Feels Like Home to Me

After I wrote that last blog post about how we found our house, things happened so quickly...and yet it also felt like slow motion.  But finally, on June 10th, we closed on our house, got the keys and moved in immedietly!  It was a whirlwind of very helpful people, boxes, directing people with boxes.  Ben had made a very detailed moving plan, and even though we deviated a few times, it was very helpful.  There isn't much more to tell about the process...  Just one quick homeowners horror story.  Although it wasn't even that dramatic...just felt like it at the time.

It was Saturday.  One day after moving in.  My mom was coming later that night to help us get settled.  We had set up our basement all nice for her.  Curtained off a section, put down two big area rugs, got the bed and nightstands and dressers down there, plugged in lamps, stapled sheets to the rafters so it gave it a cozier feel...It was perfect.

Ben went upstairs and said he wanted to water the flowers he had brought from work to plant later.  I started tidying up the kitchen and getting a few things put away.  All the sudden it occurs to me that Ben's hose water is splashing really loud.  My first thought was, we have some really loud pipes in this house.  Then I got this panicked feeling as I realized that it sounded like that one time in our last house that the set tub sink drain got clogged and the washing machine drained into it and it overflowed all over the basement floor.  But I quickly remembered that our washing machine wasn't hooked up yet here and so it couldn't be that.  Right then I realized that my creamer I had moved from my in-laws had spilled all over in the bag I was unloading into the fridge and had made a huge sticky mess.  So I got in the zone cleaning that up.  I kept hearing this water sound from the basement so I decided to go check it out.  I was met with a truly devastating sight.  Anyone who has witnessed a burst pipe knows that sinking and utterly helpless feeling you get as you are frozen in place for a split second before freaking out.  (Well...that was my experience anyway.)  There was water shooting from somewhere up toward the ceiling and then raining down all over the place.  There was significant puddleage on the floors.  I ran upstairs and banged on the window above where Ben was watering and motioned that there was an emergency.  He quick turned off the water and we went back in to assess the damage.  Thankfully we caught it pretty quick and it was more of an inconvenience than anything.  We realized that the pipes must not have been drained last winter and when it froze, it split the pipe.  We couldn't see it and the inspector failed to catch it too (probably didn't check the hose line).  It was an easy enough fix on the pipe.  The biggest time suck was the mopping of the water.  Thankfully it was a super hot day so our rugs and dresser drawers dried out fast.

All in all, it was sooner than we had hoped to be initiated into homeownership, but of all the things that could have gone wrong, that one wasn't the biggest setback.

We have discovered a few other *ahem* quirks about our home.  Including a slanted driveway that floods the garage when it rains.  A foundation that leaks a little bit in one corner.  A lack of caulking along one corner outside the tub that leaks down into the basement if the shower curtain is gaping just a tad.  Notice all of our quirks have to do with water so far.  Yay.  Thankfully the roof is in really good shape and so no roof leaks =)

I suppose this is what happens when you fall in love with a house from 1923.  We both agree that we would still do it over again and all of the pros outweigh these little inconveniences.

Anyway, on to the part you have all been begging me for... PICTURES!!

Disclaimer:  These pictures do not do the house justice.  To get the full effect, you must come and visit us, stay in our [hopefully] non-leaking guest space and enjoy the character that so charmed us!

This house is different than many typical Minnesotan style houses.  And I love it.  Partially because it is stucco.  And it reminds me a bit of California, as there aren't near as many stucco houses here as there are out West.  As you can see, Ben already planted flowers in our front bed and our garden boxes are off to the left of the house along the driveway.  We have a very long driveway that can have 3-4 cars, plus room in the garage for two more.  This means we have great parking for all the hosting we can do now!

Our living room isn't entirely finished.  Where all of the wall hangings are is where our piano *hopefully* will go.  

Last night we finally got our ceiling fan up and our mirror behind the couch hung.  Makes such a difference!  

Sorry this is dark.  It is hard to get good pictures with morning light.  This is our dining room.  

The door you can see open in the dining room picture leads to this room.  This is the one room of the house that we consolidated all the miscellaneous boxes into, so it is still a bit of a mess.  It is our sunroom/office.  Originally the seller had listed this as a third bedroom.  He bought an Ikea closet and screwed it to the wall so it would be "official."  We prefer it as an office and sitting room.  It is surrounded on all sides by windows and is quite pleasant.  

This is one view into our kitchen.  When we looked at this house, there were a few things we knew we would have to sacrifice, and oddly we were okay with it.  A big kitchen was one of those sacrifices.  There isn't much counter space.  But what it lacks in that area it more than makes up for in storage.  And cute old design feature is all of the latches on the cabinets.  Super fun.  

The seller did put in all new appliances, so that was nice!

The stainless cart you see is another surface that I can use for either storing stuff like the fruit basket, or using to cut things up.  we move it next to the stove when I'm cooking.  The other thing the kitchen is lacking is...*cringes* a dishwasher.  I cringe when I tell people that because they always look at me like I'm crazy.  That and the fact that we don't have air conditioning.  

The strange thing is, I always feel like we need to explain ourselves.  What could possibly possess us to buy a house without AC or a dishwasher!  Are we crazy?  Maybe.  But washing a few dishes never hurt anyone.  And in case anyone forgot, we live in MN, and the number of days we would use AC is pretty small considering half the year is basically winter anyway.  We invested in good hand moisturizer and lots of ceiling fans.  =)

This is the hallway off of the living room that leads to the back of the house.  The door to the immediate left is a closet, next to that is the bathroom and the last one on the left is Asher's room.  The door to the immediate right leads to a stairway that goes up to the attic.  It is only a storage attic, so we use the stairs for storage too.  Our bedroom is the last door on the right. 

This is the built-in at the end of the hall.  I just love the storage space this house has for being so small!  

Asher's room.  I'll be honest, I'm pretty excited for him to have his own room.  It's so nice to have a space that he can play in and I can keep his mess relatively contained in.  

Again with the storage.  Both bedrooms have nice deep closets.  You may think we have sad standards, but compared to our last houses, this is quite nice.  

So I'm not much of a nursery decorator (or any kind of decorator for that matter), but I was pretty excited with how this turned out.  

Our bedroom.  Has two dressers, a built in clothes cupboard and another closet like the picture above.  

This is the landing outside the kitchen door that leads to the backyard to the right and the basement to the left.  BUT the focal point is this gem!  The original ice box!  The ice goes in the top compartment on the right.  It drains into the compartment on the bottom right and you store your things in the compartment on the left.  We are excited to try it out this winter.  Papa Dill offered to cut and donate our first block of ice off of Knob Road pond this winter!

The basement.  The seller painted the floors, the walls and cleaned out the rafters really well.  It is so much nicer than any of our other basements. 

This is the other side of the basement that we converted into our guest room.  We hope to eventually replace the privacy curtains we hung with walls and put in an egress window where the little one is now so it can officially become a third bedroom. 

We just bought carpet rugs for the floor and stapled sheets to the ceiling so it felt a bit cleaner and homier.  

There is also a dresser, chair and half bath downstairs that we hope to make into a full bath someday.  And like most basements it is nice and cool.  So even without air conditioning, you can come stay with us and be quite comfortable at night!

Our small but adequate back yard!  WITH A FENCE! 

We have wanted a fenced in yard for SO long so we can just let the dog out and not have to put her on a cable or leash.

The continuation.  And a very happy Sierra sunning herself by the wading pool. 

Already met and connected with our neighbors!  Such a fun family.  Three kids who ADORE Asher and would be over every day if their parents let them =)  This is their oldest (12) Carl. He is a coin collector, and besides coins his favorite things are dogs and babies.  

We are so grateful to have kind and welcoming neighbors.  We haven't had that at any of our rentals...and this just adds to the feeling of home.  

This little trouble maker is much more mobile now, crawling to and fro with ease.  Which just means the messes are only now beginning!  But he is so happy, I can hardly be annoyed!

That cute grin.  Love him.

So there you have it.  We love this little corner of the world that we have invested our savings into!  We are grateful for a place to call home, and a place to raise Asher.  I realize every time I am prompted to explain why we chose this house and why we only looked at three houses and why we made the little sacrifices we did...that I don't need to apologize or explain myself to anyone.  Ben and I love this house.  It is the perfect size for us.  We love the character and quirks.  We are blessed to be able to fill it with furniture, food, beds and lots of love.  And that is more than good enough for us.  The rest of those things are first-world perks and we can be just as content without.  

So don't feel sorry for us because we wash all our dishes by hand.  It builds character!  

You can feel a little bit sorry for us when we are sitting in the sweltering heat.  But don't worry, we'll invite ourselves over to your nice air-conditioned house to cool off!

Please come visit any time!  We are excited to finally have a house that we are the full stewards of!

Next post will be lots of cute Asher pictures. 

au revoir!

House Hunters

No, I'm not referring to the TLC show (although it sure is fun to watch)--I am in fact referring to Ben and I's journey to find a house.  I figure it is about time to update my blog-reading populous, so I'm going to do just that.  

For a little bit of history:  Back in August of 2015, we signed another year lease at our little duplex near Lake Como.  Our landlord had mentioned in passing that he was ready to get out of the property management game and sell the house.  It seemed far off...until 3 days after Asher was born.  He brought us a bottle of wine, congratulated us and said, "Oh, by the way, I'm putting the house on the market, I'll be in touch about showings and such."  

And just like that we were thrust into a situation that was not ideal.  Through several conversations with the realtor, we were given the impression that it was 98% sure we would get to stay in the duplex under new ownership.  Unfortunately, there was a reason he couldn't guarantee 100%.  New owner wanted to live in our unit of the duplex.  We got the call early December that we had to be out early January.  Forced to think about the next step in our future many months before we had planned to think about it...we moved in with Ben's parents to catch our breath.  Fast forward 5 1/2 months, and here we are.  

Through much--and I mean MUCH--thought and prayer and thought and prayer, we have finally headed in a direction.  But before I get ahead of myself...

The past 5 months have not been easy for me (and not so easy for Ben either).  We were hoping that some direction would feel more right than another...and it just wasn't becoming as clear as we had hoped.  We had two paths we were considering...and they went in opposite directions.  Literally.  

Either stay in Minnesota for the forseeable future...

Or pack up and move to California (we've got lots of friends out there)  --Hawk Nelson Reference anyone?

They both held pros and cons...pretty much equal pros and cons, to me.  However, I have held in my heart the desire and hope that I would get to raise my kids in California.  To be near my parents as they live the best years of their life.  To be around my brothers, the mountains, beach and all the things about Los Angeles that I hold so dear.  

But I also knew leaving here would be really hard for me.  I have a life here.  Friends, favorite places, 4 years worth of significant history.  It is where I met and fell in love with Ben.  It is where I met my beloved TBS friends who have been such an encouragement to me.  It is where my first baby was born.  Even writing this, I'm tearing up, because this place is significant.  

Being honest here, Ben and I ran into some tough things along this journey.  Based on some other situations and experiences we've had, he was pretty sure that I only wanted to move to CA, and that deep down I didn't want to stay here.  A year or two ago, that might have been true, but I actually can call this place home now.  

We had passionate discussions, shed tears and really trudged through some hard territory both in our relationship, as well as personally.

I should insert here that we chose to stay in Minnesota.  We finally realized that God wasn't giving us clear direction because neither was a wrong choice.  Both had positives and both would require sacrifice.  So we went out on a limb and started the process of looking for a house to buy, realizing that at any point, God could redirect us.  We knew there was a lesson in this for us...and sacred waiting was one of those lessons (more on that in another post...).

Ugh...this is hard for me, guys.  I have tried putting into words the war in my heart that takes place on a regular basis.  How can I want two things so much...two opposite things.  How do you grieve a loss of something you are giving up, while being really excited for what you are embracing.  Poor Ben, it's been a rollercoaster...One minute I'm crying because my heart is breaking...and the next I'm sending him a million Zillow listings of house options, excitedly singing the praises of each.  

It is hard to let the sad be sad, while letting the happy be happy.  I'm still not sure I have the balance.  To add on to that, I have both sides of my life, the MN side and CA side giving reactions to the news and I feel lost in the wasteland between them.  People try to express both but the reality is, anyone who is close to me/us has feelings too.  Feelings of excitement and relief that we are staying.  Feelings of sadness and loss because we are staying.  

Ha.  Even as I wrote that, I thought, "Wow Suzy, you sure are assuming a lot..."  And maybe that is true.  Maybe people are truly less impacted by this decision than I think they are.  Maybe I am just so impacted by it that I assume it affects others too.  I don't know.  In any case, I often feel alone and totally confused by my feelings.  

Ben has been really supportive and sweet...but he even admitted the other night that he doesn't fully understand my feelings. Part of that is, he just plain isn't as sentimental as I am. 

Anyway... *brushes away tears flowing down cheeks and takes a deep breath*

Here we are!  Minnesota will be home for right now (notice how I still have to add on the "right now?"  I can't fully let go of someday calling CA home again).  

So we began house hunting.  It started with meeting with a loan banker to see if we even could buy a house.  Turns out, one of the exciting things about Minnesota is that we CAN buy a house, where we wouldn't be able to in CA.  Our banker recommended a realtor to us.  We had no idea how much God was making our paths straight with that casual, "If you don't find a realtor, here is a card of a lady I've worked with before...she is great."  

Great is an understatement.  Rochelle has been fantastic.  She was surprised at how young we were...she said Ben sounded so mature on the phone.  She worked quickly and efficiently to get us showings at some houses we were interested in.  She was honest with us, picked up quickly on our likes and dislikes, kept a positive and professional attitude and made the process easy to understand and fun!  

Our first house was a bust.  We loved it so much.  Through conversation we realized the neighborhood wasn't the safest.  Growing up in LA, I have a pretty high tolerance for what is sketchy so it didn't really bother me...Ben was a bit more practical thinking of raising kids there.   However, 45 minutes after we left the showing, there was a gang-involved shooting 3-4 blocks away from the house at a busy intersection.  5 people were injured, and one was killed.  Ben and I took that as a pretty clear sign that while the house was perfect, the neighborhood just didn't feel like a place we were ready to raise Asher. 

We sent Rochelle links to other houses we liked, and by the time she could contact the other agent to book a showing, the houses had pending offers on them...we are talking in the span of one day.  It was a little disheartening.  

Second house that got a showing wasn't particularly high on our list of favorite listings.  The pictures and description caught our attention, but we were going just to go, not necessarily because we saw it is as our home.  

When we walked inside though, we were charmed.  Pictures online are often taken from vantage points and with lenses that really are deceptive.  Often when you see a house in real life, it can be disappointing to find that the reality is much less desireable than it seemed online.  And though the house WAS different than was portrayed online, it was still pleasantly surprising to see it.  As we walked through, our realtor was pointing out all of the things that matched our "wish list."  Things like hardwood floors, gas stove, fenced in yard, big garage.  We talked about the potential of putting a third bedroom in the basement.  Of making the basement 1/2 bath a full bath.  How our furniture would fit...and we could both see it.  Another feature that drew us was the fact that the house had much of the original 1923 features from when it was built.  Windows and doors that were in fantastic working condition, original floors, wide baseboards and trim that hadn't been painted over, a like-new original ice box built into the wall off the kitchen.  

We left there and went to another house...but by the time we finished that showing, we knew.  This was our house.  It was small, it wasn't perfect, but we fell in love.  We were reminded of a quote, "Home is where the spirit feels at rest."  Both Ben and I agreed when we left there, that our spirits felt at rest.  

Fast forward a few weeks.  We got loan approval, our offer was accepted and yesterday our inspection was completed.  Lord willing, we will close on June 10th, and we will be real homeowners!  

It is totally surreal and neither of us can hardly believe it.  Yesterday at the inspection was the first time we had been in the home since the showing.  Things were different than we remembered.  Some of our dreaming and plans weren't as realistic as we originally thought.  As we walked around though, I asked Ben if this was still it.  He looked at me with a smile and said, "Yep.  And I want to move in like, tomorrow."    

We will keep you posted with pictures and such as we get settled in next month.  Thanks for reading along...sorry it got long.  I couldn't just tell you about the house without expressing some of the journey we've had getting here.  It is an important piece.  And it will always be an integral part of the story of how we bought our first home.  

Why is it integral?  Because God wanted us to learn something.  He was teaching us that waiting means being in his presence and serving him...not just twiddling our thumbs until he gives us a desired outcome.  He was teaching us that sometimes he doesn't give clear direction.  It is up to us to step out in faith, holding his hand and trusting that he will guide us along the way.  He was teaching us to let go of things we were holding on to tightly.  He was teaching us that we are a team and our personal dreams and desires are not worth sacrificing relationship with the other.  And he is still teaching us to hold on loosely, because as we know from past experience, anything can happen...especially when you least expect it.  

What we know for sure?  He is faithful and good.  All the time.  

Amen.  

Being Asher's Mama

Being Asher's mom is something that seems hard to put into words...but I'm going to try.
I've been at this whole mom thing for a whopping 7 months, and it is everything I dreamed and nothing I could have imagined.  I am learning so much about this little person, so fresh and new to the world...and learning even more about myself.  Ben obviously plays a big role in our lives, but for the sake of space and time, I'm just going to focus on Asher and I.

We have a good rhythm, Ash and I.  Our days are relatively predictable, and I like that.  I thrive on structure, even though I fight to keep myself from the rut of monotony. I'll quick run through a typical day, and then move on to things I've learned.

6:30-7 am: Asher wakes up and fusses about.  Ben normally brings him into bed where I nurse him and we both fall back asleep until anywhere from 8:30-9:30.

8:30-9:30 am: We wake up, lay in bed, talk and smile at each other.  Asher is such a good waker-upper.

10 am:  I take a shower while Asher sits on the bathroom rug playing with a tube of butt paste (interestingly it is the one thing that keeps him occupied in the bathroom the entire length of my shower).  We listen to the Donut Man or Mary Rice Hopkins every morning.

The afternoons look generally the same...but times vary.

Asher used to nap every 2 hours.  He loves napping.  We are down to two naps a day.  Mid-morning and afternoon.  In between those (the times vary depending on activities, when we woke up, etc...) he eats lots of delicious fruit and veggie combinations, we try to do one outing a day and get some chores done around the house.  I actually do chores while Asher is awake.  He has learned to occupy himself while he can see me going from room to room doing whatever.  I use his nap time as "me time" where I browse facebook, write a blog post, read, sleep etc...

Daddy gets home about 5:30-6.  We wait at the window for him.  Then we eat dinner, play until 8.

8-8:30 pm: bathtime, bedtime routine.

Then Ben and I have our alone time after that!

Things I have learned about Asher:
-He truly is a happy boy.  He wakes up happy, smiling and cooing at me.  He loves attention and will squeal, flap his arms and grin wide whenever he can get some interaction with me or anyone else.
-He thrives on schedules too.  He does well with predictability as far as when he eats, sleeps and is even a regular pooper.
-While he is social like me, he is thoughtful and observant like Ben...often seriously taking in his surroundings before becoming fully at ease and diving into smiles, laughs and interactions.
-He already has a sense of humor...fake coughing to get my attention then grinning wildly when I look his way.
-He is a snuggler.  I knew this was possible even when he was in the womb...as he would wedge himself up under my right rib cage as far in the corner as he could go.  He loves being held, being snuggled and it's obvious that physical touch is a love language of his.  (example of this: one night he was so fussy in his crib.  I went in and put my hand on his chest.  He gripped my arm and began to settle down.  As long as he could be touching my arm or hand, he was calm...it was a long night =P)
-The kid loves food.  In this way, the apple did not fall far from the mom or dad tree.  There is a recommended serving size for his age and he eats easily two to three times that much.  My ECFE teacher said that he will let me know when he is full, by turning his head away or spitting out the food...and I have never gotten to that point (unless it is a food he doesn't care for like plain peas...which he stops eating after a few spoon fulls and a good body shiver or two).
-He needs a break from me.  By the end of the day, we are both really excited to see Ben.  He needs the change in face, voice and interaction and I need a break from being needed.
-He loves little rituals.  After every nap, I go into his room and say his name and talk to him in a super lovey voice even before he can see me.  Then when I go pick him up, he is smiling so big.  Then we have this super random tradition of looking at the curtain that hangs by his bed right after he gets up.  For some reason he loves the curtain.  It is the most boring, beige curtain.  But he lights up, and reaches for it and grasps it with the most delighted look on his face.  Not sure why he loves it, but we do it after every nap because it obviously means something to him.

Things I have learned about myself:
-It is a lot harder to let him fuss at night when we are letting him self-soothe than I thought it would be.  Ben sometimes has to literally hold me in bed so I don't run and get him
-I find myself delighting in him...delighting in knowing him, what makes him tick, what he likes, what makes him smile.
-I still can hardly believe he is mine.  I look at him, and he lights up with that look that a baby only gives his mom...It is so satisfying to know I'm his person.
-I really miss full nights of deep sleep.
-I love each milestone and stage he is in.  Each one gets better and more delightful than the last.  They last just long enough for me before I would get bored and then he learns something new and we enter a whole new phase.
-I love taking him out in public and proudly wearing the identity of "Mom."  There is something about that that I really love...not really sure why.
-I am not one of those moms who can't be away from their baby.  I have Bible study two evenings a week and Ben does Asher's entire bedtime routine alone.  I have stayed overnight away from him.  Yes, I miss him.  And yes, I think about him when I'm not with him.  But I think we both do well to have some time away from each other.  It also has really strengthened his and Ben's relationship.  It is obvious they have a very distinct bond that I was worried would be lacking because I'm a stay at home mom and have the most interaction with Asher.  
-This mom thing is tough.  But not overwhelming.  I decided before Asher was born to be intentional about focusing on the positives and not stressing over things that appear to be normal "mom" stuff.
-sometimes I look at him and I can't help but smile because this amazing little human is so incredible, adorable and mine.

In all, it has been an incredible 7 months.  I have been so grateful and humbled by the opportunity to be Asher's mom.  I have learned much and hopefully will continue to learn more, grow and change.  The one thing I hope doesn't change is the depth of connection and love between my boy and I.

Here are some pictures of life as of late!

Never tires of mirror-chats with himself.

This was within a few minutes of waking up. 

Even though it is nice, sometimes it can be frustrating when he pulled such shenanigans the night before...I suppose it is a blessing though, because that smile sure pushes the annoying feelings out of the way quickly!

He loves blueberries.  Although his poo was this nasty black charcoal color afterwards and it was a little freaky. 

One Friday afternoon, Ben picked us up and took us to a few garden centers!  As part of his job, he scouts other retailers in the area and compares prices, plant offerings and potting options.  So while he did all the nerdy horticulture things, Asher and I enjoyed the sunshine, pretty flowers and earthy smells. 

Such a cutie-patootie in his little hooded towel! 

His new favorite toy is the battery operated train.  He watches it with rapt attention as it circles the track.  As it gets closer, he flaps his arms in excitement...and as it passes he leans as close to it as he can, trying to grab it.  We set it just out of reach normally, but every once in a while he gets it, and into the mouth it goes!

Yes, I admit...we take lots of selfies.  But this kid lights up when he sees himself in the phone screen...and so it makes taking pictures so fun! 

Water play is a definite plus of summer time!  

Sometimes when he leans too far foward, he falls like this.  And then stays there for a few minutes as if mentally evaluating his options on how to get out of this predicament.  I would love to know his thoughts as he lays there and then eventually flattens out onto his tummy.  

Walking the dog park!  4 x around is a mile...so when the weather is nice, I try to go a few times a week and do some laps!  Sometimes on the weekend or in the evenings, Daddy comes with us! 

This past weekend was Joe's prom.  He brought his date, Juliet, by the house and they took some pictures with Asher.  Claire and Rose picked out this spiffy outfit for Ash, and he made a great addition to their picture!

Asher and his best buddy Chico. This pretty much sums up their relationship.  All Chico has to do is look at Asher and he is enamored.  Especially if Chico speaks to him in French or Wolof (native language of Senegal).  Asher will miss Chico a lot when Chico returns to Africa in June.  

This past week, Asher discovered sleeping on his tummy.  And boy does he love it.  He now wakes up with a smile AND a good face-smoosh look! 

That little hat.  I can't get over it.  He looks like such a little buddy decked out in his summer outfit!  

I can't believe how much he has grown and changed.  Sometimes I try to imagine what he will be like at 1 year old or beyond... and I just can't.  But I do know that it will be here before I know it and it will all just feel totally right and normal!  

Thanks for sharing a piece of my mommy-journey with me!  

When CA and MN unite...

Because of how many times Asher has been to California in his short little life (3x in 6 months!), I really think it is only fair to call him what he is...a Minnefornian.  Or a Calisotan, if that suits you better.  Both roll off the tongue quite nicely!  In any case, last week, Asher and I (and Ben too, for a few days) took a Spring trip to CA.  Not for anything special...just to go.  Of course, it was the one week that hovered right below 70 and was rainy and overcast several of the days.  But once I got over that, it was a lovely trip!

I admit, going back this time was a bit of a reality check for me.  I think it is the first time in a while that I've been back for no specific event.  It is always Christmas, Easter, graduation...and this time it was just because.  And I think for the first time in a while, I viewed the trip as a vacation rather than "going home."  This led me to have a lot of expectations that were a bit unrealistic to keep.  I kind of expected everyone to drop everything and have vacation with me.  Which isn't exactly doable. Not to mention, there were a lot of things going on with my family that week that really made it a whirlwind.  I realized that this trip was really me "coming home" and just fitting into the lives of my parents and brothers and their families...and it wasn't really a vacation persay.  That doesn't mean we didn't have a LOT of fun and packed in quite a bit of stuff...it was just different than I had been expecting and it took a little bit to adjust my perspective.

And being honest here, I am jealous of my brothers who live there.  I am jealous of the time my parents get to be grandparents to their kids.  I am jealous of the relationships that are growing that are happening naturally, whereas it will take intentionality for that same type of relationship to grow with them and Asher...and even then it will just be different.  I am jealous that all that family out there gets to experience some of the best years of my parents' lives on a day-to-day basis.

That isn't meant to diminish the fact that we live with a set of grandparents right now, and that is a really special time in Asher's life.  He is bonding with them and getting to know them.  But it is different and there is a part of me that wishes he had that with my parents too.

Sorry...didn't mean to get depressing there.  It really was a great trip, and I am working on remembering to be grateful for the precious time we get with both sets of grandparents and family.

On to pictures!

We overlapped one day with John and Amy and their kiddos

Ash loves Reese.  They are so cute. 

Asher and T are also getting closer as well.  Literally and figuratively. 

Us ladies and our babies!  

The threesies!  

Asher, Reese and Emery

Mimi, Papa and their 7 grandchildren!! 

Ok so there needs to be a little bit of explanation to the next series of pictures.  

My dear friend Kaeli turned 27 almost 2 weeks after me.  She decided to have this really neat and classy birthday party while we were there, which was awesome!  When I asked her what the attire was, she said, "Dress up!  Think Gatsby or James Bond."  When my brother and his wife asked what they shoud wear, I passed this description on.  

The four of us may or may not have taken the suggestion literally and almost turned it into a costume/character party. 

Ok, that is exactly what we did.  But we had fun doing it...even if it was a little over the top! 

Joe and Heath as Mr. & Mrs. Bond.  

They pull it off well, don'tcha think!?

Ben & I rockin' the Gatsby/20's-30's look.  

Here we are with Kaeli and Dustin.  They had a photo corner where you could snap pics with fun props with a polaroid camera!

It was fun because both my brothers and their wives came as well

One afternoon, Ben, Asher and I went hiking at Millard Canyon.  It is a favorite from my growing up years and it was so neat to take Ben there and make some new memories with him and Asher. 

Here we are by the falls

It isn't a hike to the falls without dipping your toes in the water!

Such a beautiful canyon.  And lots green because it had just rained a bit.

Love the falls. love his expression.

He enjoyed the whole hike...was such a trooper.  He LOVES the outdoors.

This.  I could watch him sleep forever.  He is just so precious. 

Aeslyn and Asher playing together at my mom's house.  

Aeslyn was spending some one-on-one time at my parents' house that week so we got to spend lots of time with her.  She was so sweet with Asher

Case in point.  She would just hang out with him and keep him entertained!

Enjoying the beautiful afternoon in the backyard!

One day Mumzy and I decided to have a delicious Artichoke, cheese and veggie late lunch on the back porch.  Asher and Aeslyn were sleeping and it was a really nice time. 

Went to the park to meet my cousin Bec and her daughter Jordyn.  It was Asher's first time swinging and he LOVED it!  It may not look like it from his expression, but I promise, he was enjoying it.  

And those chubby legs. 

Jordyn being a good big cousin to Asher.  

Eating sweet potatoes out in the sunshine...and poopface.

Enjoying Mimi's wading pool.  This kid and his love for water! 

Little trip to the beach before flying out!  He was loving it!

Everyone that passed us on the pier got the biggest grin from this little guy...pretty sure it made everyone's day.  He is such a charmer. 

Grabbing a yummy dinner before the airport.  There were many attempts at this picture.  My mom looked great every time.  It was the kid and his little goon face.  He sucks in his bottom lip and looks like...well...a goon.  It does make me laugh every time I see it though!

As soon as we got to the airport, he was zonked.  He woke up as we were boarding, but then slept the entire flight home...through two feedings and a diaper change.  Then when we arrived home (12:30 am Minnesota time), he slept as I put him in his carrier, took him out and transferred him into the carseat and then kept sleeping through the transfer from carseat to crib...and slept until about 6:15!  

It was marvelous!  

Overall another memorable trip to California.  Grateful for family to visit. Grateful for the means to fly out there.  Grateful for a happy baby who travels well.  Grateful for the memories made.  Grateful for a safe and comfortable place to come back to.