Kamry Update

I went for my 34 week appointment and an ultrasound to see how Kamry is doing. Everything looks great: she weighs around 4.5 lbs, is head down, has a ton of hair, and is looking pretty squished. She wouldn't cooperate so we couldn't see her face or check that she is in fact a girl. She is in the 35th percentile for her weight and I get to start going to the doctor every week now. I have six weeks to go and am realizing how much needs to get done before I have her.

Christmas Joys

Well, it was our first Christmas just our small family and it was definately a different experience. I was all gung-ho to keep our family tradition alive of getting up at 4 or 5 a.m. to open presents. Due to being pregnant (pregnancy = sleep), Richie not going to bed until 11 p.m., and not getting to bed myself until almost midnight I did not wake up until 6:30 a.m. I woke my family up a little before 7 a.m. so we could open presents. Richie got really excited when he woke up and saw that Santa brought him a train. Richie got train sets from Santa, Mom & Dad, and Grandma & Grandpa Bennett, so we got a whole little village set up for him to play with.


Richie's Train Village

Richie got some cars and a punching bag from Aunt Jodi and Uncle Brad (Bobby's sister) and a Game Boy with a Sonic Game from Grandma & Grandpa Jones. Aunt Melanie and Uncle Nick got the whole family tickets to Disney on Ice that we will get to see in January. After opening presents Bobby made breakfast while I helped set up Richie's train tracks. This was surprisingly a difficult feat for an 8 month pregnant mom, sometimes I still forget that I can't do everything I think I can.

Richie opening presents


We spent most of the day at home relaxing and playing with toys, though I had Bobby throw in the baby laundry that I've been meaning to wash. We decided to go see the new Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 movie, which came out yesterday. I don't think I have ever seen Casa Grande so empty as on Christmas Day, since the movie theater was the only thing open. We had a pretty fun Christmas, with a somewhat spiritual Christmas Eve. We hope everyone had a good Christmas and was able to share it with those they love.

Catching up with Christmas

I can't believe it is already Christmas, time seems to have flown by. In November we didn't do anything terribly exciting EXCEPT going to Lund and Ely for Thanksgiving. We had a really good time, and even though the car ride wasn't fun (Richie got sick on the way up and I had morning sickness on the way home), while we were there it was really enjoyable. It seems like so long in between seeing family, eventhough it was less than six months since we saw everyone at the family reunions this summer. At Thanksgiving my mom and sister, Melanie, threw me and my sister, Chelsea, a joint baby shower. It was a lot of fun and I got some really cute hairbows for the baby and beautiful girl clothes. I tell you baby boys get the short end of the stick in the clothes department.

In December I finished up my first full semester of grad courses. I brought in a total of 3 A's, 1 B, and 1 Pass. I still have a 4.0 because my B was in an undergrad course that did NOT count towards my grad GPA, I thought that was crazy but yeah for me!!!

The baby is doing fine, no chance of having a pre-term labor or anything (it seems like many of the ladies in my ward are on bedrest or dealing with pre-term babies). I'm just hoping this one decides to come and I don't have to be induced, but we'll see I might beg my doctor to induce if she's not here by the 9th of February. I think Bobby and I have FINALLY decided on a name. I'm almost positive this baby is going to be Kamry Renae Bennett. Bobby says he needs to let the name grow on him a little more, but has pretty much told me he'll come around. We may end up nicknaming her Kami, but we'll see when she gets here. I get to have another ultra/sound on the 29th to see how big she is. At 20 weeks she was a little underweight, so we'll see.

On Saturday we had our ward party. It turned out really nice, the couple was just called 2 weeks before and were told we needed a Christmas Party. I have been wanting to make Gingerbread Cookies for years, but never had a recipe or decided to do it. I really didn't want to have a gazillion Gingerbread Cookies lying around the house for me to eat all day long either. I made 60 cookies and took 50 to the ward party. The children were not limited on how many sweets they could have and all of the desserts were wiped out. I only let Richie get 1 item, while others were walking away with heaping platefuls of sweets. I was just glad not to have to take anything home with me.

Gingerbread Cookies YUMMY!

Halloween Fun and Not So Fun

Friday, Oct. 30th was our Ward Halloween Party. My plans for the day included making Chili for the party, working on homework, signing up for WIC, and getting Richie dressed in his costume. Well, sometimes things don't go according to plan. I get a wake-up call a little before 5:00a.m. from my husband who has a flat tire. At 5:15a.m. my husband calls back to tell me the spare has a flat as well. So, I get dressed wake up Richie (who doesn't want to get dressed) and pile in the car. I'm thinking we can just put the spare from my car (Chevy Cavalier) on the Ford Escort. I drive almost an hour to where Bobby is and he pulls out all the stuff from our trunk (lots of misc. stuff) to pull out the spare, which of course has different lugnuts than the rim on the Ford Escort. We put all the stuff in the Ford's trunk and put the two flat tires in our car. Wondering what tire place will be open at 7:00a.m. -- Yeah for Walmart!!! Bobby heads to work around 8:00a.m. in our car and I head back into town to replace two more tires that the threads are showing. Richie and I don't get home until 10:00a.m. where I get ready for my WIC appointment at 11:00a.m. and get the Chilli started. We end up waiting at WIC for 30-40min. before getting in. Needless to say by the time we got home I only had enough time to take a shower and get Richie's costume ready.


Richie as Spiderman at Ward Halloween Party



Richie Trunk-or-Treating

At the Ward Party we had Chilli for dinner and did Trunk-or-Treating. Richie even would say "Trick-or-Treat" very quietly as we went around to the trunks. He really enjoyed getting candy in his "Pumpkin".

On Halloween, we didn't have anything planned and I didn't want to go around our neighborhood at night. I found a mall in Phoenix that did trick-or-treating at the mall from noon to 3:00p.m. Bobby ended up with the day off, so we spent family time driving to this mall. Richie had a lot of fun wearing his Spiderman costume (minus the face paint) all day Saturday. He really got into the getting candy part of the holiday. When we decided to leave he was upset because they had a trampoline that you could pay to let your kid jump on (which we didn't do). We ended up being gone all afternoon and so rented a couple movies and had pizza to finish off our Halloween. It was a really fun day, but we didn't get any work done.


Richie eating at TGI Fridays for lunch

Richie smiling with his balloon while "Trick-or-Treating" at the mall

FHE Pumpkin Carving

For our family home evening activity we decided to carve a pumpkin. We have not done anything Halloween-y, so carving a pumpkin seemed like a good idea. I made a two pumpkin rolls and we, also, delivered them to families I knew. Richie would carry the pumpkin roll and give it to the family. He was really excited to get to deliver treats to other families.

Richie watching Bobby clean the pumpkin


Bobby cleaning out the pumpkin


Our Jack-o-lantern


Other than our exciting FHE, I have been working on lots of homework for school. I had a final and a mid-term book report and a group project. I just started 2 new classes and it seems like they will be fun, but keep me busy. We are looking forward to Halloween, Richie will be Spiderman and I had to hide the costume because he wants to wear it all the time. Bobby continues working and we've been told that December and January will be slow, but they expect to have at least part-time work for him during those months. Bobby's job continues to change, the company he works for is joining a larger trucking company. This may be good or bad, we're not sure yet. Right now he gets paid hourly, but they have told him they will change to paying by load instead of by hour. The company is, also, going from paying their drivers weekly to monthly. I really liked the weekly paychecks, it's kind of nice. It does mean they will offer benefits to their employees, so we are excited about that. We are hoping this is all for the better and that he will continue to make enough to pay our bills. We hope everyone is enjoying celebrating Halloween (only 2 weeks left).

It's A.......

Obviously, we're having a GIRL!!!! I went to have my ultrasound this afternoon and was really happy when I was told I was having a baby girl. I have been wanting a girl since I found out I was pregnant with Richie. I am only slightly sad that Richie is not getting a brother to beat-up on, but I think a little girl will be the perfect addition to our family. Bobby is a little flabbergasted that I am actually getting my girl, rather than another boy. I have been assuming I was getting a boy, because if I let myself hope for a girl and didn't get one I'd be devastated. I haven't even looked at girls names yet, so I will let you know when we decide.

Below are the ultra sound pictures that you can actually see things in

Here is the baby's face, this is the best shot we got

because she really likes having her head down.

In this one is a side view; the baby's head

is face up and you can see the spinal cord.

This one shows that it is a girl. You can see

one leg at the top and one leg at the bottom

of the screen. There is nothing in between

designating a boy, so we get a girl!!!!

Eventhough this pregnancy is halfway over I know that the second half is the longest.

Ode to Grandma's

Last Saturday, the 12th, Bobby did not end up working. Since he hasn't been to the temple since March, we decided to go that night. I called Mom and asked her if she could watch Richie while we went to the temple. Of course she said yes, like all good Grandma's. It was nice to go to the temple and out to dinner by ourselves, normally if we go out to dinner Richie comes with us so we don't have to pay babysitting. We we caught the 5:30 session, eventhough we left home at 3:30 (pregnant ladies have to use the restroom all the time, so we just missed the 5:00 session). We didn't get back home until 10 o'clock. I assumed Richie would have passed out, since he didn't have a nap during the day, but he was wide awake. My mom had given him a bath, washed his hair, and gave him a sleepshirt (I didn't pack one). He loved the sleepshirt and was excited to show it off.



Then today Mom dropped by to pick-up some a basket of fruit and vegetables she ordered, but I picked up. She took Richie to her house and gave me some time to take a nap, which I don't normally get with a loud 3 year old. I am really going to miss her when she moves. I know Richie will miss Grandma and his uncles when they move. Mom, we love you!!!

Grand Canyon Adventure

Since we live in Arizona, only 5 hours away from the Grand Canyon, it would be a shame never to go see one of the seven wonders of the world. My parents are moving towards the end of September back to Ely, NV. Mom thought it would be a good idea to go to the Grand Canyon for Labor Day. Bobby had the day off, so Richie, Bobby, and I joined my parents, Spencer, Trevor, and Tiago for a fun-filled day of traveling and hiking. Traveling with a pregnant lady means lots of stops at the bathroom. Everyone was good sports about it, especially since we had to make a bathroom stop once an hour. It's a good thing there are so many restrooms/port-a-potties at the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is beautiful and it is amazing how nature works. It is always more exciting to walk/hike in beautiful scenery, it doesn't seem like exercise somehow.

I brought my camera, but left extra batteries in the car. Richie enjoys being an amatuer photographer if he can find my cammera, so I had no battery power left in my cammera when I tried to take a picture. I only got a couple pictures and hope that Mom will let me have a copy of hers. Richie has a lot more energy than I do, so it was great to go in a group that could help me watch Richie as I could not keep up. We walked around part of the edge of the south rim. I was a little nervous because Richie wanted to follow his Dad and Uncles onto the edge of the rim. Good news, everyone came back and no one got hurt!!!! After lunch we walked to a hiking trail, most everyone was tired except for Trevor, Spencer, Tiago, and Richie. The boys wanted to hike without having to watch a 3-year old, but Richie talked Grandma and Grandpa into a short hike down and part of the trail and back.

We were at the Grand Canyon for about 5 hours and did a lot of walking with some rests in between. My muscles are pretty sore today, eventhough all I did was walk. Bobby and I look forward to going back and staying a couple of days.

After going to the Grand Canyon we drove to Meteor Crater about 2 hours east of the Grand Canyon. The Meteor Crater was really expensive for adults, so just Trevor, Spencer, and Tiago went to see it. We were all glad to finally get home and fall into our beds as it had been a long day.

Alex's Birthday

On Monday was Alex's 19th birthday, WooHooo!!!! Bobby did have work, which was good and bad, so he got to join in the festivities as well. Alex wanted to go bowling and we had Pizza Hut for dinner. My parents' foreign exchange student, Tiago, went for a run and came back an hour and a half later with everyone looking frantically for him. We were suppose to leave 45 min. prior to him coming back, so we were slightly concerned that he had gotten lost. Instead of leaving at 4:30, we left at 5:30 to go to dinner. Bobby and I were driving and got stuck at a red light. Unfortuantely I thought we were heading to Mesa, where we were going bowling, so Bobby and I drove as if we were going Mesa. Finally a little concerned that we have not seen my parents' suburban on the road, I was going to text and see if I was correct. Luckily at the same time my parents realized that we probably were lost. My parents had stopped at a Pizza Hut on the way to Mesa, and we had driven 10 min. passed that point. By the time we got to the restaurant the food was already delivered and one whole pizza almost devoured.

We then went bowling, which was a lot of fun. We played 2 games, unfortuantely most of us did worse the second game than the first game and the first game wasn't much to boast about. Dad and Trevor were the only ones to break 100 in the first game, apparently we need more practice. Richie really enjoyed bowling and when it was time to go home started crying because he still wanted to bowl. It was 9:30 p.m. so he was really tired anyways without the disappointment of putting his ball and shoes away. I got a cute, but blurry picture of Richie at the bowling alley, but I don't know how to get it from my cellphone cammera to the computer. Anyways, no one brought a cammera so no great pictures of us bowling. We had a lot of fun, though.

Richie's 3rd Birthday

Yesterday, August 2nd was Richie's birthday. Since there isn't a whole lot you can do on Sunday we had a party on Saturday. I have not yet been brave enough to invite kids Richie's age and have a party, so I invited a couple of my friends and their families. We went swimming at the Anthem Community Center, had a barbeque at my mom's house, and opened presents and had cake. You can see how ambitious I am. I decided to decorate his cake, which I should have done the day before. Being pregnant I am always tired. By the time I got the the cake I didn't care, which is why it looks interesting. I needed to make more frosting, but didn't muster-up the energy to do so.


Dinner went great and Richie loved blowing out the candles at his party. We had a Cars theme, as it is his favorite show. Richie is still figuring out the whole present opening thing. As soon as he gets one open he wants to play with it, but everyone is urging him to open other presents. Maybe next year he'll get into it.

Richie got a doctor kit and a foam puzzle ABC and 123's from Grandma & Grandpa Jones. He, also, got a new Cars Movie, a Cars T-shirt, and some bath toys from Mom & Dad.

Richie enjoying birthday cake!

On Sunday at church he got a green crown to celebrate his birthday. We went to my parents' house for dinner and to play some games. What a great birthday weekend!!! Happy Birthday 3-year old!!!

Reid Family Reunion

Richie and I were able to attend the Reid Family Reunion at Big Bear Lake. The reunion ran from July 16th through July July 19th. This reunion is for my mom's brother's and sister and their families. This year it was my mom's turn to be in charge of the reunion. All of my sister's met at my parents house and we all traveled to the reunion together. All of the brother-in-laws were unable to come to the reunion. My mom had found a large cabin to rent, so we could all be together during the reunion. It was a lot of fun. We played card games, went swimming, many went to the lake, and Mom had crafts to paint and create. One night we shared missionary stories, another night many of us gathered and talked of spiritual and temporal matters. My uncle is serving as a bishop and it was wonderful to listen to his insights and advice. We missed two of my cousins, one had just taken a job and could not get the time off and the other had just had a baby right before the reunion. It was a wonderful reunion and can't wait for the next one.

Great Temple Experience

On Tuesday, July 13th my brother Alex went to the temple to receive his endowment. It was a wonderful experience, with all of my sisters and Grandma Reid able to be there. We are all proud of the choices Alex has made in his life for him to be worthy to serve the Lord. I am grateful to have wonderful parents who have taught us to follow the Lord.

Bennett Family Reunion

Bobby, Richie and I went up to Bear Lake near Logan, UT for the Bennett Family Reunion. This reunion is for Bobby's dad's brothers and sisters and all of their families from July 9th through July 12th. We went for 3 days and had a lot of fun. We got to see Bobby's sisters and their families, we don't get to see them often because we all live so far away. Richie got to play with his cousins, which he still more or less plays by himself. Richie did make a friend out of Bobby's Uncle Kelly. On Saturday we spent a couple of hours at Bear Lake, where I got really sunburned. Richie ended up getting sick and bringing it home with us. We had a lot of fun and were glad that Bobby was able to get the time off to go. Unfortunately I forgot to pack the cammera, so I don't have pictures.

Ready for Summer

Well, it sure has been a busy month. At the begining my brother, Alex, got his mission call to Dallas, Texas speaking spanish. We are very excited for him. He will go into the MTC the day before my 27th birthday. To top it off I had a very difficult class this month. In Arizona the state voted that all students would be taught in English, thus getting rid of any bilingual education programs. Due to this law teachers are required to take a Sheltered English Immersion class. In this class you learn how to teach English to non-English speakers. There was a lot of busy work for the class and I felt like all I was doing was homework. Then the last two weeks of this four week class I got really sick. I was so sick I didn't think I was going to make it to class. Somehow I drove myself to class and sat through it, although I was tired and nauseous. After a week of being sick and not getting better I found out I was pregnant. I am very glad to be having a baby, but certainly wish I was not pregnant. Needless to say by the time my class ended I didn't care much about class. I should have a B, and might get an A depending on how well I did on the final. My grade isn't posted yet, so I'm just not sure. I'm just glad for a B, because in a Master's program anything below a B in not passing. I'm just glad I don't have to retake the class. I am done with school for 6 weeks and ready to enjoy being home. I am really excited for the month of July because I will be going to not 1 but 2 family reunions, and my sister's are coming to visit a week prior to our family reunion.

Lots to do......

Well, we've had a busy May, so I haven't posted in a month. On May 11th I started my master's degree at Northern Arizona University. I will graduate in April 2011 with the certification to teach Elementary School. I am very excited about it. I took a grueling 3-week course on Educational Psychology. I absolutely, loved the course and wish I could have had more time to work on it. After the first week, I was just glad to get started. My midterm, was at the end of the second week, which I passed with all of the points. My final exam I had to make a visual aid and give an oral report answering the question "How do people learn?" Below is a picture of my visual aid, I made a jigsaw puzzle of all the parts that I believe are important for people to learn. I don't know how I did as my grade is not yet posted, but many of the students told me that I did really well. I start a new class tonight, and am looking forward to another challenge.

Bobby, Richie, and I are moving into a 3 bedroom/2 bath house, that we are renting within our same ward. We will be about a 10 minute drive from my parents house and will still see a lot of them. Bobby is doing well in his job and his boss appreciates his work, eventhough he is rarely home. I sure do like the paychecks, though. Since it is temporary we will enjoy having him home in 3-4 months.

A couple of weeks ago Richie was helping me wash the dishes. Even after the dishes were done, he wanted to play in the water. He got completely soaked, but had a good time.

Visiting Grandma & Grandpa Bennett

Well, since everyone is not working permanently we decided to take a mini-vacation in Ely, NV. We left Arizona on Friday, April 24th and came home on Monday, April 27th. Since it was 90 degrees in Arizona we thought it would be nice in Ely, NV, boy were we wrong. About 10 minutes after we got to Ely it started snowing and didn't end for about 12 hours. Well we visited our friends Cammie and Kevin Briggs, so they had a nice full house. Since Dad's birthday was on April 22nd we celebrated his birthday on Saturday. Bobby, Richie, and I went down to Lund late Saturday night. We went to church with Bobby's family. We didn't get to see a whole lot of his family with all of their appointments in their busy lives. Richie had a lot of fun helping feed the horses, chase the chickens, and play with the dog. Monday before we left Richie got a short ride on a horse with Grandpa Bennett.

Well we are happy to say that Bobby started a job today working for a hay farm. It should last through August and maybe into October, but I will be going to school in fall and hope to get a job while going to school. I actually start a Master's program to be able to teach school as an elementary teacher in one week. I have an interview with another Master's program on Friday. I'm really excited to start school.

HAPPY EASTER!!

Well, I didn't get any pictures this year, so your stuck with a boring post. For the Family Home Evening Activity we colored eggs, which was a lot of fun. Richie enjoyed putting the eggs in the colored water and pulling them out to see new colors. On Saturday it rained most of the day, so we stayed home and cleaned. YEAH!! At nursery we learned about Jesus' death and resurrection, and even colored a picture about it. Since we have 9 a.m. church we did the Easter basket and egg hunt after dinner. Richie takes after his mother in that it is almost a challege to see how quickly you can eat your Easter candy. Don't worry, I helped Richie eat some of his candy, and he even saved some of it. Richie enjoyed hunting for the hard boiled eggs, which he did 3 times. Richie even hid the eggs once for Uncle Trevor to find. Trevor wasn't very happy to find them because they were all hidden in plain sight.

Zoo Fun!

On Thursday we went to the Phoenix Zoo. We had a lot of fun. We saw giraffes, an elephant, monkeys, ducks, wallabies, goats, an ostrich, and more. They had a sting ray aquarium, where you could touch the sting rays as they swam by. Richie enjoyed watching the sting rays, but was afraid to touch the water.

The Zoo had a kids area where you could play on real farm equipment, they had a sandbox area with slides, and a place where you could pet some goats. Once Richie got use to the goats he really enjoyed petting them.

After lunch we went to the splash pad where Richie played and got soaked. We had a lot of fun at the zoo and can't wait to go back.

Wedding Excitement

The Wedding

Selina's cousin Katelyn got married on March 14th, so all of her siblings decided to go to the wedding. Alex was the only one not able to make it to Las Vegas for the wedding. It was a lot of fun to see her nephews, Jayden & Aaryn.

Richie really enjoyed playing with his cousins for the short amount of time they were around. After the wedding we went to Olive Garden for lunch--party of 15!

Richie loved the Fettucine Alfredo.

The Reception

Well, after having fun all day, what do you do at the reception? Richie loved playing on the playground in Uncle Brad's (bride's father) backyard. Bubbles are always a #1 hit as well.

While the kids were playing, what did the adults do? Sit around a table and chat. It was a lot of fun seeing Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Family that we don't get to see all of the time.

Nothing Much Here

Well with February we got our tax return, which we were excited about. Only poor people get excited for tax season. We were able to pay down some debt, get glasses for Selina, shoes for Richie, fix our car, and put some away for savings. February, also, brought colds for Selina and Richie. Selina got sick right before Valentines Day, so we didn't do anything. Selina still hasn't gotten her voice back and has a terrible cough, but continues to substitute teach despite this trouble. Really we haven't done a whole lot this month, just work and pay bills. Bobby and Richie have been playing basketball and sometimes soccer. Richie is very active and independent. Richie thinks he can do most things by himself, which can be very frustrating. Richie is talking more, not always coherently, but it is exciting. Richie is our permanent song conductor at family home evening and Popcorn Popping is a staple each week. Bobby and Selina are still teaching the 18 month to 2 year old nursery, which is a lot of fun. Richie has stayed in nursery with Mom and Dad instead of going to the older nursery, but hopefully by his birthday we will convince him to go to nursery on his own.

Bobby's Birthday

Well, for Christmas I got a cake decorating kit. I decided to learn some basics to make Bobby's Birthday Cake. It turned out quite well, I even tried a chocolate icing. We had Cammie and Kevin Briggs visiting from Ely on Saturday prior to his birthday, so we had cake and ice cream with them.

On his birthday my parents took everyone out to a mexican restaurant. We hope that he enjoyed his birthday because sometimes he just doesn't tell you.

January 1, 2009

It seems that the year flies by so quickly. Instead of just sitting around the house wondering what to do, Mom decided we would go for a hike.

We hiked about 4 miles in an area just outside of Pheonix. It was a beautiful day, most of us were over dressed as we wore long-sleeved shirts and pants. Richie didn't like walking most of the hike, so he was carried on shoulders by me, Uncle Trevor, and his newest uncle - Uncle Zac (Chelsea's husband). While we were doing a 2 mile hike Mom and Alex went to grab some lunch at a KFC. It was fun, though.

Later we went to Downtown Mesa to the Contemporary Art Museum. That night we played games while watching the ball drop in New York.

Christmas

Christmas was a lot of fun. All of my siblings, spouses, and children were present. We all stayed for at least 1 week and were able to all stay at my parents house. It was a lot of fun. Much to his parents' delight, Richie was potty-trained by Christmas. Christmas Eve Richie and Jayden decorated cookies for Santa. We ended up with more cookies than Santa could eat.

Richie got a Basketball Hoop and Basketball for Christmas. He loved to play basketball. He would take the basketball to bed with him at night, but somehow he lost it. Whenever he sees a basketball in a storybook he starts to look for his basketball and walks around the house saying "My Ball!"

Richie, also, got a Handy Manny toolbox that talks to him, Cars sheets for his bed, a cars blanket and stuffed toy, blocks, toy truck, and a Buzz Lightyear Jacket.

My nephew, Jayden, got an electric train for Christmas. Richie and Jayden enjoyed playing together.