Kennedy Maren: 7 months

 Kennedy Maren,
My dear, sweet girl. You are getting so very big. We started solid foods this month - sweet potato, avocado, bananas, and applesauce. Took you a while, but you are big fan of sweet potato and avocado, tolerate bananas, and very much dislike applesauce. You're brothers are always quick to help feed you & Asher loves all the extra sweet potato he is getting.

 You are now a pro at sitting up and getting closer and closer to crawling each day. You love watching your brothers play. They make you giggle more than anyone else. You do great sitting in the middle of the living room, surrounded by a couple toys, and watching and listening to your brothers.

 Our schedule is still pretty much the same. You are sleeping through the night 100% of the time now, so that is wonderful! You don't always take the longest naps, but that's ok. And you absolutely refuse to when we are out and about and rarely fall asleep in your car seat. You are still a really big fan of being close to momma and hanging out in the ergo. I love, love, love watching you grab your bunny, hold it next to your cheek, and suck you thumb as you fall asleep. It might the sweetest thing I've ever seen. You are getting so big- 9 month clothes & size 4 diapers! Unlike your brothers, you are pretty reserved with your smile. You save it for those who either work really hard for it or those you really love. You are always ready to smile for your daddy, brothers, Grandma Mary, and Kma. The first weekend in October, you went with me to the Alethia Women's Retreat in Horn Creek. You did so well. The whole weekend was a giant blessing and you were the perfect baby companion!

 Kennedy girl, you just are so special, so sweet, and so loved. Every second with you is just a pure gift. 

we love you more and more everday!

love, your momma

currently: october 2015

loving:
how warm it has been. soaking up as much sunshine & outside time as possible!

reading:
the precious one {for book club} and treasuring Christ when your hands are full 

waiting for:

pictures to download off my phone.

excited about:

going to see Gram with Manny & the kids this weekend.

trying to:

decide if we should do something fun for lunch today or just stay home...

working on:

trying to stay balanced with my job and the rest of life.

enjoying:

trader joe's pumpkin bars.

using:

my vacuum. frequently. ha. needing to use the mop.

wearing:

a beige sweater and floral shorts. i probably need to change. it's colder than i thought it would be.

planning:

the one year chronological bible study we are going to start with our small group.

needing:

to get the boys dressed and do the dishes.

listening to:

my boys watching Lion King in the living room & the leaves rustling in the fall breeze outside.

doing:

the laundry. almost done. 2 loads to fold.

dreaming of:

well... the beach, a day when all my kids are out of diapers, extra time to read, clean kitchen floors, going to see the krauses, Christmas time, hot coffee, the laundry magically folding itself. 

Asher Chronicles : the Asher mess

just last week....

I went to brush my teeth, he pushed the chair up to the kitchen counter, climbed up, opened a cabinet, got out the honey, got back down and proceeded to pour it out. all of it out. onto the floor and onto himself.

I was hanging a shelf in my bedroom and he was watching Elmo in the living room, next thing I know he is in my room holding the chocolate syrup bottle upside down. I retrace his steps and there are puddles and streams of chocolate syrup from in front of the fridge, into the living room, in the hallway, and into my room. thus far, this has been one of the very worst to clean up and my carpet is still stained.

I was feeding Kennedy to sleep and he and Josh were watching tv. I walk into the kitchen and he had poured out the entire jar of relish onto the kitchen floor.

I think I was feeding Kennedy again and forgot to lock the fridge; he opened the fridge and got out the syrup. he poured out a bottle of syrup onto the kitchen floor and was "skating" around the kitchen.

I went to the bathroom soon after making breakfast and he starting cracking eggs into the base of the blender and on the counter.

o that black eye? nobody really knows how he got it.

so if you ever wonder why my house looks they way it does, it's because I spend all my free time cleaning up "Asher messes" ... and one might think, I should just learn how to put things away better, but there are two other little people in this house who always need me and sometimes I just need to use the bathroom! Also, just bring Asher to your house for an hour or two and he will quickly expose all your weaknesses.

Asher Chronicles

people keep telling me I need to write it down so that I don't forget...
well, here I am, writing it down...

my asher, my asher.

all the trouble in the world is wrapped up in my little Asher.

but then he looks up at you with those big brown eyes and you just want to kiss his squishy, wonderful cheeks...

he's like most boys. he climbs. for about a year, he climbed on to the top of the table EVERY.CHANCE.POSSIBLE. i think he only fell off once or twice. he also loves to climb onto the kitchen counter, the kid table in the living room, the dresser in his room, the entry table, on top of every stool and chair in sight... maybe one day he will climb mountains {figuratively or literally}

but we will start these "chronicles" with a classic "it's just too quiet"

Asher was still pretty young, and I was not quite as savvy in my "Asher-proofing."

I was upstairs getting ready for the day and they boys were downstairs playing, when I thought to myself, "They are either playing really well together- how nice! Or they are into trouble- I better go find out!" So I walk down the stairs, turn the corner into the office: Joshua is standing over Asher's head pouring black crafting paint on to his head... I look around there is paint in the carpet, on the walls, on the furniture. I walk in to their room next door, there is paint on the crib, more paint on the floor. And then poor Asher, he is literally covered in black paint. 

I don't know what to say, I just pick Asher up, tell Josh to follow and into the bath they go. 

There.Was.So.Much.Paint. 

But thank you internet, Hand Sanitizer gets acrylic paint out and off of most things. 

Lots of scrubbing later and the paint was gone. 

This was just a glimpse into my life with two small boys...