One little, two little, three little Indians

Our little Indian

(or is she a pilgrim?)

would like to wish a very Happy Thanksgiving

to all her friends and family. 

The Big Bash

Alexis, 

to celebrate your 2nd birthday, 

we had a party at The Little Gym

with all of your best friends

Greeting Tessa and playing with Annie

Hugs for one of the youngest guests, Mason

(Nanny and your Grandpas were there too, of course!)

It was quite a big bash, and it was lots of fun.

Mommy made sure there was a theme....the alphabet.

And, the flash cards and cupcake flags 

and party favors sure were adorable. 

But you kiddos are what stole the show

You sang and you "parachuted"

You bounced and you jumped

(well, in your chase, tried hard to jump)

You laughed, and you smiled

Betsy's dad made me laugh. He was alone with all

three daughters, knew no one and looked thrilled about it :)

You hung, and you posed for Grandpa's many photos

And then it was time to sing a very special song 

to our sweet Birthday Girl.

You had been practicing for weeks, 

and you were more than ready to blow out those candles. 

Thata girl!

"Yum, this icing is delish.

I think I'll help myself to more..."

...just like these guys did.

"Cheese"

And just like that, the party was over.

Your grandparents came back to the house to continue the celebration.

We opened gifts and sang a few more times.

We had family hugs and lots of laughs.

And, we all felt grateful.

So very grateful for our wonderful friends.

And, most of all, grateful for our sweet 2-year-old!

Look Who's Two

Happy 2nd Birthday, Alexis Rose!!

We love you to the moon...and back. 

From the heart

Alexis,

When I started this blog during my pregnancy with you,
I decided early on that it was going to be all about "you".
It would serve as your "baby book" of sorts
and provide little snapshots of you at a certain moment in time.
It was not going to be a place for me to share all my thoughts and feelings.
It would be lighthearted.
And, for the most part, I think it has served this purpose.

I hope that in the years to come, we will read some of the posts together...
and smile and laugh and remember.
I hope you will come to cherish it,
just like I treasure the baby book my mother created for me as a child.

The funny thing about a blog, though, is that it can sometimes make our days seem perfect.
It can give the illusion that all we do is take pictures and plan playdates and parties.
And, of course, that's just not the case.
Like any other family, we have our ups and downs, our good days and our bad ones too.

More than anything, though,
I hope this blog shows you how very thankful we are for the gift of you.
How blessed we feel to be your parents.
How lucky we consider ourselves that we get to guide you
and teach you and support you.
How much happiness you bring to each of our days.
How we don't take a single one for granted.

On the day you were born,
your father wrote me a beautiful note.
I keep it on the dresser in our closet.
Not a day goes by that I don't stop to read it.
I won't share his exact message -
as that's something special just between he and I.
But the gist of it, that I can share.
It says that you are our very best gift -
and that he could not love you more.
I feel the exact same way.

Let's Party!!

The invitations have been sent, the cupcakes have been baked, 

The Little Gym is ready for a whole bunch of kiddos...it's time to party!

Trick or Treat

Halloween is...

A day to play dress up

And enjoy some candy

A great excuse to see your friends...

And chase them around the yard

A day to carry around fun buckets and glow sticks and flashlights

And take lots of pictures

The perfect day for a piggyback ride...

or to fly through the air

A day to learn the phrase "trick or treat" 

and repeat it over and over

A day to ring doorbells and sneak into neighbors' houses.

A day to ooh and ahh over fun decorations and scary ones too. 

A day to stay up late.

A day to have lots of fun.

Thank you, Alexis, for letting daddy and I experience Halloween through the eyes of a child again. 

We all had smiles from ear to ear on the drive home!

Halloween Happenings

Lexi,

Now that you're almost 2, you sort of "get" the Halloween concept.

You say "trick or treat" when we pass pumpkins, 

you love telling people that you are Minnie Mouse,

and you most certainly do NOT like the monsters on display around town.

Since you're older this year, we have been able to really get into the holiday spirit. 

With our pumpkin carving kit in tow, we joined your buddies Shane and Tyler 

for some jack-o-lantern making last week. 

You had mild interest in the actual carving - you sat at the table with us 

and played with the ooey, gooey pumpkin seeds.

But the three of you quickly decided that running, and jumping and coloring 

and goofing around was much more fun. 

The first of many Ring Around the Rosies

But lighting those pumpkins...now THAT got your attention.

The three of you loved checking out the smiley face, and the ghost and the spider.

You were so excited to have those candles lit, Lexi,

that you actually started singing"Happy Birthday"to the pumpkins. 

The next day was your preschool class trip to Silverman's Farm.

You all went in your Halloween costumes, and boy was it cute!

The two's class took a hayride together.

You wanted to sit next to each other.

Here you are with half of your class. 

Your teachers told us that you, Annie, Lucy and Betsy 

are great friends at school. 

They say you are always playing with one another. 

Here you are with Lucy and Annie 

and holding your teachers' hands. 

So long friends, see ya real soon.

And, Happy Halloween!