Yes, I Really Am Pregnant!

Here are two pictures to verify to all of you who do not believe I really am pregnant!

The first one was taken on my birthday when I am 7 months pregnant.

The second one is of a 3-D image I had done at an imaging place with a DVD. Can you believe he already has chubby cheeks? He still has a couple more months of growing. I think he is going to come out looking like a squirrel gathering his nuts for the winter in his cheeks. He already has a lot of Ben's features so we will see:)

Laurie, Laurie, Quite Contrary How Does Your Garden Grow?

With the help of a wonderful friend named Lisa Bunnell.

I got estimates from landscapers to do some yard work around our house. The flower bed was included in their price of $4000.00. I was sorely tempted to pay for it because I hate bending over with a big belly. Lisa said she loves to pull weeds (she feels it is therapautic) and said she would help me. She helped me do a lot. Here are some before pictures and some in between and after pictures. This is after 22 huge yard bags of just the front flower bed.

3 Casts In One Summer

My baby girl is going to have to have three casts this summer. Girls' Camp was last week (yes, I survived) well the week before (June 17th) my baby had to have surgery. I took her in for her weekly check up to get x-rayed and see if it had moved anymore in the wrong direction in her water-proof, 1/2 cast. It had moved from 20 degrees off to 40 degrees off where it should be. The doctor asked me if she had eaten anything since breakfast I told him no, we were about to go out to lunch. He said don't let her eat anything. I want to do surgery on her tonight at the children's hospital. He needed to put her under and re-break her wrist and fit it with a full arm cast that is not water proof. He told me he might have to put a pin in it. Good thing I had camp under control or I would have been even more of a nervous wreck.

With her little hospital gown done up in the back, I cried when the nurse took her hand and led her down the hall to go in to the operating room. I cried when they brought Mike & I into the recovery room as she was waking up. He told me I should be strong for Emma. I told him to hush up. I told him I cried when I saw him in recovery and he did not even remember it. I am a mom, if it is one thing I am entitled to is being able to cry if I see one of my babies in a hospital bed. She did great and did not have to have a pin put in.

Needless to say she had her dance recital on June 21, four days later with a full cast on her arm. She did an excellent job. I was kind of concerned that she gets shy and nervous sometimes but that was for naught. Her "Drama Queen" personality took over and she faced the audience with a huge a smile and really put on a show.

She will have to get another 1/2 cast put on in two weeks before we go to Utah. At least it can be water-proof.

Mother's Day

I love Mother's Day when my children are so young. I know I will not be getting the sweet home made gifts and cards from them much longer. I love the presents with the hand prints on them or their sweet little writings telling me how much they love and appreciate me.

Here are Ben's cards to me:









Here is Emma's card to me: I think food is really important to her!

Ode To My Ben

This blog is dedicated to my Benjamin, one of the coolest boys I know. He is always happy and in a good mood - he got that from Mike. He is sweet and always ready to give and receive love - he got that from me. He loves little babies and little children. Whenever we are out and about he will be the first one to strike up a conversation or start playing with a little baby. It will be very sweet to see him with his baby brother.



Here are a few of his school papers. He is such a riot. Yes, he does love to climb and he has been climbing since he was very young, on bookcases, cabinets, shelves anything he could find that he could reach or pull a chair up to. One time I put our block of knives on top of the refrigerator and he climbed on a chair then the counter then tried to reach the knives on top of the fridge. The second letter is a persuasive letter to his teacher trying to convince her not to give him homework during their state-wide testing week. I love the part about not wanting to miss out on family fun and how scouting and baseball add so much stress to his life.

Our family is definitely blessed by having such a sweet and caring little boy. Granted he is the wildest of our children but the girls have pointed out that he may be the wildest in our family but he is the only one that has not broken a bone yet.

I love you Ben!

Memorial Day Weekend

My dad had a great idea to try and get everybody together in the mountains of the western part of Virginia for Memorial Day weekend. We went a day early on Friday afternoon and spent the night in Charlottesville. Abby wanted to see UVA, she has heard so much about it. UVA is one of her top three schools she wants to go to when she is older. Mike and I wanted to show the children Monticello. I have to admit I wanted to see it again as well. The last time I had seen it was with Mike as one of our earliest dates when we had first started dating.

This is a picture of Abby & Ben on Saturday morning in front of the rotunda at UVA, Emma & I are still asleep at the hotel.

Charlottesville is such a beautiful little town nestled in the mountains (hills to ya'll western people). It is a very preppy little town. For example all the students and alumni wear shirts and ties and dresses to all the football games. While we were walking around the little down town area all the students (which were not very many since it is their summer semester) were wearing polos and cute little sun dresses for their night out on the town.



Monticello has not changed very much. It is still as beautiful as I remember. The children seemed to enjoy some of the neat inventions Thomas Jefferson expanded upon at his home. They all wanted a replica of the Declaration of Independence that was rolled up on parchment paper.


It was really nice to get a way for the weekend. I feel like we have been kind of ignoring the children as we have been getting our new home together. It was so nice to spend some relaxing time with them and Mike.

What Can Happen In Less Than 24 Hours?

I conceded to a trampoline only because it had a net on it. I figured no one would be able to fall off and brake their arm or leg. I thought we would only get bloody noses and lips from them bumping into each other. Right? Wrong!

We only had the trampoline up for 19 hours and Ben accidentally bounce sat on Emma's wrist and broke it.

We did pay the extra $36 to get a water proof cast for bathing and swimming for the next 6 weeks.

This is the first day she has had it on. We will see if she is still smiling during week 6.