Freelancing

Grandpa Tom might be enjoying retirement, but he has a freelancing gig from time to time - babysitting! We're always so thankful, and Alexis is always thrilled when her Grandpa fills in for us. Tom recently watched Lexi and then kicked it up a notch by staying on Sunday and cooking dinner for the fam.

Let's hug it out

When we shared with him the going rates for our sitters these days, he said maybe this should become a full-time gig.  Lexi gives the nod of approval. As I mentioned in another post, she's all about her Grandpas and daddy these days.

P.S. Sorry about the messy face. Dinner is very much still "play time" for Lexi, and she hates to have her faced wiped off after the mess making and food dropping/throwing is complete. We're working on her table manners.

The Monday Blues

Alexis is always sad when Monday morning rolls around. She stands up in her crib, eagerly waiting for her Daddy to come get her so they can start playing.

She's ready for a little of this:

And some of this:

And of course, she's ready to give out a bunch of these:

Now that she's walking, Alexis loves to walk straight into

our arms to give out hugs. And over the weekend, she started giving Vic

unprompted kisses too.  Melts.my.heart - though I'm a little bit jealous)

Instead of playing with Daddy this morning though, Lexi was greeted by a rainy day and errands with her mom. Never fear, our little lady was prepared!

"My Cousins Hanxie"

Alexis and I made a surprise visit up to Lakeville recently to have dinner with my family. She is in a very big grandpa phase (with both grandfathers actually), so my dad got all her attention for the first hour.

But she soon realized how much fun could be had with her cousins. She didn't notice the age gap one bit and tried her hardest to keep up with Matt and Courtney. As you can see, she's crazy about her cousins (and I think the feeling is mutual).

Grandpa "pretends" he doesn't want to hog her

Our little dog lover was VERY excited when I showed her the poodles on her dress.

She lifted it up to her eyes for further examination - then squealed!

The only girl Matt will let pick on him

My beautiful God-daughter (otherwise known as our babysitter-in training)

Any book with animals is a hit these days

Here comes trouble

"Hands up, singing my song"

She'll be joining you on the slopes one day soon Hanks family

Birthday Party Playdate

Alexis attended her girlfriend Addison's 1st birthday party last week. She had fun seeing her buddies. She enjoyed playing with all the baby dolls and tried stealing every bottle and sippy cup she spotted. She clapped all the way through "Happy Birthday".  But, there was little doubt who had Lexi's undivided attention....

Hudson the Dog!

Lexi spent about a half hour chasing the poor dog all over the house

and squealing every time she got licked -

even though that meant having to get her face washed repeatedly

due to her dog allergy.   Love hurts!

About to pounce on the puppy once again

She might use a cup now, but she doesn't discriminate

Partners in crime...Lexi and Keaton examine the shoe they've stolen

Monkey Business

At 14 months, Alexis is so much fun and all monkey. Vic and I agree that this is our favorite age so far!

I captured her in action today doing some of her favorite things...playing peek-a-boo (preferably with curtains), unrolling toilet paper (and often ripping it into tiny pieces before I can stop her) and shaking her finger/shaking her head/grinning back when we tell her no. Little monkey :)

"All the Hoos down in Fairfield"

I say Cindy Lou Hoo from "The Grinch", Vic says a snork (remember that cartoon?) and friends/family say Pebbles. So who do you think our little munchkin resembles in her very first ponytail?

(And I've used this version of Hooville spelling as a shout out to my UVA roots)

I have to admit, I have been patiently waiting for her hair to grow so I could whip up some pigtails and ponytails...waiting since I first heard those words "It's a girl!".  I can't help it, it was one of the images that flashed through my mind. Ponytails are right up there with tutus and tea parties as a right of passage for any little lady.

Baby it's cold outside

To ensure cabin fever doesn't strike here, we braved the very cold weather and headed outside for some fun over the weekend. Whether Lexi is a snow bunny yet remains to be determined. So slowly but surely, we're introducing her to the wonderful world of sledding and snow angels. And her hockey-playing Daddy will have her in skates just as soon as she's old enough.

All puffed up, courtesy of Nanny and Grandpa

Thanks for passing down your sled, Matthew and Courtney

A cute little red nose for you to enjoy Grandpa Tom!

Newton's First Law

Lexi proves that it's true - an object in motion will tend to stay in motion.

She was here, there and everywhere over the weekend. Her walking is getting better by the day!

There's a first time for everything...

and for our thirteen month old, yesterday marked the first time she received a cheesy pick-up line. A gentleman at the grocery store told her, "Your eyes are like the ocean." And while I tend to agree, I'm glad she didn't bite.

Speaking of thirteen months....look who's bottle free now! We made the switch for the most part during her birthday, but we weren't quite ready to let go of the snuggling and cuddling that came with her bedtime bottle. Over the past few weeks though, Alexis has mastered the art of walking while drinking from her cup, so it was clearly time to pack the bottles away. Luckily, there's been no looking back.

We're gearing up for another cold, snowy weekend around here, so what better way to get a jump start than a playdate with Grayson, Keaton and their mommy Adrienne?! Happy Friday one and all. Maybe we'll put Lexi's new snowsuit to use.

Walking on sunshine

and don't it feel good! So long sick house....Alexis, Vic and I are all back on track. Over the past two weeks, Alexis has visited the doctor's office six times, stayed overnight at the hospital, run a fever that spiked at 104 degrees, twisted and turned and moaned and groaned during nebulizer treatments, happily took her bubble gum flavored medicine for an ear infection, and endured more saline drops and nose wipes than any little girl should have to.

But, happier days are here again. Lexi is feeling good and walking and "talking" up a storm. She has become so verbal over the past few days. She fully believes she is having a conversation with us, and loves to point to an object, squeal with excitement then tell us what its name is (every once in a while she says the right word too!) She's also getting more confident walking all over the house - with her arms out in front of her, bracing for the inevitable fall (kinda like Frankenstein).

It's tiring to keep up with her, and we couldn't be happier. Welcome back ladybug! Below are pictures of her getting reacquainted with all her Christmas gifts:

Here she is on mommy's Xmas gift -

new (and fairly baby-proof) family room furniture!

She loves pushing her shopping cart from Nanny

and Grandpa around the basement

Daddy's effort putting the picnic playhouse

together wasn't in vain!

First time down the slide