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Tag Archives: asher
Wow, is June already come and gone?
There are so many times I want to jump on here and blog. And then I just don’t get around to it.
I’ve also found that when life gets tough, I need to keep my head down, keep the prayers going up and just take care of myself and my people. And things have been a bit more “tough” lately- busy with the kiddos, a new job and really the whole new world of life outside of active duty Army. It’s not all bad tough either, there is a lot of good in there. But I find it hard to balance the extra work, attention and prayers that life needs during tough times with the quiet time I need to reflect and recharge. The quiet time seems to be scattered throughout the day in little bits grabbed here and there and for some reason I just have trouble spending my time here in little bits, so instead a knit a few rows, read a few pages, catch a few winks.
Like I always say, living life trumps writing about it.
But I have to post at least once this month! Time flies and I am more often reaching for my iphone camera than the fancy one, but, I do make sure that I pick it up and purposefully capture my kids at their current ages. I can hardly believe that my baby Oliver is coming up on five months old. He has become the heart of our family. Like the hearth we all gather round when we need a bit of extra warmth, he is always there with his sweet baby cheeks, kissable lips and gummy smiles. Boy is he ever loved. Dash and I think he is our prettiest baby yet.
4 months old, lookin for a fist-bump
And these other two crazy kids. They keep us busy these days. They are best friends.
Amelia at 2.5, on the left is the usual face I get when I point my camera her way. The right is the rare occasion of a semi-fake smile. She is still her mama’s girl, but when she gets hurt, she needs Dr. Daddy.
Asher at 5. Currently on a haircut strike and a learning streak. I can’t believe he isn’t even a pre-schooler anymore. We are officially starting K in the fall and we are super excited to be doing it here at home.
I am loving these summertime kids to the moon and back.
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June garden!
And while I’m here (cause who knows when I’ll be back! ), a quick peek into the garden! Everything has taken off and the harvest is rolling in these days. Tomatoes are doing the best, the beans are doing pretty well too, but for some reason, everything else seems to be moving a bit slow and looking a bit small. I have a feeling I may have added a little bit too much cheap compost to the beds and not enough rich/sandy soil. Or it could just be the high heat we have already been getting coupled with the bugs that never fail to plague. We have picked a few peppers, squash, eggplant, tomatillo, okra and even cut a few of the zinnias that are finally starting to bloom, but I do have to admit, I was hoping for better. Each season brings new lessons though! The weeds are getting a bit crazy out there and I will have to get out and do some serious weeding here soon. We will be starting some pumpkin seeds soon and planning a few more things for the fall. I’m feeling like a good clear out in August and some more work on the soil will get us in shape for a better fall harvest. For fall we will shift gears to plants like brussels and broccoli, carrots and beets, corn and squash, beans and new herbs and of course pumpkins. For now, we are enjoying and preserving our bountiful tomato harvest! Maybe soon I will have to post more about how we preserved our tomatoes.
 
Happy gardening. Happy summer!
Posted in adventures in gardening, days of summer, garden journal, my babies, spring garden
Tags: amelia, asher, garden, garden journal, gardening, june, oliver, tomatoes
Do you ever have moments when you want to actually laugh out loud at the sheer awesomeness of this thing we call love?
I do. I have them a lot (cause I’m sappy like that- I’ve warned you). Last night I had one that was short and fleeting, as I teetered on the edge of sleep, but also felt rather profound.
Lying in bed, my body curves gently around the warm, delicious-smelling lump of my baby and I kiss his soft head, breath in his sweetness. I marvel at just how much I can love. My heart feels like it might explode. It was one of those moments, the ones that make the long days of mothering so worth it. And it dawned on me, yet again, the “big picture”.
I was created in His very image.
This is how He loves me.
And I am sure that He has blessed me with these children to remind me so.
This is why we procreate. Co-create.
I whisper a prayer of thanks.
I smile in the dark and drift to sleep.
Ah, peaceful sleep.
Posted in days of summer, motherhood, we are catholic
Tags: amelia, asher, babies, God's love, grateful, kids swimming, love, motherhood, oliver
Here we are (already?!). Five.
Looking ahead towards things like school, team sports, a regular allowance and so many other things that just make me say “Wow!”. My first baby has grown up so much and I love watching him do amazing things write his own name or attempt to read his favorite books. And the discussions we have about what _____ means? Wow. I’m seriously loving this age. He is quite the conversationalist, much like his mama, and it’s nice having a little helper around to get sister a drink of water or help make baby brother smile.
I can’t wait for all of the fun things to come.
Happy Birthday Asher- you will always be my baby guy.
This year was a LEGO Star Wars birthday, per request of the (currently LEGO obsessed) birthday boy. And with help from the Daddy, I dreamed up and constructed a LEGO cake.
A few cake notes…
1. I know that a true LEGO block should have eight pegs (or be square with four pegs), but I couldn’t find a cake pan large enough/didn’t want to spend lots of money on special baking stuff/didn’t have to time to cut and assemble several baked cakes.
2. Fondant is pretty tough to work with (especially with a six week old wrapped on your chest). This is where the Daddy came in and I think that he did a pretty great job with the time and supplies he was handed.
3. Kids don’t really care about how perfectly the fondant lays anyways. Asher was super excited about his LEGO cake and he helped put the guys on top. The cake still looked awesome and tasted great.
The cupcakes were pretty cute too…
Thank you to all who helped us celebrate this past weekend!
Life feels transitional lately.
It reminds me of the fleeting moments spent in an elevator. You simply stand and wait, watching the numbers rise with anticipation. Perhaps there is classical music playing softly in the background. The time spent there is short and relaxing.
We are still adjusting to life with a new family member and that means lots of blissful, quiet moments spent nursing, rocking, holding and kissing my new angel. There has also been more reading, some knitting and most importantly sewing those buttons onto the things I have already finished! It also means our house it pretty messy, even with all of daddy’s upped efforts to handle things at work and at home. It’s a phase I know will pass, which is why I am enjoying every moment of it that I can. At his two week checkup, little Ollie was already up to 8 lbs! It’s going way too fast…
It’s so fun to see him finally in the hand knits I spent time making while he was still growing inside
Oliver sure has some proud big siblings, they never stop asking to hold and kiss him
The weather can’t seem to make up it’s mind- is it winter or spring?
We can’t really tell these days, so we just eat popsicles outside in sweaters.
There is way more green grass than usual for February and lots of things blooming that are surprisingly early. To be honest, I don’t like it. Lent just started and it feels more fitting for the green and blooms to wait until Easter. It just doesn’t feel right. And I mean, if I’m being really honest, I kinda can’t wait for summer. Not the miserable 100 + degree days, but the early days that bring bare feet (that don’t have cold toes), ripe tomatoes and days spent out back in the pool.
And we are in the middle of another pretty big transition right now- leaving the Army.
It is officially official.
We will be finished come May.
It’s a bittersweet transition for us all, most especially daddy. He is a soldier and for almost 10 years (including his cadet days) he has been doing this gig. But we know this will be good for us all and we are excited about what the future holds.
In the meantime, we are just enjoying the ride up
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On a side note, how is everyone’s Lent going so far?
Ours is going well so far. Our Lenten wreath is out (a crown of thorns laying in a bowl of sand with a large candle in the middle), I’ve been reading this book, and following along each day with my Magnificat Lenten 2012 app for iphone (along with some of my more personal goals). We were also inspired by this article (and are hoping for some dim and quiet Wednesday evenings this Lent). I was also hoping to add this book to our shelves for Lent this year, but I was too late ordering- looks like we will have to wait until next year! Our CHC “A Year with God” book is always filled with good stuff for each liturgical season.
Anyone else out there have a tradition or favorite resource to share?
Peace and blessings my friends!
Posted in adventures in crafting, adventures of an army family, days of winter, knitting, my babies, news, we are catholic
Tags: amelia, asher, baby cardigan, knitting, leaving active duty, life changes, newborn, oliver, transitions
Hello there little blog.
Sorry I disappeared on you again. I know I don’t have to explain to you anymore, this is just how life goes at times.
The last time I wrote, just a few weeks ago, I was looking at life through a different lens. We had different plans.
But that is where life in the Army can keep you on your toes.
While I was sitting here planning a fall garden, school lessons and projects and dreaming about the baby I will hold in my arms on a blustery February day to come (all here in Texas), the Army was planning our move to Weisbaden, Germany.
Details are still in the works, but it is looking like our move will be this spring!
So now, a bit shocked that it’s really happening (because over the past six years in the Army we have had many occasions that we thought it may, just to end up back at Fort Hood) and equally excited at this new adventure for our family, we view this fall through a new perspective. The last fall garden at this home. The last Advent season spent with extended family before we live half a world a way. Welcoming a new baby and moving overseas in the same month?
These new plans bring an equal share of excitement and anxiety, so we do the only thing we know will get us through- pray.
Pray and plan. It will all work out.
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So despite the big changes, we have still been doing a lot of our same living around here. Digging around in dirt. Dreaming about fall produce in our own back yard. Enjoying the family time our weekends bring. Life has been quiet, busy and good lately. And it has brought a few things that are out of our ordinary along as well- like fresh school books for Asher to begin working through (our journey in homeschooling officially begins!) and an impromptu trip to Oak Harbor, Washington to visit my sister! Our plane actually leaves at 5pm tonight and we will be there for a week. Maybe I should get off the computer and start packing huh?
Not without a few photos of our days first. I will admit, I’ve been doing a lot of scrubbing, organizing and cleaning around here lately. Not to mention digging in dirt and pushing seeds out back lately- so my camera hasn’t been by my side quite as much. But the few moments I have captured of our days lately are like treasures in my heart. I am loving this season of life right now. We are still riding out the extreme heat and drought, but the morning sickness is gone and baby kicks have begun. We are in the great balancing act of enjoying now, while dreaming of days to come. Soon these days filled with sun and the good work of preparing rich beds of dirt, of long work days for Dad and nightly scrubs to wash the sweat and dirt of the day away. These days will be traded for days when the air is cool and crisp outside, and maybe Daddy will finally be able to wrap up this rigorous season of his professional life, when we will celebrate the days of Advent and we will eat fresh veggies out of the garden once again.
All these days bring joy when we are of the mind to find it.
summer okra, eggplant and a baby bump
gold for the garden
new homes for the friends who cheer us all the way through winter
dried calendula flowers collected all summer, drying okra pods and an early tiny pumpkin
weekend cuddles and naps
my little helper, growing up so quickly
my girl, always a beautiful mess that needs scrubbed clean by days end
We will be back next week with tons of stories and photos from our time spend in Washington.
Until then friends, peace and blessings to you!
Posted in adventures of an army family, days of summer, news
Tags: amelia, army moves, asher, calendula flowers, daddy, daddy cuddles, dried calendula, fall garden plans, garden picks, germany, pumpkins
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by mamabrit
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