Aquarium of the Pacific

This past week we went to California. After we got into Cali, went on a nice tour of the Aquarium in Long Beach. I didn't know quite what to expect, but it was really fun. I was a little afraid Zaida would not be interested in the exhibits, but she did pretty good. Her favorites were the stingrays & sharks. Here Corey is at the petting part of the exhibit --- you can stick your hands in and pet the baby sharks, stingrays & other miscellaneous fish. Zaida was waving her hands like "come here".

This is the shark tank and it was feeding time. So, as you can see, it's pretty crowded. I guess Zaida was really into the sharks. Above all the noise I could her a happy little shriek every once in a while, so she really must have loved it. This picture is as they were walking out. I think she is asking where all the sharks went.

After they got some time to watch the sharks we swapped & I was able to go and take a peek at the sharks. They are some freaky lookin' animals. This one took either a liking to me or to my camera. He came RIGHT up to the glass right where I was standing. I imagine he might not be as friendly if I were to meet him in the open water!

Professional photos

Before Zaida's birthday I took her over to Jolley Photography to get some real professional shots taken. They turned out amazing! I've attached a couple of them (from Jolley's blog - jolleyphotography.com) ... in the one above we got a few from this series. They are pretty funny. One of Zaida covering her face with her little chubby hand, one of her giving Mom a crusty look, another putting her finger in her dimples, and the final one is a cute pose with a cute face. I think it will be cute to put these together in a frame - or just next to each other in the same frames. The 2 close-ups below are cute, but we didn't end up getting them. I got one similar to the bottom one. I got it in a black & white canvas (8x10). It's a cute smiling shot of Zaida, just with no hands.

I did get this one (below) ... it honestly almost makes me cry everytime I see it. She is sitting there so cute! I love the toes pointing in ... and her cute little delicate, graceful looking fingers. It's just perfect! I got this in a 16x20 - and I seriously can't wait to get it!

We are so blessed to have a such an amazing, gorgeous daughter. I'm so glad we will now have these photos to remember how little and precious she is/was.

Swimming with the Unk & Dad

Before we left on our trip (more blogs to come), I thought it might be a good idea to see how Zaida reacts to being in a big pool of water. So we went over to Quinn's place & went swimming. It's funny to see what a couple of grown men will resort to in order to get a baby to laugh! There was lots of spashing, blowing bubbles & playing catch WITH the baby! (Those pics are on Q's camera. Will try to add them later!)
If you ask me, it was quite a success. Zaida loves her Uncle Quinn. Thanks for having us over!

Swimming with the Degns

I'm sad to say this was a couple weeks ago ... Just not enough hours (and energy) in the day!!!

Zaida and I went over to the Degns to try out there pool. Zaida had a great time. It was a little colder than she was used to, and there were a few more bodies to worry about --- but she did pretty good. Of course, she didn't get in much. Just the occasional hand splashing. But, she loved the beach chair, the bubbles & the snow cone. Thanks for being the hostess with the mostest, Cara! We sure do love you!

Toys?

Zaida is at that fun age where she is trying to figure out what is a toy and not. Here are some of the fun places/things I have seen her playing with. (Don't worry - that was thoroughly washed before she got her hands/mouth on it!)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZAIDA!

I can't believe it - my baby is 1 year old!

We had such a fun time yesterday. I sure hope it was a good day for Zaida also. When she first woke up in the morning Corey and I went in and sang happy birthday to her. She didn't quite know what was going on, so she was a little bashful. But, she woke up smiling. I think she knew it was going to be a good day.

We started out with a pancake breakfast. I think she liked it. She wasn't too fond of the one big pancake, so I had to make her a couple of little perfect-for-Zaida's-hand-sized pancakes, then she ate quite a bit better. And, when she was done she considerately threw her plate on the floor for Paxton to finish it off.

After her nap we went up to Hogle Zoo. (As you may or may not know, I tend to call her Zaida Zoo.) My parents, Quinn & some friends of mine (Ben, Steph & their 2 year old son, Jack) all spent the afternoon with us. It was a HOT afternoon, but Hogle Zoo has a bunch of misters around the zoo, so we were able to cool off between some of the exhibits. Here she is checking out the pregnant elephant.

It was funny because I would say to Zaida, "Can you see the animals?" And she would promptly look at the rowdy kids next to us. :)
I think she liked the giraffes the best. We have a picture of her (but it's too hard to see on the blog) giving the giraffes a thumbs up. It's pretty dang cute.

After 3 hours of playing with the animals we went back to our house for BBQ, gifts and cake! Zaida wasn't so sure about the gifts. She started to get the hang of it later, but I think she was just so hungry & tired that it was too much work! :)

Thankfully Jack was there to help her out.

Zaida got lots of good loot! She got lots of adorable Backyardigan's stuff. Lots of clothes & jammies. Quite a few new toys. And an elephant mom & baby from Jack. And even a triceratops! Thanks everyone - you're the best!

And here comes everyone's favorite part ... the cake! Zaida was pretty mellow. There was very little on the floor. And only a small little smudge on her ear. She was more interested in squishing the dots than actually trying to eat any of it.

I sure hope she had a great day. Zaida has made my life so imaginably happy. And, it's been the best year of my life - for sure!

I can do it myself!

I love pudding ... especially when I can get it myself!

And now ... she's walking (kind-of)! She took about 4 or 5 steps, but then when we tried to get it on video she got performance anxiety! :)

You can tell how pleased she is though - and maybe a little surprised too!

South Jordan Days

We first started off the day with the parade.

Zaida thought it was just alright, but she did love the candy! Papa & licorice --- can you beat it?!

Giving the bear "five"!

Later that afternoon, we went over to the park & watched a little mutton bustin'. So funny! Then we walked through the booths. Got some food - and just had a fun time hanging out with the fam.

Like Mother, Like Daughter

So, what goes around comes around. I used to do this a lot as a kid too (only I used to flush it - and watch it unravel)!

Swimming bug

A couple of weeks ago Mom bought Zaida a little inflatable swimming pool. I decided to try it out on afternoon. She likes her swimsuit ... and swimming for that matter. Our little adventure didn't last too long, but it was a success. I have a video of her in the pool too ... it's pretty cute. I'll have to download it a bit later though! Too much to blog & so little time! :)