Ladybug

Ashlyn grew up more than any of our other kids this past year.  At the beginning of the year, she was still in diapers, had just moved out of her crib, and was still being carried around by me most places.  By the time the year finished, she was in preschool, potty trained, had played a season of soccer, and had just had her first dance recital.  Big girl things.  She is sassy or sweet.  (Usually not both at the same time)  You never know what you are going to get.  Her mood can change with the minute and sometimes I think, if this is what three looks like with Ashlyn, what the heck will thirteen look like?!The other day she informed me that she COULD NOT wait to be twelve.  Why twelve? I asked.  Because apparently twelve is when she will be able to shave her legs and she can't wait.  Do you know any other three year olds who are excited to shave their legs?  Yeah, me neither.  I tried to take away some of the anticipation build up of the next nine years by informing her that shaving wasn't actually that great, it was actually kind of a pain.  She didn't believe me.  How can we already be there?  (Both leg shaving excitement and not believing everything I say as absolute truth).  She is so much fun though, and loves to play anything that involves getting married or going on a date.  Both with Braxton, though he is usually an unwilling participant and she plays more around him than actually with him.  I am never a good substitute for a boy, even though I offer my best manly impression.  I love having a daughter.  And having one that I see so much of myself in is equal parts exciting and terrifying.  I love her.  Even when she leaves a red crayon in her pocket and it gets all over everything in the dryer.  Like she did last week.  Good thing she is only three.  No matter how much she wishes she was twelve.  Here are a few pictures of what Ashlyn was up to in 2011.

Ashlyn and her daddy getting ready to ride the 4 wheeler on the 4th of July.  I asked her if I could take her for a ride and she said I drove too slow.  What can I say...I think you can have fun while being ultra super safe too!

For Ashlyn's third birthday we were at Disneyland.  It was a fun trip that will get its own post one day.  Some of our best family memories.  On Ashlyn's birthday I took her to Ariel's Grotto for lunch to meet the princesses.  She loved it.  The food was great and it was so nice to have the princesses come to our table to visit rather than wait in line to see them.  Ashlyn hugged them and was happy to pose for lots of pictures.  She still asks to go back.  This time she wants to take Brielle and she wants to have another giant carrot.  (Of all the yummy food, she remembers the carrot)

The cake Ariel made her at her birthday lunch...we were so full by this point we took it to the boys.  That is saying something because if you know Ashlyn you know she does not pass up chocolate anything unless she has no more room for it!

My cute girl around Halloween.  She has grown up so much this year.  It is fun, yet heartbreaking, yet messy, yet dramatic.  Girls are multi-faceted and complicated.

Face paint at the corn maze.  She picked Hello Kitty.  She is all girly, all the time.  But what to you expect from someone who's favorite thing to play is "getting married" or "going on a date".

She did play soccer this past fall.  Her favorite parts of every game were holding hands with her friends while they ran on the field, playing ring around the rosy with friends during the game...on the field, or running off the field and climbing the fence...also during the game. 

Dance classes were more successful.  She had her first recital in December and was an elf.  Before the recital I gave her 50/50 odds of just standing there durnig the whole song and/or crying.  She surprised me though and performed her whole little tap routine!  It was so cute.  Her favorite part was getting flowers from her dad and brothers at the end.  She now wants flowers for everything she does.  But so do I, so we have that in common.

Summer fun with her favorite people.  Mine too.  Another thing we have in common.

It's True

It's true...my baby is one!  This year has flown by and when I said that I was going into hibernation I didn't intend for it to be quite so long.  2011 was the year of me trying to find some balance.  Balance between being a good mom, wife, friend, sister, and keeping up with cleaning our house, making sure everyone had clean things to wear, trying to get back in shape from having a baby, feeding everyone, and all the other stuff that fills our lives up.  As the year ended, I wasn't sure how I did.  I am still trying to figure it out, but I have felt compelled lately, or prompted, that I need to do better about keeping a record of what is going on around here.  Something my kids can look back on, something that I can look back on, to see our progress as a family.  (Tim too... though he is usually not as sentimental about reflection).  The other day Braxton asked me a question about something he did as a baby, and I couldn't answer him because I could just not remember.  I want to remember stuff so I figured I better start writing it down again.  I really do want to make that book someday, but I better have something to put in it.    

Brielle at One:  18 lbs., loves to play peek-a-boo, wobbly walking, says hi, loves to climb on things.

                          Loved by brothers and sister (and mom and dad), can't remember life without her.

 

The other day Brielle was throwing a little tantrum because I wouldn't let her play in the toilet.  (Another favorite pastime...so gross Brielle)  Braxton was watching:

 

Braxton:  What is Brielle doing?

 

Me:  Throwing a tantrum...where do you think she learned that?  (Trying to get him to realize she learns things from them.)

 

Braxton: From Satan

 

Me: (Caught of guard and stammering)  Umm...yeah, Satan, I guess...maybe?  (He was gone before I could figure out how to respond properly.  I didn't want to say "Yeah, Satan or you" and compare him to Satan...)

 

Then on Sunday Braxton and Ashlyn were sitting on stools right in front of the oven watching a pan of brownies bake that they helped make.  They could see their reflections in the glass of the oven door.

 

Braxton:  Look Ashlyn, if you look right in here (pointing at the glass and his reflection) you can see my spirit.  This is my body (touching his arms and face) but that is my spirit.  Look, you can see your spirit too. 

 

Ashlyn:  Okay, my spirit has pretty hair like me.

 

Tim and I were laughing and didn't even correct him because it was so cute and funny.  He will figure it out one day.  (Braxton if you are reading this and you still think you can see your spirit in the oven door, you can't.  Come ask me and I will explain)

 

Who knew Brax had such a spiritual side AND who knew that he was ever listening in FHE or Primary?  It gives me hope that something is sinking in.  Even if it is not always exactly correct, at least some of the basic concepts are getting through. : )

 

More proof my kids listen and remember things I tell them...

 

The other night I was giving Ashlyn a bath.  She looks up at me and says "Mom you wear me out, but I love you".  I looked at her and laughed.  I could tell she didn't know what it meant or she would never have said it.  In my head I was thinking "Really, Ashlyn?  Really?  I wear you out? "  It is something I have said to her more than once and apparently she thinks it is some sort of term of endearment.  I didn't want to tell her what I really meant by it but let me be clear here.  I meant what I said.   Ash...you wear me out.  Literally.  But I do love you.

 

Jace is playing Jr. Jazz again and loves it.  He gets pretty into the games and is learning more of the fundamentals of the game.  It has been a fun season for him .  At his last game his team was lined up at half court facing the other team waiting for the game to resume.  It was pretty close and his coach was telling him which player from the other team he was covering.  He went and stood right in front of that player, stared him down and did that thing where you take your two fingers and point them at your eyes and then point them at the other person.  Like, "I've got my eye on you".   I can only imagine what that other kid was thinking.  Tim and I looked at each other and busted up laughing.  Then we hoped that no one else saw our son trying to intimidate the other players.

 

I love being a mom.  I love that I can stay home.  I read somewhere the other day "The days are long and the years are short: True for stay-at-home moms and prostitutes."  I can't speak for the prostitutes, but I know that is how it can feel sometimes as a stay-at home mom.  But even through the sometimes monotony of day to day life, it really is amazing to see four little souls grow and learn and experience new things.  And that is why I want to write again.  To help me remember that.