High Aspirations

Alexa and I obviously spend a lot of time together, and even at four years-old, she has attained a pretty good understanding of my personality, including my strengths and weaknesses.  It has become very apparent that my domestic skills (or lack thereof) have been categorized by Alexa in my "weakness" category.

I was trying to come up with a different sweet for Alexa to enjoy, so I settled upon a very easy pudding cake recipe.  I simply read the recipe and helped to measure the ingredients, but Alexa gladly assumed the reigns and took charge of making the batter.  While Alexa was making the pudding cake, she told me she wants to be like NeNe (her maternal grandmother) when she grows up.  According to Alexa's master plan, cooking and baking is the first step to following in NeNe's path, and Alexa told me she needs to learn a lot more recipes to cook as much as NeNe does.  I jokingly told her she could have my grilled cheese recipe, but she scoffed at that offer and reminded me she has her own kids cookbook.  So much for passing along my arsenal of recipes (maybe a whopping three recipes) for generations of come. :)

Alexa's aspiration isn't entirely for her own best interest, as she also has my needs in mind too.  While we waited for the cake to bake, Alexa asked me how old she has to be to learn to sew with NeNe and get her own sewing machine.  When I asked why, she responded,  "I need to learn how to sew so that I can help take care of you.  You don't know how to fix anything that rips, so I will be able to help you."  I couldn't argue with her rationale, as I think we always have a few in the laundry room that need some sewing attention from NeNe...right now, there's a ripped tutu skirt and a scrunchie needing new elastic.  It would be nice to in-source these sewing items....lol.

I may not have the domestic skills, but I'll just wait a few more years for her to appreciate my Excel prowess.  I can teach her to create a spreadsheet for anything!

The aspiring domestic diva....

Turning the Tide

Tonight's swimming lesson was a very proud moment for Alexa.  One of her former coaches has returned for the fall semester of college, and he has been assigned to Alexa's Thursday night class (her coach left to go to college at Northern Arizona).  The last time Coach Nick saw Alexa, the lessons were always tear-filled disasters, as she clung desperately to his neck to ensure he wouldn't let go of her in the water.  What a difference a few months makes!

He looked very confused when Alexa joined him poolside, and he even checked with manager to make sure Alexa was in the right place.  I think his jaw nearly dropped to the bottom of the pool when the manager confirmed that Alexa was in the "Stars" class now.  His jaw continued to hang as Alexa boldly jumped into the pool, put on her goggles and swam across to the other side.  It was very cute to see his reaction....I think I appreciated it just as much as Alexa did.  It took a heck of a lot of work and persistence (from both of us...lol) to get to where she is today!

Alexa was obviously very proud of herself when I met her at the showers, and her enthusiasm continued as I buckled her into her carseat.  "I made Coach Nick say 'Wowza' tonight because I showed him that I'm a really good swimmer now!  I think he was super-proud of me!"

I have a feeling Alexa will have a lot of "Wowza" moments in her life....she is a persistent little perfectionist.  Hmmm....I wonder where she learned those traits. :)

What Nick expected from Alexa.....

but instead he found a happy and proficient swimmer!

We're Having A.....

With my distinct Type-A personality, the opportunity to find out the baby's gender during the anatomical ultrasound has always been an easy decision for me...I have to know so I can plan accordingly.  Baby #3 is no different than the first two, so I was very eager to find out if I need to design a nursery for a boy or girl.  The anatomical ultrasound was scheduled for this morning, and our answer was very clear.....we're having another girl!

Needless to say, while Damon and I were happy (I think we were more relieved that everything on the ultrasound looked good!), but Alexa was most thrilled with the news.  Before she left for school this morning, she reiterated her desire for a sister, telling me that she had no boy names in mind...she only likes the name Grant.  Thankfully she won't be pressed to come up with another name, as her baby sister "Elizabeth" will be a reality.  I truly think she will call her Elizabeth, regardless of the name that Damon and I select for our newest family member.  The two of us have to get to work on names now.... :)

I will admit, a part of me was hoping for a little boy, simply (and maybe selfishly) because I felt a little short-changed by the time I had with my Granty.  However, I think Damon said it best, "Our Granty left such a legacy, there didn't need to be another Hovannisian boy."  He's right - although I would have done anything to have more than five months with him, the impact of Grant's life far surpasses that of most people.  We truly are lucky to have had the time with him.

Another reason why I was slightly partial to a boy - -  I don't know if I can handle another mini-me.  Little Connie (aka Alexa) is a handful...I had better gear up for two mini-me's!

Looking forward to Hovey #3 - - Damon's hoping this one might resemble him.
My genes seemed to win-out on the first two...lol

Another Kind of Animal

Yesterday was a rather dreary day (by Phoenix standards) so we planned a much-anticipated trip to Build-A-Bear Workshop for Alexa.  Ever since the My Little Pony collection launched, I was pretty confident that Alexa would have one before the limited edition run ended.  She has amassed quite the collection of Build-A-Bear animals, ranging from a monkey in a bikini to a lobster (Boston) to a St. Louis Cardinals elephant.  However, she does not have a horse, so she was extremely excited when she heard about the plans to make a Rainbow Dash pony.  I knew it was going to be a good trip when she happily agreed to my purchase conditions - no shoes and any outfits would be funded from her piggy bank.

I always think of my dad when we get a new stuffed animal - - with four daughters, my dad always tagged stuffed animals as dust collectors.  Growing up, his ideal "display" for the ridiculous collection of stuffed animals owned by his four girls would have been a black trash bag :).  However, to Alexa's credit, she loves her stuffed animals and actively plays with all of them.  The pony was a welcome addition to the collection, and she made sure the introductions to the other animals took place as soon as we got home.

Everything went well at Build-A-Bear, although I realized we had reached the end of an era when we sat at the computer to print up the pony's birth certificate.  I think nearly half of Alexa's stuffed animals are named "Mommy", but that name wasn't even in the realm of consideration this time around.  I think the days of my namesakes are a thing of the past.   She settled for the obvious name - Rainbow Dash - and even typed the letters as I spelled the name.  Yep, she's definitely growing up quickly!

Tonight she settled into bed, sidling up to Mommy Bunny (at least she hasn't retro-actively changed any animals' names!) and clutching Rainbow Dash.....not a single speck of dust on them! :)

Having a blast making her new Rainbow Dash.

Nine Months...

Nine long months....

Damon and I both woke up this morning, immediately recognizing it was yet another 25th of a month.  Damon commented that he couldn't believe it's already been nine months, feeling like everything happened much more recently.  I, on the other hand, can remember every moment very vividly, but I feel like it has been ages since Granty was with with us.

Last Sunday at the zoo profoundly affected me; it was gut-wrenching to watch Alexa experience the same emotions I have felt over the past year.  As a result, Granty was constantly on my mind this past week, and his absence was more noticeable than ever.  There were so many moments when Alexa did something silly, and I could just picture Granty hooting and hollering at his silly big sister.  We did our best to honor and remember him thought.  It wasn't a coincidence that Alexa sported giraffe-themed apparel several days this week.

Adding to the emotion of the week, Damon and I finally decided upon the headstone design for our little boy.  Talk about a gut-wrenching process! I had intentionally deferred this process as long as possible; it seems so backwards and misguided to select a headstone for your child.  However, I think we have created a design that captures the essence of our amazing little boy, as it includes a picture of his smiling face, and, of course, a giraffe.  It wouldn't have seemed 100-percent Granty without the giraffe that became his personal mascot.

I will never be able to understand nor explain the "why's" of what happened, but I can take solace in knowing I have a better life and am a better person because of the time I spent with Granty.

The picture that will adorn his headstone - a tough but smiley little boy.

Change of Routine

Today was not a typical Saturday....Damon had the entire day off work (aside from the normal phone calls) purely "just because."  It was nice to spend the day as a family without any specific agenda; I cannot remember the last time that has happened on a Saturday.

Our day was low-key and uneventful, but it was truly a wonderful day.  I received a nice surprise this morning when Damon offered to take Alexa to gymnastics; I took full advantage of his offer and enjoyed a leisurely grocery shopping trip.  I have never spent so much time in Fry's, scoping out the bargains and digital coupons, as it is a rarity for me to shop without Alexa or rushing to get groceries between work and picking up Alexa from school.  I tried to return the favor by enabling Damon to watch some pre-season NFL games while Alexa and I went swimming this afternoon, although Alexa did call him outside a few times so she could show off some of her moves.  I think she was happy to have a new audience. :)

By late evening, I'm sure Damon was wishing he was at work, as Alexa and I subjected him to playing the Barbie "Gems" card game with us.  This matching-game is nothing like the poker to which Damon is accustomed, and I think the three rounds we played were more than enough for him.  He was a great sport though....I'm sure it helped that his iPhone was propped on the table, providing the latest scores and plays.

Tomorrow should be another fun day - - Damon's off again!

Always happy to have some quality time with Daddy.

Loving Letters

What a difference a couple of months can make!  Alexa, the girl who wanted nothing to do with letters nor numbers, is now extremely interested in the topics.  She even allows me to pack the alphabet Cheez-Its for her afternoon snack without protest!

Her transformation was evident when I picked her up from school on earlier this week, as she could not wait to tell me about the new lesson she learned - - the movable alphabet.  She was so excited to tell me about her experience using the letters to build words, an activity she had always associated with the "big kids" at school.  Her pride was obvious and did not go unnoticed, as her teacher even e-mailed me a photo of Alexa working on the lesson (which was much appreciated, because I wasn't exactly sure of the lesson Alexa described to me).  She has definitely come a long way from her propensity to select only "unchallenging" lessons, usually ones involving tissue paper and glue.

The most obvious sign of her transformation is evident in her career aspirations.  From wanting to "do nothing" (the worst thing her Type-A mother could ever hear!) to being a pop star, Alexa informed me tonight that she now aspires to be a teacher when she grows up.  There is hope for Stanford or Purdue after all!  

The new scholar - making words with the movable letters.

If the Tutu Fits....

I think Alexa is definitely ready for another sibling....Alstott and I don't seem to be cutting it as playmates these days.

Alexa's interest in dress-up clothes and Barbie dolls, which ironically are all naked, has been resurrected, so she has been dressing up as a different Disney princess each night before she takes a bath with her naked Barbies.  She tried to get me involved as I made dinner the other night, asking me to don an old bridesmaid dress and wear high heels while I prepared our meal.  Admittedly, I used the pregnancy card to politely decline her request, explaining my growing stomach wouldn't fit into any of my bridesmaid dresses.  Thankfully my explanation seemed to work, and she let me off the hook (this time) for a game of dress-up.  I'm sure the requests will resurface soon after Hovey #3 is born, when my growing belly is no longer an effective excuse.

After she realized I was not a willing participant in her rousing game of dress-up, Alsott, by default, became her next choice of playmate.  Within a minute or two, poor Alstott ran into the kitchen sporting a tutu skirt around his neck.  Alexa didn't seem to mind that a male dog was wearing a skirt, as she was beaming that she was able to wrangle him and get the tutu around his neck.  Alstott was a good sport, keeping the tutu on his neck for a good five minutes.  At that point, he'd had enough and figured out a way to wriggle out of the tulle trap.

Yep....it's definitely time for Alexa to have another sibling.  I now realize why she's hoping for a girl, as I have to smile when I imagine what kind of outfit she would have little Granty wearing these days. :)

Rapunzel and her trusty Joker puggle.....

Name Change

With the last name of Hovannisian, the process for naming your children is a little more difficult than what most people experience.  When Damon and I find out the gender of baby #3 next Tuesday, I am sure we will have five long months of trying to determine the "perfect" name for the newest addition to our family.

I have always found it ironic that Damon has preferred Armenian middle names for our kiddos (Alexa Siroon and Grant Vartkes), as he was not a fan of his Armenian middle name when I first met him at Purdue.  I think it took at least two years before Damon revealed that the V-initial in his name referred to his middle name of Vartkes.  It was somewhat ironic that a guy who was not a fan of his ethic middle name well-into his twenties wanted to use the same naming tradition for his own children.

Once again, the apple does not fall far from the tree, as when Alexa and I were driving this weekend, she denounced her middle name and declared her new middle name to be Elizabeth (she is really obsessed with the name!).   I reminded Alexa that her middle name had a lot of meaning behind it, since it was the name of her great grandmother and also a tribute to her Armenian heritage just like Daddy.  She wasn't having any of it...in her mind, her middle name has been changed to Elizabeth.

I won't push it for now...I'm sure she'll come around in her twenties just like Damon did!

Not feeling the love for her Armenian name,
but at least she still loves her Armenian daddy.

Heartbreak in the Savanna

Another 115-degree day in Arizona....what better activity than a trip to the zoo?  Yes, I am a bit crazy, but my sidekick Alexa was an enthusiastic companion and even extended the day beyond what I expected.  When we visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Alexa was very disappointed that the sting rays were clustered on one side of the tank, I'm sure purposely out of the reach of all humans.  She was really hoping to pet a sting ray, so I figured I could more than compensate for the missed opportunity with a trip to the Phoenix Zoo and its sting ray exhibit.  I expected that we would be at the zoo for maybe an hour or so this morning, but Alexa was undeterred by the heat and wanted to see all of the animals she could.  Three hours later (yikes!) we finally succumbed to the heat and called it a day.

Our morning at the zoo began exactly as I expected, visiting the sting ray exhibit, stopped to see the giraffes and headed out to see the other must-see animals on Alexa's list:  zebras, flamingos, monkeys, orangutans, iguanas, jaguar, elephants, tigers and lions.  She has a very specific list, obviously shaped by her previous visits to the Phoenix Zoo, and I tried to map our trip in the most efficient manner I could.

Granty is always on our minds when we go to the zoo, and today was no exception, as en route to the zoo Alexa commented on the planes taking off from the nearby airport.  She speculated that one of the planes (a US Airways flight) might be going to heaven...I just smiled, knowing exactly what sparked that comment.  On our first stop by the Savanna exhibit we spent a lot of time and Alexa shouted her normal, "Hi, Granty!" as the giraffes passed in front of us.  On the way out, we passed by the giraffes again, and her reaction was completely different the second time around....

I don't know if it was the heat or nine months of bottled up emotions, but when we walked by the giraffes and said, "Bye, Granty", Alexa completely lost it.  She suddenly began wailing and crying hysterically, "I miss Granty!!  I don't want him to be in heaven anymore; I want him here with me!"  It was such a raw display of emotion at a level I have never seen from Alexa; she was completely inconsolable.  "Why did he have to die?!?  He was just a baby and never did anything wrong!  Why did he have to leave me for heaven?!"  It was a good thing I had on my sunglasses, as I started to cry as well.  It was one of the most heartbreaking experiences of my life to see exactly how devastated Alexa is by the loss of Granty.  I have seen her grapple with sadness, but this was a display of anger and despair like I had never seen from her.  As a parent, you wish you had the ability to fix everything for your kids, but this is one situation in which the sadness is mutual.  I too have asked myself all of those same questions, knowing I will never have an answer nor sound rationale for why this happened.

All I could do was gather Alexa in my arms and rock her on the bench in front of the exhibit, doing whatever I could to try to console her.  I just reminded her that Granty is still with us everywhere we go, in our hearts and watching us from heaven.  She was able to calm herself after about five minutes, and we spent another 15 minutes just sitting together on the bench watching the giraffes in silence.  I don't think it was coincidence that the youngest and smallest giraffe (2 years-old) walked down the hill and positioned himself directly in front of us, just feet from the railing.  I would like to think our little boy was sending an assurance that everything will be okay.

There's no doubt how much we all miss our Granty....

Saying "Hi" to Granty when we first entered the zoo - a visit to the Savanna
(notice the giraffe directly behind her).

Parallel Perfomance

With Damon out of town, Alexa and I had a pretty typical Saturday on another sweltering day in Arizona.  Alexa has moved up to the next level at gymnastics (she's in the 5-6 year-old class!), so swimming is no longer on our Saturday agenda.  However, we did get a couple of hours in the pool this afternoon, racing from one end of the pool to another.

After swimming and dinner tonight, Alexa and I settled on the couch together to watch the US Gymnastics Championships.  It was funny to listen to Alexa's commentary on the performances, as her critiques also included feedback on the girls' leotards.  As you would expect, there was no shortage of rhinestones, and the flashier ones definitely ranked high through the eyes of this four year-old.  I think she gave me a list of at least three leotards she wants me to put on her Christmas list this year....I should invest in a Be-Dazzler.  lol

By about the second rotation, Alexa could no longer contain herself, and she began to perform alongside the girls on television.  I had to smile to myself, as I remembered doing exactly the same thing when I was a young aspiring gymnast.  When she did a round-off on the travertine floor, I realized it was time to bring her mat into the living room to avoid any catastrophic injuries.  She danced, pranced and tumbled alongside the girls, although she was dismayed that she couldn't do all of the skills of the elite gymnasts.  In time, kiddo...  The mock routines, coupled with the busy day of gymnastics, shopping and swimming, wore her out, as she fell asleep curled up on her tumbling mat.

It's a good thing I dvr'ed the competition tonight...it may be a useful tactic to help burn off some of her boundless energy.  Anytime she's asleep before 8:30pm is a good night for me!

Trying to convince me to buy a blinged-out fedora at Target
(she wasn't successful...although it did look cute on her!).

Quite the Appetite

Friday....finally!  This has been an extremely long workweek, and I have been absolutely exhausted by the time Alexa goes to bed each night.  I haven't been sleeping well thanks to my beloved puggle Alstott....he has been waking me up at least three times a night to be let outside.  His insatiable appetite has gotten the best of him while I am at work, as I have come home to find he's eaten four squeeze applesauce snacks (Wednesday), nearly an entire loaf of bread (Thursday) and raided the garbage (Friday).  Apparently a dog's sense of logic doesn't allow him to make the correlation between his mid-day binges and the miserable episodes he has each night.  I have had to rearrange the pantry to have food items only on the top three shelves...oy.  I guess that's what happens when you mix the known food-hound breeds of a pug and a beagle.

Despite the long week, there was a lot of fun energy in the house this evening.  Alexa had been waiting for this day for a long time - - she and BFF Gabriella reunited for a playdate tonight.  Even though they hadn't seen each other in weeks, they quickly picked back up exactly where they had left off.  It's a very cute friendship that these two have; they've definitely been through a lot together!

After playing their normal games (dress-up, mommies & babies, kitchen), I dyed white frosting various colors and let them ice and decorate their own cupcakes.  I can honestly say I have never seen so much icing, sprinkles and mini M&M's on a single cupcake.  Their sampling and indulgence in one of their masterpieces definitely counted as the one sweet for the day... :)

Hard at work creating a cupcake masterpiece -
a little heavy-handed on the sprinkles.

Sugar rush!  I think this cupcake was five days worth of sweets.

A Little Anxious

When I was pregnant with Granty, Alexa was only two years-old for the majority of the pregnancy.  The idea of a baby was much more conceptual at that age, as I don't think it was until he was about six weeks-old that the reality of a baby brother resonated with her.  This time around is a completely different experience, undoubtedly due to a combination of her age and experience with Grant.

Just like the rest of us, Alexa is very excited but also very anxious about the birth of her new sibling.  I think I answer at least one question a day about when she will be able to find out if she will be getting a baby brother or sister (anatomical ultrasound is August 27th).  She's still gung-ho on making sure the baby is named Elizabeth if it's a girl....On the drive home from gymnastics today, Alexa even denounced her middle name (Siroon) and declared her new middle name is Elizabeth.  Too funny.

Although she is very excited, her concerns about the health of the baby are very obvious.  Yesterday she was playing "Mommy and  Baby" with one of her dolls, and within a minute of the baby "coming out of her tummy" she pretended to take the baby to the hospital because she was sick and later died.  Yikes.  I know that pretend play is a very important coping mechanism, but nevertheless, it is still very hard to hear her pretend her baby died.  In addition to the pretend play, I field a lot of tough questions for which I wish I had better, more definitive answers: "Is this baby going to die too?  Did you know Granty was going to die when he was in your belly?  When did you know he was going to die?  Why didn't I die when I was a baby?"

Trust me...I wish I had more definitive answers to these tough questions.  I just continue to hope and pray for a healthy little one.  That will lift a huge cloud of anxiety for all of us, but especially a very concerned big sister.

An adoring big sister with a love that will never end...
(I still cannot look at this picture without tearing up.)

Technologically Challenged

It will be interesting to see how this current generation of kids grows up in such a technology-based world.  Alexa is extremely well-versed in the Apple world, and she always tries to do a finger-swipe whenever she sees a computer screen - - she found out that this does not work well on my laptop PC.  I am the first to admit that I am not the most technology-driven person, and on airplanes I'm always happy to let Alexa have the iPad while I read my old-fashioned books and magazines.

Instead of watching a television show tonight, Alexa chose to play games on the iPad.  When we were in St. Louis, she became very well-versed in a "Cookie Baker" app on NeNe's Kindle, so Damon downloaded that to his iPad when we returned home.  After about five minutes of playing "Cookie Baker" she became bored and switched to "Angry Birds."  When I tapped her on the shoulder to let her know her time was up, she asked me if I wanted to try.  I think this was a set-up on her part, as she knows I have never played the game before, but I decided to be a good sport and give it a try.  Yes, something is very wrong with the world when I have a four year-old teaching me how to play "Angry Birds."

Alexa's "Angry Birds" tutorial lasted all of 30 seconds, and the rest of my play time was accompanied by heckling from Alexa, as she laughed hysterically when I could not knock out all of the monkeys or even missed them entirely in a few errant catapults.  Apparently watching me play was a million times more fun than actually playing it.  At one point, Alexa even uttered, "Are you kidding me!?" as I had a pretty rough round and didn't knock out too many monkeys.  Oy - I never expected to be taunted by a four year-old.  For the record, I did record one round in which I knocked out all of the monkeys and hit a high score.

After playing for about 20 minutes tonight, I decided to retire from the "Angry Birds"....I will just stick to watching Cardinals games and dvr'ed reality shows for my technology-fix.

Four going on fourteen..... :)

Inexpensive Tastes

Alexa's palate continues to perplex me....she used to be the kid who would try everything, but over the past few months she's become a very picky eater, shunning foods she used to love - macaroni & cheese, tomato sauce, etc...  Yet she could not wait to try frog legs; it really is quite a mystery.

Damon was working tonight, so Alexa and I decided to go to Wildfish for dinner to try to have some time together as a family today.  Dining at Wildfish can be a tough feat, as Alexa wants nothing more than to be by Damon's side when we're in the restaurant.  However, tonight I had Alexa's promise that she would be on her best behavior, and Damon helped things out by sitting with us whenever he could.  At the restaurant, Alexa's first question is always, "Do you have any live lobsters?!?"  Tonight the answer was "No," but Damon decided to bring some lobster and butter for Alexa to sample.  He figured this would be a pleasant treat, especially compared to the frog legs she ate a few weeks ago.

Logic does not always prevail when it comes to the appetite of a four year-old - Alexa hesitantly dipped the lobster in butter sauce and took a quick sniff as she brought it to her mouth.  The smell was apparently a huge turn-off, as she would have nothing to do with the crustacean.  Damon and I just shook our heads....at least we won't have to worry about her ordering an expensive entree next time we go out to eat!

Frog leg saddles?  No big deal...A piece of lobster claw?  Eww!!!

Higher Standards

As we drove to gymnastics this morning, Alexa expressed her dismay that Arizona does not border an ocean.  "I really wish I was back in Monterey searching for seashells on the beach!"  Join the club, kiddo!  It was a tough return to the heat of the desert after those wonderful days on the Central Coast.  We were quite spoiled by our recent vacation, and I have a feeling we will have at least one weekend jaunt to Monterey before baby #3 arrives.

Our return to Arizona also meant resuming our normal indoor activities on the weekends, although I have committed to swimming with her tomorrow.  Of course Candyland was on the docket (shocking, I know), but apparently our vacation has even made Candyland less fun.  While we were in St. Louis, Alexa not only played with me, but NeNe and her cousin Christian even joined in for some rousing games of Candyland.  (Christian was a great sport, as I don't know many college kids who would accommodate the request of a four year-old....maybe it'll become a drinking game at school this fall. :)  The two-person version of the game is much less lively than with four-players, and about halfway through the game, Alexa lamented the absence of NeNe and Christian.

It's going to be a rough month if everything is compared to the wonderful eleven-day vacation.  Maybe tomorrow's swim will remind Alexa of the fun of living in Arizona!

An enthusiastic participant....at the start of the game.

The Joys of FaceTime

Tonight Alexa had a long-awaited conversation with her BFF Gabriella via FaceTime (video conference on the iPhone).  Gabriella is attending a different school this year, so the girls aren't getting the daily interaction they're used to, but that has not dissipated their friendship one bit.  It is hilarious to watch and listen to these two girls; they have their own language full of inside jokes.  After we ended tonight's FaceTime session, Alexa looked at me and said, "I really miss Gabriella; I'm glad I could FaceTime with her.  It's too bad that I cannot FaceTime with Granty because I really miss him too."

I can only imagine the conversations Granty and Alexa would have....I'm sure there would be lots of cooing and giggling.  Alexa always had a knack for making her baby brother smile - I think those interactions are one of the things I miss most.  Whenever I see Alexa doing the same "gaa gaa" noises with other babies, it always evokes a sense of wistfulness.  I am looking forward to seeing Alexa interact with her new sibling; she loves being a big sister, so her new brother or sister will be very lucky.

Always happy to help bathe Granty...two smiley kiddos.

Back to School

Back to normal....I think Alexa had the toughest transition of all of us, as she had been out of her normal Montessori routine for nearly two and a half weeks.  She was in a surprisingly good mood this morning, especially after I agreed that she could wear her sparkly Monterey shirt to school.  For this first day of school, today was relatively uneventful; Alexa continues to be in the Primary class with her same teacher, so that's a huge benefit.  It definitely made the quick turnaround from vacation to school much easier.

When I picked up Alexa from Aftercare tonight, I was floored at the reception I received from the staff at the school, as this was the first time seeing me since announcing the pregnancy.  It was touching to see how many people are excited for our family and praying for a healthy new arrival.  We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful support system throughout so many aspects of our lives.

Even though we had a good vacation, it is nice to be home.  Damon did purchase a few Powerball tickets for tonight's drawing, so hopefully this will be a short-lived return to normalcy  :)

Ready to conquer another school year!

Goodbye Monterey!

Despite an early afternoon flight out of San Jose, we made the most of our last day of vacation and the limited time we had in California.  Bright and early this morning, we met up with friends at one of our favorite Monterey breakfast spots (although I did take a bit of ribbing for ordering wheat germ pancakes).  En route to San Jose, we made a quick stop at a few outlet stores in Gilroy, although it was a rather unsuccessful shopping trip....the Lululemon outlet was a total bust!  All in all, I could not have asked for a better vacation.  Our trips to St. Louis, San Francisco and Monterey were the perfect break from the hectic lives we've had over the past year.

The aura of vacation came to a screeching halt tonight at 7pm.  That's when the electric rates change to off-peak, meaning it was time for me to start to do laundry.  Ugh!  I was very spoiled with my mom doing all of our laundry in St. Louis and having to do no laundry while in Monterey.  I did manage to skirt the issue of the empty refrigerator (and my need to grocery shop), as Damon picked up some Chinese food for dinner tonight.  Thankfully there were plenty of leftovers to pack for Alexa's lunch tomorrow too.

Looks like a trip to the grocery store is on the docket for tomorrow....Alexa's already started to build the list for me. :)

It was definitely not easy to leave this!
Searching for seashells was high on the Monterey activity list.

Living the Life in Santa Cruz

Today we made a day trip to Santa Cruz to meet up with some great friends for lunch.  What a difference 40 miles makes!  Monterey has been overcast and pretty chilly, but Santa Cruz was beautiful - sunny and warm.  We enjoyed lunch at Aldo's on the Santa Cruz Harbor; it was quite the picturesque setting, basking in the sun and watching the boats launch into the water.  Great food...great friends...great weather.  :)

After lunch, we had the opportunity to take a private tour of Aldo's Bakery, and Alexa (and Damon) was in heaven.  It was pretty amazing to see the industrial equipment and the manual labor that goes into the process of making the varieties of bread.  Alexa's favorites were definitely the hot dog and hamburger buns awaiting to go in the oven.  My personal favorite was the pastry tasting we had in the bakery's retail space - it was like we were back at the Italian delis in New Jersey.

This has been such a wonderful vacation; I don't think any of us are looking forward to our flight home tomorrow.  It will be a harsh reintroduction to reality when we land in Phoenix and return back to 100-degree temperatures.  We will be happy to see Alstott though!

Damon and I have already decided that we need to make trips to Monterey more often; both of us love this city.  It will be tough to leave tomorrow afternoon!

Enjoying a close-up view of the bread "proofing."
Who needs Disneyland when you can get a personal bakery tour?

A Seahorse....finally!

Damon's immediate family came to Monterey for the weekend, so it was a great opportunity to spend time with the whole family.  With everyone's busy lives, it seems that holidays have become some of the rare times we all get together, so this was a very welcome weekend for all of us.  The rest of the family left this afternoon, so Damon, Alexa and I were a solo group again tonight.

I discovered earlier today that the Monterey Bay Aquarium was open until 8pm tonight, so the three of us headed down Cannery Row to the aquarium around 5pm.  Talk about an enjoyable visit!  We completely avoided the lines that had snaked around the building all weekend and had a first-hand glimpse at all of the exhibits.  We must have stayed at the otter tank for at least 15 minutes, watching the four otters swim and play directly in front of us.  The stingrays were staying out of reach, but the disappointment of not being able to touch a ray was more than compensated by the jellyfish and seahorse displays.  Alexa has been begging to see seahorses for months (no luck at the St. Louis, Denver nor Phoenix zoos), so an entire wing of seahorses was a complete thrill for her.  We spent nearly three hours at the aquarium, and Damon and I both remarked that it was our best visit by-far...largely due to Alexa's age but also the perfect time for our visit.

Alexa and I also got to see a little more of Monterey than we planned tonight.  We hopped on the trolley, planning to take a scenic loop around Monterey and concluding at our start-point in front of the hotel.  Apparently we grabbed the last trolley of the night, so unbeknownst to Alexa and myself (along with a family visiting from Europe), we were on a one-way tip to downtown Monterey.  It's a good thing I know my way around this city extremely well - thanks to the three years Damon lived here - and we were able to make the walk back to the hotel (~1.5 mi) in the shortest route possible.  It also fulfilled my workout for the day, as Alexa was pretty tired and I gave her a piggy-back ride nearly the entire way.  It was an enjoyable walk and a nice change from my normal workout routine!

Posing with a larger than life seahorse.

All smiles on the trolley....before we realized it was a one-way trip!

Happy 14-month Birthday, Granty!

As much fun as we have been having on our family vacation, Granty's absence has been very noticeable.  It was exactly one year ago that we took our first vacation as a family of four to San Diego; we're definitely missing our fourth member this trip.  It's hard to believe today is his fourteen-month birthday.

Although he's not with us physically, he has undoubtedly been on the minds of all three of us during this trip.  Within the first hour of our visit to San Francisco, we turned the corner in Fisherman's Wharf, and sure enough, a reminder of Granty was right there - - two huge giraffes adorned the entrance to a (somewhat tacky) fine china and art gallery.  Those giraffes, albeit a bit ornate, served as great reminder of our Granty, as we passed them each time we made our way back to the hotel.

The thoughts of Granty did not stop in San Francisco.  Yesterday, we met up with the parents of Damon's good childhood friend and enjoyed a wonderful afternoon in Carmel.  Nic owns an art studio in Carmel and is an extremely talented artist, so we stopped by the studio after lunch to see some of his masterpieces.  As soon as we entered his studio, Alexa said, "Look...it's Granty!"  Nic kept a program from Granty's funeral on his desk, and Alexa spotted her baby brother's photo immediately.  It was yet another sweet reminder of our little boy.

Happy 14-months, Granty!  You are constant in our hearts and on our minds.

The giraffe statues - a nice reminder of our little boy in SF.

Alexa finishes her watercolor masterpiece with a little coaching
from Nic.  He was kind enough to also matte and frame the her
work....it is actually a really pretty and colorful piece!

Promoting Education

Aside from the "freezing" cold weather here in the Bay Area (yes, we have definitely become acclimated to Arizona weather), it was another phenomenal vacation day.  We wrapped up our brief San Francisco leg of the trip with a harbor cruise this morning, enjoying some great views of the city, Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.  The cruise was a hit with Alexa, especially after we spotted some sea lions swimming in the choppy waters.  She was also very intrigued with the concept of jail/prison, as I did my best to explain the significance of Alcatraz.  She asked quite a few questions that even had me stumped; it really is fascinating to see how her mind works.  Thankfully, after Alcatraz, we quickly approached Pier 39 so I was able to distract her by pointing out the sea lions laying on the pier.

Before we left San Francisco, we had to make one special stop for Alexa - she desperately wanted a Sea Turtle sourdough roll from Boudin Bakery.  Alexa and Damon love watching the show 'Cake Boss' together, so the Boudin Bakery and its visible demonstration bakery was a huge attraction for Alexa.  I will admit, it is pretty impressive to watch them bake the various varieties and shapes of sourdough.  Damon was more than happy to swing into the bakery to grab the bread for Alexa (and successfully sneak a cookie for himself...finally!), and she munched on her sourdough turtle roll as we made the drive south to Monterey.

As we drove to Monterey from San Francisco, I stopped in Palo Alto to grab something to drink.  When I came out of the store, Damon and I realized I had parked in front of a Stanford gift shop...so of course we had to pick up a sweatshirt for our future Stanford graduate.  Haha.  For the record, she does have Purdue apparel as well, so Damon and I are not neglecting our alma mater, but a 35% off sale was too good of deal to pass up.  Alexa fell asleep for the rest of the drive to Monterey, clutching her sweatshirt in her lap.  I'll take that as a good sign of her educational endeavors!

Tomorrow should be another fun day - the beach in Carmel is on the agenda, as Alexa is very interested in searching for seashells.  I'm just looking forward to a relaxing day in one of my favorite places...Monterey!

Showing off her coveted sourdough sea turtle;
the best kind of souvenir...an edible one!

Our future Stanford grad (she'll grow into the sweatshirt)!