Ode To Sisters

They say you can pick your friends but you can't pick your family. Well- I know if I weren't related to my sisters I would still choose to be their friends (who knows if that's reciprocal :). Here's why:
Brittany is the ideal mom and homemaker. She puts us all to shame but what is so endearing is that she wants to help us lesser folk rise higher!
Bonnie makes everything all better. She is a good listener and is so sensitive to others needs and feelings.
McKenna is our spunky gal who knows her own mind. She can do anything she tries and makes you want to be more too.
Briley is our baby- but she is also very maternal. She puts others before herself and is wise beyond her 16 years.
To my sisters, fellow sappy romance movie watchers, expert old movie line quoters, who desperately love being mothers (or desperately want to be one :) and my dearest friends. I love you.

My super-kids

I made these adorable capes (picture doesn't do them justice) and that sweet tutu and had big plans to make the rest of their costumes BUT when I found these warm PJ's at $5 a pop I decided to let Walmart do the work for me :). They were very excited about their costumes, and it was fun to have them BOTH be so into the trick-or-treating this year. To bad Halloween fell on a Sunday (I never remember that happening when I was a kid, though I'm sure it did) but our ward had a fabulous trunk-or-treat complete with chili cook off and hayride- thanks activities committee! Hope you all had a very happy Halloween!

ps...isn't that pumpkin sheer awesomeness?!

Tooting my horn...

So, my sister Brittany has been here and the time has flown with many fun activities. My favorites were the days we just let the kids play and sewed like crazy. My sister made 4 intricate Peter Pan character costumes in the time it took me to make 2 superman/girl capes but it's not a competition...right? Brittany always inspires me and gets me to try new things- 2 examples being that after 30 years of being blond, yesterday I became a brunette AND I made these super cute pants for Ellie, and the headband! LOVE them!

Are you watching this?!

I have been enthralled with these Chilean miners stuck 1/2 mile underground for 69 days! I've even sucked Carter in (by telling him about them as a bedtime story :) and we have both been checking the news all day for updates on when the first miner will be pulled to safety. So if you haven't checked it out- do so. It is such an amazing story, and it makes you really grateful for your blessings.

Todays likes and dislikes...

DISLIKES:


1. opening and closing the blinds every day (I know, how lazy am I)


2. emptying the dishwasher (don't mind loading it though)


3. cockroaches- dead of alive





LIKES:


1. doing school with Carter in my new office! I don't know if it's because my office is now in the playroom (thanks for the tip Jessie) or if it's because we got a treasure chest with gold coins in it to bribe him (thanks Aunt Laurie, you will never be forgotten) but Carter LOVES to do school now.


2. baseball- practice and games. And I love that we have friends on the team (yea Brad) and that after practice Joe and Mike will play ball with the boys (and girls) and pretend like they are still high school athletes (no disrespect intended :).


3. my sweet, sick, snuggly Ellie. I am sad that she has been sick, but I LOVE that she has been so snuggly these last few days. My kids aren't snugglers so I take what I can get.


4. I have to add how much I LOVE the CHILL IN THE AIR! Bless you Fall for finally getting here, I've missed you.

Date Night

Here is the typical Benson date night:

Dinner and a movie

Real original. So, I decided to mix it up a little bit and planned a super fun date for last night- we went to an art class! I know a lot of dudes would find that super lame but it is right up Joes alley. We were all supposed to be making a group of trees (which I did, though I changed the colors up to match Ellie's room) but Joe marches to the beat of his own drum and chose to do something completely different. The man has got natural artistic something, what he might lack in talent he makes up with lots of confidence! The teacher took a picture of Joes painting at the end so he's kind of on an ego trip right now. But honestly, it turned out awesome. We spent three hours on our masterpieces and had SO much fun. I highly recommend it and am sure we will be doing it again. And not just because Carter is a little sad I didn't make something for HIS room :(.

Song's We're Singing...

My kids get hung up on songs and we will listen to the same few over and over and over. Ellie and Carter each have favorite bedtime songs and car songs and "sing to me mommy" songs and I want to write it down so I don't forget. I am so grateful that my children appreciate and love music, that was very important to me because music is a big part of who I am and how I express myself.

**Carter's Bedtime Fave: I love to see the Temple (both verses, very important)
**Carter's Favorite Car song: Pop Fly by Justin Roberts
and This is the Day by Veggie Tales
**Carter's Go-To song if he's playing and lost in thought: Little Bitty by Alan Jackson (probably because we listen to it in the car so much, see below).

**Ellie's Bedtime Fave: Candle on the Water (from Pete's Dragon)
**Ellie's Favorite Car Song: Little Bitty by Alan Jackson
**Ellie's Go-To Song that drives me crazy: Mr. Turkey (Carter learned it at preschool)
also Running Down the Hill by Laurie Berkner Band

Unfortunately the only line from 'Little Bitty' that they seem to remember at will is "six pack of beer and a television set". Carter's preschool teachers probably think we're pretty redneck.

I have gotten so far behind on blogging our lives but I want to catch up- here's a brief accounting of the last few months:

My mom came to stay with us for 8 weeks- my clingy children took an instant liking to her. She made Ellie the sweetest quilt, including a little duck design from the quilt she made me 30 years ago when I was born!

My brother Bryon was out in Florida for work and made the 7 hour trek up here to see us (and my Mom) and it happened to be on his birthday! He introduced us to the all sorts culturally diverse foods (even went to an international food market which was amazing- it's like a playdate for kids and adults alike). Joe loves leiches now and Carter eats almost anything with chopsticks. Even lasagna.

My Grandpa (my Mom's Dad) came to see her while she was here. We haven't seen him as much as we would have liked to over the years and had lots of catching up to do! He was SO patient with Carter and let him cook EVERYTHING with him (seriously, three meals a day- we still miss him). He created a monster and Carter insists on cracking every egg and measuring out every ingredient when I cook. Good thing I don't cook much :).

Ellie's hair can be put in a pony tail! I know this doesn't seem like a big deal but it took us two years to get her hair to grow out and she looks so grown up now, it makes me a little teary.

It snowed a couple times. We took Carter and Ellie tubing and while Carter loved it, Ellie wouldn't stop crying. Apparently she is a little prissy about being cold. Then we had to practically carry Carter inside when we were done, our little asthmatic child was coughing so much he would throw up in the snow. But he still didn't want to stop. Go figure.

Carter said...

"Thanks for taking those Mom, I couldn't have done it without you." And he was so sweet and sincere. And all I had to do was take his dirty laundry and put it in the laundry basket. I know, I'm supermom :)!

Carter says the nicest things sometimes. And I love when I ignore the pile of laundry or filthy floors and take time to do something silly with him- he still talks about when we played with the pickle slices (no idea how that came about). I vow to let my hair down a little more this year!