Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas. We spent Tuesday evening with my whole family at Amanda's house. Santa came and Katie sat on his lap. It was so fun to see her with him. We got totally spoiled by everyone and had a yummy dinner.

On Christmas Eve, we went to my parent's house. Josh was there and we had a spaghetti dinner and just hung out. That was also really fun.

Christmas Day was so nice. We got up and had all of Katie's Santa stuff there for her to find. She seemed to like it and she loved opening the presents and ripping the paper. It was fun to get it all set up. The weather was horrible, but we braved it and got to Brady's parent's house with his whole family, where we got spoiled again!

All in all, we had a wonderful holiday. I just with it would have lasted longer!

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving was really nice. We went to Brady's sister's house with Brady's whole family. We had good food and good company. Tammy (sil) and I went shopping on Friday. We got to Home Depot at 6am and I got home at 6pm. It was a lot of fun and we got lots of good deals! Needless to say, I was exhausted, but got what I needed!

Twilight...

So, we went to Twilight last night at 12:30. It was so good. I went with Amanda, Amy, Amy, Kristy, Rachel, & Becca. We went and had pie first and then jetted over to the theater. We have had our tickets for ages, so we busted right in there and got our seats. We had a wonderful time. I forgot to take pictures, but I did get one of the marquis for today's showings. If you haven't seen it: GO!!

If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard

I recently had a birthday. I can't believe that I am going to be in my twenties for only 50 more weeks! I turned 29 on November 1st. I got up to a beautiful package from Brady. He got me a CD I have been wanting and some perfume I have been wanting. He does a good job. We also got to go pickup shopping and out to dinner while our TOTALLY AWESOME neighbors had Katie. They are so great. It was a fun day. My "girls" took me to dinner at Garcia's and I got to wear a ridiculous sombrero and they sang to me. What fun! They all gave me some fun gifts, shirts, jewelry, a Scentsy warmer, a DVD, socks, all kinds of fun!



Also, my Katie girl has two little teeth peeking out the bottom and I have been trying to get a picture of them. They are so cute! She is a little eater now and will eat anything you put in her mouth! Hallelujah! I was so hoping I wouldn't have to deal with a picky eater. My problem is going to be keeping stuff OUT of her mouth! That kid will put anything in there. I experienced last night just what can happen. She loves tags and is always chewing on the ones on her toys. Last night she was playing on the floor and Brady and I were in the kitchen. We heard her gagging and coughing so I dashed in to check on her. She had a tag clear down her throat (it was still attached to the toy!) and couldn't get it out. I grabbed it out and picked her up to pound her on the back so she could catch her breath. I guess the gagging was too much for her and she puked all over me. Carrots, people. Needless to say there is now a white t-shirt and onesie in the garbage and a nursing bra (argh!) and pj's soaking in Spray 'n Wash. Oh, what fun!!!

And, last but certainly not least, Brady's dad is not doing well. I am afraid we will probably lose him before the year is out. He is arranging with Brady and his brothers what needs to be done for their mom in the spring. When I had Katie down there on Halloween he looked at her and just cried and cried and told me and my mil Dixie how he knew he didn't have much time left with her. I have never seen him absolutely break down like that. It was all I could do to maintain my composure. It was just me and Katie and my in-laws there, and it was a very bitterweet moment for me. He is such a sweet, wonderful man and just the best father to my hubby and his siblings. Brady is the only one of the siblings who will be speaking at the funeral. It is an assignment he is taking very seriously and wants to do well at. I am so thankful to this wonderful man for raising such a wonderful husband and father for me and Katie. He is one of the least selfish people I know and Brady is the same way. I have been so blessed to know him for the short time I have. I just wish that Katie could know him. She will have to delay that for a while, but she will have that chance someday, and I am so thankful for that knowledge.

Halloween

We had a wonderful Halloween! We had tons of trick-or-treaters. I think our subdivision is the place to go in Shelley these days. I had to run to the store for more candy. I loved it, though, and we had a great time handing out candy.

Katie was our cute little chicken. She was a really good sport about the costume. I love this picture of her and Brady. They are a cute pair!

We went to see Grandma and Grandpa Bennett on Halloween so they could see Katie in her costume. They thought she was pretty cute. Katie's Grandpa Bennett raises chickens, so we had to have a picture of him with his cutest chicken!

Tag...Longest Post Ever!!

I have been tagged by my cousins Melissa and Laura. I really didn't ignore you! I just needed to find a minute to get it done.

I: Meggan Lu Bennett
I am: Happy
I think: I need a nap
I know: I am a child of God
I want: To get a pedicure
I wish: I could lose 50 pounds without any effort
I hate: Mopping the floor
I miss: My grandparents
I fear: Losing the people close to me
I feel: Very thankful
I hear: Silence...ahhh
I smell: Cucumber Lotion on my hands
I crave: Pepsi with fresh Lime
I search: For my lost brain...has anyone seen it?
I wonder: When I will get to have a good night's sleep again
I regret: Too many things and they are too personal for me to be sharing here!
I love: My beautiful daughter and my sweet husband
I care about: What happens to my family
I always: Love to read
I am not: Skinny!
I believe: We are all equals and Heavenly Father loves us all the same
I dance: ...Never
I sing: Okayish
I don't always: Shave my legs
I write: Not nearly enough
I win: Unless I am playing Brady, then I always lose, and usually everyone else does, too. What is with that guy?
I lose: Way more stuff than I used to.
I never: Exercise (obviously)
I listen: Carefully
I can usually be found: Reading a book.
I am scared of: My children dying before me.
I need: A nap
I am happy about: All of the wonderful blessings I have

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:35
2. Diamonds or pearls? Did you ever hear "Pearls are a girl's best friend??"
3.What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Hancock
4. What is your favorite TV show? CSI...the original, not that knock-off crap
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? toast
6. What is your middle name? Lu
7. What food do you dislike? mushrooms...who eats fungus??
8. What is your favorite CD at moment? Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
9. What kind of car do you drive? Toyota Camry
10. Favorite sandwich? Turkey w/ bacon and provolone
11. What characteristics do you despise? No Manners!!
12. Favorite item of clothing? Shoes, of course (they always fit!)
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Anywhere in Europe, England, France, Italy
14. Favorite brand of clothing? No favorites, anything that fits and doesn't make me look fat
15. Where would you retire to? Idaho in the mountains
16. What was your most memorable birthday? Nothing specific, Brady always does a good job
17. Favorite sport to watch? Baseball
18. When is your birthday? 11/1/79
19. Are you a morning person or a night person? night...for sure
20. What is your shoe size? 8..used to be 7 1/2 until I had a baby
21. Pets? none and not getting one
22. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? Not so much. I shaved my legs today
23. What did you want to be when you were little? Lawyer
24. What is your favorite candy? Almond Joy
25. What is your favorite flower? Lilacs
26. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Thanksgiving and Christmas right now
27. What are you listening to right now? Nothing... Katie is asleep
28. What was the last thing you ate? Almond Joy
29. Do you wish upon stars? always
30. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Yellow, it is happy
31. How is the weather right now? Very chilly and clear
32. The first person you spoke to on the phone today? my friend Amy
33. Favorite soft drink? Pepsi with fresh lime
34. Favorite restaurant? Texas Roadhouse
35. What was your favorite toy as a child? Probably Barbies
36. Summer or winter? Winter...I hate to sweat
37. Hugs or kisses? either, I am very physically affectionate, although I could do without the old ladies kissing me on the lips
38. Chocolate or Vanilla? Either!
39. Coffee or tea? Neither
40. Do you want your friends to answer these questions on their blogs? yes
41. When was the last time you cried? Day before yesterday, I tend to overdramatize when I am extremely tired
42. What is under your bed? nothing
43. What did you do last night? Helped my friend Amy paint her little boy's bedroom in her new house
44. What are you afraid of? losing my family
45. Salty or sweet? either!
46. How many keys on your key ring? four
47. How many years at your current job? Just 6 months, but 5 years at my previous job!
48. Favorite day of the week? Friday
49. How many towns have you lived in? 10
50. Do you make friends easily? most of the time

I tag Mom and Amanda...and anyone else who wants to play along!

Bliss...

So, the last three nights have been absolute bliss. Why, you might ask?

Because of this: Thanks to Denver Mattress, I actually wake up without my hips and back hurting every couple of hours at night. Amanda and Dave bought this mattress in a Queen, after deciding to downsize from their King. They decided they wanted a King after all, so they returned the Queen and got a King in the same model. I was the fortunate recipient of the returned mattress and got it for a song and a dance. It was the best money I have spent in a long time. Merry Christmas to me! Woo hoo!

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

You are thoughtful and care very deeply for your family. A loving home is of great importance to you and you always try to make people feel welcome. Although you have a great capacity to love, you also have a great capacity to hurt, so at times you can be sensitive. You're firm when you need to be, but people trust your judgment and appreciate the kind way you always handle things.

Win a Free Handbag!

Handbagplanet.com is giving away 24 bags in 24 hours. Go to their website to sign up for free! They have tons of gorgeous bags!

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Not a good day to have teeth...and some random tidbits

It is not a good day to have teeth around our house. Brady got one of his wisdom teeth pulled on Thursday. It took the dentist over an hour to get the one tooth out. While he was doing it, his tool slipped and he sliced the back of Brady's throat and had to stitch it up! Whoops! It looks really bad and is hurting him a lot. Today we are pretty sure that it has a dry socket in it. He is in a lot of pain. I have not been impressed with this dentist up until now, and this just cements it. Hopefully he can get in tomorrow and have someone look at it, since the on-call dentist told him to take ibuprofen and call in the morning. (What is an on-call dentist for then? I could have told him that!!)

Also, Katie is cutting two teeth. She has two tiny little teeth peeking through on the bottom. She has been a little cranky bum and won't eat very well or nap much. I finally rubbed some Orajel on them and she got some relief. I am excited to have them come through so she can feel better.

These are my two sickies, comiserating over a Dallas Cowboys game and trying to get some rest! All in all, we could do without the teeth today!

Katie enjoying some green beans in her high chair. She looks so tiny in it!

What the SNOW?? She got teeth and snow for her six-month birthday. Who could ask for anything more?!

Returning to Virtue

I loved Sister Elaine Dalton's talk in Conference on Sunday. She spoke about "Returning to Virtue." She spoke of being "Poisoned by Degrees" and becoming slowly desensitized to the evil things of the world. She says that we slowly begin to tolerate, then accept, and then embrace the evil things of the world through false role models and persuasive media and we are slowly losing our divine identity in all of the worldly influences. She talks about the need for strict training to return to virtue and live a righteous life and prepare to attend the temple and be worthy of a temple recommend. I have often lamented the fact that it is now okay to curse in public and in front of young children. It is okay to be promiscuous, and it is okay to ignore God and the Savior in favor of something easier and more worldly. I made a decision after hearing her speak, and we will be "Returning to Virtue" in our house. I am making a concerted effort to make good new habits and get rid of bad habits. I am going to try to be better at church and temple attendance and be better at regularly reading my scriptures. I am going to pay my tithing when I get paid, not forget about the check I wrote out two weeks ago and finally give it to the Bishop. I am putting myself through "Strict Training" and I am going to do better. I don't want my daughter to think the habits I have now are okay. I want her to have good habits and she won't unless I do. I remember when swearing on TV and sex being frankly discussed in graphic detail were taboo. They are normal now. But, not in my house anymore. My sister-in-law, Tammy, made a comment to me that the Sacrament is the most important part of Sunday and that staying home because you are too tired is not a good enough excuse. She is right. And as of right now, I am trying to be less lazy and more committed. Join me, won't you, in Returning to Vitue?

Listen to her talk here: http://www.lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-947,00.html

The Day is Finally Here...

We have reached the day when I have to officially child-proof my house. I found her up on the stereo, under my bed, and at the top of the stairs (no picture...I was too freaked out trying to grab her....I need a gate.) When she was under my bed, it was funny; the stairs, not so much! We are up to two solids a day now and she is doing great with it. Next week we are trying some veggies for dinner, so we will see how that goes.

We had a fun craft day at Amy's house with all the girls and kids today. It was really fun. Of course, I forgot my camera and didn't get any pictures, but I am sure Amy will post some, so check out her blog. I am sure I look hefty, like always, but my mom and sisters will look cute, to be sure.

I also got her costume for Halloween this year. I will save the surprise for when I get a picture, but suffice it to say, she looked stinking cute in it! (Thanks, Jo!)

I had a bit of a traumatic moment this evening. I was looking at pictures on my camera, and I only had about 10 on there. This morning, there had been over 200! I FREAKED!! I was sobbing hysterically and yelling at Brady (???like it was his fault???) and basically having a meltdown. In my defense, I had pictures of the first time Katie rolled over, eating cereal, etc, etc. Needless to say, it was really bad....but cooler heads finally prevailed and I found them on my card. Apparently my camera automatically creates a new folder after there are so many pictures on there and you can only see them on the computer. I hastily put them all on my computer AND on a disc, so we are doubly covered. WHEW!!

Here is a cute picture of Katie with her cousin Isaac in their matching pj's. Neither one of them were overly thrilled with the photo shoot. Isn't Isaac adorable??!!

Baby Girl...

Our baby girl is getting so big. I wanted to share these cute pictures of her. She LOVES her dad and always smiles at him. She is just such a sweet baby...and she has gone from sleeping 8 hours a night (like she did since she was 4 wks) to sleeping 10 hours a night! LOVE IT!!

We have had fun the last couple of weeks. We had a girls night out for dinner for Amanda's birthday and it was really fun. We also went to Utah and I got to spend time with Aunt Julie and Ali. That was really fun also. And, finally, I had lunch yesterday with Amanda, Amy, mom, Bonny, and all the babies. It was really fun. I am glad we are all close enough that we can do stuff like this. I love having my family and Brady's family all close by.

Autumn

I love the fall! It is my absolute favorite time of the year. I love everything about it. I love the changing leaves and the bite in the air. There is nothing I love more than a sunny fall day and it is chilly outside. It just lifts my spirits. I loved going back to school as a kid. I love Haloween. I love the leaves changing. I love Thanksgiving. I love the anticipation of the first snow and Christmas! I love, love, love it. Since these are some of the many firsts for Kate, I am excited to dress her up for Haloween and to feed her turkey at Thanksgiving and to let her rip the paper on her Christmas presents. I feel more excited about things (if that is possible) this holiday season now that we have her. I thought I would share a picture of my favority holiday decoration - Pumpkins!!! My kitchen is decorated all in pumpkins now. I am actually going to be changing it soon, but the pumpkins will still come out every fall!

Labor Day!

This weekend we stayed with Brady's parents. We had a nice time with them. Dixie and I made bread and donuts and they were yummy! It is always fun to spend time with them. They are wonderful in-laws to have. I can honestly say that I wouldn't change a thing about them. I have been very lucky in my in-laws! A couple of times I looked over at Wayne (my fil) and was just overwhelmed with sadness at the way he looks and feels. He has lost so much weight and looks so sick. He doesn't have much energy and doesn't eat much anymore. He can barely swallow one pill without getting it caught in the opening to his stomach where the tumor is growing. I don't think he has a lot more time left. It just breaks my heart to think of Dixie and Brady and all of them losing him. I am also sad that Katie won't get to know him. Please keep him and Dixie in your prayers. It is especially hard on her. I just hope and pray that he won't suffer.

4-Months Old!

Kate had her 4-month checkup last Wednesday. She went from 50% in her height to 70% and from 45% in her weight to 17%! She is getting to be tall and skinny! Hopefully for her sake she keeps up the trend. I wish I had grown up and not out! Her head went from 26% to a whopping 7%! What a tiny little noggin!! Ha ha. She got her shots and she did really well. She just cried for a second and then she was fine. The doctor wants her to put on some more weight, so we started her on cereal and a little formula. She takes the formula fine and she is getting used to the cereal. She is liking it a little bit better each time she has some. I can't believe our baby girl is getting so big. Things sure can change a lot in just a little bit of time!

Kate has also learned a new trick lately. She will get half her foot in there and just suck away. At least they are clean!

I just liked this picture of her. I thought she had a cute little smile on her face.

Big Girl!

She did finally figure out how to get her arm out from under her. She can actually roll to her back now as well. She is getting so big! She has her four-month appointment on Wednesday, so we will see what they say. She will be getting shots again, and I hope she does as well as she did last time. She was a trooper. Having a little bacon for breakfast this morning...

Roll-Over!

I walked into the kitchen to get myself some toast the other morning and when I came back into the family room, I discovered this! She is growing up too fast.

Katie's grandma Dixie made this cute dress for her! Definitely a keepsake!

Jefferson Darren

This past weekend I went to visit my cousin and her family. They are moving to Memphis later this month and I wanted to see her cute baby before they left. He is sure a doll. He looks just like his dad. I am sad to see her go, but I hope she loves it there!

Happy Camper!

We took Katie camping this past weekend. It was really fun. She did really well and had a good time. She really can't tolerate the heat, so she was naked most of the time. It was fun to see some of Brady's family and spend time with them. On the way home last night, we were driving through from Preston to Downey to get on I-15. We were just talking and all of a sudden Brady braked really hard because he saw a deer in the road. It wasn't just any deer. It was a HUGE buck. We watched him cross the road and go off into the sagebrush on the other side and kept going. Brady told me that about a minute before we saw him he had a thought to turn on his brights because he knew there were a lot of deer through there. He also had an impression to look for little flickering eyes so he would see one. About a minute later he spotted that deer and we didn't hit it and were fine. He told me it is interesting how the Holy Ghost works. I am so thankful for the spirit and for the protection it gave us last night. I know it might have just been a fender bender, but it also could have been a lot worse, too. We don't know. I am also thankful for a husband who is in tune to the spirit and recognizes a prompting and listens to it. I know this wasn't a mind-blowing incident of the Spirit at work, but it reaffirmed my testimony that Heavenly Father loves us and watches out for us and that if we listen to the Spirit, we will be taken care of.

Happy Anniversary!

My 5-year anniversary was on Saturday, July 19th. It is hard to believe that we have been married for five years! It has been a wonderful five years for us. We have a lot of fun and laughs together and have managed to struggle through some very difficult challenges and come out closer to each and to our Heavenly Father in the end. We are very thankful for all we have, especially our beautiful daughter and the chance to be sealed as a family. We are really very blessed and thank Heavenly Father every day for all we have.

Cute Baby!

This is the cutest baby on the block! She is such a delight to us. We are still doing well and are enjoying our sweet baby girl. I love to be home with her. We are looking forward to each new stage for her. She is such a good baby and she sleeps through the night and rarely cries. I have thrown in a few cute pictures of her. Enjoy! We have been very blessed!

Las Vegas...

We had a great time in Las Vegas. Pretty much all we did was eat and talk, usually at the same time. We spent a little time in the pool and shopping and very little sleeping, and the rest was talking and stuffing our faces! Katie didn't do too bad on the airplane and she was so good while we were there. We had a long delay on our flight coming home and spent 6 hours in the Las Vegas airport, but we made it. My beautiful and talented cousin let us stay in her gorgeous house and took some awesome pictures of us. It was so fun and I can't wait to do it again! I will post more later.

Katie at the poolKatie with my cousin's husband, Ron

My Husband...

I have been tagged by my friend Britnee... here goes!

1. What is his name?
Brady Lance Bennett

2. How long have you been married?
5 Years this July

3. How long did you date?
We knew each other for five months, then started dating and dated for four months and then were engaged for five months.

4. How old is he?
He will be 34 in July

5. Who eats more sweets?
Definitely me. Have you seen me lately??

6. Who said I love you first?
He did. It was very sweet.

7. Who is smarter?
He definitely is.

8. Whose temper is worse?
Definitely mine. He never gets mad.

9. Who does the laundry?
I do. He got fired from it.

10. Who does the dishes?
We both do.

11. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
Brady does.

12. Who pays the bills?
We both do. Brady is an accountant, so he is all over it.

13. Who cooks dinner?
I do. Brady hates to cook and I enjoy it.

14. Who drives when you are together?
Brady does. I would just as soon not drive at all.

15. Who is more stubborn?
I definitely am. He is just much nicer than I am in general.

16. Whose parents do you see the most?
Both. We are about halfway between our parents, and we see them all frequently.

17. Who proposed?
Brady did. It was so sweet.

18. Besides you, who is his best friend?
His brother, Marty. He lives right down the road.

19. Who has more siblings?
Brady does. He has five and I have four.

20. Who wears the pants in the family?
We share them. They are big pants. They have to be for me to fit in them. See question #5.

21. Do you have nicknames for each other?
I call him all sorts of other names, like Pete, Frank, Fred, Steve, etc. I just like to make them up as I go along. He just calls me Meggan or uses and endearment like Sweetie or Honey or something.

I tag Amanda, Nicole, Amy, Jenn!

Summer...

We are enjoying the summer weather...finally. It is so nice outside and we have been enjoying taking walks and playing outside. Katie and I are heading to Las Vegas on Friday. It will be her first plane ride. I hope she does well! We are going to a Radford Girls Reunion with my mom and sisters and aunts and cousins. It will be a blast!

Katie...

Katie on her blessing day. Her dad gave her a beautiful blessing and it was so fun to have all of our family there. She was really good during the blessing, too! Good girl. This is the dress that I was blessed in. My Grandma Shumway crocheted it for me. There is a little pink slip under it. I liked that it wasn't all white, and it has a touch of pink. My friend gave me the bracelet for her to wear!

I just love this sweet look on her face. This outfit subsequently got pooped on and had to be changed about ten minutes after it was put on her. Good job!

This baby loves her daddy and he loves her. They are so cute together. This is going to be a major daddy's girl!

Update...

We are still here. I haven't taken the time to post anything in a while, so I thought I had better get some pictures on here. I have had lots of people asking for them, so here they are. Katie is doing great. She is a great baby. She will sleep for 6 or 7 hours each night, so we really like that. She is getting too big too fast!