Florida, Disney and Lotsa Great Memories!

Chris, Bennett, my sister Holly, and I just returned from a vacation in Orlando, Florida. What a fun, FUN week we had. Lots of swimming, sunning, eating PF Changs, watching movies, hanging out, and of course, going to Disney World.

My two favorite things about the week....First, seeing Chris and Bennett have so much quality time together and watching the bond between them grow right before my eyes. Secondly, spending so much fun , quality time with my little sis, Holly. She's not so little any more and she's gone from being a little sister to a friend sister. We had a lot of laughs and great memories that we will talk about for years to come, I am sure. We took lots of pictures, I am only going to post a few though for time sake.

13 Weeks and Rowdy!!!

I am now 13 weeks pregnant (or just over three months) and doing well. Morning sickness has finally SLOWLY begun to fade. It was a looong 8+ weeks of never ending nausea. Finally on the upswing. We had the delight of hearing our baby's heartbeat at 10 weeks. It was fast and strong.

The baby is about 3 inches long and the size of a medium sized shrimp right now. He or she got fingerprints this week. Amazing to think about God forming our little one with such detail and precision.

Chris had a dream the other night that it was a girl and she was squirming around a lot and he named her "Rowdy", so that is our name for the baby now...Rowdy! I told him it's not prophetic...just a dream...the rowdy part. He said a little rowdy is a good thing. :)

We will know in a few weeks if we have a boy or a girl. We will be sure to let everyone know.

Our Little Love!

Chris and I are so blessed to have our little guy, Bennett in our lives. He brings us so joy and laughter and love. The other day I said, "Oh, my tummy hurts. Bennett's reply, "I'm sorry, Mommy."

Rain Puddles and Trains

Today was an exciting day at the Toews' home.....
We arrived home and as soon as Bennett got out of the van he spotted them, giant puddles in the alley. It had rained a lot this afternoon and left perfect jumping puddles just outside our garage. He looked at me with a look that said, "Mom, PLEASE let me jump in the puddles and I agreed, but I made him wait until I ran in to get the camera.





















After a few minutes of jumping, the pants began to sag....And then, they came all the way down. Chris, Bennett and I were all laughing our heads off....keep reading below to hear about the trains....

...and trains

God is so good to Bennett. At a garage sale this afternoon we bought three bins full of GeoTrax train set. Benny already had a small set, but this addition gave him 5 or 6 times the amount of trax, trains, cool stations, bridges and tunnels. Needless to say, Daddy and Bennett spent the rest of the evening setting up an elaborate train track and playing trains. How cool.
Now that is a good day.....

Easter Chicks

For Easter Sunday this year, at Elevate Church, we wanted to have something different and fun in our foyer. We decided on baby chicks. On Friday, before Easter, we got eight baby chicks. They spent the next two days at our house. We took care of them, kept them warm under their light, fed and watered them and had a lot of fun watching and listening to them "peep, peep, peep". Bennett especially loved them. He called them "birds". He named one of them "Soccer Game". Figures. I am glad we don't always have baby chicks in our living room, it smelled like a barn, but it was fun for a few days.

Official Date - December 15th

The baby and I had our first doctors appointment on Friday. We love our new midwife. She is such a sweetheart. Her name is Angel and she spent over an hour with us, asking questions, getting to know us and answering any of our questions.
We did get an official due date and it's December 15, 2009. It's all a little deja vous since Bennett was due on December 19 and was born on the 21st. You know what they day about Spring time. :).

I am 5 1/2 weeks along and the baby has a beating heart now. Amazing, isn't it? To think that God is forming and creating our little love right now ever as I type.

We go back to see Angel in 4 weeks and we should get to hear the heartbeat.

I'm planning a trip to Chicago to get some great maternity jeans. Already unbuttoning the button on my regular jeans. Guess by pregnancy #3 (our first baby, Karis miscarried at 12 weeks), you get to put away the normal clothes sooner. :) Oh well. It only last 9 months.

Is it a BOY or a GIRL?

We are so excited to share our big news. Bennett is going to be a big brother. Our new little one will be here sometime the middle of December. We appreciate your prayers. We will post regular updates on our blog about our baby. Benny called all his grandparents and aunties and uncles to share the big news. In his words, "Mommy a baby...two babies". The number of babies remains to be seen...
We are super excited and are thanking God for this blessing in our life.

First Warm Day of 2009!

Finally! A warm day! First thing you do when a warm day comes? You go to a park, or course. Bennett was so excited. I am not even sure there are words to say how happy he was to be back at a park. He had no fear. It was up every ladder and climbing structure and he didn't want any help. Big boy now!!!

When we walked back home from the park, he kept looking back at it saying, "Bye park. Wub (love) you, park." So cute.

Mexico!!!!

Chris and I spent an amazing week in Riviera Maya, Mexico celebrating our anniversary. We left Bennett at Papa and Gramma Bennett's and spent eight days in paradise. No laundry, dishes or work, just sun, sleep, fun, food, maid service, love, did I say sun, pool side drinks, and lots of rest. It was so great. Chris and I both agree that is was a perfect trip. We can't wait to do it again.


Love those blue eyes!


Breakfast on our patio.


Our shadows on the beach.


Dressed up for dinner.


The ocean was so beautiful, so many shades of teal and blue.


One of our favorites....


Just outside our room, near the meandering pool.


A few of the restaurants.


The meandering pool.

Snow!

Okay, I'm just going to say it...I am tired of the snow and we have definitely had our fair share of the white stuff this winter. I stop and think about it though, and remember how much I loved it as a kid, and I put myself back into "kid's shoes" and realize that I should see it as a kid sees it...as FUN!! Bennett LOVES playing out in the snow. It can be bitter cold out, and believe me, it has been, and he still will want to tromp around out there in the snow with little care for the wind whipping around or the near zero temps. So, I take a lesson from my wee one, enjoy what is here now as things change too quickly, and as the snow melts it also means time has passed and my little boy will be big and the days of playing in the snow with him will be over. So, I enjoy the snow......

Trying to stay warm.


Bennett was so bundled up and the snow was so deep that he could barely walk without falling. You can't see it, but he is pulling his bear around in his little sled.

Funny Bennett Videos

A couple of funny videos of Bennett from early December '08 when we were in Calgary to visit gmpaT and Granma. Bennett was almost 2.

Thanks so much, Tim, for teaching my son to be destructive. :)