Labor Day Weekend 2009. . .

We were so excited to have Sarah come and visit us over Labor Day. You should have seen how excited Brooklyn was when we picked her up at the airport. We didn't get her (Brooklyn - not Sarah) calmed down until about midnight. : )

Friday, we started off the fun with a little swimming while Ben was at work. The rest of the day we just hung out.

Saturday, we headed up to Rexburg. We went to Gringo's for lunch, the distribution center, and went to Parker to visit the cemetery. Saturday night, we had a BBQ with the family.

Sunday, we went to church and had dinner over at my parents' house. Then, we went and checked out our lot!

Monday, we hit up the Eastern Idaho State Fair for some serious fun. B loved the petting zoo and all of the animals. I was a little disappointed we didn't see more of the "fun people" that the fair is famous for. : ) After we took naps to recover from all of the excitement, we met family at Texas Roadhouse for a yummy dinner.

These piglets were a day old, so cute!!!

We loved having Sarah here! Thanks for coming! And, we can't wait to see the rest of the family this weekend in Utah!

Out of the mouth of Brooklyn . . .

Little Miss Brooklyn has been cracking us up lately with all of her funny sayings. Here are a few:

• B and I were playing with the blocks. I built a tower and I said, "Look Brooklyn, look what I made." She came running up, gave me a hug, and said, "Wow, you did it Mom. It's beautiful!" She is so encouraging!
• While Sarah was here visiting, she told us, "I had a blast swimming today!" Seriously, where does she get this stuff?
• At the grocery store, I decided to help out my checker and bag some groceries. Brooklyn asked what I was doing, and I told her I was putting our groceries in bags. She said, "Okay Mom, you can do it!" The checker started laughing so hard.
• And, last, but not least, she asked Ben the other night if he had a baby in his belly too, and then she told us that she had one in hers. We quickly told her that only mommy has a baby in her tummy. She is one funny girl!

Our latest purchase . . .

As of yesterday afternoon, we officially own a piece of land!!! We are getting ready to build a house, and the plan is to break ground this coming Wednesday! Crazy, but so exciting! We are so ready for a house, we are busting at the seams here, and what could be better than a brand new house?! Keep your fingers crossed that the weather here in Idaho cooperates, so we can get it built before the snow comes, I know - wishful thinking! : ) But hey, our contractor says he thinks it's possible. All I know, is that I want to be moved in, unpacked, and settled before this little baby comes! Look at us: we're all grown-up!

Our lot - that's right, we've got a country view!!!

Here's a rendering of what the home will look like.

My new DIET . . .

So, I have this amazing new diet that has worked some wonders on me. Let me tell you a little bit about it:

It's Effective: I have lost 17 pounds (and still counting down) in two months!!! Not to mention, my appetite has decreased drastically. I don't want to eat, ever. Example? Normally, I love me a Taco Time burrito, but these days, I can't even look at one. Is that a good thing? I think so. . . This diet has made me thirstier than ever though, I am loving Powerade, Gatorade, oh, and snow cones!

Some side effects: NAUSEA! Not only do I feel nauseous all day long, but often have to excuse myself to "be sick." (multiple times a day.) Really not so fun, but weight loss isn't always fun, right? Also, it has made me so tired!!!

Do you want these amazing results too? The name of this little miracle diet is - pregnancy!!! That's right, we are expecting baby #2 in February! I am 14 weeks along, and so far everything is looking great. We are so excited and can't wait for this little bundle of joy to join our family!

Reed's Dairy Days 2009 . . .

Every year, the local dairy (Reed's Dairy - home of the best chocolate milk and ice cream ever) has a "fun" day. We decided to take Brooklyn on over this year, and she loved it. There were tons of people and the weather was a bit chilly, but we still had fun. Brooklyn loved the petting zoo, complete with baby goats, sheep, a pony, and my favorite; 1 and 2 day old calves. They were adorable. She loved seeing all of the animals, but did not want to ride on the horses. : ) After some fun there, we finally convinced her to leave by bribing her with a cheeseburger, fries, and a milkshake from McDonald's. Here is B loving all of the animals:

B would kneel down next to the animals and say: "My name is Brooklyn. Nice to meet you, what's your name?" It was so funny!

Anniversary gift . . .

As promised, here is a picture of my new bling! For our 5th anniversary, Ben got me the top band to my ring! I have always wanted it and talked about it, but he totally surprised me. He asked what I wanted for this anniversary and I told him my hair done, a pedicure, or maybe some new pots and pans. And, later he said we should go out and find my ring, which was an adventure all on its own. Five stores later, we had the exact band as mine, sawtered, and my ring looking like new. It is a bit heavier now, but I love it!

On Thursday night, we celebrated by dropping B off to my mom, and going to dinner at Chili's (where we had our first date) and then to see the movie, The Proposal. It was such a fun night, and I would recommend that movie to anyone, it was so cute! Yay for five years!!!

5 years of wedded bliss . . .

Yep, that's right, today is our 5 year anniversary!!! It really is crazy how fast time goes by. We have accomplished so much in our 5 years together; starting a new life in Colorado, Ben starting his career at Lockheed Martin, me working and finishing up school in Colorado, getting a teaching job, having our first baby - Brooklyn, moving to Idaho for a job at the INL, trying to figure out life, etc. We have lived in 3 different apartments/cities together, and are ready for the next stage in life!

I am so lucky to have Ben as my husband, he is so wonderful to me, and is such a great daddy to Brooklyn! We love you, Happy Anniversary honey.

Here are five things I love about Ben:

1. He is so thoughtful and giving. He wants to help everyone he can, and will do everything in his power to see that it happens.

2. He has always worked so hard for our family, and makes it possible for me to stay home with Brooklyn. I am so lucky, even though there are days I am just "done." : )

3. Ben is so creative. He has so many ideas, and is currently working on a new snowmobile product. He is so talented in design and computers, thank goodness, because I am not so talented in those areas.

4. He usually helps me cook dinner, and always puts his dishes in the dishwasher when he is done. And, I can usually talk him into vacuuming for me, and ironing sometimes too! Oh, and let's not forget that he takes care of the cars, I have only had to wash our car once since we have been married. I am always driving a nice, clean car. Love it.

5. He just wants to make me happy. He does everything he can to make that happen, I mean, he did move to Idaho with me. : ) And, you just wait to see what he got me for our anniversary present, pictures to come, it should be here on Friday. I don't know how I am going to lift my hand anymore. : )

I love you Ben! Happy Five Years, and here's to forever more!!!

One of our engagement pictures:

One of my favorite wedding pictures:

Our little family last summer: