4th of July!!

This year the 4th of July ended up being one of the funnest days we have had since moving out here! We originally weren't going to even do anything, we thought the kids wouldn't last through fireworks and we honestly didnt really know much about what festivities were even going on. Then Andy's friend from work called and invited us to go hang out with him and his wife over at Geist Reservoir. There was going to be fun festivities for the kids, food and fireworks. We decided to give it a whirl, but figured we would probably not last through the entire night to see fireworkds. We got there right at 5:30 when everything began and walked around. They closed this giant bridge off to traffic that crossed the reservoir, and people were all setting up chairs along the road. We snagged a sweet spot, and set up our chairs and spent the rest of the evening walking around, getting Dallin's face painted, ate from a local taco stand, kids played in a bounce house, and just hung out! Before we knew it it was already 9:30, so we decided to set up shop and stay for fireworks! The kids were soooo amazing, probably one of the best days we have had with them. Before the fireworks started, they relesed tons of the floating lanterns into the sky, my kids were totally in heaven (they both are absolutely obsessed with the movie Tangled). Dallin was very nervous for the fireworks to start, he has never been a fan of them in the past. Once they started, he loved them. They set the fireworks off from the middle of the water, and we were sitting right on the bridge! What a cool setting. Claire was in awe and she said "oo, awesome" after every one! Adorable. It was a great night, and we are so happy we ended up going. We got some super cute pics too, so enjoy!

Sarah and Ty Ty visit!

We were so happy to have my sister Sarah and her hubby Tyler come out for a few days to visit! It worked out that it was over Claire's birthday so that made it even more fun. We had a good time hanging out, shopping, and talking all things BABY! My sister and I are both pregnant, dues just 2.5 weeks apart. This is her first pregnancy and they are so happy to be expecting TWIN BOYS! For Claire's birthday since we didnt have a real "party" I wanted to do something special that she would like. I decided that the Indianapolis zoo would be perfect, and boy was I right! She loved it, we all did for that matter! It was a gorgeous day, and the kids had a blast with Auntie Sarah and Uncle Ty Ty. Claire got to ride a "choo choo train" and Dallin a roller coaster. Afterwards, we hit up a restaurant called The Tamale Place, which we had seen the night before on "Diners, Drive-in's and Dives". We miss all of our family so much, it was so much fun to have someone come out and visit! I hope that I can make it out to Utah to see her babies before mine comes! Fingers Crossed!

Claire's 2nd Birthday

Claire turned 2 on June 11, and we had a little celebration at our house. She wanted a Dora cake, and was spoiled with lots of gifts. She didnt quite understand what a "birthday" meant, but she still enjoyed it! We were so happy that Aunt Sarah and Uncle Tyler were able to fly out for a visit and be there to celebrate Claire's special day. We went to the zoo the following day, more pics to come on that!






Like most others, I wanted to document a few things about Claire at this age because they grow so fast, and we quickly forget.

-26 lbs 12 oz, 36" tall
-loves Dora, and Tangled (seriously she is in love with this movie)
-transitioned to a big girl bed at 22 months, and after a few weeks of naptime struggles sleeps like a champ!
-takes a 2+ hour nap every day
-goes to bed at 8, sleeps till 7-8 am
-is a pretty good eater, but has her picky moments
-loves fruit, oatmeal, bagels, noodles
-plays very well alone, and already has a cute little imagination
-is soooo sweet
-hardly ever cries, and is slightly sensitive. Instead of a tantrum she gives us a frownie face, or covers her hands over her eyes.
-has the smallest feet, still in size 5
-tans like nothin you would believe. So jealous.
-follows big brother around non stop, and does EVERYTHING he does
-is a MONKEY. I have found her on top of my van, the washer and the countertops numerous times
-is talking more and more each day. still nothing can compare to the parables that her brother spoke at this age, but it's fun to finally be able to talk to her!
-knows all her colors
-can sing the ABC's
-is super lovey. She is always giving hugs and kisses multiple times a day
-starting to really get into the girlie things, princesses, purses, babies
-anytime she wears a skirt or dress she just twirls and twirls. Cutest.thing.ever
-loves to swing at the park, and it has to be in the regular swing, no baby swing for her
-is totally in the "i do it" stage. Kind of annoying sometimes, but so stinkin cute.
-loves all things water related
-overall a very obedient child
-is starting to understand that there is a baby in my belly, not sure she quite understands that one day this baby will be coming home with us!

Claire, you are such a joy to have around. I love your personality, your hugs, and your smiles! You have been such an easy child, I sure hope this continues! We love you so much!!!

Someone had a birthday!

Gorgeous Miss Claire is now officially 2!


..... much more to come about her birthday, and a fun weekend with Aunt Sarah and Uncly Ty Ty!

14 week belly

I figured I had better start documenting the belly progress, since I really started showing at 10 weeks! I am 14 weeks here!

The Chillins

Here are a bunch of pictures of my adorable kids, for your viewing pleasure!

Dallin's Preschool Graduation

Dallin officially finished his second year of preschool. I have been so pleased with our choice for his preschool this year in Indiana. His school was a based on a Montessori curriculum, which Dallin really responded to well. Dallin had a great year, was "the center of attention" his teachers say, and he learned TONS! Dallin is already reading short words, he can add and subtract basic numbers and despite being the youngest in his class, he is totally ready to start Kindergarten in the fall. Dallin made quite a few good friends, a few of which we get together with for playdates. We are so proud of our little squirt, and like most mom's say, "I cant believe my baby is so old!!"

Conor, Dallin, and Delaney. The three amigos.

Dallin's best bud Conor! He and Dallin get along so well, and we love having playdates with him!

Dallin and his "girlfriend" Delaney! What a cutie!

The only family picture we could snap, thanks to my busy 2 year old

Our babysitter, Dani and Dallin. My kids ADORE her! In fact, Dallin always makes me count down the days until Friday when Dani comes! She was so nice to come watch Dallin at his graduation!

Easter Festivities

I had to work Easter Sunday, so we opened packages from the grandparent's on Saturday night! The kids loved their baskets full of goodies! Easter morning the kids were up bright and early, so I got to watch them do their egg hunt for just a few minutes before I had to leave. Claire caught right on and had a ball finding her eggs. Dallin was a big helper and once he found his 10, he helped Claire find all of hers. The kids got all cleaned up and ready for Church with Dad!

Baby Talk

The other day I broused through old blog posts and it made me think how grateful I am to have this blog. Even though I dont update near enough, it's fun to have documentation of things that I forget all too quickly. With that said, I am going to try and continue to document more frequently during this pregnancy so I can years from now flash back and re live these special moments!

I am just about 10 weeks along now, feeling decent. I had my first doctor's appointment where they did an ultrasound and we saw the little heart beat. I have been feeling exhausted, which I know is normal in the early stages, but mine seemed a little more unbearable than I had remembered in the past. I had a feeling that my thyroid was off, and sure enough, the labs came back that they were elevated. My OB adjusted my medication dose, so hopefully I can start feeling a bit more lively here as I enter into my second trimester. As far as "morning sickness", I dont really have any! Sometimes at night after I eat dinner I feel a little blah, but my days go pretty much nausea-free! As long as I keep that belly satisfied (like every 2 hours) then I am good to go! Speaking of that belly, it's definitely starting to make an appearance! 3rd baby syndrome for sure, plus I tend to show pretty early anyway! We waited to tell Dallin about the baby until after my first appointment just to be safe. When I told him, he just LIT UP! Now, he cannot stop talking about it. He tells everyone he sees that "mommy has a baby in her belly". He wants a brother, and if you ask me, I am pretty sure that is what he will be getting! I never had a "feeling" about the gender either way, but this time I am about 95% sure it's a boy! Part of me is secretly hoping for a girl, for Claire's sake. THey will be under 2.5 years apart and I think it would be fun for her to have a sister. BUT, obviously I am happy with either, and Dallin would love a brother! I cant wait to find out! Well, I bet the next post will consist of some sort of embarassing belly shot, so stay tuned!

Easter Egg Hunt

We took the kids to a local easter egg hunt this past weekend. They had a blast, despite the chilly weather. The kids were separated into age groups, so Andy went with Dallin, and I went with Claire. Claire was ADORABLE! I love how she is starting to really grasp things and is really becoming a kid, not my little baby anymore :( Here are a few pictures from the day!

Andy's B-day and BIG NEWS!

Last month Andy turned 29! I was full of surprises that day, which these days are hard to pull off. I was scheduled to work until after 6 that day, but I had previously arranged to get off work early without tellin Andy. I also scheduled our Nanny to come over and sit at the house after the kids went to bed so we could go out! Andy was shocked, he had no idea I had any plans up my sleeve! Before we went out we celebrated with cake and gifts with the kids! We went out to dinner and enjoyed a nice meal without interruption!


The best part of the day was definitely the birthday card I gave Andy. At the bottom I wrote,
"Love, Ashley, Andy, Dallin, Claire and Little Bean."

This was his reaction!!!! In case you dont get it, we have another baby on the way!
I found out the day before his birthday, so I thought it would be fun to tell him in a creative way! We are thrilled, and cant wait to complete our family with this "little bean"