Life goes on...

I think I'm getting the hang of this blogging thing...I just post every few weeks and between posts I take lots of pictures so that when I decide to post again I have some visual reminders of what we did! This time our big event was: Henry Doorly Zoo! I LOVE going to the zoo (I could watch the penguins all day long) and Ben is a big fan too, so this year we decided to get a season pass. We have to go 3 more times before next March to get our money's worth, and I definitely think we can handle that. This trip was an Ashby extravaganza! It was Ben and I, Hayden and Bryar, Scott and Rebekah and their 2 kids, Andrew and his girlfriend, and Denise and Seth.  Our friend Courtney came too...she isn't an Ashby but we let her come along anyway :D We had a great time and it was a beautiful day to go to the zoo! (Even if there were about a million elementary and preschool kid groups there with their ridiculously bright neon t-shirts). 

The zoo map was Bryar's favorite thing about the trip...just look at the evil eye she is giving me when she thinks I am going to take it from her! :)

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 The other exciting thing about these past few weeks?...Hayden is potty training! This has been a LOOOOOONG time in the making (she has been going on the potty inconsistently for over 6 months!!!) but we finally decided to buckle down and get her fully transitioned to her "Princess underwear." She is currently obsessed with Disney princesses so this has been a big motivator for her :)  Anyway, just ask her about her princess underwear and she will have no issues with showing them to you (regardless of how many clothing layers have to be removed to get to them) because she looooves them! She has been doing pretty well (except when you come over, Courtney Felix...I don't know what that's about but she really likes to have accidents when you're around!) and stays dry through naps and even a lot of nights. Keep your fingers crossed for this to be a quick process!...I'd definitely appreciate it :) Oh, and if you're looking for a fabulous potty training book, I found one at Barnes and Noble entitled "Princess Potty" that I think is hilarious and perfect for any little girls that loves pink and sparkles. (An exerpt? "Hear ye, Hear ye I need to pee pee..." Poetic isn't it?!) It even comes with a tiara for them to wear while on the potty and jewel stickers to put on the tiara each time they go on the potty! It never ceases to amaze me how strange the things I love are now...I mean a potty book, really?! But hey, whatever keeps you enthusiastic right? Gotta love being a mommy!!!

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To wrap it up I wanted to post a series of pictures that make me laugh EVERY time I see them (literally).  My crazy girls have a lot of personality! 

I was so excited to catch this sweet moment :)

And then it got a little awkward...

I tried to get them refocused on the picture taking, which obviously wasn't working...

THIS is the one that kills me...Hayden decides to cooperate and then look at Bryar's face! I have NO idea what she is trying to tell me here, but she looks hilarious!

Hayden officially gives up and starts to push on Bryar's back and WOW, does Bryar NOT appreciate that...probably the funniest angry look I have ever seen...especially from a baby!

Then Bryar realizes Hayden really has given up and decides to take advantage of this opportunity for a solo shot! What a sweet little smile :D

Happy Mother's Day! (one day late...oops!)

 

Happy Mother's Day everyone :)  Motherhood is truly a divine role and I am very grateful to be a mother and to have so many amazing mothers in my life (My mom and mom-in-law as well as all my amazing mommy friends!) that truly inspire me! We work hard and it is nice to have a day that reminds us that the things we do aren't overlooked, but are appreciated and important! Hope you all enjoyed your special day :) I know I did!

(The pictures are from our mother's day gift for my mom and mom-in-law, which were made into a little photo collage...I felt very crafty when I came up with the idea all by myself!)

Some good times...:D

SO...it's been a few weeks since my last blog post, but I am now ready to post blog number 4! Yay me (I am feeling VERY accomplished right now!...blogging is good for my self esteem!) Anyway, here's the run down of the past few weeks: A Wisdom tooth-ectomy~The passing of a family member~Got our family pictures back~Hayden's first pony tail~Lots of time spent outside~a trip to Kearney~ and a MARATHON! It sounds like so much happened when I pack it in a nice little package like that...

So: Wisdom Tooth-ectomy...I ended up only having to get one removed, and it was pretty easy-peasy! A little local anesthetic and enough yanking to think my jaw might crack and bing, bang, boom...out popped a wisdom tooth (which, in case you were wondering, was WAY bigger than I thought it would be!!!) I had no bruising or swelling and very little pain...I took an Aleve that day and that was it. My jaw was stiff for a bit but I had no major pain to speak of. Yes, I know I was VERY lucky.  People told me SO many horror stories before hand that I was VERY scared!

Our little family member: I am very sad to say that our small puppy Peaches passed away a few weeks ago. It was the worst experience our family has had to endure as of yet. She had blood sugar issues that she ultimately was not able to overcome.  We loved her very much and Hayden misses her puppy SO much. I don't know if that is something to be glad about, but I really am glad that she is young enough to not be as tortured by the trauma of losing a pet. Ben and I have had a hard time with it, but I think time is the ultimate healer in situations like this.

Family Pictures: We got our pictures taken in the end of February and we got them back a few weeks ago!  We absolutely love them and think our photographer did a great job!

Hayden's first ponytail: Well, that's pretty self explanatory but it was VERY exciting for us when her hair hit the length that I am FINALLY able to pull it back!!!

Lots of outside time: Another self explanatory one I guess...but we LOVE having a park basically right next door :D It has been REALLY great! Hayden loves the swing so much and she is also a huge daredevil. She climbs right up the steep steps to the tall slide and slides down, which is always funny because she flies so fast and sometimes goes right off the end and plops on the ground. Bryar likes to swing but that's about as much as she can do at the park. Luckily she loves to watch people so she is content to hang out and watch the madness swirl around her!

A trip to Kearney: We went and saw Cornell run! Ben couldn't come because he was working, but my Dad, David and the girls and I all drove together. Cornell did awesome and it was a lot of fun to be able to see him! He got a personal record on the 400 and we were able to take him out to eat afterwards and spend a little time together. Hayden loves seeing her uncle, even if it's only for a few hours!

And last but CERTAINLY not least...Ben ran his first MARATHON! Yes a marathon, a FULL marathon, as in 26.2 miles of running! I am SO proud of him for accomplishing such a HUGE goal!!! My dad and mom and David and the girls and I all saw him off at the start, then made a bunch of stops along the way to cheer him on in his awesomeness :) We held signs, helped with shoe changes and got him anything he needed (oranges, water, vaseline...the marathon basics) as he ran...and ran...and RAN!

And one last thing to finish off this post: I bought a new pair of high heels today (I LOVE high heels even if I don't wear them all that often) and princess Hayden apparently loves them as much as I do because as soon as she saw them she would NOT leave them alone! She put them on and even walked around in them! VERY impressive if you ask me!!!

WHEW! If you made it through this whole thing then THANKS, I appreciate your dedication :) This has been a long one and makes me feel like we did do a lot these past few weeks!!!


Bye friends!

Shoot, one more thing...

AND I forgot to mention...
We had our one foster son, then the next day we got his 3 1/2 year old brother.  However our house is only big enough to be licensed for one child, so they were looking for a home to place one of the brothers in. However, it turned out that Grandma was able to be approved to have them placed with her, meaning that we now have neither boy :( We were excited to get our first placement and the boys were great but we know that this kind of things happens a lot, and it is good for the boys to be able to be with a family member, so we are just hoping to be able to get another placement soon.

Spring has sprung :)

Post #3...pretty soon I won't even need to put a number because I will have sooooo many posts that I won't be impressed with myself anymore :) ANYWAY...

Wow, is it beautiful outside or WHAT?!? Ben, Hayden and I are loving it SOOO much.  Unfortunately Bryar and that great shiny orb of warmth seem to have a much more fickle relationship and apparently need more time to bond.

(But maybe no more today...it would seem she has hit her limit!)

We have so many things to update on!  First off we hope everyone had a fabulous Easter! We definitely did...

The Easter bunny came and left eggs for Hayden on the front lawn and she had a blast picking them up...she honestly gasped excitedly at almost every single one! It was super cute to watch :)

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I got a bike (pink, of course :D) and we got a bike trailer! We have already gone on a couple family bike rides and are loving it so much!

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My "little" brother Cornell FINALLY had a track meet in Lincoln, YAY! Ben was working (aww, sad!) so I took the girls and headed to the UNL track to watch him, but you know how track meets are...he was running three events and there was 3 hours between the first and the second! SO...we watched the first (He did good!) then headed home for a snooze until the second.  However, while driving back to campus to watch his last two events I got a call from Ben (weird since it was 4:45 and he was supposed to work until 5) and heard the 4 most traumatizing words EVER..."I'm in the E.R.">>>(Insert major panicking here!!!). Luckily (if you can call it that) I was in the perfect location when he called and was able to get there QUICK! Anyway, long story short Ben works at a group home for teen boys with behavior issues and one of those boys decided to sucker punch him in the side of the head/neck area leading to Ben's first ambulance ride! He was pretty shook up but thankfully (after a ct scan) they determined that all seemed fine and he just had a contusion (aka bruise) from a "traumatic blow to the head." Still scary, but we are very grateful that this was the outcome because it could have been SO much worse!  So my point is...sorry I missed your races Cornell!!! Blame Ben. Or that stupid kid who somehow thought that punching a staff in the head would get him what he wanted. (Let me tell you how well THAT worked out for him...) Either way it wasn't my fault I missed it! Oh, and for those who want to see a super awkward looking picture of Ben in the hospital with his neck brace on, never fear...he took one. And then promptly posted in on Facebook.

And for those who might have been wondering what the view was for him during the time he was stuck in the brace, don't you fret, he obliged and took a picture of that too...

It is times like these that I wonder if the invention of the camera phone was really a beneficial thing for society :) (if you know me you know I'm totally joking...I use the camera on my phone constantly!)
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And finally, to round off our last couple weeks my 16 year old sister Jasmine stayed with us for a day.  We thought it would just be a nice time for her to come hang out with her nieces and for us to spend some quality time with her.  It ended up being a lot of fun! And for those who think that I am the pickiest eater they know, the throne has actually been abdicated.  I mean who doesn't like chicken?! Really??? Other than that things went smoothly though :) We actually went to the park today and flew kites (we bought them two years ago and hadn't opened them yet...poor, sad neglected kites!) and it was a blast.

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Ok I know I already said "and finally, to cap off" blah blah blah, but I wanted to throw in some pictures from sunglasses shopping (for Hayden) with "Auntie" Jenna! Here is Hayden in some bug-eye glasses, and the the stunner shades we bought for her:

And a couple little photoshopped pics just to spice it up a bit...

And that, my friends, is what I like to call a REALLY long post with a LOT of pictures :)