WHO DAT!

All About Ashton

"Can you believe he said that?" "Can you believe he did that?" "Where did he learn that from?" These are just a few questions Casey and I find ourselves asking each other almost daily now with Ashton. It seems like our little boy has just blossomed and gone from a child who barely spoke to someone who can't stop talking (not sure where he got that from :). People constantly tell me to write things down so I don't forget this special time in our lives and so here is a list of a few "Ashton Moments" I will always want to remember about this time in his life:

1. On a trip to New Orleans this summer we introduced Ashton to beignets which he really seemed to enjoy. After he had eaten his plate clean he asked "Can I have some more band-aids?" Too cute!

2. Hide and Seek....This game is a new favorite in our house but Ashton's version is a bit different. When you tell him to hide he will hide but as we start counting "1, 2, 3..." you can hear him counting with you (giving away his hiding spot)...when he does hide as soon as he hears "ready or not" he runs out and screams "I here! I here!" If he decides he wants to find you he will also instruct you as to where you should hide.

3. Wrestling with Daddy...He LOVES to crawl on Casey and play, and Casey constantly will say jokingly "Get off me man!" Now as soon as Ashton crawls on Casey he will yell "Get off me man!"

4. Monkey See, Monkey Do...Ashton loves his sister and loves to hug and kiss her and talk to her. When I talk to Reese many times I will say "Hey girlfriend!" of "Hey pretty girl!" Lately this is how Ashton will greet Reese by saying both of these things.

5. Potty Training...Now this has been quite an experience. While we still struggle at times, Ashton has done pretty well with this, at least with going #1. Earlier this week I came home from work after picking up the kids and was trying to get everyone/everything out of the car and into the house. Ashton was still on the driveway fascinated with the people across the street. Our neighbors are trying to sell their house and they were having a showing. I was standing inside attending to Reese and still talking to Ashton. When I asked him what he was doing he didn't answer. I walked outside to see him standing there with his pants pulled down peeing on our driveway. I immediately said "Ashton you are supposed to pee in the toilet!" His response "I don't wanna pee in toilet. I wanna pee here!" Needless to say I don't think we will be getting new neighbors anytime soon as this was all done in front of them. I told Casey about this and he seemed proud to say "he is just a little redneck and at least he didn't go in his pants!" I guess their is a silver lining to everything.

Ashton has brought us nothing but joy over the last three plus years! He keeps us on our toes, makes us smile and laugh, and reminds of what is really important in life---love and family! We love you Ashton and can't wait for many more memories to come!

Long overdue!

I have been meaning to do a post on this, well, since the day we came home from the hospital with Reese. As many of you know, Casey and I have opted not to find out if we were having a boy or girl with both pregnacies. When Ashton was born I went with a very neutral color scheme and had an ABC/animal room decorated with primary colors. When I found out I was pregnant with Reese I knew I wanted the colors to be bright green with black furniture and decided once the baby came I would either go all out with bright blue or pink. Well with a sweet baby girl joining our family, pink it was going to be. You may remember that Reese was born at 4:39 AM on June 23 and we both were released to go around noon on June 24. To my surprise when we got home I found her room decorated and just waiting for Ms. Reese to enjoy. My sweet mom, sister and friend, Deann had left the hospital the afternoon she was born and went on a mission to get everything to decorate the room. All they had to work with was a corner shelf, crib with the bedding (at least I did do that), a glider and a large dresser. All black furniture and that was about it. The three of them worked so hard to paint adorable letters that they hung with cute flower knobs, decorate a lamp, buy a rug, fill up frames and hang wall fixtures, find pillows to match and even a decorated bulletin board. I was floored by all of their hard work in such a short amount of time and so thankful for the gracious coming home present. I felt like I had been on an extreme home make-over show and was so lucky to reap the benefits. I had a few people ask me if I was disappointed that I personally didn't get to pick out the decor, etc....but for those who know me well, they know that I do not have creativity on that end...my small creative bone I prefer to use in decorating cookies! So after all of this I would once again like to say THANK YOU MOM, JACQUELINE & DEANN!!!

10 Years, 60 Years and 11 weeks

Random title I know, but this past week there were three big events, and of course I did not have my camera there (I know I am horrible). The first one to mention is 10 years....since I graduated high school! Man the time goes by fast. On Friday night Casey and I went to my reunion which was held at an Astros game (by the way, great idea Keri!). We had a great time getting to see some old friends and catch up. That same day there was another celebration of 60 years....that would be my Dad's Birthday! Since my parents were sweet enough to watch the kids on Friday, Dad's actual birthday, we celebrated Saturday night instead. But not to worry, Jacqueline and Mark were busy making this Birthday one my dad won't forget by decorating the front yard of their house with over 60 homemade signs and Christmas lights. The signs were hysterical, and even a few neighbors came out to admire their hard work. My mom and dad got a good kick out of it when they got home late Friday night to see the nice decorations. I hope Dad had a great Birthday because we all love him dearly! He is one of the best men in my life and the one I admire the most. I love you dad/Mo! The last big event of 11 weeks would be how old Reese turned on Wednesday which also happened to mark the day I returned to work....let the waterworks begin! Obviously I survived my separation but needless to say I cried a lot on Tuesday when I went to drop off supplies to our babysitter and she had to console me for about 30 minutes while I was trying to go over Reese's schedule. Thankfully Ashton was right there saying "It's okay Mommy, it's okay" as he patted my back. By the time 4 PM hit on Wednesday afternoon I was beyond excited to leave work and go get both my babies. They both had an excellent day and I know each day will get better and I just have to remind myself how fortunate we are to have such a great babysitter who loves my kids as if they were her own. So even though I didn't have my camera with me, I will still leave you with a few new pictures.

This one is from her first day with the baby sitter, at least she had a little grin!

Two little wonders

Two little wonders that make me smile and melt my heart....

Two Months!

Two months old already? Wow! I know everyone says that time just seems to fly by, and I really think once you have children that expression comes to light even more! This past month has been just as wonderful as the first. Here are a few things I will want to remember about our precious Reese Elizabeth:

Stats:
Height: 22 inches (35%)
Weight: 9 lbs 4 oz (13%)

Fun fact...Ashton was 9 lbs 6 oz at this age so they are right on track with each other as of now.

Some "firsts"
-spit bubbles....you started blowing these around 6 weeks old and have only progressed in how often and how many of them you make
-sleep: take about two naps on average during the day for about 45 min to an hour and a half; go to bed around 8-8:30 and sleep for about 4 1/2 hrs then eat, go back down for another 3-4 hrs and sometimes go back down for an extra hour cat nap (this last hour is when you usually snuggle with mommy, which I love!)
-eating: around 9 times a day, just last week I introduced you to a little bit of formula...you are a great nurser but since I will be going back to work soon I am going to need to supplement some since I probably wont be able to pump as much as you would need...at each feeding you are taking about 3-4 oz
-Cooing....you have really started to babble and coo and a slight giggle can be heard occassionally
-Smiling! You smile for Ashton more than anyone else....and yes, he still loves and adores you and likes to say "Hey Reesy Peesy Peesy!" and wants to give you kisses...occassionally he will even ask to hold you
-You LOVE your mobile in your bed...you will stare at it for up to 30 minutes which is so great for Mom and Dad!
-Clothes...you are still in newborn diapers but when I am running short size 1 will due even though newborns still fit the best, but you are out of newborn clothes and into 0-3 months which I want you to stay in forever!
-Love the heat! If you are fussy you still love to go outside and let the sun beat down on you and warm you right up (just like Ashton did!)
-You went swimming for the first time and loved it so much, probably because you love to take a bath and that felt like a big bath to you...nice and warm

That is it for now. Reese you are such a joy and blessing in our lives and we feel so blessed to be your parents. We can't wait to watch you grow more, just not too fast!

I Scream, You Scream...

...We all scream for ICE CREAM! Today was a great day! Reese turned six weeks old which just goes to show how fast time really does fly, but we also got to venture out to Brenham, Texas which is home of the Blue Bell Ice Cream Factory. I remember going Blue Bell a few times as a child and I want Ashton and Reese to also have those memories. My mom and I packed up the kids and drove out there this morning and went on the tour. Reese was awesome, and slept the whole drive out, along with the entire tour and didn't wake up until she was hungry which was about 10 minutes after the tour had ended. If you have ever been to the Blue Bell Factory then you will be happy to know the tour hasn't changed. They still start it with a five minute movie and then you get to see the factory. Ashton loved the tour and seeing the machines work and the pictures of cows on the walls. He was not very happy about the movie which makes me think it will still be a while before he is ready to go to an hour and a half show, but he loved the room which showed all of the frozen treats and flavors that Blue Bell makes. He just kept saying "I want ice cream. I want ice cream." We ended the tour with the high-light of his day, a large portion of vanilla ice cream (he isn't one for trying new things) at 10 AM...nice way to start the day I would say. For the rest of the day I got to hang out with both of my kids and really enjoyed it but was happy to see their daddy walk in a little after five. Hopefully this will be just one of a few great childhood memories to come! (One other note...Ashton was fascinated by the bronze statue of this little girl and thought she really needed a hug, so sweet!)