Ashlyn & Anna: April 2011

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Ashlyn Ann turns 3!!!!

April 18...wow, I cannot believe that Ashlyn is 3!

We decided to have her birthday party at the aquarium this year, as it has turned into one of her favorite places to visit. It truly was a great idea. The kids LOVED it!

Eating pizza and waiting for cake. Ashlyn decided to invite her friends from ballet, a couple of girls from school, one from Sunday school, and her cousin Aidan. Kind of random, but it was her choice & it turned out to be a great group & they had a blast!

Kisses for daddy!

Make a wish sweet girl!

The kids LOVED the animal encounters. They were able to touch sea urchins, a horseshoe crab, turtles, snakes, an alligator, and check out an owl.

I NEVER knew the horseshoe crab was related to the spider!

I was SO surprised by the children's response to the snake! They all wanted to touch & feel. Notice that all of the adults are missing from this picture!

Look at Ash's smirk...she has NO FEAR!

The owl...we didn't get to touch him...he was blind & sensitive.

Alligator!!!

They couldn't keep there hands off of this little guy!

The Chadwicks!

The key to Ash's heart...princess stuff!

Thank you Aunt Sissy & I love you!

"Paint me like a mermaid, okay?"

Sitting so still & patiently...I had to have a picture! Ha Ha

BCF = Best Cousins Forever!

Aidan & Ashlyn

We saved a few gifts for Ashlyn to open on Monday, her actual birthday. It also turned out to be a great day! We went to get pedicures & manicures. She was adorable! Then we went to the toy store & played for a bit. When Rick came home from work, we opened presents & then went to dinner at Gringos. Ash wanted a "kay see dee za".

So excited about Cinderella...couldn't wait to put on her dress & be twins!

Thanks Aunt Tess!

The new car that Mommy & Daddy got...we couldn't get her to come inside!

When she finally did, it was only minutes until THEY were out!

Happy Birthday Beba! We love you & are so blessed to have you in our lives!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Myrtle Beach-Broadway at the Beach!

Cara and Brooke had Spring Break the first week in April, but Glenda did not. I offered to keep the girls for a couple of days & decided we should take a road trip! With that in mind, I called Mom to come for support & back up! We ended up having a wonderful time...just the girls. We took a day trip up to Myrtle Beach & went to Broadway at the beach. Ashlyn had been wanting to go to this princess store that a friend told us about. It is called Sparkle!

The girls each had a make over! Cara chose the movie star package. Brooke decided on the rock star package, and Ashlyn picked the princess package...of course!

Sitting patiently while they fixed her hair. Just for the record, I have NEVER seen her sit that still for that long in my life! She was thrilled about every second of it, too!

Sparkle nail polish, too!

After everyone was finished with their special treatments, they hit the stage for a little concert. It was so stinkin' cute!

Ashlyn thought this mirror in the arcade was a hoot. She could not quit laughing at her "too long" legs. It was all funny until she said, "mommy, put your too big belly in and see what happens!" I decided it was time to go check out the rides!

Ashlyn & Brooke on the mini pirate ship. She hopped right on & was smiling from ear to ear!

Ready, set, go!

The older girls decided to go ride the big rides, so Ashlyn actually went by herself a couple of times. I was so proud of her.

"Oh yea, I supposed to put my hands up in de air!"

Cara, Brooke, and Ash

Brooke & Ashlyn

Cara & Ash

Wheeeeee!

Checking out the fountain. Notice the shell in her hand. That was the make up that they gave her at Sparkle.

She would NOT let go of it the entire day!

Feeding the fish!

Yes, those are little fish mouths popping up out of the water. I have never seen anything like it!

Ash insisted on carrying her bag just like the older girls...she is one of them, right?

The girls being silly outside of Senor Frogs.

What a great road trip. We ate dinner at Hard Rock & headed home. Guess who was asleep as soon as we hit the interstate? No, not me, Mom kept talking to help me stay awake! ha ha

First day at the beach...2011!

The temperature hit 80+, so Ashlyn and I hit the beach!

We had a great time & tried to swim a bit, but clearly the water is not warm enough yet! No big deal, the sand can be just as much fun!

Starting to build a castle, but was bothered that I was trying to take pictures instead of help!

Who needs snow when you can make sand angels?

Rick's Birthday!

Simple but PERFECT night! Ash decorated this cake for Rick & was so excited for him to come home & see it!

Ash guiding Rick into the party room...complete with decorations that she picked out on her own! Unfortunately, there were no Hulk balloons or decor anywhere in town, which was what she thought Rick would like best! It was too precious!

Donuts with Dad!

Our school had their annual Donuts with Dad on March 10th. Rick started his new job on base that week, so we invited Papa to go with Ashlyn. It was really a great morning. The dad's helped the children with a craft...a picture frame that they decorated with turtles and hearts...then we headed over to the library where they enjoyed coffee, fruit, and donuts.

Oh' Papa! I'm so happy to show you my class!

Ashlyn insisted on cutting the donuts before eating them!

Meme's Birthday!

My Grandmother always loved going out for Japanese on her birthday. We went in her honor this year (on her birthday) & it really was nice to all get together and remember the good times we had with her. The kids enjoy going to Myabi's & Yamato's, too, so we decided to turn the tradition into a celebration on my Mom's birthday as well!

Ashlyn loves her "yunyun soup" and tries her best to eat the salad with her chopsticks.

Mom with the grands...Ashlyn, Brooke, and Cara!

Valentine's Day!

The Turtle Pond-2011

Party with her friends at school!

Valentine's night...we had our family tradition, surf and turf. I was a little surprised by Ashlyn's response to the lobster (she has eaten it with no problem several times). She decided that it was "so sad" and opted to just eat steak! After dinner, she and rick read all of her cards from school & enjoyed some chocolates!