***Christmas 2009***

Christmas came and went this year faster then we all could believe it! Filled with so many good memories, family and of cousres the good food! The lists were long from the kids, the shopping was done bearly in time and upon us came christmas eve! My parents, and brothers, sterling and his three kids, Adam, and Lee all got to spend Christmas morning with our family! Amy jo had plans of heading down for Christmas dinner until she found out that her kids we just not well enough to be around all the cousions. Even though we missed her and their sweet boys we had plans of seeing them the day after Christmas!

This year was a special one for my parents....As we got ready for this speical event of Christmas, we spent time together making crafts, and my gift to my parents was a "Grandkid photo". Something my mom has wanted for so many years! Believe it or not this was the first time in 10 years that they have had all 9 grandkids together. With all of us living so far apart, and involved in schooling for so many years we are so glad this happened!

I arrenged it...asked all the boys to wear white shirts and jeans and the girls got mattching dresses. The photo turned out great and my mom was tickled pick as she would say!

Grandma Fluharty spend the time to put together a little nativite scean out of wood. Each of the grandkids got to help cut them out, and glue them together! I know my kids LOVE crafts as much as i do! This was a perfect time to talk about the whole birth of the savior.

We hope you had a great meaningful holiday and truly remembered the reason for the season!

crafts with grandma...

Lee and Dustin setting up the trapoline...

Mesa temple lights..

Grandma Ila Ashton...

Ila Davis Ashton

October 5th 1917-December 8th, 2009

The Ashton children

Grandchildren

Great-Grandchildren

Grandma Ashton was a special woman! We said our good by's on December 14Th 2009 after her passing just a few days prior. Grandma Ashton was Dustin's Grandma, and he has so many fond memories of her as well as I do for the past 9 years. She always treated you like you were a part of her dear family! She was an amazing women who loved to work on projects, have a treat waiting for you or ready to sit and what the sports with you. From calling each and everyone of her grandchildren, children and great grand children often she was defiantly up on the latest with everyone in the family! She never sat still, from swimming, luncheons, and sporting events...then always had her croshae needles and blanket in hand. Her goal was to make every grandchild, and great grandchild an Afghan. She had many done in bags waiting for them to turn 8 so she could give them out!

After she moved back east to live with her daughter Connie, she was amazing about writing letters, all typed out on an old fashioned type writer. There was always errors, white out and sometimes a little rambling but the memories of running to the mail box and opening a hand typed letter from Grandma Ashton was so special!

She has a great testimony of the gospel. She shared it often with you if you wanted to hear it or not! She told you her strong opinion on so many views of life and she wasn't affraied to share what she was thinking. Looking back we loved any story she would tell...old, new or from when she was a child. We would hear them over and over again.

She had an amazing journal that has over hundreds of entries in it. I hope that someday we can all get a copy of that journal. She has inspired me to be better about recording my thoughts and life as it happens. She will be missed here on earth, but truly the reunion with grandpa she has waited so long for! We know that they are happen again together!

New Hampshire....MY first time back EAST!!!

(moose were everywhere)

(Icy roads)

(Gorgeous views)

(Chutters yummy candy counter....

anything you could ever imagine)!!

This was the first time I got to travel back east to make a visit to my younger sister! Ever sense she left our family we haven't had a chance to go see them! With the help of my mom...we made it happen! It was quiet the trip...it took forever to get there! Jim and Laura were happily waiting for me after their 3 hr dive to the air port... WOW!! As sisters we had to catch up..we stayed up till 3 am snuggled up in the same bed and just talked, sang and had a great time! Then after we slept in we got showered with cold water because there furnice had run out of cole? or what ever they use to heat the water and house! I had no idea that i couldn't take a LONG shower? no one told me...
Long story...but it was cold and sooo snowy! We decided to go out and head shopping...something that we were both no strangers too! :) As Jim headed up our car we waited for the snow to be plowed and the pathways to be cleared before i was headed out in the that cold snow! Slippery and sliding all over the road we went but had so much fun! Shopped till our feet hurt, and our tummy's were full and the roads has iced over again. On the way home i was not so sure we were going to make it...Laura hadn't driven in much icy roads lately she always makes Jim drive! We were headed back and didn't see much action of any other cars...i questioned it. Should we have stayed the nite and not kept on those icy roads??? We were about an hour away from her house.
we could hardly see the road markers in front of us, we had a prayer in our hearts and someone watching over us, we made it home!
The next day we were off to see her in-laws place, have a little home cooking, and see the little home that Laura and Jim built. It was barried way out in the forest. It was cute, small and what a project! After a yummy breakfast on the way out to Jim's parents home, and stopping by the LONGEST candy counter in the world i wasn't hungry yet! We ate, watched a few good shows, and just relaxed out at their cabin!
My away weekend was running out...not only was I head back home, we had one more stop to meet Dustin in UT. We lost grandma Ashton just a few days prior and after my fun filled weekend we got a chance to say good buy to Grandma Ashton! More to come...

My Work Christmas Party!

My office Christmas Party 2009

From left to right and front to back: laura, Cynthia, Cindy, Nicole, Elaine, Crystal,

Sarah, Me,Lori, laura, Lori and Dr. Nick and Dr. Micah

The Dr's took us out for our work party to a local place called Devon's. We had never been there and it was such yummy food! We all exchanged gifts with each other and then watched the Dr's open theirs! We all enjoyed a great laugh as they open there new favorite books from the office staff!

Dr. Nick and his "Famous quote book"

Dr. Micah and "The Art of Dentistry"

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Me and my HOT date!

ALL ABOARD.....!

Outside the Train

Story time

The family!

Getting the Cookies

The Conductor

Writing letters to Santa!

Dinner at the cafe...

Kissing Mrs. Clause

The Ashtons, and The Wilson's

Wesley, Chloe, Austin, Ryya and Mason

This year I saved my pennies and decided to by tickets to the polar Express that was stationed in Williams AZ. I had talked with Dustin a few month prior and 3 or 4 times with each week that got closer to Christmas! He thought it would be best to skip out this year and apply that money on Christmas gifts to the kids. I had a different idea for it all.

Honestly I couldn't handle it any longer...I did the math, sold some x-tra Christmas vinyl and asked our dear friends to go with us! I made it a secret, asking for time off work, picking the kids up early from school and having them ask a million and 5 questions is what made it so much fun! Chloe is my inquisitive one, who asking all the who, what, when, where, and why's! I choose to answer them all as vague as i could. It only lasted untill we got them distratcted with a movie....of course the Polar Express original!

We started the movies and we were headed north to Williams AZ to experience The Polar Express. It was about a two hour drive so just about enough time to get up there, get a bite to eat and experience the fun! I slipped a change of clothes into a bag (p.j.'s of course) and we packed them up like sardines. We ate at an old school dinner from the 50's which made it so fun, old fashioned hamburgers, fries and of course the oldies that played from the jute box! Williams AZ is a small country down near flagstaff AZ!

We loaded quickly and and by this time the kids had figured out where we were going and if you could have only seen the smiles on their faces....priceless! I did remind Dustin that who knows really how many more years we have untill they don't believe! The conductor read the story over the speakers, handed out hot chocolate and warm yummy cookies! After we saw Santa and headed back we got to write a wish list for Santa and give Mrs. Clause a kiss! I think that I took over a hundred pictures but you know me and that camera of mine! Just a note to the wise...JUST BELIEVE!