Asher is 6!

There is no question that Asher is an introvert, but everyone loves to feel special and loved on their birthday, right? So it was funny to see how he handled all the extra attention on Tuesday. He stood in front of his kindergarten class and grinned while they sang to him, but he wouldn't look any of them in the eye. When his taekwondo teacher (who didn't know it was his birthday) coincidentally asked him that afternoon how old he was, he answered "Six" without giving her any clues. And when Tyson was telling random strangers in Target that today was his brother's birthday, Asher did his best to act like he didn't know that kid.

But we love Asher like crazy, and were happy to give him all kinds of special attention. He requested waffles for his birthday dinner. (He requested at least 6 other meals before that, but a couple of days before I finally told him that he couldn't change his mind any more, since I'd bought the buttermilk, fruit, and whipped cream.) After eating cupcakes, opening gifts, and playing games, the birthday boy had had enough. In what was probably a first for any of our kids, he cuddled up on Dad's lap and told Scot that he was tired and ready to go to bed.

Some things I want to remember about 5-year-old Asher:

He's such a sweetheart. If a sibling is having a bad day Asher will give them a toy or book of his to put a smile on their face. If someone isn't feeling well, he's so thoughtful and attentive to their needs. He loves his grandparents and gets especially attached to his Grandmas when they're around. And he's still the best cuddler of my three.

He is a smartie. His Primary teachers last year would often tell me that if no one in the class was answering a question, they'd turn to Asher. He would rarely volunteer it, but they could count on him always knowing the right answer, if they asked. He's so far ahead of the rest of his kindergarten class in reading that he meets a few times a week with the school's reading specialist and a group of first-and second-graders. He's in the highest math group in class, and instead of memorizing sight words with the rest of the class, his teacher gives him a list of 15-20 "challenge words" to spell each month.

He's never been much of an animal person, but he immediately bonded with the tortoise that joined our family in November. Asher calls him "Little Guy" and hurries back to say hello to him as soon as he gets home from school.

He likes building things and following a plan. Give him any sort of building toy (Legos and Zoobs are current favorites) and an instruction guide, and he's content to play alone for hours.

He and Tyson have all kinds of goofy fun together. When they're getting along there is plenty of giggling, silliness, and mischief. And Asher adores his big sister. The two are great at hatching plots, making plans, and solving mysteries together.

And Asher gives me the most enthusiastic running tackle-hugs every day when I pick him up from school.

Tyson is Three!

After our long hike on Tyson's birthday, the kids all took a good nap when we got home. That gave me plenty of time to decorate his birthday cake, which I was really excited to surprise him with.

He'd seen enough birthday celebrations in our family in the months leading up to his, that he knew the drill and was very excited for it. The day before his birthday, Riley and I were helping him practice blowing out his candles. So he was a pro when that lighted cake was placed in front of him.

Happy third birthday, Tyson! Our family just wouldn't be the same without you!

Riley is Six!

This year Riley celebrated her birthday the day before and then again the day after her actual birthday. We went to lunch the day before her birthday with Grandma, Jess and Cory, and their kids, and then spent the afternoon at the zoo.

 Jess made the event exciting with birthday hats and fancy cupcakes.

Two days later, Riley celebrated her birthday with some friends with a Fancy Nancy party.

The girls colored, made jewelry, ate a fancy lunch, including parfaits ("That's French for ice cream sundaes."), dressed up in fancy clothes and had a fashion show. The girls were all adorable, and on their best fancy behavior.

Happy birthday to our six-year-old! And now you can stop growing up.

Asher Man

Asher has grown and changed so much over the last year. It seemed that when we were with other people, he used to be content to hanging out in Riley's shadow. She was the one that would say hello to strangers, and he would look at them with a shy smile. When asked questions like how old he was, he would gladly let her answer for him. I wouldn't say those days are completely behind him. Just today someone said hi to Riley and then asked Asher his name. He stood there quietly while she answered.

But we have seen huge improvements. He has made a new friend in his tumbling class, and will occasionally strike up conversations with adults while we're waiting in checkout lines. Also, we've had reports from his teacher at church that he doesn't seem a bit shy in her class. Hooray!

At his four-year checkup, we learned that Asher is in the 12th percentile for weight and 15th for height. He has quite an imagination, and will play by himself with his action figures and cars for quite a long time. He told me today that his favorite foods are macaroni & cheese and green beans. In fact, he asked me if he can be in charge of planting the green beans in our garden this spring. Asher has a few pairs of inexpensive stretchy mittens that he often wears around the house. And he will not play any type of ball until he has them on, as he insists they help him catch better, just like the real football players. He enjoyed watching football with Dad during the season, and can't get enough of Wild Kratts and Angry Birds. I'm pretty strict about TV and iPod time, but that doesn't stop him from asking for it...frequently. Scot is a little more of a push-over, and it hasn't taken Asher long to figure out that he'll probably have better results if he asks Dad.

Asher has started doing lessons in the same learn-to-read program that we used for teaching Riley. It's fun to see how excited he is when he finishes a difficult lesson, or reads a word that he started out thinking was too hard. But his real interest right now is numbers. Whenever he sees two or three digit numbers he'll ask me "what do 1 and 9 and 6 make?" He is good at adding and subtracting small numbers, and he's really close to being able to tell time on a digital clock. He loves counting for no particular purpose. Yesterday he was asking how old Scot and I were, as well as all our siblings. After each answer, he would start at one and count up to their age. That kept him occupied for quite a while. Asher loves his class at church, and often tells us how nice his teacher is. And he is VERY excited to start preschool in September.

He and Tyson are slowing learning how to work and play together, but Asher and Riley really get along well. Although that's really nothing new. We had a huge snowstorm last weekend, and when it was all over, had two foot drifts in some parts of the backyard. Asher and Riley would bundle up and play out there for an hour or two each day while Tyson napped. One day he was ready to come inside before Riley was, but she bribed him to stay out there until she was ready to come in too. I knew that some sort of deal took place, but I didn't know the details, so I asked about it at dinnertime. Asher explained to us that if he stayed outside with her, Riley promised that he could play with a particular doll of hers every day that week. As soon as he was done telling Scot and I what the deal was, he turned to Riley, pointed a finger at her, and told her, "You better write that down, Riley." Smart boy.

Riley is Five!

I can't believe my little girl is five years old. And I can't believe how much I feel like my Dad when I say that. If he were here to tell me that he remembers when they first laid me in his arms, and how I just stared up at him and didn't cry, this time I wouldn't respond "Oh Dad" as I rolled my eyes. Because I get it now. All those details I remember about the night we met Riley for the first time do not seem like they happened five years ago!

But enough of my gushing. Riley's birthday was on a Wednesday, but we stretched the celebrations out long enough to make some of my sisters proud. Scot's parents were in town the previous weekend, and that Sunday we had some extended family over for dinner. There were three people there that night with birthdays within a week of each other. So naturally we called it a birthday dinner, and convinced Riley that the chocolate-covered strawberries that Aunt Carol brought were especially for her, since strawberries are one of her favorite foods. I didn't take many pictures that night, but here's Tyson covered in that same treat.

On her actual birthday, we met Jessica and her kids at the zoo. Because it was her birthday, Riley got in free, and got a special elephant birthday pin. I'd love to share more details, but the zoo is the zoo, right?

For dinner that night, Riley requested homemade pizza. For several weeks leading up to her birthday, she was also making birthday cake requests. But each time she requested a different cake. A couple of times she even requested two cakes, a Princess cake for herself, and a Cars cake that the boys would appreciate. Finally I told her that I was going to make her a surprise birthday cake that I knew she would love, and I was no longer taking requests. When it was time to decorate the cake we sent the kids downstairs to play.

Here is the finished cake:

We sat Riley down at the table and made her close her eyes for the big reveal. Fortunately I was right: she loved it! 

We used a real Belle doll, which was one of her birthday gifts, and a gotta say, Riley was surprised and I think a little freaked out when we pulled the doll out to serve the cake and out came a pair of naked legs!

Preschool was out for Spring Break the week of her birthday, so her class sang to her and made her a special birthday crown the following week.

Riley is in the 91st percentile for height now, and 31st for weight. Up from 79 and 27 last year. Scot and I wonder if she'll be taller than both her brothers when they're adults.

We snuggled together in Riley's bed that night, and because it was her fifth birthday, I spent five minutes telling Riley things that I love about her. I'll share a few of them here:

• Even though we don't have the same DNA, we do have a lot in common. I love that she likes to have a place for everything. She is pretty good about keeping her room clean and her toys put away when she knows where everything should be.

• Riley learned to read last summer, and while it was a struggle sometimes, she loves reading now. She also loves being read to. This makes me so happy, since reading is one of my favorite things. Every night in bed, she reads a book to me, and then I read a chapter to her. Right now we're working our way through the Ramona books. I think we'll do the Little House series next.

• She is very compassionate. She looks out for her friends and her brothers and wants everyone to be happy. I was the type of kid that would cry if I saw someone else getting picked on. Riley would feel empathy for them too, but I suspect she'd walk right up to the bully and tell them to cut it out.

• She is so friendly and outgoing. That's one thing that is definitely not like me, but I'm becoming better through her example. Anytime we go to a place where there are other kids, a park, the library, a fast-food play area, the nursery at the gym, Riley leaves with a new friend. Just today she made a friend named Savannah at the park. Her approach this morning was, "Hi. My name's Riley. Do you want to play with me?" She just makes it look so easy.

• Riley isn't afraid to share her talents. Last fall she sang a solo in front of the whole congregation at church. When she was walking up to the pulpit I was so nervous for her, I felt like throwing up. But she had a smile on her face the whole time. She told Scot and I afterward that she was a little nervous, but "I just pushed all the nervous into my hands. Then my hands were shivering a little bit so I just held on to the pulpit really tight." Riley has also memorized a couple of scripture verses, and loves when she gets the opportunity to share them in Primary.

• She is such a helpful girl. I can always count on her to help out the boys if I've got my hands full. She does a good job of looking out for them. She is in charge of feeding the dog every day, and she has several other chores around the house. She is usually great about doing them without complaint, and often when she sees me working, she'll ask, "What can I do for you, Mom?"

What would I do without her? I am grateful every day that it was God's plan for Riley to be in our family, and equally as grateful to her birth parents for allowing that plan to happen.

Asher is Three!

Finally, I have a good reason for a belated post! Things have been hectic around here for the last few weeks. We have tried to keep things at home as consistent as possible for our kid, especially Tyson, but we've got a lot of balls that we're trying to keep in the air right now. So far everything is working out, and we are reassured that we are moving in the right direction. As I told my grandparents when we talked this morning, we're just trying to keep our heads above water and our feet underneath us.

Fortunately Asher's birthday happened before all this craziness hit, so we were able to have a celebration that he was pleased with.

Asher was thrilled with all the birthday cards that came in the mail during the days leading up to his birthday. I'm convinced that nothing makes a three-year-old feel more important than getting mail from people he hardly remembers meeting.

Scot was still home taking his "family leave," so the whole family went to lunch at one of Asher's favorite places, McDonalds. He proved he was a big boy by making it all the way to the top slide in a rather confusing Playplace, without any help from his big sister.

For dinner Asher requested his favorite: slow-cooker lasagna. I've made all my kids' birthday cakes until this year. He had been telling me for weeks that he wanted a Lightning McQueen cake for his birthday. My friend Maggie had given me an idea for an easy way to decorate a Lightning McQueen cake and I debated doing it myself. But in the end, I decided to cheat. I still felt like my hands were full with three kids and we were preparing the house for showings. But the deciding factor was that I knew Asher would be happy with any birthday dessert, as long as it was colorful and made of chocolate.

At his 3-year check-up Asher was in the 5th percentile for height and the 25th for weight.

Asher is the sweetest little guy. He talks a lot, but is very quiet when he's out of his comfort zone. With another child in the house with a strong personality, we are reminded just how easy-going Asher is. Honestly, he is a good buffer between Riley and Tyson.

Asher's favorite things are cars, trains, Dora, singing, bath time, chocolate, ice cream, pizza, his super bouncy ball, penguins, playing with his cousin Brady and his friend Gunner, books, aquariums and fish tanks, dipping food in Ranch dressing, playing on Riley's scooter, and making Tyson laugh.

Two and A Half

Yes, this post is nearly a month out of date. But better late than never, right?


Asher is all about extremes lately. He often says "never, ever, EVER" when describing something and tells me quite often that certain things are his favorite. He can be fickle, though, and his favorites change frequently.

Ash loves to sing and is pretty good at it. His favorites to sing are "I Am A Child Of God," "Daddy's Homecoming," and "Hush Little Baby." He loves listening to, and singing along with "The Goldfish" and "Pig On Her head," both by Laurie Berkner, the Glee version of "Bad Romance," and "Bad" by Michael Jackson.

He is in the 10th percentile for height and about the 15th for weight. Now that he is out of diapers, Asher is having the same problem his big sister had at this age, quite a few of his pants won't stay up without being pinned.

Asher is much more confident and independent than he was even a few months ago. He can go to the bathroom by himself, and dress, undress himself (although he still needs help putting shirts on), and put his clothes in his drawers. I told him that when Tyson comes home, it will be a lot easier on me if Asher could buckle his own seatbelt. Every time we got in the car after that he insisted on practicing, and he had it mastered within a couple of days. Asher now has his own chores at home, including setting the table for dinner, taking his dirty dishes to the sink after each meal, putting away certain toys in the playroom, and taking the recyclables outside to the bin.

In spite of the fact that he's over his "mama's boy" phase, he is still quite cuddly and sweet. Occasionally he'll climb onto my lap and when I ask him what he needs he'll tell me, "I want to sit on your lap, Mommy" or just "I need Mommy."

We are so blessed to have Asher in our family.He is sweet and charming, and we can’t wait to see how he develops in the next 6 months.

Riley is Four!

Riley was so excited that her birthday fell on a Monday, so she would be able to celebrate it with her friends at preschool. Instead of cupcakes, we brought fruit kabobs for her birthday treat. Since Riley would choose fruit over something sugary any day, and there are a couple of kids (including Riley) with various allergies, it was the perfect option. My original idea was to use wooden skewers, but I’ve seen how the boys in her class play, and I knew their parents and the teachers would not appreciate me providing them with sharp weapons. Instead we stuck Riley’s favorites, mangos, grapes, pears, and pineapple on colorful plastic drink stirrers. When I dropped off Riley and the treats, I also left a camera with one of the teachers and asked him to take some photos.

After class my mom and I took Riley and Asher bowling. I got some great pictures, and this post is going to be a long one, so I'll save those for a separate post.

That night we celebrated with a dinner of Riley's choice: shrimp scampi, broccoli, and glass block jello, with a chocolate pig birthday cake for dessert.

I'm not sure how much longer the bear photo tradition is going to last. I can't see her at 13, willing to pose with a stuffed animal on her birthday. But at four, Riley still thinks it's great.

The following day her cousins came up from Thornton to celebrate with us. We took the kids to a class at a local garden, where the teacher read a story about seeds and then the kids made a cute little project that shows the life cycle of a seed. When they finished we took a little time to explore the children's garden.

 Since it was like having another party, we of course had more cake! This time I made rainbow cupcakes.

Riley really enjoyed her birthday, and the rest of us had fun celebrating it with her.

Asher is Two!

Asher is two now, and he’ll proudly tell you so if you ask. His birthday was pretty low-key. He played with two little boys his age that morning. We had one of his favorite meals for dinner, and then some friends over for cake.

He’s still a little guy, 33 inches tall (15th%) and 23.75 pounds (7th%), but he’s very healthy and developing as he should be. He is saying four-word sentences pretty consistently and he loves being read to.

We are so blessed to have Asher in our family. He has a silly sense of humor and loves to tease. He is a great little cuddler, and will (usually) give hugs and kisses on demand. He enjoys helping Mom in the kitchen, although his attention span doesn’t often last until dinner is prepared. Asher wants to do anything his big sister is doing, and he is lucky that she is so patient and generous with him. He’ll sweetly hold her baby dolls and pretend to feed them. And he and Riley often end up in the same bed together after Scot and I leave the room.

As with most boys his age, he’s very into balls, animals, anything with wheels, and the color red. He insists on sleeping at night with a stuffed penguin and his two favorite blankies. Asher rarely runs, instead he does a goofy bouncy gallop-type movement that gets the rest of us laughing every time. He isn’t much of a meat-eater, and will usually pick around the meat, or eat everything else first. But other than that, he’s not a very picky eater.

Asher is stubborn about doing things at his own pace. When I ask him if he can say a new word, he’ll either say it, or matter-of-factly answer, “No.” He has never once even tried saying his own name. For months, when asked “Who is that?” about his reflection, or “What’s your name?” his answer has consistently been “Boy.” When he was first learning to talk he would call our dog Bernie, “Nie.” But he soon stopped saying that and just calls him “Goggie.” As he has done with so many other words, I’m confident he’ll start saying both when he can say “Asher” or “Bernie” correctly.

We love this kid and are so excited to see all the new things he learns in the next year.

Eighteen Months

Asher is 31 inches tall and weighs 21 pounds, 10 ounces. That puts him in the 15th percentile for height, and down to 5th for weight. Head circumference is holding steady at 75th.

He is such a fun kid and is always finding new ways to make us laugh. Asher and Riley play together well, for the most part, and he is usually interested in whatever it is she's paying attention to. He enjoys balls (especially kicking them), feeding himself, babies and dogs, going places in the car, stacking things, looking at books or having them read to him, and anything that he can pretend is a phone. He is definitely a mama's boy, but gets excited and runs to the door every time he hears Scot come in the house after work.

At 18 months, Asher can say quite a few words:

tickle (teeko), hot (his go-to word for describing a lot of things: hot, cold, wet, dark, etc.), hat, bear, doggy (goggy), puppy, go, ewwie (his word for a poopie diaper or anything dirty), ball, car (caw), book, hot dog (goh gog), cookie, thank you (keekoo), two, play (pay), piano (pee), kick, get it, boo, hello (a-wo), kay (as in okay), whoa, that (dat), me, eye, ear, pear, apricot (cot), flower (wow-a), arm, blow (bo), bird (buh), shoe (dee), la la la (referring to our favorite Sandra Boynton book), no, tree, shhhh (with his finger to his mouth), hi, eat, Riley (eye-ee or eye-wee), Mommy, Daddy, Bernie (nee), hmmm (his common response when I ask him a question), balloon (boon)

Sounds effects: beep, boom, pop, eek eek (He always does the squeeky shoe noise when we read “Mr. Brown Can Moo.”)

Animal noises: cow, dog (mmm mmm mmm), cat (mao), rooster (caw caw)

Fifteen Months

I had a hard time getting Asher to sit still for photos. That is, until I started tossing him a ball. He was on board as soon as I turned it into a game of catch.

He has seven teeth, four on top and three on the bottom, with another one looking pretty close. Books are probably Asher's favorite thing right now. He loves being read to, but he is just as happy looking at them on his own.

Since his first birthday Asher has started using a lot of words. He can say Mommy, Daddy, Riley, ball, baby, book, pop, beep, banana, cheese, hot dog, doggie, go, more, uh-oh, no no, that, and car. He can tell you the noises that a cow, monkey, rooster and a dog make. And he makes the cutest kissing noise.

He is the sweetest little boy and will give kisses and snuggles whenever we ask. He adores his big sister. Because he is still taking two naps a day, he usually wakes up from his afternoon nap before Riley does. He often calls for her, and if I'm not looking he will crawl up the stairs to her bedroom door, sit or stand next to it, and repeat her name until I intervene.

And obviously he is as handsome as ever!