Christmas Pictures

It's Christmas time at the Walters house! We are excited to be all moved into our new place at 513 Wright, right next to Grandma and Grandpa Walters. We can't wait for them to get back from their mission next week. Yes that's right, next week!!

The kids have adjusted to sharing a room nicely and momma has enjoyed having both her kids upstairs. Austin is doing good. He is learning to put his own clothes on. The potty training is going slowly but we're working on it.

At 9 months old Brittany is doing well. She is an angel baby who loves to crawl around and get into anything she can get her hands on. Just last week she started pulling herself up on furniture and now she is getting herself into even more trouble. She sure liked the Christmas tree when daddy got it up. We put it behind the couches thinking she wouldn't be able to get to it. Well, we were wrong! Next thing I know I hear whining. I look down and little Brittany was stuck between the couches trying to get to the pretty shiny lights. Silly baby!

Her favorite baby food is banana and she enjoys nana puffs. She loves her mommy very much and loves playing games with daddy. She especially loves playing with Austin, when he isn't terrorizing her. She says mamma and dadda. She's got two teeth and she knows how to use them.

We've got Christmas pictures (courtesy of Kristine Templeton)! =D

Last Few Months Update

In August while Amber was visiting we went to Silverwood Theme park in Idaho. It was fun for the day. Here is a short video of Aaron and Austin on the train at the end of the day. Poor Austin was so tired he fell asleep on the train.



Aaron and Austin also pulled out the pool in late August and spent some time playing in it. Well Austin played and Aaron just sat in a chair with his feet in it and took video of Austin. It was fun Aaron's job was to fill up the toys with water and then Austin would squirt the water out. Aaron would squirt Austin at times and he would run away to the porch. Here's some of the videos Aaron got from it.







On September 20, 2011 our family went to Seattle Washington for a two day trip. Aaron had a business trip to Amazon.com on the 21st so we went up the day before and spent some time around Seattle. We went to the Zoo on the 20th and spent most of the day there. At 4pm we went and checked into our hotel at the Pan-Pacific in downtown Seattle. A fairly nice hotel which Amazon.com paid for since it was a business meeting. Brittany had her own crib and we got Austin a new foldable toddler bed for the trip. Everything worked out well and the Kids slept good that night. For dinner we went down to the pier and ate at The Crab Pot. Ashley was really looking forward to some good seafood.

On the 21st we ate breakfast at McDonald's and then we went to Pike's Place Market and walked around looking at all the shops. The fish market there frequently throws fish around but they were not busy so they only threw one while we were there. Afterward Ashley and the Kids got dropped off at the Aquarium while Aaron went to his meeting. After the meeting everyone met up and we went through all the exhibits again so Aaron could see them all. It was a great two day trip. We got a bunch of pictures and will be posting those a little later. We were able to get all the videos up from the trip though.





Austin and Brittany have been getting along well. Austin is learning to be nice and share with Brittany. He does a good job of playing with her too for the most part. We caught some video of them playing with each other.



Well that is most everything that has been going on the past few months. With Aaron's parents coming home in a couple of months we needed to find a place to live. The second half of the duplex was open and we decided to move next door. We hope everyone is going well and we love you all. Thank you for all your support and love.

The Walters Family

Good Summer Times!

At 3 months old Brittany loves to eat, sleep, and smile. She's getting taller everyday and weighs 14 pounds. She sleeps through the night from 9 to 7 and has several naps in the day. She enjoys her bath time, likes to be sung to, and enjoys making baby noises, sometimes loudly. She loves her Dada, especially when Dada holds her in the air to be “Super Baby”! She keeps her legs straight out, silly girl. I call her Miss Brittany and baby doll, in honor of Uncle Steve who used to always call me that. She is our Angel Baby. We love her very much.

On July 4th we attended the Duportail ward family pancake breakfast at Beverly Heights park. It was a morning of fun in the shade as the kids played on the playground and we visited with family and friends. The Horne girls fought over who got to hold the baby and Austin had fun playing with his friend, Quinton Christensen. Later, we all went to Jared and Kristine Templeton's house for dinner and fireworks and had fun with Sam and Becky Hewson and their new little baby. We had hamburgers, played lawn darts, played with sparklers and popits, and watched the fireworks, most of which were shot off by the neighbors. Austin was so scared he hid under one of the lawn chairs and didn't budge. Eventually we got him to hold a sparkler. The next day he said he had lots of fun with Paige, the Templeton's daughter but he was scared of the fireworks.

July 7th 2011

Yesterday the Winsors stopped by to see us in Richland, WA on their way back down to Georgia after visiting with Mark's mother. Aunt Judy and Caylee came too. It was so fun to see some of my family from back home all the way out here. We took them to Sterling's on the Columbia River as Judy said she wanted a culinary expereince that she could not have anywhere else. We enjoyed the food and shared stories, and then went next door to Howard Amon park to look at the river while we took pictures. It was a beautiful day and I was happy to have even just a couple of hours to spend with them.

July 6th 2011


Brittany learns to roll over- July 2011


Brittany talks to dada- August 2011


Daddy brings home bubble wrap- August 2011

Scrapbook Update

Father & Son Campout and a Scrapbook page

Father Son Campout
May 20-21

Aaron and Austin had fun at the Duportail Ward father & son camp out. Austin watched "Dadda" pitch the tent and chased around his friends Elliot Stevens and Ethan Hathaway.

For dinner they had peanut butter sandwiches, juice boxes, beef jerky, and crackers. That night Daddy tucked Austin in next to him in their one man tent and read Austin a story, Me and my Dad, a story about camping. The next morning they had a nice breakfast bright and early. When they got home, they were so tired they both took naps!

And here is a scrapbook page of dear Brittany. I'll try and post more as I do them! ;)

Our 2010 Newsletter

This is a bit late in posting, but better late than never, no?

Walters Family News 2010

This has been an exciting year for our family. We have been blessed to send off our parents, Nick and Verla Walters, to their mission in Washington D.C. in late May. Since then we have been living at their house and enjoying the great people in the Cottonwood/Duportail area.

With Amber off to Texas, and our close cousins Blake and Janey off to join the military, we have formed new friendships and strengthened bonds with other family in the area. Some of our happiest memories have been spent with our dear Grandma Merkley next door as she watches over us (she affectionately refers to us as her landlords). Austin can't pass her house without asking for his “granma”.

Aaron has been busy with taking care of the rentals in his parents absence. He enjoys learning landlord skills and earning a bit of money on the side doesn't hurt either. He has continued to work for Amazon.com as a digital support representative but recently was promoted to a seasonal leadership position which he likes. At Church, he has served as a nursery worker and loved his time watching Austin grow and interact with the other children. Recently, when our ward was split, he was called to be the new Webelos Leader and is anticipating a great time with the youth.

Ashley has continued to expand her hobbies. She has joined a semi-professional choir in the area called the Mid Columbia Master singers and has loved every minute of it. She continues to take voices lessons from Sarah Murray and has loved all her opportunities to sing. She recently took up digital painting and was even published in a magazine for winning a monthly competition. She still enjoys scrap-booking and has big plans for more craftiness in the near future.

Austin has grown leaps and bounds in the past year. He walks and talks and is more like his mommy and daddy each day. While he doesn't quite use sentences, he has mastered quite a few words, his favorites being “sippy”, “no”, and “car”. He likes to count to 10 and can even spout off the names of quite a few colors although he tends to get them mixed up every now and then. His new hobbies include riding on his trike, coloring, and playing his Thomas the Train matching card game. Whenever he sees mommy and Daddy snuggling he has to wiggle his way in between them to share the love. He loves his blankies very much and carries all four of them around the house frequently. His favorite foods are bananas, grapes, tomatoes, french fries, and apple juice. He's our little angel and we love him very much.

This year we were blessed with the news that we are expecting our second child. We are very excited to welcome this new little spirit into our home next March. The first few months were rough for Ashley as she struggled with morning sickness, but she has been feeling great since then. We can't wait for Austin to have a playmate.

Highlights from this year include going to visit Grandma and Grandpa Bailey down in Georgia. Austin greatly enjoyed his time there and grandma and grandpa couldn't have been happier to see him. Ashley enjoyed spending time with her brother and his wife at a convention down there for her birthday, and enjoyed catching up with family. And the year isn't over yet. This week Aaron and Ashley plan to visit Ashley's sister, Alicia and her husband Shaun as they are sealed in the Salt Lake temple.

We hope all is well with our beloved families spread across the country. May the Lord bless you and keep you.

Love always,

Aaron, Ashley, and Austin

Miss Brittany

Little Miss Brittany is 4 weeks old today. Congrats on your 4 week anniversary today sweet little girl.

So far she has been an angel baby. She loves to eat sleep and sleep some more and occasionally she likes to look up at mommy and stare around the room. She actually likes baths and doesn't cry (unless she gets too cold). Here are the pictures of her first bath!

She listen's to momma's voice when she's crying and calms right down. She especially likes it when momma sing to her. I sing my own little version of "Oh my Darlin'". It goes like this:

"Oh miss Brittany, oh miss Brittany, oh my Darlin' baby girl. Momma loves you, oh miss Brittany, oh my darlin' baby girl."

She's got soft dark hair and big dark blue eyes. She's putting on the weight as well. She's just about out of her newborn clothes.

Austin loves his baby sister. So much so it has gotten him a lot of time outs. He keeps trying to roll on her or bug her to death. He's very persistent and doesn't listen when we say no. He's just so overly excited.



Momma has been very tired today but overall I tend to get enough sleep. Last night was rough because I didn't fall back asleep after she got up at 3:45am.

Daddy has been good. He gets pretty good sleep and he loves his little girl.

Hope you all are well! We love you!

Baby Brttany Ann

Last week we welcomed a new member to our family, little Brittany Ann Walters. She was 7 pounds and 2 ounces and 19 inches long. She was born at 4:09am March 13th 2011 at Kadlec Medical Center in Richland, WA. Mom and baby are doing good- though mom is a little tired! =D

Mom and dad patiently waited for the hospital to call on the 12th. They finally called at 6:30pm and by 9pm mom was on pitocin and having contractions. At 4:09am baby girl was here (it felt more like 3 as daylights savings time took effect during labor).

Overall the labor and delivery went much smoother than with our last child, Austin. It was an amazing experience to see our little girl born into the world. She was alert and quiet after being wrapped up and snuggled by mom and dad. Since then she has been a sleepy girl, sleeping most of the week away. Dad stayed home from work for a week but as of yesterday he is back. Mom is really really tired and trying to get a hang on breast feeding once more. Austin has enjoyed this past week spending time with cousin Angela and her girls, his friend Quinton from nursery, and meeting his new baby sister.

Thanks everyone who brought meals and offered help. We really appreciate it and we couldn't have done it without you guys!

Austin's 2nd Birthday

Hello and good evening everyone. Well Monday October 4, 2010 was Austin's 2nd Birthday. It was a blast. Austin had a great time. We had pineapple, watermelon, carrots, grapes, snickerdoodles, cellery and potatoe chips for snacks. Guests included Grandma Merkley, Susan Merkley, Aunt Valeda Dye, Angie Horne with girls, Devon Massey, Nadell Ransom and their son Vincent. Uncle Reagan Massey arrived later after everyone else left. Also at the party was Grandma and Grandpa Walters by way of Skype. They were able to talk and see everyone at the party and watch Austin open all his gifts.

Austin got lots of presents for his birthday. He got a Go Diego Trike, a shopping cart, two shirts, bumble bee costume, dinosaur to go with the t-Rex Grandpa Bailey he got last year, learning books and Toy Story toddler bedding set from Mom and Dad. Grandma Merkley got him some Hot Wheels cars which he loves. The Ransoms got him a Cars Playground Ball. Valeta gave him a small bus and bubbles. Susan Merkley got him a Thomas the Train matching game. Reagan and Devon got him some small cars which match a Firetruck he already has. Aunt Amber gave him a Texas Shirt as well as Texas Football. Grandma and Grandpa Walters sent an airplane from their mission and the Smithsonian in Washington DC. While on vacation in Georgia Grandma and Grandpa Bailey got Austin some new trucks.

Here are some videos of the party:








We also have some pictures which will be added a little later.

Today we all went to Country Mercantile. A market which has fresh fruit and vegetables as well as gourmet candy. We went on a hayride and picked out two pumpkins from the field. A small white one for Austin and a fairly large, 26 pound, regular pumpkin for Momma. We also took Austin through the hay maze and on the pyramid hay stack they had. Austin's favorite part was the petting zoo. They had a reindeer, sheep, piggy, cow (Austin calls them moo cows), goats, bunny rabbit and a rooster. After purchasing some apple butter and the pumpkins we decided to go through the corn maze just for the fun. Austin walked for the first quarter and then Ashley and I had to carry him. About half way through Austin fell asleep in our arms. It took a while but we got out. It was our exercise for the day.

Things have been going well. Ashley is feeling better day by day and everything is well with baby number two. Ashley feels the baby kicking often. Thank you for everything. We love you all and pray for everyone.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

To all you mother's out there, happy mother's day! I wanted to take the time to give my mom the gift of updating my blog!

A Sonnet for My Incomparable Mother

I often contemplate my childhood, Mom.
I am a mother now, and so I know
Hard work is mixed together with the fun;
You learned that when you raised me long ago.

I think of all the things you gave to me:
Sacrifice, devotion, love and tears,
Your heart, your mind, your energy and soul--
All these you spent on me throughout the years.

You loved me with a never-failing love
You gave me strength and sweet security,
And then you did the hardest thing of all:
You let me separate and set me free.

Every day, I try my best to be
A mother like the mom you were to me.

By Joanna Fuchs


Mom, you are so special to me. You taught me independence and the difference between right and wrong but more than that, you taught me unspoken lessons that I will always remember. I have always admired your Southern quiet strength and poise. You never give up, and you do what you have to do. Your example has taught me to be level headed and grounded. Your beauty has encouraged me to respect myself. Your manners have taught me to respect those around me. Your nurturing has helped me to be a better mother to my own son. He will bear the lessons you have given me. You have made me who I am today. I am forever thankful. I love you momma. I am and I will will always be, your baby girl.

love,

Ashelina

Austin's Birthday Bash

Today was Austin's first birthday. We had lots of fun setting up and wrapping all his presents. We had the party at grandma's house since she has more room. Great Grandma Merkley, Grandma and Grandpa Walters, Blake and Janey Malcom, and the Hornes were over for the big event.

We had cake and ice cream, soda, veggies and dip, chips, and chex mix. It was yummy. Mommy blew up some balloons and through them about. Austin had fun playing with his second cousin Levi. He also graced us with some smooth dance moves too. We have discovered that he loves to dance when he hears music. He just knows it's time to bogey. As soon as we turn the music off, he stops! Watch him walk a few steps too! Check out his stuff:




Later we opened his presents. He made a good haul. He got some clothes, movies, books, some awesome little hand puppets, some mega blocks, and some toys. His favorite thing so far seems to be the puppets. Here's the video of his happy day:




Now, on to the birthday wishes!





Happy Birthday baby boy! I can't believe you are one year old already! Where has the time gone?

Austin update

Austin is 9 months and 3 weeks old, and 21 pounds. He loves to chew on fabric, and is known for pretending to want to cuddle and nuzzle his face in your shirt and then biting you.

He also loves to be around people. Translation- he follows you around the house, no matter where you go. Which means you have to be careful not to step on him.

His favorite baby food is banana. If it's anything else, he usually puts up a fight, making faces and spitting it out at you. He also eats little rice puffs in large quantities. If you leave him to feed himself, you'll nearly always turn around to a blank tray at the high chair. And when you eat dinner in the kitchen, he stands at the baby gate and yells at you for not letting him in.

Austin can pull himself up on the couch and walk around. He also crawls really well now. He can wave (with both hands), and he frequently says ma ma and da da though we doubt he actually associates the words with us yet. He loves playing peek-a-boo and pat-a-cake, and enjoys when I sing the itsty bitsy spider and the wise man built his house upon a rock.

He's very ticklish, when he wants to be. The best spots to get him are under her arms, around his neck, and his thighs. He laughs and laughs and laughs, and his smile is so beautiful. He's got 4 teeth now, two on top, two on bottom.

He enjoys bath time and likes to splash around while playing with his bath toys. His favorite bath toys are the blow fish (because it's a bright orange ball), and the star fish (because it's nice a pink and easy to spot). He's really squirmy when you try and put his clothes back on him now though. Mommy usually has to make him a bottle to get him to calm down enough. He does try and help every now and then, by pushing his arms through the holes for you.

He likes to chew on anything on the floor so mommy is constantly taking things away from him. He especially loves shiny things he knows he shouldn't have- like the remote or the phone.

Austin gets really excited when daddy comes home. The other night he was playing quietly with toys on the floor, when Aaron walked in the door. He lit up, said "Da Da!" and started laughing and booking it to pat on daddy's feet. He was all smiles as daddy picked him and gave him cuddles.

We love our little boy. He is an angel. <3

Dance Baby Dance

Here's some pics of Austin that we took at Grandma Verla's house-







And here's a video of Austin gettin down! XD

Happy Birthday Grandpa Bailey!

Dad, for a while now I have been meaning to let you know how much you mean to me, and it's about time I did it. I want to thank you, for the constant sacrifices you made for us. For the night shifts, for the long hours, for putting up with 5 hyper children all under the age of 9 at a time of financial uncertainty. I am sure there are many things that you and mom went through that I was oblivious to, but know that we care. Know that I think about that. Know that we love you.

If it weren't for your willingness to take us to church I would not be a fraction of the human being I am today. Know that your testimony has altered my life, know that your advice and guidance is always in my mind, and know that your grandchildren will be better people because of you. You have been such a huge blessing to our family. You will always be my daddy. <3

Baby Moments

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ViewSlideshow.action?&collidparam=236914892110.574463563210.1237769302122

Happiness Journal- My son

Did you know that happiness is infectious? According to this recent study, you can spread happiness to those around you by expressing what makes you happy. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/3548303/Happiness-is-infectious-and-spreads-through-friends-and-family.html


So I know I can’t be in Georgia and Washington at the same time. I still want my family down there to know me and see how I am growing and developing as a person. Well lately I keep having the idea of making a happiness journal. What better way to keep track of what I am grateful for than posting it here on my blog? I challenge all of you out there to think of at least one thing you are grateful for today. And if you have the time, try making a happiness journal. Write about one person and talk about how that person makes you happy or grateful.

Today I am grateful for many many things and it’s hard to pick what to write about. I am most grateful for my loving family. More specifically my little baby. He brings so much joy to my life. He is so full of energy and so happy to see me in the mornings when I pick him up. His expressions of emotions are so pure. I am grateful that he makes me want to be a better person. I look at him and I hope that I can be all that I can be as a parent to steer him in the right direction so that he can be a happy person. I want my home to be a place of warmth and laughter, and family home evening game nights. And when I am an old woman, I want to look around a room full of my grand children and great grand children and feel at peace. I want my home to be a happy home, for him, because he deserves no less. He makes me a better person.

So today I have taken the extra effort to make him smile. We've been playing all morning. He loves to be tickled! It just brightens my day so much to see that big beautiful smile.

Next time I will pick another person I am grateful for. Who are YOU grateful for? Spread the joy and let them know!

Happy Day!

So Aaron called me from work today. Amazon offered him a permanent position. This is great news! He was hired on as a seasonal worker for the Christmas holiday and we were sure they were going to lay him off in January. They kept him on for a little longer and never told us exactly what they were planning to do. Now we get benefits and insurance. XD

This isn't THE job by the way. He is only a technical support representative but we'll be looking while he continues to work.

In other news, I am trying to lose weight. I have got to tell you, I am so impressed by this 6 week body makeover plan by Michael Thurmond. He really does know what he is talking about. I have lost 16 pounds since I started the program January 27th. I still have 10 pounds until my goal but I think instead of going by weight I am going to go by body shape. I am eating 6 times a day (lots of protein, complex carbs, fruits, and green veggies) and I am working out twice a week for 20 minutes and walking an hour 4 times a week. It's soooo easy and yet the weight is melting off. My metabolism is revved up and I have lots of energy. Austin and I go down to the nearby park along the river for a stroll and it hardly seems like exercise. I am building a lot of lean muscle too. *Flexes forearm*. I mean, I'm no Amberlie, but I am much better than what I was.

The big draw back is the food. It is incredibly bland. No salt, sugar, juice, milk, and no condiments (butter, ketchup, salad dressing, etc.) Needless to say I am eating much healthier now. I have lots of onion, green peppers, mushrooms, salad, bananas, apples, blueberries, ground turkey, and fish in my fridge right now. Yeah, that all sounds good until you find out that you can't put salt or sugar on any of it. Salt makes a BIG difference folks. And I have tried some artificial sweeteners to replace the sugar. If you poor enough in your oatmeal it almost tastes good. The only good condiment I have been able to eat is barbeque sauce (homemade). It's actually really quite tasty. So I have lots of BBQ chicken. =p yum

To put it in perspective- I am 50 pounds lighter than I was at my highest weight pregnant with Austin. XD And I ALMOST fit in the healthy weight category. My BMI is 24.5 and healthy is 18 to 24. I'll keep on trucking along.

Look at Austin! He was smiling at me completely sideways in his crib this morning when I went in to pick him up. He was having WAY to much fun kicking the sides and getting himself turned around. He's so strong!

Christmas Memories

December 25th 2008 was little Austin's very first Christmas. We got some video of him with a bow on his head. This year we had a lot of snow in the tri-city area which is unusual. I'd say we had about 10 inches of snow for the Christmas season.

Christmas eve we and some family and friends piled into a 15 passenger van and went Christmas light viewing. The snow was fresh and falling peacefully and the evergreens looked like Christmas trees. It made everything simply picture perfect. Then we came back for some hot chocolate.

We stayed in Richland for Christmas this year since Austin was so young. He was two months old. Now he's over 4 months!

Here are some pictures (click for full view):



And here's a video of us:

Happy Birthday Grandmommy!

Make a Smilebox greeting

Happy Birthday Momma! *Sings and Hugs* We wish we could be there sooo much. I actually had a dream yesterday that I flew down to Georgia to see you guys. If I were there I would make you a spice cake. =P

I wanted to get a picture of Austin smiling with a bow on his head for you but he wasn't cooperating. Maybe next time!

Much love,

Ashley and Aaron (and Austin)

Austin's Blessing Day

Austin was blessed on Sunday, December the 7th. It was a lovely day. We got an adorable white outfit with a vest for him to wear and we wrapped him in a hand-made blanket woven by Grandpa Bailey's friend at work. Austin was sooo precious. For more pictures, view my kodak gallery: Austin's Pictures


He was blessed by his father. In the circle was Grandpa Walters, Uncle Doug, Uncle Vernon, and cousin Blake, oh and Bishop of course. We were very lucky Austin wasn't sick because his mom and dad have both been under the weather. Other than that, things have been going well over here. On Monday Austin had his very first real laugh. Daddy was playing with his feet and Austin was smiling and laughing at him.

He's also become quite the chatterbox the past two days. As we have held him he would start talking back and forth with us. He'll say "oh" and I'll say "oh" back and it would go back and forth for minutes at a time. It was SO funny!! We got a small clip of it on the camera.