Home Again - Jiggity Jig!

We are back from a whirlwind 11 days of travel.

San Diego, CA

Atlanta, GA

Montgomery, AL

Panama City, FL

and home, all together, under one roof!

So much to catch up on. Here goes a lack luster attempt...

The external hard drive arrived while I was in San Diego.

Im freaked out of my mind to empty the trash can on this computer...even though all the files are all secure on the external drive. FREAKED OUT I tell you.

But I MUST do it if I ever want to blog with edited photos and videos again.

Asher has had an explosion of words in the past week. He also got to experience time out for the first time on Sunday and he received it very well. Faced corner and stayed there.

He spent 6 days with all of his cousins and taught them all kinds of new things like "Oh yeah!"

one of his favorite things to say. I am sure he also learned plenty as well. I noticed that he is very outgoing and doesnt realize that other kids have boundaries. If they say No, he inches closer. Ha. I pray this is only temporary as I would much prefer not to have a bully for a child. I think he gets a kick out of this as he keeps going back for more. He isnt phased by much... kids taking his toys or being hit etc..

He went swimming, played, went to bed way past his bed time, took 4 hour naps regularly and hugged, kissed and talked to anyone that would give him attention.

Who wouldnt with this face!?

We learned he does not like sand. Or at least sinking his feet into soft sand. hard packed sand he is OK with, but doesnt love it. Lovely since we are beach people.

We are going to need to work on that one. I think he might have minor sensory issues when it comes to his feet...Headed back to the beach over labor day so hoping we can break him in. Maybe a sandbox will help??

Unfortunately it rained almost the entire time we were at the beach...as you can see here the raindrops on our reunion t-shirts...but we still took a family dinner boat cruise, which he loved!

It is incredible how much they look alike (minus the eyes). We looked at Philip's baby photos and Asher looks nothing like Philip did when he was a baby, but he does look a lot like he looks now. Isnt that weird?

For everything we put him through he did amazing. Adjusted so well. Such a big boy!

He is getting geared up and ready for school.

We are getting geared up.

It will definitely change our daily routine so I am bracing myself.

His lil L.L.Bean back pack is so cute.

I just ordered tags from kiddotags.com for all of his stuff.

Now I am rambling because I am tired and dont know where to begin.

I really missed my big boy on this trip apart...

xoxo

Nay

Bittersweet

Today was bittersweet.

After hours of discussion and anxiety on my part...

Today we told Amanda that we will be sending Asher to Charlotte Jewish Preschool full time starting in August. This was extremely hard for me and when her eyes welled up with tears I cried with her.

We are seizing this wonderful opportunity by taking the leap and giving Asher what he is craving for... Kids that he can interact with all day long... Jewish Learning.

He is a social butterfly.

When he is around others he flourishes and grows.

He quickly picks up on his surroundings and embraces them.

Philip and I both attended Jewish Day School at a very young age and we could not be more thrilled that Asher will have the opportunity to do the same.

He already loves Challah, Shabbat and to top it off, just tonight as we were putting him to bed...

for the very first time began to repeat the words of the Sh'ma with us after us singing them to him the past two years every night before bed.

How ironic that they day we took the big leap and told Amanda he will be going to CJP he began repeating the words of the Sh'ma to us?!?

(Observant Jews consider the Shema to be the most important part of the prayer service in Judaism, and its twice-daily recitation as a mitzvah (religious commandment). It is traditional for Jews to say the Shema as their last words, and for parents to teach their children to say it before they go to sleep at night.)

We will miss Amanda terribly come August.

She has been a huge part of our family for the past year and a half and a wonderful caregiver to our sweet boy Asher, loving him like she would love her own.

There is no doubt that she has loved him with every bone in her body. We will savor the next month with her and praise her for all of the love she has shared with our family.

We hope that she will continue to babysit for Asher so that they can always rekindle their bond throughout the years.

Daddy's Day

We started off the day earlier. Daddy wanted to go to the JCC to play basketball so we hung around the house while he played his little heart out. He also stopped and got his favorite Sunday morning treat, Starbucks Iced Coffee. We were going to head to the pool when he got home, but forgot it didnt open till noon which made for a very sad Asher. He wanted to go "wimmin" NOW and so did daddy.

We decided to play outside with bubbles! Thank goodness for a child that is easily diverted! Asher was giggling away as he chased after the bubbles daddy was blowing.

Unfortunately the clouds started coming in and the sky was getting dark so we had to cancel our pool plans...

Confession...my child took a sip of our Starbucks.

He survived. He made the funniest face when he realized what it was.

He still took a nap. It was ONLY a sip

Instead of the pool we did some more playing in Asher's new Radio Flyer Wagon he got for his birthday. He loves it and is content being dragged anywhere in it.

and he took Bella on a walk....

Aren't my boys so cute????

After the walk Asher took a monster 3 1/2 hour nap (which isnt unusual). When he woke up we headed over to Softa's house for dinner with all of our parents. Ribs, Sweet Potato Fries, Salad and Corn on the Cob. Chocolate Chip Banana Bread and Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwichs for dessert.

I am not sure if it is good or bad that my child follows directions so well...

The Daddy's opened presents...well Asher really thought they were for him since he just had his birthday!

He got in some loving with his Nana

And tried on his Poppy's Father's Day Garden gloves..

Happy Father's Day to all of the Daddy's!

We are so blessed to be able to be together on this special day celebrating you!

Swimming Knee Deep in Summer

I am so bogged down by our schedule and the ongoings of June, July and August that the blog is taking a serious back seat. I so badly want to blog about our Europe trip and have tried several times however our computer "is low on disk space". Yeah not so sure what that means other than I am price shopping an external hard drive (and taking recommendations) and taking mrs macbook pro to the doctor over the holiday weekend for a health check.

I just returned from a Charleston bachelorette weekend and Philip is heading out for a business trip for 4 days, then I am headed to the west coast for A FULL WEEK (7 days) for our User Conference which will be amazing yet unbelieveably intense. 15,000 of our customers all in one place at one time. OH MI. During this time Asher heads to Alabama and Panama City with Softa and Papu. We then round that week out with a big family reunion in Panama City. OMG. Breathe.....

I dont even want to think about August and September at this point...

(Asher enjoying lunch at Pike's with Softa... more like eating straight ketchup!)

When we catch a free moment we are at the pool. Asher is a fearless fish and we love everything about being outside, in the pool or soaking up the sun.

Asher 2 year check up...

Asher just had his 2 year old well check visit where he weighed in at a whopping 32 lbs (95th %tile), 35.5 inches (75th %tile) and 19.5 inches for his dome at (75th %tile). He is proportionately large! We will be transitioning off of Organic Whole Milk to 2% or 1% (not as a result of his large size, but to assure he is a healthy child). We have noticed some significant balance issues which probably result from his Benign Paraoxysmal Torticolis/Vertigo and have reconnected with Mecklenburg County Services for a PT evaluation. That happens next Tuesday.

Dr. Matt said Asher got an A++ at his check up. Asher was so chatty with him and talked up a storm showing off his large vocabulary. He also showed off his new found love for affection by constantly trying to hug or kiss him. He cooperated and let Dr. Matt do everything he wanted during his exam. PLUS, he didnt even cry when he got his Hep A shot or Finger Prick for anemia. Talk about a big boy!!!!! Of course he didnt go without being mischievous, but that comes with the 2 year old boy territory.

So there. This was supposed to be a quick "I am overwhelmed and behind", but I ended up just rambling about what's new. d.

That's what happens when you arent stressing about uploading photos that are large files and take forever. Oh Happy Days. I heart cell phone photos and videos.

Night. Night.

Tunnels & Towers

Asher requests to build Tunnels and Towers ALL DAY LONG.

He is very passionate about his building and loves his mega blocks.

Because he is so independent we often find him building structures and driving the cars, trucks and trains under the tunnels.

One day I came home from work to this tower masterpiece...as tall as our fireplace!

The Jungle Safari Party

Asher's 2 year old birthday was an absolute blast to plan, create, craft and carry out!

He loves animals (animo) of all kinds. It was only appropriate to have an animal themed party.

I began crafting and planning two months before the party since we were scheduled to travel out of the country for two weeks prior to his 2nd birthday. Being the planner I am this stressed me out to no end so I made sure to have it all together before we left (more on that later).

I began by crafting this hat from scratch. Not one piece of this hat was pre-made. I saw a similar hat on etsy that cost $50 and thought NO WAY! It was definitely a learning experience and more work than I had intended but he loved it and it has a velcro connection in back so he can wear it again.

I also saw some really cute birthday shirts and pants on etsy and decided to make our own.

I love the way the shirt came out and learned how to do appliques much better!

I am so not a fan of these shorts but I decided on them on one of my "I am a perfectionist and over do it ever time moments"

Note: Asher did NOT like the way the applique felt. I had to put a onesie on under it so that he would wear it...which resulted in a super hot child.

Most of the supplies were purchased from Oriental Trading Company (including this chalkboard sign) which I will reuse in his big boy room!

Safari hats and homemade nut free trail mix for all of the kids. They were topped with little jungle safari ducks courtesy of Oriental Trading company!

I also designed the cute little logo in photo shop

(Thanks for Getting Wild at Asher's 2nd Birthday Party)

and purchased the chinese boxes on Oriental Trading company.

The dessert table

Delicious Jungle Juice (even Asher had some and he hates juice!)

Pineapple Juice, Froze Orange Juice, Lemon Juice, Sugar, Water

Voila!

My infamous Pops.

This year I did Lion Pops.

These happen to be oreo balls under the orange coating.

Coconut for the hair, dyed to the appropriate color

Two different types of pops.

The first batch I used sugar eyes and they looked crazy so I decided to make more since I am a nut like that... I will reuse the baskets and crates in his big boy room as well.

Safari Birthday Cupcakes

Thanks to Naomi and Jen!

She made them from scratch and the chocolate ganache icing was to die for!

Monkey pudding (aka banana pudding)

Zebra Cakes (thanks to pre-made little debbies!)

and the feast of food begins...all of Asher's favorite things,

Gorilla Grape Salad in the middle...(he LOVES all fruit)

Traditional asian cole slaw...."Snake Slaw"

OCD mommie details

Bought these cute giraffe's for a dollar at michaels and painted them to be used in Asher's big boy bedroom at a later point.

Hyenna Hot Dogs!

Cheetah Cheeseburgers (which we made WAY too many) and have been eating for what feels like forever. Good thing Asher loves beef.

We hired the ladies at twisted entertainment to come and make balloon art and paint faces.

This was beyond what we had expected. They were extremely talented and the kids loved it!

I was shocked he actually sat still for as long as he did. He was so serious!

I am TWO !!!!!!!

He is a professional candle blower. He knew instantly what to do once I got them all lit.

I actually think he started before I got the last candle lit!

and blew every single one out!

Enough of the photos... where are the sweets!

Best PARTY EVER!

A sample of what Twisted Entertainment did.

Luigi!

Penguin

Exhausted after the party!

Thanks to everyone who made it and for everyone who sent cards!

We all had a blast.

Happy 2nd Birthday to our Sweet Big Boy Asher!

In the future we will not go on a 2 week vacation that returns 5 days before we throw a party :)

TWO!

Yesterday I turned TWO!!!

I love being two and talk all about it.

When you ask me how old I am I say TWO and show you all five fingers :)

Happy Day Day (in asher speak) to me!

Tomorrow is my birthday party and I can't wait to see what my mommy has put together for this party. From what I can see it is going to be even better than last year!

I can't wait to see all my friends and family at my party!

Ciao!

2nd Safari Party

It is quickly approaching...

(handmade bday shirt!)

I did lots of crafting and sewing for this birthday.

Can't wait to share more!

Arti-chokes

Asher picked up on "how to eat and arti-choke" very quickly.

He loves to dip everything and anything in everything and anything.

He even dips apples in ketchup. Ga-rrrrosssss!

In this very long video he is talking up a storm, being dramatic and dipping the artichokes in melted butter. Yum. He calls them "chokes".

At the end of the video you will notice he starts stuffing his face. He loves "rice" and after eating over a cup of it with a spoon he resorted to stuffing his face. Lovely. It's actually Israeli couscous, but that day he called it rice even though he can say and knows its couscous. He is a mess. All boy. He is very animated, dramatic and full of wonderful face expressions. Enjoy!