another day... another adventure

Erie Zoo!

2010-07-12T14:59:00.000-04:00

This is Samantha the Gorilla. She peered at us like she was as bored as could be. And who could blame her? She needs a buddy to keep her company.

We were thankful for the sprayers since it was a hot and sunny day.

Delaney and Emma got drenched!

I enjoyed the flowers at the zoo more than the animals. It was beautiful.

Hannah on the "mountain".

More spray!

Typical of the Benson girls:

Emma is trying to pet the goat,

Hannah is keeping a cautious distance,

and Delaney is nowhere in sight!

The otters were really entertaining.

Papa and Nana on the train.

Emma Hope, our silly baby girl

2010-06-24T22:35:00.000-04:00

Last week I attempted to get Emma's portrait taken. The photographer did everything short of standing on her head--for an hour--to get try to get Emma to smile. Do you think she cracked even the teeniest grin? Nope. But tonight at dinner she turned into a ham the second I pulled out my camera. Silly Emma!

The Coolest Block in Philly!

2010-06-19T22:30:00.000-04:00

Bryan's company, Dow Chemical, sponsored a contest that was open to the entire city. It was called "the Coolest Block in Philly", and people could nominate their street to win an energy-efficient "make-over" of all the homes on the block that would ultimately help to lower their utility costs.

The 1200 block of Wolf Street in South Philly was chosen as the winner.

Dow is going to use their products to air seal and insulate these older homes, as well as apply a special white, cool-roof coating that will help to cool the homes in summer.

Dow held a party to congratulate the homeowners, and we were invited!

Some of the day's highlights included a delicious meal, a face/arm painter, a live band, Rita's water ice (Bryan's and Hannah's favorite... and they even had mango!)...

games for the kids...

a swimming pool...

and a visit from the Mayor of Philadelphia, Mr. Michael Nutter.

Emma admiring her new body art.

Delaney liked hers, too!

The Mayor was extremely cordial and took time to meet and speak with everyone.

Here he is saying hello to Emma and Delaney.

Bouncing Around!

2010-06-19T21:45:00.002-04:00

There was a bouncy house at the party today... all five of us went in although mommy and daddy pretty much just supervised, and of course took movies!

Silly Emma

2010-06-19T21:36:00.003-04:00

Emma has this funny little habit of "jumping". But it's not really jumping; she just thinks that she is. She kind of throws her head back and grunts simultaneously, and it cracks us up every time. She knows that it makes us laugh, so sometimes she gets a little crazy. In this video, she does her little jumps and then goes into a fancy attempt at a somersault (which, by the way, she has successfully done... just not on film!!).

All Smiles

2010-06-11T21:42:00.002-04:00

When Hannah was younger we practically had to stand on our heads to get her to even crack a smile for a photo. My, how times have changed. Not only does she love the camera now, but she asks me to take pictures of her! Of course, I happily oblige!
Love you, pretty girl.

Little Girls

2010-06-11T21:24:00.005-04:00

What are little girls made of? sugar and spiceand everything nicethat's what little girlsare made of.

love.

2010-06-11T21:17:00.004-04:00

This is how I found the girls when I got out of the shower yesterday. They were not posing; just watching Curious George and enjoying one another's company. Remember this post? Delaney sure loves her baby sister.

Our Annual Summer Kick-Off at the Pool!

2010-06-08T20:08:00.009-04:00

Our town "aquatics center" opens every year on Memorial Day. This year marks the third year in a row that the Bensons have been there to ring in summertime (click here and here to see pictures from the two previous years)! We are thankful that we have such a wonderful place to take our children to swim and have fun.

Emma LOVES the fountains. She especially LOVES to stand with the water hitting her, well, in the diaper area. What a hoot!... I'll spare you the pictures of that!

Ariel, Hannah, and Lily (special friends from her class)And one of the best things about the pool...

you can nap there!

Photo shoot at the garden center.

2010-05-15T21:01:00.003-04:00

What is Delaney cheering for?! Our girls.Another of Hannah's shots. She's pretty good with Daddy's Blackberry!!!"word!"cuteness.

A garden surprise

2010-05-15T20:15:00.002-04:00

We ventured out to the garden this afternoon, and while we were checking out the plants, we noticed some movement in the birdhouse. For two weeks we have been watching mommy and daddy sparrow fly back and forth from the house, taking seeds and other goodies to the babies inside. Well today, those little babies decided to come on out into the real world, and they didn't seem to notice that we were all standing just two feet away!

If you look closely, you can see him/her peeking out.

Smile, birdie!Hanging on for dear life.Even Emma loved seeing the birds.

Baby sparrow making his debut appearance!

2010-05-15T19:59:00.002-04:00

Hangin' Around

2010-05-15T19:19:00.001-04:00

This picture is so sweet, if I do say so myself. Both girls have similiar expressions, as if to say, "Mom, can you please put your camera away already?!?!?!"

Conga line!

2010-05-09T18:26:00.000-04:00

Girly-girl

2010-04-30T21:44:00.002-04:00

I have to laugh every time Hannah dresses herself. When we were leaving for the playground yesterday afternoon, I asked her to grab a sweatshirt since it was very windy. She appeared instead in the pink shrug that came with her Easter dress... she's always the girly-girl!!

(I am proud to report, however, that she can run with the best of them. There were two little boys at the playground whom she immediately befriended, and she quickly managed to stain both of her knees in the process.) We had so much fun. Look at the joy on her face!

Happy little girls!

2010-04-30T21:40:00.000-04:00

Hi, Mom!!!Two little cuties.

More playground fun

2010-04-30T21:33:00.002-04:00

The playground has this cool contraption that is similar to a see-saw. I had never seen one before this but if you look at the picture below, notice that Hannah and Emma are both on tan seats. They were able to work together (well Hannah did the work, Emma just held on and giggled) to get it going. It really looked like fun... and it appeared to require less physical exertion than what I recall "old" see-saws needing. Sisters and friends.
Emma and Mommy.My beautiful girl, without her top two teeth! In fact, she had just pulled one out earlier that afternoon.

Faceplant!

2010-04-29T22:50:00.006-04:00

I think this movie deserves an academy award in both the action and comedy categories. I laugh every time I watch it... but be warned... it's a little graphic!

ps. Don't worry... Emma didn't even care that she hit the dirt and got right back up and did it again! I'm still laughing!!!

Friday night at Dairy Queen

2010-04-24T09:48:00.003-04:00

Hanging at the creek. Hannah is a doting big sister.

Just chillin'

2010-04-24T09:46:00.000-04:00

All Aboard!

2010-04-17T20:53:00.003-04:00

This afternoon we took the girls on their very first train ride. We drove up to New Hope, PA, and boarded a coach for a round-trip ride to, well, basically nowhere. My parents drove up to the turn-around point in Lahaska and although we weren't able to get off the train to talk to them, we waved and they took pictures! My camera wasn't working so I'm glad Gram and Pop were there to snap a few cute shots. (thanks, Dad!)

The train was moving in this picture. All aboard!

Approaching the turn-around.
There's my mom. Hi Gram!Delaney had a hard time figuring out exactly what we were going to do today. She must have been picturing the little train ride at the mall, because she kept asking if we were going to the mall and eating at Chick Fil-A. She got very excited upon seeing the "real" train and all three girls enjoyed the ride. So did Mommy and Daddy!

More backyard fun

2010-04-16T22:35:00.002-04:00

We have more fun in our own backyard than we ever have anywhere else (well, except for maybe Disney World. hee-hee). I love to take pictures of the girls and see the joy on their faces when we're out there.

I have a cute video of this one that I hope to post soon. Delaney looks so grown up, doesn't she?

Climbing the ladder.
And just what is THAT coming up the ladder?Oh! It's Emma, the monkey. I should've known.
(Daddy was quite unhappy that Mommy let her do this by herself! Hey, a girl's gotta learn, right?)

Stylin' girl

2010-04-08T23:52:00.002-04:00

Emma likes to look pretty. Here she is, trying out her new hat from Nana and Papa. And yes, she has a mouthful of food... animal crackers ( just in case you really wanted to know!).

My new favorite picture

2010-04-04T18:16:00.001-04:00

Getting ready for Easter

2010-04-04T13:14:00.000-04:00

Shopping!

2010-04-01T13:48:00.004-04:00

Delaney received a Target gift card for her birthday, so today we went shopping. She eyed all of the toys carefully, until she came upon this cute pink shopping cart. Right away she "had to have it", and all of its plastic food contents (I think it's hilarious that the items are all marked "organic"!). She gleefully pushed it up and down the aisles, through the check-out lane, and across the parking lot. Hannah helped her get it into the van and all three of them played with the plastic food on the ride home. Thanks, Aunt Susan, for the fun gift!

Girl time

2010-03-31T09:38:00.003-04:00

Our friends Lily and Margaux came over to play today. The girls gathered round the table and had a fun time crafting with paints and colored pencils. It was cute to hear the older girls discussing how they could "add details" (as their teacher encourages them to do), and "make it more interesting". The younger girls doted on Emma and made sure that she had lots of colors to keep her occupied. I love little girls!

Breakfast Sillies

2010-03-29T10:24:00.005-04:00

Emma wanted to sit up at the island this morning, so of course Delaney had to join her. The two of them were so silly up there. They had a bowl of dry cereal (a mix of Life and Special K) that they were sharing while I made pancakes. Here they are!

I think it's so funny that people automatically open their mouths when feeding a baby. Even Delaney was doing it, and I'm sure she didn't realize that she was! Emma is saying, "Look at me. I'm cute!"

Cruisin' the mall!

2010-03-19T20:49:00.002-04:00

Bryan and I took the girls shopping this afternoon. We got a big kick out of how cute Hannah and Delaney were together. At one point, we both turned around and saw them walking along, holding hands and discussing life. I didn't have my camera with me but Daddy had his blackberry! And, as usual, I have been a little teary today thinking about our sweet Delaney's 3rd birthday, which is tomorrow. How appropriate that her birthday falls on the first day of spring! The 3 of them, gazing down at "the rides".

We are feeling blessed.

A Day at the Park

2010-03-16T22:02:00.010-04:00

After three full days of heavy rain, today was the start of what is supposed to be a week of amazing weather. We took full advantage of it and met my friend Camille and her kids at the park. All three girls were squealing with joy when we pulled into the parking lot and they were literally jumping out of their car seats! We had a wonderful time and can't wait to get outside again tomorrow.

Emma climbed up into the tunnels immediately after we arrived.

Timid Delaney hung low, with me, as usual.Hannah and her dear friend, Madelyn.Camille, Wade, and Brandon.The three older kids enjoyed some independence by walking down to the skateboard park. I didn't get any pictures, but they had a blast sliding down the ramps on their backsides. It was really fun to watch... even from afar.

Camille and I.Same picture, just black and white. Love this girl! Here is a little clip of fearless Emma on the slide. She would climb to the top and attempt to slide down while standing up. I had to remind her to sit down every time!

Meanwhile...Some things never change. Delaney was a bit more cautious!

Delaney.... Still singing!

2010-03-16T21:58:00.002-04:00

Our Baby is Growing Up... Already?!?!?

2010-03-16T21:47:00.003-04:00

I took this video of Emma in February. I am pretty amazed at her dexterity.

Spring is in the air...

2010-03-08T14:30:00.005-05:00

Despite having a double-ear infection, a nasty cough, a fever, and other lovely symptoms, Emma couldn't wait to get outside this afternoon. In fact, she was so excited that she only napped about 45 minutes. (ugh). So while Hannah was in school and Delaney was asleep, we bundled up and headed out. As I am typing this, the temperature is 57 degrees, but with her being sick, I didn't want to take any chances.

The sun was shining so brightly that she could hardly open her eyes! And when she did, she would sneeze!I would have LOVED to have seen the little critter (I'm guessing a squirrel) who braved our slide. If you look closely at these two pictures (click on the top one to enlarge), you can see his tiny footprints, and then a skid mark where he undoubtedly took an unexpected little ride!

FINALLY!!

2010-02-24T20:31:00.001-05:00

Yes, I am happy to report that we are still alive. Things have been so busy for us since Thanksgiving that I just have not had the time (and admittedly not made it a priority) to post pictures. So I am posting a few from the past three months and then I hope to get back into my regular blogging pattern.

We spent Thanksgiving in Erie, where we celebrated Steve and Babs's anniversary. Fun!

We stopped to visit Aunt Susan.

and enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Kath and Uncle Dave's house.

Bryan and his Grandma Rita. She passed away in January. We miss you, Grandma.

moving on...

Christmas morning

That same day, we loaded into the car and drove south...

I am ashamed (and a little grossed-out) to divulge that we must've stopped at 7 different McDonalds' over the duration of our trip. This one had fancy couches and comfy chairs.

Our first stop was NC to visit Bryan's family. This is him with his siblings, Dan, Amanda, and Adam.

We celebrated Bryan's mom's big birthday while we were there. It included dinner at a lovely Inn...

...as well as a day at the spa for the ladies. Bliss!

A few days later we continued south to visit our dear friends the Kramers. They live in Florida.

Cousins and BFFs

2009-12-23T23:14:00.002-05:00

Delaney Joy and Sarah Faith... I just adore these pictures of the two of them.

A visit with Santa Claus

2009-12-23T22:58:00.001-05:00

and yes, Delaney is missing. If you know her at all, you shouldn't be surprised! Poor Delaney; she is afraid of her own shadow. But her sweetness makes up for it... Santa said that he will still bring her gifts.

And now for the decorating and adorning...

2009-12-13T17:01:00.005-05:00

Mom, can I eat this now???!!!The good stuff.

Hannah took this picture. Good job, Han! Love this picture! And this one, too...we had to get little E in on the action!

New home construction!

2009-12-13T15:24:00.006-05:00

Today we drove out in the cold rain to buy a gingerbread house kit. The kits come with everything you need to make a beautiful, perfectly decorated house. (insert laugh here!) Of course we had to purchase seven more bags of tiny candies, to ensure that we would have enough candy for the house and to satisfy the hungry construction workers.

And here they are... bubbling over with anticipation!

We took great care in setting up the dishes of candy. And sampling them. After I mixed up the frosting, the girls had to taste that, too. Yum!!!It shouldn't surprise anyone that Bryan did the construction. Emma didn't participate, but she did watch from her chair. And she looked awfully cute doing it!We didn't realize until after we had set everything up that we would have to wait a whole hour! for the house to dry before we could decorate it. More pictures to follow later!

Honey, why is the dog getting so chubby these days???

2009-12-08T09:10:00.002-05:00

The magic of Christmas

2009-12-01T21:52:00.003-05:00

Exploring is what Emma does best these days. Her current obsession is, of course, our Christmas tree. After all, who can resist the sparkly white lights, the shiny glass balls, the colorful ornaments...

This red ball kept her occupied today for a good three minutes. onto bigger and better things...

Party girl!

2009-11-22T17:19:00.010-05:00

She knows what to do!On Saturday we celebrated Emma's 1st Birthday with some of our family and friends. She really seemed to enjoy having everybody here and she did nothing but smile and laugh the whole time. She loved every moment of it, but she could barely stay awake for cake!

I love this picture of our girls with their cousins, Tyler and Julia

Our big girl! "Look at me!"Emma with her Gram, Great Aunt-Bunny, and Great-Uncle RogerBryan and Uncle Bob (BFF's!) some random photosFamily shot with Pop and GramEmma and her friend KolbyKaleb, Bryan, and TylerEmma had lots of help opening her gifts!more random pictures

Happy 1st Birthday, Emma!

2009-11-19T12:37:00.023-05:00

Whenever any of our girls celebrates a birthday, I get very sentimental... typically I well up with tears just thinking about how our family has grown and changed over the past six years. Bryan and I know full-well the heartache and brokenness that infertility brings. Years and years of loneliness and longing was, at times, almost too much to bear.

God makes many promises to His children; promises to love us fully and unconditionally, to teach us and to grow us, to carry our burdens for us, and to give us a hope and a future. We clung tightly to those promises and held our breath while we waited (and waited, and waited!) to see what He had in store for us.

And now? Who would've thought!? God knew... He knew from the beginning of time. He has blessed us in ways we cannot even begin to comprehend. He has proven Himself faithful again and again. "Gratitude" is not sufficient enough to explain my thankfulness to the Lord for choosing to bless us with three amazing daughters. But gratitude is what I feel. Thank you, God, for our family. Thank you for showing us that Your plans are far greater than our plans. Thank you for Emma Hope. He settles the barren woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the Lord. ~Psalm 113:9

Our happy girl

2009-11-13T10:33:00.010-05:00

It is so hard to believe that our happy girl, Emma, will be turning one year old on Tuesday. How can it be that the tiny, just-shy-of-seven-pounds baby who arrived seemingly yesterday has grown into a smiley, chubby, destructive little girl? Bryan and I have lots of nicknames for her, but our current favorite is "Landfill". Not a very girly name, but it fits her perfectly!! At mealtime, she will eat anything that we offer her... and she literally shoves it into her mouth as quickly as she can with both hands. Additionally, she crawls around the house looking for things to eat. Hannah and even Delaney know to be on the lookout for her safety, and both of them have pulled objects out of Emma's hungry mouth. She definitely keeps us on our toes... and she continues to amuse us with her sweet and silly personality. Enjoy this little clip!

Artists at work

2009-11-13T10:17:00.004-05:00

Hannah received a beautiful Tinkerbell craft kit for her birthday. It included a watercolor set that she has been dying to use, and this morning was the perfect time to break it out. She and Delaney enjoyed some creative time together, and I got a chance to work on my blog! A fun time was had by all!

Halloween fun at school!

2009-11-01T20:50:00.004-05:00

Kindergarten is proving to be very exciting for Hannah... not only is she making new friends, learning to read, write, and do math, but she is participating in all of the fun that students have at school. Here she is in her High School Musical cheerleader costume (the EHS letters on the front actually light up, but I didn't get a picture of it!).

Waiting to walk in the parade. There's our girl, straight ahead in the red.One of the party stations... making leaf necklaces. They also decorated pumpkins, frosted cookies, and wove fall designs with yarn.

Our birthday girl turns 6!

2009-11-01T20:29:00.002-05:00

Friday was a busy, exciting day for Hannah and our family... it was her sixth birthday, as well as her Halloween parade and party at school. I was able to go in to help with the festivities, while Hannah proudly wore her birthday crown. Happy birthday, baby girl!!!

Happy ending!

2009-11-01T20:26:00.001-05:00

yummmmm!

More fall fun!

2009-10-25T23:22:00.006-04:00

We decided to carve our pumpkins tonight. Hannah and Delaney spent a long time designing their own with markers, which of course smudged all over everything! Bryan carved an "E" into Emma's, which led to Hannah requesting an "H" on hers (even though she had drawn quite a face already!). Delaney's never did get carved, but she loves it nonetheless. It was a fun time that was filled with silliness, laughter, and toasted pumpkin seeds. yuuummmm!

If you look closely at this picture, you can see Emma cruising around the family room.

Artist at work...Mommy gettin' crazy!The end result:

Emma's first pumpkin... picked especially by Daddy!

2009-10-25T22:24:00.005-04:00

Okay, so Bryan didn't actually pick this pumpkin out of the field, but he and Hannah did go to the farm stand today and they chose a beautiful pumpkin for each of us. This was Emma's first experience with one... and I just love her faces in these pictures below. And I just love her even more.

Autumn splendor

2009-10-19T17:03:00.003-04:00

Oreos have met their match!

2009-10-19T17:02:00.000-04:00

Sweets treats!

2009-10-18T21:42:00.017-04:00

Nana brought along all of her cookie-making apparatus this weekend... including sugar cookie dough that she made ahead of time and brought in a cooler! The girls were thrilled and couldn't wait to get started with the rolling, cutting, decorating, and of course, eating.

Hannah was a careful cutter.

Moons!
Daddy and Papa popped in periodically to check out the festivities in the kitchen.and Mommy, well... I manned the oven.Peeking at the dough.
It tastes GOOD, Mom!
Emma enjoyed watching, and of course she had a few tastes here and there!

This is FUN, Nana!!!!!

The end result!

Rainy day at the bowling alley

2009-10-17T14:55:00.008-04:00

This weekend we are experiencing rain. Lots of soaking, cold rain. So is there a better way to spend some time together as a family than at the local bowling alley? (Click here to see our last excursion to the lanes...)High five, mommy!

Autumn visit from Papa and Nana

2009-10-17T14:03:00.006-04:00

Papa and Nana arrived this weekend for their annual fall visit. As always, they came loaded down with gifts for the girls. Here is Hannah in her new Halloween jammies, opening her early birthday presents.

What a little monkey!Papa took the phrase "say cheese!" literally. Silly boys.

Sweet little girl on a beautiful fall day

2009-10-11T14:11:00.004-04:00

Take me out to the ballgame...

2009-10-07T23:15:00.003-04:00

This afternoon Bryan and I went downtown to watch the Fightin' Phils crush the Rockies in game one of the post-season. Despite the 40 mph wind gusts, the weather was great and the fans were in high spirits! It was a perfect day.

Outside the stadium

the opening ceremonies were awesome... this tried-and-true Phillies fan got a little emotional! Kevin Bacon and his brother sang the National AnthemSelf-portrait!A fabulous afternoon was followed by an amazing dinner downtown. I don't think either of us have eaten that much in a long, long time!Thank you to Gram and Pop for babysitting!

Delaney!

2009-10-04T11:26:00.002-04:00

Mom, why did you put me up here on the kitchen island??? Ho-hum.Whoa! Check out my red shoes!

Emma Hope (with a little Hannah thrown in!)

2009-09-28T08:27:00.005-04:00

Just keeping with the routine...

2009-09-27T00:01:00.004-04:00

We have spent several of the past few weekends getting together with our dear friends, the Rush's. They came over tonight for some pizza, football, and silly fun. The kids all get along famously (I know that's a British term, but I just love it!), and the grown-ups get a little giddy, too. Here are some pics that we took:

Kaleb and Delaney. Future husband and wife.

Hannah adores Kaleb, too!
Lauren, Kaleb, Kolby, Delaney, and Hannah (Emma was the only one who went to bed at her normal bedtime! Sorry, Emma!)The guys... gettin' cozy.and the moms!

Friday night on the town

2009-09-26T23:52:00.006-04:00

All five of us piled into the van last night and headed to dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse. We had a blast, and the food was delicious, too. We even managed a quick trip to Borders afterwards--which, by the way, has a fabulous children's section! Hooray for family time!

Daddy and his twin

Photo shoot

2009-09-26T23:37:00.002-04:00

Hannah asked me to take some pictures of her while I had my camera out yesterday. I am so happy to oblige, considering we couldn't get her to smile for the camera for the past, well, several years! Say cheese!

I get by with a little help from my... sisters!

2009-09-26T23:27:00.002-04:00

The girls have taken a liking to feeding Emma her bottle whenever possible. And sweet little Emma never complains... she's just happy to eat! They did a switch-off here... right in the middle of the bottle.I love how Delaney is looking at Emma... and how the angle of the bottle was causing the formula to run all over Emma's chin!

A twilight surprise

2009-09-10T20:25:00.006-04:00

I took Delaney outside this evening to say "goodnight" to Bryan, who was working in the yard. I looked up and saw the most beautiful display that I have seen in quite a while. There was a double rainbow in the east (the one on the left is very faint), and a gorgeous sunset in the west. I couldn't take my eyes off of either and kept turning from one to the other to stare in awe. The funny thing is that it hadn't even started to rain at that point. I always think of a rainbow as appearing after a rainstorm. This one came before. Just another little surprise from God... He never ceases to amaze me. He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth— the LORD God Almighty is his name.

Amos 4:13

Delaney's first haircut

2009-09-10T20:08:00.006-04:00

I took Hannah and Delaney to my salon today to get their hair cut. This was a first for Delaney, and I could tell that she wasn't sure what to make of the whole thing. She was very quiet the whole drive there, and as soon as we walked in she tightly gripped my hand and told me that she wanted to go home. now. uh-oh. So, we watched Hannah get her hair washed "like a big girl" and cut "like a big girl" and blown out "like a big girl"... you get the idea. Corrine is the best. She is so meticulous and patient.
Delaney helped out by feeding Emma (who, by the way, sat quietly in the stroller the entire time. She is the BEST baby!)So after 30 minutes of going back and forth between "yes" and "no", our (getting braver!) brave girl climbed up onto the elevated chair at the sink and never looked back. I did let her keep her pacifier, which I personally cannot stand, but it helped a lot and my sweet Delaney never once batted an eye. She just smiled occasionally, like she was proud of herself. Every girl needs a little pampering, right?!Ta-da!
I must have heard, "Hey, Mom! I got my hair cut!!!" 16 times on the drive home.Two freshly-cut cuties. Hooray!

...and no school means a trip to the ice cream parlor!

2009-09-09T21:32:00.003-04:00

This past Friday the kids had off from school. My friend Camille and I took advantage of the perfect weather and hit a little country ice cream parlor that we'd heard about. It took a little help from my GPS to find the place, but once we arrived we had a blast. The kids marveled over the 24 flavors of soft-serve that they offered (here's a shocker for you--both Hannah and Delaney settled on vanilla!!!), and they all sat quietly for the three minutes that it took them to scarf down their treats. I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Our baby girl goes to kindergarten

2009-09-09T21:22:00.002-04:00

Well, the big day came and went with little fanfare. Hannah was as excited, confident, and happy as we could have hoped. I thought all along that I would cry at her departure. But seeing her in such a state of "big-girl-ness" made me so proud and excited for her that I could only smile, hug her, and snap tons of pictures.

Here she is! All ready to go!

Proud Daddy.
and proud Mommy!
All five of us drove to Hannah's school to see her off.Look out, world! Here I come!

Delaney finally takes the plunge

2009-08-27T16:36:00.004-04:00

If you check out the video in the post below this one, you may notice that Delaney was standing on Bryan's legs... to avoid getting wet. All week long she was terrified of the ocean; she insisted on being held and preferred to spend her time at the beach playing in the sand or sitting in her little pool that we brought. However, today Bryan worked his magic and convinced her that the ocean is FUN!!!! I love this picture of the 3 of us... an action shot for sure! Hooray, Daddy. Hooray, Delaney!

Emma Hope loves the beach!

2009-08-26T14:48:00.003-04:00

A perfect summer day at the beach!

2009-08-26T14:24:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was literally a perfect beach day. The sky was blue, the ocean was warm and clear, the waves were big, and everyone had a wonderful time in the sand and surf.
Our nephew Christopher loves the beach as much as Emma does. "Yeah!"Delaney and Sarah playing in the sandAnd of course, Hannah and JoJo are having a blast. It's so cute to watch them run into the crashing waves together, and also to see them sitting quietly in chairs!

Monday at Missy's

2009-08-26T13:41:00.002-04:00

So we all went to Missy and Joe's shore house for dinner on Monday. It was mainly a Happy Hour of sorts, with some ham and side dishes thrown in for good measure. Their house is only three blocks away from ours.

Mom, Missy, & me

Dad and Babs with Bryan and I on the upstairs deck.If you look really close, you can just see the ocean behind us!Anyone for a drink?

JoJo and Hannah

2009-08-24T00:22:00.002-04:00

These two kids are just too cute together. They have so much fun and make us all laugh with their antics. In these pictures, they were sitting in a chair together on the porch...
...being silly. JoJo was trying his best to kiss Hannah. She wanted no parts of it!

Finally some family time with the Guarnaccias!

2009-08-24T00:18:00.001-04:00

JoJo and Joe! Kissing cousins
the happy couple

Peek-a-boo!

2009-08-24T00:13:00.001-04:00

What is that, you ask?

A bald head?

Perhaps a child in a cooler? No....

...can't be!

can it?

Oh, my!Emma is such a good sport.

More boardwalk pics!

2009-08-24T00:06:00.003-04:00

I have a lot of random pictures from the boardwalk that I am sorting through. This one below makes me laugh... my sister and my husband on the old-fashioned car ride! Sarah and Delaney were on there, too, but it's hard to see them. Hannah and Bryan went on this ride last year... so this year I got a turn.
I love this picture of JoJo and Hannah. So cute!and of course I had to take many pictures of baby Christopher... he is such a lovebug.

Summer nights on the boardwalk

2009-08-23T23:59:00.002-04:00

So my sister Missy and I are finally getting to hang out... all week long! With six kids between us, it sure is a lot different than when we were younger, but our kids love each other and it's fun to watch them when they are together. Sarah and Delaney are constantly hugging! It's so cute!

Emma walks! (sort of...) AND, 10,000 blog hits!

2009-08-19T18:15:00.011-04:00

I honestly don't know which I am more excited about... that Emma is becoming more and more mobile every day, or that today "Another Day, Another Adventure" got its 10,000th hit on Blogger! woo-hoo! Anyway, here she is. It won't be long before she is running around the house with her two sisters. Emma, you GO girl.

Chillin' in the high chair

2009-08-19T18:08:00.003-04:00

Just having some fun together...

2009-08-19T18:00:00.002-04:00

Hannah and Delaney disappeared into Hannah's bedroom for quite awhile this afternoon. When they came downstairs, they were "twins", sporting foam visors and big bags they were using as purses. I think it's funny that Delaney's purse was a Halloween bag with reflective strips... notice how they lit up with my camera flash! And below, Emma chewing on an empty marker box.

Friday afternoon fun... and farm tour

2009-08-16T07:50:00.011-04:00

It's not very often that Delaney and Mommy get some time alone together. On Friday we finally did... and took full advantage of a gorgeous afternoon, a Jeep with no top, and a bucolic view of two of our favorite upper Bucks County farms.

This is a private barnyard that we drive by frequently. We love to stop and wave to the "horsies" and listen to the turkeys gobble hello to us. It cracks us up that they reside together.

Delaney was very concerned that this guy had somehow gotten out of the pen. He looked a little perplexed, too, and kept making funny noises... "help me! help me!"

Haha, Mom, that's funny!!

We stopped at Tabora (remember this post? And this one?) for some fresh sunflowers and to visit our friends, the chickens. Of course Delaney was terrified and clung tightly to my neck. But those chickens sure weren't afraid......they came right over and said hello.

Too bad Hannah wasn't around to chase them!

Hannah (Montana) dresses up!

2009-08-10T20:40:00.009-04:00

This afternoon Hannah asked me to take her picture, since she was dressed to the nines in her Hannah Montana dress and leggings. I happily obliged.

Check out all the "jewelry"-- she had a ring on every finger! I think I am starting to miss those Cinderella dresses...Here is our baby girl in the same chair 5 years ago. (sniff! sniff!)

LOVE

2009-08-04T23:22:00.001-04:00

Lucky day

2009-08-03T14:41:00.003-04:00

This afternoon Hannah and I were able to go out cruising in the Jeep. We went to Dairy Queen and, lo and behold, they had Girl Scout Cookie Thin Mint blizzards available! While we were eating, a lady bug landed on my leg. They are a symbol of good luck, and it was our lucky day indeed. (Bryan said that we should've offered the girl behind the counter $5 for a box of Thin Mints. Not a bad idea, since we've all been going through withdrawal!)

Look out below!

2009-08-02T18:54:00.003-04:00

Our baby girl is certainly on the move. While Emma was playing in the playroom this afternoon, I ran upstairs for a minute. This is what I saw when I returned:

Whoa! Where did you come from?

Good thing Mommy has her camera attached to her hip at all times.Action shot of Emma wiping out a bit... and still smiling!

My growing girl

2009-08-02T18:50:00.001-04:00

How many frogs DO you have to kiss before you find a prince?

2009-08-02T14:49:00.006-04:00

We met our friends at the park last week for some morning fun. Gabe, Robert, and Hannah spent much of the time overturning the concrete blocks that line the playground area. To their utter delight, they found all kinds of slimy creatures, including this big um, toad? Frog? Anyway, the kids were cracking me up with their shenanigans, which included kissing this guy. Doesn't he look thrilled?

I love the look on Hannah's face here. No prince this time!

Flower girls

2009-07-30T19:32:00.003-04:00

While Delaney was napping this afternoon, we 3 girls ventured out to the garden to check the fennel for caterpillars. I decided to take my camera along in case we spotted any creepy crawlers that were worthy of photographing. We didn't find any (bummer!), but we did admire the flowers. We said hello to the baby birds in the birdhouse. And, some of us even enjoyed munching on the grass... I should mention that I just found this same flower attached to our fridge with a magnet!

Sunday morning treats

2009-07-30T13:49:00.001-04:00

I don't really let Delaney eat pop tarts for breakfast every day...

...okay, maybe I do.

And this is my payment. I'll take it!

Mastering the froggy slide... sort of.

2009-07-21T15:12:00.009-04:00

Okay, call me a bad mom. But I literally crack up every time I look at these pictures of Delaney. She has a love/hate relationship with the froggy slide at the pool, in that she talks about it all the time, but she gets a look of sheer terror on her face when she actually slides down it.

Mustering up the courage...

See what I mean?

I am not kidding, every time she goes on this thing she has this look on her face. And this past weekend we were at the pool three days in a row, for a total of 107 times down the slide. And no, I am not exaggerating (for those of you who know my penchant for doing that), it really was 107 times.

Emma & Anthony

2009-07-21T15:09:00.003-04:00

Pool pals (click on photo... and check out E's new bling!)

Grandpa visits the pool

2009-07-17T21:53:00.005-04:00

We hit the pool today with Grandpa. He spent some QT with all three girls; especially Hannah. Bryan left first to take Delaney home for a nap, I left a short time later with Emma, and Hannah and Grandpa didn't arrive home until dinnertime! What a fun day!

Party on the yacht!

2009-07-16T21:34:00.003-04:00

It was such a gorgeous day yesterday that the girls and I drove up to Lake Nockamixon to check out the sights. My parents were sailing back into their dock when we arrived, and Gram insisted that we come aboard to celebrate Emma's first time on Kindred Spirit. haha! We didn't even sail! But the girls had fun playing in the cabin and I was able to catch a few rays and enjoy a cold drink. I'll take any relaxation I can get! Thanks, Gram and Pop!

Beautiful girl

2009-07-16T20:32:00.001-04:00

Devon and Aunt Debbie

2009-07-16T20:29:00.001-04:00

These two gals are some of our favorites. We love you, Devon and Aunt Debbie!

A visit with Grandma Rita

2009-07-16T20:22:00.002-04:00

When Bryan and I started dating, we had seven grandparents between us. Here it is, eighteen years later, and only his Grandma Rita is still with us. While we were in Erie, we stopped in to visit her and to introduce her to her newest great-granddaughter, Emma.

Four generations of Bensons

Hannah looked lovely in her patriotic dress Grandma really only had eyes for Emma! And Emma ate it up!

Chalkboard giggles

2009-07-16T19:57:00.004-04:00

Babs found some old chalkboards in her classroom and brought three of them home for the girls. Delaney spent some serious time practicing her squiggles and saying, "I drew an 'e'!" four hundred times. Papa found a way to really connect with her, and they had quite a crazy time together on the kitchen floor.

Papa would draw something...

and then Delaney would quickly grab the eraser and erase it. Note her hysteria below!
"This is fun, Papa!"

Our brave girl

2009-07-10T22:35:00.002-04:00

We still cannot believe that our timid Delaney LOVED the diving board at Nana and Papa's pool. The evidence is pictured below. I even shot a video which you can view in the post below! Wonders will never cease.

Taking the plunge!

High five!Congratulatory kisses from Daddy, and cheers from HannahHooray!

See it with your own eyes!

2009-07-10T22:25:00.004-04:00

and yes, that is Delaney exclaiming, "I want to do it again!"

4th of July Part II

2009-07-10T22:13:00.002-04:00

After the parade in Mayville, NY (see post below), we loaded up and headed to the second half of our vacation--to visit the Benson family in Erie, PA. Although their pool had been flooded with mud just days earlier, Nana and Papa managed to empty it, refill it, and have it all clean (and cold!) and ready for their annual party. Here are some pictures of the Bensons. (If you're wondering where Babs is, she was in the kitchen, where she lives during parties. Maybe one of these years she will make an appearance outside!)

Bryan's sisters, Alissa and Nicole.

Love.Smile, Emma!Bryan and his Dad, Steve (aka Papa). So cute.

Independence Day parade

2009-07-10T21:52:00.006-04:00

This year's parade did not disappoint. Hannah, Delaney, and their cousin Ian enjoyed gathering candy and marveling at the sights: loud fire trucks, horses, cheerleaders, marching bands, and various floats with country-crooning singers and dancers. We weren't sure how Delaney would react to the chaos of it all, but she loved every bit of it. And wherever there are other children, she is a happy kid.Emma made it through the first half-hour before falling asleep. Here she is with her gorgeous Aunt Meghan. I laugh every time I see this picture. Poor Emma was snoozing in the stroller... right next to Bryan. But she somehow got cut out. Ha!Here she is. We love you, Emma Hope!

Random pictures from the lake

2009-07-10T21:23:00.002-04:00

Uncle Dan and "Laney Lou" She has her daddy's eyes...
Our brother-in-law, Scott, had just returned from Iraq and Afganistan. He drove all night from NC to get to the lake. He arrived in time to celebrate his 6-year anniversary with Amanda!