Mom's 30th Birthday

Today is Megan's 30th birthday.  Being the thoughtful child that she is, Stella got her mom new earrings from Swarovski Crystal and some massage and pedicure/manicure time at the local spa.  Above, Stella is getting a big hug of appreciation while holding the new earrings.

Standing Up

Megan has informed me that Stella has been pulling up to stand against various objects in the house.  I haven't really witnessed it on a major scale until today.  As I've previously mentioned, Stella is a big fan of her reflection in the oven, so I guess it's only proper that some of her first pulling up and standing experiences revolve around this beloved appliance:

Gameday

My parents came up today to visit.  It was KU's first football game of the season so we decided to dress Stella up in her KU cheerleader outfit.  We ended up having a showing at our house so we went to Oak Park Mall during the showing.  Stella and I rode the carousel at the mall (bottom left) and she later passed out in Dad's arms from the excitement (bottom right).  It was a pretty good day and we actually won the football game.

Messy Spaghetti

It seems like everyone has a picture of their first encounter with spaghetti, and I didn't want Stella to be any different.  Megan perfectly timed this occasion right before she went on a girls night out.  Basically, she suggested that Stella could have the leftover spaghetti and meatballs that we had the previous night, heated it up, put the food in front of her, watched her make a mess, and then left the house.  It was quite an endeavor to promptly get Stella in the bath and then cleanup the aftermath, but I think it was worth it.  Next time I'll put down a tarp.

Lovin' the Oven

Stella has loved her own reflection as far back as I can remember.  You put her in front of a mirror and she absolutely lights up.  Apparently, it's a genetic inclination that comes from the Moss side of the family (we sometimes call her Morgan).  Lately, she's found that the oven door shows her reflection so she's been spending a decent amount of time in the kitchen with it:

Great Grandma Jude at the Lake

Megan's Grandmother, Judy, has a really nice condo at the Lake of the Ozarks that's only a couple of hours away from us.  So, we decided to get out of town this weekend and visit Jude.  The pool there was great considering it's a million degrees out.  We went into town and saw the new Batman movie while Jude watched Stella for us (we haven't seen a movie in the theater since she was born).   I also got to go crappie fishing, which I rarely get to do so I was happy, and we ate the catch for dinner (Judy's neighbor caught the bulk of the fish compared to me).  Here are some highlights from the weekend when I remembered to take pictures:

Multitasking

Megan had told me about it, but I had never witnessed the elusive "Stella + holding her squeaky giraffe + crawling" combination until today.  Even better, I was able to get it on video.  It cracks me up every time no matter how many times I watch it.