Category: Family

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Haircut!

Long story with not much time, but our nanny decides to cut Asher’s bangs without asking – while he was growing his hair out – which necessitated a hair cut.  So, I’m very big on giving my kids control over what they can have control over…and hair is one of them.  So, Jesse took Asher to the barber yesterday and let him pick his style.  Mohawk it was!  And I think it turned out pretty cute myself.

I also took some ‘after’ shots when we were back home (with a popsicle treat, after a quick beach trip), and I know I’m biased, but here’s a pretty handsome kiddo:


This morning, first thing, he asks: Mama!  Is my Mohawk still here?  Am I still so handsome!

And of course, my reply, yes, baby boy, you are still so, so handsome, with or without the mohawk, because being handsome has more to do with your heart than your hair.  But yes, mohawk is still there, and you look great.

❤️

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National Donut Day

It may seem like a consumer holiday, but ask Asher and he’s a fan!  National donut day was right up there with Christmas for this kid, lover of all things ‘donut’!  

It’s funny, as a parent, the biggest joy comes from watching my kids experience something wholeheartedly that brings them great joy.  I guess you could say Donut day was one of those things!   He even knew the exact donut store he wanted – he’s something of a Donut connoisseur – and you can tell from the pics that it was worthy of finger-licking!  


Please excuse his mouth open eating (I think I automatically say “close your mouth” maybe three thousand times a week), by I couldn’t fail to catch his enthusiasm with a short video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4zzYAIq_T8

Happy National Donut Day, all!

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Memorial Beach Day

We’re not even done with the weekend but I had to post a few videos of the beach day yesterday.  Our kids are having so much more fun at the beach lately, which in turn makes it that much more fun for us too.  Asher finally will play in the waves (ok, ‘in the waves’ is even being generous…he’ll touch his toes in the water at least)…it only took him 4 years to warm up to it (who’s kid is this?!).  But no matter, at least we were diligent 😂.  Here’s yesterday (he decided no pants was the way to go):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V88cxIWwT5Q
What a great view! 😉

The remainder of the weekend was no less fun – BBQ & backyard s’mores with friends, then water park at Lake Casitas to finish it off!


I love summer!  And it’s just the beginning! (More to come soon – this was a start of an old post!)

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Asherisms & Selahisms

Our (sorta sweet) fight this morning:

Mom:  Asher, what do you want to be when you grow up?

Asher:  a knight.

Mom: oh? That seems dangerous.

Asher: but mom, I’d be big and tall.  And I want to protect Selah.  I have lots of tricky karate moves.  

(Who knew knights do karate?!)

Mom:  that’s a sweet brother, bubba.

Selah:  I don’t need protecting.  

(Which proceeded to make Asher angry and pout, and Mommy kinda proud of both of them 😉).

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Nite Moves

There’s a possibility that I can be ambitious on the sign-ups and weak on the execution for some of our family activities…you know, if I’m being honest.  I just picture us having this fun, athletic family who tackles anything.  Which sometimes we totally are; and other times it’s actually a disaster of complaining and prodding and nothing how it was in my head, and we all end up mad and disappointed (but with pictures that likely make my memory of how awful it is fade fairly fast).  Again, just honest.

However, we are signed up as a family for a 5K in a few weeks with my parents, so I have been thinking that we should get out there and try it before it is a mess of complaining and general disaster conditions 😂.  Last week was a good practice opportunity – an event in Santa Barbara that seemed family friendly… and close to home in the event of the world ending (ie. our kids’ likely portrayal of the torture we make them endure called ‘exercise’).  

In addition to family, I also recruited unsuspecting work buddies, friends, and the girls we live with, and promptly handed the kids off to all of them while I jumped into the 1k swim to start off the night, vowing to catch them on the 5k run to follow.  


I have to say, the swim went better than I expected in my dinosaur of a wetsuit – and I loved the boost of proud energy I got from high-fiving Selah as she ran down the hill as I ran up. (The run started while I was racing, so I tried to catch them on the uphill, but she was too fast!).  Asher and Daddy made it to the turn around before I caught them, and Dad reported that he did at least 3/4 of the whole run on his own!  And we all ran through the finish line together – one proud, tired, happy family.  


I haven’t raced in a long time…actually, just about 8 years probably since it was at least a year prior to Selah being born.  I can’t say there’s any one reason I haven’t, but I can tell you that this group exercise program (Jenny Schatzle Program) that I’m doing motivated me to just get out and do it, no matter how messy it looked (in my head or in reality) or what the outcome was.  Exercise is my sanctuary and sanity – and this time I got to enjoy it with my favorites – and be reminded of a time gone by when I enjoyed swimming and running races too. And – bonus – it went so well I’d do it again!  (I can’t say the same for Selah, but Jesse and Asher seem to be game, so she might come around yet!).  

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Working at the Car Wash

In a recent effort to give the kids set “chores”, we’ve found that what works better for us is having “work time” designated in the weekend at some point.  That way we actually get accomplished what seems pressing at the time, and can assign the kids some sort of duty.  It’s a work in progress, I’ll tell you that 😉.

But, the other weekend, I had a pretty good helper in Asher that I took a few pictures I wanted to ‘preserve’ here because he thought it was (1) pretty cool his job was the hose, and (2) he also realized that “making rainbows” was a by product of this cool job…making the drying more of a challenge.  Nevertheless, we had fun…and my car actually ended up clean, even if it took longer than driving to the car wash 😉.

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Our Little Singer

Selah has been saying for weeks that she didn’t want to participate in her piano recital because last time was so scary.  This, of course, made my Mama heart sad that she’s clearly already growing up and growing out of her ‘performing’, for fear of people watching (or how she perceives herself – she kept saying when she watched it back that she doesn’t think she did well).  Jesse and I had done all we could to convince her, basically giving up, until yesterday she apparently told her piano teacher that she was now “in”.  And – the cutest part – she allegedly changed her mind because grandma was missing her “spring sing” next week, but would be able to make her recital!  (Note to Grandma – hope you’ve set aside June 3rd 😉!)

So, in preparation, her piano teacher and her chose a song for her to sing.  Spoiler alert: if anyone is coming to the recital, I will reveal the song and video of her practicing!

She hasn’t been projecting enough, so her teacher asked her friend Madeline to sit and watch, hoping Selah would be louder.  She’s getting there – it’s really sweet to watch the progress – and I was able to video (sorry it’s shaky – I was also trying to watch that Asher didn’t fall off the trampoline that was open – without yelling at him and ruining the video!  Also, her teacher stops her for some direction, but I filmed the entirety).  Here goes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyUczVbP2qE

I know it’s been a long time since posting, so I’ll try and update a bit more here for far-away family to capture our busy lives with kiddos!

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Love

Couldn’t think of a better way to spend Valentine’s Day then to have all three of mine pick me up from work (play on some construction equipment of course), dinner/dessert downtown, then home in bed by 7 snuggling and reading in bed (Captain Underpants, courtesy of Selah’s Valentine to Daddy).


When I put Asher to bed tonight, he really summed it up for me:

Me: Ashy, how’d I get so lucky having God give me you guys as family?

Asher: I don’t know. (Pause).  Whoa, Mom!

Me: What?!

Asher:  Oh!  I thought you were an alien for a second.  But aliens don’t talk, so then I knew.

Well, that clears up that question, in case anyone was wondering!  ❤️ ha!  I love my most random little boy, and his sister and Dad to go along with him.  Still don’t know how I got so lucky, but at least I’m not an alien, so I guess I’m still winning.  😉

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Date Night 

Nothing like our favorite night of the year to make me post finally!  I have to go back and recap basically from summer of last year to now, but first, the annual Daddy Daughter Dance!

Who can resist, right?  The cutest couple there is around! It literally is Selah’s favorite night of the year, which was scientifically proven when she got home from school and asked to shower to get ready for it!  It was so sweet.
And Daddy was no less excited then Selah, and played the part of the prince very well, flowers and all.  I mean, the look at these faces here when he brought home a perfect bouquet for his princess…Their looks show it all in every picture, so of course I went overboard and am having trouble narrowing it down so am doing a classic over posting!  

And, shhh, don’t tell, but it’s one of my favorite nights because I get my own handsome prince to hang out with.  Tonight, we chose pancakes for dinner, bath time with a new Pokémon figure, topped off with two games of Monopoly with Superman.     Good times were had by all, and although I haven’t posted in quite awhile, one thing remains the same:  we’re sure blessed to get to be parents of these two growing babies of ours!