Nicole & Ashton

We love exploring all of the surrounding areas where we have lived, as well as go on vacations with our extended families. Two of our very favorite places that bring back lots of childhood memories for both of us are Lake Powell and Bear Lake which we try to visit yearly. A few other favorites places we have explored are Great Wolf Lodge, Glenwood Springs, St. Louis, Phoenix, and Hawaii. Our family is always looking for a good adventure and trying new things! Feel free to visit our website for more photos and information! https://nicoleb246.wixsite.com/ashton-and-nicole-ad

We celebrate all major Holidays and love having an excuse to create family traditions. One tradition we have is we like to go to a new children’s movie after we eat our Thanksgiving dinner. We also enjoy having fondue at Christmas time, having the kids exchange sibling gifts, and traveling to see grandparents and cousins where we participate in various traditions with them. Each year we participate in sub-for-santa and have the kids pick out gifts for a child their age. Two of the kid’s favorite Christmas traditions are waiting for the elves to come and acting out the nativity story with cousins. On Valentine’s Day we make heart shaped pizzas, and on St. Patrick’s day we like to eat green foods! Over spring break, we take a roadtrip to a nearby major city visiting the children’s museums, zoos, and the Great Wolf Lodge park when there is one. For birthdays, the birthday boy or girl gets to choose where we go out to eat for dinner. They think that is very exciting! On a weekly basis, Sunday is spent attending church and one night a week is dedicated as family night where we do a lesson and an activity together. Feel free to visit our website for more photos and information! https://nicoleb246.wixsite.com/ashton-and-nicole-ad

Ashton’s easy going, fun personality is what initially drew me to him when we were only 16 years old. But as I got to know him, I found out he was much more than just a ‘fun’ guy. At a young age I could see how motivated and determined he was to do well. He is a hard worker and an amazing problem solver and that shows in all that he does, including his profession as a radiologist. Ashton’s main priority in his life has always been his family, whether it was his family growing up, or his family he has with me. His chosen profession as a radiology physician allows him complete flexibility to prioritize time away from work with family and take as much vacation time as we choose. He works so hard to provide so that we can enjoy quality time together, he truly is a super dad. Ashton has many hobbies that he has always enjoyed doing, however as soon as we had kids, I noticed he would rather spend his free time and his vacations watching the kids have fun, and teaching them new hobbies rather than participate in his hobbies for himself. Seeing them happy brings him great joy. Ashton has always been so supportive of me and the things I want to try. I never once doubted that he would be on board with any of my ideas, he is my number one fan! I really am lucky to have such a patient, fun, silly, well-rounded partner on this journey of life! Love, Nicole

Nicole is a strong, independent woman. Everything she does, she does with intention. Whether it be the daily routine of raising and nurturing our children, where family activities are tailored to the needs of each child, or during the parenting “off-hours” where she invests in herself, perusing her own photography business and simultaneously advancing her career as an elementary educator by completing her online masters degree program. Our family is her top priority, and it is because of her conscious effort that a day does not go by where we do not spend dedicated time together as a family. Our kids have not been the only benefactors of her selfless nature. She deserves much of the credit for my own accomplishments as I could not have made it this far without her. She inspires me to be better every day. I could not imagine a better role model for our two daughters and our son. And beside all that, her outgoing upbeat personality has directed our family onto many adventures. She is truly the whole package. Love, Ashton

We met in High School at 16 years old but did not attend the same high school. We met through mutual friends and our friend groups clicked right away. Nicole’s group of girl friends became best friends with Ashton’s group of guy friends and we stuck together through all sorts of high school shenanigans from pranks, high school rivalry during homecoming week, to prom. We were both drawn to each other’s fun, adventurous personalities. We stayed best friends through our college years, as we did attend the same college, and then officially started dating when we were both 22 and got married later that year. After getting married, Ashton had 1.5 years of college left and Nicole started teaching 3rd grade full time, a passion of hers since she was young. After 4 years, we headed to Kansas City while Ashton attended Medical School and Nicole became, and still is, a stay at home mom. We both knew we wanted 3 or 4 kids as we come from families of similar size, and Nicole was eager to start a family as soon as possible. Almost 2 years into our marriage, we welcomed our first daughter to our family. Each of our 3 biological children were born by C-section. With every C-section, the risk of complications increases, with 3 often cited as the recommended maximum. Adoption was something we both had always wanted but we weren’t sure when the time would be right. After welcoming our 3rd child, Nicole dealt with some complications, prompting us that the time was right. We knew that if we wanted one more child, this would be the time to look into adoption. As we began the process, everything felt right. We are so excited at the possibility of loving another child and welcoming them into their forever home. Feel free to visit our website for more photos and information! https://nicoleb246.wixsite.com/ashton-and-nicole-ad