Enjoying the Last Days of Summer

We went to a Bon Dance and Lexie was very excited to wear a kimono.  She was shown two different ones and she chose the green one.  Which I think was a very good choice!  She was very patient as they dressed her in it.

She happily posed in her beautiful kimono.  She was just adorable in it and was dancing around.

Lexie loved having Taryn come with us.  They took pictures with their kimono and they had fun dancing, eating andagi and listening to the music.

Lexie got this bike when she was 2 and she could never reach the pedals.  She does a pretty good job of moving it around by pushing with her legs.  She's finally able to reach the pedals if she stretches her legs.  She has a bunch of "friends" that have to go with her on these rides.  Thumper, of course!!  Then there's Muno, purple sock monkey, and striped sock monkey.  She also has to sleep with them and carries all of them around the house.

We started round 2 of swimming.  We were so happy that Uncle Zach was going to be Lexie's teacher.  It was almost a private lesson.  There were two teachers and only Lexie and another boy, who must have been about 6.  Both he and Lexie were considered beginners, but after that class, Uncle Zach, decided to move them up to the next level.  So we're sad that we have a new teacher, but Lexie is being challenged to do a lot more than blowing bubbles and dunking her head in the water.  She's actually diving into the water, learning different strokes and kicking.

Lexie also moved up to a new gymnastics class.  We miss Coach Haylee and the structure of being in a parent/child class.  Lexie's new coach is great, but some of the kids should not be in that class without their parents.  There were several of them that just kept running around and the coach had to chase them to bring them back to the group.  For most of the class, she was with these two children and not giving much attention to the other kids.  It was very disruptive and we didn't feel that Lexie was learning anything.  What's worst is those parents just disappeared and left their kids knowing that they don't behave.  We have changed her to another class and we're praying that it's better or we may have to go back to the parent/child class.

Lexie went with me to get my hair cut.  Aunty Tracy just loves her and she always gives Lexie a present everytime we go.  This time, she gave Lexie this cute bag.  The doggies on it match the backpack that I was carrying.

Our sunflowers are blooming.  Each day there is another flower!  It's been exciting to watch these flowers grow from tiny seeds.

Lexie went to the dentist and she was a rock star.  She is always so happy to go there.  When they call her name, she goes right in.  Not a fuss out of her.  This was the first time she had x-rays.  I was worried that she wouldn't sit still, but she told me that she didn't move and she listened for the beeping sound.  It was neat to see her baby teeth and the adult teeth that will be coming out in a few years.  She loves Dr. Jen and they always comment that she's so well-behaved.  Lexie didn't have any cavities so she got a special treat.  She chose a little notebook for her stickers and a baby giraffe to add to her little group of friends.

Pool is Open!

We wanted Lexie to be able to practice her swimming while we had a break between sessions.  We debated about whether getting an above ground pool and having to monitor chlorine levels and taking care of it like a full-size pool.  We finally decided on this little one.  It's big enough for all 3 of us to be in it.  It goes up to Lexie's waist which we felt would be safer for her to be in.

Lexie loves the pool especially since daddy makes the water very warm.  In the beginning, she just sat or walked around the pool.

Then, she started practicing what she learned in swim class.  Before we knew it, she was floating by herself.  She even swims the length of the pool and kicks by herself.

She also began to open her eyes in the water.  Lexie could have stayed in the pool all day, but we finally convinced her to come out to have a snack.  Her fingers and toes get so wrinkly.

Daddy got her some goggles to help her see better underwater.  I laughed so much because she looked so nerdy with them on.

Swimming makes Lexie very hungry.  She loves her ice cream cone with nuts!

Swimming makes Lexie also very tired.  She fell asleep on the floor at 5:00pm and she didn't wake up until the next morning.  She was exhausted because she didn't complain when I moved her to the couch and we even got her to use the potty and she fell right back to sleep.  The next day, Lexie wanted to go swimming again.  She's ready to start swim lessons again!

Growing Like Weeds!

Wow, our sunflowers are growing like weeds.  At three weeks, they are at the middle of our fence.  And they are catching up to Lexie!

When we celebrated the 4th of July, the flowers were now taller than Lexie.  The buds are starting to emerge.  It's so exciting to watch how quickly our garden is growing.

Graduation Day

Wow, we are amazed at the progress Lexie has made in 10 classes.  She actually walked into the pool all by herself compared to the last 8 classes where we had to carry her stiff body into the water.  She has truly turned into a Pisces.  We credit a lot of this to Uncle Zach who made the lessons fun and encouraged Lexie in a gentle and caring manner.

It's scary how long Lexie can hold her breath.  She's very relaxed now when she floats.

This is one of Lexie's favorite things to do.  It's called, "Chop, chop, timber!"

When she first learned this, she would crash into the water because she didn't want to get her face wet.  When she finally went under, her arms would flop around.  Now she glides into the water and keeps her form most of the time.

Look, boys, this is how it's done!

Throughout the session, Lexie will look at us and give a little smile or wave.  On this day, we had talked about following directions and sitting on the wall until it was her turn.  She turned to look at me and I gave her a thumbs up to tell her that I was proud of her.  She gave a thumbs up back to me!

At the last class, she and her friends got their medals.  Lexie was the youngest one in her class and the only girl and I don't think I'm being biased, but she was one of the better swimmers in her group.

Lexie was so proud of her medal.  She wears it around the house and always needs to know where it is.

We are so proud of Lexie and what she has accomplished.  She had to be independent and go into the pool by herself.  At times, her 3-year old brain would get distracted, but she always got back on track.  She didn't talk very much during class, but she listened to every word that was being said because she could tell me what they were doing each week so she could practice in the bath tub.  She even told me the rules to be safe.  Lexie has turned into a fish for sure!  We can't wait to see how she does at the next swim class.

Happy 4th of July

We are enjoying a very relaxing 4th of July.  The sun finally came out and we were able to swim for most of the day and do some grilling for lunch.  We're all exhausted right now, except for Lexie, so maybe we'll get to watch some fireworks tonight if we're not sleeping!

If we miss out on the fireworks, not to worry, Lexie sets them off daily at our house.  We love her sassy personality but sometimes she can make us a bit crazy!  Everyday she does something that either amazes us or drives us insane, but that's what makes our life interesting.

One thing we're proud of is that she is fully potty trained.  She is still working on not holding until the last second, but usually can get to the bathroom before any accidents.  I thought sleeping through the night was going to be a challenge.  We went full speed ahead and had her sleep in panties.  The first few nights, she was wet in the mornings, but after that, she has stayed dry for almost a month now.  It's such a relief not having to buy pull-ups or carry them around when we go out.

We would love to send her to Chinese School when her attention is a little better.  Right now, we've been having her listen to songs on You Tube and she's been learning the colors in Mandarin and she can even sing some of the songs by herself.  We're trying to learn words for things we use each day like juice, water, and milk and we have her ask for them in Mandarin.  We even found some apps for our ipad that teaches her colors and numbers.  She loves Kai-Lan and will repeat the words and even use them on her own.

She is beginning to share her story of Taiwan.  She tells me her nanny took care of her until mommy and daddy came on the airplane from far away because we wanted a baby to love.  She sleeps at night with her pillow that her nanny gave her.

We're still working on being 3 and wanting to assert herself.  Everything is a big NO!  And then it's yelling, crying, and hitting her legs on the floor.  We usually let her know when we're going to stop what we're doing because we have to eat, sleep, take a bath or go to the bathroom.  She has difficulties with transitions so we've used a timer, which she has tried to turn off on more than one occasion.  Time outs don't work because she won't sit still.  The only thing that works is to take away a favorite toy.  She doesn't like to be separated from Thumper and friends, so she will usually comply with directions.

Lexie is a diva.  She told us, "Nobody is cuter than me!" and with such attitude.  She will look in the mirror and pose and say, "I look stylish!"  I have to give her several options when we dress because she  will refuse to wear certain clothes.  She loves dresses that she can twirl around in.  And her favorite footwear is her rain boots which she says are space boots.

She is a bookworm and will carry a book around with her.  She will pretend to read and make up a story.  What really stomped us one day was when she had memorized the words in a story.  There is a book that Eric likes to read called "Up!"  It's about a dad and daughter and the book almost parallels the things that Eric does with Lexie.  Whenever Eric wants to read it with Lexie, she always says, "No!".  We haven't read it in several weeks and decided to read it with her.  I would read the first few lines and she would complete it.  Mind you, this isn't a short book, so we were pretty impressed with her memory.

We are finally getting her to eat some veggies.  I still give her baby food veggies.  She thinks she's drinking soup which she loves.  At each meal, she has to eat 3 peas or 3 carrots.  She always says, "I will try it."  And she usually does.  She is starting to love broccoli if it's cooked with garlic and butter.  She still doesn't like to eat raw veggies or salads, so we're working on that.  She loves dressing and would rather just dip her finger in it instead of the vegetables.

And her love for Thumper is still going strong.  I washed him today and brought out his twin.  She said, "Where's Thumper?  I don't want his friend.  I want the real Thumper."  We finally had to tell her where Thumper was because she started getting hysterical and kept repeating, "I want my old Thumper."  She's happy now to be reunited with Thumper and will keep his friend too!

So as we celebrate our Independence Day, it makes me think of this little girl and how independent she is and definitely exerts her freedom of choice!

My Little Ballerina

Lexie adores everything about ballet.  She loves wearing the leotards with the skirt and was so excited to wear ballet shoes.  She actually doesn't need to wear shoes, but she tends to get fixated on her feet if they get dirty, so we went looking for some shoes.  Luckily, the smallest size available was the perfect fit.  I love how she poses with her toes pointed!

Her little feet are just adorable and I will love this picture even when Lexie is all grown up.

I love watching the expressions that Lexie has on her face.  One thing that she always does at ballet, gymnastics and swimming is to stick out her tongue.  I guess it helps her to concentrate.

Lexie was so excited when her best friend Alia joined her class.  These two are so cute together.

The class always starts with stretching exercises with Miss Carolyn.  We're working on Lexie's lazy legs.  When she's learning something new, she's very focused, but once she knows how to do something, she doesn't bother with giving it her all.  She can stretch really well when she tries.

Lexie loves to watch Miss Carolyn dance, but doesn't always follow the choreography.

And just when we think she wasn't paying attention, Lexie will start dancing and usually knows exactly what to do.

I'm hoping that dance is something that Lexie will be interested in pursuing as she grows up.  I love watching her passion and her love of dancing is obvious.  Dancing to music makes her so happy and being happy is so important.

Rings and Rocks

When swim class first started, Lexie barely got her head wet.  The only way she would get wet is when Uncle Zach poured water on her head.  At the end of each class, they have a treasure hunt and they are supposed to go underwater to collect the treasures.  At first, Lexie tried to use her feet to get the rings or stretch her arm as far down as she could so she wouldn't have to put her head underwater and if she got one treasure, she was happy.  So, to see what Lexie accomplished on this day was pretty special.  Before she went into the pool, we told her that we wanted her to get 3 rings.  And she delivered!!  This girl did the splits as she went under the water.  And she held her breath for a long time.  But she was determined to get 3 rings and when she did, she called out to me, "Mommy I got 3 rings!"  The funniest part was when Uncle Zach said, "Lexie, that's the first time I've heard you say anything!"

To celebrate, the next day we went to the mall and Lexie got to ride the train.

And then she went rock climbing.  There's this outdoors type store that has a rock wall.  It's $2 to climb all day.  What a bargain!  At first, Lexie was a little hesitant, but we showed her where to place her foot and which rock to grab.  Once she understood what to do, she would tell us, "I'm going to touch the purple rock" or "Watch me go to the red rock." and she would climb to that rock.

We climbed for a bit and decided to take a break to do some shopping and then went back for more climbing.  By the time we were ready to leave, Lexie was able to get to the top of the wall by herself.  It just amazes us by what this little daredevil can do.  And this was one of daddy's favorite things to do, so he is very proud that Lexie loves doing it.