Camping

We got to go camping with Eden's family this weekend. We camped in Oak Creek Canyon. Lexi loved being able to play in the dirt without me nagging her to stop. She loved playing in the tent (which proved difficult when it came time for bed:). Cole had to take her for a car ride to get her to sleep. When Lexi woke up (at 5:45) she sat and with excitement said, "Mama, Dada". She was thrilled to have us right next to her. She got to fish with her cousins and have a picnic. We had a fun time and enjoyed spending time with Eden's family.

Utah

We went to Utah and had a great time. Cole went camping with my Dad and some other guys in the Uintas. They got to have some "manly" fun. While they were camping me and Lexi got to spend time with my Mom and other family. It was so nice. Grandpa got a crib and Lexi loved her new special bed. She did so much better in general this trip. She loved playing under the stairs in the playhouse. Lexi also loved her cousins! She would scream "Kenna" when we would get to their house (I didn't think she even remembered where they lived from our last trip). She learned how to say all of their names. The last day I was there she heard the doorbell ring and she yelled "Kenna" with excitment but it turned out to only be the Fedex man. Even now if I mention their names she gets excited. Lexi also loved to play in my Moms closet. She would try on shoes and play with her jewelery. I got to go to the temple and do some shopping while my Mom watched Lexi. It was so fun to go back to the Mount Timpanogos Temple. It brought back so many memories. I also got to make some crafts with the girls in my Moms family. I love my relatives. They are all so good to me. It was such a fun trip!

Snowbowl - Hike 6

Earlier this month we did a little hike near Snowbowl. It was really beautiful and we'd like to go back in the fall when the leaves change.

Example

One day this week I had an eye opening experience. I had just put Lexi in her high chair to feed her breakfast. She started yelling something over and over. I was having trouble figuring out what she was telling me. Finally I figured it out...she was saying pray. I had forgotten to say the prayer on our food and she was reminding me. I'm so glad I have such a sweet little girl that keeps me on the right path. These pictures are of her taking care of her bear. We had the high chair on the carpet and she decided to put him in and feed him. She loves to take care of him. She's a little mommy at heart.

Fathers

Last week during my young women's lesson I asked the girls to think the 2 people in their life who have influenced them the most. I then asked them if they would share their thoughts. These were their responses:

Girl 1: My Dad is who I thought of. If my Mom is sick he will do her chores and take off work to help out. He always helps us.

Girl 2: My Dad is mine too. He's going through a hard time right now and might lose his job. Even though he's really tired when he comes home from work he still plays with my brothers. He goes running with me. I don't really like to run but my Dad makes it fun and motivates me.

Girl 3: Mine is my Dad too. He also might lose his job but he still takes time to help people. When the floods happened he took off time from work to help our neighbors.

After the girls responses I was a little surprised. I had expected them to all think of their Mothers. I then realized how important the role of a Father is in a girls life. It made me grateful that my daughter has a father she could say the same things about. He always makes time for her. He lets her know he loves her. He loves her mom (me) and sacrifices for our family. I am also grateful for my own father. He is a great example to me. My favorite memory of him growing up was when I would wake up in the morning. I got up early for school but he was always already up. Every morning he would be in the living room reading his scriptures or kneeling by the couch praying. He never missed a day. He is such a great father and I love him so much.

Lexi and Cole one year ago in North Carolina. She is trying to touch a kite off in the distance.

Mind of her own

Lexi is at such a fun and hard stage. She has so much personality and I love watching her use her imagination. She also has a mind of her own. It is trying when she insists on doing the things you've asked her not to do. Despite this she is such a joy and I love her personality. Lexi's latest:
-She is particular about a few things. She does not like it when you forget to push your chair in. She also dislikes it when she has a shirt on but no pants. (however she loves to be completely naked!:)
-She loves to pretend to be me. She imitates me all day long. She feeds her dolls in her high chair, puts them to bed, plays with them, cleans the house the way I do, etc. It got a little startling when she gave her doll a time out and made it say sorry. That was an eye opener:) She loves to play pretend and is very creative in the way she does it.
-She knows the way things are supposed to be. She knows where we each sit at the dinner table, where we sleep in the bed, which shoes are ours, etc.
-She is into caca. Everything is caca right now. She ate dirt the other day and spit it out and said caca.
-She loves her friend and when we say his name she claps and shouts for joy
-She knows the actions to all of her songs and when she hears the tune she will do them
-She loves to say "ready, set, go" and makes you say it before she'll go down the slide
-She loves to help me. She will empty the dishwasher, wash walls, take diapers to the trash, etc. She thinks it is really fun to throw things away so she'll pretend she's found something on the floor and take it to the trash just for fun. She also loves to put toilet paper in the toilet.
-She likes to play, "where'd it go", "peak a boo"
-She loves to color and whenever you ask her what you should draw she ways a flower
-She calls any woman mama, and any man dada, and any child baby. She insists that her name is baby not Lexi (although she responds to Lexi and knows it's her name)
-She loves other kids and will do anything to get their attention when she sees them
-She will stick her hand out while we are shopping and she's in the cart and try to get people to giver her five or bump it
-She likes to figure out how to take things apart and put them back together. (I wonder where she got that from:) She especially likes things that screw on and off. She has really good fine motor skills.
All in all she is a joy and is so fun and creative!