Fatality? Almost

Some of you may know and some of you may not know that we have a pet fish. He is a fancy goldfish and his name is Nemo, go figure. I bought him for the boys on January 6, 2004, and since that time Nemo has surrvived many close calls. But today has to be the closest of all. Today at Nicholas' elementary school it was pet show-and-tell day. So being the wonderfulest mother that I am, I brought Nemo to school. He was an absolute hit. He didn't bark and everyone could see him because he wasn't hidden in a cage like all of the cats. All of the kids gathered around him and thought he was so cool. Well the bell was about to ring and everyone was getting in their last ohh and ahh. The bell rang and one of Nicholas' classmates swung her leg around and crash went Nemo's bowl and water and fish rocks were everywhere. Nicholas and Andrew were totally freaked out thinking their pet had finally been done in, but thanks to the quick reflexes of Nicholas' teacher, Mrs. Thomas, Nemo was scooped up and whisked into the classroom into a fresh cup of water. Nemo is now swimming in a juice pitcher until the time we can get to the pet store and find him a new home. He seems to be doing very well and thanks to an extremely good constitution he has surrvived yet another close call.
P.S. the picture above isn't actually Nemo but the closest I could find online.

What we've been up to

Hi everyone, things are going well for the Ashton's and we are so thrilled to finally have summer like weather. Nicholas,Andrew and grandpa Foutz helped mom and grandma Foutz celebrate a wonderful,relaxing Mother's day. We had a delicious seafood dinner and scrumptous dessert. The boys showered me with gifts of a new windchime, candle, new purse and lots of hugs and kisses. Nicholas had created a picture of mom as a queen at school which was laminated so can be used as a placemat. Andrew participated in a Mother's day program at the Boys and Girls club where he sang songs, recited a poem and presented mom with a colorful framed picture he had colored and some flowers. His class worked really hard on this program and it turned out very nice. It was a wonderful day and we hope all of you mothers out there had a good day as well.
I have been working some extra days the last couple of weeks to make up for some time my employer is taking off this summer, so grandma and grandpa Foutz have been gracious enough to tend the boys on those extra days. Nicholas and Andrew really enjoy spending time with their grandparents. Mom Foutz has been spoiling me by helping with the laundry and cleaning up my house. Thanks mom so much for all you do for us.
I have had the opportunity to tend my nephew Caleb, Carmen's youngest, a couple of times recently. He is 2 years old and full of energy. He is so cute and is starting to really talk and make complete sentences. Saturday morning while we were eating breakfast, Nicholas bonked his arm and Caleb said, "Are you ok Nikous?" It is so cute how he tries so hard to pronounce even the hardest of words.
Nicholas and Andrew finished up this session of swimming lessons. They both learned alot and had lots of fun. Nicholas graduated from level 3 and will start level 4 in a few weeks. Andrew will repeat level 2 again, but that is ok because like we all know practice makes perfect.
Hope you enjoy these pictures. They were taken in Primary on Mother's day.

Saturday at the park and Blueberry muffins

Saturday morning the boys had swim lessons. We decided to walk since it was such a beautiful day and the park center is very close by. On our way we walked by the Little Cottonwood creek where we saw a mother duck and her 16 baby ducklings. Wow what would the grocery bill be for a family like that. The ducklings were so little and cute. After swimming lessons we stayed and played at the park and were able to witness a wedding at the gazebo. The colors were a beautiful shade of light purple. We then got to play with a little ladybug and the boys enjoyed many underdogs provided by mom on the swings. Later in the evening we took dinner over to Grandma and Grandpa Foutz's and were able to see a little bird nest in the tree in their backyard. We are so thankful for all of the beautiful creations that Christ has made for us to enjoy.

This morning Andrew said something so cute. I bought the boys some new shampoo which is blueberry scented. They got it out and were using it in their bath this morning. Andrew asked Nicholas what he thought the new scent was. Nicholas said that it was blueberry and Andrew added "yes, blueberry muffins. I'm in heaven!" I guess you probably had to be there, but it was so cute how he said it. Hope you all are having a good sunday.

First Grade Field Trip

I was able to chaperone Nicholas' first grade class to the planetarium and downtown city library today. We caught the UTA bus over by his school and then rode the TRAX train downtown. We spent the morning in the planetarium looking around at the displays and then watching a movie. The movie was about two children who built a cardboard rocket and it actually launches into space. The two children then navigate through the solar system and visit all of the planets and even the sun. It was very informative and the kids enjoyed it very much. We then checked out some of the displays again and walked down to the olympic fountain at the Gateway Outdoor Mall. Unfortunatly or then again maybe fortunatly the fountain was closed down for cleaning or repairs. We found some seats amongst the rocks by the fountain and ate our lunch. We then walked down to the TRAX train and rode it over to the City Library. We had a nice tour of the children's section where there are really fun reading rooms and computers for the children to utilize. Our library guide took us into the group reading room and read some stories to the children while they were able to sit on carpet squares. The library guide also played a cute CD for the children so they could get up and move around to some fun music. We then took the glass elevator up to the 5th floor where we were able to go out onto the rooftop park and look out over the city and run around a bit. We then left the library and got back on the TRAX train and went back to Murray. It was a really fun outing and for the most part the children were well behaved. Nicholas said it was a good time and that his favorite part was the movie about outer space. Hope you all have had a good day and remember keep flossing.

Getting Started

Hello everyone. I'm going to try this blog thing and we'll see how it goes. Since I don't have a digital camera I won't be sending any pictures right now but I am accepting any donations for the cause. The Ashton's of Murray, Utah are all doing well and are very excited for summer break. We have some fun activities planned to do this summer and will keep you informed on this blog site. As of right now Nicholas and Andrew are taking swimming lessons on Saturday mornings and are enjoying them very much. They both look so cute wearing their goggles. Nicholas is learning to retrieve items on the bottom of the pool and Andrew is learning how to kick with his legs straight. It has been fun to watch them splash around in the water and hopefully they will be able to save their mother from drowning since I won't be able to save them. I continue to enjoy working and will start working an extra day once a month in the office I work in on Tuesdays. That office will start having two hygienists working on Thursdays once a month. I feel it will work out well and possibly turn into a more permanent day once both of the boys are in school full time. Well that is about all of the news for now. Just remember keep flossing.