Crazy, I know, but I threw another party!!

Since we had a large smooshed party for my side of the family, we thought it was only fair to give Ascher his own special day, and not have to share it with others! So we threw another party!! It was pretty crazy too. We had sprinklers going, water balloons, music and the always loved sandbox!

Ascher really didn't' see his cake till it was time to sing. I found a great photo online, and knew that was the cake for us! So I made some alterations (like making an ice cream cake!!) and surprised him with it! He loves the trucks...he even brought them into the bath with him to get the cake off!

Ascher really loved all his gifts! He really likes the motorcycle that Mark and Paula got him! His feet are going to be so black this summer! And maybe even a few scraped knees!

Food...what is a party without food! I cooked and prepped for 3 days...and it was well worth it! We had fruit, pasta salad, wraps and even fresh guacamole! I love cooking, but I must admit, I love eating it more!

It was really nice to see family, neighbors and friends play so nicely together! All in all, the party was a huge success! We had great fun seeing everyone, spending time together, and celebrating Ascherman's birthday! Heck, we had so much fun, we might throw another birthday party just because!!

Water, water....everywhere!

Well, we presented this party as a water party....and we had lots of fun! Unfortunately, Ascher really didn't' want to change, so his shoes and entire outfit was soaked! Luckily, it was warm, and he dried rather quickly!

The water balloon gang....they were filling and throwing as fast as they could!

The girls played nice, and really spent most of the time filling the balloons for the younger kids.
They did a great job filling them, but where were they when it was time to clean up?

And of course, what kind of party would it be without my husband starting trouble. Here he is, getting what he deserved from our dear friend Paula!!

Nothing wrong with a little rough-housing

Once the party was over in back....we headed to the front! No thanks to Aunt Annette and her locking the keys in the trunk! Luckily, we have a fabulous AAA plan and they came and popped that car open like it was nothing! While waiting for them to arrive (and for the cops to leave), everyone seemed to gather and watch as Steven was tackled by 8 children......over, and over, and over again!! Haha....the Marine life is nothing compared to living with children!!

I think he is giving up here....

Always watching his back....but he did end up bumping Kaylin in the head.

Party for the People

Instead of having multiple parties....we decided to smoosh everyone together for one smooshed party! We celebrated Nick's graduation (I still don't believe it, haven't seen photos or a diploma yet), Steven coming home, and Ascher's birthday! And to make things even easier on me, we ordered cute cupcakes.....and I made cute flags for them!

For someone who loves to play with his cousins, Ascher was really getting into the Bags. He was almost hit a few times, but he also got a few in the hole. We were quite impressed with his skills. Thinking of letting him go pro.....

This was the cutest part of the day! They could not wait to get in the water....but mean old mommy Tammy said they had to eat first!! Poor things.....So they stood at the gate watching as Rachel swam around with the pool all to herself. Finally, after food was served, each child took about a bite of everything then jumped in!!

Ascher and Nicholas are buddies....unless Nicholas is following Ascher around too much. Then Ascher gets a little freaked. It's totally different when someone else is doing it to him! Now he knows how it feels!

Ascher was the only baby not to swim. He was not really interested in it. I think we might have scared him at Blue Harbor with all the falling water and other surprises there....

Year of the Wheels

Ascher got one of the coolest, and most coveted gifts for his birthday! How cool is that, his own set of wheels! When he first saw it, he honestly didn't know what to do with it! He stood there in shock! He went back into the house and came back out, just to make sure this was really happening! He's driven our neighbors before, but its a pink Barbie Jeep...and is usually taken away by the older kids who want to race. But now, he's got his own wheels!!

He now wakes up from his nap and asks if its time to drive his Rubicon ("Its not a jeep mom, its a Rubicon"). Our neighbor Leah tried to get Ascher to take her and the "baby" to the doctor the other day. Ascher didn't like that too much. He threw the baby out of the Rubicon and sped off! I guess he's not ready for married life yet! He just wanted to cruise with Leah....no strings attached!

Ascherman's Birthday!

I know, I can't believe it either! My little man has turned 3! He's gotten so big, and still has so much more growing to do! (Hopefully not this winter though, I already bought quite a few fall clothes!!)

Since January, Ascher has been asking for his own Snow Clow (that's what he calls them). I really didn't think they would make such a toy, but it turns out they do! It's this great company from Germany who makes scale models of tractors, plows...every kind of machine that matchbox doesn't do. We love them!! So, we ordered one for him!!

It works and everything. We took it outside and filled it with salt. It flew everywhere....but it was fun to watch the thing in action! Hopefully this doesn't break before the first snowfall! Ascher is now in charge of plowing the sidewalks!

A Visit with Uncle Steven

Steven wanted to see Millennium Park (who wouldn't, right?) so we took a trip down to the city to check out the sites! Luckily the weather cooperated and we had a really great day. But that also meant that there were PLENTY of people walking around, not really sure what they were doing or where they were going. The park was really nice...and we even saw some, eh, eclectic art on display this time!

Ascher had a great time getting Steven to run....alot! As soon as he would stop and rest, Ascher would jump up and want to run again. Fine with me....I just sat and watched!

Mean Old Uncle Steven also made poor Ascher do push-ups! Can you believe that! Right in the middle of Millennium Park too! Yelling orders like he's back on base!

Memorial Day Weekend

Immer and I had big plans for Memorial Day weekend. We were going to rip the bathroom out and totally replace it with nice, new, clean tiles that have not been horribly stained by hard water. Boy....how quickly plans can change!!

We received a phone call from friends inviting us to stay and play with them at Blue Harbor Resort. So we packed our bags and hopped in the car to join in the fun! We had a great time with Kilea and Jordan....and Ascher even kinda enjoyed playing in the water. After all the fun with the water park, we headed to one of Ascher's favorite places, Milwaukee Zoo!! It was really fun the see the animals again, and see how much the Zoo has changed since the last time we were there. We loved it so much, we became members! So I'm sure we have plenty of trips to the Zoo in our future! Hopefully we can do it all again soon!

Cooking

With summer finally here...we've finally seen the arrival of GRILLING!! So Ascher has started helping in the kitchen making various marinades and seasonings for the meats. Gotta say, we had some fantastic steaks with this marinade!! Hopefully, with the planting of a new cilantro plant, we can enjoy more festive and flavorful meals the entire summer!