Day at the Museum

Today we went to the City with our neighbors. We were taking a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry. We all had a really great time, but it was a long day. Ascher was really good, but was a little restless in the end. I did take a few photos, but Ascher was not into the camera today.....but at least he had fun on the train today!

The Big 4-0

Saturday was Immer's 40th birthday, and he spent the day working! His friend has been claiming to be re-building his deck....for the past 6 YEARS!! So we finally told him that we were taking away his golfing privileges, and wow! He's ready to start working on the deck! So Immer and his buddy Mark went over very early in the morning, destroyed the deck, and built a new frame! They worked so long that all of the girls and children went to Beach Fest down the street for a little while. After they were done, we sang and had a great cake to celebrate the day. Immer said he enjoyed himself, but we all felt really guilty about it being his birthday.

Immer's Birthday!!

The Big 4-0 and still sitting at the kids table!!

Pool Time

Last week, our neighbors invited us to the local pool! They have a wonderful little kids area that is about chest high for Ascher and Cameron, as well as a larger "adult" pool for everyone else! It was really nice and relaxing, and we really enjoyed ourselves. But, once we arrived, I realized that I needed pool towels and a fabulous pool bag! So the next day Ascher and I headed to Super Wal-Mart and got some great matching towels and a beach bag! Now we are ready for the summer!

His ABC's

Ascher has been doing so great with his letters! And it's not like we are forcing him either. He's just been picking these things up! He misses a few letters, but overall has gotten the hang of it! I'm sure in a few weeks he will know them completely!

Hi-D's Wedding!

Here we are! There were supposed to be more Smithe girls at the Wedding, but unfortunately they ran into some problems and couldn't make it at the last minute! But we had a blast, and Heidi looked wonderful! We missed the actual service (we had to drop Ascher off at the sitters, and couldn't find the right white house with red barn and gravel drive-way) but made it to the important part- the PARTY! We danced and had a great time. It's fun hanging out with the girls outside of work! Unfortunately, Immer didn't want to dance, so he table sat for us. Thanks baby!

Father's Day!

We had a wedding this weekend, and we had lots of fun! It was in Princeton, Il....about 3 hours South for us. So on the way back, we decided to stop at Starved Rock. Can you see it back there? Ascher ran through the entire thing....not giving us much time to really enjoy the scenery. He was a determined little gus though, and wanted to climb ALL the stairs himself. For those of you who have visited Starved Rock....that's a whole lot of stairs. Immer finally gave up and carried him, which made Ascher throw a fit! But we had a wonderful lunch with a great view! Then we headed home....only to hit a really bad storm! We had hail, rain, wind, and the start of a tornado! I was so excited! I have never seen a tornado, and would love to see one in person. But only a nice one, that doesn't cause damage.

The Tent!

Grema and Papa bought Ascher a tent for his birthday! He loves this thing! He loves going upstairs to play in the tent...and even went into the tunnel without a problem! I can't wait for it to stop raining so we can take it outside. Maybe.....

Immer has also been loving the tent! He's been such a good boy waiting for almost 2 months to play with this thing! It's been sitting in his closet waiting for Ascher's birthday!

Ascher's Balloons!

G-Gma sent balloons in her card this year....and Ascher loves them! he's playing catch and throwing them down the stairs, over the table and loving every minute! He really loves them G-Gma!

Ascher's Birthday!

Ascher's 2!! I still can't believe it! We didn't do anything for him on the actual day, but we did have a little BBQ on Sunday with the neighbors. Ascher got a really great sand/water table which he loves! Can't you tell....he's covered head to toe on sand and water! I figured this toy would be great becasue he couldn't really get messy. Boy, was I wrong! Almost immediately, he was pouring the sand into the water....making a huge mess. Then our neighbors joined in, and things just got crazy! But he had a great time, and got some great toys!

Back Home

Well.....we are finally home...and trying to get back into the normal routine of things. I returned to work...and then quickly came home. With the way things are with the economy....there really isn't much work out there for us. So things are really slow, and starting to show in the store. Designers are leaving, clients are coming in, and things are not looking very good right now. Hopefully things will turn around soon, and the girls will have plenty of work to do! While at work, Ascher and Dad built a wonderful block tower, which Ascher proceeded to destroy right after this picture. Immer was not happy, but Ascher enjoyed it!

Day at the Beach

On Sunday, we headed out on Mike and Amy's new boat! It was a little bit of a rough start, but once that thing was running, we were having fun! We headed out to Bird Island and played in the sand and enjoyed lunch. Ascher and Papa went for a walk, and returned with a handful of beautiful shells! Ascher and David played in the water, splashing and kicking. He also tried building a sand castle with Uncle Amy....which ended up being a big hole that wouldn't hold water.

We then headed back out on the water and cruised the waterway for a while. Ascher took a nice nap, we saw some gorgeous houses, and even better boats! It was a really nice and relaxing day...

Uncle David

Ascher loves his Uncle David!!

Reading books together

Playing in the water

Riding on the boat

Visit to the beach!

Last week, Ascher and I went to SC for a little visit and some work. Amy's house was in desperate need of decorating, so we flew down to pull fabrics, furntiure, paints, and any other sample a new house would need. Hopefully, we got everything she wanted done....and everything is going to look much better once eveything is put back together. While there, Ascher had a great time hanging out with Papa! He loved watering the plants and trees outside and watching the news with him!