happy halloween...

2 days late. I had this post all ready to publish on Halloween, but then our internet decided to go haywire on us for a couple of days. Oh well, it's better late than never, I suppose...

still can't even believe it...

So what's so unbelievable about a safety pin, you ask?

Well, nothing much...it's actually the where and the how I found it that strains credulity. You see, I discovered it yesterday as I was changing Asher's diaper; and the end that I've labeled in the photo, is the end that I spotted poking out of his bum...it's the very end I had to grab a hold of, in order to help my son expel the big ol' safety pin from his posterior.
John and I had a very serious talk with Ruby that evening, during which she admitted to having fed the pin to him. I was in shock - and still am - that the thing made it's way relatively smoothly through his digestive tract. It's upsetting to think about all the terrible scenarios...all of the scary things that could have happened in this situation - but thankfully - didn't.
What if the pin had been opened when she put it into his mouth? What if Asher had aspirated it? What if it had gone down the wrong tube? What if it had turned horizontally as it was making it's way through the tiny passages and organs?
I just feel so blessed that he was watched over and protected by a loving Heavenly Father; and I, in turn, have committed to "watch over" big sister more closely...and also do my best to help her understand the possible outcome (and consequences) of such preposterous practices.

and today we were clowns...

Only 3 more days...BWA-HA-ha-Ha-hA-HA-Ha-hA-ha...ha...ha...HA!

getting into the spirit: part II

I don't know what it is about Halloween, but I just love it. During the entire month of October...we're usually in dress-up mode. The other day we were cowboys and indians.

Poor Asher has no idea what he got himself into when he joined up with us...

little prince...

It's been a really really long day. I don't recommend running errands for 8 hours straight, with a toddler and a new born. I AM BEAT. In fact, I'd much rather be in bed than in front of the computer right now. But my little Asher is two months today, and I just couldn't allow the day to end without paying tribute to him. Here are just a few things I love about him...

I love his smell. I'm always sniffing the top of his head because it smells so so yummy.

I love his great big lips.

I love the dimple on his left cheek...and the tiny birthmark on his right thigh.

I love the little bumps we discovered on the bottom of his every single toe.

I love his softer than soft peach fuzz head.

I love his eyebrow raise (see photo).

I love his face...everything about it.

I love his intensity while eating...and how he clenches his fists ever so tightly.

I love his bird legs.

I love his broad shoulders and chest.

I love how strong he is.

I love how his tongue curls when he cries (however, I don't like to see him cry).

I love his "deer in the headlights" expression.

I love it when we make eye contact.

I love his ever so subtle smile.


I know I'm going to come up with so many more things, and regret that I didn't think of them in time...but the truth is, I know I could never enumerate all the reasons I love him. He is just perfect to me...in every way. I'm so lucky he's mine.

Happy two months, Little Prince.

ice cream in naples...

Sounds pretty dreamy, doesn't it?




I wish I could say that John and I were able to enjoy a weekend get-a-way in Naples, and that while walking hand-in-hand along the soft, sandy beach, we together enjoyed ice cream, and soaked up the sunshine.

In actuality, it was nothing like that. John and his brother, Rob, went for business last weekend. And, well, the closest I came to soaking up the sunshine on a sandy coastline... was the daydream provoked by the pic (Rob emailed) of John lying out in the sand...beautiful ocean waves crashing along the shore in the background. And what was I doing?...calming the waves that were happining at home.

Life so isn't fair.

John gathered some seashells to bring home to Ruby, and the first thing she said was "Yay! Ice Cream!...and Pretzel!" Kids are so funny. It made me happy to know that I'm not the only one who likes to day dream and imagine.

Someday, I hope to take my whole family to a beautiful tropical place, where we can play in the ocean, and sit and eat ice cream (or pretzels) all day...but until then, we'll live vicariously through John's adventures...and enjoy our souvenir seashells.

story time...

One of our highlights of each day is story time. Ruby really dislikes taking a nap. She hasn't always; but ever since brother joined the family, I think she feels like she's missing out on a whole lot of fun by going to sleep. She'll literally fight to keep her tired eyes open, and it isn't until I've read her at least 10 books, that she finally stops resisting. Like all kids, she definitely has her favorites. She adores the Sandra Boynton books. I like them because, first, they're board books, making them relatively hard to destroy. Secondly, I like them because they're pretty clever and catchy, full of cute little rhymes, and funny little pictures. I also like them because they're really short. At her age, she starts disengaging herself if the story's too long.

Brown Bear is probably her all time favorite book. I think because it's the only one she can read perfectly to us...(taking a few liberties here and there).

So sit back...relax...and enjoy story time by Princess Ruby.

darn it...

This sad little face is killing me. John took him to be circumcised, so he's been slightly miserable the past two days. I just feel so bad that we couldn't have done it sooner. Two pediatricians at the hospital he was born recommended we not have it done. "He's just built a little differently" is what we were told. So what's that supposed to mean? Luckily our pediatrician here had a differing opinion, which was "no, he's perfectly normal...I think those those doctors were just plain lazy!" To give them the benefit of the doubt, here's my personal opinion...Asher was super swollen for about a week after birth, so I've wondered if that might actually have contributed to the difficulty of preforming such a procedure. I don't know, but at least our doctor was able to take care of it (at two months) without us having to take him to a urologist (at 6 months)...which would have been much more complicated...and expensive, I'm sure.

I just want him to heal up soon...this poor little sad face is killing me.

getting into the spirit...

We've been doing some serious decorating around here...among other things.



Happy Halloween Time!

Now if it would just cool down a little bit...it might actually feel like October.

it's a good thing she's cute...

because she sure is testing my patience these days. In fact, on Friday, I couldn't believe my ears when I heard these phrases come from her sweet lips...

"No Way, Mom!"
"No! You not in charge!"
"You not special!"

...and finally, the clincher...

"You stupid!"

Wow, I had no idea she even knew what these things meant...let alone, where she picked them up.

We've been doing a lot of "reproving with sharpness" around here, but then doing our best to "show forth afterwards an increase of love". (D&C 121:43)

I'll be the first to admit, it's a little harder than it sounds.

i might be a little a lot obsessed...

These little gems have taken over my (and my husband's) life the last couple of days. I have literally visited every McDonald's in the entire east valley in an attempt to find the complete collection of 2008 Madame Alexander - Wizard of Oz dolls. And the stores I didn't physically drive to - John called. Yeah, we can be a little extreme at times, but seriously, who can resist how cute these things are?

With the help of my mother-in-law and brother-in-law (in Utah), we have now added two more to our collection, which means we have left to find only one, which is...#2 Glinda The Good Witch. I mean really, what's the Wizard of Oz without Glinda? I have got to find her!

ash...

that's what Ruby started calling her little brother all on her own. I think it's pretty cute. When I was her age, I had a special nickname for my little brother too. His name is Aaron, but I called him Onie. I think having a nickname for someone can be fun, especially when it's used as a term of endearment. I believe this is the case with Ruby and her brother, as she only calls him Ash when she feels (and wants to demonstrate) love and affection towards him. When she's hostile or feels threatened in any way...he goes back to being Asher.

Today, though, he's Ash...and that's a really good thing.

such a little character...

Today started off no different than any other day...with Ruby begging for her Cinderella dress. However, there was one thing a bit out of the ordinary...she asked for a Snow White headband. I told her that we didn't have anything like that, and boy did she ever put me in my place. She ran to my bathroom, and headed straight for the basket under the sink where I keep all my hair stuff. She then pulled out a red bandanna and said "Snow White!" Although this really looks nothing like Snow White's dainty red headband, I had to give her props for at least getting the color right. After dressing her like Cinderella, and fixing her hair like Snow White, I then spent the next little while hunting around the house for her Sleeping Judy cell phone...because the Cinderella one was just not going to cut it today. Oh wow, look what I've gotten myself into...or rather, look what she's gotten me into, because I can assure you that - although I am very girly - it was not I that instilled in her this passion for all things princess. Oh well, let it last however long it lasts, it does make for some very fun pictures...

my daddy and me...

I just thought this scene was too cute. Asher had fallen asleep in John's arms last night during family night, so I thought I'd just let him stay put on the couch (so as not to wake the baby) while I put Ruby to bed. When I came back out to the family room, I found that roles had been reversed. Now John was completely knocked out, while Asher (as wide-eyed as could be) was holding his own head up, and gazing all around the room. So funny.

uh oh...

I can't believe that I forgot about these little treasures. While we were visiting Paul and Amy last month, George and Ruby got into some of Amy's craft paint. John discovered what they had done as he went downstairs and spotted purple paint spots in the hallway. These two were having the time of their lives painting each other. I'll never forget the look on Ruby's face either...I think that she truly believed she was the prettiest person alive with all that purple "makeup"! I was so relived that Amy was such a good sport about it all, because, yes, they weren't so thoughtful as to avoid painting the carpet. All Amy did (through her bursts of laughter), was tell me to run grab my camera. Then a few days later I got this comment from her on my blog...
I am so so happy that I was able to meet Asher yesterday. I love you guys and though I have a contact buzz from the cleaner I am using I am getting the paint out of my carpet :)
Being around Amy has helped me to be a bit more relaxed in life as I strive to roll with the "punches" it gives me.

my girl knows her princesses...

In keeping with the whole princess theme, I just couldn't resist posting this video clip of my own little princess...naming her princesses.

I think it's so cute how she thinks Sleeping Beauty is Sleeping Judy. Grandma Judy got a huge kick out of that on the phone tonight when Ruby was naming off all the princess to her, and so matter-of-factly, named Sleeping Judy among others that are so familiar to her. Sure, we all got a good laugh out of it, but in all seriousness, I can't think of a women deemed more worthy of the title "princess", than our very own Grandma Judy. As it turns out, Ruby wasn't mistaken in the least...

I told you my girl knows her princesses.

ci'rella...

I have discovered Ruby's passion. Her newest obsession. With it, she is perfectly content, she feels beautiful, she even smiles more. But the moment I mention that it may be taken away due to her unruly behavior, is the very moment her entire world comes crashing down. (I try to avoid making those threats if at all possible...it's just not pretty.) I can also bribe her to do essentially anything by the mere mention that if she act in accordance with my wishes, she will be able to exult in her newly discovered fascination.
I have my dear friend, Rania to thank for this...this...thing that just so happens to be ruling my daughter's life! You see, while we were in Utah to get Asher, Rania and her daughter, Kailey, gave Ruby a Cinderella dress (or as Ruby would say...her ci'rella dwess) and a pair of glass slippers. Little did they know what a hit this gift would be. Seriously, Ruby's entire universe revolves around Cinderella now, and the funny and ironic part about it all, is that we don't even own the movie. In fact, before receiving the dress, I don't think she even knew who Cinderella was...and now?...well...now she thinks she is Cinderella.
She wears the dress to the store, to the Dr. office, to play group...she eats in it, sometimes naps in it, and when she wakes in the morning, it's the first thing she asks for.
And I thought I was doing a lot more laundry due to Asher's incessant spitting.. but no, it's mostly because I'm washing that darn dress everyday so that my sweet little Ruby can continue to muse in her princess dream world. I love being a mom...never a dull moment.

his name...

Many have asked how we came up with Asher's name. Was it something we were able to choose ourselves? Did the birth mom name him? Well, to answer your questions...I guess a little of both.
We've liked the name Asher for awhile now. I like it because it's biblical (I've always liked bible names for boys), but not a super common/overused bible name. To be truthful though, we hadn't really considered using this particular name for this baby. We began throwing names around a couple of months before he was born. We scoured the Internet, name books, etc... but nothing seemed right. Nothing jumped out at us. We even asked our birth mom if there were any names in particular that she really loved. (At that point, we felt like we needed all the help we could get.) She gave us a few ideas to think about, and John and I continued bouncing ideas off of each other. It wasn't until we looked up the origin and meaning of the name, that we were finally convinced that this unborn baby was most definitely...an Asher.
The name Asher \a-sher\ is pronounced ASH-er. It is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is "happy" and "blessed". Biblical: Asher, the eighth son of Jacob, was promised a life blessed with abundance.
I also found it interesting as I read the account of Jacob, in the book of Genesis, that Asher's birth mother was actually Zilpah, Leah's handmaiden; yet Leah loved Asher and Gad like her own biological children.
In the short time that we've had our little Asher, we have loved him and cared for him no less than we have our precious Ruby, who is our own biological daughter. To us, the important thing is not how he got to us, but that he's here...with us. He's ours. And oh how "blessed" we are to have him...and oh how "happy" he makes us feel. I know that his birth mother made the decision to place him for adoption with only his "happiness" in mind; and our promise to her is that we will do everything in our power to ensure his "happiness" and teach him the way to live so that his life, like that of the biblical Asher, will be "blessed with abundance".

Jordan was one of the names that Asher's birth mom told us she really liked. When we looked up it's origin and meaning, once again, we just felt that this name would be so appropriate for his middle name.
The name Jordan \j(o)-rdan, jor-dan\ is pronounced JOR-dan. It is of Hebrew origin, and its meaning is "down-flowing". Name of the major river in Palestine, used as a given name since the Crusades.
I liked that there's some consistency between the two names, both being of Hebrew origin. I also love that the name Jordan means "down-flowing", referring obviously, to the river Jordan. We know that Moses was born to a Hebrew mother, but as Pharaoh ordered the execution of all Hebrew baby boys, Moses' birth mom (for his protection and well being) sent him "down a river", and we know that he was found by Pharaoh's daughter, and then "adopted" into the royal Egyptian family. To me, using the name Jordan is just a subtle way of linking Asher's heritage to Moses' (both being adopted) rather than directly naming him Moses.
Plus, I just think it's so neat that Asher's birth mom was able to contribute in choosing his very special name.

I hope that when he's older, he'll love and appreciate his name for the very same reasons that inspired us to choose it.

spoiled...

that's what I am...very spoiled indeed. I have the most amazing friends and family imaginable; sometimes I just feel so undeserving of their love and kindness.

Being that Asher is my second, I wasn't expecting a baby shower, or anything of the sort; but was completely blown away by the two showers that were given in my honor.

While we were in Utah to pick up Asher, my sister Kim had organized a family shower at the Olive Garden. My sisters, sister-in-law, step-sisters, step-mom, and grandma all attended; and Asher and I walked out of there feeling like royalty. I'm so grateful to Kim for thinking up and organizing such a fun evening, to Lynell for footing the bill, and to everyone else for attending and for bringing such darling gifts for my new little king.



Last weekend, my friend, Amber (with the help of several other friends), threw the most amazing baby shower I'm sure I have ever attended. Everything was entirely color coordinated, and perfectly displayed, and superbly thought out...down to every, single, minute detail. I was completely overwhelmed by the amount of time, and work, and energy that went in to making everything so perfect and enjoyable for me and my sweet boy.











Once again, I'm sure that I have the most amazing friends and family around.

They make me feel so absolutely spoiled...and altogether loved.

Thank You.

must be losing my mind...

Last night John and I took the kids out and went to a few stores. I had been itching to get out all day, but wasn't able to, as it was just one of those days...you know, the kind where it's all you can do to just stay above the water (or the heaps of toys, and mounds of laundry), the kids are crying and upset, you feel like you live in a pigsty, and the day is 3/4 over...but you're still in your pj's? Luckily I managed to pull myself (and my home, and my kids) together just minutes before my husband walked in the door from work...giving the appearance that I just have this whole homemaker, wife, and mother-of-two thing completely under control. Ha.

So, while we were out last night, we stopped into Babies-R-Us to pick up a sleep positioner for Asher. We had been told that allowing your baby to sleep at an incline, will help eliminate some of the harsh effects of acid reflux. We ended up finding something that seemed worth trying, but as it turned out - go figure - he was way too big for it. It was actually quite humorous watching him lie in it...his body spilling out over each end and both sides. Well, needless to say, the thing didn't quite work out, so this morning I loaded the kids in the car, and we headed out to make the "quick" exchange. This is where the fun begins. The store is a good 20-25 minutes away from our house, and it wasn't until we got all the way out there, and parked the car, that I realized I had left the sleep positioner at home! The kids were behaving so well that I found no harm in heading back home to grab it, and then returning to the store. By the time we made it back though, we had spent over an hour in the car...and both kids were sound asleep. I hung out in the parking lot a little while to allow Ruby some additional napping time (wasn't as concerned about Asher...he'll sleep anywhere in that portable bed of his). While I waited, I picked up a diet coke (seems to make everything better), and relished every sip.
That is...until Ruby wakes in a panic, holding herself, and declaring that she needs to go potty. (Yes, I never blogged about it, but Ruby is potty trained, and has been for about two months now.) So I throw open the trunk, grab the double stroller, toss both kids inside, and run like my life depends on it to the restroom. Poor Ruby - bless her little heart, didn't quite make it. I had to strip her down to nothing and steal Asher's blanket to wrap around her until we could get her something to wear. We found a pack of princess panties - which she was thrilled about, a skirt from the clearance rounder, and then exchanged Asher's sleep wedge for something that appeared to be more functional.
I decided after we left, to make a quick stop at Wal-Mart, which happened to share a parking lot with Babies-R-Us. I knew exactly what I needed so we rushed around the store gathering our items, and then headed for home. The whole way home, Ruby tells me that she has to go potty again. I asked her if she could hold it until we got home (at that point we were pretty close, and I just wasn't feeling up for another stop). She said okay, but when we finally got home, and I was finally able to get her to the potty...we were just seconds too late. Once again, poor Ruby - bless her little heart (and poor, poor momma...bless her heart, too). It wasn't until I got her all cleaned up, and began putting away all of our stuff from the day, that it occurred to me that I had left the Wal-Mart bag...at Wal-Mart. Oh boy.
So once again, I load both kids in the car, and we head out to retrieve our abandoned items...knowing that the whole trip will cost us another 45 minutes.
We made it home safe and sound, and before the heavy traffic hit, which was a good sign; but my sanity still hadn't returned to me by that point; because...when we pulled up to the house (for the 3rd and final time), the garage door opener wouldn't work (I guess it had reached it's quota for the day), so I unloaded everything out in the driveway and unlocked the front door so that we could enter the house that way. I took Asher in first thing, and handed Ruby my diet coke to take in while I went back out to retrieve the rest of our loot. I couldn't have been out there more than 30 seconds, and Ruby had managed to spill the entire soda all over the carpet, and all over Asher's infant carrier. I don't even want to think about how the large droplets of coke appeared all over his face...but I have my suspicions.
It was all I could do to keep my cool at this point. And thankfully, I did keep my cool...barely.
When John came home from work (close to two hours later), he handed me my keys which were still dangling from the outside lock of the front door...

yep - totally losing my mind. I guess though, since it's primarily because of these two...



I can't complain. They make it all worth while :)