Christmas Card 2K14

For those of you who didn't receive our Christmas card, don't feel bad. We are poor so we can't send one out to everyone and their dog.

Happy Holidays!

Another year is gone along with another ½ inch of hair from Glen’s receding hairline. This year has been the epitome of change for The Bennions. Our little diva joined us December 26^th 2013 & since our lives have been a big carnival ride, stressful with the occasional throw up (we hate you returning stomach flu x4). Three days after Olive Rose Bennion was born we moved in with the Harlan’s. So much good food & sleep happened there.

Glen applied to Medical School this past year. He also received a few ulcers in the process. He received an interview & later an acceptance call to Pacific Northwest University. My favorite part of the story is when he received his acceptance call to Med School he was sitting on the toilet…true story ladies & gentlemen. When we found out we jumped up and down with joy, and cried. Glen had worked so hard. We sacrificed a lot of time & money and we were/still are so excited to be where we are at. We feel extremely blessed to have been accepted. We packed a trailer full of clothes, infinite amounts, & a few other things and headed for Yakima (gazoon-tight) Washington. We have had a busy and fulfilling six months here in Washington.

GLEN is the smarty-pants of our house! If he’s not talking about school then, well, he’s not talking, he’s studying. I once heard a quote “Medical School is easy, It’s like riding a bike. Except the bike is on fire and you are on fire and everything is on fire and you are in Hell!” Although this is one of the hardest things Glen has done I see his passion for medicine growing. His love for learning has deepened. He also loves “practicing medicine”. However, the last time he practiced the chiropractic part on me I got the wind knocked out of me and almost puked. But I think he will make an awesome physician J. In his free time, which is a rare commodity, he enjoys playing with Olive, eating good food (who doesn’t!), watching fail videos, playing videogames, and indulging in electronics and good style. I have to brag that he has done exceptionally well in his classes and has hopes of possibly honoring in a few. That’s impressive!

Hailey (ME) I have had a busy year trying to catch up with Olive. Recovering from childbirth is no joke and not for the weak of heart. I’ve stayed busy this year and between Olive, church, friends, book club, occasional housewife duties & shopping, I somehow fill the time. Notice there is NEVER time for making dinner. I’m looking forward to starting a Nursing Program this fall. Hopefully I will be able to keep up with Glen as he often speaks medical jargon. This year I enjoyed being a Cub Scout leader, diaper changer, cookie baker, bed maker, poop cleaner-upper, dessert eater, occasional exerciser, professional grocery shopper and Gilmore Girls watcher. Always remember, STRESSED spelled backwards is DESSERTS and this is not a coincidence.    

Olive Rose is a busy little bee. If she’s not terrorizing my clean house she’s sliding up and down the stairs, climbing in boxes, cupboards, chairs, you name it! She recently excelled in pooping in the tub, scratching her loved ones, climbing on top of our living room furniture, dancing on the table, and yanking glasses off faces…she’s a charmer. She calls everybody “DADA” (You’re not so cool anymore Glen!) and has a few words down like “UP UP”, “BA” (bath) & she even head nods when she sees something she wants to eat. I think she should be considered a genius by now. She loves to cuddle up on her parents lap and read a book. She wins us over by her constant giggles, snuggles and her kiss blowing (It’s quite adorable, sound effects and all). Olive experienced Disneyland for the first time this summer. Her parents especially loved the “Infant fast pass”! She also experienced her first camping trip this summer with her mom at MOM CAMP (17 moms 40+ kids), no men allowed. She enjoyed her views from the pack-n-play, and she loved hiking in a backpack. However, her moms back did not enjoy the hiking as much as she did. We are blessed with a beautiful, funny, energetic, and healthy little girl. We couldn’t be more grateful for the joy & laughter Olive brings to us!

We are truly grateful for our friends & family this Christmas season, and above all we are grateful that Jesus Christ is the real reason to celebrate. Much love and well wishes.

Love Always, Glen, Hailey & Olive.