Twelve Years!

Blake and I celebrated our 12th anniversary on June 12, Melting Pot style. We had never been and it is a restaurant that we have wanted to try for awhile, so we did. We had fun celebrating together. I can't believe that it has been 12 years since we said "I do"! So much has happened in twelve short years and our lives are drastically different now! It was nice to take a break from our crazy, busy life with our boys and sit down together for an entire dinner! I must admit that I wasn't expecting our main course to be fondue style... they brought out our meat/ seafood raw and we cooked it in our pot with our style of broth that we chose. Sorry, didn't get a picture of that. It was good, but I think next year we might pick someplace where they bring out that hot sirloin already cooked!

First course: Cheese Fondue with bread, veggies, and granny smith apples to dip

We chose the cheddar... there were all sorts of different cheese concoctions to choose from

Besides dessert, this was probably my favorite course of the night

Chocolate! Seriously, there were about 20 different "chocolates" to choose from

Dessert course: strawberries, bananas, rice crispy treats, brownies, cheesecake (I think that had already been eaten), pound cake, marshmallows.... YUMO!

Pool.... Again...

Emmaline and Judah Bug

We have been loving the pool these days and going ALOT! We've spent alot of time with our friends at their pools and so far it has worked out great... even with all five a few times! Asher is now a swimmer, Caleb and Nate just float around with their life jackets.... but are both starting to swim really well with them, Judah has been a bit skittish with the water this year, he has sort of a love/ hate relationship with it. So far he has been pretty content to hang out by the steps either barely in the water or most of the time, out of it! Fine with me, one less to have to worry about :) And as for Maddox, he has been chilling out in either his stroller or car seat up to this point, but I think that is coming to an end soon and I'm going to have to break out his floatie seat... I'll keep you posted!

our favorite buddy, Hudson

Elijah has gotten so tall

a new friend, Grace Elizabeth

Asher and Elijah

Observation Deck with New Frands (said with southern accent)... translation= friends

We went to the RDU Observation Deck with our new buddies the Nelsons today. Of course we stopped off at Chick-fil-a and brought a picnic up with us. It was only like 95 degrees out today, but there was actually a nice little breeze up on the deck. The Nelson family has just moved to Raleigh from Kentucky and we really should have lots more pictures up here of us with them as we have really been spending pretty much the past two weeks hanging out together. The kids all get along great and I am loving getting to know their mom, Ellie. (picture of her coming later I'm sure....) This picture is missing two of the group (Judah and Maddox), but everyone else from L to R... Caleb, Margo (almost 3), Nate, Baby Asher (almost 1), Mary Evelyn (5), and Big Asher :)

We LOVE our new "frands".... as Margo would say!

Maddox at 6 months

O my word! How can my baby already be 6 months? Well technically 6 1/2! He really is just the sweetest thing. He has always been a very content and easy going baby, and while he still is, we are entering some new territory with him now eating solids (soooooo not my fav stage!) and being on the move (he's a roller)! He's actually been attempting army crawling so it won't be long now before he is really going! Ahhhhhh.... Help! At his 6 month check he weighed 15 pounds 6 ounces which wasn't a whole lot more than he did at his 4 month check. I remember Judah being this same way at his 6 month check after his 4 month check..... soooo they want to do a weight check in a month just to make sure now that he is on solids that he is gaining a bit more weight. I have waited till the last possible moment to start solids with my last two just because while they are still content only nursing it's just one more thing that once you start, you can't stop! So I feel quite sure that's the reason for slacked off weight gain... plus they always say that babies who nurse level off with gaining weight after a while.
Madsy LOVES being around his brothers and whenever he is anywhere that is remotely quiet will lull himself to sleep. Probably out of boredom since he doesn't experience "quiet" very much around here. He is still NOT the best napper of the bunch, but is getting better. He still does great at night although we will still have stretches sometimes where he cries out at night and we have to go stick his paci back in. I blame this on two things. #1- being spoiled to get that paci whenever he cries for it and #2- teething. He has already cut his two bottom teeth and I think he's gonna be one of those that get alot of his other ones around the same time. It's so crazy to me how babies get their teeth.... some early, late, in "order", out of "order", you never know! All of my boys had different teething experiences. It's funny to be on the other side of teething too now with Asher and Caleb starting to LOSE their baby teeth. Asher lost his first one this past December when he was 6 1/2 while Caleb just lost his first one about a month ago at 5 1/2! And thinking back to when they were babies and getting their teeth, Asher didn't get his first teeth until around 8 months while Caleb probably had 6 teeth by the time he was 8 months! Crazy! But back to Maddox I guess since this post is about him :)
He is definitely a smiley, happy baby. Loves to be talked to and tickled. He still loves being in his car seat which bodes well for him since we are constantly on the go. He will still sleep when we are out and about. He's still nursing 4x a day. Usually around 6:45- 7, 11, 3, and 6:45- 7 at night. I feed him rice cereal/ fruit around 8 (breakfast), a fruit and a vegetable around 11:30- 12 (lunch), and usually 2 veggies at 5:30ish (dinner). He has bath time every other night after he nurses at 7 and then is down for the night between 8- 8:30. We are so so thankful for our sweet #5 (yes, they're all just numbers around here! Ha!) No seriously though couldn't imagine our crazy life without him!

Asher's 7th Birthday!

What a difference seven years can make....

I have learned many, MANY things over the past seven years, but the BEST thing I've learned is how much I have loved being blessed with my sweet, oldest boy! I really CANNOT believe that it has been seven years since we unexpectedly showed up at REX Hospital to meet our firstborn! Asher Kirk you have made my life so much richer in so many ways. I love you to the moon and back and am SO thankful that I get to be your mom! Happy Birthday Goose!

More pics of our fun filled day to come.... figuring out picasa... yes, A, once again!!

End of First Grade

How can it be that Asher's first grade year has come and gone?! Seriously, he had such a wonderful year and it FLEW by! He had wonderful teachers, a great class, and made some really sweet friends! It's still hard for me to admit that I have a second grader as that is the grade that I taught pre- kids and left the year that I was pregnant with Asher. Actually, I didn't make it to my last day of school that year. He decided to come 13 days early and was quite the surprise!

some of Mrs. Murray's sweet first graders

Ash and his buddy Charlotte Grace and her little sis, Lily Katherine

Asher and "the ladies".... Jennie, Kate, and Kylie

Asher with Mrs. McCool, the first grade assistant and Mrs. Murray, his teacher

having fun drawing on the whiteboard

Mrs. Murray giving some instructions

Mrs. McCool reading that sweet childrens' book by Karen Kingsbury, Let Me Hold You Longer

enjoying their "bug" snacks at Bugfest

Asher's besties.... Cole and Josh

Sweet Katie.... Asher has been with her for kindergarten and first grade and may possibly, more than likely have a slight crush :)

giving his report on grasshoppers in front of the class

Hungry Caterpillar snacks for Bugfest

the Bugfest spread.... lots of yummy snacks