Vinny and Heather's Wedding

This past weekend, Aaron's best friend Vinny was married in Big Bear, California. Since Aaron was the best man in the wedding we decided Ashton would have more fun staying with family than coming to the wedding. This also was the first weekend Aaron and I have left Ashton since he was born! So Thursday we started the long journey in the car. My favorite stop is the halfway point where the outlets are. Since we were going to a wedding and Aaron would be in a nice tux, it was a perfect excuse to buy myself something new to wear. We stopped at the Anne Taylor outlet store and I was able to buy two new dresses for an awesome price. Their clearance rack is the best and the dresses are adorable. We kept on trekking and dropped Ashton off with my sister in Orange County. Ashton was so excited to see his cousins Jayne and Ryan that he didn't even notice that Aaron and I had left.

This was Aaron and mines first visit to Big Bear and it is beautiful! Of course we love anything in the mountains with lots of trees and a lake. We didn't get into Big Bear till about 7 at night so we ate dinner and went to bed. The next day we didn't have any wedding stuff until the evening so Aaron and I walked around the cute little town and decided it would be a good idea to get full body massages. They were fantastic! It was fun being able to spend time together alone. We had fun looking at houses and just walking around. That night Aaron had the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. We went to this really cute little Mexican restaurant. I had never met any of Vinny's family because they are from North Carolina, so it was really nice to meet his family and Heather's family as well.

Finally the big event arrived. The wedding ceremony was beautiful. Unfortunately the sun was so bright I couldn't take any pictures of this part, but they were married in a gazebo overlooking the lake. The reception was a lot of fun, even though Aaron and I didn't get to sit together for the first half of it. I was sitting with some wonderful people that Vinny had worked with in the Marines. Aaron gave a beautiful speech, I was so proud of him. The dinner was great, everything looked beautiful, and the dancing was my favorite part. It was the first wedding I actually got Aaron to dance with me. Of course it's a lot easier when you don't have a little baby between you. We missed Ashton terribly and called to check on him all the time, but we knew he was in good hands. It was a wonderful wedding and a wonderful weekend.

P.S. The bride and groom were always on the move, so I never did get a good picture of them! I am hoping I can get a couple emailed to me and then I will be able to post them.

Aaron's Family Visit

Last week was such a fun and busy week for us. In fact it has taken me all of this week to recoop! Aaron's parents were able to come down to visit us last week. We were so excited that both of them were able to come down and see our new house and spend time together. Ashton and I went to pick them up from the airport. Ashton was overwhelmed by the airport and was so excited to walk around. He was a little shy when we first picked up Dan and Vicky, but by the time we got home his shyness was gone. We spent the first day around the house giving everyone a chance to relax and just enjoy each others company. Vicky surprised us by bringing us down many wonderful gifts. They are always spoiling us, especially Ashton, and we are very grateful for the things we received. It's a good thing we finished our yard before they got here. It made it a great place to play and hang out for most of the evening. Ashton had a blast playing with everyone.



The second day they were here, we were able to take them up to our favorite spot Mt. Charleston. We went for a wonderful little hike and then had a fantastic lunch at the lodge. The leaves had started to turn on the trees and it was beautiful. This is the first time I have seen the seasons change in years. Ashton had so much fun on the hike. He took turns holding every one's hands and spending time with each person. We were able to find him the perfect walking stick which he thought was the best thing ever.



The final day, Aaron and his dad were able to sneak away and spend most of the day together. They went to Aaron's favorite store, Bass Pro, and then went shooting out in the middle of the desert somewhere. Aaron's been itching to go shooting so I am glad his dad was here to get him to go out. While the boys were away, Vicky, Ashton and I went to a recipe exchange at my friend Becca's house. There were lots of ladies and three times as many children. All of the food was fantastic and it was so much fun trying new food items. The best part is that you get all the recipes too! We had fun eating and playing.


We were so glad that they were able to come visit. We only get to see them about once a year, but are always grateful for the time we get to spend together. Thanks mom and dad for making the trip and making it such a fun week.

First Trip to the Dentist

This last week I took Ashton to his first trip to the dentist. I decided to take Ashton to Just for Kids Dental because they specialized in working with young child. The office had games for all ages of children and had movies playing. Just walking in the door the place was already looking really awesome. We get called back and right away Ashton was screaming because he didn't want to sit in the x-ray chair. So we skipped the x-rays and were taken to a private room. I was thinking this was going to be a horrible experience. The room was awesome, it had a TV on the ceiling playing a movie so that he could watch while he was getting his teeth cleaned. Ashton ended up doing great! He opened big and let them clean and floss his teeth and then opened big again for the doctor to see. I was worried he would have cavities because he's always sneaking candy and treats which of course I always have in the house :). His teeth were perfect and really clean and more importantly no cavities! I was really happy that it ended going really well and I loved the doctor and staff. Yeah for Ashton! Its also cute that they get little report cards of how they did, of course we got an A :) I was proud of him, I don't even like going to the dentist, but he did a good job.

My little Marine in training

Since Aaron has been working out side and had all this pipe laying around he decided to make Ashton a toy gun out of it. Of course Ashton new exactly what it was and was running around making shooting sounds. The funniest part was that he was holding it the right way and that he was running around naked. I swear my child really does where clothes. He was posing for the pictures and it reminded me of a picture of my brother Travis. He had made himself a toy gun and would run around in his underwear shooting things outside. I would bet that Ashton and him are about the same age in the pictures. Maybe my mom can find the picture and we could add it to this post, but for now here is my hilarious child who is always bringing a smile to our faces.

Our Flower Bed

We finally did it! We finished the backyard (well as much as we are doing for now). We planted some flowers along the grass and a few palm trees to remind us of home. Aaron worked so hard and did such a great job getting everything done. We now have a beautiful backyard and beautiful patio furniture to match. This is definitely going to be one of the most used places in our home. Ashton can't wait till his allowed to run and play on the grass. Can't wait till everyone can come and see all our progress.

Still Working in the Backyard

Well it finally cooled off just enough that we could finally work in the backyard. We decided that would put in real grass in most of the yard and put rubber mulch under the kid area. So off to Star Nursery we go. One of the store owners actually walked around with Aaron telling him everything he needed to do for the grass and even drew us diagram. They are always really helpful and the prices are great. We bought all the supplies we needed and Aaron was off to work. As you have seen in previous pictures are backyard is full is big rocks and dirt. He probably took out several tons of rocks trying to get it ready. He first had to put in the valve box in for the sprinklers. I also wanted a water feature in the back yard so he installed a switch for the fountain and ran the wires back to were we wanted it. It looked so professional, I have been so impressed by his skills. Once he got all the piping down he had to create the edge around the grass and lay the top soil. Then it was time to lay the sod. He spent about two days getting the pipe work done and digging out the yard and only one day doing the top soil and sod. It was the fastest I have ever seen one person do this job. Of course Ashton was always out there trying to help his daddy, but I tried to keep him out of the way. The yard is really starting to look fantastic. Aaron worked so hard and Ashton and I are very grateful for his hard work. It looks beautiful so far. We just have a few more touches to add. More to come.

Installing the switch and box.

Laying the pipes.

The top soil.

The kid area finished ( I was actually in charge of this area and had to carry 40 bags of rubber mulch to backyard. It was worth it for how nice it turned out and no more dirt! Yay!)

Laying the sod (grass).

The final look!

Ashton's Fort

A few months ago we were looking at swing sets and trying to decide what we wanted to buy. All we really wanted was the ladder, rock wall, fort, and slide. I didn't really care if we had swings and every set just seemed to big to fit in our backyard. I found this neat fort and slide that was plastic from Step2. It looked perfect and was designed for smaller kids (ages ranging from 2-8). So I ordered it and once it arrived we were a little disappointed in the size. It doesn't help that Ashton is big for his age. So we went back to the store and started looking at other options. Aaron thought the quality of the swing sets was poor and decided he would build one himself. So off to Homedepot and Lowes we went to buy all the supplies we needed. I think it took Aaron about a month to build it because he worked so much that he could only do a few hours at a time. He designed the entire Fort by himself and built it with his own two hands. It turned out fantastic and Ashton loves it! Needless to say now he has two forts outside and he loves them both. Now we have a small one for smaller kids that come over and a big one for Ashton and the slightly older kids that come to play.

The First Fort We Bought

Aaron starting to build the new one

Ashton trying to help his daddy.

Ashton was so excited he jumped right on his new rock wall even though he was missing his pants.

Aaron still working hard

The final product (front view)

Final Product (right side view)


Final Product (left side view)