Pumping my legs

Alexa has mastered swinging! Everyone morning she asks me:
can I go outside and pump my legs?

Bird Poopy!

So, tonight Alexa and I decided to check on our feathered friends who live in our hanging basket. We peaked in and the baby birds were HUGE. I decided to snap a picture and the birds swarmed us, 'tweeting' like crazy, and Lex and I ran into the house "freaking out" as lex says. I look down at Lex and notice she has a big glob of bird poop on her shoulder! YUCK! She starts to practically hyperventilate when she realizes that there's bird poopy on her shoulder! I clean it off and we go to look at the picture on my camera and wouldn't you believe, I had no flash card in the camera! UGH!

Here's a shot of lexo jumping into the pool tonight!

Downward on the Pendulum

I bought a book at the Ashburn Farm library book sale called "Getting to Know Your Four Yeard Old" a couple of months ago. It was written in the early 70's but apparently four year old personalities haven't changed much in the past 30 years.

One of the main points of the book is that 4 y.o.'s behavoir is on a pendulum every 6 months, which means that for 6 months they are on the upswing. They are angelic, beautiful, well-behaved model children:

They are:

• The kind of kids you see in the Pottery Barn Kids Catalog.
• The kind of kid that makes everyone jealous and makes your childfree friends want babies.
• The kind of kid that makes you feel like the coolest, most organized, parent of the year.

BUT....it's a pendulum and gravity pulls the pendulum down. When that happens, kids act up, they act like normal, bratty, whiney 4 year olds.

In the Satterpellaton household, we're spiraling to the depths of hell on the downward pendulum. Alexa has been a COMPLETE diva/drama queen the past two weeks. And the WHIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGG.
The non-stop whining is what's killing me. We've even come up with a little song that we sing to her:

Whinebaby Alexa...Whinebaby Alexa.

Our biggest battles are over her clothes. Every morning it's a struggle to get her dressed in her creme uniform as she wants to wear pink, but she must match. Creme colors are red, white or blue and obviously, there's no pink happening in there. That MOST DEFINITELY ensues a temper tantrum complete with crocodile tears. Then, there's the afternoon battles, where alexa most definitely CANNOT wear what she wore at school at home. She MUST change, even though we're TRYING our hardest in the Satterpellaton house to cut down on the mountains of laundry we seem to accumulate each week. Yesterday, from Creme to our house, Alexa repeatedly stated:

"I'm not wearing this.
I'm not wearing this.
I'm not wearing this.
I'm not wearing this."

THE ENTIRE RIDE HOME.

I'm counting the minutes until November when we should be on the 6 month upswing again...

5 more weeks....

just 5 more weeks of grad school hell and then I've got August off :)

Right now, I've got THREE, yep THREE assignments due by Wednesday! UGH!

5 MORE Weeks!

Our Visit to NJ

Lex, Bran, and I went to NJ this weekend for a much needed visit with my dad, (Poppa Honey, as Lex calls him) and to see my Nanny (lex's great grandma). Lex was an absolute doll in the car and amused herself with singing, coloring her palms with a blue marker, and teasing Brandon. She also declared at one point on the ride home: "I'm in a bad mood" and then would start to try to sing the Daniel Powter song, "had a bad day". She's a nutcase.

4 Generations of Repellas: My nan (87), my dad (61), me (32), Lexo (4). Notice the Repella Honker that Lex has luckily not inherited!

My nan recently hurt her back and now needs to use a walker. As soon as we walked into the house, she made Lex climb on and pushed her around her house. Lex calls Nan's walker's "Nanny's Bicycle".

Outside the Butler Fire department in front of an antique firetruck!

what happens when Momma Sleeps in

I'm on vacation today. A much earned and needed vacation day, for that matter. I decided this morning that I was going to "sleep in" which means, that I would doze in and out while lex ran rampant through the house. At about 8 am, she crawls into bed with me to tell me she just had the "yummiest breakfast"...

Lex: Mommy, I got the strawberry bunny juice (strawberry quick) and I put it in a bowl, then I put the cookies in, then I got the milk and I didn't spill it and thennnnnnnn, I stirrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrred it all up. and it was the YUMMIEST breakfast ever.

Chef Alexa with the "Yummiest Breakfast Ever"

Then, just now, when I was attempting to catch up on some emails... I heard her banging around in my closet. Note to self: when I hear Lex banging around, CHECK IMMEDIATELY.

Alexa had a shoe fashion show!!! Yikes!

Quesadillas

This morning Lex found on a penny on the vanity in my bathroom.

Lex: Hey Mom! Here's a penny!!

Jen: Why don't you go put it in your bank.

Lex: No, I'm going to keep it here and share it.

Jen: What are you going to buy with your penny?

Lex: Hmmm, quesadillas for G.

She's SOOO funny.

The newest Satterpellaton Additions!

The Satterpellaton household is starting to feel like a zoo. Since Brandon moved in (hee hee, Bran, it's your fault), our little family has grown from me, Lex, and Briggs to Me, Lex, Bran, Briggs, Palmer, and of course, Rojo our red betta.

Then a couple of weeks ago, a robin decided that the Satterpellatons needed birds. C'mon, we've got a dog, a cat, a fish, it's the likely next move. Mrs. Robin laid 3 eggs in my hanging basket of new guinea impatiens on my deck. Me, being the meanie that I am, wanted to remove the nest when Mrs. Robin was building it. Bran, the former Eagle Scout that he is (actually, Bran, will you always be an eagle scout?!), said that was animal cruelty. Needless to say, just this week, the birdies hatched and Alexa Gwen, little Dr. Doolittle herself, LOVES THEM. She wants to see her birdies everyday. This afternoon, I checked on our new pals and this little guy stuck his head up!

Mommy Guilt

Today, I went on a tour of private preschool to potentially move Alexa, too. It was unbelievable---hardwood floors, ceramic tile, latte bar for the parents. Like her current preschool, this school costs more for preschool than my undergrad tuition+ room and board for year.

The tour guide, there, hit the nail on the head for me...she told me that the kids really don't care what the building looks like, its all for the parents. All the kid wants is a teacher who loves them and cares for them. It made me think back to my elementary school. Do I remember what the classroom looked like or how big the playground was? No, not really. I remember that I loved my teacher, Mrs. Churchill and that was really all that mattered.

Needless to say, I'm still not sure where Alexa will be going to school come next year.

Decisions...Decisions... Decisions....

It's Cool

It was your normal, "rushing around the house to get out the door on time" morning at the Satterpellaton household today. I was trying to mosey Alexa down the stairs faster and asked her if she had all of her babies, Yellow and anything else she wanted to bring to her dad's house tonight.

Her reply:

It's cool.

6.7.08

The official date of when Alexa will walk me down the aisle :)

Where that aisle will be, is yet to be determined....


ps. that's lex wearing my ring, holding Bran's hand.

Happy Father's Day-Big Giraffi-O

Two weeks, Lex and I went to hallmark to pick out father's day cards for Pop-Pop Honey (my dad), Papa Bear John (Bran's dad) and Bran. I was looking for a "step-dad" card for Brandon, but Alexa insisted on getting Bran the card with superman on the front, because "Ban looks like Superman."

Alexa reading her Card to Bran

Tonight, we went to dinner at Rio Grande in Reston with GG, and when our drinks arrived, we did a happy father's day toast to Bran. Well, after we were done toasting, lex insisted we must wait. She got up from her side of the table, wrapped her arms around Bran's arm and gave him a big kiss while saying, Happy Father's Day, Ban. It was just about the cutest, loviest thing she could have done and the best present ever for Brandon!!

Polar Bear in our Fridgity-Dare--Not at Our house!

We read Shel Silverstein poems every so often before bed. We've read the "Bear in There" a million times but for some reason tonight, Alexa is SCARED to death that there is a polar bear in our "fridgerator". Scared to the point, that we had to go have Brandon check and make a big announcement that there is in fact, no polary bear in our fridgity-daire.

Bear in There

By Shel Silverstein
There's a Polar Bear
In our Frigidaire--
He likes it 'cause it's cold in there.
With his seat in the meat
And his face in the fish
And his big hairy paws
In the buttery dish,
He's nibbling the noodles,
He's munching the rice,
He's slurping the soda,
He's licking the ice.
And he lets out a roar
If you open the door.
And it gives me a scare
To know he's in there--
That Polary Bear
In our Fridgitydaire.

Earmuffs and Alexa Shelton, MD

Alexa and I have some of our best conversations on our way to school. This morning was especially enlightening.

Conversation #1
Background: we see a woman running along the bike path.

Alexa: Mommy! That lady is exercising like you. Mommy, I wanna exercise like you.

Jen: Well, Lex we can totally do that. What kind of exercising do you want to do? Do you want to run with mommy? Do you want to lift weights like Mommy does?

Alexa: I want to go to the big gym. But Mommy (said earnestly), I NEED exercise clothes.

Jen: What kind of clothes do you need?

Alexa: Earmuffs!!

Jen (giggling outloud now): earmuffs? Do you mean head phones like mommy wears with her iPod.

Lex: Yes, that's what I meant!

Conversation #2

Alexa: I wanna be a doctor when I'm big.

Jen: Lex, what kind of doctor do you want to be?

Lex: I wanna give kids shots, look at their rash, and help sick kids and mommies.

Jen: Mommy would be so proud of you if you were a doctor.

Lex: AND I CAN WEAR A DOCTOR SUIT.

She is a girly girl after all...

Chuck E Cheese

What is it about this place that makes kids go absolutely nutso? Tonight, we met our best friends at Chuck E. Cheese and of course, it was crowded, loud, and full of kids! I think Mr. Colin had the right idea by ordering a beer : )

Ella...Ellla...Ella

Alexa has always loved music. I swear from the time she was in utero, she would kick along to any song I had playing on the radio. Alexa is also very particular about the music she likes and will listen to. One of her first favorite songs that she could recognize was "Yellow" by Coldplay. We would be out to dinner and if it came on she would scream "LELLOW!!"

Last summer, her favorite song was "My Humps" by the Black Eyed Peas, followed by Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman" (she like the Yeehaw).

Right now, these are HER favorite songs which are conventiently saved on my iPod:
1. Umbrella by Rihanna (she loves the ella...ella...ellla part).

2. Last Night by Puff Diddy (last night....hmm hmmm, the answer--this is how lex sings this song, over and over and over around the house).

3. 1..2...3 Like a bird I sing-by Tim McGraw. Alexa can sing the entire chorus to this song and will bust out singing it just about anywhere (ie standing on the fountain outside the Spicy Pickle in Ashburn was Sunday's performance).

4. Crazy by Gnarls Barkley--or as Lex calls this song "The Crazy Song". This song always evokes a cool girl head bob in the back seat.

Unconditional Love

This morning, after multiple top changes, I wound up putting on a flowey tank top that I bought at least 6 years ago from American Eagle. I wasn't sure about it, but was so fed up with my clothes that I didn't care at this point.

Anyway, I go down the hall and climb into lex's bed where she's still "sleeping." She immediately cuddles up next to me and starts rubbing my arm.

Lex: Mommy, you're pretty.

Jen: Why do you think Mommy is pretty?

Lex: I like your shirt

I guess I made a good choice today.

Samuel

Lex and Samuel...where to begin:

Lex has the biggest love hate relationship with her best friend, Samuel. (hee hee Hav!) This morning on her way to school, we were talking about her transition to the older classroom at school which is happening next week. I asked her if she was excited and she said yes. She then started going on about how she was now bigger than Samuel and that she was going to listen, followed by an emphatic, NOT LIKE SAMUEL.

So I told her if she listened next week in her new classroom, that we would go to Chuck E Cheese and to make it extra special, we could bring one friend.

Who does she choose....Samuel, of course. :)

They're going to get married one day! God help them with mothers in law like me and Havalynn!

Miss Stephanie

Alexa had a photoshoot with Miss Steph this weekend and it went so well! Steph took us to three different locations in Leesburg (Tavistock Farms, another park, and Ida Lee!). The weather was great for pictures, but lots of bugs were swarming around. We must be very sweet :)

Unsurprisingly, Steph captured Alexa's 4 year old personality so perfectly in these shots!

Almond Joy

This morning Alexa and I were brushing our teeth in my master bathroom. Alexa looks at me and out of the blue asks:

What's an Almond Joy?

Engito

This morning, Alexa and I were having breakfast at opposite ends of the kitchen table. Here's our conversation:

Alexa: Mommy, jafljdlkjfweejls---oo.

Jen: What Lex? I didn't understand what you said.

Alexa (in her I'm a 15 year old in disguise voice): Mom, I was speaking SPANISH.

Jen (thinking Creme is money well spent and trying very hard to hold in her laughter): Well, Mommy doesn't speak Spanish, could you please say it again?

Alexa: Engito.

Jen: What's Engito mean, Lex?

Alexa: It means "poking someone in the eye."

I'm Back and all is well!

Lex was so excited to see me tonight and declared from the bath tub:

Mommy, I haven't seen you in such a long time!


After her tub, she wanted to listen to her most recent favorite song: Tim McGraw's "1...2...3...Like a bird I sing".... and practice writing her name.



She started writing a couple of "a's and "l's"
and then decided she wanted to draw a picture of me. After she was done with me, she wanted to draw Giraffi-o (Brandon) and then added herself!
I've attached the most recent masterpiece which she wants hung in her room now! This just may have to be our wedding invitation in some way!




Do you think Lex is trying to tell me and Brandon something as we have bellies and she doesn't? : )

Satterpellaton

As some of you know, there are three last names at our house for Lex, Bran, and me.

I won't be changing my name after Bran and I get married because I don't want Lex to feel left out as the only different last name in the house. Plus, if I changed my name, we souldn't be able to have this hybrid name:

SATTERPELLATON

ALOTTA

In the Satterpellaton household, we don't use the word:
A LOT

The correct word according to Lexo is:
ALOTTA

Used in a sentence:

"Ban, I'm alotta tired."



Note: Ban = Bran in Lexa-nese

Pee-Pee in the Chip Box

I know, know, what a crazy title but I didn't want to forget this incident as Alexa LOVES to re-tell this story OVER and OVER.

Last January, Lex, Bran, and I were driving back from Beth and John's house in Pennsylvania. I surprise snow squall (do we even have snow squalls in VA?--) occurred on our drive home through Frederick, MD. We were stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and wouldn't you guess, our little pal in the back seat all of sudden: HAD TO GO PEE PEE REALLY BAD.

Well, it's a blizzared outside the car, there's not a single store/fast food joint in site, but McGyver Mommy Jen, sees the Triscuit box in back seat and tells Lex:

You're going to have to pee pee in box.

Lex looks at me like I have two heads and then thinks this is the most hysterical thing she's ever heard. She cannot stop laughing and somehow gets distracted until we can pull over to go to the bathroom at a real bathroom.

Now, whenever we're on Route 15, she ALWAYS says,

"Remember how you wanted me to pee pee in box...hee hee..Pee pee in the chip box".

Ahhh, 4 year old humor.

I Sure Can

Whenever I ask Lex if she can do something, whether it be brush her teeth, get Palmer a treat, or put on clothes other than a tank top and underwear, her most likely reply is:

"I sure can."

I have NO IDEA where she picked up this little saying, but it's catchy and I find myself saying it to people now. It just sounds so positive and happy.

Sesame Place Pictures

Over Memorial Day weekend, Bran, Beth (or Miss BethAnn-as alexa likes to call Bran's mom) and I went to Sesame Place for the day. It was a hot and crowded day and didn't start off to well when I convinced Alexa that she would have fun going on the raft for the kid's lazy river. We didn't realize that after we waited on line, that lex would have to go alone. She had a complete and utter meltdown when she got off the tube and told me: MOMMY, I TOLD YOU I WAS SCARED AND DIDN'T LIKE THE RAFT. YIKES. The rest of the day was alot of fun and it really made me appreciate and love Bran's relationship with Lex. They both are two peas in a pod.

Rainbow Brite Alexa

After some careful negotiation on why a pirate wasn't as cool as a princess/buttefly/rainbow face painting, Alexa finally agreed to the rainbow design. We also had to borrow the Sesame Place Make Up artist's name tag as she was an Alexa, too!

String cheese

Lexo: Mommy, I want a string cheese and can you take it two part?

Decipher: two part = apart in Lexa-nese

Chicago

I'm on a business trip to Chicago until tomorrow and of course I needed to call Lex before I took off.

Jen: Lex, mommy's on the plane and just landed in Chicago.

Lex: Guess what, Mommy. A person at daddy's baseball game was going to Chigago, too. Isn't that funny?

Lex: Mommy, when am I coming home?

Jen: Tomorrow, GG will pick you up after Creme.

Lex: Can I water my flowers in my swing set?

Jen: COURSE you can

She's so smart and she remembers EVERYTHING.