Asher had a fun birthday! We got to celebrate with the Swan side on the Thursday before his birthday. He got a really cool block train and block puzzle from his Grandma and Grandpa Swan that he plays with all the time now-he loves anything he can stack and knock over. We celebrated again on Sunday with the Morris side. He got some more presents-mostly summer clothes (at the request of his mother), but he also got the original complete tales of Winnie-the-Pooh from his great grandma (Grammy), he loves reading it and looking at all the cute illustrations. My grandma was a librarian and always encouraged us to read and always read to us when we were little, so I think its a nice little legacy for Asher to have a classic book from her to remember her by. I'm only sad that he ripped it open when she wasn't watching so she couldn't see him be all excited.
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| You can see the blocks and train there amidst the other wrappings |
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| No more presents? |
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| He blew the candles out all by himself in 3 huffs |

From his mom and dad he got his first 'bicycle'. He was pretty ecstatic. Its a little scooter type bike and he does pretty well, though he insists on sitting really close to the handle bars. I think he'll get the hang of it more once we can take it outside. For the time being though he is really happy to just ring the bell, turn it upside down and spin the wheels and to see how many of his magnetos he can stick to the handlebars.
He is getting so good with his talking lately. Most mornings he'll come in and lay by me as I muster the energy to get out of bed and he'll just jabber away. I've recently started to understand him enough to realize that he's telling me about his dreams or things he wants to do that day. Its really cute and so amazing to see him developing so well. He's getting longer sentences each day and the words are getting clearer. I love being able to understand him and know what he wants and what he thinks about things; its eye opening, heartwarming and really adorable:) He's such a funny, cute, smart little guy and we're so glad to have him!
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| Asher loves climbing on Dad |
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| He also loves his blankie |
(Sidenote)-So we officially have a 2 year old at our house. I've always
heard about the terrible 2's, but now I keep hearing things like, 'wait
until 3 its so much worse', or 'just wait until he's 4', and 'don't get
me started on teenagers' etc. I know children come with challenges, but I
think that rather than looking towards the coming years as a perpetual
struggle toward the next doomsday age group, I'd prefer to look at them
as a perpetual progression for Asher and Kelly and I as his parents.
Asher is going to keep growing and learning and developing; and with his
help, hopefully Kelly and I will too. He'll teach us a lot, and while a
major lesson is and will continue to be patience (during tantrums,
potty training, sibling rivalry, boundary pushing, etc.) I hope to keep
in mind that its a life lesson, not a never ending trial. At the end of a
day when he's had a lot of tantrums, didn't get a nap, didn't eat,
wouldn't listen to me, whatever, I don't ever think to myself, man, he's
just a terrible 2 kid. Every night I'm overwhelmed by how much I love
him and how blessed I feel to have him in my life and to be his Mom. ~Though he is super busy and stressed out, I know if Kelly had even an ounce of time or energy to add his thoughts, he'd say he feels the same.
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| On a mission... |
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| To help Dad clean the bike |
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| No shirt required |