Pretty much a perfect day *EDIT*

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We went to the mall last night, and got dinner in the food court. There's a huge carousel in the food court, so I thought it would be fun to take Ari on it, thinking that my little daredevil would love it. When I went to put her on the horse, she tried to clamp her legs together to keep me from doing it, clinging to me with a whimper. I helped her put her hands on the pole, and that seemed to relax her a little. I strapped the belt around her waist and kept my arm around her. I thought she would relax once the ride started and the horse started going up and down, but it only seemed to make it worse. Tony was on the sidelines calling out her name every time we went by, and it always took her a little too long to find him--by the time she turned her head, he'd be out of sight. That seemed to add to her discomfort too--as though it was unnerving her to be able to hear her Daddy, but not see him. She wasn't fully freaking out--just whimpering and looking a little distressed. Finally, I ended up unstrapping her and holding her for the last part of the ride, which seemed to settle her down. It was just the funniest thing--we took her to Six Flags and she loved all the rides, yet decided to be scared of one little carousel. Funny kid...

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Today was a gorgeously unseasonable day--the weather made it feel more like an early summer day than an autumn day. Not that I'm complaining. We slept in a little this morning, and when Ari woke up, I brought her to our bed to drink her bottle. When she was done, she handed it to me, sat up, and then immediately began bouncing up and down. Tony has a little routine he has with her on the days he has her at home--he brings her to bed to drink her bottle and then turns the TV to a music channel for her to dance to. So, apparently, she was more than ready to get her groove on. When Tony turned on the TV, she pulled out all her best moves--bouncing on her bottom, standing up and high-stepping, and clapping her hands. She even added a new move--sitting down and then flopping dramatically onto her back.

Later in the day, we headed out to do a few errands. We were on the hunt for a winter coat for her, and finally settled on one at Wal-Mart.



It's pink and navy blue (even though I think the one in this pic has black in it). It's a 4-in-1 jacket.... meaning that there's an inner reversible part, so you can wear the outer part alone, the inner part alone (2 ways), or both pieces together. So I think it will definitely suit every occasion this winter. It's a bit big on her--Tony was joking that we won't need to buy her mittens because her hands barely poke out of the sleeves.

We picked up my brother Pete while we were out, and brought him home with us--Tony, Pete, Wayne, and Greg are doing a guys' night tonight, playing (what else?) video games.

Before we left today, I had to grab the camera and get a few pictures of Ari, simply because I loved her outfit. The problem was, she didn't want to hold still for a picture. Tony tried holding her...



... but as you can see, she wasn't a big fan of that. I made a few other attempts, but they all came out blurry. Finally, the TV captivated her for a moment. (I know it looks like she's posing, but I promise this is a candid shot.)



I mean, seriously, is there anything cuter than a kid in overalls? And not only are they overalls, they're Precious Moments overalls.

Another reason she wouldn't hold still was because she was practicing her latest trick. She's learned that her toys can function as steps.



(Tony sent a picture to my cell phone yesterday that showed her fully standing up on that table. She also showed us today that she can climb off our bed by herself. We are in so much trouble.)

Finally, I decided I would try holding her myself, which of course didn't work. (I look retarded, but I love her expression--it's like righteous indignation.)



But Tony did manage to get this picture--my favorite.



Today was pretty much a perfect day.