Tubby Time, Sleep and Glasses!

Aja is getting so "big". I say "big" because she's still a tiny thing. She's also about the cutest girl I have ever seen. Her new way to smile at us is to crinkle up her tiny nose. It melts my heart. She is doing well. She's not using her left leg hardly at all which is concerning me, so we will be asking about that at her 9 month visit. She's crawling around (still in her very uncoordinated way) and says "mamamamama" all day long. She's so sweet.

Here she is getting clean. LOVES bath-time.


Another big smile for mom!


Full eyelash effect. They are so long they about touch her eyebrows!


Of course..Sleeping baby.


Notice anything different? Anessa looks so good in her glasses! She can now see! YAY! We go in for our final test today (her 4TH!) to see what kind of delsys she has, so I should be getting the results in about 2 weeks.

Thankful:

I know I promised pictures, but I just haven't gotten around to taking any! It's been wicked crazy in this house the last couple of weeks. On top of sick kids (February and March are killer for us), I've been dealing with some weirdo depression. Can't quite explain why, but I'm sure it's because there is A LOT going on. So since I've been in a slump, I thought I would post a list of things that I'm thankful for. These are in no particular order by the way, I'm just writing them as I think of them.

1. That the Lord has given me the opportunity to take care of 4 beautiful children.
2. My wonderful neighbors. I swear, whenever Mitch is gone..it snows. And luckily someone has always come over and cleaned my driveway (this is the time of year when I regret putting in an RV pad). I've been invited over to Family Home Evenings, dinner, visits and had anonymous treats dropped off and people offering to take my kids so I can get a break. I will miss them the most when we move. My friend Becky has been a saving grace! She makes me laugh a lot and she's been great fun to hang out with.
3. The people up at the CPD (center for persons with disabilities) that help me work with Cohen. He has made SO MUCH progress. It's amazing.
4. My wonderful husband who works very hard for us. I know it's hard living in an unfamiliar house, but he does it all so he can provide for his family. I love him so much!
5. My family who lets us crash at their houses when we head down to SLC and show us a good time.
6. My job. They have been so good in working with me and my wonky schedule. They are always concerned when something is going on and offer to help out. They are the best.
7. A wonderful neurology team up at Primary's. They have been so good about answering questions and easing my concerns. We aren't out of the woods yet, but they help me feel confident.
8. I am actually very thankful for the trials I have gone through. I have learned a great deal about myself and that I can face pretty much darn near everything. I'm not perfect and I have a lot to work on, but my inner strength has really come out and has helped me gain more perspective.
9. I'm thankful that we have family prayer over the phone every night. It makes going to bed a bit easier.
10. When Aja gets up and gives me a great big smile. It makes my morning.
11. Anessa. She helps me with Aja when I have to work, and I know she doesn't like to do it much, but she does it so I don't stress. She's a great kid.
12. Peyton. He's been making sure that he hugs me often. He also hasn't been complaining about doing his chores, and for that I'm very thankful.
13. Cohen when he tells me "I wub you bery much mommee"..It melts my heart.
14. For my best friend Anna who has been there and listened to me complain. She's been my shoulder to cry on even though she's all the way out in DC.
15. That I got to go to the Temple on Saturday. It was nice to go to a place filled with peace and love. I just can't even put it into words. It was wonderful.

IT CAME!

My new camera came in the mail! YAY!! I will be posting pics as soon as I figure out how to use the thing!

Our Names:

I thought it would be fun to post a little note about how we got each of our kids' names and their nick-names. Everyone is unique and has a special meaning behind it.

Anessa Jehan: When thinking of names for Anessa I really liked the name Anisa pronounced: A-nee-sa. My mom, Lynn, couldn't get it right for the life of her. So one day she said Anessa and I thought that was really pretty. It wasn't very popular and the only meaning I could find on it was BUTTERFLY. How fitting. I think butterfly's are very beautiful, but I'm scared to death of them (it's a long story, you can laugh..everyone has). I still can't find a real meaning behind it, but on another website I see that they have said it means CHASTE. I gave her my middle name of Jehan meaning WORLD. Her nickname is Bugaboo. She started crawling early and looked like a little bug.

Peyton Mitchell: Of course you can figure out the Mitchell part. It's a Bennett tradition to give the first boy the name of his father as his middle name. Peyton is NOT after Peyton Manning. Ew. He's actually named after Walter Payton of the Chicago Bears; he's Mitch's all-time hero. Mitch got a book from my sister, Wendy, this Christmas, and it's the Walter Payton autobiography and he hasn't put it down. He was an awesome player and a very humble guy. Peyton's nick-name for the most part is monkey. I think that one is pretty clear.

Cohen Marco: Marco is for obvious reasons. He's named after my dad! His name means: Dedicated to the God of Mars. Hmm..Wasn't Mars the God of War? Heh. His first name Cohen means: Priest. It's the highest order of a Jewish priest. We just really liked that name (although some really didn't) and it fits him. Cohen's nickname is Bubbie. Yet another Jewish name. I don't know why the strong Jewish theme for Cohen, but it works. :)

Aja Elise: Aja is a name that I have loved for the longest time! I thought it was a beautiful name. There wasn't even a contest in the running for her first name. Although, I LOVED the name Elise, Elise Aja would have sounded weird so we switched them up. Elise. Ahhh..Elise. Somtimes I feel like Mitch is too sneaky. APPARENTLY, there is a Cure song called A Letter to Elise. It's a beautiful song. So I guess that would be why Mitch agreed to it so quickly. Also, Elise is part of Fur Elise, which is the first classical piano piece I learned to play. So her middle name is pretty symbolic of both Mitch and me. Her nickname is: Sweetness. That was Walter Payton's nickname. I'm sure you can guess who gave her that one.

So there you have it. The history of our kids' names.