Christmas

I can't believe Christmas has come and gone once again. It was a lot of fun and I am so grateful that my kids are starting to understand the true meaning of Christmas (especially Addison). On Christmas Eve we went to my parents where there was of course TONS of good food and fun. I won the Christmas trivia game this year, collected about $35 dollars when all was said and done. My parents of course spoiled their grandkids rotten. Sometimes after opening presents at my parents house, we really don't need much more for Christmas morning. For my mother especially, Christmas is all about the grandkids just like it was all about us when we were little.

The next morning we had to wake the kids up! It was awesome! Addison received a new BIG bike from Santa, Sadie the Tag Reading System and a camera and Asher a Train Table. They were all so excited and loved opening all their presents. Asher was really into it this year and had a ball opening his and helping his sister's open theirs as well.

We had breakfast with Ryan's family and then later that afternoon my parent's and Amber and Alek came over to see what the kids got. Alek and Sadie had a great time playing with the Moon Sand (not my smartest gift). They made ice cream and dessert for everyone multiple times.

Later that night, we cleaned everything up and Asher only destroyed his table twice (once with the help of Alek). I am getting good at setting it up now. I took a picture of it the night before so we could remember how it was set up and it has come in handy.

We are very grateful for this Christmas season, for the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ and for the sacrifices he made for each and everyone of us. I am so grateful for my husband and children and find so much joy in them daily. We are all truly blessed.

Polar Express and Ice Skating

On Saturday, we went on the Polar Express with Ryan's side of the family. The kids had a good time. On Sunday we went to church that morning, Ryan and I had to speak and I am glad that is over with. After church we went with my family on our annual Texas Roadhouse/Ice Skating/see the lights party. It was a lot of fun and I wish I would have gotten a picture of my dad wiping out. The girls had so much fun and Sadie was able to skate by herself this year. They were die hards and didn't want to quit. When I finally got Sadie off the ice, she told me that her "skates were hurting her achin' feet." After hot chocolate we went to Temple Square and saw the lights. It was fun as usual and the kids had a GREAT time!!!

Polar Express
Christmas Best

Aunt Nanny and Sadie smashing their faces against the glass
Addison
Sadie

Look who's 5!!!

Sadie turned 5 on Friday, December 17th! She was so excited for her birthday this year. We let her open a couple of presents before Daddy went to work, she received a new dress, sweater, tights and shoes. After dropping Addie off at school, Sadie was ready to get dressed and her hair done. She was ready for the day by 9:00. She went to her last day of preschool before Christmas break and was so excited to take treats for the kids in her class. Sadie chose "The Chuck" or Chuck -a-Rama for dinner (big surprise since it is my kids favorite restaurant) and then we went to Chuck E Cheese's to play games. Ryan and I decided that the girls could have a "friend" party every other year and so this was just the family party. We went to Chuck E Cheese with a couple of her cousins and grandparents and they played games for about two hours.
We are so grateful for our little Sadester Woo and the joy she brings into our lives. It is crazy to think that five years have gone by! We love you Sadester Wooster Pooster Nooster!

"The Chuck"

Asher and Sadie

Her Walking Pup

Grandma Val made her cake

The dilemma of a name...

So for the first three kids, we had no problem picking out a name, even a middle name was easy. For this last little boy however, we are struggling a bit. We have a couple that we like but for some reason Ryan thinks we need to see what he looks like until we choose one. This is driving me CRAZY!!! I am not a patient person and I like to have everything done months in advance (including the name) before the baby comes. It is already hard enough to wait until after the holidays to paint and decorate his room (since Ryan will be on a break from school) and I have to say, I am doing pretty well waiting for that. We have decided that his middle name will be Dieter (we think Uchtdorf is pretty awesome) but the first name is still undecided. I am pretty sure Ryan is doing this to me just because he knows how crazy it makes me. I really like Easton (as does Ryan) and we both like Ethan, however that one is becoming a bit more popular. So for those of you out there who took the time to read this I am up for any and all suggestions on a name.

I love this kid, but I think he may just kill me...

This was when we went to D.C. I mistakenly took my eye off of him and this is what happened

Asher is unlike anything I have ever encountered. I don't know if it is because I had two girls first or if he is an exception to a boy but he is literally a tornado that moves constantly through my house. He can open any door in the house, including the screen door. Because of this we have had to childproof just about every door in the house which also poses a problem for the girls. He loves to get into the fridge and get out anything he thinks he may want or that the dog may want so we have locks on both fridges as well. He is my only child I have ever had to buckle into a stroller or shopping cart because he will get out and run away. At this age (21 months) I could take both girls out and they would walk with me at either the mall or the grocery store. Not the Ashman, he will just run away so he is constantly buckled into a stroller or cart.

I am constantly checking on him even when we are home because you never know what he may be getting into. He has however recently started to play with toys. Yes, that is right, until now he really had no interest in toys only computers or cell phones, both of which were always being taken away from him.

On Monday, we moved him into a big boy bed since he could climb in and out of his crib at will (again something my girls never did). I had to childproof the door on the inside of his room so that he won't get out, otherwise he would never go to sleep. I didn't know how this would go over but he was so excited about his new bed and he has slept pretty good in it. Unlike his sisters, if he gets out of his bed and tries to get out of the room and finds he can't, he will climb back into his bed and go to sleep where his sisters would fall asleep on the floor behind the door.

I love this little boy to death but he literally is my first child that literally wears me out. I am constantly chasing after him and he is FAST! I am really hoping that his little brother will be my calm, low key child. After Wildman, I deserve that right?

I love to watch him sleep because he is so calm and still

Sedgwick Baby #4 is....

A BOY!!!

I will be honest, a little part of me wanted a girl, I mean we had a girl name picked out and the style has changed so much in the last 5 years since Sadie was born that I thought a little girl would be fun. But I am very happy that we are having a boy especially for Asher. He needs a little guy he can pal around with just like the girls do with one another. I was nervous going into the ultrasound, worried that they might find something wrong (I'm a glass half empty kind of girl). Everything on the ultrasound looks good, he has two legs and arms and hands and feet his head and spine and heart all look good so hopefully everything will turn out well when this little guy is born at the beginning of March. Ryan and I are having a hard time deciding on a name, we have a few we like so we are trying to narrow it down. I think this little guy is going to be a red head and have more of Sadie's personality (I hope). I love Asher to death but I have never had a child that I constantly have to follow around even in my own house because I am so afraid of what he will get into or out of (totally mastered ALL doors).

We are all looking forward to meeting this little guy and glad also that his cousin Trevan and whatever Brett and Erin end up having will all be so close in age to one another.

Family Pictures

We had our family pictures taken a few weeks ago and finally got all of them back today. We love all of them and Erin Summerill did a wonderful job once again! There are quite a few that I am posting, but there were so many good ones....

The Mo-ther and The Dod

The Whole Fam

Grandkids

Siblings

Sedgwick Family

Addie Poo

Sadester

The Ashman





Hajdo Family

Aleky

Marek (Mer-Mer)

Fielding Family

Newton Family

The Rykman

Pyne Family

Vance-e-foo

Mike N.

Sadie Legitimately loses her first Tooth!

Last Saturday Sadie lost her first tooth! Well really it was her second but since the first tooth had to come out after a scooter accident a year and a half ago we don't really count that one. Ryan and I were at the Utah game last week when it finally came out and she was so excited to show us when we got home. The Tooth fairy treated her well and gave her $2.00 dollars!

What do you on a Friday Night?

I don't know what you do but we fix the pilot light on our water heater

So our pilot light in our water heater went out sometime during the night and it would not relight. Well, I was not going to go without hot water the next day. I have to be somewhere at 11 and they repair man said he would be at our house sometime between 10 and 12. So thanks to Brit Christensen, I went to ask.com and found some results. It seems that the thermocoupler was not working so off to Home Depot I went. I found the part came home and googled how to replace the part. Brit and I looked at it and thought, we can do this, we're college graduates. Brit was the one who did most of the work, I was the assistant running up and down the stairs getting tools for her. In the end, we were successful and will have hot showers tomorrow. So apparently in order to do this you only need a math degree or a history degree to replace the thermocoupler. So that was the excitement of our Friday night. In defense of Ryan not helping, he was at school otherwise he would have been doing it.

Brit hard at work

Sadie Starts Preschool

Sadie started her second year of preschool three weeks ago and of course loves it! She has the same teacher as last year and a lot of the same kids as last year.

Picked her own outfit and chose how she wanted her hair done

Asher had to get in on the picture taking

Loved having his picture taken

First Day of School

Addie started the 1st grade last Wednesday and was so EXCITED!!! She could not wait to eat lunch in the lunchroom and go ALL day long! So far she has really enjoyed it and hopefully she will continue to do so. She is an early bird which works out well since I t.a. @ 9:00 at UVU. However, because of this Asher has taken to waking up between six and six-thirty which includes Saturday's. Oh well, I guess there are worse things.

Sadie learns to ride her bike

Ryan came home from work today and told Sadie that he decided it was time she learned how to ride her bike without training wheels. It only took a handful of times up and down the street before she picked it up. Now we have a new bargaining tool when it comes to her misbehaving.

A Man ... and His Purse

The Ashman LOVES his purse. I guess it's good he matched it with his dad's Utes hat and his lawnmower.

Bill's Island, Island Park

We were able to spend a week up at Island Park on Bill's Island. Our friends mother has a friend who has an amazing cabin right on the reservoir and he loans it to her every year for a week. It was SO much fun! Ryan had to go to Orlando for a business trip for the first part of the week so the kids and I went up by ourselves for the first little bit. The girls had a blast "fishing" off the dock (it was more casting and reeling it back in...), Asher was just happy to be outside near the water. There were these little blow up row boats that were tied to the dock. I would put him in one and push him out on the lake and then pull him back in. That entertained him for a bit. All the kids loved the boat, the tube and the wave runners.
On Thursday we were able to go to Yellowstone. Ryan had never been and was really excited. We of course saw "Old Faithful" and a few other mineral pools. Then we went our separate ways and we were lucky enough to see a TON of bison, some deer and an otter. We all thought it was really fun.

By the end of the week, Sadie and I were coming down with something and by Saturday, the day to leave we were both feeling pretty horrible. We found out we all had strep throat and came home a day early.

In the end though, it was A LOT of fun and we can't wait to do it again. Thanks Cam and Brit for inviting us!

Sadie rowing
Addie rowing
Addie casting
Sadie fishing

Asher "rowing"

Addie and Mikey
Sadie and the Bobo's ready to ride the tube
Addie, Mikey and one of the Bobo's
Mikey, Asher and Me and Ellie

Addie, Bailey (Sadie's BFF), Sadie, Marty and Alli

Old Faithful
"Grand Canyon" of Yellowstone
This guy was just chillin' on the side of the road
Look at the dust by his feet, he was running fast!

This guy waded across the stream and then crossed the road