Baptism & More?

Ok, what am I thinking? As if this busy working mom of two doesn't have enough on her plate...she seems to be VERY good at always adding to that plate. So just this week I've started a baby quilt for my sister, almost finished Aubree's Christmas stocking, started a Christmas present which must not be named for "he/she who must not be named" in case that person reads this, and decided to try out the facebook world. Who has tried facebook? Let me just tell you that I got an email invite to join from my friend Heather. After I joined, it "politely" told me: "You have one friend!" Talk about depressing!!! So it has been my quest in my spare moments here and there to find more friends! So if you're reading this...and you have a facebook account, and we are not yet "friends"...will you please be friends with me?!? :) Pathetic, huh?

Alright, let me quickly say that Aubree's baptism this weekend was great. She was a trooper and didn't start to fall apart until the end of the ceremony. As for pictures, well...let's say most of her pictures afterward have a bottle in them!!

Short post, yes...but if the menu song from the baby einstein DVD Brock popped in the TV doesn't stop soon, I might go crazy! Hope you're all having a good week!

Three Months!

Our little Aubree is three months old today! It's amazing how long, and short 3 months can feel...and all at the same time! This little girl just keeps getting bigger. She is NOT going to be a short child. I can't wait for her next doctor's appointment so I can compare again what she and Brock were in length at the same age. She is starting to smile really well! There is nothing that warms a mothers heart more than seeing your child give you a loving smile that only an innocent child can give. One that seems to say "thank you mom for being the very best mom and loving and supporting me, making me feel safe and secure, and there is no one in the world as wonderful as you". Ok, so maybe she'll be 30 by the time she can actually say that...but it does make everything bad go away.

This has been a crazy week. To make a long story short, sometime in the middle of last week we found out that the only chance we had to baptize Aubree was this weekend!!! Ok, working mother of two...I can throw together a baptism in a week in a half!! Good thing we already had the gown! So, our guests may very well be eating that $12.99 pasta deal from pizza hut (has anyone had it? is it any good?), but gosh darn, we're going to baptize this baby and that's all that matters. We are extremely fortunate that all of our family (with the exception of those living out of state) can make it on such short notice. So, anyways...it's been a week of trying to squeeze in as much in the evenings as possible to make the house look a bit more presentable.

Here are some 3-month pictures of Aubree (or should we say "Tomette). We'll get professional ones taken soon, and Christmas pictures done this weekend...so maybe I'll share a sneak preview soon.

Oh My!

Ok, what do all you seasoned mothers know...and this mother is still learning? You're nothing if you're not FLEXIBLE!!

The big lead up to Santa pictures...well, let's just say I'm only going to be seeing one little Benich on Santa's lap. Apparently Brock cried and cried and ran to the corner when it was time for him to take pictures. I'm truly shocked. With as much as he was looking forward to it, and as well as he's done in the past years, I just can't believe it. Santa comes to my Grandma Dornak's house every year, so maybe we'll get to try again then.

Ok, onto the story I was planning to share today. A little out of order, but I have to share a funny picture about our pumpkin carving experience. Brock was actually afraid of the pumpkin seeds. He made a funny face when I first lifted the top off, leaving the pumpkin seeds to make their first exit. He found it a little easier to deal with once he shot the pumpkin seeds. Yes, shot them. His first trip to deer camp with Dad the weekend prior proved to be quite educational. Now we see deer all over our house. They particularly tend to be seen around the TV, recliner and pool table. Not to worry...Brock will go get his toy rifle and knock them off, one by one. He's a rather good shot. Don't think he's missed one yet. And surprisingly, they don't run off after the first shot. He sometimes gets up to 100 deer at a time! I know, Amazing! While a lot of parents might cringe at the fact that my 3 1/2 year old is playing with a toy rifle and shooting things, it's a fact of life I'm going to have to deal with because one of Tom's passions is hunting and he WILL have his son shooting a deer within the next few years, I'm sure! A lot of you may not remember, but one of Brock's first three words were "Deer". His nursery was also done in the hunting theme...so I guess he is a born & bred hunter!!

Here's the pic of him shooting the pumpkin seeds.

And who needs a random cute picture of Aubree??

Boys First

Tomorrow Brock & Aubree take pictures with Santa at school. Brock has been talking about Santa a lot and about toys he wants, so I decided to talk to him a little about the process...so he doesn't think Santa will be giving him a toy tomorrow. Here goes our conversation:

Mom: Who are you going to take your picture with tomorrow?

Brock: Santa!

Mom: What are you going to ask Santa to bring you for Christmas?

Brock: A new track with a plane (aka, the new geotrax airplane set)

Mom: Well, after you ask Santa for a new toy, you have to be very good. He's going to go back to the North Pole and all of his elves are going to make the toys in their toy shop.

Brock: Elves?

Mom: Yep, the elves make all the toys and on Christmas, Santa and his reindeer bring the toys to all the boys and girls.

Brock: I want him to bring (the presents to) the boys first.

(I bust out laughing at this point and just say OK!)

And here is that boy in his Daddy's deer stand on opening weekend!

Photo Tag!

Ok, that was fun Sara!!

So, my friend from good ol' Katy High School Sara had a rather interesting blog today! She was photo tagged and tagged me in turn. Here are the rules...

Go to your picture file on your computer.
Pull up the 4th folder.
Pull up the 4th photo.
Tell us about it.

Well, my 4th folder contained folders, which contained folders, which contained folders. So, I just kept picking the fourth of everything until I got to this picture...

These are Brock's feet when he was born. At the time we thought they looked big. Little did we know he would almost always have the largest feet in his class. At 3 1/2 years old, this "little" guy is sporting a size 10 1/2 shoe, wearing 5T pants (for the length) and up to a whopping 24 months size in shorts!!! (Yes, his 5T pants MUST be equipped with an adjustable waist band!!) So, skinny kid who is tall and has big feet. My little Aubree is definitely going to compete for size with her big brother. While I can't accurately measure her feet just yet, she was a whole inch longer and pound heaver (exactly) than her brother at their 2 month checkups.

These are pictures I took of them after their two-month checkup and after their terrible first round of shots!!

Yes, my little darling girl does look a bit more filled out than her brother! :)

In turn...I get to tag the people I follow through the wonderful world of blogging: Annie & Christina...TAG, You're IT!!!

The Treaters are Coming!

Happy Halloween to all!


This year was a blast. I can't even begin to describe the joy I felt this year watching Brock. It was by far his favorite Halloween to date. I knew last year, at 2 1/2, he was really understanding the concept of halloween and tick-or-treating...well, this year, he's TOTALLY got it! He loved the idea of dressing up and wearing his cowboy stuff to school Friday. He especially wanted to show Ms. Betty his badge! He came home from school telling me how all the other kids in class dressed up too. That evening, we posed some of the kids on the street together for some adorable pictures. Brock humored his mother and posed pretty well. Aubree on the other hand wasn't the most cooperative kid in the bunch! :) It was still early, so we didn't head out just yet...but as soon as the first trick-or-treater came to the door, Brock went nuts!! "Let's Go!" "Let's go trick-or treating!" "Mom, I need to fill my pumpkin to the top! (with candy)" "Come on, come on, let's go!" He was very excited to truck from door to door and did remarkably well going up to the doors on his own!

Some of our Stargazer Pass kiddos: Brock, Reece, Aubree, Elise, John Patrick

We headed home after a few streets, and Brock continued his enjoyment by handing out candy. I've never seen a kid so excited to GIVE AWAY candy before! He would run to the corner of our sidewalk and look for any trick-or-treaters on their way. As soon as he spotted them, he would get extremely excited and yell "The Treaters are Coming, the treaters are coming!!!" He was a great help passing out the rest of our candy.

Shortly after we ran out of candy, Tom and Brock headed off to Columbus, Texas for the opening weekend of deer season. Their first father/son hunt! I sent a list of picture ideas I wanted them to try taking...if they come home with them, I'll be sure to post!

Another Prayer Request

All you faith filled praying people, I call on you again. A friend of mine recently had an emergency c-section at 34/35 weeks. She is doing great but her baby girl faced immediate complications and was life flighted to Hermann Memorial Hospital in Houston. She has already undergone surgery and has been diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome. I had never heard of this, and the reason is probably that it affects just one in about 10,000 babies. You can read more about the syndrome and the challenges these kids face at http://www.chargesyndrome.org/. Right now, this baby girl looks like she will have vision problems, but everyone is very thankful that her brain structure looks good! Please keep this little angel in your prayers, along with her mommy, daddy and big brother. God has put her in good hands because she has wonderful parents who will do nothing than give this little girl all the love and support any parent would give their child.
We know that we are so blessed to have the family and perfect children we have, but in times like these, I find myself even more aware of God's abundant blessings in my life! I hope you can all hold your loved ones dear and pray for those who are facing harder times.