12.31.2008

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!

To all my blog-stalkers....... Happy New Year!!! I hope 2009 is everything you've dreamt it to be!

XO

12.30.2008

The Post-Workout GT-2140

Told you all I was obsessed with my Asics.... but here are my newbies after their first workout with Sean T:





Granted it was an indoor workout so don't be alarmed at the cleanliness of them still - LOL! Tomorrow we're going for a run, so I'll keep you posted (as I'm sure you can't wait)! WHICH, is why I LOVE blogging b/c I can talk about things random to me and not be concerned with who I'm boring :~) Read if you'd like, skip if you'd like - I'll never know :~)

Signing off with love n dedication to all my blog-stalkers,
JT

Proof is in the Pudding (Pictures)

So last night I finished with just how lucky I am as a daughter, sister, mother, aunt, wife. Well, when you get to spend the Holidays and share your love with beautiful souls just as these - who wouldn't consider themselves lucky....

T "attempting" to pose for a pic!
Emily jammin with her new ipod (8 years old and an olympic swimmer in the making)







And here we have lil' Ms. Moll's (5 yrs) posing with her Hannah Montana wig on! What a beauty queen :~)
Andrew (2 yrs) on the floor playing cars - his fav - with Uncle Nathan. Lucky for him his Aunt Julie purchased him a Dale Jr. trailer and car for Christmas. Poor lil' guy was being influenced at home with #48 "stuff" - ha ha! (funny story there, a.k.a. sibling rivalry)



And here we have Uncle Nathan and Olivia (3 yrs) - lil' Miss Cinderella
And so we are missing pics of Anne and Elliot - however; no doubt they are loved just as deeply as those I'm flaunting pics of. (Side note/question - does it drive anyone else nuts when they knowingly end a sentence with a preposition? This is such a NO-No!!! But when it just flows - well, I'm just sorry - please accept my faults!)
Okay, going to exercise and try out the new GT-2140's I raved on in my previous blog - stay tuned!!!!

12.29.2008

My 2nd Love

Introducing the new Asics GT-2140's.... ...........



Love, love, LOVE these shoes! For those of you who know me, or have read my blogs, you all know I've been in-love with the Asics GT-2130's FOREVER! LOVE THEM! I went to Pacesetters today (they love me there), and I was in search of a new pair. However, since the 2130's are the previous model... they are no longer getting new colors in; therefore, I now proudly own every pair of 2130's they had to offer - BUMMER!!!!! The lovely salesman recommended I step up to the 2140's - problem is, they made the "toe box" wider in the 2140's which is a problem for narrow footed folks as myself. Anywho, after a lil' heart-to-heart with my 2130's, and their acceptance of me going "2140" on them - I tried on the 2140's in a NARROW size, a.k.a. 2A for those of you in the shoe world, and I'M IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN!!!! I currently have my new tennies displayed on my kitchen table - they are anxiously awaiting a walk in the early morning hours of tomorrow :~)

And to top off my 2140 day.... I had another follow up appt today on my ankle, and after 4 1/2 months I have officially been RELEASED! So no better time than today to get my shoes in order.... time to start putting the new-formed ankle to the test.


So perhaps I'm working backwards here... but how sweet are these 2 boys????



Unfortunately Mel had to take Molly to the dr. today, so I was called upon to watch the others. So T and I went over for a visit. I had some WONDERFUL snuggle time with lil' Miss Anne - she is THEE sweetest thing EVER! And while I was tending to Anne, big cousin T took care of lil' Andrew who was in need of some snuggle time as well! I hate that Moll's was under-the-weather, but I love, love, LOVED the time I got to spend with the others.
Snuggle time with my nieces and nephew, new GT-2140's, and a complete release from the doc - I'll call it a day! Thank you Lord - I am sooooooo fortunate!!!!! I know it, and I thank YOU!




12.21.2008

My favorite time of year....

Nothing like a good mix of Christmas spirit and basketball season!!! This weekend the boys played in their first tournament. LOVED IT! Major kudos on the uniforms too --- our boys were the best lookin' group of kids on the court. Check out these AWESOME uniforms....


Here's T playing defense (he's the one with his arms in the air).




We played 3 games at the Wabash Valley Sport Center in Terre Haute. We won our first game and lost games 2 & 3. They were close and exciting games for us tho - no major blowouts. So that was a positive note for us.




And here are a couple of our boys shooting around with Coach Vernon. T's to the left, Brock's in the air and a nice view of Derrick's back side. Nice uniforms tho... have I mentioned that?! LOL! Yes, I'm VERY impressed with the uniforms!!!











A shot of the boys warming up. Not sure if you can notice or not, but the uniforms even have a fantabulous lil' Lion/Cub paw print in the "v" of the tops. STELLAR JOB!!!
Okay - so that was most of our Saturday... well from noon thru evening. GREAT JOB BOYS!!!!
I'll switch gears now to how the rest of our weekend unfolded. Starting with Friday... hhmmmm... that was 2 days ago - like I remember?! Oh yea, I was asleep on the sofa by 7 p.m. I know, I'll be signing up for AARP before long - it's okay, I'm okay with it.
Saturday morning was a lot of GIFT WRAPPING!!!!!!!! Thankfully my mom was wrapping as well, so the 2 of us hung out in her basement wrapping gifts ALL morning long! NOT my favorite Christmas task - but I got along just fine and EVERYTHING is wrapped at this point. And yes, I still only have one-half of a decorated tree and no other decorations up - but as long as the stockings get hung and the lil' elves keep coming - I'M GOOD! Oh, that reminds... I still need to get T's Christmas pj's - shy-zits! KRUDOS!!!
Okay - so gift wrapping, basketball... oh and then we had the big Bennett Christmas gathering Saturday night. That was a basement full of food, fun and fellowship. Those Bennett's - if you think the saying "you've seen one, you've seen 'em all" applies - NOT in this family! Not that none of the look alike - but this is one family gene pool that hit the every personality branch on the way down. I overheard someone saying this family is like something out of a movie - AMEN! LOL! GOOD, GREAT, FUN times!! I'm lucky to be a part of it and get to enjoy and celebrate.... so fun!
SUNDAY.... Sunday, Sunday, Sunday - Sunday began sorting piles and piles of laundry - OMG! Last week I cut laundry short, and man-oh-man have I paid for it today. That's all I've done today is ................... LAUNDRY! That should be a 4 letter word, btw! No, we did make it to church which was an AWESOME sermon! Then the boys (T had Brock spent the night) - we went to Terre Haute and watched the Tale of Despereaux (sp?). Cute movie - a little too young for the boys and I tho. Home and managed to do MORE LAUNDRY! And then... well... I've been doing LAUNDRY! You see a pattern here?!
The bonus to this is that I'm off work until January 5th - YEE-HAW!!!! Our plant shuts down - it's always great to have the time off, but with Christmas one week and NYE the next - the time flies by so quickly. I am very grateful tho...... I thoroughly enjoy the extra time with T. We don't get many "mom and T" days anymore - it's nice just to hang out.
So tomorrow I am on a mission to go visit Anne. Jeff n Mel need to get some things done, so T and I are going to go over tomorrow afternoon and hang out with Anne and the rest of the crew while they do some chores. It'll be a tough job, but someone has to do it.
Okay - so I have lots more to carry on about, but this blog seems to be longer than norm and I'm afraid I'll accidentally hit a delete button somewhere and lose my work to this point. So here goes, and I'll be back later with more.... XO!!!!!!!!!!!

12.19.2008

HAPPY HOLIDAY WISHES


Since these cards don't seem to be making their way into the envelopes, thru the post office and to your homes.... HAPPY HOLIDAYS from The Bennett's!!!!!

12.18.2008

Christmas....

...... that time of year when you sit in front of a dead tree in the living room and eat candy out of your sock.

12.16.2008

MHS Class of 1992

Fill this out about your SENIOR year of high school! The longer ago it was, the more fun the answers will be!

1. Did you date someone from your school? yip

2. Did you marry someone from your high school? negative - neither time, LOL!

3. Did you car pool to school? are you kidding??? We lived in Bullskin - only the strong and brave survived

4. What kind of car did you have? 1986 Pontiac Sunbird, a.k.a. Antoinette

5. What kind of car do you have now? 2007 (I think) Jeep Rubicon Unlimited (that means 4 door)

6. It's a Friday night then...where are you? country cruising, in the bleachers cheering on the Lions

7. Now...where are you? home or CTB&G or ??? you just really never know these days

8. What kind of job did you have in high school? didn't work during school - oh wait, yes I did - my Senior year I worked at Papers Hallmark (the one in the mall - I think it's Kirlins now)

9. What kind of job do you do now? financial analyst, a.k.a. bean counter

10. Were you a party animal? I defined the words...

11. Were you considered a flirt? nope1

2. Were you in band, orchestra, or choir? negative

13. Were you a nerd? i was a jack of all trades

14. Did you ever get suspended or expelled? not that i remember

15. Can you sing the school song? h*ll no! never could!

16. Who was your favorite High School teacher? oh, I had many... Mr. Wieck, Mrs. Butts (Latham now),

17. Where did you sit during lunch? drove around in Antoinette

18. What was your school's full name? Marshall High School

19. When did you graduate?1992

20. What was your school mascot? Lion

21. If you could go back and do it again - what would you do? same darn thing

22. Did you have fun at the Prom? it was okay

23. Do you still talk to the person you went to prom with? when I run into them

24. Do you still talk to people from your school? absolutely

... and my true love gave to me....

NINE, 9, only nine days left until Christmas! Seriously?! Who's wiping the hours off the clock because I'm pretty sure I'm not getting a full 24 hours each day if it's only 9 days until The Big Day!!! Good Golly!

But HO-HO-HO and Merry Christmas to each and every one of you! So many things to be thankful for... first and foremost, lil' Miss Anne! She is scheduled to come home tomorrow, 12/17/08... she'll be one day shy of being 3 months old on the dot! I can't believe it! This last 3 months has flown! We are so excited to get to bring her home for the Holidays. As I previously stated, she'll still be coming home with the monitor and feeding tube, and she won't be leaving the house for several months... but still, for them to all get to wake up together on Christmas morning is a blessing in and of itself. Thank You Lord!!!

As for The Bennett's... well, we've been glee-fully sleighing along :~) We already have our Christmas tree up and already have probably 1/2 of the ornaments on the tree!!!! I know - and only 9 days left 'til Christmas! Needless to say, The Bennett house Christmas decor has not been high on the priority list. It's right underneath shopping, wrapping, staying warm, and the egg nog! And altho my lack of decor may leave you wondering if I've turned into Scrooge - the answer is NO! NO, NO, NO... NOT the case! As a matter of fact, not having the stress of finding time to decorate my house has allowed me to enjoy the season that much more !!!! I'm thinking I might be on to something.....

So Saturday night marked the 12 Nights before Christmas! This is a big event in the Bennett house. Why? Because starting 12 Nights before Christmas the elves start visiting our house. If you've never heard of the elves... well, here goes --- it's sooooooo much fun for kids! A fav memory for my brother and I. So starting 12 Nights before (the night of Dec 13th for you mathematically challenged)... your child(ren) puts 1 shoe under the tree. And each night, the elves come in the middle of the night and leave a lil' something in your child's shoe. The first night it starts small... maybe a pack of gum or a sucker... and each night a different gift is left in the shoe. Your child wakes up every morning and is so excited to see if the elves made it... too, too fun! NOW, the ONE shoe is key because if you leave both shoes - then that's a pair and the elves are likely to run off with them and trade them in for their pointy-toed, jingle-bellin' slippers! (wouldn't you!). So be sure it's only 1 shoe! AND, another fun thing to add is the night of the 23rd the elves always bring a new pair of pj's with something fun and little. Why a new pair of pj's on the 23rd? So that way when you go to bed Christmas Eve and anxiously await the big man in the red suit - you're anxiously snuggled in to your bed in your new jammies... just waiting for the visions of sugar plums!

Oh yes... the memories! I strongly advise anyone who has lil' ones to start this tradition A.S.AP.! Even with Christmas only being 9 days away you could tell your little one you heard Santa's elves were in the area and suggest he/she/they put a shoe under the tree. Then next year you can pick up starting 12 nights before. It's soooooooo fun! I encourage you all! And the lil' gifts don't have to be of any value - they just enjoy the spirit, excitement of the surprise! :~)

And yes, I have had some nights where I'm darting off to Walmart or the gas station at 10 p.m. at night because I didn't plan ahead. But what fun would the Holiday season be if it didn't include midnight runs... after all, I am Santa, right?! If not, I've been had and I suggest you not to advise me otherwise at this point :~) But the joy, the smile, the gleam in their eye.... it's worth every ounce of energy!!!

So there's my Christmas tradition I'm passing on.... what's yours?

12.10.2008

So I got a call today as I'm heading back to work from lunch - T was sick, and I needed to come pick him up. UGH! Does your heart not just MELT when you walk in and see your child sitting there looking pale as a ghost... clearly in need of some TLC that only his/her mother can give. So we came home, he's finally napping, and I'm blogging. However, I really don't have a lot to blog about... so I thought I'd pass on a survey for entertainment!

Do you have any friends that you’ve known for 5 years or more? HA - yes, lots!!!

Who was the last person you hugged? T-man

Who was the last person you talked to on the phone? my mom

Have you ever been taken to the emergency room in an ambulance? negative - thank GOODNESS!!!

Do you find the opposite sex confusing? yes, but bottom line is they're too simple

How has this week been? nerve-racking

Did you have a fun Friday night? yes and no - I went to Indy to get monitor and cpr training for when Miss Anne comes home... it was kinda scary at times, but we survived and came home to a house full of boys.. T and his friends - that was fun!

Are you proud of the person you've become? most of the time - wish I wasn't so short-fused sometimes

What were you doing at 1am this morning? sleeping - hellooo???!!

Do you know a secret about your best friend and if pissed off would you tell? I'm obviously too old to be doing this survey, huh?! LOL!

Is there someone that you believe you will always be attached to? abso-friggin-lutely

Been caught doing something you weren't supposed to do? of course

Does everyone deserve a second chance? Yes they do - I might not like it, but they do

Do you have a best friend(s)? many

Do you get mad easily? some days more-so than others

What woke you up this morning? my internal alarm

What makes you not be able to sleep? Santa Claus

Who is the last girl you talked to? my mother

Have you heard a song that reminds you of someone today? Uuummm??? Not recalling... Oh yes - I heard Wasting Away Again In Margaritaville - go Team Vegas!!!

Do you like your name? like my nickname "JT" best

How have you felt today? I'm on the verge of not feeling so well, but I gotta hold off until after girls state tomorro night!!!

Do you want to get married? I am

Do you believe in true love? I do!

Has anyone made a difference in your life? lots!

Name something you are doing tomorrow? going to 7th grade girls state championship game!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Are you ticklish? perhaps..

What are you doing tonight? hoping T gets to feeling better... we're resting!

Who was the last person you texted? NB

When were you last sick? can't recall -- sometime in October b/c I remember I couldn't go see Anne :~(

What are you listening to? music in the background of the PS game T's playing

Is your current hair color your natural hair color? with some hi/lo-lights

What time did you get up today? 4:46 a.m.

Do you want kids? I have one and I'm blessed!

What makes you happy? seeing children happy and laughing for all the right reasons and knowing I've touched a part of their lives

Are you happy with how your life is? I am

Are you happy right now? I am... stressing over everyone feeling well enough for the game tomorrow night tho

What was the first thing you did when you woke up this morning? brushed my teeth!

Are you afraid to grow up? getting there..

Do you like to read? love it!

Do you get emotional easily? depends on the day and how much sleep I've had

Can you sleep without blankets covering you? uh negative!!

Where are you right now? home sweet home

Do you wear your seatbelt in the car? I do - thanks to the annoying reminder alarms... I know, it's for the best

Will you talk to someone on the phone tonight? of course - momma has to call

If there was a large spider in the room, would you stay? only if it was dead

Do people ever mistake you for being a different race? only Indian

What time is it?4:52 p.m.

Whats the weather like outside? cooooold

Who are you currently texting? no one

Are your fingernails painted? rarely

Are you taller than 5'6"? close... 5' 5.5"

What was the last thing you ate? a few chocolate chips

Is your hair longer than your shoulders? nope

What will the date be one month from today? January 10th

12.09.2008

Tuesday, Dec 9th

A smile is the lighting system of the face and the heating system of the heart.

12.05.2008

Hit the brakes.... eeerrrrrhhhhhhhh....

Not real sure if that's how to spell out the sound of brakes locking up, but we've had a change in plans - Anne will NOT be coming home on Monday! She started having more "episodes" yesterday - they believe it may be a reflux thing, but it's too early to tell if the reflux meds are working. So until they can get this straightened out, we'll continue going to visit Anne in Indy.

As for everything else - life is good! We went to Indy this afternoon and had training on the monitor she will be coming home with, and we all had infant CPR training. It could become over-whelming, but I feel pretty confident with it all.

Tomorrow morning we are heading to Assumption, IL - GO LADY CUBS!!!!!!! How exciting is this for them??? I'm super happy for them - EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

Beyond that, not a lot else going on. I'm gonna hop off of here and try to finish book 3 of the vampires and werewolves ...... who would've ever thought?! LOL!

12.02.2008

6 days and counting....

First and foremost - lil' Miss Anne will be coming home Monday, December 8th!!!!!!! This is fabulous news - YES! The not-so-grand news is that she will be coming home with a feeding tube :~( They did her feeding study yesterday and determined that she is indeed aspirating during her feedings. We're told this is a maturity thing and she will out-grow it. However, she'll be on straight tube feedings for approximately 10 weeks and then they'll do another study to see if she's outgrown it.

Jeff 'n Mel are obviously very nervous and anxious about this. It's great that she's coming home, but it also leaves a lot of responsibility in their hands. Not only do they have to learn how to put her tube in (nothing any of us would want to have to do on our own child), but also they won't have the monitors and nurses for that extra boost of confidence/reassurance. How nerve-wracking!!!

We are so thankful that this is the only issue we are encountering with Anne. Being born at 2 lbs, 3 oz... there are so many hurdles that she's just flown right over. Not all parents/families are that fortunate... we know this! So altho it's nerve-racking to have to bring her home with a feeding tube, hopefully in a short 10 weeks we'll have leaped over this hurdle as well. PLEASE keep Jeff, Mel, Anne and family in your prayers. Lots of strength and patience needs granted to them! This may seem like a small job in the grand scheme of things, but when you've been through all that they have, you get worn down, and when your wore down any hurdle seems like another mission to jump the eiffel tower.

They will conquer this as they do any other.... and some day too soon we'll be watching Anne graduate from pre-school.

One last note - tradition carries on that when a baby comes home, lots of visitors arrive and are anxious to see the new baby (who isn't???)! I KNOW!!! HOWEVER, we have been notified by the hospital that Anne is to be carefully monitored and not be exposed to "bugs". Apparently preemies are susceptible to colds, flus, etc... a lot more-so than a full-term baby - and this will continue until the age of One (I think??). Obviously Jeff and Mel aren't going to keep her in isolation at home until she's a year-old (they'd go nuts-o)! But please be extra patient with them in your visits. I think i'm going to have to handcuff my mother to her couch (LOL!). It's going to be difficult for them to turn people down, but until they get comfortable with Anne just being home.... please just continue to keep them in your prayers.

Dec 1st Daily Splash of Joy: A laugh is just a smile with a soundtrack.

ILL.... INI

ILL.... INI
ROSEBOWL - JAN 1, 2008