Grandma

When we were in Utah last November we had a feeling that this might be the last time I was going to see my grandma. So when I got the call that grandma had died I was surprised at how surprised I was. When someone has always been in your life, you never imagine them not. My mom was the only daughter which meant we got to spend lots of time with my grandma but I'm sure all the grand kids felt like they got grandma a lot too. When my parents went out of town grandma stayed with us. When my mom was busy I got to go to grandma's house to play. When my dad was out of town, Sunday dinners were at grandma's. Sporting events, birthdays, tea parties... my grandma was there. So many of my growing up memories include my grandma and I am so grateful for that. All those memories are sweet and I hope to never forget them.

Last week I flew out with Annie to attend the Funeral and viewing. I left the boys in the hands of some great friends and my ever so willing husband- he was so excited to have so much time with the boys; without a nagging wife and mom who insist on eating vegetables and going to bed at reasonable time:)

The viewing and funeral were sweet. My grandma was a sweet woman who accomplished a lot in her life. At the funeral each child talked about a certain attribute my grandma had and what she taught them. I loved hearing stories of my grandma when she was a young mom. Things she did to invite the spirit into their home. My uncle scott talked about how she read the scriptures to him every night and they sang "I know my Redeemer lives" when my grandma was out of town she would ask Scott as a young boy to sing that song to her. My mom talked about how she was an elect lady. Served others quietly and always worked along side them and showed by example how to work. My Uncle Jon talked about how he never doubted because his mother knew- she was a woman of Faith. My uncle Steve talked about memories of grandma. My uncle Brent talked about a car crash he and my grandma got in and how she got down and prayed. She was a prayerful woman. My uncle Larry talked about my grandparents marriage- 64 years. It really was the perfect funeral for my grandma....



The stories touched me as I realized how much my mom was like my grandma. I'm grateful for my grandma she knew what mattered in life. It was the gospel of Jesus Christ and her family. I have so many fond memories of her. As a young girl "hanging out" with her, helping her clean her house. Listening to BYU devotionals as we cleaned. Going through her make-up while she watched "Murder she Wrote." Going to the fruit stand to get the best peas. Making scissor candy and other fun Christmas candy. Canning. Eating homemade pickles and onions. When I was going through my awkward tall stage- I may still be in it- she would always say "Ashlee stand tall, you are beautiful, be proud of your height." Occasionally she would dig her knuckles in my back so I would sit up straight. I could go on and on. I feel blessed that I have so many memories of her.

My grandpa and mom with my grandma's only 2 living sisters. Carol and Lois.

They have been so sweet to my mom during this time.

My grandpa dedicating the grave site

the originals- minus Dave

Nat and Grandpa

My grandma with the boys when they were babies....

My grandma loved telling me the story of when I was young, I was decorating her parents graves and I told her,"Grandma I'm going to the first one to decorate your grave."

 

SNOW

We have had the warmest winter ever! Most days in the 40's and we've had a couple of days in the 60's. In fact one of those days was Friday, you know the day we were stuck inside preparing ourselves for the tornadoes . Fortunately, Lexington wasn't hit but tornadoes caused major damage an hour south, East and north of us. It's been quite the weekend for poor Kentucky.

We woke up Monday to 4 inches of snow and it was a beautiful, peaceful sight. Annie was super thoughtful and woke me up at 5:00am. We spent the morning watching the snow fall and baking bread and when I took Annie outside, she just giggled. Who doesn't love snow?!
The snow was dry and perfect packing snow- which never happens here! We built "COCO" the snowman and his cat. After an hour the boys were ready to come in...
The snow is quickly melting and it should be back in the 60's by tomorrow!

Phone perge

Sword fights always end with tears. Always....

Annie's hobby these days is walking. Up and down the sidewalks

tries to walk in the road

7 years (post authored by Drew)

(First picture of us together)

It's hard to believe that we have been married for 7 years. The mere fact that someone can live with Drew for that amount of time is incredible.

So, to celebrate, we have identified 7 reasons that we have loved the past 7 years and why we look forward to at least 70 more.

#7- We have introduced 3 terrific kids into the world. We know that most parents believe that their kids are the best, but we can honestly say that ours are in the 95th percentile (at least in height and weight). Mac is our intellectual, the future marine biologist loves books and cannot forget anything. Gray lives with passion, he is affectionate and helpful, and occasionally still threatens to "punch [us] in the face." Annie is our adventurer; she spends a disturbing amount of time in the toilet (both with her hands and feet), she has the gift of gab, and refuses to kiss with her mouth closed.

#6- We have watched each other cry. I have watched Ashlee cry during church, movies, books, and even certain episodes of Felicity. Ash has witnessed me cry a much fewer number of times, but they were much more embarrassing - like the first time she waxed my eyebrows or those times when I talk about my Dad and just start to cry (it's a good cry, not like a "Dad used to beat me" cry). It is nice to have a witness to our emotions that passes on the opportunity to judge and looks only for ways to offer support.

#5- We have laughed a lot. One of the reasons I fell in love with Ash is because she loves to laugh, and I love to hear her laugh. While we have laughed at TV shows, Facebook status updates, and the misfortunes of others, the most laughter comes from our daily interactions - Ash's wit and Drew's propensity to be the center of attention and his never-ending ability to increase the awkwardness in any situation.

#4- We have changed and become better people. Drew is kinder and gentler, he has a better sense of style and does fewer annoying things. Ashlee has become more patient because Drew still is pretty annoying.

#3- We have shared triumphs and sorrows. We finished law school, got a great job, bought a house, made goals and accomplished them. We also have endured the passing of loved ones and the challenges of health conditions. But the triumphs were more rewarding and the sorrows less impacting because we had each other.

#2- We still love being around each other. When we leave our kids at home and go out a couple times a month, we still love holding hands and just talking to each other. Ashlee's greatest trait is that she is just so fun to hang out with, and Drew's greatest trait is that he can manage to hang out with people who are way cooler than him.

#1- All the memories we have over the last 7 years have meaning because we made them together. We have traveled around, we have exchanged a lot of presents, we have served in many church callings, we have completed household chores and projects, and have thoroughly enjoyed each memory. But the things we did were only a minor part of the memories. The fact that we did them together is what brings happiness to our lives and makes us anxiously look forward to the many memories that will come our way in the years to come.

So Happy 7th Anniversary to us! (More so to Ashlee than to me, because, let's be honest, it's been really easy for me).

The other years...3,
4
5
6

The rest of January according to my phone...

January was a great month. We spent hours outside enjoying the spring like weather. The kids went back to preschool. Annie started full-on walking. Went to the Globe Trotters game. Did I mention enjoyed the "Medium" weather, as Mac calls it? oh and I spent hours on pinterest which in turn inspired me to make some changes around the house and make some super cute crafts. I could do a whole blog on my love for pinterest!

Aunt Nat

A couple of weeks ago Nat called "Hey, can I come visit... next week!" Uh, ya! We were all excited but the boys were over the moon! The boys counted down the days to her visit and stayed up after 11pm to see her.
The kids took advantage of her- they were cuddled with, held and loved the entire weekend.
Drew has been wanting to go to the air plane museum and figured this was a good time...

G did not like being in this airplane and neither did the workers:)

simulator- mac was a crazy co pilot
We were all sad to see Nat go! It was a short trip but loved every minute she was here.

Annie's party

Annie's birthday bash was low key. We opened presents and ate cake and that pretty much sums up the night...

While she played the boys opened the rest of her presents

cake

face time and the eating of the cake....