temple, tantrum, and... circus.

Whew! What a busy week! And by busy, I mean poor time management. Have you ever done that? Just got caught in a rut of going to bed too late, being tired the next day so you end up not doing any of the things that you need to do... ugh! Every day I try to be better at the whole "early to bed, early to rise" thing, but for some reason I have a really hard time winding down at night and I get caught in front of the tv, or worse, the Internet. And then I'm too tired to wake up early and work out and shower, and I have to hit the ground running when the kids wake up. Anyway, let's see, what have we been up to? Okay, here we go....
1. We went to the Circus last Saturday night. And as you read that, you're probably thinking, "oh, what fun!" But no, you'd be wrong. It was terribly, horribly boring. Let me give you a recap: We sit down. We are very excited. Dorky ringmasters come out and do the whole "greatest show on earth" schpiel. The horse trainer lady comes out, and both Addy and Liam are totally impressed, with Addy squealing happily the whole time the horses are visible. Horses and lady exit. Boring, boring, boring act on the rings (or whatever those are called) that lasts ENTIRELY too long. Commencing of the squirmy children. Clown act that is, thankfully, funny and entertaining, but which Addy cant understand and so becomes even squirmier. High wire act that is both fascinating and hard to appreciate because, you know, Addy doesn't get the whole gravity thing. So she starts doing the arch-the-back squirm to get out of my lap. Liam, meanwhile, is entertaining himself by doing his own trapeze-like act on the stairway rail that divides the bleacher walkway. I am starting to feel that it would be more entertaining if the spotlight was turned on me and everyone could watch me convince two small, bored children that this circus really is fun (I was by myself- Shawn had to work). The next 3 or 4 acts are totally unimpressive, there are no animals, bad timing, stupid jokes and un-interesting anecdotes from the ringmasters. One act was performers actually dressed up as cheerleaders doing a bad jump rope routine. I have never been to a circus so boring and poorly performed in my life! We left during intermission with not a single protest from Liam.

2. Last Saturday day we went to the temple. My friend who was going to watch the kids for us called early that morning and told us that her kids were coughing and hacking, so we decided to just take the kids with us and trade off watching them. (but it should be noted here that my friend was still more than willing to watch my kids, and for that I think she's awesome!) So Shawn went in first(we didn't do sessions) while I watched the kiddos, and then he came out and watched them for me. I had alot of fun walking with the kids around the temple grounds, and Liam got to see a bride and groom taking pictures, which sparked a lot of questions from him. "Is this where people get married? Did you and Daddy get married here? Will I get married here? Can I marry you mommy? Why not? Can I marry Aunt Tonya?...." and on and on. The coolest thing he did though was as soon as we started walking around the temple, he folded his arms and walked very reverently and quietly. Of course, if I'm being honest, that lasted about 3 minutes, but he never got rowdy or unruly. It just showed me how perceptive children are to the Spirit, and how they instinctively know how to act when in a reverent setting like that. All in all it was a great day, and Shawn and I both agreed it was one of the best days we had ever had.

3. I am often struck by how you can soar the heights and plunge the depths of parent/mother-hood in a very short amount of time. Last night Liam threw a wall-eyed fit at dinner about how the bowl he picked to eat from wasn't the bowl he wanted to eat from, after I had already put his pasta in it. He does this kind of thing often, and I am getting fed up with the extra clothes and dishes I am having to wash, not to mention the food that goes to waste when he decides that it's not really what he wanted, after all. And if you know me, the food-wasting doesn't sit well. So last night I made him eat from the bowl he picked, and for about 10-15 minutes he screamed at me like I was beating him. When he does this, the best thing is to just flat out ignore it. It works every single time, but for some reason, I doubt myself when I do this. Thoughts like "should I just give him the stinkin bowl? Maybe he'll scream all night. What would I do then? Am I not choosing my battles right? Could it be unhealthy for him to do this?" Just when those thoughts reach a crescendo, his self-control activates again and he goes on his merry little way like nothing ever happened at all. Actual quote from Liam after tantrum: "I love this bowl I picked mom!" Go figure. And then in the quiet aftermath of the screaming, I examined his teary eyelashes, his sweaty blond hair and was once again struck by the wonder of the thought that "I made this boy". Does it ever come on you like that? When you least expect it, you will be awe-struck by the reverence you feel for having had a part in creating someone's life. And that is what I mean by the highs and lows of parenthood. What a ride we take everyday, huh?

We are busy getting the house ready to put on the market, and Shawn needs me to keep the kids corralled and away from the project he's working on, so I will have to get for now. More exciting updates to come! haha, love, ashley

Pictures and not much else

I am just going to go ahead and post these pictures. I've been meaning to write, but have been a little busy. So enjoy! All the pictures except the mailbox one were taken at the Temple this past Saturday. Will write more on that later! Have a great day!
Liam by an old mailbox down our road on our walk sunday

Liam pointing out a brand new bride and groom taking pictures

my little flower*

taking time to smell the flowers!

Liam trying desperately to hold Addy's hand

walking reverently at the Temple- and I didnt even tell him to do that!!

Eeeeeeeewwwww!!!!

Bath time today was very.....shall we say...interesting. Liam and Addy were in there together, as usual, and having a great time, also as usual. About 10 minutes into it, Addy squats and does a little grunt. Now, 2 things: 1. Usually when she does this it means that she is pooping, and 2. The other day she did this same thing in the bathtub and did NOT poop. So I'm sure you can surmise the rest of the story, because you are probably familiar with Murphy's Law. Yes, gentle reader, she pooped. (in case you were wondering, it was a floater). So I quickly yank the kids out of there and set them on the bathroom floor. And as I write this, looking back on it, I am wondering why in the world I did not go stick a diaper on her, but I didn't, so now you have a funnier story to read, because this is where all heck breaks loose. Also, at this point in the story, it helps to know that my kids' bathroom is not very big. So anyway, I start plucking the bath toys from the poopy water so I can clean them and drain the tub, and the whole time Liam is dancing around naked yelling "eeewwww! eewww! thats so gross mama!". About this time Addy figures she might as well finish what she started, so she squats and poops again right on the bathroom rug. Well, this really sets Liam off, and he high-tails it to the top of the potty, like a 50's housewife who's seen a mouse, and stands there giggling and squealing the whole time. I reach for the toilet paper and clean it up (thankfully it was one of those poops that was not...how to say this?... squishy or...wet.). I have to ask Liam to please step down from the potty so I can throw the poopy paper in there. While I am throwing the paper in, ADDISON POOPS AGAIN! I get her away from it, and as I am reaching for the toilet paper, she steps in it!! So she got a big cleaning-off in the sink, and thankfully that was the end of the pooping. Liam was shuttled to my shower to finish getting clean, and Addy was shuttled to bed, and that was the end of that. Of course, that was also the beginning of the Bedtime Wars with Liam, in which I employed the well-known diversionary tactic known as the Backwards Bedtime Fairy. What, you've never heard of her? You mean, you've never proclaimed to your children that it's Backwards Night, and that they must sleep with their head at the foot of the bed, with the promise of a treat under their pillow left by the Backwards Bedtime Fairy herself??? Which reminds me, I need to, I mean... the Fairy needs to, go leave that treat under the pillow, so I will be signing off now. Have a grrrrrreat day!

Any Given Sunday...

addy at home after church working off the Relief Society Wiggles
Liam with his new CTR ring!!






If you are the mother of young children and if most Sundays are spent trying desperately to get something out of Sacrament meeting, then you will appreciate this post. This morning getting the kids ready went unusually well, and by some miracle I was left with alot of extra time to get myself ready. I was able to keep tears of impatience at bay during breakfast prep with my rousing renditions of such favorites as "Popcorn Popping On The Apricot Tree" and "Book Of Mormon Stories". We got to church on time (in the interest of full disclosure I will tell you that this NEVER happens), and took our seats. Liam was very reverent today and only took one piece of Sacrament bread instead of 4, and put the water cup back in the tray when he was done instead of keeping it and later turning it into a plastic missile, and Addy was easy to please as well. And I know you are not going to really believe me here, and that's okay, because if I hadnt been there I wouldn't believe it myself, but I was actually able to listen to the talk WITHOUT HAVING TO GO OUT A SINGLE TIME! Of course, that would be because I delegated responsibility to my charming husband. All Sunday I kept thinking "well, somethings gotta give. it cant be this good all day." But ya know what? IT WAS!! I know you're waiting for the punch line, the all-heck-breaking-loose story, but I dont have one for you today folks! It was such an irregular day that I had to write about it, as normal as it seems! The best thing that happened today though was that Liam got his CTR ring. Call me sentimental, but I almost cried when he came running up to me with his finger waving in the air to show me his new ring. I mean, come on! Getting your CTR ring is such a defining moment in a young Mormon's life! :) I even remember when I got mine, so it's a little weird that I'm old enough to have a kid old enough to get his.

So, there it is: my uneventful, remarkable day. May all of us mothers have those kinds of days, and often!

10 (okay 11) Things You Probably Dont Know About Me

1. I peed in my pants on the playground in 2nd grade. Way embarrassing.

2. I give the squishy dried apricots to my kids so that I can eat the firm ones. Hey, what they dont know cant hurt them.

3. I think Red Delicious apples are anything but delicious.

4. I have never been able to dive. As in, go head first into the water. Weird.

5. I hate sneezing.

6. Some days I really hate to exercise.

7. I have never eaten the following foods: collard greens, Bit O' Honey candy, or frog legs.

8. I have been guilty of accidentally breaking a fast by eating some of the kids' Goldfish in Sacrament.

9. I think Mothers Day should be at least every week.

10. I have always wanted to buy one of those wierd "Enquirer" type magazines.

11. I dont own a single baseball cap. I know, right? It's like I'm not American or something.

And now I have to tell you a sweet story about Liam: today (Saturday) is Responsibility Day in our house, where we clean up the house and get stuff ready for Sunday. Towards the end of getting everything done, I was sweeping up the kithen (for what seemed like the kazillionth time) and the dustpan was just out of my reach. At about that time Liam walked by and I said "Oh, hey, Liam, could you hand me that dustpan?" and then kind of to myself I said "cause I just dont think I can bend down one more time to pick that dumb thing up". He handed me the dust pan, and then walked behind me and said "mom, I will give you a back mashage" and started rubbing my back. Awwwwwww!!!!! What a sweetie heart. I just love that boy. Another thing he has started saying lately that I would like for him to tell me for the rest of my life is (and he'll just say it out of the blue) "Mom, you're the best!". Sometimes he makes me want to think about looking up preschooler sized straight jackets, but he sure has a fantastic way of redeeming himself.

Love to you all- have a good Sunday!

Change Is In The Wind

So, I wrote a honkin big blog about a month ago, complete with pictures, and then it got LOST!!!! Ohmygosh, it was SO frustrating. But Karebear (lol, didja like that Karie?) told me that there is a way easier way to attach pictures, so maybe this time I wont be on here for hours trying to attach pictures of my little lovelies while my bum goes numb in my chair. :)
Wow, things sure change fast, dont they? Just when you think your life is settled, and you know the direction you're going in, you get thrown a curveball and you're left wondering if anything in life is ever *really* for certain. I am referring to a life change that I will now inform you all of: we are moving. Yup. I thought we would never leave Durant, but we have found *the* perfect place for us, in Falconhead, Oklahoma. It's a community of sorts built around a golfcourse, and it has a lake, and a pool, and camping grounds, and hiking trails, little playgrounds everywhere... and lots and lots of trees. Yea for trees! The golfcourse was, of course, was the deal closer for Shawn. He's like "I can take the kids golfing everyday!!" I'm like "I can take them to the playground everyday! And walk them to school!" The nearest Church is 2o minutes away in Ardmore, and the nearest big city (Gainesville) is 30. The reason we are considering it is Shawn' s mom and dad are moving there, and they drove us to see it last Monday. Also his brother and fiance, when they get married, are going to live there. It's a gated community out in the middle of the woods, and when we drove in we were just in love. You can look it up at www.falconheadgolf.com . But the pictures dont really do it justice. So dont judge it based on the pictures. But we have alot of decisions to make, and we havent even really prayed about it yet, but we got such a good feeling when we drove in that I think we'll get the answer we want.
In other news, Addison has turned a year old. Wow. Her first year just really flew. She's got a great sense of humor, but also a wicked temper. About a month ago she started throwing those flop-on-the-floor-and-make-herself-go-limp-while-she-cries tempers. They never last for very long, like 2 minutes at the most, but they definitely have me worried!! She loves to play with her little purses, baby dolls, and her hairbows, and whenever you need a distraction you can always count on mommy's makeup bag to keep her entertained for at least 30 minutes. And the other day she picked up my chi iron (that had thankfully cooled off already) and put it to her hair. But she also dearly loves to be in the dirt with Liam, whom she utterly adores. And the feeling is (mostly) mutual. Liam likes playing with her and making her laugh. He has really turned into mommy's little helper. He puts the soap in and starts the dishwasher for me, always gets me diapers, helps me cook, puts away his clothes... I'm really enjoying this stage we're in. And he's so funny! He can always make me laugh, and I really enjoy that as well.
It seems like I always have these funny things that I want to write about what the kids said or did, but I cant ever remember them! My memory is so bad these days- it ran out on me when I got pregnant with Addison and hasnt been seen since. Or maybe I have seen it and I just can't remember... (Addy just walked up and put the iPod earphones in her ears, so i turned the music on for her. Pat Green came on. She likes it. Good girl. LOL she's trying to dance but she cant dance and hold the earphones in her ear at the same time. She takes the earphones out and dances, and then puts them back in. Funny girl.)
Well, I will sign off for now. Maybe I can get better at writing my blog because I really enjoy it. I have to go find something to keep us entertained on this rainy rainy day. Got any ideas?