I wanna be a billionaire...

For those who don't know...

the mega-millions lottery jackpot is up to $400 million something.

Cary is beside himself with excitement.

He's decided lottery tickets are worthwhile if the pot is over 100 million, and he's pretty much already won in his mind.




For the past two days, all he talks about are what he will do with his winnings.

For example...

he's worried my mom and dad will judge him for gambling, so he's gonna fly them to the bahamas for a fancy dinner and tell them we won while allowing them the option to vacation as long as they want.

He's decided when our child(perhaps children someday) ask how we got rich, he's just gonna tell them he made smart investments (and then he starts laughing and says "REAL SMART--ha just a $2 ticket).

He's decided we should move next door to Mitt Romney, since we'll know what it's like to be in his tax bracket and we can discuss investment options.

Of course, he wants to finish his schooling first, so in the meantime he will also pay to have a Zupas, Cook Out, and Sweet Tooth Fairy franchise put in on Franklin Street.

When asked what he will do first when he discovers he won:

"I'm going to whole foods and buying the GOOD milk... you know, the kind that comes in the glass jars"

Ohhh Cary... he even got me excited for a minute thinking, even if we just got 4 numbers we'd get $10,000 and I could get a new pair of rainbows and fly to my friends, Erik and Aubrey's, wedding.

Then he told me there's a 1 in 176 MILLION chance of winning.

BAHAHAHAHA SAY WHAT!!!!

Well, at least the $2 ticket has made him giddy all week... arguably money well spent.

tonight we are young

Sleep Deprivation is back with a vengenance.

Zoey was sleeping through the night (10pm-6am), and is now back to a up every 2 hours schedule.

It's killing me.

Cary has decided she has an extreme case of FOMO (fear of missing out), as she will only fall back asleep if I let her lay next to me in bed.

That, or he thinks she's suffering from sugar withdrawals.

Either way... I miss my sleep.

**Obviously not my child... mine doesn't sleep or have hair in abundance**

I'm missing you like candy

Hello my name is Carla, and I'm a sugar-aholic.

Why am I telling you this?

Because I need to be held accountable. I am 4 months postpartum and I still need to lose about 15lbs! I'm still a small person, but I only have a handful of clothes that fit, and a closet FULL of cute clothes I want to fit back into.

I have been exercising since December, and even ramped it up to 45 min Insanity workouts about a month ago... which is great and all. Now I have muscle under my extra skin and chub :) But it's not good enough (I'm blaming nursing--lies that it melts the pounds away, at least for me). So I'm ready to go to drastic measures.

NO SWEETS.
e.g. soda, cupcakes, cake, pie, ice cream, smoothies with ice cream, cookies, candy, fruit drinks (anything not 100% juice), pastries, donuts... and probably other deliciousness. (Although, I already told cary I'm allowed to have nutella with fruit--because it's a nut spread with only a touch of cocoa, and it's a good source of protein, as well as a healthy breakfast (it says so on the jar (HEY, this is my challenge!))).

Anyhow, I started Wednesday, and it's going well.
I've already lost 1/2 pound!
(The most I've budged in 3 months) and I plan on going for a month, then reassessing.

I only mention this because I appreciate encouragement, compadres, big brother types. So if you see me, don't offer me sweets. Don't call to go out for ice cream. Go ahead and ask me how it's going, and if you want to join the struggle, PLEASE do.
We can avoid pinterest and it's scrumptious recipes together!

And when the going gets tough, and the ice cream looks refreshing, the cinnamon rolls smell good, and the cupcakes scream my name...

I'll be telling myself no,
because I like feeling healthy and fit more
than the fifteen minutes of happiness a sweet can give me!

look at that body, I work out

My friend Shelli posted this on our friend Alaina's wall...

and as Cary and I have been working out and trying to lose weight, I just keep laughing and thinking of the line... "alright i had one cookie!... ok i had 3 boxes of cookies, but they're so good, they're girl scouts and they keep coming, they're my neighbors." Haha so funny, cause it's so true.



**Warning: some bad language**

I'm looking at the man in the mirror

Chouse is dead.

And we're moving!

I am a little over this apartment since we've had snakes, spiders, worms, and now a mouse. The complex won't let us switch to another 2 bedroom apartment, we're only allowed to switch if we upgrade to a 3 bedroom.

So, we're moving to a nicer, newer apartment!

I fell in love immediately. It's top floor (read: no mice/snakes), sunny, bigger kitchen, garden tub and plenty of absurdly nice amenities... with the pool right outside my building.

This brings up an interesting discussion that Cary and I have been having spurred by several news stories recently.

The economy still sucks, and more people than we'd like are unemployed, and apparently my generation is entitled. "We" think that just because we went to college we deserve a job. "We" think that because we're used to a certain lifestyle our parents have afforded us we deserve to keep on keeping on in the same fashion even though our parents put in their years of being poor and struggling.

Am I part of the "We"?

I'm moving into a nicer neighborhood than I can afford.

I have never gone into debt. I drive a 13 year old car. I gave up designer jeans when I got married and started supporting a family (ok, maybe because I got pregnant and still can't fit into them). I plan my meals around sale items. I have never had the pleasure of using my college degree as it was intended because I gratefully (well at least at first ;) take the jobs that will pay the bills.

BUT, now I'm gonna live in an apartment that is out of my means. Because I don't want to worry about my child dying of a disease from a rodent. Because I want to see the sun, even if I'm laying in bed with a sick baby. Because the apartments I can afford are in sketchy neighborhoods. Because spiders give me a heart attack, and Cary sings songs to Zoey about how she has to be brave and kill the spiders to save her mom.

I am defensive, and so obviously feeling guilty... maybe I do feel entitled. My husband is going to a great college, in an expensive town and all the housing except the scary neighborhoods are more than our budget.

So if I'm going back to work to make ends meet--I might as well live in a pretty apartment, with sweet amenities, where my daughter can play with good friends a few houses away... No?

Had a bad day again

We have a mouse!

Cary walked in on him as the chunky critter scooted and slipped as he slowly attempted to scurry back to his hole. So we've (uncreatively) named him Chouse (chubby mouse).

(Yes... somehow naming pilfering, disease-riden, abhorrent rodents makes it slightly easier to sleep at night)

We actually found the mouse last week. I was mortified. So we cleaned and set out traps and Cary, my mom, and Jo successfully laughed it off and calmed me down.

Well, we left for the weekend and came home to not a dead mouse (which would have been wretched because of the smell and general unpleasantry of the situation)...

but, worse, a hole in the top of the pantry and evidence of a late night mouse binge.

Chouse, apparently was destined for our house as he also craves Krusteaz pancake mix (my 5 lb bag... I may have shed a tear) and Cary's chocolate stash. No wonder he's such a chunk.

Well, thanks to Cary (I am completely worthless when it comes to critters and spiders) the house has been chloroxed enough to fool anyone into thinking our kitchen is also a pool, and we have laid a death ring for little Chouse.

Now, a hundred dollars later... I am looking for a new apartment and trying not to despair over what it'll cost me to replace everything Chouse ruined.

Yeah... good night in the tippets residence :(

One more chance to hold you close

HAPPY 4 month BIRTHDAY Zoey!

(Well, yesterday.... I got a little busy)

Sometimes, I think you are growing up so fast, but most the time I think you're only 4 months??? You are such an alert little girl, constantly looking around observing everything. Not much gets past our little girl, you definitely catch every look I shoot your dad, and everytime my ipod beeps with a words with friends request.

We regularly remind ourselves that we only get to enjoy you everyday for a few short years before you're off conquering the world. You are beautiful and smart and you already have a keen sense of humor that catches your dad and I off guard, it's no doubt you'll be successful at whatever you set out to do.

Over the last month, you have gotten so much more smiley, and you laugh (mostly during conversations--making us worry you know exactly what we are talking about). You still don't really like the carseat or stroller (making your first trip not so successful), and I foresee lots of telling you to slow down as soon as you can walk. You love chewing your hands, which I'm constantly trying to keep dry, and you've even found your feet--despite my protests they aren't for eating. You love chatting it up with the other babies at church, so much they get a little alarmed at how vocal you are!

Everyone stops to tell you how cute you are, and it only increases because you then pause and flash your biggest smile.

We love you more everyday, and are totally convinced you are the perfect addition to our twosome.

Eating your feet :/

Our sick day spent in bed... you kept making funny faces for the camera

Hands in the mouth... that captures about 90% of the photos we take

I love your deep blue eyes.

I wanted a birthday pic in your cute dress... you wanted to play peek a boo, it always makes you smile--even if I think you're still pretty young to totally understand.

You know it's gonna make it that much better

It's springbreak, YAY!!!!!

Cary is thoroughly enjoying his first (and last) ever college springbreak!

And I'm loving having him around to help with Zoey, but mostly because he makes me laugh all day...

Yesterday, he walks out of the room wearing brown pants and a black tee shirt, and gets this attitude like Tim Gunn "I know this is a total fashion faux pas, brown and black, but I don't even care."

Later I'm flipping through channels and stop on an Insanity infomercial (we're slightly (maybe a little more than slightly) obsessed with the insanity workout program) and look at Cary, hey that could be us in a few more weeks! Then they show a testimonial and this guy has a 6 pack, but they're all out of line, and Cary says "umm yeah, I hope my abs aren't messed up like that, if they are I'll just always keep my shirt on at the beach and just shrug "yeah, I'm fit'"

My personal fav... I was telling Cary a story and realize I was sometimes a horrible sister, and say "wow, I'm kinda suprised my sisters still like me." Cary gets really sarcastic "seriously though... next time I see your sisters I'm gonna ask them 'How can you even stand Carla?'" Haha, only he can make me laugh about my many flaws. But, I told him that makes it sound like our marriage is falling apart, so we decided to save that one for our house only...

oh, and the blog...

It's gonna be alright

saw this the other day after a really hard night... there may have been a glisten in my eye. sometimes commercials just get it right. wow, i just said that... yeah, well...

beautiful girls all over the world

Most of the time Zoey is busy sucking her thumb and making goofy faces at me, but sometimes she catches me off guard and I see a gorgeous little girl instead of my curious, silly babe.





Thanks to my friend, Amanda Swafford for taking some cute photos of Zoey--we really appreciate it! Check out her other work at http://www.amandaswafford.co/blog or book a session, she does families, kids, engagements, and weddings.

my milkshake brings...

Zoey and I are having a sick day.

We're lying in bed watching Grey's Anatomy. (Don't judge me)

Wishing there was a cook-out across the street. Really any decent milkshake joint would suffice. I need to remember this next time we move... must live near fast food with good shakes for when I'm sick.

Anyhow, I plan on being here most of the day... any good shows I should watch? Revenge is rumored to be entertaining... thoughts? I've also heard Once Upon a Time, Alcatraz, and Downtown Abbey...

Let me know