Ashley's First Year - October 11 - Happy Gotcha Day!

Hi All, C here,

So here I sit, at our big (as you already know) kitchen table, with the little ones safely tucked away, wondering just where the last year went.

One year ago today Ashley became a Lockhead.

What a DAY that was - and what a YEAR this has been.

Since our last posting (all the way back in July - sorry - life is in fast forward here....), Ashley continues to thrive as the firecracker of the family.  She has essentially taken over.  And now that she is able to speak English more clearly she has a much easier time ordering us around!

She has really begun to come into her own and has let us in on some of the secrets of her real personality.  Ashley truly loves her brothers and is very caring and considerate with them - showing a real sense of empathy when something isn't right with either of them. They adore her as well, looking out for her as only big brothers could.

We are so fortunate to have been blessed with such a beautiful and loving little girl.  We can't believe it's only been a year - sometimes it seems we can't recall what life was like B.A.

Here is a quick picture of her with Kyle & Dylan from this past weekend when we went to Cherry Creek Farm in Lancaster County to kick off the Fall (Hayrides, Pumpkins and all that stuff...)

Her hair is growing out and she looks quite a bit different that a year ago - scroll back in this blog to compare!

Her "condition" continues to be manageable but now that she's talking, she is much clearer about voicing her specific displeasure with Mom and I when we need to "help" her!!

She's doing really great at school, too.  She's moved into her 2nd classroom since starting last fall.  And she's made lots of friends there, too (Matt-Matt, Bella, Madeline, Sophia, Landon just to name a few).

Anyway, there have been lots of things to tell you all about since July, so please bear with us as we catch you up on:

Summer Daytrips, Dutch Wonderland, The Thundercat, Our Myrtle Beach Vacation, Our Most Unfortunate Nature Walk, the Zoos (Philly and Cape May), Birthday Parties...

You can also see more of our photos on our Facebook page.

I have to move along tonight but hope to be back soon with more stories pictures and updates.

But I didn't want this day to pass without visiting and saying how magical the last year (and the last 5 years - since Kyle is approaching his 5th year in our family!) has been.  We love ya baby!!

OK, just one more picture:

Look closely - that not eye shadow!  Ashley got a little bit of a black eye at the playground - a harmless accident - nothing to worry about.  But still, I told here that if anyone asks about her eye and how bad it looks, she should say "Oh yeah! You should see the OTHER little girl!"

On that note...Gotta run...Thanks for sharing our story.

Check back soon.
C