Christmas Videos of Yesteryear

Click HERE to see videos from 2006 and 2007!

Oh, it makes more sense to view the 2006 video first...;o)

Christmas Video 2009

Here's a link to our Christmas video for the year! Merry Christmas! :)

Just click on the tree to enjoy.

Arden's Big Announcement

We heard the heartbeat on Thursday, so I figured it was time to spread the news! I made this shirt for Arden, and she wore it on Thanksgiving. It was a good 45 minutes before anyone read it...pretty hilarious!

Winter Wonderland!!!

So I can still hardly believe the snow we had yesterday! Adam, Arden, and I ventured out for lunch before it got too bad...although we did a little slipping and sliding on the way home. Once we got home, we openned all the blinds and enjoyed the beautiful scene out our living room windows. Simply gorgeous!

This wasn't Arden's first snow. It actually snowed while we were in New Bern! I didn't dare take her out in it then, though...she was a bit young.

Here's what it looked like this afternoon. I took Arden outside and snapped some cute pics.

I got this cute hat at Old Navy. It's one of her Christmas presents, but I figured she could make use of it now.

Yes, our apartment's playground has those old school bouncy toys.

Although the snow is beautiful, it's a pain to drive in. Adam had to work last night and again tonight. I'm so glad he's a safe driver.

Mmm...Christmas Cookies...

Last Saturday, my dad and the fam came over to draw names for Christmas. Better late than never! Chris came over earlier to help me set up my mom's fake tree. She wasn't going to use it again this year. Before we set it up, Chris was reading the instructions and noticed a warning. It said the tree contained hazardous chemicals, including lead, that could lead to birth defects. What?! So, we didn't put that tree up and got a real tree...that's what I wanted, anyways! Anywho, Chris also helped me bake sugar cookies so we could decorate them when the rest of the fam came over. I burned the first batch...doh! The others turned out perfect, though, and we had so much fun decorating them.

I guess Arden got to sit on Santa's lap afterall....errr...yeah....

Arden and Jasmine played very nicely together.

Jasmine had fun decorating and eating her cookies.

Meredith decided to eat a few undecorated cookies and then left us the two she decorated...haha!

Cute little moose!

Arden had fun, too...once she got to sit on Grandpa's lap and be a part of the action.


A few of the uneaten products....:)

Arden Loves Animals!

Arden is a HUGE fan of animals. Her favorites are cats and dogs.

Last week we were able to go to the mall. I'm talking about a real mall...one with escalators and tons of stores. The one in New Bern doesn't count! Anywho, this one had a petstore. Arden just loved looking at the bunnies. (Please excuse her puffy eyes...she was getting over a cold).

After running a few errands last Thursday, we stopped by another petstore. Arden got to pet a kitty...and pull on his ears. She loved it! She also enjoyed watching these puppies play. Too cute!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ok, so I realize this is a bit late. Since my last post, we've officially moved back to Greensboro and are mostly settled in our new apartment. Arden and I've been living in Greensboro since Thanksgiving day. We stayed with Adam's parents while Adam went back to New Bern to work his last week and clean the duplex. Glad I didn't have to deal with that! We're definitely glad to be back, although we definitely miss our New Bern friends.

Anywho, here's what we did for Thanksgiving...

We had a combined meal at Adam's parents' house, which always makes things easier for us. Otherwise, we'd have to eat two Thanksgiving dinners! Jason and Sabrina were there, too. Arden just loved their huge dogs!

Arden learned to climb their stairs in no time. Just a couple days later, she learned to climb down them, too. Such a smart cookie!

That Friday we went to the Natural Science Center with Sabrina and Bryce. It was a bit chilly, but Arden still had a fun time.

Saturday was the annual Daniels' Thanksgiving at my dad's house. We had a great turnout this year! We also celebrated Uncle Larry and Aunt Karen's 40th wedding anniversary, and their grandkids ("Triple Play") played some great songs in their honor. They're so talented!

Arden loved playing the piano with Nana! She also enjoyed spending time with Gavin, Catie, and Chris.

We had a great Thanksgiving weekend and hope you did, too! Now it's on to Christmas...just a few days away!!!

Heavenly Father's Timeline is Perfect

We've lived in New Bern for a little over a year now. We moved here because Adam got a job promotion, and it allowed me to stay home with Arden...huge blessing! She was 4 weeks old when we made the move. We moved on her due date. Heavenly Father knew I had to have her early, because we were going to be moving. Perfect timing.

New Bern is a quiet place where almost everyone drives 10 miles below the speed limited. The downtown area is beautiful...I can't say the same about the rest of it. If you want to go shopping, you'll need to take a 45-minute drive to a town nearby. What's also 45 minutes away? The beach! I've never been to the beach so much in my life. Arden's been to the beach 4 times before she was one! We've been able to see 6 of the 7 NC lighthouses. Old Baldy, we'll get to you someday.

Life in New Bern has been nice. I've met lots of friends from church. I also have a couple of aunts and uncles who live here, and my sister Catie lives only 45 minutes away. Funny how I've only seen them a handful of times since we've moved here. Life is busy.

Pretty much ever since we got here, Adam's been itching to get closer to home. A posting for a grocery manager would pop up in Raleigh, Fuquay Varina, Charlotte, Winston-Salem. He'd always post for them, but he'd never get offered the position. He didn't have any connections there. As time went on, it seemed less and less likely we'd ever get out of this place. Adam was thinking he'd have to settle for an assistant manager's position just to be near our family. Our lease expires Nov. 30, and we opted to rent month-to-month...just in case. Then, last week, a position opened up in High Point. He posted for it, and they called him for an interview. Adam made a few phone calls and sent a few emails...he has connections in that market! He was one of only four applicants, which is remarkable, and the guy said Adam was at the top of the list. Really?! It seemed too good to be true! The guy said he would let Adam know by Friday. Friday came, Adam got a call, and he was offered the position. Hurray!!! He starts one week from this coming Friday.

I will miss my friends in New Bern. I didn't even get a chance to say good-bye to most of them. As of Thanksgiving Day, I'll be living in Greensboro. Adam will come back to New Bern on the Friday after Thanksgiving to get the moving truck packed up. After unloading it in Greensboro on Saturday, he'll come back to New Bern for his last week of work. I'll be car-less in Greensboro, but my mom will help me out. She's soooo excited! She already found an apartment for us. We've signed the paperwork, and it's ours.

So, you see, Heavenly Father knows what's waiting for us. If we're just patient, all will work out for the best. We're so incredibly blessed!!!

Breakfast...

It's the most important meal of the day!

This little munchkin has officially weaned herself!

My baby's growing up...*sigh*

This is November?

Today was absolutely gorgeous! I couldn't believe it was a November day. I promise it was like in the mid-70s. We headed over to Union Point Park for a little picnic and stroll. Arden absolutely loved all the birds in the water. She kept pointing at them. At one point, this duck sounded like it was laughing, so Arden did, too. So cute!

Pointing...her favorite pastime!

There were some interesting looking ducks. A couple were just black and white!

Check out that string of drool! Did I mention she's finally cutting her first tooth at 13 months?!

She loves to swing!

Kidsville!

There's this really cool playground in New Bern called Kidsville. I've always wanted to check it out, so we did last Monday. It's like a little city for kids, and the whole thing is made of wood. There are a few movable parts, though, so it could be considered a death trap...but it's pretty awesome nonetheless!

Of course, the first thing we hit were the swings.

Cute little mermaid! Not sure what Adam is...

Weee!

Now this is how to work a zipline. :)

Adam spotted this toad just before he loaded up the car. hehe :)

We had a great time!

Books-a-Million

A couple of weeks ago we headed over to Books-a-Million for the first time. I was hoping they'd have a children's area like Barnes and Noble, but it wasn't to be. Arden loved all the books and grabbed every one she could get her hands on. In the end, I didn't leave empty-handed. I'm now the proud owner of Bananagrams! Anyone want to play?

One-Year Residents

We moved to New Bern exactly one year ago today. It was Arden's due date, although she was almost 4 weeks old at the time. I must say it doesn't really feel like we've been here a year. I still feel like a newbie. I do have friends, but I don't hang out with them as much as I'd like. I'm still such an introvert. I'm pretty much always at home with Arden. Isn't it sad that we've never invited anyone over for dinner? Not just in New Bern...but since we've been married. I'm not sure what our deal is. We really need to step out of our comfort zone and be more social.

Our lease expires on Nov. 30th. For some reason our leasing agent doesn't feel the need to return our calls...don't know what her problem is. We were thinking of moving to a different place, like an apartment, to save a little money. Moving just isn't worth it, though. We're looking to renew our lease for another 6 months. Adam is hoping to find another grocery managment position a little closer to home within that time. We'll see what happens!

Jump, Baby, Jump!

I got this doorway jumper for Arden months ago. She seemed to like it at first, but then she started to cry every time I put her in it. She never jumped in it, either. So, I put it away for a few months. I decided to get it out yesterday to see if she liked it now. I put her in it during my shower, and she loves it! She jumps and spins and jumps some more. Too cute!

Stake Conference

Last weekend was Stake Conference. Adam didn't get much sleep the day before due to the fact he had to get up earlier to watch Arden while I went out for a Girls' Night (yay)! So, he opted to sleep after he got home from work. I decided to go anyways. I was about 30 minutes late and had to park a little far from the convention center. Once I got inside the building, I stayed in the hall and never stepped foot in the ballroom. I really have no idea what the speakers said. I was hoping to at least see Catie there, but that didn't happen, either. About 10 minutes before it was all over, Arden got super fussy. I went ahead and called it quits. I called Catie once I got to the car, and she said she would come by the house later that afternoon. She did, and Arden loved every second of her visit.

She's very interested in reading about Jungle Babies!

Yay Aunt Catie!

Halloween Happenings

Happy Halloween!

Check out what we did...

For Halloween, I was a gardener and Arden was a daisy! These pics were taken by Amy. So great!

We got turtle caramel apples from Walmart....yum!



We left an open bag of candy on the floor, and Arden ripped it wide open. She knows what she wants!

Our neighbors have a cute fall display in their front yard, so I took advantage of it...while they were at work...haha!



Friday was the Preschool Parade. It was a bit chilly but still fun for the kids. We met up with a bunch of friends, which made it even better.





Playing with her Jack-o-Lantern Pale

Halloween night was our ward's trunk-or-treat. Arden scored some candy and got to hang out with Lucy the bumble bee. Too cute!

Adam dressed up as Lion-o from the Thundercats. He made the sword a few years back. It fell and broke at the trunk-or-treat, but he can fix it.

Finally, Adam got his mug carved into our other craft pumpkin. Perfect! We still need to get one for Arden.

Together at last!