Ashton Enterprises

Ashton is completely obsessing over getting a Voltron: Defender of the Universe action figure. As I mentioned in the Voltron post, it is an eighties cartoon so we have to purchase the toy off of Ebay. David and I decided that if he wanted to get it, he needed to help earn the money to purchase it. So, Ashton decided to go the old-fashioned route and went with the time honored tradition of the Lemonade Stand. Did the 40 degree weather deter him...certainly not!
So winds blowing, clouds in the sky, Ashton set up shop in the Walmart parking lot to lure in unsuspecting bystanders to aid him in his quest to finally possess the coveted galaxy avenger.



To further work the crowds he even did little dance numbers to heighten his likability factor:


Though he quickly tired of the dancing, he did do a pretty good job at first but was only out there about an hour and half before a 20 minute lull in customer activity caused him to throw in the towel. Total earnings for the short afternoon: $20. Total cost for Mom to buy supplies and product: $30. But we ended up with several gallons of extra strawberry lemonade and a half full box of candy bars. Exactly what I need sitting around the house tempting me.
Though in reality we ended up in a deficit, to Ashton he earned more money than he had ever seen and was certain to be able to purchase the Voltron and maybe even the four-wheeler he has been wanting for years as well (nice try).
Not to forget Zander (or as we call him Zan Zan-isn't it funny how you want to come up with cute nicknames but it's always the ridiculous ones that stick?). He has definitely been making progress in the toddler department. He is determined to stand every waking minute and has even begun letting one hand go to gaze longingly at the nearest "go to" point before deciding it's too risky and turning back. He also delights at making it halfway up the stairs before you notice and then laughing his head off when he is discovered. Here is a pic of his two new additions, razor sharp little biters on top (to compliment his bottom two) that he enjoys plunging into every object he gets his hands on:


Notice, of course, his ever-present battle wounds on his forehead that continue to linger and frustrate me as I am wanting to get their pictures taken again. (Also, as you can see, I snuck on a polo shirt in David's absence.) These other pictures are just funny, for some reason every time I put a camera in front of him he goes into this crazy attack mode so it looks like I am raising a Tasmanian Devil. Alright, maybe I am.


As a final note, we went and saw Horton Hears a Who today and the kids loved it. I actually laughed out loud a few times myself even though the character voice-overs really seemed like they were trying too hard some of the time. But I guess you have to expect that from Jim Carrey. Overall, I say it's a good bet to take your kids to in the theater.