Ashley, Party of Five

Easter '09

2009-04-21T11:56:00.005-04:00

We had a very busy Easter weekend - an Easter egg hunt Saturday, the girls had one Sunday morning during church and then we went to another one Sunday afternoon! Needless to say we came home with ALOT of eggs (real and plastic) and way more candy than we need! Enjoy the tidal wave of pics!

Here are the eggs the girls & I colored and decorated ... I thought they were too cute!

Easter morning with their Easter baskets - candy, notebooks, pens, pencils, etc ...

Kaden got cars, a motorcycle, a play cell phone and plastic eggs that looked like - you guessed it - balls!! Baseballs, footballs, soccer balls, basketballs ... he was thrilled!

Sunday afternoon our friends the Crofts invited us to join their family for lunch and an egg hunt. Well the food was wonderful - and there was plenty of it. But the eggs were outrageous - there were 714 Easter eggs (about 100 real, the rest plastic). No it is not a typo - 714 eggs!! And probably about 20+ kids so ... eggs galore!! Then after the egg hunt they held a scavenger hunt. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time.

Here is Kaden getting a jump start on the egg hunt ...

The kids anxious to go - and Marshall keeping them from a false start! LOL

I think she may have spotted one ... LOL

Grace is getting a little old for the egg hunting I think - she wasn't quite as enthusiastic!

Little man filling up his basket ... yes it is a baseball! : )

Grace throwing the peace sign ... LOL

Abby's basket was about to bust with eggs!

Kaden tired out of egg hunting once he saw the swing. I love this picture!

My girls being (kinda) sweet for a picture ...

And still hunting eggs ...

Clues about the last prize egg - they had all walked past it a hundred times!

Well that wraps it up for our Easter egg-stravaganza (LOL) .... hope you enjoyed the pics!

Easter Party

2009-04-21T11:28:00.006-04:00

Our sweet friend Nikki hosted an Easter egg hunt / party at her parents' house for the kids the Saturday before Easter. We all had so much fun - and great food! These are the "chicks" Nikki's Nanny made for the kids - they were too cute to eat!

This is Nikki's cute little setup and Easter decor ...

This is the bunny cake Missy made - so creative, and yummy!Grace soakin' up the rays by the pool ...

The girls eating all the goodies before the egg hunt ...

This is my dream backyard!

The kids inside listening to Ms. Kelly (Nikki's mom) read stories while we hid Easter eggs ...

And the hunt begins! Kaden wasn't real sure at first - this is the first year he's been old enough to really "hunt" eggs ...

But he got the hang of it quick - except he kept calling the eggs "ball!" and throwing them!

All the little ones and their baskets ...

Abby found the prize egg ($3) on the other side with the bigger kids ...

My family! I am so blessed and thankful!

Goody bags!!

Grace checking out the loot ...

Kaden trying to figure out how to get the candy out of the egg ...

Emma and Hannah checking out the goody bags ...

Kaden and Sarah discussing the hunt I think ... LOL

The kids dangling their feet in the pool, really wishing they could just dive in!

It was a beautiful day and we had a great time - thanks Nikki!

April '09

2009-04-21T11:17:00.006-04:00

This is Quick Draw Ashley with his new toy his Daddy bought him - a holster and two guns! He loves to play with them and "shoot" us. He has also learned that if one of us "shoots" him, he says "Ooohhh! Ahhh!" and falls over. It is too cute!

Here is Georgia taking away Zeke's chew toy - and his dog bed. He's so little compared to her that he doesn't stand a chance!Then once Georgia got up, Kaden took over!

Finally, Zeke got his bed back ...Just a random nature photo ...

This is Clint and Kaden boxing ...

My future UFC champ ...

April is not quite over yet so keep looking - there will (hopefully) be more to come!

March Madness

2009-04-21T11:02:00.005-04:00

Here are some random pictures from March ...

This is Zeke the newest addition to the Ashley family. He is part American bulldog and part "your guess is as good as mine" ... LOL I saw him on the side of a busy highway and we stopped to see if he belonged to anyone. He did but they wanted to get rid of him b/c they couldn't keep him out of the road, so ... guess who rescued him?! He is cute as can be though and the kids are really enjoying him. His first night home he had to share the pen with Georgia - she was not happy. She scooted as far over as she could and pouted all night long. She wouldn't even look at us! The next night Zeke had his own pen and she was much happier!

Here is Kaden being silly in his Daddy's hat ...

Sidewalk art by the girls ...

Georgia enjoying the outdoors with the kids ...

The girls hanging out in one of the favorite spots - the tree in the front yard ...

Kaden looking up at his sisters being monkeys in the tree ...

The weather was really starting to get beautiful during March - thank goodness the kids could get out and run around!!

St Simons / Jekyll

2009-04-21T10:26:00.005-04:00

On our way back from Hilton Head we detoured through St. Simons and Jekyll. We climbed the lighthouse at St. Simons but none of us were brave enough to walk around the top! We took the kids to play at a park down by the pier and walked out on the pier where everyone was fishing. I love some of the roads there with the beautiful trees arched over the roadway.

While on Jekyll we just parked in one of the public lots and let the kids walk on the beach. They were upset b/c there weren't very many shells but they did find one of the things Jekyll is famous for - jellyfish!! And of course Kaden chased a bird around! : )

Hilton Head Part 2

2009-03-04T16:12:00.004-05:00

Saturday morning we got up and enjoyed some more time on the beach before we had to checkout. It was a little warmer this time but still too cold to get in the water!

I found this oyster shell with a tiny little crab in it. The girls thought it was so cool!

Here the girls are picking up shells - that was their favorite thing about the whole trip.

Here is one of Kaden's little buddies ...

The girls looking for more shells - isn't the background beautiful?

The sun was too bright for Kaden! He won't keep his sunglasses on though, so he just fussed about it ... LOL

Me and the girls on the beach ...

Clint and the kids on the beach ...

The view from our balcony at our hotel - the ocean is out there, it's just hard to see! The resort was beautiful and we look forward to going back, hopefully soon. And when it's warmer!

Hilton Head Island

2009-03-04T15:32:00.005-05:00

We got to Hilton Head Island late Friday afternoon. We stayed at the Hilton Oceanfront Resort - it was very nice! It was cold and windy but we still got to enjoy the beach and just being away, together as a family. This is a pic I snapped when we first got to Hilton Head ...

This is a shot of our room - it also had a little kitchen area and a nice bathroom. These are the most comfy hotel beds EVER!

We put all of our stuff down in our room and then hurried out to the beach, just at sunset. It was so pretty!!

I believe that my Father is an incredible artist. Check out this sunset He painted for us ...

The girls really wanted to get in the water but it was way too cold and I didn't want any sick kids when we got back home. Kaden was more interested in all the birds. He kept pointing and saying "Bird! Bird!"

Here are some of Kaden's little bird buddies ...

This is the girls - as you can tell the wind was really kickin' and it was COLD!

Clint and Kaden enjoying the beach - and the birds!

Clint and I on the beach - the only picture of us the entire trip! It took about 20 to get just this one!

Clint and the girls, enjoying the artistry of the Father ...

We went and ate at Fudrucker's that night - good burgers, even better milkshakes! Here is Clint posing for the camera ...

This is Kaden eating a pickle!

The girls sharing a chocolate milkshake ...

Kaden and me sharing the other half of Clint's strawberry shake ...

And then we went back to the room and everyone passed out before 9:30 that night!!!!

Savannah

2009-03-04T15:22:00.004-05:00

We took a spur of the moment trip a few weeks ago to Hilton Head, SC. I found a great deal on-line and we were long overdue for a trip out of town. We stopped in Savannah for lunch and walked along River Street. It was my first time in Savannah, and the kids, so we really enjoyed it. This is a picture of the bridge out of Savannah, taken from River Street ...

This is Clint & the kids walking along one of the beautiful streets downtown ...

This is Clint and Kaden on the "pirate ship" as Abby called it. Actually it's a beautiful boat called the Peacemaker that is open to the public.

This is the girls on the deck of the Peacemaker ...

And this is the Peacemaker ...

February Misc

2009-03-04T15:06:00.005-05:00

Clint grilled ribs & chicken for us last weekend and we invited my Daddy & Matt over to eat. Clint was so proud of his masterpiece (and it WAS delicious) so I thought I'd post pictures!

Kaden and his Peepa - they sure do love each other!

Kaden and his Uncle Matt - he looks just like him and he loves him to death! Vice Versa!Kaden playing the guitar, complete with HeeHaw straw hat.

Kaden loving on me after he headbutted me and cracked my nose - AGAIN!

Kaden in Grace's bike helmet - yes it's purple, but that's okay!

Kaden showing his belly ...

And yes I know all the pics were of Kaden but you have to understand as a stay at home Mom, he's here with me all the day so I get to capture all his cute stuff. I promise I love my girls, too - and I'll try to take more pics of them!! LOL

Father Daughter Dance

2009-03-04T14:49:00.004-05:00

Abby's school hosted a Father-Daughter Dance this year and Clint took both of his girls. The girls were beautiful and Clint cleaned up pretty well, too! : ) They enjoyed a night of dancing and playing with their friends, then dinner out with their Daddy. Here are some pics - enjoy!

January'09

2009-02-26T14:06:00.007-05:00

Happy New Year from the Ashley's! Yes I know it's late, but better late than never! We spent New Year's Eve with the Dashers (my family we missed Christmas Eve) eating and playing Wii. We had a great time that night ...

Here are some random pictures from January including but not limited to ... Abby learning to ride her bike all by herself, Grace being a cutie in her Daddy's hat, me getting my first tattoo, Clint bathing our dog (aka horse!) Georgia and Kaden just getting into all kinds of stuff - his first apple, brushing his teeth by himself, climbing in the dryer, etc. Enjoy!!

Christmas'08

2009-02-26T13:35:00.005-05:00

Okay as promised I am playing catch up on my posts. Christmas'08 at the Ashley house was wonderful - and busy. We stayed home Christmas Eve for the first time ever (our family we usually see went out of town this year) and then woke up Christmas morning (we had to wake Kaden up) and opened gifts. Mid-morning Daddy, his girlfriend & her two daughters, my brother Matt & his fiance Ashley came over and we spent time with them. Then after lunch we went to Clint's mom's house and that night to my grandmothers! Yes we were very busy! But we had a wonderful time all around - the girls got most everything they asked for and it was probably one of the best Christmases ever. We are very thankful for all of our blessings. Here are some pictures - only a few, though I took a TON!

Don't Give Up On Me!

2009-02-24T16:59:00.002-05:00

Hello! Yes I am still here - Marsha asked me today if I had given up on the blogging world. No I haven't - I've just been slack and haven't stopped to post anything. One reason is my computer is old and for some reason posting blogs takes FOREVER and I run out of patience! Another reason is that my very active 1 1/2 year old keeps me busy and doesn't like for me to sit at the computer for very long. When he's sleeping, I try to catch up on cleaning. And once the girls get in from school, there is no rest until 9 or 10 at night!! So I promise I'll make it a goal to post at least once a day until I catch up from Christmas thru our weekend trip we got back from Saturday night. Be patient and have mercy on me! Hope all of my friends are well. Much love to you all and GOD BLESS!!

The Ashley Christmas Tree

2008-12-04T10:31:00.007-05:00

We went Monday and got our Christmas tree from Hambricks - everyone was excited! Kaden found sticks when we got there and that kept him entertained the entire time! I found the PERFECT tree the minute we started looking, but no one else wanted the Charlie Brown Tree - just kidding. It did look pitiful and I felt sorry for it!! Seriously, we found our perfect tree rather quickly (good thing, too, because it was chilly!) and Clint went to work cutting it down for us. We decorated it the next night and it turned out beautifully! The only problem is keeping Kaden out of it. He likes to touch the lights and thinks he needs to take the ornaments off of them b/c they are balls - one of his favorite things. I also put a little tree up in his room - it's blue & orange, Auburn colors. And the girls have a small tree in their room that they decorated themselves - gorgeous! We are all getting in the Christmas spirit around the Ashley house! Enjoy the pictures!

Thanksgiving Visit with the Glas Family

2008-12-02T14:20:00.007-05:00

We had the privilige to visit with the Glas family over Thanksgiving weekend. Marsha and I have been friends since 5th grade and the four of us went to high school together. Jason & Marsha have three beautiful children and it was such a pleasure to visit with them. Marsha is an excellent photographer and honored me by taking some pictures of our family. They turned out so good! Here are a few pictures from our visit ...

Thanksgiving Day

2008-12-02T13:52:00.010-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, full of food and quality time with our families. Silly me forgot to take pictures until we were leaving "Uncle" Robby & "Aunt" Barbara's so I had to snap a few of the only people who were left - us and the Dashers! Then I completely forgot at the Schools dinner, so we only have a few of the actual Thanksgiving Day! Enjoy them anyway ...

Clint & Will

Grace, Aunt Barbara & Delaney

Grace, Kaden, Delaney & Abby

Uncle Robby

Catch Up!

2008-11-17T15:11:00.000-05:00

Well I have been slack on my blog and thought I'd play a little catch up ...

Grace finished her first season of soccer a couple weeks ago. She really enjoyed playing and we're looking forward to next season. Clint is threatening to coach, so ... If so I feel sorry for Grace b/c I know what it's like to play for your Daddy!! LOL

Abby didn't play soccer or cheer this year, she just likes playing at the ball park with her friends. She is doing really well in school - she loves it, thank goodness. She continues to be as creative and energetic as always.

Kaden is continuing to grow - I have lost my baby, he is now a little boy. He talks alot but we only understand a few basics - ma ma, da da, gace, bee(abby), dog, and his favorite is to scream at the top of his lungs if he doesn't get his way. He says thank you when you give him something (at least we think that's what he says) but every time it sounds a little different. He has now entered his climbing phase and he is fearless - can you say uh-oh?!

We are all really enjoying going to Cornerstone. Grace has been talking to us about being baptized (she accepted Jesus in December 2005) and we prayed with Abby yesterday and she accepted Jesus. It's really a blessing to us to have children that know and understand this at such a young age. The neat part is they were both 6 years old when we prayed and it was around the same time for each of them. We will talk with our Pastor about having them both baptized soon. Kaden is finally staying in the nursery and making little friends which I think is great - Clint and I actually get to enjoy the entire service now without wrestling a small bear!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy these pics and I'll try not to take so long to post some more.

Fall Fun

2008-11-17T14:36:00.005-05:00

We have had several fun social events over the last month. First of all, our church home group had a dinner the week of Halloween and the kids all dressed up. We had lots of good food and fun. Here are a few pictures of the kids all dressed up.

Then we had a Hallelujah Night at the church - they had games, food, trunk or treat and the kids dressed up. Grace was a 50s girl and Abby was a kitty. In this picture, she had wiped her nose off in protest. That's my little drama queen. Kaden was a pumpkin - he's not really old enough to enjoy the whole dress up. Next year will be fun though.

Yesterday was Youth Day at church. The youth of the church led the entire service - they sang on the praise & worship team, the girls were in a dance with a group of other kids (I didn't take pictures) and gave testimonies. Afterwards, we had our family picnic with lots of great food and fun. The kids participated in a Fear Factor type game - it was really gross, so I'll spare you the details. Below are some pics of the kids at church during the Fear Factor - complete with slime, worms and push ups!

Rebels Soccer

2008-11-17T10:45:00.006-05:00

Grace played soccer for the first time this year. It was actually really fun and by the end of the season she had made some really great progress. As a matter of fact, the second to last game of the season that we won - she made the winning goal. She was very proud - and so were we. Here are some pictures of the season ...

Kaden's 1st Birthday Party

2008-09-25T10:55:00.002-04:00

Our little man had his 1st birthday party on Sunday, September 21st. We had an all boy party, per his Daddy - dump trucks, bulldozers, etc. As you can tell from these pics, Kaden enjoyed his own little cake very much! At first he was a little hesitant to dig in, but once he realized he wasn't going to get in trouble, it was on!

We are so blessed with such wonderful family and friends who joined us to celebrate this special day. Kaden has brought such joy to our lives, as have Grace & Abby.

There aren't a lot of pictures b/c we were kind of rushing thru - it had rained off & on before, plus we were all recovering from being sick! But here are a few of the birthday boy on his big day. Enjoy!!

This is Kaden on his new Tonka truck - Mommy & Daddy did good picking this one out!

Kaden is One !!

2008-09-10T17:17:00.005-04:00

Kaden Joshua Ashley turned one year old on September 9th! We took him for his one year check up on Sept 10th and his doctor said he is perfect. He also said we need to get him a football helmet soon! He weighed 27.96 lbs, was 31.5 inches long and his head circumference was 19 cm. Needless to say, he is above the 90% for his age in all areas! But he is a big, healthy boy like his Daddy and we are so thankful. He is walking everywhere, getting into everything and "talking" up a storm. Of course we are still working on the translation! He is a smart, happy little boy. He loves to play with a ball - throwing is down to an art now! He also likes to put things in their place - if he finds his socks or shoes, he tries to put them on his feet; if he finds a hat, he tries to put it on his head; if he finds his blocks, he tries to put them in the correct shaped hole on the toy. Every day is full of laughs with him ... Where does the time go?! Thank God for all three of our beautiful, healthy children - I know that we are so blessed. Below are a few pics over the last year - the last couple are of him on his 1st birthday - my beautiful baby boy is growing up! Enjoy!

Kaden's Big Week !!

2008-08-24T15:42:00.002-04:00

It's been a busy week at the Ashley house - especially for Kaden! He finally conquered his little snail rocking toy! He's very proud of that. He also learned how to throw a ball - his Daddy is very proud of that! I think he's planning on Kaden being an Auburn Tiger then a New England Patriot. And also a baseball player. And golfer. You know, the all area athlete! LOL Kaden also learned how to blow kisses - it is so sweet. And ... drumroll please ... he also started WALKING! He's taken a couple steps here and there but Saturday 08/23/08 he just started walking around. I cried of course! My baby is a big boy now! Then on Sunday, we joined our new church (Cornerstone Christian Church) and also had Kaden's baby dedication. We're running behind with it - he will be one next month - but better late than never. We as a family are very excited about what God is going to do in our lives - beyond what He has already done. We are believing for great and mighty things! Keep us in your prayers as we journey on. Here are a few pics from the big week ...

1st Day of School

2008-08-11T20:37:00.004-04:00

Well, today was the first day back to school for the girls.

Grace started 4th grade and her teacher is Mrs. Back. She said it was a good day at the new school. Only one problem - Abby came in off the bus upset b/c Gracie didn't get on the bus at her school. Clint and I started making calls to the school and the bus shop and finally located her. Turns out the teacher wrote the bus # down wrong for the afternoon and she was put on the wrong bus and had to swap buses a couple of times before she finally got home! When she finally got home (about 30 minutes after Abby), she was really upset - she ran up the driveway and threw her arms around me and started crying! : ( It was so sad. Hopefully that won't happen again! LOL

Abby started 1st grade and her teacher is Mrs. Heath. She came in from the bus - the correct one - and said she had a great day at school! They are both growing up so fast. Kaden and I were a little lost today without them here - it was nice and quiet for a little while, though!

Haircuts!!

2008-08-08T16:55:00.004-04:00

Today Kaden got his 1st haircut! : ( I'm kinda sad b/c now he looks like a little boy and not a baby! I wanted to wait 'til his 1st bday next month but it was getting really long. He did a good job being still and it looks so cute!

We also took the girls for the back to school haircuts and they both look beautiful of course. Darlene @ Bodacious did a great job -she always does. We love her!

Here are a few pics of the big day!

Ashley Beauty Salon

2008-08-04T11:56:00.012-04:00

The girls and I had an impromptu beauty salon night Saturday with some hot rollers we got. The girls were thrilled at the thought of getting all fixed up (for bed, nonetheless!) and modeling their new looks.

Grace, before and after

Abby, before and after

Kaden and Clint passed on the makeovers though ... LOL

But we had lots of fun anyway!

Welcome!

2008-07-07T16:26:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my blog. This is new to me, so bear with me during my "learning phase". One of my dearest friends has a blog and I love reading about her and her beautiful family, so I thought I'd give it a try. For now, consider this page "Under Construction" but keep checking on the Ashley, Party of Five!