The Darndest Things

We are really enjoying Asher lately. The boy's been fantastic! I've found you are always deeply in love with your kids, but hard days can find you struggling to stay in like with them. Lately though, Asher has made it pretty easy for us. 

For starters, the kid is finally potty trained! I think. I'm still scared to mentally label him that for fear he'll suddenly regress, but the boy is waking up dry, telling us when he needs to go, and accidents are rare. Is this real life?

As you can see, Asher's shown an interest in modeling lately. But we try to steer him away...living life in the limelight of the modeling world can be hard. Just ask Andrew.

 He is also continuing to articulate his thoughts and observations with increasing clarity. I feel as if my little dependent baby is suddenly becoming more and more of an actual friend to me. "How's it going, mama? Doin' good?" 

It's so cute. He'll get into his cozy coupe and say, "I'm goin' to work. See you later! Have fun!", then proceed to "drive" across our tiny living room. Poor boy...he needs wide open spaces.

Forgive me for the Dixie Chicks song that will be in your head later.

 

Sometimes he learns one word and then applies it mistakenly - i.e. Cucumbers = "Q-tip-umbers", and Cottage cheese = "Garbage Cheese". He keeps us laughing.

Now that he's learned his animal sounds, he's always curious what other things say. Things like urine. 

A: "Mommy, what does the potty say?"

M: "I don't think the potty says anything..."

A: "Flush me!"

He informed me yesterday that potatoes say, "Eat me, Asher!!"

 

Yes, we love hearing Asher talk! 

...Most of the time. Yesterday at church as we're sitting in our pew, he kneels down on the floor and proceeds to make an intentionally loud barking sound, like he's trying to signal other bored children. At any rate, while he's disrupting and peering beneath the pew in front of us, I tap on the back of his head to get his attention. Tap. As in with one finger. Anyway, he stands up, incensed, and starts yelling repeatedly, 

"DON'T HIT ME, MOMMY! DON'T HIT ME, MOMMY!"

Too humiliated to look around at those now identifying me as a child abuser, I kept my head down and desperately tried to shush the little boy bearing false witness. I watched as 

Andrew tried to quiet him and made the mistake of grabbing Asher's wrist. Instantly, the toddler began unleashing his tongue in Daddy's direction. 

"DON'T HIT ME, DADDY! DON'T HIT ME, DADDY!"

This continued for half a minute until I asked him if he wanted some gum. I know. Rewarding negative behavior. Desperate times...

We may not teach the next one to talk.

 Here he is, capturing how we feel at the end of a long day in toddler world.

So yes, sometimes Asher can be a total stinker. He continues to embarrass me at the library every week tearing through aisles, then melting down when I finally apprehend him. He usually doesn't come when I call. He's still sketchy in restaurants and doesn't totally get why hitting other kids is so bad. He's not perfect - he's two. We're trying to remind ourselves of that...he's a good boy, just two. 

The Day Starts with a Night

Today was one of those days where you put your shirt on backwards, forget a lunch, and your toothbrush falls into the toilet.

Ever had one of those? Little bad things happen and keep happening until you're forced to laugh, but then secretly wonder if dark forces are aligning against you...

Although it would be a better post if I did, I won't go into detail about the many bizarre happenings of this day. I am just extra clumsy and absent minded lately, which leads to a myriad of mildly upsetting (though amusing) occurrences,  and a husband cleaning up tomato sauce while explaining to you why he thinks you might have MS.

I've heard a lot of people say pregnant ladies are extra scatter-brained and klutzy...is this true? Maybe I should blame my condition. We're all suckers for a good excuse.

To be honest, though, I think at least a portion of today's craziness started with a bad decision - to go to bed past 2:00 last night. That simple. I have always been a night owl, but lately, it's gotten out of hand...as if I CAN'T go to bed until at least 1. But I'm intent upon changing that...because I can tell a real improvement in my day when I get to bed at a decent hour (and my definition of "decent" may sound ridiculous to most responsible adults...). It isn't rocket science - when you are a dum dum and stay up folding laundry, emailing and looking at lists of baby names until 2, you're definitely not going to wake and hit the ground running. 

You're just going to hit the ground. 

Which is why I am saving the painful details of this crazy day and signing off so I can go to sleep earlier tonight and have a fighting chance tomorrow. :) Sweet dreams!

The Nursery Stays Blue

Yes, we're expecting a BOY!!!

 

A bouncing baby boy! We are so happy. Asher will have a friend, and we will get to enjoy another son who uses all our old stuff. :) Yes, part of me wanted a sweet little girl, but we figure we'll have our girls later when we can afford to buy them clothes. This feels right!

I can't wait to meet our little chap!

So Guess What?

We're having a baby at the end of the Summer! I'm 20 weeks along, and will be finding out the sex in an hour and a half. I'm feeling really excited. A little nervous. This determines so much of our future family dynamic!

I felt like it was a boy, but lately I'm just sure it's a girl...really, I have no idea whatsoever. We just want it to be one or the other. ;)

I want to record some honest thoughts now while I still don't know.

If baby's a BOY: Great!! Asher will have a buddy to rough around with! We already have boy clothes, toys, bedding, etc. This is the economical way to go! Boys are so much fun! We've done this once...boys are simple. Wild, wear-you-out, but easy to understand. And boys always love their Mamas, right? A boy would be wonderful.

If baby's a GIRL: Oh boy. Yay!!!!! Ohhh boy. A sweet, precious baby girl...who might blossom into a hateful teenage monster. A subdued little lady...who will likely offer all the emotional complexity her older brother did not. I LOVE little girls...and the idea of having a lifelong friend and confidant. A girl would make our family feel somehow complete.

At any rate, this is a win-win. Heavenly Father knows just who our family needs! No worries, can't wait! Wish us luck!

Easter 2012

We spent Easter weekend with Andrew's family and had so much fun. The weather was gorgeous, and having a sunny Easter Sunday somehow made the day we celebrate our Savior's resurrection feel even more perfect.

I love these cute kids! Here are Aubrey, Parker, Henry and Asher in their annual Easter bench pics.

Aubs n' Ash

 The boys

 Research shows Capri Suns promote deep thinking in toddlers

 Dying Easter eggs Saturday morning

Nina and Asher

A little egg hunt at home

Hunting eggs at church

Eating cookies, throwing up gang signs

Playing on Grandad's mower

The whole family

He is Risen! Happy Easter!

Spring Break in Mexico

For Andrew's spring break this year, we booked a cruise to Mexico. Neither of us had ever been, and everything just aligned...the ship left from from Galveston, TX (Where my sister Liz is living), she graciously offered to drop us off  and watch Asher during our 5 days away, and we found a fantastic deal.

The ship happened to be the very same one we honeymooned on nearly four years ago, which we found kind of special. We spent a day sailing to the Yucatan peninsula and first docked in Progresso, where we got a great view of authentic Mexico, shopped around in a little market, got massages, then went and saw the ruins of Dzibilchaltun. They were incredible!

After the ruins, we drove to beautiful Merida, the capital city of the Yucatan, which was a great taste of more developed, urbanized Mexico.

The next day found us in the clear waters of Cozumel - where we shopped and took a glass-bottomed boat out snorkeling to a few spots. Swimming with all the tropical fish was so much fun! One of the coolest things we've done together.

So there's a brief synopsis! We'll let our pictures do the rest of the talking...

 

 At the comedy show the night of our first day at sea

Stopped for a Coke at an indoor market early before most of the shops were open

We were surprised to see a couple fresh-caught hammerheads pass by. This guy was a total natural in front of the camera.

 The outdoor market - loved how everything in Mexico is negotiable!

 The wall of a Spanish chapel built in the 1600s during the Inquisition.

The Spaniards tore down Mayan buildings to make their own - see the recycled stone with the old carving?

A reservoir connecting their aqueducts 

 I couldn't believe how sturdy the ruins felt!

 

This structure is a large, mass tomb. See where those people at the bottom are? They're going down into the tomb which looked like this inside:

 A carving from inside the tomb

 

This is the Temple Of The Seven Dolls, so named because of seven small effigies found at the site when the temple was discovered under the ruins of a later temple pyramid by archaeologists in the 1950s. On the Spring equinox, the sun rises so that it shines directly through one window of the temple and out the other. We were visiting just a few days before the equinox - they are setting up these fences in preparation for large crowds to come.

This is a monument in Merida to the Mayan civilization

 Enjoying a meal on the square - guacamole, salsa, fried bananas, and these yummy little chicken tortillas

View from the table

 An incredible Catholic cathedral built by Mayan hands

Inside

 Standing in front of the square

The oldest home in America - built in 1542

 Chilled Mango Bisque

 We stopped at a restaurant overlooking the ocean before setting off to snorkel

Sharing a pina colada

Headed out to the ocean

 Our last night on board the Triumph

 Kelsey and Celeste, our new high school friends

Our beloved waiters - Sonya, Pablo and Gene. They were so, so good to us.

 Andrew and Pablo

 Andrew trying his hand at serving

 Saying goodbye to stateroom 7-241

And then we stayed a couple days in Galveston with Liz and Rich, who showed us a great time. Wish we could have visited longer!

 Back to Galveston and newly reunited with our sweet boy! Here we are at the monument dedicated to the 8,000 lives lost in the great Hurricane of 1900. I wanted to recreate the statue's pose, but then realized it would be completely inappropriate.

 Cousins Kenton, Wesley and Asher having a blast in the gorgeous summer weather

 These kids are so stinking cute. Makes me want to throw up.

This afternoon found them going back and forth between the pool and trampoline for hours. It was a good day.

I wish I'd gotten a picture with Liz and I, but alas, we'll have to rely on memories alone. We had such a fantastic time, and felt so grateful that she and Rich were willing to watch our little crazy while we enjoyed ourselves. So happy we seized this opportunity!