This momma has been itching to get out of the house to have some fresh air for a long week. I'm still a little worried to take the boys out on my own with all the crazy winter germs floating around. I never thought I would be so paranoid about the flu, but having a newborn during flu season, well that changes everything! So when we realized it was going to be a rainy few days starting on Saturday night, I knew we needed to go out and have some family fun during the day. Solomon has been getting a little stir crazy too, so I knew we all needed it. 

Birds Fly South is always one of the first options when choosing a family date! It's such a fun spot with tacos from White Duck Taco Shop & the open yard for Solomon to run around like a wild child. That is exactly what he needed after being cooped up in the house for weeks. The cheese dip and salsa is so good and I always get my favorite taco, the bangkok shrimp. This time I also tried the crispy pork belly taco and it was incredible. 

eating a juicy taco while wearing a baby, not an easy task! 

I ended up passing Asher to Peter so I could finish my tacos without dripping any sauce on his little head, ha! I was a big fan of the beer that Peter picked also, since it was less than 4%, and so tasty. I got to enjoy a lot of it with him since the ABV was so low. It was a really refreshing beer and made me even more excited about the warm spring weather on the way.

Some fresh air for the boys and some football for Solomon was the perfect way to end our time at the brewery. It was fun to sit and cuddle with Asher and watch Solomon enjoy the yard with all the kids. Once again, it made me really excited for the coming months ahead and the warmer weather on the way!! All with a tasty beer in my hand, of course!

Asher // one month.

Asher,
I can't believe you are already one month old. The past month has flown by so quickly and it's crazy how much you have changed already. I feel like those newborn days are already gone. You are such a big boy and you love to drink your milk. Almost everyone who holds you says "wow, he's solid!". You are solid and I'm so proud of you and all that you have accomplished already in this crazy life. You are our happy boy but I can tell you will have quite a personality. I pray that you will grow into a sweet and kind little boy, who will eventually grow into a good man after God's heart.

The days and nights aren't much of a blur anymore since you are a great sleeper most of the time. There have been a handful of nights that have been long and hard, but those are few and far between. I'm hoping you keep that up!!! You are also looking more and more like your daddy these days which I love so much!! You still look like your big brother when you are sleeping, but as soon as your eyes are open and you are looking around, you are your daddy! I can't wait to see how you change in the months ahead and watch your personality come to life! I'm so happy that you are a part of our life now. I can't imagine our family without you, you definitely make us more complete.

We love you, baby boy!! Happy one month!
Love, Momma

stats // 11.7 lbs & 21.5in

eating // lots and lots of milk. He is such a chunk and loves to nurse, even as a day old he was gaining weight so well and drinking almost 1oz when we weighed him. The nurses were so surprised and pleased. In one month  he gained over 3 lbs, so its safe to say he loves his milk! During the day he drinks every 2-4 hours. At night he is all about the cluster feeding from 6PM to 11PM, mostly eating every hour for about 20 minutes at a time, unless hes sleeping on daddy's chest.

sleeping // I'm still wondering how each night will go since some nights are an amazing 4-6 hours of solid sleep, or it could be an every 2 hour wake up. Either way he stays asleep while nursing until around 5-6AM, so I can't complain! We are bedsharing already most of the night since it's already so natural for me to nurse and sleep with a baby. Thankfully he enjoys it too and sleeps well next to me in the bed.

wearing // all 3 month clothing already, and he has been wearing it for a couple weeks. I was shocked at how quickly he outgrew the newborn clothes. Some of the things Solomon wore for months wont fit already.
size 1 diapers but they are pretty snug already!

favorite things // staring at big brother, cuddles (especially with daddy at night!), burping and having a clean diaper (even if he HATES having his diaper changed!!), sleeping in the rock-n-play during the day for naps & taking a bath!!!

weekly three.

This week has been so full of so much goodness. I'm going to be honest and say that it has everything to do with the effort I have been making to put Christ first this week. It's hard to do with two little boys to keep fed and clean all day, but making sure I make the time each day, has made a huge difference in my attitude and my heart. I'm happier when I wake in the morning, I have been staying cheerful during the day, and also welcoming when Peter comes home from work. It's such a wonderful feeling and I'm praying I can keep it up. I know not every day and every week will be perfect, but I'm hoping to find His grace in the imperfections of motherhood. Happy weekend, friends!! 

spending some quality time with my grandma on Monday afternoon!

I can't wait to see how my #playroomquiettime hashtag is filled with sweet images throughout this year. I'm so excited to make time for His Word in 2018. I have a big goal to use social media to share His love and witness to others, not just scrolling through photos all day long. 

we have been loved on by so many sweet family and friends since Asher has been born, which makes me feel so thankful. Last night we got fajitas from one family, then a visit and flowers with some snacks, from another friend. I'm really blessed by the village that God has given us. 

the first little girl.

I got to go meet the sweetest and most beautiful little girl yesterday, my new niece, Sophie! I can't believe she's finally here, and on her due date, just like Asher. I have a feeling those two will have a lot of fun together and I'm so happy they will have each other to grow up with. Solomon and Jonah already have such a sweet friendship and I pray that Asher and Sophie will also. I'm sure he will take care of her and protect her from all the crazy boys in the family. After all, this is the eight grandchild on the Eliya side and our first girl! All babies five and younger, so she might need some protecting but, I have a feeling she will be able to take care of herself! She sure is precious!!! 

seeing these two together made me so happy!!!

and these crack me up....

It looks like she's saying "hey, wake up and talk to me!!!" 

& Asher says "hush woman, I'm trying to sleep over here!!" 

daddy making everything better after a punch in the face! 

She's so precious, and Asher just slept through the entire thing.

Solomon Says // 002

I thought we were due for another Solomon Says post, since he seems to be saying so much lately. I love that I can have full on conversations with my little guy now. This stage is so fun!!! 

OH! // he says this constantly and I think it's so funny. If we are talking to him and explaining something new, he will look at us like he completely understands and casually says, OH! Then if he's doing something he knows he shouldn't be doing, and we correct him, he will respond with the OH! like he had no idea. He also loves to say OH! while playing with his toys or running around the house talking to himself.

baby brother talk // it's not so much what he says but how he says it to Asher. Whenever he's talking to Asher he will have a change in his voice and sounds even sweeter and constantly rubs his head while talking to him. He loves him so much and I love watching them together.

otay // I know he picked this up from Peter because he says it a lot, mainly when he's starting to read a book to Solomon. He will open the book and say OKAY before starting to read. Now anytime Solomon is reading a book to himself, he opens it and says "otay". Kills me, I love how he watches Peter and copies him all the time. He will also say "otay mommy", when I ask him to do something, which is so cute! But, the cutest way he says it has to be when he is using that sweet little voice when Asher is crying and he tells him "it's otaaaaaay".

imagination // just in the past few weeks his imagination is going wild and you never know what he's going to say or do. It's so funny to watch him play now and hear the things he comes up with. Especially how he changes who he is constantly. If I call him Solomon he might respond with, no I'm a tiger, or a dinosaur, or even Luke Skywalker (he's a little obsessed with Star Wars right now) but just a couple days ago he told me he was his cousin Giovanni. The entire night he was Giovanni and  would tell us that Solomon was playing outside or in the playroom. Then he would go and find him but he wasn't Solomon again for a while. Anytime I would try and call him Solomon he'd say "No, I'm Giovanni, be nice!" It's so fun to see him pretend and come up with these things on his own.

weekly three.

This week flew by, thanks to the midweek snow break! It was nice to see everything covered in the beautiful white snow and have a relaxing morning with daddy at home before he ventured into work on Wednesday. Yesterday was definitely the most stressful day so far with my two boys. Solomon has a cold which means he's having a few too many meltdowns, then add in a baby brother that he can't hold or kiss, well... he's hasn't been a happy guy. I'm hoping hes back to normal soon. For all of our sanity. I can't believe it's already Friday. Praise Jesus, I'm ready for the weekend!!!

butt pats and reading books.... the life of a mom of two. I'm finding my way through the adventure and really loving it. I told Peter this week that I still want ten babies. Even after the day of meltdowns yesterday. 

this little angel and his sleeping habits so far have been such a surprise. He has given us 4-5 hours a night (most nights) and even puts himself to sleep with the paci at times. Both things that Solomon never did. Solomon didn't sleep for more than 2 hour chunks until he was 20 months old, and I'm not kidding. So, this is a nice change for us! Happy THREE WEEKS to our sweet boy. I can't believe we've had you in our arms for a solid three weeks already. 

I'm going to try my best to have my morning coffee in the playroom with Solomon instead of on the couch with the TV. The light coming in first thing in the morning is so nice and I love to sit and watch him play. A much better habit than staring at the TV or my phone. 

snow day.

We had our first snow of 2018 (and dare I hope, the last! I'm so ready for Spring) and Solomon was so excited. Ever since our last snow, anytime it has been really cold, Solomon asks if it's going to snow. When we heard the news that we could get a dusting to 1 inch of snow, I was hopeful it would work out for our little guy. Yesterday morning he woke up bright and early at 6:30, like he knew something big was happening. We were so excited to share the surprise with him once it was daylight outside and he could see the snow. It definitely helped with a morning meltdown, he quickly had an attitude change once he saw all the pretty white snow. I was also excited for Asher's first snow day! It was cold so we all got bundled up for a short 20-30 minutes to explore. Solomon has a cold and Asher is so tiny, so we knew we wouldn't spend a long time outside. Thankfully the hot chocolate was a good way to get Solomon back inside. 

I was very excited to use my baby wearing jacket for the fist time. 

This jacket is so nice since you can wear it 3 different ways, I wouldn't spend the money on it for full price BUT I did get a great deal on it before Christmas. I actually got lucky enough to wish for this for the Eliya Family Exchange this year, it was such a good gift!! 

I love this photo SO MUCH!

& I love how Solomon is staring at his daddy in almost every single picture lately. He's definitely obsessed with Peter and I love it! 

Happy snow day to all of you!!!! Hope you can enjoy it a bit longer before it all melts away, I will definitely enjoy looking at it from my warm spot on the couch! ;) 

Okay, Spring.... we are ready for you!!!!

brother littles.

We've had baby brother in our arms for over two weeks now, and I find myself wondering how we ever lived without him. I'm so thankful to say that the transition has been a good one, but like I said, it's only been two weeks. I thought it would be fun to list a few of the little things that I have loved so far and don't ever want to forget! 

one // the way Asher already looks at Solomon with wonder and excitement. I can't wait to watch them grow up together

two // finding out all the little differences between my two boys has been interesting. Things like how Asher needs to be burped constantly and the way he needs a clean diaper almost every hour. Both of those things are very new to me since Solomon never cared or needed that. Asher's sleeping is also pretty new to me though, since Solomon still isn't a fan of that nonsense. 

three // all the many, many kisses that Asher gets everyday from Solomon! And also how he's only had one foam ball to the head so far. We are so proud of Solomon and how he's adjusting. 

four // forgetting how exhausting breastfeeding is and having your toddler wake you up whenever you doze off on the couch while baby brother nurses. "Momma, wake up!!!" Haha!

five // praying as often as I can for these brothers to become best friends and truly love and need each other one day. That would make be so incredibly happy!

Photos are by the very talented, Molly Neely Photography