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30 June 2008

Goats, Pygmy Horses & Biting Chickens

Not a summer goes by these days without a trip to the Gardener Village petting zoo!...and we all know how Anthany feels about little goats! This year Ashton actually made his way around the "farm", looking at and touching the different animals, a lot different story than the previous year where he sat on one rock the entire time with a look of disgust on his face....

Last Year:

This Year:
*Aunt Kimmy can vouch for me that he literally did not leave that rock last year!




For anyone who ever visits a petting zoo, let all learn from my experience. Although there are no pictures to prove what happened, I assure you it did. I, or rather my finger, found out very quickly why they imprison chickens in chicken coupes. Do not stick your finger, or any other body part, through the holes of the chicken coupe! They do bite and bite HARD! The kids continuously reminded me the rest of our stay that we don't put our fingers in the coupe where those birds bite. Yes, I know.



The miniature pony rides are the best! The boys were a little hesitant at first, but they thought that they could handle the smallest pony. Ashton would have tried, but I'd have needed a second set of hands to maneuver that one! So he watched and cheered the other boys on! What fun we have!

25 June 2008

Masquerade Ball

My cousin, Rebecca, had her 23rd Birthday this month. For her party she decided to go ALL out and have a Masquerade Ball to celebrate! Can I just say how fun it was to have the opportunity to dress to the 9's and at the same time party a little Halloween-style with masks? We had a great time with all our family and friends. Thank you Becca for the fun night, and for having a Birthday to celebrate this way! Happy Birthday!



01 June 2008

Way Great Play Dates!

It's no secret that Ashton loves his cousin Emma as much as she loves him! They have started meeting at least once a week for some one-on-one fun time...and boy is it F-U-N! Some of the time they are at Grandma Nanny's, other times they play at each other's homes...but no matter where their dates are, it is fact that they never want to part and can't get enough of each other!

One of their favorite activities is when they meet for a game of pool. It makes everyone in the room nervous, but they haven't broke anything, or hurt anyone, yet!


In this here photograph it seems that they have discovered something in the grass at Nanny's house... and YES, it is doggy-doo! They (well mostly always Emma) seem to locate that stuff ANYWHERE in the yard, and then proudly find their moms to show them where it's at!


Old baby toys, from when Uncle-G was a baby, are still a hit! They've also played with these toys since the day they were born, and somehow those antiques still seem to entertain them!


THEY thought it was funny to sit on Poppy's weight bench...



Aunt Kimmy's house is another fun place to play! They write on the driveway, and write on themselves, with chalk, play in the sprinklers, and water the plants...



After a long day outside it's time for dinner, followed by the highlight of the evening...


BATH TIME!


Emma is such a mom already... She loves to help Ashton get clean, or maybe he's so stinky she can't wait to wash him off! Just Kidding Ashy!




On this occasion, their time together lasted through the night with a sleepover! They love to watch movies with each other while they play. The nights that Ash doesn't sleep over at Emma's, she wakes up in the morning calling.... "Ash!...Ashy!... Ash???", and supposedly asks for him randomly throughout the day. I'm sure if Ashton could say her name he'd do the same! He actually was saying "Ma" the other day after being with her, but we all know he's not saying mama...since he calls me "Baba"... hehe!


These two are more than just cousins!

20 May 2008

Wheeler Farm

This month my sister and I decided to attempt the classic Wheeler Farm field trip. The kids love to see and touch the animals, feed the ducks, mimic animal sounds and label everything they see, but most of all they love to be with each other! The best part about Wheeler Farm is that it is the perfect Photo op!





While searching through the "ginormous" variety of photos, from both mine and my sister's camera, I slowly started to realize that not only are most of our pictures from the backs of the kids, but the "back-sides" of the animals as well... I am a fan of candid shots from behind, but this is ridiculous!









Zachary, the cute thing, only posed with his "scary face" when asked to flash his smile for the camera....for EVERY shot. Maybe that's the reason for most of the back-sided pics!



Anthany spend most of his time with this sweet little goat. Not kidding. The goat must have thought at some point that the petting would lead to something to munch on from out of Anthany's hand...but no, Anthany had no intentions of feeding him, he's just an avid animal lover that enjoys touching soft things!


Ash was completely against going into the dark, smelly barn... and was disappointed that Emma would even try. He never did experience that barn, but I got a cute shot of him walking in the opposite direction...again from behind.



Toward the end of our stay, we noticed that Ashton was getting tired and ready to go. His face had permanently changed to the following look of disgust. Is he just a little too cool for the farm and it's smells?


See you again in August Wheeler Farm! Ash will be returning for a real field trip with his school class! We'll see if we can capture some smiles this time!

14 May 2008

My Buddha

Ashton is quite often found lounging on my bed, watching a movie with bink in mouth, and blank in hand... especially when not feeling well, as he was in this photo. He loves being lazy and comfy in soft squishy pillows and warm blankets. This time he looked extra content :) He's so special with his big round belly!

06 May 2008

Backyard Bubbles

What child does not enjoy bubbles? "I wish I loved ANYTHING as much as my kids love bubbles!" I know these guys do! Bubbles are especially fun when they are generated out of a machine to produce masses of them!








The only down-side to these shots is that they were taken before the lawn was starting to green up... I hate the look of dormant grass :(

04 May 2008

Walk for Autism

May 3rd was the first annual "Walk Now for Autism" held here in the Salt Lake valley, and is North America's largest grassroots autism walk program. This years event had over 3,500 participants and over 300 walking teams! The program itself raised over $300,000 and the number is still rising! The money received will be used to help solve the Autism puzzle.



As you know, our little Ashton was diagnosed with a mild Autistic spectrum disorder this past fall. As already mentioned in previous posts, Ashton is doing wonderfully! I joined Ashton's awesome walking team in support of my marvelous boy!


Utah's Autism rate ranks third in the state.


1 in 150 children have Autism.



Look for us around 1 minute, 27 seconds into the following clip...
http://www.abc4.com/mediacenter/local.aspx?videoid=
81768@video.ktvx.co
m&navCatId=8




Special THANKS to all those who donated and participated!
Please join us next year and donate to this important cause!