Merry Christmas!

Another year has passed, but it seems like longer when you look at how much our girls have grown. Lillian (8) is a beautiful, mature, and amazing little girl. And while Anna Kate (5) and Ellie Lou (5) are still as silly as ever together, the two are very different little people. Chris and I have had such fun learning all over again with these three. We have rediscovered our childhood love of sports and arts. We have stood in amazement at what our girls have done. We thank God that He has given us a chance to see life so differently through the lives of each of our girls. We pray for many more opportunities to experience joy, love, and a zest for life with our girls. We are grateful to our loving friends and family who often share these moments with us.

We hope you enjoy catching up on our family through this blog. Feel free to dig around, make sure you scroll all the way down on each entry...and if you get lost, just click "The Benwell Family News" headline at the top of any page to take you back home. You can click on any month to see all the posts within that time frame.

Many Blessings,
Darcy, Chris, Lillian, Anna Kate & Ellie Lou

Eric & Stacey Mlak, Darcy & Chris Benwell
Laird's Christmas Party, 2007

Winter Ski Break

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

You can click on the photo above to launch a slide show from our trip! We just got back from Breckenridge, Colorado. We were blessed with the company of our friends and neighbors the Francis's: Scott, Diane and Alex (8 yrs). Alex is the cutie with the really long, dark hair. There is also a shot of Scott and Diane happily enjoying the ski lodge and their mocha lattes. I was taking the pictures, so I think I got one shot of Chris and I together --and one all-family shot thanks to Scott and Diane!

We spent a week in the mountains in a big, beautiful house. Scott, who is a fantastic cook, made us dinner many nights. It was relaxing to spend that time with our family and friends. The trip was a great jump start to the Christmas season...so much so that Diane and I picked up a "Charlie Brown" Christmas tree at the local market! We had the girls string popcorn, make snowflakes, and decorate pine cones to put on the tree. With the Christmas tree and big ole fireplace in the house, we really warmed up the place. By the middle of the week, it felt like home.

When we weren't lounging fireside, we set the 4 girls up with a super ski instructor, Pete, for couple of days. The girls were up on the big lifts in just one day then cruising down the slopes with ease. They loved the skiing, but every one's favorite thing was sledding. We spent two evenings sliding and screaming down the side the mountain! My camera really stops the action, so it's hard to tell how fast they're going in the shots, but the snow is flying and so are the kids!! I was a little worried at times.

Breckenridge also has an impressive fitness center open to the public for a daily fee. This was perfect for Lillian because she needed to keep up with her swimming with a big meet coming up back in Houston. Lillian and Chris swam 2,000 yards at 10,000 feet! Chris said he could barely keep up with her! And Diane and I know just what he means....we attempted to run a beautiful jog path along the Blue River...well, I was light headed from all the giggling at our pathetic efforts. We could barely breathe! The same was true for our Yoga class AT 10,000 feet! Something about being upside down at that altitude is uncomfortable to say the least. :)

Winter Championship Swim Meet

Lillian has worked all season to prepare for Winter Champs. She swam great and took time off in all her events. As always, we are so proud of her efforts. She received 6 medals and 2 ribbons. Medals are awarded for 1st-3rd finishes. She finished 1st in 100yard Breaststroke for 10 year olds and under...Lillie is 8. Go Lillian! She also won 1st in the 50y breaststroke for 8 and under girls. She place 2nd in 100 IM, 50 Free, & 50 Fly...3rd in Backstroke.

She really loves swimming and has decided she wants to swim for Stanford (ouch!$$$$) and in the Olympics!

"I can do all things through Him who gives me strength" Philippians 4:13

Cheerleading

Lillian is a cheerleader for her school. The squad is called Lil' Saints. She has been practicing for months and just got to cheer at their first Basketball game. All the girls were loud and proud! H-O-T..T-O-G-O...whoop, the Saints are Hot-to-go! Fun.

You might also notice that Lillian has BRACES! Yes, she has 6 brackets on her front teeth in 3rd grade! Yes, apparently, the latest in orthodontics is to have Phase I and Phase II braces.

Lillian's Guitar Concert

Here are a few photos from Lillian's performance in a Christmas Concert this month. She plays classical guitar and performed "Greensleeves". She was lovely. We are very proud of her. She is talented and brave.

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