Sunday, August 15, 2010

Approaching the Big 2!

Once again, it seems I'm starting with an apology for such a long time between updates....

At any rate, Lexie is now 23 months old. She seems to have grown at least an inch in the past week. She can reach things now that she couldn't just last week (note to self - clean off countertops...). She has learned how to jump, and one of her favorite things in the world is a trampoline.

She is now the oldest toddler in her class at school, and she's getting ready to move up to the Toddler Room after her birthday. She's still doing very well in school, and has even managed to give up the paci at nap time (at school....not so much at home!). She still loves to have her teacher paint her finger and toe nails (I have pretty nails, Momma!), but at the same time, doesn't mind a bit being yucky dirty. I think we may have a girly tomboy on our hands.
She talks non-stop. We are actually having conversations with her now. She's got some favorite expressions: What's that?; It's OK, Momma; Don't talk about me!; and, of course, NO! We hear her chattering to herself over the monitor in the mornings most days. She loves to read books, and she gets very excited when we go to the bookstore (Ooooooh! New books!!).

She has started to take Kung Fu lessons. She gets one-on-one lessons with her sifu (teacher) every other week. Most of the time it's just playing with Sifu, but she has actually started to pick up on some of the movements. Our goal is to get her acclimated to the environment so that, when she starts to take real lessons, she'll be comfortable there. It has actually really helped with some behaviors at home that we were trying to change...namely, hitting and kicking. When she does it now, we can remind her that we only kick/hit with Sifu, and it stops.

Her temper has definitely shown itself in the past few months. We had our first kicking/screaming/punching/had-to-leave-the-store meltdown a few weeks ago. It was pretty impressive. I didn't really know someone so little could get SO mad! She has her own opinions about the way things should be and is not shy about expressing them.

She's been working on her 2 year molars for a few months now (all 4 of them!). Every week or so she'll have a spurt of teething pain that lasts a few days. Poor thing. When I brush her teeth I pray that we'll see a new tooth, but so far nothing. It's really during these days that we see the temper come out. But I can't really blame her. Cutting 4 molars at once must be really hard!

We had a weeklong visit from my family, which Lexie absolutely loved! She had her Grandma and Grandpa, her Uncle Sean and Aunt Carly, and her cousins Jessica, Kyle, Maddison, and Kane for a whole week! She also had her Uncle Mike and three more cousins - Zack, Logan, and Dylan - for a few days. AND one day we had a cook out where her Nana and PopPop, Aunt Dre and Uncle Terry, and SIX more cousins - Kylee, Sierra, Reagan, Davis, Peyton, and Caleb - came. She was in seventh heaven!! It was quite the adjustment when everyone left (including Doug - he was gone for a week on business) and it was just the two of us!

She is really turning into Daddy's girl. She gets so excited when she hears the door open when he gets home from work. I think it must be the highlight of her day. She likes to pounce on him in the bed in the morning when he's still sleeping (which he's a trooper about!) and shout, "Wake up, Daddy!". She loves to play in her playroom with him..."Gonin' in the playroom, Daddy?" It really is sweet to watch them together.
Developing her own sense of style...


This is what happens when you leave the bulk pack of napkins within reach....














Sprinkler time!


Helping with the laundry


Expressing her displeasure at being asked to get out of the cabinet


















Beach baby! In the Outer Banks for Memorial Day

Putting our toes in the surf...it was COLD!

Bunny ears, short shorts, and high heels....thinking we may want to encourage different fashion choices in the future....

Not thrilled with posing with the stuffed alligator at the aquarium

Playing in the playroom with Daddy

Modeling her new Kung Fu outfit


Our favorite Mommy-Daughter date....Getting Smoothies!!


Just another day at the office


COUSINS!!!
Kyle, Kane, Zack, Jessica
Kylee, Sierra, Reagan, Logan
Maddison, Davis, Peyton, Dylan
Caleb, Lexie