So Happy Together

We had two days. 

Two free days to share as a family between Andrew's Nauvoo and Chicago trips, and we did our best to maximize them! We even have random cell phone pictures as proof, so get ready.

Sunday we celebrated Father's Day. So fun to pamper Andrew...we handmade a card, presented gifts, fixed his favorite french dip sandwiches, and Asher surprised him by learning the song Daddy's Homecoming (I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home). We made sure the house was super clean, and after church, snuggled down into fresh sheets to watch his new favorite show - "Sherlock." Such a sweet day together.

 The next day we made use of our new zoo pass, and went to the Columbus Zoo for the first time as a family. It was so, so much fun! For starters, it was a perfect, sunny day - mid 70's, nice breeze. Asher got to pet a turtle and a snake, and got a good close look at the elephants, polar bears, penguins, monkeys, kangaroos, and hammerhead sharks.

 

 Largest bats in the world - 6 foot wingspan

 Watching a kangaroo sleep...

 ...Then following suit

 So while Asher napped, Andrew and I felt like we were suddenly on a date. We bought overpriced Dipp'n Dots to share, sat in the shade and just talked (feet away from a sleeping grizzly bear we were oblivious to for a half an hour). It was beyond nice. It's funny the way you love your kids so deeply, yet relish every moment they sleep. :)

 Baby boy and I at 31 weeks!

We wrapped things up at the zoo then stopped in old downtown Dublin for a little Donato's pizza (I seriously think it might be my favorite), then walked across the street to Jeni's for some of their special ice cream (that's right - our sequence was ice cream, pizza, ice cream). We tried a ton of cool flavors, but ended up settling on lemon blueberry, roasted strawberry buttermilk, and goat cheese and red cherries.

 Wait, what - are these glasses? Yes, I've seen them before...please, allow me

 If you'd just hold STILL! 

We spent the rest of the evening at home together. Here's a little video clip of Asher and Daddy being silly.

It was hard to see Andrew go the next day, and we've seriously missed him this week (Asher keeps saying, "Where's my daddy?" and it broke my heart when he tried to have an excited conversation with a voicemail Andrew had left), but we are so excited to pick him up from the airport tomorrow! No more conferences until the end of July!

Near, Far, Wherever You Are

WE'RE HOME!!

On June 2nd, we set off for a busy series of trips and travel, and finally made it home Tuesday night, 18 days later. We enjoyed a Florida vacation, the Steele Family Camp Out, my sister Christina's wedding, Holiday World, and lots of time with family in between. I knew it would be a lot to document, so in spite of our recently deceased video camera, I left home with my iPhone and camera to ensure we preserved lots of memories. Well. Along the way, I ruined my phone, cracked our Kindle, and lost our camera. So...guess that makes me a loser in every sense of the word.

Anyway, here's my attempt at a somewhat brief timeline of the last few weeks' events. I'll add what borrowed pics I can scrounge up, and try to avoid making this a labored vacation account.

June 2, 2012, 11:00 AM - Help throw a "Baby Olympics" themed baby shower for my fitness instructing-friend Lindsey. We all have a lot of fun! Here are some pics taken by our beloved Noelle:

 Holy crepes! So, so good. 

 Mal and I try our hand at the dirty diaper toss

 

Lindsey herself and Sarah - both due July 30th! Can't wait to meet their precious babes!

2:00 - Asher and I kiss Andrew goodbye (he can't come along because he has a week of class left) and head South. We stop in Louisville and meet Gramps (my dad) at a Bats game, and Asher has a total ball. Here's proof:

June 3rd, 7:45 AM - We set off for Florida with my little sisters Amy and Hannah. They sleep the ENTIRE way. Darn kids.

7:00 PM - Arrive in Destin where we are greeted by my sister Liz, her husband Rich, and their boys Wes and Kent. Asher believes we are preparing to leave him with them (as in March's trip to Mexico), and freaks out. "Mommy don't leave! Mommy stay with me!!" So sad...we really did traumatize our child.

The next four days we enjoy the luxurious Grand Dunes and have fun swimming, sunning, going to the beach, grilling out, making homemade root beer, going shopping at the outlet malls across the street, watching movies, going out to eat, etc.

 

We were here everyday and it was almost always deserted! Or maybe people saw we were there with three kids and avoided us...at any rate, who doesn't love a private oasis?

View from our balcony

 

Rich and Wesley making root beer

 

Hanging out with the sisters at night - Amy (#6), Hannah (#5), and Liz (#1)

June 7th - HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Four years of marriage together...and Andrew and I are apart. But as my least favorite singer Celine Dion says, love will touch us one time, and last for a lifetime. So we try to remember that and not worry about the spaces between us. Would have loved to celebrate together, but when Destin calls...

June 8th, 8:00 AM - Hannah, Asher and I depart for Louisville. Meanwhile, back in Ohio, Andrew enjoys his White Coat Ceremony. Here are some pictures taken by good wives who were actually present at the occasion:

 

Andrew walking across the stage in a tiny girl's coat they accidentally gave him at first

Jason, Dix, Andrew and Bryan - the four LDS guys in the class

8:00 PM - Drop Hannah off in Louisville, meet up with Andrew, Joey and Kim who are fresh from Columbus, and we head to Hardinsburg, KY for the annual Steele Family Camp Out.

Everyone looking awesome.

Then we stayed for Evie and Shep's combined first birthday party.

 The amazing summer spread

Soaking up the last bit of extended family time together before heading home.

June 9th, 5:00PM - We drive to Central City, KY while rediscovering the best hits of the 90's, courtesy of a burned CD we found. Andrew and his siblings all reconvene at Joey and Kim's, and we spend the rest of the night playing corn hole, eating barbeque, and watching the kids play on the new swing set.

The next two days are blissfully low-key...Andrew enjoys some much needed R & R after a crazy first year of school. THEN - 

June 12th, 2:00 - We drive to Louisville to meet up with my family, and attend my little sister Christina's endowments. Profoundly special experience.

June 13th-14th - Hanging out with family, playing games, visiting old friends, eating too much, getting favors, flowers, and centerpieces ready for the wedding. 

June 15th, 12:00PM - Christina and Ryan are sealed for time and all eternity in the Louisville, KY temple. These two are so over the moon for each other...beautiful day to be a part of.

 

More pictures to come. A luncheon followed the ceremony, and then we had a blast at the reception that night. Side note: weddings are the best part of life. You can't beat a night of dressing up fancy, seeing old friends, celebrating love, dancing, and EATING WEDDING CAKE.

Cake is my favorite food. Christina and Ryan's lemon and strawberry cake was so delicious...I'm reliving it now, and hoping it's in my dreams tonight.

June 16th - depart once again for Central City, where we spend Saturday and Sunday hanging out with Andrew's family.

June 18th - Drive to Santa Claus, Indiana, where we my in-laws treat us to an extremely fun day at Holiday World. This is the cleanest, most fun, family friendly, something-for-everyone theme park I've ever been to. Their water park is incredible...plus they offer free sunscreen and unlimited drinks, so we enjoy a day of cold Gatorade, Sprite and Aquafina. Asher dominates the kiddie rides, water slides and splash pad, and quite possibly has the best day of his 2-year life.

5:00 - Sun-soaked and exhausted, Andrew, Asher and I head once again to Louisville, where we stay the night with my family.

June 19th - Andrew spends the morning at Bluegrass Eye Care (the opthalmic practice where he worked for 3 years) in his new white coat shadowing and seeing patients. He LOVED it. The man's found his passion for sure.

2:00 - We say our sad goodbyes to my sisters and leave for Columbus, stopping on the way for a couple of hours in Jeffersonville, OH to do some outlet shopping. Find a lot of great deals and thoroughly enjoy doing some leisurely retail as a family. :)

8:00 - After nearly 3 weeks of suitcase livin', the three of us finally make it home together! Suchagoodfeeling.

...But it didn't last long. Andrew left early Thursday morning to chaperone youth conference in Nauvoo, IL (am I bitter that his first time back since our wedding day is being spent with a bunch of teenage strangers who aren't me? Maybe a little.) He'll return home late Saturday evening, then fly off Tuesday to an optometry conference in Chicago for 5 days.

This all translates to a June where we'll have only been together two weeks! And we miss him like the dickens. But my heart will go on...Can't wait to have him home for good!! :)

Ashers to Ashes

It's been three weeks since Asher broke our video camera. When we discovered it, I cried, heartbroken...how would we film all of his cute stages? Document the new baby? Preserve precious memories of us as a young family?

There's no happy ending here just yet...I'm still sad, and I don't think we'll be able to reinvest for a little while. Thankfully, I had just taped a few little Asher videos and uploaded them all to our computer before doomsday struck. So, SO happy we saved them before they were lost! 

Here is the last surviving video from our ill-fated FlipCam, dated May 6th. It's of Asher playing around in the tub, while I prompt him to sing some of his favorite little songs. Grateful we'll always be able to go back and hear this sweet voice!

Making Peace with the Wilderness

  CONFESSION: I don't like to camp. 

There. It's off my chest and now you know the truth.

But why must it be a confession? Why is it whenever the subject is broached, I always feel guilt mingled with shame? Is it wrong not to enjoy such a popular, wholesome activity?

Because here are my honest thoughts: I love nature. I love the smell of the campfire, roasting marshmallows, and the idea of sleeping under the stars. It's beautiful and romantic. But my, how I hate bugs. Especially ones that bite, suck blood, or big ones that crawl into my tent. And tents...I find them inferior to houses, and never sleep well in their care. Probably because I'm lying on the ground covered with my own sweat.

Pioneer I am not. I love running water, hot showers and clean toilets flanked with fresh, soft toilet paper. I love my warm, cushy bed. And admitting this makes me feel like a fussy princess, but hey - I gotta be me! 

I'm bringing all this up because camping has been on my mind quite a LOT lately...Andrew was called to be Young Men's president earlier this year, which entails a good deal of scouting and camping. His first activity was a January campout called "The Freeze," wherein the boys camp WITHOUT  TENTS to help learn survival skills. What??? Sounds like sadism to me. 

Andrew loves to camp, and seemed to welcome the opportunity, but as he set off for what was sure to be hell (minus the benefit of heat), I wanted to cry. Would I ever see him again?

 

Andrew and I on our first camping trip together, before he realized what a priss he was marrying.

Then I was assigned to be our ward's Camp Director for Girl's Camp. In July. Eight months pregnant. Yikes. Should I have told them I have mild to moderate camping anxiety?

To be fair to myself, I think my distaste for temporary outdoor living is rooted in childhood experiences. My dad often took us camping as girls, but not normal camping. Civil War reenactment camping. That's right. Everything had to be period, which translates to uncomfortable. The smell of mildewing canvas is burnt into my memory, as is waking up shivering under damp quilts surrounded by daddy long legs.

Painful memories aside, I keep thinking about my aversion to spending a week in the wilderness, and wonder if it's okay, or if I need to readjust what's important to me. Again, the question: is disliking camping somehow wrong? Maybe, if it means you are too stuck up (or neurotic) to get outside and really enjoy God's green earth. 

But maybe not. Maybe it really is just a simple matter of like versus dislike. 

While Andrew and I were hanging out with another couple a few weeks ago, I confided all this slightly personal information. To my surprise, they shared my sentiment! They said not liking to camp was something they had to "confess" to each other too. Then they showed us the following Jim Gaffigan clip, which made me double over laughing and feel somehow vindicated.

Hilarious, right?

 My sister just told me her friend from Ghana is completely confused by the idea of camping as a hobby. "Why would you do that? That is what poor people do."

So I'm starting to feel a little better. Still, I envy you women who are rugged, "cool" girls. Women whose husbands take them seriously as wilderness equals. Women who don't miss make up and face wash. Who are able to endure a few days of bad hygiene and really enjoy outdoor adventure. I want to be like you.

But can it be done? Is there time? Aside from our outdoorsy callings, the Steele Family Campout is just two weeks away. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something. Maybe I can get over myself, get a little dirty and learn to love this highly regarded pastime. 

Maybe.

Low Expectations

I've said it before and I'll say it again: low expectations are the key to life.

Due to the fact Andrew and I both have moms who celebrate their birthdays on or near Mother's Day (this year it was my mom who received double honors Sunday), we are pretty preoccupied with thinking about our own moms this time of year. So even though I've technically met the qualifications to receive Mother's Day recognition for a few years now, I still didn't expect to come downstairs to gifts and flowers.

I also didn't expect Andrew to wake up with Asher, bring me breakfast in bed, call his mom to find out how to make her roast, clean up after lunch, have me put my feet up and watch my new favorite show (Downton Abbey) with me, let me take a nap while he played with Asher, or surprise me with a pint of Graeter's Mint Chocolate Chip. 

Honey, for the record, I love the 8 piece pyrex bowl set (truly, it was one of my heart's secret desires, and if that's not proof I'm a mom, I don't know what is). I loved the delicious lunch and the Gerbra Daisies. You know Kit Kats are my favorite, and that's why I destroyed the whole king size before the sun set. I loved all the thought and effort you put into making my Mother's Day special, when you SO didn't have to. I would have let you get away with a kiss and a card. :)

I love you, Andrew Steele! You are the most genuinely good, thoughtful, loving man, and I'm so grateful to share my two sweet little Mother's Day qualifiers with you. 

Now, try not to take much of this to heart, and keep your expectations low for Father's Day. I have my work cut out for me! ;)

The Derby in Columbus

I LOVE the Kentucky Derby.

Being born and bred in Louisville, it's no wonder. Back home, May means picking horses, buying hats, hosting parties, and hanging rose garlands on front doors. Yes, it's totally unique, special, fun, and I love it.

So as the Run for the Roses approached, I wondered how Derby Day would be here in Columbus, where some people have never even heard of the event. I might be a sad island of Derby enthusiasm...I felt a touch melancholy to be away from home, where no one has to be convinced the Kentucky Derby is a big deal.

Then a mini miracle happened. 

My friend Ally told me she was planning to host her first-ever Derby party. I about bubbled over with joy. She's actually been and loves it as much as I do. Glory be! And since her party was scheduled for a different night (she just recorded the race), Andrew and I decided a few days beforehand to have some friends from his program over to watch the fastest two minutes in sports as it aired.

It was pretty low-key...we ate, drew horses, picked our trifecta, let the kids play and had a good time watching those thoroughbreds run. I think we'll do it again next year, bigger and better!

 

 Asher and his beloved Rob. Prizes on the mantle for the big winners!

 

Andrew indulges in a little Brazilian Lemonade - see our odds board in the background?

Andrew's incomplete baby gate group shot. I wasn't ready. :)

Okay, and here are pictures from Ally's ladies only Derby Party. Girlfriend knows how to throw a party!

 I keep meeting these people out here who are incredibly talented and inspiring in so many ways...Ally has to be at the top of the list! Everything was ADORABLE and so much fun. Glad she's a photographer (among other things), and could capture it all so beautifully.

 

Ally and sweet Harper. The little hat was too much to handle! 

I had to ask her to leave.

I left my hat on our kitchen counter...luckily someone had 8 extras. ;)

 

 

Mock mint juleps. De-he-lish.

 

 

 

 

Just beautiful. Felt so good to be home. 

:)

The Fire Station

Last Thursday morning, we took a trip to the fire station with some church friends. It was really cute to see Asher go nuts over everything! Per usual, my pictures weren't great, but at least we snapped a few to remember the day by.

 Love at first sight

Whoa...

 Hi! I'm Asher and this is my fake smile.

 All together

Revelation: holding Asher is no longer easy and cute.

As a sergeant held the door for us on our way out, Asher said, "Thank you, fire man!" Love that boy.