Travis and Jaclyn's Visit

This past Thursday, Travis and Jaclyn came up for a little visit. They had several plans for their little weekend getaway, but decided to come and spend one of the days with us. It was a lot of fun being able to visit and spend a day with them. Krystle and Luke came over for dinner and to hang out. Travis had his hands full with both of the boys. They loved playing with him. The next day we went shopping and headed up to the mountains to see the snow. They are considering moving here so it was fun to share with them our favorite past time. We weren't dressed for the snow at all, but knew we would only be in it for a minute. Ashton kept calling the snow ice cream and I had to explain that it wasn't and that we definitely couldn't eat it! Ashton loved playing with both of them and was sad to see them leave. Thanks for the company guys, it was great to see you and spend time with you, can't wait to see you again. Love You.

Ashton

Ashton is constantly saying and doing things that make me laugh. This past weekend I finally gave Ashton cereal with milk for the first time ever. Yes I know what kind of mom am I that my child is three and hasn't had cereal for breakfast. It was always a snack we threw in a bag and was great for on the go food. Most of you know Ashton is one of the slowest eaters ever! Well, not when it comes to cereal. I poured the bowl and gave it to him and within five minutes he was done and telling me how much he liked it. I couldn't believe it, I didn't have to feed him the last half of his breakfast. We still only do cereal maybe once a week, but I thought it was funny.

We also went to the park this week to meet with some new friends from church. Both of the ladies I meet had little girls Ashton's age. I wasn't sure how he would do playing with girls because he usually finds a boy to chase and copy at the park. Well to my surprise, once he was done tormenting the girls on his scooter, he sat and played with them perfectly. They chased each other around the park and took turns playing on the slides and were laughing the whole time. You have to love days that you go to the park and there is no drama or fights between the kids. I was very impressed and just knew that him and Kaylynn are going to be very good friends and have lots of fun together. Ashton could care less if things are boyish or girlish, he loves all toys and loves playing with all kids, what a wonderful little man he is.

Aside from the fact that Ashton is quit creative with his toys, he is also finally talking more and sharing his opinion on things. He will tell me if something is cute at the store and whether or not we should get it. I bought the new bed for the guest room and after putting on a new bed set he walks in and says "it's beautiful mom, grandma's room is so nice." I'm so glad I got the Ashton seal of approval. I thought it was funny that he said it and that he names it grandma's room. Can you guess who is most frequent visitor?

Ashton is also a wonderful helper and clean freak. Now to tell you the truth, I do not know where he gets it. I clean often, but am not a fanatic about it. At preschool he is the biggest helper at clean up time and hates to have his hands dirty. Who would think any kid wouldn't like finger painting, but Ashton prefers to use a brush. He also likes to wash his own dishes and gets very upset if I try and do it for him. Every night we pick up the toys so that the house looks nice before we go to bed. On nights we are running late and I'm to tired to worry about it, he tells me we need to clean up mom and its easier to do it than argue with him. He also loves to say his own prayer before bed time. I tell you, on a daily basis I wonder where his little personality comes from and am constantly laughing at how particular he is about things.

Ashton is getting so big and I have really loved just watching him grow. He is constantly surprising me and I am going to try and write more little blurps like this to remember his funny sayings and creative mind. Even though he is head strong and stubborn like Aaron and I, he is loving, polite, sweet, and a wonderful little boy. He is such a blessing in my life and I know that he will be a wonderful big brother.

Sewing

This past week has been my week to complete a bunch of sewing projects. One would think that I have completely ignored Ashton and never left my house, but I didn't! I had lots of little one day projects that I knew I could finish quickly. I decided I would only sew when Ashton was at school or sleeping and that we would go to the park a few times this week to make it more fun for him. I promise this was not a months worth of sewing, it actually only took me a couple days. My next sewing goal will be to learn how to make little girl clothing.

My first project was completing a rag quilt for Kaylynn. Some of you will remember that I made a pink and purple rag quilt for my friend who had a little girl last summer. I decided it turned out so cute that I had to make one for myself. Yes I bought the fabric before I ever decided to get pregnant and before we knew we were having a girl. I re-organized my sewing area and found the fabric and decided it was time to get it done. I still thinks its darling and am so excited to use it.

My second project was finally finishing the drapes for my kitchen. I bought regular drapes at Target, but had to cut them and hem them to fit my little windows. It wasn't complicated, just time consuming so I have put it off for about 6 months now.

The next project was finishing a bag I started back in July. Back in July my machine started having problems so I took it in to get a tune it. It was gone for a week and when i got it back, I didn't do much sewing. I had the bag cut out and stacked in pieces. It was so cute, I decided I had to finish it so I could make it my new church bag.

Then I started thinking about what else I needed for Kaylynn. I wanted to buy a new car seat cover so that she had something nice and new just for her. I found a girl online (Sassy Stork) who would make the cover for a flat fee and all you have to do is send her the fabric of your choice. So off to the store we go to pick out the fabric for my cover. Since I was having this made, I decided I would make a matching blanket that would be car seat blanket. I made a small pieced quilt and added ties so that I could tie it to the car seat. It turned out so cute and was a perfect chance to practice all my new quilting techniques.

My last project this week was making a wall hanging for Kaylynn's room. My mom gave me a heart quilt pattern that she had seen and showed me the new things I needed to learn. I brought home all my pieces and fabric and finally got it done this week. The picture is a little darker than the fabric actually is, nonetheless I love it and can't wait for my mom to finish the stippling so that I can hang it up.

Home Additions

In the past few weeks I have been shopping for little things to help improve rooms around the house. After completing the kids room, it's almost become an obsession to design and finish the rest of the house. I decided I wanted to keep painting, which Aaron is overly thrilled about :). I also wanted to add some draperies and new pictures and move things around. This all started when Krystle and I went to the Relief Society Stake Activity. It was called "fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." It was three different classes on ideas for crafts, sewing, and decorating on a budget. After the classes I realized that one I didn't feel very crafty and creative and second that I have not been in my house long enough to already have everything I need. When you still have empty rooms, your going to have to buy a few things to make it work.

One of the suggestions was to make your own Laundry detergent. I decided why not try it. I ran around a bunch of stores looking for the supplies and came home and made a huge mess making it. For those who have a food processor, use it! It truly makes it simple and clean. It smelt so good that my entire kitchen smelled like lemons for days. I just started using the soap today and thus far love it. Everything smells nice and feels soft. You can find the ingredients at Ace Hardware and Target/Walmart. The recipe is:

2 cups Fels Napa Bar Soap - Grated finely (use a food processor here)

1 Cup Washing Soda

1 Cup Borax

Mix together and keep in an air tight container. Use 2 tablespoons per load, works for He front loading machines and regular washing machines.

They also recommended using vinegar as a fabric softener, so i am trying that too. Don't worry your clothes do not smell like vinegar when its done washing and it helps with odor.

Aside from making my own laundry detergent, I bought a new table cloth for my dining room table. It coordinates with the drapes I bought, but have yet to hang.

Upcoming projects: Finishing the guest room (I bought a beautiful new bed and have a few more touches to add to the room before I post pictures), hanging drapes in the living and dining room, and painting!

This past Friday Ashton and I met some friends at the Aliante Park. Its this beautiful park with a duck ponds and a huge play area for the kids. Ashton was so excited to feed all the ducks that we ran out of bread within 5 minutes. Then we went and played in the kid area. Of course Ashton loves to try everything at the park, even if its intended for kids older than him. It always amazes me that he can do it all because he is so strong. We had a blast and Ashton was being so cute that I had to get some pictures. Can you tell how much fun he was having, he was actually smiling in all the pictures. He was so excited he ran laps around the park for the first twenty minutes we were there. It was a fun day followed by ice cream and a long nap.

Ashton's Room

Well I finally finished Ashton's room. After waiting almost four weeks for replacement pieces for his dresser, they were finally delivered and I was able to finish putting it together. It is so big that we actually have extra drawers which makes it perfect because he can grow into it. His room turned out so cute and he LOVES it. Every toy now has a place and everything is organized which makes me and Ashton very happy. I am just glad it is finally done and finally looks nice.

*It's hard to catch all the angles of his room, so there are several pictures to capture the 360 degree view.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all. Ashton was able to celebrate Valentine's day a few times this week. He had a party at school where they made cute little Valentine holders and passed out Valentines to each other. Then we were at my parents house for the actual day and Ashton loved the chocolate we got from Grandaddy and Grandma and Papa. He was even sneaking into to other peoples Valentines to get more :). My mom decorated the house so cute and we were glad to spend it with them. Aaron was so sweet and sent me a couple dozen roses and a wonderful card. They are the most beautiful roses I have ever seen and I have enjoyed them everyday. I packed them up so that I could bring them home and enjoy them here. Thanks honey for making my Valentine's Day so special! We hope everyone had a wonderful Valentine's Day too!

California Weekend

Since we had a three day weekend, Ashton and I decided it was time for another trip my parents house for the weekend. We were there for five days and had so much fun. It was the end of the water polo season so Taryn had two games that we were able to go to. Ashton had so much fun, he loved watching and sitting next to papa. I had never seen my sister play so it was fun to be able to support her.

Of course my mom had to sew while I was in town. I had run out of fabric on my big quilt so we went to get it and she helped me measure and get my borders on. Now the quilt is officially off to the quilters to be stippled. I can't wait to get it back. I also got the bows and Velcro sewed onto my diaper case and laptop cover. After that all my sewing projects were done and it felt weird not to have some kind of project in the mix. So my mom gave me a really cute pattern for a wall hanging for Kaylynn's room. Back to the fabric store we went and she help me get started on my next project. Ashton actually loves it when we sew because there are some really fun toys in the sewing room. He gets all his cars out and drives them around this little city. He is always asking us to go out there so he can play. He is such a trooper.

Of course the weather was fantastic while we were down and it was 80 degrees and sunny the entire weekend. When I checked the weather channel, it said it was only going to be 60 so naturally I packed clothes that were all to warm. Luckily, Grandaddy had bought Ashton some adorable outfits so he was all set with shorts and short sleeve shirts. I had packed a few cooler items just in case, but I was hot all weekend. Ashton just ran around playing outside the whole weekend. He loves having so much space to run around and he loves helping papa with the chickens. We also celebrated my brother Travis' 24th birthday and had a farewell party for my cousin Josh who is leaving on his mission. There is never a dull moment on these trips. Of course we love seeing everyone all together so it was a nice end to our trip. It was a wonderful weekend and as always we can't wait to go back.