He DID it!!!!

It's hard to say what contributed to this miracle. Was it an extra surge of courage? Was it the promise of a pack of pokemon cards (not sure, because we've tried this bribe tactic before to no avail)? Was it that two nights ago I threatened him that Heavenly Father would send him on his mission somewhere where the food was worse than on Man Vs. Wild and he would HAVE to eat it or he would make people cry and never join the church (I know, great parenting moment)? Was it that dinner just looked less disgusting than usual?

Whatever it was, Zerin, of his own accord, ate 5 BITES of vegetables and chicken...we're talking broccoli, carrots, cauliflower...the squash proved a bit much for him, but WOW! He also ate most of his rice, which usually he just rearranges, thinking we don't notice.

With each bite, he looked as if he were fighting the volcano within, but he kept it down, and there were NO tears! We were all screaming and chanting his name the entire time. I guess we don't get out much, but this was seriously the most exciting thing ever! Even Asher, who hates anything that resembles loud noises or contention was hitting on the tray of his high chair in beat, smiling.

It was definately a day I didn't think I would see in this lifetime. I am so proud of him for facing his fears. This is something that we have been stressing over with him since he was a baby, so it's not just like a kid that wouldn't eat his vegetables. This was the kid who wouldn't eat anything. Thank goodness for miracles. It would probably be too much to ask for a repeat performance tonight...maybe we'll just have pizza :)

I'm not ready...

Asher has been growing up at break-neck speed lately. Here is some of what he has been up to:

• He walks along furniture


• Stands in the middle of the floor (as long as he doesn't realize you have let go)


• He got his first tooth yesterday. Teething for him has been a bit more painful than it seemed to be for my other children. He hasn't slept through the night in a couple months, and a couple days before it broke through, he got a fever of nearly 104.



• He loves to tease.







• He loves it when you hurt yourself...he starts laughing uncontrollably. Not sure what to think about that.





• He loves to snuggle when he's tired...my favorite is when he ducks his head under my chin...wraps himself in a ball, and sucks his pointer finger.


• He loves slap-stick comedy. Zerin will owe his stand-up comedy success in part to Asher, as Asher is the one person who can always be counted on to laugh at Zerin's jokes


• He LOVES to give open-mouthed kisses.


• His favorite foods right now are chicken noodle soup, peaches, bananas, cherrios, and bread.


• He hates oatmeal, formula, and rice cereal.


• He just makes everything better...

Asher Crawls (aka: the end of "easy" church as we know it)

The polite acknowledgement to the crowd
Prepping for the pushup

Manly pushup #1

The toy is in his sights...yet farther away than he had hoped.

See the focus, the determination...our little juggernaut in action!

"Stay on target! Stay on target!" - Red Leader, Star Wars

Ah, sweet victory....

"First Grade Fears"....by Mom.

Tomorrow marks the end of an era...my son will be spending the majority of his day with someone besides me. I keep thinking I should be so excited for this...the sibling rivalries that will be avoided...the chairs not to be argued over....the messes not to be made. These are reasons to be rejoice, right?

Instead, I sit here, looking at his baby pictures, wondering if I taught him enough, loved him enough, and praised him enough. Even as I type, a flood of other questions and worries enters my mind. Is he on track to become the man he was sent here to become? Is he going to be kind? Is he going to remember what he was taught? As a biased mother, my glasses are rosy, my expectations great. But are they too great? Do I place on him too much pressure? It's a never-ending paridoxical quandry.

There is a notible auditory difference when he is gone, and I am dreading it :) His tall tales, his hour long stories to explain why he didn't brush his teeth, his dramatic recreations through use of stuffed animals of Ben 10 meets He-Man meets Superman meets Transformers...quality entertainment :)

For now, I have to get my game face on, and be ready for that most awful moment.....

"Bye, Mom."

Major Milestone!

This is Zerin's very first self-tied shoe!!! He's been a little reluctant to learn, so yesterday, after 40 times of retying them, I decided to give the teaching thing another go. Two times through it and he was intentionally untying them so he could retie them on his own. Go Zerin!!!!