Ashlyn's 2nd Birthday

I cannot believe it was 2 years ago that I was in the hospital giving birth to Ashlyn. Where does the time go? It makes me sad that the kids seem to be growing up so fast. Ashlyn is no longer a baby and I guess it is hard because I know she is my last one. She is so precious to me. I always dreamed of having a little girl and had pretty much given up on that ever happening. Don't get me wrong-I was thrilled to have my two boys, but something still felt like is was missing. We were not planning on having anymore children and with all the fertility issues we had, I never in a million years thought we would get pregnant when we weren't even trying. But I guess God had other plans for us and He sent us this beautiful little girl to complete our family. Here is a little bit about Ashlyn: She is a very loving child. If she sees one of her brothers crying(it's usually Carson), she will immediately go over and try to comfort him by hugging and kissing him. She is quick to temper and is a little strongwilled at times(OK-a lot strong-willed). I tease Granny A and say she got that from her:)Guess it worked out that she was named Ashlyn Elizabeth after Granny A. They do share some traits. She will defend herself though and at times be the agressor. She has started hitting me lately if she is mad, but she immediatley kisses me and says "sorry mama" right after so it makes it hard for me to punish her. I don't know if she kisses me right away because she feels bad or because she knows it will keep her from getting into trouble. Guess I need to figure that out:) At times she is very girly-she will carry her dolls around and take care of them by gently covering them with a blanket. But then the next minute she might be banging their heads against the wall and roaring like a dinosaur. I guess it just goes with having two older brothers. She tends to be stingy, like Carson, which leads to some heated battles between them. She definitely prefers the female gender and is very leary of men. Smart girl-hehe. She does love her daddy though. She always lights up when he gets home and she yells "Dada!" and runs over and hugs him. So sweet. She is also quite taken with Pa which surprises me considering his size. She has never really been afraid of him. Like all my kids, she loves going over to Granny B's house. She is smart. She was talking in sentences by about 19 months which is definitely sooner than the boys. I think they were closer to two. Although Colton had a large vocabulary early, he did not put the words together until a little before he turned 2. I didn't think Carson was ever going to talk! She likes to suck her thumb which makes naps and bedtime pretty easy. I know I need to break her of it soon, but it is going to be a HUGE battle so I have been putting it off. She also likes to suck her thumb and pinch my neck when she is tired or wants comfort. If my neck is not available she will pinch her bellybutton instead. I know-it's weird, but all my kids have their little quirks. She is a picky eater. She likes pasta-mac n' cheese, spaghetti. She likes pizza, french fries, a few fruits and she just recently started eating steamed brocolli and carrots. Maybe there is hope! She does not seem to have quite the sweet tooth the boys have. Don't get me wrong-she likes cookies and ice cream and cake, but she is just not crazy over it like the boys. Right now she calls me "Mama" and I must hear that word 500 times a day. She likes to watch Dora and Diego. She loves to play outside. She is snuggly, like Carson. They are alike in so many ways. They even look alike. I call them my little twins. Carson always calls her "Ash". It's funny because he aggravates her all the time, but he is fiercely protective of her. One day he thought one of Colton's friends was messing with her and he got between them and yelled as loud as he could "YOU LEAVE MY SISSY ALONE!" And he was serious about it. I think it is sweet that he looks out for his little sister. She gets scared easily-especially of loud noises. If a plane flys over she jumps into my arms and buries her head. As soon as it passes, she will lift her head up and wave and say "Bye plane!" So cute. We are re-doing her room in a princess theme for her birthday, but it is not quite finished yet. Mike painted the walls pink. You would think after having 2 boys and finally getting a girl that we would have done that sooner! I will post pics of the room when it is completely done. Anyway, Ashlyn is such a blessing and special part of our family. We love you Sissy! These are pictures from her birthday party. We just had a family party at the house. One thing that happened-when we started singing her happy birthday, she put her head down. When we got to the end of the song, she raised her head up and she was just bawling. It was so sad. I don't know if she was scared or embarrassed.

These are just a few random pictures