a marriage scenario.

this is a little real-life "married couple" scenario that happened last weekend....

early in the morning, i notice that Will has, once again, left his wet post-shower towel laying across the end of MY side of the bed. i politely ask him to PLEASE hang his towel up. this happens a least once a week, mind you. i sound like a broken record and usually just end up doing it myself. well, Audrey had a photo shoot and i had work so needless to say, i did not hang it up for him. nor did he hang it up himself. later that night as i climb into bed, i notice that MY side of the bed is damp. so, what do i do? turn diagonal and get super sprawled out on his side of the bed, of course! Will climbs into bed and asks me why my legs and feet "are all up on his side of the bed." i say, "because your wet towel is all up on my side of the bed and it's gross. this is your punishment." and oh, i got COMFY all up on his side of the bed. i slept like a queen, Will however, was slightly aggravated (as expected). he did see the humor afterward, but i think i made my point!

the conclusion: it's been a week and a half of Will neatly hanging his towel up on the rack after he takes a shower.

Will: 0
Lindsey: 1

all in all, he can't complain about much.... look at his new truck!

yes, that redneck-lookin thing now belongs to us :) Will wants me to tell everyone that is has an 8" lift, 35" tires, camo re-upholstered seats, and in case you're wondering, that's a skeet throw in the back. i want everyone to know that i was against this idea for about an hour until Will took me out in it. i have to admit, it's a blast to ride in and i kinda love it now.

speaking of trucks, here's a sneak peek picture from Audrey's photo shoot by Amanda's Models & Talent our of Valdosta, GA last weekend. my beautiful girl in her Pop's truck...

crawling.

i almost forgot -- i took this video of Audrey a couple days ago. i mentioned in a previous post how much she likes remotes, cell phones, and my itouch. we were hanging out, waiting for one of our good friends to swing by and pick up some extra diapers, blankets, and clothes i offered to give to a new mom in need who just had a baby a week ago (hence all the stuff in the background haha). Audrey was playing with the diaper packs and i was trying to get her attention and capture her crawling on video by holding up my itouch :) lots of babbling and cuteness, as always. also, she has no dress on because we had just gotten back from running errands and the poor girl was hot!

in a pickle.

hope everyone had a fun 4th of July! we had a great day! Audrey, Ann, and i went to the pool while the boys took their boats out on the river. we all met up for dinner and then had our own private fireworks show. this 4th of July was much different than in our previous years. as a tradition, Will and i usually go to Jacksonville and stay at an oceanfront hotel room on the 3rd and 4th as a tribute to our first summer together when we sat out on the beach late at night, listened to music (courtesy of our $10 portable radio), shared a bottle of wine, slow danced, and watched the fireworks. this year we decided not to go (mostly since the holiday was in the middle of the week) but it was fun doing something new and spending time with family.

our red, white, and blue baby :)

as Audrey nears her 9 month mark, i decided to let her start experimenting with finger foods! even though she still doesn't have any teeth (her bottom teeth started to poke through but then recessed, ouch!) she does great and enjoys it much more than purees. i was sitting at the kitchen table one day last week eating a sandwich from Firehouse Subs. Audrey was in her high chair having a snack. she kept lunging for something on the table (which is nothing out of the ordinary) and then started whining. i looked at what she was going for and it was my pickle slice! it comes with every sandwich and since i hate pickles, i usually just set it to the side. at first i told her, "yuck! you don't want that! pickles are gross!" and then decided maybe she would just like to play with it and it might be good practice anyway. well, as it turns out, Audrey LOVES pickles! since i was already loading pictures onto my computer from some new inventory we received, i had my camera close and was able to capture her first "experience" with pickles :)

since then, we have also given her slices of nectarine (sans skin) and watermelon! she loves it! on the menu for this week is broccoli and banana slices.

more adorable moments i captured last week....

just a girl and her sophie

oranges, FTW!!

opening day.

just wanted to share a few pictures of the store from opening day today!! how exciting! :)

storefront! :)

one of my co-workers, Brooklyn, and her cashier station

tons of shoes and our teen/juniors section

baby girl section -- Feltman Brothers (remember Audrey's outfit?), Mudpie, Tom&Drew,
and my favorite romper (bottom left, the blue with watermelon) -- too bad it's 3m size and
way too small for Audrey!

little girl layette and Ruffle Butts bloomers!

LOVE our little boys section!

some of my girlfriends who also have October/November/December babies
decided that we're going to get an early start on our girls' 2T-3T wardrobe
with these Moxie dresses :)

it's impossible to not fall in love with these clothes!

made my FIRST official online sale today! sold one of the pink and green
Bailey Boys romper on the left -- thanks Lacey and Emma (and also Devin
who inspired the need for Emma to have this haha!)

Ol' Blue all dressed up, parked in front of the shopping center!

fearless & feisty.

are the two words to describe Audrey lately. ever since arriving home again from michigan, she has been quite a handful! she crawls lightning fast now. i truly cannot leave the room for more than a few seconds because nothing is safe once i'm gone! she also likes to pull herself up to stand on everything. she likes to shuffle around the perimeter of her crib and throw her pacis all over her room. she also likes to pull up on the edge of the couch and walk along until she runs out of material to hold on to. then, she lunges for the next closest thing: the bars that hold the mobile up on the top of her activity mat...

never a dull moment :)

she then proceeds to smack the top of the mobile, which causes the songs so skip around like crazy (this makes her laugh hysterically), and unless someone is holding onto one of the bars for support, the whole thing usually topples over on top of her within a minute or two. you would think this would deter her or make her not want to do it anymore as she almost always has a surprised look on her face as she is pinned under the thing.....but no. she crawls out from under it, crawls over to the edge of the couch, and makes her way back over again....and again, and again, and again. i don't know where the girl gets her sass and spunk from (certainly not me, right???) but she is a feisty one. if you have it, she wants it. if you wont give it to her, she will find a way. if that doesn't work out for her, she pouts. her favorite things to go after are the tv remote, wii remote, and cell phones. people unknowingly give her their phone (oh, look the wittle baby likes my phone! how cute!), but try and take it back (after she starts pushing every button, calling your ex-boyfriend, and sticking it in her mouth) and she will scream!

everyone keeps saying that she will be an early walker and as much as i would love to see that, i also am not ready at all for her to be so grown up! i cherish the evenings where she falls asleep in my arms after her bedtime bottle because my rough and tumble girl is still just a sleepy, snuggly baby sometimes after all.

napping in the car after a long morning of helping mama work!

Audrey and i had a fantastic trip to michigan! both flights went smoothly and although she didn't sleep (AT ALL) both ways, i lucked out and had some great people sitting around me who were really helpful and kind. i was told several times what a great little traveler she was :) people offered to hold her so i could get everything situated, get my bags, help me with the stroller, pick up toys and pretzel bags when she threw them, and were just generally interested in her (which, of course, she loved). i was really proud of myself for managing a squirmy 8 month old, a 50 lb. diaper bag, a rolling suitcase, and a stroller all by myself! one passenger on the way there even told me that he was not looking forward to sitting across the aisle from us but mid-flight shared this with me and amended that he was pleasantly surprised what a content (read: mostly quiet and not "obnoxious") baby she was.

here is our week in pictures:

hangin out with Poppa!

watermelon and cantaloupe for lunch

LOVE MY FAMILY!!!

loves exploring new foods in her mesh feeder! you can
use it with any food -- it helps baby learn to feed herself
without a choking hazard!

sippy cup assistance

thirsty girl!

she's a pro at the sippy/straw cup

why yes, i must stick my entire hand in my mouth to eat one puff snack!

sam's open house! hanging out with the latest high school grad!

play time with Poppa (note, there is a remote nearby!)

annnnnd she goes for it!

on the move!

loves her Poppa :)

playtime with Allie! (think she has enough toys?)

loves her Sophie! thanks Grandma and Grandpa Gertz!

new squishy ball from Poppa is a hit. she loves to chase it around the house

sharing her new toy with Hannah

Audrey LOVES Hannah! they had such a great time together!

snuggles :)

peek-a-boo mama!

a happy  moment with Aunt Becky, her "favorite" person haha!

what? these magazines aren't for babies?

well then i must have them!

mine!

you will not take them away from me!

i will eat them!

oh, well i love my mermaid more anyway!

playing in the front yard with mama and Matthew!

whatcha doin over there Matthew?

LOVE this picture! my sweet girl :)

sleepy snuggles with GG

bath time in GG's sink! :)

that cannot taste good! haha

rockin her "rooster tail" -- as Amanda called it

love those chunky little legs :)

my FAVORITE picture -- Audrey & her GG

having so much fun!

the week went by so fast! we were busy getting ready for Sam's open house on Saturday but all of the hard work paid off. the open house went great and it was nice to see everyone all together! it was also great to spend time with my dad and celebrate father's day with him. Aunt Lynda, Ben, Grandma and Grandpa Gertz, and Uncle Steve all visited us in Jackson on Monday which was really fun! i was thankful that they made the trip from Gladwin and Lapeer to see us for the afternoon!

Upon returning, i dove right back into work as the store opened today! So much hard work and effort has gone into making today happen both at the store, and behind the scenes. Audrey has been a great helper and i'm grateful for my sister (in-law) Ann and a friend from church, Mallory, for keeping her pre-occupied while i spent time working in the store.

pals! :)

Audrey helping Aunt Ann unwrap out new go-go backpacks!

Audrey loves her aunt!!

i'm trying to find ways to get work done at home successfully. if anyone has any tips please share! i get the most done when Audrey is napping, of course, but when she's awake, it's a little more difficult. i can sit on the couch and supervise her in the playroom, but sooner or later she notices that i have a "fun toy" in my lap and decides she needs to come and investigate:

HI MOMMY!!!!

i'm coming to investigate!

here i am!

ooooh! i like this!

i want to push the buttons!!!

i am so helpful, no?

i found that working from the kitchen table with Audrey in the highchair snacking on puffs and playing with toys has been pretty successful, until she started throwing toys on my keyboard!! :) ah, the life of a work-at-home-mom!

we had a great weekend just relaxing and spending time together as a family. it was too hot (109 degrees) and humid (80-90% humidity) to spend a lot of time outside, but we did take a quick trip to the pool Sunday evening. Audrey is also fearless in the water! if i hold her on her tummy, she kicks and paddles around and loves to chase after her rubber ducky. she's also a fan of splashing and smacking the water.

ready to go swim!

Audrey is awake and i'm off to the store to check-in there and see how the day is going. i might do a little shopping for my best friend, Laura, who found out she's having a BOY (!!) in September! i can't wait to meet little Evan Blake :) here are a couple pictures of Laura and Audrey at our last weekly girl talk lunch before we moved (what an emotional day!)