Why we never leave Benton unattended

I promise we were sitting in the middle of my bed and I was ready to grab him if I needed to. One thing's for sure...this boy is gonna be tough!

Merry Christmas!

I was hoping to post our Christmas card/birth announcement but could not upload it in the format it's in.  Hopefully I can figure that out later.  In the meantime, I have thoroughly enjoyed watching these videos again from last year.  Gracious their personalities are so different!  And Owen's hair has come a looonnnggg way in a year!  The big cut was November 30th of last year.  Thank goodness hair grows back!






Merry Merry Christmas everyone!  Wishing lots of blessings to you and your families as we celebrate the birth of our KING!

Here comes Santa Claus!

Some friends had us over for a "Cookies and Santa" party. It was so fun and all the kids loved it!

You see, Santa.  I've been really good.

Well, most of the time...

Thanks Dowlings! And Santa! So thankful I don't have to take a newborn to the mall :)

One Month Old!

Benton was one month old on Saturday! I cannot believe it.

My SIL told me about these cute Month stickers she found on Etsy for Mason. You get 12 monthly stickers for under $10 (plus shipping) and you just stick them on a white onesie. Cute!

I also saw a fun idea that a friend posted on Facebook. She took her son's picture each month next to the same teddy bear so she could see how much he had grown over the 1st year.

I decided to do that with Benton's Bla Bla doll.

He is already almost as big as the doll!

These girls may argue with each other a lot, but one thing's for sure...

They are crazy about their little brother!!

Walk Through Bethlehem

Our neighbors' church hosted Walk Through Bethlehem this weekend. They have been working on it for months and months. She asked me a few weeks ago if Steve, Benton, and I could play Joseph, Baby Jesus, and Mary for a shift. At first I was hesitant because it just sounded like something that would completely stress me out. What if it was freezing? The event was outside and he would only be 4 weeks old. What if he screamed the whole time? What if he had a blow out in the manger? What would we do with the girls?

Then I thought about how hard their church had been working and what a wonderful ministry this was and how we would never again have this opportunity with our sweet little boy so I told her we would love to do it.

And I am SO GLAD WE DID IT. It was an awesome event. It was packed with people. So packed, in fact, that we had several friends and family (including my parents) that came but had to leave due to the 1.5-2 hour wait. My parents brought a group from their church that included lots of children and they just felt like it would be best if they went to a drive-through nativity that another local church was hosting rather than wait that long with small children. Our shift was only 1.5 hours but we were so blessed. In the manger scene, the people crowded around to see Baby Jesus and the shepherds sang "O Come All Ye Faithful" It got me every time. I cannot even fathom how Mary must have felt on that sacred night.

 I left my camera at home but we were able to snap some quick photos with my phone in between groups.

And I have to say Benton was a complete angel. He never made a peep and slept though the entire thing. During the 1st group, he gave a little half smile in his sleep when the shepherds starting singing, and it was the sweetest thing I've ever seen. Several people came right up to him and asked us if he was real because he looked like a little baby doll. And he did NOT have a blow out in the manger. (On the way to the church I was praying out loud for the events of the night and prayed specifically that he would not. When I finished praying, Steve laughed at me and said "Well, if he does, it will be holy crap." I had to laugh.
The weather was perfect, actually unusually hot for this time of year. GG was here to keep Owen, and a sweet friend transported AC to and from a birthday party. As usual, God took care of all the details.

Steve said we need to have another baby next year just so we might have the chance to be in it again. Kidding!

Pictures!

No, not from my camera, but these are much more fabulous! Lindsay Nicholls with Linzies Photography came and took some pics of Benton and the girls and she is wonderful! You can see the images on her website. Click on "client" and the password is Benton. And here is her blog if you want to check it out.

And Benton is 3 weeks today...

2 weeks



2 weeks old.  With those red eyes and pale skin, he is looking a little Cullen-ish, for all you Twilight people



1 week - much better on the color and eyes

Here's what they are doing right now.  These naps are what Steve waited 10 months for :)

Hope to post hospital pics soon!

Thankful is such an understatement

Benton Money Thompson

Benton is here! He's a week old actually. He was born Thursday, November 17th at 3:10pm weighing 9 pounds, 6 ounces and 21.5 inches.

I have lots and lots and lots of pictures to share and a story to tell, but the computer isn't where I have been wanting to spend my time these last few days :) He is a sweet, precious angel baby and we are grateful beyond words. More to come soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!! This is our best yet!

Thanksgiving

Anna Clare and Papa at Grandparents' Day at her school

My dad was asked to give a devotion this morning to the seniors at their church. He emailed me what he shared and I wanted to share it here. Made me cry...but then again, everything makes me cry these days :) I love you Daddy!



Thanksgiving

Sandwiched somewhere between Halloween and Christmas ... is a Thursday holiday ( a Thursday!) that is slowly becoming more and more minuscule in the minds of millions of Americans - Thanksgiving. If you search really hard in Target or Walmart...if you really look...you may find one small section of Thanksgiving cards amid the aisles and miles of Halloween costumes and Christmas toys.

For some, Thanksgiving afternoon is the time you set aside to put the finishing touches on a list to guide you through a mega day of Christmas shopping. For others it may be an afternoon of watching the Packers (MY undefeated Green Bay Packers) take on the hated Detroit Lions...a mere warmup to the Iron Bowl in Auburn just 48 hours later. Thanksgiving Day has gone askew. Maybe we've forgotten the reason for celebration of that very first Thanksgiving. Gratitude for mere survival. Survival? Really?

We tend to think of a feast enjoyed by the Pilgrims and their newly discovered Indian friends. We fail to remember that the Pilgrims had been in America less than a year in the fall of 1621. Maybe we've forgotten - or did we even realize - that in those first few months... over half of the original Pilgrim population had died from disease or starvation.

It is incumbent of us to understand that the reason the Pilgrims joined their Indian friends for such a feast was ... not to swap their latest recipes as we do today. But rather it was to thank God for bringing them through the hardships and the trying times - for His provision in very difficult circumstances.

So, with that said, what does Thanksgiving mean to you...or to me? For me, Thanksgiving meant three different things during three separate periods of my life.

(1) my childhood: as a child from a broken home it meant bouncing around each year between my mother, my daddy & my grand parents - not a trace of tradition...no attempt to have us understand the reason for the gathering.

(2) my college years: then it meant it was time to cut off the long hair and come to Abbeville for fun, food and football...and maybe enough money to get me by til Christmas.

(3) my 39 years of marriage: this is the period that finally brought the true meaning of Thanksgiving...we have always made the trip to Clarke County in west Alabama to be with Karen's family...great times...stability...fellowship

This, the 40th year will bring change. There will be a day trip next Wednesday to check on Karen's mom. But Thanksgiving day will be spent in Henry County for the first time since 1971. The death of Karen's dad in February...the onset of her mom's dementia - these changes bring sadness.

On the other hand, a new grandson born in June, a granddaughter in August and another grandson to be born day after tomorrow - three new grandchildren in the past 22 weeks - these changes bring much joy - and the opportunity to establish new traditions - or at the very least - blend them with long-standing ones.

Thanksgiving has now come to represent stability, tradition and a sense of normalcy - things that were foreign to me as a child - but the very things I so strongly desire to instill in my children...and for them to pass on to theirs.

So what does Thanksgiving mean to you, to me, to us...a renewed emphasis of our faith?... a heart filled with gratitude?...the anticipation of Christmas? Many things to many people. Perhaps this is the year that we re-direct our focus...that it may become one of gratitude...simply giving thanks...thanks giving.

As Emerson put it - we give thanks:

For each new morning with it's light,
For rest...and shelter of the night,
For health and food...for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

Father, may this Thanksgiving join our hearts as one...may we purpose to give you praise and thanksgiving - for your love, your provision and your grace. Bless now this food, our fellowship and our time together. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Countdown: less than 1 week!

I went to the doctor Thursday and here's the deal: Tuesday is my due date. If I haven't gone into labor on my own, he will induce me next Friday, November 18th. So.....in less than a week we will be holding our baby boy! We are so excited and can't wait for all the joy he will bring to our family. To God be the Glory! He has truly blessed us beyond measure and we are so grateful. I am still sleeping well and feeling pretty good, so just looking forward to enjoying these last few days of rest and anticipation. I would love to go into labor on my own, but would also love for my doctor to deliver him and he is not on call again until Friday. He delivered both girls and we love him. But I am at peace that God has a perfect plan and will bring him into the world at the perfect time. Thank you for your prayers!!

Nursery Pics

We finally finished up with everything this weekend. Nothing like waiting till the last minute. I love how it all turned out! Steve said if he ever forgets his initials all he has to do is look around his room. Ha! Now, we are READY! Two more things....

Owen discovered Benton's boppy today...and loved it.

My sister just sent this to my phone. Steve took the girls to the fair tonight and "made" me stay home and rest. My parents and sister met them out there. Looks like they are all doing fine without mama. But I sure wish I had a corndog and some of that elephant ear!

Baby Showers!

We were so blessed to have 3 different showers for this baby boy...a diaper shower, a girls' shower, and a couples' shower. I am completely overwhelmed with gratitude. Our sweet friends are such incredible blessings and we can't say thank you enough. Here are lots of pics from all three events...thank you dear friends!! My only regret is not getting a complete hostess picture from the two couple events :(

How cute is this?!  Go creative, crafty Dana :)

These last 2 are from our church deacon ordination service where Steve was ordained as a deacon.

That is one very proud wife!!!

I should be writing thank you notes, but looking at pictures is so much more fun!