Santa Came to Town

I remember as a child the excitement of Christmas morning and the thought that Santa had somehow got into our house and left us presents. In my family, we would go out on Christmas Eve and look at the Christmas lights in Harrison. On the way home, we would look in the sky for a red flashing light. Mom and Dad told us that if we found that light, we found Santa in the sky. Additionally, my family would leave milk and cookies out for Santa and then my mom would gather us in the living room and read "The Night Before Christmas."

Since this time, mom has bought each of her children a copy of this great book so now we can all read it to our own children. Luke loves to read it throughout the year.

As a reflect back on this years Christmas, it was so much fun to watch my children open presents. Luke was so excited for Santa this year. We left Santa cake and milk and he ate it all!!! I do think that I went a little crazy this year. My mom and dad always made sure we had a great Christmas but I knew, even as a child, that it was a struggle for them to afford much. This is probably why I believed in Santa for so long (it was the only reasonable explanation). So, I said that to say that I just seemed to go overboard this year. I know that it is not about the gifts and that Christmas has a much deeper meaning but this was the first time I felt like Jeff and I could buy gifts and not have to take money from our savings.

Well from our family to yours, we hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!!

Ultimately, we have taught Luke the true meaning of Christmas and we read a story about the birth of Christ multiple times weekly. Luke loves to discuss Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus. He likes to ask where they are now and then of course that brings up Heaven and he then wants to know if he can go see them. I just keep telling him that one day, we will all get to see Jesus but for now, we have a purpose here on earth.

Gingerbread Train

I wanted Luke to create a gingerbread house for Christmas this year but when I found a gingerbread train, I knew it would be perfect. I thought that I would help Luke with this project but I quickly realized it was not designed for this mommy to put together so I enlisted Jeff's help. Jeff and Luke had so much fun. Jeff is a bit of a perfectionist so I think it was hard for him to allow Luke to do too much. All Luke could think about was eat this train and the candy. I finally convinced him that it was for looks not for eating. Regardless, I think it was a great time of bonding for father and son.

Luke watching his dad very intently.

A New Look

I have updated my blog's look, finally!

Office Christmas party

I am so blessed to work at a wonderful facility that assist school districts in educating students. I have the best people in the world to work with. Today is the office potluck and our department exchanges gifts.

Here is the necklace that we gave to Tracy because she is so amazing and takes care of all of us. She is such a Godly woman and we just love her to pieces.

Here is a picture of my fellow co-workers. Tracy (our wonderful administrative assistant), Me, Lesa Rogers (My mentor and fellow supervisor), and Lesa Barksdale (fellow supervisor). These ladies have made my job transition a wonderful and blessed experience. Thanks ladies!! Oh these cookies are from one of the Psychological Examiners (Dr. Nichols, thanks).

This is my wonderful boss. He always has an open door and is ready to help when we need him. I am also so thankful that this man seen fit for me to be in this position.

Here is a picture of one of my favorite people, Christy. She makes certain that I get my paychecks and so much more.

Well that is all for now, I just want to express how thankful I am to work with such wonderful people who obviously put Christ in Christmas. Thank you Lord for your son and for a wonderful job.

Christmas is Almost Here!

Here at the Benton House, we are ready for Christmas. Here is a finished picture of our tree. This is also only a small portion of the gifts that I have been able to wrap. I think that God has really blessed our family this year and we have obviously been very good.





















Here is precious Luke. He is about to be three and he is so excited for Christmas...
















Here is Evan and he is 7 months now. He simply loves tearing up all the gifts and taking the tags off of them. So I just want to apologize if Granny ends up with a toy!!














And finally, this is the story of our lives....two kids fighting over the presents. I am looking forward to many years of this!
















I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas and remember the reason for this holiday (The birth of our Lord and Saviour). God Bless!

Short update

Well it has been a long time since my last blog and there is so much to update on. I only have a short time so let me be brief. Luke is one month shy of 3 years old. I honestly can't believe how he is growing. He is so excited about Christmas and has started working on his list for Santa(boots, belt, and a BB gun)! He will have to wait on the BB gun!! He is in the why stage and has learned how to throw a fit. So we are having a good time with this stage. We did make a big step this week, he has started watching TV! Praise the Lord for something that does not require me to entertain him 24/7.

As far as Evan goes, he is about to be 7 months old and I am going to attempt to put a video on here to update you on what he has been up to. I have a little trouble getting pictures/ videos to show up where I want them so I apologize. As you can hopefully see, he is crawling and has started pulling up on everything. He now has three words in his vocab: dada, mama, and bub-bub. He weighs 19.12 lbs(68%) and is 28 1/2 inches long (88%). He is growing like crazy and has two teeth. He has decided that sleep should not occur for 8hours straight which is starting to wear on us but he is so precious, we forgive him.

Well that is all for now. Hope to get things caught up so I can blog more but life is crazy. One last note, since having Evan and starting a new job, have managed to drop 16lbs. I still have a ways to go but I am very excited at my progress and very thankful for Jeff holding me accountable.

Well so much for video. I will update later with video! With any luck, I have figured out how to add a video. Hope everyone enjoys.

GOD is Great

It's been a little while since I posted last. Life has been quite interesting. I am starting to settle into my new job but with that new job has come many challenges. As a young woman in an administrative position, i have found that respect is not necessary given but rather, it must be earned. I am working very hard and learning that concept and relying on God to guide my steps so that I make wise decisions that reflect well on the schools I represent and the Co-op that I work for. This job, even though I love it, has been one of the most challenging experiences in my life. Everyday, I am given a new challenge and I have learned more than anything, that I must rely on God and always do what is right in His eyes. Thank you God for giving me this wonderful challenge and helping me to grow as a person.

On another note, the kiddos are doing well. They both have a little cough but I am hoping that they are on the mend. Evan has been sleeping very well and I am starting to feel like I am catching up on sleep. It's kind of funny that the more sleep you get, the more you seem to need. Luke has been really learning a lot at church and at Killion's. The other day he told me that "it rained for 40 days.". He is starting to prayer for people when they are sick or in need and it just warms my heart. He has finally started to count and can do so to 6. He has also been saying a lot of his ABC's. I know most kids his age are already doing this and as a teacher I am a little embarrassed but Luke has just not been that interested and I want him to love to learn not demand that he do so. Luke loves the farm and tools and I really think if pa needed him to, he could run that tractor all by himself and probably will be before long. Evan now has two teeth and is drooling everywhere. Let me tell you, those teeth are sharp! I love these angels so much and I am so blessed that God trusted me enough to be their mom.

Jeff has finally finished photo shoots for the most part. We are so thankful to have him home more often. Jeff truly is a good hearted man and I am so thankful for him. We recently went to watch the movie "courageous.". I highly recommend that all fathers watch this movie. It is very inspiring and really tugs at the heartstrings. Jeff watched so intently while I attempted to fight back the tears. I know that he is committed to our family and raising these gifts from God in a manner that would be pleasing to the Lord. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

God bless and I hope each ofnyou have a great week filled with his blessings. Let your light shine for Him.