{Update}

Nothing too new here at the Ashton household - we are just happy to all be healthy! I was sick last week for a couple of days - that doesn't happen often and when it does it's not good!! I had a midterm I had to take on Saturday, not good! Oh well, I got through it and felt much better on Sunday. I was so happy to be better and able to snuggle with my boys again, and eat normal food. Here's some videos of the boys singing: (we were playing American Idol)

Rhett singing Follow The Prophet with some interesting hand movements:

Ethan singing his favorite song: I am a Child of God

Well there is nothing too new. We are excited for Easter coming...and sad to see Grandma and Grandpa leave for 9 days to Hawaii! Wish we could have snuck in their suitcases!

XOXO

Brooke

{He's 4!}

If you've been around Ethan this last week then you've heard him proudly proclaim "I'm 4!" with his fingers in place. He is so excited to be four!! He had a fun birthday last Sunday. Highlights include: *being sung to in Primary *sugar cereal for breakfast *no nap *Grandma, Ally, & Brittany coming for dinner (spaghetti, his favorite) and birthday ice cream pie *fun presents like 2 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a frisbee, legos, and a remote controlled truck.

We had to take a family picture in our normal spot...

Aunt Ally (12), Brittany (17), and Grandma Flake came to par-tay :o)

On Monday Ethan's party was at an indoor play place new here in Surprise with big blow up bouncers and slides. I took a million pictures, intending to send them to the parents in thank you cards. I got home, downloaded them, and they are all CRAP. My camera is so junky. It weighs like 10 pounds and it takes horrible pictures. So if anyone wants to give me a new one I'll be their best friend. Promise. Here are the better of the blurry pics.

Mallory (who gave Ethan a birthday kiss...woo hoo!) and Ethan

Chloe and Ally

I had to put this pic of Jalen...so funny! This is how he went down every time.


Cutie-pie Carter

All the kids singing to Ethan. I don't know why I didn't have him and Rhett sit with all the other kids? Crazy momma.


Thanks to everyone who came, we are so lucky to have so many fun friends!!!

Okay let's end with some Ethanisms and Rhettisms. This may only be funny to me, but I don't want to forget them.

I've had a dry cough for a few days, very annoying. I was reading Ethan a story and coughed. He looked at me and said "That's not a real cough mom." It made me laugh because that's what I tell him when he fake coughs trying to get a cough drop.

Rhett brought home a dinosaur book from the school library. The cover has a big T-rex with blood falling from it's teeth. Inside it is equally bloody. I was reading it, and I said "Wow, this book is really graphic!" Rhett said "I choose this book because it was so graphic. The graphic pictures are amazing". Hee hee don't think he knows what graphic is but everything is "amazing" lately to him.

{Ethan turns 4!}

This post is dedicated to my cute little Ethan :o). You are four years old today and I can't belive what a big boy you are! You have become my big helper these past few months while Rhett has been in school, and you have taken your role as the big brother very seriously! You have so many great qualities that make you "you". You are a social butterfly, with so many friends who you always want to invite over! You have the best ideas, you always tell them to me with your plan that I can't resist. You are so nice to Kade, even when he bonks you on the head with a car or wants to copy everything you do. You are our jokester, always making us laugh. The picture above is my fav picture of you, you fell off your bike and wanted me to take a picture of you with your "crazy eyes". We love you Ethan and are happy you are four!! Here are some fun pictures of Ethan from the past 4 years...

{Friends}

My beautiful best friend from high school Jen and her hubby Cyler came over to watch the Suns game last night. I love this girl so much! Who would have thought that 10 years from graduating we'd be both married and living close to each other. This is an older picture of Jen, Cyler, and their cute pups but we didn't take pictures last night. I got all funky with the scanner tonight so I could show some old outdated scrapbook pages from high school and college! I want to turn this blog into a book someday so I thought it would be fun to include some older pics.

Jen and I met when she came to Mtn. Ridge when we were sophomores. We had so many fun times together in her sweet ride :o). I was so boy-crazy in high school and she always went along with all my crazy attempts to meet cute boys! We worked at Zuka Juice together and also at Waterworld in the summers. We laughed so hard those years and her e-mails still make me laugh. You know what I'm talking about, right? That amazing friend who you can call no matter how long it's been and pick up right where you left off? Anyways, I could go on and on, but I love this girl and I'm so glad we still get together.

This is a scrapbook page from college days at BYU and back in AZ for breaks. Top left: Jen and I, Top Right: Brooke T. and I (who also lives close by and has 2 adorable girls!) Bottom pics are me with some of many of the millions of roomates I had. It's hard to believe that it's been almost 10 years since I graduated!! Yikes!

Okay before I forget here's something funny Ethan said today. We had just read a book about fish, and how they die without water. He was eating fishy crackers and in between each bite he'd take a drink of water. Because his goldfish needed water, or they would die in his tummy. Funny boy! His 4th birthday is a week from Sunday, I can't believe it. We were watching home videos tonight and it's so crazy to see how fast my boys have grown! Ethan is giving the scripture in Primary tomorrow and he is so excited. He thinks talking in the microphone is pretty cool. I am counting down until Kade's in nursery, just about a month to go now. Well I better run, hope everyone is having a nice weekend.

XO

Brooke

{Engaged!}

My cousin Cody just got engaged to beautiful Breaelle :o). I am so excited for them and the exciting future that is before them. I got to meet Breaelle over Christmas break at the annual White Elephant part and I think she's sweet and fun! Congrats guys!!

{Vegas Baby!}

Okay so I have been studying my little heart out and my computer keeps deleting my hard lab work when I try to submit it with a "page error".....grrrrr!! So since I'm fed up with that I am going to blog about my fun trip last week, with my momasita and sister Melissa who lives in the ghettos of Ogden.

Monday around 3 I took the boys to my parent's house where my sweet sisters Ally and Brittany offered to watch them until Cody got off of work. My mom and I left off on the 4-1/2 hour trek to Vegas. Time flew as we drove and I kept thinking in my head how nice it was to have such quiet, and adult conversation! No bags of fishy crackers to hand back or threats....or no pleas to play the silent game. It was lovely. We stopped at Pizza Hut for din din and I thought I'd be clever and order the Hawaiian Individual Pizza with no ham, extra pineapple. It was so nasty! It was like drinking a can of pineapple, juice and all, with fake cheese. Get the picture? Don't do it.

We got to the hotel right when Melissa showed up, perfect timing. We walked down the strip to Caesar’s Palace where we looked at shops, observed naughty naked women and men statues, and ate cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory. Melissa did get yelled at by the waiter, a flamboyant man in his 40's. She was called a Pink Panther (she was wearing a bright pink shirt) and a barracuda. Yikes! Glad he didn't pick on me, I was wearing a green velour tracksuit so he could have had fun with that!

The next day we had breakfast with Melissa and while she was at her convention Mom and I shopped, ate, shopped, ate. Etc. It was so fun. That night we went in the hot tub and just had fun girl talk. The next day, more shopping, eating, then it was time to go. It was so fun and it was great seeing Melissa again, I miss her tons.

I did miss my kids and Cody a lot, thus my many calls home to see how things were going. I did become alarmed when every time I called they were at various stores and car dealerships. Leaving does come at a price I learned, as I entered our guest room to find 60 boxes of cereal. Oh yeah. Because cereal doesn't ever go on sale for $1 a box (except every week of the year). A big chunk of it is SUGAR CEREAL, which my kids are not allowed to have except on birthdays. At least I didn't come home to my precious Sienna gone. That will happen soon though if Cody has his way.

That brings me to my next news...Cody has started a new job this week. He has been hired on to be a financial advisor for Edward Jones. He quit his job at ASU and has started his 8-week studying to become certified as a financial advisor. We are nervous about the pay cut at first but we feel good about this and think it will be well worth it in the long run. Well that's all that's new at this crazy house.

XOXO
Brooke

My cute mom!

Melissa and I

Me

It was windy the last day.

Very Windy.

{My Loves}

I hope everyone had a nice Valentines Day! Mine was fabulous... I recieved Ferrero Rocher's from my mom (the BEST!), some flowers sprayed bright green with glitter picked out all by Ethan (you know I love anykind of bling!), some treasures from Rhett (rocks picked on a hike with Dad) and a sweet note from Cody. Life doesn't get much better. Here's a little bit about who I love this Valentines Day...



I love my little Kade (16 months) because you always do silly things and faces to make me laugh. (like this picture!). You give me hugs, albeit them rough, and you have the cutest smile and little round head.



I love you Ethan for your fearlessness and your determined attitude. You are our little comedian, if only I wrote down all the things you said and did. I love our snuggle time each afternoon and your "great ideas" you always have, I can't hardly turn them down because you're so persuasive!

(picture taken last summer)


I love you Rhett for your sweetness and concern for others. You are my most tender-hearted child, always worried about others and wanting to make me happy. I love being your best friend and your long hugs. I am so proud of you for doing so well in Kindergarten and trying so hard.

(picture taken on Rhett's 6th B-day)

I love you Cody for being my best friend, my love forever, and an amazing father. I feel so lucky to have you in my life and I am so thankful for the man you are. (Even if you are responsible for me not having any girls!)

(picture taken Father's Day 07)