The {Good}, The Bad, The Ugly
I’m not sure where to start here…
Hi! My name’s Ashley… nope… How about I just jump right in. : )
Sometimes as a blogger, do you ever just step back and look at yourself? I mean we read through all these other people’s lives, do you ever wonder… what do I look like from the outside?
I do, occasionally….
Ok, now I’m jumping into the middle… I’m going to try and start at the beginning in case you haven’t been around very long.
I’m a stay at home mom to two wonderful children. I have an amazing husband, and we just moved across the country.
My husband took a job as a Worship Leader at Christ the Rock Church in Wisconsin and so we loaded up our “stuff” and headed here.
Probably one of the scariest things I have ever done. Both our families are still back in Houston and well, you don’t really realize how much your family does for you until you can’t drop off your kids so you can make it to the grocery store a sane person! (very true)
But we are here… and this is us : )
I never look like this. Just FYI.
I recently told myself that I had to shower before I pick up my son from preschool because the teacher only wants to talk to me when I pick him up in my pajamas.
Let’s face it… I rarely leave my pajamas, house shoes, and over sized t shirt. I am ok with this too. I like being comfortable ; )
Aren’t my kids adorable though. They are little “toots”! They keep me busier than I ever though possible. My son, Aubrey, is 4. My daughter, Addison, is 2.
He is super active, independent, hard headed, stubborn, talkative, and all around BUSY!
She is sweet, quiet, clingy, bossy, spoiled, and thinks she’s a princess (I take blame for that last one – my fault!)
I love them both madly! Sometimes I catch them playing together (this is rare) and I try to catch it on video so I can remind them one day.
He loves to irritate her, she loves to cry. This is my day!
Some people ask what it’s like to be a mother……
Let’s be honest here, some days I think to myself “what in the world was I thinking, these kids are crazy” or “I’m not having anymore” (this one doesn’t last long)
BUT It’s those single moments, those moments when they look at you and you can tell they love you with all that they are. They depend on you for EVERYTHING (even wiping their poopy little butts)
Just Yesterday I was dropping my son off for preschool…..
He doesn’t want me to walk him to his line anymore, because he wants to go by himself and talk to his friends
OUCH!
So he was walking off, then stopped and turned to me and said
“I forgot to give you a hug and a kiss” (which we had already done twice)
So he comes running back and I was thinking, if only you would do this forever!
I give him a hug and a kiss, he walks off, turns to wave and yells out
“I’ll just pretend you are right here, and give you another hug”
Then he wraps his arms around and hugs himself like I was in his arms!
I felt like someone just put the world’s most expensive crown on my head and this gleaming light was shining down on me.
The other mothers turned and looked… oh yes, it was pure jealousy ; )
I wish I could tell you a sweet story about my daughter like that, but they all just kinda run together, because she is 100% completely in love/obsessed with me. I can’ t go to the bathroom without that girl on my lap! Oh, but she is gorgeous…I could just stare at her face all day, and I generally have no choice because I’m almost always holding her!
Ok, here is a funny story, that might also display a little of her OCD (hah)
She doesn’t like laying on my shoulder while I’m wearing a jacket. I was cold so I told her I wasn’t taking it off…
what does she do?
She unzips it, spreads it apart and forces her head to lay down on my shirt.
I just laughed.
So what am I trying to say here…..
My kids drive me nuts, most days when my husband comes home, I probably look like a crazy person and am not in the best mood.
BUT I would gladly….
jump in front of a bus for them
stay up all night while they are sick
kiss them whenever they get a bo bo
give my right arm if it meant their happiness
I would do anything for my children!
They are what make me smile and laugh and I thank God for them every.single.day!
They are my sunshine!
I even want another one : )
I couldn’t do any of this:
being a mother
a blogger
or the person I am
without my husband!
I love his guts! : )
I can’t believe we have been married for 6 years. It feels like just yesterday!
I love every minute of him, even with all his faults ; ) (don’t worry baby, I have faults too! As if I had to tell you)
There are many days when I literally ask him if he can just stay home and cuddle me all day…
Maybe one day.
We rarely go on dates since we’ve moved. One of those perks of family!
We finally found a babysitter though, so the dates are ON! (get to plannin baby!)
Plus… do you see how unbelievably cute he is? Oh, what… he’s too busy giving me a kiss.. here is is face : )
Oh… whoops. We are still kissing : )
So life has it’s ups and downs, but it’s a journey worth living!
So I titled this “getting to know me” and all I’ve talked about is my family. What can I say, they are my life!
Here’s are a few little facts about me ….
I am not a morning person (no matter what I try to do- I love my sleep!)
I MUST have coffee in the morning, and my amazing husband makes it every.single.morning for me! (love ya baby!)
I am kind of a sarcastic person (more on this later)
I am addicted to Coke.. the cola kind ; )
I miss my family dearly!!!!
I do not like cleaning or laundry.
I don’t dress up often, nor am I very fashionable
I am a last minute kinda person… all my posts are generally typed up right before I hit publish
BUT I hate being late!
I’m not shy, but I’m not good at approaching people.
I am however terribly afraid of public speaking! It’s a serious problem!
I am not girly girl. I own my wedding ring, a ring I got from my grandma, and an owl necklace I just bought from PYP (my attempt at being fashionable)
I hate shoe shopping (weird right) My feet are difficult, so it’s no fun!
I LOVE shopping for my children, so much more fun! Probably why they always look cute, and I look like a bed zombie!
Today you got to see the {good}, and a glimpse into my weirdness!
Next week I will show you the {bad}
Then.. I’ll suck it up and show you the {ugly}
Have a beautiful day!
A HUGE thank you to Austyn at Austyn Elizabeth Photography for the BEAUTIFUL pictures of my family!
Crystal says
Thank you for sharing your life with us!! I’ve been married for 22 years to my awesome husband who works so hard so that I can stay home and homeschool my two girls (Ashley – Sophmore and Brooke – Freshman at Sam Houston State University). My family is my life and the hardest thing I’ve had to do is leave my daughter at college! (Thankfully, we only live an hour away and we text/facetime everyday) I say all this to encourage you!! Not a day goes by that I don’t that God for blessing me with such a wonderful family. Enjoy every minute because they really do grow up fast!! Have a great day!!
Ashley says
Thanks Crystal. It’s amazing how time just seems to fade away and they get older! I wish they could just slow down! : ) You have a great day as well!
Love it!! Beautiful pictures, and yes, I live in my pajamas too. Who needs clothes?
Thanks Jaime! I have more pajamas I think than regular clothes :) They get more use!
Oh my…. I am so glad that I am not the only one still hooked on Coke! Such a sweet post!! I do always picture you all primped up with your hair flowing in the wind like your picture! Thanks for letting us take a peek at you and your precious family. I hate that you guys had to move so far from your family. I think anyone reading this would agree that your love for your family always shines through here on Cherished Bliss (even if you still have on your PJ’s)!
Take care,
Trish
Thanks Trish! Nope… I drink coke every.day! When we lived by a Sonic I pretty much went to the happy hour every day : ( I miss it! So sad… lol. You and Bonnie are such great ladies, happy to share this blogging experience with you : )
Love it and love you!! Thank you for sharing “you” with us! Being a mommy is not always the most fun, but so worth it! I have been married almost 19 years and my 13 and 10 year old are my life!! Enjoy it…even the yuck…and breathe!! oh…and don’t forget the coffee and coke!! ;)
HAHA, yes… I wouldn’t be doing anything if it weren’t for coffee and coke! Honestly.. I think as parents we stress more than we enjoy… are we raising are kids right? Are they ok? and all that stuff… I wish it were easier to slow down and enjoy the moments! Thanks for stopping by, like I said to Trish you ladies are so wonderful to know, so happy to be blogging with you two! : )
I feel like you might have written that about me and inserted pictures of you and your family. Glad I’m not the only one who can’t get past not being a morning person! I can’t do it for the life of me!!!!
Nope, definitely not the only one. No matter what time I go to bed… it’s the hardest thing for me to do to put my feet on the floor!
Thanks for sharing!! I have two kids and my son is three and sounds similar to your son except he is a bit more clingy. :-). And my hubby is a worship leader at our church too. How fun. Look forward to hearing more from you.
Oh wow…what a coincidence! Don’t meet to many worship leader wives : ) Does your husband have an serious problem with musical equipment? Not that I don’t have a fabric problem, lol
I guess my voyage with you for this long makes all of this sound very normal to me because I am living the same life, except having to work and getting a break from my kids during the day which keeps me minorly sane… can’t imagine what the bad and the ugly part of you could possibly be because I love ya no matter what… I think we were separated at birth and I for one am very sad you live so darn far away… but you could always make a pit stop along your way home…. otherwise, I’ll settle for skype dates. xoxo. Beautiful pictures and lovely family. I can’t wait for you to have another so we can share in the loads of fun having 3 are! :) Miss you.
Ahh… one day my kids will let me sit again so we can talk more. I feel like my butt never touches a chair, lol. Sometimes I even stand when I get a quick few minutes on my blog, lol! Oh, and we were separated at birth ; ) Pretty positive about that! lol
Are you happy now you have me crying!
I’m sorry… : ( We all miss you so much!
I love all of you and miss you so much!
Ashley, I loved reading about you and your family. I feel like I can relate to everything you’ve just said. In fact I’m pretty sure you were writing this about me, especially the last minute thing. :)
Thanks for sharing your not so perfect but oh so awesome family life with us.
Thanks Crystal… my last minute stuff is getting out of hand. I’m so lucky my blog even exists, lol… I’m afraid one day it will catch up with me. I just can’t seem to get posts scheduled, plus I’m always so excited to post when I finally finish I’m not sure I could wait days anyway, ha!
Just wanted to say HI! and thanks for sharing all that about how much you love your family! It’s something that never changes and while reading about you it brought back so many memories of being home with my babies! I love them and now they are grown and I love them even more! A good friend once said it just keeps getting better! So true! You are obviously an awesome woman and mom, it shows in your love! Enjoy every minute! PS: The best things are accomplished last minute ; )!
Thanks for sharing this post about you and your family – what a beautiful read it was :)
Thanks for the fun post! I love to hear other women gush about their husbands. It makes me smile and appreciate that I’m one of those women!
I feel your pain with shoe shopping. I’m a fellow foot problem child. It makes it so not fun.
You have a beautiful family Ashley! Your days sound a lot like mine! I stay at home with my daughter 3 and son one who seem to have very similar personalities to your children except my son is the cuddler and daughter is the rambuctious one who like to make her brother cry! lol. I too tend to be frazzled by the end of the day but I adore my children and wouldn’t have it any other way. We’ll see about more kids! lol. we had talked about 3 but right now I’m feeling ovewhelmed. Maybe after #1 hits school age! :) Thanks for sharing a little peek into your world. And I’m glad you found a good sitter!!
haha… we keep talking about #3 too.. I have no idea why! I guess God just puts it in us, because otherwise we would be running for the hills, lol! My son will be in Kindergarten next year, but I’m not sure I can handle it… of course I said that before we had my daughter. I guess you just do it! : )