Grateful Post: Day #21

For this post we will complete the other half of the Benson family with my father-in-law. There are some great things to say about Dad Benson! 

When Nathan and I had decided we were going to go ahead with the marriage thing we got an email nearly every week from Nathan's dad with specific topics he had thought about that would help us in our marriage and important things that we could discuss beforehand. I can't tell you how grateful I am for these emails and the words of wisdom and advice that we have in those emails. I honestly treasure them and count them as some of our greatest advice we've ever received in our couple years of marriage.

Love these two amazing men!

 He continues to give great advice when needed but never pushes it upon us and only encourages us to treat each other with love and respect. Along with these great words of wisdom he is one of the most laid back, mild mannered men I have ever met in my life. I've never seen him upset or mad a day since I have met him and Nathan only remembers a couple times throughout his life that his dad every not noticeably upset and those were times when Nathan or his brothers showed disrespect to their mother or when he was defending his children.

Dad Benson with his dad and his four awesome, amazing boys he raised!

Another of my favorite things is his willingness to listen and his sincere care for his children, even me. You know when he asks you how things are going he is sincere and serious about how life is going. Nathan has always valued his father's opinion and counsel very much because of the honest, prayerful, wisdom he has developed throughout his life. Kamden loves to ride on his Grandpa Benson's shoulders and I remember there were quite a few days when Kamden was young with colic that he would walk the floors with him or rock him until he got his little body to calm and sleep. I was very grateful for those times as a new, tired mother.

We are sincerely grateful for this great man in our life!

Thank you, Dad!

Grateful Day #20

Today I get to pay tribute someone we are very grateful for, my mother in law! I am so pleased that I married my husband not just for him but also for his family! They are all great and as it's a house full of boys I have grown to love his mother for being the other girl in the family who understands the girl stuff!

I have learned a great deal from my mother in law, Coleen since I have met her! She has an incredible gift of healing and she has dedicated her life to cultivating it and serving others since she realized this. Through her study and years of practice she has been able to serve and relieve the pain of so many people. For me personally, she has helped me in the past few years to get through a painful back injury that has affected my back, hips, and more but namely those. I can't put in words how much this has done for me.

Nathan and his mom. I love this picture so much!

 With her foot zoning she also uses Young Living Essential Oils which she has provided to us free of charge since before Nathan and I formed our little families. We now have a great, wide assortment of these essential oils and they bless our family beyond reason. On average we use them daily or very close to, sometimes more than once a day depending on the reason. When you hug her it's like inhaling a beautiful oil aroma and you feel immediate healing with her gentle hugs. Really, I'm so glad that she passed many of her gifts onto Nathan including a love of hugs and a part of her healing gifts.

Kamden and Grandma Benson

My dear Mom Benson as I call her is a great example of service as she usually wakes up around 3-4 am and is off to zone and serve others until usually 10:00 pm to midnight. Not only does she do this but she has influenced more boys than you could count in the Scouting Program. This woman is a walking encyclopedia of all things scouting! She is involved in Food Storage, her Ward Choir, and also tap dancing on top of her work schedule! Even though she is busy she still makes time for family when we are around and we are grateful for that because she is also great to talk to and she is great at learning to relate to others. Since she became a grandmother with Kamden she has taken that role on with pride and she takes every minute possible to spend with her little guy! I'm grateful she is so good with boys since she raised four who served missions and are all awesome men! I'm sure I will have many questions for her as he continues to grow older!

Nathan, Mom Benson, and David!

Thanks so much Mom Benson for all you have done for our little family! I really can't tell how lucky I was marrying into Nathan's dear, amazing family and gaining another awesome mom!

Me, my Mother-in-law, and her mother-in-law

We love you!

Grateful Post: Day #19

Since I only had one brother growing up I guess it was meant to be that I marry into a family of all boys! I talked about Josh and David this month and no we get to introduce Brian and why we are so grateful for this awesome guy!

Nathan and all his brothers are very smart but we are grateful that Brian decided to develop his intelligence into computers. I can't count how many times he has answered computer questions, cleaned our computers, saved files that we didn't want deleted, and just been willing to keep them up and running! He has saved us a lot of time and money that we are so grateful for.

When I married Nathan, Brian was on a mission in Mexico so I never got to meet him until after we had been married for a little while. I was so impressed the first time I met him, a couple days after he grabbed me and asked me if I would go on a drive with him, just the two of us. I am so grateful for that and the opportunity to talk to Brian and get to know him a little. He asked some awesome questions and as we talked I could see a sincere genuine care that I was now a part of their family! It meant so much to me.

Since, I have known him he seems to be the quiet one in the family at times to me but at the same time I have noticed he has a great ability to observe the situations going on around him and act to help someone, make sure you are doing okay if you seem down, or just send a smile your way! Now, don't mistake the fact though that he can also be a lot of fun!

We are so very grateful for Brian in our lives and his sincere kindness!

P.S. We really enjoy having Kaitlyn, his girlfriend around too! Like Brian, she is very kind and willing to help when needed. Even before she knew us she was willing to watch Kamden while I attended the temple when I was in Idaho during a time last year! She is so much fun and Kamden loves playing with her! Kaitlyn is a lot of fun and always willing and up for something new or suggested by anyone. I have noticed her willingness to be involved and she possesses a constant good attitude in her countenance!

Grateful Post #18

Yes I am sorry this is still Nathan...

This Grateful Post is also going to be about a special person in our life. This wonderful person is the reason me and Sharon are together. If you haven't guessed, it is my dear dear cousin Alisa Christman Jons!

Alisa has been a huge part of our life and especially my life! Our families have been close to each other ever since we were very little and I have had the great pleasure of having them as some of my very best friends as we were growing up. Many of the values my parents taught us as youth were strengthened by the examples and teachings of my extended family and especially the Christman Clan. I feel that I was blessed to be born into the best family and extended family there is. I hear of so many people that do not have good relationships with there cousins and it deeply saddens me because many of my very best memories of my youth were from my family reunions each year. These reunions were the highlight of every year. Spending time with my cousins was like a huge party and like meeting up with my best friends that we only got to see all of them a few times a year. 

Ok now that you know a little about how I feel about my family you will now that I already had a good relationship with Alisa growing up but after graduating from High school I ended up moving in with my cousins while going to my first year of college. Alisa is a few years older and many years wiser than me and it didn't take long before I grew to Love her very very much. She became one of the people I could always turn to who would always listen and love me no matter what. She was a rock for me at a time when I was struggling with who I was and what I wanted to do with my life. As I grew up I was always expected to go on a mission but High School was hard for me and I caught myself doubting myself and my testimony. There were many times I was not sure that I wanted to go on a mission. 

When I first started looking at college there was one thing I knew for sure and that was I did not want to go to ISU because I hated Pocatello. It is funny how the Lord sometimes chooses things for me that I would never choose for myself. Anyway one thing led to another and pretty soon I was looking at housing in Poky and as soon as my cousins found out they asked me to move in with them. It was a good thing to because I had very little money and had no idea what I was going to do about a place to live. Moving in with them was one of the best decisions I have ever made and I often look back on it and wonder what would have happened to me if I had gone somewhere else or even lived somewhere else while at ISU. I can tell you it probably wouldn't have been pretty. We Had so much fun and my cousins quickly became my best friends and I will always cherish those times. 

After my mission I went back to school at ISU and for the first year I lived with my older brother (which was awesome except I was so busy it was hard to enjoy). After that first year back I moved back in with Alisa and rented a room from her. 

Before I even moved my stuff in Alisa set me up with Sharon and pretty soon me and Sharon were a thing... Not only did Alisa Help me adjust to life after the mission, feed me way to much good food, and set me up with Sharon, She also kept me sane during a time when I was working 50+ hours a week while taking anywhere from 18 to 21 credits a semester, and spending every spare second I could dating Sharon. As many of you know Sharon is amazing but she is also a little indecisive. Once I knew I wanted to marry her and I had received my answer from Heavenly Father the struggle became waiting for Sharon to receive the confirmation she needed to marry me.  I spent many late nights after work or on the weekends pouring out my frustrations and doubts about myself. The answer I received when asking God if I should Marry Sharon was the strongest answer I had ever received and it happened withing a few weeks of our first date. It was nearly a year before we were finally engaged which made for a hard year for me. My confusion and impatiences were a struggle for me and Alisa was always there to reassure me and help me to be patient. No Matter what hour of the day or night she would drop anything for me (or really anyone since that is the type of person she is) and listen! So in a way she not only got me and Sharon together she Kept us together! I will eternally be grateful for this and for who Alisa is! She is an example of greatness to me and everyone she knows and who have had the privilege of knowing her! I count Alisa not only as a treasured cousin but as a sister and as one of my best friends! I love you Alisa and I thank God that He knew enough to put you in my life!

Alisa is the most righteous and fun loving, happy person I have known!!

Anyway now that I have written a second novel for the evening I think I had better stop writing for a while.

We Love you Alisa!

Grateful Post: Day #17

You are lucky! Nathan is helping me to catch up today so it's his turn to do a couple grateful posts!

OK peeps... I somehow got wrangled into writing not just one but two posts.... I don't remember having signed up for this grateful post thingy but I guess it is a good thing so I guueeesss I will help out just this once... or twice...

So Day #17 grateful post:

In sticking with the theme of people we are grateful for and since she is very unlikely to write about herself, because she is just so amazingly humble, I am going to write about my beautiful, amazingly talented, hard working, kind hearted, intelligent and humble wife, Sharon Marie!!! And if that incredibly long, hard to follow sentence doesn't give you a hint as too why she is better at this type of thing, then I don't know what will.

So let me begin by saying how grateful I am for the incredible mother she is! When we first met and I realized there was a potential that our relationship may go somewhere, I was especially interested in what kind of mother she would be to our future children if we were to get married and have chitlans... It didn't take long after seeing how she interacted with her niece and how good she was with babies and little kids for me to realize Sharon was a natural! In fact the first time I saw her hold a little baby I melted. From then on I had no question she would be an amazing mommy and I have not been disappointed! With a crazy little boy that follows after me and can be quite a hand full and another little one on their way I am especially grateful for this fact. I do not thing I could have done better if I had searched for the rest of my life!!!! She is the right mommy for Kamden and the right wife for me!!!

And speaking of wifeness she never ceases to amaze me at how patient and forgiving she is.

I am definitely not the easiest person to get along with. Some (those that really know me) might say I am a big tease and a bit of a weird person... I am definitely not without my faults(I have lots and lots and lots of those) and I am sure she thinks to herself quite often "what in the world did I get myself into"!!! But when it comes down to it she always loves me more unconditionally than anyone I have ever known (besides Christ of course). Speaking of Christ, from the moment I have met her Sharon has shown many Christlike attributes that are so hard to find in the world we live in today. I guess that is what makes her such an amazing person to be around. She is Patient, Kind, Loving, Fun Hard working, and Has a testimony forged in the fires of tribulation that shines for all the world to see. She is always wanting to help those she sees in need and she will do anything to lighten another's burdens.

Yet another thing I am always surprised by (I guess I should realize by now not to be surprised by this awe-inspiring woman) is her work ethic! She is never happier than when she stuff to do. It seems she is never content to just let things be for awhile. She is constantly cleaning (which with Kamden is a never ending process and can easily become incredibly overwhelming very quickly), chasing and teaching Kamden, cooking, doing endless amounts of homework, feeding missionaries, teaching with the missionaries, visiting teaching, random service projects for church and just because she sees someones need, working out daily, consistently doing nice things for me, and the list goes on and on.  She always works so hard to make our apartment a fit home for us and a place where others can feel welcome. 

What makes all of this that much more amazing is all that our little family and especially Sharon has been through over the last couple years and yet she has only become more amazing. Just a few examples of what I am talking about include marrying ME (which by the way involved doing nearly all the planning while I was in another state working), moving to one end of the country and then moving to the complete opposite of the country within a year and while 6 months pregnant, dealing with and staying married to ME, Having Kamden running around who is just like me (as if One of me wasn't bad enough) and many other crazy life experiences!

Anyway It has taken me forever to write this one post and I still have to write another tonight along with adding pictures (which will be slow since I am not that good at it) so I think this will have to do for now. I know... I know it is nowhere near adiquite for the amazing women Sharon is. I honestly can not express how much I love and respect her and how grateful I am for hwer in my life! She truely has saved my life in more ways than I probably even know. I sincerely hope She Knows how much she means to me and to all the people that know her. 

Sharon, Kamden and I are Grateful for you!!!!

Love your freaking Guts Girly!!!

 P.S. Included just because hippopotamuses are just cool!!! (absolutely no relation to post above or Sharon in any way)

Grateful Post: Day #16

I have written about this amazing woman before a few times but I guess, I just can't write enough good things. She is the one who gave birth to me and who I call mom. 

When my mom came to visit in Oregon while we lived there!

 Since becoming a mom myself, I have learned to appreciate her so much more. I call her all the time just to talk if I need someone to talk to and if I need help or advice with Primary and Kamden and life. She is always excited to talk to me and loves listening to me ramble about Kamden, which I love to do. This woman was meant to be a Grandma. She loves it and she lets her little grandkids drain her energy no matter how tired she is because she just loves playing with them so much. It doesn't matter what she has going on but she would drop anything if she needed to for one of those little ones!

My mom with Kamden when she came to visit when he was born!

 One of the hardest parts about living far from family is living away from my mom and not being able to see Kamden play with her and love on her and I know that is the hardest part of us living far away is missing that little guy. When we were there in September, while I was sick being pregnant and trying to manage full time classes she put the Grandma hat on every single day and just took charge for me so that I could rest, sleep in, or work on homework. Not to mention when both Kamden and I got sick with the flu while we were there she cleaned up after him so I didn't have to, rocked him back to sleep about a million times one night while I slept in between getting up to throw up and he struggled to fall back asleep after getting sick himself. I was so grateful for her that night and those three weeks. 

Helping Kamden into the highchiar during his one year photo shoot!

 Truly, I am always grateful for her and you have to understand her kindness and service extend way beyond what most people see. She took gentle care of both her mother and father in bad health, while my Grandma lived with us after getting west nile and she patiently reversed the role and did what her mother taught her to do years ago, to walk, talk, eat, and function again. She was by my grandma's side any minute possible whether it was in the hospital for months, the nursing home, or when she was finally able to bring her back to live with her to recover where my grandma was comfortable. A few years later she spent countless hours caring for her father with cancer reversing the roles with him just as she did with her mother. Her service has reached many out of her family too through a listening ear, meals, working in someone's garden, canning fruit or vegetables for someone at the last minute, or watching children while a mother was sick.

My mom and her twins!

 Thank you mother for teaching me a legacy of love, sacrifice, and service to any and all just as the Savior has done. Thank you for listening to me countless hours and helping me to be a better mother. I love you for this and so much more!

Grateful Post: Day #15

I only had one brother to grow up with but was lucky enough later on to have my older sister marry someone who fits right into our family! Like I said, in a post about Sara I was able to live with them for about a year and during that time I got to know Clay in a whole different way then I ever knew him. I grew to understand what a kind, and solid guy he is in the Gospel. He and Sara helped through one of the toughest times in my life when I lived with them and I developed a great deal of respect for his willingness to let me move into their home and love me even in difficult times.

Clay with his two girls

 Since we have moved to Maryland I haven't been able to spend as much time with Clay but I still cherish him and the relationship we have. He told me a few years back in a conversation we had about some decisions I had to make in life that I was his sister whether by blood or not and he loved me just like I was always his sister. I know that he meant that and that he would always be willing to help me if I needed it.

During that same time that I lived with them I remember a few conversations I had with him about decisions I needed to make, some about marrying my husband, and I always valued and appreciated his advice so much. I knew he truly sought out the Lord's help in helping me!

Clay and Carter

 Clay, thanks for being another great, amazing brother to me and always having kind words of advice for me! Love you so much!

Grateful Post: Day #14

Wow, I can't believe Thanksgiving is so close! I'm onto another grateful post and today I am going to write about one of the greatest men I know! He just happens to be my brother and I have a lot of great things to say about him that I don't say often enough!

Marcus, is the oldest of four kids, and the only boy. When I was younger I didn't appreciate him as much as I should have but we were all young and didn't realize what was really important! However, I have grown to love Marcus more than ever since I have had the opportunity to get to know so many of his strengths!

Marc, me and Shan

 If there is something that needs done, Marcus notices and just takes care of it, no questions asked. One of my absolute favorite things about him is his respect for women. He treats all of them with great respect and kindness and values the role of womanhood greatly. He took after my dad and he knows the meaning of hard work and while he's doing it he never complains; like I said earlier, he just gets it done and moves on to what needs to be done next. However, when he's not working he also knows how to play hard whether it be four wheelers, snowmobiling, mudding in his newest truck, or wrestling with his brother in laws and yes, his sisters too! Some of my favorite memories with him are him wrestling with us!

Marc and his sweet wife, Shylo

Another great trait Marcus has is his patience and acceptance of people. He does not accept bad behavior but he takes every opportunity to simply teach through it. In fact, this last Halloween when his pumpkins got smashed him and the cops drove around town until they found who was doing it and then simply taught them, sternly I'm sure, but in all of this he does it with love!

Marc pushing Kamden in the swing

 Him and his wife, Shylo, who I wrote about previously have had their share of trials, losing too many sweet spirits before they had the opportunity to raise them. Earlier this year when they lost their sweet Oaklie Rose, instead of searching for comfort himself, him and his sweet wife were comforting those around them. He is a rock and I'm not sure anything could shake him!

Marc, Shy, and Oaklie

Thanks Marcus, for being so awesome to me as your sister and my little family. We love your family greatly, all of you, here and not.

Grateful Post: Day #13

Today's post is inspired by Kamden and his approximate 30 minute fit.

I'm grateful for laughter! My Kamden is usually a very happy and very well behaved boy so most people don't believe that he can throw a fit but I will tell you when he get's mad he's mad! Laughter is what gets me through it. It gives me patience and reminds me that he will live through it and so will I. It gives me an assurance that life does not have to be so seriously and that we can laugh amidst the most frustrating and difficult mom moments!

Since I didn't take pictures of this one, I will refer to another one that I have posted about before. This was a few months ago but trust me this was his worst one to date!

Check out the grumpy faces on this boy!

I love that little boy to the moon and back and I am grateful that laughter helps remind me of that!

Grateful Post: Day #12

Alright, we have one awesome person living with us here in Maryland. He is the only family we have here and we are sure grateful he is here!

One of the greatest things I am grateful for are all the many times he has babysat Kamden for us and also the days where he just grabs Kamden and takes him to play or watch a movie with him in his room. I get some breaks I would not be afforded otherwise, since I don't have any other family close by! Even though, he won't give anyone else hugs or kisses willingly except for little Kamden! We even caught him asking the little guy for kisses the other day!

David was also the one who helped Nathan to get the job that he has today. Nathan loves his job, he loves what he does, and he enjoys the people he is working with. Not only that he get to tell everyone he works at NASA! Thanks David, you seriously gave Nathan a great gift by referring him to the job and encouraging him to apply!

We don't know what we would do without having David living here with us and we will all miss him greatly when the time comes to move back west!

We love you!

Grateful Post: Day #11

Today, was Veteran's Day so I am reminded of my brother in law, Josh!

This kid at a young age, right out of high school focused a lot of time on his contract with the Army. Shortly after at the age of 19 he was deployed to Iraq and spent a year of his life there! That is not what most 19 year old's are spending there time doing! After he got home from spending his time in Iraq he worked on his paperwork for a mission  to spend two years serving the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints! 

Thanks Josh for being so dedicated to serving our country and the gospel of Jesus Christ!

Grateful Post: Day #10

Today, November 10th is someone's birthday! My dear nice, Maleah turned 4! She is seriously one of my favorite people in the world and she is beyond fun to be with. Her little cousin, Kamden loves her so much too. When we were there in September he followed Maleah and her little sister around everywhere!

 All of my parents grandchildren, including Oaklie, I'm sure are full of energy and Maleah does not lack in this category one bit. She is also so smart and is becoming quite the adorable little dancer!

I really love little Maleah to pieces and we just wish we lived closer so we could see her more often!

 We are glad you had a Happy Birthday, Maleah and know that we miss you greatly!

Grateful Post: Day #9

I'm catching up, I know. 

I have a lot of people I'm grateful for so I'm still talking people here. Today, I'm grateful for my other dear sister. No, she wasn't born into my family but she was definitely meant to be part of our family!

Shylo Rose married my brother, Marcus, and I'm pretty sure he would agree that it was the best decision he ever made. This girl is one concrete, strong but also very kind, accepting, compassionate person.

I'm not kidding when I say concrete. I think she is seriously made of concrete. Shylo has had some serious heartbreaks dealing with what she wants most in life and she handles it like she is solid but full of grace every time! In all of the sadness she has experienced she pulls through with a smile and still knows how to have fun in life. I don't know of many things that she isn't up for doing!

I am more than grateful I can call Shylo Rose a sister and a friend. Thanks for being you!

Grateful Post: Day #8

Alright, I am going to continue on my streak with people I am grateful for and add my sister, Sara! When we were younger we weren't so very close in High School and such but once we all grew up a little we have since become so much closer and it makes me so grateful because I don't know what I'd do without her advice and help with some things.

Sara with Kamden Christmas 2011

Really, I call her all the time for advice on my little guy, on cooking, or cleaning, primary help, and so much more. She's always willing to listen to what I'm concerned about whether big or small and then gives me advice I can use! Not only that but I got to live with Sara and her beautiful family for about a year. This was a really hard time in my life and she, as well as Clay, her great husband, took me in and loved me to pieces! They showed so much kindness, loving concern, and sincerity while I lived with them that I grew to love them ten fold that year.

Shanon, Sara, and Me from left to right at Shylo and Marcus' Wedding and our Prom

 It is unfortunate that we live in Maryland because I wish Kamden could play with her cute kids more often. While we were in Idaho, Kamden chased Maleah and Kaitlyn around everywhere they went and when he wasn't doing that he would play with little Carter! It warmed my soul and I can't wait until we are close to family so he can play with his cousins all the time!

Maleah, Me, My mom, Sara, and Kaitlyn a few years ago.

 Thanks so much Sara! I truly, sincerely appreciate you!

Grateful Post: Day #7

Today, I am going to highlight another awesome person in my life that I am grateful for!

Roommates in college!

 She is truly one of my favorite people in the whole world! I spent most of my life with her right by my side and the times we were away we missed each other something fierce, like now! Shanon Carlie, my twinner! Wow, to say this girl is a huge part of my life is an understatement. I wish we lived closer still but unfortunately, that is not the case. It is interesting to note that while we are pretty much one of each other's favorites we are about as far opposite as you can get in most ways. I know we needed each other and so did our Heavenly Father! I also know that I was sent to Earth with her to learn some great, truly amazing lessons that I needed and not everyone really gets to learn in such an awesome way!

June 2010

 I count myself very blessed to have a twin sister and I am so grateful for you, Carlie!

Love you times a million eternities!

Grateful Post: Day #6

Today, I am grateful for a forgiving husband. I'm not always the most peachy pregnant wife you've ever met. I'm not usually super grumpy but when I'm pregnant that can change pretty quick. In fact, the reason I knew I was pregnant with Kamden was because I would get so upset with Nathan for the dumbest, smallest, minute things that didn't even justify an upset response. With this pregnancy I get really grumpy when I don't get enough sleep and so it seems at night time when I get woken up I turn into the mean, grumpy wife who doesn't want to be touched, talked to, looked at, or bothered.

One of our engagement pictures!

Fortunately, for me I married a forgiving husband. Sometimes I'm pretty sure I can see him thinking, "Let it go, she's a hormonal pregnant woman." I am grateful he is most patient with me as I try to keep those hormones under control!

I am also incredibly grateful for his willingness to step in and do a lot of stuff that he doesn't want to do while I'm an online student. Sometimes my nights end up being full of homework and he is so patient with me and he just takes care of Kamden's needs while I try to get it done. 

Us in December 2011!

 Thanks Nathan! I love you!