more summer travel

Chillin with dad at the hotel in Springdale, AR.

Jada likes grandma sue's "puppies." She would say Sadie (pictured here) and Huey and get so excited to see them both and want to pet and roll her head in their fur. Huey is Jada's favorite, though, he stays outside and she would kiss the glass door when he was on the other side of it. He is only like 160 lbs, so there is a lot of him to love.

Jada sitting in the suit case as mom packs for OH and MO.

Jada knows where her milk cup is, and she tries her hardest to get that door open.

Trip to the St. Louis Zoo with mom and grandma Betsy. We had a ball! Jada really liked the hippo (she kept calling him a puppy), butterflies, a duck (she waddled like the duck), the prairie dogs, and the chicken strips for lunch. She is an animal lover.

Cody has preached at 3 different camps this summer and we attended the FWB National Convention and the AR state meetings....so, as a family we have been in AR, TN, MS, KY, OH, IN, and MO in a span of 2 months. Jada has loved it! She likes to be busy, be on the go, and hang out with people, so all this travel and making new friends has been right up her alley. And let me tell you, she has made many friends everywhere we have been. Even in Wal-Mart jada will say "hi" all sweet to complete strangers. She is a doll. Also, she is saying new words every day...apple, flower, please, thank you, etc...and gives kisses all day long to mom and dad and her little friends at church.

Vacation Bible School

Jada LOVED vacation Bible school this year. She really liked the music and doing the motions along with mom and all the other kids. She did it all by herself...she is so smart!

Summer

Hanging out on father's day.

Helping dad with our garden.

If You're Happy and You Know it...Ba Ba

So I, cody, was laying Jada down for a nap today and she was playing with one of her toys that plays music. One of the songs was If you are happy and you know it...Everytime it would come to the "clap clap" part she would go "ba ba" and sometimes "ba." I thought at first this is just coinidence. However, after the 5th time the song was played and her doing it I was convienced she was doing it on purpose.

So I told Rebecca about and she just looked at me funny. So I went and got it and showed her and sure enough right on cue. So Rebecca put her to the test and sung it and she was right on cue. So we did our best to get it on video...any time the camera is out she gets distracted...listen closely and you will hear her.

More party stuff

Thank you to all the party goers and party helpers! For Jada's party we focused more on giving back than receiving, so

Jada collected donations for LoveBasket (adoption agency) and Shoahannah's Hope (adoption grant program). I am so happy to announce that $200 was raised, so half will go to each organization in Jada's honor. Thank you guys ! If you would like to donate contact me, or donate online - http://www.lovebasket.org/ http://www.showhope.org/ (both are non-profit).

1st Birthday party

Cody and I wanted a child 5 years before Jada came into our lives, and in that five years we learned quite a bit. One of those lessons was to enjoy every moment of our child's childhood, not to rush her on to the next thing, but be there in that moment. We have watched nieces and nephews grow up and have wondered where the time went? Well, we have enjoyed the fun times and the hard times with Jada, but still yet I wonder where the time has gone?! Just yesterday I was holding a 6 lb bundle of joy, but today she doesn't want to be held, she wants to run on her own. Please, no one say, "Before long she will be graduating from high school." I can't handle that right now....I am enjoying this moment of my baby being almost 1!

Catching you up

Oh my...it has been awhile! Well, here is Jada in her Easter dress. She got so sick with an ear infection and felt so very bad. Jada has been to her first(of many) Cardinal ball game, but I didn't think about the fact that she wouldn't want to sit, and she would want to put peanut shells in her mouth. Oh well, family time anyway. We have also had an over night trip to our favorite place- Mountain View, AR. We stayed in a little cabin there and Jada ran from one end to the other the whole time (she is training for her first road race).