::: stay tuned :::

HI.
I exist.  Asher is thriving. Charlie is swell.
Pictures have kept getting snapped. Memories keep happening. Events take place. months just keep rolling on.

I have failed to blog. I want to. I will. I just haven't made time. I am a little frustrated with how blogger interacts with photos right now- so that's been my major delay. Not a lack of things to right about.

please stay tuned.

ONE

ONE YEAR OLD ASHER CLARK: adored, loved, cherished, busy, precious, assertive, sweet, chubby, affectionate, adorable, happy, silly, determined, vibrant,  climber, investigative, strong-hearted, sweet, self-entertained.

One year old, Tiny sch-muffin, firstborn, baby boy: your mommy and daddy are so grateful for your little life. You've blessed us in countless ways son. We thank Jesus for you often.

We continue to pray that the Lord will show you your need for Him at an early age and you will want to know Him personally and live fully for Him, and that He will use you to love others well.

On your birthday weekend we celebrated YOU with family in Waterloo.
Your first birthday party was pretty low-key, small and informal but very fun.

Happy first birthday Asher Clark Johnson. May it be the first of MANY!

a('s) nursery

So, although it needs some tweaking (gotta fix the curtains, and arrange the dresser top, and find a small reading chair for Asher, and a sling book shelf) his nursery was finished last month.

I can't believe I let it slide until he was nine months old! I was in no hurry. (Honestly, I was a little too timid during pregnancy to decorate a whole room, because I had "just in case" syndrome- and not in a good way).  The first several months he wouldn't have noticed anyway. No biggy. The only reason I would now recommend new moms to have the nursery completed before baby comes is this: the new little one creates all kinds of reasons to "do it later" or "maybe I'll finish it when dad comes home or grandma comes to visit".  E-hem. It doesn't happen. Just do it before the little love child arrives and be done. lesson learned. oh well.

These are some snap shots from this morning.

Asher seems to enjoy his new room!

He likes it so much he could (does) eat it!

Any thoughts on preventing this?... some sort of bumper?

I painted white stripes on the wall. Love'n FROG tape!

We went with a burnt orange/red accent color.

The sling bookshelf will sit under the pictures. When I order it.

Asher enjoys looking at and talking to himself in the mirror, so I put one at his level.

the play box

All the toys in the sink

A few weeks ago I bleached/cleaned every single last one of Asher's toys. (Yes I'm a little bit of a clean freak- but only about "sick" germs -vrs dirt, grass, etc) Anyway, this is beside the point.  I must say that I was pretty pleased to discover that ALL of them -pictured above- fit into one side of the sink!

Why am I so pleased?
Because it's my goal to not smother him with toys. I want to give him room to be creative with what he has. -Not that we will deprive him of toys, but we will limit the amount of them. He so happily entertains his own little babyness for nearly 45 minutes at a time, give or take. He will play with or chew a couple of toys, then crawl around and stand and walk from thing to thing. -Usually talking or yelling rather LOUDLY. (man boys are SO much louder than girls)!

We keep one small basket downstairs of little things for him to play with; and he's more interested in climbing, crawling, or trying to get the remote controls. (how do they always know that the one you gave them is the play one, even if it used to be the "real" one)?!

Upstairs we have a little toy bin next to the chair, and he enjoys taking all the toys out, plays a bit and then moves on to other things around the room.

Checking out one toy at a time

The cupboards are filled with "toys"

Asher loves playing in the kitchen while I work. Things like bowls, spoons, pots, empty jugs, etc are among his favorite forms of entertainment. Chewing, banging, rolling, unloading...  I love that he doesn't have to have toys to be play/learning.

He is fascinated with babies. He squeals with delight at the
sight of them, wants to kiss them, and touch them.

He likes books. I've hit several garage sales this summer and expanded his book collection. I highly recommend this form of purchasing books. I want him to be around books from a very young age, and I don't want to have to take them away from him because after he was done looking at (or kissing, as pictured above) the pictures he decided to gum a page or two. At .25 or .50 cents I'm ok with it.  We read while he plays sometimes too. I want him to love books, and to always have access to them.

Imagination development is an essential quality that often gets stifled by stuff in todays culture.
My theory (so far) is buy a few high quality things and let him loose, to learn to play and entertain and learn on his own. For gifts we hope to give him things like music classes, or swim lessons, or tumbling classes, or books rather than stacks of nearly unused toys in every room.

We'll see how long this theory lasts.
What's your theory or thoughts?

10 month Asher

Month 10, Week 1
You play quietly in your room with toys for nearly an hour, all by yourself. Nice WORK!
7.12  -Pulled himself up to standing in his crib (he was really wanting out).
7.13 -You became the proud owner of your fifth tooth- the Top Left (beside the front two) FINALLY (those two side teeth kept moving up and down for weeks and have been about thru for a long time- lots of drool and chomp'n).
7.14 -The sixth tooth pushed through too! Top Right (beside the front). PHEW!
7.15 -We bought a tiny whale pool, you are loving it, but often decide it's most fun to crawl out onto the grass and get dirty, explore and eat (the grass, leaves, and rocks). VERY busy.
7.15 -I think you started bouncing to music for the first time. (I had country playing, and you hadn't heard that before).
7.15-17 -You are SO fast at crawling now! And SO BUSY. We turn for a second and you without fail will zip your little self into the bathrooms. Your favorite is daddy's. I think you like the registers on the floor (which you also have learned to lift up and take off, so smart).

Month 10, Week 2

7.17-18 -you've noticed when the sun hits the floor, and you are fascinated by touching it.
7.18 -patty-cake it is! Over the weekend Daddy taught you how to clap! And now you think you're big stuff, sitting there banging your fists together "clapping" while we sing the rhyme.
7.20 - You've pulled yourself to standing  several times today. The railing is your favorite place to do it.

7.23 - Buddy, you climbed two stairs by yourself. You can hurdle yourself over most anything now.

Month 10, Week 3

7.24 - Now, instead of snuffing in and out really fast when you're pleased about something you've changed it to a sucking in of air that sounds like you have asthma. Kinda a loud inward breathing scream.  And you've figured out how to do this when you nurse too. (yes, this annoys mommy a little). Good thing your phases go by fast.
One phase that's still dragging on is the whole strong dislike for diaper changes and clothes applications. You turn, and cry, and wiggle, and complain about both. We try to tell you that if you're just still and cooperative it'd be done a whole lot quicker; you don't seem interested in testing our theory.
7.25 -Feeding yourself. Today you fed yourself shaved turkey, noodles, shredded cheese and cheerio's, and you did a great job of it. (super messy, but no choking, etc)!
7.30 -In Waterloo all of the Bohlen side got together to celebrate Great Grandpa Bohlen's 80th birthday with him!

Oh look, your nursery got done at age 10 months! YAY!

my lovelies and littles

This week has been just like "July in Minnesota is supposed to be".  Or so the radio announcers said today. Supposed to be or not- I agree with this lovely less humid, yet hot weather. It promotes fun days with my dearest friends, at local parks, nestled by lakes, grassy hills, sun-kissed cheeks, laughter, hugs, and bonding.  -Did I mention I LOVE SUMMER!!!?!

Anne, Jaime, Andrea & Erica w/the littles

 See that tiny Little Hat-Covered Dot head'n for the hills? (or rather, truck'n down the hill and toward bath house...).  That would be my child. No second look back, no 'mom, is this ok?' look, only one small break to look about and make sure he was on HIS track...Yup....dooo-ti-deety-ti-doo-doo. He was on his own little adventure, until I retrieved him. Which apparently wasn't entirely disagreeable either; -judging from his high-in-the-air tossed giggles and kissed up, smiling cheeks.

My Lovelies.  

This happened to be Erica's last picnic with us before they enter the next chapter of the lives in a different state. I (we) will miss this woman of god and her humble depth, inner joy and peace, and real transparency.  HUGS TO YOU ERICA! Fare better than well!

it is ok to break

I was talking to another mom and she was saying how she feels guilty sometimes about how much she looks forward to nap time and bed time. ...she felt like she should love every second of this tough job of mothering.

Well, I say IT IS OK to look forward to these breaks of sleeping littles. (I mean for one, obviously, babies HAVE to have it, they do a lot of learning and growing during that time). But aside from the practical aspects, it's good to have time to yourself away from your sweeties. To do things you need to do, or things you enjoyed before baby, keep growing your own person. (Even if that means a magazine, facebook, devo's or a nap). Everybody is happier that way. Days at home as a mommy can get super long.

And to further the point, I for one, feel like a few times a week 30 minutes of video time isn't gonna kill off brain cells. And if it gives me time to recollect myself and my frazzled emotions if a certain little one has been (GASP!)--crazy cranky- it's a must.

EXHIBIT #1:

he was a near napless wonder that day

Just breathe.

Pray.

Walk away. (they'll live).

Collect yourself.

Find yourself.

You (we'll) be better mommy's for it.

Start again.

"IMHO"