Alexis at 19 Months

Alexis turned 19 month a few days ago. I have been having a very hard time finding even a few minutes to write her monthly blog, so I'm just going to dive right in!

*My poor little girl has yet another ear infection. Seems that I am reporting this nearly every month now. As a result, the Dr did say that if this one doesn't go away, or she gets another one in the next month, she's going to need surgery. This makes me so nervous and sad. Zachary did have tubes put in, and they did help tremendously, but I really want to avoid putting her under! A friend did suggest blocking the water from getting in her ears during bath. She did this with her daughter who was having chronic ear infections and there was a huge improvement. So the ear plugs will be going in during bath and this gives me a spark of hope!

*I was surprised to find that she barely weighed 21 pounds with her clothes on. I guess I shouldn't have been since she's still in size 3 diapers that do not seem to be getting any snugger.

*She has been boycotting almost all the foods that she used to eat. I'm so bummed about this because she was just shaping up to be my best eater yet! She takes her food and chucks it on the floor and then just stares you down. We now have another one to do the food battle with and I'm not sure I have the strength left in me to go for round 4!! (I'll find it somewhere for her sake!)

*She absolutely loves to play! All day long moving from toy to toy. She is so good at playing on her own. She babbles along while she plays with a doll or one of her new favorites this month "The Little Einstein's Rocket". She has so many toys to choose from being the 4th child and she sure does enjoy them! It's really cute to watch her.

*If you had told me during the first months of her life that she was going to be an amazing sleeper....I would have laughed. Seriously. But she is such a good sleeper now! She will even ask for it sometimes by grabbing her blankie, going over to her crib and saying, "Nigh, Nigh? Nigh, nigh?" When we put her down for naps and bedtime she almost always, very willingly, goes right to sleep. Sigh. It's awesome!

*She's doing better with leaving her hair ponies in. She will almost always instantly rip them out in the car but while out and about she usually will leave them in for awhile. When I put them in I tell her how pretty and beautiful she looks and she seems good with that! The other day she grabbed a bow and asked me to put it in....made my heart happy! I'm so enjoying having a girl!

*She still likes to say "hi" to all the friends that are up on shelves along the top of her walls. We say hi to the bears, and then the other bears, and then to each one of her princess dolls who she loves me to say by name. She is very intent on learning all of the Disney Princess names and loves for us to say them over and over in books or wherever she see them!

*Her vocabulary has increased so much there are too many words to write. She will try and repeat many things that we say. Like this morning when I was telling her she was beautiful...she repeated me!

She's thrown a couple crazy-all-out-throw-yourself-on-the-floor fits but for the most part is pretty pleasant. She still likes to get in the cabinets and is always bringing me snacks she finds and saying, "Pease? Pease??" It's pretty hard to resist! We are all truly enjoying every day with our baby girl!

On the Road Again...

So this week I have started running again. It had been over 5 months since my last time out. This winter I have gained some weight back and I'm hoping to pound some of that off on the pavement. I've been frustrated at the constant diligence it takes to keep the scale from creeping upwards and I am noticing it's getting harder and harder. I think it's one of my first clear signs of "aging" along with a few gray hairs! So today was my third run this week and I was able to get up to 1.8 miles which I was happy with after such a long break. The furthest I have run to date is 3.3 miles and the most times in a month is 8. My goal this month is to run at least 9times and to lose at least 5 pounds. Those reading, feel free to help keep me motivated and accountable! (Who is reading these days??? Roll call!! ;0) )

My Februrary through Facebook Posts

I have often thought about how my Facebook posts tell a lot about my life in those short little blurbs. Here is a glimpse of life in February....through facebook!

Feb. 1st
Please pray for our friends baby, Finn. He went in for a routine surgery and is now having breathing complications. Please pray for his complete recovery!!

Feb. 3rd
Going to see Amy and Michael sing tonight!! A concert made in Heaven!!! Can't believe they are touring together...Merry Christmas to me!:0)

Nobody knew His secret ambition......

Feb. 6th
Big tv set up in the living room, lots of food covering the island...we are ready to start this party!:0)

Feb. 10th
So when you get a phone call home from your child's principal, praising them for their behavior and reading you a glowing note from their teacher...its awesome!!

Feb. 11th
Heading up to Arrowhead for the 6th year in a row!! Can't wait to make new memories!
:0)

Feb. 12th
Lexy's First time playing in snow!

Bryan is reading princess stories to the girls...so cute!!:0)

Feb. 13th
Feeding the ducks...6 year Arrowhead tradition after eating at the yummy waffle house!!

Feb. 15th
A member of Craig's team at work had a son born at 30 weeks yesterday and they lost him today. Please pray for their family. My heart is so heavy for them!:0(

Feb. 17th
Wow its amazing what just an hour of complete silence does for my head, mood and general well being!!

Feb. 18th
Happy Half Birthday to my sweet Alexis Joy and Happy 2nd Birthday to my sweet Bells!!! Wish we were there to celebrate with you!!

Today is also a day of loss as my Great Aunt Jocey passed today...I'm so sad for my Uncle Floyd, cousin Jessica and my Grandma.:0(

Feb. 19th
Making Valentine M&M cookies to bring to Grandma tomorrow!!

Feb. 21st
Lexy's first time facing forward and riding in her big girl car seat. She LOVES it!!!:0)

Hanging out with the Lemurs at the Santa Ana Zoo!! There are 5 on this rock!

Feb. 22nd
Craig just walked into the boys room to find Tyler standing in front of his closet...still asleep...looks like he was about to pee in it!! Good save dad!;0)

Feb. 23rd
At a Linkin Park concert with the hubby. Now that's love.

Feb. 24th
Happy Birthday to Susie! Friends since Jr High and as close as a sister! I wish all the best things for you today my friend!!:0)

Feb. 26th
Dropping off Tyler for GATE testing. Crazy.(Seriously how is my baby going to be in 4th grade next year????)

Jumping back into painting and starting with our room. I'm so excited that we finally will have color on the walls in there!!!

Feb. 28th
Just saw a woman smoking....and very pregnant. I can not tell you how upset that makes me and the restraint it takes not to go over and say something. Ugh!!!

It was an interesting month. God answered prayer and helped heal little Finn, there was a lot of saddness as an old soul left this earth as well as a brand new one and special birthday's were celebrated. I love Facebook and the fun interactions it provides but I also love how I can look back and see some of how I lived. Hopefully I can make this a monthly post and someday add it to our family scrapbooks. Some day being the key words!;0)

A Year and a Half

Tonight my baby girl turns one and a half. How that much time has flown by is beyond me. Everyone says, "Enjoy this time it will go so fast", heck I've told people that same thing....and it sure does! That little tiny 6 pound baby is walking, getting more of an opinion every day, learning to talk and making our whole family smile! Here are some glimpses of Alexis at 18 months!

*She is talking SO much more!! She says, mama, dadd-EE, baby, peas (please), tank-tew (thank you!), shoe!, bite, uh-oh, oh nooo!, Owwww!, No! (really picked this one up the past few days!), ki-ee (kitty), pretty, ....I know there are more and I will add them as I remember them!

*She still usually takes two naps and sleeps pretty well at night. She has a little routine we have to go through every time she lays down that goes: Lay her down, give her "blankie", cover her up, give her a bite (paci) and turn on her mobile that plays a song and displays lights for about 10 minutes. Miss a step and she'll let you know!

*She loves playing with her little square board books. All day long she will bring one to me and then turn around and start to back up to sit on my lap...even if I'm still standing! So cute!

*When you pick her up and she doesn't want you to, she is very good at stiffening her body and throwing it backwards so it's really hard to hold onto her!

*When she doesn't want food she will still shake her head so fast it's impossible to get to her mouth but now she's also added, "No, no, no!!!"

*She's still small, in size 3 diapers, wearing a size 4 shoe and a 12-18 month shirt is big on her (if it isn't Gymboree....could seriously write a blog all about the difference in sizes from one brand to the next!)I just realized yesterday she could wear some Gymboree 12-18 month jeans without them sagging and 9-12 month jeans from Carter's.

*She loves to play with her babies! She has even started "feeding" them and likes to push them around in strollers. I love when she puts them over her shoulder and hugs them!!

*Poor thing is still on antibiotics and battling an on-going ear infection! This round even had a special drug mixed in that is specifically for ear infections. She's almost done with this 10 day round and still has a runny nose. That does not mean good things for her ears. I really, really, REALLY want to avoid having to go the surgery route. Putting her under makes me so nervous.=0(

*She loves music! When we get into the car and turn the music on, if it has a good beat, you will immediately see her head begin to bob. And it will go in different directions depending on the song and tempo...so cute! The second she hears one of the first few songs off of Maroon 5's "Hand's All Over" she starts grooving to the beat!

*She continues to be fascinated with shoes! The shoes from our shoe bin are almost always in a big heap right in front of the bin and then there's a trail from the bin to the kitchen...to the living room...to the office...

*She got to play in the snow for the first time this past weekend. It was man made and not an ideal spot for her to really get the full experience so I'm hoping she gets another chance when we drive to Colorado next month!

As for her baby book, yeah still haven't gotten to that yet. I think I may be able to retrieve some of my brain cells back once Jacob is in Kindergarten...even if it's only for a few hours and will require even more daily running about! For now I will keep recording what I can here so each stage is captured forever! Because it really does go by....too fast!

Their Thing

Over the past few months I had been struggling with signing the boys up for baseball...or not. There is so much pressure that if they miss one year, they will be out for good because they will be so far behind. I have talked to Craig about my desire for our kids to have their "thing". That one thing that they are really good at and can take into adulthood with them. Something to fill out on a hobbies list. Something to be proud of. Something to engage themselves in. Tyler and Zachary both tried soccer and it became apparent that this was neither of their "things". We moved on to baseball and Tyler really liked it and Zachary liked it ok. In Tyler's second year he wasn't as enthusiastic. When asked if they wanted to play again this season, they both said "yes", but it was lacking the enthusiasm I was looking for. And for the money and time we would be investing in it...I wanted to see some enthusiasm!

Part of what makes baseball, or any sport for that matter, harder to get into is that we are not sports oriented parents. The only game you will ever find on in our home is the Super Bowl (which Craig looks forward to all year). I like going to a baseball game now and then. I especially like watching my kids play. But that isn't enough to keep the passion alive...especially when the kids are just "meh" over it too. So I struggled with finding their "thing" ....and being able to afford whatever that may be.

A few months ago Jacob took a little Karate class through the city. It was 4 weeks long and he enjoyed it. Craig took Karate for a bit when he was a child and has mentioned several times throughout our marriage that he would like to get back into it someday. I started thinking maybe we should sign the boys up for that. And it started more and more to sound like a better idea. The place Jacob went to is not the closest but they have been there for over 25 years. And the best part? The second child is half off...and the third and subsequent children are FREE! I decided to ask the boys what they would rather do. I asked them separately and they all VERY enthusiastically picked karate! Without hesitation. That sealed the deal for me.

We went to find out more details and ended signing them up. They started this week and as of now will be going every Tuesday and Thursday. Two classes in, and they can't wait to go back! Another neat factor is after Craig and I pay a fee for all of our gear, we could train for free as well. Because it is such a huge time commitment (they want adults to come 3 times a week!) and the hours are not good with small children, it might be awhile until we get to that point. But, at least the option is there for us. And it's so neat that it's something all 3 boys can do together since it seems that Jacob is always getting left out of what the older boys are doing. He has yet to play any sports being only 4, so he is going to get his shot at soccer come Fall.

And it looks like we may have found one of their "things" which makes me happy. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out!

Alexis at 17 Months!

Alexis Joy continues to be a busy little bee. She loves her family, toys and being social. This past month....

*She has said more words! She would go up to our Christmas tree, point to an ornament and say, "Pretty!" She says "Baby" all of the time now. To her dolls, pointing at pictures, to herself. She says "Bite!" over and over every time she wants to eat, sees us eating or when she wants her paci! She'll say, "Bye" or try and say, "Kiss". She's trying to mimic more words all of the time now.

*Can't believe it but she is still in size 3 diapers and weighs about 20, maybe 21 pounds. She's in size 4 shoes and mostly 6-12 month clothes.

*She has taken to playing in the toilet every chance she gets. We try and keep doors closed but she has unfortunately learned how to open them. We have the bar handles on all our door so its easy for her to reach up and hang on it to open. Not fun. Yesterday she was playing in the toilet so I took her upstairs to give her a bath and clean her up. Only to then have her poop in the bathtub. Ugh! The boys did not do this...of course it's my "dainty" little girl!

*She's still super attached to her blankie. She calls for it and it kind of sounds like "baby" but slightly different. We can always tell when she wants it.

*She likes to hit people in the head, preferably her brothers when they are sitting on the floor. Or next to her in the car (poor Jacob!). You can tell she likes to see what reaction she is going to get. She is such a sweetie that this is an odd part of her personality and we are trying to break her of it.

*She's really bent on going into Daddy's office. All of the time. During meetings too. Craig has been on Skype in a meeting when all of a sudden the person he's talking to exclaims, "Hey, there's a baby back there!" Every time I turn around she's back in his office...or the toilet...or the cabinets. It's an interesting stage to say the least!

*She does love to play! She got a ball pit this month and loves crawling in and sitting in the balls. She will throw a bunch out and then go and put them all back in. We have seen her "clean up" different things a few times now and it gives me hope that she will be nice and organized (one can hope!) Some other favorite toys are her piggy bank, talking "Potsy", babies her purses, the Tag pens and play kitchen toys.

*She's sat down a few times now to "watch" tv. It's not for very long (which is good...I know, I know, babies are not supposed to watch any t.v.....what are you going to do?) "Backyardigans" and 'Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" interest her with their bright colors and fun music. Today she sat and watched "Care Bears" very intently. Until she noticed that I had taken her picture. Then she was up and about as usual!

*Still pulls out her hair bows, clips, pony holders etc. Sigh.

*As for her baby book...I did one spread Monday...yay! Would like to try and average one a day but know that most likely won't happen as I already missed yesterday! Maybe I can do two today...one can dream right?

Our baby turns one and a half next month...here's hoping more of her book gets done by then!

Alexis is 16 Months!

The days seem to go faster and faster lately. I still can't believe how little I have done on Lexy's baby book and again am thankful I have things recorded here. When the New Year hits my plan is to plow through her first year and get it done!(Feel free to encourage that plan!)

This past month Alexis:

*Has become much more vocal. She tries to say much more and has said baby, cheese (when taking a picture!) mama for "more", and uh-oh. She has said other words when trying to copy something we said. The cutest thing is how she says "Hi!" all of the time now. She says it as soon as she sees someone and in the cutest little voice!

*Has really started imitating us. She will intently watch what we are doing and then proceed to try whatever it was herself. Opening a compact, typing on a keyboard, picking up toys, stirring something. It's really cute and something we notice is different then the boys. She is much more interested in detail and doing what we do.

*Has developed an "evil villain laugh". It's pretty funny! She will wait until one of her brothers leaves something they have been carrying around (this is usually Jacob) and she runs over, picks it up and then runs away with this deep, throaty laugh! She does the same laugh whenever she is up to no good.

*Has started clearing out every cabinet, basket and drawer she can find. It is making A LOT more work for mommy during the day. Within seconds flat she can empty entire drawers of clothes in the boys rooms. I have put together pj sets countless times now...hoping she grows out of this stage quickly!

*Still wears size 3 diapers. Is wearing 6-12 months jeans and most 6-12 month outfits. Gymboree 12-18 month tops are fitting. She's a site to see as she runs around, being so small. As most people say it, "She's a busy little thing!"

*Still not drinking milk. Trying to put a little in her water but she will only drink that with the tiniest amount of milk. I dropped her morning nursing time yesterday which has been hard. She was really out of sorts about it this morning. So now she nurses just once a day at night.

*She has really been enjoying the Christmas season! She loves when we dance around every day for our Advent Tree drawing! Something else super cute is how she dances everytime she hears my text notification. It's a cheery Christmas song with ringing bells and she grins and dances so sweet every time without fail!

*She's been making a funny face where she freezes her mouth into a little "O" (There's a picture below that kind of shows it!). She'll do it if she eats something funny or something happens she doesn't like.

I was telling Craig the other day that I found the perfect way to describe her being in our family. It's like having a sundae with 3 scoops of your favorite ice cream (the boys) complete with a big cherry on top! Alexis is definitely our sweet "cherry"!

Advent Tree

It's that time of year when the bells ring and "Advent Tree! Advent Tree!" can be heard once a day in the Shoemaker home. It is one of our most beloved family traditions as we have been doing it for most of the boys life! What is Advent Tree? It is a tree that I made at a MOPS meeting one year. Someone came and spoke to tell us about their Advent Tree traditions and it was such an awesome idea I couldn't pass it up for our family. There are 25 pockets to put a slip of paper in that holds an event for each day until Christmas. It can be as big as a trip to Disneyland or as simple as reading Christmas stories together. But when we grab that tree off the wall, begin to shake it so the bells jiggle and yell out "Advent Tree!" over and over....priceless! The kids run from every corner of the house as fast as they can in anticipation of what that little piece of paper holds. Even Alexis is getting in on the action this year! She grins from ear to ear and tries to dance around...so cute! So far this year or Advent Events have been:

December 1st - Started off with a Bang! Went to Disneyland and thoroughly enjoyed all of the beautiful decorations and "snow"!

December 2nd - Went to get frozen yogurt at Berry Sweet and bought our Christmas Tree! The boys go crazy for our trees...ahhh the wonderful scent of pine!

December 3rd - Went to spend time with our friends the Hoopers! Our kids have grown up together and playing with them is always high on their list of favorite things to do! And going to Mc Donalds for a treat certainly sweetens the deal!

December 4th - Going to Sea World and meeting Grandpa and Grandma there! Very exciting being able to enjoy more awesome decorations and 3 shows this year with a Christmas theme! Also watching the "Polar Express" 4D movie there...so fun!!

December 5th - We decorated our Christmas tree! The boys love getting all of the ornaments out and remembering each special one. Speaking of traditions I have bought a Hallmark ornament (or two or three...) every year since we have been married. The buying of Hallmark ornaments actually goes back 3 generations. My Grandma Pape used to work at Hallmark before I was even born and when I was born, bought me an ornament every year for many years (which I still have). My mom continued this by buying them nearly every year while I was growing up and now I get to continue the tradition. So neat to be able to carry it on!

December 6th - Was "The First Gift of Christmas!" Around the time Advent Tree started I began this tradition. The boys get to open a gift during the first week of December. Sometimes they each get something small but lately it is usually just one gift for all of them and is Christmas themed. This year it was a Phineas and Ferb Christmas movie that they were able to watch that night.

December 7th - Chick- Fil-a Family Night and read Christmas Stories! Nearly every Tuesday we go to Chick-fil-a for Family Night. That night one of the girls that usually runs things played her guitar and sang Christmas songs with the kids. They were also able to color Christmas pictures. When we got home they each picked a Christmas Story and we read them together.

December 8th - We had Wednesday night Small Group and the kids Youth Night. Before going they got to watch "Charlie Brown's Christmas". Another "must-do" of the season!

December 9th - Last night we took our Family Christmas Pictures and got treats at See's Candy afterwards! Can't beat all of the free samples and the lady that helped us even gave us their suckers for free!!

December 10th - Today's much anticipated activity is making sugar cookies. Mom's going to have to find her second wind to get through that one! Make the dough and frosting from scratch and then let the kids cut out different Christmas shapes. We may be frosting some of them another day as it's a L-O-N-G process!!

I really have so much fun getting to share this special event with my kids. I hope they grow up with fond memories and pass the tradition onto their own families! As for the rest of the activities planned...to be continued!=0)