Summer Fun

This has been a bit of an isolated And strange summer. Last year our summer involved lots of outings and activities and this year we have stayed close to home! Our days consisting of playing in the water, jumping on the trampoline, lots of bike rides and walks! 





 

Our favorite “outing” has been meeting our cousins at the park for some extra exercise and new people to play with! Being close to them is what makes living in Midland worthwhile! They have the sweetest friendships and buddy system and I love watching their relationships grow and evolve! 

Our other place of outing is to visit Mimi at work. She has revamped the local Habitat for Humanity Restore into an impressive place to find amazing home furnishing steals. It is housed in a massive warehouse so the kids like to go and visit her and play in all the extra space. Plus Mimi always has fun snacks for them when they visit! 

I’m so grateful for our home that can provide shelter and protection in the midst of this pandemic and although it can at times feel cramped after spending so much time here we have space to play outside, a park across the street and can play free of fear of contracting the COVID virus!! 

Father's Day 2020

It is so important to me that my children recognize and know what an awesome Dad they have! I didn't have that, as so many of their peers may not in the future. As they grow and learn and remember things about their Dad on their own I want them to also have knowledge from their Mom's viewpoint on their Father. Father's Day seems like a completely appropriate time to reflect on Drew and the things they may one day want to know about him. 

First of all, Drew works so incredibly hard to provide for our family. It is not always easy and we absolutely struggle at times but he is never unwilling to go out and work to provide. He adores his children. His face lights up when yall run out to meet him at his car each day with unconstrained joy that your Dad is finally home. Your favorite days are the ones where Dad gets to stay home all day and not go to work and those are undoubtedly his favorite also! He would do anything and everything for each one of you! He loves to take bike rides or walks with you, push you on the swings at the playground, teach you to play golf or baseball. He loves to watch movies with you and play games. 

Your Dad loves your Mom. That is so so important for you to know! Each one of you came from a marriage of love and yearning to expand our love and family. He brings home flowers for me (sometimes even wild sunflowers he stops to dig up and plant in our flowerbed because he knows I will love them), surprises me with special tokens of affection that do not always have to be materialistic items. One of the most meaningful things he has done this summer has been stopping to ask a neighbor what a particular bush is after I remarked on loving the flowers and remembered seeing them growing in Thailand. He brought seeds home from the bush and planted them so that I could have them here at home. Your Dad works hard to make our marriage and household the best it can be for me and you! He actively tackles home improvement projects I remark on wanting done, he redoes furniture to upgrade items I want to trade out. I am convinced there is no project he cannot tackle!

Thirdly, your Dad loves God. Although he grew up in the church he hasn't always been completely immersed in biblical preachings. However he is always turning to God for comfort and understanding on situations. He is continually striving for a deeper relationship with him and to be a better spiritual leader for our family. His faith walk is not always as secure as he would like it to be but no ones is... his yearning and work on it is the most important part. 

Your Dad loves being your Dad! He loves our family! I am so very thankful for the man that he is and the father that he is!

Rory Ashton Turned 2

 

Somehow when it seems like all time is standing still during this pandemic our sweet Angel girl managed to turn 2! Rory Ashton, what an absolute delight you are!!

Rory you are looking so much like your Nana and it couldn't make me prouder. You have her beautiful blue eyes and reddish hair. You also have her ornery personality which continues to flourish with each passing day. A commented to your Dad just the other day that you literally "crack yourself up." I hear you say or do something and then just laugh at yourself. It is adorable! I called you to come change your diaper and couldn't find where you had gone to. I was looking around and looked into the bathroom from where you jumped out from beside the toilet and said "I here!" to then crack up laughing. You have the cutest little raspy voice right now and are talking up a storm.

Rory you are such a big girl and try to keep up with your brother, sister and older cousins. You are not afraid of anything, which is very scary for us, but you race to be the first on the trampoline or a bicycle. You have tried to ride your sisters big bike which your legs can not reach at all. You love to run to the playground like the big kids and climb up the walls and slide down the big slides. When we are with your cousins, Emma is always by your side and we have joked that the two of you together will be a scary combo as you get older since you are both fearless but at least you will be together.

Your brother and sister race to be the first to get you out of your bed in the morning or after naps to which you usually tell them "no" until Mom or Dad come in to get you. You are such a Daddy's girl because you often love to be in his arms beyond anywhere else. You settle for Mom if Dad is not around. Your other absolute favorite person is your Aunt Nene, who you were named for. The two of you are at times inseparable cuddling up to one another. It is pretty sweet!

 

 Rory you continue to be a huge drinker preferring to drink a full cup in the morning before you can be bothered to even look at food. Throughout the day you are never far from your drink. For food you like to eat anything as long as there is meat. If a meal does not contain meat, such as peanut butter jelly, you want nothing to do with it. You love chicken, bananas, apples ad goldfish. Your favorite toys right now are babies, anything frozen, and Minnie Mouse.
 

For this reason we had a Minnie Mouse themed birthday dinner for you since a full party wasn't possible due to Coronavirus. Your Mom can not help herself though and ordered balloons for a Minnie Mouse balloon garland and Minnie Mouse pinata to keep the party vibe alive. We had Gran-Nana, Mimi, Aunt Kelsey, Aunt Nene, Uncle Lane, Norah, Merritt and Emma over and celebrated the Joy that you are to all of us.

 

 

Rory Ashton you have blessed our lives immensely. You remain our most cuddly child which we just adore. We love you with all of our hearts Rory and can't wait to watch you continue to grow into the sweet God has planned!

6 weeks away from Target

It has been 6 weeks since I stepped inside of a store. No Target, no grocery store, not one place! This is called Coronavirus Quarantine and it is the pits!

Trying to keep 3 kids occupied in a house that they have been in for 6 weeks already day in day out has become a real challenge. We have tried out hand at tie dying, came up with some interesting crafts, games, lots of playing outside on the trampoline and inflatable pool. I have thought often during this time that you really should love and more so like your immediate family as that is who you are stuck inside of a house with! No amount of love or like is enough though to keep three kids 6 and under content in these circumstances.

 

We have really mastered riding bikes around the neighborhood as we have gotten a trailer to pull Rory in behind Drew's bike. These little outings, where we have stayed on opposite sides of the road from any other person out trying to enjoy a different environment to maintain some social distancing, have been the highlight of our days.

The first time I actually did go into a store was this week when I was finally stir crazy enough to mask up and glove up to go get some groceries for myself. It was the most enjoyable grocery shopping experience I have had. I had headphones in, a mask covering my face so I didn't have to worry about smiling (although I still did) and could shop in peace. Although the peace and quiet was idyllic there was a strange atmosphere of trying to avoid other people and beware of the dreaded virus. As restaurants are still closed for inside dining we have ordered take out more to help support local businesses and give myself a break from the monotony of cooking. It has become one of our favorite treats to get take out for dinner.

Our family has been extremely lucky this far as no one has tested positive for the virus. We are remaining to be vigilant about our exposure but allowing for more family dinners including extended family. We have been indulging in park time with our cousins and it is one of the highlights of our week! It is a very different time in life as discussions remain about how to "reopen America" and keep the virus at bay.

A Different kind of Easter

Easter this year was different due to the Corona virus being rampant in our world. Instead of dressing up in our finest for church and a family lunch we stayed in our pj's for longer and enjoyed just spending time at home together.

Having more time at home allowed us to have more time to spend doing Easter crafts and talking about why we celebrate Easter. We talked about Jesus dying on the cross for us and what that means to the best that a 4 and 6 year old could understand. They both thought it was mostly just sad that Jesus died but loved to scream that he was only in the tomb for 3 days before he rose again! Everett began talking about he wished that his Nana could rise again and come back to us from Heaven. This broke my heart because I always wish for the same thing. It has been a sweet time though getting to talk with him about Heaven and how this world is not our home. This is a concept that for me it has taken until the age of 32 to realize that Heaven is where I would rather be than on this Earth because I never wanted to be without my Mom.







I am sure as a child I dyed Easter eggs but don't remember doing it every year. However this was a big tradition in Drew's family and he has been great about implementing it into our traditions. The kids loved getting to dye eggs and decorate them.









The kids woke up extra early Easter morning excited for what the Easter Bunny had brought them. We waited a little bit for Rory to wake up before we let them dive into their baskets. The kids were showered with fun things in their baskets. For breakfast I had made homemade cinnamon rolls, a first for me. They turned out pretty delicious but I will do better next time.

Drew was determined we take a family picture so we abandoned our pj's for some casual Easter attire and found a spot in the alley with a nice backdrop. The family picture didn't work out but we managed to get some good ones. The kids then waited inside while Drew hid eggs in the backyard and our Easter egg hunt ensued. The wind was like Amarillo wind this day so it wasn't the most pleasant experience but they didn't mind one bit as they rushed around the yard collecting all the eggs they could. This was Rory's first real egg hunt where she could find eggs on her own and she was more interested in opening the eggs when she found them than getting as many as she could. She also wanted no help with her basket but was determined to carry it herself.














The rest of the day was pretty lazy playing with new things the Easter bunny had brought and taking naps. Drew had gotten confetti eggs and silly string that made the afternoon more entertaining to play with as the wind had calmed down some.








We had a ham dinner at the dining room table which the kids thought was so special. Haven has loved getting to set the table lately and she did a great job putting out place mats and napkins for our Easter dinner. We ate on blue willow plates that were passed down to me from Mom and Nana which was fun to share with the kids who loved it.









This Easter we missed being at church, we missed being with our family and celebrating all together but we had fun not rushing around anywhere and focusing on just being together! Most importantly we were so thankful that the Tomb was empty and that we have the hope of Heaven in our future!