This is our little Dr. My sister-in-law can sew amazingly well. My brother is in Med school in Pennsylvania and they had Kambrees name for Christmas. So of course my sister-in-law just wiped out this way too cute Dr. outfit. With surgical hat and all. Now we are all her patients, every day, all day.
As Dad and son are shoveling the snow, the boy says "A man has to do what a man has to do". I guess snow removal is a MANS job!
Yesterday was Austin's 5Th birthday. He is our miracle boy in so many ways.So in my defense, the kitchen was a little dark this morning when I was making breakfast. I made sticky buns, my family loves them, so I made two pans of it. When they were all finished cooking Shawn got them out of the oven and put them on the kids plates. During this time I was down the hall getting ready for the day and that is when I hear, "Dad, something tastes funny". Then I hear another child say "you are a way better cook then mom". So of course I had to investigate. Instead of sprinkling the bottom of the pan with cinnamon I sprinkled it with cumin. The bottles look the exact same in the dark. Both pans had to be put in the garbage.
This year the two older girls were on the same dance team. Dad couldn't go to their recital, he had to work, so he bought them some cute flowers. They both did a great job.
Yesterday I was raking up the leaves in our yard. I would make big piles and the kids would jump in them before I got them in the bags. While I was working one of the kids said "don't you wish you were a kid so you could jump in all of the leaves?" With that I dropped the rake and jumped in the pile. We had a great time playing and this morning the leaves are still all over the yard...and it is OK.
My sweet baby had to have "dental reconstruction" done at Primary Children's hospital yesterday. It was an outpatient surgery
They let the kids ride around in little wagons. They gave her some medicine that made her drowsy so she couldn't really walk.
What a trooper, she did so well. After it was all over with she kept telling us that her finger hurt. Then she would point to her whole arm. She was referring to the IV that was in her hand.
Everyone at the hospital were great, the nurses and the doctors. But I have a love/hate relationship with that place. It holds some good memories and a lot of bad ones. My nephew was up there for 3 months before passing away, and my little boy was up there for 3 days after he was born. It tends to give me some anxiety when I know I have to go up there. I am sure a lot of you can relate :)
This is all about my sweet heart...hope I remember it right. It has been over 12 years so my memory might be a bit fuzzy.
This tag is called "How I meet___."
1. Where did you meet?
He was in my ward up at Ricks College.
2. What was the first thought that went through your head when you met?
He was bearing his testimony...I thought wow, he is a very spiritual guy. OK lets be honest, I was totally scouting out all of the guys in my ward and who I would really like to date, he was #1 on the list.
3. Do you remember what he was wearing?
Yep, black church pants and a sweater cardigan. It was black and til colored.
4. Where was the first time you kissed this person?
He kissed me first. I had asked him to a dance and to make a long story short we got in a frosting fight. I had chocolate frosting all over my face, he pinned me down and then made his move.
5. Where did you go for your first date?
We made home made pizza with my roommates and their dates (ours was in the shape of lips...) then we went to a haunted house and then to a dance.
6. How long did you know this person before you were a couple?
I would say about 1 month? maybe shorter.
7. How did he ask you out?
He didn't, I asked him out first.
8. Has this person ever purposed to you?
Yes, at the Loft restaurant up in Idaho. It was so beautiful, a log cabin style restaurant, very romantic. I guess it is now a BBQ Bar and Grill. It kind of makes me a little sad to hear that :(
9. Do you and this person have kids together?
Yes, 4 kids that just grow up way too fast!
10. Have you ever broken the law with this person?
Does speeding count? Then yes, on our honeymoon :)
11. When was the first time you realized you liked this person?
When I saw him at my apartment and he couldn't remember my name, but he knew my roommates name. I needed to make sure he knew who I was and never forgot it.
12. Do you get along with his family?
Yes, but I have only met his 3 brothers 1 time. They live far far away.
13. Do you trust this person?
Kind of a dumb question---um YES!
14. Do you see him as your partner in the future?
Only for eternity and beyond.
15. What is the best gift he gave you?
Always being a worthy priesthood holder.
16. What is one thing he does that gets on your nerves?
He can be a bit of a perfectionist. I just want to get things done, who cares if it is perfect, he does.
17. Where do you see each other 15 years from now?
We should have a few grand kids by then, and a son serving a mission.
18. What causes the most arguments?
Not sure, it just varies. But we never go to bed mad, so they usually don't last long.
19. How long have you been together?
We have been married for 12 1/2 years.
20. Are you married?
If not, we sure have a lot of explaining to do.
This is the Ashby clan in their Halloween glory. Paige says to me earlier that day, (mind you she is 9 1/2 years old)" What if I decided NOT to go trick-or-treating? " Next she will be asking to hang out with her friends instead of going with the family. I informed her that trick-or-treating was a privilege and she didn't have to go, but when she gets older she won't be allowed to go, because it is for little kids only. About 1/2 hour later she had decided she really wanted to go. Yep they are growing up way too fast!
Kambree had her first official hair cut this past week. She has had her bangs cut before but not the rest.
She held really still. In fact I think she was scared.
We did a cute A line bob.
She really likes it and wants to show it off to everyone. She sure seems grown up!
We spent the day with my mom and her husband up in Mountain Green. They took us out to lunch and then to the Dinosaur Park in Ogden. The kids had a great time. Too bad I forgot a stroller!!! After wards we went back to Grandmas house and played. They love this tradition of spending a day at Grandma and Grandpas house when they are off track.
Did you notice that I have on the same outfit that I wore in the Deseret News marathon? That is because I only have 1 official running outfit. Most of the time I run in my sweats, but this makes me look like a "REAL" runner. This is my good friend Holly, she ran the race with me. Or rather she started the race with me. She got to the finish line about 5 minutes before me. But it was still great knowing that I wasn't doing this alone.
Shawn, my sister, my brother, my mother and her husband, and all of our children were the greatest cheering squad. They made posters and signs and cheered for me all along the race route. After I passed them they would get back in the van and go another 1 mile down the road and cheer again, then went another mile and cheered again. It was wonderful! It just shows that if you have a good support system you can accomplish anything.
Don't those look like Gold medals? My kids are convinced that I won the race. I did get 6th out of 20 in my age group. Actually those are participation medals, but who cares, they still look cool. My 2 goals this race were to be under 1 hour for the 10K and to not walk, to run the entire time. Well I missed my first goal by 1 minute and 51 seconds, so sad. But I didn't walk at all. The real reason I didn't walk was because I didn't want to disappoint my family. They knew what my goals were and every time I saw them cheering for me I knew I didn't want to let them down by seeing me walk.
So if anyone wants to run next year let me know and maybe we can start the race together:) They did give away some fun stuff, better then the Salt Lake race. You got a duffel bag, a microfiber t-shirt, a bag of potatoes, and bunch of coupons for stuff around Pocatello.
Look at that home grown goodness! Yes I actually got out the pressure cooker. My mother-in-law gave it to me when they moved 9 years ago, this is the first time I have used it. I must admit it was a little scary to use. And then we couldn't get the lid off when they were done cooking. I truly thought I was going to have to throw the whole thing away with the green beans still inside. And in 30 years when the pressure finally released someone would find this treasure of canned green beans. They took a lot of effort to make so you will have to be pretty special to be allowed to eat them, seeings how it took 2 hours to make 4 pints.
This morning as we're getting ready for church I kept hearing this "knocking" sound. So I went into Austin's bedroom and this is what I found. He had shoved a golf tee into the carpet and was hitting it against the closed door.
He is such a boy. Look at that cute face, he makes it hard to be mad at him for making dents in the door.
The first week of school will have come and gone today. It made me a little sad but a little happy at the same time. I miss my girls when they are gone all day. I miss talking to them and I miss how well they play with the younger 2. But I do not miss the fighting that seems to happen every day. They are girls, 2 years a part, and they can fight with each other pretty bad. They both love their new teachers and enjoy school altogether. I just miss them!
I had a new years goal to run in 2 different 10K races. This is the 1st one, the Deseret News Marathon/10k run in Salt Lake. My sweet younger sister ran it with me. All of the thanks for even finishing goes to her. There were many times I just wanted to stop and rest, but she pushed me along. In fact running with her made my time 5 minutes shorter then in practice. My only goals were to not be the last one across the finish line and to not stop at any of the first aide stations in need of oxygen. I accomplished them both :)
This would be me almost at the end of the race. Just for those who don't know a 10k is 6.2 miles, I must admit you have to be a little insane to do this to yourself. I am right next to the big guy in the blue.
This is the end of the race where they give you water and bagels to eat. Look at all of those sweaty people. I was proud to be one of them!!! Still not sure it will be a part of next years resolutions. We'll have to see how the 2nd race goes, it will be the end of August up in Pocatello. My older sister is going to run in that one with me.
These are our friends, the Geists, that we went camping with. We had so much fun staying up till midnight playing games and eating and eating and eating, OK maybe I was the only one eating. But it was still fun.
Yes it is the end of June and when we got to our campsite we found...snow. Enough snow to actually have a snow ball fight. That is Austin standing on the snow in his shorts, we didn't pack pants. But really it wasn't that cold.
And now back to the real world.
Now that the weather is nice the kids want to play outside all of the time. They play so hard that they have that famous"kid smell".
Yes as of yesterday Shawn and I have been married for 12 wonderful years. Time goes by so fast before you know it we will be celebrating our 25Th. He was so sweet to have 12 roses (one for each year) sent to me at home. It was a wonderful surprise, funny thing is that he ordered 12, but they sent 13. One to grow on I guess. I couldn't ask for a better man, I love him so much and am excited for the next 12 years.
He looks so sweet and innocent. But a little bored. So what can a 4 year old do to stay entertained? See next picture!
Yup, those would be his socks that he tied up his own feet with. It kept him busy for a little while.
On Sunday morning Shawn left for a meeting and I found out that Kambree had a pee accident in her bed. So I had to pull the sheets off and get them in the washer. I got Kambree and myself ready for church. I was trying to get Kambree to eat breakfast when she decided to throw up everything she had eaten all over my dress and on my face (yes I said face, one of the benefits of being the mother). I hurried her into the bathroom where she threw up on the bathroom rugs (both of them) and the toilet seat cover. We both got in the shower, I put her in PJ's, and I got ready for church again. Shawn had to stay home from Church with her because I was getting a new calling in the ward. Now I am in charge of the Primary and not the chorister any more, fun for me! When I came home the sickness had progressed to the other end of the body. For a 2 year old that is potty training this can be difficult to get to the toilet in time. Needless to say we went through 4 pairs of underwear. She is the only one to get sick and seems to be feeling better. Then this morning Austin decided to pee the bed. So in 24 hours I got to wash 2 sets of sheets, 5 pair of underwear, the bathroom rugs, and 2 complete church outfits. It could have been worse, right? I will say how lucky I am to be a stay at home mom and be with my kids. I hate when they are sick, but love the feeling that I get when I know that I am the one hugging them and making it alright. Nothing is better then getting those hugs and kisses from your child, rocking them to sleep, or holding their hand when they are throwing up!
Well look who it is, Austin and Kylan. Good thing he has some fun boy cousins to play with after being surrounded by girls all day.
After the egg hunt we snagged a picture with the Easter Bunny. 
Austin showing off his pirate stuff that mom and dad brought back from St. Lucia.
(Austin =4 years, Shawntell =6 years, Paige= 8 years, Kambree=2 years) Paige and Shawntell are 2 years apart in age but look like they could be twins. Too funny.The older kids wanted to paint. So of course little sister wanted to do it too.
Good thing it is washable, because we all know skin is more fun to paint on then paper.
Too cute to be in too much trouble.So, this morning I go up and discovered water on my kitchen floor. It went from the dishwasher and under the stove. The drain had gotten clogged in the sink (from potato peels) and made it so the dishwasher couldn't drain out the dirty water. When we opened the dishwasher it was full of gross water. We got it cleaned up and had to take the pipe off from under the sink to get the clog out. It sprayed water every where. So once again we cleaned all the water up. Then Paige woke up and found water all over the floor in the basement. Come to find out the water that ran under the stove leaked into the basement. We moved the stove and found that the tile hadn't been sealed or even grouted under there. When we removed the tile there was a huge hole in the sub floor. Lucky for us we know how to fix that problem (we got experience from our last house, if any one remembers the mold in the kitchen). All I can say is that I am glad the basement isn't all of the way done or we would have had a leaking ceiling and no doubt MOLD!!!
So the other day I took Austin (4 years old) and Kambree (2 years old) to story time at the library. For all of you who don't know about "Fancy Nancy" books, they are great. Everything the little girl does is fancy, her clothes are fancy, her food is fancy and so on. Well at the library they announced that they are going to have a "Fancy Nancy Party". They are going to do Fancy crafts, and read the "Fancy Nancy books" but that every one needs to dress up Fancy. That is when Austin says "Mom, I hate having to be Fancy!" Needless to say, we are not going to the party.
