Splish Splash

Just some cute pictures of bathtime...

At The Park

This past week brought some amazing weather here to TX, so we took advantage of it completely. Coming from Seattle, where you only get a few weeks worth of non-rainy, warm weather...it was a nice change. We walked to a nearby park to feed the ducks and play. Landin rode his three-wheeler the whole way and Ashlynn tagged along in the stroller. It was about a 1 1/2 mile walk one way and Landin rode his bike the entire way there and back, while Ashlynn slept. It was lots of fun!!!

...In My Mouth

So, Landin said the funniest thing the other day...it made me laugh so hard. So my sister and I were on our way home from a very patience testing run to Walmart so my nerves were frazzled. Landin had been very much a 3-year old and all that that intales. When we got into the car, Landin burped...now Josh and I have been trying very hard to make sure that Landin has manners. That he says "Please" and "Thank you", etc. Well, when he burped, I said "Landin, what do you say?" to which he replied, "I don't know." Then I said to him "Landin, where are your manners?" ... "IN MY MOUTH!". My sister and I couldn't help but laugh. That line totally would have qualified him for the Bill Cosby show "Kids say the darndest things".

6 Months and Still Growing...

I cannot believe that Ashlynn is 6 months old now. Wow...I can't even begin to account for where the time has gone. We had her well-baby checkup today and got nothing but good news. She's 26.5inches long (so we've grown an inch since her 4 month checkup) and 20.4lbs (a gain of 2 pounds). She now is in the 75% for her height and 95% for weight. She is sitting up unassisted, eating stage 2 foods and is now cruising in a new convertible car seat. Her favorite new noise is "da" so she says it over and over and it's so stinkin cute! Josh has been able to listen to it over the computer and I know it just makes him melt! She's squealing and laughing, although Landin is still the only one that can really make her laugh which is just adorable. Otherwise, she's still growing. No sign of any teeth yet, but they're coming cause the drool faucet is officially turned on. She had her first pickle the other day and she enjoyed it thoroughly. She's also had a cheetoh which she also enjoyed. This picture is of her new favorite toy...a piece of ribbon (go figure, you spend good money on cute toys and the item that you didn't even intend on becoming a toy is the most fun).

Too Cute

We did some yard work the other day, and it was such a nice day that Ashlynn joined us outside in her jungle gym...this is dang cute if I do say so myself!

Ashlynn's Date with Prunes...

Landin had a problem when he was an infant with not "being regular" and since starting Ashlynn on baby foods we've run into that same problem a time or two. I learned quickly with Landin, that prunes help, but of course he only would eat prunes when he was really little and couldn't tell me no! So, with Ashlynn, I'm doing the same thing. Prunes have now become a staple in her diet, and this most recent encounter was pretty hilarious!

What does this face say to you?

Huntin' Eggs

Wow...I've never seen a kid get so excited over finding something. It was the most adorable thing that I've seen Landin do in a long time. He just got so excited...

So, in order to hide the eggs, we had to distract Landin, so Uncle Chris took him for a drive while the rest of us hid the eggs. We made it simple, just out on the patio (cause we had just had some rain so we didn't want to attempt to track through the mud). We hid the eggs in the flower beds, on the steps, on his outdoor toys, on the grill. When Uncle Chris brought him back, he didn't even make it back into the house before finding an egg...then it all kept on going. I hurried to give him his basket, then Mimi took it from there. She gave him cute little hints on where to find the rest. They just walked around and he found every one of the eggs within 5 minutes! Then came the fun part...opening the eggs and eating the candy. I put a limit on the candy eating of course, especially after our good report from the dentist! So...it was an exciting hunt...very productive, entertaining and memorable.

Our Easter Eggs...

So, this year was the first year that we dyed Easter eggs. Landin had lots of fun. He just got so excited and wanted to keep putting eggs in the buckets before the first ones had even finished. Mimi helped, so there was a little control over the situation, but not much. We did about two dozen eggs, one for each member of our little family and then one for all the nicknames..."Landin Cakes", "Puffy Cakes", "Little Man", "Poodle"...the list is endless! Anyway, it was a lot of fun and we got some good results.

Ashlynn participated in her own way...it's very cute!

Yay Me...Progress!

Sorry, I have to gloat for a minute cause I'm so proud of myself! So, since being back at home in TX and not working, I was so afraid of putting on the pounds. But one of my goals while being here while Josh is away, is to lose weight. I have to say, that I've officially started walking that path! While it's nothing major...it's still a start! I've lost 6 pounds (with still an unmentionable amount to lose) and two inches in my waist. I am so happy! I have a goal that I'm striving to reach so hopefully I will make it there. Six down and XX more to go!!! Yay me!

Busy Ashlynn with the Busy Blanket

So, Ashlynn is doing really well sitting up on her own now. She's able to keep her balance and still reach for toys. She's getting so big! So, I found Landin's "busy blanket" from when he was little and put it on her head. She thought it was the funniest thing.

Day with the Flowers

Today, we took advantage of the beautiful sun (despite the crazy wind) and went to find some bluebonnets and other flowers.

The kids did really well taking pictures, so well that they are now serving as their Easter pictures. Check 'em out...

Josh Update

Josh is doing well considering the circumstances of being away from family and friends. He's working hard and trying to stay caught up on his sleep. He still can't give out any information on his location, the date of his return or what exactly his job entails over there, but he assures me that he's safe. I just finished sending off some boxes that contained (at his request) Wheat Thins, Raisin Bran, PB&J, Nutrigrain Bars and some shorts (as the temp is consistently well above 100). Still no date for his return, but we are doing our best to count the days as they go by until he comes back home. We will be choosing our new military orders soon, so we're anxious to learn where we will be going in the future. Please continue to keep Josh in your thoughts and prayers that he remains safe as he continues to serve the people and his country proudly and without question.

Twins...Three Years Apart

It's amazing how similar Ashlynn's features are to Landin's when he was her age. They do literally resemble twins seperated by a few years. Both of them though...look exactly like their daddy, chubby cheeks and all!

Ashlynn...the Flower Baby

I found the cutest little head-band for Easter that I couldn't resist getting for Ashlynn.

What do you think?

Duck's Day Out

The past few days, Uncle Chris has been taking Landin to the park in an effort to help me and let Landin burn off some of his tremendous toddler energy. The first time that they went, they fed the ducks and Landin made a few ducky friends that chased him. Since then, when they go to the park, they continue to feed the ducks and one of the same ducks chase him constantly! I guess he's just not feeding them fast enough. The most recent visit to the park, Landin had a bit of an accident where he lost his footing and slipped into the water with the ducks and all other pond creatures (a bit of a scary thought of what could be lurking in the water...) and managed to get a little "owie" but survived and wasn't traumatized in the least. Here are some pictures of that visit...