Merry Christmas!

Poor Lola has lost her voice:(

BFF

Tabitha Jane, I don't know you, but I love you for introducing me (through Arwen) to this wonderful website! Hours and hours of fun!

OOOMMMGGG!!!

 

DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN CHRIS ASKED ME OUT? THAT WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lola's new trick

Lola found the camera and this is the little suprise I found...

Hi Ho To the Shower We Go

Long ago my dear cousin was going to have a baby. Jessica lives in Vancouver, so Lola and I set out on a road trip (the first of many). We were so lucky because Ryan and jessica let us stay at their house. Lola and Jones got to play, take a bath and learn to be cousins. It was great fun. The day of the shower we got to see the whole family (well, all the girls) including Grandma! Lola was so happy to see her. The played in the rain with an umbrella. A bit dangerous, but it made for a great photo shoot. Jessica is the cutest prego lady in the world. It looked like she had a snap-on belly! OHHH just wait until you see Indi!

Finding True Love....

I think this is a good example of communication between girls and boys. Sometimes it just doesn't make sense.

Have you ever needed a vacation? Have you ever taken complete care of someone or something for 686 of 690 days/nights? Have you ever been a mother?

I will tell you what, I am tired. I am tired of cleaning up piss from the floor- not because she is potty training, but because she takes off her pull-up to piss on the floor or bed. I am tired of taking "vacations" so other people can see Lola. Going to visit people doesn't help me to unwind, it is just new things for Lola to explore and get into. I still have to look after her. I love my baby, but I need to get the *!&# out. I need some time to myself!

Brian feels like he needs a break. Remember those 690 days? He had her by himself for 2. Otherwise, when I go out of town on these so called vacations, and when he goes to visit his friends (which, by the way, isn't very often) he is on a break from the family. Off the top of my head I can think of at least 18 days since February. WOW! Wouldn't that be nice! I am being mean, I know he needs a break.

I am a mother. I feel like it is my responsibility to take care of Lola ALL of the time. I need to learn to let go. By looking at the guilt I carry, you would think I grew up Catholic.

I know that I am just in a really bad mood, and tired and in pain, but is this what it is like to be a parent. Are mothers everywhere on the brink of madness? There isn't a lot stopping me from jumping onto the next train I see and riding away.

Last night we went to the most awesome show. Slightly Stoopid opened for G Love & Special Sauce. Normally Brian hates my music, but I talked him into going to this show. Slightly Stoopid was really good... the perfect set to get us into the G Love mood! Lola had a wonderful time at the show. There was plenty of space to run around, a great platform to dance on, and a hill to roll down. We were right up front when G Love started and Garrett was sexy as ever! It was a beautiful night. This was just the thing to prepare me for the next concerts on my list. Did I mention I am going to see DASHBOARD!!!!!!!!!!

G Love 1

I know you are curious about the big concert on Monday and I am here to tell you that it was just as I thought it would be. We had REALLY good seats, if you can say that about a Disney show, but we didn't feel like crawling over the 10 year old girls to get to them. Life House was good; they only played for 20 minutes. During the stage change, we realized how old we are. We were out of place...if only we had Lola with us! When Hillary came out it was madness. The scream from 2000 little girls is painful to say the least. It was like a Bratz episode! 5 teenagers stood on the stage striking ridiculous poses and strutting their stuff. The boys wore puffy white vests and did flips. The girls wore weird turquoise jumpsuit shorts. Hillary was in her own weird outfit looking like a skanky space woman. I would say the wardrobe was a little racy for the crowd. Although the music was not my style, the music was live and sounded pretty good. Oh, and we left after 3 songs.

Frasier

Once upon a time, when Bill was in town...




As you drive I-5 into Seattle, you are weaved directly into down town. The buildings shoot up on either side of the highway and at times you can't tell if the sides of the road are barriers or the base of these buildings.

We had been to see Bill's sister in Federal Way, and we were headed home on I-5. It was late and we were all a bit tired. As we approach Seattle, Bill says, "I wonder wich of these buildings Frasier lives in."

I thought I was going to pee my pants! We were laughing SO hard.

Lucky 21

Brian loves to win things from the radio. Long, long ago, when we were young and living in Eugene, Brian was the 16th caller. He wasn't sure what the prize was, but he called in anyway. Brian "won" two entries into a half marathon. Awesome. We got the chance to RUN 13 miles. I can't think of anything I would like more! Oh wait, I could sleep. Race entry... what kind of prize is that?

Monday, July 30, 2007

Brian: "Guess What! I was caller 21 on the radio today!"
Ashtin: "Great. Did you win something?"
Brian: " Yeah, I won tickets to a concert on Monday night."
Ashtin: "Really? Who is it?"
Brian: "Let me show you a picture." (typing on keyboard...) "Here, look."



Ashtin: "Hillary Duff? Did you know those were the tickets you were calling in for?"
Brian: "Yes."

What can I say... my husband is a teenage girl trapped in a man body.

Are you happy Now?

Something to satisfy

Do you love me? Do you love me at all? This is the question I find myself asking the sky. Unlike my fellow Blog folk, I don't get comments telling me that it has been too long since my last post. I get fake phone calls. People (meaning friends and family) that just want to know when I am going to put something new on my Blog. Well folks, I have done it. Next time you should just comment.

It's been a while

I know you are wondering about our anniversary/camping trip, so here goes. It rained. We woke up on Saturday morning to a wall of water falling from the sky! We decided that we would just go to Deception Pass, hike around and decide if we could really camp. I was being sooo brave.

So we packed up our Subaru and hit the road. For some reason we are awake at the crack of dawn on weekends, and we make it to the campsite 3 hours before check-in. Great! So we walked in the rain, we looked at the ocean, we watched people fishing on the dock. It continued to rain while we set up our camp.




Lola had her rain boots on and while trying to get up onto the picnic table, she slipped and hit her face. She cut the flap of skin that holds your lip to your gums. It was horrible. Her first injury and we are camping! I was way more upset than she was. She was off to eat dirt in no time.


Then it happened, the rain stopped and our trip was redeemed! I made spicy chicken, bananna royale dessert, we had s'mores... we ate until we were sick. When bedtime rolled around, Lola was ready to go. She stood by the car screaming, "DONE! Done! Hoooome!" She thought I was crazy when I told her we were sleeping in the tent. Thankfully, we had our DVD player. So, we snuggled by the fire and watched Charlotte's Web. Not only did Charlotte save Wilbur's life, she saved my sanity.
We were up at the crack and driving out of the park at 7:59 am. We were ready to go home. Good times. I can't wait until next year ;)

WOW!

Brian loves to turn the Tyra Banks Show on because he is amazed at the stupid things they talk about. I tease him and say he really loves the show (I mean the guy loves COPS... anything is possible). Anyway, this clip went too far- even for Brian. Is this really what pretty girls talk about?

GO AWAY!

Blahhhh! I am so sick of the RAIN! I am mad that the VERY moment I get outside to run it starts to rain! I am sad that my daughter can point out the moon, but doesn't really know what the sun is. In fact, she screams when it is out. If the sun is in her eye, you had better get some ear plugs. Pretty effing LAME! I just want summer. I am tired of being cold. I need the sun to melt this icy shell that has formed since we moved here.
Sorry about the grumpy words. It is just that we have had a peek of summer. Four whole days of sunshine! I wore a t-shirt outside! It was awesome! Then it began to rain.
So then, thinking that summer was here to stay, I reserved a camping spot for our anniversary adventure in Deception Pass. Stupid me. You may know that I am not a big camper, not because I don't like it, but because I am not sure I like it. Anyway, do you want to take a guess at the weather forcast??? Yup, temps of 56/47 with rain. stupid stupid me!
The End.

What the Hell?

This is the best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Did you see the fecal matter that fell on his lip? Sick! I used to think this guy was cute, but after that... I don't know. Does he have a girlfriend? Do you think she also likes bodaggets?

Breakdown

I had a breakdown. I feel like "the Devil" is taking over the world. I don't want to be a crappy mom. I am compromising my beliefs and values for health insurance. I cried, I pondered, I talked it out. You know what? Brian said I don't have to work there. So, Peace Out Devil! Thanks Brian. I love you.

Graduation

BH is The BEST

Don't be sick, BH stands for Brian Hart. The End!

So, my husband din't order announcements. Okay, lets just make our own. We made our wedding invitations, this will be easy. The sad part is, his graduation is way too early for grad stuff to be in stores. We looked, I promise, but Brian had his heart set on the pearlized wedding invites. I was soooo embarrased (and not just because I can't spell the word) that he was going to send them out. Mortified! So, I went back to the store, found some blank cards, stole the logo from Cascade, and spent 7 hours getting the flipping things right. Announcements...DONE!


We hop into the van and head down to Portland. Of course we are stuck in horrible traffic and make it 35 miles form home when our van dies in the fast lane. We make it over, and realize that our transmission took a dump on us. A hot carl you might say. We make arrangements for the van to be towed, and while we are waiting the van decides to work. so, we drive the piece of hud home.


Saturday morning, the day of graduation, we hop into the Jetta and head to P-Town. This is a day we have been waiting for. This makes all his hard work and sacrifice official. This is the end of a really long chapter in Brian's life. This Is The Day! Everyone was there. I could list the names, but I don't want to. The ceremony was forever long, so Lola and I ran around outsid for about an hour and a half. We were there for the most important part... the walk. He looked so proud! I loved seeing him in such an awesome moment! Go BH Go! You are the BEST!


After the ceremony there was a reception where people were supposed to mingle. I haven't been to a graduation before (I'm the kind of girl who doesn't do that thing) so I thought it was weird that the professors were also in robes. I have a photo for you.

Check out the guy in the red. Is it just me, or did he graduate from Hogwarts? I thought this was a Christian school. So the question remains... why is this dude dressed as a warlock?

After we went to Aunt Brenda and Uncle Kevins house for some family festivities. We ate spaghetti, and the best bread ever. It was good to see everyone. We miss family. We miss you guys a lot.

Becky and Seth

On Thursday Lola and i headed back to the airport. Lola was so excited and was sure that we were there to pick up Suesue. You can imagine her dissappointment when we took Becky and Seth home. Of course Becky tried to bribe my sweet child with a necklace. It worked beautifully. She was in love, and not just with Becky. Lola has her first boy crush, and his name is Seth. I feel so bad because I didn't get any pictures of their trip. So... Oh well!
Did I tell you I got a job working for the Devil?

That is right, I got a job with Starbucks.

So, while my dear friends were here, I had to do 2.5 hours of boring training. The next day we went to meet Ashley, Seth's sister, and her sweet baby, Henry. They were so cute! Since we were headed to Portland later that evening, we were dropping Becky and Seth off. When we left and Lola realized she had to say goodbye, she had a melt down. She was sobbing, screaming, and throwing things. It was very sad. That night when we put Lola to bead we talked about her day. She named all of our visitors and after each one she held her hands up and said gone. Suesue... gone. Becky... gone. Wynntits... gone. It was so very sad.

And Then We Had Friends

So, last Friday Tate and Jodi came up to visit. Lola stayed home with the girls, and we went out as adults! WOW...it was AWESOME! it is nice to have an adult conversation with Brian and our friends.
On Saturday, we went to see Jimi Hendrix's grave. Talk about weird. Fist off, he is burried in Renton, WA. The only thing Renton has going for it is the Ikea. Anyway, there is nobody around him. Well, his parents and grandmother are there, but that is it. And people leave weird crap there. There was some dirty baseball cap, flowers, baby socks, and a bunch of european people draped over his head stone.
I guess now is the time to tell you about our new car. We had wanted a minivan and bought one for that matter, but it had a really bad transmission. Luckily the guy took it back. Anyway, we got a 1993 VW Eurovan! Super cool with a seat that folds ito a table. Now if you knew me long ago you should know that I LOVE the VW Bus. However, the Bus isn't the most safe or reliable vehicle. The Eurovan is the perfect solution! Not quite a hippie van, but not a minivan! We are officially Yuppy scum. I love it.
Well, since we have had the van, I have been having crazy dreams. The most recent had something to do with Jimi as an elephant, Mr. Belding, the Van, the Garden of Eden and my family. I did my best to make it into the following movie.



On Sunday Tate and Jodi left. We were sad, but happy to have a moment to ourselves.

Let the Good Times Roll

The Girls Are Here!

The plan was to have Wynni's birthday celebration on the beach, but it was raining. So, we ate dinner and cake at the house. I was so happy to see my girls! This is the first time I have had any of them here in Seattle, but the very first time to have Wendy in any of my adult homes. Yeah!
Wynni wanted to do everything, but she wasn't too keen on waking up early. So, we rolled out of the house by 11:30 every day. We went to Pike's Place Market, Deception Pass, the Tulip Festival in La Conner, Lavender Wind Farms, the beach, the EMP, the Olympic Sculpture Park... and i am sure 10,000 other places. We had so much fun!
After a day of shopping, we were tired and starving. Brian called and said to meet him at the beach. We arrived to find a bucket of chicken and a fire. The sun was almost down, and the night was calm. It was beautiful! He is the best husband! Anyway, Wynnni was able to have her b-day beach celebration after all.
Lola follows mom around and got to spend lots of time with her aunties. Oh, I hated to see them go. :(

Bill

Hi Bill!

So here comes Bill. He wasn't too good with the directions I gave him. He missed the giant white clock. He called and said all he could see was water. That isn't us, turn around! It was really good to see him. It was almost weird, I mean it wasn't often that we would hang together. It was nice though. We got to talk about life, and I got to show him how my life is here. It is funny being in my element, and it is a different one than my home. This is my home, do you know what I mean?
It was better visiting with him here. A new place, clean slate, adult relationship. Good times.
I asked Bill to teach me how to play guitar. I am home all day, and I think I could relly kick butt! So, he took me to the store and we got some new strings (the ones on my guitar were nearly 4 years old) and a basic guitar book. He showed me a few things and has left me to practice. Sorry Bill, but I haven't practiced much since you left. I have been really busy!
Bill and lola had some great bonding time. She has been scared of facila hair since she was a small nene, but she is getting over it. She loved Bill, and wanted to play music with him. He played the guitar, and she played her piano. However, her idea of playing is turning th casio on and off. Real nice.
Come back, Bill.

They are Coming

Well... This has been a very busy few weeks. It started with a call from Becky saying she wanted to come and visit! Yeah! I was so excited to have her. So, she said she could come out April 26th. Plenty of time!!!
Then there was a Southwest Ding. Flights from SLC to Seattle were $29.00 each way. Plus the deal started on April 16th, Wynni's birthday! Awesome! So, I called mom, and she set things up. Mom Wynni, and Wendy were coming out from the 16th to the 21st. Great! Wait, Crap. Tate and jodi will be in town from the 20th to the 22nd. This was planned log before. CRAP! So I call Tate and Jodi and they are cool with sharing a night, plus we would have a sitter so we could go out!
The phone rings. It is Bill. Weird, he never calls. What do you say? You are going to be in town the 12th to the 14th? We would LOVE to have you!
In the meantime, my dear sweet hubby is talking to his dad about graduation. He thinks it will be in late May. So, he decides to check Cascade's website. Nope! Shoot, the graduation is in just 24 days away! Do we have announcements? Nope. Do we have time to figure things out? Yep.

Happy Easter

Photobucket Album

Love and Marriage

Las Vegas. Sin City. The Strip. Viva Lost Wages. Location of many nuptuals.

May we introduce to you Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Hart!!! That is right, Kevin got married yesterday in Las Vegas. So, instead of letting the happy couple elope, the family followed them to the Garden of Love. She wore a beautiful dress, had the prettiest pink roses and was so happy to marry Kevin. The ceremony was sweet. They sealed the ring exchange with a kiss on the rings. I think that was my favorite part.

I've never been to a Vegas wedding before so I wasn't sure what to expect. The way it works... You change into your wedding atire, choose a chapel, tie the knot, pick a bouquet and a ring if you don't have one, pay and leave. Crazy! Okay, that is for people who are drunk. Kevin and Felicia had their wedding all planned out. I was the first person at the chapel and I was able to witness some love birds! There was a couple that was trying to decide which room to choose. Bride: " I don't care, it is just the two of us." Groom: "You go ahead and pick, Honey." Bride: (yelling) "Make a decision for once!" Groom: "We'll take that one."

When Brian flew into town the weather was really nice. We have had such rainy weather in WA he was really excited to feel the sun on his skin. Anyway, he is waiting for the shuttle and he sees a man who looks a little down on his luck. Brian says, "Gee Mister, You sure are lucky to live here." Man says, "I wish I was dead." Vegas is such a weird place, not my favorite city to visit. It is usually so stinking hot. You walk miles and miles in the scorching sun and have boob sweat stains. Yuck! Then you go into a casino and have an old person blow smoke in your face. Double yuck. I leave there with a distinct film on my body. YUCK! Well, this time it was quite cold. There was an arctic wind that could compete with Gold Beach. Just another example of me not packing for any type of weather.

We are really happy we were able to be at Kevin's wedding. We had a great vacation, and we didn't loose too much money. However, we won't miss Vegas. When we got home the first thing Lola did was put on her favorite boots and hat. It is good to be home!

To Grammy's House we go...

Well, it has been 1 week since Lola and I set out on our adventure. Since Kevin was getting married in Las Vegas, I decided it would be the perfect excuse to spend a few days at my Dad's house. Lola is an experienced flyer (is this a word?), but our flight was PACKED and this was the 1st time she had to sit on my lap. I got in trouble because I let her stand up while we were taking off so I strapped her in with me. Then I got in trouble for having her strapped in. What is a mom to do? She is a lot stronger than she used to be, and the stiff baby on a plane is tough. With a lot of wiggling and kicking of the seat ahead of us, we made it!
When we got off the plane Suzy was there to greet us with bribes for Lola. She had gummy bears, crackers and a baby doll! Needless to say, Lola loved her! Dad on the other hand wasn't so lucky. Lola is not a huge fan of facial hair, so Dad had to work a bit harder to win her over. He was sad because kids flock to him. Dillon and Andy took Lola on walks, jumped with her on the tramp, played in the rocks and gave her tons of love. Grace took big bubble baths with her, read her stories, played babies and sang songs.
They are building a new house that is beautiful. We were hoping that we would be able to stay there, but a lot of work needed to be done. Lola and I helped out in Gracie's class and the kids got to introduce us. Andy told the class that I was his sister and this was Lola, his favorite niece because she was the only one.
Brian got into town late Saturday night and he was able to spend some time with my family too. We had an awesome time in St. George, and we can't wait to go back. Then we were off to Las Vegas..............
Here is the link to pictures of our trip http://picasaweb.google.com/ashespants/GrammyAndPappaSHouse

Flu, Poo and Hats

Lola and I had the flu. It was terrible! We were sick, sad, and in need of lots of love. This was my first experience with Influenza, and I would rather have 6,000 babies at 1 time than EVER have the flu again. I have decided to share a picture that decribes how it feels to have the flu:

Having the flu makes you feel like poo. Actually, it feels like you are wearing poo on your head! Yikes! On a brighter note, Lola has started dressing herself! Sometimes she just points to the clothes she wants to wear (the picture on the left is a prime example) and other times she just wants to wear hats. She looks like a backwards smurf in this photo!

Yeah for Snow!!!

What a beautiful delight! We have a 3-4 inch white blanket outside. It is quiet, bright, and not warm at all. I guess this is why my head has been screaming for the past 2 days. The snow was on it's way!!!!!!!!!!!

This and That

A few things to say:

1- I did Lola's hair with the round brush yesterday. It was cute, but a bit Amish for my liking.


2- We really want a kitty, but I refuse to pay $400. The neighbor's cat will work just fine.


3- Lola has been up since 7am and has only had 1 accident! Potty training will soon be a success!

Miss Lola Jane

Lola hasn't been sleeping well since the move. She was such a great baby when it came to sleeping through the night. Theings were great, then we went to Hawaii and moved. Since we were in Hawaii she has been waking up at 1:30 and wanting to get into bed with us. For Brian's sanity, I have been sleeping in Lola's room with her. So last night I tried something new. I put her in the big bed and stayed with her until she fell asleep. Guess what? She slept the entire night!! It was awesome.

Now in case you didn't know, Lola is an artist. Each day she draws amazing things that I get to "find." It is a lot like finding figures in the clouds. She has drawn a surfing dog, snakes, a tree, etc. The drawings are abstract and I love each one. Then she drew something amazing today. I have included a photo of it.

It is very Tim Burton if you ask me- Corpse Bride, anyone? There is a woman's face (in the upper left) that appears to be looking at a blob like baby(lower right). I think it is very telling about her current sleep problem. So, I have named the piece "Seperation Anxiety."

What do you think of the picture? Tell me. What does it say to you? Can you believe this is the work of a 16 month old? I know... she is soooooooo advanced! ;)

Wade v. Barney

So remember when Wade moved to Mexico and nobody really hears from him anymore. I mean occasional phone calls, but we don't really know what he is doing there. Is he making beautiful lamps? Is he running some weird Internet/ phone business? NO.

Lola was watching Barney yesterday and Barney's voice is soooooooo familiar! Then it hit me... it is Wade! I am so serious. I think he moved to Mexico to become Barney, the big purple dinosaur? What, you don't believe me? Watch it and tell me I am wrong.

BARNEY... I KNOW WHO YOU ARE!

Girls Love Arnold

This morning I was watching Saved By The Bell while folding the whites when I noticed Lola wasn't in the room. I called her name and looked in both her room and the bathroom- not there either! So I head down the stairs when I hear a man's voice coming from the living room. Yikes, I am scared! Don't worry, it was just Arnold! Lola decided to go to the living room to watch the Terminator- a GREAT movie for a 16 month old!



Then I got thinking about Winnie and how she loved Arnold when she was a kid. She called him Ort-snot-snake-snagger. Hahaha!



So, the question is, What do young girls see in him?

Our REAL Home

So, remember when I said that the crazy lady told us to leave our apartment with the blue cupboards... well, I have really nice oak ones now! Nice and plenty of them!!!!!!!!
Remember when we had to sell our dining table because we didn't have room... well, we have room now! Does anyone know where we can get a free one up here?
Remember when we were going to use our coffee table as our dining table in the crappy house... well, now it is being used in our formal sitting area. Pretty sweet :)
Remember when Lola had to live in a room with a supermarket floor... well, now she has carpet in her room. She loves it. We even have the spare bed in her room. This place is HUUUUUUUUUUUGE!
So to the mean old lady that thought my baby was to loud... our house is better than your house. More expensive, but much better. Peace Out Sucka!

The longest month EVER

It has been nearly 1 month since we have had the internet in our house and I have been going crazy! I am so glad to be back! Things have been up and down, but we are back on the up. We are in our new home and we LOVE it. The apartment with the blue kitchen didn't work out. The lady was crazy and hated Lola. We were there for 2 days and she told us that we would have to find a new place because the baby was too loud. Then she stood there and looked at Lola and told me how cute she was... I wanted to poke her eyes out! We figured it out and we moved our things 7 times just for this move! Yuck! Anyway, our new place is awesome. Lola loves it, we have tons of space, and it is in the cutest little town (Mukilteo) that has shingled homes and a ferry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, start planning a trip up here because there is lots to do and we want visitors.