FMI (For My Info) and your's cause I know you care!

Rees FINALLY cut his first tooth last Sunday. It took a couple of day before I actually got to see it (man that kid has amazing jaw control) but I definitely found it on Sunday. What a nice little surprise for my finger to find. Rees also climbed his first full flight of stairs tonight at Grandma Comeau's house. I totally didn't know he could even climb stairs. Another surprise for me but much less painful. Other than that we have just had a fun week full of lots of friends. It has been so nice to get out so often and be surrounded by such fun people. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such great people. Thanks guys!

Fun Times

Rees recently recieved a slinky from a birthday party. We commonly find Rees looking like this since the party. I can't decide if he is doing this because he thinks it is funny or because he doesn't know what else to do with it. This isn't the thing he can do lately. His little bag of tricks now includes giving high five's, buzzing his lips with his fingers (I can't think of how else to explain it), flushing the toilet while I am in the shower about five times, and standing on his head. He will be crawling around and then suddenly stop to put his head down and survey the scene from an upside down perspective. He also thinks it is funny to get into trouble. He has an obsession with the television buttons. Every time he pushes one of the buttons, he gets his hand slapped. Well the other day, I walked into the living room just as he was reaching up for the buttons. Oh course I gave a stern warning of, "Rees! Don't touch that button or I am going to slap you hand!" I guess he thought this was a game because he flashed a huge grin, turned on the television, and then started to get down to crawl away as fast as he could. By the time I set down the stuff I was carrying and made it to him, he had already crawled about five feet aways at light speed and was laughing his little head off. It was so funny that I almost let the punishment slide (that was until I had a vision of him doing the same thing when he was two and then the need to nip the problem in bud came screaming back.) I am sure my parents are laughing right now at the work I have cut out for me. I am also guessing they are getting a warm fuzzy feeling knowing that my payback is well on its way. Haha, very funny

Cousins

Rees got to meet his cousin Isabelle today. Me, Benjy, Rees, Heather, and Isabelle all went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch so we could meet Izzy. She is such a cutie!! And we have to admit, since she sleep through lunch, she wins the better behaved baby award. Rees had a grand ole time with Izzy. I think he was a little ticked off that we wouldn't let him mall her. Maybe next time kiddo.First meeting
"Hugs"
Rees' new trick. We believe in teaching good table manner early.

P.S. We had Brownie Sundae cheesecake. I just thought everyone would want to know :)

Time has been erased!

I feel jipped. My memory card just went to pot and I lost the last two-three weeks of pictures and videos I had taken. And there were some great pictures on there too! Technology is so amazing and so helpful but it sure ticks me off sometimes.

The Mini Dog

While I was going through my pictures, I found these. They are a little bit older but are to cute to leave out. Grandma Comeau has this little toy dog that walks around and yaps. Rees LOVES it. As the dog moved around, Rees had to stay directly in front of it at all times. I guess this means that when we get a house someday, Benjy will win the "let's get a dog" argument.



While I was going through my pictures, I found these. They are a little bit older but are to cute to leave out. Grandma Comeau has this little toy dog that walks around and yaps. Rees LOVES it. As the dog moved around, Rees had to stay directly in front of it at all times. I guess this means that when we get a house someday, Benjy will win the "let's get a dog" argument.

Father-Son Bonding Time

For Benjy's big "thank you" from me, I got him his dream gun. (ya, I know. I am still rolling my eyes) Benjy has been talking about getting a SKS for the last several years. He found one on KSL for a pretty reasonable price so I went and got it for him as a surprise. The gun came covered and packed in cosmolene (it is kind of like oil and Vaseline mixed together) so Benjy has spent HOURS cleaning it. Once the gun is completely disassembled (and not a second before because I am a freak), Rees likes to perch himself next to Dad and play with the extra cleaning rod. He will sit there and jabber away and swing the rod around like a baton. Why do we even stress about this kid having toys?

10 months going on 16 years

Friday evening we went to a birthday BBQ for one of Rees' little buddies. It was alot of fun to eat amazing food and chat with friends while all of our kids malled each other. Rees got to have his first driving lesson. He had a grand old time. I think his favorite part was watching everyone honk the horn for him. He even figured out how to turn the wheel and open the side door. Pretty soon he realized that the bikes were much more fun to watch. Funny kid.

Trucks

My son's love for trucks has officially begun. He doesn't get to see very many but he does get to see the garbage truck. The kid doesn't even blink while the garbage truck is doing it's job. Today he even pointed at it when it was done. Cute!

I (heart)...

--Army Men (the little toys)--

You can get about 100 army men for about a dollar and they provide hours of entertainment in almost any atmosphere for a 10 month old. Since they are smaller and light, they are super easy to carry around. Another bonus, they don’t take batteries (a.k.a. noiseless!). When Benjy bought these army men, I honestly thought he was nuts. I now feel like Benjy has earned the right to pick out all Rees’ toys

--Cleaning Wipes--

I have now figured out why the more rich population have cleaner houses then the people in the ghetto. Wealthier people can either afford house cleaners or cleaning wipes for faster “in between” cleaning. For the first two and a half years of our married we did not own a mop. This made washing the floors a more delayed process. I now have a mop and wash the floor every one to two weeks. I recently got a coupon for a free can of Lysol bathroom wipes. Need less to say, our bathroom has been much cleaner with much less work on my end.

--Rachel Ray--

Everything the woman uses in her kitchen goes on my list of “someday I will own…” The weird part is that I hate all the orange and puke green stuff she has on the show and yet I still want it. By the way, do you think she throws salt over her should when she is cooking at home?

--Fall--

I love the holidays, I love the weather, I love the colors, I love the shopping sales, I love the feeling of new beginnings, etc.

--Nap Time--

Enough said.

Trash-The-Dress

The other day our buddies Joe and Alanna were over here hanging out with us. Since I am quite the Lady Chatterly, we discussed a wide varied of topics. One of these topics was Alanna’s wedding pictures. If you haven’t seen them, you should. They are FABULOUS! Anyways, Alanna was telling me how she couldn’t wait her do a “trash-the-dress” photo session. The first time she mentioned it I just thought I had misheard her and didn’t think much of it. Then later, she mentioned it again. Wait, trash-the-dress? Could that possibly be what it sounds like? What dress? What the heck is going on? Alanna very kindly enlightened me. HOLY SMOKES! It looks so fun! If I still fit into my wedding dress and if I didn’t think my mom would murder me in my sleep, I would totally do this! I have always felt bad that Benjy and I didn’t get any “artistic” pictures when we got married. These pictures are the epitome of being artistic. Aren’t they cool? Maybe I couldn't handle being lit on fire but the theory is still cool.

Shower Time

When people think about having a baby, most people imagine quiet evenings rocking their baby to sleep while your little one nuzzles close. While there are moments like this, most are pretty much at the opposite end of the spectrum. Most people don’t spend much time considering the sleepless nights and your ears ringing from the never ending crying. On top of that, no one thinks about doing the simple everyday things that are affected by having an infant. For instance, what do you do with your baby when your car needs to be cleaned out and it is freezing butt cold outside (a.k.a. not baby weather)? Or when you would like to play a board game with your friends? How about having a shower in peace? This is my latest dilemma. Most people just put their kids into the shower with them. I can’t do this for two reasons. 1) Rees has fairly bad eczema so the doctor recommended not bathing him more than twice a week to help prevent his skin from over drying. 2) Rees will not stay at the back of the tub while I shower. He insists on being right under me which results in him drowning in the shower stream but still refusing to sit back. Because of these reasons, Rees usually gets the boot at shower time. Playing with toys on the floor isn’t good enough for him either. He insists on standing at the tub, flinging the curtain back as hard as he can, trying to touch the water, and squawking at the top of his lungs during the WHOLE shower. While I am in the shower, it really ticks me off. Looking back, it is really cute and endearing. Looking back, I think it is a bonding moment. I love the little guy.

Couples Tag

Couple TAG from Celeste

What is his name: Benjy (a.k.a. Benj, Love, Punk, Babe, and when he is pushing my buttons, Benjamin)

What is her name: Ashley (a.k.a. Cuddlebug)

How long have you been together: I have known Benjy for 5 yrs, married 3 1/2 yrs and will continue to be together for eternity

How long did you date: A year

How old is he: 27 (but can act like he is anywhere from 4-50 yrs old depending on the activity)

How old is she: 23

Who eats more: We are pretty equal. As a matter of fact, we don't share food otherwise we get mad at the other person for eating to much.

Who said I love you first: I don't remember. At first I felt bad about not remembering but it turns out that Benjy doesn't remember either. We decided what happens in the end is far more important that what happened in the beginning.

Who is taller: With out any shoes on we are both exactly 5'10". When you add girl shoes to the mix, I tower over the poor guy.

Who sings better: We don't sing.

Who is smarter: Benjy has a much broader range of knowledge than I do. The guy knows something about almost everything. He actually did REALLY, REALLY well in college too (except for when we were dating, then we both failed miserably).

Who does the laundry: That would be me. Benjy does end up rotating the laundry a bunch though. I forget to move it.

Who pays the bills: Me. The running joke between Benjy and I is that when I wise up and leave the guy (remember, we are just joking) I will get everything because Benjy has no idea where I have stashed money .

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed: Well, we do it a little bit differently. Right or left isn't what we go by. Benjy will always sleep the closest to the door where ever we are sleeping. He says this is the rule so he can protect me in the night.

Who mows the lawn: Don't know yet. We don't have a lawn. Some day we will have a huge one and I will have a blast watching Benjy mow it.

Who cooks the dinner: Me. Benjy would starve with out me. No matter what he thinks, the guy couldn't live on cold cereal for very long.

Who drives: Usually Benjy.

Who is more stubborn: Equally as stubborn but usually we trade off. Yep, it makes some situations a doozy.

Who kissed who first: Benjy kissed me the first time and I initiated the first re-kiss. We dated twice with a big(well, I guess not that big but big enough for us to have other boyfriends/girlfriends) gap in between.

Who proposed: Benjy did.

Who has more friends: We are pretty equal. We like everybody.

Who is more sensitive: Me. Definately me.

I would like to tag Meka and Duane, Lara and Neil, and Mari and Tyson.

Bridal Veil Falls

We had some gorgeous weather this weekend. We had the perfect summer storm going on so we decided to take a drive up the canyon. My cousin Laura also moved to Provo over the weekend so we picked her and Christina up and took them with us. We stopped at Bridal Veil to see if the storm had added any water to the falls. It was so pretty but much colder than I had anticipated. Sorry the pictures are dark. It was so dark from the storm that you could barely see.

Laura, Chris, and Rees

Me and my Hubby

Chris, Rees' other mother :)

Laura's first time seeing Bridal Veil