it's all fun and games till i have to bust out the shotgun

our friday started out with a morning audition for the bean. luckily for me, it was at the same place as the last one we attended, so getting there was easy peasy. parking, however, was a different story. but since traffic had been super light, we were super early, and even circling the block five times before finding an opening left us with a good half hour before our call time. not to mention, the bean had fallen asleep on the way - and i wasn't sure how things were going to go.

i figured it wouldn't be terrible to be early, considering the fact that it was a freaking madhouse the last time around. so i strapped her in the fat suit, locked the car, and strolled up to the entrance. as i went up the stairs, i passed another mom and mini-superstar, and as we smiled at each other, i asked her how the wait was.

"it's not bad," she said. "there aren't too many people up there right now." yay!

the bean was awake, but groggy. i checked in, filled out the short form, and before i could even sit down to wait for our turn, we were up. and i was happy to see that the bean was being her charming self, although it was obvious that she was still a little sleepy. one of the ladies at the check-in desk really seemed to like her, and said "she looks so familiar to me! have we used her before?" and sadly, despite the number of auditions we've been to, we're yet to actually book a job, so i just smiled and said "no, but maybe this time!"

this was the first time that we were actually given some of the client's clothing to put on for the camera. i wished i could take a picture, but a) the outfit wasn't anything particularly spectacular - just some play clothes from their upcoming fall line and b) there really wasn't time.

it went quickly - she took a couple of shots sitting down, and then one standing, and then it was over. and by the time i got her changed back into her own outfit and in the car, it was still before our original appointment time! sweet. this meant no traffic going home, and no problems getting back in time to pick up the teen from school. i was excited for her to see the new ride, since it was largely due to her that we'd chosen it.

as predicted, she was totally stoked about the car, and was also excited for the fun weekend we had planned. first up was an outing to a local carnival with her friends, which is apparently something that all the local kids look forward to all year long. it was kind of a mini-me version of the annual l.a. county fair, we thought.

rock-el and their other friend, catcher, came over to giggle, gossip, and get ready. it was pretty comical to watch the whirlwind of flatironing, hairspray, and eyeliner. and the teen was also primping in preparation for another friend who was joining them there - a male friend. [cue catcalls and whistling]

finally, it was time to head over and drop the girls off. at least, that was the original plan.

instead, i decided to bust out the stroller and cruise around to check out what all the hoopla was all about. we saw lots of rides - all the typical erector set-style rides that i refuse to get on. i mean, come on - these things are dismantled and trucked around from one site to another, and put together with a monkey wrench and some krazy glue or some shit. no, thanks. i'll stick to the (mostly) permanently assembled rides at theme parks, thankyouverymuch.

as we walked by this one, it had just begun, so the bean and i stopped to watch.

"ooooooh! whee!" she said.

i managed to resist the urge to eat fair food:

even the local car dealerships were trying to get in on the action.

there were carnival games.

and lame shit like this.

before we called it quits, i caught a glimpse of the teen and her "friend." once she saw me (with camera in hand), she quickly turned her back. but that's okay. the picture is even funnier this way.

oy. and so it begins.