Ashley Lost Her First Tooth!

I received a picture text yesterday from Traci that Ashley finally lost her first tooth!

About three weeks ago, Ashley noticed that her bottom tooth was loose.  She has been anticipating when the time would come that the tooth would come out.

On Sunday morining Hannah and Ashley were having a conversation about how they could get Ashley's tooth out.  I heard Hannah tell Ashley to go and get the floss.  I had to tell them to stop.  This is something that I cannot handle.  It brings back too many memories.  The smell and the taste comes rushing back.  I informed them to leave the tooth alone and that it would come out when it was ready.

On Sunday after church, we took my mom, Grandma, and Aunt Jo, who is visiting from Virginia, up Black Smith Fork Canyon for a cookout.  As we were driving down Hollow Road, Ashley is playing with her tooth and Hannah tells her that if she'll twist her tooth around two times it will pop out.  AAHHHH!!  Again, I told them to stop!  I cannot handle this!  Again, I inform them that the tooth will come out when it's ready.

Monday afternoon around 12:30, I received a text from Traci with a picture attached.  The text said, "She lost it!" and the picture was of Ashley smiling with a hole in her teeth and she's holding a ziploc baggie with her tooth in it. 

I replied to Traci and asked if it had come out on it's own or if Traci had pulled it.  The reply was that Sharon, the next door neighbor, had come over and Ashley had knocked her tooth backward.  Sharon got a paper towel and pulled the tooth the rest of the way out.

Ashley turned to Traci after it was over and said that she thought she was going to throw up!  She was a bit grossed out from the blood in her mouth.  After rinsing with water and holding a couple of paper towels in the hole to stop the bleeding, she was off and running again.

Here's some pictures from that night when we got home.  She looks so cute missing a tooth!

Hogle Zoo

Today was one of Dave's "weekend" days and I took a "use or lose" day off work and we took the girls to Hogle Zoo.

The plan was to leave home at 8:30 a.m. and be to the zoo by 10 o'clock.  I've said it many times......DON'T HAVE A PLAN.  IT NEVER WORKS!  We had a rough night with Nicole who didn't want to sleep and has figured out how to climb out of her crib.  So, instead of getting up at 6:30, which is when the alarm went off, I got up at 7:30.

By the time we were loaded and in the car, it was 10 a.m.  Not bad considering the sleepless night.  We made it a little ways in Sardine Canyon when we turned around in need of doing some prep work in the yard for the curbing guy....please see two posts down titled Yard Work to fully understand.  We were off for the second time at 11 a.m.

After parking and purchasing tickets we entered the zoo at 1 o'clock just missing the bird show but found the restrooms and made it to the elephant show by 1:30.

We walked and walked and walked the zoo and enjoyed lots and lots and lots of animals and some other fun stuff too!

Here we're having a little snack while waiting for the elephant show to begin.

The girls enjoyed the rotating globe.......

We made it over to Discovery Playland for a little fun............

We rode the train........

And the carousel.......

Dave....is that you sitting on a turtle?

Poor turtle!

by the end of the day Nicole was exhausted.......

but the rest were still standing!

Here's proof that I really was there!  I'm usually the one behind the camera!

Hannah's Piano Recital

Last August, Hannah started her first year of taking piano lessons.  On Thursday, June 10, was her first piano recital.

The recital was held in the Music Room at Mountainside Elementary.  She was number two on the program and did an amazing job.  She didn't seem nervous at all.  She did tell me after that she messed up a couple of notes but just kept playing.

Great job Hannah!

Yard Work

This summer brings a yard for the Welkers!  Can I have a Hip-Hip Hurray for this?!?  I am SO tired of the MUD!  If it would quit raining, we might be able to go a bit faster!

We seem to be moving quickly this week.   Over Memorial Day weekend, Dave, with the help of others, started putting in the sprinkler system.  This was done between rain and hail storms.

Since then lots has happened.  We are now to the point that we're almost ready for the hydroseeding!  On Wednesday, the guy came back to smooth out and grade the yard.  Two loads of dirt were moved to the backyard to cover the septic tank.  Then the phone call came of the guy who's ready to spray the grass seed.  Today, we took the girls to Hogle Zoo but not before heading out and returning home to do some prep work so the curbing could be laid in the front and backyard while we were gone.  It was fun returning home and being in awe of how great the curbing looks!

It's 10:10 p.m. and Dave is still outside in the dark trying to put on as many sprinkler heads as possible in hopes that maybe....just maybe.....the hydroseeding can be sprayed tomorrow!  Then.....in 8 weeks we will have usable grass!!!!!

Here's some cute pictures of Dave putting the girls to work in planting trees!

Catching Up....

Tonight I actually played a little catch up and added three new Posts. 
You'll have to scroll down and read all three!

A Visit to the Cemetery

On Sunday after church the girls changed into pj's (when church gets out at 4 pm you might as well go directly to pj's instead of another set of clothes) and we picked up Grandma and went to put flowers on my Dad's grave.

I cannot believe it will be three years this July since my Dad's passing.  It seems as though he has been gone for a really long time but when you look back the last three years have flown by.  It makes me sad to see that Ashley's memory of Grandpa is all but none.  She was only 2 1/2 (Nicole's current age) when he passed away.  It is a little heart breaking for me to realize that she'll never remember him and her obsession with his baseball caps.  As soon as we'd go to visit, she'd make him put on a baseball cap and she'd wear one herself.

We were getting out the flowers and putting them on my Dad's grave when Nicole walked over to my cousin's grave (right next to my Dad's) and picked up a bouquet of flowers and declared, "I'll take this one"!  Try explaining to a 2 year old that we're leaving the flowers and not picking ones for us to take.

My Grandpa (mom's dad) is also buried next to my Dad so it's nice to be able to visit three graves all at once.

The last few weeks have made me really think about and miss my Dad.  Dave and I have begun the process of putting in our yard.  This is something that my Dad loved to do and he was good at it.  If he were here, I know he would have been here on his tractor as soon as the snow melted and been ready to start prepping the yard for the sprinkler system and he would have been loving life.

I'm sure he's cheering us on from up above and wishing himself that he were here playing on his tractor!

Every Girl Needs Her Beauty Sleep

Ashley made me a night mask in preschool and gave it to me for Mother's Day.  Well, Hannah has taken over the mask and has decided she needs it on in order to go to sleep. 

I had to take a picture of her zonked out with the mask on.

It is important to start getting your beauty sleep at an early age!

Hannah's Soccer Season

This year was Hannah's first year of playing soccer.  Her team was a bit more intense than Ashley's.  She practiced twice a week and then had games twice a week.  To begin with I thought this was a bit much for a recreation soccer league but she enjoyed it, which made it worth while.

Hannah had an awesome coach this year.  He was great with the girls which made her first attempt a positive one.  At the beginning of the season she was a bit on the shy side.  Shocking....I know.....but by the end of the season she was getting more aggressive.  It was fun to see the HUGE change in her from the beginning to the end.  We only wished that it could go a bit longer.

Most of the games were played in the rain or snow and for most of the games I forgot the camera.  I did manage to bring it to the last game that was played in a down pour of rain.

Here's some shots.........

First attempt at playing goalie

A little "coaching" from Dad

The whole drenched gang

And then you have these two who were under the canopy lying upside down on the chairs.  Whatever it takes for entertainment.........