More of Miss A

 Trevor is hit or miss on having his picture taken right now so we have more pics of Miss Ashley to document some of the fun things she's been doing.  Like stomping her feet and pulling her hardest on the refrigerator door in anticipation of getting to her current version of heaven...anything food related!

Our friends Ashley and Jeff and their son Bennett came over for a quick BBQ (we were supposed to go to their house but their house is under construction due to water damage) Ashley had fun putting 'lipstick' on Daddy!  Amazing how she knew just what to do with it considering Mommy doesn't really wear any!

 She likes riding on Trevor's old dump truck!

 She zooms, zooms around!!  She likes going around the same path over and over and over!  She concentrates so hard while doing so!

 The girl also LOVES being outside so we're sure thankful we are in AZ and not MN so she can go outside anytime her little heart desires!  We think she's smiling here because she had one of brother's cars in her hands. 

 She parks her walker outside and rings the doorbell to deliver the mail through the little slot.  Then she walks around to the inside and plays with the pop up toys!  She is plenty independent playing all by herself.  And she is doing a great job standing more on her own so likes standing next to the toys and playing without having to lean against them all of the time!

 And of course she plays so hard that she needs a snack break!  Today's treat was Nilla wafers.  Haven't had those in a long long time.  They hit the spot for Mommy too!

Tomorrow Ashley goes in to get blood drawn to test for milk, peanut and corn allergies.  Cross your fingers that we are in the clear for these and that the blood draw is quick and painless!!

So big!!!

 It feels like every post could be titled 'so big' because both of our kiddos are growing like weeds!  At least a few inches in the past few weeks, seriously!  See for yourself how tall Ashley is!  She's so proud to be standing on her little chair...the one Trevor usually stands on while Ashley is getting her diaper changed!

 Even her cute little face looks older!!  And everything goes in the mouth.  She's cutting her last two i-teeth on the bottom.  Should be good for a while until her two year molars are in.  That's all that's left to cut!

 Fortunately she is a good teether....hardly any Tylenol or teething tablets for this one!  She's just as happy as can be.  Dimples and all :)

It's Here!!!

Sara's new car is here!  It's amazing how quickly cars are made nowadays!  We received emails along the process but we're still in shock the really short amount of time it took to go from framing to final inspection!  We're glad though because although it got here ahead of schedule, we've been waiting since the last week of December for Sara's new car!

When we pulled up at the dealership it was sitting front and center and boy was it beaming white!  It looked sharp but Sara was a little nervous about how white it was.  It's just so different than the car she'd been driving for the past 10+ years so it takes Sara's mind a little getting used to.  And she had to talk through it with whomever would listen to make sure she was getting the right color.  In the end, she loved it and off to finance we went!

What an easy process it was!!!  Seriously - that is the way car buying is supposed to be done.  A big thanks to our friends Julie and Bobby for introducing us to their cousin Tino who allowed us to use his friends and family discount!  The Costco program ended up being $75 cheaper (thanks Brian for the last minute number crunching) but the dealership wanted to use the Friends and Family plan to show people use it but still discount us the $75 (or at least Sara thinks that is how it went as she writes this post...she was a bit dazed about her new car to really focus too much on the details :))  She did however negotiate on the warranty on the car so we feel great about not having to worry about any defects, oil changes, other maintenance for 4 years!

Sara got to drive it home and it felt like a dream!  The car is amazing...everything we wanted it to be!  And how cute is this?

Matching white cars!!  Although we still have the same license plates, the garage looks a bit different than when we first moved here less than two years ago.

And now that Sara has her new car, her old car is a distant memory.  Time to make new memories in her brand new car.  Trevor wanted to know where the TV was in her new car, but we reminded him that we love to talk and play I Spy during our car rides!

Eek!!!!!!!!   So exciting!!!  If you see Sara on the road, be careful.  She is the pokey one in the right hand lane.  :)

The Nelsons Visit!!

Sara's cousins and Aunt and Uncle came to visit on Wednesday and she couldn't have been more excited.  These cousins are like sisters to her and they always have such a fun time together.  They are another reason why Sara misses MN....although secretly she's trying to get them to move to AZ.  He he :)

Double as we call her (for Aunt Alice) and Steve came around 11am and Sara's parents and Uncle Don also popped over.  We had lunch before Sara and Steve went to the airport to pick up Katie, Anne and Max.  It's the second year that they've came and spent the night at our house before heading down to Tuscon where Double and Steve rent a house in the winter.  And this year even Double and Steve stayed at our house which was so nice!  

Trevor and Max (almost two and a half) picked up like no time had passed since they last saw each other in August.  This time they really played together too!  Max couldn't get enough of being outside and loved riding Trevor's motorcycle.  No pictures snapped because we were having much too fun playing!  Eventually we came inside (it was a bit chilly which has the been the case the past two years they've been here in February) but we had to eat dinner!  Afterward, Brian surprised us all by whipping out his 'official dishwasher' headband from Grandma Kelly's house and cleaning up dinner.  He's such a great guy!! 

We gave the kids baths that night so that Max could get the plane germies off and so we could recreate a famous bath tub picture of Katie, Anne, Sara and Sara's brother Jim when they were little.  In the previous picture Anne was just big enough to have her big blue eyes peer over the tub and now so did Ashley!  Cute!

The boys of course love Brian....he carried them up to bed and luckily they were so tired they pretty much went to bed.  The rest of us stayed up chatting for a bit and then Katie, Anne, Sara and Brian went in the hot tub and chatted some more while Double and Steve went to bed! 

The next day we made homemade donut holes - only two batches (unlike last year which might have been four batches!!) and then some of us headed to the train park!  Ashley stayed behind to nap and hang out with the grandparents!  The girls and Max thought the train park was pretty cool!  We started with the carousel.

And since Trevor wanted a white horse and Max wanted a brown one they rode in different rows!

Then on to the train!

We tried to get a pic of the boys together and of course we couldn't get one where they were both looking and smiling, but this one is still cute!

 

Trevor was ready for when we were about to go in the tunnel.  Such sensitive ears!

We played a bit in the Western Town as Trevor calls it.

Trevor didn't want a picture by himself but said he wanted one with Anne.  So cute.  She used to be his babysitting girlfriend when he was little.  Wonder if he remembers that!

After we got home we continued on with our family tradition of eating and enjoyed BBQs and homemade mac and cheese.  Yum!  The boys had a bite to eat and then quickly went back to playing!  Balloon fights sure are a lot of fun!

Before they left around 2:00 we snapped a quick pic.  Max had to have the walker in the pic and Trevor is less than thrilled but oh well, still memories!

And by 2:45 after saying he wasn't tired, guess who was sleeping on the couch?  

Our tired camper stayed just like that until 5:20pm!  Those boys played hard.  We're already looking forward to their visit next year (hint, hint) but we'll see them again in MN this summer for sure!

Love

These two absolutely without a doubt, love each other beyond measure.  We are so lucky and blessed to have siblings that want to be around one another all of the time!   Trevor is back into wanting his picture taken...hence this photo but we wanted to send a picture to our friends the Crains back in MN who gave these cute clothes to the kids!

Trevor is also very into taking his own pictures...usually of objects or people around him but here is his first selfie using the phone!!!!

Ashley sure loves having a third big person around the house....when she asks for up and Mommy and Daddy are busy...

...guess who will come and get her!

 Big brother to the rescue!

He locks his arms and holds her tight and carries her to where she wants to go.  It really is so cute because they both have on the biggest smiles as it happens.  He likes helping and she loves that big brother is helping! 

Such a helpful big brother!

Trevor has been anxiously awaiting the day that Ashley would be able to really play with him and the day may have finally come.  He got his wish by being to color side by side with his sister.

He was so cute showing her what to do and gently coaching her into writing.  

He wanted her to learn the letter A for her name :)

It doesn't really surprise us at all that he is such a good helper.  We heard similar at his school conferences last week.  Mrs. Mac and Mrs. Webb reiterated what a sweetheart Trevor is and how he has such an empathetic heart, always checking in with his friends and wanting to make sure everyone is okay.  He is the leader of his class and quite the teacher's helper always telling his classmates what they are supposed to be doing...or not doing!  He isn't shy to tell his teachers that so and so isn't doing what they are supposed to.  Well we knew that was coming, Mommy hears from Trevor often that Ashley isn't following the rules of the house by climbing on chairs and whatnot.  He's hilarious.

He knows all of his letters, numbers, and shapes and clearly knows how to write his name.  He is right on track for kindergarten!  Trevor is different than the other kids in his class because he went to daycare full-time for a year when he was 18 months and then when we moved to AZ he went to daycare/school at Primrose 2 or 3 days a week prior to starting preschool at La Casa.  Then he did Primrose and La Casa mini-3s preschool last year so the point of all that is the kid understands routine and school and learning and relationships.  He could probably jump into kindergarten just fine next year but thankfully he's not old enough and Mommy gets another year of having her boy at home!  We're still deciding which program he will do at La Casa next year.  He has some choices....3 day 4s, 4 day 4s or 4 day 5s (have to be 5 by 12/31).  Most likely his class will move together again (like they did this year) to the 5s so that's probably what Trevor will do as well.  Ugh, decisions!!!!

Sickies :(

Ashley had rather an awful night on Friday.  Up every hour or so, sitting up and crying.  Well poor girl probably couldn't breathe!  This is what her face looked like Saturday morning..

When Mommy tried to snap a second picture, ah choo!

Poor girl.  So we laid low on Saturday so Ashley could rest and get better.  Trevor was excited because that meant a jammie day and we made a gingerbread man, with sugar cookie dough but it worked nonetheless!

He did a great job!  It expanded quite a bit in the oven so it didn't come out looking like this but it did taste yummy!

Saturday was another bad night for Ashley, up every few hours then wouldn't let go of Mommy from 1-3am and on Sunday Trevor woke up with an awful wet, barking cough!  So Brian took him to Minute Clinic where he was diagnosed with an ear infection...which Mommy could hardly believe because usually when he has an ear infection he lets you know and he cries in pain (and often holds his ear).  But, Mommy isn't a doctor so he started his antibiotics before Grandma Pauline and Papa John came over to watch the Superbowl.  

Well at least Ashley was back to her happy self.  In her cute outfit...or her Amish outfit like Daddy called it....and then he said if it was orange it would be a prison jumper.  Oh well, he doesn't understand fashion.  You still look cute Ashley!

The game was well interesting, the commercials were pretty good, our chili and apps were delicious and Daddy even got a few cuddles in!

Poor Trevor though wanted to hang out by himself in the media room and watch the ipad and then he wanted to put himself to bed :(  Well when we went to bed we checked on him and he had a 102 fever and had a bloody nose everywhere.  Poor guy!  So it was good we started the antibiotics even if Mommy didn't think he had an ear infection.

Ashley had an okay night Sunday and Trevor woke up back to 100% on Monday but he stayed home from school because of his fever the day before.  Ashley had an appt to talk about allergy tests since she accidentally had a little peanut butter and broke out around her mouth (same thing happened when she had a homemade donut hole fried in peanut oil)...well guess what?  That little stinker has her first ear infection :(

The pediatrician had to clear some wax out of her to really see but once she did, there was no denying it.  So that explains why Ashley didn't sleep well, it hurt to lay down.  Same with why she didn't nap all day Monday (no joke, not once!).  Mommy should have known but she thought Ashley had an ear infection so many other times after having rough nights only to learn her ears were nice and clear that she thought Ashley was not susceptible to ear infections like her brother.  Wrong!  

Well after two doses of the pink medicine, Ashley slept all night and continues to be her happy self!  This doesn't look like two kids with matching left ear infections, does it?

Oh wait!  Before we forget.....the pediatrician looked in Trevor's ears and doubted that he had an ear infection because they were perfect!  She was skeptical that after just one dose of medicine the day prior and one right before we came in that they would be cleared up, but she didn't see his ears the day before so she couldn't say 100%.  However, since he just had his second dose she said he had to continue with the rest of the days of Zithromax.  Grrrrrrrrr to Minute Clinic!!

Just a typical Friday!

Ashley showing off her mad shape sorting skills.  (Love how she claps after she successfully puts one in)

 Trevor busy hammering away

 Pizza for dinner and the boys 'watching' a movie :)

But Mommy, I'm not tired!

zzzzzz!

We have been deciding to not have Trevor nap in the afternoon as of the past few weeks because he was fighting it and it just wasn't fun for Mommy to deal with that while having a napping baby in the room next door.  So he does a bit of quiet time and then both kids are in bed by 7:30pm which is nice for Mommy and Daddy!

However on Thursday Trevor looked tired.  We had a busy day of fun at Chuck E Cheese for Kennedy's birthday party and he was pooped.  This often happens late in the week because he probably could still use a nap (heck Sara napped all the way up until kindergarten and we know who his father is!).  Mommy tried to tell him that he'd feel better if he went and laid down but nope, he wasn't hearing it.  Guess what?  Within a few minutes, he was sleeping with his ipad :)

To cut or not to cut...that is the question!

Ashley is like her Mama and has a lot of hair!  Many people have asked if we will cut her bangs and the answer-to-date has been no.  There are a lot of clips, bows, headbands and ponytails that work to keep hair out of her eyes...and look cute.  Plus Ashley loves bows!  If she doesn't have one in her hair she often will find one and bring it to Mommy to put in!