Happy Birthday Benson

Yesterday Benson turned 2. I can't believe I have a 2 year old. I dont think he grasped the concept of his birthday quite yet. We kept things simple and got him some ballons and a banner to wake up to in the morning. We also had playgroup at our house- the kids played in the kiddy pool and we decorated cupcakes and then sang Happy Birthday to him. His favorite thing was the plastic fireman hat we got him which i'll post later.
Just a few days old

one year birthday

Play Time

Benson and Henry are starting to notice each other more and more which for the most part is adorable and warms my heart. Other times it makes me feel like my heart is going to stop beating- like the time Benson tried to pick up Henry, or hit him with his toy or kicked him on accident. Good thing little boys are tough.


Henry's picked up my love of reading and Scott's love of nice cars

Happy Mothers Day

Me and Scott pretty much have the greatest mothers out there and so we wanted to remind them how great they are and send our love to them both. Happy Mothers day to everyone!!



So I am totally stealing this from another blog that I read (Thanks Hinckleys! and sorry I didnt ask to use it before I posted this!) and I have been thinking of this story all day today.

The Invisible Mother

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?'Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more! Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this??Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

Some days I'm a crystal ball; 'Where's my other sock?, Where's my phone?, What's for dinner?'I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history, music and literature -but now, they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England . She had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when she turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe.I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'With admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

1) No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names.

2) These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

3) They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

4) The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A story of legend in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof, No one will ever see it And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does.

No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, no Cub Scout meeting, no last minute errand is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder, one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible mothers.

Family Time

Weve had quite a few vistors over the last two months, hence the lack of posts. We've also been busy getting into the swing of a summer schedule and adjusting to two children. Just a few highlights from the last few weeks:

My mom came out the day Henry was born (great timing Mom!)

Then Scott's mom came out a week after my mom left and helped out so much! She even took Henry for two nights for me so I could get some sleep. (our moms are pretty much amazing). She was here over Easter as well.



We celebrated our 4 years of Marriage...Love, Love, Love this man!
Then a few weeks after that my Dad came to visit and we ventured downtown with the boys to ride the ferry, visit the french quarter and ride the trolley down St.Charles Ave. My Dad got Benson and early present- his first Tricycle!

and then a few weeks after that my sister Maddie came to visit. My parents were going out of town for 10 days and she didnt want to jump around house to house so she came and stayed with us. Don't be deceived by her mature beauty, shes only 14...apparently everyone thought that Henry was her child.

Dedicated

This post is dedicated to Scott...Happy Anniversary!

Four years ago today we got married and I can't believe how fast its gone by. Here's to the last four years of being married to an amazing man and to the next fifty as well. I am so lucky to be a part of his life and he is a wonderful father and husband.



"What is love? This may be hollywoods version and the interpretation of those who write love songs and love fiction. true love is not wrapped in such flimsy material. one might become immediately attracted to another individual, but love is far more than physical attraction. it is deep, inclusive, and comprehensive. physical attraction is only one of the many elements; there must be faith and confidence and understanding and partnership. there must be common ideas and standards. there must be a great devotion and companionship. love is cleanliness and progress, and sacrifice and selflessness. this kind of love never tires or wanes, but live through sickness, and sorrow, poverty or privation, accomplishment and disappointment, time and eternity"
Spencer W. Kimball

And then there was four...

We are so happy to introduce Henry David Berrett to the Berrett family. He joined us April 9th at 10am. He weighed in at 8 pounds 10 ounces and 20.5 inches long.

The morning he was born, I started having contractions when I woke up and started to get ready to go to the hospital. I told Scott to take his time and shower because they weren't super close and I felt like things wouldn't go very fast. An hour later I really regretted taking our time. We showed up at the hospital at 8am and I was very paranoid they would send me home because I wasn't dilated. she checked me and said I was at a 6- I then asked for an epidural asap- which didn't happen very asap if you ask me.

I think (from what I remember) I didn't get it till after 9am which is a very long time when you are in labor and feeling labor pains. Poor Scott got the brunt of the labor pains...and his hand- I was holding it so tight, you'd think I'd of bruised it.

As soon as I got the epidural they broke my water, had me push four times and little Henry arrived. It all happened very fast but everyone is doing well.

Benson is interested in his brother sometimes but most of the time he goes about his business. Having two kids keeps me on my toes and there are DEFINITELY more diapers to change but I love these boys and am SOO glad not to pregnant anymore!

Spring to Summer

I feel like we skipped spring all together this year. Going from 20 degree weather to 85 really does that to you. Today was so hot that after walking to our car from the library, we decided that water was a must in our next activity for the day.

Oh Baby

Dear Baby Boy,
I know your due date isn't for another week but since your brother was two weeks early, can you please come early as well? and come during the day? and maybe even right now? you will like it here, I promise. You'll have a lot more room to stretch out and you even have a brother ready to play with you.

I would like my body back soon, So please come now.
xoxo,
Your Mother


(i found this video of Benson the day after he was born. )

Chicken Lickin

The last few weeks, dinners in our house have been the same 10 recipes over and over. I don't know why but I hit what I like to call a "Blah" phase...nothing sounds good to cook or eat and I would rather have cold cereal or oatmeal than make dinner. I have been trying to get out of this rut for some time and may have succeeded tonight. Chicken is a staple in our home and so I was glad to find a recipe that was new and had chicken as an ingredient. You should try this recipe I found on myrecipes.com

Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Sandwiches

Ingredients

• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 4 (1/2-inch-thick) slices fresh pineapple
• 4 (1.5-ounce) whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted (I used hawaiin sweet rolls)
  
• Light mayonnaise (optional)
• 4 large basil leaves

Preparation

1. Prepare grill.

2. Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until done, brushing occasionally with lime juice. Grill pineapple 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned.

3. Spread mayonnaise on bottom halves of buns, if desired. Top each with 1 chicken breast half, 1 pineapple slice, 1 basil leaf, and 1 bun top. Serve immediately.

Welcome to New Orleans

So lets be honest, when I don't blog for awhile, it normally means that I'm having a hard time with life and I would rather keep my troubles and trials and struggles in my personal life rather than sharing them with the whole world.

Many people know that we moved to Minnesota for the training part of Scott's job and that we were told within six months we'd be assigned a store to manager. Starting in October we started hearing rumors that we'd be moving before the holidays, and then it was we'd move by the end of last year and then it was by the end of February and then it was the end of April or sometime in May and then it was "You're moving in March to St. Louis" and then three days later it was "No, you aren't moving yet" and then two weeks later it was "You're moving to New Orleans and we need you there in a week".

So for the last few months we have been on edge waiting to hear where we will move and when. This has caused some struggles for us and especially me, because I have had no clue where I would deliver this baby until I was 36 weeks pregnant.

Now we know, and we have moved and Scott has started him job. I finally unpacked the last box this last week and we have (I think) Everything ready for this baby. I found a doctor, a hospital, We've started going to our new ward and I've even had a chance to meet our new neighbors.

We are really enjoying the warm weather, the fresh oranges from the orange trees from our backyard, and i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE seeing green grass.

This is from our second day in being in New Orleans...yes, that is the street I was driving on...I soon will be a professional at driving in 3 feet of snow AND 3 feet of water. We must be destined to live in extreme weather conditions.

The Big Move

1 budget truck,
2 days,
1200 miles,
9 day notice,
8 months pregnant,
unumbered bathroom stops,
20 hours of driving,
3 adults,
6 movies,
7 states,
5 nights in a hotel,
20 month year old child,
Equals= I'll never do that again.

Hibernation

I know its been quite some time since we've posted anything on here but when the Minnesota weather fluctuates between -20 and 3 degrees, there isn't much to do. The holidays were good, except us all getting the stomach bug and other than that we've just been doing a lot of the following:

Eating

Getting Cabin Fever

Playing in the snow (when it gets above 20)

Sleeping


That wraps up the past three to four months at the Berretts home up until the last three weeks...

With 9 days notice we packed up our little apartment in the frozen tundra and moved to New Orleans! Details of that little excursion will come with the next post, which will hopefully be posted this week! I'm back on the blog wagon!