First Snow

We had our first snow of the season on Saturday. It was wonderful! I can't remember the last time the first snow was so deep and turned out to be so perfect for making snowmen. Mom totally rocked kids 2 and 3 in a snowball fight and taught them how to make a snowman. Well, we decided it looked more like a snowlady so we named her Ms. Snowlady. Enjoy the pictures and videos. The first two were on Saturday, while it was snowing. The other pictures and videos were taken on Monday when Mom could go outside with the kids.

Afghanistan

In December, the head of our family will be leaving for a one year deployment. Seth will begin his deployment with a month in Indiana, about 10 months in Afghanistan and will end with one more month in Indiana. The kids and I are sad that Seth will be leaving us for a full year, but we are proud of him and the work that he does to keep our country safe and free.

Please keep us in your prayers during this time of preparation and separation.

Grandma's Coming!

Grandma & Grandpa are on their way! The last we heard, they were boarding a plane in Denver headed for Baltimore. We can't wait to see them! I'm sure we'll have lots of fun posts over the next week while they are here.

Kids working out

The kids are back in school and P.E. is a big part of school this year. #2 is participating in The President's Challenge and has to reach certain benchmarks. Over at my blog you can find a couple of videos of them working out.

Summer Carnival

Seth had to work at the Jefferson Carnival last week and on fireworks night we decided to join him! #3 had some cotton candy that looked almost as big as her, #2 got a yummy milk shake and #1 had a funnel cake that was so good, she finished it before I got back with #2&3's snacks! We rode some fun rides and saw a great fireworks show.

Picnic at the Park

We went to the park with some friends last week and had a picnic! It was great to be able to spend a few hours playing on the equipment, playing hide and seek, and enjoying our lunch with friends. What a fun time we had!

Baking a Cake

Kid #1 is visiting us for 6 weeks and we've been having a blast so far. We decided to bake a cake one night and it involved more than just a box and a can of icing. #1 mashed bananas, mixed ingredients, cooked pecans and made her own icing. We started one evening and finished the next morning after the cake was cool, hence the different outfits. Enjoy these pictures, we sure enjoyed the cake!

We Moved In!

Go check out Elizabeth's blog and see the before & after pictures of my front room. It's not totally finished yet, but we've moved in! Enjoy!

http://itzabitz.blogspot.com/2009/07/we-moved-in.html

Relay for Life

This weekend Seth and I will be participating in the Relay for Life. The Relay for Life is a fundraising effort on behalf of the American Cancer Society. We are part of the York Young Republican Team and our goal is to raise $1,000 to go toward Cancer research.

So far our team has raised $310. Would you consider helping us meet our team goal? You can click on the links below to reach our personal donation sites online. Thanks for your help!

Donation site for Seth Benge

Donation site for Elizabeth Benge

Preschool Graduation Week

#3's last week of preschool was filled with fun times! We had a picnic, games, and a graduation complete with songs and a diploma. Here are some pictures of the picnic.

Here are some pictures from her last day of school. Graduation practice and an ice cream party!

The graduation ceremony was a lot of fun! Even mom got a gift for being the sub when necessary. Enjoy the rest of these pictures as well as a couple of videos!

Awards Night

On May 13th, Kid #2 and Kid #3 won awards at our Awana Awards Night.

Kid #3 completed her second book for Cubbies and will be going into Sparks in the fall. She's the last one on the right in these two pictures.

Kid #2 completed his third Sparks book and his third Sparks workbook in 3 years. Which means he completed 1 book and 1 workbook each year earning him a book award and a special pin each year.

The third book award was a special plaque that #2 is proudly hanging on his wall. With these awards he will be moving up to T&T Boys in the fall.

New Room!

#2 is very excited that his room is no longer a baby room. All of the Noah's Ark items that he has had since he was a baby are out of the room. We haven't picked a new theme yet, so the train curtains are still up and he still has Nemo bedding. But soon, they will be replaced.

While he's waiting he is loving his new bed and layout of his room. His bed was a bunk bed and dad took out the bottom bunk and made it into a loft bed. His desk in now underneath along with 1 toy box. Dad spent one day last weekend going through toys and rearranging furniture. He cut the clutter and now #2 feels like a real big boy with his telescope and desk.

First Trip to the Dentist

#2 and I had our 6 month check-ups at the dentist but for #3 it was her first trip. She was a hoot! #3 laughed at Mr. Thirsty and loved looking like a duck with the flouride in her mouth. I'm so glad she didn't cry through the whole thing! No cavities for any of us means we get to stay away for another 6 months. That makes #2 very happy!

Weekend at Grandma's House

#2 and #3 spent the weekend at Grandma Karen's house and had a blast. They got to visit Uncle Ken and Aunt JoAnn for Uncle Ken's birthday and #2 took some pictures while he was there.

75th Birthday Wishes

On Friday, Elizabeth's Poppop turned 75! We celebrated on Saturday by having a fun birthday party for Poppop and Uncle Rodger who's birthday was this weekend as well. We started out the day by letting the cousins go sledding together.





When they were tired and cold we all came in for a great dinner and yummy birthday cake, ice cream, cookies and Mommom's famous banana pudding. Seth wasn't able to go but when we came home the first thing he asked for was some banana pudding.




We had a great time visiting with the family and celebrating the birthdays together. We hope that Poppop will be around for many more years to come.

Fun in the Snow

We finally got enough snow that the kids were able to play outside. It only was about an inch or so, but that didn't stop them. Here are some fun pictures.