Santa

We've now written Santa a letter and sat on his lap.  Let's hope he gets the message that Connor wants a circle pattern play and Sierra wants a turtle.  Not quite sure what turtle she had in mind, so I may or may not have guided her to ask for a turtle that puts stars on the ceiling.  Only time will tell if Santa can deliver...

kindergarten picture

Love it, love him!

Happy Birthday Sierra Jean!

Sierra Jean turned three years old and boy was she excited.  Sierra is full of emotion, whether it be really happy or really sad.  Her birthday, overall, was on the really happy end of the spectrum.  She woke up to a balloon covered floor and that seemed to start the day off just right.

Playdoh = hours of fun

so excited!

it was quite the party!

How to sum up this three year old girl of mine?  Energy. Chatterbox. Sweet.  Naughty.  Climber.  Problem solver.  Silly.  Independent. Opinionated.  Imaginative.  Ethan and I often get cakes or other yummy treats (aka leaf piles) made for us while we wait for Connor at the bus stop.  She is constantly talking or singing about anything and everything.  She wishes so very much that she could read and frequently tries to spell words or read books.  She is quite certain about everything she says and says everything with conviction.  She can be the sweetest little girl when she wants to, full of hugs and kisses, or if she doesn't want to, she won't.  Period.  Her resourcefulness is amazing and a little bit scary.  Let's just say one day I found her swinging from the closet rod that should not have been accessable.   She is a fabulous big sister and just adores Ethan. She is wonderful!

Sunday afternoon nap

He's pretty cute

Do all baby boys look like little old men, or is it just mine?

October highlights

The month started off with a tiny little sprinkler repair that required a really big hole.

 Luckily Jared didn't have to fix it himself

 Job well done team.

 Sierra is absolutely loving being a big sister and loves to help with Ethan.  When she asks to hold him so always includes that she'll "even try not to drop him."  As long as we try that all that matters.

 We spent a weekend in Fairview which always has fun adventures.  Connor loves the four wheelers and could hardly contain his excitement.  Sierra fell asleep.

The kids also got to ride a horse for the first time.

 

 

We carved our pumpkins

 

 And had a great Halloween!

 Oh yeah,  I also had a baby.  Let's not forget that.

My 3 babies

4lb 13oz

6lb 12oz

7lb 11oz

Funny the difference a few pounds can make

Summer pictures

Now that I have my computer and cords back I can post the rest of our summer adventures that have been stuck on my camera.

Ethan Kenneth Bench

Our little Ethan finally came.  Born October 10 at 9:37 pm, 7lb 11oz, 20 inches long.  This was the longest I'd ever been pregnant, 2 day past my due date.  What an odd feeling to feel like a ticking time bomb, not knowing what the day will bring.  My theory behind Ethan coming a little late is that he wanted to let us empty out a few more boxes and get some more things done at the new house before making his entrance.  Less chaos to deal with when he got here. 

We woke up Saturday with a long to do list.  I noticed my contractions were a little more intense than they had been, but nothing too significant.  I spent the day running errands and going through boxes.  Around 4 I noticed the contractions were happening more and more and increasing in intensity.  Earlier that day my dad had kindly requested that I didn't have the baby that afternoon because he and Jeannie had a tee time.  I called them when the were on the 8th hole and told them I wasn't sure, but tonight might be the night.  Even though Jeannie was beating Dad and having a great round, they left right away and got the kids.  That's love right there.  I'm really glad I called when I did.  We checked into the hospital at 5:30, things progressed quickly and at 9:37 I was holding my boy.  It was so much fun to waiting to find out if it was a boy or girl.  It's a moment I'll never forget.         

our first meeting

my biggest baby yet

amazing!  less than 2 hours old

1st bath

meeting their new brother.  Sierra giggled the whole time

1st family picture

It was so fun to have visitors at the hospital.  A new experience for me.

glad gma and gpa Bench are close enough to visit too

our new family of 5

look at the handsome Bench boys