Happy Birthday Ellie!

Last March I began keeping sweet baby Ellie.  She was a little bundle of baby at not quite six weeks old, but she is now an active one year old toddler.  We celebrated Ellie with our traditional Ashley Family Birthday pancakes. Of course, in honor of all things young and girlie, the pancakes were pink and covered with sprinkles.  We already had the dining room partially decorated for Valentine's Day, so we were decked out with extra pink trimmings!

I set the table the night before.  As anyone with small children knows, you can never count on mornings to go smoothly when you need them to.  On party day Sam spotted the hats on the table and quickly swiped two of them so he and Ellie could get ready.

Our friend Owen also came over to help Ellie celebrate.  Sam, Owen, and Ellie have gotten to be big buddies over the past 11 months.  Owen adores Ellie, who he still thinks is a baby, and frequently tries to hug and love on her!  Sam thinks Ellie is his sister.  He absolutely loves his "Ellie Baby" and is so sweet and gentle with her.

The babies had a great time singing Happy Birthday, blowing out the candles, and eating pancakes.  In fact, after the festivities were over, Sam carried around a little pink pancake fragment until nap time!

We are so thankful for Ellie!  Happy 1st birthday sweet girl!

Florence

A few days after we returned back to Huntsville from Hope Hull, we hit the road to Florence.  This time Ty was able to go with us since his Internal Medicine rotation had come to a close.  We had a great time with Doc & MiMi.  They have been remodeling a large portion of their house for several months and they had at last made it to the final stages.  It was so nice to be able to use the living room and the kitchen.  They have remained super positive about having to use the basement as their living area since last Fall.  This included only having a small kitchenette.  The remodel is beautiful and I am sure it will be broken in very soon!

We had a pretty quiet visit.  On Friday afternoon we went to visit Aunt Katy at work.  Sam was excited to see her, but was not so certain about all of the lab equipment.  Then that night Ty grilled chicken wings, which were wonderful!  Saturday we went to Abigail Whiteside's first birthday party.  It was wonderful to visit with all of the Whitesides!  That evening MiMi made grilled vegetable pizzas.  We loved them so much that we made them just a few days later when we had friends over for dinner.  Sunday was a typical day at church and then home for lunch.  Doc lead singing that morning which Sam loved, but was also frustrating for him since he could see Doc, but could not go to him.

MiMi decided that she was not ready for Sam to leave, so she and Doc volunteered to keep him overnight.  Sam was not too sure about Mommy & Daddy leaving without him, but quickly changed his mind when I told him that he could go swing.  They all had a wonderful time!

 Sam loves to show off his "big belly."

 Sam spent lots of time in this little rocking chair.  It was a prime spot for watching football with Doc!

I forgot to take my camera to the party, but these are from a couple of weeks after Abigail was born.  Our babies aren't those little bundles anymore! 

Home to Hope Hull

Sam and I were able to make a trip to Hope Hull a couple of weekends ago.  I didn't have Ellie for a couple of weeks and Ty was on his Internal Medicine rotation (meaning the hospital owned him), so the timing was just right.  Well, not exactly right, because the weather was too warm for a fire.  One of my happiest places is at Mother and Daddy's house sitting in front of a nice warm fire.  Oh well, we plan to go back in a few weeks.  I will start praying now for low temperatures!

It was a relaxing several days, but we also managed to pack in lots of fun activities!

Blair had puppies, so with the help of Elizabeth we checked them out.

Sam had lots of fun chasing a click beetle and feeding him to his toy alligator.  Poor little bug didn't stand a chance.

On Monday we went to Aunt Iva Kate and uncle Tony's house for lunch.   My cousin Laura and her boys, Blayne & Brantley, were passing through so we got an extra bonus!  We had to get the three of them caught up on the wall.  Tony & Iva Kate have been recording people's heights on this wall for years.  It is especially neat to watch the kids inch their way up mark by mark!

Brantley was mesmerized by the process!

Sam was a bit more hesitant!

Just a sample of the wall.

After lunch Uncle Laslie offered to take us with him to feed the cows.  We decided to sit that one out!

Uncle Laslie tried to win him over, but Sam wasn't having it that day.

The next day we went to visit with Grandmother and Granddaddy.  Sam had lots of fun cleaning out their toy box!

Of course, we had to spend some time outside and thankfully the rain finally let up and gave us the chance.

Sam thought the puppy needed a walk,

but then quickly decided that he was done.  

...because there were fields to explore!

That is one handsome little boy!

What little person doesn't love a dandelion? 

Then Sam decided he needed to help Mother survey the new garden plot.

Which was followed by a walk through the tractor cemetery.

Paw Paw taught Sam how to validate a tree birth certificate.

Admiring the bounty and envisioning all of the wonderful fires that were now possible.

Looking for the moon.

Playing with Mommy, Aunt Everlie, and Aunt Tiffany's old legos.

We had a great time in Hope Hull with Mother and Paw Paw and all the rest of our wonderful family.  Daddy taught Bible class Sunday morning, which I always look forward to.  Mother fed us until we couldn't eat anymore.  I am pretty sure there is a special place in both Sam and Ty's hearts for Mother's kitchen.  Sam has learned to ask Mother for biscuits.  He managed to get biscuits and at least 4 of his other favorite things on this trip: fried okra, chicken legs, corn on the cob, and pie!  

18 months

 We paid a little visit to Dr. Horton last Wednesday for Sam's 18 month check-up.  (He is actually a bit over 18 months, but we were busy traveling for residency interviews and Christmas last month.  He celebrated with a cake and impromptu party thanks to Mother and Paw Paw who he was staying with while we were on the Texas leg of the tour de interview.)  I am thankful to report that all is well with our little guy.  He is a healthy 25 pounds, 10 ounces (50th percentile) and 31.5 inches long (25th percentile).  Sam is able to do everything, and more, that was listed on the developmental questionnaire.

At 18 months, Sam says too many words to count and is grouping words together to make phrases.  My favorite is when he looks up at me, with hands high and fingers pumping, while saying "please hold me."  He says sentences...in his own language.  He is super good with remembering people's names, which I think is super sweet.  Family is very important to us, so I frequently talk about family members to keep them fresh on his mind.  I have also made books so he can practice putting a face with a name.  He at least attempts to say all names correctly, except for my sister Tiffany who he lovingly calls "Apple Juice."  And this is even a recent development.  Until this past Monday he would not call her anything, even when asked to repeat her name.  Everybody says it is because we look so much alike he just assumes that he has two moms!  In addition to family, Sam is also good at naming friends who are special to us.  When he decides he likes someone, their name is said over and over and over!

Some of Sam's favorite things to do are:

-read,

Sam likes to multi-task

-sing songs (he will tell you which ones he wants to sing and stop you if you sing the wrong one), 

-play with cars, trucks, buses, tractors, airplanes, etc.  I love to watch him drive them around while making funny facial expressions and noises.  The most dramatic is when he makes the airplanes crash.  He is your typical little boy who is obsessed with all things transportation related, 

-playing with blocks,
-eat, but his appetite has definitely hit the toddler phase as he has gotten picky...some things remain on his favored list: yogurt, beans, meat of any kind, noodles, biscuits, pizza, fruit, and of course all things sweet or chocolatey

Enjoying a turkey leg for Thanksgiving

-"fixing" things with his toy hammer and measuring (with a measuring tape or a dog leash!),

-Sesame Street continues to be quite a hit in our house.  His favorites are Elmo, Bert, Ernie, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Oscar, and Abby.  

-He also loves to color and play with stickers.  

-My little boy can now use a big boy swing.  He holds on to the chains and swings back and forth, laughing the whole time.  We made up a song for when we sing and whenever i swing with him we have to sing it over and over!  

-He also enjoys going down big slides.  At our local park he can climb to the top and slide all by himself, over and over!

-Our neighbors trampoline is a hot spot for Sam to "hop, hop hop."

-Sam still has a strong love for being outside.  Like all little boys he loves playing in the dirt, in water, and with bugs.  We have great fun looking for worms and slugs.  His little eyes continue to be really sensitive, so we frequently don baby sunglasses and/or a hat to help with the brightness and wind.  Right before Christmas we went to visit our sweet friend, Mrs. Maria in Florence.  She gladly took us on an hour and a half long tour of her moss garden.  Sam was in awe to say the least.  When he gets excited he does a little dance while he walks, and dance he did.  He continuously said, "oh wow," "oh boy," "beautiful."  When we got to a little niche along the trail that had angels, Sam immediately ran to them and prayed.  He stopped and prayed eight more times before setting out on the trail again!  Mrs. Maria and I both teared up and Mrs. Maria said, in her heavy Italian accent, "I don't think I will survive today."  Sam is such a good reminder of the importance of prayer and of acknowledging the role our Savior plays in all situations.

-Aunt Gloria gave him a Little People nativity set for Christmas which he loves.  We play with it several times a day.  Sam's all time favorite thing right now is Jesus.  He loves to sing songs about Jesus, look at pictures about Jesus, read stories about Jesus, and look for Jesus around the house.  It is interesting to see what or who makes him think of Jesus.  There is nothing like seeing life through the eyes of a child.  

Sam is quite a helper in the kitchen.  He loves to play in the spice cabinet, stir, pour, and measure.  He would prefer to sit on the counter all day long.  He has been assigned his first chore, to feed George.  He thinks this is a great job!  He is also a great barista.  If sat on the counter he can make a cup of coffee (pull down the mug, turn on the machine, put in the coffee, push down the lid, push the right size cup size button, and add sweetener) with the Keurig without any assistance!  Don't worry, we are right beside him to make sure he does not touch the coffee.

Sam loves to pray.  He does it numerous times throughout the day.  He will stop what he is doing put his head down and mumble something that only he and God can understand.  He also likes to pray with his little friends.  He will take them by the hand, put his head down, and mumble.  So sweet to watch.  I hope to see him continue to do that as he grows and develops his own faith.  He has a wonderful example of such a man in his father.  I could not ask for a more solid man than Ty to lead my family.  We always pray when putting him down for a nap and even if he is fussy and not quite ready to get in his bed as soon as I start to pray, he puts his head on my shoulder and quiets down.  When we pray at bedtime he likes for the three of us to be super close.  A few nights ago he pulled me in closer by my shoulder and patted me softly while we prayed.  It is prayer that we will raise him to know, love, and follow Jesus.  We want him to love God with a love that does not compare to any other that he gives.  What a great job we have been charged with when given the blessed gift of a child.

Of course, we take the good with the slightly aggravating.  He has started to hit.  This started when Ty and I got back from interviewing in Texas.  It was not ideal to take him, so we left him with my parents for a week.  Although he did great while we were away, I think he was kind of mad at me for leaving him.  So, when we got back he decided to start hitting me and saying "No" about 3,000 times a day.  Both of these things have calmed down a lot since we have gotten back to normal, but we continue to require redirection for hitting several times a day.  Sam, like many boys, likes to wrestle.  He and his buddy Owen wrestle all the time and have a special understanding with one another about such activities.  Sam is having to learn now that all babies do not wrestle, especially girl babies.  It amazes me how babies pick up on things.  Sam has learned that if he wants to leave a room or get out of his car seat he just needs a poopy diaper.  No, he does not poop on demand, but he will tell you he is to get what he wants.  How do you talk to an 18 month old about lying?

One theme that I have noticed popping up throughout this entry is "over, and over, and over."  Repetition is the norm for toddlers, but it should also be the norm for us as parents as we train up a child in the way he should go, as we are instructed to do in Proverbs 22:6.  We pray numerous times throughout the day for God's guidance in raising Sam to be a selfless man who loves God, loves others, and demonstrates the love of Christ to those around him.  Prayers, lots of prayers are required for the help to undertake such a task.  We are mindful of the example our lives are to the little ears, eyes, and heart of our boy.  Raising a child is serious business with eternal consequences.  We are thankful to our parents for raising us in Christ centered homes and for providing us with strong examples of how to structure our own little home and family.  Please pray for us as we learn to navigate our family on the path to Christ.

Although this is a long post, it is but a snapshot of the precious memories we have made thus far with our baby boy.  We are thankful to our Creator for granting us the wonderful gift of our little family.

An Ashley Family Kind of Day

Ty was on call the night before, so he was able to come home early on Friday.  Call nights are no fun, but post call is always a special treat (considering Ty was able to get some sleep at the hospital.)  It was a bit chilly outside, so we didn't want to spend too much time in the cold.  Good news: there is always something to do in Huntsville.  So, just how does the Ashley family spend a Friday afternoon?  Well, we went to Tractor Supply to see the baby chicks.  Sam loved them.  Of course, the poor little babies stared at Sam like he was Godzilla.  I found myself wondering if the "you break it, you buy it" policy would apply if Sam happened to squeeze one of the chicks the way he likes to squeeze his butter beans.  Thankfully, no creatures were harmed during this family outing.

After we left there, we went to buy food for Hungry Herman, the food pantry at our church.  Then, to my surprise, Ty asked if I wanted to go to Krispy Kreme!  For the record, my answer to that question will always be yes!  And that instance was no exception.  Feel free to applaud me for only buying one doughnut for myself.  I did learn something interesting while waiting in line.  Kids can get a free doughnut for each "A" they receive on their report card.  Finally an appropriate incentive for the chubby smart kids!

We are thankful that Ty's hard work is rewarded with time off to spend with us!

A Sunny Day

(Note: This post is 2 weeks past due!)

Since Sam and I found it extremely difficult to stay inside when the sunshine was calling our names, we hit Big Spring Park once again.  This time we had Elizabeth and Owen with us.  While we waited on our friends, Sam and I sat right by the water and started inviting our duck and fish friends over for a snack.  We quickly learned that fish are huge fans of stale tortilla chips.  We were constantly splashed with water from the huge fish fighting for their share of the treats.  Sam was pretty amazed to see such creatures!

Sam and Owen were so sweet scooting around in the grass, throwing food to the fish, and talking to one another.  What a special way to enjoy a beautiful day!

Best Buddies 

The fish may have liked the stale tortilla chips, but these boys LOVED the stale baguettes!  Sam even found it necessary to give them a round of applause! 

What a giddy smile! 

That was one fascinating park bench! 

They look like a couple of old men...so precious!