baby bruderer is a . . .

Wow. Another boy!! Believe it or not I am excited. It has taken a little bit of mental adjusting ( I was sure it was a girl this time!) but I am thrilled for Ben to have a little buddy to wrestle with! So far this boy is much quieter than his older brother. He doesn't move around too much and it is not very often. At this point I was feeling Ben move all day long inside me, quite vigorously. This one seems to be very shy. He did not want to have an ultrasound. He kept hiding from us or turning the other way. The first thing Ben did was roll over and expose his man parts! I will try everything to get this one to move around more, pushing on him, drinking orange and laying very still, etc. But no dice. He moves on his own terms. The other day I was getting worried because I hadn't felt much movement lately. I tried not to panic (I am not good at that). But as soon as I put Ben on my lap and we started talking I swear the baby started jumping around inside me. Sounds like he can't wait to meet big brother Ben!

i know i am pregnant when . . .

1. i am freezing all of the time.
2. i wake up at least twice a night to pee.
3. i suddenly have an affinity for plain old yellow mustard and pickles (both of which i loathe).
4. i cry when my husband offers to go to the grocery store for me and take ben with him.
5. all i can think about is cleaning out my closets, getting the baby room ready, and re-doing ben's room, cleaning out the garage, making DI runs, and looking at furniture (nesting much?).
6. all i want to eat is gummy bears, chocolate, and panda express.
7. my eyebrows are growing uncontrollably. seriously. anyone have a weed whacker?
8. my love handles are back and i don't look pregnant, just pretty dang chubby.
9. i want to go to bed at 8:30 pm with ben and really really don't want to wake up with him at 7:30 am.
10. i am nuts not knowing the gender of my little peanut. i am trying not to run to the nearest fetal studio or begging my OB to just take a peek for me before my big ultrasound appt.
11. nothing fits and it is back into the fat clothes. last time i was pregnant i couldn't wait to start showing. this time i know how fat i am going to get and to be honest it is a bit depressing.
12. i am really really excited for this new baby. which scares me. shouldn't i be terrified? because honestly i don't know how i am going to do it. but truthfully i can't wait to meet this new little one.

BIG news!!

Can you believe it? Our family is growing! We are expecting another bundle of joy (and energy) September 25, 2010. I am so excited, which surprises me. I didn't know if I would ever be brave enough to have another one after Ben. He has been wonderfully hard. But I can't wait. It feels right, which shocks me. I thought I would have constant, "What am I doing?" moments. Don't get me wrong those moments do come. Usually it is when Ben is in the middle of a full scale temper tantrum or having a day when he literally has to be carried everywhere. But this new baby will be good for all of us. The hardest part right now is not knowing if it is a boy or a girl. I am really feeling like it is a girl, but who knows?!

Ben's 2nd Birthday Party!

Welcome to the main event!! How is it possible that I have a two year old?! Time shifts into hyper-speed once you are a mom. You try not to miss a single second of their little lives and then you blink and they are two stinkin' years old! In doing this party I learned a lot about myself. I thought I was a good multi-tasker. Turns out that I am horrible at being a hostess, cook, server, event planer, photographer and mommy all at the same time. I did the best I could. At least I can say I enjoyed celebrating the day with Ben.

This is Ben right before the party started. He is about .2 seconds away from an absolute, total and complete meltdown because Daddy told him Uncle Jason was coming. Unfortunately, Jason was not the first one through the door. Which resulted in tears every time a guest arrived. How nice is that? Welcome to the party!





Our menu included: Hubcaps (buns), Spare tires (hamburgers), Parts (burger toppings), Coolant (drinks), and Dip sticks (french fries).

This is Ben and his buddy Brynner who came to the party to play. They had a great time, although I think Brynner was more excited about Skype-ing with the Texas grandparents than Ben was. It was fun to have another little person there. Ben is the only cousin in Utah currently. But not for long! (Hurry up and get here Sally, Adri, Weston and Calvin!!)

The famous Uncle Jason. I don't think Ben left his side for more than two seconds all night long!

This is Aunt "Chicken." Yes, you read right. Aunt Chicken. Ben can't say Kiersten for the life of him, and who can blame him. Kiersten couldn't say her own name until she was almost three! He LOVES playing hide and seek with her. In the above picture they are in one of his favorite hiding spots behind a chair.

Mommy and Daddy bought Ben a play rug with roads on it to drive his cars on. He is a very cautious driver and makes sure to stop at all the traffic lights and asks me when the light is green, "toon gween," so that he can go. He was sorely disappointed that the mat didn't come with a car wash. So we had to fashion one for him out of cardboard. So classy, but functional. (It doubles as a slide for his cars to go down too!)

Grandma and Grandpa Richens gave Ben a Mud Pie Mixing Station. It is awesome. The sink pumps water and he has his own mixer! Girly? Maybe a little. But now he can mix stuff in his very own mixer instead of trying to stick his hand in my KitchenAid!

What is a cake without some sprinkles?

Apparently we need to hone in our cooking skills. Looks like it didn't pass the taste test.

Scott is a major Jazz fan. So when we found a Korver jersey on clearance, it was a must have! Ben thought it was great to play "bath-ket ball" in his new jersey.

My baby is so grown up. It makes me happy and sad at the same time. He has been such a joy and such a trial at the same time. I know that I am a stronger, more compassionate, more loving and patient person because of him. I don't know how I will ever be able to thank him for helping me become the person I need to be in order to be his mother. I am so excited to see what our future holds and what adventures we have in store together. I love you with all my heart little man!