The Epic Rainstorm of September 2013

The good news is that we are no longer dealing with 90 degree days.  The bad news is that Colorado is wet, wet, wet!!!  After a week of incredible rain things are finally starting to dry out.  I am sure that in the future while I look back at this I will remember the rain storm in September 2013.  Luckily, we weathered the storm fairly well.  The farm is pretty soggy and I am sure we lost quite a few crops, but no major damage was done.  We are waiting for it to dry out a bit before we can assess the damage.  Temperatures are starting to rise back into the eighties and I am sure it will be muggy for a while.  Hopefully we will get into our typical Colorado Fall weather soon.  I am ready for sweaters, pants, boots, fires, crock pot meals, pumpkin spice everything and warm snuggles.

Scott was just in Qatar so the kids and I were flying solo, but not really thanks to family and friends.  The morning before Scott left he and Milo spent some time on the farm.  When he dropped him off at daycare he said his goodbyes to both of the kiddos. Liesel made a very pathetic pouty face and cried like she would never see him again.  I don’t ever remember Milo doing this.  Not only is Liesel learning how to wrap Daddy around her little finger, but she is starting to flirt with standing on her own.  She transfers from the couch to the table and back.  Every once in a while she ends up free-standing, but very quickly lowers herself down to the floor.  I think we will have a walker by the time she turns one.  She now has her two bottom teeth and is working on the tops.  She continues to be a great sleeper and is at such a fun age.  Her personality is coming out and we have discovered that she is more outgoing than her currently very shy brother.  She is constantly flirting with anyone who is looking her direction, whether it is Papa, Grammy, Daddy, the man sitting next to us at dinner or the lady standing behind us in line.  She has learned to blow kisses and wave and she practices this skill all day long.  The two kiddos are even starting to play together a bit. 

Nana had a couple days off during the end of August and she was hopeful that it would be the weekend Milo retired his diapers.  Unfortunately this was not the case.   He just isn’t ready.  He is a pleaser and would have loved to earn as much candy and kudos as possible, but his brain and “functions” just aren’t communicating yet.  We will try again in a couple of months.  He is going through a bit of a “mommy” phase right now.  Drop offs at day care and saying good night have been challenging.  He would prefer I hang out for at least an hour before I leave him.  One of his favorite things to do right now is to share stories.  I tell a short story and then he shares a story.  “Mommy, one time…..”  We like to play this game on our way home from day care.  It has become one of my favorite times of the day.

Watching the parade at the Arvada Harvest Festival. 

Liesel had a run-in with the concrete and lost.  This owie just healed up and then she fell again and got a very similar rug burn in the same spot.  We are in the stage of constant accidents.  

Milo in his new Payton Manning jersey.  "Go Broncos"

Playing naked in the sprinklers in Nana and Papa's yard after the parade. 

Milo got new Hockey gear.  It is a bit big, but he still loves it!

Sweet girl.

  We drove up to Breckenridge for Labor Day weekend.  Traffic was aweful, but the kids did great. 

Liesel is starting to get big enough to enjoy the playground. 

The play set at the farm all put together.  

Watching the neighborhood kids play football.

Milo's face says it all.  He is a bit too cautious to enjoy riding the motorcycle. 

Holy MoLie

Holy MoLie it has been a busy couple of weeks. 

Scott and I took a week long “Stay-cation” with the intent of getting some work done at the farm, mainly putting up the playground, and having a few relaxing days at home while the kids still went to daycare.  Well, there were a lot of work days and very few, actually no, rest days.  In typical fashion, the construction of our playground has ended up costing us about twice as much and taking three times as long as originally anticipated.  It still isn’t complete.  We got the playhouse and picnic table up, but still need to complete the swing set and slide.  These kiddos better love this playset once it is complete. Hopefully we will get it up before they go to college. Lesson learned: you really must vacate in order to have a true vacation. 

The kiddos have had a rough run-inwith illness over the past couple of weeks.  Liesel got Roseola and a week later ended up with a cold.  Milo caught Liesel’s cold and it of course turned into a respiratory infection.  Last Sunday morning we ended up going to the Emergency Department because he was working pretty hard to breath and his nebulizer and inhalers weren’t helping.  They put him on a long nebulizer treatment and gave him a steroid.  He finally cleared up and we were able to be home for dinner.  We have decided to put him on a permanent inhaler in order to avoid having to use a strong steroid and ending up in the Hospital every time the little guy gets a cold.  He is doing better and is thrilled because Grammy came down to take care of him. 

On a fun note, Liesel now has a tooth and is very close to getting some more chompers.  She has shown her tenacious personality with her first stair climbing event.  I call it an event because it was definitely an event and not an attempt.  The first time this little girl showed any interest in the stairs she crawled over and climbed from the very bottom to the very top.  She is one determined strong little girl.  She loves to do “So Big”, play patty cake, and give fives.  She has become a great little sleeper and like her brother loves to eat. 

Big news on the Milo front, the pacifier is no longer!  Milo is one step closer to being a big kid.  Now if we could just get the whole potty training thing down.  We gave up the pacifier last Monday cold turkey.  He was informed that the pacifier fairy came and took them.  She is planning on giving them to little babies that need them.  He seemed to accept this story, hesitantly. The first night he seemed fine, but started to cry about 15 minutes after I left.  I went upstairs and he told me that “he looked everywhere, but she took them all”.  Poor little guy did not think the Pacifier Fairy would be able to find his secret stash.  The next couple nights were rough and he still needs a little more love during bed time.   Overall, he is doing great now and hasn’t asked for it in days.   I am so proud of him. 

We are ready for a healthy productive next couple of weeks.   

During one of our nights off we had popcorn night.  Milo helped make it.

Liesel snacking at the farm

Milo acting silly at the doctor's office...I think this is during hour 4.

Grammy took Milo to see "Planes".  His first trip to the movie theater.  He fell asleep about a half hour into the movie.

Sharing his sucker.

Not the best picture, but I had to share.  During our walk last night I looked into the stroller and saw the two cuties holding hands.  LOVE!

A Rainy July Day at the Farm

As promised...A farm update.  Over the weekend we had some cool weather which was a nice reprieve from the normal July heat.  We invited Aunt Miranda, Connor and Joslyn over for some farm fun.  The land looks beautiful right now.  Scott, with a little help from Milo and me has transformed these 4.5acres of native land to a plentiful gentleman's ranch.  I will let the pictures do the talking.

Milo at the front gate.

Check out that corn

In this picture you can see pumpkins in front, then pole beans, tomatoes and some of the corn.

On the east side of the garden we have our compost bins made from old palettes, watermelon, a variety of squash and more corn.

A little better view of the east perimeter of the garden. 

Scott painted the shed and barn last year. 

Liesel spends most of our time at the farm in a backpack.  Otherwise, she ends up filthy with a mouthful of whatever she can find.  This was the best shot I could get of her. 

Joslyn saying hello to our neighbor's horses.  

Connor Riding Sam, bare back I might add.

Joslyn and Miranda with Sam

Milo taking his turn. 

I can't get over how fast my nephew is growing up.  Here he is looking adorable. 

A better view of the tomatoes.  You can see some of our peppers to the left.

The only tomatoes that are ripe so far are these beauties. 

peppers

Milo snacking right off the vine. 

Sunflowers on the left and on the left, corn of course. 

Playing in the sand box. 

Our chickens often drift over into our garden.  

We had to fence off our berry patch because the cows started to munch on them. 

This is our project for next week.  Scott and I are planning on taking some time off of our office jobs and put together Milo and Liesel's play set. 

More egg laying chickens. 

The "meat" chickens hanging out in their chicken trailer.  The brown bird is a turkey.  We have two of them.  Scott calls them Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Here are the cows hanging out on the south side of the property. 

Liesel also got to go for a horse ride. 

I love you SO much!

There is not much to report from the Aschermann household.  Both kids continue to grow too fast and keep us on our toes.  No teeth for Ms. Liesel yet, but she sure seems to be working on them.  Milo is starting to enjoy his little sister (most of the time).    She does frustrate him when he is trying to build blocks, color or do anything productive. I think he is starting to view her more like a playmate and less like a baby.  Fun tidbit about Milo at this age.   Every time someone asks what does your shirt say he says, "I love you SO much".  I have no idea where he came up with it, but I love it.  Plus, it is a good way to get him to say "I love you".

The farm is looking beautiful.  We are currently up to our eyballs in zucchini, carrots and beets. I will try to take some pictures and do a farm update soon.

Little Liesel Loo being cute!

Milo being cute and looking like a big boy

Trouble, I tell you, Trouble!!!

Sink Baths. 

Our current farm guests.

Scott's Chicken Tractor

Milo helping Nana Shuck the corn

Working on the teethers. 

In front of Nana and Papa's house.