Our Perry Spring Break-cation

As I mentioned in my last post, Alexa had been showing an interest in me using the bathroom so I had gotten out her kid potty. She did great for a few days! Almost every time I sat her on the toilet she would pee, and she even pooped on the toilet three times (pic on left is one of those times)!! But for whatever reason, she lost interest while we were in Perry and it hasn't come back :-( I'm gonna see if I can spark it again this week... I'll keep y'all posted.










Alexa, Chloe, and I left for Perry on Friday (4/2) in the morning and were there by lunch. Alexa did GREAT in the car (several of our last car trips had been pretty rough so I was worried driving solo with her). Her Highness enjoyed playing outside with Noni & Papa - catching ladybugs, playing with balls, and taking wagon rides.










Even though the photo on the left is blurry, I think Alexa looks absolutely breathtakingly beautiful! And on the right is Miss Ohio waving to her fans on her ride around the yard :-) Daddy arrived safe and sound (crappy rock music blaring) just before dinnertime!










Alexa loves "Barno" (what she calls Barney) and "Bop Bop (Baby Bop). Here is the cake I decorated for Easter at Aunt Kathy's house.










At dinner on Saturday night, Alexa was refusing to eat the cut up pieces of chicken that we had given her but eyeing the part of the breast still on her plate on the table. So I asked Noni to just give her the chicken breast, and she happily chomped away on it!! She is becoming so independent these days, well besides when she is constantly asking someone to "help." LOL










We colored Easter eggs on Saturday night... Alexa only got to help with one egg (I was too afraid of getting dye on her), but then she had fun sticking an egg in a cup of plain water!










Here were our Easter eggs. There was one for everyone, including Baby Boy and Dixie & Chloe (who shared). Plus there was Dan's oh-so-creative, "Suck An" egg.










The Easter Bunny spoiled Alexa again this year! She got a Backyardigans DVD, a new children's music CD collection, 4 outfits for this summer, Peeps, a marshmallow lollipop, jelly beans, and chocolate.










Yes, she got to have a piece of chocolate at 6:30 am :-)










Daddy & "Rosie" and Mommy & "Sunshine"
I put those names in quotes because that is what we each call her. And if you ask her what we call her, she'll tell you. She can also tell you that Noni calls her Pistol, Papa calls her Rascal, JaJa calls her Hunnie, and Auntie calls her Princess. It amazes me that she can keep track of her many names!










A chocolatey mess! Noni & Papa got Alexa a new dress and sandals, a purple ball (of sorts), and a Nick Jr. DVD.










Noni & "Little Pistol" and "Hunnie" & JaJa.










Out of many attempts at a family photo after Mass, these were the best two.










Auntie & JaJa got Alexa a sprinkler ball and golf clubs.










Our little caddy ;-) Watching JaJa, who is NOT a good golfer lol.










Papa trying to teach his "Little Rascal" how to put the golf balls away.










I think I've mentioned before how when you tell Alexa to call (as in shout) someone's names her normal loud voice goes to a soft-spoken, high-pitched squeal. Here is proof:


We spent the Easter afternoon at Aunt Kathy's with the entire extended family. Alexa did wonderful sharing with Rylee! It was really great to visit with everyone - particularly my cousin, Michael, who I hadn't seen since our wedding!! We are beyond blessed to have such amazing, supportive, and loving people in our lives ♥










For some reason Alexa is obsessed with [my] Uncle... she loves watching him and saying "Uncle" :-) (As a matter of fact, she kept making Gram show her pics of Uncle on Monday morning!) Can you believe it? Gram played corn hole! She did really great, but not as great as Papa who sank all 4 bags in 1 turn 3 different times! Amazing!!










Alexa's favorite part of the wagon ride was going down the mini-hill :-) She really was enjoying those wagon adventures (through the woods, over the hills, etc.) and convinced Papa, Daddy, Noni, and Auntie to constantly pull her around the yard! Alexa's 'stick out your bottom teeth' face cracks Auntie up! Daddy stayed on Easter Sunday because he anticipated bad traffic heading back into Columbus (and judging from some of my friends' Facebook posts, he was right), so he left really early on Monday morning.










Although we were missing Daddy already, we had people to see and things to do on Monday morning! Alexa spent about an hour with Gram while I went to the gym to get tips & some new workout ideas from JaJa. According to Gram, when I walked out the door Alexa started repeating, "Mommy. Hoooooome." Gram said it was like Alexa was trying to make sure she was conveying the right message. Too cute. After about 10 minutes of that, she forgot about it and enjoyed a long walk outside and pretend cooking (using Cheerios) with Gram! When I returned the two of 'em were enjoying a snack and playing with the straw in Gram's cup. While I was visiting with Gram one of her neighbors came over to mow her lawn, and Alexa FREAKED out (the cuddling on the right while peering out window picture). I don't know why, but she has become scared of noises - like JaJa's motorcycle. Every time he started it I took her outside to see it, touch it, even sit on it, and wave bye as JaJa left to try and ease her fears... hopefully she'll get used to it soon otherwise it is going to be a L-O-N-G summer! Anyway, thanks to Gram for babysitting Alexa - I know you two had a great time together! xo










On Tuesday we went to Perry Park to play. Alexa enjoyed swinging and sliding...










This slide was not as much fun! (Auntie says her foot got caught as they were coming down, boo). We bounced on the bee (as well as a tractor and frog)










Alexa & Mommy ♥ When I ask Alexa, "Are we best girls?" She says, "Yes!"













Alexa rode on the Merry Go-Round with Noni (because Auntie & Mommy both refused), and they even did some 'spider' swinging :-)










Alexa loves her Noni and Auntie ♥










We got Popsicles as a special treat after going to the park. Apparently I wasn't thinking because this green, watermelon-flavored, Popsicle stained Alexa's face and hands! This drove her CRAZY because she hates having dirty hands. Throughout her meals Alexa will hold her hands out to you and say "hand hand hand" so that you will wipe them... she may have a little bit of Mommy's OCD ;-)










Our last full day on our Perry Spring Break-cation we went to Aurora Farms Outlet Mall. We invited Aunt Kelly to meet us from Kent! The five of us had a great morning/afternoon shopping and visiting together! Alexa loved seeing Aunt Kelly and kept calling her name whenever Kelly walked away from her :-) She also enjoyed holding hands and walking instead of being stuck in the stroller.










Alexa trying to show Aunt Kelly (on the left) and Noni (on the right) the ducks. After seeing ducks in Noni & Papa's backyard (earlier in the week), Alexa obsessively talks about ducks -- she says, "Quack, quack. Fly away. Fly away." (As she was watching the ducks in N&P's yard she heard them quack as they flew off!)










Alexa enjoyed A LOT of dancing with Auntie while they were together. Have I told you that Alexa's new favorite song is "Why Don't We Just Dance" by Josh Turner? It is on the radio ALL the time, and whenever it comes on her face glows with excitement!










Here is a video of Alexa doing "The Wheels on the Bus" which she requests by calling it "round and round."


Here was my first attempt at getting her to do "Touch Your Toes."


She was not staying focused on the task at hand so Mommy had to do "Touch Your Toes" too :-)


Here are Alexa & Noni enjoying a book together on Thursday morning. Goodbye kisses for JaJa.










We had a WONDERFUL time in Perry and were sad to say goodbye to the people we love but thrilled to be seeing Daddy! Our car trip back to Columbus was uneventful, and we were over joyed when Daddy got home from work! It is not always easy/pleasant to cram so many people under one roof, so we appreciate everyone's patience with us and willingness to have us around. We are also thankful that Daddy was willing to be without us for a few days so we could spend more time there. Hopefully one day we won't have to be separated from Daddy to be with Noni, Papa, JaJa, and Auntie (or vice versa)!! Until then, we'll enjoy our trips up there and look forward to their visits here :-)

Over the past several weeks, Alexa has discovered how much she loves being outside. I think that this spring and summer are going to be so much fun now that she can actually play outside! As you can tell from our Perry-cation, Alexa enjoys playing ball (kicking and throwing it), going for wagon rides (or walks in the stroller), playing on a playground, and even playing golf (she most enjoys putting the clubs in the bag). How am I so sure that she loves being outside? Alexa cries, kicks, and screams when you bring her in :-)~

Besides fostering a love of outdoor play, our time in Perry really developed Alexa's vocabulary and communication skills. I think being around so many people, hearing lots of conversation, and having to get her point across without Mommy's constant translation really contributed to some awesome development! Some of the words/phrases she has learned recently (at home and in Perry) include: kidding me, trouble, fly away, sorry, brother, helicopter, choo choo (trains are continuously going by N&P's house), come on, okay, no Mom, granola bar, goldfish, Fruit Loops, happy, diamond, funny, fish, Connie (not too sure who Connie is, but she always says it after she says hunnie - then she laughs at herself), all of her nicknames, and Paul & Danielle. Yes, she has discovered that JaJa and Auntie are not their 'real' names and thinks it is funny to call them Paul & Danielle. I've been correcting her and telling her no, which has turned into this for example: While looking at a picture of Paul on our refrigerator yesterday She says, "Paul. No no. JaJa. Hunnie!" So hilarious... it's like a mini-monologue, with her self-correcting and also identifying what he calls her :-) Two other things... she has learned is to say "Amen" at the end of grace, and she even knows that Amen is a part of church because she "Amen"ed as we drove into our church parking lot on Sunday. Alexa also tells people "God bless" when they sneeze. She is so polite!

Alexa has also gotten great at helping me sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "You Are My Sunshine" (which I sing to her before nap and bedtime). Here is how she contributes (her words are in italics): Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are, up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky, twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are. You are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray, you'll never know dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away. Isn't that great?!?! I know I say it all the time, but she really amazes me with her intelligence! Alexa is like a little sponge soaking up vocabulary and information about the world around her.

Another funny Alexa story... I've been putting her in mini-timeouts (15 sec) after having to tell her no or redirect her three times. She sits in my lap while I hold her arms and count. After the time is up, she has to stand up, tell me "sorry," I tell her what she is sorry for (i.e. not listening), and she gives me a kiss as I say, "Now go make good choices." Anyway, last Thursday morning I was trying to pack to come back to Columbus and she was misbehaving... so I asked her if she wanted to go to timeout. She walked to the foyer/hallway at N&P's house, sat down, and gave me a defiant look that totally meant, "Go ahead and count Mom!" Noni, JaJa, Auntie, and Mommy couldn't help but crack a smile at her ornery behavior ;-)

In other awesome news... the three of us are going on vacation this summer with Noni, Papa, and Auntie! We will be heading to Monroe, NC to see Auntie Kathy, Uncle Dave, Rox, John, Bella, and Jack. Then the six of us will head to Myrtle Beach, SC for three nights! We are so looking forward to a fun family beach vacation!!!

No decisions have been made on a name for Baby Boy despite many people's constant inquiries and suggestions. My two favorite boys names are Jack, which I have a hard time using since it is Rox's son's name & it is extremely popular, and Henry, which sounds awful with Ritchey. My problem is that almost all the names I like don't sound good with Ritchey -- in fact, I've asked Dan if we can just change our last name but he vetoed that :-)~ We've bought Baby Boy some clothes, including a Little Brother onesie and (my personal favorite) a onesie that says "Daddy & I agree. Mommy's the BOSS!" Haha, LOVE IT!! I've begun to feel him flutter around, which is just amazing. The greatest thing about pregnancy are the special moments that bond Mommy & Baby for life. I cannot wait to feel him get more active and begin to guess about his personality (I was right that Alexa would love music b/c she always moved during hymns at church or when my car stereo was up really loud). We know that Baby Boy's nursery is going to be in the small room but haven't started to set it up yet. The bed in there is going to my parents' house so that Dan and I can actually sleep in a bed together rather than the silly daybed. We want to get jungle themed bedding and will pick paint color(s) once we find the bedding. I go to see Dr. Davy for my 16-week appointment tomorrow morning. Can hardly believe we are almost halfway through this pregnancy! Can't wait to her the lil guy's heartbeat tomorrow ♥

Well, this post is EXTREMELY long so I will save the details, pictures, and movies of this past weekend and this week thus far for another time... Hope this post finds everyone happy and healthy :-) Ciao.