The Girly Girls

Ashlyn Turns 10!!!

2011-04-21T13:43:00.003-06:00

Ashlyn turned 10 last Sunday! Our original plan was not to have a birthday party or anything. We were going to go to Vegas and go shopping instead. She really wanted to buy a few summer outfits from Justice! I truly have a Tween in the house!! At the last minute, she decided we needed to have a big birthday bash since it is her first double digit birthday! So I threw together a Glow-in-the-Dark Dance Party for her birthday. She invited almost 40 girls! We had about 30 who came to help us celebrate. I had lots of kids food and great music. I even had a fog machine and a laser light machine, oh and some black lights. The birthday party was a hit! We had tons of glow in the dark bracelets and necklaces. We had the cha cha slide, glow in the dark limbo, the conga..... The girls had a great time! I had buckets of candy, cupcakes and nachos....who knew that is all you need to keep kids happy? Nachos are Ashlyn's absolutely favorite dance food....you will almost always see her at a dance competition with a spilled plate of nachos! haha. Here are some pictures of the party.....

Dixie Spectacular 2011

2011-03-28T13:11:00.005-06:00

We had our first competition of the season this past weekend! Well, Ashlyn had her first....haha. I was so nervous for her solo on Friday night. Since I've had my surgery, I haven't had any time at all to help her practice at all. Also, we like to start our solo routine in November, December or at least January, but this year, it was March! We had a rocky start with our choreographers, but luckily we found Lucy! I am so happy she was able to work with our schedule and that she fit in as many practices as she could with Ashlyn! I guess I had nothing to worry about because Ashlyn won Queen!! She danced to "Strut" by Adam Lambert.

This year Ashlyn is on two teams, the Small Stars and the All Stars. She danced in 7 dances on Saturday, one right after another. At one point, she and her friend Deja only had about 3 minutes to change after one of their dances. They were ready to pass out! Our teams did really well.....lots of 1st places and even a grand champion award for the Alls Hip Hop dance. It was a really, really long weekend, but totally worth it!

p.s. A lady kicked my knee as she was walking by at the competition....she didn't even look to see what she had kicked....I tried running her down, but she was faster than my crutches!

Staples are gone!!

2011-03-23T11:44:00.002-06:00

I was finally able to get my staples out yesterday! Yay me! Whoever said it doesn't hurt when ripping staples out of your flesh is a darn liar!! I wanted to take a picture of the scar, but they quickly sealed it with adhesive and steri strips so I was out of luck. I'll have to wait until I am bandage free. I'm beginning to get stir crazy at home so I volunteered to work for a couple of hours today. Crazy, I know! Nobody is even here today, so I don't think anyone even cares if I work here any more! I'm not supposed to come back for 6 weeks, but who the heck can afford that?? I finally get to start outpatient physical therapy next Tuesday. It will be nice not to have "home health care" any more. Matt was my home health therapist. I do have to say he is awesome! He put up with my crying and screaming and has done everything he can to help me! He came to my house 3x a week to do my exercises and to do my blood work. Lucky me, I got to be on blood thinners for the past couple of weeks. I'm finally off of those too! Since I was getting so sick with the Loratabs (I have no idea how people get addicted to those things!) the doctor was nice enough to try another route. It's more like a cocktail of pills, but hey, whatever works Right?

I'll be busy the next couple of days getting ready for Ashlyn's dance competition this weekend. I have no idea how I'll make it through it! I do have some great dance moms who I'm sure will help Ashlyn with her million costume changes......Can't wait to post some pictures of her in her costumes :)

I know...It's been forever!

2011-03-21T19:55:00.003-06:00

I realize I haven't blogged in forever! I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I really need to be blogging. Even if it's just for me to look back on. So much has happened in our lives since the last time I blogged (last August). It's been so long and so many event I don't even know where to start. I guess instead of trying to "catch up" I should just start fresh :)

So I finally had my knee replacement surgery on March 8th. I had to fast starting at midnight on the 7th. Of course, I ate dinner at about 9:30 and had nothing after that. Big mistake! I didn't go in the next day for surgery until 3:15. My actual surgery time was supposed to be at 5 pm. Being as lucky as I am, they didn't actually take me back until 7:30! It was the longest day of my life!! I was starving by the time they took me in. For this type of surgery, they give you a femoral nerve block and an epidural. They are supposed to give some sort of sedative so that you don't remember the actual surgery. Ashlyn and I thought it would be fun to actually watch a full knee replacement surgery on line before the surgery. That also was a mistake!! I guess I ended up freaking out during the surgery when I heard the bone saw, so they ended up giving me complete general anesthesia. The surgery ended around 9:30 and I was finally taken to my room on the 4th floor at 10:30 p.m. Of course that first night I got no sleep at all.....too many machines hooked up to my legs, arms and fingers. The blood pressure cuff going every 30 minutes, drain tubes, iv's, cpm machine, oxygen, catheter.....the list goes on and on. My physical therapist got me up at 8 am to start walking. Doesn't this seem crazy!? I can't believe you walk so soon. Anyway, the best part of waking up at 8 am is that well, when they do the surgery, they untie your gown. So ya, my male physical therapist gets me up and gets a horrible view of my back side!! He even got to to tie my gown back up. My mom wasn't at the hospital yet that morning because she was busy driving my carpool for me. Remember how I mentioned they ended up giving me general anesthesia? Well ya, I was sick the entire day. So not only am I stuck back in my bed with machines, I'm throwing up on top of it. There were so many crazy things that happened at the hospital during my stay.... During my stay, they require you to walk with your walker and golden purse (catheter and bag) to the dinning room for some of your therapy. Then after your meals you have to go to physical therapy. I have never felt so old in my life! Besides walking with the walker, I got so tired so easily. Could have been from all the drugs I was getting, but whatever it was I was exhausted by 6 pm! I finally was able to go home on Friday the 11th with my walker. As soon as I got home, Intermountain Home Health Care dropped off my cpm machine for me to start using. This is a machine that moves your knee for you. I have therapy 3x a day and then have to be in the leg machine for a total of 6 hours a day. My recovery is basically a full time job. So right now, I have home health care that comes in 3 x a week to help with my therapy, change my bandages, and do my blood work. I'm on blood thinners, so I can't eat dark leafy vegetables, broccoli, salad, salad dressing, mayo and many other things. This is rather difficult being vegetarian! But I'm happy to say tonight is actually my last dose of Warfarin! Yay!! The therapy is going ok other than I have noodle leg. I had the pain pump for the femoral nerve block for almost a week. So ya, my leg is still numb! I was finally able to graduate to crutches this past weekend. So happy!! I hate the walker!! Tomorrow I get to have my 24 staples removed and I couldn't be happier. I'm hoping the doctor will finally release me to drive. I hardly take my loratabs because they make me so sick. I'd rather have the pain than be sick! I'm pretty sure I've already written a book and I left out sooo many details. Anyway....I think I get to go back to work next Monday. I've been working from home at night, but it is definitely hard to get my hours in and I need the moola!! I've added a picture of my wonderful incision and staples. I think I need a lifetime supply of scar cream!!!

I have to thank my mom who stayed at my house for 2 weeks to take care of Ashlyn and me. I really couldn't have done it without her! This week is a little harder having her gone, but she is coming down tomorrow to take me to the doctor and to help with some housework and meals.

And Then There Was Easter.......

2010-08-20T17:00:00.001-06:00

I know I'm so far behind....but I have to share these pictures from Easter. Of course we did the usual of dying eggs with my parents and two nephews (not sure where those photos went). Easter morning, Ashlyn decided she had to put on her new swimsuit she found in her Easter Basket before she could go egg hunting outside. It is still freezing in Enterprise that time of year, but Ashlyn is strong willed (nice way of saying STUBBORN!) She threw on her yellow rain boots and took off outside! The great thing about Ashlyn in Enterprise is that she is totally carefree. She wears whatever she wants, doesn't care if her hair is combed or what she looks like. Complete opposite of when she is in St. George....won't leave the house without her hair done, earrings in, lip gloss on.... in fact, her new teacher at school that she's had only a week calls her "My little Shopper" because Ashlyn is always put together with every accessory possible. I'm glad she is so carefree at grandma's house and wish she was a little more like that at home :) Alas, here are some pictures of Easter.

Ashlyn the Actress!

2010-08-19T10:08:00.003-06:00

Ashlyn tried out for the Pinocchio play at Enterprise Elementary School. She was so happy to be selected as one Fair Isle Kids. She thought it was hilarious that she got to be a naughty boy! She loves to be dramatic!! There is a professional play company that travels to rural areas to teach kids all about theater. Enterprise Elementary was one of the lucky schools to receive this training! This was an awesome experience for Ashlyn who aspires to be an actress (she is proud of the fact that she can make herself cry on demand!). The kids learned lots of songs that they had to sing in the play. Ashlyn even had to be a donkey at one point and she loved it! They had practices every day after school. It was a lot of hard work, but completely worth it in the end. Of course we purchased a dvd of the play, and it is played often :)

Competition 2009-2010

2010-08-19T09:26:00.003-06:00

Last dance season, we were living in Enterprise. This made it rather difficult for Ashlyn to be on the Show Team considering she would need to have someone drive her 45 mins each way for classes 3 days a week! We decided to take the year off from team dancing, but Ashlyn continued to take her technique classes once a week. I have to give a big thanks to my Mom for being committed to drive Ashlyn all that way for dance! Ashlyn also decided to do a solo. At first we were only going to do local competitions, but soon we decided to follow the team. This took us all over the place! New Mexico, Nevada, Salt Lake City and Ashlyn even competed at Lagoon! That was a fun weekend. Ashlyn did really well this year and I am so proud of her! Here are a couple of photos to recap the season.....

Wow!!

2010-08-18T15:36:00.001-06:00

So I just realized it has been over a year since I have blogged! I guess with Facebook, I pretty much post most things there. I really want to blog though, so I will start working on some updates of things that have happened .....probably start with summer since I don't want to overwhelm anyone with a years worth of activities!

Ashlyn saves Kronk!

2009-08-04T11:33:00.002-06:00

So two Saturdays ago, Ashlyn and Logan were taking their daily bike ride.....It was after we got home from the lake. Enterprise had a terrible rain, thunder and lightning storm! Well, as they were riding, Logan noticed a kitten laying on the side of the road in a puddle of water in some gravel. They rode over to it and were excited to find this kitten. Right away, Logan rides to the house as fast as he can and asks me what to do. We told him they should go around that neighborhood and see if they can find his owner. After about an hour, they came home with the kitten. Ashlyn had him zipped up in her hoodie to keep him warm. They were very cute with him. They took baby wipes outside to clean him up. They brought him back in the house and we realized something was wrong with him. He couldn't stand up, he wouldn't eat or drink. We were worried he maybe had distemper. We stressed out as we have two other kittens already. So Ashlyn and Logan found a box to put him in. We figured we see how he was in the morning. Ashlyn could not go to sleep. She just cried and cried and was thinking about how he was all alone outside in a box. My mom and I fixed up a little bed for the kitten and brought him into the garage. The next morning, he seemed a little better. Better meaning, he actually lifted his head. He still could walk. Ashlyn had to give him water by dropper every hour. Slowly but surely, he was getting a little better everyday. By the time we left on our trip on Thursday morning, he was starting to walk. He was crouched down, but walking. He was eating canned food. So big improvement! On Tuesday I had made some flyers with his cute picture on it. Wednesday morning my mom and Ashlyn hung flyers all over Enterprise. We were sure it was someones pet. In the meantime, Ashlyn had named him Boots. She loved boots a lot and was hoping we would not find the owner. He was a very tame cat! He just hugs you and loves you. The cutest thing! Well on Thursday as we are driving through Grand Junction, the owner called. It was indeed their cat. He got scared during the storm and took off. We still don't know how he got hurt....anyway. His name was actually Kronk. While my mom was on the phone with her explaining how Ashyn had nursed him to health, Ashlyn was in the backseat crying. She just kept saying, she didn't think that was going to be the last time she ever saw him. The other family ended up picking him up on Sunday and agreed to have Ashlyn over to visit him anytime she wanted. She was happy about that. She also decided to become at Vet! I am so proud of her for rescuing the kitten. She is very sensitive and loves all animals. It was hard to see her cry, but she had a good experience. She now knows what a good deed she did!

Ashlyn's Obsession!

2009-08-04T11:30:00.002-06:00

So Ashlyn is totally obsessed with the internet! She has my mom calling me each day to see if she can stay on longer than 3o minutes. Of couse she does get to. She sits with the laptop at the kitchen counter when my mom is in the kitchen with her. She worked for grandma to earn a one month membership to Club Penguins! Her and my nephew Logan love it! It's hard to pull them away! Now Ashlyn has to read 10 books to earn a month membership to Pixie Hollow. She loves Pixie Hollow!

This reward has worked so well. Ashlyn pops up early (on most days) to get her chores done to get on the computer. I'd rather have her do that than watch snotty Hannah Montana! haha

Back From Colorado

2009-08-04T11:19:00.003-06:00

We travelled last Thursday to Colorado to visit Mike in Sterling. It was a good visit. I haven't been to see him in almost a year! We played so much scrabble! I am really over this game, well until next time we visit. Ashlyn was mostly sick of the game because I won! haha Visiting hours are from 9-3:30 so we had time to do other things while we were in Sterling. After the visits, we usually went back to the hotel to relax a little bit. We ate at some local favorites and saw Aliens in the Attic at the old theater downtown. Sterling is a small town with a roller rink, old movie theater, and other old treasures. We had a fun time and enjoyed seeing Mike again. It was hard to leave him, but we hope to visit him again in October.

On our way back, we stopped in Denver to eat at Casa Bonita's. I remember going there when I was younger.....it was a special treat for our family to go out to eat and especially there. I wanted Ashlyn to have the experience. She loved the cliff diving shows and of course the arcade. She found a dream catcher at the gift shop she had to have. (She told me and my mom that she always has bad dreams!) So my mom bought it for her to hang over her bed. She had a good time there. The food isn't as good as I remember, but overall we had a fun time.

We pulled into my other brothers (Josh) around 10:15 Sunday night. Josh had already gone to bed as he gets up at 4:30 am to go to work. We got to spend some time with Brianna (his wife) and their almost 9 month old Cayson. We stayed up late and slept in. We just sat around chatting for most of the morning. We all went to a place to eat called My Favorite Muffins. It is my new favorite! We will have to stop there every time we go to Grand Junction. We walked downtown for a while and browsed through some cute shops.

We left Grand Junction a little after 2:00 pm. The car ride home seemed to pass by quickly which was a good thing. My mom got to relax in the passenger seat and I even let her listen to talk radio! haha

All in all we had a great trip and can't wait to do it again in October :).

Ashlyn goes Techno.....

2009-07-21T11:13:00.002-06:00

So the weekly allowance thing wasn't working so well to encourage Ashlyn to do her chores. She told me last night, she doesn't want to spend her own money so she doesn't need any! I told her she better marry a rich man then....haha I came up with a new plan and so far it is working. I got my old laptop configured for internet. I blocked every website other than the ones I approve of. Right now she only cares about pixiehollow.com and her blog. She is still trying to figure out the whole email thing. So anyway....when she gets her chores done for the day, she gets 30 minutes on the computer. I can't believe how excited she is for this! She isn't very quick at typing things yet, so the 30 minutes goes pretty fast, but I promised her she'll get faster. I told her she can earn extra computer time with extra chores. She said she doens't need more time yet...guess she doesn't want to do any extra chores. Just expect Ashlyn to be visiting your sites and leaving comments! Ashlyn's email address is..... dancinashie@gmail.com

Pictures from SOF Practice & Dress Rehersal

2009-07-07T07:45:00.006-06:00

Stadium of Fire with The Jonas Brothers

2009-07-07T07:24:00.004-06:00

Ashlyn was part of the Stadium of Fire Dancers for the 4th of July. Stadium of Fire is a huge 4th of July celebration at the BYU stadium. The main performer was the Jonas Brothers along with SheDaisy, Glen Beck and David Osmond. Stadium of Fire Dancers performed two routines. They had some long grueling practices a few days before the actual performance. While the girls were hot, sunburned and dehydrated among other things, the performance was well worth it. They all had a good time. Ashlyn' dance studio, the Southern Utah Stars, were able to dance in the VIP section during the first routine. SheDaisy performed in between their two routines. After their final routine, the Jonas Brothers were on.....the girls got to sit on the field right behind the VIP section. They had a blast. I got to sit on the field with them and all I did was scream and yell for them. They thought I was crazy, but it made them all laugh so it was worth it. I think the best look on their faces was when I screamed...."I LOVE YOU NICK!!" Their eyes were huge at the thought that I had a crush on the same boy they all did. It was hilarious. The fireworks were awesome......nothing like St. George. The whole program was amazing. Even if Ashlyn doesn't dance for the Stadium of Fire next year, I think we will still make sure we have tickets. Well worth the money.

The life in a small town......

2009-06-23T10:00:00.003-06:00

I'm starting to love living in a small town! I can't even believe that came out of my mouth!! I love the big city.....but I guess it's the fact that Ashlyn is having so much fun roaming the town during the day that makes me love it.

She got a bike for her birthday a few years ago....she never rode it. Maybe 3 times a year at most. Well, she has put the miles on it! Every day, she hops on her bike and tears up the town. Her and her cousin Logan ride to the local market to get snow cones, she rides with her friends to play group, and she even rides by herself to baseball games. I can hardly believe it! She told me she is addicted to her bike and keeps showing me her "leg" muscles. Now, if I could only get her addicted to doing her chores.....hmmm......

Her bike is getting pretty small for her, so I'm guessing she will be asking for a new bike for Christmas. I hope hers will last her that long....she can't wait to start riding it to school. She's already decided she needs to upgrade to a backpack for school in lieu of the messenger bag to make things easier. She's been discussing what kind of school shoes she needs to be able to ride her bike easier....I keep telling her that school is still a couple of months away, but she doesn't care. Of course, she did decide that the days she wears a skirt/dress, she will just make her friends walk to school with her! ha

It is nice to live in the small town for these reasons....but there are times on the weekend I wish I didn't have to drive 45 minutes away to cure a food craving or watch a movie :)

Ok, I know....it's been forever!

2009-06-22T08:48:00.004-06:00

I need to start keeping up the blog.....I know, I know. It just slips my mind a lot. Kristin reminded me a couple of weeks ago that I still needed to get it updated, so........

We went to Vegas this past weekend for Ashlyn's dance Nationals. She did awesome. She took 2nd Runner Up in her solo, their team took 1st place with their Hip Hop proving that white girls can hip hop! I'm so proud of all her hard work and determination. It was a busy weekend, just running from the hotel to the school and back and forth, but we did manage to hit PF Chang's and Cheesecake Factory, both my favorite places!

My mom got to come with us this year. I think she had some fun :) She made some friends so she didn't have to be alone while I was busy running with the team. She got to see how these trips aren't really relaxing!! ha She drove home Saturday after we had lunch so she wouldn't have to get home so late. I decided it would be a good idea to drive home after awards on Saturday night.....not sure getting home at 2:45 am was worth it! I think next time, I'll spend the extra money to stay an extra night!

Ashlyn also decided she wanted to chop her hair off while we were in Vegas. I've begged her to for the past 2 years, but no, she wanted long Rapunzel like hair! All of a sudden, she asked me if she could cut her hair right before awards so she could "shock" her team. So her and her teammate/friend Olivia had haircuts. We were lucky enough to find a supercuts across the street from the school which let them even have time to eat pizza for dinner! They are sooo cute!

I've got a lot of catching up to do, but decided I better write about one subject at a time.....at least it will keep the blog going for a while! ha. I promise to write more this week...........

All Work No Play!?

2009-03-19T15:13:00.003-06:00

Ashlyn came to work with me today. For some reason, she loves it! I think it's because she has been coming to work with me since she was 3 days old! She came with me every day until she was 6 months old....she was crawling around, eating door stops and pulling plugs from computers. Ever since then, she has come to work with me here and there depending on the day. The other weird thing is that she loves to lay down under my desk...could that be habit from when she was younger too?

She loves to sit on the computer and play games and go next door to Iceberg....maybe that's the reason she likes to come to work with me!

We are counting down the time until we leave the office today to go join our friends in Vegas. Vegas isn't really that special, considering it's only 1.5 hrs away, and I make frequent trips there.....but it is nice to just get away. We are staying with my friends at their time share, Tahiti Village. Ashlyn is looking forward to the lazy river and I'm looking forward to the sandy beach and pool area. I just want a tan!

Hopefully, we will leave around 4 to get there in time to do something.....probably eat at Cheesecake Factory (Ash loves!) even tho, I am craving PF Changs. Of course, Ashlyn has to visit the M&M factory to buy overpriced m&m's with her hard earned money!

I'm sure we will post some pictures when we get back......

Love the Spring Break Weather!

2009-03-17T09:03:00.004-06:00

This is the time of year that I am so happy to be in St. George! I love to be in the warm weather! This week is especially nice because I am housesitting for my friend, Julie, and I am able to enjoy St. George without the commute.....so I get more time in the sun this week. Laying out by her pool in the middle of the day is especially wonderful!

Ashlyn is so upset....she thinks we are the only ones not going anywhere for Spring Break! The thing is, we never, ever do. We usually go to Disneyland on her birthday which isn't til next month....so where did she get the idea that we have to go somewhere for Spring Break?? We are taking a day trip to Vegas this week though. Julie and her family are there at their time share and we are crashing the party! Ashlyn could care less! All of a sudden, she hates Vegas. She is becoming a teenager and hasn't even hit 8!

Speaking of 8.......Last Sunday, I found out Ashlyn's baptism will be on April 25th. I was thinking it wouldn't be 'til May! Ashlyn is obsessing over her white dress! She freaks out daily that we don't have one yet. I keep telling her there is plenty of time, but I guess I better start looking before there is a major melt down!

Happy Spring!

Catching Up!!

2009-03-01T21:29:00.007-07:00

Seriously, I can't believe how time flies! It has been so long since I updated my blog!! I get constant reminders from Ashlyn who gets them from Raelie to get this updated....so here I am. I'll just post a few pics and some verbage...then I promise to keep it updated in the future!

Last Thursday, we ended up in the InstaCare for Ashlyn. She had a dancing accident and hurt her knee badly. Luckily, it only ended up being deep tissue bruising. So just a litte sore. She thought it was awesome that she got to have her knee wrapped. The doctor also printed out her x-rays for her to take to school for Show & Tell.

Friday, February 20th, Ashlyn got to dance with her team for the girls and boys basketball half time shows for Dixie College. She had a lot of fun...mostly excited that it was televised. After the games, Deja got to come to Enterprise for the weekend. The girls had tons of fun. We still had plenty of snow up here, so they spend some time playing outside.

On Sunday, February 22nd, we met Deja's mom and went through one of the Parade of Homes. Ashlyn is now begging me for her own nail salon!!

February has been a hectic month!!

Weekend Fun

2008-12-14T11:25:00.002-07:00

Everything went as planned yesterday, with the exception of the tumbling class. Apparently the class was canceled, but only the coach knew about it! So instead of tumbling, Ashlyn & Deja went to the daycare so I could still get my workout in. I haven't been able to go to the gym all week! It was so hard to get in the zone. I don't know what it is, but I was dreading it....just counting the minutes til I was done. I pushed through it, and after an hour, I was finally finished. The girls wanted to hurry home to play before having to get ready for their dance recital....but I had another plan. Well, I had to buy a new pair of pants for the recital. Most of my clothes are too big for me to wear. Happy about that :), but just don't want to spend the money buying "in-between" clothes! The girls were a little sad it might take a half hour out of play time, but after I explained to them that I'd have to go the recital with my pants around my ankles, they quickly went along with my shopping trip! They found lots of shirts in the juniors section that they thought would make cute dresses so it kept them distracted and kept their minds of playing bratz.

We made it to the recital rehearsal right on time, which was surprising! Since I work for the studio, I should be there early.....but hey, I had an extra child to get ready. It was easier than I thought so it worked out well. I usually end up doing make up for lots of girls at performances, but this time I only had 4. The whole rehearsal and recital ran smoothly this year.

After the recital we had our annual Stars Christmas party at the Sand Hollow swimming pool. We had a potluck and a toy drive. It was fun, especially for the kids. I didn't see Ashlyn & Deja all night....they just swam away. Nate was able to come too and I think he had just as much fun. The party ended at 8 and after we cleaned up, we headed for the car. Holy Moly! It was snowing! Being in St. George, this is a very, very odd occurrence. I had no coat on, and Deja & Ashlyn were in their robes. The weather changed so drastically! The girls wore shorts earlier in the day and by night it was snowing! Wow!

After we got home, the girls quickly changed into their warm PJ's. Deja wore her footed jammies and Ashlyn wore two layers of jammies. They were freezing! They begged me for hot chocolate, so I agreed to make it for them. I told them to go ahead downstairs and get under the covers and start watching their movie while I changed into my jammies. By the time I got downstairs, 20 minutes later, they were already fast asleep. (They talked all day about how they were staying up til 2 am!) Guess the day completely wore them out! It was nice to have some peace and quiet for some "me time."

This morning I got up around 9:30 and could hear the girls giggling. This wasn't too much of a surprise considering how early they fell asleep. What was so surprising is the fact that when I got downstairs, I found piles and piles of candy wrappers! The had been up for a couple of hours and managed to eat almost all of the treats they bought. I'm not saying they ate a few pieces of candy. I'm saying they each ate about 8 candy bars, gummy bears, gummy worms, a cookie and some crackers and cheese! How in the world? They were both pretty wound up. We cleaned up their mess, and then I headed upstairs to fold laundry (but really writing on the blog). They finally calmed down and now they are in the playroom having a good time. Still no fighting. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the rest of day.

All in all, this was a fun weekend for all of us. It was very eventful, yet so not stressful! I planned on taking pictures throughout the weekend of all these events...I packed my camera for the recital but never found it! Still can't find it....hoping it didn't fall out of the dance bag somewhere.

Doritos & Butterfingers

2008-12-12T22:43:00.006-07:00

This weekend we get to have Deja all to ourselves! Deja is one of Ashlyn's best friends, but act mostly like sisters. Deja and Ashlyn go to school together, Deja and Ashlyn spend after school together til into the evening, they dance together, spend time with each other pretty much every day....so you can see how this friendship turned into being siblings! They have a love/hate relationship. Some days they absolutely love each other and well, other days, they bicker non stop. While they have their moments (like any other sibling group), tonight they are especially good. Deja's mom Holly and I were both a little nervous, wondering how spending the entire weekend together at my house would turn out. So far so good. Actually, this is the best I've seen them!

Right now they are downstairs, in the bed they made (on the floor) watching Barbie and the 12 dancing princesses with their treats. Yes, It's almost 11 pm and they just started watching a movie. I took them to Walmart and gave them each their own cart. They thought they were going to buy the whole store, but I quickly set them straight. They ended up with Doritos, Lays BBQ chips, Butterfingers, Hershey's Chocolate Bars, Kit Kats, Sour Worms, Gummy Bears, Mike & Ikes, and two Kid Cuisines! So it was almost the whole store....... I think they will have after school treats for months! Since I'm on this crazy diet, I'm staying upstairs, away from all junk food. I will just have to resist while I'm cleaning up!

Tomorrow will be a busy day for us, so I figure the girls can have some fun time to relax. We have to go print recital programs first thing in the morning, girls have tumbling from 10-noon (I'll be on the elliptical!), then we have the dance recital (which I have to be there at 3:30 even tho it starts at 5:00), then we have the Stars Dance Studio Christmas party at the Sand Hollow Pool til 8. I'm sure I will write again tomorrow, but for now, I'm off to pack dance bags!

Whoever Throws Up, Cleans It Up!!

2008-12-11T12:24:00.003-07:00

So we have this rule in our house.....whoever throws up, cleans it up! Ashlyn knows this rule so well, that if she is on the verge of throwing up, she will run as fast as she can to the toilet or else she swallows it...I know totally disgusting! Well, I guess she forgot the rule at 1 am this morning. I finally had just gotten in my bed about 12:45 and right around 1 I thought I heard a noise. After a couple of minutes in bed, I decided to get up to check on Ashlyn. Well, there she was, throw up everywhere including in her hair. On her comforter, on her sheets, the side of her nightstand, the garbage can, the carpet....a trail in the hall........it was everywhere!! So everyone who knows me, knows how bad my gag reflex is. I can't even change a dirty diaper without gagging. Niece spits up while I'm holding her, I quickly pass her back. I definately can't deal with throw up!! So as I'm gagging and heading for my own bathroom, Ashlyn's in her bathroom continuing what she had started. What an awful night! I managed to get her bedding off the bed and part of the carpet cleaned up. After getting Ash cleaned up enough to get into my bed, it was 3 am. My alarm went off at 5 and well, I'm exhausted. I got up and shampooed the carpets upstairs twice, washed the bedding twice with the exception of the comforter. That is in a giant garbage bag waiting to be taken to the laundromat. Ashlyn is finally asleep and I should be taking a nap while she is sleeping, but I figured I'd take advantage of the situation and get some housework done. My house might actually get cleaned before Saturday! I guess there really is a positive to every negative!

First Performance of the Season

2008-12-07T22:29:00.010-07:00

Saturday, Ashlyn had her first dance performance this season. She danced at the Dicken's Festival and Tuachan with her smalls team and a some of our other teams from our studio. She performed a nutcracker ballet dance and their jazz dance for competition. She did such a good job! I was able to snap this picture before she went on stage. While she wasn't too thrilled about wearing the hat, she loved her ballet dance. She loves performing!

Ashlyn's cousin Hannah also performed on Saturday. This is her first year dancing and she did such a good job. I could tell she was a little nervous once she got on stage, but by the second performance at Tuachan, she was comfortable up there! I was able to snap this picture of Hannah and Ashlyn before going back stage.

Simply Amazing!

2008-12-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the first time in 6 years that I allowed someone to take a picture of me....a scheduled picture. Well, there was a studio staff picture once, but I was forced! Anyone who knows me, knows that I hate having my picture taken. If I see anyone around me with a camera, I run for cover! If someone does happen to catch me, I make some crazy facial expression so they can't use the picture. I'm just not photogenic. I think I got this phobia from my mom...she is the same way!

Ashlyn's dance studio participated in a photography fundraiser, and well, was talked into doing a photo session with Ashlyn. Basically, I had a weak moment. Lisa (one of our dance teachers & friend) convinced me it would be a good idea to get some pictures taken so I can document my weight loss (whole other blog!) I was nervous....The photographer is awesome and he kept assuring me that he does a great job with photoshop! ha After a few shots, I became more comfortable and even talked into an individual shot. My good friend and studio director, Julie, was there to watch me and make me have a "real" smile. She did a great job. All in all, I was pretty happy with the results. Ashlyn and I have never had such a fun time together....even got her to laugh too! Now that's amazing!!

(yes, I will post pictures once I get the CD!)

I'm no Superhero!

2008-12-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

So today ended up more like a Monday for us. I usually get up at about 5:00 am to get my day started. I guess today, my body wanted more rest....I woke up at 7:45! That's not slacking a little....that's a lot considering I'm supposed to be at work at 7:30. So I rushed around the house like the world was ending, throwing clothes around in my closet and asking myself ....when was the last time I did laundry? I had to quickly text my life saving friend who usually gets Ashlyn off to school for me to let her know I was going to try to play superhero and get her to school on time myself. Well, we made it to the school....only 45 minutes late! Ashlyn was so embarrassed that I had to walk her to class. She was very worried she would be in trouble. I felt so bad, but I do have to admit, sleeping in is the best! As I pulled away from the school, I realized what a horrible superhero (mom) I am..... reasons being #1) got Ashlyn to school 45 minutes late even though I was flying in my car as fast I it would go #2) Ashlyn had to wear floods because I didn't get the laundry done #3) I forgot to pay on Ashlyn's school lunch card (she has an overdue balance) so she won't be getting her chocolate milk today #4) Um, forgot to feed Ashlyn breakfast!! Okay, so #4 is seriously horrible but I'll explain how this happened. Besides being so late, I'm on a diet where I don't eat breakfast, so I often forget about that part of the day. Ashlyn usually eats breakfast with the Jensen's during the week so I don't have much breakfast food in the house. Our mornings usually are rushed without the sleeping in, but usually I drop Ashlyn off with the Jensen's and she is magically fed and at school on time. Wow, imagine that! I guess today I realized that I'm definitely no superhero!