Payback for 70-degree February Temps

When it's 120-degrees outside, activities become very limited.  It was even too hot to consider going swimming until very late this afternoon.  Poor Alstott could barely summon the strength to go outside to do his business; within two minutes, he was scratching at the slider door panting like he had been out there for hours.

I was desperate for some new indoor activities, so after the morning's swimming and gymnastics lessons, Alexa and I headed to the store to pick up a new board game, as I'm growing very tired of Candyland.  As soon as she saw the game Operation, the decision of which game to buy was made instantly.  Wow - - this game has changed in the past twenty years.  It now features various skill levels, allowing you to adjust the sensitivity of the metal to the tweezers, the items for extraction are no longer bones, but rather random objects, and the game has sound effects beyond the obnoxious buzz.  I think we must have played 10 games of Operation...by that time, the sound effect-free Candyland seemed like a much more desirable option.

This evening Alexa and I made a trip to Michaels to stock up on arts & crafts, and on the way there, I was recounting what we would do to stay cool in the summer when I was little.  After she overcame her shock and disbelief that I didn't have a pool growing up, Alexa became very intrigued by the concept of the lawn sprinkler and water balloons.  After Michaels, she convinced me to go to the dollar store and buy some water balloons.  I spent the next thirty minutes inflating water balloons, and Alexa was tossing them across the backyard as far as she could, laughing hysterically as they broke with a splash.  She idea of getting splashed by the broken balloon didn't exactly resonate with her; oh well, she had a blast chucking the balloons and burning off some of her pent up energy!

Enjoying some limited outdoor time with water balloons.

Watching the balloon carefully to make sure it didn't break on her.

A Grand Inquisition

Another Thursday and another lesson of Alexa being the star pupil in her swim class.  I still shake my head in disbelief at the transformation she's experienced....

Alexa was quite the inquisitive one tonight; I felt like I had a reporter in the back seat as we drove to swimming lessons.  She was asking some of the most random questions - - where her swim coach Devin lives, whether Devin has a pool at her house, asking if she could take figure skating lessons, wondering if Granty could see her swimming while he's in heaven (of course he can)....  I was exhausted by the time we got to swimming lessons and was looking forward to 30 question-free minutes.

Her inquiries didn't stop at swim, as the questions continued when we went out to dinner for our usual Thursday night post-swim dinner. As she sat in Paradise Bakery eating her chicken noodle soup (yes, it's 110-degrees here and Alexa wanted soup for dinner), she began peppering me with questions about my life.  She wanted to know the name of my school I attended when I was young, the name of my family dog, and I nearly spit out my water when she asked me if I ever had a boyfriend.  Oy.  I told her I had some boyfriends growing up (she pressed for a few names, and I began laughing as I thought about some of them...to my defense, I was young!) but that Damon was my last boyfriend.  To that comment she asked, "Why aren't your boyfriends around anymore?  Daddy doesn't have to be your last boyfriend."  Oh goodness...I don't think Damon will appreciate that comment.  I have a feeling Alexa will be enrolled in Sunday School at St. Apkar's very soon - - lol

Inquiring minds want to know.....

Mommy, Daddy...and Monkeys?!?

Summer camp at Alexa's Montessori school has been a great experience for Alexa.  Not only is she undertaking more "challenging" work, but she's also doing a lot of extra-curricular activities that always bring a smile to my face when she explains them.  Today was a much-anticipated cookie-making day, and Alexa excitedly recounted the recipe for me as we drove home from school.  She was torn as to whether the cookies would count as her one sweet for the day, as there was sugar in the recipe, but since there was fruit in them, she was optimistic that the "growing food" would offset the sweet.  Oh, the dilemmas of a four year-old.  :)

She was also wearing one of the day's art projects when I picked her up this afternoon - a "Who Do I Love" necklace made with colored Popsicle sticks.  I was relieved to see that both Damon and I made the list (whew!), in addition to BFF Gabriella, a friend Isabella and cousin Abby.  However, I was both amused and perplexed by the last stick of the necklace - - apparently Alexa loves monkeys.  Interesting.  I wasn't sure if I should laugh or be offended that primates trumped her beloved Granty and puggle Alstott.  She did tell me that she couldn't fit everyone (like cousin Katie or NeNe) on the necklace, so I'll chalk up the omission of Granty to space too.  I think it was just too hard to limit the people she loves to six.  Nevertheless, I think this necklace is definitely one I will keep and show her again when she's eighteen....I just hope Damon and I will still make the list.  lol

The necklace...I'm still wondering about the monkeys.

Proof of Alexa doing challenging work - sent to me by her teacher.
Alexa has quite the team encouraging her academics.

Seven Long Months....

Seven months...gosh I miss my little guy.  Even though my memories of his nearly six-months of life are extremely vivid, it seems like so much longer than seven months since he was with us.

Several weeks one of my co-workers came into my office as soon as she arrived at work.  She looked absolutely spent, and I could tell her eyes were slightly puffy from crying.  The first thing she said was, "I don't know how you do it; you are so strong."  Apparently she started to think about Grant as she drove to work that morning, and she told me she started bawling as thought about my little Granty.  When made her normal stop for an iced tea, she had to go inside to try to compose herself and wipe the running makeup from her face.  As she recounted her story, I had to smile....I could definitely relate, as I cannot count the number of times I have had weepy drives to and from work.  Like I told my co-worker, I am sad every day.  There's not an hour that goes by that I don't think about Granty in some capacity; I lost a piece of my heart the day I lost him.

Even though seven months have passed, I continue to be humbled and honored by the support our family receives, the charitable actions that are done in Granty's honor, the wonderful notes, emails, and texts...  It's comforting to know that Grant's life affected so many people in such a profound and ongoing way.  His legacy is so well-preserved and cherished; in many ways, his life began on November 25th.  What a remarkable little boy!

Never without his signature grin.....

Double Trouble

Although his physique is not exactly svelte, Altsott loves to go for walks, something that becomes a little bit more challenging during the summer in Arizona.  On the weekends, I typically wake up before anyone else and take Alstott for a walk while it's still somewhat cool with temps in the high 80's/low 90's. We do the same loop each time, a 1.5 mile loop on the other side of our community, and it's the perfect 30 minute walk (allowing for frequent breaks along the way) of peace and quiet.

This morning, the pantry door creaked as I was grabbing some bags for clean-up along the way, and sure enough, when I turned around, Alexa was standing at the entryway with a huge smile on her face.  Caught!  I did my best to convince her the walk would be very boring, but even my worst sales pitch couldn't temper her interest in joining us for our walk.  Off we went....and within three minutes, I knew this was going to be a very long walk.  Between Alstott stopping to mark every bush and tree and Alexa stopping to pick up anything that caught her eye - bird feathers, shiny rocks, flowers - I think it took us 15 minutes to cover the first quarter-mile.  So much for the normal peaceful (and efficient) routine.

The walk dragged on, as both Alexa and Alstott began to slow their pace.  Finally - - I saw the gate to exit the subdivision, and I immediately realized that I left the key behind.  Oh no!  So, we had to loop back and cutover by the clubhouse, which added at least another mile to the walk.  To make matters even worse, the playground is next to the clubhouse, so it was pure torture for Alexa to walk by and not be able to play.  Alexa was exhausted at this point (thankfully I had plenty of water for both Alstott and Alexa), so I ended up walking the last half mile with Alexa riding on my back, dragging Alstott and carrying her water bottle and his bowl in my hand.  Needless to say, we provided amusement for all of the bikers, runners and walkers we encountered on our way home.  I did get a couple of comments on the impressive workout I was enduring.

Needless to say, next weekend, it will be just Alstott and me...no matter how much Alexa begs. :)

Not exactly a walk in the park with these two.... 

A Popular Choice

For Father's Day, Alexa and I selected a gift for Damon that is typically panned...a necktie.  Unlike most people, Damon wears a suit and tie to work each day, so he actually looks forward to receiving neckties as gifts.  I think Alexa enjoys them just as much as Damon, as I cannot tell you how many times I have had to remove a labyrinth of neckties from my treadmill before I'm able to run.  In her opinion, ties are just fancy (and long) ribbons.

After some searching and shopping on the Internet, Alexa and I found the perfect tie for Damon - - a green necktie with pink giraffes.  Yes, you can find giraffes or giraffe print on nearly anything and everything.  This morning, Damon was searching for the perfect suit and tie combination to match his new tie, so I knew he was excited to wear it (normally he doesn't solicit my feedback on his wardrobe choice for the evening).  I knew the tie was a hit with Damon when he began to text me a "compliment meter," tracking the number of compliments he received from employees and customers throughout the night.

Over 10 compliments as of 8pm tonight....a testament to the power of the giraffe! :)

Damon's Father's Day gift - symbolic of both of his kiddos.

Salty Alphabet

Alexa really seems to be enjoying the summer program at her Montessori school, and it seems that her favorite part is the morning drop-off.

During the normal school year, Damon is able to take advantage of carline and drop Alexa off without having to go inside the school.  However, summer school doesn't have carline, so Alexa is walked directly to her classroom each morning, as even at 8am it's usually too hot for the playground (ahh...Arizona summer).  Alexa has been taking full advantage of this classroom drop off, as she uses it as an opportunity to show off her academic prowess and the lessons she does each day.  A drop-off that usually takes two minutes now takes at least 10-15 minutes.

Earlier in the week, I had promised Alexa I would take her to school on Friday, and sure enough, her elephant-like memory made sure I did exactly that today.  She has been raving about a new lesson at school - salt letters - so I had a pretty good suspicion that she would be showing me that lesson today.  It's a really creative way to learn and practice writing letters: it's a simple shallow box with salt covering the bottom, and Alexa selects a letter card to "write" the corresponding letter in the salt.  She proudly wrote six letters this morning before I had to leave her impromptu show & tell and head to work.

Apparently this new lesson is pretty popular, as the teacher told me they have been going through salt like crazy and actually needed more.  I knew I needed to go to the grocery store, so I volunteered to pick up some salt for the class, and while I was at the store tonight, I decided to get an extra box so we could replicate the lesson at home.  I quickly learned why the classroom was using so much salt; after writing letters in a Pyrex, Alexa had salt everywhere - the table, chair, floor, herself...  Thank goodness for the Swiffer.

The last letter she wrote tonight was the letter G - - "For Gabriella and Granty!" she exclaimed.  Suddenly the salt mess didn't seem like such a big deal; I just smiled and gave her a high-five and a hug. :)

A suddenly academic Alexa - reading "When You Give a
Pig a Pancake," and calling out letter sounds to me.

A Social Visit...at 3am

Alexa's never been a great sleeper - I think the latest she's ever slept in is 7:45am - and last night was one of those nights.  Although sometimes I think her half-awake persona is one of the funniest, as you never know what to expect from her.

I heard her coming into our room at 3am today, and I will admit that I did "fake sleep" in the hope that she'd simply go back to her bedroom.  No such luck.  Within a minute, the whisper of "Mommy....Hi, Mommy" could be heard as she stood at the foot of the bed, dragging the huge floppy giraffe with her. This visit was purely a social visit; she simply wanted to see me and asked me to come into her room and lay with her (there was a reason behind getting her a Queen-size bed).  Damon woke up as he heard the two of us, and Alexa, who apparently morphs into Ms. Manners in the middle of the night, said, "Hi, Daddy.  Don't worry - - I'll get you in the morning.  Mommy is going to come with me now, but don't worry...I will be sure to come and say "Hi" to you when it's morning time.  Right now, I'm just seeing Mommy."  At 3am I couldn't bear to argue with her polite (and rather mature) disposition; I grabbed the giraffe and lugged it to her bedroom, with my loyal pup Alstott not too far behind.

On a separate note......I am excited and honored to announce yet another wonderful event being done in Grant's memory.  My brother-in-law Larry (sister Terri's husband) will be running the Milwaukee Brewers Mini-Marathon in September.  Fan loyalty aside, this is a wonderful event that raises money for the MACC fund, which supports research in the fight against childhood cancer.  If you would like to sponsor Larry, the here's the link to his fundraising page: http://www.race-brewers.com/BrewersCampaign2013/RunForGrant.  Larry is a HUGE St. Louis Cardinals fan, so I know that he is doing this solely as a tribute to his nephew....I don't think it's the chance to win Brewers prizes nor an opportunity to hold the finish line for a Sausage Race that’s driving his participation and fundraising for this event.  Thank you, Larry, for doing this; it means so much to Damon and myself.

Trying to bring Granty into her "No Sleep" club... :)

The Power of the Internet

It's amazing how much technology has changed learning.  I remember the beautiful set of hard-bound encyclopedias my parents had when I was a kid; these books were "the resource" for anything and everything.  Times have definitely changed, as Alexa actually asked me to Google something for her tonight.  Oy...

Not surprisingly, the thing Alexa asked me to Google was frog legs - - she is obsessed with trying them!  After seeing some of the pictures that resulted from the search, I thought for sure that her interest in trying them would dissipate.  I was definitely grossed out by the pictures, but she became more intrigued than ever. Go figure.  

After she grew tired of the frog leg pictures, she began asking questions about anything and everything, so of course, our Internet searches continued.  We looked a pictures of horses' teeth, Yadier Molina, bologna (I made the mistake of telling her that I used to like bologna and braunschweiger when I was a kid...gross, I know), dinosaurs, rainbows...the list was endless.

I'm just happy that her interest in learning is so high...even if it means looking a pictures of frog legs and bologna!

I have no idea how this photo (www.sodahead.com)
did not wane her interest in frog legs!  Eww!

Unicorns and Dinosaurs

I hate being the bearer of bad news....

This week has been a tough one for Alexa, as I had to explain that neither unicorns nor Rainbow Dash (of My Little Pony fame) are real.  The unicorn revelation was an especially tough one, as Alexa had plotting a trip to go "unicorn riding," just like she's been horseback riding a couple of times.  Her face had such a sad look as she accepted this harsh reality; I was truly tempted to find a way to affix a fake horn to a horse so she could ride a unicorn and hold onto the thought for a bit longer.

Tonight we were coloring some alphabet worksheets (I am relentless in my pushing of phonics), and she handed me the "D" dinosaur sheet to me to color as she worked on the "U" unicorn.  As she colored the unicorn, she reminded me, "Unicorns are not real, Mommy; they're imaginary.  Dinosaurs are imaginary too."  I made the mistake of correcting her, and, as a result, I was stuck trying to explain the concept of extinction to a four year-old.  I think the concept was resonating with her, as she asked, "So does that mean all of the dinosaurs are in heaven with Granty?"  Sort of, I guess.

After Alexa changed into her pajamas later tonight, she was singing a couple versus of "Gone Gone Gone" and looking for the floppy giraffe.  When she found the giraffe, she hugged it around the next and told me, "I really wish that Granty wasn't extinct like the dinosaurs; I miss him."  She had an interesting perspective, and sadly, it's not too far from the truth.

At least giraffes are real!

Looking Back

Alexa was playing around with Damon's iPad tonight, and after a few rousing games of "Preschool Lunchbox," she started perusing the videos stored on the iPad.  The video that captured her interest tonight was that of her first birthday party.  She was having a blast watching the baby version of herself, asking questions about whether she was talking (her first word was "Alstott" - - no kidding), why she wasn't interested in the stack of presents beside her (a key difference between four and one year-old) and whether we served any other desserts besides cake (no, much to her dismay).  It was cute to watch her watching herself, completely mesmerized at everything she did and said.

However, when the video transitioned to the singing of "Happy Birthday," I couldn't watch the video any longer.  My mind immediately went to thoughts of Granty and his first birthday party that never was.  The video quickly became too sad to watch.  It was impossible to look at Alexa's round, chubby face and big blue eyes and not imagine Granty at one year-old.  However, my sadness was partially diminished as I listened to Alexa laughing hysterically was she watched herself dig into the cake with both hands, making a complete mess of herself and the cake.  Coincidentally, her cake and party decor were designed with a safari theme, featuring a giraffe as the most prominent animal of them all. :)

A chubby little Alexa enjoying her first birthday cake.

The party decor....giraffes on the cake, plates and napkins :)

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!  Today was another one of those bittersweet days....I know both Damon and I couldn't help but think about last year's celebration when Granty was just two-weeks old  (and just a few days removed from his first PICU stay).  It's still unreal to think that we were able to celebrate with two kiddos last year and now there's only one with whom to spend the day.

Despite the underlying sadness, we did make the best of the day and enjoyed some quality family time together.  We made Damon a special breakfast of waffles, strawberries and whipped cream (this was Alexa's second choice, after I ix-nayed her suggestion that Damon would enjoy a box of Fruity Pebbles for breakfast).  The sous chef at Damon's restaurant texted him to let Damon know a shipment of live lobsters had arrived.  Alexa has been nearly as fixated with lobsters as she has been with frog legs, so, of course, we had to take a trip to Wildfish so she could see (& play with) the fresh catch.  I know Alexa's favorite part of the day, or maybe a close second after the Magnolia Bakery banana pudding I made for dessert, was the afternoon swim - - this was one of the rare times that all three of us were together in the pool.

All in all, it was a great, relaxing day focused on family.  Although I cannot tell you how many times I wished there was one more member with us.....

Damon and his girl, enjoying their bowls of banana pudding.

Having fun at Wildfish with the live lobsters; rubber bands
stayed on their claws (& she didn't touch the background knives!).

Using Her Noodle

The apple does not fall from the tree....just like I fell asleep with my running shoes on earlier this week, Alexa fell asleep on her gymnastics mat tonight, minutes after we practiced her cartwheels, backward rolls and backbends.  She was out cold, and it made for a difficult transition when I picked her up from the floor to move her to her bed.  It was like another workout for me!

I wasn't surprised that Alexa fell asleep rather early (and hard) this evening.  The sun rises so early in the morning, and Alexa's morning wake-up has transitioned with the early daylight.  Like I do every Saturday, I asked Alexa who she wanted to take her to swimming and gymnastics lessons.  You can imagine my surprise when she responded "Daddy" (the first time!), and thankfully Damon was kind enough to fulfill her request and take her to her Saturday lessons.  I took full advantage of the free time, heading to Target and the grocery store solo; it's quite a luxury to go alone, knowing I will have no whining nor requests to buy things.

After her lessons, we continued our normal Saturday routine of spending a lot of time in the backyard pool.  When I was at the grocery store today, I bought two pink pool noodles ($1 each!), and they were a definite hit with Alexa in the pool.  In addition to its floating ability, Alexa soon discovered the pool noodle had functionality like a whale's blow hole, and she was using the noodle to blow in one side and spray water out the other.  She must have laughed hysterically for 20 minutes as she showed off her new tricks and doused me with water.  I must say, sometimes the pool can seem like a money pit, but we have definitely taken full advantage of it this summer and are having an absolute blast.  Activities are very limited when it's consistently over 110-degrees outside; I love having a kid who can swim! :)

Swimming like a pro and enjoying my $1 find.

Who needs to float when you can use the noodle to spray water?

Show of Emotion

"Gone Gone Gone" played on the radio as Alexa and I drove home from school tonight, and she was belting out the words at the top of her lungs.  When it approached the end of the song - - and her favorite part, "Like a drum, baby, don't stop beating" - - I noticed she stopped singing.  I turned around, and poor Alexa had tears welling in her eyes.  I knew she was thinking about Granty and getting sadder as the song played.

Thankfully we were nearly home, and as soon as I went around to get her out of her car seat, the tears began to flow.  Of course, I started crying too, and I all could do was hug her and remind her that all of us miss Granty too.  Gut-wrenching.  After she began to calm herself, she showed an emotion I have never seen her display in this situation...she became angry.  It wasn't at anyone in particular, and it was well-controlled, but for the first time, she was visibly and vocally angry that her baby brother died.  She yelled over and over again, "Why isn't he alive?  He should not have died!"  As much as this broke my heart, I must also admit that a part of me was relieved to see her show these emotions.  I have always wondered if she was harboring any anger about the experiences she's had to endure at such a young age.  When she burst out it anger, it was a very honest display of emotion.  Trust me - - I have felt exactly this same way time and time again.

As Damon and I quickly discovered, Alexa's age group (3-4 years old) falls within a relative "black hole" when it comes to grief support.  The youngest age for most sibling support groups is five or six years-old, so Damon and I have been using the resources provided to us by Phoenix Children's and supporting Alexa and her expression of grief however we can.  However, as I have learned over the past six months, culminating tonight, despite her age, Alexa shares the same emotions as the rest of us.  It's pretty amazing what a now four year-old is able to comprehend and process.

I knew Alexa was feeling better when she climbed into bed tonight, cuddling up to the giant floppy giraffe, and said, "Good night, Granty.  I love you, and I'm glad your spirit is still in my heart."  Once again, a four year-old little girl continues to echo the sentiments of all of us....

Love at first sight....

Good Buddies

Yesterday's lack of update was unintentional - - after I finished my treadmill run last night, I fell asleep laying on top of the duvet, wearing my running shoes.  Thankfully Damon woke me up when he got home from work, and I was able to properly get ready for bed.  Oy.

My how my Thursday routine has changed.  Thursdays used to involve pickup up Alexa from school exactly at 5:30pm so we could go straight to swimming lessons with no time in between.  This usually minimized the crying and whining I would hear about the pending lesson.  This was definitely not the hightlight of my week...  Now, she can barely contain her excitement for swimming lessons, and I cannot get her to the pool fast enough.  What a remarkable (and much more pleasant) change!

When we came home from swimming lessons tonight, of course Alstott was overjoyed to see us.  During the past few months, the relationship between Alstott and Alexa has evolved.  Alstott used to view Alexa as more of a nuisance, only wanting to be around her when she had food.  Alstott, half pug and half beagle, would do anything for food, even if it meant befriending a girl he normally avoided.  However, I don't know exactly what has transpired in the last few months, but these two are now quite the duo.  Alstott has no problem sidling up to Alexa, and she will pet him the entire time he's next to her.  Tonight the two of them were cuddled together on the couch watching "Doc McStuffins" and there was not a crumb of food in sight.  It's always nice to see the first-born pet and first-born child getting along - no competition between these #1's. :)

That was then......
(Kind of amazing how much Granty and Alexa resemble each other;
Alexa obviously had a bit more hair than Granty).

This is now.  What a difference four years makes.

Still a Captive Audience

Every couple of weeks, Alexa and I take a trip to the Scottsdale Public Library.  She absolutely loves the library, not only for the books, but also for the puppets, arts and crafts, story hour and interactive readings.  Each trip to the library usually takes and hour or two, and we end up checking out 10-15 books, always with a few repeats in the mix.

There is a reason for checking out so many books - Alexa likes to hear the same ones over and over and over again.  I really think she would be happy if we checked out one book and ready it a hundred times.  Each time she brings a book to me to read, there is always a two-read minimum.  It's always funny to overhear Damon trying to steer her to the early-reader books in her bag, as these are by far the quickest to read.

I've realized why she likes the repetition....she actually memorizes the book so she can "read" it to herself later.  Her interest in letters is definitely rising (finally), and she enjoys the independence of being able to "read" like the kinders in her class.

Tonight, as I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, I heard her in the living room reading the book "Pirates and Princesses."  I assumed she was reading it aloud to herself, but when I went to check on her, she was curled up on the couch next to the end table with an 8x10 of Granty.  She was reading the story to Grant's picture, even turning the book to show him the pictures.  This was one of those moments when I wished I had a video camera nearby....priceless.

Story hour continues even today....

Not Your Standard Fare

Alexa has become fixated on trying a new food....frog legs.  I have no idea what has prompted her interest in frog legs, but each night when I'm grappling with the decision of what to make for dinner, Alexa interjects with "How about frog legs?"  Seriously...I don't know why she has become obsessed with frog legs.

I looked on the Internet to find a restaurant in Scottsdale with frog legs, but one of the few that pulled up on a Google search was a French restaurant with a $40-$60 price point....uh, no.  Something tells me the reality of frog legs may not be as appealing as the concept for a four year-old.  I told Damon I had a feeling I would be able to find a Southern (and cheaper) approach to frog legs in St. Louis.  Sure enough, a quick Internet search pulled up Pat's Bar & Grill in Dogtown (a neighborhood in St. Louis) - - - $12 for a frog leg dinner with side dishes, and Pat's advertises itself as kid-friendly.  Perfect!  Looks like our next trip to St. Louis will include a trip to Pat's, conveniently located across from Turtle Park and the St. Louis Zoo!  I am very curious to see the end-result of this food experience; I figure anything deep-fried has a chance of passing the taste test.  Worst case, I spend $12 and never have to hear the frog leg dinner suggestion again :).

Today Alexa and Grant have a new baby cousin....my sister Karen welcomed a daughter, Alana.  Alexa is extremely excited to be the "big cousin" for once (for a few months, she was asserting the baby would be her little sister...thankfully, she now understands the cousin relationship), and I know Granty will be watching over his younger cousin.

Breakfast for dinner suddenly doesn't seem as adventurous......

Working for Treasures

Now that Alexa is attaining a better grasp of numbers, I decided it was the perfect time to begin the implementation of a chores-for-allowance system.  When I mentioned the concept to her, Alexa's enthusiasm was obvious, so Damon and I decided to roll with it.  Thankfully, Alexa has not fully grasped the concept of currency, so she prefers coins ("treasures" as she calls them) to dollar bills....I think Damon and I could work this to our advantage for awhile.

This first weekend of our chores system has been a success - - the playroom is spotless and organized and Alstott has been very well-fed...I figured the latter would not be an issue.  Alexa is thrilled that her coin purse is getting full, as her haul for the weekend has been 10 quarters (8 to clean the playroom and 1 per day for feeding Alstott 2x per day).  I have a feeling she'll be making a detour to the dollar bins on our next shopping trip at Target.

Learning the value of a dollar at the mock
grocery store at the Children's Museum.

Shopping will now be more fun with a full coin purse in tow.

Who's the Boss

Alexa has become very intrigued with the concept of bosses, asking both Damon and I about our bosses at work.  When we were watching a Cardinals game, she asked about Yadier Molina's boss, so I ended up explaining the concept of coaches, managers and umpires.  She talks about Ms. LeAnna and Ms. Suzie being the bosses at school, and Alexa has declared herself to be the "Boss of the Munchkins", a title I presume is self-imposed.

This morning she was joking with Damon that I am the boss of the house (for all intents and purposes, I am...lol) and the boss of him.  However, after she finally went to bed tonight, it didn't take me long to recognize who is the functional boss of our home....

My Saturday night, after spending two and a half hours in the pool this afternoon, included rousing games of Candyland (Alexa legitimately won) and the Disney Princess Enchanted Cupcake Game.  The cupcake game inspired Alexa to begin a session of dress-up and make-believe.  The next thing I knew, she was wearing a Tangled princess costume and Barbie high heels, pretending she was a princess and I was the princess' sister.  As the princess' sister, I was responsible for baking cookies, using leftover cookie dough in the refrigerator, for a tea party.  Even better, I was baking the cookies wearing 4" platform heels and running clothes - - I had put my foot down when Alexa proposed I change into a cocktail dress from my closet, so she settled for my purple patent heels.  My how my Saturday nights have changed from my pre-children days.....

As I put my pumps back in my closet, I began laughing to myself.....  Yes, there is no doubt who's the boss in this house.

The boss :)

"I Wished for Granty"

I've never been so ready for Friday.  Between Granty's and Damon's birthdays, this has been a week of emotional highs and lows, and I have spent countless hours thinking about what transpired over the past twelve months.

I think the most poignant moment of the week was unassumingly provided by Alexa last night.  After she helped Damon blow out his birthday candles, Damon asked her about the birthday wish she'd made on his behalf.  Without hesitating, she replied, "I wished for Granty."  Damon and I shared "that look", one to which we have become way too accustomed, and said nothing else.  Alexa said it all in those four simple words - - we all wish for Granty.

Given Alexa's age, I oftentimes worry that her memories of Granty will fade as she gets older, so I encourage the conversation whenever she mentions him.  I do this not only to revere Granty and his remarkable life, but also because I do not want Alexa to forget how much she loved her little brother.  Some of the most vivid memories I have of the past twelve months are of the expressions on Alexa's face when she interacted with Granty.  She never complained when he pulled her hair, she smiled from ear-to-ear whenever she made him smile or laugh and she absolutely melted when Granty would give her one of his infamous open-mouth kisses.    It is exactly this sibling bond that I want her to remember and cherish for the rest of her life.  Without a doubt, she loved being Granty's big sister.

It's still hard to believe what happened during the past 12-months.

Better Late than Never

When Alexa awoke at 5:45am today, I knew exactly why she was crying as she ran into our bedroom...she was fretting that Damon and I had eaten the Baskin Robbins ice cream cake without her.  Don't let the blonde hair fool you - - this girl is her father's daughter.  Before I left for work, I ix-nayed her plan to have ice cream cake for breakfast and promised her we would celebrate after dinner tonight.  Only Damon's daughter would be craving ice cream cake before 7am....

Since it is a rarity for Damon to have off work two days in a row, we took advantage of our time together and both took Alexa to swimming.  I really cannot get over the swimming transformation she's experienced.  The girl who used to sob when I picked her up on Thursday nights is now the same girl who cannot leave the house soon enough to get to swimming lessons.  I think she must have asked every two minutes starting a 5pm if it was time to leave for her 6pm lesson.  I would swear I'm in one of the old-school Folgers commercials, and I'm waiting for someone to tell me they swapped my daughter with another child.... :)  She was beaming from ear-to-ear during the entire lesson, obviously proud to have both of her parents watching her from behind the class.  Even the manager of the swim school is in shock over the change in Alexa.  Fourteen months of persistence does pay!

After a stop at the Chick-Fil-A drive-thru (our normal Thursday night grilled chicken dinner), we were finally able to celebrate Damon's birthday and partake in the much-anticipated ice cream cake.  Damon and Alexa were in heaven!

Well, that concludes Damon's birthday celebration for this year...back to normal (and leftover ice cream cake) tomorrow!

Damon's birthday - Part II (no matching outfits today)

A battle to see who could blow out the candles first.

Happy (partial) Birthday, Damon!

Happy Birthday, Damon!

Damon was greeted bright and early this morning by a very enthusiastic Alexa wishing him a happy birthday. I don't even think he had his eyes open before she proudly thrust a gift in his face - - a Fruit Loop necklace, one that was extra-special because it was two pipe cleaners long to ensure it was big enough for Damon's neck.  Not surprisingly, I think Alstott also took a keen interest in the necklace, hoping Damon would accidentally leave it on the bed.  Thankfully, it made it to a high shelf in Damon's closet.  The birthday was off to a good start!

I called Damon before I left the office today, and I could tell he was looking forward to dinner tonight.  Afterall, this is the one time a year that he gets to satisfy his hankering for fried chicken.  He had called the restaurant and found out its fried chicken was part of the $5 Happy Hour special from 4:30 until 6:30 - score!  Damon and Alexa happily enjoyed their chicken (an impressive deal at 2 pieces + a biscuit), whereas I was the high-maintenance person with a taco and $6 arugula salad. :)  Towards the end of dinner, I could tell Alexa was starting to get tired - - her eyes began to close as she ate the final few bites of her chicken.

Within minutes of getting into the car, I looked in the rearview mirror and saw Alexa was sound asleep; she barely moved as Damon carried her into the house.  So....Damon's much-anticipated Baskin Robbins ice cream cake sat untouched in the freezer.  Alexa would have been crushed if we ate the cake without her.  Thankfully, he is off work tomorrow night too, so it looks like we'll finalize the birthday celebration tomorrow night. 

Part I of Damon's birthday was a great success, and I'm looking forward to Part II tomorrow!

Happy Birthday, Damon!

A Day to Regroup

After an emotionally draining day yesterday, today was a much-needed day to regroup and focus upon the year ahead.  In hindsight it would have been nice to have the day off work and lounge around the house... :)

Alexa was in rare-form when I picked her up from Aftercare tonight; tomorrow is a half day of school and the official end of the school year, so the kids were bouncing off the walls tonight.  So much for a relaxing evening at home...  After dinner, the two of us colored, practiced her letters and even made Fruit Loop necklaces with pipe cleaners.  Yes, I've already tapped into the summer arts & crafts project stash, a must-have in Arizona, and it's only the beginning of June.  It's going to be a long summer!

Tomorrow is going to be another busy day, as it is Damon's birthday.  Alexa was busy planning tomorrow night's celebration, and I didn't have the heart to tell her that Damon's birthday routine is pretty well-established.  Fried chicken for dinner (the one time a year we have it) and Baskin Robbins ice cream cake.  Alexa's vision of pancakes with strawberries with whipped cream will have to wait at least another year.

Alexa and the two June birthday boys -
Granty on the 3rd and Damon on the 5th.

Happy 1st Birthday, Granty!

Today felt like one of "should've been".....Should've been a day of a grand celebration.  Should've been a chance for Alexa to help her baby brother rip open birthday presents.  Should've been the day that Granty had his first taste of dessert, covering himself in chocolate cake and icing from a Sprinkles cupcake.  Should've been a day to recount how quickly one year has gone by and how fast Granty is growing.  Instead, I think this was one of the saddest days of my life; thinking about all of the "should've been" made me miss Granty even more than normal.  It is crushing to think of the joy we had last June 3rd and know the focal point of that celebratory day has been taken away from us.

I don't think it was any coincidence that Alexa dragged a huge, floppy stuffed giraffe out of the playroom yesterday and toted it all evening.  She fell asleep with it, dragged it across the house when she came into our room in the middle of the night, brought it to the breakfast table...I know Alexa can sense our sadness, but I think she's equally as sad that her baby brother is not here to celebrate one of the most important things to her - - birthdays.

Despite the heavy hearts, Damon and I did what we could to honor and celebrate Granty on his birthday.  Damon was working tonight, so Alexa and I had a party to honor the birthday boy.  I picked up the birthday must-haves of a mylar balloon, Sprinkles cupcakes (the same ones we had on Alexa's first birthday) and, of course, a #1 candle.  After Alexa scarfed down her chicken and broccoli, it was time for the celebration.  We sang "Happy Birthday" to Granty two times, enabling Alexa to blow out the candle twice.  I started to tear-up on the second round of the song, and Alexa took one look at me and started to do the same.  This was not the first birthday party I envisioned, but I think we did a good job celebrating the birthday boy.  We will be celebrating on June 3rd for the rest of our lives....

Thank you for the support that was shown to us on this difficult day - - the e-mails, texts, phone calls, etc... were very much appreciated.  I am truly overwhelmed that so many people remembered the significance of the day.  Damon's friend Rich even ran the San Diego Rock-n-Roll marathon yesterday to honor Granty through Team-in-Training; pretty amazing.  Damon and I would be in a very different emotional place were it not for our family and friends.  We are blessed and honored that Granty's life meant so much to so many people.

Happy 1st Birthday, Granty!  Big sis was more than
willing to blow out the #1 candle in your honor.

Even Alstott joined in the celebration....probably hoping for a cupcake.

Alexa and her floppy giraffe friend - her constant companion lately. 

Papa and Nana Hovey along with Auntie Gia and cousins
Luke and Austin went to the cemetery to visit the birthday boy.

Remarkable Transformation

As the temperatures in Phoenix have hit 105-degrees each of the past two days, swimming became the activity of choice this weekend.  If I didn't know better, I would swear someone swapped out my child within the past few weeks  - - the girl who was petrified of the water and being let go in the pool is now a fish.  I've seen the transformation in her lessons, but yesterday was one of the first times we have been in the pool together since she's shed her fear.  I think I shook my head in disbelief for the hour or so that we were in the pool....my persistence and stubbornness paid off!

Swimming lessons have changed significantly since I was a kid, as the initial focus is much more centered upon water safety and survival versus learning the basic strokes.  Alexa's level of lessons is rooted in "supergirl" (gliding) with kicks, back floats and transitioning back and forth between the two.  She's definitely getting the hang of these moves, as she swam across the pool and back too many times to count, all while I stayed off to the side.  In addition to the hour yesterday, we had another two hours of non-stop swimming this afternoon.  My hope of a summer when Alexa can swim without hanging onto me is becoming a reality!

It's cute to see the pride she has in herself for this accomplishment.  This did not come easy to her, but the hours of lessons (I think I know every instructor at AquaSafe by name) proved that Mommy's preaching of "practice, practice, practice" was right.  This morning she was by Damon's side of the bed at 7am asking him if he wanted to watch her swim.  He obliged a few hours later (we had to have our much-anticipated "garbage" for breakfast first!), and was completely floored, as he hasn't taken her to a swim lesson since the transformation.

Next up...numbers and letters.  Alexa has told me she is doing the challenging work at school on her own initiative.  I need to confirm this with her teacher, as swimming + academics is almost too good to be true.  Someone must be smiling down on me...... :)

Swimming like a fish!

Fond Memories

Tonight I unknowingly recreated a scene from my childhood... Alexa received a kids' cookbook, and the Sloppy Joe recipe immediately attracted her attention, so I decided that would be the perfect dinner option.  While I was making dinner, Alexa was in the playroom working on her numbers, so I had my laptop open and was listening to the KMOX radio stream of the Cardinals game on mlb.com (the televised game was blacked out here in Arizona).  As Alexa and I sat down to dinner, I realized that this was a scene from my Grandma Niehoff's house when I was a kid - - I distinctly remember having Sloppy Joe's as the radio buzzed with the Cardinals game in the background.  It's funny how sometimes the most nondescript events are the ones that are the most memorable.

I recounted the memory for Alexa, and she was instantly intrigued, wanted to hear more stories about my Grandma Niehoff.  I think she couldn't get over the fact that Papa Niehoff had a mommy too.  I began telling her about memories of my Grandma Niehoff, recounting lawn mower rides, meatball sandwiches from Ruma's Deli, "garbage" (eggs, hash browns and sausage) for breakfast....  Alexa asked when she was going to meet Grandma Niehoff, and I told her that she had died and was in heaven with my other grandma and grandpas.  "Wait - - she's in heaven?  With Granty?  I'm so happy that he knows other people in heaven.  Did your Grandma's lawn mower go with her to heaven?  Granty would probably like riding it."  I love that Alexa is still a protective big sister, continuing to watch out for her little brother even after he's gone.

After seeing her interest in my childhood stories, I think I'm going to make a more conscious effort to recount these for her...she was completely enthralled.  I'll be channeling my inner Grandma Niehoff as I head to the grocery store tomorrow morning to pick up the ingredients to make "garbage" for breakfast.  Let's hope I do the recipe (or lack thereof) justice!  :)

Alexa was shocked to hear Papa Niehoff had a mommy... :)