Ashley Rebecca Gardiner
Getting
Ready - We Want Another Child Like Ryan
Mom: After having Ryan, we looked forward to
having another child in the family. Ryan
had been the model baby. We could take
him camping, to movies, and church was a breeze. He was always happy, content and
peaceful. I babysat some older children
of two mothers in the ward who were having babies and began to yearn for
another baby herself. We talked about conceiving another child in a few months
when we thought our financial situation would be improved enough so that we
could buy a larger home. We already had four children in our small
three-bedroom home and didn't see how we could fit another one in.
But then, surprise! Surprise! The week following
Memorial Day, just after we got home from camping in King's Canyon with the
Beitlers, we conceived. For several months previous to this, I had been having
some physical problems and worried about being able to have more children. One
afternoon while taking a nap, I was awakened by a male authoritative voice
saying very distinctly, "You will have two daughters". I was working
in the stake Young Women Presidency at the time, and so really hoped that I
would have a little girl. I went up to BYU, chairman of stake youth
Conference, sick to my stomach before and after
the trip. Gradually over the months the physical ailments resolved themselves,
but the morning sickness continued into the seventh month. I got the flu really
bad at Christmas time, and a lingering cough that hurt so bad it felt like the
baby would fall out the bottom every time she hacked away.
Ryan
Is Potty Trained In the Nick of Time
Mom: February 8th was the Stake Young Women's
Conference "Where is Heaven?" I had worked for months on it with a
youth committee representative from every ward. It was a lovely spiritual day,
topped off by Kent potty training Ryan while I was gone. The next two weeks
were spent sorting through baby clothes, making lists of things to buy and do,
and worrying about the smooth arrival of the baby, which was due Feb. 27, in
the middle of a school week for the older children.
"Where
can we have this baby?"
We were so far from the hospital Grandpa Doctor
Brown used, and if we used non Pru-Net doctors or hospitals and there were
complications, the costs could be astronomical. My sister Judy had Noelle Joy
on Monday, Feb 17 and Grandma Brown went down to stay the week with her, with
Grandpa planning to drive down to pick her up on Saturday the 22nd. I asked an
ob/gyn doctor that had visited the summer before on other medical problems if
he would be available on call for that Saturday only and he refused, because he
had not charted my course all through the pregnancy. I
was very depressed, because subconsciously I
knew that was the big day, and so I prayed that Heavenly Father would take care
of me. I told everyone that I hoped the baby would come the weekend after that
one so I could take the children to my folks and they wouldn't miss school and
also so the baby's arrival wouldn't throw rain on Judy's parade and new baby.
Then I made plans to go to the temple Friday night with the ward and to the
Visitor's Center on Saturday night with the Chastine/Nippers, some friends and
parents of a pupil of Kent’s.
A
Special Manifestation
Friday morning I went to the hospital to time
the travel and negotiate financial payment with the administrator, and to my
dad's for a checkup. He told me I was "ripe", and the baby could come
any time. That night at the temple, I was thrilled to be proxy for a woman
named Rebecca, a name Kent and I had treasured for some time for our next girl,
and also the name of my 3rd great grandmother whose temple work had recently
been done. We felt that this was an "omen", as the last temple visit
before Rachel’s birth I had been proxy for a Rachel Ann.
How
Ashley Got Her Name
When discussing the name Rebecca two weeks
before with the other children, some of them weren't sure if they liked it or
not. Chad suggested the name Ashley, the name of a girl at school he had a
crush on (but wouldn't admit). There was a darling little girl at Kent’s school
named Ashley May, and so he said that if it was a girl, he might nickname her
Ashley May. I didn't like the name May, it sounded too
"southernbelleish". So Rachel compromised with the name Ashley Rebecca,
and we all liked that. (A year later, Chad had a tiff with his girlfriend
Ashley and developed a crush on an LDS girl in the ward named Rebecca Jones,
and so the name Rebecca became very popular around here once again, but because
of Ashley's disposition, I'm afraid Maybelle seems to appraise her personality
best. Perhaps she can grow into Rebecca.)
A
Special Dream
Every time I went to the temple when I was
pregnant, I felt that I had to wrestle with the Lord in prayer for the welfare
and safe arrival of my baby. Before leaving I put her name and "baby
Gardiner" on the prayer roll. On the way home from the temple, I felt a
dull pain in my abdomen and a sinking feeling, but I continued to try denying
the eminence of the baby's birth. I did beg Kent to give me a husband's
blessing before we went to bed, and felt more at peace afterwards. The next morning I dreamed I was at the
Visitor's Center, which was interrupted, with another dream of a little baby,
which I lovingly called "Ashley, Ashley". I also noticed something
wrong the disposable diaper tapes were on her cheeks, and she couldn't remove
them. I was awakened from this dream by a phone call from my father asking her
if I was all right, telling me he was on his way to the temple for some
sealings, and was going down to San Diego after that about l:00pm in the
afternoon. I told him she thought I would be okay.
I got up to say goodbye to Kent who was going to
travel around to look at property that was going to tax sale. Then I cleaned up
and drove to the Sears catalog store to pick up an order of baby things,
including a basinet lining and little yellow outfit to take the baby home from
the hospital in. It was difficult to walk, and while driving and setting up the
baby's bed, and taking a nap in the afternoon, I felt contractions about 20
minutes or more minutes apart, and felt mentally distracted and down, but I
continued to hope that the baby would wait at least until after the Visitor's
Center and her parents were home. I got up from my nap after Kent got home
about 4:00pm and felt the distinct impression, "call dad now!" I reached him in San Diego, just as my father
was lying down for a nap at Judy's, about 4:15pm, and told him I'd been in
labor for a while and he probably ought to come back now please.
The
Birth of Ashley
We deliberated about what to do. I couldn't make
any decisions and so Kent took charge. He called the Chastine/Nippers and put
off our VC date, and went and got the babysitter (Matt Summerhays) we had lined
up for the evening a couple of hours early. We set dinner out for the kids,
threw bags and cameras into the van, and took off for the hospital about 5:00
pm. We made a quick stop at Music Plus to drop off a videocassette and I timed
my contractions while Kent drove. We didn't know whether to stop at the
hospital or drive on to the Browns, but another contraction came on just before
the freeway turn off and just five minutes after the last one so Kent went
straight to the hospital. We checked in at 6:15, and I was 4 cm dilated, bag of
waters bulging.
We were very nervous when we learned Grandpa
didn't have OB privileges. Kent kept trying to call him while I lay on my right
side to slow the contractions down. Kent finally got a hold of Grandpa at 12
min. to 7:00, just as he was walking in the door at home with Grandma. He got
to the hospital at 7:05 pm. I sighed with relief and rolled on her left side,
the baby could come soon. My dad checked me and broke the bag, helped give me a
blessing, got permission through the ob chief (minor detail of protocol, since
he was hospital chief of staff he could have just given himself permission) and
got dressed. By 7:35 after a couple of hard contractions, I was 10 cm and being
pushed into the delivery room. I barely had time to find out where everything
was in the room when after one push Ashley Rebecca was born at 7:45pm, 21
inches long and 7lbs, 2oz. Heavenly Father had done a good job taking care of
her birth.
A
Casual Conversation After The Birth
We all marveled at some of these details afterwards
together there in the delivery room while Ashley and mom were getting cleaned
up. We called her our little miracle baby, because the circumstances
surrounding her birth seemed miraculous the way they all fell into place. As I
looked over at Ashley's little screwed up face, eyes swollen, big nose, bond
hair and fair red complexion, she had a familiar look to her and I knew that
Ashley was mine and belonged to her. I
knew that I could see her with several other babies and I'd still recognize her
as my baby. In fact, Ashley was the only little blond baby in the hospital at
the time; there were about 14 other little babies of various ethnic
backgrounds, mostly oriental and Mexican. But there was a bonding that went
beyond that, a spiritual bonding, as if I knew this little baby from before.
The first time they wheeled her into to me, that same rush of recognition and
familiarity came back and I said, without checking the nametag, "that's
her, that's my baby."
A
Paragraph From Dad
Dad: Feb 22, 1986, I was working on buying at
the tax sale auction today and was out looking at properties. I would call
Suzanne every two hours. She said she
was having contractions but not to worry.
"I'm not going to have the baby in the next two hours," she
said. About 2:00 I got worried and went
home. At about 4:00pm she said she
thought she would have the baby in the next 24 hours. We had an appointment to go to the visitor’s
center with Bill and Mary Lu Nipper, which we really wanted to fulfill so we
were torn. Finally, after Suzanne said,
"Let's take the kids to my parents and wait." I went outside to wash the Van and calmly
think. Thereafter we got a baby sitter,
Matt Summerhays, and called Jim who was seeing Judy's baby in San Diego. He drove quickly up. He was just laying down fork a nap when
Suzanne called. He got there at 7:10pm
and the baby (Ashley was born at 7:48pm.
I got very excited when Ashley was born
"It's a girl! Jim." All
right! The night before we had gone to
the temple and Suzanne went through for a woman named Rebecca. As I gave Suzanne a blessing I had an
overwhelming confirmation of the spirit that all would be well and that the
Lord's hand is in all good things.
Two pushes and Ashley was out. Although Suzanne was weak she was alert, healthy
and I think it was the easiest of our five births. On Saturday morning Suzanne
had a dream that a girl was born at the same time as us going to the visitors
center. This may be the most spiritual
of all our births. I wonder if the
scripture reading that we are doing is paying off.
A
Portent of Things To Come
I spent a rough night after her birth,
hemorrhaging and not being able to sleep. I wished later that I'd had asked
them to bring Ashley to me to nurse and coo over. When the staff did finally bring
her in Ashley would sleep on my chest and shoulder while I dozed off too. On
Sunday the 23rd, Kent and the kids came to visit Ashley and Me at the hospital,
take pictures and all try out the buttons and positions of the hospital bed.
Sunday night Kent and I had their special dinner together with Ashley, who
began to really fuss until Kent changed her position. About 20 minutes after
each feeding she began to really cry and scrunch up her legs. This was a
portent of the misery that was to come in caring for this little sweetie.
The kids were staying at the Browns, and Kent
went to the tax sale trying to make a good deal so the family could get into
that larger house we needed, so on Monday, my friend Terry Bronson came and
picked both of them up in her nice van. It was a warm day and Ashley looked
like a little yellow pumpkin in her new playsuit mom bought the day she was
born. I forgot to get the key to the
house, so Terry took her to her house and the baby and
I took a nice long nap on Terry’s waterbed until
Kent and the children came to pick us up that evening. Ryan still remembers
that they picked us up then and brought Ashley home, and so when Ashley was
real fussy he would say that he didn't want Ashley anymore and that we should
take her back to Amy's house (Terry’s little daughter that is the same age as
him).
Extra
Help From Grandparents
Tuesday afternoon Grandpa and Grandma Gardiner
came to help care for everyone and fix dinner, and on Wednesday, Grandpa Brown
brought Grandma Brown to stay until he came back for her Saturday afternoon.
Grandma brought two flower pictures that she had oil-painted and we hung them
over the family room couch before she left. She slept on that couch those three
nights she stayed with us. She was very feeble, in poor health generally and
specifically from kidney stones, and not sleeping well because of her
arthritis. She complained to Grandpa Brown on Wednesday that I wasn't feeding
the baby enough, that was why Ashley cried when I set down to eat dinner and
didn't pick her up right away. I worried as much over my mother as she did her
own health and Ashley's. It was a very emotionally strenuous three and a half
days. But Grandma adored little Ashley and enjoyed bathing and caring for her.
Sunbathing
Beauty
Ashley was a little jaundiced, so Grandpa
recommended five-minute sunbathe for her once a day. She also began having
these real fussy periods 3 times a day, after her morning feeding, in the
evening, and in the middle of the night about 2am. Then two weeks after her
birth she began this cycle of eating, sleeping for 20 minutes, then waking and
screaming. Grandma Brown said to feed her mashed bananas, but I didn't think
that was right. We tried everything: boiling peppermint sticks, mylicon syrup,
Bental
Syrup, soft music, running the vacuum cleaner or
the shower, the swing, sleeping on pillows and on hot water bottles and on her
stomach, and finally swaddling and strapped snugly in the infant seat, which
worked the best. But many times I would stand in the shower in the evening to
drown out the noise and just sob to myself, and sometimes the children would
come in the morning and say that they heard Ashley and I crying in the middle
of the night.
Baby
Ashley - Where Do We Return Her?
This all came at particularly frustrating time
with financial and emotional strains, too small a house, and not enough sleep
at night. At two months Ashley went to an LDS pediatrician, Dr. Barlow, who
said that she was under weight (had gained less than two pounds) and suggested
mom avoid wheat, or milk for awhile, then later pump her milk and try different
formulas. Ashley seemed better for a short while (a day or two), and then would
act the same, so mom went back to nursing her and eating regularly, except
avoiding chocolate (which definitely did upset her). I began reading Louis
Lamour novels while holding and nursing her, and then all the time I spent
fussing with her seemed more bearable. But it was frustrating to get so little
done that first year of her life. It seemed like every time I began to clean up
the kitchen or help one of the other children, Ashley began to fuss. It was no
wonder Ryan wanted to take her back where we picked her up. Sometimes we all
wished we could take her someplace and leave her awhile. There were many times
when Suzanne, on the advice of the pediatrician, just let her cry while
carrying on mental arguments with herself to justify doing so.
When Ashley was about five weeks old she and the
rest of the children came down with chicken pox (except for Chad who got his
from a cousin when he was about 20 months old). She had about five poxes,
including one big one on her forehead. Grandpa and Grandma Gardiner volunteered
to come out and help with the children during this trying time, and although we
did not ask them to come, their emotional support helped buoy up our feelings
and made the emotional strain easier to bear.
The
Blessing
Ashley was blessed April 13, 1986, Easter
Sunday. Both Brown and Gardiner grandparents came, Great Grandma Breiten, Aunt
Audrey, Uncle Mark and Karen Gardiner, Uncle John and Gayle Reese, and others.
She was blessed the same day that another baby, Ashley Nicole Stewart, was
blessed. This Ashley was the Granddaughter of Hank Whiffen, former Hacienda
Heights stake presidency member and friend of Brown grandparents. So this
special day was shared with another little girl who also shared the same first
name. In Kent’s blessing, some of the things he blessed Ashley with were that
the spirit would attend her and that she would feel comfortable and good, be
blessed with health and strength, have patience and kindness in dealing with
others, gain a feeling of peace and assurance when all was right, that her
parents would be able to raise her by guidance of the Spirit and set a good
example to her, and she in turn would be so to others, and that she would be
able to understand the precepts of the gospel. I silently prayed a blessing for
her too, that she would make righteous choices in life, marry in the temple to
a faithful companion, and be a lovely mother in Zion. Her father bore a lovely
testimony later in the service. He teased the Stewarts by saying that they
picked a name we liked and that we had chosen the name way before them. He said
that her crying during the blessing was ironic because that was all she had
done during the first 6 weeks of her life. He said that I was a sweet gentle
spirit in the home and everything he hoped for in a wife. He was grateful for
the presence of the grandparents and family and for the wonderful gospel heritage
we had. He recounted some of the spiritual experiences surrounding her birth
that helped him to know that the gospel was true and he was very thankful for
all of his children, the church, and his family and friends in attendance that
day. Our next-door neighbor at the time, Marilyn Cox, videotaped some of the
family get together after the service.
Ashley
Freezes
Determined not to let Ashley run the whole
family all the time, we took her camping with us two or three times that Summer
of `86, taking her up to Three Pines above Bishop and to Reds Meadow above
Mammoth. It rained the first time and we nearly froze. Ashley cried at night
unless she was in bed with me. The next time I did better about layering the
clothes on her but she kept kicking the blankets off at night and her little
ears, cheeks, and hands felt like ice. She developed a cough, and her new
pediatrician, Dr. Altman had her sinuses x-rayed and discovered a sinus
infection that cleared up in a couple of weeks.
She also had several ear infections and I just
kept the eardrops on the windowsill above her bed to automatically deposit into
her ears in the middle of the night whenever she didn't settle back to sleep.
She was sleeping at this time strapped in the infant seat in our walk-in closet.
At night when she fussed and wouldn't settle down to sleep, we just set the
seat in the front room under the dining table in case there was an earthquake,
and let her cry.
"What
an adorable child!"
Whenever we took her somewhere, everyone admired
her cute pixie looks, and commented how good and quiet she was. We just smiled
and thought, "If they only knew". Her blond curls stuck out behind
big ears. Her big blue eyes and lovely long lashes and pouty mouth caught
everyone's attention. It was hard not to wonder what we were doing wrong at
home. She cried and arched her back whenever anyone else held her, and was
particularly bonded to her mother, who nursed her until 16 months.
For Christmas, Rachel gave her Snowball, her
white fluffy bear that she got from Grandma Great the year before. This has
always been a favorite of Ashley's, along with her blanket, another thing that
used to belong to Rachel. It is a lavender flowered flannel blanket, yarn tied
and ruffled with lavender organza, and was made by Grandma Brown for Rachel 8
years earlier. Ashley sleeps with both of these nightly. Rachel has always been
very sweet to Ashley, and was quite jealous to hold her when she first
Came home from the hospital, telling her me that
she wasn't going to let her hold her grandbabies when she got married because I
never let her hold Ashley now. The first thing she said when she found out she
had a new little sister was that her prayers had been answered.
An
Animal of Any Kind
Ashley has always adored animals and stuffed
animals and pictures of animals. She absolutely loved Moonshadow, our black and
white cat that we got as a kitten when Ashley was about three weeks old. She
would squeal with excitement and want to pull its tail or grab its hair. She
liked to carry stuffed animals around the house and always wants to hug them
whenever she sees them in a store.
First
Birthday
For her first birthday, she had bowl of ice
cream and got a car seat cover and Sesame Street Popup toy that mom used to
entertain her while she shoveled food in her mouth. She became as persnickety
about her food as she did everything else and would only eat cereal and
strained fruit. She wants to be held most of the time she is up unless she is
in her little denim seat that attached to the table.
Camping
With The Southern Belle
That pop up toy and gerryseat even went camping
with us Memorial Day weekend to Yosemite, where we bundled her up in so many
clothes that when she walked around, if she got off balance, she would fall
over and just lie there, unable to roll over and stand up. She screamed in the
car all the way descending into that valley in the car unless she sat on
mother's lap. She loved to pick up handfuls of dirt and toss them. She'd climb
on camp fold up chairs which invariably toppled over and once she got a big
shiner on her forehead when one she was standing on in a neighboring camp
backsided and she bonked her head on the metal picnic table's leg. She screamed
every time we put her in the tent and all the time we changed her for bed until
I lay her next to me to nurse and then she frequently fell asleep within
seconds from exhaustion, waking up in the night to nurse a few minutes and then
back to sleep.
A
Real Scare
We didn't know if we were going to be able to go
on that camping trip because Ashley had a temperature for two nights previous
to our leaving. Busy packing, we thought Ashley would just sleep it off.
Suzanne noticed she jerked a little while nursing, and then Wednesday evening
about 11 when she cried and Suzanne put her in bed between Kent and her to
nurse, she lay still a moment then screamed in terror and went into a
convulsion. For the longest two minutes of her parent's life they struggled to
cool her down by stripping her pajamas off and dousing her. It was very frightening.
We immediately gave her some Tylenol and Pediazole. Then at about 4 am. She
began to yell and grunt and toss and turn like she was in pain. A phone call to
Grandpa Brown convinced us to get her medical attention. We immediately took
her down to Henry Mayo Hospital Emergency where they checked her and determined
she had a sore throat but seemed to be fine otherwise. We decided to take the
trip anyway with her medicine since the van was all packed, reservations were
made and the other kids were hoping to miss two days of school and do their
favorite activity of camping. In the end everything worked out well, and
besides scaring her parents to death, Ashley survived just fine.
No
Crib, No Bottle
Worrying about their planned trip to England in
the fall, I worked at helping Ashley live a more ordinary existence, beginning
with sleeping in a port-a-crib instead of the infant seat. I put rolled pads
around her so that she still had the sensation of being cuddled or confined.
This worked for gradually longer periods of time, until finally she could sleep
without the pads, but she still screamed whenever it was bedtime, particularly
when she was being weaned and Daddy would put her to bed. He used to lie down
on the floor of the closet with her and breathe loudly and rhythmically until
finally she lay down and went to sleep also. At 18 months, tired of fussing
with her at bedtime and at the advice of Dr. Greenwald, we switched the
children's beds around so that she could now sleep on Ryan's twin bed in the
same room as Rachel. She still cried occasionally but was delighted to be a
part of the group. Her bedtime ritual is to brush her teeth like the others,
get a fluoride vitamin like them, climb into bed and have her blanket placed
over her and her white teddy bear beside her. It looks so funny to see this
little tiny person in this big bed. She's usually a little ball in the corner
of it. We try to place a chair beside it so that she won't fall out like she
has a couple of times.
Definite
Likes
Her favorite things to eat are popsicles,
watermelon, bananas, hotdogs, milk, string cheese, graham crackers, cheerios,
grapes, bread, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, Nutter Butter Cookies, ice
chips, and raisin bran cereal. She never really eats a meal; she just snacks
all day long. She likes to eat something about every 45 minutes, in between
looking at Golden Books and hitting you in the chest while grunting and
pointing to the pictures of animals. She wants you to give the sounds that the
animals give. This, and going for a ride in her stroller are her two favorite
things to do. When she wants something, she comes up and hits you on the leg or
points and grunts, lowers her eyebrows and frowns with her whole face when she
doesn't get her own way, and rubs her eyes with her hands when you tell her no.
She is rather difficult to resist. She is able to say quite a few words, like
"thank you, ma, daddy, amen, ball, bus, meow, kitty cat" but she
rarely used this language. Most of the time she just points and says
"Tsshhh". She absolutely hates baths, and the mere mention of the
subject is enough to send her shrieking from the room. Her father's dousing of
her has her quite traumatized. She does like to put on her little swimsuit and
play in the children's pool at the Association pool here. In fact she loves to
drape over her head or around her neck any clothes she finds of her older
siblings, and particularly likes some little white sandals she inherited from
the Jim White family when they moved.
A
Terrible Accident
One night (June 20) after dinner she went out to
play in the back yard with the other kids to eat ice cream cones while Kent,
Suzanne, and Chad went down to Scouts (Chad’s first court of honor) and Uncle
Jim and Carol Brown were here with their kids. Kent got home about 7:30pm; a
few minutes after I left and wiped the ice cream off her face. She had a little
bit of red on the corners of her mouth. When I came home about 9pm Ashley
seemed sort of weepy and mom noticed the red (like popsicle juice), which
didn't wipe off and made her cry when she tried. Kent said he thought she just
ran into the door. So we gave her a drink and put her to bed. She woke up in
the night and cried and cried like something really bothered her and didn't
settle down for some time. The next morning I was up early studying for her
backyard swim instructor's course when about 7am Kent brought Ashley in with
sores all around her mouth, mostly down the right side of her face in the
crease beside her mouth. It looked like a burn, but we couldn't figure out what
could have caused it until Kent remembered the mess kit he had put some
Easy-Off on and set outside so the fumes wouldn't bother us. I dashed down to
First Care with her, crying and praying all the way, but found that they didn't
open until 8am. So we went to the Homers and got some Aloe Vera plant to rub on
the sores, and then back down to First Care. There didn't seem to be any burns
inside the mouth, and so we surmised that she just put the pan up to her mouth,
but didn't ingest any of it. They put her on an antibiotic and told us to clean
the wound several times a day and cover it with Neosporin to keep out
infection. Kent gave her a blessing and we all prayed that it wouldn't scar. We
even put consecrated oil and vitamin E oil on it. Now, two and a half months
later, you cannot see anything except faint pink lines in the crease, which
will probably fade away completely. This
was a terrible emotional experience for us as parents.
Bumps,
bruises, and scars
For all her knocks and bruises, she still has
one little scar on her forehead, a raised, white bump where she took a header
at the Browns after a Brown cousins Easter egg hunt. We were sitting on the
living room porch and she fell over sideways on the stepping-stones and hit her
head. It is about in the same spot her big chicken pox was and where she got
her shiner from the picnic table at Yosemite. If that is the only war wound she
carries with her in life, she is a very lucky girl. And a very darling one with
her pixie face, big blue eyes, and golden curls sticking out all over her head,
like a Cubie Doll. For all the pain and anguish this little mite of a girl has
caused us, we wouldn't trade her in for a more peaceful existence for anything
in the world.
Getting
Used to the Nursery
Now at 18 months she has been going into the
Nursery Sunday mornings. Surprisingly, she doesn't cry at all. She stands quite
still in the middle of the room with her finger up her nose, surveying all the
commotion around her. She loves to have Sunday cereal in the afternoon just
like the other children. When we scripture read every morning, she must have
her own book too, and during prayers she folds her arms and smiles proudly at
everyone.
Dad: For all of the pain and anguish we have
gone through with this little cutie, she is now a pleasure to be around and
care for. When she wants a cookie or a
book or a drink she stands and waves for you to come and says, "Come
here." She loves books. We recently
got some Disney books and she gets very excited about them. When she gets a cookie or you invite her to
dance or tell her she can watch a cartoon; she raises her eyebrows, opens her
mouth wide and says "oooooh."
It is really cute. She sleeps in Rachel's bedroom on a regular size bed.
With her are usually assorted books, toys, her regular blanket and her carry
around blanket. There is barely room
enough for her.
Doggies
and Kitties
Dad: Dogs and cats are like gold to her. She enjoys seeing them on TV. She likes books about them. Whenever she can
she drags us outside to hold her up so she can see the assorted dogs next door.
She then points and talks a mile a minute, all the time watching the barking
and wincing when they jump at her.
Dancing
Dad: About once a day I get the urge to put on
some good old-fashioned rock and roll.
When I do, I turn it up and Ashley loves to jump up in my arms, hold one
hand and dance around the room. One
Sunday I put the "Poet and the Peasant" on and she screamed in utter
ecstasy. We wheeled, turned, twisted,
jumped and just enjoyed each other. She
really seems to love the show and the fast beat of the music. This is a lot of fun for a father who enjoys
his daughter.
Oftentimes, Rachel takes time out to sit with
Ashley and fix her hair. She will put
lip-gloss on her or she'll dress her up in an interesting way. It is nice to see that real caring between
them. Rachel has been a wonderful help with Ashley. She is kind, sensitive as
well as understand and patient with a young sister who needs these attributes.
Dad: Christmas 1987, For Christmas Ashley got a
little Fisher Price Telephone that she dearly loves. She drags it around, which then emits a sound
or she will sit with it and hold a conversation with the receiver to her ear. She also got a popcorn popper that you push around,
and she lugs it all over the house, to our despair.
Kent
Writes Ashley's First Poem
Ashley: From her daddy on her 2nd birthday,
February 22, 1988
Tickled Pink
The tousled little blond-haired imp-dashes
around the room in circles
With only a diaper covering
The cherub-like body that runs to and fro.
"SOP (stop) daddy", "sop,"
She coos as I reach out to halt her progress.
Giggling laughter and hilarious contortions,
Like a cherubic, wriggling, tickle bunny
Tackled on the 1-yard line she squirms
Then running free, she circles back for
more."
2
Year Old Update
Suzanne: Sunday in Stake conference it was so
warm and stuffy, and Ashley's cheeks got so bright pink that Kent took her
dress and shoes and stockings off and held and played with her in just her
diaper. She giggled so as his hands touched her ticklish body. She is just like
what you imagine a cherub to look like in a painting by one of the old masters.
She has blond waspish hair (Kent says he'll cry if it ever gets cut) very blue
sparkling eyes, and rosy cheeks. She makes the most wonderful expressions-like
opening her eyes and her mouth and raising her eyebrows when she is surprised
or mimicking that, or bowing her head and glowering at me under lowered
eyebrows and trying to keep her pouting lower lip from turning into a smile. At
other times she raises her little face, sticks her chin out at you, and gives
you the raspberry with her tongue. I love to kiss her little cheeks and
forehead with its white spotted scar from where she picked at a mosquito bite
and it got infected. When her little arms go around your neck and she hugs you
with gay abandon, it is piece d'resistance.
As soon as she gets up in the morning, she comes
in to find me, dragging her "Blankie" and smiling and wanting to be
held and cuddled for a few minutes. She lays her head on my chest and lies very
still for several minutes, until I woo her with the promise of a glass of milk.
During scripture reading she usually wants to sit on my lap at the beginning,
holding a book herself, or else she wants to "Da" (draw) with a
pencil and some "pae" (paper). She loves to doodle fine scribbles and
circular designs and be like the other children who like to draw. At breakfast
she climbs up in her chair and wants a little bowl of cereal like the other
children. She must have her half vitamin in the morning, too. When she's done,
she wants to watch "Pooh Bear" or "Da Duck" (Disney's
Donald Duck cartoons we have on tape). When I don't let her because the other
children are not ready for school, she has a little fit until I can get her
interested in something else, like the Disney books I've been buying at
Lucky's. Her favorite one is Volume 19 "Road to Reading" (for parents
only) because it has a picture of Daisy Duck reading a book to Donald, Huey,
Duey, and Luey. She always wants someone, especially me, to "se dow"
on the couch and "ree book" to her.
Alone
with Mommy
After the other children leave and I am trying
to do my scripture study and exorcises she is always interrupting me with
"'m'here", waving her hand towards her. While she says her own name
"Agshlee" quite clearly, and speaks quite well for a two-year old,
often we have to guess what she wants by saying it back to her. If we guessed
right, she says "Nnyas". She wants milk, or her toys, or her shoes,
or her books, or to go see the doggies over the wall in the back yard, or
anything. Houses on both sides, and two in the back have dogs that she loves to
look at. One on the southeast side is a particularly friendly pup, and she and
Ryan have rigged the gray crates so that they can stand up on them and look at
the dog. This is a favorite activity especially if Kent or I are holding her
too. When we take her for walks in the stroller, which she craves, she will shy
away from other adults, but go crazy with delight whenever she sees a dog. She
doesn't mind when they lick her face, she just loves to go up to them and touch
them and giggle.
When she is not looking at doggies or playing
outside with Ryan (she is his little shadow) or watching Donald Duck or Winnie
the Pooh, or "Duck Tales", she likes to get the little Tuff Stuff
shopping cart and load it up with toys and all of her favorite books and push
it around the house. Sometimes when it is very quiet in the house I can find
her in the bedroom with the door shut, getting into Rachel's stuff. And when
she is not doing that she likes to bother me. I can hardly go to the bathroom
without her wanting to come in there too and have me "'m'here" or
hold her. She wants to put on my lipstick or other makeup when she sees me
putting some on, and heaven forbid that I should ever leave the house without
taking her along too. She LOVES to "go car". Her favorite place to go
is Lucky's, because I let her ride Donald Duck in front of the store for $.25
and get a cookie in the bakery department. She also likes the Dry Cleaning
store because they have suckers.
Having
a Fit
Sometimes when she is having a fit wanting me to
hold her or come with her and I don't want to because I am in the middle of
something I have to do and I can't seem to put her off, and I finally do pick
her up she just puts her head on my shoulder and pouts, or gives a little sob,
avoiding my eyes. I think that she knows that she is being a brat, but she just
wants me to hold her a little. And after I do, then she's fine for a little bit
longer. To distract her while I fix dinner, Kent will dance with her in the
front room many times to rock music. This is a favorite activity of hers. It is
a lovely sight to see him holding her in one arm, his hand holding her little
fist in the other, her hair bouncing up and down and her face in an ear-to-ear
smile of pure delight as they circle around the room. Her favorite family home
evening activity is "Freeze dance", and she just runs around falling
on the ground and laughing so happy. She sways her hips back and forth to the
music and has a natural sense of rhythm.
Lately she has enjoyed eating peeled apples,
which has helped some of her occasional runny bowels. She also likes to eat
string cheese, and crackers while watching TV In fact she would like to eat all
of her meals in front of the TV set. She also likes "po'scles" and
"ie ceam". For lunch she'll eat the center out of a half sandwich
that's been quartered. I can tell when she is ready for her nap because she
starts stacking her books around on the floor, couch, or play cart.
At naptime, I cover the window with a dark blue
tablecloth so that the sun won't shine in on her in her bed. Then I cover her
with her "blankie" and we lie down together with our heads on the
pillow and "read" a book. Her favorites these days are the Disney
books, especially if they have Donald Duck on them, or the Winnie the Pooh
Golden Book. She still likes the animal books too, and points to them continually
saying, "Wha's tha?” The Golden Book of Sounds is a particular favorite,
especially at the end where the little girl puts her finger to her lips and says
"Shhhh", and then "pra'ers". She then bows her head,
squints her eyes, and folds her arms. She must have learned that in the nursery
in Primary, and so now always associates the two actions. She mumbles a little
bit, then says "AME'". When I try to get up she shouts
"PRA'ERS" again, and immediately starts over again in order to detain
me a little bit longer. Then I get up and try to leave. She always wants one
more drink of milk, which I bring to her, and then she lies down, wants to be
covered by her “blankie”, and goes to sleep.
Nightly
Bath
She gets up from her nap after the older
children get home from school just after 3:00. She snacks and watches TV all
afternoon except when I transport kids around, then of course she has to go
with me. She loves a "baf" each night, and loves to sit in the tub
with Ryan and a glass and play until her father wants to dowse her (she doesn't
like that part). Then she wants me to cuddle her in a towel until she's dressed
because she's "co'". She doesn't eat any dinner, but always wants a
bowl of cereal before "Nini" about 9:00. Because she takes a nap, she
won't go to bed any earlier. She loves being up with just Kent and I and likes
to run around and laugh or bother us until we've had it and put her to bed,
after lots of drinks of milk and kisses goodnight. Her kisses are usually
open-mouthed placing her lips or teeth up for you to press with your
"muf" or cheek.
Winsome
Lass
She is a winsome lass, no doubt about it. We
love her dearly. For her birthday celebration we had chocolate ripple ice
cream, a favorite. But first we wanted her to eat a single pea and carrot
(she'd only had a couple of bites of chicken at dinner). After some persuading,
she popped them in her mouth. We all clapped, and then she screwed up her face
and spat them out again. We COULD NOT persuade her again. She kept giving us
"the hand" or shoving her elbow out at us, brushing them away and
pouting.
Finally Kent forced one green pea in her mouth
but it didn't stay long with her thrusting tongue. Then she ate a little ice
cream on a cone until she saw her daddy pass to me a bowl heaped with ice cream
and topped with two burning candles. She dropped part of her cone, handed me
the rest, and curled up on my lap while we sang to her. She didn't know what to
do at the end, so I wished for her that she would live to a ripe old age, the
mother of many sons and daughters in Zion. Then we helped her blow the two
College
Recommendation Letter Information
Name:
Ashley Gardiner
Address: 25481 Cariz Drive
Telephone
number: (661) 255-0949
1. Describe the biggest challenge you have faced in
high school.
§
My biggest challenge has been trying to manage my time into being able
to do many things at once. It has been
difficult balancing school, show choir, work, church youth group, and seminary,
and being able to excel at each one. I would often have to do all of those
things in one day and then do it again the next day on less than a couple hours
of sleep. However it has been worth it
because I have really enjoyed each activity, learned a lot, and become a better
person through each experience.
2. What subjects
do you find interesting and enjoyable?
Why
§ There are many subjects I
really enjoy. I particularly like
English because I like reading and writing and expressing myself. I enjoy math because I like problem solving
and figuring things out.
§ 3. What do you plan to major in college? What is
your career goal and why? I am not
positive about what I would like my career to be however some strong interests
I have include psychology and sociology.
I really enjoy learning about people, working with them and helping
them. However it is difficult to find a
career in these fields that is profitable so I plan to learn what I can and
then decide what is best.
4. Sometimes we need to talk to
a teacher about you. Name three teachers you would select to “sing
your praises.” I would select Mrs. Stubblefield, Mr. Burns, and Mrs.
Wilson. They are all wonderful teachers
with whom I have had good experiences.
5. Are there any particular
circumstances, school experiences, or persons influencing your preparation or motivation to attend college?
My parents are helping me a lot in my preparation for college and I have also had many great examples from my siblings and friends that provide good motivation. However I think that most motivation and preparation comes from my own desire to succeed and become the person I want to be.
My parents are helping me a lot in my preparation for college and I have also had many great examples from my siblings and friends that provide good motivation. However I think that most motivation and preparation comes from my own desire to succeed and become the person I want to be.
6. Are there any particular
circumstances, school experiences, or persons
who have influenced your life in any way?
§
My family life has had an enormous effect on my life. I have great examples in my family that help
me and teach me to do the right thing.
In my family I have had many trials and conflicts that have taught me so
much and strengthened me tremendously.
Specific examples include the loss of a family member, dealing with
relationships in a mixed family, problems with debt, drugs, and more. Because of these problems our family of seven
kids plus parents have become very strong and influenced my life.
7. Discuss whether your grades and/or test scores in high
school reflect your academic potential.
§
My grades do reflect what I have done and much of my potential. However I do not believe they reflect my full
potential. Without the factors of stress
caused from non-school related issues and if I had pushed myself beyond the
limit I think I could have done better however it is important to deal with
what I have and what I have done.
8. List your three most
distinguishing, most remarkable traits. Explain each with several sentences. Think about what aspects of yourself you
would like to have stressed to colleges.
§
One character trait that I possess is reliability. For example, I have worked for the same job
for ten months and though there are many days I am not feeling well or it is
hard to work, or there are other places for me to be, I have never missed a
single day of work. Being reliable is
very important to me because I want people to know they can always depend on
me. Another quality that I posses is having good focus. This has proven to be important because there
are many distractions at times when I need to get things done. It also helps me to get my priorities in the
right order. I think it will be an important attribute when I attend college as
well as helping me to do better academically. I also have a very calm, even
temperament. I do not get mad easily or
let my emotions control me irrationally.
This is an important quality when dealing with other people; it has
helped me to get along with everyone without having personality conflicts and
issues.
9. What do you believe to be
your weakest qualities? One of my
weakest qualities is lack of speed. I
like to be thorough with everything that I do however because of this I am very
slow at doing things. I am slow at taking tests, doing the dishes,
cleaning my room, getting things accomplished.
In some ways this weakness has helped me because since I am meticulous
about doing things I get them done right and the way I want them. However it has had some very negative
consequences in terms of being extremely slow at taking tests and slow getting
ready to go to important places and slow to do things that need to be done.
§
10. Are there any special circumstances that
could prevent you from attending college?
I would like to answer that there are no circumstances whatsoever that
could come between me and my college dream.
However the only thing that could possibly get in my way is lack of
money. My father is an elementary school
teacher and it is difficult raising seven kids off of this income, and to also
pay for college, marriages, missions, and so forth. I have been saving what I can but it is
difficult to save when there are so many other expenses I must pay for so I will
try to work out some sort of financial plan.
§
11. Describe and explain your pride in one
academic accomplishment.
A few years ago I wrote a paper in my English
class about someone I admire. I worked
very hard on it and really put all of my feelings and emotions down on that
paper, sharing things I hadn’t told before. I entered it into a contest and my
paper was selected when there were only two winners per school. I won a $100 savings bond and got to go to a
special luncheon. It made me proud
because it was difficult writing about how I felt but I was able to put as many
of my emotions into that paper as I could so I was proud of my work, perched on
her stomach, shoving big spoonfuls of the ice cream in her mouth. She stayed at
it about ten minutes, and then she shoved the bowl at me and wanted her hands
washed so that she could go in the living room with her daddy for family home
evening. Afterwards she ran giggling away from me when I wanted to change her
messy diaper. Then she "helped" take care of the clean clothes by
stuffing them all (kitchen towels, my underwear,
Kent's socks, etc. into Ryan's drawer. She was
very upset when I took the unnecessary items out and put them in their rightful
places. She screamed "NO!" at me very intensely. I think Rachel's
teasing distracted her from this temper.
Ashley Gardiner
English, period 5
Miss Allsman
September 1, 1999
Dear
Ashley,
I
have really enjoyed being your primary teacher twice. It makes it all the more fun to teach primary
when I have my own daughter in the class. It is wonderful to see you sitting u
straight in class with your scriptures ready to go. Your bright smile lights up
my day. I often look at you and see your
mother’s influence and goodness in you.
What
a wonderful person you are. When there
is a particularly difficult question to answer I look over and see you there
with your hand up and a bright intelligent look on your face.
You are very pretty and take good care of yourself.
A Closer Look
Anyone
else would have thought it was a regular muddy old rock. However, I did not think so. It was a rock I found while camping up in
Utah. Anyone else would see it at first
glance that it was just a dirty rock. However,
I looked closer.
A
few years ago my family and I were camping in Zion’s Park with it’s beautiful
mountains. We were wading in a fresh
cool stream with large overhanging trees providing shade. My brothers and I were competing over who
could skip rocks across the water the most times. I reached into the stream and picked up my
rock.
My
first thought was that this was a plain brown rock. I turned it slowly and held it in the
light. I needed to take a closer
look. The sunshine danced over the rock,
making it glitter and sparkle: gold, red, sapphire, sea green and violet. It was magnificent, like the sunshine
transforming a plain brown rock into a rainbow.
It is amazing how a bit of sunshine can bring out the beauty of
something. My rock was an ugly duckling
transformed into a beautiful swan.
I
touched the rock, feeling it’s smooth surface.
It slipped and slid like glass in my hands. The rock tumbled in my hands, smoothed by a
thousand years of water bearing down on it, caressing it, kicking off all the
rough edges.
This
rock was small enough to be held on the tips of two fingers. I clenched it in my fist and felt its curved
round shape.
I
raised the rock to my face. It smelled
like the fresh mountain air, cool breeze and babbling stream that had carried
it to its destination. I could almost
smell the little fish that swam by my rock, brushing against it with its sleek
gills.
It
is amazing what you learn from picking up a rock. I left my rock next to that stream, so
someone else could discover its magical wonders. Hopefully, they will not first
see it as just plain brown rock, but they will shine a little light on it and
take a closer look.
I Remember My Mother
I
remembers my mother, for her spirit is with me still. I remember every night, curling up near her
as she read us Hans Christian Anderson stories.
Her voice was full of love and kindness.
Her voice was music surrounding me, protecting me from worldly
evils. It was all her emotions spread
out before me and smothering me with love.
I remember her head next to mine, her warm breath on my cheek as she
lies next to me. Lying there with me,
just the two of us, surrounded with feelings for each other. Sometimes I hide my head in her lap sobbing,
though I didn’t know why. Now I know. I cried tears of joy and relief for having
her there. Now I cry too sometimes. I thought I cried because I missed her. Now I know it was the same reason I cried
before. I cry tears of joy and relief
for having her there, for she is with me still.
I still cry though her lap isn’t here anymore, thought I remember
it. I also remember other things. I remember kissing her goodnight, then giving
a hug. I squeezed as hard as I could in
that hug, never wanting to let go, but I had to. I had to.
I had to go to bed, and she had to fight a constant battle in her body
until it was over. It is still the
same. I didn’t want to let her go, to
let her die, but I had to, I had to. I
have to live my life and she has to help me through it. I remember her fingers gently stroking my
hair. It felt as if all the love and
pure goodness in the world sprung out of the fingertips as she gently ran her
fingers over my face. I remember falling
and not wanting to get up again. I just
huddled there, my body shaking with fright until two arms are around me. I press my face in my mother’s shoulder. The entire world slips away as she whispers
soothing words in my ear and holds me close.
Frightened tears turn into those of happiness. I remember her radiant warm smile could turn
stone to gold. Her gentile warm eyes
made the cold night turn to a brilliant sunlight. Her soft dark, curly hair made me wants to
stuff my face in there and cuddle with her forever. But I can’t.
She still lies with me and picks me up.
She still soothes me and allows my world to go on. I can wake up everyday knowing the Lord is in
my heart and she is all around. I go on
with my life holding onto hope because I cannot hold onto her right now. I hold on to the hope and knowledge one day
soon I will see her again. One day soon
this will all happen over again. One day
soon I will hold her close, but for now, I hold her in my heart. Love, Ashley Gardiner.
Ashley Gardiner
Period 4
10/9/03
Greater Reward Than a
Paycheck
There is a certain time of day that most people
hate; however I look forward to it with anticipation. It is the time to go to work. It boosts my self-confidence and
enthusiasm. I love my job because I
enjoy the thrill of meeting new people and getting to know them better on a
daily basis. I am employed at the Santa Clarita Athletic Club, a large fitness
gym. I work at a desk just inside the
entrance, where I greet customers, scan them in, and help them with any needs
or questions.
I
remember the day I came to a full appreciation of my job. I was driving home from school, preparing
myself for the race that would occur when I arrived home. I only had a few necessary minutes when I got
home in order to change into my work clothes, make a quick lunch, brush my
teeth, and rush out the door to work. As
I was thinking about this, I also became overwhelmed with the many events going
on in my life. I thought about conflicts
going on with my parents and dealing with the pressures of a mixed family I
thought about some issues my friends were going through that seemed so hopeless
I thought about the schoolwork I never seemed to have time for like AP Calculus
tests, my online class, ACT preparation; and I thought about financial
difficulty I was having in paying for insurance, gas, and so many other
necessities. I felt alone, as though I
was drowning in my problems and felt frustrated at my inability to grasp any
sort of solution or help.
While
having these thoughts, the idea of rushing to work to stand at a desk for five
hours, like I did almost every day, did not seem that appealing. However, I arrived and put on my work smile
almost as routinely as I had put on my work shirt and began greeting and
talking to the members I was scanning into the club. Before I knew it, I no longer had a “work
smile” on that was difficult to force.
Soon I could hardly stop from smiling and laughing constantly. With every new person that walked in, my
dreary mood improved dramatically. I
said hello to everyone and many people stopped to ask me how I was doing with
everything, give me a few friendly compliments, and share a few jokes about
different things.
Working,
talking, and being with wonderful people easily caused me to no longer be
concerned about my burdens that seemed to overwhelm me, but instead to just
keep a great positive and cheerful attitude and know that everything would turn
out alright. I love my job and I love
people and learning about the diversity between them and learning from others
how to be the most positive, energetic, and enthusiastic person I can by not
thinking about myself, but by seeing the great attributes that lie in other people. This experience has helped me to improve
every day of my life. By simply having a
wonderful attitude no matter what, and staying enthusiastic and friendly, I can
get through anything. I enjoy improving
my life and that of those around me with a smile.
Ashley Gardiner
|
25481 Cariz Drive, Valencia, CA 91355
(661) 255-0949
ashgardin@hotmail.com
|
Objective
|
Entry level position in an office to learn
basic business skills.
|
Experience
|
Front Desk/Back Desk Receptionist & Childcare
Santa Clarita Athletic Club, Valencia,
CA
July, 2003 to
August, 2004
§ Handled
all money transactions as cashier
§ Greeted
each member as they entered and addressed their problems and concerns
§ Answered
phones and questions
§ Responsible
for overseeing and taking care of children ages 3 months-14 years old
|
Cashier
Fatburger, Valencia, CA
July, 2002 to
July, 2003
§ Money
transactions
§ Telephone
§ Food
service
§ Cleaning
§ Learned
excellent customer service skills
|
|
Education
|
Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
August, 2004
to April, 2005
§ General
education program
§ National
Society of Collegiate Scholars/Honors Society
Hart High School, Newhall, CA, GPA 4.2
2000-2004
|
Interests
|
§ Enjoy meeting and working
with people
§ Laurel President, Young
Women’s Organization
§ Show Choir, Hart High
School, 2000-2003
§ Treasurer, Hart High
School Show Choir
|
References
|
Available Upon Request
|
Ashley Gardiner
MY
QUALITIES AND TALENTS
* Playing the piano
* Playing soccer
* Good study skills and work habits
* Work well with others
* Good with little children(baby-sitting)
* Can speak well in front of a
group
* Cheerful and positive
* Friendly and social with people
* Love to read and write
* Takes good care of animals
* Patient
* Good listener
Ashley Gardiner
OUR QUALITES AND TALENTS
We
all have qualities and talents. Fortunately, we all have different ones that
help make us who we are. There are some
qualities and talents I have, too. I
enjoy playing soccer, playing the piano, and I love reading and writing.
I
love being in the game. It is soccer, my
favorite sport. I have played it for
four years. It is hard to describe the
feeling, of digging your cleats in the grass, the sunlight in your hair, the
wind against your cheek. Yet, your main
focal point is the ball, then the smack of your shoe against the ball. The
satisfaction of seeing it fly across the field passed amazed onlookers. I think I started playing soccer because I
love to kick the ball with all my strength.
I love the game!
I
also like the piano. I place my hands on
the keys, and my fingertips glide up and down the piano, from octave to
octave. Somehow, beautiful music springs
out of those fingertips. It can be soft
and peaceful, like a lullaby. Sometimes
the music will ring out loud bouncy melodies, the kind you tap your foot to,
and bounce your head. I usually must
struggle a while through a song, because everything takes a lot of
practice. However, after a few months, I
have a recital. If I have practiced
enough, I usually have the notes right, and pound on the piano without too many
embarrassing mistakes. It all takes
practice.
I
love soccer and piano, but my two favorite things are reading and writing. In my spare time, I sit and read for hours,
totally absorbed in a book, oblivious to anything else in the world. I live the characters, feel the characters,
and in my mind I see the characters, laughing, crying, and shouting right along
with them. I cannot put down the book
until it is finished. I enjoy writing,
also. I feel the sudden rush of feelings
and emotions, and then try putting them on paper. It is not easy, but I enjoy doing it.
We
all have characteristics and talents.
Some are similar, some are different.
That is what makes so many different people with their own ideas. I am the only person with all my attributes,
gifts, and ideas. I must practice them,
improve them, and discover more.
Ashley Gardiner
Notes from Reading
Squeaky
is an independent kid. She thinks for
herself, and does not need help from anybody.
I
think Squeaky is a good sister. She is
kind to her brother, she sticks up for him, and she brings him along where ever
she goes.
I
have five brothers (including one step-brother who is the youngest). Three brothers are older, and two are
younger. I do not think I am as good of
a sister to any of them as Squeaky is to her brother. I would stick up for them, and most of
the time I am nice to them. I do not
know if I would want to take them wherever I go, and have to always watch
them. I t would be hard.
My
youngest brother, my stepbrother, has a few problems too. He’s not mentally ill, but he is really hyper
and has ADD. Sometimes he is hard to
handle and hard to watch (he is the kind of boy who is a baby-sitter’s
nightmare. I am usually his baby-sitter,
too). I love him, but I do not really do
the same thing for him, that Squeaky does for her brother.
At
first, Squeaky did not like Gretchen.
She may have judged her as a threat.
A threat to her brother, a threat to her running championship, and a
threat to her life. This could be why
she acts tough toward her. Squeaky may
have wanted to threaten Gretchen, before it became vise versa.
However,
Squeaky was wrong in her judgments because she was judging by the way Gretchen
looked and talked. Squeaky made
assumptions on that. In the end, Squeaky
realized Gretchen just wanted to be her friend.
She
must have realized the meaning of the saying, “Don’t judge a book by its
cover!”
Ashley
Timeline
1985 The Week following Memorial
Day, Ashley was conceived
1986
Birth, Feb. 22, 7:45,
21 inches, 7 lb. 2 oz
Due
date is Feb. 29
Blessing,
April 13
Cries
for first six months of life
Camping,
Summer to Reds Meadow, Bishop
1
Birthday, got pop up toy, seat cover
Christmas,
Rachel gives her "Snowball" bear
1987 Burned by Easy Off, June
20
Left with grandma for 2 weeks (we go to
England)
Christmas, got Telephone, popcorn popper
2 Birthday