Your glorious unfolding

Dear Sweet Pea....

This was a picture your Mommy posted today.  Your Daddy told her to do something silly.  Mommy can make silly faces and I know her face will be the first one you want to see.  

You already know her voice and I'm sure she has been singing to you throughout the day.  Mommy's long hair will tickle your face and make good handles to grab while you are cuddling together.

You are a very lucky girl to have such a wonderful Mommy.  No one will love you more or take better care of you. 

Your Mommy is a very smart lady.  Right now whenever she has a craving she looks really sweetly over at your Daddy and will say,  "Baby wants ice cream."  Your Daddy grabs his shoes and the car keys and heads out the door with a smile. 

Your Poppa and Diva started praying for your Mommy before she was even born.  We were so in love with our baby boy ( your big handsome Daddy) that we began to pray every night for the beautiful woman that would one day be his bride.  Do you want to know what we thought about your Mommy when we first met her?  We were so thrilled that God had brought her into your Daddy's life.  We could tell right away that she was God's choice and the perfect match for your Dad.

You are such a lucky little girl to have such wonderful parents to love and protect you .   Be kind to Mommy.  Let her sleep and don't kick her too hard while you are practicing your swing dance moves. 

Keep growing little one.  Remember we pray for you every single day and dream about holding you in our waiting arms. 

XOXO.....Your Diva and Poppa

Just between me and you

You are already making an impact on me

Dear Darling Girl,

Did you know that you are already a good influence on your Diva?    

Today is the first day of spring and despite the gloomy weather in Virginia I am invigorated to celebrate spring.  I love Spring .

Spring starts the greening of the grass, and the flowers start to bloom adding glorious colors to the landscape .  Spring means shedding winter coats, sweaters, hats, gloves, and finding sandals and favorite spring clothing.  It means baby animals (calves and lambs) in the fields and it signals your arrival is getting closer.

We are so excited to see your sweet face that we have gone into training.  Exercise, eating better and getting more sleep so we will be in tip top shape to travel and be there to welcome you into the world.

Know that we pray for you and your sweet parents every single day.  Diva will do a happy dance once we know you have arrive safely and my little boy (your Daddy) will become your dragon slayer, problem solver, and your first love.

Happy Spring beloved....we look forward to seeing you with breathless anticipation.

XOXO   

Your Diva and Poppa

How to Become a Fantastic Diva

13 ways to be a Fantastic  Granny Diva

1. Always carry lots of pictures. Don't wait until the baby is born, start with the ultrasound images and go all the way through graduation.
2. Listen intently to other people talk about their grandchild. This is not as easy as it sounds.
3. Select a proper grandma name that 1) you like, 2) the child can pronounce and 3) will not be embarrassing when it is shouted loudly in the grocery store.
4. Ask God to bless your grandchildren and pray for them every day.
5. When your grandchild is fussy or behaves poorly, always have a good excuse.
6. My favorite excuse is "The poor little doll is just so tired. And you would be too if you had been hauled around all day. Another good excuse is "The poor little angel is cutting teeth!" These two are good but you need a good spare or two for really tough times.
7. You will want to have special nicknames for them as they grow, but continue to call them by their name. We all like to hear the sound of our own names.
8. When something gets broken at your house, remind yourself and your grandchild that people are more important than things.
9. Get a bigger purse-a small suitcase will do also-so that you can always pull out a new toy, candy or distraction of some kind at just the right moment.
10. Think back on your own grandmothers and try now to realize just how much they loved you. At the time you had no idea of their deep love because it is unexplainable. You must experience it for yourself.
11. Have Grandma Camp one week every summer. Plan cookouts, crafts, sports, and all the things kids love. For the following week schedule a massage, plenty of bed rest, and post a sign that the kitchen is closed until further notice.
12. Never miss a chance to tell them you love them. The days are short and years pass quickly. What a better way for them to remember you than, "She always told me how much she loved me."

Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do.  Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children. ~Alex Haley

 

Back rubs and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Dear Cookie.....(That's because you're the sweetest thing around!)

By now you are probably thinking  Poor Diva. She doesn't know my name. Your darling Diva has "pet names " for everyone and you will have so many.

Don't be surprised if you get the name of "Cookie Monster" as we are a cookie loving family. When we were dating your Poppa told me, "If you can bake a decent chocolate chip cookie and give a good back rub, I'll marry you!" Silly man had no idea that I was the world's best back rubber and cookie maker! He soon learned and asked me to marry him about a month after we first met. (You see, your Poppa knows a good thing when he sees it!)

Your Daddy loves to have his back rubbed and will pull up his shirt and say, "Woman, start scratching" when he sees me. Your Daddy loves Oatmeal Scotchies (Oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chips) since he is not a big chocolate lover other than Reese's  Peanut Butter Cups.

I make a mean oatmeal cookie with cinnamon chips too! You and I will have to experiment and come up with some new cookies. How 'bout sugar gummy worm cookies? Hmmm....I'll have to do some more thinking on that.

Traits I hope you inherit from your Mommy and Daddy

Traits I hope you inherit from your dashing Daddy and marvelous Mommy

1.  Dearest darling ... I hope you look like your Mommy.  You will be doubly blessed as you have a beautiful Mommy and a handsome daddy.  Your Mommy loves the color purple and has beautiful dark curly hair, beautiful skin, and dark lovely eyes.  In my imagination I see you looking like this picture complete with purple polka, bows and matching shoes.

2.  I hope you get your Daddy's sense of humor.  Your Daddy has always been cute and charming.  It was really hard for me to discipline him as he always made me laugh.  He can usually find something funny about whatever situation that makes you sad.  I bet you will have secrets with Daddy that will send you into gales of laughter and making Mommy wonder what is so funny.

3.  I hope you get your Mommy's beautiful singing voice and love of music.  Your Daddy loves music but is not a good singer.  He and Poppa went to a Promise Keepers rally with 20 thousand men singing together.   Later he told me, "Momma I was singing as loud as I could and I couldn't even hear me at all and I might have even been good!"

                                             

    4.  I hope you get the ability to sleep anywhere, any time like your Daddy.   Daddy worked a lot of night shifts before you were born so had to learn how to sleep in the day time.  Babies need lots of sleep so for your sake and sake of your new parents I hope you get the ability to sleep through the night quickly.

 5.  I hope you get your Mommy's  love of vegetables and healthy food that will make you grow strong and healthy.  Your daddy loved bananas as a baby and would eat anything as long as he could taste bananas in it.  (Silly baby Daddy!)
 

6.  I hope you love watching sports on TV and going to TCU football games.  Your Daddy loves all kinds of sports, your Mommy loves TCU.  I'm sure you will have lots of sports jerseys including the New York Mets....your Daddy's favorite baseball team.

7. I hope you have your Mommy's sense of adventure and fun.  Your Mommy likes going out to eat and to different events.  She loves to act and sing and is fearless.    I hope you are as fearless when it comes to excelling in any thing you try. 

8.  I hope you have your Daddy's ability to write and journal.  Your Daddy has always been very perceptive and sensitive and found keeping a journal helpful.  He is even writing a blog for you and your future brothers and sisters.

9.  I hope you will know how much you are loved and cherished and prayed for each and every day.  You are your Mommy's deepest desire and your Daddy's opportunity to be your hero and champion . You will be their teacher and will knock off all their rough edges.  Be kind to your parents, they are new at parenting and  you didn't come with an operations manual.

10.  Your innocence and vulnerability......sent fresh from God. I hope you will come to know Jesus at an early age and trust Him all the days of your life. I know your parents will guide you and help you all through life.

Well that's it my darling baby girl.  You have some pretty awesome parents who are so excited to be your very own.  Don't be surprised when people look at you and say, "you have your Dad's smile or your Mommy's disposition",  all that will be revealed as you grow.  Do know that you will be surrounded by those who love you and pray for you each and every day.

XOXO.....Your Diva and Poppa

The importance of a name

Dearest Darling Baby Girl....

Allow me to introduce you to the other man in Diva's life.  This is your Daddy....Andrew Wallace Bennetch.  I call him Andy and if you ever hear Diva use his whole name then you will know that he is in some kind of trouble with his Momma.

Your daddy is my baby.  I asked your Poppa if he wanted your daddy to be named after him....Charles Thomas Bennetch, Jr. He said no, that your Daddy needed his very own name.  He said that his baby boy would be a godly man and needed a godly name.

 We discussed several names.  I liked the name John Wallace which is a combination of the first names of both of our fathers (John Henry Bennetch, and Wallace Reid Watson) .  Poppa pointed out that there was already a cousin named John and already lots of John Bennetchs  on the family tree.  (When you are older your Daddy will show you "the Red Book" full of the history of our family and all its many members.)

Finally Poppa said, "I have always admired Andrew in the Bible.  He wasn't as dynamic as his brother Peter but the first thing we know about him is that he brought his brother to Jesus.  Andrew was the disciple that brought the little boy with his lunch of 5 fishes and two loaves to Jesus.  Because of Andrew's faith 5,000 people were fed .  I would like to think our son will bring others to Jesus also." 

You need to know that your Diva was a Daddy's girl.  I adored my Daddy and had already decided I would name a son after him if we ever had one.  As much as I adored my dad...."Wally" was never one of my favorite names but Wallace sounds great as a middle name.  So it was agreed upon that if we had a boy his name would be  "Andrew Wallace Bennetch".  My dad cried when I told him I was naming our son after him. 

Another amusing thing you need to know about Diva is my oldest sister loved dolls when we were growing up and all of her dolls had the middle name of Anne.  She had Diane, Marsha Anne, and Sue Anne.   We had agreed that when we grew up she would have all girls and I would have all boys.

As it turned out....she had all boys and I had two little girls .  While I was pregnant with your Daddy she pointed out that both of my girls had "Anne" in their names (Rebekah Joanne,  and Suzanne Renee).  We both laughed at how differently things had turned out than what we always talked about as children.  Before she hung up she asked, " What will this little girl be named?" She suggested the name "Roxanne".  Well as you know my poppet, I didn't have a baby Roxy but I still got an Anne...Andrew that is, our baby boy Andy.

Meet your great grandmother.

Dearest Darling Baby Girl....

This is a picture of 4 generations.  This is Emma, Auntie Becky, Diva and my mother...you great grandmother.

Your great grandmother lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and just turned 88.  She lives alone and is fiercely independent.  She does not see very well so she does not drive anymore.  She hires a nice lady who drives her to get groceries or go to appointments.

She loves her yard and flower garden and grows roses.  She hates when all the leaves fall off the trees and into her yard.  She will go out almost every day to rake and bag leaves that have fallen.


She loves her church and especially her Sunday School class.  When Diva and Poppa go see her we go to Sunday School with her in the ladies class.  Poppa says, he is one of the girls and all the older ladies love him.

Great grandmother gets her hair done every Saturday.  One of her lady friends has an appointment with another beautician at the same shop so she drives my mom and they get their hair done together.

Great grandmother loves to play Parcheesi.  It is a board game with dice and lots of rules.  Great grandmother is an excellent player and is very competitive.  She very seldom loses.  When you are older we will teach you her favorite game.

Great grandmother doesn't travel anymore so maybe your Daddy and Mommy will have to take you to Virginia Beach to meet her one day.  She is very excited about your arrival and also prays for you every single day.  What a lucky girl you are to have so many people who love you and pray for you.

XOXO  your Diva

Meet you cousin Emma

 Beloved little girl.

Meet your cousin Emmalee Anne Bennetch.  Emma lives in Canada which is very far away (further than Diva and Poppa can drive) so we don't get to see her as often as we would like.  We always look forward to having her come visit us.

Last Christmas Emma and Auntie Beckie got to come and spend Christmas with us.  We all gathered in Tennessee at Auntie Suzy and Uncle Tim's home so Diva and Poppa had all of our grandchildren together for Christmas.  It was so much fun.  You will like cousin Emma.

Emma is 8 years old and in the second grade.  She loves school and loves to pick out colorful outfits to wear.  She loves My Little Ponies and will teach you all about them.  Her favorite pony is Rainbow Dash and I am sure she will let you play with all of them.  She also likes the Equestria Girls (which are the ponies who  have turned into girls in another world, I know it confuses me too!)  There are cartoons all about the Ponies and I know she would love to share all her vast knowledge on Ponies with you.

Emma loves Halloween and loves to dress up in costumes just like her cousins and your Mommy and Daddy and all your Aunts and Uncles.  Last Halloween Emma chose to be a Mummy and celebrate the day of the dead.  I think she makes a cute Mummy.  As much as your parents (especially your Daddy) love Halloween I am wondering what your very first costume will look like.





Emma is a very active little girl.  This past winter she played ringette . This is her picture in all her skating gear.  It is played on ice and is kind of like hockey.  She scored many goals and also enjoy playing the goalie.  Emma has also played soccer and loves to swim, go to the park, roller skate and ride her bike.

  Emma loves music.  Taylor Swift and Katy Perry are some of her favorites.  Auntie Becky and Emma got to go to a Katy Perry concert this past summer when she was in Saskatoon.   Emma told me that Katy Perry's fans are called "Katy Kats" so that is why she is dressed as a cat.  Katy Perry also sings a song called, "You're going to hear me Roar."  Ask Mommy to sing it for you.

Emma also loves to dress up in princess dresses.  She loves dolls, sparkly clothes, games, reading, drawing, and crafts.  She loves to help cook and loves vegetables.  She likes working in the garden and also loves to camp out.  She likes science and went to space camp last year.


As you can see Emma has lots of interests and will be so happy to have a girl cousin to play with.  I hope you will always be friends and look forward to spending time with her and the boys.

Well, my darling baby girl I know you are anxious to meet the family but for now, you need to grow and develop into a strong healthy girl.  Know that we love you and pray for you every single day.

Your darling diva

Snips, and snails and puppy dog tails... plus a lot of mud

Good Morning Little Girl.

     You will be surrounded by wild crazy boys on both sides of the family.  Your Tennessee boy cousins are Oz, Charlie and Henry.

     Oz loves to learn and is most like his Mommy.  He taught himself to read and loves books that are technical.  His current loves are Legos, cars, trucks, Monster trucks and heavy machinery.  He is very smart and helps look after his brothers.  He is in kindergarten this year and likes school.

     Charlie is the middle brother and most like his Poppa.  He loves everything that Oz loves (especially if they belong to Oz).  He loves to talk,  sing songs, play  with play dough, color, work puzzles and build with Legos and the kitties (Max and Moby).  He likes little girls and is intrigued with dolls, jewelry, and costumes.  He is very kind and sweet but can also be very naughty (on rare occasions.)

     Henry is our little blond and most like his daddy.  He thinks he is as big, and bad as his big brothers and will try to do everything they do.  He loves Mr. Potato Head, the kitties, Lego (big surprise) cars, trucks, puzzles and play dough.  

    As you can see by the picture above....all little boys love dirt and building roads and hills with mud makes for a fun afternoon.  As wild and crazy as they can be they will gladly be your best friend, and protector.  (When your sweet Mommy saw this picture on Facebook she said:  And THIS is why God is giving me a girl...hehe love those boys)

    I pray that you will always look up to your big boy cousins as friends and playmates.  

    We love you little one.  

      Your Diva

  

Meet Your Crazy Aunts

Dearest Baby Girl.....

Did you know that your big strong daddy is a little brother?   Meet your Auntie Becky and Auntie Suzy.    Auntie Becky lives in Canada with your cousin Emma (age 8).  Auntie Suzy lives in Tennessee with Uncle Tim and your little boy cousins (Oscar (age 6) Charlie (age 4) and Henry (age 2).

Your Daddy will probably tell you that he had bossy older sisters.  They were and still are,  but they love your Daddy and Mommy very much.

Auntie Suzy and Daddy are best buddies.  They have a lot of history together and can break out in laughter over something that none of the rest of us even know about.

Uncle Tim's family lives in Fort Worth so you will probably get to see Auntie Suzy, Uncle Tim and the boys more often.  Know that you are very special and very loved.   Your little boy cousins will treat you like a princess and Henry will feel like a big boy next to you.

 Your aunties are really fun and very creative. Auntie Suzy is a librarian and knows the best books and stories.  Auntie Becky is a university professor and loves to camp, garden, and knows all about things girls enjoy.  These two special ladies in your life will love you and tell you lots of stories about your daddy when he was little.

 Know that we are anxious to hold you and welcome you into our family and into our hearts.

XOXO ....  Your Diva and Poppa

You are growing

Good Morning Sweet Girl,

Your Mommy just posted this picture of the two of you today.  You are about 1 pound now and have definitely made your appearance viable.  Your sweet mommy said that a stranger even asked her today about you when "your coming out party" will be.

We are so excited to see you grow and develop into a strong and healthy girl.  Know we pray for you and your Mommy and Daddy every day.

You will enjoy the dogs.  I'm sure Lady and Falkor will be very protective of you.  Be kind to your Mommy and let her sleep.

Know that you are loved and adored by so many that are anxious to meet you.

I should probably warn you that Diva is a Hugger  and a kisser and I'm pretty sure grandma Deidra will be so even more than me.  I guess it is a good thing that I don't live too close to you because you would have chapped cheeks from all the hugs and kisses.

Love you to the Moon and back again.

XOXO  Your Diva

How this blog got it's name.

Dearest Child of my heart.

I'm your Diva and I have a special blog for each and every one of my babies.  You are the first baby to be born in Texas.

I'm sure you may have heard the song..."Deep in the Heart of Texas"  Since you are the first Texan I wanted you to know that you will always be deep in the heart of Diva.  No matter where you live, you will always have a special place in my heart.

I want to share my dreams, hopes, laughter and crazy adventures in this blog with you.  I want to share some of the adorable things you say and do and some of the special times we had together. 

I always want you to know that you were loved and prayed for everyday by your Diva and Poppa.  I even had a special prayer time about you with your other grandmother.  We both agreed that we hope you have your Momma's good looks and curly hair and Daddy's crazy sense of humor and creativity.

You are one lucky baby to have so many adults that already love you unconditionally.  Always know that your heavenly Father loves you more than you will ever know.

XOXO   Your Diva and Poppa

Why you have a Diva instead of a grandmother

Dearest Sweet Pea,


It did occur to me that some where along the line you will be asking...."How come I've got a Diva instead of a grandma?"

Simple answer: You were very lucky sweetie!

Maybe you will have friends that call their grandmother by a different name. Some of my friends call themselves "Granny," "Nana", "Meme", "Nanny", "Oma", "Nan", "Gram", "Grandma", Gigi, and one even calls herself "Honey Gram."

According to the dictionary a Diva is a female opera singer. ( No, that's not me unless you happen to hear me singing in the shower.)

A Diva is a person who controls what is going on in her environment and most especially her inner circle. Your Diva is bigger than life and the stories I can tell you kiddo! I'm hoping to be someone really special in your life. I want to be an active part in your life. I want to sweep you away on excursions, bake cookies with you, make up stories and corny jokes, have play dough in my hair, play trucks, climb trees and kiss away your boo-boos.

A Diva is a Star and I'm prepared to be the "twinkle factor in your life". 
 
How do you like the mini Diva cookie I made for Henry's 2nd birthday?  Could you tell it was me?


Know that you are loved and prayed for every single day.  Be kind to your sweet Momma.  She is new at this and is so excited to see you.  Your Daddy will be a goner the second he knows you have made your entrance into the world.

  Your Diva

Meet your Poppa

Dearest Little One,  Let me introduce you to your Poppa. (Isn't he cute?) Your Diva thinks so....and has thought so for the last 41 years. Like most grandfathers he may appear to be gruff and grumpy. Diva bought him this shirt for Christmas.  I call him "old bear" a lot. Actually he is pure marshmallow and an ole softie! The minute he has you in his arms he will be a big ole puddle of goo.

He is a really smart man and loves to tinker in his basement with tools and electronics. He does not like to be defeated by a problem so will keep working on a solution for a long time which makes him especially grumpy.
 
Papa loves to teach and explain. (Warning: Papa talks in letters and numbers that have meaning only to him. Diva has found that the best way to handle this situation is to smile and nod like you understand. It makes him happy, he will rub your head and tell you how smart you are! Trust me on this!)

Papa loves to read. He knows a little about a lot. (Note: take all your "Why?" questions to Papa.) However, you need to know that if for some reason he does not know the answer he will make one up.   ( no, not really lying, just an interesting story to see if you will believe him.....it's a game he likes to play.)

Your Papa is strong and you will always be safe and protected in his arms. He will cry when you are born and the first time he sees your little face he will be instantly in love with you.  Don't be surprised if he constantly tells you the story of why he really thought your Daddy was a girl.  When the doctor delivered your Dad and said, "It's a boy!" Your Poppa said, "look again."  The doctor smiled and said, "I'm really sure I know the difference and this is definitely a boy."  When your Daddy was a baby we didn't have the technology to know if it would be a boy or a girl....so your dad was a delightful surprise package.

No one will love you like your Poppa Charlie. He has been praying for you ever since we knew you were on the way. He has lots of wisdom and can make anything go. He already has plans in his head about building you a fort or a playhouse. You will be blessed to have him in your life, loving you and cheering you on.