Baseball

Last Friday was Austin's last baseball game. He decided to play for the school this year and we LOVED the schedule! His practices were right after school and his games were on Friday at 2:00! For the last several years, baseball season has been so time consuming, but this year we were really able to enjoy it! In the past, practices have been from 5-7pm and games at various times over the weekend. We struggled to fit in dinner as a family, ate way too much take out, and felt grounded on the weekends! This year was so nice!

My only complaint is that he didn't get to play in enough games. There were so many kids that wanted to play, so they made up two teams. The teams played every other week.

Watching the kids play sports is one of the things I love most about being a mom! Austin and Me

I don't love this picture at all but my other option was worse! ;-)

We were so proud of Austin this year! He has grown so much as a baseball player! It was so fun to watch him! He played short stop for the first half of the game...

AustinAustin making a great play!warming up...slugging it into the outfield!

The second half of the game he played catcher and did a great job!

Austin on the ground, trying to make the play at home in action

little Ashlyn, trying to watch her brother

Lauren and Jason, trying to keep cool in the shade

(Jason works from home on Friday!) Jessica can't go anywhere without her book! Austin got her started on this Warriors series and they both have been reading a ton!

I'm a little sad baseball season is over! I would have loved to watch him play a few more games before it gets too hot! I'm excited to see how he does next year as a big 6th grader!

Easter

Easter this year was so much fun! We spent the first part at Danale's (Jason's sister) in-laws house. I love how our families are. Family is just family and it doesn't matter how we are related. They make us feel like we are family too! We had an early Easter dinner and then the kids had an Easter egg hunt outside.

Justin's Dad was so sweet with Ashlyn. This was her first Easter egg hunt and she wasn't sure what it was all about. He took her hand and lead her to her first egg and showed her how to put it in the basket. While he was shaking the egg to show her something was inside, it popped open and candy flew out! She got so excited when she realized there was candy inside! Tara, Ashlyn and MikeAshlynAshlyn showing me what she foundTara and Jason Rickards, loving every minute of it!Little Colton was pretty excited about finding his eggs! What a grin!Danale and Colton

The kids loved playing in the fountain by the pool! Tara, Danale, Ashlyn and ColtonAshlyn and Colton

After we left, we went to my uncle's house in Granite Bay, where the rest of my family spending Easter together.Grandma (DaNae), Ashlyn and Grandpa (Bill)
We took about a thousand pictures of the kids in my uncle Steve's backyard! Ashlyn, Brynne, and Britta

(Check out the Easter folder in my picasa album to see more!)

And we had another Easter egg hunt! This time, Ashlyn knew exactly what to do!

AshlynJason and AshlynJason and AshlynJason

I can't decide if it was more fun to watch Ashlyn get excited about Easter, or watching Jason's reaction to Ashlyn getting excited about Easter! He is definitely a proud papa!

A Mellow Weekend at the Mellow's!

Justin and Danale (Jason's sister) just finished their guest room and invited us to come and stay for the weekend. The big kids were visiting their dad in Arizona, so it was just us and Ashlyn. It is not always easy to stay away from home with a baby, but last weekend was perfect! Seriously.

We met them over at Danale's friend, Shauna's house for a small get together. It was fun to meet her friends and watch the kids play together. I really enjoyed chatting with her friend Taryn who is training for the Rock N Roll Marathon in San Diego. I was so jealous because that has always been the one I have wanted to do! (Jen talked me into signing up for the St George Marathon. I'm still pouting, but I know there is no way I would be ready for the one in San Diego. Keep your fingers crossed that we get in to St George! We find out in a few weeks.)

Danale and Jason

I couldn't believe how well Ashlyn went to sleep! She always goes to bed well at home, but when she isn't in her own bed, she usually puts up a fight. She just told everyone "na-night" and went to bed.

Ashlyn loves Colton! It was fun to watch them together. I had to pull out the camera for bath time in the morning. I think having embarrassing bath time pictures with your cousins must be some sort of childhood right!

Colton and AshlynColton and Ashlyn

After we were all ready for the day, we went to this yummy place for breakfast! I can't remember what it was called, but I had french toast that tasted like candy! Justin wasn't feel well, so we left him home and headed over to the Folsom Zoo to meet Kim and Steve Skarda and their cute little guy Griffin.

Steve, Griffin, & Kim Skarda, Ashlyn, Tara & Jason Rickards, Danale & Colton MellowAshlyn, all glammed up for the zoo! Colton, Ashlyn and TaraTara and Ashlyn

The peacocks were so beautiful and so LOUD! It was so cute to watch the kids reaction to them!

Colton's was the best! I was so glad Jason caught a picture of this face!

Danale and Colton

When we were done with the animals, we went over to ride the train.

Ashlyn and Jason waiting for the train

Jason and AshlynTara, Ashlyn, Jason, Kim, Steve, Griffin, Colton, Danale

The train ride was so fun! It was such a cute little train! We had a fun afternoon at the zoo!

Jason, Ashlyn, Tara

We let the kids take a nap when we got back. Justin was feeling a little better, so we all got some lunch and just relaxed until the kids woke up.

Jason and I were talking on the way home about how easy it was to be there. It was just so relaxed and comfortable.

We did a little shopping that afternoon. Jason is already walking!!! I can't believe how fast he is healing! He was supposed to be in a cast for 6 weeks and then in an air cast after that and then he could start to put pressure on it! He still has a limp when he walks, but he is getting stronger every day. He will bring his crutches if he knows he will be on his feet for a while, but he doesn't use them around the house anymore. I think I am a little over protective. I keep trying to tell him to stop trying to walk so much, but he says its okay. I will feel better after he sees the doctor next week. I just don't want him to hurt himself because he is too tough for his own good!

We spent the rest of the evening just enjoying each other's company.

Jason, Justin, Colton, and Ashlyn

Danale is such a good mom and aunt! She is so sweet with Ashlyn and even bought her some Easter jammies and a bubble toy!

Ashlyn, Danale, Colton getting ready for bed

Ashlyn at 18 months

Our little Ashlyn is growing up so fast! I wanted to do a post at 18 months so I wouldn't forget all the cute things she is doing! I absolutely love every minute of being her mom!

Some people say she looks just like Jason...

Ashlyn Jason

And some say that she looks just like me...

Ashlyn

Tara

I think she is the perfect mix of us both!

Jason, Tara and Ashlyn Rickards

We still can't get enough of her! We could still sit for hours just watching her!

Like her dad, there are so many sides to her personality. She has a sweet side... She loves her stuffed bunny and sometimes carries it around the house.

She loves to read books! She can often be found reading in this chair with one of her sisters or her brother.
Recently, she has started to "read" to herself. It is so cute to listen to her as she turns the pages and recognizes objects that she knows the words to.

She is so playful and loves to wrestle with us!

Tara and AshlynAshlyn and TaraAshlyn trying to get me to say "ahh" so she can show me where my tongue is Ashlyn and Jason Rickards

She LOVES pajamas!! She gets excited at bedtime and likes to pick out her "jammies" all by herself. When I buy new pajamas at the store, she tries to take her clothes off so she can put them on! It's so cute! (I don't blame her! If I could wear my pajamas all day, I think I would!)Her Grandpa Rickards bought her these Ariel pajamas and she loves to wear them!

Ashlyn saying "cheese!"

One day, when I was doing laundry, I heard Ashlyn growl "burrrummm, bruummm!" It was such a gravely growl that it made me laugh to hear it. She has such a sweet little voice that it caught me off guard. I looked around because I didn't know why she did it. She started stomping her feet back and forth like she does when she gets excited and said "Up! Up!" with her arms reached up to me. I picked her up and she did it again. "BRRUMM! BRUUUUUMMM!" and pointed at Austin's motorcycle shirt that had just been washed! I started laughing and called Jason. Now she has her very own motorcycle outfit to match Austin's.

Ashlyn after her bath

She thinks the motorcycle "maggie" (magazine) is a fun bedtime story and often brings it over to Jason to read to her, which of course he loves!

Ashlyn and Jason

Jason and Ashlyn

Ashlyn loves dogs! She gets so excited when she sees a dog! She used to scream because she was so happy, but now she has settled into a big grin and an excited "Goggy! Goggy!" (She can say puppy perfectly and it is even cuter!) She loves to go across the street to see the neighbors dog and gets really excited when he plays catch. Sometimes when she is sad, Jason will pull up dog images on his computer and she could sit forever looking at them.

All she wanted to do last weekend at Danale's friend's house was watch the dogs.

We are always amazed by how smart she is! A few weeks ago, we were watching America's Funniest Home Videos with the kids. In one part they had a bunch of dog clips. Ashlyn went over and tried to get the remote from Jessica. From experience, this is a bad idea. She loves to push the buttons... She started crying when she couldn't have the remote, so Jessica got her a remote that didn't have batteries in it. She ran it over to Jason and gave it to him and said "Puppy. Puppy."

We couldn't believe that she understood that the remote could make the puppy come back on! Of course we rewound it for her so she could watch the puppy part. She was so excited and pumped both fists in the air, "Yeah! Puppy! Puppy!" Then she shook her head as she tried to tell us about it. "Uh food! Uh bye-bye! Puppy! arf! arf!" (The puppy stole the kids food in one clip and ran away. Dogs say woof! woof, but the little puppy in another clip, had a really high voice and said arf! arf!) We swear she is the smarted kid on the planet. Don't all parents think that? :-)

She loves food, and will even eat sweets now! Sometimes she will ask for "can-ee" (candy) after she has seen me sneak some out of the cupboard! She loves veggies and will still choose broccoli and mushrooms over a cookie! She won't drink any kind of juice- just water. She loves apples and will eat them all day long if I let her.

She loves her grandma! She gets excited when we pull up in front of her house! We never worry if she is happy when she is with Grandma. The hardest part of leaving her with Grandma is picking her back up! She cries when it is time to go.

She loves to go to the park and play on the swings...

She is talking so much! She can say just about everything! She has been putting two and three words together to start making sentences. My favorite is , "where'd it go?" with her hands out and shaking her head.

She just woke up, so I am out of time!