Warm laundry is so comfortable! Who can resist?!

Yummy grape Popsicle...so cold!

This has been a week of firsts for our little guy! We brought out the potty since he is always saying potty. He wanted to sit on it so badly, so off the diaper went. Now, he didn't go in the potty but he did try to carry it around the house and pour his water cup in it. It started singing to him once he poured the water in since it's a musical potty. We just keep putting it back in the bathroom and every now and then he goes in to have a seat!

You might not believe this, but Ben counted to two today all by himself! My dad made him a hat rack that says Hats for Ben in different color block letters. We have it hanging over his changing table. He stood up on his table today, pointed to the B and said one. Then he pointed to the E and said two! All by himself!! We usually go through our numbers and letters in the car on the way home from daycare. I guess he is catching on! We are going to get him to three in no time. I was so proud and excited I started to tear up.

New baby is quite active in the womb. I can feel little movements several times a day. I'm still feeling well, and can't wait to find out the gender so I can hit the garage sales. I think I finally settled on a name for a girl, just in case. I have changed my mind so many times over the past few months, that Chad just grunts when I give him a new name. We have had a boys name picked out for quite some time, but I find girl names to be much harder.

Today was unusual for Ben. He napped for only 15 minutes and was a total terror. This was of course until we went to the Crenshaw's for playtime and dinner and he was an absolute joy! He had a ton of fun playing in their backyard and with Karra. Ayden even drove him around a bit in the jeep in between motorcycle rides. He is however having a hard time falling asleep as we speak. Chad is trying to calm him down, as he is now overly tired. He surely wouldn't calm down for me, so it's his turn to try! Poor kiddo. Played so hard and now can't fall asleep.

We also switched binkies on him today. At the dentist last week he suggested that we gradually get rid of it because his teeth are starting to form around the shape of it. He only gets it at night - never for naps or daytime. However we never switched binkies from the one we got at the hospital. The dentist said to gradually cut the tip off until there is basically nothing left. At that point, he won't want it. Well, the one from the hospital you can't cut or he would be sucking air. So, we bought a different kind for older kids. Now, normally I wouldn't worry about it at this point. My mom said I gave mine up when I was ready. However if his mouth is going to be affected by it, I think we can work with him. Before he went to his current daycare, he had it for naps too. That was about the 10 month point. She doesn't believe in them however and never gave it to him. It was the greatest thing! Since she can't live with us, I guess this is one of those parenting decisions that we have to make...great.

No one gets a free ride in this house :).

Two things Ben loves to do: clean and drink bath water out of a bucket. I was cleaning the windows today and he just had to help. He did it just like mommy does and it was so cute! He did of course try to eat the bottle, so I had to quickly put a stop to that. We can't figure out why he likes to drink from the bucket. I think it seems like a big boy cup to him. Don't worry, once the soap goes in, the bucket goes out. He thinks it's funny though, so we do too.

This pregnancy is making me lose my mind. It has been so different already from the first time around. I've misplaced many things, but Chad caught me sleep walking the other night so it's possible I am hiding things while I sleep I guess. Two nights ago I lost my glasses. I found them today in the bottom of the laundry basket that has been in the laundry room for about a week. So how they got to the bottom when I wore them Wednesday night, I'll never know. Other than that I feel pretty good. Again, I am avoiding all meat. Same thing happened last time, which I will blame my extreme weight gain on! Luckily I love fruits and veggies (much like Ben) so it's not so bad this time around...yet. I'm just now making the switch to more comfortable pants. So, I shall wait patiently until I can wear my favorite jeans again some day.

It has been quite the rainy week, including many a tornado siren and hail. We had to take shelter a few times, but luckily the tornadoes picked up before hitting Wichita. Ugh, I need to move to a place without tornadoes. On a good note, my flowers are blooming quite nicely and our grass is a beautiful shade of green. So, I guess it's not all bad. Today is one of those beautiful rain days. No threat for severe weather, but constant rain. I love these days. Good thing I'm going to a movie with Andrea - perfect day for it!

Happy Mommy's Day!

Today was just wonderful! We didn't do a whole lot, which was perfect for me! I was able to spend the day with my two guys. Ben gave lots of kisses, although it looks like he is biting my chin off. He took a lovely 3 hour nap, and I watched Chad work hard at tiling the kitchen. They bought me a 4 hour spa day, and I can't wait to go!

Last week I had my first doctor visit for the new baby. The babe was a wild child and it took 5 minutes to get a heart beat. I felt the babe move for the first time too, which was a huge surprise so early. We haven't really said much to Ben yet, and when we did he didn't really understand. So, I figure we will wait until the belly is hard to ignore.

He is increasingly more fun by the day! He loves to vacuum or clean as he often calls it, and has been eating anything and everything like a hog (hopefully that's not where my wedding ring went!). We have another dentist appointment for him tomorrow, so that should cause my blood pressure to sky rocket.

He is quite the smarty pants too. Whenever he hears an airplane he points to the sky and says plane. We also have train tracks nearby and he says choo-choo when he hears it. He also knows several animals by sight and sound. He saw a sheep today and said baa. We didn't teach him that one so he must have picked that up at day care. He amazes me by how much he knows and says at such a young age. He talks all the time and understands so much.

Low battery...have to sign off. Just want to say I LOVE YOU to all the special women in my life. You taught me well and we are so blessed. Happy Mother's Day.

The weather this weekend was rather beautiful, especially today. We spent some time at the YMCA this morning swimming, and we went to the park this afternoon to play in the sand. Ben kept running to the play set where all the older kids were playing. He would climb up the steps and go down the slide with Chad. We then took some time for snacks in the picnic area. Fun day!

While Ben was napping, Chad finished all the hardware in the kitchen and it looks amazing. Next weekend he is tackling the tile. We are moving along, and rather excited about how our kitchen renovations are turning out.