2009...whoa!

so, i am doing the customary reflecting on the year that is about to end in 2 hrs. and it is quite mind blowing. i still can't believe all that has happened in the past 365 days. last year at this time we were daring to hope that a sweet, cute, funny little girl would soon be joining our family. we had no idea all that was to follow...probably a good thing. :) don't get me wrong, i am still reeling from the overwhelming blessings we have been given...however i am also not a big fan of change so this year has been a little rough too.

i'm still figuring out this whole mommy thing, and phil and i are trying to make time for us again. it's just a little unsettling when pretty much every conceivable thing in your life changes...except for God...for which i am so thankful. i am just reminded again and again that it's not about me. and thankfully, the beautiful smiles from our kids remind me of that every day.

i'm looking forward to see what 2010 will hold. i'm excited about continuing to watch our kiddos grow (i'm already amazed when i look back at pics of ari from just a few months ago or from when we brought her home!). i'm looking forward to putting down deeper roots here: making stronger friendships, spending more time w/ family and getting more involved at church. and i hope that i will grow closer to God - keep seeking Him and figuring out how to make Him the focus of all that we do. i hope that you are able to take some time to reflect and think about some hopes for the new year as well!

family of 4!

so, we have now expanded our family again....for the 2nd time in 9 mos. yeah, just a little crazy! and apparently it has caused me to have insomnia because i should have been sleeping for several hours by now....don't know what's going on w/ that but i'm a little afraid to find out what it will mean for my body and overall attitude tomorrow! no matter, we are in chicago and it was wonderful to hang out w/ some of our amazing friends here tonight. almost felt like we never left....almost.

anyway, we are thrilled to have nathaniel join our clan - he is a sweet, happy, chunky little amazing gift from God. ari is doing pretty well adjusting to having him around so far and we know there will be challenges ahead but that she will be an awesome big sis. (probably a little bossy at times too!) we are looking forward to watching them grow up and play together and hopefully be great buddies. we are immensely blessed!

to everything, turn, turn, turn

so it's only been almost 5 months since i last blogged...silly, i know. then again, not like we've had any major stuff going on. :) move halfway across the country, buy a house, new job/ministry, and start pursuing another adoption...whic

h means practically redoing the whole process since we live in a new state!! but thru it all GOD has been so good and so faithful and we are SO BLESSED.

we've had a great summer and fall in our new home and ari has grown so much. she continues to amaze us: with her silliness, her cuteness, her ability to charm everyone, and how she keeps filling our hearts with joy more and more each day. she is now running all over the place, repeating lots of words, feeding herself w/a spoon (and

making a big mess in the process!), drinking from a sippy cup, and so much more. she still loves music - wiggles/dances whenever there's some tunes playing. oh yeah, and she is now an official veggie tales addict and asks for them a lot....anytime she sees phil's computer, ipod, or if the TV is on. the irony of it all is that she will not EAT veggies. :) we think she is just smart enough to suspect she might be eating her singing friends.

and then there is nathaniel....who we have been trying to bring home all summer....and it has been such a frustrating process, but again we know God's timing is perfect and hopefully he will be coming home in a few wks. he is such a sweet little guy a

nd we are so excited to add him to our family...a little scared too - they are 11 months apart, after all! but we know it will be so good for them to grow up together.

i am just so ready to once again "get settled". and please, Lord, no more big changes for us for a little while, k? i don't know how much more i could handle....i was pretty close to the "edge" a couple times, but i just kept turning back to God and trusting Him with all of it. i'm so glad He uses these times to draw us closer to Him.

we are making new friends but still miss chicago too...can't wait to get back for a visit...hopefully soon, when we go to get Nate. i guess that's the synopsis for now....just gotta add some pics of my cutie girl!

the merry month of may!

so, besides the sunshine, warm weather, lilacs and general green-ness all around it has been a time of celebration for us. i have always loved the month of may b/c it just happens to be the month i was born. and then wouldn't ya know, i married someone who was likewise born in this amazing month. and then we were blessed w/ a beautiful baby who was born in may! i LOVE it! so here are a few pics from our little girl turning one. it's a little weird celebrating her birthday after only having her for a few months, but we are looking forward to many more years of fun. :)

(who wouldn't have this reaction to chocolate cupcakes w/ peanut butter frosting???)
we discovered that she loves balloons...ok, what kid doesn't? anyway, we decorated for her little party while she was napping, and when she woke up and phil brought her out, she was so excited to see these fun, bright colored things all over the place!

that third pic was taken by our friend kelly. we went to the lincoln park zoo and conservatory and had a great time! if by some chance there is someone out there reading this who has not already seen the slide show she made of the pics, here is a link: http://thingsshesaw.myshowit.com/bennerfamily

she's the reason

...i laugh so much more each day! so i know this is very overdue, but after 2 1/2 mos. of having her in our family, i am finally introducing everyone in the blog-0-sphere to my dear arianna. i may or may not ever post again about books i am reading...we shall see!

but let's just say that the past couple months have been a great adventure...we are so blessed and ari is such a joy. we are officially spoiled for any future children b/c she is a great sleeper and is just perpetually happy....seriously, like 98% of the time. God has been so faithful in providing for the adoption finances and we have been so surrounded by love with support, prayers and gifts. so thank you all!!