2009 Ausenhus Family Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends,

We hope this finds you happy, healthy, and ready to embrace this holiday season. Enjoy the following update!

Ben has grown with leaps and bounds this year. Although every parent will say this about their own child, Ben is growing up faster than we ever imagined. In the past year, we've seen him begin to walk, run, jump, imagine, talk, and develop interests and a sense of humor, just to name a few. Recently, he has developed a love for wearing hats, trying on Mommy and Daddy's shoes, and finger painting. He loves to try to help us with whatever we are doing, whether that be watching me cook or climbing a ladder behind Brant. Ben loves to read books, go to music class once a week, and play outside. The Christmas tree itself has become quite a point of fascination this month. He is particularly enthralled with a gold tricycle ornament and while talking to himself one day, we caught him saying, "Trike... pretty... too small to ride." We've really had to work on telling him to be gentle with the tree and to leave the ornaments on the tree, that it is just for looking. This has proven particularly difficult with another favorite, the train ornament. While gazing at the tree one evening, I watched him take the train off and sneak away from the tree. When Ben saw me around the corner, he quickly said with big eyes, "Keep on the tree... put it back... just look." As you can see, we've been enjoying this season for so many reasons!

I continue to work for Ankeny Community Schools as a fourth grade teacher. Brant is a senior account executive for Bader Rutter and Associates. We've enjoyed the convenience of Brant having his office at home, although he travels relatively often. Both of us enjoy our work and our colleagues and consider ourselves very fortunate. In June, we celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary with a trip to Maui. It was a wonderful getaway and we enjoyed every aspect of the island.

Perhaps the biggest change this year was moving into a new home in September. Although we weren't particulary looking to make a change, we knew we would need something bigger in the next few years. When we stumbled across this home in August, we fell in love with it. The sale of our home went quickly and smoothly. We love having more land outside and room inside our house to spare. Additionally, we are looking forward to several painting and updating projects to make the house really feel like our home.

Whenever the holidays come around, we can't help but remember those who we miss dearly. We lost my Grandpa Anderson in March and keep him in our heart during this season. As we continue to remember my parents, Papa Dave and Grandma Carleen, we take pride in instilling in Ben the traditions, values, and interests my parents gave me. May we all remember their loving and kind spirits over Christmas.

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2010!

Rachel, Brant, and Ben

Winter Wonderland

This is the view from our house today! The first true snowfall is going to be a big one and I have to say, our yard looks just beautiful. Even having lived in Iowa for most of my life, there is still something about the first snowfall of the season that is exciting, new, and intriguing.

Ben Says...

Welcome to this Century!

We've had a little lighting project going on in our house. This marks the first updates we are making to our new house!

Before:

After:

The Latest, Greatest, and Not So Greatest

The Greatest: Does this kid love wearing hats or what? And really, could it be any cuter?

The Latest:

1.) Using a spoon - Tonight at supper I didn't even have to touch Ben's food except to cut it up and clean it up. It was SO lovely!

2.) The Wiggles - In case you aren't in the "toddler know", The Wiggles are a group of four Australian men who sign and dance in the midst of vibrantly colored sets. To be honest, it is pretty weird, but Ben loves his Wiggles DVD. It has been a lifesaver to make our transition back home at the end of the day much smoother while I try to start supper. These are one of the things I thought I'd never do, but...

3.) Bathtime - One month ago, bathtime was a total scream-fest. I couldn't figure out why Ben was detesting his bath so much and we dreaded it. However, the problem has been solved and bathtime has become simply wonderful. Ben now gets to pick out his toys, throw them in the tub, take off his own clothes (mostly!), and at the end of bath, he gets to stay in until all the water is drained and the toys are put away. Seriously, it is the little things that make a big difference!

4.) "Rachel" and "Brant" - Somehow, Ben has put together that Mommy and Daddy have another name. Every now and then, he will look at me and say, "Rachel?" Brant thinks it is really funny, so to be fair, I've also taught Ben how to say Brant.

The Not-So-Greatest: We have finally beat our first time dealing with the flu, and yes, it was most likely H1N1. Although Ben has had his fair share of ear infections, we had been lucky that was pretty much the extent of his illnesses. However, this flu made us feel like brand new parents all over again. We were somewhat unsure what to do and probably completely over-worried and over-protective. We did have to make a trip to the ER when Ben's fever spiked to 104.4, which was a little scary. On the upside for Ben, he got to eat his favorite chicken nuggets and as much orange juice as he wanted every day for the entire week he was sick (because those were the only things he showed any interest in). All in all, we made it through and things in our household are now back to normal.

I Love This Age... And Here Are Some Reasons Why!

Home Sweet Home... almost

It's been a week and half since we moved into our new house and it is definitely feeling like home... except for all the things that still need to be put away. However, all of our living areas are relatively organized and liveable, so we have been functioning well. Now that we have finally gotten the internet up and finally started receiving mail on Friday, we are functioning even better.

Ben is going to be 19 months old this week and is such a true little boy these days! He is really into trying to climb on everything, loves to play outside, and always seems to be a bundle of energy. His talking continues to get better and better. He has lots of two word phrases and repeats pretty much everything we say, so yes, it has become important to censor! One of my favorite things he says lately is, "What!?" in a really high pitched voice, much like Brant does when something surprises him. He also loves to watch the ducks and geese on our pond. It has become a daily routine every time we get in or out of the car to look for the geese. If he sees them, he starts to count, "One, two..." We also have lots of squirrels in our yard and whenever he spots one, he says, "Quirrel! Quirrel!"

It is nice to have the move behind us. We love the new house and the property it is on. I'll love it even more when the "stuff" part is all over and I can move on to other more exciting parts to making the house our own, such as painting and perhaps picking out a few new light fixtures. We have had our first really chilly week of fall and I was reminded that all of these things will be great winter projects. I'm sure that will come faster than any of us would like!

New Happenings

Sorry, no pictures this time! This is mainly because I'm not exactly sure where the camera is, let alone the cord to download photos. It seems that is the story of our lives lately and will likely continue to be for the next few weeks.

This is the start of our big two weeks! Our first load of "stuff" was hauled off in the livestock trailer today to be stored in a shed until we close on our new house. I know... livestock trailer? Hey, 32 feet of free storage space is very, very much appreciated! Thanks, Nick! Everything else will be out of the house by Thursday. Wow!

Our last night in our current home before relocating for a week to grandma and papa's is Tuesday night. I took my final early morning run on my regular route today. Ben and I have been making frequent trips to the neighborhood park, knowing that one of them will be the last one, at least traveling there by stroller. Yes, I'm feeling a little nostalgic. A lot has happened in this home and there are things about this neighborhood that I will miss.

However, my excitement definitely overshadows my nostalgia. I'm so excited to have a bigger yard and more space in our home to spread out. As I filled box after box of kitchen items, I found myself excited knowing that I'd have plenty of places in our new kitchen to put everything. I can't wait to have a playroom for Ben! I've got big plans for making his play space more usable and to have a place that is just for him. I'm so looking forward to moving in just in time to watch the leaves change on the beautiful trees in our yard. I can't believe I'm even going to say this, but I'm looking forward to painting the walls in the new house. They are all white - it is like a blank canvas. There is nothing like a fresh coat of paint to make a place your own! Yes, there is a lot of work ahead of us and my organization-loving self will have to deal with the chaos, but there is so much to look forward to.

How could I end without a quick Ben update? My favorite thing he is saying lately is, "Don't cry, be happy." He loves climbing. He has been climbing all over the furniture and knows that in chairs, he should sit like a "big boy." And, he says "big boy" over and over again as he sits down. He has developed an affinity for Elmo. I have to say, as much as I try to limit the time with TV, popping in a favorite Elmo video and handing him some goldfish grahams (another favorite) can be very convenient right around supper time. He also loves to run. Lately, it seems like he never walks anywhere - he is always running. He oftens says, "Run, run, run," while taking off. I am constantly amazed by Ben's vocabulary. He can identify nearly everything in his environment and has been putting words together more and more. Ben is beginning to learn how to "dress up." He has figured out how to put on Brant's and my shoes and also loves to wear hats around the house. Finally, I love that Ben still loves to read with me. He even "reads" by himself and flip the pages and say words he knows from the pictures and pages. We'll often catch him doing this in his crib in the morning. It is wonderful! It just gets better and better!

Sold!

Yes, our house sold! Didn't know it was for sale? Feel out of the loop? Don't worry, you're not! Everything has happened very, very quickly. I'll share the brief version.

First of all, we weren't actively looking for a new house, but have known we'd need to do something in the next year or two. With Brant having his office out of our house, we've gotten a little cramped. Additionally, we've always dreamed about having a larger lot.

With that said, about two weeks ago, we drove by a house that was for sale by owner. It had a great yard, so we decided to go take a look, just out of curiousity. The following day, we took Ben with us and went to have our look. Brant and I both really liked it and ended up going back the following day without Ben to look again. We mulled over it for about a week. The following weekend we went back yet again, still loved it, and decided to take a shot and put an offer in. We then talked to a realtor about listing our house last Monday, found out our offer was accepted on the new house last Wednesday, our house went on the market on Friday afternoon, and it sold on Saturday! What a whirlwind! In between all of that, Brant and I were working to de-clutter some things from our house, cleaning furiously, and making a few small repairs in anticipation of showings. We questioned whether our house would even sell, considering there are several houses on our street that have been on the market for months. I feel the entire last two weeks has been a testament to perfect timing and to things happening for a reason. And, we are now considering going into real estate since this is our second home that has sold in 24 hours (our Wisconsin home sale was much the same). Just kidding!

With all that said, we will be moving out of our house by September 18 and into our new home on September 23. We'll be bunking with Brant's parents for a few days in between. We are pretty excited and really looking forward to spending autumn in the new house, which has a much more scenic yard. Although I'm really dreading packing everything up, we are only moving across town and I'm trying to look at it as a perfect opportunity to get everything organized in the new house, and perhaps weed through some unneeded things.

In the previous post, Ben had just gotten a new sandbox. No worries, the people buying our house specifically asked that the sandbox be removed. Brant is very excited about moving the sand yet again!

More to come, I'm sure...

Sandbox Adventures!

On Monday, the sandbox Brant built for Ben was finally filled with sand. Wow - it was quite a hit! Ben spent nearly an hour playing in the sand, sliding on his stomach through the sand, and enjoying me burying his feet and legs. When delivered, the sand was a bit damp, which resulted in one very dirty little boy. It absolutely called for a complete hose down, with clothes on first and then ending up in only a diaper. I think Ben must have been in toddler-heaven between the sand, hose, and the bubble bath that followed it all!

Our Trip to the Lake

I'm going to let the pictures do the talking...

Speaking of the Zoo...

A Trip to the Zoo

We recently went on our first family trip to the zoo. Ben seemed to enjoy looking at the animals, especially the monkeys, giraffes, and chickens. He has been really into making animal noises and has a lot of animal sounds he likes to say while we read his books, so we thought this was the perfect time for his first zoo experience. The zoo also has a train and Ben loved his train ride. He recently learned that trains say, "Choo choo," so that was perfect as well. Besides a close and scary encounter with a llama that got a bit to close for his comfort, which led to a high pitched scream we had never heard before, the day was a big success! He had so much fun, he was asleep before we got out of the parking lot, not even having the energy to eat the Goldfish cracker in his hand! Now that is a sign of a big day!

Maui, Part 3

The beaches of Maui were fabulous, just as we had hoped and expected they would be. The water temperature was great, the sand was fine and white, and it was beautiful. Brant and I both tried out snorkeling for the first time during our trip. The Black Rock, which is known for good snorkeling, was located just down the beach from our hotel. We rented snorkel gear and were able to just get in and go. For first timers, we were pretty impressed with the array of fish that we saw. We were also impressed with how clear the water was with being so deep. It was pretty awesome. I was disappointed we don't have any pictures of us in our snorkeling gear, but we weren't willing to risk leaving the camera on the beach with our things unattended while we were in the water. I guess you'll just have to use your imagination.

Of course, we also enjoyed the beach for watching the sunset. It seemed we were someplace to see the sunset almost every night. One of my favorites was at a restaurant called Fish Company. Their deck was actually built out over the beach and ocean and lent itself for a great view while enjoying seafood (and a bottle of wine, of course!). Another favorite of mine was the night we decided to get a pizza from the Tiki Bar at our hotel, gather up some Bud Lime beers (my summertime favorite), and eat our supper on the beach while watching the sunset. Although our view was briefly interrupted by the sunset catamarane cruises, we were definitely convinced the originality of our $20 private beachside picnic was way better than the $150 we could have spent to be stuffed on a boat with strangers and only 400 yards closer to the action.

The final note I will write about our trip to Maui was about the magic show we went to see. I know, it sounds completely corny. However, it was amazing. The show was called Warren and Annabelle's. Warren was the magician/comedian and he did tricks that still have Brant and I talking. I'm not much for magic, but mixed with how hilarious he was and the tricks that he did, it was well worth it. He burned a $100 bill (even wrote down the serial number!) and it reappeared inside a whole lemon. He dropped bowling balls out of a hat after it was on someone's head. He even changed the time on a girl's watch while she held it in her own hand. We were quite impressed - and mystified!

So, there ends the major highlights of our trip to Maui. I'm sure the blog will now go back to being less about Brant and I and pretty much all about Ben! We enjoyed our time away together and definitely recommend it, but are also always thankful to return home.

Maui, Part 2

Two of our adventures in Maui were much different than we expected. When people think of Maui, they immediately think of the beautiful beaches and blue ocean water, which Maui certainly has. However, Brant and I found out that Maui is also full of other climates and landscapes. Hana and Haleakala were two of the adventures that were unexpected to us, but extremely worthwhile.

The road to Hana is a crazy drive, mostly because of the over 600 switchbacks on the road and many, many one lane bridges. It is also known as one of the most beautiful drives in the world, and Brant and I would agree. I felt like I was in a movie the entire time we were driving - it just seemed unreal. What made the drive especially great was that our guide book, Maui Revealed, gave detailed descriptions of where to stop the car and take a hike to see waterfalls. Every few miles we were out of the car hiking through the woods, or one time even a bamboo forest. We encountered some amazing waterfalls (see the pictures below). The interesting thing is that none of these things were labeled along the road. We simply read the guide book and made our best estimate to hopefully find the trail off the side of the road - sometimes we were successful, and sometimes not. It was very rainy, as part of the drive is within a rainforest-like climate. At one point we found ourselves climbing over huge boulders in the pouring rain, slipping all over the place, and not sure we were at the right place to see the waterfall we were hoping to find. We ended up soaked to the bone at only mile marker 13 and although I didn't find it funny at the time, it is worth a good laugh now. The fifty mile drive took us well over three hours, but was definitely worth it!

On the road to Hana, we also stopped and hiked around at a black sand beach. I know I'm probably saying this about everything, but it was absolutely beautiful, yet beautiful in a different way than everything else. Indeed, the sand was black, but so were all of the rocks. The stark contrast between the black and the lush green of the trees and bushes was incredible. Brant and I did some additional hiking we read about in our guide book (seriously worth the 17 dollars to buy it!) and the trail we were on took us to another beach well over the rocky ledges of the ocean. We were able to climb down onto and have it to ourselves for awhile to watch the waves.

Visiting Haleakala, a dormant volcano in the middle of the east side of Maui, was perhaps one of the most interesting and beautiful places I've ever been. Haleakala is 10,000 feet above sea level and when we finally reached the top, above the clouds, and got onto the hiking trail, I felt like I was walking on Mars. There was very little vegetation, but the color of the dirt and sand and rocks was amazing. Such a stark contrast from the road to Hana. We hiked 2.6 miles down into the volcano and it reminded me of walking through the desert, as you could see the entire path ahead of you. The hike down was very easy, but the minute we turned around to head back up, we knew it was going to be quite a trek. Hiking uphill in sand the entire way worked some muscles I didn't know I had until the next day!

Hiked in to view this waterfall off the road to Hana.

A look back at the black sand beach.

Rock ledges on our hike around the black sand beach.

Getting ready to hike into the Haleakala crater. Yes - it was cold!

A view from the top of the trail.

Maui, Part 1

Brant and I have returned safely from our trip to Maui and although we had a great time, it is also nice to be home with Ben again. There is lots to share about the trip, so stay tuned. I'll start tonight with the last night of our trip, which was also our 5th wedding anniversary. That evening, we went to the Feast of Lele. We were greeted with a fresh flower lei and a mai tai - perfect! The whole event taking place at sunset on the beach made for a picturesque scene, to say the least. The dinner was five courses, with dishes from Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti, and New Zealand, plus dessert. Every course consisted of some sort of seafood, from mahi mahi to swordfish, plus a side and some sort of salad. We tasted lots of things we've never tasted before, some we liked better than others. With each course came a traditional dance from each culture. The dancers were incredible and so were the costumes. It was a great way to cap off an incredible trip and to celebrate our anniversary!

Hugs and Hiding

Ben had a big moment this morning. He said, "Love you." Oh my gosh, I almost started to cry. He has been giving bigs hugs lately and sometimes the kind where I try to pull him off, only to have him grapple at my neck. This morning when he woke up, we were sitting in the rocking chair looking at his books like we do every morning (all of which he calls Bible for some reason, even though only one is a Bible board book). He is so happy in the morning and we were talking and snuggling. I said, "Ben, can you say love you?" He gave me this big grin, said it, and then grabbed me for a big hug. Wow - incredible moment!

I also had my first incident of losing something important that Ben either hid or misplaced. I realized last night that my glasses were missing. The child puts things in the strangest places, such as lids to pots on the bookshelf and socks in drawers in the kitchen. So, I couldn't find them until this morning when we were playing and I happened to peek under the bed. There they were! That stinker!

Three days until Brant and I are off to Maui. Can't wait!

Summer Favorites

Although we are just in our second week of summer, Ben and I have found a few favorites that are extra special this summer. First, and foremost, is the park. In particular, slides and swings are our favorites. A playground was recently built in our neighborhood and it is wonderful to have somewhere to walk to. Ben could swing all afternoon, whether at the park or in our backyard. Last week, I also discovered his love for the slide. He sits on my lap to go down and wants to go over and over again. There is always a little squeal of delight at the end. Not only are we now regulars at our park, but are making the rounds to many other Ankeny parks as well.

The second summer favorite is ice cream. After a trip to the park a few days ago, Ben and I met my friend Heather at Dairy Queen to have ice cream. I bought a dish thinking Ben and I would share it, but my bites seemed minimal. The kid loves ice cream! We will definitely be doing that again!

The third summer favorite is music class. We go to music class on Monday mornings. Since starting music class in January, it is fun to think about how much Ben has changed. He has certain activities and songs he loves. He loves Ms. Tina's (his teacher) finger puppets, loves the peek-a-boo song with scarves, and loves some of the dances we learn. We have a CD of the songs to listen to at home, which is also great.

The fourth summer favorite is simply the great outdoors. We have learned that Ben is a child that loves to be outside. In fact, sometimes he cries when we have to go back in. He explores the grass, enjoys walking up and down the sidewalk, points at all the birds he sees and says "buh", checks out all our trees and bushes, and even likes to sit on our porch chair. I'm so thankful that he likes being outside so much, as I get a bit stir-crazy being inside too long myself.

The fifth summer favorite is a selfish one of my own. It is nap time and bed time. I love spending my day with Ben, but I also thoroughly enjoy a little summer time to myself when he is sleeping. I look forward to summer to have some time to read or do little things around the house. The peacefulness and quiet that nap and bed time bring is so, so sweet and never unappreciated.

We are hoping to add another favorite to our list soon, if the weather will warm up a bit. That favorite will be the Ankeny Splash Park and the baby pool in our own backyard! Hopefully, those adventures will occur soon.

Oops... apparently I forgot one thing. As I was sitting here on the stool at our breakfast bar, I looked down to see Ben holding his current favorite book. He was looking at me with pleading eyes, so I had to take a break to read it to him, followed by quite a few other favorites. Reading would not just be a summer favorite, but an all-the-time favorite for Ben! I wonder where he got that?!?