Road Trip 2010

Heading West

So, Rick was assigned to air drop training in Altus, Oklahoma for about five weeks. After a little thought, we decided that Ashlyn and I would tag along. It would be a long journey, but we love road trips & love the idea of seeing Daddy everyday for a change! We packed up & headed out on Monday, the 21st. We had hopes of making it to Birmingham the first day, and we wanted to have time to do dinner with friends. Well, after a late start, some animal drama, DVD rewiring, and a wrong turn, we decided to call it a night!

Tuesday morning, we were up bright and early. We met my friend, Brittany, and her children for coffee. Brittany used to live in Mt. Pleasant. (Lincoln & Ash were at The Little Gym together) Next, we hit the McWane Science Center in downtown. It was REALLY cool. There were four stories of things to do. The toddler floor was awesome. They were having a special Mr. Potato Head exhibit. Ashlyn also really liked the aquarium that was on the lower level. She enjoyed watching the sharks in the touch tank, but her hand never made it to the water!

It only took Ashlyn a minute to decide that the slide really did look okay...maybe even a tiny bit inviting! She went down it a few times!

Rick and Ashlyn waiting on Lincoln to come down the slide.

Lorelei did not want Lincoln and Ashlyn to have all of the fun, so she went through a few of the tunnels! She was super cute and smiled all morning!

The touch screen toddler computer...a big hit!

Ash and Lincoln playing with the light wall. They loved moving the pegs around and watching the colors change.

Ashlyn and I with Brittany, Lincoln, and Lorelei after lunch. We ate at Whole Foods so that we could say "hi" to Jim, Brittany's husband. He is a manager at the store. The kids were pretty tired by the time we decided to get a group shot...sorry!After visiting with the Taylor's for the morning, we got back on the road. We drove for about 8 hours. Ashlyn was so tired that she slept for almost four! We stopped just outside of Little Rock for the night. We all slept late the next morning & then we hit the highway once more. We made it to Altus by 6 pm. Ashlyn pretty much tackled the words Birmingham, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. (One at a time, or it gets a bit crazy!) The base dorms were full, so we were placed in a nearby hotel for a few days. Ashlyn still keeps saying that we are going to go to Oklahoma. Hate to tell her, but this is it!!!

Day 1 in Altus, Oklahoma...Ash and I hit the pool on base for the afternoon, while Rick went to class. It was SO hot. They were saying that the heat index was going to be 116 in the mid afternoon...I believe it! Thank the Lord that the toddler pool is under a tent!

After a nap, we went to dinner at a little place in town called Val's.

Hanging out in the hotel room & watching TV way after our bed time. Daddy was working on the computer & did not notice the time, so we pretended not to notice either! Mommy & Me!

......Still having FUN!

This past week we stayed pretty busy. It all started with the awards day at The Little Gym!

Rick and Papa joined us for class. Ashlyn was a little out of sorts. She usually does everything & has the best time...not Thursday! She wanted me to hold her during all of the tasks. It was so silly! She did a few tricks, but not like normal. At one point, she and Papa did roll around on the floor laughing. No, that was not a required stunt. It did change her mood a bit, though.

Thanks Papa!!!
Papa & Me
Showing off... just a little!


Ms. Valerie, Ashlyn's FAVORITE!!!

Ms. Valerie has been Ash's teacher ever since Ashlyn was 4 months old. Valerie is moving to Florida, so it was our last class with her. We sure will miss her smile and spunk. She made our trips to TLG so much fun!!! We liked her so much that we used to pick our class according to the days that she would be teaching!

Friday night, Rick and I took Ash to see Shrek 4. It was her first movie. (Well, actually, she went with Nana, Aunt Sissy, and I to see Mama Mia, when she was very tiny. She slept through most of the movie.) We ate popcorn, Twizzlers, and shared a Coke. Ash LOVED it! She was not too sure about the dark room, so she took turns sitting with Daddy & Mommy!!! When the lights came on for us to leave, she said, "more?"

On the way out of the theater, we stopped to play some video games. Ashlyn's favorite was driving the cars with Daddy!

Sunday, we went to our cousin, Hayley's, 1st Birthday party. It was at a park & boy was it HOT!!! The heat index was 114. Ash chose to hang out under this tree & drink juice.

She figured out the bouncy ball pretty quickly!

Uncle Matt came to visit for a couple of days. We went to the pool with him on Monday. Ashlyn really enjoyed dumping her bottle of water on his head. I think she would have done it for hours! She is starting to really get comfortable in the pool. At one point, she was jumping to me without her puddle jumper swimmies on!

Glenda, Cara, and Brooke came to visit us on Tuesday. We went back to Nana's pool for the afternoon. We took lunch with us & had a wonderful time. They spent the night with us & we watched Monster's Inc.

Girls Just Want to Have FUN!!!

Week One...Summertime F U N !!!

Ready to face the heat! After a couple days of being lazy, we were ready to start our summer. Ashlyn and I decided to hit the beach & we invited Alli (our neighbor) and her friend to join us. Can I help?

Running with the "Big" girls!

Swimming with Mommy! Ash had a blast & after just a few minutes she would splash around on her own. Back and forth between Alli and I, she was screaming, "sim'in like Ariel!"

A break and a snack...

Twizzlers - Make mouth HAPPY!!!

Day two...beach with Alli!

Day three...Splash Island with Mommy's Circle from church!

Day four...Nana's pool. We were Chillaxin' in da sun!Day six...Brooke and Cara came to visit. We went to see Shrek 4 in 3D, and hit the beach again!

Ummm Mommy, the strap is in your way!

In case you were wondering, I did not force Ash to have all of this fun. Each morning she would wake up & right away make her decision. "Ashy go beach or Ashy go pool" - first words out of her mouth! I knew we were going to have a "Carolina Girl!"

School's Out for Summer..............

Ashlyn and I took a couple of days to just hang out and relax. We stayed up a little later, and slept a little longer. It was exciting. The first night, we waited up for Rick to get home for work. Ash was so excited. You can see, she still LOVES playing in Daddy's boots. Bless her...she has become a bit braver...she puts his socks on, too!
I think this shirt explains her, perfectly!

Madelyn and Aunt Tess came to visit for the night.

Madelyn was 1 in January. This was their second time getting to play together. Ashlyn was very proud to "shaaare" her toys.

School Play!!!

On the last day of school, the kids put on a play for all of the parents, families, and friends. Our class did pretty well. They marched in together & actually sat up front quietly. Ms. Sue told the story of the school & then the ones sang "The Wheels on the Bus".Waiting on their time to sing.....

When it came time for the ones to go onto the stage to sing, the boys decided to head out...to their moms, so the girls kept it together & did the hand motions to the song.

Ashlyn was tired of all of the performing, so she took a quick break & stretched her legs! Yes, that is our little dear lying down!

Then, she did NOT want to leave the stage!

At the end of the play (each class sang a couple of songs & the fours recited scripture) everyone sang "Jesus Loves Me Everyday!" It was awesome! The kids all danced, too!

During practice that morning, Mimi was helping me with the class. Ashlyn was so excited that she was with us, that she wanted to sit with her instead of the class. This turned out to be a problem, but a blessing, too. We had a heads up for the real show...don't let her see any of the family! It was hilarious...they snuck in, sat over to the side & every time she looked that way, they all held their programs up to cover their faces. You can see the huge smile on her face as she discovered that Daddy, Uncle Matt, Mimi, Nana, and Papa were in the audience!

We had a class party after the play. Hannah and I brought snacks and cupcakes for the kids and their families. We ended up having 21 visitors for our little group. It was very sweet. The kids were so nice & brought us flowers and all sorts of goodies. I am going to miss the this summer!

Chatting with the class Moms.

Yum, yum, yummy!!!

Last Week of School!

Ashlyn and I really enjoyed our first year at HIS School. We both made new friends; she had wonderful classmates and I was surrounded by best team of teachers ever! It didn't take any thought when we were asked if we would be coming back in the fall...of course! Oh' I have to add, after many prayers, I have excepted the job teaching the twos next year! Yea!!!

Bubbles are still a BIG hit. I think kids may love them forever!

Chapel...Every Wednesday, our class went to chapel. It started out to be quite the challenge for the ones. In the beginning, we had to take them in a stroller. After Christmas break, we started taking them to the front row. We would make it through the singing & then sneak out. By the end of the year, our little angels could make it the whole 30 minutes!

A close up of Ash...I wanted to prove that she really sits still and pays attention! I am so proud of her. She even remembers the words to some of the songs. She has repeated them to me at home! Her favorite is, "Jesus Loves Me Everyday!"

The Friday one's sitting still while Ms. Karen reads a book. I never thought it would or could happen! The kids really surprised us all this year!

You might think she's crazy.....So, all of the classes were having a water day during the last week of school. Well, all of the classes except for the ones. I thought long and hard & decided that I was not happy with that decision. Maybe the pool idea was too much, but there had to be a compromise. Hannah and I talked & agreed that our one's deserved some fun, too. with that, we brought a slip n slide, some crazy sprinklers, bubbles, and snacks. It turned out to be a wonderful day! We love our little ones!!! Slip N Slides & Sprinklers....it was great! The kids had a blast & I am proud to announce that there was not a single melt down...SUCCESS!!!

Avery & Ash...we met Avery & her Mom, Julie, when Ashlyn was 4 months old. Avery was in Ashlyn's Little Gym Class. You might remember her from the Halloween pictures. She was the adorable little goldfish. I was blessed to have her join us at HIS School & in my class. Avery welcomed little sis, Macey, one week after school was out! Congrats Julie!

The key to every one year old's heart...fruit snacks and popsicles!

The class...Ms. Hannah, Andrew, Kiera, Avery, Luci, Ashlyn, and Ms. Leah! Not pictured...Matthew, as he does NOT sit, ever! Ha ha I am really going to miss my little buddies!!! They will all be moving into other classes next year, except for Avery, she will be with Ashlyn again!