There is nothing better than the complete quiet of the morning. Fresh coffee. Creamer thoroughly mixed in. Settled into the blanket with my devotional book and my Bible. -Jesus appeared to the disciples-..."Mommy?...Mommy?...Mooommmmy." I can clear our 15 stairs silently in less than 3.5 seconds...its a feat I have mastered and am probably too proud of. (Pause for a moment...You see, we had this bright idea of telling Ranger he had stay in his bed until I come get him in the mornings. He was getting up super early and coming downstairs, assuming I was ready to jump out of bed and make him breakfast at that very moment. So this was his first morning he was not allowed to come downstairs. Clearly we neglected to tell him he's not allowed to call for me over and over either...) Cleared the stairs...made it to his room, shushed him...and then we heard it...the bounce bounce bounce...paci drop to the floor..."Ma-ma" coming from Asher's room. Cold coffee is becoming the norm in this house.
Straight outta Houston, TX, weighing in at 22 lbs, armed with two bottom front teeth and the climbing skills of a 5 year old....Asher the Destroyer! Trust me, he's a force to be reckoned with and has earned that nickname well. While Ranger never went near a toilet until he began potty training, Asher has already washed his hands in it twice and successfully dunked two toys and a sippy cup into various porcelain thrones. He scales the baby gates, chairs, and benches. Books fear for their pages and you can almost see the toys shudder as they near the two sharp little bottom teeth. No kleenex box in the house is safe. God apparently needs a new conqueror of sorts...and it looks like Ash fits the bill.
In the opposite corner, also from the great state of TX, weighing in at 42 lbs, armed with the reasoning skills of a 17 year old and headed for law school someday...Ranger Danger. Also a force to be reckoned with...but mostly with words. Observant is an understatement. This kid sees all, hears all, and contemplates all. He has been very interested in the Olympics, politics, and talk about police officers. God bless his intrigued little mind.
Austin and I have a theory...imagine with me here for a moment....Scene: Ranger and Asher at a friend's house, enjoying themselves and the people around them. Ranger is telling a funny story to the group...bringing smiles and laughter to the conversation. Ash is standing to the side, talks to a few people...just kind of hanging out and watching the scene. People start talking about dares and stunts...Ranger mentions some totally dangerous stunt he saw on YouTube...someone else mentions how they could do it right now...Asher moves in next to Ranger...says, "MmmHmmm. Hold my drink."...and goes off and does said ridiculously stupid stunt....completely supported in the background by the whooping of his older brother.
Asher is growing like a weed and thankfully, Ranger is growing well right along side him. They've really become amazing friends. Many a trip around the hallways in our house has been made with Asher on his Dusty plane pushed by a very excited big brother. Ranger enjoys teaching Asher different colors and reading him books. Asher's vocabulary grows daily and currently includes: Mama, Dadda, dog, bubber (brother), Ama Ama (Llama Llama), baba (bottle)...and the favorite...cack-a (cracker). We are all done with sickness, finally. Ash had pneumonia in his right lung back in May which resulted in the doctor's office sending us to the ER in the pouring rain at the beginning of Memorial Day weekend. After a lethargic fussy afternoon, he perked up nicely after a round of tylenol and antibiotics and wooed his nurses with his sweet cuddles and a rare smile. The best medicine came a few days later in the form of cousins! Uncle Steven and Aunt Mandi graciously stayed with us for a week and had a blast discovering Houston with us. Aunt Mandi absolutely made Asher's 1st birthday a success with 72 homemade cupcakes...which quickly disappeared (they were SO good!) at his party. We had 52 people celebrate with us...that boy is so loved and we are so grateful that we have such a beautiful support group to help raise these boys. God knows exactly how to care for his children, and I clearly see that in the form of our family and friends. Thank you so much. We recently returned from our trip to Washington state to visit Grandpa and Babushka! Ranger and Asher were troopers on our flights there and had a great time exploring the Olympic peninsula with Grandpa and Babushka. Asher enjoyed sipping Grandpa's tea while Ranger enjoyed his walks with Babushka to the farmer's market. Tanya graciously cooked wonderful meals for us and spoiled us with smoothies and tarts and jams. The grandparents even got a chance to babysit the boys while Austin and I went to dinner for our anniversary! I am truly grateful for them doing that! They hadn't seen Ranger since he was almost two and this trip was their first time to meet Ash! The boys had a blast and were sleeping soundly when we got home! None of us were ready to come back to the Houston heat, but home we came and Ranger went to camp four days later. He just finished up his week of camp and we've got a little bit of a break before his next adventure...swimming lessons! Meanwhile, Ranger is enjoying watching the olympic trials and has even attempted a little "living room gymnastics"...which was very entertaining. I definitely have an epic fail video that I think I'll share with his girlfriend someday.
In light of the recent world events...I've come to realize the ever-growing importance of teaching our children to be respectful of all people, no matter their race or religion. Ranger doesn't even see a difference in people according to their skin color. In this house, we are doing our best to teach grace, forgiveness, and respect. Ranger asked me the other day..."Mommy, why are there so many bad people in the world?"...His question made me sad, but it gave us a chance to talk about sin and how it hurts everyone around us. We talked about how God still wants us to display kindness and love towards people even when they make bad choices. He then reminded me that Jesus loves everyone and we should too. Thanks Ranger. You're going to make this world a better place.
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