An early Valentine surprise

Ben got an early Valentine tonight! A scavenger hunt with a surprise at the end. It started in the garage, took him to many stops around the house and ended at the garage (the trunk of my car). His present was a Wii Fit for our Wii. He was very excited. Here are a few pictures.

Benny and Betsy Bear

Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen?

About my husband

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but Ben was meant to be the father of a daughter. While I think Ben represents "all that is man" he is also a warm and fuzzy guy. He's sensitive to what I'm feeling/going through. He takes me seriously on things I think are important. He was so patient through hormone swings and morning sickness.

Ben and I see eye to eye in how women should be treated and expectations for the things our daughter should learn. He respects strong women. I think he likes that I don't view anything as "men's work" (with the exception of mowing the lawn because it will give me an asthma attack). And he doesn't treat things as "women's work". He jumps in and helps with the cleaning, laundry and bottle washing. And thank the Lord I found a man that cooks.

I really love that we take care of one another. I don't know at what point in our relationship we began to do this. He makes sure I'm eating something other than PB sandwiches while he's gone. I make sure he has his soccer clothes clean before game days. He brings me a Sonic diet coke on the way home if I've had a rough day. I proof read his power points before he uses them in class. I could probably name a hundred things we do for one another on a regular basis, but the point is we take care of each other because we want to.

The reason Ben was meant to be the father of a daughter is that he will show her how a husband should treat his wife. He will teach her that there is nothing she can't do if she sets her mind to it. He will show her a man can be strong and sensitive.

Gee, I love that man :)

About Chick-fil-a.

Let's get on with it already!! If you know me well you know I have a deep appreciation for Chick-fil-a. I view the Chick-fil-a sandwich as just about the most perfect piece of sustenance one can consume. I'm pretty sure Betsy's first solid food will be a Chick-fil-a nugget and a cookies n' cream milkshake (or not!). The best part of going into labor was that I would soon meet our little girl. The second best part was the Chick-fil-a located a half mile from the hospital.

The only Chick-fil-a in our town up to this point has been in the mall. I try not to go to the mall if I don't have to. It's a hassle. And I try to avoid the temptation to spend money on what I don't need. Well they FINALLY built a free standing Chick-fil-a that has *looked* finished for a couple weeks now, but has a sign out front that says "coming soon". I drive by the Chick-fil-a and gaze out the window imagining the goodness of a (9 Weight Watcher points) Chick-fil-a sandwich daily. Today the sign in front was lit up, but I couldn't tell if they were open. Lets hope so because the anticipation is killing me! In the words of the cows "Eat more chicken."

This week's happenings:

Not a whole lot going on! Ben figured out how to watch Netflicks on our TV from the laptop. Last night he did Jillian Michael's 'Cardio Kickboxing' while I washed and made bottles. He was so cute to watch, Ben is really coordinated and gets into workout videos. When Jillian talked to the 'audience' Ben talked back! Ha!

Betsy had a bath and a bottle and was in a 'quiet awake' state. I've taken to laying her in her crib at 10 even if she's not asleep (as long as she isn't fussing) and she typically lays in there quietly until she falls asleep. This morning I got a late start but somehow I showered, did my hair and makeup, fed Betsy the second half of her bottle and made my lunch and still got out the door in time. It helps that Ben gets up when I wake up and starts feeding her. He needs less time in the mornings to get ready so he does more of the morning duty things while I do more of the evening baby duty. District play has begun for soccer, so he has evening games a couple times per week but is then home all weekend. That's a nice change after tournament weekends.

AND I am super excited my BFF Megan is heading to Centex to meet lil Betsy this weekend!! I miss my amigas, but with us being scattered all over the state and Betsy being born in the midst of the holiday season we've had to delay meeting her other 'Aunts'. We can't wait to see Megan soon!

Play date with Cousin Isaiah

This morning we woke up, fed the baby, and Ben went grocery shopping while I cleaned the house. Then my cousin Cynthia brought over her baby Isaiah and visited for a while. Of COURSE we took this as an opportunity for a photo shoot... see the pictures :)

Grease is the word

Last night Ben and I had a fun date. We went to dinner with a couple he coaches with and their three kids, then we went to his high school's production of Grease. It was fun! Ben and I sang along a LOT. It was also nice to meet John and Laura's children who were so well behaved! I made a friend in 11 year old Kierstan. We bonded over the Harry Potter series and our shared love of Disney movies and musicals.

Betsy went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for the evening and slept great last night. We got to sleep from 11 pm to 8 am, THANK YOU BETSY!

Here are a few pictures from last night!