Christmas 2008

This Christmas was so much fun! Ashlyn is at the age when she is starting to know what Christmas is all about which makes Christmas even more exciting for us.

This year for Christmas Santa brought Ashlyn her very own big girls bed. We had painted her room a couple days before Christmas, and then on Christmas eve Jarom put her bed together so when she woke up Christmas morning it would be waiting for her. When she woke up and went into her room she was so excited she got right up in her bed and didn't want to get down.

She looks so small in her big bed!

She was so excited to open her stocking mostly because of all the candy she got!

She was so excited to open her gifts. She even wanted to open daddy and mummy's gifts.

She got sheets to go on her bed as well as movies and clothes.

Here's Ashlyn in her new bed again with her new sheets on it.

She is pretending she is sleeping!

That afternoon we went over to Pops and Nanny Mangerino's house for Christmas dinner. As we were driving over to there house we noticed these really cool rainbows.

Here's Ashlyn opening more gifts at their house.

Christmas dinner was really good. In England one of the traditions that we have is before we eat dinner we pull Christmas crackers and inside of those is a joke, a toy, and a paper hat that you wear while you eat dinner. So here is Ashlyn in her paper hat which she loved because it is the same colour as her room.

Then that evening we went over to Grandpa and Grandma Viehwegs house to open gifts with them. Here is Ashlyn with her loot!

We had a really great Christmas and hope you did too!

Maria's Baptism

The Sunday before Christmas we were able to go to my sister -in-law Maria's baptism. We were so excited for her and my brother. Maria is so sweet and we are so proud of her.

Here is Robert and Maria before the baptism.

With the missionaries who gave her the discussions.

And here is the whole Mangerino gang before the baptism.

It's a BOY!!!

We are so excited that we are having a BOY!

Fun in the Snow (Part 2)

Ashlyn couldn't wait to get out into the snow the next morning. As you can see she is still in her P.J's. She was so excited to see that her snowman was still there.

The snow was quite deep. You can't even see the top of her boots in the picture below.

Later in the morning we went over to Grandpa and Grandma Viehwegs house to build another snowman. Here is the beginnings of the snowman. Jarom was determined to build a giant snowman.

Ashlyn helping Aunt Laurel collect snow for the snowman.

This was the base of the snowman. As you can tell it was pretty big.

Ashlyn collecting snow off of Aunt Laurels car. She was so proud of herself that she could carry that much snow.

Here's Jarom putting the finishing touches on the giant snowman.

The finished snowman

Fun in the Snow (Part 1)

We had so much fun when it snowed. Jarom got to come home early from work. and then had a snow day the next day, and Ashlyn got to experience snow for the first time.

This is Ashlyn getting all bundled up to go build a snowman with daddy. I felt so bad for her we didn't have a hat and gloves that fit her so she ended up wearing one of my hats, and a pair of mittens she had from last year, but I think she still looks pretty cute!

This was daddy and Ashlyn out in the snow. It was hard to tell who was having the most fun Ashlyn or daddy!

The beginnings of a snowman.

Ashlyn helping to fetch the snow.

The finished snowman.

After we had built our snowman we decided to build our gingerbread house. Ashlyn loved to watch daddy put the house together, but her favorite part was putting the candy on the house. I happened to look over at her while she was putting the candy on the house, and she was licking the candy before she was putting it on the house. She knew she couldn't eat the candy, but this way she got a taste of the sweet goodness without getting in trouble with mummy.

The finished gingerbread house!

Happy Birthday Ashlyn

In December we celebrated Ashlyns's second birthday.

To celebrate Ashlyns birthday we had a Dora the Explorer birthday party with our families. She was so excited. While she was taking a nap I decorated the house with balloons, a happy birthday banner, and a Dora the Explorer table cloth. When she woke up she was so excited she kept running around the house saying Dora. Before the party Grandpa and Grandma Viehweg took us all out to Nicks Pizza to kick off the celebrations, and then we came back to our house for cake and ice-cream with the rest of our families.

Ashlyn was a pro this year at unwrapping her gifts. She got so many fun toys and clothes.
Thank you to everyone.

When it came time to sing Happy Birthday she wasn't too sure about all the attention as you can tell by her face in the picture below.

But she enjoyed the cupcake and ice-cream.

This is Ashlyn after the party at 11pm. She is wearing her new Dora P.J's the Gormley family got for her, and riding her Dora bike Pops, Nanny and the rest of the Mangerino uncles and aunts got for her.

This is Ashlyn playing with her new Thomas the Tank Engine Duplos from Daddy and Mummy.

Happy Birthday Ashlyn. We love you and are so blessed to be you parents.