The Finzel Family

6 Months

2011-02-21T12:56:00.002-07:00

It doesn't seem possible that 6 months, 1/2 a year, has already passed since Ireland and Elias entered our lives. Little did I know how much things would change and how much work two babies would be. I still don't feel like my life has reached a new "normal" yet...we're getting closer but aren't there yet. Some days are really good and some days are really hard. They're still not sleeping through the night (well, to be fair, Ireland isn't sleeping through the night so she wakes Elias up with her crying. Awesome.) so that kinda puts a damper on things. I'm (We're) tired and ready for a full night's sleep. But, I wouldn't trade the exhaustion for the joy these two little lives bring to our family. We do not take the blessings we've been given lightly. Our hearts are extremely thankful.

Happy 6 Months Sweet Ones!

Big Brother

2011-01-26T11:03:00.003-07:00

Asher is the BEST big brother. He is so caring, gentle and sweet with the babies, loves making them laugh and always wants to hold them. I'm so thankful for his help!

5 Months

2011-01-25T20:56:00.003-07:00

Can't believe my babies are already 5 months old. Time is going so fast and they are changing so much!

Their temperaments couldn't be more different: Elias - chill, Ireland - high strung

But they are so cute together and starting to notice each other's presence

Things are starting to get fun!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-25T15:38:00.002-07:00

Only a month late. Not bad, right? Because an entire Christmas post with explanations and loads of pictures is not going to happen, here are a few pictures to show that we at least celebrated Christmas this year!

Sweet Bubba at the Christmas Eve service

(I was a little concerned he was going to drop the candle and start the church on fire)

Had to get a picture of the babes in their Christmas Eve outfits - Ireland was not a fan of the bonnet (shocker):

Christmas Day before heading over to Grandpa and Grandma Brokke's

Family Pictures - not great but good enough for these days...

4 Months

2011-01-25T15:09:00.002-07:00

Better late than never!

4 Month Photo Shoot -

Thanksgiving

2010-11-27T22:33:00.003-07:00

The best 2 out of 7...take your pick:

So thankful.

So blessed.

Naked Babies

2010-11-24T10:00:00.003-07:00

These babes are happiest on their changing table. Stripped down to diapers and free to kick around, they smile, laugh, talk and coo when they're being changed! I'm pretty much up for whatever makes them happy these days...

Besides the fact that they're both white, bald-headed little babies, isn't it crazy how different they look from each other? Elias is all Finzel and Ireland looks so much like my baby pictures and my mom's side of the family!

love it.

3 Months!

2010-11-20T20:49:00.002-07:00

Three months old today! Wow. Time really is going by so quickly. They are getting more and more interactive each day--"talking," smiling, cooing, laughing every once in a while. It's starting to be fun, not just work. I'm sure the fact that they're sleeping longer stretches at night helps too.

We were able to squeeze in a quick photo shoot before bed tonight. Please disregard their tired eyes and the red blotches on Elias' face....this was after their bath and they were DONE with our shenanigans.

From the looks of this picture, Ireland looks much larger than Elias but he's actually a bit bigger than her.

Had to put in the token "I'll just sit here and chill while sister screams" photo.

Overwhelmed with thanksgiving and gratefulness for our precious 3-month olds.

Trick-or-Treat

2010-11-02T12:10:00.004-06:00

Believe it or not, this was Asher's first experience Trick-or-Treating for Halloween! Last year he had the flu and the year before that we went to our church's Harvest Festival. All that to say, he was VERY excited to wear a costume and say "Trick-or-Treat" this year! Although, on the way up I rehearsed with him what he was supposed to say after he rang the doorbell and he excitedly exclaimed, "Happy Birthday!" Um, no. We had to practice a few more times!

Because both of the babies were sick with a cold, Mark stayed home with them while I took Asher out with some friends....

Asher and his sweet friend Kadence (the ballerina)

My sweet little fireman

Getting the hang of how it's done!

Enjoying his first treasure

(he was overwhelmed with excitement by all the candy he got, the kid has never owned so much candy in his life)

The best picture I got with all the kids - rough.

I'm glad he was finally able to experience Trick-or-treating and the joy that comes from a sugar rush. He's been wearing his costume non stop both yesterday and today...I'm afraid it may become a permanent outfit in our house!

2 Month Photoshoot

2010-11-02T11:54:00.003-06:00

I know we're about two weeks late, but at least I'm getting these up! The babes are growing and doing great...can't believe they'll be 3 months old in just a couple weeks!

The photo shoot this month was definitely less than "perfect" but turned out to be quite comical trying to get all 3 kids to look decent for the camera. I think I need to lower my expectations for all pictures in the future!

My 3 precious children (the one in the middle has a rockin' smile):

Chill brother and quite concerned sister (she is always quite concerned about something):

It's a good thing he's so chill because I have a fiery one with her....not sure where she gets that from!?!? Just kidding.

Happy 2 (1/2) months sweet babies!!

One Month Old!!

2010-09-20T20:49:00.003-06:00

Don't know where the past month has gone but it has flown by (in an "I never sleep more than 5 hours a night and I'm pretty much exhausted sort of way.") Everyday I'm adjusting more and more to having 3 kids. It is A LOT of work - no way around that - but we are incredibly grateful and blessed by these precious gifts!

Here they are tonight...ready for bed in their matching swaddle blankets. As you can tell, they are pretty much beside themselves with excitement over being a month old.:)

Oh, Ireland got to go off oxygen today and we're hoping Elias will be off in the next week or so. It will be SO nice to be free from it as I feel somewhat chained to the house right now.

Happy One Month Old sweet babies!!

Home Sweet Home

2010-08-27T21:11:00.004-06:00

Our twins are home from the hospital and we are so thankful! It has been a long week and we are glad to be home and settling into our new routine and new "normal." It is still hard to believe we now have 3 children! Such a blessing. Though, I will say, I forgot just how sleep deprived the first few months are....every feeding requires a small pep talk to myself. Here are a few pictures from our going home adventures yesterday -

Elias in his going home outfit

Ireland in her outfit

So tiny in their carseats! And, the pacifiers look humongous on their faces!

We are outta there!

We are in love...

2010-08-25T18:02:00.002-06:00

...and so overwhelmed with God's incredible blessings and gifts to our family.

Ireland Grace was born August 20th at 1:45am (5 lb. 11 oz.) and Elias Daniel was born just 5 minutes later at 1:50am (5lb. 12 oz.)

(Elias on the left, Ireland on the right)

35 Weeks

2010-08-07T21:34:00.003-06:00

It is really hard to believe that I'm already 35 weeks along - this pregnancy has completely flown by for me. While I'm totally uncomfortable and have a hard time doing almost everything, I know the longer the babies stay cookin' the better things will be. I'm hoping to make it a couple more weeks even though, if I were to go into labor now, they wouldn't try and stop it and the babies would be fine. Emotionally and mentally, Mark and I could both use a couple more weeks to "prepare." Ha! Like you can really prepare for two new babies.:) Anyways, here are a couple updated pictures of my belly at 35 weeks:

I'm thinking the next time I post will be when Ireland and Elias are here! Wow.

The Belly: 28 Weeks

2010-06-21T15:55:00.002-06:00

Can't believe I'm already 28 weeks along! This pregnancy is just flying by and it's a little crazy/scary to think that if these babies are born the same time Asher was (at 36 weeks) I only have 8 weeks left! Ah! For all of us, I'm hoping that they stay in until 38 weeks. You can be praying for that.:) Here are a couple updated pictures of my belly - definitely feeling larger and more uncomfortable by the day.

California Trip

2010-06-09T13:49:00.007-06:00

We had a wonderful vacation in California last week filled with lots of family time, friends, activities and, of course, tons of recreational eating! It was a busy, busy, busy trip with not much down time, but we all enjoyed getting out of "routine" for a little while.

I have to confess that I have totally fallen off the wagon with taking pictures these days. I either forget my camera all together or bring it with me and remember AFTER the fact that I even had it. So, I'm sad to admit I barely took any pictures of the really important parts of our trip (our brothers' college graduation, the beach, time with friends and family, our trip through AZ to see Mark's grandparents, etc.) I'm hoping once the twins are born I'll find a new passion/reminder to take more pics! But, for now, the pictures I did take will have to do!

We stayed in South Orange County with my dear friend, Kathleen, and were able to visit many of the places we used to go when we lived there. One place was the Rancho Santa Margarita lake. Mark and I used to frequently go on walks there when we were first married so it was fun to take Asher around the lake too...he had a great time feeding the ducks!

silly bubba

One day we made a trip down to Sea World in San Diego. Asher LOVED it! He's been into big "ishies" (aka. fishies) recently so he was enthralled by all the cool stuff.

We saw sharks....

Elmo and Grover (that's normal for Sea World, right??)

Excited about the Sesame Street play area at Sea World

Two cute penguins

A huge Walrus...Asher's favorite thing. Seriously. We probably stood by this window 20+ minutes while Asher watched the huge Walrus eat and regurgitate a fish. Yep. It was SO disgusting and I'm not sure why he loved it so much but we couldn't pull him away!

The Shamu Show

Asher's feelings toward the hot sun and heat during the Shamu show -

And, the Dolphin Show (sorry about the lame picture)

I captured this sweet picture inside one of the exhibits - I love them so much!

One of the last days we were there, my awesome brothers came down and went to Taco Tuesday with us at one of our favorite hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurants. Mark and I used to go almost every Tuesday for dinner and we miss it so much! Colorado Springs just doesn't have authentic Mexican food like SoCal does!

Asher loves his uncles...he frequently refers to them as one name "DrewDerek" when "talking to them on the phone". :)

Um, and yes, the only picture I got with our whole family in it!

Ah, I told you I've fallen off the wagon.:)

So, there you go, our vacay. I'm planning to get a few pictures from graduation off of my parents camera so I'll post more when I do!

23 Weeks

2010-05-15T16:23:00.003-06:00

After a few requests for a "belly shot," I finally pulled out the camera last night and made Mark take a picture of my growing stomach. Honestly, these days I'm almost always wearing sweats and am not feeling so cute. So, I decided it was a prime opportunity to take a picture when I had some semi-decent clothes on (before our date last night). At 23 weeks, it's not much to look at but here you go!

The Babes

2010-05-15T16:09:00.004-06:00

I had my in-depth ultrasound about a week and a half ago and everything is looking good so far! Both of the babies are growing and developing as they should which we are so thankful for. We were able to get a few cool shots of them - one where they were belly to belly - and see them moving all around. They are currently positioned where their heads are next to the other's feet so they are constantly kicking each other in the face.:) It was also great to finally find out the gender of the other baby...we are so thrilled and excited to be having both a boy and a girl!! We feel absolutely overwhelmed by God's goodness and blessings right now. Here are profile shots of both of our sweet babies:

Baby "A"

Our little girl

Baby "B"

Our little boy (notice how he has his hand up to his mouth:))

Also, I think we finally decided on names for our twins but are gonna wait a few more weeks to announce them.:)

Children's Museum

2010-04-11T11:24:00.005-06:00

A couple weeks ago we headed up to Denver for the weekend to spend time with Mark's parents and go to the Children's Museum with Asher. He loved all the cool exhibits and had tons of fun! (Though I would NEVER recommend going middle of the day Saturday like we did - crazy.)

Here he is building things with dad -

The kid already knows how to use a screwdriver

Standing in a weird, nest thing. Should have paid more attention to what it was.

Super excited about coloring a picture (like we don't do that everyday at home or anything??)

And, of course, "shopping" at the grocery store. This was by far his favorite, favorite exhibit!

He also enjoyed painting a picture...until the paint got on his hands. Then he was very concerned and kept saying, "wash paint off." Um, can you tell he's my child?? Oh boy.

Silly bubba gave us a puppet show...

In the "Veterinary Room" he listened to my heart as a good Veterinarian would do.:)

It was a fun day and I'm glad we finally got to experience the museum!

Easter (for lack of a more unique title)

2010-04-06T15:17:00.007-06:00

A week late, but here is the documentation from our Easter -

Asher looking at a picture of himself after opening his monstrous coloring book from G&G Brokke:
My brothers hid 47 eggs for Asher to find....he was in heaven!

So proud of his treasure!

Ash with Grandma and Grandpa Brokke

Our little family :)

As one of my dear friends pointed out from this picture, next year there will be 5 of us....whoa.

Well, I Wasn't Expecting That!

2010-03-16T08:50:00.002-06:00

I was planning (and had been planning for a while) to announce yesterday that Asher is gonna be a big brother to Finzel baby #2 around September 12th....we are so excited!

However, I was not prepared for the news that we are expecting Finzel babies #2 & #3!!! Yep, crazy as it is, we are expecting TWINS! Reality has not really sunk in and we are still in a state of shock, but we are excited, scared, nervous, overwhelmed, hopeful, thankful and prayerful with this news!

Right now we are starting the process of finding a new Dr. who can deliver twins (I was using a midwife up to this point), and we are talking through all that needs to be done to prepare for two babies instead of just one. I know God will give us the strength and grace to walk this journey together and we will have support from our families and dear friends along the way. But, when you think of it, could you pray for us? Thank you! Wow.

These girls...

2010-03-13T15:53:00.004-07:00

are amazing. Was able to spend some time with some of my best friends from college (and a couple from high school) last weekend. My dear friend Amy was in a town for a few days so we planned a girls' night at Rico's downtown. It was so special to enjoy an evening together - catch up on all that has happened over the past year, and share a little of our hearts with each other. I have been blessed with so many incredible friends and, while time, distance and life separate us, we are always able to catch back up and pick up where we left off. These women are amazing and I love them so much (we missed you Ashley, Holly and Heather)!

Kendra, Amy, Brook & Me (Mandrea, thanks for taking the picture!)

Playin' In the Snow

2010-02-21T09:13:00.003-07:00

Ok, so here's the deal, I've decided that the pictures from Asher's birthday party and Christmas are just NOT going to make it on our blog. Just isn't gonna happen. So, I'm moving on. For the past few weeks, every time I've thought about blogging, I feel guilty for not getting those pictures up so I just don't do anything. Well, yesterday I decided that I'm gonna start fresh, skip documenting the past couple months, and start documenting from here forward. Ok? Ok.

Yesterday Mark went out to shovel our driveway and Asher wanted to help. We had bought him a little kid snow shovel a few weeks ago and here was his chance to actually use it on snow. I got him bundled up to head out and then asked him to "smile" for a picture and this is what he did -

Yep, that's his smile these days...crazy kid.

After about 5 minutes outside, the snow "shoveling" idea was abandoned and playing in the snow became much more desirable...

(Notice the discarded shovel in the background)

Silly Bubba

love this.

2010-01-14T14:45:00.002-07:00

Just one of the many amazing pictures my sister-in-law, Cambria, took over Christmas. I'm trying to sort through them all and narrow down which ones to post!

A Fresh Start

2010-01-08T13:55:00.004-07:00

I just haven't been motivated to use the computer lately. Maybe that's cause I got on iphone for Christmas (yay!) and it's easier to check my phone instead of getting on the computer. But, it also may be because our old computer was ANCIENT and you couldn't unplug it for more than 5 minutes without the battery dying. Plus, it was SO slow and, overall, just a pain to use. But, all that's changed now! My amazing husband got me a new Netbook computer as an early birthday present (double yay!) and today is my first day playing with it. I'm looking forward to actually wanting to blog now and staying up-to-date on what's happening in our lives. I'm working on a couple posts - one from Asher's little birthday party and one (or two) from Christmas. Tons of pictures to sort through so it may take some time, but I promise it's coming. I will get back on this blogging wagon. I will.

To get started, here are a couple more pictures from Asher's actual birthday night....

Asher loves to help "clean" when I'm cleaning and we looked everywhere for a kids' broom/dustpan set and could not find it anywhere (any suggestions??). We ended up finding a Dirt Devil toy vacuum that he loves. Anytime we're vacuuming, he runs over & gets his to help!

My mom got him a bubble gun and he is a little obsessed with it. The fact that he can make tons of bubbles all by himself is almost too much. His face in this picture shows his pride.:)

Uncle Dustin was being silly and making him laugh....love it!

Ok, that's all for now but I promise more soon!

2 Years

2009-12-16T10:19:00.002-07:00

Two years ago today, our lives changed forever. God blessed us with our sweet little Asher man. At the time, we couldn't begin to imagine how much he would shape our family, impact our lives, and fill our home with incredible joy and laughter. He has such a sweet, tender, caring spirit....one that makes him so easy to love! The past two years have truly challenged us, grown us and shaped us to be more like Christ...what an incredible journey parenthood is! Today, we celebrate our precious bubba boy and thank the Lord for entrusting him to us while here on earth!
One of the first pictures of our sweet baby - two years ago today:
Getting ready for his birthday breakfast today....look at that smile.:)

His new shopping cart!
(Mark is concerned that it's too girly but it's blue, green and grey - that makes it manly, right?!)

My sweet, sweet birthday boy.
(Please don't judge my exhausted morning face and bedhead!)

We love you with all our hearts, Asher! Happy 2nd Birthday!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T15:46:00.005-07:00

Spent Thanksgiving weekend this year with Mark's family up in Denver. It was nice to get away for a few days and relax up at their house. They are always so generous and hospitable and Asher, of course, has a great time being with them!

Asher on the drive up to Denver....this was what he did when i asked him to smile. Ha! At least he did what i asked. :)

The whole fam

We spent the actual Thanksgiving meal time at Mike and Jackie Eubank's home - they are long-time family friends of the Finzels and more like extended family than friends. Asher loved playing with this football at their house -

He also fell in love with their new little puppy, Bentley. He was a little, tiny Cocker Spaniel and was SO cute! Almost made me want a dog for a second...but just a second.

The only decent family picture we got - boo that it's blurry though. oh well.

Asher always had one of our cell phones he was carrying around with him - I'm pretty sure he's convinced they're HIS cell phones and we just use them from time to time.
Oh boy.

Back at Grandpa and Grandma's house, Asher had lots of fun....
playing the piano with Uncle Andrew and Daddy,

lounging on the couch,

making waffles with Grandpa (notice the egg he dropped on the floor),

and working in the shop with Grandpa!

Such a fun weekend with family. We are blessed beyond measure and our hearts overflow with thanks at God's goodness and faithfulness in our lives! He truly is the giver of all good gifts.

Retail Therapy and A New Day

2009-11-05T15:50:00.002-07:00

When Mark got home from work yesterday he lovingly asked if he could watch Asher so I could get out of the house and have a break from the bubba. He didn't even have to finish the sentence before I answered "Yes" and headed for my car! What a great husband I have!

Headed out shopping with my best friend and ended up buying these. So fun. They make me happy every time I see them. Yes, I know I shouldn't emotionally shop but that's a whole other blog post!

When I came home Mark was making dinner (again, an amazing hubby) and Asher was in a little better mood....Praise the Lord! After Ash went to bed I needed to unwind so I made these. They are my absolute favorite in the world. Delightful. After a few cookies and PLENTY of dough, I felt even better. What a perfect way to end a hard day!:) Again, I know that emotional eating is not healthy but this isn't a counseling session, right?

Asher woke up so much happier today. Still have some attitude and disobedience issues to work on but I can at least catch glimpses of my sweet little boy in there. Yay!

Reminder for Today

2009-11-04T13:46:00.002-07:00

"God knows better than any of us do what furthers our salvation. Our true happiness is to be realized precisely through his refusals, which are always mercies. His choice is flawlessly contrived to give the deepest kind of joy as soon as it is embraced"
-Elizabeth Elliot, Keep a Quiet Heart

Struggling with Asher and his attitude, defiance, disobedience a lot lately. Really frustrated and discouraged. Reminded today that my salvation is being worked out through parenting him....and through God's "refusals" to have him obey immediately. :) Even though I don't understand all of His reasons, I do see that my selfishness, impatience, anger, weaknesses are rising to the surface and (hopefully) being refined through these struggles. I choose joy and I choose to embrace whatever God wants to reveal. Lord, give me grace!

A long week with a sick little puppy

2009-11-01T12:42:00.006-07:00

Plain and simple, this week was a bad week. A really frustrating, discouraging, and LONG week for us.

I got some sort of flu bug last Sunday and was sick all day Monday and still recovering some on Tuesday. Got up enough energy to go grocery shopping on Tuesday afternoon and then Asher started acting weird and running a fever Tuesday night. Wednesday-Friday he had a consistently high fever of 104-105 without medicine (along with a cough, runny nose, congestion, etc.). Finally, yesterday it went down to around 100-101 and I started to see some recovery and progress in him. Today, I can confidently say he's on the mend and finally starting to regain energy and act like himself. It was bad. And, I have to confess, I was grumpy because I didn't really leave the house for 3 days straight. Plus, we missed out on all the Halloween festivities because of him being sick. Boo. Being a parent is hard and it means sacrificing for your child when you don't want to. That's easy to say but a lot harder to live out with joy in the midst of the sacrifice. I failed a lot this week - as a parent and as a wife and as a person who loves Jesus - I gave into complaining and feeling sorry for myself. But, I also experienced Jesus meeting me in my frustration and exhaustion and worries. He was there with me even when I didn't "feel" Him. I'm so thankful that He's faithful to us even when we fail him....His mercies are new every morning!

Alright, enough with the venting/journaling session...didn't expect to write that much!:)
Even though we couldn't go trick-or-treating with our friends last night, we did put Asher's costume on to show how cute he would have looked if we could have gone out! He wasn't super thrilled about the ordeal but at least we got a few smiles out him...

We ended up buying some candy yesterday since we were gonna be home and would have trick-0r-treater's. Asher saw us handing out candy to all the kids that came by and he kept saying, "bite, bite!" It was very sad. Finally, I gave in and let him have a candy bar before going to bed. Poor kid, that's as much Halloween candy as he's gonna get this year! He. loved. it.

Oh, and one more thing, I don't know how I would have survived this week without my best friend, Brook. She literally was a lifesaver! Because of the snow this week, she didn't have school Wed-Fri so she came by everyday. She brought me Starbucks, rented movies for us, ordered pizza and just helped entertain Asher for hours. Which, by the way, he LOVES her SO much. It's ridiculous how grumpy he can be with me but the minute he sees her he starts laughing and finds newfound energy. :) Thanks so much for all your help and for being an incredible friend, Brook. I love you!

When you Wish Upon a Star....Farms

2009-10-28T15:38:00.004-06:00

We headed to Wishing Star Farms this past weekend to celebrate Fall and pick out pumpkins for carving. It was super fun and the perfect day for it!

Asher had tons of fun feeding the animals in the petting zoo...

He rode on this "train" with his friend Scarlett -

It made me a little nervous when, on the first ride, I look out to them way across the field and see Asher standing up in his cart. Apparently the "seatbelts" they had didn't contain my child very well. So, what did I do?

Yep! I rode with him the next time around. Over protective parent?? Nah. :)

He learned how to pump water - obviously something every 1 year old needs to know!

Pet a VERY large Hog. Seriously, it was huge.

Saw a camel...a common sight on the plains of Colorado.

Rode down this big slide with dad

And, of course, picked out his own pumpkin...

Auntie "Booooot" (Brook) came along too!

Asher and Scarlett had fun together!

Oh Breck, how I love you!

2009-10-27T08:49:00.008-06:00

Earlier this month we headed to Breckenridge for a week as a late anniversary trip. It was perfect! We left Asher with Mark's parents for part of the week and then had him and our dear friends, Robby and Joanna, join us for the second half of the week. It was such a good balance of having time alone (and sleeping in!) and being together as a family and with people we love. Plus, going to Breck during the off season is the way to go because all the fun restaurants offer incredible discounts and it's not too crowded! Here's some documentation of our time there -
Love 'em!

We went to Lake Dillon one day and Asher had a great time playing on the super cool playground:

Loving the slide...

Such a goof (check out his eyes)

The views are absolutely breathtaking!

A little self-family portrait

Of course you can't be near a lake and not throw rocks in it, right?

This is the town square in Breck - yeah, I could live there.

Yay for good times with wonderful friends!

Catching Up

2009-10-26T14:20:00.007-06:00

So, I'm not gonna lie and claim I haven't fallen off the wagon with this whole blogging thing. It's become one of the last priorities on my to-do list and something that feels more like an obligation than fun to me during this season of life. But, since I want to use my blog as a sort of "scrapbook" of our life, I want to try and do better...I NEED to do better. Can't make any promises but I'll try. :)

There's so much that's happened since I last blogged and many, many, many pictures to post. Gonna take it one day at a time and hopefully get caught up soon! To start, here's some pictures from the end of Summer/beginning of Fall (yes, it's been THAT long).

Asher hung out with his Uncle Drew and Uncle Derek before they headed back to school. They are such fun uncles and he loves them!

We hit up America the Beautiful Park a few times this summer - this was our last time there before they shut off the fountain for the Fall. Such a fun, free place to play!

You can't live in Colorado Springs and not hit up the Balloon Glow in Memorial Park over Labor Day Weekend!

Asher was enthralled by all the balloons -

My BFF Brook moved here during the Summer and it's been so fun to have her tag along with us on our outings. She really is like part of our family and Asher adores her SO much!

We celebrated our 4-Year Anniversary on September 3rd with dinner at the Melting Pot..mmm.
Heading out for dinner -

Awkward pictures in front of the restaurant because no one was around to take them for us :)

Dessert there is incredible!

My Grandpa Harold passed away in mid-September and we headed up to Minnesota for the funeral. It was a sad, but special time of remembering his incredible life and ministry. He was such a man of God and devoted his whole life to serving the Lord and others. It is comforting to know he is in Heaven with the Jesus he loved so much!
While we were in MN we had a BBQ at our good friends' Jason and Lisa Rovenstine's house. It was the perfect way to end an emotional weekend.

Asher had a great time jumping on the trampoline with Uncle Derek

And he especially loved riding this Jeep around in a huge field with his cousin Azura. She showed him how it's done...

Just a boy and his Jeep!

It was a mini-reunion in MN as I saw dear friends that I haven't seen in years. These girls were pretty much like my big sisters growing up and I've known them since I was a baby. So fun to get all our families together and catch up!

There you go, a long update! Hoping to post pictures from our trip to Breckenridge and the Pumpkin Patch later this week...

A Great Loss

2009-09-16T09:09:00.003-06:00

My Grandpa Harold went to be with Jesus last night. He was an incredible man of God who impacted so many lives through his life and ministry. I'm so thankful that we got to see him and spend some time with him in August. My grandma and he just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary a week ago today...what a beautiful marriage they had. We will miss him dearly but know He is with his precious Savior in Heaven and I look forward to seeing him again someday. I love you, Grandpa!

Finzel Family Vacation 2009

2009-09-10T14:41:00.006-06:00

We headed to Crested Butte with Mark's family at the end of August for our yearly summer vacation. That little mountain town is so fun and beautiful. We had a blast relaxing, hiking, eating lots of yummy food, playing games and shopping around the downtown area. There are way too many pictures for me to post on my blog, so click HERE to see the entire album I uploaded to Facebook.

Here are just a couple to show the beauty of where we were -

Bubba & His Tractor

2009-09-10T13:47:00.003-06:00

Drive a tractor...that's what you do when you're in Arkansas. :)

Where to Begin?? Arkansas, I guess.

2009-09-09T11:52:00.008-06:00

So, been feeling overwhelmed by all the updating that needs to happen from this past month, two family vacations, wedding anniversary, lots of weekend activities and fun with friends. I'm having a hard time keeping up with blogging, emails and facebook....sheesh. When did life get so complicated? :) My solution has been to avoid it all, but that won't work for forever. So, here you go, pictures from our trip to Arkansas at the beginning of August. Only a month late!

On the road:
Uncle Derek sleeping and bubba NOT sleeping. Why is my child the only one that doesn't sleep in the car?

Asher and sweet cousin Azura giving hugs before bedtime

We went to Arkansas to celebrate my Grandma Leetch's 80th Birthday. She is an incredible wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend, counselor, mentor and woman of God. It was so special to celebrate her!
My grandma Leola with her daughters, my Aunt Deanna and my mom.

I love you, Grandma!

My awesome aunt Deanna...seriously, such an inspiration to me.

My Grandpa and Grandma Brokke also came in for the party and it was SO great to see them. They hadn't seen Asher since he was 2 months old so it was special for us all to be together. They are actually celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary TODAY...their lives and marriage are such a beautiful example of Christ and his love for us. What incredible people they are.
My beautiful Grandma Cathy!

Couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a family shot...

We also decided to take all-family pictures while we were there. Have I ever said how much I love my family? They are awesome.

Really, they are. :)

So, I'm gonna try and keep on top of this blogging thing a little better....I may even get in another post this week! No promises though. :)

Memorial Park with Mandy

2009-08-18T16:00:00.003-06:00

We headed to Memorial Park this morning for a walk/playtime with my BF Mandy and her girls, Avery and Ashton. It was such a nice cloudy, cool morning to walk around the lake and chat. Afterwards the kids burned some energy on the playground before heading home for lunch (and a 3 hour nap....yay Asher!). Because I'm SO horrible at remembering my camera and actually taking pictures of our lives, click here to see the pics that Mandy posted. (Thanks Mandrea!:))

There's something so nice about spending time with an old friend, one who's known you since you were 14...and still loves you. So comforting and reassuring to be walking through the same stage of life together. Love you Mands!

New Kitchen

2009-08-05T12:39:00.003-06:00

For the past couple months we've been eyeing this kitchen and wanting to get it for Asher man. Our good friends have the exact same one and every time we are at their house he heads straight for the kitchen set and plays with it the WHOLE time. He loves it. Well, we finally bought one this week and Mark worked all evening/night to get it set up for our bubba!
Such a good dad

When we brought Asher down the next morning, he immediately spotted it and yelled "that" and ran over to it with a huge smile on his face. He was SO excited...it was precious.

Talking on his new cell phone:

So happy!

Yay for new toys that provide hours of entertainment!!:)

My Boys

2009-08-05T12:35:00.002-06:00

I. LOVE. THEM.

OK, OK, I'll Blog

2009-08-05T12:10:00.004-06:00

Over the past couple weeks I've had MANY people ask why I've fallen off the face of the blogging world and haven't updated in over two months. Honestly, I don't know why....just haven't really felt like blogging lately.

This summer has been fun, pretty low-key so far, and just a great time of hanging out with friends and family....pools, splash parks, play dates, hiking, BBQ's, visits from friends....we've done it all. We have some great stuff coming up in the next few weeks including my Grandma's 80th Birthday Party this weekend and vacation with Mark's family in a couple weeks. I promise to provide pictures and updates more frequently from here on out!

To get started, here's a few pictures from a family hike we took at the beginning of the summer:

Getting ready to head out
(as you can tell, Asher was really excited to be in the hiking backpack):

The only family picture we got....and my child is picking his nose. Awesome.

Lovin' Colorado and lovin' my hubby!

Silly Bubba!

More to come!

Starbucks and a New Chair

2009-05-26T11:20:00.004-06:00

If you know my in-laws at all, you know they absolutely LOVE Starbucks. Actually, that's probably even an understatement! When Asher was just a couple months old, my father-in-law had a dream Asher said to him, "Grandpa, I want to go to Starbucks." Ever since then, Hans can't wait for the day Asher is old enough to go to Starbucks on a grandpa/grandson date!:) Anyways, yesterday we ran by Starbucks after lunch and Asher insisted on having his own cup to fit in with the rest of us. Here he is drinking his "Starbucks" (apple juice) with Grandpa and Grandma Finzel:

Asher saw this chair at a friends' house the other day and absolutely loved it. Luckily, our friends let us borrow it for a while and Ash is having a great time....he carries it around the whole house, gets up and down from it about 25 times a day, watches movies, and reads books in it (well, for about 30 seconds).

Just lounging with his beverage

Watching a movie

So happy about his new chair!

Such A Little (Big) Boy

2009-05-21T17:07:00.003-06:00

Recently, Asher has been doing more and more things that classify him as a "little boy" rather than a baby. Whether it's playing at the park, walking around "talking" on his cell phone, or helping us put the dishes away after dinner (seriously!), he's just changing so quickly right in front of us. The other night he really wanted to sit in his rocking chair BY HIMSELF and read his books BY HIMSELF. Now, granted, this only lasted for about 3 minutes, but I was still able to capture some cute pictures of our little man.

The A-Man

2009-05-16T10:25:00.003-06:00

Haven't blogged in a while...just haven't felt like it really. But, here's a picture my sweet friend Irene took of Asher at the park the other day and I just had to post it! Since walking, Ash is all into exploring the outdoors...it's gonna be a great summer.

Easter Joy

2009-04-14T19:32:00.005-06:00

I love Easter. Reflecting on the sacrifice that Christ made for us and the fact that he conquered death and rose again to give us eternal life brings me to tears. It is the most important "holiday" we observe as Christians!

This year we had a wonderful time celebrating by attending the amazing Easter production at our church, dyeing Easter eggs with friends, and spending Easter Sunday with both sets of our parents and my siblings. Here's a brief recap in pictures:

Ash and I getting ready to dye eggs
Mark hard at work

Asher "helping" me dye the eggs
AKA: he sat on my lap for about 1 minute and then decided he had more important things to do....

...like shove his face full of food!Our eggs....which are now sitting and stinking up my fridge. Lovely.My sweet bubba -

It's not Easter without a little computer time, right?

So hard at work...

Trying to figure out that complex Rubix cube

Uncle Dustin showed him the ropes

My dear family

Mom and Dad Finzel

Happy Easter!
Oh, and in other news, Asher decided on Friday night that he wanted to start walking. There was no convincing him up to that point...he had to decide to do it in his own timing. Within a matter of minutes he was walking across the whole floor (no joke) and hasn't stopped since. Needless to say, he is loving his new found freedom and we will be buying baby gates this week!

Sweet Potato Face

2009-04-09T13:21:00.003-06:00

Asher is definitely at an age where I need to start letting him learn to feed himself with a spoon. The problem is, I'm a total control/clean freak (which, i know, is an issue in and of itself) so this is very, VERY hard for me! But, I need to get over my issues and let him try. So, this is the outcome of lunch today - sweet potato face -
At least he had fun!

Sickness and a Snow Storm

2009-04-03T12:23:00.003-06:00

This week has been a little rough as Asher and I have been sick on and off most of the week....he picked up some stomach bug in the church nursery (gotta love that) and has been fighting it all week. He was generous enough to give it to me too! While he hasn't "enjoyed" being sick, I secretly think he has enjoyed having his paci 24/7 and being able to watch "Praise Baby" as many times as he wants.
Here's a picture of him resting and relaxing on our bed - poor bubba.

About a week ago we got our Colorado spring snow storm and it was so much fun! Mark and I both love the snow and this winter has been pretty much pathetic as far as blizzards go. Mark took Ash out to look at the snow for a few minutes.
All bundled up

Brrrr

Asher is REALLY funny about textures and is pretty unsure about new things. This is the most we could get him to "play" in the snow and he wasn't so sure about it! We'll work on that for next winter so we can go sledding!

1st Haircut

2009-03-23T12:43:00.005-06:00

Well, the time finally came for Asher's 1st haircut! Even though he doesn't have a ton of hair, the hair he does have was getting quite unruly - scraggly in the front and rather "mulletish" in the back. I have a slight phobia with mullets and couldn't let it go any further on my child!
Back before -

Front before -

Making the first cut! As you can tell, Asher was not amused by the haircut...I had to hold his face so I wouldn't cut him with the scissors and he was quite mad about it!

Grandma Brokke took over and cut the top and back of his hair since she is the one with professional experience. Asher's face is just so pitiful in this picture, huh?

Helping comb his new hairdo:

Front after -

Back after -

So much better!

Daddy and Asher sporting their shades and new haircuts (my mom cut Mark's too). Thanks mom!

I love them.

Fun Outside

2009-03-23T11:26:00.005-06:00

It's been over a month since my last post! For some reason I just haven't been motivated to blog recently. Part of it may be that the weather has been super nice the past few weeks and we have spent as much time outside as possible. I think we went on a walk to the park by our house everyday last week - so nice. Today is overcast and cold with a chance of snow later this week....hence, why i'm finally updating the blog!

A few weeks ago we went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo with some friends and the kids had a great time. Wasn't so great with the camera that day but got a couple pictures:

Asher and Kadence in the Grizzly Bear exhibit:
This is definitely Ash's favorite cause he can get right up to the water and see the fish and bear-

Asher and Braedon lookin' cute...not quite sure what A is doing with his hand though.

This past weekend we celebrated a birthday for one of the guys in our small group. The weather was pretty nice and all the kids seemed to have a fun time playing at the park!

Asher and Keaton on the swings -

Keaton gave me his classic "cheese" grin (which, by the way, is probably one of the funniest/cutest smiles I've ever seen)

Asher and I went down the slide....which, to be honest, was quite a tight squeeze and rather uncomfortable for me!

Hangin' with daddy at a little park bench - yelling about something important of course.

Obviously by the look on his face, Asher was thoroughly enjoying the park at this moment-

Asher's friend, Kadence, flying a kite:

Some sweet friends from our small group!

It was a fun time all around....Happy 30th Birthday Gregg!

This is what happens....

2009-03-23T11:23:00.001-06:00

...when I spend too much time reading blogs and on Facebook:

Flowers and Good Friends

2009-02-22T12:14:00.005-07:00

The past week or so has been busy with different events and visitors....

First, I got these beautiful flowers from my hubby for Valentine's Day:

Yeah, I know, he did good!

Asher had his good friend Avery over to play...
Watching a video together:
(notice Avery's perfectly polished "fake" smile)

Asher was done with the photo shoot by this picture and was kindly signing "please" to get down off the couch -

Then, one of my dearest friends and roommate from college, Ashley, came to visit for a few days. Sadly, even though we talk on the phone almost every week, we had not seen each other in 3 years! Lame, I know. It was so fun to have time just to hang out, catch up and be together like the good 'ol days!

Asher quickly warmed up to her and won her over with his charming smiles -

Getting ready to go run "errands" (aka spend WAY too much time and money at Target)

Hanging out in the car....he was a good sport the whole time!

So cool in his shades....can you tell he put them on himself?

Love you so much Ash...thanks for coming to visit us!

Caught!

2009-02-11T10:04:00.002-07:00

Last night while cleaning up from dinner, Mark and I weren't exactly watching Asher as closely as we should have and he quickly took advantage of this rare opportunity. Seeing the open pantry door, he snuck by us and found his cookie jar (box). He had no problem opening it up and helping himself to some cookies!

These are the days to remember

2009-02-09T13:46:00.005-07:00

Haven't blogged in a while - I guess it seems like nothing much has "happened" the past few weeks. But, I guess that's a good thing in some ways.

M & A both had the flu for a week...which was horrible all around. So glad to have them recovered and the 12 loads of laundry in 5 days behind us. Yes, 12 loads...I know you're jealous.

We celebrated my 28th birthday last weekend with my family at PF Chang's...mmmm, love that place! Can't believe I'm 28 though. There's no denying the fact that I'm now in my LATE 20's.

Cuteness

My dear parents and youngest brother, Dustin.

The bubba boy is SO close to walking, just not quite there yet. He's been keeping himself quite busy though:

Playing with his "Busy Ball Popper"

Kind enough to stop and give me a smile

Riding on his train (probably his favorite toy right now)

Pushing his train...and proud of it!

Hangin' out at his table

Taking a small break to squat and play with Mr. Caterpillar

Enjoying bath time...

...and a crazy hairdo.

Taking pictures with mom...for which he apparently says, "No, thank you."

Life certainly isn't perfect but we are in a good season, a blessed season. Some recent events have made me reflect on the frailty of life and the gift that it really is. Who knows how long we will have on this earth but I am learning contentment and to cherish every moment...the joyful, happy moments, the sad, trying moments, the grumpy moments, the mundane moments, the uncertain moments. All are precious, from the Lord, and I want to make the most of them!

Deep Sadness

2009-02-09T08:48:00.001-07:00

Cora is home with Jesus. Please pray for her parents, Joel and Jess, and their family right now.

Please Pray

2009-02-05T14:48:00.003-07:00

While I don't know this family personally, they are friends of friends and their baby girl, Cora, was just diagnosed with cancer a couple weeks ago. She is desperately fighting for her life right now and can use as many prayers as possible.

Our God is mighty and able to heal and save!

Carseats and Cousins

2009-01-20T14:11:00.003-07:00

So, we finally transitioned Asher to a forward facing carseat and he absolutely loves it! Car rides take on a whole different life when he can see more than the back of the seat. Took these pictures during his first car ride in the new seat and, contrary to his face, he really did enjoy it!

"Well, this is weird but I'll go with it..."
Really guys?

My Uncle Dan, Aunt Deanna and two cousins, Elijah and Azura, came to visit for a few days and it's been so fun to have them here. Azura and Asher are a little over a year apart so it is really sweet to watch them interact and play together. Azura loves to take care of "Baby Asser" as she calls him! :)

Here they are getting ready to head out for some shopping at The Outlets:

Just hangin' out and holding hands...precious!

I love these guys!

2009-01-20T14:02:00.003-07:00

Took these pictures on New Year's Day and am just now getting around to posting...sorry Raleigh for my delinquency in updating the blog! :)

Love these shots of my favorite boys in the whole world, Mark, Asher man, and my 3 wonderful brothers - Drew, Derek and Dustin. Only wish my dad would have made it in the picture too!

From left to right: A-man, Derek, Drew, Dustin, my hubby

Happy 27th!!

2008-12-30T16:20:00.002-07:00

Just want to give a little recognition to my husband cause today is his birthday. He's one incredible husband, father and person and I'm so glad he was born 27 years ago today!

I love you babe and hope you feel truly celebrated and loved today...you are my favorite!

All Things Merry & Bright

2008-12-30T15:40:00.006-07:00

We spent Christmas this year with the Finzel side of the family in Denver...we had celebrated Christmas early with my family before they headed to Minnesota and Arkansas for the holiday. Here are some pictures from our time with the Finzels -

Asher opening his stocking Christmas morning (notice my amazing bedhead)

Daddy showing him his cool new book

Reading with Grandma Finzel

"Yeah, I like Christmas!"

Um, this was just cute cause he is our little present! :)

Checking out his new toy from Grandpa & Grandma Finzel

My hot husband...oh yeah.

My sweet family

I was in charge of dishing up the mashed potatoes and Mark came over and started stealing some...don't worry, he got in trouble. :)

Asher helping dad load up the dishwasher after Christmas Dinner. He LOVES coming over to the dishwasher and taking out all the dirty silverware...it's awesome, really.

Santa, Baby.

Asher really enjoys being tickled these days....he giggles and laughs so hard and it's pretty stinkin' cute!

Hope your Christmas was filled with many blessings - family, friends, joy, laughter, and most importantly, a reminder of Christ's birth and love for us!

Have your cake...and eat it too!

2008-12-22T16:21:00.004-07:00

On Saturday we had a little birthday party for Asher at my parent's house. It was fun to spend time with family and friends to celebrate Asher's 1st year of life! Of course, the best part of the afternoon was watching Asher enjoy and devour his birthday cake...

The cake

Asher's personal cake ("Before Asher")

Singing "Happy Birthday" and Ash wanting to touch the cake

He doesn't know what's about to hit him -

Getting a little frustrated cause we weren't moving fast enough...

Scoping out the cake with Grandma Brokke & Grandma Finzel

Grandpa Brokke and Grandpa Finzel showing him how it's done

Starting to get the hang of it....with Grandpa and Grandma Brokke

Grandpa and Grandma Finzel

He could care less about this picture...the cake now has ALL his attention

Mmmmm

Yeah, a total mess.

This is how it's done...

Personal cake..."After Asher"! Yeah, he did some damage.

Opening gifts
(had to have the pacifier by this time to avoid a total meltdown)

Playing with his new toys!

Such a fun day celebrating our little man - nothing like a first birthday party with family and friends! A true joy in life.

Happy 1st Birthday!!

2008-12-16T15:20:00.003-07:00

Believe it or not, our Asher-man is 1 year old today...actually, at 4:37pm to be exact! I absolutely cannot believe that a whole year has already gone by. It has been a whirlwind filled with so much change, excitement, and joy. We never could have fully prepared ourselves for parenting & what a difference Asher would make to our family but, obviously, it is a change we are so thankful and grateful for. We love this little boy so much. He is such a delight to us - so full of life and excitement - seeing the world with a sense of discovery and wonder that only a child has!

This 1st birthday is bittersweet to me as he is no longer my "baby" but starting to turn into a little boy right before my eyes. But, at the same time, it is exciting to see him grow and develop in his personality, likes and dislikes, and truly into the person God created him to be!

We are having a little birthday party for him on Saturday but needed to at least do some celebrating on his actual birthday so I made him some toast with jam on it for breakfast (he usually has oatmeal so this was a treat) and had him open one of his gifts from us:

Um, guys, I'm not so sure about the fire in the middle of my toast...

A sweet smile

Venturing out and touching the plate...even though he was still unsure about the candle

Trying to get the hang of wrapping paper...

Don't worry, he figured it out pretty quick!

Getting ready to read his card (his face cracks me up here!)
"Playing" with his new toy.
Since he is teething, EVERYTHING goes in his mouth and he was more interested in chewing on the blocks than putting them in the jar. Of course.

Happy 1st Birthday Bubba Boy....we love you!

Bedhead

2008-12-14T20:42:00.003-07:00

So, Asher had a major "bedhead" situation the other day after his nap. I couldn't resist taking a picture of it because, seriously, his hair was sticking straight up and I could not get it to go down! While he doesn't have a lot of hair, it sure is wild and likes to do its own thing:

So Thankful!

2008-11-29T13:47:00.003-07:00

This year we spent Thanksgiving with my family in Colorado Springs. Both of my brothers came home from college and it was such a wonderful day of being all together as a family. Hard to believe that it was Asher's 1st Thanksgiving as it seems like he has always been a part of our lives! He thoroughly enjoyed all of the delicious food...especially the tastes of pumpkin and cherry pie Grandma Brokke gave him while I wasn't looking!

On the way to Grandpa and Grandma's House
Enjoying his first Thanksgiving meal of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and corn - all mashed up of course. Mmmmm...doesn't it look delicious?

My middle brother Derek and me -

I've been reflecting on all the things I'm thankful for this year and there are many:
My amazing husband
My beautiful son
Our families
Incredible friends - both close by and far away
Our home
Health
Mark's job in the midst of an unstable economy & the fact that God provides for our every need!
A great Small Group
Being able to stay home with Asher and see him grow, learn and develop daily

But mostly, I'm so thankful for the Lord in my life. He is so faithful and trustworthy, even in the midst of my own doubt, fears and insecurities. He desires intimacy with me and pursues me. That's incredible! The blessings He has given me are more than I could have ever imagined for my life. I'm SO thankful for His salvation, His presence, and the life He gives to me spiritually, emotionally and physically.

Rough Day

2008-11-13T20:00:00.003-07:00

Today was somewhat of a rough day for our bubba. Went in to get him up this morning and noticed a weird "rash" on his face. It didn't look like a typical rash but more a sunburn from skiing or something...his forehead and all around his eyes was completely red, solid red. Took his temp at 8:45am and found it was 101. Gave him Tylenol at 10am, put him down for a nap, and then took his temperature again at 11:30 when he woke up...now it was 103 (with Tylenol). So, I called the doctor and got him into the office 15 minutes later. Because the Dr. had never seen a rash or anything like it, she suggested he have some blood work done to see whether this thing was bacterial or viral....needless to say, he was not a big fan of getting his blood drawn!

Showing off his "sunburn"

He looks a little rough with his bright red face and bandage from the bloodwork -
Got a call this evening that it appears to be a viral infection that has to work itself out...antibiotics won't help. So, probably in for a fever and sick baby for the next day or more. Tonight will consist of Baby Tylenol, Baby Motrin, lots of cuddling, rocking and praying for my Asherman...hopefully some sleep too!

Happy Halloween from Pooh Bear!

2008-11-03T19:54:00.005-07:00

For Asher's first Halloween we found the perfect Pooh Bear costume (what else?) for him. With his round face and chunky cheeks he was the perfect, classic Pooh Bear.

Our church held a Fall Festival that was incredible. They had everything from human fussball, rock climbling walls, bounce houses, a petting zoo, pony rides, cotton candy, popcorn, Veggie Tales, etc., etc., etc. Crazy! We had a fun time meeting our small group and friends there but were definitely ready to get home after a couple hours of madness. We think that Asher enjoyed it for the most part - although he was also a little overwhelmed by the hundreds of people and all the activity...he practically fell asleep in the parking lot on the way back to the car!

Getting ready to go...a little grumpy and not quite sure what he feels about the silly cosutme:

This smile was hard to come by:

Family picture at the church. Notice Asher's face....looks thrilled huh?

With two of my friends from High School -
Shannon (with her baby, Ella) and Tawni (with her son, Micah)

"Dad, what is this gel stuff in your hair?"

This pretty much sums up Asher's mood the whole night....not a big fan of all the shenanigans!

Tired little Pooh Bear

These last 3 pictures were taken with the video camera because our camera died so that's why the quality isn't that great. But, I had to include them because he looks so festive with his costume, the pumpkins and the hay -

Happy Apple

2008-10-20T20:14:00.006-06:00

Took a trip to Happy Apple Farm on Saturday with some new friends from our small group. It was fun to go on a tractor ride, "pick" a pumpkin (meaning we found one laying on the ground in the pumpkin field and bought it), eat an apple turnover and celebrate the beautiful season of Fall. I desperately wanted to capture a cute picture of Asher sitting in the field amongst all the pumpkins but my efforts failed miserably...getting a 10 month old to sit still, look at the camera and smile all the same time is just too much to ask for. But, here is the best of what I got:
On the tractor ride out to the field - doesn't he just look SO excited and happy to be there?

Our pumpkin(s) (I know...cheesy.:))

The best shot I could get of our bubba and the pumpkin together

The End.
Oh, and after it was all said and done I realized we didn't even get a family picture. I think it's time I resign as the family photographer...I stink.

Ok, ok, I'll participate....

2008-10-17T09:12:00.005-06:00

My friend Raleigh chose me in the game of "Blog Tag." Because I don't want to be "the person" who decides not to participate, here are six random things about me:

1. My first name is Kristen but I have always gone by my middle name, Danielle (well, except for those few, select family members who have always and will always call me Kristen). I was born 7 weeks early and almost died - I have scars to prove it. My dad prayed/claimed the verse Psalm 20:6 over my life when I was first born which says, "Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he answers him from his holy heaven with the saving power of his right hand." Kristen means Anointed One. Thus, why my first name is Kristen.

2. Growing up...and until about the age of 12, I was a complete tomboy. Playing in the woods, walking around barefoot, collecting caterpillars, I did it all. Which I know is hard to believe now with my love for make-up, accessories, shoes, clothes, and all things girly.

3. I am a self-diagnosed hypochondriac...always think I have some disease or illness for which I never fully get checked out or go to the doctor for. The illness usually changes every couple of weeks and I've been known to have the same illness a number of times (blood clots, anurisms, some type of cancer, heart attack). You know the movie What About Bob?, Bob and I are very similar in our phobia of sickness. I know it's extremely weird, unhealthy, and messed up but hey, I'm just tellin' it like it is. This particular quirk drives my husband absolutely crazy.

4. I hate the heat. Literally, my body shuts down if I get too hot. While most people love Summer and the warm weather, I much prefer Fall and Winter. I overheat quickly, lose all sense of reason and become extremely grouchy when I'm too hot. True story: In college, I went on a mission trip to Honduras where it was approximately 100 degrees at 6:00am. In the middle of the trip one of my friends said to me, "Dan, I really think that heat hinders and negatively affects your ministry." She was right on.

5. I love my feet. It's completely vain, I know. But, I think I have cute feet and I am proud of them. Thanks for passing them on, mom!

6. My all time favorite candies are chocolate covered gummy bears. The first time I tried them I thought they were absolutely disgusting but I gave it time and grew to absolutely LOVE them. They are hard to come by (which is probably a good thing) but when I do find them I buy them by the pound and eat them until I'm sick. I have no self-control when it comes to chocolate covered gummy bears.

The End.

I tag Ashley Winger, Amy Stroup, Heather Ward, Shannon Moore, Tawni DeYoung & Mandy Houle. Post 6 random facts about yourself!

The Face Of A.....

2008-10-16T14:59:00.002-06:00

10 month old!!

That's right, our Asher man is 10 months old today. And, he thinks he's as big as ever...on Tuesday he pulled himself up to standing for the first time. Believe me, he's pretty proud of that accomplishment.

Here he is "helping" dad get his bath ready last night:
And this morning we came in to find him standing up in his crib, bouncing up and down:

Belly Laughs

2008-10-13T09:35:00.004-06:00

The other night we were at my parent's house for dinner and, out of nowhere, something struck Asher as ridiculously funny. From then on, whenever my dad would fake punch or slap my brother, Asher would just laugh and laugh and laugh. Mark was able to catch some of it from his phone....the quality isn't great but it still shows the adorableness of Asher's laugh. Oh, and sorry about all the adults laughing in the background - we just couldn't help it!

Fun at the Zoo

2008-10-07T09:02:00.006-06:00

We met up with a group of friends at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on Saturday morning. All have kids around the same age as Asher so it was fun to see the kids' faces and reactions at the animals. Asher definitely enjoyed the animals...especially the giraffes and the hens and goats at the petting zoo.

First stop - the giraffe exhibit:

Giraffe love -
Don't worry, nothing inappropriate was going on here (as far as we could tell :)).

What are you looking at Asher?

Oh, just the UGLIEST pigs you've ever seen!

Asher and daddy had so much fun discovering and learning about the animals!

Love this picture of him....so curious yet beautifully innocent!

Family picture overlooking the city

Avery and Asher loved the furry wolf almost as much as any real animals...even though Asher's face doesn't show that here.

"Petting" the goat...which actually meant he grabbed onto his horns and pulled really hard which freaked the goat out and made him run away. Yep, that's my boy.

Caiden Haag, Asher, Hunter Moffat

The best picture I could get with all the moms and babies...it's rough trying to capture a picture with 4 little kids!

For some reason Ash fell in love with this leaf and would not put it down...hey, whatever keeps him happy!

I love the zoo!

What a fun day!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

2008-10-01T10:37:00.004-06:00

To get everyone in the spirit of Fall (my favorite season), thought I would post the recipe for my favorite pumpkin cookies. I plan to make them this weekend....and a few other times in the coming months!

Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Combine and set aside:
4 cups flour
2 cups quick oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Cream (in a LARGE bowl):
1 1/2 cups butter

Gradually add to the butter:
2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 cup sugar

then add to this....
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 16oz can of pumpkin

Mix in dry ingredients to all the wet ingredients until combined through. Add 1-1 1/2 cups chocolate chips (if desired).

Drop by 1/4 cup onto lightly greased pan and bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Makes approximately 32 large cookies.

Side note: This recipe makes a LARGE amount of cookies so be prepared to share them with friends or plan on eating them for a couple weeks...and gain a couple pounds in the process. :) Also, I would say these "cookies" are a mix between a pumpkin cookie and pumpkin bread - just so you aren't surprised by the consistency.

Enjoy!!

Where did September go?

2008-10-01T10:14:00.004-06:00

It's been a while since I last updated the blog - the month of September has just flown by. I can't believe it is already October today! The past couple weeks have been fairly steady and uneventful for us but work, errands, friends, baby all somehow equal busyness.

Asher is doing great - continuing to grow and change every week. He started crawling a couple weeks ago and within the past few days has really begun to jet around the house. Yesterday I left him playing with toys in his room for no more than 2 minutes and all of the sudden I heard thud-thump-thud-bang....and then him screaming. Yep, he had his first experience of falling down the stairs. Needless to say, I will be watching him more closely from now on and we will be buying baby gates this weekend! Oh, by the way, he's ok and wasn't injured by the fall.

Tried to capture some pictures of him with his Pooh bear this morning but all he wanted to do was crawl towards the camera...you get the idea though.

Mark and I joined a small group through our church about a month ago and we can already tell it will be a great fit for us. Everyone is around the same age and in the same stage of life with small children - we are looking forward to getting to know everyone better. We are studying a book called The Rest of God: Restoring Your Soul by Restoring Sabbath by Mark Buchanan. It is incredible so far. But, last night we took a break from our book and had a girls/guys night out. The guys went and did guy things (bowling, i think) and the girls went to pamper ourselves with pedicures! Now, I have not had a pedicure in 8 months so I was definitely excited and looking forward to this! Here is a picture of my beautiful toes after the pedicure (yes, I know it's weird to post a picture of my feet but I am just so excited to have them look good!):

After the pedicure we headed over to Starbucks for a warm beverage....ahh, I love Starbucks, esp. in the Fall. Starbucks has new "Signature" Hot Chocolates that are delightful. I had the Signature Hazelnut Hot Chocolate and I WILL be getting that again soon!

On Saturday we head to the zoo with some friends. We are looking forward to Asher's reaction to all of the animals....will post pictures of this next week.

We're enjoying this season of life - such blessing and sweetness for us right now. Thank you, Jesus.

9 Months Old

2008-09-16T14:19:00.003-06:00

It's hard to believe that this little baby....

...has turned into this little boy in just 9 short months.

Life changes so quickly - 9 months ago today we couldn't picture our lives with a baby, now we could never imagine our lives and family without our precious bubba boy.

A Perfect Day for a 5K

2008-09-16T13:54:00.005-06:00

Saturday we participated in a 5K walk called "Fostering Hope" through WorldVenture, the company that Mark's dad works for. Its purpose was to raise funds for children both here in Colorado as well as in Uganda. The turnout was great for the first year of this event - about 200 participants and over $13,000 raised! The weather was absolutely beautiful and we had a wonderful time being outside for such a great cause. Asher had a fun time too!

Before we started the 5K - as you can tell, Asher is more interested in eating grandma's finger than smiling for the camera.
After the walk

After the walk was over we headed up to Idaho Springs for an afternoon drive through the mountains to see the changing colors and scenery. Colorado is absolutely so beautiful and amazing - I'm reminded of that every time we are in the mountains. A Starbucks stop and dinner at Beau Jo's rounded off the perfect day!

Asher and Friends

2008-09-08T20:22:00.008-06:00

Thought I would provide some new cute pics of our bubba boy. Most of these were taken at the 1-year-old birthday party for Asher's friend, Caiden.

Ash just lounging in the swing...his favorite thing to do.

Swinging with Avery

He LOVES the swing

Um, I think this is my favorite picture right now. Seriously, how cute is he??

The three amigos - Avery, Caiden and Asher

Playing with the cool new toys that Caiden got for his birthday!

Mark turned the laundry basket into a "train" ride the other night and Asher had so much fun being pulled throughout the house in the basket!

3 Year Anniversary

2008-09-08T20:20:00.003-06:00

Our 3 year anniversary was last Wednesday, September 3rd, so we celebrated on Friday night by going out to a nice dinner....sans baby (thanks mom)! It was such a novelty to have uninterrupted dinner and conversation without tending to a crying, hungry or bored baby! Man, I took the pre-baby days for granted! :)

We had a wonderful time on our date and oh, good news, we decided that we still love each other and want to be married!

After our delicious dinner at The Craftwood Inn

Great Grandpa & Grandma Bubeck

2008-09-08T20:16:00.006-06:00

Asher met his Great Grandpa and Grandma Bubeck in Chicago. It was so neat to spend some time with them and have them finally meet their only great grandson! We were able to capture some precious photos of the 4 generations -

At first, Asher wasn't quite sure what he thought about the new face...

...but, grabbing the glasses warmed him up a bit...

...and, after a few minutes he was his normal, happy self!

Asher with Great Grandpa & Grandma

Four Generations

Mark and his grandpa have always been very close so this is a special picture!

Chicago

2008-09-08T20:04:00.008-06:00

Took a family trip to Chicago over Labor Day weekend for Jeremy's (Mark's brother) wedding. It was a fast trip but it was fun to see Mark's extended family and do a little sightseeing...Mark lived in Chicago for 9 years in Junior High/High School but I had never been to the city so it was great to check out a new place.

Asher also experienced his first time on an airplane! We were nervous about the trip but packed plenty of distractions to keep him occupied. His "carry on" bag full of toys, books, and movies was way larger than any bag Mark and I brought!

At the Denver airport getting ready to head out

Settled into our seats...and doing good so far!

Checking out the scenery from the airplane

Just chewing on a pretzel for a quick snack...

Watching Baby Einstein

Millennium Park in Downtown Chicago
This "bean" has become a huge tourist spot in the downtown area...it's pretty fun to take pictures of:

The Chicago SkylineAsh didn't get much sleep on the trip and, by the time the wedding came, he was all tuckered out! Love this picture though...so sweet!Gotta have the family shot -

(For the record, Asher did have a nice, new button-up shirt for the wedding but, unfortunately, by the time this picture was taken he had already spit up sweet potato all over it....mmmm. Hence the reason he is in a onesie at a formal wedding...hey, you gotta let some things go right?)

Finzel Family Pictures

2008-08-28T15:28:00.005-06:00

Was just able to get these all family pictures from my sister-in-law from our Finzel family vacation in Creede in early August. Can anyone say Christmas card photos?? :)

Oh, and one more of our little family.
(Just in case you couldn't pick us out above...)

Yes, we are aware of the looming thunderclouds in the background.....and the fact that Ash looks flaming hot and slightly overheated in the 90 degree weather (he takes after his mother in that). But, really, we're not bad parents.......really!

Just a quick update...

2008-08-28T11:30:00.003-06:00

It's been a while since I've blogged, but the month of August has been somewhat slow and uneventful (which is probably a good thing) and there's not much new info to report. But, I thought I'd go ahead and provide some cute pics of our Asher man just for fun.

The other night while Mark and I were hanging pictures in our guestroom, Asher decided he wanted to help dad by chewing on the tape measure...he did his job well!

Every little guy needs to sleep with one hand on his animal, one hand on his blanket, and with his butt in the air, right? Asher thinks so.

We head to Chicago this coming weekend for Mark's brother's wedding. We attempt our first flight with Asher on Saturday morning and would appreciate your prayers that all goes well. I really, really, really don't want to be the family on the plane with the screaming child that everyone hates! :) Stories and pictures from the trip to come next week....

Finzel Family Vaca

2008-08-11T14:57:00.010-06:00

Last week we spent a few days with Mark's family in Creede, CO. It was absolutely WONDERFUL and so relaxing to be up in the mountains away from the distractions of daily life. We stayed in a beautiful cabin right on the Rio Grande River (you can see the river from the deck in the first couple pictures). Anyways, it was fun to spend quality time with the Finzel family....amazing food, games, movies, reading, relaxation, Rocky Mountains, does it get any better than that?

I apologize for the large amount of pictures ahead of time...I just couldn't decide which ones to cut out so I didn't! :)

Token Family Picture

Ash and Grandpa Finzel

Asher thoroughly enjoying a biter biscuit...

In the new outfit from Grandma Finzel

View from the offroading trail...

...Mark was in heaven...

Hanging out at the river

Asher cuteness

Ditto (I think they look SO much alike here)

Going on a walk with Grandma Finzel

ANOTHER family shot

Colorado Sand Dunes - they were incredible!

Sisters

Asher LOVES Aunt Cambria!

Last one...I promise!

Little Professor

2008-07-31T12:44:00.002-06:00

This picture was too cute not to post....our little man wearing grandma's reading glasses. Doesn't he look like a wise old scholar? Complete with the bald head and everything!

Backyard BBQ

2008-07-28T14:12:00.006-06:00

A couple weeks ago we had a Saturday evening BBQ with the Houle's, Haag's and Bolton's to celebrate the (almost) completion of Mandy and David's backyard. The kids had fun playing together on the grass and in the swimming pool...it was actually the first time Asher has ever been in a swimming pool and he LOVED it! After the kids went to bed we built a fire pit in the backyard and roasted smores - not sure if the fire pit was totally legal but it sure was fun! :)

Oh, and can you tell that Asher is in the "oral" stage of development....most of the pictures are of him with something - anything - shoved in his mouth!

7 months, sitting, and a swaddle story

2008-07-16T10:29:00.006-06:00

Our little man is 7 months old today - hard to believe! He has accomplished a lot in this past month... from busting out two bottom teeth to sitting on his own. As I have said before, he is a pure delight to us and we love experiencing all the first year "milestones" with him. Here are some pictures of our 7-month-old sitting on his very own!

Now onto the swaddle story...

We've been trying to break Asher of sleeping with his swaddle for the past few weeks. Most kids are done "swaddling" between 4-6 months, but not our child. He has a terrible time falling asleep without being wrapped up in it. Anyways, we've figured out a way to take him out of the swaddle once he's fallen asleep for the night so he at least learns to sleep the whole night without it (plus, being the middle of the summer, he gets super hot being wrapped up all night). Well, this morning we came in to find him asleep with the swaddle shoved in his mouth!! Yep, he somehow found it at the foot of his bed, shoved it in his mouth, and then fell back asleep. Silly boy has an unhealthy relationship with this piece of cloth. :)

A walk and a swing

2008-07-14T13:06:00.004-06:00

We took a Sunday evening stroll through our neighborhood last night and stopped off at the park near our house. Asher had a great time looking around on the walk and swinging in the swing. It is so fun to watch the many new discoveries of a baby - everything holds such simple wonder and excitement.

Rockin' it with the shades
(yes, we are aware of the large double chin this child possesses)

Asher and dad ready to go

Asher LOVES the swing...he just laughs and smiles the whole time!

Just lounging in the swing

The Stroups

2008-07-11T10:02:00.005-06:00

Last night we had a chance to see our good friends Chris and Amy Stroup. I have actually been close friends with Amy since High School and then we all became friends at Biola. The Stroups now live in Boston where Chris is starting his doctoral program at Boston University in the Fall. The last time we saw them Asher was only about 1 1/2 weeks old so it was fun to see them again! Here is a picture of Ames and me with our little boys - Micah and Asher.

Asher and Azura

2008-07-11T09:29:00.006-06:00

My youngest cousin, Azura, is only about a year older than Asher. So, while we were in Arkansas, we introduced them to each other and had so much fun watching them interact and become acquainted with one another.

Cute boy

Pretty girl

"Ooohhh, what a pretty face!"

A little kiss for the bubba

Cousins and friends forever...

One final smooch!

Arkansas or Bust

2008-07-11T09:07:00.005-06:00

Every Summer we visit my extended in family in Northwest Arkansas. This year we had a great time relaxing and spending time with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Although, I will say that it was RIDICULOUSLY hot and humid...and I did not enjoy that part! Here are some pictures from our time:

Like father like son...

For almost 20 years now my family has been going to my grandparents' lake house for the summer holidays. I have so many wonderful memories growing up of being out on the lake with my extended family - jumping off cliffs, skiing, tubing, and lounging in the water. Sadly, this year was our last year at the lake as my grandparents are selling the house. It was fun to be there one last time to relive all the wonderful times!

Asher and I getting ready to head out to the lake

Mark and Asher on the boat

Trying to get a shot of his cute board shorts...

My wonderful husband

The Finzel fam on the boat dock

One of the nights we had a time of family dedication, prayer and blessing for Asher. It was so special to have our extended family speak words of affirmation and blessing into his life and really proclaim his life for the Lord.

Mmmmm....peas.

2008-06-26T13:54:00.002-06:00

Just because...

2008-06-24T21:18:00.001-06:00

...this is a cool picture:

Asher and Grandpa and Grandma Finzel

6 Months Old Today! Wow.

2008-06-16T13:58:00.005-06:00

I seriously cannot believe my baby is 6 months old today! The last six months have flown by! (Well, there was a month or two at the beginning where time seemed to stand still in the "no sleep" zone, but once he started sleeping through the night that all changed!)

Asher is such a delight and blessing in our lives. His smiles, his laughs, the many new discoveries he makes every week, all add such excitement and joy to our family. We love being his parents.

Here is our bubba boy today at 6 months old!!

Father's Day

2008-06-16T13:34:00.004-06:00

We had such a wonderful Father's Day yesterday with Mark's family. Spent the day relaxing at the Finzels' house....eating great food, relaxing, and celebrating Hans and Mark as fathers. I know Mark especially enjoyed celebrating this holiday for the first time as a dad. He truly is such an incredible husband and father who works so hard and sacrifices so much for Asher and me. Thanks for all you give to our family babe, we love you!

Daddy and Asher

Yep, Asher watching Veggie Tales!

Just to clarify, I'm really not a horrible mother who let's her 6 month old watch TV all day long! But, every once in a while I need to get some stuff done and a video helps keep him quiet for a few minutes!! :)

Three Generations of Finzel Men

Have to give a shout out to my dad too! He was traveling to Africa yesterday so we celebrated Father's Day with him earlier in the week. But, dad you are an incredible father and role model...hope you know how much we love you and how much you mean to us!

Rice Cereal

2008-06-11T09:48:00.002-06:00

Asher will be 6 months next week and he is definitely ready to start eating solid food. Every time we're eating he just stares at us, grabs for the food and obviously wants to try what we're having.

I tried giving him avocado a few days ago and, unfortunately, he seems to be allergic to it right now cause he broke out in a rash all around his mouth. So, on Monday I made him brown rice cereal and tried feeding it to him. The first time I gave it to him he spit it out all over, turned his head away and made a horrible face as if saying, "what the heck are you feeding me, this is disgusting!" Well, I tried again yesterday and it went a little better...except for the huge mess he made! I didn't even try to clean him up while he was eating but just stuck him in the bath at the end!

Covered in Rice Cereal....yum!
(Don't worry Mandy, I cleaned up the Bumbo too!:))

A few recent pictures...

2008-06-11T09:33:00.003-06:00

Here are some updated pictures of our bubba boy from the past couple weeks:

Discovering his feet/toes...what fun!

Asher loves/hates being tickled - he can't decide whether to laugh or scream when we tickle him so he often just "grunts" with a smile on his face.

Watching the NBA finals. As I mentioned before, he LOVES watching TV...it's pretty scary!

I came home the other night to find Asher sound asleep on Mark's lap. Apparently, he cried so much while I was gone that he finally passed out from exhaustion.
It's a good thing he's cute because he's a little strong willed!

The Spitter

2008-05-30T10:16:00.003-06:00

So, recently Asher has been doing this thing with his mouth that sounds kind of like a motorcycle or something...it involves lots of spitting and getting drool everywhere. Also, the last few days he has been enjoying letting us know how loud and high pitched his voice can get.

I was lucky enough to capture both of these in a little video on my phone. Check it out. The quality isn't the best, but that's probably good because you can't quite tell that his entire face is covered in drool--gross.