Our new Cousin

Welcome to the world, Jameson Samuel Webster. We love you so much already and we think you are the most adorable little boy we have ever seen. We also think your Mom looks so beautiful in this picture. We can't wait to meet you in August.

Happy (early) Father's Day

Hey Dad- it's me, Bennett. I have just been thinking about you a lot this week and I wanted you to know that I think you are pretty cool. I really like the way that you play songs for me on the guitar. You are great at making up rhymes on the spot. I like the way that you get tears in your eyes when I wear a pretty dress to church. Nobody makes me feel more beautiful than you. Thanks for reading me books and singing me that funny muppet song. Mommy tries, but she really can't do it like you can. Thanks for letting me sleep on your chest. I like falling asleep snuggled up to you. I can't believe that you never mind changing my diaper, even when they are really bad. Thanks for swinging with me out in the backyard on the porch swing. I really love when you do that. Oh, and you may think that I don't notice when you stand over my crib at night and check to make sure that I am breathing, but I do. And Dad, I'm fine. You don't need to check on me 5 times every night, but I love that you do. It means that you love me. And guess what? I love you too. I hope you have a very happy first Father's Day. Thanks for being my Dad and know that no matter how old I get, I will always be your little girl.

Why

is it the end of the day and I cannot tell you one thing that I did? Seriously. Did Bennett leave any brain cells for me? I need to quit making fun of my Mom.

Thank you, John Ed

John Ed Mathison retired today after 36 years as our senior pastor. I just felt the need to write a little about John Ed since my husband and I have had the privilege and honor of working for him and also knowing him as a friend.
John Ed is one of the most humble persons that you will ever meet. He is one of the most well known pastors in America and you would never know it unless someone else told you. He is humble, funny, caring, and a great leader. I remember loving him as a little kid and being in awe of him somewhat. When we moved to the DC area when I was 12, I remember thinking that I would never find a preacher as good as John Ed. And I was right. I didn't.
He draws you in with his self deprecation and his humorous stories, but then he grabs you with his passion for making disciples and for sharing his love of Christ with his congregation. He always knows you by name and no matter how busy he is, he takes the time to stop you and talk to you and even tell you why he was thinking about you the other day. And for someone who leads a church of 9000, that's a big deal. Well, it is to me at least.
I thank John Ed for being a spiritual leader, a wonderful boss, and a dear friend. Below is a picture of John Ed when he came to see Bennett in the hospital. I pray she will have someone like John Ed in her life when she gets older.

Hello Muddah Hello Faddah

We wrapped up another great season of "Chain Reaction 222" by celebrating at Camp Chandler. We normally do longer trips at the end of our season, but I wasn't quite ready to leave Bennett overnight, so we took a day long trip to a nearby camp. Bennett was awesome. I think she has been grumpy the past two days because she misses camp. Well, I am sure she misses the attention she received when she was with 30 adoring kids all day. It was incredibly hot and we were all tired and sweaty, but it was a wonderful way to celebrate a fabulous year. And really, Bennett is like my 31st child. I have 30 other kids who came before her that I love tremendously. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing kids use the talents that the Lord blessed them with to glorify Him.



Waiting to jump in the lake


Getting a diaper change in the woods. Hey- we're flexible.


Hey Mom, camp totally rocks!


Yep, that's me on the top of that pole. I am about to jump off of it and attempt to grab a trapeze before falling to the ground. Considering the fact that I was in a wheelchair 5 months ago, I am pretty proud of this picture.


Rob gave a great devotional to the kids about why we do this TV show and what it means to live a life that honors and pleases the Lord.


And finally, me with my three blue plate winners- Sam, Christopher, and Kelsey. The kids get paper plate awards every year and these three got blue plates (replacing the oh so boring blue ribbons) for being such awesome cast members. Have I mentioned that I love these kids?

Memorial Day Fun

We spent our day hanging out with our family. Bennett loves to see her cousins as much as possible- and Maggie the dog, of course. Rob batted 0 for 3 with the nieces. During the course of the day he made one cry because he accidentally ran into her, one cry because he dunked her too violently in the pool, and the other cry because he got on to her for unbuckling her seat belt. I, however, managed to escape scott free and remain the aunt in good graces.

We had it coming

I finally got sick of sweeping up dog hair every day, so Meg went in for her summer shave. The nice lady held up a board for me to look at and told me that I needed to pick a blade size. Really? You can't just shave the dog? No, I had to pick a blade. So I went for Blade #1. It sounded like a reasonable number to go with. I went about my day and picked up Meg a few hours later. However, it wasn't Meg. It was a rat with a furry head. Apparently, blade #1 means to skin the dog, not shave them. And unbeknownst to me, they don't really shave heads or tails. So, instead of a beautiful golden lab, we now have a rodent of unusual size. I must admit I laughed at her. All day. When she brought me her toy, I laughed. When she needed to go outside, I laughed. When she rolled over repeatedly wondering where her fur went, I laughed. The next day, the rest of our plants in the backyard were dug up. She looked at me as if to say, "Who's laughing now?"

I would post a picture of Meg to go along with this post, but I will spare her that indignity even though she deserves it in return for our gone but not forgotten hydrangeas. So, instead, I will post a picture of our happy smiling baby. She is bald like Meg, but for different reasons.

Beautiful

We have a funny kid

Bennett has such a great personality. I know she is only 10 weeks old, but her facial expressions crack us up. She has the best smile that we are completely unable to capture on camera. We can catch the sort of half grin, but not the light up your face smile that we love. But here are a few pics of Bennett that capture her at this age perfectly.

This is her, "So, what are we doing today?" face

I know I should be comforting her rather than taking pictures, but this is my favorite face that she makes. We see it several times a day and it cracks me up every time. This is her, "I am so not in the mood for you right now" face.

And this is how our little girl sleeps. We call this her "conductor" pose. For some reason she loves to sleep with her arms straight up in the air. Hey, whatever works.

Two Month Check-up (Shots are a very bad thing)

So, we had our two month vaccination shots this morning. And now, the crying has stopped. The pain is almost gone. The tears have dried and life is about to return to normal. And I'm not talking about Bennett. I am referring to her mother. Bennett handled it like a pro. Her parents did not.

Our morning started out with me waking her up and wondering why I was leading my little lamb to slaughter. She slept great last night. She now sleeps through the night almost every night. Last night she went from 10:00pm until 6:00am so she woke up in a great mood. I was already on edge. I fed her. She cooed. I got her dressed. She smiled. I held her and she lovingly laid her head on my shoulder which made me feel even worse.

Rob went with me to the appointment because he couldn't stand to not be there, but he was doing much better than his pathetic wife. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I teared up when they called her name to be taken back. What was I doing to my little girl? We undressed her and got her two month stats. She now weighs 10 lbs 1oz. and her length is 21 3/4. That's in the 30/25 percentile range which is up from last month. The doctor also told us she was socially advanced for her age. Of course. I'm just surprised that it took him 2 months to realize this obvious fact.

Then we waited. Bennett was in the best mood. She was cooing and smiling like crazy. We called Daddy Suttle while we waited and she cooed for him on the phone. And we waited. And she became even happier which made us feel worse. Rob couldn't bear to leave her side. I sat and waited for the inevitable. Then they came in. The Nurse Ratchets of Pediatric Healthcare. One came in to restrain her and the other to torture her with the longest needles I have ever seen. Rob told me not to look. He told me to keep my eyes on him, but I couldn't. Bennett was looking so lovingly at the nurse with her big blue eyes, and then, wham! She did as well as could be expected. I stroked her hand and she turned and looked at me with tears pouring down her cheeks. She got three shots in her thigh and one oral vaccination. After what seemed like an hour, the nurses left and Rob and I held her for the longest time.

She actually calmed right down when we held her. I was so annoyed at Rob. He hadn't cried at all. How could he stay so calm? He got her dressed and rubbed her legs as I composed myself. I felt so weak. I need to be stronger like Dad. She will have many more shots in her life and I can't have Rob being the only strong one. I resolved right then and there to take Rob's advice and look away from then on. No more tears for me. So Rob took her on to the car while I checked out. As I paid the copay I felt so much better and was relieved it was over. I went outside and took a deep breath. It was a beautiful day after all and we had made it through. I opened the van door and found Bennett calmly sucking on a pacifier in her car seat. She was blissfully ignorant of the trauma her mother had just been through. Rob was in the back seat, staring at her, and crying.

Daddy brought Bennett roses home from work. They made her feel so much better.

Let the Good Times Roll

I heard there was a party going on around here

Play Ball!

Bennett went to her first baseball game this past weekend. We were supposed to go a few weeks ago, but the game got rained out. It's probably for the best b/c I was certain a foul ball would shoot across the first base line and take her out. I think I was secretly relieved when it rained, but on Sunday our good friend Tommy gave us tickets to join him in a suite at the game. That was a relief because I could keep her indoors away from all fly balls and that meant a visit from Big 'Mo. Here are a few pics from the game. Bennett got to hang out with some other kids for the first time and Rob and I had a chance to eat gross ball park food. Good times.

Bennett with her new friends. Kendall did a great job holding her.

Four adorable kids

We love Tommy!

Okay, seriously- is this not the cutest kid you have ever seen? We're secretly hoping he's single in 25 years! Rob says to make that 40.