FL Beutel Family

Reunion!

2010-07-25T15:38:00.000-04:00

Me and Jen before we head to the party @ Sawgrass

My perfect date!

Just the girls: Jen, Krista, Pascale, Amy

A small portion of the 609 members of the OPHS c/o 1990

OPHS c/o '90 20-yr Reunion weekend

2010-07-25T15:35:00.000-04:00

We celebrated our 20-year reunion this weekend. Started with Happy Hour @ Whitey's Fish Camp on Friday night. I only managed to get a few pics as I was so busy catching up with old friends.
Top: Amy, Lana, Krista and Jen
Bottom: Krista, Eddie, Pascale, Tyrone (notice Chris grinning in the background!)

Let's cook!

2010-07-25T15:33:00.000-04:00

While I was studying for my first Peds exam last weekend, Tyler offered to make muffins with Katie. It ended up a huge disaster, but Katie and Ty sure had fun dressing the part. I hope the Dept of Health overlooks the fact that there is a dog in the kitchen...licking the hot pads on Ty's hands...

Orlando getaway

2010-07-25T15:31:00.000-04:00

We escaped to Orlando for a few days over July 4th weekend. We had a rainy day, so we took in the Children's Museum for the first time and loved it! Dinner at T-Rex Cafe, hung by the pool, and went to see Blue Man Group. It was a GREAT vacation!

Girls Night Out!

2010-07-25T15:28:00.000-04:00

A group of us girls got together to go see the premiere of "Eclipse" when it came out in late June. Pictured clockwise from the top left: Jenny, Krista, Susan (A.K.A. Mom), Lana and Kim. After a few glasses of wine and some appetizers, we headed to the theater while we met up with a few more friends.

Father's Day 2010

2010-07-25T15:26:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Father's Day by heading to church @ the kid's school (Palms Presbyterian). They had been in Vacation Bible School all week and were so excited to perform for us at the service. Ben was not wanting to cooperate for pictures after, but we managed to get a few before he completely melted down. (Please say he will grow out of this phase???)

Recital day!

2010-07-25T15:24:00.000-04:00

Between rushing to get to the theater on time and trying to dodge the rain, we didn't manage to get many pics of Katie on recital day. Of those we took, this is the ONLY one where her eyes are even partially open. But we were all charmed and delighted watching her and her classmates dance as Garden Talent Fairies in their production of "A Day in Pixie Hollow".

Katie's VPK graduation

2010-07-25T15:22:00.000-04:00

Early June was full of celebrations for us. The end of the school year, Katie's first ballet recital, and Katie's graduation from VPK. Here she is singing on stage with some of her classmates, turning on the charm for Daddy, and posing with some of her "boyfriends" and their diplomas.

Fletcher Football Purple & White game

2010-07-25T15:19:00.000-04:00

Tyler got to play in the Purple & White game in late May and we were there to cheer him on. He made his extra point kick and I was ever the proud mother.

Our ballerina

2010-05-04T15:39:00.000-04:00

Ballet pictures were taken in April in advance of the recital in June. This was a test run for hair and makeup (I know, she is wearing a TON, but they told us to do this!) I was just happy to see her hair remain in the bun!

The Limo

2010-05-04T15:35:00.000-04:00

The kids had a great time at prom. Dinner @ Shula's, a limo ride, the dance until midnight, then back to Branden's house for pizza, snacks, and an all-night Call Of Duty match.

Prom 2010

2010-05-04T15:33:00.000-04:00

All dressed up

I couldn't resist a shot with my son

The whole group

Just the boys. From left: Branden, Mason, Forrest, Dave, Trevor and Tyler

Smarty-pants

2010-05-04T15:29:00.000-04:00

Most of the pictures didn't turn out, but I wanted to give a "shout out" to Tyler. He was inducted into National Honor Society in April. We are so very proud of all his hard work. It's a big honor to be inducted!

Swamp things

2010-05-04T15:27:00.000-04:00

The four of us just prior to boarding our air boat.

Eric, Abby, Kim and Sam are ready to go!

Heather and Grama apply their safety gear. That boat was LOUD!

Diversions

2010-05-04T15:25:00.000-04:00

Uncle Eric and Abby ride the tandem bike

The whole Beutel clan on an air boat ride (SO cool--I highly recommend it!)

More Marco Island

2010-05-04T15:21:00.000-04:00

We managed to wrangle Ben long enough to get a family picture

Barb, Harry and Heather look golden brown and happy--Florida suits them!

Katie, Abby and Sam cooperate for a picture (not so much Ben)

Krista, Katie and Chris (once again, minus Ben)

Spring Break @ Marco Island

2010-05-04T15:16:00.000-04:00

The kids on Easter morning (which we actually celebrated the day AFTER Easter)

Sunset (minus Ben, who at 3, does NOT like to take family pictures)

The kids attacking Aunt Heather

Grama's birthday

2010-05-04T15:05:00.000-04:00

We headed down to St. Augustine to join Grama & Grampa and Uncle Rich & Aunt Karen for Grama's birthday dinner. Ben was NOT happy having to get out of his scrubs. We've been calling him "Dr. Ben" for close to a month, now.

Katie lays a smooch on Uncle Rich.

Grama and Ty

Ty and Krista (can you believe how big he is?)

Mamma Mia!

2010-03-30T11:00:00.000-04:00

Mom and I took in dinner and a show last weekend---"Mamma Mia!" was in town and it was SO fun!

New Moon Madness

2010-03-30T10:59:00.000-04:00

March 20th was also the DVD release date for "New Moon", the second installment in the Twilight saga. Of course, I had to invite my crazy Twilight girls over for a double-feature, replete with decorations and a life-size Edward (although, sadly, not 3-D). We had a great time! Pictured from left: Lana Doane, Kim Boulware, me, Edward (sigh...), Amy Dahl, Tara Jones, and Edilyn Williams.

Carnival time

2010-03-30T10:56:00.000-04:00

The kid's school had their spring carnival on March 20th. Pony rides, bounce houses, train rides and games...what a great way to kick off spring!

Family fun

2010-03-30T10:55:00.000-04:00

Katie enjoyed her time with cousins Sam and Abby. Sam has apparently entered the "buts are funny" stage.

Katie hugs Grama and Grampa goodbye at the airport. What a fun weekend we had!

Girl's weekend

2010-03-30T10:52:00.000-04:00

The first week in March was exam week for me, so after I took my Psych final on Monday, I had the rest of the week off. Katie and I flew up to Cincy to help celebrate Grama Beutel's birthday with a special "Girl's Weekend". Here we are on the plane...

Katie walking in REAL (not made by Dad) snow! She promptly fell on her face and decided she isn't such a fan of real snow.

Getting Grama's makeup done at the Mac counter. Katie mused "It sure takes a long time to do two little eyes".

Clockwise from left, Heather, Kim, Krista (me!) and Barb celebrate Barb's birthday with a special mother-daughter dinner at Jags.

Thrill Ride

2010-03-02T19:45:00.000-05:00

To pass the time while I am studying for nursing school, Chris has taken on some rebuild projects. The latest is a go-kart. It goes too stinkin' fast if you ask me, but he and the kids seem to be having fun fixing it up.

A boy and his dog

2010-03-02T19:14:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while, Tyler gets a soft spot for the pets. Today, he was snuggling with the dog. I have a feeling it will soon be his Facebook profile picture.

Breast Cancer 1/2 Marathon

2010-03-02T19:13:00.000-05:00

Heather came down from Baltimore to do the 1/2 marathon with me again this year, and Kristin did the walk with us! It was a beautifully sunny day--perfect weather for walking! There were over 8,000 walkers and runners and it was so great to see the city come out to support us. We finished in just over 3:15, a few minutes slower than last year. We've already signed up to do it again in 2011!

Katie & LoriAnne

2010-03-02T19:11:00.000-05:00

LoriAnne's grandparents lived two doors down from us, but they have moved to a condo and are renting their place out. LoriAnne came by to see them on one of the last weekends they lived there. We're not sure if we'll see her anymore now that they've moved, so we wanted to be sure to capture the girls on film one last time.

Jeff's 40th B-day Party

2010-03-02T19:09:00.000-05:00

Two date weekends in a row! Our gang piled on a party bus to head down to a Thai restaurant near St. Augustine to surprise Jeff for his birthday.

Sean Geiger (not pictured) and his girl Maryam came down from DC. Here are Maryam and Cara on the party bus.

Maryam polishes off the last of the wine (yes, that's a cork in the bottom).

Date Night @ John Mayer

2010-03-02T19:07:00.000-05:00

We went to the concert with Beverly & Buster. No, Beverly and I did NOT plan our outfits to match! =)

The John Mayer show was AMAZING!

Celebrations

2010-03-02T18:57:00.000-05:00

To celebrate Katie's birthday at school, we ordered pizza and brought in juice boxes and cookies. What a fun day we had!

Best friends: Ava, Katie, Morgan & Kaylee

Time for pizza and cookies!

Ben came down from his class to join in the celebrations.

Five Years Old!

2010-03-02T15:48:00.000-05:00

Katie turned 5 in January and we celebrated by having a HUGE party with all her friends. We had a reptile show (which explains the ferret, I hope) and capped it off with an ice cream sundae bar. Grama & Grampa Beutel even came in town to help us celebrate!

Snow day!

2010-03-02T15:39:00.000-05:00

Armed with a hose, an air compressor, and a ladder, Chris managed to fill our front yard with snow one cold winter night! Like much of the country, we've had an unusually cold winter, so he set his mind on making snow, and didn't stop until he was successful! The kids had such fun playing in the snow all day and many of the neighbors joined in. Even Jackson got in on the action!

Christmas Fun

2010-03-02T15:32:00.000-05:00

Katie got an easel from Santa this year.

Ben spent a good portion of Christmas break working on crafts. Of course, we eventually ran out of orange paint.

We had a New Year's treat when my good friends Karen & Alistair (and their two boys Mac and Cam) came to visit us for a few days. We tried to get a pic with all four kids, but Ben was having none of it!

Krista & Karen--still friends after almost 30 years!!

Happy 39th!

2010-03-02T15:27:00.000-05:00

Chris turned 39 this year. Coincidentally, our neighborhood block party was scheduled for the same night, so we got to go on horse-drawn carriage rides through the neighborhood. Katie was thrilled that her friend LoriAnne was visiting, and we followed up with cake and ice cream at the house.

Out with Friends

2010-03-02T15:22:00.000-05:00

We went out for drinks with Alyson, Jeff, and a couple of Alyson's friends (I can't recall their names...) to celebrate Alyson's birthday. We haadn't been to Giovanni's piano bar in for-EVER. Sadly, the same guy is sitting at the piano, and I'm pretty sure his bar tab is more than his paycheck by the end of each night. A good time was had by all.

The Christmas Macarena

2009-12-20T19:34:00.000-05:00

It's kind of hard to tell, but the girls were performing to a "Christmassy" version of the Macarena. We were in hysterics the whole time. Let's just say it was a far cry from the Bolshoi Ballet company! But they looked darling and had fun, and everyone looked so lovely in their party dresses.

Dancing Queen

2009-12-20T19:27:00.000-05:00

Katie's dance class was invited to dance in front of the Christmas tree at the Jacksonville Landing on Saturday night. She was quite excited to put on her "party dress" and some makeup and have her hair done. We were only too happy to take a MILLION pictures! Sadly, I bought a lovely red Christmas sweater for Ben, which he refused to wear (becuase "it's not ORANGE!"--as if they sell orange Christmas sweaters??) So here his sister is all gussied up, and he is in his standard Gymboree sweatshirt and jeans. What a fashion disaster! The bottom two pictures were taken before her performance, when they lined all the girls up on the steps to wait their turn. I was marveling at their patience and lady-like behavior. Had it been a group of boys, it would have been absolute pandemonium.

Those crazy kids

2009-12-17T15:37:00.000-05:00

Katie attended a "Fancy Nancy" dance workshop at her dance studio last weekend. I attempted to capture her cutness on film, but she looks more like a deranged fairy in this shot.

Ben playing the popular "sticker on my face" game.

Katie, not wanting to be left out, follows suit.

Good times

2009-12-17T15:35:00.000-05:00

We attended Buster & Beverly's 3rd Annual White Elephant party last weekend. Alyson and I demonstrated our posing skills. Jeff and Chris were a poor imitation. None of us were feeling any pain, I'll say that much.

Celebrations

2009-12-17T15:32:00.000-05:00

In early December, I attended a Christmas Tea at my friend Jenny's church. From left: Krista (me!), Susan (my Mom), Jenny, and Irene (Jen's Mom)

Katie and Ben all dressed up for their Christmas program at school. It was SO stinkin' cute! Katie sang every note loud and strong and clear. Ben didn't blink, didn't sing, and only rocked back and forth from foot to foot. I honestly thought he was going to pass out on stage!

Date night!

Surf's Up!

2009-12-17T15:18:00.000-05:00

Tyler has been spending LOTS of time surfing this fall. His wet suits help stave off the chilly water temps, and he's getting a ton of use out of his surf racks.

Feeling Beachy

2009-12-17T15:16:00.000-05:00

Even in November, Ben enjoys time at the beach.

Kid's night out

2009-12-17T15:14:00.000-05:00

We've adopted a new "tradition" for our visits to Ohio. We always go out for dinner and drinks with Eric, Kim and Heather. It's a great chance to get to catch up and enjoy some non-kid time.

Just the girls. Kim, Heather & Krista.

Tractors!

2009-12-17T15:08:00.000-05:00

Ben's favorite part of our Rickett Farm visit was getting to ride on the tractor.

Katie and Abby take their turn on the tractor.

And it's ORANGE--which is STILL Ben's favorite color.

We capped off the day with rides on the golf cart.

The Rickett Farm

2009-12-17T15:04:00.000-05:00

On our last day in Ohio, Kim and Eric took the whole Beutel family out to Kim's parents farm. Here Abby and Katie feed Secret.

Katie riding Secret.

Ben's turn on Secret.

Ben feeding Secret. The next fram on the camera is Ben's fingers getting nibbled by Secret...I thought this made for a much better "moment".

Turkey Trotters

2009-12-17T14:56:00.000-05:00

The five of us took part in the 100th running of the Cincinnati Thanksgiving Day race. What a great way to kick off Thanksgiving day! Top picture from left: Krista, Chris, Heather, Eric, & Kim Beutel

Thanksgiving in Ohio

2009-12-17T14:53:00.000-05:00

Tyler stayed home in Florida while the rest of us headed up to Ohio for Thanksgiving. The kids, apparently, did most of the food prep (kidding, Barb!)

Birthday Girls

2009-12-17T14:45:00.000-05:00

In mid-November, we were excited to welcome my Dad and Sigrid for a visit. The kids had lots of quality time with Grama and Grampa, and we were able to celebrate both my birthday and Sigrid's. I can't remember ever having gone to dinner with ALL my parents on my birthday, so it was a special treat for me.

Sigrid and Katie show off her birthday goodies.

Grama & Grampa Strand pose with their three youngest grandkids. I'd try to offer some excuse for Ben's face, but he's 3, so he pretty much does anything he wants.

Ben helps me blow out the birthday candle.

Cuddly kids

2009-12-17T14:40:00.000-05:00

Both Katie and Ben really enjoyed having special time to spend with Grama and Grampa Beutel. What a special weekend we had!

Dress up

2009-12-17T14:38:00.000-05:00

It's amazing what grown adults are willing to do (on camera!) once you add in a little bit of Sam Adams. And call me crazy, but I think Katie can pull of the beret. And the hand on the hip KILLS me! She's been watching E-News with me too much. =D

EPCOT Food & Wine Festival

2009-12-17T14:34:00.000-05:00

We've been wanting to hit up the EPCOT Food & Wine festival for years now, and this was finally our year to go. We had SO much fun riding the rides with the kids (both of them rode Test Track and Soarin' for the first time!) and the food and beverages were great. Gotta love that in the group picture, Harry and I are both holding multiple cups of beer.

Disney!

2009-12-17T14:27:00.000-05:00

Katie and her new friend "Marie"

The Beutel family heading in to Magic Kingdom. We were so excited to do the parks with Grama & Grampa Beutel and Aunt Heather!

Katie never tires of visiting Ariel.

Ben and Aunt Heather take a dip at the end of the day. Gotta love Florida in November!

Beach baby

2009-11-01T21:35:00.000-05:00

Ben was napping and Krista was studying, so Katie went with Chris to take pics of Tyler surfing. She enjoyed splashing in the surf and posing for Dad. She was especially proud of her "curly hair" (which actually just appeared to have been attacked by a crimping iron)--a result of sleeping with braids in last night.

Only in Florida...

2009-11-01T21:33:00.000-05:00

We have been blessed (or cursed?) with continued warm weather so far this fall. It's been in the mid-to-upper 80's most days. Today, Tyler headed out to the beach to get in some surf time and Chris and Katie went along to take some pics.

Block party

2009-11-01T21:30:00.000-05:00

Our neighborhood throws a block party to kick off trick-or-treating each year. We all fuel up on pizza and baked goodies, then head out for the festivities. Katie was so excited to see so many other princesses there! Ben was a little dazed by all the commotion, but you can see in the bottom picture that Katie stood right by his side. At least her wig made her easy to spot. =)

Feeling Halloween-ish

2009-11-01T21:28:00.000-05:00

Katie as "Ariel: the Little Mermaid"

Ben was insisting on being a ballerina (tu-tu and all) until the last minute, when he agreed to be a fireman as originally planned.

Ben and Katie are ready to trick-or-treat!

Melissa and Tyler ready to go to a H-ween party. I wonder if she's border patrol?? He eventually scrubbed the sharpie marker off his face, but it took a lot of effort.

Pumpkin carving time!

2009-11-01T21:25:00.000-05:00

Chris did most of the hard work.

Katie refused to touch anything that might get her fingers sticky.

Bne was delighted with the absolute mess!

Katie and Krista working on Kate's pumpkin.

Pumpkin Princess

2009-10-25T16:58:00.000-04:00

Katie happily posed with the creepy pumpkin man--not really sure what he's supposed to be. Ben was too upset over losing control of the wheelbarrow and refused to get in any photos.

Katie insisted on proving to us that she could lift this sucker. Turns out, she was right.

Still right, but straining under the weight.

I'm pretty sure Katie's favorite part of the pumpkin patch is posing for pictures. This is her Maxim pose. I swear, we did NOT put her this way. She insisted. The teen years should be a blast with this one.

Pumpkin patch fun

2009-10-25T16:55:00.000-04:00

Ben immediately located the wheelbarrow and was all smiles until another child "borrowed" it from him and never gave it back.

The selection has been made!

Ben loading his prize pumpkin into the wheelbarrow.

We did it!!

2009-10-14T10:25:00.000-04:00

The last mile-marker sign--only .1 miles to go from here!!!

We did it!! Crossing the finish line was an emotional experience for both of us. We linked arm and skipped across, cheering for our own accomplishment while tearing up at the enormity of it. This was a life-changing experience for me. 39.3 miles in two days. For two days, we walked as one to raise funds for breast cancer programs, treatment, and research.

We still had a mile walk back to our hotel, so we stopped in at a pub along the way and toasted our success. Many thanks to all those who supported our efforts, not only with financial donations, but through emotional support. We needed every last one of our "cheerleaders" to make this happen!

Day 2: 13.1 miles

2009-10-14T10:20:00.000-04:00

Getting ready to start walking on Day 2. The temps were only in the 40's, so it was a chilly start and we were SO glad we didn't sleep in "tent city" (pictured below). Heather threw on a make-shift sarong to cover her legs during the chilly part of the morning and I gave in all together and wore capris. Still...we were just happy to be moving after having done the marathon the day before. I'll admit that we were both walking like hip-replacement patients the night before, wondering how we would ever get up and move the next morning. Somehow, we managed!

Tent city, where we did NOT sleep. Gotta love hotels!

Having fun @ mile 3.

Heather gave up her walking shoes for "fit flops" on Day 2. Her combo of flips and fashionable socks were quite the topic of conversation all day.

Day 1, con't.

2009-10-14T10:12:00.000-04:00

Crossing the Brookyn Bridge, which was right around mile 16. Still going strong!!

After we finished the marathon (my first!!) we headed back to our hotel, got cleaned up, then went to Caliente Cab Co for chips, salsa, and drinks. Cheers!!

I had to take a moment to pose with the ghoul in the lobby of Caliente Cab Co.

Day 1: 26.2 miles

2009-10-14T10:10:00.000-04:00

I walked in honor of my childhood friend, Karen, and my Aunt Peg, both survivors!!

Heather proudly displayed the names of those she was walking in honor of.

Ready, set...go!!

The "Moo Crew" came out to cheer us on all over the city on both days. We really felt loved, welcome, and supported throughout our two days of walking. So many people came out to cheer us on, pass out snacks, help us cross busy streets, and so much more. What an event!!

Event Eve

2009-10-14T10:08:00.000-04:00

After a year of planning and preparation, it was finally time for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in NYC! Heather and I flew in on Friday and walked the city (as if we weren't going to do enough of that over the weekend!) and attended Event Eve in Brooklyn.

Checking out the city skyline from across the river in Brooklyn.

Friday night, we went to see "Rock of Ages". If you have a chance to see this show, RUN, do NOT walk!! It was so incredible!!

Tyler turns 17!

2009-10-03T18:06:00.000-04:00

Tyler's birthday fell on a Monday this year, so it was pretty much business as usual. Grama and Grampa met up with us to celebrate with dinner at Cheesecake Factory. Tyler's friend Melissa joined us. Katie has decided Melissa is her new best friend. Ben's pretty sweet on her as well.

Pre-schoolers with "free time"...

2009-10-03T18:04:00.000-04:00

1. Put every butterfly clip they can find in their doll's hair,

2. Organize their "bugs" in the doll house,

3. Teach their trucks how to color.

Girl's Night OUT!

2009-10-03T18:03:00.000-04:00

My oldest childhood friend, Karen Hepburn, came in town for a visit from Canada in late September. We only had a couple days to visit, but it was SO nice to visit with her and catch up! We did dinner with the family, then headed out with the "girls" for drinks.

Kristin and Jen

Kim (who was in town from NC), Kristin, Jenny, Karen and me

The other end of the table...Karen, me, Alyson, Kim and Kristin.

All About Kate

2009-10-03T18:00:00.000-04:00

It doesn't matter how many time we go. Katie still insists on standing beneath the P.F. Chang's horses every time we go to Town Center. And we just keep on taking pictures... =)

Katie has not tired of her special connection with Jackson in the least. He's actually kind of lonely now that they're in school all day.

The pre-school years

2009-10-03T17:51:00.000-04:00

Momma walking Katie and Ben into the school for the first day.

Katie wasted no time making friends.

And Ben wasted no time finding the monkey bars!

First Day of School 2009-2010!

2009-10-03T17:49:00.000-04:00

Tyler is soooo happy to be a junior this year: parking privileges are the BEST, and he's a pretty big fan of off-campus lunch as well.

Katie and Ben ALSO started school this year! Ben has entered pre-school in the 3-yr-old class and Katie is in what we call "VPK" (voluntary pre-K). They go to the same school for now, but next year, Katie will move up to Kindergarten and Ben will move into the VPK class. The transition has gone so much better than we had hoped. They love school!

Iron Woman Strikes Again!

2009-10-03T17:44:00.000-04:00

While we were in Ohio for the reunion, I had the chance to see Heather take part in her second (or was it third?) triathlon. What an amazing experience! Here are Barb, Harry and Heather pre-race.

Heather coming through the transition exit for the bike portion...

Looking good as she heads into the run...

Done! She finished in great time and I was definitely inspired watching her. Great job, Heather!

Chris's 20 year Class Reunion

2009-10-03T17:41:00.000-04:00

In late August, we headed to Ohio for a quick weekend to attend the 20-year Reunion for Northwest High School. The bottom photo shows Chris (top), the bottom row, L-R: Craig & Amy Pigman, Krista (me!), Lara & Tony Gatto, and Chris O'Dowd (formerly Doody). We had a great time, although our visit "home" was too quick, as always.

Our Tiny Dancer

2009-10-03T17:38:00.000-04:00

Katie started her tap and ballet classes in late August. I've been meaning to post this picture of her in her outfit. We are LOVING Nancy Dance and can't wait to see her in her first recital June of 2010!

Proving Mom Wrong

2009-10-03T17:37:00.000-04:00

Lesson for the day: if you tell a three-year-old that he can NOT fit into a costume that fit his sister when she was 18 months old, he will immediately prove you wrong. I give him credit, he even went the extra mile by wearing the costume for a good hour. He was on the verge of heat stroke by the time I pried him out of it. Typical Ben.

"I can dress myself!"

2009-08-13T10:55:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Katie and Ben were upstairs unattended for quite a while. I was pretty certain they were up to no good, but as I didn't hear any screaming or loud noises, I figured I'd leave well enough alone. Turns out, they were dressing themselves. These are the outfits they picked out. Gotta love Katie's "ballet slippers".

Puppy love

2009-08-13T10:54:00.000-04:00

Katie loves Jackson and never passes up an opportunity to play or snuggle with him.

Three years old!

2009-08-13T10:52:00.000-04:00

The last three years have been a blur, and we can hardly believe our "baby" is already three. What a wonderful birthday celebration we had. Katie is already trying to come up with ideas for her birthday in January after seeing how much fun Ben's party was!

More cake...

2009-08-13T10:48:00.000-04:00

Since we had his party two days before his birthday (and the cake went quickly!), we couldn't resist having another cake for his actual birthday on the 8th. True to form, Ben used his new construction vehicles to assist in the eating of said cake.

Time for gifts

2009-08-13T10:46:00.000-04:00

Ben got a lot of truck-related items for his birthday, which is great, since he is completely obsessed with them. You can see in one photo, he is actually HUGGING the box, and in the bottom picture, he's picking up all the debris to tote around in the dump truck. What can we say? The kid LOVES trucks!

Let them eat cake!

2009-08-13T10:43:00.000-04:00

Blowing out the candles.

Our big boy.

Ben opted to eat a "tire" instead of actual cake, but chose to eat it as a dog.

Ben's "Pump It Up!" party

2009-08-13T10:41:00.000-04:00

Katie is grinning from ear-to-ear.

The birthday boy

Tyler was only too happy to help Ben go down the slide.

All the kids (okay...and the adults!) had a great time bouncing and sliding and running around at "Pump It Up" for Ben's birthday party. The bottom photo, L-R: Walker, Katie, Lindy, Matthew, Olivia, Jacob, Ben and Shane.

Keep on Truckin'

2009-08-06T14:30:00.000-04:00

I'll admit it. This cake is pretty freaking fantastic! With the help of Barb, I managed to create Ben's birthday cake in my own kitchen. I am particularly proud of the doughnut wheels and the load of brownie "dirt". The good news is that I'm putting all those cake decorating supplies that I bought for Katie's birthday to good use. Wonder what Ty will want for HIS birthday next month?

Goodbye two!

2009-08-06T14:26:00.001-04:00

Only a few days until Ben's third birthday and he's all smiles on Daddy's shoulders.

Ben's head injury

2009-08-06T14:26:00.000-04:00

The first Monday in August found us in the ER with Ben. He hit his head on the corner of one of the columns in our foyer and even though it was only a small laceration, that sucker bled like mad. Two hours and one staple later, he was like new. I never realized how often I pat his head during the day until now. I keep accidentally brushing my fingers over the staple and it makes my tummy roll. Perhaps I need to rethink a career in nursing...

Playing nice

2009-08-06T14:23:00.000-04:00

Although Katie and Ben have their moments when they bicker and argue and fight...on this particular day, they were playing so nicely together and requested that I catch the moment on film. So sweet!

Getting ready for VPK

2009-08-06T14:22:00.000-04:00

Katie and Ben start preschool in a couple weeks for the first time ever! Katie will be entering VPK (voluntary pre-K) and will be expected to know some educational basics that (as far as I knew...) they USED to teach in Kindergarten. So she and I have been spending our afternoon "quiet time" working on a preschool workbook and she LOVES it. I must admit, I miss watching my soaps and catching up on the dishes and e-mail during this time, but it has been awfully nice spending some quality time with her. And now that we know for sure that I'm starting nursing school in a few weeks, these are my last precious days as a stay-at-home mom. It's bittersweet.

Visit with Grama Lynn

2009-08-06T14:19:00.000-04:00

Tyler's Grama Lynn came to visit us in July. We all had a nice time visiting with her, although Katie was quite vocal about Tyler monopolizing her time. Katie is already making plans to go visit Grama Lynn soon (mostly because she has a puppy!)

OPHS c/o '90

2009-08-06T14:16:00.000-04:00

A group of my old high school classmates have reconnected on Facebook and recently got together for pizza and girl talk at Mellow Mushroom. From left, back row: Kristen Harrison, Jenny Barnekow, Lana Doane, Lori Fedorowich, Joanne Denmark. Front row from left: Sjoukje Mooneyham (with son Jack), Krista Beutel (me!) and Jeni Blanchard. We had a blast catching up and can't wait until our 20-year reunion next summer!

Cool Critters at Sam's 6th B-day

2009-07-14T15:26:00.000-04:00

There were literally hundreds of photos from Sam's birthday, so I'm only posting a few of my faves. The kids LOVED the "critter" show.

Katie tentatively pet an African Turtle (can't recall the exact breed)

Grama helped Ben get a handle on this reptilian buddy.

Katie looks on as Sam bravely cuddles with a slithery friend.

I have it on good authority that this is not the same snake that Britney danced with at the MTV awards in 2001, but Tyler still jumped at the chance to hold it.

Katie's beauty salon

2009-07-14T15:21:00.000-04:00

Katie delighted in dressing up both Aunt Heather AND this weird robo-cat (who she named Rover). The cat is actually kind of creepy--it purrs and moves and I found myself scratching it behind the ears. Spooky.

Farmer Ben

2009-07-14T15:18:00.000-04:00

Ben's obsession with trucks motivated him to race across an open field to get to this tractor. He stayed on it for the better part of 20 minutes.

Parky's Farm

2009-07-14T15:17:00.000-04:00

Katie has decided she wants to be a cowboy when she grows up (that's right, a cowBOY), so it was good for her to get some horse-riding practice in at Parky's Farm.

Ben is not as sure of his equestrian aspirations.

Grama, Ben and Katie check out the llama.

This momma hen was sitting on an egg. Katie got a kick out of seeing it up close. We had to keep Ben away as he kept trying to stick his hands in the "nest".

Tyler's non-lazy day

2009-07-14T15:13:00.000-04:00

While Krista and the (little) kids chilled at home, Tyler hit Wake Nation, a wakeboarding park in Hamilton, OH. It took him a few tries to get up, but then he really got the hang of it. Personally, I like the bottom picture. If you're going to crash, you may as well go out in a blaze of glory, right?

Lazy Day

2009-07-14T15:10:00.000-04:00

Our Ohio vacation was 10 days in length. Two of those days were for travel. The rest of them, we squeezed every bit of fun we could out of each day. Except for one. This picture represents our "Lazy Day". The kids did not get out of their jammies all day and we just hung out at the house. It was WONDERFUL!

Family bonding

2009-07-14T15:07:00.000-04:00

Katie was quite chilly after all that splashing, so she snuggled up with Aunt Heather to get warm.

Sam and Katie really took to eachother on this trip. So cute!

Abby, Heather and Katie show us that Princesses stick together.

Eric gives Sam a lift and Abby a push.

King's Island water park

2009-07-14T15:05:00.000-04:00

Katie plays Little Mermaid, perched on a rock.

Abby enjoyed splashing around.

Ben was a wild child in the splash park, but loved every minute.

Katie and Sam hit the slides.

Happy Kids

2009-07-14T15:03:00.000-04:00

Katie refused to move from this spot until we took several pictures of her. What a change from last summer when she would scream "NO MORE PICTURES!" at us on a regular basis.

If we allowed her to have a Facebook account, this would surely be her new profile pic. =)

Swiper's Sweeper is by far my favorite ride to watch the kids ride.

Following Sam's lead, Katie is finally ready to throw her hands in the air and let the momentum carry her away.

Riding the rides

2009-07-14T15:00:00.000-04:00

Grama took Katie and Sam on the viking ship. You can see that she had to hold tight to Katie (who was clearly terrified), while Sam was enjoying it with reckless abandon.

Katie and Gramps on the carousel.

Grama, Ben and Abby.

We just love the Giggle Coaster. Katie and Sam shared the front seat (with a strange girl behind them who brazenly cut the line!) and Ben and Krista in the third row. Ben is not yet tall enough for most of the "big kid" rides, and although Katie is, she couldn't be convinced to ride them. Maybe nex summer?

King's Island

2009-07-14T14:53:00.000-04:00

Tyler and Aunt Heather took off to ride the "big kid" rides, but we took a moment to get a family picture in front of the fountains. Ben did not wish to cooperate.

Scooby-dooby-dooooo, where are you?

Ever the careful driver, I think he was even using turn signals.

Katie cruised around the race track.

Here fishy-fishy

2009-07-14T14:50:00.000-04:00

Ben and Daddy reel a "big one" in. I'm pretty sure they just catch the same fish over and over again. The poor thing must look like swiss cheese.

I love that Ben is looking at his Dad in this picture. It's like you can tell that this is one of those moments he'll still be talking about next summer.

Chris helps Abby reel one in.

Abby and Katie show off their catch.