Asher is 15 months old.

It's almost time to print Asher's blog to book. At the end of this month I will be having it made for this little man. Time went by fast with Jake, but it's flying with Asher. Most likely since I'm home with 2 toddlers, 17 months apart.

Every month with Asher he develops into his own little person. I can go on and on about my children. I think they're amazing. Ash is independent, physically strong, emotionally strong willed, assertive, curious, loving, and smart. He's snugly after naps and likes to be held by certain people. He's a Mommy's boy. But, I like to think they both are. :)

Asher is beautiful. Sometimes people ask what "her" name is. He has the sweetest little smile, but don't cross him. He doesn't let other's take his toys. He stands his ground already. If he's as strong willed as me, and as big as Grant, watch out world... Here comes Asher Stone.

I hope that I give so much love to fill their little hearts, so in turn, they can love and appreciate others. I love being a mommy to my two boys. They certainly complete me.


Here is a picture from his 15 month old baby well appointment. Off the charts just like his brother.

STATS:
31 pounds, 34 inches. Over 100 percentile.

Size 3T clothes, and a believe a size 7 shoe.

Drinking no more than 16 oz of milk a day now. Transitioning to only sippy cups.

Asher isn't that picky of an eater. He's does prefer healthier foods to cake and cookies (you wouldn't even eat your birthday cake). Not a fan of eggs. But, other than that... he'll at least try anything. Chicken, burritos, beans, rice, bacon, pumpkin and banana pancakes, bananas, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pretty much all berries, anything with peanut butter, pasta... all pasta, and way too many things to list.

He's quite the messy Lil man. I wipe him down, and change his clothes all day. I wash a load a day for my boys. I love to comb Asher's curly blonde hair after his evening bath.

Total of 8 teeth, 4 front teeth, 1 molar on the top, and 3 bottom teeth. I can see more teeth popping in though.

Transitioning to 1 nap a day... still trying to figure out the time of which that will be. Aiming for 1230pm/1:00pm-2:20pm/3:00pm.

Basketball, football, soccer are some of his favorite sports. He loves books, and wants me to read to him a lot. Pocoyo, and everything Disney is a hit for this kiddo. Probably because we're at Disneyland as often as we are. Ash loves to run around and play hide and seek. And if music is playing, Asher is the first to bust a move.

A few more blog posts left, and this baby is off to print. :0

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Note to my love:
Asher,

From the moment I found out I was pregnant with you, I knew you were special. I was ready for you right away. I wanted to have another child in our home. I prayed for you, and I was granted the greatest gift... life. Your life.

From the moment I saw you, I knew you were going to be a handful. You came on your own one month early. Mover and shaker. Right after getting admitted, you were here just a few hours later. Easiest delivery EVER! I held you immediately and couldn't believe I had another beautiful little boy to bring home. Jake took to you immediately.

You were an easy baby. You literally ate, smiled, and slept. There was crying don't get me wrong... but, all in all... easy. Sleep training? There wasn't any. You just went to sleep. I couldn't believe it. You went from waking every 3 hours to sleeping through the whole night. It's like you were waiting for me to put you in your crib. :)

I love that you are strong. My family say your alike like I was. And that you even look a little like me as a baby (you obviously look like your daddy too). You are your own person. And will pave your own way... your way! You really are amazing. My favorite thing you do right now is run towards me with your arms open. It melts my heart. I can't wait until you wake up so you can run towards me. When your brother takes something from you, you immediately go and take it back. Sometimes you bite him..... we are working on that! ha ha. No one will ever mess with you little man.

Your brother Jake is your best friend. You both do everything together. When you take your morning nap, Jake asks "why?" He wants to continue playing with you. Even after you both play tug a war with something, your back to laughing at each other. The laughter you both share warms my heart. I love you both so much. Such different, special little boys.

I want you to know how much you are loved. We ALL love you dearly. You bring even more joy to this home, and I couldn't imagine life without you. I hope that I can teach you to be God loving, patient, loving, caring, compassionate, loyal, strong, appreciative, and thoughtful. I also hope that you and your brother remain friends forever, and protect each other at all costs. Those are my goals for you boys. Set your dreams high baby... your going to succeed at all that you do. I already know that.

Thank you for your constant smiles, and laughter. Thank you for hugging your momma throughout the day. And thank you for being you. Your own little person.

I hope you love this book as much as I loved typing it all out. You're special little dude, and I hope that everyday I can show you how much I love you.

I'm here for you whenever you need me.

You are my sunshine. Always.

Momma

Newborn

6 months

1 year old

15 months old

So Cal weekends.

It's tough living in Southern California, let me tell ya. ha ha. Just kidding. It's amazing living in Southern California. This weekend the weather was at a regular 73 degrees. Pretty much the entire weekend. Grant took Friday off and we spent the day at Disneyland, and Downtown Disney.

The boys LOVE Disneyland. Having passes is the best. We can go for a few hours here and there (which is perfect for toddlers) and let the kids run around, and when they start to get tired we take off.

Fast asleep on the way home from Disneyland. :)

On Saturday we went to the beach and met up with The Lund's. Jake, and Asher love hanging with their friend Henry. Such a fun day in the sun. They all play great together. Such sweet boys.

Grant and I went on a little date night on Saturday evening. I wanted to take Grant out to thank him for being such a wonderful father, and husband. I love our date nights! As usual... a big success!

Today we went to church, did a little shopping, and then came home where I made lunch and let the kids take naps. Once the kids woke up, we went to dinner as a family.

I hope Grant was able to relax and enjoy a day to celebrate him. I try to tell him how much I appreciate all he does regularly... but, it's nice to have this special day to spoil him. :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Happy Fathers Day!

Happy Father's Day to the man that works to provide an awesome life for his wife and kids, and still comes home from longest of days to play with his kids... and love on his wife. Thank you for all that you do for us. I hope you have a good day with the family that we've created. I appreciate and love you very much. 

Your boys admire and look up to you. The moment you walk in the door it's sheer excitement. They can't wait to play and tell you all about their day. Jake talks about you all day.... and Asher screams when you come through the door. Great example of a loving, caring, compassionate, passionate, strong, and loyal man. 

WE LOVE YOU MUCHO!

Enjoy your day baby! 

Boys boys and more boys...

That sums up the Stone house. Everyone is a boy here... even the animals are all boys. AND I LOVE IT! :)

I haven't posted a whole lot of blog posts or pictures. So, this is a quick blog with photos of my boys and what they've been up to. Today, I took Asher to his 15 month baby well... I will blog about his stats later. Also, Asher's baby blog book will be completely when he turns 16 months... coming up on the 24th of this month. I need to get updated quickly! :)

Here are some pictures of my crazy lil men!
Lil Mr posing for the camera. Yep... serious attitude with this one.

Best buds. 

They have incredibly tough lives as you can see...

My baby is getting so big! 15 months old already!

Ash LOVES spaghetti. I keep telling my neat freak self I HAVE to let boys be boys and make a mess.... ;)

BBall in the backyard of course. Jake keeps it low so he can help Ash dunk! 

Big bro teaching lil bro how to high five.

Puzzle master, Jake.

Jake transitioned into a full size big boy bed just fine. In fact... he loves it! :)

Their smiles warm my heart. They love our park! Asher has no fear. He climbs up to the largest slide and goes down.... it scares the daylights out of me.

Water table fun... gotta get a new pool for these kids. ;)

BBALL BBALL BBALL... ALL DAY LONG! I have to bring 2 balls to the park... they wont share!

Can you find my boys below? Hmm.... Going cray cray in the playroom.

This lil turkey hurt his foot and was limping around for a week. Took him in for X-rays, etc... he's fine now. Why must they scare me like that? BOYS?! 

I want to keep them babies forever, but I'm enjoying who they are becoming. Such different little people. God's gifts. Blessed beyond. 

Enjoy your week all!

First weekend away together!

Last year one of my besties got engaged. She asked me to be in her wedding, and I started the planning then... The planning of child care. I knew that her wedding was going to be in beautiful Paso Robles. I needed to plan ahead... a year ahead! ;) We've had the same babysitter since Jake was 13 months old. She's fab. I totally trust her with my kiddos... but, the thought of her watching both for 3 days made me nervous. It made me nervous since I know how busy they are. :) 

So, as time drew closer I enlisted the help of not only Amelia but, my grandma as well. I figured 2 on 2 was the best option. My anxiety diminished.... a tad. I went to Kristy's bachelorette party for 1 night... but, Grant was home. Grant is off and traveling for work often, but I clearly go with the kids everywhere. This was the first time both parents were away. 

Let's just say as soon as I left, I felt OK about it. I knew that Amelia has been with the boys for almost 2 years, and my grandma is a professional mom. So, I felt comfortable. The boys really didn't even miss us. Yep. It's true. They were so very excited when we walked in the door, but they were so busy the entire time we were gone. In fact, they had a blast getting spoiled by ya ya and Amelia.

I also had fun! I had so much fun with Kristy. She looked beautiful, and her venue was perfect! I'm so incredibly happy for them. They are a great couple. :) I had so much fun with all the bridesmaids too. Some where sorority sisters, and others have become new friends. Great group of girls. 

Grant and I even got a little wine tasting in. I cannot confirm or deny if we joined 2 more wineries. Justin and Denner are the vineyards we went to. We were home by Sunday evening, and were able to feed, bathe, and put the boys down.

Such a great weekend. It was relaxing, fun, and adventures to say the least! 

Here are some pics from the weekend.

The beautiful bride and I.

The bridesmaids at the venue.

Handsome hubby and I.

Pre wedding glass of vino.

Group shot at the farm house.

My silly husband and I.

A little wine tasting before heading home.

Thank you ya ya and Amelia for taking such good care of my boys! Congratulations to my beautiful friend Kristy, and her husband Josh! 

The Ya Ya's.

Sounds like a song, right? My mom came into town a few weeks ago to help me with the boys, garden, and hang out! Then my grandma came into town to help with the boys when Grant and I were going to Paso Robles for a wedding. The last few weeks have been awesome. I've had family here almost nonstop. Since it's been a full house, its a little lonely now. Jake keeps looking for his ya ya's. I keep telling him we'll see them soon at their home in Idaho. He just looks at me like I'm crazy. :)

My mom came into town for an extended weekend and help me garden the entire backyard. She tore out rose bushes, replanted trees, new bushes, and flowers. I need to post a few before and after pictures of that this week. It's looks totally different now. My mom has a total green thumb. The boys LOVED running around and snuggling with their ya ya. I loved having my mom around to talk to non stop. Thanks mommy!

My uncle and cousins came over a few times and we were able to barbecue and hang out. My boys LOVE LOVE LOVE their big cousins, and my uncle and aunt. Jake just wont leave Mitch and Bryan alone. Bryan and I are the exact age apart as Jake to him.

My mom went to the store and bought Jake and Asher bubbles and balls... They were in heaven. Jake cried when "HIS YAYA" left. He said, "ya ya's all mine!"

Then... another beauty came into town. Even at 78 she's still got it. She rolled around with the boys, helped me feed them, etc. She can't lift them though. They're almost as tall and weigh as much as her! SERIOUSLY. :) 

I was in a wedding for one of my best friends over the weekend, so she stayed and helped our babysitter Amelia. Good thing I had two here to help. The boys can be a hand full! Jake yet again got sad another ya ya left. It's hard enough for me to deal with it... but, now my baby is starting to experience sadness when they leave. Hopefully, we can plan a long trip there soon!

Now that they are gone, I'm left a little sad... but, thankful for all that they have done for me all through my life. I'm a lucky girl. I just wish they were around all the time. Guess we need to start planning our Boise vacation?!

Next blog coming soon...

I'M BACK! Part one of many more blogs to catch up!

I haven't blogged in over a month! It's been insane, and I haven't been able to sit down long enough to type out what we've been up to... so... I thought over the next few days I can catch up my blog. I'm also getting ready to redo my blog. So, stayed tuned for all of that as well.

Anyhoo... what have we been up to? WELL... Grant and I bought a house in Seal Beach, California. We love it so much! Before we even moved in, I had quite a bit done to it. Repainted the entire house, we had new flooring put in, and we changed fixtures, and added a closet. It's been quite busy. Not only that... but, moving with 2 toddlers is cray cray! But, the good news is that we are all moved in and situated. What a relief!

Here are a few pics (So much has changed since I even took these... with adding more to and adding our furniture. I'll be taking more updated photos soon). We are so happy and feeling blessed.

I tore out bricks, plants, and old bushes. Then I replanted all new. In this picture the plants I planted are just little babies. I will update with how much it's all grown. :) Click on the picture to make it bigger.

Front porch. I'm still going to add a tall planter to the right of the door.

I had old lighting, and molding removed, and painted all the way up to the tops of the ceilings. New carpet in this room as well.

I had hardwood, and carpet put in the house.

Our bonus room/playroom is completely different. with new paint, flooring, and new blinds as well. 

And then....

There was a wanted animal in our neighborhood...

It was of course ours...

We were in our new house for about a week, and he went missing. The first night was odd, but I thought he'd return the next morning. When he didn't I began to panic. I have had Kitty (I call him Kitty, but his real name is Vinny... I have no idea why I named him that) for 13 years. I got him for Valentines Day in 2000 from my mom. Great gift to give a college student, right? ha ha. Anyhow, Kitty/Vinny and I have been buds for so many years. He's moved everywhere with me. He's no stranger to neighborhoods, and he usually stays close.

I started to freak out when a few days went by. I asked our neighbors, and no one had seen him. Since Kitty is so friendly, everyone close by had already met him, and fell in love with him. The neighbors started to help me look and asked around. Our next door neighbor made the sign above and put it up in our neighborhood.

The day before Grant's and my trip to Paso Robles I was out running errands with my grandma, and I got a text from our babysitter... she said a man came by and had our cat! He left his number. I drove him right away.

About an hour later he came back with Kitty. They had taken him to the vet and got him medicine. Apparently Kitty has a respiratory infection now. How sweet are those neighbors? I explained to the man that Kitty is old, and is getting sick on and off now. I was thankful they took such good care of him. Kitty got lost in our new neighbor, and we have incredible neighbors!

I am currently making the neighbors something nice to thank them. I'm so happy my cat is back home safe and sound. He now has a collar on with all of our information. So, if he gets lost again they can call us directly if he gets lost. I am know paying a closer eye on that rascal too.

Next blog coming later!