Ladybug

Ashlyn grew up more than any of our other kids this past year.  At the beginning of the year, she was still in diapers, had just moved out of her crib, and was still being carried around by me most places.  By the time the year finished, she was in preschool, potty trained, had played a season of soccer, and had just had her first dance recital.  Big girl things.  She is sassy or sweet.  (Usually not both at the same time)  You never know what you are going to get.  Her mood can change with the minute and sometimes I think, if this is what three looks like with Ashlyn, what the heck will thirteen look like?!The other day she informed me that she COULD NOT wait to be twelve.  Why twelve? I asked.  Because apparently twelve is when she will be able to shave her legs and she can't wait.  Do you know any other three year olds who are excited to shave their legs?  Yeah, me neither.  I tried to take away some of the anticipation build up of the next nine years by informing her that shaving wasn't actually that great, it was actually kind of a pain.  She didn't believe me.  How can we already be there?  (Both leg shaving excitement and not believing everything I say as absolute truth).  She is so much fun though, and loves to play anything that involves getting married or going on a date.  Both with Braxton, though he is usually an unwilling participant and she plays more around him than actually with him.  I am never a good substitute for a boy, even though I offer my best manly impression.  I love having a daughter.  And having one that I see so much of myself in is equal parts exciting and terrifying.  I love her.  Even when she leaves a red crayon in her pocket and it gets all over everything in the dryer.  Like she did last week.  Good thing she is only three.  No matter how much she wishes she was twelve.  Here are a few pictures of what Ashlyn was up to in 2011.

Ashlyn and her daddy getting ready to ride the 4 wheeler on the 4th of July.  I asked her if I could take her for a ride and she said I drove too slow.  What can I say...I think you can have fun while being ultra super safe too!

For Ashlyn's third birthday we were at Disneyland.  It was a fun trip that will get its own post one day.  Some of our best family memories.  On Ashlyn's birthday I took her to Ariel's Grotto for lunch to meet the princesses.  She loved it.  The food was great and it was so nice to have the princesses come to our table to visit rather than wait in line to see them.  Ashlyn hugged them and was happy to pose for lots of pictures.  She still asks to go back.  This time she wants to take Brielle and she wants to have another giant carrot.  (Of all the yummy food, she remembers the carrot)

The cake Ariel made her at her birthday lunch...we were so full by this point we took it to the boys.  That is saying something because if you know Ashlyn you know she does not pass up chocolate anything unless she has no more room for it!

My cute girl around Halloween.  She has grown up so much this year.  It is fun, yet heartbreaking, yet messy, yet dramatic.  Girls are multi-faceted and complicated.

Face paint at the corn maze.  She picked Hello Kitty.  She is all girly, all the time.  But what to you expect from someone who's favorite thing to play is "getting married" or "going on a date".

She did play soccer this past fall.  Her favorite parts of every game were holding hands with her friends while they ran on the field, playing ring around the rosy with friends during the game...on the field, or running off the field and climbing the fence...also during the game. 

Dance classes were more successful.  She had her first recital in December and was an elf.  Before the recital I gave her 50/50 odds of just standing there durnig the whole song and/or crying.  She surprised me though and performed her whole little tap routine!  It was so cute.  Her favorite part was getting flowers from her dad and brothers at the end.  She now wants flowers for everything she does.  But so do I, so we have that in common.

Summer fun with her favorite people.  Mine too.  Another thing we have in common.