5x7 Folded Card

Your Day Tangerine Birthday Card

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Almost 2!

WOW! I am SO behind in the blogging world..of mine that is! With our trip home I just had no time to write. But here I am back at it. I would write about our trip home but I blogged about that on our Honduras blog at chadandtrinabaron.com. So I am going to catch up on the last two months of my sweet boy. I can't believe he is going to be 2 in less than a month! I made need an extra prayer or two as we enter the "terrible twos." But on the other hand, I am going to try and be optimistic and see them as the "terrific twos." :)

22 Months ~ Asher has really begun to talk a lot more. We noticed it a lot while at home in the states. I think it is because he was not confused with the two languages that he hears in Honduras. Anyways, we were amazed at how many words he had begun to pick up.

Mastered Skills: kicks ball forward, follows two step requests...YES!

Emerging Skills: does simple puzzles, draws a straight line, names several body parts...YES!

Advanced Skills: puts on loose fitting clothes, might be ready for a big boy bed, understands opposites...YES!

23 Months ~  A tantrum here and there, picky eater, not the best sleeper (still!), loves and I mean loves tractors..these are just a few things to describe our almost 2 year old!

Mastered Skills: names simple picture in a book, uses 50 to 70 words...YES!

Emerging Skills: opens door, sings simple tunes, takes more of an interest in playing with other kids...YES!

Advanced Skills: talks about self (likes, dislikes)...YES!, begins to ask "why?"...not yet, but that's okay with me :)

21

Tantrums here and tantrums there, terrible tantrums everywhere! So goes the life of a mommy with a toddler, who is not even 2 yet! Boy does this little boy know exactly how to push my buttons. And I love it when I give him a very firm, "NO!" and he looks right at me and does it again, and again, and again. I find myself praying many times a day for patience, wisdom, and an extra portion of grace.

But as challenging as those times are, they are made up for when I receive hugs and kisses and "lub blue" (love you) moments. Or when Asher sees me crying, he rushes to me, clings on, and begins to cry too. Or when we are on a little walk and he reaches up and grabs my hand. Oh, I get tears in my eyes just thinking about it. Yes, the toddler stage is difficult, but also so rewarding. I love my sweet boy. 

Mastered Skills: walks upstairs by himself, able to set certain goals (e.g. deciding to put a toy in a certain place). CHECK to all!

Emerging Skills: throws a ball overhand, kicks ball forward, stacks six blocks. CHECK to all!

*He learned to do all of these a while ago. 

Advanced Skills: names simple picture in a book, can walk downstairs. CHECK to all! 

Happy (Grand) Father's Day!

This is why I love SHUTTERFLY! You embed a project and get a gift coupon. Yes, please, and thank you! 

This is a card I made for Asher's grandpa's for Father's Day. 

I Love Grandpa Father's Day 5x7 folded card

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I CAN'T WAIT

As many of you know, we have plans to return to the good ol U..S..of...A this summer. We leave July 12 for Michigan for my BFF's wedding and will be there until July 18. From there we head straight to Washington for another 4 weeks. Chad is always a huge help to his dad during the fair and he gets a good paycheck, so we decided to stay through the fair and return back to our Honduras home around August 22 or so.
We also plan to do some more fundraising while we are home, with another Taco Feed similiar to the one we had before we came here. Other than that, our schedule seems to be filling up fast, with people to see and things to do! I am hoping and praying that our time at home goes by VERY slowly, especially since we are never sure when we will be coming back to the states. I am already sad to leave my Lynden home.

With that said, there are several things that I CAN'T WAIT for when going home. Here is a list of some:

1. FAMILY, FAMILY, FAMILY (can't wait to see them all)
2. Visiting my 2 BFF's (one I haven't seen in 3 yrs, and the other in 1 1/2 yrs)
3. A long date night with my husband
4. Sushi PLEASE!!!
5. A much needed pedicure 
6. Walks with Asher 
7. Going to the park with Asher
8. Jake's Western Grill
9. Northwest Washington Fair
10. The Woods Coffee
11. A week long camping trip in Sun Lakes
12. And so much more! 

4 Months Shy

That's my BOY! 

What a ham! 

We have a 20 month old! And what a rambunctious 20 month old he is! With each new month that comes and go's, I continue to be amazed at Asher's development. He is such a smart little boy! He continues to learn new words everyday, and even knows about 5 or 6 spanish words. He has learned how to match shapes; and just tonight he was matching the correct animals in his animal puzzle. I am one proud momma!

He always has to throw his garbage away. 

Mastered Skills: Takes off own clothes (he can pull his pants down), Dumps an object in imitation (such as throwing garbage away)...he actually just does the action instead of imitating :)

Emerging Skills: Learns words at a rate of ten or more a day, Can walk upstairs (but probably not down)...but he can walk down by himself, which makes me a little nervous sometimes!

Advanced Skills: May start exploring his body parts, draws a straight line (not a perfect one, but pretty close), names several body parts (eyes, ears, nose, teeth, hands, tummy, belly button).

If you look closely, you can see that one of my front teeth is shorter than the other one. Yep, I'm a little boy who climbs and falls and bumps. 

He just learned how to match shapes. Here he is concentrating very hard!  

He is My Teacher

I am always amazed at how God speaks to me, especially when I am least expecting it. After a very frustrating mommy morning, I felt discouraged and defeated. I have struggled with Asher's meal times for a while now. I worry that he is not getting enough nutritious food in his growing little body. That said, I have taken a liking to Jessica Seinfeld's book, Deceptively Delicious. Asher seems to like most of the things that I make out of there. So when I saw the recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins, I thought for sure he would enjoy his breakfast this morning. I also made scrambled eggs with cauliflower (which you cannot taste). But I put him in his highchair, placed his plate of goodness in front of him, and....nothing. He wouldn't even try it. And when I tried to give him a taste, he threw a fit. So the battle began. And I am not sure if it was harder on him, or me.

After this little fiasco, I prayed and asked God to please just teach me how to teach him. In fact, I pray that prayer a lot as a mommy. And today while doing my devotions I was comforted to hear God reassure me that He is my Teacher. In Isaiah 48: 17 it says, "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go." Just like a parent loves, teaches, and directs their children, so God loves, teaches, and directs us. I find peace and comfort in the fact that God is my Teacher. And what a great Teacher He is.

Papa and Grandma VISIT!!!

Last week we had the wonderful privilege of having Asher's grandparents visit. It was so great to have them here and show them our ministry. But it was even more fun for Asher to spend some time with his grandparents. Living far from family is hard for many reasons, but one reason is that Asher doesn't get to grow up with his grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, etc. So we were very excited when we learned that Jim and Laurie (Chad's parents) were coming down to see us! It was an all too short week and hard to say goodbye again, but we find comfort in the fact that we will see ALL family in just 2 1/2 more months. Below are some pics of Asher with Papa and Grandma Baron. 

A new truck from grandma! 

Papa Jimmy and Asher. 

Grandma even gave me a haircut! 

All of us out to dinner on their last night, at El Patio. 

I love papa and grandma! 

HALLELUJAH!

It was a happy day when I discovered this...

Don't worry, it wasn't $69.00...that is the lempira cost :)

After 6 months of searching for creamer (I eventually gave up and began making my own), I finally found some at a different grocery store. One day while we were out and about with Travis and Allison, we stopped at a grocery store on the other side of town to pick up some lunch items. I was walking down the dairy section to get some milk and POW! There it was! It was like a Hallelujah chorus went off in my head. There, right before my eyes, was finally some coffee creamer. And not just some... A LOT of different flavors! We ended up buying two, and Trav and Allison bought two more for us; so we have a total of four. That should last us a while, considering I am the only one that takes creamer in my coffee. Oh the things that can make your day in Honduras.

19 Months of GOODNESS!

I can't get enough of this boy!

It's that time! Another monthly update on my little buddy. He continues to amaze Chad and I with his growth and development. The other day I was looking at him and I felt a tear roll down my cheek. I came to the realization that he was turning into such a big boy. He wasn't a baby anymore! Although I guess he will always be my baby. And I don't think I could love this boy any more than what I already do. Yes, there are many challenges along the way, but there is also so much goodness that come with this little boy of mine.  Each bear hug squeeze and puckered up kiss makes heart skip a beat and go pitter patter.
Here are some milestones for month 19. Again, there are some that he learned to do a while ago and have been repeated, but I am just following this milestone chart.

Mastered Skills: Uses a spoon and fork, runs, throws a ball underhand, enjoys helping around the house..check to all! 

Emerging Skills: Understands as many as 200 words (not sure how to measure this one, but he does know a lot of words), recognizes when something is wrong (e.g. calling his belly button a nose)...check to all!

Advanced Skills: Washes and dries own hands with help, points to picture or object when you call it by name, may know when he needs to pee...check to all!

Daddy helping Asher wash his hands. 

This is the way we wash our hands, wash our hands!

I walked into the office and found this :)

My little buddy!

It's true...I do love him!

I Have Some Reading To Do

So if you know me, you know that I LOVE to read. It is one of my favorite things to do when I have the time. I just did a poll on facebook of the top 100 books to read, and I have 22 checked...I would like to have all 100 checked! Anyway, my friends who know I love to read just sent me some books in the mail; and it looks like I have some reading to do!

My two best friends, Jill and Rachelle, sent me the book Room, a novel by Emma Donoghue.

My mom got me the book, Shepherding a Child's Heart, by Ted Tripp. Chad and I are reading this book together.

My friend Tarrah sent me the other books: So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore, Become Spiritually Beautiful by Sharon Jaynes, and Beautiful in God's Eyes by Elizabeth George. If you can't tell what I struggle with, now you know :)

Tarrah also sent me the book, Belleza Extrema: Experimenta el poder transformador de Dios. Translated this means Extreme Beauty: Discovering God's Transforming Power. I plan to do this book as a study with the girls from the Eagle's Nest.

So there you have it! My book list for the next few months. We'll see how long it takes me to read them all!

My Picky Eater

Yes, it's true...I have a picky eater on my hands and his name is Asher. I have done research on toddlers and meal times and I guess it is completely normal for kids at this age to be "picky" when it comes to eating. They like one thing one day, and the next they will have nothing to do with it. But I don't know if meal times are more of a struggle for him or me! I admit that I sometimes just go the easy route and give him Easy Mac for lunch. And I tend to give him things that he likes, so I feel like it is always the same things. I have been making him separate meals for dinner, again, things that I know he likes and will eat. But I am so sick of doing that so I started just giving him what we eat. BUT, this has not been going well and this is where I struggle. Lately, when we sit down for dinner, I will give him the main course of our meal, and something I know he likes, like bread or cheese. But he never eats the main course. I've made chicken nuggets, chicken pot pie, spaghetti, vegetables sprinkled with cheese, and NOTHING...he won't touch anything! I don't know what to do. I don't want to force it down his throat. But I want him to eat healthy foods and enjoy them! I know that is probably completely unrealistic to say, but I only want what is best for him. And I appreciate any advice I can get from you other mommies!

Brownies, Cookies, and Cupcakes...OH MY!

So if you didn't already know, I LOVE to bake. Anytime there is a birthday, a holiday, or any other special day I become a baking machine! SO, when Amy (Alvin's daughter) asked me to do some baking for her bake sale at school, I jumped at the chance to help her out. She asked me to make brownies, cookies, and cupcakes. I literally spent all day yesterday baking these goodies. I was up to my elbows in batter, dough, and frosting! And licking my fingers in the process was just a bonus :) 

The brownies I made were just from a box (I know I cheated, but I was crunched for time). I did add some chocolate chips on the top and they turned out pretty yummy. Next I made monster cookies. I got this recipe from my mom, who makes them all the time (and I get my love for baking from her). She told me that she usually does half the recipe because it makes so many. And she wasn't kidding! By cookie number 50 I was done, and I still had tons of batter left. So, I decided to make a REAL monster cookie with the rest of the batter. And by real, I mean real big! I think I will keep this one to myself. Next were the cupcakes, which are my favorite to make and decorate. I wanted to try a different kind of frosting so I searched for rainbow frosting. I found a really cool one and I love the way they turned out. 

So that was my day of baking. I hope they all sell, because if they don't I might put on more weight than I would like to. 

Chocolate Goodness! 

Now that is what I call a MONSTER cookie! 

I was pretty proud of these!

And of course, my little taste tester. Asher's first monster cookie!

1 and 1/2 Already!

Asher is officially 1 1/2 years old! I cannot believe he is only 6 months away from being 2...YIKES! I have to admit that I get scared for what is to come. All I hear is how terrible the terrible 2's are. And being a first time mommy, I really have no idea what I am doing. I want to be the best mommy for Asher. I want to love him the way he needs to be loved. I want to protect him the way he needs to be protected. And I want to discipline him the way he needs to be disciplined. But I honestly feel like I need to do some reading on what the best form of discipline is for this age, cause I have no idea. I just pray everyday that God gives me guidance and wisdom for how to raise this child whom I love so much. Cause one thing I do know..HE does know what's best. Here are some 18 month milestones for Asher. He has actually learned how to do some of these things before he turned 18 months, but he officially has them mastered now!

Mastered Skills: Will "read" board books on his own..check! Scribbles well...check!

Emerging Skills: Strings two words together in phrases...check! Brushes teeth with help...check! Stacks 4 blocks...check!
**Some words that he strings together: "lub blue" = "love you;" "ni ni" = "good night"

Advanced Skills: Throws a ball overhand...check! Takes toys apart and puts them back together...check! Shows signs of toilet training readiness...check!

The Woman of His Dreams

A friend recently recommended the book that I am currently reading: Becoming the Woman of His Dreams, written by Sharon Jaynes. In this book, Jaynes shares seven qualities every man longs for. I was already brought to tears in the third chapter where there was a paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13:

If I teach Bible study classes, volunteer for women's ministry, and sing in the choir, but do not love my husband, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol. If I have a college degree, high-paying job, and successful career, but do not love my husband, I am emotionally and spiritually bankrupt. If I have faith that can move mountains, am quick to pray for those in need, and even have half the Bible memorized, but do not love my husband, I am disobedient and do not please God. If I keep a spotless house, maintain a well-manicured lawn, and prepare nutritionally balanced meals, but do not love my husband it is all for naught. Hired hands can do as much.

Chad and I have been married for almost 4 years. And I hope and pray that I will always be the woman of his dreams.

Dating (August 2006)

Engaged (Mexico November 6, 2006)

Married (July 13, 2007)

Together Forever (Honduras 2011)