Too much to catch up on!

It's been so long since I've blogged and so much has happened, I don't even know where to start. I'll try to get as much in as I can in one post...but I might add more later :)
These are in order of what pops in my head first...no logic here.

* We found out a few weeks ago that our new baby will be a boy! I have to admit that I was a bit shocked initially - my mommy intuition was waaaay off! Now I am so thankful and excited to welcome not just ANOTHER boy to our family, but a new miracle and blessing. I can't wait to meet him. To answer the most asked question: we have always had 4 kids in our heart...so we will try to have another baby in a few years...only God knows what's in store for us :)

* We recently went on a weeklong road trip as a family to visit our extended family in Illinois and Wisconsin. It was so great to see aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. Our boys fell in love with each and everyone one of their cousins all over again. It was really a joy to see those little relationships grow...and it brought me back to being a kiddo playing with my cousins.

* Gabriel Steven is now a Terrific Two year old! Today is our little guy's birthday! I am amazed at how fast he picks things up...having a big brother definately helps. He is almost completely potty trained and already sleeps in a big boy bed. About a month ago we got the boys a new bunk bed and Gabriel went straight from the crib to the bottom bunk...and he's done great! He also says so many words I can't even keep track. He's speaking in short sentances and saying anything he needs to communicate his little two year old wishes. My favorite words are: picka(pickle), happy daday(happy birthday), mommya & daddya, titi(christopher), baybay(baby), NO NO daddya!, and bataties(batteries).

*Christopher is my awesome little helper and a wonderful big brother! He loves to help with babies and is already very protective over his little brother. He has finally started drawing lately-I was starting to wonder if he would ever be interested in drawing! His first work of art was a spider and then he moved on to a self-portrait. I was really surprised with how advanced his drawings were since he hadn't done any before...it's like he skipped a few steps. His face had lots of detail-like the eyes and pupils, nose, mouth, eyebrows, hair, etc. He is also doing great with letters! He can recognize several letters and tell you their sound, and he is also starting to write his name. I'm so proud of my little man! He goes to preschool two mornings each week, but he has started to have some seperation anxiety when I drop him off. I've managed to talk him into going, but today was the most difficult. I had to actually walk him in the door instead of dropping off with the teacher like we usually do. He says he doesn't like it when his friends take his toys and that's why he doesn't like going...no one likes that! Although it breaks my heart to make him go when he wants to stay home, I know it's really the best thing for him to work through these obstacles now and learn how to deal with issues at school. I'm already starting to worry a little about him starting kindergarten, even though it's two years away, so this is good for the both of us to ease the transition! His favorite things these days are: riding his spiderman bike, riding his new skateboard, casting his fishing pole, playing with the neighbors across the street, playing baseball, running out for football passes from daddy, watching movies, and making up games and stories to share with us.

* My brother found out he is going to be a daddy! His wonderful girlfriend, Mandy, is pregnant with a baby boy. And the crazy thing is...we are due on the same day...February 16th!! I'm so excited for them and for us-since we will have a nephew and a new cousin for our boys to love on! I pray that God guides their relationship and keeps their baby healthy.

I have lots of pictures to post on here, but I'll have to do that later today/this week.

Stay tuned :)