New Additions to the House

This last month has just flown by and as I sit to look back on what we have been doing, I realized we have been very busy. Ashton and I had lots of play dates this month. He has his little group of friends that he wants to see every week and we do our best to try and get together. I also realized that we have been doing a lot of work around the house.

For starters, Aaron has been installing an alarm system in our house. Of course he couldn't take the easy route in this by ordering wireless sensors and alarms, he wanted to hard wire everything into the house. So many holes in my ceiling and hours of work later Aaron is almost done with this home project. It's a good thing he is also a great patch-er to make it look as though the holes were never there. I have to say I'm extremely impressed that he has been able to do all of this on his own. I'm also impressed that he was able to fish the wires through and get it on his first try every time. With all the bells and whistles in this house, I definitely sleep a little easier at night.

Our next project was putting together a new dining room table. We have been staring at the beautiful table at Sam's club for months saying we needed to save up money to buy it. We finally did and bought it the day before having two families over for dinner. It took Aaron and I half a day to put the eight chairs and table together. It is so beautiful and worked perfect for our dinner party. We had the adults in one room and the kids at our other table. We love the table and think its a beautiful addition to our home.

We also bought a cabinet for the kitchen for extra storage. As big as our kitchen is, it still didn't have enough cabinet space. So we bought this beautiful Armour and it gave us the extra storage room we needed for food and cooking utensils. Our kitchen now feels much more functional and user friendly. We also bought a new TV for our family room. It was on clearance at Sam's because it was missing a few screws and had been on display. We got it for half off and they even gave us extra screws from another TV. It was a perfect TV and an even better deal.

I know most of you have already seen our new car, but I still wanted to throw it in so we could remember when we got it. We bought a 2009 GMC Arcadia and we love it! It gets great gas mileage for its size and is perfect for our growing little family. It can even tow, which makes Aaron a happy man. The more time we spend in this car, the more we love it and know it was the perfect fit for us.

I know it mostly looks like we went on a giant shopping spree this months, but that is the fun of saving up for things and for selling old things to buy new things. I will not lie, I do love shopping, especially for things for our home. This will be an on going project for many years to come. Who knows what will be next... :)

My Naked Child

For some reason, unknown to me, Ashton prefers to be naked or just in underwear whenever we are at home. No matter how many times I put clothes on him and dress him, he ends up with close to nothing on every night. I at least don't have this problem when we are out of the house, but at home its another story. Ashton loved his Halloween costume and is often running around in his cowboy hat with his gun. The other night we got back from dinner and Aaron and I went up stairs to change while Ashton stayed downstairs to play. We both laid down in bed for a minute because we were tired. About 5 minutes later, Ashton comes walking up the stairs with nothing on except his cowboy hat! We just looked at him and started laughing. I am hoping this is just a phase that he will grow out of, but he still just cracks me up. These are the moments you just want to remember about your child. He was so proud of himself that he was smiling from ear to ear. He then preceded to dance around the room pretending to shoot the gun that Aaron had made for him out of pipe. Shortly after we threw in him the shower and got him ready for bed, but it was definitely the most entertaining part of our evening. What will he think of next!? I took a few pictures, which I edited out the bottom half, just so every one else could share a laugh with us.

The Lion King

This past weekend, Mandalay Bay was offering almost 50% discount tickets to see the Lion King if you were a local to Las Vegas. This is one of the shows I have been really wanting to see, but tickets are a little expensive. Aaron and I decided it was an opportunity we couldn't pass up. Ashton is still a little young to go see a show, but the Lion King was his new favorite book and movie and we thought he would love it. We were right, he loved it!


It was a fantastic show, a must see for anyone. The costumes and the props were amazing. They not only were performing on the stage, but we also dancing down the aisle and on platforms on the side. Most of the songs and lines were the same from the movie, but they did add a couple new songs and speaking parts to blend it in. Ashton was so excited through out the entire show. He did pretty good, but got a little board in the second act during the slow songs. It was an amazing experience to sit down in the front row only a few feet from the actors. We were so glad that went and were able to see such an amazing event. It was especially fun to get dressed up and go downtown since we are never on that side of town. For anyone who wants to see a show in Las Vegas, this is definitely one to see.

*If your wondering why Ashton is making a funny face, it's just because he is stubborn and didn't want to take a picture. I added it anyway because I love his new outfit and he is still cute even when his being a stinker. :)

Halloween

So what a busy week it was last week! After already being to two Halloween parties, my friend Becca invited Ashton and I to come to their preschool Halloween party. Of course we said Yes! Ashton was so darn cute in his outfit, I loved that he got to wear it a bunch. She did such a good job hosting the party. They did story time, matching game, pin the nose on the pumpkin, made witches brew (which was homemade root beer), and fed everyone a yummy lunch. Ashton was shy at first, but had so much fun participating in all the activities. It was a great party.

Then Halloween finally rolls around and Ashton wakes up with a fever. Since it is such a scary flu season this year, we decided it would be best if we just stayed home and got Ashton better. We just played in pajamas the whole day in between taking naps. It was actually nice to just be home all together for an entire day. The next day he was already feeling better and back to his old self. I was a little bummed we didn't take him trick or treating or even hand out candy for that matter. But, I was glad he got better so quickly and that we had already gone to so many Halloween parties that it made up for missing the actual holiday. Here's a bunch of pictures from the last party we went too. Thanks Becca for inviting us to such a great party, it was fun!

Halloween Parties

So far we have already been to two Halloween parties this week. My mom was kind enough to make Ashton's costume for me while we were visiting. We went to Walmart and bought the best material and the outfit turned out adorable. I probably spent way to much, but he was the cutest cowboy I have ever seen :)! Our first party was the trunk or treat at church. Ashton help me pass out candy and then we got to go trick or treating. It's a great opportunity to work on manners and waiting your turn. He was so polite and loved getting all the candy.


The next party we had was at his preschool. All the kids wore their costumes and she set up different stations with Halloween activities to do. It was fun for Ashton to show me around and tell me all the different things they do. They sang songs for us and all the kids had so much fun. I really love the preschool he is at, Holly (his teacher) does such a great job. I couldn't help but take lots of pictures.



I attached the video of one of the songs they sang for us. You can see Ashton mouthing the words and doing the gestures, but you can't hear him sing. It was still cute and worth sharing.

We're Having Another Baby

Aaron and I are expecting baby number 2! We are so excited and have been waiting to tell everyone. This baby was planned, so we have known for a while now that we were expecting. Finally last week, I went to my first doctors appointment. Its always amazing to hear the baby's heart beat and be able to see the first glimpse. The baby never stopped moving through the whole exam. He/She was moving their arms and legs all over the place almost as if he/she was waving at us. Ashton thought it was pretty cool he could see the baby. On the way home from the doctor he was worried that we left the baby there. I try to explain its in mommy's tummy, but he hasn't quit grasped the concept yet. The other day he told me his tummy hurt because the baby was in there. :) He is always cracking me up. I know he is going to be a great older brother.



I am officially 11 weeks. The doctor says the baby is right on track for its size and development. Everything sounded and looked great. I have been super tired this pregnancy so far, but slowly this week I have been feeling more like myself. Now the first trimester is almost over, I am hoping to have a little more energy, but we will see how it goes. Mom and baby are doing great. Thanks for all the love and support. We are so excited and can't wait to start planning the nursery once we find out what we are having in December. The due date is May 17th. I know another May birthday, but what can I say it's a great month for a birthday.

Pumpkin Time

After we went to the pumpkin patch a couple weeks ago, Ashton has been obsessed with pumpkins. We have had this huge pumpkin sitting on our table just waiting to be carved. We kept waiting to do it because we knew it wouldn't last long after it was carved. Finally Ashton talked Aaron into carving it. Aaron did all the work and I provided moral support and clean up. We used one of those really cool designs and he did an excellent job. Ashton was so excited to see it all lit up. Unfortunately, we had to throw away the pumpkin today because it died and was moldy. We enjoyed it while it lasted, but we didn't quit make it to Halloween. Oh well, the fun is really in carving the pumpkin anyway. Good Job Aaron! Ashton was happy while it lasted.

Our Trip to California

I can't believe it, but I've already been home for a week and a half since my trip home to California. None the less it was a really fun trip and Ashton had a blast. My sister Trina came down and dropped her kids off for a night and the three of them had so much fun together. My mom bought them new PJ's and because they are so cute I had to take a picture. We pretty much just played the entire time we were there. Even my mom was riding scooters with the kids. Ashton loved feeding the chickens and going for a tractor ride. Papa even let him drive the tractor too! A highlight for me was being able to see my sister sing in a special church choir. It was a fantastic program and I was very proud of her for participating in the show. My mom also finished a fantastic quilt for my grandma while we were there. Last I saw it, it was in a thousands pieces. It was fun to see her finish the final touches. I am hoping to make the same kind of quilt when I am there over Christmas. For pictures of her quilt check out her blog. The trip seemed to go to fast, but it was nice to relax a little and get to visit with many family members. Ashton always cries when we leave and asks when we can go back. We will be back again soon :) Thanks for the great trip everyone.

Let It Snow

I know it's early in the season, but yes folks we have snow in the Las Vegas mountains. No it isn't quit cold enough, but the local ski resort decided to start making their own snow. Since Ashton has never seen it before, we decided to drive out and play in it. Krystal, Luke and her friend Dan also came with us. We all decided to take the scenic chair lift ride, which was really awesome. You could see all the way to the dessert floor from the top of the mountain. It is always so beautiful there and it will always be one of our favorite places in Las Vegas. After the chair lift, we let the boys play in the snow, had some lunch, and went on a beautiful hike. Aaron made Ashton another walking stick, which is necessary for any hike. One of these days we will remember to bring one from home now that Ashton has three of them. It was a lot of fun spending time all together and exploring another side of the mountain. It was also fun to see snow! It's been a few years since I have even been in snow and now its less than thirty minutes away. Hopefully we will get our first real snow fall soon!