Tuesday, December 27, 2011

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!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

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!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

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 :)

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

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!!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

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!

Thursday, December 8, 2011

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...

Saturday, December 3, 2011

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!