Give me an A!

For the Arizona Diamondbacks. They deserve an A for effort. They had a good season, but didn't make it into the playoffs; today was their last game of the season. Hopefully they'll make it into the playoffs next year. Back in 2001, Michael and I went to game six of the World Series and witnessed the most electrifying game we've ever been to. The Diamondbacks went all the way that year and won the World Series. I hope to experience that again someday, and I want Caitie to experience it too; she can't wait to cheer them on...

Pretty Pink Zoo Dress

I won't tell you what I did to get this reaction. ha



I'm lovin' this dress. We got it for her when we went to Starry Safari Friday Night at the Phoenix Zoo back in August.



The style of this dress reminds me of the 20's. It's all one piece with a long bodice that ends in a short pleated skirt. I'm not sure skirt is the correct term here, but I don't know what else to call it.

The $700 Billion Question

I guess this is where the old adage "It's better to laugh than to cry" applies.

Perplexed

Fall is in the air...

I love this time of year.

What a wonderful day

The smell of freshly cut grass; the silky texture of grass between my toes; the cool air that is felt in mid-September at dusk; watching my daughter compete with her ol' man on the lawn... these are what wonderful days are made of...

Little Bear and Friends

By now I'm sure you know how much Caitie loves Little Bear, it's her favorite cartoon. She has actually called out his name in her sleep; scary, I know. ha So I just had to find her a Little Bear talking/laughing bear. The cartoon is in reruns only, so there is no new merchandise available, but I just had to get her that bear. I found some 'used' ones on eBay, but ended up ordering one from Amazon.com; it was a good deal. I also found Little Bear and Friends miniature stuffed animals on eBay and bid on a set, which I won(that place is addictive!). They were brand new out of the box, which was nice. I, of course, had to do a 'photo shoot'... ha ... Here are a few pics...

A happy Little Bear owner.







Inseparable.



I took a quick pic of the whole Little Bear gang while Caitie was watching one of the cartoons. This is not the best TV pic, but it's not bad considering I was being told to move out of the way, and getting booed and hissed(yes, the cats like it too) at. Think of it as getting in front of the TV while your hubby is trying to watch a really exciting football game, or in my case, when hubby is watching a documentary about mummies... NEVER, EVER, let me repeat... NEVER, EVER get in the way or interrupt when there is a mummy show on the Discovery or History Channel. Trust me on this. You ladies know what I'm talkin' about. ha

Anticipation...

Caitie has been wanting this train set forever, it seems. She finally has it; we got it for her for her birthday. She sat looking at the box while Michael was putting it together. She got it on Monday night, but she had to wait until last night for it to be put together; she's a patient gal.



She stayed up late playing with it.

My Model

I got Caitie to pose for me again... well, sorta. I got this one quick pic at the kitchen table, and that was it. ha But I also got her outside; candid shots are best at this age, she doesn't like posing for pics, she hasn't for some time now, but I still try from time to time. I've been wanting to get her in this outfit for months, but just got around to it. The top is 18 months in size, I believe, and the skirt is 12 months(it's a bit tight on her). I can't believe she still fits into 12 months; such a petite gal, and oh so cute.

"She's Three" Photo Shoot

I did a 'photo shoot' of Caitie since she is now three years old. The kitchen table isn't the best place for a photo shoot, but that area has the best lighting; I work with what I got. I had to bribe Caitie into posing for pics; I used one of the Mickey Mouse lollipops we got her at a store in Downtown Disney; she went for it. ha After she had enough of the lollipop, she posed with a couple of her birthday presents; I then got a pic of her outside as well. Here are some of the pics...

Thanks, Pete

We had a get-together at Peter Piper Pizza on Monday night; we were still celebrating Caitie's birthday. She has no idea what day her actual birthday is. ha It was quite busy for a Monday night, there were two other kids celebrating birthdays there as well. The theme I chose was Little Bear. No surprise there, I'm sure, well, maybe a little since we just returned from Disneyland, one might think I would have chosen a Mickey Mouse theme, but we had enough of Mickey last week. ha It's not easy finding Little Bear party supplies, I had to go to eBay to get party plates, napkins, and a centerpiece. I was also able to find Little Bear edible wafer paper characters that I put on the cupcakes I made. The wafer paper is supposed to merge to the frosting, but when I ate mine, I noticed it slipping off; that wasn't supposed to happen. No one said anything about it, but I'm sure they were questioning my choice of frosting decor. ha We did the opening of gifts and the cupcakes right before closing time. We were the last group to leave.

I got a quick pic of her before heading out. It's a good thing I did, the band in her hair didn't last long, it came out shortly after we arrived at the pizza place.



Enjoying her favorite ride.



She played in this thing all night.



Happy with her baby from Anne Geddes. (yes, i gave in and decided to give it to her for part of her birthday present from me and michael.)



Oh, what can it be...



Why, it's what she's been wanting forever, it seems, a train set. She got lots of other nice gifts as well.



We lit the birthday candle three times with the hopes of getting a pic of her blowing it out; this is the best I could do.



This was another attempt at it. I think she's gettin' tired of blowin' out the flame on cue. ha

I just remembered...

I need to dust.

A Cali Birthday for Caitie - Part 4

Day Four - Our return home: Wednesday, September 10 ...

There's not much to write about, we checked out of the hotel and got something to eat, then returned the rental car, and flew home. I guess I'll mention my getting pulled aside for 'inspection' at the security checkpoint at the airport. I got frisked and my purse was searched. Do I look like a terrorist? I mean, really, do I? Let's not go there. There's a problem with my driver's license, that's why I was pulled aside for 'inspection'. My pic is all fuzzy and blurry; this is a driver's license that is supposed to last until the year 2025, mind you... such cheap plastic, but I digress. Anyway, I was allowed to continue on to our gate where we had to wait a bit. We didn't see any bathrooms nearby, so when I noticed it was time for Caitie to have a diaper change, I changed her on the floor near the waiting area. Yes, our experience at the John Wayne Airport was a real delight. ha That aiport needs some major renovations, if you ask me. Although, it does have some interesting architecture, as you will see in a pic below.

All packed and ready to check-out of the hotel.



Another pic of the lobby at the hotel.



Here is the fireplace area in the lobby.

Caitie is goofin' off while waiting to check-out.





Caitie and Mickey getting situated in the rental car.



Arriving at the John Wayne Airport.



This shows the gate, flight number, time, and destination of our flight.

Little did we know we would be saying goodbye to the Mickey balloon very soon; he had to be deflated once on board the plane. He got poked; poor Mickey.



I'm into architecture lately; I like the arched ceiling.



Here is our plane; Caitie watched it pull in.



Boarding the plane.



Sunglasses - check; car seat - check; Minnie Mouse - check. She's all set to go.

Looking forward to take-off.



"Home, James!"



As soon as we were in the air, she was asleep. Too much excitement, I guess. ha



You can see what her view was like in the lens of her sunglasses.



She was still asleep when we landed in Phoenix. That was a good thing, it was a pretty turbulent flight; we had to go through some clouds, which is when the plane would dip and lean one way and then the other, etc.

Still a bit groggy from her nap on the plane. This is in the baggage claim area.



Waiting to load the SUV.



We came home to a cloudy, rainy evening... we loved it.



Had to get a quick pic of another beautiful Arizona sunset; that's one thing I'll never tire of here in the valley of the sun.