And another baby makes 4!

On October 23rd we welcomed Ryan Michael, the newest Brzezinski addition into our family. 

Ryan Michael Brzezinski

The week before Ryan was born we decided to schedule an induction for the 23rd hoping he would come on his own.  Apparently I am just too good of a host because he did not want to come on his own. The Saturday before Ryan came we went to an apple orchard to have some fall fun before we would be homebound with an infant.  We went with Grandma Peg, Grandpa Gig, Aunt Beth, Uncle Brian, Aunt Stefanie, Kate, Megan, and Luke.  Jacob LOVED the tractor ride and eating the apples.  He was "double fisting" while we picked our apples.  It was a perfect fall day and I was surprised with the tractor ride and all the walking that there were still no signs of labor. 

Ben, Jacob, Grandma Peg, & Grandpa Gig on the Tractor

Jacob in the Orchard with his partners in crime, Kate & Megan

 The next day (Sunday), I started feeling some contractions after nap time.  They were coming about every 5 minutes so Ben and I left Jacob with Nana & Grandma and headed into the hospital, but we were sent home.  Apparently Ryan was not ready.

The False Alarm Sunday Night

So on the morning of the 23rd we headed into the hospital to start our induction.  My labor the 2nd time around was a lot easier!  (I guess that happens when your first baby is 10lbs 9oz.)  My sister came to visit, which helped pass the time.  At 7pm I was 10cm and started pushing, and at 7:40 Ryan was born!  Ben and I couldn't agree on a name.  We had narrowed it down to two choices and decided to wait until we saw our little boy to name him.  When they brought him over to us we both looked at him and both agreed he looked like a Ryan.  It was a nice moment and totally worth the wait to reveal the name.  Ryan was a whopping 11lbs 0oz and 21.5 inches!  Our doctor was a little surprised at how big Ryan ended up being.  Since Jacob had been so big, we were monitoring Ryan's size during the pregnancy.  I was measuring right on and at 38 week ultrasound they were guessing him to be about 7.5lbs.  Boy were they wrong!  Here are some pictures of Ryan at the hospital.

We were very fortunate that Ben was able to take 2 weeks off from work to help me with our two precious boys.  Boy was I thankful for Ben's help!  Jacob adjusted amazingly well to his new baby brother.  He loves to sit with me when I am nursing Ryan, and he says in the cutest voice "baby" every time he sees Ryan.  Jacob is always aware of where is brother is and loves to point out Ryan's fingers, belly button, and nose.  Whenever Ryan cries Jacob will let us know by saying "Oh No! Baby."  One of Jacob's favorite activities is coloring.  We did a lot of coloring and as you can tell in the picture Jacob takes his coloring very seriously. 

Daddy & his boys

The next great artist?

Jacob "supervising" Ryan & Mommy

While Ben was home we also celebrated Ryan's first Halloween.  Instead of carving pumpkins we let Jacob color his pumpkin instead.  He absolutely loved coloring it and even helped out Ben in decorating his pumpkin.  Ryan was a little pumpkin and Jacob was Yoda this year. His Yoda costume has been passed down from his cousins on the Brzezinski side.  Ben's older brother Zack's 3  kids have all worn the same Yoda costume for Halloween.  Jacob enjoyed trick or treating for a 22 month old.  He would ever so gently select one piece of candy (His favorite treat was a tootsie pop) and then in the most adorable voice say "kenk you" as he walked away.

Jacob coloring his pumpkin

Mommy's little Pumpkin

 

Yoda & Ariel enjoying their loot

Mommy and her boys

 Our newest little man is now 2 weeks old!  My how time has flown by.  Ben is back at work and I am adjusting to having the two boys on my own.  Ryan and I went to the doctor and he is doing great!  He weighs 11lbs 4.5oz and has grown almost an inch.  He is starting to be more alert and is quite strong, just like his brother was.  We feel truly blessed to have these two wonderful little boys and look forward to posting more about our little loves.

Ryan at 2 weeks old

Brotherly Love

Our Beautiful Wedding

Finally we are back and have recovered from the whirlwind that was our wedding. It is hard to believe that it is over. Our wedding was beautiful! The whole day could not have been more perfect. Our bridal party looked quite stunning, and we think one of the best looking bridal parties we've seen. The girls started the day off at my Mom's house in Grayslake. It was an interesting morning with an assembly line of hair and make-up. The morning just moved so fast and before I knew it we had to leave for the church. The ceremony was beautiful, and tons of our friends and family were able to attend the ceremony. Walking down the aisle was my favorite part! As soon as I made eye contact with Ben I couldn't take my eyes off him. Brian Davies, our brother-in-law (Beth's husband), gave a beautiful sermon. The reception was a blast! After all the planning that went into the big day, we were ready to finally celebrate with our friends and family! Below are just some pictures that people have sent me. You can view our professional wedding pictures online. The website is www.fredfox.com. Go to the login screen our username is: cokbbb and the password is: brzezinski. We are still working on a honeymoon post. Thank you again to all our friends and family who made our wedding so special.

New Wedding Post!

Sorry that we have not been able to post lately. We've been pretty busy with the school year finishing and the wedding quickly approaching....66 days and counting!

This past Sunday, May 17th, we had our bridal shower. It was awesome! Check out our wedding website to read all about it and see pictures!

Wedding Update

It has been a while since Ben and I posted. Sorry to our loyal blog followers, but this past month has been quite busy with Wedding plans! The big day is only 132 days away and before we know it July 25th will be here. This past month we found our florist, took our engagement pictures, registered (which was the coolest experience; Ben was a real trooper!), finalized menu and times for the big day, booked a hotel block, and many many more small details of our wedding. Check out our Wedding Website for more information. (there is also a link in our Link List)

The biggest task we accomplished was sending out our save-the-date magnets. Ben and I decided to cut some of our costs and make our own save-the-date. I never understood why wedding invitations cost so much, but now I understand. Making our save-the-dates was an all day project! You don't think it will take that long, but having to print about 150 magnets (and having to hand feed them through the printer because they are too thick) really does take more time than you think it will. Thankfully, Ben's mom and Megan were willing to help us out. They made a great team and had quite an assembly line going. We were really happy with how the save-the-dates turned out.

My parents also threw a small engagement party for us. It was a lot of fun to celebrate with some of our family and friends. We also celebrated Mikey's 25th birthday. Mike was very kind to share his special day with us. Below is a slideshow of the engagement party.

Our Engagement Party

#1 Engineering Teacher!

Ben is the Engineering Club Advisor at Niles West. This week Ben's students competed in the Rube Goldberg Competition. The kids had to design a machine that would unscrew a regular light bulb and screw in a LED light bulb. Ben and his students worked really hard and came up with an impressive concept. Then ended up taking 4th out of 12 teams in the competition. I am very proud of Ben. He really is an amazing teacher!

Click here for Video of the machine in action

Happy Birthday Mackenzie!

Happy 2nd Birthday Mackenzie! Uncle Ben & Aunt Katie love you.

Mackezie Helen Brzezinski turns 2 today and is already a vibrant character. She is just so much fun to be around! She loves to dance, and has the cutest little butt shake. Watch out Zack! For the most part Mackenzie has no fear and is quite the little dare devil. She is a tough cookie (those Brzezinski genes again!) and brings many smiles to her family. She is the life of the party when the family gets together.

I met Mackenzie in June of 2008. We first bonded over a few walks that first time, but over the months, and the many visits later, Mackenzie has become one of my nieces (on July 25th I will offically be her aunt!). It is so much fun spending time with and getting to know Mackenzie.

Ben absolutely adores Mackenzie. He loves to rough house with her, and puts up with a lot of attitude when Mac & I gang up on him. I remember when Ben first told me about Mackenzie. It was on our first date. We were sharing about our families when I asked him if he had any nieces or nephews. He immediately gushed about Mackenzie's cuteness and proudly pulled out a picture he had of Mackenzie in his wallet (of course I was waiting to show off my little niece's picture as well!). I was really touched at how much he loved Mackenzie. When I finally met Mackenzie in June, I understood why. She is such a lovable little girl!

Mackenzie sure has changed! Ben and I are looking forward to our visit with Mackenzie this weekend to celebrate her birthday. Be sure to check back for some more pictures when we return. Until then, please enjoy some video we have of Mackenzie.


Click here for VIDEO of Mackenzie in her boat

Click here for VIDEO of Mackenzie dancing