Ashlyn is 6

Ashlyn turned 6 yesterday. She already thinks that she is 6 1/2 today! Time flies, but not that fast! She has such a big personality on the inside. It is not hard for her to run the show. She plays a real good teenager impression (too bad it isn't an impression) but she can be so kind and gentle (most often when she is not in my presence, I hear this from others.) Yet she is still so small on the outside. I realize just how young she is when I see her walk home from school with the older kids. Not to mention she still wears toddler size shoes!

So tonight we had German pancakes for dinner- her favorite.

I lover her to pieces because... 1. She is a great shopping buddy 2. She is an amazing artist 3. She gives the best hugs 4. She tells me when I look good or when I don't, and she is usually right 5. She loves shoes just as much as I do 6. She is a thoughtful friend

Ashlyn asked for a Ocean Birthday party... Her wish is my command...
The waves, bubbles, and fishing net...The fish cake...The ocean water with fish ice cubes...We enjoyed some great weather on Ashlyn's birthday so we played a few games outside.

Octopus Ring toss...

We timed everyone's crab walk...

Until someone stole the cones...

The kids loved tossing the water balloons! One side of the cannon...

And the other side...

No one really got very wet so we had to hose them down...

I can sum up what Ashlyn received (and asked for) for her birthday in just two words- shoes & Barbies- and she is darn happy about it.

Cake, ice cream and an entertaining movie- Barbie Mermaid Tale 2!!! Whew, it's over!

Time to Dance

I have been tempted to put Ashlyn into dance classes recently. However, I can't seem to get past the fact that my parents spent thousands on many, many years of dance classes for me. "Why can't I put that money to good use and pass my talents on?" I asked myself. I decided to teach her beginning ballet. However, the most fun part of dance class is the environment- lots of little dancing friends. So we invited some of Ashlyn's friends to participate with us...

It has been a fun but also challenging experience. There are days where Ashlyn definitely treats me like MOM instead of TEACHER. GRRR! Some days we have 6-7 girls, other days just two or three. After a few weeks in I realized I needed to change gears and see the class in a different way. At this age it isn't about doing it right, it's about learning to love dance, to enjoy it, to be creative with their bodies and fun. So that is what our class has focused on. It's been really FUN!

Skillz

Ashlyn went to a friend's house for a play date yesterday. She came home doing this...

I did not lift a single finger in Ashlyn's quest to training wheel freedom. She rides like she has been at it for a long time. Amazing! She literally woke up this morning and asked to go out on her "two-wheeler." I will be sending Corbin over there next week in hopes he will come home potty trained.

Do you think my hopes are too high?

Famous

Ashlyn was on one the latest coupon clipper adds...

You can to see the entire Woodplay playsets catalog here. Corbin, Dylan and Ashlyn can be seen throughout the catalog. You should have seen Ashlyn at the photo shoot, she loved the camera just as much as they loved her.

5 Going on 6

Ashlyn turned 5 on Wednesday. I know I say this every year for every child, and I will say it again just like Quincy does on Little Einstein's...

I CAN NOT BELIEVE IT!!

She is still so petite. But petite is cute!

She picked her favorite dinner, chicken rollups, and we watched Tangled for the first time.

The big party was on Saturday...

(Because her party was on a separate day from her real birthday, she somehow assumed she was turning 5 on Wed and 6 on Saturday!?!?! I don't think I can let her get away with growing up that fast!)

Some of the Gang...

A few festive decorations...

A hat for every cowboy and cowgirl...

And of course pin the tail on the horse...

Horse shoe painting...

Tasty horse...

Whew. And then we watched conference

Whey Are You Wearing Pajamas?

This is what Ashlyn chose to wear today...

Her pajama top, a skirt and some leggings. Better, but I did have to give her my regular reminder... "Now Ashlyn, you know that we don't wear pajamas to school. You can wear them at home but not when we leave home." Am I a mean mom? I mean who wouldn't want to live life in their pajamas, I sure do! But I do have to set some boundaries!

Without missing a beat she said "these aren't pajamas, this is a warm up suit." Props for that girl! I just laughed, she earned her right to wear her pajama top today!

For all of you who are still clueless... YOU MUST watch Despicable Me. As you can see we love it. I am hoping this memory will help me add a smile and a laugh when handling Ashlyn and her clothes.

The votes are in and the real count is...

On top: 7

On bottom: 5

I know, she would look ten pounds lighter if she shed some layers!

Count the Layers

I am STILL anxiously awaiting the moment Ashlyn grows out of her "issues" with clothes. We are still plagued!!!!

This is a picture of Ashlyn in most normal attire:

Her newest trend is to wear LOTS of layers. It must be cold here!

Here is the game: 1. To guess how many layers she has on top, and 2. how many layers she has on the bottom. Cast your vote in your comment! I will reveal the answer in a few days.
I had to bribe her to wear real clothes, she actually looks adorable, even with a pajama shirt.
The bride was a photo shoot. Maybe I should sign up for toddlers and tiaras!

End of summer

This summer was so long and tiring, yet I somehow can't believe it is over. The air here has given us it's indication that fall is on it's way (the humidity has let up, what a great relief.) I have found myself desperately holding on to each day. A month ago I prayed that the summer would quickly expire, only so that the stress would be over. This summer has brought so many wonderful blessings. We have enjoyed getting to know and love our new little Kamryn even more as well as our new home. I am just glad that we were able to choose a house, close and move in to it, all in less than a month!

The kids are LOVING school. I was a little worried that Dylan was going to YET another new school. But he said it was his "best first day ever!" What a relief! We are enjoying our ability to walk and ride bikes to school. I can't believe my first baby is a 1st grader!
And this face will tell you all about it...
This girl...

Started preschool today. I thought she was literally going to burst from excitement. She has waited so patiently. She has watched Dylan go to school for the last 6 weeks.

These cutties have become wonderful friends and cuddle buddies...
I mean, it would take a ball and a chain to restrain you from trying to cuddle with the chunky girl!

We have definitely enjoyed our share of the pool. We have been "pool hoppers" for two years now. We are stoked that we finally have a pool to take our generous friends too. And here, that is literally all you can do during the hot summer weeks! There are a few weeks the end of July and early August where the pool water actually gets too hot and it is no longer refreshing! One of many pool trains with your's truly as the engine...

And it looks like even though summer is ending THIS battle rages on...

Yes, these are Kamryn's 3 mo clothes...argggggggg!!!! I guess the 80's would have suite her well.

Hair Affair

I have two children that constantly play with their hair, but for different reasons.

Corbin plays with his hair when he gets tired. He kinda pulls on it, and lets his fingers glide through the strands. He does have great hair! He will even do it when he is not fully awake. Ashlyn twists, tugs and plays with her hair all day long. She does it without thinking, the SAME EXACT WAY my baby sister, Carianne does. They even have the same exact kind of hair- same color, same texture! It is terribly cute, but makes me miss my sister.

While playing at the park and while at a primary activity!

I guess we all have our little, silly habits!

Try This On For Size

Ashlyn came downstairs looking like this...
The picture isn't the best, but you get the picture. Ashlyn + Clothes= trouble. Lately, she steals everyone else's clothes. Today, she got out a stool and rummaged through Kamryn's drawer to find a polka dot onesie from Kadi and a polka dot skirt with attached panties from Cami all in 3mo size! She REFUSED to take them off, she was quite comfortable! I could barely keep a straight face when looking at her. She reminded me of a cheerleader with a tiny outfit- no offense to those who are/were cheerleaders. Sadly, I can't find either piece at the moment. However, not due to the move.
Needless to say, we will be starting a daily clothes therapy session where we will be learning:

• to pick ONE outfit and stay in it the remainder of the day
• not sneak and steal other's cloths
• appreciate having so many clothes to choose from and from so many great people
• appreciate clothing advice when given after it was requested
• articulate what is it about the clothes that makes them desirable

If you would like to be a guest speaker, please leave your information and availability in the comment section.

Red, White and Blue

We had such a wonderful 4th of July. Saturday we had a few families in our ward over for a relaxing pot luck. It was so fun to get to know them all better and I truly enjoyed their company. I wish I had taken more pictures, but by the time I remembered to get the camera out half of them had left. We ate a lot of good food and then lit a few fireworks on the drive way. The kids of course loved the show.

We had a variety of reactions:

Dylan- Enjoyed every minute

Ashlyn- still a little leery of the big, loud ones (Last year she cried the whole way through them).

Corbin- Loved throwing the little poppers on the ground

Kamryn- thought they were way too loud.

In our attempts to find everyone a patriotic outfit we noticed that Kamryn had a plethora of such. So my little Ashlyn "borrowed" a few to make her own gear. She also happens to be very photogenic:(It might make you laugh to click on the collage to get a better look)

Let me explain: Ashlyn is a clothes hog! She will sneak in a snatch an article of clothing from someone else if she deems it awesome enough. Recently I caught her wearing Corbin's pajamas and tried to cover up her snatch with her own clothes over them!?!?! So needless to say, she was pretty thrilled that I gave her permission to wear these ridiculously small clothes. However, she has now confiscated them and labeled them as "hers."

Danny gave all the kids his one-of-a-kind "tattoos." He can melt a child's shyness with one of those! He also took some really "good" pictures of us. One of me and Kamryn during our driveway fireworks:

And one of his amazing wife Amanda:Sunday we went to see fireworks with what ended up being a huge group of friends. It wasn't a hard to request to have Ben, Ashlyn and Dylan hold hands until we arrived at our stake out. We found a great spot on a hill where it was not crowded and the kids had space to run. Unfortunately, someone made Dylan think he could run with a sparkler. That scared me to death. It was dark, and combined with uneven ground and Dylan's speed, I feared the worst. Our dear friends Danny (who is a Special Forces Soldier) and Amanda who are hopefully having their little baby Hazel as I type:

We really enjoyed teaching our children the history behind this special day and how this great event was a precursor to the restoration of the church. We are grateful for this wonderful nation and for many men and women to risk everything for us. I continue to pray that as a nation we will not forget that God has truly had a hand in the birth of The United States of America.

Doggy Tales

This is Ginger...
Ashlyn's new favorite thing to do/play with.

It all started out as a favor to a neighbor who just had a baby. But I think it has turned into a favor for Ashlyn.
She can't get enough of this puppy and it is constantly on her mind. I know she would take great care of one- that is IF we ever own one.

Fancy & Four

Ashlyn was so ecstatic (fancy word for happy) for her Fancy Nancy party on Tuesday...

Everyone came in the posh (fancy word for fancy) attire and dressed up even more with complimentary hats and gloves at the "posh boutique"...

After our "red carpet" walk/ fashion show, we couldn't resist a dance party...

We made spectacular (fancy word for great) flowers...

Of course we ate a delectable (fancy word for yummy) purse cake and parfaits...

And ate them all at our elegant (fancy word for pretty) table ...

with personalized table settings for every guest...

and French note cards (because everything in French sounds fancy)...

Merci (that's French for Thank You) to all of those who could attend!!!

We had our own family party the night before and Ashlyn is now in love with her new ballet slippers and fancy dress (just in time) that Tutu and Papa Steve got her. She also got some Disney characters, 2 new games, an "A" necklace that I made, and a reversible cat girl/super woman cape that I finally got around to finishing after a year!

We all had fun celebrating such a special day!