Welcome to La-La Land

We are still here!

2009-03-28T21:23:00.002-06:00

I promise!
I know it has been since December since I have blogged. I know that's like, well, last year. I get that. It's a little intimidating- trying to decide if you should catch up on the last 3 months or if you should start fresh... or, my current dilema- start at all.
So-
I am leaving it up to you, the reader. (I don't really even know how many there are!)
Leave a comment and tell me what you think I should do.
Either
A) recap the last three months in one horrifically long blog and then be faithfully consistent from there.
B) Start fresh and current and carry on.
C) Scrap it and come see me on Facebook.

The life of this blog is in your hands people!!
I'll let this go on until I have a definitive answer... or until enough people respond to make it more than a one person tie. LOL

Oh Baby It's Cold Outside!

2008-12-18T22:54:00.003-06:00

I have so many wonderful things to blog about, but this will have to do for a while. Ashley got all dressed up Tuesday morning and it was just precious. I decided to do a little video about Christmas time- enjoy! :)

Ho, Ho, Oh, no!

2008-12-06T22:51:00.003-06:00

It is officially Christmas! We have decorated the house, hung the lights outside, the cards are ready to go (as soon as someone addresses them...) and now, we have talked to the big guy. Ashley was sooooo excited to go see Santa this year. She totally knew how cool he was. She wasn't scared in the least. In fact, the minute she saw him face to face, she proudly proclaimed that she wanted a "Caillou movie". (Yes, she watches too much t.v. Yes, I am a bad parent for that. I'm over it.) We waited entirely too long for our thirty second meeting with the man in red, but that's ok. It's what you do as a mom. One more Christmas box is checked. And nothing makes me happier than checked boxes.
What did not make me happy is what ensued over the next few days...
It all started the day we went to see Santa. When Ashley woke up from her nap too early and complained that her ear hurt I blamed it on her 2 year molars busting through...
After a cranky Wednesday, a sleepless Wednesday night and puking in the car on the way to school Thursday, it began to dawn on me that this might not be just her molars. So, we went to the doctor (once I cleaned the banana yogurt puke off of her, me, and the car. YUK)
She was diagnosed with her first ear infection- and you know it's not good when the doctor takes a look and says, "wow, that does not look good." and it wasn't. She had a fever over 101 all day Thursday and puked two more times. She laid on the couch literally the whole day, and for those of you that know my child well this is very, very, oh so very unlike her. She was pitiful. :(
But after a few days of antibiotics and a lot of Motrin she is on the mend. She has begun coughing though which freaks me out when I have several friends whose babies have RSV and pneumonia. I pray that she will push through and be fully better soon.
I guess when she saw Santa Tuesday she should have asked for a bill of good health instead of a movie... I will be sure to remind her next year to choose wisely.

Catching Up

2008-12-01T10:58:00.008-06:00

My how time flies... I can't believe that it is already December 1st! The past couple months have been an absolute blur. I have been reminded time and time again how precious time is and how much I love my family and friends. I honestly don't have the time it would take to tell the stories and such for all that has happened in the past six weeks, so I will have to let the pictures do the talking. These are some of the highlights and the fun times that we had in October and November. Enjoy!

The State Fair of Texas

Fall Festival at Prestoncrest

Celina Big Orange Pumpkin Patch with Nana

Happy Halloween!

At the FW Zoo with Emily and Andee

Ashley's Fall Program at Sunshine School

Thank You God for Creatures Great and Small

(the 2's were bears!)

We love Mrs. Nicole!

ICE! at the Gaylord with Emily, Anna and the Momma's

Viewing and Funeral Information

2008-10-14T07:33:00.001-06:00

I wanted to pass along information regarding the viewing and funeral services for Christopher.

VIEWING:
Thursday 6:00-8:00pm
Allen Family Funeral Options
2120 W. Spring Creek (b/t Independence & Custer)
Plano, TX

FUNERAL SERVICES:
Friday 10:30am
St. Francis of Assisi
8000 El Dorado Pkwy
Frisco, TX

Burial following funeral services at cemetary behind the church

Reception at church following funeral and burial

Denise has requested that in lieu of flowers, she would prefer if everyone would either donate to the American Cancer Society on behalf of Christopher, or donate to the Seibert Family Fund to help Ethan for his future.

Christopher has gone Home

2008-10-12T13:05:00.003-06:00

Christopher Seibert went home to be with the Lord this morning at about 6:45 a.m. Denise was at his side. Please keep Denise, Ethan and their extended family in your prayers.
If you would like to send your condolences, Denise has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or to their donations web page which will now become a site for Ethan's future. www.ourseibertfamily.com
If you would like to send a note to them or help in any way with meals, etc. Please leave a comment and I will email you back.
Thank you to all of you who have been keeping this family in your prayers. Whether you know them or not, I know that it has helped. Chris was in so much pain and the Lord knew he needed to be healed, it just wasn't meant to be on this earth.

Update on the Seibert Family

2008-10-07T19:50:00.002-06:00

I know that it has been a few weeks since I have updated the blog with anything, especially with news concerning Chris, Denise and Ethan. If the last three weeks have been a blur for me, I can only imagine how Denise is feeling. I talked with her today and she said that Chris has been sleeping the majority of the time since Saturday. He is not eating much at all and is only able to carry on short conversations while he is awake. They were able to get a hospital bed hopefully delivered tonight to ease his discomfort from laying on the couch and getting in and out of bed. It is looking like the end is near and my heart aches for them. I pray on and off throughout every day for them and some days I don't even have the words and I can only pray for God to give strength and peace to them. I understand now what his will for Chris is and while it deeply saddens me I also know that the ultimate plan is in HIS hands and not mine.
On a positive note, I have been so relieved and overjoyed to see the outpouring of love and support from friends, neighbors and even complete strangers. When this journey began there were so many needs to be filled and praise God, He has provided for so many of them. Meals are being delivered almost daily and cleaning has been arranged thanks to Mitzi, another friend and neighbor. Many people donated to the website and that has been a huge blessing for them. They are under a deep pile of medical bills from the past year and a half and it is such a relief for Denise to know that she can take care of at least some of that. I am just glad that unlike so many who lose a spouse all too soon, they are able to spend these last precious days together as a family. I pray that it brings Denise some sense of peace in the coming months and years.
Please continue to keep Christopher, Denise and Ethan in your prayers. If you would like to follow their story more closely you can visit
http://livestong.blogspot.com/
If you would like to donate please go to
www.ourseibertfamily.com
Thank you

"Did you go to the zoo today?"

2008-10-07T19:37:00.004-06:00

Note to readers- Marc and I are the only ones laughing at that title...
carry on. :)

Nana, Ashley and I went to the Ft Worth Zoo today to celebrate Nana's anniversary (Grandad is out of town ). We had a great day and the weather could not have been more perfect! Ashley had so much fun and loved the gorilla, hippopotamus and elephants the best. A wonderful surprise too, we happened to run into one of my dearest friends, Katie, and her kids while we were out there! Great day-

Ashley found this stick in the first 5 minutes at the zoo. It didn't leave her hand the whole day.

She is "fishing" in this picture. She said she caught the big one, but it got away...
It is tough to get "posed" shots of this child. I am satisfied that she is still and smiling- who cares if there is a sippy cup in the picture and it's blurry.
Hugging the baby elephant. Notice the stick?
All tuckered out (again, stick... check!)
The gorilla concurred.

Who Built the Ark...

2008-10-07T19:28:00.003-06:00

Ashley, apparently!!

She asked me to take this last one. I love the cheesy smile! :)

Fall at the Arboretum

2008-10-07T19:19:00.002-06:00

The beautiful weather has continued around here and we made two more trips back to the Arboretum this week- yes, two THIS week!! First time was with Nana, Ashley and I and the second time was for our Sunday School Fall Picnic. Both days were wonderful! Ashley loves pumpkins so she was in heaven!!

She loves to sit on pumpkins! Seriously, she searches them out and "tries" out most of them!

This was the Sunday School Picnic day. Ashley has that look on her face b/c she was looking for the petting zoo (which is apparently not there on the weekend). She was not very happy about this at all.

Look, more pumpkins. Gotta sit on these too!

Sad update on the Seibert's (Love One Another Post)

2008-09-23T21:44:00.002-06:00

I would have posted this more quickly, but honestly my days have been very busy since a simple phone call. I got a call from Denise on Saturday that I will never forget. She just said that Chris was not doing very well at all and that she was scared. She said that she was waiting on a call back from his doctor and that they might have to go to the hospital and would I come watch Ethan, who had just gone down for a nap. Of course I said yes and was out the door, trying to hold it together and fearing the worst...
Fortunately it seemed the whole street was out in their yards as I ran down to their house and our other neighbor Joel followed me down. As we walked in, Denise was essentially getting the news from the doctor that Chris has entered liver failure and it was worsening quickly. We watched as Denise received the devastating news that this was the end of the road for Chris here on earth and it was a matter of days to weeks.
I have to be honest, I have never been around anyone when that news was delivered and to watch this strong, brave woman literally crumble onto the floor was the hardest thing I have ever gone through. (let alone processing the fact that our friend is dying...)
It has been a whirlwind couple of days full of phone calls trying to set up hospice care, priests, help from friends, care from strangers, etc. I have been truly blown away by the kindness of strangers and the sheer numbers of true angels that have come out in this time of need.
That said, they are still desperately in need of financial assistance. The medical bills are staggering and will only get worse in this last stage of care. Then the real challenge of trying to heal emotionally and take care of a child on her own will set in. I am praying for more angels to step in and make this a little easier on them financially.
Most importantly though, I ask that if you are reading this, please stop and say a prayer for them. Pray for peace, strength, wisdom and comfort and BOLDLY ask for a MIRACLE! I know it is God's time and not ours, but I also know I serve a merciful God and that He has the power to heal what medicine cannot. I praise God for the work that He has already done to answer so many prayers.
Here are some websites again:

http://www.ourseibertfamily.com/
this is to donate to the Seibert's

http://livestong.blogspot.com/
The Seibert blog that should be updated soon by a friend that is staying with them (thank you Amber!)

http://devine-memories.blogspot.com/2008/08/plea.htmlHer
This is the photographer's website. She is also a good friend of Denise's and has been posting needs for the family

http://themillermemo.blogspot.com/
This is another neighbor and friend, the Miller's. Mitzi is setting up meals and care for the family.

Thank you so much for caring enough to do something. Whether it is prayer, donations, food, etc. it all counts and it is all very much appreciated!

Metamorphosis

2008-09-19T21:06:00.002-06:00

I promise you when we left the house this morning, Ashley had on a cute little outfit- a skirt and t-shirt, a bow in her piggie-tail and little white socks and tennis shoes. This was at about 5:45 this evening...

She decided to change shoes when I was bringing her fall clothes out of the other closet. She saw the nike's and had to make a shoe change then and there.

Notice the visor being used as a belt... and yes, that is a pajama top over her t-shirt. A winter PJ top, no less...

I think the bow and piggie tail were just caught in the crossfire...

She insisted posing in the chair for her picture. Her hand is raised in protest in the other picture because she is showing me that she wants to go take her pic. in the chair "o'der"

Gotta love 2 year olds. :)

Beautiful Weather

2008-09-19T20:47:00.003-06:00

After the wind, rain and devastation that Hurricane Ike brought to so much of Texas, the DFW area was lucky to have a gorgeous stretch of weather this week. Mom and I celebrated the return of cooler temperatures by taking Ashley to the Arboretum on Tuesday. We had a blast! Fall at the Arboretum doesn't start until this weekend so there was hardly anyone there but all the flowers were already planted and beautiful. It was also one of those rare Texas weather days when it is cool in the shade, warm in the sun and a gentle breeze that hits just when you need it- ah, bliss! For the first time at the Arb. Ashley spent much of the time out of her stroller and just ran, and ran and RAN!! Needless to say she came home that afternoon and took a LONG nap!!
Here are some of the highlights of the day:

Nana and Ashley

Nana brought back a cool squeaky duck necklace from Mackinac Island for Ashley.

Ashley wore it for the rest of the day... and the next day.

The Spitting Frogs

I was amazed that Ashley actually listened to me and didn't get drenched

while running around the frogs!!

Running

More running

Loving on the deer statues

Oddly, she kept calling the smallest deer "Piglet"??

Just the right size...

"Cheese!"

Thanks for the ride, Piglet deer

Lunchtime

Nana made Ashley a snowflake that she turned into a blanket for her doggie

Love One Another

2008-09-05T15:40:00.004-06:00

As many of you know, we live in a neighborhood with many young families. The Seibert's, who live a few houses down from us, moved in just a few weeks before we did 5 years ago. We quickly became friends, along with several other couples on our street. Although we don't have as much time to hang out and enjoy one another as we used too (kids, work, other obligations, etc.) they are wonderful people, with the most loving marriage, and amazing parents to a 2 year old son named Ethan. In 2007, Christopher was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. The cancer has spread to his liver and is covering 50% of it. He has been recieving weekly chemotherapy treatments and is fighting this battle with everything he has. I am amazed at the strength and positive attitude of each of them, when it would be just as easy to crumble. They both work full-time jobs, and Christopher works 60+ hours a week at a physically demanding job while he continues chemo treatments.

As you can imagine, insurance only goes so far and bank accounts can only be so deep. Their financial resources are all tapped out--they need help. A great way to help would be to make a donation- any donation, no matter how large or small. If you only have $10 to donate and 200 people donated $10--that adds up to A LOT of money.

They also need your fervent prayers. Please pray that Christopher fights this cancer and that the cancer will shrink to the point that surgery is an option. Please also pray for them to continue with their incredibly positive attitude. They must stay strong and beat this cancer once and for all.

Denise's friend Amber, set up a page for them so that others can donate. If you would like to read more about them or their story-OR donate-click here.

http://www.ourseibertfamily.com/

Denise also has a blog that you can read for updates, and their personal story. To read her blog, click here,

http://livestong.blogspot.com/

Their photographer has also set up a special offer that will benefit Chris and Denise so you can also consider using her for your Christmas pictures, baby pictures, etc. Her website is here:

http://devine-memories.blogspot.com/2008/08/plea.htmlHer

Denise is a woman of many talents and has also just begun a home based business called Socially Inked that has a beautiful selection of wedding, baby, invitations, and personal stationary. The website is here:

http://www.sociallyinked.com/

Please consider helping them out, and please, please pray for them.

Back to School

2008-09-04T20:28:00.004-06:00

Today was Ashley's first day of school! She is at Sunshine School again at our church and is in the 2 year old classroom this year. We are so lucky to have Mrs. Nicole. She is a friend of ours from church and we know that she is a wonderful, loving teacher.
Ashley had a great day today! She loved so many things about her day, including coloring right when she walked in the door- hooray! That's probably why she didn't want her picture taken then. She went to chapel and was picked to choose a song with Mrs. Becca, learned all about cowboys in Enrichment (and now loves saying "yee-haw!" although it sounds like "hee-haw!" :) ) Played on the playground, ate a good lunch and ... took a great nap on her napmat!!!! Yea, Ashley!!!!! Funny enough, that was my biggest worry about the day since she is still in her crib at home. She did great though and is excited to go back on Monday! Here are some pictures I took this morning (check out her little ponytail on top of her head!!)

Molly Dog

2008-09-02T19:55:00.002-06:00

We went over to Marc's parent's house on Monday for Labor Day. Their friends, Lee and Gayle were staying with them for a few days while Hurricane Gustav did it's thing. They live just west of where the hurricane made landfall so we were so thankful that they were able to get out and have a nice place to stay. (Not to mention how nice it was to see them!) They brought their little Chihuahua named Molly with them and after a bit of "introduction" time Ashley was in LOVE with that little dog. By the end of the afternoon she was giving the tiny dog kisses and hugs. It was soooo cute!! Although I couldn't decide who I was more amazed at- Ashley being so still or Molly letting Ashley hold her! You can even tell in the last picture that Molly was starting to fall asleep. I guess she has the animal touch!

Fashionista

2008-08-26T13:48:00.004-06:00

She's two and she can do it herself... thank you very much!

Pete's Place

2008-08-26T13:40:00.002-06:00

This is the silly cat's new favorite spot. Ashley thinks it's hilarious! (We do too)

He also likes this spot a lot. We think he is trying to take back some territory from a certain small person who has totally thrown off his game...

Yaya Papaya Giveaway

2008-08-15T12:32:00.002-06:00

My friend had a link to this blog/store and they have the CUTEST tu-tu's!! They have some for Halloween that are just adorable. Right now they are having a free giveaway contest!! Check it out at http://yayapapayatutus.blogspot.com/

Ashley is TWO!!!!!

2008-08-13T21:01:00.007-06:00

It is so hard to believe that my baby girl is now a two year old!!! Well, I say that but when she is saying her two favorite phrases "no" and "Ashley do it" I know without a doubt that she is most definitely two!! To celebrate her birthday, I tried to fill the day with all of her favorite things. Here is a recap:

We began the day with "cupcakes" (actually blueberry muffins). She loves muffins and we never have them, so thought this would be a great treat for her and it was! She loved watching them bake in the oven which she kept reminding me was "hot". Once they were out she proceeded to devour two of them!

Then we went to a splash park in Allen. We had never been to this one and it was so fun!! Lots of cool things to play with!

Marc came home at lunch and when Ashley woke up from her nap we opened presents. She got some fun toys, puzzles and books from us but her favorite thing was "special jammies". What are special jammies you may ask?? Well, since she was a newborn she has always slept in the footed PJ's that zip up. The night we got back from Mexico I realized that she didn't have any clean PJ's to sleep in except for the kind with the pants and shirt. So, I talked it up and called them special jammies hoping that she wouldn't mind the change. Well, she ate it up and wanted more!! Every night after that she asks to wear her "special jammies". So, for her birthday I got her two new pairs. Oh joy!!

The first James Avery bag... such a special moment in a girls life! :) We started her a charm bracelet for her birthday last year and this year we were able to give it to her to wear. It has a cake on it from her 1st and an A on it from her 2nd.

After presents Marc and I took her to the mall to play at the play area and have dinner at Chick Fil A (her favorite). I didn't plan it at all but the CFA cow happened to be there!!! What a great birthday surprise!! She is still talking about it!

After a delicious chicken dinner, we went for a ride on the "horsies" (carousel). As you can see, to say she enjoyed herself is an understatement!

Night, night my big girl!! (notice the blue socks... she picked them out herself. Another bonus of the special jammies!) The next morning was her party at the park!!

Her party was so fun!! It was a little chaotic with two other parties at the park and the first saturday of about 5 football practices. But all the people and noise just made it feel more like a big party!! Ashley had so much fun playing in the water, on the park and getting to see all of her friends and family. It was a great birthday. Here are a couple of the highlights:

Washing the cow. Very important. Obviously.
Grandad pushing Ashley on the swing. We had to promise surprises in her presents to get her out of there. Not even cake would move her away!
Ashley and her watermelon cake. (Being VERY good and keeping her hands in her lap as asked)
Having her cake and eating the numbers too
Presents!!!
One of her favorite presents. A "Big Elmo Chair" that spins and plays "Elmo Says" with you. She loves it soo much!! And funny enough, so does Pete. He has taken to cuddling up in the chair when Ashley is sleeping!!
Post- party lounging!! Notice her leg cocked up on the table while she is munching on lunch! Classic!!
Taking a picture of TMX Elmo sitting in the elmo chair with her play camera. THIS is what makes my girl soooo happy. I don't know what that says exactly, but it's funny!!
The birthday girl with her new outfit, Crocs, baby doll and Elmo

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!!!

Oh, and for any that are wondering. She went to her well visit Monday. She is off the charts on height (surprised?) 90% in weight and head and doing very well in speech and motor skills. That's my girl!!!! :)

Mela Minute

2008-08-13T20:41:00.003-06:00

I am now entering my third month of membership with Melaleuca and I still love it!! I continue to find great new products and I have been so happy to be able to share it with people that I care about. Here are some of the great products that I have tried out this month:

Peanut Butter Crunch Attain bar: This is the same line of weight management foods as the shakes that I tried out last month. I love these sooo much! They are very yummy and very filling and a lot easier to eat on the run than making a shake (although I still love those too!).

Peach Fiber Wise Drink mix: This fiber drink mix has a whopping 12 grams of fiber due to psyllium husk fiber. It is actually quite yummy and does not cause um, "side effects" like some other fiber drinks can. I like to mix it with my Attain shake to make a peach vanilla shake. Yum!!

Pineapple Mango Bath Bar: YUM! This smells heavenly. I have it in my guest bathroom and it makes the whole room smell yummy!!

No Work Shower spray: So far so good. I have been wanting to try this for a while after several of my friends recommended it. You spray it on the glass and walls of the shower after you are done while it is still wet. It makes the soap residue and water stains run off without sticking on. So far I can tell a difference. I am still getting used to spraying it on after I get out but I like it a lot.

Vita Bears Vitamins: I got these for Ashley since she is now two and they recommend supplementing with vitamins at that age (because we all know how many veggies a toddler will eat!) She likes them a lot. I tell her they are a vitamin treat and she gobbles it up. Yea!

Lip Balms in Vanilla, Mint and Berry- OK, I am a complete convert!! I have been using medicated or berry Chapstick since the dawning of time and I love these lip balms soooooo much more!!! They are so creamy and leave my lips so soft. They smell great, but don't have a flavor which I like. Plus they have spf 15!!

Whitening Tooth Polish: Hooray!!!!! I love this stuff!!!! Same clean feeling as the mint polish, but no funky taste. It just tastes clean and fresh with a hint of mint. Plus, papaya juices whiten teeth without harsh bleaches or abrasives. I am in love!!! I have never been able to use whitening tooth pastes because of my receding gum line but I can use this!! Plus, my dentist said that the effects were noticable and that the plaque removal was great!! Yahooooooo!! :)

Access bars in Caramel Fusion and Chocolate Krisp: MMMMMMMMmmmmmmm!!!!!! 2 thumbs up!!

Fiber Wise Strawberry bars: Yummy!!! These are like a healthy version of a nutragrain bar. They have 6 grams of fiber and taste great!! I love them for breakfast or an afterworkout snack.

Simply Fit Cookies: OK, I am going to say it. I was not a big fan of these. Marc said that he liked the chocolate chip cookies though. They just were a little too dry and "healthy" tasting to me. I mean, if you are going to eat a cookie, it's got to taste like a treat... oh well.

As you can see, a lot of this months purchases stocked my pantry more than under my sink. Melaleuca has a huge line of nutritious foods at great prices!! I am telling you, this company is changing my life one brown box at a time!! Speaking of, if you are interested in the business building side of Melaleuca, let me know and I will tell you all of the exciting news there!!
Until next month- here's to better living!!

PV 08

2008-08-13T20:14:00.005-06:00

In July, Marc and I took Ashley on a family vacation down to Puerto Vallarta with all of Marc's family. It was so fun!! Ashley had such a great time playing with her cousins and we all enjoyed hanging out together. It was the same resort (Grand Mayan) that we went to last year, so this year we knew all the fun that was heading our way! Ashley loved all the pools, ocean and lazy river! Here are some of the highlights:

Our first morning there

This is the most random picture, I know! In the entry hall of the resort there are these HUGE 30 ft. tall Mayan warrior statues "guarding" the entrance. Ashley was not scared of them at all! In fact, she thought they were the coolest things there. Every day we had to go see "big toes" and then we would tickle the toes and see the "people" and the "hands". It was all very exciting! Even now, almost a month later, she still asks to see the "big toes" and when she is taking her babies in the stroller and you ask her where she is going she tells you she is going to see the "big toes". Weird, I know... but pretty funny!

There was a little train that went from one side of the resort to the other. Ashley was enthralled by it so one day we waited the 30 minutes to get on the train and took the whopping 8 minute ride traveling at a mind-spinning 3-4 mph. It was thrilling, really... and yes, we look hot because we ARE hot. It was about 90 with about 90% humidity. Good times... the things we do for our kids, right?? Well, the important thing is that Ashley loved it and spent the 30 min. prior bouncing from seat to seat to find just the right one. It was hard to get a "posed" picture!

Yea, train!!!

Swimming with Gran :)

There was a great little kids area that had tons of slides and sprinklers. This was by far Ashley's favorite spot to hang.

Nana gets a gold star!!

She was so wonderful looking after all the kids and cooking for everyone. I think she needed a vacation after her vacation!!

Marc and I went fishing with Marc's dad one day out in the Pacific just off the coast of PV. We had a great day and caught quite a bit of Tuna. Marc pulled in some big ones! I started to reel one in, but it was a little more than I could handle so Marc took over for me. After that I just sat back and watched the action.

Catch o' the day!

Mela Minute

2008-07-12T20:26:00.003-06:00

Do you like the catchy new name?? :)
Well, I am over a month into my Melaleuca membership and I am in LOVE!! Everything that I have tried has been AWESOME! Here are some of my latest product trials as well as a few updates:

Access Bar in Mint Ice- YUMMY!! tastes like a Girl Scout Thin Mint!

Attain Shake in Vanilla- Very yummy! I like to mix mine with fruit. I have used ice when I mix it in the blender and it makes it really good. It kept me satisfied until the next meal.

Update on Envia Shampoo and Conditioner- OK, when I first tried it I wasn't too crazy about it. However, once I realized that it is very concentrated, started using less and stopped putting the conditioner close to my scalp- well, I love it! I didn't realize how much though until I had to go back to my old stuff this weekend and I realized how soft my hair is with the Envia. I am a believer now!!

Update on Mint Tooth Polish- This one was a shocker for me. I really didn't like the taste of the stuff when I first started using it. But after a week I was used to it and it just tastes minty now. When I had to use Colgate again this weekend, it shocked me because the Colgate tasted really gross and sickly sweet. I also didn't feel like my teeth were as clean. I go to the dentist in August, so I'll have to update after that.

Aussie Pals Hair and Body Wash- This is shampoo and wash for babies and kids. I was able to use it at a friends house before ordering it and I loved it! It smells so good, is very concentrated, but makes tons of lather. The shampoo also left Ashley's hair very soft and smelling great. I ordered it with my July order!

Aussie Pals Foaming Hand Wash- Ashley loves this stuff!! It smells great and you only need one pump to completely get hands clean (even mine!). The best part is that it's cheaper than Bath and Body Works soap!

Clear Power Glass Spray- LOVE it!! It gets glass and shiny surfaces so clean and sparkly with NO streaks! I also got the microfiber towels and love those too!

Rustic Touch Furniture Polish- This stuff is great! You can use it safely on all wood as well as leather. I love that! I have wood and leather dining room chairs so it is perfect. It cleans and conditions so well without leaving a residue.

Update on Sol-U-Mel- Oh my goodness, I LOVE this stuff!!! I have used it for so many things. It gets out stains on the carpet left by our lovely cat, it got rid of sugar ants and plant mites, I have used it on all the soft surfaces of the house including beds, pillows, crib bumpers, stuffed animals, couches, pillows, etc. to kill dust mites (and I can tell a difference!) It is the coolest stuff ever!!! :)

There you have it!!

Happy 4th of July!!

2008-07-12T20:19:00.003-06:00

We had a very fun 4th at home and celebrated P's birthday and hung out with our neighbors. Then on the 5th we got up and went down to our friend's lake house again for the weekend. We had so much fun!! They have a great house right on the lake and our friends Kellie and Dan and Anna were there as well. We had a great time!!

Looking back to the house from the lake
Ashley LOVED the jet ski!!!
Wet hair+wind= a very interesting 'do!!
BFF's :)

What We've Been Up to This Month, or Last Month... Whatever.

2008-07-12T19:20:00.009-06:00

Hi friends! Yes, we are still alive and kicking! I thought you might be interested to see what we have been doing that has taken me away from blogging... let's see if I can recap. Now, bear with me, I know this is July and we are talking about June. We'll get to this month in a minute.

We begin with Father's Day. Okay, well if you own a calendar you know we don't begin with Father's Day, but that is where our story is starting. Just go with me on this one, mm-kay??

We celebrated a really nice relaxing Father's Day at Marc's parents house this year. It was very low-key because everyone else (my parents and Marc's brother and his family were all out of town). So, we swam at Nana and Gran's and had a great time.

Happy Father's Day Marc!!

Cruisin' and Chillin'

Eatin' some s'getti's

While Father's Day was all fun and games it is not exactly the reason for our web absence. The true reason was a little thing we like to call VBS. Now, for most people this involves going for a few hours one week out of the summer. No sweat, right?? Well, let me tell you- you only think you've VBS'd... oh how wrong you are! You have to be on the committee to really get a feel for the game. Then you know the ins and outs of the whole thing! A friend of mine and I headed up the snack committee this year and I have to say that while it was a lot of fun and very rewarding... wow! It was a LOT of hard work. I am floored by the people that do this every year. The amazing amounts of time and dedication that they happily volunteer makes you realize what it is truly like to have a Servant's Heart. So, for the better part of June we were up at church almost daily making really amazing things out of butcher paper. (I kid you not!) We made trucks, boats and trees for the Missions room, Sharks, Scuba Divers and Jellyfish for the entryway, oceans, caves, and waterfalls... I could go on. That is why I had to take pictures of just a few of the highlights. It is truly amazing what can be done with craft paper and staples!! Anyway, on to the picture stories...

The first day... she was VERY excited to be wearing her "blue shirt". Little did she know she would be wearing it for the rest of the week! Funny enough she loved it the whole week and was actually sad she couldn't wear it on Saturday!! (I, on the other hand, did not share her feelings on the blue shirt... oh yes, I had a matching one.)

The road crew! These are our dear friends that we have been riding to Sunshine School with all year. We loved being able to ride with them to VBS again!!

The Snack Shack... AKA my home away from home for three weeks!!

We served 300 children daily for a week here. Yes, that's right 1500 snacks and 1500 drinks in a week. And these were not mere goldfish and kool-aid snacks. We served Fruit Kabobs, Trail Mix, Oatmeal Cookie Turtles, Pudding with crushed cheerios and shaved chocolate on top (looks like sand) and various drink concoctions like fruit smoothies and slushes. Then on Friday we served about 600 people and made hot dogs and cupcakes that looked like the beach.

This was 1/2 of the cupcakes that we made... yes, that's a LOT of cupcakes!!!

Everything was decorated in our theme of Outrigger Island. It was all so cute! These are the bulletin boards. There are about 25 of them and they were all done this well. Hats off to Tara and her mom and crew!!
Check out the fruit- it's 3-D!!

This was the Crafts Cave next door where the kids had crafts everyday. SO creative!!

This is the kids foyer known as the RT Tyler area. It was so very cool!! The kids would just walk in and look around in amazement!

After VBS, we have had a nice relaxing break of just hanging out at home getting caught up on life. Here are a few pics. of Ashley and her friends. :)

I had to add this last one b/c it cracks me up. Ashley has gotten to where she now asks to have her picture taken. We came home from church one day and she was sitting on the couch reading and all of a sudden started saying "Mama, cheese?? Mama, picture peese?" And she began to "pose". Unfortunately she has also begun to have the fake "picture" smile (as shown here). I am not really crazy about it, but at least she sits still. I'll take what I can get!

Melaleuca products d'jour

2008-06-05T16:31:00.004-06:00

OK, I don't have much time to blog today, but I wanted to tell you about the products that I tried today. Here goes:

The Platinum Soap Bar- Yummy!! It smells very lightly like apricot and feels great! It is french milled so it is supposed to last longer than a regular bar of soap.

Access Nutrition Bars- YUM!! I have the caramel chocolate crunch and it is delicious!! These are the coolest bars. They are only 110 cal. but you eat them specifically right before you work out because they help your body continue to burn fat instead of transitioning to muscle burning. AWESOME!! It helped my energy levels and didn't feel heavy in my stomach or anything. I give this one 2 thumbs up!

Envia Finishing Spray- It has been a long time since I have used a pump hairspray instead of aerosal, but I really like this one. It smells good and has good medium hold.

Sol-U-Mel- This is the granddady of Melaleuca products and I can see why. It has about a zillion uses! It is primarily made from tea tree extract (another name for that is melaleuca) and I used it as a fabric/air freshener. You spray it on fabric like couches etc. and it not only makes it smell better but actually kills dust mites! I don't know what else does that. I tested it on the couch today and like the results, so the whole house is getting a spray down tomorrow- especially the bed and pillows. :)

OK, that's all for today- hope to use a few more things tomorrow when I have a chance to do some cleaning. Oh, I will also probably be hosting an informational in-home party at my house next Thursday in case you want to know more and see the products.

Mela- what??

2008-06-04T14:08:00.003-06:00

Welcome to the latest of my adventures. Last week some good friends introduced me to a great company, MELALEUCA. After hearing the whole presentation, I signed on as a customer AND a representative. Yes, I truly believe it is THAT good.
Well, let me rephrase that, I truly believe it has the potential to be that good. To me, it's like entering into a new relationship. When I met Marc, I realized that on paper, this was the guy for me. Whether or not he was my one true love, only time could tell (thankfully, he was!) :)
Anyway, so here we are, in the dating stage...
Let me explain, though, why I would do something like this. Here are my top ten reasons why I chose to switch to Melaleuca:
10. All products are all natural, non-toxic and keep your health and well being as a top priority.
9. The company has been around for over 20 years and has grown significantly in that time. (you can't do that if you don't have a good product)
8. Huge product base of health care, medicinal, cleaning, bath and body, kids and beauty products. Again, ALL of them are all-natural.
7. Opportunities to make a little income to offset the rising costs of gas, groceries and life in general.
6. Most products are concentrated and all are designed to be friendly to our planet.
5. Safe to use around kids and pets. In fact, many people say that problems like eczema, allergies, asthma and many other common respiratory problems went away once they began using Melaleuca.
4. As a representative, I don't have to carry any inventory or be pushy about sales. (thank goodness... I love you all too much!)
3. 100% Guaranteed. Absolutely no risk involved.
2. Whole Foods products at Wal-Mart prices
1. Everything is done from the comfort of your home computer. (no running around with Ashley, wasting gas, getting babysitters etc.)

So, as you can see, on paper this all looks GREAT! I am very excited about it and got my first order last night. As we all know, though, the proof is in the pudding. So, as I try these new products I am going to be really honest about whether I like them or not. I am going to keep a regular log about what I have used and a review because if any of you are interested in switching and saving with Melaleuca, then I feel it is my job as a representative to help you be as informed as possible.
So, here is what I have used so far:

Vitality for Women Vitamin pack- Easy to use, just open the pack and pop them in-no measuring out pills, I like that- day and night packs (I have read countless reports that this is better for you)- vanilla coating is pretty yummy.

Fiber Wise Cinnamon Clusters Cereal- MMMmMMMMmmm, yummy! (Although, please know that I like cereals like Kashi Go Lean Crunch- which is what it was very similar to) Kept me going strong through workout and errands.

Simply Fit Harvest Grain Crackers- Very yummy! I am enjoying them right now actually. :)

Antibacterial Hand Soap in Mint- Love, love, love this stuff!! No more Bath and Body Works for me! Very lather-icious while only using a very small amount.

Clear Defense Moisturizing Hand Sanitizer- works well, dries quickly without being sticky

Alloy Men's After Shave- Marc used this and liked it

Body Satin Moisturizing Body Wash in Original scent- LOVED this!! Smelled so good, I didn't want to stop scrubbing! And it really left my skin soft without being greasy.

Body Satin Cleanser and Toner- loved this as well. Works as well or better than any face soap I have ever used (and believe me, I have tried them all). I'll post an update if my skin start looking great or weird.

Envia Shampoo and Conditioner- Liked it, didn't love it. Lathered kind of funny but seemed to do the job. My hair seems soft, smooth and smells good though.

Tooth Polish- Hmmm, not my favorite product. It tastes really weird although my teeth feel really really clean after brushing. It comes in cinnamon so I may have to give that a try.

Pain-a-trate- Marc used this and liked it well enough. It's not greasy and rubs in completely which is nice. He's pretty picky about his muscle rubs though...

Sun Shades Lip Balm in Vanilla- Yum!! Love this!! It just smells like vanilla so you don't lick your lips and it is very moisturizing and long-lasting

Renew lotion- LOVE this!!! It works so well. Very moisturizing without being greasy at all.

Mela-power laundry detergent- Seems to work very well. I like that it is concentrated and it smells really good.

Mela-soft dryer sheets- worked well and smelled good, what more do you want!

Tough and Tender wipes- I am not a huge fan of the cleaning wipe (think Clorox or Lysol wipes) but this one worked very well. It didn't just move the dirt around, it picked it up pretty well and made everything look and smell good. Plus, they are biodegradable which is nice.

OK, whew! So there you have it. I have been a busy girl today!! Seriously though, I believe that testimony can be the best advertisement and I want to be an honest rep. I can't sell anything I don't fully stand behind.
Your turn. If you have gotten this far in the post, you are either bored out of your mind or have some kind of interest in this. If you want more info. just leave a comment and I will get in touch with you or if you know about Melaleuca and want to leave a comment about your experience, please do. I would love to hear it!!
Oh, and I will put the link over to the left side so that you can visit the web-site to learn more about MELALEUCA!!

It's My Potty and I'll Snooze if I Want to...

2008-05-16T17:23:00.003-06:00

Over the last few weeks, Ashley has begun showing me that she is starting to be ready for potty-training. (whether I am ready is a whole other question... yikes!) Anyway, today at Wal-Mart, we decided to go ahead and get a training seat for the toilet so that she is not gripping for dear life and I don't have to worry about her falling in. We picked out a seat with all the Sesame Street characters on it and she was instantly in love with it. She carried it throughout the rest of the shopping trip and wouldn't even let me put it away when we got to the car. This is how she wound up when we got home from the store...

You can imagine that she was not too happy when I told her that it was not a toy and that it had to stay in the bathroom...
Oh, and she does NOT want to put the t-t in the potty... this should be an interesting next few months...
Joy.

Say Cheese!

2008-05-03T07:39:00.007-06:00

I think I have created a monster... Ashley LOVES getting her picture taken. She will pose and say cheese whenever she sees the camera out. So the other day when I was uploading some pictures of the kids at school, she wouldn't rest until we had our own little photo shoot. I am glad she insisted though b/c they turned out really cute.

Here are some of the many that I took-

We'll go ahead and call these her 21 month pictures!

The Fast Five

2008-05-03T07:21:00.003-06:00

Marc and I celebrated our 5th Anniversary last weekend (the 26th)! It is hard to believe that 5 years have flown by so quickly. It's even harder to think that it has been 9 years since Marc and I met. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun. :)

Marc was so sweet and surprised me with a whole weekend together. Ashley spent the weekend with Nana and Gran and we spent time doing things that only parents with small children could really appreciate. It was wonderful! We went to dinner at one of our favorite places on Friday called Campagnia (sp?) in the west Village. It is a pizza place but it is seriously so much more than just pizza. It is the best pizza I have ever had! Yum! Then we stopped by Lochran's Pub on the way home. Saturday we slept in late (Yea!!!) and went for a long run. It was a beautiful day so it was really wonderful to be able to spend that time together. We haven't been able to run together like that in a long time. Then, Marc gave me tickets for the Jimmy Buffet concert at our own Pizza Hut Park. It was a blast!!!! I'll put some pictures at the bottom.

All in all it was just a perfect weekend! Marc said that his goal was to take me all over the world without leaving the comforts of home. So we went to Italy, Ireland and the Islands for our anniversary- couldn't have asked for more!
Here's to many, many more years to come!!!

Just for Daddy

2008-04-12T12:09:00.004-06:00

We love you Daddy!! See you on Friday-

love, L & A

Guess What the Easter Bunny Drug in...

2008-03-26T20:43:00.004-06:00

A new post!!!!!

Yes, we are still here. Very busy and with much less time to doodle around on the computer, but very happy and still here!

Here are some pictures from Easter. Despite chilly temperatures, it ended up being a very fun day filled with family and good food. I also am including some pictures from Ashley's Easter egg hunt at school. Though this was her first official egg hunt she rocked!! That girl was slinging eggs in her basket as fast as she could! Good times. Good times.

I will try desperately to be more regular again about posting, but until school is out I can't guarantee anything...
Anyway, enjoy!

Anything can be a purse, right??

Hmmm, where to next...

"Cheese!"

Sittin' pretty

Easter Sunday

I'm a pro at this now!

Happy Easter!!

December in the rearview mirror

2007-12-31T10:39:00.000-06:00

Hold on to your hats, blog readers!!! It was November the last time I posted, so I have a lot of catching up to do. It has been a busy month, full of fun and family. I tried to catch most of it in the next several posts and have named the all the same in case you need to go to older posts.

I hope each of you had a wonderful Christmas and may you all find peace, joy and love in the new year!

December in the rearview mirror

2007-12-31T10:30:00.001-06:00

After months of training, my dear friend Kellie, Nathan and I ran the White Rock Half Marathon. It was a cold nasty day, but the run was great! I came in at a respectable time of 2:10 or so which put me at a 9:59 min/mi. While that may be a snails pace for some, it was by far a personal best for me so I was really happy! Kellie and Nathan rocked coming in under 2 hours and about a 8:30 min/mi. Way to go!! I have to say a HUGE thank you to Marc though. I really could not have done it without his love and support. He stayed at home countless Saturdays so I could run my "long runs" and watched from the sidelines in the cold and rain cheering me on the whole way. What a guy! :)

December in the rearview mirror

2007-12-31T10:17:00.001-06:00

Ashley turned 16 mo. old this month! Where does the time go? She is such a beautiful, funny, smart girl- much more of a kid than a baby anymore- and I love her to pieces. This month, she has started saying more things and has started getting longer hair in the back. She now has all 16 teeth (missing her 4 two year molars only) and is beginning to run, trying to jump and climb and loves to dance. She is absolutely obbsessed with accessories like hats, bags, phones, sunglasses, and carrying babies and stuffed animals around. She loves reading books and will very often go to her room and plop down in her chair to read a few. She still sleeps and eats like a champ, although has begun disliking vegetables recently (we are trying to "push through" that stage). She will give kisses and hugs, however her babies are more likely to receive those on comand. She is a joy to me and Marc (the jury is still out for Pete!) :)

December in the rearview mirror

2007-12-31T10:13:00.000-06:00

It's all about the accesorizing these days.

December in the rearview mirror

2007-12-31T10:02:00.001-06:00

Have you ever tried to wrap hundreds of presents with a 16 mo. old wandering around??? It works really well... as long as you don't mind the wrapping paper stepped on, presents strewn around the room and ribbon unrolled all over the place. So, Marc took advantage of the beautiful weather and took Ashley to the park. Looks like they had a ball!!

December in the rearview mirror

2007-12-31T09:51:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve was great this year. We spent the day relaxing at home. We baked cookies, played a bunch and got ready for the next day. We went to the Christmas Eve service at Stonebriar and it was so nice. I definitely think that might be a new tradition for us. Then we came home, had dinner and opened the first present of Christmas- our gifts from Mrs. Claus. For those that don't get things from Mrs. Claus, she usually brings new Christmas PJ's, so that you feel festive (and well dressed) when you wake up Christmas morning. Ashley was very excited about Santa on the outside of her gift box, her new slippers and the snowmen on her new PJ's. (Posing for a picture... not so thrilling)

December in the rearview mirror

2007-12-31T09:42:00.000-06:00

This Christmas, Santa brought Marc and I a much needed getaway. It was only for a night and it was in town, but it was WONDERFUL! We went to the Gaylord Texan, which for those that have been, is just as good as going away to a vacationland. It was decorated for Christmas and just beautiful. We enjoyed a very relaxing massage, great meals, wandering around looking at the lights and sights, and going to ICE. We had such a good time and came back very relaxed. It was just what we needed.

December in the rearview mirror

2007-12-31T09:35:00.000-06:00

Christmas at Nana & Gran's (Richardson)

We've been elfed!

2007-11-29T22:38:00.000-06:00

This is too funny! I saw this on a friend's blog and had to do it too.
click on the link below...

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1113932287

Nothing better than a comfy chair and a good book

2007-11-29T20:59:00.000-06:00

I came into Ashley's room this evening to see her like this. She had also drug her chair out to the middle of the room by herself. I guess the reading light is better there?!

** parental disclaimer**

***No children were seriously hurt in the filming of this video. Parents are boneheads and sometimes watch through the camera saying to themself "oh, no, this is not good" right before bad things happen... Thankfully kids are pretty resilient... and their early memories are fuzzy by the time they grow up. ***

Merry Christmas to all!!!

2007-11-29T20:55:00.000-06:00

Ashley went to visit Santa on Tuesday. She loved him again this year! I think she knows to stay friendly with the big guy..

We gobbled, rested and decked the halls

2007-11-29T20:37:00.000-06:00

So, my dear friend Jennifer emailed me today and reminded me that my last post was about my mom and that it was nearly a month old!! What on earth! Where did November go???

Thankfully mom is doing better although her recovery has been slow. In fact, we had plans to be at their house for Thanksgiving, but the doctor quickly put an end to that so we decided to host Thanksgiving here. It was a lovely time and Marc cooked one of the best turkeys I've ever had. This man never ceases to amaze me. He wins another chili cook off and then manages to make turkey taste good. Incredible! The most astonishing part of this is that he grilled the bird!! He threw it in pan and put it on the grill for a little over three hours. Amazing... (what is really amazing is that we managed to find the giblets the night before! Now that is a funny story!)

Anywho, the day after Thanksgiving brought on one of my favorite days of the year- Christmas decorating day!!! Since the weather was so cold and crummy, we spent most of the weekend relaxing and getting our house into the holiday spirit. I always love our house at the holidays. It is so warm and cozy. I love our tree and all the lights.

Ashley has loved all the decorations as well. She loves the tree and all of the lights around the house. However her favorites have been all the Christmas stuffed animals that I put out, the ornaments and a goofy leftover White Elephant gift hat that says "Merry Kris-Moose" -she loves that sucker!!!

Below are some of the highlights of the last week or so. Enjoy!
I hope it's not another month before I can post again!

2007-11-29T20:23:00.000-06:00

Read it again Grandad!

Does this bag match my outfit??

Just bringing over some Thanksgiving yummies

Do you think mom knows I'm wearing her shoes?

my little turkey

the other turkey in the family ;) (I kid, I kid...)

Watching the 'Boys

There's some cool stuff in those boxes!

How do I look?

2007-11-29T20:12:00.000-06:00

I've heard it helps to get on this guys good side... hope he likes my hat!

Such a pretty girl...

but she's still our little silly-head!!

Cool-weather Diva

Kickin' back with a good read

Lions, Tigers and Appendixes... Oh my!!

2007-11-01T18:15:00.000-06:00

What an eventful Halloween it was around here! It all started out calmly enough- Marc and I took Ashley trick or treating for the first time this year. Well, if you can call riding around in a stroller trick or treating.... Anyway, she had a great time stopping in at our friend's houses in the neighborhood and playing with the kids on the street. She looked absolutely adorable as the Saggy Baggy Lion! I am so impressed that her Aunt Mimi made it! (originally used by her cousin when she was a year old) After she retired to her den for some Zzzz's Marc and I handed out candy until about 8:30.
I was getting ready for bed about 9:30 when the night suddenly took an interesting turn... (and not in a good way) I knew that my mom had not been feeling well that day, and when she called earlier that evening to say that the doctor had told her to go to the ER, I knew that this might not be good... especially since my dad was out of town until Friday. So, my sister was able to be with her when she checked in (thank goodness!) and stayed with her through all the tests. Her sharp abdominal pains were indicating appendicitis or diverticulitus, and the tests that came back showed appendicitis. They scheduled her surgery for two hours later- 11:00 pm. So, once I heard this, I knew I wanted to be there with mom and Kim. Marc stayed home with Ashley and I hopped in the car and flew to Bedford as fast as I could get there.
Well, very very very long story short, Mom had her appendix removed at about 1 am and I returned home about 4:30 am so that I could get up at 6:30 am and teach on Thursday. I am so thankful that the surgery went smoothly, the appendix had not ruptured (although gangrene had already begun) and that her recovery seems to be going well. I am even more thankful that dad was able to get an earlier flight home and got here at about 11 am this morning. (I know that made mom feel infinitely better) I am also forever thankful that Kim was able to be there for mom and stayed overnight with her.
It was a very long night but I am so thankful that everything went as well as possible. And I sincerely hope that this is the very last time that I spend Halloween night in an ER!

Here are some cute pictures of the fun part of the night-

Blue Skies and Rainbows and Sunbeams from Heaven...

2007-10-26T17:04:00.000-06:00

Fall is finally here and it has been absolutely beautiful this week. Cool crisp mornings and warm sunny afternoons- doesn't get much better! I have been trying to spend as much time outside so that I can soak up the three or so weeks of fall that we get around here... so when we got together with Andee and Emily today, we decided to head out to the arboretum. We had a great time and the girls had fun playing together!

2007-10-26T15:00:00.001-06:00

Some cute pictures

2007-10-26T14:51:00.000-06:00

My birthday celebration at Maggiano's. YUM!! We had so much fun. Thanks to Marc and Kel for arranging it all. This was the crowd that stuck it out to the very end

(when I finally remembered to take a picture... oops!)

Just playin'

Pretty Girl

The best birthday gifts ever!

Autumn at the Arboretum

2007-10-09T15:56:00.000-06:00

Apparently it's Autumn... I wasn't sure since I am still wearing shorts and sweating profusely every time I walk outside! Anyway, we had a fun day today, Mom (Nana), Ashley and I went to the Dallas Arboretum today to enjoy the (not so) cool weather and all the fall foliage and decor that they have out there this time of year.
It really was beautiful! All of the plants were lush and there were about a zillion pumpkins everywhere. Ashley had a great time wandering around, trying to get wet in the fountains and trying to pick leaves. (quite a workout for mom!) ;)

I'm gonna get this one...

Look at me on Pumpkin Hill!

Mom, can we get that one too??

Here, I'll just get this one and we'll be on our way.

I'm ready for my closeup dahling!

But Mom... all the other kids are getting in the water!

Nana and Ashley

Saturdays with Dad

2007-10-09T15:50:00.000-06:00

Saturday mornings are usually Dad and Ashley time around here. They have such a good time together. Ashley loves her Daddy and he sure loves her. I thought I would document their time together...
We begin with breakfast-

Then play a little ball...

maybe read a book or two.

Then they horse around on the floor and watch College Game Day until its time for a morning nap.

Ashley just loves her Daddy time!!!

Tag, I'm it!

2007-10-01T19:49:00.000-06:00

Yes, we're still here! My sweet friend Alyssa has "tagged" me to post 8 random facts about myself... I have been thinking about this post for a while, but just haven't had the time to post. Plus, I have had a very hard time thinking about 8 random yet interesting facts about myself... after I read other people's I guess I realize that I am not as fascinating as I had hoped! Haha! But, I will try, so bear with me!
OK, Here are the rules...

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules. (if you don’t have a blog, email me)
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

okey dokey, here we go!

1. I have been watching Days of our Lives since I was 10 years old. This is thanks in part to my friend Susan. Her older sisters used to watch it during the summer, and so of course we watched it with them. I am completely addicted to it. I DVR it every day and watch it in "batches" over the weekend and late at night. I know it is so corny, but there is something about it. I just love it! Oh, and Sami is by far my favorite character. Her blog link is on the left side of the screen!

2. My favorite, favorite lunch ever would be: A PB and J on squishy white bread with creamy peanut butter and grape jelly; cheetos; chocolate milk (from the store, not made with Quick or something); and Oreos. And you all thought I liked veggies and healthy stuff!! LOL!!! Oh, and speaking of, I could eat my weight in ice cream- any day, any time. I am always up for a little ice cream!!

3. I am petrified of the dark, oceans, and heights. To this day, I won't walk into a dark room. I get completely freaked out going into water where I can't see the bottom. This includes oceans and lakes. I also freak out on planes, tall buildings and anything tall and manmade. Now, put me on top of a mountain and I am in heaven. Go figure.

4. My first "crush" was on Rob Lowe. Blame that on a sister being 8 years older than me! I think I was about 5 but I thought he was soooo cute! I still love watching him on Brothers and Sisters now.

5. If I could just pick up and move (with Marc and Ashley of course) anywhere in the world, with no reality strings attached, I would hop on a plane and be in Maui in a second. Marc and I went there on our honeymoon 4 years ago and I bet I think about it almost once a day. I absolutely loved it there! There was something about it. I have never felt so relaxed, freespirited and at peace anywhere else. I know it was a honeymoon and that can probably account for some of it, but I also think there is something to the "Aloha spirit" that you always hear about.

6. When I was younger, I took playing with Barbies to an extreme. My friends Katie and Jennifer and I would build whole barbie worlds out of cereal boxes and scraps of fabric. I also had a sketch notebook full of barbie clothes that I had designed. My favorite material was the stretchy stuff the cleaners put on the hangers to keep clothes from falling off. I made very edgy trendy tops, skirts and even shoes for them. Yeah, the whole one shouldered dress look?? That was my idea! I sketched that in about '84!!
Yes, I was and am a big ol' dork!

7. I listen to rap when I run. Normally I really don't like it, but when I run, it just gets me movin'! It is in stark contrast to the KLTY and Texas country that I normally listen to.

8. I take my shoes off as soon as I come in the door. I just think it feels so weird to walk around the house in shoes. Maybe I am part Chinese or something... ;) Marc on the other hand, will change after work into "play clothes" and immediately put on his tennis shoes. I used to ask him if he's going anywhere, and he'd just say no. What a weirdo! LOL... kidding! :)

Alright, that was tough! I was scraping the bottom of the barrel there at the end! But now for the fun part! I get to "tag" 8 more people!! If you don't have a blog, you can email it to me...
I tag
Andee
Katie Howard
Katie Haentsch (this can be your first post!!)
Debbie (like going to the dentist, right?!)
Denise
Monica (you can email me, or hey, start a blog!)
Jennell
Summer (you can email me too!)

Have fun kids!!

It's Official!

2007-09-21T18:52:00.000-06:00

She's a walker!! She's been toddling around for a couple of weeks now, but yesterday she figured out how to stand up on her own! Today, you could tell that she would now rather walk than crawl. This, of course, comes with some other side effects... please notice the large bruise on her cheek. Lovely isn't it? She tumbled into the coffee table. Fortunately she was ok after she got a few kisses from her "Booboo Bunny". I am absolutely positive this will not be the last of the bumps and bruises... fortunately she seems to be a pretty tough cookie! (now, if only it didn't hurt me as much!)

13 Month Photo Shoot

2007-09-21T18:47:00.000-06:00

She was just looking so cute this day, so I had to take a few pictures!

Getting ready for school

2007-08-31T14:51:00.000-06:00

What a week it has been! I haven't been this busy in a long long time. The reason for all the hustle and bustle is that I am going back to work. In May, I decided to accept a position teaching the 4 year old class at our church preschool this fall. http://sunshineschool.prestoncrest.org/ .
I figure it is a win-win-win situation . It is only two days a week, I get paid a little and Ashley gets to go to school there for only $25 a month. You can't beat that deal!!
This last week we had three workdays and the week before we had 2, so I feel like I have jumped back into working with both feet! Ashley seems to enjoy herself up there although she does get really worn out since she really is not on her usual napping schedule when she is there. Hopefully that will work itself out over time. I have really enjoyed it though. It feels so good to get back to what I love doing and I am soooo excited that I am teaching the little ones again. I feel like I am going back to my "roots". When I was in college, I never dreamed I would be teaching elementary age kids, let alone 5th grade!
I also have loved the difference of working in a private Christian atmosphere! The changes are tremendous. Let me just share with you a few comparisons:

PUBLIC ......................................SUNSHINE SCHOOL
fairly strict dress code ..............wear whatever you want! Yea!
you buy pretty much all your supplies .....Huge workroom fully stocked!
PC discipline ............................rewards based on the Fruits of the Spirit!
Don't mention holidays let alone God ......Memory verses and chapel every day
36 some odd kids every day ............EIGHT students!!! Woohoo!

These are just a few differences, but it really is amazing to me! It is just very refreshing. While I always loved where I worked and who I taught before, this just feels so right to me. I am looking forward to this year and all the surprises and challenges it brings!

Cutting the Strings

2007-08-25T19:35:00.001-06:00

I think this post is mainly for all the moms out there... guys, you can just skim (like you read these anyway! ;) ) Anyway, I have come to the immense realization that babies DO grow up. I know, it's a shocking revelation. Seriously though, all those sleepless nights you hold your sweet little bundle of joy and you think that their birthday seems so far away- heck, even a good nights rest seems like a pipe dream! And then one day you realize they are six months old and you have been sleeping pretty well lately. Then you blink again and they are a year and a totally different creature than what you brought home from the hospital just a year ago.
It really is quite stunning when you think about it...
The other thing that has really gotten me thinking this week is about how fast they begin to grow apart from you... From the moment they leave your body, your only job is preparing them to leave you! Aargh... what a job! The reason this has been on my mind is that as of this coming Monday Ashley will be completely weaned from nursing. For those of you that don't know (and actually care) Ashley has been exclusively nursed the whole year. She had a 2 months stint with an occasional bottle but decided she was not a fan. So, draught milk it was... It has definitely had its benefits and drawbacks, but now that it is coming to a close I can't help but be a little sad about it. As she has gotten older and more busy (and that child is BUSY) her nursing times were the quiet refuges of the day. The one time when she was peaceful, still and quiet. When she would cuddle and put her little fingers in mine... It was just so sweet! (Ok, I'll be honest, I am now crying. :( ) As she fell asleep in my arms for the last time last week it about broke my heart to know that she would, in all likelyhood, never do that again. Ever. The thought of that was amazing...
I wonder if she'll ever know how much I have loved this time with her... I wonder if, when she's older, she'll ever just crawl up in my lap and fall asleep- just for old times sake? I hope when I am old and gray I will still remember the feeling of her so peaceful in my arms. I have absolutely treasured the moments with my "little burrito baby" and I am sad to see them go. ( we called her that b/c she loved to be swaddled so tightly to fall asleep for so long)
Funny thing though, as if on cue- she has started taking steps this week! The other day we counted 4 steps. It's as though in one week she has decided she is "big". Like she is telling me to cut the first of many apron strings and let her go out into this big world... Well, I'll cut this one string now, but I hope she knows I am right behind her if she falls to cuddle and kiss her tell her it will be alright.

Lessons in Parenting (as taught by the little miss)

2007-08-19T20:45:00.000-06:00

You know how some days you feel like you have this parenting this down... and then other days you feel like you don't have a clue?! Well, Friday was a perfect example of the latter... and Ashley was quick to teach me a few things that she thought I might have forgotten over the past year.
It all started out well enough... We had our Friday morning play group at 10:30 and Ashley's one year checkup at the doctors at 1:00. She woke up at 7 (normal), went down for a nap at 8:30 (normal) and all should work out just right... I thought I would make really good use of her nap time by running on the treadmill and taking a quick shower (I patted myself on the back for that!).
Well, 20 min. into my run I notice the monitor lights are flashing... huh?? She's only been asleep for 45 min?! I'm sweating profusely... uh... what's next? Well, my dear sweet girl had just taught me my first lesson of the day... and it continued from there. Let me share with you my knowledge...
Rule #1- NEVER ever ever plan what you are going to do around their "normal" schedule. Because that will be the precise day that they are not "normal". (the good thing is that they can hang out in their crib for 15 min. or so while you take a shower)

We finally got out the door and headed across town for our playgroup at 10:45. By the time we got there at 11:15 we found out that it had essentially been canceled... lovely. Since we were already on the other side of town, I made a command decision to go to the mall for lunch so we could make it to the doctor on time. And here is where our next lesson began...

Rule #2- NEVER ever ever feed a child more than they are willing to eat.
After being worried that she didn't eat much at breakfast, I was trying to get little miss to eat "just a little more" at lunch... BIG mistake. At precisely 12:29 (we had to leave by 12:30-ish to get to the doc. on time). She threw up ALL over herself!!!! Nice....

So after stripping her down (there was no hope for the dress at that point), I realized I now had a nekid child sitting in her stroller in the middle of the food court. And, cue the music... the next lesson...

Rule #3- ALWAYS have a change of clothes in the bag.

I did not.
However, $30 and a nekid ride through the mall across to Pottery Barn Kids later, she had a lovely outfit on. A little over dressed for the doctor's office maybe, but the child was clothed...

We left the mall at about 12:50 and somehow, by the grace of God alone, we made it to the doctors office at exactly 1:00. Miracles will never cease.
Fortunately, Ashley decided I had learned enough for the day and had a wonderful doctor's visit and came home to sleep for 2.5 hours. (and Mama took a nice little nap too!).
So I guess she did teach me one final lesson...

Rule #4- It WILL all be Ok in the end. :)

As for her checkup, she is doing fabulously! She weighed in at a little over 22 lbs. (75%) and is about 31.5" long (99%+). She's still a string bean! Dr. Nail said that she is developmentally ahead of the game and a smart cookie! (we all knew that already) Funny thing, the doctor, nurse and assistant all commented on how strong and willfull she is!! Haha, like I didn't know?! Why do they think I often say I am wrangling an octopus! Silly girl- I love her so much. And I am so thankful that she is growing up big and strong.
Looking back on the day, I am even thankful that she can give me those lovely memories to hang onto! Rest assured, though, I have learned my lessons!!

Party Till the Cows Come Home!

2007-08-14T09:49:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Ashley's first birthday on Saturday with a FUN party full of family and friends. She had a BLAST! I have never seen our house so full of life and laughter. There were children and parents everywhere and it seemed that everyone was having a fun time. Although it was about a zillion degrees outside, kids jumped in the bounce house and played in the yard. The adults stayed cool (ish) under tents in the backyard and drinks in the coolers. Inside there were kids playing everywhere. I am soooo thankful we were able to get the game room ready in time so that kids could play back there too.
Ashley had a great time with all of her friends. She also enjoyed her cake a bunch. It took her a minute to figure out what she was suppposed to do with it (other than mush it around), but once she got a taste, she ate a ton of it! After cake and a bath she went down for a nap and we opened presents as a family over the rest of the weekend. (there were quite a few to open!) She loves all her new toys and books and I can't wait to see her in all of her new clothes. (I think she is set for the fall! Yea!)
All in all, it was a great first birthday party. So many fun memories and thanks to Gran, Aunt K, and Nana, lots of great pictures! Here are some of the many...

Getting ready for the party

Ashley's Cake

The Birthday Girl and her balloon

Happy birthday to you! (now gimme that cake!)

Yummy!!!

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Girl!!!!

2007-08-08T19:43:00.000-06:00

Is it really August 8th??? I can't get over how quickly the year has gone. I feel like she was just coming home with us, and now I can't imagine life without her.
What a joy this year has been. I have loved watching her grow and change. I love watching her personality evolve (and what a little character she is!). Just by her being born, she has taught me so much about life and love. In her eyes, I get a glimpse of the "big picture". It is so hard to describe in words how she makes me feel, but I have a funny feeling that every mother knows just what I mean.
As I look into those big brown eyes, I see so much. I see hope, love, innocence, joy, trust, and faith. I have so many hopes for her future, but for now I rejoice in the fact that my baby girl is a year old.

Happy birthday darlin'!!!!! :)

August 8, 2006 12:25 pm

August 8, 2007

(after her bath) She was laying on the changing table and I thought about her picture in the hospital on the scale... what a difference a year makes!

Little Sippy

2007-08-02T14:36:00.000-06:00

After learning how to drink from a straw (thanks Nana!), Ashley got a new sippy cup. I think she has been able to drink more out of this one than any of the others. Better yet, she likes it! Which is good since next week, she starts getting her milk from a cup...

Look at that concentration!! :)

"Dog"

2007-08-02T14:34:00.000-06:00

Ashley was not totally cooperating in this little video... :) But you do get a chance to hear her sweet little voice!!

Rain, Rain Go Away

2007-08-02T14:31:00.000-06:00

I truly wonder if it will ever stop raining! This has been the rainiest summer I can ever remember. We are very fortunate that we have not been affected by any of the flooding (and that we haven't had to water the lawn much at all this summer), but geez, it's getting old! I am ready to go to the pool!

The Next Van Cliburn???

2007-08-02T14:27:00.001-06:00

Ashley got some new (to her) toys thanks to her cousins hand-me-downs. She LOVES her new piano!!! She will just sit there and pound away at the keys while smiling and "dancing". It is too fun to watch her!

Rockin' out to Old Mac

2007-08-02T14:26:00.000-06:00

Hiya Chuck!

2007-08-02T14:05:00.000-06:00

Ashley got to go to Chuck E Cheese's for the first time for her cousin R's 3rd birthday party. She had sooooo much fun!!!! She loved all the noise and lights. She gobbled up her pizza and then spent the next hour riding rides and hitting buttons. They even had her FAVORITE game there- Wheel of Fortune!!!!! How much cooler could this place be!

I hope I am this cool one day!

2007-08-02T14:02:00.000-06:00

Ashley and I had such a fun lunch date with my dear friend Amy and her daughter Grace. You could just tell that Ashley was in awe of Grace and wanted to be just like her! She loved her "Big girl" room and loved playing with her pom-poms, books and piano! We can't wait to play with y'all again. :)

Prayer Request

2007-08-02T08:26:00.000-06:00

I keep up with many blogs these days (as you can see from my list on the left). Most are good friends, but some are friends of friends whose stories I just find interesting (maybe their kids are the same age, I know of them through a friend, etc.). Anyway, one of the more poignant stories is on the blog called "Life Through My Eyes". This is a friend of a friend through church. This family found out that they were expecting QUADS! Now that doesn't happen everyday! Well, Suzanne has just delivered 4 beautiful babies and while they are doing well for 30 wk. olds, they need lots and lots of prayers to get them through (as do the parents of 4 new babies!). So, please, if you have a chance, check out their blog (by clicking on the link on the left) and say a prayer for this sweet family. Thanks :)

BTW, more of our story coming soon :)

Ready to Make a Change?

2007-07-27T21:14:00.000-06:00

I am... I am ready to get back to the me that I saw in the mirror when we found out that Ashley was on her way. I was running daily, doing yoga, eating well and feeling (and looking) so much better. I am so ready for that again.
Thankfully, I have found a wonderful website that I think will help. It works a lot like Weight Watchers, but better. And, here's the biggie... it's FREE!! I still can't believe it, so much information and services and it's completely free. If you want to check it out, it's at the left of this page called "Spark People".
Even if you don't want to track calories and all that, there is still a wealth of information and resources on this site.

Bathing Beauties

2007-07-27T20:58:00.000-06:00

Wednesdays this summer, Ashley has been having playdates with her girls, Anna and Emily. This week, they decided to go swimming. It was Emily's first time, but since Anna and Ashley were so experienced in the water, they knew she would have fun! The picture above is before we went swimming. Never fear, each girl was coated in sunscreen, wearing a swim diaper and shaded by a big sunhat. We were ready!

They had sooooo much fun!!!!

Although Anna had to take off her hat, which left her with a bad case of hat hair...

And Emily was so hungry after the fun swim that she had to eat the strap...

Ashley, of course, was ready for MORE!!! :)

Seriously, though, this is the stuff great memories are made of...

Good Ol' Fashioned Fun

2007-07-27T20:52:00.000-06:00

I have to wonder how many generations have enjoyed their first ride on a carousel? It is a timeless ride and I am so glad my friend Kellie called me up and invited Ashley and I to go ride the horses up and down with her for the first time! Ashley had a ball!! She thought it was too cool and I definitely think this will not be her last ride!!

She Speaks!

2007-07-27T20:48:00.001-06:00

Ashley has said her first word!!

and her second
and her third, and her fourth!!!!
She started with "Dada" (guess who beams every time she says that one!?!) moved on to "Dog" and "Duck" and ended the week with "Cat" (guess who feels he got the shaft...)
I am waiting for Mama personally, but I have a feeling "fish" or "cow" may come next and beat me out...
I'm tellin' ya', when this girl gets it in her mind to do something, she DOES it!!

The Best of Padre

2007-07-27T20:05:00.000-06:00

Ashley's favorite twin nephews

Gettin ready for a night on the town
The big catch!

Sand in the hand is better than sand in the mouth!

Who knew that Freddy Fender was from San Benito....

Old Dog, New Tricks

2007-07-27T14:08:00.000-06:00

** Disclaimer: The term "old dog" does not refer to any person, real or ficticious, it merely references the destination. Also, no animals were hurt in the making of this blog. Well, maybe some crabs, shrimp and a few bugs... **

The world travelers have returned! This time around we went to South Padre Island with Lauren's family. Now, you have to understand, we have been going to SPI every summer for nearly 27 years. This was not our first rodeo...
So we thought.
If you have not had the joy of experiencing your own children, let me be the first to tell you that nothing, and I mean nothing will ever be the same after their arrival. All those things you think you've got down pat. All those "little ways" of yours. Well, just throw them out the window when your first little one comes along. It's not a bad thing, not in any way. I'm just sayin'...
I have been to SPI with my family many, many times. I KNOW the island. I have done EVERYthing there is to do there. I have eaten at all the restaraunts many times. So how on earth is it that this time it was like a whole new place?!?!

To begin with we stayed in a beautiful house on the beach instead of the usual condo at the Sunchase IV. Thank you sooooo much Bates family for recommending it- it was really wonderful! This house was awesome! It was huge and very nicely furnished. It had 4 bedrooms so everyone could spread out and have their own space (even Ashley... she slept in the laundry room!!! hehe). It had a wonderful back deck that overlooked the ocean and the beach was just over the first small dune. It doesn't get much better than that! Plus, since we weren't on the condo end of the island, the beach was much less crowded which gave us plenty of room to spread out and lots of sand for my nephews and my sister to build their sandcastles. (If you haven't seen one of these, they are not your average sandcastles. They truly are works of art!

Speaking of the beach and the sand, it was great! I have grown up on these beaches and while I really don't like the ocean much, there is something very comforting about being down there. Ashley loved it too! She loved crawling all over the place and chasing A & Z around. She even saw a dog one day that was down there and spent about 15 minutes following the dog around! Of course, if you were wondering, yes, she did eat the sand... lots of it! Although, by the end of the week she had realized that it didn't taste too good, so she had pretty much stopped thank goodness. She also loved being in the water. She would giggle nervously as the waves crashed into her legs and would laugh as Marc or I helped her to "jump" the big ones. I think that she is definitely a little water baby and will only love it more as she grows.

Funny thing though, we didn't get to go down to the beach too much though. After 27 years, our luck finally ran out. It rained on us about 4 out of the 7 days we were there! In all the years that we had been coming, we could only remember about two days it had ever rained before! Oh well, it was still very very relaxing! So what do you do when it rains at the beach? You do puzzles (two of them! A first for our family), read books (The Undomestic Goddess- hilarious!), play cards (Gin and Phase 10) and eat!! :)

Rest assured, we ate very well. That is not to say that we don't when we are down there. We have our favorite rest. and we go out each night and stuff ourselves. Well, we changed it up a little this time. With Ashley with us, going out to dinner and staying out late was out of the question every night. So we ordered in half the time which was great. We also tried two new rest. (to me) that were really yummy! Marcello's Italian and I think the other one's called Fat Al's. If you ever go down there I reccommend them highly! Also, and this was a real treat for my family, we happened to have the best breakfast chef this side of the Mississippi in the family. That's right, Marc cooks the best darn breakfast I have ever had! He made his famous pancake breakfast one morning and we had breakfast burritos another morning. Yum!! He also introduced my dad to Ro-tel queso dip. Dad was in heaven! Good eatin, I tell ya'! (and that would be why there are no pictures of me in a swimsuit!)

We didn't just go to the beach and eat though. That was the OLD Padre- this is the NEW and improved Padre! Thanks to my sister and nephews for winning 6 passes at a sandcastle building contest last fall (yes, you read that right!), we were able to go to something that has been on the island for probably the last 10 years, but we had never even thought to visit. There is a Schlitterbahn water park there. (like the one in New Braunsfels) We had never been because, honestly, who wants to pay to go to a water park when you are at the beach?!?! But, you know what, it was really fun! They have a giant lazy river (not so lazy considering it has rapids and waterfalls!) that all of the rides shoot off of and flow back into. So, you never have to leave the river to get on a ride. It is the greatest idea for water parks!

Everyone but mom and I were also able to go deep sea fishing one day. They all had a great time and just about everyone caught something. We were even able to take the fish to a rest. that night and have them cook it up for the fam. (not me though, I do NOT do seafood! It was a week of chicken for me. :) )

All in all it was a great week at the beach. The car ride there and back was a whole other story, but I know that will improve as Ashley gets older. (and can watch movies in the car! ;) ) The cherry on top of the whole trip though was being able to stop in Corpus Christie on the way home to have lunch with our old neighbor, and dear friend Monica! We LOVED seeing her and her parents and getting to meet her wonderful boyfriend Kevin. While we miss her like crazy here, Marc and I are so glad that she is living a wonderful life in CC. Hugs MoMo! :)

We can't wait to drive that way again next summer!

And they're off!!!

2007-07-11T22:05:00.000-06:00

OK, I have to confess, this video is horrible... so beware! I tried to catch one of the funnier things I have seen out on our back porch the other day. (and believe me, some weird things have happened out there!)
Anyway, there were these two bunnies, a smaller one and a larger one. The larger one was chasing the other one all around the porch and side yard! They kept going around and around the grill and it was hilarious! I am not sure if they were playing a friendly game of tag, or if I was watching some bunny lovin' in action... I personally am sticking with the game idea. ;) Unfortunately, I caught them at the tail end of their game (haha...) so they don't go round and round too much, but these stinkers were running around for about 30 minutes on and off! Too funny!

Walkin' on Sunshine

2007-07-11T21:48:00.000-06:00

11 Months Old

2007-07-11T21:15:00.000-06:00

It is absolutely mind-boggling to think that Ashley is in the last month of her first year! She turned 11 months on Sunday and she looked so cute in her Patriotic dress that we had to have a little photo shoot. On that note, isn't that dress adorable! I can't believe that Ashley's Aunt Mimi made it! Wow! (This was P's 1st birthday dress. I am so thankful that she is able to pass sweet P's clothes on to Ashley... and I am even more thankful that she always had the cutest clothes for her!)
As for milestones for the month, Ashley is growing into a "big girl" every day. She is so ready to walk. She loves using her walker toys and uses just about anything she can to push around to walk. She is getting steadier on her feet and can even stand alone for a couple of seconds. She jabbers up a storm and cracks herself up, but still doesn't want to say anything. (Who needs to talk when everyone knows what you want already!) She also knows where her ears, feet and hair are; likes to talk on the phone (puts the toy phone up to her ear); tries to wear everything as a hat; likes to play peekaboo by herself; and knows how to put things "in". It is so amazing how much they learn in such a short time! I can't wait to see what she shows us next!!

Happy 4th of July!

2007-07-11T21:05:00.000-06:00

Ashley had a fun 4th playing with friends and family. We spent the morning at Hawaiian Falls celebrating Ashley's favorite girl cousin's birthday. We got spooked by the rain and left early but we were able to be there for the presents and cake. We'll have to go back and play another day...
That afternoon we had dinner with some of our good friends from church. Ashley had a great time playing with her friends! By the end of the day we were all tuckered out. I think it might be the first 4th that we were all asleep before the fireworks even began! We'll catch 'em next year!

Crazy Duck

2007-06-30T21:49:00.000-06:00

This just tickled my funny bone!!

2007-06-30T21:35:00.000-06:00

Check out this video: Cat Massage

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This is how I imagine Pete would talk!

Puerto Vallarta's Top 10

2007-06-26T20:36:00.000-06:00

HOLA!!!
Well, we're back to reality... and home from Puerto Vallarta. We had such a wonderful time with Marc's family down there! Ashley had such a good time too!! It was a week of so many firsts- first trip, first plane ride, Mexico, pool, bath, more foods than I could list, hotel stay... I could easily keep going.
The good news is that it was all one big happy adventure for the little miss. She did wonderfully!!

We stayed at the Grand Mayan in Nuevo Vallarta and it was just breathtaking! I must say, I have stayed at many beautiful places around the world and this one is definitely at the top of the list. Everything was just so spectacular! For instance, the entry hall to the hotel is amazing... you walk into this dimly lit vault of a room that makes you think you are walking right into a pyramid or something out of Indiana Jones... You look up and surrounding you are about a dozen 30-40 foot tall Mayan Warriors!!!!! WOW! The first time we walked in, I couldn't stop staring up and saying "Whoooaaaa" with my mouth gaping! People probably thought I was a little slow, or sheltered, or both! But it was just incredible.
Anyway, we had a great week of relaxing at the pool (all 85 of them or something ;) ) going around the lazy river (which Ashley LOVED!) and hanging out in the room playing cards or watching Spiderman (awesome!). Marc was able to play 3 rounds of golf and I even got a wonderful outdoor massage! What more can we ask for!

I could go on and on but as I thought about it, I managed to boil it all down to...

The Top Ten Things that made this Vacation Rock!!!!!

10. Benadryl and a Snugli- Helped Ashley sleep for the majority of both flights... many fears were relieved!

9. Guacamole- Fresh and wonderful and anytime we wanted it! YUM!!! Thanks Mom and Meli for making it so yummy!

8. Brookstone White Noise machine- This sucker is worth it's weight in gold! It is small, very portable and helped Ash sleep like, well, a baby the whole trip!!

7. Lands End Swim suit- OK, I know this is an odd one... but I don't think I have ever owned a swim suit that I actually loved. Until this one! It has a little "swim mini" skirted bottom to it that is wonderful! I can play with Ashley in the water and walk around after and not worry about the dreaded jiggle as I walk! Yahoo!! I would live at the pool this summer... if it would ever stop raining!!

6. The Nice guy at the AA check in counter- Another odd one, I know... but when you are loaded down with 2 huge suitcases, a pack and play, a set of golf clubs, a stroller, three carry ons and a baby and you hear that 2 of your bags are over the weight limit b/c of the 70 diapers and 24 jars of baby food that you had to pack.... well, when the check in guy says that he will pack the diapers in a brown box and allow you to move the baby food over and check an extra bag for free, and allows the other bag to be just a few pounds over.... Well, he deserves a nod at least.
(actually I wanted to kiss him, but I thought that might be a little weird) :)

5. The Lazy River- The epitome of relaxation. Only problem is that we could only go around once or twice at a time b/c it would start putting Ashley to sleep!

4. A Great Book- My dear friend Kellie let me take her book "Julie/Julia: My year of Cooking Dangerously" with me on the trip. It was GREAT! A bit of tacky language and some political views I had to look past, but other than that this is one of the better books I have ever read. Really funny!! I highly recommend it!

3. Immodium AD- Nuf said...

2. The Wave Pool- My version of the perfect ocean. No fish nibbling at you, no sand in places you need no exfoliation, and no salt water gargling. Perfect, just perfect.

And....

1. FAMILY! We had so much fun with everyone! Ashley loved all the attention from her Aunt, Uncle, Cousins and of course Nana and Gran. We loved learning new card games, playing with the kiddos, and eating ALL the yummy food! (Yes, Fajitas DO taste better in Mexico!)

What a blast! It was very hard to come home and we can't wait for the next big advanture!

** Keep on going for pictures **

Puerto Vallarta's Top 10

2007-06-26T20:34:00.000-06:00

One of the many pools at the GM and the "Big Slide" atop the pyramid.
The Lazy River
Ashley in the waves... I think she likes it!!

Having a sit-in to protest leaving... ;)

Puerto Vallarta's Top 10

2007-06-26T20:30:00.000-06:00

Sleepy Head
One of the rarest photos you will ever see...

(but Ashley was too cute- this was her first day in the water!)

Tuckered Out

They had these great Cabanas around the pools where Ashley could take a little snooze before getting back to the action
Ready to jump in!

Marc's first Father's Day! He spent it playing golf with his Dad and brother, swimming with us and then we all went out to dinner. What a great day! He deserved it!!! I think you can see that Ashley is holding up her #1 Dad sign!!!! :)

Big Girl Bath

2007-06-26T20:16:00.000-06:00

Ashley has officially outgrown her baby bathtub! (I know, it only took 10 months!) We started bathing her in the "big tub" in Puerto Vallarta out of neccesity and we continued it when we got home.
After several knocks on the head the first night, the second bath went much more smoothly. Note to all husbands out there... when your wife says that the shower curtain rod needs to be replaced, please do it before it beans her and your daughter on the head one night as it comes crashing down...
I'm just sayin'..... ;)
In his defense, he said he didn't realize it was still unstable. He thought he had "fixed" it the last time it happened...
On a positive note, she does enjoy her bath now. She likes the little watering can I use to "shower" her off. She also loves her rubber ducky, boat, and all of her other fun toys. Now Marc is trying to teach her to splash mom.... won't that backfire when he starts giving her baths!! :)

Silly Beef and Giggle Beans

2007-06-26T19:51:00.000-06:00

Thank you Mr. John Cornyn!!

2007-06-13T09:26:00.000-06:00

As many of you know we are going on vacation on Friday to Mexico. In order to do this we all had to apply for our passports waaaayyyy back in February. Well, we were getting really nervous b/c we still hadn't recieved them. We got in touch with Senator John Cornyn's office b/c we had heard that was the best way to get things rolling... Well, very very long story short...we waited with baited breath for them to arrive... and guess what-
They came TODAY!!!!!! Yea!!!! We're going on vacation!! :)
So, per my promise to his office, at the next election, please vote for my man, John Cornyn!!!!!! He rocks!!!! :)

Just a Swingin'

2007-06-07T20:13:00.001-06:00

OK, this is my first time trying to post a video... so bear with me! (BTW, thanks so much Katie for helping me figure it all out!)
Soooo.... as some of you know, the papasan swing was an absolute lifesaver for us for almost 6 months. Ashley loved her swing from day one, (well, literally day four, but who's counting...). We decided to put her in it in front of the window when she came home from the hospital b/c she was still jaundiced. Well, from then on she was hooked!
She always slept great at night in her crib, but would refuse to take her naps there. So, starting at about 2.5 mo. till almost 6 mo. she took every single nap in her swing! Yes, we went through many, many batteries... but the child slept- and as any parent will testify, that is worth it's weight in gold!
Well, one day in January, she decided she was done with the swing and wanted to sleep in her crib. Since then I don't think the swing has even been used. We even moved it out of the living room and into our room.
Fast forward to this week...
She has figured out that she can crawl from room to room and "check things out". She loves it! So, on Tuesday, while crawlong around our room, she discovered her swing again. She kept standing there and looking at me... so, I put her in it. Well, she LOVED it!! It cracked me up.... the poor swing was creaking from her weight (she is under the weight limit still) but she was priceless. She was looking from the mobile to the mirror to the toys on the toy bar... it was fabulous entertainment!
Well, since then, she has "found" her swing every day and "asked" to take a ride in it!
Too funny!
Poor girl, what is she going to do when she is too big for the thing??

OUCH!

2007-06-04T19:21:00.000-06:00

I am going to guess this is what has been giving Ashley so much grief the past few days!!! This tooth will not leave her be! Now it has formed this blister looking thing where the tooth is coming in... poor girl! :( I hope this tooth gets through quick! (and that the rest of them are kinder to the gums!)

Cruisin'

2007-06-04T19:16:00.000-06:00

This is Ashley's newest favorite "big girl" toy!! She loves to ride around on it (as long as someone's pushing it) and can now pull up on it and push it around while... walking!!! Wow! My big girl is walking (sort of)!! That's hard to believe!
Thanks Kellie and Dan for lending it to us until Anna is ready to use it! :)

Remember when I said I wouldn't be an overreacting parent??

2007-06-02T23:16:00.000-06:00

Well, apparently I lied...
I have to preface this by refferring you to the previous post where I say Ashley is happy 99% of the time... well, yesterday she was not.
It all started at 8am when she woke up crying- well, screaming is more like it. :( To say this is unlike her is an understatement! I usually walk into her room in the morning to her smiling huge and playing with her stuffed animals. So, when she was really upset, right away I knew something wasn't right...
Well, she continued screaming for an hour and a half! She wouldn't eat, couldn't be comforted... even my best silly noises and faces wouldn't bring out a smile... it was so sad! :( So by 9:00 I was a wreck and positive that there was something horribly wrong with my sweet girl. I called the doctor and got an appt. for noon (and then was frustrated they didn't have anything sooner!)
Well, by 9:30 I was tired of the crying, and apparently Ashley was too b/c I was able to rock her to sleep- which I haven't been able to do in about 4 months! She slept until 11:30 when I finally woke her up to go to the doc.
She was lethargic and hot and now I was positive there was something very, very wrong...
Well, have you ever heard someone say that the best cure for a child is to walk into a doctor's office???
Wouldn't you know that as soon as we get to the doctor, Ashley is beginning to be her usual self! I was releived yet very confused... how could my sick, sick child be acting so... well... so, healthy?!?!
Long story short... they checked her over. No fever. No ear infection. No bowel problems. No bone issues. Her throat was a little red... could it be strep???? No.
Guess what my poor poor baby was suffering from????
TEETHING!!!!!!!!!
What?!?!?! Not some rare disease? No horrible ear infection? Just her teeth acting up? I went to the doctor for TEETH??
Apparently even though she has already cut 6 other teeth, the seventh one was a real doozy. She finally cut it today and has been acting just fine since we went to see Dr. Nail. (as long as she gets her tylenol every 4 hours!)

Moral of the story-
Even happy little girls get sad every once in a while. The sky will not fall, it does not mean she is deathly ill. Just give some tylenol and wait a bit before you call the doctor... If it's been more than a few hours- then you can calmly and silently freak out!
I am so glad she is ok, though!!! Darn teeth!

Right Now

2007-05-31T15:14:00.000-06:00

I have always been the type of gal that looks ahead to the future. When I was a teenager, I couldn't wait to drive. When I was in High School, I couldn't wait to go to college. When I met Marc, I couldn't wait to marry him. Always looking ahead to the next step- that's me...

Well, I find myself doing that with Ashley all the time... I can't wait until she walks, starts talking, can swim- you name it! I catch myself all the time dreaming of her future! Well, it dawned on me today that if I keep dreaming of what will come in her life, I am going to miss out on all the wonderful things of today... so I thought... What do I love about RIGHT NOW?

So, Right now....
I love that she has finally fallen asleep and is hugging her "sleepy bear" with other various stuffed animals and blankies that she has pulled out of her toy bag.

I love that when I feed her in her high chair, she opens her mouth like a little bird.

I love that she LOVES cheerios, baby goldfish, shredded cheese and her newfound fav.- shaved turkey lunchmeat.

I love that she has figured out how to crawl after me into the bedroom and bathroom. She thinks she is so cool!

I love that she has figured out that Pete likes to sit on the chair in our room and that she can go say hi to him whenever she wants to.

I love that she can't take her eyes off her daddy.

I love that when we are driving around in the car she stares out the window and takes it all in.

I love that when a fun song comes on she starts "dancing" by shaking her head.

I love that her favorite toys are the wipes holder, a bottle filled with macaroni and rice and an empty tube of diaper cream.

I love her little snaggle teeth!

I love that her bow stays in her hair!

I love that she can be totally cranky and I can start singing Old MacDonald and she will instantly start smiling.

I love that she LOVES Wheel of Fortune and the Stanley Steamer commercials

I love that I am getting to plan her first birthday party!

I love that she is a happy kid 99% of the time and that nothing ever seems to get to her too much.

Well, I am sure I could go on-- that's the funny thing, once you start thinking about what is so great about today, you forget about all you have planned for the future! I think I will try to think about "right now" a little more often!

Yucky week...

2007-05-27T20:13:00.000-06:00

I think I need a disclaimer on this post... I debated even posting it. It is personal information and sad and not about Ashley ;), but this has been weighing on my mind all week, so I figured I needed to "let go and let God" and the best way I know how to do that is to ask for help...
I have always heard that bad news comes in three's and it sure did this week... please keep these dear friends of ours in your prayers. It is so hard to see people hurting or hear bad news...
First, our dear friend Laura has been put on bedrest for the remaining 11 weeks of her pregnancy due to high blood pressure. She's got a long time to go before we need to meet her sweet baby!
The same day, a senior at FHS was killed in an accident. It is such a tragic loss... his poor family now is going to funeral services instead of graduation parties... how sad. Plus, our neighbor's daughter was good friends with this boy... I can't imagine the questions and heartache she must be feeling.
The very next day we found out that our friend and neighbor, Chris, was diagnosed with colon cancer... I am just still in shock about this. He is so young (32) and healthy. He has a sweet baby boy who is about to turn a year and a loving wife... he has so much to be strong for! He underwent surgery this week to remove an 8" section of his colon. They got it all there, but almost 50% of his liver has already been covered in cancer. So, once he has a chance to recover from his surgery, he will start chemo... This battle will be a long, hard one and he needs all the strength from above he can get...
It is times like these that you become acutely aware of all your own blessings. You also become aware of how fragile life is... Thank goodness God's hands are stronger than mine.

Talent runs in the family

2007-05-23T07:44:00.000-06:00

So, my sister Kim and I have always enjoyed (and worked on perfecting) our "fishy faces". Well, look who decided to join in the tradition!! She started this yesterday and was doing it all day long! She would even copy me when I did it. :) Now when we sing "Little Bitty Fishy" at Bible Class she has a "move" for it!!
Now maybe she can start working on the famous "Grouper Fish" face...

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

2007-05-23T07:38:00.000-06:00

On Friday, my sweet friends Kellie and Andee came over with their cute girls to play with Ashley (and I!). It was a very fun playdate- although I will say they were all awake at the same time for only about 30 minutes! We managed to get some really cute pics while they were all together though.

Ashley was having a ball- she loves other kids around! I think she is going to be the "ham" of the group- what do you think?? Notice in the third picture how she has "helped" Emily take her sock off!!! Why would you want those silly things on your feet anyway! ;)

I can't wait for these girls to get a little older... I have a funny feeling they are going to be great friends for a long, long time (just like their mommies and me!). Maybe one day they will even go to college together and be ADPi's together! What fun they will have!! Oh wait, I remember all the "fun" Kellie, Andee and I had together.... hmmm, maybe we need to start convincing them now of a nice quiet hometown college!! ;) Seriously though, what a blessing to have these girls and their babies in our lives!

Before I was a Mom...

2007-05-21T20:48:00.000-06:00

I got this email from a dear friend and it was just sooooo fitting... Enjoy!

Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put them down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.
I didn't know that no matter how old or how big they get - they are still my baby.
I never realized how long it takes to get to them, when they call and say they need me now!
I never knew how strong I could be, until my child was depending on me to be that strong!
I never knew how proud of someone I could be, until I was a mom.

9 Months old!!! My, how time flies...

2007-05-20T12:46:00.000-06:00

Ashley is now nine months old!! Where does the time go??? I can't get over the fact that it has only been a year and a half since Marc and I found out that our sweet little girl was on her way. It seems like a lifetime ago and just a few weeks all at the same time. I have been taking pictures of her with her bunny since she was 2 weeks old- just look how much she has changed since then! Wow!

She went to the doctor for her heathy kid check up last week. She is now 20.5 lbs and 29.5". That puts her into the 75% for weight and the 99% for height (no surprises there). Looks like she'll be long and lean- and with that beautiful olive skin and big brown eyes... well, let's just say Marc is going to have to work on his "game face" for all those boys that will be knocking down our door... okay, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but I do see a real beauty in the making! :)

In other news, I have to be honest that I have not been the best about blogging... although I really did try to get this particular post up about three times in the last week and things kept going wrong... (dadgum technology... another reason for the love/hate relationship) Speaking of, my mom got an IPod... please pray for her ;), kidding... seriously though, I think she is now cooler than I am.... what is this world coming to?!? Haha... I kid, I kid...
OK, back to the real news... Only one month until the biggest adventure of our parental lives... Marc, Ashley and I will be going to Puerto Vallarta with Marc's family... we need prayers, lots of prayers! Seriously... 6 adults and three kids on one plane... I feel bad for those sitting behind us... unless they love cute kids!! :) Really though, I am SO excited about the vacation- Marc is deseperately in need of some down time (heck, so am I!) and I think Ashley will have a ball with her cousins, aunt, uncle and nana and gran. I am just completely freaked out about all of the logistical pitfalls that lay in our way to a great time... between packing, feeding, safety, sleeping. well, you name it- it is all a lot to plan out and think about... I know it is one of those things that as long as we just "do it" everything will turn out fine. I also am so thankful that we will be surrounded by people who actually know what they are doing! :) Plus, it will prepare us for our next family vacation in July to SPI with my family. Yea!! (How did we get so lucky- two great vacations in one summer!! We are going to get spoiled!)

Well, times up... I need to run. Actually I am going to get my first pedicure since Ashley was born! Yea!!! Thank you Santa Marc for bringing me the gift cert.!!!! More news to come!!

2007-05-01T14:10:00.000-06:00

I caught her new "skills" on camera this morning!! What a big girl!!!
What you can't see is that Pete is sitting on the opposite end of the coffee table... he looked scared, very very scared....
His poor little world is about to be turned upside down!!! :)

Movin and Groovin!

2007-04-30T20:14:00.000-06:00

Well... I have been waiting to post for about a week b/c I wanted to make sure that I had something cool to post- but as of Sunday night (and Marc's confirmation) it's official...
Ashley is crawling!!!!
(did you think I was going to say something else??? haha!)
Anyway, she has been a rolling fool for a couple of months now and had figured out how to rock on her hands and knees, but since last week she had been slowly but surely figuring out in her head how to move forward. After a few timid inches last week, she got the hang of it on Sunday! By this evening, she was crawling pretty well!!
Ugh, I guess this means babyproofing, doesn't it?!?

She's so funny. I think she is a "thinker" just like her daddy. She really takes her time and thinks through what she wants to do. She won't show any signs of what she is working on and then all of a sudden, one day, she will try it and master it all in one day! Did I mention that her crawling has perfect form? (I think she might be a little perfectionist like her mommy...) ;)

Well, in other news... Marc came home from Budapest last week and had a great time. I think it really opened his eyes to travel outside of the US, which makes me happy! From the pictures and his stories, it sounds like Budapest was very cool. They are still "recovering" from communism, but in another 5-10 years, it should be a very happening tourist spot.
Now, Marc is in Nashville for a couple of days. I think by the end of the year, he will have been to more states and countries than he has been to the whole rest of his life! That's pretty neat! (although it means I miss him a lot- but there are tradeoffs to everything I guess)

All in all, it's been a good week! Hopefully I can put up some more pictures next week- there are some cute ones on the camera, I just haven't gotten them to the computer yet... have I mentioned that I have a love/hate relationship with digital cameras... but that's a whole other post! ;)

My First Post

2007-04-08T15:45:00.001-06:00

So this is blogging, huh?? Somehow it sounds like walking slowly through mud... and sometimes that's what it feels like when I am trying to figure out all the functions here! haha! Seriously though... I was never very good with diaries or journals so hopefully I can be better about blogging... I will try to post once a week, but we'll see how that goes. ;)

Of course most of the posts will probably be about Ashley and there will be lots of pictures. So this means that I won't be clogging up your emails with pictures anymore... the good news is you can still copy pictures to your computer straight from the blog. Just right click and save the selected picture to a file on your computer. Here, I'll let you practice....

Did you do it right?? If not, try try again... remember, practice makes perfect... ok, either that or call Marc- he's the resident computer expert, you know!

OK, so on to the good stuff- this has been a different week for us... I dropped Marc off at the airport on Saturday so that he could fly to budapest!! Crazy, huh? He's there for work all week at an international conference. I have talked to him or emailed with him everyday and he is having a good time- well, as good of a time as you can have without your family while on business... ;) He has been able to do a little sightseeing and he is loving the schnitzle and desserts over there. Although he swears they eat sausage for every meal!

Ashley and I have missed him tremendously. We listen to his messages on the answering machine and she leans over so far it's like she wants to kiss the answering machine! She sure loves her daddy!

Ashley is growing by leaps and bounds these days! Marc and I were talking about it last weekend and it seems like she is a different child over the last month! Our sweet baby girl is now almost 20 lbs., rolls every where, is trying to crawl, has managed to pull up in her crib, and seems to be saying "Hi" and waving to everyone (including the cat, Pete!). She is so much fun these days!! People always told me, you'll miss when she's not an infant anymore, but I gotta tell ya'- I am loving each new day with her! She just gets cuter and cuter!

I will say that she is developing quite a little stubborn streak... she is definitely a first born child. I like that she is so independent, but it gets a little tricky when I am actually trying to get things done for her, like say, giving a bath, changing diapers, or feeding her dinner... If she doesn't want it done, it's not happening! Oh well, good thing she has those little dimples when she smiles- it melts even a frazzled mom's heart!

Well, I think I have gone on long enough... I don't want to scare ya'll off!!

When Marc gets back, I'll get the full scoop and try to put up some pictures of my world traveler hubby!!