Alexa's First Birthday Party

Today we celebrated our little Princess Alexa's first birthday. She had 6 of her one year old friends over for some princess fun. Tutus and all.Take home goodies.
Play time.

Licking her candle clean.
Cupcake time.
Ethan had fun with the princesses too and his pal Zorin.
Singing time with the girls.
Auntie Tutu.

Nana Snyder.
Alexa kept giving Grandpa Snyder kisses. Over and over again. Too cute. We all got a giggle out of this.
Auntie Coley and Kay.
Grandpa Snyder.
Auntie Mariane.

Present time.


Here are the gorgeous cupcakes.
And here's the cake. Nana tried to rescue it but it was a lost cause. However, it tasted very yummy and moist.

We have had such a wonderful year loving our baby girl and creating some fun family memories. It has also been so fun to see how much Ethan loves and adores his little sister. As I thought about how quickly this first year with Alexa has gone by I felt a little teary and mentioned to my mom how I just can't believe she's one already. My mom put things in perspective for me and said, "How do you think I feel? I have a 36 year old daughter." Happy Birthday Alexa. We love you sweet baby girl!

Snow!

After waiting all winter for some good snow it never really came so we headed up to Big Bear with our friends and hoped for the best. The kids had a blast and it was so fun to see Ethan and Alexa in the snow for the first time. Here are the kids Zorin, Ethan, Crew, and Alexa (minus Preslee) decked out in their snow gear and ready to hit the slopes with some inner tubes. Alexa and I were the cheerleaders from the sidelines along with preggers Cambria. Later that afternoon I took Ethan back to go inner tubing for some mommy time and more fun.
Here is everyone coming down for the fist time all hooked together. McGuires, Facers, and Hutchings.
The two snow bunnies.

We all went for a little walk around the area and stopped to see the zoo.


What a great weekend getaway. I can't wait till we come again.

Sunday Dress

Here are my Q.T. Pies after church one Sunday.
Alexa's dress was a gift from Tiffany that she bought in Vietnam. Love it!

Bath Time and Pig Tails

Ohh my...those cheeks. I am seriously the luckiest mommy in the world to get to munch on those daily. Tonight was an exciting night in the bath because it was the first time I have been able to put her hair in pig tails. Do you see the tiny little ones to the side there? Ok, I know it's a stretch but when you've always dreamed of having a little girl and you finally get one you do things like this.

Happy Valentines Day

Ethan made this bag at school to collect all of his valentines. So fun!

Pajama Day

Ethan had pajama day at school and here he is with his friends Kenzie and Jacob and a few of his teachers. They had a pillow fight and also watched a movie on a big screen while munching on popcorn.

Grandpa LaBenda and Monica

We were so happy to spend the afternoon with Great Grandpa LaBenda and Monica. The kids were able to give them lots of hugs and laughs.

Happy New Year!

The new year is such a wonderful time to not only reflect on your past year but to also look forward to a fresh start. We decided to go for a little family get away for the weekend to celebrate my birthday and new years. Our fun included 3rd street promenade shopping, sushi, swimming, and the Santa Monica Pier. We stayed at a hotel near the promenade. Ethan gets soo excited about staying in a hotel and our little vacations. It's a great opportunity for good family time. We had so much fun and the weather on new years day was beautiful in the mid 70s. I would have to say that the best part of 2011 was welcoming our baby girl Alexa into our family. Here's to 2012.