Things I Used to Dream About

Since I was a little girl, I dreamed of being a stay-at-home-mom (SAHM). I loved that my mom stayed home with us, but sorta always wondered why she was called a "Stay-at-Home" mom since she was always on the go, bringing us to practices, games, matches, meetings, etc. For my first few months as a SAHM, I was home a lot. Whitney didnt really "do" much yet, and the swine flu was a big deal in the news. While she was an excellent traveler and seemed to enjoy trips to the store or around the block, we didnt make a whole lot of effort to set up play dates or try out the parks, zoos, libraries, or museums around our house because Whitney would either sleep through the whole event, or not have a clue what was going on. We entertained ourselves quite nicely at home or with visits to/from friends. We werent exactly reclusive or hiding from society...just couldnt justify packing up all the stuff that accompanies a well-prepared baby when she wasnt gonna "get it" anyway.
But now that Whitney is a little older and mobile, the REALLY fun stuff is just getting started :) The weather is warming up, Whitney is loving meeting new friends and noticing her surroundings more, and Whitney and I are both looking forward to lots of fun playdates and time outside in the near future.
Yesterday, we kicked off Summer's new role as a SAHM by heading to the zoo! Susana brought Ike and Bells, and Summer packed up Cortland and Conrad, and we all went about 5 minutes down the road to a nice little zoo :) I had been there a few years ago when my cousin came to visit with her daughter, but it has changed a lot since then. There is a splash pad there and the butterfly garden is being renovated. There will soon be a tiger exhibit and an orangutan exhibit...so a lot to look forward to now that we are annual pass holders! :)

Who's ready to go to the ZOOOOO!??!!!

Ike and Bells are ready!!

Cortland and Conrad are pumped!!

And the rockstar is clearly ready with her shades and her cold beverage....

Let's get this show on the road!! :)

Gator-bait Bowhead.

"Mommy! Ike's playing with SNAKES!!!!"

"Oh..phew...I was worried about you Ike! Id miss you if a snake got ahold of you!"

What's NOT to smile about?!


Look at those smiley babies!

peeeeee-YOU, Whitney! Those elephants are STINKY!!

Everything comes in two's! :)

Our monkeys wear BOWS!

We have some HANDSOME monkeys at our zoo, dont we?!


See the monkey in the top right corner of the pic? I was so excited when Whitney was flapping her arms and laughing at him! She actually noticed the monkey and was responding to him :) Or so I thought.....

....until I realized that Whitney was actually flapping her arms and laughing hysterically at HER OWN REFLECTION in the glass. Blah. The zoo will get more exciting as she grows up :)

Apparently Whitney thought it was a petting zoo :) She was loving Cortland's toes!

How cute is this happy baby!? She is ALWAYS smiling! We all commented about the babies being sooo well behaved :) Four babies under the age of 10 months, and not ONE tear, meltdown, fuss, or even a dirty diaper! Success!

Isaac waited SOOO patiently through the WHOLE zoo so he could go on the train ride at the end :) He was SOOO excited and instantly declared "That was FUN!" when the ride was over :) He is such a great kid!!


After the zoo, some snacks, and a brief afternoon nap, Whitney and I met Eric and my parents for dinner to celebrate the anniversary of "the call" :) Whitney entertained us and got many "oohs" and "awwwws" and "she's soo cute"s from the surrounding diners and staff. :) So proud to be her parents! Last year's dinner celebration was filled with excitement for the things that would come in the following months. Last night's dinner was filled with just as much excitement about what our future holds. :)



A year later, our day was spent in the best way I could imagine. With our beautiful daughter surrounded by wonderful family and friends. I couldnt ask for anything more :)

And Whitney wanted to tell you a little bit about our day today:

"Hi Blog-readers! Mommy said I could tell you about our day :) Im so excited!

First, I gotta tell you...My mommy told me that her Gramma Mac always told my Mac "get dressed and ready for your day every morning when you get out of bed. You never know what might come up without notice, who will knock on your door, or what emergency room you might end up in. You dont want to answer the door or talk to an ER doc in your PJs with unbrushed teeth." Its a good rule and my Mac and my Mommy have followed it for years. As nice as it is to hang out in PJs all day, I will probably follow that rule someday, too. Ya jsut never know what your day will look like!

So, on that note, I gotta tell you that today was NOT one of those days that Mommy's Gramma Mac suggested. Mommy didnt get out of her PJs yet. Its almost 3pm. She's got me chillin in my PJs today, too. This doesnt happen often (ever!?), so I thought I'd better follow Mommy around and make sure she's feeling alright.

First, I followed her to the laundry room. She spends a LOT of time in there. I thought I'd try to help out while she was hanging clothes and folding stuff.


Then, I figured I'd hitch a ride on the towels while Mommy brought them to the linen closet to put them away.

After the towels were in their usual spot, I followed Mommy closely. She was still in her PJs...and while it was still technically "morning", I just think its weird that Mommy was hangin' in ther jammies.
So I followed Mommy into the kitchen to help her unload the dishwasher. Mommy gave me some tupperware to play with, but I insisted on HELPING. Mommy says that staying out of her way IS helping...but I like to get in there and put stuff away, too.



While Mommy was fixing our breakfast, I helped myself to a peek in the fridge. That leftover pizza sure looked YUMMY, but Mommy gave me cheerios and yogurt instead. Eh. Not so bad.

I really wanted some of my juice, but Mommy says that's only for when I am having poopin' troubles.

And I havent had any of those issues in a looong time....not that its any of YOUR business, Bloggers.


In the mean time, Bailey wanted to go outside. So I helped Mommy let him outside to chase lizards.




Then, when he came inside like a good boy, I gave him his treat.


I was gonna help him eat it, but Mommy said that wasnt a good idea.

And finally, when all of the usual chores were done and Mommy STILL hadnt changed out of her jammies, I got out all the toys she used to play with when she was a little girl. Cabbage Patch Kids, Little People, and crawlin' baby were some of Mommy's favorites :) I thought she would like to play with stuff that reminds her of her childhood. When I brought her the books she had as a child, I KNEW she wasnt sick or sad...she is a FUN reader :) We read "Big Dog, Little Dog" and "Green Eggs and Ham", and some silly poems from "Where the Sidewalk Ends". Mommy loved all those books when she was little, and I think she still loves reading them because she was SILLLLY!


After we read and played a little more, I helped Mommy make my bed. She was laughing sooo hard, so I kept playing. I love when Mommy laughs!



Once she moved on to cleaning the bathrooms, I was outta there. I dont DO potties. Mommy can handle that on her own.

So there ya have it. Our day in PJs. Exciting, huh? It was no day at the zoo (that was yesterday!), but we sure do know how to have fun around here! And we did it ALL without a BOW in my hair!! It's just a day FILLED with "firsts", huh?! Who knew!?

I'm sure Mommy will be dressed and ready for the day before I even get outta my crib tomorrow morning, but it was really nice to have a jammie day at home. Apparently there is nothing wrong with hanging out in PJs all day....even when youre a mommy! Wow. I cant WAIT to be a Mommy someday!!!