Ashlee & her BFF's

Ashlee is such a lucky girl to be blessed with a big family, there are so many cousins and friends to play with. Since she was just a baby, she has become particularly fond of the Olsen's! Honestly they are probably her very best friends. Saturday, Leah, Ashlee's cousin got married ... she had the opportunity to spend some time with her BFF's! I am so grateful that they are close in age so that they can be good friends.
here are a few pictures of Some really cute girls!!

Ashlee with Kylee & Sadie Olsen

Ashlee & Sadie(Look how grown up they look)!

Mikayla Olsen, Ashlee & Sadie


I guess Ashlee wanted everyone to know "She was here"!

Sidenote: Ashlee has shown a real interest in photography. She is always asking me if she can use my camera.... I guess that I will need to get a new one so that she can have mine...(HINT:HINT):)! She actually took some really good pictures of Leah & Leo! So these last two pictures are Courtesy of Ashlee!!

Locks of Love

before
after

Ashlee has pretty much always had long hair, she has had it cut maybe 3 times in her whole life. She was actually trying to let it grow & I think she just got tired of it. So we went & got her hair cut the other night....It looks so cute!! Her hair was so long that they were able to donate her hair to locks of love, this was the 2nd time she has donated! She was very happy that she would be helping someone in need & her haircut was Free!! What could be better than that!

Come on & Play!

Okay, fellow bloggers!! Here's a game I haven't seen before, but my friend actually did this on facebook, it's pretty fun! Do you know the #1 song the day you were born? Go Here and look up the number one song for your birth date. Leave a comment with the #1 song on the day you were born & who sang it!!! PLEASE don't spoil the fun. After you leave a comment copy and paste it to your blog & have your blog visitors do the same!



For example, Mine was:"To sir, With love" by LuLu.



HAVE FUN!!!

"So Cute"!

My friend sent me this in an e-mail & I just thought it was so cute!! I hope you enjoy it, I know I did:)!

"Coraline"

Saturday was the last day that you could see Coraline in 3D. So James decided that he wanted to take Sarah to see it. Ashlee also wanted to see it again, so he (James)invited Ashlee to go with them! Ashlee was so cute... she was pretty flattered that James would "let" her go on a date with him!!

Our Valentine's Day Celebration!

Ashlee made these little candy hearts as her contribution! Oh, how I love her!
She also helped dip strawberries for the boys and dad!

Sarah decorated James' room for Valentine's day, she is so sweet.

Our Valentine's day dinner! Everything was so yummy!

The kids being silly...Too many Chocolate Strawberries!
It's no secret that I love Valentine's day! Every year my kids get a present(usually p.j.s)& I make them a Valentine's dinner! I know it's probably more for me because it is so fun to do! This year we had steak, garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli with cheese sauce, salad & shrimp cocktail! It was soooo yummy! For dessert we had chocolate eclairs, Rum squares & cupcakes. The kids always look forward to it & it is fun way for me to show my family how much I love them!! To see Ashlee's Valentine's day fun, you can go here!

I LOVE.......

14 things I love!

1. The very best husband in the whole world! He takes such good care of me & loves me in spite of my imperfections ( yes,I know it's hard to believe, but I do have imperfections)!

2. I love my 3 beautiful, smart and talented children. They are a challenge, but I wouldn’t trade them for anything in this world.

3. My puppies- past and present!

4. My friends, they are so fun to be with .

5. I love my ward & neighborhood, really, I couldn’t ask for a better one!

6. I love my mom & my family.

7. I love the sound & smell of rain, especially in the spring.

8. I love Chinese food!

9. I love to go to the temple!! It really is my favorite date with Don.

10. I love Rum Squares & Rum cake from Leslie’s Bakery, they are so bad for me, but they are soooo good!

11. I love Valentine’s Day! It is my very favorite Holiday after Thanksgiving & Christmas.

12. I love scrapbooking, it is a great stress reliever!

13. I love to spoil the ones I love…Maybe that's why I love Valentine’s day so much.

14. I love Disneyland!

Flashback Friday!!

I have decided to post an old picture on Friday's!! I love to look at old photos and so do my kids. Ashlee loves to see what I looked like as a child & I love to see how much things have changed....This is a picture of Me & my mom about 1 month after my dad passed away. I really do have an amazing mom!!

Are You Ready For Some Football!!

We always love Super Bowl time. We have made it a tradition to go to Paul & Kathy's (My brother & sister in law)house for a party!James & Don really do like to watch the Football, however the rest of us just love the good food & the Great company, oh and did I mention the great food....Chili, hot wings, chips & salsa, Hot dogs
& popcorn! Paul & Kathy are the best at making every one feel comfortable. At the beginning of the game I think the Steelers were the favored team, but after all of their cheap shots & bad sportsmanship, the Cardinals soon become our favorite & you gotta love Warner & Fitzgerald. I think everyone loved putting on their 3D glasses so they could watch the Chuck preview!! Thanks Kathy & Paul for the fun memories!

Temple Open House

Last night our family had the opportunity to walk through the Draper Temple! It was such a special thing for our children to be able to experience. Don &
I are always telling the kids how beautiful & wonderful the temple is,so this was our chance to let them see it for themselves. It was so fun to see the excitement in their eyes as they walked through. Later on the way home they were asking all sorts of questions that we were able to answer, it is experiences like these that build & strengthen little budding testimonies! I am so thankful for the temple & all the blessings it is in my life.

Max, you left a paw print on my heart

It has been over a month since I lost my precious puppy & I still miss him so much!!Yesterday afternoon the vet's office called & said that his paw print was there ready to be picked up, a moment I had been looking forward to and dreading all at the same time...I guess it was the realization that he really was gone & not coming back, but also for the closure that I needed.. As I got there, I walked up to the desk and told them that I had come to pick up my dog's paw print. The receptionist went to get it from the back. I could tell that I was starting to get a little emotional. Hoping that I could get out of there without having to talk to anyone else, another receptionist came up & asked if I had been helped....right at that moment all those painful memories of that awful night came flooding back. So, holding back my tears I told her that someone was already helping me. Needless to say I cried all the way home & was on the verge of tears for the rest of the day! I am so grateful to have had this precious boy in my life...he has definately left a paw print on my heart! We love & miss you Max!

Mom! Please don't forget.....

So obviously I have a real problem with remembering things, usually I write down important things but, once in a while I will forget something important~and I mean REALLY
IMPORTANT!!! For example, forgetting to pick up my sweet little 6 year old (Ashlee) from kindergarten on early day, 5 years ago(oops~bad mom)! Apparently I have made a lasting impression on my poor daughter... I am convinced that she will NEVER let me live that one down! On Wednesday's Ashlee has dance right after school, so in order for her to get ready on time I have to pick her up! Soo she leaves me reminders~ little sticky notes all over the place, on the fridge, the computer, by the phone, literally everywhere I go during the day! When she gets in the car, the first thing she always says to me is "oh,thanks mom for not forgetting to pick me up"! I actually feel bad knowing that it has come to this...but whatever works. right?

Just For Fun

I was just going through my pictures & I came across this cute picture of Ashlee & her friends from our ward on a trip to the temple grounds & to see a movie at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Ashlee loves all things that have to do with the Church, so these sort of outings are her very favorite! I have a very special girl in my Ashlee! I am also very grateful for wonderful teachers and leaders who do such a good job(Andrea,Jen & Cathy)Ashlee loves you!

Mother/Daughter Ice Skating Party

Today was Ashlee's Acheivement day Mother/Daughter party. You can imagine my excitement when I heard that we would be going ice skating! I have NEVER been ice skating before, so my intention was to go, but not skate, however with all of the peer pressure... I just seemed to cave. Ashlee was very happy that
I decided to skate, she had never been either, so it was quite an experience for both of us! We ended up having a very fun time, mostly it was the great friends and good company. It made me a little sad to know that this is Ashlee's last Mother/Daughter activity for her acheivement days!
Sidenote: Did I mention that we spent most of the time holding on to the sides!?!

"2009"

As we come to the close of one year, we look forward to the starting of another one....I always love to start fresh. A clean slate, if you will. Some things that we are looking forward to in 2009 are:

James finishing 11th grade,and starting his last year of High school.(sniff)

Jake finishing 8th grade & starting his last year of Jr. High.(sniff,sniff)

Ashlee finishing 5th grade & starting her last year of Elementary school.(sniff,sniff,sniff)

Ashlee turning 12, graduating from primary, and going into the Young Womens program. I can't believe my baby is 12 already!

Going to Hawaii(hopefully, I can talk Don into taking me:))

Going to Disneyland in the fall.

We are all excited to see what the new year brings. HAPPY NEW YEAR!