~Like Mother like Daughter~

Bundle of Joy

With all the excitement of back to school, I forgot to introduce our newest bundle of joy! Her name is Tika ( some of you may recognize that name from a certain Barbie movie) and she is a miniature Brussels Griffon. We got her on July 31 from a breeder here in AZ. She is beyond scrumptious. Right now she weighs about 4 lbs and will get to be about 9 lbs. She is silly and loves to cuddle. Our other two dogs have accepted her into the pack although they tire sometimes of her endless shenanigans. She is tons of fun ( and lots of work) and is a great addition to the brood!!

First Day of Kindergarten

It's official, my baby is all grown up. Nope, no more baby. Just a big girl going to Kindergarten. I'm sad.


She is beautiful inside and out.

So excited about the backpack! The thing almost tipped her over but she was determined to wear it. So cute!

Sassy pants with the equally sassy Chief.

Family photo...shoot, out of focus but still a keeper.

Wearing her "Tea" dress. One of our favorites for dresses. I love the quality and look of these dresses.

Starting the day out on the swings.

With her Kindergarten teacher Ms. Le Ellyn. We are at the same Montessori school as last year but they have a new location so there are many "firsts". Alexa was really excited to get back to school and her routine. She is a really social girl so I am sure she was bored of me and The Chief and ready to get back to it! We are all looking forward to a great year!

~The Farm Part 3~

My parents are the BEST grandparents. Alexa has a great relationship with both of them. We are lucky to have them!!!!!!!!!!

Alexa and Chippy, aka Brittany. Whenever we travel, Alexa can choose one small stuffed animal to bring along in her backpack. Chippy provided lots of entertainment. The whole trip Alexa had 2 books, Chippy, and her wordsearch book. She was so content to be outside in nature with no toys or other stimulus. She has an amazing imagination so she can come up with lots to play and do with just about anything. I personally like the feeling of being stripped of all your "stuff" and just being with yourself.

Love the barn.

Alexa had a blast getting squirted with the hose. It was really hot out so she was having a good time running around the house then getting shot with hose. She also loves hanging out in her underwear. : )

Great memories this year on the farm!!!!

~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!