Benton Christmas Number One

We celebrated Christmas Day with Granny, Papa, and Uncle Steve. Everyone enjoyed opening presents and spending time together. Uncle Steve got Maddie a great Princess art craft that she has been enjoying for the past few days. Santa remembered that Maddie was going to be in Alabama on Christmas Day so he delivered a Rudolph and Clarice stuffed animal doll to Granny and Papa's house. Maddie also got an Angelina Ballerina doll from Granny and Papa. It has turned out to be her favorite. Tomorrow Uncle Bryan and Aunt Sarah will be here and we will have Benton Christmas number two.

Dance Party

What could be better than Cheetos and pizza?

Preschool Party

Maddie enjoyed her party at school. I think she liked eating the cookie decorations better than she liked decorating the cookie. The last two pictures are of her teachers Ms. Venus and Ms. Cari. They are great teachers and Maddie really loves them.

Christmas Cutie

This is our Christmas Cutie. It usually takes at least 20-25 pics to get one good enough for the Christmas card. This year it didn't take quite as many but we thought you might enjoy the ones that didn't make the cut.

Let the Christmases Begin!!

On Tuesday the 16th Maddie had her Christmas program and party at her Pre-school. On Thursday she had her Christmas party for her dance class. Thursday night we left Baton Rouge for our Christmases around the world. We drove to Birmingham Thursday night after the dance class party, arriving about 1:00 am. We slept for a few hours and then got up and began our trip to South Carolina on Friday morning. We stopped to see our Sunday School teachers from our church in Alabama (Kerry and Terri Rainey). We had a great visit with them and Terri fed us a gourmet lunch. Sorry we didn't take any pictures. We then went to my brother Kevin's new house and spent the night with him and his family. Maddie had a great time playing with her cousins and her aunt and uncle. On Saturday we drove to my parent's house in North Carolina for the Reason Christmas party. The kids had a great time opening presents and playing together. Check out the great picture of my dad opening his Brylcreem. He put it on his list and ended up getting 4 tubes!! I bet it won't be on his list next year. My mom was so excited to have everyone together for Christmas. We had 17 people spend the night Saturday night and on Sunday morning we took up 3 pews at church. We stayed in North Carolina until Wednesday morning and then drove to Birmingham to spend some time with Mike's parents. Look for more updates from Birmingham after Christmas. We still haven't had Christmas at home yet so Maddie is enjoying her extended holiday.

Snow in Louisiana?

Who says it doesn't snow in Louisiana?? We woke up this morning to a winter wonder land. Well actually it was just a few inches on the ground, but enough to make a couple of snowmen. Maddie loved the snow and was shocked that it really does snow in Louisiana. Her quote "Mom you were wrong!" She keeps asking when it will snow again. It began raining almost immediately and the most of the snow has melted. The snowmen are leaning over and have lost their eyes and noses. But it was fun while it lasted!! Hope you enjoy the pics.

Santa Train

santa1
Originally uploaded by alica.benton

Granny took us on the Santa Train today. Maddie got to visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus and got a special polar bear ornament to hang on the tree. This year Maddie was not quite as nervous as she was last year. Then Granny took us to Ruby Tuesday for our traditional girl's lunch.

Updates

Sorry it took so long to update the blog but hopefully I have us back on track. Check us out again tomorrow. Granny is taking us to ride the Santa Train!!

Thanksgiving

Maddie and I went to North Carolina to visit my family for Thanksgiving. Maddie had a great time playing with the cousins, jumping in the leaves with Papa, and meeting the new cousin baby Ciara. We had a great time but we really missed Mike.

Ballet

Maddie's dance class had parent watch last night and here are a few pics of our little ballerina.

Rocky Lives

Mike was in Philadelphia a few weeks ago and got to go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to take this classic pic.

From Thanksgiving

36-0

Mike and his Dad were excited to go to the Alabama-Auburn Massacre last Saturday. It was enjoyable for Alabama fans everywhere!!!

From Thanksgiving

Maddie Update

Maddie went to the doctor today and she still has an ear infection. We are starting on antibiotic number three today. She goes back to the doctor in two weeks and we will talk about tubes!!! Oh joy!!

Feeling Better

Sorry for the lack of posts. Mike has been out of town and Maddie has severe double ear infections. The first round of antibiotics did not work so we had to go back to the doctor for shots. She had one on Friday and the second one on Saturday. Needless to say no one has been sleeping. We have been lucky to get out of our pajamas each day!! Actually there may have been a couple of days that we wore our pj's all day. Maddie seems to be feeling better but she still can't hear very well and complains occasionally that her ears still hurt. We should know something tomorrow when she goes to the doctor for a re-check. Hopefully she will be all clear so we can fly to NC on Wednesday to have Thanksgiving with my parents.

Dress Up

This afternoon Maddie put on a fashion show with all her dress-ups. She asked for a photo shoot too. Here are the pics.

Bowling

Today Maddie went bowling with her friends Erika and Audrey. The girls had a great time and the Moms got to chat and have a nice lunch at Applebees.

Happy Halloween Cinderella

Maddie had a great time dressing up for Halloween. She loved being Cinderella and she especially loved getting candy.

Happy Girl

Mike took these pictures Friday afternoon. It is amazing how cute she is when she wants to be. These are some of my favorite pictures because her smile is real.

Trick or Treat

On Wednesday night we had dinner with John and Shirley Flake and their two girls-Caroline and Julia. John works with Mike at LSU. After dinner we took the girls to LSU for some trick or treating at the fraternity and sorority houses. These are some pics of Maddie, Caroline, and Julia trick or treating. Maddie really enjoyed posing with the Golden Girls.

Carnival

This weekend we went to Alabama to visit Papa and Granny. Mike, his brother, and his Dad went to see the Alabama/Tennessee game-ROLL TIDE! Granny took Maddie and I to a school carnival. Maddie did not like the loud noises that the rides made so she rode the carousel 5 times. She did win some fabulous prizes- a stuffed animal butterfly and dolphin. We all know she needs more stuffed animals for her bed. Despite the loud noises we had a great time. After the carnival Granny treated us to a yummy lunch at Ruby Tuesday's. Thanks Granny.

Boo at the Zoo

We took Maddie to Boo at the zoo on Saturday. She didn't want to wear her costume because she wanted everyone to see her 'pattern'. She picked out her outfit for the day. I have to admit she has a style of her own. She did enjoy seeing the animals but getting the candy was far better. One of the sponsors was a dentist office so she got a new toothbrush and some neon green Dracula teeth!! The weather was nice and Mike enjoyed some 'trick" photography-I'm not really holding a giraffe!

Music Star

Music Star
Originally uploaded by alica.benton

Maddie got the Music Star Award at school today. I think this means that she was a good singer during praise and worship. She wasn't too clear about why she got it but she was very excited to show off her badge.

Pedicure

Pedicure
Originally uploaded by alica.benton

Mike went to the Saints game on Sunday so Maddie and I had some girl time. She painted her toenails purple and I put on the nail stickers. She is very pleased that the purple works with her 'pattern"

cousins

cousins
Originally uploaded by Mibenton

hanging out at the mall with Uncle Rob

hanging out at the mall with Uncle Rob
Originally uploaded by Mibenton

Merry Go Round and Round

Merry Go Round and Round
Originally uploaded by Mibenton

Family Fun

We had a great time visiting with my sister and her two girls last week. My sister's husband Rob joined us on Thursday to join in the fun. The girls enjoyed a trip to Chuck E. Cheese and a visit to the mall to ride the carousel. Unfortunately Maddie came down with an ear infection and pink eye on Friday. Even through all the sickness the girls had a great time playing together. We miss them already.

A Family Visit

Yesterday my sister and her two girls came for a visit. The girls are on fall break and they are visiting for the week. Today we decided to release the butterflies. The girls took turns taking the butterflies out and letting them go. We are hoping they will stay close to the house so we can see them again. The girls played outside for a little while but it was so hot we had to go back inside. It is 85 today but with the humidity it feels like 93. That's Louisiana in October!!

Princess of Color

princess
Originally uploaded by Mibenton

Our quirky Maddie is at it again. She loves to be a princess but she loves her "patterns" even more. She has decided that light pink, dark pink, yellow, and purple are what she calls patterns. She must have all of these colors on everyday and no color is to be represented more than once. Therefore she does not wear yellow because her hair is yellow. She can not wear the pink shoes that match her outfit because she is already wearing pink. Hopefully this will end soon. In this pic she had to have a sticker on her shirt to represent the dark pink "pattern".

Butterfly Kisses

butterfly house
Originally uploaded by Mibenton

Maddie got a butterfly house for her birthday, and we recently received the caterpillars in the mail. Once the caterpillars formed their chrysalises we had to wait 10 days for the butterflies to emerge (an extremely long time for a four year old). When we got home from church today one butterfly was already out. The other 4 were out within the hour. Maddie loved watching the butterflies but didn't want to hold one.

butterfly

butterfly
Originally uploaded by Mibenton

Maddie NOT holding the butterfly or the flower

Gina's birthday cake

Gina's birthday cake
Originally uploaded by Mibenton

We are very fortunate to have our friend Gina with us this week (and last week). She is here on a business trip and is staying with us. Monday was her birthday so Maddie and I made a chocolate cake in her honor. We are so glad she can stay with us during her trips to Baton Rouge. Not only is she great company but she is soley responsible for getting this blog up and running. Thank you Gina! You are the best!

first day of preschool

This was Maddie's first day of preschool. She is so excited about school. She is still a little apprehensive in the mornings, but she can't stop talking about it in the afternoons. September 10th 2008.

Rose Hill Habitat

On Friday Maddie's playgroup took a field trip to the Rose Hill Habitat. It was a great place for the kids to see lots of animals and even feed a few. Of course Maddie's favorite was the Chihuahua who didn't jump, bark, or even lick! He sat perfectly still while she pet him. She loved it.