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.