Awww, SLEEP!

Bentlee did AWESOME last night.

THANK YOU GOD!!

He woke up once, went potty, whined for about 5 minutes,

then back to dream until 8:45AM!

Yep.

I find him even CUTER than he was yesterday.

Poor Boy.

Mr. Bentlee had another visit to the vet today.

I was convinced he had Parvo, and SCARED out of my mind.

Turns out, they think that it's just an intestinal infection, and that antibiotics should cure it

He slept ALL day.

Which still had me worried.

Then?

Lee got home.

As soon as he walked in the door,

Bentlee has been up, running around,

and back to acting like a total SPAZ!

I find this good for 2 reasons:

ONE: He's feeling better.

and,

TWO: Maybe he will SLEEP tonight.

:]

This kid CRACKS me up.

I was sitting at the table with Layton this morning, setting up a game of Tumblin' Monkeys for us to play, while Bentlee was wandering around the living room whining.

Layton was so stinkin' cute when he looked up at me and started this conversation:

Layton: Awwww, Mommy that's so sad huh?

Me: What's sad?

Layton: Oh, that Bentlee is homeless.

(Shrugs his shoulders.)

Me: Layton, Bentlee's not homeless, he lives with us.

Layton: Uh-huh Mom... Member?

He's homeless.

(At this point, I'm trying not to crack up laughing, because you could tell that he was VERY serious, and VERY concerned.)

Me: Do you mean that he's homeSICK?

That he misses his Mommy?

Layton: Oh, yeah...that's what I meaned Mommy.

 (As he shakes his head, puts his hands over his eyes, and quietly giggles)

 ... homesick.

-----------------

Oh, that boy.

He makes me proud to be his Mom.

Crazy Christmas.

Well, Christmas was a blast.

I figured it would be.

We spent Christmas Eve with Lee's family at
 Aunt Tammy and Duanes.

We had food, conversation and LOTS of presents.

We even brought Bentlee, and he became
pretty popular with the kids.

They couldn't get enough of him.

This year was little Miss Sydney's 1st Christmas.

We were all pretty amazed at how much she was actually into it.

She was fun to watch.

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Our kids were thrilled when they found out

that they had a "Secret Santa."

They both got DSi's...

...and their reactions were priceless.

------------------

Duane was of course wearing his silly Santa hat that sings.

And, I even caught Lester wearing this.

Ha~Ha!!

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We had a great time spending the evening with family.

Afterall, that is what Christmas is all about.

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We woke the next morning with the kids

 to find that Santa had stopped by.

Bentlee wouldn't leave Layton alone.

I got this picture of the little "ankle biter."

We spent the rest of the morning opening things

 from the night before.

They both got guitars from

Grandpa & Grandma Frakes.

This is one of my FAVORITES of our

someday "soon-to-be" rockstar.

---------------
My parents came over around noon, for pizza and presents, and

these are just a few of the things that the kids got Christmas day.

Lets just put it this way:

They are SET till next year.

------------------

So, after all of the stress, excitement, and anticipation.

It came & went &

It was a great Christmas.

--------------

This picture of Bentlee is the perfect one to describe

 EXACTLY how I feel afterwards though...

Wiped out.

My tired body is telling me... I have a newborn.

Well, our 1st night with Bentlee was an interesting one.
He was up every 20-30 minutes and would NOT go potty outside.
He'd just whine & shiver by the back door.
Then, about 2 mintues after I had him in?
Yep. You guessed it.
He'd pee or crap somewhere on the living room floor.
He wanted nothing to do with sleeping with me.
He seemed content in his bed, so I'd put him there.
I'd fall asleep for about 15 minutes, only to wake to find him NOT in his bed anymore.
At about 6AM he was wide-awake and ready to play.
He was barking, and bouncing off the walls.
I must admit I DID find myself asking myself at one point:
"Okay. what in the hell were we thinking?"
But, I have no regrets.
I am so in love with this adorable furry-little-ball-of-energy,
that I know that it will all be well worth it in the end.
I know, that just like any "baby."
It takes time for them to adjust, as well as us.
So, off I go... to take a NAP, before my parents arrive
for pizza & presents.
Merry CHRISTmas!

He's home!

Well, Bentlee is here,

and I can already tell just how much of a joy he's going to be.

So far, he seems to have the best personality.

He made himself right at home, right away.

He's surprisingly comfortable and playful already.

Oh, what a fun experience this is going to be.

Well, today is the day.

Bentlee comes home TODAY!!
This means that our house will never be the same.
Looking forward to getting him home, and for him to be ours.
Yep. I'm excited.

Mmm... My house smells like cupcakes.

I am so blessed to have a great friend named Jhonna.

She lives far from us, but never forgets about us.

Every Christmas, and every birthday,

there is a card in my mail box or a package on my porch.

I am so thankful for her, and our friendship.

She's the ONLY one that I can laugh on the phone with for 5 hours straight.

Lee usually knows that if I'm calling her...

he won't see me for the rest of the night.

I love her, and miss her and her family so much.

Our Christmas presents came today & she got me a

"scentsy" plug-in candle.

Um, yeah, it's TOTALLY awesome, and it smells AMAZING.

To be honest: It's making me hungry.

Deep breaths...

This week is a FULL one,
and I am starting to feel overwhelmed.
I hate when I let myself get stressed about the small stuff.
But, for some reason. I always do. =]
I blame it on the holidays.
Lastnight, I got the sudden urge to organize my bathroom and linen closet...
at 1 AM.
Yeah, I was up until 2:30, cleaning like a crazy woman.
So glad that my son can sleep with the vacuum going.
I have my little list on the fridge.
(Okay, so it's not so "little.")
But, you get the idea.
I have my list of "things to do" and "things to get" before Bentlee comes home, and Christmas arrives.
I'll get it all done, but I may have a little less hair by then.

Hot-diggity-dog.

So, we drove out and introduced
Lee to our new family member today.

He approves, and fell in love with him instantly.

I expected nothing less. (Have you seen that cute face?)

Anyway, we spent most of the day shopping for him.

Picking out his bed, dishes, etc.

Did you know that they have absolutely EVERYTHING for dogs?

I didnt. Until today.

Lee was thanking God above that we didn't pick out a girl.

Otherwise, everything would have been PINK. =]

It was fun... and comical.

One thing is for sure: Bentlee will be one SPOILED pup.

(And, I'm going to LOVE every minute of it.)

Puppy love

Well, for those of you who don't already know.

We are getting a puppy.

Yep, we're crazy...

(But, TOTALLY thrilled!)

We went and picked him out today,

& he is too cute for his own good. :)

All I can say is:
My kids haven't been THIS excited... EVER!

His name will be Bentlee...

...and this handsome little guy will be completing our family.

Ready to crash.

I think this weekend of running all over has finally caught up with me.
We dog-sat for Lee's parents, and moved the Bennett's accross town.
I was doing okay today, until after dinner when it all-of-a-sudden HIT me.
Now? It's 7:30PM and I'm more than READY to call it a night.
That's totally not like me normally, but after a hot bath, and lathering myself in lotion...
I'm SO ready to crawl into my comfy bed, and close my eyes.

Tis' the season.

Oh, It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas.

Traffic is CRAZY, lines are horrible, and it's FREEZING outside.

I might complain about all of it at times...

but, I LOVE this time of year.

Last night, Lee & I stayed up past mid-night wrapping presents.

(I m so thankful that he actually enjoys that part... because I really don't.)

The kids woke up this morning, and the looks on their faces were priceless.

Layton says: "Oh, Mommy... WHEN is Christmas gonna get here?"

... only 15 more days.

Wow, that doesn't even seem possible.

Looking forward to spending the holidays with our amazing family.

Up's & downs...

Okay, so I spent most of today feeling sorry for myself.
I don't feel the need to go into great detail.
The people who know me, know why.
I just had a rough one.
Questioning why things happen the way that they do.
Wondering what God's "plan" is for me & my family.
Wishing I already knew... but knowing someday that I will.
I had a moment where I just cried, and honestly... it helped.
I am thankful for a wonderful husband. My 2 beautiful kids who are tucked in tight, and fast asleep. A supportive family, and a mother-in-law who's laugh alone can make me feel better.
Today, might have been a sad one, but knowing that I am blessed, and knowing that I am loved, made it a little easier to get through.

The beach

Lee and I spent last night on the coast.

Thanks to my parents, we had a room to ourselves, and no kids.

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We enjoyed a little shopping.

(Ok, so I enjoyed shopping, but he didn't complain... this time.)

We went to the movies to see: The Blindside.

After arriving about an hour too early, we decided to play arcade games.

I have to admit. It was a BLAST.

I haven't laughed that hard in a long time...

Oh, and I am happy to report: I kicked his BUTT at PINBALL!!

(Thank you VERY much!)

The movie was great, and yes... I cried.

Afterwards we went to Mo's for dinner.

Believe it or not, we were the ONLY ones there.

I almost gagged watching Lee with his oyster shots.

(But somehow, I have learned to live with the fact that he loves them.)

We got back to our motel a little too late to hit the hot-tub,

but woke up early enough to go to our FAVORITE place for breakfast.

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We had a great time...

just the two of us.

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He's pretty special, you know?

I think I'll keep him...

♥

VICTORY!

Ok... for ONE of us anyway.

Kaylee is going to be an excited girl when she wakes up in the morning.

Especially, since the Ducks were behind when she went to bed.

I can just hear it now : "Can I wear my new T-shirt to school?"

Oh, what a game.

CONGRATS Oregon!

:]

Game ON!

It's civil war, and everyone in this family is rooting for OSU.

(Well, all of us except Kaylee, and Lester.)

:)

Making a BIG batch of Nachos and planting it in front of the flat screen.

GO BEAVS!!

The Cabin

We spent the weekend with Lee's side of the family.

We stayed at a cabin up by Norhtfork.

It was great.

All the "cousins" were there...

That made it super-special for my kids.

We had good food, and great family.

What else do you really need?

:)

Lee & Lester played vollyball with the older girls.

They LOVED that.

Soon, the little ones wanted their turn.

Stacie was sweet enough to "show them the ropes."

Thanks to Aunt Steph, and Uncle Steve,

They all had gingerbread houses to build.

The kids had a blast with that.

( that's a "bikini" top... by the way.)

Hahaha!

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We played games...

(Sydney thought she'd help Grandpa out with this one.)

We just hung out, and enjoyed each others company..

There is nothing better than family time.

 

Especially when you have a family that is as AWESOME as ours.