i'm in trouble now

Oh no.

{don't worry - the candle isn't lit}

Up next: Everest

all good things must come to an end

Well, after a week of sun and fun it was time to come home.

:o(

Asher did great on the return flight.  He's a pro now.

Because he was still oh-so-adorable, I had to take more photos of him in his seat.  Such a big boy!

{I have to add in here that while on the flight home Asher had a major diaper, um, situation.  Drew took him to the teeny-tiny airplane bathroom and changed him while at cruising altitude.  Significant Daddy hero points were earned.}

Once we got home Asher immediately went over to his toy organizer and pull out every single toy.  He wasn't playing with anything, just taking an inventory.

It's like everything is brand new again - yay!

Then he had a bath, drank some milk and got into his PJs.  When I got him within a foot of his crib he lunged at it {I almost dropped him - sheesh, he's getting strong}.  I can take a hint, so I put him in, said good night and he was snoring before I had the door closed.

Little man was happy to be back in his own bed!

We had a wonderful time down south, but are really happy to be back at home.  The next few months are jam packed for us - onto the next adventure!

the good life

There's just something special about vacation, isn't there?  I mean, how can you not enjoy life when the only pressing thing is the chaise lounge cushion against your back?

I wasn't sure what to expect on our first trip with a bonafide toddler, but it was really great!  I tried to keep Asher on his regular eating and sleeping schedule as much as possible - that helped a ton.  He thrives with his schedule and was such a happy boy for the most part {despite lots of eating out, going swimming, new and exciting things in general}.

We went on lots of adventures, but some things were just a given, no matter what else was happening. 

Each morning Ash enjoyed Cheerios while the rest of the house {minus me} slept past 7.

There was lots of crawling

and going for walks in the sunshine {I appreciated that "Captain Adorable" let me take the helm}

pelican watching

loving his Grandma and Papa.

There may have been a birthday dinner for Drew!

{hippo came along to celebrate}

There was a trip to the Farmers Market - complete with kettle corn. 

and lots of ocean gazing.

Counting my blessings has never been so easy.

getting down there

The first step in starting our vacation was getting from northern Virginia down to Florida.  Since a 12+ hour drive wasn't in the cards for our sanity we decided to fly!

It was Asher's first flight {outside the womb} and he did amazing.  We flew in the evening since Drew had to work all day, but A refused to sleep.  It was just all too exciting!

He made lots of friends in the airport.

Actually, while Drew was walking Ash around a man came over to him and asked if Asher was the "e-trade baby."  People have said that he's a look-alike for the funny commercial baby, but it was pretty hilarious to have a stranger ask about it in the middle of Reagan International.  :o)

Once we got on the plane Asher got settled in.  We decided that he is way too much of a wiggle worm to be held on our laps, so we got A his own seat.  Since he's still under 2 Asher either needed a car seat or this special harness to keep him secure.  Drew's parents already had a car seat waiting for us, so we just got the CARES harness.  It simulated the 5-point harness that Asher is used to and worked like a charm to keep him in place!

How ridiculously adorable is he in this seat!  Oh my stars, I love him.
 

The ride from the airport to the house was pretty long so A finally passed out about 3 hours past his bedtime.  That night was very, very rough.  Lots of waking up {overtired + strange bed = bad sleep}.  The next morning, though, we woke up to this. 

Happy times begin!

the time has come

I'm back!  Any guesses as to what was going on?  I'll give you a clue - it involved this

and this

and this

We were on vacation in Florida!  Yay!  We had a wonderful, glorious, sun-filled time.

More details to come...

why i love them

Have you ever heard of Wegmans?  It's a grocery store in the north east and it's fabulous!

One of the best surprises I got when we moved here from Ohio is the Wegmans right down the road.  Score!!

Why do I love them?  Let's see...

#1 - special parking for mommies!

How cool is that?!  I never see this anywhere else {except Babies 'R Us}

#2 - beautiful, long stemmed strawberries + chocolate dip for homemade chocolate covered strawberries

Just in time for Valentine's Day!  Drew and I had a lot of fun making {and eating!} these after Asher went to bed on Saturday.

#3 - the bulk candy bins that go on...and on...and on

Even though I'm pretty sure my death certificate will someday read "Cause of Death - Wegmans Bulk Candy Bins" it's totally worth it.  Love me some candy!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

boon!

Drew and I had to run some errands on Saturday, so to break it up we decided to stop for lunch at Red Robin.

I'd just like to take a second and mention that this was our Valentine's Day dinner as well.  Having kids sure changes things!  ha!  Drew did offer to buy me a milkshake to make it more special.

One shake - two straws, please.  We're trying to keep the romance alive over here.

Anyways, we had a lot of fun!  I brought Asher's food with us since he still isn't quite up for a burger.  You could tell that our server was no stranger to having kiddos at his tables because he brought Asher...a balloon!

The hero worship practically waved off of Ash's body when that floating wonder arrived.

Drew tied it to the highchair and A spent the rest of lunch pulling his balloon down and bouncing it around.  He was so cute and kept saying, "boon!  boon!"

When we got home the fun continued.  Fortunately the balloon served a secondary purpose of encouraging Asher to stand by himself to grab the string.  It only happened once or twice, but that's more than he's ever stood before. {these photos show him holding onto the toy box, but he did let go once! really!}

Go Asher!

To fully explain my love for this boy, I have to tell you that I hate balloons.  Like really hate them.  They terrify me.  I'm someone who is extremely easily startled and the startle potential of balloons is through the roof.  That said, I let Asher enjoy his balloon and kept my cool.

I'm glad he had fun - but will freely admit I was relieved when his 'boon' started to sag and needed to be put down.

Until next time, boon.  Until next time.

all you need is love

Happy Valentine's Day from Asher!

{and from Drew and I}