5 Years

Last Friday, Geoff and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. Geoff surprised me by planning an overnight trip to Chattanooga! It was a wonderful surprise and we definitely enjoyed our time away. Friday night, we enjoyed dinner on a river cruise. Saturday we ate lunch at Sticky Fingers, spent time walking through downtown and along the river, and ended the day at Ruby Falls before heading home. We missed Arden, but it was wonderful to spend time together "baby-free". Thanks to Nonna and Tuck-Tuck (my parents) for keeping Arden for us!

Geoff, I am so blessed to have you as my husband. Thank you for planning this awesome trip for us--I had a wonderful time! I am looking forward to many more years together--I love you!

Our hotel

The boat we took for our dinner cruise

Overlooking Chattanooga

May Pictures

I was finally able to upload some pictures from May. Most of them are from our trip to Dallas, but a few of them are from our Memorial Day family get together at G.G. and PaPaw's (my Mamaw and Papaw). Enjoy!

The Dallas Zoo

Arden got a little sleepy while we were there :)

Arden and Mommy

Arden and the gorilla

The only way Arden would take naps was on our bed :)

Playing in our hotel room

My friend Leiann and me~~it had been over 20 years since we had seen each other!

The Sixth Floor Museum--unfortunately in this picture you can't see the sixth floor window!

Taking a rest in the President's chair (at the Clinton Library)

Mommy and Arden on a Harding swing

Enjoying the day at G.G. and PaPaw's

Please don't take away my balloon!

Sweet Seven Months

I thought I was going to have time to post pictures from our Dallas trip, but as I'm typing I can hear Arden waking up so I don't have much time! So, I thought I would at least post her seven month picture. It's hard to believe how much she is growing! She looks so grown up in this picture--she's hardly a baby anymore! Auntie April took a lot of great pictures of Arden and Silas this weekend--I need to share those with you as well. Hopefully I can do a massive picture post soon, but until then....enjoy this ONE!

So Much To Say...

I really think it's time for me to hire someone to update my blog for me! With all of our trips, computer problems, and summer activities I am having trouble finding time to update. Maybe I'm just full of excuses though, so I think I will stop and give you guys what you are waiting for! Unfortunately, I can't add pictures right now, but I can at least fill you in on what's been going on in our world and hopefully I can add pictures later this weekend!

So, where do I begin? On May 16th we loaded up the car and began the long trek to Dallas, TX. Geoff had to go for a business trip so Arden and I decided to tag along :) This was Arden's first real roadtrip and we were anxious to see how well she would do. We split the trip into two days so our pit stop for the night was Little Rock, AR (about 5.5 hrs from home). She did pretty well during the car ride, but she definitely had a hard time sleeping in the hotel pack-n-play. On Sunday morning we started the 5-6hr. drive to Dallas and Arden did so well until the last hour of the trip. By that time, she was so tired of being strapped in her carseat that it didn't matter what toy I pulled out of the bag or what song I sung, she was DONE! Needless to say, that last little bit of the ride was just a tad bit rough for mommy and daddy! At one point, I was so close to taking her out of the carseat and just holding her, but I quickly snapped back into reality and realized I could deal with her crying as long as she was safe :)

Once we arrived at the hotel, Arden was so thankful to be out of the carseat, but she was NOT looking forward to sleeping in the hotel crib. She made that very evident to us by screaming at the top of her lungs and refusing to go to sleep unless she was right by mommy and daddy in their bed. I knew sleeping in a hotel wasn't going to be fun, but I guess I didn't realize it would be this bad! The first few nights, she even woke up in the middle of the night screaming--our guess is because she had no idea where she was! Luckily, that lasted for just the first 2 or 3 nights, but she refused to fall asleep in the crib the whole time we were there.

Besides the sleep issues, we really had a great time in Dallas. While Geoff was in meetings, Arden and I went to The Galleria (they even had a clothing store named Arden B.!), the Dallas Zoo, and spend some time walking through downtown Dallas. On our last day, we all went to The Sixth Floor Museum, which we really enjoyed.

Besides enjoying the sights and sounds of Dallas, I was also able to catch up with some old friends. We had dinner with my college friends Scott and Cheryl and their little boy, Caleb. We hadn't seen them in almost 3 years so it was wonderful to spend some time with them. We were also able to have dinner with my friend Leiann and her family--I hadn't seen her since 2nd grade! It was awesome to spend time with her and get to know her husband and kiddos. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about meeting up with someone that I hadn't seen in almost 20 years, but we had such a wonderful time and can't wait to see them again! Hopefully next time we won't wait twenty years to get together :)

Our trip home went a lot smoother than our trip to Dallas. We split it up into two days again, but this time we didn't hit the road until late afternoon so Arden slept most of both trips. In Little Rock, we went to the Clinton Library (which was great!) and then we made a small detour to Searcy so I could stop by Harding. It's been over 5 years since I'd been there and it had really changed alot! After that, we were on our way home. When we got home Saturday night, Arden looked around her room as if she was making sure everything was still there, and then fell right to sleep :)

We've been very busy since we've been home--2nd annual Tucker Family Birthday Celebration, tutoring at The Linc, working at Sylvan, Arden's swim lessons, and spending time with friends and family! Geoff has also started his MBA program (YAY!!) so he's been spending some time in the evenings studying. This weekend, we are having a celebration dinner for our friends Cani and Justin as they get ready to welcome baby Truett into their lives! Please keep them in your prayers as they prepare for his arrival! Next weekend is our 5 year anniversary--I can't believe it's already been 5 years! Oh and in less than 2 weeks, we leave for a 12 day trip to Boston/Cape Cod! If you have ANY suggestions for plane trips and/or sleeping in a hotel with a baby, PLEASE let me know! As you can see, we've been very busy and we aren't slowing down any time soon!

Oh, I almost forgot! Amid our very busy schedule, Arden turned 7 months old! Where is the time going? In just a few short months, our baby girl will be 1--I really can't believe it! She is growing and changing every day. Hopefully I will get a chance this weekend to post pictures and give you a 7 month update!

Well, if you are still reading this, I hope you enjoyed the update! Hopefully life will slow down just a bit so I can find time to post some pictures. If I wait too long, you might not even recognize Arden!

6 month picture--just a wee bit late!

Here she is--looking so grown up! I'm sure I had a better picture, but I loved this one because it captures the way our little photo session went--she constantly had her hands on the bear! It also represents the stage she is in now--she wants to touch EVERYTHING in sight!

Here are just a few other cute faces our precious little girl makes:
I took this picture on Mother's Day before church:
Sundays are always difficult for her because she normally doesn't have time for a nap before we leave for church. This means she won't get a nap in until late afternoon--which can make for a rough day. However, this Sunday I was able to squeeze in a very short nap for her in the swing--do you think she was tired or what?!

And our new food of the week--Peaches! I'll let you decide if she likes them :)
Have a great weekend! Maybe I will get a chance to post during our trip to Dallas but I'm not making ANY promises! Please pray for us as we take a very long road trip with a 6 month old who loves to YELL the whole time we are in the car!

HELP!!

5/12/09 UPDATE:

Thanks for all the suggestions! Since midday yesterday, Arden has had 3 very normal, and VERY stinky, poops! Hopefully this will continue, but if not I have several things to try thanks to you guys! She still won't drink water or juice, but hopefully this will change over the next few months.

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Poor Arden is constipated but REFUSES to drink water or juice :( We are trying to eliminate any foods that may be causing this problem and adding in any fruits that will help--if you have ANY other suggestions for us, we would greatly appreciate them! I spoke with the nurse at the pediatrician's office this morning and she told me to give her karo syrup/water once a day until Wednesday. It's no fun seeing your poor baby hurting--I hope this clears up soon or we will have to visit the Dr. at that point. If you don't have any suggestions for us, at least keep us in your prayers!

Here I go again...

Somehow, time has gotten away from me and it's almost been a month since my massive posting! I don't know why I wait so long between posts....oh, maybe it's because we are always on the go! We've had a lot going on around the VanZoeren house, so I will do my best not to ramble and try and give you a lot of what I'm sure you are dying for--pictures of Arden :)

I have two blankets that hang over the side of Arden's crib--one is Geoff's baby blanket and the other is my mom's. This is how I found Arden one morning:
She loves to laugh and talk when she wakes up each morning! I typically let her stay in her crib as long as possible--and I listen to her play through the monitor. Every time I open the door to her room, I'm greeting by the biggest smile. What's not to love about this cute face?! She is definitely a morning person :)

I work at Sylvan Learning Center one day a week, and I am lucky enough to be able to take Arden with me. It's a lot of work to load and unload the car with enough toys to keep her entertained throughout the day, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I get the best of both worlds--earn a little spending money AND spend time with my baby girl :) I took this picture a couple of weeks ago at work:
If I don't watch her carefully, she will try and "help" me with those files behind her!

Some of you know that my parents have an 8 year old named Angel who lives with them Monday-Friday. When the schools closed because of the Swine Flu, I had the privilege of keeping her for 2 days. She is such a big help with Arden, and we definitely had a good time together. Her sister, T.T., was able to come for 1 day as well.
Geoff got some practice assembling a doll stroller--he better get ready, there's a lot more of that headed our way over the next several years!
One morning, the girls and I baked a cake. I was trying to take a picture of them in the process of mixing the ingredients, but they decided to make silly faces instead!
Here is the finished product--it was delicious! Strawberry cake with buttercream frosting--YUMMY!
Arden is now sitting up without any help! She can't pull herself up into a sitting position, but she will be before long. Since she's mastered sitting up, we decided to try a different way of giving her a bath--I think she likes it alot!
Geoff and I treated ourselves to a date night last Friday night. We went to dinner and then to see "Happy Days" at the Broadway Theatre League. April, Nonna, and Tuck-Tuck babysat Arden for us and surprised us by keeping her overnight! It was a much needed break for us, but we definitely missed her! This was the best picture we could get using the timer on our camera--I think it turned out pretty good!
Uncle Nae-Nae's birthday was May 4th. Last Saturday we had a nice birthday dinner for him at Nonna and Tuck-Tuck's--complete with steaks, baked potatoes, and most importantly--homemade milky way ice cream! It was delicious! Dinner is always a treat when they cook for us! This is a picture of Uncle Nae-Nae and Arden at the end of the night. I think it's pretty good considering it was WAY past her bedtime!
What a great picture of Arden--except her hair is CRAZY! This is what happens to her hair EVERY time she's in her carseat!
Arden's 6-month well visit was yesterday. She is right on track with everything, but her growth is definitely slowing down. This isn't a problem of course, we now just have confirmation that she's not going to be a giant like her cousin Silas!! She is still in the 80th percentile in both height and weight, so there is nothing to be concerned about! She weighs 17 lbs. 6 oz. and is 26.5 inches long. She did get 3 shots, but took them like a champ as usual :) I think her favorite part of the visit, though, was the paper on the exam table. She had a great time destroying it :)
Arden is doing a great job with every solid food that we introduce to her. So far, she is eating cereal, applesauce, bananas, green beans, and sweet potatoes. The next veggie we are introducing is squash--I just need to find the time to make them for her! Hopefully I will get to that by the end of the weekend. The only thing we have found that she HATES is juice! I have tried apple juice and pear juice (both diluted of course) and she refuses both of them! She's been having a small poop problem lately--occasionally, her poop is too solid, and the dr. wants her to drink water and/or juice throughout the day. Luckily I was able to get her to drink a small amount of water, but it is almost impossible to get her to take any juice! Yesterday I decided to give sippy cups a try with her because she is getting to the point where she loves to try and hold the bottle and put it in her mouth--so I thought, why not? Plus, maybe I could try and trick her into drinking some juice! She loved the sippy cup! Of course, she didn't drink too much out of it, but she did try. She mostly chewed on the mouthpiece, but it's definitely a start!

What a big girl!!!

Arden LOVES playing in her exersaucer! I have noticed lately, though, that she does a lot of "jumping" while she's playing so I thought it would be a good idea to get a jumper for her. I bought her one last night and we gave it a try this morning. She LOVED it! The mat that's on the floor plays music when she jumps on it--she really had a good time! I wasn't able to get a great picture of her though, because everytime I'd try she was laugh and start jumping! Maybe one day we will get a video of her.
Well, I think that's it for now. I haven't taken her 6 month picture with the bear yet, and I can't right now because she is napping. As soon as I do, I will definitely post it. She is changing so much each day--I can't believe how big she is getting!

I may not post again for a couple of weeks (no surprise, right?!) because we leave next Saturday for Dallas! Please pray for us as this will be our first LONG road trip with Arden. We are making the drive in two days, but I know it will still be a challenge. I'm sure I will have a lot to post about after our trip!