Thunderstorms...

There are some storms coming from the north right now. Ashlyn and I were outside watching the lightening (it was far away but still fun to watch). The wind was blowing like crazy...in fact, it's whistling right now...but there were some dark clouds that were not moving at all. It was very strange. Ashlyn said that "maybe the clouds were glued to the sky." Funny girl. The picture I posted is one where she decided to get out my lipgloss without telling me. I don't think I even wear that dark of a color! She did a pretty good job, though! Plus, she had her sparkly, white powder on. I love my girlie girl/tomboy combo!

Aiden Christopher Martin

I can't believe Aiden is already nine days old. He was born 07.01.09, weighing 6 lbs. 7 oz. and somewhere around 18 inches long (I swear they did not measure him correctly!). We were home Friday afternoon, 07.03.09. Thank goodness for an easy c-section...I actually felt better than the first. It seems like we have had Aiden forever. He just fits; it feels perfect right now.

I have to get this entry done quickly because it's so late right now...almost 3am...and I need to try to go to bed!

A couple of things I want to mention so I don't forget to add them to my kids' baby books:

1. Troy always says after holding Aiden that "he even breathes cute." I just thought that was such a sweet thing to say.

2. He asked Ashlyn about 2 days ago, "Do you want to go help Daddy change his nitrous bottle in his car?" Only from my husband...they love to "work" on the cars together.

A Family of Four...On Wednesday

I go into the hospital this Wednesday for the birth of Aiden Christopher. Since Ashlyn was a c-section, I'm scheduled for another one. I am experiencing some major nostalgia right now. Troy and I have been wishing, hoping and planning for our second child what seems like forever ago. Well, after a quick nine months (honestly), it is here, and I don't feel ready at all.

I feel like I'm starting from scratch as to how to take care of an infant. I can't recall how often I am to feed a newborn, how long he/she needs to sleep, etc. Yes, these are silly things to think about I know. I think I was less anxious about bringing Ashlyn home; things just fell into place. Although this experience seems so new to me, it does seem like just the other day Troy and I were bringing Ashlyn home from the hospital. It was such a strange, wonderful feeling being a true family at that time. (It was also great coming to an empty, clean home!) Oh, the joys we have had with Ashlyn. It almost feels sad and strange to me that she will no longer be the only child. We've wanted a brother or sister for her but she's been just ours for 4 1/2 years. It is because of the wonderful joy Ashlyn has brought us that we are so excited to open our hearts even more for another one. I remember hearing people ask, "How can I love another child as much as I love my first?" My mom always told me that you love each child in a different, special way. This makes such obvious sense to me right now. As nervous as I am for the birth, I can only pray that everything will be fine and can't wait to hold Aiden very soon.

Ashlyn and I were chatting tonight lying in her bed. Such a girl...likes to chat before going to bed. I was telling her that in order for her to be pretty, she must act pretty....nice words, nice actions, etc. (This saying was said to my Mom from her mother, MeMom [whom I never got to meet], to me.) So Ashlyn went on about how she would act pretty/nice to friends. I told her she was going to be a great big sister. She then told me that I was going to make a great Mom and Dad was going to make a great Dad. Too funny and cute...almost brought tears to my eyes.

Just had to get my words down tonight. Not sure who may even read my posts, but I love to go back over them for myself.

For those that may read, please pray for a safe delivery of our healthy baby boy. Thanks.

Oh, and I am very thankful for my parents. I knew that I still had many things to get done before Aiden's arrival; however, I didn't realize how much I had to do and how time consuming those tasks would be. Troy is now off work as of tonight, but there's no way we could have managed what my parents helped with today. Thank you Mom and Dad.

Tonight...

Ashlyn and I were taking a bath tonight. I just love it now because she'll wash and scratch my back...feels so good, especially since I'm pregnant. She asked me if God could see her washing my back so I told her that He could see her.

Then comes the next series of questions:

-Does God live in Heaven or my heart? My answer: He lives in both. (Simple I thought.)
-How can God live in both? He's not a fairy. My answer: silence at first. I told her that He is everywhere.

I guess that answer will appease her for now. I can't wait for the next round of questions/comments in the future.

Soccer Game

Today Ashlyn had a great soccer game. I can't remember how many goals she scored...4-6 maybe? My girl has got some wheels on her, too. Thank goodness for long legs! Any time the other team had the ball, especially for a "break away," Ashlyn would chase them down and take the ball away. Some of the girls will just run right next to the other team when they have the ball; I told Ashlyn to run in front and steal the ball away. She's good at this...sometimes even taking it away from her own teammates!

She had a few falls and got right back up most of the time without tears (FINALLY!). She did have one good fall where she practically did a face plant in the grass. Tears are allowed for those falls! (I sound like a terrible mom!)

Well, I recorded some of her game, although I missed all of her goals. I did, however, get to hear myself yelling on the sidelines. Seriously, this is her first time to play soccer and I already sound like a nut. It's not all my fault...it runs in my family. :) I just have to remind myself that she is 4-years-old sometimes!

Not so Funny

As kids get older, it becomes difficult to talk about serious subjects when they have questions...i.e. death. Troy's Grandpa passed away at the end of last year. Ashlyn was just now in the office with me and said she wanted to write a letter. She wanted to send it to Great Grandpa. I should have gone along with it, putting it in the mail to Heaven, but I didn't want her to think I was making up something. So I told her we could pray to God and He could talk to Great Grandpa. After I finished saying the prayer, Ashlyn said that she wanted to talk to Great Grandpa and then started crying because she missed him. I held her for a bit while she cried, telling her that Great Grandpa was up in Heaven and happy and Jesus was probably talking to him right now. That seemed to help her for now. I just need to prepare myself (or attempt to) for all of the serious questions she's going to ask!

Random Funny Things

Ashlyn and I were sitting outside waiting for Pippi to drop off a couple of dresses. I asked her if she was my girl. She said, "Yes, and you're my girl, too." So sweet...
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A while back, Troy rented a yellow Corvette with a black racing stripe to enjoy for a few days. Ashlyn loved it because the top came off (it had a T-top). So she was looking through a magazine and saw three Infinitis on a page. One was a convertible and Ashlyn asked if it was a Corvette. And just yesterday, she asked Troy if she could help cleaning his car's wheels and tires again. She loves helping her Daddy with the cars.
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Ashlyn loved April Fools Day. She would tell us we had a bug on our face and then immediately say, "April Fools Day!" So it was the morning of April 2nd, and she asked if it was still April Fools Day. I told her that it was only on April 1st...that April Fools Day was over. She thought it over for a bit and then Ashlyn said, "I'm still going to play tricks on you!"

Numeral Composition...Really?

So I asked Ashlyn yesterday what she worked on in school. She answered, "Numeral Composition." Seriously? I am truly amazed how much she has learned since starting Montessori. I know I've said that before, but really? I'm just glad that her learning isn't all left up to me...I would never have thought that she would be adding, subtracting, spelling, learning to tell time, etc. I'm really not trying to brag (well, not too much)...I'm just surprised at the things they are teaching her.

She is enjoying soccer. We are still working on the "falling down and crying." Oh, that is so annoying. Like the competitive person I am, I tell her to "suck it up." We need to see blood before we cry! I know....terrible. She scored another goal last night, and she also took the ball away from the other team. At this age, they just run right next to the person that has the ball. We need to start slide tackling! (She actually did that once but I think she and the other girl were out of bounds.)

Well, I am obviously sleep deprived since I can't stop rambling. Oh...anyone else have not a so great second pregnancy?! Please tell me yes....you can lie. The toilet is becoming my friend, and I don't like that friend.

One Smart Cookie

I know I am a little biased here being the mom, but I am so proud of how much Ashlyn has achieved since starting Montessori. She is learning new words to read and brings home books. She is really good at sounding out her words. Well, today she started her "spelling cards." I'm not really sure what they are (see, I'm not taking ALL the credit!), but I had her get out a sheet of blank paper. Ashlyn wrote out the word "kite." It is a word she just learned....working on long vowel sounds with the silent "e"....but I was amazed she could do it. It is kind of scary. She is growing up so fast!

She's playing soccer and scored a goal in last Saturday's game. She told me she had to take it away from Brielle, one of her teammates, in order to score. Who cares...it went in and she was very proud of herself. I tend to think she might be a Virgo in disguise (like her mommy and daddy) because we are often perfectionists. Glad I'm past that now! I guess it's more of the first born syndrome because she can be very tough on herself.

She is so excited to be a big sister she can hardly stand it. She feels my tummy for Aiden's kicks....they are becoming much more prominent now. The other day she walked into my room with her soccer ball under her shirt. I had to remind her that she must first be married before she has a baby....oh, and she must be married to a boy!!! Crazy, I know, but you never know these days!

Silly Girl

Yes, I know that it has been a long time since my last post (for those that might actually read it). I felt terrible for not putting up any pics since her 4th birthday so I just let it go.

Ashlyn is still her loveable, crazy self. Two nights ago, she had me laughing. I let her watch American Idol with me.....she loves all that stuff....Dancing with the Stars (which actually turns out with me watching her dance), So You Think You Can Dance, etc.

Two night ago, Ashlyn was "on" Idol. She had me pretend there were people singing ahead of her and I had to eventually call her in and be her "judge." I clapped and yelled, or course. She did this a few times and finally whispered to me during her performance, "This time, I'll make it to Hollywood." Surprisingly, she made it through to Hollywood! So what did she do? She sat on the floor and pretended she was on a plane and I brought her snacks. She wanted chicken nuggets and milk. I almost forgot to put the "lid and straw" in before I gave it to her. Bad Mommy! :)

It just floored me that she knew she would most likely take a plane to California, especially since she has never been on a plane. (Our poor, poor daughter.) Maybe to Disney World soon...

Ashlyn is just starting soccer and had her first practice last Tuesday. Today, we go to soccer practice and then straight to dance. Seriously, what am I going to do with two kids?! I'm sure my mother will love seeing me driving kids all around for various activities. That's what mothers are for, right?

Happy 4th Birthday, Ashlyn!

Well, it's hard to imagine that my angel is already 4 -years-old. It just seems like the other day that I was in the hospital holding her. I am so thankful for my precious girl. She has given me so much happiness....and also some craziness.

I woke her up in the morning on her birthday (November 19th) singing, "Happy Birthday." She was NOT in the mood to get up...so much like her mother. (I can't wait until she's a teenager!) Maybe it was my singing, but she didn't really budge. I finally told her that she was four today. She popped up her head and said, "I'm four?!" That's all I had to tell her, although one would think singing Happy Birthday would be a dead give away. I guess for all the hype about her birthday, it finally dawned on her that the day had arrived and she was actually four.

I had told her about going to her new doctor since she was now four-years-old. I did go ahead and warn her in advance that she would be getting more shots. (I think this really is the first time she actually remembered what shots were.) Thursday evening, a day after her actual birthday, she came up to me and said, "Mommy, you forgot to take me to the doctor to get my shots!" Ashlyn actually seemed alarmed that she had missed out. Luckily I was able to tell her that she was going on Friday. I think she told just about everyone we saw that she was four-years-old and was going to the doctor to get her shots. I don't think she'll ever forget what shots are now after the last doctor's visit! She got 5 shots and ended up with about three or four bruises from the shots....poor girl. I'll post some bday pics when I'm back at my computer...

Disturbing Incident

The title pretty much sums it up. Ashlyn changed out of her church clothes mid-afternoon (finally...I'm practically undressing as I walk in the house!). OK--after writing that last statement, maybe I'm somewhat at fault.

Anyways, Ashlyn was outside playing by herself on the swing set while I was doing things around the house. I peeked out the blinds and saw her standing at the highest point of her swing set with her jeans AND panties down to her knees! I was shocked when I saw her, needless to say. Thank goodness she was inside the little "hut" area where it's mostly enclosed and the neighbors weren't out. When I opened the door, she hid in the tunnel part of her swing set, obviously knowing that what she was doing was HIGHLY inappropriate!

This just happened about 30 minutes ago and I'm still shocked. I guess she needs to know that you're only allowed to walk INSIDE the house jaybird! :) We're heading out on a bike ride...with clothes on.

Halloween

Yes, I haven't posted in a long time, and it's a tad late to be posting Halloween pics. Oh, well...her birthday is coming up soon so I'll have some pictures then, too!

Ashlyn dressed up as a cheerleader. It was all her idea this Halloween. At this age, you quickly realize that kids make their own decisions. She enjoyed the church "trunk or treat" and also loved going house to house. She would be in such a hurry to get to the next house that she would ramble, "Happy Halloween, thank you, trick or treat." She would say those three in any order, most of the time not making any sense.

Well, this is all for now!

My cheerleader

This last one is of her at the Fall Festival party. They had karaoke...Ashlyn saw the microphones and started singing. She sang her ABC's first. Out of all the songs she knows, why the heck did she pick the ABC's? So I suggested "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"....something....anything besides the ABC's! I don't think I have a shy daughter. She may be following her older cousin, Alannah, with the "center of attention syndrome." :) I'm just glad she is already so confident.

Fall Festival Party

Avlyn's school had a party yesterday afternoon/evening. All the kids got to dress up in their Halloween costumes. Alannah, Avlyn and Ashlyn had a blast. Here are a couple of pics.

My ballerina

Ashlyn loves going to her new dance class she recently started. If you ask her, however, she's been doing ballet for quite some time now. Like most little girls her age, she loves to sing and dance. Anytime and ANY place she hears music, she starts dancing. I have told her to "shake, shake what your momma gave you." Guess I'm partially to blame!

Grandparents' Social

Ashlyn went with Pippi and Pops to her school's Grandparents' Social last Friday. Since school started, Ashlyn has been talking about this boy named Diego. Seriously, it's Diego. I found out that when Ashlyn first saw Diego at the social, she blushed with her face turning bright red. Isn't she too young for this?! We then saw him at Target yesterday with his dad. She was trying to hide behind me then he kind of chased her around. She wouldn't even talk to Diego. (Oh, and he is a real cutie...sandy blonde/brown hair witht he cutest smile. Wait, who has the crush now!) Ashlyn was constantly looking for Diego the rest of the time we were at Target. Ashlyn is rarely shy but she must have a little (actually big) crush on this boy. Once again, isn't she too young for this?!!!

Ashlyn's "new" bedroom

Troy has been wanting me to put curtains up in Ashlyn's room for some time, mainly to block out the early morning sun. I was shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond but couldn't decide on ANYTHING. I finally decided to get Ashlyn a new bed in a bag that was on sale and then went to pick out some curtains that would go well with it. I've got the curtains up over her French door-windows and then I picked up some more today for the other two windows that flank her bed. I'm finally starting to decorate her room. It's nice to get some curtains up so now I can pick out some things to go on the walls, etc. We're hoping to get some drapes for the living room. We're getting help picking out the fabric, having them made, and then installed...I'm not hanging those things!

It's all about the hair...

I ask Ashlyn everyday what she does at school. Her answer is always, "I don't know." Are we already at that age yet? I actually have to pry to find out if she went to garden, computers, art, spanish, music, etc. and then find out what "work" she did and who she played with on the playground. I'm finally able to get some answers then.

Well, I found out about a week or two ago that there is this girl in her class named Abigail (oh, and don't get her confused with Abby...Ashlyn will keep you straight!). Apparently Abigail wears her hair in two braids. This style seems to have become quite the following of some of the other girls in the class, too. I mentioned it to Carissa, and she's been doing Brielle's hair in two ponies and in braids (Brielle's hair is a little too short to be pulled straight down in two braids Carissa said).

I decided to start a "new hair trend." I put Ashlyn's hair in a French braid for school one morning. The first time it took me quite some time, but I think I'll get better at it. It looks so cute on her with her hair all pulled back and out of her face. I'll get a picture of the French braid soon and put it on here, too. She asked me on the way to school one morning if I would make her a French fry braid. Silly girl! She loves to take her hair out of the braids to make "crazy hair." She just laughs at herself in the mirror with her wavy, frizzy hair.

Bike Riding

These pics are from right around Troy's bday, which was the 8th of September. I just love that one of her and Troy, and then I ran across these right before I was going to write about our bike ride tonight.

When we have some time and energy to kill, Ashlyn loves to ride her bike. Troy was still working so it was just us two girls. We had a great time, and Ashlyn decided not to wear her elbow and knee pads (she usually HAD to have these on). She told me she wasn't going to fall. When I'm riding behind her, no matter if she has pads on or not, I'm scared to death she is going to fall! She gets going so fast, usually when Troy races ahead of her. Yes, we're on the same theme...she is very competitive, but I'm not complaining...ha. So we were riding with helmet only. She was on the very last turn right before crossing the street to head to our driveway when she forgot to slow down and make the turn. She went off the curb and landed on her "precious" right elbow and knee. She started to cry but I told her to pick her bike up, and so she picked it up and rode the rest of the way home. When she was washing her hair tonight, I told her that she was "one tough cookie." She thought that was funny and wondered why I was calling her a cookie. Being her silly self, she said that she was "one tough twizzler." Once again...really?!