It has taken me forever to find the time to write this post.
River's birthday was so monumental to us as a family. To say that the past year has been challenging doesn't seem to quite do it justice. We survived and had a lot of fun and wow, it feels like such an accomplishment to have made it to this birthday stronger as a family then we ever have been.
River continues to amaze us daily. He simply is so much fun. He love, loves to laugh. Loves to hide and be found and loves to chase after his brother in the well worn circle around our home. He is now running, still wobbles a bit from time to time, but walking and moving like a champion. He is signing more and singing a lot. He continues to put sounds together with such inflection that I swear he is speaking in sentences.
He loves all food and wants to be part of everything. With Asher being such an outgoing fella, I was preparing to have a second child that was different, but River is following in A's footsteps, loving people and lots of kids. We don't have much stranger anxiety around these parts and our home is always loud.
River's party was nice, quiet full of lovely people. I overheard someone recently at another B-day party saying that the first year party is really for the parents and then the following years are more for the kids. So Ben and I needed a good celebration to close our first year as parents to two active boys.
We had a lovely party with brunch and an even more wonderful family dinner. It was a lovely day, smashed in a month of utter chaos for us.
River, we love you and look forward to this next years adventure. You growing as an integral part of this family.
It has taken me forever to find the time to write this post. River's birthday was so monumental to us as a family. To say that the past year has been challenging doesn't seem to quite do it justice. We survived and had a lot of fun and wow, it feels like such an accomplishment to have made it to this birthday stronger as a family then we ever have been.
River continues to amaze us daily. He simply is so much fun. He love, loves to laugh. Loves to hide and be found and loves to chase after his brother in the well worn circle around our home. He is now running, still wobbles a bit from time to time, but walking and moving like a champion. He is signing more and singing a lot. He continues to put sounds together with such inflection that I swear he is speaking in sentences.
He loves all food and wants to be part of everything. With Asher being such an outgoing fella, I was preparing to have a second child that was different, but River is following in A's footsteps, loving people and lots of kids. We don't have much stranger anxiety around these parts and our home is always loud.
River's party was nice, quiet full of lovely people. I overheard someone recently at another B-day party saying that the first year party is really for the parents and then the following years are more for the kids. So Ben and I needed a good celebration to close our first year as parents to two active boys. 
We had a lovely party with brunch and an even more wonderful family dinner. It was a lovely day, smashed in a month of utter chaos for us.
River, we love you and look forward to this next years adventure. You growing as an integral part of this family.
So much fun celebrating one.
While spring doesn't feel any closer with the snow expected tonight. Buds getting ready to bloom provide just the right amount around here.
Blueberries, Blackberries, Raspberries and Strawberries all frozen and squirreled away from summer, mixed with Apples harvested and sauced in the fall, with just a hint of last springs honey flow, a dash of lemon in the blender and spread thin (too thin, this batch is a little crispy.)
But man it is love. River devours them with his brother.
The past weeks have been a little challenging with Asher in the woods, not that he doesn't love it, but he doesn't really want to move much and by the middle of our hikes he has been very crabby and wanting to be carried. As I already have one on my back, carrying a boy loaded with snowpants and wet boots isn't my first choice. So this week i decided to ditch the snowpants, wondering if they were just uncomfortable, making movement harder and more tiring. This helped with the wanting to be carried, but not with the desire to not move much. Asher could entertain himself for hours with just 20 ft of trail. River is getting tired of just observing, and he isn't really ready for just walking in the snow. We are adjusting and I think the woods in the spring are going to be an even more magical place for these boys.
Back to this week. Asher pretended his mitten was a mouse under the snow and did an awesome job recreating the mouse, leaving tracks.
We followed the fox tracks, it intesected with a rabbit.
and walked through the woods.
Asher climbed on a fallen log, he was a squirrel- we were lucky enough to have our woods walking friends with us.
He was a squirrel for a good 10 minutes after our friends departed. He really seems immune to the cold while playing.
River and I hung out per the usual.
We followed the fox back up the hill to walk the trail along the ditch.
I can hardly wait to see these on their birthday heads.