Cape Lookout

On Monday, we went to Cape Lookout with Mark, Amy, and the gang. This is the first time I've seen a lighthouse. We left home around 8:30 a.m. and got home after 6 p.m. It was a long but fun day. We met the gang in Morehead City, because they were staying in Emerald Isle. We then drove to Harker's Island and took a ferry to the lighthouse. The ferry was $15 for adults and $10 for kids (Arden was free.) Our plan was to take the stroller and pack everything in it, but when we saw the boat, we knew it wasn't an option. Plus, Amy said you basically get dropped off in the sand. Luckily, I had the Snugli in the car, and Adam didn't have much a problem carrying the other stuff. I thought Arden would be afraid of the boat, because it was loud and windy. She seemed to like it, though. It took about 15-20 minutes to get to the island. Once there, I nursed Arden and then lathered on the sunscreen...or so I thought. The water was great and kind of warm. There was barely any current or waves, so it was nice and relaxing...very different from our normal beach trips. Arden got to spend a lot of time in the water. It didn't take her long to get used to it. She loved it! The nephews spent most of their time trying to catch fish with their hands. The fish were all around. One even bit my pinky toe...how rude! After being there for a couple of hours, we headed to the lighthouse for a history lesson. Arden was a bit fussy by this point. She really needed a nap. Luckily, Adam was able to get her to sleep. After that, she was as good as new. I fed her some puree, and we put on more sunscreen. Then, it was off to play some more in the water and sand. Adam threw Arden up in the air, and Amy took lots of pics. I can't wait to see them! I nursed Arden one more time before we were scheduled to be picked up. She got a little fussy once I put her in the Snugli again, but the boat ride calmed her down. The Garmin told us a good way to get home, and it only took an hour. We were completely wiped out and sunburnt...except Arden, thank goodness. We had such a great day and are thankful Amy invited us along on their little adventure.

Surprisingly, Arden enjoyed the boat ride.

Weeeeee!

We saw wild horses grazing on the way to the lighthouse. Awesome!

Adam, Gavin, and Keaton attempting to build a sand castle. The sand was way too soft.

Adam, Mark, and Keaton in the water near a really cool boat.

Adam's attempt at getting Arden to take a nap. It failed.

Mmm....sand....Arden's favorite!

Hanging out on the porch of the workers' house.

She's gorgeous!

My handsome hubby!

Mark and Colby after listening to info about the lighthouse. Colby looks thrilled.

Adam finally got Arden to fall asleep. She took a 45 minute nap.

Wrinkly feet from fun in the water.

Arden was a happy girl all the way home!

It's My Class, and I'll Cry if I Want to!

I had an interesting time at church on Sunday. I've had problems with my primary class from the beginning. It seems when I think things are starting to settle down, the following week everything goes crazy again. I just can't win! I've been having issues with a particular child who doesn't like to sit in her chair. She just plain won't listen to me. Yesterday, before class even started, I was trying to get everyone to sit down. She wouldn't. She then hit another child in the class. I was a bit shocked by this, so I told her to put her chair in the hall and sit there for a few minutes. I was kind of hoping someone from the primary presidency would see her and come see what was up. I just can't leave my class to get someone. Not two minutes later, her grandfather opens the door and makes her go back in the class. I told him I put her out there, and he said she won't learn anything if she's sitting in the hallway. I'm thinking...she's not going to learn anything in the class when she's hopping all around and not listening to me. He wasn't talking in a nice tone, and I could feel myself starting to lose it emotionally. I told him I put her out there because she hit another child. He found out which child it was and made her apologize to the child. When he left, I turned to the chalk board in an effort to compose myself. All I could think was, "I cannot cry in front of these kids!" Then one of the children (the one who was hit) said something about Arden wanting to get out of her stroller, and I was put at ease. The "problem" child was good the rest of the class. Now I know he wasn't "yelling" at me. He was talking sternly to his granddaughter and wasn't happy she wasn't behaving. But I still felt like he was angry with me. On the way home from church, I kept thinking about the incident. I was so mad! It's like the one time I attempt to discipline this particular child, I get slapped in the face for it! What the heck am I supposed to do?! At least I was able to cry about it then. Ugh!

On a lighter note, Arden is 43 weeks old. Here are some cute pics of her from Sunday!

I got this cute sweater dress from Old Navy at Christmastime. It's size 6 months. I didn't think she wouldn't wear it until she was nearly 10 months old. I realize it is quite hot outside, but it's quite cool in the chapel at church. So it works well inside...just not outside. I think it's pretty precious.

Our neighbor, Monique, was having a yard sale, so Arden and I checked it out. Her family's moving to New Hampshire, so she wanted to get rid of some stuff...including baby toys her son Connor has outgrown. As soon as we got there, I put Arden in the walker. I sat in the grass talking to Monique for a good hour, and Arden didn't complain one bit. She loved being in that walker! She also loved the attention little Connor was giving her. He even gave her a baby pop...how sweet! I ended up getting the walker, a pool float, and a beach bassinet. Arden is too "grown up" for the bassinet. When I saw it, I thought of Vanessa Nicolaysen from church. She has a baby boy and has taken him to the beach several times. It's never been used. If Vanessa can't use it, I'll just keep it for future use.

She is loving this walker!

Fort Macon

Friday, Arden and I went to Fort Macon to hang out with some friends on the beach. I was a little nervous about it, because I'd never taken Arden to the beach without Adam. The night before, I went to Walmart and bought one of those mirrors you mount on the headrest in the back seat so I could keep an eye on her during the drive. She could see me, and I could see her...it was great!

The beach was really nice. We arrived at the same time as the Savitz family, and Bart helped me carry some stuff to the beach. He's such a great kid! I had to make a trip back to the car, though, because I needed to feed and change Arden and grab some stuff I left in the car. There's this little sandy hill that connects the deck of the bath house to the beach, and it just about killed me. My face was red by the time I got back to the car. I'm so out of shape, plus it was really hot. Once I got back to the beach, all was well. There was a nice little group there from church, and we had a great time. Arden loves splashing in the water and eating the sand...gross! About half an hour before we left, I fed her some puree and some mini Cheez-It crackers. It was her first time eating the crackers, so I crushed them between my fingers before sticking them in her mouth. She really liked them! Then she was totally over being at the beach. It was nearly 2 p.m., and she hadn't had a nap yet. So I packed all the stuff up and got some help from Jamie carrying my stuff to the car. Again, my face was beet red. I got Arden changed and put her in her carseat. She wasn't happy about that, but she fell asleep as soon as the car started. She slept the entire way home and woke up a much happier girl as I pulled into our neighborhood. We took a shower together (her first), and then something kind of cool happened. She was lying naked on her towel, and she started fussing...it was her "I'm about to poop and it kinda hurts" fuss. I looked, and sure enough she was about to pooh. I opened the toilet lid and sat her on the potty. She poohed in the potty! She wasn't very happy about it, but she did it. I was just grateful I didn't have to clean another dirty diaper. Score! I got her dressed, and we went out to dinner with Adam. It was a great day!

I got this beach hat for Arden off of eBay. I needed something with a chin strap so she wouldn't pull it off. After these pics, I figured out how to put the strap behind her ears. She kept it on the whole time she was in the sun.

Mmm...Cheez-Its!

Lucy and Drake. Lucy wasn't happy at all at this point, but I somehow snapped a pic when she wasn't crying. She had a good time, though. She even took numerous, unassisted steps on the beach. Go Lucy!

Playing with the wrist strap on the camera.

I found this T-shirt and bloomers set at Target for $2.50. I'm not usually one to buy things that have words printed on the bum, but I couldn't pass this up. I put this on her after our shower.

We went to Arby's for dinner. Arden ate pureed something or another.

Hodgepodge

It's been a week since I posted anything, so here are some random pics and videos from last week. Enjoy!

She loves climbing on/in her carseat! This was after Adam's birthday dinner at Outback.

She loves crawling to the sliding glass door and pulling up on the treadmill.

I gave her part of a banana to see what she'd do with it. She didn't do much except make a big mess!

Here she is doing "fireworks." I put her in this rediculous outfit I found hanging in her closet. I figured she needed to wear it once...hehe.

It's so nice in the evenings. I love going outside and hanging out on the front lawn. Arden enjoys eating the grass.

Bart Savitz gave her this cute little puppy. It almost looks like it belongs to the bigger dog.

Arden stands up in her crib all the time now. Good thing we lowered that mattress!

Happy 29th Birthday, Babe!

Adam turned 29 today! Now we're both just a year away from 30. Yikes! That's so hard to believe.

The day before his birthday, we took Adam to Outback for his birthday dinner.

Arden was happy in her highchair...until our food arrived...

...so I gave her a bottle of pain pills to play with. :o)

After dinner, we went to the Swing Zone Family Fun Park. We played mini-golf (usually $6 per person, but we got in for $4 a person because it was all wet from the rain...score!)...

...and Adam took a turn at the batting cages. I just took this pic to freak everyone out. He didn't really have Arden strapped to him while he batted. :o) We had ice cream before we left, and Arden fell asleep.

On Adam's official birthday, I made him pizza pockets and salad for dinner. The pizza pockets would've been much better if we ate them right after they came out of the oven. Unfortunately, a Kirby salesman weasled his way into our home just minutes before we were going to eat. I'm not sure why I let him in. He stayed for nearly 2 hours. Ugh! We didn't buy a vacuum, of course, but at least Arden's floor is nice and clean now. Oh, and we got a huge pack of free paper towels....woopty doo!

After dinner, Adam opened his presents.

I got him Guitar Hero World Tour, Pictionary Man, and a new slip cover for his body pillow.

Here are some shots of the cake. He requested a lemon cake with lemon frosting and green decor. He also mentioned something about a Moab cake, but there's no way that was happening! If you look closely, I put marshmallows on the edge of the first layer to help support the second layer. I also didn't make the same mistake I did last year...not sheering off the top of the first layer. It was catastrophic!

Adam loved his cake and ice cream. Looks Arden enjoyed it, too! She got a little taste of ice cream.

I hope you had a great birthday, babe. I love you!

At the Request of My Mom...

More Videos of Arden on the Move!

I Don't Do Windows...

But Arden Does!

This window looks dirty...

All clean!

Arden's Attack!

The other evening, I was chillin' on the floor...minding my own business...when all of a sudden, "Giggle!" Arden attacks! She completely ambushed me. She made her way up my legs, my torso, and all the way to my face...giggling the whole way. Glad I had my camera handy. She's so cute! I love this baby girl!

Arden's First Playdate!

I was so excited when Arden got invited to her first playdate! She's at that age now where friends are a must. The playdate was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Friday at the Savitz's house. Arden slept until 10 a.m., so we were an hour late. It was all good, though, because the Martins and the Weekes were there, too. The Savitz's have this really great playroom, and Arden grabbed everything within reach. She didn't venture around much at first. She had to get comfortable...just like mama! For lunch we made mini pizzas. We used pita pockets, and they were sooo good! Arden had sweet potato/fruit puree, some pita, and some jello. She then proceeded to spit up jello all over my shirt. Good times! She started getting a little cranky, and I knew she needed a nap. I nursed a little, and she fell asleep for about 15 minutes. She was as good as new afterwards.

The kids had a blast, and it was so nice to be able to talk to some grown-ups for a change. They're planning a beach trip for next Friday. Hopefully I'll be brave enough to go without Adam. I can do anything I put my mind to, right? Sure!

Toys!

Arden and her friend Lucy


Arden and Bart! He's so good with Arden and his little sister Lucy.

Mind if I yank on these curtains?

The boys are Star Wars fanatics!

She managed to get her hands on a lightsaber...there were several strewn about.