Christmas Eve & Morning 2015

On Christmas Eve, Justin and Alexa went to see Star Wars in the theater. Alexa was pretty excited but really didn't know what to expect. She said it was super awesome and she had cool hair to match. The story from Justin is that she enjoyed the first half and then got bored. It is a bit mature and long for a five year old.

Once Alexa got home we had to hurry and get ready for church. Alexa had one more rehearsal on stage and then two performances during the evening services. If Alexa had any nerves she didn't show it. She sang her little heart out. After the kids sang the first four songs they sat with their parents for the service. Both girls did some coloring and behaved as well as expected. After the message the kids went back on stage. Addison was very upset that she was not going up as well. Gena, the music director asked us if we thought she would stand there. We shrugged our shoulders and off they went. Addison ended up doing a great job. We were all pleasantly surprised.  We were then able to visit with Addison's preschool teacher (Ms. L), Julia who sat with us and the Partello's. The church had snow, cookies, coffee and festive decorations outside the sanctuary. We all had a good time having some fellowship.

Alexa and I stayed for the second service so she could once again perform. This time she was even more comfortable and started watching the drummer behind her. I was impressed at how well she did being that it was after her bed time. We made it home and Alexa asked to open one present (a common tradition among her friends). We picked one for her to open and then she went to bed.

The next morning the girls were very excited to go downstairs. They open stockings full of personal care items including new My Little Pony toothbrushes. Next was Santa gifts. Alexa was very happy to get the zebra she asked for. Addison has excited about her new DVD's for the car. We then Skyped with Grandma June, Grandpa & Papa. The rest of the day was spent opening gifts, video chatting and playing endless games. It was a wonderful day. Probably my favorite family Christmases. It reaffirmed our decision to not travel on the big holidays anymore. Although we missed our extended family we do not miss the hustle and bustle of running around.

Polar Express

We decided to head back to Williams, Arizona for the second year to visit the Polar Express. Last year we went on Christmas Eve an it was magical. This year because of the now 7 hour drive we decided we would go a few days before Christmas. That way we are able to be home all day on Christmas. We started our drive on Saturday just after lunch. We were all super pumped up and no one was dreading the long ride. We made it 3 1/2 hours before we stopped in the middle of NO WHERE. Seriously! It was the first building we saw in over an hour. It had a tiny gas station, a little convenient store and bathrooms that they charged you a dollar to use if you were not a paying costumer. We of course decided to stock up on snacks so we did not have to pay to relieve ourselves. However there was no way were going to pay $4 a gallon for gas. Thanks but no thanks expensive tiny gas station. After a 10 minute stop we were back on the road. Our next stop for the day was in Kingsman, Arizona. We were greeted by $1.99 gas prices and a warm hotel. After picking up dinner we went to our room to make our ginger bread house. This was the first year I bought one that was not reassembled. What a mistake that was. The girls enjoyed decorating it but we were unsuccessful on getting it to stay standing.

The next morning we continued our drive to Williams. It was only a 90 minute drive through the mountains. We saw lots of snow on the ground and animals in the fields. Once we arrived to Williams we checked in and then played in the snow. The girls were so excited. Addison was not a fan of being cold (totally my girl). They made a small snow man, went sledding and had a snow ball fight. It was wonderful! We had lunch in town and saw a little bit of Williams. While Addison napped, Alexa and I went swimming in their very warm pool.

That night we had dinner and then got on our festive Christmas PJ's. We opted for the late train ride this year. We met Ms. Clause and Alexa asked her what she has been up to since last year. Our train car was letter "J". Alexa kept saying J is for Jesus. I loved that she still brought something true of Christmas into our very commercialized event. Addison was sooo excited to see the train. We were the first ones on ours and immediately found our seats. For the second year in a row we were in the back of our car. I prefer some of my own space so this made me happy.

During the first half of the train ride we danced and sang. We had our tickets punched just like in the movie. We then had hot chocolate and cookies while looking for the North Pole. Once at the North Pole we saw Santa and his Elf. On the way back Santa got on the train and told Alexa she was on the nice list. Addison was hesitant but was happy with the bell she received. On the way back we sang Christmas carols that included a contest between the girls and boys. It was such a wonderful and magical time. After our train ride we took our Christmas photo on Santa's sleigh. On our way back to the hotel we watched the light show (Mom's favorite part). Both girls were exhausted and went right to sleep.

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel restaurant and made friends with the table next to us. Then we started our LONG drive home. We stopped 3 times and were all ready to get out of the car. It was a quick weekend but a fun one. We look forward to do it again next year and hopefully including some Grandparents too.

Christmas Celebrations Part 1

We are officially on Christmas Vacation. This break was soooo needed. I over committed us in December and it was taking a toll on us. Friday evening was spent at Petco Park (Padre's Stadium) with our best friends (Kristen, Wayne, Julia & Emily). The winter fest was something we did last year but this year we had special treatment since Wayne is the guy in charge. It was nice to have close parking and to be able to walk through the "tunnel" instead of waiting in the giant line around the corner. The first thing we did was see Buddy the elf. Alexa was really excited since we just watched the movie. Then we rode the Ferris wheel. The kids decided it would be the Dad's and kids in one cart. The Momma's were OK with this decision. The next activity was tubing down the hill. I was pleasantly surprised at how excited the girls were. Julia & Alexa rode together both times. Addison rode on my lap and kept saying "again." So Daddy took her back up for another ride. I think the Cox family would have stayed at the hill all evening if we were alone.  Next we did the carousel and then the bounce house. The girls rolled down (and up) the grass hills and saw all the festive decorations. There were princesses, men on stilts, candy people and just about every other Christmas character you could think of there. It was a wonderful evening. The last thing we did was say hello to the reindeer and Santa. Alexa and Julia were the brave girls. Emily and Addison wanted nothing to do with him.

The next morning we had our church Christmas party. The girls made ornaments and played with all their friends. This is a great group for us. They are all Sunday school teachers and parents of youngerish kids. We just all seem to understand each other. Alexa participated in her first white elephant gift exchange. She was very excited about the fake snow balls that she brought. The kids next to us ended up picked them and loved them. Unfortunately they were stolen away and the original family as well as Alexa were upset. In the end, Alexa ended up unwrapping the last gift. She didn't end up with a toy or really anything useful for her, but she learned a good lesson. We were proud of her for not showing her disappointment. After the girls at lunch we were on the road to head to Williams.

Uncle Jeffy Jeff

We started out our Christmas celebrations by going up to LA to see Uncle Jeff, Marie, GB & Sam. We started the weekend by going to Home Depot so the girls could do something familiar. Addison really enjoys being able to participate like her sister. They both did a great job making stack-able blocks.

  After Home Depot we went to the race track. Alexa was most excited about seeing Marie. The girls spent the day coloring with chalk, blowing bubbles and getting lots of cuddles. That evening we went to Benihana. Alexa enjoys eating an apple with chopsticks and Addison turned her chopsticks into drumsticks while watching the show. That evening we opened gifts with GB and Sam. The next day we went back to the race track and watched Uncle Jeff win another race. It was a fun weekend. We are super excited for the rest of the Christmas celebrations.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving break was a much welcomed break. It started out with a birthday party that included a bounce house and Tinkerbell. We then went on to Legoland to play in the snow. The girls had fun going down the hill on a sled and making snow balls. We were glad to have 80* and sun while playing in the snow. 

Our next adventure was with Julia, Makaio & Kaia. They introduced us to the tide pools in La Jolla. When the tide goes out you can play in the rocks and discover the fish and anemone that remained. We all enjoyed bouncing around the rocks and the low tide pools. Alexa and Makaio tried really hard to catch a fish but did not have any success. We have since received a net as a gift and plan to take it the next time we go.

I tried REALLY hard not to over schedule is, but like always I did. We had Gabriel over one day and Julia P. the next. By the time Thanksgiving Day arrived we were all pretty worn out. We ended up enjoying our quiet day watching the Parade and then Football. 

Halloween

Halloween was a full month event this year. The first weekend of October we went to Brick or Treat at Legoland. The girls were able to do some trick or treating, compete in a costume contest and then enjoy the Halloween themed rides. Addison was pretty excited to put on her costume. She wasn't so sure about taking candy but seemed to enjoy herself. Alexa LOVED the attention and every bit of trick or treating. The costume contest was cute. Alexa introduced them and answered a few questions. Addison mostly stared in confusion. It was a great night and BOTH girls fell asleep on my back at different times.

The next Halloween event was going to the pumpkin patch. We miss our Kansas farm but enjoyed trying out a new one here. The girls rode ponies, played in the petting zoo and did a few bounce houses. We then rode a tractor ride as a family and took some pictures in the pumpkin patch. It ended up being very hot so it was a quick morning. Another fun event in the bag.

The next event we did was Point Loma Nazarene Festival. We were unsure of what this event would be. We were pleasantly surprised with how great it was. The girls once again rode ponies, picked out pumpkins, we did a family horse drawn carriage ride and then some bounce houses. Yes I am noticing the trend of our events. It was a wonderful day filled with views of the ocean and lots of kids laughing. We even ran into some school/church friends.

The last event(s) we did leading up to Halloween was painting and carving our pumpkins. Both girls enjoyed getting down and dirty with the paint. We pull out the little pool and let them get messy. Such a sweet time. Neither girl wanted to touch the inside of the pumpkins when we were carving. Alexa was terrified when she was 2, so  I didn't have high expectations that Addison would at the same age. In the end the girls enjoyed seeing our cat and Mickey Mouse glow. 

Oops! Can't forget the two events at the Y that we did. First was the fall festival. The girls did crafts, played games and got their face and hand painted. It was a cute but loud event. We ended up losing Addison's costume hat somewhere in the hour we were there. I looked for days but never found it. Luckily she didn't mind on Halloween. The other event was the pumpkin dive. The Y didn't do their research and were surprised to see that pumpkins actually float and not sink. It turned into a pumpkin rescue. Alexa had a good time swimming for a pumpkin for her and Dawson. Afterwards they were able to decorate their pumpkins. Dawson named his Alexa and vice versa.

On the day of Halloween we had a birthday party and then went to Krispy Kreme for the girls free donuts since they were in costume. Unfortunately it was Addison's nap time and it was busy. We left with donuts but it wasn't a pleasant experience. Probably one tradition we wont continue next year. After a nap the girls were recharged. We got dressed and drove to Beaumont Street (La Jolla) to trick or treat. Addison still wasn't sure what it was all about. After a failed attempt for pictures we were off. Our first stop was with two super nice ladies who had a cat nailed Collins. Addison quickly realized she was going to have a good time. We spent the next hour and half walking down a busy and VERY well decorated street. It was the best trick or treating time we have ever had. We will go back to this street next year.

Farm Day

Alexa's school had a farm day this week. Fortunately, Addison and I were able to volunteer. We had such a great time. Alexa was very proud of the apple juice we made and the stand she made with her Dad. Addison enjoyed seeing all the kids and all the decorations. We helped with a game, scavenger hunt and of course feeding our little farmers.

School Days

The last month has been full of school drop offs, swim lessons, play dates and everything in between. Our princesses live quite busy lives. A typically day for Alexa starts at 615am. She quietly makes her way down stairs and curls up in her blanket (the same one she has loved on since she was an infant) in the playroom. I greet her and give her her breakfast options. She then spends the next 30-40 minutes eating and waking up. At 7am she runs upstairs, changes her clothes, brushes her hair and teeth. At exactly 730 we head out to pick up Dawson (our carpool). Once at school, Alexa puts away her lunch, snack, water cup, folder, library book (if it's Friday) and hangs up her backpack and then off she goes. She plays for about 10 minutes before her class lines up. She spends her day learning the usually stuff including Spanish (her favorite). This year she even rotates classrooms to literature, music, art, PE & chapel. She seems to be enjoying all of them. Addison and I pick her and sometimes Dawson up at 245. A few days a week we have to rush to swimming or gymnastics. Other days the kids get to play on the play ground before heading home.

I try to make Alexa's afternoon/ evenings as unscheduled as I can. I let her free play and just relax. Unfortunately her interest keep her busy. The thought of giving up swimming, gymnastics or AWANA is heart breaking for her. So we run between places regularly. So far we have found a good balance. The weekends are completely unscheduled for Alexa. I can only imagine what our future holds if she likes being this busy at 5.

Addison's day usually starts around 530. Justin and I kick at each other until one of us gets out of bed. We tell Addison to go night night, which she does and we go back to bed. Around 6am we hear little feet running into our room. A few minutes later she is pulling at our sheets as she climbs up. She prefers to lay completely on top of us. Her 26lbs makes quite the impact on my petite body. We cuddle for 10-15 minutes before heading downstairs. Addison feeds the cats and gives them fresh ice. She also gets out the syrup while I make her breakfast. She eats very quickly, sometimes before I even get a chance to sit down next to her. After breakfast we go upstairs to wake up Daddy. Daddy gets Addison dressed and then I do her hair. She will spend the next 15-20 minutes watching Mickey while the rest of us get ready.

Addison has school two mornings a week. So far its been great. She loves to be dropped off and is excited to see me at pick up. Once I pick her up she eats lunch and then takes a nap. Her days go very quickly on school days. The other days we get lots of play time. Sometimes we go to the Y and Addison hangs out in the kid room for a few hours. She loves the girls in there. Addison swims on Saturday morning. She has really bonded with her teacher. I love watching her progress. She will be an independent swimmer in no time (at least we hope).

A whole hand

Alexa June is 5 years old. Alexa is now 40.5 inches tall and weighs around 32-33 pounds. Our petite princess is growing into a wonderful little girl. She is so caring and compassionate towards other people and animals. She is the first to comfort someone in need and very self aware. It's amazing how my tiny little baby has become so full functioning in just 5 years. I love watching her grow and learn new things. She asks at least 100 questions a day. She is consistently wanting to know why and how things work. Sometimes I get frustrated with all the questions but I try to remember it's all good things. One day I will be asking her questions about technology and popular fashions.. so for now I will enjoy my turn being the "expert."

Alexa had school on her birthday. She seemed a bit shocked that she went to do school even though it was such an important day (for her). At school she wore a special ribbon (medal as she called it) saying she was 5. She also was able to do a few extra special things in her class room.

After school, Addison, Alexa and I went to Nickel City for some play time. The girls played many games. Alexa was especially good at the fish bowl game. She ended up with lots of toys and candy to share.

Once we got home we had a small party with Uncle Will. Alexa picked out a fireman cake and red decorations. She was very pleased with how to it all turned out. She enjoyed opening gifts and getting special things in the mail. 40 ring pops from her Dad was one of the high lights.

Throughout the day Alexa received over a dozen phone calls. Although she appreciated all the calls it did become a bit overwhelming. One thing I know for certain is that she felt loved.

It was a wonderful day!

We love you more every day, Alexa June.

Chicago Vacation

We decided in early August that we needed to schedule a trip to Chicago to visit Great- Grandma & Grandpa McKinney. Looking at flights during Alexa's school breaks was rough. Everything was very expensive. I got a crazy idea to check August flights. They were a quarter of the price. I couldn't resist! So we planned our trip only two weeks before we went to the airport. Justin was a trooper and decided to fly out with us for the weekend to help with the girls (and to visit of course.)

Our first flight was a late evening flight. We knew Alexa would fall asleep right away but we didn't know how Addison would act at bedtime. In the airport the girls had a great time playing. Once we board the plane they were excited.

Addison slept during the first hour. Then the baby behind us woke up and cried.. waking up Addison. She then needed to be entertained for the last three hours. Alexa watched Big Hero 6 and then slept until we got off the plane. 

On Saturday we hung out at Grandma & Grandpa's house. The girls were sooo excited to see their grandparents. They picked flowers with Grandma & watered the flowers with Grandpa.

The next day we saw Uncle John, Aunt Kelly, Chris & Shawna. Alexa wasn't feel well so she spent some time on their couch. After awhile she popped up and said she was hungry. She ended up feeling better and even was able to swim. Addison was crazy excited about their dog. She ran around and chased him while yelling "Doggie."

On Monday morning Justin flew home to get back to work. The girls and I stayed for two extra days to get extra cuddle time. It was very chilly so we spent most of the days inside but we made the most of them. My favorite Alexa and Grandma memory was listening to Grandma read "Tickle Monster" to her. My favorite memory of Addison and Grandpa was the two of them sitting outside holding hands. It was a great few days.

Doctor, Dentist & Therapy

Alexa June had her dentist visit this month. She was very excited that it was just the two of us going. She got 100% of Momma's attention. The x-rays are always the hardest part. They use the same size film on kids as they do adults. Alexa was sooo brave and followed all the hygienists directions. This is her first time in 3 years of dentist visits that she did the x-rays on her own and not on our laps.

The top picture shows Alexa's teeth. The dentist said her teeth look fantastic and that they are very well taken care of. She also believes Alexa has another 1-2 years before she will start losing teeth. The final comment was that her adult teeth are very large and it expect braces in her future. This comment has been made by all 3 of her dentists in all 3 states. So I guess I need to start that sinking fund. Of all it was a great visit.. she is good for another 6 months.

Addison had her two year old well visit this month. She is doing so well in her development. She pointed out some many different shapes on the walls and allowed the nurse and doctor to do all her tests. I was excited that she was able to stand on the scale and get measured this time. It was only 4 months ago that she screamed and wouldn't let them touch her. The doctor gave us two referrals. One to the allergist for her peanut allergy and one for a speech evaluation. The doctor wasn't overly concerned about her speech but he said he wont see her again for a year and by then it is too late for early intervention. Overall another good appointment. We will have to go back next month for flu shots but that is it for a year. My baby girl is growing up!

Addison had her speech evaluation. Overall she was 4 months behind in her speech. This isn't a huge gap but we would rather close it up now then have her fall further behind. Addison knows more nouns then most two year olds. She can point to things and say their name. The area Addison's struggles with is called expressive language disorder. When she was being evaluated she was doing great and then they got to the expressive or action area and it was like she hit a brick wall. She just stopped talking. It was crazy but excited to see that they could identify where she is struggling.

Addison will be doing individual therapy for about a month and then group therapy there after. The hope is that she will be caught up in about 4-5 months. This Momma is hopeful. We are also going to be going to parent support group classes to help with dealing with Addison's challenges and will be given tools to help her the best we can.

So proud of my girls and look forward to the months ahead.

Addison is 2!!!

My baby girl is two years old. It makes me tear up just typing that sentence. Addison was a very tough baby but I still never wanted to see it go by so quickly. The older Addison gets the calmer and more pleasant she is becoming. Her talking is a bit behind for 2 years old but she is making good progress. My favorite words are "Yoshi" (here it is) and Mick-me (Mickey). She has learned to ask for help and has pretty decent manners, using please and thank you regularly. She will still scream to get our attention if she doesn't know how to say the words she is needing.

Addison for the most part knows her colors. She knows 8-10 shapes and numbers 1-10. She likes to color, play with stickers and play dough. Addison LOVES gymnastics open gym and swimming. She has moved into her big girl class and is improving weekly. I love my little toddler athlete.

Addison's eating has improved. She is liking pastas and meats the most. She likes some sweets and pretty much anything in a liquid form. Addison weights about 25lbs and is 32 inches. She is growing into a real kid. Slow down peanut!

For Addison's birthday we went to a movie in the park the night before. Alexa told the DJ it was her sisters birthday. The DJ announced it and sang to her. She loved the attention. Kristen, Julia and Emily brought her presents and cupcakes. On Addison's birthday we took her to the zoo to ride the ZooFari and the petting zoo. Addison had a great time. We were told the sheep do not eat from human hands. For some reason they chose to eat from Addison's. It was really special. After lunch we did cake and presents. Addison did not like having icing on her hands but did like the attention. She was excited about her presents and most excited about the balloons. In the evening the girls and I went to Legoland. We rode all of Addison's favorite rides and visited the aquarium. 

Looking forward we have Addison's annual allergy tests. We have been praying hard for her to overcome her peanut allergy. Addison will also be starting preschool next month (only 2 mornings a week). We also have to tackle potty training. I keep putting it off but plan on starting sometime this month.

We love you Addison Alena!

Disneyland Summer 2015

Since coming to California we have made it an effort to have lots of family time. Our trip in April was really nice to see our extended family but we didn't have a lot of family of 4 time. We decided a Disney trip was in order. We woke up early on Monday morning and drove the 90 minutes to Anaheim. The girls were so excited. We spent the morning walking onto all our favorite rides. Alexa was able to ride a ton of new rides now that she is 40 inches. Her favorites are Splash Mountain, the Train ride (Big Thunder Railroad) and Star Trek. She didn't care much for Space Mountain. I was impressed at how brave she was for less than 5 years old. Addison did not remember meeting characters. She was very unsure for the first few but opened up as the day went on. She loved all the rides she was able to do.

On Tuesday we went to California Adventures. Addison was so excited to see the ferris wheel with Mickey's face on it. Alexa enjoyed Soarin and both girls enjoyed the Disney Junior show and Aladdin. We had another long day. The girls stayed awake through the water light show. Justin was very happy we stayed to watch it. Unfortunately Tower of Terror was closed for the day. Justin wanted Alexa to try it out, I was secretly glad she didn't have to ride it.

The last day was back in Disneyland. We did a bunch of our favorite rides and stayed until the firework show. I admit I get tired by 7-8pm and have a hard time stay until the parade and fireworks. Both girls enjoyed the lights parade and Addison liked the fireworks. Alexa was very tired and asked to sleep in her stroller. It was a great few days.