The Party!!

Ella's party had to be a week later this year due to pool scheduling. That's ok!! It made it more fun!! We had multiple parties for weeks!!!

Daddy and Scarlet. She hates everything. Even the pool.

Uncle Jed makes me nervous with his tossing skills!!

Little girls every where!! 

Grandma and Grandpa Alderete

 Birthday girl!!

 Ella made her own guest list!! These 2 are always included!!

Evelyn & Macy!!

 Wheeler Family

 Macy and Evelyn again!! The little life vest all the kids were wearing are AWESOME!! 

 It was a perfect day for pool fun. Hot. No wind!!

It rained the night before and I was worried we'd be rained out!! 

Haha!! This is Nevada, what was I thinking?!

I hope there are some boys out there somewhere or all these little girls are going to be lonely adults. 

There was a vast difference in the boy-girl ratio!!

 Annie getting her baby fix. She, like I, are all done but we like a good snuggle!!

 Getting ready for presents!! First we had some cake and I was SO IMPRESSED with how perfectly patient all these children waited for their piece!! Not a peep of complaint or begging. They all just waited and said thank you!! Makes a mother's heart happy!!

 Ella's friends were thoughtful and generous!! I am so happy she has associated herself with good girls from good families.

 More presents!!

 And cards!!

 And art supplies!!

We are so happy that everyone came!! It was so fun and the pool is a perfect summer birthday fun!! 

And it's nice for me to be able to visit with all my friends too!! 

Thank you to everyone who came and had fun!!

Ella's Birthday Week!!!

I can't believe my little duck has turned 5!! I reflected on her birth all day yesterday. (Her actually birthday) I let her lay by me to fall asleep, since it was her day of glory, and she snuggled up to me and said thank you for all her presents and she was so glad I was her mommy. I sincerely told her I was so glad I had the opportunity to be her mommy.

Ella was a very difficult infant and has not been an easy job. But she is a thriving, beautiful little girl. And all the hard work is worth it every day.

My favorite things about Ella:

She is sensitive

She is considerate

She is loving

She snuggles

She's smart

She's helpful

Her curly blonde hair!!

Her pretty blue eyes

Her feisty spirit

Her literal appetite!! No begging this kid to eat!!

Tries so hard to please.

 

She's not perfect. She still has a bad day, or throws a fit, and still has bouts of crazy wildness. Or gets into trouble for not listening. But she is growing up and I am so proud of her.

 

 

Blowing out her candle.

Her party isn't until next Saturday so we had a just a little low key cake eating.

 



She has been asking for this back pack on wheels for MONTHS.

 



She told me she was so excited to have this lion and was going to give him a good home. She's very loving!!

 



She specifically asked for a pony train and a scooter!!

 



She loves it!!!

 

Happy Birthday Ella!! I love you so much!!

 

I. DO. NOT. LIKE. THE. HEAT.

I LOATH the southern Nevada summers. LOATH them. Every year when June rolls around and the Earth is sweltering at 95 degrees at 4 am, I seriously investigate different police departments through out the west.

This year has been more difficult than others for a couple reasons.

First: We're breaking records right and left as one of the hottest summers on record.

Second: The home I now reside in is not as well insulated as I have been spoiled with.

 

When I get over heated, I get crazy. And when I get crazy, I get desperate!!

 

 First I made Brent buy this small window unit for our room. I thought I would turn it on before bed and I wouldn't have to sleep hot.

It helped a lot!!

But then.......the temperature soared higher!!

 

 

 So I begged, cried and threatened and Brent bought THIS!!

It helps cool down the living areas of our house and even part of the girls' rooms.

But then!!!..............

 

 When the main AC unit was roaring for 6 hours straight keeping it as a refreshing 80 degrees, I snapped a little. These hideous light blocking blinds came with the house but I had taken them down. They went back up.

But then................

 

 It wasn't enough.

I thought to block out the light with some tasteful foam board.

It was like throwing a stick at a rattle snake...........

 

 So I tin fouled the windows. Something I swore I would never do again after I moved out of the cinder block house in Logandale.

Desperate times my friends. Desperate.

BUT THEN......

Heat still pulsated from the windows. They have solar screens, thank heavens or the entire world would be able to see my trailer trash workman ship here.

I marched down to Home Hardware with a deranged shine in my eyes. I snatched up a roll of industrial, foil insulation. (Think the thing you put in your car windows)

I strode with obvious purpose to the nearest worker and asked him clipped tones, "How much for this?"

He took a step back, obvious intimidation of the crazy woman in front of him.

"Uhhhhh.......I think it's 10 dollars a foot. But if you buy the whole roll you get 20% off the total."

My pupils dilated and the gleam in my eye was pure insanity.

"I want the whole roll."

Needless to say, every window in my home has been covered with the exception of 2. It helps.

It's still 78 degrees with all air units working pretty hard.

 

 

This is my crude curtain. Trying to cover the ugly blinds, the tin foil, insulation and foam board!!

Stay classy folks!!

 

Now let me make sure you understand- ASHLEY DOESN'T LIKE THE HEAT!!!

I want it 72 degrees in the house!!! I will settle for 74!!

Excepting that I have to be happy with 78 is VERY VERY VERY hard!!

Yes, I know that is not what the average home is kept at. Yes, I know I am asking a lot.

I don't care!!! And don't even suggest to me I should get over it or think positive.

If anyone knows me, thinking positive is definitely not a strong point.

So I will be residing in my lair of solitude for the next few weeks, while the heavens try to cook the residents of Moapa Valley.

If you can't bitch about the heat with me, don't bring it up!!!

 



Happy Birthday to ME!!!

We decided to go into Vegas to My great Uncle Pat's house to swim in his pool. His yard was BEAUTIFUL and his porch was amazing with its misters and fans!! We had so much fun!!

 

 

 Family swimming time!!

 

 Chelsey displaying her 20 week belly, which in my opinion is pretty weak!!! Eat more cookies girl!!

 

 More swimming!! Ella could live in the pool. Maybe one day she will have one!!

 

 Comparing bellies!! I think my dad wins!!

I told the boys to puff them out as far as they could!!

 

 Scarlet and Daddy swimming.

 

 Jean, Uncle Pat and my dad.

Amazing, wonderful people!! Jean even went and got me balloons!!

I love balloons but when you get past the age of 10, people don't think you want them any more!!

 

 This is how my sister parties!! Naked!!

Just kidding. She was wearing a bandeau suit, so when she wrapped up she looked like she was serious about the heat!!

 

 Happy cousins!!

 

 Scarlet was her usual lovely self.

She accidently put herself in lock down. It dripped with irony.

(It's the security door)

 

 Brent wanted to do something special for my cake.

He called all my family and ask them to tell them one thing that reminded them of me.

Jewelry, cats, books, flowers, motherhood and running shoes!!!

 

 Everyone on the beautiful porch.

 

 Jordan and Chelsey.

Jordan feels about the same way I do about pictures.

Sadly, this WAS the best pic of him.

 

 

 Grandpa told everyone to hop on and he'd take them for a ride. I don't think he knew what he was getting into!

 

 We had a party crasher!! A humming bird!!

 

Scarlet was being suspiciously quiet on the way home. We looked back and saw she could reach the cake and was helping herself!!!

 

Here I am in all my photogenic glory. For the record, I am making a face and not seriously trying to be provocative!!

29 years old!! Blahhhh!!!!



This is why I wanted girls

Matching toes!!

Too bad the poor little things got their Daddy's feet!!

Not that mine are much better.

Feet in general are just nasty.

Family Pictures. Makes me nastolgic......

 

My Dad's dad came down from Ely yesterday and we visited for a couple hours. It made me realize how little I know about my dad's side of the family. Apparently they have all recently found out that my great great grandmother was either a Comanche or Apache Indian. This actually explains a lot!!

I don't even know all my Grandpa's siblings names!! I know everything there is to know about my Mom's family. I spent a lot of time with my Granny in her later years and I love history, so I asked her every question and made family trees. I have always been really close to her so I wanted to know EVERYTHING.

Yesterday I learned more about my dad's family. I love my dad and I am so grateful for the person he is. He is a good man. I am so grateful he chose to join the church and later seal us as a family. It makes my heart so full to watch him with my children and see his unconditional love for them. I am so proud of him and the sacrifices he and my mom have made for each other and for me and my siblings.

 

 

 These are my great grandparents. Andrellita Perea Alderete and Carlos Alderete.

My dad moved out to the valley to live with them when he was 13 years old. They are the ones I credit to making my dad the person he is today. They were good, hard working people.

He was illiterate but she had graduated from high school. She was considered an old maid at 18 years old. They had 10 children and raised several other family members.

 

 

 These are my Dad's parents.

George Alderete and Pauline Zamora Alderete

 

 

These are my dad's sisters. My younger aunt has her own blog and she prefers her name not to be used through the world wide web. So I'll just leave out their names.

 

 When my sister's oldest daughter was born, Great Grandma Andy (as we called her) was still alive. I believe she was 95 in this picture. FIVE generations of Alderete's. My sister kind of sticks out, as she takes after my mom's side of the family. Interestingly enough, Grandma Andy's husband had blue eyes too!!

 

 Grandpa Carlos. He was a tough old dude who knew the definition of a hard days work!!

He passed away in December of 1987 just weeks before my brother was born.

He died from stomach/esophagus cancer. I didn't know him well and have very few memories of him. My parents always laugh about how he butchered the English language.

He said things like "Shair" instead of "chair".

Or "Shina Hutch" instead of "China hutch"

And my favorite "Barney" instead of my mom's name "Bonnie"

 

 

 My parents. I think they are going to a dance in the spring of 1980.

I never realized how much my brother looks like my dad. I always thought he looked like my mom's family.

 

 My mom's parents.

Ruth and Raoul Leavitt.

I talk about my granny a lot but not my grandpa. He was a wonderful, loving man, but he got sick when I was young and suffered from severe dementia. He later needed to live at a care center when his needs became too great for my granny and my mom.

I deeply love these people and can not wait to see them again.

 

 

 My mom and dad's wedding. All my mom's siblings.

Betsy, my mom, Sally, Russell, Raoul, Katie, Judy

Pat (she passed away in 2002 from colon cancer), granny, grandpa, Beulah

I love my aunts and uncles. Amazing people. Generous, caring, loud, funny, fiercely loyal, ornery as hell. Everything I have in myself!!

 

 Wedding day.

My dad looks stoned. He's not.

 

 Grandpa in the easy chair. He ALWAYS wore cowboy boots. And his hat. It must be on the entry table because he never left home with out it!!

He was a hard working rancher. He and Granny had nine children. Serious fertility in my back ground!!! They were both deaf and had to wear hearing aids. My grandpa was a surveyor at the test site and all the loud equipment and explosions damaged his hearing. My granny lost hers from reoccurring ear infections as a child.

 

My siblings.

I think this is 1989

That would makes us around

Me- 5

My sister- 8

Hiss- 2 1/2

 

 

I love my family so much. I want these pictures for my posterity and I have made the goal to stop avoiding the camera. I HAAAATTTEEEE pictures. I am NOT photogenic. But I want to try. I want my children and the generations from now to be able to know who I am.