For the week of 6-15-2009 through 6-19-2009 was Ashley's biggest week ever.  We had the departure of a long time companion and favorite baby sitting Aunt Tylee.  Ashley and Tylee were tight like tigers, and we are sure that Ashley will miss her Aunt lots.  Tylee was great the short time we had with her, and Mary and Chris will miss her as well.  But it is a new beginning for Tylee in California and the whole family wishes her the best and we know she will make the most of the opportunities in front of her.  Say bye bye Aunt Tylee.  Bye bye.

The next big news was Ashley making her debut at child care. Our new daytime baby sitters are downtown, and while not as close as we would like, she is within a lunch time visit for Chris. Mary will drop us both off in the morning, Chris will bus it to his office and Mary can continue on to her work. It takes a little extra time so both Chris and Mary need to get on it sooner in the morning and will be cranky for the foreseeable future, but it is easy enough.

The fact that Ashley loves her new daycare is a big bonus and huge relief. A daily report is given so we know what she is up to, and everybody already knows Ashley and bids her farewell everyday. Big people food is on the menu everyday, and still as always Ashley is proving that being a picky eater doesn't fit into her time table. The upside is that Ashley will snack and eat whatever meal Mary puts together, but the downside is that we have lots of baby food left over. Chris will continue to try and work the chicken mush into the menu, but mom will put the kabash on it everytime she finds the offense. Daddy is too cheap, but it is fair as Ashley is ready for the big people food to keep up with her growing body.

Here is the week breakdown: (Warning, this is proud daddy stuff, very little of interest in included in this chart.)

*What the heck kind of meat?
**!!
***  It ain't "optional" compulsive disorders
****  Boy crazy
*****  !!!!!

The Jennings and the Zwemkes went to Cannon Beach for the annual sand castle building contest. The sand castles were pretty weak but the sand was delicious and Ashley really came into her own when it comes to eating sand and playing in the mud.

Memorial day 2009, Mary's coworker and friends Paula and Lou generously offered us the use of their home in Lincoln City. Right on the beach and close to some fun Chris, Mary, Ashley, Marsha, Tylee, Kutter and Kage all went for the weekend.

The family went to the beach to fly kits, build castles and some general horsing around.  We all took a trip to Newport, OR to visit the Oregon Coast Museum and the Wax Works.  Lunch at Mo's in Otter Rock (home of the Devil's Punch Bowl) rounded out our trip as we drove home.

Ashley was gifted an inflatable school bus for her birthday from Grandma Zwemke.  Since there it has been the repository of choice for everything Ashley finds valuable.  Toys are in there, as well as the plastic balls, peices of paper, balloons and her binkys are all buried treasure that only Ashley holds the map to finding.

It wouldn't be so bad except that we need those binkys sometimes.

It was finally a nice day in Portland.  Not only a nice day, but a day when we were both home, had no work, no shopping, no chores and time to burn.  Mary and I took Ashley to the park to get into the swings.  Ashley really likes to swing.

So Ashley and her folks went to the park at the end of our block to enjoy the first sunny day of April in 2009.  The swings were a favorite but walking herself home was the real treat of the afternoon.

The real news is that Ashley is now a marathon walker.  There are reports of her walking over a half mile from the pharamacy down the street to our front door.  Props goes out to Aunt Tylee for doing the Ashley Trail of Tears without picking Ashley up and dragging her home by her legs.