Ashlee's Birthday!

The March birthdays were brought to a close yesterday, because yesterday, was Ashlee's :) Justin and Owen woke her up with their beautiful singing of "Happy Birthday" and they had cake and ice cream for breakfast. How fun is that? It's genius. Love it. We went to Olive Garden for her birthday lunch. It was a good time :) We celebrated last Sunday with the whole fam, since that was when all of us could be there.

How cute is she? I seriously have the greatest older sister.

The #1 thing about Ashlee is her heart. If you could measure it in some way, it'd be bigger than the population of China and India put together. She thinks of other people allllllllll the time. She's constantly helping people out in one way or another. Sometimes I'll ask her why she does certain things for other people (because she has a husband and child of her own to worry about) and her response is always the same, "Because if I was them, I'd want someone to do the same for me." She treats others how she wants to be treated. It can take people a lifetime to master that, and this sister of mine has done it, at such a young age. Sweet gal she is :) Here's a list of just a few things she's done with that heart of hers:

-She watched her friend's child until midnight, so her friend & her husband could have a night out.
-She made valentine treats and took them around to people in her neighborhood. A single middle-aged woman was extremely grateful for being thought of.
-She takes meals to people in her neighborhood so often.
-I guarantee she'll never forget your birthday.
-And if you're ever in the hospital for anything, she'll be your first visitor.
-She made a playgroup for moms to bring their kids to, for the kids to play, and the moms to chat. Because really, what mother doesn't need a break from the house at least once a week?
-She makes sure her husband has time to himself during the week, which I think is so great. I think a lot of wives expect their husbands to come home from work and take care of the house, without thinking that they do need time for themselves. Ashlee recognizes Justin's efforts at work and school, and wants him to have time for fun. & of course, he does the same for her by making sure she goes out with her friends during the week as well.
-At work one night, she was delivering. I noticed some crappy-looking cupcakes on a table and asked her if she knew where they came from. She said while she was on a delivery, she saw a girl selling them in the neighborhood and felt bad, so she stopped and bought a few. How kind is she?
-She is such a patient mom, and is giving Owen a wonderful childhood. One time he said he wanted ice cream for dinner, so that's what they had. That's the kind of mom I want to be. Ice cream for dinner every once in a while, who wouldn't want that? She's so fun.
-She has other people in mind all the time. She gives me (and I'm guessing other friends too) coupons to my favorite places when she gets them in the mail.
-One time I was getting ready for a date and was randomly breaking out in hives. Even though she was having a busy day, she ran to the store to get me benadryl and brought it in the nick of time :) She sure takes care of me.
-A long time ago I was in a bad relationship. She could see it. I remember she was over for Sunday dinner, and asked me to come talk with her outside. I remember sitting there on the porch with her. She told me about a relationship she had, that was similar to the one I was in. She explained how it affected her then, and how she saw those same affects in me. I knew she was right, and I knew what I should do. . . but I didn't do it for a long, long time after that talk. Even though it took me a while to get out of it, what she said to me that night, meant a lot.

If you haven't had a chance to meet my sister, you're missing out. She'll have your back no matter what. She'll stick up for you. She'll help you the moment you need it. & she'll never, and I mean never complain about it. And that my friends, is love.

Happy birthday Ash! I love you :)

Starting Fresh

I feel like I've been in a bit of a rut lately. Perhaps it's the drag of winter, perhaps I'm just lazy. Either way, my attitude hasn't been very positive. I've been wasting so much time and have been so unmotivated, in almost every way of the word... I got home from work the other night, and my brother was watching a show called 'Splash'. It consists of wanna-be celebrities training to dive off of platforms to become the ultimate celebrity dive champ. I couldn't help but think, 'Is this what our lives have become? Watching people, who want to be popular, learn how to dive, with ridiculously fake drama, all in the name of high ratings, ultimately, for a hefty paycheck?' Our society has become so intrigued by watching other people live their lives, that we forget to live our own. No more of that for this girl.

So here's to a fresh start, to no more wasted time, to doing things I've neglected, and things I've always wanted to do. My new tab above, 'The List', will hold just that. The majority of them are simple things. Some are bigger than others, but I really believe it's the simple things that make life great. I'll cross things off when I've done them, keep a tally of the things I want to continue doing, and add to the list as I go. If any of you lovelies want to join me on something, you just say the word :)

Bryson's Bday

On the 12th, Bryson turned the sweet 16! How is my little brother able to drive? Sheeshers, times flies...

To celebrate, he, my mom, and I went bowling. While we waited for a lane, we photoboothed it up!

I'm still not sure how the three of us squished in there, but it was fun :)

Sixteen fun facts about Brys:
1. He's good at cooking. His foods class is one of his faves. He'll come home from school with new info about cooking, and we benefit from it. Thanks for the brownies Brys :)
2. He's an honest boy. I don't know if he's told a lie in his life.
3. As you can see from the pictures above, he is a BYU fan, through and through. He loves going to their basketball and football games with his friends.
4. When he was little, he'd stand out in the yard and squirt the hose for hours in the summer months. He had a serious obsession with water. It was quite cute.
5. He always-and I mean always- eats a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats cereal before bed.
6. He spends $1,000 on a pair of socks... okay that's an exaggeration. But still, $14 is way too much. We all have the things we'll splurge on, Nike socks are his.
7. His guilty pleasure is One Direction... but honestly, whose isn't? :)
8. He's the caboose of our family. He was born 5 years after Hollie. I remember we were all pretty goo goo over him. One night when he was a baby, Ash got up with him to calm him down. Dallan was so excited when he came along, finally a brother! And my 9 year old self loved picking out his clothes and helping him get dressed. We all loved our little Brys :)
9. I think he could live off of Slurpees & Panda Express.
10. His favorite thing to wear is a t shirt and gym shorts. The ladies of the fam have been encouraging him to branch out into 'big boy clothes' and he looks mighty spiffy in them :)
11. He is a sweety. One night last winter, it was snowing and our driveway was quite covered. It was around 10pm and Bryson said, "I better go shovel the driveway so Dad doesn't have to." So we went and shoveled :) When our dad pulled in the driveway he was thrilled he didn't have to be out in the cold.
12. He's all about Jimmer.
13. Psych is one of his favorite television shows.
14. He loves basketball. That's an understatement. Maybe I shouldn't even have that as a fun fact, because if you know him, you definitely already know that. When his life isn't revolved around playing ball, it's revolved around watching his favorite teams, and improving his skills.
15. He likes to read, which I think is wonderful. Fantasy is his favorite genre. He has soooo many books.
16. When he gets his license, he's got a '89 Ford Escort to drive. He's stoked about it ;)

Happy Birthday Brys! I love you little brother.

Mom's Birthday

Yesterday was my mom's birthday! She got a sweet surprise from my dad! You see, Valentine's day is February 14th, my parent's anniversary is February 17th, and my mom's birthday is March 4th. Talk about a lot of celebration crammed into a few weeks. This year, for all three occasions, my dad gave her roses with cards on them, with clues as to what he got her. Yesterday, this is what the clue showed:

Yep, he sure surprised her with a trip to Hawaii! She's always wanted to go, and so this summer, they're finally going :) I'm so excited for them!

In a few months, they'll be Hawaii bound! :)

 Owen (with a little help from his sweet mom) gave this to 'G-ma'. How cute! I love little things like these.

After opening presents, we went to Hire's, my mom's favorite, for dinner. I made some cupcakes to have for dessert. My mom loves those turtle chocolates, so I found a recipe called 'mini turtle cupcakes'.

 Chocolate cupcakes, chocolate frosting, chopped pecans, and some melted caramel. They were gooood :)

Here's a little acronym spotlight about my mom:
A- is for Applies her talents. My mom has always been one to find what she's passionate about, then do it! Whether it's school, cooking, baking, running, writing, reading, crafting, or anything else her little heart desires. I remember she and I took piano lessons at the same time. Back then, I didn't realize the significance of that fact. But now I think it's really neat that she wanted to learn something, so she did it. She didn't say she was too old, or she didn't have the time, she made it happen.
L- is for Listens to me cry. I posted a few months ago about how back then, I was easily brought to tears... Yep, that's still happening, it's not as often though. Anyway, when I cry the most, it's usually out of frustration. And let me tell you, I've had a few frustrating let outs over the past few months. This mother of mine has sat next to me and listened to me vent out tears of defeat. Sometimes, I even get annoyed with my tears, but she hasn't. She hasn't said, 'get over it' or 'chill out', she gives her advice, and let's me bawl until I feel better. Thanks mom.
I- is for Intelligent. My mom is really smart. She got straight A's in school, and I mean ALL of school; from kindergarten through high school, to even now as she's started college. She applies herself and does her best. She taught me to love reading. I used to hate it, but she'd still encourage me. Each Christmas she'd give me a book, even when I didn't want them. Eventually, I gave in to her subtle hints and read a book. Now I'm hooked. Even now, she still keeps that Christmas tradition.
S- is for Sacrifice. My mom put off a lot of stuff she wanted, for the sake of us kids; everything from going to college, to buying a new couch. I know I'll never be able to grasp the sacrifices a parent makes, until I'm a parent myself, but I am so thankful for the sacrifices she made on my behalf.
O- is for Olympian ;) My mom started running a long time ago. She's competed in many races throughout the years, including 2 marathons, and Ragnar many times. A few years ago she started lap swimming, and somehow convinced me to as well. She's been an example to me of taking care of the body I've been given, even when it's hard.
N- is for Nutritive. Growing up, for breakfast she'd make us whole wheat pancakes, waffles, or french toast every single morning. I remember my friends would be surprised when I'd tell them she made breakfast. They said they wished their moms did that for them. She could have easily poured a bowl of sugary cereal for us each morning. It would have taken her 2 minutes, verses the 20 it took for the pancakes, but she wanted us as healthy as we could be, even if it meant less time to herself. There were times I longed for that bowl of lucky charms, but now I'm so grateful she ignored my whines :)

Happy Birthday Mom :)