Colorado Trip 2010

So the last few days Josh, Ashlyn, and I were able to spend time in Colorado. We helped Neil and Jess move all of their things to Neil's mothers. They treated us to Water World and the Butterfly Pavillion. Both were so much fun. We had so much fun and even have talked about going back to visit if they are still there. Thanks Jess and Neil for a great time and please tell your mother thank you to. Below are some pictures of our trip.

July 2010 Pictures

Melissa and Adam Brown's contest

MOVIE TICKETS GIVEAWAY

We have decided to give away a pair of movie tickets to one lucky winner in the hope we can still be in the running to win something on the SmileGen photo contest. Everybody loves going to the movies-especially in the summer! There are a lot of fabulous movies in theatres or coming soon.
Toy Story 3, Eclipse, The Last Airbender, Despicable Me are just a few fun movies.

So here's the giveaway. 2 movie tickets to the theatre of your choice! To win you must vote (4 times) for our photo on the SmileGen website. To vote you must have a facebook account or twitter account. Here is directions on how to enter if you need them. And here is the direct link to our photo to vote.

Once you vote, leave a comment to let me know! You must vote 4 times to be entered in the movie ticket giveaway.
If you have already voted- THANK YOU. Let me know in a comment.
For extra entries- put this link on facebook or twitter and tell me where to find it.
Earn another entry by posting about this giveaway on your blog with links to this post and to my photo in the contest.
I must be able to contact you to find out what theatre and where to send the tickets.

Also- SmileGen is giving away a $100 amazon gift card to one lucky voter. So, by voting you are automatically entered in that gift card giveaway!
You have until Tuesday morning at 9 am to vote. I will announce the winner Tuesday!

Pictures and Videos of Ashlyn

So Josh and I have been doing a little bit better at getting pictures of Ashlyn. In the mix we got some really funny videos to. We just wanted to post a few of them for yours and our enjoyment. Next time we go see the ducks I promise to take the camera. The first two pictures I took today since mom and I cut Ashlyn's bangs and the others are from a few days ago. The video was from this morning.

Catching Up

So I've been really bad about updating our blog lately and I'm even worse about taking and posting pictures. We have been keeping busy with Josh's school schedule and my work schedule. Josh is doing really well in his classes and has mid-terms coming up next week. Once this semester is over Josh will only have 2 more semesters and an internship. I'm keeping busy between my 2 jobs up at the hospital. I'm really enjoying my new job up on the Maternity ward.

Ashlyn is growing up sooo fast! I can't believe she'll be 16 months next week. Before I know it she'll be in Nursery. Don't get me wrong that will be a blessed day in our lives, we'll actually get to listen to all of the lessons. She is definitely a picky eater right now so thankfully she likes the Carination breakfast supplements which helps with her gaining weight. She is really getting into copying everything we do. It's really cute for the most part. I love her so much and hope she'll always know it.

We are looking forward to all that will be coming our way in the next year with Josh's graduation and me possibly quitting working and being able to stay home with Ashlyn.

24

Josh turned 24 on Monday and I was able to take him out to dinner w/o Ashlyn and we had a great time. Thanks Bree for watching Ashlyn for us.

BUSY TIME

Hey everyone just wanted to let you know we've been up to and have going on.

Ashlyn now has 4 teeth with 2 more coming through and is into everything! I took down her crib today and rearranged her room a little. She says momma,dadda,yeah, and wha?. She is also really getting good at associating when it is time to leave. She will point to the keys and then the door. Anytime we open the coat closet she thinks it's time to go bye bye. I'm going to try to teach her to say bye and peas (short for please) next. She is so much fun and so busy. I'm surprised I'm not in better shape (oh well, that to shall come).

Work is keeping me busy and I'm glad to report that all is well in the health department. Josh and I are just finishing up the semester and gearing up for next semester. Josh only has 2 more semesters before we leave on internship and then we'll be back for 1 more semester. Then it's just trying to decide whether or not he should go straight into his master's program or not. We are also in the process of dejunking and packing since we will be moving on April 16th to a different apartment here in town. We also recently traded in our camry for Josh's dream pickup. To keep a long story short, our camry got recalled and we bought a four-runner but they told us they couldn't fix something that we had in writing so they let us get the pickup for the same price. It's a 2007 Toyota Tundra and only had 20,000 miles on it. I absolutely love driving it.

This last week we were able to see my dad set apart as a Bishop up on campus and my brother-in-law will be reporting his mission this coming Sunday.

Life is great and we couldn't be in a better spot. I'd definitely like a few things but I can wait for them for now. We hope the warm weather comes quickly and decides to stick around for a long time. Lovin' you all. Hope to see more of you when things start to settle down a little more.

Movies and Pics of Ashlyn's 1st B-day

So I was checking everyone else's blogs when I realized that I promised back in Feb. that I would post pics of Ashlyn, so here they are. My camera didn't do that great of a job but at least I've got them. I'll record and post more pics later when I've got more time.

MIA!

So I've been MIA for the last little bit since we have been really busy. Both of us are working and going to school and Ashlyn is growing up so fast! Well we have survived half a semester so far, Ashlyn turned 1, we attended Sam's wedding, and just keep ourselves busy. I will post pictures and videos later this week since I don't have my camera.

Ashlyn: Welcome to Toddlerhood

At her 1 year appt she measured in at 30 1/2 in and weighed almost 20 lbs (compared to her cousin Claire she's a lightweight but for mom she is getting heavy) and got her shots. She didn't like the shots but who can blame her. Thankfully after our nurse gave her a sucker she forgot about it for the most part.

She is into everything now that she is walking (she's been walking for over a month now, what happened to my baby?). I think her favorite things to get into is the drawer under the stove and the lazy susan. Sometimes she'll pull everything out and then climb in. She thinks it's great, especially when we spin her; but she easily gets mad because she tends to get stuck. It's also fun to see how much she likes books. If we are doing something and Ashlyn has been playing and we no longer hear her, we can usually find her back in her room with all the books pulled off the shelf and her sitting there looking at one. Another favorite of hers lately is going back into her room and closing the door and then hiding when we come and open it. She really gets a kick out of it and will continue to shut the door just to get us to react. It's pretty cute. She gives fives now and waves bye when she feels up to it. I think one of her funniest expressions is when I say what or huh to her because she mimics me and says "wha" at she raises both hands. I really need to get that recorded and post it because it is so darn cute. Overall, Ashlyn is doing great and is thriving and happy which makes us happy.

Josh and Jamie:

Josh is now working the grill up at the college M-F, instead of working up in St. Anthony every night. It's been working out really well. Jamie is still up at the hospital. She's keeping busy but is glad to know that the end is in sight in December (we know it's still a ways a way but she's really glad to be done there). School keeps us busy and we are really glad we've made it to the half way mark for the semester. Now we just need to keep going strong through the last half. After the semester Josh will continue on (he's got 2 more semester before his internship in Dec-Jan. time frame) while I put school aside. Ashlyn hasn't been handling it very well and I felt that she needed me home. She's not use to having to share time with me and my school work and I don't blame her. I'm glad though that I can do this for her because it's so much more important to me to be a good mom and be there for her. I'll finish my schooling later but for now I just need to be there for my little girl.

Overall life is going really great for us, it's just super busy! We hope things will slow down a little bit after the semester so we can have time to see family and just be able to relax a little more. Like I said before, I will post pics and videos later this week.

Pictures

Josh and I couldn't believe how much older our baby looked with her hair in piggys.




Christmas

Welcom 2010!

We are looking forward to what the new year holds for us. This past year went by so fast that I often wonder where the time has gone.

Can you believe my baby will be 1 in Feb. She is doing wonderful! She still only has 2 teeth and hasn't really taken to walking but she has taken her first steps (Dec. 26,09). She says "mama","dada", and "wha". Pushing things,climbing in drawers and waving are also common at our home. We can't imagine life without her and look forward to watching her grow and reach more milestones.

We'll both be starting school next week and working. Most of our classes are on-line so we can stay home w/Ashlyn for the most part. Jamie is still working at the hospital and Josh is working on campus as well as for his uncle still.

The year is starting out busy with a baptism,wedding,new school year,and much more and will continue to stay busy throughout the year but we are looking forward to it with excitement. Wishing you all a happy New Year and we hope to see and hear from you all!

Last few days

So we've had a couple rough but fun times the last few days and wanted to share:

Fun times/things:
*My birthday was on Friday (turned 23)
*Ashlyn learned to drink from a straw (Friday at Wingers), found out she likes blackberry and kiwi lemondades
*Ashlyn learned to cluck her tongue (Thursday)

Rough times:
*Ashlyn hasn't been sleeping well and eating
*She has been having a tough time staying upright which has resulted in 2 bloody mouths and a lot of crying
*Also she doesn't want to be put down ever

Hoping this next week is a little more balanced

The Good and the Bad

Well this past week has been an eventful one with Dr. Appts.

Jamie and Ashlyn both had dr. appt on Wednesday and Josh had 3 appts.

Jamie was simply getting her thryoid re-checked and the lab results came back good. She doesn't have to up her dosage and hopefully won't have to take the medicine after she finishes the bottle.

Ashlyn had her 9-mo. check-up as well and is doing great. She weighed in at 14 lbs 15oz and is 29 in. long. She was so silly throughout the appt until she got the flu-shot. She's a little ahead of schedule and just doing really well.

Josh hurt his back and has been to a chiropractor(not the best idea) and then has been into a regular 2 times since. The medicine given didn't really do anything so now we are going to wait and see if his back will get better on it's own or not. The doctor said to give it another week and if it's not better then we will have to decide where to go from here with it. Right now he isn't allowed to lift things (including Ashlyn) and is basically a home-body for awhile. We hope that it will heal quickly so that he can get back to doing the day-to-day things and go back to work.

In general we are well. Both of us are getting our school schedules worked out and looking forward to the holidays.

Some of the Pics Cami Took in UT

Priceless

Ashlyn has been fighting sleep lately and today I think it finally caught up with her. This is simply priceless, falling asleep after she finished eating.

It came by 2

Ashlyn's 2 bottom teeth came in on Oct.14th. I think she's teething again but only time will see.

I think I saw a tooth, I did, I did

So it's official . Ashlyn is cutting her first tooth! Yah for us and sad for Ashlyn, it hurts so bad!

Finally...I've got pics

Ashlyn has been fascinated with door knobs and seems to always be trying to eat them.



So the other day Ashlyn was playing with her toys while I was on the phone and when I turned and looked at her and this is what I found. LOL!



Splish, Spash,I love taking baths!




Mommy and Daddy took me to the park a few months ago when it was nice and warm and I discovered how much I love the swings and slide. I hope to go lots next year when it warms up.

A Quick Note

So I know that I've been horrible about posting lately. We've been super busy with work,school, and Ashlyn. Josh is doing great in his classes so far and I'm working tons (nights/weekends). Ashlyn is so much fun when we get her laughing, but teething is causing her lots of pain right now and all of us our sleep. Yes I did say teething and I know that we have thought her teeth would have been in before now but we can actually say we see white under her gums. Poor little girl, I don't think Josh and I can take much more of her crying right now. I'm getting my energy back now-a-days slowly with the new meds I'm on for my thryoid. Hopefully by the end of this week I will actually wake up enough to help Josh with Ashlyn at nights. I use to not even stir but since starting the medicine I'm not sleeping as deeply.

Ashlyn is growing up too fast! Where have the last 8 months gone? She's eating tons of diffent foods now and just walking along things as much as she can. She also likes to babble a lot and if she feels the need she'll even scream at the top of her lungs. We admit it's hard being parents sometimes but we absolutely love it.

Tomorrow I'll try and post some updated pics of her.

6 Months -N- Growing Fast

Ashlyn is now 6 months old and is getting even more fun. At her 6 mo. appt which was on Aug. 5th she weighed in at 16 lbs and was 27.3 in. long. Dr. Jones said she is actually ahead of schedule, which we aren't too surprised about. Overall she is doing great. Here are a few of the things she can do:

eat solids (cereal,veggies,fruit,bread,etc)
army crawl
pull herself up on things (this just started)
hold her own bottle
splash in the bathtub
yell at the top of her lungs ;(
and the list goes on and on.

WE love her so much and can't imagine life without her. Her little teeth haven't cut through yet (they keep going up and down) and we will be starting her on meats soon.

Well I've got to run but I'll post pics and more soon.

Trying rice cereal...YUMMY!

Ashlyn started rice cereal on June 5th. The first three times she tried it she didn't like it very much but by the 4th time we started thickening it and she has done really well since. She eats it twice a day and for the most part eats it all. Sometimes she is more fascinated with the bowls we have or anything that is going on around her. On those days it takes us quite a while to finish her chow.
P.S. I tried upload a couple more but my pictures are still having trouble uploading, so I'm taking what I can get.

Alas!

Well I can't get my computer to upload again and I think it has something to do with Josh and John playing the x-box so I will try to attempt to post the other pics that I wanted to post tomorrow. Farewell and good night.

Mid-May Stroll Through the I.F. Zoo

Josh's sister invited us to go to the zoo with her and her children (Josh's mom and siblings also came along). Ashlyn didn't stay awake very long but seemed to enjoy getting out of the apartment. Here are 2 pics of our adventure. My computer and internet keep going down so I couldn't post more pics.I was hoping to post the picture of the baby camel (born in Feb.) but it won't upload so this is all you get for now.


I didn't stay awake very long, but I did enjoy being out and about


This guy definitely thinks he's the "King"

The 4-month checkup

Well Ashlyn survived her 4 month checkup but didn't like it much. She was fine up until the doctor had daddy put her down. From that point on she just screamed and screamed and screamed. She definitely remembered getting those darn shots last time and she definitely didn't want them again. Besides not likely the shots (like any normal person) she is doing good. She weighed in at 13 lbs 11 oz and is 25 1/2 inches long ( 1 1/2 inches taller than predicted). She is now in the 90th percentile for height. Her weight and head are still around the 50th percentile. Today we are going to start her on rice cereal. I'll try and get some pics and post them tomorrow. Have a happy one.

Rolling Rolling Rolling

Today Ashlyn rolled over all by herself! I couldn't believe it. I hopped in the shower while Josh put her on the floor since she fell asleep. When I got out I poked my head out to see if she was still sleeping and she was on her tummy. I knew Josh put her on her back and so I asked him if he re-positioned her and he said no. Josh then put her back on her back and I watched her roll over again. I knew it was coming because lately when I've been changing her or putting her in her crib she'd roll over onto her side. She can also hold her rattle now (that started on Friday). I just love watching her grow and do new things. We really do love her and are excited to see her personality take off. Wish us luck this week, she gets shots again on Thursday :(

Updated photos of Ashlyn

Here are some updated pics. I took these about 2 weeks ago but for some reason they wouldn't upload. I was trying to upload a sequence that shows Ashlyn go from happy to crying. It was just so sweet.

She is doing well. We have her 4 month check-up on the 4th of June, even though she'll be 4 months this coming week. We love her so much!

What's On Your Plate?

So I know that some of you make wonderful Sunday Dinners that might include a roast or stew, vegetables, and maybe some bread. Well seeing that Sam doesn't eat a lot and I don't like to put a lot of effort into a meal that only takes about 5 mins to eat, I decided on Twice-baked potatoes. If anyone else is itching for an easy meal to serve you'll definiitely like this. If you would like the receipe let me know. Can't wait for next Sunday, Josh will be home and I will probably do a roast and homemade bread w/veggies. Have a happy Sabbath!

One more week

Josh comes home next week. We are both excited! He was able to do his briefing today instead of on Thursday and they are hoping that his papers will clear processing within the next day or two. We will know more as soon as his papers come back. It could be as early as Tuesday but Josh said not to plan on Thursday or Friday. Either way we are happy to be able to be back together. We also will be able to spend our anniversary together (as long as everything goes like it's suppose to, cross your fingers) I can't believe we are going on 3 years! It seems so strange to think about but we are grateful for the wonderful relationship we have with each other and are excited to continue growing with each other.

Ashlyn is almost asleep thankfully which means I can go to bed soon, hooray! She's been pretty good the last 2 days but tonight she's been pretty fussy. My goal is to have her moved out of our room by the end of May and to be sleeping soundly through the nights. Right now she only wakes up once each night so it's pretty nice, especially where I'm the one getting up with her. I can't wait to have Josh back to help with that responsibility. We love Ashlyn very much and can't wait to see more of her personality come out. She is our joy!

Ashlyn's Past Week

Ashlyn hasn't been feeling well lately. I finally took her to the doctor. He feels that her tummy is just upset because she was constipated and then the laxative I gave her at my sister's house seemed to irritate her tummy a little. He's having me try a little bit of yogurt to see if that helps her. Her teeth are also giving her some discomfort so I'm grateful for tylenol. I can't wait for her to start feeling better. It's not fun to have a fussy little baby who isn't getting her sleep either. She has actually been really happy this morning thus far, which is nice. I give her a few days to get back to her sassy little self. Wish us luck!

End of May

Well it' looking like the end of May before Josh comes home. They said it will take about 4 weeks so that is the timetable we are looking at. Josh is just going to go back to school in the fall, he's got about 60 credits left before he graduates.

Ashlyn's 2 month appt

Well today we took Ashlyn in for her 2 month appt and we are happy to say she is growing and developing right on schedule. She weighed in at 11 lbs 3 oz and is 23 in. long. The doctor said she is in the 75th percentile for both height and weight. WE are hoping she gets Josh's height gene and it looks like she will, yeah! The only sad part of the appointment was that she had to get her shots. She actually did pretty well. I'm glad that our ped. makes the nurse's hold her down and lets the parent's comfort her. It makes it easier to calm her down and then she also doesn't get mad at mom and dad. She's actually been really happy and has only cried once since being home. She feels like she's getting a slight fever, which is to be expected, so we'll be watching her to make sure she's okay. Right now she's just laying on the floor watching her daddy play Halo with Uncle Neil and she's been talking and smiling like crazy. It's actually funny to watch her and listen to her as she discovers her voice. The other day it actually sounded like she was trying to laugh, it'll come in a little while, but it's funny to hear it slowly developing. She's also discovering her hands more and likes to take her plug out of her mouth and try to grab things like her blanket. WE love this little girl and are so grateful that she is blessing our home. As the months continue to go by it'll be fun to see her personality develop.
Well I'd post a picture of her with this post but I don't want to mess up the internet connection for the guys, so I'll have to post tomorrow an updated pic, hopefully of her smiling.

Update on Us

Well we are doing good up here in Rexburg, ID. We havenl't really been enjoying the snow or cold but we look forward to when it warms up. Josh has only 8 more days home, before leaving for basic. This week is just going to be getting him ready for basic and going to dr. appointments. Ashlyn will be 9 weeks on Tuesday and then will have to go to see Dr. Jones on Thursday for her 2-month appt and shots. Hopefully she does okay with the shots. She isn't one for going to the doc. so we'll just have to hope it goes good. My last day of work was going to be on Friday but they have asked me to stay on another week, due to training purposes. Well not much I can think of to say, so we'll post later. Hope you all have a wonderful Conference Sunday.

Pics from Cami

Photos Taken by Karen Anderson in Rigby,ID

We used Karen's services when Ashlyn was 3 weeks old. Karen did a great job. We are very pleased with her photos.

Ashlyn's Baby Blessing

Ashlyn was blessed on March 1, 2009 by her wonderful dad. It was a very special day for her. She was so proud of her dad for holding the Priesthood and being able to be worthy to give her the blessing from her Heavenly Father. She had lots of family come and support her on her big day and wanted to tell them all thank you for coming. She hopes to see you all soon.