soggy sunday

so we totally slept right through the morning and when i rolled over to check the time, it was 11:10. oops. no church for us! instead, we decided to head up to wrightwood to check out the snow and visit with the ILs. but first, we stopped at victoria gardens (seems like we've spent an awful lot of time there lately) to have lunch and do some shopping.

despite the on-and-off rain, we pulled the stroller out and headed to california pizza kitchen for some lunch. the bean was snoozing, so we got to enjoy our BBQ chicken salad and BLT pizza together, instead of taking turns like we usually do. bonus!

the rain had started up again by the time we finished, so i fished through my bag to find the bean's little hat. and of course, it was one of the things i'd pulled out to make room for something else. oops. so as we walked along, the giant "40% off" signs in front of gymboree beckoned us inside.

and $104.23 later, the bean had a new hat. and then some. heh.

victoria gardens is like disneyland - every time i go, there's something different about it. and this particular mall has two macy's, a result of robinsons may being bought out a couple of years ago. why they didn't just close one of the stores, i could never figure out. we walked into the closest macy's and found that the place was being "liquidated for remodeling". that makes tons of sense. anyway, it was a madhouse, but we forged ahead in search of new sheets (at a discount, no less). on our way to the elevator, we came upon this:

my 10-year-old boy humor kicked in at the sight of that 2nd picture, and the hub found it as amusing as i did. nothing like some live mannequin porn. that's how i was able to snap those shots - i wanted to share the sight with the kid, who's with her dad this week. haha!!

the bean was hungry from her nap, so while the hub went off in search of discounted sheets, i sat on one of those model beds in the back of the bedding department and fed her. armed with two separate nursing covers, i'm able to whip a boob out in public without flashing anyone, and i'll pretty much do it anytime and anywhere. hey, everyone else gets to eat whenever and wherever they want to. the bean's no different. and as soon as she was done, she let loose some of the most magnificently loud, juicy farts that were worthy of a couch potato who'd just downed some chili cheese fries and beer. hilarious.

we ended up leaving empty-handed. everything was picked over, and all that was left was basically shit. so we went over to pottery barn to see if we'd have any better luck there. the bean got a little restless, so the hub plucked her out of the stroller to find that all that flatulence wasn't just gas - she'd had a MAJOR blowout. i mean, shit was everywhere - right through her onesie, all over her pants, and even some in the stroller. i usually have an extra outfit for her in my bag just in case, but i'd left it in the car. thank goodness for that gymboree shopping spree! and again, be glad i didn't take any pictures ;)

once she was all changed and pretty again (she rocked this sweater), we decided it was time to grab a drink at coffee bean and head up to the mountains. the rain had started up yet again, and we were totally over the idea of rolling the bean through it, hat or no hat.

when we arrived, it was lightly snowing. and it was gorgeous! plus, it was the first time we'd been back since they moved into their new house. it was warm and cozy and homey, just as we would've expected from MIL. and she cooked up a really yummy dinner for us (no BBQ in the snow after all!) - roast pork and gravy (everything's better with gravy, right?), corn, mashed potatoes, green salad, and fresh biscuits. so delicious. and there were brownies and ice cream for dessert, too. we always feast like kings over there. and the bean was being sweet and cuddly for her grandparents, who ate it up.

when it was time to go, we were at once excited and dismayed to see that the snowfall had not only continued, but had gotten even heavier! as we pulled out of the driveway, i had visions of those news stories where families had gotten lost for days at a time in a snowstorm. yikes.

but i should've known better - the hub's been driving up and down those mountains for years, with and without snow. he knew exactly which route to take that would be plowed, and we made it down the mountain and back onto the freeway in no time. and it was kind of fun to drive through the combination of rain and snow. having grown up mostly in california, snow is a novelty for me. so, of course, i whipped out the camera and took one picture through the windshield and rolled down my window for another:

and since i didn't post these yesterday, here's a couple of pictures of the bean. i love that "sweet pea" onesie (which is what we call her), and that's her learning how to play with her worm.

i love my sweet pea.