Introducing MCB.



Meredith Claire Bennett

6# 13 oz.  19.5 inches

Born at 7:46am

April 18, 2012

From the fullness of grace we have received one blessing after another.  John 1:16.

Praise the One who gives and takes away

Recently our family found out that we were expecting another child.  We were overjoyed and SURPRISED!  Suddenly thoughts of new baby joy filled our house.  Going through old clothes and marveling at teeny tiny sock and shoes, imagining how we will fit another child into a room with a brother or sister.  Our kids daily expressed their desire to have a sister!  It was all so wonderful and unexpected.

We made our appointment with our doctor to see the first image of the new life growing inside of me.  Then, there it was a strong rapid heart beat.  Such a wonderful feeling to know that this little blessing was thriving and growing.

6 weeks 3 days.  A very early ultrasound and hard to see.



Sadly, at 9 1/2 weeks we lost our precious baby.  We now have had two babies born to heaven resting in the arms of Jesus.  This has been very difficult for all of us and we are still in shock and disbelief.  Despite our loss we will continue to praise the God who gives and takes away.  We know that he will carry us through this storm.  I will look forward to the day that I will be able to parent my heavenly babies.



A BERRY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY!

Today we celebrated Kathryn's third birthday with friends and family.  We had her party at her gymnastics academy, her favorite place these days.  We enjoyed playing with everyone and are so grateful that we have wonderful people in our lives to celebrate this little miracle.

Our little gymnast getting a birthday boost from daddy!

Getting a boost from brother.  Excited is an understatement.

I didn't take many pictures in the gym for some reason, I'm going to have to rely on pictures taken from family members.

Fun with a friend.

This years cake creation.  This one is definitely not my best and Strawberry Shortcake has a wonky eye but Kathryn recognized her so that's all that mattered.  Strawberry Shortcake was the the theme of the party this year.  Kathryn is way into Strawberry Shortcake at the moment but also anything princess or Tinkerbell.  She's certainly all girl!  Don't you just love how all the Strawberry Shortcake toys still smell like strawberries?

Yummy spread.

Many prayers for many more wonderful years to come!











MY BABY IS THREE!

Today my baby turns three!  I cannot believe she is so big already.  She is a delight and a joy and we cannot imagine life without her.  Happy birthday Kathryn Grace Bennett.

Year one.  My little ladybug.

Year Two.  My quiet and gentle child.

Year three.  A darling mess!



Boyhood Blunders

Yesterday evening we went outside to enjoy some family time in the back yard.  The weather was beautiful and we played a lovely game of t-ball.  Doug and I went to have a sit on the porch while the kids played a little longer in the back yard before we planned on heading inside.  Then it happened...a rite of passage for most boys and some girls even.  While trying to scoot off of a wooden post stuck in some concrete Michael's jeans hung on the post and he fell chin first to the ground landing on some broken concrete rock.  There were tears and wailing and lots of blood!  His sister was horrified and being the good sister that she is broke into sobs as well.  I rushed him inside and cleaned the wound to get a better idea of the damage.  Of course it would require a trip to the Urgent Care Center for some sutures.

The doctors and nurses at the clinic were great.  They did a wonderful job attending to and being sensitive toward a hurt little boy.  They definitely get this pediatric nurses approval!  After some numbing cream they laid him down and got down to business of repairing his chin.  He was a champ,  he couldn't feel a thing due to the aforementioned numbing cream.  They injected him with some more Lidocaine and began cleaning and stitching the wound.  Michael did so well with it all he was getting a little bored.  Asking how long it was going to take already!  He even took up telling knock knock jokes to pass the time.  Like this one "knock, knock"  "who's there"  "chicken"  "chicken who"  "chicken bock, bock, bocked".  I mean all while literally getting stitched!

This is what his chin looks like today.  He's going to have a scar to match his moms.  He's going to have to be a little more ambitious if he wants to match his dad's chin scar.

Showing off some scrapes on his arm.  There are scrapes on his chest and thighs also.  To add insult to injury he landed on an ant mound too!

Giving the "it's all good" thumbs up.

He's back to his old tricks.  Jumping on/off stuff.

As I end this post I hear Doug in the background telling the kids "be careful, no cracked heads".  Yeah, things are definitely back to normal.

Little Gymnast

Recently Kathryn has started gymnastics.  She loves it so much.  Every time we drive by the gym she asks  for "more nastics".  Took some pictures today during her class.  How cute is she in her little leotard and zebra booty shorts?

balance beam walking.  She loves this because at the end of the beam is the foam pit she get to jump in.

Not sure why these pictures were so dark.  Even with the flash it wouldn't turn out.  At least she has something for the baby book.

My monkey girl!

This is how my little gymnast finishes not only at the gym but even small accomplishments at home.  With a big "tee-dah!" as Kathryn likes to call it.



Shrove Tuesday...Preparing for Ash Wednesday

Today is Shrove Tuesday.  The kids and I are preparing for Ash Wednesday.

Here is our Alleluia.  "Alleluia" is said during worship before the proclamation of the Gospel at every Mass except during Lent.  We will bury the Alleluia today because it is considered an Easter word.  By not using "Alleluia" for the 40 days of Lent perhaps we will come to appreciate more just how joyful this acclimation is.  It will come out again at Easter.  Before we buried the Alleluia we sang a little song that some of you might remember from childhood.  We sang...Allelu, Allelu, Allelu, Allelu  Praise ye the Lord!

Burying the Alleluia.

Close it up until Easter.

The kids gave up their favorite toys this year for Lent.  There was a lot of negotiating on the things that should go in the box.  It was a good opportunity to remind them that we do this for Jesus and he made the ultimate sacrifice for us.  Can we not make a good sacrifice for Him?

Seal the toys up tight!

Our coloring page that will help the kids count down the 40 days of Lent.  Each day we will have a Lenten devotion as a family and then the kids will get to color off the days square.

We made a crown of thorns this year.  With each good deed or sacrifice the kids make they will get to take a thorn out of the crown.  Ideally this would be done in secret but because of their ages we will make a point of talking about it before we take the thorn out.  The goal is to have all the thorns gone by Easter morning.


Praying everyone has a deep and meaningful Lent this year.  Take time for fasting, prayer, almsgiving and Scripture reading.

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

Wishing all of my loves a happy St. Valentine's day!

Yummy pancake breakfast with sprinkles!





Two of my loves enjoying their Valentine's gifts.  I have no idea what the draw is to these things but my kids have been asking for Pillow Pets forever.  Michael was very specific in his request.  He wanted a Pterodactyls, not one you can easily find at your local Walgreens.  I knew Kathryn would love her kitty.  It looks just like our family pet. 

Praying everyone has a wonderful day enjoying the ones you love!



Saying Goodbye

My grandmother passed away February 1, 2011.  My parents got the call that she was dying on a Monday night and raced there way out to West Texas to be with her when she passed.  They were also racing against a winter storm that was blowing in.  In the end they were unable to make it and had to stop in Abilene.  They were stuck there until Friday morning.

The rest of us here at home were desperately trying to find a way to get to Odessa to be at her funeral.  This is all taking place during our rare Texas ice/ snowpocalypse of 2011.  My sister and her family tried to set out on a route that would take them further south but to no avail.  They had to turn around and come home.  My husband's employer would not give him the time off to go with me, not that we could have made it by car anyway, so I booked a ticket to fly.

The snow came by Thursday night and my Friday flight was canceled.  I did not get to go to her funeral and neither did my sister.  The good news is that my parents did get out of Abilene on Friday and will make it to her funeral on Saturday. 

It is very hard to understand how the Lord was working in this situation.  Why did choose to take her when he did?  When he knew we would not be able to get to her to say goodbye.  I don't know but God is good and he made a way for my mom to get to the funeral to say goodbye.  We know it's just her body, Jesus is gone from her.  He has taken her home.  We spend our lifetimes here on earth practicing what we will be doing forever in heaven...worshiping Him.  She will spend eternity worshiping her Saviour and gazing upon His beauty.  She is also with her beloved husband.

May His eternal light shine upon her.

Amen

Psalm 27:4-5

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock

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Guess what, that's not the end of the story.  As I finished writing the the above post the sun came out and the snow was melting.  My sister called and said she and her husband were going to try one more time by car to get there.  Well since God sent the snow that morning schools were closed.  One of my two sweet sister-in-laws, Joy was able to watch my kids on last minute notice.  My mother-in-law was going to watch them the next morning.  Had he not sent the snow Joy would have been working that day and I would have had no one to watch them so I could leave with my sister.  We hit the road and aside from the slightly icy conditions in Abilene it was a smooth ride.  We did not tell my parents we were coming, partly because we thought we would have to turn around and come home and partly not to give them heart attacks!  We rode into town only to discover that there were no vacancies in the local hotels.  Oi vey...what now.  Well again God made a way.  I had called all the hotels in the area and no one had room.  We finally fessed up to our parents that we were there, thinking we may have to sleep on the floor in their room.  It took some convincing before my mom could believe it.  We headed over to their hotel and my mom tried to get a roll away bed to add to their room.  It was a no go, fire hazard.  The sweet lady at the front desk called a hotel competitor in town and was able to snag us the last room!  His ways are unsearchable but he knows our every need.

We were able to lay her to rest and say our goodbyes as a family.  Celebrating the life of a sweet lady who replaced her old rugged cross for a crown.



House Hunting

The Bennett's are officially house hunting.  We have decided to get our house ready to sell.  I love my house, I have mixed feelings on leaving it.  We bought this house to live in and raise our family.  I readied two rooms in this house to bring home two babies.  As the years have passed we find ourselves wanting a little more room and a little space.  We will stay in the area but will hopefully move westward.  There is one community that we love where the kids could fish and swim, where mom could workout and take the kids to the community park.  We'll see what happens but for right now we are looking.  It's fun to look and hard to leave at the same time.

The Third Day of Christmas

Today is the third day of the twelve days of Christmas.  Recently I had the pleasure of listening to a local Baylor professor, Michael Foley, lecture on the topic of the Twelve Days of Christmas.  He was invited to speak to my Moms group and the Women's society at our church by a friend of mine.  He was brilliant and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.  I was enlightened and walked away with many new ways to celebrate not only Christ birth but ways to celebrate all the way to Epiphany.

That being said today is the Third day of Christmas and we honor St. John the Evangelist, the Beloved Disciple feast day.  A good way to celebrate today is to make St. John's wine.  Below is the prayer and recipe for St. John's wine from the Catholic Cookbook, by William Kaufman.

St. John's Wine

1 quart red wine
3 whole cloves
1/16 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 two-inch cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar

Pour the wine into a large saucepan.  Add the remaining ingredients.  Boil for 5 minutes.  Serve hot. 8-10 servings.

The Prayer

Let us pray. Deign to bless and to consecrate with Thy right hand, O Lord God, this cup of wine and of whatever drink; and grant that all who believe in Thee and who drink from this cup may be blessed and protected through the merits of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist.  And just as blessed John drank poison from a cup and remained completely unharmed, so too may all who on this day in honor of the blessed John drink from this cup be freed by his merits from every malady of poison and from all harmful things whatsoever; and, offering themselves up in body and soul, may they be delivered from every fault.  Through Christ our Lord.

R: Amen

Bless, O Lord, this created drink, that it may be a salutary remedy for all who consume it: and grant through the invocation of Thy Holy Name that whoever tastes of it may, by your leave, receive as much health of the soul as of the body.  Through Christ our Lord.

R: Amen

And may the blessing of Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, descend upon this created wine and whatever drink, and remain forever.

R: Amen

Later that night, the wine is poured into everyone's glass before dinner.  The father then takes his glass, touches it to the mother's and says, "I drink to you the love of St. John," to which the mother replies, "I thank you for the love of St. John."  Both take a sip before the mother turns to the oldest child and repeats the ritual, at which point the child turns to the next oldest, etc.  The last one to receive St. John's  love gives it back to the father, thus closing the family circle.

Happy Third Day of Christmas everyone!

Veni Jesu

Midnight one night was still,

Heaven was whitening a hill;

Dark floundered in the wave of morn,

Infinite Infancy was born.

Eternal power sank below,

A frail white miracle of snow.

Eternal Wonder left the skies

And dwindled into two soft eyes,

Child limbs that could not reach,

Child lips that knew no speech

Spoken-save the murmurings heard

From breathing beast, wind and bird.

The unbeginning God began

To live the long slow hours of man.

His Mother, bending her fair head,

Straw-gathering--she laid His bed.

A whirling star-world came and halted

Above a blown-roofed, low, thatch-vaulted

Cave-Ah! are we not agreed

'Twas piteous royalty indeed!

-Fr. Leonard Feeney, MICM

Merry Baking

Today I did some merry baking with my little elves.

Michael and Kathryn both love to help in the kitchen but Michel is my baker.  Kathryn would rather help cook a proper meal.

This is Michael's finished creation

Kathryn added toothpicks, the natural choice for most bakers.

These are sickeningly sweet creations!

Merry Christmas everyone.

Merry Christmas

Feeling good because I've got our Christmas cards done early this year.   Well earlier than usual anyway.  What do you think?  Love my pretty babies.

Merry Christmas!

With Love Chartreuse Christmas 5x7 folded card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Who'd have thought it would have been the socks!

Last week was a very bad, terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. It started on Monday when I silently let a certain burden come over me that caused me to check-out emotionally from my life. It didn't help that I was riding a hormonal roller coaster that week also.

I let everything go. The house was a wreck and I hadn't been to the grocery store so we were living on crumbs.

Then, by Wednesday my daughter came down sick. I spent several sleep deprived days watching over her, checking on her in the middle of the night, medicating her so that she would not have a seizure.

Thursday my husband brought it to my attention that my son had missed his soccer game. Now the truth of the matter is I just plain forgot he had a game. For weeks I had been thinking it was on Friday. I felt horrible that I let him down. I was off the hook because Kathryn was sick and there was no way I could get him there but I knew the truth. I JUST FORGOT.

Then the completely RIDICULOUS happened.

Friday, about 6:30 in the morning I was getting ready so I could take my daughter to the doctor when my husband came in.

He said very innocently to his sleep deprived, hormonal, emotionally checked-out wife: "Do I have any socks in the dryer?"

I'm thinking to myself, How would I know I checked-out on Monday. But I said "I don't know why?"

He said "I've been out of socks for four days and I've been wearing yours."

***(disclaimer: my husband never complains, and always helps when I need him to)***

My first response was to burst into wailing sobs. My second response was to say through wailing, grinding and gnashing of teeth. "I da da da don't know wh wh what to tell you. If you're out of socks wa wa wash some!"

There he stood like a deer in headlights, having no idea what is happening. I could see that he was thinking if he stood still enough he might actually become invisible.

Who knew that socks would send me careening over the edge of reason. But I mean really, can't a girl get a shout out on day one! All I can say is it's a good thing he didn't run out of underwear!

Can you imagine?

No rest for the weary

This has been a long hard week. My head aches, my bones are tired, my patience is thin. My heart aches for things longed for and groans for heartaches of others. It is my fervent prayer that this will end soon. My household will be thankful for its end. There are lessons to be learned if I have the ears to hear, the eyes to see and the heart to accept His will. But for now there is no rest for the weary, I must endure and rely on God's grace to get me through.

Party in Pictures

Recently we celebrated Kathryn's 2nd birthday. We had a great time with family and some friends. Here are some pictures from her special day celebration.



The ladybug cake I made for her 1st birthday.

This year we had an Olivia the pig party. I did my best to create an Olivia cake for her. It was a lot of fun and I was proud of my finished product. Next year we are going to try to break out of our red/black color scheme.






The guest of honor looking super cute in her pig tails. Thank you grandma for the cute outfit!

Not at all sure why everyone is singing to her.

Make a wish!

Gift from Nina. Thank you for the fun kitchen toys!

She loves her new "pack" as she calls it.