My Solo Utah Trip

Josh had a short break from school a couple of weeks ago during which he graciously offered to stay home and watch Rex so I could take a trip to Utah to visit my parents.  It worked out that all 3 of my sisters were able to convince their husbands to watch the kids so we could all be together.

We took a little walk down memory lane with our walk around BYU campus.  The ride board is still up and functioning.  Where else could you trust getting a ride across the country from a total stranger?

We laughed at the dumb t-shirts in the BYU bookstore.  Seriously...who thought this was a good idea for a t-shirt?  My sister bought one to be her white elephant gift this Christmas.

And of course we ate at J-Dawgs.

3 of us have fall birthdays so we celebrated together!

And went to church with my missionary parents

And the other things we didn't take pictures of: shopping, massages at the spa and eating out at all of our favorite Utah places.  Why oh why can't we get a Cafe Rio out here...?

And thanks to my brother's tripod and my nephew for snapping the pics, we have a few nice family photos of just the original Alger family.

Me and my siblings

And my cute parents who are working diligently as family history missionaries.  I miss them and can't wait until they get home in February!

It was such a fun trip!  Big thanks to Josh for making it happen and not complaining.  And to top it all off, I came home to a spotless house!  I'm talking bathrooms, kitchen, living room...the place was cleaner than it's been for a while.  He's amazing!

The Big Announcement

So, we have been holding off on this announcement for quite a while and I'm dying to announce that we are expecting a baby GIRL due March 5th!!  She was definitely a long time coming and there were lots of tears shed and prayers offered in order to get her here.  We could not be more excited!

And check out this awesome yoga pose she was doing today...

I guess her form could use a little work, but she's got the right idea!

Rex-man turns 3!

A few days before his birthday, Rex came down with croup (and can I just tell you, this stuff is the devil) :(  I thought there was a chance he would be all better by his b-day so we just waited on pins and needles to see how he was feeling each morning.  The day before his b-day, his fever was gone and he seemed much better.  I thought we were totally in business and I spent the entire day cleaning, cooking, baking, wrapping and getting ready for a party!  Friday morning, the day of his birthday, he woke up with a fever and feeling crummy.  So, plans were cancelled and we had a fun day just the 3 of us.

Josh had a rather flexible schedule on Friday, so we took Rex to Chick-Fil-A for lunch and had a picnic in our backyard.

Then we played all afternoon, Josh took him to the park while I made his birthday cake.  We ordered pizza, got Grandma and Grandpa on Skype and had a party!

 Grandma and Grandpa Garner gave Rex a bike, which he is pumped about.

Aunt Kelsey sent a t-ball set which was also a huge hit.  Despite being a little sick he played with that thing endlessly until bedtime.

We gave him a remote control car, which only moves forward and backward.  He takes his driving duties very seriously.

Rex requested a dinosaur cake

And our main gift to Rex was a swing set (which my parents so generously contributed to) and Josh spent about 8 man hours assembling.  A lot of love went into this gift!  Here is the unveil...

Rex's reaction is priceless

He was a little freaked out to try the slide for the first time, but caught right on.

I cannot believe this little man is 3 years old.  He's getting funnier and easier in some ways, and then more complicated in others.  He's becoming more helpful and more sensitive, which we love.  He's almost always happy and just wants to have a good time (as long as he can be the boss).  He has endless amounts of energy and loves playing outside. One of my favorite characteristics of Rex's personality is that he is NOT shy at all.  He talks, waves, and tells our family's deep dark secrets to just about anyone and everyone.  I know he's going to totally embarrass me one of these days, but for now we'll just enjoy how people can't help but smile when they are around him.  We love you Rex!

Duke Basketball Campout

So, once again Josh and his LDS Business School buddies camped out for the chance at buying Duke basketball tickets.  They rented 2 U-hauls and draped a very large tarp over the top to keep the rain off.  Here is the set up...

On Saturday evening, the families braved the drizzle and chilly temps to bring food up to the campout.  It's fun to see what the guys are up to, but then we get to go home and warm up in our cozy beds.  Sadly, Josh did not get drawn again this year so he may have to camp out again for the Duke vs. UNC game, we'll see...Fortunately, they had quite a few guys from their group who were drawn so they have lots of tickets to split up.  Looking forward to going to a game with Josh this year!

GO DUKE!!!