The Ashton Family

Kate's Ballet Recital

2010-01-23T23:33:00.003-07:00

Tonight was Kate's first ballet recital. I tried to make it an extra special night for her since she was very sad that her dad couldn't be here. We signed her up for ballet to help build her coordination and to get her over some of her shyness. It has worked on both counts! Kate was a little darling tonight...she especially loved when her big brother (with the help of Grandma and Grandpa Baker) brought the little ballerina flowers... Enjoy the pictures and video!

Trick or Treat!

2009-10-31T20:26:00.003-06:00

Conner, Kate & Sadie had a great time trick-or-treating! Conner was a Jedi, Kate was a Snow Princess and Sadie was a Duck. Aren't they the cutest! Ben, by the way, dressed up as a Dad. He took the kids trick-or-treating. I stayed home and passed out candy. I can't help but comment that at least half of the kids who came to my house were taller than me...

Carving Pumpkins

2009-10-31T20:18:00.005-06:00

We had SOOO much fun carving pumpkins. I think it might have been because Conner was able to carve his pumpkin all by himself. He even cleaned it out... Then when he was done he helped Kate with hers. Although Ben did dissapoint me by carving a giant Y for BYU in his pumpkin, I think the night was a complete success!

Kate Turns 4!

2009-05-11T16:22:00.003-06:00

We got to celebrate Mother's Day and Kate's birthday all on the same day this year! Grandma & Grandpa Baker came up for the weekend for the occasions! Kate has been looking forward to her 4th birthday as soon as her last birthday was over. She wanted a Princess Party this year. Even though she wanted a princess theme and a princess cake and even informed us we were to throw here a surprise party, she wasn't in control of everything. She was still surprised when she received a brand new bike for her birthday. She LOVES the dresses she received from Mom & Dad and Grandma & Grandpa Ashton (She has already worn all of them and I will have to do laundry tonight so she can wear them all again tomorrow...

Thanks to everyone who made this day so special!

My Baby Turns 1!!!

2009-04-25T11:22:00.004-06:00

We celebrated Sadie's birthday this week. What a fun day, but yet I found it kind of sad. My tiniest one is no longer a baby...

Conner and Kate wanted to throw Sadie a Surprise Birthday Party. That is funny enough as it is since a one-year-old has no idea what a surprise party is. But, Conner and Kate insisted on balloons, streamers, etc. We even had to turn off all the lights and hide so that when she came in the room with Ben we could all yell surprise! We couldn't even say the word balloon in front of Sadie because it might spoil the surprise. Too funny! But Sadie seemed to enjoy it!

Here are pictures of my little Sadie Lady at her surprise party:

Easter

2009-04-25T11:18:00.002-06:00

We had a wonderful Easter! We are really enjoying having morning church because we get all afternoon to be together as a family. Easter was no exception. Check out these pictures. Don't our kids clean up great!

Isn't it greatwhen your kids play nicely together?

2009-03-17T14:31:00.002-06:00

So, just five minutes ago I was relishing in all THREE of my children playing nicely together. Notice, I WAS relishing the moment. They were playing a game where Conner and Kate were some sort of super heroes. Sadie was their baby. They had to protect the baby from the attacking bad guys/aliens/mutants/villains. Cute, huh? Anyway, this went on for a while and I was listening to them while I folded laundry. I then witnessed the following conversation:

Conner, "Hurry, the bad guys are coming!"

Kate, "Save our baby, she is scared of the bad guys and is crying!"

Conner, "Kate, Sadie is not crying."

Kate, "Well, we could make her cry."

What do I say to that? This super-mom just let them keep playing. Why intervene? The bad guys/aliens/mutants/villains arrived before they could make their little sister cry so all was well. At least I got to fold the laundry in peace, right?

My favorite things Kate has said lately...

2009-03-03T15:25:00.002-07:00

You never know what will come out of Kate's mouth... Here are a few of my favorites from the past couple of weeks:

When in Target Kate all of a sudden had to go to the bathroom (of course, we were as far away from the bathroom as you can get at the time...why is it always like that?). So, we run to the bathroom. As we go into the stall and close the door, Kate exclaims in her loudest voice, "Look mom, there's a hooker!" I looked where she was pointing and saw a hook on the back of the door. I explained that it is called a "hook" not a "hooker". She continued to insist that the bathroom has hookers and why don't we have some at home. I tried correcting one more time, to the sound of the lady in the stall next to us laughing hysterically in the background. I think I finally convinced her that there are hooks in bathrooms and not hookers.

Over the weekend Kate was being very cranky. I asked her to go to her room and see if she could find "Happy Kate". I make this suggestion to my kids at least once a day... Anyway, she shouted back at me that "Happy Kate is at Chuck E Cheese". Well, OK then...

The other night at dinner Kate announced out of the blue that when you die your tongue pops out of your head. Once we got over the initial shock and confusion, we were reminded that when we were young, the absolute sign that someone was dead when we were playing is that their tongue was sticking out... Huh.

My Latest Cake Masterpieces

2009-02-21T20:23:00.005-07:00

I had two cake projects for this weekend. Two fun birthday cakes! The first was for a 9-yr-old who was having an American Idol karaoke party. They wanted a karaoke machine cake. I think it turned out awesome!

I also had another birthday cake for a little 6-yr-old. She was having a Fancy Nancy party. I had never read any of the Fancy Nancy books before making these cakes, and may I say they are darling! They are about a little girl who likes everything to be fancy. If she were to decorate her own birthday cake it would look like this:

Boys Night

2009-02-08T13:55:00.003-07:00

So, although the girls night resulted in some fabulous hair, I can't say the same for the Boys Night. Ben and Conner went to the park together and then got their hair cut for their Boys Night Out. What could ever have posessed Ben to allow my little Conner to be turned from this:

Into this:

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Apparently Conner told Ben that we wanted to look just like him. Well, at least they succeeded in that...

I later explained to Ben that a haircut that is appropriate for a thirty-something balding man is not appropriate for a 6-year-old. Ben promised he would not pay someone ever again to shave my son's head. I still don't think that Ben feels bad in the least...

Girls Night

2009-02-08T13:39:00.004-07:00

Last night I got to have a fabulous Girls Night with my two little princesses. We painted our nails, put our hair in curlers, ate chocolate and had fun just the three of us.

She just makes me smile!

2009-02-02T16:47:00.002-07:00

I just came across this picture of Sadie... she just makes me smile all the time. I love all my kids, but as all mothers know, each one holds a special place in their heart. I love Conner the most because he was my first baby and we learned how to do things together. I love Kate the most because she is so much like me. I love Sadie the most because I know the Lord wants her in my family.

Sadie is such a determined and curious little girl. I can't wait to see how this determination develops as she grows! She already calls me mom and Ben dad. She learned to clap this week and does it every chance she gets. She loves her big brother to pieces. And she has learned to wake up and cry at around 10:00 PM so that we get her out of her crib. She cuddles up and goes right back to sleep in our arms. She will only be so small for a short time, so why not enjoy her spirit and warmth? She is so chubby I just want to squeeze the heck out of her! I love my little Sadie!

PlayDATE with Ella

2009-02-02T16:44:00.002-07:00

So, Conner was invited over to Ella's house to play today after school. It was his DREAM DATE! They went to McDonald's (they both LOVE McD's cheeseburgers...) Then, they played Nintendo and ate brownies at her house. Can you believe it, she made him his favorite desert as a snack! Like Ella told me, they have so much in common...He hasn't said much since he got home...keep you posted.

IMPORTANT- YOUR KIDS SHOULD KNOW THEIR PHONE NUMBERS!

2009-01-26T19:50:00.003-07:00

MAKE SURE YOU TEACH YOUR KIDS THEIR PHONE NUMBERS IMMEDIATELY!...

..... Because they will need them when they get to kindergarten and girls start asking for their digits. Yep. That's right. The love story of Conner and Ella continues. The phone rings today. Caller ID says it is a local number. I pick up. I hear a little voice ask, "Is Conner there?" I say, "Yes, may I tell him who is calling?" I am not at all surprised to hear, "This is Ella."

So, I give the phone to Conner and about 5 minutes later (five minutes is not long when it is in terms of things like the movie will be over in five minutes. School starts in five minutes, etc. But when used in terms of two six year olds talking on the phone- that is really a long conversation...)

Conner doesn't say much, I just hear the high-pitched sound of a little voice through the phone. I can't make out what she is saying but she seems to be saying a lot. But, when Conner hangs up the phone and I ask him what they talked about he says, "Nothing." Yeah, right. The only thing that I was able to get out of him was that she invited him to come over to her house.

It turns out that Ella asked him for his number during "Free Play" time today at school. Good thing I spent so long last year making sure he knew his number and all the possible reasons he may need to use it. I am pretty sure I never mentioned he would need it to give to girls...

Meeting Ella in Person

2009-01-26T19:42:00.004-07:00

So, on Thursday I volunteered in Conner's class. His great teach asked me to take kids one at a time into the hall and read with them. Fun. I get to gauge my son's smartness quotient in comparrison to his classmates, AND I get to spend three minutes one-on-one with the infamous Ella. I didn't say anything to her about Conner. I just did my little volunteer job and sounded out words with her. One of the words in the book we were reading was POT. I wanted to make sure she understood what a POT was so I told her that I cook spaghetti all the time in a pot. She paused and then she asked me if Conner likes spaghetti. I told her that it is his all-time favorite food (it truly is). She told me it was her favorite as well. I then told her that Conner could probably each three giant plates of spaghetti because he loves it so much. She told me that she can too (of course). After a couple of seconds Ella said to me, "It sounds like Conner and I have a lot in common." Well, Ella, if favorite foods is a basis for true love in kindergarten, then you do have a lot in common.

And the Response...

2009-01-21T21:34:00.003-07:00

So, Ben and I played it pretty cool with Conner and his whole "Love Note" thing. Though you can rest assured that in private we laughed a whole lot... Anyway, we didn't really suggest to Conner that he respond in any way, but this morning at breakfast he says (in a really cool voice that suggested he had practiced this conversation), "Well, I guess I should write a letter back to Ella, huh? That would be the right thing to do, right?" Well, Romeo, I guess it is the right thing to do. So, this is the note that Conner wrote and took to school this morning for Ella. When I asked him after school how it went, he said fine and that he played with her before school. The best thing in all of this is that I am volunteering in his class tomorrow morning and I will get to see first hand what is really going on here... Stay tuned for my social observations...

Please note: Conner wrote this himself. I think that Ella must have an older sister helping her along...

Love Notes In Kindergarten

2009-01-20T19:40:00.004-07:00

When I was clearing out all of Conner's daily school papers from his backpack today I found the following note folded up very small. Conner didn't know he had it, so I am assuming that the author of the note (ELLA) put it in there in secret. Ben and I found it very humorous. Our favorite part is the heart at the top of the page that has stick figures of a little boy and a little girl in it. What in the heck are we supposed to do with a son who gets love notes in Kindergarten?

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T17:07:00.003-07:00

We had an amazing Christmas! We stayed in our pajamas ALL DAY LONG! We took our time as each child opened their gifts. We made sure they knew who the gift was from and we immediately set each toy up and played with it. It took HOURS to get through everything since we let the kids direct it all, but we had so much fun. We miss all our family a lot today, but thank you to all of them for understanding our need to be together as our own little family today!

Christmas Eve

2008-12-25T16:43:00.004-07:00

We decided to spend this Christmas entirely at home in Idaho. This is the first time we have ever done this. So, to offset the dissapointment of not getting to see our family on Christmas this year, we invited our other "family" over to dinner for Christmas Eve. Ben always says that the Hamel family is the family that you get to pick. We love these guys! Thanks to Angie, Chad, Riley and Madeline for making our Christmas Eve wonderful and our life in general so happy!

It's a White Christmas!

2008-12-25T16:40:00.002-07:00

Since Ben has been gone practically this whole month, the responsibiltiy of shoveling the snow has fallen to me. (Luckily we don't get as much as our friends and family in Salt Lake!) I let Conner and Kate come outside and play while I shovel. So, each morning the kids hope they can wake up to find snow just so I will have to shovel and they can go out and play. Don't tell them that it is actually possible to go out and play even when I don't need to shovel snow. I am not a good play outside in the snow mom...

My Favorite Things Kate Said In Disneyland

2008-11-14T17:22:00.002-07:00

Kate makes me laugh every single day. She just says the greatest things! Here are my favorite things she said on our trip to Disneyland:

1. On our first night in California we went to go to dinner at a restuarant recommended by the hotel. My dad, mom and brother Zak were leading the way in their car and we were following behind. My dad got lost and then we got lost and separated from the other car. We finally made it back together and we were following the other car again in hopes that we could find the restaurant. From the back seat Kate calls, "Aren't there three grown-ups in that car?" Well, she was right...

2. We let the kids each pick out one toy and one t-shirt when in Disneyland. Kate wanted to get something from the Princess store. She carefully looked through the store and made her selection. Ben took her up to the register to pay. She turned to Ben and said, "Princesses don't pay." Right again...

DISNEYLAND

2008-11-14T15:56:00.006-07:00

We are so lucky that we had the chance to go to Disneyland last week. Thanks to my mom and dad's generosity we had a great time with the entire Baker crew!

Highlights for me:

1. Spending an afternoon at the Beach. The kids LOVED playing in the sand (Sadie wanted to eat it) and I enjoyed sitting in the sun!

2. Seeing Conner get picked from the audience to be in the Jedi Training Academy show and fight Darth Maul. He has been obsessed with Star Wars ever since and since he got to make his own Light Saber in Disneyland, who can blame him? (Please see the video at the bottom of this post to see Conner fight "The Dark Side"!)

3. Going to the Princess Lunch with Kate, Sadie, Diana and Grandma. Not only was the food really good, but Kate got to meet Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Cinderella and Mulan!

4. Celebrating Conner's 6th birthday! I can't believe he is six!

5. Having Ben around for six days in a row! Since he is gone so much for work I usually only get to see him on the weekends so it was a real treat to have him with us for so long!

The trip was just so much fun! I wish we could have stayed longer. I wish we could go back soon. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Halloween Extravaganza!

2008-10-31T21:50:00.004-06:00

We had a great time with our kids this year for Halloween. We realized that last year not only was Ben gone (the lost Indiana months) but I was pregnant and sick. So, we put in a little extra effort to make it special this time around. We started with carving pumpkins. We added a little extra twist- we used power tools! Ben's drill worked great and was fast and easy. Plus, it made pumpkin carving a little more manly for Conner and Ben. Ben decided to carve his pumpkin on its side and make an animal using the stem as the tail. Nice effort. Bad result (sorry!) I actually witnessed people looking closely at the pumpkin trying to figure out what it was (even though Ben wrote with his drill "ZEBRA" across the top. It really didn't look like anything.)

Our next fun even was our spooky dinner. I made Mummies (hot dogs covered in strips of pillsbury crescent rolls) Eyeballs (devilled eggs with olives for the pupils) Witches Brooms (made out of pretzels and fruit by the foot) fingers (carved string cheese with almond slivers for dirty finger nails) and ghots & bat chips (tortillas cut with cookie cutters and broiled in the oven). We even had Witches Blue Brew to drink (Koolaid). We listened to spooky music and had all the lights off with candles on the table.

We also had a great time trick-or-treating. Conner and Kate were great friends and always waited for each other and took turns ringing the door bells. It was such a beautiful night we could have gone on forever. But, alas, Mom and Dad get tired easily. My favorite comment of the night was when we stopped at a house and a nice lady came to the door to apologize for not having candy because they were just moving in. We thanked her and then moved on to the next house. En route to the next jackpot, Kate declared, "Them is upposed to have candy." She got over it fast. Thanks to the neighbors who gave out full-sized candy bars and to the neighbors who create a spook alley in their garage every year.

The highlight of the evening was when Conner was eating a Tootsie Pop and Sadie reached out for it. He let her have a lick... Of course, she loved it!

Check out all the fun in our picture slide show!

The Real Kate?

2008-10-29T15:16:00.004-06:00

We talk a lot about Kate being our little "Quandy" because just when you think you have her figured out she will surprise you. Today she got some glow in the dark vampire fangs from a friend at preschool. She loves them! Yes, the girl who also loves pink, playing babies and shoes now also LOVES vampire fangs. She won't take them out. See what I mean by Quandry? So, I think this picture clearly shows the REAL KATE ASHTON!

Laughing Sadie

2008-10-26T19:03:00.003-06:00

Sadie has been sick with the flu the past week and a half. She is now finally getting back to normal. The whole time she was sick she didn't cry or fuss. She was just super serious and gave us very few smiles and NO laughs. Well, my sweet Sadie Lady is back and she was laughing up a storm tonight for her big brother.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-19T20:29:00.004-06:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch at a local farm on Friday for a fieldtrip with my preschool class. Please see my Tiny Hands Preschool Blog to see all the details on that. I just wanted to highlight Kate in this posting. Here are some pictures of her from our fieldtrip.

Not only is she just absolutely gorgeous, but she is growing up so fast these days. She continues to be our little "Quandry" and you never know if you are going to get the sweet Kate or the Kate who just doesn't care. For example, the other day she swept the entire kitchen floor without being asked (did a great job too). But, just last weekend when my parents were here my mom asked her if she could have a hug. Kate's response: "Sorry, I'm all out." She continues to entertain and amaze on a daily basis. But she is also becoming so grown up and becoming a great little friend to me. To a person who never had a sister to grow up with, this is fun for me. I love my little Quandry with all my heart!

When life gives you giant paper...make giant paper airplanes.

2008-10-12T17:53:00.002-06:00

When my mom came to visit last weekend, she brought with her about 20 pounds of really large paper. I was thinking it would be perfect for preschool projects, arts and crafts for the kids, scrapbooking, etc. Dads always have better ideas. Ben and the kids made giant paper airplanes out of the paper. They were awesome! They could fly from one end of the house to the other! The kids loved 'em! I think that Ben might even have had more fun than the kids!

2008-10-09T22:38:00.002-06:00

So, every few weeks I go and get my hair done. It is a heavenly 2-3 hour period of time where I do not have to worry about anything. Or do I? I came home today to find Sadie playing with her new favorite toy...

I mean, really! At least Ben drank the Mt. Dew and didn't share it with the baby. Hopefully!

Conference Weekend with Grandma & Grandpa Baker

2008-10-06T13:35:00.002-06:00

We all had a great time this weekend when Grandma and Grandpa Baker came up from Salt Lake to visit! For Ben and Crystal it was the most relaxing weekend in months. For Conner and Kate, they hadn't seen their grandparents since July so they were SOOO excited! We played Conference Bingo, everyone cuddled on the couch with Grandma, Sadie and Grandpa took a nap, and Grandma was nice enough to let Kate paint her fingernails. The paint may never come off her fingers... Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for everything!

Conner rides a bike, Kate has a BFF and Sadie can sit up!

2008-09-29T15:20:00.002-06:00

CONNER RIDES A BIKE
Conner is sometimes a little overly cautious. He gets a little scared of "dangerous" things sometimes. Other times he is a complete dare devil. You never know what he is going to do without out fear or what will leave him in tears. So, Ben and I have been a little slow on teaching him to ride a bike without training wheels. Ban had been working with him, but with Ben out of town for three weeks in a row this month, Conner just wasn't making any progress. So, I am proud to say that I took matters in my own hands and taught Conner to ride a bike! I took those training wheels off (using my own tool set that the kids got me for my birthday) and off we went! I ran up and down the street beside Conner. Luckily this was one of those things that he was fearless at! He is now riding a bike all by himself- even to school (with mom or dad trailing behind). The other day Conner and Ben even rode to a park- about a mile away! Way to go Conner!

KATE HAS A BFF
I happened to be substituting in nursery one day when I witnessed the most interesting thing. Kate and another little girl decided they were best friends. Kate and Alessandra kept holding each other's hands and walking around the class, stopping periodically to hug each other. Now that school is in, they get to see each other every day because they both have older siblings in Kindergarten at the same time. Last week, we invited Alessandra to our house for a play date. It was a first for both of them to have their own friend to play with instead of older brother and sister's friends. They played outside, they played dress ups, they made things out of pink playdough. It was so cute! Kate talks about Alessandra all the time and tells me all the things they are going to do together (make cookies, play babies and go to Disneyland together are this weeks' plans).

SADIE CAN SIT UP
Sadie is just getting so big! By that I mean that at five months she is just getting so active and fun, as well as she is really getting big- what a chub! She is almost rolling over by herself and she can now sit by herself- for short periods of time before her big head gives into the pull of gravity and she topples over!

The Worst Day of Kate's Life

2008-09-08T19:16:00.003-06:00

Kate has been on earth 1216 days so far. I think most of them have been pretty great. She has an awesome dad, a mom who tries hard not to be too crazy, a big brother who adores her, and a baby sister who hasn't made up her mind about her yet, but tries hard each day to like her. Her room is painted her favorite color (pink) she has just about the most gorgeous hair I have seen on anyone (adults included) and she has a great personality. She really has a lot going for her, but today rates as the worst day ever in Kate's life. Here's why: Kate is great at going potty as long as she never has to go #2. We have struggled with this for a long time. No incentives or punishments work for her, because she just doesn't care. So, preschool has started. We all know that you can't go to preschool unless you are potty trained. So, even though Kate's teacher is also her mom, and even though Kate's preschool is at our house (for anyone who doesn't know, I started my own preschool this year and we converted a portion of our garage to a preschool. I have 8 darling kids three mornings a week...) you still can't go to preschool if you are not potty trained. We kept telling Kate this before preschool started and she was doing very well. Just an accident here or there. Then, preschool started last week. She started having lots of accidents and basically refusing to go potty. She figured that since she was potty trained so she could start preschool, she didn't have to worry about it once school actually started. Ben and I told her all weekend that she couldn't go to preschool on Monday if she didn't go potty. She still kept having accidents. So, this morning Conner went to Kindergarten, I went to teach preschool, and Kate had to stay with her dad all morning while he worked. She was allowed to either sit in the chair in our bedroom, or sit on the toilet. She cried for two hours, and pouted for an additional 45 minutes. While I was outside with my preschoolers she gazed down at us from my bedroom window with big puppy dog eyes. She was absolutely crushed! It didn't help that our beautiful, but very clumsy, Kate fell on her way back from dropping Conner off at Kindergarten and banged up her face and knee. But, on the bright side she only had one accident all day. Hopefully she will do even better tomorrow so that she can go to preschool on Wednesday. So, the moral of the story is that sometimes you have to be a mean parent... even if it hurts you even more than it hurts them. Advice anyone?

Soccer Season Is Here!

2008-09-06T20:33:00.007-06:00

So, soccer has begun! By some strange coincidence both the kids have the exact same uniform. Kate wanted pink. Conner thought Superhero red would be great. We settled for green. Conner has practice TWICE a week now, and both Conner and Kate have games on Saturdays. It just so happens that most of them are at the SAME time. Sure is great that we bought that minivan so I can totally be a soccer mom now!

Kate, in her first soccer game EVER scored a goal. When talking to Dad all about it later said, "I scored a goal so cute that Mom clapped for me!" Only Kate could turn scoring a goal into a totally "cutsie" girl activity...

Conner, on the other hand, is ALL BOY! He scored FOUR goals in his first game of the season. We were told by another parent at the game that he is a great runner and should play football next year. Am I ready for that? Ben, on the other hand, says he is ready for a youth wrestling league. Am I ready for THAT?

(Check out the Conner video at the end of this post.)

Although Sadie can't play soccer, this week she at least learned that she had feet. When you lay her down on the floor it is like a reflex action that she must grab her feet and pull them toward her mouth. It is really an unexplained feat of nature that babies can actually do that! (Sadie especially) If an adult had the same size proportions as Sadie (so chubby I stopped counting thigh rolls at 6 each leg...) they wouldn't be able to move, let alone lay on the floor and put their feet in their mouth. Not to mention, chub rolls are super cute when you are a baby...not so cute years later...

Wedding Cake Diva

2008-09-01T12:38:00.003-06:00

So, I had another wedding cake this past weekend (Yay!). The colors for the wedding were red, yellow and orange. To tell the honest truth, I spent a couple of sleepless nights worried about if the cake would turn out OK with those colors. It actually turned out to be one of my favorite cakes ever. I had so much fun and I think it turned out awesome! What think you?

Bad Blogger/First Day of School

2008-09-01T12:33:00.003-06:00

So, I have not blogged in a long time. Sorry to all 3 of my fans. So, I will attempt to catch up.

Conner started Kindergarten! I can't believe he is in school every day. When asked what his favorite thing about kindergarten is, Conner said "I love everything!" He has already met a best friend- Austin- who also loves Star Wars, Superheroes and climbing on things.

Check out how cute Conner was on his first day at school...

The World From Kate's Point of View

2008-07-19T23:55:00.004-06:00

I must say that most people would look at Kate and assume that she is the sweetest little girl around. It must be the blue eyes and blonde, curly hair. Don't get me wrong, Kate is sweet about 50% of the time. However, you have to spend a lot of time with her to really start to understand her true personality. She is very PRACTICAL and has a tendency to call-it-as-she-sees-it. She also has quite an attitude. These charming personality traits lead me to believe in the power of genetics. Although she looks a lot like her dad physically, her mind and spirit bear the imprints of my genetic heritage.

As evidence, I would like to document a recent conversation she and I shared:

Kate: "Does Jesus have a Mom?"

Me: "Yes he does. Her name is Mary."

Kate: "Does Jesus have friends?"

Me: "Yes, Jesus has friends. Jesus loves everyone."

Kate: "Even mean people?"

Me: "Yes, Jesus even loves mean people."

Kate: "I guess that's OK if Jesus loves mean people, but I DON'T!"

And, there you have it. Kate in a nutshell...

She does make me laugh every single day of my life. I guess that is an important part of her personality as well. Even at the age of three, she understands humor and sarcasm. Man, I love her!

Sadie's Smile

2008-07-09T19:07:00.002-06:00

Don't you just love a baby's smile? Sadie makes us all happy when she smiles at us. No pretenses. She doesn't want anything in return. I wish I could be more like that...

Family Reunion or Utter Chaos???

2008-07-06T19:56:00.007-06:00

One of the main reasons for our trip to Salt Lake in the heat of the summer was to have the first (hopefully of many) Family Reunions with Ben's parents and siblings. The plan was to spend three days working in Ben's parent's back yard. There was an old and non-functioning swimming pool that Ben's parents wanted filled in so that they could finally have a beautiful and useable backyard. We had a few roadblocks in our way, however. Some literal, some figurative.

Roadblock #1- (This one is a figurative roadblock)

Ben's Dad went in for emergency back surgery on Monday. Work was scheduled to begin on Thursday. Work still went on. I mean Ben and his brothers really like to play in the dirt and everything, but it still didn't help that the leader of the Ashton crew was on heavy narcotics and kept saying crazy things that he doesn't remember saying, but that we can never forget.

Roadblock #2- (This one is also figurative)

How do you keep 10 grandkids and a dog out of the dirt? We never did actually figure that one out, by the way.

Roadblock # 3- (This one is a literal roadblock. Seriously)

Ben's grandfather (who originally built the house that Ben's parents now live in) was a stone mason. I have never met him, only heard many great and marvelous things about him. However, based on the 20+ large boulders and concrete up to 12" thick that was EVERYWHERE, I now believe that he was completely in love with stone of all kinds. Good thing the project on the agenda was filling in an old swimming pool or where in the heck would we have put all of that rock and concrete?

The Ashton men accomplished the following:

Cutting a hole in the side of the garage to gain access to the back yard- knocking down two un-wanted walls in the process.
Moving a dozen "pretty" boulders to be used later in landscaping.
Dumping dozens more boulders in the pool.
Jackhammering all unwanted concrete.

Ripping out yards and yards and yards and yards of concrete and dumping it in the pool.
Knocking down a sandstone wall
Digging a trench all the way around the pool.
Driving a bobcat and excavator for about 30 hours.

The Ashton women accomplished the following:

Caring for 10 grandkids.

You decide who had the hardest job.

Well, all in all it was a successful weekend. The demolition of the backyard is well under way. The grandkids had fun with our own little fireworks show and a visit to Thanksgiving Point. Hopefully next year for our Ashton Family Reunion we can just have a BBQ in the completed backyard...

Hogle Zoo & Red Butte Gardens

2008-07-06T19:40:00.004-06:00

We made the trek to Salt Lake for a week. Although there was barely room to breathe in our van, what with all the stuff you have to take for a family of five for eight days, but we made it. We spent a few days with the Bakers and enjoyed a trip to Hogle Zoo and Red Butte Gardens.

Sadie's Blessing

2008-06-01T16:57:00.005-06:00

We headed to Salt Lake for Memorial Weekend to be able to bless Sadie with all of our family there. We blessed her at the Garden Park Ward building Saturday night, April 24th. It was a small, intimate setting, made special by the fact that Sadie was being blessed in the same building I was, wearing the same dress that I wore.

We had every one of our brothers and sisters and our neices and nephews there. My grandma and grandpa Thurman were even there for the event.

Kate turns 3!

2008-06-01T15:37:00.004-06:00

Kate turned three on May 10th. She seems so grown up and mature that I can't believe she is just now turning three. Ben's mom, dad and sisters came to visit for the weekend to meet Sadie and to celebrate with Kate. We had a great time.

Kate is a very decisive person. Back in November at Conner's birthday she announced that she wanted a flower party when it was her turn to have a birthday. In the past six months she hasn't once changed her mind. So, I let her pick out flower plates and I made a cake to match.

Kate had a great day. Her favorite presents were her bubble makers (she got two), her pink scooter (pronounced tooter) and her butterfly belt.

For the Birds

2008-05-06T22:03:00.005-06:00

Conner and Kate have been fascinated by all the birds who are now hopping along our fence. Yay for Springtime! So, we finally used some pine cones I have been saving and made some bird feeders. Spread them with a little peanut butter, roll them in bird seed and voila! Bird Feeders. We hung them in the trees in our backyard. I will keep you posted on whether or not birds will actually eat what we made!

Sadie Lee Ashton

2008-04-23T19:32:00.006-06:00

We are so excited to welcome Sadie Lee Ashton to our family.

Born April 22, 2008 2:25 PM
8 lbs, 1 oz
22 1/2 inches long

She was born just yesterday, April 22, 2008 at 2:25 PM. Ben and I were both surprised to learn she was a girl. Even though we decided not to find out the gender through ultrasound we both kind of thought it was a boy. But, we are thrilled to have another little girl. Both Conner and Kate are in love with her- especially Conner. They came to the hospital last night to meet their little sister and couldn't get enough of her. Then, Ben brought them back to the hospital again this morning. Conner was so excited to see Sadie again that he got himself all dressed, then he even combed Kate's hair so they could leave sooner. Since Ben's sister Zina has been living with us and she was the one to take the kids to the hospital yesterday, the kids' booster seats were in her car. Conner even got the keys to her car, got their seats out of her car and re-installed them in our car. He just needed to get to the hospital as fast as possible to see his new little sister again. Once there, he couldn't wipe the smile off his face. What a sweetie!

We came home from the hospital this afternoon and we are all doing well. I promise to write more soon... In the meantime, check out these fun video clips of our little sweetheart!

Nesting

2008-04-10T13:08:00.003-06:00

So, I am now 38 weeks pregnant and have started to nest...big time. Just today I have felt the need to clean out the cupboard under the sink. I removed every single item and scrubbed the inside of the cabinet (even the inside of the doors). Then, instead of just putting everything back in, I felt oddly compelled to put all the cleaning supplies in plastic storage boxes. One box for supplies we use all the time and one box for supplies we only use occasionally. Although in my nesting-blurred mind I considered using my computerized label maker to label the boxes appropriately, the small amount of reason left in my body vetoed that idea.

Then, since my cleaning supplies were so orderly, I used some of them to clean the outside of the washer and dryer. How can I possibly wash a new baby's clothes if the buttons on the machine have dirt and germs on them. Logical, right?

Oh, and don't forget the nesting ritual I have been focusing on all week: selling my belongings on Craigslist. Somehow, things that I had in my garage and closets just last week that were neatly stored and not bothering me at all I am now compelled to sell immediately. It just will not do to have them in my house when the baby is born. I even sold a wooden rocking chair yesterday for only $15 dollars. My reasoning is that if I sell things for really cheap prices people will buy them quickly and they will definitely not be here to clutter up the house for the new baby.

As though our babies care about the strange things we find ourselves doing when nesting at the end of pregnancy. Does anyone out there have any scientific data documenting why we do this? Can it be stopped?

Conner- Photographic Savant? You decide.

2008-04-01T19:31:00.004-06:00

Conner has been very interested in taking pictures lately. To the point that I have to hide my camera for fear that he will break it. Somehow he found it because just yesterday I found these images on my memory card. You decide if he is unusually gifted or if I should continue to hide the camera... I have included titles in order to help you identify the picture.

Swolen feet of a thirty-something pregnant woman

Reflections on a Potato Chip Bag

UFO

Self Portrait

Easter with the Ashtons

2008-03-31T17:04:00.004-06:00

We kind of forgot about Easter this year until the very day before. But it didn't stop us from having a great time. Ben's sister Zina (18) is going to be living with us for the next few months. She just graduated from Cosmetology school and is here in Idaho to work and to have an adventure. She moved up from Salt Lake this weekend and Ben's mom, dad and two other sisters came up to help her get settled. They helped make our easter fun! We did the traditional coloring of eggs, etc. But, I would have to say that the big hit was the "Bunny Racer's" we made. Fo future reference....Use a Hostess HoHo for the base of the car, Spree candies for the wheels and headlights, Life Savers for the steering wheel and Peach Gummie candies for the seat back. Cut the bottom off of a peep to use for the driver and attach everything with frosting. Now, here is an interesting fact... I don't really like Peeps at all. In fact, until now I have really only seen them useful as an entertainment device when you heat them up in the microwave for a few seconds and watch them expand. However, although they taste disgusting all by themselves, we discovered this weekend that when topped with homemade cream cheese frosting they turn into gourmet delights. Just food for thought...

Molly's Wedding

2008-03-18T18:18:00.018-06:00

Ben's sister Molly got married on March 15th to Dan Smith in the Salt Lake Temple. Although I have been on bedrest for the last two months, we made the trek to Salt Lake for all the wedding events- not to mention the fact that I made the fabulous wedding cake.

The wedding was awesome and the reception that evening was beautiful- even with the six inches of snow that fell during the reception.

Conner looked very handsome in his tuxedu vest and tie. Kate truly believed she was a princess in her flower girl dress. She told me yesterday that she wasnts Aunt Molly to get married every day so she can always be a princess!

So now we are back to reality- I totally did too much and have had contractions almost constantly since the end of hte reception. It was worth it to spend the day with Molly and Dan, however I just can't wait for the next five weeks to pass and to meet our little baby.

Here are some pictures to highlight the wedding events. You will notice that I do not appear in any of the following photographs. I had many people ask if they could take my picture because I just looked so "cute". Are you kidding me? The circumference of my belly is a larger number than my height. Scientifically speaking I should not be able to stand upright. What 9 month pregnant woman willingly poses for pictures anyway? Photoshop can only do so much...

Molly and Dan with the parents of the bride on the steps of the Salt Lake Temple.

Molly and her Dad.

Molly and her Mom.

Ben and all of his brothers and sisters.

And the fabulous wedding cake!

Kate's First Haircut

2008-02-27T15:08:00.006-07:00

So, as a mom of a little girl I have always dreamed of having a head full of beautiful hair to play with and style. Kate, when her attitude allows, loves to let me style her hair. Recently I have found some very interesting things in her hair...gum...strawberry jam...carpet fuzz...unknown sticky things. So, it occurs to me that Kate needs a haircut. I take her to my stylist and Kate sits like a little princess so very excited about getting a grown-up style. I hope everyone likes the results!

Can you guess which picture is the before and which is the after?

Wrestlemania

2008-02-27T14:57:00.004-07:00

Conner and Ben have always loved to wrestle. Lately, however, Conner has been getting really rough with his dad. To avoid all the punches and kicks that hurt now that Conner is over 50 pounds, Ben has turned into a wrestling coach and is teaching Conner real "moves". Conner is really good, even to the untrained eyes of this mom who will probably never truly understand the sport of wrestling. Check out this short movie clip where Conner actually pins his dad!