Thursday, December 8, 2011

Visiting Santa Clause 2011

Ashlyn wasn't totally thrilled about sitting with Santa, but she totally lost it when I got up to get out of the picture.  We tried all the "meeting a new person" tricks we had up our sleeve, like letting Lovey meet the new person too (see Santa's right hand)...but to no avail...maybe she'll appreciate Santa Clause more next year. :o)  Christmas tree is decorated now!  Tonight I wrap gifts and make a list of what else I have left of Christmas shopping and I will hopefully get to start sewing our stockings and tree skirt.  It's not on the diet plan, but I think I'll sneak in a big mug of Hot Cocoa too! 17 days until Christmas and counting!!!!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Jingle Bells!

'Jingle Bells' is one of Ashlyn's FAVORITE songs for me to sing with her when we get ready in the morning!  She also really likes 'Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer'.  That one is pretty funny because every time I say "Hey" - I have to say it softly or she gets startled and jumps a mile high! :)  Christmastime is officially here and you know I'm loving every minute of it!  We went to Murphy's Christmas Tree Farm this year to "hunt" for our own Christmas Tree.


We said we would let Ashlyn pick the tree...but between you and me....she doesn't know much about Christmas Tree picking, so we helped her out a little.

Can you see the tiny little ornament that Daddy hung for Ashlyn on what would become the 2011 Ryan Family Christmas Tree?....Yep...that's her paci. LOL!  We would pick her up and let her take it off and she would give it right back to us to hang back on the tree.  She is funny.

Gotta have a family picture!

Ashlyn watching them strap the tree to the car.  Next year we'll use more string to tie the tree down the first go around, since we drove about 20 miles an hour down the road (in a 60 mph zone) on the way home until we could get to the store to buy more.  You live and learn...

Mommy and Daddy got to go on a date night Saturday!  Uncle Joe babysat for the first time.  We went to dinner and then to the movies (can you tell that's our favorite thing to do for date night?!).  Mommy convinced Daddy to see Twilight...he only agreed because there was hardly anything else out except animated movies.  When we got back home we finished installing the new ceiling fan in the master bedroom.  The light in the old one had some bad wiring or something and it has been messed up for so long that it's weird finally having a light that works in there now!  Ashlyn kept climbing up the step ladder to 'help' Daddy.  I remember when I was little...I loved going out to my Dad's workshop to 'help'.  He would give me a scrap block of wood, some nails and a hammer and I would hammer nails for hours.  Oh the memories...
We've got our tree set up in the living room and lights on it...tonight we hang ornaments!  We got our annual Christmas Ornament Sunday when we took Ashlyn to visit Santa.  I'll have that picture next post.  She wasn't too pleased about being left on Santa's lap.


This is the ornament we chose this year.  It is inscribed "Our Little Princess".  I knew from the beginning that I wanted to do something that reminded me of Ashlyn's First Birthday...and since that was the birthday theme...we thought this one was perfect.  I put a picture of Ashlyn in the frame and it is the sole ornament hanging on our Christmas tree right now.  As soon as Ashlyn goes to bed though...it will meet all it's mates!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Tiny Prints Christmas Cards

How adorable are these Christmas Cards!  I love the idea of being able to hang them up!  I can't believe it is Christmas card time already, but here we are!  Tiny Prints has some really cute designs if you're in the market!  http://www.tinyprints.com/shop/picture-christmas-cards.htm


Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Clean Mama

Anyone who has ever known me has known pretty quickly that I'm a little on the side of OCD...and I LOVE lists!  Crossing a line through an item on a list gives me such a feeling of accomplishment!  It multiplies the enjoyment of finishing an item when I can look back at the list and see all the items crossed off.  You don't need to tell me....I already know I'm weird!  Honestly, I mostly have all these checklists because I'm terrible at remembering.  I'm a posti-note freak too!  :)  I came across Clean Mama's Blog a while back and have really enjoyed the great ideas she has about cleaning and organization!  I am addicted to Word and Excel, (have been for years!) so I've had several checklists going for a really long time, but they aren't nearly as pretty as the ones that Clean Mama has available in her Clean Mama Printables Etsy Shop.  People have commented about how they "need a checklist like that one" to me before, so if your interested, here is your chance to purchase an even better document than I've ever created.  You can print them out as many times as you need to and she even has editable documents available!  Happy Organizing!

Monday, November 28, 2011

Fun Filled Weekend

We had a full, fun filled Thanksgiving weekend!  We visited with family, ate lots of yummy food, enjoyed our quality time together and had tons of sunshine until Sunday!
I embellished Ashlyn's little t-shirt for Thanksgiving.  I haven't figured out how to do much more than letters on the embroidery machine, so I just used it to embroider her name and then I hand embroidered the outlines of a little turkey for her Happy Turkey Day outfit.  I thought about trying to find or make a dress, but at this point in her life, she's a blue jeans and t-shirt kind of gal.  She is so active and playful!  Quite the difference from just one year ago.
Thursday night I decided to try out Black Friday shopping.  I LOVED it!  I am almost completely done Christmas shopping and it's not even December!  I got home around 4:30am and slept a few hours, then took a long nap Friday afternoon while the boys were watching the football game.  I will definitely plan on shopping again next year if I can.

Saturday, Ashlyn and I got to visit with my sister and my neices and nephew!!!!  We had tons of fun!  We went to the Birmingham Zoo and to Chuck-e-Cheese's!  I love the kids in the picture above so much!!!!  They are all the most amazing, kind, sweet, smart, fun little people and I truly and honestly enjoy spending time with them.  One of my favorite things in the world is when Autumn, Shelby and Hayden all three try to tell me something at one time.  I don't hear a single thing they say, but it feels so good to have them all want my attention at the same time. :)  They have so much fun playing with Ashlyn and showing her new things!  She loves running after them too!
















Last, but not least...it's officially Christmas time now!  My house is decorated and Christmas movies are playing on tv!  The Nativity has now taken it's special place above the fireplace.  My child wore her Christmas footie jammies to bed on Thanksgiving night and she wore the cute little outfit below that Aunt Reesie made to church on Sunday.  She is so precious she could pull off wearing a burlap sack, but I think her little snowman outfit is beyond adorable!

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I am so thankful for so many things this year!  I am so very blessed in so many ways!  I am so grateful that God has trusted me and David with this little person!  She has filled a hole in our lives that we didn't even know was there!  She is amazing in so many ways and has brought us all into this tight, little circle of family that is so wonderful I can't even describe it.  I pray that everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving Day and that God reveals the many ways he has blessed us with family, jobs, health, and happiness.  I am planning to get lots of great pictures today...but in the meantime...Ashlyn had THREE firsts in ONE week last week!  Monday, the 14th, she decided she didn't want Mommy to feed her with the spoon.  She decided to do it all by herself!  She dipped the spoon in the jar of fruit and then put it in her mouth.  She did it several times in a row.  STOP GROWING UP SO FAST LITTLE GIRL!  Thursday, Aunt Reesie gave Ashlyn her VERY FIRST haircut!  She needed it so badly!  She was sporting kind of a "shaggy dog" look, so it was definitely time.  She did SO well!  She played with the spray bottle.  The hardest part was when she kept trying to look at was Teresa was doing...so she kept turning her head back and forth.

 We had just taken her hairbow out in this picture...but this is pretty much what she looks like when she firsts wakes up too. :)
 Before.
 During.


 After.  Look at that smile!
 Daddy insisted on coming along!  He adores his baby girl!

Saturday, the 19th, we took Ashlyn to her VERY 1st Alabama Football Game.  I was worried that we would walk into the stadium and she would have an immediate meltdown, but she did really well.  You could tell she was a little overwhelmed at first, but she settled right in.  She even started clapping!  She made it to right about the 2nd quarter - then she was out like a light!  

 Before the game - outside the sorority house that David's company works with.
 This picture is mostly for GrandMary - oh yeah...we were REALLY high and she is looking over the edge.  She loved it!
 Kickoff UA vs Georgia Southern!


 Just minutes before she gave out and fell asleep.
 Roll Tide!
 We tried to take pictures outside the stadium after we left, but Ashlyn was a bit preoccupied...






 This is what happens when we take her away from her play toy...



All happy and sweet again!  The joys of life with a One Year Old!