A Fun Visit and Great Weather!!

Nikole and Barbara came to visit for a belated Christmas get together. We got to spend some time outdoors with the weather so mild. The boys were riding down the hill of the driveway in their normal daredevil style. Stephen was having a blast cruising down the driveway and crashing into anything that would stop him. Silas starts Upward Basketball at our church this Saturday, so I asked Nikole to give him some pointers on dribbling. We'll see how he does---

T-ball was a disaster when we tried when he was 4!

Christmas 2008

Bennett Family Christmas

A Great Book!!

My Adopted Child, There's No One Like You by Dr. Kevin Leman

I found this book today at the Christian book store. It is so awesome! It's the story of Panda who has to do a family tree assignment for school. He's not too excited about it because he knows his family was formed differently than everyone's at school. MOM to the rescue! She tells him all about how their family was formed through adoption. I sat in the bookstore and cried as I read it! I highly recommend it to every adoptive families' library. VERY sweet!

Adoption--it's such a God thing...

I should know, our family is proof. I've been pondering it a lot lately because our friends Brenda and Chris are in the "waiting" part right now in their journey to adoption. We are praying with them that they will receive a "match" soon, that a soon-to-be mom chooses them in making an adoption plan for her child. In a politically correct world, I always try to use the most appropriate adoption language, like "made a plan" not "gave up for" adoption; birth mom vs. first mom vs. life mom. I've read it all. No matter how you say it, you can't gloss over the grief and overwhelming joy that surrounds it. It's so contradicting. It's so amazing. It's so indescribable. It's so....MANY things. To think that someone would hand you their precious little newborn baby to love and cherish forever...it's so hard to fathom, yet I've experienced it TWICE?? How can that be? I'm so blessed and amazed by it. Some people look at adoption as "settling" because you can't have your own biological children. I know many people who have bio children and adopt. It's a God thing!! I always say that giving birth is ordinary, but adoption is extraordinary! I guess I'm biased! Some people seem to feel sorry for those of us that have never been pregnant. I do want those people to know that it is not necessary to feel that way. I accepted God's call on my life to be a mommy by adoption and I've never looked back. There's NO way I could love my boys more than if I had carried them for 9 months. What blessings they are to us. I can't imagine my life without them.

Thank you Lord for the blessing of adoption. Please be with all those moms out there who are considering adoption, that you would send just the right families to them in their time of need. For Brenda and Chris, make it soon Lord...I'm living vicariously through them to experience the miracle again (our house is full)!! Amen.

I dedicate this post to the two moms who made me mom...Bekah and Nikole! I pray for you both and could never know the extent of your grief, but know that you have given me the ultimate role of simply being "mom". I hope that having the gift of open adoption has helped you as well, that seeing our boys grow up strong, healthy, and handsome :o) fills you with much pride and contentment. I love you both!

Photo Session Fun!

Sneak peak...I won't share all of them, but these are some of the results of our

Christmas Photo session. I took the boys by myself (last time that happens), but the

pics did turn out great! As you might can guess, these are two of the unplanned poses!

Gotta love my Portrait Innovations people!