Ash-isms #21 and #22

How do you like my pink hair?!?

They say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. In this case, it's Justin's tree.

Me: Ashlee, I'm not telling you again, pick up the couch!
Ashlee: Mom, I can't. It's too heavy?!?

Smart ass. I had told her at least five times to pick up the little rubber bands she had scattered from Tyler's old loom fad.

...Now he's moved onto bottle flipping. I can't tell if that's worse or not? It's free (after he drinks the G2), but man it's loud over and over and over and over....

Ashlee's picked up band weaving, aka making pot holders. She's currently on a quest to make a purse out of 8 of them.

During a wrestling match with dad, Justin thought it would be funny to give Tyler an "Indian rug burn," you know where you turn your hands different directions on someone's arm so as to inflict pain.

I suppose in this day and age it's not a PC term, but it's a common one that was used when we were kids ... and based on the conversation to follow, it's apparently still used:

Justin: Tyler have you ever heard of .... (he called it something else but was implying the same thing)
Ashlee: Oh, an Indian rug burn?!? I know all about that. Aarushi and Om taught me all about it at school.

Justin and I burst out laughing. Not because of what she said but because she's clueless as to which Indians the rug burn belongs to. Kids these days...

Ash-isms #20

We think he is growing side burns, but we've yet to confirm this hilarious story.

Trip 3: Day 2 - Louisville

Good morning Kentucky!

Today's agenda in Lousivlle:

• Louisville Slugger Museum (world's largest bat)
• Exploring Museum Row (including the Muhammad Ali Center) and the misc. statues (including Rodin's "Thinker") around the area
• Louisvlle Trolley Tour, featuring 30 sites, including: The Belle of Louisville, Museum Row, Louisville Slugger Museum, Old Louisville (U.S.'s largest Victorian neighborhood with more than 1,300 Victorian-style homes), Central Park and St. James Court, Whisky Row and the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, Churchill Downs, 4th Street Live! Entertainment District, University of Louisville, KFC Yum! Downtown Arena, 21C Museum Hotel (voted a Top 10 Hotel in the World)
• Louisville Mega Cavern underground zipline

Ending the day back on the road to Nashville for the night...and tomorrow!

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The boys had a blast at the Louisville Slugger Museum - especially considering the Royals are the reigning World Series Champions! And there was memorabilia from Ken Griffey, Jr., who was just named to the Hall of Fame (ok, maybe that excited me more since I've seen him play?!?) everywhere.

The girls were a bit bored, but they did enjoy the museum (not so much the bat factory).

It's fascinating how they create so many bats in a single day - for so many celebrity athletes past and present.

The kids each got a mini bat to take home as a souvenir - and they each filled their hands with the "end caps" from the bats. The factory typically throws these away and said we could take as many as we wanted. Of course, they - ah, hem, Tyler, took a ton...we can always use them for an art project!?!

 

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The area near the Slugger Museum - and nearby downtown - is full of giant sculptures. The kids had a blast exploring them.

Ashlee especially found "The Thinker," a giant golden naked man, interesting, wanting to know why she could "see his weiner?"

Some things you can't explain.

According to the trolley tour we went on later in the day, the area we were in was called "Museum Row." Large images of famous people who are from Louisville adorned the old brick buildings (like Jennifer Lawrence) with the area flanked by the baseball bat museum and the Muhummad Ali Museum.

It was especially interesting to visit the Ali Museum since he passed away this year at 84. Sadly, we had to skip an inside visit since the kids don't really know much about him yet.

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It was hot in Louisville. Like super duper can't-stand-it hot so we escaped inside a little shop dedicated to the city. It just so happened to have the history of Col. Sanders from Kentucky Fried Chicken.

Guess I forgot he was from Kentucky?!?

Outside was a giant shake/smoothie!

Is your mouth watering, yet?!?

By the time we boarded the trolley, the kids were ready to go! They weren't too excited to ride around town "in a car" for half the day, but they did think it was fun to ride in the trolley. And be out of the sun. In air conditioning.

We told them we could walk around to all of these sites instead ... for some reason, they didn't take us up on the offer?

If you're ever visiting Louisville, this is the way to go. We were able to see all of the "sites" so we could determine what we wanted to see.

We wish we had gone on it before we visited the Slugger Museum and some of the statues as they were "repeats" on the trip, but we saw enough new things to make it exciting, fresh and new.

The highlight - other than Churchill Downs (the one location the trolley stops so you can get out and take photos) - was the Victorian homes. They are absolutely breathtaking. The owners keep most of them in tip top shape. It's like you step back in time for a few blocks.

After the tour, we visited the 4th Street! Entertainment District, which was down the street from the trolley stop. This is nearly identical to Power & Light in KC - in fact, it wouldn't surprise me if they were owned by the same people based on appearances.

Since Kentucky is known for its bourbon - and the kids prevented us from touring any bourbon distilleries- we visited a Jack Daniels retail store where we picked our personalized, engraved bottles for the dads. It was the perfect gift for them!

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We waited all day to do our "adventure" activity: underground zip lining!!

Tyler and Ashlee have never zipped, but we told them they would be doing it on this trip. Inside a cavern. Under the city of Louisville. In the dark.

That's not scary for your first time?!?!

They were super excited but got more scared as we walked inside, and they found themselves heading deeper and deeper into the 17 miles of cavern corridors. The man-made cavern is made of limestone. You have to be 7 to go so we may have fudged on Ashlee's age a tiny bit (Evie was 7 for only a matter of days).

The kids absolutely LOVED the 6 lines and 2 bridges at Mega Zips. Our guides made the kids feel at ease, helping them get hooked onto and off each line. We had lights on our helmets that helped guide the way - in the dark and muddy caverns. We flew over lakes and rocks and really cool things (I wish I would have brought my camera but I was afraid I'd lose it).

The kids rated it the best thing they did in the city. Jillian and I would have to agree!

Now they can add "zipped the world's only fully underground course" off their to-do lists.

After zipping, we stopped for some dinner at Frisch's - only because they had a cute statue out front - and then hit the road for our nearly 3 hour drive to Nashville, Tennessee!

Tomorrow is another adventure, in another town, in another state!

Moms' turn! 2 of 4 kids are asleep as we roll back into the CST!
Only 2 states today

Ash-isms #19

{Little} Accomplishments

When you have a Celiac kid, you celebrate each accomplishment.

No matter how big OR small.

When we met with the Kindergarten teacher, principal and counselor prior to Ashlee entering elementary school, one of the things we discussed was art.

Art and gluten tend to disagree.

Things like playing with play doh, gluing noodles or cereal to paper, and paper mache are not safe activities for her.

They agreed to purchase gluten-free play doh. The art teacher uses gluten-free, aka real art supplies in class, so paper mache was never an issue - and when it came to gluing cereal or noodles, they would make sure I knew ahead of time.

And everything has been perfect - and continues to be that way.

But Ashlee's teacher, she thinks outside the box. And I love her for that.

She has been working to get Ashlee to use "real" play doh - especially since Ashlee came home and told me everyone else got "many colors, mommy" while she only got one, but she "didn't have to wear glubes like my old school, mommy."

When your child is 4 and diagnosed with an autoimmune disease with life threatening repercussions, you have to take extreme measures - not scare tactics per se, but you have to go to extremes to get the point across.

Now that Ashlee is almost 6, she can start to understand her disease a little more.

For instance, she can play with "real" play doh, she just can't put her hands in her mouth or touch her face during or after play until she washes her hands really good. And if she finds a small piece on her desk or any surface after the fact, she has to use a paper towel to clean it up - as a minute crumb can eat her intestines away if ingested.

Mrs. Clark is helping to teach her how to properly play with play doh in the classroom - and she is using this as a teaching moment for her friends, too.

I'm happy to say, just a few short weeks in and Ashlee is playing with "real" play doh with her friends (Mrs. Clark sent me this picture today to mark the milestone).

Another step toward regularity/inclusion for our babe!

Thank you Mrs. Clark ... and way to go Ashlee for trusting someone other than family!

Dandiroses

It's {almost} spring, which means we have to stop and pick the 'dandiroses.'

'Cause mama can never have enough flowers {swoon}

Ash-ism/Ty-ism Combo #1

And this all ended with Ashlee crying because she thought God thought she hated him.

Ash-isms #18

As I was picking Ashlee up from school yesterday, she handed me a picture of MLK - the same one she colored Monday - and told me she wanted to color it at home.

Me: Ashlee who is this?
Ashlee (confidently): Martin Luther King Jr.
Me: Good job! What did he do?
Ashlee (again, confidently): He had a dream!

Close, little one, close!

I'm glad she knew he had a dream. I wonder if she knew what his dream was? I wonder if they taught her about what he tried to do? Or if it's above their heads at this point? Either way I had to laugh when she responded so confidently about "his dream," which I'm sure she thinks is a dream, like what she has at night, in her bed.

Ash-ims #17

On the way to school last week Ashlee told me she wants to "be an Elsa mommy who teaches people how to drive with two hands."

That's an interesting concept. She's such a back seat driver, telling us when we should turn and when she thinks we're not reading the lights correctly (she's usually wrong). She hates when we drive with one hand, regardless of what the other is doing. Let's hope she's this aware when it comes time for her to drive!

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This weekend, Ashlee gave us what I interpret to be her version of "I hate you"

Instead of staying that, she said "I wish I had a different family. I wish I was in Dexter's family."

It was a total stab in the heart.

But I must admit, I giggled a little, but only because she had thought about this so carefully. And I didn't even do anything to warrant this little piece of information, but she was so serious when she said it.

She was mad we were making her get her dress on for church.

She later took the statement back and said she was sorry, and that she loved both of us. But I can only imagine the kind of things that will come out of her mouth. Her brother can sure hand out some doozies.

Ash-ims #16

Last night in the car, on the way home from school:

Me: What did you learn about at school today?
Ashlee: Bats
Me: Oh, that's fun. What did you learn about bats?
Ashlee: They come out at night, and they eat people. And they turn into vampires.
Me: Hmmm...the teacher told you that?
Ashlee: No, Dexter told me that. He seen it on the TV.

Wonder what Dexter's parents are watching? And better yet, do they know Dexter is watching?

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Last week or maybe the week before, Ashlee and I were coming back from the pool and she got into this big conversation about elephants. They must have been learning about them at school or something.

Ashlee: Did you know the elephants at the zoo are all hurt? Ms. Kristen told me that.
Me: Oh, did she?
Ashlee: Yep. The hurt elephants go to the zoo and the not hurt elephants live in California.
Me: California? Who told you that?
Ashlee: I saw it on the smartboard.

Either that smartboard isn't very smart or she has California and Africa confused - at least I hope they're not teaching them about elephants running around in California!?!

Ash-isms #15

So this morning Ashlee got in trouble for lying about what was in her backpack.  

I do have to give her kudos for her answer when I asked what was in it: crumbled paper. It was actually a doll and a blanket, not sure why she thought she couldn't tell me.

Shortly after getting out of time out, she lied to me about combing her hair. As I told her she can't lie to mommy, this transpired:

Me: Ashlee, you can't lie to mommy. You especially can't lie about eating gluten or you'll pay for it
Ashlee: But mommy, I don't have any money.

smh. Point taken little one.

Ash-isms #14

A collection of randoms....

We had a special car rider on our way to school today -- "baby." Sometimes her Bitty Baby is known as "Belle;" sometimes she is "Sleeping Beauty," but she's always "baby." She had to ride with us to school because she was found on the floor of her room "crying" because she bonked her head after falling out of Ashlee's bed in the middle of the night. Ashlee even found a teeny tiny mark on her head to give credit to the bonk. She picked up baby and cradled her like a good mama....and then she strangled her face with the seat belt.

Ashlee begged and begged for this "rock star" outfit from Santa. And then opened it and proclaimed that it wasn't what she wanted so take it back (we have it on video; it's priceless!). This past weekend - nearly a month after Christmas - she decided it was time to open it. No one realized how small it would be. She didn't mind, as you can see, she still rocked it like no one's business. Just don't let her go on the street corner {she did go to Aunt Joyce's in it}!

After a meltdown last night, I asked Ashlee if she was done "getting everything off her chest?" as some of the girls had really hurt her feelings at school. She looked down at her chest {coincidentally she had no shirt on} and said with a puzzled look, what?!? I always forget she takes things so literal.

After the "chest talk," Ashlee was heading downstairs when she tripped and nearly fell face first down an entire flight of stairs. She caught herself on the railing, but in the process she hurt her "arm ankles" - her word, not mine.

This morning, while wiping her eyes, Ashlee told me she couldn't get the "seed" in her eye. I guess that's one way to refer to it; I always called it "sleep."

Ash-ism #13

I told you you had to watch her
This is lotion

Me: Ashlee, do you want a frozen pizza for dinner?

Ashlee: No, I want a hot pizza.

I guess that makes perfect sense.....