Ashley Family Happenings!

As promised, here is what we've been up to the past month.

The boys started eating solids. So fun!!! While I had every intention of waiting until they were 6 months of age, they both showed almost all the signs of readiness to eat solid foods. I started with avocado, followed by sweet potato and currently we are on bananas. Their first bite of solid food was a very special day, too, since we started them on March 29th, which would have been Karissa's 6th birthday.

I'm making all their food, as I did with Karissa and I love it! I went and bought the Super Baby Food book and have been using it as a reference.

~Preston's first solid food~

~Ethan's first solid food~

~I don't think he's quite sure about avocados!!~

This month we also hosted a few riders that raced in the Redlands Bicycle Classic. We hosted a few riders back in March of 2008, a few months before Karissa died. We haven't done it since, so it was kinda a big deal for us (or me really) to do it again. It brought back a lot a memories from when Karissa was here with us. ~My dad and I waiting for the cyclists~

~It's a lot of work to watch other people workout!!~

Preston's two bottom teeth have come in! I think he may be working on his 3rd, too!

Ethan is really close to sitting all by himself. Apparently, he's also a great multi-tasker, since he can barf and focus on sitting up all at the same time!

I ran my first 5K with the boys this past Sunday! It was local which was so nice. We didn't have to drive anywhere, in fact, the start and finish was right down the street from our house. I did fairly well, considering I hadn't trained AT ALL and was pushing the boys in the BOB. I completed it in 32:14, (a hideous time, BUT, I was pushing close to 60 pounds so I'll take it) and came in 17th out of 129 for my age group. After the race, we cooked up a fabulous breakfast at our house and enjoyed it with some friends who ran the 1/2 marathon.

~Ethan and I after the race~

The boys are growing up so fast. Much too fast!! They are doing well in their development and are hitting all their milestones as they should, some even a bit early! They are blowing raspberries and Preston has started imitating sounds and was copying me saying "uh-oh" just the other day. They are really starting to interact and play with each other much more now. It's so fun to watch.~And, this is how I roll when the boys BOTH demand to be held AND walked around!!~

5 months old!!

Here are some 5 month pictures of the boys! A lot has happened this past month which I will blog about shortly.

~Preston~

~Ethan...I tried to get him to smile but he
wouldn't budge!~

~My boys~

4 months old!!

The boys turned 4 months old a few days ago. I'm having so much fun with them and watching them grow has been a blast. Preston rolled over from tummy to back a few weeks ago and has started imitating and blowing raspberries! Ethan talks up a storm and gives the biggest smiles ever. Both Preston and Ethan are bringing things to their mouths and can grasp rattles, teething toys, ect. They both love their playmat and I love watching them try to figure out how things work. Last week, they started watching Baby Einstein DVD's. I only allow one a day. I am amazed at their attention spans...they will sit and watch the entire DVD and both show excitement and kick their legs at different times during the show. It's so fun! Here are a few 4 month pictures. It was a bit of a challenge to get them to smile since they were both sick at the time they were taken.

~Preston~

~Ethan~

~Grouchy babies~

~I love how Preston is checking his little brother out~

~ The boys intently watching Baby Einstein~

Two days after the boys turned 4 months old was the one year anniversary of my embryo transfer. Here is a picture of the 4 embryos that we used...I'm so thankful that 2 of them decided to stick!!

3 months old!!

My babies are three months old! I can't believe how quickly time flies. I adore my little blessings and am trying to cherish every little moment amidst all the craziness that is life with twins!

~Preston~

~Ethan~

Baby Dedication

Last Saturday, we had Preston and Ethan dedicated at our church. It was quite a beautiful day, but an emotional one as well. The boys were dedicated in the chapel, the very same room that Karissa's memorial service was held in. When I found out that the dedication was going to be held in the chapel, I thought, 'how on earth am I gonna get through this one?" The thought that we were going to celebrate two new precious lives in the same place that we had celebrated the short life of a vibrant little 3 1/2 year old was mind-blowing. I simply could not wrap my mind around it.

Meeting with the pastor a few days before the dedication, I mentioned to him that it was gonna be a tough day for me and that I didn't know how I was going to hold it together. He told me that he wanted me to focus not on what happened in that room (Karissa's memorial service) in the past, but what we were going to be celebrating on that very day, the day the boys' would be dedicated.

All week leading up to the dedication, I reflected upon his statement. As I thought about what he had said, I was reminded of how Mark is always telling me to "live in the moment." I decided that the only way I was going to get through the dedication was to focus on the purpose of the day and to live by Mark and our pastor's words of advice. It wasn't a day to mourn the loss of Karissa or think about the memorial that took place in that room 2 1/2 years ago. It was Preston and Ethan's very special day. I, in no way, wanted to take away from their special day, from their special moment and the excitement that surrounded that day. I was determined to focus on what we were there for and to be present in the moment.

What brought tears to my eyes though, was all the love and support that surrounded Mark and I and how faithful God has been to us. The tears kept coming as I thought of the purpose of that day...we were there to dedicate the lives of Preston and Ethan back to God. They are His children.

Here are a few pictures from the dedication. We had a celebration with family and close friends afterwards, but unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures of that, except for the cake.

~My two little loves~

~Preston and I~

~Grandma Booth and Ethan~

~My Mom and I with the boys~
~The Dedication~

~Grandma Ashley holding Ethan & Grandma Booth holding Preston during
the prayer~

~The Family (with quite a few people missing)~

2 month pictures

~Preston~

~Ethan~

Preston and Ethan's First Christmas

Guess I'm a little late. We took a ton of pictures during the Christmas season. Christmas was a blast with our new babies. We were filled with so much joy, especially after going through 2 Christmases without Karissa. Here are a few...

~Our Christmas Tree~

~Our stockings hung on the mantle~

~Karissa's Tree~

~Cute Christmas Butts~

~4 generations of Ashley men!~

_______________________________

The pillow shown in the following 3 pictures was made by my sister. Every month we will take a picture of the boys next to the pillow as a fun way to see how much they've grown from month-to-month.

~Preston~

~Ethan~