Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Snow Days!!!

I found this post set as a draft.  It is from December 2013, but never got published.  Here it is...

I have never lived in a place where snow could stick for more than 24 hours. Yet, here we are, in Ft Worth, day 6 of white. It's getting slushy, and we can now drive on the streets safely, but this is nuts.

I really hate being cold, and the thought of several days of cold just makes me severely uncomfortable.  So I never thought I would say it, but this is awesome!  Lee got to work from home.  We had hot chocolate and hot apple cider.  I made a lot of soup (I love soup.  I would eat it every day.).  We got to glide instead of walk down the street.  And we made a snowman...and he's still alive!!!  Although his blueberry eyes and mouth have rolled out, and his carrot nose is mysteriously missing.  I know you're out there, Bunny.  You left your droppings on my beautiful white, icy lawn.

But, alas, school is no longer canceled, and Lee can drive to work again.  The cozy solitude of our snow-in is over, and life resumes.

Our little snowman.  We're very proud of him.



The neighborhood pond.  Ice everywhere!


Trying to get the ice off the driveway.  Failed effort.

It's sooooooo cold.

The MOST awkward sibling photo.  This will be used at a graduation and/or wedding.







Saturday, October 5, 2013

Mahna Mahnam by Aimee

We were singing in the van on the way home and we noticed Aimee pitching in. So we decided to record it and share.


I think it's pretty close to the original.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

Conversations with Kara

Three years old seems to be about the age when children are consistently saying hilarious stuff.  Every time Kara says something to make me laugh I think, "That's so cute.  I'll never forget it."  Then I typically forget it by the time Lee gets home from work...and that makes me sad. 


Solution.  The best way to remember something is to write it down.  So begins Conversations with Kara.

Me during our Bible study: Who was the woman that was kind to Naomi?
Kara: I don't know.
Me: It starts with R-R-R.
Kara: R-R-R--Canada.

Me while driving home:  Wow, look how pretty the lake is today (then I realize we have never seen this lake before).
Kara: Mom, you're lost.


Super Star!

Friday, June 14, 2013

Happy Early Father's Day!

There has been so much going on over the past month, and there are a lot of upcoming posts and pictures.  But time is limited, and we aren’t slowing down….so priorities, priorities.

In stead of looking back, we’ll skip forward.  HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!!!

A few letters to Lee (Daddy):



kjgtuythuyytbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbvvbvb               9uo9bm9mb5bmbmbmbbbuy56yyyy      jhhghugyyy7t  khhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhy        hutrygygggggggggggggggggggifgiuyh8778ujghhhuiuhnnnnnnnn    ytuhyhjuyhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb nhhhyiuyyyyyyyyyyy7 uuhbubb7nnnnnnnnn bnmgbbbbbbynbvbggggggggbvvvvvvbvbbb --kaara
(I love you, Daddy.  So much.  I love you to go to a baseball game.  You are my best Daddy. -- Kara)




o//ijvfhd glkb nj mjk  nd jkfdjjbm bn jlkgkmfn kgkhjfhfug i9b uhbn 8ij km, jhhhhbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbojnnn  fg rv\]]-hbiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii,mfj mvfjg k fl fkf rjhhikgboh g         hjghjtrhbtbu,kbklklnijgv nc
(Da Da -- Aimee)



Lee, you are a terrific father.  You are patient and willing to humble yourself.  Thank you for providing for us, protecting us, and teaching us more about ourselves and God.  We love you. –Ashley

Friday, May 3, 2013

Big Week for Aimee (and consequently, Mommy)

Woah!  Slow down.  Lots going on with Aimee this week!

I mean, I'm in favor of development, but when it all happens at one time it can really mess with how I have become accustomed to living.  I've become used to setting Aimee down in one spot, giving her a toy, and having her be pretty content for a while so I can get some stuff done.  And when I come back, she has not moved.  I don't mind this consistency.

Even though she is 10 months old, it didn't bother me that she had not started crawling.  If she really wanted something, she could roll around and get it.  But this method of mobility is slow and ineffective.  And I'm ok with that.  If we tried to encourage her to crawl, she would get into a bear crawl position, then decide whatever we had wasn't worth the effort.  But she's strong.  Stronger than I remember Kara being, so we were just going to wait for her to figure it out.

And she did.  But wait.  Along with crawling, she also has figured out how to pull herself up (these occurred within a day of each other).  So she's not only moving, she's pulling things down on herself.  Laundry baskets, chairs, anything not bolted to the ground.  Ok...soooo....time to be more attentive.  And time to superglue the door stops so she will stop trying to eat them.

But wait.  There's more.  We also got the first tooth this week.  A little bottom incisor is starting to poke through.  It's cute, and it doesn't hurt her.  Our girls are really awesome when it comes to teething.  I thank God that's a trial he didn't want to use to grow me.  But, this tooth has come just in time for me to be sticking my fingers in her mouth to fish out all the little leaves, paper bits, and doll shoes that she can now get.  And apparently when she gets something in her mouth, she wants it.  And she clamps down hard to keep whatever she has in her mouth.  Even if my finger is in the way.

Lastly, she said her first intentional non-mama/dada, grunting, or signing word (a lot of qualifiers, I know).  It was "baby".  More like "baybay".  So cute.  She loves dolls.  We love her.  It has been a fun week, but change is coming fast.  No easing into it.

Here's the video of her first crawls.  She decided a soda bottle was worth the effort.  Oh, and the background music...um, yeah.  I kind of love listening to the girl's kiddie music even when they're not around (Kara was at school when I took this video) :).

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Aimee signs "All Done"


We are so excited!!!  Let the non-screaming communication commence!



Thursday, March 7, 2013

Our Trip to Idaho Falls...a month ago.

About a year and a half ago we swore off flying with little ones.  It was an unpleasant experience that we weren't looking to repeat.  Fast forward, and we're at it again, but this time was much, much better.

I am of the opinion that flying with little ones is great before they get mobile (thank you Aimee for not being in a hurry to crawl), or after they are well potty trained and able to behave in socially acceptable ways in tiny spaces for extended lengths of time.  Ummm...3 years old for us.

So, where did we go?  Idaho Falls.  Pardon the poetic romanticism, but imagine rolling prairie land as far as the eye can see completely blanketed in white.  It looked like a snow ocean.  So beautiful.

We went to visit with Lee's uncle, aunt, and cousins who we rarely get to see.  It was great spending time with them and getting to know them better.  We stayed warm and cozy in their big house, and we had the most amazing dinners a la Auntie Steph.  Seriously, she can cook.  Suffice it to say, I went to bed each night a little uncomfortable because of my inability to stop eating when I was full...and I would usually finish Kara's portions...after getting seconds.

But, to redeem my lack of self control, we did do some exercise while we were there.  We decided to use this opportunity to get Kara on skis.  She really did better than I expected.  She typically gets upset when she has to wear heavy clothing (see previous blog post), so I was going to be happy if we were able to get the ski boots on her, much-less actually go down a hill.  But there is something about being in super cold weather surrounded by snow that makes coats and bibs and mittens and hats much more appealing.  As far as her skiing, she did ok.  I mean, there was a lot of crying and whining going down the hill, but each time we reached the bottom she would ask if we could go again...and faster!  This was confusing to us, but we think she will remember the experience as a good one.

Lee and I even got a chance to take a few runs while Uncle Jim graciously offered to watch the girls.  I will just say that we both need practice, and being in-shape wouldn't hurt.

We had a terrific time, and we are so thankful to Uncle Jim and Aunt Steph for letting us disrupt their baby-free lives for a few days.  The girls loved them, and we hope they are planning on a Texas trip soon!



 Flying with kids.  Not so bad...this time.


Daddy Ski School.  Perseverant is not usually a word I would use to describe Kara, but she really did a great job with self-control and patience while learning something that was a bit beyond her.


 And then she fell asleep on the floor of the ski lodge.  


Daddy, Aimee, and Elmo.  The most common word people use to describe Aimee when they first meet her is "serious".  Wonder why.



Lee saw some elementary-aged kids throwing snow chunks into the frozen river.  He is easily influenced.


Feeding the geese with Uncle Jim.  This was our only picture of anyone from their family.  How did that happen?  



  

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