Some Things are Better Left to the Professionals.....

So, I have to say that I've had some bright ideas in my life.  I've also had some terrible ones!  But, what fun would life be if we didn't attempt stuff that we have never done before?  Yeah, I had that happen to me most recently....namely with my bright idea to make Zoe a cake for her birthday.  Yes, I was trying to be frugal and decided that I could make my sweet Zoe a cake all by myself!  You know, it started out with me going to Joann's and buying a cake mold and then buying all the trimmings.  I should've known when I had spent way more money to make the cake than to buy one that I should've given up then.  But noooooo, I have to attempt to make the cake because I'm no quitter!  I decide on Sunday morning before church that I'm going to go ahead and bake the cake so all I have to do is come home and ice it.  The cake mold called for a "2 layer cake."  Have you ever seen a box that says "2 layer cake" on it?  Yeah...me neither.  So, in my brilliance I decide that I should buy two cake mixes to take care of that problem!  Ha!  I get everything together, get the cake in the oven and proceed to get ready for church.  I hear Mark say (well....scream is more like it), "Courtney!  What have you done?"  I run into the kitchen and there is smoke EVERYWHERE!  Yeah, the cake has spilled over the sides of the pan and it is dripping in the bottom of my oven.  Let's not forget that there are also little tiny fires in the bottom of my oven from the drippings, too!  Genius!  Needless to say, Mark had to stay home from church and clean up my mess because there was smoke in everything.  I get to church and ask my buddy Shelley to sniff my hair to see if it stinks.  I think she was being kind when she told me she couldn't smell anything because I couldn't get the smell out of my nose!  But that's what one of your closest buddies is for....right?  (Thanks, Shelley!)  Mark is nice enough to go buy me another cake mix (one this time) and go ahead and bake another cake before I get home with Zoe.  I wait until the cake cools and try to "turn it over" when part of it sticks in the pan and begins to rip.  Nice!  Could this get any better?  Uh...yeah it can.  Mark comes down and starts piecing it together....with toothpicks.....while saying, "We'll just make sure Zoe doesn't eat from this end!"  Bwahahahahaha!  I get Zoe to bed for her nap and begin to ice her cake with buttercream frosting.  Yeah, I follow the directions exactly and the icing is runny!  I can't begin to tell you how excited I was by this point (insert intense sarcasm).  Mark is nice enough to mix me another batch and it is thicker (we left out some of the milk to make it thicker) so I begin piping it onto the cake.  I'm thinking, "This is going to be so cute....you know....if you don't think about the toothpicks already holding it together!"  What else could go wrong you might ask?  Well, the icing I've piped onto the cake is now starting to run.  So, Mark says, "Let's put the white icing all over it and it'll look like a bear!"  We get the icing on there and it doesn't look anything like a freakin' bear!  If it's a bear, he looks like Beetle Juice with the shrunken head!  Needless to say, I just gave up.  Mark says, "You go to the store and buy my baby a cake!"  I must admit that the cake defeated me....but I got that stupid cake in the end!  Mark proceeded to bury his face in it and then I did the same.  Hey...at least it tasted good, huh?  I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoyed making that stupid cake (again...insert intense sarcasm here)!

This is what the cake should've looked like...

Does this look like a carriage...or a bear to you?

What else are you going to do?

It did taste good!

Thank you Publix!

Giddy Up Daddy

Soccer & The Sportsman's Medal

Our sweet Zoe had another soccer game on May 22, 2010.  She's been doing so much better and she really played her little heart out.  As a result, Zoe was awarded the Sportsman's Medal and we are so proud of her!  Way to go Zoe!  We could care less if you never kick the ball or score a goal so long as you're having fun!  Here are some pics of our sweet girl...

Elipse

I seriously can't wait to go see this with my Shelley girl!

A Vision in Polka Dots

A lady I work with, Carolyn Bullion, gave Zoe two dresses to wear for church.  They are adorable and she looks so cute in both of them.  Anyway, Zoe wore the first one this past Sunday and she looked just precious....

Soccer - May 15, 2010

This past Saturday my girl just wasn't "feelin' it" at her soccer game.  First, she had to be there at 8:00 a.m. to have team pictures made and, of course, they practiced thereafter.  So, by the time 9:00 a.m. rolled around and it was time to play the actual game, my Zoe girl wanted nothing to do with it.  It was all we could do to get her through the game.  I did manage to get a few cute pictures......

Team Picture (L-R)

Augustus, Joshua, Allison, Collin, Jonah, Malichai, Louis & Zoe

(Not Pictured: Dylan)

Coaches:  Amy Parker & Chaz

Zoe & Augustus (Check out Augustus with the read sweatbands)

All the boys playing in the dirt and Zoe wanting nothing to do with it!

Zoe telling us all about her "boo boo".  Notice she's showing her "#1" finger!

Riding a Bike

So, my girl has been riding a bike that one of Mark's co-workers gave to us (his daughter used it when she was little).  Of course, Zoe has loved it and she rides it pretty well.  We plan on getting her a new one for her upcoming birthday and I can't wait to see her face when she opens her gift.  Hmmmm....not sure how to "wrap" a bike!  Any suggestions?

Soccer - May 11, 2010

I can't get enough of this sweet girl in her soccer uniform!  Too freakin' cute!

And here's a video of my girl in action.  By the way, Dylan is one of the "ringers" on our team & Zoe was named team captain...

Soccer 05.08.10

Working Hard at Playing....Ha!

Go.......Titans!

I can't begin to tell you how much fun we're having watching Zoe play soccer.  She's just too cute and I've literally taken tons of pictures and videos of just her playing!  It's too cute really.  Here are a few pictures from her game on May 8, 2010.....Enjoy!

Mother's Day Weekend 2010

Yes, I did say weekend!  I think it's the least we deserve for all we do....don't you?  Last Friday night Mark, Zoe and I went to eat at one of my favorite places, Famous Dave's!  I love Famous Dave's!  We had the best dinner and had a wonderful time as a family.  When we got home, Mark and Zoe went shopping and I stayed at home.  Of course, I got all of my gifts as soon as they got home because some little three year old can't keep a secret!  I got a new pair of PJs, which I desperately needed, two new books I've been wanting and a vase with three yellow roses.  I LOVE yellow roses....they are my favorite color of rose!  I think Zoe was more excited about the flowers than anything, but her reaction to all of it has been priceless. 

Saturday morning we had Zoe's soccer game and then we stayed home for the day.  Mommy wasn't feeling good AT ALL!  Mark actually did all of the grocery shopping for me so I wouldn't have to and then we watched a movie as a family on Saturday night and ate popcorn!  What else is there?!?  It probably helped that I fixed myself some homemade chicken noodle soup!  I don't care who you are, chicken noodle soup helps just about everything!

On Sunday morning we got up and went to church and then came home and spent the day together.  Mommy still wasn't feeling good (my cold had been going on for one week) so, needless to say, I needed the rest!  Mark grilled out for me with all the trimmings and it was awesome! 

I hope all of you had a wonderful Mother's Day and I don't know about you, but I'm so thankful for my family and that I get to celebrate Mother's Day every day of the year!  I'm so incredibly blessed!

Soccer and The Moose

So, as you've seen from my previous posts, you know my girl is playing soccer.  She really loves it and has so much fun playing.  Of course, soccer was called off for two weeks in a row because of all the rain the Nashville area has had and the fields have been too wet and/or it was literally raining when she was supposed to be playing.  Anyhoo, we had our third game this past Saturday and I have to tell a little story. 

We played the same team this past Saturday that we played for our very first game.  They have a little (I use that term only in reference to age) boy on that team who is 6 years old and weighs more than Zoe's Nana!  BTW, Nana weighs about 100 lbs soaking wet.  You get the picture....the kid is HUGE!  He had a few instances where he shoved Zoe, but we told her to brush it off and get back out there because it was soccer.  Yeah, I wish I had felt like saying that this past Saturday.  We played that same team again....they still had the same moose.  And did I mention how lovely he is?  He hits his own team members, sticks his tongue out at the refs and coaches, "spanks" his own coach when he's addressing the team, refuses to leave the field when asked to by his own coach so other kids can have a chance to play, etc.  I could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the picture!  Then, there is his wonderful Dad who laughs at every single thing he does, which is painfully annoying and just rude.  Seriously?  You want your kid to act that way? 

Why am I so mad you might ask?  It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that my kid was nowhere near the ball when the moose decided to just shove her to the ground.  That wouldn't make you mad, would it?!?  Those of you who don't know me, imagine INTENSE SARCASM here, which is quickly becoming a trademark!  I got furious and quickly started running my mouth (again a big shocker for those of you who don't know me) and my husband is telling me to calm down that it's just a game.  Why isn't Daddy as upset?  He failed to see it all!  But you can rest assured that he was fired up once he knew the reason.  PLUS, it didn't help matters that several kids were on the ground by the ball (faces by the ball to be exact) and the moose just ran up and kicked it!  Yeah....I'm thinking this kid is a real winner! 

I'm assuming the coach probably knew just how fired up I was because she came over to Zoe, hugged her and told her she was so proud of her for hanging in there with those "rough boys."  I'm thinking if we have to play that team again, Mommy will be getting involved.  That kid needs to be talked to because at this age, soccer is supposed to be a lot of fun and you should learn some sportsmanship.  I don't think sportsmanship involves pushing down a dainty three year old when you're the size of a small adult already!  Just sayin'.........

Zoe's First Soccer Game - April 10, 2010

Zoe had her first soccer game on April 10, 2010!  Guess what else?  Her Nana & Papa came down to surprise her for her first game!  Do you know how wonderful it is?  I feel incredibly blessed that Zoe has a Nana & Papa that try so hard to be at everything for her!  We had a blast watching her!  I have to be honest and tell you that my child has a hard time making it through the entire game though!  The game consists of two 15 minute halfs and the last five minutes or so of the second half are torture for her!  Well, I say torture....but she was actually having fun doing everything but playing soccer.  She called out to all of us during the game and said, "Do you see my shadow?"  She then proceeded to chase her shadow all over the field while the game was going on around her!  The next episode?  She and another little boy on her team started playing tag while some of the other boys started playing in a dirt pile!  It was hysterical, but I enjoyed it so much!  And guess what else?  We won!!!

Zoe & Papa

Zoe and Her Team - Pregame Stretching

Zoe's Team.....The Titans

Zoe's First Soccer Practice

We decided it was time that our girl get signed up for some type of spring sport.  She absolutely loves to play t-ball (or as she calls it "baseball"), but she isn't old enough yet.  We decided we would sign her up to play soccer after talking with her about it.  We did a little research (I have to give Daddy credit for finding this organization) and decided to go with i9 Sports.  I highly recommend this organization, which puts emphasis on simply having fun.  I also like the fact they make parents sign waivers that they won't be obnoxious, disruptive, etc., at the games or they won't be allowed to participate.  How cool is that?  How many of you actually remember that "one parent" that you couldn't stand at sporting events because of the way they acted?  I can remember a few and I vow not to do that to my child.  I made myself a promise that I would be supportive (win or lose) and that I would be there to cheer her on! 

Zoe's first practice was on Friday, April 9, 2010, and she had a ball!  I kept telling her the whole way there that there would be times that she would get kicked, knocked down, etc., during soccer and that it was just part of the game.  I told her she needed to get up, brush herself off and go back out there and have some fun because that's what it was all about.  I also gave her a lecture on not being shy because Zoe will sometimes become suddenly show around kids and adults she doesn't know (she doesn't get that from me).  Anyway, we met Coach Amy and Coach Chaz and I must say we are beyond THRILLED with her team.  Coach Amy asked everyone, "What's the first rule of soccer?"  All the other kids (most have already played before) said, "Don't put your hands on the ball!"  Do you know what my child said?  She said, "Don't be shy!"  I totally lost it and started laughing because it was pretty funny!  Kids...you never know what they're going to come out and say!

I'm Ready to Play Momma!

Go Zoe Go!

Zoe and Coach Chaz...He's so good with Zoe!

Zoe Getting Her Uniform...She's #1

More Drills with Coach Amy!

Easter

On Easter morning we got up and went to church and had a WONDERFUL service.  I LOVE where we're going to church and Zoe really LOVES children's church.  She actually cries at the thought of not getting to go....which I think is a great thing!  I love the values we are instilling in our child and seeing them take hold!

What a Basket!

Can You Believe the Size of Those Ears?!?

My Beautiful Girl and My Handsome Husband

Looks Just Like a Princess

Good Friday

We spent Good Friday at home as a family just enjoying each other and reflecting on the true meaning of Easter.  Oh, how we are truly blessed!  We decided to color Easter eggs and have an Easter egg hunt in our back yard for Zoe.  We usually have Easter activities with the Peaks; however, they had company come in this year and we didn't get to do our annual tradition.  We missed them, but I do believe that Zoe truly had a wonderful time!  Below are some pics....

Getting Ready to Color Eggs

Look at Those Beautiful Eggs

Such Concentration

Our Finished Eggs

Running for Eggs

I Found Another One

Do You See More?

Made Out Like a Bandit

Lookie....Lookie

I realize I'm very behind in posting an update about my child and I promise I will get to it because I have LOTS to tell.  But, since I'm at work and not at my computer at home with all of my beautiful pictures and videos of my girl, you will just have to settle for the fact that I'm very excited to report that the following is due to be released.......

You guessed it....another book in the Twilight Saga!  I'm stoked!

Girls Have A......

You know how I wanted to make sure I recorded all those times when my daughter said something incredibly funny?  Yeah....this is one of those times.  As a little back story, Zoe took some lessons at school from a puppet named "Safety Dog."  Safety Dog goes around to the preschool children and teaches them about fire safety, water safety and, importantly, your "personal" safety.  By personal safety, I mean when it is appropriate for someone to touch you in certain areas, etc.  Mark and I thought it would be good for Zoe to learn it from someone other than us and we thought the director at McKendree would be the perfect one to help us teach Zoe those things.  Anyway, those Safety Dog lessons have been over for a few months now, but they've obviously made an impression on our child.  How you might wonder?  Well, I'm so glad you asked.  You see, Mark and I were getting ready to take Zoe to the doctor this morning because she's been sick and since she's asthmatic, we needed to get her lungs rechecked.  I was upstairs working like a maniac to get stuff off my computer so it wouldn't crash (I've learned I can't keep everything at once and then download an episode of The Vampire Diaries on top of it) when Daddy yelled for me to come downstairs because Zoe had something she wanted to tell me.  When I got downstairs Mark told Zoe to "go ahead and tell Mommy what you told me."  Zoe said, "Boys have a penis, girls have a china."  I think you can guess from here how the rest of the story played out.  And in case you were wondering, I've made her repeat it about 50 times.......

Be Still My Heart......

Seriously....I Can't Wait to See Them

Spring in Winter

We had a warm snap last weekend!  Last Sunday the temperature got up into the low 60s and it was WONDERFUL!  This February has been so cold and it was nice to have a Spring day in the middle of Winter!  We decided to take Zoe outside to enjoy it....

What happens when you send Daddy to pick out a birthday present for a little boy in Zoe's class?  Daddy comes home with parachute men from when he was little with the statement they are for Zoe to play with.  I must say it was a great purchase because they were cheap and loads of fun!

Zoe managed to hook her parachute man around Daddy's neck!  I don't think any of us could make that happen again even if we tried!  It was pretty funny!

You can tell what Zoe thought about hooking the parachute man around Daddy's neck!

Zoe trying to untangle her parachute man from the tree!

A Special Gift

One of my best friends (and Zoe's aunt), Julie, bought an extremely thoughtful and beautiful gift for Zoe right after she was born.  I can't begin to tell you how much I treasure this gift.  Anyway, I felt Zoe was finally at an age to really appreciate it and to be very careful with it.  We put it on her for "Big Girl Church" and she LOVED it!  Here it is.....

It's a beautiful, tiny, gold cross with chain!  Thanks Aunt Julie!

A Random Post....

Our Zoe girl is getting so big and it seems like time is flying by!  Here are some pics we've taken of our girl recently.....

All dressed for church!  Can you say too cute?

Zoe is getting ready to take swim lessons and we've signed her up for Spring soccer.  She's really excited as you can tell from the picture above!  I had bought her a set of goggles and some shin guards and she insisted on putting both on when I got home!  Of course, I had to grab my camera and take a picture!  Too funny!

Happy Valentine's Day!  Mommy had to dress Zoe up for school!  Can you say poser?

Zoe's First Snow

For Middle Tennessee, we suffered through a HUGE snow storm for this area on January 29, 2010!  I realize it's nothing compared to the East Coast and what they've been enduring, but it was really something to get that much snow around here (we got anywhere from 4 to 7 inches).  We just don't hardly ever get snow....it's usually ice!  So, we decided Zoe needed to get out and enjoy it!  We were thinking it was going to be great fun for the whole family!  Yeah, understatement of the year.  It was fun once we got outside, but our child wanted NOTHING to do with the snow.  For some reason, she was TERRIFIED to go outside.  Of course, we were horrible parents (intense sarcasm inserted here) and forced her to get dressed and go outside.  I mean, what kid doesn't love snow?  Talking to her simply wasn't working.  I sent her on outside with her Daddy (literally screaming) so I could get dressed and when I got outside and rounded the corner, Zoe's first words were, "Hey Mommy!  I love the snow and I love my coat now!"  She was having a blast with her Daddy doing snow angels and riding his 4-wheeler around the house.  She thought it was fantastic!  And just so you don't think we tortured her, here's a picture of her with her Daddy......

Looks like she's having fun to me!  Little Toot!

Oh the Things They Say.....

Zoe is definitely getting to an age where things are just fun.  She's a lot of fun and let me just add that she says things that absolutely BLOW MY MIND.  She doesn't forget anything and I'm thinking that I should start carrying my video camera with me everywhere I go because I'm literally beginning to think that she says things just to embarrass me.  Anyway, this past Saturday morning we were in TJ Maxx Home Goods.  It's become my new favorite store.  We decided Zoe was ready for a new bedroom suite (pictures to come soon) and I needed a few things to put up on the walls.  Of course, I couldn't stop while I was ahead because I found a lamp for my master bedroom and I found a HUGE mirror to hang in my dining room.  Everything is now in my shopping cart (including Zoe with a sippy cup of juice) and I'm having to walk and balance this new huge mirror on my boot while pushing the cart.  I'm trying to make my way to the front of the store to checkout when my little girl looks at me and says (pushing her sippy cup toward me), "Here Mommy!"  I literally don't have a hand to grab it.  I say, "Zoe, you're going to have to learn some patience.  Mommy's hands are full and I can't get that cup from you right now.  You're just going to have to hold it."  She looks at me and a few steps later (I'm still loaded down) she says, "Whew...my hands sure are full!"  I literally laughed until I almost cried.  What?!?  You're hands are full?!?  Then, we don't even make it a few more steps when Zoe looks into an aisle and says (in the loudest voice possible), "Mommy, why is that boy wearing a skirt?"  Needless to say, I starting hobbling as fast as possible at this point.  The "boy" she was referring to was an older African American woman who had a shaved head.  I must add that she was a very attractive woman, but due to her shaved head, my three year old thought she was a boy.  I think I was mortified.  Of course, when I tell Mark he thinks it's the funniest thing he's ever heard.  Out of the mouths of babes......

The Potty Train.....

So, I know I've blogged about how our family loves to watch America's Funniest Videos (AFV) on Sunday nights.  It's something we can all watch and enjoy and Zoe finds the videos hilarious.  Anyway, this past Sunday was the $100,000.00 grand prize show.  You know, the one where all the videos from the past season (that each had already won $10,000.00) are shown and then the ultimate winner is chosen.  While I find that most of the videos chosen to win $10,000.00 are not very funny, I like the "filler" videos because they are HYSTERICAL!  What might you ask does all of this have to do with the title of this post?  Well, there was a "filler" video of a little boy (not sure if he was wearing a diaper or underwear), that had stuck a fake snake in the front part of his pants (either diaper or underwear) and was smacking the door frame with it, the wall with it, etc.  I laughed until I cried.....it was absolutely one of the funniest videos I've ever seen on the show.  Now, my three year old couldn't understand what was so funny about it.  I'm laughing so hard that I'm crying (I mean like a waterfall people) and then I resort to snorting.  My husband is having the same reaction.  Meanwhile, our three year old points at the television and says, "Eeewwwww, he has his potty train sticking out, Mama!"  I don't think at this point it was possible to laugh harder, but I'm pretty sure I did.  I don't know where she came up with the term, but I had to blog about it.  I do turn this into a scrapbook every year and this was too good to pass up!  Hope you've enjoyed this as much as we have in the Lawrence household!

Happy Valentine's Day Honey!

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