Tuesday, May 31, 2011

We had a stinking suspicious that Asha was going
to love swimming. She loves all things aquatic!She was a little sleepy to start with,
but seemed to love it!
We went to Liam's pool.
He showed us the ropes.
By the time we were ready to go
she was down for the count.

Asha took her first baby bjorn trip with dad.
A little jaunt to the dry cleaners and Food Lion.

I loved the sight.

Love this man.
Love this little lady.


Tuesday, May 24, 2011

pics.pics.pics

absolute bliss
asha didn't get the memo:
to pretend she was asleep (my favorite game)
one of my favorite pictures ever
this little angel is all smiles lately



on a little walk
with our dear friends, the arlanders,
around lake lynn
this beautiful setting is only minutes from our home

our favorite little adventurer

el guapo would say that asha has a plethora of hats

this one is from aunt jackie

this one is from trixee buckingham

this one is from holly, one of ashley's friends

and this one is from nicki (jackie's daughter)

so, so darling

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Road Trippin'

On Saturday, May 7, Emily, Asha, Ashley, and I embarked on what would be Scout's first road trip. We had a fabulous time! We were able to introduce Asha to the many friends in Nashville that had hoped, wished, and prayed her to our family. It was a beautiful time with our Tennessee family. We met up with old friends and made new ones. After a week in Nashville, we spent the last few days of the trip in Washington DC. Below are some of our favorite pics.

Asha "was born a ramblin' [wo]man." She cried a little at the end of our drive to Nashville, but only about 20 minutes of our 13-hour drive to DC. Qué campeona!

About halfway between Raleigh and Nashville is the lovely town of Asheville (an artist's mecca). There are many great reasons to stop in Asheville. The Chocolate Lounge is one of them. Two words: liquid truffle. Enough said.

Happy Mother's Day! Asha decided to test her mom by drenching her with formula around 3am, but Em wasn't even fazed. That smile has been years in the making. A little barf or poop (which came later in the trip) wasn't about to take away from her joy!

As you can see, Mother's Day was a drag (wink wink). We got to church a little late and decided to linger in the foyer until after sacrament. Em gave me the honor of walking into the chapel carrying Asha. What a thrill! I half thought the congregation was going to break into cheers. Lots of smiles and excitement, but no standing ovation. Only in Latin America, I guess.

Somebody turned 33 while we were in Nashville. We celebrated the day with a delicious homemade breakfast (thanks Alisha), sushi, a Barcelona game, paletas, flamenco, mate, and a small gathering at the Haglunds. The smile above doubled in size after I tasted the strawberry/sorrel pie that Ashley and Katie had made. Yum yum yum!

I couldn't resist including this gorgeous shot of my two babes. We stayed a few days with the Reynolds, which included many scrumptious meals and lots of fun.

Our last night in Nashville was the best. MauraLee organized a wonderful birth celebration (thank you thank you thank you) with all of our closest friends. We were a little worried about Asha because she hadn't slept much that day, but she was a champ (like always). She took it all in, moving from one set of arms to the next as content as can be. When the party ended another began: indoor soccer with Greg, Josh, Jeff, the Davies, and co. A perfect adios to Nashville!

Two days later we were in DC enjoying a lovely Sunday afternoon at Malcom X Park. The nearby drum circle kept us moving and grooving for a couple of hours.

We spent Monday afternoon picnicking, throwing the frisbee, and walking around at the National Arboretum. What a beautiful place! In case you're wondering (or worrying, like me), the thinning hair on top of my head is only an optical illusion.

We spent most of our DC time with Heather and Adam, Ashley's older sister and bro-in-law. We loved getting to know them and look forward to sharing more time in the future. Asha was sad to not feature in this shot, but someone had to take the pic.

One of our favorite pics from our day at the Arboretum. Look at the adorable expression on Asha's face, not to mention her perfect little hands.

Inspired by the breakdancing documentary we had watched the night before (Planet B-boy), we all took a shot at breakin' the next day. For some it was a birth, for others a rebirth.
*please note that the move featured above is not breakdancing

After close to 1500 miles, here we are at our final rest stop (about an hour from home). With a full belly and a clean diaper, Asha was ready to go. After all, she's a mover and shaker. The first of many family trips to come.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

the lucky charm

barcelona and real madrid (the top two club teams in spain)
played a grueling match the other day
jon held asha most of the game + barca won = jon will be holding
asha every time barça's in action

as for jerseys, we totally gave her an option:

ronaldo
or
messi

and with her (wise) decision,

she made her papi very happy

auntie shannon sent her these darling
vans, we loved that they were the only
things peeking out of her shroud

happy mama
always pinching something
toes, earlobes, anything!
it all started like this ...
(i know, i know, no onesie next time:)
then we thought it would be fun to raid dad's nap

with her little finger like that, she's like
"excuse me, does anyone want to play?"

then we figured ~ everything
is much more fun without clothes
i love her little face ... hello up there!

asha was all smiles for grandma faye
it was so sweet to see them together
this little one loves light.
she will fix her eyes on anything bright
we just love her so much

¡felices pascuas!

asha bug's first easter!
she felt like the queen of sheba
in the sweet little dress gifted to her by
a professor jon knew at vanderbilt

she can't wait to learn the phrase:
Ісус воскрес
to learn all about it go here:
alisha's awesome blog post


i love everything about this kid


the weather in raleigh has been incredible
the sun ... maybe a tad too bright for the little tike
we were so lucky to have jon's mom
here with us!

i really don't know anything about
scarlet o'hara
but i feel like she would have held her
hands like asha if she too
had been exposed to this much sun

jon and i are fools for 'firsts'
this shot is the first time she
put her hand up on his shoulder like that:)
jon's face says it all.

pura felicidad

the nursery suite

jon and i don't really own fancy things (whitey).

our fanciest possession is the leather soccer ball josh and rasputin gifted us a few years ago.

however, when you have waited many moons for a little bambina, and you have a million ultra talented friends and family members, you get hooked up with a really beautiful nursery!

it is for sure our favorite room in the house ... the only thing we're waiting on is a book shelf and the sketch spencer did of scout.

*don't worry the soccer rug hasn't been banished ... it's over by the other window!

love this little face, her gown, and her big stretch!

sweet grandma faye
changing 'table'
rags (stuffed animal grandma parkin sent me on my mission)
the darling pictures of her on the wall

ok, so the blue doesn't match
but it was a steal on craigslist
and super comfy

we especially love this room
because it is the manifestation of love
that reminds us of all the kindred spirits we
are lucky enough to call friends
asha thinks it is bomb

Sunday, May 1, 2011

I'm still getting the hang of this ...

look back a couple of posts to the picture of Asha lying next to Jon's Barcelona scarf,

now imagine that I had posted something on April 15th like

Asha is 1 month old!!

At her 4 week checkup she:
* weighed 8 lbs 6 oz
* measured 20 1/2 inches

This means that she gained one gigantic pound since birth and grew
1 1/2 inches!

She is an amazing little sleeper/eater/possessor of all that it beautiful.

Today we fast, full of gratitude and amazement, at the miraculous blessing with which Heavenly Father has entrusted us ... our little Asha Scout.