The Asmussen Family: TTT: Season 4, Episode 8

1. Have you noticed that I always preface every paragraph that contains any form of complaint with a disclaimer? I have a fantastic life. I'm really far more blessed than I deserve to be. So any form of complaining is totally out of line and reminiscent of the spoiled behavior I often get on to my children for exhibiting. So I'll start with my usual disclaimer: I love my house. It's hard to believe that Mark and I managed to buy a home like ours in our twenties. We're very blessed. But with that being said, I'm fairly certain that we purchased one of the very few homes in The Woodlands without a sprinkler system. (at least it seems that way...some of the yards around here are insane!) Sure, there are tons of houses that have nasty carpet like ours, unpainted walls like ours, and yucky couches like ours. But not missing sprinkler systems. It's either spring, summer, or fall here year round. So nothing ever dies. It never turns brown. Ever. The plants and weeds, that is. Grass is another story. If you don't water it, well then the green weeds just take over and there you have it. We tried to do our own watering last spring, summer, fall...ok, year, and there's just no way to keep up. Letting the sprinklers run, going out and moving them, hoping your getting the right areas...it's exhausting. So we finally saved up enough and got our new sprinkler system installed this week! And I've got to say, we've now got the coolest system on the block. I love my sweet husband, and really, he doesn't ask for much. Ever. But the one thing he has always wanted is a pretty lawn with lots of sprawling grass. So I'm hoping this is the first step to the lawn of his dreams. Sure, we're going to have to get some new sod in the back because it's beyond repair, but hey, at least we're not setting the kitchen timer and running out to the yard every twenty minutes to move the sprinklers. And there are no longer hoses stretched out all over the grass for the kids to trip on. I'm proud of our "little" house and the future aspirations of our lawn.

2. Y'all know that I love my three little boys, but did you know that they aren't actually my first baby loves? No, I was blessed to have my first baby love at a very young age. Eight, to be exact. Every little girl loves to play house and play with babies, right? And dreams of having her own real baby. Lucky me, I actually did. He's my youngest brother, Dave. His crib was in my room and I pushed him down the street in his stroller as if he were my own. I cried hysterically while screaming at him in anger when he hid under a bed for a long time as a little boy and we were all convinced something horrible had happened to him. Just like a mom would. I shared a good portion of my first year as a real mom with him when he lived with me while Kolbe was a baby Mark was away at PA school. I have loved Dave since the day he was born. Dave is now twenty-two, graduated from college and will be moving out to Los Angeles this week to pursue his dreams. I can't believe the man he has turned out to be. Kind, loving, compassionate, honest, courageous and so handsome. He has spent the last several weeks here in The Woodlands ironing out the details of his big move and we have loved every opportunity we've had to spend time with him. As much as the boys love their other uncles, there's just a special spot in their little boy hearts for Uncle Dave. Kinda like their mama's heart. A little part will always be his. He spent his entire day on Monday painting my bathroom for me for no reason other than that he knew I really wanted to have it done. I am so proud of Dave because he is so uniquely himself. He doesn't feel the need to be pressed into the mold of being "just like the other Hefferlys" and has become both entirely himself and uniquely Hefferly. I dream only the best dreams for Dave and have the highest hopes for his future. I can't say that I've always been the best big sister to him, but if nothing else, I hope that he knows how greatly he's been loved in my heart since the very first day of his life. He's the best baby brother a girl could have and no matter where life takes him, I will always love him just as he is.

3. Have you ever wondered what God looks like? I had the most precious exchange of words with Kolbe a while back on the topic. And it just has to be documented. It went a little something like this:
(while discussing the fact that one of our good friends is pregnant, thus adding to the huge number of people we know that are pregnant...)
Kolbe: Well why don't you get a baby in your tummy too?
Me: Well it doesn't work that way. I can't just up and decide to have another baby. Every baby has to have a mama and a dada and God....three different things....to create one little baby.
Kolbe: A baby is made by a dada and a mama and God?
Me: Yes. God decides to send down a precious soul and someday your soul returns to God too.
Kolbe: Well....you know how I look just like you when you were little and Rudy looks just like Dada?
Me: Yeah?
Kolbe: (long pause) Grant must look just like God. He doesn't look like you and Dada.

So there you have it. Isn't the understanding of a child just the most precious thing ever?! And heck, since we're all made in his image and likeness, maybe he's right. Maybe Grant does look just like God. So when people ask us "Where did he get those blue eyes!?!" I can respond with "from God." Maybe kids' thoughts aren't so silly and our grown-up notions are the ones that are nonsense. Either way, life is so beautiful.

Whadaya think? Not Laura, not Mark...must be God!

We got to spent Saturday afternoon at my sister-in-law's sister's house for our nephew's first birthday party! Happy Birthday, Will! (or as Mark says, "Guillermo Marcos.")

Puggy had a blast on the Kim's slide...his hair is a static magnet!

Abby and Andy have 2 boys, Jae and Jenny have 2 boys, we have 3 boys...it was boys "daglore" (as Rudy says)

Pinkie, Pa, and Dave came too (as well as Abby's parents)...Pinkie was brave enough to hit the slide with the kiddos.

Saturday was also our first soccer game for the spring season. Practice got rained out during the week so it took this guy a little bit to get warmed up but he was right back at it in no time!

And guess who's playing with the big boys this season!?! Rudy! He's playing up a league so he's definitely young and not totally sure what's going on but he loves it.