First Day of Bridge 2012

 

School is back in session and this year is a bit different.  Ashton is going to a "bridge" program this year which is a perfect transition between Pre-K and Kindergarten.  Last year he went to school Tuesday and Thursday but this year he will be going from 9-2 all five days a week.  This is a big change for all of us...me, with making lunches (I honestly stress over this as I have a very picky eater) and for Ashton who doesn't always like change.  I love that I am still on maternity leave and have been able to take/pick up Ashton these first days.  Here's to a great year!

 

 

Cheesy picture for me to look at when he is too big!

 

 Hamming it up for the camera

 

After school after we completed Ashton's homework (yes it has already started) we played a game that thanks to Pinterest helps Ashton work on his upper and lower case letters.

Baptism and Celebration

This weekend Eli was baptized which is something I have been looking forward to since he was born.  I know different churches have different times when they have baptisms or dedications as some may call it, but with all three kids this sacrament was so important to me that I wanted this sooner than later.  So at not quite 8 weeks old, Elijah Hayes Lee, was baptized on Saturday August 25, 2012.  A cool little fact is that Ashton was baptized on August 25, 2007...so five years to the day my two boys shared their first sacrament. 

 

Just like Ashton and Reese, Eli wore my baptismal gown that my grandmother had made for me.  I know it is a dress and Casey just said "Ok" when I told him that Eli would be wearing it but I love the fact that this is a tradition and hopefully someday maybe I will have a grandchild baptized in it as well, in like 20 years I am talking!  For both Ashton and Reese we had private baptisms but those are hard to come by now so with Eli we did it with the rest of the church and I have to say it was wonderful.  There were 23 children baptized and it was amazing.  Of course five minutes into arriving at the church Eli spit up all over my SATIN shirt down both the front and back leaving nice stains, and then proceded to poop sending me running for the bathroom and the nice Deacon saying he was waiting for a diaper change to begin.  Those were the worst things, which I consider small issues in a near perfect day.

 

Deacon Al with Casey, Eli and I and big Brother and big Sister Ashton and Reese and then god parents Chris and Jacqueline there for the "sprinkling" of holy water...Eli shed a few tears but nothing bad

 

My God Mother with her Great Godson

 

 Uncle Chris with Ashton...he has been a favorite visitor in our house

Ashton and Me...oh how I love him

 

Daddy soothing his youngest one

 

Molly with her grandkids, celebrating

 

Jac - Godmother to all my kiddos!

 

This was the first time Mo and Mimi were together with all FIVE of their grand kids...this first shot shows you how a photo shoot goes down with five under five

 

I consider this a success!

 

Uncle Chris and soon to be Aunt Amber...very excited to have her as my sister in law

 

Mo and Mimi with their girls and our kiddos

 

This girl keeps me laughing all the time...oh how I love her

 

After a very eventful day the guest of honor finally went down for a three hour nap...so sweet

 

Molly and Reese...just beautiful

 

This picture cracks me up...Reese did not want anything to do with Uncle Chris even though she had been asking for him for hours the day before...things changed again the next day

 

After a busy day it kept going...a Birthday party to go to at 5 that night

What a great day/weekend!  Love all the family that were there to celebrate.

Double the Fun

One of the greatest things that has ever happened to me was becoming an aunt and twice at once!  Oh how I LOVE these two boys.  Cash and Walker, you are both so much fun and I love watching you grow up and I love watching your cousins love on you.

 

Nana with Cash (left) and Walker (right)

 

 

 Walker enjoying the bean bag

 

 Mr. Cash who is nothing but smiles

 

A little bit of teething but a whole lot of cute!

Great Aunts

This week was great!  Eli got to meet two of the most important women in my life...Nannie Marge and Nan as I call them.  These are my mom's two sisters and my aunts.  Nannie Marge and Nan have always been a HUGE part of my life and ever since Ashton was born they have been a big part of all of the kids.  I was so excited to have them come in and for them to stay for two weeks.  Both of them are a huge help with providing constant entertainment and just plain HELP!  Love you both!

 

Randomness

This post is all about RANDOM.  Lately a few things have happened that aren't big enough for a whole entry but I still want to remember them....

1. Ashton and I were playing Candyland and the conversation went like this:

Ashton: My turn!  I got the gum drop (he was close to the end)  I don't want to go back!

Me: Ashton, those are the rules you need to go back

Ashton: No Mommy (and procedes to draw another card)

Me: Ashton, I am not going to play if you cheat

Ashton:Mommy you worry about you and I will worry about me!  (classic...I had told him that just that week...talk about throwing it back in my face!)

2. Reese had started to show interest in potty training some time ago and had even used the bathroom successfully more than a few times.  I have bought pull ups and thought we were getting close to doing this (I honestly am not in a huge rush and just want her to be ready) however, she seems to have regressed.  And when she does say she needs to go potty she does not want to sit on the potty like a little girl, oh no!  After seeing her brother so many times she has convinced herself that she too can pee standing up and tries to straddle the toilet (after lifting the seat like her big bro).  When I tell her little girls sit down she just yells "NO!"  Any suggestions on working through this one????

3. Conversation between Ashton and Reese while sitting on the couch on a Sunday morning playing with the IPAD and looking at a book respectively:

Ashton: "Reesey, tell me that you love me" (does not look up, continues to play on the IPAD)

Reese: (Keeps looking at the book) "I love you As-ton!"

Ashton: "thank you"

And then they both just went about their activities...it was really cute to say the least

That's all for now.  Then just a few instagram pictures that I finally downloaded to the computer.



Playing with homemade SLIME

Mommy stealing kisses

Cuteness!

Just love him...

HI PEOPLE

Newborn sneak peak

This is how ALL three of my kids love to sleep as infants

Rare photo snapped by Mimi which might just be one of my absolute favorite of these two!

Mini Mohawk...all natural!

Bowling

This week we brought the kids bowling.  All THREE kids, but not alone, thankfully Mimi was there too.  As this past month as been fantastic with welcoming Eli, as anyone knows, especially moms, that any time a new baby is in the picture it is hard to give much time to others, and that means Ashton and Reese.  Honestly, they have been so distracted with having Molly, Grandpa, Mo, Mimi and Daddy there to entertain for practically the whole month, I don't think they have noticed as much, but I have and I miss spending some time with the kids.  So, what to do that is fun and INDOORS??? Bowling!  I had never brought the kids before and Ashton and Reese were so excited.  We had a great time.  Before 4 PM the place is smoke free which is nice (yet it still has that lovely stench, but better than nothing) and on Tuesday's games are only $2.25.  Ashton loved pushing the ball down the lane while Reese was more excited about the ball coming back out of the ball dispenser thing.  The kids did pretty good with taking turns and at one point every single person that was in the bowling alley turned to look at us when Reese pushed the ball down and knocked down all the pins...while she could care less, Ashton was jumping up and down yelling "Reesy!  Did you see that?!  Reesy, you knocked them all down!  All of them!"  People were cracking up at his pure joy and excitement and the fact that it was for his sister made it even better.  We will definetly be back...that night Ashton turned to me and said, Mommy bowling is a lot of fun, I want to do it a lot more times!

Look at his hands clinched in fists anticipating knocking all the pins down

Jumping up and down

Reese amazed where the balls came from

The best picture of the two of them I could get

The balls kept getting stuck but both kids kept staring at the machine waiting for them to come out

Happy Girl

Mimi holding my little man so I could play with Ashton and Reese

He was a happy little guy