3 Girls, 1 Guy and a Zoo!: January 2017

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Fire Hall Field Trip

I'm not even sure how many years in a row we have been offering this trip, but it sure is a winner every time. Doug does a phenomenal job with the kids and I think they have have a blast!

Climbing through the trucks is probably one of the favorite things to do...

This year we broke for lunch part way through...I know my girls loved that!

Every year Doug tries to do something different. This year they used portable water tanks (Indian packs) that they use during grass fires and let the kids knock down cups. They LOVED it! Even the little ones got involved on this one!

John kept trying to get wet ;)

A couple kids wanted to see Doug get suited up, and they got to try on his gear too!

Thanks again Doug for a great job on the trip!

You are awesome :)

Monday, January 30, 2017

Maple Ridge Snow Tubing

For Christmas, my parents gave Doug a gift certificate for the 4 of us to go tubing at Maple Ridge. We have never been before, but have always wanted to go. My parents came to visit on Friday. We toyed with the idea of heading over there, but with the severe lack of snow we have, we weren't sure that it was even going to be possible. We checked the site at 10am for hill condition, and decided to give it a shot.

With the lack of snow and the fact that Sunday was going to be a free tubing day, we were hopeful that it would be good enough to tube and yet quiet! To say we had a blast was an understatement! It was amazing! We took our 1st trip down around 1pm, and we were the last ones off the hill when they closed at 5pm!

Our top speed for the day was 34mph :) and the best part was not having to walk the hill. I can't even imagine how we would have felt Sunday morning if we would have had to.

We definitely wore the kiddos out!

Thanks again Mom and Dad! We can't wait to go again!

Friday, January 27, 2017

This one is for my Grandma...

Do you remember this Grandma?

My grandma made this Raggedy Ann dress for a costume I needed. I wore it with a mop top that we dyed red. Madalyn found it in my closet and LOVES it so she wore it to church on Wednesday. She is so cute! :) Thanks for the memories yet again Grandma!

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Marissa's newest project

She got two skeins of this yarn for Christmas and within 48 hours she had a hat finished completely!

This week she finished the scarf...She is so talented!

I love how they turned out

Can I just stop for a second and take note of how grown up she looks in this picture?

I can't believe what a beautiful young lady she is turning into :)

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

New Bike

Last year we upgraded my bike since it was realistically no longer safe riding on the trails that we do. This year it was Doug's turn! He has spent a good length of time searching for a good deal on his bike. Boy did he find it! I was a little nervous about buying it from ebay, but we know a lot of people that have had good luck so we took the chance.

It came and it was in beautiful shape, even though it was used...they really took their time packaging it and you could tell they knew what they were doing.

We hit the snowmobile trails since they were closed and had quite a few laughs. It was nice to get out again and now our itch for warm weather is so much bigger!

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Curtains...FINALLY!!!

When we redid the windows in 2011, we ditched the old curtains. Due to lack of money and such, we have gone 5 years with no window treatments. Honestly I have gotten used to them and it really didn't bother me.

We finally decided it was time and I'm so thankful! I LOVE them!!!

Living Room...

Dining Room...

Our Bedroom...

The Nursery/Playroom

I'm super happy with them :)

Monday, January 23, 2017

Christmas with the rest of the Benedict clan :)

The 1st Saturday following the new year, we planned to get together with the whole Benedict family. Owen and Ashton (I'm always shocked at how much they have grown everytime I see them!) ended up having some sports events going on so they didn't get to come up until Sunday. Due to it being church and all that, I didn't grab my camera like I had planned. ;(

I'm always amazed at how well all the kids do playing together. There is a pretty decent age gap between the oldest and youngest, but they all seem to put that aside when they are together.

The adults got to talk and catch up and just enjoy each other's company.

We decided we needed to take another family picture this year!

Here is ours from 2 years ago...

Here is this years!

It's never enough time, but I'm thankful for the time we got!

Friday, January 20, 2017

Random questions answered by the girls...

-WITHOUT prompting, ask your child/ children these questions....

This came across Facebook so I copied and pasted it and thought it would be fun to put on here. :)  Here goes!!!

Madalyn's Turn for Mommy

*What is something I say a lot?

Enough

*What makes me happy?

We make you happy

*What makes me sad? 

Daddy Leaving

*How tall am I? 

I don't know!  How tall are you?

*What's my favorite thing to do?

Umm, I think it's being with kids because you like kids a lot.

*What is my favorite food? 

This is a hard one...I don't know you very good!  OOO OOO Your favorite food is oranges.

*What is my favorite drink?

 Water

*If I could go anywhere, where would it be? 

Is this for the adoption thing?  What is this for?  Stop writing!

*Do you think you could live without me?

No, I don't think I could...

*How do I annoy you? 

Well, let's see...ummm, when you yell at others it annoys me.

*What is my favorite TV show?

 Chicago Fire and PD and all those things

*What is my favorite music to listen to?

Christian Music?

*What is my job?

To be a stay at home mom...you only stay home so...

*How old am I?

I think you are like 29...I think...I don't know....or are you in your 30's...I don't know...This is hard!

*What's my favorite color?

Orange!  That's easy!

*How much do you love me?

To the moon and back one hundred million times!Marissa's Turn for Mommy

*What is something I say a lot?

Hey don't do that...to the little kids!

*What makes me happy?

When Daddy is home

*What makes me sad? 

When an animal or someone you love dies

*How tall am I? 

You are like 5 foot 3???

*What's my favorite thing to do?

Spend time with family and go bike riding and...

*What is my favorite food? 

Hmm...I definitely know it's not lemons.  Yogurt!

*What is my favorite drink? 

Hot tea

*If I could go anywhere, where would it be? 

Go see Daddy when he is on a long trip

*Do you think you could live without me?

I don't think I could actually

*How do I annoy you? 

You know me because you gave birth to me...oh wait how do you annoy me?  

You are always asking what I'm doing.

*What is my favorite TV show? 

Chicago PD and stuff

*What is my favorite music to listen to?

Adventures in Oddyessy

*What is my job?

You babysit and homeschool

*How old am I?

You are 32

*What's my favorite color?

Orange

*How much do you love me?

I love you more than you can ever go to or imagine.

They crack me up! :)  I love them both so much!

The girls wanted us to do it too...so here goes nothing!

My turn for the girls...

*What is something I say a lot?

"Marissa!"  "Madalyn"

*What makes me happy?

I make you happy!

*What makes me sad? 

Daddy Leaving

*How tall am I?

 Marissa is like 5ft and Madalyn is like 4 ft 5???

*What's my favorite thing to do?

Play together

*What is my favorite food? 

Marissa's is Spanish Rice and Madalyn's is Red Beans and Rice

*What is my favorite drink? 

Root Beer for both

*If I could go anywhere, where would it be?

 Disney Land

*Do you think you could live without me?

Absolutely NOT!

*How do I annoy you? 

When you argue

*What is my favorite TV show? 

Wild Kratts, for both

*What is my favorite music to listen to?

Adventures in Oddyssey

*What is my job?

To be a kid and help out

*How old am I?

Marissa is 11 and Madalyn is 9

*What's my favorite color?

Marissa's is yellow and Madalyn's is orange

*How much do you love me?

A lot:)

Daddy's turn for the girls...

*What is something I say a lot?

It's not really a saying, but Marissa's laugh and Madalyn says Peterette a lot

*What makes me happy?

Frogs make Madalyn happy and Crocheting makes Marissa happy

*What makes me sad? 

When you run over a frog or toad for Madalyn and Marissa gets sad when I say goodbye 

*How tall am I?

 Marissa is at least 5 ft and Madalyn must be 4ft 5

*What's my favorite thing to do?

Madalyn's favorite thing to do is catch frogs and toads and Marissa's favorite thing to do is Crocheting

*What is my favorite food? 

Madalyn's is red beans and rice and Marissa's is black olives

*What is my favorite drink? 

Root beer for both....or eggnog

*If I could go anywhere, where would it be? 

Camping

*Do you think you could live without me?

No

*How do I annoy you? 

When I'm trying to get stuff done on Sunday mornings and they wake up and tell me everything...which really isn't annoying, I just wish I was able to have the time to sit and listen.

*What is my favorite TV show?

 Emergency

*What is my favorite music to listen to?

Disney

*What is my job?

Feed the dogs, help mom, take care of the rabbit and feed the cat

*How old am I?

Marissa is 11 and Madalyn is 9

*What's my favorite color?

Madalyn's is orange and Marissa's is yellow

*How much do you love me?

There is no words for that

Now the girls want to do Daddy....(are you sick of this yet???)

Madalyn's Turn for Daddy

*What is something I say a lot?

"Shhh, I can't focus"

*What makes me happy?

Us

*What makes me sad? 

Ummmm, this is hard...well...ummm...I need to stop talking...

When we skype with him and he isn't here

*How tall am I?

 Oh boy...ummm close to the ceiling

*What's my favorite thing to do?

Ummm spend time with us...GO CAMPING...CAMPING, CAMPING, CAMPING!

*What is my favorite food? 

Pooo, ummm...well...shhh Marissa, I'm trying to think...Don't write that!  I would say eggs

*What is my favorite drink? 

Eggnog

*If I could go anywhere, where would it be? 

Camping

*Do you think you could live without me?

No

*How do I annoy you? 

When you cut me off of my sentences

*What is my favorite TV show? 

I don't know

*What is my favorite music to listen to?

Christian Music off of the radio

*What is my job?

Dairy One

*How old am I?

AHHH, You are 300000 ummm 3000...if I come across mean...you are 39

*What's my favorite color?

Blue

*How much do you love me?

Umm, more than you can imagine!

Marissa's Turn for Daddy

*What is something I say a lot?

"I love you"

*What makes me happy?

Being home

*What makes me sad? 

Leaving us and having to go to work

*How tall am I? 

5 foot 6

*What's my favorite thing to do?

Go bike riding and camping

*What is my favorite food? 

Blueberries 

*What is my favorite drink? 

Orange Cream Soda

*If I could go anywhere, where would it be? 

Heaven

*Do you think you could live without me?

I never could

*How do I annoy you?

 Ummm...when he is on his phone and he doesn't answer my questions

*What is my favorite TV show? 

America's Got Talent

*What is my favorite music to listen to?

Christmas Music

*What is my job?

Being a father

*How old am I?

36

*What's my favorite color?

Blue

*How much do you love me?

Mmm, more than anything that...I don't know...more than anything!

:)

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Charades

We moved onto a technical game of Charades...

LOL

We snuck in quite a few games of Hand and Foot as well.
I'm so thankful for all the time that we spent with both our families.

I'm looking forward to another day spent with Doug's whole family in a future post.

We love you all!

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Watch ya Mouth...hilarious!!!

When I started seeing posts about this game, I knew I needed to get it....

And this is how it went...HAHA

We were dying with laughter before the game really even began!

Mom's turn ...

(I'm not sure why Jeremy is showing up as the preview...it's definitely Mom)

Try #2 :)

Jeremy's turn...

Liz's turn...How did she luck out in not getting a picture???

Madalyn's turn...

Doug's turn...

My turn...

Jonathan's turn..

Chelsea's turn...

Dad's turn...

Marissa's turn...

LOL

I can't wait to try this game out with our teens! I think it's going to be a blast!
Thanks for putting up with our silly game idea!

If you were to ask me where I would see myself in 10 years, I never would have guessed that I would be here. However, I couldn't be happier! I'm very happily married to the love of my life and have two girls. We have begun our journey towards adoption and I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for us over the next couple of years. I'm a stay at home mom who home-schools. I enjoy researching and finding things out for myself. This blog allows me to share with others my passions and keep in touch with family that I wouldn't normally be able to keep in such close touch with.

Daddy is such a blessing to me. We met in college and became best friends. About one and a half years after we met we were dating. The rest is history. Together we have grown in the Lord and learned many lessons even in our few years together. Things haven't always been smooth, but together and with the Lord's help we can accomplish anything. He is the love of my life and my true soul mate. He is 100% committed to his family and the Lord. He is currently working for Dairy One in Ithaca. He loves to ski, ride dirt bikes, tinker on things, mow the lawn :) and spend time with his girls.

Marissa is our oldest. She was born in May 2005. She is 100% Daddy's girl. She is a home body and usually isn't away from home for long and she is asking to go back to our house. She always claims a job and sticks with it till its done. She is very quick and catches on fast. You have to be careful what you show her, because before you know it she is going to be attempting it herself. Madalyn is her best friend. She loves church and loves learning and singing about Jesus. Marissa is now is school and she is doing great. She loves to read and do projects. She LOVES animals and has decided that she wants to be a Veterinarian when she grows up!

Madalyn is our youngest. She is 100% Mommy's girl (nice of them that they split us up so that one isn't quite so overwhelmed isn't it?). Madalyn knows what she wants and goes for it. She has no fear and is usually the leader of my two even though she is younger. She does love to shadow her older sister though. She is my girly girl, but also my one that is always getting messy. She loves her hair done, to get dressed up, and shoes! We are in trouble with this one! She loves school and is super smart. She has decided she wants to be a "snow plow driver" when she grows up. She is also going to build a house RIGHT next to us and live there so she can still see us every day ;)

Case was actually our "oldest child". Sadly we said goodbye to him on October 29th, 2013. He was a black lab/ red-tick coonhound. He loved to roam the fields, swim, play ball, catch frisbees, go hiking and spend time at the barn. He also very much enjoyed those black and white cats that roam in the dark and have stripes down their backs...or he must have because he kept getting sprayed! He hated to be abandoned by his family and preferred us to all be in the house by 9pm or he started pacing. His biggest dislike was winter. He hated the cold and would rather hold his potty all day long than to go out and pee. Even when he did go out he barely makes it out the door and he was starting to go! Haha He was our "little boy in a doggie suit" as my aunt says. We love him and miss him like crazy.

Cali is our first cat together as a married couple. Sadly we said goodbye to her on October 8th, 2014. We got her from the barn shortly after we moved. She had to be one of the softest cats you had ever felt and of course one of the best looking calicos. LOL She was a great mouser and spent alot of her time in the basement hunting. She had a funny quirk. When she got ready to settle down and sleep, she parted the hair on her tail so only a few hairs were sticking up and then she proceeded to suck on those hairs.

Beaker is a litter mate to Cali. She is a great mouser. She loves to sneak outside when she gets the chance but if you say her name she quickly darts back in. She is VERY attached to Doug and is always coming up to him purring just as loud as can be begging to be picked up. Beaker of course never does this to me. She doesn't like change and isn't fond of strange dogs, although she has gotten much better with the dogs. She will still swat at Molly but it's not angry, it's almost like she is playing.

Sid was our Marshall Ferret. We said goodbye to him in 2012. He was amazing! Great with kids and other animals, but a total goofball. He definitely lived up to the typical ferret personality and a total thief! Sid's favorite thing to steal was pacifiers. He would take them right out of a baby's mouth if given the opportunity and then take off running! He always hid everything in the same place, so at least we knew where to find them, but of course they were always ruined. Anything rubber was in danger of ending up in the said spot. We definitely miss having him around.

Chloe is Cairn Terrier. She is a blast to have around and I'm definitely sold on the terrier family! She is great with the kids and loves spending time outside. She is a great woodchuck hunter and will sit at an occupied hole all day till she catches one. Even in the winter time she will spend forever out there and come back looking like a snowman. She loves to swim and will swim in any temperature water. She loves to mother other animals. Whether it be kittens from the barn, Case, or her own litter of puppies, she is a great mother! We have since fixed her. Although I'm sad there won't be another litter, it's for the best with the probability of us moving and having to find a new vet.

Meet Molly, our newest dog addition :) After taking some time to heal after losing Case, we decided that our household wasn't the same without a big dog around and we were missing something. So we took the plunge and went full out this time. Molly is a purebred, mis-marked mantle, Great Dane :) She has grown into one good looking pup! I'm still in love with this old picture though, so I'm not changing it! She stands about 31 inches at the shoulder and weighs over 100lbs (although honestly I'm not sure how much over because I can't lift her anymore!) She is great with the kids and loves to cuddle. She shares our bed and is the biggest baby ever. She is very protective and does not like when anyone is pinned down. She is right there to break up the "fight" LOL We love her to pieces!

When Doug's sister and her husband started breeding rabbits, I had a feeling deep down that it was only a matter of time....Here she is! Peterette started out as "Peter". When Madalyn realized "he" was actually a "she", she settled with Peterette. :) Peterette is a flemish giant, which according to what I have read is the Great Dane breed in the bunny world! Figures right? She is super sweet, very laid back and loves to be cuddled and pet. She'll stick her nose out of her cage when you enter the room just so you will scratch it!