Stair Masters

When things get dull around here they climb half way up the stairs and... JUMP!

Elena is the pioneer of this game. She's pretty fearless so we have to set an upper stair limit for her. But after it's set, she'll beg to go higher saying, "Mommy I promise I won't fall and die."

When I showed Evan this picture he laughed hysterically and then yells "Dinosaur shirt FUNNY!"... hmmm, I'm not sure if I get it, but whatev.

Asher watched, but was underwhelmed.

Birthday Girl

Elena turned 4 on Monday!

(I think I'll do a post about everything we love about her separately, so stay tuned for that)

Part of the celebration included heading to Chick-fil-a for dinner. I love that she is so easy to please. She was thrilled to go there for dinner, overjoyed about getting an adult-sized water cup and straw, and hasn't stopped talking about getting an ice-cream cone at the end of dinner.

At home we opened gifts from family. She loved them all and I love that she has been so occupied lately. Our gift to her was a kitchen set. I've been wanting to give her one for awhile now, and if I'm being honest the the big reason is because I think they are so adorable. The kitchen was a hit, but especially the working 1-minute timer. She gave great faces the first couple times it went off. (Ben captured some really good expressions!)

Her Daddy surprised her with 4 gerber daisies when he got home from work.

The kitchen

Watching the timer tick down...

RRRRRRRRRRing!

So that was Monday.

On Tuesday the birthday girl experienced the flip-side of turning a year older and went to see the doctor.

She was actually really excited to go. She kept telling Evan that she was going to teach him how to be brave. The visit was a completely new experience for me as a mom. We've only done the well-child visits for babies and toddlers, but big girl visits are very different. There was the hearing test, the eye-sight examination, and did you know they expect 4-yr olds to pee in a cup?!?! (The back up plan for that one is that mom wears a glove and catches it in the cup... yay.)

Elena beamed with pride after each portion of the check-up and again emphasized to Evan that there's nothing to be afraid of. But her confidence came to a screeching halt when she heard the nurse quietly utter the S-word - shots. Elena's lip began to quiver. I gave her a hug, began encouraging her, and by the time the nurse came back with the needles Elena was surprisingly calm. She didn't pitch a fit or really even cry when she got them. I was so proud of that girl!!!

Asher Smiled!!!

Yep, for about 15 minutes he gave Ben and I off and on grins; cooing at us the whole time. There is nothing better than getting that first glimpse of what your baby is thinking and knowing that he is happy!

Seriously, Again???

If you haven't already read the previous post you really need to do that first to appreciate the following pictures.

Yep she cut her hair again, and this time it was bad. Both sides (and only sides) chopped off; up to her ears in some spots. These are pictures I took later that day. Not wanting to encourage her in this new habit, I told her I was wanting pictures of us baking muffins.

A Birthday "Short Cut"

Last year I took Elena to get her hair cut by a "pro" as a special treat for her birthday. She loved it so much that I thought we'd make it a tradition to go around her birthday every year. Her birthday is coming up so we headed out last week to get those tresses tamed. Oh and this was my first outing with all the kids!

Elena got to watch the same Barney video from last year (yes, she remembered).

Evan was in heaven sitting in that little car the entire time.

Proof for later years that Asher was indeed with us.

A beautiful "short-cut" as Elena calls them!

27 Months

Our Evan turned 27 months on the 8th of this month and I am using this significant milestone as an excuse to write down everything he does these days.

- Of course I'm biased, but I think he is so sweet. He loves to ask Ben and I questions like, "What dat?" or "What u doing?" We answer. He repeats our answer in a questioning voice. We say, "That's right." He finishes up the exchange with, "Oooh." Then Ben and I give each other a look as if to say, "Was-that-not-the-cutest-thing-you-ever-heard?" We can't get enough of it!

- He has a healthy fear of being punished which makes him our most obedient child at the moment.

- He pretty much always has a handful of Hot Wheels cars in his hands.

- Quick story - Over New Years, my Aunt Laurie Anne gave Evan little water toys that start out looking like pill capsules and expand into sponges when placed in water. This particular set all turned into farm animals. My aunt was quizzing him on the animals as they grew before his eyes. When she pointed to one that was clearly a rooster, she asked him what it was, to which he enthusiastically replied, "A CHICKEN... NUGGET!!!" Ahhh, proud moment for mom.

- He is a great throw; and if you toss him a perfect pitch, he can catch the ball too.

- He was so excited to point out "Chwis-chwis Wights" to his sister since he knew she would praise him for finding them.

- He loves playing with his friends, and especially one he calls, "Serson!"

- He has a great imagination. He can create a story line full of drama and tragedy surrounding his cars. He'll make the sound effect for cars crashing. Then he consoles one of the cars and gives the other one a spanking. Oh and today he told me a dinosaur was after his cars.

- We just moved him to a big boy bed... he seems to like it, but I'm not sure I do. He now has the ability to wake me up in the morning.

- PIZZA IS HIS FAVORITE FOOD... EVER! Well, except for maybe doughnuts.

- Speaking of... Daddy makes a doughnut run to Krispy Kreme with Elena and Evan on Saturday mornings. Ben says watching Evan devour his doughnut is a similar experience to watching a snake dislocate his jaw in order to swallow his prey whole.

- He's learning his colors; mainly because that's the only way I know to identify his Hot Wheel cars. His daddy is working on teaching him the actual make and model.

- He thinks his daddy's scooter is awesome.

- He's loved at school and loves to go.

- He looks up to his sister, and can quickly get his feelings hurt if she's unkind.

- He is very concerned about Asher when he's crying. He runs to tell me that Baby Asher is sad, and that he pooped. That last part is just an assumption, but is usually a pretty good guess.

Evan keeps us laughing and is a great reminder to us of how unique God makes each of His creations. We love you so much Evan!

One Month Old

Pure Sweetness

Asher is such a wonderful snuggler! When he's awake, he loves to stare back at us as we hold him. He gets rather grumpy right before he falls asleep, but once he's done fighting it, he sleeps like a champ. And there's usually a 4-5 hour stretch at night! He has just grown, grown, and grown this month. At his 1 month appt on the 8th, he weighed 10lb 9oz (just shy a gain of 3lbs!)

We love you baby Asher!

3>2

We've been confirming that mathematical statement. Three is definitely more than two! We had heard from numerous persons that going from one to two children was the biggest adjustment, but when the third child came you hardly noticed a difference... well I am here to tell you that they all LIED... every last one of them. :)

It's pretty amazing how such a tiny little person can keep you so busy.

I am pretty much in a constant state of being "behind"; behind on dishes, laundry, pictures/blogging, Christmas decor removal, birthday party planning, e-mails, phone calls, and then simply arriving late to things (although that one's not really new).

But the work load isn't the only thing that's grown around here. Our hearts have also grown to fall completely in love with Asher. He is cherished by each one of us in this family and we view him as a wonderful addition! (And I am including Elena and Evan in that.)

New Year's in Tyler

As is the tradition, we headed to Tyler to see my dad's side of the family for New Year's weekend. The family descends upon the city from all directions; SA, Dallas, and Mississippi. We love going and it's always a ball to get everyone together.

Asher and my niece Aubrey were the new additions this year and seemed to keep everyone occupied with feeding, burping, consoling, diaper changing, bouncing... etc.

Asher and Aubrey met their Great Grandmother and Great Grandpa Ken.

Elena and Evan were thoroughly entertained with their cousins (first cousins once removed if we're getting technical) and the new toys!

We were excited that my brother Adam was able to join us this year.

We just got a laugh out of this scene.

Here we all are!

(Hey family, if you click on the picture you can enlarge it. Also, I'll e-mail this copy around to everyone.)

Christmas 2009

I'm dreadfully behind on posting what's going on, so this post will be heavy on pictures and light on details. (But isn't that what the people want?)

We spent Christmas with our family in Houston this year. It was great to spend time with them; seeing Abby one more time before Elizabeth arrives, watching cousin Micah and Evan play together, eating delicious food prepared with love, and introducing Asher to GG, Nate, and Abby.

Ben's parents get a magnificently tall tree each year!

Our family's stockings

Asher just loved his stocking.

Before Asher arrived, Elena picked out a few of her books and baby doll toys to give to him. She wrapped them and put them under the tree hardly able to wait until Christmas when he'd open them. She was so proud of her choices.

Hanging out with GG

A Wii was opened and it was a big hit with Elena!

Our kids love their cousin Micah!

Thank you Ma and Pa for a wonderful (and so relaxing) visit!