The Last Lake Trip

On the second day of my vacation, we went to Lake El Capitan. Trina and her family drove down to meet us as it would be the last lake trip of the summer. It had started to sprinkle as we loaded in the car in the early hours of the morning. As soon as I woke up Ashton and told him we were going on the boat, he marched straight to the car and buckled himself into his seat belt. He refused to get out of the car to eat breakfast because he wanted to make sure he was going. He probably sat there for a half an hour while we loaded the car. Once on the lake the clouds started to clear and it ended up being a beautiful day. I got to ski and take Ashton on the tube for the first time. He was a little afraid, but once we got going he loved it. He wanted to go faster and wanted to go in and out of the wake so it would bounce. He cried every time we took him off. I already know he's going to be a daredevil. It was a great day trip to the lake. That night we had a family dinner. Our little family of 7 has now grown to 14 once you add spouses and kids. It's fun to get together and to see everyone. Ashton loved seeing Jayne. He talks about her all the time and is always calling her on his pretend cell phone. It was so nice to come home, even though the trip was short. We can't wait for our next one.

Ashton and Taryn

Ashton fascinated with the water

Trenton with Jayne and Ashton

Trenton and Ashton (Ashton likes hanging out with his uncle)

Jason Wake boarding

Me, Ashton and Papa (my dad)

My Mom and Dad (the first time I have ever seen them on the tube together)

Ashton eventually got tired and crawled under the chair for a nap (I picked him up to make it a little more comfortable)

Trina, Jason, Jayne, and Ryan

Trina, Jayne, Ashton, and Me

Ashton and Me

Me Skiing

Ashton and Jayne holding hands

Ashton and Jayne sitting together

Trenton catching air on the wake board

A day at the beach

This last weekend Ashton and I went to California to visit my family. Aaron has been working weekends for a while, so I thought it would be fun if Ashton and I took off for a little trip. He has been asking for his grandma and papa for a while so I knew it was time for a visit. The first day I was there we went to beach. Ashton of course thought he could run right out to the water and swim in the ocean. We tried to show him that the waves would knock him over, but he thought it was hilarious and would keep running into them. After I got tired of holding him in the water, Ashton ran up to my mom and said "Grandma help." He grabbed her hand and dragged her out to the water. Then he wanted her to bury him in the sand. It was a lot of fun to go to the beach, but a lot of work with Ashton. He loved it! After the beach we got ice cream, which was another highlight to Ashton. We gave him his own bowl and he ate perfectly not spilling a drop. He was so excited to be around everyone, it's a miracle I ever got him down for a nap that day. We both miss being close to my family.



Later that evening, my mom and I decided we would try and sew after dinner. Ashton was hanging out with Trenton watching him play his video game and playing with his toys. I thought that would entertain him for a while, so I went out to the sewing room. I called Trenton after about 20 minutes to check on Ashton. He said he had just left and that he had asked Trenton to take his shirt off. I knew he was up to something because he wanted to be naked. I came into the house and asked my dad if he saw him. He said he just came down and handed him his shirt and went back up stairs. I thought that was kinda of interesting and as I headed up the stairs I could hear water running. I went into my parents bathroom and saw Ashton giving himself a bath in the big jacuzzi tub. He had turned the water on, added bubbles, and was sitting there with a huge smile on his face. Luckily the water was cold, but he didn't care, he was having fun. I had to put him in the shower to get the bubbles off. I couldn't help but laugh, all you could see was his head barely peaking out of the bubbles. It's amazing what they do in the two minutes no one is looking. I tell you, this blog will be full of crazy things my child thinks of to do.

Swim Day

Last week, my friend Pilar invited us to go swimming with them. It has been pretty hot and Ashton loves to swim, so of course I said yes. We went to her in laws house and they had a pool that made me feel like I was at a resort. The kids had a blast and it was fun to be able to sit and talk. One side of the pool was a toddler area and the other a deep swimming pool. We were there half the day and Ashton was very upset when we had to leave, even though he was about to fall asleep standing up because he was so tired! I think swimming is his favorite activity. Maybe if I'm lucky he will always love it and become the next Micheal Phelps. (No pressure he can do what ever he wants :)). It was a fun and relaxing day!

Kendra was also with us and she loved the water as much as Ashton. She didn't want to be left out. I had her in my lap most of time and she kicked and had her feet in the water almost the entire time. It was a miracle that neither of the kids got a sunburn. I coated them up with sunscreen, but you never know when your playing in the water in the hot desert sun. Ashton wouldn't stay in the toddler pool, so he has his life vest on so he could swim in the deeper water. He is so funny, he just acts much older than he is. He also loved that there were lots of rock formations to climb on and jump from. What will he think of next!

Trade Show

So my sister called me several weeks ago and told me that she was signing up to do a small trade show in her city. She asked me if I wanted to make some of my tote bags to see if I could sell them. I said I would think about it and didn't really do anything for a while. I decided to take a trip to California to see my family and thought if i was going to make any bags I better do it now so I didn't have to mail them. Needless to say once I started I couldn't stop myself. Here are pictures of the latest bags, I still have two more to make. I had so much fun, I literally sewed for three days straight till my machine stopped. I have been sewing so much I needed to take in it for a tune up. None the less, I got most of my projects done thank heavens!

I tried to make each bag a little different. I made them different sizes, different handles, different stitching. I love all them and it was almost a little hard to part with them last weekend. Some have two handles, some have one. Hope you enjoy!

A side from bags I also created these great little infant car seat attachments. Instead of draping a blanket over the car seat to keep your baby covered, I made a mini blanket that attaches to the handle of the car seat to cover your little one. I can't take credit for the idea, I saw it on my friends car seat and thought it was a fabulous idea. After writing this blog I realized I didn't take pictures of all the ones I made, but here is a look at my sample. I made mini rag blankets with ribbons to attach to the car seat. Each one was made with two different flannel pieces with bating in the middle. They were easy to make and serve a great purpose!