Benson Family

I can do this...ish.

2011-11-20T09:38:00.003-05:00

What a glorious day this is turning out to be! My house is immaculately clean, my floors are all shiny and I don't have to be emberassed if someone comes by and needs to use my bathroom! It's almost 10 am and all three kids are dressed and fed, Amelia is fast asleep in her swing and all I hear is the soft humming noise of the computer! I can totally handle 3 kids. I am amazing. This is probably the appropriate time to mention that the cleaners just came. Hence the clean house. And Carter and Ellie are at church with Joe. Who is doing my calling for me (he is the best substitute primary chorister EVER. I think they secretly prefer him to me). So basically all I did was get Amelia to sleep. I'll take it! Someday I will be able to do all those other things too. I think.And yes, I have my Christmas tree up. It's been up since the first of November. Give me all the slack you want but we are going to celebrate this, the second most important holiday of the year, as long as we can. And, we might put our tree up again for Easter.

Sisters, and their Brother

2011-10-21T10:08:00.006-04:00

When we first found out we were having a girl we were a little sad (don't tell Amelia). Carter really wanted a brother and we knew Ellie just wanted a baby- plus, in my experience, boys are a little easier. But I am so grateful now that Amelia is a girl. As I see Ellie & Amelia together I can just imagine a little ways down the road when they are playing princesses together and trying on my shoes and makeup. I love having sisters and I am sure they will too. As you can see, Ellie is already smitten with her baby sister and she doesn't even do anything yet ;).

As for Carter- well, he has already done the math and realizes that the boys are outnumbered. Based on how well he plays with Ellie and how much he loves to hold and talk to baby Amelia I would say he has come to terms with it. But, he has taken up watching football with Dad (who is beyond thrilled). Seriously. He started watching the Atlanta Falcons games as soon as Amelia came home from the hospital. They better enjoy those games while they can, as soon as Amelia gets old enough to have a vote we are going to be watching a lot of chick flicks in this home...

Introducing...

2011-10-15T15:38:00.002-04:00

Amelia Bliss Benson
October 10th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
7 lbs. 14 oz. and 20 inches

Nesting...?

2011-09-14T20:38:00.003-04:00

Isn't nesting supposed to happen in the ninth month of pregnancy? I don't want to move let alone nest. Don't get me wrong, I do have a long list of things I would like to get done. I just want someone else to do them. Joe...

Todays Wisdom

2011-09-08T18:24:00.002-04:00

I have realized a few things today:

1. We have too many bathrooms. I cleaned all 4 today. I have decided to board one up, or 3. We only have 4 bottoms that live here for goodness sake!

2. As parents our natural tendency is to favor the loud child. I have been trying to not let the squeaky wheel get the grease. And to not talk so much- I am an overtalker with my kids and I think they are only getting every 6th word anyways.

3. Pregnant feet are gross. Mine started swelling a few days ago. Yuck. At first they swell just at night but by 4 pm today mine looked ready to be elevated. Pretty soon I won't be able to get out of bed. And I'll have to watch Baby Story on TLC all day and pin stuff on the pinterest board I'm going to sign up for and have someone bring me my food. Pregnant feet are now beautiful to me...

4. I love my kids. I love my spouse. I may be a large, awnery, complaining, short tempered lady on the outside (pregnancy does NOT bring out the best in me) but on the inside I am so grateful for my life. Hopefully Joe reads this so he knows how much I appreciate all the foot rubs and the work he has been doing around the house because apparently I am unable to verbalize these things. "Thank you" comes out as "go do the dishes". Wierd.

Carter T's Big Day

2011-08-17T07:09:00.004-04:00

Warning- this blog may be super corny, but that is just how this tired pregnant lady is feeling right now.

Monday, August 15th 2011, was Carters first day of public school. I homeschooled him last year because kindergarten was all day here and neither one of us was ready for that :). You see, we all kind of like each other and I really enjoyed being Carters teacher. Teaching him to read was very validating and I am so grateful that we will always have that accomplishment together. Of course, he is a really easy kid to teach because he likes to learn and picks things up quickly so it made my job easy.

Anyway, back to the first day of 1st grade. I dropped Carter off at school so that he could sleep in an extra half hour, and when my little man got out of the car and walked into the elementary school many tears were shed, all by me. Here comes the corny stuff. Have you ever heard the quote about how when you have children you have your heart walking around outside your chest? Well, it seriously felt like my heart was walking into that school in the form of Carter. Ellie and I tried to keep our day busy so we would not be too sad, not sure how successful that was. Cried at my OBGYN appointment, cried 3 times at Costco (too many people I know where there :), cried a few times on the phone and for no apparent reason at home. Remember I'm pregnant. And not sleeping. As soon as 2:50 rolled around Ellie and I were rushing to the school bus, where I cried when I saw Carter get off the bus. He had such a good day! And I was so grateful that he wanted to talk all about it, that is just what this mom needed! His favorite parts were buying lunch (with his own special debit card), riding the bus and playing with the one person he knows at recess. He loves his teacher and had nothing bad to say about the whole day. Which is just what every mother wants to hear.

Tuesday he took the bus to, as well as home from, school. That was really hard for me, I missed our extra half hour together. Joe took him down to the bus stop and I watched and cried from a distance. I did much better yesterday though, limiting tears to only 4 times. And when he came home he talked my ear off again :). Thank you Carter. He left this morning so excited and with some sweet goals (to play ball with the kids at the bus stop). Joe said he did it! So glad they let him play and that he was brave enough to ask. I have goals too, aside from writing this blog I am not allowed to cry today. Wish me luck.

Summer Days...part 2...

2011-07-11T11:34:00.004-04:00

It's 11:30 am and we are all still in our pajamas (except Ellie who is wearing her new princess dress that I stayed up until midnight finishing, SO glad she likes it). What have we done today? The kids played with my pins while I made 2 pair of PJ shorts, we watched videos on youtube of space shuttles launching (literally makes me cry, I am so pregnant), Carter and I are doing school worksheets (this is fun for Carter, he is so my kid) and Ellie is surrounded by toys on the playroom floor- happy as a clam. I love summer. I feel like we are getting into the swing of summer, just as we are nearing the end. Oh well, we still have a good month left in us- and it is going to be awesome.

Summer days...

2011-07-09T16:31:00.005-04:00

It is a sweltering Saturday (okay, it's only 90 degrees, but add the lovely humidity and it feels like 170) and here is how the Bensons are spending their summer afternoon:

Carter & Ellie- I'll be sad when a plastic kiddie pool doesn't equal hours of entertainment, hopefully we aren't even close to those days. Between the pool and the trampoline the kiddos have been happily playing for over 3 1/2 hours. I know 2 somebodies who are going to sleep very well tonight.

Joe- I am realizing, after almost 8 years of marriage, that my hubby loves to have a project to tinker on. I am always pushing for them to be FINISHED, but Joe finds joy in the journey. This fire pit is his current "hobby" and though he looks miserable to me he is actually loving every minute of learning a new skill. You go Joe :).

Dawnelle- I happily volunteered for the job of drink maker, popscicle supplier, snack bringer, picture taker and baby grower. So I am enjoying the air conditioning and getting my primary stuff organized for tomorrow (so I don't stay up until midnight doing it). Probably I should sweep. But I might make orange julius' instead...

Life Ever Changing

2011-06-01T10:29:00.003-04:00

I am loving this age with my children. Carter is 6 and Ellie is 3. They love each other and they play reasonably well together. They will jump on the trampoline or play in the sand happily (okay, with regular mediation by me :) for hours. We don't have to take a stroller everywhere and I don't lug a heavy diaper bag with me everywhere I go. Carter is a good swimmer and Ellie kicks all around the pool with her life jacket on- happy and confident. Also they sleep, for 12 hours straight every night. I guess what I am trying to say is- I am 5 months pregnant with another little girl and struggling with starting over again. Aren't we allowed to be excited and worried all at the same time? The kiddos are MAJORLY excited about their new sister (though Carter kind of wishes it were a brother) for which I am very grateful. Ellie even shared her blankie with my tummy this morning- cute. I'm sure it will all be fine. Once this unborn child starts sleeping through the night- so basically we're talking next March/April...

The Flu and Thanksgiving

2011-02-26T20:48:00.003-05:00

As we are now finishing our 3rd week with at least one person in the Benson family at a time suffering from the bubonic plague (or it might just be the flu, not sure which)- we are going to focus on attention on brighter times. Namely, Thanksgiving 2010.

What made Thanksgiving so great? Couple of things really: Grandma & Grandpa Benson were here, I didn't have to cook alone (yeah!), we had a southern smoked turkey (amazing, new family tradition), and let me repeat- Grandma and Grandpa were here :)! We thoroughly enjoyed weeks of food, football, long conversations and easy crossword puzzles. We always go into withdrawals when they leave, until we know exactly when we get to see our Grandparents again (it's April 14th btw).

Hidden Consequence of Daily Workouts

2011-02-03T14:21:00.002-05:00

One Word: LAUNDRY. And not just any laundry, but the stinky kind. This better be worth it... :)

Carter T

2011-02-01T16:17:00.000-05:00

Carter T is loving school this year. He goes to a 5 year old kindergarten class of sorts for 3 hours a day and I work with him on his reading, handwriting and science at home. He is proving to be a good student (thankfully, because as his teacher I was slightly nervous of my abilities). He is also a fantastic rule follower (for the most part).

He is my earlier riser and claims it is so boring until Ellie wakes up. Then the fun begins. He has been known to get her in trouble on many occasions because he will send her to do the things he knows he shouldn’t do (so is he really that much of a rule follower, hmmm…). I’m just glad they play well together now. Minus the princess stuff, he thinks that is “dumb”. That word has since been banned from the Benson home.

Carter is my fellow “puzzler”- he loves puzzles and will hum to himself as he tries to figure out where each piece goes. If I try to talk to him he will shush me, he needs to focus J. Carter is much like his Dad in that he is good at most things he tries. He is a great swimmer, has a fantastic batting arm, good bowler and a great reader. When he talks he uses his hands a lot- I see so much of me in him too. He loves paper airplanes right now and talks Dad into making a new one almost daily. And if you haven’t discovered Wild Kratts on PBS kids, he highly recommends that you do!

The Ellie-Bean

2011-02-01T14:36:00.000-05:00

Our Ellie bean is a ball of singing, dancing, running, jumping, princessing energy. Yet she does have a softer side, she has been known to engage in a 10 second snuggle on occasion. She spends most of her day either mothering her baby doll, pretending to be a baby, or pretending to be a kitty cat. She is the one who makes sure everyone gets their bedtime hugs and kisses, and that we kneel down for our prayers. She laughs hysterically at all of Carters antics and jokes and he loves it (also, we have had potty talk issues at our house and she is the ringleader. The words poop and toot run rampant from her sweet mouth).

Thanks to an Aunt (whom I believe meant well) Ellie got her first princess dress for Christmas. She loves to twirl in it and she literally tells everyone who sees it that Aunt Brittany made it for her. One of the first things I hear in the morning (right after, "can we have sausage for breakfast?") is, "can I wear my princess dress?". I shudder to put it on her because I know that when we eat or go run errands I will have to forcibly remove it from her while she cries dramatically. So, it's a love hate relationship for me. With the dress I mean.

Ellie had her first haircut, by me. I thought I did such a great job until it was dry. Carter probably could have done a better job. Where are you when I need you McKenna? Where Carter is my rule follower, Ellie is my rule breaker. She will be on time out 10 times in a day for the same thing, while Carter only takes once. But she is so loving and makes sure we all know that she loves us "with all her heart."

Gingerbread House Contest

2011-01-31T11:59:00.009-05:00

I remember our first family gingerbread attempt. I believe it was 2007, Carter was 2 1/2 and I got lots of extra candy to really do it up right. After 10 minutes of Carter screaming, because we were putting the candy on a house and not in his mouth, we finally gave up. Somehow we never got into the spirit of gingerbreading again until this year (and given that Ellie is 2 1/2 I was very hesitant). We did it for Family Home Evening, we were boys against girls and Grandma & Grandpa Benson graciously agreed to judge the pictures we texted to them.

Carter and Ellie felt it necessary to eat as much candy as they decorated with :)
Notice Ellie licking all the sprinkles off of here decorating plate

Joe got very into it- his artsy side is something many people might not know about him. And his super competitive side :). The kids lost interest after a while- you know, about the time we ran out of candy.

Girls Gingerbread house...

Boy's Gingerbread house...

Proving structurally unsound it became this...

and then this...
better luck next year fellas!

Utah Trip

2011-01-28T22:18:00.003-05:00

Prepare for the longest slideshow ever. Pretty sure there are close to 30 pics here, this is a post that probably only family will read/watch in it's entirety :).

We went to Utah the second week in December because SOMEBODY (McKenna)had the audacity to get married right before Christmas. It turned out to be a beautiful time to be there, lots of snow, good company and good eats (bless you Cafe Rio). All 8 of us siblings and my parents were able to be there (I guess only 6 in the Temple) and McKenna was amazing- I was so grateful to be her escort at the sealing, and also to be there when she went through the Temple. McKenna lived with us for 6 months when we first moved to Georgia and ever since then I have felt very maternal towards her. I was happy to see her so happy, thanks for bringing us all together McKenna! Besides the wedding extravagtanza, here is a log of other fun things we did:
Temple Square (there was a bagpiper there- so cool)
Stayed in amazing cabin up at Sundance
Cafe Rio
Skiing
Celebrated my Mom's Birthday
Wedding Preperation
Awesome Bridal Shower at the Bead Bug (how I wish we had one here...)
Sledding
Haircuts by McKenna
Cafe Rio
Being with family, nothing feels like being surrounded by family. We miss you guys.

The Magic of Bubblewrap

2011-01-28T21:57:00.003-05:00

So my sister, Brittany, sent my kids these bubblewrap squares around October (it is so like her to do, very clever). I stuck them in my cupboard because my kids didn't fully understand their coolness. But when Grandma Benson was in town we set up our hopscotch tiles and went at it- SO. MUCH. FUN. Seriously, we would set them up, one person would jump on all of them and then run around the house while we all timed them to see who could do it the fastest (we did use "special" counting- somehow the kids kept getting faster and we adults got slower and slower :). After everyone had a turn we just jumped around on them making noise and laughing our heads off. Much fun was had by all- thanks again Britt!

Todays Thoughts...

2011-01-04T12:07:00.002-05:00

1. You know how you put something "somewhere" so that you won't lose it. And then you completely space on where that place was? That's what is going on with my camera right now. Being 30 is not treating me so well today...

2. The love of a mother is rarely captured quite so poignantly as when she cleans up the result of her child's 13 bouts with nausea in the night and then holds him close as he tries to sleep despite the yucky tummy. All the while knowing that she too will probably be catching this bug, but not caring in that moment. You wish they would remember these times when you are hollering at them to stop leaving their backpack and shoes all over the entryway and to share with their sister... :).

Ode To Sisters

2010-11-09T15:24:00.003-05:00

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

2010-11-02T15:45:00.002-04:00

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...

2010-10-26T16:22:00.004-04:00

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?!

2010-10-12T20:16:00.002-04:00

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...

2010-10-01T21:32:00.003-04:00

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

2010-05-28T08:45:00.003-04:00

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...

2010-04-16T21:34:00.002-04:00

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.

2010-04-16T20:24:00.004-04:00

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...

2010-03-03T15:55:00.003-05:00

"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!

Turkey Days

2009-12-02T22:03:00.003-05:00

Not to toot my own horn or anything- but I cooked a turkey for the first time and it was delicious! I know, it shocked me too. I have a healthy disgust for raw poultry and so my friend came over to help me get through it. After a nice butter massage and herbal rub- the cooking part was a piece of cake.

Our friends the Garza's made it a fabulous day filled with food, football, food, black friday ads, music and dance performances, food- but no naps. Next year I want a nap :). Joe played in the ward turkey bowl and for the first time the kids and I made it out to support him. He threw a few touchdown passes and looked great- almost like high school again:).

Christmas Traditions...for beginners

2009-12-02T21:34:00.004-05:00

By choice, we are staying home alone for Christmas this year. We will miss our families like crazy but we (i.e. Dawnelle) thought it would be a good idea to establish some traditions and make it a magical season without the stress of travel. I know we are only 2 days into "The Benson 25 Days of Christmas Extravaganza" but I just know that this is going to be the best Christmas season ever! So far the traditions we are establishing have either come from my childhood or from my head but Joe is going to throw some into the mix. He took it pretty hard when his 25 days of football idea was vetoed...:). So here's what we have so far:

1. Making paper snowflakes to hang in the windows. (I can tell we will probably be making these every day :).

2. Christmas Advent Tree (My sister Brittany made this for me with little decorations in the pockets and they get to take one out every day. As an extra twist we put a clue in each pocket as well so that they get to go on a little treasure hunt every night. Yesterday their clue led them to a treat and today they found little snowglobes. And a shout out to my friend Jessie for the great treasure hunt idea!).

3. Candy Cane Countdown to Christmas (they get to untie a candy every day)

4. Daily Christmas Devotional (we read a few scriptures provided by the primary and take turns picking a favorite Christmas song. I think Carter is confused, he keeps calling it family home evening).

5. Christmas Lights!!!! I LOVE driving around looking at Christmas lights and we have done it 2 times in the last 3 days. The kids love it too and even if there is only one strand of lights up we stop and ooooh and aaaaah. Usually there is hot chocolate involved. Sugar free :).

6. We are going to do the 12 days of Christmas and I am super excited!! My family did this growing up and I am itching to do it again!

7. Deliver cookies/candy and sing Christmas carols

Any suggestions? I love to hear what other people do during the Christmas season. I just discovered the other day that I have a Christmas music channel on my tv. Since I live either in my car or at home we are listening to these lovely carols all day. Even Ellie has memorized a few! Here is a sneak peek at my sweet Ellie's Christmas princess dress (note the matching pacifier and the car in her hand :). I love having a girl...

On an almost unrelated topic- I made the candy countdown when Carter was at preschool and Ellie was my helper. I don't know how many candy canes she ate but I think it would probably take 2 hands to count them all! Well, I later spotted one of the candy canes stuck to her pant leg and I had to snap a picture. Probably the reason it was so funny to me was because yesterday she got a sucker stuck on the exact same spot :)!

What makes me smile...

2009-11-30T22:20:00.004-05:00

Here are a couple of things that made me smile today:

Carter asked me if there are little people in the traffic lights changing the colors.

Ellie let me read her two books in a row, and then she full on ran away from me when I asked her if she was poopy :).

I went to the store at Cracker Barrel and bought stocking stuffers (GO, it's the best place ever)

Joe did the dishes. We're talking ALL the dishes and the counter is clean. Wierd, but awesome.

A few months back Carter saw a tampon and asked what it was. I choked and said they were for cleaning the toilet. Today I was cleaning and he said "Mom, can I have one of those little toilet cleaners so I can help you?". I hope he isn't going to be thoroughly traumatized when he someday finds out what those are...:).

We made snowflakes for the windows by our front door, it was Carters first time making them and he loved it! Then for FHE we drove around looking at Christmas lights and drinking hot chocolate. Does life get any better than this- I submit that it does not.

Dear Grandma

2009-11-30T21:08:00.007-05:00

Dear Grandma,
I miss you. Things are not quite right when you aren't here. I love so many things you do and I want them done just the way that you do them. Like the way you push me on the swing- you pull me WAY back and then let me go. Mom doesn't do it right, she just tries to push me forward first. But she's learning. Almost every night I ask Mom if we can go outside and look at the stars just like you did with me. Sometimes the clouds hide the stars though, why does it do that?

We still have lots of leaves outside- Mom and Dad are not as good of rakers as you are. I'm kind of glad though because I still love to slide into a pile of leaves every day- you have the greatest ideas Grandma:).

I still like to make up my own recipes. Yesterday I microwaved some salt, flour and milk for almost 10 minutes when Mom was distracted making dinner- Mom doesn't have quite as much patience as you have though :).

Do you remember when we went to the corn maze?! I was a little nervous about getting lost but you were a good map reader- and an all around good trail buddy. Ellie got really muddy though, silly girl.

For Family Home Evening tonight we went and looked at Christmas lights and we had hot chocolate for dessert. I loved when your birthday cake was dessert, I wish we could do that more! I hope it's my birthday soon.

Mom and Dad tell me that I'm the luckiest boy ever because you are my Grandma, but I already know that! I love you Grandma, please come play trucks with me really soon. And bring Grandpa, we miss him around here too.
Love,
Carter

The Puppy and The Mailman

2009-11-12T19:24:00.004-05:00

Halloween this year was EXTRA memorable for at least 3 reasons:
1) Grandma Benson was here!!
2) Carter was actually something other than a marine!!
3) Our powder room toilet flooded spilling water through the wall and all over our master bathroom/closets (yuck).

Though it was raining we still perservered and did a respectable amount of trick-or-treating with our friends the Sessions and our sweet Grandma. Ellie was a freezing ball of stickiness when we got home but she LOVED it. I made Carter and Ellie messenger bags to put their candy in AND my sisters Brittany and Bonnie collaborated to make all the nieces and nephews super cute Halloween bags so there were plenty of places to put candy and carry it all over the house. There is an immensely talented woman in our ward who turned the bags I made into true awesomeness with the personalized monograms. I thought they looked amazing and Carter still wears his costume for dress-up (yes, I said dress-up).

Our ward had their trunk-or-treat at our old Bishops Christmas tree farm and the kids waited almost a half hour in the cold drizzle because Carter really wanted to go on a hay ride. The happy memory will have been well worth the wait! Joe was the chili cook-off judge and he took his responsibility very seriously. He was a fair, unpartial though sometimes harsh judge :).

Couple of extra confessions:
1)okay, our neighborhood had a big halloween party the week before Halloween and I didn't have their costumes ready sooooo....they were both marines...
2)we totally grew the big pumpkin in that picture!! Carter couldn't bear to cut into it so a little permanent marker turned it into a masterpiece.

Our $30 zuchini

2009-08-11T15:33:00.002-04:00

If our vegetables continue to grow at the sparse snails pace they have been then this, our first zuchini, cost us about $30 to grow! I think I mentioned before that between the lumber, dirt, seeds and plants it wasn't cheap to put this garden together and Carter and I have not produced much vegetation (though Carter doesn't know that- he thinks the garden is awesome and fruitful :) but I tell myself this is my learning year. I have never grown my own garden before- and gardening in the south is a whole new ball game with different bugs than we had back in Kansas (where I grew up) and our soil here stinks as well. In one picture Carter is holding our beautiful zuchini as well as a shrimpy store bought zuchini- he was pretty proud of how great ours looked. We sauteed them up with some olive oil, onion and garlic salt and it was delicious! We now have a whole one pumpkin growing as well as one banana squash and lots of tomatoes- maybe things are looking up for the Benson garden!

My Monkey

2009-08-11T15:12:00.003-04:00

All who see Ellie on a regular basis know that her hair is almost always stuck up in a "Pebbles" style ponytail on top of her head. Her hair doesn't grow well on the sides so I don't have many options. She was sitting so happily on my counter the other day, playing in my sink, so I experimented with a few new do's. I showed Carter and he said:

"Uh, Mom- she looks like a monkey".

So we took it out and went with the "Pebbles" ponytail once again!

Carter, me and our green thumbs!

2009-07-24T22:00:00.003-04:00

I figured that I needed to grow a garden this year. I told Joe we would save lots of money on vegetables but when you factor in the cost of the wood for the raised bed, the dirt, the seeds, the plants and the fact that we have only harvested 6 tomatoes and some peas we are definitely just counting it as a learning experience instead. For some reason we grow beautiful pumpkin vines, squash plants and watermelon plants but NO ACTUAL VEGETABLES themselves. If anyone knows why that would be please let me know. The first thing Carter asks EVERY morning is to go look at our tomatoes and peas- thankfully they grow okay. He loves it when the tomatoes start to turn orangey-red and his eyes shine with excitement. That is all I need to remind me of why we are growing a garden!

Grandma Time!

2009-07-09T22:11:00.004-04:00

Well this is another post that is a few months late in coming! We are so blessed to have a Grandma Benson- everyone should be so lucky! Joe's Mom is amazing and every time we see her the trips are too short, and we miss her like crazy when she goes. We love you Grandma!!

Ode To Brittany

2009-07-09T11:48:00.005-04:00

Many moons ago (almost 3 months!) my sister Brittany and her brave husband James drove 16 whole hours here with their entire family (three kids 5 and under AND Britt's pregnant with #4) in the ultimate show of love. My sister is one of those supermom's who puts all of us to shame and I always enjoy being around her and gleaning tidbits of her vast mommy knowledge. In my almost 2 weeks with her I learned many things. Here is a brief list:

--How to do Ellie's hair with elastics!
--How to cook ribs and onions straws
--That chalk + spray bottles= hours of entertainment
--How to make a raised bed garden planter
--That I can and should make my own jam
--That you can easily fit two adults, five kids AND an Ikea bookcase in one minivan (Joe- I want one!!)
--Dollar stores are indeed awesome
--You can be pregnant and dang cute
--every mommy needs a power nap (there's no shame in it)
--And, she lives MUCH MUCH MUCh too far away...

And a big shout out to James for being totally awesome and finishing Joe's entire honey-do list. Joe is quite pleased that I no longer nag him about all of those things:). I have, of course, found plenty of other things to nag him about.

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Somehow I have no pictures of James, darn! And I forgot to mention that Grandma Bensons trip overlapped a little and all the kiddos LOVED her (no surprise there:).

By jove, I think he's got it!

2009-05-26T21:34:00.002-04:00

So after almost 6 years of marriage I do believe that Joe is beginning to "get" me! Thursday night I put the kiddos to bed and ran to see a movie with the ladies in my ward and when I came home I found an almost completely clean AND vacuumed house AND he had put all my dirt into my raised garden bed (something I have been procrastinating because there were 10 bags and each was 40 pounds). I noticed the second I walked in the door and my jaw literally dropped. It's not that Joe doesn't help around the house much (well, even he would admit he doesn't) but only a few times in our marriage has he ever done something all on his own like this. He said he did it because the next day was my birthday. It was the perfect gift! EXACTLY what I would want- he finally gets me!

Hilton Head

2009-05-16T11:05:00.002-04:00

Over a month ago we took what we believe to be our very first family vacation. What I mean by this is that we were not going to visit anyone, no one was getting married and there was no holiday involved. We just packed up the car (not very well as it turned out, a lot of shopping was required once we arrived) and drove to Hilton Head Island South Carolina! We met up with our friends the Bettes (whose vacation we actually invited ourselves along for- thank you!) and hit the beach, ate yummy food, scootered, swam in the pool and enjoyed a long weekend. We even stopped off in Savannah on the way home. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, sunburns and all, and though we do love visiting family and friends we will definitely hit the road as a family again very soon. And by soon I mean when the humidity goes away and being outside is bearable again!

Elise Marie Benson

2009-04-15T21:13:00.008-04:00

Our Ellie-bellie turned one today. It makes me happy and sad all at the same time. We didn't do much for Carter's first birthday and I have always felt bad about that (my mentality then was that he would never remember, I still feel that way but I will remember :) so I stayed up super late last night putting streamers up and blowing up balloons to put all over her floor and the house for when she woke up. Carter was more excited than she was but she does love those balloons, she can't quite figure them out. Elise is SO different from Carter! She loves to hold things, especially soda bottles or cups with lids and straws, and will turn into a crazy person when I try to take it away. She is a very opinionated eater and refuses to eat anything slimy (bananas, pears, baby food, most healthy things) so I have had to get really creative to keep her alive. Since she weighs 22 1/2 pounds I think we're okay though:). She didn't crawl until she was 10 1/2 months old, probably because she knows exactly how to manipulate her mother (who can do almost anything now with only one hand). Joe taught her how to throw a ball back and forth and now she LOVES to play with balls and if we walk by one in the store she must hold it, or else. And "else" isn't pretty, she can throw quite the convincing tantrum. Carter was not a tantrum kind of guy. I knew having a girl was going to be quite the roller coaster ride. We've never called her "princess" or overly pinked her up, she's more of a tomboy in our eyes- probably because we only have boy toys at our house. She loves her paci and blankie and when she is REALLY tired she will lay her head on my shoulder and snuggle to sleep. She loves the beach and swimming- she has only done each activity once but she was SO adorably happy. She loves her big brother and although he has discovered the joy of antagonizing her she always wants to be near him. She loves the bathtub and thinks she can crawl, stand up and lay down in the there so I have to bathe with her for her safety. She sticks EVERYTHING smaller than a tennis ball in her mouth, Carter did not do this!! It's probably for the best though as my house gets swept and vacuumed a lot more these days. The last year has been wonderful, though my right arm still gets a little sore on days when Ellie really needed the up-close view of me cooking dinner or changing the laundry or grocery shopping (which I almost refuse to do with kiddos right now). I know these days aren't going to last forever but for now I will relish every moment of being her whole world. We love you Elise. We waited a little while for you, with the miscarriage and everything that happened before and after, you were worth the wait. We're sorry we wanted a boy so very badly- really we just wanted an Ellie-bear.

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Look what I did!

2009-03-31T20:14:00.002-04:00

I made the baby AND the dress- pretty cute work if I do say so myself. I'm in charge of a Relief Society craft night (for the record, I am terrible at being in charge of things) and for March we made pillowcase dresses. It was a lot of fun and once we got the hang of it, it wasn't hard either! It's now one of my favorite Ellie dresses and I want to make her another one for Easter. If only I could make something for Carter to match...

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And yes, I know they both still have pacifiers. But look how cute they are, and they both sleep well so I'm not going to rock the boat. I'm a pretty casual Mom who knows when to pick her battles. Or a wimp, whatever...

Memory Lane

2009-03-17T10:59:00.002-04:00

What a wonderful morning I've had! Ellie and Carter woke up at 7:15 this morning but Ellie went back down at 8:45, Carter has been playing independently or watching a show and I have been looking through old pictures for over 2 hours! My parents sent me two huge boxes that have giant folders filled with pictures and souvineers of each year of my life. I've only looked through 3 years worth and I can't stop smiling :). I love remembering the crazy things we siblings would do- shaving cream fights, playing in the rain, and the mud. And remembering people from my past whom I love and miss- The DeShazers for instance, and the Pattersons. I've also found some wonderful blackmail photos, my favorite being the picture of my brother Bryon after we had painted his face to look like a clown- complete with mascara. Mostly it was important for me to remember how much I loved growing up in my family. I love that I know they loved me, I was practically a mother to Breckon, McKenna and Briley and they made me feel important. I love that we did fun things- we bummed around Disneyworld and Florida for almost a month, we scuba certified and went camping! My parents provided us opportunities to live, serve, and laugh and documented it all with a plethera of photos. Thank you for that. And thank you for loving me even though I wore a variety of deplorable outfits throughout my life and my hair was disgustingly long (you guys kind of dropped the ball there)...

C is for Carter, and concussion

2009-03-04T10:43:00.005-05:00

So on Saturday Carter received a giant bear hug from a friend that knocked him down hard onto the concrete. He cried quite a bit but we really didn't think anything of it. Sunday he seemed fine but then monday he was acting a little odd- he would fall asleep on the floor or his chair and he had no energy, he wouldn't eat much and he cried a lot. All VERY off behaviors for my child and yet I thought maybe he was just getting sick. When the behaviors continued on Tuesday I got worried. We figured, better safe then sorry and so Joe took Carter to the ER last night where he was such a trooper. He let them take his temperature, his pulse, touch his ouchie bump on his head and stayed very still through an entire catscan! Joe said he was so quiet and brave but often there would be little silent tears running down his cheeks. The catscan tech was very impressed that they didn't have to sedate our little munchkin. Apparently he had a little concussion and they call all of these symptoms part of post concussion syndrome. He's gonna be fine- but if he's anything like his Dad we are in for quite a few more trips to the ER in our future...

Celebrating Valentines in March

2009-03-02T13:36:00.003-05:00

I got a tip from a gentleman at church to check out the Valentines candy clearance at CVS. So I checked it out today and was not disappointed. Do we need all this chocolatey sugary yumminess? No, but I got it all for $4!! I've got to hide it all from Carter and myself because we cannot be trusted to control ourselves...

Eating 101- What Not To Do...

2009-02-27T14:03:00.006-05:00

Things I never let Carter eat until he was WELL over 1 but Ellie (10 months) has eaten...

--Churro at Costco

--McDonalds cheeseburger

--Soda (diet- does that make it worse or better?)

--Brownie & Chocolate Cake

Have I gone a little too lax in my parenting this go-round?

What They Are Doing...

2009-02-21T16:25:00.008-05:00

Carter Taft
- He can reach the garage door opener on tippy-toes and open the garage, for some reason that made me sad. He's getting so big so fast...
-He is an amazing scooter-er! We move the furniture and set up a course inside (I use Joe's scooter) and he can lap me within three times around the course. He's super quick, can turn a corner on a dime and has little fear (so he HAS to wear a helmet at all times).
-Carter and I were SUPER sick on Wednesday and once when I had to excuse myself to go lose my lunch (or whatever I lost, I hadn't eaten in almost 24 hours), I came back to find Carter feeding Ellie her applesauce. What a helper.
-I discovered this week that he can, and wants to, get dressed all by himself. I know this should have come sooner but I stunt his growth so he will stay young and dependent on me :). Apparently it's not working...
-He can carry Elise, though I might add this is a super supervised activity :).

Ellie-Belly

-grabs my hand & pushes it away when I am sucking her nose, or feeding her yummy food that she doesn't like the texture of (I may have my first picky eater)

-her hair is finally growing, it's long enough to use a little elastic band!

-she has learned to clap. It's adorable to watch them try to get those hands together and miss but then to have sweet success and flash a giant grin :).

-she can drink out of a sippy cup like a champ. As a side note, Carter weaned himself at this age but Ellie is still going strong in the nursing department.

-she crawled her first few paces yesterday, though she then flattened out on the floor and resorted to reaching. My kiddos are a little slow in this area and while it worried me with Carter, with Ellie I don't mind a bit because I know how much harder life is with a mobile child. Which reminds me we should probably go buy gates today...

-she is the best waker-upper I have ever seen. She smiles, plays peekaboo, laughs for no apparent reason and pats my back rigorously when I first get her out of bed.

Here is a rare picture of me and my munchkins. So now people can know that yes, my children do have a mother...

Unconventional

2009-02-13T15:25:00.010-05:00

I am one of those wierdie, unconventional mothers who genuinely enjoys hanging out with a three and almost one year old- over almost anyone else. Sure there are days I want to take a time-out from being a Mom but for the most part I just love their company, conversation, zerberts and smiles. I'm a closet Raffi fan. And Laurie Berkners music cracks me up. I could count all the times I've listened to adult music in the car in the last three years on one hand- but that works for me. I'm not ready to send Carter to preschool, especially not four days a week. When he's four I only want to do 2 or 3 days. And I'm not sending him to all day kindergarten. There ought to be a half-day option. I have thought about home-schooling but I'm honest enough with myself to know that I couldn't or wouldn't be able to give them the experiences they would need to truly excel academically. By the way, I'm not saying there is anything wrong with having your kids in preschool either, what's right for one family or child isn't right for another and I know we all just have to do what is best for our own kids and not have to worry about other parents passing judgement on us. Another confession- I want to have another baby and Elise is only 10 months old (though I am smart enough to realize my body needs to be in a better place first :). Thanks for reading this very jumbled cofessional, I just felt like getting these thoughts off my chest. I wonder if there are any Amish communities nearby- seems like they're onto something there...

Seriously- who can resist these giggles...

Is uh-oh a word?

2009-01-27T20:09:00.006-05:00

My friend Trisa does these dialogue blogs that are adorable with things she overhears her kids say and today I had to share this one:

Joe: Uh-oh!
Elise: Uh-oh (clear as day- does that count as her first word?!)
(then we all made a big deal about it and tried to get her to repeat it:)
Carter: Hey Dad, she can speak our language!

So cute! Then Ellie proceeded to blow bubbles through her straw (another new skill) and refused to jibber jabber anymore:). What a big girl Ellie-belly!!

Highlights Part One

2009-01-07T23:48:00.002-05:00

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Here are some highlights from the months we've been MIA. Carter has been taking more of our photos lately so I'm in a few:). I've got a highlight reel of 2008 in the works- but it's late so that'll be for another day!

Family Picture, sort of...

2009-01-07T22:07:00.004-05:00

We had so much fun taking these pictures! Ellie & I stayed on the couch and Joe & Carter would set the timer on the camera, run all the way around the couch and jump on just in time for the picture. We got some interesting shots- Joe falling off the couch, and this favorite of Carter picking his nose. Happy Holidays!

Oh yea- I have a baby

2008-10-22T14:41:00.002-04:00

I realized something today- I have a baby. Lately I have mentioned how well life works with 2 kids- we're in a good routine, everyone is happy and life is good. Sure life is easy when my only ambitions are making sure the three of us are fed, clean, napped and have had sufficient toy/play time. But, when I get cocky and try to actually do something for me or someone else and it's a mess (important side note: I don't clean my bathrooms, vacuum, sweep, mop, grocery shop, etc:). Examples:

---I was in charge of teaching 2 crafts at Super Saturday. Sounds easy enough until you thrown in that I live 20 minutes away from the church, Super Saturday is about 6 hours long and Joe doesn't want to be shuttling a nursing baby back and forth to me every 2 hours (can't blame him) so I end up with Ellie on my hip as I try to teach women how to sew aprons and make bracelets (which you need TWO hands for).
---My Mom has had complications from her brain surgery and subsequent stroke and we want family to be there with her in the hospital 24/7 but again, I have a nursing baby and all I can do is wish I were there and send lots of prayers her way (good news- she might be out of the ICU today which is HUGE cuz she's been there for almost 2 weeks now- yeah Mom!).
---For those of us who couldn't do our Super Saturday crafts we had a little get together today to finish our projects which was a huge joke for me because- oh yea, I have a baby who is a constant fixture in my arms (thanks Carter for being a trooper though!).

I don't mean to complain, I love my little chunk and I know I used to have alone time and hobbies I could pursue and that time will come again- I just forgot that when you have a baby you really are semi useless to the world for a number of months (years?). I also know that when these days are gone I will grieve for the time when my children were content being held, danced around the room and having raspberries blown on their tummies. So stay little Elise (and Carter)- and if I ever say something silly like- "I'll teach that class" just remind me that....I have a baby.

Here's Carter sharing his blankie with his sister:)

Smiling

2008-10-02T16:58:00.004-04:00

These socks just make me happy. Who thought this up- they are adorable! Carter is in the "hey look at me" phase where he wants me to watch all his cool tricks and Elise is SO ticklish under her left armpit. Those are the other things that have made me smile today. What are you smiling about?

The Glad Game...

2008-10-01T12:42:00.003-04:00

Here is my new motto for the day--"How can life be bad when it is so darn good?" Thank you so much for your comments and phone calls. I am so blessed to have good friends and family and I don't utilize that support enough. It's amazing how much better life looks after an evening with friends (even with the kiddos), good night sleep (Ellie must have known I was about to snap) and my sweetie back in town. Here's why life is going to be okay:

Joe is so good to talk things through with me, he reminded me that a highly effective form of torture is sleep deprivation- somehow that makes me feel better (instead of feeling crazy:). I wouldn't last 24 hours being tortured this way before I'd crack and blab everything. Good thing I know nothing.

To be fair to Ellie, she was sleeping 8-11 hours at stretch until about a week ago and last night she slept 12 hours only waking up once. It's because she sleeps so well that a sudden bout of sleeplessness throws me so much.

There is no defense to be spoken for our computer or the gas shortage or my running- they both suck (sorry). But I am going to take Rachel up on the offer for running help!

I KNOW I am supposed to have this organ calling. I may butcher the songs every week but I get to truly enjoy the sacrament in a way I haven't for almost 3 1/2 years- without children. And Heavenly Father knows I need that . But I still feel like I owe a public apology every week.

Carter played with friends last night and he is over playing with a friend right now and he is so happy about it. And when he's happy, I'm happy. It's hard to know what is best for your kids and as parents we just have to do what we feel is right. Even if it's different then what everyone else is doing or if we seem to overprotective.

I am so grateful that this weekend is Conference weekend. I know we have a wise Heavenly Father who knows that my batteries are getting low and I need a spiritual recharge. And thank you Bonnie for your comment, it really got me thinking. Today I've probably cried four times but it's because I'm grateful for what I do have. Maybe sometimes you have to get real low and humble before you see just how bright that light is at the end of the tunnel and you can see how immensely you are blessed.

I think I'm broken...

2008-09-30T10:08:00.002-04:00

I tend to be an emphasize-the-positive-and-ignore-that-bad-happens blogger. This is different than being an optimist and it's not real. So here's how I'm really feeling right now. To preface know that I love my life and my sweet spouse, my adorably good kiddos, I know Heavenly Father loves me and I'm not going to do myself bodily harm (unless the pan of rice crispy treats counts). But boy am I in a funk right now and I feel like nothing in my life is working really well. Examples:

Ellie is getting up every two hours at night (and FOR two hours sometimes) and I don't know what's wrong or how to make it better. Worried it's because I'm running so much and don't have enough milk because she always acts starvingly hungry too.

I ran a 10K on Saturday (in 1 hour and 3 minutes- the one bright spot in this story) but now have lost all desire to run. Could be that I lost 20 pounds but have lost NOTHING in the last almost 4 weeks (and no, my clothes don't fit better so I'm not losing inches or gaining muscle). Could be that my feet are killing me because I need better shoes and yet I can't shoe shop with 2 kids. I'm not good at shopping without kids. I need a team of people forcing me to try on one more thing or I'll go get a Wendys frosty and then go home.

Our computer is slower than a Leapfrog laptop toy and I'm trying to do a project online and my computer won't cooperate!! I want a desktop computer that can take all the pictures, music and other data that I throw at is like a man.

Carter's preschool is difficult because he's about 1- almost 2 years younger then these kids and they don't treat him well. It breaks my heart and again I feel so helpless because you can't make someone be nice (though you can remove them from the situation)

I feel like I cannot get a handle on my calling as organist- I suck it up (excuse my language) every week and want to cry when I'm done. I practice- why am I not getting better????!!!!! Besides the obvious reason I guess, that I don't know how to play the organ.

We are in the middle of a gas crisis and I have no idea how all these other peeps find gas but I tried three different days, almost ran out of gas trying, finally found gas but had to wait in a 50 car line for an hour and now feel like I can't leave my house until we are out of crisis mode.

Those are just random examples, I could go on but I won't. My baby, whom I love, just woke up from her whopping 20 minute nap and is screaming upstairs. I just feel like I don't have much control. We have been trying so hard to have FHE and pray and read our scriptures but somehow I'm missing something. Maybe I'm not listening well enough? I'm pretty sure no one reads my blog but if you do- any advice?

Best friends (aka Sibilngs)...

2008-09-11T21:04:00.004-04:00

I could entitle each post "My heart is full" or "My heart is in my throat about to come out of my eyes in liquid form" or "No one told me being a mother could make me so stinkin' happy". I love to see my sweet kiddos interact together. Carter is the sweetest big brother. Always wanting to talk to Elise or show her a toy or put a sticker on her head- and she can't get enough of him! Today I was getting jealous because I was trying to talk to her and whenever Carter would drive his cars close by or say something she was craning her neck to see him and smile at him. I started giving them a bath together (I put Ellie's special tub in the big bathtub) and they were a riot! Carter would holler "squish" as he squeezed the water out of his washcloth and Ellie would laugh hyserically! Over and over and over. When I'm getting ready or making dinner I ask Carter to talk to Ellie and he'll lay next to her and let her play with his face and he'll make her laugh and she'll babble at him. Maybe Carter is just old enough or maybe they are just kindred spirits but he has never tried to hurt her, even on accident, and he never gets upset with her or the attention that she needs. I was so afraid to mess with the happiness that Joe and I had with our sweet little Carter, little did I know about the joy of siblings.

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Lessons from Brittany...

2008-08-22T18:13:00.000-04:00

My sister Brittany is 2 years younger than me and I had so much fun growing up with her as my best friend, though we did have your traditional sibling love/hate relationship at times:). She is a great example to me of patience, she's not afraid to admit when she's wrong, she says what she thinks and is a great friend. She is never fake- if she's happy you know it and it's contagious and if she's not happy- then nobody else is either:). She is most likely the best mom I know and every time I look at her blog or talk to her I get new ideas from her on how I can be a better Mom. I love that she LOVES being a Mom (good thing too since she's fertile as a rabbit:) and that she still has the imagination of a child. I love that Carter loves her and that almost half of his pretend phone conversations are with her though he only sees her about once a year. She has a lot of confidence in herself and she isn't lazy- she always has at least a dozen projects going on. She has faith, she knows when times are hard that there is always something to learn from the experience and that Heavenly Father loves us. She loves her husband, they have a solid relationship and she supports him in whatever he does. Don't you all wish you could have a Brittany in your life?

More Brittany-inspired things that make us smile...
-"When bears get up in the morning" & "Good morning" songs (Carter calls them Brittany songs)
-We often have masking tape roads all over our floor for our cars to drive on, another great Brittany idea
-starfall website (GREAT fun & educational for kiddos)
-Sliding down the stairs on a mattress- those twin mattresses just barely fit down a standard staircase and it's something everyone ought to do once
-She introduced me to "They might be giants"- good running music I've found
-Me on piano, Britt singing- growing up, rarely did a day go by without that scenario happening (I miss it...)

blogging 101

2008-08-21T19:55:00.000-04:00

So I started this message about my sister about a week or so ago and just went to publish it today and couldn't find it on my blog page. Come to find it WAY down below because blogger publishes by start date, not finish date. Good to know in the future...:). SO- I have written something new, it's just down a ways!

Beautiful Baby...

2008-08-11T22:40:00.000-04:00

A lot of people have been asking to see what our baby girl looks like these days. She looks adorable, of course. She is a smiler and she laughs when I sing "Popcorn Popping", she's also ticklish under her armpits. We call her Ellie, Eli-belly, Belle(short for belly), Eli-bear, Eli-bearnana- pretty much anything but Elise:). Carter loves his baby sister, he's been sick and it is SOOOO hard to keep him away from her! He regularly tells me that Ellie wants him to hold her and when she cries he will hold her hand and sing to her. And he will talk to her and reassure her- adorable! She is 4 months old and almost 16 pounds. She is totally a mama's girl- my left arm is my Ellie-carrying-arm- though she is smiling more and more at her daddy. She is a great sleeper/eater and we are so happy that she is our little babe.

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My Main Man

2008-08-10T19:17:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Joe and I celebrated our Fifth Anniversary. With 2 kiddos, employment, and a house things are not as simple as they were five years ago when we were married. We got married right before our senior year of college at BYU and we LOVED that year of school together!! We walked to school together, had lunch together and had fabulous friends we would regularly hang out with. Though we don't snuggle or smooch as often as we used to- I love Joe more now than ever. I love seeing him as a Daddy, and I love that he loves being a daddy. There is a lot that I love about Joe, he is such a good example of forgiveness. And he is open to change, and not afraid to say he is sorry. He is truly interested in people and their lives and makes people feel at ease. His laugh can be heard across long distances, and he always makes me laugh:). He helps me have confidence in myself because I know he loves me and values my thoughts and opinions. Love you Joe.

Friends

2008-08-10T19:03:00.000-04:00

We were lucky enough to have some friends from college come to visit us this week! The Rylanders moved to North Carolina a few months ago and braved the six-ish hour drive to come play with us for five whole days of kids-running-all-over-the-place fun! Maria, Isaac (3)and Abby (almost 2) came on Wednesday and Richie joined us all on Friday. Maria and I worked out every day (I'm trying to talk her into a half marathon with me), we took the kids bowling, the moms got pedicures, we watched olympic coverage and we got a babysitter and went on a double date (which was so fun though I think we were all exhausted, kids have a way of doing that to us parents:). Carter enjoyed having friends to play with, and learn to share with. Isaac has a little crush on Ellie (notice his arm around her:) and all you twilight fans will know what I mean when I say we think he may have imprinted:). It was wonderful to be with some of our core group of friends- we have missed them and are so glad to have them close (well, closer at least)!

I'm the only one!

2008-07-29T15:17:00.000-04:00

Silly as this may be I feel super cool to be the only one with my name!! I'm like Tigger- iiiii'm the only one...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are
1
or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

I'm also the only one who's underphotographed in this family, I couldn't find a single recent picture of me to add to this post. Isn't that Joe's job...?

Uncle Tyler's Wedding...

2008-07-01T16:01:00.000-04:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We took a quick trip out to Utah for my brother's wedding the first week of June. Carter loved seeing his cousins and spending a lot of time with his Dad. Plus he got to go swimming, to the dinosaur museum and he played in the fountain at BYU and ate lots of yummy treats from the BYU bookstore. Thanks Tyler and Mara for getting married so we could take a trip to Utah, even if it was too short.

It's Official...

2008-07-01T15:25:00.000-04:00

June 1st 2008 Joe blessed Elise in sacrament meeting, our baby girl is officially Elise Marie Benson. It was a beautiful and long blessing throughout which Ellie screamed at the top of her lungs. Joe kept his cool through the whole thing and at the end blessed our baby with patience that she has not yet received:). She was blessed in the dress that I was blessed in 28 years ago and what makes it even more special is that my Mom made it. It was a wonderful day and we are so grateful to have shared it with our ward family here in Alpharetta Georgia. When we moved here I was in the middle of a miscarriage, it was miserably humid and I was pretty sure I would hate living in Georgia. Now, a year later we have our sweet baby girl, we have so many wonderful friends and though it is still miserably humid, now I know I can be happy here, so very happy.

The Test...

2008-06-03T14:21:00.000-04:00

The reality that this life is a test was never truer than today. I have had some very special experiences this last few weeks that have taken some of the burden of parenting at this stressful and trying time and I have felt joy in the small moments with each of my kids. Elise is never happier than at 5 am when she will coo and smile at me and I eat it up because they aren't small for long and I am going to miss this- four hours of sleep and all. And Carter hates to go to bed at night so he puts his charm on and will giggle and tickle and hold me (like he's the parent and I'm the 3 year old- pricless to see him act as he thinks adults act, I even get rocked and hushed:). Well, today they collaborated to put my newfound patience to the test- screaming and yelling in the car, at Costco and as we were leaving the pool (why did I do so much in one day?!). I can't say I was perfection but I must have passed because I didn't leave them at Costco or the pool, I stil love them so much my heart aches it's so full and they are both sleeping. Thank you Carter and Elise for allowing me to show that I have learned something, I am stronger than I was before. And it goes without saying that tomorrow, we are not going anywhere...

I tried really hard to find a picture of Carter crying as a baby to no avail. Ellie...

Practically twins...

2008-05-02T17:15:00.000-04:00

So we have been wondering who Ellie looks like. I think that as a baby she looks SO much like her big brother did! Do you agree?

My Bo Barter is THREE!!

2008-05-02T16:45:00.000-04:00

So on monday, April 28th 2008:), my Carter turned 3!! When you ask him he still says that he is going to be three, he doesn't know that he is already three. I was so grateful that his Grandma's were there because Joe and I didn't get around to getting the kiddo presents (thankfully he'll never remember this year...) and his Grandma's got him great stuff as well as helping to make a great bowling cake (Carter is totally into bowling right now). Carter LOVED the backpack and sunglasses that my Mom's friend got him and Joe does NOT love the baby my Mom got him- but he is taking good care of it. Carter loved blowing his candles out and then he just wanted to play with the miniature bowling set on top of the cake. Highlights of the day included lunch at McDonalds playplace, dinner at CiCi's pizza, staying up late to help Dad put together his new playground and playing with Grandma Benson. I can't believe that 3 years ago I became a Mom for the first time. I remember never wanting to put him down, he was such a perfect little boy with the most adorable round baseball head and big eyes and I didn't think I could ever love more than I loved him. Now three years later I still love his adorable head, big eyes, long eyelashes and seeing him as a loving big brother just melts my heart even more. One of my friends has a quote on her blog that I love and it says something like- having children is to decide forever to have your heart walking around outside your body- and that's how I feel. While being a Mom doesn't alone define who I am, my favorite thing to be is "mommy". I love you Carter- Happy 3rd Birthday!

Elise Marie Benson

2008-04-20T16:32:00.000-04:00

In this brief window when our internet is working I'll jump in and post pictures of our sweet baby girl. She was born on April 15th at 11:48 pm. I was induced because I was terribly uncomfortable and they thought she'd be a big girl but the sweet little papoose turned out to be 7 lb 12 oz and 20 inches long. It was a long day but not an incredibly hard one. Joe and I played Canasta up until the time came to push (Sorry, maybe too much information) and my friend from church was our fabulous nurse (she even stayed over 2 hours afer her shift ended so she could be there when our little one was born- thanks again Emily! We hope you have since recuped some lost sleep!!) and my midwife could not have been better- and the end product is adorable. We named her about an hour before we left the hospital and we still call her baby sister out of habit. Carter loves her and loves to hold her- it's hard to get her back from him! We went to the hospital today, after we picked up Grandma Linda from the airport, to drop off some papers and things and when we got back to the car Carter said, "we're not going to return baby sister?". I said no and he was so happy!! Sweet boy, I'm glad he wants her home for keeps. Sorry for those of you we haven't called but should have, we love you but life is a little crazy right now...

Do Not Call List...

2008-04-14T15:18:00.000-04:00

We have reached the point in this pregnancy where we just can't call anyone. You know- as soon as you say hello everyone gets so excited thinking you have had the baby and then you get depressed that you haven't and that drives you to eating. Which packs on more pregnancy weight and leads to more depression (viscious cycle...). So I'll just post on my blog instead. The good news is that I am being induced tomorrow, so there is an end in sight- soon we will be at liberty to call people again! Joe's Mom got here Saturday so Carter won't even be aware that we're gone at the hospital the next few days (which makes me both happy and sad. I don't want him to be distraught at my absence but it wouldn't hurt my feelings if he at least NOTICED I wasn't here:). Please keep us in your prayers, I was SO excited to have this baby out of my abdomen but this morning I started to get nervous- I forgot how scary having a baby is...

Easter weekend...

2008-04-07T17:25:00.000-04:00

Some friends of our set up a great picnic/easter egg hunt/park evening the saturday before Easter and it was so much fun, we're talking somewhere around 100 people were there! Carter kind of got what was going on during the Easter egg hunt, but really his favorite parts were the park and playing baseball.

He wasn't really into the candy on Easter Sunday either, he carried around his bucket of easter eggs for almost three weeks before it was all gone. The kid has got amazing self-control, we have no idea where he gets it. Joe and I downed a whole box of wheat thins last night, someone needs to start cooking dinner around here- but we'll save the lazy housewife post for later. Grandma Benson sent Carter a whole bag of non-edible goodies (so smart) for Easter and we have read his new Curious George and Thomas the Tank Engine books EVERY DAY since Easter. I think we need to expand our book collection in these categories becasue I have every work memorized. I felt bad about my parenting at the end of the day on Easter though because I know we failed to really celebrate this most important holiday of the year for what it truly is. While we talked about Jesus, it wasn't the focal point of the day. Next year I vow to do it the right way, while still enjoying the lighter side (he will only be 3, though an easter basket full of sugar won't get old at any age:).

Here is the only picture we took of our big boy in his Easter outfit- he looked so grown up it made me sad. Can't he just stay this age forever?

It's Spring (for the most part...)!

2008-04-07T17:00:00.000-04:00

So I'm still playing catchup on the last month of our lives, here is another installment. Here's a picture of Carter on the first really warm day we experienced (that would be March 13th). He looked like an hunky little athlete until he insisted on throwing the tie on (aren't those shoes cute- thanks Grandma!). Carter is ALMOST three but he's started talking and reasoning like a much older child. Not only will he tell Dad "but Mom said I could", the other day he refused to take a nap and when I went up to tell him that Mommy was tired and really needed him to take a nap he said to me "Okay Mom, I'll watch Curious George while you take a nap". Really not a bad idea, so we did it- who's parenting who here?

Joe and I have decided to stop pretending we don't have a yard, we now wish we had gone with a smaller lot. Between mowing, raking, planters and weed control we are out there every night, though Carter could not think that was any cooler. He is very helpful, and he hangs out with Dad because his tools are cooler than mine (my trowel can't compete with the lawn mower) so I get to be outside in nature all alone- it's fabulous! We think when we get this yard under control it's really going to improve our relationship with our neigbors...

Considerate sickee...

2008-04-03T00:01:00.001-04:00

It's midnight and I'm up because I can't take my happy pills! Carter has been throwing up on and off for hours (sorry for the weak stomached) so I can't fall fast asleep:(. Though Carter has been very kind, he always starts to complain about his throat and bawl before he does his business so we are able to make sure it's contained. What a sweetie. It's so hard to see those little bloodshot, teary eyes and flushed face- as a parent I really do hurt when he hurts. We're hoping for a one night stand so tomorrow we can be all better, but if not- I've promised Carter a lot of Curious George episodes tomorrow...

My Miracle...

2008-03-30T00:17:00.000-04:00

So I'm in the home stretch of my pregnancy here and things are getting hairy. I TRY not to complain but my biggest issue is that I'm not sleeping. I say that and you probably don't believe me but it's the honest truth that I sleep an average of 3-4 hours a night and the rest of the time I watch my recorded episodes of "Designed to Sell" and check out everyones blogs. The main issue is that I have restless less syndrome in my right leg but I also have hip pain and overall discomfort. Shockingly I handle the days pretty well, I'm not quite a zomby but I'm not really a whole person either. WELL, yesterday I received a miracle in the form of a tiny little pill from my doctor and I slept for eight hours! And the real kicker is that I only got up once to use the facilities!! Yea for Ambien and yea for my Doctor for prescribing it- I will forever be loyal to him. I only got 15 pills though so this baby better not take her sweet time in getting here, though she can have another two weeks or so if she needs it. Did I mention that it's a girl- a friend of mine said she didn't know and since I'm the worst blogger ever I might not have mentioned it. It is a girl and we have no name for her yet, maybe we should call her Ambien....?

Couple of Months...

2008-03-28T23:14:00.000-04:00

So I've missed a couple of holidays and memorable moments so we'll do a brief synopsis starting with Valentines Day. We borrowed a tradition from some friends of ours and had a family fondue dinner- Joe style (which means on the couch while watching TV).

Carter and I took a trip to Kansas to visit my fam in March. It was my last big hurrah before I have to travel with TWO munchkins. We had a great time and Carter LOVED the company. Between Aunt Briley and his new friend Porter he was never bored:). And here's another picture of Carter balaying while Grandma was rock climbing (at least he thought he was:).

Here are some pictures of me trying to cover up my largeness at my baby shower (yes, Joe and Carter were there:). I had some serious doubts about moving here last year but sitting with all those ladies made me feel so blessed. I feel so at home here and I didn't even know it until now.

Darn it- I've been tagged!

2008-03-27T15:19:00.000-04:00

Rules: Use only pictures from google image search (I had no idea that was out there). Jessie is lucky I love here because this took me a while! I have a hard time with these because I'm not very interesting and if I were you I totally wouldn't read this whole thing. But I take great pride in having posted before Rachel (the other tagee from Jessie) because she is always so on the ball with her blog and I'm the biggest slacker. Thanks for being busier than me Rachel:).

Favorite Color: Right now I am a big fan of white and yellow. White because it's so clean and fresh and if you wear a white shirt and it gets dirty, our good friend bleach can make it pretty and white again. And yellow because it's so happy. Probably this is inspired by the gorgeous daffodils I've been seeing popping up everywhere.

Favorite Animal: I have always been a horse person. I took riding lessons when I was a teenager (for which I will always be grateful to you mom & dad) and it is my dream to own my own horse. I love a dark brown quarterhorse with an almost black mane and tail. There are horse stables right outside the back entry of our neigborhood and someday soon I will ride again (i guess maybe in the water)!

Bad Habit: Procrastination!! Also I'd have to say not returning phone calls (my family are all nodding their heads emphatically at this point). Do I have to stop there because there are lots more where those came from...

Favorite Food: Rice Crispy Treats. In college I would make a whole 9 by 13 pan for some good studying brain food. Somehow they would be gone in one day and I told myself that Joe probably ate most of them. Pretty believable story, right? But lying to yourself is a sign of bigger problems...:).

Favorite Hobby: Right now it's cleaning and organizing all the crevices of our home. Joe is not so thrilled but my closets have never been so clean! And I know where things are that have been missing since we moved here. I do draw the line somewhere though, my floors never get mopped. Swept- absolutely, but mopped- nope.

Favorite Song: Save The Last Dance For Me- Michael Buble. I pop on my headphones sometimes when Carter goes to bed and listen to this song over and over while cleaning. You can't help but occasionally break into song and dance with Mr. Buble and imagine yourself sambaing around some ballroom floor while everyone admires your smooth moves... Or maybe that's just me...

Favorite Author: Clive Staples Lewis. I had no idea what his first and middle names were until I looked up pictures of him. This man knew what to do with words. Even when it's not religiously based his words still seem to speak to my soul.

Favorite Dessert: Brownies. And I like them in copious amounts, all by themselves without ice cream. I am sounding totally pregnant right now. I've made them a couple of times in the last few months to bring to people and then they come out of the oven and they somehow never leave the house. So I guess I can put lack of self control up there on my list of bad habits.

Picture of Me: This was the biggest bellied 36 week prego lady I could find. If only I looked this good in a swimsuit right now. But I don't know if any pregnant woman has the right to wear a 2 piece at this stage in the game, just an opinion.

So I tag Britt, Bonnie (not having a blog is no excuse, you are about to bear children and that requires you to be a picture hawking blogger), and Rebecca Bliss. I'm not sure if any of you read my blog anymore- I think everyone gave up months ago when I stopped posting!

Under Construction...

2008-03-05T21:52:00.000-05:00

I am about to pull my hair out!! I tried using this website to make my blog super cool: http://www.sjhblogdesign.blogspot.com- but it's not working!!!! Somebody help me please!!!!! Am I a complete idiot or has anyone else had difficulty making their blogs super cute?

Bumper Bowling!!

2008-02-05T14:50:00.000-05:00

So Carter and I have been Joe-less for the last five days and unable to
shake these pesky colds so today we decided we'd go bowling as a little
pick-me-up. Back when Carter watched zero TV we got him to sit still
for almost 30 minutes watching bowling on ESPN and now he's seen Elmo
and Curious George bowl on his shows so I figured he'd like it. Boy is
that an understatement. He played 2 games and I had to DRAG him out of
there when we were done. He's pretty darn good too- I only bowled for
him once and he beat me 71-65! We might have to get him some bowling
shoes for his birthday! He was so fun to watch, and he'd cheer for all
the bowlers around us when they hit a lot of pins down:). His favorite
part was when his ball would magically appear out of that dispenser
thingy. I love doing just about anything with this kiddo.

Thank you Joe!

2008-01-29T16:10:00.000-05:00

Since we bought a house last year we decided that Christmas would be really low key. Our gift to each other was supposed to be all the work we had done on the house. So, of course Joe payed no attention to a word I said and him and his Mom bought me an SLR camera. I have been wanting one for so long and I love it! I don't have a clue what I'm doing but it has been so fun to pretend that I'm a photographer. Some of these pictures may seem wierd (one of the reasons I wanted the camera was so I could take closeups of little ears and toes) and I realize that my subject of choice appears to be Carter (I just didn't think you would all be interested in my abstracts of the bush in the front yard:). So here are a few of my favorites from this month of practicing...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Finally, a toy MOM could play with for hours!

2008-01-29T15:59:00.000-05:00

Carter has always LOVED to play with toys (for the most part tv holds no interest for this child) and in his sweet little mind my only job in this world is to play with him. I love to play with my babe but I only have so much train table or pushing cars around the floor in me. But then we discovered legos- I LOVE legos! We mostly build dog houses (I think he got that from Curious George) but we also specialize in towers and tall cars. When he built this tower he could not stop saying how "HUGE" it was:). You can see that he doesn't trust my photography skills, he had to take his OWN picture.

The Tie...

2008-01-29T15:51:00.001-05:00

So it has begun, the "I want to be just like my Daddy" stage. Last night Joe came home and Carter wanted to wear his tie. He wore it for HOURS until I put him to bed. Then this morning before Joe headed to work he INSISTED on having a tie just like daddy. Joe tied one on him and it took a lot for him to let me take it off for his nap this afternoon. He even wore it to playgroup (hope you aren't too attached to this tie Joe!).

He has also been talking about having a belt just like Daddy's. And gel in his hair just like Daddy. Looks like I'm going to have another metrosexual on my hands...

Let It Snow...!

2008-01-29T15:12:00.000-05:00

We were told when we moved here that it NEVER snows in Georgia so imagine our surprise when I snowed a few weeks ago and then four days later it snowed AGAIN!! Carter, being a California boy, was not a fan of this cold substance until the second time around when Daddy introduced him to the snowball. I had to keep a respective distance to get a few pictures because Carter has quite the arm!

When it first started snowing we were ecstatic that there was enough snow to stick in our hair...

Then the snow kept falling and it stuck to the ground- yea (for one night only:)

Here are Carter and Daddy playing with snowballs...

Joe Look-alike Meter

2008-01-15T17:46:00.001-05:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Free family tree

Dawnelle Look-alike Meter

2008-01-15T17:29:00.001-05:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Family history

Benson Look-alike Meter

2008-01-09T15:37:00.001-05:00

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebs - Collage - Morph

Okay- I totally didn't see that coming!! I thought that arrow would be swinging all the way over to Joe for sure! My sister-in-law Rebecca and I were chatting about who our kiddos get their looks from so I had to try this out. Do you think it's right?!! Maybe the pictures aren't very accurate...?

The Hunky Husband Survey...

2008-01-08T21:33:00.000-05:00

My sister sent me this survey- it was kind of fun to fill it all out and think about it!

The Hunky Husband Survey...

What is his name? Joe
How long have you been married? 4 1/2 years
How long did you date? 8 months
How old is he? He likes to say almost 30 but he's 28
Who eats more? Joe wins hands down (and I'm pregnant:)
Who said I love you first? Joe did, though I probaby thought it first
Who is taller? Joe wins again
Who sings better? I'm going to say I have better pitch but Joe has more heart!
Who is smarter? Depends what subject we're talking about...
Whose temper is worse? Mine- I definitely win this one, no contest
Who does the laundry? Me
Who does the dishes? Me again (though we're starting a new 'Joe does dinner dishes' system)
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Me, gotta be close to the bathroom
Who pays the bills? That's me again
Who mows the lawn? McKenna did... but now that she's gone:( - ME
Who cooks dinner? Me- but Carter helps
Who drives when you are together? Usually me, I'm consistently legal
Who is more stubborn? Me, me, me...
Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Joe- but does he mean it...?!
Whose parents do you see the most? Joes, they have more flexibility in traveling
Who proposed? Joe
Who has more friends? Joe, how could you not like Joe?!
Who has more siblings? I totally win this one- I dominate Joe on this one (7 vs. 2)
Who wears the pants in the family? We share them:)

Glorious Day!

2008-01-06T22:59:00.000-05:00

Carter took this picture of the trees in our backyard. It just seems happy to me!
Today was just such a good day I had to share! I played the organ for the first time in church today, I was nervous out of my mind but it went great. I know I was blessed beyond my ability. I bore my testimony for the first time in almost a year, though I can never get the words out in a coherent manner I felt stronger from the experience. Carter sat through church with Joe and was an angel, also he was just in the best mood ever all day- and when you are 2 1/2 and church is from 2-5 pm that's impressive:). We also realized we had a flat tire when we pulled out of the church parking lot but four people from our ward stopped and offered to help- do we live in the greatest ward or what?! Carter went to bed early, Joe and I had a great devotional and football time and I'm getting to bed by 11:15 pm. Does life get any better than this- I submit that it cannot:).

Carter and Daddy...

2008-01-03T21:53:00.000-05:00

On New Years Day we drove out to the Mall of Georgia to see what all the hype was about. Carter is not a fan of long drives in the car and this was about 45 minutes each way but once Joe hit the backseat neither one wanted to go home. Lot of giggling and headlocking going on back there:). It was really a father and son day, I was just the cameraman and chauffer. Come April though we'll have another girl in the fam to even out the fam. If only I could have captured the "yeehaw" from the guys carousel ride, I don't know which of the two enjoyed that ride more. And for the record, don't judge me- Carter only gets that paci when he's sleeping but when he's sick it's fair game:)!!

Carter and Mommy

2008-01-03T21:31:00.000-05:00

Carter and I have a lot of fun together every day- there can't be anything as great as being a Mom. Hanging out with little people who ask "why not" all day and speaking creative english- can't be beat. I do miss sleeping well and going to the bathroom by myself- but the smiles are worth the chronic bags under my eyes. Carter loves the rain and it can really pour here so a few times we took chairs outside would take turns running into the pouring rain. We were freezing, but it wasn't anything hot chocolate couldn't fix. And I wonder why he's had a cough for four weeks...:). I wish he could remember these times. Also he loves the camera. Joe gives me a bad time for letting him play with something worth hundreds of dollars but he's got a good eye, and I finally have pictures of myself! Mommy and the ceiling fan are his subjects of choice.

Thanksgiving/Christmas at 365 Hawks Circle

2008-01-03T16:27:00.000-05:00

We had the good fortune of having people come to us for the holidays this year!! My family came for Thanksgiving and Joe's family came for Christmas. They were all very patient with our construction zone, and we even put a few of them to work:). Carter always grows in leaps and bounds with people around and has picked up quite a few new vocabulary. Plus I think our families quote Carter now on occasion too! Highlights of the seasons: We cut down our own Christmas tree this year, we did go a little overboard though as it was 11' tall...! We managed to seat all 10 people here for Thanksgiving dinner, though we got creative and used our desk and overstuffed chair. My mom, sisters and I canned five turkeys. Decorating our christmas tree with a ladder. And we spent a lot of time in our pajamas. We made and delivered a LOT of cookies this year, we coerced Carter into the long delivery evenings with hot chocolate and candy canes, that could be why he has been sick for four weeks...:). Joe got in more than his fair share of football as well, he justifies it because Carter will sometimes sit down and watch with him. Especially if it's bedtime, Carter will run to the couch and say "No wanna go bed, watch football". Joe could not be prouder. Happy holidays everyone!

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Halloween 2006 vs. 2007

2008-01-03T15:53:00.000-05:00

So, we've also had a couple of holidays since I've been a good blogger. I got real creative with Carter's Halloween costume and he was the same thing he was last year:). No one here had seen it and I didn't have to stress- plus he is so super cute as a Marine!

New York Trip...

2008-01-03T14:44:00.000-05:00

I haven't been sleeping well so I'm trying a new thing, not taking naps. This is day 2 and although it pains me to not be unconscious when Carter is, it turns out that I find myself with an extra few hours on my hands every day! So- BLOG UPDATES!! I'm going to jump back to August because I don't think I posted anything about my big trip last year. My Mom, four sisters and I all took a trip to New York together this year. It was suppossed to be a childless trip for all of us but one of my sisters had a newborn and things didn't work out for me because Carter came into the city with us almost every day. Maybe next time...:). But both little people were great, they probably handled the long Manhattan days better than the ladies did but it was SO much fun! We got lost on the Subway regularly, ate delicious food and had a karaoke dance party with Joe's Dad as our DJ. We stayed with Joe's parents for the week and they were so fabulous to us! I know they must have been drained when we left but we are still so grateful to them for their hospitality. Here is a collection of our memories...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I forgot to mention that somehow Joe weedled his way into the end of our trip. He is always looking for excuses to go to New York and have his Mom take care of him (I can't compete:)

Tagged...

2007-12-01T22:27:00.001-05:00

Okay, sorry this is so long in coming Courtney, but I was tagged weeks ago and now I'm finally responding. Six things people probably don't know about me was kind of hard because I'm a pretty open person but here goes...

1) I did an all important study in college and determined that Burger King has the best french fry. That's strictly from a fast food stand point, steak fries are hard to beat. Needless to say I do like my fried potatoe but I usually do a good job of maintaining my distance.

2) I can't stand to sleep with my socks on. A good night sleep requires a little chill in the air, a big warm blanket, a big warm Joe and no socks. It's the only way I sleep.

3) I am almost 20 weeks pregnant and we are having a girl. We don't normally keep big secrets but due to our miscarriage earlier this year we have been a little close mouthed about it and then with all our house projects time has flown. My favorite part about the whole thing is when Carter rubs my tummy and talks about his baby sister- hope he still feels so compassionate towards her come April. Oh yea, she's due on Carters birthday- April 28th.

4) I find therapy in cleaning, and I am a compulsive cleaner. I vacuum out the couch, dust the fans, and move all furniture to vacuum on a regular basis. If I'm mad or upset I clean and somehow it puts things in perspective. But I hate to mop, that always leaves me worse than when I started.

5) Okay, here's one even Joe doesn't know the extent of. I keep Subway in business. I LOVE turkey and ham on honey oat and I've even gotten Carter on the wagon. It's also my pregnancy craving and since being able to eat again (yea for second trimesters!) I make it to Subway 3-4 times a week. Here's to hoping Joe never reads this...

6) I love horses, most of that probably stems from an infatuation with Tom Burlinson (anyone seen Man From Snowy River?). I love living in our area, right out of our neigorhood there are lots of horses- Joe, Carter and I are all fans. It would be great to take riding lessons again, maybe it's in my future.

I think I'm supposed to tag someone at this point but EVERYONE on my list of bloggers has been tagged before. But it's been fun to be one of you- have a great weekend! And I'll add pictures from the last 2 holidays soon:).

Carter, Sleep and Waffle House..

2007-10-23T17:11:00.000-04:00

Carter is trying so very hard to give up his naps but I refuse to give up without a fight. So I have started waking him up earlier in the morning (breaking my own cardinal rule- never wake a sleeping child) and it's working! Yes, of the 2 of us I'm the one with the college education:)! Ironically, here are some pictures of him snoozing with his best friends, our friends dog Jenny and his Daddy- he's actually only truly asleep in the daddy picture. And on a different subject, the state of Georgia is overrun with restaurants called Waffle House. They are like a Denny's and they had Joe at hello- he is hooked. I have mixed feelings but that could be because nothing tastes good right now. Here are Carter and I in our official hats enjoying a little Southern living.

New York in the summer...

2007-10-23T16:41:00.000-04:00

I had every intention of posting some super cute new pictures of Carter but that will have to wait because Carter is at this moment watching videos of himself on the camera and will not relinquish it. So I thought I'd post some forgotten goodies from our trip to New York in July. All of Joe's siblings and their fams got together to celebrate his Dad's 60th birthday and Carter was in heaven with three older cousins who included him in all their fun. Joe is in New York for work and McKenna and I were all prepared to have a girls party but 36 hours into it- I miss you Joe! Just 24 hours to go...

The rain...

2007-09-14T14:55:00.001-04:00

I don't have any great pictures to share (and I won't until I find the right cable) but Carter is napping, it's raining and I am feeling so peaceful. I love the rain, it's good for the soul. Thank you for all of your thoughts in your blogs everyday. With all the chaos in our lives it's fun to stop and smile. And it has been so fun as Carter (who needs to be involved in anything I'm doing:) recognizes people and wants to see their pictures (right now he's all about Molly and Macy). So thanks for enriching our lives and helping us to see the positives in life. Hope that you all have great weekends, and that you get some rain.

Our house...

2007-08-19T16:23:00.000-04:00

We thought it about time to update everyone on our new living arrangements. You would think that after 6 weeks of home ownership we would be unpacked and living large. I am attaching pictures to dispel any of these rumors. Some of the pictures are dated last month but some of the house looks pretty much the same (like my master bathroom for instance). Dawnelle's Dad came out last weekend and thanks to a hard long weekend of work (thank you Dad!!) he rewired a bunch of the electrical outlets in our kitchen and moved our gas line and hooked up our appliances and hung our kitchen cupboards and we got a lot of our wood floor down. On Wednesday when my countertops and sink come in I should have a whole working kitchen. If we get the wood floors in by then. We have high hopes. We also are indebted to Dawnelle's sister McKenna who is staying with us, she is the daredevil 20 feet up on the ladder painting our living room. She is helping us keep whatever of our sanity is left:). Joe and I are still on speaking terms, usually, and looking forward to living like normal people. Please keep updating your blogs, reading about what's going on in your lives is the highlight of ours. Carter is still being as cute as can be- and cuter. He likes the concept of "hiding" and he'll even stick his hand behind his back and tell me it's "hiding". He has been a trooper with all this construction going on, he can sleep through hammering and deafening air compressor noise. We are so blessed that he still loves us after all we're putting him through. We hope to have "after" pictures to share soon!

Hanging out with the fam...

2007-07-13T14:55:00.000-04:00

Here are a few more pictures of the fam. One is of Carter and I at our "Mommy and me" gymnastics class (he's walking the balance beam way up high!). He loved the class, so much fun. His favorite part was the 30 foot long trampoline he got to bounce down over and over and over...:). Carter has finally (about 2 months ago) discovered television. Only elmo and not for very long at a stretch (about 3 minutes, then trucks, then another 3 minutes, then more truck time). Also Carter INSISTS after each bath on sitting on the counter and making eyes at himself. He loves his new alligator (pronounced aw-i-ga-to). They have these great indoor blow up toy play places (because it is TOO HOT to be outside) and Carter thinks the place is one big trampoline. He is sometimes over 2 feet in the air! Joe and I have recently had some moral struggles with house-sitting. We are taking care of the families 2 snakes and yesterday we had to feed them live mice. It was TERRIBLE! The little one at 2 little baby mice and the big one at 4 big mice. By the end we couldn't handle it anymore and we spared one of the big mice. We fed him cheese and strawberries and set him free in a field. At least now he has a fighting chance!

Our home...

2007-07-13T14:33:00.000-04:00

When we took pictures of our house we didn't take any great shots of the exterior, this is the only one I've got. The house has great bones, but we are putting in new floors throughout, painting every wall, gutting the kitchen and bathrooms and we hope to have it done in three weeks. Did I mention we are doing most of it ourselves. You can stop laughing now. But we have been somewhat realistic- we are saving the yard work for next year:). Demolition starts next week and will culminate with my Dad (Mr. Fix-anything) coming out to help with the hard stuff. We are so blessed to be in a ward with wonderful people who are letting us house sit during all this chaos. Atlanta is humid, but other than that we can't complain. The people are so kind, it's beautiful and green and there are things to do and see. We'll keep you posted on the chaos, we're hoping for some great before and after photos. My sister McKenna is coming out on Monday to stay for MONTHS and MONTHS. Without her none of this would be possible- thank you McKenna! I love checking everyones blogs- I hope someday ours will get a facelift and regular updates too. And music, how do you do that...?

Moving Day!!

2007-07-10T23:40:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we closed on our house, and today we moved all of our worldly posessions into it! Doesn't seem quite real because we aren't living there yet, we are house sitting for some great friends while we do some projects on our new home (you know Joe- he's all excited with big plans to knock down walls,etc.). I don't have pictures to share because we are STILL (4 months now) living out of boxes with no idea where the camera cable is. But we should be up and running smoothly again soon. Carter has been a trooper- all day as we moved he would say "me help too" and then he'd pick something up and carry it around for a while. We'll keep you a little better updated on the Bensons from here on out!

Alive and Adjusting in Georgia...

2007-05-23T15:55:00.000-04:00

Hello friends and family! I've gotten a lot of flack for being a slacker so I am updating our blog. Carter and I went on a 3 week trip to visit family in Kansas and go to my sister, Bonnie's, wedding in Utah. We are now back and my sister McKenna is staying with us for most of the summer (yea!!). We are going to become civil war buffs so feel free to come to us with any questions you may have:). Also, on monday we made an offer on a house and are just waiting to hear back but we are optimistic it will go through. We'll keep you updated. Smarty pants Carter is really growing up- he can count to ten and sing the birthday song (I turned 27 yesterday!). We are FINALLY taking way the bottle and starting really parenting because he turned 2 last month and has started acting like it. But he is a sweet boy at heart. Joe is loving his new job, he has great co-workers but a long commute. Our new house would fix that problem. We are still living out of boxes until we get a house but I'll try to keep in touch better. Here are some recent Benson snapshots. Hope you are all well!

The good, the sad, the new...

2007-04-07T23:51:00.000-04:00

A lot has changed with our family in the last few weeks. Mid-March Joe accepted a job offer in Atlanta Georgia and at the end of March we packed our stuff and hit the road. On the day we left California we found out that the baby Dawnelle was carrying (about 10 weeks along) no longer has a heartbeat. And since things aren't progressing along with the miscarriage as they are suppossed to Dawnelle will have to go in for a procedure that will clean everything out. It hasn't been easy with all the chaos in our lives right now but we are coming to terms and we have faith that everything happens for a reason. We are so grateful to so many of you for your love and prayers for us- we are so blessed to have you as friends and family. We spent a week in Arizona with Joe's sister and her family. With three cousins to play with we have never seen Carter happier (Brandon, Matthew and Andrew- CARTER MISSES YOU)! We arrived in Georgia earlier this week and have been busy finding a temporary apartment, house hunting, getting to know our area and driving each other crazy. Joe starts work Monday and a normal routine should ensue. We will keep you all updated and we will send you pictures of our sweet Carter and his buzzed haircut as soon as our stuff arrives (we're hoping for Monday...). Thank you again for your love- Happy Easter.

The guys...

2007-02-21T16:51:00.000-05:00

So Joe left yesterday for a business trip and Carter insisted on bringing his luggage to the car too- SO CUTE!! Carter loves to pull and push things around, every night we play "follow-the-leader" which basically involves Carter with his lawn mower, Joe with the vacuum and Dawnelle with the popper. We go up and down the hall until Joe and I can't take it anymore!!

Even though Carter has a cold we took him to the Steinhart Aquarium on Monday (we LOVE three day weekends when Joe's home!!) and he was enthralled with all the fish! All he wanted to do was stand in front of the big fish tanks and wait for the fish to come to him. Today is day 8 of our little germ magnet being sick (first the flu and now a cold)- he isn't sleeping well at night but he does sleep in my arms which I do love. Be well everybody!!