TWO!

When did we get a two-year-old? I know I say it all the time, but time goes by so fast. Asher is getting so big and truly turning into a little boy. He is the life of our family most of the time (when he isn't having tantrums :) and we love him so much.

Asher understands almost anything you say to him and says a whole lot too, although some of it isn't understandable to most people. I have provided a table of common words translated from Asher-ese to English:
Nook- Milk
Hone-Water
Shiwwy- Silly
Yafe- Leif
Gamp- Grandpa
Gam- Grandma
Doctor- either doctor or tractor
Ope- Open
Boinken- Broken
Sometimes Asher will get a word down perfectly, then he will mutate it to something else that is not understandable. For example, once upon a time, Asher said "milk" pretty clearly. Then he started saying "no" then "nook". He used to say "Abbey" very clearly, but lately he has been saying "Ibbey". One word that is as clear as can be and that I'm getting a little tired of hearing is "Mine". But I guess that just comes along with being two. 

Asher is a man of routine. Once you get a routine formed for him, he will stick to it! He hated hats, but we found one with bikes on it and convinced him that he needs to wear it outside. Most the time I completely forget about it, especially if we are just running a quick errand, but the minute we step out the door, Asher will say "hat" and insist that we go find it. He is really into his bedtime routine too and that helped so much in his transition into a big kid bed in a new house. He transitioned over better than I ever could have hoped. The first night he was a little unsure about a big bed in a new house, but by keeping his bedtime routine, he was adjusted by the second night. What a relief! The only little problem is that Asher doesn't really sleep in his big boy bed. There is a book shelf built into the wall right next to his bed and the bottom shelf is at the exact same level as his bed, so once his story and prayers are over, Asher shoves his pillow into the shelf, grabs his stuffed bunny, and snuggles into the shelf for a nice sleep. I'm not sure if he likes it so much because it feels more secure in a small space or if he just thinks its fun. I have found his legs hanging out onto the mattress occasionally, but he usually stays on the shelf. Its hilarious.

Asher is obsessed with trains and bikes. Grandma Kate gave him a train calendar which was our bedtime story until I found a book to replace it with. We had to "read" the calendar before every nap and bedtime, sometimes more than once, which was getting a little old, so I found "The Little Engine That Could" and we have been reading that now too. One of the highlights of my day is to read the part that says "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" and have Asher look back and grin at me like I'm the silliest mommy he knows.

Asher is becoming more and more interested in dressing himself. If I try to put something on him that he didn't either choose or approve, he will throw a fit and try to get it off. We only have 3 pairs of socks with trains, but he insists on wearing them everyday. A few times when all three pairs were dirty, Austin or I had to convince him that dinosaurs or spaceships say "choo choo" so that he would wear his socks. We should just get him sandals and do away with the socks all together since its so hot, but since he loves his routines so much, socks are a necessary part of getting dressed.

One of our favorite things about Asher is when he eats something he likes, watches someone else eat something he likes, or does something he is pleased with, he will nod his head. Another fun thing he does is push and pull people around if they don't do what he wants fast enough. He is very insistent that you do what he asks and if you don't he will try to force you to do it. 

For Asher's birthday we started a new birthday tradition- Chocolate waffles with strawberries and whipped cream for breakfast. He loved them! and we did too :) Asher's Nonna, Aunt Abbey, and Uncle Travis came to visit in the afternoon, so we all went swimming and hung out. Asher had a very exciting and fun birthday to be followed the next day by a birthday party . . . which will be the next post.

We love Asher so much and can't believe he is now two. Its a delight to watch him grow and learn each day. He is a great big brother and a busy little man. With all the excitement, here are the only descent photos I got of his birthday.