Snowy Video

17 inches and counting!

Today we woke up to a winter wonderland! We were all excited to get outside as this was Asher's first time playing in the snow.

He didn't mind sitting in the snow bank.

But he wasn't so sure about laying in the snow.

His favorite thing was flying with Dad and chasing after Lula, of course! I have a great video of it but I can't get it to load. I'll try again soon....

The Griswold's Get a Tree

Saturday we decided to venture out to Albany and cut our own Christmas tree. We bundled Asher up in his new Lightning McQueen snow boots and hit the road. He fell asleep on the 15 minute drive but was quickly awakened by the bright sunshine and the fact that there were two dogs running around the farm.














It was pretty chilly so we didn't take too long picking out the tree. Dad expertly cut it down while Mom and Ash watched.















All was going great as we dragged the tree out of the woods and headed for the car. But once we started to think about how to get the tree into/onto the car things started to get a little like National Lampoon's.

The tree we thought was so tiny in the woods, ended up being an 8 footer! We had imagined putting half the tree in the trunk and letting the rest hang out - with a bungee to secure everything. Um yeah, that wasn't going to work!

So on top of the car it went, wrapped in a tarp and tied to the doorhandles with twine. Seemed like a plan that could work. We opened the sunroof cover to keep an eye on it and we headed for home.

In the first mile we stopped 2 times to catch the tree before we lost it on the road. We hadn't even gone over 30 mph! This was going to take forever! But the second stop brought some insight and I won't name names, but someone suggested tying it to the hood like a canoe so it would stop sliding off the back. Voila! We were back up to 55 mph in no time.





We almost lost the tarp, which in hindsight was pretty much unnecessary, but we made it home in one piece. Next year hopefully we'll be more prepared and won't look like clueless yuppy city folk.

We got the tree inside and that's when we realized it was so big - it was about an inch from the ceiling! And Mom was worried it was too small!

We decorated tonite as a family and we all had a great time starting our own family traditions. And the tree looks perfect! Stop by and see it sometime!

Turkey Day

We spent Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Lein where the rule is if you want to eat, you need to earn your keep.

Just kidding! The food was delicious and abundant and we all spent the days of our vacation relaxing on the couch. That is all of us but Asher, who happily swiffered Grandma's new kitchen and dining room floors until you could see your reflection in them.We all enjoyed homemade waffles for breakfast....Asher enjoyed the blueberries with a bit more gusto than the rest of us!

Lover Boy

My sweetheart boy is turning into a real lover boy! He loves to show his affection now, mostly to Lula and Eli. He shows he cares by laying on the floor next to them and snuggling up with his back against them. It's awfully cute!He's also started taking my face in his hands and snuggling up to me and sometimes kissing me. It can get pretty messy, but could a mom love anything more?Right now he's in the kitchen trying on all of his bibs. He puts them upside down under his chin and then walks around on his knees. Funny, since lately I've had trouble getting him to keep one on during meals. What a kid!

Happy Halloween!

We spent Halloween with Auntie and Uncle Sam in Ishpeming, Michigan. We had a great long weekend! Here are some highlights...

Could Anything Be More Fun??

Introducing Our Little Pumpkin!

*Click on the photo to see a larger version*

Getting There

Asher is just now starting to realize that walking is cool. Yesterday he decided to walk on his own...from the coffee table to the tv twice, from the piano to the the toybox a few times. There was no prodding at all. He just climbed up and took off. Yay! Of course I didn't get any of that on video, but here's him practicing with Dad last night. Notice his excellent posture!

Wanna Pick a Punkin?

This is what we did with our morning...

Thought of the Day

There's nothing better than a chubby cheek, rosy and warm from an afternoon nap, sweetly pressed against yours.

My Heart Swells

It's been a while since I've posted anything here on the blog. It's not for lack of things to write about, more like a lack of time. Our days a filled with eating and naps and walks and sitting on blankets. We see friends here and there and get groceries and hit the library and chat it up with people at the post office.

The biggest change of late is that our little friend Eli has been coming to our house two days a week. He's about 2 1/2 months old and requires a lot of attention, as all babies do. This was a rough thing for Ash to handle at first. There were many tears and even a head butt but all is well now. Each day Eli is here, Asher gets a little more comfortable with sharing mommy's attention.

Today my sweet boy definitely woke up on the right side of the bed. He's been making my heart sing all day long with his sweet gestures, loving looks, and funny ideas for playtime. It all started when I had Eli over my knee for a little quasi tummy time. Asher crawled over and gently kissed him on the head. I praised him profusely for being soft and gentle (this is not his strong suit so he needs the encouragement!). He went back to playing on the floor but every so often he would come back and give Eli another kiss. A few times he just squished his nose on Eli's head...a sort of Eskimo kiss I suppose. It was too cute for words and of course getting up to grab the camera would've ruined the moment!

On our walk this evening he kept turning around to look at me and smile, showing me the most angelic and loving face I've ever seen. My heart melted. It was exactly what I needed today.

Lastly, after dinner we played with a dining room chair. Sounds fun, right? But it was! It couldn't have been funner! He squished his little face through the slats and I tickled his nose with mine. One time was all it took to get him hooked! He thought this was the funniest thing ever and we probably went back and forth with this 20 times. It gave me a good laugh and the whole day brought me a renewed joy. Being a stay at home mom is the best!

Ash's Adventures

Summer is a busy time and Asher is a busy boy. He's been having a ball lately as we cart him to and fro. Daddy's got a softball game? Asher will gladly sit on the blanket all evening. Mom, Dad, and friends want to go to concert on the square two weeks in a row? Asher will enthusiastically eat everything in sight and then get in on some wrestling with Daddy and the White boys.

Asher is growing and learning everyday of course! He's recently discovered the piano and loves to play pretty music.He used a fork for the first time the other night. He actually picked up two rigatoni on his own and was able to finaggle it into his mouth!

He is saying a few words now....Mama, Dada, Up (pronounced "bup"), Go, and More ("mo").

And just last Saturday he started standing! He can stand for about 30 seconds now without holding onto anything. And he can sit down from that position. May little baby is growing up!

God Bless America

Asher's second 4th of July turned out to be a fantastic weekend. He enjoyed every bit of it even though he was off schedule and sleep deprived.

We started the day off with the parade. The sun was shining and it was already starting to get hot. Asher was a quiet observer for the most part, not scared of the sirens, and not particularly excited about anything.







After a quick stop at Grandma and Grandpa's house for lunch, we were out the door again, this time to the Skeeters water ski show. The lake was gorgeous but the sun was brutal. Especially on our fleece blanket! This was Asher's favorite part of the day because he got to share a dilly bar with Auntie and a fudgecicle with Grandma.














After the Skeeters we went back to G&G's for a cookout. The guys shot of fireworks in the yard "for Asher" and it was off to bed at a somewhat decent time.















The whole weekend was a blast! Asher loved seeing the family, playing in Grandma's cupboards, and rough housing with Dad!

We made it home just in time for Kyle's softball game.

A Friend for Lu

This was not staged, I swear.

Up and Down, Up and Down

Asher has mastered the art of pulling himself up on things. It's easy now, he can climb anything! All he has to do is crawl over to the object he wishes to scale, pull himself up onto his knees by grabbing onto the object (warning: hold on to your pants if they're loose people!), mash his face into the object leaving a huge shmeer of slobber (thankfully he has now realized he does not need to bite the object to climb it - ouch!) and pull with his hands while pressing down with his face. Ta da! Job done! No sweat!

Now the hard part is getting back down. There are two ways to do it. First you can spread your legs real wide and stick your butt out. Pause and look down. Slowly let your weight plop you down on your bottom.


The second option is to spread your legs real wide and lean over to the side while holding out one arm until you touch the ground with your hand. Then you can let go with the other hand and be in the perfect crawling position once you hit the ground. Option 2 is preferred but Option 1 is much more fun to watch.

My Favorite Day

Last Saturday was gorgeous so we decided to pack up the car and head down to the Union at the UW. We walked along the lake and down the path to the boathouse where we ventured out on a floating dock. Asher loved splashing his hands and feet in the water! Of course Momma wiped his hands with anti-bac afterward cuz you just never know what is in that gross lake! I'm not against lakes by any means, I actually prefer them to pools. But I'm an up north girl and I'm used to much cleaner waters! After the dock we went back to the union, sat and watched the people and a cute little puppy while we had a snack. It was a great little outing and fun was had by all. I would've loved to stay all day - I just can't get enough of that place....the sailboats, the people, the lake air. Love it!

Here are a few new photos for you....

We went to a wedding last weekend and despite his lack of sleep, Asher did pretty well. He got to see lots of relatives and swim in the hotel pool!

(The close up of Ash was taken by my cousin Sam, I think he's 12. Great shot! Maybe he'll be a photographer when he grows up.)

This is Asher's favorite spot in the house now. He loves to look out and see what's going on in the neighborhood. 3:00 is the best because that's when 8 big, yellow school buses go by!

Mmmmmm!

Asher ate spaghetti for the first time the other night. He loved it! Not surprising since he loves most anything that goes in your mouth. Clad in only a bib to save on the mess, he gobbled up the little bow ties and asked for more, more, more! Here's a couple pictures and a video. You'll have to forgive Kyle for his crazy antics in the background....he thought I was taking a still picture and was trying to get Asher to smile. Tee hee!

New Tricks

I swear that Asher is changing every minute these days! He has learned so much lately, he seems to be adding new tricks to his bag every hour. Sunday he started cruising around the furniture and really grasped the concept of drinking from a sippy cup. Tuesday he started signing "more" and he learned to play So Big! I wonder what he'll do today?

And yesterday I noticed that, like his friend Nathan, he has four teeth coming in at once! All on top! He seems to feel no pain, which is wonderful. But the pain is on me because he's started grinding his top and bottom teeth. Urgh, fingernails on a chalkboard don't bother me but this makes me cringe to the point I almost can't take it. I have to squeeze his chubby cheeks together to make him stop before I go insane!

A is for Apple

Last night Daddy and Asher enjoyed a healthy snack while watching the biggest loser. Asher didn't really take any bites, he mostly just sucked on it. Yummy, slobbery apple for Daddy!


























This last one is a video...

What a Great Weekend!

This past Sunday, Asher was dedicated to the Lord. The whole family was there to watch, except for Aunt Kimmers who lives too far away to make it. It was a fun weekend all around. Here are some of the highlights.

A delicious cake brought by Grandma and Grandpa Lein. Mmmmm, white cake with chocolate frosting just like mommy asked for!







The whole family together...










Asher and Lula playing tug of war. Asher tried so hard to win! He hooked the rope around the mirror on his walker and tried backing away. But Lula held on tight and yanked the rope and he crashed, walker and all, back into the couch! Mommy tried to grab the video camera but of course they quit as soon as I turned it on.













Grandpa Marble's dress boots....












And Asher got his very first Easter basket! He was able to open it all by himself. His favorite was a little finger puppet duck. He laughed and laughed as it walked up his legs and arms.