I used to be so much better at keeping up with my blog...so I'm going to try harder :) These days it seems I can't keep up with anything and it's driving me a little bit crazy! My to-do list just keeps getting bigger and bigger. I can't believe Ashton only has 4 more days of kindergarten!! Really it makes me sad. He has done so well and we have absolutely adored his teacher and all of the cute kids in his class. It has been such a wonderful experience for him and it will be hard to imagine him going a full day next year (with a different teacher and different classmates!) He was so excited that they got to have school lunch on Monday. Just to kind of practice once before next year. Anyway the countdown is on! I'm excited for summer and to have him home, but just can't believe it's almost over already. He just started didn't he?? I feel like I just barely took these pictures...
In other Ashton news he has just been so ummm...what word would I use? Delightful, yes delightful lately. Just helpful, compliant, willing...He is a great kid, but man, like most kids he has his moments! I don't know...he's just doing so well lately. He loves to help Lars out now that he can't do a lot of things for himself and he loves to say "Okay I'm in charge" when I have to go run errands and leave him and Gunnar home with Lars for a little bit. One day last week I got out of the shower and heard him in helping Gunnar get dressed! In a sweet little voice..."Okay, put your legs in here." I had to run in and see it for myself. Sure enough he'd helped Gunnar pick out his clothes (actually cute ones!) and was finishing up by pulling his shorts up for him. He's just been so sweet with him recently. 
Another day a couple weeks ago, Gunnar and I were walking over to get Ashton from school and when we saw Ashton walking towards us, Gunnar started running towards him and then Ashton saw us and started running towards Gunnar and when they finally reached eachother, Ashton picked Gunnar up, and Gunnar wrapped his arms and legs around Ashton and they gave eachother a big kiss! It was the cutest thing ever! For a long time Ashton has kind of been in that "Having a little brother is annoying...tell him to leave me alone" stage, so it is so fun for me to see them playing so good together again. One morning last week they played with blocks downstairs together for 3 hours straight! Oh and one Saturday (when it happened to actually be a beautiful day)...they played outside after Ashton's morning soccer game, for 9...yes 9 hours straight! Mostly just with eachother in the backyard on the swingset and in the sandbox (filled with water). 
It was one of about 4 really nice days we have had this spring and they weren't about to let it go to waste. 
This was Gunnar's outfit of choice for a long time that day...he ran around forever in that Luigi hat waving that sword around!
Lars got me this indoor/outdoor thermometer for Christmas last year and it has this little guy on it that dresses according to the weather.
So forever we have mostly just seen him in his winter coat/hat scarf etc...Well as it gets warmer he starts stripping down and that was the first day they had seen him in his swimming suit and they loved it! They carried that thing around all day and made sure that they stripped down to their swim shorts when he did.
Then Ashton (in classic Ashton form) said "Hey Mom, I bet when it's really summer he'll be totally naked!" I laughed so hard at that and then thought that would be pretty scary if he really was! Oh speaking of soccer...that's the other big change. Ashton has totally loved it this season and gotten so much more into it than he was last fall.
I am so glad I rolled the dice and gave him another chance...he has really surprised us and it has been so fun to watch! At his last couple games he begs his coach to let him keep playing! He had his last game last night and I'm kind of sad it's going to be over too! We have loved his coach and the kids on his team. Not that they keep score much at this age, but his team was undefeated...there were some really good little players on it! He starts t-ball this week and is showing the same enthusiasm about it, so we're excited for it too. In so many ways, he just really seems to be growing up more lately. It makes me sad, but also so happy! Oh one other thing...Ashton is reading so well! He has been loving checking out "chapter books" from the library and lots of times I'll find him sitting in this chair reading away. I love it! 
Moving on to Gunnar...one of the main things I notice about him lately is how fun and easy he is to take anywhere. He will happily run errands with me for 2 or 3 hours! He is just along for the ride...He is still pretty shy around people until he warms up to them and it really comes in handy, because anywhere we go he wants to stay right by me or sit on my lap. Ashton at this age would run around and get into everything! They are such different little personalities. But I love that. Ashton has always been so outgoing. Gunnar (at least in public is much more shy). At home is a different story! He is pure entertainment! Oh the other day I was taking Lars in to his doctor to get his stitches out and we just did it while Ashton was at school, so Gunnar was with us. Lars and I were talking in the front seat and I heard Gunnar start to say "Mom, Mom, Mommy, Mom, MOM!" So we finished our conversation and I finally said "Yes Gunnar?" To which he replied quietly "I just wanted to say hi." He is so cute & SO sweet! I know I've said it many times before, but he is the most sensitive little guy. And I hope that stays with him as he gets older. It was cute the other day, I had to return some pants for Lars to the Buckle and the girl that usually ends up helping me there, was there and she LOVES Gunnar. We walked in and she says "Hey Gunnar!" He got his cute little shy smile on his face and hid behind my leg, but then when she walked away he smiles big and says "She remembered my name Mommy!" He thought it was so cool! I had to laugh because one of my friends had just been teasing me that they know ME by name there. Hahaha! So far Gunnar is excited when we talk about him going to preschool next year...but he is still so attached to me, we'll see how it goes I guess that first couple of weeks. Maybe he'll totally surprise me and go without shedding a tear. Oh other big Gunnar news is that he sleeps in till 7:30 or 8:00 most days now!! Who can forget all of those 5:30 early mornings I complained about in every other post??? This new schedule is heaven! I've even been getting my exercise in at night so I don't feel guilty when I sleep in with him. He still naps every other day or so...I'm sure he's ready to give it up, but I'm not! One other thing about Gunnar...I guess like most 3 year olds, he is very into bandaids for all of his daily "owies". Every time I turn around he has a new one and he goes through about 10 bandaids a day and everyone we see, he has to tell them all about his injuries. Haha! It just kind of reminded me of when you ask an older person how they're doing...a lot of them will go straight to talking about their health problems and go on and on. Yep that's Gunnar and his owies!As for Lars, he is doing well...he still has about 3 weeks left on crutches, then he'll be able to hopefully start doing some physical therapy and begin to put some weight on it. It is hard for him to not be able to do a lot and those crutches drive him crazy some days, but he has been going in to work part time and working at home the other half and this week is actually now working all day. So that is luckily working out really well. Unlike the rest of us who would love to see all these rainy days go...he would rather it be rainy and cold outside, then he doesn't feel like he's missing out on as much. Makes sense. Oh and you'd think he'd gain some weight laying around with this injury, but nooooo he's lost like 7 pounds! Where I feel like I run around all day and somehow I never lose any (and probably gain some...but I'm not checking!) Not. Fair.This last Friday my MOMS group at church did our yearly Guardian Angel Baby Shower where we make baby items to donate to a local charity as well as have everyone try to donate baby items that we can give. This year I made the postcards to hand out and another lady and I were in charge of the crafts. We made these adorable burp cloths (thanks for the idea Cass)
...and these super easy pacifier clips.
It was a lot of fun and we ended up making I think 35 burp cloths and at least that many clips. 
Oh remember this cute little guy whose newborn pics I took last year?
Well he turned 1 this past Sunday! I can't believe how fast that year flew by...I went over a few weeks ago and took some pictures for his Mom...
...my friend and Gunnar's Godmother Angie. Anthony is so cute!Here was his birthday invitation I did for her (well part of it)...
They had a great party for him on Saturday...that we spent about 4 hours at! 
My boys were in heaven with the bounce house, pinata, cake, ice cream etc...they would have stayed the night if we'd let them.And lastly I have to post these pictures of Ashton, because right now he looks like he got beat up. Well he kind of did...he and his neighbor buddies all had their light sabers out playing a couple days ago and started getting a little rough...he came home bawling, with this on his head...
...a scraped knee and smashed finger!? Then last night he was playing with the little neighbor girl at our house and they bonked heads and now he has this on the other eye!
Anyway...needless to say we have been busy! There. Now I'm caught up for awhile...that was a pain, this post took me about 4 days, so that will be my motivation to stay caught up.
Not that anyone still reads my blog or cares..(but I will continue to post on it as my journal to someday look back on), anyway I can't leave out my Mother's Day post, because it has become one of my favorite holidays as it represents what I love and treasure most about my life. I love also to celebrate my own Mom, Step-Mom and Mother-in-Law on a day that they deserve to be celebrated! This year I learned something. Well it's something I think I've learned through other experiences before, so I guess I was more reminded of it. As Lars is pretty much out of commission, I had zero expectation of big Mother's Day plans...I knew it was going to kind of just be another Sunday and that was fine with me. So back to my point...in past Mother's Days I think I had high expectations and when the day didn't turn out like I thought it should I would end up disappointed, so I guess what I am saying is when you lower your expectations there is no disappointment, just gratefulness for simple things. I woke up when the boys got up around 7:30 and usually would have loved for Lars to get up with them and let me sleep in, but that just isn't possible right now therefore I wasn't expecting it...and it was okay. Then Ashton went and got the things he'd made for me at school and at his church class and as I read his sweet words in his cute handwriting with words spelled in his own way, I cried because I knew they were his own thoughts that no one told him to write. There is no other gift I would want more. (too bad my scanner won't work!!) Anyway...then I could see he was thinking about what else he could do for me, and he said "Hey since it's Sunday I don't usually have to do my chores, but today it's Mother's Day so I'm going to make my bed anyway so that you don't have to." Honestly just to see him come up with that little thing on his own, something to help me out...completely made my day! 
This little boy is always sweet to me...
This year there was no breakfast in bed...so I made the boys and Lars chocolate chip pancakes, then got ready for church and took them on my own. My next gift was that they behaved so well! (Simple things...) We ususally go to our church's big Mother's Day Brunch and actually Lars usually works at it...but obviously that was out, so we just came home and spent the rest of the day at home, then met up with our friends the Villas at Rumbi for dinner.
It was fun and good for Lars to get out for a little bit. All in all a great day...oh and Lars of course thought ahead and went out (on his hurt achilles tendon...a couple days before surgery) and got me a card and gift card to the running store & threw in $50 from his poker stash :) Thanks hun! And thanks Ashton and Gunnar...I love being your Mom. Every. Single. Day. You are both such blessings in my life...and the best little boys ever! 
He was SO SO excited!! 
He could not stop smiling. It reminded me exactly of this moment....(First time riding with no training wheels :)
And this moment...(first time tying his own shoes)
I love how excited he gets!
He couldn't wait to get to school and show his friends that he'd lost one and put it on the "Lost tooth Chart"! Also to show Lars when he got home and finally to put his first tooth under his pillow for the tooth fairy! I love his little note he wrote to go with it and how carefully he placed it just where he wanted it. 
Oh and how excited he was the next morning to find it replaced with a dollar!!
He's gotten good at getting around using this...
