Benefiels of the LC!

Learning ABC's, Reading & Rhyming!!!!!

2011-05-01T08:32:00.002-06:00

Ok, so normally it takes 6 -8 weeks for a post but Gabi made some MAJOR gains this week!!! We are so proud and BLESSED!!! Take a look and our little one identifying letters ( in more than one context) "reading," and rhyming. When I'm off this summer I'm going to start working with her on an early Preschool program that my friend uses at her Christian school here in Las Cruces. Some of her kids started reading at 4. Next step...BERKELEY or STANFORD...:0) Just kidding! It's SOO exciting, though!! Gabi soaks it all up. She LOVES reading and interactive

activities!

Easter Blessings

2011-04-24T22:13:00.006-06:00

Yes, my child I attempted to swallow a Laffy Taffy WHOLE (paper & all)!
LOVE IT, Lil' Lady!!!!

For those of you who received Gabi's Easter Bunny pic. As you can see she is usually a much happier child! In fact, during most of the Easter service she was trying to pronounce "Alleluia." It was sweet! Happy Easter everyone!

Growing up TOO fast...sniff.sniff.

2011-04-24T21:25:00.004-06:00

Daddy doing demolition...

Gabi transitioned into her big bed about 3 weeks ago. She is doing great and has not tried to escape (as far as we've heard or seen). Yes, Mama still has the baby monitor on at night right beside the bed. :0) Speaking of growth... Gabi had her 1st bout of strep throat at the end of February. It was AWFUL! Needless to say, Aaron and I were at our wit's end! We decided to transition her into Tv watching a tad early. She is now NUTS about Elmo! She gets to watch 2x a day now for 10-15 minutes. I know, I'm CRAZY!!! Gabi also weighed in at 25.8 lbs in February and is currently 28.2 POUNDS! She has yet to meet a food she doesn't like.

(Goober, you would be proud).

Gabi's 1st Trip to DISNEYLAND!!!

2011-04-24T20:41:00.005-06:00

My friend was able to score my family some FREE Disneyland tix so here we are braving the elements! I never thought I would be one of THOSE moms until I purchased what was pretty much a garbage bag raincoat for all of us. Oh well, fashion, smashing! Gabi worked her lil' garbage bag, hoppin' into puddle after puddle with her cousin Noah, and screaming with glee!
Okay...so I cried a little on the "It's a Small World" ride but look at this face!

Her 1st real "big girl" ride was a hoot! What a sight! The three of us were grinning from ear to ear. I think we even heard Daddy squeal...

Our Princess all tuckered out!

New Videos

2011-03-06T21:02:00.003-07:00

Hello,

We attached a couple of Gabi videos below. The first two show a snow day from last month. I like the first of those two because she sounds and looks like the kid from a Christmas Story:)

These next two videos show how much she has learned in terms of speech and memory. She is so smart and is growing up on us too fast!

Our lives are CRAZY hectic right now so forgive us for not posting more. We will catch up during Spring Break and please keep us in your prayers. Still, God is GOOd and we are very blessed, just BUSY!

Christmas 2010 ( I know. I know.)

2011-01-23T15:40:00.006-07:00

The darn thing never did budge!!! I blame Rosa, Sheridan, & Josie!!!

Daddy's birthday in the midst of chaos! We love u

Well things started a little crazy (we were vacating our home and moving in w/ my parents). Plus, Aaron caught the flu BAD (2 days before Christmas)! Gabi did not falter...she was her happy go lucky self. She did have a battle over Santa's cookies, though! We were very blessed to have shared the holidays with everyone (except for Goober and Magra). Gabi LOVES her chair, btw. We had to work w/ her on not standing up on it for a few days. AND, I'm told that she has become a little bossy at school, telling her friends to "sit down." :) Ay, my baby!

It was great seeing all the kiddos in Lubbock. Aaron and I couldn't believe how big the kids have grown. It was also nice to hang out w/ Danny & Debbie. They know us so well and give us the best and most fitting gifts (i.e. SHERIDAN's). I LOVE the pic of Gabi n" Debbie (SO SWEET...thank you Debbie and Danny)! And the Josie's pic is priceless. We always pack our fat pants when we go to Lubbock! Lastly, who could forget Fast Eddie's? Cheers to my sisters-in-law. Kuddos to you both! You have the hardest jobs as stay at home mom's! You earned a night out! Love n' miss you all!

This video is short but HILARIOUS! It all started shortly after Christmas and has been repeated EVERY NIGHT SINCE!!! I bought her a toddler Posturpedic pillow for Christmas and as you can see she hates it! She throws it out of her crib EVERY night then lies down peacefully for 10-11 hours!

Gabi's 1st Haircut (amongst other things)

2011-01-23T15:10:00.007-07:00

Soo..I will begin this blog as I have begun countless others. We have been SOOO busy! But, God is good and we are blessed. Gabi continues to amaze us w/ her developmental milestones. I was reading to her the other day (she LOVES books) and she completed EVERY SINGLE PAGE with the hidden picture and word behind every flap! creamed. She laughed and looked at me like I was crazy. :0)

The book she "read" was this one.To further test her genius, I asked her where all of these body parts were. She identified (pointing and saying) "KNEES, toes, TONGUE, teeth, ELBOW, eyes nose, BACK, belly button." I must admit, I cried. Aaron and I are so unbelievably proud!!! We have been trying to get a video of this but unlike her proud parents, Gabi is quite modest. :0) Aaron finally caught it today!!!

Anyway, as you can see from the pictures, Gabi is just like most girls. She loves to be primped and pampered. She just needed a quick trim and hammed it up the whole time. We took her to JcPenney and my hairdresser cut her hair.

Catching up!!!

2010-12-21T21:28:00.005-07:00

Well, it's just like us to let nearly 6 weeks go by without a post...SORRY! We have had TONS going on though (as you can see). The biggest bulletin being: we signed a 1 year lease to rent out our house. Gabi had her first dentist visit and is thankfully cavity free. She even got compliments from the doc for having such clean teeth (and great behavior). We also got to hang out with Grandma & Grandpa Martinez at Thanksgiving (see pics of Gabi's 1st hike w/ fur lined Crocs, no doubt) Hee. hee. And, this past weekend my mom and Gabi and I snuck in a quickie pre-Christmas trip to Cali. It would have been my 1st time NOT in Cali w/ my family at Christmas time so my hubby lovingly sent us off for 3 days. It ended with a tearful good-bye ( I miss you, SISTA!!!) but we all had a blast and Gabi got to hang with her cousins, Nina, and Nino. 6 months and counting....or less. We're praying!!!

Next up: Christmas in Hatch; Christmas Take 3 in Lubbock, and ringin' in 2011 in Santa Fe!

Gabi Gets Tubes

2010-11-16T15:03:00.012-07:00

Our baby had tubes put in her ears this morning. It was tougher on me than her but she did FANTASTIC! She was reading books and chatting with all of the staff. She did not cry ONCE! She was however, worried about all the other screaming babies...my sweetheart! She kept saying "Baby, baby, cry." It was sweet. She was in the operating room for maybe 15 minutes and then Aaron and I got to go in with her. It was HORRIBLE seeing her with an oxygen mask on her face. She came to about 10 minutes later and quickly pulled everything off of her face. Moments later she was GABIng away. No tears. No whining. But, she she did down two graham crackers and a cup of apple juice! Even the doctors and nurses commented on what a good patient she was.

Back at home Gabi napped and ate as usual. She was fed her favorite meal of spaghetti and devoured it as per usual. Aaron and I have been a mess since last Thursday when we learned our baby girl would need tubes. But, through the grace of God she is back to her old self, running around and perfectly happy. We are SO blessed! Thank you all for your prayers!

Falling into Fall!

2010-11-01T16:59:00.011-06:00

Whew! Well, I am all caught up with paperwork(that NEVER happens) so I thought I'd steal 40 minutes from the day while waiting for Aaron to get home. We stay with my mom and dad Sunday and Monday nights to spare Gabi the commute, 5:30 wake ups, and bitter cold. NOTE TO GABRIELLA @ 16...re-read last sentence!

Anyhoo...

Gabi is doing amazingly well but she could use all of your prayers, please (Mama and Daddy too). After 14 months of not even a sniffle Gabi has of course had chronic ear "issues" (redness, fluid, etc., etc.,). After several doctor's/ specialists visits and tests, she may have to have her adnoids removed. She has a specialist visit next week for the final decision. I'm told this is not an abnormal procedure these days but anything surgical or otherwise bothersome to my daughter is of course, cause for tears for me. Please just pray for whatever is in the best interest of our baby girl. We know God will take care of the rest.

Well, since our last post Gabi has made amazing progress! She scribbled her "doo dad" at school and got into her first rumble. Apparently, she thought she was queen of the castle (not sure where she got that idea), and another kid made her own way into the fortress, scratching Gabi upon arrival. Now I know that all of this is very age appropriate and we are working on sharing and manners but Aaron (of all people) was LIVID about the marks on our little one. It was kind of sweet to see Papa bear in action! Gabi has become quite autonomous and vocal! She says "peas" (please), "docoo" (thank you), "mine" and just this past weekend "bess you." The last one is my favorite because I say "God bless you" every time I leave her and it's FINALLY stuck! My heart melts now every time we read to her, say our prayers, and she responds with "bess you." Aww!

A few weeks ago we took Gabi to the Southern NM State Fair. She had a carousel AND pony ride, fed sheep and goats, and even rode a baby train ride ( I stretched the height requirement a few inches)! She even fed a camel. She was nervous at first but insisted on feeding him some more carrots. The expressions she makes these days are SO telling. She had a blast and we just soaked it all up!

Last night was of course, Halloween. Just a side note: GO RANGERS!

Aaron spent several hours working on Gabi's pumpkins and they were the best on Poco Lomas!!!

Gabi, I mean Tinkerbell, decided she was going to walk most of the cul de sac after befriending a stray puppy. She was hesitant about saying "hi" until most people closed their doors but was not at all shy about taking their candy. She checked several times to make sure it was all there in her bag, too! She did say "dacoo" to one lady who told her how beautiful she was. We hope you all enjoyed your Halloween as much as we did. Your Tinkerbell pictures are on their way!!!

History in the Making!

2010-10-23T10:01:00.003-06:00

I am truly in disbelief. It only took 49 years...but the Rangers are finally going to the World Series. It is poetic that we had to beat our old postseason nemesis the NY Yankees to make it.

I've been watching the Rangers play since I was a kid when I'd watch with my Grandpa and sisters. Our favorite players over the years were Nolan Ryan, Julio Franco, Juan Gonzales, and Ivan Rodriguez. Every year they would have a decent team, but they'd loose steam towards the end of the season, or they'd loose to the Yanks in the ALDS.

There hasn't been much to cheer about for the past 10 years, and I did not think that this year would be any different until August. I can't wait till the World Series, and I know that the Rangers are the best team in baseball:)

15 Months Old...ALREADY!

2010-09-25T12:02:00.009-06:00

Gabi turned 15 months old yesterday and had her check up as well. She got 4 shots, one of which was for the flu. She is 31 1/4 in. tall and 25 pounds. She loves saying "hi" to everyone except men. She usually buries her head in our shoulder if a stranger approaches and wants to talk to her. She is doing fantastic overall! I think the day and a half at daycare has really made a great impact on her. She is saying more words ("up" is her current favorite but she has also added "milk", "wa-wa" (for water), "book", "Noah" and everyone's favorite, "NO!" We think she may also have a pretend friend because she runs around the house blabbering "Stella, Stella!" Who knows?? She is much more mobile- trying to RUN now and usually crashes into things. She also brings us books to read to her and plops her little bottom in our lap pretty comfortably. She is also offering up more kisses on the regular now too although sometimes Momma has to pretend she's crying to break away from what she's into so I can get some love. She's a sweetheart and comes up to check on us almost as if to see if we're really ok and says "awww."

Gabi's cousin Noah turned 2 a few weeks ago so we headed back to Cali for his birthday. She LOVED the Monterey Bay Aquarium and all the hands on exhibits. We got more videos than pictures as you can see but we all enjoyed the sights and the COOL, ocean breeze! We can't believe it's Fall already. Aaron and I are in the midst of our semester and we figured if we work until about midnight on Friday nights we can maximize our time with our daughter (and each other). The things we do for our children....

Check back in a few weeks for Halloween pictures of Gabi as lil' Miss Tinkerbell!

Oh, and please pardon my less than flattering sleep shorts in the one video but I wanted to show everyone what a great helper Gabi is becoming AND.....how vocal and adamant she has become (must get that from Daddy, I guess) :0)

I have also included a few random pictures we have taken of Gabi within the last month...she's a busy girl as you can see. My favorite is the candid country girl snapshot of her and her Papa

irrigating the pecan trees (bow in hair, of course)

What a HUGE Difference a Month Makes!

2010-08-24T19:41:00.010-06:00

So it's been about a month since our last post and we apologize but Aaron and I have both been swamped, trying to get everything situated for school. For those of you who may not know, Aaron is teaching Introduction to Architecture at our local community college.

Gabi started "school" 4 weeks ago also. I didn't want to do it, mind you but my mom was not feeling well and we needed to give her a break. Gabi, being the social butterfly that she is, took to her knew environment VERY well. She pushed down to work the classroom on her 1st day there, in fact! She also began walking within days of hanging out among those babies on two feet instead of 4...that's my girl! She is only there on Wednesdays and 1/2 a day on Fridays so I don't feel that bad but it's still been an adjustment. 4 weeks later I still feel like a stalker hanging outside her classroom window (just in case I hear a whimper). My baby is growing up so fast! Aaron and I flip through all of my cell phone pictures at least once a month to reminisce on all those precious moments.

Now that Gabi is mobile and exploring every crevice of her environment (see video) she has been blabbering more too. Aaron and I had only heard a few actual words though like "Mama" and "Dada." Again, within days of starting daycare we heard WORDS. Well, and I had a long chat w/ Gabi's pediatrician and she assured me Gabi was very on track, verbally and overall. For about 4 weeks now we have been listening more intentionally and Gabi is repeating EVERYTHING! Now we REALLY have to watch what WE say! She says "juice", "Daddy", "Nana", "Papa", "cheese", "no", "wow", and MY PERSONAL (Aaron's LEAST) FAVORITE:"SHOE"!

I also caught a few pictures of Gabi and Daddy tending to the garden....it was precious watching them work together....Awww

She also began rolling a ball to us last month (see video) and now she is constantly wanting to play. We are so proud of our baby girl and thankful for all the blessings and joy we have received from God through her. Every day seems to bring some new miracle...however small it may seem to anyone who isn't a parent but so GREAT in our eyes!

Happy Birthday, Momma!

2010-08-24T19:36:00.004-06:00

Rachel,

Gabi and I hope you have had a great 30th Birthday and many more to come. You are a great wife and mother and we love you so much.....Aaron

Happy B-Day Grandma!

2010-08-09T20:40:00.006-06:00

Today is Grandma Martinez's birthday. Happy Birthday from Aaron, Rachel & Gabi:) We love you and wish you many more happy birthdays!

Benefiel Reunion @ Lake of the Ozarks

2010-07-31T21:38:00.007-06:00

2 weeks ago we loaded up and headed out for a 17 hr trek to the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. Gabi withstood 12 hours of torture before we had to pull over and spend the night in Oklahoma City. When we arrived the gang was all there. We were spoiled for 7 days, livin' it up, literally on the lake. My mother-in-law fatted us up with homemade breakfast, lunch, and dinner EVERY day. It was awesome! All of the cousins played and splashed around in the lake. Gabi even got a brief cruise on the jet ski around the dock AND in a life jacket with my arms strapped firmly around her.

Gabi sprouted a tooth (was MOODY) and took her first steps while on vacation, too! Daddy tried to spear a fish like he was Piggy from Lord of the Flies...it was hilarious!!! The adults hung out in the evening after the kids went to bed. Aaron and I are the ranking 2010 Hand and Foot Champions w/ Hollie and Shaun winning at badminton and ping pong. Heather and Ryan take the gold for being the best sports about it all...especially Ryan who sat quietly as Heather and I ranted about the Real Housewives of New Jersey. The day before we departed David drove us all out to a small beach near the house and we had a blast. I'll never forget the look on Gabi's face as we watched her Daddy skimming waves on an enormous inner tube. He needed that!!!

Thanks for a wonderful time guys. We can't wait to do it again!

Gabriella FINALLY walks!!!

2010-07-31T20:06:00.004-06:00

We apologize for being out of the loop for a few weeks but traveling w/ a 13 month old is seriously, NO JOKE!!! Gabi made her walking debut while we were vacationing in Missouri. But today after much prodding and pleading from Mama and Daddy, her Papa finally coaxed her with a vanilla milkshake! Sucker!!! Now she's roaming around all over the place! My heart just melted!

ALSO.....don't ask us why but we decided to give up the chupy AND bottle the week we came back from the Ozarks. We are proud to say Gabi has been bottle and chupy free for 2 weeks! !It took 3 days, one in which we would have given in to our poor baby's cries (had we not pierced and thrown everything away already).Oh, and she has also grown two more teeth this month (11 TOTAL)! Every day we give thanks for the small miracles we see as our baby girl grows...it's soooo awesome!

Catwalk & 1 Year Check-up

2010-07-07T20:32:00.006-06:00

We are headed to the Ozarks on Friday but we wanted to give everyone an update before we left. 2 weekends ago we got bored (imagine that w/ all we have going on) so we decided to take Gabi to the Catwalk. The Catwalk is a very special place for Aaron and I because it's the first place we said "I loooove you". Awww Ok, enough mush...

Gabi had a blast backpacking on Daddy's shoulders and Aaron and I burned some fatty cals!

Today I took Gabi for her 1 year check-up. As you can see she arrived all smiles, chatting w/ the nurse and girls at the front office. Gabriella is in the top percentiles for weight and height. She weighs 23 pounds and is 31" tall! Dr. Hernandez said she is doing great and we will attempt to break her from her bottle habit when we get back from Missouri. I still can't believe she has not been sick ONCE this whole year+!!! We have been so blessed!

The visit quickly went sour...Daddies should be in charge of shot visits. During the 1st shot, Gabi didn't make one peep but she gave the nurse the DIRTIEST look I have ever seen! I was

instructed to hold my daughter's legs too because she was kicking her. That's about the time that we both LOST IT! I can handle a tantrum, even a little tumble, but Gabi was screaming in pain and my heart broke (3x)!!! She's been in bed for awhile now and seemed to be doing fine when we kissed her goodnight. God bless your boo-boos my sweet baby girl...

Happy Birthday Aunt Hollie!

2010-06-29T22:20:00.003-06:00

Well it's Aunt Hollie's 28th birthday! I think I am going to start a tradition of uploading childhood pictures of my sisters and I on special occasions:)

We hope you had a great day and can't wait for the Missouri trip!

Love,

Aaron, Rachel, & Gabi

One Year with Gabriella

2010-06-24T23:51:00.001-06:00

Here's a montage of some of our favorite pictures of Gabi.......

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

What I Did On My 1st Birthday........

2010-06-24T18:48:00.008-06:00

Ahhh......what a day it has been! Mommy and Daddy woke up with me and said 'Happy Birthday!' Then we went downstairs for some breakfast. Afterward I decided to relax a little.....

Then I thought it was a good time for some reading. But, I couldn't figure our what to read.......

Then Daddy came home for lunch to say hi to Mommy and me. We goofed around for a little while and took some pictures...............

Then Nana and Papa came over for dinner. We had some pizza and my very first ice cream cake.....

Then it was time for some cleaning up......

I had a fun first birthday. Now it's time for bed!

Love,

Gabi Rae

P.S. Mommy and Daddy say this has been the best year yet:) God has really blessed our family.

Lubbock Photo Shoot n' Visit

2010-06-19T17:00:00.005-06:00

Last weekend the Benefiels headed to Lubbock to see everybody (except for the Martinez' in Palm Springs). You guys are missed too!!! The three days we we spent there were certainly eventful! We finally got to meet baby Caden (what a cutie) and we all swam EVERY DAY to beat the heat! My sister-in-laws and Debbie reminded me how far I need to go to be prepared for donning a bathing suit! GEEZ!!

Aaron and I couldn't believe how big all of the kids were! I think being at home w/ Gabi every day makes me realize how big and how FAST our lil' one is growing! Madi is about 6 weeks younger than Gabi and is taller than her by at least an inch or two! Little Salem kept us all entertained and on our toes! Mason worked hard at swimming independently. We all had to catch our breaths though when he took an unexpected dive and Uncle Kyle saved the day! Aubrey and Luke were such sweethearts the ENTIRE trip! I pray Aaron and I can keep w/ our scheduling and Gabi can be as well behaved and adorable as those two, one day! McKenna was the oldest of the bunch and did a great job posing and corraling her cousins during their photo shoot on Saturday. We got some memorable snapshots and really, for the most part, the kids did an AWESOME job!

Aaron and I talking on our way home and are already planning our trip back to Lubbock. We are counting the days to our Missouri adventure!!! Don't worry guys, no matter where we are, we will always find a way to come see all of you and the kiddos! Family is SOOOO important and the memories we make today and on every trip are priceless to us all, but especially our children! Thank you! We love you guys!!!

I had to include these pics of Gabi eating peanut butter for the first time because it was hilarious! She got more on her face and in her hair than anywhere else but LOVED it! Grandpa Benefiel will be happy to know we are continuing to expand her taste palate (seafood INCLUDED) and she DEVOURS it all!!!

California Adventures

2010-06-06T14:00:00.012-06:00

We took off for California last Tuesday and wow what a vacation! Aaron and I thought we'd forgo our jackets and sweaters (it was well in the 90s, 107 TODAY) when we left. When we arrived in Oakland it was a cool and balmy 64! We couldn't believe it!!! Gabi did awesome on all of the plane rides and kept everyone entertained with her excited screams and goofy faces.

Wednesday we thought we'd try to brave the elements. I must admit my hubby is somewhat of a doppler genius. There was a storm coming in but somehow we bypassed it in San Francisco of all places! Gabi borrowed some of her cousin Alyssa's fits (she's 2 years old!) and we were actually sweatin' by the end of our trip! It was SOOO great to see Gabi with her cousins Alyssa, Elijah, and Noah. They are between six months and 3 years of her age so they had a ball! If you have never been to the SF Zoo, we HIGHLY recommend it! I took my kids to the El Paso Zoo for an end of the year field trip. MAN!!!! There is NO comparison!!! Before heading home we took Gabi to the Pacific Ocean for her very first visit...I cried!!! I know, I'm a big baby but it was such an amazing moment for the Benefiel family! Our baby was screaming with delight at every turn. We even found a sand dollar for her, completely intact.

Thursday was cousin Tiffani's graduation. We are SOOO proud of our niece! Despite so much adversity she has persevered and held it all down gracefully under tremendous pressure and drama. She will be attending CAL STATE FULLERTON in the Fall. You are living the dream, babe. May God continue to bless you Tiffy!!!! Onward and upward; we love you!

Friday we did some last minute shopping and scrambling. NEVER EVER go shopping with my sister Chon if you're not willing to put in HALF of your day!

Saturday was Tiffani's graduation party. It was great seeing cousins, aunts, and uncles, some who have never met our baby yet. Gabi was hamming everyone up, as usual. I promise I did NOT teach her this but she's begun to tilt her head back and flutter her eyes at people. It's soooo adorable!

Sunday was the main event: Gabriella's 1st Birthday. Her Nina, my sister, had reserved a space at Lake Cunningham Park in advance. We went all out!!! Aaron was a good sport about it. It was a fairy tale princess DREAM! I found this AMAZING made to order "princess" gown on Etsy and our Belle was all set for her ball! I had a princess castle and frog prince cake made especially for our guest of honor princess. We drove all over Oakland to find Gabi's princess castle pinata. I joked that Aaron could stay in the car when we finally found the place-in the ghetto. LOL!!! I got princess goody bags for the girls and knights for the boys. Skates the Clown did face painting, parachute games, and balloon animals. Lots more cousins, aunts, and uncles came to the party. The kids had a blast and the adults chatted and caught up. We will be eating beans and rice all summer but it was worth it! Gabi will have have to wait for her Quinceañera to throw a party like that again!

We are 18 days away from Gabriella's 1st birthday. Saying good-bye to everyone on Monday made me think about how badly I want us to be back HOME. It was so hard tucking our nephew Noah into bed the night before we left-knowing we may not see him for several months. Aside from all the party stuff and frill, it was good just to see our family again. You can't put a price tag on that and we are too far away now. I can't wait to see all these crazy kids playing together again. More than that, I can't wait for more birthday parties, graduations, and time just spent together, making memories that will bring OUR kids back longing for HOME when we're old. Love u guys, miss you already!!!!!

SUMMER IS ON!!!!!

2010-05-22T21:31:00.016-06:00

My kids had their final chapel service on Friday and Phewwwww! I can finally breathe a sigh of relief....school's out for summer!!! I got my first whiff of staying at home mom life today (nearly 12 hrs at home w/ my baby girl) while Daddy went to work to catch up w/work stuff before the big va-ca! It was a blast just hangin' and swimming w/ my baby but we missed Daddy.

Gabi LOVES the water so it was no surprise that she fell in love w/ her pool too. I wasn't about to head to the store for just swim diapers so I thought I'd put the leading brand to the TRUE test. Hahaha. It's a good thing Nana bought Gabi a size 3 suit! That poor diaper felt like a boulder when Gabi finally climbed out of her pool (to munch on a leaf, of course). That diaper didn't leak a bit at all once dry. I know, I'm a dork and had to experiment.

So after changing into some dry clothes we snacked on some cantaloupe. This girl eats EVERYTHING! She loves melon especially, and will down 1/4 all on her own! After our snack I thought I'd let my little one crawl around while I attempted to clean up. Well, as you can see from the pic, she managed to entertain herself (inside the dishwasher) just fine! She loves twirling around with the water jet and making it spin.

Don't go to work, Daddy....

2 days to go until our Cali trip!!!! I can't wait to see my family. We miss them SOOOO much. Oh, and let us not forget the 1st of 4 birthday parties for our Princess, Gabriella. Chiple!!!!

Check back in 1 1/2 wks for Gabi's birthday blog:TAKE 1. Can't wait to see all of you!!!!!

The Carnival

2010-05-11T13:43:00.004-06:00

Last weekend, Rachel’s school held a fundraiser carnival. They had a mini bouncy-house set up and we let Gabi crawl around in it and go down the slide. She loved it and we actually had to coax her out of it because she didn’t want to leave!

Also…HAPPY BELATED MOTHER’S DAY to all the moms out there. Rachel had a nice first Mother’s Day. We went out to Sunday brunch with her parents and spent the rest of the day relaxing.

Well, we can’t wait for our upcoming vacations. We’ll be in California the last week in May, Lubbock on the second weekend in June, and Missouri the second week of July. We are looking forward to seeing everyone, and we really need a reprieve from our jobs:) Rachel’s last day of school is May 21st, and I have never seen her so overwhelmed with work. I think the summer break will do her well:)

6 Years

2010-05-03T10:27:00.004-06:00

Rachel and I celebrated the 6th anniversary of our first date on Friday of last week. We went to Peppers, one of our favorite restaurants in Mesilla. It’s hard to believe that 6 years have passed and how different our lives are now. We’ve had a great journey so far and can’t wait to see what the future holds.

I also uploaded a picture of me napping with Gabi. Rachel was trying to be quiet when she took the picture, but as you can see I woke up and then Gabi woke up when the camera flashed. Good times:)

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T17:23:00.007-06:00

Happy Easter, everyone! We've had a long, but very fun day. We gave Gabi her first Easter basket when she woke up, consisting of a stuffed bunny, giraffe book, shoes, pacifier, musical bunny ears, and chocolate eggs (which Aaron and I ate). Nana and Papa came over early to color eggs before church but as Gabi would call it, she needed a power nap because she was CRAAAANKY!!! She has her top two "Twilight" teeth coming in at once!

The church service was followed by an Easter egg hunt with all the kids. Gabi loves being amongst people and was soaking up all the attention. All of the ladies were oohing and ahhing over her and she was laughing with all of them and smiling for pictures. She even got presents from some of our church elders...sooo spoiled! We are definitely going to have to teach her to be gracious and humble, EARLY!

Gabi began drinking 2 oz of 2% milk last week and we have also been introducing more and more table foods. She LOVES sopa and beans. It's a good thing Mama and Daddy know all the hot spots (Rosa's in Lubbock, Tico's Taco's and Hayward burritos in Cali)!

BTW, we were hoping to add some videos to our blog today but unfortunately we had to get a new laptop this weekend (our other one crashed thanks to an ugly, embarrassing virus)! We are still trying to figure out our new Mac so please bear w/ us. We will post some new videos this week.

We love you all and hope you had a beautiful Easter!

Lubbock

2010-03-26T18:01:00.008-06:00

Well we've been crazy busy this week, but finally have a chance to upload some pictures and a video from our trip to Lubbock last weekend. It was great to see everyone eventhough we were only there for a day and a half.

The best part was seeing the cousins play together. Gabi was crankier than usual during the visit, but she had a great time. Next time we will spend at least a few whole days out there.

Gabi cut her third tooth this week: it's one of the 'fangs' on top:) She also had her nine month checkup today. She weighs 22 pounds and is 31 inches long!

Happy Birthday Aunt Heather!

2010-03-17T19:48:00.015-06:00

Here's some of my favorite pics of Aunt Heather.......nice pose on the softball one:) We can't wait until this weekend when we get to go to Lubbock and see Aunt Heather; Cousins McKenna, Mason &Salem; and Grandma and Grandpa Martinez. We missed Heather and the kids at Christmas because poor Mason broke his leg:) We plan on having a great time and going to eat at Rosa's Cafe!

Well, it's also St. Patrick's Day, and we got Gabi all decked out in GREEN:) We spend Wednesday nights at church with the youth program, and Gabi loves it. She tries to talk and divide her time amongst all the kids and parents. She is one of two babies at the church,and all of the old folks gravitate towards her.

She is getting so big...we can't even believe it. She started crawling a few weeks ago, she barely fits in 18 month sizes, she stands in protest in her crib, and pulls herself up to stand on anything she can get a hold of! We can't get over how strong she is. Tonight she pulled a full sack of potatoes off a table! She also tries to talk a lot, so she will likely be a chatter when she grows up. The funniest thing she does now are her 'happy' screams.....it's hilarious cause she usually does it when it gets too quiet like when I take her to my office or during prayer on Sundays:)

We are definitely blessed that our child is growing up so healthy and strong. Take care and we hope to see everyone soon:)

8 Months

2010-02-27T19:45:00.003-07:00

We can't believe it...Gabi turned 8 months old this week! Our time with her seems to be going very quickly. She's more like a little person now than a baby.

She now weighs 21 pounds and still only has two of her teeth. She is already wearing 12-18 month clothing. She is very close to full-blown crawling. Aaron and I were feeling nostalgic yesterday after watching Kourtney Kardashian giving birth on TV, so we decied to watch Gabi's birth videos:) We were both teary eyed watching them,because our baby is growing so fast.

We've been so blessed these eight month because she is very healthy...not one sniffle, cold or a fever so far:)

At Work with Daddy!

2010-02-12T11:27:00.007-07:00

I usually bring Gabi to the office with me on Fridays, and I thought I'd finally take a few pictures. Everyone loves her and she is always trying to talk to people who pass by. She has a blast sitting with me at the desk and even helps me yell at contractors!

Today, Gabi spilled apple juice all over her crotch, so she had to go pantless for a little while:)

Teething AND Waving

2010-01-31T19:26:00.002-07:00

We know we have been lagging on our blog update but, as you can see,we have been CRAZY busy!

Gabi is growing so much and SOOO fast! It kinda makes us sad! She has been sleeping through the night pretty steadily well, that is until she got her 1st tooth a little over 2 weeks ago! Our poor little one! It was awful for us all! Within two days of her 1st sprout, another lil' tooth sprang up! She is mouthing everything!

It has been freeeezing around here too! We had 2 1/2 days off from school becauseof the Arctic blast! LOL! That's Las Cruces, NM for ya!

Aww... I have to admit I got a little teary eyed here!

My baby is communicating!!! I was just messing around waving to her and then she waved to me, nonchalantly. She is not very enthusiastic about it here, either. She was just putting us on! Gabi is such a charachter. We are SO blessed!

Happy Birthday, DADDY!!!

2010-01-05T19:52:00.003-07:00

Well, Aaron turned the big 3*0 today! And right on time Gabi just started babbling, "dadadadada." Gabi and I took Aaron to eat sushi and gave him his gifts: the movie, Hangover and an Alamo Bowl t-shirt. Happy Birthday, Babe! As you can see Aaron makes a great daddy. He cracks us both up with his silliness and does sooo much to help me. We love you, Daddy!

Gabi's Baptism

2009-12-29T21:07:00.003-07:00

Sunday, December 27, 2009 marked a very precious day in our young baby girl's life: Gabriella's Baptism. Aaron and I took this day very seriously and have been preparing for it since the day she was born. She already "belonged" to the St. Andrew's family before Sunday but to receive this blessing and honor was beyond words. She did amazingly well and didn't shed a single tear! And man, can our girl work a dress! She looked like an angel! My hope is that one day Gabriella can pass her beautiful gown on to her little one.

As you can see we had family come from all over to shower Gabi with love and blessings. Thank you all SO much!

G

Grandma and Grandpa Martinez on little to no sleep....THANK YOU!

Lastly, Gabi had her 6 month check up today. I'm going back to work because I'm a wuss and can't handle watching my baby getting poked! She weighs 18 pounds, 2 ounces and towers over 75% of other babies her age at 27 inches (that's ALL Aaron)! No more shots until June...MOmmy :0)'s.

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-26T19:34:00.010-07:00

Whew!!!!!!!!!! Well, our lives have been a whirlwind of craziness since our last posting but we are very blessed this Christmas! Last week marked the final days of school for me before Christmas break. I gave my kids a special assignment on Monday: give to those less fortunate than themselves. So, we traveled to Hatch to pack food and minister to the poor. It was amazing! I was so proud of my 2nd graders!!!! Thursday and Friday were rough because it was my first time doing report cards with Gabi (NO sleep)! I am SO grateful for Aaron and my mom because I could not have gotten through the insanity without either of them.

Saturday and Sunday brought cleaning and preparation for incoming Cali family (it's insane how much laundry accumulates with one small infant)! The crazies showed up late Sunday night and since then we've been chillin', drinkin' beer, playing games, and watching the cousins play! Gabi even got the star role as baby Jesus in our church's Christmas pageant! And, OF COURSE Daddy and I HAD to let her wake up in our bed on Christmas morning. My heart feels so good to see Gabi, her aunts, uncles, and cousins spending quality time together. Our little Gabriella will be blessed and baptized tomorrow. Then we celebrate Round 2: Christmas with our family in Lubbock....can't wait!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-30T16:18:00.010-07:00

We finally had a few days off to spend with our little one. As you can see it was quite eventful. On Thanksgiving Day we hung around, ate TOO much food, drank beer, and watched a lot of football. Gabi is rolling all over the place now. We have yet to catch her rolling on video, but we'll keep trying:) She's a riot!

On Saturday, we went up to the mountains to cut down our first family Christmas tree. As you can see, we had the baby bundled up tight. All-in-all we had a great time. Gabi even got a chance to feed some baby goats! She is getting so big.

We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, and we can't wait to see everyone for Christmas and Gabriella's Baptism.

Gabi's first bite of baby turkey:

Ear Piercing

2009-11-20T15:51:00.002-07:00

With Gabriella's baptism quickly approaching, we decided to get her ears pierced. Since I have had the joy of taking her to get her last two sets of shots, I figured it was about time for Rachel to get in on the fun:)

Rachel and Cora took Gabi to the mall on Tuesday to get the whole thing over with. Gabi was a champ and didn't cry for too long. She was still angry on the car ride home as you can see from the last picture, but she's over it now. Of course, one of the earings fell out Tuesday night, but luckily there have been no more mishaps:)

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T15:02:00.004-07:00

Here is a pic of our most beautiful flower! She was not crazy about the head gear but we managed to snag a few pics before she let us really have it. I wonder where she gets that temper (hee.hee.)

We have been trying to get Gabi rolling on video but she sneaks up on us all the time. This smile is a classic, though! We hope to have her rolling on video SOON!

What a Week.........

2009-10-30T19:07:00.002-06:00

Well it has been a very long and trying week for the Benefiels. Gabi turned 4 months old on Saturday, and we got to spend the weekend in Lubbock with Grandma and Grandpa Martinez and Jonna and Chris. Gabi got to go to her first Texas Tech football game:) Of course, the Red Raiders lost horribly to Texas A&M, but we had a great time anyway.

Gabi started on rice cereal this week (she gets more on her bib and face than in her mouth), and moves onto fruits and veggies over the next two weeks. We have decided to wean her off the middle-of-the-night feedings and get her on a more rigid eat/play/sleep schedule. We have been rocking her to sleep every night and responding to her every time she wakes, but our new schedule will not permit that. We now put her in her crib for naps and nighttime sleep without responding to her every wimper. For the first few days, this meant listening to a lot of crying, both Gabi's and Rachel's!

As difficult as this has been, last night she slept from 8pm until 4:30am....SUCCESS IS SWEET:) With Gabi on a schedule, we have more quality time to spend with her and each other, and we do not sleep in 2 hour increments. I think that Rachel and I have aged about 1 year in the past 4 months! But you know....it is totally worth the sacrifice to have a healthy baby who is learning more each day:)

Grandpa's Visit

2009-10-12T12:05:00.004-06:00

Grandpa Benefiel was in town for a visit this past weekend. We had a nice, relaxing couple of days filled with hanging out around the house, playing cards, and watching college football. As you can see from the pictures, he and Gabi had a good time exchanging funny faces on the recliner.

Can't wait to do it again Dad:)

Breckenridge

2009-10-09T11:15:00.005-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Well we had a nice little vacation to Breckenridge, Colorado last week. Rachel had a teaching conference to attend, and I got to watch Gabi:) It's truly a beautiful place, and the drive up was very nice as well. We got to make stops in Santa Fe, Taos, Royal Gorge, and in Albuquerque on the way back (Ballon Fiesta was taking place as we drove through).

Gabi did very well considering all of the travel time. It snowed on our second day up there, so the baby got to see her first snow flakes. We look forward to going again in the future so we can hike and ski. Take Care!

Bath Time

2009-09-18T11:13:00.004-06:00

Gabriella really loves her baths, so we thought we'd upload some funny pictures of the process:)

Gabi's First RAIDER Game

2009-09-18T10:41:00.005-06:00

Well, I had to concede to Rachel that Gabi would be a Raiders fan instead of the Cowboys (as long as Texas Tech is her #1 college team). She watched her first Raider game on Monday night. Unfortunately they lost, but their team seems greatly improved compared to the last 5 seasons:)

The Giraffe

2009-08-22T16:51:00.009-06:00

Last year, Rachel and I saw a really cool wooden giraffe at a store called Jackalope in Santa Fe. At the time, we did not know if we were having a girl or a boy, so we did not buy it. I was in Santa Fe yesterday for a meeting, and it turns out that the giraffe was still there, so I brought it home for the baby. Gabi loves it already. It stands 6'-6" and watches over her while she sleeps:)

Also, Gabrilella has begun to show more of her personality these days. She loves to smile and laugh as you can see on the attached video.

Hi Madilynn:0)

2009-08-20T19:51:00.003-06:00

Congratulations Shaun and Hollie! We can't wait to see our new neice Madilynn. She's adorable. Babies with lots of hair must run in the family:) Enjoy every minute.

Happy Birthday Grandma Martinez!

2009-08-08T19:41:00.005-06:00

Last weekend we went on our first family road trip to visit Grandma and Grandpa Martinez in Lubbock. We prepped ourselves by researching online first, since Gabi hates her car seat:( Rachel found a 'snuzzler' which conforms to the baby's body and makes her more comfortable. We also had to listen to a variety of baby bedtime music over and over again, but it worked. Gabi got her feet wet in the pool for the first time with Daddy, and we're waiting for Grandma to send us the great pictures she took so we can post them. We had a great time and look forward to our next visit in October, when we'll take Gabi to her first Texas Tech football game.

Rachel goes back to work on Thursday. Grandma Palomino will be watching Gabi. We're praying that it will be a smooth transition for us all. It has been so tough for us to leave her, but it gives us so much comfort knowing that she is with her grandma while we're at work. Our best wishes go out to Hollie and Shaun as they prepare for their little miracle. We can't wait to see Madi.

Tommorrow is Grandma Martinez's birthday, and we all want to say Happy Birthday and we love you:)

4th of July

2009-07-18T16:24:00.004-06:00

Hello Everyone,

We had a great 4th of July and week after. We spent the weekend of the 4th up in Hatch, NM celebrating Rachel's Dad's birthday. The week after, my sister Heather and her kids McKenna, Mason, and Salem got to see their new cousin up close. Even though we just hung around the house all week, it was alot of fun catching up, getting to see the kids play, and introducing Gabi to her new family. Take Care:)

Week 1

2009-06-30T17:10:00.005-06:00

Well, it has been a wonderful first week with Gabriella. We appreciate all of our visitors and their support. Grandma Debbie was in town last weekend, and we look forward to visiting her and Danny in a couple of weeks. Also, my sister-in-law Heather will be in town soon along with McKenna, Mason, and Salem to visit their new cousin.

Unfortunately, Aaron has to return to work tommorrow. Gabi and I will miss him, and I keep praying that I will be OK without him during the weekdays. Gabi is doing well. She had her second doctor appointment this morning, and thankfully there are no health issues.

Gabi's First Day

2009-06-25T17:24:00.006-06:00

Here's some pictures and a video from Gabriella's first day. Grandma and Grandpa Palomino, Aunt Anita, and Cousin Tiffani were all at the hospital. We can't wait for Grandma Martinez to come visit tomorrow and the rest of the gang to meet her!

Gabriella's Here

2009-06-25T16:30:00.004-06:00

Finally, our daughter has arrived. Gabriella Rae Benefiel was born on June 24, 2009 at 9:46pm. She weighs 7lbs 14oz, is 21 in. long, and is in great health. I was getting ready to go to work when Rachel started having contractions and we decided it was time. The labor began around 7:30am, and unfortunately, Rachel had to wait over 7 hours for an epidural, and had already dialated to 7cm. Despite that, everything else went very well, and we couldn't ask for a greater blessing:)

Baby Shower #3

2009-05-26T12:36:00.005-06:00

Hello Everyone,

We've been lagging once again:) A couple of weekends ago, my Dad, David came down and we went out for a nice dinner and had a great time. The next day, Danny and Debbie were down to attend Rachel's third shower. It was organized by Mission Lutheran School. There were a lot of fun games including pass the diaper and build-the-baby out of play-do. As you can see from the photos, everyone had a blast. We'd like to extend a special thank you to Alicia, Melinda and all the teachers and parents from MLS for throwing the shower and being so good to Rachel as well as all of our family and friends who were able to attend.

Rachel is now 37 weeks along, and we are ready for Gabriella to arrive soemtime in the next three weeks. We are very excited and cannot wait to be parents:)

Baby Shower #2

2009-05-01T08:02:00.009-06:00

Hello Everyone,

Last weekend our church threw Rachel a baby shower. It was heald at a small farm north of town. Everyone had a great time. We've known the people at St. Andrews for years and we are all really close. We even had some of our Sunday School kids show up and they had a blast:)

California...................

2009-04-08T20:06:00.007-06:00

Hello Everyone:) We've been lagging, but we are finally able to upload some Sprink Break pictures. We went to California for a few days to hang out and have Rachel's first baby shower. We went to the beach the first day and everyone had a blast (including the puppies). The shower was held at Alum Rock Park in San Jose and the weather was beautiful.

We'd like thank everyone who came to the shower for the great time and for your generous gifts. See you all soon:)

P.S. We decided to name the baby Gabriella Rae. This week she is 30 weeks along, and we are definitely getting excited to see her. She moves around like crazy and kicks like a horse.

Will and Daisy

2009-03-15T20:31:00.003-06:00

We have a new addition to our family! Daisy is an 8 week old West Highland Terrier. As some of you know, we already have a Westie named Will. We sent our labrador, Tucker, to live with Rachel's parents on their land in Hatch. Our yard was getting a bit too small for Tucker, and he is know having a lot of fun with plenty of room to roam.

With Tucker gone, Will was getting lonely, so we thought we'd give him a girlfriend:) They get along very well, and we think they'll make a great couple.

Here's Our Little Girl!

2009-02-28T09:52:00.010-07:00

Rachel had her second ultrasound yesteday. She was expecting a boy, me a girl, and I was right:) Our baby finally wiggled in the right direction, giving us an accurate view. Above all else, we are extremely grateful that she is healthy. She weighs 1 1/2 pounds, has all her fingers and toes, and she is definitely adorable already. It actually appears that she has sexy calves just like her Dad, jk. We have some names in mind and can now start shopping around for the nursery. Rachel's already searching the web for the latest fashion finds for our little one.

Our New Blog

2009-02-26T12:50:00.001-07:00

Hello, this is Rachel and Aaron's blog. We were inspired to create this because of our sister/sister-in-law Heather. She has a great posting set up so we can keep track of her and the family. We've got a baby on the way and two crazy dogs, and we wanted to start this to keep our families up to date on our pictures and the interesting occurrences in our daily lives in Las Cruces, NM.