I can't believe that our little baby toddler is 13 months old already. January has been such a LONG and slow month, but now that it's almost over, it seems like it flew by some how. It's so strange how that happens. But, here we are at the end, which means Asher is another month older. I didn't realize it until I looked back at Solomon's thirteen month post, but they are doing so many of the same things. Of course Solomon was sprinting around everywhere by this point, but I kind of love that Asher is taking the whole walking thing a lot slower! He's giving me a little more rest! ;) Here are some of the things that I want to remember about the last month with our little guy!!

• like Solomon was during this month, he says hello with every toy and barks for every animal he sees. 
• loving books now and will crawl over to the bookshelf and pull them out one by one. Sometimes he will sit for a while before crawling away to something else. 
• starting to think he will FOREVER hate changing his clothes or diaper. Getting him ready for bedtime is one of the most stressful parts of my day because he kicks and screams and cries the entire time. 
• seriously loves to cuddle each morning in bed, especially with Solomon. After he has his morning milk next to me, he will crawl over to Solomon and sleep next to him. If Solomon stays in his bed all night, and he's not in our bed, he just sits up yelling and wants to get out of bed. 
• obsessed with daddy and loves to scream for him constantly. It's the cutest thing!!! 
• blowing kisses like a pro now! Anytime we are getting ready to leave or someone leaves our house, he starts blowing tons of kisses. 
• loves to dance to all kinds of music, especially our nursery rhyme CD. This Old Man is his favorite!
• trying his best to walk!!!
• eating everything, especially anything we have! He has serious FOMO when it comes to food. Still loves milk, just not nearly as much as his brother did! We have also night weaned and he's sleeping a little bit better at night. 
• trying his best to copy big brother with everything from using a fork to coloring with crayons and markers, which he has surprisingly mastered pretty well so far! 
• also had his first haircut just a few days ago!! 

those cheeks!!!! gah, killing me!

Our little guy is getting so big!!!! I'm so excited to see what will happen in February! 

weekly three.

This week has been full of long nights, short tempers (on everyone's part) and days spent in PJs. Some weeks are just harder than others, but they are still full of learning lessons and asking for forgiveness, which is a win in my book. I sure am happy to see the weekend. I found myself thinking about how wonderful tomorrow morning will be with Peter home. Saturday mornings really are my favorite!! Plus, we have a date night tonight with some really sweet friends, so that's making me all kinds of happy. Happy weekend, friends!!!!

How most of the mornings were spent this week.... trying to soak in as much sleep as possible with this little dude between us. He's never been a fan of co-sleeping but the mornings are always full of cuddles. 

We worked on the story of God's Creation this week and loved it!!! I had a blast making these cards and sharing the story with Solomon. We started the morning by listening to Genesis on the Bible App, and it honestly surprised me at how much he loved it. He even asked to listen to "chapter one of the bible" in the car. I laughed but also thought it was very sweet! 

Asher is SOOOOO close to walking and it is so fun! He's at that fun stage where he gets super excited every time he actually takes more than 3 steps without falling. I have a feeling he will be walking by Monday!

taking stock // 018

Because it’s been waaaaaay too long since I’ve shared one of these, and I love them!

Making // more fun plans, like our trip to the Library for lego playtime, yesterday!

Cooking // from my meal planning so we can try and eat at home more during the next few months.

Drinking // too much sweet tea. It's my vice.

Reading // a devotional about praying for your husband and really loving it.

Wanting // Asher to sleep at night, that's really all I want. 

Looking // forward to all the fun travel plans we have for 2019!

Wishing // for spring weather.

Enjoying // decluttering and "Marie Kondo"ing our house, even if it is one little space at a time.

Liking // all the cute books we picked up at the library yesterday, it was our first time bringing home books!

Wondering // when people will stop asking if Asher is a girl....? and no, his name isn't Ashley. HA!

Loving // all the cute matching clothes for the boys, lately!

Hoping // I can make more time for this space in the weeks ahead! I miss it a lot!!!

Marveling // how reeeaaaally good days are always followed by suuuuuuper hard days. I'm convinced it's God's way of keeping me grounded. 

Needing // a massage.

Smelling // that yummy chili simmering on the stove.

Wearing //  our wellness oil roller on our spine and feet several times a day to help us stay healthy!

Knowing // that both the boys need a hair trim SO badly!!! 

Thinking // about our trip to Waco in a few months. SO. EXCITED.

Bookmarking // a lot of fun homeschooling ideas on pinterest!

Opening // the month of February on my calendar to make plans.

Giggling // at how stubborn and crazy Asher is sometimes. 

Feeling // grateful.

weekly three.

This week flew by with family in town and our daily routine back to normal. We've had a fun week exploring the fun of homeschooling and adding a little more structure to our "school time". It's pretty obvious that Solomon thrives on a schedule, just like me, so we've really enjoyed it. I can't wait to see how much he will learn in the months ahead. The past week has been amazing to see how much he truly grasps and understands. I always pretended to be either a teacher or a mommy when I was little, playing with all my dolls, so I feel like I'm living a dream com true!! But today is Friday, and we are so ready for the weekend, especially a very much needed date tonight! Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

We worked on colors this week, which also involved some paint art each day. Solomon got so excited and said, "Let's do this everyday!!!" haha, it was cute and I loved how much he enjoyed it!

Healthy dinners that the whole family loves is a huge highlight for me this week!

Sweet little brothers! Jill and I joked about how many photos we have of Solomon and JF playing, but only a handful of these two. 

a day in our life // 009

I almost decided not to share this "Day In Our Life" post because it wasn't as great as most of mine. I didn't have time to pull out the big camera and take a thousand photos like I normally do. Most of the time, these posts consist of 40+ photos, this one is only thirteen. It was a busy day, full of fun things to do and very little time to think about capturing it all. But, then I realized how most of our days are busy and full now. We have two boys to keep us on our toes, literally chasing them and playing with them and watching them grow up before our eyes. So, I decided to share the little bits of yesterday, because like I always say, I want to remember the details!! 

1.16.19 // wednesday

8:00 - I wake up from hearing Asher cry out form his crib. Peter goes to get him and brings him to our bed, which already has a sleeping Solomon, between us. He made his way to our bed around 5AM like most mornings. I nurse Asher while Solomon still sleeps, then Asher is ready to wake up his brother. Sweet giggles and hugs start our day! 

Since it is Wednesday, that means we have to rush around and get ready for M2M! Of course Asher sleeps in a little later than normal (usually he wakes up around 7:30) so we all have to hurry. Thankfully, Peter is still home also and helps get the boys in the car after they are dressed and ready, then I give him a ride to work on the way! 

8:40 - On our way to M2M and I'm one of those crazy ladies who does her makeup at the red lights. Whatever works, right?!? 

8:55 - We make it to the church just in time and I drop the boys off at their classes so I can go to my bible study. 

11:15 - The bible study is over and I pick up the boys, have a quick potty break and then we head outside to throw rocks and run around with friends for a little bit. One of Solomon's favorite parts of his day after M2M. 

11:30 - We drive home for lunch and Peter is there also. He always walks home from work since his office is a four minute walk. I love that he can come home almost every day. 

11:50 - Asher falls asleep in the car so I take him upstairs to rock and nurse him a bit before laying him down. Peter makes Solomon and PB & Honey sandwich and eats lunch with him. 

12:10 - Since Peter is home, I need to run to the post office to mail some Color Street nail sets to customers. It's so much easier to run in and do that without the boys! 

12:20 - Peter walks back to work and Solomon gets ready to sit down and start his homeschooling time. We start with writing his name and working on A, B and C. 

12:40 - We normally start our day with a bible story and his drawing journal, but today was a little different because of M2M. I was planning on skipping school work on Wednesday and Friday, but Solomon has been asking to do it anyways. Since our Wednesday is usually very busy, I just let him take the lead on those days. 

1:20 - We finish up his art work and workbook pages and we finish by reading Brown Bear Brown Bear, since the colors for today's lesson was brown and blue. I find that most of the homeschooking time takes about an hour a day, give or take. I feel like that is the perfect amount of time to keep his attention and for him to still have fun learning. Since this is all new to us, I'm letting him take the lead with time management for now.

1:30 - Solomon needs to use the bathroom (hallelujah, things are getting much easier with that situation!!) and I start folding some laundry and switch the wet clothes over to the dryer. 

1:45 - Solomon gets a treat and plays with some toys in the playroom while we wait for Asher to wake up. 

2:00 - I end up waking him up since we have to go to Kangaroo Jax to meet all the cousins to play. I change his diaper and we get in the car to go. 

2:30 - We get to Kangaroo Jax and the kids have a great time getting some energy out. 

4:20 - We leave Kangaroo Jax and go to Trader Joe's to pick up some groceries we need. 

5:00 - Once we are home I start getting dinner ready while the boys play. 

5:45 - Peter gets home and the boys are both losing their mind since they are hungry. I turn on an episode of Super Why on Netflix so they can relax on the couch with Peter will I finish up dinner. 

6:08 - We sit down to eat and Solomon very happily prays for the food so he can dig in! We have fish and rice with broccoli and he devours his plate. Sweet boy says thank you and tells me how good his food is several times! Asher eats a ton of broccoli and half a filet of fish also. I love it when we have a fast and easy dinner at home that everyone loves. 

The days are so busy, but they are full of learning, laughing and a lot of grace for all of us.

These are the days that I will always want to remember!!