You've got to get in on this!

Check out this amazing giveaway and an incredible site at Creative Mama's Blog! The items they have are absolutely adorable! What fun to have a girl:)

Simple Pleasures

Who knew that a Baby Einstien vibrating block could be so much fun?

Hearing Ashley laugh is one of the greatest joys we have ever experienced!

Mom went back to work!

Wow! So mom went back to work, and our blog has been seriously neglected! There has been so much happening lately and so many wonderful things that we would like to share- but instead of having like 15 new posts all at once, here is a quick summary of our last month!

LITTLE MISS ASHLEY MARIE

Ashley turned three months and is growing more and more each day. She is giggling and smiling - especially in the mornings (which she gets from her dad!) and has amazing head control! She loves to sit up and take in the world around her and absolutely loves looking at herself in the mirror. One thing she is still learning how to do is suck her fingers. She goes back and forth between the pacifier and the 'fist' so who knows what she will end up doing!

ASHLEY IS DEDICATED AT CHURCH!

Ashley was also dedicated on November 23rd at our church, Calvary Chapel Castle Rock! For those who do not know what a baby dedication is, it is a special time where we publicly declare our desire to raise Ashley in a Godly home, seeking out his will for her life. We choose not to baptize babies because biblically, baptism is explained to be an outward expression of an inward change. It is a demonstration of a person's faith, and symbolizes their new life in Christ after they have become saved. A baby cannot express that decision for their own life yet, and so her baptism will be saved until she has made the decision to accept Christ as her personal Lord and Savior.

For her dedication, we present her before our church, and more importantly, before God, and ask for the support of our family, friends, and our church as we try to raise her in a way that is pleasing to God. Baby dedication is also based on biblical scripture in 1 Samuel when Hannah presents her son, Samuel, to the Lord. She recognizes that her son is God's creation, entrusted into her care, and declares that she will raise him in a way that is pleasing to God.

Our pastor led the church in a prayer for Ashley, and for us as parents. He then presented her with a certificate, and her very own pink baby-sized Bible. Too cute!

Ashley also got a very special gift from Erin's mom. A baby cross necklace that Erin's Grandma gave to her Mom when she was a baby. She wore it for the dedication and Pastor Brian pointed out that she had 'baby bling' :)

She also had a special keepsake bonnet given to her by Erin's friend Ashley. It has a small cross on it and now gets saved for 'good luck on her wedding day'--I can't even think about her getting married right now, but it is still very special to have!

It was an incredible day and we were so blessed to be able to share it with both immediate and extended family members! Afterwards everyone came back over to our townhome for lunch. It was a tight fit- but everyone had a good time.

Thank you Jesus for our little miracle!

THANKSGIVING!

A week later we were able to travel back to Minnesota to spend some bitter-sweet time with Erin's Dad's side of the family. Erin's Grandmother sadly passed away just shy of her 92nd birthday. She had led a rich life and was ready to be reunited with Christ and her late husband, but it was still heartbreaking to lose her. We were blessed with the opportunity to go back to Minnesota for her funneral, and while we were there we were also able to celebrate Thanksgiving with extended family members. We do not have the opportunity to get out to MN that often, and so it was nice to have a few days to visit and spend time with each other. Here is Ashley-bundled up and ready to face the chilly MN air! She looks both extremely chubby, and completely adorable!

Erin was very nervous about traveling with Ashley on a plane, but she was AMAZING and slept the entire way! The airline allowed us to take a bottle and benadryl through security, and after we checked our stroller and carseat at the gate, the rest was smooth sailing!

One of the many highlights was being able to meet Abbigail, Erin's cousin's daughter, born just 6 days after Ashley! Everyone loved having the two babies together and it was tons of fun dressing them in matching outfits!

Whew! Thanks for reading all about our fun filled November! We will try and be much better about updating our blog more frequently, but with the Holidays coming up- no promises! :)

Such a Champ!

Ashley just recently had her 2 month check up! The doctor said she looks great - weighing in at 10lbs 6oz and 21.25 in long, and a head size in the 80th percentile (thanks dad!). Unfortunately, she also had to get 4 shots! Yikes! It was heartbreaking to hear her cry, but the nurse was really fast and our little snugs took it like a champ. Here she is with her camo bandaids a few hours later- still as happy as can be!

To make it easier for her to sleep that night we gave her a bath with some 'soothing bedtime' baby soap. She was loving her bath center when we changed the setting from newborn to infant! Now she looks like a queen on her throne! It seems like the whole 'shot' experience was definitely harder on Mom and Dad than it was on her!

Happy Halloween!

Our Halloween activities began by going to a harvest pary for one of our friends a couple weeks before. Ashley of course was the cutest darn Tinkerbell you have ever seen, and Matt, Erin and Cheryl were of course, the three blind mice! Someone did actually ask Erin if she was a bunny- we worry about the bunnies that this person has seen!

Next was one of everyone's favorites-carving Ashley's first pumpkin! Ashley helped Matt carve the perfect jack-o-lantern, an exact copy of her very own pumpkin-booty!

On the actual day of Halloween Ashley got to hang out with her buddy A.J. as Erin, and her friends actually had time to sit down and talk while eating a 'pumpkin pizza'- trust us, it is supposed to look like a pumpkin! Then we took the kiddos to Enterprise where Ashley got to see her daddy and all his co-workers go crazy with decorations!



Last but certainly not least we drove down to Palmer Lake so that Ashley could meet up with her cousins. We had Pebbles and Bam-Bam, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty) and the little fairy herself. By the end of the day she was EXHAUSTED! What a fun first Halloween though!

Bring on the Fall!

On Saturday we had the chance to visit the Colorado Pumpkin Patch in Monument and it was aweseome! Not only did God bless us with incredible weather, but there were SO many activities for the kids to enjoy- and you only had to pay for kids over the age of 2! Adults and the little ones were free (which is a word everyone appreciates!)

Ashley got a chance to spend time with her three cousins and a couple of really close friends-

which we will just have to tell her about later because the little stinker slept through the whole thing!!

Here are the kiddos at the goat petting zoo and the corn sandbox- yep, it was filled with real corn kernels!

Matt took Ashley for a 'ride' on one of the huge tractors and the kids spent some time running through (or on top of) the hay maze.

And of course, here is little miss Ashley with her very first pumpkin - now we just have to figure out how we want to carve it!




Towards the end of the day we all stood in line so that we could go on a tractor ride-not quite a thrill seeker,
but the kids had a good time :)

The last stop was the hay slide, which went surprisingly fast! Ashley will just have wait and try this one next year-
but her cousins had a great time!

We would definitely reccommend this activity to anyone willing to make the drive down to Monument!
It is the perfect way to celebrate fall!

Check out that volume!

Here is miss Ashley right after her bath. Hair is nice and clean, softly brushed, and 'pulled back' with a cute little bow........

Then no joke, like 20 minutes later....

POOF- it is all standing straight up!

Erin has to put stuff in her hair in hopes of having any kind of 'oomph,' and Ashley's won't stay down!

Gotta love it!

Spending time outside!

We LOVE going for walks and are so blessed to live right next to the fairgrounds! The parks and walking trails in Castle Rock are amazing and so we try and use them whenever we can. Recently, we tried putting Ashley in the 'snuggly' and walking into town. At first she was not a big fan, but within a minute of being snuggled up close to daddy she was sound asleep! We had such a great time walking around the shops downtown, doing 'taste tests' at the farmers market, and having lunch. Ashley preferred the stroller on the way home and Matt made sure to see that Erin and Grandma kept up an impressive walking pace.

We also just tried a new trail that Matt had discovered next to the railroad tracks. It was a beautiful walk with some of the leaves changing color, and it led us to some interesting art. Who knows why, but in the middle of Castle Rock- right off of the interstate, you can find large painted cutouts that you can stand in, a bowling scene, and even a cereal bowl of fruit loops that has been tipped over. Hmmmm......

Grandma's Visit!

Ashley's Grandma (Erin's Mom) just came to visit for a whole week! It was SO nice having an extra hand to help around the house, and Ashley- well she just got spoiled rotten! We went for walks every morning at the park by our house, tried new recipies, caught Grandma up on episodes from The Office :), and of course- went shopping!

Grandma bought Ashley three outfits for the upcoming holidays! She now has a 'lil pumpkin' outfit for Halloween, a 'Baby's first Thanksgiving' outfit complete with a matching bib and socks, and a "Baby's first Christmas' outfit - you gotta love the Carter's store at the outlet mall!

Splish Splash I Was Taking a Bath!

Ashley has the coolest little bath center (thanks Aunt Sue and Shannon!), but she still isn't too sure about the whole taking a bath experience! She seems content when her little body gets scrubbed down, but when it is time to clean her hair- little miss is not a happy camper!



Everything gets better though when she gets bundled up in her cozy towels! Daddy blows warm air onto her hands so she doesn't get too cold. He also calls her his 'little Yoda' because of how she looks in her hood!

After her bath Ashley's hair almost looks curly! As it dries it definitely shows off a little more of the 'fluff' look and then she is ready to go!

Are You Ready For Some FOOTBALL?!

Here come the Irish!
On Saturday Ashley was introduced to one of the most exciting events of the fall- Notre Dame Football! She looked the part sporting her new jersey from Aunt Michelle and Aunt Mary, and even though she slept through most of the game, she was just the luck that the Irish needed! They pulled off their first 'W' of the season as they beat San Diego State 21-13. Matt is now counting down the days until he gets to bring his little girl to out to South Bend, IN so that they can truly experience Notre Dame together!

Let's Go Bears!

As Sunday followed, so did more football! Sunday night Ashley once again proudly showed off her team spirit in her new Bears onsie from Papa. She loved watching the game with Daddy- probably because she was so comfortable sleeping in his arms! She helped the Bears beat the Colts 29-13 - and was there as we watched our new favorite player Matt Forte give his thanks after the game to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! What an amazing weekend of great football!