Outside, Outside, Outside!!!

Well we have been outside as much as possible this summer...it is definitely Ashton's favorite place to be.  No matter what, it doesn't matter if it is 103 degrees with no breeze he would play outside all day long if he could. 

Ashton has really started embracing toddler hood!!  He is more destructive than ever and getting more and more stubborn by the minute!  LOL  He is a boy who knows what he wants.  He thinks everything is a hammer right now.  He will take his "hammer" (whatever he has in his hand at the moment) and "fix" (bang on repeatedly) everything...he fixes the wall, his toys, the frig, the dresser, Elways bed, the dishwasher, the oven, the table, and I could go on and on and on.  He has definitely confirmed that we should not get anything nice and new (furniture, decor, etc) until he is older.  Ashton is still working on smiling with his teeth...

He does pretty good, but he (of course) will only do it when HE wants to, never when you ASK him too.  He went thru a phase where he always wanted his glasses on, so there are a few pics in this with them on, however he is over it now...he wants to make sure they are an option if he chooses to put them on (so they always have to be on hand) but he never keeps them on for more than a few minutes.  I recently decided that it was time to give in and cut Ashton's hair.  It was so hard for me to do it but it was getting more and more out of control and everyone thought he was a girl...even if he had on a basketball jersey and shorts everyone still referred to him as "she" or "her" so I thought it was only fair to him to have a chance to be thought of as a boy!!  So......here is before

and here is after...

Pretty handsome if I do say so myself!!  He loves to get his haircut...we have cut it 3 times since the first cut because he asks for it...lucky for me!!  We have been keeping busy running around and we try to get together with my sister Laura and Ashton's cousins at least once a week.  They came over today and we went to the "BIG" park, as Ella would say, and then came back to the house for some lunch and some play time before they had to head home.  The toy that got the most attention was the bike.  Here, it was Ava's turn to ride the bike but Ashton just couldn't wait to get on, so he hitched a ride!!

Because I always get up, get Ashton ready, feed him, and send Brian off to work before I even look in the mirror, Ashton is usually waiting on me before we go anywhere here is what he typically looks like when he is waiting on me...

We have already made it back to IN once, since the move, for Brian's cousin Jason's wedding.  It was a great visit and Ashton got a lot of Mimi time which he loved!!  He even got to stay with Aunt Pam and Uncle Dave one night, which he really seemed to enjoy!!!  Ashton still loves time with Dada!!  He follows him around, imitates him every time he is "on the phone" "driving" or "working to make some money", and is willing to wait for Dada to finish up some work to get it...here he is outside Dada's office waiting for some one on one time!!

 Last weekend we went to Ava's first dance recital.  I wasn't sure how Ashton would do but he ended up lasting (almost) to intermission, which was about an hour and 45 minutes!!  I couldn't believe it!  He loved clapping for the dancers and he would yell out "good job" and "ballerina's" and when Ava's group went he yelled "again"!! He was cracking me up!  Ava did a great job, and she looked so cute...I don't have any pictures but she was a doll!!  That pretty much brings us up to date...I will try to update this more frequently the rest of the summer!!  :/  I'm not making any promises thought..haha!