The Kiddos

My kids!!! I love 'em!!! I haven't posted in so long. I've been trying to "get my life together", so this has fallen to the wayside. I hope I don't forget too much. They're such a joy! They're both SO FUNNY and FULL of LIFE - even when we wish they would cool it a little! :)

Ainsley Grace is almost 17 months old and is growing up more every day.
Some things she loves these days:
*Bringing Asher's cowboy boots or rainboots to us to put on her, and then she'll often take one off and just walk around with one on. I don't know why, but it's funny.
*Playing with Allie's old toy kitchen that we recently moved into her room
*Pointing at the coat rack and adamantly requesting (in her unique way/language) that I put her coat and her hat on her and then saying, "Ba-ba" (bye-bye)
*She loves to wear gloves and immediately starts clapping her hands together after I've put them on her, saying, "YA-AY!" (I like it how she can make a one syllable word into two. :))
*Climbing! - up on the couch, Asher's bed, chairs...
*She and Asher have been having fun lately by turning Beau's video rocker (little rocking chair thing that sits on the floor) over and using it as an indoor slide. And it's a good thing, since it's been so COLD outside lately!
*Playing with her bag of 100 balls in her room or in Asher's firetruck tent - kicking them, "swimming" in them
*And OF COURSE playing with Asher!!! They're becoming better and better buddies all the time!!!

Some of the things she's saying:
*Rubbing her hand on her chest ("please" in sign language), exclaiming, "Nya-nya...Nya-nya...Nya-nya!!!" This means that she wants her cup of milk. :)
*"Shsh" - shoes
*"Mommy"!!! - She has, of course, been saying "Mama" for months, but just this week (first from her bed), she started calling, "Mommy."
*"Dae-dee" - baby
*"Dah-dee" - Loki (our dog)
*"Da-da" and "Daddy" - Daddy (She's been saying that forever too.)
*"Ghi-ghi" (or something like that) - blanket
*"A(short "a" sound)-he" - Asher - It's so cute! It had been "Aya" (or something like that), but it's evolving.
*"Eye" - eye - And although she knows where the mouth, nose, ears, and hair are, she says, "Eye" for all of them. :) Just yesterday she started learning where her arms and legs are.
*And she says a ton of things that I understand by tone alone, like when I ask her what a turtle does, and she "says", "Walks very slowly!" There are no words, but we've been saying the same thing the same exact WAY since Asher was a baby, and she has picked up on it. It's hilarious!
*I'm sure there are more things that she's saying, but that's all I can think of for now.


And then there's Asher Case - 3 1/4 (almost) - I was holding him the other day, and it seemed as though I could literally FEEL him getting bigger in my arms! I hated it!!! Of course I want nothing more than for him to be healthy and grow into the man that God has created him to be, but to feel his "littleness" slipping away just KILLS me sometimes!!! BUT...as HE says, "I'm still little...but I AM bigger." I love it that he's still "little" even though he's getting bigger! I love my little first born so much it makes me teary!!! He's absolutely WONDERFUL and LIGHTS up our lives (as Ainsley does!)!!!

*He is WORKING on potty training. He does GREAT sometimes...and sometimes our timing is all wrong! I have to believe that we'll get it ONE day! :)
*He LOVES guns, swords, and cowboy hats!!! He loves watching "The Three Mousketeers" (as he calls it) - sensored, of course - and "The Princess Bride". Much of everyday is spent wearing his blue cape that Uncle Tyler got him for Christmas BACKWARDS (on the front of him), his cowboy boots, and a cowboy hat (that he really wishes had a big feather on the side of it), holding a gun and a sword. He's definitely "Wild at Heart", like the book says. :) Ainsley even likes to pretend with him. It's hilarious! He'll get her, and she'll say, "Aaaah!" and fall on the ground.
*He's started getting a little more into full length movies like "Toy Story", "Toy Story 2", "Monsters, Inc." to name a few.
*He, as always, loves playing outside, and he's getting dirtier than ever, which is just fine by me! I love it!
*He's getting more into building towers with wooden blocks, Legos, and Lincoln Logs.
*He loves his remote control cars and trucks!
*He likes to "help" me cook and switch out laundry (when I'll let him - sometimes I just need some SPACE! :)).
*He LOVES his dog and is getting good at just ducking his head into himself when Loki jumps on him (which we're ALSO working on!). For some reason we haven't been successful at getting Asher to be forceful with Loki yet in saying "no" and popping her on her nose. Instead he just ducks his head. Hopefully we'll solve this problem eventually! :)
*He loves writing and drawing. He writes these letters: H, T, i, S (as of yesterday!), A, L, O. And we've started working through a workbook that helps him learn his letters. We're on "B" so far. :) He seems to be a smart little boy! We just pray for wisdom as we try to parent him in the best way.

Asher went to mother's day out last year and really liked it, but he seems to be in a stage this year where he just needs me, and that's ok with me. I don't completely understand what's going on with him all the time, but it's been interesting to just take life step-by-step with him and Ainsley and try to be sensitive to their individual needs and personalities. He is 100% OUTGOING at home and with those he feels really close to but tends to be on the shy-er side when in a group of people. We're always seeking to make the best choices for him - sometimes to push him a little, because obviously it's good for him to relate with others, but at the same time letting his little personality blossom the way that God intends it to. We started going to the library this past week for story time on Tuesdays and play time on Thursdays, and I am excited about this. It's an opportunity to be in a classroom setting (on Tuesdays) in a way and to have interaction with others but having me there at the same time. I think it's a good fit for him right now, and I'm thankful that God led us to find it. His favorite part about it so far has been the "bear hunt". I'm hoping that he can start tee-ball in the spring, but I still need to check and see what is offered here. He took a tumbling class in the fall and really enjoyed it, but I'd rather find him something that he can take part in with other little boys his age. Girls are fine, but he was the only boy in his class. :)

So that's the scoop on the kiddos. Hopefully I can get some pictures posted soon. Speaking of, I do have PART of our Christmas pics uploaded to Picasa, so if you're interested, go take a look. I hope to get the rest posted soon! Click here if you'd like to see the new ones so far: www.picasaweb.google.com/beauandsarawaters.