Happy Birthday Leighton!

The night before you arrived...

One year ago today....

4:55am - Checked into hospital - dilated 2.5cm & 50% effaced
6:55am - 3cm dilated
7:30am - Daddy ate my breakfast

7:55am - Started Pitocin

9:30am - Epidural....ahhhhh.
9:48am - 5-6cm
10:05am - 8cm - you dropped quickly & so did your heartrate.
10:27am - 9cm - 90% effaced...but cervix is off to the side a bit.
11:21am - Dr Catterson broke my water.
12:16pm - Dr Catterson checked - not ready to start pushing - but fully dilated.
12:30pm - Time to push!
12:34pm - Leighton Asher is born! 7lbs 8oz, 20 1/4" long


Big brother Brecken meets you for the first time.


This morning, you woke up shortly after 5am & wanted a bottle. You snuggled with mommy on the couch & fell back asleep. I just watched you sleep and gave thanks for you & all the joys you bring to our lives. We love you Leighton! Happy Birthday Baby :)

Run& Play...I think.

And the winner is.....Paige. She is the only one who guessed the correct lie - "I want 4 children". I'm sure many of you are surprised because I have ALWAYS said I was going to have a passel of children. I do still waver on this a little....but I'm fairly certain that we have decided that 3 is a good fit for our family, if God allows.

Truth #1: I have wanted to learn how to play guitar ever since playing in Praise Band at our Manhattan church with Charlie. He is an AMAZING guitar player & I love to listen to him play. I really miss playing little ditties with him & the rest of the band. Maybe I'll put guitar lessons on my wish list at Christmas time....or maybe I'll ask for Guitar Hero - is that one step closer?

Truth #2: The 1/2 marathon... My cousin & her fiance are into running, so I am inspired. Chuck actually recently completed the 1/2 marathon in Orlando this year & they both plan to run it next year.

So, after publishing the '2 Truths & a Lie' post, I decided to try out the running thing. Note to self: When running for the first time (in a long time) after having 2 kids....don't attempt it while pushing 50 lbs of kids in a jogging stroller up an incline. Go solo...on a flat surface. Duh. After pushing them for about 5 blocks I thought I was going to die. At that point, I thought about my blog & realized that I posted two 'half-truths'.I waver on 2....the kid # (because it is truly the most amazing experience) and the 1/2 marathon. It depends on the day which one looks more daunting. I'm so wishy-washy.

2 Truths and a Lie

My brain is drained right now for blogging, so we'll play a game. Which of the following is the lie? Leave a comment & see if you are correct later this week :)

1. I want 4 children.
2. I want to learn to play guitar.
3. I want to run a half marathon.

Well, that was a trip!

Last night we packed up the family & headed to Manhattan so mommy could get a haircut. Ideally, mommy would have went alone, but it didn't work out that way. The trip started out a little rocky with demanding/whiny kids & a grouchy mom. Thankfully things got better.....daddy & the boys played in a park during the haircut......and then daddy & the boys picked mommy up....which is when things got worse. Here's a brief synopsis:

1. Leighton started screaming right when he heard my voice & knew I wasn't getting him out of his seat.
2. Brecken started singing Wheels on the Bus at the top of his lungs, which made Leighton scream louder.
3. We drove through Dairy Queen so we could quickly get on the road.
4. While waiting in the drive through, Brecken starts chanting Octopus which actually sounds like 'APPLE PISS' (again at the top of his lungs). Thankfully he stopped when it was our turn to order.
5. We leave DQ and start eating - Brecken is eating fries & keeps teasing Leighton with them, putting them in front of his face & then eating them. Leighton is just now starting on table food & this ticked him off b/c we weren't letting him eat them. So, mommy turns around and yells, BRECKEN, IF YOU DON'T KEEP YOUR FRENCH FRIES TO YOURSELF.... and then realize how ridiculous that sounds & start laughing....good disciplining right there.
6. Brecken proceeds to tease Leighton, stick his hands & feet & fries in Leighton's car seat. Leighton continues to scream because of this....and everytime he comes close to falling asleep, Brecken would start chanting APPLE PISS again.
7. I turn around again & this time yell, BRECKEN, DO YOU ENJOY LISTENING TO LEIGHTON SCREAM??? CUZ IF YOU DO....... How am I going to finish that? Cuz if you do, keep doing it? Cuz if you do, that really makes mommy mad!? Yeah, second failed attempt....couldn't really go anywhere with that one either.
8. Aaron & I finally just stop trying (to discipline/calm) and eat our Blizzards. Brecken sees us doing so & says, Brecken Ice Cream.....I say, it's gravy. Oh the lies

They both finally settled down when we were about 10 minutes from home. What a fun family trip! I could have skipped the haircut b/c I pulled it all out on the way home.

It's a Girl!!!

Cow, that is.  We are celebrating our first birth in our Grass-fed Beef operation.  Our little heifer was born on April 26th while we were in Chicago, which is why I have given her the name Chica.  Aaron has informed me that it is against the rules to name our cows....because they WILL be sold.....or slaughtered.....  So - if any of my faithful readers are interested in some Grass-fed Beef, you know where to find it!  I promise I won't tell you the cow's name. 

Getting Ready!

We've been getting our pasture ready for our cows! They should be calving anyday & then we'll move them down to our land. We are really excited! We (and when I say we, I mean Aaron) have been doing a lot these past couple months - cut & cleaned up cedar trees, burned wood piles, planted seed in east portion of pasture (it's growing!), purchased electric fence & dug a new well! We have several more items on our to-do list, but we are getting closer!

Last night we went out to empty our grass clippings. Aaron & Brecken took a walk to see how our seed was coming up. Of course, I had my camera with me - here are a few of my favorite pics :)

I Spray Baby

Lovely, eh? Leighton had been drinking a bottle. I left the room & hadn't been gone more than a minute. I hear giggling...and 'I spay baby'. I couldn't quite make out what Brecken was saying until Leighton turned around & faced me. Brecken had been pushing the bag in the bottle so that it would spray Leighton in the face! Milk baths are supposed to be good for your skin, right?

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I don't consider ourselves to be 'trashy' people or big-time consumers, but I am sometimes appalled at the amount of trash we haul to the curb each Friday.

In an attempt to 'do our part' in saving our earth, we have been using these bags for almost a year. I love them & I am actually doing pretty well at remembering to take them to the store with me! Our local grocery ALSO gives back 5 cents per bag you bring in....so I'm 'making money' with them too :)

We also have started using these cloth diapers with Leighton. We still use disposables on occasion, but I figure every time we use a cloth one, we are at least keeping one more diaper out of a landfill. They make them super easy to use & they clean up real easy too!

We also learned that our little ole town recycles too! Why don't they advertise this more???? So, now we need to go buy some bins to separate our plastic, glass & paper.

Earth Day is observed on April 22nd. What are YOU going to do this year to help preserve our Earth? As Bob the Builder says, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Celebrating Easter

We pretty much celebrated Easter every weekend EXCEPT Easter weekend....

Easter Egg Hunt week prior to Easter at Papa & Mama's....

This picture is actually from Easter morning....but Brecken had the flu, so we stayed put.This picture is from this weekend. Since we couldn't dress up in our Easter outfits on Easter Sunday, we saved them for the next week.

'Eggs-perimenting'

Brecken started out using spoons & one color per egg. He wanted to continue coloring eggs, but we were out...so he decided to 'recolor' them. At first I thought he was being Mr Particular (anal) like his mom because he put each egg back into the color that it was. However, then the boy (and daddy) tendencies came out. He began intermixing colors & trying out different methods ....using the spoon to pour color over the egg rather than dipping....forget the spoons, hands are better...the egg drop method to see how far the color splashes. End result: a few cracked, but colorful eggs and easter egg colored hands. They'll fade by church on Sunday, right?

My New Obsession

I have been a traditional scrapbooker since Aaron & I started dating in '98 & did really well keeping up until Brecken turned 1. I have yet to update his scrapbook since then (he is almost 2 1/2) and have less than 5 pages done in Leighton's. The thought of dragging out all of my supplies during naptime (only to be interrupted shortly after) keeps me from even considering the task. I become overwhelmed thinking about how much cutting, measuring, taping, sorting through pictures....not to mention all the time involved, which brings me to my point.

I have a new obsession....digital scrapbooking. I happened across a friend of a friend's blog & saw her wonderfully creative pages & I thought, Bingo! I can catch up that way without dragging everything out! I won't have to order pictures....they're all on my pc! I have a great program to work with & I won't have to cut/paste/sort/etc, etc, etc. Yahoo!

So, after doing some research, getting some info from the friend of a friend, spending a couple weeks going through this book & getting to work, I am knocking some pages out! I've decided to start with the present & work backwards. In the past couple weeks, in just a few short hours, I've knocked out 2 months worth of scrapping for both boys. I'm so excited.
Here are a couple of my creations :)

NOT a hairdresser

For the record, haircutting will NOT be my next occupation. Yesterday, Brecken said to me, “Meh-me, cut Brecken’s hair?” Since he is not one who enjoys such a task, I jumped on it. I oiled up my dog-hair cutting clippers (maybe this was my first mistake), sat him in the chair & used the ¼” guard on the back of his hair – ok….looking pretty decent. Based on my professional experience, I thought I should go with the ½” guard for the front part of his hair….do a little fade, ya know, make it look real nice. I snapped on the guard & went to work. I saw something flicker to the floor out of the corner of my eye. Thinking it was hair, I continued to bzzzz along, which leads us to picture one….. It wasn't hair that flickered to the floor, it was the guard. I nearly scalped the poor kid.

This was also the point at which Brecken decided he was done with the haircut. I thought I could wait until this weekend for my sister-in-law (the REAL professional hairdresser) to do it, but NO, anal me, couldn’t stand it any longer. So, I bribed him with M&M’s & the prospect of a playdate today & buzzed it all. It’s still not a knock-your-socks off type of cut….but it’s a step in the right direction. I think he looks pretty cute with the buzz AND he didn’t throw a fit when I washed it in the tub. I think we’ll keep it short.

Celebrating Differences

Who knew how different 2 kids from the same 2 parents could be! While of course, there are similarities - for instance, they are both adorable & my favorite boys, their differences are greater! I am thankful for these differences. I think life would be quite boring if they were exactly the same!

Brecken (@ 9mo)
*Blue eyes
*Light brown hair
*Fair complexion
*Slept through the night....every night
*Very laid back & easygoing
*Mommy or daddy will do
*Didn't like snuggling
*18lbs 2oz & 30.25inches

Leighton (@ 9mo)
*Dark hazel eyes
*Dark brown hair
*Darker skin tones
*Sleeps through the night occasionally
*Laid back but throws tantrums & is VERY ornery
*Prefers mommy at night
*Enjoys snuggling
*17lbs 12oz & 29.25inches

I'm not asleep....but that doesn't mean I'm awake.

We have been battling (or avoiding, depending on how you look at it) sleep issues with Brecken since last June. He was the best sleeper prior to our move & the birth of his baby brother. He has progressed (or digressed) as follows:

*put baby in crib awake....he falls asleep on his own AND soothes himself back to sleep
*put toddler in toddler bed.....he falls asleep on his own & stays in bed
*put toddler in bed & he screams at the gate, but eventually gets in bed & goes to sleep
*put toddler in bed....screams at gate & discovers he can climb OVER the gate
*lock toddler in room at bedtime....he screams & beats on door, but eventually goes to bed
*lock toddler in room....screams/beats on door & refuses to go to bed
*toddler falls asleep on couch & we leave him there b/c he's actually sleeping
*toddler falls asleep on couch, but upon waking comes into mom & dad's bed & we let him....
*move toddler bed into the living room & he decides he likes it again & sleeps/naps there

Which brings us to present :) This weekend I asked Brecken if he would like to move his bed back into the room with Leighton. He said, um...sure. So together we moved it in - I pulled, he pushed. He slept in it - was excited. You say - VICTORY - yes, except for NOW Leighton is waking up screaming & won't go back to sleep. So, you fix one problem, and up pops another one. Last night Brecken was back on the couch while Leighton cried it out.....

Our entire household could use a nap. Pray for sleep......

Jumping Hurdles

I'm happy to report that we have been 'binkless' since last Thursday! If I had known he would respond so well to the broken bink, I would have done it months ago. Since we have jumped this hurdle, I figure we'll start on the next one....potty training. I have decided to try the method of Toilet Training in Less than One Day. I am just now reading the book and waiting on our Scotty Potty doll to arrive. I'm hoping it will arrive by this weekend. I'll probably wait to start the actual training until after the last weekend in February.....Brecken will be staying with my brother & his wife, so I don't think I'll make them mess with a newly potty-trained child toddler :) I can't wait to start this & update you on this process :) It should be an interesting one!!! Here's the Scotty Potty Doll.

It's Bwoke

The bink thing was going well for awhile...but we have regressed. So, mommy did a 'mean' thing today & snipped off the end. Now when he whines for it, he can have it - but he doesn't like it.

And so our conversation goes.....

Brecken: Bink's bwoke.... Throw away.

Mommy: I know! I'm sorry it's broke buddy.

Brecken: Orange? (his bink is blue...but he knows he has orange ones too)

Mommy: We don't have anymore, honey. We only have that blue one!

Brecken: Wewoh? Geen?

Mommy: Nope, we only have blue! Sorry bud.

Needless to say, he has yet to take a nap today, but he's in good spirits. Tonight may be a different story......

Mobility --> Sibling Rivalry

Let the games begin! Leighton is officially mobile. I have a feeling the sibling rivalry may begin....Leighton wants to be in & on top of whatever big brother is doing.

Chip Chocolate Cookies

Most of you know that we are living in my great-grandparent's home. I was going through a drawer in the kitchen, where Grandma kept her recipes & came across her recipe for 'Chip Chocolate' cookies that she had written on a little piece of paper. I scanned it & created the image above. Maybe this will be an afternoon adventure for Brecken & I. We'll make Grandma Mil's cookies & see how they turn out.

Making the Cut

I finally broke out the electric clippers & cut Brecken's hair. The scissors just weren't 'cutting' it. Here are his before and after pics.

Leighton also did some cutting over the weekend. His bottom 2 teeth broke through, Praise the Lord! He was being a bear during the night while cutting them. I would include a picture, but he
won't let me see them.

Words I love to hear

I've been thinking about the words I love to hear come out of my 2 year old's mouth....

• I did it!
• Too (in response to I love you)
• Coming baby or It’s okay baby (when Leighton is crying)
• Pease (please)
• Tank you meh-me (mommy) or tank you daddy
• Sahwy oof-woof (when he runs into the dog)
• Help meh-me (when he wants to help me)
• I cooks (he loves to cook)
• sugni (word he uses to refer to his snuggly - a.k.a. burp rag)....you have to hear it to fully appreciate it
• em-eh-neh-mee (M&M's)
• I also love to hear how he says other people's names & his own.

I'm happy to say at this point there aren't too many that come out that I don't like, but I'm sure that will come. For right now, I'm enjoying his sweetness. It definitely makes me think about my own word choices, knowing that he is listening and repeating what he hears!