The Birthday Aftermath

So we have survived the kids birthday Season.  This year Halloween landed on a Thursday which means a weekend of cake, sugar, spoiling and just pure crazy.  Thursday we celebrated our funny, spunky ornery 3 year old, Liesel.  Friday it was our rowdy 5 year old boy, Milo's, turn. Saturday we had our joint Knights and Princess party to celebrate all three kiddos.  Saturday night we went trick-or-treating.  Sunday-Tuesday we tried to recover and on Wednesday Maddox, our silly cuddling baby turned 1. Now everyone is sick.  It happens every year,  the sugar wears off, and we are left with colds.  Mom, Dad, Liesel, and Maddox were the first to be taken down.  We thought Milo had some how skirted the cold, but ended up with Croup yesterday.  We are all red nosed, sniffling and a bit whinny but  generally happy to be back to a normal schedule...Tomorrow is Scott's birthday.

 

 

 

To Milo,

You have a special part in my heart.  You were the first to make me a Mommy and will forever be my first baby.  This year you are very excited about knights, star wars (even though you have never seen it), and lego sets.  We are currently working on your numbers and once you recognize 1-9 you will get a prize.  Something clicked last week and I think we are only weeks away before you have concurred your goal.  After that we will move on to the Alphabet.  You love your little brother and are extra sweet to him.  You have gotten better with Liesel and have been working extra hard not to fight with her.  You love school.  You go to Happy Valley Preschool.  This year you have gotten really good about making new friends.  You most frequently talk about Miles, Charlie, and Kai.  You still fight respiratory colds.  You use your inhaler daily during the winter and your nebulizer whenever you get a cold.  You currently have Croup and I worry about you when you are this sick.  I sure hope you out grow this.  You are doing Taekwondo and seem to really like it.  I am so proud of how well you listen to your instructor and follow directions.

 

To Liesel,

My little girl.  It is just you and me, girl, in this house full of boys. We are going to have to stick together.  You love My Little Ponies, babies, and horses.  You have recently started requesting to go to "Ballalina Class".  I have you signed up for dance starting in January.  You tried Taekwondo with your brother, but no matter how cute you looked in the uniform you decided you didn't want to do it anymore.  You are very strong willed and the only person who matches your hard-headness is your daddy.  I see some good battles in our future.  You make me laugh all the time.  You are a character full of great ideas and I am sure you will be a leader.  You are great at entertaining yourself and have a wonderful imagination.  One of your favorite things to do is to build wonderful structures for you toys out of the magna-tiles.  Perhaps you too will be an engineer.   Out of the three kids you are the most found of sweets.  You would eat cookies, candy, cake and frosting for every meal if I let you.  In the mornings you generally have a fried egg with me and Nana and always want chocolate milk.  You are still not potty trained, mainly because you have no desire to. 

 

To Maddox,

 

The first year with my last baby went way too fast.  You have your two bottom teeth and you are starting to become a good little walker.  One of your favorite spots is in Nana's front entry.  He can hear is echo in here and loves to shout, grunt and make all sorts of adorable baby noises.  You LOVE to eat.  I am pretty sure that if we let you, you would eat all day and all night.  We have yet to find a food that you don't like.  You love to be in the middle of things and are constantly challenging your brother and sister's patience by knocking down their towers, pulling apart their puzzles, and chewing on their toys.  Don't worry, they still think the sky of you.  They frequently argue about who gets to help you walk around and spend lots of time tackling and hugging you.  The three of you share a room together and you are such a good baby that even though the big kids are being too loud for eight o'clock at night you lay down and fall asleep like a good baby. 

 

 

Starting to look like a one year old.

always the fashionista

a group activity...putting together Milo's castle.

Oh no...another Liesel outfit. She wore this little number to the grocery store.

These boys love each other.

What a beauty

Daddy Cuddles

The Birthday girl on October 29, 2015.

At her birthday dinner at Tequilas.

Leave fun.

The Birthday Boy on October 30, 2015.

Maddox loves birthday season.

Milo in his castle photo both.

The cutest little jester ever.

The Royal Subjects Milo, Maddox, Connor, Joslyn, Sloane, Leighton, Liesel, Eilidh, Caroline, and Truman.

The birthday kids.

Halloween Night

Nothing says fall like Bronco shirts and leaves.

The boys and me.

Our handsome boy.

Nana snuggles.

Birthday Boy on November 4, 2015.

Hanging in his favorite spot.  Nana's front entrance.

The Perfect Day Blog.

I have decided that I should blog today...today was a good day....today my kids did not fight with each other...today Scott and I were present...today there were no tears...today everyone ate well without whining...today we laughed together... today was a good day.    Today was a day when everyone woke up happy, we had breakfast together,  I finished a full cup of coffee,  we went to the zoo as a family, and all three kids took a three hour nap at the same time (Yes a THREE hour nap at THE SAME TIME).  Again, today was a good day.  It is days like today when I realize how truly lucky I am.  And though I am not requesting them, it is the rough days (most other days) that make me appreciate days like today.  I am blessed every day, but today I realize it.  I will hold on to my perfect day and I will only blog about all the great things in my life...it will be like one of those annoying Christmas cards...you know the ones...where only the accomplishments of the year are captured.  That is what this blog will be...The Perfect Day Blog.

 

We have finally heard from the bank and we are ready for take off on the house.  We break ground on November 6th.  Depending on the sub contractors this date may be sooner.  We have permits complete, plans are finalized and the contractor is ready.  We can't wait!!!

 

Milo is in his second year of preschool and he is tackling making friends and his numbers.  He is excited every day he gets to go to school.  The biggest improvement this year is his ability to remember what the day held for him and telling us about it.   He works on his numbers for 10 minutes every night and as soon as he can write and recognize 1-10 we will move on to the alphabet. His confidence has grown so much and I just love to see him thrive in school.  His new favorite activity is Taekwondo.  He has learned what "discipline", "leadership", and "dependable" mean.  I love this program for four/five year olds.

 

Liesel continues to make us laugh.  Her stories are full of imagination and fun.  She talks frequently about her sister, Sammy.  Sammy generally can't join us because she is in school.  I hate to tell her that Mommy and Daddy are feeling "complete"  and the likelihood of her getting a sister are slim to none.  In the mean time I continue to fill her baby doll supply.  Hopefully this will fill any void.  Liesel was doing karate with Milo, but has recently decided that she would rather sit in the viewing area with the other little kids.  She introduces herself to everyone who comes through the door.  "I'm Liesel Mary Aschermann...you?" 

 

Maddox officially got his first tooth a day after he turned 11 months.  It is still his only chomper and he seems to dealing with teething fine.  He is a good sleeper and loves watching his big brother and sister play.  He is starting to interact more and more with them and the big kids are pretty good about including him.  The big news on the Maddox front...he is walking...well stepping.  He took his first steps last night.  He is very pleased with himself.  He has become my biggest cuddler and I love it!

 



 

Milo on his first day of School.  I can't get over how much he looks like his daddy in this picture.

 

 

What  difference a year makes.

Car Selfie on the first day of Preschool. 

Another selfie with this little girl.  I found that this is the only way I make it into pictures.

My little cowgirl

Maddox got his birthday gift a month early.  All three kids enjoyed it.

Some sort of supper hero.  Grammy knitted this hockey helmet hat for Milo and he wears it frequently.

Maddox's first grocery store horsey ride.  We have started a Friday tradition.  While Milo is in Preschool on Friday mornings.  Maddox, Liesel and I go to the grocery store for the week.  Two kids is much more manageable than three.

Park Fun

Weeee

I got away on  mom's weekend last weekend.  We went to Breckenridge.  I love these trips and these ladies.  They make the fun times more fun and the hard times bearable.

Look at those blue trees.  This was in Breckenridge.  I can't get over how pretty the blue was with the  changing colors of the aspen trees.

Brotherly Love

 

Mommy and Liesel at the zoo.  She was so snuggly today.  I love days like this.

All three of my best accomplishment.

Where is the time going?

So Milo starts his second year of preschool tomorrow.  I look at him these days and think where did his baby cheeks, lisp, and toddler waddle go and where did this big boy come from?  Then I look at Liesel and realized that somehow she has managed change before my eyes.  She no longer has her ridiculous cheeks and now talks like a big girl.  And in the mean time Maddox has become a 10 month old.  He no longer nurses or takes a bottle.  He is a speedy crawler and eats like a grown man.  LIFE,  PLEASE SLOW DOWN!!!!!  I don't know how many people have told me to enjoy this time because it goes by too quickly,  but they are all so right.  I just wish they had a way to actually slow time...maybe a pause button. 

Some things I don't want to forget about these days:

Milo: 

• His giggles...He has the BEST laugh...it is an uninhibited belly laugh of just pure joy.
• The way he tells his favorite joke.  "What do you call cheese that is not your own?  Nacho cheese"
• How much he loves his daddy these days.
• Mommy and Milo's dates to the grocery store. 

Liesel:

•  Everywhere she goes she must take treasures "purses, babies, animals, sunglasses, books". 
• 6 months after Liesel gave up her pacifier she has started to steal Maddox's at night time.
• Her devilishly adorable smile.
• When you ask her name she says in the cutest voice ever "Liesel Mary Aschermann"

Maddox:

• His backwards waves.  When he waves at you his hand faces towards him and he gives himself a little hello wave.
• He is painfully ticklish on the inside of his thighs
•  Even at the young age of 10 months he already loves to wrestle with Mommy and Milo on the ground.

Dirty boy after his sports camp.  His first day he got very scared and didn't participate, but he worked up the courage and played the rest of the week and a had a ball.

Liesel, Milo and their buddy Eli

The Aschermann's went to Steamboat for Matt and Heather Brougham's wedding.  It was a great weekend.

These two.

What a view.

We make cute kids if I do say so myself.

Mom and Dad.

The whole crew.

Mom and her boys.

Doesn't Maddox look sweet all dressed up.

The zoo is always a good time.

Hanging in the stroller.

The kids and an elephant

My Farmer

Playing in the mud.

My ballerina

They do love each other.

I can't not believe these two are going to be five.  Sloaney and Mo!