Could she BEE any cuter?

Cutest batman Josh


Our worship pastor, rock on!






The best costume ever!






She kept reeling instead of just pulling it up, Daddy was proud.


And the meltdown begins


More meltdown


Meltdown finale

New Aspenisms

Aspen: Hey, where'd my hair go?

****

Grammie: See Aunt Laura's glasses?

Aspen: I like eyes.


****

Aspen: (toots)

Mommy: Excuse you tooter!

Aspen: Here comes another one!

(she is her father's daughter)


****

Aspen: What's oar name?

Translation: What's your name?

****

Aspen: I want hungry!

Translation: She's hungry.


****

Aspen: Hold you!

Translation: She wants you to hold her.


****

Aspen: Rock you!

Translation: She wants you to rock her.


****


While walking by a window display of wildly painted and decorated cowboy boots, Aspen stops and says "Hey, it's Grammie's shoes!"

****

While shopping in Old Navy, Aspen is playing with a football. She looks at it and says "hey it's Grandpa!" I take the football and turn it over to find she was looking at a picture of a ghost.

Aspen is so much fun right now! And she's so much work right now! She is a busy, chatty, messy little hurricane!


Aspen LOVES to sing and dance. She will talk and talk and talk. Sometimes the words are real, and sometimes they are not. If you say a word while she's chattering away, she will work it into her conversation.


She likes to put diapers on everything. All of her animals and even her ken doll, whom she has affectionately named Marshall, after her cousin, have diapers on.


She lines things up as well. Books, clothes, toys, her food, whatever.

Aspen has discovered the movie Cinderella. We watch it every day.

I love my little girl!




Poor Ken (Marshall)

Road trip! Momma (with kids in tow) Style!

About a month and a half ago (yes, I am behind), my fantastic friend Amanda invited Aspen and I to join her and her boys on a trek up to Portland. No husbands, lots of active kiddos, two nights in a hotel room, a bunch of chat time, and a ton of fun. The main highlight of our trip was going to the zoo!



Same side snoozers.




Aspen had a bit of trouble settling down for sleeping, because her "fwends" were much more interesting :/



Aspen had to hold J's hand nearly the entire time at the zoo, he was very sweet to oblige.




Little birdies in a nest.




Daddy would have liked this exhibit.

This cracked me up, J was being a "lazy farmer."

Aspen's "fwends."

A grumpy cowgirl.

My cutie pie.

Aspen LOVED the hippos. "Hippo swimming."

The zebra was beautiful.

Aspen and mommy.

Aspen with her outfit inspiration in the background.

Pretty baby.

She may have loved this part more than the hippos!

Totally OUT!

2's.........for fun

Two names you go by:
1. Monster (that's what Kel calls me :) )
2. Mommy

Two things you are wearing right now:
1. Kelly's shirt
2. My sweatpants


Two things you would want(or have) in a relationship:
1. Grace
2. Love

Two of your favorite things to do:
1. Be with my fam
2. Shop!

Two things you want very badly at the moment:
1. A baby
2. Money (ha ha ha)


Two people who will fill this out:
1. don't know
2. everyone

Two things you did yesterday:
1. marched with Aspen
2. went to Worship practice

Two things you ate yesterday:
1. Peanut Butter (shocker)
2. Cheerios

Two people you last talked to:
1. Amanda
2. Mom

Two things you're doing tomorrow:
1. Going to a baby shower!
2. Getting things ready to sell on ebay

Two Favorite Holidays
1. Christmas
2. St. Patrick's Day (because it's my birthday!)

Favorite beverages:
1. Diet Dr. Pepper
2. Mt. Dew

Two People, no longer alive, who you'd like to talk to:
1. My Grandpa Arensmeier (mom's dad, died before I was born)
2. My Grandpa Nelson (dad's dad, died in 2003)

Just wanted to say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA!!!




A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they're not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they're not so bad.
-Arnold Glasgow

Hope your day was relaxing and full of rejoicefulness! :)

An addition to the Phantom of the Opera post...

I totally forgot to mention Kelly's one and only problem with our seats at Phantom.

Apparently, the lady sitting in front of him was wearing a perfume that "made his eyelids hurt."

???

The Phantom of the Opera---1998 to 2008

Kelly and I are celebrating just a small milestone this month...our 10th ANNIVERSARY! I have more to write about that later, but I wanted to share pictures of the amazing gift my family got us.

When Kelly and I were dating, he surprised me with tickets to Phantom of the Opera at the Keller auditorium in Portland. We dressed up, went out to a fancy dinner and drove my dad's nice car (instead of Kelly's no window van). It was an out of the ordinary and very special date for us, and we both LOVED the show.

Fast forward to Labor Day weekend 2008, where we were having lunch with my fam. Kelly had to take Aspen home as she was having an overly tired meltdown. While sitting at the table, I looked down for just a moment. I looked back up to see my parents and sisters holding paper Phantom "masks" over their faces. The tickets were passed to me in a specially made holder designed by my ever-creative sis Jenn. She had even included a seating chart highlighting two seats in the first balcony. We were surprised with a impromptu trip that evening to the Phantom of the Opera, at Keller auditorium. I cried, of course.

We dressed up, went out to a fancy dinner after the show, and drove my dad's nice car! LOL! Of course, this time, childcare for Aspen was necessary, but that too was part of the gift. Our seats were perfect. We were on the end, separated from anyone else by a big pole. I think we enjoyed the show even more, or at least in a different way, than we did 10 years ago. We have a lot more appreciation now for the amazing vocalists. The sets are just incredible, and the actors were stupendous. It was awesome.

So thank you family for such a thoughtful gift!!!