Lexi's Fashion Statement...

Now, I know that I don't exactly set a good example on the fashion front, but Lexi is definitely paving her own way. In the pic below, Lexi was on her way to visit Mormor (Tim's mom) to show her the new princess skirt. Note the backpack which has become increasingly popular on the days I pick her up at The Children's House daycare. She insists on wearing it herself to the car. Note also the stroller with "Baby" under the dyne and "Belle" and the other "Baby" in the mesh basket at the bottom. Of course, there is the ever-popular knitted hat which is now huge on her head as she has stretched it out so much. She is also modelling her favorite fleece jacket which can be seen in many other pics. P.S. We weren't really going to visit Mormor, but Lexi was ready :)

Here is Sunday's church outfit. I thought she would be super-cute in her new black & white summer dress with capris from Grammy & Grandpa. She chose to accessorize with the practical "goes with everything" knitted hat, princess skirt (because I had on a skirt that day) and the Robeez "boat" shoes that say they are for size 20-24months, but they are still HUGE on Lexi.

Princess Lexi

Well, as many of you remember, we always talked about "welcoming the princess" to the family or when "the princess" would be born. It is now official - we have entered the princess phase. Lexi loves to talk about princesses and watch the Disney princess movies (Little Mermaid, Cinderella, etc.). I had picked-up a few "princess-ey" things along the way and had them stored away. When we came home from work last night, Lexi was insistent on trying on my sandals (new shoes bought at the market in Spain - she has told me several times that she likes my new shoes, they are pretty). So, I got out "the gear". I think the pictures speak for themselves.... She was up at 6am this morning and wouldn't go back to sleep until her normal 7:15am. Although she didn't say it, the MINUTE we came downstairs for breakfast, she bee-lined for her princess gear and put it all on again. What was I waiting for?

Introducting Princess Lexi....

Hola!

We just got back from a one week holiday to Spain. Since we flew direct from Stavanger to Alicante (3 hour flight) and it was only for one week, we decided not to rent a car. So, we took a taxi from the Alicante airport to the apartment in Santa Pola (10min) and were on foot / stroller the rest of the week. It was a fun-filled week of beach (aka "the big sandbox"), pool, playground and books (for us adults in the evenings). We were blessed with blue skies and sunshine all week with daytime highs of 28C (82F) and lows around 18C (64F). We were happy to wear our summer clothes and that the water temps in the sea and the pool were very pleasant (much warmer water temps than it will ever get in Norway this summer).

So, here are some of the pics from the week. Lexi definitely enjoyed the sea much more than the pool. Some days, she still isn't sure about water.

This first pic was taken in the taxi from our home to the Stavanger airport at 6:45am. She was excited to go on another airplane and practically sprang out of bed (which is something unheard of....)

On our way to Lexi's favorite playground, we passed the city center / square. They have this round, covered stage permanently in place and Lexi spent at least 10 minutes hopping and dancing. Hopping and jumping are one of her favorite pastimes these days...

She is also a little monkey...

This was her favorite swing since it is at her level. Absolutely perfect for the indenpendant child to do by HERSELF. So, anytime we stopped at any swingset around town, she always wanted to go to "the other one" - meaning her favorite one as pictured below.

She could wade out for about 150 yards before it got deeper - a perfect beach area for kids.

Enlarge it.... sheer joy (not terror) :)

This is the pool at our apartment complex. She would play on the steps (above), but wouldn't hardly get near the kiddie pool (small sectioned-off portion in pic below) despite the fact that she could easily walk around in it solo....

No, it wasn't cold enough for a jacket, but hey - little miss fashionista was wearing her Minnie Mouse PJs (from Grammy & Grandpa) with her sunhat and decided she needed her jacket (which I had tucked away in the bottom drawer for the flight home....)

An update on the boathouse project...

Tim's been hard at work this last week on the boathouse project. So, Lexi and I took a quick trip to visit Friday night to Saturday night. We came home tonight since we have some church committments in the morning and are meeting some friends for dinner tomorrow. Hope you enjoy the pics. We are really excited about the way it is shaping up.

Here is a pic taken from the opposite side of Feda river.

You now see the little boathouse (adjoining) to the left. This is where our little 14ft fishing boat will go.

Here is a pic taken from the entry road side. The painters have put the first coat of white paint on, but it rained last week and they couldn't continue. So, it is really just a base coat as the wood really soaked it in.

Again, you see the little boathouse that is adjoining (right hand side).

Sorry, the pics uploaded in a strange order. Here is a pic of the loft. It is now completed with ceiling and wall paneling and flooring. It lacks trimwork (baseboards, ceiling trim, window trim, etc.) and electrical. This is Lexi's playroom :)

Here is a pic of the loft taken in the opposite direction of above. The two windows overlook the living / dining room. The window in the above picture looks out at the road/entry. The stairs aren't installed yet - hence, the ladder sticking up.

Here is a pic of the living room / dining area looking out towards the river. (2nd floor)

Here is a pic of the hallway looking towards the living room / dining area. The doorway opening at the right is a bedroom and the doorway opening on the left is the bathroom. (2nd floor)

Here is a pic of what will be the kitchen on the 2nd floor. (gray area on the right) The bottom of the two windows in the upper left of the pic are the loft windows. The doorway on the left leads to the stairs down to the first floor and stair/ladder up to the loft. Neither are installed yet.

Here is a pic from the living room looking down the hallway. The three doorways are three bedrooms. (2nd floor)

Here is a pic on the first floor. The double doors on the left are looking at the river and the door at the right (where Lexi is standing) opens up to the little boathouse. The first floor is where some of the original ceiling beams and supports have been preserved as you see in the pic.

This pic is also on the first floor with my back to the doors (as seen above).

So, as you see, it is definitely shaping up, but there is plenty of work left. It is hard to take pics of the 1st floor entry, 1st floor bathroom/utility room and the bathroom & bedrooms on the 2nd floor - there is too much construction material blocking the views.

Luna's Birthday and the 17th of May - Hurray!

The weekend was a special weekend as we helped Cousin Luna celebrate her 13th birthday on Saturday afternoon and then celebrated the 17th of May (Norway's Constitution Day) on Sunday. Enjoy!

London, here we come again!

Well, Lexi is not quite 2-1/2 years old and this was her third trip to London. Not too bad! She is now a super traveler on the airplane (of course, it is only a 1.5 hour flight instead of 9 hours...). The reason for this trip to London was to celebrate Cousin Jen finishing her semester at Regent's College and to meet-up with Grammy, Grandpa and Aunt Brenda. It was a quick 4 day trip for us, but it was different from any other Allen family vacation I have been on.... the pace was nice and relaxing! Unfortunately, many of the pics are on Mom's camera - so, here are a few of the good ones (the ones that didn't have Mom's thumb in the upper left-hand corner) from my camera. Enjoy!