First Day of School

Today was Asher's first day of 'school' (mother's day out)! Our day did not start out well, so by the time I accidentally hit his head on the car door in the parking lot, my expectations for the day were quite low, but all-in-all it went well! He was crying when I picked him up, but his teacher assured me it had just started as other mothers arrived to pick up their children.

Before we left home, with his backpack. He loves to say 'ack-ack' When I arrived at his classroom, I was so excited to see each child's artwork laying out still wet with fingerpaint. My heart began to well with pride as I searched for his name on each sheet. This is what I found...

Whoopie Pie...Oh My!!

Makeup & Accessories

Who said I would miss out on girly things with a boy?!? Asher loves to play with my makeup bag as I put my makeup on. Today, I might have been a little preoccupied with my eyeliner as he opened a lip gloss and mimicked me with it. From the beginning, Asher has been adamantly opposed to wearing hats...until a few days ago when he began insisting on wearing this hat at random times.

Lovey

Asher officially has a lovey! We thought he had passed that stage without attaching to a particular 'comfort item' but apparently we were wrong. After returning from our trip, Asher decided to give us grief for a good 48 hours, so we weren't too surprised when he screamed for 30+ minutes after going to bed Saturday night. Each night, he goes to bed with a paci and a white muslin blanket from his swaddling days. We have three of them and they are great because they are lightweight and breathable. Saturday night, we were down to one blanket (one was in the wash and one was left at Nana's) that was dirty, so we tried to give him a different blanket...this one also plain white, but not muslin. He took the blanket and looked at it as if we had given him a handful of dirt. We didn't think much of it, so we put him to bed as usual. After repeated trips into his room to calm him down, I finally pulled his muslin blankie out of the dryer and took it into him. He grabbed it, collapsed into his crib with it and we never heard another peep. Poor guy just wanted his lovey!
I immediately logged into Amazon and ordered another 4 pack of the white muslin blankets.

Costa Rica

Michael and I had a fantastic time in Costa Rica! We are so appreciative to our parents for keeping Asher so we could get away for a few days and, thankfully, it sounds like it went smootly for them. We know its a huge commitment to take on a 17 month old when you aren't used to it, but I have such fond memories of time spent with my grandparents growing up, so I love that my parents and Michael's are able to create memories for Asher too.
Our trip was a perfect balance of activity, relaxation, scenery and eating! We golfed, spa'd, hiked, zip-lined, rockclimbed, rode horseback, swam, paddle boarded, and sunned. The weather was beautiful in the mornings/early afternoon with torrential downpours in the evenings...perfect for a good night's sleep. We loved it and can't wait to take Asher back some day. Rather than try to choose pics and fight with blogger on the order of uploading, here is the link...Costa Rica Pics

Catching Up

Michael and I just returned from a fun, relaxing vacation in Costa Rica, but before I post pictures, there is a lot to catch up on!

In July, Asher and I made a quick overnight trip to Kansas City Missouri for a double baby shower for my two cousins and their little ones. It was a whirlwind trip, but we had fun seeing everyone and meeting the newest members of our family.

Asher & Pappy placing flowers at the cemeteryFamily pic at the cemetery...hey, gotta take the opportunity when and where you can

GiGi with 7 of her 9 great-grandchildren

My cousin, Alea (left) with her son Elijah and my cousin Adam's wife, Natalie, with their daughter Lydia. Sweet Daddy/Daughter time

Evening, pre-bath, sprinkler play has been a hit at our house this summer

Mimi brought this big box home from her office and it was a HUGE hit. It is now completely decorated along with cutout windows and a door.

Reading the paper with Pappy & Daddy

Hangin' with Papa in their new backyard

Asher loves any and all lights & stairs. Imagine his delight upon discovering lights in the stairs!

My future drummer! I am in the market for some melamine mixing bowls after this jam session

Big helper!

MegaBloks are big at our house right now

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Michael's Birthday was yesterday, but we celebrated all weekend long! We started with a family day at the Children's Museum on Saturday. It was all a little advanced for Asher, but still a fun time exploring and getting messy. Sunday we had family over for BBQ, cake and presents. Monday evening Michael and I were able to go on a real date (thanks to Nana for keeping Asher) to Wolfgang Puck's Five-Sixty restaurant atop Reunion Tower. We look forward to concluding the birthday celebration with Aunt Michelle soon. (Michael's twin)

About to 'milk' Elsie

Searching for dinosaur bones

Poor guy! He was tasty though.