One down...One to go!

Conner Brandon Gartrell

March 14th proved to be a great day for the Gartrell family! Conner Brandon Gartrell decided to join the world. At 6 lbs. 12 ozs. and 20", he is perfect! Brent and I were in Prosper taking care of some house stuff when Carol, my mother-in-law, called to tell us that Brandon was bringing Aiden to them and then planning to take Mandy to the hospital. It was around 5-ish when we got the call. At 10pm, she called to say that Conner was here! He came fast. So fast, in fact, that Mandy's water never broke and the Dr. didn't make it in time. Little Conner was born in his sack and delivered by the nurse! I know what you are thinking, "Ashley, what do you mean, "in the sack"?) I mean just what I said. Conner was born in the ambilical sack! Cool, uh? And, what a story!

I think that we all expected the little guy to come quickly because Mandy delivered Aiden fairly quickly, but this was quicker than I ever expected! Which was good for Mandy, I suppose! Anyway, Brent and I could hardly sleep the night before because we were so anxious and excited to meet little Conner. Sunday morning, we got up and went to Stephenville to see him! There aren't enough words in the English vocabulary to describe the precious-ness of this baby boy! He is fantastic! I was so excited to have another nephew!

Brent and I have had so much fun with Aiden over the past 5 yrs., and we are happy to add another "little man" into our bunch! Here are a few pictures of us meeting Conner and then a few from yesterday when I got to go play with my boys!

Aiden is such a wonderful and proud big brother!

Uncle B just loves this little guy!

Here is Conner wide awake!


I love these boys!

No babies yet!

Okay, so before I start getting comments related to my lack of postings, I should start by apologizing! Life has been a whirlwind lately! It's amazing how quickly time passes these days, which is ironic, funny, and true testament of God's sense of humor considering I can remember the days of when I was younger and prayed that time would speed up!

While there are many reasons why I haven't posted lately, the reality of it all is that I am lazy! I'll explain. It would be really simple to say that I haven't posted because I have a full case load of patients at work, an hour commute to and from work, regular everyday responsibilities which are limited to the time that I am home from work, etc....etc.... But the reality of it all is that the main reason I haven't blogged lately is because our laptop fried. And, yes, I mean fried. (My angry rant about stinky HP products can be saved for another day!)

Now some of you are probably thinking, "Well, that makes sense, you didn't have a computer!" But, you see, I did! We have a desktop too, but I am so accustomed to sitting on my comfy couch and blogging, that I couldn't get inspired to walk into our study/storage room and blog from our desk. See, I told you. I am plain lazy these days, but at least I am breaking the pattern!

So, in the past 2 months, so much has happened. Brent started back to school! I am really proud of him! I know that getting a graduate degree is hard work, but doing it while working full time and commuting 1 1/2 hours to and from work 5 days a week is sometimes near the impossible. Brent has always been strong in almost every aspect of life (especially academics), so I never doubted his ability to take on such a task with flying colors!

We started house hunting....again! I keep telling myself that God will provide, and he will, but I continue to question when and how much will it cost me! We have found several opportunities, but when you have been looking as long as we have, we just can't bring ourselves to settle on something we don't love! It'll happen, God will provide!

Our 2 (yes, 2) new nephews are due any day now! Brent and I are thrilled to add 2 little nephews to the list of kids we love to spoil! To summarize, Brandon and Mandy are having Conner Brandon, and Taylor and Kelcie are having Eastin Reid! We are so excited! The past 2 months have been filled with Baby showers out the whazoo! So much fun!

On Valentines' Day, Brent and I were waiting for a table at Olive Garden for dinner (along with what seemed like the rest of Fort Worth!)! Brent had bought me a iphone several weeks prior and was playing on it as we waited. He pulled up some True or False trivia game. One of the questions was "True or False....parents will lose between 450 and 700 hours of sleep during the first year of the baby's life?" Turns out....it's true!

So, to Taylor and Kelcie and Brandon and Mandy! May you get plenty of sleep during these last few days! Lord knows you are going to need it! We love you and can't wait to spoil these babies!

No Blues Singin' at the House of Blues!

Okay, I am really sorry that it has been a month a half since my last post. It had gotten so bad that even Mom dropped a hint that I needed to get on it! :) Believe it or not, I actually wrote a post about the Cotton Bowl, but I haven't uploaded the pics that I want to post along with it, so that will be posted at a later time.

With that said, I had to tell you about the fun "Date Night" that Brent and I had on Monday night! But, first I should start with this....

On Saturday, Brent and I were in GR (Glen Rose, for those of you who didn't know!). Our plan was to go see Aiden (our nephew) and Brent's cousins (Wes and Rachel) play basketball and then have lunch with his family! We were at my parent's house, and I was in the midst of getting ready when Brent popped his head into the bathroom! He had been playing on the computer and found concert tickets online! You should have seen his face! So mischievous and yet, cute! The conversation went as follows:

Brent: "So, what are you doing Monday night?"
Ashley: "Well, I am off on Mondays, so cleaning/laundry during the day....dinner at night...nothing I guess, why?"
Brent: "If I bought tickets to go see The Fray at the House of Blues in Dallas, would you want to go?"
Ashley: "Uh, yes, please!"

So, he bought the tickets and we made out a plan. He would be working on Monday, so it was decided that I would ride the TRE/DART to meet up with him! If only it were that simple in Ashley's little life?!?!

Monday arrived. I had several errands to run before heading to the train station. I got up at 9-ish (not because I was lazy and just didn't get up, but because I had a hard time falling to sleep the night before!) And.... I send a huge thank you to Taylor for texting me and waking me up! Seriously. I would have missed my train had he not woken me up because apparently I didn't set my alarm! So, I got up....got ready...now it was around 10:30-ish....and headed out the door to run errands!

I should make a side note here.....my hair is naturally curly! And, when I choose to wear it straight, it takes blood, sweat, and tears to make it look the way I want it to! Now, I didn't think to look out the window to see what the weather was like....which leads me to this.....

As, I opened the door, I instantly felt it...the damp, due, and moisture in the air. As, I stepped out my door and looked around, I realize it was raining. Now, because I work with children, I am typically very aware of my surroundings and who is near, but in this instance, I was not. I was beyone annoyed that I had spent an hour or so straighting my hair for nothing. I immediately slammed the door (with me standing outside) and yelled, "Crap!" (Which by the way is my word of choice when I am extremely annoyed! This has to be genetic because there is a particular family member that loves this word too....no names though!) At that moment, I realized that the lawn servicemen that our complex hired were all standing there staring at me! I politely smiled, gave a little wave, and ran to the car!

I ran the errands and got to the train! I rode the TRE to Union Station (downtown Dallas) only to get off and go stand outside (Yes...in the rain!) for the Red Northbound DART! Now, it would have been nice if the people making the TRE schedule got with the scheduling people at DART and made it so that the schedules were convenient and correlated with one another, but no....why would they do that? So, I sat in the rain for 15 minutes until the red train came. However, the destination stop listed on that train was the southbound listing, so I convinced myself to wait for the next one, only to watch it pull away headed north. Another 15 minutes in the rain!

Now, I am a huge "Friends" fan. There is an episode were the gang goes to Jamaica to see Ross speak at a conference! Monica's hair slowly grows throughout the episode due to the humidity. Let's just say this: Monica had nothing on me at this point!

I got on the Red Northbound Train properly labled for my destination and pulled my hair back in a clip. Once I arrived at my destination, I ran through more rain to a Starbucks, where I sat and waited for Brent.

Things finally started to turn around...We went and ate at the House of Blues. Which by the way....FYI...if you eat there before a concert, they stamp your receipt and you are able to go into the venue first and skip standing in the admissions line outside! The food was great!

When we finally got into the venue, we found a table, sat down, and enjoyed the concert! Vedera was the opening act...and I loved them! They were great, but The Fray! Oh...they did an amazing show! I highly recommend anyone and everyone go see them if given the chance! We had a great time! I am really excited about their album dropping next week!

Brent and I don't go out and do things like this too often, so it was really nice! We had a great time!

Oh...and the other good thing about my day...I got new ankle heel black boots!

Just Clown'in Around!

On December 6th, I was a banner clown in the Neiman Marcus Adolphus Christmas parade hosted by Children's! It was a blast! Yes, the morning started out extremely chilly, but by the time the parade rolled through, it was a beautiful day!

The morning started out like this! I had to be at the hospital by 5:30 AM (Yes, AM!) in order to pick up my costume and have my face painted! So, I had to leave our apartment at 4:30, which put me getting up at 4! I know, 4 AM! Anyway, I got to the hospital at about 5:35, due to some unexpected camera issues! I got a red and silver sparkle costume, my face painted, and rallied together with some of my co-workers/friends to grab a quick bite before getting on the TRE train to head downtown! Several of us from the PM&R (Physical Medicine & Rehab) dept. made our hats! I think they all turned out really cute!

Once I downed a bagel and some apple juice, we all headed to the TRE train! We had been told before that their would be unexpected passengers on the train and to stay in character! So, we did! When we got on the train, you should have seen the eyes of everyone, especially the children! We loaded on and started singing Christmas carols and having a great time!

We quickly arrived downtown where we had to head to our designated areas! Being a banner clown meant that I had to rally with the other banner clowns, get my banner, and wait in an organized line until my time arrived to start walking!

Walking was the BEST! You should have seen the eyes of the kids as all of the characters, clowns, ballons, and floats headed their way! There were so many "Merry Christmas" wishes being sent! I loved every minute of it and can't wait until next year! Hope you enjoy the pictures that Brent took! I think he did a fabulous job!

Here was the Santa balloon!

Here's me carrying my banner!Frosty the Snowman!

A view from down the street! Aren't the balloons fun?The parade logo balloon!

Babies, Babies, Babies!

So, as I have mentioned, we have 2 babies due in March! Well, not we as in Brent and me, but our Moody/Family gang! Kelcie and Taylor are having Eastin Reid, and Brandon and Mandy are having Conner Brandon! I am so ecstatic about these boys!

Yesterday evening, we had dinner with the Gartrell's (Will, Carol, Brandon, Mandy, and Aiden), and afterwards, they came over to our place to visit. During the visit, Taylor and Kelcie came by. If was fun to see Mandy and Kelcie stand side by side with their cute and round tummies! They are only about 1-2 weeks apart!

As the Gartrell's were getting ready to leave, I hugged and kissed Aiden! He was very quick to remind me that all of his kisses were being saved for the baby that I would have to give his back! This reminded me of the cute story Mandy told me over Thanksgiving. Aiden approached Mandy one day and told her to open up her mouth. She did, and then he blew a kiss in and said, "Quick, Mom, swallow!" She did and then asked why. Aiden said, "I am sending the baby kisses!" Isn't that great? I love this!

So, I told Aiden he could have the kisses back, but they had to go to Conner! He agreed! Needless to say, Aiden will be a great big brother!

To Eastin and Conner, I am so blessed to have the two of you as nephews! I know God has wonderful plans for you and the lifes that you will have! I can't wait to meet you and see your faces! When Aiden was born, I held him in my arms and made a very important promise, and I promise this to you, too! "I promise to always love you and provide you with plenty of chocolate!" I love you, Aunt Ash!

One Crafty Christmas!

So, as some of you might know...I am an occupational therapist at a pediatric hospital in Dallas! I love my job! Not everyone knows what an occupational therapist does though! I find it interesting to ask the kiddos what they think my job is during the initial evaluation. Here are some of the answers that I have heard:
1. To make kids feel better!
2. To help them ride a bike!
3. To make their arms and legs work!
4. To help them have fun!

In some ways, all of these are right, but there is more to it! Here's my simplified explanation of what I do. An occupational therapist helps a person learn or relearn how to use their arms and hands for functional tasks that they need to or want to complete throughout their day! And, for those who cannot use their arms/hands, then I help teach them adaptive ways for functioning through adaptive techniques and/or equipment.

Most of the kiddos that I treat have some sort of fine motor delay; therefore, their treatment plan includes a goal requiring drawing/writing, cutting, buttoning/unbuttoning, and Theraputty (which is similar to what you might get if you mixed Play-doh and silly putty). With goals like these, I try to come up with crafty ideas that are themed with the time of the year. Infact, Halloween was a blast. Our clinic did a "Super Kids" theme. Each therapist dressed in our custom made super OT, PT, ST shirt (depending on their title), and we wore capes and masks. In order to help incorporate the kids, I took large trash bags and cut them down the seams. This gave me to capes our of each bag. The kids were allowed to use construction paper, scissors, crayons/markers, and glue to decorate their cape. As an added bonus, I drew up some masks (Spiderman and Batman) for the children to add to their homemade "superhero" costume.

With Christmas around the corner, I have already made many many crafty plans. For each week, I have come up with one or two activities for the kids to complete. I have listed each idea below. Please remember that most of these activities can be adapted for any child of any age. Just be creative!

Frosty the Snowman!
On white construction paper, have the child draw or trace 3 circles (1 small, 1 medium, and 1 large).
Using black/brown/ or the color of their choice, draw a top hat, gloves, scarf, two eyes, and a nose.
Cut out each item and glue them together on a whole sheet of construction paper.
Have the child personalize their snowman by naming him/her and writing the name at the top or bottom of the paper!
**Another cute idea is to use paper plates (1 dessert size, 1 dinner size) instead of the paper, but I am trying to teach most of my patients to draw shapes, so I use the circle idea!

Reindeer Craft
Trace the child's hands on construction paper.
One another piece of construction paper, trace one of the child's feet.
Cut out each hand and foot.
Glue the two hands to the top of the foot.
Using the foot to serve as the reindeer's face, have the child draw the eyes, nose, and mouth.
**You can use fun squiggly eyes, draw in a bell collar, or some holly to add a little character to reindeer if you wish!

Santa Face
Trace your child's hands on 2-3 pieces of white construction paper.
Using manilla construction paper, have your child draw/trace a large circle.
Cut out the hands and glue them in an overlapping pattern around the base of the circle (making Santa's beard)
Using a pencil, curl the finger portions of the hands to add some "curl" to Santa's beard.
Have the child draw and large triangle on a red piece of construction paper.
Cut the triangle out and glue to the top of Santa's head.
Using cotton balls, add some "fur" around the base of Santa's hat and the tip.
Have the child draw Santa's face.
**Again, you can give Santa some character by using squiggly eyes!

For more wonderful and cute Holiday craft ideas, go to www.enchantedlearning.com!

This is also a wonderful time of year to do for others! So, I came across some interesting information and decided that I would get my patients involved and encourage anyone and everyone to participate. Macy's department store is donating $1 to the Make a Wish Foundation for every Santa letter "mailed" in their special mailboxes located in their stores!

I had already planned to ask each child to write a letter to Santa, so I was thrilled to hear that I could actually "mail"/donate them to a good cause! Anyone of any age, size, or shape can participate. You can use any paper, or you can download their specialized stationary from the website. If you go to www.macysbelieve.com, you can find out all of the information about this holiday donation. Just think, by writing a letter to Santa, you are helping to donate $1 to a wonderful foundation that just happens to grant wishes of many the children that I treat! And, it is at no cost to you! It truly is a gift that keeps on giving!

So, today, I encourage you to find a way to do for some one else during this holiday season. Whether you adopt an angel, donate to a food drive, or write a letter to Santa and mail it at Macy's, remember the true meaning of Christmas! Merry Christmas to you and yours! May God bless you this Holiday season and provide you with happiness, joy, and cheer to last you throughout your year!

Tis the Season to be Merry!

If you haven't met me, then I should start off by saying that Christmas is my favorite time of year! Why? Well, let me make a list...

1. Chistmas music on the radio
2. Fun with family and friends
3. Santa
4. Food...food...and more food!
5. Christmas lights!
6. Giving gifts!
7. The nostalgia in the air!
8. Caramel Apple Cider from Starbucks! Party in my mouth!
9. Shopping!
10. Making Memories!
11. Cold weather!
12. Fun wrapping paper!
13. Christmas decorations! (I, typically, decorate the weekend after Halloween! Try it...it's fun!)
14. Making Christmas crafts with my patients!
15. Letters to Santa!
16. The smiles you receive from strangers just because it is Christmas!
17. Fun Christmas movies! (See my list of favorites below!)
18. Holiday Sales!
19. Time off of Work!
20. After dinner naps!
21. Christmas Dishes!

I could keep going, but well...by the time you finished reading, Christmas would have come and gone! I have to give my parents the credit for instilling in me this love and appreciation for Christmas! First of, I should say, that luckily...I do know the true meaning of Christmas! Our family has always loved celebrating the birth of Jesus, and we have always celebrated in many many BIG ways!

First, my Dad is referred to as "Clark Griswald" around the holidays because of the amount of lights that he used to decorate our home with! Let's just say, there was a reason why we were on the front page of the town newspaper, not once, but twice! It was awesome! I didn't particularly care for staying out until dark and freezing my rear off while helping decorate, but the end result always made it worth it!

Mom always made decorating the inside of the house fun, too! She would always put on some Christmas music or put in a Christmas movie, and then we would bust out the tree, garland, white twinkly lights, stockings, and Santa pictures! Mom and Dad did a great job of filling our home with Christmas cheer!

As I have moved out on my own, I have enjoyed decorating our home and continuing family traditions! One tradition that Brent and I have continued is watching a Christmas classic: Christmas Vacation! While it isn't a family friendly movie, it is enjoyable for adults!

Here are a few other Christmas movies to try out!
1. Christmas Vacation! (Our family enjoys quoting this one year around!)
2. A Christmas Story!
3. Burl Ives' Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (the old claymation is fun! I used to watch this every year on CBS!)
4. Home Alone
5. Elf
6. Miracle on 34th street (new and old)
7. Family Man
8. The Family Stone
9. The Santa Clause
10. It's a Wonderful Life!

There are so many! To get started, try these! And...stay tuned! For December, I am going to try to post some fun Christmas activities and tips for places to shop and find fun deals after the holidays!