Riding In The Car With Arden

This summer we have made several car trips with Arden. Here's an example of what it is like to be in the car with her for several hours.



This is her American Idol medley of all her songs.

Whistle While You Work

Arden loves to visit my parents and Jack. Jackson is great with Arden and very patient. She loves brushing him and she sings "this is the way we brush our dog" as she brushes him.

I Know My ABC's.

Anytime Arden and Luke get together we laugh so hard. Luke is 10 months older than Arden and they get along great.

I was able to capture some video of them singing the alphabet. Do you know their version?

Swim Lesson

I am not sure why my paragraphs are not spaced correctly...must be a blogger problem.

Arden is in her second week of swim lessons. I knew she was ready to learn and she didn't want to listen to us as we tried to teach her so I signed her up for the July sessions of swim lessons.

She has made tons of improvements over the week. Let me give you a quick recap.

Monday: Lesson #1. Grab tightly to the instructor and scream so much that you get water in your mouth as you go under water. Whine the entire time. Get out and say "that was fun".

Tuesday: Lesson #2. Scream before you even get in the water and have to be "dropped in" by your mother in order to get into the pool. Cling to the instructor again. At the end of the lesson get out and say "that was it? I want to do more." Then proceed to ask the swim instructor to bring a Dora kick board because she would swim better if the kick board had Dora on it.

OK...at this point I am starting to rethink my initial thought about her being ready to swim. I wondered was I pushing her to early...she's only 2 but I thought we would see the week through.

So on Wednesday during the day Arden and I were talking and I asked her if she would like for me to drop her off at swim school like I do for church or stay close by with the other mothers? She told me that she wanted to be dropped off like at church.

Swim lesson started on Wednesday and I again had to drop her into the pool to her teacher Kate. I then took Thomas and we headed to the other end of the pool. Arden did great. She started trying things without whining and started to try on her own initiative.

By Thursday she was so excited to get in the pool for her lesson she jumped in by herself and on Friday she was able to float on her own, push off the wall and go underwater while blowing bubbles.

She is so proud of herself. This weekend she swam with Dave or I helping her without her ring. She loves to play ring around the rosies and come up out of the water like Ariel on the Little Mermaid. She is kicking and starting to doggie paddle. She jumps in without holding onto your hands.

In the baby pool she is swimming. She lays on her stomach, puts her face in and kicks. She can do it. The best part is when she jumps up and yells "I did it! I did it!"

I am looking forward to watching her learn more this week and see her confidence grow.

Here are the only two pictures I have captured because I am on the other side of the pool. One of the pictures is of Arden learning to float on her back.

Hanging Out Together

Thomas and Arden really adore each other. Now I realize that Thomas doesn't move and hasn't started taking things away from Arden but they really like being together.

I love these sweet pics that Dave captured of the two of them. I had been feeding Thomas and put him down for a minute to check on something and this is what they did together. I'm sure the TV was on but they are still so cute leaving each other alone but sitting quietly side by side.

Question of the Week

Is it just me or has it been a cooler summer compared to the past few years?

Love it!

Arden came down the steps and proclaimed "I am ready to go to the pool!!!!" I turned around and this is what I saw.





She got herself dressed for the pool and gathered her pool toys. She always keeps us laughing. We love her so much.

Happy Birthday to Me

On the 19th I celebrated my birthday with my family. Arden and Thomas scored a new playground that day and Dave spent most of the afternoon taking it apart and moving it from our neighbor's yard to ours.

That night we headed to a local pizza joint and sat outside and enjoyed the record low temperatures. We had such a great time. I was actually able to get a great picture of me and the kids.

It was a great day and I felt very appreciated by my family (this includes my parents and Dave's mom).

You Create the Caption

Look at this picture and tell me what you thing he wants to say.

Fiesta

Arden's playgroup went to Plaza Fiesta the other day when it rained. We had never been and didn't know what to expect. The indoor playground is massive to say the least and it is tall. The slides are fast and the children play so hard they wear themselves out.

Arden and I played together for a while and then she joined her friends Ellie, Griffin and Ellie's older cousin (who was a teen that helped the younger one's navigate through the playground).

This place was so much fun and we will be visiting it again in the winter when we are looking for ways to get out of the house.

Here's a picture of just one side of the playground.

Arden waiting her turn.

The video I shot of Arden going down the slide is super fast. She is on the green slide. Watch closely or you'll miss her because it is just that fast.

Thomas and the Exersaucer

Thomas' back is strong enough that he is able to enjoy his excersaucer. The first day we put him in there he didn't know what to think.

He enjoys it and will look around for about 10 minutes before getting fussy. He's not figure out the objects yet on it but he is studying it trying to figure it out.

Cousins

Here is a great picture of Arden and Thomas with her cousin's Luke and Ella. The Sunday we were in West Virginia we went to Seth and Cari's church River Ridge. Afterwards we hung out and let the kids play.

They stopped long enough to take this picture for us while they were all dressed up. Thomas look like a little man in this picture.

Celebrating America

I know that the 4th of July has come and gone but I have some great pictures to share. Since we were in West Virginia we went over to Seth and Cari's house for a belated birthday dinner for Dave that his mom cooked special just for him.

Thomas was all decked out in his 4th of July outfit. He was ready to celebrate.

Does it get any more American that this?

The fireworks started a 10 pm and the kids were troopers. Seth knew a place that we could get a great view of the fireworks without getting caught up in all of the traffic. We got there about 3 minutes before they let off the first firework.

It had been raining and was a little damp so Arden, Ella, Grammy, Thomas and I stayed in our car. While Seth and Luke were in the other car and Cari and Dave watched from outside. I however; had the best seat. Watching fireworks with two little girls was so much fun. The first firework was red. Arden giggled in delight and Ella promptly said "Look Arden it's red like our fingernail polish!" (Cari had given the girls a special 4th of July manicure). A few minutes there pink fireworks filled the sky which Arden proclaimed "Look Ella it's pink like my toe polish!"

There were fireworks that look like umbrellas and sparkly like Cinderella's bib-biddy, bob-bobbi-do. I loved watch it with them.

Thomas just watched in wonder from his seat and didn't make a peep. The bangs of the fireworks did not bother him.

What a great way to celebrate the 4th.

Question of the Week

Do you know whose birthday is today?

100% Boy

My dad got Thomas a John Deere hat and I was not prepared for how cute he was in his hat. Thomas knew he was adorabel because anytime he wears the hat he just grins from ear to ear.

In some of the pictures he is playing with a tractor. I bet in a few years Eric and Paw Paw will have him driving the real thing.

Running Late

If we are ever running late this might be the reason why.

Play Date

My friend Colleen and I have been trying to get together for month but we've been so busy. Having a baby (me), a wedding (her), end of the school year (her), bible study (me), honeymoon (her) and another wedding (me). Finally, after months of our schedules not working we were able to get together at the pool. It was a perfect day and our kids played so well together we were able to sit and talk.

I didn't bring my camera but Colleen did. Click here to hop over to her website to see the pictures of the day.

Dancing Queen

Here is the video of Arden and Eric dancing together. It is so special that it needed its own post. Notice Arden wants Eric to dip her several times in the video.

The Wedding

I am so behind in my blogging but I just can't move on until I turn my attention to my brother's wedding.

The wedding was simple and beautiful. The bridesmaid dresses were some of the most beautiful dresses that I've ever seen. Eric did a great job. I know he hates being the center of attention. Get him one and one and he is one of the funniest people I've ever met however, he would rather not be in crowds.

Lori was beautiful and you can tell she put together a lot of details to make sure the day went smoothly.

Arden was precious. So beautiful and did exactly what she was told. She walked slowly down the isle. Stood up front without making a peep and then walked back down the isle as if she had done this a million times.

Me. I was on the second row right behind my parents. I wanted a front seat for the wedding.

The reception was really nice. Dave and I were able to catch up with my family (cousins, etc.) while Arden took over the dance floor.

Arden also caught the bouquet. Lori had a breakaway bouquet that broke into 5 different pieces it was really cool. Arden didn't understand at first what catching the bouquet meant. When Lori counted to three. Arden ran up and grabbed the bottom of Lori's dress and yelled "I caught her". It was so sweet and funny at the same time.

Here are some pictures of the day. I will post more once my brother sends me some.

The groom before leaving for the church.

The father/daughter and groom/mother dance.

Arden tearing up the dance floor. Jakob would bring Arden out to dance with him and as soon as she went to grab his hands he would pull them back.

4 Month Stats

Today Thomas had his official 4 month weigh in. His doctor said that he was hitting his developmental milestones across the board. I was so glad to hear he is doing so well. I think he's perfect. It's just nice to hear someone else say he is great too.

Here are his stats:

Weight: 15 lbs 9 oz 75%

Length: 26 inches 90%

Head Circumference: 41 cm 25%

He also received some vaccines today. He was a trooper. He only cried during the shots and as soon as the nurse was done he quit crying. Oh, he was mad but he stopped crying but I think he will remember the nurse who did this to him.

An of course here are the pictures from the day.

The Rehearsal Dinner

Two weeks ago my brother was married. We had such a great time catching up with family and friends that I didn't get as many pictures as I thought I would.

On Friday night there was the traditional rehearsal dinner. Arden brought her "A-game". She did everything Eric and Lori asked of her. However, she did not smile once during the practice. She took her role as flower girl very serious. Before they began practicing she was running around, laughing being herself. However, once they started she was all business. Even as she was walking back down the isle Dave's mom tried to get her to laugh or smile. She wasn't having any of it. She had a job to do and she was going to do it right.

After the rehearsal she was back to herself. She sat beside the groom and the ring barer took his place beside the bride. After refueling she was running around the room enjoying herself.

One of my favorite stories from the rehearsal dinner actually occurred earlier that day. Mom, Dad, Arden, Bonnie and Fred headed out to decorate the hall. Arden had found a ball and was playing with it. Somehow the ball went under the stage. Fred told Arden he would get it for her and as he was crawling under the stage to get it for her. She grabbed his ankles and said "I"ll hold you. You're OK."

Question of the Week

How many people does it take to give Thomas a bath?

4 Months Old

Thomas turned 4 months old today! My how time flies. It really seems just like yesterday he was born. He's super sweet and loves to laugh. Dave and I were talking about how serious Arden was as a baby and how much Thomas loves to laugh at you.

Stay tuned on Monday we go to the doctor for his 4 month weigh-in. I'll post stats when we get home. Any bets that he's close to 20 pounds? He was 15 lbs at 2 months and he's grown so much since then.

Catching Up

It is hard for me to believe that it is July 8th already. We have been in West Virginia for almost two weeks. I have every intention on blogging while I was gone but spending time with family took priority over blogging. Rightfully so.

The past two weeks have been busy with watching my brother get married, spending time in the mountains, celebrating Dave's birthday and then the 4th of July. Arden was able to spend time with her cousins Luke and Ella.

Now the car and bags have been unpacked. We are on a schedule again. I think. Hopefully, sometime today or tomorrow I will have time to catch up on the past couple of weeks. I have some great pictures and video to share. See you then.