Christmas 2010

(Yes...I realize that it is almost Valentine's Day and I am just now posting Christmas pics... :)

In mid-December, we went to see Santa at the Castleton Mall. Notice Owen's (in Jess's arms) excitement for the event. Meanwhile, Aden is calmly telling Santa his wishes for Christmas. Priceless.


Aden giving Andrew silly faces.


Benny, Andrew and I celebrated our Christmas together on Wednesday the 22nd before driving over to Lafayette to be with Benny's family. We started some of our own little traditions with Andrew this year. We made Kanakuk Coffee Cake, read Andrew the Christmas Story from his little children's Bible, talked about why we give gifts to eachother in the first place, and then opened presents. I know he understood and soaked up every word and each detail of the morning. :)



In Lafayette, Benny with his Dad and Andrew. Such a proud Grandpa! (Andrew is the first grandchild on BOTH sides of the family!)


We opened presents with Benny's dad (Larry), his wife Leta and Benny's brothers (Shaun and Kyle) on Christmas Eve morning.
Shaun, Kyle and Benny.


The boys had ordered a hat rack for Larry and Leta but it was going to be on back order until late February, so they created a little make-shift one (kinda makes ya think of the Garfield Christmas movie, doesn't it?)


Uncle Kyle with Andrew


Uncle Shaun with Andrew


The Bennison Boys.


We opened presents with Bennys Mom (Kathy) on Christmas morning. Andrew was really excited...


We headed over to Benny's cousin's house in the late afternoon on Christmas Day to have dinner with his mom's side of the family.


Kyle, Shaun, Kathy, Andrew, Me and Benny.



Merry Christmas!! :)

Thanksgiving (and a little beyond)

For Thanksgiving, Benny, Andrew and I traveled to Columbia, MO to spend the holiday with my side of the family. Shortly after arriving in town, we got to spend some precious time with some of our favorite people...the Horn family! (I'm a slacker and didn't get any pictures.)


On Thanksgiving day, lots of family came over to my parents house to hang out and eat.
This is Brayden, my cousin Andrea's son with Andrew. He was SO excited to hold Andrew!


Benny, Andrew, Brayden and Andrea. (Brayden is going to be a big brother in February!!)


Ian (my step-sister Crystal's son) and Andrew. He was also very excited about holding Andrew! :)


Ian and Brayden waiting to eat.


After dinner we encountered a slightly dramatic situation. Brenda (my mom's sister) was taking the blades off of the electric knife and accidentally made a pretty good slice in two of her fingers. Brayden noticed that Brenda was getting quite a bit of attention while I was applying pressure and fixing her wounds...


So he decided that he had gotten hurt too!! Here he is with a paper towel, applying pressure to his "wound." (And no injury would be complete without a sad, pouty face! :)

On our way back to Anderson, we got to stop in Greenville to spend time with the Ambuehl family. (Again...total slacker and no pics.)


Back in Anderson, Benny's younger brother Kyle came in town on Saturday to hang out and to meet his nephew for the first time!


This past week, our friend Andrew Rode (who coached football at AU last year and is now coaching at Greenville College in Illinois) was in town recruiting. We were thankful to get a couple of hours with him!


Hanging out with Daddy. We loved how content he was to sit on Benny's chest like this!



"Tummy Time." Look how strong that neck is!



We are so thankful for our wonderful family and friends and are especially thankful this year for the sweet blessing of having little Andrew in our lives.

Fall Fun!

Two weeks before Thanksgiving the weather was BEAUTIFUL in Indiana! For three days in a row, Benny and I took Andrew on a walk around AU's campus. The first day, the two soccer guys from across the street joined us, we picked up a couple of the girls I mentor on campus and we all had lunch together. The next day, we had a few more. The last day, this was the group:



It became one of those "little things turned into a big thing." We loved it!


Our smiley little boy!


Watching TV with Daddy:


Benny, Andrew and Benny's mom Kathy after the AU soccer banquet. Benny was honored for his three years of service as an assistant coach. (We're just starting to look for coaching jobs for next year for Benny. Please be praying that the Lord would lead us exactly where he wants us to serve!)


He is SO precious! :)

Paintings for Andrew's Room

When we picked Andrew's name, we decided to give him a name with a strong meaning. His name means "tender warrior." (Andrew= warrior/man and Caden means gentle/tender). Our prayer is that his character would one day reflect his name: a strong, bold leader with a gentle, tender spirit. We asked our good friend Jill Scovell to do a painting for his room that would reflect the meaning of his name, and this is what she came up with!!





She picked the Lamb/Lion combo because it reflects the perfect example of a tender warrior...Jesus Christ... the sacrificial lamb and the mighty lion. Thank you, Jill for blessing us with such a meaningful gift! (See link to the right for more of her incredible artwork!)

ANDREW CADEN BENNISON!

So most of you have probably seen some pictures of Andrew via Facebook, so there won't be an abundance of pics in this post. But, I did want to tell our "labor story" for those who are interesed:
I woke up on Sunday morning (October 3rd) at around 6 or 7 am having contractions about every 10 minutes. Because I was only 1-2cm earlier that week in the office, I knew I was going to have to contract for a while in order to make any change. So, we decided to go to church (30 minute drive). I continued to contract at church, on the way home, while eating lunch, and while trying to take a nap. I started doing some things around the house and decided I wanted to take a walk, and if the contractions got closer together after the walk, we'd run into the hospital to have one of my coworkers check me. During the walk they were around 6 minutes apart, so we got in the car and headed to the hospital. (I had called my friend Courtney to tell her I was just going to stop by to see if I was doing anything...such a perk of working in Labor and Delivery!) Courtney checked me, and I was 3-4 cm! (it was 5:30pm-ish). Our friend Cherilyn came up to the hosptial to hang out with me so that Benny could run home and grab our bags (thankfully we live really close!). I got my epidural at around 10:30pm and my doctor came and broke my water at 11:15pm- I was 5cm. At 3:45 she came back to check me, said I was 10cm and had me start pushing. Andrew was born at 4:24am!! (I was really nervous that I wouldn't be a good pusher...after 5 years of telling other women how to do it I felt like this was a performance review. I was going to be so ashamed if they had to tell me over and over, "You're doing this all wrong!" I guess I did allright...)

RIGHT after delivery!



First family photo :)


I am so thankful that my parents were able to stay with us for a few days! They were beyond helpful and SUCH a blessing!

I absolutely love this one of Benny and Andrew. They are going to be such great buddies! I am so blessed to have a husband who will intentionally love, mentor, guide, and instruct our children, and who will most importantly model and teach God's love!



One of our favorite pictures of little Andrew...



Our friend Jose came by and took some AMAZING pictures for us. Here are just a few: (Andrew is 4 weeks old in these pics)





















Today, (November 18th) Andrew is 6 1/2 weeks old. He has started smiling and making fun little noises. He has most definitely changed our lives, but we can't imagine not having him around. We prayed and prayed for him, and are soooo thankful that the Lord has given us the opportunity to be his parents!!!! We pray that we are faithful to allow Him to guide as we do our best to lead, direct and guide him to be the man that God desires him to be!

September 2010

Hello friends!
So the last couple of months have been a little busy :) and I have neglected our blog. Here's what our September looked like:

AU soccer season started at the beginning of the month! Now (November 1st) the regular season is over, and the team plays in the conference semi-finals on Wednesday. They had a GREAT season! (see link to AU men's team at right)
Benny on the sidelines during one of the first games:



At a high school football game with the Daughertys. Benny and me with Aden and Owen. We LOVE these precious boys! (and their parents :)



Benny and Owen:



Benny and I are super blessed to be able to live life alongside a great group of couples in a small group. They surprised us with a baby shower!



Jonah and Sarah



Our awesome small group!! Sarah and Jonah McDonough, Troy, Katrina and Ian Canfield, and Cherilyn, Jason and Eyla Horning!



One of Benny's favorite things to watch: Ian eating!! We love the way he opens his mouth SO wide for every bite!



Troy reading to Eyla and Ian.



The AU men's team, watching the women's game.



My incredible husband, helping the guys get warmed up:






The starting lineup:


Benny and I with Matt Young, our fun neighbor!



Some of the girls at work hosted a shower for the THREE nurses who were pregnant at the same time! Jacole (due October 3rd...the day before me!) and Courtney (due at the beginning/middle of November.)






39 week belly shots!






Andrew's Room!! The awesome painting above his crib and changer dresser was made by our good friend Lainie Deerman.


(The wall space above the organizer is being saved for two drawings that my dear friend Jill Tanana is working on!)





(There's actually a shelf on the wall to the left of the rocking chair with some picture frames...just can't see it in this picture!)