Asher {3 months}



Pure joy, this boy is.  I call him my latter rain.  He has filled up so many of the deep trenches that death and grief carved out of this heart.  God gives and God takes away.  I will forever praise Him for giving us Asher Tate...our double portion of joy!

 

I can hardly believe he is three months today!  He even rolled over!!!!!!  I came out of the shower, and he had flipped from tummy to back.  I asked each boy and Eric if they had flipped him, but nope, Asher did it himself! 

 

He is totally into his hands and therefore, scratching his face and us, too!  I clip his nails constantly and today I broke out the file to soften those puppies down!

 

He is consistently going to bed around 9:30 and sleeping anywhere from 5-7.  Pretty much love him for that.  I need sleep in my old age!

 

I love how each boy interacts with him.  Cade talks to him, carries him upright when he is fussy, and helps me load and unload all the baby gear when we go somewhere.  Eli gives him "bubba love," absolutely can't stand it when he cries or fusses (thereby rescuing him often) and loves to talk to him.  He really misses him when he is away at soccer this or soccer that.  Sam still kisses him incessantly on the head (like every single time he sees him,) tells him "Nationwide is on your side" or some other hilarious saying, and loves to be the one to take off his diaper (so he can see all the gross poo inside!) Having a fourth boy with three older siblings has really been fun. I think Asher will make Cade, Eli, and Sam really great fathers one day! 

 

Asher loves to sing and coo and make me smile all over myself.  These three months have been more than I could have ever asked for.

 

 



Home Sweet Home

I think when you are a grown woman, you will always have two homes...the one where you and your hubbie and kiddos reside and also the one where your parents are.  It doesn't matter if they live in a different house than you did when a kid, you count their home yours as well!

My Nana and Grandad got to meet sweet Asher.  We enjoyed Mom's always finger lickin' good cooking, the boys got to play round haybale tag and I got to shop a little.  All in all, a great weekend to see family that I never get enough of.

Summer Reading List

My Kindle and I are getting pretty cozy since we can't go outside much with a baby.  After our last (or first in this home) A/C bill, my Kindle and I may have to start squeezing into the fridge in order to keep cool.

Here is what I have read so far!

1.  Unwritten by Charles Martin

Ahh, Charles Martin.  He really is an amazing story teller.  He intertwines messed up real life with grace and wham bam, the result is always beautiful. I heard his book The Mountain Between Us is going to the big screen and I really hope it is true!  (By the way, where have all the sweet romantic films gone?  I don't like you, Hollywood!)

2. The King by Steven James

Steven James has been one of my fave authors for a long time.  He (in a clean way with no cussing, etc.) deals with tough FBI issues through the awesome agent Patrick Bowers.  He isn't afraid to delve into things like cannibalism, so if that kind of thing creeps you out, I would stay away from this one in particular. If you love a good chase and a good thriller, you will love it!

3. Double Blind by Brandliyn Collins

Collins is always a simple read, but it is also fast paced, which I like.  She makes the list because she is simple but not predictable...like I said I needed, ha!

4. Gone to Ground by Brandilyn Collins

Another good mystery.

5.  Moon over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

This book will stay with me for a long time.  The characters are rich and the story poignant.  Grace is laced throughout the book as Abilene searches for her identity amidst the town her father grew up in. I bawled through the last fourth of the book, but crying is often a healing thing.  This story makes me want to write down memories from my past so I will have something to pass onto my children.  (And it really makes me want my Mom to do the same for us!  hint hint)  This book has been my favorite so far this year. I am always amazed at the power of story.  Vanderpool does it well.

Asher {11 weeks}

 

The Good Ol' Dog Days

I am pretty sure they are here, those dog days of summer. I knew this when I got in my car, trying to find a breath amidst the stifling air.  The thermostat thing-a-ma-jig told me it was 102.  It does not lie.

Speaking of hot air, I just might be going to hell in a hand basket.  2 shakes in 2 days.  Yesterday, a Sonic Pineapple, today, a Chick-Fil-A  Cookies and Cream.  I felt just a tad guilty, but it didn't stop me from slurping up those delicious empty calories like it was nobody's business.

Enter Pilates.  I did that today.  Which means I can keep eating one shake per day, right?

Have I told you there is this nice little sitting room off of the master bedroom?  It pretty much sealed the deal when we looked at the house.  I knew I would need a "girl cave" with all the testosterone I am about to be swimming through.  1 man plus 4 boys against little ol' estrogen filled me.  That girl cave just might be my ticket to sanity.

I have taken up reading again.  Any good books out there you can recommend?  Sweet Momma gave me a huge amazon gift card, which is way too fun when you break out the Kindle.  Hitting "buy now" never felt so good when you know it is free!  Now, don't send me some book ideas that require me to use my brain.  Dog days, people.  I need simple.  The heat is killing off brain cells as I type.

I am pretty sure every July 11th, I am ready to chop off the mane.  It is the realization that summer is just getting roaring and the sweat on my neck tells me I am stupid to keep this mass of heat around for no good reason.

Speaking of hair, little Asher is losing it like crazy.  He can lay on my lap and leave a dark trail behind.  I have to constantly wash his sheets so he doesn't suck up all his hair.  Makes me sad.  But, he is keeping the mullet.  All good southern boys should.

The middles (Eli and Sam) went to VBS this week.  They made a cool cross with red tissue paper blotted all over it.  I asked Sam if the red tissue paper was the blood of Jesus.  He looked at me like I had lost my mind and said, "Ummm, no. It is just paper."

Speaking of blood and Sam, he got a shot yesterday.  As soon as that needle left his arm, he stared at the nurse and said, "I think you just messed up my brain!"  Come to find out, he is in the 92 percentile in both height and weight.  Gonna have a giant on our hands for sure.

Eli is doing all things soccer.  Apparently, soccer didn't get my mommy memo that she requires just one month off from all things sports. 

Just one month??  Pretty please!

Cade is into matching all of his athletic outfits.  He saves his money so he can buy the top three brands that for whatever reason, have made his cool list.  Nike, Under Armour, and Reebok.  He now mows our lawn, so I guess he can spend that hard earned moolah however he wants.

And, no, we don't pay our kids for everything they do around the house.  Just mowing.  We will use child labor for as long as we can milk it.  Seems to me that is 18 more years!

Well, I am still sweating.  Carrying around the hot milk jugs all day probably contributes to that.

Or, maybe it is just the Dog Days...