Asher is my brain child. He is the boy who loves to read and do puzzles and understand how things work. He loves to learn. He does not love sports. This story is a perfect illustration of Asher's personality.
Lately, for some reason, Asher has been trying to understand the earth. One day last week he, seemingly out of the blue, repeatedly asked me questions like, "Are we in the earth or on the earth, Mama?", "What else is on the earth?", "Is the ocean on the earth?", and "What's under the ground?" It was fun to have these little conversations and to see Asher trying to make sense of the information I was giving him. He asked questions like this on and off for a couple of days.
One night last week at Asher's soccer lesson, which he is really not a fan of, he runs off the soccer field and over to me. In a hushed voice, but also full of curiosity and desperation for my answer, Asher asks me "Mama, are clouds on the earth too?"
I love seeing my boys personality unfold and come to life. Observing Asher run away from the soccer field, and seeing him trying to understand and make sense of a bigger picture idea when he was supposed to be playing soccer, is just sooo Asher!!!
And boy I'm glad I didn't miss that!
Showing posts with label Asher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Asher. Show all posts
Monday, August 20, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Thankful Thursday and I'm glad I didn't miss that, all in one!
Asher and I were having a conversation about friends today in the car on the way to a play date with one of his preschool buddies. I asked Asher who his best friend was - something I hadn't asked him in quite some time. Not sure what he'd say since his first best friend - the little boy I used to take care of - moved away a year ago.
Asher was quiet for a moment and then he said to me;
"Mama my best friend is Levi because he's my brother and I like him the most"
Melt my heart right there! One of the benefits to staying at home with my boys, and something I hadn't realized before, is that they get to foster and nurture their brotherly relationship. This is definitely not something they'd get as much of a chance to do together if they were in daycare because they would be in different age groups. Although at times they seem to annoy each other more than they like each other, they also do have a lot of fun together with their own little silly games. And now that I think about it, Asher chooses to pray for Levi every night when I ask him to pick one other person to pray for.
I'm glad they get these early years to learn to get along and enjoy each other, and I hope that 20 years from now they are both saying the same thing; "my brother is my best friend!"
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Thankful Thursday
Today I don't feel very thankful. In fact, I feel rather discouraged in many areas of my life. I have a few things that are weighing heavily on me, and several moments today were actually spent in tears because of it.
But it is days like today that I need to especially remember to be thankful; I know that much for sure.
I heard two very gut-wrenching stories this week about loss; one about a mother of a young baby and another about a newborn. It makes me sick to even think that these things happen. Babies shouldn't die. Babies shouldn't grow up without their Mama's. But both of these things happen.
Today I am thankful for life. Thankful that my boys are alive and breathing and jumping and smiling and crying and sleeping and hugging and eating and playing and walking.
Today I am thankful for wet tears and wet diapers.
Today I am thankful for quiet time and time outs.
Today I am thankful for preschool and music class.
Today I am thankful for sticky hands to clean off after lunch.
Today I am thankful for little clothes to fold.
Today I am thankful for toys to clean up.
Today I am thankful for drooly kisses and runny noses.
Today I am thankful that my boys are just here.
Here at home, in my house, in my arms.
But it is days like today that I need to especially remember to be thankful; I know that much for sure.
I heard two very gut-wrenching stories this week about loss; one about a mother of a young baby and another about a newborn. It makes me sick to even think that these things happen. Babies shouldn't die. Babies shouldn't grow up without their Mama's. But both of these things happen.
Today I am thankful for life. Thankful that my boys are alive and breathing and jumping and smiling and crying and sleeping and hugging and eating and playing and walking.
Today I am thankful for wet tears and wet diapers.
Today I am thankful for quiet time and time outs.
Today I am thankful for preschool and music class.
Today I am thankful for sticky hands to clean off after lunch.
Today I am thankful for little clothes to fold.
Today I am thankful for toys to clean up.
Today I am thankful for drooly kisses and runny noses.
Today I am thankful that my boys are just here.
Here at home, in my house, in my arms.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
A letter to my son on his 4th birthday
Asher, I know I say this every year, but I simply cannot believe that you are 4-years old! Wow, 4 years ago today you came into this world as a tiny 7lb 6oz baby boy. Even though you have grown so much since then, I am struck by just how little you are in so many ways.
Today I was looking back at pictures of your previous birthdays, and I was shocked at just how little you were. At the time, I remember thinking the opposite; you have seemed so big to me at each birthday. (Nothing is more true than that today!) When Levi was born, I thought you were such a big boy at 27 months old, and now I see that you were so small still. A chubbier version of the same long and slender boy I see today. This idea of being big in some ways, and still so small in others, is an accurate picture of you right now.
Today you said "Mama, Cranky (the crane) swang Spencer (the train) and he fell off!". I love your grammatical mistakes because they remind me that you are still small, and still learning. Yet you speak and pronunciate so well (this fact stood out to me today when you said "decrescendo" in music class). You are beginning to spell and read some simple words, and one of your favorite games to play is to pick a letter and we say all the words we can think of that start with that letter. Such a big boy, putting together so many complex ideas and making sense of it all. Yet such a small boy who still struggles with printing and holding a pencil properly (you always have a tough time with those new motor skills).
Your memory astounds me for someone your age. You know the names of familiar streets and point this out to me regularly. I told you once the name of a girl we know who lives on Ryan Road, and now every time we are there, you remind me of this fact. You can remember the names of every Thomas the train ever created, and you can practically recite word for word some of your favorite books. You have known your phone number for such a long time, and even though we don't practice it very often, you always remember it when I ask you. And yet, you forget your own middle name all the time. I can just hear you saying "I don't know" whenever I ask you that question. You also have difficulty "remembering" that you're not supposed to push your brother. (I fear that has more to do with not getting what you want than a memory problem!). Big and small, all at the same time.
This year you have loved going to Story Time at the library (LOVED story time!). You are finally big enough to be going by yourself to the class, without me being in the room with you. You still need an adult reading to you, though. You love to pretend, and act out many scenarios with little conversations between trains. You love playing your leap pad and can figure out some of the games quicker than I can, already charting graphs and solving problems. In music class you can "read" all the beginning music notes we've learned, as well as sing and play them. Today our music teacher said you were keeping the beat on your drum to one of our songs. Big and small, all at the same time.
You have just recently finally made the transition to having your swim lessons in the big pool at the Y. You were too big to stay in the small pool, and too small to stay in the big pool without an adult. It seems that in just the past month you have finally felt comfortable to stay in the big pool, but only through pretending with Papa to be a plow or an airplane. Levi and I have been up in the big window watching you, and you look so tiny in that large pool. Big and small, all at the same time.
You are a master deal-maker, Asher. Every day I hear from you "I have an idea Mama, how about... does that sound like a good deal?" You are always negotiating and compromising, giving your side of the argument, and asking for what you want. You are too little to be that good at deal-making, Asher!
You continue to be a reserved and sensitive boy. You don't like bouncy castles or slides. Going to the dentist this year was an ordeal, to say the least. New experiences leave you clammed up and glued to my side, usually saying "I don't like it!". You want your Mama when you are scared or sad or hurting or unsure. You may seem too big to wrestle with some of these things, but you are still too little to yet understand that taking risks is necessary for growth and development in life. I hope I can help you to trust yourself, trust your gut, and trust God with all you do. I hope I can also help you to learn to challenge yourself to just try something new, even if it feels scary. Risks are necessary in life sometimes, little boy, and sometimes when you try you learn that it wasn't so scary after all.
This year you were too little to have your best friend move away, and to lose a grandparent, but both of those things happened. Trying to explain to you the tough stuff of life in a way that you could understand was hard. But you are smart when it comes to these things, Asher, and I believe you understand that even though we can't be with the people we love, they are always with us in our hearts. We can call on their memories, their love for us, and their bravery when we need it and that can give us strength, love, courage. When I ask you where Pops is, you say that he is in heaven with Jesus. Such a small boy, already faced with such big challenges.
One of my favorite memories from this year is the week we spent renting a trailer at a camp ground near the ocean. The moment you saw the beach you exclaimed "Oh look Mama, it's the wonderful beach!" You called it the "wonderful beach" all week. I guess you didn't feel as wonderful about the first Christmas concert we went to this year, because about half way through it you fell asleep, and missed the rest of the show. This year you also mastered peeing on the potty (finally!), dropped your afternoon nap, flew on an airplane for the first time, went inside a real train and firetruck, learned several bible memory verses by heart, went ice skating, bowling, and to a movie in the theatre for the first time, put together real Lego, and grew 2 clothes sizes.
So Asher, while it's true that this year you have been too big for some things, and too small for others, you have still been able to have fun, experience wonder, laugh, be silly, learn, cuddle, and love; all of the important things in my mind. And I hope you always know that no matter where you go in life, or what others think, to me you are not too big, or too small; to me you are just right.
all my love,
your Mama
Today I was looking back at pictures of your previous birthdays, and I was shocked at just how little you were. At the time, I remember thinking the opposite; you have seemed so big to me at each birthday. (Nothing is more true than that today!) When Levi was born, I thought you were such a big boy at 27 months old, and now I see that you were so small still. A chubbier version of the same long and slender boy I see today. This idea of being big in some ways, and still so small in others, is an accurate picture of you right now.
Today you said "Mama, Cranky (the crane) swang Spencer (the train) and he fell off!". I love your grammatical mistakes because they remind me that you are still small, and still learning. Yet you speak and pronunciate so well (this fact stood out to me today when you said "decrescendo" in music class). You are beginning to spell and read some simple words, and one of your favorite games to play is to pick a letter and we say all the words we can think of that start with that letter. Such a big boy, putting together so many complex ideas and making sense of it all. Yet such a small boy who still struggles with printing and holding a pencil properly (you always have a tough time with those new motor skills).
Your memory astounds me for someone your age. You know the names of familiar streets and point this out to me regularly. I told you once the name of a girl we know who lives on Ryan Road, and now every time we are there, you remind me of this fact. You can remember the names of every Thomas the train ever created, and you can practically recite word for word some of your favorite books. You have known your phone number for such a long time, and even though we don't practice it very often, you always remember it when I ask you. And yet, you forget your own middle name all the time. I can just hear you saying "I don't know" whenever I ask you that question. You also have difficulty "remembering" that you're not supposed to push your brother. (I fear that has more to do with not getting what you want than a memory problem!). Big and small, all at the same time.
This year you have loved going to Story Time at the library (LOVED story time!). You are finally big enough to be going by yourself to the class, without me being in the room with you. You still need an adult reading to you, though. You love to pretend, and act out many scenarios with little conversations between trains. You love playing your leap pad and can figure out some of the games quicker than I can, already charting graphs and solving problems. In music class you can "read" all the beginning music notes we've learned, as well as sing and play them. Today our music teacher said you were keeping the beat on your drum to one of our songs. Big and small, all at the same time.
You have just recently finally made the transition to having your swim lessons in the big pool at the Y. You were too big to stay in the small pool, and too small to stay in the big pool without an adult. It seems that in just the past month you have finally felt comfortable to stay in the big pool, but only through pretending with Papa to be a plow or an airplane. Levi and I have been up in the big window watching you, and you look so tiny in that large pool. Big and small, all at the same time.
You are a master deal-maker, Asher. Every day I hear from you "I have an idea Mama, how about... does that sound like a good deal?" You are always negotiating and compromising, giving your side of the argument, and asking for what you want. You are too little to be that good at deal-making, Asher!
You continue to be a reserved and sensitive boy. You don't like bouncy castles or slides. Going to the dentist this year was an ordeal, to say the least. New experiences leave you clammed up and glued to my side, usually saying "I don't like it!". You want your Mama when you are scared or sad or hurting or unsure. You may seem too big to wrestle with some of these things, but you are still too little to yet understand that taking risks is necessary for growth and development in life. I hope I can help you to trust yourself, trust your gut, and trust God with all you do. I hope I can also help you to learn to challenge yourself to just try something new, even if it feels scary. Risks are necessary in life sometimes, little boy, and sometimes when you try you learn that it wasn't so scary after all.
This year you were too little to have your best friend move away, and to lose a grandparent, but both of those things happened. Trying to explain to you the tough stuff of life in a way that you could understand was hard. But you are smart when it comes to these things, Asher, and I believe you understand that even though we can't be with the people we love, they are always with us in our hearts. We can call on their memories, their love for us, and their bravery when we need it and that can give us strength, love, courage. When I ask you where Pops is, you say that he is in heaven with Jesus. Such a small boy, already faced with such big challenges.
One of my favorite memories from this year is the week we spent renting a trailer at a camp ground near the ocean. The moment you saw the beach you exclaimed "Oh look Mama, it's the wonderful beach!" You called it the "wonderful beach" all week. I guess you didn't feel as wonderful about the first Christmas concert we went to this year, because about half way through it you fell asleep, and missed the rest of the show. This year you also mastered peeing on the potty (finally!), dropped your afternoon nap, flew on an airplane for the first time, went inside a real train and firetruck, learned several bible memory verses by heart, went ice skating, bowling, and to a movie in the theatre for the first time, put together real Lego, and grew 2 clothes sizes.
So Asher, while it's true that this year you have been too big for some things, and too small for others, you have still been able to have fun, experience wonder, laugh, be silly, learn, cuddle, and love; all of the important things in my mind. And I hope you always know that no matter where you go in life, or what others think, to me you are not too big, or too small; to me you are just right.
all my love,
your Mama
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