and Steve golfing with his brother. We were really missing Dawson, but were getting really excited to see him soon!

December 2011

2011-12-24T22:53:00.000-07:00

*If Alexa does something she is proud of, she says, "I saved the day!"
*Alexa likes to wear her booster seat around the house. Kind of strange, I know.

*Alexa eats all day long lately. She loves getting food out of the fridge all by herself. One day she got the eggs out and broke a couple of them.
*I'm now managing another apartment complex along with the one we live in. It's just a few minutes away so it's not a big deal.
*Steve has gotten into the Hunger Games book series. He's halfway through the second book.
*Steve finished up a successful school term, getting a lot of requirements under his belt.
*Alexa enjoyed having the Christmas tree up and loved redecorating the bottom of it daily.

*The last two weeks of December were spent in Utah and we had a fantastic time!

Zoo Lights

2011-12-15T16:30:00.001-07:00

We had a great time at the zoo lights this year, even though we had a terrible time in traffic getting there. Alexa especially loved the train now that she's a bit older. She was basically screaming the whole time with excitement.

Carousel and Santa

2011-12-10T21:31:00.001-07:00

We went with the Bendixsens to ride the Carousel at Jantzen Beach and then to the Lloyd Center Mall to see Santa. Alexa loved the carousel this year. Alexa was also more confident with Santa this time, except that she wouldn't make eye contact with him :) She told Santa that she wanted a Belle toy and jingle bells for Christmas.

Lock Up Your Toilet Bowl Cleaner!

2011-12-08T13:02:00.001-07:00

This morning I was cleaning the main bathroom and when I was done with the cleaners I set them on top of my dresser to clean our master bathroom next. Not two minutes later, Alexa had used a stool to grab the toilet bowl cleaner, took the lid off (which was closed, she somehow opened it even though it has the childproof cap), and squirted it all over my bedroom carpet! I think I kept calm on the outside, but inside I freaked. The carpet had immediately disintegrated. I checked Alexa for any that might have got on her. Luckily she didn't get any herself and she didn't drink any. I can't even imagine what that stuff would have done to her skin or insides. I feel so so thankful that Alexa was fine! The carpet is going to have to be replaced, but not a big deal compared to what could have happened.

I'm not proud of this post but I just wanted to warn people to hide and lock up their cleaners. (We do keep our cleaners on the highest shelf in our house.) Alexa basically hasn't done any trouble making up to this point so I wasn't as cautious as I should have been. I will not be underestimating Alexa any more and will be doing some more child proofing around here. I will also be doing some research on getting safer cleaners.

Christmas Dance Recital

2011-12-03T10:45:00.001-07:00

Alexa did a great job in her first dance recital! It was so much fun to watch her! Her hat fell off in the middle of the dance but her reaction was cute. :) All the girls did a great job! Thanks Teacher Rosie!

November

2011-11-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

*We had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner! We had our good friends the Scotts over. Unfortunately we didn't ever get the camera out. We are grateful for such awesome friends!
*Steve is a turkey bowl champion this year! He had a great time with his team.
*Alexa is using the word "Nos" all the time. It is a cross between no and yes. She starts answering every question with "No," and when she realizes that she actually wants to say "Yes," she just blends it in there. "Noooo...essss."
*Alexa is super independent lately, wanting to do every step of every thing by herself.
*I saved us $450 by fixing our car heater by myself

*Alexa has been getting ready for her dance recital.

*Alexa is eating a lot better. She is trying a wider variety of foods.
*Alexa randomly takes her clothes off and runs around undressed.
*I made a wreath the other day with some friends.

*Alexa loves hide and go seek.
*It is so fun to have full conversations with Alexa. She talks so well and has such a cute little voice. Whenever we run errands she strikes up conversations with cashiers and strangers. I'm not sure when I'm supposed to start worrying about that :)
*Steve's been loving the Xbox Kinect that we got for (early) Christmas.

*Luckily Alexa hasn't had any potty accidents in public places. Otherwise, potty training is still going slowly.
*Alexa turns the dishwasher off all of the time when it is in the middle of a cycle.
*We put out Christmas decor up the day after Thanksgiving. Alexa hasn't destroyed all of the ornaments yet. :)

Potty Training Update

2011-11-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

Alexa's Potty Training

Tried for 1 and 1/2 days in July. She didn't know how to let the pee out on command, or didn't want to.
July through October I would just ask her a few times a week if she wanted to go potty in the toilet and she would occasionally sit on the toilet and do a toot and nothing else.
On Sunday, October 30, I took her out during Sacrament meeting at church because she was being loud. We were walking around and then she crouched down in the hallway like she was going to pee in her diaper. I asked her if she wanted to go potty in the toilet. She said yes and she actually went pee in the toilet. She did it again a couple of times that day.
Monday, October 31, I decided to start out the day with Alexa in her panties!
Monday through Wednesday. She had one accident per day and pooped in her panties two of the days. She stayed dry during her naps every day.
Thursday, no accidents at all! We even had a couple of outings. Also, she went poop in the toilet! To get her to poo, she wanted the lights off and for me to leave the bathroom. She also had to do it in the small portable potty.
Friday morning, when she woke up her diaper was dry!

Nov. 12: Now it's been another week. She's only had maybe one pee accident. We're still working on her going poop in the toilet. Hopefully that will come soon!!

Nov. 23: She still has accidents a couple of times a week but she has been telling us more often when she needs to go instead of me making her go. We are still working on her going #2 in the toilet!

Dental School Turkey Bowl - Year Four

2011-11-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

Steve loves playing football with these guys! Steve did a Turkey Bowl with the dental school in the morning and another one with his softball team in the afternoon.

OHSU Dental Students

4th Years!

Girls Night Out

2011-11-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful girls night out Friday. We went to an awesome sushi place downtown called Departures, it was delish! We had a late night run to Trader Joe's for snacks. We stayed the night at Hotel Lucia, thanks to Megan's work hook up, where we did our nails and stayed up talking until after 3am! We also had breakfast at The Original, I got crème brûlée french toast. Yum! We had a fantastic time. I feel so blessed to have such amazing friends! (And thanks for sharing your pictures!)

Safari Sam's

2011-11-05T11:54:00.000-06:00

Steve's favorite thing to do on a Saturday is watch football/sleep on his chair. He got to do a little of that last Saturday, but we also dragged him to a fun center for the afternoon. He didn't fit too well in the jungle gym but he had fun chasing Alexa around and helping her put in mini golf.

October Wrap-Up

2011-11-01T13:16:00.001-06:00

*Alexa has been going potty in the toilet the last few days! It just sort of happened... we weren't even really trying, I guess something just clicked. She has only had one accident! She even stays dry during her naps. She wears a diaper at night though.
*Alexa is really into carrying around the step-stool and getting into things and turning the lights on and off
*She likes "washing the dishes" in the kitchen sink
*Whenever she gets a little bump or owie, or if nothing happens at all, she asks for a band-aid. Since it happens a lot, I give her a little piece of tape and she sticks it on where it "hurts." One minute later she comes back to me and excitedly says, "I'm all better!" and hands me back the tape.
*Every night we have to tuck Alexa in her blankets when she gets into bed. It's sweet.
*Alexa was wanting to "watch Alessa on the compuger" all of the time so I made her another DVD of the most recent home videos we have of her. She loves watching it.
*Lately when I ask her, "Who made this mess?" or "Who drew on the table?" she answers, "That boy did it."
*When I ask her a question, before she answers she says "Ummm..." It's pretty cute.
*I love listening to her sing princess songs.
*I re-organized all of our storage closets again.
*I made a blanket out of some of Steve's old t-shirts. And I made a skirt out of an unused dress shirt of Steve's.
*I did a photo shoot for some friends, it was fun!
*Steve enjoyed decorating for Halloween and carving the pumpkin.
*Steve's doing well in Dental School doing a lot of different procedures.
*Sometimes when Steve gets home, Alexa only wants to play with him, and she tells me to leave.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T13:45:00.000-06:00

This week Alexa has been wanting to wear her Belle dress a lot. At our ward Halloween party she dressed up as Cheer Bear. I was bad at getting pictures and I didn't even get one of Steve and me. Steve was the Hunchback of Notre Dame. I was Esmeralda the gypsy. We also went trick-or-treating today with friends at the Mulnomah Village shops. Alexa did a pretty good job!

Welcome Dillon William Taylor!

2011-10-26T12:11:00.000-06:00

Congrats to my little sister and brother-in-law! Dillon William Taylor was born October 26th at 5:02 am, weighing in at 7 lbs. 12 oz., 21 inches, at the UPENN hospital in Philadelphia, PA! Lindsey went through only 10 hours of labor, with no epidural, tough girl! They are doing very well! We are so happy for them! I just really wish I was there to hold him!!

Pumpkin Carving!

2011-10-25T11:58:00.001-06:00

We had the Bendixsens over to do some pumpkin carving and painting! They turned out great!

Mall Park

2011-10-25T11:19:00.000-06:00

It's nice to have a few places to go indoors to play when it's cold and rainy. Alexa loves the play area at the mall.

Lately

2011-10-25T10:54:00.000-06:00

Alexa has been loving play dough lately.

My mom sent a package with a cute Halloween shirt and bow. Alexa got her matching kitty bag and carried around her princesses all day.

Alexa loves the zoo!

Plumper Pumpkin Patch Year Four

2011-10-08T21:35:00.000-06:00

We love the Plumper patch! They added several new attractions this year. Alexa loved the pony ride, cow barrel train, and the hay slide. We loved enjoying the beautiful day with friends!

September Happenings

2011-09-30T10:00:00.000-06:00

Alexa
*loves us to sing or do things "really fast"
*lately, when we try to sing or dance with her, she'll say, "No you do it, Lexa do it", meaning she wants to sing or dance by herself
*she notices everything that is big or small such as different sizes of dogs, toys, or cups, ect. She identifies them as baby one, mommy one, or daddy one
*started dance lessons
*Sings the "I love you, you love me, we're a happy family..." song at least 20 times a day
*The first half of the month she hated bath time, now she loves it and wants more than one a day
*She talks in full sentences
*She grew out of all of her pants over the summer by like 2 or more inches

Danielle
*unsubscribed from half of my blogs and un-friended lots of my 'friends' on Facebook to simplify life
*made a blurb book for our fourth year from our blog, I had to cut it down to 200 pages
*my sister Lindsey is having her baby in October!

Steve
*passed the Boards II exam!!
*started back in school after a lovely 6-week break
*currently doing league softball and pick-up flag football with his dental school peeps

We all enjoyed a trip to Utah and one to Canada!

Whistler, BC Part 3

2011-09-21T14:59:00.000-06:00

9/21/2011
Wednesday we drove a bit to Pemberton to see the "salmon run." We saw a lot of salmon, but there were also a lot of dead ones so it was too stinky to get out for a picture... We had a picnic at one mile lake and also went on the hike Nairn Falls. For dinner we ate the most delicious BBQ I've ever had at Bob's BBQ and then went home for games.

9/22/2011
Thursday was really rainy, bummer!!! We played games a lot and later went shopping in the Village.

9/23/2011
Friday was our last day. We left the condo by 8:30. We drove through Vancouver and then went by the new LDS temple in Langley. My sister and brother-in-law served her mission here a few years ago so it was fun to think of them while driving around. The temple was beautiful. We then had to wait 40 minutes to get back in to the US. We sadly dropped off my family in Bellingham and them made it back to Portland just in time to return the rental car before closing.

All in all we had a fantastic time! We loved having a 3-bedroom condo and Alexa slept so well there! I'm glad to get to see family from time to time since we live so far a way from them! Thanks Mom, Dad, and Andrew for ditching school and work to be with us! We missed Lindsey, Carlton, and Dawson! ... next time! Love you!

Whistler, BC Part 2

2011-09-19T14:30:00.000-06:00

9/19/2011
Monday we rented 3 mountain bikes and rotated who rode them all day long. Whistler has tons of amazing bike trails, my dad and Andrew were in heaven! During the day we saw a black bear and cubs by the lake, no pictures though because I didn't have my camera most of the day. Alexa liked us to push her around in her stroller on the small BMX type course. She also got to play in the Whistler Village playground. That night we ate the the Spaghetti Factory in Whistler Village.

9/20/2011
Tuesday was probably my favorite day. It was sunny, warm, and beautiful! We rode the gondola up to Whistler peak and then got to ride the Peak to Peak gondola across to the Blackcomb mountain peak. It was really amazing up there! We went on a couple of hikes on top of the mountains. At one spot there were these friendly birds that would land on you if you held out your hand. My mom was taking a picture of me and right during the picture a bird landed on my head. We also rand around on some glaciers up there.
Later that afternoon we went to Lost Lake and the boys went on a rope swing into the freezing water. Weirdos.
We had some tacos and then went to another lake park. The lakes in Whistler are so pretty!

Whistler, BC Part 1

2011-09-17T14:13:00.000-06:00

9/17/2011
Saturday we woke up in Whistler! We visited some Olympic sites, Alexander Falls, had a lunch picnic and saw Brandywine Falls. In the evening we had Steve's brother point his web cam at his TV so we could watch the BYU vs. Utah game on the laptop. That was a mistake... bad game. And we played card games every night :)

9/18/2011
Sunday we went to church at the Whistler LDS branch which is 30 mins south of Whistler in Squamish. The six of us almost doubled their attendance. It was a great experience though. Afterward we stopped by Shannon Falls. On the drive back to our condo we saw a black bear on the side of the road! That night we made steak and potatoes and went on a walk around a nearby lake.

Vancouver, BC

2011-09-16T13:55:00.000-06:00

9/16/2011

See all of the photos from our trip here.

Friday we picked up my parents and brother from the airport in Bellingham, WA. We crossed the border into Canada and hung out for several hours at Stanley Park which is a huge park with lots to see.

For dinner we ate at a really fun little place called Go Fish. It was right in a fisherman's wharf and had super yummy seafood.

That evening during sunset we drove on the BEAUTIFUL Sea to Sky Highway to our condo in Whistler.

Seattle

2011-09-15T13:44:00.000-06:00

9/15/2011

We rented a Dodge Caravan Thursday morning and headed up to Seattle. We had an appointment first thing to pick up my parents expedited passports because they realized they expired a few days before the trip :)
Later, we walked from our hotel, Belltown Inn., to Pikes Place Market, ate an early dinner at a Beeches and a late dinner at La Vida E La Belle. We also enjoyed the sunset and sunrise (thanks to Alexa waking really early) on our hotel's patio. Friday morning we waked to a park and also the Space Needle. Seattle was really fun and beautiful!

*Some of these photos are from my cell phone and some from my camera.

Alexa's First Dance Lesson

2011-09-13T22:38:00.000-06:00

Our cute friend Rosie teaches dance lessons and I was excited to have Alexa give it a try. She loved dancing and running around with the other girls. I couldn't believe how grown up she looked in her ballet dress and slippers.

Water Play Date

2011-09-13T22:10:00.000-06:00

Our friend Ann has a ton of fun water toys in her yard and the kids had so much fun playing! Thanks Ann!

Cute Cousins!

2011-09-13T21:57:00.000-06:00

I got to do some experimenting with my new DSLR camera while in Orem. Alexa wouldn't cooperate so I didn't get any good pictures of her this time.

Orem Trip: Vollaquemitten

2011-09-10T14:34:00.000-06:00

While the adults played a game that is a cross between volley ball, racquetball, and bad-mitten, the kids played on the blanket with Nana.

The girls were dancing around!

Orem Trip: Playground

2011-09-10T14:03:00.000-06:00

There was a lot of playing this weekend. While we were in Orem, my parents and Andrew came up from St. George to see us for a day and a half. It was great!

Orem Trip: Dress Up

2011-09-10T13:34:00.000-06:00

The girls loved playing dress up!

August in Review

2011-09-01T10:49:00.000-06:00

*Alexa has needed a band-aid a few times. Now she talks about "bambaids" all the time and she says, "I wanna bambaid, I bleeding." Even though she's not ;)
*Alexa had two months of having a really hard time going to sleep without crying for 20 minutes. She is now back to her normal self after I made her a cute little pillow with baby animals on it. I'm thinking she was a little scared of the dark and the pillow brings more comfort...???
*She sleeps 8:15pm to sometime after 8:00am with a two-hour nap around noon.
*Alexa does good clean-up, she doesn't mind picking up her toys and she likes to sing the clean-up song.
*She is a VERY picky eater, which I am sure is my fault, I just need to figure out how to fix it. Suggestions?
*She talks about her friends and cousins all the time.
*If anything even remotely resembles a slide, she wants to slide down it. A lot of times it's just our legs she wants to slide down if we're sitting on the couch or something.
*She sings the whole Twinkle Twinkle Little Star song to herself when she goes to bed.

*Steve and I celebrated our 4th anniversary!
*Steve took and passed the boards!
*He is loving doing nothing during his school break.
*We've been sleeping in until 8am during his break!
*We got cable for football season, we ended up getting free HD and a free DVR, sweet.

*I got my diploma in the mail from BYU!
*I am making a quilt out of Steve's old t-shirts, he's actually pretty excited about it.
*I got a new DSLR camera. I'm loving it!!
*We watched our little friend Bella for three days while she got a new baby sister.

We went to the Zoo with Addy and Tara:

Play Date PDX

2011-08-31T10:06:00.000-06:00

We went to a free play day on the last Wednesday at Play Date PDX downtown. We were actually just getting our car fixed near by, which ended up taking forever, so we let Alexa play for over an hour. She loved it! Especially the huge slide.

Rose Garden

2011-08-28T19:59:00.000-06:00

8/27/2011

Alexa loved running through the rows of flowers!

There was a wedding in a part of the garden and so there was loud dance music playing. Alexa would stop to dance every once in a while.

Just an amazing house next to the gardens.

Columbia Gorge

2011-08-28T09:54:00.000-06:00

8/27/2011
We enjoyed a beautiful day in the Gorge and at the Rose Garden!

4 Years!

2011-08-26T17:54:00.000-06:00

8/25/11
Yay for us! So much LOVE here! We went to dinner and the temple and got root beer floats!

Happenings

2011-08-22T15:44:00.000-06:00

Just some randomness...
We watched our friend Bella for three days while she got a new baby sister. Alexa and Bella played very well together!

A few times this last week Steve and I have found Alexa's friends in our bed. She puts one friend on mommy's side, and one friend on daddy's side :)

Last week we went to a really neat park with the Groesbeck's. It was right on Lake Oswego for swimming in the lake for big kids, but they also had a kiddie pool that was completely fenced in that was perfect for Alexa. She really did not want to go home when it was time.

Just some cute alphabet singing...

Camping at Mount Hood

2011-08-19T13:53:00.000-06:00

8/19/2011
So Alexa was a great camper and hiker during the day, but night time was a different story (sorry Scott's!). She went to bed fine but woke up around 11pm for some reason and was so confused about where she was. We took her on a drive to settle her down and then she went back to sleep in our bed. But then she woke up again at 4am! She fell back to sleep a little later until the sun came up... Other than not sleeping too great, we had a wonderful time! The camp site was huge and we had a fun bridge and trail near by. Alexa loved playing in the tent, getting messy in the dirt, throwing rocks into the creek, and helping the guys gather firewood.

July 2011 Wrap-up

2011-08-04T22:58:00.000-06:00

Alexa
*Alexa is really singing along to a lot of songs
*She really likes princess music
*Tried potty training, didn't work
*She only likes to sit at the big table now, so we put the high chair away
*She's loving "daddy's kind" (Cinnamon Life) in the morning
*I think she has had some nightmares about noisy crabs...nothing too serious, she just has woke up a couple of mornings saying, "Crabs too noisy" and "Are the crabs all gone?"
*She likes to pretend to play birthday with play dough. If she ever sees cake or candles she starts to sing "happy dirtday"

Danielle
*All of the apartments are full so I haven't had much work to do
*Finished Alexa's 2nd year Blurb book, it was a really big one
*There was a fire on our neighbors balcony, luckily the firefighters got it out fast and there was no damage
*I'm really enjoying teaching the 4-year-olds in primary

Steve
*Made chocolate chip cookies all by himself
*Studying to take a two-day boards exam on August 17-18
*Playing on a softball team
*Gets attacked by Alexa when he gets home from school
*He went golfing a couple of times, he wishes he could go more

Two Days of Fun in the Sun

2011-08-04T17:30:00.000-06:00

8/3/2011
The weather has been just perfect lately! Low 80's and sunny! Wednesday we went to a splash pad in Lake Oswego and Thursday to Wilson pool. Alexa had a blast with her friends!

Two Things I Wish I Didn't Have to Miss

2011-08-04T13:27:00.000-06:00

I made a couple of invitations for my mom yesterday... It was depressing because I won't be able to make it to either event!

I really wish I could make it to my little sisters baby shower! I'm so excited for her! She's due October 21!

I think it would be awesome to walk at my graduation, but Steve is taking a two-day long boards exam and we just can't afford an extra trip.

Organizing the Activities

2011-07-29T22:32:00.000-06:00

I finally came up with a way that I like to keep Alexa's different toys and activities organized. I found these clear plastic chests at The Container Store on sale that are perfect. Since they are clear, Alexa can see through them and find the one that she wants to play with. Because they are zippered, they keep everything in them even if they get thrown around a bit. They are just the right size and Alexa loves carrying them around by the handles. Right now I have one with her coloring supplies and stickers, another with puzzles, one with flash cards and games, and another with misc. craft items like puffs, popsicle sticks, pipe cleaners and beads.

I also keep all of her little figurine toys in these zipper pouches from the dollar store.

Most days, these things keep her pretty occupied.

Stickers!

Google+ Hangouts

2011-07-29T17:33:00.000-06:00

Have you tried a Google+ hangout yet? We did a 5-way video chat last Sunday with Steve's family. Portland, Texas, and Utah were represented. We loved it!

This House

2011-07-29T16:55:00.001-06:00

I would want to stay in Portland after dental school if I could live here:

Look! It even comes with landscape maintenance!

And across the street is a park, which was the primary reason why we were in the area.

BYU Graduation!

2011-07-24T22:24:00.000-06:00

I finished my last class for my bachelor degree in May thanks to BYU Independent Study and Portland Community College! I majored in Home and Family Living with a Management minor. I am so happy to be done! A big thanks to my mom for keeping me going with my last few classes!

The official graduation will be August 12. I wish I could be there to walk but that trip is not in the budget :) We did take a few pictures in June for posterity's sake! I'm so grateful for all that I've learned! It took me a while but I had amazing experiences!

I started at Dixie State in 2002 planning on becoming an Echo-cardiologist. I changed my mind after a year and then earned an Associate of Science degree in Business Administration in 2004. I then moved to Provo and attended Utah Valley University for one term. Then I went on an 18-month church mission to Washington DC North from June 2005 to November 2006. I came back to attend Brigham Young University hoping to study Information Systems. I did one term of that and changed my mind, ugh.

I met Steve after that term, and got married shortly thereafter. I knew we'd be moving away for Steve to attend Dental School the following year, so I did my best to find which program I could graduate the soonest. I then studied Home and Family Living for the next year, which I loved, and ended up with only five classes left to take after we moved. I had strategically left classes for the end that were also available on BYU Independent Study. After we moved to Portland it took me two years to do three classes via Independent Study, it was really hard for me! Finally, I finished up my last two classes at Portland Community College this past Spring term, those ones were super easy and fun.

So, all in all, I had a lot of wonderful experiences as I gained an education from 2002 to 2011! Phew!

Lincoln City

2011-07-23T22:43:00.002-06:00

7/23/2011
We went to the coast! It was finally forecasted to be sunny and warm so we headed to Lincoln City and Depoe Bay. I LOVED just laying on the sand in the sun! Alexa really loved the sand too! It was a bummer that it was windy though. But what is the Oregon coast without a little wind?! After the beach we hit the outlets and ate dinner at Mo's. We then went to Depoe Bay to see the blow holes, but the tide wasn't high enough. But we did walk along the little shops and the pretty coast line.

1st Potty Training Attempt

2011-07-19T21:32:00.000-06:00

7/19/2011
I decided to give potty training a try, it's not fun. I gave up after 1 1/2 days. I'm not too worried about it. We'll try again later. She did look cute in her princess undies!

Utah Trip - Lake Powell

2011-07-06T15:44:00.000-06:00

6/27/2011
Lake Powell was so much more amazing than I remembered. I hadn't been there for a few years. The tall canyons are breathtaking! The water was perfect! The sun was shining! I loved the cliff jumping and boating through the skinny canyons! Alexa was really good and kept falling asleep in the boat. She loved the water! I wish we could have stayed longer! Thanks mom and dad!

Utah Trip - St. George

2011-07-06T14:44:00.000-06:00

6/26/2011
In St. George we celebrated Alexa's birthday again but mostly just rested after our Lake Powell trip. We got to eat at Cafe Rio and Pasta Factory of course. Alexa did a great job of blowing out her candles. She kept singing happy birthday to herself for days after the celebration. She loved her new Tangled movie, Toy Story play set, sand toy bucket, and other gifts. She also loved playing with balloons with Andrew. We wish we could have stayed longer! Thanks Grandpa, Grandma, and Andrew for a great time!

Utah Trip - Orem

2011-07-06T14:15:00.001-06:00

6/24/2011
We had so much fun in Orem! Alexa sure loves her little cousins! We had a couple of great pool days and BBQ's, went to the splash fountain in Spanish Fork, had a little birthday party for Alexa, and played a lot of games. Steve also got to golf one day. I made a flag cake and also some chocolate dipped strawberries for the festivities. Thanks Nana and Papa for a wonderful time!

2 Years Old

2011-07-05T16:38:00.000-06:00

BAM -- She's 2!

Alexa is definitely not a baby anymore! I can't believe how much she has grown up!

12-24 Months:

STATS:

2' 8.48" tall, 50th percentile

26lbs 13.3oz, 16th percentile

*If you ask her how old she is she'll say "two," but she'll hold up 5 fingers :)

*She likes playing with baby dolls and small figurines

*She sings the ABC's with us

*She likes to be held and hold things "like a baby"

*She's brave about water and will get in even if it's cold

*Really interested in sunglasses right now, even when watching a show or when they're not on correctly

*She still has a nap every day, usually two hours

*Loves swinging at the park and splashing in fountains

*She is very loving, friendly, and sweet

Happy Birthday to my big girl!

The Castle

2011-06-23T16:29:00.001-06:00

6/23/2011

The other day Alexa had cute buns in her hair and when we took them out before bedtime her hair looked crazy/cute!

I also made her some new curtains for her room to block out the sun better when she sleeps. (You can barely see them in the picture below.)

For an early birthday present Alexa got a castle/tent. She has loved it. Whenever Steve gets home from school she'll go in her castle and say "daddy, daddy, daddy" over and over until he hangs out with her in the castle.

I made a blanket for my sisters baby coming in October, they are keeping the gender a surprise until delivery. The yellow is a super soft minky fabric.

Father's Day

2011-06-20T18:15:00.000-06:00

6/19/2011

Steve wanted biscuits and gravy for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and chicken and sausage kabobs with mashed potatoes for dinner, so that's what we had :) He got a couple of shirts and a horseshoe set. He is an amazing daddy, Alexa sure loves him! Here is Steve fulfilling his fatherly duty carrying in Alexa from the car after she fell asleep on the way home from church:

Just Alexa being goofy after her nap:

Around the House

2011-06-01T14:33:00.000-06:00

Alexa enjoys lining up her toys. She also found her old bouncer swing in her closet and insisted that we put it up for her.

The Handsome Couple

2011-05-28T13:48:00.000-06:00

We love these two! Congrats on your big day! Hope you're having fun in Aruba!

23 Months

2011-05-27T15:01:00.002-06:00

*She is starting to sing songs like "5 little monkeys" (grandma taught her), "Twinkle, Twinkle", "Old MacDonald", and the ABC's
*She is really a picky eater when it comes to textures
*She likes to fake laugh when other people are laughing
*She is really into watching the DVD I made of her first 18 months of life, "I wanna watch baby show"
*She is getting better at being good in the shopping cart, but getting worse in the high chair in restaurants
*She lives for playing hide and go seek with us as soon as daddy gets home from school every day
*Alexa will have been on 23 one-way flights before her 2nd birthday! (the 24th will be just after her birthday on the way home from Utah)
*She had the best time playing with relatives on our last trip to St. George, I just wish we lived closer to everyone!

Here are some videos from our recent trip:

Alexa running around with the cousins

Alexa splashing in the lake

Alexa falling asleep in the highchair

Alexa and Marinn in the truck

Sean and Cari Sue's Wedding!

2011-05-19T09:13:00.000-06:00

5/19/2011

We had a fantastic time in St. George with our families! The temple ceremony, luncheon, and reception were amazing! Alexa love playing with her cousins! While in St. George we also went to the splash park, repelling, to Sand Hallow, and the pool! We wanted to soak up the sun as much as possible! Also, Andrew rigged up a swing from his climbing gear for Alexa. I think it was Alexa's favorite part of the trip! Thanks mom and dad for having us and taking care of us! Miss you already!

I Made a Headboard

2011-05-16T09:43:00.003-06:00

5/16/2011

I decided to make a headboard the other day. Our bedroom could still use a lot of design help, but there's not much I can do on a students budget :) One day...

DIY inspiration came from here and here.

Sunny Day on the Willamette

2011-05-15T18:33:00.000-06:00

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T20:37:00.001-06:00

5/8/2011

So happy to be a mom!!

Steve was wonderful and got me flowers and a card! He also made pancakes for breakfast and southwestern chicken for dinner! It was a wonderful day.

I have an amazing mother and I'm so grateful for her faith and her example for me!

Me, my mom, and my little sister Lindsey '86

Look how pretty my mom is! She hasn't changed a bit!

We also got to talk to my little bother Dawson today from his mission in San Jose, CA! He's doing great and I can't believe he'll be home in six months or so!!

Steve's hurt ankle day 2 and 3

2011-05-06T10:09:00.000-06:00

5/3/2011
Steve hurt his ankle playing basketball Tuesday night. He was in a lot of pain but has had it x-rayed and thank goodness it's not broken! Here are some pictures of his foot and also of Alexa wanting in on the photo shoot. Don't look if gross bruises aren't your thing.

Wednesday:

Thursday:

On a happier note, on Tuesday, before Steve was injured, it was a beautiful, clear, and sunny day! We met up with some friends at the park and hung out for like 3 hours! I even got some sun.... burn! Felt so good!

The Park Across the Street

2011-04-30T10:13:00.001-06:00

4/30/2011
We are really enjoying our new place and are happy with the fact that there is a play ground right across the street at a cute little church. The playground is just perfect for Alexa's age and it's completely fenced in! She loves the slide, swings, see-saw, and mini play house. Here are a few pictures from the other day enjoying the outdoors!

22 Months

2011-04-27T17:54:00.000-06:00

4/27/2011

Wow! Where did that last month go?

*Alexa is a sweetheart!
*She likes to repeat anything she hears someone say
*She finished her last swim lesson today! She got to go down the big water slide and LOVED it!
*She is getting much more independent and wanting to walk and not be held most of the time, which is good because she is HEAVY
*She only lasts about 5 minutes in a shopping cart, if that... I might have to start grocery shopping at night or on Saturday??
*She can count to 11
*She tells us "I love you" out of the blue at least once a day!
*Alexa plays a lot of hide-and-seek and chasing games with daddy

She's growing too fast! We love her!

Easter

2011-04-24T21:39:00.000-06:00

4/24/2011
I love Easter. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I felt so strongly today the Spirit testify of the importance and beauty of His atonement. I love the peace that the Gospel brings. Church is the best! :)

So, besides having a wonderfully spiritual day, Alexa found her Easter basket and we had a delicious potluck dinner with a bunch of our amazing friends. We love our friends! I hope they know that!!

Only two pictures, sorry! And not ONE in her Easter dress! Sorry mom!

Egg Hunt

2011-04-16T21:19:00.000-06:00

4/16/2011
We had a wonderful Easter breakfast and egg hunt with the ward last Saturday. Alexa really caught on to retrieving the eggs and we had to give some away because she got plenty! She's been asking for "special treats" all week so I let her open one egg each day.

(Above picture courtesy of Kate)

Free Scoop

2011-04-12T21:01:00.000-06:00

4/12/2011
Ben and Jerry's had a free scoop day so we went with some friends for a tasty treat! The sun was shining bright (Hallelujah!) and Alexa could barely open her eyes! Alexa got Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and I got Americone Dream - Delish!!!

Doll Strollers and Slipper Socks

2011-04-08T20:59:00.000-06:00

4/8/2011
Alexa and Addy being silly while the grownups are busy playing games.

Alexa actually smiled at the camera in this one!