Fun-Filled B-day Week

Ashley was out of school last Monday (her birthday), so we went to tour the Blue Bell Creamery. She had the best time, especially when they passed out the free scoop of ice cream at the end. After the tour we goofed off outside and let the kids run around by the statues. Ashley was pretending to milk the cow out front.Rowan and Alan liked the ice cream and the paper hats!

On Tuesday I took cupcakes up to her school so that she could celebrate with her class. Hot pink chocolate cupcakes and a room full of 2nd graders is a great mix! They were all wound up on sugar when we left.

Rowan has been practicing using a fork. She was doing a great job of getting the noodles onto the fork, but then she would just wipe the fork across her head. She ended up with quite a lttle pile up there.

Thursday was a beautiful day here. After Ashley got home from school, the kids played outside and made chalk pictures in the backyard. She was pretending that they were the pictures from Mary Poppins and they were pretending to jump into them.

Alan spent the afternoon peering over the gate so that he could see the boat and the airconditioner.

Party Craziness

We survived! Ashley had a great time at her party yesterday. It was a beautiful day and we got to be outside for her entire party. The kids seemed to enjoy playing on the playground and decorating cookies.

She still hasn't mastered the art of reacting well when opening presents. Ashley loved all of her gifts, but she kept making faces and acting weird as she opened her presents. After the party we asked why she was being like that and she said because she was guessing in her head what was in the packages and they didn't match up to what she thought they were unless the wrapping paper was a hint. She was getting mad that she was guessing wrong!


We ordered a Tinker Bell cake with Ashley's picture on it. It turned out really cute. The picture is of Ashley in her fairy Halloween costume.

Ashley had several girls spend the night. It was her first sleepover. The girls spent the evening playing outside and then came in for a movie when it got dark. These young girls that were determined to stay up all night were all asleep around 10. Of course, I was worn out just from watching them. They kept having us take pictures of them jumping out of the swings.

Alan and Rowan loved having the big girls around. When we were giving the girls their pizza, Alan pulled up a chair to sit with them. He said he wanted to sit with "the babies". This morning we couldn't get him out of Ashley's room because he wanted to play with them.

Tomorrow is a teacher in-service day so we are going to go tour the Blue Bell Creamery. I am looking forward to the taste test at the end! I'll post some pictures of that tomorrow!

Presentation Day

Ashley had her class presentations on South America today. They do these every six weeks where the pick a subject and do a project. This time she choose the red-eyed tree frog. I am not sure that she learned much about them, but she made a really cute mural for the mall. All the kids get really excited because the parents come to school and look at their work. Ashley made the bottom part of tree behind her in the picture below.

Alan and Rowan usually like to go up to the school and see all the kids, but today it was a bit overwhelming for Rowan. She didn't like all the kids trying to touch her, so we didn't stay long. Rowan is getting to be such a big girl. She wants to do everything that Alan and Ashley can do. Last night, Alan got in his booster chair for dinner and I guess that she decided that she wanted to move up into his old high chair instead of be in her own. I was fixing her plate and when I turned around she had moved his highchair over to the table and climbed up in it. Alan thought it was hysterical. He was saying "Momma look baby Rowan". They both looked really cute sitting next to each other at the table.

On a side note, their is family here that could use some help. Their 14 month old daughter has a serious brain injury and in the hospital in Temple. They have a carepage set up for their daughter at Carepages.com. You have to set up a free account, but you can see her page under AlexisLinn. All they are really needing is some good thoughts. They check their CarePage several times a day and apperently all the public support for their daughter is really helping them with to deal with what has happened and face the struggle that they will have in the future. If everyone could just post something positive for them, I know that it would help raise their spirits. Thanks!

Getting Ready!

Today Alan, Rowan and I finished getting everything for Ashley's party. Monday night, Ashley and I picked out the pinata and treat bags so there wasn't much left. We ordered her cake and got the hot dogs and other food today. They liked getting to go to Sam's Club and try out samples. Its amazing how quickly they figure out where the cookies are stashed in each grocery store in town.


THE NEARLY FINISHED PLAYGROUND





David has been working on the playground somemore. He put a roof on it and has added some boards around the top to keep kids from climbing on the outside. Alan loves to watch David working in the backyard. He stands in the window saying "Daddy fix-it". It is really cute. Rowan takes the opportunity to collect all the balls in the house while Alan is distracted.

Ear Wax and Bluebonnets

Alan had an appointment with the ENT on Friday. His hearing is fine now that they have cleared out the HUGE ball of wax that was impacted in his ear. He had been messing with his right ear for over a year, but his pediatrician could never see anything wrong. The ENT said that it was probably like this for quite a while, possible the last year or more. Alan used to stick the corner of his blanket in that ear when he was a baby and there was blanket fuzz in there! NASTY! But, the little guy does seem to be hearing better, so I am glad we went.

Today we went out to take pictures in the bluebonnets. Alan fell asleep in the van so he could barely keep his eyes open for the pictures, but Ashley and Rowan did well. We will try again later this week in a different spot. Maybe they all will be awake and cooperative!