Happy Memorial Day!

On Memorial Day, I hope you all had the opportunity to remember those individuals who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our country. May God Bless all the men and women who keep us safe. I also have the utmost admiration for the families of those who serve our country. Being a mother of two, I am in awe of the women (and sometimes men) who can hold down a household, children, job, and more while their spouse is on duty.

Wishing you peace and happiness today and every day! I hope you were able to spend it with those you love like I did! I am so blessed...especially for these little two darlings below.

Nine Month Stats and Pics

Today we had Aubree's official 9-month checkup.



Our BIG girl is:


20 pounds, 7 ounces
(76th percentile)



28 7/9 inches long
(81st percentile)










And for grins, here are some of her better pictures from our picture adventure this past weekend.

THREE Smiles?

This weekend was a big FIRST in the Dornak/Benich/Kitchens households. The three Dornak grandkids were united for the first time!
Conner was 1 month old on the 16th. When Conner was first born, Tom and I went to Victoria to see him, but haven't been back since. My mom, Meredith, Dede, Chester and Conner came up this weekend to watch one of Brock's soccer games before the season ended. Much to my disappointment, the game was rained out. (Yea for rain in San Antonio...boo for rain when Brock had a soccer fan base ready to watch.)
Regardless, we did manage to make it a worth while trip. Because it was time for both Conner (1mo) and Aubree (9mo) to get pictures taken, we ventured out and used the opportunity to have a picture made of all three grandkids. For those of you who have tried, you know that any time you try to get more than one kid to cooperate for a picture is quite a task. To get THREE smiles (or close enough) was nearly impossible.

First I will show you OUR attempt of getting all three kids to take a picture....Ready for a laugh?

Another instance of Aubree attacking her baby cousin Conner! Well, if only he'd have given up his bottle like she not-so-politley asked! We're pretty sure she's going to be the bully in the family!

Here is the professional photo shoot. A little better!! Nana even jumped in on one. They turned out great! I am very thankful that the photography place managed to get a decent picture.

Babies Don't Keep

As I look around my house, I see nearly a dozen toys within 10 feet, dishes at the sink that my wonderful husband will likely do after I have gone to bed, bits of who-knows-what on the floor that needs to be vacuumed before Miss Aubree decides to dispose of them herself, and I refuse to look closely at the end table to see the dust that has made itself a home. Seeing that, I am reminded of a phrase my mom once shared with me.


“Cleaning and scrubbing can wait for tomorrow,
For babies grow up, I’ve learned, to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby, and babies don’t keep.”
--Author Unknown






After a busy morning, our little princess seemed to wear down and is now showing signs that she might be suffering from her second ear infection. We have an appointment on Monday and I'm trying to determine if it's bad enough to go to an emergency clinic or if she can hold out with a steady supply of tylenol and TLC. For the time being, we're giving her a lot of loving. We went for a walk which she thoroughly enjoyed. (I know this from the absence of screaming.) Brock happily led the way and when both kids are happy...Mommy is happy! Crying resumed once we got home and for the past hour I've been holding a sleeping baby girl in my arms. So, "quiet down, cobwebs. Dust, go to sleep. I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep."

Nine Months!

Can my baby girl really be just three months away from a whole year old??? Say it isn't so!!!

Little Miss Aubree is 9 months old today. We don't go to her 9-month appointment for a few more days, so I don't have official stats just yet. I will post them as soon as we go.

She has come a long way in the past month. This little girl is on the MOVE!
She sits, she pulls up, she army-crawls, she crawls on all four. She babbles, she says "da-da-da-da-da", she screetches, she chuckles. She clearly knows the sights and sounds of Mommy, Daddy, and Brock. She loves to listen to music (even mommy's singing! --what a trooper!), is VERY nosey, still loves her thumb, and her favorite place to sleep is in HER bed. She things stage 2 baby foods are very yummy and has recently started eating Fruit Puffs! YUMMY! And, only 25 calories for 66 of them! Hmmm, think I could pull that off at work for a snack???

She is at this FANTASTIC age where she is somewhere between not doing anything, and getting into everything! As a second time mother, I know this doesn't last long, so I'm trying to cherish it as much as possible! Dare I say she's "easy" now? Yes, I'm sure next week I'll be blogging that I never should have said that, but it's true...for now. And we have a routine! (Which will no doubt be disrupted as soon as we begin some major teething again.) However, this once very HARD baby is now one who makes me smile, makes me laugh, lets me sleep and makes me love being a mom!

The next PFT

So, Phineas & Ferb is the latest and greatest thing to hit the TV in the Benich household. One episode, in particular has a very catchy tune that Brock has now learned and sings to us every so often. I managed to get it on video. And, for those of you wondering what in the heck is PFT? It's the band name: Phineas & Ferb Tones. (I think!)



If you need help deciphering 4-year old, and think you're hearing jibber jabber...you're right. Here are the official lyrics:
Bow chicka bow wow
That's what my baby says
Mow mow mow
And my heart starts pumpin'
Chicka chicka choo wow
Never gonna stop
Gitchi gitchi goo means that I love you

The YouTube version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuXdIeGCICg

Happy Mother's Day

Today is my 5th Mother's Day, but my first as a mother of two!

Looking back on this year, I've learned even more about life, even more about love, and even more about motherhood! Life is constantly changing. You have to learn to be flexible! I remember two days very clearly. February 16, 2005 and August 12, 2008. Days that have changed and shaped my life forever.

From a child's perspective, I learned that your mother truly is always there for you! Even at age 29-30, I still found I needed my mom. My mom still teaches me right from wrong. My mom still helps grow my faith to new levels each year. All of this only proves to me that my job will not end in a mere 18 years...nope...we're in this for the long run.

From a mother's perspective, I've learned that no matter how much you think your mother loves you, you can bet she loves you that much more. I've watched my kids grow and explore life. I have found that when I thought there was no more love I could have in my heart, I have another child and it just multiplies again to make more room! (Perhaps that's why I can't get rid of some of those pesky pregnancy pounds???)
I've also learned that when you think you can't POSSIBLY handle one more thing on your plate, life serves you something, and you somehow manage. (This must be where the term, super mom comes from!)

I must say I was blown away and spoiled this year. I was woken up this morning by constant knocks on the door. I open the door to find Brock lying on the floor and grinning up at me. He joins me in bed and Tom comes in. Little Aubree missed out on the moment as she was napping, but the rest of the events unfolded like a Kay's commercial!
Tom handed Brock a little box who then handed it to a sleepy mommy as she snuggled with her boy. As a symbol of my first mother's day with two kids, Tom had bought me a ring with two bands of diamonds. One for each child. I LOVE IT! He also gave me a bracelet with both Brock and Aubree's name on it. I was nearly speechless. Ok, when am I EVER speechless??? :)
I got up to breakfast ready and waiting on me and the rest of the day was just as grand. Tom and Brock even went to the grocery store and came home with a dozen red roses. It kept going, and going, and going! We ended the day with Tom's FABULOUS homemade lasagna. It was truly a wonderful mother's day!




I also received very wonderful hand-made gifts from my darling kiddos! I just LOVE Aubree's flower where her feet are the leaves. I also had a very heart warming moment when I read the first card Brock made all by himself! He's getting so big!!! The inside had two stick figures, labeled "MOM" and "ME"...both standing by a rather LARGE flower! ;) It was just PERFECT!

It's been quite a year! I'm thankful for my beautiful family. I'm thankful for my healthy kids. I'm blessed to no end and I thank God every day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of YOU mothers, grandmothers and mothers-to-be out there. May God bless all of you!

Effects of Swine Flu - Caution: Drastic Photos

Swine Flu is all over the news! Mexico, California, New York, and right here on the edge of San Antonio, Texas! Tom received a call last week that his district (Comal ISD) was going to close until May 11. Brock's YMCA cancelled all games last week and we're on stand-by to see if he'll play this upcoming weekend.In the meantime, let me show you what effects swine flu have had on the Benich Household! Beware...Drastic Photos are coming up!




































































In addition to the bathroom makeover (framed mirror, new fixtures, finally putting up the bathroom curtain my sister gave me for Christmas, and new rugs)...

Tom put in window sills! Centex homes do NOT bless you with window sills...at least not our Cented home. It's UNBELIEVABLE what a difference it makes, and how it only took him part of the day!





A BIG THANKS to my WONDERFUL HUSBAND for graciously doing some little Honey-Do's on his time off. And in all seriousness, our prayers go to anyone suffering from the latest flu outbreak and hope everyone stays healthy!

A Texas Kind of Wedding

This weekend we attended my cousin Estella's wedding. Although she and her new hubby call New York home, they ventured down south to say "I Do" in grand ol' Texas Style!
I have never been to a wedding with so many out-of-staters! California, New York, Alabama, Colorado, Louisiana, Hawaii, New Jersey...to name just a FEW! There was even representation from China! All of these people can now say they've been to COLUMBUS, TEXAS! Known, only by a few for it's location on I-10 and most lovingly by Tom of where Deer Camp is!

We had beautiful weather for an outside wedding. Of course, there was the typical South Texas humidity and plenty of the State Bird...Mosquitos!! But it was beautiful. The grounds, at The Pheonix were gorgeous. It was beautifully decorated. And, they say everything is bigger in Texas? Check out these Flowers!

Also in Texas, we all are accustomed to riding horses, right? (NOT!) Well, the Bride and Groom wanted to give their guests a good ol' Texas time by supplying a Mechanical Bull! It's a darn good thing they also supplied alcohol! I'm pretty certain I never did drink enough to get on the bull...but I tried anyways. (The operative word there is TRIED!) Don't be looking for Lori in any future PBR competitions!

The Bride

And, I also must say that our little Princess was a trooper! VERY Little napping all day, and she stayed with us till nearly 10:00! She was quite the sweetheart and even had an admirer! I'm pretty sure Bret's nephew, Dylan liked Aubree more than Brock likes Aubree!

Aubree even showed off her moves - or at least her drawers on the dance floor!

Admiring Great Grandma Dornak's pretty Rose.