I just have to say ...

This stage that Alexis is at is SO fun! I know I've thought that at every stage ... she just keeps getting more and more fun! I know eventually, I'm gonna be wanting a new little thing to enjoy all the stages all over again, but right now I am so content with Alexis and loving every moment of it!


Lookin' pretty in her Easter Outfit.

She is so much fun to play with! I have been waiting for this! I couldn't wait until she was old enough that I could play little games with her and she could understand so much! She's using her imagination and doing things all on her own, without my encouragement! She just acts so grown up and is wanting to try new things every day!


Playing with her baby doll.

She's always been a little monkey, climbing over and up everything. That has been happening more and more lately ... I know soon she's going to climb right out of her crib ... which means she's going to FALL right out of her bed. Whenever I hear her fuss during the night or in the mornings, my heart jumps a little, anticipating the time that this will happen! But it hasn't happened yet, thank goodness!

I love how she's starting to copy everything I do! She'll copy Jordan, too, but with me always being home with her all day, she copies me more. Jordan will come home and will see Alexis kick or go up on her toes while she's dancing and will ask me if I taught her that. I'll realize that she's watching me dance and exercise through out the day and just copying the moves that I make! So sweet! It's flattering to have such a small, beautiful thing look up to me so much and want to be just like me and do everything that I do!


Big girl looking at the big books.

She's always running to the bathroom and wanting the brush! She LOVES doing her hair and she has now discovered my hair, constantly wanting to brush it! She hasn't quite figured out how to brush it one way all the way through and start over - she brushes half-way down and reverses the brushing, brushing upward and tangling all my hair! :o) Her hair is so fine it doesn't tangle hers, but it definitely tangles mine. It breaks my heart to tell her that she can't brush mine yet, so I try to just encourage her to brush her own hair! She's usually really good about it! She's just so sweet!

One of my favorite things that Alexis has picked up lately is hugging! She'll randomly, usually when she's tired but all through out the day, walk up to Jordan or I and give us a big hug! She'll usually ask for a kiss, too. Then she'll go over to the parent that didn't get a hug and kiss yet and share with them, too! Every night, she knows the routine ... diaper change, pajamas, brush teeth, prayers in her room ... HUGS AND KISSES ... "Na-night"! It's so sweet when she tells us "Na-night"! She has such a precious little voice! I can't wait until she's talking more!


"Gorgeous" girl in her cute fish pajamas and hat from Daddy.

Now my FAVORITE thing that she has picked up lately. She has said many new things, starting two and three word sentences, but has to be encouraged to say them often. She'll say "Crackers please" or "Juice please", mostly asking for something to snack on! :o) Just Sunday, she heard me say that I loved her and she walked up to me, grabbed my face in her little hands and said, "LOVE you!" I was so excited and snatched her up and hugged her until she couldn't breathe! :o) It is SO much fun having a little person now! Before she was just a infant, a baby - now she's our little toddler, a person doing grown up things! I love it!


Running into me, so happy.

I am so thankful that I'm a mommy! This is the best job ever! I love my little girl so much and thank God every night (and through out the whole day, too) for her! She's such a blessing to me! I couldn't ask for a sweeter, better behaved and more fun child! I am honestly so nervous to have another someday - I just know that I'm not going to be lucky enough to have more than one "perfect" child! I just love her so much!

~Kristen~

Easter! ...

And the past few weeks' pictures!


Alexis got these sunglasses for her first birthday. They didn't really fit back then, so she didn't wanna put them on that often. This year they fit ... and she wants them on ALL the time! :o)





Lexi just loves her Daddy! She is always so giggly and happy when he's around! :o)


Daddy has taught our young one in his ways! The X-Box! I guess I've taught her in my ways, as well ... cute pony-tail, girly clothes, shoes, purses! :o)


We don't have a bath-tub, which is a total pain for bathing Lexi - but she's getting used to showering with us! :o)


Jordan got a deal for twenty tickets for the Jazz game on April 3rd. It was a blast to have so many of our friends and family come with us! Thanks, guys! We hope you enjoyed it, too ... even though we LOST by ONE POINT! Grr!


Me and my friend, Sheena B, from Ogden! I miss this girly! :o)


We had put this crib-toy away while we were in New York and Alexis found it the other day and has LOVED it all over again! She didn't want it in the crib because she wants to play with it all day - so it's hanging on one of our dining chairs! :o)


Like Grandfather, like Father! :o) Wow - Great Grandpa and Grandpa Hermansen were listening to conference SO well, weren't they?! ;o)


Again, Alexis playing with Daddy and Great Grandma and Grandpa Hermansen's house! :o) She is usually such a Momma's girl, it makes me so happy when she goes to Jordan to play! :o)


After conference, we met Grandpa Cook in Salt Lake for dinner! It's so fun when the Cook's come to visit ... even though it was just Grandpa this time! :o( We miss you all SO much! Alexis is very shy around Grandpa Cook especially, for some reason! This was one of the only times she opened up a bit! :o)


Oh! Big hugs for Daddy! :o) SO SWEET!


Alexis LOVES spinning on chairs! If there is a spinning chair around, Alexis runs right to it and begs and begs to spin on it! :o) It's amazing how she NEVER gets dizzy, either! We can spin and spin her and she'll walk away straight! :o)


Alexis is starting to have TONS of nightmares - almost every night! We try to let her cry, but sometimes her cries are just so pained-sounding, we can't just ignore her! After cuddling with her for a few minutes, she's been pretty good about going back to bed. This was one of the times Jordan was cuddling her at one in the morning! :o) So sweet!


Daddy came home one day with a new shirt for Alexis! Good job, Daddy! SO cute! Alexis loves it, too! She was so excited when I showed it to her! :o)





Alexis knows tons of signs (sign language) and uses them on a regular basis! This is the sign for "please" ... which reminds me! I have SUCH an amazing girl! Half the time I forget to tell her to say "please" and "thank you" ... but she usually remembers on her own! One of her favorite things to say is "thank you"! What a sweet, good girl! :o)


Alexis is really starting to PLAY! I can tell she's really starting to use her imagination and what not. Every day, she'll wake up from her nap and play with her stuffed animals in her crib for around a half an hour! And she's going around with all her stuffed animals and dolls and laying them down on pillows, pulling a blanket over them, patting their tummies, giving them kisses and saying, "Na-night!" It's SO sweet! The other day she was even pretending to ride her stuffed animals! She got a small one, which made it so much funnier and cuter, and stuck it under her as she sat on the floor and starting scooting her little bum forward like she was riding it's back! :o) So fun!


Alexis has always loved books! I knew she loved books and told Jordan that we should put our books back in our bedroom until Alexis was older so she wouldn't ruin any of ours. Jordan said, "No way, she won't get into the books!" Yet ... here she is ... getting into the books! She doesn't hurt them or anything ... yet ... she just likes to pull them out! She's a VERY good helper with cleaning up, though! Most the time, I don't even have to ask her to clean up! She does it on her own! It's very cute, too, because when she cleans up the books, she puts them in the wrong way! What a cute little (OCD) helper! :o)


This is the exact toy I got for Christmas when I was a year and a half old! It was this past Christmas - when Alexis was a year and a half old - that I found it and gave it to Lexi! Jordan has made it one of her favorite toys, too ... because HE'S always "playing" with it, doing it over and over again ... because he's trying to figure out how the heck it works! :o)


Here is Alexis' 2 year old picture! What a cutie pie! The lady taking her pictures tried to show her the necklaces to distract her, but Alexis just wanted them on! What a girl! The lady seemed un-easy, not knowing if I wanted her to have the necklaces on and the blocks in front of her and stuff, but I just thought, "This IS Alexis - we may-as-well take a picture of HER how SHE IS!" I love this picture!!! :o)


Like I said before ... Jordan has taught Alexis to LOVE the X-Box! She is constantly coming to me with the controllers! :o) We have this marble game on it, too, that she can roll the ball around without it falling off the map or anything and just bump into walls - she loves it and it keeps her happy! Woot! :o)


I got Jordan this new Racquetball outfit for Easter! Isn't he so cute?! ;o)


Ok - this ticks me off, to be honest ... This picture was taken on April 16 ... Alexis had to BUNDLE UP on APRIL 16 to go outside and play! Aaarrrg!!! >o\


This was just the other morning ... Alexis had one of those nights and I ended up sleeping out on the futon with her. I woke up to Alexis kicking me and looked over to see her laying like this, upside down, kicking me in the face! :o) It was just too cute to not take a picture! :o)


Daddy did SUCH a good job for Easter! He came home the Saturday before Easter Sunday and I said I needed to go get the Easter stuff. He said, "Oh, I already did that." I said, "Well, I want to get Alexis and dress and stuff," and Jordan said, "Yeah ... already did that!" I have to admit, I was a little nervous ... But he took me out to the car and showed me the basket with the fake grass in it, some candy-bars, two bubble-things for Alexis, a cute new pair of pajamas for me and this adorable little dress for Alexis! GOOD JOB, JORDAN!!! :o)





Alexis has absolutely fallen in love with purses! She loves playing with all my old purses, putting them on her arm and just walking around with them! :o) It's good - I used to hate big purses and had lots of small ones. Now, after having a huge diaper bag, I'm NEVER going back to small purses - so Alexis has them all now! :o)


Again, Alexis signs ALL the time! This is her asking for "crackers"! :o) What a good girl!


And this is just the cutest baby in just a diaper ... EVER!!!

Love you all!
~Kristen~

Happiness - from Juliann!

This was a post on my friend, Juliann's, blog. I just thought it was sweet! Juliann, you are awesome! You always have the best quotes and stuff! I love ya!

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
5. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2008.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your family and friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy.. So, be happy.

Last but not the least:
40. Please share this with everyone you care about.



I KNOW, I KNOW! I am a HUGE slacker with Easter pictures! Truth is: I forgot to take Easter Dress pictures ON Easter and I have spaced it since then! I will do it soon and post them, I promise! :o)

News!!!

I'm so excited, I can't keep it in any longer! We found out on March 28th some news ... we are expecting baby number two!!! All of my friends were having their second kids, too, and I guess I just couldn't resist the temptation to run with the crowd! We are so excited! I'm 8 weeks pregnant and due November 11th! So, either Benjamin David or Avery Marie is on their way! Yipee!!!









































APRIL FOOL'S DAY!!! I am NOT having another kid for a while! :o) And I can't take credit for this - Julie (Baker) Hansen did it first! I totally copied her blog!!! :o) She's just so clever! I had totally forgotten that it was even April Fool's Day today!!! :o)

Love you all!!!