Hangin' on the West side.....

We had a great day hanging out in West Yellowstone! We started out going on a walk and having a fabulous breakfast at a lodge in the town. We went to some of the shops. Then we hooked up with Travis & Katrina. We spent some time at Katrina's dad's property just outside of West Yellowstone, 100 acres complete with a pond and a garage bigger than any house I will ever dream of owning. Pretty cool stuff. Then we went to Denny Creek and picked out a camping spot for another vacation we have planned later in the summer. Then Oby, Chloe and I went 4-wheeling for a bit. We got so much dirt on our truck, that when we went to buy a pass to Yellowstone, we were told they wouldn't sell us one until we washed our truck!

Time to Hibernate!

Once Oby got home from work and coaching high school football, we were off to Montana for a weekend getaway in West Yellowstone! We saw this pretty rainbow on our drive there. We stayed at my brother and sister-in-law's Hibernation Station, in a King Suite! Ooooh lala, it was so nice!

My, oh my, what a wonderful day!

Chloe's Papa Mike ALWAYS sings Zip-a-dee-doo-dah to the grandkids. So it was hilarious to me when Chloe got a Disneymania cd for her birthday and a version of that song was on there, that she recognized it and got excited. But I've since realized a greater power to that song. I put it on and it buys me some time to actually get some things done, other than just sit and play with little missy. She goes into a mild hysteria during the entire time the song plays, and it doesn't get old - ever! She could just sit there and listen to it forever, and the joy never leaves her face! I tried to capture it on camera, but these pictures don't do it justice. You just have to see it to believe it.

Today really is a wonderful day for a couple of reasons. First of all, I got a craft area set up last night at our new apartment, and today Chloe let me make bracelets and do a few scrapbook pages, as long as I sang or played 'the song' of course. I hope this can be a trend, because I love playing with my girl, but I like to do other things besides just play with her, ya know? The other reason today is so fabulous is because we are on our way to Yellowstone! My brother and sister-in-law have been telling us to come up for a few weeks now, and we finally had a free weekend that we could do it! Oby took Monday off work, so we are going to have a nice little getaway. Chloe will get to hang out with her cousins and it should be a great time!

simple joys

This is a terribly un-lady-like pose, but I still love this picture of Chloe! First of all, this is one of her birthday outfits, and I think it is soooo cute, and then - check her out sitting on the couch! She is progressing, and getting stronger, and I'm so proud of her!

I've been tagged!

FOUR MOVIES I COULD WATCH OVER AND OVER
1. Anything Jane Austen
2. All Christopher Guest flicks
3. Tommy Boy
4. About a Boy

FOUR JOBS I HAVE HAD
1. Data Entry
2. Phlebotomist (blood sucker)
3. Nurse's Assistant
4. Claims Adjuster

FOUR OF MY FAVORITE DISHES OR FOOD
1. Pizza (preferably Rusted Sun, Ligori's or Gabor Brothers) served with Salad/bleu cheese and Dr. Pepper - mmmmm!
2. Cafe Rio salad
3. Cobb salad
4. Sushi

FOUR TV SHOWS I LOVE
1. Men in Trees
2. Criminal Minds
3. Snapped
4. HGTV

FOUR SITES I VISIT DAILY
1. Hotmail
2. Netflix
3. Scrapartist
4. Blogspot - of course!

FOUR PLACES I'VE VACATIONED
1. Boston
2. Honduras
3. Belize
4. Oregon Coast

FOUR PLACES I'D RATHER BE RIGHT NOW
1. Snuggling with Oby in bed, but I had too much caffeine today for that
2. Anywhere warm and sunny, preferably with cabana boys bringing me refills
3. Somewhere in our trailer
4. Yellowstone - next weekend!

FOUR PEOPLE I AM TAGGING
1. Dianna
2. Megan
3. Jen
4. Taylor

Maiden Voyage

To commemorate Memorial Day weekend, we went on a camping adventure with my cousins!

This was our first time using the trailer. We had such a blast and give trailer camping two enthusiastic thumbs up!

A lot of people teased us for 'just' going to Cherry Hill, but it was really nice to be close to home for our first getaway in the trailer, and there were other things going on that we didn't have to miss, because - really - we weren't gone!

For example, we got to go to Ezekeil's baby blessing!.... What a precious boy he is.

Rain, rain go away!

It was a little rainy this weekend, but that didn't keep us from having lots of fun! We played board games, went on lots of bike rides, played croquet, bacce, kickball, four square, went to the park, went swimming, played baseball, went to the batting cages, went mini golfing, made up games (my personal favorite - Name That Tune Gargle Style), went on walks, watched movies (most of the crew went to see Indiana Jones and gave it mixed reviews), ate, snacked, read books, talked, laughed, and just had a great time!

Running Errands

Since I haven't been working, it seems like all I've been doing is running errands. There have just been a million little things on my to do list that I kept putting off when I was working, and now I'm able to get to those things. It's a good thing Chloe likes cruisin' with me in the car!

In between running errands, I take time to play with my cute girl. This has to be one of my favorite pictures of Chloe ever! She looks exactly like a cupie doll.... an extra cute cupie doll, that is.

Today's errands included stopping at Nana's to pick a few things up. We had time for Chloe and Izz to play for a bit. Nana led them in singing time. Izz kept holding Chloe's hand and petting her head. She is so sweet with Chloe. It will be fun when Chloe can be more interactive as well. It's hard to believe Izz used to be a lot bigger than Chloe, because that is certainly no longer the case! What cute girls.

GT with the BC (good times with the bennett cousins)

After the Higbee wedding, most of the cousins got together for hanging out, food, girl talk, and wii action. It was so much fun seeing Ashle and the Chris's since we don't get to see them much. As for the rest of 'em.... well, they're okay too. Just kidding. Love you all!

Mr. & Mrs. Brandon Higbee

Brandon and Kallie's wedding was at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was good seeing all the Bennett family and seeing Brandon and Kallie so happy! Congrats to the newlyweds!

home \'hom\, noun, where the heart is.

Is this not the most charming home in the entire world? It has such a welcoming and inviting presence, and the interior beats the curb appeal if you can believe it. I truly do love it. But staying here means continuing to work and not giving everything Chloe needs. Oby and I had such specific plans about our future. It is still a bit baffling to me that we just crumpled up our plans and tossed them in the trash. But that just proves how passionate we both feel about our new plan to have me stay home with Chloe, and not have financial burdens to make that happen. The house was put on the market today. I have it staged, and it looks extra cute right now. There are already several people who are seriously looking at it. And tonight I stopped by for a minute to pick up a few things and I saw two cars stop and stare at it, drive by a few times, and write down our agent's info. It's going to be sold in no time, I have faith of that. It makes me kind of sad, but relieved at the same time.

Here's the house we're moving into. Okay, we'll actually be living in the basement of this house, but still.... isn't it cool? Oby gets to take care of the yard as part of our deal, so good thing he likes yardwork!

This home was built by my cousin on the lot where my grandma's house was. There is just something magical and memorable everytime I pull into the driveway. It sounds silly, but I just have all those good feelings of Christmas Eve, Birthday parties, and one memory that I think of all the time is when my grandparents came home from their mission. Everyone was there, there were big yellow ribbons everywhere, and it was just soooo good to have them home! My grandma has since passed away, and Grandpa lives in Idaho now. Anyway, this is just a special place to me, and I feel very grateful to be able to live here, especially because it gives me the opportunity to be with Chloe. She is my best little friend. Even though this week has been very hectic moving, cleaning, quitting my job, doing all the paperwork required for a real estate sale, and trying to get settled in our new place even though none of our furniture is there, it's also been a neat time hanging out with Chloe and having her depend on me even more. I just realize that the only thing that really makes a home is having love. Oby and I joke about moving into our trailer. Even though we're joking, I realize that if it came down to that, it would still be home to me, as long as I could kiss Oby and Chloe goodnight and snuggle with them in the morning, bad breath and all! I am soooo blessed to have my sweethearts, and we will always be home, as long as we're together.

Happy Birthday Max!!!

Chloe and Oby went to our cousin Max's Birthday party while I stayed home to try to get our new pad somewhat organized and liveable. These pictures were taken a few days ago, when his mean aunt Tami was trying a new hairstyle. Max is such a cool kid. He has no fear, and a bit of an attitude. Well, they say attitude is everything, so I guess he's set!

Happy Birthday Maxwell!

Pagoda - a Bennett Family Tradition

Almost every time Oby's family goes out to dinner, they go to Pagoda, a Japanese restaurant in the Avenues. Tonight we went to celebrate Oby's uncle Chad's birthday.

Going out with Oby's family is always a comedic event. Good times over chicken tots.

Here's Chloe with her Papa. He always makes her laugh!

Chloe's current stats

Yesterday was Chloe's 1-year check-up. Here are her stats:

Length 30.5 inches (95th percentile).... that's 2 and 1/2 feet tall!
Weight 18.7 pounds (40th percentile).... that's right, she's a string bean!
BMI 14.12 (all I know is that it's normal - we really like that word)
Head circumference 17.5 inches (also normal and a very good thing considering her condition!)

Her doctor gave us a green light on all foods, and I am so excited about that! Chloe always begs to eat what we're eating and until I got the green light today, it made me nervous, so I would deny her requests most of the time. But tonight she ate cheese for the first time, and loved it! Who knows what exciting taste tests tomorrow will bring....

Taking Chances

I saw this on our friends Kendra and Ryan's blog. It was the exact words and thoughts that have been running through my mind over and over while we've been trying to make some big decisions, so I had to share it.

Stop waiting.....

Until your car or home is paid off

Until you get a new car or home

Until your kids leave the house

Until you go back to school

Until you finish school

Until you clean the house

Until you organize the garage

Until you clean off your desk

Until you lose 10 lbs.

Until you gain 10 lbs.

Until you get married

Until you get a divorce

Until you have kids

Until the kids go to school

Until you retire

Until summer

Until spring

Until winter

Until fall

Until you die...

There is no better time than right now to be happy.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

So work like you don't need money.

Love like you've never been hurt, and,

Dance like no one's watching.

Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

Oby and I have recently made some very big decisions. I am just soooo grateful that when I came to him with my concerns and solutions he was very supportive. We have talked, prayed, researched, cried, did spreadsheets, until finally we arrived at what we believe to be the best move for us right now. Today I quit my job at Farmers Insurance. We are putting our house up for sale. My cousins have been nice enough to let us rent the basement apartment in a house they're trying to sell. This way I can give Chloe the attention from mommy that she loves so much. I can take her to all of her appointments, do all of her exercises without having the stress of having to balance my work schedule as well. Leaving Farmers is like saying goodbye to an old friend, they have been so good to me for 7 years, always understanding and flexible with my crazy schedule. But I have realized that Chloe's well being and our family's happiness is more important than having a house and extra spending money. I have a few things I am going to pursue that may or may not be lucrative, but I feel propeled in other directions right now. I am so grateful for the support of my husband and our families. We are so incredibly blessed. This decision process has been an incredibly spiritual journey. It reminds me of the many decisions I made leading up to meeting and marrying Oby. I know we are being guided. I already feel incredible peace and happiness about my decision. I am glad we didn't decide to wait to make this move. I'm sitting here with Chloe on my lap. She's talking to me and giggling. We have a couple doctor's appointments today and I don't have to stress about ten million other things in order to get there on time. Here's to taking chances and doing what brings you happiness!

Mother's Day

This is my 2nd Mother's Day. Last Mother's Day Chloe was just 3 days old and it was my first day home from the hospital. Then that night little miss came down with a fever, and we were back at Primary Children's for 2 days. Chloe had to have a spinal tap, and I was hormonal.... It wasn't pretty. Anyway, the 2nd Mother's Day was a lot less dramatic! It is such a privilege to be Chloe's mommy! She tells me through her eyes that she adores and loves me. Here's her Mother's Day outfit, isn't she adorable?!?! I love my girl.

In the afternoon we went to visit Chloe's Great Grandma Bennett. (I think Chloe looks soooo pretty in this picture!) Grandma Bennett is such a funny lady with German roots. Oby got a lot of attributes from her, so needless to say, I think she's great. We spent the rest of the day with Oby's mom and Grandma Judy, but I forgot to take pictures. Me, forget to take pictures? I know - crazy huh! My mom is in Idaho visiting relatives, but she doesn't like to celebrate Mother's Day anyway. In fact, I think that's why she left for the weekend. I so enjoy being a mother, and it becomes more apparent to me every day that I couldn't meet my demands as a mother without the help of other mothers - my mom & Oby's mom. I need their love, advice, example, and help. I'm in awe at the amount of unconditional love mother's have. I never understood it completely, though, until I became a mother myself. It is amazing to me.

Music to my Ears!

We were told about a music therapy that helps people with neurological damage. It's called The Listening Program through Advanced Brain Technology. At first I thought it may be a scam, but I talked to Chloe's pediatrician, neurologist, OT, and audiologist, and they all said they have seen miracles happen with children who do this therapy. Miracles? Music to my ears. I have always known Chloe really responds to music. When she was younger and would cry ALL THE TIME, one of the only things that would help soothe her was music. I play primary songs on the piano, and she will sit there and listen as long as I will play. My mom has a music box that plays 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' and without fail, that will put Chloe into a pleasant trance. Anyway, so when I found out about this music therapy, I was thrilled and wanted to get Chloe into the program right away! But I was shot down because they said they never started children on the program until they were 2 years old, because younger children can't wear the headphones for a long enough time (it has to be at least 15 minutes a day). Well, Chloe, as you know, is only one. But I am an adament mommy and will fight to get my daughter help AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! (This is known as 'Mama Bear Syndrome'). So my mom got some special noise cancelling headphones for Chloe's birthday, and I bought two of the ABT special cd's and a portable cd player. Anyway, today we tried out the headphones and she listened to the music - AND really liked it - for twenty whole minutes! I called the center that does the program and told them the good news. They said they would enroll her in the program!!!!!.... Help for my baby? MUSIC TO MY EARS!!!

365 days FLY BY!

I seriously cannot believe it, but Chloe is officially one year old today! She woke up in the most pleasant mood and stayed that way during the entire day.... until she got to her party. Then she said, "It's my party, I can cry if I want to." And cry she did! Until she got a good nap, then she was back to her pleasant self. My mom made some delicious food enjoyed by all. Chloe was spoiled with lots of cute clothes, fun toys, cool books, a high chair, stuff for her music therapy, decorations.... the works! She is set for summer fashion, that's for sure! But, as expected, her favorite thing was the tissue paper. She loved the cake and frosting and sat in the high chair so well! She didn't know quite what to think when we were all singing to her. Daddy had to help make a wish and blow out her candle. I got the cutest birthday hat (princess tiara) for her to wear, and she hated that thing! Does it make me a bad mom that I thought it was hilarious how much she was screaming in her princess tiara? Adults and children alike always just gather around her and take in her sweetnes. There is a picture of it in the slide, it just cracks me up. She is sooooo loved, that's for sure!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE MISS CHLOE!

WE LOVE YOU!

getting ready for the BIG day!!!

While we worked on making Chloe's birthday cake, Oby took Chloe out to my mom's backyard for her first ride in a swing. SHE LOVED IT, as you can see! Doesn't her face just scream pure joy?!?!?! She is such a happy girl. Tonight was the first time she's really seemed to feel good and act like her normal self in almost two weeks, so it was extra nice to see that big smile of hers!

There are some finishing touches to add tomorrow, but here's the rough draft of Chloe's birthday cake! It was messy, but a lot of fun to make! I think it turned out pretty cute.

Chloe's Birthday Buddy

This is my super good friend, Mandy's, baby Ryan. When I was in labor with Chloe, Mandy called to tell me Ryan was born! Ryan's birthday is actually the day before Chloe's, but I still think of them as Birthday buddies. And I even think they look alike!

This is Mandy with Ryan and her husband, Joe, at the Padres game. They live in San Diego, so apparently being Padres fans comes with the territory. Mandy and I go waaaay back. We were hooked at the hip in junior high and high school (I mean truly always together), then kind of lost track of each other when we went away to college. Then one day I was walking in the mall with a friend who said, "There's my friend Mandy." I looked and said, "No, that's MY friend, Mandy!" We've never lost track of each other since then, and I can't believe we had our baby girls so close together! I wish she lived closer because I know we would hang out with our babes all the time, but she likes it San Diego - the sun 'n all - whatever. Point is, Happy Birthday to Ryan! We love you guys!

~I've been tagged!~

So.... I'm new at this tagging business, but I figure what the heck, it's been two whole days with nothing exciting to post since everyone in my household is fighting a cold. So anyway, here ya have it....

10 YEARS AGO: Picture it. 1998. Ogden, Utah. I was two years post high school. I had plans to become a nurse, was attending Weber State University, and working as a phlebotomist at a plasma center. I was a buck-fifteen and had braces. Oh, I hated my braces, but I’m glad I got them. I lived with a good friend, Janica, in a seriously ghetto-riffic part of Ogden, but our house was super cute and we had a great time living together. I was good friends with the people I worked with, we hung out a lot after work, and man did we enjoy all the craziness that happened at the unique atmosphere of a plasma center. Aaahhhh, good times.

5 YEARS AGO: 2003, huh? Oh boy, that was a hectic year. I had just gotten out of a very long-term relationship and was trying to find my identity as a single person. I lived in Molly’s townhouse in Draper with Molly (of course) and another girl, Jessica. I was oh so skinny, I can hardly stand to think about how skinny I was back then. In fact, I had several people at work stage an intervention (seriously) because they thought I was bulimic. They would see me eat fattening food at lunch and snack all day, and still stay a size 2-4. I don't know what it was, crazy metabolism or something, but whatever magical element I had then has disappeared, that's for sure! I worked at Farmers Insurance and was just wrapping up my bachelor’s at University of Phoenix. At night I worked at Ruby Tuesday’s as a server/bar attendant, but I got sick of smelling like onions, so that didn’t last long. And I also picked up an occasional shift as a CNA on the cancer floor at LDS Hospital. My roommates and I were super tight and very much into our singles ward, and did a lot of activities with the ward. This was such a fun time in my life – I love remembering it!

5 MONTHS AGO: Last December we had only been in our home for a few months and I was spending a lot of time getting it just how I liked it. We had just found out Chloe had Infantile Spasms. We were giving her daily shots of a hormone that abolished her immune system, so we were all on house arrest to avoid any possibility of getting a bug. We were busy getting ready for Christmas and just enjoying the season. I love Christmastime!

5 THINGS ON MY TO-DO LIST: Laundry (always), send Mother’s Day cards, get my friend Dara’s birthday card sent (her birthday was 3 weeks ago – this has been on my to-do list for awhile), wrap Chloe’s Birthday presents (oh my heck, I should move that to the top of my list, her birthday is tomorrow!... that really snuck up on me!), and sweep the front porch. There are 100 other things on my mental to-do list, and there was no rhyme or reason to how these five things made the cut.

5 SNACKS I ENJOY: Mountain Dew, Dr Pepper, sour chewies (aka Sour Punch Straws or Sour Patch Kids), Nacho Cheese Doritos, and chocolate/chocolate donuts. (Seriously, I just cannot understand why I have a weight problem, I eat such healthy things!!!! ;o)

5 THINGS I'D DO IF I WERE A BILLIONAIRE: 1) I wouldn’t even hesitate, I would run over to Farmers Insurance and put in my two weeks. It’s not the job, I just want to be home taking care of Chloe. 2) Have Oby quit his job while he finishes school and pursues his real dream. 3) Pay off our house. 4) Pay off our parents’ houses, or buy them new houses. 5) Save the rest (after tithing of course).

5 PLACES I'VE LIVED: Syracuse, Logan, Ogden, Salt Lake City, Fort Union, Draper, Sugarhouse, Rose Park, and Layton (all Utah). It’s more than five, but I didn’t know which ones to leave out.

5 THINGS PEOPLE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT ME: 1) I was taller than the majority of my teachers in elementary school. 2) I grind my teeth when I’m stressed. It is very loud and wakes people up who aren’t even in the same room. I can’t imitate the noise when I’m awake. 3) I’m TERRIFIED of heights. I'm not scared in airplanes or tall buildings. It only scares me when I'm in control of keeping myself from falling. So I guess the thing I'm truly afraid of is my own clumsiness. =) 4) I’m scuba certified. Deep sea diving anyone? 5) I was once hypnotized and was told I was 100 years old. I told the audience that the secret to a long and happy life was to use horse shampoo. Heaven only knows what’s going on in my subconscious!!!

I TAG: Ashle, Emma, Jen, Kendra, Molly & Taylor. Okay, ladies, your turn!

Happy Birthday Calvin!

Our cousin Calvin turned 8 today and of course there was a family celebration! We had delicious banana splits with homemade fudge - mmmmm! (Dont' worry, I only had a small portion, I'm still sticking to my healthy habits - for the most part). Happy Birthday to Calvin!

Bike Ride

We gave Chloe's big Birthday present to her a little early - a bike trailer! It was just such a nice day and I've been wanting to use the bike I got for my birthday. There is a bike/jogging trail not far from our house that goes along a bird refuge/pond. The weather was sublime and perfect for our bike ride and picnic! Plus, the repetitive motion is supposed to be excellent therapy for Chloe, so we look forward to many more bike rides!

Kallie's Bridal Shower

Oby's cousin, Brandon, is getting married in two weeks. So today was the shower we threw for his bride-to-be, Kallie!

Ezekial was there. Isn't he cute when he's napping? SO CUTE! I can't believe how fast he changes! He's getting chunky - I love it!

Sick Day at Grammy's house

Chloe has been fighting a bad bug all week. I was planning on going to Women's Conference again today, but I just couldn't leave her. She eats and sleeps best for mommy and is less fussy. So I opted to stay at my mom's house and take care of little missy. I wish I looked this pretty when I was sick....

I glanced out to see my dad mowing the back pasture and dragging Jake - on a toy snowmobile!?!? How funny is this picture!

Women's Conference

Part of my birthday present was going to Women's Conference. My mom and Oby helped with Chloe while I got to go be inspired and spiritually recharged! I went with Grandma Judy, Tami & Sissy. We had a really great time! I felt like every single talk had something said directly to me and for me. I went with several thiings weighing on my mind, and I was given answers and direction in each talk! It was inspiring and I am so glad I got to go!

Getting up early and walking all over BYU campus can be exhausting. That was Tami's excuse for mistaking her concealer for lipgloss. It doesn't make for a flattering look, but it does make for a funny memory!