Land of the Free...Home of the Brave!

What a wonderful weekend remembering those we loved and lost!  We also celebrated our freedom and spent time being thankful for all our troops past and present who have allowed us to enjoy this land we love so much!

Sunday was a busy, eventful day but so worth we.  We left early in the morning and drove 4 hours to Beatrice, NE.  The boys were able to put pinwheels on their Great Aunts and Uncles, and Great Grandparents graves.  We got to see some family we don't see often enough!  My Aunt Linda and Uncle Fred were there along with my Dad's cousin Kathy and her husband Harold.  We also got to spend time with my favoritest cousin Lisa and her amazing family!  The boys had so much fun playing with their cousin Tyler.  They also got a picture of Lisa racing and had to frame it and put it in their room.

We went to Fremont and ate with my parents and then headed to see the Moss Mob outside of Fremont.  Angie is a good friend and someone I graduated high school with.  Her and her husband have 5 kiddos!  The boys had a blast and we loved watching them interact.

This morning we headed out to the Obert Cemetery for the Memorial Day Service honoring those who have served!  The boys picked up the shells after the 21 gun salute then helped Daddy & their Uncle's take down the flags.  We went to a pot luck then headed home.

Tonight Cole had a baseball game in Hartington and Nana Vera, Uncle Bunny & Aunt Katie came to watch!  He did great!  He lost his shoe (he's just learning how and doesn't know how to get the laces tight yet) and kept running to first.  He played infield and tried to tag someone at home....Well he didn't really know what to do and everyone was yelling "Tag him".  So he tagged the base then chased a kid down who had already made it home and was going into the dugout but finally tagged the right kid :)

And when we got home, Nana had left the boys a surprise!  A pet turtle!  Oye!  So we scrubbed out an aquarium and now we have a new addition to the family, Franklin!  Cole and Hunter love it, Blake is terrified...

We (well at least I am) are exhausted but it was all worth it!

Mean Mommy & the Dreaded Slide

We went to the carnival today!  So much fun!  The first ride I thought Hunter was going to throw-up on.  Then he rode the motorcycles and LOVED it.  Cole then picked the slide!  I wish we would have had a video of this.  Chances are Mom's were watching me thinking I was being a mean horrible parent.  I think it's important for kids to face their fears and try everything at least once.  Hunter was so so excited while climbing the bazillion steps to the top...The rest, well you can see below :)

Mom!  Are you kidding me there is no way I am going down this thing!!!!

NOOOO!  "I am too little!" He kept saying!  "I am too little"

I knew once he went down once he would love it!  He was screaming at the top of his lungs.

 And was still screaming after I finally got me seated and pried him off the bars and onto my lap...The worker also wanted him to try it and came up to help out. :)

 Wait?  This isn't so bad......

 ....Wheee!  This is fun!!!!!!!

All smiles by the end!  He even told me it was fun!

Who Am I?

When families and kiddos come around, it's easy for Mommy's to forget who they are :)  You want to know who I am?

I would eat crab legs and mint chip ice cream for every meal if I could.  I love to organize and plan!  I makes lists. When there is something that I do that's not on the list, I will write it on the list and then cross it off for pure satisfaction.  If I could professionally organize people's homes for a living I would.  Speaking of other people's homes: when it's dark out and the lights are on, I like looking in windows while driving.  I used to love the heat of the summer, but now not so much.  I do however, love swimming.  I could spend days in a pool (with my crab legs and mint chip ice cream), if my body image didn't get in the way.  I miss driving my bubble (Ford Focus) and driving it, putting $20 of gas in it that would last me a week.  My parents are the most influential people in my life (although I don't usually admit it).  What they think of my actions is so very important to me.

I love camping but hate packing and getting ready for it and I really don't like bugs!  And the things that go lurk in the night scares the crap out of me.  And speaking of things scaring the crap out of me, I hate it when Beau's not home.  I make the boys sleep with me (like they could protect me).  I sleep with my contacts in, all the lights on downstairs, doors locked and dogs on the porch so they can bark when the boogie man comes to attack.  I have to leave the hallway light on and face the door so I can describe the boogie man when the police question me.  I sleep with the phone and my cell phone next to the bed and spend most of the night worrying :)

Photography is one of my favoritist things in the world.  If people wouldn't look at me funny I would have one around my neck at all times.  Although having a smart phone makes me look less crazy.  I have a slight obsession with facebook.  Really?  Does anyone want to know that I'm sick of wiping my kids butt or that I am cleaning my kitchen?  Probably not...But it doesn't stop me from posting. 

I once wrote a book when I was in 6th grade with Julia Cunningham.  I think it had 12 chapters.  I used to love to write poetry and somewhere have a binder full of them.  I love to write, just wish I had more time and was better at it.  Scrapbooking used to be one of my favorite pastimes.  I have found dragging out all the scrapbooking materials to have the boys pull it off the table and drag all the stickers and pieces around the house isn't worth it.  I'll start Hunter and Blake's baby book when they graduate :)

When I sleep I have to have a sheet or blanket covering all of my body up to my neck.  And the heavier the blanket the better. Just like a compression vest.  I once read a book where this girl was set up for murder and woke up with a gun in her hand.  So I make sure that my hands are under the covers, then that won't happen.  I have to look in other people's showers when I go to the bathroom to make sure no one is hiding in there.

I love cooking and trying new recipes.  And if it has onions in it, even better.  Not because I like the taste of onions but I like the way they make my fingers smell. I eat half the batter before it gets in the oven on pretty much everything.  I even like the canned crescent rolls before they're cooked.  I don't put away as I go, but wait until the end which drives Beau and my Mom nuts.

I only 100% trust 3 people in my life.  My mom, my dad and Beau.  Beau is not only my husband but my best friend.  He loves me for all of my crazies :)  I have a very hard time trusting that peoples intentions are good.  However, I tell people too much about me and usually get hurt because of it.  My theme song right now is "Better Than I Used to Be".

If I love you, I would do anything for you.  I would put whatever aside in my life to help you out in yours.  I loved growing up an only child.  Are you kidding me?  I got all the attention, all the gifts and I had to share with NO ONE.  Now, I love being the oldest of 6 siblings.  My siblings are all amazing in their own way, and a pain in the ass.

Everyone talks crap about everyone else, even if they are best friends.  You can't like EVERYTHING about someone.  You can't agree with anyone 100%.  There's always a few things that drives you bonkers.  You just have to decide if those few things are worth the rest.  I would rather have guy friends than lady friends.  They cause way too much drama and judge much more than guys.  (I do love those few girlies I consider friends).

I can't stand people from Hartington who think they are "better" and deserve more just because they are "Cedar" folk!  This is one reason my kids don't go there.  I think the public school has just as good of an education.  And as far as teaching them better morals, not true.  I have seem some "Cedar" high school students be VERY rude to the lady working at the gas station.

Most days I love who I am.  I love being a wife and Mommy.  I love being a farm girl with 6 horses (that I love but scare the heck out of me) and 2 dogs that I miss being inside.  I love my job and that I am able to touch so many lives.  My church and the people in it is amazing.  I have the best family in the world :)

I can be crazy jealous, annoying.  I can talk to much and definitely don't know when to shut up.  I can be lazy and just want to sleep all day.  I sometimes expect too much from people.  I love to have fun!  That's Who I am.

First Day Of Summer

We had a fun first day of summer!  I managed to do 6 loads of laundry (all of which still needs to be put away.  I hate that part!)  We made brownies, the boys got to play outside, Blake learned how to be a Dr..... Overall a success. 


And today I'm supposed to be cleaning (clearly that's what I'm doing) while the older boys are out putting up fence.  Then we will be headed to Yankton to the carnival & dinner!  Enjoy your weekend everyone!

We made brownies...And I know there is a piece missing.  For my families safety I had to try one :)

 I let them go outside.....

And we found MUD!

And Cole seemed to find it too....

Blake decided he wanted to become a Dr!

It's Official!!!

It's Summer!  My last day of work was crazy-busy. (Just the way I like it).  My alarm went off at 4:30 and was in Yankton by 6:30.  My sister Jill's 10 month-old daughter was scheduled to have tubes put in.  When Jill asked me to be there for support, I didn't hesitate for one second.  I know I am working on learning to say no.  I will NEVER say no if my family or friends need me.  That is one thing I will always do.  I would drop anything to help support someone I love.

Khloe did WONDERFUL!  She woke up smiling (although I have to admit I wanted to throw a hissy fit because Blake screamed and cried hysterically for 15 minutes after his surgery).  Hopefully these tubes will find her relief!  I was so glad I could be there for her and her parents :)

This is Khloe less than a minute after she woke up.

Then I headed up to Santee for my last day of work!  There was an Early Childhood Screening for the Head Start.  I love those kiddos, and all the great people I work with.  The end of the year is always bittersweet.  With my job, you don't always know what districts you will be in the next year.  Another ECSE that had Bloomfield, Wausa, Creighton, Crofton, Verdigree, Niobrara, (and probably a few I'm missing) retired.  So who knows which towns I will be in.  The kids I serve will always hold a special place in my heart!  And they have taught me just as much as I've taught them!

So what are we going to do on our first day of summer you ask?  Well, it's raining.... So, we have making brownies, coloring with some of the fun crayola thing-a-ma-jigs that Nana and Baba have gotten the boys....and NAP!  I have a VBS meeting tonight and Cole has baseball practice (if it stops raining) so it will be a late night!

Make the most of every day!

Our Child Strong-Willed? No way!

There I said it!  Our kids are strong-willed!  Hmmm...Wonder wherever they could get that from? :) Pshhh!  Do you know their parents at all?

Cole is very independent.  He chooses what he wants to and doesn't want to hear.   He pushes the limits.  If you tell him not to do something, that something will attract him like a magnet and suck him right into doing it.  He talks...a LOT.  He gets an attitude and talks back.  Sound familiar?

And then there's Hunter.  He has always had the worst temper.  He does not give up.  We attempted the cry-it-out method when he was about 10 months old one night.  After three hours of him screaming and us thinking that he's got to give in and fall asleep eventually (yes!  We did go in and rub his back and cover him up, we didn't neglect him completely), he never did.  When he gets mad he screams, stomps and jumps up and down with his fists clenched.  He will throw anything within reaching distance, knock over chairs.  Sound familiar?

Blake has decided talking is not so cool.  He screams this high-pitched girly scream when he wants something or just walks around whining "Mom, mOm, mamam,MOM!"  He has recently added puppy to his vocabulary.

Sounds horrible, right?  And it is.  Although, it is not a constant thing, but definitely something that needs to be addressed!  I've done the Love and Logic stuff.  It's great.  It works pretty well.  I've read James Dobson books.  I like his style!  I read Bringing Up Boys and The Strong-Willed Child.  Ok.  Let me re phrase this.  I started those two books.  It had some amazing information and really good ideas.  Then life happened and I never got them done before they were due at the library.

Beau and I both find ourselves at our breaking point more often than we would like.  I think sometimes I don't want to admit, I am not doing the best I can as a parent.  I mean, come on.  It's what I do for a living.  I work with kids and families helping them with strategies to make their lives easier.  If I can't control my kids, what right do I have to help others.  Oh right.  They aren't my kids :)  I loose my patience entirely too much.  I am sure I use more negative reinforcement than positive reinforcement.  Why you ask?  I'm not sure.  It's easier.  It's less time consuming.  Something.  I know what I "should" do.  But what I should do and what I actually do is not always the same.

Once again, I am making it sound like our house is one of those ones on Nanny 911, where the kids are swearing and hitting their parents, they are climbing the walls and completely out of control.  While yes, some moments are like that, most are not.

I just downloaded a James Dobson book on my Kindle of strategies of parenting a strong-willed child.  Not only does it talk about the child, but you as a parent.  It is supposed to help you deal with your emotions, patience, anger, etc.  So, we will see how it goes :)

...stay tuned for more in the weeks to come!  Must go.  The boys have all the couch cushions on the floor and Cole and Hunter are fighting about who is building it wrong and now Hunter is screaming because Blake ripped his Superhero cape off him!

HaPpY SuMmEr!

Summer fun!  I have been waiting for this all year!  I have 3 more days of work, then I'm free!!!!  When I'm driving the many miles (about 500 a week) for work or late at night when sleep eludes me I dream about what summer is going to be like!  It's perfect!

We are all going to sleep in until at least 9am (I love, love, love , my sleep) and my kids will come in and snuggle with me for awhile.  We will laugh and talk about all of the fun stuff that has happened so far this summer!  We will head downstairs for a lazy breakfast.  The boys will watch TV and play nicely while I start laundry and clean up the kitchen.  Then we will start our fun filled day!  I have spent way too many hours on pinterest finding fun activities for the boys.  We will make spray chalk, have picnics, do colored bubbles, play in the sprinker, go in town and swim and play at the park.  We'll come in for a little bit in the afternoon so the boys can nap.  I will blog and check out my social networks and maybe even nap with them a little bit.  I will try all my new recipes that I am anxious to cook (another pinterest thing....think I may have a problem).  We will go to Cole's baseball games and laugh and play together at night.  When the boys are cleaned up, tucked-in and sleeping, Beau and I will relax on the couch, snuggling, talk about our day and watching some shows.  It will be blissfully amazing!


Pahahah!  Yeah right!  Sounds good in my mind though.  This is what's really going to happen.  Blake is going to wake up at the ASS crack of dawn wanting to get out of the crib and start his day.  The boys will be in and out of our room to make sure we know Blake is awake and to tell us that if they don't get their milk and breakfast in 1 minute they will die of thirst and hunger.  I will drag my lazy body out of bed, get the screaming baby out of the crib and drag my feet to the kitchen.  Taking one look at it, and wishing that I would have just done the dishes last night.  Each child will beg for different breakfasts.  Hunter wants peanut butter toast and Cole wants an egg sandwich...Oh wait.  Hunter now wants an egg sandwich too (which I know he doesn't really like and only wants because Cole does).  I will try to get laundry started and come back upstairs to start on the dishes (wait, I haven't even had a chance to pee yet...or eat).  The boys will have snuck their breakfast into the living room while I was downstairs switching laundry and there will be peanut butter (after making Hunter an egg sandwich he decided he wanted the peanut butter toast instead) smeared on the back of the couch.
 While I'm trying to get ready for our "fun" activity during the day the older two will get in a wresting match.  It's all fun and they are laughing until one wild elbow and now we have tears and screaming and attempt of retaliation and a big bruise.  Blake is now ticked because no ones paying attention to him so he decides to take the 4500 DVDs we own and throw them all over the floor.  We finally get out for our "fun" activity.  There are laughs and the boys are enjoying it.  Since Blake has been up waayyy to long he has reached his breaking point.  He is tired and hungry and crabby!  We will make it through our "fun" activity. 
I will get lunch made and Blake will fall asleep in his dinner plate.  I will carry him up and get the boys cleaned up and ready for their nap.  They will go upstairs and I will lay them down.  I will fall asleep, waking up to one side of my body stiff and numb from being crammed into a little kid bed. I will sneak down and try to hop on the computer for a few minutes only to hear two little boys thudding around upstairs.  I will spend the next hour going up and down the stairs trying to get them to be quiet and stay in their beds.  In the process Blake will wake up from the commotion.
By 5 pm when Beau gets home I will be ready for a drink (or 5). .....We will barely make it through the evening.  The boys will be tired and fighting about who gets to do what, they will be mad when they have to come inside for dinner.  They will complain that they don't like dinner.  I will battle them through the bedtime routine, but will finally get them asleep.  I will drag my tired self downstairs only to see a complete disaster.  I will spend the next 2 hours cleaning and catching up on housework.  I will be too tired to watch any shows or snuggle.  Because in 8 hours, it will all happen again.

Either way we will make memories.  We will gave those wonderful moments which will outweigh the trying ones.  We will spend time with those we love and remember every day how truly blessed we are :)

HAPPY SUMMER!

LOVED! BLESSED! HAPPY!

I want to blab on about how amazing my life is, how blessed I am, how I am surrounded by the bestest (Yes, I know!  It's not a word, but I already used amazing) people and how big my boys are getting....But if you're reading this, you know this already!  So this is what has been happening with the Bensen's!

Cole had his last day of school Friday!  He will be in Kindergarten full time next year!  They had a field and track day on Thursday!  It was fun to watch his skills but most of all watching him interact with his classmates!  And Hunter loved playing with his daycare buddy Nixen!  They could be twins!

Cole shot his first animal!  I didn't even know you could get a hunting permit at 5 years old.  He shot his first turkey with a 20 gauge right behind our house.  I asked him if it hurt when he shot the gun...He said, "Nope.  It just pushed me back a little."

We celebrated Mother's Day with my parents.  We also threw in there a little celebration for my birthday since we hadn't seen them in a while!  I got some pretty great gifts!  New towels (haven't bought any new ones since we were married 7 years ago!), Egyptian Cotton sheets (pretty much AH-MAZING), a new purse that I LOVE, some super comfy bras (sorry TMI) and much needed tupperware!  For Mother's Day the boys and my parents got me a pandora bracelet with beads for the boys' birthdays & can't wait until the bead Beau got me comes in  the mail!

We played outside A LOT!  Cole showed off his baseball skills, Hunter showed off his bike riding skills and Blake explored!  We grilled out and went fishing and had cake!  What a great weekend!  I have been blessed with two of the most amazing parents anyone could ask for!  And I love watching them be grandparents even more!!!

I love these 4 boys...The reason for my life!

Cole Baseball

Is it possible?  Cole is old enough to play baseball?  He did such a great job last night (minus the rolling around in the outfield :)  and we couldn't be prouder! I would tell you we sat intently in the bleachers watching the game and not missing a second, but that would be a lie!  I was trying to take pics and find a good place to stand so the fence wouldn't get in the way.  I was also cheering on Cole and trying to keep up with Hunter and Blake.  Beau was doing the same.  Cole was up to bat and I had my camera ready to videotape while Beau was over by the bleachers with Blake cheering Cole on....This left Hunter to roam.  I looked back and he was climbing a newly planted tree.  The trunk couldn't have been bigger than his arm....Oye!  I gave him the look which made him giggle and throw the mulch around the tree into the air like confetti.  In the meantime Beau stopped chasing Blake to watch Cole.  Blake took a ball and bat and was trying to carry them both with the bat flailing around and hitting everything in the vicinity :) 

We made it through, cheered on Cole, got some pics and videos and the other two survived and ended up at home with us at the end of the night!  So I say it was a success.  It may not be easy but it's worth it!

It's MYYYY BUUURRRFFFDDAAAAYYYY!

Isn't it funny how our definition of AMAZING changes?  Amazing in elementary school: winning four-square, pool parties, playing on the clown swings at the park.  In high school: cruising the square, road tripping in the LeMans, listening to Beastie Boys, Shopping.  In college:  Partying at Rileys, playing sand volleyball (while drinking beer), attempting to take 21 shots on your 21st birthday,watching Beau's softball games......And now, well this weekend was AMAZING!!  Here's what we did!

Date night with the Hubby Friday Night!  My ALL time favorite, Red Lobster!  Then we went and watched the Hunger Games, which was even GREAT after I read the book

Saturday night the hFamily came out to our place.  They are long time friends we met in college.  We don't get together near enough but always have a fun time when we do!  We rode horses, taught the kids how to rope, roped the kids, at Popsicles and explored outside!

Sunday was off to a rough start.  The picture below is what happens when an electrical wire breaks to the well.....You run out of water halfway through a shower.  But I had an awesome hubby who found some jugs of water I had saved up in case of bad storms, heated them up and helped me rinse off.

 We went to church, got groceries, cleaned the house and had a steak dinner.  Afterwards we helped Cole practice for his first ball game of the season tomorrow night!!!  Good Times!

Hope everyone else had an amazing weekend too!

EC...What...SE? ECSE?

I can’t believe it!  It’s already May!  May is by far my most favorite month…..well one of them!  For me, May is one of the busiest months of the year!  Graduations,  the start of summer and MY BIRTHDAY!

I absolutely, 100%, LOVE my job!  I am able to work with amazing kids everyday!  Those kids also remind me every day that I am making a difference and that everyone is special.  I always wanted to be a kindergarten teacher until I was sitting in a college class.  It was a Thursday night class and if you’ve ever gone to WSC, you know….the dreaded Thursday night class!  Thursday night was the night that you went out and partied.  You put on entirely too much makeup and not enough clothes.  You drank too much alcohol and danced to close to boys at Riley’s.  I loved that time in my life J  Back to the story.  I was in the dreaded Thursday night class.  To get your elementary education degree, you had to take a few special education classes.  This dreaded class was one of those. 

We had a speaker that night. Ugh!  That meant there was probably no chance of me getting out  early!  So, I had my hair did, my face painted and my dancing clothes on (of course covered up with a big sweatshirt).  The speaker was a parent.  She had a little 2 year old boy with Down Syndrome.  She talked about the trials and tribulations she had been through dealing with having a child with a disability.  Then she started talking about the therapists that came to work with him…Wait?  There were teachers that came and worked with a 2 year old?  How had I not heard about this before?  She said these therapists came into her home about once a week for about an hour a time and worked with her son on different skills.  They also gave her information as a parent to help him out and gave her places to find support groups, help with medical papers, etc….  Are you kidding me?  THIS WOULD BE MY DREAM JOB!!!!!  I don’t remember this lady’s name or where she was fun, but she changed my life forever.

I still went out and partied like a rock star that night.  I finished my time at Wayne State College continuing with and Elementary Education degree and an endorsement in early childhood.  I student taught in Wakefield with 2 amazing teachers (one of which I am still friends with today & was lucky enough to take her families pictures).  I graduated in December of 2005.  At that time I had been married for 5 months and was 2 months pregnant with our first child.

Through college I worked at Northstar.  What is Northstar you ask?  I worked in a group home with kids ages 12 to 25.  They lived in this group home and staff like me provided there day to day care.   There was staff at the “Dirty Ole Dup” (as we called it) 24 hours a day.  I worked at 6 in the morning helping the kiddos out getting ready for school or the day center.  I worked nights after I was done with my classes.  I worked overnight shifts staying awake from 10pn-8:30am then heading off to my classes.  They say never get attached to the kids you work with!  IMPOSSIBLE!  I loved those kids with all my heart!  I made them dinner, comforted them when they were sick and watched some go to heaven.

Needless to say that children with special needs had a very special place in my heart.  I continued to work at Northstar (there’s not many teaching jobs available in December).  Cole was born the July following my college graduation.  When he was about 4 months old I got a call from my “now” boss.  He had a maternity leave he needed to find a substitute teacher for as a preschool teacher in Wakefield.  Heck ya!

The subbing job turned into a full time job as a preschool teacher the following year.  That job I learned so much!  I had 14 little munchkins in my first class.  3 of them could speak English.  It was difficult but I loved working with the translator (That name doesn’t do justice to all of the things she did).  I learned that tamales were AMAZING and it was worth the heartburn!  I learned that every person that works in this profession has a good heart.  I learned there are bad people in every profession.  It was definitely a learning experience.

At the end of my second year as a preschool teacher the numbers on kiddos were down and they couldn’t justify having two preschool classrooms, so my position no longer existed.  I cried like a baby.  We had just had our second child and had moved near Hartington, NE so Beau could be closer to his job.  It was a 40 minute commute each way to Wakefield.

I searched for jobs in the area with no luck.  You see, in small towns the teachers have to retire or die to leave their job.  No one did either of these.  So, I started applying for random jobs.  I applied for Sesdac (which was similar to Northstar) and also for a para job at Wynot Public Schools..  I ended up taking the position as a para for a girl who was in a wheelchair.  When I went in for my interview the principal looked at my resume and looked at me.  He wanted to know why in the world I was applying for this position that I was so overqualified for.  Simple.  I needed to help support my family.

2 weeks after I started working in Wynot I got another call from my “now” boss.  An Early Childhood Special Educator (my dream job) was going to be doing more with vision kiddos and he was looking for someone part time.  Heck Ya!  I would be making more part time there than I was full time as a para.  So, I took the position.  I have worked part time/full time/part time and now full time!  I couldn’t be happier.

I am lucky enough to work in 4 different districts (Hartington, Newcastle, Wynot, and Santee).  I work with children birth to three with physical or developmental disabilities.  I go into homes and work with children there.  I work in preschools and daycares.  It is the most rewarding job I’ve ever had!  I always…well almost always…love going to work.  I am working on an endorsement in ECSE (Early Childhood Special Education) through Lincoln and have 3 classes left.

Yesterday I went with my kiddos at the Santee Head Start to practice for graduation.  How bittersweet.  I am so proud of them!  They have made so much progress over the last two years I have worked with them.  The sad part of my job is once they enter kindergarten, the Elementary Special Education teacher takes over and I’m done L  I watched them practice their song and couldn’t have been prouder!  It’s like they are my own children! 

May is a month for growth, changes and for me…nostalgia.  I’m excited to see what’s still in store for the next 29 days!