My Little Man

Here are some recent photos of my little man. What a good boy he is, as always. I got another hug at church yesterday in the middle of Primary, in front of all the kids- after he came to the front to help with a game...what a sweetheart. He acts like an adult a lot of the time and is very responsible. Yesterday he got up for church and made his bed before coming downstairs and without being asked (the first time ever). One day we were laying in my bed in the morning before getting up to get ready for something we had going on that day. Ashton said- Mom, are you going to get up and get in the shower? I said yes, and rolled back over to rest. A couple minutes later he said- So, do you think you'll get up now, or what do you think? He is the parent sometimes. He LOVES kindergarten. He always does his best in everything. And he ADORES his sister and is so good with her. I love my boy!

Ashton and his friend I - after their indoor soccer game

Corn maze





Sun glass day at school - his friends W and I



decorating the door for Halloween

our one and only watermelon from our garden...it was so juicy and sweet...mmmmm

Backwards Day at school

Sun glass Day

Handsome little devil!

First time golfing with his new clubs he got for his bday - with papa and daddy

Lego's are his new obsession...

Grandma and grandpa's new Camero...Ashton wishes it was his and he always comments when he sees another one on the road. Good taste at an early age I guess. Troy wishes it was his too.

My girl

Here are some recent photos of MY GIRL. She is still just as sassy, emotional, opinionated, stubborn and sweet as she has always been. There is never a dull moment when you are in her company. She makes us smile. We love our Seni Beni.

Watching Baby Einstein on the "couch" (he favorite place). This was Ashton's favorite show at this age as well. It is the "Neighborhood Animals" one. However, Ashton used to call it the "E-I-E-I-O" because they sing the Old McDonald song on it. Seneka calls it the "Neigh" because it has horses on it. She asks to watch it all the time.


Seni's favorite place - the lazy susan because it is full of "teats." I blew dry her hair straight this day for the first time...she looked adorable.

She loves the funniest things for a baby. She will sit and eat an entire cucumber (from our garden, of course!) or an entire tomato. She also likes onions and lemons. She is such a funny girl.

There was no letting go of this drink. She felt like such a big girl! She loves "Coke" - which is anything other than her sippy cup of juice.

One day she decided she didn't want to wear a diaper - but instead wanted to wear panties (which had to be Ashton's Hanes b/c we didn't have girl panties on hand). This didn't last long because she was too traumatised to sit on the potty yet didn't want to go in the panties - so the diaper came back on.

She uses whatever she can to get to whatever she wants. She has a one-track mind. She loves to climb. Most days she carries a step stool around with her so she can reach things. I often find her walking on top of the counter. Stinker!

She chews on her fingernails...just like her mother (and brother). One habit I wish wouldn't have passed on...but what do you do?! It is so cute though when it is her doing it.

LIFE = LOVE

This last week has been a busy one...but a good one...

This last week Troy and I went to a small, intimate Colin Raye concert for Troy's work -which was amazing. It brought me back to my highschool days with "One boy, One girl...two hearts beating wildy..." and also to the dating days of Troy and I. Colin was very personable and all his songs have a story to tell, which i love. I left there very touched and wanting to be a better person.


I also went to the Michael Jackson movie THIS IS IT - which was beyong amazing and really left me wanting to be a petter person as well. It was entertaining and fun but also at the same time, it made me want to LOVE more, as cheesy at that sounds.
(If you want to read how my close friends met MJ, read this blog post...http://boandem.blogspot.com/2009/07/remembering-michael.html and if you want to read some more humor concerning the turtle that Michael is holding in the picture at the bottom of the post than read this post (i promise you it is worth the read)...http://boandem.blogspot.com/2009/07/klaus-turtle.html)



And last night we went to the new Christmas Carol movie with Troy's work as well. I also left the movie realizing how short life is and really how it is all about LOVING others.



So, for some reason, this last week opened my eyes and started me thinking a lot (weird, I know! :)). But by the end of the week, I feel more revived and I have it reconfimed in my mind to the purpose of life, in my opinion.

Life is really all about LOVE. I know it sounds cheesy but really that sums it all up nicely.

On the other end of that, I have also come to the conclusion recently though (even though i am not 100% there yet) that some people in life may never connect with you on certain levels and that is OK. Even though it is hard to feel rejected time and time and time again when you make helpless efforts...one day you just have to "cut the cord" and not focus energy on something that will not ever change (or at least not for now). I have decided to focus on those that care and those relationships that are going somewhere for now. I have spent far too much time worrying and fretting about things and people that i can't control. It has weighed me down to the point that my focus is on this and not on those that actually care and want a relationship with me. This is not one specific situation or person i am referring to...there are multiple examples in my life. It is a bitter sweet realization. In my mind, an ideal situation would be that everyone i have contact with is thoughtful, nice and would never do anything to purposefully hurt anyone. Sadly though, everyone is not this way. And the part that i am still learning is that, that is OK. We are not all the same and do not think alike and it is OK if i have some surface relationships in my life (even if it is not by my choice). Really though...this is a process and i am not there yet. But it does make me feel better to be working towards this conclusion. The thing with me though, is that the LOVE is still there- it isn't going anywhere...just shifting focus on THINGS THAT MATTER for now and things that bring me happiness and love. And i have been blessed with so many people that really do matter to me...and that really do care...and really do want my LOVE...and because of them, i am so HAPPY! I am one lucky to girl to have so many wonderful people in my life.

Enjoying the end of Fall

I really was disappointed that we didn't enjoy the fall foliage more this year. I would look up in the mountains and see the bright colors and think - oh, I'll have to make it up there sometime in the next week...and then the week would pass and then i noticed the colors were fading. The window is so brief in order to see the brightest of the colors. Next year, i will remember this!!! So, we did FINALLY make it up there, though, to see the last of the colors. Troy wanted to surprise us with one of his "favorite drives" (which he later told me he took one time when he was frustrated at me and he needed to clear his mind! Good to know!). It was the Alpine Loop and it was beautiful.

Halloween Kindergarten Party

I am Ashton's class mom for Kindergarten, which means i plan the parties for the year- which i love to do anyway. And there was so many moms willing to help, so it made my job easy. We had different stations with different crafts, games or treats. Ashton loves his teacher, as do I.

Ashton makes a great vampire, wouldn't you say? And i have to say that his make-up artist (me) wasn't too bad either! He really was scary!! And the drama in his blood doesn't hurt either to make the character even better! (Wonder where he could have got that from?) Seneka didn't seem to mind the scariness though. She is such a funny little thing, she almost finds humor in things that other kids would find scary. We'll see how long that lasts!

Ashton and his buddy that is in his kindergarten class.

Costumes and partyin' it up...

My brother's family hosted a costume party at their home this year. It was fun to allow the kids to dress up and also allow us all to see everyone dressed up in costume- since it rarely happens on Halloween b/c everyone is so busy. Even the adults came in costume. It was a lot of fun. I LOVE Halloween! Especially because my kids are so adorable and they have so much fun becoming someone new! Ashton requested to be Dracula...which is funny because as long as I've know Troy, he has always wanted to be Dracula as well. And later i learned from Troy's mom that Troy wanted to be Dracula every year as a child. So, it made me laugh. Maybe this isn't the last time Ashton will be using this costume?!

Troy and I bought these masks in Venice, Italy...specifically to wear on Halloween this year. In Venice, all different masks were on every corner (for Carnival costumes, I believe).

TricK... or... TreaT

This was the second year that we spent Halloween with our new neighbors. This year, though, we were the ones who hosted the little shin-dig before the trick-or-treating.

All the neighbor kids on our street.


I had to make a few of my standard scary foods...which i love to do.

This shot made my whole week. Our neighbor is 6 months older than Seneka and they have slowly become friends - after they both got over biting each other a few months back. We were all getting our things together to head off trick or treating and we look up the street, and there is Cam and Seni holding hands and walking up the street together. It seriously melted my heart. It was so sweet. They stuck together the entire night and knocked on all the doors together. It was one of the "Ahhhhhhh" moments. Seneka really enjoyed the trick or treating more than i thought she would. But i guess what kid wouldn't love to knock on a door and then be showered with "teats!?"

Ashton's best friends...