Asher, whatcha doing?

I'm washing dishes!

New Beginnings

Today Mike began his first day as a teacher at Jackson Hole Connections Academy (check them out here.) We are so excited for this job! It seems like it is going to be a great fit for Mike and for our family. Mike will work from home out of our bedroom at this desk. It took us a trip to Idaho Falls and about a week to decide what we were going to get. Tonight we will put it together and transform our bedroom into a home office/bedroom. Life will be interesting having Mike here all day, but I am going to TRY to forget that he is here and go about my days as normal.

On the Asher front...I think I am going to start kid swapping with my friend Kim and her little boy Ben. Karen is not able to watch Asher this year (many, many, many THANKS for all the time she has invested in Asher). Asher will miss his Mondays with Aunt Karen and Kaleb, but we are excited for everything to come. It will be interesting to have a baby and a toddler in the house (preparation for things to come, perhaps?). Asher and I will try to get out of the house for a bit every morning to give Mike a little quiet. I am going to try to do swim lessons and gymnastics with Asher this fall and winter. We are also going to try to get Asher out on the slopes this winter.

On my side...We are also thinking about starting adoption paperwork to adopt a daughter from Rwanda. We covet your prayers in this process. We have not begun; I want to give Mike time to settle into his new job before we add this. If everything works out we could have our daughter in 9-14 months! Needless to say, we are excited about this.

Well, I promise to add pictures tomorrow and I have a video of Asher dancing that I will attempt to get up for you all. Hope everyone is doing well.

Andrea

I'm TWO!

Can you believe it! We certainly can not! On June 29th our baby turned TWO WHOLE YEARS OLD!!!! It has been a joy and a privilege to have this happy, joyful and blessed boy in our lives. He gets bigger every single day and has been a joy (and a challenge) lately. Here are some birthday pictures to enjoy!

Updates coming...(this weekend, I promise!)

March 2009

We had a great March. Mike started track and the sun stayed in the sky longer each day. Winter started to wind down and we got peeks of grass under the piles of snow (I don't know why the picture of Asher pointing at the deer "diaper" is sideways...oh well). Asher got bigger and started using more sentences. Asher started swimming in the bathtub. Life pretty much kept on trucking. Oh yes, Asher decided to become Jon Bon Jovi. Rock on Ashman, rock on.

February

We didn't do much in February. Asher was sick a couple times with a cold and once with a stomach bug. I knew that was going to happen as soon as he stopped nursing, but what can you do? Can't make him nurse, that's for sure! Mike got to ski a bit, not as much as he would like, but beggars can't be choosers!

I turned 30 on the 7th and had a great day with everyone. I think I am now totally and completely an adult. Scary thought!

Mike went to Denver over President's day weekend and had a great time with the Denver Lunde's. He watched baby Joshua for a bit so Josh and Lauren could get out for a dinner and had a good time doing so. I know he really enjoyed spending the time there and Asher and I wished we could have been there too.

Aunt Barb came to town the same weekend and Asher and I hung out with her and Mom and Dad all weekend. We had a great time (just like we always do when she visits!).

We have it...

The yucky, croupy cough that is. Asher had the pukes last Monday and this Monday he has the cough. I am staying home with him today. Poor baby. Say prayers for him please.

We've been up to...

...a whole lot of nothing. Not much to report here. It is still winter and cold. Someday we will just get to go outside without the burden of bundling up, but for now the hassle still lives on.

Mike is going to Denver over President's Day weekend. Asher and I are going to hang out here with Nana, Grandpa and Aunt Barb. I have a special Valentine's gift coming for Asher-don't tell him, but it's this! I think he will like it. Track starts soon, so we are enjoying our time with Mike while it lasts. Life will start to get crazy again here in a month.

Have a great first day of February! You know, this is my favorite month...

Save Handmade

With the new laws about what can and can't be used in children's products an entire cottage industry may come to a screeching halt. For the most part these artisans comply with the new standards (and have for years), but don't have the financial resources to adhere to them. This is not a good thing. This is a classic example of big vs little and unless Congress takes a look at this law and creates a way to hold the big guys accountable without hurting the little guys we will loose a valuable resource.

Reading list 2009

I know you've all been waiting for it, without further ado here it is!

A Wrinkle in Time series
A Farewell to Arms
The Power of One
The Pillars of the Earth
The Hour I First Believed
Anna Karenina

A Woman's Guide to Family Finances (with a group of ladies)
Parenting with Love and Logic (a refresher)
The Blessing of a Skinned Knee
The Lives of Children
Coloring Outside the Lines
Real Boys
Grace Based Parenting
Living Simply with Children

Home Comforts
Hope in Troubled Times
Blessed Unrest
The Complete Idiots Guide to Adoption
A Room of One's Own

I am sure that there will be plenty others (some that because of their fluffy content that I may be a little embarassed to report on), but these are the ones that I want to be intentional about reading. If anyone has any suggestions or comments, let me know!