Dear 2009,

Whew! Where do I even begin with this? You have been a year of lessons; lessons learned... most of them learned while I was kicking and screaming; bottom lip pressed firmly out into a big, fat pout. It has been a really tough year. Like; didn't-know-if-I-would-make-it-through-with-my-head-still-attached tough.... I know that it has been for a lot of people.

But, oddly enough, I would like to thank you, 2009. I would like to thank you for the lessons learned. I have learned how to be a mother - this lesson has been the most difficult of my life (by far) as it is backbreaking, really, for an entirely selfish person to learn how to be.... well... not. Learning how to be a mother implies learning all sorts of other things; like changing a diaper with one hand, for example.

I have learned how to be a dreamer - which is directly opposed to the feet-on-the-ground-make-others-happy person I have always been. And let me tell you, allowing your passion to take flight is both exhausting and wonderful. Oh, and totally terrifying. But I am in this wonderful place right now, where I know that anything is possible. Actually possible.

So thank you, 2009. I am so looking forward to 2010. In a different way than I have ever looked forward to a New Year. Because I am a better person than I was last year and, with the help of my friends and family, I am certain to be even better yet. I. Just. Cannot. Wait. So, I will be bringing in the new year in a easy, low-key way: sitting on my parents' couch watching a rented movie and sipping champagne in my sweats. There is nowhere I would rather be.

Lovingly and Optimistically,

Ashley N. Scobey

P.S. - Look, 2009, at what we made!! How great are we?!?

* photo by the amazing Carla TenEyck *

Two Months Till Christmas

It does not feel like Christmas yet. This is a really difficult thing for me to admit because Christmas is my absolutely completely 100% favorite holiday and I am usually mummified in Band-Aids from all the wrapping paper cuts, pine needle pricks, and glass ornament nicks by the first week in November. But not this year. This year it does not feel like Christmas.

Things have been sooo busy and stressful around here. Not only has this been the longest semester of my life, but we also have a staggering amount of obligations, and then there are those things that we WANT to do like, oh, I don't know, SIT DOWN maybe once a day. I am so ready for a break. I know that Graham is ready for a break too. And by the amount of screaming that Evie has been doing over the past 48 hours I will assume she is thirdsies on that list. (maybe she has brain damage)

This weekend I finally found a little bit of time to put up our Christmas decorations. First, though, I had to remove the scarecrow and two giant hay-bales that were still left over from Halloween. Classsssy. It took me about an hour, but it was a miserable 27 degrees outside and I kid you not when I say that I'm fairly certain my ears were bleeding and I'd lost 50% of my hearing from the cold by the time I got back inside.

One big difference between Graham and me is that he thinks things all the way through. I don't. I think them through until that thought process takes a maximum of 10 minutes and I get bored and/or distracted by shiny objects.

The part that I didn't fully consider about the Christmas lights was the fact that they might need a place to be plugged in. And that might require an extension cord. By the time I figured this out I had frozen hands and bleeding ears, so now we have a wreath on the door and lights that can't be lighted.

So it feels a little more like Christmas than it did on Thursday... and I am hoping that it starts to feel even more like Christmas soon.

I mean, I have snow on my blog now, too, so that has to count for something.

Holiday Thrift List 2009

This afternoon... for an embarrassing number of minutes... Graham and I played Dirty Mad Libs. What's Dirty Man Libs? You ask? Well... it's this, only dirty.

I want to tell you in explicit detail what our Dirty Mad Libs said. I really really do. Because, as Graham says, I have no filter. And he's right. I don't. So I really really want to tell you what they said. But I can't. I have been strictly forbidden by the SCC (that's Scobey Communications Commission) to just....please....don't.

So, instead, here is my first annual Holiday Thrift List. All gifts featured here are under $28... and they are pretty much guaranteed to make someone in your life very happy (but my Dirty Mad Libs would have made everyone happy. just sayin'.)

This beautiful Cuckoo clock is by Decoylab... and I just dream of all the walls in my house that could be hipenized (ya know. made more hip.) by it. $28

These wooden teethers are all the rage in eco-friendly baby stuff. Problem: they're freakin' ugly. Solution: Mr. T-Rex here. $15

Every little girl needs this book. Except Evie... because her Dad forbids it. And he is heartless. And he doesn't want her growing up dreaming of living in the Plaza Hotel. But, as anyone who has read this book knows, that is so not the point. $14

LePapier Studio makes these beautiful, custom sibling prints. I love them. But not enough to make Evie a sibling. $20

One of my friends from Atlanta takes ordinary old buttons and turns them into these beautiful, stylish rings. I want one. They're so FANCY! $10-15

Hark Industries does some of the most beautiful hand-lettering I have ever seen. In. My. Life. These monthly calendars are among the things for sell in her Etsy store. And did I mention that every detail is done by hand!? Amazing. $16

Things to be Thankful For

Relationship. It is pretty much my favorite word. I study relationships, I am in relationships, I love to give relationship advice. But this past week... this past week I got to capture relationships with my camera. And y'all: it was so much fun. Here are just a FEW of my favorites.

Everyone, meet the S. Family. Talk about some EN-ER-GY! These kids were so much fun to chase around. Everyone had such great senses of humor, too. They had Graham and me laughing pretty much the whole time we were there.

Miss Emma and Mr. Tripp... climbing on the Japanese Maple

And then Drew joined in the fun.

Sweet Anna has the most beautiful smile.


We went straight from the S's to the Scobey/Chamblee Family portrait session. This family is near and dear to my heart because...well... it's mine! People, I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT DRINK THE WATER IN THE SCOBEY'S HOUSE. I am pretty sure that everyone who has in the past 2 years has ended up pregnant. Between the two families, we have SIX babies under the age of two. Six. But you guys? They are all so stinkin' adorable. So at least we have good genes if we are all out there trying to set the Guinness World Record for procreation.

My sweet niece, Sophi.

Ryan, Amy, and Miss Ella Grace. These three are so in love with one another. It is contagious.

There is just something special about a Daddy's boy. Maybe that is why I love this picture so much.


Two of my favorite people in all of the world. Belle and Rach.

The last portrait session of the week was with the E Family. Margaret and Steve have built a beautiful home that is so full of love. It is really wonderful to be around. I had been DIEING to meet little Kherington ever since she was born in May (exactly one month before Evie made her debut). And may I just say she totally lived up to the hype. And then some.

Ayton made me want to go out a buy Evie like ten-thousand cable knit sweaters. He just looked so dapper in them!


Kherington was even sweeter than I had anticipated. We all know that I am a sucker for cheeks... and I just wanted to nibble on hers all day long!

Thank you to everyone for letting us spend time with your amazing families. We had a wonderful time soaking up the love that you all have for one another.

I will leave you all with a little bit of Evie... because it keeps the Winter blues away.

Merry Scandalistmas

whoooaaaaa now... break me offa piece of THAT!

Merry Christmas from The Scobeys

Just Plane Lucky

People, the travel gods seriously smiled down on us yesterday. Evie slept the entire way to Providence (that's 1 1/2 hours in the car, folks). The agents at the security gate were super kind and helpful. My husband didn't get a hernia from the umpteen carry on items he was lugging through the terminals. We got to board first and there were SEVEN vacant seats all around us. Then Evie did not have a giant poop on the airplane (a possibility that Graham had been waking up in cold sweats over for weeks).

And then? AND THEN?!?! Evie fell asleep! The first 1.5 hours of the flight were spent in complete silence. I got to brush up on my Tap Defense skills. Very important. Have I mentioned how I like Evie the best when she is asleep?

Well, asleep-Evie is my fllllaaaaavorite.

So she naps. And then? AND THEN!?!? She wakes up and is all "Hello. I feel incredibly rested and would like to giggle at you for the remainder of the flight."

So of course I'm all "Yes please. And thank you. I'll make moronic noises to further exacerbate your laughter."

So, to summarize: Thank you Jesus.

The only bad part: my foot fell asleep during her nap. And instead of doing the it-tingles-in-a-bad-way dance I just sit there. I take one for the team. Because, people, only an idiot would chance waking a sleeping baby at 20,000 feet. In fact, had the plane been an ocean and a shark had swam up and begun slowly gnawing my foot to a bloody stump, I still wouldn't have moved. Not in a million years.

We got really lucky, and that is not lost on me. This trip was infinitely better than the last plane ride we took with her: when I had to pump in the lavatory, proceeded to spill my hard-earned milk all over the nasty, urine-caked floor, and then threw myself out of the exit door. Or maybe I just thought about that last past.

Regardless. It is so good to be home. I hope that you and your's have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.

Cough, Cough

Ugh... this was the worst Halloween ever.

Graham and I have both been feeling really crappy and, well, it seems as though we have been struck with a case of

THE SWINE FLU

(insert canned laughter here)

I am a big fan of the trendy-social-phenomena costume.

Plus I DESPISE sexy halloween. And what is less sexy than an infectious pig?

The Final Countdown

Every year I get to celebrate my own special holiday. It's not my birthday...it's not even my half birthday. It is something so much more exciting.

It's PLANNER DAY!

This year said day falls on August 4th...and I am just countin' down the days until that mystical brown chariot (ahem...UPS) brings me my new planner. Every year I think that I have gotten the bestest, awesomest, most amazingest one ever...but this one really is. It even says my name on it (I'd like to take this moment to squeal repeatedly and jump around my room...okay I'm back).

Did I mention it says my NAME on it?!

It's from Erin Condren...and if you are, say, a slightly-neurotic-obsessive-compulsive-planning-maniac (not that I know of anyone who fits that description) than this place is like Nirvana. No. It's like Nirvana with an all-you-can-eat Cold Stone Creamery inside.

I mean...YAY!!!

Happy Anniversary, Sorry for Crying on Your Steak

As many of you know, my husband and I are middle school sweethearts. In fact, on our first "date" (when his parents took us to a Braves game) we looked exactly like this:

August 6, 1999...I do not remember who won the game...but I was pretty sure (even then) that I had met the one for me.

Fast forward ten years, and we are celebrating our third wedding anniversary today...and even though our "romantic evening" consisted of going literally down the street to the local Mexican joint, chasing our chips and salsa with a plethora of pills (from a plastic baggie, no less), and me sobbing sporadically throughout the meal (because OH THE HORMONES...someone should send you home from the hospital with a sign attached to you that reads "SO MUCH AS SPEAK, and this woman will cry"), there is nowhere that I would rather be and no one whom I would rather be with than you, my love.

At least we attempted to have a little alone time today...as we were walking out the door I told him that he should feel like the luckiest guy in the world that I had mustered the energy to put pants on and dry my hair. The flowers he got me were pink, because today was little Evie's one week birthday. He is so awesome.

Happy Anniversary...You are and will forever be my Only One

The Man of My Dreams Turned Dad of My Dreams

My husband has only been a father for 6 days...and at least once during each of the first 4 days (while we were in the hospital) I had a nurse or a doctor tell me what a phenomenal dad he was...one did so with tears in her eyes. I agreed with them, smiling and knowing that I had already counted my blessings and told myself what an amazing dad he was at least 3,000 times in any given minute.

Graham, I have loved you for a very long time (10 years, to be exact)...and I have always been thankful for how wonderful you are...but seeing you with Evie overwhelms me with so many emotions. I am beyond grateful that our little girl gets to have a father like you...and I feel both completely undeserving and totally fortunate. You have already proven yourself as World's Best Dad in my book...and if there were a Rookie of the Year Award in parenting, your name would be on it. Thank you and Happy First Father's Day.

Happy Mothers Day

"A Mother's love is something
that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain,
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away . . .
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking . . .
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems . . .
It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation . . .
A many splendid miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God's tender guiding hand."

- Helen Rice, "A Mother's Love"

Hippity Hoppity...

Evie's first Easter has been quite eventful. After a day FULL of shopping she now has curtains, a diaper pail, and about 17 different types of pacifiers to choose from (I did not even know that many kinds even existed...but they do. I also did not know that babies were picky about which ones they would suck...but they are).

Her Lolly and Pop-pop left this morning bright and early after two solid weeks of work. The basement is so close to being done and we are extremely thankful for all of the hours that David and Debbie spent down there sheet-rocking, mudding, painting, trimming, and ceiling...ing.

And, to top it all off...she is 33 weeks old now!!

Here is what little Evelyn Grey looks like now-a-days:Bear looks at me, increasingly more often, with his big brown eyes and I swear that I can almost hear him say "My life is about to be verrrrrry different...and I am noooooot pleased."

I hope that everyone has a blessed Sunday and that Mr. Bunny is very good to you all!! Happy Easter. It is so amazing to celebrate the day that death was overcome.

The bunny cake pictured above was made by Debbie Scobey. She takes orders. Not really.
We ate the bow-tie for breakfast this morning and are going to share the rest of it with our friends Carl and Brittney after an Easter dinner tonight.

So I Married a 5th Grader

Happy MLK Day everyone. As I write this, my husband is shoveling our mailbox out of the snow so that the mailman can make his deliveries tomorrow. Well, I say that. He may be playing, because this is what he was doing 15 minutes ago when I went out there:


He was buried thigh-high in snow exclaiming that we now have enough snow to make tunnels out of….No. Thank. You. Snow is fun to look at but also very cold, and digging through it does not sound the least bit appealing to me, but I sure am glad that our daughter will have someone to play in it with ☺

I am sure all of my readers are getting sick of the snow related posts…but it snows SO much here (I know, I know…we live in Connecticut).

On another note, our precious niece Belle had her first birthday on Thursday (we are kindred spirits, and we share a birthday). The party, however, was yesterday. The pictures are absolutely adorable and the cupcakes looked delicious. I am sure you will be able to find pictures soon on Rachel's blog. Happy Belated Birthday, sweet Belle!!

...and a happy new year

Time has flown by much too quickly and the holiday break is over. Graham and I are back in Connecticut, iced and snowed into our cozy home. It is good to be home, though. Anyways, Happy New Year to everyone! I have made some resolutions (of course).

1. To spend more time in devotional with my husband

2. To stick with my gym regimen of 3 times a week throughout the duration of my pregnancy (as long as it is healthy and OK'd by the doctor)

3. To be an overall more positive person and focus more on the blessings in my life and the many things I have than on the things I do not have

Here are some pictures from our Christmas in Georgia. It was wonderful to get to see everyone...there are so many new babies and I loved them all!! (Mallory and I had a special bond...and I wanted to bring her home...but her mom would not let me.)
Our family gift to the Chamblee clan was babysitting for a day so that all of the adults could go see a movie and get some lunch. It was a lot of fun...we got some really cute pictures, too!
I am in my 5th month now and officially out of my normal clothes. The little person is doing all sorts of twirls and somersaults that I can feel pretty well now.Our next Doctor's appointment is January 12th...so I will keep everyone updated!

A GIANT Christmas post

Christmas 2008

We have had such a great week. Last Saturday was our annual neighborhood Christmas party. We have been so blessed by all of the wonderful people we have met here...we could not have moved into a neighborhood filled with more fun people!

That's my husband...he cuts rugs...Graham's parents came up on Sunday and we have just been spending time with them.
On Wednesday we went into the city (which takes about 2 hours by train) and saw Jersey Boys. It was a really great play!
It was not terribly cold, either...which was nice.
I couldn't believe how easy it was for us to go and spend a day in New York. Now that we know, we will be going there much more often!!
Today the snow came. Debbie and I headed out to run errands this morning...and we were on a strict deadline due to the impending storm. Well, 11:00 came and then 12:00 came and we were getting very skeptical that this "storm" was going to happen at all. We all sat down to lunch around 1 and watched out our breakfast room window as flurries turned into bigger snowflakes and buckets just began to fall from the sky. Bear got to have his first snow experience...he almost blends right in!


Merry Christmas everyone! I hope it is blessed and joyful!