Brrr...

Well, hello fall!

Get Up, Stand Up

Lately, we've been finding Zoe standing up in her crib banging on the top of the rails, screeching in delight, and looking way too mischievous. Let's hope that she doesn't follow in her dad's footsteps. Legend has it that Jody launched himself out of his crib at just 9 months and that was the end of cribs (and naps) for him. Anyway, whether it's in her crib, the pack-n-play, the couch, or using one of us as her anchor, Zoe's all about pulling herself up these days. And, my goodness, she gets excited once she's up. Check out her moves:

Bugs United

Last weekend when Jody headed to Charlotte, Courtney came to keep me and Zoe company. It was a great visit! Zoe loved Courtney immediately because she kept helping Zoe into standing position...a new favorite thing to do.

On Saturday, Connie and Nick hung out and then all of us went to dinner at Mod, a new West Loop pizza place. I'm so excited that the Spencers have officially moved back to Chicago from New York. With so many people moving away, it's rare when people move back. So I am thrilled Nick and Connie are here! Courtney and Jeremy, you're next, right?!

Get On Your Boots

Last weekend, Jody and I went to the U2 show at Soldier Field on Saturday night. It was the opening show of U2's U.S. tour, and it was awesome. Neither of us had ever seen U2 in concert and they were just as good as I had hoped. These guys have been around forever, but there was no hint that they were sick of playing these songs or tired out from years and years of touring and performing. Yes, they are getting up there in the years, but there was something about his whole presence that made Bono kinda hot (and that is one rock star crush I have never had)!

They kicked off the show with a bunch of their new stuff from the "No Line on the Horizon" album. Luckily, we'd been listening to this album for a couple weeks to "study up" for the show. While the crowd was pretty reved up, the entire mood of the stadium shifted once they started playing the classics. Sunday Blood Sunday, With or Without You, One, Streets Have No Name, Beautiful Day, Walk On, Elevation, and so on. They closed the show with my favorite song on the new album--Moment of Surrender. We were already heading out at that point, but we got to hear it as we beat the crowds out.

Seeing a show at Soldier Field was pretty awesome. It was actually my very first time inside Soldier Field. Pathetic, I know. But, this was a great first time there. The energy was amazing and crowd definitely added plenty to the show. One of these days maybe I'll go to a Bears game there. But, concerts are more my speed.

Thanks so much to Grandpa J for watching Zoe and giving us a great night out!

She Likes to Move It Move It

Our little wiggleworm is on the move. She's been scooting and rolling all over for a while now. But yesterday she started figuring out the whole hand-knee coordination thing. She still has a ways to go until she's a full-blown crawler, but this is a good start. Thanks to Grandma for the sweet new tumbling mat...it's kinda huge, but Zoe loves it.

Family Ties

This past weekend my family came in for a visit. Aside from stopping through Chicago last winter for a quick lunch on his way to St. Louis, Josh hadn't been to Chicago since our wedding almost six years ago, and he hadn't met Zoe, yet. So it was a huge treat having him come in all the way from Montana. Now, on to convincing him to move here...Zoe needs more bonding time with cool Uncle Josh. Lisa, Avi, Edin and Adam all flew in from D.C., and it was Avi and kids' first time meeting little Z too. I can't believe how big Lisa's kids are. Edin is a total little person these days. She's totally in the "why?" stage, where she's asking a million questions and figuring it all out. The little chica is so freakin' smart too. Adam continues to be a total sweetheart and such a laid back little guy. He's starting to talk a little bit and is so full of energy. Watching all three kiddies was just the cutest. They are going to have so much fun together as they get bigger and bigger. Zoe was so interested in everything the "big" kids were doing, and she was definitely envious of their mobility. She's been dying to get moving lately and seeing Edin and Adam running all over just gave her more incentive to keep practicing that whole crawling thing.

My parents also came in from Ann Arbor, and as usual they were full of energy to spoil and entertain their grandbabies to the fullest.

With everyone back to their respective homes around the country, our house feels so quiet and I am missing everyone terribly. I wish we all lived near each other, but for now these long, action-packed weekends will do. So much fun. Love to you all!