New bed....for Ashton!!

Chris and I had been questioning whether or not Ashton was ready to move out of his crib so we decided to try it out over the long holiday weekend. He has proven himself to be a BIG BOY! He is doing fabulous at night and during naptime. He alerts us in some way or another when he's woken so we can come and get him, and he's only fallen out one time so far. We're very proud of him.

Snapshots from the Olson Thanksgiving

Chris and I hosted the Olson Thanksgiving this year since Chris was on-call and I wanted to do what I could to prevent Chris from missing one of the best dinners of the year. Well he ended up having to go in after all but got back before ALL the food was put away. We had quite a bit for leftovers since we were a smaller group this year. We always seem to go overboard on the side dishes or should I say my Mother seems to : D. My nephew and his girlfriend made a birthday cake for my niece, Samantha. If you're wondering what kind of cake it is, it's called a Punch-bowl Cake (it's made and served in a punch bowl. It was very yummy!! Ashton thought the candles were pretty cool too.

Cuddle time

My three boys.

Copper and Ashton have really gotten to be good buddies. We'll enjoy watching the two of them bond over the coming years. I also think they will REALLY appreciate one another after baby arrives in May 2009!

Daddy's Little Helper cont'd

Chris has been working on an addition to our home. We're incorporating a coat closet, 1/2 bath and mud room by utilizing space from our two-car deep garage. Chris has been working on it with any spare time he has. Of course Ashton likes to get in on the action. The project is going slower than Chris had hoped but we look forward to having that additional space to our home!! I'll be sure to post pictures when we're nearing completion and of course when it is totally finished.

Quality Control

It was the Hale's annual Christmas candy and cookie bake day, and Ashton was in charge of quality control. I think he's had his fill of cookies and candies for the day - don't ya think?

Trick-or Treat!!

Ashton and Ava had a blast going door to door collecting candy for their mommy and daddy's. I believe the candy is about gone since it's already been a week. Wow! What a change in weather. We couldn't have asked for a nicer evening to walk the neighborhoods. Copper and Riley even joined in the fun too.

Grandpa Olson's Birthday

We surprised Grandpa Olson last Thursday for his birthday by showing up at the Branding Iron in Preston. We practically followed him all the way to the table before he realized we were right behind him. It's such a joy to surprise loved ones in that way.

Ashton really likes his orange "Boo" shirt and just had to wear it (if you were wondering).

Carvin' time at the Hale's

Ashton and his little friend Ava were quite intrigued with the pumpkins after Chris brought them into the house. They were checking them out all day long so we just had to get a shot of them hangin' out with their little orange friends. I guess Ashton and Ava are orange too with their little matching onesies (courtesy of Ava's Mom). By the way, it was not planned for them to wear their new shirts on the same day. It just happened!!! I don't believe I had carved a pumpkin since the 5th grade and that was with my brother-in-law's help, so I really didn't think I'd be able to cut through the shell. Chris had a fantastic idea of using a sheetrock saw or whatever it's called. It worked pretty slick!! I recommend trying one out next time you want to carve a pumpkin. Chris carved out the more complicated of the two Jack O'lanterns which says HALE'S (you can't see the "S" and I the other pumpkin. Ashton helped as much as he could.

Pregnancy at 11 Weeks

LOL - I've been telling people I'm one week more pregnant than I really am (if that makes sense). I just found this out. I don't know where I got off-track. I think I'm so desperate to be out of my first trimester that my mind decided to believe I was further along than actuality. Chris took a belly shot of me early this evening because I thought I was 12 weeks. I decided to post the picture anyway. Ashton is trying to tickle my belly in the other shot. He loves trying to tickle mommy and daddy. For some reason he seems to have more fun with daddy's belly.

"Backyard fun and Little friends"

Our neighbors decided that it was time to pass this little playhouse on to someone else. Their children didn't want to see it go but they weren't playing in it anymore. Ashton absolutely loves it! I think his little friends do too.

Visit to Tiny Town

A couple of weeks ago we were FINALLY able to attend a friend's annual Tiny Town Spooktacular. This was their 3rd year (I think) of fun and festivities and we were blown away by all the work they have done in the past 5 years or so to create this little village in the hills behind my friend's parent's farm just south of Chatfield. Very impressive!! My pictures obviously don't capture this secret in the hills but I have to share them anyway just to give you an idea of what we experienced that very beautiful fall evening. The weather was perfect. The evening consisted of face painting, crafts, pumpkin carving, lots of games and I can't forget a contest for the largest pumpkin, best carved pumpkin and a raffle to guess the weight of a 400 plus pound pumpkin. Within the village is a little chapel, a school house, a saloon, a jailhouse, a look-out tower and since it's been two weeks I can't remember the other structures that they created within that rustic log wall.

Daddy's Little Helper

This past weekend we went to Lanesboro to visit Grandma and Grandpa Olson and help them with some things around their home. Mommy and Ashton also snuck away for a short walk to take in the beautiful fall morning. Later in the afternoon Chris and I took a trip to the country to get a load of wood. We're pretty much set for the winter and some!!

Ashton also had some important news to share with Grandma and Grandpa. Check out his little t-shirt that daddy made.

A rainy weekend

This was the BIG shingling weekend for Chris. First the shingles arrived a week late and then the weather decided to be uncooperative. Thank God for great friends who come to help out when you need it. We've definitely been blessed that way. I tried to keep their bellies satisfied with a few meals and of course chocolate chip cookies. My mom was able to come up over the weekend to spend some time with us and help keep the house in some order while I was cooking. She and Ashton also took a nice walk on Saturday afternoon and having her around also allowed me a chance to sneak away for a mocha latte' at this neat Italian Cafe' in the Galleria with my beautiful friend Betsy.
Ashton's friend, Brekken, also came over for a playdate while his daddy helped out Chris on the roof. His mommy, Jen, came along for a visit as well.

Chris continues to work on the deck. He took today off and was able to remove the remainder of the old shingles from the newest addition of the garage. Now it's just a matter of nailing on the new shingles. At least the weather is going to be nice for quite a few days so he no longer has to worry about a leaking roof. He's such a hard worker. I don't know where he gets all his energy. At least once in awhile he sneaks in a little nap, but not often enough.

At the lake

We were able to get another shot of fun and relaxation at the our friend's cabin near Hayward, WI before it got too cold (this was obviously back in August). When we rented the cabin the first time back in July with our good friends Winn and Betsy, we didn't have the most appealing weather for playing in the lake (extremely high winds). We were thankful for having the opportunity to get up there again for a long weekend and enjoy a much a calmer lake. We were able to sail, water ski and just float along the shoreline - it was perfect. Chris also helped our friend Dave attach some more log siding on their cabin they've been renovating. They have transformed the place! Here are some snapshots from the wonderful weekend we had with Dave, Karen and the kids.

Dancin' Ashton

Ashton, Chris and I were having a dance party the other day, and Ashton decided to really show us his moves. We sure got a good laugh watching him (that's why Chris couldn't keep the camera steady). Hope you enjoy it as much as we have!!

We're Back!!

OK, OK, sorry about the long wait. We are having so much fun outside that I haven't been at the computer long enough to tell you about it. With so much going on I have created a slide show of what has happened in our lives.

Check out my Slide Show!

Water Baby

Ashton is growing up so fast. He just finished his first swimming lesson at the YMCA. He loves the water and will be ready for the beach this summmer.