This past year we started keeping track of the funny or interesting things that Ashlyn says and does by writing them down in a little book. These have been my favorite so far:
May 20, 2009 - "I think the sprinklers are playing with each other. . . they like to play with each other, huh?"
May 21, 2009 - " When I smashed the potato bug, it turned into a blueberry." (I think she meant 'touched' instead of 'smashed')
May 29, 2009 - Ashy told me today that she has a "boy hand" and a "girl hand" the boy hand she calls "he" and it talks in a low voice - it's her left hand. The right hand is her girl hand. It talks in a high voice and she calls it "she". (She also later named her feet her boy foot and girl foot - and she still uses that to know which is her right and which is her left).
June 2, 2009 - Ashy got into her car seat and said, "Thanks, Dad." I said "No, thank you, Ashy." And she replied "Aw, it was nothin'."
July 6, 09 - As I put Ashlyn to bed tonight we were talking about playing outside. I mentioned that she gets to play with bugs. This is how the conversation went:
Ashy - "Firebugs are friendly."
Me - "Oh, they are?"
Ashy - "And ladybugs are friendly too."
Me - "What about ants?"
Ashy - "Ants are friendly."
Me - "What about spiders?"
Ashy - "Spiders are friendly."
Me - "What about bees?"
Ashy (with a furrowed brow) - "Bee's aren't friendly."
Me - "What about flies?"
Ashy - "Flies are friendly - they don't sting . . . they just have tickly legs."
July 5, 2009 - Ashlyn was starting to eat an apple and she was talking to Stef. Stef said, "Ashlyn, that apple hasn't been washed." And Ashy replied, "Yes it has. I washed it with my tongue."
August 11, 2009 - We were outside and Ashlyn noticed her blow-up swimming pool was in the window well.
She asked, "Is that my pool?"
"Yes."
"How'd it get in there?"
"The wind."
After some thought - "That crazy wind."
August, 2009 - I'm a little scruffy because I haven't shaved in 5 or 6 days. Ashlyn was feeling my beard a lot today. When I put her in bed she felt it and asked, "Daddy, how old are you?" I said, "32." She thought for a second, then said "When I'm 32, I can begin to grow a beard too."
August 2009 - Ashy was looking at the cover of the photo album from our wedding:
Ashy: "Is that mommy?"
Me: "Yes, it is."
Ashy: "Is mommy married?"
Me (chuckling): "Yes, she is."
Ashy: ". . . Is she married to you?"
August 24, 2009 - The yellowjacket trap instructions according to Ashlyn (she was pretending to read them):
1. You just need to hang the bee house before the bees get us.
2. The bees will crawl inside so they can't sting you.
3. One more thing: "Love you always, thanks."
September 12, 2009: After the Wasatch 100 we were in Midway for the awards. Sandee Stapp was talking with Ashy. Sandee said, "Did you see your Daddy running a lot?" And Ashlyn replied, "Actually, he was mostly just walking."
September 13, 2009: Ashy was sitting on the bed looking at an add with some Halloween costumes. . .
"Dad, I don't think I want to be a bat for Halloween."
"Why not?"
"I'd be too scary for everyone. . . I think I'll be a ladybug."
October 15, 2009: When I came in the door from work today, Ashlyn ran up to me, full of excitement with her hands behind her back.
She yelled, "I gotta surprise for you!"
I said, "Hi Ashy. What is it?"
And she said, "Daddy, you gotta be patient."
It was just a doll she had found, but I loved the way she said it.
October 20, 2009: I was laying on the bed with Ashlyn tonight as she was falling asleep and I was typing a long text message on my phone. She looked at me and said, "Daddy, you're the best number pusher I ever saw." Then she gave me a kiss on the cheek.
October 27, 2009: I was doing sit ups and Ashy brought me a bottle of water.
She said, "Do you want some water? It's healthy for you."
She was also doing some sit-ups and she kept saying "These sit-ups are making me thirsty."
When I drank a lot of the water, she said, "Don't drink it all. Mommy would be upset. You will have to tell her the truth that you drank it all."
October 31, 2009: Ashy told me I can't go to Halloween if I can't talk nicely.
November 8, 2009 (Stef's entry): We were looking at the Christmas toy catalogs and Ashy asked me if I wanted to look at "the scriptures" as she handed me one of the catalogs. I said, "These aren't scriptures, these are toy books." Ashlyn replied, "I know, but they're called scriptures. That's toy book in Spanish."
November 8, 2009: The other night we went to Javier's (restaurant) and I bought Ashy some of the chocolate mint candies from the candy machines. She was eating them on the ride home and they were making her cough.
Ashy: "These are called coffee."
Me: "What?"
Ashy: "These candies are called coffee because they are making me cough."
November 17, 2009: As Grandma was leaving today Ashy was watching her pull out of the garage. She asked Grandma to honk the horn. After Grandma honked the horn, Ashy shouted, "Excellent!"
Dec 23, 2009: One of Ashy's favorite words right now is "snowtastic". When we go out in the snow she says, "That was snowtastic!"
December 30, 09: I came home from track practice this morning and went out to shovel the walks before Ashlyn and Sam had seen me. Ashy felt the carpet was wet and asked Stef, "Mommy, why is the carpet wet?
Stef said it was from Dad.
Ashy said, "Where is he?"
Stef said she didn't know.
Ashlyn went in her room for a while and came out with her magnifying glass. Stef asked what she was doing, and Ashy replied, "I'm looking for clues . . . It's the mystery of the lost Daddy."
January 10, 2010: Ashy looked at me this evening and said, "Daddy, your shows are very boring." (I was watching the Jazz game).
Sam is just starting to do some funny things as well. I can't wait until both of them are talking more to each other.
Ashlyn had her first "friend" birthday party this year.
After the party we took Ashy & Sam swimming and then to Classic Skating.
More birthday festivities the next day with the Hansen family
Ashlyn was Tinkerbell and Sammy was her pink fairy friend
Here we have the fairy girls, Minnie Mouse and her much younger and smaller partner, Mickey Mouse!
The drive down to St. George. Stef hopped in the back to feed the kids.
This is at mile 19 when I first started running by her. I couldn't officially run with her, so I would just leap frog and take pictures and shout encouragement.
This is around mile 20 - still looking pretty strong.
Her chip time was just a little faster than the gun time posted here.
Sam was really happy to see her mommy, even though she is trying to get away (above).
Ashy was just happy to eat the popsicles and play on the playground
Stefanie on the awards stand with the other top 10 finishers
