In Loving Memory of our friend, Liz Skipper!

Elizabeth Skipper

Jan.1, 1977 - April 10, 2010

Please keep Eric and Grayson in your thoughts and prayers!

A Squirrel and a cracker.....

On our way back from Sylvania, we stopped in Walterboro to visit with Grammy & Pop. Grammy always talks about her friendly little squirrel. We were lucky enough to see him this time! He came up to the door. Grammy opened the door & handed him the treat. He took it right out of her hand & then jumped up onto the banister to eat. He sat and ate the peanut butter off of a cracker with everyone sitting right beside him. It was pretty cool.

I LOVE to watch Ashlyn with Pop. He will be 89 in June!

Grammy, Pop, Ash, and I

Sylvania - Aidan's 4th Birthday

Aunt Sissy, Ash, Nana, and Aunt Vera The pool and slide looked great...from the side with Nana to hold onto!

Ashlyn eventually warmed up to the idea of the ladder, however, that is as far as she went. She decided to wait until another time, probably when Daddy is around, to attempt the slide.

Jumping on the side was a blast!

The water balloons were cool, too.

Ashlyn liked to just throw them rather than play the game.

Cake is always delicious!!!

Round two...Ashlyn got a sugar fix & then decided to hit the water again. This time, she decided to try to fill the car with water, one cup at a time!

There was an occasional dump on the head, too, just for fun!

Aidan was sweet enough to assist Ashlyn with getting her cups of water!

Mother's Day!

This year we had a very special Mother's Day! We headed downtown after church & met our parents for brunch. OUR parents, meaning ALL of Ashlyn's grandparents!!! It was AWESOME!

Rick, Ash, and I walked down to the waterfront park for a bit. Ashlyn loved looking at the water...for Shamu! Glad we didn't find him...Ha Ha Ha!

We had lunch at Magnolia's. It was perfect. I am so thankful for this picture & I know it will be very special to Ash, too. I think we will frame it for her room.

Ash, Mommy, Mimi, and Nana

Brooke's Birthday!

Brooke celebrated her 7th Birthday the weekend after Ashlyn's. She decided to have her party at EDventure in Columbia. Being the cool cousin that she is, Brooke included Ash in her list of invites. We had a really awesome time, as it was our first visit. EDventure was a little like the Children's Museum in Charleston, but MUCH bigger! We cannot wait to go with Daddy one day! When the party started, everyone got to pick an instrument for the parade.

We went on a tour & at the end there was Brooke's Birthday cake.

Next we went to a private room where we had cake & ice cream & Brooke opened her presents.

Cara and her friend, Maylee. They are both 10 now, but are super sweet to Ashlyn every time we are around them.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Our Little Monkey!

We were set free to explore the building...our first stop was the news room.

Next, we hit the grocery store.

Ash had a great day. She ended her "EDventure" by doing her favorite...driving a car!!!

MICKEY MOUSE!!!

Ashlyn's Birthday Bash....so, we decided to take a long weekend & head to Florida. We drove down on Thursday. Ash was great in the car. She watched movies, took a nap, looked at books, and had her first milkshake from Mc Donald's.

We took our time getting up & out of the resort on Friday. We had breakfast & then headed over to Sea World. We know that Ashlyn loves the water & fish, but had NO idea that this park would be such a hit!!!

Watching the dolphin show with Daddy!

You could tell when Ash was nervous or a little afraid...she would pinch Rick's arm & hold tight. She did it all weekend. It was too cute. If he was holding her, she went for his neck & hairs. He had little red spots all over! Watching Shamu with Mommy!

Ashlyn LOVED "Shampoooo"

Picking the right oyster & hoping for a great pearl to take back to Nana.

Ashlyn's oyster had two pearls! There was only a 3% chance. It was also blue, which is the second rarest. We had them made into earrings for Nana!

Feeding the sharks!

Ashlyn LOVED watching the dolphins. We stayed down there for a very long time. I think we should have just packed a picnic.

Daddy & Ash checking out the stingrays...well, mostly Daddy! Rick was reaching down and touching them as they swam by. Notice Ash's foot! She kept knocking his hand over and telling him "no touch". Girl loves her Daddy !!!

Our second day in Florida was VERY relaxing. We slept in & then hit the pool. Ashlyn had such a great time. We ended up staying all afternoon. We only left to go grab lunch, which was a short walk through the resort.

Splish Splash!

My two FAVORITE people in the whole world...

Daddy's Little Girl!

Just hanging out!

That night, we went to the Rain Forest Cafe. Ashlyn had a ball. She even brought Simba along & he sat on the table!

Sunday was Ashlyn's 2nd Birthday! We headed to the Magic Kingdom. Things just seemed to fall into place right away. We made it onto Main Street just in time for the morning parade. Then, as we approached the castle, it was time for Mickey and Minnie. Ash was SO excited. She watched the entire show!

I LOVE this picture!

Her first ride..."It's a Small World"

After riding Winnie the Pooh's Adventure, it started to rain. Ash and I hopped onto the train & took a lap or two, while Rick went to get the stroller. We met up at the train station & waited a bit to see if the rain would stop. We decided to head back to the room.

Oh' NO rain!!!

Every rainy day ends with a warm bubble bath, even while on vacation!We all took a much needed nap. That afternoon, I did some research & found a wonderful place to eat that was on the water & had a view of the castle! We had dinner & watched the fireworks to celebrate Ashlyn turning 2! Ash's excitement was the perfect ending to a great day, a great vacation, actually!!!

Happy Birthday to the sweetest girl in the whole world - Love, Mommy & Daddy!