Bavaria

Good morning everyone!!! I am too lazy to add my comments and post so my comments will be part of my post. Min, you should be able to copy and paste text at least. I do it all the time. I am with Meags and Joan and everybody else. I love sneaking a look at the other blogs every once in a while but I just don't have the time to check them all. They are beautiful and creative and they inspired me to start my own, which I did but haven't put the address on here yet. I want mine to be our family history. I have never had the time to sit down and scrapbook, too much time, mess, expense, thinking in advance, etc... So once I discovered they could be made into books I've started it as our family journal. I really don't expect anyone to read it but then I have it and it is also in cyber space so if our house burns down it will still exist. Hopefully my house won't burn down and technology explode all in one quick cataclysmic, end of the world type disaster.

I have loved this blog for three years now. It has ebbed and flowed, traveled some rocky roads, gained bloggers, unfortunately lost bloggers, but I think we can all agree that it has brought a closeness to our family that is irreplaceable. Poor aunt Jackie would have all of us Bennetts staying at her house every single time we came to visit because that would have been our comfort level. Yet I can't tell you how much fun I had with Monie and Cam and kids when we came through. Sadie still talks about her best friend who is her cousin who lives in Utah (she has a hard time remembering Harley's name). I don't think I would have ever felt comfortable enough to just call and ask to stay out of the blue but there was the invitation on the blog, you were all the cousins that I felt close to and in tune with. I feel like I know so much more about all of you, even my own siblings and their families. Realistically, we wouldn't have the time for the phone calls that would keep us all this close. I think what everyone has contributed to the blog over the years will be one of our greatest life's work. Does that sound cheesey or overdramatic? I really believe that. I'm not chastising anyone that has their own blog, you have all stayed really involved in this one, you know, I would hate to bring out the old Blog Nazi. I do worry that a book doesn't publish comments and then there are a few of you that we wouldn't get to have in there at all. I would just hate to see this one die or become less than it is. So that is where I stand or sit nursing Sawyer while I type, whatever.

Okay, moving on. Yesterday we got some sunshine. It was still cold but the girls got out on the trampoline and we went for a walk. Jane and her friend biked on post and went for ice cream and to the library. She checked out a "teen" cookbook and last night we made red beans and rice and cornbread (done almost completely by Jane) and carrot/coconut/pineapple salad (made with my incredibly speedy food processor that I got just for my Deceptively Delicious Cookbook that I haven't used yet). Elly loved the red beans and rice and they were dang spicy. I dished her up seconds and thirds and then she reached over to my plate. We also used our special flour and soy milk so she could eat the cornbread and she loved that as well. Sadie liked everything- sort of. I was making her eat her carrot salad and she did not want it. I said "Come on Sadie, this was one of my favorites when I was a little girl." She looked at me with this kind, understanding, I (as in Sadie) am the parent, you are the child kind of face and said, "Mom, we live different lives." She is such a stink.

The night was ruined however when Brother Gage from the ward called and asked me to give a talk on Sunday. I have a plan for Ellyn so it should all work out. I have already copied and pasted mom and Cameron's comments onto my notes (see how valuable the blog is?). Okay, that is all I have done thus far. Well I need to go get my family up, Spring Break or not, it's time, Daddy it's time. I will quickly post a picture of Ellyn drinking from the pitcher after dinner last night. I think she was still a bit thirsty. Oh, Hazey and Maddie I'm sorry you sweet babies can't breath! I hope you feel better.




Wait- a few more comments, Jess- I did read your blog yesterday trying to remember the two for Tuesday thing. Your house made me feel so much better. I swear I am working non-stop right now and I cannot get caught up (okay, not non-stop because I am trying to do fun things with my kids too, but you know what I mean). I teased MIke with the pregnancy thing too. It could only work now because he was just home but I stopped fairly quickly because he was worried about the baby and the IUD. He did believe me though and said I was a chump. The couple missionaries in our ward called that day and Elder Abersold asked if I had been fooled and I said no but that I had fooled Mike. He asked how and I told him that I told Mike we were going to have another kid. He told his daughter in an e-mail and she took a test over to her pregnant neighbor (his daughter already has 6 kids), I don't know what happened from there. Ad, the bees are awesome and I'm sorry, my phone died the other night. Okay, that is really the end. I love you all! BLOG ON!