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!