The Ashcroft Family

Where Have I Been?

2009-02-24T22:43:00.007-07:00

Yes, I do intend to blog again. I can use the excuse that I was busy moving, but that wouldn't be entirely true. I just have been extremely lazy when it comes to blogging. I will try to get some new material on here as soon as I can muster the motivation.

Macy has been on a puzzel kick lately. She will sit and work on them by herself. I am not allowed to help (most of the time) and can only come see the progress when called. I am quite impressed with her patience. Today she did 4 this size.

Keaton has been finding random things for entertainment. One being these swimming goggles. He wore them forever, and they where making his ears fold over. I eventually took them off because I thought it might cause permanent damage.
Another choice of entertainment, the harmonica. Enjoy! (the music and the bedhead.)

All the Who's down in Who-ville.

2008-12-14T16:39:00.002-07:00

Saturday morning was our Ward Chrismas Party. This year we had a Who-Ville breakfast complete with a visit from the Grinch. We had a great time, great breakfast and we took along our Macy Lou Who....They were a little nervous. Keaton has carried that book around constantly for 3 days now.
Macy with some of the other Who-ville citizens.

Macy Lou and the Grinch.

Happy Birthday to Our 4 Year Old Girl!!

2008-12-14T13:58:00.001-07:00

Macy is 4 at last!! As parents we have been awaiting this day for quite some time now, because Macy has been informing us of all the things that are going to happen when she is 4. She popped out of bed bright and early as if it were Christmas morning and got to open her present from Grandma Pauline and Uncle Kadyn immediatley upon waking (as instructed). That started her day off right with a Barbie car and "Happy Birthday" Barbie. Macy planned out our evening activities which included Swimming, Dinner at Olive Garden, and home to open presents and have cake. We had a great 45 minutes at the pool, just enough time for everyone to still be happy as we left. Keaton loved the slide and went down it close to a hundred times. Macy loved cruising around the current channel on her noodle. Dinner was great, Macy devoured her quota on breadsticks and a bite or two of spaghetti and then it was home to open her gifts. She got her much awaited Barbie Mariposa, along with enough Barbie and Princess stuff to call off Christmas.

It's Official

2008-12-13T19:51:00.002-07:00

I guess it is time for the "official" announcement, which means posting it on the blog, right? We are moving to Price, UT. Tyler has accepted a job with the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) at the Price field office, which begins in February. This decision comes with a variety of emotions, I am excited for Tyler because he really thinks he will enjoy this job. I am not so excited to be leaving Colorado, we have really LOVED living here in Littleton and become used to the variety of activities it offers. We are excited to be closer to family, 3-4 hours is way better than 8-9 hours. Population 8,000 rather than 2 million, you decide whether that is a pro or a con. If you know anyone looking for a nice little house in Littleton, CO send them our way!!!

BOO!

2008-11-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun Halloween. Here are some pictures of my cute but "SCARY" ghosts. Macy had said for awhile before Halloween that she was going to be a scary ghost and Keaton was going to be a Funny ghost, but while they were getting ready on Friday Macy decided they both were scary. Macy went to a Halloween party on Thursday and Keaton thought it was so funny that she was dressed up, so on Friday when it was time to get ready he was super excited. He would asks us over and over(in his own language) what he was, so we could say "Are you a Ghost?" and he'd say "BOO!" At the Trunk-or-Treat he went from car to car "Boo-ing" at everyone, it was great.

They both had masks that made them look a bit more like "scary ghosts" but only Macy would put hers on and it only lasted for about 10 minutes, Oh well.

After the Trunk-or-Treat, we went to a couple of our neighbors houses, one of the neighbors had a kinda spooky porch and had a pig mask on, it was very real looking. Anyway, it stopped both kids in their tracks. Well, Keaton couldn't stop talking about it, he snorted like a pig all the way home and kept going to the door snorting. He was so disturbed or intrigued, I'm not sure which. Tyler finally took him back to the house so he could see it wasn't real, but he still can't let it go. It is Monday now and he'll be playing and suddenly remember about the pig, start snorting and go to the door. He's Obsessed......but it's pretty funny.

Peak to Peak

2008-09-28T17:18:00.005-06:00

Yesterday, we ventured out into the mountains to see the fall colors. We drove the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, it goes from Black Hawk to Estes Park. It was beautiful! The pictures don't even do it justice, the gold was so bright. My batteries died in my camera, uugh... so we didn't get very many. The kids did great thanks to the DVD player and the random, but brilliant kids who had set up a cookie and lemonade stand at a popular viewing spot. I love Fall. I love the feel of fall, you know that chill in the air, although our air hasn't had much of a chill over the past week. The food, everything pumpkin, Yummmm. And of course, the colors....

Do I look exactly the same in every picture, or what?

These two are such buddies, talk about monkey see, monkey do.
Macy was posing, so Keaton was too!

On the way to the mountains, we got caught in a motorbike ride of some sort. It was amazing the amount of bikes there were. This isn't a very good picture of it, but maybe you get the idea?
Happy Fall!!

Labor Day in the Black Hills

2008-09-05T13:45:00.006-06:00

For Labor Day we decided we would take off to South Dakota since it really isn't that far away from Denver. Tyler wanted to full on camp, I wanted to stay in a hotel, so we compromised and stayed at a KOA, so at least we could shower on occasion. They had a great pancake breakfast, the kids loved the playground, jumping pillow and pool. Our spot was a bit more primitive than the website "virtual tour" depicted, (I'm not sure that the picture was actually from the same KOA) but we survived. We drove through Custer State Park and along the Needles Hwy., where we saw wild burrows (enjoy the pictures, they are NOT shy animals.) We also saw quite a few Buffalo (I know they are really called Bison, but whatever). We went to Mt. Rushmore twice because we missed the lighting the first time we were there, and Macy was not going to leave without seeing them "light it up". We went through Wind Cave and Jewel Cave. Notice that there are some pictures of Wind Cave, but none from Jewel Cave, Keaton did not enjoy Jewel Cave therefore none of us or the people in our tour enjoyed Jewel Cave. It was a great little getaway, even though I was feeling my age after sleeping on a defective air mattress for three nights.

Moments to remember for the trip:

Tyler introducing the song "This Little Light of Mine" Although, he only knows two verses, so if anyone can help us out with this it would be appreciated.

Keaton's Buffalo imitation.

Macy's song (a Macy original) that lasted the entire tour of the Wind Cave, she even got a 5 yr. old boy to join in with her.

1st night: air mattress flat @ 3:00 a.m. 2nd night: air mattress flat @ 11:00 p.m. 3rd night: hard ground

This video is Keaton at Mt. Rushmore, it is not a very good video but it shows his excellent verbal skills. He was so past the point of tired that he was insane. In case, you can't understand him he is saying either, "Ready, Set, Go" or "1, 2, 3, Go." He did this about a hundred times, but it was funny to me Every time.

When Dad's Away....

2008-08-23T12:51:00.003-06:00

Yesterday morning, Macy was playing dress-up and dancing to her "Ariel" music and I guess Keaton was tired of being left out. He first brought me the Cinderella gown but it was just TOO big so I put this skirt on him and he was PERFECTLY content. I really needed the video camera, the pictures just don't do his happiness justice. I sent the pictures to Tyler at work so he now know's what his little boy is doing at home with the girls.

Macy Says and Keaton Faves Retired

2008-08-21T21:44:00.004-06:00

Oh my Maniac!!"

"Keaton keeps THE ENDING it!!!" (Keaton kept shutting the book that I was reading to them.)

"Under beneath" this is how she says underneath

"Dad, do you even REALIZE that mom REALLY wants a new house?"

I, Jacque told Macy not to blow bubbles in her cup of milk, the conversation followed....
M: Why can I not blow bubbles in my milk?
J: Because it isn't good manners.
M: But why do I have to have good manners at home and at the restaurant?
J: Because it is a good thing to do.
M: I don't know if I can do that.
J: Do what?
M: I don't think I can have good manner all the time.(At least she is honest. I had to write this down because we have so many conversations similar to this and I always forget them.)

*He points to his eye (actually almost pokes his eye out). Points to his nose, hair, head, toes and hangs his tongue out when I ask him where his tongue is.

*Keaton's gets his groove on. He loves grooving in the car. He is a hip-hop fan, sorry Dad.

*He loves Monkeys and makes the monkey sound and thumps on his chest like a gorilla.

*Keaton is really into dogs right now, he likes to know where Bruno is. We were dog sitting our friends dog, Jaxon, last week and Keaton loved when he could hear Jax barking. Keaton would perk up and start doing his barking noise which kinda sounds like the monkey, but I'm the mom so I totally can tell the difference.

*Keaton is quite a talker. The sad part is only he knows what he is saying. I think we may be in for it once he can compete with his sister.

TAG

2008-08-18T15:00:00.000-06:00

I was tagged awhile ago by Katie. I thought this was a fun one.

Here are the specifics: List 10 books you've read recently that you'd recommend to others. (One stipulation--you CAN'T list any of the Twilight series books.)

Well 10 books really caused me to stretch my definition of recently, especially since the Twilight series is Not Allowed. I thought I was a pretty avid reader, but apparently I have been slacking. So I filled in where necessary.....

Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini The story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant growing up in the Middle East, when their country is beginning to fall apart. This one was a bit disturbing for me, but it made me very appreciative for the life I have.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini A story of two women during the last three decades in Afganistan, from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban.

Night by Elie Wiesel Based on his experience, as a young Orthodox Jew, of being sent with his family to the German concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald during the Second World War.

A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel I liked this book because it was easy to read, and after some of the depressing stuff it is nice to have a break. It is very witty and entertaining, especially if you understand the "small town" way of life.

She Got Up Off the Couch by Haven Kimmel The follow up that Haven Kimmel said she would never write.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd Tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily's fierce-hearted black "stand-in mother," Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to a town that holds the secret to her mother's past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon This is currently one of Keaton's most favorite. Macy loved it too. We love all the David Shannon's.

Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog by Mo Willems Macy likes all the pigeon books, but this one cracks her up for some reason. I personally like Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late.

Skippy Jon Jones by Judy Schachner This one is a family favorite!! As are all the Skippy Jon Jones books.

So there is my list, I think that is only 9, and so maybe I cheated a little bit. Actually, the last three are more like the type of books I frequently read, and I am always looking for new recommendations.

I tag.... Mandy, Ali, Janelle, and Chelsey

Keaton

2008-07-24T13:54:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to show some pictures of Keaton, he is getting so big. He stresses me out most of the time lately, but he can also be so stinkin' cute. These are some of his favorite things....

He still LOVES LOVES his binkies, and I don't really see me wanting to end this love anytime soon.

Signing "more" for another bike ride, maybe we could get him his own helmet?

Outside!!!! PIZZA!!! YUM!He loves to eat!

Doo, Doo, Doo, Da, Daa, Daa, Daa

2008-07-23T10:13:00.005-06:00

Last night we got a last minute invitation to go see The Police in concert at Red Rocks..... Of course, we accepted! Tyler was so excited he ran around his office telling everyone he was "going to The Police concert at Red Rocks." Then he rode his bike home from work as fast as legs would take him. We had an awesome time, definately a "once in a lifetime experience." Thanks to our friends the Snapp-Cooks for sharing the experience with us. Also, thanks to the Sabey's for watching our kids for us so that we could go.

Washington D.C.

2008-07-14T13:17:00.010-06:00

Tyler and I have returned from our week long trip to Washington D.C. We met Tyler's parents and his sister Chelsey and her husband, Jeremy. My mom and brother, Kadyn flew into town to watch the kids. That was officially the first vacation that we have had away from kids since we had Macy. Tyler had never been to DC, and since he is such a history/political junkie, we pretty much tried to see everything. I went when I was in high school, but I definitely saw more this time, and had much more appreciation. If you have been there you know that everything is concentrated in one area but because everything is so large you walk and walk and walk until you can’t walk anymore, and as a sidenote it is REALLY difficuly to find food. Go figure?

The first day we went to the National Archives (which is the home of the original Declaration of independence and the Constitution, Magna Charta, Bill of Rights and other original documents such as the Emancipation Proclamation and early Supreme Court decisions.) From the Archives we went to the Navy Memorial then to the National Art Museum. After the Art museum we walked to the Washington Monument, World War I Memorial, World War II Memorial, Korean War Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, and the Vietnam Memorial, at the end of this day, we decided we needed to take it at a bit easier pace, or we would run out of things to see. The next day we saw Ford’s Theatre (where Lincoln was assassinated), it was being renovated so we didn't get to see inside, we toured the home across from the theater, where he died. We watched some of the festivities that were going on for the 4th then went to Arlington Cemetery, where we saw the changing of the guard and General Robert E. Lee’s Mansion. From Arlington we went to Iwo Jima (Marine) Memorial, where we met one of Tyler's friends from H.S., and his family to watch the fireworks. From there you can look down the National Mall. After a few downpours, we watched the fireworks, they went off just above the Washington Monument. We toured the Capitol, Library of Congress, saw the National Botanical Gardens and the American Portraiture Museum. On Sunday, we rented a car and drove to Mount Vernon (George Washington’s home and plantation) The grounds are beautiful and there are gardens and fruit orchards and farms and animals just like there would have been in his day. We drove down Embassy Row to the National Cathedral but it closed just as we drove up so we only got to walk around the outside. The next day we saw the Supreme Court, the Bureau of Printing and Engraving (where they print money and stamps) The National Holocaust Museum, the Jefferson Memorial and the FDR Memorial.

It was an extremely tiring vacation but you come away with an increased appreciation for the Country we live in, our political system, and the sacrifices that so many have made to protect freedom. It is hard to choose favorites but we really enjoyed the Memorials, they were the very inspiring. Tyler's favorite building was the Library of Congress (i.e., the largest Library in the World where they had on display Thomas Jefferson’s original library which consisted of over 6,000 books) I also enjoyed the library, it was beautiful! Tyler's favorite Museum was probably the National Portraiture where they have the hall of the Presidents (paintings of every President and a write up of their accomplishments and failures), he could read every single thing in these places if I would have let him. The architecture of all of these buildings is amazing.

Sorry if you are all bored to death from the recap......Overall we had a great time, I was ready to come home to see my kiddos. Macy missed me, but apparently Keaton forgot who I even was. He screamed if I looked at him all the way home from the airport, and until 20 min after we got home. How's that for being a momma's boy?

Library of Congress and WWII Memorial

Mount Vernon and Capitol Building

Korean War and Iwo Jima

Jefferson Memorial in the background, Me just about to push the Wash. Monument over

Keaton's New Shoes

2008-06-29T22:02:00.004-06:00

My little boy has some wide, chubby feet, which make it, I'm assuming quite uncomfortable to wear shoes. I am assuming this because he was forever taking off his shoes. He hates flip flops, he can barely stand to get the put on because it tickles his toes so much. So I finally gave in to the Croc's. I put them on him when I got home and he loved them. He walked around in them all night, the tag was still on and got ripped off while he was walking around, he brought it to me because he wanted me to put it back on, it was really funny how bothered he was by it. The next morning he wanted his shoes on first thing and has rarely been seen without them since. The poor kid is so excited to have some room to move his chubby toes!

Macy Passes Seahorses on to Polliwogs

2008-06-29T21:44:00.004-06:00

After two weeks of swim lessons, Macy moves on to Polliwogs!! We are so proud. She has never been super comfortable in the water and hadn't had any lessons prior to these. I was assuming she would maybe have to take the class twice (at least). Well to my surprise she was probably the bravest one in the class of 4. She really wanted to be "brave" and be able to put her face in the water, we would get there a little bit early so she could practice every day..... and the practice paid off. That's my girl.....

I Have Returned!!

2008-06-10T15:17:00.004-06:00

Well, the kids and I are back from our semi-spontaneous trip to Utah. "Semi-" spontaneous because we were flying stand by and weren't able to be as quick to leave as I would have liked and ended up landing in Idaho Falls. Thanks to one of my oldest and dearest friends Allison, for picking us up at 11:00 p.m. at the airport after a random email request at 2:00 that afternoon. Lucky for us she and B are "fly by the seat of their pants" people!! I couldn't just land and leave, so we stayed a couple of nights there so we could catch up and let our little ones acquaint themselves. Macy was in heaven with all the "girl" stuff, her favorite was doing hair styles, and shutting up in the bathroom with Quincy to do make-up.

We then venured on to Utah and split our time between the three grandparents. My main reason in going to Utah was to get Tyler's cousin to snap some pictures of Keaton, since it seems Macy still dominates our wall space. (Thanks Roxie!!) Keaton is not the natural model that Macy seems to be, he is just SO busy, but we ended up with some good shots I think. Macy couldn't be left out so she hammed it up for the camera.

We ended up being gone for 10 days, and we found out that Tyler wouldn't make a very good bachelor. He was bored out of his mind, which we will take as a compliment!! He usually joins us for at least a few days when we go for that long, but it wasn't in the cards this time. We are glad to be home, but Macy is already wondering when she gets to see everyone again.

So that sums up our past few weeks in a quick nutshell. Here are some of the pictures of my rascals.....

Mother's Day

2008-05-13T14:16:00.004-06:00

I have to say how wonderful it is to have a daughter on Mother's Day. Macy and Tyler went shopping on Saturday, and Macy came in the door carrying a purple geranium and some pansies. She had told Tyler that she needed to get me some pansies and some daffodils. She is a girl who knows what she wants. Macy was so excited that it was Mother's Day. All day she told me over and over "Happy Mother's Day!" and "I love you." At church, she got to go up on the stand and sing (finally, she has been waiting for this moment since she became a sunbeam). Our primary is well.... it is very small, there were a total of about 9 kids on the stand most of whom were 7-8 year old boys and then my little Macy that could barely see over the wall. It was so cute, she was smiling and waving and kind of singing. After they sang there two songs she ran down to me gave me a great big hug and said "Happy Mother's Day!" Tyler and I both had the giggles and watery eyes as we held back the tears. She is such a sweet girl! The rest of the day she made sure that I knew she loved me. We were outside and she said to me, "I love you so much, mom." Jacque: "and Dad too?" Macy: "Yes, on the other days I love you and Dad. Today I just love you because it is Mother's day." Jacque:"Oh, so then on Dad's day you will only love Dad?" Macy: "Yep!" Made sense to me. Needless to say I had a great day! Thanks to my wonderful husband and two beautiful children. I hope all of the rest of you had a great day as well.

At Last, At Last....Disneyland Pictures, At Last

2008-05-06T15:03:00.002-06:00

The Ashcroft family had a fabulous time in Disneyland. I may not have used the best judgement when I took Macy on the Matterhorn first. I didn't remember the Matterhorn being SO DARK and SO CRAZY. From a 3 year old girl's perspective, whom they measured like 5 times to make sure she was big enough to even ride, it must have been terrifying. The poor girl was trying so hard to be brave, but her face read "This is Disneyland, you told me it was going to be fun and full of princesses." So needless to say after that prior to every ride she got a bit nervous..... We spent lots of time in Fantasy Land, and one night even had our own personal guide taking us right on to all the rides and then gave us a front row "RESERVED" spot to watch one of the parades. Among Macy's favorite rides were, Pooh's Honey Pots, which she and Bergen went on 5 times in a row one night, straight off and right back on, then 3 times the next night. They owned that ride!!! She also loved the Jungle Cruise, in which the pyranas (sp?) "scared me to my death" as she put it. Keaton loved everything! Who knew a 1 year old would have such a great time at Disneyland. He would wake up in the morning and point to the stroller in the room and be ready to go again. I think his favorite was Dumbo, he would get so excited when he would see the elephants. He loved the characters too. (from a distance) He recognized all of the princess!! Ha, Ha!! We enjoyed many shows and loved Fantasmic, I asked Macy what she thought of Disneyland, her response, "I think.... they have lots of parades." Which she said was a "good thing". We spent one day at the beach, it was a nice break from the park. The kids had a fabulous time. Especially because it so blasted HOT. It was record breaking heat while we were there, and it was a bit of a shock to our systems. Thanks to Tyler's family for letting us tag along on the trip they had already planned. Sorry if this is a bit chaotic, but it is finally done. Enjoy all the pictures..... They probably tell a better story.

It's not meant to be....

2008-05-05T22:08:00.005-06:00

Well, I know you have all been dying to hear about our trip.... I admit I have been a slacker, but I finally got my butt in gear and began the post. Unfortunately, I am having technical difficulties, I have uploaded picture twice with all the witty captions, which aren't so witty when you have to RE-type them, only to have them lost in some form or another. So I guess it's not meant to be and you will never get to see all the fun we had in Disneyland---------------Just Kidding! Just be patient with me, I am trying, REALLY. FYI- I just tried to add a picture just to give you all something to tied you over, Didn't work, WHAT UP???

Disneyland, Here we come....

2008-04-23T21:17:00.003-06:00

After much fretting about my baby girl going to Disneyland without me, we have now decided to join her along with Tyler's parents and Sister's family. We are PUMPED!!! I never thought I could be so excited for Disneyland madness. Bring it on! A full report will surely be given ASAP, remember it takes a while to recover from vacations. I will miss my fellow bloggers, Take Care.

He's a One Year Old Boy!!

2008-04-20T20:45:00.003-06:00

What is there to say? He loved his cake! I actually thought he would have been a bit more aggressive. He did manage to get a few of us when the flinging started. Keaton had a great birthday. We had a beautiful day, about 80 degrees, and spent most of the day outside (Keaton's favorite place to be). Grandma Pauline and Uncle Kadyn made a quick trip out for the day, it was fun to have someone else here to celebrate.

Really, Has it Been a Year?

2008-04-14T14:50:00.007-06:00

Holy Cow, my baby boy is turning ONE!!! So in honor of my little (big) guy I have a....... (Say it with me now) "SLIDE SHOW" (You know I love 'em). Once again, sorry if you are overwhelmed by the number of pictures, but what can I say....

When we found out we were having a boy we were a bit nervous, Tyler and I both felt pretty comfortable with the "GIRL" stuff and didn't know if we were up to the "BOY" stuff. Well, Keaton has proved to be a "typical boy" and we are just fine with it. He's a rough, tough, truck driving, ball throwing, dollhouse destroying BOY! We love our Keaster....

Macy Says Retired... (We need to make room for more)

2008-04-02T21:57:00.002-06:00

"Oh, my Gosh, Oh....my Gosh"

"Chicka, Chicka, Wow, Wow" accompanied by a bum shake. (Thank you Brooklyn.) It was quite funny for awhile, but now she says it so much it's not really that funny anymore. However she informs me that I am suppose to laugh when she says it.

A few sayings that the mom frequently says while she is playing with her dollhouse..."I've got to go check my blog." "I am the Boss Cow!"

"You scared the Crap out of me!"

The word of the week has been 'resist'. Although not used appropriately.

"Mom, why do you always give me two pretzels? It makes me so frustrated." The next day, "Mom, you gave me three pretzels, now I'm not frustrated."

"Maybe tomorrow we can build a snowman, and I will put a hat on his head, and he will shake and say 'Happy Birthday' and he will come to life." (The excitement in her voice and wide eyed expression is priceless.)

Macy frequently tells Tyler very intensely, "Dad, Serioulsy, Seriously, listen to me!" I wonder where she has heard that before?

I was doing EENY MEENY MINEY MO, I said I win I'm MO, Macy says let me do it, "EENY MEENY, Oh, I'm MEENY I win!"

If I had a nickel for every time Macy begins a sentence with "When I was a little girl......" I would A LOT of nickels.

Easter Sunday

2008-03-26T14:12:00.004-06:00

I started this post a week ago, and now I am finally getting around to finishing it. We have had a busy few weeks. Tyler has been out of town quite a bit and that always throws my life for a loop. My Dad and Step mom were here for Easter weekend. Macy had a great time, swimming, sleeping and eating breakfast at the hotel. She had such a great time she was in no hurry to get home and see if the Easter bunny had visited her. We had an indoor egg hunt in the morning because there was snow on the ground. Keaton was good at finding them AND opening them, faster than I could keep up with him. He found his dump truck and was so excited about it, he dumped out all the stuff and was on his way. It was fun to have family here for the weekend. Company is always welcome!!! Here are some pictures from the day.....

Here are my two cute kids all ready of church.For some reason Macy was really turning up the "CHEESE"
Keaton can barely pause for a picture
Keaton checking to see if it is really his, after he found his dump truck behind the rocking chair.
Macy found her basket in the dryer, she was so excited to see Snow White starring out at her. It took her half the day to even realize there had been anything else in the basket.

Keaton's First Haircut

2008-03-08T21:33:00.002-07:00

Keaton got his first haircut!! His hair grows into a mohawk (its a crazy head of hair) and it had gotten a little too long for the mohawk and when parted it was starting to look a bit like a comeover, so it was time! Doesn't he look so handsome?

Another Tag

2008-03-04T14:35:00.003-07:00

Melissa tagged me, this one is about my spouse and I..... (I would insert a cute picture of the 2 of us here if we had one.)
1. His full name: Tyler Dee Ashcroft
2. How long have you been together? Just over 8 years
3. How long did you date? We "dated" for 4 months, and were engaged about 3 1/2 months.
4. How old is he? 29 until June when he turns the big "30"! He is twelve days older than me.
5. Who eats more? Tyler, although he can go longer without eating, I have to eat every few hours or I get a bit unpleasant.
6. Who said "I Love You" first? I feel really bad admitting this, but we can't remember this supposedly memorable experience. Tyler claims it was him, but he cannot recall when or where it happened.
7. Who is taller? Tyler, slightly. We definitely don't have a lot of height in our family.
8. Who sings better? Me, I guess, and I don't sing good.
9. Who is smarter? Tyler is smarter than I am at most things, no doubt. He wanted to be a professional student, and still would if he didn't have a family to provide for. However, I can kick his butt at BOGGLE (he is getting better though, or I am getting worse) and I feel I have much more common sense. We would definitely be lost somewhere in CO, if it wasn't for my genius sense of direction.
10. Who does the laundry? ME!!!
11. Who pays the bills? Me
12. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Tyler's answer, "That depends on whether we are sleeping on our stomach's or back's."
13. Who mows the lawn? I get to most of the time, unless it requires emptying the bag of grass, then Tyler gets too. Tyler does the weed whacking though, cause I can't control the thing. This takes about as long as mowing, because of our "chain link for miles".
14. Who cooks dinner? When it gets cooked at our house, I do.
15. Who drives? Most of the time I drive. Tyler doesn't like to drive, and I get us around the city a lot better.
16. Who kissed who first? I think this was a mutual first kiss.
17. Who's more stubborn? I don't think either of us is way stubborn. Tyler is stubborn on politics and I am just right about everything else.
18. Who asked who out first? I'm not sure we went on a date until we had been together for awhile.
19. Who proposed? Tyler, on the third attempt. He was kinda chicken.
20. Who has more friends? Probably Tyler, I don't meet a lot of people at my job.
21. Who is more sensitive? I think I am, Tyler thinks he is.
22. Who has more siblings? Me
23. Who wears the pants? UUHH, ME! Although, I try to let Tyler think he does every once in awhile.

I am tagging.... Chelsey, Kambree, and Janelle

I've Been Tagged, Well My Kids Have.....

2008-02-22T14:18:00.009-07:00

I, or my KIDS, were tagged by Courtney, and it always takes a little while to respond to these things. Here are 8 Things you may not know about Macy Jane.... (3 years old)

1. Macy has reached the 35.5 Inch mark! She has always been a little shrimp, but this year has been a big one for her. She has grown 3.2 inches!! At this rate she may actually be tall enough to ride the kid rides at Six Flags this summer.

2. From the moment Macy wakes up, until the time she goes to sleep she is talking. If she isn't talking to someone else, she is talking or sometimes singing to herself. It is amazing to me how much she can talk. It may sound as if I am exaggerating, but I am not. Trust me!

3. Macy is a very loving little girl. It is not very often that a day goes by without her telling us she loves us. We regularly go through the list of grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncle, and cousins, and she always says in her cute little voice "Oh, I love them."

4. She absolutely refuses to eat or even try cheese. However, she quite enjoys "Grilled Toast", you may know it as Grilled Cheese.

5. Macy's favorite meal of the day, is breakfast. This is how she survives in life. She has been a bigger eater lately, (maybe because of the huge growth spurt) but for the most part, she lives on French Toast, Pancakes, Blueberry Muffins, and Cereal, lots and lots of Cereal. And for a little fella she can put it away at breakfast time.

6. Currently, Macy wants to be a Ballerina when she grows up. It used to be "just a Mom" but I told her she could be a Mom and something else, and she chose a ballerina. She reminds me everyday.

7. Macy has an amazing memory. She can recall things that happened a year ago with great detail.

8. Macy loves Cats. Unfortunately for her, Tyler does not. When I say love, I mean LOVE!!! She saw one at the pet store in the mall one day, and begged for it, I told her we couldn't have a cat we don't have enough room for a cat. (It seemed like a good reason.) So since we have been talking about moving to a bigger place, she has reminded me that when we have a bigger house we can go get that orange kitty from the pet store. (There is that memory.) Tyler will eventually lose this battle, I can guarantee.

8 things you may not know about Keaton Dee.... (10 months)
1. Keaton was born 10 days late, and was a big boy weighing in at 8 lbs. 4 oz.

2. Keaton loves to give kisses! First thing in the morning he has big, wet, wide mouth kisses for Mom, Dad and Macy. We just are careful not to let him kiss too long, those 8 teeth make me a bit nervous.

3. At the present time, Keaton's favorite foods include: Pizza, Spaghetti, Lasagna, Ravioli with Marinara Sauce. In other words he likes Spaghetti/Tomato Sauce, he absolutely cannot get enough of it.

4. He loves balls. He has a yellow smiley face ball that he carries around all day with him.

5. Keaton loves the bathtub. If her hears the water running he is there in an instant, squealing with excitement. He is the worlds craziest splasher, he chokes himself from all the water and sometimes has Macy in tears from all the splashing. It is indescribable, he is intense.

6. He has learned how to say "UH OH"! He loves to throw/drop things just so he can say it.

7. Keaton loves Macy! He squeals when he sees in the morning, and the look on his face when her hears her voice is great. He can hardly stand waiting for her to wake up from her nap, many times I have to pull him away from knocking on her door. They have an incredible bond.

8. Keaton is now weighing in at around 20 lbs. and is around 28 inches tall. He is definatley not of the same build as his sister. He loves to eat and it shows!

I don't about these being things you don't already know about my kids. I guess it depends on who is reading. It seems like I talk about my kids non-stop, so I thought you all should know everything about them by now.

I'm Tagging the McCullough's, Lee's, Haws, Marshalls', Stokes, McEvoy's, Wells, and Lemon's children.

Oh Yeah, the Haircut

2008-02-15T14:08:00.005-07:00

Geez, it's been 3 weeks or so now since we chopped Macy's hair and I wanted to post the pictures for all of you Grandma's especially. She had been asking me for days "can we cut my hair today? It is getting SO long." So finally we got to it. She loves getting her hair cut and I love the way it turned out. So easy too. It's been nice not having to come up with some new way to pull it out of her face. Well, anyway here is a few snapshots of Macy's cute hair.....

(This one maybe isn't that good to show the

hair, but I thought it was cute.)

I just need to post something....

2008-02-15T13:51:00.003-07:00

It has been quite a while since I've updated. We became hermits for awhile when we had frigid temperatures, but the other day it warmed up nicely to the high 50's and we were itchin' to get out. (Since it was suppose to snow that night and into the next day.) So we went to the park and enjoyed the warmth! I turned Keaton around in his carseat because he is a BIG boy. It is probably a little bit early, he is 10 months now and it makes the car ride a bit more enjoyable for us all.

Cute Boy, look how he rides with his feet crossed, I love it!!

Here is my view from the front seat. Who is bigger? Macy or Keaton?
Keaton LOVES to swing!
Macy went out back to play and when I checked on her she had a wonderful stick collection!! That's my Macy...

First Steps!!!

2008-01-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

Look at my BABY BOY!! He officially took his first steps a few days ago. Although, he is still a ways from full out walking (which is just fine with me). He is really proud of himself, he gets really excited while he is standing and then he takes a few crazy steps and falls into us. He was taking steps yesterday with Macy and I, and she asked me "are you so sad mom 'cause he is walking?" Yes, I am but it's exciting at the same time, my babies just don't stay babies long enough.... Oh, and by the way he just got his EIGHTH tooth, we expect his 2 year molars any day....

Ski Bum

2008-01-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

Tyler's dreams have come true..... Macy loves to ski!! She has actually become quite a litttle ski bum. On New Year's Eve we went skiing to Beaver Mountain along with Tyler's family for "Macy's First Ski Day". Her favorite part of the experience is "riding the lift and skiing down to the Hot Chocolate Center." It's a great bonding experience for father and daughter, she could care less about me being involved. She was the last one up the Little Beaver lift for the day, and she still didn't want to be done.
A few days later we went to the Ogden valley to stay in a Condo with our friends, The Lemons. A big thank you Mike and Mel, it was great fun!!! We all went to Wolf Mountain, formerly Nordic Valley, to ski with the children. It was another great day for Macy, and there were tears once again when it was time to leave.

This is about 3 minutes after getting in the car. Out Cold!!!
Tyler and Macy went skiing again yesterday to Loveland, with our friends the Snapp-Cooks. She is yet to have a bad day skiing. Tyler is ecstatic!!!! No pressure Keaton.

A Very Merry Christmas!!

2008-01-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it is about time I got myself around to writing about our Christmas holiday. You all know how I love slide shows, so I put one of our holiday together. This year we decided to stay in Colorado for Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve we drove around to look at lights, there is one house a little ways away that has the most amazing set up I have ever seen. Seriously, it must take him until June to take it all down and then 2 weeks later he must start setting it up again. He has about 5 electric trains that go all around half the yard and up on his roof, then he has a bunch of display boxes with all kinds of stuff, that's all I can say to describe it is 'Stuff". You get out and walk around through the yard to look at everything. Keaton could have watched the trains all night. Anyway it was a hard act to follow, because after that house Macy thought we should get out and look at EVERY house that had lights. So after answering that question about 10 times we were done. Macy opened her and Keaton's PJ's and posed for the pictures in front of the tree. Keaton was really more interested in chewing on Jasmine as you can see in the pictures. Tyler told the Nativity story and we sang some songs, it was a nice quiet Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning was so much fun!! Macy woke up and told me she had heard Santa's sleigh on the roof. She loved her dollhouse and had been playing with it for about twenty minutes before she even noticed there was more. Tyler and I took that as a good sign. Keaton liked the Jungle Book characters best, which probably contain lead, but we all sucked on lead filled toys and MOST of us turned out okay, right?? Ha, Ha! The rest of the day was pretty relaxed, Keaton had been up most of the night with what we now know was an ear infection, so a lot of napping took place. It was a nice mellow, very WHITE Christmas, (it snowed about 8 inches). It was a great day.

On the 27th we headed to Utah for 10 days. Macy and Keaton were then spoiled by all their grandparents. Macy started to expect presents at every house we went to. It was great to see everyone, but no matter how long we stay we always feel like we didn't get to see enough of everyone. Oh well, I guess that will keep us coming back!! We made it home, and reminded ourselves how bad we hate that drive!!! The kids were amazing though, no complaints there. Now we are home and I am still trying to find places to put EVERYTHING. I have learned that we shouldn't have worried about gifts for Keaton, he was all about the instruction booklets that came with all the stuff, along with Macy's dollhouse. Well, that is our holiday in a nutshell, being that it is now January 11th it is about time. Geez, there is only like, 350 something days left until next year......

Zoo Lights

2008-01-09T14:04:00.001-07:00

The Denver Zoo does a light display for the holidays, we missed them last year, so we really wanted to get there this year. We went a few days before Christmas, it was a great night, not too cold. We also got to see Santa while we were there. Macy was really excited to see him, that is until we actually SAW him. While we were waiting in line she kept telling me she had changed her mind, and didn't want to see Santa. Well I coaxed her through it and she was good on her word, she wouldn't even look at him or speak to him. Oh well, at least there weren't any tears, and we got a picture!

Keaton was such a trooper, even though he can't move his arms, or his head, or bend to sit. He really liked the lights too. It was fun for the whole family, a great tradition to keep as long as we are in Denver.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DEAR MACY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!

2007-12-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Macy's birthday by going with a couple of her friends to 'Fat City' to play in the Foam Factory. After an hour of being scared of the noise and near tears, she finally let loose and had some fun swimming in the huge pile of balls. To be fair it is pretty loud, but I wouldn't take her to a scary place for her birthday?!! Anyway then we had lunch a Macy's favorite place, Chick-fil-A! When Tyler got off work we went to Build-a-Bear (Thanks G&G), and she picked out a pink leopard that is now named Lexie Leopard. She would have preferred to leave with one already completed but we persuaded her to create her own. Then after much debate she found some P.J.'s, panties, and a purse for her leopard. (What a combo?) I was surprised how much I got into the whole thing, they have so many cute little outfits!!! Then we finally made our way home for her to open the rest of her gifts. I think she will be busy for at least a few days, so far the princess figures that were on top of her cake have been the most entertaining. (I kind of thought that would be the case.) All in all, it was a great day! I am extremely tired, I think that means it was a success? Who knew a 3 year old birthday could be so exhausting?

Macy swimming in the balls, with crazy static hair.

All this... Plus a SLED, which she used last night, no more shovel!
She requested a yellow princess cake, that is what she got..... NO I don't take orders, Ha, Ha!

An Ode to Macy, the 3 year old girl!!!

2007-12-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

Here is a post dedicated to Macy Jane. There are a ton of pictures, I know, but I had a really hard time choosing. I just never get tired of those beautiful blue eyes!! I wanted to try and show a bit of her personality. Although her personality cannot be fully experienced until you have had a conversation with her. She has such a funny personality, and such a tease!! She likes to be referred to as Bubbarooskie, who lately she refers to in third person? I cannot believe how old she is, she isn't really 'big' so I will use the word old. I hope you enjoy the slide show (or shall I say MOVIE) of my 3 year old girl, we love her a hundred!!

This ones for you Colby....

2007-12-10T14:44:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Tyler's office for lunch and he informed me that I needed to go home and add new pictures to the blog so Colby, his brother on a mission in Guatemala, could check them out on his alloted internet time. We had a bit of snow over the weekend, Macy could hardly sleep knowing there might be enough snow to build Frosty when she woke up. So Sunday after making it through most of Stake Conference, we had some fun in the snow. So here are a few pictures from yesterday. Of course, all who wish may look and comment as they feel so inclined!! (Colby you better comment so I know you saw them!!)

This is called 'white trash' sledding, it is what you do when you don't have a sled. Poor Macy, NO Sled??? She Loved it regardless....

Keaton's first bite of snow, kinda looks like a 'brain freeze' huh?

Thanksgiving Weekend

2007-11-26T10:32:00.000-07:00

Finally..... a new post. I just wasn't feeling the writing bug and honestly nothing really exciting or interesting had happened. Now that I have had a little vacation from the blog I am back and ready to go. We had a small little Thanksgiving dinner with our friends the Snapp-Cooks. I took on the task of baking rolls, my Grandma Allens recipe. I have done this for a few years, and every year I wonder why I don't practice these at times when the aren't so important to the success of the dinner. This year however, I must say, I was quite impressed with the outcome. Still not Grandma quality, (I need at least 30 more years for that) but my best year yet! After our nice dinner we banished the children to the basement so we could play the some Guitar Hero on the Wii. We also played an intense game of doubles tennis, in which there was almost a severe casualty involving my hand almost being BROKEN by Tyler's intense swinging. It's all good now though! Friday night we went to the "Lighting of Littleton". We love our cute little downtown, it was partly what drew us to this area. I made some killer Mexican hot cocoa, bundled all of us up, (oh, Keaton was in his one piece fleece suit, think Ralphie little brother on "The Christmas Story" he looked adorable) and packed up the wagon with kids and blankets and the entire family headed downtown. They have Santa come down Main St. and light the trees that line the street along the way. Macy made sure to yell to Santa as he went by that she wanted a "Disney Pwincess Cash Wegister!" She was a bit shy though when we actually went to say hello and told me as we walked away, "he was supposed to give me one of those toys on his sleigh." It really is going to be a long month for her.... We made a quick stop to see Santa's reindeer and then we were officially freezing, since it was about 20 degrees, and we made the trek home. Saturday, Macy and I had a girls day and went to see "Enchanted", it was a little long for her attention span but we had enough popcorn and licorice to keep her busy, man she can put that stuff away....... It was a great weekend, I am so thankful for our happy life..... Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

This is the only picture we got before our batteries died! Aaaargh!

Keaton Dee!

2007-11-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to show off my little guy (after all that's why I have a blog, right?). He is getting sooo big so quickly. I wish I could slow him down just a bit. He is crawling now, but not forward, only backward. It's not an army crawl backward either, it is a full on hand and knees crawl. He goes for a little bit, sits up to check out where he is, then continues on his way backward. If he wants something in front of him he just wiggles around in the sitting position until he gets to where he wants to be. He officially has 4 teeth now, which is surprising to us because Macy barely had 4 at her first birthday. (Then again, Keaton is about the size that Macy was at her 1st birthday.) He is honestly the sweetest little man. Tyler and I are continually amazed at how incredible he is.

"Being Big!"--- Oh, I love those thighs

The tongue is ALWAYS out!

Can you see the top two teeth? Just a small gap.

And here he is pulling himself up to the table, Yikes! I'm sooo not ready for that!

TAGGED!

2007-11-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

So I was tagged awhile ago by Courtney, I drug my feet on that one, and then Mandy tagged me..... So here I go. 7 interesting/random things about me.

1. First of all I am terrible when it comes to "things about me". You know those games that are like 2 truths and a lie about yourself. I am terrible at them. I had to do one that was something No Body Knows About You, Some People Know About You, and Everybody Knows About You, it just about put me over the edge. So the other 6 things on this list are done with the assistance of my husband, Tyler.

2. I hate to exercise. Not much else to say, I just don't like it. I realize I will probably die from a heart attack because I am so out of shape. It drives my husband crazy and that is why it was the first thing he listed.

3. I have a hard time spending money on myself. That may surprise some of you, but Tyler sends my out to buy something for myself and I return with something for my kids. If I get money for Christmas it will last me until practically Easter. Not to say that I don't ever spend money, I just have some odd disorder that if there is pressure to buy something I just can't do it? I don't know what it is.

4. I am not very competitive. When I play games with people I really don't care if I win (again if you know my husband, you know this would drive him crazy). I just like to play the game. The thing is whenever Tyler and I play games alone, I ALWAYS win!! The only time he beats me is when there are witnesses.

5. I like to watch the Food Network. I owe this to my brother Wesley, I use to make fun of him for watching it all the time and late into the night when he was unemployed and lived with us. Then before I had Macy and I was fat and lazy at home too, I got hooked. I enjoy Throwdown with Bobby Flay, Good Eats, Iron Chef America, and Oh yes, Dinner Impossible. Wow, I sound like a junkie.

6. I have LOTS of gray hair. I started going gray at 20 years old and nine years later.... I am even grayer. Luckily, I know how to color my hair! Thank goodness for hair school.

7. I (unlike you Mandy) am the driver in the family. Tyler hates to drive and I mostly prefer to drive. I feel like I am in control, and the passenger has to deal with the kids nowadays. Our friends think it is so funny that we pull up to our destination and I am the one driving. It works great for us!

I am tagging.... Nicole, Christina, Katie...... and I think everyone else I know that blogs has already been tagged, that is what I get for taking so long. Oh well.

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T13:43:00.000-06:00

Here is our cute little witch and lion. Macy had originally decided she wanted to be a puppy for halloween, but not just any puppy, she wanted to be "Bella" from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. For those of you that don't know "Bella", she is a white puppy with Orange polk-a-dots. Unfortunatley I do NOT sew and I couldn't find a puppy costume with those specifics. Well, when Brooklyn and Avery were here visiting they got witch costumes and Macy thought they were fabulous, so she decided she wanted to be a witch (with a broom). I jumped on that and we went to get the witch costume the next day. Keaton was a lion (a mighty cute one I might add) because that is what Macy was when she was a baby. There aren't many things I can hand down from Macy but I thought this one would be okay.Macy and Soren at the "Trunk or Treat" Macy loves "yolipops"
Macy had a party at preschool on Tuesday, this is her singing the "5 Little Pumpkins" song. Keaton was a trooper, I think he felt a little clausterphobic though.
The LOOT! Good thing mom and Dad are here to help!

2007-10-29T21:10:00.000-06:00

Here are some more pictures, they are from our night at Elitch Gardens' Fright Fest. We went with our friends the Knott's. Macy is still only tall enough to ride a handful of rides, she wants to ride the others soooo bad and maybe (emphasis on maybe) she will be tall enough next year. Since we usually have lots of pictures of Macy this post is mostly to show some pictures of Keaton because we love him too....

Such a good boy!! (he doesn't really have a lazy eye!)

Macy and Ellie on the airplanes

Just Some Pictures

2007-10-29T14:17:00.000-06:00

When Tyler does his updates he just emails them to the blog and he never puts any pictures with it, and that's no fun... So here are some pictures from last week when we had our snow storm.

Macy (and Bruno) ready to go!
Snow Angel... "the snow is getting in my eyes!"

Yeah, for our snowman!!!!
(Maybe next time we take pictures in our yard we can get a more appealing background..... Oh wait, there isn't one!!!)

Good-bye to the Civ.....

2007-10-23T09:40:00.000-06:00

For those of you who are interested in the drama of our stolen vehicle, I think we have finally put it to rest. Monday I ran around getting a new copy of the registration and the DMV, picked up the license plates that had been recovered in Wheat Ridge, which is on the NE side of Denver, went to the bank, then picked up Tyler early and headed up to Commerce City, which is on the NW (BFE) side of Denver. Since the car was in my name, I was the one taken back to the car, let's just say....Well, it started. The stereo was gone, the knobs on everything were gone, ashes and cigarette butts were everywhere, not to mention the random articles of clothing throughout, I opened the trunk and found the a bag that contained the "kit" for stealing cars and a few PlayBoy mags to read while they were stealing the car?, apparently the car was recovered before they were done with it. Anyway, after calling my Dad and some consideration, we decided to leave it and have it crushed. So, good-bye Civic, you were a great car, rest in peace. I have to say a little piece of me is sad, I really liked my Civic back in the days of single life.

weekly update revisited

2007-10-21T22:00:00.001-06:00

Its been a few weeks since I have posted a weekly update. Most people find what I do at work very boring but I will give a brief update anyway. We are trying to get West Tavaputs Plateau Draft Environmental Impact Statement out to print this week, which means I have been extremely busy at work during the last month. This week the document will go to the BLM Field, State, and Washington Offices as well as to the solicitors for review. The next step will be release of the Draft for a 90 public comment period. Based upon the sensitivity of the area we are working in, we are sure that the document we are writing will be appealed, which means we have to produce a really high quality document. I have been under a lot of stress, which has probably transferred home on occasion.
This weekend was extremely eventful. On Saturday morning we had family pictures taken. As expected, Keaton spit up all over himself on the way there. Jacque wasn't happy because I forgot to put on a bib. When we got to Hudson Gardens Jacque was even less happy because she noticed that I had forgot Keaton's shoes. So if our child has bare feet in our Christmas cards don't think it is because he is abused or neglected. After pictures the family joined the rest of the Denver Metro area to get free flu shots. I spent the rest of the afternoon winterizing our house in preparation for the seasons first snow storm.
On Saturday evening Jacque and I went to a couples only Halloween theme party "Ghosts of your high school past." Jacque was was proud of herself, and rightfully so, for fitting into her Bear River High School cheer uniform. Unfortunately my high school memorabilia is packed within boxes at the Dee Ashcroft home in Utah so I was forced to wear a mediocre soccer uniform. One of the highlights of evening was Jacques performance in the "Singing Bee" contest. She placed second, losing only to a man dressed as a prom queen that happened to know the Spice Girls better than she did. My favorite part of the evening was near the end of the party when Jacque, drunk of little more than high school nostalgia, broke out a solo performance of Bear River High School cheerleaders 1995 half-time performance to "Everybody Dance Now" without missing a beat.
On Sunday morning we woke up to four inches of snow on the ground in Denver. The day before it had been 75 degrees. We got a late start on the morning so we decided to skip church meetings for the day which turned out to be a really good decision. After cooking a nice breakfast Jacque climbed in bed with Keaton at around 9:30 and didn't wake up until around noon. After lunch Macy and Jacque went out to play in the snow, then Macy and I enjoyed a 2 hour nap together. When Macy and I woke up we went out in the snow again to build a snow man while Jacque made dinner. After a nice Sunday dinner, the family decorated Halloween sugar cookies together before we sent the kids to bed.
This week weekend we also received word that our car has been recovered. We are not sure what condition the vehicle is in. Not to be pessimistic, but I had just figured out the public transit system and we were getting used to being a one car family. When our car was recovered the police elected to have it towed to an impoundment lot north of Denver. The cost of recovering the vehicle is 200 dollars plus an additional 20 dollars for each day that the car sits in the lot. We would have gone to pick up the vehicle already but apparently you are not allowed to retrieve your stolen vehicle without proof of registration. Since our registration was inside of our stolen vehicle, we have to go to County recorder, which is closed on the weekends, and get a new vehicle registration card, so we can go get our vehicle, which we are not sure is drivable.
In other big news, Keaton turned six months old on Friday. Today he started crawling backwards, which means that he will soon be moving forward. He is very excited to be mobile. When we sit him down he immediately moves from his bottom to his knees. In the past few days we have got just a small glimpse of what it may be like when Keaton is mobile. This week it seems as though he wants everything that Macy has and Macy want everything that he has. We are looking forward to some sibling fighting.
Finally, right now I am watching Boston dismantle Cleveland in the ALCS. Like the most of Colorado, I have jumped on the Rockies band wagon and will probably try to get tickets to the world series tomorrow. Colorado's playoff run has been historical, and I think it would be simply amazing to watch a Boston vs. Colorado game in the World Series. During the regular season you can buy Rockpile tickets (centerfield upper deck) for 4 dollars. Those same seats are starting at 65 dollars for the world series.
Hope everyone is doing well,
Love,
Tyler

Money, Money, Money!

2007-10-18T14:04:00.000-06:00

So this may be a dumb thing to write about, but it has been on my mind lately and since this is my journal you all get to hear about it. Christmas is coming, and like every other year I am trying to start my shopping now, but I'm sure like every other year I will still be crazy shopping 3 days before. I'm stuck on what to get for Macy, she is an odd little girl when it comes to toys. I say that in the most loving way, I call her a collector, Tyler calls her a hoarder. Let me explain, she has lots of toys but until recently her favorite and almost only toys she played with were her stuffed animals, kitties mostly, she has 4 kitties, Milo, Yellow kitty, Pedro (Tyler helped with that one), and Whiskers. That was great although Tyler and I never knew kids really PLAYED with stuffed animals. Well now she has moved on to small random things, like bouncy balls, not just one but 4 (a little collection). She also has some little jewels and pirate treasure that are rapidly disappearing to that place that all the missing toys go never to be seen again. The real favorite is the MONEY, not pretend money, Coins: pennies, quarters, dimes and nickles. She loves it she sorts them out into piles and puts them in random containers and baskets. (we have had the "Keep them away from Keaton" talk a hundred times) She takes handfuls with her in the car to keep her entertained. Sometimes I have to let her put it under her pillow during her nap. (sometimes you do whatever it takes.) I am sure it is a phase and she will move onto something else to collect, but maybe we will have to get her a money sorter for Christmas (wow, see how writing this just solved my problem. ha, ha).

Comment on the Video Post

2007-10-14T14:19:00.000-06:00

There is probably to go about posting the video of Bono to the blog, but I don't know what that is. Anyway as some of you may know, and for those of you who don't know, Tyler and I are big fans of Bono, not just as a member of the band U2, but as a person also. My mom sent us this video and I thought I would post it for those of you that are interested in watching it. (FYI it is about 15 min. long.)

We Love Bono!

2007-10-14T13:42:00.000-06:00

WEB EXTRA: Bono Receives The Liberty Medal

You'll need a version of Windows Media Player 7 or higher to view the video. If you need to download it, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mediaplayer/en/default.asptarget=_blank The video player is supported by Microsoft IE 5.0 and above.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

2007-10-10T22:05:00.001-06:00

2007-10-10T21:20:00.000-06:00

Last weekend Tyler's parents, sister Amy and her three girls came to visit. Friday, Tyler took the day off and we traveled to Colorado Springs to go to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Garden of the Gods. We spent most of the day at the zoo, the giraffes were definitely a highlight, Macy was a bit intimidated by them but loved the lion cubs "they are so small and sooo cute". We also enjoyed seeing the baby orangutans. We drove through Garden of the Gods and stopped for a few pictures. The rest of the weekend we spent time at the park, miniature golfing, the girls enjoyed swimming with Grandpa Dee and Tyler, (nothing clears the hotel pool like 4 squealing girls.) On Sunday, Tyler and Dee went to the Bronco game, they left when it started raining and the Broncos were down about 40 points. Anyway, we had a great time, Macy had a blast, and has spent the last few days recuperating and detoxing from all the fun.

Ohhh Momma's Boy!!

2007-09-29T21:28:00.000-06:00

Keaton says MaMa!!! Okay, he only says is when he is kinda fussing, it's kind of a "whaaa, mumma." But it's mama nonetheless. Tyler is trying really hard to deny it, he says "he is just making a sound, he's not saying MaMa." I say WHATEVER!!! Macy said DaDa first, and I didn't claim that was just a sound. When Macy can tell he is saying mama, I think it is more than just a sound. Anyway, I'm claiming it is official, my baby said mama at 5 months. What a good boy!!!------(Check out his cute little tooth that's coming in!)

TAGGED!!! by Ali....

2007-09-27T13:15:00.001-06:00

WHAT WAS I DOING 10 YEARS AGO?
If my math is right, ten years ago I had quit USU to pursue schooling at BATC (Bridgerland Applied Tech. Center), and since Ali and I had moved just moved into an apartment with 5 other girls (Yes, that totals 7, and Mandy was just up the stairs) we were just beginning one crazy year! I was struggling on a daily basis staying awake at school after many late night "Big Booty" Fests!! Oh, how the memories are flowing now. (Mandy and Ali, I may be calling just to reminisce.)
WHAT WAS I DOING 5 YEARS AGO?
We had just purchased our cute townhome in Providence, got ourselves a cute little beagle puppy, and I was working as the office manager at Bowcutt Floral in Tremonton.
WHAT WAS I DOING 1 YEAR AGO?
A year ago, my belly was growing bigger by the minute, and I was still trying to keep my pregnancy a secret. (We were going to surprise all of our family on Christmas with a big ol' belly). We were still getting settled into our new, old house in "Old Littleton" Colorado.
WHAT WAS I DOING YESTERDAY
Wow, yesterday was a complete "mom day". Keaton slept a total of 2o min. between 8 am and 4 pm, Macy didn't do much better. So I did a lot of entertaining! Finally took a shower at 5:00 p.m. when Tyler got home so we could attend a baptism in our ward. Stayed up late blogging while watching the result show of "Dancing with the Stars"
FIVE PLACES I’D RATHER BE
Vacationing with my family (anywhere except Utah, sorry that is the only place I go lately)
Vacationing with my husband somewhere exotic
Somewhere on a vacation (do you get the picture? I need a REAL Vacation)
Shopping (Macy can come if she wants)
Eating at one of our many regular spots
FIVE TREATS I LOVE
Candy (Most kinds)
White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
Chips and Salsa (Cafe Sabor preferably)
Barbecue Chips
and last but not least... PEPSI (no diet the hard stuff please)
WHAT I’D DO WITH 100 MILLION DOLLARS
Pay off debt, by a slightly bigger house, and a new car (since we are officially a one car family) make several contributions to aid others in extreme poverty. Travel with my family, everywhere!
FIVE FAVORITE TV SHOWS
Grey's Anatomy
America's Next Top Model
Dancing with the Stars
Gilmore Girls (this was my most favorite but it ended last season, so sad)
The Hills
MY MOST MEMORABLE THINGS RIGHT NOW
How happy Mr. Keat is every morning. Macy's vocabulary! Macy randomly telling me she loves me. Watching Tyler play with the kids.
FIVE PEOPLE I’M TAGGING
I don't think I have 5 people to tag, everyone has been tagged, oh except you Shane Larsen (if you ever check my blog) Ally Southern, you too.

I'm BAAAaaaK!!

2007-09-26T22:20:00.000-06:00

I have returned! I actually returned on Sunday night around 10:00 p.m. after a delayed flight, half and hour wait to collect everything we own from the baggage claim, then a 20 minute ride on the shuttle to BFE where we unloaded all of our crap into a pile and I waited in the dark in the middle of a parking lot somewhere near the Denver airport while Tyler fetched the car. Wow traveling is exhausting. Here it is Wed. night and I am barely getting back into the swing of things. I've missed the blogging world, I checked in from time to time but just didn't have the time I needed to participate. Ali, I am glad you noticed I was gone, makes me feel good! The main reason we went to Utah was for my sister Stephanie's wedding. Macy was a flower girl and thought it was fabulous, although she figured out what she was suppose to do after the walk down the isle and spent the next half an hour perfecting the role. The wedding was suppose to be at Hampton Ford, but had to be moved to the Belmont church because of weather, bummer! I was a bridesmaid, I think maybe I am to old to be a bridesmaid, but oh well. The week before the wedding was spend between the three sets of grandparents, hopefully evenly, which gets tricky to do. So by the time we left Utah my kids were sick with a cold, me too, and totally exhausted. It's great to see family, but I must say I am glad to be home to my small cramped lifestyle. In other news, Keaton has his first tooth!!! And I think the other is on the way. I was caught off guard by this because Macy didn't get her first tooth until she was 10 months old. He is sitting like a big man these days, he has become mobile (kinda) he has figured out how to bounce on his bum and move to where he wants to be, it's really funny. He gets bouncing pretty high. He is a funny boy! Well my bed is calling my name... Love you all... Jacque

weekly update

2007-09-16T23:28:00.001-06:00

This past week Jacque's brother Wesley was in town. Wesley lived with Jacque and I for almost two years when we were in our town home in Providence. It was kind of like old times having him around the house again. Wes brought his play station along to keep him company. With two kids in the house he never managed to get it out of his suitcase. Macy had him on a leash most of the week, which was nice for Jacque and I. On Friday night we had my companies seats at the Rockies game. Wes and I took Macy so that Jacque could have an alone night with Keaton and get packed for their trip to Utah. We rode the light rail downtown because Macy loves to ride the train. It was entertaining even though the rocks lost the game and any chance they had of slipping into the playoffs as a wildcard. On Saturday morning Jacque, Wes, Macy and Keaton left to Utah. Jacque's sister Stephanie is getting married this coming Saturday and Jacque decided to extend her trip so that Macy and Keaton's Grandmas and Grandpas could each get their 2 days of appropriated time with their grandchildren. When I got back from the airport at 10:00 AM I took my pillow and blanket and laid on the couch doing my best Al Bundy impersonation in front of the TV until 11:00 PM watching college football. I believe that I left the couch three times (once to get a coke and go to the restroom, once to let the dog out so he could to the bathroom, and once to go pick up some food). By the end of the night I felt like a complete worthless human being; however, every man deserves that type of day at least once during football season. This morning (Sunday) I woke up at around 8:40, which is probably the latest that I have slept in the past year. I manage to get out of bed and throw on my clothes just in time for church. After church I came home and cleaned the house. When it was clean and Macy wasn't here to get the toys back out I decided that I was already tired of being home alone. Tomorrow I am traveling for work and I am having one of my transient co-workers come stay at our house to baby-sit Bruno. Most of my co-workers are really good with dogs and not so good with kids. Our office is somewhat like a pet store. Almost everyone in the office brings his or her dog to work except me because I have a Beagle that is on doggie Prozac. At our front desk we have a jar of people treats and doggie treats. I guess that is what happens when you work in an office full of environmentalists. The older I get the more I become like my parents, which isn't a bad thing. One of the traits that I inherited from my mother is the need to clean obsessively if anyone is coming over to our house. At work my company has just been awarded a contract to write a programmatic Environmental Impact Statement to evaluate the impacts of oil and gas development on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation which is located in Eastern Utah. I have been asked to be the assistant project manager on the EIS which should be an incredible resume building experience. It will also be a difficult and very frustrating project because it will involve working with members of the Tribe, limited baseline data, and numerous government agencies. If done correctly the EIS will be a a very positive change because currently there are little if any rules or regulations regarding development on the Reservation, which leads to rape, pillage, death, and carnage. In family news, Keaton has a tooth that has broke through, which is really amazing since Macy didn't get her first tooth until she was 10 months old. Keaton also went to the doctor for his immunizations this week and at 4 months 3 weeks he is almost 15 lbs, which is a milestone that Macy didn't hit until she was about 1 1/2. Keaton has also really taken a liking to solid foods, especially his rice cereal.

Hope all is well.

Tyler

Fw: weekly update

2007-09-12T15:46:00.001-06:00

From: JACQUELYN ASHCROFT

To: Amy ; Brock Taylor ; Chelsey Raymond ; cashcroft ; David Shaw ; Dee and LeAnn Ashcroft ; dee.ashcroft ; Michael.Lemon ; Pauline Allen ; Scott Billings ; Shane Larsen

Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 11:09 PM

Subject: weekly update

On Tuesday night I took 8 boys to Chatfield reservoir in pursuit of the canoeing merit badge. I am proud to report that with no formal training, I pretended to teach the boys all of the required strokes, how to move from the bow to the stern, how to get in and out of the canoe while in the middle of lake, and how to swamp and empty a swamped canoe. I am quite sure the boys didn't learn anything, but since no one drown they are all getting their award. On Friday morning Jacque's brother Wesley flew into town. That evening Wesley and I went with the young men of the Littleton First Ward on a campout. Our campground was located on West Tennessee Pass which is just outside Leadville, CO. Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the lower 48 states at 11,200 feet. Our base camp was near tree line, which as around 11,500 feet. From camp we hiked approximately 4 miles into the Holy Cross Wilderness Area, which is located in the San Isabel National Forest. Our final destination was the Tennessee lakes, which are located at the base of Mount Massif, which is one of the highest peaks in Colorado (approximately 14,500 feet). During the hike I had the opportunity to teach the boys the importance of wilderness and leave no trace. My goal is to indoctrinate the youth by teaching them the evils of anthropocentrism and the value of ecocentrism. I am thinking that next year for scout camp we are going to get shirts that say "in wilderness is the preservation of the world" (Henry David Thoreau), "the most common form of terrorism in the U.S.A. is that carried on by bulldozers and chain saws" (Edward Abbey), or "the idea of wilderness doesn't need defended, only defenders" (Edward Abbey). We were the only visitors to the high mountain lakes and we had a fabulous time fishing and swimming. Wesley and I shared a fishing pole and we managed to catch around 25 fish in a 3 hour period. For the first time in my life I actually found enjoyment in fishing. It is amazing how fun it can be when you actually catch something. Wesley, who has been living at sea level this summer, spent a little too much time at high altitude and developed a migraine headache, which made for a miserable hike back to camp. We returned to Littleton at around 9:00 PM. When I went to pick up my Honda Civic that I had parked on the road about a block from the church, I discovered that it wasn't there. I have been trying to find a way to get rid of the Civic for a few years, but I didn't ever think that someone would steal it. Who in world wants a previously wrecked car with 208,000 miles, a missing door handle, no air conditioning, no stereo, and a broken axel. According to the police, a young Hispanic male that lives in Wheatridge, CO, which is just north Denver. At least that was the last person identified driving the vehicle Saturday afternoon. So far the police have not been able to recover our vehicle. The officer said that there is probably a 50 percent chance of recovery, and slightly less of a chance that the car will still be operable. After my civic is taken on a joyride by unidentified Hispanic male, it will probably be stripped of its few remaining valuable parts and left abandoned in a grocery store parking lot somewhere outside of Denver. Although I am making light of the fact that my car was just stolen, it really does have a negative impact on Jacque and I. The Civic may have been on its last leg, but it was all that I needed to make it to work and back, which is less than 5 miles from our home. In addition, we only had liability insurance, which means that the car is a complete loss, even if it was worth less than 2,000 dollars. In addition, we now have to try to find a way to operate as a one car family. While I was gone camping, Jacque, Macy, and Keaton decided to have a special night, which started with a trip to Toys-R-Us, which is on the same level as Pottery Barn kids and the Disneyland store. On the way into the store Macy managed to fall out of the shopping cart and hit her head on the pavement. Jacque called to tell me Macy's face was bruised and bloodied and that she may need to take Macy to the emergency room; however, Macy calmed down when Jacque promised to buy her a princess jewelry set complete with a crown with flashing lights. On Sunday, following our lesson on keeping the Sabbath Day Holy, we went to the amusement park. Jacque, Wesley, and I took turns riding with Macy on the airplanes, bus, train, tea-cups, boats, hot-air balloons, carousel, and Ferris wheel. We had a really good time.

Hope everyone is doing well

Tyler

Macy's Accident

2007-09-08T13:12:00.000-06:00

So how many of you mothers out there have told your child to sit down in the shopping cart or else they are going to fall out on their head, and your child just looks at you like "yeah right" and keeps on standing. Well, last night Tyler was at a camp out with the scouts so the kids and I went to Toys R Us. I was pushing the cart into the store with Macy in the front (standing up) and where the pavement met the sidewalk was a tiny little lip and the cart halted and Macy went flying out, right onto her head. Let me just tell you, if you have never had one of these slow motion, I can't get there in time, I can totally see what is happening moments, it is awful!! So I am trying pick up me SCREAMING child and hold onto the cart that is rolling away with my baby in it while the wind is blowing about 20 mph. I pick up Macy and I swear her forehead was indented 1 inch. So I ask a random guy if (since he didn't offer) if he would push my cart in the store, which he does and quickly walks away (Thanks man!). I usually don't think if myself as dramatic, and I can usually keep my senses in these kinds of situations. Well, not this time, I was kinda freaking out. I tried to leave the store and Macy started crying harder because she wanted to go to the toy store. So anyways after trying to put some ice on it (nice try) I think she is fine and she got a special prize because I felt so bad about the huge goose egg on her forehead. I kept checking on her all night because I was afraid she wouldn't wake up or something. Here is a picture, you can't really see the bruise very well, her whole forehead is puffy. I'm sure it will get uglier as time goes on. So I don't think she will question me again when I tell her to sit down in the cart.

Fw: weekly update

2007-09-04T14:08:00.001-06:00

From: Tyler Ashcroft
To: 'JACQUELYN ASHCROFT' ; 'Dee Ashcroft' ; deeannash@comcast.net ; 'Amy' ; 'Billings, Scott' ; 'Colby Ashcroft' ; 'Chelsey Raymond' ; 'Pauline Allen' ; davepamshaw@yahoo.com ; 'Gaylen L. and Elaine T. Ashcroft'
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2007 8:03 AM
Subject: weekly update

This week has been a rather uneventful week. On Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning Jacque and I attended a viewing and funeral for a gentleman in our ward that passed away after a two year fight against brain cancer. He was 46 years old and has three kids that are teenagers. During past year I have been the family's home teacher, and have also taught all of the kids in either Sunday school or young men's. I really dislike funerals, as do most people, but it was a good reminder of precious the gift of life and family really are. On Thursday Macy was selected as the Teachers helper at preschool. Jacque and I are not exactly sure what that the means, but she was really excited. She brought home a list of her favorite things, which to our surprise included Chick-Fila chicken nuggets and waffles fries, kittens, and the colors white, green and yellow. On Friday my employer closed down the office at three o'clock for the extended weekend. Jacque and picked up some KFC and took the kids to the park for a picnic. Saturday Jacque and I decide to partially neglect our children for a day and take on a yard project. Since we moved into our home we have had a large flower bed in our front lawn that was edged with cinder blocks and filled with red bark. It was the type of white trash eye sore that decreased our property value and the property value of our neighbor's homes. Jacque and I removed the cinder blocks and red bark, reshaped a small portion of the bed, and prepared the remainder to plant grass. Saturday night Jacque and Macy went shopping while Keaton and I stayed home and watched football. On Labor day we attended our annual labor day ward party. Jacque watched the kids while I played volleyball. That evening we went to another barbeque at our neighbor's house. Over the course of the day I ate a hot dog, hamburger, steak and a few sausages just incase my arteries weren't already clogged.

Hope all is well

Tyler

Shopping Monster....

2007-08-31T21:26:00.001-06:00

I think I may have created a monster. Last night I went to return a movie to the redbox, well, Macy knows that is at McDonalds, and that they have ice cream cones there. (Macy doesn't know that McDonalds has anything other than ice cream and movies, that is the only reason we ever go there.) Anyway she talked me into taking her with me and getting an "ice cream cone with ice cream in it!!" So after the ice cream, we took a little trip to the nearest Gap, well Macy found some boots that she wanted to try on, so I tried them on her. So she has them on both feet, but she can't walk because they are still stuck together, and she is asking me "can we take them home mom? Can we buy 'em?" And knowing that Tyler will not appreciate me bringing home a pair of boots for her I tried to say "No, sweetie not today." She then pleaded, "Please Mom, they are soooo cute!" (You may think I make this up, but no she really talks like this.) So after I tried to say no, and she pleaded for awhile I bought the boots! But it was all worth it when as we were walking out to the car, Macy carrying her bag with her new boots, and she says "Thanks mom, Thanks for the boots!" She carried on and on about her new boots and rode home with them on her lap. I told her she was going to have to repeat all of this appreciation and love to her daddy when we got home so that he didn't kill me for bringing home yet another pair of shoes for my 2 1/2 year old daughter. So anyway I may have created a shopping monster, although she really wasn't a monster she was very polite and appreciative, that may be the upsetting part, she already know's the tricks.

Summer's Over, Bring on the Snow!

2007-08-28T19:36:00.001-06:00

Fall Is In the Air! (Tyler's weekly)

2007-08-28T13:10:00.001-06:00

Life is good in the Mile High City. The past week there has been a sense of fall in the air. Macy and I have both had allergies and the temperature has changed. It has been pleasant in the days and cool in the night. This probably is one of my favorite times of the year. During summer, meaningless baseball games and NASCAR are the only thing on ESPN. During late summer America's sports network becomes so desperate that resolve to cover events such as the world series of poker and little league baseball. All of that goes out the door on Saturday with the beginning of College Football season. I love waking up, throwing on a hoody, and watching college game day. Saturday night I plan on ignoring my wife and children and sitting down for the California/Tennessee game with a hot dog, bag of Doritos, and a Coke. Beyond college football, on Sunday and Monday there is NFL, and we begin the last 20 games of 160 game baseball season, which is when the chase for the pennant and wild card becomes interesting. This will be my first football season with 2 kids. It is really going to put the pressure on Jacque to step up to the plate. Speaking of baseball, the Rockies are in contention for the wildcard for their second time in franchise history. They won't make the playoffs, but usually by this point in the season they are twenty games out and people have turned their attention to the Broncos, who are 1-3 in the preseason. This week we went to the Rockies game on Saturday night. Unlike last week when we sat in the rock pile, we had my company's seats, which are located 20 rows behind home plate. It is amazing how fun it is to go to the game when you can see. We intentionally arrived at the game late, which allowed us to stay through the 9^th inning. Keaton slept almost the whole game. Macy watched, danced, ate dippin' dots, and spent some time at playground. Not to rush past fall, but Macy and I are very excited for winter. This week Macy got a Charlie and Lola book from the library called "Snow is my Favorite and my very Best" and I received my Ski magazine gear guide in the mail. When fall begins in Denver, winter begins in the Colorado high country. Breckenridge, which is located just west of the continental divide and has a summit elevation of 13,000, actually received a dusting of snow this past week. Last year A-Basin opened in October, which is just around the corner. I have been doing my best to convince Macy that she loves skiing since she is going to start lessons with her dad this winter. I think I would probably deal with a child piercing their nipple better than I would a child who did not want to ski. I have faith that Macy will not disappoint me. In other news, Macy enjoyed her first week of preschool. Last week I told everyone about our experience shopping for a backpack. What I did not tell everyone was that Macy really wanted a backpack with wheels. I being the cheap and somewhat practical father that I am informed Macy that she was going to preschool not the airport, and that the backpack with wheels was not worth an additional $4.95. Well, on Tuesday Macy was the only child in her 12 student class that arrived at school actually "carrying" a backpack. All of the other student's packs had wheels. Hopefully she would not notice that her father was cheaper then all the other fathers, who had to have felt the same way that I did. After all she is only 2 ½, and will rarely carry anything heavier then a paper cup art project and a stuffed animal for show-and-tell. Following school Jacque anxiously waited to pick Macy up. While all of the other kids ran down the hall to their mothers pulling their backpacks. Macy lingered in the background dragging hers on the ground. Jacque asked: "Macy, why aren't you wearing your backpack." She replied, "I was just pretending that it had wheels." She repeated the act on Thursday. Internally I have wrestled with purchasing a new backpack, but have decided even if it means compromising my child's self-esteem I should stand my ground. At the rate she is going she may where a hole in the bottom of her backpack and get a new backpack soon anyway. In addition to going to the baseball game, this Saturday we went to the water park for the last time of the year. The entire family took a trip down the lazy river. Keaton was not sure how much he liked the 42 degree water or the falls splashing on his head. With starting school Macy has turned into a big girl. This week she decided that she no longer needs her potty seat, and that she can get on the toilet all by herself. Keaton has continued to find his voice. He is learning at a young age that he will have to talk loud to ever be heard over Macy. I think that is actually what happened with my sister and me. I fear that our children to could end up in speech therapy one day for talking too loud. The I find myself repeating the words of my Father "Tyler/Macy, you don't have to yell, were right here" as of late. Hope everyone is doing well.

Love,

Tyler

Ohhh Macy....

2007-08-22T13:16:00.000-06:00

Some of you may have heard this already via Tyler, but I wanted to share it anyhow..... The other day we were shopping and we walked into the Lego store. Right at the entrance they had a huge Hagrid (from Harry Potter). Macy said "Oh Mom, look at that, that sure is a big Jesus!" .... "Wow, that's a big Jesus right there." And I'm saying that's not Jesus, hun. But she wasn't listening to me, she was to busy saying it was Jesus! I thought it was funny, thought you might think so too.

Zzzzzz.....

2007-08-18T15:02:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I really like to talk about my kids. I'm almost done blogging for the day, promise. But I wanted to show you how Macy falls asleep for her naps these days. Yes... she really is sleeping!!! I let her read herself to sleep, and she literally does that.

Way to Go Keaton!

2007-08-18T14:44:00.000-06:00

Ta Daaa..... Here is Keaton sitting all by himself. He is still a little wobbly, but he can sit for a pretty long time for a little fella. He will be 4 months tomorrow, the 19th. What a cute guy, if I do say so myself.

Funny Macy....

2007-08-17T12:49:00.000-06:00

Last night Macy went shopping with Tyler to buy a backpack. She is starting preschool on Tuesday (Wow! She is growing up so fast). Anyway, Tyler took her to "Disneyland" a.k.a. the Disney Store where she chose, suprisingly a Minnie Mouse backpack instead of a princess one. Well on the way home she said to Tyler "I am so excited to go to school, now I can FINALLY learn how to cut hair!! She might be a little dissapointed when she doesn't get those "special scissors" like mom has on her first day!!

Weekly Update

2007-08-14T13:41:00.000-06:00

So I guess it's my turn to post. We had an eventful weekend, Tyler's parents came to visit on Wednesday night, late. That meant we had to get the lawn mowed and make our house presentable outside and in. We did our best. Thursday, we went to one of the parks nearby to ride the "Lions Club Train". Dee and Leann enjoyed the ride with Macy, I waited with Keaton. (I've been around that loop a few times already this summer.) That night we went to the Rockies/Cubs games. We were in the cheap seats, which is called the Rockpile, and is usually full. We had a good time, Macy especially, it is AMAZING the amount of Popcorn, soda, and cotton candy she can stuff into that tiny body. Needless to say she was wired!!! Friday we had planned to go to Elitch Gardens (formerly Six Flags) waterpark and then Tyler would meet us later for rides and amusement. Unfortunately Denver weather happened, one moment it was 98 degrees and then there were thunderstorms. After what felt like eternity we made the decision to chance it but they closed the waterpark early because of the threatening clouds. Macy was very upset but all was well when Dee suggested with Merry-go-round!! Tyler and I went to ride the coasters, since we have been there almost every week this year and had never been on an adult ride, although countless times on the kiddie hot air balloons. We realized after our first and definitely after our second that we may be getting old..... A bit nauseous and dizzy! Dee and I went on the Tower of Doom, (like the dropping part of the Rocket @ Lagoon) That never gets old for me!!! We stayed until the park closed and our kids were exhausted, especially Keaton, what a champ!! Saturday we got an early start and headed to the mountains...... we drove to Mt. Evans which is one of the Forteeners, it is the tallest mountain in the U.S. I don't remember the exact elevation. It was a beautiful sight!!! After we snapped some pics and had a snack we headed to Silverthorn to go outlet shopping. Against Macy's wishes Dee and LeAnn headed home on Sunday after church. Tyler left for Price yesterday and will return on Thursday...... He will be missed!!!!!! Well I think I have said enough....... Take care all!! Love Jacque

A Sad Day for American Cycling

2007-08-10T14:01:00.000-06:00

----- Original Message -----

From: Tyler Ashcroft

To: Michael.Lemon@azwebmail.midwestern.edu ; 'JACQUELYN ASHCROFT' ; 'Amy' ; 'Shane Larsen' ; aaron.anderson@L-3com.com

Sent: Friday, August 10, 2007 9:46 AM

Subject: sad day for american cycling

Today's announcement that the Discovery Channel cycling team was not able to find a new title sponsor and will be disband in 2008 is sad day for American cycling and sport. The Discovery Channel, which was once the U.S. Postal Service, is the only United States Pro Tour cycling team. The team has had an unprecedented amount of success in its ten year history and is currently considered one of the top three teams in the world. On cycling's biggest stage the American team has particularly excelled, winning 8 of the last 10 Tour de France's (with one of the two not won by Discovery/Postal being won by an American rider who was at the time on a European team). It would be appropriate to state that no professional team in any sport has had a greater run of success, which is what makes the announcement even more disappointing. While I appreciate all sports, including the great traditions that surround football, baseball, and basketball in the United States, the inability to find a new title sponsor shows the lack of appreciation that Americans have for European sports, which from a historical prospective have far longer established traditions. It also shows the arrogance and ignorance the Americans have, in that they are unwilling to embrace any sport that that we not been responsible for popularizing. As Americans we are simply unwilling to take the time to understand why sports such as cycling have captivated people around the world. While there were those of us who would have liked to believe that the increased interest in cycling caused by Lance Armstrong's achievements as a 7-time tour champion would be a platform upon which American cycling could grow, the reality we must face is that interest in the sport faded as soon as Lance Armstrong exited left stage. While today's announcement is a disappointment, it should not come as a surprise and it should serve as a notice to fans of other sports that they should not count on the popularity of individuals such as David Becham to increase Americans interest in global sports.

While some may treat the loss of the American pro tour team with indifference, they need to be aware that they do not have a global monopoly on great athletes, sporting events, or sporting traditions. If fact from a Global prospective the Super Bowl, World Series, and NCAA tournament are second tier to events such as the World Cup, Olympics, and Tour de France. Americans need to understand that more individuals line the streets everyday that of the Tour de France than can be packed into the largest stadium in America to watch a football game. In addition, American's have recently failed to demonstrate their superior athleticism on the world stage even in their own sports baseball and basketball. While those who are somewhat knowledgeable about cycling may state that the inability to obtain a new title sponsors is directly correlated with doping scandals surrounding the sport, I would argue that cycling is no more tainted by doping than the traditional American sports, which have doping problems of their own, but are less evident due to the level of testing. History has demonstrated that Americans have indifference toward doping. The truth is that Americans have a need to be the best. In sport this means that if we cannot compete in events such as the World Cup, we well belittle the sport of soccer rather then admit our inferiority. Even if we do have individual athletes who can compete in events such as the Tour de France, if the tradition is not ours we show a lack of respect.

Americans also need to understand that these facts I have presented transcend sports and are important in a far greater context. Namely, we as Americans believe that we are the best economically, politically, and militarily; and thus have a difficulty accepting defeat or admitting fallibility. Militarily the United States needs reconcile their apparent superiority with the fact that we have not been victorious in a major conflict since WWII (Korea, Vietnam, Sudan, and Iraq). We also need to realize that European nations are safer despite having open borders and smaller military. Politically, Americans need to realize that other 1^st world nations have equally if not more effectively addressed issues such as crime, healthcare, and education, environment and poverty. And economically, the United States needs to realize that we are quickly losing ground to European and Asian countries. Rather then taking the time to understand these realities, American's are inclined to arrogantly find fault in other nations political systems, and continue to walk down our path of fading superiority.

Weekly Update

2007-08-07T13:49:00.001-06:00

----- Original Message ----- From: Tyler Ashcroft
To: 'Chelsey Raymond' ; 'Colby Ashcroft' ; 'JACQUELYN ASHCROFT' ; deeannash@comcast.net ; 'Amy' ; 'Billings, Scott' ; 'Brock Taylor' ; aaron.anderson@L-3com.com ; 'Shane Larsen'
Sent: Tuesday, August 07, 2007 10:26 AM
Subject: weekly update

This week we suffered from a significant lack of excitement when compared with the past few weeks of the summer. On Thursday of last week we managed to go downtown to the amusement park during the evening. Jacque I took turns playing with Macy in the wave pool while the other person rode the speed slides. Meanwhile, Keaton lay unattended in his stroller. After a few hours of swimming, we went into ride portion of the park and Macy rode the Merry-go-round twice and we went home. On Saturday I managed to do just enough yard work to make it appear as though we are not white trash. Then Macy and I went to the park, rode the Lion's club train, played in the river, and spent time waiting in line to go down the slides. On Sunday I was called to 2^nd Counselor in the young men presidency, Deacon's quorum advisor, and scout master. I thought that I had missed enough church and made enough inappropriate comments to avoid a calling which requires so much work, but unfortunately, in a ward with only 75 active members even sub par members are asked to contribute. I was also told that our Ward strongly encourages the youth to participate in the scouting program. Because I love being outdoors there is a perception that I enjoy scouting. I have been doing my best to maintain that perception. However, those who really know me are aware that I am have always advocated for the separation of church and scouts. For now I will have to my best to reconcile my personal philosophy with my religious obligations. This week I finished a great book called Blood and Thunder and Epic of the American West. The book is about manifest destiny and primarily follows the adventures of Kit Carson during the pre civil war era in the American Southwest. As a sub-theme, the author did an excellent job of showing how the westward expansion involved an unprovoked an unjustified war against Mexico, who was simply a weaker nation unable to defend the land which had recently just acquired from Spain; and, how the American government essentially supported the eradication of the Native Americans. The end of the book follows 9,000 Navajo Indians on "the long walk" which is second only to the Cherokee Indians "trail of tears" in terms of displacement of the Native people from their home lands. My parents are coming into town on Wednesday night and I am hoping to be able to mow are weeds tonight before they come. We are planning on going to the amusement park, the Rockies game, and spending a day in the mountains. At work I am still assigned nearly full-time to the West Tavaputs EIS and doubt that I will have any type of break from the project until around October. Next week I am will be going out to the field, which is a nice break from the office, but involves leaving the wife and kids, which is never fun. In family news, Keaton was able to sit by himself this week for about 10-20 seconds, and Macy is obsessed with the Disney princess. On Saturday we made a trip to the Disney store, which Macy still believes is Disneyland (hope to keep it that way for a while). For her birthday, which is not until December, she has asked for an "exquisite gown and tiny glass slippers." She also would like a princess backpack and a Snow White nightgown.

Hope all is well.

Tyler

Can I Blog?

2007-08-02T21:23:00.000-06:00

So I have thought a lot about this blogging thing, I'm not quite sure it is for me. It goes along the lines of scrapbooking, journaling, etc. all at which I am terrible. New experiences are good though, right? Well, Tyler is suppose to contribute since he is the writer in the family. I guess I also have to admit that he is the funny one too (even if it does encourage him.) Anyways, if nothing else it gives us another opportunity to show off our children. So here we go........

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-08-02T14:08:00.001-06:00