Living Our Dream

2012-01-02T22:36:00.000-08:00

Our shirts had our names on the back!!! We took this photo all by ourselves! It was on a makeshift tripod!!! Crazy!

My Macers! Prior to Brighton to entering the photo!

Macy is NOT Looking!

Merry Christmas from the Bensons in our matching PJs! Kendra and I started a new tradition.

Christmas went well Santa came, Nana and Papa came, Grammy and Grandpa came, Aunt Shelly and Uncle Mike Came, Tia Princess and Uncle Mike came, the Kellermans, Durchslags, and Looney's came.....I am pretty sure I left off somebody! Of course we had to tell her that Santa would call all of these people and tell them that she had asked for stuff. Like when Papa and Nana showed up with an Easel she said "MOM, that was on my list?!!!" How did Papa and Nana know? This little story went well! Also, she questioned as to why Santa could be in EVERY mall? and at Santa's Wonderland? and at Cheer? I had to tell her that the real Santa sends messenger Santas to take all the orders, I mean he is really busy....messengers make perfect sense! All of this went over wonderfully!!!

Santa brought a Barbie Dream House with a working elevator, and a smaller Barbie Townhouse for the lake! She got several Baby Alives, which are all so cute! The Barbies, of course, came rolling in....But, I was so proud of Kenley. Before Christmas we went through her "toys room" and she tossed out all Barbies that had fallen victim to Brighton...she also packed up 2 garbage sacks of toys for donation. She is an amazing little girl, so generous. Another time was when we returned home and had all her new toys and were beginning to prepare the house to put it on the market, she actually chose not to open some of her new toys from Christmas and packed them up for the new house. Of course, they just went over to Hollyview....so I will get them out for her right away! Now that is a pretty special 4-year old!

That is right you read it!! We put the house on the market! We are headed North to Spring, TX. Kenley is changing schools and we think we have found our "Dream Home" we are really excited! Nervous and excited. We have accepted a contract on this house and we are suppose to close on 1/27/12. We will pray that God lights our path. Our dream house will take some time to be built...if what we think is our dream home, God thinks is our dream home....

Keep us in your thoughts and your prayers and we will do the same for you! We love you!

Garrett, Wendy, and Kenley

2011-12-13T00:29:00.000-08:00

Texas Tinys First Place

We're Strong, We're Mighty, We're Texas Teeny Tiny

Thanksgiving 2011 Lake Murval

Halloween 2011

2011-12-13T00:05:00.000-08:00

August 25, 2011...the last time I put up a post! That was a LONG time ago! It has been a long year in the Benson household! We look forward to what 2012 has to bring! We are very excited to a new year and dedicating our time to our family and focusing on Kenley.

Kenley was a Leopard for Halloween! We went Trick or Treating with Jenna and Brody!

We spent Thanksgiving at Lake Murval with Nana, Papa, and Granny. Kenley absolutely loves it there. She loves to be outside. She mowed the grass for hours with her Papa. She built fires with Nana. She loves to play with Granny. It was a great few days of peace and tranquility.

Kenley took her Christmas pictures last week so look for our Christmas card coming to your home on or right close to Christmas Day!! Garrett and I could not get our schedules worked out so Kenley will adorn our photo card this year! But she is our most valued possession and our blessing each Christmas!

She also had professional shot done in her Cheer uniform. We have had 3 competitions so far and this weekend her squad won FIRST PLACE!! She and her teammates are the most dedicated group of girls we know! We are so proud of her. I have to say that Garrett is so amazing too! He is so helpful with preparing snacks for the girls and hauling the cooler around and the box of goody bags! He is the ultimate cheer daddy! He is so good with Kenley, he gives her pep talks when she needs them and practices with her! She is one lucky little girl!

GRANDPARENTS STOP READING HERE!!!!!! GRANDPARENTS STOP READING HERE!!!!

Every year I create a photo album for My parents and Garrett's...the following is what I wrote on the first page of the book this year.

Kenley has finished Pre-School, it was sad for her to lose Mrs. Eifert. She still talks to her every day and tells me something about her often. She started Pre-K with Mrs. Armstrong and seems very happy. She always tells me, “School was fine, Mom” Her days are filled with Gymnastics, Cheer, watching Nickelodeon, playing her iPad and iPod. In the summer she will swim, ride Jet-Skiis, 4-wheelers, fish, play basketball, swing, slide, climb, jump, tumble...although that now requires supervision!

She loves spending time with her “Aunts” both real and honorary. She does so many things with each and every one of the people in her life and they are all very different activities. She has made such strong bonds with each of the many amazing women, and men for that matter, that surround her! She is one blessed little girl.

She loves taking care of her babies and plays very hard with her Barbies. She likes to take Golf Cart rides and visit neighbors. She is sweet and loving and just an amazing kid. She is known at school for her sweet singing voice and her sense for fashion.

My Dad often tells Garrett and I we need to be on our knees every night thanking God for her. Every year for the past 4 I have created one of these books for Kenley, and this year has been the most magical for me. I have not only seen her change and grow physically but I see her becoming a person. She has truly became my best friend. With this friendship by no means have I forgotten my responsibility or duties of being a parent. I see her work ethic, her genuine love for others, her patience, and her heart and I see the sweet child I have created through the bonds of my marriage and love with Garrett and I see what she can become and what a joy she brings now and what a joy she will continue to be, for this I get on my knees every day and I THANK GOD!

This is on the flap....

I started putting these books together so you could look back and see Kenley growing up which she has done, right before our eyes. I now see that these books captures the moments that we can never get back. They hold the memories that we will all hold within our hearts and can’t be taken away, but now we can share them with others and most importantly with Kenley in the future. She is such a blessing to me. She is my best friend and she fills my days with joy and I can’t imagine my life without her and I thank you for the part you played in that. I hope that she brings the same joy and love to your heart and life as she does mine!

Oh the days...

2011-08-25T00:08:00.000-07:00

Last week I was holding Kenley's hand as she got her shots for her 4 year old "well child" and tonight she was holding mine.

Last Friday she had to get her shots for school and get checked out. Her doctor said she was in the 95th percentile for height, well duh!! Like we are all shocked, then he asked, "how big is her Dad?" I answered..."not that big" but followed up with "my Dad is 6'8" and both my grand-fathers were over 6'6" He says, "well, there is the explanation...it is not from her father". He then said I am not going to speculate how tall she will be and anybody who tries is lying, I will tell you how tall she will be in 15 years. I thought this was hilarious. They always tried to guess how tall I would be...and I am really not that tall only 5'8" I laugh because my good friend Erin Duffy was the tallest kid in 5th grade and she is now 5'4"...ha!

Well anyway...I have had a migraine for about 4 days...and today they sent me to the ER. Thank God for St. Luke Community ER on San Felipe...you are in and out. My doctor said there was just nothing he could do for me at this point and I had to go...so off Kenley and I went. She heldmy hand and rubbed my forhead as they put my IV in, just like I did on Friday for her. She then repeated just what my Dad told her as she left to go get her shots, "you can't cry Kenley, only babies cry" so she said "Mommy, remember what Papa said, you can't cry you're not a baby and only babies cry" so I didn't. I hope I am better by morning...I feel better now, but they gave me a lot of medication and 2 bags of fluid. They are blaming everything on the heat. The heat is bringing on migraines, the heat is making pregnant people have their babies too early...so that was part of their excuse today...the heat. The doctors looks at me and says take the day off tomorrow and rest. I just looked at him and thought, yeah right! I took the day off today, why do you think I am in here? So I can go back to my crazy life tomorrow. I have to take care of my family and my work! I felt so guilty this morning that I did not get up to make the kids lunches...I could not go to work...I could barely look at my phone through my sunglasses in my dark room. Migraines are pathetic and I don't wish them on my worst enemy!

We have almost made it through 2 weeks of school! Wow what a ride! It will be just a blink of an eye and they will be all grown up! Tomorrow is Kenley's Open House where I have to talk to the parents about helping with parties and fundraising! That is always fun! I also found out that the other big fundraiser that OSL does every year the Brianna Becker 5K is the same weekend that Kendra gets married in the Bahamas. Boy I am going to be such a helpful room mother!!! I will be gone for the Octoberfest for Calf Scramble and the 5K for the wedding. I think tomorrow night I better look for an assistant also. Then Cole has a game on Friday, his first game of the season. I guess I will be out of the heat...bahahaha! Kenley of course has cheer practice first so we will be late, just like we will be every Friday

A friend of mine lost her dad in a fatal car crash last Sunday. That has been really hard to see her suffering. It has really shown me that the time we have on this earth with our loved ones is precious and we must value it each and every day. I have lost several people that were close to me, but I always had time to prepare. I have not been able to wrap my mind around getting a phone call like that and having to come to terms with that type of sudden loss. I had another good friend that lost a co-worker/close friend and my niece lost a close friend in a fatal motorcycle wreck. Take time to cherish those moments, because you never know when those moments will be gone. I have quoted this verse several times to several people this week.

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant! Come and join in your master's happiness!" Matthew 25:21

I know there are a lot of people who don't like Facebook, but I have found something good about it. I am trying to send Cole a message each day about how much I love him and to have a good day. I also try to reach my niece Julie or just anybody I am close to...It doesn't take much time to do and I think it can really brighten somebody's day. I am able to let them know I care and that I think about them each and every day even though we don't talk. Of course I talk to Cole each day, but it is just a reminder to him that he is always on my mind and a reminder to him to do well and make good choices. Food for thought.

2011-08-21T22:53:00.000-07:00

Our Family!

Four Wheeling in Philipsburg!

Kenley and Cole on the way from Philipsburg to Kalispel.

2011-08-21T22:43:00.000-07:00

Kenley before Cheer practice! Go Texas Cheer! We're Strong We're Mighty We're Texas Teeny Tiny!

Kenley at Cheer Camp!

Old Friends, New Class! Kenley and Jessica & Kenley and Reagan!

First Day of Pre-K

2011-08-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

Kenley and Cole are back to school! They started last Tuesday! Cole has a full schedule this year. Algebra II, Geometry, World History, Chemistry, Webmastering, Theology, and Spanish II. He is playing football. His first week was a little tough since he started off in the ER. He had a terrible case of Strep Throat. He woke up last Saturday morning with a 102 fever and we ended up in the ER on Sunday night. He went back to our regular doctor on Monday and after a lot of antibiotics and shots he was on the mend and made it to the first day. Although he did not make it to practice, 103 plus degree temperatures was not a good combination with all those medications. He left for Sophomore retreat on Thursday and came back Saturday night and said he had a great time. They went on zip lines and he made a lot of new friends!

Kenley is Mrs. Armstrongs class and still goes 3 days a week! She hasn't had much to say about school, except that it is fine! Her cheerleading practice schedule has really increased lately. She has practice Tuesdays from 5:15-6:45 and Fridays 5:00-7:00. They have private tumbling until 5:30 and then real practice starts. I am floor Mom on Fridays, which means I am there with them tying shoes, taking them to the bathroom and helping them with their skills. Basically anything that they need. Kenley enjoys sharing this time with me, and I love that I am able to do it with her. However, it means that I will be late to Cole's games. It is unfortunate, but Garrett will be there on time for every week. I am also sure Mark will make it to most games and Kendra too.

We are looking forward to competition season for Kenley. The last time Texas Cheer had Tiny team they won, so that is exciting. They are working very hard on tumbling and the routine is very complex and the girls are doing very well at getting it.

Garrett is working hard at Delta and has little time for much else, but football season is getting in swing so that is exciting for him!! He is really looking forward to Cole's season, his first game is actually this week!

I have moved my office to my Dad's place and I am really enjoying it. I love being with him everyday. We get to spend a lot of time together and it makes me realize how important he is to me and how lucky I am to have such a wonderful and loving father. He is so supportive and I just hope that I can be such a good parent to Kenley.

Kenley is really lucky to have such wonderful Grandparents and Garrett and I are lucky to have great parents. They are so supportive in everything we do.

Calf Scramble season is starting to pick up...meetings are beginning and we have our annual Progress Show in the third week in October. I am so excited to see my kiddos and start forging our relationship. It is really when I get to create our bond.

I am also room mother for Kenley again. Our first major project is the Octoberfest, which of course, is always on the same weekend as the Progress Show. I will have to enlist the help of Daddy and Grandparents...Last year it was Grandpa...lets see who helps Daddy this year!!! They are thinking of switching the date next year because it also falls on the same weekend as a state volleyball tournament each year, so we shall see.

We had an excellent trip to Montana this summer. The weather was fabulous and we go to see lots of family.

But now it is back to reality.

2011-07-11T23:17:00.000-07:00

I feel like I start of each blog with the same sentence..."I should be blogging more"....Do you know what we do around here people? We go to cheer practice, gymnastics, football practice, summer school (for good measure, not necessity), Lake Conroe, Las Vegas, River Trips, oh man...do I need to go on?

Cole and Kenley finished Pre-School 3 and 9th grade re

spectively. We quickly bounced right into Memorial Day Weekend. We spent the weekend at Lake Conroe on Jet Skiis, fishing, and swimming. Kenley caught a huge cat fish! At first, it was so BIG she was scared!

Cole has been playing 7-7 Football during the weekdays and on some weekends. That occupied most of June and attended a Summer School class to keep him occupied during the day! Next year he will be old enough for a job!! We also fin

ished up T-Ball season for Kenley.

Garrett took a week off of work and he and Kenley visited many places that week! They went bowling, to the Children's Museum, Natural History Museum, Zoo, and the Movies...Cole and Ashley even went along!

This past weekend we went to Discovery Gr

een and saw Zoo Keeper at the movies! Kenley and I loved it!!! Daddy...not so much?

We are looking forward to a trip to Montana coming at the end of July. Kenley also has cheer camp. Jamie's baby is due in October so we are excited about that!!

Garrett turned 28 so happy belated birthday to him!!!

2011-05-10T00:57:00.001-07:00

It is not for lack of wanting to try to post but it is just how it goes...I'm going to fill you in about March and April

March kept the Benson house busy, I was so busy with Rodeo and my Calf Scramble kids were amazing! Kenley enjoyed spending time at the Rodeo this year going to the Calf Scramble meetings and seeing the kids learn how to halter the calves and listening the police officers talk to them and get them ready to scramble. She now knows what Mama

does at the Rodeo, that is my new name by the way, Mama. I get an occasional Mommy when

she is tired. I love it, because I called my Mom Mama. I had some kids that placed pretty high in their class with their heifers which made me really proud. They put in a lot of hard work! I picked up 8 new kids this year. Six of them are my Calf Scramble Greeter kids and 1 is the kid my Dad and Laura sponsored. He is really special, Oscar. Last year, I met his best friend Christian. He had a greeter that did not spend too much time with him and he found me at a show that I was at and got my number and I became his unofficial "greeter" Oscar was always with him helping with his heifer, Delilah. So when my parents got him I was so excited. So of course, I scooped him up also! I have another unofficial kid that Gary and Baker Concrete are sponsoring. He has a wonderful Ag teacher so I don't do too much with him. But Oscar is so attached to me he is always texting and I hear from him all the time! My other six kids a

re working on their steers and heifers and most of them have already purchased them. The girl Garrett and I sponsored will be raising a Dairy heifer, so that will be really interesting! I am also a greeter for my really good friend Darla's son Leighton! She is our photographer! She took the photo that is the header on this blog and the one of Kenley and Cole and numerous others!!! So Kenley and I will be visiting them often! It will be so exciting for Kenley to see how all of this works. She would cheer so loud for those kids. Everbody on the committee was like we have to get Kenley a Mini Calf Scramble Cheerleader outfit!!! I think at times she would be more excited than the parents!

Speaking of Cheerleading, Kenley got moved up to Tinys at Texas Cheer. She now

has practice two times a week, Tuesdays and Fridays! The competitions season will be way more serious and we are really proud of her and excited of all the n

ew challenges that she will face and the accomplishments to be made this year for her. She is playing T-Ball for about 8 weeks this spring. They practice on Mo

ndays and have games on Saturdays. She likes it and Cole is

helping coaching her team! You can check out a bunch of ph

otos on Facebook!

Spring Football started for cole this week. He is really looking forward to this season. The coach from last year took a new job and will not be at North next y

ear, but a coach that had on staff took the head coach position and he is really happy about th

at! That is always an exciting time for our house! Cole has also been volunteering at the YMCA and is really enjoying his time there. I was so proud to see him coaching Kenley's team on Saturday. He has always been so great with kids! There are great things in his future! He went to

Prom on Saturday and was a handsome devil! He cleans up really nice and boy is it easy to send a boy to Prom. No big deal! I did not have to worry about hair or make-up, nails, etc!

April brought a field trip to the Oil Ranch for Kenley and Field Day at school and of course Easter with the twins! Papa and Nana also took Jenna, Brody, and Kenley to a weekend trip to the lake together where they all got fish and road in the golf cart and mule and all around had a blast! They just love to be together. Kenley also had a Spring Program at OSL and sang all the songs she has learned at school and did an awesome job! She had a 4th birthday and wanted a pizza party, everybody came over and we had a great time. Tia Princess (Somer) took her to see Disney on Ice. She recently spent the night with cousin Julie and went shopping at her favorite place Build a Bear! Uncle Mark took her to T-Ball today! She loves to go to Papa's office and eat fruit and through rocks around the storage lot and buy snow cones. Oh to be Kenley!

Thanks to everybody in the family her swimming is great! She can do flips off tall rocks, jump into the pool. She could not have learned without all the countless hours that everybody put into swimming with her in the pool. Thank you Uncle Mark, Aunt Kendra, Cole, Daddy, Papa, and Grandpa!!!!

Garrett is on his new job and has been a busy worker bee! Working 6 days a week! We miss him! But he loves his job and will make us proud when he wins some fancy award for awesomeness! If not, we will give him an award for AWESOMENESS!

Brighton, Macy, and, Mr. Emily are doing great. Mr. Emily is still reeking havoc on the household. Mostly by bringing all her dead prey int

o the house. To name a few...a very LARGE squirrel (Norma did not find this funny, in fact I thought she might quit) a mouse, lizards, and more birds. Brighton got her summer hair do today in fact. We got a new mobile pet groomer, Brighton has been thrown out of several grooming establishments for poor behavior so we had to come up with plan B and Dirty Dog Dos is now the groomer of choice for the Bensons!!!! Brighton is beautifully shaved and doesn't resemble a cancer patient!

Summertime looks pretty busy. We will have a trip to Montana, more swimming, getting her super happy to ride the jet-ski, cheer camp, cheer practice, gymnastics, Basketball camp, summer camp at OSL, lounging around with Norma, trips with Papa and Nana, days with Mama!!! I am sure other things that will come up!

We hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day!

2011-02-17T20:05:00.000-08:00

Basketball Season came to end and Baseball season began...WoW! Hard to believe Cole has almost completed his first year of high school and Kenley her first year of Pre-School! Time just flies by! During the last 2 weeks at school she has learned the letters R & S. Worked on counting 1-10 and recognizing the numbers. She took a wagon ride at school today and got to wear her "Go Texan" outfit to school today. She wore her pink boots, white western shirt and jeans. Last week they had a valentine party! She took fun dip and Cake Balls! They were a hit as usual! We hope you all had a wonderful Valentines day and got the cards we sent out!!!! Have a blessed weekend!

Family Picture Now in the Header

2011-02-07T20:59:00.000-08:00

2011-02-04T22:42:00.000-08:00

The blog got an update! I have updated every piece of our blog!!!! That is a great accomplishment! The dogs got new pictures! The cat, Kenley, Garrett, everybody! Cole...got an additional photo, his main one stayed because he runs from my camera! There are 2 other people that run also! They have yet to figure out that when they run I just take the picture anyway and post it to facebook and then they yell at me!!!! Ha!

Here I am in Nacona with Emma and Miley in Nacona, TX

The reason why this blog gets neglected is because we are so busy! I have been running crazy since the new year started! I flew to Pennsylvania for a funeral. I have been to see 4 kids show heifers. Three of them showed at the Ft. Worth stock show and one in Nacona, TX (Go look that up...it is north of Denton and there was snow when I was there!!!!). The rodeo is fast approaching and I will be super busy! Call me if you are going to be at a show, I will most likely be there and we can meet up for a minute or so and catch up! I would love to see all our family and friends! I have a new highlight box on the left that you can just glance at to see what big things happened this month! I will usually put a photo to go along with it!!!!

Kendra & Mark got ENGAGED!!!!!

The blog will get another update this week. The family picture you saw on the Christmas card will be put in the header!!!! YEAH! Hope everybody made it through the freeze!

2011-01-06T17:02:00.000-08:00

What a Christmas and New Years! We have made it through another year. Kenley started school, myy epilepsy was diagnosed and is under control. Cole made it through his first year of High School and Garrett made it through his first year without a thyroid. We are all healthy and thriving.
We hope that everybody got their wish for Christmas and has a prosperous new year! Santa sure delivered to us! We are so blessed!

2010-12-12T16:27:00.000-08:00

One can't believe how time flies! I have not sat down to blog since October 18, 2010 and that my friends and family is sad for the Benson household. I have been so busy blogging has flown by the wayside and that is not good.

So many things have happened since the last time I let you in on the comings and goings of our very busy household. Football season has come and gone. We were sad to see it go. The Lutheran High North Lions fought hard, but came in third in district and lost a tie breaker and did not move on to the playoffs. I think Cole is pretty glad to see his freshman season go. We could not be more proud of him. He did not see alot of playing time this year, it is how it goes when you are a freshman on Varsity. He held is head high and was humble and really made us proud. He is really excited about next year. Basketball season is already upon us, we have had 2 games so far. We have 1 win and 1 loss. Cole is starting and his playing has really improved since last year. His first round of finals are approaching and he his currently studying in his room after an awesome choir concert this afternoon. I have to say I wasn't really looking forward to it, but it was good!

Kenley is doing great at school. She is learning lots of letters and numbers. Gymnastics is still on Mondays and cheer practice on Tuesdays. We have had 2 cheer competitions. We just had one this past weekend. She loves it so much. I am happy because she is happy!

Thanksgiving was a great week! We spent the entire week visiting everybody! We spent the first couple of days at Lake Murval with PaPa and NaNa. We then went to Lake Conroe to have dinner with Grammy and Grandpa, Kendra, & Mark.

Friday night Kenley and I left Houston bound for Dallas to visit Jamie who came in from California. It was a Kellerman Family reunion! The best part was we have a new member! Emma Looney arrived in October and we went up to have our first visit. We got to see Aunt Jamie, Emma, Aunt Karrie, Momma Kellerman (Now known as Nanny) and the rest of the Kellerman clan (Uncle Cannon and PaPa Jim). We had a great weekend and baby Emma was baptized.

We are quickly preparing for Christmas. We are behind the eight ball already. No tree, no lights...Santa is really busy in his workshop....its going a be a crazy next two weeks!!!! YIKES!!!

2010-10-18T23:10:00.000-07:00

The first BIG news is we BEAT Lutheran High South at football Friday night! Yippee! The usual went on, Kenley and Haley played...Tammy and I talked, Edward and Garrett watched the game. Cassi came to the game, which was really nice because Cole got the most playing time he has ever gotten. He played on the kick off return team and played defense and got and awesome tackel. This week is Homecoming so we will be back at North. Kenley is all ready to deliver the crown to the Homecoming Queen.

Kenley had a birthday party, it was her friend Bauer from school's 4th birthday and it was a costume party. She had chosen to be Little Bo Peep this year. I was excited because she was going to get so many uses out of the costumes. However, I worried the entire time that she was going to get dirty and I wasn't going to be able to wash it. She had a blast, and the costume is clean!!!!

Sunday, Kenley had her first Cheerleading Show Off, She is cheering with Texas Cheer out of Champions. She loves it and seems to do pretty well at it, so we are all in, and thank God for Kendra, she will be going with me to every competition. As you all might know I grew up playing softball, there were no bows, no cheer shoes not a lot of glitter...and cheer Mom's can be a little overwhelming, to put it lightly. Her first real competition is November 20th and we learned a lot, we know we have to be there at the very beginning to get a seat...we know we did not put enough make-up or glitter on Kenley etc....we learned and are prepared! Nana and Papa joined us, I was not sure what PaPa would think about cheer, but he loved it, he was proud. Kenley had quite a crowd Grammy, Nana, PaPa, Aunt Kendra, Aunt Shelly, Julie, and Mommy! I thought I would cry, but I was to worry about not being able to take the picture!

School was great for Kenley last week. She had a field trip to see Winnie the Pooh, the play. Kenley did not mention much about it. She was just really upset that she could not wear a dress to school. Norma told her that she had to wear her field trip shirt and jeans and she asked her to put her dress in her backpack, it was hilarious! They studied the letter "H", practiced their addresses, and used several direction words. They read about Joshua and the wall of Jericho. They built a wall and and marched around it just as God had said and made their wall come tumbling down. They then talked about important it is to follow God's will and how his plan is always perfect. They are learning about community helpers this week and next. They talked about the garbage man and how important his job is to us and next week they will be getting a visit from the fire department. In science, they learned the what happens when you put Mentos in Diet Coke. Do you know what happens when you put Mentos in Diet Coke? It exploes!!!! Apparently it exploded all over Mrs. Eifert and the kids thinks that was hilarious!They continue working on couting, route counting, and recognizing numbers.

Bible Verse: "God cares for you." 1 Peter 5:70

Poem: Three Men in a Tub

Letter of the Week: Hh

Shape: Triangle

Color: Orange

2010-10-09T23:50:00.001-07:00

So much has happened in the last 2-3 weeks since I have updated...yes, that is how busy we have been around the BeNsOn household! LHN football has had its ups and downs, we lost to Concordia it was a hard loss at Concordia. It was extremely hot and Hailey and Kenley were not handling the whole situation all that well. We won last week against Westbury it was at LHN, it was exciting because Cole got some playing time, he had a pretty awesome tackle and almost recovered a fumble. This week we had another let down and lost to Ft. Bend Baptist. Next week we are off to South and then we return back to LHN for Homecoming on the 22nd. Kenley was asked to serve as the "Princess" that will be bearing the crown to the Homecoming Queen, she has a beautiful red dress and we are really excited, maybe we will see some of y'all?

On the way to the game last week we had a small incident with a baby squirrel. Last Friday morning Mr. Emily had a baby squirrel in the backyard, Norma is pretty sensitive about Mr. Emily and critters after the bird fiasco. So she made sure I took care of this before I went to work, I ushered the squirrel out of the yard and assumed everything was over. I came home that afternoon to find Mr. Emily and the baby squirrel playing in the backyard AGAIN, then it becomes clear they are not playing because Mr. Emily bites squirrel violently and tosses him in the air. I quickly put the cat inside and get the squirrel in a box and take him to the front. Garrett comes home and I have him, Shelly, and Kenley take the squirrel about 100 yards away and put him at the base of a tree while I am feeding the dog and cat. The squirrel follows them home, proceeds to run in circles and dance around the cul de sac with Shelly and Kenley. He then get underneath the Tahoe and jumps in the tire. Garrett backs up assuming he will exit, no he gets on the axle and in the spring....we are now running late and we just leave. This squirrel rides ALL the way to LHN in the spring of the Tahoe and lives. After the game he was gone...Only in my life!

Cole's Birthday was Wednesday he turned 15~He wanted to eat at Papasitos for dinner! Lilia and I took him a cookie cake and Chik-Fil-A to lunch at school. We had a great dinner and I am pretty sure all his wishes came true! This weekend we are busy working on a 3D model of a plant cell, we are making it out of a cake and all parts are being made out of candy...it is alot of work, but it is going to look pretty awesome. He has a homecoming date and we are waiting to hear what color dress she has to get a matching shirt and tie...her god-mother makes mums so I don't go get to pick hers out, I was kind of bummed...oh well, more important memoriesfor her than me!

We went to St. Mark last week for Cole to sing in choir, the spirit is moving in that church for sure. I think we are going to go this week. The contemporary service is powerful. Kenley was dancing in the aisle, she is an evangelist of sorts...lol!

Kenley had her first sleep over Friday night. Hailey spent the night at our house. They were both so excited. We left the football game and on the way home Tammy calls and tells me she has to come get Hailey that she has NEVER spent the night away from home! I was like WHAT? She has never even slept at Grandma's house without Tammy spending the night with her. So Tammy game over to pick her up, the girls were not going to allow this. Hailey refused to go home, Kenley was holding Hailey's arm begging Tammy not to take her! I was in the garage and did not witness this, but this was what Tammy told me when she left without Hailey! So Hailey and Tammy made it through their first sleep over apart! The girls played golf, basketball, hunted Mr. Emily, played babies, watched sprout, made bread in the kitchen...remember this is after we returned home form a game that ended at 10pm...we all went to bed about 1am. Hailey still sleeps with Mommy and Daddy, so Garrett got kicked to the Barbie bed and Kenley, Hailey and I had a sleep over! Kenley had a great time at her first sleep over!

Kenley has been having exciting days at school she has covered the letters E, F, & G. Read books that go with each letter like, Elmo Elephant, Fish is Fish, & Goodnight Gorilla. She used her scissors for the first time to cut legs out to make a sheep to go with poem "Mary's Lamb" by Sara Josepha Hale she also learned the poem "Hey, Diddle, Diddle" and "Morning Prayer" by Ogden Nash. Her class has been eating snack outside with all the nice weather and enjoying Our Savior's beautiful campus. One week in science, they placed objects on black paper and left them out in the sun and came back out a few hours later and saw how the sun faded the papere. Her show and tell one week was bring your favorite story book character...she took the entire family of the Berenstein Bears stuffed animals (I ordered them on Amazon.com, the barely arrived on time, after a rapid trip to Toys R Us to get a Lion...yada yada yada...we return home and wow there is the delivery box that was NOT there at 5). Then we decorated a box that she could wear about a favorite storybook, she picked Little Critter Goes to the Sea Park, Kenley and I created this by coloring her box like the sea and drawing a shark and putting foam letters with the title. Last week she had to bring something that could be used to build something, she took her Daddy's hard hat.

In religion she is learning about Joseph and his coat of many colors, baby Moses (they made a cute craft with baby moses all wrapped in a blanket and hidden in the reeds), and Rebekah having a baby at a very old age. Her Bible verses have been...

"The Lord watches over you" Psalm 121:5

"May your father and mother be glad" Proverbs 23:25

"God gives good gifts" Matthew 7:11

I made her first book order, I did not tell her so she will be so excited when she gets books to bring home. I have made her nighttime story her and her Daddy's special time. He is not home every night. So she knows on those nights she doesn't get a story because she only reads with Daddy. He has been so busy with work and is working so late and this is keeping something special between the 2 of them. One night she said, "can you call Daddy and tell him to come home? I need him to read me a book" I told her "no, he's at work" she was like okay tomorrow...

Gary was honored his 30 years of service at Baker Concrete this week, I missed the event due to a Calf Scramble meeting, but I sent my camera!!! Great picture of my family! Congrats to Gary!

Kendra & Kenley at Cole's Birthday

Kenley & Unlce Mark

Cassi & Cole on his Birthday

Birthday Hugs!

2010-09-19T12:12:00.000-07:00

Pretty lazy week at the Benson Household...yeah right! I got sick Monday, started running fever, chills etc. assumed I had the flu. I stayed home and treated the symptoms only to find out Wednesday when I got up with my kidneys on fire, that I did not have the flu off to the Dr. I went. Major, Major kidney infection. He called me back on Friday @ 4:45 explaining that the antibiotic that he gave me was resistant to my infection, so a new one was given. Still not feeling great, but getting better. Garrett is healed, Cole is healed, Kenley did not seem to catch the upper respiratory infection that they had and that I had also on top of the kidneys.

The usual went on around me...Kenley went to gymnastics on Monday, Tuesday she went to cheer, and school on Tuesday through Thursday. Cole had practice every day and Garrett had work.

Thursday Garrett was presented with the APEX AGC award for the job he did at MD Anderson for "Best Concrete Structure in the Houston Area". This use to be a pretty fancy deal to attend, but due to the economy there is no dinner, no booze, no wives, no nothing. So he went alone. I took a picture of him though, he looked snazzy in his suit, he always has cleaned up nice.

Cole had been told he would have a pretty good chance of playing this Friday night so with lots of pain killers on board we headed out to the game. Kendra and Mark have been joining us for the last two games and we of course sit next to Kenley's friend Haley and her parents. We always have a great time. As promised Cole played the entire 4th quarter and had a great block that paved the way for his teammate to score a touchdown, we were so excited!!! So was he! The Lions are undefeated 3-0 Yippee!!! Headed to Concordia Tomball next Friday Night.
Kenley is continuing to enjoy preschool, learning about God and his promises to Abraham and the gift God gave him with is son Isaac even though he was very old. She learned the God is always with her and will never leave her. This led her into one of Gospel Singing Sessions of "Jesus Loves Me" she uses 2 barbecue lighters on the patio table as her drumsticks...I think she might need some real ones...1 lost the fight this week. She is learning the letter "D" They learned the Daisy Doll song, read Curious George and the Donut Delivery and had a Donut afterwards. They also read the book Make Way for Ducklings and made duck fingerprints. She also made Dalmatian Pudding by mixing vanilla pudding and mini chocolate chips together and putting it in a cup that she decorated like a dog!

She is continuing to practice sequencing in math from 1-10, and began working and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd.

In science they took 6 jars filled with water and added sand, paper, toilet paper, sugar, a cracker, and cereal and discovered which one to dissolve.

They also practiced manners this week and had splash day on Thursday! Here is a picture of Kenley and her friend Reagan!

Thursday's show and tell was to bring something delicious, Kenley brought Oreo Balls. Since I was sick Garrett with Super Dad and they made them together and Cole supervised!!

Kenley's Bible Verse this week: Give thanks to the Lord...who made...the moon and the stars. Psalm 136: 3, 7, 9

Kenley's Poem this week: Honour thy parents: but good manners call

Thee to adore thy God, the first of all.

I forgot to share last week the funniest story...

Last Friday Cole calls from school and asks me to go by the house and pick up his socks and ipod for his game...I say no problem and I go home to get them. It was really slow and Janet came along for the ride with me....THANK GOD! When I got home Norma, Kenley, and Norma's daughter Adriana (my age weren't home) I go inside and I get the socks and I searching for Cole's ipod. I can't find it anywhere. Cole's bed is stripped because Norma was washing his sheets, there is a shoe box on the bed though. I was climbing all over his bed looking for the ipod in his cabinets, still nothing...then I decide, well maybe he has it here in this shoe box, I open it and out flies a BIRD!!!!! I scream...shut the door run out, get Janet...We get the bird back in the box and leave immediately. I call Norma immediately and say why is there a Red Cardinal in a box on Cole's bed...Apparently Mr. Emily (whose name may or may not be Oreo now) caught the bird and brought it in. They tried to put him outside and Mr. Emily kept bringing him back in through the doggy door...Now what would have done if you would have found a bird in a box on Cole's bed?

2010-09-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

Well Friday night turned out pretty good for the Lions, we won! Our first two games were suppose to be our hardest of the season and we have one so we are ready for this Friday and another game at LHN this Friday night! Of course, Kenley and Haley played and cheered the entire game Friday. Kendra and Mark came over to the game and we all cheered on our Alma Matre Lutheran High North.

Saturday, we finally made it out to visit Kendra's store, Twenty Two Fifty in Sugarland, TX. It is a really beautiful store and they have some nice things. The interior design of the store is fabulous and is so beautiful. It has wood off of a home that is used on the walls on the inside of the store, it is just gorgeous. She has been working there for about 3-4 months and we have never made it out for a visit, so Kenley, Cole, and I went.

While we were out we made a Monkey for Mrs. Eifert. Kenley's preschool class is a monkey theme, and Build a Bear has some monkeys. We went and made "Mrs. Eifert" complete with her khaki skirt and white shirt to match her school uniform. We even put nine hearts inside for each of her students in class. Kenley was so proud of it and is going to take it to her tomorrow! We are so blessed to have Mrs. Eifert as a teacher. Kenley sees her at LHN every game because Mikayla is in Cole's class and is in the band, Kenley is always excited to see her and she is always excited to see Kenley. Kenley even pretends to text her and call her. She is truly a blessing in our household this year. When I was in 4th grade at OSL Mrs. Eifert was Mrs. Schmidt and was student teaching! She has also been helpful to me many times at raising a teenager!

Kenley had a pretty busy week at preschool. She had chapel for the first time in the church this week, they have been having it in the cafeteria. They got to ride the trolley to chapel and that was super exciting, although Kenley didn't tell me until today. Therefore I don't think she seemed to be all that impressed? Pastor White led chapel for them this week and told them about how much Jesus' loved them, told them about Adam and Even and the first sin, and how God loved us so much he gave his one and only son to die for us so we can be forgiving and live with him in heaven if we believe in him! In religion she is learning about God's promise to Abraham.

Kenley is learning the letter "C" this week and read the book If You Give a Cat a Cookie and ate miniature cupcakes. She read the book and sang the song Cathy Cook. Made cats out of Oreos, tasted carrots, cucumbers and cauliflower and graphed their favorites. Their poem this week was about a crocodile and they learned a song about cookies.

She is continuing to learn about patterns in math and working on one to one counting and recognizing sequencing one to five.

Kenley finished up her "God made me special" book here is what we learned about Kenley...these were her own answers!

She likes to see....FLOWERS

She likes to smell...ROSES

She likes to sing...iCarly

She likes to hear...BELLS

She likes to help...by FOLDING LAUNDRY

She likes to go...to SCHOOL

2010-09-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

We had a great relaxing Labor Day weekend. Cole, Kenley and I spent it with Cassi and Kendra at the Lake. Gary and Garrett were hunting in New Mexico and Mark was in Tennessee visiting his family. So...as you can tell this blog is a week behind! I will blog this weekend about Cole's football game tonight and Kenley's activities from preschool this past Tuesday thru Thursday!

Last week in Preschool Kenley continued to learn about God's creation and all God has made and given us. The Bible verse was Genesis 1:10 "God called the Earth dry land, and the waters that were gathered together there Seas. And God saw that it was good." She worked on the letter "B" this week and the nursery rhyme was "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and read the book and learned the song Benjamin Bunny, read Brown Bear Brown Bear and Baby Bear Baby Bear. She finger painted with pudding to make a picture of a bear. They made homemade bubbles with 1 t. glycerin, 2 t. dish soap and 9 oz. water and blew them for half an hour with cookie cutters, strawberry baskets cans, pipe cleaner. They graphed how many people are in their family and started making a book about how God made Kenley special! She had an awesome week! Make sure you check out the video attached below of her singing "Ba Ba Black Sheep"!

Before Garrett left for hunting he was sick with a fever...missed 3 days of work, Cole had it this week missed 3 days of school. Cassi had her rotator cuff surgery last Monday so she spent all last week healing. She is feeling much better and started physical therapy Wednesday!

The First Week of School

2010-08-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

What a week in the BeNsOn HoUsEhOLd...Kenley had a big week at school, it was her first full week and her classmates are opening up and getting to know each other more and more. They started music class this week with the music teacher at OSL Mr. Armstrong. Kenley loves music and is always beating the drums, usually her fork and knife on the table. The spoon and fork don't work quite as well, so we know she must love this class!

Her Bible verse this week was Psalms 136:3 "Give Thanks to the Lord of Lords. His Love Endures Forever" Her Poem for the week is:

An apple for the teacher...

It's really nothing new...

Except when you remember,

Parents are teachers too!

They learn a poem each weak and add them to their poem notebooks! In science, which they do just about every wednesday, she made a 3 layered float. They combined water, oil and honey and added a coin, grape, and a cork. Kenley told me exactly what happened to each item. The cork floated, the coin sank and the grape stayed. They tasted yellow apples, green apples, and red apples. Kenley's favorite apple is RED!!!!

Kenley got noticed this week for doing a SUPER JOB AT WALKING IN LINE!!! YIPPPEEE!!!!

Cole had his first game this week in Dallas! Kenley and I packed up the car and headed out at noon to get there to ON TIME!!!! We picked up Garrett too ;o) It was a great game! Cole didn't get to play, but that is how it goes when you are a freshman on Varsity. Dallas Lutheran was ranked 4th in State and we beat them! So it was a victory for the Lions! The first 2 games of the season are suppose to be our toughest so he might not get too much action. He handled it well and hopefully he will have a starting position next year and will see some playing time later this season. He has homework every night and is doing awesome so far in school and seems to love it. Even though he does not look happy in this photo!!!!

We all went to the Texans game Saturday! It was tons of fun! Go Texans! We are so excited for the season!

2010-08-22T23:55:00.000-07:00

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses....Sometimes that is all you can come up with to explain why you have not blogged in FoReVer! Although this is not my only medium of keeping family and friends updated iwth the life of Kenley and Cole...they are constantly blasted all over my Facebook.

Last week was Super busy Cole went to High School on Tuesday. That went off pretty much without a hitch. He was ready and would not allow me to take his picture. Sooo....not much to share. Football is going great. We already had 1 scrimmage and he got 3 tackles and played really well. He had another scrimmage on Thursday but did not get to play because he went to Freshman retreat. Our next game is this Friday in Dallas and we will be taking a road trip!!!! So excited! Uncle Ray is suppose to come, Gary and Cassi also!

Kenley started Wednesday. PaPa Henry, Grandma, Mommy and Daddy took Kenley to Preschool and she was upset for a little bit. It did not last long and she has been having a great time. She goes to Our Savior from 9-2 on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. She is learning all about Chapel, fun songs, cubbys, painting, etc...We love her teacher Mrs. Eifert and she does too!

It was a tough week to get everything and everybody ready for school but it is over and done and now Garrett and I are on to bigger and larger mountains to climb this week at the office.

Time is Flying

2010-06-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

JUNE 20...I just can't even believe it. Cole is graduated from 8th grade and is headed to LHN, Julie is graduated High School, Somer has graduated the Art Institute and is officially an ADULT! Kenley is heading to school in just a few short weeks. I can't wrap my mind around how time has flown by...

We have been so busy, every weekend is something. We have been to the beach twice. We have had birthday parties, graduation parties, etc. etc. Thank God the lake will be up and running next weekend, WE ARE SO EXCITED! Garrett will be 27 on Friday so Happy Birthday to him. We did not get to spend Father's Day with him this year...He is in Argentina killing birds, he shot about 3,000 when he called me this morning. I really need to get on purchasing his new grill...but he is so picky. I hope everybody is having a great summer!

2010-05-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

2010-05-11T20:04:00.000-07:00

WOW! That is all I can say it has been a busy busy week and weekend. Garrett left town last Monday and returned on Friday night super late. Cole left me early Wednesday. He had to be at Hobby airport at 6am...I could not even imagine how I was going to manage that. Thanks to my wonderful loving father-in-law he got there, Gary was ringing our doorbell at 5:30 am. I did yell that if Kenley woke up I was going to put her in the car with him, sorry Gary, that was rude! Kenley and I occupied our time together by preparing for the garage sale we were having on Saturday. On Thursday we did take a break and go eat with my two favorite Duffy sisters on Thursday.
Saturday's garage sale was a huge success. I could not unload stuff fast enough before people were buying it out of the Tahoe. We were finished by 2, as if I wasn't tired enough Kenley and I went to the car wash. I vacuumed and washed the car. We returned home to finish up the car and get ready to head to the Boil-B-Que! Crawfish, beer, moon walks, and PaPa's truck were entertaining for all involved. We then hauled our cookies across town from Tomball to pick up Cole. I missed him so much while he was gone. He wasn't "allowed" to use his phone while he was gone so I only got to text him at night! The first thing he wanted, as usual, was Whataburger. I was SO SO tired I could not even see straight. The Neal brothers came over to visit. Snow was suppose to come but couldn't because she is the best dog sitter ever! I missed her and really wanted to see here but I was able to go to sleep.
I had a wonderful Mother's Day. Many of you know that every mother's day since Kenley has been traumatic. My first mother's day preceded Kenley's surgery at 5 weeks of age for pyloric stenosis. My second Mother's Day was spent having my appendix removed. I am happy to say that this one was event free!!!! Cole got me a beautiful necklace and Garrett and Kenley got me a new watch. They took me to eat at the Cheesecake Factory!
Garrett and I are starting to watch Parenthood together. It is hilarious. I started watching it while he was away. He is hooked so is catching up on the ipod. He is three episodes behind me...I am impatiently waiting for him to catch up so we can continue the season!!! As we speak, he is watching some!
The lake house should be ready soon. Emily was suppose to go with us to the lake every weekend, but Mark is allergic to cats, so she will be home. I am hoping my loving neighbor Mrs. Cathy will come over and hang out with her. Yes, we refer to him as her...last time I am going to remind you of our gay cat.
Things that have been accomplished...

Kenley ate Crawfish

Cole flew on a plane

Kenley drove the car, while sitting in my lap around the cul-de-sac.

Cole has not driven...at all ;o)

Kenley has her 1st gymnastic competition this Saturday!!!!!

Have a great week, we love you!

2010-05-03T23:05:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have not written in forever and that is the truth! April 18th was forever ago! The Benson household is wonderful! We have never been happier! Kenley has been begging for a "baby cat" we have been toying with the idea and the opportunity finally dropped in our lap. Last Thursday we had a meeting for Cole's trip to D.C., one of the families at church brought a basket full of kittens. They were meowing and meowing during the entire meeting. Kenley, of course, looked at me with those big beautiful blue eyes and curly blond hair and said Mommy can "Emily" come home now, yes she has had the name for this "cat" at least a month. So....she did. Garrett has been working in Hobbs, New Mexico and was not home. In other words, I brought another animal home without Garrett's approval. We headed straight to petsmart and got all our kitty's necessities. I took Ms. Emily to the vet today and found out Emily is a BOY! Cole has already been calling Emily Syracuse because that is what he wanted to name it. Kenley will hear nothing of the sort...So our gender challenged kitty is Emily. Garrett came home and of course fell in love with her, I will always refer to her as her...so sorry. She is a great kitty. I really love her. She is super clean with her box and goes outside with us and chills in the backyard, she lets Kenley do whatever and she and the dogs are doing well. She is a bed hopper, one night with Kenley, one night with us, one night with Cole. She is currently laying on my neck while I am typing.

Garrett had his 6 month check up after losing his thyroid...his levels were not right. We knew this because he had been sleeping more than ever. They tripled his medicine and added some vitamin supplements. He is already feeling better. He is, as always, dedicated to his work at Baker Concrete. I am so proud of him.
Cole is getting ready for his first big trip. He is headed to Washington D.C. this Wednesday at 6:00 am. I recruit ted my wonderful father-in-law to take him. Thank you to Gary! We went and got him his first suitcase today and he is excited.

I did have another seizure on April 23, 2010 when I was at home, so I have been diagnosed with Epilepsy. I firmly believe that God is directing my physician's hand and that I will be treated and healed within the next 3 years. There is a very high percentage of people who can be on anti-seizure medication for 3 years and are seizure free can end up not needing medication any longer. So please join in me believing in the power of prayer!

We are patiently awaiting the completion of the Lake House, two more weeks and we will be nowhere to be found on the weekend except the lake.

Kenley is still taking gymnastics on Mondays at The Houston Gymnastic Academy and has her first competition May 15. She is also on The Texas Two-Steppers Show Team at Texas Cheer, so you will find us there every Tuesday night. She almost has her cartwheel and her skills are very impressive. Swimming lessons will start this summer! She finally perfected her bike riding and can keep up with Cole.

I am hoping to start her with horseback riding lessons soon...come on Momma Kellerman.

On a pretty bragging note...We have the greenest grass on the street and I am so thrilled, big thank you to one of my clients who gave me all his secrets one day while purchasing insurance.

I am almost completely done with my Certified Property Manager designation and should have it by June! Yeah! I am so proud of myself! ha!

We had the bathtub refinished and it is so beautiful. If you have an old bathtub look up Bathtub Wizard...it was worth every penny and looks brand new.

For one reason or the other I have been on an organization kick. This house has never been cleaner and more organized, that trickled out to the garage on Sunday. My body hurts in more ways that I knew was possible. I did most of the work by myself, Garrett was fixing the toilet with his Dad, Cole was napping but got up just in time to help me with the really heavy stuff. I have come to the realization that we have too much stuff. We are having a garage sale on Saturday!

2010-04-18T21:48:00.000-07:00

KENLEY IS 3!
Boy, she had a wonderful birthday. We spent her actual birthday April 6, 2010 at home with our family and close friends. We had presents (most that she and Grammy bought that very same day at Toy R us) she gets one day a year where the toy shopping his limitless (well within reason). She had homemade cupcakes made by Aunt Kendra & Aunt Somer. Uncle Daniel cooked his famous Stuffed Jalapenos, this is his 3rd year cooking for Kenley's birthday. She opened up her presents and we would tell her who they were from and she would take the present to the giver! We were like...no no Kenley...now their yours! She blew our her candles beautifully and had a blast.
On Sunday we met Jenna, Brody, Emma, Gavin, Yadira, and Damien at Build A Bear. They all built their best bears and the one that made them the happiest. Kenley made a kitty! She is in love with kitties and really wants one to name Emily.
Her cheer leading is going great and she has her first gymnastic competition May 15. The house has been spring cleaned and now some rearranging has began!
We are impatiently waiting on the lake house...we are so excited!
Lilia, Janet, and Kendra and I are considering a garage sale! Exciting!

2010-04-04T22:58:00.000-07:00

What an awesome Easter, it wasn't our typical Easter but this household was in need of a break! After Cole took his first communion on Maundy Thursday we had the car all loaded and headed toward San Antonio. We were going to Seaworld and Fiesta Texas.

On Friday, we went to Fiesta Texas where Cole rode his very FIRST roller coaster! He was so nervous it was hilarious to look at him that morning! By the time the first one was ridden that nervousness was over and he was hooked.

Kenley and I spent most of the day in "Wiggle World". We rode airplanes, shoes, cars, and horses! She loved it, she was in a great mood and enjoyed the day. She had her face painted as soon as we got there and that was all she needed. It was beautiful! I don't think she will be scared of roller coasters and that is good they are a lot of fun! Kenley and I also played games, the park was pretty empty so we played against each other and won some pretty awesome prizes.

Saturday morning we had to get up so early to take our Ultimate Seafari tour of Seaworld. We were hands on with dolphins, Cole and Kenley loved it! They let us interact with them for like 15 or 20 minutes. There was one particular dolphin that was super friendly and took a liking to us he was a superstar in Jaws III. He would roll over for belly rubs and just let us touch all over him.

We also got to feed Sea Lions, but Kenley was not that impressed! The barking was too loud! She put her iPod on. Kenley has very sensitive ears and she does not like loud noises. The hand dryers and toilet flushing in public restrooms drive her nuts! So now she has learned that she can just put her iPod on with her earphones.

Our tour also included a front row seat at the Shamu show, Believe. You know what front row means...SPLASH ZONE! Kenley was so impressed with the show, but not the splashing. She started crying and said "mommy, that dolphin's crazy".

She was also a big fan of the Dolphin show, they have a lot of acrobat and high diving and she thought it was awesome!

When we returned to the hotel Cole, Garrett, and Kenley went swimming and did the dolphin and the whale. This is hearsay because I was ASLEEP. I was worn out!

I was an awesome weekend and we are so blessed and thankful~

2010-03-28T16:34:00.000-07:00

Cole is confirmed! That is today's news! Garrett's bid is almost finished and he will be relieved of a lot of pressure. All of these things made for a busy busy week. We made it and we were so proud of Cole. He got all his questions right on Friday night and looked so handsome!

The house has been officially "Spring Cleaned" the garage is still hurting, but it will happen when the lake house is finished. We have a lot of things piling up for the permanent home at the lake house. That house is coming along beautifully. I have never understood what everybody has been talking about. I just could not imagine the transformation in my mind. I think that it may have something to do with not have a "construction" brain like my Benson counterparts. I got to see it last week and it is so awesome, I am chomping at the bit to return to weekends in Conroe.

I finished my Rookie year at the Rodeo. I am so blessed to be on Calf Scramble, it is one of the best ways to work with the kids that are supported by the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. I had a great time and made some great friends some of which will be with me forever. It was so exciting. I also inherited 6 children that will come back next year to show the Grand Champion heifer I know!!!!

I can officially announce that Kenley is totally potty trained. What a relief she was so easy, she basically decided to do it herself. I feel for parents that struggle with this skill, we were really lucky. Kenley turns 3 next week and she is so pumped! She knows...cake, presents, gifts...lol!

We are looking for a peaceful Spring and wish everybody all the blessings that this Holy Week may bring. In the midst of all your eggs, baskets, and bunnies remember the reason for the season and take a moment to give thanks for all your blessings even when you think there might not be any.

2010-03-13T22:34:00.000-08:00

Garrett and Kenley had a Daddy bonding day (Cole was involved also!), Mommy rested preparing to kick some butt on Monday. They headed out to Lowe's to purchase a new pressure washer, drill, and exchange a sprinkler head. They returned and put the pressure washer together and used it, I then walked outside and asked Garrett if he got the right head...he paused and said "Kenley and I got distracted". This led me to ask how did you two get distracted at Lowe's? Apparently Kenley went with her pearl necklace, bracelet and her baby with no pants (she wanted to take in a very glamorous poodle purse, but he convinced her to leave it in the truck), all of this led to every person who passed by stopping to talk to Princess Kenley. Needless to say we still have the incorrect sprinkler head. He was also informed that he was not going the right way to the gas station. She knows the way to Grammy's, OSL, and the office and will tell you that you are not going the right way. She is such a riot!

2010-03-12T14:55:00.000-08:00

The story of our lives continues...We have had such a rough couple of months. But we are so blessed to have Little Miss Kenley Benson. We thank God for her each and every day. I fall more and more in love with her each and every day and I know that Garrett does also. We lost Baby Benson #2 this week. I found out on Monday when I went in for my regular checkup to start my second trimester. We are strong and are believing that it was all for a reason and there was a purpose that God needed our angel in heaven even before we could be blessed by her presence. We know that she was met in heaven by a host of angels and her family. She has 4 Great-Grandfathers and even a Grandmother that happily received her. We thank you for all your prayers. Thank you for all the visits, food, thoughts, and flowers.
We are keeping our heads held high and knowing that we will make it through all of this.

2010-02-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!!!
Kenley had a little Valentines outfit that she was going to wear and I was going to take a picture of her with her Valentines Day balloon, but we did not take a picture of it and to be honest she did not wear it! So sorry, all you get is a Happy Valentines Day!
We had a great one! We spent last night with Logan and Kenley. We dropped Cole off on a date with Sam from Trinity Downtown. They went to the Rainforest Cafe. Lucky Lucky! Garrett, Logan, Kenley and I went to Fu's Garden. It was wonderful and fabulous! One thing about Logan being here is that he really has learned to eat all kinds of food. Of course, Miss Kenley ordered her Won Ton soup and was chowing down. He followed right along and ate really well. It was a wonderful dinner. Tricia was at her friend's house.
Garrett did not get flowers for me this year...he went the best route for a pregnant wife...an edible arrangement. I got a beautiful fruit arrangement of apples, bananas, oranges, strawberries, and grapes all dipped in chocolate! It was great! I shared with everybody except the strawberries!
Kenley is loving the Olympics or "games" as she calls it. She has been caught several times watching them and is very interested.
We hope everybody is doing great!!!

2010-02-01T07:08:00.000-08:00

Marvelous Monday...
In general, Mondays are usually not really all that great, getting up early, back to work, blah blah blah. But today was a wonderful Monday in the Benson household.
After several weeks of waking up with a dry diaper and fighting with me every night and explaining to me that diapers are gross Kenley wore panties to bed last night! I believe we are officially potty trained, no accidents to speak of for many weeks. I also have a sense of peace about it. I never stress over her having accidents. Actually we don't even carry spare clothes (this is probably not the smartest thing we have ever done, but...). She will even tell you I have to go potty and march herself into the bathroom and take care of it herself. If you try to help and it is not her request you will get told "I do it myself"
Yes...Yes...I know hard to believe that she is growing up! Believe me, it is not as hard to believe for you all as it is for me!
I still like to tell her things like "Kenley you're my baby" needless to say this is not acceptable any longer. Yesterday she told me "I not baby, I Kenley, baby in your tummy"
Oh well...I guess they all grow up and I guess I will get over it, no probably not...she'll always be my baby even if she doesn't agree.
Garrett and I spent the entire day laughing at her yesterday. She is hilarious. She is such a joker. I can't really explain it...but she is just so funny. She says the wierdest things to make you laugh and then she will tell you "I funny". Several times we were lauging outloud and just looking at each other like where did she get this...
Two last things I want to share...
Her new favorite place to eat is Tia Maria's (My Dad will not be impressed by this). She will say lets go eat...I want to go to Tias. This works out really good, because OSL has always eaten at Tias and so we got to go on Friday. Garrett was at the Rocket's game and the kids and I had OSL games to attend. While we were going potty she said something that sparked me to tell her "You are so smart"...She said "No I not" I said "you're not..." She told me "No I smart and pretty"
We hope you are having fabulous Monday!

2010-01-24T13:21:00.000-08:00

Cole giving Kenley a bike ride. She loves it...begs for more! She was laughing and laughing the whole time!

2010-01-21T21:09:00.000-08:00

Our blog got an update!!! We had our church photos done in early December. They turned out so well that they are now the header! We also added 2 new sections. The first one is "Our Month in Review" you can go to this section to see all of our photos for the month, or at least the really good ones because Lord knows I take too many! The next one is "Baby Benson #2" this will be the section for the pregnancy and eventually Baby Benson #2, it will then have a name!!! So hoping that on Monday we get to put up our first ultrasound! I already wrote some stuff in that section...go check it out!!!

2010-01-21T11:07:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt like you are drinking water out of a fire hose?

2009-12-26T17:40:00.000-08:00

Christmas has been quite interesting this year! We came up to the lake on the 21st. Much bigger house to let the kids run and play and destroy!!! That caused a minor melt down on the 26th. We had a wonderful Christmas Day. Started by opening presents, Yippee! But so much happened in between. We had the Holeman Family Christmas on the 20th. Kenley had so much fun with the twins, all her cousins, grandparents, and great-grandma's. After it was over though she got a fever! Kenley believes that Christmas requires her to run a fever. Most will remember that when we landed in Montana last year she did the same thing! I let her work it out Sunday night, Monday...but on Tuesday she started complaining about her ear...of course we were in Conroe and it was after 5pm so off to the Urgent Care we went. Her right ear was 90% infected and the left was 30% infected. The doctor kept asking Cassie and I questions that we were not answering according to his standards obviously because he proceeded to ask Kenley some questions. He said, "Kenley, does your ear hurt?" She replied, "Yes, right here and pointed to her ear." He then asked, "Does your throat hurt?" She replied, "Yes, right here" and pointed to her throat. I was very surprised...there was a point in to time when I thought she would never speak, especially to a doctor she doesn't know. I was so impressed, we left we some prescriptions. She ran a fever until yesterday but is improving. Now the antibiotic is doing some weird things to her diaper. Needless to say...the no holds bar potty training has been put on hold!

Cole got a BMX bike for Christmas, he is really excited about it because now he doesn't have to walk to his friends in the neighborhood. Latricia asked for a scooter, Garrett proceeded to buy her a motorized one...she is zipping around the neighborhood at 10mph. Logan wanted a skateboard and Santa granted his wish. He is practicing very hard to improve his skills, along with Garrett and Uncle Mark (Kendra's boyfriend) trying to improve their skills. They both swear that they use to be able to do all kinds of tricks! Kenley got a Little Tykes playhouse for the backyard. It has not been put together yet, but Daddy will come through and she will be thrilled and I will post a picture! It is really awesome and I am super excited about it!

My favorite present was that Kenley let me straighten her hair. It is so long! She looks totally different.

We made so much food for Christmas we started Tuesday night. Christmas Peepers, Muddy Buddies, Oreo Balls, Pumpkin Pie, it went on and on. Everybody enjoyed everything! Except me of course...the lap band is a little tight! However, I have not lost the will to cook...that is a good thing! I experimented with a cheese log....it went over sort of okay....it needs a little work. English Pea Salad has been removed from the Christmas dinner menu. I also made homemade cornbread stuffing. I sauteed the vegetables this time. There was one year when I forgot that part and it wasn't so good!

We hope everybody had a marvelous Christmas...we sure did! We wish you all a very Happy New Year and we are certainly hoping that 2010 is better for us that 2009.

2009-12-21T22:13:00.001-08:00

It was a Merry Holeman Christmas!!!

Brody, Jenna Rae, and Kenley are officially NaNa and PaPa's little biker gang!

2009-12-21T21:34:00.000-08:00

Little Miss Julie turned 18th on the 19th...I can't believe it! I was only 8 when she entered this big ol' world. What a joy she has been in my life, yes she can annoy the life out of Princess Kenley but I am pretty sure I did the same to her when she was growing up.

So far December has brought the following memories

Went to the dentist for the first time! No cavities and has 20 teeth

Potty training is really taking off, doing and awesome job

Learning to brush her own hair and tries to put it in pony tails all by herself

Tells me she is pretty

Asks me daily to paint her nails if they are not painted

Stands 3 feet and 2 inches tall

Speaks in clear sentences and has an opinion and is not all too happy when you don't do what she wants

Is doing well with her Sirs and Maams...but it is a long learning process

Loves everybody in her family and knows us all well

In the car today she told me she wanted to see her Bumpa and Grammy

Thinks Christmas is her birthday! This is hilarious!

2009-12-17T20:02:00.001-08:00

WOW...what a week!!!! It started off pretty good on Monday...just didn't end so well. I left the office at 4:30 or so to go pick the kids up from school. I checked them out of daycare and we all got in the car, well Garrett's truck to be exact. I turned left out of OSL on Tidwell. That is the last thing that I remember. Now we cut to the kids' memory. They said that as soon as I made the left my arms locked up and I started screaming and shaking eventually falling unconscious. Cole then jumped from the passenger side and removed my foot off of the gas. He then steered us to the curb, all the while calling 911. We coasted to a stop, with no damage to the vehicle. Just bumped the little yellow and black sign before the bridge over the bayou.
The ambulance arrived and put me in and got me hooked up to some oxygen and checked my heart and all the other important organs...which were normal. The only things going on were my eyes were completely dilated and my blood pressure was low. My Dad shows up on the scene and they tell him that they think I am overdosing on drugs!!!! This is about the time my memory picks up, I believe that anybody's would...6'8" father asking you if you are a drug addict...ummm let's think about this one...All the way to the hospital the paramedic kept asking have you taken any street drugs...all the way to the hospital Wendy keeps answering NO!!! I laugh about it now...but I wasn't laughing until finally my drug test came back negative!!!! At this point they send me home with my concussion, burnt neck, smashed foot, and extremely swollen tongue that I had bit!!! The ER doctor tells us he thinks I had a seizure and to see my family doctor ASAP. I saw him Tuesday. He explains that he is relatively certain I had a seizure and to see a neurologist ASAP. I saw the neurologist today. He explained to Garrett and I that he is 100% certain I had an epileptic seizure. He explained that on his first day of residency for neurology his doctor told him the golden rule...people who bite their tongues are having epileptic seizures. So here is where we are now...
Epilepsy is not diagnosed until you have a 2nd seizure. Therefor I will have and EEG and MRI on December 28, 2009 to determine what might be happening. If the test comes back normal then I have the option to take the anti seizure medicine. If it comes back abnormal then I will be medicated by the doctor.
As if this isn't bad enough. The law is that I can't drive for 6 months because of the seizure. That is pretty scary. Hopefully, we will have some more information soon. Until then....I must remember that God will not give me more than I can handle.

2009-12-13T21:53:00.000-08:00

Life has been so hectic lately and I find myself full of things to say about making it through. Something passed through me lately that I thought was worth sharing. It might help somebody out there that feels overwhelmed and out of control. When your life starts spinning out of control and you don't know what to do, you must stop looking at the big picture and start taking it day by day. This has made everything so much easier lately. There are times when the big picture is too much to handle and this is the only way to get through life. You may not know what you are going to do in 3 months or 6 months or a year...but usually you will be able to figure out what you are going to do in an hour or in a day! Especially during this Christmas season this little moto might help! I hope that everybody is having a Merry Christmas!

This has never happened before...

2009-12-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

Kenley had so much fun at the lake with Grammy, Bumba, RaRa, Mark, and Logan that she fell asleep in the middle of the floor! In her 2 1/2 years of life, well since she has been a toddler, she has NEVER fallen asleep anywhere like this...it was a photographic moment. She had puton her santa bell socks that Momma Kellerman sent her and was laying on her monkey and fell right to sleep. It was so precious!
I love her so much! Even more when she is asleep! Just kidding!

2009-12-09T09:40:00.000-08:00

I have not written since November 10th...Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is coming!!!! The Benson's are not on the ball this year! We have NO tree....NOT 1 decoration!!! It is horrible. I can't really understand it. I am very excited about Christmas but just have not worked on the house at all! I am so proud that I finally ordered the Christmas cards...that was an accomplishment~We have no basketball or cheerleading practice tonight, so I think today is the day! Cole has a basketball tournament all weekend at Trinity Klein all weekend so that is a wash!
We spent Thanksgiving at Lake Murval with my parents! We left on Wednsday afternoon and did not return until Sunday. It was a lot of fun. Kenley, Logan, and Trish fished, Granny and I were the only ones who caught anything. Cole had fun building fires (this involved a propane fueled blow torch, boy has my Dad changed!)and throwing the football around with Uncle Garrett. Smores, washers, football games, 4 wheeler rides....We had good food and good 'ole family fun.
The world stopped in Houston on December 4, 2009. It snowed! I mean it really snowed! Garrett was about 20 feet up at work checking things out on the building and told me it looked like Montana snow! Now that is quite the statement. We have seen SNOW and we have seen Houston snow!!!! I was quite impressed, I think it was SNOW. The kids were released at 1:00pm I went to get them and of course we played in the snow as soon as we got home and changed into warm clothes. We called it a day when Kenley's hands were bright red and swelling. Everybody came in and warmed up, Kenley and I went down for a nap...you sleep when they sleep still applies right? I think so! Once Garrett got home Trish and Logan were back at it playing with him in the snow. They built the snowman!
Santa called and we had to help him out on Saturday morning. It wasn't bad, everybody was still locked in due to the icey conditions! Garrett and decided we have a 4x4 and have driven in Montana off we go at 8:30am. Santa sure needed a lot of help, those elfs need to get it together a little sooner!

If I don't see you before....
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Bensons!

2009-11-10T12:19:00.000-08:00

Enough Said Listen to Miss Kenley

Happy Birfday Momma....

2009-11-03T21:29:00.000-08:00

Today my mother would have been 52 years old. I was just 16 when she died at the age of 42. Many people would have let the define their person, not me. I had conversation after conversation with my dying mother. She knew she could no longer fight Leukemia, that it had won. She let me in on that little secret. When she died, I chose to live, I chose to breathe, and I chose to be...I chose my life.

You are not defined by your parents. They only provide you with the tools to live your life, the choices you make are your own. My mother gave me the tools to accept what would happen and gave me the ability to not only accept it but to embrace it. I have fully embraced my life on this earth and feel closer to her than I would have ever been. She is with me daily and I know she is in control of things for which I cannot be...

As I sit here at 26, having been without a mother for almost 10 years, I don't feel like I am missing anything. With my mother's help I was able to understand that I would not have a mother of my own ,physically on this earth, for the majority of my life. There would be no mother of the bride, no mother in the delivery room. I accepted it and embraced it. Where God closes 1 door he will open another. I have been blessed with a wonderful mother-in-law who was there for those occasions and a father who turned out to be a pretty good labor and delivery coach and a step mother that loves and supports him. Had the door not closed, I am not sure what the nature of my relationship with my mother-in-law would be...This door was opened and in walked Cassi Benson who I believe has provided me with her own mothering tools that molded me into who I am today. I am not sure of the connection that she and my mother have made on some level but I like to believe that there is one....Maybe they speak in dreams...I would like to believe so...

Now, with a daughter of my own just down the hall tucked safely in her bed. I know that I am giving her to tools to be who she is destined to be and that is all that I can do for her and all I will ever want for her is happiness. I don't want her to be me or act like me but all I could ever want for her is to be an individual with the power to choose and accept her own destiny.

To my precious Kenley, I wish you could have had a chance with your Grandmother (Darna as she was known to Julie and Cole)....but that was destiny also and I accept and embrace the doors that have opened and the people that have walked through that doorway.
I can honestly say, when things like...

Graduating High School

Graduating College

Walking down the aisle

Giving birth to my daughter

Baptizing my daughter

happened there was never a void in my heart. My mother was with me...in the place it means the most....my heart.

So...Patricia Estelle Holeman I leave a little legacy with Little Ms. Kenley Patricia Benson who one day won't be little and hopefully will accept and embrace her life with the tools I provide to her, just as you provided them to me.

I love you!

2009-11-01T20:30:00.000-08:00

More pictures of the family...

2009-11-01T20:17:00.000-08:00

Our little baby Kenley was a little baby butterfly for Halloween this year! Boy did she have fun! She did really good at trick-or-treating with the help of all her cousins. She also used her awesome manners by thanking everybody who gave her candy. We spent Halloween at Aunt Shelly's and Uncle Mike's. Julie was a lady bug, Logan was a super hero, Cole was a "lil pimp", and Trish was a French maid. Garrett and I were nothing!

Kenley was a little scared of costumes that had masks and such...she would say "I scared Trick or Treat", but she would soon get over it and run up to the door. We walked pretty far and she and Logan did great...very minor complaining. At one point she told me "I tired, Judy's house" By the way Julie is Judy! After a whiler her basket got pretty heavy and she made me carry it, but she would get it from me before knocking on doors.

One of the wierdest things that happened was that this really cranky old man anwered his door, you could tell he was disgusted. He also did not want to give Cole any candy. I don't understand why people do this, if a 14 year old is out Trick-or-Treating with his young siblings and cousins and has dressed up give him some candy...what a jerk! He told Kenley here you are so cute you get all my candy, then he said tell him he doesn't get any. HOW RUDE!!! Can you believe that! I think Cole's feelings were a little more hurt than he wanted to admit. If I would have had eggs I would have thrown some at his door! JERK, can you tell I am still not over it?

We had a great Halloween and we hope you did too!!!

Daddy, Honey

2009-10-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

So many people ask me..."how do you do it"....and I have been thinking about that answer for some time. After a lot of pondering I have finally came up with what I think the answer is...

I am probably the luckiest girl in the world. I am so blessed and I am surrounded by people that love and support me. I could not have fallen in love with a better man, today my Dad told me that Garrett is "made out of steel". That is the truth if I have ever heard it. I am married to the most selfless man. There is not a day that goes by that he doesn't put my needs first, he sacrifices his own happiness for mine. What more could a woman want? I am so thankful to Gary and Cassi for so many things, but the thing that I will forever be grateful for is them blessing me with the best husband. He can only be the best husband because of the way they raised him.

The moral of this story is that I could not "do it" without the love and support of my husband.

So you really don't have to worry about me, I will be able to handle anything that life hands me with the love and support of my husband. As long as I have Garrett I need nothing else to keep me going.

Kenley is going to be the luckiest girl in the world, she might not always think so...but one day she will come to the realization that she has the best daddy in the world and their bond will be unbreakable.

I have to also share this with you...when we were in Montana in September I was speaking to Garrett and said something like..."Honey....." Kenley looked up at me and said..."Daddy Honey, Honey Daddy?"

Yes Kenley....Honey, Daddy....are the two most important roles Mr. Garrett has right now, to be your Daddy and my Honey!

Miss Kenley will be a beautiful butterfly for Halloween....pictures will be up soon!

2009-10-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

It has been a heck of a time in the Benson household. Most of you know that Garrett had surgery yesterday to remove some masses on his thyroid. He had a thyroidectomy and they also took some lymph nodes. We started off with ultrasounds, CT scans, Fine Needle Aspirations, and scopes of the vocal cords. All of this led us to our lovely accommodations in Memorial Herman in the Medical Center. The good news is that we seem to be cancer free. We don't have definitive results right now, but according to the doctor the mass does not look cancerous. None of the other tests have been benign or malignant, but all have returned with a pre-malignant result. The doctor is not overly concerned about this as it is often hard to get a diagnosis on these types of masses. Garrett should be released tomorrow and we will be headed home. We are waiting for his calcium levels to level out. This is often caused by the para thyroid being stunned during surgery. All this is wonderful news compared to what they said on Monday which included possible radical neck dissections and treating it as "cancer".
Kenley has spent the week with Norma in Baytown, BeBe (Norma's Grandson, Damian) returned from his vacation and they are playing. We are so thankful for all of the thoughts and prayers.

On the 3 day of October....

2009-10-03T22:49:00.000-07:00

Phew....what a day!!! The Bensons were super busy "living our dream" today. We started off at AAA Rest. for breakfast, with Maam, Gary, Mark and RaRa...it was fabulous. RaRa was whacko funny. Oh and before that we had already dropped off 1 car for an oil change. Switched after breakfast. I headed to the office with Mark and RaRa to measure...Kenley met us up there. Daddy picked her up and they went grocery shopping...Mark went to our house. RaRa and I then went to the farmer's market and the seafood market...not to mention the stop by Kroger....Once we got home the cooking began. I made a fruit pizza, RaRa made chili and gumbo (two flavors), and I topped it off with a little vegetable soup. We at the chili. Somer and Mike came over. Our plan is to make a lot of food and freezing it for Garrett after surgery. Tomorrow is cabbage and pintos. My pintos are soaking. Oh and I have to fit in an RVOS meeting. Mr. Garrett is sick! He is so stuffed up he can't breathe...He even, and I quote said, "I think I might not make it to the game tomorrow." Now that is serious! We'll keep living our dream...will you?

2009-10-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

October 1, 2009
What a great day! Kenley got to see both her God Mother's and a God Father and Mommy got to see Jamie!!! It is always exciting...and now she is married and called her husband at dinner!!!! Yeah!
Operation no bottle is going great! Kenley and I read Bernstein's Bears (SP?) "Count your Blessing" and she has been in her Barbie bed for about an hour now, yes she stays up late!

Super Excited

2009-09-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

Today is a great day!!! My blog got finished today and I happen to think it is so perfect. This is a place where you can come and check up on us and all our activities and watch Kenley grow up. It is going to be so special for Kenley to be able to go back and read all the things about her life. I just wish I would have started earlier. So now that you all know what this "blog" thing is all about...let's move on....
Tonight is the second night that Princess Kenley has been without her teta (Spanish for bottle). I would say that this is probably the biggest obstacle that Garrett and I have encountered with the lil' princess. She has been such a wonderful kid. She has been on the bottle at night and naptime for a while now and we decided at 2 1/2 it had to go...so last night it went. We did it cold turkey and it seems to be working out okay. She got up twice from her bed within the first 10 min. But we did it "supernanny" style and simply walked her back. She stayed and is all tucked in and sleeping. Her routine use to be Hand Washing, Teeth Brushing, Teta and Book. Then you would simply walk out and she would go right to sleep. Now we have changed it to....Snack with a cup of milk, Hand Washing, Teeth Brushing, book, and right to sleep.
We are so blessed!