3 years old!

Three years ago Friday, and just a few hours past mother’s day you were born! 

Asher Joseph I don’t know where the past 3 years have gone and to say that I get a lump in my throat at how fast you are growing up is putting it mildly.  You were the easiest baby, the sweetest toddler, and now you are the best little boy in the world.  I wish I could freeze time and keep you little forever.  Thankfully, I trust that the days to come will be just as sweet. 

Though I always knew I wanted to be a mom you brought out in me a fierceness I didn’t know my heart capable of. I love you and your brother with every bone in my body and I’m thankful EVERY day to be your mommy.

Asher, you are a delight and bring everyone who knows you SO much joy. Anyone who meets you is impressed with your verbal skills and your overall sweet nature. You make ‘friends’ everywhere we go and are a happy-go-lucky, cheerful, silly, smart, and compassionate child. It is hard to really capture YOU on paper and even now as I try to sum up your three year old self I’m at a loss for words.

You are so SWEET. You love to give kisses and hugs. You love your family and your friends. You talk about your cousins and grandparents, and aunties and uncles frequently. You are so kind to Jesse and even when you’ve been too rough with him you are quick to apologize or give a hug. When you pray you talk to Jesus about the sweetest things and your prayers always make me smile.

You are SMART. Your language skills are pretty much off the charts. You comprehend way more than even I think I give you credit for. You remember things forever. The smallest detail from something that happened months ago will come up in conversation at any given point. You can make the connection between books, real life, and tv. You took to potty-training like a CHAMP and I know its because of how stinkin’ smart you are!!

You (can be) SASSY!  Far be it from me to keep my nostalgia from correctly remembering you as the sassy boy that you can be.  You have your moments of talking back, disobedience, and overall sass!  I’m thankful that these are just ‘moments’ and I suppose it’s how we know that you are truly three!

You are SILLY. You really walk through life with a happy, cheerful, goofy disposition. I watched you from across the foyer at church when you were on your “walk” with your sunday school class. You were obediently holding onto the rope but the rest of your body was moving, swinging, and just dancing your way down the hall. ANYTHING can be funny to you and you love to laugh and have others laugh with you. “Let’s laugh, mommy!” is a phrase I hear often.

You are SENSITIVE. When Daddy and I have to discipline you it’s very hard for you. You cry and cry and usually ask if we are happy. We try to detach our emotions of happy or sad with your discipline because you take correction SO personally. You are such a tender-hearted little guy.

Thanks to Netflix you are a new fan of Diego and in the intro song they say he’s a “very special child” which you find hilarious.  I always tell you that YOU are a very special child, too… and it’s true!  You have an empathy for others that is beyond your three years.  I look forward to the plans that the Lord has for your life; but I also want to hold on to every drop of you as a little boy.  I am thankful every SINGLE day that you are ours. 

Happy 3 years old, Asher Joe.  We love you more than you’ll ever know! xo xo

2 and 1/2 years old

Asher Joe, you are 2 and 1/2 years old on 11-11-11!!

I absolutely DO NOT know where the last two and half years of my life have gone, but I DO know that I’ve spent them with the BEST little boy in the world!

There is not one drop of baby left in you… you are so grown up!  You love cars and trucks and trains.  You love to make things crash.  You love to be loud.  You laugh when you fall down.  You love blocks, and you love knocking blocks down.  You like to throw balls, go down slides, splash in puddles, and jump in leaves.  You like to swing and play in the dirt.  You are ALL boy!!

Asher you are the world’s best big brother!  You are so sweet to Jesse.  You talk softly and give him gentle pats, hugs, and kisses.  You handled the transition of moving and gaining a sibling so well.  You make us very proud.  :)

Even though you are a big tough boy you will still snuggle with us and give the best hugs.  Sometimes after your nap when you are still a little sleepy you are extra snuggly and I can almost feel that little boy who I used to hold.  But it’s usually over in a flash as you bound down the stairs to play cars or run around outside.

 

Asher, I’m convinced you have the vocabulary of a ten year old.  You talk and talk and talk.  I love it!  We carry on real conversations and you are sooo good at remembering things that I often find myself amazed at the things you will bring up or the connections you make between places we’ve been, things we’ve read, cartoons you’ve seen, or people we know.  You know all your letters and their sounds, and have for quite a while.  You LOVE to point out letters while we are out places.  You know that TARGET starts and ends with a “T” – which might honestly be more of an indication of how often we are there!  ;)  You love the cartoon Busy Town and remind me often that it starts with a B!  You love letters and learning and it makes your teacher parents so happy!

You know your shapes and are finally getting the hang of your colors.  For being advanced in your language skills I have no idea why colors were such a sticking point for you.  I’ve probably spoken too soon, but I think you’ve got ‘em!  ;)

You love all your grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles, and cousins.  You talk about them all the time which makes us so happy to know how much you love your family – even if we don’t get to see each other too often.  You chatter about your cousins throughout the day just like they live down the street (and I sure wish they all did!)

Right now, you are doing a great job with nursery.  You had a few rough visits where you cried when we dropped you off, but  you seem to be back on track!  :)  You are also doing a wonderful job with sleeping.  Naps are a breeze and you go down for bed at night really well.  You LOVE your bed and always talk about how ‘nice and cozy’ it is.  :)  You know that you are supposed to wait in your bed for us to come get you in the morning and you usually wake up between 7 and 8 am.

A few of the things you LOVE right now:
*Cars – especially Mater and Lightening McQueen
*Playing with friends!  Camryn is your buddy and you love her, often remembering her when we pray!
*Trains!!  Thomas is still your favorite and you love watching Thomas cartoons on Saturday mornings.
*Singing songs and talking in the car – you point out things you see and we talk about everything under the sun while we drive.
*Horses – you especially love to look for them when we drive around.  I’m so glad there are LOTS of horse farms where we live.
*Stickers!  You love them.  :)
*Chocolate Milk, it’s still your motivator for staying in your bed and sleeping.

Asher, I could probably go on and on right now, but my words wouldn’t really capture YOU.  I am thankful that I’ve been with you each and every day these past two and a half years so I have a heart FULL of memories of the precious baby who turned into a goofy toddler and is quickly becoming a sweet and smart little boy right before my eyes.  Asher, we LOVE you!

Happy 1/2 Birthday, Buddy!!

2 years old!

Asher, you are TWO years old today! 

I understand why everyone says not to blink or else your kids will grow up before your eyes, because that is exactly what you’ve done!  You and I have been pretty inseparable for the past two years so I feel privileged to have gotten to see everything happen… I just don’t know how the time has gone so fast!

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You are very sweet.  You give kisses and hugs and pat-pats.   You are good about saying sorry when you’ve done something wrong.  You like to snuggle and will still cuddle with me now and then (usually during cartoons or reading books.)  

You are so smart.  You are getting SO good with your numbers and letters and letter sounds.  You make connections between things all day long which always blow me away.  You remember things and love to talk about them for a long time afterward.

You are funny!  You like to laugh and be tickled.  When you hear other people laughing you join in, even if you don’t know what is so funny!  Sometimes something very normal strikes you as hilarious and you like to do it over and over.  We both end up cracking up before too long!

You love to dance.  Theme songs from cartoons bring you off the couch so you can boogie.  Music playing in stores always gets you moving, and you simply love family dance parties.  I love watching you dance to the music as we drive in the car.

You are my songbird!  You sing and sing and sing.  Your favorite songs are Hallelujah/Praise Ye the Lord, The B-I-B-L-E, River of Life, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, any Thomas song, the ABC’s, and more.  I love catching you singing even when you don’t know I can hear you.  Your sweet little voice belting out “Praise Ye the Lord!” is music to your mama’s ears and heart.

You are such a boy!  You love trucks, trains, balls, dirt, running fast, falling down, jumping off things, and making noise.  Making things crash is a favorite of yours.  Poor Daisy is learning that some days it’s just best to find a place to hide.

You love animals!  Perhaps all kids do, but you are crazy about horses and birds and goats and cows and dogs, and anything else that we might see as we drive in our car.  Horses and dogs are your particular favorites.  You still talk about the buffalo from spring break!!  And you have a blast at the zoo checking out all the animals.

You are a chatterbox.  The other day we had a long drive to the zoo and you talked the whole way there.  Your daddy couldn’t believe that you never ran out of things to jabber about almost 40 minutes later!  When you were a newborn I remember missing talking throughout the day… not anymore!  You are my little conversationalist these days!

You are a stinker.  You are definitely learning how to test your limits.  I know I shouldn’t be surprised since I’ve about seen it all teaching, AND I know that all kids do this… but it’s still a lot of work to be consistent with discipline!  Your daddy and I are trying to learn to pick our battles, without giving up.  We want you to know your limits, but still feel the grace of our love.  We pray that you would grow up to love, trust, and obey Jesus with ALL your heart and follow HIM all the days of your life. 

You are Mr. Social!  You like to observe other people and love to play with kids!  Church nursery is always hard at drop-off, but you have a ball once you get settled.   You love the playground, especially when there are lots of other kiddos there!

You are so cute!  I know I’m biased, but I just love your big brown eyes, sweet cheeks and blonde hair.  Your smile melts my heart and there are moments when you flash it at me that I want to cry knowing how fast time flies.  Slow down, little boy!  Don’t grow up too fast!

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Asher I ask you everyday if you know how much I love you.  You always say, “uh huh”… but I’m pretty sure you’ll never know!  Sometimes I get a little bit sad when I think about how in a few months it won’t be just you and me all day, every day anymore… but I am so excited to see a friendship form between you and your brother that I guess I should just be more worried about the day that you two don’t want mom hanging out with you anymore!! :)

Little did we know just how HAPPY and what a BLESSING you would truly be when we gave you that name two years ago today.  We know that you are a true gift from God and we praise HIM for knitting you together, and making you just exactly who you are!

Asher, your birthday celebrations started last night and will continue through this weekend!  We hope you have so much fun being showered with treats and presents and know just how loved you are, little boy!

Happy 2nd Birthday!!

23 months old!

Asher, you are 23 months old!!  Next month we’ll be celebrating your 2nd birthday!!  This is SO HARD TO BELIEVE!

Sizes:
24 months/2T
Diapers: 5 regular, 6 overnight
Shoes: 6, but moving up to 6.5 soon

Food:
You are a great eater until you decide you want to play with your food.  Lately we’ve had to crack down on food throwing and just overall goofiness when it comes to using forks and spoons.  We are thankful that you eat most things though!  You LOVE peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and peanut butter crackers.  Just like your mommy!!

Personality:
Your personality is continuing to emerge more and more everyday.  You are still the sweetest boy in the whole world!  You are also stubborn and enjoy asserting your will.  You’re at a tough age because even though we can talk and reason about some things… you can’t understand everything we’re trying to explain.  Discipline will probably never be my favorite thing, but we’ve known enough children who weren’t disciplined (being teachers) that we wouldn’t let you grow up that way.  :)

You talk and talk and talk!  One of your favorite things to say is, “Asher do it!”  :)  You are getting SOOOO good and communicating just exactly what you want to tell us.  Most of the time you remember your please and thank you’s, but are good about saying them with reminders too.  You have a great little memory and will talk about things we did or saw for days and weeks at a time!  I’m always amazed at what topics you ‘bring up’ in conversation, and I love hearing you chatter about this and that.

You like to walk everywhere we go and hate being carried through the parking lot.  We always tell you that you can walk on the sidewalk so now practically leap out of our arms when we reach the sidewalk!  If you are getting tired of being in the cart at the grocery store you will strain to get out and ask to be on the “sidewalk.”  :)

You love to sing, sing, sing!  You love to laugh and be silly!  You love to talk to us, chase Daisy, play with cars, and kick the ball.  You are ALL BOY and I love it!  Now that the weather is warming up you’d be happy if we could be outside ALL the time! 

Even when you are naughty you are very sweet and very good about apologizing and giving hugs and kisses. 

You can count from 1-10 and sing most of your alphabet.  If something can be put to song you can learn it!  Whenever I sing a new song you will say, “Again” over and over until you’ve learned it! 

Favorite Things:
*Thomas!  (…and all trains for that matter!)

*Daisy!  You MISSED her while we were on vacation!!

*Your Daddy! 

*Singing!

*Mickey Mouse!  (This is a new one!)  You like to sing the Mickey Mouse clubhouse song or have us turn it on so you can dance to it.

*Your Pacifier! (Yikes, we really need to figure out how we’re going to break you of this one!)

Sleep:
Asher you are a great night time sleeper!  You go to bed between 7 and 7:30 and sleep until 7 or 8 the next morning.  Some days you’re still sleeping at 9!!! 

Naps are another story.  You have been fighting them for quite a while now.  Some days you’ll lay right down and sleep for 2-3+ hours!  Other days you walk around your crib and talk for hours.  Lots of people keep telling me that maybe you’re just done with naps, but I disagree!!!!  We’re going to keep having “rest” time daily and I hope naps will return.  If they don’t, at least you’ll get some down time (and so will I!)  Maybe we’ll get this figured out before baby Brother arrives! 

We love you Asher and the BIG BOY you are turning into… even if I do miss my baby boy some times I wouldn’t trade the little person you’ve become!

xo xo Mommy and Daddy

22 months

Asher, you are 22 months old!!  It’s hard to believe my baby is almost 2!

Thankfully you were full of smiles today for our monthly photo shoot, but you are still a moving target and not one to EVER just sit and pose.  :)

Sizes:
clothes – 18-24 month in some things, 2T in others
shoes – 6
diapers – 5 regular, 6 overnights

Food:
Asher you have been a great eater this month!  You eat what we give you, rarely fussing over your food choices.  You love anything with CHEESE!  Rice is another favorite.  You love love love peanut butter and request it on toast often.  You’re still a big fan of sipup and kepup.  :)

Personality:
Asher you just might have a future in the entertainment industry as you LOVE to entertain those around you.  You are quite the ham and if you have an audience you’re a happy boy.  You like to laugh when we laugh and you love to SING.  I will catch you singing your songs as you play or over your monitor while you’re supposed to be napping.

You will say anything we say so I’ve stopped keeping track of your words.  If you can hear it, you can say it.  You are forming perfectly adorable little sentences that melt our heart.  You are a great little communicator! 

You DO have your moments of temper tantrums and feet stomping.  Thankfully mommy and daddy have seen it ALL as two former teachers and are working hard to help you see that obedience really isn’t all that bad!  It’s hard to know how much of your crankiness the past few days can be chalked up for getting more molars.  Teething is NO fun!!  And it’s definitely hard to watch you in pain!

You appear to LOVE to be a helper.  If I ask you to clean up you are getting much better about doing so.  You love to get things that we ask for or take things to your room.  The other day you ‘put away’ your clothes after mommy folded them.  (And your mommy was SO proud of herself for fighting the urge to re-fold them after you shoved them in your drawer!) 

You hate when something that you like is over (like playtime or bathtime or tv etc.,) but if we can enlist your help with some form of it you do a great job of transitioning.  Right now I’ve found that if I ask you to turn off the TV you will happily comply and there are no more tears when Dinosaur Train is over! 

A favorite Asher-ism of mine is when you say, “I come wif you?”  Which really means you want us to come with you, but you have your pronouns a little mixed up.  You’ll come over while I’m working in the kitchen and say, “Mommy, I come wif you?” so I know you want me to stop and play with you for a while.  :)

You also like a toy or book to come ‘wif you’ anytime we leave the house.  So you’ll ask, “Dump truck come wif you?” 

Favorite Things:
* Dinosaurs!!

* Ketchup

* Peanut Butter

* Singing!  We like to sing in the car and some rides consist of the same song 100 times because you always end with “Again?!  Again Mommy?!”

* Trains!  Especially all the Thomas Trains

* Having Daisy chase you!  You’ve learned if you walk around with your cracker she is your little shadow and it’s your favorite game.  You’re such a tease!!

* Tickling!  You love to tickle and be tickled. 

* Bathtime

* Books!  I pray you never stop loving books!

Sleep:
You’re a great sleeper, and I hope you teach your little brother ALL your tricks!!  Teething has messed up some naps, but I think that’s just how it goes.  You don’t nap every day, but you DO have time in your crib each day.  Mommy thinks you can stop napping when you’re 5!  ha!  You will nap most days and if there is a no-nap day it’s usually followed by an extra long nap day the following day.  So it’s my silver lining on those loooong days of no napping! 

Asher, you are more precious to us than anything in this world!  You are so very sweet, funny, silly, and my all-time favorite playmate.  :)  Watching you grow up these past 22 months has been more fun than anything I’ve ever done!  Daddy and I are amazed by you each and every day.  We laugh about the silly things you say and we pull our hair out together when you are being naughty.  :)  You keep us so so busy and we both fall into bed exhausted every night, but wake up excited each morning to do it all over again.  We love you, little boy!   

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Here’s a picture of you last March 11…

Happy Birthday Nana!  We hope you’re having a great day!  We love you!