Pink Goo

Today, Zoey and I did a little more shopping/browsing for birthday party supplies. Before we even made it into our first store though, I was given a present I would have rather not received! 

After loading Zoey, her cart cover, the diaper bag, and a few toys into my arms, I went to close the car door, but discovered something pink down by my foot. I wish I could say that when I examined it closer, I realized what it was...but I still have NO idea what I stepped in! All I know is that it was bright pink and a little sticky. Yuck! 

The happy ending to this story? Ever since my purse got replaced by a diaper bag (the day Zoey was born), I have almost always had diaper wipes on hand! While balancing on one foot, with everything still tucked under my arm, I managed to wipe the mess off of my shoe (and the little spot I got one my other foot) and carry right along!

Thanks, kind stranger who left this behind! Thanks a lot!

Not only were our trips through JoAnn's and Michaels pretty productive, they were also very loud. My little squawker, did just that! After sleeping through Tuesday Morning (such a cool store), Zoey woke up in JoAnn's and immediately made her presence known. Eventually, I just threw in the towel. The noise didn't even seem to bother the people around us, but it was driving me crazy! I kept telling her, as if she'd understand and obey "You're disturbing my thoughts!" HA! Not only did she carry on with her baby bird noises, but I started laughing at myself, wondering if I'd ever have a clear thought or a quiet shopping experience again? Ahh well...

Sparkly pink zebra print and sparkly yellow paper! So fun!

(Decided not to buy these once I thought about the possible glitter mess)

One of my many attempts to quiet her! She didn't want any of the toys we brought into the store, of course!

(I always feel bad putting a wet and soggy item back on the self once we're ready to check out! Oops! Sorry JoAnn's, Michaels, Safeway, Walgreens, Target...)

"No Sophie for me, Mom. I have a bottle of hand sanitizer and a cool bone-shaped key chain!"

At least one of those items is kinda clean...kinda.

Curly Hair

Practicing standing

I don't know if she was more proud of the fact that she stood up, or that she did so while holding onto her belongings?!

Today we visited the elementary school where I used to work! I love going back, chatting with the ladies in the office, and catching up with a few teachers I connected with during my time there. The teacher I co-taught with for half a year, is pregnant with her second child, and more than a few people asked me if I was going to be her substitute again. I told them that if I didn't have Zoey, I'd be there in a heartbeat! It's funny, many people have started asking me (they've been asking for a while actually) if I miss teaching/working. My answer is: "No!". In fact, I'm still teaching AND working! I teach Zoey everyday, and trust me, it is WORK! ;)

After our visit, we met my mom downtown and she watched Zoey for a bit while I ran into an audition. Before I could go in, I had to change into my workout attire. Fortunately, we had parked right in front of a hotel and the concierge graciously allowed me to use the bathroom. Once changed, I walked into the casting, filled out a form, smiled/posed for a few pictures, shook hands with the photog and walked right back to the car! Man, sometimes it really irks me how short the castings are, but then I remember: Zoey gets to spend a little time with her Granny (or sometimes her daddy comes home to watch her); I am getting out of the house and doing non-mommy things; and there is the potential for me to earn some extra money for our family, without having to be out of the house and away from my baby for 8+ hours a day. I really can't complain about that! Fingers crossed that I get the job... :)

Zoey took a nap on the ride home and woke up with some seriously sweaty, curly hair!

When did her hair get so long?! My goodness.

Mommy/Baby Scrunchy Face!

Bonding, one "face" at a time  :)

As I surfed on my phone while Zoey drifted to sleep in my arms, I looked down and was once again reminded how blessed I am! Such a sweet, pure and innocent little being!

Looks like she's rockin' out!

(It's really just her doing "Scrunchy Face", mid fall. Lol)

Baby Steps

Today was a very productive day for our little family! Zoey took her first steps today!!! Michael had a feeling she'd be able to, so he kept standing her up until she finally stepped toward him! So exciting (and utterly shocking/terrifying!).

First Steps! 2/10/13

(pardon the terrible phone quality)

First Steps! 2/10/13

(More bad phone quality...)

She can stand up on her own now, and once she learned she could step forward, she wouldn't stop!

More productivity! Michael put up two corner shelves and a chandelier in Zoey's room! 

At first, we just wanted one shelf to put the monitor on. Because the monitor used to be mounted on the wall where the top shelf is, we figured it could sit on a shelf at the same height. Well, we were wrong. With it sitting upright, that high, when the camera is in the down position, you can't see all of the crib! Oops. So, we had to get a second shelf and place it much lower so the camera could see everything! (Might need a third shelf, to fill the gap??)

Woohoo! Santa brought us this chandelier that I'd been wanting so badly! ;)

LOVE the way it looks, and the pretty shadow it casts on the ceiling!

Along with drinking from her sippy cup all by herself for the first time, Zoey also decided she wanted to start climbing the stairs today, without waiting for anyone to stand behind her! My little daredevil.

Once to the top, she crawled into her room, grabbed a few tools, and watched her daddy work.

Hooray for productive/milestone weekends :)

The Pantry's Calling

Today we accompanied my mom to a couple car dealerships and rode along as she test drove a spiffy SUV. But, before we even left the house this morning, I was having some serious Mommy Brain Farts. It was taking me a while to get both Zoey and myself ready, and then I kept misplacing things. I couldn't seem to get everything I needed all in the same place so we could load up the car and get going. As I went into the pantry to grab a snack, I set my cell phone down on the shelf (only had one free hand b/c I was holding Zoey). I got what I wanted and went to close the doors. After quickly spotting the phone, I opened the doors back up and then told Michael what I had just done. When finished laughing about it, I sighed and then closed the doors again...without retrieving my phone! Oiy! Too many tasks...can't focus...brain farts! 

Hey, at least I didn't miss it completely and leave the house without it!

Hangin' out at the dealership.

When she wasn't crawling around and making friends, she was making our salesman laugh with her awesome dance moves!

A Good Time

Zoey had no interest in taking her morning nap today! She was tired, of course, but just didn't want anything to do with it. Instead, she bounced around, we played, and I tried to keep my cool as she got into multiple things she wasn't supposed to get in to (Ooh, soooo frustrating!). Every time I get to the point where I want to scream (and sometimes I do), I look at her and just start laughing! She is just too cute, too sweet, and too hilarious to get mad at. She is constantly doing things that bring a smile to my face, even if it's something she's done a hundred times before :)

Talking about something (*Smile*)

"Dance, dance, dance!" (*Smile*)

You know you've had a good morning when your diaper is hiked up outside of your shirt, you're missing a sock, and you can't stop dancing! (*Laughing hysterically*)

Also this morning, I discovered a second Men's Wearhouse commercial. I don't know if this one will air on television or just online, but either way, I am really proud of it. When I first found it and hit play, I immediately started to cry. My heart started pounding and my hands were shaking as I picked up the phone to call my mom. When she answered, she could hear in my shaky "Hello" that I was crying. Naturally, as a mother, she thought something was wrong, possibly with Zoey. Through my tears I got out "There's another commercial...and...I really like it". Lol. We both started to laugh and I apologized for worrying her. As I mentioned in a previous post, being in a commercial has been my dream ever since I started modeling, so the blessing of it all is totally overwhelming.

 "My Wedding: Romantic"

Once I stopped crying, I called Michael and told him the news. I emailed him the link and found out later in the day that he forwarded it around his office! It's a great feeling when your significant other says/shows that they're proud of you :)

Not Ready To Leave

Zoey was a little bit slow moving at story time this morning and didn't really get into the toys until it was almost time to clean up! She does really well with the knee bounces and songs at the beginning of the class, but when it's time for her to crawl over to the toys and the rest of the kids, it takes her a little while to get going. In her defense, on days when we don't go to the library, 10:30 to 11:30 is when she starts thinking about a nap...

  

So today, after we all helped clean up, I walked over to get her coat and she stayed put. I turned around to find her gazing longingly at the toys! 

"But I'm not ready to leave yet..."

"No coat...I want more toys!"

We have been surrounded by some really generous people lately. One of the moms from the library group brought some of her daughter's old shoes for Zoey to have. Last week, when we were all talking, another mother of a 10 month old was telling us that she bought her daughter some shoes because she's trying to walk, and I mentioned that I was thinking about doing the same. The older girl's mom said she thought she had some that might fit Zoey, but I really didn't expect to receive three adorable pairs the very next week! :)

Spring/Summer, Dressy, and Casual!

We made a stop at Carter's today and I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing, but I'm starting to think it's one of Zoey's favorite places! Once we get in there, she begs to be picked up out of the stroller, squirms out of my arms, and then darts over to the Lego table!

I can definitely see her having a table and chairs set like this at home! She loves it!

It ended up being a great Carter's/OshKosh trip because I had a git card to use and there were major sales going on at both stores. Shopping the clearance and sales racks, I was able to score $122 worth of clothes, for $4.45! Granted, some of the clothes were way overpriced to begin with, but I love the quality of Carter's clothes, and the outlet store is practically always having a sale!

The swimsuit I'd been eyeing, went on sale! (That's what put me over my GC limit and I paid $4.45 for it. :)

These cute two-piece jams were on the clearance rack for $3 and then an extra 30% off! 

I literally snatched them, and a similar purple pair, off of the rack before the ladies next to me saw them! Hahaha

Soo, as I was driving out of the mall parking lot, I spotted the Men's Wearhouse store out of the corner of my eye. I did a quick drive by to see if I could spot my picture anywhere. I finally got up my nerve, pulled into a parking spot, got out, and peered through the window like a lost puppy. BUT, what did I see up on the wall??...

 LOL!

Fortunately, none of the store employees laughed while I took this picture! In fact, they were all really nice and asked a few questions. Totally helped lessen my embarrassment.

Trying on her new-to-her summer sandals :)

And lastly...

Today marks 8 years that Michael and I have been together. It was in the second semester of our freshman year of college that we were introduced to each other by mutual friends. A few days later, we went on a coffee date to Starbucks and talked for hours! I know for a fact that Michael didn't share my strong feelings at the time, but I honestly fell in love with him just days into our relationship, and I'm so glad he eventually came around ;)  

On our 2 year dating anniversary :)

 

Today he came with a surprise box of chocolates (and red roses)!

I made his favorite pizza for dinner and tried to make the Canadian bacon in the shape of a heart (kind of hard to see).