Wednesday, December 23, 2009

3 MORE DAYS UNTIL I GET TO SEE THESE GUYS!!!!!!

3 DAYS
'TIL I GET TO SEE MY NEPHEWS!
PROUD AUNTIE:
(of my nephews, not Santa!)

ELI STEVENSON - going on 8 months
BRODY SIMPSON- going on 11 months


These two bring me so much JOY!
Even though I'm not with them much, the pictures and the stories that their mommies send me TRULY make my day every time!
I can't help but smile when I think or hear of them.
I cannot wait to spend 5 WHOLE days with them.

LOVE YOU TWO SO MUCH <3
See you guys in Denver
-Auntie Ashley

Christmas time is here!

This year Scott has had the opportunity to help plan the Wesleyan Youth Convention for our region which will take place in Denver on the 28th of December, THIS has been a HUGE BLESSING as this stuff is RIGHT up Scott's alley... he LOVES it. BUT because of this and the time off of work I need to take off to be apart, we are unable to go home (Sacramento) for Christmas. This will officially be the FIRST year I've been away from my parents over Christmas...makes me FEEL a little more grown up, but not ready to accept it :). It is REALLY hard to not be around family during this time. Especially when they all get together,
and the BABY NEPHEWS are doing all their new tricks!
There truly is no place like home for the holidays!
SOoOoOo, to make me feel more at home, I attempted (with Scott's help) to make my mom's "family" cookies. Even though they didn't turn out as good as mom's, or grandma's, or even great grandma's... they did, however, give me a little piece of home :) not to mention I had a blast making them. I'm not sure I can say the same for Scott, but he was a good sport.
I love you honey!


please note: that is hair dye on my left shoulder. classy.
puzzle work!
my cookie decorating ELF

Peanut butter balls- Scott made these and did a wonderful job :)


Christmas tree time! I am a HUGE fan of REAL trees...
but for the past few years (because of traveling) we've settled for a fake one.
It does the job.

This year we started a new tradition in the Stevenson home... We've made it a point, when we travel, to always get an ornament as our "souvenir". Over the 2.5 years that we have been married we've acquired quite the collection, so we decided that this year we wouldn't just put them on our tree, instead we would share our favorite memory from that trip or place and then we'd hang it on the tree. IT WAS A SUCCESS! We revisited some wonderful memories and it was a great refresher of each trip, in hopes that we never forget. We are so blessed!
This is a tradition that we will continue to do for many years to come!
The finished product!
So thankful as I am reminded of the TRUE meaning of the season...
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.”
ISAIAH 9:6
MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Happy Thanksgiving: Montana style...

Scott and I FINALLY made it happen! We finally made it to Montana to visit our DEAR friends, the Bybee's, over Thanksgiving. Scott and I met Annie and Terry at College in Oklahoma. To sum up our friendship, us girls are constantly trying to keep the boys out of trouble, they tend to bring the best out of each other when they are togther. But as crazy as they are they always make us laugh. Aside from goofing off, we've been there for each others engagements, apart of each others weddings and continue to cherish their friendship even though it is a "long distance" relationship. In all honesty, the challenge of staying in touch is always present, but the wonderful thing about them is that no matter how long it has been since the last time we've all been together, we pick up right where we left off!
It was such a blessing to visit with them, watch them PARENT their two beautiful kids,
LAUGH hysterically, play games, and just catch up on life.
Here are just a few of the fun memories we made....
Annie and I getting ready to head out the doorTerry and Hadley
(Not sure why, but I didn't get any pictures of their kids. SAD. They also have an 8 month old Jude...BOTH OF WHICH ARE ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE)
While we were in town Annie and Terry insisted they take us to their favorite restaurant's in Billings...Fancy Shmancy Restaurant #1....it was great!


Yes, this is what they do!

Pictionary...
SEE ABOVE: THIS IS NEVER A GOOD SIGN FOLKS!

Good ol' pictionary was not good enough...on to their "new" made up game
..."BELLY ART" PICTIONARY.
VERY CREATATIVE.

I love this picture.
It's not often he laughs THIS hard...had to document it :)

Annie and Terry love weekend get-a-ways....
so they took us to one of their favorite places.
A cabin in BIG SKY!

The landscape was BREATH taking...and the cabin was so nice!

This was our room

Hanging out by the fire

On to playing more games....a good 50% of our time in Montana was spent playing
Hide-and-go-seek (NO, not a type-o)
Scott and Terry could play this game ALL. DAY. LONG. ALL. YEAR. LONG.
We also played NERDS while drinking coffee and listening to Pandora
...even thought I am awful at this game I throughouly enjoy these times we shared!

BIG SKY TOWN...this is were I got my ornament
(I collect ornaments from every place we visit)

Enjoying our view from our balcony

Oh Brother!

And he is down!
This is what happens when City Folk try to walk on ice...lol!

Sledding...with a babies sled. not ours. Fantastic.

Hmm...we were the only people in this restaurant.
i wonder why...
Calamari...Reason # 1
Terry's face tells all!
....reason # 2 waitress would not stop talking about Alaska (lol)
reason # 3 the boys ate none of their food. Picky Picky!
Playing the number game

Snowy day at the cabin...our last day in Big Sky.


It was a wonderful trip, one we will always remember.
Loved being in Montana and loved being with our friends.

October Festivities!

While October has come and gone (quite a while ago)...here are some of the happenings that took place in our world...in our October.
The first week in October Mrs. Georgia Renee Russell moved in with us (short term stay) and also celebrated her 22nd birthday! Above is a picture of the BEAUtiful cake Scott and I made for her. I can assure you that it tasted MUCH better than it looks!
Our friend Jenn (also performing arts director at our church) has been "gigging" it up at some of the neatest coffee shops in the DFW area...this was one of those nights.
We also indulged on one of THE BEST Vanilla Chai's EVER!
GEORGIA!

Enjoying the atmosphere, music and the COMPANY...lots of good friends!

Jenn doing her thang! She doesn't normally dress up like Dorothy :)

Scott and I are BLESSED to be godparents to this lil' bumble bee, Emmy. It was so much fun to experience her first holloween with her (even though she had NO CLUE of what was going on).
Isn't she cute?

Not only was it Emmy's first Halloween,
but it was Marquita's (her mom) first time trick-or-treating!
One of the houses in our neighborhood turned their garage into a haunted house, so me Marquita, Georgia and Scott decided we'd go in... Georgia was stuck in the front becuase she is the bravest, then the rest of us followed. Scott, of course, on the tail end.
**Side note: It never fails, if somthing jumps out at him, he ALWAYS throws me infront of him (lol) i guess for protection. Isn't that sweet?**
Well, this haunted house was no different! The girls in front and Scott hiding behind us. We SCREAMED and LAUGHED and SCREAMED somemore...it was FUN!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN (...2 months late)