Merry Christmas from the Bennett’s!
Merry Christmas!
2015 has been a significant year for our family.
On April 26th, our newest member entered the world, little Emily Rose.
Emily’s Birth
True to all three of my birth experiences, she came in a hurry! In fact, it was only by God’s mercy that we even made it to the hospital. Although I was 9.5 cm dilated (a rapid and furious process), my water had not broken, which is what I believe kept her in there!
I will never forget the way the admitting nurse called an audible after assessing me and discovering my late stage of labor. The ensuing swarm of hospital people around me was a relief, and they worked like a well-oiled machine to see that I was fully processed, set up and ready to go before I could put two thoughts together. I was even able to get an epidural thanks to a very compassionate, available and efficient group of hospital staff, which was a significant blessing in my eyes!
Praise God for the safe arrival of this healthy, content, peaceful baby and for all His mercies along the way!
Mitch turned 30
And he is rocking it, with his army of adorable little people and awesome wife by his side (if I do say so myself… 😉 )
He’s still on staff with our church as a TechArts Video Broadcast Director or some such title, and in addition does freelance family and real estate photography, as well as freelance video production and editing.
Basically he has more marketable skills than we can keep up with!
Adjusting to life as a family of 5
We love our Emily! Her arrival has changed our lives a lot. Going from two to three kids has been a significant shift, for me especially. I’m now much busier during the days and more attached to home. I also don’t mind that, which is a shift in and of itself. I’ve pulled back from many other commitments, and I’m loving and embracing being a mom more than ever.
Preschool
The two big kids are now 4.5 and 2.5 years old. Both of them started two mornings a week of preschool this fall, which has been SUCH a good thing for me and everyone. They are thriving in those classes, and I love how Christ-centered their preschool is.
My Blog
I hit a stride with my blogging this year as I’ve come to realize how passionate I am about both writing and leadership. Although I put in a lot of uncompensated hours, I am very motivated and fulfilled. Over the summer I attended a blogging conference, and I’ve made some significant connections and friendships with other bloggers this year. Many pieces seem to be falling into place, and I’m set to launch my first eCourse in early 2016. (eek!)
My big-picture hope is to generate a part-time income through my blog –and this month, for the first time, I was able to “pay myself” enough to finish funding our bathtub/bathroom repair project! (the kids have been taking showers in the master bathroom for 10 months now).
So it’s gratifying to feel like I’m contributing. I see myself blogging long term. It’s crazy how much I love it! Thank you to each and every one of you who read and support this blog in various ways!
Nativity Video
The last thing I’d like to leave you with is a little video made by my kids and their cousins. My mother-in-law had the vision for this, and, last month, we made it a reality!
May Christ be the center of your celebration this holiday season and your lives and homes in the coming year and always!
Love,
The Bennetts
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I loved reading the overview or your year! Your kids are adorable, and I totally know what you mean about being more attached to home after child number 3 is in the picture. I’m in a different place than many other people in my life, and am content with the fact that we stay home a lot.
It’s good to read that your blogging is starting to hit a stride. I just found your blog this year and am enjoying following along. I am in the middle of my second year of blogging and am still rocking those uncompensated (long at times) hours hoping to see fruit from the work. I really enjoy blogging (more than I ever realized I would), and have similar goals to yours.
Merry Christmas! I hope your family has a wonderful week next week!
Lisa, I am glad I met you! I love the spirit and heart of your blog. I just realized I should follow along by email since I don’t often check Facebook anymore, so I did that earlier this week. I also saw that you are taking a blogging break for the next few weeks. I am so glad to hear that. I’ve pretty much done just that the past two weeks and it has brought some peace back into my bones. 🙂 Bless you and merry Christmas!