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.