Having Family in Town

Last week my family came into town for Lorie and Mason's wedding. Part of them arrived Wednesday night and the rest came on Thursday. Ashlyn was in heaven with all the company (I think she really likes people), and I was enjoying it too.

Here we are just hanging around Thursday morning.

Grandma thought this was a funny picture, because Ashlyn is only a little taller than the chip bag.

Lorie and Mason getting ready to drive to Rexburg with a very full car!

Seeing Lorie and Mason off. I don't know where Ashlyn's pants went.

On Thursday night we had dinner at Kari's parents' house. The food was wonderful and the company was even better!

High Heels

Lorie and Mason stopped by for a quick stay before they took off to Georgia. While they were packing, Ashlyn took a liking to a pair of Lorie's high heels. She was walking all around in them and even wore them down the stairs! It was pretty cute. Unfortunately, she doesn't get the "high heel experience" very often around here since I hardly ever wear them!

Snowbird

Yesterday afternoon we went to Snowbird with Tiffany and Kyle. We rode the tram up to the top of the mountain and then hiked down a little ways to take the chair lift back. We stopped and checked out the tunnel, which the kids seemed to love. It was a little chilly in there and you might be able to tell from the picture that Ashlyn's lips were purple!





Tiffany took some really cute pictures at the top of the mountain. The weather was gorgeous and I think we all had a great time!

Timpooneke 2008

We spent Monday and Tuesday of this week with Brad's family at Jordanelle Reservoir and Timpooneke Campground. Brent had borrowed some wave runners that we all got to try out. Ashlyn was fine on it as long as we went really slow and no water got on her. Brad and I were able to go out for a little while without her and it was great. Thanks Brent!

The kids loved playing on the wave runners while they were parked at the campground. They would take turns pretending to drive. Here is a picture of Ashlyn with her cute cousins.


We went on a little hike near the campground. I thought the scenery was absolutely beautiful! At the halfway point the kids all posed on a log for some pictures. They are arranged from youngest to oldest.

They were told to give someone a hug. I guess Ashlyn and Berkley weren't in the mood.

On the way back down the trail, some of the group saw a snake.

Brad was a trooper to carry Ashlyn the entire way. She was so comfortable that she fell asleep.

Ashlyn and Brigg sat on these stairs for the longest time posing for pictures.

Like father, like son.

We really enjoyed the wonderful company and had a great time!

JC Penney Portraits

She's Two!

Yesterday was Ashlyn's official second birthday. We celebrated by taking her to JC Penneys to get her picture taken. The photographer was really great with her and we got some good smiles. I paid to have all the pictures emailed to me, so when I get them, I will post some.

When Daddy came home from work, Ashlyn opened some presents. The picture above is of her wearing some birthday pjs from Grandma Cheney. They were so soft and comfortable feeling that I was wishing they had some in my size! Thanks Grandma!

Ashlyn's most recent milestone is learning how to open all the doors in our house. We're in trouble. She has already locked herself in a room once and locked us out of the bathroom twice! She is learning new words daily and we laugh a lot about the way she mimics what we say. Her favorite things to do are color, read books, dance, and get piggy back rides from Daddy!

We love you Ashlyn! Happy Birthday!

A New Family Doctor

Some of you may know that I have been through a few different pediatricians with Ashlyn. My main complaint is that they have really pressured me to immunize according to the AAP's Immunization Schedule, even though I wasn't comfortable with it. Recently, I asked my midwife for some pediatrician referrals, and she actually gave me the names of some family practitioners.

One of these doctors is a D.O. or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine. For those of you who don't know what that is (I didn't) and want to know, check out this site.

Thursday I took Ashlyn to see this D.O. for her 2 year well visit. The office was definitely not as child-friendly as previous pediatrician offices and she cried about everything - getting weighed, having her heartbeat checked, having her temperature taken, etc . . . but, the doctor was wonderful!

I felt like our philosophies about health were right in line. What really won me over, however, was what he had to say about immunizations. I don't want to push my vaccination ideas on anyone, but if you want to know more about what he told me, check out this article and this update.

Since Ashlyn was little, she has regularly had runny noses. It was even runny the day of our doctor's visit. He told us, after checking out her nose (which was slightly irritated), that this was most likely due to an allergy, like milk. He suggested keeping her off dairy products for two weeks and seeing if it made a difference. Being lactose intolerant myself, I wouldn't be surprised if dairy avoidance makes a difference for Ashlyn too. The doctor said that the most common allergies for young children are dairy and wheat.

Also, we talked about how to help Ashlyn get to sleep easier, and he suggested chamomile tea. Apparently, chamomile tea helps with insomnia. Has anyone else tried this with themselves or their children?

Anyway, I'm happy to have been referred to a doctor I can be comfortable with, especially with a new little one on the way!