It's a GIRL!

Well, we found out today that we are having a girl! Our first daughter and child together but when you add our other children it will be the 3rd girl and 4th child in our blended family! I was hoping Jody could have the experience of having a son, so we will have to try for a boy next! Ashlyn was pointing out that she was the first girl and child of her mom and dad and Sarah was the first girl and child of her mom and dad and now this baby will be the first girl and child of her mom and dad (Jody and I). Even Sarah got a baby sister once her mom remarried, so we are in a trend, I think! HAHA! We have thought of a few boy names but not girl names, so we are going to have to concentrate on that over the next few months. This makes it all seem so much more real and I am reeling from the "real"- ness of it all! I am glad to know what we are having, though. She wasn't cooperating at first, crossing her legs and "sleeping" as the technician said, but the techinician prodded her a bit and then we could see better that there were clearly no boy parts on this baby! Ashlyn commented that she thinks the baby has a "pig nose" like hers! I love the crossed leg picture and the feet. So adorable!

Ashlyn is 10!

Run away! It's the double digits. The teen years are almost upon us! And with Ashlyn you have a reason to be scared! Here are some shots of her birthday cake and birthday party with her homies (those who live at home with her) and Grandma - a homie in her own right. I seriously can't believe she is 10! This is nuts.

Ashlyn's dragon eggs

Ashlyn needed a place to put her dragon eggs - she is totally into dragons now. If you can click on the link below or copy it to your browser, she should get enough "visits" for her dragons to hatch and grow. You can click on any of the eggs to help it grow as well.

http://dragcave.net/user/gruffen

School pictures

I bought the kids school pictures this year, which I usually do not do. I usually take them to a studio of some kind (Target usually) and get their best smile and pose and then buy a whole bunch for a great deal and pass them around. This year, I have been focusing on schooling and trying not to wretch from "evening" sickness and so I bought the overpriced school pictures - that didn't turn out half bad! No, Ashlyn does not play soccer and Cooper did his own hairdo that day. It's a moment in time at their school that was captured on overpriced film. Or maybe it's cheap film and they just charge us way too much. Oh well. Here they are:

Another Testament of Christ photo slide show

My angel baby girl

Here are Ashlyn's professional pictures I had taken to celebrate her baptism in her white dress. She's my little angel! I was so happy with how they turned out.

Awesome April

April has been a pretty busy month so far.
Sarah came to visit for a week and we did lots of fun things!

The biggest news this month so far is that Ashlyn got baptized. Jody performed the baptism and it was a wonderful day. Ashlyn was breathtaking in her white dress, shoes, gloves, hairthing, new white earrings and necklace she got. I am so proud of her for making this decision!

Afterward in all white - pure and clean! When I was helping her get dressed she said she felt like she was in all-new "skin, breathing new air and in a new world!"

Before getting "dunked"

The kids colored eggs for Easter

We went to Papago park or Hole in the Rock.

The kids found a crater-like hole to sit in.

We went to see the traveling circus!

Here the girls are on an elephant ride - Cooper didn't want to have anything to do with it, so he jumped in the bounce house!

Goofing around waiting in line. We waited in line for an hour and a half! We were entertained by a traveling juggling unicycling clown.

Ashlyn found a llama that would let her hug it around it's long neck. She was in heaven as you can see!