Happy Birthday MOM!!!!!

I just got back from a wonderful little weekend vacation to San Antonio! It was my mommas 50th birthday!! Happy Birthday Grandma!!

All of my momma's sisters got to come into town to help celebrate! We had so much fun with Aunt Marie, Kayla, Aunt Sheri, and Mandy! Nothing compares to being around mom and all the sisters... except maybe being around dad and all of his brothers! I got there early Thursday and got to spend quality time with mom and dad without anyone else around. XJ really loved hangin out with Grandpa! He was talkin his ear off! Everyone came to the gym and surprised mom! She was really surprised and I was so excited! The next day we all just kinda hung out.. we went shopping a little bit to pick up stuff for momma's birthday. Later that afternoon a good friend of ours Kim Shuck came over and took a few pictures of XJ so mom could have some good ones to print. SHe is amazing! Here are some of the best ones from the shoot:

He is pretty perfect! Saturday we had a little get together with people who have been there for mom from the beginning! We put together a video of pictures from the very first of the gym up until now.. if I can figure out why my computer wont upload videos to blogger you'll get that soon. After cake with friends, all the girls went and got manis/pedis followed by more shopping and BBQ with the family that night. I would say the entire weekend was a big success, but the cap on the weekend was Sunday at church. Being fast sunday of course Kayla and I were trying to get Chase and Jaden up to the pulpit to bear their testimonies. All I managed to do was get Jade to dissolve into a fit of tears. Chase, on the other hand, made it up to pulpit to deliver one of the most inpired testimonies I've heard in a while. It wouldn't do it justice to try to paraphrase the testimony, but he said a phrase that really stuck with me and I'll leave you guys with this thought:

If we don't develop strong bonds with our family, how can we expect to develop strong bonds with our Heavenly Father?

Just XJ

well I was going to upload an ADORABLE video of XJ but apparently Blogger hates me today, so instead a few pictures. I sure love everything about this sweet boy!

I told X he is much to young to sit in his Bumbo yet... he didn't believe me... XJ didn't like his daddy very much at this moment lol

"Mom, do you see what I have to deal with??" I know baby boy I deal with it everyday =P

Zonked on the plane going to see Aunt Elise and Uncle Rudd

Sucking his thumb with daddy at the airport after being gone for a few days! These next few are just photo shoots I couldn't resist putting on =))

My very good friend got us this thug baby onesie =) it's so perfect!

This is an odd angled silly picture but we gave him a chocolate chin just like mommy!!

so yeah I know this one is not XJ but it makes me laugh so much.. my stupid dog has started hiding out and napping under the couch... sometimes I catch her already asleep on the way in.. I think this time she was just pokin her head out to see what was going on.. Yesterday she did the two cutest things a dog could ever do.. lol. First: I was eating on the couch and she was under, like right under me. I dropped a noodle from my Panda Express and I looked down to see where it landed and she was sticking her nose out just enough to grab the food and go back under.. dumb fat dog lol. Then X and I were sitting on the couch watching Modern Family... we usually don't see Zada for a while after she goes under the couch but I turned my head to talk to my brother in law and she was standing on her tip toes behind the couch with her paws on top of it just looking at me! it scared the crap out of me! What a weird dog! ANyway I will figure out the stupid video attachment thing and you will get a video soon!! Love, Lex and XJ

We're baaaaaaack!

OK, this post won't be long because my sweet little 11 week old son is FINALLY asleep and I have to work at 4 a.m., but I'll catch you up on what you've missed the past year =)) Well I graduated in August 2011 after 7 years and 3 different colleges.. I know it's embarrassing, but I finally did it!

After that we went to New York to visit one last time before I couldn't fly anymore because of the pregnancy...this pic is of us in the Met... it was pretty awesome!

On December 4, 2011, WE had a baby BOY! SURPRISE!!

haha I will post the long labor story, but he was 4 weeks early but a healthy 7 lbs 9 oz! what a big boy! I had pre-eclampsia pretty bad and the Dr. was afraid of my labs and my swelling,

oooh the swelling... I didn't post that picture anywhere else! It's embarrassing! anyway... She induced me at 36 weeks because he seemed pretty healthy and they had already given me 2 rounds of steroid shots to develop his lungs, so they were pretty sure he would be fine. I'm so glad he was early, because the doc said if he would have been full term, I would have definitely had a C-Section! We blessed XJ (Xavier Juan DeLeon II) On Christmas day with all of our family there!

It was really cool. I went up to Michigan by my self at the beginning of February to see my sweet niece turn 2 and to meet my cute little nephew that just so happens to be 1 day older than XJ!

On my way home from michigan my boss called to inform me that we got station of the year among all of the Pinnacle Airlines stations in the nation... oh and we are all losing our jobs because they are pulling Delta service out of Lubbock! I was pretty bummed... Needless to say we will be stocking up on adventures in the next few months before we have to start paying to fly again!! IN March I plan to go to: San ANtonio, Austin, Chicago, Philidelphia, Eerie, and Phoenix! that will be lots of flying with sweet little XJ! I hope he continues to be such a good little flyer!! WEll I better head to bed since it's already 10:46 but I promise to update some more!! Love you all!! Here's one more picture of my favorite little man!!

ok 3 more pictures =) enjoy!! -Lecca and XJ

I HATE BIOLOGY SEMINARS!

I just wanted to make myself perfectly clear in my title...

This hour of my life every wednesday this semester has and will continue to be a big fat waste of time! This is my attempt at keeping myself sane during this hour =)

Still excited about New York! I am getting more excited by the second! Ryan and I keep finding awesome places that we want to go visit!


In case you don't know what this place is you should definitely google it!

Ryan and I decided after we were inspired by many many thrifting blogs that we would use our awesome flight benefits to visit EVERY Buffalo Exchange in the US! Wish us luck!

Also...

This is actually EXACTLY what we are preparing for! some SERIOUS shopping!

Alright guys this post is a little lame, but I DO in fact have to write a paper about this lecture so I should pay a little bit of attention!

On a final note, I've been spending a lot of time on this awesome little blog: much love illy!! Go check her out and congratulate her on her 1st year bloganniversary!!

Alexis =)

NYC!

Not much to say today, and I actually should be writing a paper that is due tomorrow...but I can't help myself! X and I have the most fabulous jobs in the whole world. We get to fly anywhere we want--free. ANYWHERE! So... on a whim we decided we should go to New York this weekend and visit his best friend Andrew! NEW YORK!!?!?! Seriously? I always wanted to go there and now it's like no big thing! Ah-Only it IS big!! And I am so excited I can't even think straight.. I need ideas for cool things you would do if you got to spend the weekend in NY...

Sweetheart Cake!

Ok Friends!! Here it is...the Link for the cute sweetheart cake I made!

And hooray for me being able to put in the LINK! yesss!!

Alexis =)

Happy Valentine's DAYYY!!

As it turns out I'm about as good at blogging as I am at journaling--really good for a couple days and then... Anyway--I will be better! Promise! Enjoy this VERY long post =)

Soo... Valentine's day isn't a really big deal in our little world. We love each other everyday, and we are sweet to each other...most days =). We've started operation..look good for Australia!! I've been cooking yummy meals almost every night since my last post...That means I have a LOT of pictures.. so.. bare with me =)


This was dinner um...the first night.. monday? Grilled chicken salad =) Xavier forced me to eat nasty grape tomatoes and then covered up the evidence in my wonderful picture--turd.


Usually I'm a boring breakfast eater, but this was my breakfast the next morning =)


Tuesday Night: Chicken Spaghetti--thrown together because I hadnt bought groceries yet =P


Wednesday Night: Taco Salad.. Yumm


Thursday Night: Chicken and Rice with Gravy

Friday Night we had grilled cheese sandwiches and soup and Saturday was our "Special" dinner (it's a good thing it's the weekend because calories don't count on the weekend right??):


This is Xavier cooking his GIANT T-bone steak =)


He thought I would try to hide this little fact.. but here it is: special for you guys!! I was NOT about to make dinner after a really crazy saturday, so... I bought the yummiest (and healthiest) mac and cheese and mashed potatoes and gravy from marketstreet!


So X totally called me out.. I looked at our dinner and said "aww dang it we don't have any vegetables"... Xavier promptly said "Are you just sad because it doesn't look good for your picture?" haha. dang.. so we added some parsley to the mac and cheese.. haha =)


I know those steaks were out of control huge.. don't worry.. we had about 8 steaks worth of left overs =)

Ok so I know this post is RIDICULOUSLY long... but I have to include these last couple of pictures.. so I was on A Yellow House blog by Cierra... I really wish I could put a link..and I saw a link to this awesome website that taught me how to make a sweet heart cake for valentine's day. I am NOT good at anything cute really but I decided to give it a try anyway =) I would say it turned out pretty dang good =)





I know it might not look that cool but it was VERY involved and took me a long time! It tasted great though =)

Thanks for taking the time to read my VERY lengthy blog!! I won't wait so long in between blogs next time =) Really! Have a great weekend!

Alexis =)