My Baby is Two!!

Alexa turns two tomorrow so I wanted to pay tribute to her today. It's hard to believe that this time, two years ago, I was in the hospital eagerly awaiting her arrival. We went in that day at noon, so I could get induced, but didn't get a room until two and then waited the rest of that day and early into the morning before she graced us with her presence. Here are some facts about Alexa:

Her full name is Alexa Layne (I read a book when I was at Ricks and the girl's name was Alexa and I LOVED it so vowed I'd name a daughter that one day. Her Grandpa Anderson's name is Lane so her middle name is very special)

She was born on September 26, 2006 at 1:44 a.m.

She weighed in at 7 lbs 6 oz and was 20 inches long

She has a favorite stuffed bunny that she sleeps with. When she's falling asleep she always rubs her nose on the bunny's nose.

She runs everywhere she goes - I think she's gonna be a track star one day!

When she's tired she likes to feel her own hair - completely unrestricted . . . that's why I have to re-do her hair every day after her nap.

She is still very cuddly and likes to be held.

She is a Mama's Girl, which I love.

She hates getting dirty and has a fit if I don't give her a napkin at every meal.

She LOVES all types of shoes and parades around in them - it doesn't matter who they belong to . . . even visitors!!

She is very animated and squeals when she's excited. She even gets excited when I buy her clothes and insists on trying them on.

She is such a blessing in our lives and brings us so much joy. Love ya Lexa!!

More about me per "Disney"

So I did the disney test and this is what I found:

You Are Pocahantas!

Free-spirited and wise. You have a strong passionate spirit that touches and changes all who know you. The wisdom and common sense that you have is really what guides you through life. Even so, you also have a very playful side that loves adventure and excitement.

Which Disney Princess Are You?

Maybe I should've put that in as one of my five things!!

Lucky me . . I got "tagged"

So I guess getting tagged means you get to list five things about yourself that no one knows. My BF, Wendy, tagged me and like her I too am an open book and don't know if I can come up with five things that are unique about me . . . I'll give it a try:

1- My husband said to put that I'm a psycho - I think everyone already knows that! No seriously though when I get something in my head I won't quit until I accomplish it, and right that minute. That can range from something like deciding to paint something and then going to the store at 10 p.m. to get started or something as small as realizing I need to mail something and walking out to the mailbox at midnight just so I won't have to fret about it overnight . . . psycho because our mailman doesn't come until noon so there's plenty of time in the morning. Hey, to each their own!! :)

2- I am fluent in two languages, or so I thought. Even as a child I loved (back to the psycho attribute) to fill out all of the demographic forms for school and I'd always put that I was fluent in two languages. Which languages you ask??? English, of course, and Goose Latin. You heard right - not Pig Latin, Goose Latin. My family speaks it - I don't know who started it or how to teach it. You just have to "pick it up". Dell is in the process of learning - I think Ashlee may beat him . . she's getting quite good. Having your own language can be so nice when in public or trying to get out of a situation or away from a person. A few of my closest friends could understand & speak it and boy could it be a life-saver!

3- When I was at Ricks College I was the VP of Business Professionals of America. Basically my professor called me at home and asked me to run. It was a required club in our major and I wasn't too eager, but did as she asked. It later led to me competing in a state and national competition where I was able to ride my first airplane (at age 20) and go to Philadelphia for a week. That was my first trip back East, I got my first set of fake nails, and was able to run up the famous "Rocky" stairs. I actually placed 2nd in Document Formatting at the National level so apparently have an eye for business forms, letters & reports!

4- I am a really picky eater. I stick to the basics and won't even attempt something that looks "ify" to me. Dell & I went on a cruise when we were first married and he tried everything they offered. If you've ever been on a cruise you'd know that they have a lot of delicacies and fancy-shmancy food. Most people are totally excited about this. I on the other hand suffered through dinner and ate daily at the 24 hr pizza bar. I do come by this bad attribute honestly. My Dad is the WORST and we stuck to potatoes, gravy, roast and corn every Sunday and Factory Pizza (the best pizza ever made that exists only in Othello) at least once a week. So those still remain as the basic food groups for me!

5- I have heightened senses, well at least two of them. I can hear really well - which can be good and bad. I can listen to two conversations simultaneously, which can be really convenient. It can also cause huge annoyances for me. For example hearing well means you hear all of the little things going on around you. One case in point, which literally hurts my ears, is people who clip their fingernails. I can hear that from a mile away. So all of you nail clippers - please avoid doing that in public . . .especially at church!!!
I also have the gift of smell. Let me tell you there are a lot more bad smells then good - at least in my experience! Whenever anything smells bad my family will ask me to take a wiff and most of the time I can identify what it is or pretty close to it. Even good fragrances can almost be assaulting to me because of the amount. Candles, perfume, etc. I like the initial smell but once it permeates the area it almost makes me sick because of it's strength.

So now you know a little more about me. I hope you all still want to me my friends!! :) I guess now the rule of thumb is to tag five more people. I don't know who consistently reads my blog so this may be difficult. I tag Kari, Melissa, Camille, Julie Robinson & Annette.

Mount Rainier

The girls and I decided to go on a last-minute trip to Mt. Rainier! I was talking to my mom on Thursday and she told me my Aunt was going along with a few of my cousins and I told her, "I want to go!!" She wanted to go too so we decided to pack it up and make a quick trip. My dad couldn't go . . . Dell couldn't go . . . so it was my mom, Kylee, Me and the girls, and my cousin Jennifer & her daughter Bella. All 8 of us fit in my Dad's Expedition, along with all of our stuff. I am a professional packer, I tell you! You can't imagine what I can fit into a small space. Anyhoo we didn't get out of Othello until almost 7 p.m. so we unpacked and put our tent up in the pitch-black forest with our headlights lighting up our way! My cousins, the Taylor's, were there too so they greeted us and helped us out. We had everything done in no time at all.

Lindsy came and met us on Saturday morning and we went to a nearby town, Packwood, where they were having their annual flee market. That was interesting . . .like a huge yard sale. There were some vendors there with new stuff, some there with crazy stuff, a ton of food you'd see at the fair and DOGS EVERYWHERE! I've never seen so many dogs at one place. You don't generally see a lot of Great Danes - at least I don't - we saw 8 of them. They are the biggest dogs ever! They look like mini horses! Anyhoo it was just crazy how many dogs were there. My girls loved that . . .me . . . not so much! :)

We also hiked up a few different trails, saw some neat glaciers, went to one of the visitor's centers at Paradise Point - right in the park at Mt. Rainier, where we were snowed on as we were hurriedly running to the car. The nights were cold, but we had plenty of blankets to keep us warm. This was a totally different type of camping than we're used to. We usually go to a campground where there's a nice grassy area for our tents and it's right off the lake, where we spend most of our time. This camping was right in the dirt, surrounded by tons of beautiful trees, where you are cold even during the middle of the day because no sun gets through the blanket of trees- the type of camping where you need a fire the whole day and night to keep warm! We had so much fun though and are vowing to make time for more spontaneous trips like that. It was a great weekend.

Oh, I'm also to report that Ashlee lost her tooth before we left and that she has mastered the art of blowing bubbles. She had a ton of gum to practice with and is now a champ. Alexa proved to be nearing the "terrible two" stage this trip. She did not like being left out by her sister and cousin. They each had a little bike or scooter to ride and she'd run behind them crying. It wasn't until she got her hands on the baby's stroller and pushed it behind them that she was truly a happy camper!