currently: june 2014

loving:

summer time. i'm so very thankful for the warm days, time spent outside, the sunshine. seriously loving it.

reading:

just trying to get caught up in my 1-year Bible...

waiting for:

a less exhausting season of motherhood???

excited about:

the lack of weeds in my yard. {got manny a weed whacker for Father's Day & he already put it to use! no more 4 foot weeds!}

trying to:

not stress about the upcoming week. trying to enjoy the rest of today.

working on:

this blog post? haha. also a new game on my phone. two dots. haha.

enjoying:

where manny & i are. good communication. just a good season for our marriage. thankful!

using:

lots of bubbles, chalk, and the kiddie pool!

wearing:

church clothes. wishing i was in shorts & a sweatshirt. 

planning:

my week. meals, play dates, meetings, church stuff, family time, etc, etc.

needing:

to organize the office.

listening To:

manny watch the NBA finals game. i love basketball, NOT.

doing:

laundry. so much laundry. all. the. time.

dreaming of:

a day where our best friends aren't moving across the country in less than a month. BOO.

Asher Gray: 12 months, 1 year!

Asher man,
1 year! We've been a family of 4 for 1 whole year & I don't think it could be more perfect! You are pretty much wonderful. You still love kisses & cuddles and are getting quite the sense of humor. You spend a lot of time in a "bear crawl" and move fast! You finally figured out how to go down the stairs the safe way & I'm pretty sure you are just excited to get to play in Joshua's room more :) You still are kind of funny with food but love mac n' cheese & very recently figured out you like fruit! I would say your favorite though is milk :)

For the first time since you were born, this month I have said Joshua is a little easier than you are. You are in stage of getting into EVERYTHING! We can't leave you alone for more than two seconds before you are climbing the rocking chair, pulling the books down, playing in the toilet {ok, this has only happened like twice ;)}, or pulling everything out of the cabinets. You also are in a "I want Momma only" stage. So these are my options- carry you around every where I go, get nothing done while playing with you on the floor, or let you be & clean up the massive mess that will certainly ensue. You're keeping me on my toes, that's for sure!

You now say "HI." It's pretty great. This month you just started talking a lot more. It's almost surprising when you start babbling because you have been quite for so long. But I love hearing you talk & learning more about this silly personality you're growing into! You are also incredibly tough. Nothing seems to phase you & you get tortured pretty often from you big brother, but you take it like a champ and hardly ever cry.

 

Your favorite toys are any trucks you can crawl/push around. You love standing up on everything including the walls. You are friendly & happy. You've always got a smile to share and really only get cranky when you are tired or hungry. 

This month we went on our first big family vacation to the beach! You were very apprehensive at first but by the last day you crawled up to the water all by yourself and were happy as a clam splashing, playing in the muddy sand, and letting the water crash up on you.  Goodness, I love that belly & those cheeks!

For you BIRTHDAY, we had a big BBQ at our house on your actual birthday! It was rainy and chilly so there were approximately 50 people squished inside our house- lots of people love you my boy! You were a little overwhelmed with all the people, a little tired because the thunderstorm woke you up, and in typical Asher fashion very apprehensive about the cake! I actually don't think you at any cake. You just played with it!

Asher, we are so in love you! You bring this family so much JOY & LOVE.
Your daddy & I just keep saying you truly are a HAPPY BLESSING {the meaning of your name}!
we love you more & more everyday!
love,
your momma & daddy

throwing it back: summer vaca style

Manny & I have been super blessed to go on some AWESOME trips since we've been married! 

Sometimes it was with my parents and sometimes we were really stretching the budget, but I think both of us would look back & say it was worth it! 

Traveling to us is important - getting away, being together, new adventures - LOVE IT ALL. 

Let's take a look back... 

2009: we got married & went to DISNEYWORLD on our honeymoon!

2010: for our 1 year anniversary i surprised manny with a weekend getaway in SALIDA, CO to ride the monarch crest trail

 2011: we went to LAKE TAHOE with my parents

{baby Joshua growing in my belly}

 and went on a "babymoon" to SAN FRANCISCO

 2012: we took AlethiaYouth on a mission trip to JOPLIN, MO

{my mom graciously watched 9mo old Joshua while we were gone}

 2013: we took my very pregnant {with Asher} self to ORLANDO, FL for a long weekend "babymoon"

{again thank you to my parents + other family for watching Joshua}

 2014: just last week went on an incredible vacation to AVILA BEACH, CA with the whole family + my parents, brother & his girlfriend

Asher Gray: 11 months

Hey Asher Man,
You're 11 months old! How in the world is that possible?!? To me you are just my baby, but you are also growing up so much everyday! You LOVE to bang, bang, bang. You make everything a drum. You crawl FAST. You get into EVERYTHING you are not supposed to. You FINALLY eat like a normal baby boy {praise JESUS}. You still LOVE cuddles & kisses. You can say DA and only say MA-MA when you are crying. You also say ELLA sometimes {budding pollard/krause love story part 2??}. You DESTROY lots of things, namely the fireplace protector, the bookshelf, and pantry.

This month we celebrated Easter. You mostly wanted to eat the eggs :)

You are not so sure about the grass. But want nothing more than to just play in the dirt with your older brother. I am only wishing you would walk, just so you could go out and play. We are enjoying the warmer weather & really looking forward to our BEACH vacation coming at the end of May.

{this is how you crawl if you REALLY don't want to touch the ground}

Asher, thank you for these amazing 11 months! You are such a JOY & we can't wait to see more of you personality! 

We love you more & more everyday! 

Love, 

momma & daddy

easter weekend 2014

The moon and stars they wept
The morning sun was dead
The Savior of the world was fallen
His body on the cross
His blood poured out for us
The weight of every curse was broken

 
One final breath He gave

As Heaven looked away
The Son of God was laid in darkness
A battle in the grave
The war on death was waged
The power of hell forever broken

 The ground began to shake

The stone was rolled away
His perfect love could not be overcome
Now death where is your sting
Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated

Forever, He is glorified

Forever, He is lifted high
Forever, He is risen
He is alive
He is alive

stuck.

i haven't been writing here very often lately.
i just feel like i've run out words.
there's nothing left to say.
{nothing important, my mind says}
but that's not why i write here.
i write here so that i can remember.
and these days are so worth remembering.
God's grace is astounding and abounding.
there's joy and laughter and love and mistakes and HARD.
but i do want to remember.
because one day {all too soon} my boys won't give me slobbery kisses or sit on my lap to watch a show. one day {maybe} we won't be in this house or doing this job or in this place. one day i'm going to want to look back and see how faithful God was at blowing my mind in understanding for his faithfulness and HOPE.
so here's to remembering and writing it down.

these brothers. 

they make each other laugh.

they make each other cry. 

{i think it will be like that forever}

 they're starting to play more. 

asher laughs at joshua more than anyone in the world. 

asher also thinks joshua's food is the perfect snack and that his cup is much better than any other object in the room. 

joshua sometimes kicks asher in the stomach. also gives him lots of hugs. and says "asher, don't cry. i'm here."

 joshua. it's like you're almost a teenager. i bought jeans for you for the first time and you talk ALL.THE.TIME. and you wear your flip flops to bed. and you LOVE kaci, tyler, jocelyn, and ella. 

 asher. you have a stuffy nose ALL.THE.TIME. you fed yourself eggs for the first time yesterday and we all cheered. your cheeks are so kissable.

 

manny. i beat you in real scrabble for the FIRST.TIME.EVER. it was thrilling. i am just so stinking thankful that i am walking this life with YOU. i love staying up too late and talking it out. i love doing auctions with YOU. i love breakfast and dinner with YOU. i love putting away clean clothes with YOU. i love YOU too much.

i'm thankful for the spring warmth and the sunny days and new sunglasses. i'm thankful for a boy who challenges me and one who cuddles with me. i'm thankful for a yard to work in and house to plan for. i'm thankful for HOPE. that i know the HOPE and live in the FREEDOM of Christ. 

i am so thankful for that. 

so remembering... April 2014... this is life.

Asher Gray: 10 months

 Hey Big Boy,

10 months. That seems far too old. You are just a BABY. You say- No way mom! I can crawl everywhere, pull up on everything, & I have 4 teeth now! This month, you officially moved from 3 naps to 2. You gained 3 new teeth, 1 on the bottom & the 2 upper "lateral incisors" and the upper middle left is not far behind! You're starting to eat more (kind of). You really like anything made with white flour. Really awesome... Not so much for this food controlling mother... God is telling me to GIVE.IT.UP! So I'm working on that & you eat lots of bread, sweet potatoes, and instant oatmeal. The weather is warming up some & then it snows a lot. But every chance we get we play outside or go for a walk. You like the swings at the park and are always content on a walk. Your brother is still the coolest dude around in your eyes. Now that you can crawl to his toys and cup we are working on sharing and speaking in a kind voice (for Josh), but we are all learning :)

I love seeing what intrigues you- usually paper & balls. You also can play with a toy car like a big, big boy. You love sleeping with your blankie & only suck your thumb when going to sleep. Unfortunately, you got your first major sickness- a double ear infection. The running nose and a cough are still kind of lingering and I would be very happy if they went away sometime soon! But you are so happy most of the time no one would ever know you were sick.

 You are a joy. You love to hang upside down and giggle. You think Blitz is very interesting. You fit on my hip like you were made to sit there. You kind of say dada and when you are sad kind of say mama. But I'm not calling any first words just yet. You sleep every night 6:45pm to 7:30am. Your hair is getting longer and you love pulling off your socks. Sometimes you do the funniest things and we all just think, I can't wait to see what this kid is like!
Asher, we love you way too much! 
 love always, your momma & daddy