{Field Trips to the ZOO}

Spring was filled with field trips and I was able to go with Kade and his class to The Wildlife Zoo and with Ethan and his class to The Phoenix Zoo. There is nothing like going with little ones to the zoo, I love to see their excitement at getting close to the animals they only see on TV or in books! Kade especially loved the sting rays that he got to pet in the aquarium. Of course the merry-go-round was also a hit! The weather was so funky, from chilly to sunny - back to cold and then it hailed. That added to the fun and we had a great day that we spent with lots of friends from other preschool classes too.





Next I went with Ethan and his class to The Phoenix Zoo. I was able to ride on the bus the hour there and back and boy was that an experience! Lots of loud excited kids on the way there, and tired and sleepy kids on the way back. Add to that one child and parent left behind, with the bus having to turn around and go back to get them and you have the full experience.



Ethan's favorite animals were the monkeys and elephants. It was fun to be able to share his first field trip with him :o)

{Flashback Friday}

I am wayyyy behind but have a lot to post and will hopefully do it soon!! This picture was taken almost four years ago at a party the city we live in puts on each year.

{Stolen Camera}

My boys love getting their hands on my camera....and it always makes me laugh when I am downloading pictures onto the computer and see what they have done without me knowing. Here's what I found today:

{Mr. Competitive}

When Ethan started Kindergarten this year I was a little worried that full-day would be hard for him, he loves to run and play and I didn't know how sitting so much would be for him. Well he LOVES school and is in tears whenever he has to miss a day for a vacation or doctor appointment. If you know Ethan, than you know he is very competitive when it comes to sports. Luckily he has been on winning teams so far in his little sport career because he doesn't take losing well (we are working on that!) . His competitive nature also transfers over to homework.

His class has a new teacher for the last month of school and she started having them do homework. Each Monday she sends home a packet with several pages to complete and turn in on Friday, as well as a reading log. He insists on completed the entire packet and reading log that same day, and turning it in the following day. His teacher has started giving him extra packets, which he loves. I never would have guessed that Ethan would be begging to stay up late and do homework in his bed! The funniest moment was last week when Ethan went to play at his friend Caviston's house, and Ethan took his homework packet so they could do homework together instead of playing. So funny.

{One of those people....}

I guess I have turned into one of those people. You know the type...the ones that take their dog to the vet and pay a lot of money to keep their dog alive. It didn't take long...we've only had Socks 4 months. Yikes! Let's start at the beginning....



As most of you know, Santa brought the boys a puppy for Christmas, “Socks”. They have grown quite attached to her. Last Friday we noticed she was not acting herself, she was laying around all day and wouldn’t eat or drink. Saturday she still wouldn’t eat, but seemed to have a little more energy. On Sunday she took a turn for the worse, was very lethargic and wouldn’t even lift her head. We thought she was about to die, so took her to the vet and an x-ray showed she had a lot of bone fragments in her stomach. Ugh Oh…you aren’t supposed to give dogs bones? My bad!! On Thursday I had given her a drumstick to chew on…guess she ate the meat then went on to eat the bone as well. 3 shots later and some medication for home we were sent on our way with not very good odds. The vet said she only having a 25% chance of living, she would either be able to pass the bones or die if she couldn't. We talked to the boys about how she might die and they were so upset. Later that night I walked into the living room and saw something I’ll never forget. Rhett and Ethan had their hands on Sock’s head, and they were giving her a blessing. So cute and innocent. After the "blessing" they wouldn't even consider the fact that she might die. They were convinced she would live thanks to her blessing. Well it worked, she finally started eating again on Tuesday and hopefully that means she is on the mend. I love the faith of my little boys!

{Mother's Day Idea}

Mother's Day is coming up and if you are like me you always struggle with getting a gift for the special Mothers in your life! I have the perfect gift for the Mom that is hard to shop for and has everything. A few months ago I was lucky enough to win some custom designed magnets from Fin and Roe. I e-mailed her the picture I wanted on them, along with the color, pattern, and details I wanted on the side (my boy's names and ages). They turned out SO cute and make me happy every time I look at my refrigerator (the picture below makes the picture look fuzzy but it's just due to the flash on my camera).

I think they would make great gifts for Grandma's as well....and are only $.95 each. I also have a code I get to share with you for 20% off your order, good until the end of June. Just enter ashtonblog when checking out. Enjoy!!

http://www.finandroe.com/category.php?category_id=99

{Flashback Friday}

I found these pictures taken for Easter in 2007, three years ago. They were taken by the talented Heather Peck....and I love how many great shots she got. Kade was 6 months old and not cooperating, so he cried through most of the pictures. They are cute anyways and I laugh now when I think back at how I was trying so hard to get all three boys to smile, look at me, hold Kade up, and sit still. IMPOSSIBLE!!

Kade - 6 months old

Ethan - just turned 3

Rhett - 5-1/2 years old