Becoming a cheesehead

As many of you know, we took a trip to Wisconsin last week. Joseph was able to take lots of time off to come with us, which was even better! Ashton met lots of family, flew on several planes, and adjusted well to all the changes. It was a wonderful trip filled with lots of hugs and kisses.

The way there went pretty well. The first flight out of Houston was a little troubling since they boarded us and then made us wait for 30 minutes with no air conditioning. Ashton got fussy but a nice lady sitting in front of us held her and that fixed it. After that, she did pretty well with the flying. We landed and Grandpa and Grandma were waiting anxiously for us. We went to their house and had dinner. Ashton met her great aunt Lynn and great uncle Bill. Later Trescha and Charlie came to meet her.

Entertainment in the airport

Sunday, we drove over to Door County to celebrate my brother's wedding. We hung out at the resort and went swimming that night. Ashton did pretty good in the pool except it was a little cold. She met more family too.

Loved playing with Aunt Trescha

Grandma and Ashton

Monday was the wedding and Ashton became fussy during it so she didn't see much of it. But we celebrated later. We even had my sister stay with Ashton while she slept in the hotel room so Joseph and I could dance together!

We matched. I made a matching skirt for the wedding. Ashton wasn

't too impressed with matching.

Partying away at the reception

Tuesday, we left and stopped in Green Bay to see Lambeau Field. We went on a tour and went to lunch at Curly's Pub. It was a lot of fun and Ashton surprised me by falling asleep in her stroller during lunch.

Aunt Suki and Uncle Brandon

True Cheeseheads

The rest of the week was filled with meeting Great-Grandma Ashton and relaxing in Wausau. She played with Molly, my parent's dog and enjoyed that. We also gave her a tasting of applesauce. Ashton liked it. But she didn't sleep any better. During the whole trip, Ashton woke up at least twice a night, sometimes three or four times. We got home yesterday and she only woke up once a night, thank goodness! Overall, Ashton adjusted well to sleeping in different places and being held by lots of new people. It was a great trip and we can't wait to go back.

6 Months Old

Weight: About 18 pounds

Height: About 28 inches

Clothing Size: 6-9 month

Special Outings: Nothing special happened this last month

Firsts: First time rolling tummy to back. Dad got to see me do this first. First taste of solids. Mom offered me a carrot stick to suck on and I didn't like that. But then she offered me an apple slice and I licked it for a long time. I hope applesauce is the first food she offers me next month.

Likes:Eating paper, waking up to Daddy, riding on Daddy's shoulders, the fact that it's lighter longer at night so we can take long walks, trying to eat my toys, drinking out of my sippy cup and Mom's water bottles, and playing with dogs.

Dislikes: Rolling over onto my tummy, Mom trying to wean the swaddle, the entire teething process, and getting my arm stuck in my crib rails.

Any big changes: I finally decided that it's okay to smile at strangers. Now I am a little social bumblebee. I give big smiles to anyone who talks to me. I also like being tickled and am working on my belly laugh.

Biggest Lessons Learned: No two days are ever alike. There's always something that catches me by surprise.

Monthly Pictures:

Enjoying her sippy cup. I think she really just likes the spout to suck on.

I was adventurous one day and decided to do a craft. Ashton didn't understand how to make a handprint. Practice makes perfect!

Doing pushups

Loves to stand. We wonder if she'll skip crawling and instead walk as she hates her tummy time.

Eating a match holder that I found at a garage sale.

One of her new favorite things to do with Daddy.

Monthly Video:You'll have to turn your head as I don't know how to turn videos.

What the next month should bring: Going to Wisconsin in two days, swimming for the first time, meeting LOTS of family, going to my first wedding, and FINALLY starting solids!

I'd Do It All Over Again

Last Saturday, we went to a concert at church. April Meservy has family in our ward and came to Texas to sing. It was a great time and Ashton even let us listen to the music for the most part. She sang this song that talks about her grandparents marriage. The song is called, "I'd Do It All Over Again" and it made me think this weekend about what I would do all over again and what I would not.

What I Would Do Over Again.
1. Join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This was a difficult decision for me almost six years ago but I made the right choice.

2. Marry Joseph in the temple. Even though we've had rough times since we got married, there is no one else I would rather be with.

3. Transfer to Brigham Young University. This was another tough decision for me to make. Thankfully, I was able to recognize the promptings of the Spirit and know where I was supposed to go. I know I would have gained a good education at Utah State and been blessed there. But I knew BYU was where God wanted me.

4. Start our family. Ashton is a blessing to our home. The spirit she brings is irreplaceable. There are long days and much longer nights but I would do it all over again (and probably will with future children).

5. Work at camp in high school. I worked at a YMCA Camp for five summers throughout high school and my first summer break in college. Working at camp helped me realize how much I loved working with children and in the recreation field.

All my camp pictures that have me in them includes campers. So I don't know who this is but just imagine it's me

What I Would Not Do Over Again
1. Wait until my senior year in high school to participate in sports. I ran cross country and wish I would have gotten involved earlier in sports.

2. Worked so much in high school. One summer, I worked three jobs and volunteered part time at camp. I was very busy and often did not take the time to enjoy being a teenager. Now, it was great to be able to graduate debt free because of all that work but I wish I could have done more social things. And my mom told me that a thousand times, which doesn't make it any easier.

3. Major in recreational therapy. This is still up for debate. I loved my major but wish I would have chosen a major that had more career opportunities outside Utah. I am pretty restricted as far as employment, especially in our area. While I don't want to work in the near future, we most likely will need to move closer to a big city when I do. My grandfather was an accountant and I always think about him and wish I would have done accounting like him.

4. Rely on my friends more than my family. This is something I hope to teach Ashton. Family is always there; friends will come and go.

5. Lease a car. In high school, I bought my first car and about 6 months later, hit a deer. This damaged the car and a few months later, it died. There weren't many good used cars available to purchase so I was able to lease a car. While I was able to afford it, I wish I would have waited until a used car was available to buy. I could have used the money in other ways.

6. Being hesitant to share my struggle with depression and anxiety. I struggled off and on with this throughout high school and then a lot in college. Since having Ashton, I've dealt with it some more. I find that the more I am open and willing to talk about it, the better I feel and the easier it gets.

Some People

Some people just do not understand when to stop. Joseph and I went to our city's open house last Saturday. We were able to tour the city hall, which was cool because we got to see the two-cell jail. And they had cookies and cake so we HAD to go. We loaded Ashton in the stroller and walked down there. It was cool and the cake was yummy.

However, this lady was offering vision screenings as part of the open house. She offered it to us and we declined. Then she saw Ashton and said, "I have to check her eyes." This lady had some special device to check vision. It looked like a polaroid camera but had flashing lights on it. Very strange looking. Maybe that's the new thing instead of the old black letters on the white board. Anyways, the lady was adamant that we check Ashton's eyesight. When I told her that she was five months old, she replied, "Just last week I found a tumor in a year old baby." I highly doubt that. She was trying the fear factor with me and I could care less. However, when she wouldn't stop bothering us, I finally caved in and said fine. So she did the test and then realized she put Ashton's birthdate in wrong. Because she was off by a year, she HAD to redo it. At this point, Ashton is tired and pretty upset. She looked like this:

 But the lady kept going. After a ten minute struggle and lots of tears from Ashton, she finally got the test done correctly. Results: Ashton has problems focusing. The lady printed off the result page and said, "You better have her eyes checked immediately." Ma'am, my baby is five months old and developmentally shouldn't be able to focus very well. Also, I would like to see any eye doctor's reaction when I try to schedule an appointment for a five month old baby. And you can pay for it since it's so important to you.

Ashton was traumatized and will probably need glasses in her future. I'm so happy we have a few years to process the test results so we can prepare for that.

On a side note, we got a cool water bottle from the police department and a magnet that says to call 9-1-1 in an emergency. And someone thought Ashton was 13 months old. Yeah, she's big and happy!

Fruit Trees

We planted some trees last weekend. And we started building our garden bed. However, we haven't had time to plant the seeds yet. That is this weekend's project. Let me introduce you to our fruit trees.

Louis the Lemon Tree. This tree was here when we bought the house. It gave us a bunch of lemons in December. We recently pruned it back so we hope we get more yummy lemons soon.

I think this is Frank the Fig tree. I've never eaten a fig before. I think I'll make fig newtons with them.

Perry the Peach tree.

Ashton helping us garden.

And today, to fill up some time, we took some pictures of Ashton. Enjoy the randomness.

Common face when she rolls over onto her tummy and gets frustrated.

Her face when she realizes she is not on her tummy anymore.

The feet are very fascinating suddenly.

5 Months Old

5 months old!

Weight: About 17.5 pounds

Height: About 26.5 inches

Clothing Size: Just moved to 6-9 month yesterday. I was too long for the 3-6 month clothing.

Special Outings: Went to Huntsville, Texas to see my uncle run a 100 mile race. We even stayed the night at a hotel!

Firsts: First time rolling from back to tummy. Mom was so happy for me! She'd been waiting and waiting for that moment. First time waking up at 4:30am. Mom tried to tell me it was not time to play but I couldn't help myself. I get so excited to play that I start kicking my legs. I also found my feet this month and I love trying to touch them.

Likes: Saying "ahhh" repeatedly, being swaddled still, holding my burp cloth, wash cloth, or blanket (pretty much anything fabric), grabbing my ball, bathtime with Daddy, playing with my duck in the tub, walks with my parents, Mommy or Daddy saying "kick" or "eeee" repeatedly, drinking milk (hence I am so big!), and sucking on Daddy's thumb (it is much better than mine)

Dislikes: Being left alone for longer than two minutes, my parents trying to convince me to take a bottle still, the sun in my eyes, and my parents hitting my head on accident. In one weekend, Dad let go of me too quickly and I hit my head on the tile floor; then Mom scratched my head with her ring; and then while on a walk, I leaned forward in my stroller and hit my head on the cup holder. It was a traumatic weekend.


Any big changes: Car seat is getting better. On the way back from Huntsville, I slept for a whole hour and only fussed when I was hungry. Also, I love to chuckle. My belly laugh isn't quite there yet but I sure chuckle at funny things.

Biggest Lessons Learned: Being a good parent is hard work. There is a saying I found that said, "It doesn't get easier; you just get better." I feel that summarizes my thoughts over the past month. If you knew me before I had Ashton, I was a planner. I knew how my day was going to go and I'd plan everything. Now, just planning my grocery list is enough work each week; don't add planning weekend festivities as well. Just when I think I scheduled a meeting for school or visiting teaching according to Ashton's schedule, she decides to change it that one day. Ashton teaches me every moment to roll with the punches and just deal with it.

Monthly Pictures:

Trying to do a sit up

Enjoying the bumbo that we're borrowing

Such concentration

This is how Joe dresses her.

Trying to eat the blue elephant

Helping Dad workout

She likes this for about two minutes. When we take her out of it, her legs get stuck though.

Party in bed

Monthly Video: Realizing that her feet can play too

What the next month should bring: Preparing for a big vacation, helping plant a garden, and celebrating Valentine's Day with my parents

Mini-Vacation

Last weekend, we took a small vacation to Huntsville. It's about 2.5 hours north of us. My brother ran a 100-miler so we went to see him run and cheer him on. On the way, we stopped in Houston and went to the temple again. We also found the LDS bookstore nearby and enjoyed walking around that for a little bit. As always, we hit lots of traffic and reminded ourselves why we live an hour south of Houston. After the temple, we went to Huntsville and met up with my brother. W went to a yummy restaurant and hung out at the hotel on Friday. Ashton slept in the bathtub because our pack-n-play wouldn't fit in the bathroom. She enjoyed it as she slept the whole night. The front desk lady thought I was crazy when I asked for an extra blanket so my daughter could sleep in the tub.

Chilling out at the hotel.

Disregard Ashton's facial expression. She was all pictured out.

Happy at the temple

Saturday was race day for my brother. Ashton and Joe hung out at the hotel since it was a rainy and windy day. The race was at a beautiful state park so that was a nice perk. I saw my brother a few times on the course, which was fun. All in all, he did very well and I had fun seeing him run this type of race for the first time. I can't wait for his next one so I can cheer him on again.
 

Running by at an aid station

Coming in after the first 20 miles.