Thomas conversations...

As he's shooting Ash with the nerf guns:

"This is not good for sons, but it's sure fun for dads."

(don't worry they both shoot each other and most the time gang up on me!)

Tom: I will blast you
Ash: (laughing uncontrollably) I will blast you too!

Christmas fun 2010...

The whole holiday season flew by this year. It has been bizarre to watch the days pass so quickly, with me running here and there, trying to get things done before the last minute. My December was a little heavier this year... with bigger things on my plate than just Christmas. Even though, we loved every minute and had so much fun.

It all started with Ash's annual Christmas program at daycare. He was sent home with a note that said to practice two particular songs. With all the craziness... I'm not sure we ever even practiced more than once or twice. But they must have practiced so much during daycare, because it turned out so cute.

They played the song in the background and the tape had singing on it. The kids were slower than the tape and just kept singing away (even though they were about a line slower!). It was adorable.


Afterward, they had a santa stop by for all the kids to visit with. Asher waited patiently until the very end and told him about the transformers and hamster that he wanted.


We went to Little America for breakfast with Tom's family the Sunday before Christmas. It's a yummy family tradition that I always look forward to. Ash loves hanging out with his "brothers" (aka cousins). They always eat crazy things and then ride the elevator the top floor to see if its scary up there.





On Christmas Eve we got to spend the day with Addi... oh she is so cute. She can walk now!!! She just follows Ash around the house to see what he is doing. Ash loves this and keeps telling her "come on".


On Christmas morning Ash slept... and slept... and slept some more. Around 8:30 he finally got up and wandered into our room. He asked if I wanted to go watch TV with him and I was like "do you remember what day it is? Who came to our house last night?" Finally a look of "oh yeah" pops on his face and he runs to look at the presents.


He had been very worried about if he'd been good enough to get toys. He told Tom the night before he didn't care "because he was just going to get clothes anyway." He was very happy to see all his toys that morning. He said santa brought him lots of great toys.


He had asked santa for an optimus prime (has one), hamster (uh... not happening), train (already has one), zu zu pet (has two), and a crane. Luckily santa had a different optimus and some other transformers, and he remembered a few months ago that Ash really wanted a big bakugun ball. He was very excited to see that one.


He also got a batman castle with some new super heros.


I was truly spoiled and got a new iPad! Holy cow. I wasn't expecting that one. Tom fooled me horribly by paying for only a little on our credit card so I would think it was an iPod. I love it. Best. gift. ever. Kind of made Tom's running shoes and clothes kind of suck. But he did get a cool iphone cover (yeah... that really equates with an ipad... dang it).

We went to my moms for breakfast and to watch the kids open presents. Baby Lylha has gotten so big and is so happy! She is always good for a smile.


Addi was very busy running around... but I think she still loved our present to her. It is very loud and obnoxious after all (paybacks!).


Ash thought the punching ice cream truck mater he got was hilarious. He kept hitting his dad with it and laughing his butt off.




and then Tom tried to do it back to him...


Then we went to tom's mom's house and opened presents there. Ash was so excited to get a wolverine and jugernat guys. He loves the superheros. He also got a bigfoot with a remote control that is pretty funny. He loves to make it burp and fart!

Rory was pretty good at the dancing kinnect game... surprising for his lanky booty!


We ended the whole season with one of our famous sleep over parties. Ash still asks for one almost every other day. We only do them every other weekend or so, but he thinks it the best thing ever. He tells me "talk dad into having a sleep over party".

An awesome year! So much fun.

Asher conversations...

This one happened today while we were driving:

Ash: mom, is sharing a choice?
Me: Yes it is
Ash: so I can choose to share or not to share?
Me: That's right.
Ash: maybe I only want to share a little
Me: Well sharing is a good way to make new friends.
Ash: I'm going to share today and make lots of new best friends!

This is why he's such a cute dad...

When Ash and I got home from work today Tom had already left for a run. But this is what Ash found waiting:




How cute is that?

Holy snow...

It has been snowing, and snowing, and then snowing some more all day today.

Lucky for Ash (who loves to play in it).

Unlucky for Tom (who has to shovel it).

DISNEYLAND!!!

We finally made it to California last week. The trip we've been wanting to take for over a year. Noralyn and Rachie came too, which was really awesome. Except they got stuck with Ash almost every night because he really wanted to sleep in their room. Sorry... he's a wiggle worm.

We bought the citypass things, so we got to go to Disneyland for three days, Universal, SeaWorld, and San Diego Zoo.

We started at Disneyland... something about that place just makes you feel like a kid. It's so fun. This time we kind of did it from a little ones perspective, so we got to ride all the little kid rides that I've never ridden before. The best part is adults can totally ride all the rides so Ash wasn't really even afraid of most of them.

He wasn't so sure about the characters, but he loved Pluto for some reason. Maybe he just looks like a big stuffed animal or something. He went right up and hugged him. Everyone else he just kind of shunned.


It was all decorated for Christmas and so pretty. The It's a Small World ride had Christmas music (but even Asher thought that ride was WAY too long). The Princess Castle was all lit up at night with blue and purple lights. So pretty!!!

We just had tons of fun. Ash even liked just walking around.



Ash loved spending so much time with his dad. They are two peas in a pod.



When Ash wouldn't go visit the characters, Rachie would jump in for him.


Me and Ash went on the Autotopia ride and they gave him a little driver's license. Ash was so excited. He kept saying that he could drive now. I asked him where he wanted to drive to and he said, "Dick's, to get some ham sandwiches." Such a crazy.


The first day wasn't too busy and we got to ride a bunch of rides. Ash really liked both of the Toy Story rides, the Tuck and Roll bumper cars, and even the Pirates ride. He hated Haunted Mansion (because we got stuck in the elevator with a bunch of screaming girls), and the Bugs Life 3D show (because he thought for sure Hopper was going to come and get him).


We ate at the Rainforest Cafe (which is expensive and not really good food), and the Storyteller Cafe (which has an AMAZING breakfast buffet... so worth the price).

We wanted to go to Universal so Ash could see some of the superheros. Last time we went some of them were out walking around. This time... none. We had SpongeBob, the Simpsons, Lucille Ball, a Mummy... no superheros. Lame.


Ash liked the Pets show. He HATED the WaterWorld show. The guns scared him horribly. I felt guilty making him watch it.




Universal was so dead we could walk on any of the rides. Ash couldn't really ride any of them so it was perfect and we could take turns. We took him on the lot tour and the tunnel part with king kong and the dinosaur freaked him out. So every time we got on a bus or little train he wanted to know if it went through a tunnel with a gorilla!



We tried to split a day between San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld because they are both a good drive away and we couldn't decide which to go to. I figured the zoo would be two to three hours like the one in Salt Lake, but it was seriously HUGE! We were there for two hours and all we did was walk through the kids section, the reptile area, and ride the bus that goes around the whole zoo. Next time we will have to spend the whole day.

After that we went to SeaWorld and Rachie powered us through there in one afternoon. We fed everything... (did you know Dolphins like jello?)





We walked for miles...


We saw all the shows...



Ash was spoiled freaking rotten... he got something pretty much daily. He really liked the woody doll and the dolphin.


He and Rachie kept singing the Shamu song. It is pretty funny. Da Da, Da Da, Shamu, Shamu!

On Saturday we went back to Disneyland and it RAINED!!! We had to get those slicker things and run from ride to ride. It wasn't too bad, but luckily it kept most of the people away. I didn't take my camera cause I didn't want it to get wet. I'll have to get Rachie's pics from her. Ash was so cute in his little slicker.

Sunday was cold, but it didn't keep the people away. It was SOO busy. Our favorite ride, the Toy Story one, had a 60 minute wait. Yuck. Worth the wait though.



We had so much fun. Ash keeps asking me when we are going to Disneyland again. Hopefully soon!

Did we just become best friends?

Ash got a new best friend in Disneyland today. It was a perfect match.


He's been throwing him, swinging him, and just being a total boy with him.

Adorable.

License to be cute

Ash got a "driver's license" on the autotopia ride at Disney yesterday and he was so excited to be able to drive now.



His first place he wanted to drive to? He said Dick's grocery store for a ham sandwich!

So tired

We almost made it thru a full day at Disneyland before ash conked out.


*almost*

Asher conversations...

"I look like a jerk."

This is what Asher said the other night while looking at his soaped up hair in the bathtub. Usually we look at it and laugh about how funny it looks.

It was hilarious. He's said it a few other times. If I put something on him to wear that he doesn't like, then he'll say "I look like a jerk."

He also says, "You get what you get and don't through a fit. Right mom?" They must say that at daycare.

He likes to be formal sometimes... so he'll tell me something I'm wearing is cute. So I say thanks, and then he wants me to tell him something of his is cute. And then he says, "Oh, Thank You!" It's funny how he really wants to act adult.

Halloween Special: our haunted house

I keep forgetting to post about these... but it might be perfect timing with Halloween today (well, technically tomorrow).

After we moved into our new house we had some bizarre things happen.

MY CRAZY PHONE...

One morning at like 6AM I hear this beating on the door. It was just after Tom left so I figured it was him and he had forgotten something (and I was too sleepy to not wonder why he didn't use his keys), so I got up... still in my little pjs... and opened the door.

It was the police.

Imagine me... bleary eyed... in my pjs... looking at the cop like what the freak?

He's like "Ma'am, did you call 911?" And I'm like no way sir. I just rolled out of bed to answer the door. I've been sleeping. And he's like "are you sure your not in trouble?" As if he's waiting for me to wink and let him know all hell is breaking loose inside... and I'm like "no..." So we talk for a minute and he decides everything is fine and he leaves.

I watch as he walks away and notice there is TWO police cars parked in our little circle. So now all our brand new neighbors think we are trouble for sure.

So a few days later, I get another knock at like 7AM. But I'm prepared this time. I grab a sweatshirt and at least cover my bra-free self. I tell the police this is so weird and they tell me that it happens when there is water in the line. The static it causes sounds like numbers and will actually dial.

This rings a bell. My phone has been ringing lately and when I answer it all I get is static.

So I call the phone company and they come out. Turns out there is a beehive in the phone box causing all sorts of havoc. Wonder who else they managed to call?

MAYBE IT WAS JUST BASIL...

The next story happened around the same time... it was warm enough to start thinking about yard work, so Tom cleaned out our garage. The last owners left a few things in there. So Tom started going through it to see what he wanted to keep. He finds this garbage bag stuffed in a corner and opens it.

Inside is a big plastic bag with a bunch of little plastic bags filled with some green herbs. It was totally POT!

So we are laughing and joking about it. I call my brother and tell him the story... and of course he tells my dad... who calls me. I'm not sure why the conversation was so awkward... but it was. Yes I found POT. How do I know its POT? Um, just a guess?!?

So my mom starts in... and she's like what if someone dumped it there to hide it and they are going to come back? And then they break into the house and hold us hostage for it if its not there? Oh jeez... we've gone from funny... to not so funny.

I'm like 85% sure that's not the case (the previous owners were a little out there... so I'm sure it was theirs)... but the seed has been planted.

So we leave the pot in the garage for like another month. And then dispose of it.

And now I have a POT story. Which is always awesome.

THE SECRET ROOM...

When we found the pot it made us wonder what else was hidden in our little house. The basement had a storage room with a few things left in it. When we moved in we noticed right of the bat there was a locked toolbox in there. Brandon insisted this is how some people keep a gun, so we had to pry it open and see what was in there.

After all that hoopla... it was a child's tool set with a chainsaw, table saw, and goggles. So not what I was expecting.


So... anyway, back to the search for odd crap in the junk they left. It was mostly paint and painting supplies. Tom got creative and started checking things like in the tiled ceilings, etc.

Under the stairs there is another storage area. It's unfinished so its all cement. Its the most scary place in our house. We don't even keep anything in there! Tom was checking it and noticed there is a wood plank nailed to the cement wall. He was curious why and looked in the crack with a flashlight. It opened into a small space under the garage.


A whole space we had no idea existed for months! It only had some tomato cages in there... but how bizarre is that?

So the house has officially been compared to:

1. Mothman Prophecies: the odd phone calls with static
2. Pineapple Express: the pot story that started funny and ended crazy.
3. Stir of Echos: the hidden room (except ours didn't have a dead body!)

Sometimes life is just crazy! But, we still love this house and all the fun it has brought.

Happy Halloween from Spiderman!