July Already?!

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!

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!

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

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!

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!