Half way

I am officially at the half way mark and getting a bigger belly by the week! Baby Boy keeps doing well and is developing right on track.

This is my first Baby Belly Shot. Meet Baby Boy Gardner!!

He is an active little Boy who has been called stubborn by 2 different Ultrasound Techs. And every time they say that, I look right at Ben. It reminds me of that song by Brad Paisley

"Anything like me"

(20 weeks)

Have a

Merry Christmas!!

Gardner tradition

I remember saying I don't care either way. Just as long as he or she is healthy I'm ok. So, keeping up with the Gardner tradition our little baby is a baby Boy!! Baby boy is doing good and is passing all the test the Drs are putting him through. Hopefully he does this good in school! We are very excited yet nervous and cannot wait to meet him.
I hope he likes wrestling or is good at faking it. Cause Ben is ready to start teaching him as soon as he starts to crawl. We are only a couple of years away from a State Champ.

The Honeymoon Phase aka 2nd Trimester

We are so grateful to be able to announce that we are Pregnant or more like I am Pregnant. Our baby is due early May and we couldn't be more excited.

A Little Fellow Follows Me

A careful man I ought to be,
A little fellow follows me.
I dare not go astray,
For fear he'll go the self-same way.

I cannot once escape his eyes,
Whatever he see me do, he tries.
Like me, he says, he's going to be,
The little chap who follows me.

He thinks that I am good and fine,
Believes in every word of mine.
The base in me he must not see,
That little fellow who follows me.

I must remember as I go,
Thru summers' sun and winters' snow.
I am building for the years to be,
In the little chap who follows me.

by Rev. Claude Wisdom White, Sr

Hiking

Our new favorite place to go hiking.

Ben pointed out the poison ivy to me.
Then he decided to race the dog to the top of the hill and actually won.

The view from the top.

On the way home.

Wedding weekend fun

We drove up to Nauvoo this weekend to watch the 2nd youngest Gardner boy get married!! We are supper excited to have a new sister-n-law in the Gardner Family!

Congrats Jason and Jenna

8 is so great

Happy Birthday to you......

Sandy Cuda Gardner

Out of the Closet

So I guess it is time that the closet quilter comes clean...... I know how to sew (somewhat) and I also LoVe fabric. I can walk into a fabric store and spend hours looking at all the different colors. I like to make up my own patterns for quilts. The quilts below show a design that I came up with. I have made these quilts for everyone I love who has had/or will have a baby lately.

Dog Days of Summer

How Sandy deals with the heat.....

It's a dogs life!!

Nauvoo

We drove up to Nauvoo the other day to see the Nauvoo Pageant. We almost did not get to see it due to the major thunderstorm. But the show must go on ....... and do not forget about the worlds best fudge!

What Foxworthy says about the STL

If someone mentions "The Landing" and it has
nothing to do with the space shuttle, you might live in St. Louis.


If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time,
you might live in St. Louis.


If you measure distance in hours instead of miles, you
might live in St. Louis.


If you have switched from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day
and back again, you might live in St. Louis.


If you drive 75 miles through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard for some White Castles, you might live in St. Louis.


If you take I-Farty-Far to Six Flags,
you might live in St. Louis.


If someone says concrete and you think of Ted Drewes
instead of pavement, you might live in St. Louis.


If the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph -- you're going 80
and everybody is passing you, you might live in St. Louis.


If you've ever skipped school, work, or even a court-date because you had tickets to an afternoon Cards, Blues or Rams game, you might live in St. Louis.


If you can say the words "Cahokia Mounds" and not think of
a candy bar, you might live in St. Louis.


If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are
filled with snow, you might live in St. Louis.


If you actually understand these jokes, you live or have lived in St. Louis.

A little bit of white trash...for a World Record

In April we noticed an unusually large thistle growing in our yard. So, for fun we decided not to dig it up but to let it go and see how big it got and we named it Big Grandpa.
(April)

Big Grandpa grew and grew and grew....
(May)

Since Big Grandpa was growing so much we decided to see if we could make it a Guinness World Record for the "Tallest Thistle". We received approval to make the record since there is no such record so far.
(June)

We received a packed from the Guinness World record stating all the things we need to comply with in order for the record to be accepted as the "Tallest Thistle". We have gathered all of the information needed and mailed it to the Guinness Book of World Recordstm.

The final measurement of Big Grandpa was 6 feet 4 1/2 inches Tall and 8 feet wide.

After we took all our measurements and pictures it was finally time to say good bye to Big Grandpa before we got in trouble by the city for having an obnoxious weed growing in our yard.



Once everyone saw the articles in the newspaper we started to receive some funny comments from people we know about the thistle.

"You know around here we call those things weeds"
"You are getting in the Guinness world record for be lazy?"
"isn't that a weed?"

Snap, Crakle, Fire?

Ben was sitting downstairs watching TV when he heard a snap followed by a bunch of crackling sounds. Then the fluorescent lights went out and it smelled like a fire cracker went off. He hurried up and turned the power off on the circuit breaker. While he was opening the light and taking the fluorescent bulbs out, the fire cracker smell started getting worse. We weren't sure what to do since we did not see any smoke. We decided to call the non-emergency line and they acted like it was a big deal so, they sent out the fire department. At 10:30 at night we have a fire truck outside our house with all its lights on. The firemen came into our house with all their gear on and did a complete search downstairs. They determined that the snap, crackle, bad smell was coming from the wires that go inside and outside of the light fixture in the ceiling and we should not be in any danger of having a fire. Unfortunately, the fire cracker smell is still in my basement and I cannot seem to get rid of it.

Calling all Pulvirenti's

Yes if your last name is Pulvirenti, I want to talk to you!
Especially if you have no idea who I am. I am looking for my ancestors that came over from Sicily in the early 1900's, so I can trace my genealogy. If any of your relatives immigrated from Sicily and they had the last name Pulvirenti, we may be related.

Did my zip code change?

I swear that I did not move! And I am sure I did not move to Oakland.
But it sure looked like it when I was driving a few blocks away from my house by a middle school and what did I see, 2 pairs a shoes strung around telephone wires. Apparently people do not realize what town I live in. Stuff like that does not happen here. I was pretty disappointed when I saw that so, the next day I called the power company to have them remove the shoes.

Soccer

I went to my cousins high school soccer game tonight. And was shocked when the soccer players started changing their shirts in the open. Did I mention the soccer players are girls. I asked what was going on and the answer I got was "oh they all do it". And some people have justified it by saying that the girls are wearing sports bras. When did our society start allowing girls to change their tops in the middle of the public?
I received my answer while typing this blog. A clip of the USA women's soccer team started playing. It was the clip of the lady scoring the winning goal and then she runs back to her teammates while taking off her top.

Why I love SpRiNg

Spring is my favorite season EVER!

Flowers=Colors

I love it when the flowers begin to bloom. I love taking care of the flowers. But I do not love planting them. Good thing I have people to help me with that.

Clouds=Thunderstorms

I love thunderstorms. Unlike Sandy who freaks out when it thunders.

Afternoon=Naps

I love late afternoon naps, especially when it is sunny outside and you can leave the windows open and hear all the noises outside (I am getting sleepy just thinking about it).

Park=Baseball Games

I love living right next to the park. There is a high school baseball game there almost every night. I love hearing all the sounds from the game.

Cesar=Pack Walks

We finally found a dog that Sandy can almost stand to be around!

Last but not least-I got to type this post outside.

Forks anyone?

Ben and I had a little fun last night and decorated Vivian's house for her birthday. It felt like we were in high school again. Running around the house making sure no one was awake.
Ben decorated her car and filled it with 50 balloons, while I spelled out 50 with the forks in the front yard.
Yes Vivian, now you know........it was us.

Call me 2 shirt

Today I was talking with a co-worker and my boss about some questionable clothing another associate was wearing. When the conversation turned to what I was wearing.

Me: "This shirt looks like it is 2 shirts but it really is one"

Boss: "You always wear 2 shirts"

Me: "Yes, I do not like all my junk hanging out"

Boss: "You have to wear 2 shirts right"

Me: ?? look on my face

Boss: "Does that shirt count"

Me: ?? "What"

Boss: "Don't you have to wear 2 shirts, I thought you had 2 always wear 2 shirts as part of your religion"

Me: "NO!!"

Boss: "Ohhhhh (confused look)"

Me and my co-worker started busting up laughing! It became the joke for the rest of the day. Just call me 2 shirts.

This beats the time I jokingly told my brother that Mormons do not use ice.

Brother: "Where is your ice"

Me: "Mormons do not use ice"

Brother: "??????????"

Me: laughing "Do you believe me"

Brother: "I don't know?"

Me: "I am just joking!"

Brother: ????????

Me: walked away laughing

Brother: still unsure about ice

Anti-Cancer foods (Word of Wisdom)

I was watching the Dr Oz show and he was talking about foods that can either prevent/slow the growth of cancer. Usually when you see something like this on TV, people are pretty skeptical. But, it really got me thinking and I am determined to change our diet.

Gardner's (Howells) family has a history of cancer and anything I can do to keep Ben healthy, even if it means spending a little more money on healthy grocery's, it's worth it.

We have known some people who have gotten and beaten cancer in the past couple years. And one thing that they had in common was they all ate healthy. So, there must be something behind the Dr Oz list.

By the way....don't you think that list looks a little like the Word of Wisdom?

I got so motivated after watching the show that I wanted to start right away. So I made a healthy salad. Unfortunately, I forgot my lettuce/vegetables were about 3 weeks old. I know what you are thinking but everything looked fine. Lets just say, I got a little sick. I am looking at this sickness as a full innner body cleaning (they say those are good for you).

Pippin Pictures (kinda)

Pippin is finally over :(
Ben could not take any pictures during the actual performance due to copyright issues.

You have to wear a lot of makeup on stage so the lights do not make you completely white.

Goofing off....

The Girls...

Pippin

Pippin, wanted to discover the secret of happiness. He sought it through war, love, and politics. He finds it in home and family.

I have been working on the Pippin play for the last month and half and it has been a world wind. The play has taken up so much of my time, it is quite ridiculous. My poor husband has been so supportive with this whole thing, even though I haven't been home much.

I have been having so much fun and meeting all these great people and enjoying this great experience. But, I am kinda looking forward for this play to be over. I am wiped out, I need a nap.

Tonight is opening night and I am so nervouse!!

I still have 2 more weeks left of performances so, come and see me in Pippin!

Lucky number 7

We are celebrating our 7th Wedding Anniversary on Monday. And in honor of this I would like to walk down memory lane.

"The Proposal"
It was the day before our friends wedding and a bunch of us were decorating for the reception. Ben decides that he wants to go get a tux and insist that ALL of us have to go. So we drive to the tux shop and start looking at tuxes. Ben tries on one of the tuxes and then comes out of the dressing room with a dozen red roses and kneels down on one knee and ask "will you marry me". I thought this was a COMPLETE JOKE. You see Ben jokes around a lot and sometimes it hard to tell when he is serious or not. So, I said "shut up, get up you retard". (I know, I know, remember I thought this was a joke) I am not quit sure when I realized that Ben was NOT joking. It must of been when I looked around and saw all my friends starring at me (one of them was holding a video camera). Or maybe it was the looks on the sales peoples faces. But I did say "YES" (obviously). Oh and by the way Ben was never really going to get a tux, that was all a sham.

Now 7 years later and we could not be happier. I am married to my bestest friend for eternity. And we have the cutest dog ever.

Love is patient, love is kind. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

cHiCaGo BaBy

We went to the windy city for New Years to visit family. We survived single digit temperatures while shopping all day on the Magnificent Mile.
We shopped until we froze but had the best time doing it. (or at least I did) You see, Ben is a manly man and avoids anything that has to do with shopping or the appearance of. But, he was a good sport about it and did not even complain once. Which is a big feat for himWe went up to the John Hancock building look out. Ben pointed out the worst "ghetto" in Chicago to me. Though the Hancock building is not the tallest building in Chicago, I was told it has the best view. I think I would have to agree. When we were taking the elevator down from the look out a voice on the intercom says "thank you for visiting the John Hancock building, as we like to call it the Big John". At least it did not smell like one.
We all survived but we almost had one causality.