Asher is 5!

Happy Birthday Buddy!

Asher turned five on Friday and we had a great family day with him. Asher loves mustangs and we have a wonderful friend who owns a black Shelby 500 GT Mustang, and let us borrow it for the weekend! We surprised Asher with it Friday morning as we headed out to preschool...his face was priceless! It was his "special day" at preschool which makes us in charge of a special day poster and snacks...

We were able to pick him up early from school and then head out for our fun-filled day, all of which was a surprise for the kids. Our first destination was Bremerton where we hopped on a ferry to Seattle. This was the first ferry boat ride for the kids and they loved it! I think it was the highlight of the day for everyone. Maybe not for Keven as he had to stay with the mustang because the alarm kept going off:)

After we got off the ferry in Seattle we headed for the Aquarium. It's been a long time since I've been to the Seattle Aquarium and while it was fun and the kids had a great time, if you have ever been to the Aquarium in Newport, Oregon....Seattle has some work to do.

Ikea was our next stop so Asher could pick out a "collection" shelf. He has been asking for something to put a collection on for awhile now. It's pretty funny because I'm not sure he really understands what a collection is but he just wanted some place to put the toys that he deems special each day...hotwheels and airplanes.

The day ended with him opening our present which was tickets to see Walking With Dinosaurs at Key Arena in May. We really wanted to do this last year but chose to wait until he was a little older. We are all really excited to see the show!

It was a really wonderful day with a really wonderful 5 year old boy! We are really enjoying watching Asher transform into a kind, loving, sensitive and caring boy. He cares deeply for people and is quick to think of ways to serve and give. We can see Jesus at work in Asher's life already!

We love you so much Ash!

Special Day

Asher turns 5 this Friday, March 20th.... Five has always seemed like a significant landmark to me. I'm not sure why...maybe because it's half way to 10. There are days when I cannot believe I have a 5 year old and other days when I feel like he's been a part of me forever. It's quite something, this parenting thing.

This year my parent's decided to take Asher for a special day to celebrate his birthday. Keven and I are all for experiential gifts as we try to live a simpler, less cluttered, life. We want to teach our kids that a "present" can be so many things...not always stuff. So, while he did get a few things on his special day with Papa and Grandma, the best gift of all was the memories created and alone time with these two amazing people.

Their day started with a trip to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. This was Asher's choice and they had a great time! Asher was ready to teach Papa and Grandma all about dinosaurs!


There is a great insect and butterfly exhibit at the science center.

I love this picture of Asher in the mirror....I wonder what life would be like with two of them???

Papa and Asher inside a guitar!

After the science center they headed to Build-a-Bear for Asher's first experience there! He had so much fun picking out his new friend "Lektro".

Their day concluded with dinner at TGI Friday's. Since Asher went gluten and dairy free last September, he hasn't eaten at very many restaurants. He really enjoyed his little break from the diet....with no consequences!


Thank you Papa & Grandma for loving our Asher so much. Thank you for spending this kind of quality time with him....we all know that he will NEVER forget it!

Time with Daddy

Asher and Tatum LOVE their Daddy..a lot. They wait expectantly each day for his return home and the beginning of their special wrestle time! The other day, Asher was getting a little rough for my taste so I asked him to please be careful with Daddy. To which he replied, "Why, because he's old?" Keven and I laughed really hard at that!

The kids have also been playing with Keven's old hot wheel cars and Tonka trucks that he found in his dad's storage unit! It's been fun for Keven to bring them out, reminisce, and then watch his kids play with the toys he used to play with.