Monkeying Around

Yesterday we went to the LA Zoo with some friends. I was a little apprehensive since Carlee won't stay in the stroller for long. I even tried buying one of those backpack leash things but Carlee freaked out when I tried putting the monkey backpack on her. So without a game plan for entertaining Carlee, we headed to the zoo and I figured I'd wing it.

By the time we entered the zoo and got to the first exhibit, Carlee was itching to get out. Since its hard to see the animals sitting from a stroller, I took Carlee out to see each animal. She was fascinated.

Here she is looking at the gorillas.

Here is a zebra or as we like to call him...Marty (like from Madagascar).

The new baby giraffe that was born this past week.

Carlee checking out the giraffes. They came really close to the fence.

After lunch we had a wardrobe change (since it was getting hotter), played on the zoo "jungle gym", and saw a few more animals. When Isabelle saw the rhino, she said "big dog"! It was too cute.

...and that was Carlee's first trip to the LA Zoo!

New Eggventure

The wonderful part about being a parent is witnessing your child do new things.I had the brillian idea of coloring Easter eggs with Carlee this year. She's starting to get into coloring and fingering painting so I figured she'd enjoy dying eggs. Plus how difficult can it be? We invited Isabelle and Xavier to join the fun. We laid down towels (you know..just in case there was a mess), got the eggs and dyes ready, then we went to town.

Carlee knew exactly what to do. She didn't want to waste anytime.

Isabelle getting ready to color eggs!

Xavier's done this before.

Next color!

In true Carlee fashion...into everything!!

Incredible Hulk hands!

Yes, we had the little egg dipper thingy's but Carlee preferred dipping the egg with her whole hand.

"See, mom. Look at my pretty eggs!" This was right before she threw one egg on the ground. Then once she saw that they could crack, she tried to squish every single egg from that point on.

THE AFTERMATH!

This was a learning experience for me as well. Next year we'll stick to water because vinegar = vibrant eggs but vinegar also = vibrant hands!

Mama's girl

We have been so busy lately that I haven't even had time to update in the baby book or write in my journal. (I keep a journal on my nightstand so I can write down the funny, cute and even obnoxious things Carlee does and that way I can look back and have all these memories of the "little things".) But Carlee is growing so fast and learning new stuff daily that I can't keep up. I had a post-it at work with all her latest "tricks" to remind me to include them in my journal entry that's usually a month's worth of those tricks and milestones.

Carlee is turning into a little girl. She's starting to repeat what we say. We can understand what she's trying to communicate. We ask her questions and she tells us "uh uh" or "uh huh". She likes picking her own blanket from the linen closet before bed. She loves dancing and shaking her booty. (Ballet class might be a success. That or I will have to enroll her in a hip hop class).

Everyday she amazes me. I know I've said that before and I'm sure I'll say it several more times. Here are some recent (and random) pictures of my little girl:

I love this smile. Its even cuter the messier she is!

This picture captures her personality perfectly. Crazy lil kid. Casey says she looks like a little punk rocker with her zebra print bathing suit.

This is Carlee and her cousins at the kiddie table. What happened to my little girl eating baby food in the high chair?

Time is moving way too fast. I guess I need to enjoy those nights after a long stressful and frustrating day at work when Carlee is whiny and fussy and only wants to cuddle with mommy.