The Ashton Family

Mediterranean Sea

2010-10-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

We loved our afternoon at the beach! The water was cold, but it was still wet, and there was plenty of sand. Thankfully we were able to find a spot that wasn't too "European" if you catch my drift.

The Rock of Gibraltar

2010-10-12T15:41:00.001-07:00

I'm grateful we took the trip out to Gibraltar to see and experience such a famous landmark in history. We took a tour bus into the city center, and from there, we took a private van tour which was a cool thing because of the info from the tour guide, and access to more sights. We went inside a cave with enormous stalactites and mites, and saw where they put on acoustic and classical concerts. Imagine going to a concert inside the rock of Gibraltar! Pretty sweet! We also entered another cave/tunnel where the British had chiseled away their bunkers, and shot their canons. It was impressive to look out from inside the top of the enormous rock. The greatest part for the kids was obviously the apes. They hang out all over the top of Gibraltar because that's where they're fed. They're wild, so we don't touch them, but they're all around you, jumping on the cars, crawling on the walls, free to roam, and the kids couldn't get enough of it!

2010-10-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

When you're with Mom and Dad how can you not go bowling? A bit different in Spain, but lots of fun on a rainy afternoon. Sunday we went on a gondola ride up the mountain, then came down and played at an amazing park! The next day we went to the most beautiful zoo I've ever seen. It's small - squashed into the crowded town of Fuengirola, but it's like an oasis with beautiful foliage, habitats, and gorgeous natural settings. Definitely one of the highlights. Henry was ecstatic to discover his favorite...the Nile Crocodile...was a resident of this particular zoo. Later on, he also spotted a Gharial! I didn't even have to read hime the sign! Afterwards we went to the mission office where we had cupcakes and blew out a candle. Ever since Mom said we would go to the zoo, Annie has insisted that she's having her birthday party there! While we didn't exactly make it happen at the zoo, we still made sure we sang and celebrated. Elder Halverson is the missionary holding up the candle. Thanks to the missionaries for joining us in a round of "Happy Birthday!"

Mijas

2010-10-12T14:40:00.000-07:00

Mijas is a cute little town on the hillside with lots of whitewashed buildings, and of course, donkey taxis! Ellie rode one of the donkeys, AnnieKate declared how cute they were, Henry thought the whole carriage thing was pretty cool, and I was the unfortunate one positioned right behind the ass! Personally, I was thrilled when our little jaunt through town was over. Thanks Mom and Dad! We also visited the local bullring which was rather small, but at least it was a sturdy permanent structure. :) The kids had a great time pretending to be bulls while they chased each other around in the ring. This was the town where Ellie found her Flamenco attire for the evening, and is positive she's never owned a dress so nice before, (except for her baptism dress). We also took time to play at a park overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Overall it was a delightful morning in a beautiful place!

Night at the Fair

2010-10-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to be in town the same weekend as the fair. Fuengirola, the city where the mission home is, was having a great time with festivities that the kids were more than excited to be a part of! The girls got ready in their Flamenco dresses, a very popular tradition amongst the women of southern Spain, and Henry wore his bull shirt. We walked the streets and enjoyed the rides! A few of them, anyway. Some didn't go over so well, but it all worked out in the end. :)

Espana! We Made It!

2010-10-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

We finally made it Spain! It was so great to see Mom and Dad - even AnnieKate ran to hug Grandma at the airport. After a day and night of traveling, with not much sleep to speak of, all the kids wanted to do was swim. Swim, swim swim! They LOVE the pool!

New York Part 4 - Final Day

2010-09-13T10:24:00.001-07:00

Our last day we just enjoyed being together - playing at the beach, going to the park, walking down the street to the local ice cream shop. We also celebrated Meredith's retirement from teaching where the girls put on a show/dance, and had a good time!

"We are the silly Ashtons...please leave us a message!"

New York Part 3 - Niagara Falls

2010-09-13T09:29:00.000-07:00

Today was such a fun day! Who knew that Niagara Falls could be so fun! Just seeing the falls is overwhelmingly impressive, but there's so much to do. Definitely worth the price of the day pass to experience the falls!

I just had to throw in this picture of Annie. She couldn't go anywhere without her "stuff."

Getting ready to enter the Cave of the Winds. This was the best surprise of the day! You buy your ticket and they give you a poncho and some water shoes, then take you down an elevator to the bottom of the American Falls. From there, you can venture up a staircase as far as you're able, and if adventurous enough, all the way to the Hurricane Deck. You can choose if you want to enjoy a bit of misty spray, or be completely drenched as gallons of water are hurled at you from the falls. It was tons of fun, and I would recommend it to everyone!

AnnieKate is a little unsure about this whole poncho business.

Getting ready to make the ascent with Grandma.

Wind and water can be rather exciting!

Ellie completely wet after dancing on the Hurricane Deck. She didn't feel the need to wear a poncho - which, unless you had it secured super well, you pretty much got drenched anyway! The Hurricane deck was a portion closest to the falls, and it was surprisingly exciting as you felt the force and power of the falls as it's thundering around you, and practically knocking you over as the spray dumps on top of you.

Me and Henry - super soaked!

Henry not too thrilled with the idea of getting wet...again. After the Cave of the Winds, we took a boat ride on the Maiden of the Mist. The famous boats that take you to the bottom of Horseshoe Falls. It's a fun little ride, but I'm not kidding when I say the power of the falls is both awesome and terrifying!

AnnieKate loving her Daddy.

Me and my boy in front of Horseshoe Falls.

Ellie - again without her poncho.

Me and my hubby. We loved being able to take our family to such great places! It's such a blessing to be loved and looked after. Thank you Matt!

New York Part 2 - Palmyra

2010-09-13T08:54:00.000-07:00

Our visit to Palmyra was a fun and exhausting day. The kids loved running around outside, and did pretty well as we trooped through the tours of the Joseph Smith homes. Our tour guide, unfortunately, was not tuned in very well to the fact that we had mostly young children with us, and it was somewhat difficult for us to get her to move things along quicker than her script. Oh well. The sacred grove was the favorite spot for just about all of us, and after sitting through the lectures it felt great to walk through the cool trees.

Me and Ellie who is all too excited to get her picture taken!

Playing on top of Hill Cumorah.

Cousins outside the Joseph Smith home in Palmyra.

The Joseph Smith Manchester home and the longwinded tour guide. The kids were all pretty good sports about it.

Me and Annie. She's wearing her princess backpack she got for the trip, and has it LOADED with stuff. It really is heavy, but she insists on carrying it where ever we go.

The kids were excited to find a bench to sit on for a family photo in the sacred grove.

AnnieKate has a pretty fierce growl. Here she informed us she is a baby chinchilla. Ya, I never heard of it either, until we discovered Diego - cousin to the infamous Dora the Explorer.

Henry told us that Ellie is his "best girl!"

The Sacred Grove was the best part of the day. The kids loved the peaceful walk through the woods.

New York Part 1

2010-08-17T14:41:00.000-07:00

New York here we come! Jetting off with the family, we braved the redeye to enjoy a week of fun with the Ashtons in Sodus Bay, NY. A charming bay off of Lake Ontario, directly between Syracuse and Rochester. Matt's brother Spencer and his family have been away for about nine years for medical school/training, so we were all excited to take the opportunity to go visit, play, and have a good time!

The last night of the Hill Cumorah Pageant was the day we arrived. After having come off of the red-eye, I think everyone were great troopers to go. I stayed back with AnnieKate, and Erin with Morgan. Norm and Meredith, and Lindsey and Blakely wouldn't arrive for a few days.

The show's about to start...
I heard the fire was really cool!

We spent quite a bit of time at this beach, but were terrible about taking pictures here, so this is all we have. It was great spot, though! Sodus Bay, a cozy little spot off Lake Ontario. It was perfect for the kids - a roped off swimming area, two lifeguards, and plenty of sand.

Spencer with his youngest son, Luke.

What a cute group of kids! Henry, Ellie, AnnieKate, Haley, AnneMerie, Ben, Sam, McKenzie, and Tyler.
Haley finding the biggest leaf for the scavenger hunt. Julie made a list of things for the kids to do/check off/or pass off throughout the trips and had prizes for them along the way. Such a great idea and so much fun for the kids!
AnneMerie, Julie, and Haley Jo
Melissa, Luke, Tyler, Spencer, McKenzie, Ben
Loving my family!

Memorial Day with the Poultons

2010-08-14T07:49:00.000-07:00

We spent Memorial Day up at the cabin with the Poulton family. We were so excited they could come to Utah and only wished they could have stayed longer! It was hard saying goodbye. We had a great time, as usual, playing at the cabin - fishing, going to mirror lake, getting to be around the kids and new baby Abby. Ellie was with her dad, but I'll get some photos of her here shortly. It was wonderful weekend!

Cute kids just make cute pictures!
It was impossible to keep Sam out of the water.
I like this photo.
Not the most flattering angle. Oh well.
I love it here!
I love it here, too!
So fun to hang out with the Poultons and their new addition!
Little Will, happy as can be! Just don't put him in the water.
Matt and John took the boys fishing up at Bear River's pond, and they had an awesome time! Looks like Henry met his match!
Great catch Henry!
Nothing like fishin' with the boys. Wo, that's a huge one!
Annie loves Baby Abby!
Annie Kate loving the smores.
Henry showing us he's tough.
I love this picture of Sam.
Go Lizzy!
Annie Kate LOVES to kiss the babies, and she's pretty good about not going for the face anymore.
Abby is such a sweetheart, the girls couldn't get enough of her. and the dress was amazing! It makes me want to have another girl just so I can get a pretty little dress from Spain!
Ellie can't wait to be a big sister again!

Carver's Cove Petting Farm

2010-08-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

Carver's Cove is a petting farm in Eden that is nothing short of adorable. We went in June with Henry and Annie when it was bursting with babies. So cute! The kids couldn't get enough, and it was great because there were so many they could hold or feed or just play with, so it was totally interactive. Annie Kate was remarkably fearless, and loved to feed and hold the animals. Her favorite was the baby horse and the bunnies. Henry fell in love with a little black kitty. Definitely a place to come back to! We missed Ellie today because this sort of thing is her cup of tea. Another reason to go again!

Swingin' Spring

2010-08-13T21:03:00.000-07:00

We moved to Liberty at the end of April, and the park soon became one of the kids favorite spots. Love those swings! Annie Kate is also sporting her favorite attire of the season. Her pretty white princess dress, compliments of Ellie from Garrett and Rachael's wedding reception; her sunglasses and, of course, her headband. She decidedly refers to it as her crown.

Happy to fly!
Watch me go!

2010-06-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

Oops...forgot this cute one of Ellie on the rocks.

City of Rocks

2010-06-09T22:10:00.001-07:00

2010-06-09T21:04:00.000-07:00

We found ourselves lucky enough to have taken a trip to a place called City of Rocks. It's in southern Idaho, just a couple of hours away from our house. It was literally a climber's playground, and we had the greatest time hanging out, hiking around, bouldering a bit, and only freaking out about half of the time as we thought Henry was going to kill himself! Overall it was a great campout and the kids can't wait to go back. For Matt and I, our goal is to be able to do it with a rope. :) Loving it!
What should we call these little rascals? The Three Musketeers? Or maybe...
"The Good,"
"The Bad,"
...and "The Annie."
That is one handsome man!

Henry's new love of nature. :)
Matt brought the tripod, and he fun figuring out the timer. Can you spot Lizzy sneaking behind us?
Silly picture, but check out the backdrop!
Cute and cozy.
Campsite 11. We couldn't have asked for a better setup. Completely surrounded by massive boulders, we had our own private enclosure where the kids could play around, and Lizzy had space to run without harassing other campers.
On the drive to and from City of Rocks were these amazing hawks all over the place! Thanks to Matt for this incredible photo.
The after party!
Someone doesn't want to get wet. :(
Just can't resist a chance to pull out the suit.
"The family that plays together, stays together!"

Wolf Mountain in March...can anyone spot the mud?

2010-03-11T14:54:00.000-08:00

Skiing at Wolf Mountain this year has been a fun family adventure. Okay, so maybe "fun" isn't always accurate, but mostly, it's been a good time! I had to laugh when Henry peed his pants sitting on the lift one afternoon...sound familiar Garrett? This particular day was one of those beautiful spring skiing bluebird type of days. Notice that nobody is wearing a coat!

Best wreck of the day!
Doesn't get much sweeter than this!

Canyonlands...The White Rim

2010-03-07T21:07:00.000-08:00

Our trip to the white rim in Canyonlands National Park was an awesome adventure for the Ashtons. Believe it or not, it was the first time we've taken the kids camping beyond our own backyard. And, crazily enough, we chose to do it on a night with below freezing temperatures!!! We survived, and had a most excellent time! Just below, Ellie and I are waving...we love it here!
Ellie in front of Corona arch
Love that boy! Matt and Anniekate hiking through Canyonlands
AnnieKate singing in the truck!
You can do it Ellie!
Biking on top of the world!
Doth my eyes deceive me...
Puddle jumping

Go Henry!

2010-03-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

Just one more hill to go!

2010-03-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

Amazing family trip

2010-03-07T20:12:00.000-08:00

Welcome Back

2009-11-13T15:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to the blog! Introducing...Ellie the Bull!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2004-11-27T19:22:00.000-08:00

First I have to apologize because we have several cute pictures from our Thanksgiving festivities, but I'm experiencing technical difficulties getting them to the web.

We've had a great couple of weeks. Over Thanksgiving we were lucky enough to get Spencer and Melissa Ashton and their two beautiful children, Ben (2 yrs) and McKenzie (3 mo), for a couple days at our place. They were the lucky benefactors of our first Thanksgiving cookout - bless their souls for eating it! Just kidding, it wasn't that bad.

Ellie absolutely loved having a little playmate in the house and got along great with Ben, and loved to fuss over McKenzie. It was a little tense that first hour when they arrived and she realized she had to share everything, but she relaxed and found that sharing the blocks to throw all around the kitchen was rather fun and exciting and she and Ben fast became friends. Matt and Spence just had to throw each other around the house to ease the initial tension so they could relax and have fun...(kidding). I had a great time getting to know all of them and wish they lived closer!

We had a pretty lazy turkey day and pretty much just hung out around the house and slowly got fatter. We tried to go to the park, so we bundled up and headed out, but after about five minutes the adults were pretty much turned off by the shivering wind, and started to wimp out on the fun. The kids didn't seem to mind it much, so we stretched the park time to maybe 10 minutes, took a few pictures, and went back home to the great indoors. Aren't we loads of fun! That night after dinner we ventured out to a local bowling alley neighboring the "hood." We had a great time, especially Ellie! She couldn't get enough, it was great! She actually ended up bowling a 21! The cutest thing was when she would totally gutter it and come running back, "Mommy, I'm so excited, I was so close!" Such a happy spirit! Ben bowled a few and McKenzie was just chillin on the table. Matt and I took the first round, but after that Spence and Melissa pretty much destroyed us, so we're looking forward to a rematch! Friday we went to COSI, a children's science museum, and spent a few hours there, and that was fun for everyone. Then the trip was over and everyone is now back home. It was wonderful to have such a nice break!

The week before we were so lucky to have Grandma Annie out for a few days to play with us, spoil us, and just love us! It was a great treat for everyone. It was pretty well a spur of the moment plan, and I didn't tell Ellie she was coming until we were almost to the airport to pick up Mom. She was so excited! Ellie had been missing Grandma Annie a couple weeks earlier which resulted in Mom coming out, lucky us, and needless to say Ellie was thrilled! (as was I). I put Ellie's hair is sponge curlers the night before to get her all dolled up for her "surprise" to go pick up Mom, and I have to say she was queen of the curls! Everyone wants to just eat her up she's so cute!...and she knows it.

Sorry again about the lack of pictures, I have some really cute ones, hopefully I can get it worked out. And Matt says thank you so much mamma clegg for the coat, he wears it everyday. We love you all and hope you had a great holiday, and we will be seeing you soon!

2004-11-13T19:53:00.000-08:00

Preschool field trip to Circle S farms. Luke, the boy that tried to glue Ellie to her chair, is on the top row, dark hair, second one in from the right. Most of Ellie's class is on the top row.

2004-11-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

The Pink Ladies! Marlena, Ellie, and Abby on a bumpy hayride out to the pumpkin patch.

2004-11-13T19:22:00.000-08:00

Ellie and Abby...cute little pumpkins!

2004-11-13T19:18:00.000-08:00

Ellie's cute little friend Garrett. I'm kind of biased towards him...not to often you meet cute little boys named Garrett!

2004-11-13T19:16:00.000-08:00

One of the many waterfalls we saw while in the Green Mountain State. Incredible area (nevermind the wire fence behind us).

2004-11-13T19:13:00.000-08:00

The mountains here are beautiful, especially from the top. And to think it only took us less than an hour to summit!

2004-11-13T19:09:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to find a quiet local lake where somebody happened to abandon their canoe...at least for the moment. So we were smart enough to take advantage of the opportunity! :)

2004-11-13T19:03:00.000-08:00

One of the famous covered bridges in Vermont in one of the prettiest little towns in the country, Woodstock.

A Brief Flashback!

2004-11-13T18:59:00.000-08:00

We don't have any new pictures available as of yet to post on the web so I thought I'd take us back a bit. Pre-halloween, Ellie's preschool took a field trip out to Circle S farms, a great place for everyone...pumpkin patches, hayrides, corn mazes, strawberry fields, yummy doughnuts, and an awesome barn loaded with haystacks for the kids to play around in. I went with them out into the countryside and had a wonderful morning, despite the Ohio drizzle. I drove Ellie and Abby and their teacher Mrs. Fryman, and had a good time answering all her questions on the ride home about the Mormon church. She is a very devoted Lutheran and didn't know much of anything about the LDS church, so it was thoroughly enjoyable telling her about it. She's a wonderful lady and Ellie is enthralled by her, so we're all happy!

In September, Matt and I were fortunate enough to take off on a little exursion through Vermont and enjoy being outdoors and in the mountains again. (Elevation changes are sorely missed in Ohio). We visited the ski resorts Killington and Stowe, found picturesque towns (which wasn't hard to do), went canoeing, paddled around in kayaks, saw a lot of roadside waterfalls, and hiked around over a lot of mossy tree roots. The mountains are much different from the rockies. They lack the grandeur, but make up for it in color. Mom came out and stayed with Ellie, and we all had a brilliant time!

We love and miss all of you and look forward to seeing everyone at Christmas time! Keep the comments coming...we love to hear from you!

2004-11-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

The ever studious man!

Playing at the Park

2004-11-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

One great thing about Ohio are all the beautiful parks! We are fortunate to have fun little playgrounds all over the place, and many of them have community events and programs going on all the time. Just yesterday Ellie and I were playing at the park you'll see in the pictures and come to find out, everyday at 5:00 p.m. it's doggy hour. People around the neighborhood can bring their dogs to the park between 5 and 6 and let them roam around the field without their leashes. We had a great time meeting all the beautiful big dogs - nobody brought any small ones - and look forward to seeing them again! The metro parks are really cool too. These are blocks of land preserved for park and recreation activities, and they're nice places to go to feel like you're taking a step away from the city.

Matt certainly studies a great deal of the time, bless his heart, but he makes time for the family too, and we love it when he does. Saturday we went to the dollar theater to see Shrek 2, and Matt and I were totally entertained, but after about 20 minutes Ellie wouldn't put up with the loud noise of the big screen anymore, so we have yet to finish that flick. Next time we'll get a babysitter.

I need to start keeping our video camera on hand to catch some the precious moments of family fun. Monday night we were cleaning up the dishes after dinner and getting ready for family night when Ellie got out big serving spoons and directed us in a little show of musical theater in our cute little kitchen. We were singing to our hearts content, and most likely to our neighbors dismay. We reveled in the musical selections of Annie, Twinkle Little Star, Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Star Spangled Banner, and several others. Matt is an excellent soloist!

Well, you can bless Ohio for coming through on November 2nd, or cry out as the German father in my Musikgarten class at OSU, "How can 46 million people be so stupid?" But no worries, our zoo levy passed!

2004-11-07T11:56:00.000-08:00

Smelling the leaves

2004-11-07T11:55:00.000-08:00

Say cheese!

2004-11-07T11:53:00.000-08:00

Love the scooter

2004-11-07T11:52:00.000-08:00

Tough girl!

2004-11-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

Who can resist a face like that?

Happy Halloween

2004-10-31T18:04:00.000-08:00

"Trick-or-Treat!" fast became Ellie's new favorite phrase as we took to the streets in Columbus, Ohio. We went with Abby, one her favorite friends from preschool, otherwise known as Princess Fiona from Shrek. Ellie was a white kitty cat, sometimes Hello Kitty, sometimes Barbie Kitty, and sometimes just a white cat...so take your pick.

Matt just finished his psychiatry rotation which he's quite happy about... The top quotes from the Last week of Psych are (included in no specific order) "my brain feels like a sweaty stinking locker room." no argument there. "Skeezoofriendeeeyaa (Schizophrenia) does that mean I have a lot of friends" (well I guess, sort of, it would help if some of them were real. and after chatting with a patient about some of the events of the last two weeks he replied "I am crazy huh?" self diagnosis the kind we like best, the greatest part is that after a two to three day stay at our acute care facility they have to be discharged back to some neighborhood, well that is all I have for now, Later, Matt.

As for myself, I just finished reading "Little Women" for the first time ever. Some where along the line I seemed to have missed that novel, but as the result of the choice of a fellow book club member I finally took the time to enjoy such a great classic! Enlightening little life adventures. I loved it!

Happy Halloween to all of you...next stop, Thanksgiving!

2004-10-31T18:02:00.000-08:00

"Curving" the pumpkin

2004-10-31T18:01:00.000-08:00

Meow!

2004-10-31T18:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Kitty!

2004-10-31T17:58:00.000-08:00

Trick-or-Treat?

2004-10-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

Family outing at COSI