Yikes

I have been just awful at updating this thing. Sorry loyal readers :(

Things have been busy since the first of the year. Mostly just the same ol' type of busy - both of us working, being with the boys as much as we can, attempting to prevent the house from going to hell in a handbasket. However, we did have one exciting development - we're buying a house! The location is perfect for us - near the fam, near the freeway, near the hospital, and near a big park! More to come (including pictures ) after the appraisal is in.

Big congratulations are in order for our good friends Tony and Amanda on the birth of baby Everett! What a handsome baby boy, and congratulations to big brother Avery too! :) A huge congratulations also to my cousins Steve and Tricia on the birth of their adorable new baby girl Abby! Congratulations also to our friends Jordan and Nicole who welcomed their own little girl, Clara, a few days ago :) Babies everywhere (EXCEPT HERE!).

And finally, if you could keep in your prayers some good friends of ours and their son. Their little guy was diagnosed with leukemia last week. Now of all the awful things to get diagnosed with, this is on the better end of the spectrum, but they still have a long road ahead, so your thoughts and prayers for this wonderful little boy and his family would be greatly appreciated.

Take care all, and God bless!

Goodbye 2010 (aka: the rest of the year in a nutshell)

What a wonderful (and busy) year! Here's the end of 2010 in a nutshell...

We went apple and pumpkin picking at the Elegant Farmer with Grandma Sue and Grandpa Earl - what a blast! As you can see, Jakey got to ride a pony and boy did he love it!! I've never seen a smile that big!

Off goes Jake into the pumpkin patch. We found some great pumpkins!

The boys enjoying the tractor ride (with the sun in Jake's eyes - sorry Jakey!)

Jake got lots and lots of apples!

And Ben had fun searching for them too :)

Halloween with the cousins - Ben was a lion and Jake was Thomas the Tank Engine. It was freezing, but we had a great time! We went trick-or-treating three days in a row: at Mommy's work, around our neighborhood, and in Brookfield with Anthony, Robbie, and Jenna.

Rawr! Ben loves to roar like a lion, so it seemed fitting to dress him up as a lion for Halloween. And boy was he super cute :)

Playing in the snow for the first time, Ben had a blast! It was hard to keep his balance, but he had fun, until he fell in the snow and realized it was cold. Then he had fun watching big brother and Lukey play ;)

Lukey came over to visit the day it snowed. The boys had a lot of fun digging in the snow, building a snowman, and throwing snowballs. Later, we came in and had hot chocolate and watched Dinosaur Train :)

Super cute brothers all ready for bed - had to include this one!

At Christmas time, we went to see the train exhibit at Country Springs' Country Christmas. They also had an awesome outdoor lights exhibit and a beautiful Nativity scene. Jake said, "Look Mom!! It's baby Jesus with blue eyes! Can we hold him?"

More trains...
Ben LOVING the trains :)

Jakey insisted on sitting in the sleigh, and even wanted his picture taken (a first!!)

Oh Christmas morning! The boys in their new Thomas pj's, presents EVERYWHERE... Jake said, "This is my favorite holiday EVER!" Mine too, buddy, mine too :)

Ben with his favorite toy from Santa, his new top! And take a good look at those mangy locks, because...
Ben got his first haircut! What a big boy :)

What a great year it's been. :)

The boys with the snowman decoration from Grandma P - they love it!

What a wonderful year. We're so thankful for our many blessings, including the many amazing family and friends in our lives. All of our prayers for all of you for a blessed and happy New Year!

Big boy Ben!

Some Ben laughs just for you :)

Party Time!

We had a ton of fun at Ben's first birthday party. We just had a little party at home with friends, family, pizza, cake, and - of course - beer. Here are some of the highlights:

Jenna and Hannah enjoying the "waterslide" (man, was it hot!)

Grammy Sue with the Birthday Boy!

A sweet little boy couldn't ask for two better grandmas :)

Jim and Heather Bachmann - awesome friends and great kid-caretakers!

Aunt Diane and Jenna-benna taking a break from the lil pool (doesn't Diane look great in this picture?!)

Happy birthday to me!
The big kids playing Wii. Thanks guys, for putting up with a baby's birthday party and for keeping Jakey entertained and feeling included :)

The birthday cake
Here it comes!!

And there it goes ;)

Big brother playing outside (not in the mood for having his picture taken)

Playing with water balloons to keep cool

Present time!


More presents!

Jakey got some presents too so he wouldn't feel left out.

We had such a wonderful time with our friends and family who could make it to the party. Thanks for coming guys, and here's to many more fun parties. Happy birthday Ben! :)

Ben Turns One!

I can't believe it - Baby Ben is one year old! Oh how I love our sweet littlest boy. A quick recap of his original birthday.. I was induced at 39 weeks over some concerns relating to blood pressure (luckily nothing serious). After about 16 hours of labor, Baby Ben graced us with his presence, weighing 7 lbs, 12 oz. An adorable snuggler from the start, it was wonderful to cuddle my newest little man for the first few hours. Unfortunately, our blood types weren't compatible and he had to spend some extra time in the hospital under the bili lights. That was extremely un-fun. And after we got him home he still had to sleep on a bili-bed with a bili wrap and get daily bili level checks (read: heel sticks). But my little guy was so easy going, even from the start, he barely put up a fuss. And after that, we began adjusting to the new normal, and today our family wouldn't be complete without our wonderful Benjamin Joseph :)

Because his birthday was during the week, we saved the party for a later weekend. On his actual birthday, Ben had his first cupcake!

You want me to do WHAT with this thing?

Hmmm, the white stuff feels kinda squishy.

Okay, well, if you feed it to me, I'll try it.

Mmmmmm, frosting is good for licking!

Yum yum yum yum!

First paycheck!!

Well folks, here it is. After 27.5 years of living, 23 years of school, thousands of dollars in educational debt, possible ulcers from stress, and much love and support from my family and friends (oh yeah, and considerable butt-busting on my part), it finally arrived - my first paycheck!!! (pardon the sloppy erasing - wanted to keep some of the info to myself)