Beginning of April

Ashton is quite the character.  He is very playful and silly and he LOVES the water.  Bath time is is favorite thing--other than playing in some other kind of water.

 One afternoon the boys made these flower snacks with M & Ms on them.  They loved picking the     M & Ms off and licking the peanut butter off of them.

 Just a picture of my boys!  Kelly got these matching shirts for Ethan and Carter when Carter was born. Now we are on to another set of brothers wearing them!

 The boys love our new neighborhood.  It's great for bike rides.  One afternoon my dad came over for dinner and we took the boys out for a little ride.  They especially love riding down this slight hill.

 Ashton had fun watching them from his stroller.

 Right behind our house there is a green belt.  There are ducks that like to rest there so the boys love to ride their bikes down and see the ducks.  Papa was giving Carter a lift  to take a peek.

 Ethan's bike got stuck in a puddle on the way out.  He kept spinning and spinning his tire and finally decided he would have to get his feet dirty and push it out.

 The ride back up the hill required a little push!

 Ashton decided he had had enough of being a passive observer and wanted to start participating!  One day he just started getting up on his knees like this and also in the push up position.  The beginning of mobility!

 He also got really good at sitting up on his own right about this time, too.  Busy, busy!

 I love this one, because Carter is constantly putting his hand on Ashton's head like this.  It's really sweet--as long as he is being gentle.  :)

 Carter is becoming such a big boy....

 Ashton has the best facial expressions.  Strangers comment on it all the time.  He's such a sweetie.

 He also CONSTANTLY sticks his tongue out of his mouth.  Especially when someone is talking to him.  I guess it's his way of communicating!

 General Conference is the first weekend of April.  On Saturday morning the boys stayed in their jammies for the morning session and worked on some coloring and activity packets while we watched. We were nice and cozy with our fireplace going.  They did a pretty good job of staying calm and quiet.

 The boys have also been busy earning prizes for good behavior.  These magnifying glasses were one of the prizes they chose.  They loved taking them outside and looking at bugs.

 Ethan and Carter love playing with Ashton.  I think they are just as anxious as he is for him to be able to participate in all the fun.

 Here's Ashton in the push up position he was trying out a lot about this time.

 We also started discovering frogs in our backyard, which the boys love, of course.  They are constantly searching for them and catching them.  We even found a salamander back there one afternoon.

It was so nice to start to feel the first hints of Spring and to have a fun new neighborhood to explore and enjoy!

March in the New House

The first holiday we got to celebrate in our new home was St. Patrick's Day.  Since we were still living out of boxes, everything was just low key.  Pistachio muffins and Fruit Loops for breakfast...

 and clover-shaped cheese ravioli for dinner.  That's how we roll.

I just L.O.V.E. this sweet face.  He is so smiley, tongue and all, and chipper.  Look at those poor teething cheeks.  Because Ashton is so fair, it really shows when he's teething.

 O.k., just a few more.  He is just too sweet to not share these.

 And, you guessed it, Carter wanted his picture taken, too!  :)

 Ethan wanted in on the action as well.

 We did as much unpacking as quickly as we could, but it's a slow process with a baby in the house!  The boys love having a flat driveway now so they can ride their bikes on it while I work in the garage.

 Ashton came out and hung out in his walker, too!

 Sometimes the sweetest moments happen when the boys think no one is watching.  It was so sweet that they chose to cuddle up together in the same chair.

 O.k., just a few more of Ashton.

 There was a really pretty rainbow one afternoon and we had a great view of it from our backyard.

Moving in is always a long process, but we are grateful for a beautiful, newer home to live in and for the time we have together to enjoy it!

Wrapping Up February

These are just some funny pictures of Ashton adapting to solid foods...

 Followed by the, "I'm really fine" look.

 Over President's Day weekend I spent my first night(s) away from Ashton.  My friend, Jenn, flew in from Utah for the weekend and Jaci, Kelly, Jenn and I went to Portland for a few nights to shop, eat, laugh and pamper ourselves in our hotel room.  It's always hard to do that first time away, but it was really nice to recharge.  Plus, it's a lot easier to leave when I know they are with Tristan.  I had a great time, but was very excited to come home to my sweet boys.

 The first news I got after I walked in the door was that our landlord had decided to sell the rental we were living in.  It wasn't totally unexpected.  He had sent us a letter in January offering to sell the home to us, so we thought something might be up.  So that left us with a little over a month to find a house, pack and move--half of which time Tristan would be gone.  We were blessed to find a new rental practically across the street from our old neighborhood.  The kitchen is my favorite part!

 I did as much packing as I could while Tristan was at work and we had about a week to do more when Tristan got back home.  I was able to get quite a bit moved on my own while he was gone.  I would make small trips in our car and drop stuff off at the house and then every few days bring the boys to the new house and put a DVD on the computer for them.  Then I could unpack what I had moved while Ashton napped or played on the floor with the boys.  They loved coming over to the empty house and playing.  But as always, not matter how early you start, a move is always crazy.  We were so grateful for the help from our friends from church who made it happen, despite some rain.  I was also grateful for the help I had getting the old house cleaned up for move out.  We are very blessed to have the support we have!

 Ashton playing at the new house

 We kept busy at our old house as well.  Ashton learned how to roll over amidst all the packing and juggling.

 And he continued to explore solid foods.  One of his favorites was bananas in the mesh feeder.

 Every time I take a picture of Ashton, Carter wants me to take on of him as well, so here's Carter's picture!

 Messy boy!

 And the obligatory picture of Carter to follow.  LOL!

February definitely had some twists and turns in it, but I guess that's what keeps life interesting, isn't it?

Valentine's Day--2014

It was so fun having a new valentine to add to my picture of my boys this year!  It was even more fun that Tristan was home to celebrate with us this year.  I love the progression of these pictures.  It truly goes to show that if you don't click fast enough, your going to get nothing but goofiness!  :)

 Here's Ashton at a few days short of 5 months old.  Right about this time he started being very interested in his tongue (still is).  I was laughing because he kept sticking his tongue out.

 Such a smiley, social baby at such a young age.  I'm hoping this personality trait sticks around.

Tristan flew in the day before Valentine's Day, so I had a few groceries to pick up and errands to run that morning.  While I was out, he set the boys up to paint in the garage and got some cute pictures, too.

 I love this one of Carter.  He is really growing up and I love getting to know his teddy bear personality.  He is such a lover.  :)

 One of Ethan's themes at preschool that month was restaurants and he had been really into the idea of waiters and ordering food.  So we decided to set up our own Valentine's Cafe.  The boys got a menu to order from and Tristan acted as waiter.  I was chef.  ;)

Yummy pear and blue cheese salad for starters,

 Heart-shaped pizza.  Half pepperoni and half Hawaiian on one...

 Cheese bread and fresh strawberries...

 and a supreme pizza (and regular salad for the boys).

 We even had heart-shaped cut-outs on our supreme pizza, too.

 We had Sparkling cider (the boys always call it "apple pop", lol)

 and Cupid's Floats for dessert.

 I think that is the face of approval!

 Once we got the boys down, I had this candy-gram for Tristan and a scavenger hunt waiting for him.  We also had yummy fondue for dessert in a quiet house.  So nice!

We really enjoyed our special day together as a family.  And I really enjoyed having FOUR special valentines this year!