Tree Time

We pulled all of the Christmas stuff down from the attic last night. We were planning on doing all the Christmas decorating this weekend, but since we go to our parents house for Christmas and they come here for Thanksgiving, they wouldn't be able to see the house all done up, so we are doing it early! I wanted to get the tree up without decorations so Alex can get used to having it in the living room and we can start working on limitations with the tree. I decorated her little tree while she was napping yesterday and when she got up, I showed it to her and let her touch it. I pointed out Frosty and the butterfly. She will now gently point to the correct one when I ask her to. She was playing with her snowman that sings Frosty the Snowman today and said Fraaa-teee! Baby Girl loves Christmas just like her mama! We put the tree up after she went to bed and set out a lot of other decorations. This morning before we got her up, Josh and I turned on all the decorations that had lights, went into get her then brought her out to the living room so she could see everything lit up before we opened the blinds and turned on the main lights. She just pointed and oooh'ed and ahhhh'ed. I can't wait to actually decorate the tree tomorrow night! It is my favorite thing to do.

So far, Alex has done good with the tree. One toy ended up under the tree and she had to go explore!

She hung out in the corner behind the tree for a while

then decided to lay down on the tree skirt!

it kinda makes me think of this picture from last year!

ICE!

Saturday we took Alex to the Gaylord to see ICE! It was all Grinch and Who-ville! It was so cold but amazing! We bundled up in the blue parkas they provided. Alex's was HUGE on her. The arms extended about a foot past her fingertips and the bottom of the coat touched the ground...she looked like a little penguin walking around. We carried her through the majority of it because it was just easier, plus she could see everything better. At the end they had 4 slides made out of ice. We saw a man go down with his kid in his lap so I headed up to take Alex down. When we got up there, they told me I couldn't go down with her in my lap, so instead of causing a stink, we skipped the slide. Alex loved it...but I think I enjoyed it way more than she did. I LOVE Christmas and all things related. The atrium of the Gaylord was beautiful and they have so much stuff you can do. There was a little shop to make Gingerbread houses, Santa was there for pictures, there is a HUGE Christmas store. They also had different activities like breakfast with the Grinch and milk and cookies with Mrs. Clause. If we had planned it right, we would have done one of those activities, but we weren't sure what time we'd be heading up there and Alex only napped for an hour in the car so she was ready to go after a while. We definitely want to go back next year!

waiting in line on Daddy's shoulders

Alex loved the snow in the first area

my little penguin

The Stafins

Thanksgiving (#1)

We had our first of two Thanksgivings today. It was with all my aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. We rent a facility every year because there are usually around 30 people and it is just easier than having one person volunteer their house. There were 7 kiddos, Alex being the youngest. She was great the entire time, just walking around looking outside through the floor to ceiling windows. After lunch, she finally got to go outside and play. She had the best time just walking all over the place, picking up leaves, sticks and flowers and stepping up and down from curbs. We tried taking her back inside a few times and she would just scream and cry until she could find someone else to take her back outside...which was never too hard. She loved watching all the big girls play and do flips on the bars.

Alex was not happy I took a dandelion away from her

Alex and her Popi
picking up leaves

sweet Peyton

the big girls (Chloe, Jaylee and Kylie). Alex was always under foot

Busy Little Bee!

It seems like in the past few days Alex has just exploded doing so much stuff!

She has know where her tummy and head are for about a month or so, but in the last two days, she learned nose and ears.

She still isn't speaking much but on rare occasions when you aren't expecting it she will repeat something clear as day. So far we have heard, ball, yum yum, yeah (she says this one all the time), Cooper, Daddy, all done...and more, but I can't think now.

She is obsessed with phones. If my phone rings, she runs over to it until I pick it up. She loves her play phone and will hold it up to her hear and just walk around the house. When we were at Josh's parents this weekend, Ray was playing with Alex and his phone rang. Alex picked up a sun glass case that was kinda shaped like a phone and put it up to her ear.

She is getting very good at putting stuff away. She isn't perfect, because she makes huge messes, but every little thing she puts away is one less that I don't have to put away.

She loves bags. She will walk around with her purse, a little makeup bag, or pretty much anything else that opens and she will fill it with her toys.

She learned how to unscrew bottles, which I almost found out the hard way. I was in my bathroom and she was playing in the drawers, found a little travel size shampoo, took it in our room, unscrewed the top and had it all over her hands. Thankfully I saw her before the hands went in her mouth.

She still loves her music. She will go into the living room, point at the drawer where we keep the remotes or point at the TV and start dancing. It's her cute way of telling me to turn on the tunes. If we start singing Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes, she will find her puppy that plays it and push his paw until he starts singing that song, then clap for herself.

She loves bossing us around. Yesterday we were all on the bed and I kissed Josh. She came up to us, turned our heads away from each other and put her head between ours. If I'm holding her and kiss Josh she will lean in and kiss the both of us so it's like a big family kiss. When Josh is holding her and I lean in for a hug, she will give me a quick hug then push me away from them.

She loves playing with her stacking rings. She can put all the rings back on the pole thing in order from largest to smallest! She is getting good at stacking her little people blocks and getting the little people to sit in the wagon, see saw and carousel.

She is starting to climb. I went in her room today and found her with her torso on the ottoman and her legs on her glider, kinda stuck, not knowing what to do next. She is constantly trying to climb on top of her bigger toys, the couch and her glider.

We are heading to Dallas tomorrow so we can go to ICE! at the Gaylord with Josh's parents and dinner afterwards. Sunday we are doing my family Thanksgiving with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Speaking of Thanksgiving, I've got to work on my menu. Our parents are coming to our house for Thanksgiving. THEN...we get to haul out the Christmas decorations! I CAN NOT WAIT!

Even more teeth!

So, I've realized my child has a crazy long tongue! When we feed her if we get the spoon close to her mouth, she will stick her tongue out to feel the spoon! Today I was eating Skittles and she came to me and opened her mouth for me to give her one, which I didn't, and I blew in her face because she usually thinks it hilarious! She must have like it because smacked her lips and kept coming back with her mouth wide open for more Skittle scented blows...crazy kid!

Anyway, this week, 2 more teeth have popped up. All four of her first molars have broken through the gums and her first bottom lateral incisor finally popped through yesterday. Kinda weird, she got her molars first, but at least the first one finally showed up! So the tooth count is now at 11! I've noticed that with each pair of teeth, the left one shows up, then the right one a few days or weeks later.

Alex is turning into a Piggy Sue! This morning she had breakfast around 7:30, a cereal bar for a snack around 9, some puffs around 10 and by 10:45 she was fussing and whining in the kitchen for lunch so she has 2 helpings of white turkey chili! She knows exactly where we keep her snacks because she will stand in front of the cabinet fussing and pointing to it until I give her some. Most of the times, she has her snack bowl in her hand and hands it to me to fill for her. Demanding little thing! If I ask her if she wants milk, she goes to the fridge to try to open it and if I am making her waffles for breakfast, she tries to open the freezer to get them out for me! It's getting bad. When we were at the grocery store Monday I actually had to sneak the puffs and goldfish into the cart because if she sees them she will fuss and try to turn around to get them the rest of the time we are at the store!

Syvie's Birthday Party!

Before we headed home Sunday, we made a stop in McKinney for Sylvia's First birthday party! I haven't seen Amy or Sylvia since a few days after Syvie was born. I miss Amy! Amy and her mom went all out on the decorations and it was soooo cute! Alex loved playing with the other kids!

Alex and Syvie!

The birthday girl and her adorable smash cake!

Alex loved everyone singing Happy Birthday and started clapping!

Alex, Cash, Syvie and Remi...all doing their own thing!

Happy First Birthday Sylvia!!!

Poker and a new car

Friday night we hosted a poker night at our house. It was for one of Josh's departments. We had pizza, cookies and played poker. I am happy to say, I was not the first person out...I was the 3rd! Josh was the second. Alex had fun watching everyone, until it came time to go to bed. She had a fit and screamed and cried in her crib until she finally fell asleep. Night times are getting pretty bad. She used to be great. She'd entertain herself in her crib until she fell asleep, now it's more like screaming and crying for anywhere from 5-30 minutes before she finally crashes. I don't know what the deal is, but it's getting old. The first few nights, I'd go in and out making sure she was ok...after realizing she was perfectly fine, we just started leaving her there to CIO, but I know she is perfectly capable of self soothing and going to sleep on her own so we will keep letting her CIO until she gets past this phase.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early to head to Dallas. We left the house by 8am. I was in my car with Alex and Cooper and Josh was alone in his. I went straight to his parents in Grapevine while he headed to Richardson to get his new car! He got a 2010 Mustang and he LOVES it! I love the new car smell!

While Alex was napping, Josh and I went to Southlake Town Square to walk around and window shop since it was so pretty. We sat outside and had some gelato! yummy!!! We had dinner with his parents and his grandma came over Sunday morning and we all had breakfast before getting ready and heading out! Cooper is staying with them for the week since we'll be back up next weekend! This is the first trip we've taken 2 cars to and from Dallas and I HATE it! I love having Josh in the car to sing with me and get on to me for playing on my phone the entire time instead of talking!