The Holiday Tree...2014

My Christmas tree is white and I love it!  I got it as a present from my mom the first Christmas that Jeremy and I were married...that makes it six years old.  During Christmas, I decorate it using classic red and green.  I add extra white lights because I love the glow of white lights. 

I am always anxious to set up my tree and then sad to take it down.  Which brings me to the point of this post...I am going to keep my tree up all year and decorate it according to the season.

Currently I am working on making a Valentine's Day tree and my mind is already thinking ahead to St. Patrick's Day!  I know it seems crazy but I am pretty excited about it.  I am scouring Pinterest for ideas and DIY on the cheap. 

When I get the Valentine's Day tree finished I will post again with pictures. 

Blair

Let's Try This Again...

It has been almost two years since I have blogged and I kind of miss it.  I was never really consistent but I like to look back and see what we have done and how we have grown! 

A lot has happened in the past two years.  In a week Jeremy and I will celebrate our 7th anniversary.  Asher is now 4 and Piper is 2.  We started a church in January 2012 and moved the following May. 

The kids are growing so fast and it is hard to remember sometimes what has happened.  I hope to make this space a place for memories so my brain can be freed up to remember things like if we have enough milk!

Blair

Asher Turns 2

 *this post is a bit wordy...enjoy

Asher turned 2 years old on November 24.  His birthday fell on Thanksgiving day this year and what a blessing it is to be able to give thanks for him. 

Since Piper was born, he has grown up so much. Instantly he became bigger because Piper was so small. His vocabulary has increased and most of the time he is obedient...except for the occasional toddler meltdown.  How I love the toddler meltdown!! 

He gave up his paci right after his birthday.  I say gave up but what I really mean is that we lost it and he had to give it up. He did great.  I don't remember him fussing at bedtime. 

He loves his sister and lately has been trying to help entertain her with rattles and the music box he loved so much as a baby.  It melts my heart every night that he gives her a kiss goodnight. 

 He is really into Toy Story...this is his Buzz Lightyear!  He will start running around the house and holler "To Infinity and Beyond."  It took me awhile to figure out what he was saying but once I figured it out I was amazed.  I am still amazed at how much he picks up during a movie.  He is just like a sponge.  For Christmas this year we got him Buzz Lightyear action figure (don't call it a doll) and it has been a hit.  He loves it.  I think he played with it for two days straight before he realized he received more toys. 

He has become quite the helper.  Anytime I start something in the kitchen he goes to get his stool and wants to help. He has helped make waffles, red velvet cake and dinner multiple times. When he is done eating, he will bring his plate to the sink and wants to rinse it and then wash his hands.  He enjoys unloading the dishwasher and putting clothes on to wash.  I sometimes get frustrated because it takes me longer to do my chores when he helps but then I just remind myself that he is watching what we do and wants to be big!

Asher has become very independent.  Other than helping me with chores, he has been known to have some independent play time during the day.  When I rock Piper for her naps I tell him what I am doing and that he needs to stay in the living room or his room.  Most of the time he will get caught up playing with cars in his room that when I get done with Piper he doesn't notice. I think it is so sweet that his imagination is growing. He wants/tries to do everything by himself!!  I don't know how but he can completely work the DVD player.  I have heard this said of most toddlers but I still think it pretty amazing.

One of my favorite things about Asher right now is this...He will run through the house yelling MA! MA! and when he finds me, he stops, wraps his arms around my legs, looks into my eyes and says, "Hi Mom"  and runs back to wherever he was playing.  It cracks me up everytime.

 

After almost nine months, Piper has finally arrived!  What a great day it was! 

Piper was born at 4:46 pm and weighed 6 lbs 10 oz...a whole 2 lbs less than Asher!

This is the first time I got a close look at my baby girl!

She looks just like Asher when he was born.

Proof that she was really 6 lb 10 oz. 

The first time Asher wanted to hold Piper.  It took him a couple of days but he has warmed up to her!

Guess What...

Asher is going to be a big brother and we are having a GIRL!!

This is the absolute best picture that I have so please forgive the terrible photography. Also, this picture is from April and Asher looks so little. He changes so quickly!

Anyway...Jeremy and I are excited. I am about 21 weeks along. We told everyone fairly quickly because it was so hard to keep it a secret but I am just now getting to blog about it!

Asher has no clue what is happening. Although I hope that as I get bigger he will understand that he cannot jump and climb on me like he enjoys doing so much.

We had our ultrasound two weeks ago and Jeremy and I were convinced we were having another boy so imagine the surprise when we were told it is a girl. Jeremy said he almost fell down and my mind immediately went to doing hair! Isn't that crazy! After the shock set in...a couple of days later...we are excited to have a little girl.

We weren't completely set on a name when we went into the appt. but by the time we walked out we had it all figured out. Her name will be Piper Clair Bradshaw. Piper has been on our list for quite some time and we were on the fence about Clair but it just made sense after the appt.

*On a completely different note, I haven't been blogging and just feel terrible about it. There are so many things that Asher is doing that I need to be recording and I fail to do it because I say I don't have time. I will not be using that excuse anymore...I will be blogging more often even it is just a sentence or two so that I can remember what my toddler is doing and what Piper is doing as well.

Springtime Fun

The weather has definitely turned warmer and with a toddler running around our house, Jeremy and I are trying out some new things to keep Asher entertained. Well...we found something...the sprinkler!! Asher loves water so it wasn't a surprise that he enjoys playing in the sprinkler. He will walk up to the water and stick his head in and laughs!! It is so fun to see him playing outside.

However, he is not a happy camper when the water is turned off and he has to go inside!! This is a great way for us to get him good and tired so he will take a good nap!!

Our Days

By the time Friday rolls around, I often wonder to myself...What did I do this week?

And then I remember I have a toddler and remember that I did alot. Some weeks are busier than others and some weeks we don't go anywhere until Dad gets home. So I thought I would post some pictures of the fun things that Asher gets into during the week....Ready...Set...Go!

Asher has learned to climb and climb he does...on EVERYTHING!! This box of blocks is tricky because sometimes it moves and Asher falls but it never lets it get him down! Oh...and he is SO proud of himself when he climbs on anything!

He LOVES to help with the dishes...this was the first time we climbed in the dishwasher...thank goodness it was empty at the time and not full of dirty dishes. Now I can only do dishes when he is asleep or Jeremy is home because he wants to take out all of the dirty dishes. But I am grateful for his helpful attitude.

Sometimes we like to wear crazy outfits!! I put these Spiderman slippers on him and enjoyed walking around in them. I think it is funny because he just has on a onesie and was walking around with my rolling pin.

And apparently we are going to love Mardi Gras in our house. He has quite a collection of beads and likes to put them on and take them off. Sometimes we put them on Foster which is real funny but mostly they can be found around Asher's neck!

Lastly...Asher got a computer!! I know I thought it was a bit crazy to get him a computer also but Jeremy insisted!!

Just Joking...this one of Jeremy's old computers that doesn't do anything.

Asher loves to sit on my lap while I am at the computer and tap on the keys, which becomes a bit annoying. (And the other day he broke one of the shift keys so I only have one that is working which is becoming irritating.)

Anyway...Jeremy pulled this out the other day to keep Asher occupied while he was working and Asher loved it!! I think it is cute how he is sitting and it looks like he is typing. Don't worry...we monitor his content and the amount of time spent on the computer so his eyes don't go bad and hopefully he won't have carpal tunnel by the age of 2...haha!!

He definitely keeps my days busy and interesting! Hopefully the weather will decide what it wants to do and we can have some play time outside soon!

Weekend Fun

This past Saturday, we decided to take a day trip to Kemah. This was Asher's first trip to the Boardwalk and he did wonderfully!! We left around naptime so he would sleep in the car but decided not to sleep!!

Our first stop was lunch at T-Bone Tom's! It was featured on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives so Jeremy had to eat there and it was good. I got a shrimp po-boy that had so much shrimp on it that I couldn't eat it as a sandwich, so I just ate the shrimp. As you can see below, Asher was really excited to eat at a restaraunt featured on TV!!

Our next stop was the actual Boardwalk where we fed the stingrays! Actually Jeremy fed the stingrays and Asher and I just watched. He was pretty intrigued by the stingrays and got pretty close to the tank...close enough to pet one!!

Next we took a family picture at the fountain where Jeremy proposed to me several years ago. This was so fun to go back and have Asher with us!!

And lastly, Asher and I rode the train while Jeremy rode the Boardwalk Bullet...the wooden rollercoaster at the boardwalk. Asher was so exhausted by this point he just set on my lap and almost fell asleep but the train kept him awake. We enjoyed getting away for the day and look forward to many more adventures with Asher!!

Valentine's Dinner

Monday morning I woke up to this lovely box of chocolates greeting me in the kitchen!! It was a total surprise. Jeremy and I don't really do much for Valentine's Day...we think it is for those that are dating...but anyway. He totally knows how to make me happy, but I would have been happy without the chocolate, but happier with the chocolate!! I digress...

Before Asher came into this world, we would have breakfast together on the morning of Valentine's Day but now that we have Asher and Valentine's Day was on a Monday, I decided to make a special dinner for us.

I have always wanted to roast a chicken but was too scared to do it. Silly me!! So that is what I made for our dinner...

Roasted Chicken!!!

I must say, I don't know what I was scared of. It was quite simple and it wasn't a disaster!! I followed a recipe and cooked it in my dutch oven for a couple of hours and it looked beautiful. However...I cooked it with the breast side down so there wasn't much flavor there but the dark meat was juicy and flavorful. I even put some garlic, lemon and celery in the cavity of the chicken like the pros do!!

I am most impressed that I actually made the thing. I now have the confidence to roast a chicken and next time I am going to slather it in butter!!

Also...the chicken cost me less than $5.00 and we still have some in the fridge!! What a bargain!

ABC's and 123's

Today, Asher and I took a quick trip to the Wal-Mart to pick up diapers and milk and came across these...

How fun!! Each set was just $1.00 so I couldn't pass it up. I remember having some as a child and I couldn't wait to get home to put them on the fridge for Asher to play with.

When we got home, he kept taking them off of the fridge and trying to put them back in the package they came in. I guess he is too young for them but I love them anyway.

On a completely different note...

Happy Valentine's Day!!

My sister sent this shirt to Asher for Valentine's Day. Isn't it cute!!

Hope you have a great day!

One of my Favorites

I recently celebrated my 28th birthday. Usually when people celebrate birthdays they celebrate with birthday cake...right? Well, people have been asking me for a couple of years "Who is going to make your birthday cake?" As much as I love cake, I am a bit spoiled to made from scratch baked goods. So instead of eating cake, I choose one of my favorite things of all time...



YES...peanut butter and chocolate ice cream from Baskin Robbins. I have been eating this stuff since before I was born. Seriously, my mom went a lot when she was pregnant with me so it is crucial to my organ function!! Anyway...I think this is the best ice cream ever!!

I mean look at this picture...Chocolate ice cream with a ribbon of peanut butter!! I like to eat all of the chocolate ice cream first, leaving most of the peanut butter behind and then eat the peanut butter. And just so you know...you can never have too much peanut butter!!

My Helper

Recently, Asher has picked up a new habit.

He loves to throw things away!! We can give him trash and ask him to throw it away and he walks to the trash can, lifts up the lid and throws it away!! It is really funny and neat to me that he just picked this habit up from watching us.

Also, he likes to put his dirty clothes in his hamper. Most mornings after we change his clothes, I give him his dirty pjs and he walks to his closet, opens the door and puts his pjs in. Again, I am pretty impressed!!

I am careful to praise him for his good deeds because this is definitely a habit I want him to continue!! Can you imagine a pre-teen or teen boy who puts his clothes where they go?

In other news, it has been cold and Asher has been a little under the weather so we have been staying home and playing. Nothing new and nothing too exciting...

Chewy and Foster...

This is Foster. He is a good snuggle buddy but can be a grump. We still love him.

This is Chewy. He is also a good snuggle buddy and is a lover.

This is what we found when we came home from church on Wednesday night!!

I thought there was some animal that had crawled up into the chair that our two precious pups wanted a piece of, but after pulling the chair away from the wall, we discovered...

a tiny treat!!

Yes...that is right our dogs tore up this chair we have had since we got married for a snack!!

Have a great weekend!!

Wake Up Call

This morning around 3:20 am Jeremy and I were awakened by Asher crying!! Mind you this is NOT a common thing. Occasionally he may cry out but goes right back to bed. So as he is crying Jeremy asks:

"Do you want me to get him?"

Me: "No."

One minute passes and Jeremy asks again

"Do you want me to get him?"

Me: "No. I am thinking."

After 4 minutes of me thinking and Asher crying I get up to tend to him.

When I pick him up from his bed I can feel he is wet, but as I remove his pajamas I am greeted by...

and EXPLODING diaper!!

I mean it didn't rip apart or anything but you know what was oozing out!!

So after getting Asher cleaned up and Jeremy changing the sheets we were ready to go back to bed. I rocked Asher for awhile to remind him that it was, in fact, still dark outside which means we still need to sleep. When I put him down he cried for a bit but went back to sleep.

But I couldn't go back to sleep. All I could think about was when Asher was a baby and we got up every night for a feeding...I mean how did we do that?

Asher is a great sleeper and I don't think I know how lucky I am. So this morning I am reminded to be thankful for what I have...a healthy little boy!!

50 Years...

Happy Birthday to my MOM!!

Today she is 50!!

Hamburgers...From Scratch

The last couple of christmas' Jeremy has asked for food gadgets. Last year he received a restaurant quality meat slicer. We didn't use it much last year but I plan to use it a lot this year. This years food gadget was a meat grinder attachment!!

My mom bought him the meat grinder for christmas and decided to include the sausage stuffer as well!! OH...and did I mention these attach to MY kitchen aide mixer!!

So, last monday he couldn't wait any longer. He HAD to grind some meat!! He was so excited he became giddy about it. So off he went to the store and came home with some cut of meat and a package of lamb. I on the other hand was not thrilled at all!!

After he cut the meat into smaller pieces he got to grinding. It was kind of neat to watch the meat being extruded.

Here is the final product. Once you grind the meat, the instructions recommend you grind it a second time so Jeremy did just that. After a bit of seasoning, this meat was made into hamburger patties. I didn't even think to take pictures of the cooked meat. Maybe next time.

Happy Meat Grinding!!

Christmas 2010

So, obviously Christmas has come and gone but I feel I need to blog about it so I have something to look back on. We had a great Christmas...but it always goes by so quickly!!

We spent Christmas Eve day in Houston celebrating with Jeremy's family. A good time was had by all. We were very thankful that we invested in a minivan because it was FULL at the end of the day.

Christmas morning was so much fun this year since Asher is old enough to help open his presents. He helped all of us open presents and loved making a big mess. He got a couple of gifts from Jeremy and I, one of which is this Texans hat. It is toddler size and fits his large head very well.

After presents we had breakfast. Growing up we always had our family over for breakfast on Christmas morning, but as my parents have moved away and we have all gotten older this tradition no longer exists. But I wanted to start something for my family and I thought cinnamon rolls sounded yummy!! So Christmas eve night I made them and baked them off on Christmas morning. They looked amazing and they tasted amazing!!

You can resist this face!! Of course he got a cinnamon roll but only half because they were so sweet!!

For lunch we went down to have lunch with family and play silly games. Then on Sunday, we left to head to the hill country for some time with my family. Asher and the dogs did well on the journey both to and fro.

We definitely enjoyed our time with family and the holidays but we were glad to get back to our regular schedule.

PS...you know you are with grandparents when you let your child do something like this!!

Asher Turns One

On November 24, 2010 Asher turned ONE!!

His birthday fell on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving so we celebrated as a family of 3. We took him to Dairy Queen for his first taste of ice cream!! I am pretty sure he enjoyed it and I tried to make sure he didn't get a brain freeze.

We had his party the Saturday after Thanksgiving and it was western theme. He makes such a cute cowboy! All of our family came in, most from out of town, and lavished him with gifts. Because the party was western, I made cowbow stew and cornbread for lunch.

The day I made Asher's cake was one of my highlights of 2010. I make cookies and cake for many people, but I was so excited to be making MY SON'S birthday cake. There were some weepy moments because it was his first birthday but mostly I was so happy to be doing it. The bottom was an italian cream cake and the horseshoe was chocolate both iced in cream cheese icing. Jeremy made the little cowboy hat and rope out of fondant!!

And the shining star...Asher's smash cake!! His cake was a plain white cake with cream cheese icing. Can you tell that I love cream cheese icing?

We had a great day celebrating this huge milestone!! I still can't believe he is ONE!! Everyday just gets better and better!!

Time Flies

Time flies when you have a baby!!



This sunday last year, Jeremy and I walked into the hospital to have a baby!!



Little did I know what this year would hold or how our lives would change, but looking back now I can't imagine our life without Asher.

I hope I remember the feelings I had on Sunday, November 22, 2009 forever.

I remember being SCARED (this is no shock to anyone because I am frequently scared).


I remember not being ready to have a baby...I would have let him stay in for as long as he wanted.


I remember that I wore my nice maternity dress to the hospital with my worn-out flip-flops.


I remember walking in with Jeremy, who would more than ever, prove to be my strength through labor and ultimately a c-section.


I am excited to see the next year come and to watch Asher grow!!

2 Weeks Until...

Asher turns a year old!!

This morning I took him to get his pictures made and he is quite the handful. The first time I had his pictures taken professionally he was 2 weeks old and didn't do anything!! At his 6 month pictures he was sitting and smiled so easily and now at 2 weeks shy of turning 1 he was serious and everywhere except in front of the camera!! That said, Mrs. Debbie does such a wonderful job and is patient with her clients.

Yesterday I made a small cake for him to dig into in his pictures and up until now he has not been exposed to any sweets (to my knowledge). So I was a little worried that he wouldn't want to touch it or he wouldn't like it, BUT he LOVED it. He was grabbing for it before I could set him down. As he proceeded to dig through it and eat a little bit I had mixed emotions about him eating the cake.

The pastry chef in me was excited that he loved it because I want my family to love what I love...and I love to bake.

The mother in me was screaming "NO!!!...STOP EATING!!! After a year of following rules and slowly introducing healthy choices and getting you to eat carrots and peas, I am ruining your pure tastebuds!!"

BUT...I think Mrs. Debbie got some good pictures of him eating the cake so maybe once the pictures come in they will be so cute that I won't even remember the debate that went on in my head!!