Boy, what a week....

Eden came down with some sort of nasty virus on Tuesday afternoon. We spent the entire week juggling our schedules in order to take care of her. Although she was running a fever, you can see that she was quite content in her Daddy's care.

Don't Bah Me!!

Boy oh boy, are we in for it. Eden has already developed an attitude and a strong sense of determination. We have been working through a few issues, such as standing up in the tub, turning over while getting a diaper changed and dropping food onto the floor from her highchair. We have made progress with standing up in the tub, Eden doesn't try to do so anymore. However, turning over on the changing table is an every day battle but is really nothing when compared to her horrible table manners. The worst part about dealing with these bad behaviors is the back talk we get from her. Every time we try to get her attention by speaking her name loudly or barking "no!" at her, she barks right back at us with a hefty "BAH!".

Relaxing weekend at home

Eden had a great weekend...she slept really well, played in the pool for a long time and entertained herself happily at home.

We are trying to entice her to walk by setting up her toys in such a way that she can toddle over from one toy to the other one. She has done it once before, but not really since. She did stand up all on her own a few times this weekend, so her balance is definitely getting better.

She rediscovered one of her old toys. We took the legs off of her jumper and put it on the floor....she found the seat and got into it....it was a whole new toy to play with.

Eden also has a renewed interest in this pop-up toy. She has been playing with this toy for months now, but only closed the animals when they popped up. She would come crawling from across the room to close them. This weekend, she learned how to open them up. I also made the mistake of using her foot to hit the buttons and now she tries to kick it. Will I ever learn?!

We spent the afternoon at the pool. Eden played in the water for a good two hours. She also enjoyed lunch poolside. Boy, does she live the good life!

Crawling along the top step...

Chillin' Eden style...

Water Play!

Eden, being one of the older kids in her class, now gets to participate in Water Play! Being the water baby that she is, she knows just what to do....Get into the bucket, of course!

Eden, with her buddy, Myalls...Ready....Set...Go!

Get in the bucket!

Eden has always liked emptying toy bins, baskets, bags...whatever you've got nicely organized. She pulls all of the articles out one by one, and scatters them all over the floor. Recently, she has given this activity a new purpose, to empty the bin, bucket, whatever...so that she can climb in and sit inside of it.

Eden is really enjoying the swing we put up for her. We usually give her a few pushes while tossing the ball for the dogs in the evening.

Cam caught this moment, when she saw Moose A. Moose come on the tv.

Notice that she is pushing her stroller! She is getting more and more brave about letting go while standing up. We noticed that she seems a little more balanced on her feet. It definitely won't be long before she is walking!

We are beginning to think that Eden might like to watch tv a little too much.  Here are a few pictures from one afternoon when we took a break from playing to have a snack and watch a Baby Einstein....so captivating!  But notice the glazed look in her eyes...

Great weekend!

Eden's teacher, Erika, sent us these pictures.
They were fingerpainting....they said that she knew exactly what to do. When she fingerpainted at Primrose, they said the same thing (she was 4 months old then).
I guess it comes naturally to her, to smear something all over the place. Great.

I couldn't help but notice Myalls' interest in what was going on outside on the playground the other day. When I came to pick Eden up one afternoon, he was leaning against the doors in the back of the room, watching the kids play outside, rather intently.
It's funny to me, to see him in the background of these photos....doing the same thing. Maybe he has had enough of the bullying, the thievery that goes on now that Eden is mobile. He is looking at life on the other side....in the Toddlers Room. If only, if only he could walk...then he would be free from Eden and her antics!!!

We celebrated Papa's birthday this weekend with good times spent around the pool.

Eden really loves her macaroni and cheese these days! Although, I think half of what goes into her hand either ends up on her face or in her lap.

Aunt Amy did Eden's hair! Love it!

Watch out!!! Eden is WALKING!!

Eden's first trip to the beach!

Eden enjoyed her first Byrd Beach trip out on Topsail Island, NC. Before we left, I was worried about the sand situation....considering Eden puts absolutely everything into her mouth, I figured that sand would be no different. I was pleasantly surprised to see that she could sit in the sand without shoveling handfuls of the gritty grains into her mouth. At one point, she licked some of the sand that was on her hand and I guess it was then that she decided that it wasn't tasty enough to try again. Whew.

We planned ahead and brought a ton of baby gear to help keep her entertained while on the beach. The exersaucer was key, it kept most of her body out of the sand and she could play with her toys while keeping an eye on all of the action on the beach.

Cam and I were delighted to find that Eden really enjoyed the water and the small waves lapping on the edge of the beach. She smiled when the water rushed up on her, rather than screaming in fear. She is definitely a water baby!!
Just like every other year, there was a lot of action on the beach and in the water. Collin brought his big trampoline raft, which some of the little kids got to ride on for the first time.
The waves were awesome most of the days we were there. Big enough for the big kids (adults) to enjoy and smaller at times for the little kids to have fun in.
This year, most of the little kids were out playing in the surf.
There was always someone digging in the sand, Evan was buried in the sand by his cousins, Ashton and Chloe.
Eden spent a lot of time under the tent on the beach. GG brought her a baby pool to keep cool in. She seemed to like it!!

Cam got a lot of sun the first day, so Eden spent a lot of time with him under the tent and in the pool the rest of the week. The tent was also where a lot of the adults hung out, listening to music "crushing coldies" and sharing funny stories. Which then led to some funny pictures...:D
All of the activities on the beach wore little Eden out! Eden took the best naps of her life while at the beach.
Her day started out with playing with her cousins, Peyton, Cameron and Trent.
You may be wondering why Trent has a paper towel taped to his face. Trent suffered a split lip this particular morning. Brian, the caring and crafty father that he is, devised a "remedy" mask for Trent. Brian told Trent that his lip would be healed after wearing the mask for just 15 minutes. Of course, Cameron needed a remedy mask shortly there after.
Eden loved the open space in Megan and Brian's beach house.
She crawled all over their house, including into Anniken's doggie crate.
Eden enjoyed having lunch and snacks out on the deck, taking in the view of the water and babbling into the wonderful beach breeze.
It is always so nice to spend time with family, especially the family members you don't get to see too often. The bookends of the family were present this year...Medwick and Eden!

Uncle Cronin was with us for most of the week.

All Byrds were present and accounted for one day, so we took pictures on the beach.

Brothers and Sisters...

Abby was there all week this year, it was great for us to get to spend time with her.

The sunsets at the beach are always so beautiful.
What a wonderful picture of Nana and Eden!

What a great week.
I'm already looking forward to the trip next year.