Just because

Sometimes I think kids just can't help but to be soo cute! Here are some of Ashby's more recent moments.

A while ago, Nana sent us a few of these really cute bows. I always love how they look on Ashby. Ashby doesn't think they are an "all the time" look. So I click a pic or two when she wears them!

Music to her ears



Uncle "Pres"ton moved up to Utah last fall and it is definitely a highlight of her day when she sees him. She doesn't love him for his music in his iPod earphones, but she does love his music! She will

especially likes Dashboard

and Linkin Park!

Steppin' Up


Lately Ashby has realized that she wants to see or "wanna c" everything that happens in her world aka my day. This includes the eventful kitchen. So she has figured out that this stool is portable. She pushes it all around from cabinets to the counters, steps up on it and checks out the situation. She also likes to look for chips and treats. I love my sweet girl.

Girls and their Clothes

So it surprised me how quickly she has figured out how amazing clothing can be. She LOVES her shirts. I guess she hasn't figured out they are much more comfortable with less layers. I think she has like 10 shirts (8 of which she put on by herself!) in the picture with the the purple tip layer. Yeah...that's a lot of shirts!

What's UP!

My father-in-law forwarded this to me and it made me smile. You don't have to read it if you're feeling fed up! hehe

Our wonderful English language!

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meaning than any other two-letter word, and that is "UP." If you are not confused after reading this you must really be messed "UP."

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list but when we waken in the morning, why do we wake UP. At a meeting, why does a topic come UP?

Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends, we use it to brighten UP a room, polish UP the silver, we warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP the old car.

At other times the little word has real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special, and this is confusing.

A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning but we close it UP at night. We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP.

To be knowledgeable of the proper uses of UP, look UP the word in the dictionary. In a desk size dictionary, UP takes UP almost 1/4th the page and> definitions add UP to about thirty.

If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP is used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out we say it is clearing UP. When it rains, it wets UP the earth. When it doesn't> rain for a while, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP, for now my time is UP, so I'll shut UP...

Valentines Fun

Lots of Treats
I have lots of friends and neighbors that are always doing really really cute holiday activities with their kids (yes, I know I live in Orem, Ut), but I decided that I could do that too. So the following pictures are a result of this new ambition.






Nana Sent us valentines card and goodies, including lots of stickers which Ashby thought were best used as facial decorations!






We made Jello Jigglers! Yummy

We cut out paper hearts and our own Valentines Cards!

We made chocolate covered preztels...it was sort of a failure. They tasted great but looked a little clumpy. It ended up okay, Daddy still loved them!

We both HAD to have a taste! Yum!

We even continued Nana Haskins' tradition of Cherry Cheesecakes! Ashby only liked the cherries, and I only like the cheesecake. We make a great team!

Superbowl 42

It comes around each year and I know that many look forward to it with great anticipation. Ryan, could be one of that catergory. I, probably am not. I am not a particular Giants fan. In fact I don't think I would have a favorite team if it came down to it. But because of Ryan (and his brothers) and my brother Adam, I guess I am a Bronco's fan of sorts. But they kind of sucked this year. Anyway, I guess we Bishops had a soft spot for the Giants being the under-dogs all year. Also I thought it would be cool if Eli had a ring to match his oldder brothers from last years game. So we were kind of excited for the game. Now when I say we, I mostly mean Ryan. But I was a good sport and decided to make a cake to honor the SuperBowl.

Yes...Ryan is laughing at my "creation"/cake!

Now...honor is probably not the correct term, as the cake made of cupcakes didn't really turn out as I had hoped, but I have never tried to do creative baking before. Laugh if you will, but I enjoyed myself and the cake with a "go" on it tasted just fine! Plus if I do this every year...then maybe I'll look forward to the "big game" as well! :)

Firsts For Ashby!

Snow Sledding

Ashby had never been sledding, so we decided today was the day. We loaded her up with her snow suit that was way to huge, a sled, cameras and we were off. We had a few stops on the way to the park and she was asleep when we got there. But we were glad that we woke her up for some fun anyway. Ryan and I each took turns going down with her,



but in the end, going together with all 3 of us was the most fun! Ashby may not look too excited but each time we talked about going back home she just wanted to stay with the "sNOw". She doesn't really know how to play in the snow, but she knows she likes it. Enjoy the Videos!

Learning Her "C's"

In the last few weeks we have started asking Asbhy if she wanted to pray, go potty, read the story or the scriptures and also if she wanted to say her "ABC's". Well, I find it silly yet exciting to share that she will fold her arms for the prayer and say "Aman" when we are through, she has gone potty on the toilet twice! She loves reading stories all the time and each night she "reads" or repeats one scripture. We are having fun helping her learn to count to ten in English, Spanish and Italian and as well as how to say I love you. In fact her favorite way to say "I love you" is "Ti ado" which is closest to the Italian "Ti Amo". But the funnest for me has been how fun it is for Ryan and I to help her learn the alphabet. We do sing the traditional song for her but we found that she is much more responsive to repeating each letter after we say it. She can't say them on her own, but it is wonderful to help you kid grow! We sure love her.

Pumpkins

Ryan Scooped out the guts...Then drilled holes instead of carving! I looked really cool!I didn't carve either, I painted.

Meet Polly Pumpkin! Alisha and I had lots of fun with her!
And Ashby just LOVED Polly Pumpkin.

The Loss of a Leader

I just felt a desire to pay a humble tribute to this wonderful man, motivating leader and inspired prophet.

President Gordon Bitner Hinkley passed away today around 7 pm. It is odd because I believe he is now in a better place. But he will be missed.

I cannot put in words the many accomplishments he has, so please follow the link to http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/ read more on him.

My prayers will be with his family and the world. I grieve, hopfully with the world.

Our Day's of Christmas

We spent the month shopping here, playing there. Overall we really enjoyed the excitment that all the world seems to share! Ashby doesn't quite understand that Christmas = presents under the tree and that is just fine, but she does recognize "baby Jesus" :)
So on the right is picture of me about 3 1/2 years old from Christmas and the pic on the left is Asbhy about 1 1/2. I was excited to see how cute I could be...:) I still think Ashby's cuter!~

This year (2007) for Christmas we did 2 Christmas mornings. The first was December 23rd at my parents house. My brother Adam, who lives in Colorado flew in so we were able to have all of the family together! We all had a big sibling sleep over at my parents house and woke up not too early for our family Christmas gathering. In addition to gathering lots of wrapping paper, we made memories together on the new "Flip" video camera from my parents.

Ashby was very loved as usual, being the only grandchild/neice and she received books and stuft animals from my siblings and a shopping cart and a rocking horse from the Grandparents!

Our 2nd Christmas morning was the actual day. Ryan, Ashby and I flew out to California to be with Nana and Papa in Santa Barbara. We had a fun moring with Jordan, and the cousins coming by to open and share presents. And you'll never guess what Nana and Papa got for Ashby....that's right...a Rocking Horse!! hehe...Ashby definitely knows what a Horsey is!

We had a lot of fun and received wonderful gifts, but the best part of the holidays will always be the time spent with family and friends. So to all of you whom we havn't seen in a while, please know we think of you often and truly hope that this New Year is one of happiness and success for you. We are so blessed to have our little Ashby in our lives and are amazed on how we all grow because of one child. Merry Christmas!