Go Notre Dame Lady Irish!

Here's Alyssa supporting her team, the Lady Irish, as they made their way to the Women's College Basketball Championship Game!  Too bad they didn't win... better luck next year!

Go Irish!


Turns out I look good in a hat!


Patented Alyssa smile!


Silly girl!


Sorry, no more pictures... I have a very important call... college recruiter...


Alright, one more picture...

Alyssa and a Few of Her Many Faces...

Watching Alyssa is always entertaining... particularly if you are holding a camera and trying to get her to smile.  Here are a few pictures from my most recent attempt...

Caught off-guard watching Sesame Streen...


That's more like it... show me those teeth!


Awww... how sweet...

A Day at the Beach with Dad!

Dad missed out on the first trip to the beach with Brody and Kenna so we packed up the car and headed out again one Sunday afternoon.  Here are some of the pictures...

Skipping rocks...


Gotta love the beach!


Watch out Momma and Alyssa!


Shouldn't I be wearing a hat out here with all this sun and my pale baby skin?


That's more like it!


Alyssa and Dad!

Picnic and the Lake!

Joshua and Alyssa enjoyed a nice picnic in the backyard followed by a GREAT day at the lake!  Here are some photos...

Mmmmm... mango!


It's bright, but I like it!


Joshua and Kenna in the freezing lake picking out rocks...


Joshua, Brody, and Kenna at the lake...


Any seashells?


Those shorts look a bit wet!


What's Alyssa up to?


Ahhh... throwing handfuls of sand into her hair!


Alyssa joins the fun!


But not for long... she's off again!


No fear!


Alyssa's back with some sand!


Kenna sharing a wet pile of sand with Alyssa...


Thanks, Kenna!


The pile of sand...

Winter Fort!

We've had a bit of rain and dreary weather here in Belton recently.  Mom has had to put on her thinking cap to find ways to keep these kids entertained inside.  It's hard to imagine how we managed for 9 months out of the year in Seattle!  Here are some photos from home one rainy morning...

That's the face Alyssa uses to keep the bears away...


Snack time in the fort!


Tunnel!


What a great fort!


These rainy days aren't so bad...

Alyssa's 15 Month Check Up

I took Alyssa in today for her 15 month check up.  She has a little cold, so we are going to wait on the shots, so she got off easy. Below are her stats:

Height: 32.75 in (95th %ile!!)
Weight: 21 pounds (25th %ile) - and I should note this weight was fully clothed and with a wet diaper :)
Head Circumference: 75th %ile

So she measures up just like she looks, tall and skinny!

She is otherwise meeting all of her milestones. The doctor asked and I wasn't sure so I counted up her words and she has about 25 words PLUS knows the animal sounds for  horse, cow, sheep, duck, dog, cat, owl, and monkey! She is definitely a talker (especially compared to Josh). I guess we should start saving for our phone bill when she is a teenager!

She has definitely perfected walking and enjoys chasing after her brother, much to his dismay. There really isn't any place Josh can go to get away from her anymore! Just like all siblings, they can fight (and Alyssa is usually the one starting it) but they can also play together and it is so sweet to watch.

That's all for now. Pictures to follow :)

Showing Off Some New Christmas Gifts!

Here are some post-Christmas pictures of Joshua and Alyssa enjoying some of their new gifts...

This is actually a gift for Mom and Dad... two baths for the price of one!!  Andy they LOVE IT!


Thanks for the ballerina outfit, great grandma Oxler!


Joshua demonstrating the "after-Christmas choke hold" while he and Alyssa sport matching new shirts...


We love our new T-shirts, Uncle Zak!