Summer Squares

This post isn't about us being losers...although there would be ample material for such an entry. The "squares" the title refers to are pictures from Instagram - my preferred social media outlet these days. It's like a fresh start. Facebook seems almost mandatory, but has become too public for me to feel comfortable disclosing much. Twitter is still a bandwagon I refuse to hop on. "Tweeting"? I know it's a hugely popular form of communication, but I can't talk about something someone "tweeted" with a straight face. I've always been a laggard.

So back to these squares. My blogging habits have been rotten, so I thought I'd get things up to speed by using Instagram pictures as a July highlight reel.

Fun at the pool with our pups

Asher's first trip to the movies. They saw "Monster's University," and little man loved it! Sat still the whole time. This feels like the beginning of a new chapter with our "older" kids...the "Doing Fun Stuff Outside of the Zoo and McDonald's Play Place" chapter.

Our family at the Hilliard Parade on July 4th

Our first concert together, just the two of us (unless you count orchestras). It was an anniversary gift to Andrew, who was an avid concert-goer before wedding his boring old lady. We saw Guster, Ben Folds Five, and Bare Naked Ladies. Even got to meet Adam Gardner from Guster (!!). Way more fun than we're used to...I'm all for Netflix on the couch, but every now and again, couples really need to get out! So here's to making more time for date nights.

 The following weekend we met Andrew's family in Cincinnati and went with Andrew's sisters and cousin to see Dave Matthews Band perform with OAR. My first Dave show, Andrew's 6th. I wasn't a huge Dave fan before, but the music was really exceptional.

We all went to the Newport Aquarium the next morning, and had a great time seeing and touching all the marine life.

Had more fun than these sweet babies could handle.

Our family squeezed two more trips into July - more documenting to come. :)
 

You're Killing Me Smalls II

Asher may not know how to dress himself, but the kid sure has comedy skills. He says and does the funniest things without ever trying. Here are some recent gems:

Me: "You're a good boy, Asher, aren't you?"

Asher: "Yes, but not THAT good."

After being told he had to share his grapefruit: "I don't like my life anymore."

After being told to put his t-ball set away: "I have to play baseball so I can be happy! If I put it away, I can't be happy."

(Pulls out a toy after rifling through his toy box) "This is the very thing I need!"

"I like my Porshe. It zooms on the mountain top! That's what it dos."

When I told him he wasn't eligible for a treat: "Mommy, I'm so disappointed in you."

Me: "Let's go take a nap, Ash."

Asher (Hysterical and overtired): "NO! Let's NOT take a nap! That's NOT sounds like a great idea!"

Asher: "What are you doing, mommy?"

Me: "I'm painting my toenails."

Asher: "I always do that when I turn into a girl."  

Say what?

A couple months ago, I came downstairs from putting the baby down to find a chair had been dragged into the kitchen and a container of cookies removed from the cabinet and opened. Normally I'd have scolded Asher there and then, but he was no longer at the scene, so I quietly put the chair back and the cookies away. I started up the stairs out of sight, and watched as he came skipping around the corner, expecting to get another forbidden cookie. Seeing everything had vanished, he cried in shocked confusion, "WHAT the HECK?!"

During our last visit to Central City, Asher was riding along on an errand with Nina, and said, "We went to hell today." Thinking she'd misheard him, Kim said, "You went up the hill?" "No, we went to HELL today." He then pointed to Wal Mart.

Earlier that day, I'd asked Andrew to pull into Wal Mart so I could run in for something, and he reluctantly agreed. Asher asked, "Where are we?" And as I answered "Wal Mart," Andrew grumbled "Hell" under his breath. Lesson learned - Asher remembers everything! 

...Except where he hid the remote yesterday. Andrew's been in San Diego all week for a conference, so the issue of the remote's location hasn't been as pressing. But with Daddy coming home tomorrow, I felt more urgency to resolve the matter this afternoon. I kept asking Asher where it was, and he kept placing a finger on his chin, furrowing his little brow and saying, "I think it was around here somewhere...." After several fruitless rounds of this game, I muttered, "Daddy's gonna kill you..." I knew it was a mistake as soon as the words escaped my lips. Parenting blooper #850192870261.

During my nightly call with Andrew, I held up the phone for Asher to say hi. Instead, he happily proclaimed, "You're gonna kill me!" 

But he won't. :) We love this funny little boy so very much, and thank Heavenly Father each day for trusting us to raise him.

Because Once Wasn't Enough

We saw an opportunity and jumped on it. Our friends invited us back to stay at their extra beach house (yeah, I know), Andrew had a rare 4 days off, so we high-tailed it to Emerald Isle, North Carolina with Andrew's parents for memorial day weekend. We arrived Thursday night, Andrew flew home for clinic Tuesday morning, while Joey, Kim, the boys and I drove back the following Thursday.

To give the shortened version, the whole trip was a lot of perfection. I'm sorry, but it was. The beach, the clubhouse pool next door, bicycle rides, double dates, walks on the beach, great food, games, shows (Arrested Development and the Bachelorette both happened to premier when we were actually with the very friends we always watched them with?! A TV miracle.)...to be able to lay on a cushy deck chair in the sun (or shade, if you preferred), and look at the ocean...to see the full moon and get lost in the myriad of stars with the crash of the waves playing in the background...it was all so sublime. Thank you, Jared and Laura. And thank you Joey and Kim! You all are so much help and so much fun. Gold medalists in grand-parenthood and in-lawsmanship. 

At any rate, we now all want to live out the the rest of our days there in North Carolina. Seriously, this isn't just a pipe dream. Someday, somehow...we're keeping hope alive on this one.

Pics from our trip:

 The moon was so incredible while we were there. It was huge and full and cast a beautiful glow over the ocean...I tried to take pictures, but no dice. These do zero justice to the actual scene. Sorry.

Walking around Beaufort - the cutest little town you ever did see. Stopped for ice cream, looked through the little shops, and went to a pirate museum (where, coincidentally, we saw a man wearing an eye patch).

 Beaufort Docks

Stopped for lunch and enjoyed the view. This was right across from Carrot Island where the wild horses are.

Preston! I. Love. You.

 Asher was very into the sand this trip. It was sweet to watch him be so content on his own for so long.

 Andrew-  Frisbee Master.

 Beautiful beach bums

 View from the side deck

 Back porch view - we saw lots of dolphins swimming from here! We'd never seen them in the wild before!

Melt my heart! Andrew working with Asher on his letters. He is so good at grabbing teaching moments.

 

I can't get a good picture of the boys together...so here are three mediocre ones instead.

 

North Carolina, you have our hearts. Until next time, Emerald Isle!

3 Years and 9 Months

We've been falling deeper in love with these boys lately. When no one is teething, throwing tantrums, or potty training, I find myself feeling we've won the kid jackpot. Then Asher exposes himself on the playground to the bishop's wife, and those thoughts vanish. But then return when he says "Guess what, mom? I love you. You're the best friend I ever had."

Aw. I love you too, son. And you'd probably make better friends if you kept your pants on in public.

Anyway, this post isn't about Asher's indiscretions. Just thought it was time for an update on the ole' offspring, seeing as they insist on changing so rapidly. We'll splice in random pictures to keep it fun.

 

First, our Asher. He turned three in January, but he communicates at a sometimes shockingly adult level.

 Here's an example:

Asher: "First Mickey, then nap."

Me: "No, first nap, then Mickey." 

Asher: "That's not accurate."

Me: "What did you say?"

Asher: "That's not accurate."

 

I am going to have to devote an entire post to recent Asher quotes, because he has been saying the funniest things! He loves his t-ball set, and wants to play outside all day. He enjoys his cozy coupe too, but mainly uses it to travel to and from "work" now, so it's more for business than pleasure these days.

We planted a little garden together, and he's loved watering the plants and watching them grow. His favorite foods right now are grapefruit, wheat thins, turkey pepperoni, red pepper "treats", and peas.

Our friends let us borrow their ultra-deluxe double stroller that allows Asher to face me, and since the weather's been warm, we've made the sweetest memories just taking walks together and talking. Preston enjoys looking around or sleeping in the front, and I usually let Asher have a popsickle while we chat. I just adore that sweet, smart, hilarious, affectionate and playful boy.

Asher with his main ladies, Shailey and Azelynn. I'm fairly certain he has real feelings for both.

Having a great time with Gramps at the ball game

 And now young Preston. Let me tell you something - I have never met a child so full of sweetness and love. Never. This boy is so cuddly, so adorable, so mild-mannered and relaxed, we have to stop ourselves from kissing his face off. When he's not saying "mama" or "dada", he's flashing huge smiles with his four new, gappy teeth. He clings to my side like a baby primate, and at the end of the day, my left shoulder is usually covered with his slobber, mucus and old food. I know how to work it.

Preston's still in that magical stage where he'll stay in one spot and play with toys, but if he is put on his belly, manages to scoot around. He is a really good eater, and is showing a preference for table food. If I'm holding him and eating something that looks good, he opens his mouth, raises his eyebrows and pants until he gets a bite. Or if I'm not paying attention, he'll grab things from my hand and have them in his mouth before I know what happened. I've lost a lot of good graham crackers that way.

 

He is just edible.

So very grateful for such easy-to-love little boys.

Maple Leaf Drag

A few weeks ago, my sister Hannah had a break from school, so we made a quick jaunt down to Louisville for the weekend. Hannah attends BYU Idaho, and is getting married in August to a really nice guy named Spencer. I like him a lot! ...except for the fact he's Canadian and will be taking my 19-year-old sister 2,000 miles away to Edmonton - a frozen wasteland full of murderers.
I love a good fairy tale.



We all think Spencer's a catch, but I think the whole foreign country thing might be an even bigger one.....Eh? I've asked him nicely several times to renounce Canadianism and return stateside, but he just kind of chuckles like it's a joke. It's not.

 

 And maybe the whole "murderer" bit is a touch sensationalized, but Edmonton's homicide rates are unusually high. Maybe never seeing the sun makes you want to kill people. Maybe we should save a few lives and move the whole settlement further south. Maybe this blog is putting me on Canada's watch list.
 

I'll just miss that girl, ya know?  I have this sick little fantasy about living in the same neighborhood as my sisters some day (the 6 of us live in 5 different states now), and this wedding is making my daydreams a little more strained. But these are selfish thoughts. Finding a good, worthy man to spend forever with is the best thing that can happen to a girl! I am really tickedled about it all.

 

Anyway, Alberta does a great job keeping itself off the radar, so seeing it for ourselves will be fun. And there's always Skype! All bitterness stemming from love aside, our weekend visit with family was really nice. Here are a few pics: 

Picking Hannah girl up from the airport

 Preston was in pajamas, but whatev

UofL baseball game with Gramps

The essential Sunday nap.



Our little studs. Canadian temptresses need not apply.

Early Birds are for the Worms. Wait...what?

         I have always been semi-nocturnal.  Even after a long, tiresome day, night falls and – incorrectly – I come alive. I feel minor guilt over this.  It seems a responsible, adult decision to retire at 10:00 with the rest of the civilized world, then rise with the sun, renewed and refreshed.  Many claim night owl status, as do I, but I am unconvinced this is somehow “hardwired.”  It’s wrong to pawn off my decisions-turned-habits on some simple predilection, don't you think?  I secretly suspect I’m a morning person who just keeps going to bed too late.

         So although I often feel incapable of going to bed early, I know in my heart I could if I so chose. It’s lovely to be in charge of life’s little things.  Granted, I’m not always in complete control of my sleep patterns.  I’ve struggled with insomnia for many years now, and there are few things more frustrating than laying in bed completely exhausted, yet unable to rest.  I had a run in with my old, insufferable friend a few days ago. We stayed up all night together, watching the alarm clock flash like a neon sign burning into the night.

          Getting to bed late wouldn’t be such a problem if this were still college, where 8:00 classes were intentionally never taken.  These days my alarm sounds at the same inconvenient time every morning, and refuses to let me push snooze. If I resist waking, it will jump into bed with me, bounce on my stomach and demand cereal. I love the alarm, but would better engage with and enjoy it without the cloud of sleep deprivation clinging to me.

 

          Because you just can't think or operate when you're sleep-deprived. Circumstances lately have me up until 3am, and I am not handling life well. My brain functions at an impressively low capacity even under optimal conditions....so keeping my poor handicapped synapses in mind, I'm going to try to change. Ignore the fact I'm posting this past midnight. I may skip the worm, but this night owl is going to start retiring with the early birds.

28

Happy birthday to our darling Daddy! 28 never looked so good.

I am so lucky. Love these boys to pieces.

Asher was so excited for cake.

 

And in this household, when it comes to blowing out candles...

 

You'll never have to go it alone.

Andrew had a test the next day, so our festivities were limited,  but we did get to go out to eat at a nice Brazilian restaurant downtown together without the kiddos.

 

 

 

Happy birthday, sweetheart! So happy you're ours.