Christmas Spirit?

I can honestly say up until Friday night I had NO Christmas spirit....Lists, lists and more lists of stuff to do/get besides the normal!  Ugh!  It was feeling like a huge pain and no fun at all!  I had made my millionth trip to Wal-Mart to pick up more groceries for baking cookies and the final few things for the boys.  On the way home 104.1 had a Santa hotline.  Kiddos would call in and talk to Santa and tell him what they wanted.  A little boy called in (sounded about Cole's age) and said, "Can I tell you something before I tell you what I want?  There are boys and girls that don't have any toys, so can you make sure you get to their houses and give them presents?"  And there it was!  I cried the last 5 miles home.  Whoever the parents of those kiddos were deserve a metal!

Everyone gets so caught up in getting what their kids WANT and what we think we NEED, we tend to foget what Christmas is about.  We were on a tight budget this year with presents and I was feeling pretty sad about not being able to get the boys much...But just think.  I had enough money to buy a few gifts, we have a house to sleep in, a basement to hide the toys, a tree to put the presents under, an oven to make a Thanksgiving meal and most importantly family to spend it with!!!!

We are RICH!  Rich with other things than money!  Cole had his Christmas Progam this morning!  Here is a link:

This video is of one of the songs the kids sang!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inbMznY4aYo

This video is 10 minutes long and of the rest of the program!  They played a video and silly me forgot to turn the camera so everyone could see..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpT-hdX6MNI&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

 Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and enjoys every minute of the craziness!

Well-Blake just put the DVD player remote in the toilet then was fishing for it.....Think Positive: We are lucky enough to have a toilet inside and a DVD player :)

My Bucket List

So many things have brought me to this point....Have you ever seen the movie The Bucket List?  I watched it for the first time with my in-laws.  It was Christmas and because of the construction going on at my in-laws, Christmas was held at our house.  Wow!  What chaos.  I grew up in Oklahoma far away from family.  Holidays there were spent with just my parents.  A very special memorable time that I loved.  If we went to Nebraska for the Holidays I was always at that awkward age.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my family!  But all my cousins were quite a bit older than me..And their kids, way younger...I was never really sure what to do.  I didn't know how to play cards, I couldn't drink the wine (although man did I really want a glass).  So I mostly played with my little cousins. 

Beau's family consists of his parents, 4 siblings and their spouses and 5 little ones and 2 Grandmas.  There were people Everywhere.  Every counter in the kitchen was filled with baking supplies and dirty dishes, coats, hats and gloves were laying around, and toys had taken over the house.  You couldn't walk 5 steps without stepping on one!  There was loud obnoxious laughter and whispers from my older nieces and nephews so the adults wouldn't here.  There were kids running through the house chasing each other and someone trying to talk loud enough to carry on a conversation with Beau's Grandma over the chaos.  And the living room....It was under the piles and piles and piles of presents somewhere! After presents were opened, kids were tired, dishes were done we all sat down and watched The Bucket List.  I remember my mother-in-law wanted to go home, but my father-in-law said he had to watch the rest.  If I am remembering right, this was the last Christmas Rod would spend on Earth.

Friday afternoon my 94 year old Grandmother passed away.  It is still very hard, but know in my heart she is in an amazing place with my Grandpa.  And this is the memorial I wrote for her funeral tomorrow: My Grandma truly lived for her family and friends.  She was always there to help anyone and I’m pretty sure “no” was not in her vocabulary.  When I was born she moved in with my parents for a year to help out.  My mom was still teaching, so she stayed with me.  I didn’t understand what an amazing gift that was (and a sacrifice) until I had children.  I was very lucky to spend my first year with her!
When we moved to Oklahoma we didn’t get to see my Grandparents very much, but it made those visits so special.  I remember when my parents had to go to a convention in San Diego, my Grandma came and stayed with me.  I was so excited!  My favorite memory with her was bathtime!!!  My Grandma was the only one who would let me use the back of the tub as a slide!  I would slide down and splash water EVERYWHERE!!!  If you know my mom at all, you would know this would make her crazy ☺  But not Grandma.  I splashed all over the floor, the walls & Grandma!  I think she had just as much fun as I did.  She would cackle right along with me.
With our crazy lives we hadn’t been able to get down to visit her as often.  We made the trip down this summer to visit her.  She had never met Blake before.  The boys of course bounced off the walls in her room.  They told her all about school, our horses, and swimming in our pool.  We were able to take a picture all together, one that I will truly cherish.
My Grandma will be missed so much by all that love her.  She is in an amazing place and I’m sure with her husband laughing and smiling!  I love you Grandma Cackle!!!

And on Sunday, Rod has been in Heaven for 2 years.  Can't believe it has been that long!  The specific day doesn't bother me, its all the little things.  When Cole got his tongue frozen to the door, when we couldn't get the furnace lit (he always did this for us), when I hear the song, A Father's Love, and when Blake was born.  We could have moped around all day but we chose to celebrate life.  We took the boys sledding in the alfalfa field & we ALL LOVED it!

So this leads me to my bucket list.  With a husband and 3 kids I often forget about myself.  I forget what I want out life.  I think I need to think about that more often...So, I have made a bucket list!  Things I want to do before I kick the bucket.  I think it will push me to do things I want!  This is just the beginning of the list & I will ALWAYS be adding onto it...But here it is!

1.  Complete Financial Peace University and be DEBT FREE!
2.  Ride in a Hot Air Balloon
3.  See the Northern Lights
4.  Sleep ALL day long
5.  Learn to Sew a Quilt
6.  Stay in an Ice Hotel
7.  Partake in the Hug Campaign
8.  Shoot a BIG buck & have it mounted
9.  Drive a 69 Corvette
10.  See the Ocean
11.  Have one of my photographs published in a book or magazine
12.  Spend New Years Eve in Times Square
13.  Go to Mardi Gras & get lots of beads
14.  Change someones life in a way that couldn't be achieved otherwise
15.  Get back to my college body & wear a sexy dress that's way too short

That's What I'm Talkin' Bout!

Everything I've ever done for my children make it worth it with a little comment.  We got out our stockings and after Cole wore them on his feet... (Yeah I know) He said, "Mom, I'm going to get my old toys I don't play with and put them in my stocking.  Then Santa can come and get the toys and take them to kids who don't have any."

We must be doing something right :)  & it makes me SOOO PROUD

Deer hunting? Mean or Neccesary?

Yay!  The day before the last day of the season, I was still empty handed.  I was starting to think that I'd been skunked this year.  Beau and I went out alone one last time.....I had my doubts.  So, we went and sat for about an hour & nothing... Decided to get up and going.  As were coming over the hill in the alfalfa field.....JACKPOT!  A lone doe standing there!  Beau got me a shooting stick, which is pretty much amazing!  I really need a lighter rifle with a youth stock.  It is so long and heavy that if I don't have something to rest my gun, my aim stinks.  Anyway.  Beau set up the shooting stick, rested my gun on it and fired. 

She didn't fall down right away...Nope.  I had to get the full hunting experience of trailing her 300+ yards through the timber...in the dark.  Have I mentioned I have a huge fear of mountain lions?  And my knee is still a mess?  Yeah...But with every spot of blood I found, I got more & more excited!  So here she is! 

To all of you who think its sooo sad....Well let me tell you some facts. State Farm insurance did some research.  Each year 1.5 MILLION cars are involved in a collision with a deer.  150 people DIE because they hit a deer with their car.  And these people had 1.1 BILLION dollars in damages total!  UNREAL!

Not only does overpopulation of deer cause accidents.  It is unhealthy for the deer population.  The habitat that the masses live in can not properly support the deer.  Their fat reserve is lowered, their skeletal system is smaller & they are producing fewer young.  They eat LOTS of crops which really affects farmers and their fields.  Deer also get diseases such as blue-tongue because of overpopulation.

Deer meat is a VERY healthy alternative to beef.  A deers fat is on the outside of the meat and can easily be cut off whereas a cows fat is marbleized into it.  It tastes good.  My boys LOVE it!  I made fajitas with deer meat the other night and it was amazing.

We shoot to kill.  We use the meat to eat.  We are doing just what our ancestors did a long time ago....Hunting to provide for our family....And we are helping keep the population down.  So before you judge, think about these things....Oh & it's pretty fun too!

HUNTING EXTRAVAGANZA

The time has come!  HUNTING SEASON! I used to hate this time of the year.  Beau was gone by 5am and not home until 8pm for days on end while I was stuck at home with the kids......I had gone a few times with him (never carrying a gun, just enjoying the experience), but kids take presidence and I couldn't really leave them home alone (although some days I thought about it :)  For the past 3 years I have gotten a tag and carried my own gun!  It's not all about the hunt....It's the whole Opening Weekend Experience!!

Friday night:  Preperation!!!!  This includes digging all your musty hunting gear out of the basement & don't even think about washing it...Too strong of a scent.  The hunting crew (usually it's about 4-5 of us, me being the only girl) and catching up and having some (or in one case LOTS) of beers.  This year it involved some red solo cups and A LOT of pistachios!  No matter how tired or late it is, it's hard to get to sleep because of the excitement.  This year I kept waking up in the middle of the night wondering if it was time.  I banned myself from looking at the clock until the alarm went off.

Saturday morning: The alarm goes off no later than 4:30....Or the still drunk guy on your couch is calling your landline to wake you up :)  Still half asleep, you drag yourself out of bed, put on ALL your gear and hope you don't sweat too much before making it out the door.  We always drive to Vera's & thankfully to her trusty Mule we don't have to walk so far!  Everyone is dropped off at their stands....And so it begins.

This is my favorite time!  You can look up and see the stars.  You can see your breath and it is sooo quiet....Well except for the early birds and squirrels making some ruckus...Causing you to wonder if that's what it is or if there's a big bug standing there that you can't see.  Then the sun starts to wake up!  Every dark spot looks like a deer.  I swear many times I have stared at a bush or a tree for 30 minutes thinking it was a deer. :)  And the best sound?  That first shot you hear ringing from the hills (for some reason it's never mine :)  A smile fills my face & I know it's begun!

This year I was lucky to bring my friend Amanda.  I work with her and she has a bucket list & wanted to go hunting!  It was nice to have a girl companion.  We climbed up into the stand (which isn't the most stable thing in the world)....JUST DONT MOVE & the whole stand won't shake.  We heard shots all around us!  We saw quite a few does that were pretty far away.  I didn't want to shoot at them and ruin the chance of a big ole buck walking by...The big ole buck did walk by, inbetween the cedar trees.  All I saw were his ears & BIG antlers...Then he was gone :(  A little fork buck walked right into view and stood there almost begging me to shoot them. But we have a rule...If it's not past the ears, you don't shoot it...Darn.  Heard some shots and one of the others got a doe.  We sat until about 9:30 and watched Beau and Matt get out of their stands and head our way.  I saw a doe at about 300 yards.  At this point I was bored, so why not?  Have to shoot a doe if you shoot a buck...  I shot 3 times, and missed :(  Amanda says, "That's ok...You were REALLY close!

The boys came and picked us up in the mule...Amanda and I crawled in the back & sat down...Of course, trusty ole Mule wouldn't start.  The boys walked back to the house.  I am sitting in the back of the mule & I get a text (I'm thinking this has enhance hunting :)  text says: Deer coming your way...OOHHH!  Deer!  I set my gun down and jump out of the back of the mule.  The next 30 seconds is a blur ending in pain.  What I can figure out is I cought my foot on the tailgate, tripped out of the mule and tried to catch myself.  My knee gave out, my ankle twisted & something popped in my lower back.  Laying on the ground on my back I think, "This really hurts!"  & "Dangit...This is going to cost a lot of money if I have to go to the Dr."

So I hobbled back to the house & spent the next 3 hours napping & icing. My bum knee really limited where we could sit...So Amanda & I went and sat along the crick in the gay barn...Yes I know, the gay barn?  It's an enclosed stand sitting on the ground & I have NO clue why they call it the gay barn.  We didn't see 1 deer, but I had so much fun!  With 3 kids, it makes it tough to spend time with friends...And if I do get time to spend with friends half of it is spent meeting my kids needs, breaking up fights & kissing boo boos.  So this uninterrupted time talking to Amanda was just what I needed! 

The boys dropped us off & went to their stands.  Beau was in his stand a whopping 7 minutes before he took his first shot.  We heard the shot...It was only 2:30pm which is not a time where there are a lot of deer moving.  We hear the Mule flying through the cornfield toward our stand...We get out & see boy....The kid who looks like he just raided a candy store.  And in the back of the mule, a BIG buck!  It had an 18 inch spread and was the biggest buck Beau has ever shot!  He had me take a pic (Of course I had the camera) and off they went to get back into their stands :)

Darkness sets in & a whole new type of fun sets in...SMALL TOWN BAR!  It is tradition to bring your truck, with your BIG deer in it and park it on Main Street in front of the bar.  There were 4 of us and of course Beau's truck is not an extended cab.  All of us crammed into the truck sitting sideways and getting very cozy ready to go.  Beau drove & Amanda had to shift :)  We pulled right in the front and here they all come.  Half drunken, or completely tanked hunter's file out of the bar to Ooh and Aahh over the "nice rack".  We drink, eat gizzards and fried onion rings and be merry!  It's always a good time.  Lyle's is great!

This year I had to go get the boys and had to leave our house by 11.  However, there are very few mornings we don't have the kiddos and can sleep in (our boys are up by 7, every day!)....So this year I opted out of hunting and spent some quality time with my bed..Although I kept waking up feeling guilty I didn't go.

We took the boys out Tuesday night & they of course loved it.  Neither one could sit still or shut up to save their lives, but it's always a good time.  I can't wait until they get old enough so we can all spend the weekend together huntings a family.

Whew!  You weren't prepared to read all of this ;)  If you haven't been hunting, you need to go!!!

So much to share!

I have been debating how to share all the newest happenings...Separate them into different posts by child, separate them by event...Or just put them all together...  So here is the randomness in our lives in the last 2 weeks!

I walk into the bathroom & Cole is peeing & not holding onto it...
Me:  Cole, you need to hold it!  Yuck!  If you don't you're going to pee all over and then I'm going to sit in it!
Cole:  But Mom!  If I hold it, then I have to wash my hands!
Very good reasoning skills!  (I need my own bathroom)

At the beginning of the month I decided to post on facebook of all the things I am thankful for...Here are some of them:
1.I am thankful to my amazing husband who works so hard to provide for his family. He not only works outside the home but helps out sooo much! He does half of everything & sometimes I take that for granted bc I know every wife isn't that lucky! The boys and I are sooo lucky to have him in our lives!!! MUAHH! I Love you Beau Bensen!
2.I am thankful for my friends the Beckius' for introducing me to Financial Peace University! I have listened to 10 min of the first disc & am hooked & EXCITED! Also for the book Today We Are Rich (which I thought would be all about finances but it is sooo much more)! Thank you! 
3.I am thankful for the amazing talent I have been blessed with. (Wow, I have never said that before...i am talented). I love photography! & the great thing is I get to make others happy too!

4.I am thankful for the noise and chaos and giggles that fill my house every day!

5.I am thankful for so many things!!! I want to list them all! Today I am thankful we got the insurance mess figured out & my 3 best boys are insured & I don't have to stress over that anymore!
6.Today I am thankful for all the AMAZING children that are in my life because of my job! Each and every one is absolutely amazing and I am blessed to know each one of them...And not only the kiddos but some of the fantastic families they come from also!
7.Today I am thankful for amazing friends who I get to throw showers for :) I LOVE planning parties :) Can't wait for Dec. 3 & the "SWEET" baby shower for Mrs. Allison Kollath Blatchford
8.Today I am thankful for amazing parents who have always been there for me & made me the person I am today! I ♥ you Tom Robbie Uhl!
9.Today I am thankful for the overpopulation of deer! In about 36 hours I will be sitting in my stand waiting for a biggin' to come!...Or a doe...Gotta shoot one of those if you get a buck anyway...If its big and moving...I'm gonna shoot it!
10.Today I am thankful for never being BORED! My life is crazy & there is little time to rest and sleep, but I would be miserable if I had nothing to do!!!


I am thankful for soooo many things I couldn't even begin to list all of them!

Veterans day came & always makes me think about Rod!  He was a facebook fanatic!  He never posted but loved to look & see what was going on with everyone else.  The last Veteran's day he celebrated on Earth he told me, "Wow!  I had people personally thank me on facebook for my service and for what I did.....I have never had anyone thank me before."  Wow!  How sad!  All Veterans need to be thanked every day for the sacrifices they & their families have made, for their courage and strength!  Each one of them, no matter their job, is AMAZING & I am so grateful! 

Blake is officially WALKING!  I can't believe it!  Cole & Hunter were both at least a year old before they started taking their first steps.  I suppose Blake wants to keep up with his brothers.  He started walking a few steps between Beau and I right at 10 months (the beginning of the month) and now...Well it's his favorite mode of transportation.  I will look over and he will be walking across the room...He looks too tiny to be walking!  Here's a video of it!

We attended Cole's first parent teacher conferences a couple weeks ago.  It's one of those moments where it almost smacks you in the face, "Holy Crap!  I have a kid who is in school!  Cole attends part time Kindergarten or Pre-K.  He is in the same classroom as the other Kindergartners, but only goes Monday, Wednesday & Friday.  School days are from 7:30-4 so there is no school on Fridays during the winter.  It's a LONG day for him.  He gets on the bus at 7 and then gets off about 4:30.  The teacher said he's doing REALLY well!  Academically he is keeping up with the other kids even though he is going part time!  The first time he read to me, I cried.  How in the world can he be old enough to read to me?  Socially he sometimes has a tough time.  He plays well with the other kids, but has a tough time sitting in his chair and staying focused sometimes.  I am so glad we decided to send him part time this year and full time next year!  Cole has 16 kids in his class.  For Wynot this is a HUGE class.  I think the 1st grade class has 6 kids in it.  He LOVES playing soccer at recess with the other boy & can't wait until next fall when he can play in the league in Hartington!

Well that's it for this post!!!

Behind

I haven't blogged forever & I miss it!  I feel like I am behind in everything!  Behind on paperwork, getting Cole's homework done, the laundry that now looks like a mountain in my basement, and well Beau tried to take my hairy legs to work with him because he ran out of sandpaper :)

I am never sitting, never relaxing, never wondering what I should be doing...  Oye!  Anyway....I promise to catch up this weekend!  So many exciting events to share including HUNTING!  So- be on the lookout over the weekend for new posts!!!

Oh and if you haven't checked out my photography go to https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Mama-Bs-Photography/112681305451467!  You don't need a facebook account to check it out....click on the category: photos on the left hand side.  Each family has a different "album".  My newest faves are Bacan family & Becker kiddos!  But check them all out! 

Well chat soon!!!!

Oh little ears..

After 5 years of dealing with sick little ears, I knew right away yesterday what was wrong with Blake!  Runny nose, not eating well, and getting up lots at night.  Yep.  That's the same symptoms I've seen for the past 5 years.  No fever, no pulling at ears...Nope, not my boys.  When the nurse asks you those 8 million questions at the beginning of the appointment, 95% are answered no.  No, he doesn't have a fever. No, he hasn't been throwing up.  And how do I know it's an ear infection?  Mothers instinct.  An amazing skill that mothers get as soon as they give birth.

Why ear infections?
Everyone has tubes in their ears that help them drain fluid.  When you get older those tubes are at an angle & drain that liquid right out of there.  When the kiddos are young, they are fully developed and more horizontal.  So that fluid sits in the ear and creates an infection.


I should be a specialist by now.  Cole had chronic ear infections, became immuned to ALL antibiotics but the series of 3 shots, his ear drum ruptured because of the pressure & if it had not healed properly, they would have had to graft skin from his neck to his ear drum.  The solution for him?  Tubes.  It didn't miraculously fix the problem, but it did help & make treating it much more simple (ear drops).

Blake has had 3 ear infections & I am hoping thats the end of it.  However, he has had strep, MSPI, and RSV.  Poor kid.  So what do I do now?

I give him his medicine on time, cuddle him and kiss him when he needs it.  Make sure I have enough patience for those long nights and just be there for him.

I am trying to look at the positive side of EVERYTHING.  No more negative thoughts.  So, I am blessed to have this extra day with my boys.  I am blessed for having 3 kids healthy enough to be at home, not in a hospital.  I am blessed I can play with them and make them laugh!  I will be able to get more editing done on some photo sessions, I will be able to get the dishes and laundry done and house clean (maybe).

Halloween...A Success

Well were spending the day coming off a sugar high! :)  Batman, Spiderman and Superman got quite a loot! (Not going to lie, Beau and I checked it out last night after they went to bed...the boys can't eat all that candy right?). 

We've been doing Halloween activities for the past week.  Cole brought home a gord and a pumpkin which the boys painted.  Hunter spent about 30 minutes painting the little gord and I'm pretty sure it had 2 inches of paint all over it!

Their Aunt Jolene & Uncle Kenny sent a box of fun stuff, books (YAY), fun glasses & a tie-dye kit!

My parents sent Halloween goodies.  The boys loved their cowboy boots and hats that they got to decorate with stickers.  And Blake loved his froggie toy!

Cole spent the day celebrating at school.  All their academic activities revolved around pumpkins and Halloween.  The kids were able to bring a Halloween movie to watch at school & the kids voted on which one they wanted to watch.  Cole took It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.  His movie got 12 votes and the other girls got 4 votes.  Yay for incorporating math into it!  They were able to put on their costumes and parade around the school!

Hunter and Blake were at Shannon (the child care provider)'s house!  They ate green worms and drank bat blood for lunch.  I hear the boys couldn't stop giggling about it.  Then, bless her heart, she got all the kids dressed in their costumes for a little party!  There are 7 boys that go to daycare there.  Hunter and Blake, a set of 3 year old twins, an almost two year old (from the same family) and 2 of her own kids who are 3 and 7 months.  They had lots of fun!

We started out our night in Newcastle at Beau's Grandmas house.  We went around town in Newcastle.  Cole kept trying to go into peoples houses :)  And Hunter refused to talk to anyone.  We went up to a house where 2 guys were sitting outside in masks.  Poor Hunter took off running at full speed away from them :)  He's so shy that this really wasn't his cup of tea.  Blake rode in the stroller content.  We also went to Maskell & then stopped at Nana Vera's before we headed home.  The boys got a movie and more candy!

Within 5 minutes of getting back in the car, Cole was passed out!  So all in all a great night!  Hope everyone else had a great night!

Carvin' Pumpkins, Gutters and ALL!

What a week!  Sunday night my parents left...Which is always hard for me.  We see so little of each other he boys are growing and changing so fast that they miss out on so much inbetween visits.  It was a good weekend...The 3 hours of cleaning the house that night proved it :)  We let the boys carve pumpkins..Well we did the goop stuff & then Daddy did the carving!  It's funny how the boys change their thoughts on the "gutter" (as Cole calls it).  Cole was all about the "guts" of the pumpkin.  He dug right in & then helped sort the seeds out.  Hunter...NO WAY.  He wanted to use the scraper to pull the gutters out but had a tough time.  He did not want it touching him AT ALL!  Blake chewed on the pumpkin and tried out the guts which he wasn't very fond of, then took off his sock and mixed it in with the bowl of pumpking guts :)  Fun times!

Yuck Mom!  These don't taste very good :)

Cole loves the "gutters" which I have come to realize means guts of the pumpkin

Blake chewing on the side of the pumpkin

Cole picked out the dragon pattern from the book

Did you have to even look to see what kind of pumpkin

Hunter wanted?  Of course it was BATMAN!

FYI..When your computer says batttery low....

It will die & you WILL lose everything you had just typed about :)  20 minutes worth!

So, just going to say that we had an AMAZING weekend with my parents!  They boys and I tie-dyed Halloween shirts Friday night....This is a much better ADULT activity than a kid activity :)  Oh and All Purpuse Cleaner with Bleach works great to get the dye off you!

We went to Yankton, SD to Garrity's. It's a pumpkin patch and apple orchard. Cheaper priced than the ever so famous "Vala's" and less crowds...And just as goods. My boys had just as much fun here than they would have there! Cole's favorite part: The hay bale maze....Hunter's favorite part: "Riding behind the tractor with no green on it"....

The Boys at Garritys

The boys on the hay bale pyramid

Hiding in the maze

Corn Maze

Hunter checking on the kernal count :)

Hunter's pumpkin

Picking pumpkins

Gotta love big brothers

A tired boy with his sword

An overall wonderful trip!  No melt-downs or blow outs in diapers...And we managed to get all the boys back in the car at the end of the day :)

This is how we roll on my days off!  Did I mention Hunter is a genious? Ha!  Daddy asked him to take the box of wipes to the bathroom...So he used Blake's car to drive it...Needed a tow rope...He decided my bra would work well & hooked it up that way :)

It was a great weekend!  Went to a baby shower in Tripp, SD on Saturday, watched the HUSKERS game with Beau's brother Saturday night (Good thing Beau didn't stop watching when he threatened to!) and Sunday was church, and dinner at Vera's then a photo session...Nothing new and exciting... Next weekend my parents are coming up and we are going to the Pumpkin Patch & Apple Orchard in Yankton, SD!  Can't wait!

Amazing Kids

 

This makes everything worth it :)

A Day With the Boys

I love my Tuesdays & Fridays with the boys!  Some days are amazing....& some are very challenging!  I like to think they make me grow as a parent no matter what :)  I'm trying to stay positive today.  Found out I have a scratch on my cornea and am unable to wear a contact in my right eye.  I do have backup glasses but anything around my head (headbands, hats, glasses) give me a bad headache...So I wore my glasses this am until I couldn't stand it any longer & now I have switched to one contact in and one out...which is also uncomfortable...Dr. said it should be better in a few days!  Glad it's not something worse!

Last week at Cole's school was Johnny Appleseed day.  So after their morning snack (apples), they decided they should plant the apple seeds.  They went out in the "forest" (the grove of trees behind our house) and planted the seeds.  I have been trying to kick them out of the house as much as possible.  There aren't going to be many more days when they are able to spend hours outside :(

I am exhausted today!  Not sure if it has to do with my eye or my ridiculously busy schedule.  Beau is out running a grain cart while his brother combines.  I'm a little nervous because of the wind and grass fires that have been happening.

So the boys and I have decided to have a slumber party for nap time!  We've got blankets, pillows and sleeping backs covering the living room floor!  We're going to watch It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown...Well I'm guessing I will fall asleep & the boys will watch the movie...Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? :)

I have a ton to do, but that can all wait!  For now, I'll play with my boys & enjoy them....It won't be long before they won't want to cuddle and do slumber parties with Mommy anymore :)

Financial Freedom....What's that?

Usually I don't talk about finances...I don't worry about the Nation's debt, I have my own to worry about.  This year our family has been hit hard with one thing after another & are at a place where I don't even know what to do!!!  It's soo frustrating!

You pay $700 a month for insurance, for what?  You still have to pay out of the Wazoo!  It doesn't cover crap...A normal delivery & still $3000 out of pocket ridiculous!  Then one thing after another comes up....Fridge breaks, car goes into the shop (a total of 3 times now) the dog has to have emergency surgery that costs over $800. the tags and licence are due on the car....Will it ever stop?  Chances are no...

But what can you do about it when you are on a fixed income that barely gets you by?  You could get another job....But then you have to pay more daycare. You could do an evening job...But then you get no time with your family....You don't go out to eat, go on trips, but you still end up short-handed.

Went to the eye doctor tonight...Scratch on my cornea...Did you know a vision plan doesn't cover the medical part of vision?  There is more money to spend that we don't have.

I have read some of Dave Ramsey's books.  It's logical...It would work.  The first step is to save $1000....How do you do it when you don't have a cent left after groceries and bills?  Makes it hard.  It's a vicious cycle & how do you make it stop.  We aren't a family whose worried about material things...Garage sale clothes, and generic brand everything is fine for us...

Then you see people like Kim Kardashian!  She got an engagement ring that's worth 2 MILLION DOLLARS!  Really?  Are you kidding me?  I know its nice to have nice things, but it just doesn't seem fair.  Here we are....a typical family struggling to get by & then she (or her fiance) can spend her money so frivolously!  The rich get richer......

So what do I do?  I keep moving forward...I try to focus on all the things I do have.  I have an amazing husband who tries to provide for his family as best he can.  I have three amazing, energetic, HEALTHY children who make me smile every day.  I have a job that I can feel proud of...feel like I'm making a difference....  As Dorie Says, "Just Keep Swimming, Swimming, Swimming!"

And then there were three....

I've heard going from 2 to 3 kids is a big change...That's an understatement.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change it for anything, but WOW!  No more 1 on 1 anymore, we're running zone defense in the Bensen house!  Blake Rodney is a Godsend & such a good baby!

He's crawling, pulling himself up & cruising on all the furniture!  He tries to keep up with his brothers.  I had forgotten this is the age of no fear!  Not scared to try to climb on anything or do anything!  He got his first battle wound last night!  Our heating vents aren't flat against the wall, but at an angle.  Vent: 1..Blake's Head:0.  He cried for about 10 seconds and didn't complain about it again.  I'm sure I would have been a worse sport than he was.

I've also decided that the more kids you have, the  faster they grow!  I'm not sure if it's because I am so busy with the other boys I don't notice every little thing like I did with Cole....or if it's because they really do grow up faster....Blake's trying to keep up with his big brothers :)

Cowboy Up!

I've learned that about the age of 3 kids fixate on certain things....Hunter has 2: Batman & Cowboys!

I was out at a photo session and when I got home, walked into the door and found a cowboy scene :)  Bull Riding was on the TV and the boys were busy at work.  Hunter was in his Batman underwear (nothing new there) & had "chaps" on...Since he doesn't have chaps Beau folded dish towels & used a stretched out rubber band to attach them!  The tall laundry basket was out and on its side (what I would soon learn was the "bull").  Hunter would get on, into position and Beau would help simulate a bull ride counting to 8.

Hunter loves his cowboy pants, shirts, boots & spurs!  I'm pretty sure he would wear them to bed if I let him!  He has a pony named Charlie Brown & wants to ride him every night!!

His second love is Batman.  I thought we would be sending Hunter to school in diapers...until we found Batman underwear.  He came downstairs one morning, put them on & that was the end of potty training!  How lucky were we?  He HAS to have Batman underwear....and if they are all dirty & I catch him before he digs some out of the dirty laundry, he is a HOT MESS!  Meltdown City (he's got a temper like his Daddy). 

His Batman Haloween costume came in the mail & sure enough, he wears it ALL the time...With a cowboy hat!

Facebook....Yes or No

Facebook & I have a LOVE/HATE relationship....I'll be the first to admit, I check it a billion times a day.  And if I can't check it during the day?  I sit on the computer for 20 minutes going through the News Feed so I can be sure I don't miss anything.  I have 522 "friends".  Really?  Are these really friends?  Most are more like acquaintances.  I love seeing people from my past to see how they are doing & also checking out pics of them or their kiddos. I love the connection you feel to everyone on facebook.

I'm one of those that posts ALL the time & adds 8 million pics and videos.  Then I think, is this really a way for friends to keep in contact?  Or is it a place to loose yourself in other people's lives?  Where you can dwindle in others problems and not worry about yours.  I also worry about what is happening to communication.  If I saw one of these so called "friends" on the street, would I smile & say hi?  Or would we stand there and talk?  Well chances are they already know everything about my life because of my obsession on posting everything going on in my life.  So what is there to talk about?  Not a whole lot.  I also wonder, "Really?  Does my 4th grade Asian classmate (who is now gay...like we didn't know :) really cares about whether my son is constipated or if I only had to spend $15 on a package of diapers...I'm pretty sure he doesn't care :)

So, this is why I have decided to blog.  If your far away & we're not able to talk often, then you can see what's going on.  But now my 522 "friends" don't have to know EVERYTHING about me :)  Enjoy! 

I'm just learning the logistics of this whole blogging thing, so hang in there with me!

Cole's in Kindergarten? Where has time gone?

My alarm went off at 6am......Today was the day my baby was starting part time Kindergarten.  I decided we should take him to school as a family the first day.  How could this 7lb 12oz baby be old enough to go to school?  I thought about all the "firsts" I had with him...First time I had ever been pregnant...First time I'd ever been in labor...First time I held a screaming in my arms all night b/c of an ear infection and not getting a wink of sleep....First time I watched one of my children sit up, crawl, walk, talk....And now another first-First one to go to school.
That morning Cole gave me the best information anyone possibly could have.  Teasing around with him I asked, "Cole are you sure you don't want to stay home with Mommy today?"  Cole looks at me & without even skipping a beat he says, "No Mommy, I HAVE to try it."  You are right little man, you have to try it :)
A friend of mine's little boy also was starting school this year and posted a quote to facebook and it has now become one of my favorites. 

"Good parents give their children roots and wings. Roots to know where home is, wings to fly away and exercise what's been taught them"

He is loving school!  He has really gotten into soccer at recess with some of the other boys!  He is learning all his letters and is copying EVERYTHING at home. (He copied a Christmas card word for word :)  If your interested, here is a link to his Kindergarten class' blog!  You can see what they are doing & learning...You can also check out pictures :)