summertime

hi romelia and nay, 

i hope you've been having a wonderful summer. 

asher is loving life and soaking up every bit of joy. 

he loves swimming, throwing rocks in ponds or lakes, riding his bike and playing with bugs and worms. 

his favorite food right now is "noodles" and fries. 

he absolutely loves music and learning songs. he hums or sings constantly while he is playing. 

still snuggly. 

riding on a ferris wheel!

Asher's first birthday!

hi Romelia and Nay,
I'm sorry i am So behind.

here are pictures from asher's birthday party.

we just had close family and friend's come celebrate the blessing that asher has been and all of the joy he has brought us. he had a birthday cookie instead of a cake because he seems to like cookies more than cake.

we were so glad the koppelins could join us.

Asher is walking like a pro now.
saying lots of words like "dog" "flower" "bubble" and his special version of "school bus"
he loves animals, air planes and the moon.

love you guys!

maria, steve, and asher.

happy mother's day

happy mother's day Romelia!
i can never tell you how much it means that i get to be a mother today. and you made that possible.
i am so thankful to you!

much love,
maria

11 months old

 oh my stars. i am so sorry i haven't posted in sooo long. we went into the holiday time warp and barely made it out.

asher is chatting up a storm. he has attempted to say "bird" "button" "bottle" "hat" "dada" and other things too!

he is still just cruising around, and doesn't seem interested in walking.

 he's an incredibly happy and friendly boy. he says "hiii!" to almost everyone we see and waves.

 he loves birds, and enjoys looking out the window for them.

 he still loves music and got this little piano for christmas, which thrills him to no end.

he also loves giving "fives"
he is already in 18 month clothes.
i can't believe he is almost one.

i hope you all are doing well.

much love,

maria, steve and asher.

October (his 7th month)

october was such a good month.
we had friends come visit from michigan who have a 9 month old and he and asher had a blast playing together.
he was a bear for halloween.
asher has been pulling up on everything and cruising around the furniture.
he has been exploring the world of food and LOVEs trying new ones (recent favorites are carrots, hummus, apples, mango).
He continues to be very social and friendly wherever we go. He is much happier having an outing than staying home all day.
he loves animals right now, and learning what sounds they make.
he is very physical and loves snuggling and "rough-housing" in bed, being tickled and such.
i hope you guys are well.

love,
maria, steve, asher

5 and 6 months old!

i'm so sorry that i haven't found time to post more! being a mama is even busier than i thought.

 with his cousins, noah and alexa.

 with granny. in our matching hats.

Asher is sitting up like a champ now.
he still loves going on walks and especially loves staring at the trees.
he has tried lots of new foods and i think mangos are his favorite.
he has 2 little teeth on the middle bottom.
he is pulling up on everything.
he is saying "ya ya ya ya ya" all the time.
he loves blowing bubbles with his mouth.
we took a trip to illinois together and it was so fun to visit "granny" and his cousins.
i hope you all are well!

4 months old!

Asher has really started belly laughing out loud now. its one of the sweetest sounds i've ever heard. 

He is 28 inches long and almost 19 pounds! 

he is getting a really strong torso and neck and always wants to practice standing.

He has started to play in an exersaucer and johnny jump up and absolutely loves them both. 

he is more and more vocal with lots and squeals and blowing bubbles. 

 i love rocking my boy to sleep.

we hope you all are well. can't wait to see nay soon! :)

much love,
the casteels.