My yearly update.....really????

I am sitting in my living room with unfolded laundry accompanying me on the couch, and yet, I somehow still get sucked into my computer. I have made a decision lately that it is a necessity to take time to do things that you enjoy, even if it means that the house may fall apart in the brief few moments that you do take.

We recently got back from a 6 day trip to Disneyland which we thoroughly enjoyed, except of course the part where we missed our little Meg! Canyon turned 8 and was baptized! He is just beaming! Kayli is in her height of glory this week with not only doing her usual ballet classes and getting ready for Swan Lake performance, but also she is doing a mini drill camp. She absolutely loves it and can't imagine ever being without both now. (Oh Great! Drama!) Megan is so deliciously wonderful! I can't seem to kiss the creases in her legs and neck enough! She is, however, very curious! Extremely Curious!......and, may I say, headstrong. But at the moment, it is very cute and we welcome it. Personality it just pouring out of her and she could not adore her daddy more!

We are happy, and healthy (this week), and busy! We love you all and thank you for being a part of our lives!

Family Pictures!

I know, Meg is 7 months and I haven't posted since she's been born! I am finding that being a mother of 3 is more than 3 times the work of the mother of 1. OR..... maybe it's just that I had a million things come into my life and I need to learn balance, yes, that must be it! So, Travis is now in the Bishopric of a new ward, which has been amazingly crazy while I was in the Primary Pres. We are finding that now that the callings are filled, things are much, much, much more calm in our lives. I was just released from the Primary Pres. and am finding time for other things for a little while. It has been very nice. I was able to make tutus for one of my friends ballet classes and Megan is now sleeping through the night! Yay! Finally a little sanity settling in. She was very colicy (is that how you spell that? It looks wrong.) like all of my kids are, but is doing much better and I really know the foods to stay away from....most of them anyway! Here is our little munchkin! She is so sweet and still figuring how to sit up by herself.

Our little Blue eyes! I think she is my smiliest kid at this age, when she's feeling good! We finally got some pictures taken so I wanted to share them. Here are our little treasures!

Canyon was telling Meg, "Oh, it's okay!" My little troups!

Canyon taking care of his little sister while out exploring!

Now here's our little poser! She was eating this up! If only we could have taken as many as she wanted us to take of her.... ha ha! Such a little Ham!

Canyon- Out in his territory....Boy country........ Water, Mud, and weeds! He was loving the setting.... so much expoloring for a little spy!

Meg was not so happy to be stuck in the weeds in a Moses basket! We were able to capture a half not-so-much-crying-moment. Don't you just want to squeeze her! Those cheeks are the best to kiss!

Canyon was so patient with Meg. Kayli is our little peacemaker trying to calm her! We sure love these kids and are so grateful that our Father in Heaven has given us the chance to have them fill our home. It really is a blessing to be their parents!

I am still trying to figure out how single moms, mothers of twins or of 6 (Angie!) make it because I only have 1 in elementary school and between that and homework and piano and ballet and feeding the baby and naps and dinner and endless laundry and dishes and cleaning....... oh boy, the list goes on and on........ HOW????

Mom? Roxie? Angie? ................ It's not the every day activities that I am wondering about(Well, that too), but it's the: Dress making, Quilt making, Trips to places, hair clips, scrapbooks, sewing and mending and yard and house upkeep..... You all get the idea! I don't even try to attempt all the EXTRAS! Hats off to all moms, And of course, Dads!

That's how I am surviving! I have the best husband in all the world and without him, I really am a crazy person. (With him I am only half crazy) I am constantly grateful that I was able to find someone who helps out so much! He is really awesome! (So, Kaytlin, just remember that's really important!) ......

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and was able to feel the true spirit of the Resurrection! What a wonderful time of year..... A time of life and birth and recommitting! It's so wonderful! This is one of my favorite times of year and we hope all are able to feel the love that our Heavenly Father has for each of us! What a beautiful plan he has for us and a beautiful earth we have been given to make the journey awesome! We love you all!

Megan Allen

Megan arrived on September 10th at 6:30 pm. She weighed 6 lbs 12 oz, measured 19 1/4" in length, and could not be more precious. After 12 hours of labor she came by emergency c-section. Mom is doing quite well for just having surgery, and Megan is very healthy. What an amazing and sweet family! Erin will share more later, but until then, here are a few pictures.



Kayli kept saying "My little sister is out now!" So cute!
Canyon wanted to sleep at the hospital with his new baby sister. What a proud big brother!

Summer Recap!

We have had an amazing summer! I decided the best way to recap is ....quickly! So, here goes!

Canyon and Kayli took swimming lessons and really loved it! It was still early June so it was really cold but they were troopers, even in the rain storms and wind. These are pictures with both of them playing with their instructors. Canyon is the one with the diving stick.

The next few pictures are of the Ashby Family reunion. My sister, Brenda, and her family came all the way from Maryland and stayed for a month and a half. We did a lot together! It was so fun to have her here. Then, we all went to Idaho for the reunion. The theme was "The Incredibles". We all had matching shirts. This is a lineup of all of the grandkids. Kayli is fourth from the right and Canyon is seventh from the left. One of the games was that we had to dress up like superheroes and we had to use items from a box. Kayli and I were partners and Canyon and his cousin Nate were partners. Oh boy, do we look gorgeous!

We also went white water rafting. I was very nervous because I was 7 months pregnant and didn't want to get bucked off, but, despite hanging on for dear life, the rapids were stronger than I. I think I was hyperventilating.... No, I know I was! The water was freezing! Needless to say, I wouldn't have missed it! (I am in Ammon's blue hat on the left).




My sister, Dawn also got married. This is her with all the sisters. Obviously, I couldn't fit into the same dress as them. Unfortunately, they didn't have it in maternity.....So, I look like the girl who saw the wedding in the classifieds and wanted to be in "somebody's" picture.




These are the brothers-in-law, or as Gary would say, outlaw. Brian, Travis, Ray and Gary, we love you all so much! I am so grateful that my sisters and I found the best guys in the world!



This is Dawn with all of the girls. My mom made all of their dresses! Isn't she amazing! (Kayli is hidden).



Kayli's first and second days of preschool! Could she be any cuter! She was so brave!


Canyon's first day of school.

Canyon in line at the bus stop with his friends. He is really liking first grade and he has an awesome teacher!

Kayli started ballet. She started out a little bashful the first day, but by the second week (second picture), she was floating everywhere she went!

And,........ THESE are my favorite people in the world. I love having these wonderful people in my life! I am so grateful for a husband who is so awesome and for his wonderful family as well! I couldn't ask for a better family and extended family! We are so anticipating our little one coming this week..... Yay! We think that we will name her Megan. You never know what might happen between now and Wednesday, though. We will keep you updated..... maybe! ha ha! If I can't update my blog without a newborn, how will I do it with one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yikes!

Finally a new post!

Okay, so it's been a month and a half. So, here's what's happened! We had an ultrasound and found out we were having...... drumroll please.....a GIRL! What in the world! I was completely caught off guard. I don't know why, but for some reason I was very convinced that this baby was a boy. I made the ultrasound tech. triple check because it was so hard for me to believe. But, sure enough, I saw enough to become a believer.


Then, on April 29, Travis took his Physical Therapy licensing exams and PASSED! Yay! What a relief to have that over! The next day was his hooding ceremony and the next day after that was his graduation! Kayli kept saying, "Dad, I am so excited for yours mission!". We finally figured out that mission meant graduation. We are so proud of our new grad:


Oh wait, wrong graduate:

This is Travis with both of his grandmas at his hooding ceremony. Travis' mom and dad and grandma threw a little open house for his graduation. It was such a sweet gesture. Some of our friends and family came to tell him congratulations and have some cake and punch.

Then, Travis had a birthday on May 2, and Kayli had a birthday on May 5! We won't tell you how old Travis is..... well okay, since he is... OLDER THAN ME..... he turned 32, Whoa! Kayli turned three and is very tickled about being that age. She likes to tell everyone in the grocery store as we pass. I have to admit, it is quite exciting having a social butterfly walking around with you.

Also, our little musician, Canyon had his music recital and did so great with his solo on the grand piano. He even sang as he played (which was an extra little surprise!) and he took a little bow at the end of his performance, which everyone got a kick out of....especially his mom! So Cute!

Travis started his new job with Meier and Marsh and he is really enjoying it. Yesterday, they had the grand opening of one of their new clinics in West Valley so this means that starting tomorrow he will be the director of the clinic in Tooele. It is pretty exciting for him. He is very ambitious.

As for me, well, let's see..... what do I do? I just kind of follow my little family around and cheer them on. I am really enjoying this time in my life right now. I have been able to help at Canyon's school quite a bit and I babysit on Thursdays, and other times impromptu. I have a friend who is trying to publish a book and I have been working on editing that for her. I have a feeling that I will be playing in the water more than the kids this year because I am already feeling the effects of the heat. On Friday, I went to the zoo with Canyon's class as a chaperone. Canyon had so much fun! He kept turning to me and saying, "this is so fun!". I was so glad I went with him. Here is a picture of him with the boys that were in our group.

Whew! That about sums it up. Hopefully I can keep up on my blogs now so that you don't have to read so much in one post. Atleast we are never bored. There is always lots of excitement... We love it!

A Mother's Morning

I have been trying to fight off a cold that I have been feeling coming for a couple days so in the morning I am feeling pretty beat. Well, this morning Kayli woke up earlier than usual and she was calling her daddy to come and get her. It was 6:30 and Travis was long gone for work and I knew that Canyon would wake up around 7:00 to get ready for school so I asked Kayli if she would like to come and sleep in my bed. She was all about that. (we don't usually allow that) So, in my zombie, "I need more sleep" state, we return to my bed. I am thinking that she seems tired enough that she will hold still and let me sleep. So, Kayli lays in Travis' side while I try to get another half hour of sleep. I feel Kayli scooting close to me and she is facing me. I feel her hands on my face and I open my eyes. If you don't know Kayli very well, she is the most loving and cuddly little girl I have ever seen. She is looking into my face and is so close that my eyes go crosseyed. Then she begins to rub her cheeks on mine and she says over and over, "Mom, I wuv you so much!" I mumble it back and turn over and she begins to rub her feet all over me and rub my arms and she asks me over and over if I am tired and I just keep saying yes, thinking maybe she will let me sleep. Then she says, "Oh, you ought to go to sleep". Well, Yeah! Then she starts to complain that she is squished and that I should go to the other side of the bed. (The side she had abandoned to scoot close to me). Oh Boy!

After a half hour of this, I hear Canyon open his door and he comes in with a superhero mask in his hands and without a "good morning" says, "mom, will you tie this on?" So I sit up to tie on the Superhero mask for about the umpteenth time and Kayli scoots into my spot and tells me to go to the other side. I am feeling defeated. Canyon returns with more superhero accessories to pin on and I know that is the end. I have given up on the sleep thing. I start to stand up and Kayli says, pointing to the spot she had already taken over, "Mom, are you done?" I just laugh and say "yeah" and she settles nicely into my spot and says, "Mom, I am still tired. I want to go back to sleep."

On to breakfast. I will tackle my cold with a nap some other century!

Travis is so Funny!

So.... the other day when I set up this blog, I just chose a random template, which happened to be pink! Later that night when I told Travis that I had started blogging, he immediately looked it up and about had a heart attack!!! I told him that it was only temporary until I had time to change it and work on it a little more. He was busy so he dropped the subject for the moment. Then, about two nights ago, he went over and picked up the laptop and began working on something. The blog's color was bothering him so much that he couldn't handle it. He was changing my blog! So, today, I finally looked up some templates. I figured I was safe with this one for now. But, you never know when your husband is going to be so hung up on your blog's template that he changes it on you..... so watch out! ha ha!

Okay, so I am still figuring out the picture thing. I took a really cute picture of Kayli that I want to put up so, maybe that will happen some day soon!

Travis has accepted a job! Yay! He will be working for Meier and Marsh Physical Therapy as soon as he gets his license. His graduation is on May 1, at 5:00 in the Huntsman Center. Is this for real???!!!! It's so hard to believe it is actually here!