Ash Family

Money

2012-02-15T20:41:00.002-07:00

Who doesn't love money, huh?

More This and Some That

2012-02-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

I'm looking through my phone at several pictures and videos and thought I should share them with all the wonderful blog readers.This first video was when Thomas, Mommy and I went to a birthday party for Thomas' friend. It was at the park and it was fun times.Here are several pictures from a car show. The car show was happening outside of the science museum, so along with car photos you can also see some museum photos.

This and That

2012-01-20T19:36:00.001-07:00

There have been several videos I've taken, but haven't posted yet, these 1st two are of Thomas at swim lesson. You will notice my wonderfully talented cousin Kelsey as the instructor, and Thomas has been enjoying swimming more and more each week- thanks Kelsey.Here in the next few videos, you can see Thomas riding his new bike. One of the big birthday presents this past week was a "big-boy" bicycle, and he seems to be doing fine.And last, but not least is a short video from Thomas' birthday party. After Thomas and several other children, then adults had taken swings at a pinata, it was Rachel's turn. This video shows Rachel destroying the pinata and laughing with the rest of us, enjoy.

Cake and Presents

2012-01-15T19:24:00.002-07:00

This past Saturday we had some friends, and family to the house for Thomas' birthday party. In case you didn't attend it was a very fun, but intimate event. Jenn was able to hire a firetruck to come, and that was cool to drive and play with. We also had a pinata which is some sort of "Mexican" thing. We ate lots of food, and had tons of fun. Here is a video of Thomas blowing out the candles, and I'll see if I can inclue other photos too.Photo AlbumOver all the party was terrific and we love how much Thomas is growing and becoming a big boy.

Birthday Cupcake

2012-01-10T19:49:00.001-07:00

Basketball Lock-Out is Over

2012-01-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

A lot of fans have been screaming and yelling about wanting to see basketball, and since it's been resumed everyone is getting into their dribble-fake-shot!

Here are two videos of Thomas using a little basketball hoop on his door. The first video is longer and he never makes a shot. The second is shorter and you see him make a basket.

PS- next week Thomas turns 3!

Lots of Ducks

2012-01-06T20:20:00.001-07:00

Christmas Vacation

2012-01-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

Happy New Year! It is 2012, and here are pictures and videos from our vacation to Colorado. My grandparents, Don and Dorothy live in Colorado and while there we also got to see my parents, Dave and Nona, and my sister and her husband, Allison and Jack. Here are photos from the trip.

Christmas Vacation

Also here are a couple videos of Thomas opening presents on Christmas morning and also of Thomas sledging down a hill, enjoy!

As you can see, we really love videos and pictures, so enjoy the ton that I've posted!

Wonderland

2011-12-20T21:29:00.000-07:00

I have a strong feeling that most of your blog readers have noticed that I am becoming a non-poster. I seem to have zero time to post about Thomas and all the things we've been up to lately- sorry.
Just to give some of you an update, we will be heading up north to Colorado to visit my family and get some snow. Thomas has been thrilled about all the things Santa might bring and I'll be sure to take many videos and pictures of the trip (promise)!
While we're waiting for Christmas to arrive, please enjoy the below video from Thomas' school performance. He's the one wit the ASU hat, he's also the most handsome guy in the video!

Green Light Go

2011-11-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

Thomas was playing with some cars and didn't notice that I pulled my phone out. I thought it funny to show you how into his cars he can get.
Click HERE or copy and paste the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eNbI3-r9qY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Costumes and Football

2011-10-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

These past few weeks have been a lot of fun. Here are a couple videos of what we've been up to. This first is Thomas in his Halloween costume as Thor.

This second video is at an ASU tailgate when Thomas was learning to roll down a grassy hill.

Drum

2011-10-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

Thomas will often show signs of his hilarious personality, or his incredible athletic skills, but today we saw his musical abilities as he created and played a drum slash pot.

Taquitos Dance

2011-10-11T21:09:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday night we tried a new Mexican restaurant which served delicious food and had very authentic Mexican music. After Thomas ate his dinner he was moved by the rhythm to jump up and move. This is the video, and yes that's Oma Katie and Mommy Jenn laughing in the background.

Fight Song

2011-10-06T21:51:00.000-07:00

It's pretty official that this is the longest we have ever gone without posting. It's strange because I haven't been hearing many complains about where are the videos and pictures, and blah blah blah.
Many of our loyal readers and followers know that these last several weeks have been crazy in the Ash house, because the Ash house has changed.
Jenn, Thomas and I have bought a new home, still in Arizona, and these last weeks/month we have been busy bees getting everything ready.
Even as you read this, know that my computer is in a box somewhere and that I am typing on Oma Katie's computer.
I have taken the time to video tape Thomas singing the Arizona State Fight Song. The lyrics are below the video, I'll try and include new home pictures for the next post, stay tuned.

ASU Fight Song
Fight, Devils Down The Field
Fight With Your Might and Don't Ever Yield
Long May Our Colors Outshine All Others
Echo From The Buttes, Give 'Em Hell Devils!
Cheer, Cheer For A-S-U
Fight For The Old Maroon
For it's Hail, Hail, The Gang's All Here
And It's Onward to Victory!

Thomas and Oma Go Viral

2011-09-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

We have all heard about internet videos that go viral, but this is simply a picture. Oma Katie works for Arizona State University, just like Jenn and Tony, and she was asked to pose for a picture on ASU's HR page. You can see the picture there, you'll have to wait as the photos scroll through. I've copied it and pasted it below.
They told Katie she could bring any "ASU" stuff for the photo shoot, and so she picked Thomas!

Ketchup

2011-08-28T19:13:00.001-07:00

I love ketchup, and I enjoy eating it on fries and many other fried items. As a consequence of my liking ketchup, my son also likes ketchup, as seen in this video.

Wedding Weekend

2011-08-26T17:45:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was a lot of great fun, because Jenn and I were invited to attend my best friend's wedding! Garrett whom I've been friends with for over 20 years was marrying Janice in Maryland, and we had a great time. Sadly Thomas stayed in Tempe with Oma, but don't feel too bad because Uncle Tony, Auntie Laura and Ernesto were in town visiting, so Thomas was very busy with all this Aunts and Uncles and of course Oma.

Here are a couple pictures from the wedding weekend.

As you can tell by the pictures a good time was had by all.

Before you begin to complain that you haven't seen Thomas, please scroll down and check out some pictures we took the other night when he got out of the bath. Also there is a picture in his converted crib, which is now his big-boy bed.

Dance Party Time

2011-08-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

On Friday night Thomas and us were over at the Hache house with Gabriel and Kiera. Gabriel has become the musical DJ and so while playing some music he showed the younger kids how to dance-it-up.

Take a Break Thomas

2011-08-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

I know that most people love reading this blog because they see pictures and videos of Thomas. I am also aware that videos with me or Jenn are not as good as seeing Thomas. I found this video today and it made me laugh, so I thought I'd share it on the blog and see if our readers found it amusing, enjoy.

Idiots with Zoe Saldana & Kate Bosworth from Zoe Saldana

End of July

2011-07-26T15:26:00.001-07:00

This has been a really fun month with our Denver trip at the beginning and 4th of July after that. It seems to go by so fast especially for me, because school will begin in August. Since I haven't been putting up any pictures or videos lately I thought I'd share several videos. And remember if you want to subscribe to these videos on YouTube, then you'll get emails as soon as they get uploaded.

First video is a couple nights ago when Thomas was trying to finish up some of his dinner with Uncle Tony and Auntie Leia, we were asking Thomas to laugh, enjoy:

Second video is from yesterday when Thomas and I took my car into the dealership to be serviced. We walked into the showroom and stayed there for about an hour "driving" all around town.

And finally, this third video is from this morning. I brought Antonio and Thomas into my classroom to help hang posters and move furniture and between Antonio, Thomas and a laser pointer, hilarity ensued.

Colorado Trip, 2011

2011-07-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday, we woke up early, boarded a 6am flight and went to Colorado. My Grandparents live there, and my parents were also in Colorado the same weekend visiting, so Thomas got to see Teta, Grandpa David, Grandma and Grandpa Don. It was great to see family and visit with everyone, but it was also amazing to get out of this Arizona heat. When you can ditch the triple digits and hang out with some 80 degree days and 60 degree nights, you take that deal!

Here are a lot of pictures from the trip, but to summarize, we went to two main attractions; the first was Tiny Town and the second was the Zoo. We first visited Tiny Town on Friday, and according to Grandpa and Grandma, this was a place they had tried to take my sister Allison and I when we were kids visiting Colorado, but every time we would plan a trip, it would rain all day. The Friday we visited was perfect weather, and so Thomas was able to run around and explore all the tiny buildings and streets. They had a picnic area where we had lunch, a jungle gym where Thomas and Teta played, and a little train which Thomas wanted to ride, but once one changed his mind.

The next day Saturday, we went with just Grandpa David and Teta to the Denver Zoo, and saw lots of cool animals. Again, the weather was great and Thomas really enjoyed walking around and constantly asking us, "What's that? What's that?". The zoo was fun and we recommend visiting next time you happen to be in Denver.

Besides our travels around the Denver area, we stayed around the house, and Thomas got to feed horses that live behind Grampa Don's house. Thomas had some cars to play with which he loved and the rest of us just enjoyed each others company, and we ate well and had a very relaxing weekend. Big thanks go to Grandma Dorothy and Grandpa Don for hosting us and showing us a great time!

CO June/July

Cars in the House

2011-06-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple weeks since our last post, and I wish I could provide more excuse about what we've been up to. Since we live here in hot-hot Arizona, we don't go outside a lot, because 100 plus degrees is CRAZY!

This is a video from here at the house. I was noticing that Thomas was playing with his cars while in a trance. I found it entertaining and so captured this video of Thomas in his own world.

As many readers also know, Cars 2 from Disney/Pixar came out this past Friday, and so we took Thomas to the movies. Some parents may think it too early or too late that we haven't taken Thomas to the movie theatre yet, but we had been nervous about his attention span. Here are a couple pictures of Thomas in the theatre! We loved the movie Cars 2, and we got to eat popcorn and see the movie with Mommy, Daddy, Oma, Auntie Leia, and Uncle Steve, it was awesome!

Tire Swing

2011-06-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

Although this happened earlier in the week, I did want to share the fun things happening this summer. On Monday Antonio came and played with Thomas at the part and both boys had a blast. Yes- it was warm, we still had fun playing, and we love that the summer isn't over yet!

Cars 2, Opening Soon

2011-06-07T13:54:00.000-07:00

Thomas as many of you readers know is in love with cars. The cars that drive by, the cars we ride in, the matchbox cars that he always has in his hand and of course the movie Cars. Sometimes Jenn and I will be made to feel bad because we don't own the movie Cars, and technically speaking, Thomas has never seen the full movie Cars, but since the sequel is coming out on June 24th, Thomas has seen many commercials and therefore is excited.

The smart Disney/Pixar people have created a Cars tour, where you can go and see full size versions of some of the Cars characters. Below are some pictures from the event which we attended Monday afternoon.

Yes, we had to wait in line for 2 hours, and yes there were thousands of other little boys excited to see the cars. If you'd like to see more pictures just check out our photo album from this month of June (Cars pictures are after the balloon pictures).

Hot Air Goes Up

2011-06-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Jenn and I went on a hot air balloon ride, which Jenn has always been interested in doing. We have a couple friends (Dan and Anessa) that went along with us, and we floated around in the Arizona desert as the sun was coming up.

Here are some pictures and some videos from our exciting voyage, and yes, I definitely recommend hot air balloons. I think everyone should try a balloon ride at least once in their life- it's awesome.

Cruising

2011-06-03T09:47:00.002-07:00

This is a video of Thomas for this morning. Thomas has become a lot better at pedaling and riding his tricycle around the block.

End Zone Dance

2011-05-27T17:47:00.002-07:00

Summer has begun and we are enjoying every minute. Thomas is going part-time to day care, and the other days he's hanging out with me. Here are a couple videos from some of the things that entertain us.

Bathtub Cars

2011-05-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

Thomas plays with his cars in the bathtub, the empty bathtub with no water in it. I had just finished cleaning the bathroom and Thomas wandered in with his cars, and so the rest is what you will see, I was entertained and I hope you will be too.

A Couple of Swingers

2011-04-30T14:00:00.003-07:00

This past Thursday we were given a special show. The performers of the show were Auntie Leia and Uncle Steve, and they were swinging from the high trapeze- literally!

There is a place here in Arizona called Trapeze U, and Leia found a groupon for the place and so her and Steve went and got there circus on. Because Leia and Steve are not practicing for the circus every week, Jenn, Thomas, Katie and I had to go check it out and so here are several videos from the 'swingers'.

Soccer Style

2011-04-26T19:07:00.001-07:00

This is Thomas playing in the backyard with a soccer ball. It's kind of entertaining, I enjoyed watching him play.

Party part 2

2011-04-20T21:00:00.004-07:00

As mentioned in the earlier blog post, the birthday party was crazy fun and I took tons of video. Here are a couple more classics, and remember to subscribe to TheDonAsh on YouTube, so you can see videos as soon as they are posted.

Party part 1

2011-04-19T19:16:00.002-07:00

This past Sunday was the 5th birthday for Gabriel and the 3rd birthday for Keira (not actual birthday but the party).
Thomas was geared up for the fun all weekend, and had a blast. I was on my "A" game with the videos, and so here are 4 of 7 videos from the wildest birthday party around!
Enjoy!

Singing and Jumping

2011-04-16T15:09:00.002-07:00

This video is from one afternoon when Thomas and I were in the bedroom playing on the bed.

Cars and Catch

2011-04-03T08:02:00.006-07:00

A lot of you blog readers know that Thomas is all about his cars. When it's his birthday or Christmas or you really want to make his day, then a car will do the trick.

The other night, I was hanging out and it was almost bedtime, and thought I'd take this little video to show you how much he loves his cars.

Enjoy- Vroom, Vroom, Vroom!

Of course, when your the parent of a 2-year old you can never have the camera far away, and sure enough as I was preparing to only post the first video with the cars, Thomas starts entertaining.

Yes, Thomas still loves cars, but he's also demonstrating to us how athletic he is. Sometimes he and I will throw a ball back and forth and then other times he will become independent like what you can see in this video. I hope these videos make you smile and improve you day, because that's what they do for us!

THINK FAST!

Tickles

2011-03-23T21:26:00.001-07:00

Last night I took this video of Thomas getting tickled and giving tickles. It's pretty funny, check it out HERE.

Spring Time

2011-03-19T09:54:00.003-07:00

These are some videos from the past couple weeks. This first one was from an evening when Thomas and I were home alone and Thomas decided to start singing- sadly he gets interrupted pretty early in his performance.

This second video is from a day during Spring Break. Because I'm a teacher I have the week off, but Jenn also decided to take some days off, and so here is a video of Jenn snowboarding. This was only her second time and she was vertical most of the day, which anyone who has tried snowboarding will know is challenging.

Turning 30

2011-03-19T09:18:00.003-07:00

This past Wednesday Jenn turned 30, and the Saturday before she was greeted with a surprise party. I told Jenn that was I taking her out for a fancy birthday dinner and that her best friend Anessa offered to babysit Thomas. Jenn and I dressed up, and drove Thomas over to Anessa's house, where there was a surprise party waiting for her!
As mentioned above, Jenn turned 30, but her brother-in-law, Steve turned 40, and her cousin-in-law, Melynda turned 30 also (all 3 birthdays are within a week of each other). Since so many people were hitting mile-stone birthday's, the party was combined and named a 100 year celebration (30+30+40=100).
The first surprise was Steve, 30 minutes later, I walked Jenn in the door and 30 minutes after that Melynda walked in. Here are just a few pictures from the evening, graciously planned by Anessa, Leia and Holly.

Spring 2011

Orange You Glad...

2011-02-26T15:59:00.002-07:00

These two little videos are from Saturday morning in the Ash's backyard. As some readers may know, we have two orange trees in our backyard, and so Mommy and Thomas decided to go out and pick some of those oranges.

This is the first video:

This is the second video:

And, just in case some of you wanted a little laugh, here is a video I took last Monday (President's Day). Antonio (Jenn's cousin) and I went snowboarding up North at Snowbowl. You can identify Antonio because he's the one coming right toward the camera, and this was also his first day of snowboarding, so he'll just a little shaky.

To Sing or Not to Sing

2011-02-16T18:24:00.003-07:00

Thomas was politely asked to sing the ABC song and here is the resulting video.

It became very obvious that the talented two year old singer was only performing when the camera was not on... but I knew you blog readers wanted to see the brilliant talent, and so this next video should please!

Turning Two (Video)

2011-02-13T16:57:00.003-07:00

Hello blog readers. This video is a month old, unless you've subscribed to thedonash on YouTube. This video is from Thomas' birthday and it shows his amazing lung capacity as he blows out his candle.

As mentioned in previous posts, I'll try and begin posting more regularly as well as posting more videos and pictures.

Turning Two

2011-02-08T17:56:00.002-07:00

I know that lately I've been a terrible blogger, and I wish I could give legitimate excuses, but you wouldn't be interested, and who cares- right?
The biggest event in the last several weeks has been Thomas turning two. Below are many of the pictures from his actual birthday (January 11) and pictures from his birthday party which took place in Oma's back yard.

Thomas Turns Two

Also I promise to post more pictures and more videos. Hopefully we'll get back into a nice, happy blog routine again.

Remember Chritmas?

2011-01-15T11:45:00.003-07:00

I've finally uploaded several photos from December. Some of these photos are of Thomas at his day-care Christmas show, and some pictures are from our San Diego trip, and then a couple at the end are from Christmas Eve.

Christmas 2010

Also if you're a really big "Thomas-Fan", then you'll know that Thomas just turned two. Yes I have photo's from his birthday, but I haven't uploaded photos from his birthday party. Be sure to check the blog in a couple days for those exciting pictures. Everyone loves to see Thomas' face covered in cake!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T07:52:00.003-07:00

Christmas 2010 was very excellent. We spent a lot of good time with family and ate way too much food. We had just a very excellent time here in Tempe. On Christmas Eve we spent time with Uncle Mundo, the Peralta's, the Stewarts and the Crutchers; also ate a lot of tamales (awesome)!
Christmas morning was fun because Thomas woke up and was impressed with all the presents that Santa had brought. We all sat down and started tearing paper. Below are several videos of opening some presents, and a video from Christmas Eve.

Present #1:

Present #2:

Present #3:

Christmas Eve Duck Video:

Shoes to Count

2010-12-23T08:17:00.003-07:00

Thomas is here in his room counting shoes. Yes his counting is pretty good- No his counting is not perfect.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-11T21:27:00.003-07:00

Earlier this week, we jumped in the car to get our Christmas tree. It was more difficult then we thought, because one store was pretty much sold out (may 8 left), and we really had to search for them. Initially we thought we were maybe getting our tree too early, but turns out we're a little late.

Thomas was excited about getting a tree and so we practiced how to say Christmas tree several times in the videos below. Also I thought it was a smart idea that if any 'super-blog fans' wanted to follow us on YouTube, then they could subscribe to our YouTube channel. In case you need to know, I will take videos and post them on YouTube more often than I post videos and pictures here on the blog, so if you subscribe to our YouTube channel, then you'll be notified when new videos get posted. Like I said, if you're a casual "Ash Blog" follower, you may not care that much, but I know that some 'super fans' might be all about it.

These are two short videos from getting the Christmas tree, and below is a link to the YouTube subscription.

YouTube Subscription HERE

Driving Cars

2010-12-06T19:55:00.003-07:00

This video is from two weeks ago, but I figure not a lot of our blog readers saw it, since I never posted it. We traveled to Maryland for Thanksgiving and had a great time. Thomas spent time with Teta and Grampa, Auntie Allison and Uncle Jack, and even Auntie Laura flew down to hang out. Overall it was a terrific Thanksgiving and we all had fun!

Here is the video!

Funny Stuff

2010-11-27T19:12:00.002-07:00

Check out this video of Thomas being entertained.

123

Chocolate Mustache

2010-11-10T21:19:00.002-07:00

This video was taken about 3 weeks ago, and at the time, I thought it was half funny and half offensive so I didn't post it. Now when I watched it, I thought, well there is kind of a bad joke there, but maybe people won't think it's too bad. Hopefully you will hear the laughing in the background and see that we are just being silly and not mean. Also maybe this interesting video will spur some blog readers to post comments and feedback?

Here is the video!

* Also if any blog readers or followers would like to subscribe to the YouTube Channel, that might help you be one of the first to see hilarious or cute videos.

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T16:21:00.002-07:00

Here are the super-cute Halloween pictures that everyone loves! Thomas had some difficulties the few weeks leading into Halloween, we tried several costumes that he wanted nothing to do with. This fireman costume made him happy and his parents, plus he's a handsome little fireman, which helps.

Halloween

Also, here is Thomas playing in the backyard on Saturday afternoon. Sometimes Thomas is very entertaining and funny, and as you will see, sometimes he will push his luck.

Hello- Who's there?

2010-10-25T18:28:00.003-07:00

Yesterday afternoon Thomas was watching Jenn use her phone, and when she let it go for two-second it was gone. Jenn and I followed Thomas as he took the phone straight to his room and started answering calls. We found it pretty funny, so enjoy.

Pumpkins & Apples

2010-10-18T20:46:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday we took a 3 hour drive to a farm. We were searching for pumpkins and apples, and yes, we found some. It was an all-day event and we came home with lots of memories, pictures, apples and even some pumpkins.

Check us out!

October 2010

Dance-Dance Party

2010-10-13T22:13:00.001-07:00

This video is a little late, but last weekend we were at a friend's birthday party (Chris D) and they had a rock'n band that Thomas couldn't keep away from. Here is a short video from that wild night.

Laughing-Seriously, Laughing-Seriously

2010-09-29T22:26:00.002-07:00

I've been teaching Thomas to be a serious comedian, and this is his funny/serious act. Hope you enjoy it as much as we all did.

Color-Color

2010-09-23T21:25:00.002-07:00

Thomas has really been into coloring lately- especially while laying down? It seems a little strange but he seems to enjoy it- if it ain't broke!

Friday Night Lights

2010-09-17T19:55:00.003-07:00

Thomas and Mommy were playing ball on Friday night, and so I grabbed my phone and took some video. I am still figuring out how best to take video with this phone because as you will see, the video is a little strange looking.

But you can still see Thomas laughing and throwing the ball around with Mommy so I'm sure you'll enjoy the video any-how.

Crabs to Cake

2010-09-06T19:57:00.004-07:00

Greetings blog followers and readers! This past weekend was very terrific and very excellent. Let us start at the beginning by saying that this was a 3-day weekend (nice)! From Friday night through Monday night the party and smiles never ended.

Friday night was all about the crab buffet and I ate my share. A local casino had a $9.99 crab leg buffet and I was all about it. I love seafood and I love buffets, so it was excellent.

Saturday was all about the season opener of ASU football. The SunDevils kicked some Portland State butt, and we had tickets for the game. This was Thomas' first ASU game and we all had a blast.

Sunday was my 29th birthday and I celebrated by laying low. Jenn and Thomas were super cool all day and I have to thank all the people who wished me a happy birthday and made me feel like I was a special boy.

Monday was Labor Day and we all had the day off of work, which means that we ran around and got some errands done. Shopping is a great way to stimulate the economy and that's exactly what we did. And on Monday night we ate some birthday cake and enjoyed our extra day of vacation.

Enjoy these photos and this little video!

Labor Day 2010

New Car and iPhone

2010-08-29T19:44:00.004-07:00

This week I caught Thomas and Mommy playing iPhone games, and they were playing for a while.

Also this week, Thomas got a package from Auntie Allison. He was super excited because she sent him some new cars!

What Face is That?

2010-08-15T15:39:00.002-07:00

Last week Thomas and Mommy were putting on pajamas and I heard some odd noise. It wasn't a bad noise or scary, just different. I grabbed the camera and here's what I saw in Thomas' room.

You Love This Boy

2010-08-08T12:39:00.003-07:00

Hello Friends, Family and Fans,
This past week or two has been fairly quiet. Thomas has started going back to day care on a daily basis again- because Don's school has almost started. Don (third person) has had meetings and training before school starts this Tuesday, and so both Thomas and Don are back at school! Jenn on the other hand has been busy at work, but has also been extra happy because her summer school course has finished.

The first video we have is showing Thomas' growth with the English language. We had been laughing a lot because Thomas would answer 100% of questions with 'yeah'. Except now he's figured out 'no', and so the question and answer sessions have become more interesting. Jenn was asking Thomas about putting on pajamas and going to bed and of course he was saying, 'yeah, no, no, yeah' so we I grabbed and camera.

This second video is all because of Auntie Allison and Uncle Jack. Allison sent Thomas a card with a package of stickers inside and so Mommy and Thomas sat down and when 'sticker-crazy'. Actually you will see in the video that Thomas is very serious about the stickers and has a serious look on his face.

Hope these videos brightened your day and we'll post some more entertainment next week!

San Francisco Trip 2010

2010-07-28T21:18:00.005-07:00

"The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco." - This quote by Mark Twain describes the San Fran weather well.

We flew to CA on Thursday morning and spent the day settling in with Jennifer's Aunt Christina. Also to specify, we stayed North of San Fran in the Oakland area, more specifically Burkeley. Aunt Christina has two sons Cole and Kai which entertained Thomas immensely with their toy cars, and Christina and Linda was very hospitable hostesses.

Friday morning was great because we took Kai to space camp and got to act like astronauts. Then we all piled into the mini-van and drove to Napa Valley! Although I'm not a wine drinker I was interested in seeing the sights and learning about wine. We all had a fun day looking at grapes and of course tasting a lot of wine- don't worry, me and Thomas didn't drink.

Saturday was fun and exciting because we ventured downtown to San Francisco, and as you can see from my quote at the beginning, it was windy and pretty chilly. Arizona in the summer is triple digits hot and so yes, it was nice to cool down, but wearing a jacket? Seriously, that might have been too cool. I was able to see a high school friend of mine, Chrissie who lives in San Fran and works for a wonderful company, Google (they run this blog site). The big attraction on Saturday was Alcatraz. I think we spent at least a couple hours over on the island checking out the cells and the grounds and all the seagulls. Saturday turned out to be a busy and tiring day, which turned out to be nothing compared to Sunday.

Sunday started very early, because we drove back to San Fran (Pier 39). The reason we came to San Francisco is because Uncle Tony decided to run the full San Francisco marathon, and because the rest of us were going to run the 5k. I don't go into details about how everyone finished because this blog is focused on the Ash Family and not exercising and running (sorry Ernesto). Around midday everyone finished they race and we returned to Berkeley to pack our suitcases and start saying our good byes. Jenn, Thomas and I really enjoyed the entire trip because we were able to see a lot of Jenn's family and spend time exploring a great city with Jenn's siblings and Aunts and cousins.

Here is a picture of me at the very end of the 5k. I'll be honest and say that I had zero training and was feeling very out of shape.

These pictures here are from the entire trip and I do believe they are pretty much in chronological order, so you should be able to tell which pictures are Napa and which ones are Alcatraz, enjoy!

San Fran Trip

Have We Left Yet?

2010-07-19T08:21:00.005-07:00

Here in the Ash house we've been pulling out the suitcases and getting ready for a vacation. This upcoming Thursday we will fly out to San Fransisco to visit some of Jenn's family (her Aunts and cousins). Once the suitcases had been pulled out, Thomas realized they had wheels and he started pulling and pushing them around the house. Jenn was laughing and taking these pictures of Thomas with the suitcase. And don't worry, because next week I'll post tons of pictures from our exciting San Fran trip, so be sure to be back next week!

This short video is from Sunday night. Arizona is in the monsoon season which means we get wind rain and storms. Last night after our softball game we ate dinner and heard some thunder. Thomas wasn't too sure if he should cry or just say that it was a cah (car). Jenn and Thomas stood outside to see if they could see any lightning and this is the video from that exploration.

Talented Boys

2010-07-16T09:44:00.006-07:00

This past Tuesday night we went to a talent show at Thomas' daycare. The plan was that Thomas and some of his classmates would do a little act and then I would get up on stage and do a little comedy. The evening began on a sour note because Thomas wanted nothing to do with the stage and only wanted to sit with me. The act was a cute idea because they had a little pool filled with balloons and a bubble machine and of course a bunch of little 1 year olds sitting in the pool. This first video is some of that act as well as some Thomas moments from later in the evening.

I hope the second video makes you laugh or at least smile because my stand up routine is pretty rusty and so hopefully here in the next year or two I can start performing more regularly and maybe start booking some bigger gigs.

This past week marked Thomas' 18th month and so we had a routine doctor's visit. The doctor was very happy with Thomas' growth and number of words being said and all that good developmental stuff. If you are interested in Thomas' stats, here they are:
Weight = 28lbs 8oz (75th-90th percentile)
Height = 36.5 inches (above 95th percentile)
Head Circ. = 19.5 inches (75th-90th percentile)

Rub-A-Dub-Dub

2010-07-12T06:17:00.003-07:00

This is a little video of Thomas on Sunday night. We think being a little boy is great, and being a 'clean' little boy is even better. Thomas really enjoys bath time which I assume most little kids do, and it's always fun for Jenn or I to pour water on him and get his hair all soapy and stuff.

In case some of you care for more information from this past weekend, I'm sorry to report that this was a quiet and relaxing weekend. We hung out with Steve and Leia, we went to church and we played some softball. Other than that, this was just another relaxed and easy weekend.

Independence Day

2010-07-05T18:05:00.005-07:00

We hope everyone had an excellent 4th of July! This is always a fun time of year here in Arizona because it's so hellishly hot that you have to swim in pools or stay indoors with AC blasting. We mostly did the swimming thing this past weekend, which is fun because Thomas is becoming more and more comfortable with the water and even going underwater.

Our 4th of July celebration started on Saturday the 3rd because Uncle Steve and Auntie Leia invited us and other friends over for a pool party. The below pictures are from our 'crazy-fun' Saturday. We ate burgers, dogs, swam in the pool and played Minute to Win It. For those that have seen the show, you know that it's an exciting show filled with some silly games. The premise, for those who haven't seen or heard of the show is that a contestant is offered a chance at winning money if they complete a certain task in 1 minute. The tasks or games are little things that can be created just by looking around the house. I won't go into specific details about all the games we had, but I will tell you that it was great fun and really made the party memorable.

3rd of July

The following day, or Independence Day was spent hanging out with some friends who have a pool and live near a mountain. The reason I mention this mountain (South Mt.) is because we all hiked up the mountain at 8:30 and were able to see 7 or 8 different fireworks displays across the valley. It was pretty incredible and we're already excited for next year's 4th of July.

We hope all you readers had terrific 4th's and hopefully nobody lost any digits from fire crackers.

Jump Into Summer

2010-07-01T09:22:00.007-07:00

Although today is July 1st, and 4th of July is this Sunday, this pool video is from yesterday- June 30th. After work Jenn, Thomas and I went over to swim with Uncle Steve and Tia Leia (good thing they have a pool). Jenn has been wanting to get Thomas as much pool exposure as possible since we don't have a pool and kids that know how to swim makes parents more at ease.

You will notice in the pictures that we also had Gramma Katie, Uncle Mundo, Eddie and Melynda in attendance during our evening pool swim. This time of year is nice because the pool water temperature is still enjoyable and in another month or two it will become too hot to enjoy. As we all know, swimming is like Goldie Locks, too hot and too cold are no bueno.

As for the 4th of July, we will be at a couple different pools and we'll try and take lots of pictures and video to show everyone how the weekend turned out. Until then, enjoy these pictures and video!

A Little Chit-Chat

2010-06-28T21:17:00.001-07:00

You smart readers won't need much explaining on this video. But like I said in the earlier post, here is a Thomas video, enjoy.

Dinner & Games

2010-06-27T22:12:00.002-07:00

Greetings blog reader. I will be upfront and honest with you; there are no Thomas pictures/videos currently. You may call me a bad Daddy, or act as if I don't love our blog fans, but we were very busy this weekend, and didn't take pictures and videos. If you read on and have patience, then you will see that pictures or videos will come later, but that is all part of the story.

Our busy weekend started on Saturday morning around 6am. The plan was to wake up early and get the house cleaned so I could sit down and watch the World Cup soccer game between USA and Ghana. In case you didn't see the game I won't ruin it for you, but it was an exciting and long game. Long-story-short, we got our cleaning done and watched the soccer game and then started preparing for a dinner party (hence, cleaning the house). We had a group of 12 and Jenn cooked up some awesome Mexican cuisine; we ate rice and beans, slow cooked beef and salsa, and all sorts of awesome grub. Special thanks goes out to Katie, Leia and Anessa for helping with the preparing and set up, thanks ladies.

After all the food was eaten we had a pictionary throw-down, boys vs. girls. Lets just say it was exciting and super fun. The big high light for Jenn was guessing the term "about face" in about 4 seconds- yeah it was crazy. I could go into details about how I drew this really well or how someone else guessed some thing really well, but it's sort of a game where you were either there or you weren't. If you did miss the party or you weren't invited, maybe next time. :-)

Sunday was a busy day because we did our usual Church and breakfast routine and then in the afternoon we went to a house-warming party for the Stewart's new house. The Stewarts in case you don't know are cousins of Jennifer, and their son Hayden is two days older than Thomas. It's a guarantee that those two boys playing together is going to be super cute, just imagine the cuteness (again, sorry there are not pictures, you'll live).

Sunday evening was also filled with excitement because Jenn and I play on a softball team with several of Jenn's coworkers and we had some 'big-time' plays from the game. I would pretty much say that Laura should have been there with her Sports Center crew because I did not get hit with any balls in the... balls. And Jenn was smashing the ball with her bat, as she swung big and got a triple tonight. I am starting to think that Jenn and I might need to quit our day jobs and become major leaugers.

The very last part of our weekend has been me sitting down and apologizing to my blog readers about no Thomas pictures/videos. I will say that I will be here at home with Thomas most of the week and I will try very hard to take some videos of super cute things. But on the plus side, I think I've broken a personal record with the number of hyperlinks that I can cram into one blog post; that's pretty exciting! Have a happy Monday!

Daddy's Day 2010

2010-06-22T07:50:00.006-07:00

This weekend was Father's day, and we had an amazing day. The reason I say that we had a good father's day instead of 'I' had a great father's day is because my Mom and Dad (Nona & Dave) flew into town to visit with us.

Thomas was very excited to see Grampa and Teta and really seemed to enjoy their visit to AZ. Below are a couple pictures from the visit; while in town my Dad and I worked on a kitchen table that Grampa Tom made some years ago. The table needed a little fix-up work and so you'll see some pictures of Thomas helping me undo some screws and holding some screw drivers.

This pictures is Thomas and Grampa.

Daddy and Thomas working on the table.

You can already see from this pictures that Thomas will be just as handy and crafty as the other men in the family.

This video here was taken one night after dinner. My mom had been singing some Arabic songs for Thomas and of course Thomas has to sing along. Don't ask me to translate (because I can't), but you can see and hear that this makes a lot of people happy.

We hope all our readers had a great father's day and hope all the children treated their father's well.

Yeah!!!

2010-06-14T17:33:00.002-07:00

I don't want to name names, but there are several of our blog readers who wake up on Monday morning looking forward to seeing new Thomas pictures and videos. Around 1 pm I remembered I hadn't posted anything new, and that I hadn't taken any pictures or videos. I quickly grabbed the camera and took this short video. I was making Thomas laugh a lot so I thought, "Hey, I bet those family and friends would enjoy this."

Pick Me Up

2010-06-07T15:43:00.003-07:00

Thomas and Mommy have a little game going. What happens is that Thomas wants to be lifted up, and Mommy helps only a little. What the whole thing looks like is below, but it sort of looks like a baby monkey with it's Mother- you can watch and decide.

Also, because everyone loves Monday mornings so much, I had to show you all this video of Thomas on a Monday morning. I heard Thomas for several minutes talking and singing before I grabbed the camera and took this little video. You can clearly see that he is a happy, and super cute little guy in the mornings.

Say Cheese

2010-06-02T20:57:00.002-07:00

This is a little video from Wednesday afternoon. Thomas just had a snack and was in a happy mood so I thought I'd grab the camera.

I hope this little Thomas makes you smile, the way he makes me smile.

Waking Up Stinks

2010-06-01T08:45:00.002-07:00

We hope everyone had an enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. We spent the majority of the weekend either near or in swimming pools. On Saturday we were a Auntie Leia and Uncle Steve's house and on Sunday we were at Anessa and Dan's house. Thomas was very bothered by the pools. He enjoys taking a bath which usually means that he would enjoy a pool, but whether it was all the splashing or people, he wasn't feeling the water.

This morning however, I thought I'd take a little video of Thomas, letting the world know that he's awake and ready to go. And I do apologize for the lack of light in the room. The sun was shining but we keep the blinds closed in Thomas' room and I didn't really have time to go in ahead of time to set up the appropriate lighting.

Disneyland 2010

2010-05-27T10:25:00.005-07:00

Here are the pictures and videos from our exciting trip to Disneyland! This past weekend we drove out to California to party and celebrate at Disneyland. Part of the trip came to fruition because Gramma Katie had graduated from ASU, and everyone wanted to celebrate "Disney-style".

Here are the pictures from our long day at the park. We tried to ride most things, even though Thomas was only tall enough for some of the rides. You will also see in many pictures that we 'ate' our way through the part, which is a tradition that Jenn and her family hold dear. Our overall day was great, although the temperature was near the 60s in the morning and night (which is super cold for Arizona people), but during the day it was warm and enjoyable. Thomas loved all the music and characters and even the rides. A lot of the day was spent trying to figure out which fun ride or area to visit next and Thomas enjoyed all the attention that we poured on him.

Disneyland 2010

This first video is of Thomas and Leia dancing. We stopped to sit down and eat and there was a guy rocking out on the piano so Thomas and Leia couldn't help but boogie-down.

In this second video you can see and hear us all as we rode around on the mini train. Thomas actually had this expression for many of the rides and attractions. You can tell that he is 'maxed-out' from all the sights and sounds. It was almost as if Disneyland hypnotizes childr- people.

We all had a super fun time at Disneyland, but we also agree that the entire day was enough Disney to last a couple years. I think we have reached our Disney quota for 2010 and hopefully 2011, but with this family you can never be sure.

Bean Goatee

2010-05-20T19:38:00.004-07:00

Thomas and Daddy had dinner alone tonight because Mommy was out shopping with coworkers. As you can tell from the pictures Daddy let Thomas feed himself which was a little messy but also a little funny.

Thomas has also become an expert at knowing when to smile and how to 'ham-it-up' in front of the camera. As soon as Thomas saw the camera he started making smiley faces and giving me big grins.

Enjoy the pictures and check out the blog next week, because this weekend we'll be going to Disneyland!!!

On the Go

2010-05-16T21:38:00.003-07:00

Hello Blog-Readers!
I will be honest right now and let you know that I haven't posted in a while because we are so busy here in Arizona. It's busy during the week with work and Jenn's busy at work a lot, and Thomas is running all over the place doing crazy and cute things all the time. Our weekends are busier because we run over here and over there and do this and do that, so let me just post some pictures and let everyone know what they've been missing.

May 2010

These first few pictures are from an ASU baseball game we went to last week. We watched as ASU beat up on BYU. The game was exciting, the tickets were free, and we left around the 6th or 7th inning.

Then we have super cute photos of Thomas, no explanation/story needed there!

Finally in our album you can see a graduation ceremony that was years and years in the making. This past weekend was a big celebration because Gramma Katie graduated from ASU. That's right, this young lady has been taking college classes and writing papers and flying through exams so she could earn her Bachelors Degree in Communication (same degree I received, smart lady right?).
Gramma's ceremony was Friday morning so most of us took the day off, then after the ceremony we grabbed some lunch and got ready for the 'real' party. Leia and Steve hosted a nice party at their house and we had tons of people come and celebrate, which was amazing, and if you missed it; too bad!

Enjoy all the pictures and I'll try not to keep you lovely readers waiting such a long time for the next post.

Just the 2 of Us

2010-04-30T14:23:00.006-07:00

Jenn and I are super excited about this weekend because it's sort-of an anniversary weekend. Our three year anniversary was back on April 21, but this weekend we are celebrating the three years. The celebration starts Friday night as Jenn and I go downtown and see Conan O'Brien perform in Phoenix.
Before I forget, I do need to give a shout-out thank you to Thomas' Godparents (Leia & Steve) as well as Gramma Katie, because they will be taking care of every one's favorite toddler while Jenn and I celebrate.
Anyway- we see Conan on Friday which should be super hilarious, and then Saturday morning/midday we are driving to a resort. Now I'm not sure if I should mention where we're going because Jenn has no idea. The only things I've told her about the get away are: we are driving, it's almost 2 hours away, the weather will be great.
So guess where we're going? Yeah, most people won't know, but HERE is a link to the resort place. See how much I love all our blog readers, I won't tell my wife where we are going, but I will tell you all.

On with the show!

Because Jenn and I won't be spending a lot of the weekend with Thomas, I decided to upload this funny video Jenn took a couple days ago. If you pay attention you will see me in the background finishing up some dishes in the sink. Jenn and Thomas are the stars of the video and as you will find out Thomas was cracking Jenn up.

May I take your coat?

2010-04-24T16:18:00.003-07:00

Many of our favorite blog readers live here in the Phoenix, Arizona area, but others do no. The reason I bring this information up is because it's been very hot here lately. This up-coming week we are expected to get into the mid 90's and today it was about 84. Last week however we had two chilly days which meant that these might be the last couple days Thomas would were a jacket until the Winter, later this year.

Jenn and Thomas were in the kitchen practicing how to put on and take off a jacket, which is when Thomas figured out his 'personal' removal technique. The following video was taken after 4 or 6 demonstrations and made Mommy and Daddy laugh. Usually if we think it's cute, then someone else has to enjoy it too right?

Running and Jumping

2010-04-18T21:07:00.007-07:00

Running is something I try and avoid. I am very aware that I have brother-in-laws who love to run and most of the people I know love to talk about fitness and exercise, but I don't enjoy 'working out'. I think when I was younger and playing sports and the thought of having a 9 to 5 was unimaginable I did like to run and exercise and lift weights (not too many though); but now a days it's just so boring. And honestly I really don't feel amazing if I do run and exercise and etc.
HOWEVER, this Saturday I broke the mold a little and participated with Jenn in Pat's Run.
Jenn has been trying to exercise and be in shape (she's the most beautiful lady I've ever know), and she actually did the run last year. So this year I said, "Sure I'll do it."
But little did I know that this run is over 4 miles long. I'm pretty sure the most I've ever run in my life was like a mile and a half, maybe two miles, but never 4 miles :-(
To be honest I was scared, and as most of you know hardly anything scares me! We get to the race nice and on time with Thomas and a jogging stroller (thanks Stewarts), and we are in the way back because the race rule is people with strollers or dogs have to start in the back. I am very happy with this rule because I'm not wanting all the serious runners to knock me over and we're in the back surrounded with other kids and strollers and it's like a parent party in the back.
So we're waiting and waiting for the race to begin, and then we hear cheering coming from behind us because the first running is coming around the corner and finishing. This dude's time was like 20 minutes, which divided by four means he's running a mile every 5 minutes, which I think is fast- obviously no one ran faster?
Finally our back of the race mob starts moving forward which is exciting because Jenn and I are like, "Oh yeah, here we go, time to run, ready to feel the burn, going push it." Or something like that.
Turns out we were so far in the back that we were surrounded by walkers. People walking side by side in front of us, and people walking side by side in front of them. Therefore the first mile and a half we're pretty much walking briskly. There were several stretches of the race where Jenn and I would be able to push Thomas and the stroller through some openings and run/jog for a while. And I will admit, I felt pretty darn fast running past all those walkers. I told Jenn that there can be two ways to be motivated while exercising.
1- You exercise with someone more fit than you and it helps escalate your performance.
2- You exercise with someone way less fit than you and it makes you feel so athletic and awesome.
These walkers on Saturday morning were in the #2 group. They were walking and talking and literally taking a stroll, while Jenn and I were jogging past them pushing our baby and thinking about how awesome we were compared to them. Don't worry, I can tell what you are thinking, "Don, it's not a race." BUT, this was a race, so we did run past people and I did want to scream out, "Out of the way molasses." But I didn't, Jenn and I were very polite and courteous, which probably explains our finishing time of 1:02. And yes, if you divide an hour into four parts, that's fifteen minutes a mile, which I don't think is Olympic speed just yet?

If you have an excellent memory, you might remember that this blog post is titled Running and Jumping, which brings us to the jumping. After our exhausting run, see running video below:

We all went out for some breakfast and then home for a nap (not much to tell there, actually just did). That afternoon we went to celebrate two birthdays, Gabriel (is 4), and Kiera (is 2). Because these two awesome kids are brother and sister and there birthdays are like super close together they had a joint party at Jump Street, and sadly the address was not 21.
This jump place is sort of like a warehouse filled with trampolines and kids are bouncing off the ways, literally. The party was actually a lot of fun because they had trampoline sections for big kids and sections for little kids. Considering Thomas is only 1, he tends to get run-over a lot when we are out at parks and places with lots of children.

Check out all the pictures we took from our busy Saturday of running and jumping.

April 2010

Easter 2010

2010-04-08T17:47:00.006-07:00

This past week and a half has had several ups and downs. If you have time for all the details please read on, otherwise check out the pictures and video below. Our little adventure starts on Friday March 26th, when Jenn's Grandfather (Ynocent "XYZ" Gonzales) passed away. He was at home in his bed with a daughter by his side. He had been in the hospital for a fall he had taken the week before, and considering he was 94 years old, it's easy to say that he lived a long and happy life. Once Jenn and I heard we first thought of when we would be driving out to California for the funeral services and even when the services would be. Easter Sunday and the holy days leading up to Easter were the following week which pushed the funeral to early April, and it also allowed all of us to celebrate Easter in California with Jenn's family.

Easter was a very special holiday this year because even though this is Thomas' second Easter, he was wrapped in a blanket last year and too little to really do much moving and egg-hunting. These pictures below and video are of our trip in California and actually a couple days before, where we colored lots and lots of eggs.

The other major news I would mention is Thomas' godparents Steve and Leia have a six-year old niece Lauren who has had a couple years of medical trouble and if you've never seen Lauren's Blog it is filled with history, pictures and information. I would ask that all our friends and family say a few prayers for the Nihei family, that they are able to have strength and peace during this difficult time.

Pictures from Easter adventure:

Easter in CA 2010

Here is the video of Thomas searching for eggs:

Wave Your Hands

2010-03-31T17:42:00.002-07:00

We just had to share this video of Thomas doing a little dance. Teta Nona and Grampa David sent some Easter goodies yesterday and one of the things was a musical book. It's one of those books with all the buttons on the side so you can have sound effects while you're reading. Anyway this is Thomas exploring this new book, enjoy.

Some Videos

2010-03-19T14:13:00.001-07:00

Hello wonderful blog readers! This weekend just as every other weekend has been busy and great at the same time. We did a little shopping at the mall and hung out with Tia Leia, Uncle Steve and the Haches. And yes, we even took several videos, so that all may see the growth and cuteness that is our little Thomas.

This first video is Thomas holding on to my leg while Jenn tries to get him to do something or other- you'll just have to watch to have that question answered.

This video was after eating dinner and it's pretty funny because Thomas has figured out what/where his belly is, and so he shows it a lot.

Here you will see Thomas and Mommy playing with some toys and having a pretty jolly time with it. That's right- I used jolly without talking about Santa, deal with it! (that was typed in sarcastic voice)

ok go DANCE

2010-03-16T17:44:00.005-07:00

This is a video Jenn sent me and it fascinated Thomas. We sat and watched the video maybe 2-3 times and each time Thomas was just as amazed. I will admit that I do enjoy this band and the video is very cool. Enjoy!

Games Games Games

2010-03-15T08:36:00.007-07:00

Just wanted to keep all you readers current and up to date with all the fun times, and good times. This last Saturday night we left Thomas with a babysitter while the rest of us played some Bingo at the Casino (kind of rhymes). Although most people associate Bingo being played either by young children or old ladies- Jenn is a huge fan and so that was her birthday request. We had a group of 10 and we all had our cards and our little daubers and surprisingly had a really swell time.

This video below is from Thursday night, and I just wanted to show you all how funny Thomas can be. We started playing this little game where I would yell and startle him and he would sorta jump and then hug me, and after we kept playing and playing, Jenn was super smart and grabbed the camera- thanks Jenn!

These next photos are from Sunday afternoon at the ballpark. Because living in Arizona has so many perks I thought I'd show you all the Spring Training game photos we took while watching the Chicago Cubs beat up the LA/Anaheim Angels.

Here we are smiling for the camera. This picture was challenging to get because every time one of us seemed to have our eyes closed, but this one wasn't bad.

Here is the cutest guy at the ballpark, enjoying the sun and warmth (yes he was covered head-to-toe in 70 SPF sunscreen)

These are our friends the Burnsides, Anessa and Dan. Dan if you remember from last years blog is the huge Cubs fan and since Jenn and I don't really follow baseball, we cheer for the Cubs once a year.

And hear is the last photo from the end of the game. Notice the drunk idiot in the background. The more he drank the less funny he became (just my opinion).

PS- anyone reading this is invited to come visit us around Spring Training because the weather is always warm and this Cactus League is very large.

the birthday WAS happy

2010-03-10T20:44:00.006-07:00

As mentioned in the early blog, Jennifer celebrated her birthday yesterday and it was filled with highs and lows. First I will briefly mention the low- Jenn was walking into a building (while it was raining outside) and she slipped and 'tweaked' her foot. The afternoon was Jenn keeping her foot elevated and laying on the couch. Here we are a day or so later and she says the foot is 99% better so don't worry too much about her. Also a small low on the birthday was taking Thomas to see the doctor because he had been up the night before with a cough- and again, not much to worry about. The doctor said it was a minor ear infection and it's good we caught it early and that he will be fine in a week.

Obviously the great part of Jenn's day was receiving birthday gifts and phone calls and knowing that she is the special lady during the week of her birthday. This coming Saturday she requested that we all get together and go play some Bingo at a near by casino- so that should be fun times.

This video below is actually of Thomas eating cake because it's funnier than the other video of Jenn eating cake. We were all laughing because Thomas was so happy that he was humming a little tune about how much he enjoys cake. And below the video are a couple pictures of Jenn with presents and cards- enjoy.

Playing at the Park

2010-03-07T16:16:00.002-07:00

A week or two ago we all went to the park near our house and took the camera. Here are a couple videos from our little family outing. A week before this outing Thomas and I went by ourselves before Mommy came home from work and Thomas would let out these huge giggles- but being a child, he does not repeat the same trick twice. Again, these two videos are cute, so I hope you enjoy seeing the fun Thomas has at the park.

Early Birthday for Jenn

2010-03-07T16:02:00.005-07:00

Jennifer's birthday is on March 9th, which makes the celebration this year a little odd because the 9th is a Tuesday. We did most of the celebrating on Saturday and Sunday because it's the weekend and also because her brother Tony was in town to help celebrate.

This photo below is from the restaurant Benihana that we ate at on Saturday night. We had a great time and were impressed that we had everyone looking at the camera (especially Thomas).

Sunday night we spent time at the house and cooked some chili and Katie made Jenn her favorite cake in the world. Of course I don't know the name, but I will describe the cake- it's chocolate with bananas and cool whip frosting. It's really good, maybe if you blog readers are lucky Katie or Jenn might post a recipe.

Check back after Tuesday night to find out how Jenn likes her presents- if she gets any ;-)

Time for Bed

2010-02-21T20:28:00.003-07:00

Jenn, Thomas and I have been receiving a lot of phone calls and emails from celebrities this week wanting to know if they can help raise money because of Thomas' fat lip. Yes, of course I'm joking, just be glad my joke didn't go into details about all the music celebs making a special song called 'We Will Heal the Lip'.

Enough of that- Thomas' black and blue lip from last weekend has healed nicely, and I doubt you can see any bruise reminisce left. Over the past week we've been going to daycare, and work and pretty much just spending a lot of quality family time together.

About ten minutes ago I grabbed the camera and took this short video of Thomas putting on PJs and singing a song, ENJOY!

Valentine's Day in California

2010-02-15T21:49:00.005-07:00

This Sunday marked Valentine's Day and Monday marked President's Day, so you could say we are falling in love with our President (take this as a serious or sarcastic comment based on your political view). Because I had Monday off from school, Jenn and Katie took it off as well and the four of us drove out to California Friday afternoon. The drive from Phoenix to Los Angeles is about 5-6 hours depending on traffic and how fast you drive (Ernesto=slow, Steve=fast).

The drive there and back were great, I drove and Jenn read. Gramma Katie and Thomas played with toys and sang to help pass the time. Below you will see pictures from the couple days we spent in California. We visited with Aunties and Uncle Tony and Grampi, as well as the Peterson's and several of Jenn's cousins.

Saturday's highlight was visiting the Getty Museum of Art, which Jenn had seen on TV last year and so we checked it out. We were all very impressed with the museum's art and gardens and we all agreed that we need to take some art history classes or something, because we love art but don't know nothing (did that sentence sting for you English people?). Anyways, if you ever get a chance to visit the museum it is well worth the trip.

Sunday was good and bad because we spent time with Andres and Jess (friends from Maryland) and Thomas took a nasty fall. Sunday afternoon we met the Petersons in Santa Monica which is pretty and beachy and really cool, and then we all went out to dinner. While we were waiting for a table at the restaurant Thomas was walking around out on the sidewalk and took a nose-dive. His lip got fat and his nose started bleeding a little and he cried for a lot of that evening.

Monday morning Thomas seemed fine, but looked terrible, as you can tell from some of the pictures of us out at breakfast. But after breakfast we packed up the car and drove home to Phoenix, and here we are back home with all these great memories and pictures from our trip. Special thanks to Auntie Mona for letting us stay with her, and special thanks to Gramma Katie for sitting next to a one-year old for 11 hours in the car.

Valentines 2010

There's No Snow Outside

2010-02-11T07:04:00.002-07:00

Here's that other video I promised all you nice blog readers. Jenn and Thomas were out in the back playing around, and the video is a little on the longer side, but if you're snowed in like Grampa and Teta are in DC you might enjoy something more to do.

Kissing the Fridge?

2010-02-09T18:09:00.005-07:00

This is a funny video of Thomas in the kitchen. Everyone can thank Jenn for being so quick about grabbing a camera and catching this little episode. Thomas has been very mobile and loves walking around, but as you can see he is very curious about everything that he can reach and this refrigerator button is no exception.

Also I have gotten a little heat about my last post being so 'complainy'. I suppose even if there were zero people who read this blog it still serves as an accurate journal of Thomas' life. Just imagine if any of us could read a weekly blog about our first year of life and the things we did and the feelings our parents had.

I'll also see about putting up a second 'outdoor' video later this week just to show those East Coast "covered-in-snow" readers that we are in the brisk 60s here in Arizona :-) Bbbrrrrr

Horsey-Horsey

2010-01-31T15:32:00.005-07:00

This last Friday Thomas got a special treat at day care- a horse ride! A couple employees at the day care own horses and they brought them in on Friday so some of the kids could ride around. Of course we signed the permission slip which was strange because I've been so used to asking my parents to sign them when I was a kid, but now I get to sign them- YEAH!

Down below are a couple pictures from Friday. There is only really the one good picture and the other shots are of the horse? Sup with that? We're not sure how much Thomas loved the horses but we'll keep him aware of them, and perhaps he'll get more horse exposure than Jenn or I (we don't know anything about the horse legged things).

We'll keep the pictures coming if you keep on reading. By the way, I would appreciate a few more 'blog-followers' because I'm feeling like nobody is a fan :-(

Yeah, I went there with the sympathy, whatcha going to do about it?

And yes I know these aren't the worlds best pictures, so maybe if you become a blog follower I'll add more /better pictures? YEAH!

A Future Architect?

2010-01-23T15:43:00.004-07:00

Jenn and I have been taking our time since last weeks birthday party to open and take all of Thomas' present out of the boxes. We still feel overwhelmed with all the toys and things filling our living room. Below is a funny video of Thomas and Jenn building and knocking down some blocks.

Birthday PARTY!

2010-01-18T22:16:00.004-07:00

This past Saturday (January 16th), we held a Birthday Party for Thomas! The party was in the park and the weather and every couldn't have been better. We had a ton of friends and family in attendance, and we want to thank every one for all the great gifts and presents, because right now our living room is bursting with toys (Thomas is super happy).

For those who attended thanks for coming out and celebrating with us, you really made the day special for Thomas and his stressed out parents. As a parent it is a little strange planning a party that your child doesn't really understand and 99% chance, won't remember. We had a lot of help from our family and friends with the park set-up and clean-up and one of the great things about having the party out at the park is that we really didn't need to mop and clean the joint before and after.

Again, check out our pictures from the party and enjoy.

1st Birthday

And, for all the friends and family that wish they could have attended the big birthday party, just remember, we're throwing another party next year. That is why birthday's are so super great, every year, they just come around for celebrating.

Also I'll try and post some videos HERE of Thomas actually getting into the cake, because it was really fun to watch (unless you're Nona, and she loves clean children). Special thanks to the videographer Melynda for getting some great video of the party!

Happy Birthday Thomas

2010-01-13T19:31:00.009-07:00

Thomas turned one this past Monday and it was kind of a boring day. Because his birthday fell on a Monday, Jenn and I went to work, while Thomas went to day-care. In the evening however, we had Gramma, Tia Leia and Uncle Steve to the house for some dinner and cake. Here are some pictures and video of Thomas checking out his mini-cake and eating some.

To answer all the question, Yes, Thomas apparently loves cake and can't seem to get enough. He would pick up a fist full at a time and just shove it in his mouth, it was pretty funny. Afterwards Tia Leia and Uncle Steve took Thomas and washed him up in the tub.

This past year has been amazing because as you blog readers have seen, Thomas has grown in size, and personality. Also Thomas has learned so much and grown into such a little person being able to make sounds, and 'almost' walk. Jenn and I are so thankful that Thomas has been healthy and happy this year and hope he has many more great years to follow.

This video is us singing Happy Birthday to Thomas - HERE

This video is Thomas trying out a present Leia & Steve got for him - HERE

And just for those of you wondering, or those who haven't heard, we will be celebrating Thomas' birthday this coming Saturday at the park, so be sure to check back next week for more Birthday pictures!

Just in case some were interested in Thomas' 1 year stats- here they are.

Weight: 25 lbs 4 oz

Height: 32.5

Head Circumfrance: 19 in

Great Christmas

2010-01-03T17:50:00.004-07:00

Hello blog readers! Did you miss the Ash family? Pretty sure you did and you're excited to see all our photos and videos from our Christmas trip to Maryland. I will tell you the weather was cold and we did see snow. We flew to Maryland on the 22nd of December and spent a few days with Teta and Grampa, and Great-Grampa and Great-Gramma. On the 24th, Auntie Allison and Uncle Jack flew in which every knew about... except Teta and Grampa. They were very surprised and they made the Christmas even more special.

On the 26th, Auntie Laura and Ernesto drove down from Connecticut and we went to a movie, and the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico Virginia. Most of our trip involved good family time, and visiting with friends. We had excellent food as well and were glad that we brought sweatshirts and sweaters. Enjoy these photos and below you can check out a video of Teta and Grampa being surprised, as well as a video of Thomas walking!

Christmas 2009

The video of Allison & Jack surprising Dave and Nona - HERE

A video of Jenn and Thomas sledding in the snow - HERE

The video of Thomas walking in living room - HERE

By the way, we do have some more pictures to show because we all know that after Christmas is New Year's. Be sure to check the blog later this week for some pictures and stories from the 'Eve' party.

Hello Santa

2009-12-19T12:17:00.003-07:00

We just had a visit with Santa, he was at the mall if you can believe that! You might have thought he would be busy in his workshop, but no, sitting at the mall!

Check out some pictures of Thomas and Santa and no crying and no tears! We are proud parents, lets just see how long the streak will last.

We wish all our blog readers a very Merry Christmas, and be sure to check back next week for more pictures. We will be traveling to snowy Maryland for Christmas and New Years, and of course more pictures and stories will come from there!

Don's Graduation

2009-12-17T22:23:00.003-07:00

Tonight was a big night with a lot to celebrate. Jenn and Thomas along with Teta, Gramma, Steve, Leia, Eddie, Gabriel and Kiera all came to watch and cheer for me at my graduation ceremony. I just completed my Master's in Elementary Education and here are some pictures from the ceremony, enjoy!

Graduation & Fun

Sick Day

2009-12-16T12:41:00.001-07:00

This past Tuesday Thomas awoke with a fever and an ear infection. Jenn took the day off and the doctor prescribed some medicine. This is a short video I took of Thomas to show just how tired and unhappy he has been the last couple days. The good news is, that Thomas has been catching up on sleep (during the day, he's been up all night) and we are expecting a recovery within the next couple days.

Fun in the Tub

2009-12-13T17:59:00.002-07:00

This is a video of Thomas taking a bath. Most of the time he enjoys getting clean and likes the water a lot. Another reason for the video was because we're always trying to catch Thomas 'talking' which he does a lot for us, but when a camera or telephone shows up, he becomes silent.
Enjoy the video!

Early Family Christmas

2009-12-06T18:17:00.009-07:00

Last weekend was a special weekend here in Arizona because Auntie Laura flew in from CT for the weekend. And because Laura works for ESPN and they make her work on Christmas (basketball games are played on Christmas), we celebrated our Christmas a couple weeks early.

Here are pictures from our very special Christmas and a few captions to go along with each of the photos.

LAURA & THOMAS WALKING

ERNESTO, THOMAS & LAURA

SIBLINGS SMILING (EXCEPT LEIA, she's asleep)

FAVORITE COUSINS

KEIRA, GODFATHER (STEVE) & THOMAS

LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT TREE
DECORATING THOMAS

CRAZY UNCLE TONY

SITTING DOWN FOR DINNER

EATING UP PRESENTS

SITTING IN HIS NEW CHAIR

ENJOYING THE NEW CHAIR

I'll see about posting a short video of Thomas opening one or two gifts during our 'Early Christmas'. Hope everyone is having a very nice Christmas season!