Friday, December 30, 2011

christmas {twenty-eleven}

Christmas morning dawned merry and bright for us.  Drew and I knew it would take a little something obvious to get Asher excited {he's been walking past wrapped gifts for weeks while showing zero interest} so we put A's new Sully right out front!


It worked.



Ohmystars, nothing warms my heart like seeing this little boy full of joy!



Sully was the star of the show for about 5 minutes until Asher realized there was a whole mess of goodies inside his stocking.  Sorry, Sully.


Asher l-o-v-e-d this toy!  It's a wand with a rubber ball on the end - when you hit it against something it lights up!  Yay - Target dollar spot.  :-)



Erin and Ryan brought Ash a shopping cart full of books and toys.  He didn't waste any time putting Sully in the front {where A usually rides} and taking him on a tour of the house.  ha ha - love it!



We had one seriously spoiled boy on our hands - he walked away from Christmas morning with lots of new tools...


and a Little People Wheelies ramp!  Think he was a little excited about it?  I mean, he did start trying to play with it before it came out of the box.



As soon as Daddy got it put together he was off and racing!



Mid-morning we took a break from gifts and headed off to church to celebrate the real reason for the day.  Asher insisted on wearing his suit for Christmas Sunday and I was happy to indulge him.  :-)


The rest of the day was spent relaxing and playing with all of our new toys.  I got a new camera lens {yay! yay!} and Asher taught Aunt Erin how to use her new iPad.



We had such a fun, blessed day as a family.  Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well.


Tomorrow my parents arrive to celebrate New Years with us.  Next up: 2012!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

bouncing into the holidays

This year Drew, Asher and I cruised down I-95 to visit my parents in Raleigh for Christmas.  Luckily for us, my sister Erin, and her husband, Ryan {plus their doggie, Phinley} were able to be there as well!  We decided to make the most of our holiday and spent a few days both before and after Christmas with them.

Naturally, my camera got quite the workout during our visit.  It might take me a few posts to catch you all up on our goings on.  :-)

On Friday, the 23rd, we decided to take Asher to a bouncing place that my Mom heard about called Jumpin' Jax.  With a name like that, how could we go wrong?



Asher loved it!


There were a couple different inflatables, lots of balls, and a 2 story climbing gym with slides.  Plus, it wasn't very busy, so there wasn't any risk of a small, slightly unstable two year old getting trampled.  As if we needed a third awesome part - here it comes - it only cost $3 for all day!


PopPop helped Asher get around quite a bit...


and was there for some support when A got nervous on the big slide.



Next time we go to visit my parents going here will be a must.  I just wish we had one near us!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

a neigh-neigh of his very own

I'm still getting my Christmas photos organized, but I had to share about a gift that Asher opened up the weekend before Christmas.  It ended up being a very beloved present this year and came from his Uncle Chris and Aunt Lisa.  Dum, da, dum - it's a neigh neigh!  Once Daddy got this pretty, yellow horse {whom we immediately named Sunny} saddled up Asher got on for a ride and wouldn't get off. 


We learned about his love of "neigh-neighs" a few weeks ago and, apparently, it hasn't diminished at all yet!



{for those who are wondering, Sunny is a Rody Horse and can be found here}

Sunday, December 25, 2011

merry christmas!

Our hope is that you and your families are having a wonderful Christmas together.  We sure are! 

Merry Christmas!


For to us a child is born,
   to us a son is given,
   and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
   Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
   Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  

Of the greatness of his government and peace
   there will be no end. 

                                                      Isaiah 9:6-7
 

Friday, December 23, 2011

facing 2012 straight on

Asher has hit another major milestone - just in time for the New Year! - he's now forward facing in his car seat.  Yay!


I'd been putting off the big switcheroo in the car seat until he was at least 2 {or too big to sit safely rear-facing}.  Turns out he hit both right around the same time.  His car seat is a Britax Marathon and they recommend turning to forward facing once the child's head is 1.5" from the top of the seat.  Asher isn't quite there yet, but it's close so we decided to make the switch.


He is loving it!

Every time we go out in the car he spends the whole time looking out the windows and telling me what he sees. 


"Mama, ba-boons!"  "Mama, woof-woof!"  and so it goes...

I love being able to see him easily, without the whole secondary mirror set up.  Although I have to admit - it did startle me the first few times I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw his face right there!  ha!


We're ready to cruise into 2012 - see you all there!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

coloring her christmas

Sophia is celebrating her first Christmas and we wanted to send her something extra special to open.  I was trying to remember what Asher liked most when he was almost-1, but nothing seemed right.  So, I did what any reasonable mom would do and started browsing around Pinterest and Etsy!  ha!

I saw these crayon roll-up holders on Etsy and thought they looked like the perfect thing to toss in a diaper bag for an easy distraction at a restaurant or the doctor's office.  Before long Miss S will be coloring up a storm {if she isn't already!} so this roll-up should be fun!



The only bad thing about shopping on Etsy is that everything is homemade and, often, not available instantly.  I was already cutting it close to the holiday, so I decided to try and make one myself.  A quick Google search for "crayon roll-up" yielded a bunch of great tutorials.  I combined the directions from this one and this one to make mine.



It was SO easy - I did it start to finish in about 2 hours while Asher napped.  I'll definitely be making one for Ash and any other toddlers who have celebrations coming up.  Fun!


If anyone wants a step-by-step tutorial on how I did it and what I'd change from the linked tutorials, just let me know!


Wednesday, December 21, 2011

breakfast cupcakes

Is anyone looking for a delicious breakfast for Christmas {or any} morning?  I saw what looked like a yummy and easy recipe on Jessica's blog and tried it out on the ladies in my bible study when it was my turn to bring snack one morning.  They get a lot of my trial recipes - sorry, friends.  :-)

Turns out this one was a huge winner!  Everyone loved the breakfast cupcakes so much that I ended up making them on Thanksgiving morning too and Drew's family loved them.  It's unanimous - these muffins are a hit!

It seemed like they would freeze really well so I tried that at home and it's been working great!  These are SO good as a quick, hearty breakfast.  Intrigued yet?  Here's the recipe...


Breakfast Cupcakes {makes 24}


1 lb sausage {cooked into crumbles}
10 eggs
2C shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1 can Grands Flaky Layers biscuits
salt + pepper 

{1} Spray a muffin tin liberally with Pam
{2} Divide each Grands biscuit into 3 layers {they peel right apart} and press one layer into the bottom of each muffin cup.  This way 8 biscuits = 24 muffins.
{3} Whisk together eggs, mustard, salt, and pepper
{4} Stir in cheese and cooked sausage crumbles
{5} Pour egg/sausage mixture on top of biscuit until the cup is 2/3 full
{6} Bake at 350 for 16-18 mins or until the tops are golden and the egg is set

If you decide to freeze them, just let them cool completely, then store in a freezer bag.  To re-heat, wrap 2 muffins in a damp paper towel and microwave for 1 min 30 sec.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

birthday at red robin

Last birthday related post - I promise!

Drew and I took Asher out for a birthday dinner to celebrate him turning the big 0-2 at Red Robin.  We figured this place would be a winner since they give you balloons right as you walk in and they have chicken fingers and milkshakes.  That's basically Asher's Top 3 requirements for a fun time.


What we weren't expecting was just how excited A would be when the Robin came 'round.  I thought it might be a replay of our Chick-Fil-A experience over the summer where Asher was fascinated by the character from a distance, but terrified up close.  Not so!  Guess hitting the second year mark matured him more than I thought - ha!


He could barely eat his dinner for the excitement!  So adorable!


At the end of our meal I took Asher to the bathroom for a quick diaper change and agreed to meet Drew at the car.  When I was done changing A I heard my phone ding from a text and saw this message from Drew...


Holy cow, I laughed SO hard!  These are the things we shield our children from.  :-)

Asher got his birthday song - and a free sundae! - and all was right with the world.


 


Monday, December 19, 2011

two years old: the stats

Last Wednesday Asher went to the doc for his 2 year well-child visit.  I had a pretty big list of questions for her, so the timing of his visit couldn't have been better.  I wanted to include his weight and other stats in his 'happy birthday' post, but we didn't have them yet, so here they are now!


Asher, at 2 years old, you...

weigh 25 pounds, 10 ounces {22nd percentile}
stand at 33.5" tall {27th percentile}
and have a head that's 19cm around {39th percentile}

Your doctor said that you are perfectly proportional.  Daddy and I were pretty worried that you haven't been gaining weight for a few months, but Dr. L says that's normal for a busy, moving boy.  You weigh exactly what you should for a boy your height!


At 24 months, you wear a...

size 5 diaper during the day and size 6 at night
size 6.5 shoe
size 24mo/2T in shirts
but size 18mo in pants

Asher, you eat a variety of foods - fruits, veggies, grains, meat, dairy - but you're pretty picky about what those foods are exactly.  We're still trying to get you to try new things, but you often flat out refuses to taste unfamiliar bites.  If anyone has experience with a picky eater I'd love to hear your tips on getting them to try new foods!


We've had several visits from the occupational and speech therapists in the past 2 months and are learning a lot of new ways to help you catch up with your peers.  You still doesn't say too much, but have added a couple new words to your vocab.  I'm still waiting to hear the coveted "I love you".  :-)

The OT is much harder.  Asher, you're extremely resistant to doing activities that are challenging and often just storm off in a huff when I insist that you use your left hand or try to balance on the ball.  Some 'games' are fun for you, but a lot are tough and you just don't want to.  Can't really blame you for you - I don't like doing hard exercises either!


Speaking of storming off...you've hit the terrible twos!  Yay!  Daddy and I are still searching for the best way to deal with you when a tantrum hits.  It isn't often, but boy oh boy, you can throw a doozy of a fit when the mood strikes.  Hopefully before long we'll find a good balance of discipline, understanding, and self-control.  Let the games begin!


It's no fun - and not fair - to end on a bad note, so I have to add the fantastic stuff you are doing at 2 years old too!  Every morning when I go in to get you, you greet me with the biggest smile, hug and a "mama!" - like I'm the sweetest sight you've ever imagined.  Warms my heart.  You also make me laugh all the time.  When we leave a room, you always wave and say "nigh" {good-night or good-bye} to your toys, the bed, anything really.  Too funny!  And you l-o-v-e your blankie.  If you have a best friend - I think he's it!


You love anything that starts with "pop"...PopPop, Papa, popcorn, and popcicles.

You also love mama and dada and, sometimes, the hybrid parent you've created "MaDada".


We love you Mr. A!  Here's to another year of growing, learning, and loving. 
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