"I now pronounce you Chuck and Laura"

This is why God invented children

2009-02-21T15:49:00.000-08:00

...To pick up my slack.

I know child labor is illegal. But, since I dropped MY camera while chasing after naked Ashton, I think it's only fair that HE earns Mommy a new one. So... I will be hiring him out for housework. Contact me on here for any jobs that you need done.

He charges 8 cookies an hour. Or half of a bag of Mission Tortilla chips. And don't forget the dip. Actually, he just needs 1 chip and a whole bunch of dip. He likes to lick the dip off and quadruple dip it back in anyway, so he really only needs one chip.

What's wrong with a little nudity?

2009-02-21T14:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've had this post under my blog drafts for over a month now. I guess I wasn't quite sure what kind of captions to write about posting pictures of my son's naked boo-tay. (It's not illegal is it?!? For reals, if it is, let me know and I'll take it down. =)

Anyway, back in January Ashton and I took a day trip to San Diego to visit my lovely friend Karishma and her family. We took a walk along the beach so the kids could run around and burn up some energy. Of course you never plan on going into the water, but somehow it always happens. So, since I wasn't "water play" prepared, I stripped him down so I would still have dry clothes to put him back into after he was finished.

I could not get this darn kid out of the ocean. The water was COLD!! I could barely keep my feet in. I know that we get to enjoy beach weather year round here in California, but it was still JANUARY! He was kicking and screaming every time I tried to say, "All done Ashton, let's go bye bye." I would carry him all the way back to the dry sand, set him down, and immediately he'd take off running back towards the freezing cold water. This happened over and over....and over again.

Needless to say, next time I will be "water play" prepared.

Oh yeah... he's also apparently an exhibitionist. Right after getting out of the bath he spotted his new toy. So he runs across the room and hops on his ATV....naked. So, if you come to our house, remind me to sanitize this thing if your kid wants to ride on it.

p.s. On the lovely naked beach day described above, while chasing after Ashton, I dropped my camera in the ocean. =( I saved the memory card so I didn't lose any pictures, but the camera didn't make it. It has since gone on to technology heaven. So, until it is replaced.... my son will be growing up without us capturing his memories. (Insert whiny violin music here. ) =(

Christmas 2008

2009-01-13T15:02:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful holiday season this year. So wonderful in fact, that I am just TOO tired to write a detailed description about it. =) Sorry, I'm pooped... But I want to get these pictures and videos posted for all of you to see. We hope everyone's holiday season was as great as ours was. =)

p.s. The pictures are out of date order, but you get the idea, right.

Ashton's pre-Christmas trip to Hooters with his best girl friend Kendall.
(and the Hooters girl)

Sneaking some chips and guacamole at Auntie Jeanette & Grandma Briggs' house.

Opening presents Christmas morning.

Looking groggy, and tired, Christmas morning. =)

Building a tower with his jumbo legos!

Sharing some ice-cream with ME!

The three Fraley brothers.

Ashton and Grandpa Fraley

Ashton and Grandpa Briggs

Excited about my new cookware from Dad and Dana. =) Thanks!

The only logical place I could store the presents without him touching them!

Our Family. Christmas 2008

Spoiled! haha

The things he comes up with on his own

2009-01-02T13:48:00.001-08:00

I don't recall ever teaching Ashton to spin around in a circle until he's gets dizzy and falls over. So where do kids learn this stuff? Who knows. But it's still funny to watch. =)

Why would I bother...

2008-12-22T00:24:00.000-08:00

Why would I ever bother to clean and re-organize when I have Ashton to do it for me?

"How many times do I have to tell you mom, these do NOT go here!"

P.S. "Daddy, I don't want your darn pickle!"

CHEESE!!!

2008-12-16T22:40:00.000-08:00

I just felt like posting some of his best "cheese" faces.

3 weeks old

The rest are more recent. Or at least within the past six months.

It's that time again...

2008-12-13T16:48:00.000-08:00

It seems like it was just last month that we celebrated Ashton's first birthday (back in July) and now it's already time for Christmas. We've had a lot of fun decorating our new house this year. We've been really lucky because Ashton hasn't tried to rip one single ornament off of the tree. He seemed to have a lot of fun putting them on too.

We decorated gingerbread cookies with our friends and he even let me have some. I was pleasantly surprised that he stayed neat and clean. Probably because he didn't want to waste even one drop of icing.

Here he is showing off his "Reindeer Candy Cane" we made at our friend Briana's house.

And here he is visiting Santa Clause at the mall. Luckily I was able to snap this quick picture without them noticing. You're allowed to take your own pictures, but only if you purchase a photo package. We had planned on purchasing a package, but after this unhappy situation, I tried my best to avoid paying $30 for a picture of him crying. Don't get me wrong, I love the crying with Santa picture. Every kid has a "crying on Santa's lap" picture, I just didn't want to have to pay for it. I told them I would be back when he was in a better mood. I hope they're not still waiting...

We had high hopes because he was so photogenic with Santa last year. But I still love the crying picture. Chuck and I both have a few of those ourselves. =)

He definitely likes things a certain way.

10 years already!!... my parents MUST be getting older.

2008-12-10T22:46:00.000-08:00

This is for you T!

The reason that my parents must be getting older is because I am the last of the 5 children to have their 10 year high school reunion.

This past October Chuck and I attended my reunion. We had a great time hanging out with some of my old classmates and I'm ultimately glad that I decided to go. I even won a prize for having been married the longest, 7 years. Even though it was a mistake because another classmate had been married for 8 years, but it was their mistake so I still took the prize. haha. She won another prize for having the most kids, so I don't feel so bad for taking the glory. I was just happy to walk away with something after spending $85 on Tilapia and a slide show. But again, I'm glad I went. =) I will definitely attend my 20th as well.

I was feeling nostalgic while going through my reunion pictures so I decided to post some other pictures of my academic (sorta) milestones throughout the years. So what's your opinion? Do you think I have changed much?

This obviously isn't a "school" milestone, I just thought I looked a bit like Ashton in this picture so I wanted to post it. =)

First day of school. 1st Grade.

Jr. High Graduation. Thank goodness for Facebook, I'm still in contact with all these girls.

High School Graduation. 1998

Graduation trip to Hawaii with friends. I was glad to get a picture with the three of us at the reunion.

Cosmetology School Graduation. Isn't little Jacob cute!

My beautiful friend Karishma and I at graduation.

Myself, Alina & Melanie at our 10 year Reunion. My Hawaii friends in the above picture.

Vanessa, Melanie, Me, Alina

Me, Vanessa, Melanie

This picture is blury, but it's Tony, Me, Ethel, Rizza & Maricel.

Chuckie and I before we left. =)

A few reasons why I love him...

2008-11-10T14:51:00.000-08:00

He gets just as excited as Daddy does about going to Home Depot. Now I don't have to go anymore. =)

Because of that smile

Because he still chooses to "live with his parents." As his t-shirt states.

He helps Daddy out around the house. Again... so I don't have to! =)

Because he likes to hide things in weird places, including himself.

Because he feeds himself now. So we can ALL enjoy our meals together.

Because of these 12 teeth.

Monkey business

2008-11-10T14:29:00.000-08:00

This year was pretty much the first year that we celebrated Halloween with Ashton. We dressed him up last year and walked around Downtown Disney (basically so he could wear his costume in a public place) but we didn't do any pumpkin carving or trick-or-treating. This year we did it all, and had tons of fun.

Getting ready to carve his pumpkin that he picked out at Riley's Farm.

Sketching out his design.

The finished product.

Fraley pumpkins on display.

I think I like Ashton's the best! (right)

This year we decided he would dress up as our little Monkey. That's what Chuck and I like to call him, plus he LOVES bananas. His recent first word was "Na-nuh"

Getting ready to go trick-or-treating with our friends (and neighbors) the Deguzman family.

The kid still hates hats!

Showing mom his "loot."

Examining the goods.

I loved the tail.

mmmmm chocolate!

Ashton, Nathan and Dalisay enjoying some candy.

Fall Festivities

2008-10-19T15:24:00.000-07:00

In the beginning of September we drove up to Oak Glen to go apple picking. But the orchard that we stopped at only sold apples, you couldn't pick them yourself. Weird, I know. So we decided to pick raspberries instead, because that is what they had available to pick. We had a great time, but we will never pick raspberries again!! It took WAY too long, in the hot sun, to try and fill three little baskets with raspberries. And when we got home, I had no clue what to do with them. I didn't want to just make a smoothie, I wanted to bake something like I planned on doing, had we been able to pick apples. They are still in my freezer to this day. We will stick to apples and pumpkins from now on. Here are some pictures from our raspberry adventures.

We're here!

At least we got to taste their apple pie.

Candid shot of Daddy and Ashton looking off into... space I guess.

More please!

Time to pick some berries.

Oooh, this one looks good.

Are we done yet?

If you ever go raspberry picking, don't put your kids in any clothes that you actually like. Raspberry stains don't come out very well. That stain is still on his butt.

In addition to raspberries, we have visited the pumpkin patch THREE times this season! We went to Riley's Farms in Oak Glen twice. Once with Chuck's parents and the second time with our friends the Deguzman family. Then we visited the local pumpkin patch that is situated out in the wineries here in Temecula with our friend Jaime and her two kids, Alexis and Elijah. I think the pumpkin patch outings are more for the parents. We all just want to take a ton of pictures with our kids surrounded by pumpkins and all of the other fall decorations, but Ashton loves being outside so he never protests. =)

Here we are at Riley's. We like going there because it is a true farm and everything you pick is right off of the vine.

The token "kid surrounded by pumpkins" picture.

He LOVES corn on the cob, as we discovered on this day.

"CHEESE!"

At the local pumpkin farm.

On the train with Lexi and Elijah

Right before sunset.

In the corn maze with Daddy.

Fraleys in the maze

We found our way out!! YAY! (took us about 15 minutes. the kids were starting to get worried. haha)

It's time for Sooooooul Traaaain

2008-10-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

We can't turn on anything musical in our house without THIS happening. We love it!

Happy Birthday

2008-08-25T00:08:00.000-07:00

Happy 40th Birthday to our brother, Jason.

We love you and we miss you big brother.

Everyday.

New friends, New playdates.

2008-08-24T20:50:00.000-07:00

Summer may be coming to an end, but we still have TONS of partying to do with our new play groups in Murrieta/Temecula.

Ashton is starting to act "shy" when he is in a new place. I've had to drag him around, attached to my leg a few times.
Reeking havoc at Lily's house. We are in the same Mom's Playgroup. And coincidentally, she is also my neighbor across the street!
Getting soaked at the local spray park.
New moms luncheon. There are about 30 moms in this one group, but a turnout of 12 moms in one place is pretty good. Ashton and I are second from the left. You should have seen the MESS that was left on the floor. Poor Pat & Oscar employees. Having to clean up after a bunch of rowdy kids.
At the duck pond in from of Pat & Oscar's Restaurant
Go Ashton GO!

Our trip to Paris!!

2008-08-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

Oops, typo. I meant, "Our trip to Perris, Ca." Haha.

It's been a few summers since we've been on the Fraley boat due to having a newborn last summer, and I can't remember what was going on the summer before that (2006). So we were very excited to take Ashton out for his first time on the boat.

Yesterday we met up with Tim at Lake Perris, which is only about 15-20 minutes from our new house. The last time I was at Lake Perris was when Chuck and I first started dating back in 2000. We've been water skiing MANY times since then obviously, just not at that lake. It was so nice and convenient for us to be that close.

We had a great time out on the boat, and afterwards we hit up the races at the Perris Auto Speedway. We have been hesitant in the past whether or not to take Ashton to the races because it's SO loud, but that kid isn't afraid of anything. So we gave it a shot. He loved it! Both places. The lake and the races. We can't wait to go back.

I don't always stick the pacifier in his mouth throughout the whole day. But since he was in a new and potentially scary environment, I'll shove that thing in anytime, as long as it keeps him calm.

Ashton wanted to be in charge of holding up the orange flag when someone was in the water.
Tim wake boarding.

Ten minutes after we got on the boat, Ashton passed out in my lap. That's what we get for taking him out during nap time. I think the vibrations from the boat put him to sleep. That kid can sleep through anything.
Water boy.

Hey Grandpa, we have a new driver for the boat!!
The RACES!!!
He loved the races, but he HATED when we tried to cover his ears to mask some of the noise. So we gave up.

Do YOU have this seasons latest overpriced Winter wear?

2008-08-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

Back in May I posted about Ashton doing a photo shoot for Hanna Andersson clothing line. Well, I'm sooooo excited because the Winter catalog just came out! WOOP WOOP!

Click on this link to flip through the catalog online.

http://www.hannaander...

then click on the WINTER 2008 catalog.

it lets you scroll page by page.

He is on pages:

67 - second baby from right, clapping his hands
68 - wearing tan bear snow suit, again clapping his hands
70 - he's the one crawling
back cover - baby in top left corner.

I feel like I need to buy all of those outfits now. haha But it ain't gonna happen. That stuff is too rich for my blood. I'll stick to TARGET!!!

Bartender for hire

2008-08-16T22:10:00.000-07:00

To all of my Mormon family and friends... I SWEAR IT'S ROOT BEER!! (maybe)

I contemplated whether or not to do this post, but I felt that these pictures and videos were too funny to ignore. And I figured you'd still love me after anyway. Right...RIGHT?

The only thing I'm going to write to explain this post is...

"Hanging out with Uncle Tim."

Enough said. And we love him for that. He always brings enjoyment to our lives. =)

Happy Birthday to my best friend and "baby daddy."

2008-08-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

Even though he will deny it for at least the next 5 years, Chuck did in fact turn 30 this past Wednesday, August 13th. It was pretty much like any ole' regular day (Just as he likes it. He's not a big "celebrator"... of anything having to do with himself), but since I'M the one who has a blog, I still get to tell everyone about it. We kept it casual and went out to dinner to a place that holds a bit of nostalgia for us. Buffalo Wild Wings. Random, I know. But when we lived in Warren, Ohio, those 9 short months back in 2003 (i think), we used to frequent that place quite a bit. And the only other one we found in California after we moved back home, was 45 miles away in Ontario. So we were happy when we spotted one in Murrieta shortly after we moved here.

In a small(er) town like Warren, if you find a place that you like to go to with friends, you'll find yourself hanging out there a lot more than you would've expected. We made a lot of memories, and a lot of friendships at that place. So as dorky as it sounds, it holds a special place in our hearts. But the real reason we went there on Wednesday is because Chuck's brother, Tim, was very generous and gave him a gift card for his birthday, and we're suckers for gift cards. haha

So, Happy Birthday to my wonderful, amazing, patient, kind, hard working, has never raised his voice, best daddy in the world, loving and funny husband, Chuck. I love you babe.

p.s. One of the things he has told me in the past that he hated most about turning 30 is that it would mean that I as well, am getting older, and he "enjoys having a young wife." And if he is "old," then I'm not far behind. Hmmmm, now what the hell am I supposed to say to that, other than, "thanks a lot!!"

Chuck and Ashton at Buffalo Wild Wings

Hey, at least he already got his "mid-life crisis car" out of the way. I just love the look on his face. It says, "Is this my future? A car FULL of kids?" haha

Ashton trying to "fill Daddy's shoes." Or shirt, in this case.

Look who's walking!!!

2008-08-06T20:53:00.000-07:00

As of 6:00pm this evening, Ashton is now a walker. Of course this is very exciting to us, but I can't help but think "my life will officially never be the same again!!"

July happenings...

2008-08-01T23:44:00.001-07:00

Being that it is August 1st, today was Chuck's first day at his new job. HE LOVED IT! He kept talking about how it was so weird to be going to a job that was his actual "career" and not another transitional job to get to the next stage in life. He is finally done with all of the steps it takes to get where he is, and I have a feeling it will take him a while to adjust to a "normal" work schedule. He's so used to working 70-80+ hours a week that he tends to feel guilty if he has a day off. Crazy I know. We're working on that. Now when people ask him to pick up extra shifts, I tell him to say "NO," you don't need to work like a dog anymore. It's time to enjoy life, and everything you've worked so hard for. So, since he had the entire month of July off, (with 8 or so moonlighting shifts thrown in there to "help pay the bills") we have really enjoyed being able to spend so much time together and explore our new surroundings. We love it more and more here each day and it was so nice to have some time to relax and enjoy the house and new neighborhood before he had to rush off to a new job. Here are some pictures of what we've been up to this past month.

There were many, many days spent at various parks.

...followed by some grub at Carls Jr. This kid won't eat much, but he definitely loves chicken strips and french fries.

taking a ride around Grandma Fraley's house on his new train.
Hanging out with cousin Emily
Ok this one's for my mom. We were checking out the weekly activities in Temecula and there's this one park that has summer concerts in their Amphitheater. We HAD to check this one out because on that particular night there was a "Neil Diamond Tribute band" playing. I wish I could have captured this guy up close. He had the swept back "Neil hair" and a hot pink sequins top. It was hilarious. Don't get me wrong, they were a really good cover band, I just thought his outfit was awesome!!

Yesterday we took a short drive to Oceanside. Amazingly it's only 30 minutes from where we live now. It used to take me 45 minutes, because of all of the traffic, to get to Huntington Beach from Whittier. But now we just have a beautiful drive through the hills and valleys, and then we're there. We only planned on walking around but of course we ended up in the water with Ashton. Unprepared no less. We had a lot of fun though and we were happy because in the past he's cried when we take him to the beach because the water is too cold. But I guess he's just growing up because he doesn't care what the temp is now, he just wants to be wet!

Riding home in style.

Today I went to my 5th play date with my new moms group. We had a lot of fun watching all the kids play in the spray area, and Ashton is definitely up for anything that has water involved.

After dinner tonight we went for a walk to the park in our neighborhood. Ashton's getting pretty good at conquering the slides. As long as his feet aren't too slick, he can usually climb all the way up.

The blog only lets me post videos at the bottom of the page so here are a bunch of videos that go along with our "july outings." I know it's a lot, but I've been lazy and have been saving all of my pictures for one LONG post. Sorry.

Birthday Boy

2008-08-01T15:21:00.000-07:00

Our little baby is now officially a "toddler," according to the weekly email I get from babycenter.com. We had a lot of fun celebrating his first birthday. We had to wait a few weeks before we could really celebrate because the move fell right in the middle of his birthday week, but we figured he would never know the difference. And he didn't.

These next few pictures are from his actual birthday. Auntie Jeanette was nice enough to make him a cake so we could have a simple "pizza and cake" family party on July 1st. I really like this picture of Ashton and Jacob. All of his cousins are so sweet with him and he loves to be around them.

...except for Spencer. He would rather sleep on the floor. haha

Here he is enjoying his super awesome wagon from Uncle Tim.

Party pics...
Ash and Dad grubbin' on some cake.
"Do you want a taste Aunt Sharon?"

This is why he is in his diaper for the rest of the pictures. I brought extra clothes, but the boy would rather be crawling around in his diaper.
"ooooh bubbles..."
Christine and Caden. (her friends son)
"ooooh is this for me?!?"
I know I seem more excited about this present than Ashton, but I just love this toy!! I would always play with it at Jeanette's house and now Ashton loves chasing the balls around and putting them back down the shoot.
For some reason, he doesn't like how grass, or sand, feel on his knees. So he does the "crab walk" whenever he's on the grass. Crazy boy.
Hanging with some Fraleys.
He kept popping balloons and laughing afterwards. We kept waiting for him to freak out, but he would just giggle.
His super cute bear that my Aunt Carol made for him.
He loves his piano!!
Daddy and Mommy with the tired birthday boy, post party.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASHTON!! CHEESE!

New House

2008-08-01T14:07:00.001-07:00

This has been a very busy/crazy month for us. But in a good way. We've had a lot of excitement going on around here with Chuck's graduation, moving day, and Ashton's first birthday. I usually try to think of clever things to say on my blog, but since so many people have been asking to see pictures of the new house, I'm just going to post a bunch up for you all to see. We LOVE having visitors (as long as they don't mind sleeping on a couch at this point), so don't hesitate to come see us. =)

I already posted some pictures from the web on my previous "Moving day is near" post, so I'm just going to include some pictures of the rest of the house that it didn't really show.

You'll notice that our house, and the walls, are still very EMPTY. It's probably going to stay that way for quite some time. We're in no rush to furnish every room. We've been so busy lately, we're just going to take things one step at a time. I was going to try and photoshop some furniture in there, but I skipped that class in high school. I took home-ec instead. I DID in fact show you one of my tricks for unpacking, which is to shove everything into a corner on the other side of the room! I'll put everything "in it's place" eventually, but I just wanted to get the boxes emptied out. C'mon, you know you do it too...

Ashton's new favorite thing to do is open the cabinets and crawl inside to lay down. Or just hide things in them, and then shut the door. Chuck couldn't find one of his screw drivers for a whole week. I later found it in my night stand drawer next to my socks.

I tried to be really technical and do that photo stitching thing in the kitchen/family room area so it looks like one big panoramic photo, but I didn't know how to attach them together after I've taken the photos. So you have to use your imagination on these ones.

He is definitely a climber. Even after putting this humongous baby gate out, he can still weasel his way around it and get upstairs. I should know by now that the children are always smarter than the parents.

Front door and hallway. Dining room, second stairwell and hall closet are to the right. Green living room is to the left.
Dining Room/ where I throw the empty boxes
hall closet and stairs
living room

Laundry room. (another place I throw some junk) That door at the end leads to the garage.
Downstairs bathroom
This picture is at a weird angle, but I wanted to show how you can go upstairs from either the kitchen, or the entry hallway. (Like Aunt Patti's house! =)
Linen cabinets and desk upstairs in the loft. aka-where I've stashed more stuff to put away "later."
Bonus room at the top of the stairs. That tv on the wall seemed a lot bigger when we bought it to put in our 10x10 ft. bedroom in the old house. Now it looks so teeny. haha

Ashton's bathroom
Our room.
Other side of our room. Another place I shove stuff into the corner to put away later. haha

I didn't include Ashton's room (because he was sleeping when I took the pictures) or the other bedrooms because they're just empty rooms and not very exciting to look at. And the office is such a disaster there was no way I could pull off the "I just shove things in a corner" speech because there's stuff EVERYWHERE in that room.

This is a video of Chuck and Ashton having some fun while packing the old house.

...and another one of him destroying the new house. =)

We hope you've enjoyed the pictures. Now come out and SEE US!!

Now that's something to smile about!

2008-06-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

My blog posts usually consist of what Ashton has been getting into lately, but this one's going to be all about ME ME ME!!! ...and my sister, Jeanette. =) This has been an exciting week for the two of us because we have entered into a right of passage that most people complete by the time they are graduated from junior high school, or even sooner. Yes yes, we are no longer teenagers. Because we in fact, GOT OUR BRACES OFF!!! HOORAY! It was definitely more fun (if having braces consists of any fun at all) having someone to share the agony and pain with. Someone to tell you when you have broccoli or an entire chinese food noodle stuck in your teeth (it's happens). Someone to tell you, "hey they already look straighter." And someone to cheer you up when you look at a photograph of you and your metal mouth, because soon enough, you'll have perfect teeth. So here we are, 2 years in the making, with our PERFECT TEETH! Don't be jealous, you too can have a noodle stuck in your teeth to have straight pearly whites in the end. C'mon, everyone's doing it!

So come with us, through our journey, of the "before, during, and AFTER!"

BEFORE PIC:
Now normally, I would NEVER show a picture like this to anyone. Because these are the ones that captured that horrible angle of my smile that I would always try to avoid in photos. It really accentuates the reason WHY I decided to go through with the braces. Over the years, I became very good at camouflaging my teeth issues. My poor friends and family would always have to deal with me saying, "no no, take another picture, there's a weird shadow on my teeth." Fear not my friends, those words are now in the past. Now you'll just have to endure me saying, "ooooh look at those teeth, do you want an extra copy?" hahaha. Click on the picture to see a close up of what my poor orthodontist had to deal, if you dare...

DURING:
This picture was taken in June 2007, at my baby shower. I like to call it, "the brace face sisters."
This is the most recent picture of my brace face. Taken just 2 weeks before I got them off. It was "married girls night out" with my beautiful Regis (the salon I worked at pre-Ashton) girlfriends, Elena and Raeanna.

AND AFTER:
Quite an improvement, don't you think?! We can't stop smiling!!!

P.S. My other ME ME ME thing is that I am also a "blonde" again. After 2 years with my natural hue, I decided it was time to spice things up again. Many thanks to my good friend Raeanna (the beautiful blonde in the "with braces" picture above) for my lovely blonde locks. It definitely pays to be friends with awesome hairdressers. And being one myself, I'm fortunate to know so many. =)

SPLASH!!

2008-06-28T18:46:00.000-07:00

Chuck and I took Ashton to his first water park the other day. Well, it was more like a mini water park. We went to the new SPLASH Rec center in La Mirada. It basically consists of a few rec swimming pools and some kiddie water slides, a lazy river, and some shallow wading areas. Perfect for little kids. We went with Jeanette's family and we had a great time.

Ashton absolutely LOVES the water at home (in the bath or the hot tub... he's spoiled!). But we weren't so sure how he would react to the colder water in a much bigger setting. Fortunately, he LOVED it! When we were in the wading area, he kept crawling away, deeper and deeper into the water. He loved the lazy river as well.

Chuck FINALLY graduates.... to a 40 hour work week!

2008-06-28T16:06:00.000-07:00

After 7 years of hard work, (11 if you count college as well) Chuck has finally completed all of his medical training. Last night was the graduation dinner for all of the graduating residents of the Presbyterian Intercommunity Hospital, Family Practice Residency Program. We had a really great time celebrating with all of his other friends and colleagues and we are going to miss them very much. It's been very rewarding to get to see him enjoy going to work every day. Well, ALMOST every day. haha. Chuck is so sad to be leaving that hospital, as he has grown to love the staff and facility very much over the last 3 years as a resident. But he's also excited for his new job ahead in Temecula.

He makes me so proud every day, but I was especially proud of him last night. He is such a wonderful person and it's so nice to see other people giving him recognition for all of his hard work and accomplishments.

Here is a picture of Chuck and I with our friends Maly and Dan Willis. Dan is also a resident as Pres and he will be graduating next year. Yay Dan! You're NEXT!

All of the '07-'08 Presbyterian Hospital Residents, including the 5 graduating residents.

Here is a picture of Chuck and his good friend (and co-chief resident for the year) Ben Birdsall. They were handing out awards to the faculty members. Sorry the picture is of such poor quality. My flash apparently doesn't work very well from across the room.
Proud wife and hubby.
The three Fraleys.

Chuck was very honored to receive two different awards last night. The first one was for the Resident that went "Above and Beyond the Call of Duty." We were so very proud of him. Here is a video of Chuck receiving that award.

None of the residents knew ahead of time who was getting which award, so Chuck was very surprised to receive both of these awards.

Here is the video of Chuck receiving the "Resident Teaching" award. I missed the first part of the presentation so it starts right before they call his name. And yes, that's Ashton crawling around on the floor at the end of the video.

This last video is of Chuck receiving his "Completion of Residency" diploma. YAY CHUCK!! We're all so proud of you!

Randomness...

2008-06-12T01:30:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures & videos that don't really fit into any particular category, but I thought that they were either cute or random, so I wanted to share them.

This picture falls under the "random" section.
I was at the DMV last month and as I was waiting for my number to be called for service, I took a stroll with Ashton around the facility a few times just to make the time go by. As I was passing by the driving test waiting area, I noticed this sign. I just love the first statement. Although, I feel it would be better off if it said, "Hey dummy, some of these people can't drive worth crap, so unless you want to get hit, don't stand any where near them." But that might be a bit too harsh. It would get the point across though, don't you think...

Ashton enjoying some form of chocolate goodness with Daddy. The chocolate pattern around his mouth reminds me of the Joker from the Batman movies. Can you see it?

Ashton and I having some fun at the park.

MOVING day is near!

2008-06-12T00:52:00.000-07:00

So, with all of the packing I've been doing lately, Ashton has been feeling out his options of how he is going to choose to "make the move."

He's contemplating just doing it the old fashioned way and hoping into a cardboard box along with the rest of his things...

...or perhaps he'll make the trek in the dog crate so he can have a bit more breathing room.

...this laundry basket could even be a viable option. Plenty of leg room, and nothing above your head so you can enjoy the view.

...he may even hitch a ride with his friend Jacob. His mom said he could borrow the keys. These boys will be riding in style with his mom's Coach purse and HOT leopard car seats. Watch out ladies!

...but I think the boys would rather do some girl watching instead. I'll be sure and let you know what he ultimately decides.

Speaking of the move, here are a few pictures of our new house. These are off of the internet so they're pretty limited, but I made sure to include the important features!
...like the view from our bedroom. (the previous owners built this cool platform thing in the backyard so you can walk up those stairs and check out the view.)

...and MY new kitchen.
...and MY bathroom.
...and MY vanity! (Don't worry, I let Chuck have the garage.)

And here is Ashton's new room. He's taking a look to see how he is going to arrange his furniture.
We can't wait for all of you to hopefully come see it in person.

*As a side note, I just wanted to show proof that I don't randomly torture my kid by sticking him in dog crates. He crawled in all by himself, I just closed the door so I could get a picture. haha

Farewell Whittier Mommies

2008-06-12T00:04:00.000-07:00

In February I joined a local "moms group" and Ashton and I were lucky enough to meet some really nice moms and kids/babies. I'm sad to be leaving this group, but also anxious to join the new group that I have found in Murrieta. Yes, the count down for our moving day is just 4 short weeks. It's a very bittersweet adventure, as we are so excited for what lies ahead, but also sad to leave the very close proximity to some of our family and friends. It's only about an hour from where we live now, but with gas prices, it'd probably be cheaper to charter a private plane out of the French Valley Airport into the Long Beach Airport and then take the city bus to our destination. (I think I'll look into that.)

Here are some pictures from our last play date with the Whittier Moms. This isn't the entire group, but actually a pretty good turn out.

Ashton's "praising" whoever brought the chocolate pie! "HALLELUJAH!"

This slide was deadly!! The nice little curve looks very innocent... Until you're sliding down it with a baby on your lap (or 2 in Karen's case) and it JOLTS you from one side back to the other and instead of a fun trip, you end up with a crying baby. Needless to say, we went down more than once. I'm a terrible mom, I know.

Although I'm smiling, Ashton didn't like this one either. I think he prefers the slides that are less than 4 ft in length.

I thought the middle spot would be better on Ashton, but I was wrong. Instead of jolting you back and forth, it would thrust you up and down like you were riding a horse. Again... Ashton ended up crying. So I immediately made Karen go on it so she could experience the terror!

YUMMY! Cookies!!

"Excuse me, can you please point me in the direction of my dressing room trailer."

2008-05-15T16:18:00.000-07:00

"QUIET ON THE SET!!! Lights, Camera... ACTION!" ...or "CLICK" as it would be in this case.

A few months ago I followed the suggestion/advice of some friends and did the work that needed to be done to get Ashton a Manager/Agent and into the "entertainment biz." And let me tell you, it was definitely a lot of WORK! I was driving all over town & running errands here and there, filling out tons of paperwork, faxing/emailing this and that, obtaining a work permit, snapping "head shot" photos, for a week straight! Thankfully after all of that initial stuff was taken care of, we just got to relax and wonder if they'd ever call. After all was said and done, we didn't really think much of it. But low and behold, he got his first audition last week!! And after that audition, which consisted of me driving to Hollywood for them to take one polaroid and tell me "ok he's done," he actually booked the JOB! Hooray!

Now we're not in any way wanting to pursue a goal of Ashton becoming the next Disney "High School Musical" cast member. But if he can makes a few bucks here and there while he's a baby/toddler, we say "why not!" There's nothing wrong with him having some extra money to blow on whatever the heck he wants when he turns 18 right.

So, he booked a 3 day photo shoot for the "Hanna Anderson" clothing line. He's going to be in the upcoming Fall/Winter 2008 catalog, and possibly online as well. We have no idea when it comes out, or if they will actually use any of his pictures (there were many babies there), but he got paid either way so we'll just have to wait and see. They pretty much just take the pictures and say thanks for coming. I'll post an update, in the fall, if his pictures were in fact published. You can click on the blue highlighted word above to check out their website.

Here are some pictures I took on the set.

His first outfit. I don't know how we got him to keep the hats on. He protested at first, but once he realized they were tied on with strings, I think he gave up. He still didn't like the hats though.
This outfit came complete with mittens and baby Ugg boots. I hope he doesn't get used to these fancy clothes. I don't even have Ugg boots for myself, let alone a pair for my baby. haha
Positioning him on a little bench.
His second "Bear" outfit.
I told you he doesn't like hats. This outfit had all kinds of stuff all over his head. haha

It was pretty funny because he kept trying to crawl, but wasn't quite sure if he'd be able to with those bulky mittens on. He kept staring at his hands like, "what the heck are these."
Second day of the shoot... Halloween outfits.

He's clapping because he's so happy they didn't put a hat on him this time!

See what I mean, a hat turns his mood 180 degrees. They tried everything to get him to smile with this huge spider hat on. Bubbles.... feathers... musical instruments, but he wasn't having it. He was pissed! haha
"I refuse to give them what they want as long as they keep this thing on top of my head!"

Supposedly this was shot for the cover, but you never know what they're actually going to use. I guess we'll have to just wait and see.

As his parents, this has been a lot of fun for Chuck and I. But now Chuck is jealous because Ashton makes more money per hour than he does. hahaha.

"LADIES, LADIES...Please. There's enough of me to go around."

2008-05-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

So many women, so little time. I just hope this isn't a reflection of his teen years. haha

Here's Ashton with Dani, a little cutie from my Mommies play group. I think she was trying to steal his watermelon, but he wasn't having it!
Get your own piece lady!
Awwww... Here's Ashton with Kendall. (our friends Karishma & Craig's daugther). Ashton's always had a thing for older women. We DEFINITELY approve of this arranged marriage. haha
A glimpse into their future, riding off into the sunset together. Or maybe just around the playground. "Don't worry Kendall, I won't let you fall."

And this is little Breanna. She's one of the day care cuties at my friend Shelly's family day care. They say these two look like twins. Probably because of the blue eyes and the fact that they're only a few weeks apart in age. They definitely make a cute couple.

"Come here loverboy!"
"Hey lady, where do you think you're going?!"

Adventures in April

2008-05-15T13:43:00.000-07:00

Chuck had two weeks vacation scheduled in April so we were able to do all kinds of fun things during that time off. Here are some pictures of what we've been up to.

We took a trip down to San Diego and went to the San Diego Zoo with my Mom and the rest of the Fraley family.
Ashton hates wearing hats, but it was so sunny that day we had to pretty much force him to keep that hat on.
He loves animals, so we made sure to visit the petting zoo.
I haven't been to the San Diego zoo since I was about 3 years old. I obviously don't remember that trip, but it must've happened because here is the family picture to prove it. haha. The elephant exhibit is still in the exact same location. But they are currently working on a much larger/spacious exhibit for these amazing animals.

I'm the littlest one, but if you know my family, you already knew that. I love this picture because there are so few with all five of us kids and I love the way Keith is wrapping his arms around us "little kids." I also love Jeanette's hot pink shorts!! haha

The morning we were heading off to San Diego Zoo, we were startled awake at 3am by a crazy car accident that left our back yard/block wall a bit damaged to say the least. Unfortunately for our next door neighbor, the damage you see here is mostly their wall. In fact, the big chunk you see teetering is now just a big gaping hole in their back yard. The large bush/tree in their yard couldn't hold up the wall any longer and all of the bricks eventually came tumbling down. Our property line starts right where you see the gray cement light post, and directly to the right of that. We're missing 5-10 bricks in our wall, but in no way did our property suffer as much as theirs did. No one was injured in the accident, besides a blood nose the girl had from the airbag. It's not documented yet whether or not she was intoxicated, but our street isn't very busy, especially at 3am, so.... we'll let you make the call. It's been over a month since the accident and the wall is in exactly the same condition, if not worse. We're starting to believe that you're not necessarily "in good hands, with ALLSTATE!" (No offense to anyone who has or works for Allstate insurance, that's just the insurance carrier that the driver has, and they have done a great job in disappointing us... and stressing Chuck out!)

After we got back from San Diego, we drove up to the Silent Valley RV Resort, near Idyllwild, and spent a few very relaxing days camping in the Fraley family motorhome. We had a great time. Ashton loves anything outside so he was a very happy camper.
Here's Chuck grilling some dinner.
Ashton's ready to take the wheel.
This was the squirrel that stole Ashton's graham cracker after he kept throwing them on the ground. I guess it's finders keepers when you're in the woods.
Stopping for a snapshot on one of the many hikes we took/
He also likes swings... can't you tell.

When we got back from camping we had to try out Ashton's new inner tube in the hot tub. I don't think he cares what we stick him in, as long as he gets to splash around in the water.

The second week of Chuck's vacation we went back down to San Diego to spend a few days with Uncle Tim. He lives right across the street from the beach so it's always nice (and relaxing) to go spend time with him.

Ashton loves to hand out with Uncle Tim, which is nice because that always gives Chuck and I a bit of a break. Those two boys could hang out for hours... and they DO! =)

We had a barbecue outside on Tim's patio and needless to say, Ashton definitely got his fair share of grub.
We just put up his play pen in the shade on the patio and he was happy for hours, as long as we kept tossing a few pieces of watermelon at him here and there.

Here he is in his food coma. He's awake, just resting for his next round of watermelon and carne asada.
Peek-a-boo.... He liked sitting on Chuck's shoulders because that made him tall enough to peek over Tim's patio fence.
We took a break from eating and went on a walk (across the street) down to the beach.

During the last week of April, Jeanette, Mom and I went to a taping of the Jimmy Kimmel Show to see his musical guest for that evening, Neil Diamond. He's one of Mom's favorite singers so as soon as I got the email that he was going to be a guest on the show again, (we also saw him 3 years ago at a Jimmy Kimmel taping) I ran over to my computer and immediately requested some free tickets. Yes, it's free to go to most TV show tapings. Here is a picture of our "girls night out." After the concert was over, we went across the street to the Hollywood & Highland shopping area and ate at California Pizza Kitchen. YUMMY!!

Here is a video I took during the concert. I used my cell phone so the quality is only fair, but you get the gist of the fun that we had. Our taping will air on May 23rd. So make sure you look for our tiny heads in the big crowd of Neil Diamond fans!

p.s. I purposely wanted to capture my Mom dancing in the shot (on the left), and Jeanette swaying her head back and forth (on the right).. haha. They're TRUE fans! And yes, that's my whiny voice singing along with the chorus towards the end. Don't worry, I have no goals/dreams of becoming the next "American Idol."

Oops...

2008-04-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

My friend Raeanna was over last week with her son Jacob and I was changing Ashton's diaper while I was telling her a story. Now Ashton is pretty wiggly, especially when it comes to getting his diaper changed or getting dressed. I often struggle getting his little legs through his pants because he moves so much. Well, I finally succeeded, but when I picked him up, I noticed something wasn't quite right. This is what I found.... Look closely.

Poor guy didn't even complain once while I was shoving both his legs into one hole. He just sat there and smiled at me.

He even started crawling while still in his "gimpy" leg situation. He didn't get very far, just kept scooting around like an inch worm.

This was just one of many "mental brain-farts" I've experienced since becoming a mom. I don't admit to most of them, but some are just too funny to keep to myself. Like the time I went to the park with Raeanna and Jacob and came home to find both the front & screen door wide open. Nope, there was no burgular. We just put the kids and all of our stuff in the car and I never went back and locked up. Don't tell Chuck. haha

Can't wait for Summer

2008-04-13T17:17:00.000-07:00

Ashton's not really into the sand and surf yet (sorry Uncle Tim & Uncle Tyler), but he's definitely getting into all of the other sports/outdoor activities we've exposed him too so far.

I don't think he's used to texture of the sand on his hands yet. He would only put one hand down at a time. haha

Still not feelin' it. It was kinda cold that day though. Oh well, we gave it a shot.

He DID in fact enjoy watching the hockey game we went to though. We went to an ice rink in Pasadena to watch my friend Cathy's boyfriend play. GO CHRIS!!
Cathy and Ashton. So cute. =)

He's into anything on wheels, or that makes noise.

And definitely into his baseball toy.

He even fell asleep with his bat. I swear I didn't put it there. He was holding onto it when I put him in the swing and wouldn't let go.

Grandpa Fraley teaching him how to drive the boat.
We can't wait for our summer boating/water skiing trips!

Disasters, Torture and Destruction...

2008-03-30T21:18:00.000-07:00

DISASTERS...

Chuck and I are enjoying the fact that Ashton is getting older, and is able to eat a good portion of the things that we eat (so we don't have to buy too many extra items for him), but I don't know about this whole clean up situation.

For example: In the following pictures, you are not in fact looking at a mini "oompah loompah" or an overdose of self tanner... but merely Ashton's first experience eating spaghetti and meatballs.

Now I'll be the first to admit that I have given into the temptation to torture him by placing food on his head, i.e. the "Cherrios Mohawk" you see below, but every single spaghetti noodle on his head and body, he put there himself.

I guess the good part is that at least he likes my cooking!!!

Now if only I had my niece Abby around ALL of the time to help me feed Ashton. She's very good at living up to his demands and keeping him neat and clean. She's definitely ready for her little brother to arrive next month.

TORTURE...

Yes yes I know we are mean parents for tricking Ashton into making funny faces by giving him lemons, but we just couldn't resist this one time.

and DESTRUCTION...

He's got to be the only kid that enjoys going to the doctor's office. It's gotta be because they have that FASCINATING, crinkly noise paper that is so fun for babies to tear up.

Utah... so many relatives, so little time.

2008-03-24T22:41:00.000-07:00

But what a great time we DID have with the people we were able to see. Here are some pictures of our "Adventures in Pleasantville,"...I mean Utah. haha only kidding... sorta

He was very excited to have his own personal TV on the flight. Hooray for Jet Blue!

Our "four generation" picture.

Enjoying making a mess.

Ryan (my cousin) and Ashton hanging out at the restaurant.

Second (and one 3rd) cousins. =)

Cousins/Mommies and babies.

The famous "five generation" picture. It includes, in relation to me, Grandma-Aunt Carol-my Cousin Gayle-her daughter Melissa-and Melissa's son Bryance... and a partridge in a pear tree..... =)

Cousins hangin' out.

Jenna (my cousin) seeing a glimpse of her future. Haha, only teasing Jenna.

Happy travelin' man.

I love this picture. I asked Abby to "smile pretty for me" and she gives me her best "cheese" face. So cute.

Ready and excited for Abby's birthday party to start.

Abby liked her new headband so much, she wanted Ashton to have one too! What a sweet cousin.

Ashton and Uncle Darrin hanging out in the patio section of Kohls while the ladies shop!

I wanted a picture of the 3 1/2 of them (Andrea is due in April, it's a boy!) with Ashton but Abby wasn't into it. I took a pic of them anyway and snuck Abby in on the side. I thought this picture was so cute with her poor sad face on the side.

"Are we home yet? I think I see the Airport!"

Ashton passing the time in the car by playing his new "drum."

Note to self: In addition to cell phones, balloons can be used for long periods of entertaining babies.

After over a month of teasing us...

2008-03-24T22:39:00.000-07:00

ASHTON IS FINALLY CRAWLING!!!

Here's a video of his very first "across the room crawl."

Mastering his skills after only one day! Go Ashton GO!

"Baby Boomers" and their electronic skills.

2008-03-24T22:04:00.001-07:00

We are back from Utah and we had a great time with all of the family that we were able to visit. (I will show pics of that in my next entry.) I was scouring through all of the pictures and video that I/we took and I found myself laughing at the video clips that I had left to the responsibility of my mom. Now of course I love my mom more than words can say, but I just can't resist teasing her about her video taking skills, or lack there of. She has become pretty technologically advanced over the past few years. She even has her own cell phone now and fancy digital camera. But come on... what am I supposed to do with this video footage of the green gymnasium floor... and my butt!? I'll let you see for yourself...

Once she got the hang of it, the rest of the videos she took were GREAT!

But Darrin and I were the ones who really captured video GOLD!

For example... My Mom showing off her snazzy trampoline tricks she apparently learned in high school. All I learned in high school was how to sleep with my head up during class so I wouldn't get caught. Times sure have changed haven't they.
I love how Ashton is staring at us wondering how he got stuck with such "crazies" for family members.

Mom showing off more "childhood" skills. Next thing you know she's gonna be climbing a tree or setting up a lemonade stand in the neighborhood. haha (I totally used to do that all the time and the only person that would buy lemonade from my friend Christina and I was the mailman.)

I LOVE YOU MOM! YOU ROCK!

Just in case you forgot... babies DON'T belong in the Dryer!

2008-03-10T23:40:00.000-07:00

Okay, I was all ready to go to bed when I clicked on my cousin Emily's blog and couldn't contain my laughter. She posted these pictures on her blog (she has a young baby as well) and I have never seen anything more hilarious in my life. So I promptly told her I was going to steal them from her so I could share them with all of you. Thanks Emily! =)

I'm not sure where she found this website, but I believe it is some sort of instructional website in Spanish. I was just going to post a few, but I couldn't choose favorites because they are all just too funny. So I will apologize now for the EXTRA LONG BLOG post.

Now let's see how many things I'm actually doing incorrectly with Ashton...

I'll let you be the judge. If you feel the need to report me to the department of Child and Family Services, at least give me a heads up so I can flee the state. Or maybe I'll just stay in Utah a bit longer.

Hey, it's better than a chicken bone. And there's NO WAY that huge piece of pretzel could possibly be a choking hazard.

Oooh, Daddy gets positive points with this one. Although I don't necessarily agree. I've heard that kids who learn to play chess have a higher IQ. So I'd say either one is right.

I'd say his forehead is supported perfectly.

Hooray! I get positive marks for this one. I even wedged him in with larger objects.

Uh oh, negative point for Dad. I think the score is even now. Don't worry, he didn't get hurt. Our kid is always doing crazy acrobatics.

I keep having to remind Chuck of this one...

Well, I wouldn't go THIS far. But I definitely wipe his snot up with my clothes. But what parent doesn't?

He likes it, he likes it!

Hey, if they wake US up with ear piercing screams, I'd say the air horn thing is only fair, wouldn't you!?!

Now come on, who DOESN'T toss their kid in the air...

What's wrong with a little positive encouragement?

Whatever... I'm teaching him survival skills he can definitely use later in life, like, how to hold your breath when someone is spraying you with water. That's an invaluable skill I'd say.

He came out just fine... all fluffed and nicely folded. The dryer works like a charm!

How bad can it be if it's his own shoe!!?

It was for his sore teething gums, I swear.

But the Baby Einstein video says to watch DAILY! (well, it doesn't really, but everyone swears by those darn videos. At least it's not Barney!) The honest truth, he's only watched this video once. He's usually subjected to "Rock of Love" or "Scott Baio is 46 and Pregnant." Please don't judge me because I watch such heinous shows. It's like a car wreck, I can't turn away. And at least I'm not letting him watch "Flavor of Love"! Yuck!

This is my FAVORITE picture out of them all. I love how the baby is staring at the coffee cup and wondering how he got stuck with such a crazy mom. Kinda the same way Ashton stares at me sometimes. haha

Phew, at least we managed to do this one right.

Once again, whatever!... Everyone knows that a pinky nail is MUCH more efficient than a booger sucker! And I've never figured out how to efficiently clean those darn things! How sanitary can it be to stick a thing up my kids nose that has old boogers from 2 months ago inside of it! Gross! I'm definitely sticking with my pinky!!!

Now I'm undecided on this one. Because on one particular VERY funny episode of Seinfeld, there were 3 or 4 Japanese men that slept quite comfortably in Kramer's large chest of drawers. They STILL do it in Japan today. They're called Capsule hotels. I'll let you guys make the call.

A DEFINITE negative on my part for this one!! haha just teasing Uncle Tim.

Kittys, Tigers and Frogs! Oh MY!

2008-03-08T15:30:00.000-08:00

Until Ashton has some siblings of his own (we're not in any rush yet), he's settled for his human size amphibian friend, "Mr. Frog." (Thank you so much Jerry and Bonnie!) I often find him tackling the frog and the other day I caught him gnawing on his eyeball. Maybe he's sharpening his skills so he can try out for Fear Factor when he gets older.

To all of our Michigan family....
I'm so excited because Ashton FINALLY fits into his Tigers tee. (thanks Aunt Patty and family) I wanted to post these pictures especially for you guys so you could see Ashton showing his Detroit pride. =) Hopefully Grandma Karen, Ashton and I can make it out there sometime. =) Ashton wants to meet his other cousins, or second cousins... but who's counting.. family is family!

I recently ventured out of my shell and joined a local "Moms Group." I'm so happy that I did because it's nice to meet other moms and babies for us to socialize with. I also dragged my fellow new mom and friend Raeanna along (shown here with baby Jacob) and forced her to socialize with complete strangers too. We were a bit reluctant, but yet, we survived. We all had a good time and can't wait for more upcoming playdates. Yes, I know it may sound boring that this is what the excitement in my life has come to, park days and playdates, but I LOVE IT!

Jacob also came over this weekend while his mommy had to run some errands. He is such an angel, so it was practically a breeze watching two babies. Practically... haha. Just call me "Jon and Kate plus 2!!"

Ok, we seriously need a pool... (sorry the video quality is so poor, I took it with my cell phone.)

We have the sweetest kitty around. What other animal would let a baby tug and pull on their fur and not even flinch. Poor Roxy.... always being abused by Ashton.

Peek a boo with Daddy.

Okay. Well that's all I have for today. I'm off to Utah next week with Ashton, my mom, and Aunt Carol! I've always loved trips to Utah ever since I was a little kid. I love to spend time with family "doing nothing" and what better place to do that than Utah where I have TONS of family. haha. This will be Ashton's first plane trip.... it should be interesting, but hopefully not too eventful. I figured an hour and 45 minute flight would be a good trial run for longer, future plane rides. Wish me LUCK!!!

Kissy Face

2008-03-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

We can't wait for summer... This kid is DEFINITELY a water baby. He doesn't care whether the water it warm or cold, he just wants to splash around in it. Grandpa Fraley better get the boat ready so he can teach this kid how to water ski like the rest of the Fraley men.

Ashton found yet ANOTHER thing to stare at his reflection in. Ahhh vanity.... he must get that from his Daddy. haha

Daddy always gets a big grin outta him.

Have you ever seen a prettier color blue? =)

With his honorary cousins Alexis and Elijah.

This is Ashton's "say cheese" face. Elijah is soooo excited to have another boy around. He didn't want to let Ashton go. Poor kid is surrounded by girls all the time being the only boy out of 5 grandkids.

We noticed that he started making this new smacking noise with his mouth tonight. I guess this is his way of giving us kisses.

p.s. did anyone else hear him say "mama" at the end?!? That's right.. MAMA!!

A Hubby Survey...

2008-03-02T18:57:00.000-08:00

I've been noticing that a lot of my friends/family blogs (I stole this one from you Amber =) have these fun surveys on them and I decided I wanted to be just like everyone else and fill one out too! So here it goes...

So this one is supposed to be all about Chuck...

What is his name? Chuck

How long have you been married? 6 years this past December

How long did you date? we dated for 9 months, got engaged, and were engaged for another 9 months.

How old is he? If you'd ask him, he'd say 25... but he'll actually be 30 this year, whether he likes it or not!

How old are you? a very young 27

Who eats more sweets? I'd say it's a tie, because we often share a pint of Ben and Jerrys ice cream together.

Who said I love you first? He did, but I said it right back.

Who is taller? He is. I think he's about 5'9" or 5'10", depends on what shoes he's wearing. And I'm 5'4".

Who can sing better? Ewww, neither of us... but we like to fake it around Ashton.

Who is smarter? ME!!! and he'll tell you that too! (come on, how tough can it REALLY be to be a doctor?!?)

Who does the laundry? I do.

Who does the dishes? Mostly me now that I stay home. But he helps out a lot too.

Who pays the bills? I do, but he does the taxes. (haha same answer for me Amber)

His guilty pleasure? He loves to watch reality cooking, bike building and flipping houses type shows. And that show about the dwarf family, "Little People, Big World." I think he's jealous because they have all of those fun tractor tools they get to play around with.

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're facing it, he does.

Who mows the lawn? Lately his Dad because Chuck has been working so much. (thank you!...for the palm trees too!!!!) But Chuck tries to do it when he has time, which is rare.

Besides you, who is his best friend? I'm very possessive, I only allow him to hang out with me!! haha just teasing.

Who cooks dinner? We both do. He's the better cook, but he's taught me a lot over the years and I'm pretty darn good now! But I definitely make the better enchiladas.

Who drives? If we're together, he drives... unless we need to get there quickly, then I will. =)

Who is more stubborn? Me definitely. He never gets angry. Annoyed at something maybe, but never angry.

Who kissed who first? I believe it was mutual, but I'll give him the credit.

Who asked who out first? I invited him on a group "hang out" first (we worked together when we met.) But he asked ME out on our first solo date.

What was your first date? Um, I think we went to the Elephant Bar

Who proposed? He did.

Who has more siblings? I do. 5 vs. 3.

Who wears the pants? Definitely me! I get whatever I want, but mostly because he's treated me so good over the years that I pretty much expect it now. haha. But that's the way it should be right? =)

What is your favorite thing about him? The way he tells me he loves me at least 15 times each day.

P.S. Another funny clip to share.

What did our parents use to INSTANTLY calm us down before we had the tiny electronics we do today...

Happy MARCH!

2008-03-02T14:48:00.000-08:00

Well, I can't believe it's March already. Time is REALLY flying by this year, but I welcome it!! We have so many new and exciting things coming up this year, and I can't wait for each one.

Chuck recently accepted a job offer (3 days ago) to join a group of doctors in Temecula. Yes, that means we're moving!! When exactly.... couldn't tell ya. But most likely some time before July when he starts his new job. It all depends on how quickly we sell our house, so keep your fingers crossed. (Do you know anyone who wants to buy it? haha) Although we are very sad to be leaving such a close proximity to our friends and family, we couldn't be more excited about this new venture, and the new life experiences ahead of us. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, Temecula is about an hour from where we live now, half way between San Diego and Los Angeles.

I was uploading my pictures off of my camera tonight and I totally forgot about a few videos I had taken throughout the month. So, I will share them with you now...

This one was taken at my nephew Jacob's 8th birthday party. He had a sports themed party so Ashton wanted to get involved with all of the excitement. Uncle Keith showed Ashton some hot moves on the basketball court. (for those of you who don't know my side of the family, he is the "Keith" in "Ashton Keith," so he and Ashton LOVE to spend time together.)

I recently lowered Ashton's crib mattress which caused everything to be a bit lower... including the dust ruffle thingy on the bottom. Ashton loved this because now he has a new dungeon style hiding place. He was scooting around the room and next thing I knew, he was hiding from me, and he loved it!!

Who needs a girl when you have a kid who loves to be in front of the mirror this much!!

While I was working on a few things in the office the other night Chuck and Ashton were playing together in the family room. I could hear all kinds of giggling and I went out to see what all the noise was about and this is what I found.....

Hope you liked these clips of our little man. HAPPY MARCH to everyone! (Whatever that means.. haha)

"Who stole my COOKIE!"

2008-02-20T09:42:00.000-08:00

Just a quick video I took the other night that I wanted to post.

The three of us were hanging out and watching TV while Ashton was enjoying his favorite Gerber teething cookies, when I noticed he was looking around his chair for his missing snack.

It gave us a good laugh so I thought I'd share it with all of you. =)

p.s. sorry the TV is so loud in the background... we were watching "Jon & Kate plus 8!"

recap of 2007

2008-02-19T07:07:00.000-08:00

2007 was definitely a big year for us. As new parents we experienced a lot of new things. Here's a recap of the places we've been this past year... (and parts of January '08)

Chuck and I went to Palm Springs in May for "one last hoorah" before Ashton arrived. I'll spare you of any pictures of my full belly in a bathing suit. haha

At around 3am on July 1st we visited this really nice hospital by our house in Whittier. It's actually the same hospital where Chuck works so we got to see a few familiar faces. It was the coolest thing because when you leave, they send you home with a new baby!

Then we took Ashton for his first beach trip during the last weekend of July. We loved being in the sun and surf, even though we had to keep him completely covered the entire time.

I joined Jeanette and her kids on their annual summer road trip to Cedar City, Utah with her good friend Shannon and her family. Shannon has a beautiful cabin up in the mountains and was nice enough to let Ashton and I tag along.

We took a trip to "Downtown Disney" on halloween so Ashton would have a place to show off his cute costume. (made by Auntie Jeanette) It's kinda hard to read the front of his costume, but he was a "tootsie roll" if you couldn't tell.

In September we rode the train down to San Diego to visit our good friends, the Cordes family. Kendall was nice enough to lend Ashton some of her warm hats and blankets. I'll have to hide these pictures when he's older so he doesn't yell at me for dressing him in pink!

My family all got together in November while Darrin and Andrea were in town and made our annual family trip to Knotts Berry Farm.
Ashton's favorite ride was the "ghost train," being that was the only ride he was able to go on. But he also loved hanging out in the backpack with Dad all day.

We took another road trip to see our friends in San Diego in November. There's definitely no place like California. Check out that beautiful view.

We also made a trip to Yosemite in November and met up with Grandpa Briggs and Dana who just happened to be passing through the very same day! We had a great time spending the day with them. We were on our way to Sacramento for a business trip for Chuck and we decided to take a detour to one of his favorite places to go as a kid. It was beautiful and we can't wait to go back.

Another California miracle... Going to the beach in January. Ashton was able to enjoy the sand beneath his toes this time, and he loved it!

The weekend of January 18th we took a trip up to Big Bear for the "Annual Residents' Retreat" for Chuck's work. We had a great time playing in the snow and Ashton even got to do a little sledding with Dad.
My favorite part was dressing him up in this extremely puffy baby snow suit. It reminded me so much of my favorite Christmas movie, "A Christmas Story" where the mom dresses the little brother in that ridiculous outfit that doesn't allow him to put his arms down. That was my goal for this outfit and I think I succeeded. haha

After all of our travels, our favorite thing to do is to relax in our hot tub...

It was such an exciting year for us and we can't wait for what 2008 has to offer. BRING IT ON!

HERE WE GO...

2008-02-18T14:22:00.001-08:00

I've been thinking about starting a blog for a while since I am always so amused by what my sister, and all of her friends, have to say on theirs, so here we go...

We just got these pictures back! I can't believe he's almost 8 months old. Chuck says he's not sure if he likes these pictures because he's standing up like a "big boy." To him, his little baby boy is growing up too fast! Aren't the baby Vans too cute? Uncle Keith wasn't so excited about them, since he works for Converse and all. But he said "he'd allow it." Haha.

I know we're well into February already, but since this is my first post, I thought I'd include a few pictures from this past holiday season for those of you that are "out of towners."
Ashton sitting on Santa's lap at the mall in Cerritos.

His Christmas photo.

We opened Christmas presents at Grandma and Grandpa Fraleys' house on Christmas Eve. Like most babies, he really enjoyed the paper, and eating the boxes that the toys came in.

...tasting his first present.

...tasting the paper.

playing with his new baseball toy from Uncle Andrew

getting ready for bed on Christmas Eve

I hope everyone had a great holiday season. =)