On the advent of my first babe starting kindergarten

It's been a while since I did a non-Three Thought Thursday blog post. Tonight I had plans of finishing up some laundry, starting the dishwasher, maybe responding to an email or two. Typical things. But since it's not a typical night, I felt myself more drawn to sit down and write a bit.

My little boy starts kindergarten tomorrow.

A special day, no doubt. And a special little boy. I find my heart filled with a sense of completion and a sense of beginning all at once. What a remarkable five (nearly six!) years it has been with my Kolbe. I'm so proud that we've made it this point! Mark and I certainly don't profess to being perfect parents; we're nothing of the sort. But we're here. We made it. We have a smart, funny, happy, charming little boy who is so, so excited to take on the world.

I've shared my journey through motherhood on this blog since Kolbe was about eight-months-old. You've seen the ups and downs, our joys and sorrows. And every single second has been worth it.

I love being Kolbe's mama.

There's nothing in the world quite like it and I'm bless that God has chosen Mark and me to be his guides on the journey. And to be honest, I can't wait for the new journey ahead. This is one extraordinary kiddo we've got on our hands!

And I'm so, so glad that I still get to be Kolbe's mama. Still get to be the one he trusts, the one he looks to for advice, the one to teach him morals, to show him how to love others and to love God. To teach him how to clean toilets, make spaghetti, write a good paper, or ask a girl to dance. Till the day I leave this earth, and hopefully even beyond, I will always be Kolbe's mama.

It's the best feeling.

For several years leading up to this point, Mark and I wrestled back and forth with what path we should take when it came to the education of our children. From the beginning, we've been firm believers that parents are responsible for the education of their children. And for a long time, I struggled with what that meant for us. Public school? Catholic school? Home school? Could it be possible for my kids to be academically educated in one arena and morally/spiritually educated in another? Time will certainly tell, but for now, Mark and I both have deep faith that we've done our best in bringing Kolbe to this point and we're certainly not going to stop now. We send him off to school with great excitement and confidence that he can and will be the salt among his peers. And it's our job to continue to cultivate that in him (and our other boys too) at home. Best of all, we're surrounded by so many friends and family members...those who send their kids to public school, those who choose Catholic school, those who homeschool...all who have been nothing but supportive and encouraging in our process of reaching this point. We're so blessed to not be alone in this crazy ride called parenthood!

So with a joy, excitement, and great confidence I will load a little thirty-eight pound boy into the car tomorrow morning. Beaming with pride, I'll take his hand and walk to his classroom with him. We'll smile and our hearts will know just how deeply we love each other.

And my little boy will take flight.

The little boy who made me a mama

Life couldn't be better :)

Three Thought Thursday- 8/22/13

Hello, world! We're baaaaack!
I can't exactly use the phrase "a little behind." I think that applies to two, maybe three weeks. Not two months. Shameful, I tell you. I mean, really...twenty-some-odd years from now when I want to revisit the summer of 2013...my thoughts, the little nuances of life, the ups, the downs....I'll have nothing. Well nothing except scrolls and scrolls of pictures! So here's to that: a close-out to the July and August of The Summer of 2013.

We took a trip to Brenham, TX for the 4th of July to visit Andy and Abby and we had a blast! On the 4th we enjoyed an adorable little small town parade in Chappell Hill. Really, the cutest parade ever.

And no trip to Brenham is complete without a visit to the Bluebell Ice Cream factory. Yum, yum! 

We had all ages represented- 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. And it was impossible to get a good shot of all 5 without at least one making a break for it!

This little man...

Little Will is just the cutest ever. He's such a pleasant, mellow little guy!

We had a great time with the Hefferlys and can't wait to go back!

When our plans to go swimming at the country club fell through, we hit the kiddie pool in the front yard. True American style.

And then shivered a bit as the sun was setting.

What 4th of July is complete without Bomb Pops?

Even if they make you look a bit like a vampire.

And of course we finished it off with a small town firework show. Such a fun little trip!

Our next adventure was a "glad we did it but never again" success story of a trip flying standby on Southwest to Lubbock. We're so, so glad we did it and were so thankful for the free tickets, but never again with little ones. If I had been keeping up with the blog, you would have heard a long tale of dramatic woeful proportions but I'll simply leave it at standby during the summer saves you nothing. Including sanity. 

But we got to enjoy story time with Papa Jeep.

Wrestle-mania with Uncle P (who happened to be in town for a wedding!)

A trip to the movies with grandparents (in outfits to match the movie, no less!)

A backyard BBQ with cousins on both sides of the family

Two best buddies catching up like old times. (and Mark and I got a night to catch up with adult family and friends too!) 

Backyard shenanigans (yes, I let my kid run around like that. He got bit by something and I was trying to make sure he didn't breakout too badly!)

Just being adorable, as always. 

Time catching up with Krista never goes by too slowly.

And guess who loves tire swings?!?

No trip to Lubbock is complete without a visit to "Castle Park."

Swinging with his grandparents....

And checking out bunnies with buddy Jacob.

And then there was the flight home...all this made the trip well worth it! SO glad we got to visit Lubbock this summer!

So beyond our two trips, what else have we been up to??? Oh, just things like...

My cousin having the sweetest little baby girl ever who I fully intend on kidnapping...

...Mark smoking his first set of ribs, and man, were they good!....

...the annual summer trip to Chuck E Cheese...

...and don't even get me started on this. Root canal + Laura's lupus = epic fail.  Horrible inflammatory response which resulted in having to have my tooth filed down so the back two don't even touch now. And to think I still have to have the crown done! Grr!.....

...but that episode was redeemed by a fun trip to see the Astros play with Pinkie and Pa and the Hefferly Clan (Andy's family)...

...We had a blast at Minute Maid Park...

...sat up in the rafters and enjoyed every minute...

...and then I got to go on a date with this little slice of heaven...to pick out school supplies and talk about life...

...and somewhere amidst the summer, my baby turned into a boy...

...and a little boy room got a massive makeover (that's still in progress- waiting on a new dresser this weakend!)...

...And these two cheesers celebrated seven years of marriage with a night out....

...and a night in--as a family tradition, we always celebrate the birth of our family (our anniversary) with a candle-light dinner for the whole clan, in hopes that we teach our boys the importance of marriage, love, and commitment. And on the fine china and with a table cloth!)...

So hopefully back to our normally scheduled routine. With school starting on Monday and a weekend getaway for Mark and me to follow, I certainly have lots to "talk" about. See you soon!

Three Thought Thursday- 6/27/13

- Another few weeks of full-swing-summer around here. Life and laughter of all kinds. And I can already tell this is going to go down as my favorite summer of all times. It's. just. fun! We've had a few "issues" going on within our family and extended family that have got me making a concerted effort to look around each day and simply be thankful. The life I have is extraordinary. Sure, it's full of it's own unique hiccups, but even those add to the character of our stories. Have you every noticed that in fairy tales, the "happily ever after" ends right when "normal life" starts? Certainly we're not expected to believe that Cinderella runs off with her new husband and never has another bump in the road ever, ever again. That's how I feel: Living the fairy tale but in normal life. Despite it's regular chaos, daily hardships, and even the heavier, thick crosses, it's so, so beautiful. I have a amazing husband. Three beautiful children. A wonderful home. Family on both sides that loves us dearly. And a God who is never failing. I've just been feeling that no matter what comes our way, there's a mighty, mighty fortress covering us in love. I'm blessed.

- But enough of the mushy stuff.
You're wondering what we've been up to, right!?
Well, lots. Two birthdays, a baby shower, and don't forget Father's Day! Throw in the pool, a trip the movies, picnics in the park, extended family in town...like I said...Best. Summer. Ever. On Monday my "baby" celebrated his second birthday and the following day I celebrated the second anniversary of my twenty-ninth birthday. (wink, wink!) And a few days prior I had a blast serving as one of the hostesses for my sweet cousin Audry's baby shower. Once upon a time it seemed like I was hosting a shower every month or so...but it's been a long time and it was so fun to get back in on the baby pampering action. Especially since she's having a girl! Lots and lots of family came in for the shower so not only did I get to have fun doing the girly stuff, but Mark and the kiddos got the have fun hanging out with everyone else too. I think our boys won everyone over pretty quickly. ;) And despite the fact that Mark was on call for Father's Day, the boys and I put together a fun day for him. It's never hard to come up with reasons to celebrate Dada. His love for us keeps our family alive! So two more weeks of summer in the books. With a trip to Brenham, TX for 4th of July on the horizon, let the good times continue!

To surprise Mark for Father's Day, on Saturday while he was rounding at the hospitals, the boys and I hung roughly 150 pictures around our entire family room of just Dada and the boys. In 5.5 years of being the World's Best Dada, it's easy to come up with that many!  

He was so surprised and love walking around his "gallery" and reliving the moments as a daddy.

Shower Fun! Me, Mom, Audry, and Kristen...the hostesses with the mama-to-be!

A fun shot of all the Gaschen cousins at the shower!

Gaschen sisters at the concert in the park...minus Aunt Mimi. :(

Gaschen family fun...taking over Willie's Icehouse!

Birthday, birthday!

Blowing out the candles.

Getting ready to ride his new strider bike with his new helmet...just like big brothers'! 

The bike ridin' crew!

Yum, yum German Chocolate Cake that Mark ordered for me. My fave!

What two-year-old doesn't love a giant ball for his birthday?!

Ruffians.

Mark's grandfather, Grandpa Selso is the best.little.artist.EVER! He sends us cards with his original artwork for every birthday, holiday, and special occasion. They are a true treasure to us and we keep every single one!

And while we're on the topic of artwork, I nearly died laughing when Kolbe gave me this gem as a birthday present. He did a fantastic job of coloring me "a princess picture since you're a girl," but he failed to realize that Ariel's tail goes up to her waist, not her ankles. So I'm rockin' a pin-up-style Ariel on my fridge right now. He couldn't figure out why I thought it was so funny. So innocent!

- So I mentioned that my "baby" turned two. It's true. He did. And I'm feeling oh-so-bittersweet about it. Two years? Life is happening at just a crazy pace. Because he was born here. In The Woodlands. While we were living in this house. And really, it seems like we just left Lubbock. But I guess the thing that makes Grant's passage from baby to kiddo a bit more sigh-inducing is that he's the baby. There's no little brother or sister to fill the baby shoes. No bun in the oven to look forward to the baby days with. Lord willing, there will be some day, but for now I feel myself coming to peace with having three little boys instead of two boys and a toddler. Closing the baby chapter (hopefully not forever) isn't a horrible thing. It's simply time for me to love being the mom of the three best little boys in the world. And this Grant fella? Boy, is he something else! I always found it so amazing that Kolbe and Rudy were so close in age yet so, so different in other areas. And to think I have a third that's just as different from the other two! Grant is a total spit-fire, action-packed, chaos-iducing wildman. He can win you over in no time at all because he's learned the fine art of using his baby blues and winsome smile. (We don't call him "Smiley" for nothing!) Temperamental as all get out, he goes from complete meltdown to full-on laugher without hesitation. And certainly unique to The Asmussen Bunch, Grant is in the 80th percentile for weight and 95th for height. Along with the blue eyes, he managed to grab the Hefferly height too. So we'll be taking bets on at what Grant will pass up Mom and Dad,  'cause we know it's coming!  Lastly, let me just tell you, I love this little boy. He makes me melt every single day...and want to pull my hair out, too! The perfect combination.

Birthday Morning!

#3 turns 2 with his 1st year collage in the background...he really lost that baby look this year!

And just because.....

Uncle Brian and Aunt Cristi sent Grant the ultimate backyard pool for his birthday and these kiddos had a blast swimming in it! (We won't talk about how long it took to inflate everything...) But look at that stink face!

An inflatable pool with a slide? Heck, yeah!

Two brothers, too sweet.