All about Ashlyn: Happy Thanksgiving!!

OK so I know I've been a slacker lately as far as blogging goes. I'll try to be better in the future, I promise! Its just excuses but we have been busy lately. Working, working and more working. Jered has been busy at work lately, working overtime when he can. He goes in early so that he can spend his evenings with me and Ashlyn, which we appreciate. We miss him when he works too many late nights.

I can't believe Thanksgiving has come and gone already. We had a great Thanksgiving! I worked the morning shift (I'm a glutton, it's easy $$) and then we packed everyone up and went down to Woodburn to spend the day with Glady and Floyd. Grandpa made us a delicious smoked turkey and Grandma made all the fixings. Ashlyn ate at least three helpings of mashed potatoes and two of green beans. She also gets to have ice cream at Grandma's house, she had it dripping all down her face.

We had planned to spend the night and go wine tasting on Friday but Jered got really sick Thursday night. I think he had some food poisoning from bad pepperoni he ate. It had been in the fridge for way too long but he thinks he can eat anything. So wine tasting got scrapped and instead we laid around the house, watched football, I read a book, general laziness. Ashlyn didn't even get out of her pj's! I was disappointed we didn't get to go wine tasting and told Jered we'll have to plan another time. He said, "Yeah right when's that gonna happen? We're busy from now till next year!" Totally true!

We're zoo members and Wednesday night was members only night to the Zoo Lights. We almost didn't go because its been so darn cold but both of us were glad that we did. It was so awesome! Neither of us had ever been before. Ashlyn had big round eyes most of the night looking at all the lights. We rode the train and walked around a bit, then she started to get too cold so it was time to go home. Its definitely something we'll try to do every year.

Jered went hunting a couple of weekends ago. Unfortunately he was unsuccessful. But he had a good time traipsing through the woods. Since I was going to be alone Mom and Mel and Kourtney came up to stay with us. We had a good time. Went out to dinner at Kourtney's favorite, Applebee's. Did a little shopping. Had lunch and gelato at my favorite gelato place on Sunday before they had to go home. All in all a great weekend and I loved that came up to spend time with us.

We had Ashlyn baptized at the Lutheran church in Woodburn a couple of weekends ago. It went really well. Ashlyn didn't so much like the water being poured over her head or the oil being rubbed on her forehead but she handled it alright. She managed to be quiet through most of the service since Jered caved in and gave her her soothie, against my better judgment. By the time we got back to the house, she was not in a picture taking mood so we didn't get any Kodak moments. My plan is to dress her up in her dress again and take some pictures to post on the blog.

We also tried to get Ashlyn's pictures done with Bailey and Macy last weekend at Penny's and it was TERRIBLE! They were an hour behind after telling us they were only 15 minutes behind. So after waiting for more than an hour to get pictures taken, Ashlyn had pretty much had it and did not cooperate for the photographer. I was so irritated that we left without ordering any pictures. This means though that we'll have to try again, but not at Penny's. I'm not going back there! Ever again! Now I have to find another place to have pictures taken. I think we'll try Sears next.

Ashlyn it seems is turning into a little girl. It makes me sad sometimes that my little baby is gone. She's so grown up these days. She bosses the dogs around, she's very independent, she has very set ideas about things, she has an opinion on almost everything, she's too busy most of the time for cuddles. The other day I was dropping her off at school and she was in jeans, nikes and her sweatshirt and she just looked SO big! She talks so well that it surprises a lot of people. She learned about circles at daycare and now every time she's a circle, she points it out to us, "Circle Mommy!" If its raining, "Raining out-side." She loves to sing, one of her favorites is Row-Row and she can do most of the song herself. She still loves to read books, especially the sing song books. I can't tell you how many times Jered and/or I has read the Wheels on the Bus or Eensy-Weensy Spider. One of her all time favorites is still the ladybug book Macy and Bailey gave her. Sometimes for our own sanity we have to hide it! She loves books with animals in the them so that she can say all the noises. She loves books that count and can usually remember 1-5. She loves to color and write, the trick is making sure she knows what is appropriate to write or color on. She loves when Daddy plays blocks with her. She needs to know where everyone is at all times. Yesterday morning she couldn't find Grandma G "Grandma G go Mommy?" I told her she was in the shower so she had to go investigate. Grandma said she checked on her at least three times! She likes to know who things belong to. "Grandpa's chair" "Mommy's purse" "Daddy's hat" "Ashlyn's book" etc. She loves to see how things work, open and close, put the lid on things, take the lid off. She loves to take her shoes off, put them back on. She loves to take all her clothes off and walk around in her rubber boots or cowboy boots. Sometimes one of each! She almost always gets the shoes on the right foot too. I think she'd rather be naked most days. We've been trying to teach her to take her turns so its a lot of "Daddy's turn, Ashlyn's turn, Mommy's turn". There's a lot of interest in the potty, she likes to sit on the potty but has gone in it twice. Once at school and once at home. She definitely knows when she's poopy and will tell us "Ashlyn poopy!" as she's digging at her butt. We've started time-outs when she throws her fits and boy is she stubborn. She gets mad and throws things on the floor and if she won't pick them up, its time out. Papa Mac got to see her in action a few weeks ago. She loves to run, throw the ball for the dogs, climb on everything, jump on the couch. She's a busy girl! She's not that into dolls but loves her stuffed toys and still sleeps with her lovey and a puppy Grammy got her on our Canada trip last summer. She likes to do puzzles at school and her favorite spot at Grandma G's is still her little table. She can sit there for hours having her own little tea party. She likes to help unload the dishwasher, she likes to sweep the floors, "Ashlyn help, Ashlyn help". She usually repeats herself just in case you didn't hear her the first time. Every time she hears someone getting ice out of the freezer, its "ice, ice, ice!" Jered still can't believe Grandma Mac let her chomp on ice cubes! One thing Jered and I have learned though is Grandma's let their grandkids do lots of things they'd never have let their kids do!!
Enjoy the pictures:

In my time out chair and I'm not happy about it!

Aren't I the cutest Ladybug you've ever seen??

Brushing my teeth before bed

This is the only picture I let Mommy get of me of my Baptism dress. I was a bit of a pill.

Zoo lights with Mommy and Daddy was pretty cool, but also really cold!

This is my tea party table at Grandma G's

Mmmm, these cakes and tea are so good!

Daddy was sick on Black Friday, but not from Grandpa's turkey but because he ate some bad pepperoni that Mommy told him to throw out a couple of weeks ago.