The big girl room

Alexis,

Once your new bed arrived,
we decided it was time to give your room a little facelift.
It needed to feel a little more girly, a little more "big kid-ish".
You see, back before we knew that you were YOU,
we painted your nursery walls a pretty khaki.
When you were born, we brought in lots of pink accents.
It was soothing and sweet.

But, you're almost two-and-a-half now.
And, not only are you a big girl,
you are also a girly girl so far.
Your favorite color is pink.
You wear a bow in your hair nearly every day.
And, whenever you wear a dress, you announce "I'm a princess"
and begin to twirl around the room.
So, we decided that our big girl needed a big girl room.
I have adored striped walls since I first saw a photo of your friend Millie's nursery.
We decided on green and white to match your bedding.

We got a frilly, eyelet bed skirt.
We wanted to give Uffu, the owl you sleep with, a buddy.
So, up on the wall went "Hoot", who watches over you while you're dreaming.

We are still looking for some artwork for the walls.
And we're also in search of a new rug.
But, so far, the room has really come together.

It's so cheerful, you can't help but smile every time you walk in.
It's exactly the big girl room we envisioned for our big girl!

Easter Saturday

We had a wonderful time celebrating the Easter holiday here (on Saturday)
with the whole family.
The egg hunt had to be moved indoors due to rain,
so to ensure Alexis got to experience the "real deal",
her father and I staged a second one outdoors on Easter Sunday, with the sun shining down.

Hippity Hoppity

Easter's on its way!

I asked you where Peter Cottontail the Easter Bunny was going to be this weekend.

And, you threw your arms up and shouted, "our house!"

You then broke into your own version of the holiday song.

It went a little something like this:

"Here comes Peter Cottontail,

hopping down the bunny trail,

hippity, hoppity, Easter's on its way,

...bringing lots of chocolate and lollipops and eggies for myself"

Can't wait Alexis!

In Bloom

Finally, finally Fairfield is in bloom.

Few things are more cheerful
than watching the cherry blossoms, dogwoods and daffodils come to life.

Our new favorite game is to find flowers as we're driving around town.
And, sometimes, the temptation to pick one is just too powerful.
Good thing you're cute.

Babysitter's Club

A new babysitter came to town last weekend...
and she was a quite a hit!

Family friend Jen (Vic's childhood next door neighbor)
graciously offered to make the drive up to CT,
just to spend some quality time with Lexi.
We jumped at the offer
and were happy to see that Alexis loves Jen as much as we do.
In fact, Lexi wouldn't let us leave for dinner
until the four of us shared some "family hugs".

Happy almost birthday, Jen :) And thanks again!

Pedal to the medal

Now that the weather is finally warming up,
Lexi has been able to take her bike for a spin.
Her legs are still just the tiniest bit too short,
but she's really getting the hang of this whole pedaling thing.
After watching her zoom on by today,
we promptly went out and bought her a helmet.

Bright Sunshiny Day

After posting these photos of you on Facebook,
my friends said they are going to nominate you for
"Best Dressed Toddler"
It must be in the genes -
because your Nanny, Aunt Wendy and mother all held this title too.
But never fear Vic, this cute little dress came merely from Carter's
(and the shoes are from our buddy Keaton...whose feet were a little too big for them).

I think you are starting to look more like me 

the older you get. 

And in the picture below, 

you look just like me as a 2-year-old

Potty Time

Alexis,

A few weeks ago, we decided to give potty training a go.

We didn't want to put pressure on you since you're still pretty young,

but we figured we'd test the waters and see whether you caught on.

I knew just how to motivate you - by offering you food :)

This seems to be all the prodding you needed,
as you have done remarkably well.

We started with a little potty seat.

And, once you go the hang of it,

we switched to a Dora potty seat cover.
You are so proud every time you go.
"I think I'm all done!" you say.
Then, of course, you ask for a chip or a little cookie.
It seems like we're going to have to change the reward -
because you've been getting LOTS of cookies the last week or two.
We are so proud of you,

and we think you look just adorable in your big girl underwear.

This photo is from the other night.
You asked me for a little privacy. Seriously.
I came back a few minutes later to find you reading my UVA magazine!
I called your daddy up right away and of course had to snap a picture.
We both agreed, you look like you're 2 going on 20.