Christmas Caroling with Mount Pleasant Presbyterian Church!

Sunday night was our church's Christmas get together and Christmas caroling. I was so excited that Rick was home & able to go. This is going to be a new tradition for us. Hopefully Ash will enjoy it as much as I did when I was a child!

Get your gear on!!! Rick and Ash getting ready to walk the streets of the Old Village!

Singing at one of the neighborhood houses...Ashlyn broke through the crowd to get up the stairs & say "hi". Rick and I were worried that she was thinking that she was going to get candy, like at Halloween.

Taking a break...Ashlyn did a great job keeping up with everyone. She made it for about 35 minutes in the neighborhood before she was ready for a lift.

This is fun...let's go to more houses!

Cookies and hot chocolate by the bonfire! Yum!

Great night...new family tradition!

Christmas Choas!

Tuesday was our neighborhood's playgroup Christmas party. A nice, brave soul volunteered her home for the occasion. The kids had a blast & the Mommies exchanged cookies. It was a great idea, as I had many different sweets waiting for Rick to try when he came home from his trip!

How many kids can we fit into one living room? (Thankfully, not mine...Ha ha!)

Goldfish...still a BIG hit!

Almost the whole group...we attempted to get all of the kids to sit on the couch for a group picture...not going to happen! This was our best shot. You can see there is one escaping on the left...there were also a set of twins and two little girls that were NOT having any part of this idea! I cannot say that I would not have agreed with them, if I were a little one...wait, did I just admit that?

Cookie Time!

Wednesday was our last day of school & our Christmas party. Ms. Hannah and I decided to make cookies for the kids. She came over to the house & as you can see, Ash was right in the middle of all of the fun. She LOVED eating the dough...esp. the gingerbread!!!

Yummy, yummy in my tummy!!!

Mt. P Christmas Parade!

Last Sunday, Ash and I met up with Nana and Poppa to watch the town Christmas parade. They were nice enough to go early and save us a spot. They even had chili and coffee! Thanks...it was an awesome time!

Waiting, waiting, and waiting! A snack or two might help the time pass!

Tootsie Pops! My FAVORITE!!!

Ashlyn had a blast collecting goodies from the folks in the parade. She could not stay on the sidewalk. She kept going closer and closer to the floats!

Look! Look!

Poppa, Nana, Ash & I ...We tried to wait to see Santa(he is always last), but it started raining. We headed out just in time...we even beat the traffic. Yeah!

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Follow me...I am going to see ALL of the trees!!!

We found "the one" Mommy...come check it out!

What are we doing in da' woods?

This way Mommy!

Wait up Daddy!

Rick and I decided to take Ashlyn to Toogoodoo Christmas Tree Farm - a place we both went to when we were children. You get to pick, cut, and carry your own tree. Ash, Bono, and I followed Rick all over the farm. I was afraid to say it, but I just did not see what I was looking for. (We later found out that the place was under new ownership, after sitting for a couple...figures!)Finally, Rick admitted that he was not finding anything, either. It was a fun journey, but, we ended up heading back to Mt. Pleasant to go to our favorite little tree stand - a guy who brings trees from North Carolina each year. We found a good one!

Thanksgiving afternoon - Ash and Mama watching "Home Alone".

Happy Thanksgiving!

Lunch at Nana & Poppa's! We had a great day at Nana & Poppa's this year. We had family join us from Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania & Massachusetts.

Happy 85th Birthday, Mama Fontaine!!!

November 17th was Mama's birthday, so Ashlyn and I headed to Edisto to eat lunch with my parents & spend some time with Mama. It was a great afternoon. Ash got to meet some of my cousins for the first time & see some of her great-uncles for a bit. She really enjoyed helping Mama blow out the candles on her cake. They are very cute together!

4 Generations...I love every minute that Ash and I get to spend with Mom and Mama! Mom made a family favorite...carrot cake!

Little Stink Bug!!!

I just want everyone to see this..........

Nana and I took Ashlyn for a Holiday portrait & it was quite the adventure! She wanted absolutely nothing to do with the idea. We gave her candy, cola, and even took her favorite rocking horse for her to play on. Ash simply threw her hands in the air & said, "No mo dis!" She went to the door & we really could not change her mind. With NO pictures in hand, we went home! The next day, I summonsed Rick for portrait duty. It was about the same!!! We got a couple of shots, but then she was DONE! The little rascal!!! We came home & she posed for me on the couch for a good 15 minutes!!!

She was pushing some buttons & they were not just on Daddy's laptop.

"I love you Ashlyn!"

Love, Mommy

CHEEZZZZZE!!!

Mimi & The Little Gym

Each time we go to class, the kids sing a name song & when we say each of their names, they run up and give Valerie a high five. Ash LOVES Valerie, so she usually goes back up to the middle of the circle & sings all of the songs with Valerie. She never does this with the other teachers. So Happy!!!

"Catch Mimi"

Bubble time with Valerie! Ashlyn has been going to TLG for over a year and a half now & she still LOVES the bubbles! The Little Beasts class has been a lot of fun, as the kids are so much more interactive. The dance around & squeal when the bubbles get going. Too cute! They all know to run to the door to get their hand stamped after class, too!

"There is no place like home...except for the neighbor's cause they have CANDY"

So, I decided it would be cool to get sick the week of Halloween........urgh!

After planning for the night for several weeks, I did not get to go Trick or Treating with Ashlyn. Thank you Nana and Poppa for coming to help Rick!

Rick and Nana took Ashlyn around to the neighbor's, while Poppa gave out candy at our house. They were awesome & made a video for me to watch later that night.

Dorothy!

One of the first stops...Ashlyn insisted on opening her Tootsie Pop and eating it right away. How many licks does it take to get to the center...if only she could count that high! She worked on that sucker the entire time she went around the neighborhood & finished it up when she got back to the house!

After figuring out how the trick or treat thing works, Ashlyn really enjoyed her night. She would say "Me" really loud after knocking, "thank you" after taking a piece of candy (or two or three), and "bye" before she left. I watched the video several times...it ends with her getting about an inch from the camera & saying "Boooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo"! Too cute!

So many lollipops, so little time!

Yes folks, that is our little angel eating a sucker for breakfast the next morning & yes, she is VERY excited about it!!!

Thank you Halloween..........

Trick or Treat...The Franke Home

Every year, the MOMS Club goes to the Franke Home the week before Halloween to visit with the residents. It is a very fun day! The kids dress up and parade through the halls. The residents sit in the lobby and halls, waiting to see the costumes. Some folks have candy, cookies, and cards to share. The kids have a little party at the end.

This year, I was super excited to get to go, as I used to work in the assisted living community at the facility. I hate to say it, but I have not been visiting the residents like I promised myself I would. I think it is especially hard since Mama is no longer there & some folks that I used to be very close to have passed away. I guess the kids were a distraction from all of my emotions...it turned out to be a very awesome experience! I love that I got to visit with everyone & that they all got to see Ashlyn! (They were all SO excited for me when I was pregnant)

Visiting with a resident that is very dear...she used to be the only person that did every single activity that I planned. She always did them with a smile, too!

A very special friend..."Lollipop"! This was the lady that taught me how to play Bridge when I worked at the Franke Home. She is the sweetest and most entertaining person I think I have ever met. She & her daughter were always very special to me. I am so thankful that we were able to see her. It had been about a year...they came to our house after Ashlyn was born. I will never forget her or the advice she gave...esp. while I was pregnant! She always liked to hear about Rick because her husband was in the Air Force & was also a pilot!

Visiting a resident's room...Ashlyn loved the figurines on the dresser. She had to check each one out & make the animal noises over and over. I think the ladies loved getting to spend time with her. We stayed in the lobby for almost an hour. She was looking at all of their animals and really enjoying the attention. She even danced and did "happy feet" for them. It made my heart smile to see how happy everyone was...it was a wonderful reunion for me.

Play date with Grayson!

A good friend of ours was recently diagnosed with cancer. She and her husband have been traveling back and fourth to Houston for her treatments. Rick and I had the chance to help out one afternoon by having a play date with their son, Grayson. It was a great day. We visited with Nana and Poppa, went to the Memorial Park and Pier, watched a movie & hung out at the house for a bit. I think the kids both slept well that night...we sure did!

Grayson and Rick getting dizzy at the park.

Kickball..."that's my ball".

"Get me Daddy, Get Me!"

Sharing Nana with Grayson...well, kind of! Ashlyn and Grayson were all over the place at the park, so we split up and tried to keep up with them. She was fine until she noticed Nana was pushing Grayson in the swing. All of a sudden she needed to be held! :)

Enjoying ice cream on the pier with Nana

Our neighbor, Mrs. Kellie, and I took Ashlyn and Grayson for a walk around the neighbor. They enjoyed looking at the Halloween decorations and counting the pumpkins.

Cooking with Mom!

Ashlyn really loves to "help" with everything these days! She enjoys putting the laundry into the dryer...and by laundry, I mean anything wet, clean, or dirty! She loves feeding the dog and cat...their food several times a day & her food during and after meals. Ashlyn LOVES to let them in and out of the back door, while screaming "go dog go"! She loves to scrub everything with the toilet brush...which explains why they are now hard to find around here. She loves to help wash Bono, flush the toilet (you would be surprised what she has attempted to fit in there...sigh), load the dish washer, and now cook! This particular night was actually going well, until I turned my back for two seconds!!! We were making a marinade for steak. I had only put the dry wine, chopped garlic clove, and worcestershire sauce in the dish. She was stirring it for me & decided to give it a taste. She screamed "uhhh ohhh" and started spitting everywhere and wiping her tongue on her shirt! Thankfully we were not having guests over that night & we will never tell Daddy about the secret ingredient!

Boone Hall Pumpkin Patch!

Last Tuesday, our playgroup went to the pumpkin patch. It was a really fun outing. Ash & I did not go on the hay ride or jump castle since there were bus loads of 3rd & 4th graders taking over. It was OK though. She enjoyed running around and looking at all of the "bapples". I tried to explain that they were actually pumpkins, but I got NO WHERE with the conversation, so big & orange bapples it is!!

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins EVERYWHERE...yet, Ashlyn and Emily only had interest in this one! They both insisted on sitting on it, at the same time. This went on for about 15 minutes. It was hilarious. They would both try to sit, one would fall, get up & push the other off! No one ever got upset, which was truly a miracle!

BIG GIRL BED!!!

So, Ash has started climbing on EVERYTHING! We saw her leaning over the crib one morning, so we knew it was time to convert to the toddler bed. OK, Rick might have suggested it a month ago...I was just in denial that my baby is growing up!

Ashlyn and I stayed downstairs while Rick did the handy work. When he was finished, he called us upstairs. We both made a HUGE deal over her bed. She started squealing and jumped right in to check it out. It was the cutest thing ever!!!

Very proud of the new bed!!! After dinner, Rick took Ashlyn upstairs to go to bed. He rocked her, as usual, and then put her in the bed. We had been warned that it might be a rough night. Several friends told us that their children would get up a zillion times at first, just because they had the freedom. Rick closed the door...we both listened to see what she would do. She walked over to the door & knocked a couple of times & fussed for less than a minute...then it was silent. Hum...

It was about an hour before Rick and I went to bed. We went into Ash's room to check on her. We both kind of expected to find her on the floor by the door, or something, but she had climbed into bed & was sleeping peacefully! We were so proud of her...I had to call Nana to brag!!! "We love you Boo Bear!"

The next morning she came running into our room. She went to Rick first, then over to me & got about two inches from my face and screamed "hey" with a big smile! So far, this has been her pattern.