Family Reunion 2014

I will give a disclaimer at the very beginning...this is an extremely long post with lots and lots of pictures.  There are just too many good ones to not share!

My mom's side of the family all got together at Mom and Dad's and my aunt and uncle's a few weekends ago to have our annual family reunion.  As always, it was such a great time getting together and seeing my cousins, their kiddos, and my aunts and uncles.  We weren't all able to make it, but with families growing every year, that's to be expected.  The highlight of the weekend was Jace!  Jace is my cousin's son and he has been battling cancer all summer and received fantastic news at the end of his treatment...clear scans!  The entire family had been praying for Jace and his family since we found out, so having him celebrate the family reunion with us was such a blessing and a glorious answer to many prayers!  It was so nice to see him out and about and having fun with the kids!  It was just a fantastic weekend all the way around!

Brace yourselves for a barrage of pictures...there are tons, but with so many cute subjects, it's just too easy to keep clicking away!

 The cousins waiting with bated breath for the bouncy house to be inflated!

 Hurry, hurry, hurry!!!

Woohoo...it's up!

 Sweet Lucy!

 The oldest and the youngest...just as handsome and cute as can be!

 Proof that the kiddos did take a break from jumping long enough to eat

 And....we're back to bouncing!  Now there are even more kiddos to play with!

 Jace taking a turn driving the Mule.  Between the Mule and bounce house, the kids were thoroughly entertained all weekend!

 Even the BIG kids got in on the action...this big kid is 30, but he'll always be a kid at heart!

 We were so lucky to have great weather the entire weekend...perfect for a campfire.

 Whitney is awesome, as always...she's the queen of the "minute to win it" games, even serving as the demo person!

 We ended the weekend with an impromptu kickball game...not sure who had more fun, the kids or the dads?

 Just one more picture of sweet Lucy!

Kyran wasn't able to join us at the beginning, because he was home with a fever.  He made his appearance on Sunday...just in time to get in on the game, too!  Not sure he understood the rules of kickball, but he tried!



Labor Day Weekend

This post is a bit overdue, but really, what post do I ever get on here on time, lol???!!!  We were able to get away over the Labor Day weekend and head down to Mammoth Cave.  We had never been before, so we were all excited to go.  We were lucky to get to travel with my sister and her family, Andy's sister and family, and our great friends and their family.  It was quite a caravan of trucks and campers, but it was such a fun time!

The caves were awesome!  I was a little concerned that Kyran would not cooperate on a two hour tour (which, by the way, had no exit strategy) but, he did fantastic!  We took our Moby wrap and he just hung out, literally, in it the entire time.  Ben was a real trooper and did a great job, even on the 200+ steps! 

When we weren't touring the caves, we had a blast at the pools and water slide at the campground.  However, I think the highlight of the trip was our cabin.  We didn't take a camper, and instead rented the "Bear Den".  This lovely little cabin had 10 bunk beds in it and a loft!  You can imagine that Ben and Kyran were in heaven with the endless supply of ladders to climb and mattresses to jump on!  I think Ben slept in a different bunk each night.

While I think the term vacation is a bit deceiving (when you travel with kids, there is really no such thing as rest) we still had a wonderful time.  It was fun to explore someplace new, spend time with our friends and family, and make memories with the boys!

Playing Catch-up!

Well, we're officially back to school...soooooooooo, that means I'm behind in my blogging (I know, I know, not a huge surprise)!

We had a big milestone in our family last week.  Ben started preschool!  Wow, I still have a hard time saying it because it means he's growing up way too fast.  He loves it, of course, which makes me so happy, but secretly I wish he'd come home and just tell me how much he missed me!  In all seriousness though, I am thrilled that he enjoys school.  It makes life so much easier when they want to go!  He's been on green each day, so we're off to a good start...hopefully he'll keep it up!

I know this one is a bit blurry, but I love this look...can you just see him saying "Ok, Mom!  I've got it!"



Ben and I also went to Mom and Dad's a couple weekends ago to attend the Annual St. Ann's Fish Fry.  This was the 50th anniversary for the fish fry, so it was quite a big deal!  I've worked several in my 34 years of life, everything from refilling drinks to carrying fish, and I love it.  It's always a good night seeing people that I haven't seen in a year.  Lots of smiles and laughter!  This year was extra special because Ben got to "work" at it.  He started out in quality control in the back room (which just meant he ate a lot fish...he said one batch was just a little too hot, ha ha)!  Then, he graduated to helping Grandma Debbie fill up the veggie trays.  He was a good little trooper and worked clear to the end!

We also celebrated Andy's birthday on the 14th!  We started the night with preschool "Back to School" night, so that was lots of fun with Ben.  Then, I got a sitter and took Andy to his favorite Chinese restaurant...just a nice quiet dinner for the two of us.  No pictures of the birthday boy (funny, he's not as cooperative as the little guys are when it comes to photos)!

Well, that was just a quick little recap of August.  I can't believe we're heading into the Labor Day weekend.  Where has the month gone???  Hopefully we can all find some time this weekend to relax and enjoy the last few days of summer...I think fall is right around the corner, and personally, I'm ok with that!  Bring on the bonfires, the cool nights, the pumpkins and the changing leaves...I'm ready for my favorite season. 

Enjoy the weekend!



Happy Birthday!

I can't believe my little guy is 5 years old! It seems like yesterday we were in the NICU holding him, feeding him, and worrying like crazy about how we were ever going to handle this thing called parenthood!  Five years is such a short time, but it's time that we have enjoyed watching this guy grow and develop.  He keeps us on our toes!

Here's a glimpse of our Benners - he LOVES legos and builds them completely on his own. He averages one a night, it seems! He is a pretty good eater...loves peanut butter and jelly, fruit, and yogurt.  He's found a new favorite drink in unsweetened ice tea.  He considers himself already in the workforce...he's a farmer, don't ya know! He loves camping, riding his bike, swimming, and visiting his grandparents.  He will start preschool in 4 days (I'm gonna lose it), and is definitely ready for school!

We love you Ben! You are so special to us and we thank God for blessing us with you. You truly are a gift and one that we cherish each and every day. No matter if your 5 or 50, you'll always be our little guy!

Where has July gone???

Warning, warning, warning...this is a SUPER long post full of pictures!!!

Wow, I can't believe it is already the end of July!  Where has the month gone???  I know it's been a long time since my last post, but we've had good excuses...we've had two fairs, a camping trip, and our annual Michigan vacation.  Throw in the 4th of July and some get togethers with family and friends, and you have one packed month! Here are some photos from our busy, busy month!

These are from the 4th of July!  What a fantastic night...the weather was perfect!

Ben had his dentist appointment early in the month, and did great!  No cavities, which makes this mommy super happy!

My niece showed sheep in the county next to ours.  This was her first year, and she did a wonderful job!  She loved the project and definitely has the "sheep" bug...looks like this may be the beginning of a 10 year project for her!

The week after Katie's fair, we had our fair.  I'm on the fair board, so it was an extremely busy week for me.  Thank goodness for Andy, for taking care of the boys most of the week while I ran around the fair all week!

Here are some pictures of fun times we spent with our friends...we just love summer!!!

Last but not least, we finished up the month with our trip to Michigan.  We absolutely love Ludington!  A week is never long enough!  Of course, we went to Sand Castles Children Museum, which is a favorite of all the kids.

We added a stop at the Historic White Pine Village this year, and it was a nice place.  The kids liked seeing what it was like in the 1800's...very educational!





Of course, no trip to Ludington is complete without a stop at House of Flavors!

To sum it all up, July was a busy month but it was full of family, friends, and memories!  It was worth every late night and early morning...I think this picture sums it all up...a month on the go is worth it, but you definitely need rest at the end of it!