Seeing Pink... And Other Summer News

IT'S A GIRL!!!

We all know that with every baby there is a 50/50 chance of being a boy or a girl, but if I'm being honest, I had myself pretty convinced that this little peanut was a boy.  Maybe it was a subconscious comfort with the boy-girl-boy family patterning that both Brant and I come from, maybe it was my underlying reaction to some of sweet Abby's two year old spiciness, or maybe a feeling that I would never really experience what the whole sister dynamic is really like, having never lived it myself.  So, I will admit that even though I knew the odds, I was quite surprised to learn our new baby will indeed be a girl.  We are very excited about this new adventure and Ben has definitely accepted the news graciously, after very much hoping for a brother.  Abby has insisted that we name the baby Abby, to be just like her.  I can't wait to see how this child will be alike and different from Ben and Abby and what kind of personality will be added to the mix.  We will be seeing pink, dresses, hair bows, and dolls for many years to come!!

That is probably the most exciting and happiest news of the summer.  However, we've been keeping ourselves very busy with other summer fun.  I worked a variety of days in June and attended a conference for four days, so our summer didn't consistently start until about a week and a half ago.  Here are a few things we've been up to:

 T-ball!  I love this picture with both Ben and Brant in the "ready" position.  They finished up the season this week.  Ben seemed to enjoy playing, and I think he especially liked having his Daddy for a coach.

 Abby + DQ Dilly Bar = Happiness (and messiness).  The kids are both keeping a log for the Ankeny library summer reading program.  Who can pass up free ice cream for reading?!

  This week we went to Union Park in Des Moines to ride the carousel (always a hit) and play in the wading pool.  I love summer afternoons like this one! The kids would both say this was fun, but going to the "real" pool in Ankeny the following day took the cake.  

 First of all, yes, Abby is not wearing a shirt.  I will just say that I have chosen not to fight that particular battle if we are inside our own house.  Second, yes, they are both wearing homemade super hero capes.  Thank you Pinterest for the brilliant idea of using old T-shirts, iron-on letters (Ben is "Iron Man" and Abby is "Super Abby"), and fabric paint to entertain!

Ben took swimming lessons this past week and wearing his goggles, so Abby has really wanted a pair.  Therefore, here she is in her new pair of goggles.  She is prepping for our vacation to the Ozarks.  I guess she'll need to learn to hold her breath and put her head in the water, huh?

And finally, Abby is having surgery on July 10 to correct her urinary reflux, so thought and prayers coming our way that day would be great for both a smooth surgery and speedy recovery.

Our Graduate

 We celebrated Ben's preschool graduation on Friday.

 It is hard to believe Ben will be off to kindergarten in a few short months.  When the kids were announced as the class of 2026, I thought to myself that even though that seems so far away, I know in thirteen years it will feel like yesterday we sat through his preschool graduation.  We are proud of you, Ben! 

After graduation, Ben chose to go to Village Inn for lunch, a favorite restaurant for his favorite pancakes.  However, apparently the post-graduation milk and cookies spoiled his appetite, because his lunch consisted of bacon and chocolate milk.  I couldn't help but laugh!  He and I then spent the afternoon at the park practicing riding his bike on two wheels because he is determined to be done with training wheels, practicing playing catch with his baseball glove, and playing on the equipment.  We had a great day together!

 Believe it or not, these baseball pictures are related to preschool graduation.  As part of the graduation program, there was a video played with pictures of the kids throughout the year, and then each child saying what they wanted to be when they grew up.  Ben said he wanted to be a baseball player when he grew up.  Apparently he is really enjoying t-ball!  So, here's to our little baseball player and potentially many more years of summer afternoons at baseball games!

Big Girl Bed And...

 This weekend, Abby started sleeping in her big girl bed!  It was quite exciting, and it may be the cutest thing we've ever seen to see her tiny little body all cuddled in to that big bed.  She was ready for this next step, but she also doesn't have a choice, because we will need the crib again in six months!!

You read that right, we are expecting Baby #3!

5 Years... In the Blink of an Eye!

Ben turned 5 years old on March 6!  It is hard to believe this adorable, tiny baby...

Has grown into this kind, smart, and thoughtful little boy...

For Ben's birthday, we celebrated with family the weekend before the actual "big day."  Ben loved his dinosaur cake - in fact, I would not be exaggerating when I say he was enamored by it.  That was exactly what I was going for!  He selected his piece to be the top of the volcano - a natural choice!

We celebrated at home on his actual birthday.  Ben was quite surprised to get a Lego table that Brant made for him.  Brant has admitted that it was more of a project than he first anticipated when we started building it two days in advance.  However, after a little elbow grease and tender loving care, Ben loved it and the table has gotten lots of use since.

The weekend after Ben's birthday he had his first birthday party with a friend.  Brant took Ben and his best friend, Maddox, to Cherry Berry for frozen yogurt with the toppings of their choice.  Apparently both boys picked gummy bears and chocolate rocks, which we all agreed was a delightful combination.  They then returned home to do a dinosaur pinata and just play together.  They are quite the pair!  We are very happy Ben has found such a great friend!

And of course, through all of it, Abby insisted that her birthday is also coming up.  We keep reminding her it in October, but that darn calendar is such an abstract concept at 2 years old!  Oh well... I guess she'll really be looking forward to turning 3 in seven long months... and we will all know exactly what she wants!

The February Blahs...

January and February are my least favorite months of the year.  The cold weather, the dry skin, the constant slushiness of dirty snow, the monotony of winter.  Valentine's Day is supposed to give the season some sort of excitement, but it is generally short lived, and like any other Hallmark holiday, doesn't really match the hype.  On this tired Monday morning, I found myself really wishing for some warm sunshine and a sandy beach.

Despite my attitude toward the time of the year, there have been some exciting things going on at our house.  No one can understand this like an educator, but Ben has taken some major strides in beginning to read.  He is bringing home books from preschool to add to some we already have at home that he is reading every night, he is progressing quickly with his phonemic awareness skills, his sight word bank is growing, and he has some nice skills decoding words and using context in the books he is reading.  You cannot imagine my excitement and sheer awe at this recent development.  I try to keep it in check so I don't embarrass him or turn him off to the whole situation, but I'm bubbling with excitement inside.  Yay, Ben!  In other news, I heard Ben talking to himself while in bed this evening, and suddenly he came in to my room, smiling from ear to ear, to announce that he had counted all the way to 120 in his bed.  Hooray!

Abby's most recent development is that she has turned into a pure love bug.  She tells us she loves us at the most wonderful times.  It is often unsolicited and a moment of pure innocence.  I want to always remember this.  For example, tonight at supper she simply looked at me and said, "I wuv Mommy."  My heart melted.  Last week while dropping Abby off at the babysitter, Brant told her he loved her.  Abby looked at Brant and said, "Do you know who else wuvs me?  Mommy!"  And, one of my favorites would be the day Brant had Ben and Abby outside playing in the snow.  Abby was suddenly gone and Brant found her sitting the garage, a sad look across her face.  When asked what was wrong, she told him, "I just miss Mommy.  I wuv her."  I know someday I'll need to remember those moments! 

So, despite my weariness of the weather and relatively dull time of year, there have been many bright moments.  Before we know it, spring will be upon us!