Friday, October 28, 2011

A Wild Morning

 
I decided to test out my new camera at Zoo Boo this morning, which was the most amazing experience. It is FREE with your Zoo membership and included pick-your-own pumpkins to decorate, hay mazes, bounce houses, stands, crafts, costume contests, and so much more. To say the least, I love, love, love my new camera and Zoo Boo of course! Enjoy some pictures from our perfect morning at the zoo...
 
Megan and the boys waiting patiently to get into the Zoo

My little piggy picking out her pumpkin

and decorating it with stickers

Then it was off to the hay maze!

"Ahhhhh..."

N running like a wild man!

Apparently the hood was slowing her down...

"A spider!"

"Where did they go?"

"What...it is time to leave this? Good luck catching me!"

"Darn it, Mom, you are fast!"

Our little animals!
Is my piggy hiding?

E being a monkey...or wait, maybe a lion :)

A and C looking like Middle School girls already!

Then it was time to hit up the bounce house! LOVE!

Trust

Joy

Then a mean mommy had to take her little piggy away.

Then, as if we had not had enough fun for one morning, it was my second oldest niece's Birthday party at Amazing Glaze (a paint-your-own pottery place) which was very fun. It was A's first time painting pottery, and she did a great job.
 
The Birthday Girl!

Painting a mug for daddy





After about 30 minutes though she had enough, and was ready to bail on the party and head to lunch with little cousin C!


 
PS...how amazing is my new camers <3

xoxo
Daily Mom

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

What a day!


Like I mentioned yesterday, today was going to be a very special day, not only because we were going to give Gigi her Christmas present, but because we were going to go pick out (and hopefully purchase) my Christmas present too, a new camera! Not only did we chat up a storm on our walk this morning, crunching through the leaves in the sunshine, but the clouds rolled in the minutes we pushed the stroller into the driveway...a sure sign it was time to get shopping. We started at Michael's where I picked up a few items for our upcoming Halloween party....see below...then we headed straight for Best Buy. I listened and listened to the pro's and con's of each camera (although let's be honest, of course I already had the one I wanted picked out in my head) and after some serious consideration we checked out...one camera for me, a mini pillow pet for A, a princess camera for my niece's b-day, another mini pillow pet for my other niece, and because my mom is a sucker...a Thomas the Train video for A too.

And since A had just enough listening to rules and being held for one day, we made a stop at Barnes and Nobel to let my mom peruse some magazines, and let A have some much needed time with Thomas and his friends. As she zoomed them all over the track I had a second to sneak away and pick up her FAVORITE book series...Lama Lama.




So after dropping my mom off with a huge thank you, and getting A fed and snuggled in bed (after reading her new Lama Lama book twice) I enjoyed some nice quiet time reading all about my new camera! Oh, and I made a pumpkin for the centerpiece for our Halloween table too...
Just some black spray paint and adhesive rhinestones!

Hope your day was filled with something that made your heart beat a little faster, too!

xoxo
Daily Mom

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

An Early Christmas

I can't wait for tomorrow!

I know you are never supposed to wish away time, especially since it seems to go too fast anyway, but I don't have much to look forward to for the rest of the day. I mean, I have to leave for work while A is still down for her nap, and I normally don't make it home till she is sound asleep. Well, to be totally honest, I did make the Barefoot Contessa chicken stew for dinner, which I am pretty excited to eat...but I would even skip that if tomorrow could come a little faster. And trust me, I am not someone who skips meals :)

Okay, so now that I have really gotten your interest peaked, let me explain our day tomorrow. After breakfast A and I will pack up the car and head over to Gigi's house to go for a walk. Then we will give Gigi her beautiful Christmas present...I know it is early, but wait for it....before we head to get me a NEW CAMERA!!!! A week and a half ago my camera broke, and I am not kidding when I tell you I almost literally cried. I love taking pictures of A, and have reached for my beloved camera numerous times a day for the past week and a half. Each time cringing, knowing it isn't working.

But my mom, who is amazingly generous, had offered to exchange Christmas presents with me a few weeks early, and is taking me to get a brand new camera tomorrow! So get excited for some gorgeous new pictures of A in the very near future!

xoxo
Daily (Very Excited) Mom

Monday, October 24, 2011

It's That Time Again...

I am not sure why, but I decided that today will be the day that I get on top of everything I need to accomplish. And I think I will start with my Christmas List! One of my favorite things to make each year, finding the perfect present to make or buy for my family and friends. I did get a jump start this year at the Christmas Shop (I know, how appropriate) and got the best Farmers' Market bags and some goodies for my BMF (best mom friends) and their little's. Now it is time to think about my immediate family. If you saw my post from over the weekend, I finally finished Gigi's present, so that is another check off my little list.

However, after school today, I know exactly what I need to find for my sweet little girl...A dog on a leash. Not a stuffed animal dog, but the wooden ones with the little bouncing tail that you can pull along with a string. Ever since we started preschool at JHTC, A has been completely in love with this little doggie. So after about 10 minutes of checking out her classroom this morning and saying hi to her buddies, she went right over to the basket and grabbed her doggie, which she proceeded to walk for the next 20 minutes around and around the room.
Nate and A rocking out!

Her favorite little doggie!

Walking it around, and around, and around...

I was also thinking about making these beautiful tents for my nieces, and maybe even one for A for her playroom...how cute would they be to customize in each girl's favorite colors and patterns!

But much like each year I am at a total loss for the boys in our family, my brother-in-laws and my dad...I guess I am just much better at picking out presents for girls. So unless I am prepared to give them a flowered tent, which I don't think they would really enjoy, I would LOVE some suggestions!

ps...did you know Christmas is less than 9 weeks away! Yikes!

xoxo
Daily Mom

Saturday, October 22, 2011

The Finished Product

I finally finished my mom's Christmas present...and since I am THE WORST at keeping secrets, and am pretty confident she lost the link to my blog, I think I am safe to share!

So here is the final product, a beautiful quote about grandmothers, flanked by a baby picture of my mom, and then one of A. I know she will love it, not because I spent hours making it, but because no one knows where A's beautiful curly hair came from...until now. Apparently my mom hasn't looked at a baby picture of herself in years, but they have the exact same center curl with random curls catching the light everywhere else.
The perfect quote

Gigi as a little girl

Our little A

The Finished Product

Here were the steps..
My supplies

some beautiful paper to go behind the quote

Mod Podge-ing the photo onto the canvas

Then a heavy coat over to make sure it would stick

Covering the canvas where the quote will go
The dried photo on canvas (then a little black paint on the edges to make it look old)

I used contact paper and my cricut to cut out the letters and stick them on the canvas for the quote

Then I spray painted it all black....

and peeled off the letters to reveal the scrapbooking paper underneath
All ready to attach the ribbon

and voila!


And a big thank you to Pinterest, for my inspiration!
xoxo
Daily Mom