Over the mountains and through the woods...

to Gram's house we go!

 

my mom, Joshua, Asher, and i took a little trip to see Gram.

 

 traveling and hotel-staying with a toddler and newborn weren't the easiest, 

but what a blessing it is to see Gram love on her newest GREAT-GREAT-grandson and laugh with her Joshie!

 

Gram pushed Asher around on her walker and showed him off to all her friends and neighbors. 

Asher flashed that newborn grin for her more than anyone!

 

we threw bread (and rocks) to the fishies and saw a deer and 2 fawns. 

 

we ate fried chicken and ice cream at Uncle Jerry & Aunt Sue's 

Josh played in the mud, explored their garden and got scared of the chickens. 

 

we love our Gram!

always working...

i was reminded of this truth the other day: 

the Lord always working. 

 

But Jesus replied, "My Father is always working, and so am I." John 5:17

 

as of late, as of newborn, as of late nights and early mornings, as of getting back to work, and setting new rhythms, and trying my hardest to figure it all out...

the Lord is always working

 

i don't understand it. i don't know why He chooses to love a sinner like me. i don't know why He continues to work on this heart; show me love, teach me grace, give forgiveness. i don't understand. 

but He's always working. 

always loving, always guiding, always molding, always teaching, always helping, always listening, always saving, always working.

thank You. 

We wait in hope for the Lord; 

He is our help and our shield. 

In Him our hearts rejoice, 

for we trust His holy name. 

May Your unfailing love be with us, Lord,

 as we put our hope in You. 

Psalm 33:20-22

4 years

i keep thinking back to myself and how i thought our lives would be at this point... 

never would i have thought that in 4 years we would have:

had 2 babies

bought a little green house in Monument

help start a church

buy the cars we bought 

work the jobs we've worked

traveled to the places we've seen 

moved 5 times

struggled through what we've been through

or known such great joy!

these four years have gone by quickly &

i am so thankful for each day we spend together!

 .this adventure is better than i could have ever imagined.

i can't wait to see what the next four, twenty, and fifty years bring! 

Manny,  you are beyond the greatness.

i love you too much. 

Happy 4 Years!!!

{see what i wrote for our 2 year & 3 year anniversary}

Asher Gray: 1 month

Asher,
welcome to the world my sweet boy! your first month of life has been full. full of nursing, sleeping, not sleeping, brother time, hots days and nights, diaper changing, staying in, going out, first baths, celebrating fathers day, being with family, meeting new friends, and being as cute as can be!
this month:
-we came home from the hospital after spending 2 nights and about 3 days there

-you were diagnosed with some jaundice, came home on a bilibed and came off it by day 4 of life
-life revolves around your feedings: sometime between 3and5am, 8am, 11am, 2:30pm, 5:30pm, 7:30pm, and 10pm
-your burps and farts are LOUD. louder than any other baby i've ever met. seriously. loud. every.single.time.
-your a very slow nurser. it takes about an hour each feeding... but it's God's way of telling me to slow down so i'm enjoying our quiet moments and trying not to get too frustrated when we have somewhere to be ;) 

-early on your nights and days were confused... most nights i was up till 1 or 2am or up for 4 hours stretches in the middle of the night... it was pretty rough but then at 3 weeks you figured it out!
-on june 30th you slept 10:30pm to 5:44am! holy cow! amazing! and you've kept that up pretty much every night since then {talked about one amazing baby & one blessed momma!}
-you spent the first two weeks in our room. but i was ready to move you so we moved your brother downstairs and put your basket on the floor in your room. you seem comfy there :) 

-your first bath was pretty rough- you cried the whole time, your brother was very concerned, and as i was pulling you out your brother toppled into the tub head first! thankfully he caught himself with his hands and daddy was there to pull him out! a moment not to be forgotten! 
-so far, i'm pegging your personality as content. most days, you sleep, eat, hang out quietly in your chair, and then fall back asleep. life is pretty good for you little Asher Bear.

-you sleep swaddled up night and tight. you don't sleep super great when we are out and about but you don't complain either.
-2 days after you were born the Black Forest Fire started. it was a pretty crazy, emotional time and all three of the houses i grew up in burned down. thankfully, we were far away from the fire and safe minus dealing with the smoky air. the fire took almost 500 houses and burned thousands of acres of the forest i love, but through it all God is faithful and has a plan...
-1 month STATS:

• weight: 10.1 lbs - 57percentile
• height: 23 inches - 97percentile
• head circumference:

- we love you more & more everyday!

my Asher Bear, we are so in love with you. you are the perfect addition to our family. you are content and don't get upset too easily when i have to pay attention to your brother or the house or something else. i'm so beyond thankful for your amazing sleeping! i'm praising God for the amazing bond He's creating between you and your brother. you are quick to watch and listen to his crazy antics and he takes good care of you and always wants to know where you are. i love looking into your sweet blue eyes and kissing your sweet cheeks. i can't wait to watch you grow and see more of your personality.
love you,
your momma

Currently

I’m Currently…

Watching…Breaking Bad. manny and i have been watching a couple episodes every night since we brought Asher home. it's pretty interesting and always has us curious as to what will happen next. i also get a pretty good laugh out of the character Jesse Pinkman. ha.

Enjoying…watching my Joshie's imagination grow. his stories are always exciting and he's recently started playing more on his own, "reading" to himself, wearing blankie capes, and playing pretend (or at least what i think might be pretend). it's pretty stinking cool to see his little mind develop and learn! 

Planning…what i will do this weekend. manny is taking Josh to south dakota for his grandma's memorial service at the ranch up there so it will be just me and Asher for the weekend. i see lots of organizing and possibly setting up the nursery/Joshua's downstairs room in our future :)

Excited for…my house being pretty much done! minus a few closet doors that need to installed and the kitchen light needing to be hung and maybe some paint touch up our house is perfect. in the future we will paint the exterior and we need LOTS of landscaping help but right now the inside is perfect. i love everything about this little house and am so blessed to raise our boys in it. i am so thankful for all the hard work my dad, manny, and friends put into it and each night i just sit back and thank God for such an amazing place to call our own!

Cooking…not much of anything. we've been graciously blessed by meals from our church community and family so i've really not made much of anything lately. it's a nice break!

Pinning…more ideas for Asher's nursery. i have a couple solid ideas and things i know will go in it but i'm still searching for ways to fill the space and work with the color palette i have in my head...

Inspired by…all mom who have more than 2 babies! at 1am when Asher is still not sleeping and seems to be hungry AGAIN i lie there thinking "how could i possibly do this no-sleep-chase-toddler-nurse-and-care-for-infant-all-day-long thing with 2 toddlers and infant? or 3? or more?" i really have no idea. so mad props to all you moms out there with more than 1 kid! seriously, i don't know how you do it.

Remembering…that i can do all things through Christ how gives me strength. that He sustains and supplies all love, grace, peace and strength. that when i seek Him i will find Him. that in my weakness He is strong.

brothers

i think it was a pretty known fact that i was most worried about how the introduction of this new little family member would affect my little man Joshua...

but i am happy to say they are both doing so great. 

for the first couple of days Joshua was pretty indifferent to Asher. 

each day he has gotten more and more interested in his little brother. 

he knows which blankie belongs to Asher and is quick to bring it to him. 

he always wants to give Asher his pacifier. 

for the past three mornings the first thing Joshua has said to me when i go in and get him from his room is "baby?" 

when Asher cries Joshua is always concerned. 

i'm praising God that my Joshua is already such a good big brother. 

he is sweet and concerned and quick to love on his little brother. 

what a blessing!

 

not to say there aren't hard times between the 2 of them... 

Joshua has thrown a fit or two while i'm nursing Asher. 

Joshua often wants to climb in my lap at the most inconvenient times.

 Joshua tries to "rock" Asher in his chair a little too rough at times. 

and Joshua is certainly  hearing "no" way more than before.

but all things considered, these brothers are doing great! 

we are so blessed and so thankful for the bond they already share. 

we can't wait to see their relationship grow and change. 

Joshua, you are already such a great big brother!

Momma & Daddy are very proud of you! 

Asher, just keep up your sweet newborn ways & i'm sure Joshua will make you nice and tough :) 

Welcoming:

Asher Gray Pollard

Born June 8th, 2013

10:11pm

8lbs 12oz 

21 inches

we are so in love!