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!  

What? No posts in 3 Stinking months??? :)

Alright, alright, I know it's been a while. A very long while. The truth of it is, aside from my general and overall laziness, I have had the DARNDEST time getting pictures/videos to load to the blog using a PC. Seriously. The great news is that my wonderful husband just found the cable for me to connect my camera to my laptop, so now we are in business! Thanks hubby!

Happy Halloween 2008

"Trick-N-Treat"

Ben did a GREAT job "trick n treat"ing as he called it. Our little monkey was timid for about one house...until he learned what happens when you say trickntreat and thank you! :) He had such fun and got to ride around in his wagon to lots of houses! There were actually 2 houses on our street that give full size candy bars..can you believe it? A child's dream! My child, of course, chose to get a red tootsie roll pop instead. What a cutie. Mommy and Daddy will have to give him some lessons in picking out the Twix and Snickers instead next year :)

Digging for our Christmas tree

For the first time, we have decided to buy a live tree this year and plant it in our yard after Christmas. The boys prepared during the nice weather by digging a hole for the tree, which we plan to plant New Years Day. Benjamin is the best big boy helper.

Shoveling the Driveway with Daddy & Stella

We've had a few snows already this winter, so Ben has gotten some practice being the little man of the house.....helping carry in firewood and helping shovel the driveway. Daddy is lucky to have such a helpful helper around. What better way to reward hard work than with a fun FIRST time sledding?

First Haircut

Yes, believe it or not, we have waited 2 1/2 years to give him his first haircut.....and after all that waiting and anticipation, we did it ourselves willy-nilly after a shower one evening in our bathroom. I realize his hair is still long, but we did cut about 3-4 inches off the back and an inch or so off his bangs. I just can't part any more with the curls. :) He was a cooperative boy, in general, and ran around naked like a crazy person when we were done. It must be a rejuvinating experience getting your hair cut the first time.

No pregnancy pictures yet. I'm not really showing...with a specific bump at least. I moreso just look very thick. I'll post pictures when I think it's cute and not just gross & fat. I am 18 weeks along, feeling great, and finally feeling the baby kick. We go on January 2nd for our 20 week ultrasound, so hopefully all will go well and maybe we'll be able to find out if we're having a baby "brodder" or "sisser". Ben just calls it a "baby brodder/sisser" to be safe. He says hello to the baby everyday and usually gives my belly a kiss. He's gonna be a great big brother.

Happy holidays to everyone! We'll be thinking of you this wonderfully festive holiday season!

What a travel-filled summer!

Alas, we are home for good for the rest of the year (or as far as we know!!). It has been such a jam-packed summer and it's nice to be home and get officially back into the groove of being home! We've spent all weekend working on our house--hanging curtains, a little painting, finishing the fireplace, etc. It's a lot of tedious work that we have let go by the wayside since our busy summer started 4 months ago!! Enjoy some pictures from our final trip which was to Massachusetts (Boston/Cape Cod). We had a great time and hope to go back someday! Above is a pic of Andrew and Ben on the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. We had BEAUTIFUL weather on our trip---yeah!

Here we are on the USS Constitution. It was full of interesting history, but not necessarily a great place for a 2-year old. We walked a good portion of the Freedom Trail in our short 1/2 day in Boston, and spent a lot of time near Faneuil Hall.
Benjamin Harvey, meet Benjamin Franklin. (Ben had this intense underbite thing going on during our trip. Not sure why, but I'm glad the phase is already over!)
We got to spend the night in Boston with our good friends Cassie & Brian and Megan & Pat. Tina was also able to spend a good portion of the day with us. Benjamin had fun with all the attention he got from everyone, and his good behavior all day earned him a toy for dinner time (aptly named "Lobbie"). We enjoyed a great lobster & oyster & mussel dinner and went to Mike's Pastries for dessert. We couldn't believe it, but at 10:30 PM on a Sunday night this place was PACKED--wall to wall. Obviously it was a hit and I highly recommend going there if you're ever in Boston.
Ben sleeping with mom and dad in the tent at our first Cape Cod campsite in Nickerson State Park in Brewster. It was the only time during our entire visit that it rained, which was lucky for us!
Ahhh, he's crazy!!
Mommy loves lighthouses! Surprisingly, this was the only working light house we saw the entire trip. :(

Ben's first time to the ocean!! Too bad it was windy and cold, but he sure enjoyed the water rushing up to his knees. We're at the southern most tip of the Cape Cod National SeaShore in Eastham. Our second night (of 3--no pictures from our last night, which we stayed in our tent in Shawmee-Crowell State Park in Sandwich). We stayed at Sippiwissett campgrounds in a tipi. Glad we did it, but won't due it again. :)Bike riding on Martha's Vineyard. We had gorgeous weathe and biked the whole time we were there....at least 15 miles. What a beautiful place.

The coolest kid in the world. He was so great on our trip, and did a great job in his car seat on the plane.....thank goodness for child restraints!!! :) For those of you with lap children, let me just say, the extra seat you pay for for the child to have their own seat and carseat---PRICELESS!!!

I hope you enjoyed the pictures. More to follow soon :)

Home from Yellowstone, Off to Massachusetts

What a busy summer we've had---so much traveling and so many visitors coming to see us!  It has been a great summer, but certainly too short...

Uncle Tom (or "Mom" or "T-Mom"-for little boys who can't quite begin a word with the "tuh" sound just yet) came out earlier this month for a 2-week visit.  We had a great trip up to Cody, Wyoming, where we went to a rodeo and stayed at Buffalo Bill's Hotel.  Buffalo Bill was quite fond of Benjamin and took his picture with him.  Next we went up to Red Lodge, Montana, a first for Benjamin and me.  We headed south to Yellowstone National Park where we saw lots of buffalo, as well as a momma & cub black bear and a grizzly bear.  Ben really loved all the wildlife.  

On our way home we went swimming in the Grand Teton National Park and stopped by Dinosaur National Monument---which, by the way, is not currently accessible, so we had to settle for the dinosaur gift shop one mile outside of the park.  

We had a great time on our trip.  Benjamin was such a good boy considering he was strapped in his car seat for a 6-day, 1700 mile road trip.  

Now we're all (AJ, Ben, and me) off to Massachusetts for Kristy's wedding.  We are so excited for a week's vacation and it's AJ and Ben's first time to the east coast---and it'll be Benjamin's first time to the ocean!  I can't wait to see him playing in the sand.  He's going to have so much fun!  We are going to explore some of Boston and then head for 3 nights of camping throughout Cape Cod.  Can't wait!!

I'll post more when we get back!

I'm 2 !!!!!!

I can't believe 2 years ago I was in the hospital giving birth to this amazing little bundle of energy (who's been a chatty cathy all day). We've had a great day---swimming, eating banana pudding out of ice cream cones, all the fun things we like to do :) This summer has been really enjoyable and Ben has had a ton of fun.

Did I mention he is exhibiting signs of being 2? It's been just pleasant so far---NOT! Fortunately for him he is so cute we love him anyways! :) Here is a pic of Ben standing in the corner for being naughty--UNfortunately for us he doesn't quite mind the punishment.

Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes.

We are planning on getting the "flip" house on the market in a couple weeks, and then Uncle Tom is coming out for a visit and we're heading to Yellowstone.....so don't expect any new posts before then (although, I know you all don't hold your breath too long anymore!) I promise I'll post with pics from our trip when we get back.

Woa, it's been a while!

At the zoo with Daddy....

Blogging is really easy, and I don't know why I can't find the time to do it, but it just doesn't get done enough---I know!!!!

Life has been wild around the Harvey house. We have nearly completed the renovation on the upstairs (main) living area of our home, which has been very time-consuming, expensive, and exhausting. But so worth it. Here's a pic of our big helper--

We love the house so much we've decided to stay indefinitely, and as we've learned about the neighborhood we've discovered some fun 4-wheeling/hiking trails and a lake! Ok, more like a really big pond, but you can fish on it so last week we purchased a canoe!! We've had a lot of fun, Ben and Stella included, and feel so cool driving around with a big red canoe strapped to the top of our Jeep :)

Some pics of our summer recreation so far: (canoeing pictures are from a camping trip last weekend...this is NOT the "pond" near our house!)

Some more big news....we've decided to purchase a second home that will serve as our first, true fix-n-flip investment. We've hit some glitches so far with the whole purchasing aspect, but hope to close on the property any day now. Keep your fingers crossed! It is a big and scary undertaking, but we are SOOOO excited to take on the challenge....and who knows, maybe become professional house-flippers! :)

Alright, alright, I know you just want to hear about Benjamin. He is so awesome, amazing, fun, smart, funny, cute, talkative (wonder where he gets that from?), handsome, flirty, energetic, loving, giggly, kissable.....put simply, we just love him and can't get enough of him! He talks all the time and has quite an extensive vocabulary. By far, however, his favorite word (and thing) is "car". He points out cars all the time when we are driving, he stands at the window at the front of the house pointing out mommy and daddy's cars-as well as the cars passing by. Recently, we have introduced him to the movie Cars, which we now watch no less than 3 times per day. He most enjoys wearing his Car jammies to bed and brushing his teeth using his Cars toothpaste while standing on his Lighting McQueen step stool. Could be worse, he could like Thomas the Train. :)

Its really fun watching him grow and learn. He says or repeats new words everyday and has really starting counting a lot. His favorite number to say is nine, but he also likes to pick things up (one in each hand) and say "two (blank)".....such as "two cars," two boots (books)," "two doddy (monkey)". He used to say donkey for monkey, but now he's reverted more to "doddy"....which is closer to doggie, so maybe he's just confused about what monkeys are.

Some pics of Ben walking the dog and being silly!

Ben loves to kiss and has really learned that kissing makes boo-boos feel better. He says "hurt," gets a kiss, and say "bayer" (better). Of course recently he's been hurting mommy so that he can kiss it and make it feel "bayer." Hopefully that phase ends soon!

He's very polite and says "pease" (please) and "ankoo" (thank you) with a big grateful smile on his face.

Well, I hope I updated you all well enough for now. To be honest, it's been a connectivity issue between my camera and computer that has kept me from posting, but now I have that figured out so hopefully I'll be better in the future. Thank you all for your love for and interest in our little angel.