Playdates

So before having kids the terms playdates had little meaning to me. Now 3 years 9 months and 2 kids later. WOW. Did you know that a playdate can: Bring smiles and tears. Provide freedom. Show creativity. Build social skills. Make messes. Provide an opportunity to Share and Fight. Laugh. Run. Rest. Clean a room.

I love them. Ashby Loves them. London one day will too.


Today Ashby got to play with the 1 boy out of like 8 three year olds in our ward/neighborhood. It went well. Thanks Z. for letting him come.

A Carrot to hold

Did I mention that London has two teeth. They came to be about 3 weeks ago. It was quite sudden. I didn't notice any extra moodiness. Just one day she had a little bump on the front of her bottom gum. 2 day's later - Teeth!

So now I let her use her little chompers (under strict supervision). She like carrots and cucumbers.

Well really she likes to eat her rice cereal okay. Not so sure about our homemade carrot babyfood. And really thinks that there is nothing better than nursing.

Weekend in Vegas

So this is the second time that I've had the chance to travel with my good friend Tracy. 2 years ago we traveled together to the same destination.

Where: Las Vegas. Lolly's house.

What: Car Trip.

When: Winter/early Spring

Who: Tracy, Cheryl, Asbhy and London*

Why: Fun. Sun. Friends.

*London was of course not able to travel with us 2 years ago.

I think we have mini tradition here. Drive out for the weekend. Don't get enough sleep. Eat yummy food (thanks Lolly for the meals and Tracy for the dessert). Laugh. A Lot. Talk. Shop. "Lollification". Photo shoot. Visit the Strip. Chase kids. Cute kids. Soothe kids. Church. Home.

Yeah, I think that was both trips in a nut shell. But both trips were fun. I love being able to keep in touch with old friends. Thanks Tracy for helping me with that.

Maybe I'll get a little better at it. I don't think it would hurt to catch up more often than once every 2 years. haha.

Tracy, thanks for the idea. Lolly, your kids are soo cute. Brian, thanks for watching the kids.

Here are a few pics. I'll try to post more soon. Tracy took most of 'um. Great camera, always on hand, and she knows how to use it!

Daddy's Day Off

Lately Ryan has been busy. Very busy. Working with his Construction company during the day. Then working a full time job in the evenings at a local grocery store. We are preparing for him to go back to school this fall, so he is just work, work, working so we can save up some cash.

Anyway, with this schedule we don't always have very much family time. Tuesday and Sunday are his grocery store days off so often we have Family night on Tuesday night. Sometimes we don't. Well this monday we planned his day off.

DDP - Daddy Day off Plan

Play at home with the girls in the morning while Cheryl works out.

Pack a lunch for a picnic because Ashby is a picnic lover.

Take the picnic lunch up into the mountains for a hike.

Use our awesome baby backpack on hike.

Dinner at home.

All together.

Yum.

Fun.

Well all went according to plan except for the hike part. This was disappointing because that was kind of the highlight of the day. Due to the amount of snow still left on the couple trails we planned we couldn't exactly picnic in the mountains unless we wanted to make snow angles while doing it. Nope.

So we went to plan B on this part.

What's plan B you ask.

the Park.

It was great. We all had fun.

photo shot

We love our girls so much.

We all had fun with these.

Merry Christmas

Merry, Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends.Both of our girls are asleep in their new pjs.
Hope all of you enjoy your Christmas weekend.
We're hoping for snow. :)

Bubbles or....

Tonight at bathtime Ashby asked me to put London in with her (which I do regularly). Now as I had bathed London last night, I told her that she could bathe by herself tonight. (Partly because I thought she'd enjoy it and partly because that gave me a little bit of less busy time)


When she acted like that wasn't what she wanted, I told her she could have a bubble bath or London in the bath with her.


I thought she'd chose the Bubbles. I was wrong.
I am very happy to be wrong.


I love that she Loves her sister soo much!

Just because I love pictures...



This is London at about 1 month old. I love both my girls

The Missing Gloves

It's winter time. It's winter time in Utah. And the high this week has been...oh I don't like 8 degrees. Yeah. I know.
Anyway, when we go outside Ashby and I both try to keep gloves on our hands. The other day as we were getting ready to go Ashby came and told me she couldn't find her gloves. When I questioned her further this was her reply:

(in a very matter of fact three year old way) "Mommy, I checked the office, the bathroom ANND my bedroom and the gloves are no where to be found."

Update: The gloves were later located by the expert mother eye, in said bedroom.