Asher's 2!

Here we are in North Carolina visiting my mom for a while (it's HOT), and cheap as I am, I fit one leg of the trip in the day before Asher turned 2, so I could save the airfare on his seat.  Sharing one seat between three of us (me+Asher+18.5week baby girl) was no picnic.  But it wasn't a long flight, so we made it :)

My mom had a few friends over for Asher's big day, had a race car cake made, and we enjoyed a lovely BBQ, present-opening, and some had a swim afterward (though the birthday boy was hurting for a nap, so he missed out on the swim :).  Asher has really been growing up lately...tons of talking (though it is so much harder to understand than Owen's speech was!  It's super-cute garbling.  I love his versions of words, even if few can catch what he's saying).  He can climb, jump and wrestle and hold his own pretty well with Owen, and he is starting to really assert himself--with me (tantrums) and with Owen ("TOP IT, OW-N!!").  He is a little jewel...charms everyone he meets, is super people-oriented and social, kind with others, often shares (if it's not with Owen), and makes sure to give me kisses and hugs.  He says, "Hi, Nunu!" about 30 times a day out of the blue while we're here.  He eats so much fruit...wow.   He now says "mine" or "A-er's" about a thousand times a day.  He likes to take a stuffed animal to bed with him every time, and lately if he's playing around at nap time and I go in, pick him up, rock him for 1 minute, then tell him it's sleep time, he lays down and goes to sleep!!!!  I hope I didn't just jinx that.  He's just a great kid, not the easiest I've ever seen, but in my personal parenting experience...easy.  We love our little Asher.