Ashton Family: April 2009

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Brynley

"Mom - you can't see the M&M's." "MOM, you can't see the M&M's!" I was slightly ignoring Brynley as she came into the office...

I turn to her, she says it again, hands closed in a fist "Look, you can't see the M&M's!" Then she opens up her hands to reveal a handful of M&M's which I apparently "couldn't see" because she might get in trouble... They swiftly made it into her mouth as she stood grinning at me. She's so intuitive sometimes and she always gives herself away if she is doing something naughty. Gotta love her!

Spring Break in St. George

We spent a fantastic Spring Break in St. George. The kids had a blast playing outside and exploring!

Walking up the hill to Andy's parent's driveway

Running down the driveway

Hayden spent a lot of time just writing in his notebook. It was really cute seeing the things he would come up with to write about!

A scene straight out of The Lion King

Could you imagine this being the view out your windows?

Hayden loved diggin in the red dirt

Andy was put to work hauling dirt and rocks

I love this picture for some reason

Grandpa took us to a fun place called, Pirate Island. It's an entire restaurant made to look like a pirate ship and island. The kid's menus were pirate hats!

Zac with his menu

Grandpa was acting pretty goofy!

Playing Air Hockey in the game area

Andy and Zac having fun

Andy's dad also took us to a small Dinosaur Museum. It used to be just out in the open with pathways surrounding the dinosaur tracks but the tracks have since been enclosed in a building to protect them.

Pretending to be anthropologists

You can't see the tracks very well but this is one of the largest pieces of fossilized dinosaur tracks, I can't remember how many sets of tracks are on it but there were a lot!

Brynley checking out some skeletons and eggs

Exploring more fossils

We always love going to St. George. Andy's parent's house is gorgeous and I'm always a little nervous to have the kids there but it's fun none the less. I'm pretty sure we left the house in one piece!

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Random Funniness

I've been looking at a few funny photos lately and decided to post a few...

This is me while chopping onions. They do this to me every time and Andy decided it would be a great photo-op. I have to admit, it's a little funny. Should I be embarrassed to post this picture? Maybe.

Brynley was so embarrassed... She was wearing a super cute outfit and I asked her to get shoes on... these are what she chose! Brown socks and brown shoes, she has got some great style!

I was mortified when I realized what Zac had done at this restaurant. We were out with my dad and sister's family, Kate and Zac sat next to each other and apparently had a great time! The table was so full of stuff that they kept grabbing things and throwing it all to the floor. Meredith and I got on our hands and knees and picked most of it up until the busser told us we could stop!

This is Eric, my teenage cousin... He decided to see if he could fit in the Jumparoo... not quite sure how he got out, hmm.

Eric once again... We were playing games late one night and I had my hair band around my fingers and I said if I stretch my fingers enough with the band, maybe my fingers would lose some weight. A few minutes later Eric grabbed a glass of water and did "finger water aerobics", it was so funny!

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Cookies with Eric!

My cousin Eric was staying here a few weeks ago. It was hard to figure out things to do with a teenager and a couple of little kids. He was pretty excited to help us make cookies.

The girls watching Eric's mad mixing skills!

Brynley using the mixer as the others look on

Eric thought the cookie "ice cream" scoop was pretty cool! He did a great job making perfect cookie balls.

Yum!

The finished product - perfect Nestle Toll house Cookies! Eric was so excited when they were done, he got a plate and piled 7 or 8 cookies on top - they were gone in a just a few minutes!

Eric must be deprived of junk food at home. One night when we were playing games he asked where my candy was. (I had given him a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup the night before) I told him to look in the cabinet by the microwave - his eyes almost pooped out of his head when he saw what awaited him! I had just restocked our candy supply. He said, "Wo, you are so lucky, you have a whole candy cabinet!) I explained to him that he too could have a cabinet of candy when grew up and got married! Oh, and this was about 30 minutes after downing his 4th Krispy Kreme Donut! (Sorry Aunt Lori and Uncle Scott, hopefully we didn't corrupt him too badly)

Zac and Kate's Birthday Party

A tale of two beautiful 1 year olds...

(For the record, no I do not have twins. One of my Facebook friends thought Zac and Kate were both mine, no way! Not that I don't love Kate like my own but I am not cut out for twins!)

Zac turned 1 on April 15th while Kate will be turning 1 on May 6th. Aunt Shelly, Uncle Joe, and Grandma Nadene were all in town last weekend so we decided to have a combined birthday party. We also had the Rogers and the Myers come over who might as well be family and my dad was able to attend as well.

Zac and Kate did a little wrestling before the party actually started. Zac quickly ruined her hair! I made a fresh lemon cake for the party goers, while Meredith made individual cakes for the birthday kids - notice the cute polka dots colored to match the kid's outfits!

Kate was the only one who actually enjoyed the outdoor photoshoot. Meredith will probably post more of those pictures, Zac was not a happy camper!

We went with a spread of salads for the luncheon. They were divine - Chinese Chicken Salad, Chicken and fruit pasta salad, fruit salad, Strawberry Poppyseed Spinach salad, Cowboy Caviar with chips, and rolls. The kids weren't thrilled but most of the adults enjoyed the meal. (The ladies did anyway, Andy thought it was a poor excuse of a meal!) The lemon cake was wonderful paired with sherbet or vanilla ice cream!

Zac and Kate both enjoyed the present opening, they got some very fun stuff. Kate's big present was a red wagon, the kids had fun pulling the two babies all over the house!

The Cake... Zac is known to have an aversion to certain foods and textures (most foods and textures). I was a little leery of how he would deal with the cake thing. He put his hand on it and then proceeded to try to wipe the frosting off, thus getting more frosting on his hands because he was rubbing his hands on the cake. He noticed Kate eating her cake and decided to try some. He seemed to semi-like it for a few minutes after which time the cake ended up on the floor! Typical Zac for ya!

After the cake, we had a pool party. Zac was so tired I decided to put him down for his nap so that I could have fun with the party guests! We had a couple of near drownings which ended with both Kristin and I in the pool, fully clothed. Everyone was safe and had a great time!

Happy Birthday to the two cutest 1 year olds ever!

Zac's 1-year stats: Zac has gained a bit of weight since his 9 month appointment.

Weight : 18 lbs. 9 oz . - 3rd percentile

Height : 28 inches - 25th Percentile

(He has finally doubled his bith weight! Most babies do this by 6 months)

Zac is being referred to a gastroenterologist to help deal with his constipation and vomiting. The doctor has ordered that we push juice as much as possible to try to loosen his stools and keep him hydrated. It goes against my parenting style to allow juice in a little baby's diet but it sure seems to be helping. He is still having trouble with his bowel movements but they're happening none the less!

Monday, April 27, 2009

Family Night - Bowling

We had so much fun bowling for family night. This was our first time taking the kids and they absolutely loved it! When we gave Brynley her shoes she said, "Ooh, these shoes are cute!" She was excited that we got to wear the same shoes. Brynley was hilarious the whole time. Each time she let the ball go, she would turn around with this weird look and put her hands over her eyes and shake her head back and forth. It was the funniest thing to watch, I caught a little bit of it on camera below.

Notice in the bottom right picture, Brynley's bum crack. The poor thing has an extra long bum crack due to the dimple in her lower back from birth. It really does not go well with low rise jeans/pants. Hopefully by the time it matters, high waisted pants will be the "in" thing! She is showing her crack on a daily basis as it is now...

Some fun bowling shots

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Thinking about...

...my mom today. Fours years ago today, on a beuatiful Saturday morning, she passed away.

The day after Easter Hayden asked, "Why didn't Grandma Sue come back? I thought she was supposed to come back from Heaven on Easter." Sweet boy.

The other day as we were driving to the cemetery Brynley was talking about how Grandma Sue was burried. My Grandma said to her, who was she married to? Brynley said, "Her legs, and her body because she died." There was a little breakdown in that communication but we got it.

My mom would love being with her grandkids, they miss her. I miss her.

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

One year ago today....

...our sweet little Zac was born. At 8 pounds 9 ounces, he was our biggest baby yet! Labor and delivery were rather uneventful. I was due on April 29th but I knew I would have him sometime between the 13th - 16th. My doctor didn't believe me, but I knew.