It's Coming...

Summer that is! I absolutely cannot wait for the warm weather to arrive! We have been anxiously checking the pool temperature each day to see if it's ready. Right now it's at 69, and we know what that means... 15 more degrees and I'll get in! I actually got in last year when it was 64, but I am not that brave this year. Anyway, you know I've got to do a list. It's been like a whole week since the last one. I've got people who read this everyday and want a fresh post. So, here are my favorite things about Summer:

1. Fresh Summer fruit with dinner each night. Watermelon, pineapple, honey dew, and strawberries, yum!
2. Swimming
3. The smell of coconut scented sunscreen
4. Sleeping in
5. Popsicles, freezer pops, and ice cream
6. Pedicures and flip-flops
7. Sundresses and sandals
8. Cooking out and eating on the patio
9. Moonlit swimming with the kids
10. Air-conditioning (world's greatest invention!)
11. No homework!!!
12. Not having to look for matching socks
13. Hot dogs
14. Freshly mowed grass
15. Taking the kids to Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor
16. Evening bike rides with the family
17. 4th of July (we throw a kickin' party EVERY year with awesome fireworks)
18. Extra hands to help with housework
19. Bikinis, spray tan, and Sun In... (kidding!) and last but not least
20. Getting to spend so much time with my babies

Mommies...

if you ever need a good laugh go here. I had heard about this series, but never looked at it until tonight. Funny stuff!
P.S. so far my fave episodes are: All's Fair in Love, War, & Sibling Rivalry
and Preachers, Panties, and Policemen

Worn Out

We have spent the better part of the last 4 days at the BMX track in Desoto for the Super Nationals. The boys worked really hard and we are so proud of them. Of course we would have loved all 1st place finishes, but it will take time. Hayden brought home a pretty cool trophy. Mostly I was glad to be able to share our new obsession with some family and friends. The boys had quite the cheering section, yay! We had a good time, but man we are exhausted. Poor Hayden raced his last race burning up with fever. I am not quite sure what is going on.... He is now fresh and clean, dosed up with Motrin, and crashed on the couch with Miss Coco. I am so glad we are home, too bad tomorrow is not a school holiday. But, I will finally be able to get back to my to-do/Spring cleaning list. I have about 10 days before the calendar fills up with more stuff to do. So, I will be on turbo starting tomorrow morning. Here are a few photos. These were taken in the car on the way home. Of course I was too busy flapping my jaws at the track to take photos there. Can you tell the kids were just slightly tired? Thanks to those of you who could come out and watch the kiddos. We really appreciate it.

Beautiful Day

On March 8, 2008 Hunter and Chloe were baptized. I really thought the day would never come. We had been inactive for so long and they really didn't know alot about the Gospel. I had just gotten into the habit of not going to church and not making scripture study and prayer more important. And, while we are not perfect we have made progress in our home and in our lives. For that I am so thankful. I am so proud and happy that the kids chose to be baptized. I am so glad we have nice and patient missionaries that really got along great with the kiddos. And most of all I am so very blessed to have such a sweet family. My sister's and their husbands helped so much with the baptism. It was a very sweet and special experience. The kids and I will be eternally grateful. Thanks so much for being with us on our special day.

**I feel terrible that I have waited so long to post about my children's baptism. I wasn't able to get pictures myself since my camera died. I was waiting on more pictures. Thanks Jesse!

Black Cloud

Ok, so I concede. I definitely have a black cloud or bad luck or something. As I am sure those of you who read this can attest, chaos and drama follow me everywhere. Thankfully I never barfed, but I was reminded this morning that my life is chaotic! Just a sampling of my day so far and it's only 8:41:

Toilet overflowing down the hall and yes it contained poo. Thank goodness my washer has a sanitary wash cycle.

Hunter lost a contact in his bed, and promptly went ballistic.

The dog managed to tear through 4 bags of trash and loosen a fence picket, after which she paraded around the front yard and dug up my flowerbed. All in the space of about 7 minutes.

My refrigerator decided to freeze up. Hot milk is yuck!

Hunter and Chloe missed the bus.

Chandler has the mystery virus...

TGIF??? What the hell is that supposed to mean anyway???
I am crossing my fingers that the rest of the day will go a little smoother... I just got back from driving the kids to school, (I was in my nightgown which was inside out, but that's beside the point), and I am going back to sleep, don't anyone dare call me...

Ashley's crazy evening

All day today I have had that "blah" feeling. You know the feeling where you are nauseous, tired, shaky, headachy... Just plain blah and you don't quite know why. Well, I have a major phobia of vomiting and steered clear of food most of the day since I wasn't sure what was going on. I went about my day as normal but by 1:30 was pretty hungry, so I ate lunch (chicken). I got the kiddos home from school and began to get ready for tonight's BMX race to be held in Desoto. We were not down the street from our house when I started to feel the inevitable blow chunks, toss your cookies, pull over now feeling. I managed to stay calm and was able to make it all the way to Grand Prairie, which is a good 30 minutes from my house. At approximately Great Southwest Parkway I started to get super panicky and was sure I was gonna die. I immediately called my parents and arranged for them to pick me up not far from their house so that Jon and the boys could head to the race track. My mommy picked me and Chloe (and her icedream with chocolate syrup) up at Chick Fil A. We made it to their house with my stomach contents in place and Chloe's ice dream down her leg and on my parent's floor mats. So, instead of going to the races, Chloe and I hung at the parent's casa for 4 hours while the guys raced. It was just so weird and out of character. I love my parents dearly, but rarely go hang out without my hubby and kids. We watched TV, made grilled cheese sandwiches, talked, and the ultimate highlight: a search and rescue operation for 1 calico kitty named Patches. She was nowhere to be found and we were starting to get worried. We eventually found her burrowed inside a box spring in the spare bedroom. While we did have a good time, I wish it had been under better circumstances. I still feel HORRIBLE and am not sure what is wrong with me??? Some weird virus or something. More than anything I am very weak and tired. Very odd... I was able to eat some honey toast and a few sips of Sprite, but you can guarantee that I will be sleeping with a bucket for the next 3 weeks. Totally normal for someone with emetophobia.

Pioneer Girl

I recently was given like the bestest present ever. The Little House on the Prairie series of books. I have been reading my little heart out. I got the books on Saturday and have read a book a day since then. When I was a kid, my sister Kelli and I would read and re-read them. I would love to go back in time and experience just one week at the Ingalls house. Yes, I know it would be hard. But, man it would be cool. I know to some people that may be incredibly cheesy, but not to me. I grew up with a dad who always had Westerns on TV, who has an amazing library full of books about Cowboys, Indians, and pioneers. We even briefly owned a farm, 158 acres in Paris, TX. that was my dad's pride. There was a cute little house, tons of pecan trees, and a fish filled pond. Of course there wasn't any livestock, except a few horses and other critters that just belonged. We even had a caretaker, Mr. Miller. He kept watch over the place and would always serve the same cookies when we went for our monthly farm trip. Anyway, to make a long blog post short, I have taken my recent gift a little overboard. In this internet savvy world we live in, I have been able to Google the real Ingalls-Wilder family. I have even looked up the foods they commonly ate, the clothes they wore, and friends of theirs. There are some pretty neat sites out there. I have been having a blast. Of course I haven't done as much Spring cleaning as I would have liked but oh well. There's always tomorrow.

For your reading pleasure:
Wikipedia Laura Ingalls Wilder
and
Roses and Daisies

It's official: I am a klutz!

Please learn from my mistakes. Case in point:

#1 Don't try and step over a baby gate with a large basket full of clothes. You will trip over it and spill clothes all over the floor. It is amazing how far clothes can fly when you trip over a safety gate carrying a basket of them.

#2 A can of chocolate brown paint will "accidentally" spill if left opened. I now have two rooms in which the carpet is ruined. It is definitely safe to say that I will be giving a generous flooring allowance to the next owners of this home.

#3 Don't try to step over a baby gate if you are in a hurry. You will scrape your calf on the top of it. Then, you will fall flat on your hardwood floors. Then, your sunglasses, keys, and bottled water will fly out of your hands. They slide pretty far on hardwood floors. You however, don't slide. You land in a thud, flat on your belly. Bruising will show up anywhere from 10 minutes to 4 hours. If you landed like me, you will have a bruise on each knee and elbow and a large scraped up lump on your calf. You will be sore the next day.

Three Little Bunnies

Yet another opportunity to show off pics of my beautiful babies. In these they are coloring Easter eggs. Ooh ahh... Chan was off slaying dragons or being a rock star, in other words: he's too old to color Easter eggs and instead chose to play video games.

Chloe being a goof. I love how Hunter is looking at her like she's nuts...


My cuties, cheesin' for the camera!


Hayden! Yes I know half his head is missing, but man he is cute!


Hunter "supervising" Hayden


Hunter, the master egg decorator


Doing the Easter Bunny's grunt work

Say what?

As if we weren't busy enough today, we also stopped at Home Depot. Of course Jon had to get a roll of Necco wafers and the kids all got some Jelly Belly jelly beans. As we were driving home, Chloe would eat one at a time and promptly flip the box over to see what flavor she had consumed. We're driving along singing and being goofy when she goes "mmm mmm that was good." So, I asked her what flavor it was. And she said very matter of factly, "Strawberry Day-cor." It was so funny, I knew she meant Strawberry Daiquiri, but still...

They had to scrape me off of the floor...

Today after my nephew Ewan's birthday party the kids (Chloe and Hayden) and I headed to Brookshires. We went in for chip and dip, strawberry shortcake stuff, and of course EGGS! They have the older carts where the basket flips up for storage and the end opens up so they can scan your stuff, remember those? Anyway.... Chloe and Hayden sat at the bottom with their arms around each other (not for affection, just so they didn't fall off and get tile burn) and rode around the store, happy as clams. You would have thought they were 2 and 6 again. Every aisle we went on people smiled and waved at them. And then, this man said to me: "ma'am, your kids are very well behaved." I turned around to see who he was talking to. It was me, and then I almost passed out. Then I promptly told him aliens had eaten their brains because they never acted that way. I am considering stealing a cart from Brookshires, to see if it has magic powers or something. Ok, not really but I did consider it, until all these spiritual images floated through my brain and I just said nah... not today.

Sleep-overs

I don't get it. What is so flippin' fascinating about spending the night at someone's house? Or worse yet, having kids sleep over at your house? It seems like the moment school lets out on Fridays that I am driving someone to a friend's house to spend the night or they are begging to see if someone can stay here. Chan has a friend whom he spends the night with EVERY Friday! And, he can eat alot. I feel like I need to pay his rent or something.... I can't imagine wanting to sleep on someone's floor or in a sleeping bag. Strange sounds, smells, etc. This week has been crazy. My big boys spent the night out 4 times!!! We had someone here 3 nights. It is just plain nuts! I hope I am not the only one who enjoys the occassional break from her children, but dreads when other kids come over....! I will gladly send my kids off to a friend's house but don't want to reciprocate. I feel bad, but we have enough of our own drama without adding more kids. I'll babysit and have company over, but don't ask to sleep over! I guess I'm mean, but oh well. Some of the kids that come over are so destructive and loud, I wanna smack them. Am I alone here?

A trip back in time

Ok not literally but the title sounded good to me. Today I took Chandler to get a haircut at a real live barber! A manly place if you ask me. Basketball on a static filled tv screen, with rabbit ears no less. A stack of movies like True Grit, Hoosiers, The Godfather, Tombstone etc. They had shaving powders, talc, straight razors for shaving, and the oldest cash register I have ever seen. No frilly stuff there, no way. Not a nail polish or curling iron to be had. There was even a stack of National Geographics, not sure why? Boobie pics of tribal women...? Anyway, we haven't been to a barbershop since he was about 3 years old. He used to go one Saturday a month with my dad to Red's barbershop in Grand Prairie. I believe Red passed away many years ago and I am not sure if Chan ever got to meet him. Red had cut my dad's and all 5 of my brother's hair for years. I know my dad got a kick out of having his little Chan-man get a haircut with him. For the first 4 years of his life, Chandler and his grandpa were best buds. They would go to the barber, the pawn shops, ghost hunting, Kroger, or the park all the time. I used to call my dad when Hunter was fussy and he would drive the 5 or so blocks to my little duplex and get Chan and they would go for a drive. They called these drives "ghost hunting". My dad would act like he saw a ghost off in the distance when they were out driving. Of course he would take Chan on the longest darkest road he could find in good ole South Grand Prairie. Chan got a real kick out of this. He really thought they were being ghost hunters. He never did bring one home? It's hard to believe his little shadow- the Chanster is 16 and shaving! Not everyone knows this, but Chandler has a different dad than my other kids. His grandpa was his father figure the first 4 years of his life. To this day and forever after, Chan thinks his grandpa hung the moon. I am pretty sure the feeling is mutual. Anyway, I am just being all nostalgic. If any of you guys or girls have boys, a trip to the barbershop is always a fun experience.

Bowling Party!

Tonight we had Chan's official 16th birthday party. Woo hoo!! And, it was almost a disaster! Downpour, low on gas, traffic, no umbrella, no one in the bakery, no checkbook or debit card... you catch my drift. After getting soaked on our way in the store, I was able to grab a cake, some candles, and plates. Thankfully I was at the same store where my bank has a branch. So, I got some cash and we were on our way. Funny though, it stopped raining and we never needed our new umbrella...grrrr. After a quick pit stop for gas ($25 bucks gave me less than 1/4 tank!!!) we headed to the par-tay! We made it to the bowling alley 15 minutes late and got down to business. Of course I suck at bowling. It didn't help that there were 10 hyper teenagers distracting me. I am very lucky that Chan is a pretty good kid, but his friends are kinda kooky. And, that is putting it mildly. We squeezed in bowling, pizza, and cake in about 2 and a half hours! That's a new record. Anyway, I am off to the tub for a relaxing bubble bath. Here are some pics of our night:

Thanks Jon!

You forgot to check your pockets and we know I never check them... Anyways, I just found $18 in the dryer after washing your jeans. Whatever will I do with all that money? It's not the same as when I found $2,000 in the dryer but I'm not complaining!

Enough Mexican food for an army...

I have been doing so much Spring cleaning and organizing that I literally haven't shopped or cooked a meal in two days. Chandler has been more annoyed by this than anyone. So, after we left my neighbor's house today I headed to the store and got some groceries, including the ingredients for homemade enchiladas. Chan's favorite. I rarely make them because they take f-o-r-e-v-e-r to make. But, I stepped up to the challenge and started cooking at 4:30, figuring it would be ready for Jon's 6:30 arrival. He was gonna pick up Hunter and Chan from their friend's houses, and then they would all head home for dinner, or so I thought. Chan had walked to Subway with his friend, Hunter had already eaten, and Jon had to make a trip to Rockwall. So, I made a huge dinner for me and Chloe. Hayden ate leftover spaghetti. Wow! It was yummy though. And, in true blogger fashion I photographed my efforts! The final picture is of course my favorite. I made chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce, beef enchiladas with chili and extra cheese, and cheese enchiladas with red sauce. I even made guacamole, beans, and rice. Needless to say I have a TON of leftovers!

Easter party

Today I took Hayden and Chloe to an Easter get together at my neighbor Joy's house. They colored eggs, went on an egg hunt, ate, and played for 3 solid hours! Unfortunately they ate too much sugar to get worn out. They are literally running in circles chasing the dog. And they are barking!!! I managed to get a few photos today. Chloe is posing in one and being a teeny bopper in the other. Hayden is posing with 2 of his 5 future wives. We had a great time. My kids are at an age where I can socialize and eat and they can take care of themselves when we are at parties! Yay!

No words can describe this...

For the better part of two days I have been cleaning and organizing Hunter and Hayden's room in preparation for painting and re-decorating. Today I discovered something that stunned me silent. I found what can only be described as "dehydrated fruit" under their dresser. A shriveled banana to be exact. GROSS! No telling how long it's been there. I seem to remember one night in January when Hunter came to me right after he went to bed complaining of hunger. I told him he could have a banana or an apple. He took one of each. I guess the apple filled him up....

Can we swim?

The kids came off of the school bus covered in sweat, with flushed cheeks. Of course the first thing they asked after what's there to eat was, "can we swim?" So, I called Jon and he told me he had shocked and treated the pool and that if they were brave or crazy enough that they could go for it. Chloe and Hayden each scrambled into a bathing suit from last year. Once out there they decided it was just a little bit too cold for them. They have splashed each other, put cool water on their cheeks, and dipped their toes in the water. I am excited though! At this rate (84 degress today) we'll be swimming in no time! Here are a few photos. Ignore the dirty pool. He treated and shocked it, but forgot to sweep it????

Happy Birthday Chandler!

My little Chan-Man, I can't believe that 16 years have gone by since the day that you were born. You are absolutely my angel. You came into my life at a time when I needed a miracle. You brought with you a ray of sunshine that brightened the lives of not just me but Grandma, Grandpa, Kelli, and Amy as well. I was scared to death when I found out that I was gonna be a mom, but I knew that if I loved you with everything I had in me that we would be ok. There have been highs (you winning the spelling bee 3 times) and lows (you vomiting the entire way to Utah and back in grandma's van). I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. I am so proud that you are my son, your intelligence blows my mind. You are a cool big brother and the kids love you so much. You mean so much to all of us! Chan- you make us proud and you make us smile. I hope all your dreams for the future come true and then some. You'll always be mommy's little boy, even when you are a famous rock star! I love you buddy! Now for a little flashback from when Chan was little bitty.

Chandler's first bath March 13, 1992


The bathtub picture at Sears. I know a bunch of little kiddos who had this same shot taken. Chan was 4 and 1/2 months old here.


Giving me a dental exam. Chan is 9 months old in this picture.


Chan's 2nd birthday. He was such a big boy. This is when he was in his I love Aladdin phase. He would watch that movie over and over again.


Chan's Jamaica hat. That Halloween I dressed him in some tropical shorts, flip flops, and an orange tank top. Oh yeah, I also painted his skin brown. He got alot of compliments on that costume. He was 4.


One of my most favorite pictures of Chan. Such a sweet little man. He was almost 5 here.

Design on a Dime

My little shopping excursion to IKEA got me all pumped up for Spring cleaning and redecorating. So far I have completed the master bedroom and taken the boy's bunkbeds down. Their room will be a lot more extensive than mine was. My room however is looking great! I am so pleased with my IKEA purchases: a duvet cover and a table. My room is black and white toile with red accents. I can't afford a total revamp but these two pieces really spruced things up. I stuffed a down comforter in the duvet and Jon and I are in love with our bed all over again. It really is like sleeping on a cloud. We had to move it to cover the giant wax stain leftover from my candle drama. The placement really works better than we realized. I also love, love, love my new red table. It goes perfectly and will make a nice craft station, desk, and vanity all rolled into one. I've created a little side of the room for me and me only. My craft stuff, magazines, and computer all enjoy their new spot. I am really pleased with how it turned out. Let me know what you think!

Gossip Girl

Well, I guess I have learned a hard lesson. It's funny, I have complained recently about getting old, but it's not so bad. It seems as if I have had so many lightbulb moments lately, almost as soon as I turned 34. Things I probably needed to know a long time ago, but that are just now showing themselves or I am just now getting it. Freaky... Some of it may be common knowledge to other people, but I can be ditzy. Case in point:
Gossip sucks. It pretty much hurts everyone involved. The one talking, the one listening, and the one being gossiped about. I am a big talker and I do partake in gossip. But, I am gonna try really hard to not do it anymore. I am not perfect and I will slip up. Rome wasn't built in a day. But, I have been on both ends of the gossip spectrum this past week and it has been no fun. From here on out I am gonna add no more gossiping to my never ending improve Ashley to-do list. And words to take to heart: if a friend or aquaintance talks about other people to you, they are also talking about you to other people...

Move over Target

So, I know I said in my previous post that I was gonna lay off on blogging a little. But, today I think I had an almost religious experience. You see, I ventured to Frisco. And, once there I headed to IKEA!!! Oh my goodness! I have never been there before but I had heard many people sing it's praises. But to be there and witness that beautiful store in all it's glory myself was wonderful. I totally see why they serve food, you'll need it if you want to stay long enough to see all that Ikea has to offer. I wanted to stay all day, but my kids needed rides home from school. I had a blast, I went with Kelli and her boys and I am sure they got tired of hearing me gush. But, I couldn't help myself. I am about to re-do almost every room in my house and am gonna be on a major budget. Ikea has alot of the things I want and need, and the prices are great! Sure, if I had my choice I'd furnish and decorate along with the help of Restoration Hardware, Ethan Allen, Pottery Barn, and Crate & Barrel with a little vintage thrown in. But, I am poor and poor people bargain shop. I am so excited to have another place to find cute house stuff besides Target. I will always remain loyal to Target, she just has some competition now! By the way, Jon: we are so going to Ikea on your next day off! No excuses! And, you might wanna find your wallet...

Blogging ain't what it used to be

Lately I have done alot of thinking. And, I am tired of blogging about my frustrations instead of working on them. I started blogging as a distraction when all my kids went off to school, a hobby so to speak. It quickly became an obsession. And, while I have enjoyed it, lately it seems not so important. I am still gonna blog, just not as much. I realized that there is a giant lightbulb that has been glowing over my head, and I finally felt the warmth. The warmth of a family who needs me. They need me to be the best wife, mom, sister, and daughter that I am capable of being. And quite simply, I don't have enough time in the day to be at my best for myself and those around me if I am blogging, commenting, reading other blogs, or looking for headers all the time. I truly hope you will still keep up with my family and me. Check our blog daily, there may not always be a new post, but one's coming soon. I just need to concentrate on my spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional well being right now as well as care for my family. I think I've been neglecting us. I appreciate all of you who do read it. Sorry, I am "being deep" again, I just wanted to keep ya'll up on why I won't be posting all the time.

P.S. A very special thing happened in my family this weekend, and I will be blogging about it as soon as I get the photos emailed to me. My camera died! So, I am at someone else's mercy right now!

The name game

Periodically I will look at other people's blogs. People I wouldn't know if they bit me on the butt. I guess you could call it blog stalking, I call it nosey. However, I have never "stolen" or copied someone until now. I saw this cute post on my blog header designer's blog about what my other name would be if say I was a stripper or something. I will be tagging people at the end of this post. Because in the wide world of blogging I can do anything I damn well please. So there. Are you ready...?
1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car): Lady Suburban
2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME (fave ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe): Chocolate Chip Flip Flop
3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Black Dog (very original!)
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born): Kristen Grand Prairie
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 of your first name): Myeas (sounds like my ass I guess??)
6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink): Pink Coke
7. NASCAR NAME (the first names of your grandfathers): John Arthur
8. STRIPPER NAME ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne/scent,favorite candy): Euphoria Chocolate (ha ha, my favorite so far!)
9. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 5th grade teacher’s last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Campbell Crowley
10. SPY NAME: (your favorite season/holiday, flower): Spring Daisy
11. CARTOON NAME: (favorite fruit, article of clothing you’re wearing rightnow) Watermelon Pants
12. HIPPIE NAME: (What you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Cupcake Magnolia

That was fun! I tag: Kelli, Krista, and Erica

BIG accomplishment!

On the advice of the breeder we bought Coco from, we have discouraged her from getting on our furniture. Because when she weighs 80 pounds, she's gonna take up the whole couch. This morning when I was making lunches, I heard her whine like she does when she needs to go outside. So, I ran around the bar and there she was trying her darndest to get up in the kids moon chair. I left her there and finished what I was doing. Thinking to myself she's too small and will never make it anyway. When I turned back around 10 seconds later, she was sitting in the chair! So cute. I couldn't get mad at her, so I am letting her nap there. Hopefully I'm not creating a bad habit... What?



No more pics, I am drowsy!

Way-back Wednesday

Proof that I am old! Black and white film, before it was trendy! This was taken when I was around 1.


Posing for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. They went with Farrah that year instead. My freakin' toenails are painted red. What a looker!


Me and my brother Erik. I am guessing I am around 18 months or so.


Me and my little sister Amy. The sister whose fingernails I painted with Bonne Belle polish the day she came home from the hospital. I was 6 in this picture.


Me on the famous horse. That same horse has probably been door to door at every house in America, for millions of photo ops just like this one. I am 9 here, and my smile looks almost forced or something??