Alexia's World

New Talents

2010-07-14T12:34:00.002-05:00

So Alexia is on a quest to find a "new talent that I can show everyone in Texas". She told me that my new Texas talent is going to be driving. Apparently Alexia and Brian were discussing my wonderful ability to drive in the snow yesterday and Alexia has decided that when we get to TX- and I quote- "daddy should hire someone to teach you to drive more better mommy!" (and according to Alexia she told Brian that I can't drive when its not snowing either) I want to go on the record as saying that my driving is not that bad.

Alexia decided that Brians new TX talent is going to be football games. Since Dallas has a pro football team he can go to the game instead of watching it on TV and that way she can watch TV while he is gone and wont have to listen to the game. Dont ask me how this is a talent!

Well, now she is trying to figure out a talent for herself and has told me taht I neeed to think of one. Any ideas?

Showing the House

2010-07-02T21:01:00.004-05:00

Here is the link to OUR HOUSE

So we had our first "official" showing today. Our realtor said it went well. The couple was impressed with how well we have kept up on the cleanliness and overall maintenance. They are thinking of making an offer that would be contingent on their house selling. Overall it sounded optimistic.

Alexia is turning into her "clean freak mommy". She had the neighbor kids come over and play for a while and I could hear her in her room lecturing them that if mommy saw any toys on the floor she would be upset because "messes don't sell houses" (yes I used this line on her the other day- I can't believe myself sometimes) she did not let her friends get any toys out. I felt bad and told them that they could play with one bin of toys and then it would make clean up easier. She couldn't even enjoy playing because she was too worried about the mess. What have I done?! (Sadly I still enjoy how clean the house is right now and having Brian and Alexia helping keep it that way- I will admit I am probably totally screwing up as a mother)

Dallas

2010-07-01T14:52:00.002-05:00

OK for those we have not heard, Brian accepted a job in Dallas, TX so we are moving. Alexia is very excited to meet a real cowboy. I am excited to move to a large city with something to do that does not involve farms. Brian is just excited to leave Iowa and all its cornfields (in other words- he can cook for events that don't have corn as part of the menu).

So what have we been up to lately- Cleaning, packing, more cleaning, even more packing, and a little fun in the summer sun. Or I should say the 12 days of sun we had in the month of June. So far summer has been spent in rainy weather, so we are all a bit stir crazy. We are excited for the holiday weekend and Alexia can't wait to see fireworks. We always go watch a cute brass band that is made up of all retired military personal and they have so much fun playing patriotic sings. Then we stay for the fireworks in Coralville.

Anyway, Brian heads to Dallas in a few weeks, so we are going to try to pack as much fun onto that time as we can. We will keep everyone posted on the trouble we get into!

Decorations

2009-11-27T09:30:00.006-06:00

So Alexia started asking last Tuesday if we could put up the Christmas decorations. I told her that we don't put them up until after Thanksgiving. She woke up at 4 something this morning and asked if it was time to put them up. Seeing that it was still 4:13AM I quickly (and not so nicely) told her after daddy left for work we would put them up. I thought that would buy me some time in the morning while she was watching cartoons. Oh No! As soon as Brian was out the door Alexia ran downstairs and started bringing the decorations up.

I assembled the tree while she started putting out other decorations. Then she decorated the tree by herself. Apparently she is almost 8 and that means you are old enough to decorate the tree without mommy. So I was assigned the job of taking pictures.

By the end this was more her attitude. Break time!

Brace Face

2009-11-26T19:37:00.008-06:00

Alexia got her braces on this week. Here is how our day went:

Getting ready. At this point still very excited.

The before picture. Still excited!

The Car. A little nervous but still kinda excited.

The end result. Not as exciting now because they hurt. And she can't chew gum anymore.

More Halloween

2009-11-03T19:00:00.003-06:00

I forgot the Monster Mash dance (she has been learning this in school)

Also, please note that I had added a link to the Blog for Alexia's class. The student teacher, Ms. West, is posting what the class is up to each week so it is fun to check out!

Halloween

2009-11-03T18:45:00.006-06:00

Just a quick Halloween recap (in color!)

Carving pumpkins. Alexia did most of it by jerself this year and was very proud of her cat when she was done.

Our Fairytail Princess trick or treating:

And Finally, the Loot.. Can we say sugar high?

Open House at School

2009-10-04T18:52:00.005-05:00

We wen to to the Open House at school this week and wanted to share some of the highlights. Mrs. O'Leary said that Alexia is a joy on class. She also shares that when Alexia gets done with her work (which is usually before the most of the other kids) she tends to talk to other kids instead of working on something quietly. Brian did not go the Open House with us, so when we came home and shared that with him he asked Alexia why she talks in class. Her response: "That's my thing Dad!" (picture her saying that with A LOT OF SASS)

Alexia in the Toy closet at BASP

The Picture outside her classroomHer Mobile hanging above her deskAlexia sitting at her desk- she told me this is what she looks like in school everyday!Her clean desk! (She makes her mommy proud)The note welcoming us to Open HouseThe picture she drew of herself

We had such a good time at open house and she is doing great in school.

Jasmine's Visit- Week in Photos

2009-08-14T19:09:00.011-05:00

Jasmine has been here for 6 days and here is what we have done: (not in a particular order)

Nauvoo:

Bike Tricks.

Swimming. Alexia conquered the diving boards only after Aunt Jasmine demonstrated that it was safe!

Daddy's Game. Lets just say they lost but Alexia had fum cheering for Big B! (AKA Daddy)

The Children's Museum.

Random Videos from the week:

Is Summer Over Yet?

2009-08-03T10:23:00.002-05:00

O.K. This is one mom that wants to get back to a normal routine. We have had a fun summer and can't wait for Jasmine to get here in a couple of days. Alexia and I decided that Jasmine coming is our last big hooray for the summer, then we need normalcy again. Alexia has had a lot of fun and adventures this summer, but some how mom is the exhausted one!

Alexia has been in summer camp with the Penn BASP and they have had so much fun. They have walked to Dairy Queen for ice cream once a week, had theme day parties like Halloween, crazy day, Christmas, and a Hawaiian Party. They have gone to the rec center to swim twice a week all summer. They went to Lost Island (a huge water park in Waterloo) in which Alexia went down lots of big water slides, floated in the lazy river, played in the wave pools, and generally had the time of her life. When she came home she told Brian that it was the best day of her whole entire life! And finally they had a big party last Friday for the last day of summer camp.

You would think with all of this fun and adventure she would be tired, but no she is so excited when she gets home each day that it takes hours to calm down for bedtime. She thinks because it is summer that she need to stay up late every night and I keep telling her that she is in for a surprise when school starts and she is exhausted. I am already there!

All that being said, this is one mom who can't wait for school to start so that I can go to bed before 11:00PM! (I know I sound so old, but yes I go to bed well before 11PM)

Wacky Day and Frogger

2009-06-25T07:59:00.008-05:00

Alexia had wacky day at her summer program this week and here is what she looked like:

She also rescued a frog from our widow seal on Saturday and named him Frogger. He now lives under the deck in the back yard.

Happy Fathers Day A Few Days Late

2009-06-23T09:18:00.003-05:00

Alexia and I wanted to wish all of the fathers in our life a Happy Father's Day!. We hope you did something you enjoy.

Alexia decided that the best fathers day she could give Brian was to leave him alone and let hm watch golf all day long, so that is what she did. Well, until the Tornado sirens- then she decided to stay right by daddy so that she would be safe. We were off the hook for dinner too, since Brian wanted pizza for his Father's day dinner. I can handle that prep and clean up!

Alexia called her grandpas for Fathers day too (even though she argued that its not called Grandpas Day, they should pick their own day). I tried to explain why grandpas are included in father's day, but she was not buying it!

I do want to say how grateful for all of the fathers in my life. I have a great dad who is such a wonderful example of faith in the lord and love for his family. He had 9 kids and managed not to kill anyone or go clinically insane! I also have a wonderful father-in-law. Anthony is always supportive and understanding. He can also beat Alexia at checkers and she does not get too mad because she loves her grandpa!

I have wonderful grandfathers. both grandpa Joe and Heber are such wonderful men. They are both strong, faithful, good-hearted men and I love them very so much. I wish that I could spend more time with all of these great men.

I also want to say what a great father Brian is. You can see how much he loves Alexia and how much fun they have playing ball together. He is a daddy that she can be proud to have!

Fun Days and Pioneers

2009-06-19T16:03:00.009-05:00

Last Saturday we went to the North liberty Fun Days and Alexia got to ride some "super fun rides".

She also won a Dolphin that she made talk for the next 3 hours. I will let you all enjoy what I had to listen to for hours and hours and hours:

We also went to our State Pioneer Day and Alexia had so much fun learning about the Mormon pioneers. Mostly she liked the crafts. And yes we know that pioneers did not eat Cotton candy, but Alexia thinks it would have been better for them if they had!

Yearly Goals

2009-05-20T20:14:00.005-05:00

First of all, thank you for all the birthday wishes last week. I had a good birthday and was touched by all of the cards and wishes. I have truly great family and friends and I am so blessed.

So many of you that know me know that I DO NOT LIKE to set New Years goals. Nobody ever seems to keep their New Years goals. I do, however, like to set a goal ever year around my birthday. I was not going to do that this year, but I realized that I do have 2 goals that I want to accomplish before the BIG 3-0!

1. Get to a healthy BMI. I have set goals in the past to loos weight or conform to a "certain size" and all that has taught me is that my body does not get to a "certain size". This year I want to have a healthy BMI. I am going walking more including walking during my lunch break every day for 30 minutes (I usually read of talk with friends, but maybe I can encourage some of the ladies in the surrounding offices to walk with me. Hint, hint) I am also going to be more conscientious about what I eat.

2. Read Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage. If any of you have read this I commend you. I have been working on it for 2 weeks now and have finished 20 whole pages! Yeah Me! (The advise to keep scriptures and a dictionary nearby was great advise. Thank you to everyone who mentioned that.)

Those are my goals. Ask me how I am doing!

For those of you who read the blog for pictures of Alexia (and I know your out there, so don't try to fake it), here you go:

Swimming

2009-05-15T19:59:00.008-05:00

Here is Alexia at swimming. She is getting to be quite the little swimmer and is very excited about going to the pool with the BASP this summer.

Before Class:

During Class:

Playing After Class:

Mommy's Favorite- Early bedtime because she is worn out!

Alexia's 1st Grade Preformance

2009-05-12T18:49:00.007-05:00

The Penn 1st graders had there music performance last week. Here are some fun clips and pictures:

We Have Not Fallen Off the Face of the Earth

2009-05-01T15:37:00.002-05:00

Here is a rundown of the past couple weeks at the Watson household:

Easter was really fun. Alexia colored eggs and showed Daddy every single one. She was so proud of all her work.

After not feeling well for so many weeks, I have gone on a cleaning spree. I feel like I need to get all the spring cleaning done so I have been going through drawers, toys, clothes, ect. Alexia has been helping me get "all the dusty, cruddy corners" (as she likes to call them because she knows how much it bugs me). Having someone tell you how gross everything is while you clean really makes you feel like you haven't kept things very clean. After she finished a job she tells me that it's "Super Dooper Clean" (compared to my "Little Bit Super Dooper Clean). She even told me she "spit cleaned" her room. Yeah!

Brian and I have both been working a lot. He is back into graduation and wedding season. I am just happy that we both have full time work. I have put in some job applications around town. (If my boss is reading this, you know it's just that I am sick of working with "alleged criminals" everyday. It's nothing against you!) I am hesitant to leave Dean's office because who knows when or if more layoffs might happen but I have faith that the Lord will lead me in the right direction. If there is anyone in or around the Iowa City area who needs a good administrative assistant, call me!

I have started reading the book, Jesus the Christ. I am really excited to read this and so far I have only had to get the dictionary out once.

We have dandelions all over our yard, so this weekends project is to do some major yard work. We have had so many weekends of rain, it will be nice to have a sunny weekend to get things done.

TTFN.

Thank you and we love you

2009-05-01T15:33:00.005-05:00

It has been a roller coaster of emotions the past couple of weeks. Thank you to all of our friends and family who have been so supportive since my miscarriage. We love you all and I cannot express how grateful I am to have so many supportive people in our lives.

Thanks to everyone who donated

2009-03-21T08:48:00.002-05:00

Alexia wanted to say that you to everyone that donated to her Jump for the Heart fundraiser at school. She met and exceeded her goal. She participated in the jump roping and had a blast doing it. She practiced at home so much that she became quit good at the jump rope.

She was very excited to get all of your donations and was one of the top fundraisers in the 1st grade. Thank you all for supporting her. We love you!

Daisy

2009-03-01T18:49:00.006-06:00

We got a dog today and Alexia has named her Daisy. She is a golden retriever and was born on January 9, 2009. Alexia was a little nervous at first but seems to just love her now. She is a cute little thing. She seems to like to play with the rope and squeaky toys best. Alexia just likes to follow her around and see what she is going to do. We even took her on her first walk today. We went about 3 houses down and back then Daisy came home to take a nap.

Jump for the Heart

2009-02-09T20:03:00.004-06:00

Hello Everyone. I know we have not updated our blog in a while, but life has been busy as always. Alexia wanted me to invite people to visit her donation web page for The American Heart Association Jump rope event. She is trying to raise $100.00 and you can check her out at http://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=284664&supId=246897268
and check her progress. She loves jump roping and is excited about this event. If you want to donate but don't want to do it online, you can send her the money too. They are learning to count money in school so she wanted to ensure people that she will count your dollars and cents and give them to Ms. K.

She is so excited for this event and I am hoping that even if you don't have the means to donate right now you can at least ask her about it and encourage her to do a good job! You can always send her an email and I will show it to her. We love and appreciate all of you and I will update more about our lives soon.

Christmas

2008-12-28T20:40:00.004-06:00

Alexia had a fun Christmas. Thank you to everyone who gave her gifts. Here are some of the pictures:

Seeing Santa

2008-12-21T13:13:00.004-06:00

We decided to venture out to the mall yesterday to see Santa and I am sorry we did. Now don't jump to conclusions, it was not the crowd, it was not the parking lot, it was not the cold, snowy weather, nor was it the idea of waiting in a long line to see Santa that made me sorry. It was Santa himself. (Well the "helper Santa" at the mall) Take a look at our picture this year and you may see what I mean.

That's right folks, I think Santa is Under the Influence. Alexia was scared of Santa this year, which is a first for our outgoing, outspoken little angel. When she got off his lap and came over to tell me she was scared, I took her back over to Santa and he smelled that nauseating smell of alcohol. The young lady who was taking the photo was not having trouble getting kids to look at the camera, no it was Santa that she kept having to remind to look up at the camera. And did this "sweet" Santa ask the little kids what they wanted for Christmas, no he could barely form a sentence.

As we got our picture and left Santa Alexia was left wondering why was this a "messed up Santa". And why would the real Santa let him help.

So as a parent I am left to wonder, what do I tell my daughter about this "messed up Santa" as she referred to him yesterday? I reminded her what we tell her every year, this is just one of Santa's helpers because the real Santa is getting ready to bring presents. That only leaves Alexia to wonder why Santa would let a "messed up Santa" help. So as we quickly approach the last of the magical years before Alexia figures it all out, we are left to explain things that should not have to be explained to kids. Why are Santa's helpers grumpy people (because it was not just Santa that was unfriendly yesterday) who don't even ask you what you want?

And now I will get off my soapbox and wish you all a Merry Christmas. We hope the real Santa visits you this year.

The Birthday Party

2008-12-14T17:49:00.004-06:00

Rock and Roll! (If you can call Hannah Montana that) Food, Friends, and Fun. Alexia's birthday party was a fun time. Thank you to all her friends that came and family that helped. Grandpa Anthony and Grandma Shirley helped with the party and I can't thank them enough. Those kids would have eaten me alive if I had been by myself (Just Kidding). Here are the pictures:

And here is mommy by the end of the day:

Today is the Last Day I Am 6!

2008-12-11T21:12:00.006-06:00

Alexia woke up this morning and ran into our bedroom yelling "Today is the last that that I will ever have to be 6!" I find that to be the cutest comment ever.

Sorry that I have not posted for a while, but here is the quick updates:

Halloween was fun. Alexia was a skunk and we are still trying to get rid of candy.

Brian got the Leader of the Quarter Award at work in November.

Alexia got a Gold Medal for being kind at School.

Alexia gave a short (3 sentence) talk in the Primary Program and did a great job for her first time talking in front of that many people.

We put up our Christmas tree.

We have most of our Christmas shopping done. Just daddy is left and Alexia is trying to figure out what she wants to get him.

Grandpa and Grandpa Watson got here today. We are very excited to see them.
And we took this cute picture for Christmas...

We will let you know how the Big Hannah Montana Birthday Bash goes on Friday. We can't wait!

Trunk or Treating

2008-10-28T20:21:00.003-05:00

Our ward had its annual trunk or treating event last Friday and we had a blast. Alexia invited her friend Ava and they had so much fun playing and tick or treating from car to car. She got a lot of candy (or CLEANED UP in her words) and I suggested that we don't go out on Halloween, as we have plenty of candy that we don't need to be eating. Alexia had a meltdown at the suggestion. She has had a lot of meltdowns lately, even telling me that she does not want to be Alexia anymore.

I remember a time when trunk or treating was enough and wish for those days back. At least Halloween is on a Friday this year! They have a school parade and we will take lots of pictures so that everyone can see our little skunk! Happy Halloween! Alexia says BOO!

Pumpkins and Pictures

2008-10-18T19:52:00.005-05:00

Today we carved a pumpkin. Alexia did most of it by herself while mommy and daddy watched. She did a great job and it turned out so cute. I am amazed that last year she would not even help because it was "too gross" but this year she did nit want any help. Miss Independent. (I say she is growing up too fast)

She thought that it was slimy and "SO COOL" and "TOTALLY AWESOME". Her favorite part was taking out the pumpkin guts. She also liked using a sharp knife.

You can see the end result was BEAUTIFUL.

We also had pictures taken earlier today, which was an adventure. Alexia decided that she wanted her hair curled, so we spent an hour curling her hair while she jumped every ten seconds telling me not to burn her (which I have never done). Lets just say we will not be curling her hair again for a while.

We left for the pictures thinking that we would get there about ten minutes early, only to get there and find out that they were 45 minutes behind. Lets just say the out appointment was at noon and we were finally done at 1:55. In 6 year old land, that wait is "like forever" so she was not the happiest kid during the pictures. We did manage to make her smile long enough to get some cute pictures, so hopefully they will come back as cute as they looked on the computer. We finally got done and by the time we got home both Alexia and mommy needed a nap while daddy watched football.

Update from our Trip

2008-10-11T08:09:00.014-05:00

Many have wondered how our trip to Utah went. I was was wonderful.

We went to the Circus and Alexia, Craig and Callie had a good time, but we all agree the elephants should come sooner so that kids we can't sit for 2 hours can leave.

We also went to the Zoo.

We had a good time. The rest of my pictures are on CD and I can't get to them right now so I will post more latter.

We Made it to Utah

2008-09-21T22:00:00.004-05:00

We have made it to Utah and Alexia says she has hugged "like 100 million people". Jeanne's mission farewell was today, so we saw all the family and friends in one shot. Jeanne gave a wonderful talk and we are excited to help take her to the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on Wednesday.
I will try to continue to keep pictures updated. I forgot my cord, so I have to wait to see if moms fit to upload my photos.

The Countdown Is On

2008-09-15T19:35:00.003-05:00

Alexia wakes up every morning and tells me how many days until we go to Grandpa and Grandma Keys' house. She has plans...
#1- Show Jared that she can beat him at Bloom Blox
#2- Have a girls slumber party with Jasmine
#3- Pinch Jordan (I don't know why we have to pinch Jordan, but apparently we do)
#4- Teach Craig all about Kindergarten (sorry Jessi and Rob- you probably don't want any of her kindergarten reenactments, but she will show Craig how to be naughty anyway since she is the older cousin)
#5- Hold Baby Ben (and ask mommy yet again why she can't have a baby- yeah!)
#6- Teach Callie and Kaitlyn how to put on makeup- she is bringing her makeup (another thing I am sure the aunts and uncles don't want their kids to know)
... and many more "secret things that mommy can't know about." Let me just apologise to the whole family in advance. You are all in for some real shockers this coming week!

As for Brian, I am sure he will have a quiet, peaceful week without us around. Lucky Guy!

Bad Mom

2008-09-11T18:52:00.004-05:00

Alexia is not very happy that fall is here. I was taking her to school the other day and this is what our conversation sounded like:

Alexia "I don't like when you take me to school when its barely morning."
Me "Why is that?"
Alexia "I don't like that you get off work when it's dark sometimes."
Me- "I don't get off work when it's dark."
Alexia- "But last year, when I was just a kindergartner, you sometimes picked me up when it was darker outside. You know when it got cold and snowed, that part of last year."
Me- "That is because the season changes and there is not as much light during the day. I am at work and you are at school the same amount of time as you are now."
Alexia- "Please mom. Picking your kid up when it is darker is just being a bad mom. I already know that."
Me- "How do you know that?"
Alexia- "Because you just don't want me to tell dad your a bad mom. Soon you will pick me up when its almost night time. I am going to tell dad and he will spank your butt with a shoe!"

Kids growing up. Isn't it fun (and very depressing sometimes).

I Wish My Life Was More Entertaining.....

2008-09-05T13:50:00.004-05:00

As I have realized that I have not posted in a while, I have also realized that it is because there is nothing really entertaining going on in our lives. In other words, I have no life.

Alexia loves being back in school. She really likes her new teacher. She seems to excel at math, already adding and subtracting and solving story problems, but she is struggling with reading this year. She does not seem interested in reading and as someone who loves to read I get really frustrated with her attitude about reading. She even told me the other day that she does not need to learn to read well because soon robots will be able to read everything to her. She may be right, but Brian told her she has to keep reading until that robot is created.

Alexia is also excited about going to Salt Lake in a couple weeks. Craig is in kindergarten so they can share stories. She has also decided that all of her cousins are going to play games with her. I don't think she realizes that they will be in day care and preschool most days. We will find things to do, I want to take her to see temple square, so I am hoping that someone will take us downtown and drop us off one of the days that we are there. I think it would be a good experience for Alexia to visit the temple grounds and the visitors center.

We will try to get a life so that we have funner updates in the future!

Back to School

2008-08-18T20:24:00.006-05:00

Alexia started first grade today. Her teacher is Miss. Kelzenberg or Miss. K for short. This is her first year teaching, but she did some of her student teaching at Penn last year. She seems very nice and Alexia is so excited.

Alexia got up nice and early today. She jumped right out of bed yelling that she was going to school today. I hope that this enthusiasm lasts a while and she continues to get up this easily.

As you can see she was a little silly by the end of the day. She came home and told daddy about her day for an hour, which included recess, reading, music and lunch. It was a great 1st day of school and if anyone feels like calling she will probably talk your ear off!

Grandpa and Grandpa and School

2008-08-12T19:54:00.008-05:00

First and foremost- Jeanne we are so happy for you getting your Mission call. Dalas is a great city and the people there will love you! Alexia has been telling all her friends that her aunt Jeanne is going to be the "bestest missionary". The people of Dallas are so lucky!!!!!

Well Jared has gone home (and we probably miss hom more then he misses us) and now grandpa Anthony and grandma Shirley are here. Alexia is having tons of fun with them. They play games all day and she tells them wild stories about all of her summer adventures. She just loves having them here (I think it is because she has non-stop attention).

We get to meet her new teacher Thursday. She is very excited that she will be a 1st grader and not the baby of the school anymore. I am just glad that we will be back on schedule soon. I now know why so many parents don't like the summer. It is a great time to spend extra time with your kids, but it is so hard to stay on schedule and go to bed on time. I will be glad when bedtime is not a fight each night to "stay up just a few more minutes".

I have been bad at posting because I am trying to finish Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyers. I feel like a slacker because most of my sisters seem to be done already and raving about this book in the series. That right Jasmine, I heard that you told everyone that they should read the series just so that they can read this book. I totaly agree so far, but its making me wish I had time to read it faster. I, however, am not excited for the movie. Movies are never as good as the books and they ruin what I have imagined. I will probably wait to hear reviews before I see it.

Brian is also on the hunt for another job. He has applies several places and is waiting to hear back on what the offers may be. Two of the places he has applied is his old hotel in Scottsdale and Weber State in Ogden
(that's right family, the job is open again and
they called him, but don't get your hopes up
because I think he wants Scottsdale more).
I think he just wants to get the heck outta Iowa
(though I can't imagine why ->)
(Jere- that creepy picture is for you!) We will keep you all posted on the job hunt.

Long Time

2008-07-27T20:19:00.008-05:00

OK. I know it has been like half the summer since I posted. What can I say, it's been a long summer. I did not anticipate being busy every time I had any time to spare. We have had several fun filled weekends. We have been to several movies. On the 19Th we went to the Children's Museum in the mall and I don't know who had more fum, Alexia or Jared. They put in a puppet show that had everyone laughing. One couple enjoyed it so much that when they left they told others to come in a watch because it was that good. They also liked to race cars, golf balls, and run around the dinosaur exhibit. .

Yesterday I took Alexia and her friend Ava to the rec center to swim. Alexi has been scared of the water slides since we moved in last year (not that they are that big) and yesterday she conquered her fear. Then went down the two slides for the next 4 hours. It was a blast and I think it was more fun with a friend then with boring old mom. I, of course, got a sunburn, again! On a sadder note, Wilbur the pig died. (He is the big fat one in all the pictures) Alexia was very sad by that and told everyone not to eat pig for a few days (I think she thought that Chris and Kathleen would use him for meat and she did not want anyone to eat him, but I assured her that the don't eat meat and the buried him)

What I am reading

2008-07-09T14:58:00.003-05:00

I am currently reading the latest book by Jodi Picoult, one of my favorite authors, and it is a very fascinating story. It is about a man who is on death row for murdering and father and child and wants to donate his heart to the sister/daughter of these people because she will die without a new heart. If you get past the touchy, feely stuff there is a very interesting story about Jesus Christ and how he may return to earth (in what form, time, place). She has referenced some interesting scripture that has made me research information into my beliefs and find some interesting things. It is a good read for both entertainment value and intellectual thought.

At work I have had the opportunity to watch Deans new website get created, www.keeganlegal.com, and have mentioned that adding a short blog to it may be fun. Dean agrees and is going to do one, so I am excited to see that happen. I think it will bring in more business, which we need right now so we can all continue to get paid.

Pigs, Pogo's and Panda's

2008-06-26T19:11:00.008-05:00

Pig's, Pogo Stick, and Kung Fu Panda movie. That updates what we have been up to lately for all those who have bugging me to update the blog. On Saturday we took Jared to see Kung Fu Panda. This movie was a hit all around. Plenty for Jared and I to laugh at and parts that Alexia loved. Her favorite part was when the Panda was training with the master and they were fighting over a pot sticker with chopsticks. Jared loved the line "There's no charge for being awesome, or attractive" I liked that line also.

On Sunday Alexia jumped on her Pogo Stick and rode her bike. She loves her Pogo Stick. The record is still thirty something (we debate about the actual number because Alexia gives herself about 5 more then I counted). She also tried new bike tricks. Lets just say that they did not go well.

Last night we went to Kat and Chris's house and saw their pigs and horses. We all got to pet the baby piglet, which I have to say was so cute. Alexia was mad because the horses would not come close enough for us to feed the apples, so she ran off to play with the "hundreds" of cats that Kat and Chris have.

Floods Continued

2008-06-16T10:15:00.003-05:00

I wanted to let everyone know that the Iowa River crested yesterday evening at 31.8. The expected crest had been 33.1, so it crested below what they thought. This is great news for the Iowa City and Coralville areas. Engineers expect that the Iowa River will take a lot longer then the Cedar River to fall, not going below flood stages of 19.2 until at least Friday, but the bulk of the worry about it continuing to rise seems to have left the community. I came into the downtown Iowa city area this morning to see if we could get to our office, and it seems to be that only the basement and about an inch on the main floor got flooded. Since we are on an upper floor we should be back to normal sooner then we all thought. Until then we are working out of Sarah's house or a nearby building.

The Marriott got very lucky and had minimal damage in the floods. They even still have 11 rooms occupied during all of this. Crazy I know.

In all of this commotion I forgot to put on the blog that Alexia lost her front tooth. She talks with a little bit of a lisp right now because she can't figure out how to prevent air from going through her front teeth. She has 3 more loose. The tooth fairy brought her 3 dollars (part because the tooth fairy felt bad that she did not know why mom and dad were so edgy and the tooth fairy knows she is saving for another Webkins). Alexi was very excited about all of this. Pictures coming soon, I promise.

Floods

2008-06-14T19:08:00.004-05:00

The floods are getting closer to Iowa City and Coralville. This is a picture of downtown Coralville. For those that have been in this area, this is where the Old Chicago Restaurant, Walgreen's, and Heartland Inn are. The Marriott is a few miles up 1st Ave. This is about a 10 minute drive from our house.

The Marriott has not evacuated yet, but they have a bout a 8 foot high sandbag wall around the main tower. It is the biggest concern to save right now. The employee parking lot is completely covered in water and the had to close the parking tower because they are afraid it is not safe. I will try to find a picture that shows the front of the hotel where they have sandbagged. It is amazing to look at what the people in the community are doing to try to save certain areas, like the Marriott and the University. Brian is tired because he has done 2 days straight of over 12 hours of sandbagging. We are all sunburned since we finally had some sunshine today.

Brian and I are making plans on what we may do if we have to leave. I am not going to be able to work for a while because Dean has lost a lot in both offices. He called very upset today that he does not know how he will keep paying myself, Sarah, and Kathleen if he looses the Iowa City office. He has already lost the Cedar Rapids office. This area will certainly take a lot to get the economy back up after this. Brian and I have talked about leaving if Marriott offers that to people (although I don't know how we would sell our house in this area right now) so we may be begging to move in with family for a few months. We will make it work though. Keep praying for all the people who have lost so much in this area. We love all of you.

We are OK

2008-06-12T21:29:00.004-05:00

Many of you have voiced concern about the floods and so far we are OK. Dean's (my boss) Cedar Rapids office is completely under water. The Iowa City office sits about 2 blocks from the river just of the Burlington bridge. Right now that is the only bridge open that I could use to get to and from work, so Dean has told me to stay home if it appears that they may close it. Word is that authorities are worried about some of the bridges collapsing, so I will most likely stay away in the morning. Iowa City officials are encouraging people to stay away if they can because if they have to evacuate they want as few people there as possible. Certain areas of Iowa City have been evacuated about 3 blocks from downtown (our office). We are on the border of evacuation.

The Marriott has not had to evacuate yet, but news tonight indicates that water has broken through the railroad embankment, which is about 4 blocks south of the hotel. The water seems to be flowing away from the hotel in Coralville. The Coralville strip (the main road in Coralville) is starting to flood and they may have to close parts of that and 965. For those of you that may ask, 965 is the main road in and out of North Liberty. The water would have a long way to go up 965 before it would reach our house, so we are not in a watch area right now for evacuations. A lot of people in my ward are in evacuation areas in Coralville and Iowa City and may loose their possession and/or homes, please include them in your prayers (whomever you may pray to, we need all the help we can get). Also the lady that works in our Cedar Rapids office has evacuated her home and last word is that her entire street is under water.

Here is a link for the Iowa City newspaper and they have been one of the best updates sights if you want recent news http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage. They also have an update about the Marriott if you want to read that http://www.press-citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080612/NEWS01/806120335.

Again, we are fine right now and I will probably be home tomorrow, unless I help in sandbag efforts, since I probably wont get into Iowa City. If anything changes I will try to call mom and Shirley to let both sides of the family know. We love all of you!

Jared is Here and Alexia is wearing him out

2008-06-11T19:44:00.004-05:00

Jared arrived and Alexia will not give him a moments rest. She follows him around all day long and makes him play games. By the time he goes home he wont want to come back.

We are all alive in the floods. Neither place of work has been flooded yet, but the Marriott only has 6 inches to go before they do. Many of you who have watched the news lately have called and I want to assure you that North Liberty is high enough that it would be one of the last places to flood in the area. Iowa City and Coralville are another story. Dean's office in Cedar Rapids flooded today as they were closing downtown, but we got all the files out and who knows when we will get back in to survey damage. We will keep you update in between all the sandbagging, which I will add is hard work and kills the back.

Last Week of School

2008-06-03T08:28:00.002-05:00

Alexia is very excited that this is the last week of school. Thursday is her last day and then she will be a first grader. She is very excited not to be the babies of the school anymore. (Although I don't think anyone would dare treat her like a baby or pick on her) She is confused about when she will officially be a first grader. I told her Friday because as of Thursday she is done with Kindergarten. But her friends mom said in August when they start kindergarten. That seems to have upset her because she does not want to wait until August.

She is excited that Jared gets here in 5 days. We have also had the two cats that we are babysitting come a couple of days ago. Picnic is the boy and Ramona is the girl. Alexia is in heaven. She can't wait to get home and play with them each day. The first two days Picnic was scared of her and Ramona wanted to play all the time. Now Ramona wants to hide and Picnic follows Alexia wherever she goes. She played follow the leader with him for an hour last night. She is also taking care of them and feeding them and cleaning the litter box so that she can earn the money for watching them. I told her is she takes really good care of them she can have the whole $200.00, but she would have to open a saving account and put the money in there. She seems OK with the idea of a saving account now (I am so excited because I have been trying to tell her to put her money in one for a year now and she cries every time I try to take her to open one. I think she thinks that she will never see the money again). Well that is our life. I am almost done reading The Host- I can't wait to see how it ends.

Summer is Quickly Approaching

2008-05-28T13:52:00.003-05:00

Summer has come to fast this year. I feel like I am taking the ostrich approach to all summer plans, with the exception of Jared coming because I had to address babysitting issues for Lexi. I can't seem to get any other plans together. All of my coworkers want to know vacation plans- we have none. Family wants to know vacation plans- we have none. The wonderful lady that I teach primary with wants to know summer plans (when we will be out of town)- we have none. Hopefully people are catching on- we have no summer plans. Not that we won't at some point, but for now Brian and I can't get the same time off, so we have taken the approach of ignoring summer all together.

On another note, I am reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer and loving it. You can say that those are my summer plans, read lots of books. I have a large list that I want to get through but every time I finish a book I seem to add 2 more, so the list may never be done. Some of my sister have finished The Host, or so I hear, but none have said if they liked it or not. It is very different from her Twilight series. Alexia has also made a summer reading list and is participating in the summer reading program at the library. She is very excited. Their theme is Creepy Crawlers and they have several workshops around that theme that she will be trying to talk uncle Jared into taking her to. He may like the creepy crawling things, because mommy "sure doesn't".

P.S. I anybody has good book recommendations let me know! My favorite authors are Stephanie Meyer and Jodie Picoult (too give you an idea of what I have been reading lately).

What to say?

2008-05-18T11:25:00.004-05:00

For once I am sitting here trying to think of updates in our lives and can't think of a single thing. As cute as Alexia is, she did not do anything in the past couple of days to update everyone on. She wants a cat, but I am saying no until I know that I will not be the one doing all the work to take care of it. Of course she asked daddy and he said yes, so now it is a real battle that mommy said no. But I told her I would think about it if she could keep her room, bathroom and toys picked up downstairs until next Saturday. It is day one and I have already had to remind her. My friend Kathleen thinks that I am being too hard on her about this, but I think that is because Kat works at a shelter and wants us to have a cat.

Other then that we have not had anything going on. I finally was able to sign Alexia up for swimming lessons and she starts the first Monday after school gets out. Unfortunately the classes are on Monday and Wednesday evening so will will miss a few of Brian's games, but he seems to think that we can make it to most since swimming ends at 6:45PM and unless they are playing the 6:00PM we should make it to most of the other games. Alexia and I seem to be a big part of the cheering section for the MeriOtters, yes that is right their mascot is an Otter, so it would be a shame if we missed to many games. And we really like to watch Brian play. Again this year he is one of the stars of the team. We will keep you posted on how they do this season.

Birthdays...And all the other Jazz

2008-05-15T18:55:00.002-05:00

For everyone that has been asking, I had a good birthday/ mother's day. We took a nap and in my opinion you can't ask for a better time then that! Thank you to everyone that called and sent cards. For all those who are wondering, Alexia and Brian (more Brian the Lexi) got me an electric fire extinguisher, specifically one that can be used on a stove. For all of you that follow my blog you will remember that I set our stove on fire during the beginning of April when I was cooking what I thoughts was going to be the best meal ever for Brian. That's right, I had been so proud of myself that I was making my Chef husband dinner, that is until I had to ask him to come help me put out the fire. So he will never let me forget it!

We have not been up to much this week. Lexi is getting ready to be a 1st grader. This is exciting news! She has officially earned 20 certificates this year for being a good friend in class and a good helper. Her goal to cover our fridge before the year is over is done and she could not be prouder of herself. She shows them to everyone that comes to the house, including the pizza delivery driver.

We are also getting ready for Grandpa and Grandma Watson and Uncle Jared to come visit. Lexi is going to bed on time every night so that she will be able to fun things with them when they come. She has one other goal right now, to find something she can give Princess Aunt Jasmine for her graduation. It has to be something that a princess would get for graduating. Beware Jasmine! Lexi has come up with some pretty crazy ideas so far, but you are her princess aunt so we could not expect anything less.

The Watson's are Back in Action

2008-05-09T19:17:00.004-05:00

After what feels like a century fixing my computer it is finally up and running again. Thank you to my wonderful brother-in-laws, Rob and Daryn, who put up with my insane phone calls needing help.
I feel like a lot has happened since I last blogged. I have another church calling- I co-teach Alexia's class (which means I listen to a bunch a six year olds make a lot of noise for 2 hours) but I love being there with Lexi and spending more time with her. She loves to sing and is one of the loudest kids in primary, well when she is not playing with the boys. There is one little boy in her class who asked her to marry him last Sunday. Right in the middle of class as we were talking about how to be good friends J.C. announced that he and Lexi were best friends and that he would marry her to make sure they could be friends forever. Then he kissed her cheek. All very cute, but this mom is not ready for that yet.
Lexi has also started getting ready to be a first grader. She is very excited for summer because she can't wait to see grandpa and grandma Watson and uncle Jared. She has big plans to run you all ragged! Jared, you need to plan on lot of trips to swim at the rec center because Lexi may be big enough for the water slide this year! She is also loving to ride her bike and scooter, so we do that a lot too.
Brian and I are up to the same old stuff. Since it is wedding and graduation season I hardly see him. I feel like I have been working a lot lately too. Dean was heading out for vacation this week so it is always stressful to make sure that all the court documents and deadlines are done before he leaves, then we get a easy week while he is gone since most of the work is done. It will be nice. Maybe Brian and I can actually find some time together. 'Tis the Dream

Criminals....

2008-04-14T20:17:00.005-05:00

Today was a day of criminals who did not care if they hurt anyone. I don't know if it is my lack of patience today, or that I just happened to get a lot of calls from people who did not seem to care they broke the law. Generally I have a lot of patients for clients, but today seemed endless. Many people wanted to tell me how the County Attorney was out to get them. That's right folks, County Attorney's have nothing better to do them find random people and charge them with crimes. Most of the time they find people that they have never met! Beware, you may be next. But no fear, I know two great criminal defense guys who will help.

I need a new job. That's right all you co-workers who read this. I said it. I need a new job, today anyway. Tomorrow who knows....

And for all of you that want to hear about the exciting life of Alexia.... She is roller skating in PE. Last week she fell a lot, but today was the first day with no falls. Yeah Alexia! We also had the Primary talent show Friday night. Her talent was the POGO Stick. She jumped 12 times. Her personal best is 27. It was voted the most unique talent of the night and the POGO stick was a big hit with the other kids afterwards. The whole talent show was a lot of fun and I will try to get pictures out soon.

Seeing Grandma

2008-04-09T08:40:00.002-05:00

We are back from Omaha with Grandma Jody and it was a blast. We went to the zoo, Winter Quarters Visitors Center, and did some general sight seeing and shopping. The zoo was the big highlight for Alexia. I have to say that this is one of the best zoos that I have ever been to. The animals were very playful and energetic. Alexia's favorites were the polar bear who was doing backstrokes and showing off in the water and the gorilla who was racing the kids and banging on the glass. He was really fun because he would look at everyone with big innocent eyes, then he would start running along the glass and hit the window wherever a group of kids were sitting, scaring them. He also seemed to have a lot of fun when the kids would race him along the glass.

I personally liked the hummingbirds. They had several different species and they were some of the most beautiful colors you would ever see. Overall, I think all three of us had a favorite part of the zoo and loved how playful all the animals were. It seems that spring is in the air at he Omaha zoo and all the animals wanted to show off. Jeanne, you would appreciate that we were almost close enough to touch the elephants and Alexia wanted Grandma to buy one to take home to you. I had to explain to her that you can't take an elephant on an airplane, maybe next time.

We also went to the Winter Quarters Temple and Visitors Center. The temple was closed for maintenance, but it sits adjacent to the cemetery where some of our family ancestors may be buried. Mom took all kinds of pictures so she can figure out if anyone is buried there. I think that was the highlight of her trip. The temple was beautiful. It sits nestled in the valley of Omaha's biggest hill that we could see. We went through the tour at the visitors center and the Sister missionary that was talking to us was so good with Alexia. They played little games during the tour and she let Alexia pull a handcart, which Alexia has told me that she could pull all the way around the world if we wanted her too. She can be a silly girl.

I Want My Voice Back

2008-04-03T20:46:00.003-05:00

I have figured out what heaven might be like for Brian. I have not been able to talk for three days! O.K. it probably has not been that great since he has had to listen to me cough, throw up, and generally act miserable. I will admit that it has been nice to have him take care of me.

Alexia and I are excited because we get to go see grandma in the morning. I don't think that Brian is entirely comfortable with me driving by myself, but aside from having no voice still I feel fine. I will admit that it was a rough week. I missed two days of work with about 24 hours where I got out of bed maybe twice. I did manage to play the sympathy card with my coworkers and they only called a few times while I was home. Lucky me.

Well, we need to get to bed so we can drive to Omaha in the morning. Grandma has promised that we can just stay in the hotel room sick all weekend if we need to. She will do anything to see Alexia.

Bike

2008-03-30T20:03:00.003-05:00

Alexia has mastered riding her bike without training wheels. This has been a long road. She was almost riding last fall, but had not quite figured out stopping. After a very long winter it was like starting over, but she has managed to figure out how to ride with VERY LITTLE HELP. That was part of what took so long for her to learn, she would not let Brian or I help her by holding on to the back of her bike. She wanted to do it all by herself or not at all. Ms. Independence.

After may falls and lots of scraps and bruises, she has done it and I could not be more relieved. I have decided that it is harder to watch her fall over and over again knowing that she does not want my help. I tried to explain to her that I could help her not fall so many times, but she still wanted to do it alone. Brian got to the point where he would not watch her ride because he could not stand to watch her take so many hard falls, and some of them were pretty hard. Thanks to who ever invented helmets, knee pads and elbow pads. Now the bruises have about a week to heal before they start two weeks of learning to roller skate in gym. (I am already stocking up on neosporine) I am still working on my camera, but I will try to get picture of her in all her riding glory soon.

Snow, Snow, Go Away...And Don't Come Back Until Next Winter

2008-03-27T21:52:00.002-05:00

First and foremost, I want to congratulate my sister Joanna and her husband Brandon on their handsome baby boy. I have not heard if he has a name yet, but the pictures that I have seen are beautiful. Brian, Alexia, and I are glad to welcome the newest addition to the family and can't wait to see him.

We got snow today. Yuck! Lexi is mad because she can finally ride her bike without training wheels, a feat that we have been working on since the fall, and it was raining again today so the ground was too slick to ride. She has been riding her bike while I jog several times a week to get some exercise.

Well, by the time I picked her up from school she was walking around singing snow, snow go away and come again next Christmas. Obviously very disappointed that it was snowing again, which says a lot because she loved being in all the snow this past winter. She is the last person I thought would complain about more snow, but that shows you that even those who love snow have had enough already.

As for Easter, we had a good time. Alexia had to wait for daddy to get home a little after 4:00PM before the Easter Bunny came, but when he did he brought sidewalk paint and the movie Enchanted (which we watched that same day). Enchanted has fast become Lexi's new favorite because she like to scene where they clean the apartment and the rats, pigeons, and cockroaches come to help. Lexi believes that she will train rats to help her clean her room one day, after they cook dinner of course (guess the other favorite). I would post some pictures from Easter, but our camera is broken so I can't take any for a while. I did manage to get some pictures during Lexi's egg hunt, but I can't load them on the computer. Sorry, I will try to get it fixed quickly so you can see current pictures.

Well, I'm off to bed. Have a good night.

Easter Eggs

2008-03-21T19:06:00.004-05:00

We dyed our Easter eggs today. Lexi had her friend Kate over and the two girls had so much fun. After that they put stickers all over plastic eggs so the Easter bunny will have pretty eggs to fill (it was a fun idea I saw in a magazine and a hit with Lexi). Now we just have to put them out on Saturday night so the Easter bunny will put candy in them.

We also made dinner for daddy, but it did not turn out so well. We were making spinach artichoke dip and stuffed bell pepper. Everything was fine until we put the bread on the over, more specifically butter slices of french bread to put the dip on, and the oven caught fire. Brain had to put it out while Lexi and I opened windows. Everyone was OK, but we had tomato soup for dinner and neither Brian or I is sure why the oven caught on fire. What can I say, after 7 years I burnt dinner (and Brian was such a sport and offered to eat it anyway). The Spinach dip turn out good, so we were able to enjoy that with our soup.

Daddy's In, Mommy's Out...

2008-03-20T21:27:00.002-05:00

First I have to say, yes chefs eat Wendy's. Brian often tells me that I would not want to continue with my job for another hour after I get home, so why should he?! Basically that means if I don't get home with enough time to make something on the days he feels that way, we eat Wendy's, Subway (I know, it's Blimpies for most of the family- but we only have Subway in the middle of nowhere) or pizza.

That being said, Brian has had the last three days off to stay home with Lexi and they have had a lot of fun. I have had a couple long days at work (a person can only deal with people who don't want to take responsibility for their actions for so long before they want to yell Grow Up at every client) and have come home not in the best of moods. Lexi finally told me tonight that she wished daddy was staying home with her tomorrow because he is "much more funner then you mom". Which is true this week. Brian and Lexi have played outside; soccer, frisbee, and baseball, have watched a movie together (which one, I don't know- it is a secret from mom which means that I probably would not approve), and Brian has helped Lexi learn to ride her scooter better. She did fall and hurt her knee, but daddy kissed it better.

I would say that daddy is the funner parent this week. I just hope that it does not rain too much tomorrow so we can go to the park. Lexi wants me to take pictures of her on the monkey bars so we can post them for all to see.

Now knowing all that and that Lexi loves Project Runway, I was just told that "daddy's in and that means mommy, your out" (she even tried to say it with Heidi's accent). So know you know. Beware, you may be out next! (but not grandma Jody because we are going to meet her in Omaha in a couple weeks and she can't be out until after that)

I Often Go Walking

2008-03-16T19:12:00.002-05:00

Alexia learned the song I often go walking today in primary, so we had to take a walk when we got home. I am just glad that it was warm enough to go for a walk. It was nice to get out and move around after such a long winter. Alexia mostly rode her scooter while we walked and loved it. This was the first time she got to ride it outside since Santa brought it to her.

Yesterday we took two friends and went to see Horton Hears a Who. All three girls said that it was the"longest movie ever". In all it was about one and a half hours, but felt like three. We decided that it would be two stars. It got two stars because there were some funny parts, like the bridge breaking. That was by far the favorite part for all three girls. I do not recommend wasting money on this movie.

Alexia and I also got our hair cut yesterday. Lexi wanted the stylist to cut her hair long. She sat in the chair and told Marrissa (the stylist that Lexi is now best friends with) that she wanted her to make her hair go down to her butt. It would not have been so funny, but the lady next to Lexi was having blue and red extensions put into her hair and Lexi sat there for the entire time that Marrissa was cutting her hair trying her hardest to convince her that it was a good idea to put the "crazy colors" in her hair. She even told Marissa that she would not let her dad ground her. I got my hair cut to a little before my shoulders, so about 4 inches taken off. We will take pictures and get them up soon so everyone can see.

Well, tomorrow Lexi gets to go to her friend Kate's house for St. Patricks day (which she thinks is named after her uncle Patrick because she saw him pinch aunt Jacki once when we were in Utah). Happy St. Patricks Day! Lexi hopes everyone gets pinched all day long.

Pajama Day

2008-03-14T20:28:00.002-05:00

Today was pajama day in Alexia's kindergarten class. They earned 10 stars to have a pajama day. What a big acomplishment! They had fun by reading stories, singing songs, and sliping on their slippers in the gym. After school daddy was home and we had Wendy's for dinner. All and all a great day in Alexia's book. Next week is spring break, so we will be having lots of fun.

I can't Sleep.....

2008-03-10T22:12:00.002-05:00

I cannot sleep lately, which means my coworkers will be irritated with me again in the morning. At least I am by myself for the first few hours.

I just cannot seem to adjust to daylight savings. It sounds weird, but years in AZ with no daylight savings makes you realize how much your body gets thrown off the first few days. (It also does not help that Brian sound like a freight train lately because he is still getting over the flu.) I am sure he will appreciate that comment later. Obviously I am tired and not making much sense.

Alexia was in a bad mood today. I think she is having a hard time adjusting too. Today was a day where nothing I did was right and "we hated mommy" (we meaning all the dolls hated me too). She even told me that I hated myself because I would not let her have donuts for dinner.....BAD MOM! Well, tomorrow we try again.

Welcome to my blog!

2008-03-09T16:10:00.003-05:00

Well, I have taken the leap and created a blog. My brother and many of my friends have blogs and lots of people have told me that it is a great way to update family and friends that live far away of what we have been up to.

So, today Alexia and I went to church while Brian had to work. I am religious while Brian is not so it creates an interesting dynamic in our house. Sundays tend to be calm and relaxed around our house. I like to read anything that I can get my hands on and Brian likes to watch sports when he is home. Alexia just does her own thing. Today, however; we all seem to be going in different directions. I desperately want to get the house clean, Brian insists it is clean, and Alexia seems to be making messes wherever she goes. Just another day I guess!

The hot topic for Alexia today is our wards upcoming Primary Talent Show. Last year she taught everyone how to flip an egg (well a piece of bread since an egg would have been a huge mess!). It was certainly one of the more unique talents, but not really a huge stage talent. This year she wants to do something else, but I am at a loss as to what to help her prepare. She does not want to sing, dance, or read a poem/book. Any ideas would be helpful!!!!!! We have about 4 weeks to prepare. I will keep you all posted!