May 2010 (written in June, almost July 2010)!!

Wait, it's already going to be July this week??? Where in the world does the time go?? Reagan has asked me once or twice (ok, more like 20 times) to do the May update...she didn't say when it had to be done!! May was like a revolving door at our house. Great friends visiting us in B-ham, Ashton's first plane ride, and a road trip to Atlanta quickly filled the calendar.

Natalie Smeltzer made the trip to meet Ashton (and hang out with Reagan too). Fresh off her time in Africa doing mission work, Natalie jumped in the car (less than 3 days after getting back to the U.S.) and drove to B-ham. The girls and Ashton had plenty of fun shopping, playing, and actually going to the Pro-Am for the Senior PGA Tourney here in the neighborhood. They took Ashton to see Nick Saban who was playing that day...I am still not happy about that one!! It was great to catch up with Nat. Ashton absolutely loves her!! He would just sit and smile at her. I'm pretty sure he likes the girls already. Thanks for making the trip Nat, it was great to see you again!! Oh yeah, one milestone from the week...They must have worn Ashton out because he finally decided to sleep through the night that week!!! WOOOHOOO!!

Natalie, Ashton & Reagan

I'm pretty sure Ashton cried out during Coach Saban's swing!!!

By the end of that weekend, Reagan, Ashton & I had packed the truck up and were heading to Atlanta for Senior Sunday at North Atlanta. I've been a trail guide for an amazing group of 5 young men over the last 2 years. I met these guys during their Junior year and the more time we spent together I really loved it! Now they are off to college, work, etc. and it has been amazing to see how God was preparing them for their next stages of life. This has been an amazing learning experience for me, I hope they enjoyed it as much as I have!! One other surprise on our trip to Atlanta was getting to meet Ashton's new friend Luke Vyverberg!! He came a little early so we were lucky enough to catch him just a couple of days after he was born. He is pretty stinkin' cute!! Congrats Matt & Steph!!

Senior Night with Andrew & Adrian.

Later that week Reagan and Ashton took another big adventure together. Ashton was off on his first plane ride, bound to see his cousins in Ohio. Reagan's mom went too and was a huge help making sure the trip went smooth. The kid never seizes to amaze us...no crying, mostly sleeping and smiling the whole way!! The only slight hiccup was the blown out diaper about 25min into flight. Reagan handled that like a champ, and honestly I couldn't have been any help even if I was there....have you ever seen the size of an airplane bathroom??? I can hardly make it in there by myself, picture me trying to change a dirty diaper in there...that would have been a disaster!!! The rest of the trip and visit was great! They got to see Avery Caroline's dance recital, softball game, and spend lots of time playing together. It's always interesting to see Ashton after he's been around his cousins for a few days. Campbell (who is 5 weeks older than Ashton) always teaches him some new tricks!! They really enjoyed the trip, but I was glad to see them come home. It's way too quiet here without them!

Ashton's first plane ride. I think it was a little early for him still.

Ashton & Campbell spending some Quality Time together

Avery Caroline, the little ballerina!

Before we knew it, Memorial Day Weekend was upon us. Our great friends Jeff & Katie and their beautiful twin girls came down for the weekend. We hadn't seen each other since before the girls were born last November...wow how our lives have changed since then!! Their girls are absolutely precious. They are great parents, and I give them a lot of respect for being able to do double duty!!! We didn't venture out too much (it's a big ordeal to get 3 kids under 7 months old out of the house), but enjoyed the time playing with the kids, going for walks around the neighborhood, catching up with each other, and just relaxing.

Amelia, Ashton, & Ainsley

May was fun, but it was also a blur. The rest of the summer is going to be pretty busy, but we are loving every second of it. We just need to remember to take time each day to enjoy it and thank God for the amazing blessings he has given us.

Now back to the summer fun. Hopefully we can get the June post up before Thanksgiving!!

Having fun after my bath!!