A Message to Our Unborn Baby Girl...

It's the night before we meet, and mommy is so excited and so scared. I don't know how tomorrow will go or what the future has in store for us, but there are two things I know for certain:

1. You have a family that loves loves loves you so very much. Not only does mommy, daddy and Ben love you unconditionally, you have the best grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, friends and your cousins are AMAZING.

2. The best gift I could ever have given you is by marrying your daddy. You have a daddy that already loves, cherishes and supports you unconditionally. I will warn you that he's a bit prickly at times - and he will almost always say no to you the first time - but he ALWAYS comes around and he has the heart of a big ole' teddy bear.

Before I sign off, here is a card that your daddy wrote to you for your baby shower. He is an excellent writer and has a great sense of humor. I love you Lauren and can't wait to meet you tomorrow:

My Dear Lauren,

OK, so this "birthday card" is a little premature...considering you have not been born yet but it is never too early for a dad to write a note to his daughter. Where do I start?

You are in for a wild ride! A wild but wonderful ride. You are gonna love your mom. Mommy always says that you are gonna be our little firecracker, full of energy and opinions...just like her. She is hoping for that because mommy is like that. She wants someone to talk to because, well, she likes the sound of her voice sometimes. Who am I kidding, all the time! But, I hope you acquire mommy's gift of dreaming and that knowing that anything is possible in life if you want it. "If you dream it, you can do it." Mommy has the brains in the family...book smart she is. I hope you have that too. Mommy also likes bad television shows that will lower your I.Q. if you watch them...but that's ok. You are gonna love her because she certainly loves you.

Let's talk about your big brother Ben...he is anxiously awaiting your arrival. He is a very sweet boy, with a very loud way of voicing his opinions when he has them. He is more of an introvert like me, but will stand his ground when he wants something or wants to be heard. If you love trucks and guns you are in with him. If you like swings, he will love you. He calls you "Moren," and he knows the bedroom next to his is your room. He will be your protector. He will make sure you are ok. He will offer you stuff...even candy. Ben likes to make sure everyone is taken care of. I know that you both are gonna have a lot of fun together...hopefully you will potty train easier.

So what about me? What about me? It's simple...I like to keep things that I can control as simple as possible...I have a feeling having a girl is going to complicate that (cue the laughter)...I am quieter than mommy. I don't feel the need to tell you what I'm thinking all the time. You will probably feel what I'm thinking rather than hear it from me...that may be quite scary for you in the teenage years...but as you can see, I don't like talking about myself. For now I wont...except to say the Green Bay Packers, Nebraska Cornhuskers and Brett Favre all Rule! What do I know about raising a little girl? But I can't wait to meet you! No matter who you become and what you do I will be your biggest supporter. I will "defend you to the end" as I tell mommy when Ben gets in trouble for a perceived infraction on her part and I try to smooth the waters. I am very good at calming the waters. :) We will have many conversations to come, but remember this - a daughter is a blessed shining light - a daughter is a gift of love - a daughter may outgrow your lap but she will never outgrow your heart.

Love,
Your Daddy

Our Little Cowboy!

A pony came to visit Ben's preschool this summer. Here's our little man dressed in his cowboy gear. Only a couple more weeks until our little cowgirl arrives!

Making Fun of Mommy...

A couple weeks ago we were walking out of McDonalds and in front of everyone Ben pushed out his tummy as far as he could, started waddling out the door and announced "Look, I'm walking like mommy". Real nice kid... :)

Final Days of Summer

It's a bittersweet time - not only is summer coming to a close, but it's also our last few weeks as a family of 3. It's like Ben knows he's going to be a big brother soon and has grown so much recently. Here are his 3 big recent milestones:

1. Last weekend Ben finally said goodbye to the "mimi" (pacifier). He lost it and when daddy and I found it we decided it was time for mimi to be lost for good. He had a tough time the first night - he kept asking us to look for it and begged us to "go to Target and get a new mimi". He hasn't even mentioned it in a few days.

2. It also looks like Ben has decided that he's too big for his 2-3 hour afternoon naps. :( We think the loss of the mimi had something to do with it - but we had a pretty good run - 3.5 years.

3. This weekend - with a little help from our friends The Polkinghorne's - Ben started going poo-poo on the potty!!!! He has an accident now and then, but every day he's getting better and better.

Here are a few recent pics - he loves playing with his best buddy Sean...

Football and Guns

Well, it's out with the trucks and in with the guns, football and even some video and computer games. Our little guy is growing up...

Baby Lauren Update!

We had our 30-week ultrasound today and Lauren is as healthy as can be. This isn't the best picture in the world but she's looking straight at us.


My doctor's nurse compared Lauren and Bens' measurements and both she and the doctor agreed that they are measuring very very close. However, Lauren probably has Ben beat in the weight department...why does that not suprise me? :)

They are 2 completely different pregnancies. With Ben it was blissful, not very painful, he usually only kicked at night and my mood was amazing. Little Lauren has turned mommy into a hormonal monster at times. She's a constant kicker and mover and it can be pretty painful. Something tells me that our little Ben is in for a rude awakening with this little girl! We can't wait to meet this little firecracker - love you baby girl!

Arizona Vacation!

This was the 3rd year that we've followed the Dodger's on the 4th of July. They played Phoenix at Chase Field and we stayed at a wonderful resort - The Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale. We were able to spend some time with our good friends, the Colby's. The first night we celebrated Ryan's 3rd birthday at a jumpy house!The Dodger's won!One of the best parts of this stadium was an upstairs kid's play area called The Sandlot.Ben and Ryan on their way to play.Ben really liked the kid's beach pool area at the hotel.

We took a long day trip to visit Sedona and the Grand Canyon! Ben was an amazing little traveler.The Grand Canyon was majestic. It exceeded my expectations.More than the pool, the baseball field play area or the Grand Canyon, Ben LOVED this jeep parked in the hotel lobby. We spent the majority of our time playing on this jeep.