Random picks

We have a Rainbow vacuum--it uses water--so after we vacuum we pour out the water, etc in our back yard next to our house....the other day we were out back and noticed this large mound. At first we thought it was a nest of sorts, but after a closer look realized it was mushrooms!!! I've never seen mushrooms growing anywhere in utah...pretty sick that our carpet left-overs grew mushrooms! I reminded Nick that he eats mushrooms...now, he may as well just lick our carpets! sick!!!

I was standing in line at the bank and a gentleman comes up behind me in line and starts chatting with me about all sorts of things. he was holding 6 rolls of pennies in his hands. He was homeless. Such a nice old man..... I snuck a picture.

Came down stairs in the morning to find my kids had gotten themselves breakfast and were fully entertained watching a movie. I should have gone back to bed. ;-) I love that my kids are basically self-sufficient and I don't have to worry about them in the morning.

I swear, every time I give Preston a bath he looks older to me. I hate it! I want him to stay my little baby forever! Here he is after his bath looking oh so cute! We haven't cut his hair since September so it's getting pretty long.... Nick and I think he looks like one of Ryan's boys.

Nick and Preston came to visit me at work and then went to visit Juli, et al at her work. Preston loves playing her ipod games. :-)

Finally...Preston can write his name! (mine on top, his below) he still has to look at the letters that someone else wrote in order to write them himself, but it's a start. Since he stopped going to preschool I was afraid that he wasn't learning as much anymore but it looks like he's doing just fine. And now he's doing addition--using his fingers--it's so cute!

Happy 8th Birthday, Ashleigh!!!

November 5th was Ashleigh's 8th birthday!!! What a fun couple of days we had.

We do "friend" parties only every 2 years-on their even birthdays-starting when they are 6. So, for her 8th birthday, Ashleigh decided she wanted her 2 neighbor friends and 2 of her friends from school. She actually had a list of about 10 kids including a few of her cousins, but after I told her what her birthday party options would be she whittled down the list to those 4 so we could go bowling with out breaking the bank! ;-)

On Friday the 5th, Ashleigh had her first big project at school. It was a "wax museum" project where Ashleigh pretended to be a character in history. She chose to be Jane Goodall. She had to put together a tri-fold display as well as find and memorize up to 10 facts about the character. She did a great job on the project and was so brave telling her facts.



After school Gma Call came over to give Ash her birthday presents. Ashleigh was SO excited to get Silly Bands--TONS of them! (42, to be exact!)


She also got this hat and Hannah Montana hoodie.


And these cool finger puppet toys.

Later that night we had our family party--Ash went hunting for her gifts....







And she told me a long time ago she wanted a cheesecake and a pumpkin pie on her birthday. So that's what we got her.

Preston refuses to eat much of anything so he didn't have cheesecake or pumpkin pie...just cereal.

The next morning my parents came and got Ashleigh and took her to breakfast at IHOP (her favorite restaurant) and then to get her birthday present. She chose to get a hoola-hoop and a play-doh cupcake maker. I'm impressed, she does really really good at hoola-hooping.

Later that day we had her friend party and I got Ash a birthday crown and sash.


We got pizza and bread sticks....

And then we went bowling. 1 of the girls, Madi, met us there.

Ashleigh, Jasna
Hailie
Melody

Hailie and Jasna

Ashleigh with Madi and Melody

Hailie and Melody

Madi couldn't come back to our house to open presents, so Ash opened her gift there.


Then I got pictures of each of the girls with their bowling balls.

Madi

Melody

Ashleigh

Jasna

Hailie

They had a lot of fun playing around between turns at bowling



Final scores of the 2nd game

Group picture. L to R--Jasna, Melody, Hailie, Ashleigh and Madi. Ash was given that bowling pin as a gift from the manager at the bowling alley. She had all the girls sign it. We've put it in her memory box.



After Madi went home, I brought the rest of the girls back to our house to open gifts and have cake.









Then the girls went home. Well, Jasna stayed at our house until later that evening....

It was a fun weekend and Ashleigh had a great birthday! :-) I love my little girl so so much. She has been a complete joy in my life since the day she was born.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ASHLEIGH. We love you SO much!!!