Oh what do you do in the summertime...

What a great song! It's crazy the songs that stick in your head from your childhood. Summer is officially here. To make the most of it Alex and I have spent the week swimming at the Draper pool, getting frozen yogurt with our Moms Group and enjoying the finest Red Vines one could buy. Here are just a few pictures we took. Have a great weekend!


Pictures from the pool. Thanks for spending the day with us Natalie, we had a great time. Thanks for taking some pictures for me Emily, you're awesome!

I had a hard time picking out just one or two red vines pictures to share so here is three or four.

Happenings @ our House

I just wanted to give a quick birthday shout out to my Mommy. Her birthday was Friday but our computer was out of order. I feel so blessed to have such a strong amazing Mom. I love you so much! Here are some pictures from the past. Happy Birthday Mom!

My sis, me, and our Mom when I ran the torch for the Paralympics.

Mom, cousin Jes and many years back at a my Aunt's house.

Mom and I in SF for my CA wedding reception. Not a great picture but it sure brings back some memories of fun times we had.

What else has been happening around our house you might ask. We have been hanging out and enjoying life.

Thursday was Mom's group. Here is a picture of Sami in the tree. I took a few other pictures but hated them all. It was a nice day to spend at the park.

Saturday we broke out Alex's new pool and went for a splash, he loved it.

Later that night we packed a picnic and headed back to the Draper park to hang out. Jason was able to get Alex to brave the grass for the first time. He usually cries when he touches it. We also went on the walking trail, ventured the swings and tried out the slide for the first time. Sorry no pictures of the slide, not a great sight of me on a kiddy slide. It was allot of fun!

Sunday Jason and I attempted to make a Captain Crunch french toast we saw on TV. I say attempted because it was a trial run but not to shabby. We topped it with strawberries and homemade whipping cream. Alex like his mother loved licking the beaters. What a smart kid now if only I could feed him cookie dough, DARN!

Daddy's Day!

A little late but better than never right? I wanted to post a few pictures from Father's Day! We had a wonderful day down at the Gateway with Jason's family. We had lunch at CPK ( one of my favorites) and then walked around enjoying the chalk art created the day before. It was a beautiful day! I wanted to take a minute and spotlight the Daddys in my life. As many of you know Jason and I decided to name our baby after his Grandpas. They are two very different but very strong men. I hope he carries on their names with honor. So here is a little bit about Alex Roger's Grandpas.

First off my Daddy, Roger. It's strange to think that my Father has been gone more years than I actually had with him. I miss him so much! I know that Jason and him would have been best of friends. I have many found memories of my Father however two in particular come to mind. The first being the many nights I snuggled with him in bed while he watch " Rassles" that is wrestling for those of you that can't translate. As boring as I found it I loved being with my Dad and would bet on who was going to win the match. As I watched Alex last night snuggled on the couch with his Dad watching Ultimate Fighting it was like going back in the past.

The other memory that comes to mind is camping with my Dad. I remember him helping me find a roasting stick and carving it until it was just perfect. He would then set up the fire and get me roasting marshmallows while the rest of my family set up camp. My Mom would always get so mad at him for ruining my dinner.

Isn't it funny that it's not the huge things but the small moments that mean so much to me. I am glad that Alex shares many small moments with his Dad. I know that he will cherish them as much as I have.

My Daddy

The name Alex came from Jason's father Alan or Al as he goes by. I feel very blessed to have him as my FIL. He raised a wonderful son and taught him so many things that make him who he is today. At times I tease Jason but I hope that he knows that his quirks he gets from his Dad are wonderful. Al is always looking out for our family and is willing to do whatever it takes to make us happy. He was beyond thrilled that his first grand baby was born on his birthday. I don't think we will ever be able to top that gift. He adores Alex and loves to spend time with him and watch him grow. I am very grateful that Alex has his Grandpa Al in his life.

Al at our Chinese wedding banquet 5 years ago. Do I really not have a more recent picture.. I have to somewhere don't I?

I saved the TOP POP for last. Jason is an amazing dad!! I knew he was great with kids but honestly I had no clue just what a great Daddy he would be. Alex runs to the gate at the top of the stairs when he hears the garage door open and me singing...

" We're so glad when Daddy comes home, glad as we can be. Clap our hands and shout for joy and climb upon his knee. Put our arms around his neck, hug him tight like this. Grab his cheeks and give him what? A great big kiss... Mmma!"

Just a few reasons why Alex this his dad is the TOP POP.

1- He changes diapers.. yup even poopy ones.

2- He gets up with Alex in the middle of the night just as much as me if not more. I tend to loose it with Alex at 3 am and Jason is calm and patient.

3- He shares his food with Alex. He even takes bites of soggy food Alex feeds him.

4- He washes clothes including Alex's poopy outfits.

5-He makes special meals for Alex. Just this morning I came home to find the two of them sharing scrambled eggs ( Alex's first). Now I know it would have been easier to feed Alex something simple like baby food but Jason was willing to go all out for his buddy.

6-He plays for hours with Alex, teaching him, tickling him and making him smile.

7-He gives me a break and allows me to take nights off to hang out with the girls while he stays home with Alex.

8-He doesn't freak out if I need him to pick up dinner or if the house isn't in tip top shape when he gets home.

9-He watches out for our family's safety. Whether is checking the doors and windows at night, wiping down toys, shopping carts etc. for germs. Jason always has our safety in mind.

10-He adores Alex and reminds me often of how lucky we are to have him in our life.

I could go on for hours. I love you Jason and appreciate the type of Father you are. I know that you are one of few " TOP POPs" and I feel very blessed to have found you. Happy Daddy's Day to all the Dads out there.

Alex and his Daddy on Father's Day 2008

Cousin Shae comes to visit

Alex was very excited to have his cousin Shae come to visit for a few days. We had a good time doing crafts, Going to playgroup, baking, watching movies, going to the park, having a picnic and playing in the tub. Here are a few pictures I took while she was here.

At the local park

After going to the splashpad for playgroup Shae has so much fun she wanted to go back. We stopped by KFC picked up some dinner and headed to the park for a picnic. This time we all took our swimsuits and Alex was excited to play in the water with Dad.

Alex was thrilled to have a bathtub buddy. This was his first time in the big kid tub without his baby tub. He loved it.

Time for Shae to go camping with her family. One last picture before she was off. Alex was sure sad to see his buddy leave.

13 months old

Alex turned 13 months old yesterday. It's so sad to see that my baby is growing up. I feel like he is changing everyday. He is always learning something new. I have been teaching him where his eyes, nose, tummy etc. are. Today he kept letting up my shirt to play with my belly button. He is always making me laugh.

He wasn't in the best mood for pictures last night because another tooth popped through. That's 5 total now, 3 on bottom, 2 on top. and 3 of those in the past month. Poor kid! Here are a few pictures.

"Wait? Why do I have to smile again, this sucks!"

Dad to the rescue, I finally get a grin.

Cute he get any cuter?

Does being a Great Aunt make me old?

If so then I'm in trouble!! My oldest niece Jillian is expecting her first and announced to the family on Sunday that it's a GIRL. I am super excited! I told her girl or boy I would be both thrilled and sad. I wanted a girl to dress up but also wanted a boy to be close in age with Alex. I am sure they will still be pals anyway.

I have been a huge slacker lately when it comes to blogging and taking pictures. I don't know what my deal is. We have been to the zoo ( no pictures), had a fun picnic at the park feeding the ducks ( again no pictures), been to Alex's one year check-up ( got a single picture there) and many other everyday activities I have slacked on documenting. I vow to be better perhaps I will start tomorrow. For now I will do a little updating.


Jason's work had a party at Hoogle Zoo. Even though it was a rainy day ( June 5th) we still went. By the time we got there it was perfect. The weather was nice, very few people and I was very impressed with the changes they have made to the zoo since we went last year. Alex was good but teething so he just laid around. We took it easy walking around enjoying all the animals. I guess that's why I didn't take any pictures. At times I feel like it takes away from the moment.

Alex has his two bottom teeth, one on top and one sneaking it's way through on top. Even though he doesn't have many teeth he seems to get by just fine. He bites off chucks of his gram crackers like it's no big deal. He really loves grown up food. If we are eating something he wants us to share with him. He is still really good about sharing with us too even if it's a soggy half eaten cracker. We are having problems getting him to eat his baby cereal at night now. I think it's because he has had good food and knows better now.



He is still climbing stairs like crazy. He even took a tumble down them on Monday. Besides scaring him a bit he was fine. He still isn't walking although he does walk around furniture and loves to use his highchair in the kitchen as a walker. It's so funny! I think he will be there before we know it.



Our favorite thing lately is getting him to pull his mean face. He will only do it if he warms up to you. Although we call it the mean face it's really his funny face to get a reaction out of you. It's super cute! If he is in the mood he will clap, pull his mean face and show you his tummy, head, mouth, nose etc. It seems like he is learning something new everyday.

Last night Jason and I got a kick out of watching Alex play with our light up massager. It was fun to see him turn it off and on, and place it on different objects to hear what noise it would make. Who needs TV when you have Alex? He is a handful but so much fun!

Like I said I missed documenting Alex's one year checkup which was May 28th. Everything went smooth. Usually Alex cries when being weighed and for shots of course. This time he was really good. He just played while getting weighed. He loved the sound the paper made when he kicked his feet.


So his stats were.... head 45.8 height 30 and weight just shy of 19 lbs at 18 15. He is still tall for his age but had dropped down to 4% on his weight.


The Dr. shared the devastating news that Alex like his Mother can't keep weight on and needs to fatten up. LOL Purely a joke.. I wish I had that problem!! She told us to serve him fat whenever possible. Butter, PB and 1/2 and 1/2 could be added to his diet. She also recommended full fat yogurt. Do you know how hard it is to get yogurt that isn't low fat? I don't know how worried I am about him being little. I won't panic however it's fun to be able to give him Ritz crackers with PB and not feel guilty about it. Besides being small he is developing great. He barely cried for his shots and we were on our way.

Alex just hanging out waiting for the DR to come in

More later this week I promise. Shae my youngest niece will be visiting for a few days so I will take some pictures and get blogging.

Mommas Group Update

Okay so I have heard back from most of you with your suggestions/preferences. Here is the overall consensus I have got so far.

Everyone is cool for meeting once a week or ever other so to start let's try once a week. That way if you can't come one week hopefully the following week will work for you. Mondays/Fridays are out. I personally am leaning towards Tuesday or Thursday, would that work for everyone?

It looks like most of you could only do early afternoons. Mollie would prefer mornings. Could you do afternoons Mollie? Both Sami and Natalie work in the morning and Emily being the good little girl she is works out ever morning. Wish we could all be like you. ;) Okay so I do workout almost every morning but it's just at home.

As for activities all sound good to most except the pool for Natalie and Emily which I totally understand. We will make this a once a month thing so that it's still an option but not a every week idea. Mollie is moving and will have a park we could meet at. Sami and I have the pool right by our house and multiple parks in the area. If we have a small group we can meet at my house but I don't have room for a big group and no yard here. What's in your area to meet at? Any suggestions on our first big trip out? Wall-E is coming out the end of June. What about a MOMS movie (hopefully everyone knows what I'm referring to).

Moms nights are a hands down good idea. We will do once a month. I am happy to hold open scrapbook/stamping nights at my house. I am suggesting Wednesday nights (only day open for Sami) for now. Weekends are reserved for family most of us, same with Mondays and with us meeting on a Tuesday/Thursday that leaves Wednesday. Depending on what we are doing will determine time. I have found meeting up after the kids are down for the night usually works best. Dads seem to appreciate it too.

As for friends/sisters joining us that is just fine. For now I will e-mail everyone here with a schedule for the next few weeks. If I don't have your personal e-mail please send it to me @ playfulprecious@hotmail.com then you can pass the information on to those you want to invite. Once they start coming I will get their e-mail and add them to my mailing list.

Overview in a nutshell:

Meeting once a week for playdates Tuesday or Thursday early afternoons?
Meeting once a month for a field trip
Meeting once a month on Wednesday for Moms night
Friends welcome

Please confirm this will work for you and I will plan our first months activities. Can't wait to see you all. =) Anyone else interested?