Here is a copy of our 2009 Christmas Card if you didn't receive one by mail this year. We are doing well and surviving the 20 plus inches of snow we received yesterday! Enough to cancel church and close the malls on Super Saturday! It reminds me of Minnesota....except for all the closures! Ben, Kate and I have cabin fever already! Unfortunately, David is stuck at the hospital this weekend. Ben doesn't understand why daddy's work isn't closed when everything else is! They are expecting a rush of broken bones and car accidents to start flooding the ER soon! Hope you are all well and have a very Merry Christmas!

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

Ever since we moved to Baltimore, Ben has been waiting for it to snow. A couple of months ago Nana sent gorgeous snow suits, boots, mittens, hats and jackets for the winter. The kids put them on immediately and wore them around the house the day they arrived in the mail and a few days since then. Today.....all their dreams came true! Beautiful snow...perfect for playing in. David joined them outside and even sported his own ski pants, boots, gloves, hat and Northface jacket. When he was headed outside I told him it wasn't that cold out! I think he was just a little excited too. He did admit later that he got a little hot, but now he is telling me that it was only because he was working while he was out there. :) They made a family of 4 snowmen and snow chairs for Ben and Kate. Kate enjoyed catching snowflakes on her tongue! Afterwards we all had hot chocolate and watched football. A great day in Baltimore.

It's a.....

BOY! And there was no questions about it! Before the ultrasonographer even told us Ben said, "Look...I see a penis!" Ben is already a radiologist in the making! We are excited to have another little boy join us...especially after enduring the terrible twos with a very strong willed little girl. Any name suggestions are more than welcome! Here is a recent picture of my huge belly!

5 Years!

Today is Ben's 5th birthday! Where has the time gone? I can hardly remember life without him. He is a true joy and a great little friend to me. Not a day passes by that he doesn't make us all laugh. He is clever, sensitive and genuine. I will be forever grateful to be his mother. Ben enjoyed his "Spiderman" birthday party today and a dinner trip to Red Robin this evening. He said it was, "the best day ever" and while he was playing with one of his new toys I heard him say to himself, "I'm soooooo spoiled." We love you Ben!

Embarrassed while the Red Robin crew sings Happy Birthday!

The Birthday Party Crew!

The "Spider Web" Cake!

Halloween Happenings!

We had a great Halloween this year. On Friday, Ben had a fun Halloween party at school and we went to our Church's trunk or treat. Ben invited his friend Brady, "Superman" from school. They had a great time.

My friend Heather's little girl, Brooklyn was "Bat girl". It made for a cute picture.

On Saturday, David carved a pumpkin with the kids and we enjoyed our neighborhood festivities.



We got in just the right amount of trick or treating before it started raining. Now the task is attempting to hide the candy from Kate. She can climb anywhere and is very good at discovering my hiding places. She inherited her mother's sweet tooth! As you can see from the pictures, Ben was Batman. I made his costume this year. David was a little worried, but admitted he was very impressed with the final product. I will admit Kate's care bear costume didn't turn out as well, but she loved it and that's all that really matters, right? I took advantage of David having vacation this week and got a much needed haircut(as you can tell from the picture). It had been 5 months, way too long! I feel almost as blond as Kate now! It took too long to get settled in and get over the really bad morning sickness before I could go. I have missed Diane desperately...my friend who has cut my hair for the past 5 years!

Cromwell Valley Park Field Trip

On Monday, Ben had his first official "field trip." His class visited Cromwell Valley Park and learned how to harvest pumpkins, apples, black walnuts and corn. He got to pick his own pumpkin, make and taste apple cider, crack a black walnut, grind corn into cornmeal and eat cornbread. It turned out to be a beautiful fall day. It was fun to watch Ben socialize with his classmates and see firsthand that he really has become everyone's, "best friend."







This last picture is one of Ben and his friend RJ. Ben loves RJ. I love to watch them together. RJ is the biggest kid in the class and Ben is one of the smallest, but they don't seem to care or even notice.

B&O Railroad Museum!

Anyone know what the B in B&O railroad stands for? You guessed it...Baltimore! I ventured to the railroad's museum last week with my friend Kristen and some of her kids. Kate insisted on wearing Ben's railroad hat the entire time and chanted "Choo Choo" the ENTIRE time we were there. We had a good time.