Preschool!

Well, our big boy has started school.....preschool, that is. He was SOOOOOO excited on his first day. Didn't even notice when Andrew and I left. He's so independent! :) When we picked him up he was still so excited from the time at school, and cried/whined when we put him in the car to go home.

He went for his second day this morning.....loved it. His teacher says he is doing great. We're so happy for him that he loves it so much and that he is getting this opportunity. He doesn't share much about what he did in class (typical kid, right?), but today when I asked him what he did in school, he said "I learned." That about covers it, I guess.

On a separate note, here's a little video of our guys. They are so cute...we just love them!

My little boys are growing up.......

It's only the beginning, isn't it? First off, I can't believe Evan is almost 5 months old! Time truly has flown. To a large extent I feel like he has always been a part of our family, and yet I can't believe how quickly time has passed since he was born.

Second, Benjamin is starting preschool next week!!! My goodness, preschool. He is so excited, and we are so excited for him! We went to meet the teacher and check out the school last week and he was invited to join in with the class. Although he is sometimes shy in situations like this, he jumped right in there and had a great time. It's going to be great for him.He has got such an extensive vocabulary it is amazing. He loves to sing & read, "fix" things with all his tools, and on many occasions, drive his parents crazy. He is such a good boy--we really lucked out! I will be happy, though, when we can put him in a sport that provides a healthy avenue for his endless energy!

Hmmm, what else is new? Andrew's 29th birthday is this week, so we are hoping the cold weather will hold off just long enough for us to take our first (and Evan's FIRST ever) and last camping trip of the season. Can't wait for next year when Evan will be older and we can go more.

Things are looking promising with the house-flipping venture. I'll post more about that another time...don't want to jinx anything :)

I guess that's it from Colorado. I hope to write more soon.....but don't hold your breath! :)

Don't forget to check out my new blog, if you haven't already--- SavingForTheBoys

Best Buds

Sorry for the delay in posting....I started back at Starbucks this week and have been pretty sick.  What can I say.....my boys are great.  They are so cute together--I know as soon as Evan can play they are going to be best of friends.  Evan watches EVERYTHING that Ben does and you can just tell by his face how much he loves Ben. 

Ben, on the other hand, has finally gotten to the point where he wants to be involved with Evan.  He never didn't like him, but for the first two months he was pretty indifferent to his presence.  Now he loves to hold him, hold his hand, feed him a bottle, etc.  It is precious.  

It's been just the boys and me for the better part of 4 weeks now.  We bought a house to fix-n-flip in Pueblo (2 hours south of our house) in July and Andrew's been going down for 3-4 nights in a row to work on it.  Now that I'm back to work, we're trading off days....it's hectic.  

We are looking in to preschools for Ben.  It's about that time.....  I'll keep you updated.  While most days it can be a handful to watch my ultra-energetic 3-year old, I know I will miss having him in the house once he's in school.  Summer is wrapping up quickly, but he's had a good time staying with his grandparents a lot this summer....he just loves those sleepovers!!

Evan is currently a bit of a mama's boy, but he is such a sweet angel.  He is so content and loves to smile and laugh.  He has also rolled from back to front a few times.  He's trying to sit up.....I'm not ready for that!!!

He eats and sleeps well and only poops every 9 days or so.  Yes, you read that right.  It's awesome.  And well-deserved since Ben pooped with every diaper until he was over 2 years old!!

Speaking of Ben and pooping, he is doing an EXCELLENT job potty training.  Thank goodness boys can pee anywhere (i.e. pulled over on the side of any road), but I tell ya, it's hard potty training boys.  I will be happy when this milestone is behind us.  

Well, it's late.  We did get back from a vacation in the mom-mobile (my Pilot).  Mimi (my mom), Uncle Tom, Daddy, Ben, Evan, and me all packed up in the car and drove for about a week.  I'll post about it with pics in a few days (I hope!)

Hope you enjoyed the update....sorry it's been so long!

Shameless Plug

I wanted to direct you all to my new blogging venture, Saving For the Boys. It is a blog I've been wanting to start for a while and finally did yesterday--so go check it out--it's lonely without any visitors!!
It is, of course, a work in progress, but hopefully everyone will benefit from my daily posts!  It's about the things that I do to save money...it's pretty cool stuff, if I do say so myself!  :)

Yes, I have slacked incredibly on my personal blog about the boys. I will try to update it tonight--but only if you visit my new blog! :)

Thug baby

These pictures cracked me up when I saw them...I had to post pics of my little gangster.  

Are the gestures below some sort of gang sign or is he just getting ready to bust a rhyme? 

Seriously, though, with the exception of his colicky moments, he's an absolute angel.  Can you see the halo?

Displaying his male-pattern baldness hairline (thanks to all branches of family), he's getting so big.  I hope he'll fit into all the hand-me-downs!!

Chillin' with Daddy.  Mommy's bed is becoming Evan's favorite place to sleep...uh-oh.  :)

Living in a house full of boys is crazy.  Especially with a nutso almost-3-year-old!  Benjamin is just as busy as ever and I am happy summer is here so we can take daily walks in the woods.  He LOVES "hiking," although we made the mistake of letting him play in a puddle about a week ago and now he goes SWIMMING in nearly waist-deep muck every time we go out.   N

eedless to say, he either rides in his empty wagon home or gets stripped down for the carseat and gets an immediate shower.  It is certainly a lengthy process, I just keep reminding myself how much fun he has--although, I sure wish it would result in a nap or something.


My little train builder.  He independently builds some really intricate train tracks (not pictured here)....I wonder what he'll be when he grows up.  He's got some wonderful talents, skills, and interests.  He's gonna make it big someday, I just know it.

Just living the dream here in Colorado.  Trying to remember that these are the best days of my life!!  (do I sound a little sleep deprived?)

Evan Thomas Harvey is here!!

I apologize for the incredibly long time it has taken me to post about our new little angel.  Evan Thomas was born Monday, May 4th, at 2:34 AM.  He was 6 lbs, 6 oz, and a wee 18 3/4 inches long.  As I had him au natural, I'm grateful that I cook small babies!

The natural birth was an awesome experience and I am so grateful we were able to go to a birth center this time around.  Evan was born in the water, and the midwife said he swam right out.  Do I have another swimmer on my hands?  Uncle Tom is probably hoping so!

The picture above is about 10 hours postpartum.  We were discharged from the birth center after 4 hours (we were only there a total of 6.5 hours) and got to come home and rest and recover in our familiar environment.  Definitely awesome--I would recommend it to everyone!

Benjamin is loving his new baby brother, Evie.  He loves to hold and kiss him, although now that we are going on 3 weeks, I think he is starting to realize that Evan is not leaving.  It is crazy how many people (mostly grandparents) are making sure that Benjamin still feels extra loved....I think "prize" and "present" are his favorite words now and he is starting to expect a present with each visit from "his friends," as he calls everyone who comes over to the house.  It is so important for him to know that he is special, and we appreciate everyone who has made sure that he knows how much he is loved!

Playtime!

Naptime!

Mommy and her boys.  What a wonderful time in life.  Of course, after a only a few hours each day with these two I go insane, but that's part of life having little ones, right?  

A rare picture.  On his first day of life, our little guy is so alert already!  I fear that Evan will be an early bloomer---he already lifts his head as often as possible.  The first time he did it, I think on day 1, I thought it was a fluke.  Now, 17 days later, he is still lifting his head and has every day.  I am pretty sure at this rate he will be crawling at 5 months---yikes!!

About a week old.  What a cutie.

About 2 1/2 weeks old.  He was 7 lbs, 3 oz at his 2 week visit.  Gaining pretty good weight.  I sure hope so--I feel like he eats all day long!  It's ok, I like feeling needed!  :)

You may be wondering where Andrew is during all these pictures.  He is either behind the camera or I have stolen some precious moments with my boys while he was doing something else.  

He was actually laid off when Evan was 1 week old, so he has been home with us the whole time.  I can't imagine these past few weeks without him and I've been so grateful to have him home to spend time with us.  You might remember that he lost his job when I was six months pregnant with Benjamin.  I recall that being the worst and hardest month of our entire relationship (because of that and other difficult things---death in the family, taxes due, computer crashed, etc.).  It is strange, but this time around, I have to be honest and say that these past few weeks have been the best of my life.  I am so happy that we are getting to spend quality time as a family and he is getting to spend quality time with his sons.  Of course, I hope to have some income sometime soon, but for now, we are just trying to take advantage of this special time.  

I will try and post again soon....thanks for your interest in our family!

The end is near.....

35 weeks down (almost 36), how many to go?  Sorry there haven't been more pictures along the way.  If you may recall from my pregnancy with Benjamin, I'm not too pregnant-looking until the end--yeah--but it makes for uneventful pictures.  That, and until the end, I just feel ugly and don't want my picture taken  :)

It was a cold and snowy day here in Colorado on Easter.  We made a nice fire, had some hot cocoa, and had the fam over for breakfast and an indoor, Benjamin-only Easter egg hunt.  He had tons of fun, but wasn't too interested in finding the eggs once he learned that there were treats inside the eggs.  It slowed the process down quite a bit.  Kids....they are crazy!

Having fun with Daddy.  I am looking at these pictures laughing because since Easter, which was only a short 3 days ago, Ben has gotten another haircut....this one resulting in much more of a buzz cut.  As his mother, I don't like it.  Hair grows back, right?  :)  Once the baby comes I will appreciate the lack of hairbrushing that needs to take place post-shower and the insane bed head in the morning.  But for now, I just don't like it.  

Sorry, no time to write, but I know picture are what's important anyways.  Ben had a great time with his first round of swim lessons with Daddy.  I guess we're ready for summer!

I am almost 32 weeks pregnant now (pictures are not toooo recent), but I am still quite small.  Baby will be here in 8 weeks or less---yikes!!  It's time to start pretending like he's coming and get out the clothes, car seats, crib, etc!  :)  Can't wait to meet him!

  Above is my first pregnancy photo to post....I'm 25 weeks along.  That means that next week I will start my 3rd trimester!!  I can't believe it---it is going by so quickly!  It's crazy how time flies when you have a toddler, 2 jobs, a husband, a dog, and you're pregnant.  Thank god I'm not having octuplets  :)  The baby is doing great and is VERY active...I'm afraid he might be more active than Benjamin---yikes!!  I think we've decided on a name for him, but we're going to keep it to ourselves for now because we haven't 100% agreed.  

By the way, aside from the fact that I look terrible in this picture (thank you Great Clips for this wonderful haircut), I think in person my belly looks much rounder than this pictures leads on.  It sure feels rounder  :)  I also thought I'd share that while I'm writing this I am learning that Orville Redenbacher's Natural "Tender White" popcorn is very tasty.
Thanks to all of his grandparents, Benjamin got a swingset "playground" for Christmas.  This gift was my idea after I found my 26 month old son in our neighbor's yard (over the 4.5' fence) playing on their "playground."  He could've broken his neck climbing that fence, and to this day I have no idea how he got over unscathed.  Needless to say, I am ecstatic to have a playground on our side of the fence now.  

The swingset went up a couple weeks ago because we've been having pretty nice weather lately.  Benjamin loves playing on it and going down the slide, and Andrew and I love how it wears him out :)



My baby boy has gotten his curly locks cut off...by Daddy.  It was a little traumatic for me (yes me, not Ben) at first, and the next day, but now I think it's growing on me.  He now looks like the little boy that he is.  He did a great job and sat still the whole time.  He is too precious.  He is actually a slight-bit unrecognizable when you first see him with his short do'. 

 


We finally sold my old car, which is a great weight off my shoulders.  We've both been working a lot trying to get ready for jr's arrival. I also just signed another 2-year contract for StrollerFit. It is now officially the longest job I've ever had...and it's my own business.  Go figure.   Hopefully things will settle down a bit after this month and then we can take a little breather before all chaos takes over in May!  

Here is what I have learned about blogging...posting pictures is a major pain in the butt.  Those of you who post regularly to your blogs...you must know something I don't.  

I just reread this blog and it's quite scatter-brained.  Now you know what it's like for my husband to have a conversation with me--except I at least finished my thoughts on here before starting a new one.  Hope everyone is well, has power, and is staying warm!

Christmas, New Years, and It's a Boy!!

There must be something in the water at the IU swimming pool.....all of my swimming friends, myself included, who have had children have boys.  Since I am the first to have a second child, I thought maybe I would be the first to have a girl.  I was wrong.  Another boy is being added to the mix.....too bad we all live in different states or I'm sure we could have fun playdates and eventually contribute to an awesome men's swim team.  :)We found out January 2nd that it's a boy.  The first picture up on the screen--my second son baring all his goods.  These Harvey boys are so proud of themselves!  I'm glad I kept everything of Benjamin's....little "Wally GiggleMonster", as Ben has named him, will have plenty of clothes and toys!  

We are working on potty training Ben right now.  He's doing a great job, but I'm not convinced it's the right time yet...he might still be a little too young.  We'll see!  He's getting pretty excited about the baby and told a friend of mine today:  "my baby's name is Wally GiggleMonster".  What a funny guy.  I hope he won't be hurt when we give the baby an actual name.  Which, by the way, we probably won't do.  Unlike the name Benjamin, which we came up with and decided on as soon as we knew he was a boy, this time around has been much more difficult.  We have agreed on a middle name, so I guess at this point we might just come up with a few first names and decide once he comes.  

We had a great Christmas here at the Harvey house.  The grandparents came over to spend the night and Benjamin was excited to see that Santa had visited while he was sleeping.  He got TONS of fantastic gifts, all of which he meticulously unwrapped and played with.  It is worth mentioning, though, that at his young age of 2 1/2, he realized the boringness associated with clothing gifts.  The fun with those ended the second the paper was completely removed from the boxes.  For the record, he got some great and much-needed clothes!

Uncle Tom and Aunt Emmy arrived early New Years morning and we all headed up to Winter Park to go snowshoeing.  Ben also did some sledding while his favorite uncle was here.  We had a great visit and it was so nice to see family during the holidays.

I almost forgot to mention---I got a new car!!!  Well, new to me.  After 5 1/2 years of driving my little Saturn that I've never really loved, it was decided that I needed something bigger to handle 2 kids, groceries, strollers, family, etc.  Also, I was in desperate need of 4WD/AWD.  I got a great deal on a 2004 Honda Pilot and LOVE IT!!  Can't believe I didn't do it earlier.  Some key points of the car:  automatic, power windows/doors, heated leather seats, 8 passenger seating (comfortable), cruise control.  All things new to me as a car owner.  Yeah!!!!!

What else can I say about Ben?  He's basically not napping anymore, MUCH to my dismay.  He absolutely loves life and can't seem to get enough of jumping on the bed, couch, floor...anything. Even when he falls, I know he thinks it's worth it because he just says "Ben bump-a head."  He sure does like the monkey jumping on the bed book. 

Here's another pic of Ben the day we made cookies.  It was an all day event, and by the end of it, he just couldn't resist the urge to sneak some green food coloring.  Ahh, to be 2 again  :)

I hope to post some pics of my growing belly next time.  I don't have any pictures right now and don't have the energy to take any for this post.  I'm working too much!!  I'm not huge, but definitely showing.  I feel a lot bigger than I look, that's for sure!

As for me and Andrew, we are just working and trying to prepare for our impending arrival.  We are in the process of looking for our next house-flipp

ing project, but just started, so not much news there.  We have a lot of projects to finish up on our own house before the baby comes, so wish us (Andrew) luck!

Hope everyone survived the holidays and has so far enjoyed 2009.  8 more days 'til Bush is out of office, yeah!