Ashlyn's New Playroom/Easter Pictures of Ashlyn

We decided to transform one of the rooms downstairs into a playroom. That way we'd have somewhere to set Ashlyn when we're downstairs where she can play and we don't have to run all the way upstairs to check on her. So here it is:

 

 Ashlyn sitting with Daddy this morning.

 This is Dennis, my friend Ivy's son. He is trying to put on Ashlyn's shoes. He is almost 2 years old.

 So these aren't Ashlyn's official Easter pictures. We just had a cute dress in the closet (a hand-me-down) and I decided to dress her up and take some pictures. Her Nana is buying her "official" Easter dress so there will be more pictures later.

This is just a picture of her at Luby's. It was her first time in a high chair at a restaurant.

Family Pictures (Ashlyn is 4 months here)

3 Days Shy of 5 Months

Time is just flying by. She's getting so big.

 Sleepy in her car seat.

Mad that I'm taking a picture and not taking her out.

 "Hi, Mama!"

 "I'm so innocent"

 I love this face!

Concentrating...too cute

 "Now, how can I get this frog in my mouth?"

 Sweet girl

The Quilt

My grandmother, Nancy White, passed away a little less than two weeks ago (See below post).  Ashlyn is her great-granddaughter and she had a special quilt pieced together for her. I am hoping that this quilt will be passed down for many generations to come. It already has such a rich history. Here’s what my grandmother wrote about the quilt before she passed.

"Nancy Lovvorn White's mother, Olivia Hubbard Lovvorn, was raised by Olivia's great aunt, Amanda Louise Davis Glenn and Amanda's husband Elias David Glenn, after Olivia's mother died when Olivia was seven years old.  They called Amanda "Auntie".  Auntie had made quilts for Vernon and Douglas ( Nancy 's older brothers).  Auntie pieced a quilt for Nancy and gave it to Nancy some time in the 1930's (Nancy was born in 1932), but Auntie never got around to making the quilt she pieced for Nancy .  In January 2011, Nancy had the pieced work made into a quilt by a relative of someone David's (her son) wife Denise worked with in Stamford , and gave it to Ashlyn.  Nancy wanted to make sure Ashlyn and her parents knew the history of the quilt."

And here it is!

In Loving Memory

My grandmother, Nancy White passed away a little less than two weeks ago. She will be dearly missed. She was married to my grandpa for 59 years. They had three children who gave them 5 grandchildren, who gave them 4 great-grandchildren. We’ve all had so many special memories with her. She died from pancreatic cancer about four months after she was diagnosed. It is a terrible disease and I have a new empathy for those who’ve suffered from it and their families. The only good thing I can say is that it allowed us to all say our “goodbye’s”. My cousin, Cheryl, wrote her a sweet letter and it was read to my grandma, Ramon sang to her a couple of times a few days before she passed, my mom and all other close relatives got a chance to talk to her and love on her, my Grandpa cherished the last few months with her, Ashlyn "talked" to her and held her finger, and I read a poem to her. Here’s the poem to my grandma:

I will never forget all the times that you were there.

It was always so obvious that you always cared.

You were there for my mom and me when she left my dad,

You were there for me at all the birthday parties I had.

I ran a few track meets when you were in the stands,

You were there when I said my vows to a wonderful man.

You saw me graduate high school and college too,

We’ve had a lot of memories, more than just a few

I remember making paper magnets at your house one summer

And playing board games and puzzles, one after another.

The memories of Yogi Bear camp and Rio Dosa will never go away

They will always have a special place in my heart to stay

Ashlyn will know of all the memories that we shared

She will always know that she had a great-grandma that cared

She will always be able to look at the quilt that once was yours

And be reminded of her great-grandmother all the more

You will be truly missed, Grandma, by everyone here

But we know that you will be beyond happy and will have nothing to fear

Despite everyone’s sadness, we truly believe that she is with God and no longer suffering.

 Grandma and me when I was 6 weeks old.

 Grandpa and Grandma a few years ago.

"The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children."
Psalm 103:8-17

Silly Ashlyn

First food pictures/videos coming soon...but in the meantime, here's a few of her being silly.

4 MONTHS OLD!!!

Ashlyn will be 4 months old tomorrow! She now flips both ways all the time. We put her on her back to sleep but she flips right over because she likes sleeping on her stomach. She still LOVES to stand and 'walk' (with someone holding her hands, of course). She doesn't like sitting down much at all because she's always wanting to stand, although she can sit for a several seconds without support. Ashlyn likes playing with her feet a lot and putting toys and her hands in her mouth. She also really enjoys taking a bath.  We haven't got to the point of her sleeping through the night. We have to admit, we can't wait until that happens. She wakes up 1-2 times every night to eat. 

Week 2

It’s been 2 weeks since we started our new healthy lifestyle and it’s getting easier and easier. We’re now used to drinking water at home and have pretty much gotten past the point of craving sodas, Kool-aid, and sugary juices (I’m still craving wings, though). The exercising has been going well for me, but it’s pretty hard for Ramon because he’s juggling a load of school work, working full time an hour away from home, and being a husband/father. Even though he’s missed a few workouts, he’s still losing weight. This last week he’s lost about 3 lbs and I lost just about 2 lbs. So total he’s lost 5.2 lbs and I’ve lost 5.8 lbs in only two weeks. Needless to say, we’re happy with the results. We still have plenty of motivation to keep this up.