Giggles with Dadoo

Check out our baby cage! We don't put Arden in it that often, but it'll come in handy at Christmas...we'll put the tree in it!

Tree Frogs Galore!

I think tree frogs are the cutest things, and New Bern is filled with them. When the sun goes down, they come out to play. We can always find a few on the side of our house or on our windows in the evening, and sometimes they'll let me take their picture. They come in all sizes, from teeny tiny all the way to a couple inches long. A week or so ago, I found the tiniest one and got him to hop onto my finger. It felt so weird but so cool at the same time. He then realized where he was and hopped back onto the side of the house. It was so cute!

So, here's to you, tree frogs! Thanks for putting a smile on my face. :)

Lowes and Mosquitos

Arden's 50th week was full of fun!

This is what she wore to church today. Pretty cute! I started my new calling at church. I no longer teach the CTR8 class, which is a big relief to me. I love the kids, but they aren't the easiest kids to teach. My new calling is nursery assistant! I know, big surprise, right? I think this will be my 3rd time in the nursery. It's cool, though, because Arden can hang out in there with me, and Adam can go to class. I thought she would love it, but with the screaming kids and the small space, it kind of overwhelmed her. I think she'll get used to it, though.

We went to Lowes on Monday to replace our mailbox's flag. Ours got lost in a rainstorm, and Adam made one out of cardboard, red construction paper, and box tape. It didn't quite do the trick...haha! I also found some kids' gardening tools on clearance. I got three tools for $.99! They'll be perfect for my gardening costume (Arden's going to be a daisy.) After Lowes, we went downtown and had lunch at the Pollock St. Deli. The food was good, but it was kind of old and gross in there. On the way to the car, I saw some really cool flowers, so I snapped a few pics.

Arden gets so excited whenever she sees a bottle. She loves feeding herself! She gets a bottle of formula once a day. I should probably start putting her formula in a sippy cup soon.

She now knows what "Gimme 5!" means. She's so smart!

She loves dancing with her zebra. Thanks, Caroline!

We went to the park down the street on Wednesday evening and had a Taco Bell picnic. It wasn't near the river, so I didn't think we'd get eaten alive by mosquitos...wrong! Yes, that's a mosquito on Arden's ear in the top left pic. Oh, and I wore shorts. Don't even get me started on the feast those bugs had!

She loves to swing!

Thursday morning, we headed over to the church for a playdate. I'm so glad we started a playdate group! It meets every 2nd and 4th Thursdays. I took my camera but didn't take any pics. I headed to Target afterwards and saw a car accident. These two vehicles (one an SUV, one a car) hit really hard in the intersection. Everyone seemed to be ok, but it really tugged at my heartstrings when I saw a lady from one of the wrecked cars carrying her young son. It must've been so scary for them. Anywho, the pics above are from Friday's Tots Time at the library. We were almost late. Luckily, it didn't start on time. I think I might start doing that every other week instead of every week. For some reason, it takes a lot out of me. It's really awesome, though. Arden found this wooden puzzle to play with. I might have to get her some for her birthday.

Here she is sucking on a mesh thing with ice cubes in it, playing with shape blocks, going on a Sunday evening walk, and trying on her Halloween costume. I found that costume on eBay and won it for $2.25 (plus $4.95 shipping) for a whopping total of $7.20! It's used but in perfect condition. I can't wait for Halloween!

She's so talented...she can read upside down! I can't wait to see what she learns next week. :)

Fly Away, Butterfly

Ever since I set out to get Arden some interchangeable nylon headbands, I had a goal to make some hairclips to go along with them. Long before I ever received the headbands (long story), I bought the alligator clips from eBay and looked around Walmart for some ideas. I found these pretty butterflies near the floral section and grabbed a spool of white ribbon to line the clips with. Realizing white ribbon doesn't go with everything, I found a variety ribbon pack at Tuesday Morning for cheap. It wasn't quite the right width, but it still works. Anywho, I've been sitting on these supplies for months and decided that Friday was the day. While Arden took her afternoon nap, I sat down and glued the ribbon on the clips and then the butterflies to the ribbon. I think the finished product is pretty cute. I'm just proud of myself for finally finishing something!

Morning at the Circus

I've been itching to find some kid-related activities in New Bern. About a month ago I discovered a Tots storytime at the public library, so we checked it out Friday morning. Before it started, there was fun music playing, and it got Arden right in the mood. As more kids arrived, Arden got even more excited. I let her loose, and she immediately crawled up to some kids nearby. She's not shy at all! She enjoyed the storytime, too. The Circus was the theme of the morning. The lady (I forgot her name) read two stories, there was singing and a puppet show. Much more than I expected! The story lady also had a stuffed frog (I forgot his name) who sat in a rocking chair to listen to the stories. He was setting the example for the kids...cute! Arden got a pic with him at the end. Oh, and Arden learned how to clap that day. She noticed other kids clapping, so she did the same. She's so smart! I've been trying to teach her to clap, and she got the hang of it at the library. Needless to say, we'll keep going back to there as long as she's still interested. I wonder if there's anything else around New Bern I'm missing out on...

So happy to be somewhere other than home!

I let her loose just before the crowd started to gather.

The frog's rocking chair.

The frog.

Checking out the books.

Demonstrating her clapping skills!

"Uh Oh!"

Everytime Arden drops something on the floor, I say "Uh oh!" Well, yesterday, she said "Uh oh!" right back. She likes to repeat it after I say it. Today after our nap in the recliner (yes, we finally got a rocker recliner!), she dropped her paci and said "Uh oh!" unprompted. Pretty dang cute!

Here she is saying "Uh oh!" during breakfast this morning.

Here she is crawling on her hands and knees...finally!

Here she is "walking."

Time, Please Slow Down...

Arden is 11 months old today! I can't believe she'll be a year old in one short month. She is such a sweet, happy girl these days. She loves playing peek-a-boo and gets excited when she sees children and cats! Crawling is her forte, and she recently realized she can follow mommy all over the house. She now crawls on her hands and knees and will pull up to stand on anything...including the edge of the bath tub. She's starting to cruise along the furniture, but she doesn't do that too often yet. If she sees where I got a toy from and it's within reach, she tries to put it back...that's a good sign! She's a pro at feeding herself finger foods and loves to eat whatever mommy eats. Baby food is starting to become a thing of the past, although she still loves to eat the oatmeal. She's definitely becoming more vocal. She says "mama...mama" when she realizes I'm about to nurse her or give her a bottle, and she yells "Mum!" when she gets frustrated...pretty funny! She's also becoming more cuddly and will snug/headbutt mommy in the face. Her clothes range in size from 3 months to 9 months. She's growing by leaps and bounds, and we love her so much!

Here are pics from her photoshoot. Thanks to Meredith for this darling outfit!

Here's what she was doing before bedtime tonight. Once she got that teether out, she tried to put it back in. It's good to know she's willing!

The Appalachian Trail

We headed to Greensboro last Thursday morning so Adam could hike part of the Appalachian Trail. He met up with his brother Jason and his friend Matt. They stayed overnight in Boone Thursday night and hiked Friday through Sunday. Jason packed a bunch of mumbo jumbo in his pack, and it was too heavy for him. He hurt his knees pretty badly and actually had to bail on Saturday night. Adam's parents came and picked him up. Adam and Matt had a good time, though.

See how huge Jason's pack is?! I don't think I have to point him out...

While he was out hiking, I stayed with my dad. Arden wasn't too thrilled about being there at first. It took me awhile to get her to go to bed Thursday night. Everytime I was close, Jasmine would enter the picture. Arden won't go to sleep if she thinks she can play with Jasmine. I was eventually successful, and she slept great the other three nights. She even took some good morning naps. She also accomplished a couple of milestones. It seems my dad's house is the place for doing so. She started using her hands and knees to crawl...I think it's because he has more carpet than we do. She also started pointing at things. Too cute!

Like always, I was sad to leave. It's hard not living close to our families. Hopefully, we'll make it back there someday.

Anywho, below are some posts from those days. They're kind of in reverse order, though. Enjoy!

Monday, Monday

Our plan was to stay in town until Tuesday morning, but Adam decided it would be best to leave Monday evening. That way he didn't have to work as soon as he got home.

Jasmine turned 4 on Monday! We'll miss her party, though. It's this coming Saturday.

We spent most of the day with Adam's parents. Arden really enjoys their company. After our Labor Day cookout, we left Arden with them and went to Friendly Shopping Center. While Adam and Jonathan went to REI, I was able to go to Old Navy. They had some really cute baby clothes on clearance, so I got Arden a few things...of course! I even got myself two shirts and some flip-flops.

We left around 6:30 p.m. to go home. Backyard Burgers was our dinner destination. After a bottle, some puree, and some chicken, Arden slept the rest of the way home. It was raining so hard. I hate driving at night if it's raining, so I'm glad Adam drove home. We arrived around 10:30 p.m. Arden woke up. We changed her diaper, put her in her jammies, and I nursed her to sleep.

Kisses from Grandma Lewis

Cuddles with Grandpa Lewis

Piggy-back ride? Not quite...

Dirty flip flop...yuck!

Arden even took a nap on the floor.

Chillin' on the deck during the cookout.

Adam's Return

On Sunday, I went to Summerfield Ward. That's where my mom goes, and I hadn't been there before. They used to start at 1:30 p.m., but it recently changed to 11 a.m...much better! Summit Ward, Adam's parents' ward, now starts at 8:30 a.m....no thanks! Anywho, Arden fell asleep on the way to church, which I was counting on. I wasn't counting on her waking up as soon as we got there. She really needed a nap. Oh well! She was pretty good during church. I had to take her out during Sacrament Meeting, though. She got a little restless, and I knew she needed to be nursed. I went into the mother's room, and it smelled like pooh. The can of dirty diapers wouldn't close. It was disgusting. Somehow I got through it, though. My mom came in during Sunday school and tried to get Arden to fall asleep. It didn't work. So we went to Sunday school. Arden started fussing again, so I took her into the hallway. As soon as I put her on the floor near the glass windows, these girls came over and surrounded her. They were pretty crazy. The oldest one kept asking me every question she could think of, and her response after mine was almost always "Oh wow." She ended up picking Arden up and sitting her on her lap. I think it was mostly to protect herself from her siblings. On a side note, one of the girls looked like a young Miley Cyrus. Anywho, I got tired of the craziness and took Arden back into Sunday school. It ended soon after, and I stayed at church long enough to get introduced in Relief Society.

After church, I went to Adam's parents' house and waited for Adam to arrive. He called me during church, so I knew he was on his way. I was so glad to see him, but Arden wasn't too sure at first. She got a little upset. I guess three days is a little too long to spend away from his baby. She was tired, too.

Not long after he got back from his hike, his dad needed him to go to Mebane to help give Mark (Amy's husband) a blessing. So, Arden and I headed back to my dad's house. We had to stop at my mom's to change Arden's diaper, though. It was the poopiest diaper of the trip. Once we got back to my dad's, that's when I took the cute pics of Jasmine and Arden. So, I guess it was a good thing Adam had to go to Mebane. His parents dropped him off after Arden went to bed.