Ashlee's Ultimate Dance-Off Video

http://makeyourmark.disney.go.com/s/3mo6p?cmp=Dcom_emc_MYM_share_vid_extl

Weekend in Temecula

Mom and I had a very busy weekend that started on Wednesday night. We drove down to Salt Lake and stayed overnight because we had an early morning meeting with Ultradent, a dental distribution company. They took us on a tour of their beautiful facility, and we had a good meeting. Everyone there had gorgeous teeth, of course!

Carol (ultradent), Nat, Mom, Ryan, Heather, Steve (ultradent)

Obligatory trip to In-N-Out. Mom did a good job of indulging all my hamburger cravings on this trip.

Then it was off to see Barratt, Marci, Sierra, Ashlee and Brayden!

This was a busy weekend for Ashlee, not only because it was her 12th birthday, but she also because had her year-end dance recital. The show was 3 hours long and consisted of 45 dance numbers--Ashlee did a ballet, jazz, tap, lyrical, hip-hop and several other routines. She had a matinee show and an evening show. We decided to attend the evening show, which allowed us to spend the afternoon with Brayden during the first performance.

We had so much fun with Brayden! He's a very patient, smart and sweet guy. This is us waiting in line to play laser tag. Brayden did awesome and hit the jackpot two times! I played defense and scored points by shooting unaware little kids multiple times. I feel a little bad... just a little.

Grandma Tutu played arcade games with Brayden--he made them look so dang easy... but they were pretty tough for us old folks.

Brayden scored like 650 tickets, and won a bunch of candy, which kept him entertained during the nighttime performance.

While at dinner, Grandma Tutu and Brayden had a long discussion about rocks, which left me feeling a little dumb. At one point, Brayden said, "Where would the world be without rocks?"--he is definitely Barratt's son.

Then it was off to the recital, where Ashlee totally rocked. She was graceful, had good stage presence, and smiled with her whole face when she was up on stage. I did my Aunt duty of cheering just loud enough to embarrass her.

Bear doing his Dad duty of holding all the costumes and flowers. This picture was candid, so this is actually the expression he held for awhile. Hahah.

After the show. The girls are growing up! I feel old!

Denny, Anna and Joan were also at the performance. Ashlee had lots of support!

Then it was back to the house for cake and presents. Marci made a beautiful and delicious chocolate and dulche de leche cake with strawberries. YUM!

We went to church with them on Sunday morning before we had to catch our flight. Ashlee got to move into Young Womens, and she got called up to the front of the congregation to get her certificate. Way to go Ash!

Then I forced everyone to take multiple pictures while we were still in our church clothes.

And I mean everyone--even the dog!

Their dog-- Lilly Bear -- is seriously the cutest and softest and most well-behaved little puppy there ever was. (Sorry Minnee) She's just precious!

And, she's definitely a part of the family....

We love you guys! Thanks for spending such a fun weekend with us!

Happy Birthday Ashlee!!

June 11th is Ashlee's 12th birthday! We are so excited to be here in Temecula to celebrate this special day with her. She's going to be performing in a huge dance recital and we're glad we will be here to watch her and cheer for her! Some things we love about Ashlee are...

She's very prepared and organized. Grandma Tutu remembers when Ashlee came to visit us in Idaho..."I was impressed that her purse was packed with all possible objects to prepare for any eventuality." (I put this in because Mom's quote sounded just like something Papa would have said.) Ashlee keeps everyone around her organized and is very helpful in reminding her parents about where and when she needs to be dropped off at places, which is helpful considering her busy schedule.

She's a very hard worker. Many of you don't know this, but Ashlee is currently enrolled in EIGHT dance classes. She goes to dance class every day for at least 3 hours or more. We are just in awe of her dedication, self-discipline, and commitment to her dancing. She is a very graceful dancer and she has great energy and perfect rhythm (she must have gotten that from Marci's side of the family).

Ashlee is very conscientious, especially considering her age. She is gracious at accepting compliments, she knows the right time to be humble and the right time to be proud. She seems very mature beyond her years, she is an articulate speaker, and she is very self-sufficient. I have to remind myself sometimes that she is only 12 and not a teenager... yet.

Even though this picture is super old, it shows Ashlee's nurturing side. She has always been a great tender for both sides of her family. She will be a great Mom one day!

We love you Ashlee and we hope you have a wonderful birthday!