Lexi, 18 months

Here is what Lexi is up to now that she is a year and half:

• Her favorite toy is building blocks.  She will quietly sit there forever and put them together, then take them apart.  I'm so grateful she found a toy to keep her distracted for a few minutes.
• She loves climbing...everything.  The table, chairs, bed, whatever.  I can not take my eye off of her for a minute, because she will move from one thing to the next.
• She's learning more and more words.  Shoes, car, ball, bye-bye, no, night night, here mommy, mommy, daddy.  I think she even says Abby and Lexi, but they sound so close to mommy and daddy, it's hard to tell for sure.
• She's learning some body parts.  She knows where her head, hair, nose, mouth, teeth, hands, feet and tummy are.
• She loves to be held.
• She's made two attempts at attending nursery, and failed both times.  She's horrible at good-byes :)  We'll keep trying, because there is no way I'm taking Lexi AND Colton to classes with me.
• She's a bit of a bully.  Hitting and biting.  Where do they learn this stuff?!  So, she is quite familiar with time out.
• She desperatley tries to keep up with Abby.  She loves to copy and follow her big sister around.  Lexi loves it, Abby, not so much.
• She gives kisses.  So cute.
• She loves to sing and dance.
• She loves to try to jump.  I think her feet only barely lift off the ground.

I just love my little Lexi.  She is such a cutie and quite the character.  Everyday, she makes me laugh.  I love this age, where they are learning and growing so much, it's an adventure everyday!

July 4th

On Monday, the kids and I met Cam's family in Pleasant Grove at a park to have dinner and watch the fireworks.  It was a little chaotic with trying to keep up with all the kids, but we had fun.  However, a bit before the fireworks were to start, it started to sprinkle, and everyone seemed like they'd had enough so we packed up and went home before the real show started.

Watching the "snakes".  Abby is a little afraid.  It took some convincing that they aren't real snakes.

Abby helping Are' light a snake, still afraid.

Abby: scared  Lexi:  not scared

Lexi, stripped down, eating an ice cream cone

Although not in any of the pictures, Colton was also there, but he was strapped into a Moby wrap that I was wearing the whole time.  He loves that thing!  And it makes it easy for me to chase after the kids, while I "wear" Colton all wrapped up.

Michelle and Kenna came to play

My sister, Michelle and her little girl came this week for a visit.  We always love it when she comes.  I enjoy the one on one time with me sister and Abby and Kenna love to play.  We ran some errands, visited my grandparents and just hung out at the house.  One day, we set up a sprinkler in the backyard, and all three girls had a blast running through the water.

It was so much fun having them over, but I'm afraid that I might have scared my sister from ever having kids again.  Our house can be a bit chaotic, and Colton has morphed into a bit of cryer.  If he's not spitting up, then he's crying, so I'm afraid it wasn't the most relaxing destination for their vacation.

Owls Baseball

Cam's mom bought Abby a team t-shirt, it's just a little big.  Colton was at the game too, but spent a good majority of it sleeping in his car seat.

On Monday night we went to an Owl's baseball game.  Abby went to a few games last year, and has been talking about going again ALL YEAR LONG.  She is Hoot and Holly's (the teams mascots) biggest fan.  We went with all of Cam's family, it was fun, but having three little kids and a newborn at the game wasn't easy.  I think the Owls won (I find baseball boring and so my attention is usually drawn elsewhere) and afterwards there were fireworks because it was the opening season game.  Abby and Lexi were both completely fascinated with the fireworks and Colton was eating a bottle and had pretty wide eyes, wondering what all the noise was.

My Dad

My Dad had his surgery this last week to remove the cancer from his colon.  The surgery went well, but once they were in there, they realized the mass was bigger than they thought.  They also removed the lymph nodes, because the cancer had spread to them.  They said it was stage 3 cancer.  The Dr's feel like they removed all the cancer, but are still recommending Chemo because it had spread a little.  As soon as he is healed from the surgery, he will start chemo treatments, probably around the first of August.

I've kind of been unsure of how to react to my Dad's diagnosis, because my Dad has always seemed invincible.  He's rarely sick, and even more rarely hurt.  I just can't imagine him being laid up from surgery, and the thought of going through chemo is just unreal.  I've always kind of felt that this stuff happens to other people, yet here were are in the middle of it.  I know my Dad will beat this, the Dr's feel like it was caught in time, but it's a little too close for comfort.  It's been hard because I feel like my Dad doesn't deserve this.  Not that anybody actually deserves cancer, but my Dad is a really good person. He is the most giving person that I know.  He's unbelievable smart, and seems to have a good knowledge of pretty much everything.  I've always gone to my Dad first for advice on money, life, computers, church, home, everything.  I just can't picture him being anything but the amazing Dad he has been my whole life.

No more pink

On Wednesday, I asked Cam's sister Are' to come over to help me paint Coltons new room.  I wanted to paint it a mint green, which was a lot lighter than the dark pink that was on the walls.  It took quite a bit of work to cover up all that pink, but I'm loving the new color.  I still have to decorate his walls with some stuff, but at least it's starting to look like a boy's room.

The big "C"

Well, the big cancer has shown it's ugly head in our family.  Last Friday, my Mom called to tell us that my Dad had just gone it to have a colonoscopy done, and they found some cancer.  They still don't know much, and won't until they go in next Thursday for surgery.  Best case senario:  All he will need is the surgery, and after a few weeks of recovery, he will be back to normal.  Worst case senario:  Surgery, then some chemo.  We are just praying and hoping for the best.