And He's Off!

We probably waited a little too long....but I think it worked!  We one day pulled off his training wheels.  He was a little upset, but he got over it!  The next day, he struggled a bit, but was off on his second try!  I didn't even have to hold his bike up or anything! Super proud!

Getting things ready!

Well, tis the time in his life!  School is starting.  He chose this wonderful bookbag, and reality is setting in!

Playing Together

Ascher and Immer really took advantage of summer weekends together.  They enjoyed "golfing" riding bikes, running and just being boys!

Car II

Who wasn't excited for the Car II movie?!?!  Ascher was so excited, he invited his neighbor friends.  So we all headed to the drive-in and waited for it to start.  We kinda forgot to figure in the fact movies at the drive-in start at sundown.  So the kids had plenty of time to run, jump, scream and tire themselves out before the movie even started!  By the time the movie started, we couldn't hear the movie, kids were playing, and my little Gianna fell alseep on me! 

Luckily for me, we recently bought the movie and saw it for real in the privacy of our own home!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Another year......another number higher!  Happy Birthday darling!

The South headed North

Uncles Mike, Amy and Grema headed up for a visit in June for Kyle and Sara's wedding.  While here, we had to have a little fun!

 We hit a Cubs game...which was super excited becuase we WON!

 After the wedding, we took the kiddos to Starbucks for a little sugar.  Had to make sure they had energy to dance the night away!  It was a fun and wonderful evening.  Kyle is definitely a lucky man!

After the wedding, there is always a party.  Immer was in charge of the grill, with Mike and Jacob as co-captains.  All the cousins were swimming, running and jumping.  Adults were playing baggo and catching up!  It was fun to see everyone together in one place!

Ascherman turns 5!

Ascher decided he wanted a pirate themed party (at the last minute, no less).  So I took it and ran with it!  We booked a spot at the Treehouse, a great indoor playground for kids. 





It was fun to see both sides of cousins to play and party.  Although it was hard to really tell who was there.  The kids were running around so fast and crazy!

But in the end- I think everyone had a great and wonderful time!  Pizza, Pirates, and Playing!

A Trip up North

 We took a nice weekend trip to Door County, WI with Immer's family.  It was nice, relaxing and definitely new experiences!  Ascher really enjoyed spending time with his cousin!

We had breakfast at a wonderful Swedish restaraunt....and the boys had a great time being Vikings!  Next time....we will make sure the goats are out on the roof!

There were so many wonderful sites to take in around Door County.  The sites were so amazing.  Everywhere was water- nice and blue and so clear.

The best spot loved by all was Schoolhouse Beach.  The rocks were so nice, warm and peaceful.  It's on an island north of Door County(we had to take a ferry!).  The island was so secluded and peaceful!

A big anchor from ships that would travel back and forth from the island.

A phonebooth!  Who knew they still existed!  There was no phone, but that didn't stop everyone from getting in and checking it out!

Trip to the beach

It was Spring Break- so we decided to head south for a little visit!  We had all kinds of fun!  Ascher had a great time at the Pelican's game...except when he was pushed running the bases and scraped his head.



 Putt-Putt with Grema and Uncle Amy.  Ascher had more fun jamming to the reggae music at times

A trip to Broadway at the Beach- Ascher took a spin on the old pavilion rides

And Immer did the zipline!

 And we took a family trip the Battleship in Wilmington.  It was fun to see Immer on his old stomping grounds. 

And what is a trip to the beach without a cruise on Uncle Mike's boat!

 We even had time before we left for Easter!

Keyboard in House

Immer got a new client...and they own a piano shop!   So he decided to buy a keyboard from them.  Ascher was really excited, and enjoys playing when he can.  The only rule is....Mommy can't hear it!

Soccer Practice!

 Since it was showing no signs of warming up anytime soon, we signed Ascher up for soccer practice to burn some energy.  It's really fun, and funny, to watch a bunch of 3 and 4 year olds running around a regulation size field trying to stop balls.  Poor things came off the field so tired and worn out(I LOVED it!).  He really enjoyed playing too!  He learned quite a bit from the coaches and was excited to play!

We did not sign Ascher up for soccer in the summer...even though he wanted to.  Timing was not right, starting while on vacation, or not enough practices for the money, and the lessons were moved until 6 pm, and Immer and I felt it was too late in the evening for such a thing.  Hopefully the classes will be a little earlier in the fall so we can participate again!

A New Table for Ascher

This boy has a lot of toys.  Too many at times.  So we deicided to solve the mess on the floor by making a mess on a table.  This table is for him to play his Legos, cars, crafts and other such creative things on.  It's in the loft, and hopefully will encourage nice, neat and tidy living....even if only when mommy has to clean it up!

 

Hopefully one day I will be able to add my own desk in such a creative space!  We even added some color to the walls for nice energy and decor!

Eat your Veggies!

I have been trying really hard to eat more naturally in our house.  I've been making our own spaghetti sauce, Ice cream, and going more organic and whole wheat whenever the budget allows.  So, while making a batch of sauce, Ascher decided he wanted some veggies.  I was very happy, thinking he was actually going to EAT them.  I was wrong......

Instead, he decided to feed his dinosaurs.

Not all Just Fun and Games

With all the snowfall comes all the snowfall cleanup.  After getting tired and winded and chilled by playing, we requested the boys start shovelling.  We figured that each person had to have an escape route in case of an emergency.  So we started moving the stuff, ever so slowly between the 5 houses to the end of the driveway.  Luckily for us, our neighbor has a plow on his truck, and would plow our driveway every few hours just to keep up.  So we didn't have as much snow as other neighbors did!

The clean-up crew was working really hard in the neighborhood.  So Immer decided to get some more exercise and shovel the front as well.  It was hard and heavy work!

Once the guys actually plowed our driveway, this is what we had at the end.  A pile so huge that Immer considered jumping from the balcony right into it.  Don't worry, I convinced him otherwise!  That pile stayed for a very long time, and would have stayed even longer if it hadn't rained a bit in March.

The Great Snow Play Day

Yes, from inside, you think it's a lot of snow.  Then you get out there, and realize just exactly how much snow had fallen.  The pile of snow is from the drive-way across from ours.  They had gotten plowed before us(good thing, you couldn't see the neighbors car under the snow!).  It was very hard to even get there!  The snow was so soft and loose,  Ascher was having a hard time walking in it!

 And of course, Immer couldn't stay off the hill.  Him or the other adults in our driveway.  They kept sliding down and running up...sometimes not even paying attention to the kids!  Ascher was a little too scared to try the sled.  He more enjoyed watching others fall face first into the snow.

All the kids were out, trying to stay warm, while having fun.  Ascher pulled out some sand toys and they tried to make castles.  Didn't work too well though, it was too soft.

A little more snow to fall

If you focus on the middle of the picture, you will see a brighter "snowflake"....that's the flash from Immer's camera during the snowstorm we had in February.  They were calling for all kinds of chaos and snow, and they were pretty spot on.  We ended up walking to our neighbors that night to play games, hang out and watch the snowfall.  We took the above picture on our way home that evening.  And we thought that was bad!

 This is what we woke up to the next morning!  You can't even see the steps, or bushes!  It looks like flat ground from our porch to our neighbors.  The entire town shut down.  Nobody could get in or out of the area, and police were issuing tickets to those who tried. 

Immer decided to test how deep the snow was.  He fell a few times, not being able to judge depth.  It was up to his chest!  Of course, with him out there, Ascher was dying to give it a try.  So we all bundled up real good and headed out the garage door.

I need a desk to call my own...

I love creative projects...and my mind is always going in different directions and ideas that sometimes it's hard to keep up.  I was invited to my cousin's Bridal Shower, and knew I had to do something other than silverware or picture frames.  So I started turning the wheels with a mission.  I just really didn't have the space to execute it.

 I literally had beads, rings, swatches and ribbons on my beautiful dining table for about a month.  Things were being lost in the carpet(perfect excuse though to hint at wood flooring again), picked up by Ascher and used in his trucks, or messed up and lost due to restrictive space.  Plus, I had to clean up everyday just to make room to eat.  With this lack of space came mental creative frustration.  I could see in my head how this "thing" should look, but had a difficult time executing it.  Luckily for me, I had lots of scraps to play with!

In the end, I think the end result turned out beautifully!  I know Sara was impressed!  She had it sitting on her counter just as I gave it to her and shows it off to everyone!  Hopefully she understands that it really is napkins for use, and not decoration.

Traditions

And what's a trip to my house without eating sweets?!?

A Bucket of Presents

And of course...what is Christmas with presents!  Ascher and Nathan had a great time opening everything and throwing them down to get to the next ones!  I think they really enjoyed everything they got...even if some clothes and books were thrown in.

We decided on a digital frame for Immer's parents.   This way, they can have many more photos to view without having to print them, or wait for us to remember to send them.  Now I just need to remember to add more pictures to the SD card!

Once the presents were opened, Ascher and Nathan headed upstairs to build a track.  They came up with some pretty good stuff in just a few minutes!

More Family Christmas Time!

The next day, we hosted Christmas for Immer's family. Ascher insisted on helping shovel. So he grabbed the shovel and headed out front. He did a pretty good job cleaning up! He even brought his own little cup of water outside to "keep hydrated"

Ascher and Nathan enjoying a nice juicebox before their wonderful dinner!

Ascher and Nathan comparing their Tag books. Both have quite an extensive collection. Hopefully they are learning from them....and not just playing around.