Big City Life

My first Marathon- NYC!!

2011-11-11T18:54:00.001-08:00

I ran my first marathon on Sunday November 6th. It was the ING NYC marathon. This is one of the most difficult marathons to get into and I was SO lucky to have gotten in. I think I got in because I was only one minute behind the qualifying time from my NYC half marathon I ran (1hr.38), qualifying time is 1.37. Anyway, I have been training for this basically since the half which was in March. I started to get really serious about my training about 16 weeks before the race. I trained by myself, which was hard. I am not going to lie, there were times I was asking my self why was I doing this. BUT, it all paid off last weekend. I have to say it was probably one of the best weekends of my life! So here is how it went...

So my parents were nice enough to support me and flew in all the way from SLC to support me in this race. They flew in Friday afternoon. Before they got in I was running around all day trying to get my bib and make sure things were in order so I could just enjoy their company and focus on race day. I raced to get my apartment cleaned mean while I could feel a cold coming on. When they got to NYC I was really excited to see them and my pounding headache went away. It was fun to see them and it got me even more excited for the race. We decided to grab some dinner at Angelo's pizza, just down the street from me (it is actually the pizza place right above the Letterman show). As we walk up the stairs to go to our table Scott had gotten up there first and he was just smiling ear to ear, I asked him why he was smiling so much and then I looked at our table and sitting there was my sister Kristina and her husband Rob!!!!! They had flown all the way from SCL to see me in the race!!! When I first saw them I thought I was dreaming. I didn't believe my eyes! I had just talked to her the day earlier telling her I had wished that she could be there! And here they were! Kristina and my mom had planned it many weeks ago and had kept it a secret all that time! It worked out perfect because I my brother-in-law Rob was in NYC a couple days earlier and so Kristina just had to fly out. SO I was on cloud 9!!! Saturday was fun we walked around Central Park and took pictures of the finish line we had a fun lunch and then went home to rest up before dinner. That night went to one of my favorite restaurants in the city, Apizz, which is an AMAZING Italian place and ate delicious carb filled food! We had some of the best butternut squash ravioli and gnocci with braised beef I have ever had. And of course all the pasta was home made! Then I hit the pillow, or at least tried! I actually felt my cold coming on strong and was up multiple times in the night, but when it came time to get up 4:55am the next morning I was SO excited! I took the subway to the Staton Island Ferry where we headed to our starting point the Verrazano Bridge. I was in the fist wave after the professional men. Mayor Bloomberg introduced the race and said, "Runners, New York City is waiting for you" and then the cannon went off and the music "New York New York" played over the loud speakers as I started running across the Verrazano Bridge. The weather couldn't have been better. The sun was shining, there was no wind, and it was a perfect 54 degrees. Perfect running temperature. I looked over the bridge over to Manhattan and thought, wow, I am going to be running all the way over there!

I started out a little faster than I had planned, but was feeling great and just went with it. My goal was to run a 8 minute mile and finish 3 hours and 30 minutes. We ran through Brooklyn, Queens and then over the Queen's Bourgh Bridge in to Manhattan up into the Bronx and then Back to Manhattan along 5th avenue into Central Park, along Central Park South and then finished through Columbus Circle into the park where the old Tavern on the Green was. I was feeling great. At about mile 10 I got some cramps in my stomach but I didn't let them slow me down. I was loving every minute of it. There were fans along the side of the road almost the entire way!! IT was the fans that pushed me through it! I purposely ran right by them and worked the crowds to get some cheers! My sister Katie had recorded messages for me at mile's 13 and 22. As I ran past these miles there was a huge screen that played the video for me. They were at the perfect spot's because at mile 13 you are feeling it a little bit and then mile 22 you are feeling it alot! She said with my nephew in one message "MaryLynn we believe in you!" I started to cry when I heard that and I picked up my pace! The second message she said " Go MaryLynn, you are AWESOME" and of course I cried again! I honestly was smiling the whole way, just trying to take in every moment of this race I had dreamed of running since I moved to NYC. I was able to see my family at mile 16! It was SO COOL to hear them and see them! Seriously, I was so excited to see them, that was what kept pushing me through the first half of the race! It was at about mile 19 that my knee started hurting. This was at the top of 1st avenue where not many people were cheering. But, I told my self not to let my brain register pain and to keep plugging along. Thankfully they were passing out gue and I grabbed some and went on my way. Once I got over the bridge into the Bronx, I was so happy to see fans. They really helped me keep going. Getting back to Manhattan was super exciting! There was a DJ playing songs and yelling out cheers when we crossed the 3rd avenue bridge and I pointed at him and he did a shout out to me! It was so cool. One lady was yelling, you have done 22 miles, what is another 4! I knew I would see my friends and family soon in the park so I was really excited, but my phone had died so I had no idea where people would be. That was SO disappointing. I ended up not seeing my friends or my family because I didn't know where to look. They were all looking so hard for me but I was going pretty fast and I must have just passed them by. Anyway as I ran into the park, I knew I was really close. I got a burst of energy along Central Park South, which was the last mile of the race. I could feel the ending near. As I ran down the street I totally worked the crowd and everyone was cheering hard. As I turned on into Columbus Circle and headed into the park, I just started sprinting. I don't even know where the energy came from, but it just did. The street was lined with flags from all the countries who had people running the race, it streched about a half a mile. It was really cool. The cheers got louder and louder as I got closer to the finish line. As I crossed the finish line I couldn't believe I was done! I had beaten my goal! My time was 3.28 45!! It was SO amazing to finish this race. I had always wanted to run a marathon but always doubted whether or not if I could do it. But I had done it, it was a huge accomplishment for me. I had sacrificed many hours of running time and it all paid off. Honestly it was my family, friends and the fans that made this race the coolest thing I have ever done. Never had I felt SO much support from not only my family but all of NEW YORK CITY!! The one day that everyone cheers just for you! WOW!! How do I top that! My family was waiting with flowers and huge hugs when I reunited with them! I was on CLOUD 9!! Thank you Scott for being SO supportive of this goal of mine, and thank you to everyone including my parents, sister Kristina and Brother in law Rob and ALL my friends and family who sent me texts, emails face book messages and who came to the race to support me. EVERY SINGLE message meant the world to me. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!

Oh and I found out I qualified for the Boston Marathon!! Maybe April 2013!

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

So we are now waiting out Hurricane Irene. This is the first Hurricane I have ever been in. We have been preparing the last couple of days. I have gotten gallons of water, lots of food, and updated 72 hour kits. Thankfully I had been stocking up on water and food storage for a while. This has been a really crazy experience. It started a little while ago when there was a hurricane/disaster preparedness class during church. Then earlier this week there was an earthquake but I didn't feel it, thankfully and neither did Scott (he was golfing), then we got word that the Hurricane Irene was coming our way. Our ward sent out slides of emergency preparedness slide show which was helpful. Then as a visiting teacher, we had to check on the people we teach and make sure they were prepared and whether or not they were staying. Then there was an evacuation of lower Manhattan. There has been multiple emails sent to our stake about cancelation of church and where we can go if we need a place to go. As far as our situation, we are up on a hill in Midtown so we did not have to evacuate but we do have large windows that are very whimsy and we are very concerned about. We have taped our windows and moved our valuables out of our living room incase our windows blow. We have been glued to the TV to watch this storm. The worst things that could happen would be that our windows blow out and that our power and water will be out. I filled up our tub and pots and pans with water so that if we don't get water, it will be ok for a little bit. We do have renter's insurance so we are covered if our stuff is ruined. I feel prepared for the storm but I don't know what to expect so for that reason I am nervous. I just really hope our windows don't blow out. It was crazy today, we went out for a bit and the city was a ghost town. There was a car driving through Central Park with loud speakers saying that Central Park was closed and that people (if any) needed to leave it. The MTA shut down completely at noon today and while I was running this am there were literally 5 or 6 cafes open, which is crazy for the city that never sleeps!! This is CRAZY! Here is hoping this Hurricane Irene is not too bad.

My great BIG family!

2011-07-29T13:30:00.000-07:00

Zoe and Ryan

2011-07-29T13:12:00.000-07:00

Zoe loved her cousin Ryan! They are 3 days apart. He is a cute shy little guy. Zoe tends to be VERY LOVING to him! We stayed with my sister and her kids (Ryan's mom) for a couple of days in SLC.

May- Zoe's birthday in Salt Lake City!

2011-07-29T12:13:00.000-07:00

Zoe turned Two while we were in SLC on May 12th. She had a princess and prince party! My sister Kimberly and I threw the party for Zoe and her cousin Ryan who are just 3 days apart. Zoe wore a Princess Rapunzel dress with a purple crown, she loved it! We had all her cousins and some friends over. We had a princess cake and cupcakes with pizza. The kids made their own prince and princess crowns and then we all played games. We had SO much fun! Zoe had a blast!! I can't believe she is this old! Wow time flies. Scott's parents came down for the Zoe's Celebration! We decorated with lots of balloons and fun princess and prince party favors!

Zoe turned Two while we were in SLC in May. She had a princess and prince party! My sister

April Fun

2011-07-27T18:12:00.000-07:00

One day in April Scott came with us to the play ground! Zoe had so much fun even though it had just rained. She loves her Daddy. He is SO much fun!

Bronx Zoo!

This year we did a coop preschool with some of the mom's in my ward. Zoe LOVED it! One of the days I hosted I had the letter V and the number 3. So I busted out my dusty violin and played it for the kids. We had a great time. I am embarrassed to say I haven't played it in a while but the kids didn't seem to notice!

Catching up-April 2011

2011-07-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

Spring had sprung in NYC! There is no better feeling than seeing the leaves and the flowers start forming after what seemed like a never ending winter. Spring and Summer are the best in the city. Zoe and I took some pictures one day in April in Columbus Circle, just 2 blocks from our Apartment. She ran wild on the little island circled by zooming cars. It was nice to see some color amongst the greyness of winter.
EASTER EGG HUNT! As you can see Zoe had a blast at our play group's Easter egg hunt. Everyone brought eggs and goodies and we hid the eggs and had a egg hunt for the little kids and an egg hunt for the big kids. Zoe came home with tons of eggs filled with candy and goodies.
She was really good at finding the eggs! She filled a big basket full of them.
We had a great Easter of our own on Easter Sunday. Zoe woke up to a basket full of books and little toys. We had a little Easter egg hunt in the morning in our living room. The first egg she found she opened it and found candy! It took some prompting to get her to continue gathering the other eggs because she just wanted to eat all the candy as fast as she could! We had a nice dinner with our friends after church.

NYC- half Marathon- March 20th

2011-04-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

I ran my first half marathon in March! It was really cool. We went around Central Park and then down through Times Square and then down the Hudson High way. It was super cool, I did much better then I expected I finished in 1 hour and 38 minutes! The training was tuff in the cold freezing wet whether, but it paid off. Here is hoping I get into the NYC marathon!

Suprise Birthday for Scott!

2011-04-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

I threw Scott a surprise 30th Birthday party! His birthday was March 2nd and we were in Naples so I thought I would surprise him and have friend party. We went to dinner and our friends were there waiting for him!
I made this cake for our relief society birthday party. I got Scott an entire cheesecake from Cheesecake factory! It was the one thing he wanted for his birthday and so I got it for him and he loved it!

Miami March 2011

2011-04-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

Katie and Jeff had a play ground on their Island they lived on. Zoe loved playing at the playground. She also loved the water fountain that she could run through. It was one of those ones that turns on and off. One time she was running across and it came on right when she was in the middle! She froze and then ran as fast as she can to get out of the flow, it was hilarious!

Buddies! Baby Izzy made a HUGE impression on Zoe. She still (months later) asks about Baby Izzy. She asks me where she is and then mumbles stuff I can't understand. She also named her "build a bear" doggy Baby Izzy Dog! She LOVES baby Izzy!

Zoe was in heaven at the beach! She loved playing in the sand and running in the water. We also found jelly fish which she loved touching. She still asks if she can go to the beach!

We got to feed the giraffes at the Miami Zoo!! It was Amazing! The Miami Zoo was AMAZING! It is my favorite Zoo yet. Zoe even grabbed some lettuce and fed them herself!

Ritz Carlton in Miami- we spent the day there and it was beautiful.

Miami had so many cool out door shopping and restaurant places. This was one of them, it was fun to walk down and see the shops.

Miami Beach

Miami Zoo

Naples, Florida March

2011-04-19T17:11:00.000-07:00

So back in March we went to Naples, Florida for a conference Scott had to go to and we had SO much fun. Our good friends Katie and Jeff Wood were able to meet up with us and stay with us in Naples which was super fun and then Katie, Izzi, Zoe and I hung out all week! We were lucky enough to stay at the Ritz one night and then the rest of the time at The Naples Grand Waldorf Astoria. They were both amazing hotels with amazing pools and amenities. We even got upgraded to a sweet at the Naples Grand! We all had a blast in the pool especially Zoe because she was able to run in and out like a beach. There was a water slide that we went on too. It was so fun having Katie and Izzi to keep us company. Zoe LOVED "baby Izzi," she was so sweet to her. She still asks for baby Izzi, in fact, she named her stuffed dog baby Izzi!

Scott celebrated his 30th there and for that we were able to go out to dinner at an amazing restaurant called Trulucks. We had amazing sea food there, it was such a treat for us to go out on vacation, it was all thanks to Katie for watching Zoe! Thanks Katie!

So the first night we were there, we had a fun dinner at the Ritz on the beach and then all came back and stuffed into one King bed, as you can see in the picture above! NO JUST KIDDING, we had separate beds but it was like we were having a big old slumber party with 6 of us in the same room! Zoe was taking up the bathroom so if nature called during the night, too bad! We then headed off to the Naples Grand Resort where we spent most of our time. Scott was at the conference most of the time (and by conference I mean, eating out, golfing and going to some meetings), while Katie the babies and I played in the pool. One day we met some really cute little girls that played with Zoe and Izzi so cute. Katie and I got to have some time to just chill and that was SO fun. I just LOVE Naples, Florida it is one of my favorite places to go in Florida because it is such a nice town. There is a super cute downtown area with fun shops and really good restaurants and every one is so nice (mostly retired people from the mid west), so they love kids and are so patient. The resort was beautiful where we spent most of our time so that made the trip so nice and relaxing. After we left Naples we headed across the peninsula to Miami to stay with Katie and Jeff. There will be more pictures to come of that.

Pool in Naples Florida

2011-04-04T10:41:00.000-07:00

Valentine's Surprise

2011-02-17T18:06:00.000-08:00

Scott came home early on Valentines day and surprised Zoe and I. Zoe had a BLAST playing with her daddy. She LOVES her dadda!!!

Daddy is my Valentine

2011-02-17T17:33:00.000-08:00

These are the cards that Zoe made (with her mommy's help) for her Dad for Valentines day.

Valentines Day!

2011-02-17T09:54:00.000-08:00

Zoe and I went to a Valentines party with her Little Tikes Play group! It was so much fun. We made Valentines for the kid's Daddy's and had yummy snacks and played with lots of toys.

Real Toddler

2011-02-15T18:25:00.000-08:00

I feel like my baby is a real toddler now! Today she walked with me all the way to the store (three streets up and one street over), just holding my hand and loving every step. She had her first day of preschool today where they learned the letter D and the number 4 and she did so great! She is talking SO much, telling me what she wants and using magic words- please and thank you (well, most the time), and expressing her self with constant movement! When she gets excited she runs in place, when she dances she runs in a circle, and when she gets really mad, she has started using a very loud, very scratchy scream that only a toddler can make!

Zoe has been loving all the activities we have been doing to keep ourselves busy during this long and cold winter. On Mondays we go to a little play group with kids her age. She loves going to other people's houses or play rooms. I set this up to help her get to know her nursery friends so she will stay in nursery with out Mom and Dad. I am happy to report that last week Zoe stayed in nursery all by her self! Yeah for Zoe and Yeah for Mom and Dad who can finally get something out of church instead of sitting in nursery the whole time! On Tuesdays we go to her little preschool class we do with similar age kids. We just trade off each week doing the little lesson. This week was her first week and she had a blast! It was very well planned, the kids loved it. On Wednesday's we go to the church for our ward play group which is fun to just let the kids run wild in the gym. Last play group I was there the kids and I (yes I was the only adult), played hide and seek! It was hilarious, I had about 10 kids just running after me and yelling BOO, when they found me. I would then go look for them and find them all in the same hiding place! Thursday's are open- which I will hopefully be starting a music or art class. We have been doing a music class for city kids called music for Aardvarks and Zoe has LOVED it. She learned a song about a Taxi, which only city kids would fully understand!! She actually sings the Taxi song and jingle bells, where ever we go in the stroller.

Friday's are especially fun because Scott usually gets home early and we either head up to the American Museum of Natural History, down to Toys R Us, or the Disney store in Times Square and Zoe has a blast!! She talks all about the Dinosaurs at the Museum and at Toys R Us. The museum has tons of Dinosaur bones configured to be life size, which are amazing, and Toys R Us has a life size T-Rex that moves and Rorrrrs. They also have a huge ferris wheel that is super fun to ride too! I love the toy stores and museums in NYC, they are out of this world! As for our afternoons, we usually go to friends apartments or run errands, or just play inside. Thanks to all these activities, we are actually enjoying the winter, well most days!

Winter Fun

2011-02-07T18:51:00.000-08:00

Zoe found a puddle and loved walking in it!

Zoeisms

2011-02-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

Zoe has been loving to play hide and seek. She runs and hides and says "I see you dadda, I see you mama." Actually she says "I see you", to lots of things she sees now. Anyway tonight before bed we looked out the window to find the moon, I told her it was too foggy to see the moon tonight. And she looked out the window and said, "I see you foggy."

Zoe loves animals- all animals, at night she will name as many animals as she can and ask me if they are sleeping- as if to make sure all the animals are going to sleep the same time she is. Of course I have to repeat every animal and tell her that they are all going to sleep.

Zoe; "Frogs seeping?"

MaryLynn; "Yes Zoe the Frogs are going to sleep"

Zoe, " Zebras seeping?"

ML: "Yes Zoe, the Zebras are going to sleep"

Zoe, " Dinosaurs seeping?"

ML: "Um, well yes they have been sleeping for a long time"

Zoe, smiles in satisfaction and goes to sleep.

And lastly, because of the song I sing to her about the monkey's in the trees, every time we go outside in the park she looks up at the trees and asks for the monkeys. "Monkeys??" Where are the monkey's why are they not in the trees like the song says??? I just smile and tell her it is too cold for the monkeys to be in the trees!

Fixes for the Winter Blues- Thanks Michael Jackson!

2011-02-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

So this winter I am apprehensive to admit, only because I would like to think of my self as a positive person however, that I have had the a case of the winter blues. Don't get me wrong I love the snow it is great, although, I have to admit I was not prepared for some 20+ inches we have received, I guess it has just been an absence of the sun and seasonal sickness either mine or Zoe's that has gotten to me. ANYWAY, today I was thinking, I have GOT to find some sort of fix, exercise can only get you so far and for so long, although it helps A TON.

SO...

I have found a fix, I went on to itunes and downloaded all my favorite Michael Jackson songs and after listening to them and yes dancing a little, I am feeling better. SO thanks to the late and very talented Michael Jackson!!

Oh and just so you know making oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or any treats for that matter, won't take away the blues, they just taste really good at the time and after you eat too many you are just right back where you started but with a little more chiggly! (Do I sound like I am talking from experience?:) um yeah!)

Of course another fix for the winter blues would be to get the heck out of town, find some warm sun and stay there for a while, which thankfully, we are doing at the end of February (Naples & Miami, FL, YEAH!!), but that still means I have one more month to survive!!

So I am calling out to my buddies that read my blog, do you guys have any remedies for the winter blues? I need some more, Michael Jackson can only get me so far seeing that New York winters last FOREVER!!!!! Well ok, not forever but it seems that way :) Your comments would be much appreciated!

At the end of the day, the good thing is is that the Spring ROCKS here in NYC. It is SO beautiful and fun, so I know I have something to look forward to, it is just getting to the spring that is the long and hard part!!!

Update on Zoe's eyes, she went to the Doctor the other day ago and we had to up her contact prescription- which was a bummer. As well as up the time she wears the patch- it went from 4 hours/day to 8 hours/day. The good thing is that she can see well out of the contact and so she doesn't fight the patch or putting in the contact weekly as much, so that is really good. The doc says she will be wearing the patch for a while, but, with time, we will correct the laziness of her eye, so that is GREAT!

Grateful...Today and Some day!

2011-01-27T08:28:00.000-08:00

I am not sure if it is all the time I have been spending in my apartment with a sick kid that has got me thinking of all the things I hopefully will be grateful for some day or, if it is just having lived in NYC for a while now that has made me appreciate the small things most people take for granted. So I am blogging my thoughts so I can always remember what to be grateful for someday if, I ever have the chance to have these things.

Grateful for SOMEDAY!

-A NORMAL bed that I don't have to put up and take down every single day- fold sheets and blankets, take off and put back on cushions pull out and put back in, (i.e. couch bed).

-A kitchen that is more than barely two people wide and two people plus a high chair long!

-A store that carries EVERYTHING close by that I don't have to rent a car to get to.

-A drive way, where I can park and take my groceries right inside my house.

- A back yard, which means emediate access to more space and the semi fresh air.

- A play room- where it is ok for toys to be left out because it is not your living room, your bed room, and play room.

- More counter space.

- Room for a normal kitchen table that fits more than two people.

- A day care at my gym that doesn't cost a fortune.

-Customer Service- even when you are not paying ridiculous amounts for it.

- Wind that doesn't bite your face off when it blows because it is SO cold.

-Silence- instead of constant horn honking, siren blowing, and snow plowing noises while trying to sleep.

Things I am grateful for TODAY!

- Having stores, restaurants right out side my door.

- Central Park

-AMAZING PIZZA

-AMAZING FOOD

-Awesome architecture

-Funny accents

- The lights from Times Square

-Energy from the city

-WHOLE FOODS so CLOSE- I love this place!

- Shopping- especially Zara

-delivery- food, groceries, basically everything

-New places to explore

-A couch bed-even though I hate making it and putting it away twice a day!

-I robot vacuum- finally my floors are clean!

-Florida- instant sunshine just a two hour flight away!

-My gym, even though there is no day care.

-Scott's 10 minute commute to/from work.

-My windows- they allow me access to the world when I can't go outside because it is too cold or Zoe is sick. Seriously they have saved my life this week.

-The sun, whom I hardly ever see this time of year because winter lasts SO long

-The Natural History Museum- where a quick trip is so doable

-Trees- that give us some fresh air.

- The clock and temperature gage on top of the building right across the street from me.

-Access to food and things all around the world.

-Time Out and Time Out Kids magazine- to know what is going on in the city.

Random Pics

2010-11-11T18:20:00.000-08:00

More Family Pics

2010-11-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

Family Pictures in CP

2010-11-09T18:55:00.000-08:00

My good friend Kelli Granum took these pictures for us in Central Park, she did a great job!

Barbados 2010!!!

2010-11-09T18:22:00.000-08:00

"Your Baby can read," Really??? Yup!

2010-10-10T19:00:00.000-07:00

When Zoe was about 9 months old we purchased "Your Baby Can Read" system. I had done my research on the program and thought based on what I had found it was pretty legit with good substantial data to back up the program. One of the big things they said was that young children learn the spoken language at a very young age, why can't they learn the written language at the same time. So that is basically what this system does. Teaches both written and spoken language to small children at the same time. Plus their brains are on fire at this time so they are just eat up the information. So I thought, well it is something positive to do with Zoe so I started the program. It came with five dvd's and a serious of flash cards and books. We started and month after month I didn't think anything was sinking in, she still wasn't reading. THEN... finally about August/September time, she just blew up. She started reading and signing the words. I taught her signs for the words because she couldn't say the words and she totally used the signs to communicate that she new the words!! This video was taken a little while ago. Now she can almost say all the words on the flash cards, and she is learning more and more words every day. This is nuts, but it works. Some times she doesn't want to read the words like she chooses when she will do it, but most the time she will say the word out loud or do the sign after looking just at the word.

Library, "Dama", Fish Bowl

2010-10-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

Zoe LOVES books! We went to the library one day and all the baby books were neatly lined up on this big long ledge. Zoe immediately went and started taking down all the books so fast I couldn't keep up with her. After she was done, she sat and "read" as many as she could before it was time to go. It was definitely heaven for her. If you put her in a room with toys and books, she will go straight to the books, she loves looking at the pictures, pointing out the animals and things she knows. She will also do the actions for example if there are characters waving, she will wave. It is hilarious. She has played with her books so much, I am afraid we will have to get all new ones for the next kid!

Grandma and Grandpa Thomas came out to visit us and watch Zoe while we went to Barbados, in September. She LOVED having them there to play with. She got their undivided attention ALL day. She did lots of fun things with them. This is the three of them at the Central Park Zoo. She learned to say "Dama" Grandma and "Papa" Grandpa!
This is our little sweet heart in the CUTE skirt my friend Katie made for Zoe for her first birthday! It is adorable Katie, thanks!!
Fish Bowel?? So one day I was busy doing something and I noticed that Zoe was playing a little too quiet. I went to my room to check on her and she was in the bathroom taking her fish bath toys and putting them in the toilet! GROSSS! I guess she thought fish shouldn't be out of water, and that they needed a new home! Well they got a new home that is for sure, it was called the garbage!

More Summer highlights- playing catch up!

2010-10-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

The picture above was a fun day at one of the play grounds in Central Park. There are tons of playgrounds in CP and most have water fountains this day it was hot so we played in the water and the sand. Needless to say, she had a saggy diaper after she was done! Below, Zoe went to the park with her friend Hunter! They were so cute together! This was the Central Park zoo. It also has a petting zoo that Zoe loved. She fed the sheep and thought it was hilarious. She would giggle when the lamb would lick her hand and then pull her hand back super fast. She said moo moo for the cow that was there too. After the zoo we all (Zoe, Hunter, Lauren and I) went to this cute little burger joint and the kids had tiny NY style burgers which are basically mini burgers, they had mini buns and mini burger patties, they were cute!

I took this picture in Central Park by the famous Bethesda Fountain. It was so cool cause there was nobody in the tunnel except my two favorites!

Day off!

2010-10-10T17:21:00.000-07:00

This was a beautiful summer day in Central Park. We all had so much fun running and playing in Sheep's Meadow. Scott had been working SO much, like he hadn't come home before 11pm every night and worked every weekend, so this particular day he finally had a day off and we took advantage! I actually have become used to the work hours and it is no big deal now. Scott on the other hand, well I know he would rather be with us, but that is life. The nice thing about living in NYC though is that pretty much everyone works crazy hours, so it is just the normal. You don't feel bad for yourself because there is always someone that had it worse off, it just our life. After five years of living here, there are things you just call normal now, and work hours are one of those things. Some of the other "normalities" in NYC are walking everywhere, small spaces, hearing the news 24/7, wearing heals and skinny jeans on the weekends, eating at awesome restaurants, paying more for EVERYTHING, hearing sirens at all hours of the night or day, and finally sleeping on a couch bed (which is a luxury vs. an air mattress) All you New Yorker mom's and dad's you know exactly what I am talking about!

More Summer highlights- playing catch up!

2010-10-10T17:01:00.000-07:00

Wow I am so behind on my blog, so to catch up here are some quick highlights of our summer. We had a great summer, or least Zoe and I did, Scott worked a ton. Some of the highlights were 3rd row seats in the new Yankee's stadium to see the Yankee's play with my friend! It was so fun! Thanks Breanne! Lake Powell with my family in July, and of course Oregon Coast with my family and Scott's parents! That was amazing.

Oregon July 2010- Cannon Beach

2010-09-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

Our first real vacation of the summer was in Oregon. After a very long over night flight (which I thought would never end), we made it! We met Scott's parents there. Cannon Beach was the first beach we went to when we got to Oregon. It was BEAUTIFUL!! SO dramatic, scenery I had never seen before. Big rocks jetting out of the sand with steep rocky cliffs rising from the sand with lush green forest. Zoe had a blast running along the very wide beach. She had just learned how to walk and was loving her freedom there on the beach. We met Scott's parents in Oregon who had driven up from SLC. This was the beginning of our GREAT Oregon adventure!

Coney Island June 2010

2010-09-13T18:29:00.000-07:00

We took the train out to Coney Island in June with some friends. It was super fun. Good old Coney Island, it is definitely a place to people watch that is for sure!! We had a great time though just hanging out on the beach and walking on the boardwalk (dragging all our beach gear!) Coney Island has actually been cleaned up quite a bit, there is rides for kids and the old faris wheel that I think has been there for years and years (hopefully they have updated it yikes!). Needless to say we did not go on that ride! Anyway it was super fun to just jump on the subway and step out on to the beach. Zoe had a blast playing in the stand and eating messy strawberries. The water temp was nice (although I didn't get in too far for fear of what was in the water) but, it was nice way to cool off from the heat.

June 2010

2010-09-12T17:29:00.000-07:00

The weather was beautiful in June, in New York City. We had so much fun taking Zoe to Sheep's Meadow in Central Park. We got her a little baby stroller that she loved to push it, this helped her learn to walk.

On June 22nd, Zoe took her first steps!!

Scott worked ALOT this month, so we took advantage of every minute we had with him.

Zoe's hair has grown so much, it was crazy after her bath one night so we had to take a picture!

Peek-a-boo!

2010-06-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

Piggy Tales!!

2010-06-01T16:41:00.000-07:00

Zoe's hair is finally long enough to put in piggy tales!! Yeah! We have had so much fun taking We took Zoe to Central Park these past couple of weekends and we have had so much fun! She loves walking with our hands holding hers. She loves standing up on her stroller and she now is used to the grass! She is a riot!! Smiles and laughs all the time.

Almost walking!

2010-05-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

Movin and Dancin!

2010-05-13T06:04:00.000-07:00

Zoe's First Birthday Cake!

2010-05-12T21:55:00.000-07:00

Zoe had a little Lamb cake to go along with her Barn Yard Birthday Party at Wheeler Farm. There were little pig cupcakes to accompany the lamb. SO cute, thanks for helping me mom!

Happy Birthday Zoe!

2010-05-12T21:35:00.000-07:00

Zoe's Birthday Party at Wheeler Farm in Salt Lake City. The top picture she is with her Aunts Katie and Kimberly and cousins. The second picture she is with her Aunt Kristina and cousin Brooklyn. The other picture is her in her birthday out fit for her first birthday party. (Needless to say, I have fun dressing her), pretty in pink, she is very girly!

In the beginning!

2010-05-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

Zoe is 1 year old today! WOW how time flies. Seriously, I can not believe it. This time last year I was amazed at how such a small little being could change my life so much. I felt so inept though I had read so many baby books, but was amazed at how much of the nurturing just came natural. I felt a love so powerful and so real, it confirmed my testimony of God's love for us. Everyday I was amazed at how this little tiny person added such a huge spirit to our home, in fact so much so, when we had to take her back to the hospital for light therapy, both Scott and I felt a huge void in our home, and she had only been with us a couple of days. In the beginning it was an emotional roller coaster which, I am beginning to realize never really ends!

One year later, I am understanding the meaning of true JOY! I feel a little more confident about being a parent at least for now, and I am loving every minute I get to spend with my sweet Zoe. She is truly a gift from God. I love her more than words can speak and only want the best for her. The cool thing is now, I can tell she loves me too!

Zoe's personality is starting to come out. I can already tell she loves to be around people. She is very social, she will say "hi" perfectly to people in the elevator as we ride up to our 27th floor apartment! It will actually throw people off. She is curious about her surroundings and life in general, always asking me "whaz sdat?" as she points to things around us. In fact, that is the first thing she says when she wakes up from her naps, she points to some thing and says "whaz sdat?" She loves to crawl really fast and then stand up on everything! She has discovered that the shelfs and cupboards have interesting things in them to play with. She loves crawling from our living room back to the bathroom while I get ready in the morning and exploring on the way.

Zoe had four birthday parties to celebrate her first year of life. The first was in Salt Lake City with all her cousins at Wheeler Farm. That was so fun. She had a lamb cake and pig cupcakes and fun gift bags with animal noses in them. She loved seeing the animals, it was her first time seeing pigs, cows and turkeys. The second party was with her grandma and grandpa Thomas. We sang happy birthday to her and she had fun opening her presents with her little cousins. The third party was here in New York with all her New Yorker buddies. We had a combined party with her friend Ben (who was turning 2). We had lots of balloons, pizza, and cupcakes! All the kids came and she had fun exploring my friend's out door terrace, with a sand box and play ground! The last party was just with the three of us. Scott came home early (which was such a treat for Zoe and me), as soon as she saw him she started to flare her arms and scream in delight! Daddy means FUN to Zoe. She was so excited to see him I put her down and the second I did, she was racing off towards the door to greet him! Zoe loves her daddy!! She played with us and we sang happy birthday to her. What fun couple of days!

Wow what a year, I have learned SO much about so many things. Life has taken on another meaning to me. I feel I am better in so many ways since Zoe was born. She has taught me so much! I couldn't be more grateful for the first year we were able to spend with each other. It was hard and enjoyable at the same time. It was a really great learning experience, one I will always cherish.

Friends in Central Park

2010-05-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taking in April with my friends and their little girls. From left to right, Kelli & Kenzie, myself and Zoe, Marne and Aubrey. We had the little photo shoot in the center of the Mall in Central Park. What a great back drop for pictures! It was so green and still is.

Easter and Central Park

2010-05-04T12:07:00.002-07:00

These pics are a little old, they are from Easter morning and then Central Park. Easter was fun, I did an Easter basket for Zoe and Scott. I got Zoe some cute baby animal books and then I got scott his favorite limited edition coconut m&m's. I actually went looking all over the city for those M&M's. Even the M&M store didn't have them. I had to go to each little Candy kiosk on the street to find them. Once I did, I bought the whole box! The things you do for your loved ones!! We celebrated with our friends Scott and Lindsey. It was fun to hang out with them.

Later, that month my friends and I went to the park, we took pictures in the Mall area. They turned out cute. It was a little early for Zoe but it was a great day to take pics.

Zoe is crawling and talking a little bit now, she is so much fun.

Random Photos and Updates

2010-04-14T11:27:00.000-07:00

Here are some random photos of Zoe and I taken in the past couple of months. She is a blast to be with. So interactive and hilarious! Her and I are little buddies. She goes where ever I go. Recently though she has started to get a little tired of her stroller, uh oh. Yeah, thats no good cause that is our transportation. So a funny story about Zoe, last weekend I decided to take her on an errand in the baby bjorn carrier instead of her stroller (she was sick of being in there), anyway she was right in front right below my chin. She was flaring her arms and kicking her legs in excitement. But the funny part was that she was literally yelling DA DA DA DA as we walked down the street! Everyone was staring at me and I just smiled! It was a short trip, I didn't want to draw too much attention to us, besides the fact that she was really heavy and my shoulders were killing me! But seriously, she is a chatter box! She has learned to say "HI," or sometimes "Hiya," to EVERYONE!! It is so cute. I taught her one day and she says it to everyone now! She is crawling all over the place now. She started crawling on March 26th when she was 10 months. She also is standing up on things and she pulls up on her knees and dances! It is hilarious. She also knows that we are in her same room, so Scott and I have relocated our bedroom to the living room for now, at least just to sleep in. I get much better sleep in a different room.

Update on her eyes: so she has been wearing her contact for about a month now, she is doing well with it. I have had to put it in and take it out. That is a very difficult process. Her eye always seems to be red around the edges from all the touching. It makes me feel sad, but I know it is for her own good. We go back to the doctor in May so we will see what he says. For now I am done dilating her good eye (to help her bad eye work harder), and so we will hope and pray that she uses both eyes.

No glasses!!

2010-03-24T19:43:00.000-07:00

So after I took Zoe to the doctor for the first time about her eyes I just didn't feel settled about what they told me. As I talked to others who had the same problem as Zoe does, and did my own research, it just didn't seem right to just put glasses on her and call her good. How did that fix her eye that had gone a little lazy? I still had so many questions. So I took her to another eye doctor who could answer my questions as give me alternative options. Anyway the doctor I took her to was excellent. He told me that Zoe has 2 different size eyes she was born with and one of two things will happen. 1. She will grow and her eye balls will grow and she will grow out of it, she will no longer need glasses or have issues, but that is not anything that we did to help her, her eyes will just grow to the normal size. But we won't know if that will happen, that will take time. In the mean time we have to correct her vision. Option 2. We correct the vision problem in her right eye now by using a contact lens, instead of glasses. Then we put a patch or blurring drops in the good eye to teach her brain to use her right eye. We use the contact lens because it is easier on her and only one eye needs correction. SO probably no glasses.

Valentines day and more February Fun!

2010-03-14T18:13:00.000-07:00

Whole bunch of stuff + Naples FL!

2010-03-14T16:13:00.000-07:00

So I decided that I am going to be a better blogger for many reasons. I feel like I have to be better at keeping a record of all the cute things Zoe does on a daily basis, as well as express my thoughts as a mom living in New York City. So here I go.

First off, for those of you who don't know, I found out that Zoe has Amblyopia in her right eye. Which means she has to get glasses. This is a condition where the brain basically stops using one eye because it can't see as well as the other eye. Well in Zoe's case her left eye see's better than her right eye. I noticed it because when she would get tired, her right eye would go out slightly. This concerned me, so I did my own testing, I covered one eye and noticed that she focused on me with her left eye but when I did the same to her right, she just swiped my hand away and would not focus. I was really worried so I took her to a pediatric opthamoligist who told me that my sweet little 10 month old now has to wear glasses to correct her far sided eye sight in her right eye! I felt horrible. I know it may not be life threatening but, I still felt bad because you always want your baby to be just perfect. But I have come to terms with it and am convinced that her eye will get better, as the doctor said it could, and that she will be the cutest little girl in glasses. In all honesty though, I still feel really bad, I guess Zoe is not the only one who will have to get used to her wearing glasses! Anyway, the doctor said that she may have to wear her glasses up until her teens, but I feel that with many prayers, faith, and glasses maybe her eyes will correct the problem sooner. Amblyopia is often times genetic, which makes sense because I have an uncle that had the same problem. As well as a nephew with similar issues. But the good news is, according to my Mom, her brother only had to wear glasses as a young child and not as an adult, so the problem does get better!

As far as cute new things Zoe does, she has started saying "hi" in a very high pitched tone, similar to how I say it to her. She also has started to mimic my sounds. For example, I will say mouth, and she will say mmm mamma, or bath and she will say bbb ba ba. So that is good, she is progressing in her language skills. I have just started to teach her to read. I know it sounds crazy but they say babies use most of their brain power from birth until around age 4 or 5 years, so this is actually a very good time to teach them as much as possible. We'll see how she does, I will give you up dates. For now we are working on recognizing body parts and small words. I am using "Your Baby Can Read" method so we will see how she does. So far, the studies behind the method are pretty convincing.

Zoe is getting around pretty good, still not fully crawling, but definitely getting around. She is getting lots of hair and smiles and laughs all the time. She crinckles her nose and smiles at everyone. Although, I have noticed she is bias to women, (probably because that is all she is around, with the mommy groups and all). She is rocking back and forth on her hands and knees and loves to do it in her crib, which is hilarious because she rocks the crib and then manages to get in the most inconspicuous positions in her mini crib. Which really surprises me some times when I walk in there and see the positions she sleeps in. She sure makes use of her tiny crib space! She loves dancing to music, especially music with a good beat. We dance every day with her and she just laughs and laughs. She likes to sit in her baby bath tub in the bathroom while I do my make up and play with toys in there. Obviously there is no water in it, but it is just so funny how she loves her tub so much. She has figured out how to pull the DVD's out of the baskets in our TV stand and is SUPER inquisitive always looking to touch and discover everything. She can move her self while sitting in her Bumbo seat, which is concerning because I keep it on the counter top. Unfortunately we don't have room for a high chair, so I just have to keep a close eye on her in her seat. She surprises me everyday of how much she changes and grows. She is SO much fun. I have to say every month gets more and more fun as she interacts with me and her personality comes out. I am glad that she occasionally sleeps through the night! If she did it every night, I would be SO happy. Scott and I are so grateful for little Zoe, she is a little angel!

So the other night we went to a movie that really got me thinking about our government and how messed up it is. Is there such thing as a honest politician???? Seriously, I feel like our government officials are out for themselves rather than the people that elect them. The sad thing is, is that they are the ones who make the rules, spend our money, and send our men and women off to war- some times to their death. I tend to be more conservative in my veiws but I feel that many of the conservatives and liberals for that matter are all about the motto " You scratch my back and I will scratch yours." When the motto they should be living by is "For the people by the people". Anyway enough of my rant, my hope is some day we have representatives and politicians that realize who votes them in.

Winter has been difficult for me, I have felt so cooped up, some days not able to leave the apartment. I have felt that winter has sucked the life out of me. However, Spring is on its way and I could not be happier. We recently took a trip down to Florida where the sun was shining almost everyday!! This was SO AWESOME, I love the sun! This trip was much needed to get us through the cold dark winter that New York harbors. We had SO much fun, one of the best parts was that I was able to hang out with one of my best friends Katie Wood! She came and hung out with us (now that she lives in FL), and it was just a blast. How fun was it to have my great buddy hanging out with Zoe and I all day!!! Such a treat! It also didn't hurt that we got to stay at a five star resort in Napels which was SO NICE!

SLEEP ???

2010-03-09T19:08:00.000-08:00

Ok so last night Zoe slept from 6:30pm -8am!!! Not a peep from her! This hasn't happened in all of the 9.5 months of her life! Yes, it is a long time since I have had a good nights sleep. I guess that comes with being a mom. Now I wish I would have taken advantage of all the chances I had to sleep a full night! I have to say though, Zoe has been worth every bit of lost sleep. She gives me big smiles with her crinkled nose.

Baby Blue Eyes!

2010-02-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

SO CUTE! SO KISSABLE! SO ZOE!

2010-02-10T17:16:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pics that Caroline took. I love the last one! This age is SO fun!

Zoe Kate!

2010-02-10T17:07:00.000-08:00

These pictures were all taken by my friend Caroline her company is Caroline Rebecca Photography- there is a link to her photography blog under Caroline Simmons. SHE IS AMAZING!!! It also helped cause Zoe was in a really good mood!

8.5 months!

2010-02-05T19:36:00.000-08:00

Personality!!

2010-02-05T18:51:00.000-08:00

Zoe is 8 in a half months old! I can't believe it! She is hilarious! She loves music, she will dance and get so excited when I dance for her (looking ridiculous of course, mmm maybe that is why she laughs!) She is scooting on the ground now, picking up food and putting it in her mouth, and always being a little sweet heart. She just got her bottom two teeth and can't stop touching them with her tongue.

Christmas Vacation

2010-01-15T11:23:00.000-08:00

Christmas Vacation

2010-01-15T10:07:00.000-08:00

So we got to go to Salt Lake for Christmas and the New Year and it SO good to see everyone however we had a whole bunch of sickness! About 3 days into our stay, Zoe got really sick with a double ear infection and a respiratory virus. We visited the doctors office as well as the emergency on Christmas Day. She had a temp of 105 and was very lethargic, this was terrifying. This lasted for about a week in a half but soon after she started feeling better I got a cold and then Scott ended up with the flu for his final days in Salt Lake. Needless to say, this trip was full of sickness.

So why is it that every time we come to SL we always get sick?? I don't know but I will tell you this, I am sure sick of it! We are seriously considering making our Christmas visit in the summer!

The time we were able to spend with family and friends we had a great time. So thank you all for making the time to hang out with us!

I will post some pictures but we didn't take too many because Zoe was sick.

Back in NYC now. Sorta of a bummer to be away from family and friends but good to be back in my own pad. Hopefully this new year will bring a whole bunch of change for us like 2009 did. Looking back on 2009 we definitely had some highlights. Some of which include:

March- Trip to Europe: Italy, France, Spain- with our great friends Travis, Melanie, Katie and Jeff
May: Zoe Kate's birth: May 12th 2009
July: Kristina and Katie's trip to NYC
Aug: Zoe's first trip to SLC
September: MaryLynn is a full time mom!- WHAT A CHANGE!!!
October- Zoe's first Halloween- Zoe's picture in the Daily News
November- creation of the non-profit organization Team Taji- School supplies for Iraqi kids
December- Trip to Salt Lake to see family

I am sure grateful for my little family, nothing makes me happier than being with them! I hope this year brings more happiness as 2009 did. Now I just gotta get on my goals!!!

CHECK IT OUT www.teamtaji.org/ny

2010-01-12T11:29:00.000-08:00

SO it is finally here, our OFFICIAL TEAM TAJI WEBSITE!!!

WWW.TEAMTAJI.ORG/NY

Thanks to my partner and Co-founder Connie Pankratz.

Please check out the sight. It will tell you more about what is Team Taji NY and how you can be a part of it and donate to improve Iraqi children's lives.

THANKS to my awesome friends who donated kits:

Marianne Brown

Keri Cannon

YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!

If you want to donate a school kit:

Go to our website www.teamtaji.org/ny

click on "Make a Donation"

What is Team Taji???

2009-12-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

Tis the season to help the children =TEAM TAJI

2009-12-21T21:22:00.000-08:00

SO I FOUND THE COOLEST SERVICE PROJECT!!! My brother Jeff lives at Camp Taji in Iraq, he is an attorney for the Army. He was deployed last summer from Ft. Hood, yes this is the same base where the shootings took place. As you know Iraq is a war torn country, the soldiers saw that the Iraqi children didn't have much, especially in the way of school supplies. So, some of the soldiers on the base in their spare time started a service project to help impoverished Iraqi children get school supplies, it is called Team Taji: OPERATION BACK TO SCHOOL.

My brother Jeff, emailed his friends and family to see if we could help collect any school supplies. I immediately wanted to help. Having been to third world countries, I have seen first hand how little children have, yet they always seem to be smiling some how. It is amazing how MUCH we have here in America, and where much is given much is expected. Plus having my own little child, it has made me so much more compassionate for the little ones where ever they are. But even more than that aspect, I really wanted to support my brother and the troops. This was such a neat thing they were doing and I wanted to help them to do it.

** Side note**

These soldiers sacrifice SO SO MUCH to serve our country. I never really realized it until I saw it first hand with my brother. He left a wife and 6 little kids at home to serve to keep us safe. All soldiers put their OWN lives at stake to protect us, EVERY DAY. Such a selfless act, and they are very proud to do it.

So about a month ago I took on the project. I knew it would take a great deal of time and effort, but I was willing to give it a go. I started to walk around to the businesses around my apartment to see if I could get any of them to donate. I wanted to get as many school supplies as possible, and I was all fired up after hearing about how cool the project was. The soldiers outlined what school supplies each child needed and called it a school kit. My initial efforts with the businesses were a little demotivating. All of them said no, except two, who gave me random pencil boxes and folders, which I was grateful. I decided I needed to recruite some help. I told the idea to my Relieve Society presidency and they loved it, so we decided to make it an enrichment program. One sister, Connie was super passionate about the project because her father had served in the first Iraqi war and she had lived on Ft. Hood! She jumped on board and we became partners and started our own Team Taji NY.

I realized some thing about this project as I was preparing to present it to my relief society. I learned that this simple service project is SO much more than giving kids school supplies, it is an opportunity to support our American troops, as well as help the Iraqi soldiers serve thier country as well. Jeff said that the US and Iraqi armies were giving out the school kits together, this was SO important for the Iraqi army to do because for SO long they have oppressed thier people instead of serving them. This project helps the Iraqi civilians to TRUST thier army rather than fear them, and intern as they trust thier army, it makes for a more stable Iraq. An Iraq where other countries do not need to be there helping out, including our precious soldiers. SO, as you can see, this service project is SO AWESOME on so many levels.

Anyway, after many late nights of putting together my presentation with pictures and all (thanks Jeff), it was ready. I gave the presentation to the sisters and it went really well, my brother Jeff even Skyed in to tell the ladies more about the project and give them his first hand expereince! That was the BEST part! After he spoke to us, we sang him a Christmas song and we were all moved by tears.

The next day Dec. 9th, Connie and got to work,

we started a non-profit organization so that people who donate could get a tax write off,
we started a website www.teamtaji.org
email address teamtajiny@gmail.com
Facebook- "Operation Back to School-team Taji"

We wanted to give people more information about the project and try to get as many school kits as possible. If you are reading this and want more info, click on the link above to see a video of the project. Jeff was able to deliver some kits already! Also email us at teamtaji@gmail.com or go to our website. You can see more pictures on Facebook too.

I know most of the people that read my blog are my friends and family, if you want to help, I would LOVE your support, here is how you can help:

Donate a school kit, Kits are $10- make your check out to "Team Taji" send it to:

Team Taji
211 West 56th st. #27H
NY, NY 10019

Send ideas on how to get more kits to: teamtajiny@gmail.com

More info:

Watch video

http://www.96thsbde.com/

Go to: Galleries> Video> Deadeye min 7

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-21T21:03:00.000-08:00

Zoe is wearing her Christmas dress next to the beautiful bouquet Scott gave me for my birthday

Happy Thanksgiving from St. Martin!!

2009-12-21T20:00:00.000-08:00

We went to St. Martin for Thanksgiving, just the three of us! It was so fun! We got up super early with Zoe every morning and hit the beach. Since we had been there last year, we knew the best beaches and we were glad we did because it cut out the exploration time.

Zoe was such a little angel! On the way there the people in front of us didn't even know we had a baby. She just slept the whole time. It was really hot and humid in St. Martin but we were prepared. We went crazy buying sunblock, baby beach tent, tube sun shade, baby swim shirts fully sunblocked, baby sun glasses, sun hats, beach toys and of course plenty of sunblock. We did go a little over board but we were glad we did because we used almost all of the things we bought. Every morning we would hit the beach around 8am and Scott would set up the tent next to our sun chairs and umbrella while I waited in the air conditioned car with Zoe. Once he had everything all set up, Zoe and I would join Scott on the beautiful beach.

Zoe would play in her little tent with her toys, we would pour ocean water on her to keep her cool. At first she didn't like going into the water but once she saw Scott and I going in and out after a few days she warmed up to it and absolutely loved it! She loved to be in her tube and just float around. The water was clear Caribbean blue, SO PRETTY! We had so much fun with her in the water. I do have to say though, this vacation was not as relaxing as our last, but super fun.

We discovered some things about Zoe on this trip. The first was that she is very social. If there is anything else going on around her she just has the hardest time taking her naps. She has to be in all the action. She would finally fall asleep in her little tent for about 45 minutes and that was it for a naps. The second thing we learned about Zoe was that when she gets tired she gets super giggly, almost like she is drunk! It is hilarious. So of course she got pretty tired after very short naps, so she was pretty giggly! One day we decided to go home early to let her take a good nap and she slept from 2pm to 6am!!! Yeah, we definitely wore her out!!! We put her to bed really early hoping to make up for her lack of good naps.

We just had a ball with Zoe she was super pleasant, at one point Scott and I looked at each other and said, where did we get this little girl, she is just a little angel. I am pretty sure I was not good when I was a baby and neither was Scott, but we are convinced we have it coming for us with the next kid, that is for SURE.

On the way home we got lucky and got an extra seat so Zoe sat on her own seat and played and then fell asleep so we got to watch a movie! All in all we had a great time and would definitely go again.

Bath Time

2009-12-03T19:38:00.000-08:00

Zoe hair has started to come in a ton lately and it seems to have grown mostly on one side! We had to stick it out in this picture to show how much hair she has gotten. The new things that Zoe is doing, eating all three meals in solids: breakfast lunch and dinner! She loves to sit up and play with her stackable cups. We found out that her favorite color is green because she always goes for the green cup, even if we hide it! She loves it when I sing Christmas songs to her, she gets SO excited and waves her arms. She also loves her new Sophie the Giraffe chew toy, she chews and chews and chews on it! It sqeaks so I always know when she is chewing on it. She loves shopping and running erins with me. When we are in the stores she just hangs out and looks around at all the new things to see. She LOVES talking and smiling at people in the elevator! If someone will say hi to her, she will smile at them. She likes people that have funny accents. The other day I was in the elevator with a Jewish woman who had a very thick New Jersey accent and Zoe just started laughing out loud, it was hilarious. Then the other day she did it again with another lady who was talking to me who had an accent too. She cracks me up.

She has started to laugh really hard. I take her to swing on the swings in the park and she just laughs. I sing to her and she just laughs too. I think she knows what a fool I am making of my self!We have found that when she gets super sleepy, she just giggles and giggles almost like she had a little too much of the bubbly! She loves any thing that is in reachable distance to her. She is constantly reaching for something. She is like Scott in that way, she always needs to be discovering something new. She has started to shake her head back and forth like she is saying no. But it is not no to her, we think it is a sign for Scott because he has been practicing it with her and when he is gone she will look around and do the head shake like "where is daddy?"

She has been a really good eater and sleeper, she will eat pretty much what ever I make for her. She sleeps well, she still wakes up once a night to feed but I don't mind it she goes right back to sleep. I could probably get her to sleep through the night if she had her own room. But for now I don't mind. We usually put her to bed at 6pm and she is up by 6:30 or 7am everyday. She is really happy in the morning, this is the only time Scott gets to see her. He gets up early so he can play with her before work.

Everyday I feel SO blessed to be Zoe's mom. She is truly an angel sent from God to us. Her sweet personality just lights up my days. I am so grateful that I can be home with her and see her grow.

2009-11-17T18:58:00.000-08:00

2009-11-17T18:50:00.000-08:00

Silly Faces! Zoe is 6 months!

2009-11-17T17:43:00.000-08:00

SIDE WAY SWINGS!

2009-11-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

So after I recorded this video I realized that my camera only takes video horizontally so whoops! O WELL, it was a cute video. Zoe loves the Swings in Central Park! She just laughs when she gets in them. We try to go to the swings as much as possible before the weather gets too cold. We have been enjoying the beautiful colors of Fall in Central Park.

So this week I taught Zoe how to say MA MA. I would just say MA MA to her right up by her face and she would study my mouth and look at me and put her lips together and the other day she just started saying it! It was so cute! I also got her to laugh historically today. And of course the only way she does it is when I make a complete fool out of my self. I got on all fours and pretended to be a barking and howling dog. She thought it was SO funny. Then I made my voice sound like cookie monster and she laughed and laughed again. I guess something about her mommy (who usually has a very high pitched voice) all of the sudden having this deep raspy voice is just hilarious to her. Sometimes I wonder if she understands more than I know because she laughs at me when I am clearly making a fool out of my self!

Another thing that happened today was when I was changing her diaper, I was holding her leg and all of the sudden she just starting giggling. I looked at her and was like "what" and I realized I was holding her thigh right above the knee where it tickles on most people. So I continued to tickle her and she just laughed and laughed! It was so cute.

Zoe is sitting up all by her self now. She is pretty good at it. She started doing it a couple of weeks ago but has progressively gotten better. Occasionally now she will fall forward on to her tummy or back but not too often anymore.

She is growing up SO FAST. I wish I could show her to my family more often who all live SO far away. I know they would just love her as I do. She is at a really fun age. We have SO much fun together. Scott wishes he could see her more, I feel sad he is unable to see her as much as he would like to. I am lucky though to be home with her and have a husband that supports us. I have come to the conclusion that being a mom is the coolest job! It definitely is work AT ALL HOURS DAY OR NIGHT, but it is so fun.

Just the Girls

2009-11-06T19:17:00.000-08:00

I love this picture. It was taken a while a go but I forgot to post it. Zoe and I have created a really cute bond. It is amazing to think that she knows me and finds comfort in me. At night when I put her down to bed in her crib, she grabs for my hands and holds on really tight she doesn't want to let go. She gets sad when I leave the room and sometimes I just have to stand there to let her know I am there and then she will fall asleep. When I pick her up she holds my neck and face and gives me kisses (I think she just wants to suck on my face! Everything goes in her mouth now). Any way I would like to think she is giving me kisses. She is SO super sweet. I just adore her. Being a mom is a lot of work, and there really isn't much down time but those smiles and little moments like these make it all worth it.

Macey's Thanksgiving Day Parade outside my DOOR!

2009-11-04T19:25:00.001-08:00

These are views right out of my apartment building of the parade.

LAST YEAR's Macey's Thanksgiving Day Parade From our FRONT ROOM WINDOWS!!

2009-11-04T19:12:00.000-08:00

These pictures were taken from my apartment windows that face Broadway during the Macey's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Pretty AMAZING RIGHT!!! The parade is in only a couple of weeks!

Halloween Slide Show!!

2009-11-04T18:57:00.001-08:00

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Trick or Treat!

2009-11-01T19:09:00.000-08:00

We were a family of Pirates for Halloween! Scott was a good sport, the costume ideas were mine, and I basically made him dress up. He was quite the celebrity on the street though, everyone was just staring at him, one guy even asked to get his picture with him! We had a fun low key Halloween. We hit our church Halloween party first which was a quick stop, after realizing that we were basically the only ones dressed up, then we rocked 69th street where we saw Luke Skywalker and Darth Vator duke it out with their light savors while repelling off the side of a large town home! Yeah, pretty amazing! For all of those who didn't know, 69th street is completely blocked off and all the town homes are decorated with AMAZING decorations. The street is filled with tons of Halloween trick-or-treators! So very crowded, but super fun and festive.

Roof Deck photo op!

2009-11-01T18:49:00.000-08:00

Central Park!

2009-11-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

Yo Ho Yo Ho A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME!

2009-11-01T17:40:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

EXTRA EXTRA, GET YOUR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS!!

2009-10-31T20:31:00.000-07:00

Zoe and I had our one day of NEW YORK FAME with our picture taken and printed in the Daily News on Sunday Oct. 24th! We were out in Central Park at the pumpkin festival and the photographer came up to me and my pretty little pirate and started shooting. The title of the picture was " Walk the Park, not the PLANK" The bottom of the picture says, " MaryLynn Thomas holds 6 month Zoe, who donned a pirate outfit for yesterday's annual pumpkin festival in Central Park." The picture if you can tell, is actually an entire half a page!

I actually forgot all about the photographer until my door man told me that following Monday that he saw Zoe and I in the paper! So of course I ran to every news stand I could find to try to get a copy. I found myself on a wild goose chase to find yesterday's Daily News, which is apparently really hard in a city that lives a mile a minute! Needless to say I found a copy and bought it after begging the store owner to sell his only Sunday paper to me and not the guy who had just called on the phone asking him to hold it for him. ( He actually called the guy and told him the story and the guy who wanted the paper conceded).

I guess whether we like it or not, we are officially real New Yorkers! Not only are we stopped by tourists on the street and asked directions in a city that can be an absolute maze for new comers, but we are photographed and printed in New York's Daily News!

Halloween Pajamas!!

2009-10-28T19:04:00.000-07:00

So we got Zoe some Halloween pajamas, she has been wearing them all October. Scott originally thought she should be a skeleton for Halloween, but I insisted that she be something more feminine so she was a pirate! Ya, so much for feminine! Anyway her bedroom attire has been very festive to say the least! Oh and, I added the bow to make her a pretty little skeleton!

Silly Goose!

2009-10-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

So Zoe is hilarious now! She is all about her new found voice, lots of ah ah ah's and ewwww's and hooo's! She is SO much fun! She giggles when I tickle her tummy and toes. She loves to grab my face and go in for a huge sloppy open mouth kiss! She really just likes to suck on everything! We love having her around, I have to say she is pretty pleasant.

So I have to come up with a costume for Zoe, Scott and I. I have some ideas but would love some more. If anyone has some good ones, let me know! I only have a week AHHH!

WHOO! LEAVES!

2009-10-25T19:21:00.000-07:00

Some more pictures I took of Zoe in Central Park!

Pretty Little Angel

2009-10-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

Just us!

2009-10-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

So I was taking pictures of Zoe in Central Park and I guess I looked like I did not know what I was doing because two different people came and asked me if I wanted them to take our picture! One of the people ended up being a photographer!! Yeah I know, he probably felt bad for me, down in the dirt and all trying to get a good shot! Anyway, so he took our picture, I wish I had on a better outfit! He actually took some really good ones of Zoe, which I will post later.

Zoe is almost 6 months! We had a fun outing today, we rode the subway down to the lower East side with some friends and went to a Doughnut Plant. It makes really really good doughnuts! They are definitely not in my diet, or not supposed to be, but I thought gosh with all the effort (packing my back pack diaper bag, getting the baby bjorn situated, getting my self and Zoe ready) I put in to getting down there I gotta have at least one. So anyway we had a lot of fun and a lot of sugar, hey when in Rome right!

Central Park!

2009-10-22T20:14:00.000-07:00

Fun in Central Park

2009-10-22T19:50:00.000-07:00

Fall time!

2009-10-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

Sleep at last.. MAYBE!!!

2009-10-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

So Last night was a momentous night for me... Zoe slept from 7pm-4:30am!!! Yeah it was awesome, but of course I went to bed late and didn't sleep cause I was wondering if she was ok! Tonight, though I will sleep!

Mommy life in the City

2009-10-13T18:11:00.000-07:00

So Zoe turned 5 months yesterday and I just wanted to blog about what my life is like now that I am a mom. So here it goes... My day starts early, sometimes REALLY early but I am always greeted with a huge smile! When Zoe wakes up she just plays in her crib until one of us gets her out. She is such a sweet heart. We have started solids, it is hilarious to watch her try the new foods. I have to remember that EVERYTHING is new to her and takes some getting used to. She makes funny faces when she tries new foods and textures, it is a crack up. SO far we have tried rice cereal, avocados, butternut squash, bananas, and beans. She LOVES bananas, she gobbles them right up. I recently read an article written by a pediatrician who said to introduce your baby to as many fruits and veggies as possible with in the "window" of opportunity meaning 4-6 months. That way babies will be more likely to eat their vegetables and fruits because they have been exposed to them at an early age.

Anyway, Zoe loves her new play yard, she does her baby calls which is high pitched screeches (cute of course), in it as she shakes the rattles and animals that hang above her. She also LOVES the Johnny Jumper, (thanks Kristina) she bounces in it really well. She is almost sitting up all by herself now with an occasional tip to the left or right. She also loves my jewelry, woman after my own heart! She is a true girl. She loves my silver watch and she has recently discovered my earrings. She will watch them as I change her diaper and then grab at them when I hold her.

I have had fun going to my playgroups with my friends in my ward. They are so fun, we meet weekly at different places in the city and just hang out. It is nice to chat with other moms. I have discovered that being a mom is a hard job, by the end of the day I am super tired but, I love it and look forward to it everyday.

Just to give you all a snap shot of my day cause I always wondered what moms do during the day with ALL THAT TIME!!! HA HA HA Now I am saying where did my day go? I don't even have a second to sit down.

Wake up around 7am by noises from the other side of my room, Zoe is so chatty in the morning!

Change, dress and feed Zoe solids and then play.

Nap time for Zoe- This is my time to work out- when it is warm out I will take her for a run in the park but lately I have been doing my work out videos with my new weight set!

Wake up and go for a run if I didn't already or go to playgroup or run errands.

NAP time again- take care of things and CLEAN- wow I swear things are never stay clean!

Wake up- GO OUT, run my long errands- grocery, shopping etc. (mind you, I walk everywhere with my big stroller, but I love it and thankfully Zoe doesn't mind it either).

Come home feed Zoe solids, bath, feed and sleep meanwhile cook dinner!

WOW, sounds exciting huh. Well it actually keeps me super busy and I love it. Some days I get discouraged cause I don't get everything done or I am exhausted from getting up at night with Zoe but most days I am loving it. So there you have it a day in my life.

4 months!

2009-09-24T19:50:00.000-07:00

Zoe is 4 months!!! She is noticing everything. She loves making noises with her mouth and she is all smiles. Here are some things new this month that she is doing:

Sucks on her hands all the time
Makes noises, talks her own language
Jumps on the Johnny Jumper
Fights sleep- to our dismay!

Trying some solids...

2009-09-24T18:50:00.000-07:00

Bath time

2009-09-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

Jonny jumper swing...Zoe loves it!!

2009-09-24T18:46:00.000-07:00

Zoe's bath time

2009-09-24T18:45:00.000-07:00

Thomas Trio!

2009-09-07T20:18:00.000-07:00

Scott and I are amazed every day at how Zoe changes and gets bigger and bigger. Caroline took our family pictures when we went back to SLC and did a great job! My life has changed so much since I had my little sweet heart. We are so greatful for her and her sweet spirit.

Family photos

2009-09-07T20:13:00.000-07:00

Zoe's Blessing day!

2009-09-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

Zoe and I went to SLC from Aug 3rd-17th. We had her blessing on Aug. 16th at my parents house. It was a really cool experience. She looked beautiful, like a little angel. My mom made her blessing dress, it was so pretty. She did so well in the blessing. Scott did very well too. We had our families there and then had some home made cafe rio salads mmm. Thanks everyone for helping! It was so fun to be at home and see everyone. It was hard to come back to NYC.

Daddy's little girl

2009-09-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

Scott did such a great job Sunday. I was so proud of him. Zoe is lucky to have such a great dad that loves her SO much!

Little Angel

2009-09-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

Zoe's Blessing day

2009-09-07T19:57:00.000-07:00

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Basket Baby

2009-09-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

Sweet Princess 3 months

2009-09-07T19:17:00.000-07:00

When I was in Salt Lake I had my good friend Caroline take a picture of Zoe and she did an amazing job! Thanks Caroline!

My sisters came to NYC!

2009-08-23T18:55:00.000-07:00

My sisters Kristina and Katie came to NYC the last week of July to see Zoe and to hang out, it was really fun. We went to the broadway Mamma Mia, shopped and ate really well. I took my sisters to one of my favorite breakfast palces, Clinton Street Baking Company for Katie's birthday. We had Clinton Street's specialty, the delicious banna walnut pancakes. They were SO SO GOOD! We also hit New Jersey's Century 21 store where we found some great deals on name brand stuff. Thanks for coming guys, it was so fun to be with you both!

All smiles

2009-08-18T18:57:00.000-07:00

My Pretty Ballerina

2009-08-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Zoe, 3 months old. We went to Salt Lake to have Zoe meet her family, it was so fun. She wore her pretty ballerina dress with her bracelet that her Aunt Kristina made for her.

Tummy time - Zoe 3 mos.

2009-08-18T18:46:00.000-07:00