Well, Santa came by early last night to make sure Ashleigh was being a good girl and deserved a visit on Christmas eve. She was a little unsure of Santa at first, but decided she liked him, and didn't want him to leave! Check out theother photos from his visit.
The doctor called her in a prescription decongestant/antihistimine yesterday because the OTC stuff wasn't even helping, she was steadily getting worse. I don't know if you can tell in the photos, but her little eyes are all red a puffy. But she was in a really good mood until about 9:30 last night. Oh well....that's life with a one year old, I suppose.
I'm loving Advil Cold & Sinus. It has saved me. Try it, trust me. Too bad it can't help my stress from a messy house and lots to do and no time to do it. I'll just try to focus on the true meaning of Christmas and all the blessings in my life. And not let dirty laundry and a cluttered dining room table bother me too much.
Have a very Merry Christmas everyone!!!
Wednesday, Ashleigh went to sleep while sitting in the recliner with Daddy. He got up, not and she just fell over like this. I was met at the back door with something like this: Be really quiet. Where's the camera? Be really quiet, go look in the living room. Why's the camera back there?
Yep, I'm gettin' old alright! But that certainly beats the alternative! ; )
On my birthday, I am:
::Very thankful for my family
::Thrilled that God blessed me with a healthy daughter
::Wishing I had lipstick on in this photo (Aimee!)
::Tickled at how you can tell Ashleigh just woke up in this photo
::Stressing about getting everything done for Christmas
::Really trying to "live in the moment" and enjoy all the good things in my life (Kelley!)
::Determined to have a good day today, darn it!
::Not so happy it's raining and I have to get my photo made for our Christmas Greetings ad
::Glad I got my hair cut & colored last night.
::Determined to weigh a good bit less by the time I'm 34
::Thankful for all my wonderful friends
::Wondering how the last year flew by so quickly
The party was wonderful! There were 27 people (including the three of us) and I think we all had a great time. There were 9 children who came and they were all so well-behaved. Ashleigh was just a little doll and I was so proud of her! (She wouldn't take a nap, so I feared a total meltdown!)
She got lots of presents which she loves! She's really kept herself busy playing with all of them. She got lots of clothes too, so she'll be quite the little fashion plate.
Sorry I don't have time to do all the links to photos like I normally would. Just double click on this photo, and it'll take you to flikr. Then you can look at the pictures I uploaded. They go onto the second page, be sure to look at them all!
I'm just so happy that everything went well. I think the table and sign Regina & I made turned out nicely. Of course, I thought of about 20 things I forgot to do-like get the ice cream out, take photos of all the guests, get everyone to sign a page for her birthday album I'm going to do (a few pages for each year), straighten the towels up in the bathroom....I could go on, but you get the idea.
Now, Santa just has to find something she doesn't already have to bring her!
Well, I don't know why the colors seem so washed out on this now that I've uploaded it, but you get the idea. I've always taken Ashleigh's photo on the 8th of each month and this is a way I've come up with to display them. I'm going to have an 8x10 printed for the grandparents for a little Christmas gift. Think I'll print one out to display at her birthday party tomorrow.
If you haven't seen the photos from last night, be sure to scroll down!
Oh my baby is a year old. I just can't believe it. While her birthday evening didn't really go anything like I envisioned, it was pretty good. She was cooperative long enough to get a couple of good shots, with the help of her Daddy making her laugh. Of course, we had to deal with a nosey cat, not to mention camera delays that resulted in lots of great shots of the back of her head! And when we wanted her to stand in front of the tree, she wouldn't!
Oh well. Lot's of "personality shots!" ;-)
She did love her spaghetti for dinner though. (It just doesn't look like it in the photo because she's she's done, she is done!! Don't you just love the mess? Oh, the joys of learning to self-feed...
Her gifts were a huge hit! They might give us a headache, but what's a little noise when you have a happy, occupied baby?
Then came the cake. Oh boy. at first, she didnt' know what to think of her cupcake, but before long, she wasdigging in, offering us some, and ended up just making a big ole mess!
After that, it was bath time. We had another poop incident, much worse than the first one. Ick.
My house is a wreck.
I have to get it ready for a party tomorrow.
I have to get the food ready for said party.
I have to shop after work. Which means less time for preparations.
I couldn't be happier!
that my sweet daughter was born a year ago!! This photo was taken when she was just hours old. She has changed so much! And our lives have changed so much, for the better, since this wonderful little girl arrived.
I could just gush on for quite a while, but I'll spare you all! ; )
Oh, and since I never got around to posting on the one year anniversary of my due date, you can at least see how huge my belly was!
I can't wait til tonight! to see her dig into her little cupcake (the cake is Saturday) and get her gifts from Mommy & Daddy. I'm such a goof.
{Also, I promise I'm not snubbing anyone, blog-wise. I've just been super-duper busy! But I promise to try to get back into the swing of things soon. I really miss all you guys!}
Well, don't really have time to "post," but please go to see my other photos because I did write a little bit of stuff on the comments underneath.
I'm feeling a bit better, although I fear it's been my nerves, not a virus making me sick. I've been working hard on getting myself in a better place mentally. I think it's working. If not, I'll be visiting the doctor soon...ugh!
This is the birthday invite I designed for Ashleigh's party. I'd love to have done really nice scrapbook-ish invites, but I just don't have the time for all that. So I designed 4x6 invitations and had them printed today. Now, to find suitable envelopes and get them in the mail!
Train Wreck In A Skillet
I learned the hard way Saturday morning that Blue Bonnet Light does NOT do well to make grilled cheese sandwiches. I hate to blame in on the margarine, but that was the only variable that changed. They wouldn't brown well, but yet stuck and got all mangled. I said that they looked like a train wreck happened in my skillet! But they tasted good.
Christmas Fun
We took Ashleigh to look at lots of Christmas toys and decorations. We turned on all those singing dancing obnoxious things. You know, the things that are fun in the store but you'd never want to bring home? She loved it.
Housework
Got some stuff done this weekend-the kind of stuff that has to be done, but nobody notices unless they're doing a home inspection. Like cleaning light fixtures, scrubbing cabinet doors, changing a light bulb that's been out for over a year. (Laugh, but I'm dead serious!)
Got some serious hanging out quality family time in too. All in all a good weekend, but way too short!
OK, the surgery portion of Tuesday was NOT fun, but the rest of it was. Got this pic of Ashleigh playing with her "new" Winnie the Pooh toy, courtesy of Aunt Rachel and Caiden. Check out some photos from the Surgery Center. I was upset that I didn't get a photo of her with her doctor or where he initialed above her eye (they cleaned it off when she was in the O.R.) but I think I did good to get any photos at all!
It FINALLY got below freezing last night. About time. Anyway, when I dropped Ashleigh off this morning, I had to take a couple of photos of her in her little hat Melissa made for her. She was still half asleep, so she left it on.
Rachel and I decided to meet Saturday afternoon and take photos. We met at The W and it was just perfect. The weather, the changing leaves, the children..*STOP* OK, the children were not the most cooperative. That was kinda like herding chickens. BUT we had a great time anyway. I haven't seen Rachel's pics yet, but check out a few of my favorites. I'll probably post a few more later.
The rest of the weekend was nice. Well, partly. Relaxed alot, spent loads of time with Ashleigh, but we didn't see enough of Kenneth. I feel like I barely saw him at all. And that makes me a little sad. But maybe I can get a little time with him tonight.
OK, not really.
BUT in the quest for the perfect thing to build the perfect ad (even if it will end up butchered, LOL) I run across some interesting pieces of art. This is one I had to share. I don't really "get" it. WHY is he holding the telescope backwards? Is he falling into or leaping out of the water? Why is the bird so close to the water? Is the bird his magical spirit guide after Santa was enlightened with some pharmaceutical assistance?
WhatEVER would you use this for, anyway?
If you have the answers to any of these burning questions, please let me know.
And have a great weekend!
{Be sure to scroll down, there are several things posted today.}
How could you not love this sweet little baby? Of course, I think that, LOL! She was a little bi-polar yesterday; one minute very happy, the next having herself quite the temper tantrum. She decided she hates her car seat and stiffened up like a board and screamed every time I tried to put her in it. That was fun. But after she was in, she was fine. Weird.
Interesting little thing happened at the surgery center while waiting. The HUGE waiting room was practically empty and I let Ash crawl around a bit and play. She didn't yell, squeal or anything. Well, an older (mean-spirited evil hag) lady kept giving us the evil eye and whispering to her companion. Well, once we got within earshot and she said (loudly) "I would have NEVER let my child run around wild like that." To which I replied, "When I give a s**t what you did with your kids, I'll let you know."
Sometimes I wonder what happens to the filter between my brain and mouth. But she did leave us alone after that and everyone else snickered not-so-secretely.
The pre-op was fine, though. Just paperwork and answering questions. Why it matters if me and Ashleigh's father are married I have no idea. But it seemed to be of utmost importance. Was happy to hear she won't have an IV or anything, they'll just knock her out with gas. She even gets to wear her pants and socks to surgery. And she gets to take a favorite toy. We wonder if she'll chose her remote control or a spoon...
Oh yeah, another "month old" photo shoot last night. To say she wasn't cooperative was an understatement.
This t-shirt cost over $100! Well, it's allegedly free, but we're paying the surgery center well over $100 for "use of their facility" so I'm just considering it a really expensive t-shirt. The little stinker wouldn't stand up on her own for the photo. Her rebellion is starting early.
Decided to get out and try to get some photos of Ashleigh this afternoon, taking advantage of the changing leaves, even if it is 80 degrees. {Be sure to check out the others.} She was semi-cooperative at best. She loves to look outside and be carried around outside, but being placed on the ground-well, she's still getting used to that. And forget trying to get her to stand by a tree!
OH! That reminds me: LAST NIGHT SHE STOOD UP ALL BY HERSELF! I was on the phone with Aimee when it happened and my little mini-fit made her think something was wrong. (Of all the people in the world to be talking to at that time, LOL!) And we thought she'd take a step today, but she didn't. Oh well, she'll be running away from us before we know it.
I've done a bit of cleaning out/organizing today. Got the printer my Dad gave me going and printed a few sheets of pics. Began the process of organizing my recipes and have already found some really good ones I forgot about. Found a tea cake recipe and tried it out with my little duck shaped cookie cutter. They turned out rather well, even though tea cakes aren't my absolute favorite. Now need to decide how do dress them up for the birthday party. By the way, any little hints/ideas/suggestions about that little extravaganza would be greatly apreciated!
Guess I better get off line...I'll regret staying up this late tomorrow!
Some mornings I just laugh out loud when Ashleigh wakes up. Her Grandma Diane says that she sleeps on top of her head sometimes, I think she might be right. The other day, I just had to take a picture to show everyone. Kenneth laughed and said he could see already she'd never be on time in the mornings. The front view was priceless, but she wouldn't look at the camera. I don't know why...who doesn't love having their photo taken at 6am?
| You Are a Normal Girl |
 You are 50% Good and 50% Bad Sure you've pulled some bad girl stunts in your past. But these days, you're (mostly) a good girl. |
| Your Inner Child Is Surprised |
 You see many things through the eyes of a child. Meaning, you're rarely cynical or jaded. You cherish all of the details in life. Easily fascinated, you enjoy experiencing new things. |
You'd think we'd just told her when her eye surgery was! But when Angela took these sweet photos Friday evening, we didn't know when it would be.
I got the call yesterday afternoon, though. Her surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, November 15. We won't know what time until I take her in for pre-op. I'll probably do that one day next week. Not looking forward to the actual surgery, but will be very glad to have her tear duct unclogged so it won't be watering all the time (and gunky often).
Last night, Ashleigh was running wide open all night! It was so great to see her playing, to hear her sweet little laugh and squeal. The little car you see Kenneth holding was the source of much delight. I bet my Mom had no idea Ashleigh would love that little car so much. She had alot of fun hanging out with Daddy, too!
My sweet little niece turned a year old Saturday and I just can't believe it! She had a nice party, but the poor baby was getting sick. I just love this photo of her, but I got some other cute ones, check them out!
Now I'm thinking about Ashleigh's birthday party. She'll be a year old one month and one week from today! YIKES!
Well, we ended up not even taking her to her grandparent's house to Trick or Treat. She seemed to be feeling quite a bit better and I didn't want to mess that up. I wanted to get some photos of her standing up, but she woudl not cooperate. (She can almost stand up by herself!)
We just had a good time hanging out and playing, and giving out candy to trick or treators. Maybe next year will go a little better!
wasn't a total bust, but it sure could have been better!
Kenneth felt bad all weekend and I started feeling bad Sunday. YUCK. My throat hurts today AND I have a headache. A co-worker says it is strep throat, but I think it's just allergies/sinus trouble. (Hope with me that I'm right!)
I snapped this photo yesterday afternoon when we SHOULD have been at my company's picnic. Really hated missing the chance to show off my daughter (LOL) but we just didn't feel like going. She had such a great time looking out our sliding glass door. {I cropped the photo in this weird fashion to show that my entire house is not that brown paneling you see in the living room-the rest is colorful!}
FUNNY MOMENT: Kenneth was taking off his belt and Ashleigh said "Uh-Oh!" We thought it was hilarious, although she has a long time before she has to worry about the belt!
Last Wednesday when I was getting Ashleigh ready for her second doctor appointment of the week, I was going to put these little white tennis shoes on her, and she was having none of that! She wanted a different pair, but loved playing with this one so much, I let her while I got our things together. Of course, I had to snap a few pics to document the occasion!
I wish it was always this easy to be happy!
Kenneth sent this to me the other day, thought I'd share it. Don't feel much like blogging...what's wrong with me?!?
Nothing's wrong, just tired--feeling kinda blah. I did get to sleep all night in my bed last night with Kenneth, and Ashleigh was safely tucked away in her bed. Whew! She slept really well, let's hope the trend continues.
OH! That cute little brown dog I posted the other day died. So sad, he was a sweetie. But at least I don't have to explain it to our daughter.
{There are more photos after this post, be sure to scroll down}
Well, the haircut portion of our day was successful! (I have pictures of the actual haircut-you'll see those later on a scrapbook page. She just looks alot happier in this photo) Priscilla did a great job and was really sweet. We saved a lock of her hair and got a certificate. It's cute and among other things, proclaims that Ashleigh has successfully graduated from babyhood. Not too crazy about that idea, but I fear it's true.
We spent a couple more hours in Columbus before heading to the much anticipated Pumpkin Patch extravaganza. (That last word's just for you, Kelley!) That was a disappointment. We didn't even get our of our truck; we just turned around and left. The pumpkin patch looked all weedy and there was no cute anything anywhere for taking photos. Maybe I was just expecting too much.... But we drove around and tried to visit a few of his old friends but they weren't home.
After visiting Kenneth's parents, we came home. Ashleigh hadn't seemed to feel really well all day and about 5:00, after a late nap (I know, I know....)I checked her temp and it was 103.4! Gave her some Motrin, but wasn't too worried because she was just playing away, having a great time. She seemed to feel the best she'd felt all day. Weird, huh? I think maybe it's just a little cold or something like that.
OH! The cutest thing happened a few minutes ago: I heard her talking in her sleep over the baby monitor. (And yes, I'm sure she's asleep.) But I'm not sure how long she'll stay that way, so I better get to bed myself...
Saturday afternoon when we stopped by to see Kenneth's parents they were outside. Kenneth thought it'd be cute to get a few shots of Ashleigh sitting in her Papaw's jeep, and I think he was right!
is to see Kenneth and Ashleigh together, having a good time.
I took this Thursday evening when I got in from work, but I see a similar sight almost every day when I arrive.
I'm so thankful I chose to marry a man who loves our daughter as much as I do and strives to be a great Daddy.
Kenneth and I both have wonderful parents who have always loved and supported us, so I believe that by giving Ashleigh the same love and support we will give her a good foundation to build her life on.
OK. I pretty much hate photos of myself, but have needed to take one so Kelley could see my new haircut AND to go on my "friendship tags." It seems like every time I have a good hair day, I forget a photo. And when I think about it, I'm not having a good hair day. Grrr.........
I figured today wasn't really good or bad, but I need to get these things done! And my haircut isn't really "new" anymore, it's two weeks old!
We've been getting a kick out of these folks for the past week or so. They live near my brother & sister-in-law and I drive past every day on the way to work.
Yesterday, Phillip & I rode together and he stopped so I could get this photo.
I'm sure these are really nice people. But we just can't believe that they are living in this tiny camper. And are apparently here for the long haul. Note the satellite tv dish on the right. And their night light. Do you see the little rooster yard art? Phillip's favorite is the ultra-portable fence. I think I like the way they have their little fence decorated for fall.
And just to answer a potential question: no, this is not in an RV park or anything similar. It's next to someone's house.
Just thought I'd share something that's had us smiling all week!
OK, OK....I know it isn't Halloween YET, but this was in the tail-end (pun intended) of an e-mail from a friend and I just had to share!
I think this is my favorite. I know it's not her usual grin, but this is her happy, relaxed face. Just so sweet. Then again, I'm a little biased!
She was really a joy this weekend. So perfectly well-behaved. It made me proud. Especially since we drove 80 miles to my parents house, then about 20 minutes later drove another 30 to go shopping. Then all day in and out of stores. She finally gave up about 2:00 and I had to carry her around the last 20 or so minutes of our last stop.
Then she loved playing with her granparents, Aunt Cory and Uncle Josh. And her Mommy! She even slept well!
Sunday, I even let her go to the nursery during church. I was proud of ME on that one.
It was a great weekend that ended too soon.
Oh, did I mention I got a migraine Sunday night? That was just GREAT! I'll skip the gory details, but I was home yesterday, in the bed until about 3pm. Blah! But I'm back now!!! Look out!
My Mom bought this dress for Ashleigh Saturday during our shopping trip. I just think it's so sweet and makes my baby look like a little girl. I realized this weekend that Ashleigh is now a toddler...not sure I'm ready for that!
She couldn't decide which way to go! But she knew she was missing out on some quality exploring time by sitting there letting me take her picture!
