Coming to a new year...

So, I figured that after 6 months...it's probably time to update my blog again! Our family has had a good year, with Katie starting Kindergarten and Ashley and Erica doing Joyschool at home. Also we are expecting another little girl in about 3 months, which we are thrilled about!
Ryan is still working in West Valley as a Senior Graphic Designer, making all sorts of products for Browning and other hunting companies. The hours are finally like a regular job now too, which is VERY nice for all of us.
I am so blessed to be a stay at home mom. I can't imagine having to work at the same time and it is well worth it to be with our kids! I am still teaching piano and am the Compassionate Service leader in our ward.
This Christmas was probably the most fun we've had so far. Ryan put up PINK Christmas lights (since we have a house full of girls). The girls were so excited and it was great seeing their expressions as they opened their presents Christmas morning. I was also very happy, getting a camera!!! since losing ours earlier this year. (Providing some excuse for my lack of posting.)Katie only asked for "lovely" things. Here she is with some of them...

(And here is Ashley and daddy...)

We didn't have a white Christmas until the day after, which Ashley had been waiting for! She had been begging us to make a snow man with her...even when there was no snow, so of course, Monday morning we were out making the snowman!

I am excited to see what this new year brings. Ashley(4) will be going back to Miss Tammy's Preschool next week, which will be good getting her ready for starting Kindergarten in August. Katie(5) is still loving Kindergarten and tumbling and is already talking about turning 6...in May. Erica turns 3 in March and will continue doing some Joyschool at home with me until September when she will go to Miss Tammy's. It will be different, and yet still very busy I think with all this and the new baby. We are very happy though and I can't imagine what I'd do without our wonderful family.

Ash

Hooray! I'm updating my Blog after almost a year! And I've decided to write about my second daughter Ashley, who turns 4 next month.



Ashley is completely her own person. She likes girl things like sparkles, diamonds. rainbows and princesses...but then she likes her own sort of everything else! Her favorite colors are blue and orange, which she recently added pink to "cause girls like pink". Her favorite stuffed animals are her snake and jaguar-those are the ones she carries around and comforts herself with, ESPECIALLY her snake. She really likes playing soccer and wants to be a "soccer player girl" when she grows up. (She has been emphasizing "girl" lately since she noticed there are nine boys and then her in the soccer class. I think she wants us to realize even though she plays it, she is still a girl.) She wants an "eyeball and rainbow" birthday party...rainbow decorations, and an eyeball cake and eyeball toys, and a toy snake...hmmm.
She loves to sing, especially making up her own songs, using her microphone, and then adding actions to them (using her hands, arms, face, pacing the room, etc.) and she can already BELT the songs and sing vibrato.
She is the peacemaker in our home. She likes everyone to be happy, especially her sisters. She won't give in if it is something she REALLY wants or has her mind set to, but will usually give her toys up if one of her sisters wants it. If one of her sisters has to go to time out, Ashley will try to fix what they did wrong for them, then tell me, "Don't be mean to my sister!" She even stood in front of Katie at the doctor, trying to block her from view so they couldn't give her a shot, and started crying for Katie when they did.
She has a great imagination. She turns into Snow White, or Cinderella, or WALL-E, or a puppy, and she IS them. She screamed and cried, banging on the front door for her "Snow White Mother" when I wouldn't let her "go home"- which she said was at the bridge down the street and her mother was worried about her and I'm not her mother and I need to let her go! (Good thing no one called the police on me!)
She also has lots of "Birthday Friends" who like to sleep in her bed at night so there is no more room for her. Or the "Other Ashley" who drops her food on the floor. And she is always daydreaming about other things her Birthday Friends are doing...or that she is sliding down the rainbow!
We love our Ashley! I'm so glad we have been blessed to have her in our lives.