It's A...

Our technician was super sweet and played along with our little game. Said it made his day and he couldn't wait to tell the Misses about the idea. Ha! 

We headed out to a delicious sushi meal with a bag of goodies from my parents.

They were so sweet to get a little swim outfit for both E and his baby brother. :) So weird saying that. It's just so crazy to know already before he's even here. We enjoyed being the only ones to know during dinner and when we got home, texted the masses {family and friends} so they could be on the fun too. We're jokingly saying that we should go into the 'groom-making' business for all our friends with adorably cute and awesome girls.

Here are some of our favorite responses...
"yay yay YAY for another boy!!!! I think Ezra is one lucky little man! And you, too, who will one day be made much of by THREE men!!! :)"

"Oh yeah. I'm thinking, between you, me & Tim--that we gonna have an army of boys. Congratulations, man."

"Really?? I'm so surprised!!! Well I have loads of girl clothes for when she comes along. I think Ezra will be such a great big bro and let's face it, every boy needs a brother. Someone to wrestle with. ;)"

"Sweet. More potential grooms for Autumn to chose from. Congratulation, Papa!"


"Nothing wrong with two boys...until they're teenagers. Just kidding. Love ya."


"Omg!!! I'm so excited for you! It really is true that every pregnancy is so different. Crazy!! Yahoo! So excited for you guys. E is going to be the best big brother!"


"OMG!! CONGRATS!! Yay for Swenson Testosterone!! Yay for Swenson Brothers!!"


"Haha!! I knew it!! :) You're an awesome boy Mama and your boys will be close buddies, which I think is so great!!!! Love it!!!! :)"

We are definitely excited for the future bond that E and this little guy will have. As well as, getting to build up strong, God-fearing men to protect, provide and serve their future families!! What an amazing job we have ahead of us. Phew.

Now comes the next hardest part....deciding on some good solid names that we both love.

Teamwork: Big Boy Bed

W & I finished our very own first piece of furniture together! And I loved loved loved this project for multiple reasons:

1)Learning so much in the process: because I was so interested, I really learned a ton about the size of lumber, power tools, measuring, construction of a simple shape, upholstery, etc.

2) Teamwork: I really love working side by side with W on projects. Call me crazy, but I could totally work with my hubby. Maybe it's because my parents have owned a small business together for as long as I remember so it's just my normal or because I'm all about spending ample time with him. Either way, it was great fun to work together to create something!

3) It's our very own creation: hopefully one that can be used with all of our future kids. W made sure to take extra steps to secure it's longevity and it would be super easy to re-upholster with new fabric. It's so fun to look at the piece while exclaiming: "We did THAT ourselves!!"

4) Ana White's plans are a.mazing: they include every little thing to help a lay-person build...diagrams, measurements of each piece, pictures, shopping list, cut list, instructions--you name it, she wrote about it. Oh, did I mention it's all free?! I was originally hoping to use this for a window seat, but now I'm going to search Ana's blog to see if I can find plans to match...and saved some moolah!

And so, here it is:

Yup, I completely tossed out the light blue idea and went with an indigo/navy color after finding the perfect duvet fabric. Our local JoAnn's had some pretty slim pickings because it's moving to a bigger store, but I got a sweet discount--I was only a few dollars under my budget but I bought 4 yards instead of the 2 the plans called for because my fabric was 45'', not 60''. I also found some cute light blue stripe fabric that I'll use for pillows. I'm so excited to start making his linens now. We're on the fence about whether to purchase another crib mattress or just buy some foam--I've got to do some price comparison before deciding.

I also painted the legs of the bed with some of our trim paint used in the house. Hoping that will tie the bed into his new room more. When we do his cubby shelf, I hope to also paint it the same color {Snippet of Tannin; Kelly-Moore}

We also haven't decided when to actually try this sucker out. Heh. But we're both thinking early/mid-summer, maybe after we get back from Pennsylvania.

Break-down...
Lumber/Supplies: about $30
Fabric: about $24
Foam {used instead of batting, a trick I learned on another blog}: $15
Total: roughly $70

Not bad for a new upholstered toddler bed...just the way I wanted it!

The Poll Is Closed

So the gender poll on the left-sided tool bar is officially closed! Hoot hoot! Looks like the majority are voting girl this time around. Last time, majority voted boy and were absolutely correct. As my mother always pipes, "Time will tell!" with this one. 

In fact, time will tell us TOMORROW! That's right, W & I are headed into the bladder torture test tomorrow afternoon during his lunch break. 

Here's our silly/fun game plan:

Go into ultrasound with index card with very short quiz for the technician...

Have technician seal answers in envelope. Pick E up from my parents. Give them the sacred envelope. Parents go out shopping for uber cute gender-specific outfit. Wrap that sucker up. Bring wrapped gift to our house just in time for us to head out to dinner and they put E down for the night. We have a delicious meal {yet to be decided, but I'm voting sushi} and open exciting gift while they're curled up on our sofa watching a movie...with my dad most likely fast asleep, snoring.

Perfect, yeah?

In other sibling news: we are ALMOST done with E's big boy bed. It would have been finished last night but we ran out of staples after upholstering the headboard. So the side-panels will have to wait for tonight. We've been chipping away at it a few hours a night...hence the limited posts last week. I normally throw together thoughtfully write my posts at night after E's in the bed. But here's a sneak peak to wet the ol' palette until tomorrow {hopefully!!}

It's been such a fun project to do with W & I've learned a ton!! More on that later...

Chevron Love

Bandwagon. Me. Jumping on.

Definitely late to the game on this one, but I like to think there's so much more cheap, fun projects out now. Here's a few I've been toying with for our house.

Simple Sign

Area Rug

Mantle Decor

and of course, some quick and easy throw pillows

Mountain Weekend

{sorry Mom, that I haven't updated sooner...what with being gone all weekend, having to catch up at home, hosting a book club, and tutoring...you're lucky it's getting updated this soon! p.s. Dad told on you. ;)}

We had a fabulous time in Sonora at Silver Spur this past weekend. The college ministry that we help out with hosted a "Winter-ish Retreat" and we can along for the ride. We were a bit nervous with Ezra since he hasn't traveled since October, but we were happy to discover we got our own cabin. The first night was rough: he woke up when I went to the bathroom in the middle of the night {dang, bladder!}. Not use to sharing a room. The following night, W created a barrier with the bunk-bed mattress, a sheet, and his truck cables so we were all peachy-keen with E's special little space. 

During our time up there, we played games and had great conversation with some new faces.

Awesome times of worship & sermons

Oh, and my favorite baby girl was there, Autumn Rain.

The kiddos, Nat and I took a hike the only morning it wasn't raining.

 Love these two ladies!

There were also lots of hugs and kisses

{Think my favorite baby girl minds being betrothed to a younger guy?! At least, he's already taller than her...}

E also played with the girls' toys. Although, he treated this stroller much like he does his trucks--racing it around the room-- he was really sweet and cuddly with Eliana's baby dolls so I've put one on my Target list this week. Here's to some good practice. ;)

During one of Ezra's mid-morning naps, W let me head out on the 'thrift store' excursion with some of the group. Treasures!! Including a few shirts and dozen socks for E {our washer eats them up or something}, some awesome fabric, and an old soda pop tray. We also got in some great naps too. And the food at the retreat center was amazing: a side of steamed broccoli and squash one night and capered chicken with risotto the other.  

Great weekend with some quality peeps!

Winner's Luck?

I can't say "I never win anything!" anymore. After winning the photo shoot with TabithaNicolle from a blog giveaway, I figured, "That's the rest of my winning luck!" Marrying W must have upped my winning chances to be honest. Ever since then, I've actually won something. Maybe it's because he's really good at winning stuff off the radio. My biggest winnings to date was the SYTYCD tour tickets a few years back.

So I was totally shocked when I won another giveaway last week from one of my dear friend's blog and a pretty little box showed up on my doorstep yesterday morning! I find it completely hilarious that I actually won because I was jokingly badgering Stef to pick me throughout the week. But I only entered once when she gave a chance at two entries. And after 34 comments, there were slim chances I'd get picked. 

But here's the loot {+ a sample that I didn't find until later}! I can NOT wait to try my new tea flavors and cute little orange teapot. I discovered the Blackflower & Company is in northern California and started by one of Stef's friends. All of their tea looks and sounds delicious!

E was happy to win too!

{a great free indoor activity for a rainy day!}

And I found a random blog while surfing that is offering my favorite Shabby Apple dress as a giveaway. Hopefully, my winning luck can stretch to one more win. But I'm going to be super selfish and NOT tell you which one it is...okay okay, just kidding.

Have YOU won anything fun and unexpected?!?

Can't-Get-Enough Curry

This week's new recipe was absolutely delicious so thought I'd share, in case there are other curry lovers out there. It comes from my latest favorite magazine Real Simple. Last month, they featured several yummy crock-pot creations and I stashed a few in my recipe binder. This mag was swapped in to replace my InStyle when Ezra was born. A mark of maturity, maybe?! I'm sure I'll eventually re-add InStyle...when I can actually fit into my clothes longer than a few months! ;)

Curried Chicken with Ginger & Yogurt

What you need:

1/3 c tomato paste {i just used an enough can of it}

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 T curry powder

1 T grated fresh ginger

1 t ground cumin

1 medium onion, chopped

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken

salt and black pepper

long-grain or jasmine rice

1/2 c plain whole-milk Greek yogurt

2 scallions, thinly sliced {i used green onions}

What you do:

In slow cooker, whisk first 5 ingredients together with 3/4 c water

Add onion and stir to combine

Place chicken on top and season with 1T salt and 1/4 t pepper

Cover & cook on low for 7-8 hrs or high for 3-4 hrs

Twenty minutes before serving, cook rice according to directions

Just before serving, add yogurt and 1/2 t salt to chicken and stir

Serve with rice and sprinkle with scallions

W was definitely excited about his lunch the following day!

Too Soon, Tooth Fairy!

Apparently, it has been too delightfully boring and wonderfully normal around the Swenson house. Because Ezra cracked his tooth this week when he slipped on the wet floor from his knees while I was cleaning him up after dinner. I will not recount just how sad and torn up I was over the whole incident. W first called Kaiser and then our friend, Will the Orthodontist, to make arragements to see him the next afternoon.

 The following day the tooth was no longer stationary, so W left work early and we drove to the local office of the Alameda Pediatrics Dentistry to get it checked out, only to learn that this office is closed on Mondays. W called the emergency line and name-dropped Will with the Alameda office (which is about 30 miles away) and we made an appointment for as-soon-as-we-could-get-there and were on our way.

They examined E and decided the best thing for him was to extract the tooth. There was really no hope of salvaging it. My Knight stayed with Ezra during the quick procedure while I waited outside, trying not to cry in front of the handful of kids waiting for their appointments. The staff was so great at making us feeling comfortable and confident. One assistant shared how her little girl had two chipped teeth. And Dr. Perry {who has three grandkids of his own} was superbly helpful and professional. It went as smoothly as it could have.

Ezra was so wiped by the whole thing that he was out cold on the drive home. 

I finally found relief that evening during dinner while talking with W. I realized that I'd been carrying the weight of the incident and damaged tooth that whole day and night before. And I was so exhausted by it. I guess I was worried that he wouldn't be the same little cutie as before; that this had somehow changed who he was or tarnished his adorableness. But W had taken some pictures while I was at the grocery store and showed me that my worries were no longer needed.

Sure, his perfect little smile isn't so perfect anymore, but he is still that sweet, handsome, little fire-cracker with a larger-than-life personality that I know and love. He'd already bounced right back by evening and was all smiles and giggles for Papa. In fact, by early evening he seemed completely unfazed by the whole ordeal. Clearly, we were more traumatized than he was! He still cracks me up. He's still so snuggly. He's still our Ezra. And for that, I didn't want or need that burden anymore.

The wound will heal. We'll get use to the gap. None of this is permanent. W says it just makes him more like a big boy now, which I'm not too keen on, but guess I have to face the fact that he is growing up.

And I also have to face that not only is Ezra a boy, but he is a Swenson boy. I'd heard all of W and his brothers' horror stories before--I knew what I was getting myself and our future boys into when I married. ;) Ezra's cousin, Daniel, has already had his front tooth extracted. So, why was I so surprised?

 As Uncle John said to W, "Ezra, welcome to the Toothless Club!!!"

17 Weeks

 I'm 17 weeks this week, but I meant to write something last week. That just never happened. Oops! So, I'm just going to pretend that I'm 16 and I posted this last week. ;)

Feeling: Great now, still tired; just not exhausted. But I'm convinced that I'd be tired anyway...I have a fire-cracker of a fifteen-month-old who's always on the move!

Cravings: Sour cream and ranch. Yum, yum, yum! At one point, sour cream sounded so good, I put it on my pasta for dinner. Maybe the weirdest thing I've done so far.

Impatience: I waited a whole 41 weeks just fine to find out E's gender. So why, once we decide to find out this time, am I so impatient?! Hatin' it. But less than two more weeks, if you're asking....

Noticings: I've noticed some major love handles! Yikes. Totally carrying different with this baby, already. Don't get me wrong, my butts and thighs have definitely grown, but there seems to be more girth in my mid-section. Just lovely, huh? But my boobs are back, so all is right with the world.

I've also felt our babe #2 move. It's nice to be reminded that yes, in fact, I AM pregnant. I can't remember when I felt Ezra move, but it's so fun all over again.

Clumsiness...totally broke a bowl this week and I can't really tell you how I did it exactly. It just moved from my hands to the floor. D'oh.

Yes, we have a list of names going on W's phone, but nothing really strikes our fancy yet. Perhaps, we're just in a holding pattern until we can get our top three going for a specific gender?! Either way, it may be awhile before we can even come up with three...

And W got that last bin of maternity from storage last weekend, so I've got some more options to look forward to! Yippie!

Where's the Warm Weather?!

Ahhhh!! Who's ready for some warm weather?!

Ezra definitely is!

But it looks like rain all week!