God's sense of humor.

Yes, I do believe God has a sense of humor. A good one, too.  After all, he invented the idea.

It had been a rough week.  Brandon had lost a dear friend-the father of his best friend.  Elmer passed away too soon for anyone’s liking. 

Steve asked Brandon to sing at Elmer’s Memorial Service, which he felt honored to do.  He was at home practicing the two requested songs the day of the service. 

On another note, Asher seems to love music.  Doesn’t seem to matter what it is.  Like many small kids, he hears it and starts to move.  Nothing hinders him- he hasn’t learned that anything should.  He hears daddy singing and he just starts moving.  He also adds his own version of baby talk lyrics.  The song is Amazing Grace.  He does the same with I Will Rise (both Chris Tomlin versions).  I just lose it- it’s all so hilarious and adorable at the same time.  Maybe it was because the day was expected to be somber, but it just struck me as so funny.  It didn’t matter that they were reflective songs about death and Jesus’s sacrifice, and then waiting for us when it was our time to go.  Our kid was just jamming out, unashamed.  And I think that’s just how God wanted it.  Jamming out in appreciation for all He has done for us.  Come to think of it, I think that’s just how Elmer would have wanted it, too.

Safe cleaners

So I’ve been on this kick to find safer house cleaners.  With Asher now getting in to everything, this has rapidly become super important to me.  (And yes, we do have latches on the cabinets.)

I’ve always been a fan of white vinegar and read some uses for hydrogen peroxide as a cleaner as well, so added that to my repertoire.  My sister-in-law turned me on to Better Life products, which are all natural.  So far I really like them.  They seem to have a sense of humor- which I totally appreciate.  The bottle says something to the effect that while you can drink the products, they recommend you don’t.  I’ve tried the Oak-y Dokey (I am addicted to the lavender smell).

I also got the What-EVER! all-purpose cleaner. It’s a sage and citrus scent- which is also super yummy smelling.  It says it’s good on grease and grime, so my big test was my stove.  I have a gas stove.  I love the concept and I’m getting better at cooking on it, but it gets so messy!! It’s probably no different than a flat top stove, except that I feel this one is a major project to clean.  How did it do?  It did ok- not “oh my gosh” great.  Pretty much the same results as when I clean it with vinegar or peroxide.  I think I have pretty high standards though, as I’m hoping for a miracle to get some of the junk off that seems to have taken up permanent residence.  Overall, I’m still very happy with the What-EVER! cleaner, and I’m looking to buy more of their products.

My unresolved issue is glass cleaner.  I'm a huge fan of Windex, but all-natural it is not.  I just can't stand streaks on mirrors or glass.  I haven't tried the Better Life glass cleaner yet, so that is probably my next option.

If anyone else has recommendations of all natural cleaning products, I’d love to hear about them.

We have a walker!

At the end of July 2014, Asher went from taking a couple of steps, to taking laps around each room of the house.  This kids LOVES TO WALK! 

Here he is about a month ago scaling the cabinets, followed by his first real walking video a few days later!

 By August 1^st he was on fire, heading from one room to another.  If he fell, he would crawl to a stable object with which to pull himself up, and then on he went.  He is so adorable and it’s so fun seeing our little dude strutting his stuff!  He sure enjoys his new found freedom.

Summer Fun in CA

While we often head to California to see family, this year’s summer vacation was for a very specific reason- cousin Lauren’s wedding!! 

We took the first part of the trip to have some fun.  Our first stop was Santa Barbara.  Can I just say how much I love it there!  I am not one to say that I could or would want to live that many other places, but Santa Barbara is on that very short list.  B and I dream of retiring there.  Probably just a pipe dream, but it’s fun to imagine anyway. 

We enjoyed a couple of different beaches.  This was a huge deal for our little family as Asher saw the ocean for the first time!  He really did love being on the beach and having the ocean breeze in his hair.  

We also took some time for Jen and I to relive some childhood memories.  To do so we went to Solvang and Buellton.  Not your top California destinations?  Really??

So Solvang is this super cute Dutch town.  We have a Dutch heritage, so it only seems fitting.  Now this place has really grown from how we remember it!  Still super cute though.

Right by Solvang is Buellton.  I’m not sure what this place is really known for, but Jen and I associate it with one place- Pea Soup Andersen’s!!  Not the best overall food I’ve ever had (yet the pea soup does not disappoint) but there’s just something about the whole aura of the place.  So if you go to Andersen's, you must have your picture taken in the sign.  Jen and I had one taken about 20 years ago, and had an updated version taken this trip.  So fun!

The drive into this whole area is something to behold.  It reminds me of the European countryside, or maybe wine country.  It’s so beautiful- I couldn’t get enough!!  You'll have to see/experience it for yourselves- I didn't take any pictures.  They wouldn't do it justice anyway. :-)

Here are some miscellaneous fun time pics and videos.

Yep, the boys are actually feeding each other.  Precious!

Lauren’s wedding was just beautiful and so much fun!  Yet for me, the kids stole my heart and attention that night.  I got to spend some quality time with my special guy.

This picture was taken by one of the bridesmaids while watching the photographer get some quick shots in.  So far, it's my absolute favorite!!

Table Project

Warning- I am not a professional. Lol! So now that that's cleared up, I found the cutest table and chair set at Goodwill for $8. I had a vision of having a set for Ash and cousins/friends to use in the playroom.

I was in the Goodwill car unloading line and watched the guy in front of me take it out of his SUV. When I pulled up I asked the employee about it and he said he would price it now and meet me in the store. He did clarify that he wasn't allowed to sell it to me from the back loading area. So I'm guessing this kind of shady request is proposed to him often?? Haha- never thought I'd be a Goodwill backroom stalker.  

All I had to do was paint it and it would be good to go. (It was in pretty rough shape when you looked up close.)  Yet sometimes I "sit" on things- so to speak, only a small pun intended- when I don't exactly know what I'm doing. I love creative projects, yet feel my brain is FRIED post-baby. Anyone?? Yet I can do basic things and copy ideas like the best of them.

Spray paint- I'm totally new to spray paint. I asked a couple of friends for tips. I sanded it down- I did know that much- got my tarp and paint space ready, and hoped for the best.

Final result- I love using spray paint! And I think the chairs turned out great!! B brush-painted the table (thx for the help babe) yet we realized next time for the ease and consistency, we'd just spray it all. (I was using up paint we had.)

One small project down, hopefully more to come!

The Great Milk Transition!!

The great milk transition, as I’ve fondly named it, has been a bumpy road.  The part I thought would be the hardest- having Asher change from formula to whole milk- has been a cinch.  It took one day of mixing half formula with milk and he was sold.  From then on it’s been straight milk for my boy.  The rough (and ongoing) part has been switching from a bottle to a sippie cup.  This has still yet to happen in full.  A day or so after moving to milk, I moved him to just 3 bottles a day.  This made sense to me as the doc said he shouldn’t have more than 3 cups a day.  It’s probably crazy, but Ash was a kid who continued to thrive on having a bottle about every 2 hours- even once food was introduced and he enjoyed eating.  Brandon and I quickly learned that it’s the bottle (not formula or milk) that he is deeply attached to.  We can literally show him milk from his bottle poured into his sippie cup and he rejects the sippie.  The bottle has to be his comfort item.  He’s never been one to attach to a binkie or blanket.  So, on we went for days with 3 bottles a day.  After about 2 weeks I decided to ditch the mid-day bottle.  He likes drinking water from his sippie, so I figured that he would still get enough liquid, even if refusing milk from a sippie.  Although I still try giving him milk in there.  His morning and nighttime bottle- forget about it.  (Make sure to say that with an East Coast accent.)  The kid goes into a sort of panic mode when we’ve tried to push it off.  Even if he sees the bottle in the morning or at night (meaning that we will be giving it to him) he still goes into this panic-cry mode.  Like, “I need my bottle now!”  So, for Brandon and my sanity, we’ve left it alone.  All the while knowing that Asher’s pediatrician wants no bottle in the picture at 15 months.  I get that she wants him to understand that his nutrition comes from food and not his bottle, but then I look at him and remember he’s just a little guy.  So on with 2 bottles we go.  :-)

Little update- as of July 10 (almost a month to the day after he turned 1 and we started the “switch”) he started drinking more of his milk from a sippie cup! Halleluiah! 

Asher's 1 year old photo shoot

Asher is 1- and with that I thought the event should be commemorated on film.  So my brave and wonderful friend Diane took on this daunting task.  She did an amazing job!  She had a tough subject- Asher was in rare form and did not want to smile.  Still, Diane managed to get some great shots!!

Here are the results.  What a cutie!!

We were at the splash pad, so we decided to take advantage of the fun.  

He started to smile a bit more.