Let’s see if I can catch all of you up on what has been happening in the Ashton house…It all starts with the month of April…Now I know I have done a few five-minute friday’s but all in all April has been a busy month and it isn’t even over yet.

So with April came Easter Cantata and I became the Cantata widow for the month of March through Easter…This is because of James being needed for the lights, sound, and various special effects. He had to be at a lot of practices so I was left to take care of Jake all on my own…We managed and it was wonderful to have James’ help when everything was done.

Easter Sunday also happened to be my 26th birthday and Jacob’s 10 month mark…We went to church in the morning and I enjoyed the cantata, then we drove up to my parent’s house and met them for lunch at Elephant Bar, then we hung out and went to evening service with them, and then we hit the road to San Francisco for Spring Break. It was a great day!

Monday of spring break found us running errands with Mom and helping get the house ready for Aunt Judy and Uncle John, who were joining us for a few days! We had a wonderful time just taking it easy.

Tuesday found us putting the finishing touches on the house and getting everything set for dinner that evening…after dinner we went to the Apple Store

Wednesday found us heading into the city…We stopped at the Golden Gate Bridge, Ghiradelli Square, Pier 39, Boudin’s, AT&T Park, and just enjoying the scenery of Golden Gate Park and Chinatown…It was a very enjoyable day that ended with dinner at In-N-Out.

Thursday we headed up to Sacramento and enjoyed the sites at the Jelly Belly Factory, Old Town Sacramento, and the Capitol building…We then stopped at the Vacaville Outlets on the way home and finished the evening with Dinner at Picanta’s…

Friday we took a walk up to Indian Rock and then down Sonoma Ave…we also enjoyed a drive through Berekley and then we took Uncle John and Aunt Judy to the airport, Dinner was Ocean Pizza and we ended the night with a couple movies!

Saturday found us heading out for another walk…this time down Hopkins to the nursery and the little markets there. We then relaxed at home until after dinner and then it was time to say good-bye…We had a wonderful week!

Among other news…Jacob is 10 1/2 months old and loves to sing and dance…he also loves to give kisses and will stop in the middle of playing to come give them to me…He signs “all done” and puts his hands up when you ask “how big is Jacob?” the answer is So big… He likes to bang his toys together and does a good job of stacking the nesting cups…he has 8 teeth and loves eating big boy food…he is learning to crawl under things which has resulted in a few bumps on his head…He is learning to stand on his own and will let go of the couch or toybox…

Well that is all for now! Enjoy and have a great week!

So let’s see…January flew by with going back to school and readjusting after our 2 week vacation.

February turned out to be the shortest month ever lol We had a couple days off one for a memorial service and one for President’s Day. We also had Mission’s Conference at Bethel which made for a very long and busy week. It was a blessing to be involved but I am glad to be back to our “normal” schedule.

February also found Jacob crawling and pulling up on everything…He likes to use the taste test on anything he can get his hands on which has resulted in us having to put away tv remotes, books, shoes, and various other items. He has 5 teeth and is working on #6…He loves bath time and enjoys being around other people. He is eating almost all solid food now…He really likes Spaghetti O’s, String cheese, Cheerios, Squash and Turkey lunch meat. He is getting better at using his fingers to feed himself He is learning to wave and loves to shake his head “no” although he doesn’t really know what it means but daddy and others laugh at him so it must be funny. He also likes to watch mommy blow dry her hair and laughs every time I smile at him.

James is busy with teaching 5th grade and overseeing the yearbook class. He keeps busy at church with the Tech side of things at every service.

I stay busy with taking care of Jacob and working a couple hours each day at the school…I am also involved in our Ladies Ministry at church…Among other things I have found myself with extra time to help others get things ready for different activities whether it is collating papers for a hand out, helping with a mail out, or helping prepare their house for company…I have been blessed to have this opportunity.

We are so thankful for the Lord’s blessings in our life…He provided groceries for us a couple weeks ago and continues to supple our needs!

6 months old

My baby boy s 6 months old today! I can’t believe just 6 months ago I held him for the first time and cried. He is so big now and I love every minute I get to spend with him. We have had our bumps thus far but for the most part things have gone smoothly. He has 2 bottom teeth and is working on a top tooth…he likes his rice cereal, applesauce, peas, pears, and sweet potatoes…He is getting ready to crawl (he gets up on his hands and knees and rocks) I love him so much. He loves to laugh and talk to any one who will stop and pay attention to him.

I have learned many things in the last few months but the biggest thing I have learned is “it doesn’t matter what the house looks like…if my day was spent teaching Jacob about the Lord!” I love the moments of cuddling, or when I pick him up and he puts both his hands on my face, or when he tries to bite my chin, or when he wakes up in the middle of the night…He is a precious gift from God and I am so thankful for the many lessons I have learned already!

Among other news I can’t wait until Christmas…Looking forward to spending time with all our family and making memories with Jacob!

Then Sunday we had an early afternoon service after a soup fellowship…so Sunday seemed like a long day since we were at church from 8:30 am until 3:00 pm…but it was nice to have an evening at home.

Monday and Tuesday were fairly normal days. Jacob has been fighting a little bit of a cold so he was a little more fussy then normal.

Wednesday was a rough day…Jacob was really fussy, even to the point of being so tired and not wanting to sleep that all he did was scream. Then we had church and Jacob’s schedule was off…then we had a youth leaders meeting and that pushed his bed time back a little farther. We finally got home at 8:30 and I feed him and then he proceeded to fuss for an hour before finally falling asleep…I think part of the reason he was so fussy yesterday was because he wasn’t getting enough to eat.

All of this brings us to toady…I called the pediatrician and they suggested starting him on rice cereal…so we went to the store and bought some…after work James and I took Jacob to Babies R Us and bought plates, bowls, and cups…We got home and he had his first meal in his highchair…He loved it! He couldn’t get enough! After the cereal I fed him and then he went to bed…we will see how he does! He will be 5 months next week and I am so happy with his growth.

James and I are doing great! I love being a mom and the time I get to spend at home with Jacob is so precious!

Friday we also received the sad news that Jesse Ravega, a friend of our family, had been killed in a motorcycle accident.  Jesse was a Godly man who loved his Lord and family.  He will be greatly missed.  This of course made my Friday evening very emotional.  I am so thankful Jesse was saved and that we will see him again.

Friday also brought James’ parents to visit.  We had a great weekend with them.  Saturday was a relaxing day of grocery shopping and walking around the mall.  We bought Jacob an outfit for his dedication on Sunday and mom and dad found some good deals on clothes.

Sunday brought church.  We dedicated Jacob to the Lord and both of his sets of grandparents were able to be there.  We had a relaxing afternoon at home with both of our parents.

Today brought good-byes.  We said good-bye to mom and dad Ashton.  We will see them on about a month but I still hate good-byes.  After they left we went and got our rings cleaned at Robbin’s Bros. and then walked around South Coast Plaza.  Now we are home listening to the Giants game while Jacob takes a nap.

Leading up to this week he had a week off and this allowed us to get away for a short family vacation.  Since my brother, Tim, has been living up in Big Bear this summer we figured that would be an awesome place to visit and it would allow Tim to see Jacob.  It was only the 4th time Tim had gotten to see Jacob since his birth and James had never been to Big Bear.  We started our vacation at my parents house on Tuesday and had a wonderful time with them.

Playing with Grandma and Grandpa

We spent the night and then headed up the mountain to Big Bear Wednesday morning.  We arrived at Evergreen Baptist Church (the church my brother has been helping out at) around 11:00 am and I was able to feed Jacob and Tim and James talked.  Lunch was the next thing on the agenda and we headed to The Hacienda for some mexican food.  After lunch we took a walk by the lake…

A walk by the lake

this brought us to Jacob’s next feeding so we headed to check into the cottage that the Pastor’s wife had reserved for us.  It was a nice little cottage with a spa tub and a fireplace!

Our Cottage

We enjoyed hanging out and relaxing with Tim.  After Jacob’s feeding we went to play mini golf and James and Tim went down the Alpine Slide… our next stop was Boulder Bay ,which is just a little park by the lake over looking a couple big boulders!  This brought us to Jacob’s next feeding which took us back to the cottage. After this feeding we went to dinner at Teddy Bears in the Village…we then walked around a little bit but most of the stores were closed so we took Tim home and headed back to our cottage for the evening.

Thursday found us back in the Village at the Copper Q for breakfast and then we walked the Village and visited the shops.  SInce we had checked out of the cottage we headed to a park and played some card games and tossed a baseball around…Then it was onto lunch at BJ’s…After lunch we headed back down the hill to my parents house and relaxed there until church.  We visited Lighthouse and then headed home.  All in all it was a very relaxing time! We enjoyed spending time with Tim and my parents.

Tim and Jacob

Our week ended with a wedding on a yacht…this was Jacob’s first time on a boat!

Going on a boat

Our family with the Bride and Groom

This week Jacob is 11 weeks old and growing big.  He has slept 7 hours a few nights and loves giving smiles and playing with mommy and daddy when he is awake!

The weekend was fun…Saturday found us getting ready for Ruth’s going away party and making a trip into the city to visit AT&T Park which is the home of the Giants.  We took lots of pictures and had a great time.

Willie McCovey Statue

Mommy and Jacob at AT&T Park

Sunday found us going to church and then having Ruth’s going away party.  It was a fun time filled with food, friends, and family.  After everyone left we cleaned up and then all relaxed for the rest of the evening.

Our Family

Monday found James and I getting things ready to leave.  We took much longer to get home then we did getting there.  We left SF at 1:15 pm and didn’t arrive home until 11:00 pm.  We stopped to feed Jacob and also for a nice dinner out of the car.  All of us needed the break from traveling and it helped us make the last leg of the trip without much problem.

We had a great time and are glad we got to see Ruth before she moves to South Dakota next week.  Today Jacob and I went to visit my parents and Tim.  It is nice to be home now and I am looking forward to a relaxing day tomorrow.  I have my 6 week dr appt tomorrow morning and church in the evening but the afternoon will be relaxing.  I can’t believe Jacob is 6 weeks tomorrow! Time has flown by!