Lovin Christmas!

Angelina and her MANY presents!


Our little genius! :)
Lovin the X-Box 360 stuff!
Grandma and her love for anything snowman!
My husband and his energy drinks... ha ha!
PRINCESS DRESS UP SHOES!We had such a wonderful Christmas! This was Zoe's 1st Christmas! We had a blast, and of course, Angelina made Booty!!!

It's a GIRL!

Yes, I know what everyone must be thinking! What?!?! You had your baby ALREADY? But....

Yes, we did. Unfortunately, I went into labor during my dad's birthday dinner and then proceeded to go to the hospital. In getting there I found out that I was 6 centimeters dilated and there was nothing they could do but wait and let the baby come! It was very scary, but, we were told the outcome was excellent! She is healthy! She is on the ventilator, but expected to come off of it any time now.

So, here is the announcement...

Michael, Shealynn and Angelina welcome,

Zoe Rae Benner
Born: 10/17/06 @ 2:41 AM
Weight: 3 LBS. 4 OZ. and 17 Inches Long
Zoe was born 10 Weeks too soon!

Original Due Date: 12/26/06

Pumpkin Patch Delight!

So, we found out about the most awesome pumpkin patch called, Hillbridge Farms. We had a blast! Of course being pregnant I just watched and photographed the fun. :) My mom, dad and Mike all took turns going on the "big black pipe" slide with Angelina. We ate the best kettle corn I have ever tasted in my life, took a hay ride to get our free pumpkins, feed the animals, pined for jewels, and watched Angelina run through a maze. Not to mention, I bought a ton of very beautiful pumpkin. White and orange. They were awesome! Angelina had a great time! We will definitely be making Hillbridge Farms a tradition!

It's a GIRL!

We just found out today that we are having another GIRL!

OK, talk about the CUTEST thing ever! Angelina has been telling me since we told her that I was pregnant, that she wants the baby to be a girl. Here was one of our conversations recently...

Angelina: "Mommy, I want a baby sister."
Mommy: "OK, what if this baby is a boy?"
Angelina: "Well, mommy, I DON'T want a boy!"
Mommy: "Well, honey, you may not have a choice."
Angelina: "MOMMY! I DO NOT WANT A BOY!!!!"
Mommy: "Well, Angelina, it's not like I can put the baby back if it's a boy. So you may just have to deal with the fact that you could have a baby brother."
Angelina: "Well, I will just pray and ask Jesus for a baby sister, then, because I DON'T want a brother!"
Mommy: "OK, sweetie, ask Jesus for a baby sister. That's a great idea! But, if Jesus wants us to have a little boy, you can't be mad at Jesus, right?"
Angelina: "Well, I guess not. But, Jesus will give me what I want."


Ha ha ha! This was a pretty funny conversation, because Angelina was adamant about not wanting a brother, but wanting a sister. :)

Anyway, so it was so cute... like I was saying. Mike was out of town, so, my mom meet Angelina and I at my doctor's office to find out the sex of the baby. We waited, according to Angelina, FOREVER. Finally, the ultrasound technician came out in the waiting room to get us. That's when Angelina whispers under her breath, "Finally! That took Forever!!" All I had to do was glare at her, and she stopped. ha ha.
So we get in there, and I get all prepped for the ultrasound. I swear you could hear a pin drop! We waited in anticipation as the ultrasound tech slid the scanner around my belly.... "oh, It's a GIRL!" said the ultrasound tech....
A HUGE smile came over my face, and as I turned my head to look over at Angelina, there was a tear rolling slowly down her cheek. Along with the tear was this certain laugh she does when she is trying her darnedest to keep herself from bursting into huge roars of crying. She was so incredibly excited, and at that moment had everyone in that room not only excited, but crying too. At the site of that one measly tear and that insanely ADORABLE emotional giggle, even my ultrasound tech was crying!
Wow, I thought to myself... to think that 3 words can cause so much emotion... "It's a Girl".

Pregnancy

Well, I am feeling pretty good so far... I have had a couple of nausea moments, but nothing too bad. It makes me think that we are having another girl, because this is exactly how I felt with Angelina. A little nausea but nothing too terrible. Other than that, I feel great! The heat is hear, and I am miserable, but what else is new. I hate the heat and always have. But, being pregnant during the summer is a big time bummer.

She is 4 years old ALREADY???

Man, it seems like just yesterday Angelina was born. As I think about her being 4 years old already, I can hardly believe it! I was told right after Angelina was born that I need to cherish her, because before I knew it she would be in high school. Well, she's not quite in high school, obviously, but that statement still holds true! She is in Pre-Kindergarten! It seems like once you have children, your time just streams by faster than you can think. It just means to me that I need to live in the moment with my children, and cherish every single second of their childhood. While this little baby is growing inside me, I feel as though I only have a short time to get in my one on one time with Angelina. So, I am going to do my best to take advantage of my time with her, and do as much as I can with her, and make as many memories I can with her before baby #2 arrives. Because when baby #2 arrives Me, Angelina and baby will be making memories together. Yes, my husband too... I am mainly talking about during the week when he is working, though. I mean, I spend so much time with her I need to continue to strive to be a positive and encouraging and strong figure in her life. I want to raise her to love the Lord, and to love her neighbor, and to love her parents, and grandparents, etc. So far, I know I am doing a damn good job! :)

We're Pregnant!!

We found out as of May 5th that we are 6 weeks pregnant!! We are due December 26th. I am so excited! I can hardly contain my excitement! I can't help but wonder if we are going to have another girl or if it's a boy. Angelina has informed me that she would like to have a baby sister... we'll see....

Spring Miracles!

We were seeing birds flying around our ferns hanging around our upstairs balcony. Upon investigation look what we found!! Angelina and I were SO excited, that was until mommy and daddy bird tried to peck us to death! ha ha! Welcome Spring Miracles!!