smells like teen spirit

I've been suspecting for a while that since ditching my daily work attire, I now dress a little too young. And the following confirm my suspicions:

a) I can't help but love the $20 jeans Aeropostale sells from time to time. I went online to remind myself if a local mall had the store, and I couldn't find it when I kept searching the mall's women's clothing category. It took me a very very long time to find it under Teen Fashions. Yikes.

b) I stopped by Plato's Closet the other day and found this super cute sweater I coveted at Old Navy last year but never got. I was so happy. But then I noticed I was the oldest person there not shopping for my daughter and the sign in the store window said "Teen apparel." No wonder the employees were all 19.

It's been nearly a decade since I was a teenager, and I'm afraid I'm on the fast track to end up on "What Not to Wear" frantically clinging to my high school wardrobe.

dunlop girls trip

I come from a family of five girls (no brothers, thanks), and we're spread out from coast to coast. Too spread out, in my opinion. But a few weeks ago Addy and I got to spend a few days in Orlando with all the Dunlop girls... just my mom, four sisters, and a whole lotta playing.

That's right, folks, it was Dunlop Girls Trip 2010, the first of its kind.

Day 1: Meeting up at the airport, gabbing at the hotel, and collapsing into bed.



Day 2: Islands of Adventure (Universal Studios)... or more importantly the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Booya.

The park was so well done. We loved walking through Diagon Alley/Hogsmeade and checking out all the shops we know and love from the books. They really went all out with every little detail.

We also had to try butterbeer. And yes, it was really butterscotchy and rich like you'd think. And yes, I inhaled mine. It was delicious.

We ate lunch in the Three Broomsticks and

checked out the cool candy in Honeydukes... Berty Botts and Chocolate Frogs.

All the rides were AWESOME, and my favorite one was this nutso, virtual reality one inside the Hogwarts Castle. It really made me feel like a student. Although, of course, I realized there's no way I'd be in one of the cool houses at Hogwarts. Lame but true.

We also had fun in Seuss Land...

... and on the Hulk ride. SUCH a good roller coaster, and a good place for one of the workers to hit on my sister Jenn. Yikes.

The souvenir damage at the end of the day.

Day 3: Shopping and eating. Catching a movie, and shopping and eating.

We ate dinner at this Greek restaurant where I'd come a few years ago with my work. I had fun exposing my dear mother and sisters to napkin throwing, belly dancing, and modest table dancing. The music is loud and the food is authentic (which not everybody loved...), but it was a hoot. Yep, a hoot.

Day 4: Swimming in the pool, gabbing some more, and heading home.

The whole trip really hit the spot, and Addy couldn't have been more smothered in love. All this makes me feel pretty freakin' spoiled/blessed.

team shafer in wonderland

Halloween is a serious thing at our house. We partied hard this year and wore our costumes as much as was socially acceptable.



I couldn't stop taking pictures of our Cheshire Cat because she was just so ridiculously cute and squishy in it.




PS- May I brag for my husband? He made his hat out of cardboard, hot glue, and fabric. Crafty.

9 months in, 9 months out

Today Addy is 9 months old.

So 9 months ago the three of us were doing this...


...and today we were doing this.



I'm significantly more comfortable today than I was 9 months ago, but that day is still one of my most favorite days ever. I'd do it again in a heart beat, obscenity-causing labor pains and all.

I love that Mooch.

apple-licious

We headed to the apple orchard in Charlottesville again this year, this time with Addy ex-utero.






We went with the Lansings, and together we dragged our babies all over the orchard collecting pounds and pounds of what Doug calls the most delicious apples he's ever had (and he should know--he's from Washington State!). The weather was great (just a bit windy, thank you very much) and the view was killer.

Thanks for a great afternoon, Carter Mountain.

standing up

Fake-standing is all the rage these days.



(Doug and I can't stop laughing about how he and Wade look almost identical in this picture--same outfits, same stance, same faces. Hilarious.)

balloon

At the grocery store this morning one of the employees offered Addy a free balloon. I think it's her first encounter with a balloon, and it's pretty much made both of our days.




It took me forever to notice that she'd slipped off the wrapper on the lollipop weighing down the balloon. She was getting straight candy for who knows how long. No wonder she's such a fan of this balloon thing.