~The Farm Part 3 ~

They're here! Alexa was sooooo excited to see her cousins Jacob and Alex. My brother and sister-in-law were in town for the week and spent 2 days at the farm.

Even though Jacob and Alex are 13 and 11, they played with Alexa and never tired ( well at least showed it) of her games and attention.

Hide and seek was her favorite.

We even put up a tent which was quite hilarious to watch. I took photos and stayed out of it!

Picking flowers with Alex. He is so sweet and she loved hanging out with him.

Alexa with my brother's family. I love the look on her face. : )

Family photo, just missing The Chief. We missed him those 10 days and made him promise he would come for part of the trip next summer.

Later that week it was off to visit my Grandma, cousins and this new cutie. Kaylee is my cousin's new daughter. Isn't she yummy? So cute.

My grandma, Aunt Deb, Alexa and Kaylee on the stoop. It was really good to see family this trip. It really meant a lot to Alexa to spend time with her cousins. They made good memories. : )

~~The Farm Part 2~~

Day three of our trip we headed downtown to Chicago. First stop, Chinatown. This was not a big hit with Alexa. Honestly, I think it was just overwhelming for her. It was super hot and humid that day. It was loud and crowded. We talked a lot about Chinatown before our trip but I just think she was not comfortable so we made it short. We went to a few shops and bought some dresses and shoes and of course the pink parasol which she carried for rest of the day.

After Chinatown, we headed to Oak Street for lunch at Bistro 110. We had a super delicious lunch and got some energy for the rest of the day.

Loving the bandaid and the purple flower she picked somewhere on Michigan Ave.

Of course the big event of the day was this place. Alexa had been looking at the catalog for a year and had her mind set on which doll she wanted.

She made a beeline for Elizabeth and there was no turning back.

After shopping, the big yawn is a sign of a successful mission.

Next over to Water Tower Place where Papa was patiently waiting for us to return. I actually went to college right there at Loyola University so it was fun to show Alexa that as well.

Moving on to see the lake. Alexa was super excited to see the "big lake". Off to Lakeshore drive and hopefully a cool breeze.

Thanks Papa for carrying that heavy bag all day. : )

My city girl. The day was almost entirely a success and we had a wonderful time. I really miss the city and I loved showing Alexa a part of my past. She tells me she is a half city, half country girl. Me too!

Back to the farm and time to show Elizabeth around.

I love how she is holding her in this photo.

Feeding Elizabeth chips at her picnic. The funniest was that for the first two days, she kept asking me, "Mom, what's her name again?"

Across the street, life goes on and hay must be gathered.

Hey, Skokie needs chips too!

~~The Farm Part 1~~

Come on in....


Alexa and I recently spent 10 days at my parent's farm in Western Illinois. I am originally from the suburbs of Chicago. I lived there for 27 years, then finally got fed up with the gray skies and headed West for wide open spaces and sunshine. I love living in AZ but will always be a Midwestern girl from Chicago. I love going home once a year, it's all about comfort and seeing Alexa experience a slice of some good old Midwest summer fun!

Here's Skokie the gate keeper. She is super sweet but hates having her photo taken which is a shame because she is really photogenic.

The first day started with boomerang fun in the field out back. Alexa spotted my dad's boomerang and had to try it out. They did not have much success but had fun trying.

Alexa loved hanging around the front gate and it's the perfect place for photos. Here she is in this year's favorite summer dress.

This is looking out back to the neighbor's soybean fields. It really is so beautiful there. Coming from Arizona's high desert we crave the greenery and lushness of it all.

So many places to explore or just steal a quiet moment away.

Prayers needed for a friend

My friend over at http://joyofgeorgea.blogspot.com needs some help for her good friends. I have copied and pasted her original post below.

This is our sweet friend Olivia. Olivia is adopted from China just like Georgea. She and her family have been friends of ours for many years. They live in Cincinnati. Olivia has had symptoms similar to those related to tonsillitis, discomfort, swelling, difficulty breathing & swallowing. She had a school physical and as a result her Dr. recommended Olivia have her tonsils removed. Upon further investigation her Dr. shared a concern that Olivia may have Lymphoma in her tonsils. Olivia will have the tonsillectomy on July 29 and then a definitive diagnosis can be made. We are asking for your prayers during this difficult time. We are praying specifically that the diagnosis would not be lymphoma and that Olivia would be completely free of cancer of any type. Thank you so much for your support!

Happy 4th!

We had a fun 4th of July. We hung out at home, barbecued, then went into town to watch the fireworks. : )

Dance Recital 2010

Dress rehearsal day. Alexa's class is a ballet/tap combo. The girls did a tap number to Stray Cats. She loved getting to wear makeup and dressing up.


The recital was two days ( hence my different outfits). We were not allowed to video tape or take photos of the actual recital so that is why I have none. : (

They have a professional videographer and photographer who charge outrageous prices and have us all at their mercy. Lots of parents are not happy about this policy.


After the show on Saturday. I was feeling so crummy but had to suck it up and rally. There was no way I was going to spoil Alexa's big day or miss it.

She did really well. I think she enjoys being onstage but did tell us she had a little stage fright.

With her dancer friends, Amalia and Sydney. They have been dancing together for two years and it makes it more fun when you are with your friends. It's been fun for us moms too! Lots of laughs on all those Saturday mornings while the girls are in class.

The outfit was really cute!

So proud of our girl!

High-five!

Afterwards we went for frozen yogurt to celebrate!

My Karate Kid

Alexa started karate this week and LOVES it. She earned her white belt the first class by reciting her name, address and phone number. She is on her way already to earning her stripes by already practicing and learning how to count to 10 in Japanese. I think she is a real natural and we are really excited that she has found something that she really enjoys. Alexa is pretty high energy ( which we love about her) and karate will give her an outlet to use her energy and also learn how to focus that energy more. She will go twice a week all summer and the plan is to continue once school starts once a week. I love watching her in class. I am proud that she has tried something new and as always, watching our little one blossom is pure joy.

Stay tuned for dance photos...the big recital is this weekend!