March Top 10

March was a great month!! Here's a quick run-down of the highlights (in chronological order, in case you are wondering :)

1. BASEBALL!!!!!! Wow! Baseball started and really took off! This was our first Spring Season (not to be confused with the low-key Fall Season...) and it has been quite an experience! We're having a blast... and we're getting used to our 2nd home - the ball field ;)

Of all the numbers, Bennett chose #23. Why? He just liked it...

This was at the first game of the season - that smile is not a 'normal' smile... We're still working in the 'camera' smile. Maybe one day...

2.We got a DS!! Well, we actually got 2!! (one for me and one for Bennett :) It was Bennett's big birthday present, but since we were going on a road trip, we decided to give him the option of opening a present early. His response? 'I'm always up for opening presents!!'

Here he is sporting the super cool bag that holds both systems and accessories.

3. Spring Break -I'm not sure why, but when Bennett was in preschool, I dreaded school breaks. Now, I LOVE them! I couldn't wait for Spring Break this year - and neither could Bennett! The grandparents wanted some time with him, so I got a couple of bonus days. Then we left on Wednesday for a little mommy-son road trip. We drove over to Atlanta and went to World of Coke. We both really enjoyed it. Bennett's favorite part? The tasting room, of course (ok, it was my favorite part too!!)

We also got to spend a little time with Chan, Rowan, and Shawn. So good to see them again! Bennett was so excited to meet Rowan that he bought her a glow worm with is own money. He's so kind - it amazes me sometimes... Oh, and Rowan is the cutest thing I've seen (since Bennett, of course :)

Bennett and I spent the night in a hotel - the first time we've done with sans Brad. We had a good time picking the 'best' one and snuggling in (with our DS's). I'm so glad that he still enjoys spending time with me!

4. Road Trip Destination - Our friends moved a few weeks ago, but they can't get rid of us that easily!! We got to their house on Thursday (Brad arrived via one-way flight) on Friday. We had a great time visiting, organizing, eating, shopping, and refereeing the kids.

Bennett doesn't quite know what to do with these red-headed girls sometimes...

give him a few years, and I'm sure he'll be much more willing to put up with their attention :)

5. Bennett dreams big...

'I want to go to Carasant becos I could be a jedi!

He wants to go to Coruscant (a Star Wars place) so he can become a Jedi... hmmm :)

6. Me and him. Somehow I got Bennett to wear a shirt that sort of matched mine to church one Sunday. I insisted on getting a picture... he wasn't thrilled, as you can imagine.

But look... it's an almost-genuine smile!!

Oh, and can you guess where I got my cardigan?

7.Fridays are always a treat - it's the day that Bennett bring home all of his school work from the week prior (or when he digs things out of his desk and decides to bring them home...)

This vocabulary assignment had him focus on the word 'ponder'. He wrote that 'ponder' reminds him of 'when Merry (Mary) pondered Jesus. I think that it is so great that Bible stories are always on his mind. He's written several times about about Jesus and God at school. I'm so thankful.

8. Birthday planning. We spent a LOT of time planning Bennett's birthday party. We found the greatest invitations on e*bay and when they came Bennett insisted that he wanted to address them all himself. I was shocked - this coming from the kid who doesn't want to spend 2 minutes writing his spelling words!! He did a great job!

9. AND 10. Baseball... Baseball has been a constant in our lives since it started at the end of February. We've yet to win a game, but I sure am getting good at cheering :)

Bennett just loves being out there. Winning would be nice - but he's always got a smile on his face.

(He was safe!)

March was a great month... I'm counting my blessings. How about you?

Especially for Gigi

On the way to Utah, Bennett was very upset by a little girl who sat in front of us on one of our flights. So upset, he was, that he journaled about it in his Share Journal at school:

It says: One Thursday morning me and mom droped (dropped) Sadie off at the vet. Then we picked up Gigi. Then we went to the airport. We got on the plane. A super-annoying girl sat in front of us. She stuck a neked Kin doll in my face! She tried grabing me too. She stuck a pen-cyl in front of me. I graded (grabbed) it! She said "Like my pen-cyl big boy..."

He was so upset about this little girl, that he talked about it several times on the trip, and 2 weeks later, he thought enough of it to journal about it. I didn't get this gem home from school until a week or 2 later. I asked him about it and he was still upset about the whole incident :)

This post is especially for Gigi, who witnessed the whole unfortunate event...

February Top Ten...

As promised... our February Top Ten...

1) Pulling Teeth Poor Bennett has been cursed with my teeth - he's only had one or two visits at the dentist with a clean report :( This visit was no exception - but it was even worse. Bennett needed to have 2 teeth pulled - bottom left and top right. They had abscessed (tons of mommy guilt since he had told me that his gums were hurting and I didn't know that it was due to decay!!) We sought a 2nd opinion and got the same news - the teeth needed to come out.

So, on Feb 1 those 2 teeth were pulled and 2 teeth were filled. Other than not liking the numbness (and creating a big blister from sucking on his lip!!) he did great! He had to eat soft foods for a week, but milk shakes are always good!!

Coincidentally, February was dental month at school!! They talked alot about teeth, apparently... and this is just one of the many pieces of work that came home...

On this side, Bennett has detailed 2 facts that they discussed at school.

They are: Canine teeth rip food and you teeth fall out. (pictures coincide with the facts)

On the other side we have...

(I'll translate) "Fact 3: Dentists may have to take out your teeth. Take it from me it's painful. They may have to give you a silver tooth."

That picture is showing the spacer that he has where the teeth were removed. Please note: It is NOT drawn to scale... much like this picture :)

2) Reading to the kindergarteners Bennett came home on Feb 4 and told us (quite proudly!!) that he was going to read to his kindergarten teacher's class. He carefully picked out a book and practiced with Brad and me. (we heckled him with lots of questions - asking to go to the bathroom, telling him we want to see the pictures :) It was so fun...

He reported that the reading went very well :)

3) Murder Mystery - On Feb 6 we had a Murder Mystery party with book club. The whole thing didn't work out quite right - but we sure had a good time!!

4) Baseball We were so excited to be back on Coach Mark's team this Spring!! Don't worry - there will be many more pics in the future!! :)

5) A look into the future

In 100 years, Bennett assumes he will still be an Auburn fan (blue hat), walk his dog (which we don't EVER do), and be fully decked out with ammo and guns :) Nice.

Oh, and I see from the picture that in 100 years, he will have learned how to tie his shoes...

6) Skiing!! You can read all about our trip here... It was fun!!

7) Pinot Camp We got to go on a double date with Mike and Rebecca to the Pinot Camp at B&A Warehouse. I'm not a red wine drinker, but there was still plenty for me to taste... and I even found a few that I could tolerate! (But Brad didn't love the ones I liked, so we're still on different wine teams :) This was so much fun - can't wait to go again next year!!

8) Giggles and Grace - I worked the sale again this year, but did not Chair the Finance area. It was strange to be there without any 'responsibility', but it was also really nice... The sale was a HUGE success - selling over $105,000 in just over 2 days!! God is great!

9) Spring Into Art This year I co-chaired the Silent Auction at Spring Into Art at Bennett's school. Wow!! It was a ton of work - but we've raised over $14,000 by auction alone!!

While I was working, Brad and Bennett played games and make great art projects. Check this out...

They made a Jedi (with light saber and gun!) from a recycled water bottle!! So great!

10) Women's Conference I didn't get to attend Asbury's women's conference this year because it was the same weekend as Spring Into Art. I did, however, get the opportunity to host a break out session about scrapbooking and the importance of remembering the journey that God has prepared for us. It was a wonderful reminder of how important it is to take a breather - no matter how hectic and crazy life is (and this month was SUPER busy for us!!).

God is so good to me - he's given me so many sweet memories - and I want to be sure that I take the time to appreciate each moment. No matter how small the event seems, it can be a life changer :) I'm trying to absorb it all day by day...

January top 10

Yes, I do know that it is March... how can it be March already?? I have no idea!!

I've been planning on posting January's 'Top 10' since the beginning of February - but better late, than never, right?? :)

So here they are (in no particular order - well, maybe chronological order :)...

1) New Year's Eve - Ok, well, that is technically December, but close enough! We spent the early part of the evening at the Wargo's - lots of yummy food, wine, and games. We told Bennett that he could stay up as long as he wanted (last year we told him the same thing, and he made it to about 9:04!!) So, we got home at about 9:45 - we thought we could get him to make it to the NY ball drop (11 o'clock our time), but he passed out cold on the couch at 10:57. No kidding. He missed it!! Poor guy :)

This picture is really dark, but it is me, trying to wake him up!

2)Visit with the Christophers. Brad got to be a part of a presentation about his mission trip to India on Sunday, the 3rd, at a church in Murphreesboro. Murphreesboro is too close to Nashville not a make a stop to see Jenn, Joe, and the girls!! We had a great time catching up... We CAN'T wait another 2 years to see each other again!!

3) My 35th Birthday!! It was a great day - Bennett and Brad took me out to eat at Mt. Fuji for dinner and cupcakes at home afterward. I got a nice gift card to get a new camcorder - I'm still waiting for the one that want to come into stock!

No party is complete without noise makers!!

We celebrated with mom, Ang, Gavin, Dad, and Papa on Saturday night. Good times!!

Oh, yeah... cookie cake!! (Dinner was my fave - ham and mac & cheese!!)

4) New Car!! Brad decided that I needed a new car... I told him that I was happy with the van, but he insisted!! So, we spent a few days thinking and I decided on this little beauty... I love it!! I do have to apologize to Honda for not continuing my loyalty. But, Acura is a Honda product, right? And, it IS still silver!! Oh, and Brad is driving the van!!

5) Seeing Ron and Denver - Ron and Denver, of 'Same Kind of Different As Me' came to town and spoke at Samford on January 22. Angie and I gave mom a ticket to go with us - it was a really great time! Their story is fabulous and so inspiring! Have you read their book? You should!!

6) Supper Club - on the 23rd we had the Parsons, the Fountains, and the Johnsons over for supper club. We fixed The Pioneer Woman's chili and White Chicken Chili. So much fun!!

7) Dad's Birthday - Dad's birthday was on January 20, but we didn't get to celebrate until the 29th. We enjoyed a wonderful night of entertainment with Bennett and Pa bantering back and forth. Bennett sold coupon books to everyone at the table - and the fortunes proved to be extra special. Dad's said something along the lines of 'Rarely does such poise and beauty rest in one person as it does in you.' Perfect!! :)

8) Basketball - In one of our more ingenious moves, we decided to offer Bennett $1 for each time he shot the ball in a game. Before this offer, he ran up and down the court like a fiend, but was too shy to get the ball. That $1 made all the difference!!

He's so handsome!!

9) Nighttime Technology Fast - Brad, Bennett, and I did a 21 day technology fast this month. At night, we didn't use the computer or TV for 21 days. Boy - it was so hard!!! The hardest part for me was when Brad was gone and I had no one to talk to once Bennett went to bed... we talk alot around here :) It was a really great experience for our family, though, and I'm so glad that we did it!

10) Kits for Haiti - We made 24 kits for the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. It was a small thing, but really helped us talk about what was going on with Bennett. Our prayers are always with them.

Ok, so that is January... February might come tomorrow or Tuesday :)

Do you ski?

So, do you ski? I don't. I tried to learn 2 years ago, and learned after just a few short hours that skiing wasn't for me. So, I threw down my poles, got out of those horribly uncomfortable ski boots, grabbed some hot chocolate and retired in front of the fire for the rest of the vacation. And you know what, it was a WONDERFUL vacation :) The boys continued skiing, I met them for lunch at the top of the mountain each day, and I read to my heart's content. So relaxing!!

So, Brad had another opportunity to head to Park City last week for a conference, and Bennett and I joined him toward the end of the week. Angie and Gavin joined us for the trip, and we had a blast!!

Here they are skiing...

This is called the 'Sweet Pea' slope. When I was learning, I called it the 'Hill of Terror'...

And this thing... I can't tell you how many times I fell on this little lift thingy. So embarrassing. Bennett does it with ease...

But, I do enjoy the snow. And visiting with the boys when they aren't skiing...

And, we do enjoy a good snow ball fight...

And there is nothing better than a snow dog and his owner. These were built right outside our patio (with pretzels and bugles, of course!)

We really had a great time in Utah!

So tell me, do you ski?

If you do, please don't try to make me feel bad because I don't. (At one point Bennett asked why 'mommies don't like to go outside of the lobby', which is totally unfair - I went outside of the lobby plenty of times!! :)

And if you don't, do you want to come hang out with me by the fire the next time we go?

I'll buy the hot chocolate :)

Remembering My Creative Side

Wow! It has been a looonggg time since my last post!! Wow! Sorry to my 2 readers :)

I have a post in my brain about January - I'll do it soon, I promise!!

In the meantime, I've actually been busy scrapbooking! Check it out :)

Here are a few new layouts:

This is a book that I've made that will have our family Christmas card and Bennett's Santa picture from each year. It's up to date :)

Here is my December Daily album with pictures and details from every day in December, 2009. This was a Teresa Collins kit from last year. It came together really easily (I'm just including a few pages).

So, that's just part of what has been keeping me busy.

Well, actually, this is a little bit of fun that I've been having recently.

Hope you have had a great weekend! It's COLD here!!