A Girl and Her Cat


What a beautiful Friday it is here; the weather is absolutely perfect. On days like this I just want to grab my camera and take photos. Since I don't have anyone to photograph at the moment, I will share some pictures I took of Amelia last week. Our cat Rudy is an indoor cat, but we decided to put his rhinestone leash on him and allow him to join Amelia in her photos. She was so excited to have him out there, which lead to some adorable genuine smiles from her.






I'm looking forward to this weekend. With the nice weather I want to get as much accomplished outdoors as possible. Our yard is a total disaster. I'm not sure if the past tenants planted clover as a ground cover or if it's just decided to only take over our yard, but it has got to go! We are hoping to turn the jungle into a really nice space for Amelia to run around and play in, as well as a place to entertain friends and family. We haven't had a yard for quite some time so now that we do I have a million different ideas for it. Pinterest doesn't help. Wouldn't it be nice if our pin boards became reality? No matter what we end up doing out there it will be a great space that we will really enjoy. Below is a photo I took on my phone. The clover that has taken over is now up to Amelia's knees. We plan to plant grass and maybe have a spot for a garden (if we can keep all of those bunnies away). The tree in the left of the photo is huge and has a perfect branch for a wooden swing. Amelia is going to love it.

Amelia has her second lacrosse practice this weekend. About 10 minutes after getting there last weekend it started to hail. We all took shelter in our cars for a few minutes until it passed. Thankfully we didn't get poured on as the forecast had said. She really enjoyed it. I love the variety of things she's interested in. Ballet, Irish dance, lacrosse, tennis and art... any and all forms of art.

Last night we went to the spring concert at Amelia's school. I have definitely praised her school on here before, but last night was just another example of why I love that place. The songs they sang were inspirational, funny, sweet and had everyone smiling. For the last song the entire school went out into the crowd and started singing "We Are Family" while dancing. Every single person in that place was on their feet having a wonderful time. It really is a family environment there and I feel completely blessed that we get to spend 9 years there.

I have been picking away at more decor for Amelia's bedroom. I refinished a desk for her as part of her birthday present and it fits so well in her room. Her and I went shopping a few times this week and picked up some cute items. I can't wait to share the space with you all once it's finished. Although I have a feeling I'm always going to be finding cute new things to add. Her room is at least three times smaller than her last bedroom so most of her things are in our garage. Because there isn't room for all of her stuff I wanted to give her a bedroom that is both functional and fun. The photo below is a little preview. Of course we have to have a little NYC love in there.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. If it's sunny where you are, soak it up!
Ashley Elizabeth
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Raising her in faith


Something beautiful happened tonight. Amelia and I have a routine of reading books to one another at bedtime. Tonight Amelia came to me and asked if I could read to her. We had planned on skipping our normal story time since we were out later than usual this evening and it was already past her bedtime. Before I could answer her she said "Could you please read me the Bible Mommy?" Who could say no to such a request. I opened up her pink Bible and turned to Corinthians 13. I knew she would like this one. She gave me her complete attention. As I read to the end "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is..." she answered with a big smile before I had a chance to say it myself "love". It was a sweet moment for me as a mommy. She wanted me to continue so I turned to the very first page of the Bible and started reading again. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...". She interrupted me and said "God said let there be light. Did you know he rested on the seventh day? I learned that in school". I love her passion for learning. She wants to know everything she can and pays such close attention. I love that she gets a wonderful religious education at school. Being a devout Catholic my entire life I knew I wanted my children to be raised in the same faith. It makes my heart so happy that Amelia already has such a strong love for God. 

Ashley Elizabeth
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The Easter Bunny


Amelia went to visit the Easter Bunny yesterday. I was looking back at last year's photo and can't believe how different she looks. She's so much taller and looks so much more grown up this year. 

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter!! We will be enjoying the day with family.




2015 dress: Ralph Lauren
2015 shoes: Saltwater Sandals
2014 dress: Laura Ashley
Ashley Elizabeth
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New adventures and fun times ahead


It's Friday!!! Amelia doesn't have school today due to Good Friday. I'm so excited for her four day weekend. Spring break was such a downer with both of us being sick and we really didn't get to do a lot. Thankfully, we are both feeling much better and plan to take advantage of the time we have. Today we are going for a long walk, visiting the Easter Bunny and then crafting a special gift for her Grandma. This past week seemed to go by fast. I have a feeling our weeks are bound to fly by with all of the stuff we have going on now. Here is a recap of what we did.

Amelia started a new term of ballet. The studio is getting ready for their upcoming performance, but unfortunately Amelia can't participate due to a conflict with lacrosse practice and performance rehearsals. I hope we are able to go and watch the show though. They are doing Sleeping Beauty and I know it will be great. 

This painting is hanging in the entryway to Amelia's school. The kindergarten class created Dr. Seuss fish. I absolutely love every piece of art she creates at school. They are always so great! I swear we will need an entire room dedicated to her works of art someday. Our own little museum. 

I swear we have the best cat in the entire world. One morning this week, while I was getting things ready for Amelia's school day, she did this. I came into the living room to find our handsome man rockin' some awesome bunny ears. The things this guy puts up with from her. They have a special kind of love. 

If you think this photo belongs up in the section about ballet, you're wrong. So... here's the deal. We started Amelia in ballet just after her third birthday because she wasn't quite old enough to start in Irish or Scottish dancing. It was our plan to keep her in there a year and then move her over to a different studio for a different style of dance. Well, she fell in love with ballet and we fell in love with the studio and all of the wonderful people there so she never left. This week we finally decided to have her try Irish dancing. She was nervous at first and even started crying when we walked up to the building. I told her that if she didn't like it she wouldn't have to come back again. Well.... as I suspected.... she loved it!!! The ballet training she's had really helped her out and she knew quite a few things already. She said she definitely wants to keep going. So, Amelia will be dancing once a week at the ballet studio, twice a week at the Irish studio and then playing lacrosse on Saturdays. What did I just do to myself? Haha, we are going to be running all over the place. She loves it all so much though so it is worth it. 
right before her class started
This morning I attended Stations of the Cross with Amelia's school. The kindergarten class reenacted Jesus' washing of the feet and sang a song. It was so great. I love that Amelia is getting both an academic education as well as a spiritual education. 

We have a fun weekend ahead. My cousin's daughters are dancing locally so Amelia and I plan on going to watch them on Saturday. The girls live in Eastern Oregon so we love seeing them when they visit. After that we will be coloring eggs with my mom, sisters and brother in-law. Poor Mark has to work. It's so funny that we have always colored eggs together. Even as adults we still have to color eggs with each other. I'm pretty sure my sisters and I are going to be like that forever. Sunday Amelia and I are going to mass and then we are spending Easter with my family; having dinner at my grandma's house. It will be a nice relaxing day. Monday is up in the air. I want to plan something fun for Amelia and I. We'll see what I come up with. I hope you all have a wonderful Easter. Enjoy time with your family. 

Here are a couple of TimeHop photos that popped up this week. A little blurry, but still cute. 



Ashley Elizabeth
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