what my boys and i have been doing

it feels like forever since i have had a moment to write...
so many things to say.
well... here goes
first.

isaac is growing so much and changing and learning and letting us know exactly who he is! it's fun.
he has started standing up randomly... first, he will squat and then slowly rise up until he is standing... then he will smile and smirk... as if to say... yes i am amazing :)... the first time i saw him do it, being the good mom that i am, i clapped and whooped and  showered him with praise... and he just looked at me like... uh... mom... what are you doing? is this a good thing or a bad thing?... but now he just eats it up!
the other day isaac, asher, josh and i all went to byu to get josh's school books... while we were there we took a small detour and picked up some milk and hot dogs at the creamery (we had the stroller... a regular home evening night :)... we then walked to the 'clean' duck pond that has a stream, pond and waterfall... on the way there the boys ate their hot dogs... well, asher ate his hot dog and isaac ...isaac... helped... by wolfing down everything in sight and when his was gone he kept grabbing at asher's and stealing his bread... the hot dog itself tightly entrenched in asher's hands was the only reason isaac didn't eat that too! :)... it was SO funny to see the interaction... isaac so unafraid... this is what i want and I AM going to get it... and asher, sort of... didn't care... he just looked a little miffed... but never said anything or did anything to stop isaac and neither did we... if asher had been upset we may have done something... i think it worked out all right because asher doesn't like the bread anyway :)

for me, it was a perfect moment... i have been wanting all of us to go up to the waterfall and play together for quite sometime... but it never seemed to work out... with josh going to school and working and people getting sick... etc etc...  but, this day we were out in nature ... enjoying it together... and someone else got to run off after asher while i played with isaac... isaac doesn't get much down time to explore because asher does not sit still or stay near me... most of our time is spent chasing after asher, making sure he is safe... i haven't cracked down on it yet... maybe i should... but there are so many battles to choose from that i have decided to let this one go for now... when the two boys start running in different directions i may change how i feel about the situation :).

while we were there josh and asher took one of the hot dog "boats" and used it to go over the waterfall... josh did it first while asher waited with me at the bottom of the (smallish) waterfall... josh from up above was trying to get asher to move along the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall...instead asher plunged into the pool (not too deep but it was too cold!)... it was one of those moments where you wished you hadn't lost your battery charger and that you weren't too poor to replace it... soon...it will be done... but so much has already been lost :(


second...asher

he is SO like me... i have been letting him watch harry potter but not all of it because it is too scary for a three year old... but i let him watch the parts that aren't so scary... like when they fly on the brooms... and after he gets done watching the movie he will get up and say, "I AM harry potter... where is my broom... i want to fly... etc etc" i think for him the most significant part of the movie is the flying ability :)... but it is just like me to want to become totally immersed... to somehow find the magical world... that is just fingertips away... you can see it... but you can't touch it... so you try to become it...

josh and i were flirting in the kitchen trying to intimidate each other in a very silly way... when josh stops and turns to asher standing on a kitchen chair and asks, "who is bigger? me? or mom?"... asher stops and thinks a little bit and then with his impish smile says "i am biggest!"... what a tease

he is growing up so much... he isn't so little anymore... it sort of makes me sad... really...