The Ausenhus Family

Christmas on the Beach

2012-01-14T19:42:00.000-08:00

Sunset walks on the beach...
Strutting her cute self on the beach...

Going on a stroll with Daddy...

Enjoying the biggest sand mound EVER...

A being "King of the Beach!"

Yep - it doesn't get much better than that! Over Christmas, we enjoyed a wonderful vacation to Bonita Springs, Florida with the Ausenhus family. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, with daily temperatures in the 80s and the skies clear and sunny. Although it was far from our traditional Christmas, it was an awesome getaway and we all had a great time!

Ben and Abby both loved playing on the beach. On our first time going out on the beach, Abby was very unsure about the sand on her toes and the water. She sat with Papa for awhile and just watched Ben, and suddenly it was like she thought to herself, "I can do this too!" She got up, bee-lined it for the water, and was fearless from there on out. She would squeal with excitement every time the water would touch her legs!

Ben enjoyed being "buried" in the sand, making and knocking over sand castles, running into the water, and playing on the massive pile of sand you can see in the pictures above. On a few evenings, we'd go out on a walk at sunset. We quickly found that we couldn't walk far because Ben would spend most of the time sifting through the shells to find what he considered to be the most interesting ones. He was also glad that Santa was able to find us in Florida and still fill his stocking.

While on vacation, I decided that if I could get out and jog on the beach every morning, my life satisfaction rating would sky-rocket! There is nothing better than an empty beach, cool air, low tide, the sunrise, and a good run. Oh well... my life satisfaction rating is pretty darn high the way it is!

Overall, many fond memories were made and Ben is bound and determined that we need to go back to Florida very soon. I think we all agree!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-17T20:00:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas, friends and family! During this time of year, I always find myself reflecting on Christmases from the past, and the events of the last year. Today was no exception. As I reread my Christmas post from last year, out of curiousity and the fogginess of my memory, I remembered how much has happened and how much the kids have changed in the last twelve months. I've recently been reminded by someone that, "The days are long, but the years are short." If I have any resolution in 2012, I think it will be to remember that and to better appreciate every moment.

In thinking about last Christmas, Abby was only two months old, and in fact, a year ago this weekend, was hospitalized with a high fever. Of course, I remember it vividly. I also remember that last Christmas, Abby was not the happiest baby. I think I (or whomever had a turn with her) spent most of last Christmas in a separate room with her, trying to comfort a crying, colicky baby. Oh, what a difference a year makes! Abby's first few months of life are a stark contrast to the spunky, smiley, playful, cuddly, and happy fourteen month old we all know now! In the past year, we've watched her roll over, crawl, sit up, and walk. Currently, she is talking in her own language, and knows exactly what she is telling us, but we have yet to figure it out. We've found that Abby is a girl who knows what she wants, and will go after it, whether it is a snack she just pulls out herself, or incessent pointing for something she sees, or simply some cuddles. Since starting to walk just before she turned one, she is after Ben all the time. She loves her big brother, while also finding him hysterical most of the time. A few other things she enjoys at the moment are taking her shoes and socks off during every car ride, being chased (this results in the cutest squealing!), and tickling us (she does this with a funny sound with her tongue, which we can only assume is her version of saying, "Tickle, tickle!").

Ben has grown up so much in the past year! Over the summer, he started to get interested in baseball and wanted to play all the time. Brant and I both spent a lot of time pitching him the ball and chasing after it while he hit "home runs". He also loved the water over the summer. On a trip to Oma's and Opa's over July 4th, Ben shocked us by strapping on a life jacket and leaping off the dock over and over into the lake with the big boys. That was not our typical reserved and cautious Ben. He did the same on our summer vacation to The Lake of the Ozarks, and also loved the pool we set up in our yard. Ben started preschool in August and seems to enjoy it. He also started going to Sunday School at church this fall. We are excited for him as he shares the things that he has been learning in both places (on the occasions he decides to share!). Currently, some of Ben's favorite things are dinosaurs, movie nights with mom and dad, art projects and science experiments, and helping Daddy with any sort of project. Some of my favorite things about Ben at the moment are that he is writing his name and Abby's name, doing more drawing, and "reading" to himself during his rest/nap time. I can't get enough of listening to him retell the stories we read together - and most of the time, with gusto!!

Brant is still working for Bader Rutter and Associates, which is in Milwaukee. I am still an Instructional Coach for Ankeny Schools, and am serving two elementary buildings this year. I think we would both strongly agree that we continue to enjoy the work we do and people with whom we work. However, nothing compares to the days at home that we spend as a family of four!

I know I say it every year, but the Christmas season also causes me to reflect more frequently on those who are not with us during the holidays. We miss my mom and dad every day and I think so often of the joy they would have radiated with their two grandchildren. It still doesn't seem fair that Ben and Abby will never truly know what wonderful people that they were. However, I also know that Mom and Dad would never want us to forget the true reason of this season - and that they are at peace together, enjoying this Christmas with more love and joy than any of us can imagine.

In conclusion, here is a wrap up of the past year...

This budding sibling relationship has been a joy to watch! Abby thinks the world of Ben and Ben is very conscious of including her and making sure she is okay. Let's hope that continues!

Abby couldn't get enough of the swing on summer days!

Ben LOVED the water this summer!

Ben started 3 year old preschool this year!

Trick-or-treating with our pumpkin and our triceratops

Helping Daddy with the "kid's" Christmas tree (or with his hair?).

We wish you all the joy of the season and the best of 2012!

Victory!

2011-11-21T19:19:00.000-08:00

It may be possible that Ben had not eaten a green vegetable for two years. I know, what kind of parents are we anyway? As many of you can relate, when you have a child who is a finicky eater who barely eats at all, with food allergies to boot, you carefully pick your battles, right?! My theory: always offer and put it on the plate, but don't create a struggle over it.

Well, on Saturday, we experienced our first green veggie victory! You cannot imagine the excitement that resulted from this mama! Ben loves chips, so I made kale chips. I can't say I had ever eaten kale myself, but supposedly it is a super food, so I thought we'd give it a try. Here is how you make it:

1 bunch of kale
1 tbsp of olive oil
seasoning salt

Cut the kale away from the thick stems. Wash well and rip into bite size pieces. Some of my pieces were too big and didn't get crispy, so next time I will make sure I really make them bite size. Drizzle the kale with olive oil and salt to taste. Toss together. Spread on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 until edges are brown, but not burned, probably about 10 minutes.

I watched in stunned amazement as Ben devoured them, had seconds, and then had thirds. Unbelievable! Kale chips are going on the current short list of "likes" for Ben!

Halloween Weekend

2011-11-10T19:25:00.000-08:00

Halloween at our house was quite festive! We had a lot of fun doing activities beyond Trick or Treating, although that was a lot of fun, too. Ben gets such a kick out of us having "parties", so of course, we had a Halloween party at home filled with all kinds of fun and treats.

Our Halloween festivities started with some slime! This water and cornstarch mixture is a throwback to the solid, liquid, and gases science units in elementary school. Ben played in the "slime" for 45 minutes and told me, "I could play with this forever!" I think we'll have to do that again sometime!

Ben and I enjoyed making these black cat brownies (box brownies, York peppermint patties, candy eyes, chocolate chip ears, white decorative frosting). We also had pumpkin floats (orange sherbet and 7Up). Besides the candy from Trick or Treating, why not add litte more sugar to it?!

Nothing says Halloween like eating dinner by candlelight with black candles covered in wax rats.

No Halloween party would be complete without a little pumpkin carving.

Getting ready for Trick or Treat! It was a beautiful night and Ben had such a blast filling his pumpkin with candy! Seeing how thrilled he was made it lots of fun for Brant and I, too. Abby, our adorable pumpkin, rode along delightfully!

Happy Birthday, Abby!

2011-10-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe our sweet Abby was born a year ago today! Now, she is walking, trying to say a few words (Da da is the only audible one at this point), and shaking her head "no" to anything she considers undesirable (which ironically, is often Daddy... and being fed with a spoon). Happy birthday, darling girl! We love you to the ends of the Earth and are blessed you made us a family of 4 a year ago today.

This picture is a perfect characterization of Abby's growing personality. Why use your hands - just jump in head first!?

Favorites and Funnies

2011-09-18T19:32:00.000-07:00

Ben's Funnies:

- Uncle Alex broke his collar bone while training for the HyVee Triathalon. When Grandma was explaining to Ben that Alex fell off his bike because a brown, furry animal ran in front of him, Ben asked, "Was it a chinchilla?"
- At dinner tonight, Ben told me that in sunday school today he learned about when Jesus was "bath-tized" in the river.
- During the later part of the summer, we had a pool set up. It was about 12 feet wide and 2.5 feet deep. Ben and Brant were playing a game that necessitated a whale. Brant asked Ben, "Am I the whale?" Ben replied, in a quite obvious tone, "Of course you are!"

- One day, Ben said, "Mommy, is there a baby in your belly again?" I replied no. Ben said, "Will there be soon?" I replied that I didn't think so. Ben said, "Well, I want 3 brothers and 3 sisters."

Ben's Favorites:
- Preschool. Ben really seems to be enjoying his two mornings a week at preschool. He recently tried to lead Brant, Abby, and I in circle time.

- Arthur stories. In Arthur's sleepover, Buster the Bunny is so scared that he says, "I thought I wet my pants." Nothing could have been funnier to Ben. We read it multiple times a day for a week and he would still laugh hysterically.

- Camping. Brant and Ben camped in the backyard a few weeks ago. Ben had been wanting to do it all summer and when the perfect late summer Friday night arrived, we roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, played games in the tent, and ate popcorn.

- Jammie parties. This generally includes getting in our pajamas, popping in a Land Before Time flick checked out from the library, and eating popcorn and M&Ms. I love it too.

- Zucchini muffins. We had a lot of zucchini in the garden this year and I have approximately 7 dozen of these muffins in the deep freeze, but at the rate we are going, I'm not sure how long that will actually get us. Ben cannot get enough!

- Painting. An affinity for watercolor paints, in particular, has developed. I'm okay with this. It is much easier to clean up!

- Baseball. All summer we played baseball and I have to say, Ben's got a pretty decent swing for a three year old. He LOVED to get home runs while I chased those darn whiffle balls all over the place.

- Taking pictures. In fact, Ben took one of Abby and I that is posted above (hence, the finger in the flash!)

Abby's Funnies:

- As Abby's personality emerges more and more, we are finding that she is a girl who knows what she wants. One morning, Brant was getting Ben some juice before heading to babysitter (which took 2 minutes, at the most). Abby was in the playroom, or so Brant thought. When they went to go put Abby in the car seat, she had disappeared. Brant looked in the living room, bathroom, and dining room. She had apparently vanished. Brant worried she had fallen down the basement stairs, but she hadn't. So, doubting that she could have gotten upstairs alone, he went up to double check. Sure enough, the vanishing baby had made it all the way up the stairs and into Ben's room and was playing with his toys. It is worth noting that all toys with small pieces have been relocated to Ben's room. It is funny now. I did not find it funny then.

- For some reason, this girl loves to growl. I'm not sure how she learned to do this, but she has a deep, throaty growl and loves to hear us make the sound back.

Abby's Favorites:

- Waving, clapping, and reading "5 Little Duckings."

- Ben and anything he does, plays with, or says. She giggle and giggles at him.

- Food. After Ben being so picky from the start, this is a relief. The only thing I haven't gotten Abby to eat yet is toast with jelly. She especially loves watermelon!
- Abby loves to play on pillows and cushions. Right now, she always wants to be on the couch to flop around.

- Abby also can't get enough of throwing things out of drawers. Bibs, towels, clothes... it really doesn't matter. Now, if I could only get her to learn to love putting things back into the drawers.
- Swinging. Abby can't get enough of this when we are outside!

School Days

2011-09-01T19:29:00.000-07:00

Ben had his first day of preschool this week. If I'm being honest, this is definitely something I've been a bit emotional about lately. There may have been a day where I may have cried a little bit about it... in public... when thinking about dropping him off. Then, I might have cried about it another at home too. So, Brant dropped him off on this first day, but I did pick him up. Things seemed to go pretty well and the report today was even better. Ben was excited to tell us about painting and a song he learned about 5 Little Monkeys and an alligator that goes "SNAP!", but I think he may be a typical boy who won't talk about his day and I may be the typical mom who wants to know everything! And so it begins.

Vacation

2011-07-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a vacation with the Ausenhus family to Lake of the Ozarks. As most of you experienced in the past week, it was HOT, but lots of fun. Ben enjoyed swimming in the lake, boating, going to a water park, and going golfing with the guys. Abby enjoyed lots of arms to hold her and play with her... and we enjoyed that too!

Celebrating Grandma's birthday with one of Ben's favorites... cake!

Abby is ready for her first boat ride! It was short, mostly due to the heat, and partly due her not being a big fan of the ride. Hey, it just can't be comfortable in all that gear!

Ben swimming with Papa

JUMP! Ben could have done this all day!

This kid can't get enough of the water. The water park was a hit - especially this slide and the wave pool.

First Date

2011-07-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

For my birthday, Ben's gift to me was taking me to the movie Cars 2. It was special night because just the two of us went together while Brant stayed home with Abby. I think I was looking forward to the evening as much as (or maybe more than) Ben. I told Ben that we were going to go on a "date" together. When the evening finally arrived, Ben and I had dinner together at Applebee's (per his request... and the fact that it was $.99 kids meals that night). I hope I never forget his precious little look with his slicked hair, just like a little man, sitting across from me in a booster chair. After dinner, we were off to the movie! We got popcorn and M&Ms (a favorite he and I share) and strategically found a seat at the top of the theater on an end where he'd have some room to walk around, should his three year old self not be able to sit still for two hours. It was delightful! He and I both enjoyed the movie: in particular, the car races for Ben, and the slightly too complex plot for a 3 year old for me. My absolute favorite moment from the entire evening was at the end of the movie, the girl spy car tells Mater, the rusty tow truck, "I'm still waiting for my first date." Ben looked at me and exclaimed quite loudly with big, surprised eyes, "She said date! That's what we're on!"

Forgive the blurriness of the picture, but this is part of how we spent our 4th of July weekend. We went to Mason City and stayed in Oma and Opa (Brant's grandparents) and spent the weekend with the Jensen side of the family. Ben loved, loved, LOVED playing with the big boys in the water and having his uncle Alex or Jensen cousins catch him when he'd jump off the dock. The weekend was lots of fun!

And now, on to my precious Abby. Poor Ben can't get a meal in peace if Abby is out of her high chair. She crawls over to his chair and "talks", or as I like to say, "begs" at him while he eats.

We can't get enough of those big blue eyes!

Growing Up

2011-06-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

We have been thorougly enjoying our summer so far! It has been so nice to be home with the kids during the day. Abby, in particular, is definitely keeping me on my toes and changing so fast. She is at the stage right now where everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, goes right into her mouth. In addition, she is now trying to pull herself up on everything, from the couch, to chairs, to my leg, to the sides of cupboards - anything vertical, she will try to stand! Abby also has a new little trick that I adore. While holding her, if I say, "Hug!" she will snuggle her little head in and lay it on my chest. It is precious! The other thing about her that cracks me up lately is her thrill at seeing Ben. Whenever he comes into view, such as after nap, she lets out a thrilling little screech and her entire body gets excited. She can't get enough of him!

During Abby's morning nap, Ben and I get to spend some one on one time together. We've been doing art projects lately and Ben has been learning to use scissors and glue. We even used some glitter with glue this week, which was pretty exciting. Ben also dress himself entirely on his own several times this week while I was putting Abby down for a nap. The first day he did it, it seemed as though everything turned out fine. What a surprise to find he was wearing two pairs of underwear the first time he went potty that day! It was pretty darn funny!

Tonight, Ben was helping Brant with a landscaping project outside. There is a big rock Brant is trying to remove and he told Ben, "I need to get that puppy out of there!" Ben was quite puzzled by this, as he had never heard the word puppy used in that context. He then continued to use the word repeatedly and also told us we could call the rock a kitty too. I have a feeling we will hear this expression overused in the next few days!

Adorable!

2011-06-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

May Moments

2011-05-24T19:39:00.000-07:00

I just have to share a few moments from our last few weeks that I hope I'll always remember. Even though it was a few weeks ago, I'll start with Mother's Day. Mother's Day weekend was great, but there were two moments in particular where Mother's Day and motherhood collided. On the evening before Mother's Day, we went out to dinner at Splash downtown with Brant's family. The kids were with us, so I was well prepared with baby food and toys for Abby and a variety of toys for Ben. I always feel like we practically move into the place and then have to really check to make sure we've picked up everything before we leave. When got home, we had a little more that we bargained for. Somehow, a dinner fork ended up in my purse and made it's way home with us. I have no idea how - sorry, Splash!

Another thing we did for Mother's Day was have lunch with my grandma. Abby was pretty squirrely so I was bouncing her around a lot. I lifted her in the air above me and the classic spit up scene occured. I was covered in spit up from my chin to my belly button, literally - right on down my shirt! It was quite difficult to clean up in pulic! What an irony for Mother's Day - apparently someone forgot to tell Abby to take it easy on Mom.

Abby is really on the move now with crawling and army crawling. The first thing she goes for is Ben's toys instead of her own. She is very curious about everything, and of course it all goes in her mouth. Her first two teeth popped through last week. We've also started to hear lots of babbles, especially da da. Ben noticed this and wants her to say it all the time. Recently, he was trying to get her to say da da and ma ma, and we asked Ben what he thought Abby would call him. He said, "Maybe she will call me George!"

Ben is really into "science experiments" right now. Check out the video above to see what I mean. He just cracks me up! We also had a pajama party with Ben recently, which was a big hit! Ben, Brant, and I all put on our jammies after Abby went to bed last weekend, popped popcorn, got out M&Ms, and watched Ice Age. Ben was so excited about this - and especially to have some calm, one on one time with Mom and Dad all to himself.

Springtime Growing

2011-05-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

The grass and flowers aren't the only things growing quickly around our house! Abby is now 6 months old and is desperate to be on the move in order to be able to chase her favorite friend, Ben, around. She can spin herself any direction she wants and she is able to sit up independently for longer amounts of time. If only she could figure out how to scoot forward instead of backward, and if only the approach took more the form of crawling rather than doing push ups. I have a feeling it will only be a week or so before all the pieces finally fall into place!
The Easter Bunny brought Ben a new game called Elefun. Pretty much, it is a fan in a plastic elephant that shoots out little "butterflies" to catch in nets. The Easter Bunny has been told that she did a great job knowing exactly what Ben would like (which surprised her a little bit, considering the game didn't include anything with wheels or some sort of loader bucket). The Easter Bunny is grateful that Ben does still have interest in things beyond trucks, cars, tractors, and diggers.

To close, we are anxiously awaiting the growth of Abby's hair. Okay, maybe I am the one thinking about it often. She is 6 months old and we still don't know what color her hair will be! Sometimes, I'm pretty sure she'll have brown hair like the rest of us, but there are still those fleeting moments where the sun glistens off her peach fuzz and we think her hair might have a red tinge. Additionally, I'm still puzzled as to who she is going to resemble and I think hair is an important factor in helping me to decide. Call me petty, but I'm really looking forward to the day when I can put her pretty locks into pig tails. Patience. For now, I'll just relish in her big, beautiful blue eyes, her adorable smile, and her wonderful squeal and laugh as she watches Ben!

All the things we love to eat...

2011-03-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

As always, life has been eventful in the past few weeks and often, has revolved around some sort of wanting, not wanting, can't have, or want-to-suck-on with some sort of food (or object, in Abby's case). Ben had his tonsils out a March 9th. Overall, despite a few ups and downs in the days afterward, things went smoothly. He went through Jello Pudding Pops like I would have never imagined and thoroughly enjoyed all the ice cream, but even that got old after awhile. He is back to his old self and seems to be eating a little more that he would before surgery. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will continue! The first things he wanted to eat when we got home from surgery were popcorn and granola bars, probably two of the biggest "no-nos" of tonsillectomies. After lots of yogurt and applesauce, he (and all of us!) are happy to have all regular snacking and mealtime foods back!

Abby tried her first taste of rice cereal at dinner tonight. She appears to be thrilled to sit in her chair at the table with us and was surprisingly good at eating off the spoon for a first timer. It is probably from her constantly being enthralled by Ben when he eats. As you can see in the picture below, though, she was just as happy to suck her thumb. Her laugh lately has been more like a chuckle, and Ben is best at making her do it, as she loves the sounds of slurping yogurt and soup. Abby also has a new favorite toy - her feet! I can barely get her diaper changed because she just loves to play with her feet and suck on her toes!

And while we are on the subject of food, I have been in the mood to try new recipes lately. I've been tired of the same old hum-drum things I always make. In the last two weeks, thanks to recipes of friends and the good old HyVee cookbook, I've tried chicken enchiladas, a new kind of meatloaf and baked sweet potatoes (thank you Merry - it was delicious), rolled oats chocolate chip cookies, and cranberry spinach salad. On the menu this week is taco casserole and chicken fajitas. I've also found a cinnamon roll recipe that I'm hoping to make next weekend - I've always wanted to try homemade cinnamon rolls. Hopefully my efforts to mix it up a little in the kitchen will continue to have good results!

Happy Birthday, Ben!

2011-03-07T19:44:00.000-08:00

A new racecar! Watch out!

The masterpiece... still in one piece!

Make a wish...

... to dig around in yummy frosting...

...and feed yourself with a backhoe!

Motorcycles!

And what do you know? More diggers!

We celebrated Ben's 3rd birthday yesterday! He had been looking forward to his birthday for a very long time. It was a great one! He started his day with double decker birthday toast, complete with candles and the Happy Birthday song, to get warmed up for his party. He was thrilled to see his bedroom door decorated and streamers in the kitchen. We had family over for lunch, cake, ice cream, and opening presents. In the evening, just the four of us went out for dinner, where Ben enjoyed ice cream for the second time in one day.

For months (literally), Ben had said he wanted a digger cake. Well, he could hardly keep his hands off his cake! It was super fun to make, knowing how thrilled he would be with it. After blowing out the candles, we couldn't help but let him plow the diggers through the cake just a bit. He then proceeded to use the diggers to help him eat his slice of cake and ice cream. At bedtime, I asked him what his favorite thing was about his birthday. He reported it was the diggers. Success!

The softy side of me felt a bit emotional that Ben has turned three. We all say it, but I can't believe how fast time flies. There were moments from Ben's birthday, just like there are everyday, that I wish I could bottle up and hold on to forever. Part of me wishes he'd stop growing and changing so fast, yet the other part beams with pride and loves how each and every moment leads to something new and different. We are so proud of our little, now big, boy!

Multi-tasking

2011-02-26T20:08:00.000-08:00

I think these two photos create a nice summary of life in our household over the last month. Not that we are holding Abby in her carrier all the time, but more the fact that Brant and I are double teaming and multi-tasking like experts lately, and wouldn't have it any other way!

It has been awhile, so I'll give a brief update on a few things that come to mind. First, we seem to have spent an awful lot of time at doctor's appointments lately. Ben is getting his tonsils out on March 9th, after having swollen tonsils that wouldn't clear up since Christmas. Abby has also spent her fair share of time at the doctor lately. She spiked a high fever again in January, and after her hospitalization in December, of course I was quite alarmed. Due to prior knowledge of tests done in the hospital, our pediatrician tested her urine and determined she had a urinary tract infection, which we can now say almost positively was the cause of the December episode as well. After further specialized testing, it was determined Abby has urinary reflux, which is a condition where her urine refluxes back into her ureters and kidneys from her bladder, when it should just stay in the bladder, making her very susceptible to future infections. In addition, she has an extra ureter on her left kidney. We are scheduled to see a pediatric urologist in Iowa City in April, where we'll find out more about possible treatments. For now, Abby will stay on antibiotics to prevent UTIs from occurring.

In other news, Ben turns 3 next weekend. He has been anxiously awaiting his birthday for several months and asks about it quite often. I've found it a little hard to explain when his concepts of weeks and months isn't so great and made the mistake of telling him his birthday would happen after it snows. Well, it snowed for the first time in early December, and he then announced that it was his birthday. That really wasn't a smart way for me to put it. Anyway, at least we are now just a week away from the big event. I have been informed that he wants to have diggers on his birthday cake and would like a blue race car. We'll see what we can do!

Abby is starting to roll over, although I'm not yet sure how intentional it is and it isn't happening consistenly. She is also so full of smiles. I love this stage. She is always extremely excited to see us, and although she has her fussy moments, the colick we experienced a few months ago has all but subsided, thankfully. Along with all the smiles, she is fascinated by Ben. She loves watching him play and eat. She has also started to reach and grab for toys. Today she even had a toy in one hand and passed it to her other hand.

I would say that perhaps the sweetest moment of the past few weeks occurred this past Wednesday evening. Brant was out of town, so I was home with both of the kids and trying to get Abby to bed. Typically, Ben is content play by himself while I do this, or do popcorn and a movie. However, on this particular night, he insisted on staying with us in Abby's room. I at first thought of this begrudgingly, as he typically ends up running around, talking loudly, or clanking toys around, which keeps Abby awake. But instead, he quietly looked at a book for a few minutes and then came to the chair and wedged himself in beside me as I fed Abby. He sat absolutely silently for the longest time, and as I rocked Abby to sleep with Ben cuddled up next to me, I was reminded how absolutely blessed I am to have these two beautiful children. LOVE.

3 Months Old!

2011-01-30T10:50:00.001-08:00

January Update

2011-01-23T19:59:00.001-08:00

If there is a month I don't mind seeing fly by, it is cold, cold January! Even though the cold weather has mostly kept us indoors, we've been pretty busy. Being back at work has been really nice and I found that I really did miss it, but it has taken awhile to adjust for all of us, Abby included. The first week at the babysitter was a little rough. My first week at work completely wore me out. But now, life has seemed to even out and return to normal.

Last weekend, my college friends and I celebrated a collective 30th birthday party in Chicago. I haven't laughed so hard for a long, long time. I'm so thankful to have a group of girlfriends like these ladies. We don't see each other often enough, but it always seems we pick back up exactly where we left off. Being together reminds me of who I am and where I've come from. We had a hoot living it up in the Windy City for a night!

Abby will be 3 months old this week. She recently discovered her thumb. I know it will be habit to break later on, but it is pretty nice to have a built in pacifier that she puts in herself and it is pretty darn cute to watch! She is full of smiles and coos lately. I also discovered in the past week that Abby is starting to move around a lot in her crib and when she plays. I've found her completely side ways or turned around in the morning several times.

Ben is all about his diggers and construction equipment. His line lately is, "Wanna play John Deere?" He is very much looking forward to his birthday (which is still 6 weeks away) and has informed me that he would like diggers on his cake this year. Last year was dump trucks, so I guess not much has changed!

Finally, some pictures! Some are from Christmas and some are more recent, and in no particular order. Enjoy!

Bittersweet

2011-01-02T19:27:00.000-08:00

I return to work tomorrow and am full of bittersweet emotions tonight... and a little anxiety as well. How on earth did 10 weeks fly by so fast? How will Abby do at the babysitters? How will I do without her for the day? How will I ever get out the door and get to work by 7:30? I haven't even been out of my pajamas by 7:30 for 10 weeks! I'm feeling a little anxious that my morning routine will be dictated by when Abby wakes during the early morning hours, determining when I feed her, which determines when I shower... you get the drift. I'm also a little anxious about just how in the dark I am about what has been happening at work since October. I didn't crack my school bag until last night. I've just got to get through the first day and will be good to go from there - I hope.

I apologize for the lack of pictures on this post, as I haven't had a chance to look at our pictures from the holidays yet. Soon... I promise. However, here is a quick update from the last few weeks:

- Although the holidays are fun, I was happy to wave goodbye to December in hopes that January will be a healthier month in our family. Abby was hospitalized the week before Christmas for three days due to a fever. The doctors ran about every test they could, but were only able to conclude that it was a virus. It gave us a pretty good scare and made for an anxiety ridden, sleep deprived few days! The rest of us have all had nasty colds for part of the month, and I even had strep, an ear infection, and pink eye (I know, you'd think I was an eight year old with that list!). We were extremely thankful that Abby's illness was just a virus and we were able to be home for Christmas, with everyone healthy.

- Ben LOVED Christmas, and those are his own words. He really got a kick out of opening the doors on our advent calendar every day and getting an M&M. He had accidentally opened the 25 door early in the month, only to discover it was loaded with M&Ms. On Christmas morning, Brant walked into his room and said, "Merry Christmas!" Ben yelled, "Yea, I get to open the big door today!!" Yes, it is the little things, isn't it?!?

- Potty training has been successful!! We are thrilled that Ben is officially an underpant wearing kid! The process was relatively painless, for the most part, and has certainly led to some interesting conversations and moments.

-Abby is a smiling maniac. And, it appears she may have a little dimple on one of her cheeks. Beyond smiling, she is also vocalizing like crazy, almost as if she is having a conversation with me. Her other big trick lately is sticking out her tongue. She loves to watch my tongue, and then sticks her's out in response. Like I said, it is the little things!

Well, since I am re-entering the working world tomorrow, I had better get my lunch and bags packed for the morning that will be here all to soon.

I hope you all had a Happy New Year! Best wishes to you for 2011!

Remembering 2010...

2010-12-15T13:20:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! 2010 has been a blessed year in our house! From home renovations, to starting a new job, to welcoming our beautiful Abby into our family, we have so much to be thankful for this holiday season.

We began 2010 with home projects, and since January have painted our kitchen, dining room, living room, foyer, and both kids' bedrooms. We've also installed new carpet in the living room, new flooring in the dining room, and various light fixtures throughout the house. In addition, Brant tested out his woodworking skills by making and installing new baseboard trim and chair rails, and is continuing to work on crown molding. Of course, we've always got Ben to help us out!

Ben turned two in March and is such a delightful little boy, always full on energy and something interesting to say. He spent spring and summer enjoying fishing and canoeing with Brant in our pond. I absolutely loved my time at home with him this summer. We went to the swimming pool often, frequented the library, and made many trips to the park. Ben also loved our vacation to the lake this summer. He couldn't get enough of the water and the sand, as well as the smores over the fire in the evening. The picture below is one of my favorites - truly an exhausted boy after a perfect summer day at the lake, just enjoying a smore. Ben also discovered that he loves to help me bake in the kitchen, and to help eat the sweet treats afterward! Ben has adjusted very well to being a big brother and Abby is now an essential part of his hugs and kisses routine at bedtime!Abby arrived on October 26. She is such a precious baby girl. She enjoys her big brother making funny faces at her, bouncing and dancing to Christmas music, and being cuddled. She has started to offer her bright smiles to us in the last few weeks. Seeing that little light in her eyes with her smiles is so great!

Brant continues to work for Bader Rutter and Associates out of our home. He travels frequently to the home office in Milwaukee and to visit his client in Indianapolis. I started a new position as an Instructional Coach with Ankeny Schools. I'm loving the new challenge and being able to work with teachers in all grade levels, but also appreciate being in my same building with many familiar faces.

My favorite Christmas ornament came with a note from my mother. which also hangs on our tree, that she left in the my Christmas ornament box before she passed away. The ornament says LOVE in white, sparkly letters. This is our fifth Christmas without her, our second without Dad, so I'd like to share a few of her words from this note with you:

I hope that the true meaning of Christmas has brought peace to your heart, not just during the Christmas season, but everyday.

All of the best to you and yours!

Blessings and "Ben-isms"

2010-11-14T12:59:00.000-08:00

Although Thanksgiving isn't for a week and half, Brant and I find ourselves so very thankful and blessed for our family. Ben is seeming more and more like a little boy and makes us laugh continually with his comments and conversations. Abby is a snuggly, adorable baby and has reminded us how amazing the miracle of life is. It is incredible to think how much she will change in such a short amount of time.

On a lighter note, here are a few "Ben-isms" that have been made lately:

On the day we came home from the hospital, Ben said at supper, "It is so nice to have a baby!". We replied, "It is so nice to have our big boy back!" Ben continued, "It is so nice to have my mommy and daddy back!"

Ben while peering at Abby in her bouncy seat: "I'm just hanging with my baby!"

Random comment while running errands with Brant: "Solve my riddle! Nobody crosses my bridge!" (We have figured out since then that this came from a Dora movie)

While feeding Abby one night and getting ready for bed, Ben came into her room and exclaimed that there were monsters in the hallway! He then shut the door and said, "Listen to me! This is our castle and we'll be safe here." We then proceeded to play "castle" for the remainder of the feeding session.

Brant was looking at the real estate ads one day and asked Ben if he liked the brick house. Ben responded that he did because, "Then the big bad wolf can't blow it down!"

At bedtime, we get on jammies and then brush teeth. After teeth brushing, we ask Ben what time it is an he jumps up and down and says, "Time for hugs and kisses!!"

Love it.

Welcome Abigail Carleen Ausenhus!!

2010-10-31T12:09:00.001-07:00

On October 26, at 7:01 a.m., we welcomed our new baby girl into the world! Abby weighed 8 pounds 12 ounces and measured 20 3/4 inches long. She is so very precious and an absolute doll!

If her arrival is a precursor to anything about her personality, watch out! From my first contraction to delivery time was only 2 hours. We obviously weren't expecting things to progress so fast, waited to make sure the contractions were about 5-6 minutes apart, and arrived at the hospital at about 6:30, thank goodness. I will say that I did walk into the hospital (which in retrospect, was probably not the smartest decision) but required a wheelchair by the time we reached the doors. By the time I actually made it into the delivery bed, I was dilated 9 centimeters and from there, the rest is history! We are so blessed to now have two beautiful, healthy children! Words can't express our love for each of them!

Abby was named after my mother, Carleen, who was the most loving, caring person I have known. I know there are two very proud grandparents smiling down from heaven!

Fall Fun

2010-10-17T18:38:00.001-07:00

I love fall! I love the weather, the colors of the trees, football, the food, and all the fun activities that fall tends to bring. We've been trying to soak it up as much as possible over that past few weekends, as we wait in anticipation for Baby Girl to make her appearance, which is now less than two weeks away.

Last weekend, Ben and I went up to ride in the combine with Uncle Nick. Ben was in complete awe the entire time. In fact, he said only about 3 words for the entire hour we rode. However, we didn't even make it out of the field drive to go home before he exclaimed, "That was really fun!" He now talks about the combine daily and is constantly playing with his little plastic version, pretending to dump corn into the wagon.

We also went on a fall walk around ISU's campus several weekends ago. When we parked, we realized we could hear the ISU marching band practicing. Ben was able to watch for several of their songs and even see them march past us when they were finished. We had a great time pulling Ben around campus in his wagon and reminiscing about the good old days of college, while admiring the pretty trees. We finished the morning with a stop at an Ames favorite, Hickory Park, where Ben thoroughly enjoyed his ice cream, as you can see from the picture below as he is trying to drink up every single last drop!

Yesterday, Ben, Grandma, and I went to Center Grove Orchard to pick out a pumpkin. We found that it was much more than just pumpkins and apples! Ben enjoyed looking at animals, jumping in a corn pool, eating lunch, and even going down a super slide with Grandma. We were all worn out by the time we actually picked out a pumpkin!

Ben is eagerly looking forward to Halloween and is insistant that he wants to be a ghost for Halloween. He reminds us often that he will scare us when he says, "Boo!" He has also informed Brant that he should dress like a bear and that he wants me to be a cat. We'll see about that...

Well, I hope that our next post will be announcing the birth of Baby Girl! The pregnancy has flown by and we are very excited about finally meeting our daughter!

A Ride on Thomas the Tank Engine

2010-09-25T13:10:00.000-07:00

Today was a big day! We braved the cold, rainy weather and Ben took a ride on Thomas the Tank Engine at the Boone Scenic Valley Railroad! Despite the glum look on his face in front of Thomas (probably because of the downpour), he really seemed to enjoy himself. When I put him down for a nap this afternoon, my heart melted when I whispered, "I had a fun time with you on Thomas today," and he whispered back, "Yeah, me too." Who knew two parents could be just as excited to see Thomas as their two year old? Or, should I more accurately say, just as excited to see the reaction and wonder of their two year old!

New Overalls

2010-09-20T19:16:00.001-07:00

This weekend the temperatures were in the 50s and the rain was falling... and we discovered Ben didn't have a single pair of pants that fit him. This called for an emergency trip to Kohl's for some new fall clothes, none of which Ben approved of except for these adorable overalls. He wore these the remainder of the day! Of course, today was back in the muggy 80s, so all those new pants will have to wait a little bit longer!

On that note, my personal request to mother nature would be that the temperature could just stay at 72 degrees with low humidity until baby girl arrives. This way, I could continue to wear my comfy, less restrictive summer maternity clothes and sandals, and yet not have to sweat constantly or just always feel so hot. Five and half weeks until the due date!

What a Month!

2010-08-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Before beginning this post, I was looking back at our photos of vacation at the lake so nostalgically! I was again craving the peacefulness of the lake and the relaxation of summer. August has proven to be a rather interesting month in our household! Here is a recap:

One of the highlights of this month was a weekend trip to Houston for my cousin's wedding. This was Ben's first ride on an airplane and his first stay in a hotel. He was equally excited about riding the shuttle buses at the airport, which would also be his first bus ride. The trip went very smoothly and it was fun to see a lot of my family while we were there. However, we found ourselves slightly exhausted due to the quick trip and the quick turn around of Brant leaving on another business trip at 5:00 am the morning after our return.

Another highlight in the few last weeks was a quadruple baby shower with college friends. Four of us are all due between October 1st and the 29th. I had so much fun catching up with the girls and enjoying lots of laughs! Thanks for a great time, girls!!

Ben continues to grow and amaze us. Lately, he loves to help me cook. We have been making lots of zuchini recipes with the many zucchinis from our garden. He also discovered that frosting cupcakes is most fun when you just eat the frosting! I really can't make any sort of baked good anymore without him wanting to "help." Ben has also recently shown a fascination with sharks, especially hammerhead sharks, which has led to some interesting conversations. Another new thing is that Ben has begun to be concerned about scary things. We're not sure where this stemmed from, as this is the kid that has never flinched at a thunderstorm and always slept with his door closed, but lately, he has expressed concern over scary voices (such as those on books on CD in the car) and noises at night. It is, no doubt, another phase we are entering, but I'm always so interested in how these things just seem to suddenly appear.

Another highlight lately is that I began my new position as an instructional coach this month. I've been back at work for several weeks, which is always a transition from summer. So far, things have been going really well and I'm enjoying the new challenges!

When I said we have had an interesting month, I didn't mean it all in the most positive way. Amid all the flooding in Iowa, we were one of the thousands of people who ended up with a wet basement. I woke up on one of the many mornings after a night full of rain and looked out the window to see our pond higher than I've ever seen it, our dock completely submerged, our neighbors pontoon gone and retaining wall collapsed, and a paddle boat in our backyard (which was not our paddle boat). The picture I've included above was actually taken the morning before night of the "big rain." Additionally, our cats would not leave me alone that morning, so I decided to go downstairs to see what was wrong. Sure enough, I reached the bottom of our stairs to find water all over the hard surface floors in our utility and storage area. I then discovered that the entire carpeted area of our basement was also wet. URG! To make a very long story short, after much frustration and our house beginning to smell like a sweaty sock, we finally were able to get a company to our house four days later and were immediately told that the carpet needed to be ripped out, along with the bottom two feet of dry wall throughout the entire basement. Since then we've also confirmed that it was a drain outside our basement door that was overwhelmed. Luckily, we didn't have any furniture downstairs and most things we were storing were in rubbermaid tubs, so we didn't lose any personal belongings. We weren't really using our basement as a living area yet, although we were planning to relocate our guest bedroom down there. We are much, much more fortunate than so many other people, so I'm trying to keep our inconvenience in perspective!

To top it off (and yes, we are laughing about this now, but I definitely wasn't before), in the last week we have lost water due to a pressure gauge in our well breaking, had issues with Brant's office phone, and a small, easy to fix breakdown of our air conditioner. All of these are now fixed. Ha, ha, ha...!

Vacation at the Lake

2010-07-27T16:46:00.000-07:00

Chomp... Delicious!

2010-07-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

July Already?!

2010-07-05T13:12:00.000-07:00

I know I should just appreciate every single minute of summer, but seriously, I can't believe it is already July! School has been out for a month, and today I'm officially one month from starting back up again. I know I've said it before, but I'll say it again... I love summer. I'll be honest in saying I love my work and don't have the desire to be a stay-at-home mom, but I do enjoy these weeks off.

Last week Ben and I had a very eventful week. We went to the pool for the first time, not just the splash park like usual. Ben likes the splash park okay, but all the wild splashing and kids acting crazy is always a little much for him. I wasn't expecting much different when we went to the pool, so it was quite to my surprise that my little boy was shoulder deep in water within minutes, wanted to go down the kiddie waterslide with me (which we did, by the way), dunked his head under water, and was in complete dismay when the lifeguards called for a pool break. All in all, the pool was a hit!

We also made a trip to the zoo last week, joined by friends Heather and Laura and Kim and Heisman. Of course, Ben says he liked the monkeys the best and he was also awed by the giraffe's long tongue and the ostriches. He was also excited that we went on a train ride. After Heisman and Laura left, Ben and I poked around a little longer and he was pretty impressed by the huge turtle and flamingos. We topped it off with a little ice cream before heading home. Quite appropriately, the following day, Ben was part of a little program at the library presented by the zoo. I figured they would bring animals for the kids to touch, but when they pulled out the snake, I put on my brave face, as I typically get a big case of the freak-out willies simply at the thought of snakes. By the end, Ben had touched a baby alligator (which he reports is his favorite), a snake, a hedgehog, and a ferret. Although it was a bit long to sit and my "teacher brain" didn't feel the presenter had the best kid-presentation skills, it seemed like a good experience for him. Plus, afterward Ben got to play with the train set at the library while I check out books for him. He could play with that train set all day if I'd let him!

Around the house, Brant is in the midst of building a play structure Ben outside. With lots of travel in his schedule, it is taking a bit longer than I think he hoped, but when complete, it will have a slide and climbing wall, as well as a few other things that aren't quite determined. I'm also proud to say that it is almost being made completely out of wood that used to be part of an old, strange looking playhouse perched on top of a dog cage when we moved in to our house (I know... it is wonder we wouldn't want to keep that!). Good old, Brant - so resourceful! Ben is very excited about it and was lucky enough to "help" the other day, plastic tools and all.

Over the holiday weekend, we went to Clear Lake to stay at Brant's parents condo. On Saturday, Brant and I took Ben to the beach. He was a little iffy on the water at first, but seemed to like it better once we were there for awhile. However, it seemed his favorite thing to do was use his plastic shovel to scoop wet sand and just dump it out. Go figure. On Saturday evening we went to Mason City to eat with Brant's grandparents, parent, cousins, and aunt and uncle. We had a good time catching up with everyone and Ben had fun throwing bread to the fish and playing with Oma and Opa's (that is what we call Brant's grandparents) toys. The rest of the weekend was pretty much a wash out, so we spent it at home.

I hope everyone had a Happy 4th of July, and hopefully a dryer one than we did!

IT'S A GIRL!

2010-06-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

I had an ultrasound today and Baby GIRL Ausenhus is right on target for her due date and everything looks normal and healthy!

As you can see, I might have had a little bit of fun with the sudden news I was going to have a daughter. I also can't beat a great bargain and Babies R Us had some great sales on their bedding and accessories today! Not only does she already have two adorable outfits (one of which Brant surprised me with this afternoon) but her nursery scheme has already been selected and I'm now contemplating paint colors. Should I have let the news settle for a day? Nah!!

Ahh... Summer!

2010-06-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

I'm reminded today of the things I love about summer, particularly since the last of my meeting/training days ended today.

I love early summer mornings. Even though I will probably always struggle to get out of bed before 6:00, I savor the cool, damp, peaceful mornings of summer. There is nothing more refreshing! It would be even more refreshing if I was on a brisk run, but unfortunately, lately my growing belly seems to be responding better to a brisk, long walk.

I also love summer reading. I can honestly say that I haven't watched a single full length episode of anything on TV since school got out. I cannot get enough of reading the books I never, ever get to during the school year, due to lack to time and/or not being able to stay awake long enough! Thanks to recommendations from friends, I've compiled a list that should keep me occupied for quite awhile.

I love all things about being a mom in the summer. It is so fun spoiling Ben with popsicles and trips to DQ, and enjoying the wading pool almost as much as he does. I love taking him places, like the zoo or the library. I'm sure going to the same park that has his favorite digger and slides will get old, but I can't get enough of reveling in how much he can do on his own compared to everything I remember from last summer. And this summer, I'm especially loving his new found independence at being able to play by himself for longer periods of time. Sometimes I can get other things done, and other times, I just like to listen to him talk to himself!

On another note, on Tuesday we have the big appointment where we will find out whether the baby is a boy or a girl. I'm really excited to know this time around! Last night, I had two dreams and in one, I found out I was having a girl, and in the other, it was a boy. 5 days until we actually find out!

One of my summer goals is to get all my flip videos and pictures organized, but I suppose another should be to actually start taking pictures again. This photo of Ben digging in the dirt (a favorite lately) is truly the only picture I've taken for quite some time. It will have to suffice, but hopefully more will follow documenting some of our summer fun!

Swagger Wagon

2010-06-04T13:17:00.000-07:00

Check out my new ride.

http://www.youtube.com/sienna#p/c/30DA2DAB5702C7D1/8/hiLNG153aRI

The college girl, Ford Focus just wasn't going to cut it with two kids, so we've taken the plunge into mini-van land. We ordered the van in late February and it finally arrived this week. It is all wheel drive, so hopefully I won't have to worry about getting stuck in our driveway next winter, with Ben chanting, "Go Mommy go!" in the back seat. Practicality and ease have officially become the most stylish words in our house and I'm totally over the stereotypical soccer mom image! With three days of being a mini-van mama under my belt, I have to say, it is a pretty nice ride.

Ben is ALL BOY!

2010-05-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

When we say we have a two year old boy, we really have a two year old BOY. Not only has Ben become a huge Daddy's boy lately, but everything he wants to do involves balls, dirt, cars and trucks, or fishing. After helping me plant flowers a few weeks ago, Ben discovered his love for dirt. Since then, he seems perfectly content to use his plastic shovel and mini skid loader to dig and push around dirt for long periods of time. Luckily, we actually have a spare dirt pile outside, so it works out pretty well. For Ben's birthday in March, he received a John Deere lawn mower from my brother. He was a little hesitant about driving at first, but now loves it. I didn't think I'd seen anything so cute as Ben and Brant both driving their John Deere lawn mowers around the yard, until I saw them fishing together. Ben loves to go fishing and lucky for him, a little blue fish is already attached to his Diego fishing pole, so he thinks he catches a fish every time! He has also really gotten in to basketball and baseball lately. It has been neat to see his catching, throwing, and kicking skills develop. The most common thing Ben seems to say lately,whether it's morning, noon, or night is, "Want to go outside?" We are so blessed to have this happy, vibrant, healthy little boy!

BIG NEWS, big news, and just news

2010-05-03T19:32:00.000-07:00

Let me begin by sharing some of our most recent conversations with Ben:

Mommy: "Ben, what's going to happen in October?"
Ben: "A new baby!"
Mommy: "Where is the baby now?"
Ben: "In Mommy's belly!"
Mommy: "Do you think it will be a baby brother or a baby sister?"
Ben: "A baby sister" (sometimes) or "A baby brother" (other times)
Mommy: "What kinds of things do you think you will teach the new baby?"
Ben: "Run, soccer, jump,throw balls, ... "

That's right! By now you've probably inferred the BIG NEWS part of the post title. It is baby time in the Ausenhus household again! The baby is due October 29th. We've heard the heartbeat both at the 8 and 12 week appointments. Everything has gone smoothly so far with the pregnancy. I've been feeling pretty good, but it is definitely different being pregnant while chasing around a two year old. I had a few pretty tired weeks in March, but other than that, I can't complain. Brant would tell you my sense of smell is insanely heightened, after a few funny incidences with "mystery" odors in our kitchen that involved him scouring and cleaning the refrigerator and freezer and buying several boxes of baking soda. Yes, we are planning to find out if it is a boy or a girl. That will happen in mid-June. We didn't find out with Ben, but I really think I'd like to know this time in order to decorate the room and either get Ben's old clothes ready, or purchase some girly clothes. All in all, we are thrilled at this BIG NEWS!

As for the lower case version of the big news (because really, what compares to baby news?) I recently interviewed for and accepted a new job. I will be taking on the role of instructional coach. My position is in the same building I teach in now, but I won't have a classroom of students. My role will revolve around delivering professional development and training to teachers, supporting the implementation of new curriculum, and being a support for teachers to try new teaching strategies and find ways to best meet kids' needs. I've felt the need for a change and new challenge, so I'm really excited about taking this on. However, of course it is a little bittersweet leaving my classroom and the comfort zone of teaching fourth grade, as well as the near perfect partnership with my teaching partner.

Finally, for the just news. I'm really only sharing this because I'm super excited about it, mainly because I love new, fresh things. As many of you know, we've been working to update our living room. Brant has been making new trim, which is turning out beautifully. He got the floor trim installed in our living room last week and we finally got our new carpet put in, and I LOVE it! Who knew you could get so excited over trim and carpet? Well, I do and can't wait to post some before and after pictures in the near future when the project is finally all complete. New blinds will be coming in a few weeks and Brant will then just need to finish the trim and crown molding (he'd roll his eyes at the "just" part of that statement), and then hopefully, the project will be complete.

Truly, there seems to never be a dull moment around here lately. I wouldn't have it any other way!

Sleepless Night to a Wonderful Spring Evening

2010-04-12T19:14:00.001-07:00

Sunday nights are the nights I'm most likely to be an insomniac. Last night was no exception. Sometimes I think it is how I try to cram so much into Sunday evening to prepare for the upcoming work week, or maybe just my brain moving a mile a minute thinking about the "to do" list for the week. As I watched 2:00, and then 4:00, pass by on my clock early this a.m., I knew I'd be working on very little sleep and will admit to feeling pretty pessimistic about my Monday.

However, this evening turned out to be about the most perfect spring evening I could have asked for. Ben, Brant, and I were all home together, which often doesn't happen on Mondays. I made a new recipe for mini pita pizzas that turned out to be a hit with all three of us. Simple, I know. However, I've felt that my cooking has been in rut for some time now and finding something that all of us seemed to love is always a big success my eyes. My biggest highlight this evening, however, was going on our first canoe ride of the spring and Ben's first canoe ride ever. Brant got the canoe for his birthday in January and tonight all three of us went on a pleasant, quiet, relaxing ride around the pond. Ben showed no fear. We listened to the birds singing, heard a few fish splash, and watched a baby duck swim underwater and pop back up. I would say it was the perfect end to the evening, but Ben topped it off at bedtime by singing "Jesus Loves Me" from beginning to end all by himself. Precious, beautiful, innocent. Now that is a much better start to the week!

Love This!

2010-03-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

I have a whole list of Ben-isms I'm loving right now. I managed to catch one of them on video today. As a mom, I say, "Ahhh, cute!" and as a teacher I think, "Those are such great early literacy skills." Check it out!

Also, topping the list at the moment are:

Ben's use of the word delicious. Everything lately is delicious, according to Ben.
His random use of the line, "I love Mommy!" and "I love Daddy!" Whether it is in the parking lot, while he is playing, or just at the supper table, he melts our hearts with these comments that seem to come out of the blue. However, for the first time tonight he started to apply it to lots of other things, saying, "I love basketball!" and "I love chocolate!" (he is a mama's boy) and "I love spiders!" (WHAT?!?).
His absolute love of ice cream. After devouring ice cream after supper tonight, I caught him trying to stick his head in the tiny little bowl to lick up every last drop.
The beginning of pretend play. Sometimes, Ben will get out his puppets and put them on his hand and attempt to have pretend conversations with them. Tonight, he told his frog puppet to "Have fun at the game!"

Putting the "Spring" in Spring Break

2010-03-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Although snow now covers the ground again, Ben and I enjoyed a pretty nice week of Spring Break. My brother and his wife were here for the first part of break. Patti hung out with Ben and I during the day and we enjoyed the company of Jeff, Patti, and often times, Nick, in the evenings.

Ben and I had several "spring-like" adventures during the week. We visited the butterfly gardens at Reiman Gardens on Monday. Ben loved watching all the butterflies flutter around the dome and looking at them land on all the flowers. He talked about the colors he saw and the butterflies landing on my finger all week. That put us in the mood for butterflies, so we picked up some roller paints, some butterfly cut-outs, and pom balls at Michael's to do a little art project decorating butterflies. Ben was very excited to see them hung in his playroom and has exclaimed on more than one occasion recently, "Look at my paintings!"

We also spent lots of time playing outside. The weather was nice enough to go to the park one day and on Thursday, the weather was so great we spent a good part of the morning and afternoon outside. Ben rode his trike, which is still way too big for him, and we searched for interesting nuts, sticks, rocks, and leaves in the yard. We did bubbles, broke out the sidewalk chalk, and went on walks down to the pond and around the water. At the end of the day on Thursday, we were walking back up the hill to our house and Ben said, "It is a busy day!" It definitely was!

I'm lamenting the end of a nice break. Of course, how could we conclude a break without taking on a new home updating project?! As I write, Brant is taking down the old crown molding in our dining and living room, only to reveal nasty 1970's wall paper. We ordered new carpet yesterday, so the fire has definitely been lit to get going on the paint! I'm sure pictures of this project will be forthcoming.

Happy Birthday, Ben!

2010-03-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

Ben turns 2 tomorrow! We celebrated tonight with Grandma, Papa, and Uncle Alex and will look forward to seeing more family this weekend to celebrate. Ben had so much fun at his birthday party!

Spend a Little Time with Ben

2010-02-21T19:46:00.000-08:00

If you have a couple of minutes to spare, enjoy a little time in Ben's world!

Kiss It!

2010-02-08T20:14:00.000-08:00

There is never a dull moment in our house anymore, and supper tonight was no exception. Ben was eating his yogurt, a favorite treat to end mealtime, and suddenly burst into tears. I rushed over from the sink to see what was the matter. In the meantime, Brant had asked Ben if he had bitten his tongue. "Kiss it, kiss it!" Ben said as he turned to me, kneeling next to him, and suddenly his little yogurt covered tongue was headed right toward my face, tears still streaming down his face. When I entered parenting, I never expected my son to ask me to kiss his tongue to make it feel better! I burst out laughing and suddenly, everything seemed to feel much better. You can see the reenactment below.

Winter Blah

2010-01-29T19:14:00.000-08:00

I know I should be really happy it is Friday, but seriously, the cloud of unmotivated winter blahs is hanging over our household big time. After five snow days in the last six weeks, being back to sub zero temps, and not going more than a month without some sort of sickness in our house, we are ready for the groundhog to come out this week and tell us spring is just around the corner. However, the pessimist in me says, don't get your hopes up.

We had another first as parents this week: the stomach flu. Luckily, or unluckily, depending on your perspective, Ben's vomiting never happened on the carpet or in his bed. It was always on Brant or I. Disgusting, yes. However, just a toss in the washing machine was the upside! Poor Ben.

I also had my first experience getting stuck in our own driveway this week. We had another blizzard on Monday and after taking Ben to the doctor after school (which took an hour and half and he cried almost the whole time), I was feeling a little frazzled. Getting stuck was kind of the icing on the cake. As much as I tried to gain speed up the hill to make it to the garage, the drifts from the blowing snow were too much for my little Focus. We never did manage to get my car all the way to the garage, but Brant was at least able to back up and get it into our circle drive facing downhill so I could let gravity help me the next morning!

During the ice storm last week, I had to get creative for our day in the house during snow day #5. Beyond the regular play-doh time, coloring, trucks, cars, and books, I filled the kitchen sink with bubbles and let Ben go to town. As you can see, he really enjoyed it!

Precious Moment

2010-01-17T18:54:00.000-08:00

The little things Ben does everyday are so fun to watch, but there are moments that I know I'll never forget. Today, I had one of those moments. Recently, I've caught Ben saying the words to "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" when he is playing, somewhat intermittently. When I put him down to nap today, I started in on the three songs I usually sing when sleep is to follow, but he kept saying, "Sing Twinkle Star?" over and over. I finally broke from the routine and began to sing the song he wanted. And then... he started to "sing" with me. Although he doesn't exactly carry a tune yet, his words matched mine and from there, we sang it several more times and even more at bedtime. Tears welled in my eyes both times. It was a beautiful, precious, sweet moment.

More Before and After

2010-01-06T19:53:00.000-08:00

Over Christmas break, we took on another home improvement project: the kitchen! Previously, our kitchen walls were canary yellow in a semi-gloss finish (very shiny - yuck!) with hand-painted blue flowers "growing" out of the floor and counter. Although the cabinets and countertops are newer, the decor just didn't look modern to match. Brant started first by putting new knobs and handles on the cabinets. Then it was on to paint. A big thanks to my friend, Kim, for coming over and helping me! It looks great! The new green and beige looks much more "in the now." After the paint, we were motivated to keep going. Brant was able to use his electrician skills (which this time, didn't require calling a real electrician to fix it!) and replaced all the almond colored switches, outlets, and covers to clean, crisp white. We replaced the dated ceiling fan with one that is sleek and matches the knobs and handles. Finally, we took down the half-broken blinds and ugly valence on the sliding glass door and replaced it with vertical blinds. Ahhh... much better! I'm not so great at remembering to take before and after pictures, but you'll get the idea. Of course, Ben was all about helping!

2009 Ausenhus Family Christmas Letter

2009-12-14T18:45:00.001-08:00

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

2009-12-08T13:57:00.001-08:00

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...

2009-11-25T21:24:00.000-08:00

Welcome to this Century!

2009-11-22T20:30:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

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!

2009-10-12T19:36:00.000-07:00

Home Sweet Home... almost

2009-10-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

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!

2009-08-12T20:45:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-03T11:57:00.001-07:00

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

Speaking of the Zoo...

2009-07-21T06:41:00.000-07:00

A Trip to the Zoo

2009-07-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-05T12:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-01T11:22:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-06-12T06:08:00.001-07:00

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?!?

Big Discoveries, Part 2

2009-05-27T18:55:00.000-07:00

We really have a mini-man on the move. Here is the latest:

1.) Hats. Ben has discovered a recent love for hats. Hats worn backwards, gangster style, worn over his head, or simply carrying the hat around. He especially loves Grandpa Dave's farmer hats because they are so big and easy to put on. And really, Ben simply loves anything he can put on his head.

2.) How to "talk" on the phone. Ben loves to play with cell phones and regular phones. Recently, he has been seen holding the phone to his neck or the back of his head and jabbering very loudly. Every time he does this, he seems to say the same thing and in the same way. Although you can't really understand it, it is clear he thinks he is talking on the phone.

3.) Finishing the sentence in a book. Mom sings: "Five little ducklings went out one day, over the hill and far away. Mother duck said ___________" Ben says. "Cack." Mom says, "You're right, quack, quack, quack." Mmmm, priceless.

4.) Styling Mom's hair. Usually I've tried to keep Ben away from my hair, as in the past it has led to getting it pulled. However, last week while playing on the floor, Ben walked up behind me and started gently petting and running his fingers in my hair. And, he loved it when I shook my head and my hair would brush his face. He'd giggle and giggle.

Big Discoveries

2009-05-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a big week around the Ausenhus household. Ben has made some wonderful new discoveries! They include:

1.) Belly buttons. It all started with a little flip book we read every night before bed. One of the flip pages lifts the flap to find the baby's belly button. Last night, we were all playing outside in the grass. Brant was laying on the grass and Ben made the big discovery, eager to poke as much as possible and even attempting to play peek-a-boo with it by covering and uncovering it with Brant's shirt. Today, when asked, "Ben, where is your belly button?" he eagerly lifted his shirt and pointed to (or in) his own.

2.) How to wear a box on your head. Oh, the thrills! Ben learned that it is fun to look at yourself in the mirror with a box on your head, to walk around with it on your head, but that it doesn't work so well to wear it on your face.

3.) Hide and seek. We have been enjoying and still love the all time favorite game of peek-a-boo. However, peek-a-boo has become more advanced with him giggling while waiting to be "found" or with Ben coming to find me. The trickster even changed spots today in mid-hunt! Of course, the hiding places consist of the closet and behind the bed... that's it.

4.) Where mommy keeps the bananas. Ben love bananas. There is no doubt about that. They sit in a bowl on the counter and this week, he discovered he can see the bananas in the bowl from his high chair and that he can point to them and say, "Na" while rejecting any other food offered. We are learning some difficult lessons in eating what is offered.

5.) How to brush his own hair. Ben loves to try to brush his own hair. Of course it requires re-combing, but it is adorable to watch!

Here are a few pictures. Some document some of his new discoveries and others are just plain cute!

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

Although this Mother's Day wasn't anything out of the ordinary, it is nice to have a day of our own. My favorite part, as with any day, was doing something or going somewhere with my favorite boys. My day started by getting to sleep in a little longer than usual, which was a treat. Brant and Ben surprised me with flowers and cards and a new outdoor chair to lounge in this summer. We went to Ames to walk around Reiman Gardens before going to Great-Grandma Anderson's for lunch. Grandma enjoyed seeing Ben and we had a nice time catching up with her for a while.

It seems to be a continous process of organizing and using space efficiently around our house, so we picked up a new cabinet to put in our entryway on our way home from Ames. Sometimes I think working on dealing with the "stuff" we have acquired over the past few months from my dad's house, which has then uprooted some of the original stuff, is the biggest treat of all. It seems to be something that gets put off and put off again. When it is actually addressed, it is important to jump at the opportunity!! I detest clutter and junk and I'm hoping that someday... someday it will no longer be an issue. I should have asked for that for Mother's Day!

I am a mother myself and should relish in the day of appreciation, but Mother's Day is also a blatant reminder of the absence of my own mother. It will be three years in June and although the really hard days are fewer and far between, and now sometimes augmented by the loss of Dad, they still happen and I have to continue allowing myself to have them. Yesterday was a very hard day. I suppose it may have had to do with Mother's Day or other reminders, or maybe it didn't, but I was reminded that even though time goes on, it still hurts. So, on this Mother's Day, I send a tribute to my own mother. I love you, Mom, and miss you dearly!

Ready, Set, Go!

2009-05-02T19:56:00.000-07:00

The word "go" is one of Ben's newest words. Although it sounds more like "guh" at this point, he loves to get on his giraffe scooter, have me say, "Ready, set..." and then he finishes with "Go," and off we go. We continue with me saying "Stop" and Ben saying "Go" to have me push again. It is a great little game to play!

What a glorious spring day! Today was the first day of the Des Moines Farmer's Market downtown. I think the Farmer's Market is one of Des Moines' best kept secrets. Brant, Ben, and I spent about an hour strolling around amid the crowds of people. We have the best baby backpack that Ben rides in on Brant's back at events like this. He can get a better view and is perfectly content to simply gaze around, which makes it even more enjoyable for us! I love the atmosphere of live music, food stands, and all sorts of odds and ends, from homemade salsa to produce to food stands to homemade jewelry.

To continue with our great spring day, Brant mowed the lawn for the first time of the season and I cleaned the house. Normally, that wouldn't be too significant or even noteworthy, but there is something just perfect about the smell of fresh cut grass and a clean house on a spring day. I love having the windows open on days like today.

And, toward the end of our spring day, we headed to Toys R Us to look for some outdoor toys for Ben. We walked away with the classic Little Tykes plastic slide and a baby swing. Brant is planning to build a little swing set for Ben. After that, we had supper out together at Granite City and then went to pick up spring flowers and pots at Home Depot, which I plan to plant tomorrow!

Finally, to cap off the day, Brant went on a bike ride on his brand new road bike. Once he returned, I went on a great run. We are now content to take a break and watch the extra innings of the Twins vs. Royals game. Like I said, what a great spring day!

To finish tonight, I'll leave you with another precious Ben moment. Once he and I finish his bedtime story, we say his prayers. Typically, I either fold his hands in mine. However, for the first time last night, I folded my hands and he put his little hands together too. It was one of those near-tears, always-to-be-remembered moments.

April Anticipation

2009-04-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

Poor Ben is feeling under the weather today. We have been so lucky that besides a few ear infections, Ben has been pretty healthy all through the winter. However, he seems to have caught a little stomach bug and has run a low fever the past two days. He just hasn't been himself, so he and I are home together today hoping things are now on the up and up. Ben is enjoying a little nap time while I catch up on a few things.

Brant has had a very busy month and has been out of town for several days at a time the last few weeks, so Ben and I have been spending lots of quality time together. We are so glad the weather is getting nice so we can go on our evening walks and play outside. I've been missing Brant even more the last few days while Ben hasn't been feeling well. I don't know how single parents do it!

My anticipation for summer just keeps growing. The leaves and flowers are starting to come out and at school, you can just feel the end of the year approaching. I am looking forward to summer days filled with playing in a little pool in the backyard with Ben, going to the park and library, going to music class, visiting the splash park, and feeling laid back. Of course, I'm also looking forward to Brant and my Hawaii trip and going to the lake in July. Brant has committed to riding in a 100 mile bike ride for JDRF the first weekend in August in Kansas City, so I'm looking forward to that for him, and for the weekend in Kansas City! It feels good to be on the brink of a new season!

Finally, Ben has a few new tricks up his sleeve. They include:

1.) What does the cow say? Moo! Actually, it sounds more like mmmmmm...
2.) What does the snake say? Ssssss....

3.) Where is your nose? He points to his nose.

4.) Lots of recognition of directions. He walks right to the bathroom when I say, "Time for a bath." He goes right to the stairs when I say, "Let's go downstairs." When I say "Let's read a story" he walks over and sits in my lap.

5.) Lots of imitation of sounds. Wa for water, uch for lunch, ush for brush your teeth, ow for wow, ga for goat, and so on.

Easter Weekend

2009-04-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

We had a busy, but fun Easter weekend! On Saturday, we traveled to Mason City to have Easter with Brant's side of the family. We enjoyed a day of good food, good company, and even a lively game of charades. There's nothing like acting out mechanical bull in front of the family! And, Brant did an excellent Buddy Holly! On Saturday evening, Brant, Ben, and I retreated to the condo at Clear Lake. Perhaps one of the best Easter treats was looking at the clock this morning and finding that it was a quarter to nine and Ben was STILL sleeping. We then headed to Ames for dinner with Grandma Anderson and Uncle Nick. Again, good food and good company. Although there wasn't a lively game of charades, Uncle Nick gave Ben and new barn set and he has thoroughly enjoyed playing with it.

Due to all the other events of the weekend, the Easter bunny made an evening arrival at our house. Ben appeared to love his first Easter egg hunt. He quickly figured out how to open the eggs and that his favorite snacks were inside! I've never seen him attack puffs, veggie crackers, and yogurt melts so quickly. Additionally, I'm excited that the Easter bunny brought some new flip books to read. Ben loves to listen to stories and I'm very ready for a few fresh stories! How did the Easter bunny know just what to give!?

Shopping Trip

2009-04-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

Brant, Ben, and I went on a well overdue spring shopping trip tonight. Ben officially has his first pair of real tennis shoes. We decided the strategy for shoe shopping with a one year old goes something like this:

1.) Which is the cheapest?
2.) Does it fit?
3.) Buy it.

The Adidas pair were the first on his feet, met all the criteria, and judging on the amount of walking he did in every store we entered the rest of the evening, they are a perfect fit. Of course, big boy shoes in itty-bitty sizes are adorable!

Speaking on shopping, I'm going to put in my plug for Ann Taylor Loft. I LOVE Ann Taylor Loft. Their petites fit perfectly. You can mix and match tons of their ensembles to multiply the number of outfits you are actually buying. There is a good amount of selection, but not too much for a shopper like me who is generally short on time, is not as patient as I used to be, or has my boys waiting for me. Additionally, they have a teacher discount and usually some sort of in store promotion. I always walk away feeling like I got classic, quality clothes at a great price! Thank you, Ann Taylor Loft!! Spring can now officially arrive because I have something to wear and I didn't have to break my wallet doing it. Now that is an ideal shopping experience.

Happy Easter everyone!

What a Cutie!

2009-04-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

We finally got Ben's one year old pictures taken. Here are a few shots for you to enjoy!

Update

2009-03-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

Ben's current word and "trick" list:

Words:

Mama
Da (for dada)

Crash

Hot (usually he blows, as if something is hot, instead of actually say the word)

Question/Answer:

What does a sheep say? Ba

How big is Ben? So big! Ben's arms go up in the air and he smiles huge!
How old are you? He puts up his little hand, but usually his attempt at putting up one finger ends up being his thumb and forefinger pinched together
Where is your ear? He usually sticks his finger in his ear.

Favorite activities:

Hugging mommy

Playing peek-a-boo and any kind of chasing or hiding games with Daddy

Reading

Eating bananas

Turning the TV on and off

Going up and down stairs

Digging through cupboards and pulling out all the rubbermaid and tupperware containers

Digging through drawers and pulling out every ziploc baggy and throwing them on the floor

Walking, walking, and more walking

Dancing with mommy around the kitchen

Other news:

Brant and I are headed to Maui in June. We can't wait!

We've been on a search for a new daycare arrangement for next fall and think we've found our match. Whew - what a relief!

Grandpa Anderson passed away last Tuesday. The memorial service is this Friday. We are all doing pretty well with it, but perhaps the most difficult part is the closeness to losing Dad.

Don't get the wrong idea from the pictures below! Ben is usually fully dressed, I promise! One day we were waiting for pants to finish in the dryer. And, well, who can resist a baby's bottom?! You know you've got a big boy when he excitely walks himself to the bathtub!

Where is the break in Spring Break?

2009-03-15T20:20:00.001-07:00

I'm not complaining, I'm really not. I will certainly enjoy my week off work for the pure and simple sake that I won't be at work. However, I'm wishing for some peace and quiet and unfortunately, I'm not sure that will happen. Between looking for new daycare arrangements for next school year, moving furniture from my dad's house to our house which is requiring way more work than I expected, reorganizing (AGAIN!) due to the move, going to a variety of appointments we can never seem to fit in, and having Brant out of town for three days this week, I'm wondering where the days of leisurely shopping and lunch dates went? What about curling up with a good book? How about baking cookies or trying a new recipe? I know, whoa is me. Dad's gently used furniture does look nice, appointments will finally be taken care of, I'm lucky to have some time to make daycare calls and visits, and not making cookies means not eating cookies which means not feeling guilty about indulging.

I am looking forward to a week of beautiful spring weather. The temperature is suppose to be in the 70's tomorrow. Knowing that friends and family are taking their Spring Break in warmer climates, this makes me feel a little less envious. I'm looking forward to taking Ben on a long walk and maybe even taking his new scooter outside. At least there is some spring in Spring Break!

Birthday Recap

2009-03-08T14:12:00.000-07:00

Big Week!

2009-03-01T18:29:00.000-08:00

It has been and will be a big week in the Ausenhus household. After several weeks of small steps in sets of 3-4 at a time, Ben has started to let go more and more. He is now up and walking more and more every day. Uncle Nick came over last week and Ben was walking between the two of us, to his toys, and back to us. He'll probably think that cheering will follow everything he does soon, but it such a cool thing to watch him learn to do.

Ben has also been saying mama and dada for awhile, but this weekend, we realized that he is trying to say, "Crash!" Seems strange, but every time we knock over a tower or he runs his trucks into something, Brant and I say, "Crash!" Apparently Ben has caught on to this and is now saying his own version whenever his towers fall or he runs his toys into something. Love it!

This Friday is the big day! Ben will turn one! With all the new steps and a new word, I find myself marveling at how quickly this past year has gone by. It makes me feel a little nostalgic. Although I'm thrilled at how Ben is developing, a little piece of me feels sad at how quickly this is all happening. With thoughts and questions of weaning from his bottles to buying new front-facing car seats today, I think we are on the brink of a new stage of childhood and parenthood.

Ben's Basement Adventures

2009-02-15T17:28:00.000-08:00

"Wow," you think to yourself, "Two posts in two days! What has gotten into Rachel?" Well...

1.) I finally got the flip cam software updated and it seems the kinks have worked themselves out. Lovely!

2.) I have strep throat and although I'm starting to feel better this evening, I'm trying to stay away from Ben and Brant to hopefully avoid spreading the germs. Thus, I have had lots of time to myself in our bedroom today. Since I feel slightly recuperated, a little blogging and video creating sounded just right.

3.) I got a very nice note from my aunt Marilyn a few days ago and I know she'll be glad to read this!

Ben and I worked on this video earlier in the week. He is sharing his favorite things to do in the basement when we are playing. I always think it is interesting that when he plays, he is usually very vocal with lots of laughing and babbling. However, the minute I get out the flip cam, he doesn't make a sound! Oh well! Enjoy!

First Haircut

2009-02-13T13:25:00.000-08:00

Ben recently (if you call two weeks ago recently) got his first haircut. The baby mullet is finally gone, sad but true. The first haircut experience was just so-so. Perhaps most eleven month olds don't have such an unruly "do" to start with and don't need a haircut so early. Ben just wasn't really into it and we had to battle quite a few tears to get the job done. I was armed with Gerber Puffs, thankfully, which seem to be able to calm almost any situation! At the end, he looked nicely trimmed up and like a big boy. It is amazing to think our big boy will be one years old in just three weeks!

Hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-01-28T19:29:00.000-08:00

So, as much as I enjoy posting, I'm finding it hard to keep up on, like lots of things it seems! Since the last post Brant has been sick and so has Ben. Both are now back to good health and spirits and it seems to be life as usual again at the Ausenhus household.

Ben and I started music class two weeks ago. Ben isn't around other babies very often, which is one reason I wanted to do this, and he just isn't sure what to think of these other little people making noise and crawling around. Mostly, he sits quietly on my lap and stares in awe at everyone else in the room. In the last class, he was excited enough about a song that included a ball to get off my lap and sit right in front of me. What can I say? He is definitely a mama and daddy's boy.

We are also starting to explore more foods lately. It depends on the day how that goes. He is great at regular baby food, but I'm trying to incorporate more and more table food too. We've been trying toast over the last few days and Ben actually ate it tonight, but seemed to enjoy the stickness of the jelly on his fingers even more. He loves saltine crackers and sliced bananas and even picked up a few green beans last night (accidentally, I think) and ate them. And, perhaps most exciting to me, Ben is finally beginning to figure out the sippy cup. We've been working on this for a long time and he is by no means an expert sippy-user, but in the last few days he actually sucked on it and got formula out instead of just chewing on it like a teething toy. Small steps, small steps!

I was going to download a video clip of Ben pushing around his favorite truck, but unfortunately, our flip cam has gone into kahoots. Here are a few semi-recent photos, although I haven't been too great on the picture taking lately.

Events of the Week

2009-01-12T19:44:00.001-08:00

We've had a busy week since heading back to work. Brant celebrated a birthday last week and Ben and I threw him a little family birthday party. As you can see in the picture, Brant even had the privilege of eating his birthday-requested hamburger and potato wedges off of the "special plate." I think Brant enjoyed the last birthday of his 20's. I'm glad I still have a few of those left!

Ben was suppose to begin his Kindermusik classes on Monday, but due to the weather (seriously, I don't know if I can take much more of this) it was canceled. So, we will start next week instead. It will be interesting to see what a room full of babies and music will be like, but I figured it would get us out of the house one night a week and give Ben a little socialization time, and me too, I suppose.

A month ago on the 12th marked the day that my dad passed away. In a way it feels like yesterday, and in other ways it feels like I have lived a lifetime since then. Everything is still very fresh and raw. Ben has a book called Who Loves Baby. There are pictures of family members in it. One night as we looked at it and talked about the pictures, he grabbed the book to take a closer look every time we turned to Grandpa Dave. I think Ben misses him too in some way, even if he doesn't understand and won't remember any of this.

We are looking forward to our friend Katie's post-cancer treatment party this weekend, not only for the obvious reason of celebrating with our fabulous friend for this milestone, but to also have a night on the town together!

Ben's New Tricks

2009-01-04T10:09:00.000-08:00

I have found that it seems like Ben reaches turning points where he changes a lot in a short amount of time. For example, when he was six months old, he starting crawling, sitting, and eating baby food all within two weeks. I feel like we are again at a turning point. He has lots of new tricks up his sleeve that he is "wowwing" us with every day!

The first is his new found ability to stand independently. It doesn't last too long yet and generally he gets so excited that he ends up lunging toward Brant or I. However, the amount of time and frequency is definitely getting longer and longer! Ben has also found that he can climb up our entire flight of stairs on his own (with mommy very close behind, of course). Along with this, he has taken up to 3 steps on his own. It won't be long until he is walking!

Another new trick Ben has developed is saying "bye bye" by waving is hand. For all the times we've worked on this, he finally did it on his own a few nights ago! We were all so excited and clapping so much, that he just kept waving and waving in hopes of the same reaction. It was very cute!

We are also hearing lots of mamamama, dadada, bababa, and other sounds being babbled. Sometimes it almost sounds like Ben is talking to himself in his own little language. On the same note, it is clear he is starting to understand what we are saying to him. When we say, "Give it to me," when we roll a ball to him, he puts in our hand. He always looks at us when we say, "No," but doesn't always get what he shouldn't do. In the last few days, has gotten a kick out of me saying "Up" and "Down" when he plays with one of his new toys.

It is also becoming apparent that Ben seems to be developing a sense of humor. He finds things very funny that we aren't even trying to entertain with. He loves to giggle and last week, he got so worked up laughing, he even snorted!

Finally, we find it hilarious that Ben has started to "pose" for the camera. When we say, "Smile!" he often puts on this goofy, eyes-closed, scrunched up smiley face. Perhaps this is a direct result of too much picture taking... thank goodness for digital cameras! I'll leave you a few photos of this new found trick!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T19:13:00.000-08:00

We are at home tonight celebrating a quiet start to 2009. With everything that has happened in our family over the past few weeks, quiet is the perfect way to start the new year. Ben is asleep and Brant and I are getting ready to watch a movie before we watch the ball drop.

We were talking about New Year's Resolutions on our way home from shopping today. Brant and I agreed that we don't like resolutions and that it seems that resolutions to begin a new year are only set ups to fail. Our conversation turned instead to our hopes for ourselves and our family for 2009, big and small.

- Health and safety of Ben (and all of our family)
- A 5 year anniversary vacation for Brant and I
- Taking on a home improvement project
- A cure for diabetes
- Creating a play area in our basement for Ben
- Continued success and challenges in our jobs
- Keeping my dad's memory alive and dealing with everything involved in the process with wisdom and grace
- Calm and peacefulness - no surprises, no tragedies, no illnesses - just life as it should be

All the best to you in 2009.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-27T11:33:00.000-08:00

Here is a little peek into Ben's first Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T08:19:00.000-08:00

As we all prepare to celebrate, we'd like to give you an overview of the biggest events and changes in our family during 2008.

On March 6, we welcomed our first child, Benjamin Alan, into our family. He is a healthy, active, and happy little boy and brings so much joy into our lives.

We took Ben to the lake in Minnesota in July. We had a good time, but quickly realized that vacation with a baby is a very different kind of vacation!

Brant changed jobs in September. He is working remotely from our home for Bader Rutter and Associates out of Brookfield, Wisconsin. This is the same company he worked for when we lived in the Milwaukee area, so it made for an easy transition.

I still teach fourth grade at East Elementary in Ankeny. I love my job and the school where I work, and now love the crazy balance between work and motherhood.
And, on a somber note, the latest change in our family was the sudden death of my father on December 12th. He will be sorely missed by all of us, but there is a small sense of peace in our hearts knowing he is with my mother again.

We wish everyone a healthy, happy 2009 and a very Merry Christmas!

We're Online!

2008-12-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

After very little discussion, we decided to go online with a family web site. It was actually born out of a conversation about the pros and cons of Christmas letters. We felt the more appropriate way to share information about our family was in short, ongoing snipits... hence the blog.

Rachel and I haven't decided who will author our posts, so you may hear from both of us. Or we may Indian wrestle for rights.

Regardless, feel free to check back often to see what we're up to. Unfortunately, we're not able to talk with everyone as much as we'd like, so this might help fill that void. Rest assured, we'll still call when we can.

Enjoy!