Texas Trip....FINALLY!!!

I am finally getting around to blogging about our Texas trip. Things have been so crazy around here like usual!

We left bright and early on Thursday. We left early enough, that both Ashlyn and I slept for the first few hours. I was very worried that Ashlyn was going to get very antsy in the car. She did a great job! She watched a few videos, but as usual she had little interest in them. I sat in the back with her and entertained her. We played with stickers, sang songs, and had fun! It took us about 14 hours to get to Adam and Jane's house. All in all the car trip out there went perfect! We arrived in Texas at 8:30 pm or so. We ate dinner and went to bed! We were beat!!!

On Friday, we woke up and Ashlyn, Jane, and I went to the lake. We let Joey sleep in a bit after he drove for 14 hours. They have a lake nearby that is just beautiful and the water is very warm. I ran while Jane and Ashlyn played with the dog. We went back home and went to lunch with Joey and Adam. That afternoon, we went back to the lake with Joey and Adam. We all had a great time swimming. Ashlyn had a blast. She was like a little fish in there. She didn't want to get out. We barbecued that night. The food was delicious!

On Saturday, we woke up bright and early to go to the zoo. We were hoping to miss some of the heat. The zoo we went to was called the Caldwell Zoo. It was a very nice zoo. They did a great job of making the zoo very shady so the heat was not too bad. Ashlyn had a great time! I think that I have mentioned before that Ashlyn is OBSESSED with birds. They had a bird area that is caged in. You can buy Popsicle sticks with bird seed and the birds come up and eat off of the sticks. Ashlyn LOVED it! I think it was the highlight of the trip for her! After the zoo, we went to an amazing BBQ place. I usually don't like BBQ, but I loved the food there! Joey liked it so much that he went back and got a second sandwich!! We went back to the lake that afternoon and swam again.

On Sunday, we woke up bright and early to head to Dallas. It was about a 2 1/2 hour drive. Joey and I wanted to go to IKEA to buy new floors for the main level of our house. It was a drive, but it was worth it to get new flooring! We stopped in Dallas for lunch and had some of the best chicken fried steak ever! For our last dinner, we went to a Mexican place that was very good! We spent Sunday night hanging out with Adam and Jane before going home.

Monday, we woke up early and hit the road. The trip back felt longer, but it was thankfully uneventful. Ashlyn did a wonderful job again. We got home around 9:30 pm. We were very excited to get out of the car!!!

We just had a wonderful trip! Our only complaint was that it was too short! We loved getting to spend time with Adam and Jane. Ashlyn just loves her uncle and aunt so much. I am glad that they got to spend time with her. We had some great food, and basically ate our way through Texas! I am so hooked on Blue Bell ice cream. It is hands down the best in the world!!!! We plan to go out there again some time in the future. We won't be buying flooring, so we will be flying. I can't wait to go back and hopefully spend a little more time out there next time.


There is lots going around our house right now. Joey is going to start installing our new floors tonight. That should keep him VERY busy! The drywall in the basement was finished today. We are hoping to have our basement completely done by 4th of July. There will be lots of work to do with moving furniture, rearranging, painting, etc. I am getting tired just thinking about it! I am running my 2nd 5k tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to that. My mom and Ashlyn are coming to cheer us on. Another big event in the house is that I think we may start potty training in the next few days. Ashlyn is showing lots of signs she is ready. I was waiting until after Texas to start. We went to the store today and she picked out big girl underwear. She was very excited they had Little Mermaid because she is Ashlyn's absolute favorite! More to come next week!

Ashlyn cuddling with Uncle Adam. Look at that smile!

Getting ready to get in the lake

She was looking at the water

Walking on the dock with Aunt Jane

Swimming with Uncle Adam

Playing on the dock

A family pic in the water

Riding on Daddy's shoulders at the zoo

Quick pic with Mom

She loved the view from Dad's shoulders!

Looking at the elephants

She wanted to get through the cage

The penguins. She loved them!

Looking at the fish

Hanging out with Aunt Jane

Holding Mom and Dad's hand

She loves swinging through the air

Feeding the birds

She had such a great time!

Feeding some Koi fish

Group picture outside of the zoo

Eating ice cream on Daddy's lap

This isn't from Texas, but I took it the other night of Ashlyn and her Papa. Isn't it sweet?

Birthday Fun at 19 Months

I apologize for my lack of posts. I was planning on updating on Monday, and then our Internet went out. We just got the problem fixed today. We are leaving to go see Adam and Jane in Texas tomorrow. It has been very hectic getting ready for the trip. I wanted to make sure that I blogged before we left, so I wouldn't have tons to update when we get back. We are driving out there. It is approximately 15 hours each way. Please pray for our safety and for Ashlyn to do well. I am hoping she actually sleeps a little this time!!!

Ashlyn went to her 2nd birthday party on Saturday. It was for her friend Hayden who was turning 3. Joey went to school with Hayden's parents, so he has known them for a long time. Even though Hayden is 1 1/2 older, Ashlyn just adores her. Ashlyn has know her since birth and it has been fun to see them grow. Hayden had a princess party. The most exciting part was she had a bounce house at her party. Ashlyn LOVED it!!! She couldn't get enough of it. She kept wanting to go back in it. She took some water and food breaks, but besides that she wanted to keep jumping.

Ashlyn also turned 19 months the day of the party. How come each month just flies by so quickly? She truly is a little girl now. She is very smart and amazes us each day with her intelligence. She will be 2 before we know it!

Here are lots of pictures from the party. I hope that they did an okay job of capturing the joy and fun she got from the bounce house.

P.S.- I have gone on 3 job interviews so far. I am still waiting to hear back from one. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers while I continue to find a job for next year!

So much fun!

Hayden and Ashlyn having a great time!

It wore her out!

They had so much fun!

I love her face in this one!

Taking a water break with Dad.

Smiling for the camera.

Oops! A wedding picture snuck in here. I still can't for the life of me figure out how to delete them!

Yummy! Eating birthday cake.

The cake was so good!

The birthday girl hitting the pinata.

Ashlyn taking a turn with help from Mom.

Picking out candy

Holding a bracelet from her treat bag.

Daddy and his princess.

Park Fun

The weather was finally nice enough last week to get outside. Ashlyn just loves playing outside. The weather here has just been horrible this summer. Almost every day has been rainy, gloomy, and cloudy. I am glad we got a few days of nice weather. Can't wait for more! The first pictures are Ashlyn playing in our backyard. Ashlyn's grandparents bought her a play set. It came in 1,000,000 pieces. Joey assembled it all by himself! Ashlyn is proud of her Dad's hard work and loves it!


Her play set has a little clubhouse.

Going down her very own slide.

Going up her very own slide. She looks like such a big girl in this picture!

Ashlyn in front of her playhouse. This was my playhouse when I was younger. My sister and I just loved playing in it. My parents saved it all these years and brought it over. Ashlyn just loves it! She loves the little door and the shutters on the windows.

Her very own house.

She just loves slides!

So much to do at the park.

ALWAYS on the run!!!!

My flower beds have been doing great this year. I think this is due to Joey's very green thumb. I thought I would post a picture of my columbines. Aren't they pretty?

Flower Girl Fun

This past weekend was the big wedding. We spent all weekend up in Denver and had a wonderful time! Ashlyn did a great job as flower girl. We started the weekend on Friday night at the rehearsal. The wedding was at a beautiful garden in Denver. It was the PERFECT spot for a wedding. Ashlyn practiced walking down the aisle and did pretty good. Joey was standing at the end, so she just literally ran down the aisle to him. It was pretty funny! After the rehearsal, we headed to an Italian restaurant for dinner. The food was wonderful! Ashlyn got pretty antsy during dinner.

The next morning, we woke up and did some swimming in the hotel pool. We went out to lunch and just spent the day hanging around the hotel. We headed to the wedding around 4:00. Joey was the officiant for the couple. He was a bit nervous for the ceremony. The guests were arriving and we stood around and waited for Ashlyn's turn to go. Since it was outdoors, we had to stand right behind all the guests. It was pretty challenging to get Ashlyn to stand quietly while we waited for the ceremony to start. When it was time for Ashlyn to go, she was very excited to get down because I had been holding her for a while. She started walking down the aisle. I thought she was going to walk the whole way. She kind of looked up and saw everyone staring at her, and did a big U turn. It was pretty funny and cute. I grabbed her hand and walked her the rest of the way. Everyone was commenting on how cute she was as we walked down the aisle. We sat in the back during the ceremony. I came prepared with some fruit snacks that kept Ashlyn very busy. She actually set quietly during the ceremony. All and all she did a great job for her age. Joey did a great job officiating the ceremony. I don't think anyone would have guessed it was his first time. We were very proud of him! After the ceremony, my parents met us at the garden and picked Ashlyn up for the night. We headed to the reception and had a great night!

This has been my first week of summer break. Ashlyn and I are having a wonderful time spending all day together. The weather has been just horrible. It has been cold and raining for the last two days. Ashlyn is dying to get outside and play with her new swing set and sandbox. Hopefully one of these days this week! We went to Ashlyn's gym class today. Today, she was showing me how well she has mastered the the word "no". Everything she was saying was "no". I have been dreading this day for a VERY long time! It should be fun to see how and when she continues to use the word "no".

Ashlyn is going to her 2nd birthday party Saturday. It is for a friend that is turning 3. She is having a princess bounce house party. I am thinking that Ashlyn will have a blast! Besides that, we do not have any plans.

I have a big job interview on Thursday. It is a 4th grade position at a school right down the street from my old school. It would be great because I would already be very familiar with the curriculum. I would LOVE to be offered a position sooner rather than later so I can enjoy my vacation without worrying about a job! I really, really want this job! Please pray that my interview goes well!



With Daddy at the rehearsal dinner.

Trying a lime. Her reaction was really cute!

Nice, big smile for the camera

Holding her very favorite Ariel doll

At lunch before the wedding. I bought her this shirt a long time ago. I just randomly packed it for her to wear. When I put it on that morning, I realized it said "I am a flower girl". It was really funny!

Ashlyn with her Aunt Jane

Checking out her flower petals

Picture with Uncle Adam and Aunt Jane

Holding Auntie's hand. Isn't she the cutest?

Quick family pic

Another family pic

Starting to walk down the aisle on her own

I really thought she could do it!

On second thought, she needed Mom after all!

She seemed to enjoy all of the attention

Joey performing the ceremony