Two guesses...

Any idea? It's a footer. Webster says that a footer is: a basis or foundation. Chance has had to explain all these silly construction terms to me about 9 gazillion times. I know, it's pathetic. They cut the footers on Tuesday. Now we're waiting on the termite inspector to pre-treat the area and the plumber to do his "thing" whatever that may be. Then on Monday the contractor will be back to poor the concrete slab. It's so exciting now that we can see the process in front of our eyes, instead of just on paper and in our heads.

Our home:

She's incredible.

I'm amazed by this woman. She's an incredible mother, she manages it all so well. I don't know that I would be able to handle twins let alone TWO sets of multiples.

And her faith is remarkable. The family never misses a Sunday at church, and I LOVE how strong she and Jon were when it came to the topic of reduction.

See they're story below:

Their beautiful family.

Adorable Aaden (the cutest)

THE STORY: "It all started when Jon and I met on October 5, 1997 at a picnic. I never believed in “love at first sight”, but this came really close. Jon was walking across the grass and I saw him and was instantly intrigued! Our eyes met and continued to meet from across the way all afternoon. Finally, I arranged for someone to introduce us…and the rest is history! We were married at a friend’s home in Wyomissing under a white tent with toms of beautiful flowers…A perfect garden wedding with equally perfect weather on June 12, 1999. It was truly a beautiful thing! I had wanted children right away, but Jon wasn’t ready. I had a nagging feeling since I was a child that I would have a hard time getting pregnant. So, that fall I decided to get testing done and I was right. I had PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). Basically, I don’t ovulate and would need help getting pregnant. So we decided to check out a fertility doctor and decided to try just in case it would take a long time to get pregnant. It didn’t take a long time at all! Januarys’ cycle failed, but by February I was pregnant! We were ecstatic!!!!!!!! Even more so when we learned we were having twins! We had prayed for twins, because Jon was as “baby crazy” as I am and we decided we would fight over one baby! (We had also had a joke about this since we were dating). The pregnancy was rough (so I thought then) and the girls, Cara Nicole and Madelyn Kate were born that October. They spent 5 days in the NICU (they were born at 35+3 weeks) and were then released to go home…As a little family I was exhausted, but tickled pink…I was so much in love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jon was such a big helper right from the beginning! I was so impressed! He jumped in and helped with feedings, baths and everything else! I was amazed! He was equally in love with his “daddy’s little girls”—just what he always wanted! God had truly blessed us with these darling miracle babies –and we knew it! The girls turned one and I started thinking about more children….After all, the girls had been pure fun and I wanted to do it again! But, Jon wasn’t convinced. I prayed for a long time that God would change his mind. It took a long time and a rough experience for both of us for that to happen…In May 2003, we had the opportunity to adopt a newborn in kind of a rare circumstance. Things were moving really fast and we prayed about it and felt that this was not meant to be. Jon and I came to a joint decision that we were not ready to take on such a responsibility at the time. We felt God leading us that way. Jon was amazed that I so willingly “turned down a baby”. It hurt so badly, but I knew we were doing the right thing. I mourned for the better part of a month and it was then that Jon agreed to let us return to try and have another baby. He saw just how badly I wanted to be a mommy again. We decided that in October we would return for “round two”, but I got impatient (imagine that!) and went back in August right before our family trip to Disney World. August failed! When we returned, we switched doctors and tried again in October…….That cycle was perfect! Everything went great! I was told I had 3 with a possibility of 4 follicles, and that was a great cycle! The only thing that made our doctor nervous was the fact that we were absolutely opposed to reduction and that we were concerned about multiples again. We prayed about this and just like our peace about returning in October f or this, we felt peace about proceeding. So we did! Five weeks later, (after my hospitalization for over stimulated ovaries) we were at our initial ultrasound and learned the news. I will never forget this day as long as I live. There were seven sacs with four yolk sacs, or babies in four of them. At the count of four, I was scared. At five I started crying and at six I was shaking absolutely sobbing. Jon had turned form the screen, he couldn’t look anymore. I have never seen him so close to tears in my life! The doctor “reassured” us by telling us we would talk about reduction. I pulled myself together and stared right at him and said “We’re not doing reduction!” After the ultrasound he called us into his office and tried to convince us that reduction was the thing to do. Again, we refused! That weekend, Jon and I spent our time staring at the walls (literally) and crying. It was the worst weekend of my entire life! On Sunday, Jon took the girls to church and asked if he should tell anyone. I told him to tell a few people so we could get prayer started for us. Before he was home form church, the phone started ringing. Everyone was so encouraging and offered their prayers and help. I began to feel that we could do this! With God’s help, of course! Now here I am, lying in bed in the hospital, 26 weeks pregnant with 6 babies. (One baby never developed on its own), three boys and three girls and I wouldn’t change it for the world! Jon and I have already learned so many great lessons through this experience! I have learned that I am not at all in control of my own life—God is. He owns every facet of my very being! What great relief to know that all that stress does not have to sit on my shoulders anymore! I give it to God and he takes care of it for me! I have learned to be grateful for everything I have. God has provided for us immensely, even in times of Jon’s unemployment! I have learned to value my family so much more. I have such a wonderful husband who has been so strong through all of this! I love him more each and everyday! He has become the spiritual role model in our family and truly the head of our household! God has really changed him and he is becoming what God wants him to be! And I love it! This has been a wonderful lesson and learning time in our lives, and the learning has just begun! Our babies should be here hopefully not until the end of May. Then the fun will begin….Please, pray as you think of our family. Thank you! Jon & Kate"

Domestic Bliss

I have made some progress in my quest to become a domestic goddess.

May I introduce you to my new babies...

and her brother:

What's next?

Well, it's happened. The one thing I was sure would never happen to us.Our small family has been directly affected by the economic crisis.

Chance will be laid off at the end of this month.

I'm so stressed right now. We've been assured that this is strictly a temporary thing, and he will be recieving unemployment benefits for the time being. The silver lining is that he will now be able to finish the house much quicker (in about a third of the time he thought it would take).

Yet for some reason I'm still so worried.

I don't know why.

He tells me there's no reason to be. I know that the Lord will provide for us. I know that we will be taken care of.

We both have faith in that.

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

In happier news we will be joining Gospel Mission Worship Center soon. I'm really looking forward to that! I want us to have a strong church family before we start to try for a baby. (which by the way will be no time soon.)

I'm a strong believer that it takes a village to raise a child. And I think that the next generation of children is going to have to have an even stronger faith, they are going to be challenged even more so than we have been. With politicians wanting to teach sex-ed to 5 year olds, and such an anti-conservative mentality sweeping the nation; I want my babies to have a rock solid foundation in the Lord.

So if you're the prayin' type, please pray for our country, for all believers (we will soon be tested to stay true to the Lord), and keep Chance and myself close to your heart- please, although I know we'll be ok. I feel as though we have come to a crossroads in our lives together and I want it to be completely guided by Him.Also pray for our new project. Groundbreaking was delayed due to rain- they are starting tomorrow.

Hunger pains.

Why is it that when I'm sick I'm so hungry - and there's no food in the house. Sure there's a fully stocked pantry downstairs. But none of it sounds good. And it all requires cooking, which I don't have the energy to do, and Chance won't. So instead of eating some of my favorite foods - I'll just write about them. So here are some of my favorites.

Cracker Barrel's Hashbrown Casserole

Loaded Potato Soup

Meatloaf

Red Velvet Cake

Yuck

I'm sick. Full blown chest cold. Congested, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing, aching, and cold! (why do you have to be so cold when your sick?) And don't think that I've been able to relax, no- I've got laundry to do. I'm not bitter. I was supposed to have dinner with a good friend and her little angel tonight but i'm not sure if I'm feeling up to it. We'll see.

I wish I had some soup and sprite, it cures everything.

Thankfulness

Today is one of those rainy dismal days. The ones where you just want to lay in bed all day, forget the dogs that so badly need to go pee-pee, forget the laundry, forget the appointments I have with clients tonight. With all that dancing hopefully in my head, I can't help but be thankful for my life- and the way the Lord has blessed Chance and myself.

It's so funny how He works in our lives, working in the spotlight and behind the scenes at the same time. Chance and I both love the Lord with everything we have; and know that without Him nothing in our lives is possible. We know that He brought us together, brought us through the past year (as difficult as it was), and brought us to where we are now. There have been so many events in the past year of our lives that could have brought us to our knees; but thanks to Him, our love of each other, and our family we have pulled through.

I am so grateful that we have each other. That we have our family. For our "babies" (Nik, Baylei, Ty, and Oliver). We have been blessed with our health, secure jobs, the love of our families, and the undying love for each other. There were several people in our lives that doubted our commitment to each other- to our marriage. It's nothing short of a miracle to me that I have his hands to hold, his arms to rest in, his love to comfort me. I'm so blessed.

To our family and friends: thank you for your countless prayers that were lifted up to the Lord with love. They were our saving grace.

Yay!

Just found out our gorgeous cousin Micah just got engaged!! We're so happy for her. She deserves every moment of happiness that life brings her way!

Micah- We love you, can't wait to see you in June!

My Hero..

... has always been my PawPaw.

This photo was taken Christmas '91 right after I received my waterbaby.

Bob Yancey was many things to many people. He was a adoring son, a caring brother, an ever-loving husband, a nurturing father, and the best grandfather his five grand-daughters could have ever dreamed of, and a friend to all that loved him.
He was born on October 25, 1945 to his parents George and Dorothy Yancey. Later, their family grew to include a younger brother and sister, Barry and Becky. The family resided in Indianapolis, IN. When he was 16 yrs. old his father passed away suddenly, rocking the foundation that Bob had built around himself. He relocated with his mother and two younger siblings to Paducah, KY; at which time he decided to enlist in the Air Force. While serving he met a young man by the name of Billy Nichols. One weekend Billy asked Bob to drive him home to Tupelo, MS; he had a date with his girlfriend. Bob agreed as long as he had a pretty girl on his arm too.
When they arrived at the house in East Tupelo, MS Billy’s little sister, Beverly answered the door in a pink chenille bath robe and rollers. Little did he know she would be the love of his life. They married on December 13, 1963 and had their first child Sheri in April, 1966 followed by their second Debbi in February, 1969.
Though Bob had his demons throughout his adult life, he always provided for his family, and never stopped worrying about his girls. As the children grew and began to have babies of their own, he was welcomed into “grand-fatherhood”; he never looked back. One by one he welcomed Sarah (1987), Lindsay (1991), Kristen (1993), Kelsey (1993), and Shannon (1999). He had always been an exceptional husband and father, but when it came to his grand-daughters he got a twinkle in his eye and couldn’t stop smiling.
Bob Yancey was a man with many God-given talents, one of those talents was taking care of those that he loved; it was his greatest gift. If ever there was something wrong, he could fix it. Whether it be a scraped knee or a broken heart, a fender-bender or something a little more serious; he never stopped taking care of those that he loved. His wife and family where the true loves of his life and he would have done anything to ensure their safety and happiness. A promise that he kept wholy until his last moments on Earth.
He may not be with us in person any longer. But ask any member of his family and they will tell you that he lives on through the morals, lessons, and dreams that he gave us all. His arms can still be felt as a safe harbor, his shoulders a place to cry, and his wisdom something to rely on.
As his oldest grand-daughter I got a special glimpse into his world on the many Saturdays spent at his antique stores, and countless days spent together. I once told him when I was very young that he was my prince charming; the same still remains true today. Though I have married and moved away from home he is still the first love of my life. His roles as husband, father and grandfather were the most important to him; but I think that if you were to ask us we would say it was the intricate and unique friendship he had with each of us that was the most important. I speak for my entire family, all of “Bob’s Girls” when I say that he was a wonderful man, the kind of man that no amount of words could ever describe. We love you Pawpaw and we miss you more each day.

Happy Veterans' Day

Did you know?

Veteran's Day always falls on November 11th, no exceptions.

In 1918, World War I ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month when an armistice was signed declaring the "war to end all wars" was finally over.

The next year on November 11th, the U.S. called the day "Armistice Day" in memory of all the men and women who served in WWI.

Congress changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954.

Veterans Day is a legal holiday in the U.S. to honor all who have served in the nation's armed forces

My wonderful...

... husband! He's been so great lately. So caring and thoughtful. So huggable, kissable, loveable. The other night he rubbed my back, for no reason; and didn't even ask for me to return the favor! We've been going through a really tough time lately and it's so wonderful to re-kindle the playfulness we had when we were dating, or even engaged. I've been missing it lately-that spark that we had not so long ago, before PawPaw passed away, before the 3 moves in one year (with one 2 months away), before the new dog (then the new cat, then the new dog, then the new cat.), before Tyler got a broken leg and Parvo at the SAME time. Well you get the point.

The other day we had Aunt Bea (Chance's great-aunt) over for lunch. She's a hoot. She told Chance's mom that she finally saw the affection in our marriage, so she thought it'd be ok that we were married. Which is a good thing since we are! She's soo funny.


I love you, Lovee!!

A little retail therapy...

A few weeks ago Chance got me this beautiful cream coat, it's really more of a jacket. It's definitely not warm enough for those cold winter days. But it's been great this fall.

I gifted myself with this lovely thing yesterday after a $5000 day on Saturday in 4 inch heels - I'm pretty sure I deserved it. I love it and I love that it's an EXTRA-SMALL!!! Best of all, Old Navy was running a 50% sale on all it's outer wear; I got it for $50!

In recent news...

A few updates on what's going on with our latest adventure. We met with the contractor last night and signed the papers. We met at the court house this morning to get our building permit. The contractor will have the footers cut in a week and at that point the termite inspector (to pre-treat the wood) and the plumber will come out. Then next Monday they will pour the concrete slab. This is all happening so quickly which is wonderful, but a bit overwhelming.

Please keep us in your prayers as we go through this process.

In case you live under a rock...

I'm not gonna get all political on you and try to impose my opinions on anyone. I will however say that it is our civic responsibility as American's to let our voices be heard.

With that said, get off yer' rear and go vote... now!

Our newest adventure...

This should be interesting.

Bendel est. Sept. 15, 2007

We are the Bendel's; Sarah and Chance that is. We recently celebrated our one year anniversary. It's a complicated life we live and we're not sure whether that's good or not. Whatever the case may be, we love each other.. our dogs.. our cats.. and our families.

We have two dogs: Nikolas (Nik) and Tyler (Ty)

&

We have two cats: Baylei (Bay-Bay) and Oliver (Little One)

They are so precious and such a huge part of our lives.

Chance is a car salesman at a local Honda-BMW dealership - Sarah is a wedding consultant at a well known bridal store. That's where we spend about 90 hours collectively within one week. The rest of our time is spent with family and planning our newest big adventure in life, more on that soon.

We do not have children yet, but look forward to being parents. It's gonna be a little bit though!

Our Wedding Day

9-15-07