The buzz phrase that I keep hearing and that I find being the topic of discussions I've had with my mom is "season of life." I noticed tonight that my friend Kellie wrote about this same thing on her blog. She perfectly said what I've been thinking. As I read her blog, I decided that I would share my thoughts/feelings about this topic and where I am in my life right now.

Today was exhausting! I tell you what. I don't think there was anything else that we could pack into today if we had tried. Ha! Well, it all started this weekend. This past weekend was City Fest. For those of you who are unaware it is a festival that is coordinated by Luis Palau's ministry. They come into your city and work with area churches to put on a non-denominational event. It was amazing. If it is ever in your city, you have to find a way to be a part of it. I spent the weekend at the booth that our children's ministry sponsored. We made zipper pulls - thousands of zipper pulls. :) It was amazing to be able share Jesus with so many kids. Brian served as a counselor during the night concerts & Gospel presentations. Anyhoo, I stayed home from work yesterday (Monday) so that I could spend some time with the kids since I was gone all weekend. It sounded like a great plan especially since Ellie was out of school and Brian was leaving for Indianapolis and Chicago.

We had a pretty good day. We painted our nails and the girls played playdoh while I worked on Mollie's room. They had fun until I discovered that the angels thought it would be a grand idea to get out the bubbles while they played playdoh. Keep in mind, they were playing at our kitchen table. Needless to say, it ended badly. Ha! I did have to work last night. I told the girls they HAD to be good while they were with Mimi and Papa Jim. Well, apparently, they were pretty good until Mollie colored the inside of Papa Jim's shoes with chalk! I mean really. Where does she come up with this stuff??? I just...there are no words.

Today was CRAZY. I had a dentist appointment to find out if he can help me with a retainer. That didn't go so well...I'm off to the orthodontist. Then, Mollie got her flu shot. She was quite the trooper. E and M had dentist appointments this afternoon. It was Mollie's first cleaning. She was so good! Ellie though was amazing. She was sitting with us 'til the hygienist came to get her. Ellie, my Ellie, walked with her and went and had her teeth cleaned. I tell ya. I never know when she's going to comply and when she's not. We made a quick stop by KMart for prizes. It's not my favorite store, but it was the quickest and easiest to get to before we picked up Annie from Mimi's house.

Then, tonight the crazies were back. After eating a nutritious dinner from McDonalds, M ended up in tears from being spanked for spitting chicken nugget at Ellie. Then she admitted her ears hurt. Nice, right? I almost cried. I so don't want to go back to the doctor with her or any of the girls. Do you know how many times we've been there the last month and a half? The girls managed to play together relatively nicely. I think there was a fight or two before I finally got the angels into bed.

I find myself at the end of the day crawling into bed. It is almost all I can do to get them into bed most nights and go to sleep. I love what Kellie said. She said that she hoped that one day she and Patrick would be sitting around the dinner table laughing so hard she cried while talking with her kids about when they were little. We do that all the time when my family is together. I look forward to the days we do this with E, M and A.

This season we are in is crazy. I can't seem to get everything done that needs to be done. There is always laundry; there are toys everywhere. It's ok. Some day there won't be someone coloring with chalk in questionable places. There won't be a diva trying to convince me why it's a good idea that she wear flip flops in 40 degree weather. There won't be a bottom to wipe - can't say I'm sad about this one. So, today I choose to be happily exhausted at the end of this wild, busy, wet day. Thank you God for the day with the girls and for giving them to us!

When Ellie came racing downstairs to tell me that Mollie was in Daddy's "exercise chair," I didn't immediately respond. I was beginning to get a little tired of the bickering and more and more ready for Ellie to go back to school. Teacher in-service days are good for a while, but there does come a time when I'm ready for school to start again. Anyway, I decided that it might be smart to sneak into my bedroom to see exactly what Mollie was up to. Well.....

Mollie put Ellie's panties around her person after having filled the chair with two pictures from the bookshelf and a pair of my shoes. After I took this picture, she said, "Wait Mama." And, put on one more pair....

And people wonder why I am so tired! It must be from all the laughter! My sweet Mollie....

If you've been keeping up with the Bennetts, you may have discovered that the last few weeks have been "interesting" around here. I'm convinced the Lord is teaching me something. Obviously, I'm not paying very good attention and the lesson has not been completely learned. Things are looking up.

Friday morning it was back to Dr. Feelbetter. Mollie had thrown up pretty much all night Thursday night. Can I just say, I hate "choke!" (Choke is Mollie's affectionate term for vomit. It sounds nice even if it isn't.) I was so not the happy camper. I had to leave Bunko to rescue Britt, our sweet friend and babysitter. After spraying Lysol all over the den (Not may favorite scent; it immediately takes me back to being a kid when we would get sick. My mom was always quick with the Lysol.), Mollie passed out. Britt had stayed to watch The Proposal, but the two of them didn't last long. Anyway, I was convinced she had strep since E had had it and A had had a form of it. Turns out, it was just a virus. Fortunately, the other girls did not get this virus Mollie had. While we were at the doctor, I took Annie with us. Dr. Feelbetter took her off the antibiotic and put her on Zyrtec for 5 days. We continued the benadryl just for Friday.

By Saturday morning, this is what Annie looked like. Yippee!!! The spots were almost gone! Praise God!

Over the past several weeks or months, I've lost track, I've had to watch my sweet SIL and brother as they have endured watching many friends suffer unbelievable loss. A friend's life came to a tragic,very early end, he left a wife and two little boys. Friends lost their baby girl, just two days after she was born. Another friend's baby was stillborn. There are other similar stories.

Today, I called Mandy to talk about Halloween treats for her playgroup. I immediately could tell that something was wrong by the way she answered the phone. She had just gotten the call that friends had just found out at their 20 week appointment that their baby was developing with severe deformities and would not survive. Please pray for Ben and Sarah. Please also pray for the young couples who are hurting.

My instinct is to make things better for Josh & Mandy and make all the hurting stop- I mean that's what older sisters do, right? I can't do that for him, but I so wish that I could. Our God is all-knowing, all-powerful. I rest in Him.

When I logged onto my computer tonight, my mind was racing as I felt sorry for myself and recounted the "blessings" of the week. It's been one of those weeks - more like one of those months - seasons. You know the ones.

It seems like there has been a sick child in this house since Labor Day. I've lost count of the number of times I have been to the doctor's office. They are my new peeps! When I walk in, they automatically pull up my account, and I hand over my debit card. The story's pretty much the same at The Drug Store.

This week, it was Annie's turn to get sick. She's on antibiotics and getting better. Although, I think she now has hives. Joy! Then, there's sweet Ellie. Bless her heart! Her thumb didn't make it out of the way of the sliding door of the van last night. Together, she and I stood in the church parking lot crying. Me - apologizing; E - saying it was OK and that she thought she moved it (her thumb). In case you're wondering, M whimpered. I just don't think she knew what else to do. Fortunately, it was not broken, but I did have a disappointed 5 year old who had hoped the doctor would give her a brace for her troubles. Just as things were looking up and Karen had called to say she was coming to visit, Mollie got sick. I tell you I just wanted to run away. Not quite sure what's going on with her. Since Ellie had strep last week and Annie has had a form of strep, my guess is this is strep. Who knows! I have to admit I wanted to scream, "Enough Lord! Please!!"

Then, GOD reminded me how blessed I am to have a spotty 5 month old, a 5 year old with a bruised thumb and a puking 2 year old. Today is a day of remembrance for those who have lost babies. Our little family fits into this category. I knew this day was coming, but I had forgotten that it was today. There are so many whose lives have been altered forever by the loss of a child. I can't imagine the pain of holding your lifeless baby in your arms, but I do know the pain of holding one in your heart.

So, thank you God for my spotty 5 month old little Annie, my bruised up 5 year old Ellie and my sick little 2 year old Mollie.

My cup runneth over!

I'm a mama with a spotted baby! Fortunately, Annie is still feeling pretty good. Unfortunately, the spots and redness continue to move around her little body. Bless her little heart! Tonight the whelps, spots or whatever you choose to call them were in hair! Today was day #2 of A's antibiotic, and she's continuing to take benadryl. Hopefully, tomorrow will be spot free or at least less spotty!

This morning was a typical morning in the Bennett house. As usual, Annie was the last one out of bed. However, this morning, I was a little shocked at what I found - a splotchy baby!

My first thought was, "O no!" I quickly called my mom and asked her what she thought. So, I called Dr. Feelbetter's office this morning on the way to work and got Annie an appointment. Turns out this was a wise move. Annie has a form of strep that shows up in a rash. She looks like someone didn't do such a great job putting sunscreen on her. We are now on Omnicef and benadryl.

and they're gonna get married. But first, it's time for the showers!!! Caleb and Stephanie were home this weekend for Stephanie's first bridal shower. It was such a nice afternoon. I'm always amazed at the graciousness and kindness of others. Kelsey and Micah were home this weekend too. I just love it when everyone is home together!

Stephanie's mom, sister, grandmother and two great grandmothers were able to come too! It was fun to be able to meet them in person and to have them there.

Mandy & Stephanie just before the shower.

Over the last month, we've seen Annie change so much. She is growing so fast. Some days, I feel like time is slipping through my hands. Despite the dirty diapers, spit up and piles of laundry, I'm trying to enjoy every moment and cherish it as much as possible. I've been reminded that each day is a gift. There are no guarantees. So around here, we're enjoying every moment.

Annie just before her first bite of cereal from a spoon.

It's amazing to me how different God makes each person - especially our kids. There are things that we never had issues with with Ellie. I never had to fuss at her for coloring on walls or on herself. I can definitely see the difference between a first-born and second-born. She is a jewel, and I am so grateful that God made her her own person. She is absolutely the funniest thing ever. My best friend Karen says that what Mollie doesn't have in stature she makes up for in personality! She is definitely 2! This has been evidenced over and over recently....

Time-out is a common place around here lately. Sometimes, I think it's Mollie's favorite hangout.

The whole time Annie has been hanging out smiling and playing with her hands and her feet! :)

So, Brian got home on his birthday, and Mollie got sick on Thursday. That's when things began to go downhill! Mollie got sick on Thursday with a "throat virus" that turned into croup on Friday and into bronchitis on Monday. This was the first time in a long time that Mollie had been really, really sick.

Brian about to blow out his candles.