Fun in the Snow

Last week I was changing the sheets on Alexa's crib and rediscovered the rocking chair that my cousin, Lauren, had painted for my baby shower. I got it out for Alexa...


Since this picture, we've moved the rocking chair into the Playroom. Alexa likes to grab a book and go climb into her chair and "rock."










Last Tuesday, Pat & Becky came over for a visit. We had dinner together and enjoyed some playtime too! Alexa is taking after her daddy & grandpa (using her laptop). And the picture on the right... well, when you ask Alexa what Mommy's car says, she goes, "Vroom" and throws her arms in the air (like I'm a wild woman driver, hehe).










Oh this was too funny -- Alexa hand (instead of head) butted Grandpa.


Sharing her necklaces with Grandma.










Last week we went for a free class at My Gym in Powell. Alexa had a BLAST!! She loved exploring the mats, the various climbing things, and most especially playing in the ball pit :-) This is the beginning of class, which is free time.










My Gym is one hour long and semi-structured. Here is Alexa doing two of the activities that were setup for the Waddlers (that's what her class/age group was called)... flying on the trapeze and walking across the wobbly balance beam. She did great!










Then during another free time, Alexa got to swing! It has been so cold out so it'd been awhile since Her Highness had gotten to do one of her favorite summertime activities.










Another thing Alexa enjoyed were these bouncing ponies. She neighed anytime she looked at them (even from across the room), and she always made the "ahh, ahh, ahh" sounds when bouncing. She is such a silly duck (that's what I call her)!!


The end of class is separation time, where the parents "walk away" and leave the children to socialize amongst themselves and with the two teachers. Alexa did GREAT during this time! She was very friendly with the other children and helped the teachers put the whiffle balls in the crate when it was time to clean-up (FYI: she was the only child cleaning up!).










After we were done at My Gym, we called Daddy to tell him how much fun we had had. He promptly told me that we could NOT join because it is so expensive (however, after being stuck inside with Alexa all weekend he retracted this and said we can join next winter for two months). He also asked us if we could bring cookies to him and his team because they were coming off of a "sugar-high" from donuts that morning. So we stopped at Kroger, got some cookies, and then visited Daddy at work.

Alexa and Daddy spend lots of time building (with both the cardboard blocks and the Mega Bloks).










Here is a video of Alexa doing her shapes puzzle. I think I mentioned in my last post how great she is getting at it :-) She can completely do this puzzle, as well as an emergency vehicles puzzle, by herself. This is pretty awesome considering these puzzles are 2+ years and she is 1 year 3 months!!!


We got a whooping 8-9" of snow in Dublin on Friday. So we ventured out Saturday morning (probably not our best idea because the roads were awful) to get Alexa some boots. When we got home we took her out to play in the snow. We were a little nervous because she did not like it in December in West Virginia, but apparently she's changed her mind in the past month... The three of us had a great time outside together!!










Alexa kept eating the snow, haha. I taught her how to make a snow angel (and she smiled while I moved her arms/legs back & forth).










A video of us making a snow angel.


Isn't her angel beautiful?










Alexa & Daddy worked on the bottom ball of a Snowman. That's as far as they got though.










She was so funny eating the snow...


Here are Daddy and Alexa playing with the giant ball (i.e. pile of snow).










Mommy called an end to playing in the snow because Alexa's cheeks started getting red, and I was worried that she was cold.










We spent the remainder of Saturday and most of Sunday indoors because it was sooo cold and apparently there are no plows in Columbus. I mean, I grew up in the snowbelt, and I'm used to the roads being cleared AS the snow is falling. But here it's almost like the city does not own trucks to plow. Here it is Tuesday and we are getting dumped with MORE snow and our street STILL has not been plowed! It is just ridiculous. Okay, now I'm done with my soap box about how dumb it is that no one plows in the Columbus Metropolitan area. On Sunday, we enjoyed watching the first half of the Superbowl at our friends' house, Don & Kim Branham. It was nice to visit with our Nationwide friends, and of course, Alexa had fun following Leylynn around :-)

Here are Alexa & Mommy at Babytime. I think she was the oldest (the second oldest, tops) at storytime yesterday. It was so strange to watch her doing some of the rhymes & dances and wandering around the Story Garden confidently while other mothers were supporting their babies' necks!










We went to my gym (Urban Active) three days last week, and Alexa cried all three days. She kept signing "all done" to the ladies, which they thought was hysterically. And apparently, Alexa so desperately wanted to leave the second day that she stopped asking for "Mama" and started crying for "Dada." I think she was adjusting a bit though because every time that I've gone in to pick her up Cristi, one of the staff, has been holding her - the first two days she was crying in Cristi's arms (and had cried the entire 1 hr+), but on Friday she was not crying in Cristi's arms (although she had cried off/on while I was at Yoga I'm told). I was hoping to consistently go on Tuesdays & Thursdays to workout and then go every-other Friday for Yoga (on our non-Perry weekends), but unfortunately the weather kept us home today. Hopefully, we will be able to go on Thursday!

Alexa has this new "laugh" she started doing the last time we were in Perry, but every time I go to record her doing it she stops (of course!). What she does is tilts her head back & forth with her mouth wide open & eyes closed with a silent laugh. It is so funny!! The other thing I need to get on video for y'all is Alexa stomping her feet (as in, If you're happy & you know it stomp your feet) because it'll make you laugh too!

Well, I think I'm going to go do some reading for school (which means I'll end up taking a nap, lol). Will post again soon. Ciao.