the formenti family of five

Ian Celebrates his 9th Birthday at LegoLand Discovery Center!

2011-11-22T14:00:00.001-06:00

This month is a big one for Ian! He is turning 9 this coming Sunday, so he decided instead of having a friend party or combining his birthday with Thanksgiving, he wanted to go to Lego Land again this year! I was good with that decision! (it actually saves me money!) So we headed up to Schaumburg and spent the day together as a family! It was very fun, and the kids had a great time!

The boys with Lego Hagrid.

The dragon on the lego ride. SO cool! Mason was scared of it though. ;)

4D Movie! The Adventures of Clutch Powers!!

Building a Dog out of Legos at the workshop room.

Ian's (and all the boys) FAVORITE part! Free-building in the cafe room! You can build whatever you want, but they have fun race tracks and lots of wheels so everyone builds lots of different lego cars and trucks and races them down the ramps! It is fun! They spent a LONG time here! They can just let their imaginations go free!

The fun Techni-cycle!

Pizza for lunch in the cafe!

Waiting for the movie

Ian with Indiana Jones - one of his favorite characters.

Ian spent his gift money wisely and found 3 awesome projects to do... all of which he did that very same night!

Those are happy boys right there!
Happy Birthday Ian!

Ian Earns his Wolf Rank

2011-11-22T13:57:00.001-06:00

Last Wednesday was Pack Meeting and Ian finally had finished his Wolf Rank! He was very excited to get that, and I was so proud of him for finishing it as well! I even get a cool mother's pin! He got to pin it on me, it was fun! Great job Ian!!!

Almost all the boys in their pack.

Ian and his Den Leader, Sister Newman.

Pinning on the Mother's Pin.

So Proud of you Ian!!!

A Day in the Life

2011-11-22T13:55:00.001-06:00

I just thought this was totally cute and had to document it. Mason was so tired, but was fighting going to sleep in the car, so when we got home, he continued to play his little Leapster... the fun music was playing so I didn't pay any attention that he feel asleep while playing it! It was darling.

Ian and Luke got up one morning to build something with their legos and this is what they came up with! Pretty impressive! They love being creative like that, and I was just glad they were getting along! Ian wants me to submit it to the Lego Club Magazine, so we'll see what I can do!

I love this picture -above - it is now my computers desktop background! ;)

Fall Fun!

2011-10-23T19:05:00.001-05:00

We had a fun time yesterday taking the boys to a new little pumpkin patch in Laporte called Merrie Acres. We actually didn't have much luck with finding pumpkins there, as they were very over picked and not a lot left (we had to get our pumpkins from Wal-Mart) But the boys had fun doing all the inflatables, the playground, the cow train, corn maze, pig races, etc. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day - 64 and sunny! It was great. I love spending time with my family - especially when we are having fun and all getting along! ;)

Family Pictures 2011

2011-10-12T20:13:00.001-05:00

Even though I thought we got NO shots that I would like because of all the fussing and fighting, I guess I did like these! :) Thanks Mom for taking these of us! It's hard for me being a photographer, and trying to pose my family for someone else behind the camera... But I think Mom did a great job. Thanks!

The New ME!

2011-10-04T11:30:00.000-05:00

Kaitlyn's 3rd Birthday

2011-10-04T11:28:00.001-05:00

Las Vegas Training Trip!

2011-10-04T11:25:00.001-05:00

My Little Handsome Man

2011-10-04T11:22:00.001-05:00

I had to take a nice picture of Mason for the Nursery at Church, and I was so happy with this picture! He looks so very handsome! He loves his tie and vest!
After church, though, he missed his nap, and while getting ready for bed, he was playing his Thomas the Train computer and totally fell asleep while playing it! It was so cute!

Angel's Birthday!

2011-10-04T11:20:00.001-05:00

We helped celebrate Angel's 19th birthday last month by visiting her on her birthday and taking them all out to lunch! We had a fun visit! I even got to help 'embellish' the cake! (I did the red parts) *wink* We love Angel very much and her family!

Angel and her boyfriend, Jake.

Mason's Personality

2011-10-04T11:18:00.001-05:00

I just love this little guy! Although he REALLY tries my patience, and gets away with a lot of things because he IS so cute, he is a joy in our family! He was just playing outside one day in the flower beds with his awesome boots on, so I thought I would try to capture a few funny faces and those cute little boots. Love you Mason!

Some Pictures I Took at Lake Michigan

2011-10-04T11:17:00.001-05:00

I was out at the lake last month taking pictures of a family from church, and was just in awe at how clear the Chicago skyline view was from the dunes in Indiana! I had to be creative and take a few pictures!

Mason's First day of Preschool!

2011-09-12T13:15:00.001-05:00

Mason's first day of Preschool was today! And it went EXACTLY how I expected it to go! He was so super excited this morning, got dressed, and was very anxious to get there! We stopped to take a few pictures, he was very cooperative even! He was ready to go! We got inside, he went right in as I started filling out the paperwork. But, before I left, he was ready to leave, he wasn't doing what all the other kids were doing, which was reading on their carpets, no... he was playing on the rocking chair almost tipping it over! hahaha! So, I thought, ok... here we go! So I left, and fully expected to hear the tales when I returned. And when I returned, he was glad to see me, and said to my mom, 'I was jumping.' 'I had lots of time outs'. HAHA! Doesn't surprise me one bit! :) Well, I'm excited to see how his behavior could improve this fall! His teachers are good friends of mine, so I hope he listens to them! haha! The good thing is, is that he didn't say he didn't want to go back! ;) You're growing up Mason! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

why is it always MY kid that doesn't want to listen!?

This school thing sure wears him out! Poor guy! He's been sleeping for 3 hours already now! (yeah for me though) tee hee!

Luke's FIRST LOST TOOTH!

2011-09-07T15:18:00.001-05:00

Luke lost his FIRST tooth today! He got home from school and was playing in the yard with Ian, and all of the sudden, he comes in the house screaming, 'MY TOOTH CAME OUT!!!' It was so cute! We've been working on it for the last couple of days, and he didn't want to go to school this morning because it was hurting him every time he ate, but now, he is a happy camper! He was so full of excitement it was amazing! He ran right up to me and hugged me tight, and said, 'I AM SO HAPPY!' What a cute boy! Congrats to you, Luke!

First Day of School!

2011-08-24T08:24:00.001-05:00

Yeah! It's finally here! This morning, we got up and got ready for the first day of school for Ian and Luke! It went pretty smooth, until Luke wanted the hair clip from Mason and then it went downhill from there! hahah! Ian was set to go, and not really nervous at all about going to 3rd grade! He was a little sad last week when he found out he didn't get the teacher he wanted and that not a lot of kids he knew were in his class, but I think time healed that, and now he is excited to meet his new teacher and make new friends! Luke had back to school last night and met his 1st grade teacher, and already seems to love it! I hope it will be a great year for both of them!

Ian - ready to take on 3rd Grade!

Luke - somewhat ready for 1st Grade - even though he couldn't have the hair clip... he wasn't cooperating for pictures this morning :(

Ian and Luke outside their Elementary School with all their gear, happy to go to school! (and mom is happy too!) :)
Mason didn't cry this year when they left... I'm sure he's gonna enjoy the break from them too, and he is excited to start preschool in a few weeks! :)

My Spontaneous Trip to Brookfield Zoo!

2011-08-14T17:05:00.001-05:00

Well, I decided to take the boys up to the Zoo on Friday. I didn't want to go to the local zoo, cause it's small and we've been there a lot, plus, my sister in law, Angel, loves the zoo, so I called her up to see if she wanted to spend the day with us! It was last minute, but she said yes, and I am glad, cause there was NO way I was taking the boys by myself to the zoo! (Dave had to work!) So we picked Angel up and headed out. I didn't realize that Brookfield was so far away! But that's ok! We had a great time seeing all the animals. It was a quick run through of the park, because the boys attention spans aren't very long.
Their favorite part of the whole zoo, and was worth the money, was the StingRay exhibit, where you were able to pet the sting(less) rays, and feed them! The boys LOVED it! I thought it was slimey, and I don't really like touching fish, but I did it! I tried to feed on, but then I chickened out! Ian tried to feed them, but his arm wasn't long enough, and they couldn't get over his hand. But they really thought that was fun!
We ended our evening eating at a small fun little restaurant by Angel's house called the Polka Dot! The boys had a blast there too. It was a fun filled day for all! But man, I was wore out!

Father/Son Outing to Great America!!!

2011-08-14T16:20:00.001-05:00

Dave and Ian got to go to Great America last Tuesday together (I couldn't go, because I am having issues with my heart, and have to see a cardiologist, and was told it wasn't a good idea to go on rollercoasters just yet.... BUMMER!)
But Dave and Ian got to go, and now that Ian is super tall, he was able to get on the BIG coasters! He was a little scared but excited too! I told Dave to ease him into them, but he insisted to take him on a big one first! Ian LOVED Superman and the Wizzer, and had a wonderful day with his Dad!

Ian's first time on the Demon.

Ian didn't want to go on Batman, he said it looked too scary, so he got his picture with the Bat Mobile instead :)

Everyone has to go on the swings!

Dave and Ian waiting in line for a coaster. I love my boys!

Of course, Ian wanted his picture taken with Doomsday... this is in line waiting for Superman ride.

This is Superman, the one that Ian LOVED!

Stake YW Camp! Treasure Island!

2011-08-14T16:16:00.001-05:00

Our Stake Young Women and Leaders - Camp 2011
I am amazed that I made it through my second year as the stake camp director for the young women! Camp was SO wonderful this year! We had wonderful girls, and great leaders all helping out to make camp a fantastic week! Our theme was Treasure Island, and we had the whole pirate thing going on! Our 'treasures' are our 'VALUES', and that is what we tried to teach these young women all week! It was hot and sticky, but it was bearable! We did such fun things, and I'm so grateful for all the time and effort everyone put into camp this year! We did rock wall climbing and zip lines, dutch oven cooking, campfires and songs galore, daily challenges, canoeing, crafts that were amazing, eating food that was scrumptious, hiking, star gazing, orienteering hikes, swimming, digging up messages in a bottle, faith walks, testimony meeting, super silly skit-in-a-bag skits, saw lizards, lots of spiders, knots, knives, and a plethora of other fun things! It was a fun filled week and I am so happy with the results!

Some Highlights of the week:

Me and my camp assistant at registration. We're supposed to be making pirate faces, but Judi looks a bit worried! ;)

The first and second years before their hike (picture stolen from Judi) ;)

Me on the Gypsy Steps on the last day of camp - feeling high on life and ready to go home!

The Amazing 2year YCL's! They worked so hard and were the BIG SISTERS of camp!

The wonderful 1st year YCL's.... these girls did all the grunt work of planning daily challenges and super fun things all week!

The fantastic 4th Years, who despite there preconceived notions, had a WONDERFUL time on their primitive campout and thought their 'hole in the ground' latrine was awesome!

The awesome 3rd Years, who are such a sweet group of girls and know how to work together! They won the first challenge and there are only 5 of them!

The sassy 2nd Years! This group had the most girls in it, and they got to do a lot of fun things! They are sweet and most of all, they love me! :)

The little 1st Year girls! What a group of sweet and adorable girls! They handled themselves beautifully for their first year at camp, and I'm proud of them all for being there!

During this first aid challenge, the stake leaders were supposed to attack the YCL's like on a pirate ship and 'wound' them so the other girls could practice their first aid skills in a relay! It was fun, until I fell over one of the girls and couldn't move cause I was laughing so hard! Thankfully, Judi came to my rescue! ;)

Me on the climbing wall.

I made it!

After the zip line, bringing the line back for the next person. I LOVE THE ZIP LINE!!

My awesome assistant, Judi, and one of my leaders, Nikki, who is 6 months pregnant and still came to camp! They just got off the canoe after making sure everyone was done with the canoe race challenge! :) good times!

Porter County Fair with Mason!

2011-08-14T16:08:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago, on July 29th, I was able to spend some time with one of my best friends and her son, AND get some time with Mason as well! We got together and went off to the Porter County Fair! We got to see the 4H animals and all the other fun things at the fair. Since our boys are only 3 and 4, we didn't do a whole lot of rides, but we did go on the carousel and the ferris wheel! The boys had fun, and it was a nice time to get together with Carolyn!

Mason thought it was cute to sit on the barrels! They were really wet from the rain that morning, so he ended up with a wet rear end... oh well!

Mason liked the pigs a lot, but said they were 'stanky'.

Mason got to pet the goats, he thought they were cute! I still think they look like devils though. :)

Me and Mason on the Carousel.

Mason, me, Carolyn and her son, Ethan. Getting ready to ride the Ferris Wheel!

Mason and I on the Ferris Wheel.

July 14th - Dave's Birthday!

2011-07-23T09:01:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I'm a little behind with getting pictures up from Dave's birthday! :) Dave had a softball game the day of his birthday, which he did pretty well at. Afterwards, we went to Red Robin with my mom and dad, and celebrated! Dave wasn't very hungry, just very thirsty, so he got the bottomless Root Beer Float! Oh man.... after 3 of them, he was super stuffed. (along with his appetizers he got to eat) But when the waitress overheard me say something to Dave about being his birthday, they brought out a free hot fudge sundae and sang to him! He was so sick from all the other stuff that he couldn't even hardly eat one bite of the sundae! So Ian and Luke took it down for him! It was a fun time and we love Dave so much! Happy 34th Birthday!

Summertime Tennis Lessons

2011-07-23T08:54:00.001-05:00

Ian and Luke were in Tennis lessons at the Valpo High School these past two weeks and they really enjoyed it! I have wanted to get them into tennis, just for selfish reasons, because I love tennis too! Ian was able to work on part of a belt loop for his scouts too! They liked their teachers a lot! (probably cause Ian's teacher had an awesome Dodge Challenger sports car! haha!) But hopefully they learned some fundamentals and will learn to love the game as I do, and when they get better, we can all play together!

Biking and Bowling!

2011-07-14T09:11:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was a great day! Luke learned how to ride his bike and we had a great time playing and riding outside! Great Grandma Beeler was there to see him ride and we were all very proud of him. See next post for video!

Then that evening, we took the kids bowling! They had a great time! All but Mason... he was done after 1/2 the game! He was tired though, because he missed his nap! Luke and Mom tied for first place! It was fun to teach the kids how to bowl and we had a great time!

Luke Learns how to Ride A 2-wheeler!

2011-07-13T23:04:00.001-05:00

So, today was a GREAT day for Luke! I decided to teach Luke how to ride a two wheel bike... he's been on training wheels for a year now, and I thought he could handle it! He was really afraid at first, and didn't want me to let go of him, and all those conversations took place before we even got the bike out of the shed and on the road! ;)
But, he really picked it up quickly! On the first time up, I let go of him for 5 seconds and he was up and going! I couldn't believe it! Within 10 mintues, that crazy kid was going down the street and smiling from ear to ear! It was SO cute to see his confidence gleaming from his face! He is very proud of himself and LOVES riding that bike! Way to go Luke!!!

Railcats Game!!!

2011-07-06T08:55:00.001-05:00

My Dad called yesterday, and wanted to know if we wanted to go to a Gary Railcats minor baseball game last night! Of course we did! We got VIP tickets to sit in the US Steel corporate box and have food catered in! It was great! This time we left Mason home, knowing he would have been a handful! Luke really enjoyed watching the players, and Ian did too! It was fun, and we all had a really good time! Thanks Dad and Mom for creating this memory for our kids!

Luke

Ian

Mom and I

Dave and I

Luke

all of us enjoying the game!

Dave and Ian

Take us out to the ball game!

Rusty the mascot, puts Ian in a headlock!

Rusty decided to pretend to pick Luke's nose and eat it... yuck, but fitting for Luke! hahaha!

And I got to even sit on Rusty's knee!

Ian and Luke with Rascal, the other mascot!

Fourth of July Fun!!

2011-07-05T15:21:00.001-05:00

We had a WONDERFUL time yesterday for Independence Day, as we were able to go to our friends, the Archer's, and have a fun day in the pool, playing games, having a cookout, and fireworks! The kids had a blast and I think they were in the pool for 4 or 5 hours straight! They loved it! Mason was a little stand-offish, but we finally got him in the pool later in the day. I was really excited about my 'fireworks' setting on my camera, so I was able to capture a few shots (ok, a LOT) of the fireworks! Of course, Mason was scared of the loud noises, so he sat with his ears plugged the whole time and eventually fell asleep like that. Ian and Luke liked the sparklers and littler ones, then they decided it was too loud and went inside to play the Wii. Of course... oh well! But we had a great day and the boys were VERY exhausted!

CANNON-BALL! (Luke)

Ian

Darth Mason

My friend, Kim and I.

Darth Mason catchin' some rays.

Of course, Dave playin' with all the teenagers in the pool!

Ian having dinner - YUM!

Dave and Luke

Mason and Mommy

Dave and Brad playing bean bags

CHEESE!

Mason when the fireworks began

Mason during the fireworks.

Luke

Ian

BABY, YOU'RE A FIREWORK!

Fishing on the Fourth!

2011-07-04T12:30:00.001-05:00

Dave was SO excited to take the boys fishing at 6 AM this morning! The boys even slept out in the living room, and Luke was even in his clothes, and they got up, got some donuts and headed out to the lake by a friends house! Luke caught 13 fish, Ian caught 9, and Dave caught 2 (only cause he HAD to help the boys with theirs!) The boys were so excited! They love spending time with Dave and I hope this time they spend together lasts and creates great memories for them!

End of June Fun

2011-07-04T12:21:00.001-05:00

Last Monday, we took the boys to go see Cars 2, which was fun and the boys did great! This picture is deceiving, because it's the Harry Potter poster, and I forgot to take pictures before the movie started for Cars 2, and then the kids were VERY ready to go and a little cranky, so we couldn't get them together in front of a Cars poster, so this is what we got! hahah! We went with our good friend, the Koch's, and Ian and Gabe were being funny acting out the Harry Potter battle! It was fun!

This past Thursday was pack meeting for cub scouts, and this was one of the only pictures I got before my camera battery died, but Ian got a ton of awards from going to day camp, so he was very happy!

Then, Saturday, we went for a picnic at Lakewood Park with our friend, the Edwards, and had a HOT, fun afternoon with playing, picnic, and some paddle boating and row boating! Even though Jerry almost fell out of the boat, and Corrine slipped off the paddleboat, it was all good! We had a great time with our friends!

I'm glad I am ok with being in pictures now! I'm down 20 pounds since Memorial Day and I need to get in more pictures, especially with Dave. We had a great day!

Cub Scout Day Camp 2011

2011-07-04T11:51:00.001-05:00

Ian had a wonderful time at his very first official Cub Scout Summer Day Camp! He went a few weeks ago, and I was able to walk with him the entire week, thanks to my momma for watching Mason! Ian was able to experience a ton of new and fun things! He got to do Archery and BB Gun shooting for the first time, which were his favorite! He got to do slingshots, crafts, dig for dinosaur bones, a couple of crafts, make a walking stick, leaned how to play soccer, learned about tools and their uses, go fishing, learned more about nature and got to do so many other fun things with his friends in his Den! He was pretty well behaved, which I was happy about! Luke also came with each day and attended the Pixie Camp for the younger siblings. He had a very good time also! On the last day of camp we stayed overnight for the family campout... unfortunately, Dave had to take Mason home who was completely throwing a fit about staying in the tent! Go figure! But we had a good time anyway, and it was perfect weather for a campout!
Ian received a ton of awards at pack meeting for all the things he accomplished at Day camp! Way to go Ian!

Mason's 3rd Birthday!

2011-06-20T09:49:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Mason's 3rd birthday yesterday in conjunction with Father's Day. Mason wanted a spiderman cake! He really loves Spiderman! And he really loved his cake! I made his cake and although it is nothing fancy, I thought it turned out good, and Mason told me it was 'Awesome'! (that's his new word!) He loved blowing out his candles, and being sung Happy Birthday to. He got tired of using a fork eating his cake, so he just dove right in with his face. Nice. He got some great presents, and loved opening all of them! We got him a spiderman costume and he loves wearing that! He is our 3 year old super hero!

Hiking at Coffee Creek - Summer fun continues....

2011-06-20T09:42:00.004-05:00

Last Friday, the boys were bored to death, because we only had a movie night planned for our 'fun thing' to do that day, and the boys said, 'that is at NIGHT... we want to do something in the DAY!' So, after much deliberation, we decided to take a HIKE at Coffee Creek! It was a HOT and humid day, but we persevered! We hiked probably a mile and a half, which took us an hour, and they were beat! It was very buggy and the mosquitoes were swarming! But they had fun! We were all very tired afterwards!

Luke's Kindergarten Play

2011-06-12T18:02:00.001-05:00

Last wednesday, my mom, Mason and I, went to Luke's Kindergarten play! He was the RIVER and he did a fantastic job! He memorized his lines and said them really well! It was a play about keeping the earth clean! They also did another play of the Gingerbread Man! He was the Cow in that story and had 2 lines! He loved it... he really did a great job! After the two plays were over, the class did a 'surprise play' of the Gingerbread Man again, but it was to a rap kind of song, and they all wore sunglasses! It was too cute! Way to go Luke! But he is really excited to be in first grade next year! ;)

Luke and his teacher, Mrs. Hargarten.

Summertime Fun Calendar!

2011-06-12T17:55:00.001-05:00

So, after hearing my kids complain about not doing anything fun this summer 2 hours into summer break, I decided to make up this fun little calendar! I used my vinyl cutter to make the calendar and the title, then wrote in the dates starting with today. I mounted it on an 11x14 sheet of foam board, and I'm gonna hang it on my wall! I had the kids write the stuff they wanted to do this summer, and we are making little cards that are movable (in case of rainy days). The kids were really excited about it! Now, I just have to stick with it! :)

Luke's 6th Birthday!

2011-06-06T09:46:00.001-05:00

On Friday, Luke turned the big 6 years old! How time has flown by! He's finishing up Kindergarten this week and is growing like a weed! He's so tall and fun and VERY entertaining! Luke wanted an Army birthday party this year, so that's what he got! For his birthday breakfast, I made him crepes - his favorite! He also got to celebrate his birthday at school with yummy rice crispie treats and a birthday hat! For dinner, we let him pick his favorite restaurant and he chose CiCi's Pizza! He loved it!
Saturday was his birthday party and he had some great friends come over to celebrate his birthday! It was a perfect day for slip 'n slide and the little pool and water guns, UNTIL the party started and a storm came rolling in! The kids got about 1/2 hour in the water, then we had to get out because of the thunder and lightning! haha! We had hot dogs and chips and fun canteens for their drinks, and we got to eat outside under the car port.
Luke loved his cake that Grandma Beeler decorated for him, and loved all the wonderful fun presents that he got from his friends and family!
Happy Birthday, Luke! We love you so much!

Luke and his brothers getting ready to sing to the Birthday boy!

Luke in his Back Yard Explorer outfit and bug vacuum he got for his birthday!

A visit from my Cousin

2011-05-16T13:43:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, my cousin Josh and his wife Amber, came to visit us! They live in AZ, and I haven't see them in about 12 years, I think! It's been a really long time! I used to write to my cousin Josh and his twin brother Matt, when they were on their missions in Argentina while I was in college! It was fun to get to know them back then, and now we are getting to know each other again! We had a wonderful visit and lunch at my moms! I know my Grandma and Grandpa were especially excited to see them and visit with them.

Angel's High School Graduation!

2011-05-16T13:42:00.001-05:00

This past Saturday, Dave's sister, Angel, graduated from High School! We were able to attend that graduation and it was a wonderful time! She received 6 scholarships, was honored in the National Honors Society, and also the Music Honors Society (I think that's what it's called!) We are very proud of everything she has done and are excited to see what great things she does in her future! Congrats Angel!

Angel's friends from my ward that came! Codi and Rachel met Angel at girls camp last year! They are proud of her too!

Angel's family and us. Jeremy, Susanne, Angel, Amy and Dave.

Goggle Boys!

2011-05-16T13:31:00.001-05:00

On Mother's Day, my brother, Joe, was very into playing with Mason! It was so fun to watch them play together! Mason loves his uncle Joe! The video below explains why! So funny! Thanks Joe, for being such a fun uncle!

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-16T13:28:00.001-05:00

For Mother's Day this year, we went to my mom's house and my dad and the guys grilled out for us ladies! It was great! I woke up that morning to a fun 'We Love You' pancake breakfast and a sweet card! I am so grateful for my Mother who makes my days wonderful, who always has an ear for listening, who helps me with my kids, and helps me try to see the great mother I can be. I love you Mom!

Me and My Mom

My pancake sweetness!

Easter 2011

2011-04-25T12:10:00.005-05:00

For Easter this year, we got together at my Mom's house with my family on Saturday for Lunch and for a fun egg hunt for all the cousins! My boys had a great time finding the eggs and eating the wonderful yummy food! We had a beautiful sunny day to enjoy our family and celebrate Christ's Resurrection!

Great Grandpa Beeler with his newest great granddaughter, Noelle Mallery Beeler!

April Birthdays!

2011-04-25T11:36:00.003-05:00

April has many birthdays we get to celebrate in my family and 3 of them happen to fall in 3 consecutive days! On Easter Saturday, we celebrated my Dad and Mom's birthday and also my nephew Caden's Birthday! It was a great time! We ate way too much Atomic Cake, and a S'more's Cookie Cake! We didn't even get to the strawberry shortcake we planned for Easter dessert! haha! We love desserts apparently!
The Birthday Boys and Girl!

My Dad in the 'Birthday Hat'

My Mom in the Birthday Hat

Caden in the Birthday Hat

Caden and his cousins who were there.
Mason, Trey, Jenna, Caden, Luke, Ian and Noelle

Daddy trying to Lasso the boys

2011-04-25T11:33:00.001-05:00

So, Dave brought out his lasso that he got on his mission to show the boys one day before dinner, and they were very impressed! They thought it was a whip like on Indiana Jones, but he showed them the difference. He actually caught Luke on one of his first tries, but I didn't get it on video! But I think it's pretty funny to see him doing this, and also pretty cool! He had fun doing this on his mission in Idaho!

The rest of March - I know... I'm behind!

2011-04-25T11:08:00.000-05:00

Just a few more things that happened in March! It's time to catch up on what has been going on in our lives!
The end of March, Dave was offered a NEW JOB at U.S. Steel in Gary! We are excited about the new adventure that will bring, along with benefits and more money! Hopefully things will start changing for our family because of the blessing of a new job!
Ian and Luke were sporting their 'handsome' look, as Luke calls it, for church one day, and Great Grandma Beeler really wanted their picture taken! She thought they looked really great!

Mason and Luke had a fun time one day while Mason tried on Luke's new bike helmet and gear. They had a blast making silly faces for me and the camera! It was cute because Mason was just playing around in his room quietly, and when he's quiet, you have to check on him, and that is what I found! So cute!

Over Spring Break, Angel, the boys aunt, came for her spring break and brought a very fun Wii game, Just Dance 2, and the boys had a great time dancing along to the funky songs! Even Dave got in on the action and I got a GREAT video of him goofing around, but alas, he forbids me to post it to the blog or facebook! Darn! You all would have rolled on the floor laughing! It was a fun time!

We also got to go visit Grandma and Grandpa Formenti in Joliet for a little while too. We had a fun time seeing them and Mason made a new friend in Grandma! He still said that he likes when she tickles him!

Spring Day - FINALLY!

2011-03-17T12:16:00.000-05:00

FINALLY! It was 55 degrees yesterday and it was heaven! After the boys came home from school we headed straight to the park! They have been waiting SO long to have some park fun, and it was so great that the sun was out and the weather feels so wonderful! They had a blast swinging and running! Mason loved the rocks and swinging on the swings. Luke has learned (I don't know how) to swing and pump himself on the swing, and really enjoys it. Ian loves to swing and jump off the swing, and his friends showed up and they played cops and robbers. It was great fun! Today it is 60 and just as nice! Maybe we'll head to the park again!

Legos are Ian's Favorite Thing!

2011-03-15T13:07:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, Ian really wanted to go buy some toys at the store with his Christmas and Birthday money that he has been hanging on to for 3 months. He had quite a bit to spend, but he wasn't sure he wanted to spend it all. So we went looking. He about died when he saw the Lego Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle, and just HAD to have it. I showed him how much it was, which was all the money that he had, and he contemplated and fussed over it for about 15 minutes! He finally decided that it was totally worth all his money, so he made the biggest purchase he has ever made. He wanted my help putting it together, which I totally didn't mind doing, *wink*, and it took us 2 days to finish it. Multiple time, he said to me, "Mom, I just love working on this quietly with you!" That really means a lot to me, and I know that I need to do that more often with him. He was so excited to finish his castle! And he did a great job!

Blue & Gold Banquet

2011-03-15T12:58:00.001-05:00

Ok, so I'm a little late posting about the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Banquet that was last month! We had a great time! The theme was Magic! I made these cute centerpieces with the Rabbit coming out of the magic hat, and all the boys got a top hat and magic wand to take home! It was great! Ian got to be part of the flag ceremony, and he liked that. Ian also got some awards! I am so proud of everything he's doing in cub scouts and I'm proud of how he is learning to be a good person! He thoroughly enjoys scouts and I'm so glad! Ian even did a magic trick! He made a quarter disappear by rubbing it on his elbow! After a few minutes of fooling around, he finally got it! :) He was happy that his trick worked! All the boys showed us a trick and it was a great time!

What's under your pillow, Mason?

2011-02-15T10:51:00.001-06:00

When Mason gets ready for bed, he usually finds toys or books and hoards them under his pillow! Usually, it is just a few things, but last night, I was surprised to see just how much he stuffed under there! It was so funny, that I had to take a picture! His poor little head was so cocked from being propped up by all the stuff under his pillow! He had: 4 books, 4 Batman guys, 2 batman barrels, bat-cycle, and Buzz Lightyear! Plus, Mickey Mouse was on top of him! It was so cute! I love my little guy!

Valentine's Day Fancy Home Restaurant

2011-02-15T10:40:00.001-06:00

I wanted to do something fun for Valentine's Day, so I thought I'd turn our kitchen into a fancy restaurant!! Well, paper plate fancy anyway! haha! I printed out menus and name cards, and Ian and Luke helped hang all the hearts. The boys were really excited to be at a restaurant at our house! I served everyone off the menu, and we even had chocolate mudslides and heart sugar cookies for desserts! Since Dave is Italian, it was our Formenti Italian Restaurant! It was fun! The boys were actually REALLY well behaved during dinner, and said please and thank you too! AND the best part... they ate what they ordered! It was a nice dinner. Since it was also Family Home Evening, we went around the table and told each person what we loved about them. It was cute to see what they loved - mainly food and playing games! But it was cute! I hope this might become a new tradition in our family... we all had a great time! Dave was super surprised when he got home from work! I loved surprising him!

Another Successful Pack Meeting

2011-01-30T12:07:00.001-06:00

Ok, so I'm just really excited about Ian being in scouts! I love that he loves coming and I love that he gets excited about the awards and has fun too! This month, he earned these awards:
* Swimming Belt Loop
* Swimming Pin
* Video Games Belt Loop
* Art Belt Loop
* Chess Belt Loop
* Cub Scout Letter (for Academics & Sports awards)
* Pinewood Derby Participation Badge
* Cub Scout Winterfest Participation Badge

He is doing so great! I have to post these because I am a scrapbooker and I know I'll forget, so if they are written down, that will be good for my memory! Anyway, he loves it and I am so proud of my little scout!

Cub Scout Winterfest!

2011-01-23T16:30:00.001-06:00

We took Ian and Luke up to the Cub Scout Winterfest for families yesterday and we had a lot of fun! YES... it was FREEZING!!! But we wrapped up warm and set off! Dave met us up there and joined us for some sledding and hot cocoa and hot dogs! Ian was excited to go because they give each cub scout a cool patch they can wear on their uniform! He's all about the patches! (just like his grandpa! :)
Anyway, while there, we got to throw 'snowballs' and knock down the pyramid of cans, dig out a snow fort (or try to), go sledding, play hockey, go snowshoeing, tie knots, drink lots of hot cocoa, play in an igloo, check out miniture Klondike sleds, and spend time with friends! They were so worn out by the end of the day, but they didn't want to go! It was fun to be with the boys and I'm glad Ian is a part of Cub Scouts that he gets to do fun things like this!

Swim Class has started!

2011-01-07T11:46:00.001-06:00

Ian and Luke are both in Swimming again and they are so far having a good time! Ian gets really tired now, because his class is now in the big lap pool! Luke has already overcome his fear of going underwater, and he is so proud of himself! We'll see what this session brings! I know Ian enjoys swimming and hopefully he'll continue this sport!

New Years Eve at the Formenti's

2011-01-07T11:03:00.001-06:00

I really wanted to do something fun for New Year's Eve, so last minute, I got some stuff to make BBQ Chicken Pizza for Dave and I, and the boys were able to make their own personal pizza. I figured the boys wouldn't make it to stay up any later than 9:00 pm, so I rented a few movies. We had our yummy pizza, had some cranberry gingerale, and watched Shrek: The Final Chapter. It was a pretty good New Year's. After the boys went to bed, Dave and I watched Iron Man 2 - so we could stay awake - and rang in the New Year exhausted from our day with the boys. New Year's Eve with young kids just isn't all that, but we made some fun anyway! Welcome 2011! May this be a blessed year for all of us, and all of you!

Reunion with the Girls

2011-01-07T10:53:00.001-06:00

Last week, I was able to get together with some dear friends and head out to dinner with them to Hacienda Mexican Restraunt! It was great to be reunited with them. I have been getting together with Carolyn, sitting next to me, over the past year, and it has been great to see how our friendship hasn't changed over the years! Facebook has reunited me with the other two wonderful ladies. Melissa and Amanda, I haven't seen since High School - (I've seen Amanda in passing at Target) - but it was great to know that even throughout the years, we still have so much in common, and get along really great! We laughed so hard that night, we were sad for some of our friends that couldn't be there, and in general, had a really great time! Thanks for the night out, ladies!

Sledding at the Cottage

2010-12-30T12:08:00.001-06:00

We got to go sledding yesterday over by the Discovery Cottage, with some great friends! I took Ian and Luke and we met up with Marla, Sean, & Corrine, and Judi, Aaron & Jordan. The boys had a blast and so did I! I love sledding and I am so glad that we were able to share our fun time with great friends! The boys were definately wore out and were pretty mellow the rest of the day. An early bedtime came easy, so I call that a successful day!

Christmas 2010

2010-12-30T08:24:00.001-06:00

Well, another Christmas has come and gone! I cannot believe how time has passed this year! We had a pretty good Christmas this year. Despite threatening the boys with the 'naughty list', they still got lots of new things from Mom, Dad, and of course, Santa! :)
We started our Christmas journeys by heading to Dave's Grandma and Grandpa Formenti's house in Joliet and had a nice visit there with Dave's brothers and grandparents! I forgot my camera, so there are no pictures! Darn it! The next day, we headed over to Wilmington where we got to see Dave's half brother and sister and their mom. It was fun to see them as well, and they boys loved it too! We played fun games and had a good time! On Christmas Eve, we went to my Grandma Beeler's house and all of my family was there except my sister and her family, who are in Texas. It was great to visit with them and eat yummy food and let the boys play with their cousins! We had a nice gift exchange and everyone had a good time.
Christmas morning came quicker than I thought it would. I at least wanted the boys to sleep until 7 am, but alas, that didn't happen! At 6:15 a.m. they were out of their rooms, and had all the presents sorted into their little piles! I didn't even TRY to tell them to go back to sleep... instead, I just told Dave to go ahead and get up... they were ready! They loved their presents! Hopefully they remember the true meaning of Christmas, even though they do love those toys! The day after Christmas, we headed back out to Joliet to spend the day with Dave's Mom and Granny and Grandpa. It was nice to see them too, and we had a good time visiting them.
We hope everyone had a great Christmas as we did! Enjoy the slides!

Sometimes they get along...

2010-12-21T15:10:00.001-06:00

So, the title says it all.... with these three little rascals... there are bound to be some fights. Ok... so it's a lot of fights! BUT, sometimes, they play great together, snuggle together, and have fun together and that is awesome to me! I SO love those moments!

I love this kid!

2010-12-21T15:02:00.001-06:00

Mason was playing around with Ian's new hat and sunglasses and boots last week and this is what came of it! He is so stinkin' cute I just can't stand it! I love what a funny kid Mason is, and I love seeing his personality burst through that little body of his! Being this cute has kept him alive thus far, since he is also a MAJOR destructing force in our home! :) Love you Mason!

Ian Earns his Bobcat Badge!

2010-12-21T14:52:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago, Ian received his FIRST ever Cub Scout Badge! He earned his Bobcat Rank and was so proud of his accomplishment! Dave and I were proud too! I even got a cool little pin! Ian is so excited about Cub Scouts, and really enjoys every second of it! I hope his love of scouts will last throughout his life! Way to go Ian!

Ian had his badge placed upside-down at Pack Meeting, and was told that when he does a "Good Turn", he can then turn his badge right side up and that mom can put it permanently on his uniform! He helped put the chairs away after the meeting, so he got to turn it that night.

Ian's 8th Birthday Cake

2010-12-02T14:24:00.001-06:00

IT'S GREAT TO BE EIGHT!

Ian wanted his Grandma to make his cake again this year! He even asked her before he told me! haha! But as always, she did a great job! Ian loved his cake! We had family over after Ian's baptism for dinner and cake, and it was a great time! Too bad that Dave was sick the whole day! He really wasn't doing too hot, but I'm grateful that he had the strength to do the baptism.
Ian also had fun with his grandparents and cousins and aunts and uncles at his birthday dinner! He got lots of fun stuff for his birthday and was really happy!

Ian's Baptism

2010-12-02T14:20:00.001-06:00

This past Sunday, Ian was Baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints! He chose to be baptized, and was so very excited! He has chosen to follow Christ, and try his hardest to be a good example!
It was a very special day for all of us! I was so proud of my Ian and how grown up he is becoming! We had a little program for him: I gave a talk on baptism, Dave baptized him, Grandpa Beeler gave a talk on the Holy Ghost, and Dave confirmed him a member of the church. It was a great program, and Ian feels so good inside!
I am so grateful for all our family and friends who showed their support to Ian on this very special day!

Ian's 8th Birthday - LEGOLAND Discovery Center!

2010-12-02T13:45:00.000-06:00

Ian had such a wonderful 8th Birthday this year! Instead of a friend birthday party, he was given the option of going the LegoLand Discovery Center up in Schaumburg, Illinois! He totally was all for that! He had a really fun time! His Grandma Beeler came with on the adventure! We started by having lunch at Wendy's then off to the lego land! Ian was totally blown away with all the huge animals, cities, and people that were created out of just legos! He loved the dragon ride where it went and took you through a lego castle! He also loved the Technicycle ride that he got to go on with Dad! He had a fun time meeting his 'lego idols' of Indiana Jones, Batman, and Darth Vader! Ian said that his birthday was the best, and he was so happy he got a chance to go up there! Last, we got to watch a 4D movie, "The Adventures of Clutch Powers! It was so neat! He really had a great time!

My New Cub Scout!

2010-12-02T11:52:00.002-06:00

Ian has finally turned 8 years old and can now be a cub scout at church! Since I am his den leader, this will be a fun adventure! He has been looking forward to being in cub scouts for a year now! Last Friday, his Grandpa Beeler took him over to the store and got him all set up with his new scout uniform! He had a great time going in the red truck and spending time with his grandpa!
He went to his first den meeting last night and learned how to play marbles! He had such a wonderful time and is excited to start earning his patches! I think this is going to be a great experience for Ian and I hope he loves scouting and continues into boy scouts someday!

Halloween 2010!

2010-10-31T15:18:00.001-05:00

Getting ready to go trick or treating with our good friends, the Newmans!
The boys had a good time going out with their friends... although, both Ian and Luke got really tired after the 2nd street, and we ended up coming back early. Oh well, they had a good time anyway!

Left to right: Luke (Luigi), Alex (Jedi), Ian (Mario), Mason (Mike Wazowski - Monsters Inc), Ava (Watermelon Butterfly)
They were all so very cute!

Halloween Pumpkins!

2010-10-31T15:13:00.001-05:00

This is Dave and my pumpkin! We couldn't decide what we wanted to do, so I just picked a pattern and did it. It turned out pretty cool, if I do say so myself! You can't tell, but is says "D&A" on the bottom! hahah

All our pumpkins on our front porch!

Mason's Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-31T15:04:00.001-05:00

Mason LOVES his pumpkin, and even says it really well, "PUN-KIN" or "my Pun-kin!" But once we started cutting the holes in the tops of them, he recited the line in "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown", where Linus says to Lucy, "Awe... you didn't say you were going to kill it! awwwweee!" It was so stinkin' cute!
Mason didn't really want to touch the pumpkin at all this year... he would rather color on his paper and let mom do all the work. Oh well, turned out pretty cute though!
Good job, Mason, and MOM! :)

Luke's Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-31T14:59:00.001-05:00

Luke was ok with getting into his pumpkin, I think he'll be the surgeon of the family. He did think it was kind of sticky, but he did a lot of it. I had to help him draw his face and carve it since I don't trust him yet with the little knives. He liked his pumpkin and loved that we added 'horns' to it at the end!

Ian's Pumpkin Carving

2010-10-31T14:56:00.001-05:00

This is the best picture ever! Ian started gagging when we got the top of the pumpkin off and started pulling out the 'guts'! It was so funny! But not to him! He really couldn't handle the sliminess of it all, and we had to clean out the 'guts' for him! so funny.
But this year, we let Ian carve his own and use the little knife. He did a fantastic job! Dave and him added the 'extras', the nose, tongue, and ears to make it super cool! Ian loved it!

Ward Trunk or Treating!

2010-10-31T14:36:00.001-05:00

Wednesday Night, we had our Church's Chili Cook-Off and Trunk or Treating for the kids! It was really nice and the boys had a fun time! We decorated our trunk like a big mouth (thank you wal-mart!) and I think the boys liked handing out candy just as much as going around the parking lot to get candy! They were all very cute!

Dave taking Mason and his little friend around to 'trunk or treat'!

Our spooky family! I love the teeth on the van!

Grandma Beeler and Mason! So fun!

Elementary School Halloween Parade & Kindergarten Class Party!

2010-10-31T14:32:00.001-05:00

Every year for Halloween, our Elementary school does an all school costume parade and parents and family can come and see their kids parade around the school and to the different classrooms! It's so fun for the kids, because they like to show off their costumes! This year for Halloween, Ian was Mario - from Super Mario Brothers video games - and Luke was Luigi (Mario's brother!) They were so cute! It was by far the most popular costume this year, because I saw at least a dozen 'Mario's' parading around!
Luke had his Kindergarten class Halloween party after the parade, and I volunteered to help. It was fun to see him having fun! They did an eyeball on a spoon relay, played 'musical pumpkin' (hot potato with a stuft pumpkin), and played Halloween Bingo. Ian also had his class party, but I wasn't able to go since both parties were at the same time! I think he had fun! They both got fun treat bags to bring home too!

Ian during the parade.

Luke, eating his cupcake after the parade in the cafeteria.

Luke playing Halloween Bingo.

Luke's Kindergarten class!

Family Pictures 2010

2010-10-18T13:14:00.001-05:00

Pumpkin Patch with the Kiddos!

2010-10-17T21:11:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we took the boys over to Coulter's Pumpkin Patch! I like this pumpkin patch because they give you a free hay ride out to the field, the pumpkins are very reasonably priced, and they have a fun little playground where the boys can play... and it's free! The boys had a great time riding out to the patch, and it was a beautiful fall afternoon to spend together! Luke had a field trip the day before here, so he picked out a pumpkin for me since he got one for himself the day before. Ian, of course, wanted a big FAT pumpkin! He loves it! Mason was happy with any of them! He liked riding with the tractor and hayride! We're all set for Halloween now, except ONE costume! I still need to find one for Mason! Ian and Luke have their costumes and are ready to go! I can't wait to see what they want to carve their pumpkins into this year! I love Halloween!

I need to sum up September!!!

2010-10-15T14:16:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm a slacker and just realized I haven't blogged about anything for the entire month of September!!! What!? Ok, so we did a few things that were fun, and actually the last picture was taken in October. So sue me. :)

First we went to Dave's twin brother's daughters 2nd birthday party! YEAH! The boys had so much fun at their cousin Kaitlyn's birthday party! They had a TON of fun too when they put up the HU-NORMOUS bounce slide!!! They had so much fun! All the kids did, and MAN O MAN did they stink after they were done! I have never smelled such stinky boys! It was chilly outside, and a little rainy, but they were sweatin' up a storm and -pee-ewe!!! But they had fun! As you can see!

We stayed over night after the party, and went to church the next day, so here are the boys all set to go to church... not so stinky this day! They had fun meeting new friends.

Next fun thing was we went to my friend, Carolyn's house, (my best friend from High School) and played, had a BBQ and the boys did some fun pumpkins! Mason especially LOVED his, and refused to go to sleep without it that night! It was so cute how he hugged it to sleep!!!

Lastly, this is me and my friend Carolyn, at a scrapbooking night my mom had at her house and we got to make a fun halloween craft! We are being silly here reminiscing about our old tennis days! (Only Carolyn will get it) :) I had a blast!

First Day of School!

2010-08-25T12:55:00.004-05:00

Well, it's finally here! The first day of school and summer is officially over! I feel like I can now get back into somewhat of a routine!
This year, Ian started 2nd Grade! He is so tall now, and has changed so much over the past year! He had lost a lot of teeth, so his smile is now at the beginning stages of his 'grown up' mouth! haha! (in other words... he's gonna need braces) haha! Ian was very anxious to go back to school, as he has told me repeatedly that our house is boring. I agree with him! haha! But he likes to have his schedule, so I'm glad that he's gonna get back into it now. He was pleased that a lot of the kids from his 1st grade class are again in his class this year, although, some of the same trouble makers are back too, so we'll see how that goes!Luke started Kindergarten this year and has been anxiously awaiting today all summer! Even though his preschool teacher said back in February that he wouldn't be ready for kindergarten this year, I went with my gut and threw him in all day. I think he will benefit a LOT from a schedule as well, even though one of the first questions out of his mouth this morning was, 'mom, are we gonna get to play in kindergarten?' I assured him that, yes, kindergartener's get to play a lot during school, but they also have to listen to their teacher when it's work time! He was good with that!
When we dropped them off this morning at the school, I hugged and kissed them both, and they took off into the school... neither one of them looked back and waved, but I'm ok with that. They are great kids and I'm glad that they are independent and ready for this year!Mason, on the other hand, was VERY sad that his brothers didn't take him with them! But he got over it.Mom and Dad.... we were VERY excited to see them walking into that school with confidence and smiles on their faces! (oh, yes, and FREEDOM!!!) We love our boys and are proud of who they are becoming!

Laundry Buddy

2010-08-23T15:41:00.003-05:00

Mason just loves to help with the laundry - and he gets mad if I don't let him help too! He wants to help put the clothes in the washer - even if they are the clean ones already done, and he likes to push the wet ones into the dryer. Well, the other day, he was curious, I guess, to see what the clothes see when they go into the dryer! He thought he was so cool in the dryer, and threw a complete fit when I took him out! Poor kid.... life is so unfair when you get pulled out of the dryer! ;)

Nature Museum and Lincoln Park Zoo

2010-08-23T13:34:00.002-05:00

Last Monday, the boys and I got to go up to Chicago with my friend Judi, to the Nature Museum and Lincoln Park Zoo for the day! It was beautiful and warm, and we had a great time! The boys really liked the hands on fun at the Museum, and their favorite part was the butterfly room. There were hundreds of butterflies and moths in this sunroom and it was very neat. there was a fun play room and they boys really had a good time. We even got to see a different kind of bird watching the fish on the shore of the pond, waiting to 'catch' the right one for his lunch. We didn't get to see him get his lunch, but he was being pretty stealthy!

After the Museum, we went over to the Lincoln Park Zoo, that was across the street, and walked around there for a while. We got to see the Gorillas, the lions, tigers and cheetah, and the reptile house, and some larger animals too. It was warm out, so we treated the kids to snow cones! They really liked those a lot! We had a fun time with our friends and are grateful that they wanted us to go with them!

Segway Tour in Chicago!!!

2010-08-20T14:00:00.008-05:00

Last Friday, our friends, Michelle and Bill, took us up to Chicago to go on a Segway Tour! It was 3 hours of TOTAL fun, and I am so glad we got the opportunity to go! We also got to spend the day with our friends, kid-free! That was a bonus! We started our tour in Millennium Park and went as far down the lake shore as the old Meigs Field! We went to Buckingham Fountain, Celebration Gardens, the Museum Campus, the beach, Soldier Field, the old Meigs Field, and we even got to watch as the Blue Angels did some practice runs for the air and water show that took place the following day! It was so amazing! The weather was GREAT! I don't think there wasn't a time I was not smiling on that thing! Dave and I would try to race each other - they go up to 13 miles per hour! It was just SO much fun and I definately want to do it again!
Watch Video clip of me just learning how HERE!

After the Segway Tour, we went to Millennium Park again and visited The Bean! Dave has never been there before, and I have never taken pictures of me by it! It was very cool.

After The Bean, we went to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner and stuffed ourselves silly! I ate SO much food! It was so good! After Hard Rock, we walked down to Navy Pier to catch a Ferris wheel ride! Dave hadn't ever been on the Ferris wheel either, so it was fun. We made it on as one of the last ones to go before they closed... it was good timing too, because a thunderstorm was rolling in and we had to book it to catch our train! We made it and it was a fun filled day!

Finish the night off with a kiss on the Ferris wheel!

Rock Painting 101

2010-08-12T14:27:00.001-05:00

A few days ago, the boys were over at their Great Grandma Beeler's house, and they were playing in the yard. Well, as it goes with Grandma's, the water was turned on, holes were being dug in the dirt, and low and behold, the boys unearthed this HUGE rock! They actually dug it out themselves and pulled it out of the ground! They were SO incredibly proud of themselves, and I could tell, even underneath the dirty smiles and clothes - lets just say the pre-spot treatment went to good use on those clothes!

They were so proud and wanted to bring this rock home to put somewhere. Ian pulled it in the wheelbarrow from Great Grandma's house, and even washed it off with water before he brought it home too. Ian and I decided that we would put it out in the flower bed right by the driveway, and that when it was all dried off, I'd let the boys paint something on it! So today was the painting!

Getting Started...

Luke has a very 'hap-hazzard' way of painting... goes with his personality I guess!

Ian on the other hand was very neat and orderly, and composed his masterpiece with pride.

In the end, we all are represented here on this rock. Even notice the paint splatters on the table where Luke was, then see where Ian was... hilarious. So true to who they are! Now that it's done, I will seal it so it won't wash off in the rain, and set it back outside for all to see! Great job boys!

My Biggest Achievement - Stake YW Camp!

2010-08-03T20:40:00.003-05:00

Last week, I was able to finally go to stake young women's camp! I have put in 11 long months of planning and preparing for this one week this year! I have to say, I am pretty proud of myself for pulling it off (although, I wouldn't have even come close without the help of all my wonderful stake leaders and assistant!!!) It's amazing how much I have learned about myself and others in the 5 days I was there. I realized that I cry way too much... that I am strong, just not in the ways I thought... that I have little self-confidence (although I knew that already)... and that I can do anything with the help of wonderful leaders and most importantly, the Lord.

This adventure was a huge undertaking, and I commend ANYONE who has walked in my shoes in years past! This is a stress-filled calling and assignment, but I am finding the joy in serving the Lord in this capacity. I came into this thinking, 'I've got this all under control'... boy was I wrong! Lot's of mental notes were taken, realizations were realized, and disappointments were seen. Overall, though, it was a great time. I really feel the Young Women had a good time - at least I hope they did - and our last day with Testimony meeting came wonderful testimonies born.

I am very tired. I am very done with camp for a little bit, but I'll be back... unless they release me, I'll be back :)

Our camp Banner that a couple of the YW painted! What a great job they did!

"Tribal Counsel" with all the Ward Flags.

This awesome guy was our 'Unity Challenge' prize! Each day the girls got to compete to have him in their campsites!

The WALL!!!

2010-08-03T20:35:00.002-05:00

A huge part of our girls camp was the climbing wall! I was really excited I got the opportunity to go on it. It is a 36 foot wall, and a 500 foot zip cord from the top going into the woods. After watching all the 'IN SHAPE' women go up and some struggle, I was really nervous. But with everything that had happened at camp up to that point, I was bound and determined to get to the top! Plus, I really wanted to fly down that zip cord! I am proud to say that I struggled a bit 3/4 of the way up, and they did hoist me up a bit, but I did it! And I made it in less than 10 minutes! I didn't want to give up! I felt I was in control of this outcome, and with not feeling in control of other things during camp, I really wanted to get this! I was SO proud when I reached the top and got to ring that bell!

Getting Started. (this isn't too bad...)

Here is where everyone seemed to get stuck. I think I managed ok...

This part, OH MAN! This was the HARDEST part! My legs didn't want to come up until my arms went up, but they had to! I did it though! Look at that spiderwoman! (but please don't look at her rump!) ;)

One of the proudest moments of my life! Now I can check that off my list of 'Things to Do Before I'm Fifty!" BOY, do my arms hurt though!!!

The ZIP LINE... WAHOOOOO!

2010-08-03T20:23:00.001-05:00

Well, here I am at the top of the wall. I really wasn't afraid of heights at this point, I was just glad I made it to the top! I was really excited to go down the zip line! I had seen everyone else scootch off the ledge on their butt, and only one girl from her feet. I was looking at this challenge as sort of a rollercoaster! I LOVE rollercosters, so I wasn't afraid at all! I took a deep breath, asked if the zip line was ready, and squated and went for it! It felt SOOOO invigorating!!! It was really hot too, so the breeze was great!

At the top getting ready to go.

Cow-a-bung-ga!!!! WAAAHHHOOOOO!!!! What a rush!

When you got to the end, the zip line brought you back a ways, so I got to lean back and see my mom as she took this picture! The lady before me totally let go and was hanging upside down! It was awesome, so I thought I'd try to do that too, but my arm didn't come all the way off... oh well! It was fun anyway!

So there you go.... Another accomplishment! (pay no attention to the lard-butt hanging out of the harness! hahahaha!) I was so proud of myself! I only wish my kids and Dave were there to see me do that! I think the Young Women had a good time on the wall and zip as well. It was well worth the money we spent on it! So much confidence was gained not only by me and the leaders, but by so many Young Women as well! Mission accomplished! :)

Better late than never.. Happy Birthday, Sweetie!

2010-07-24T20:22:00.000-05:00

Dave's Birthday was a few weeks ago, and in the midst of planning for girls camp, I have not found time to upload pictures and report on it! I'm such a bad wife! ;) Anyway, I tried to make his day special... we made him a cake. My mom brought over dinner and we had dinner with mom and dad before Dave had to go to the church for youth activities. (Dave is now helping in the Young Men's program at church, so he gets to work with all the teenagers!) Ian and Luke made Dave some nice birthday cards... Ian's especially was funny, which you'll see below. I hope my sweetie had a great day. We love you honey!

Watering Hole

2010-07-08T07:37:00.001-05:00

The other day, when it was 97 and hotter than heck, I broke down and pulled out the little kiddie pool and toys for the boys to play outside in! They had been on the Wii, or watching TV ALL day long, and at 3 pm, I thought.. you guys need to get OUTSIDE! It may be little, but they had a blast! Call us trailer trash, hillbillies, or whatever... they didn't mind. :) It was actually quite funny to watch them have so much fun in it! Now they want to do it every day!

Visitors from Texas!

2010-06-30T15:36:00.004-05:00

For the past two weeks my sister's kids, Julia and Tyler, came to stay with Grandma Beeler! It was so fun for them to be here and that my boys had their cousins to play with almost every day! One of the first things we did was have a nice lunch at Taco Bell! ;) All the kids love it, so that's where we went! Julia was a wiz at making Mason happy and the boys all bonded over nachos and cheese!

I got to take Tyler with me to Cub Scout Day camp! - See posts below about that!

We also got to go to the beach! It was such a hot day, but the water was chilly! The kids were all great and were LOVING being outside at the lake! It was so beautiful that day and everyone seemed to have a good time. Diana and her kids came with us too, so all the cousins were able to be there! Well, all but Corey and Michael! We missed you!

Then, when Robin got here, we went to go see the long awaited "Toy Story 3"!! It was spectacular and the kids just loved it! Dave got to come too, and I'm glad! We had a great time monching on popcorn and trying not to spill things and really getting into the movie! It was such a fun time!

Unfortunatly, vacations have to end and we have to get back to regular, everyday life. I miss my sister and her kids. I wish we lived closer, but life is like that! We had a ton of fun visiting and playing with them! The boys already miss and talk about their best cousins, Julia and Tyler! We love you!

Mason's 2nd Birthday!

2010-06-30T15:29:00.002-05:00

Mason had his 2nd Birthday party a few weeks ago at Bicentennial Park! It was a beautiful day and finally didn't rain! He had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party and family members came to celebrate his special day! I cannot believe how fast he is growing up and I am excited that he is finally getting some words out and starting to communicate with us all much better! He's such a sweet hearted and FUNNY boy! He keeps us laughing, and I know we're in for years of laughter with him in our family! Happy Birthday, my sweet Mason!

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Baseball season comes to an end...

2010-06-30T15:27:00.001-05:00

Ian's baseball season ended on June 8th with a great last game. The end of the tournament week, they had an awards ceremony but we missed most of it due to mis-communication on all ends. But Ian still received his medal for participation! He loves it! His team got 2nd to last place overall... but hey, they could have been last!?! haha! Ian showed GREAT improvement in his baseball skills, especially as a catcher! Remember fall ball? He cried everytime they put him in as catcher... this spring, he begged to be the catcher. He did great too! I think Ian has the potential to be a pretty good ball player - but it will be up to him. As of right now, he doesn't want to play anymore, so we'll see. I love going to ball games and cheering him on. I hope I get to do that in the future! I'm proud of you Ian!

Amy's Birthday - June 13th

2010-06-30T11:08:00.001-05:00

My birthday this year was so sweet! With everything else going on, we didn't have a party, which is fine.. I'm a big girl, I can handle it! haha! But Dave was sweet and brought me cinnamon rolls in bed for breakfast. He let me get ready for church and he took care of getting the kids ready. (which he usually does anyway, which I'm SO grateful for!) After church, Dave let me take a nice long nap, and made me a cake while I was doing so! WOW! First time he's made a cake.. and it was DELICIOUS! Mom came over and we had cake together! We didn't have candles, so we used toothpicks... it was hilarious! Oh well! I was glad to be together with my family on my birthday!

Cub Scout Day Camp - another adventure

2010-06-30T11:01:00.001-05:00

The week after the High Adventure campout, I got to participate (since I'm a cub scout den leader as well) in the Cub Scout Day Camp! I went only one day, but it was fun! I got to take Ian, Luke and my nephew Tyler to the pixie camp they have for the younger kids who are not scouts yet. They had fun! At day camp, we played badmiton, did archery, shot BB guns, made monkey bread and hobo dinners, carved soap, made neckerchiefs, and learned how to burn the end of the rope so it won't fray, make picture frames and race styrofoam boats! And that was just ONE day! The boys had a great time, and I'm glad I had this experience!

What a HIGH Adventure!

2010-06-30T09:27:00.001-05:00

I'm catching up on my posting now that all my pictures are back and uploaded to my computer! I can actually post what I've been doing this past month! Life has been really busy and there has been a lot going on in the past 4 weeks that I don't know how I've made it through it all!

First of my adventures over the last weeks has been our YCL High Adventure campout for the 16-18 year old girls at church! Since I am the Stake Young Women's camp director, we thought it'd be good for the girls to have a 'high adventure' like the boy scouts do. So, with the help of some of the best women, the leaders took the girls down to Shades State Park in central Indiana to go on our High Adventure campout!

19 young women, 6 leaders, 1 priesthood protector! Good morning!

6:00 am came quickly that beautiful friday morning, and we were off! First stop... the Canoes! There had been so much rain in the past month that the river was very high, and very dirty and faster than normal. (See pictures of my Anniversary trip to see the difference - same river!) So, we took the girls on a 15 mile canoe trip! We packed lunches with us, and paddled our way down the river - after a short lesson on how to steer! With 13 canoes out on the river, we got spread apart, and some girls and leaders capsised, some got spiders on them, some had to empty out the water, some just got out and walked a bit, some got hurt with scratches, bumps and bruises. But all in all, it was a fantastic time, and we were all watched over and protected!

The forcast for that day worried me, since we'd be on the river for about 5 hours, the thunderstorms that were coming had me worried. Fortunatley, we had sunny skies until about 1 mile to the end of our journey! Then it HIT! The sky got dark, we could hear the thunder, the winds picked up and all of the sudden, that last 4 canoes were in the middle of this thunderstorm on the river! We paddled our hearts out to reach the end, where we knew the rest of the group was waiting for us. Then, there was lightning! The 4 young women ahead of us got pulled off the river by some tubers and other canoers bringing people into the woods so they wouldn't get hit by lightning! Luckily, we saw them and pulled off as well. Once the lightning stopped, we got back in our canoes and took off toward the finish! Everyone was relieved that we were ok, since they were done canoeing by the time we got caught in the storm. (long story - keys were lost in river, and AAA was being called) But we did it! And it was SO fun! Even in the rain!

The next day we hiked at Shades State Park and it was hot and humid, and another storm wanted to come through, but fortunatly it didn't until we left. The hike was amazing! We hiked only a mile and a half, but it was straight down a ravine on skinny stair cases, then through a creek bed on the ravine floor, then UP the CREEK BED through a waterfall, wet rocks, mud and everything! It was great! Yes, a few girls got hurt, but thankfully, not seriously, and we were all watched out for! It was a great time to connect with nature and get me excited for girls camp at the end of July! Enjoy these pictures!

Luke's 5th Birthday Pictures!

2010-06-07T15:14:00.001-05:00

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Luke had a great time for his 5th Birthday! I can't believe my second baby is 5 already! He is so tall and so funny! He cracks me up every single day! His laugh is contagious, and his smile is infectious! All he wanted this year for his birthday was to go to the park and have pizza and cake! He's so easy to please! Even when the park plans got rained out, he was glad to still have pizza and cake! The family came over and Luke enjoyed playing with his cousins. He wanted a 'Storm Trooper' party, so I did my best to try and decorate! Too bad I couldn't find much to decorate with, so I got creative. I bought some white balloons and drew storm trooper helmets on them. Luke helped a little with that too! I printed out some images from the internet to use as little table decorations and face masks! It was cute! Luke was happy and that's all that matters! He got a few cards in the mail, and that was exciting for him to open some mail! Hope your birthday was great, Luke! I love you so much!

My cute little Mason - so mischievious!

2010-06-07T15:11:00.000-05:00

This picture says it all. I love my little cute Mason, he brings joy to me each and every day! But look out... he's a stinker! Look at those eyes... you can tell he's thinking up something mischievious in that little brain of his! He's so funny! I love you little Mason!

Oh Sweet GRADUATION!!!

2010-05-19T08:45:00.001-05:00

I am so extremely proud of my sweet husband! Four and a half long years of College and it finally is over! Dave actually finished school in December, but just Monday night, was able to walk in his Graduation Commencement! Dave graduated from Purdue University, North Central Campus! He was one of the only ones in his Major that graduated 'With Distinction', which means he had an awesome GPA, and got to wear those awesome yellow cords at graduation. The graduates that received 'With Distinction' and 'With Highest Distinction' were recognized during the graduation ceremony. I was so proud of Dave when he got to stand up among about 30 others out of the whole school! It was great!

Getting his diploma (I was disappointed because the lighting was terrible for taking pictures, and most of my pictures are blurry! doh!)

Me and my Graduate! I love you Dave!!!

Our Family - typical poses :)

It has been a long four years for me, but we made it through! I'm so very proud of Dave! He has worked really hard! Throughout his schooling, he not only went to school full time, but also worked full time to support our family so I didn't have to go to work. What a MAN! Thank you, Dave, for your diligence in this grand adventure in your life! We are all so proud of you!!!

The boys were there too, and thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, they were kept pretty occupied!

(the ceremony was at 7pm, so it was 9 by the time this picture was taken, they were TIRED!) I'm so thankful for my mom and dad for showing Dave the support too! They love him very much and are proud of him as well!

My Mom, Dave and Dad.

Dave and one of his favorite professors! She loves Dave!

Visiting with Family & Friends

2010-05-19T08:29:00.001-05:00

This past Sunday, we had the chance to go visit Dave's brother and his family and also his Grandparents which we haven't seen in a while! It was a great time at their house, just relaxing in the warm sunny weather outside! The boys got a good chance to visit and play with their cousin Kaitlyn, and their great grandparents! Missy cooked up an awesome lunch for us all and it was so nice! The boys had a great time and were good and worn out when we had to go home!

We went to church that morning in Frankfort, IL, and got to be reunited with the Mahoney family. Dave's friend, Kevin, was one of the awesome teenagers when Dave was a teen, that introduced him to the LDS church. I am so ever grateful for him for being a good example to my sweetie, because if it wasn't for his example, I would not have my sweetheart today!

Luke's a Preschool Graduate!

2010-05-13T08:59:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Luke's Preschool Graduation! He made it through the whole year and improved in many areas! We are so proud of his accomplishments! He was very well behaved during the program, which consisted of 2 songs that the kids didn't know very well, and the presenting of the certificates. It was so cute to see them in their little caps & tassles! Luke should be ready for kindergarten now! Great job, Luke! We love you!

Luke and his Teacher, Mrs. Mosely.

There's a first time for everything!

2010-05-11T09:15:00.000-05:00

AH! Luke got a Dog Tick on him the other day! This was the first time Dave or I had to deal with getting a tick off of any one! I was a little freaked out, but luckily the tick had just barely gotten on him and was barely attached to his skin. The head wasn't even in yet, it was just hanging on with it's teeth (or whatever part holds on!?) I had never seen a tick in person and up close, so of course I needed to take pictures! haha! So here is how we found it and what the conversation was like...
I'm giving Luke a shower, and washing his hair, and noticed a bump... split his hair and saw it! AH! And 'ewe' was my first thought! Luke noticed I stopped washing and was poking around, and he said, "What is it?"
Me: "It's just a bump!"
(I then peeked my head out of the bathroom at Dave and whispered, 'I think Luke has a tick!' If I said it to Luke he would freak!)

Luke: "Mommy, what's on my head?"
Me: "Just a bump.. when we get you out of the shower we'll get it taken care of... don't worry about it"
Luke: "what kind of bump?"
(as you can see, the more we talked about the 'bump' the more he wanted to know)
Me: "It's just a bump that likes your head a lot!"
(his eyes are getting bigger now, and not sure that I can hide it from him!)
By this time, Dave is on the internet looking to find out how to remove ticks safely, and he spills the beans to Luke. I took a picture but refused to show it to Luke. (he freaked out about a tiny spider on him the other day) Luke started crying, but eventually we appeased him by making sure he knew it wouldn't hurt, and he could have cookies after he was done. He was good with that!
Long story short, we tried the alcohol, liquid soap, but eventually, Dave had to work it off by tugging softly at it with tweezers. Again, it wasn't in the skin yet, it just pulled of one piece of tiny skin, and didn't even leave a mark. Thank goodness!

Baseball has begun!

2010-05-11T08:53:00.000-05:00

Ian started his baseball season a few weeks ago and is trying his darndest to improve each game! He has had 4 games, and still has only gotten one foul ball at bat. poor kid! He's not very interested in fielding either. He likes to bat, but hates that he strikes out all the time. He'll get better though! Dave is one of the assistant coaches this year, and I think Ian really likes that. I know Dave is having a great time! He's happy he's finally available to be a part of his kids activities! This year, Ian is REALLY excited about being the catcher! This is a major change of heart as I look back at all the tears that were shed in fall ball because he was afraid! He now prefers to be the catcher, and I like it, because he has more fun, and he pays attention to the game! I think he likes all the gear he gets to wear! haha! He looks so awesome in his uniform and I am proud of him when I get to watch his games! Keep up the good work, Ian!

Strike three... again. :(

Coach Chad and Daddy making him feel better after batting.

Ian's way of playing second base! aha!

Ian loves to organize the bats... hmmm.. maybe he'll be a manager or bat boy? ha!

Our 10th Anniversary Get-a-way!

2010-05-02T21:57:00.003-05:00

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For our 10th Anniversary, we decided to do something special! We decided to go on a mini vacation to Turkey Run State Park! My mom watched the boys so we could go alone, thanks Mom!!! We stayed at the Turkey Run Inn and went hiking a little to the suspension bridge and some some rocky trails, went to the nature center, played pool and arcades in the game room of the Inn, went for a dip in the pool, had lots of yummy food, and talked to each other without being interrupted by 3 crazy boys! It was a dream! We both agreed that we need to do this more often - get away from the boys... not that we don't love them, but so we can just do something together without having to worry about who's fighting with who, someone getting hurt, who has to pee, and so forth! We also traveled a bit to go see some of the covered bridges in the county, but after 4, we were done with that. They all look the same anyway, so we figured we got to see all of them! haha!

The second day, we went for a canoe trip on the Sugar Creek! It was so much fun! We went on a 5 mile trip, which was easier than expected and didn't last as long either! I was a little sad when it was over, I could have canoed for much longer than and hour and a half! ;) But we had a great time being on the river by ourselves and soaking up all the peaceful nature around us! We only almost biffed it once in the canoe right at the very end, but in the end, only my foot took a swim in the river! haha! After the canoe trip, we went down to Lafayette, because we thought it was going to start raining, to try and find something indoors to do. We walked around the mall a bit, but that was boring, so we headed home, stopped at the Bass Pro Shop and got Pizza for my parents and us to have for dinner! It WAS a great trip and I'll do it all over in a heartbeat!

Happy Anniversary, Dave! I love you so much!

First Dentist Visit for Luke!

2010-04-24T10:34:00.001-05:00

Luke had his very first Dentist cleaning and check-up yesterday! He was a little nervous, but shed only one tear as he sat and watched Ian getting his teeth cleaned. I had to sit with him, because he was scared. But the sunglasses he got to wear were awesome, and he liked that, and he got to watch cartoons, so that was even better! He did really well! No cavities! yeah!

But I don't think he really liked the flouride treatment... look at that FACE! ha! Classic.

Even today, he is still proud of his little bag of goodies he got from the Dentist... actually, I think he took the sunglasses when he wasn't supposed to! Yikes! I might have to take those back! hah! Luke made me 'play dentist' this morning and clean & floss his teeth, it was awesome!

Dentist Vist for Ian

2010-04-24T10:19:00.001-05:00

Well, it was getting too long that the boys had seen the dentist, so we got them in! (thank you Dr.Sarver!) Ian did really well. He love getting his teeth cleaned and using the little suction tube. He was very brave, and said that the only part that hurt was when they used the 'scrapping tool'. (again, it's been a while and he had plaque!) But he did a great job!

They got to wear sunglasses for the bright light and watch Cartoon Network! Awesome!

Teach a man to fish...

2010-04-24T10:16:00.002-05:00

Dave took the boys fishing this past week for the first time this spring! They liked it, I think! I think they like being out with Daddy too!

My little Mister-Mason

2010-04-24T10:13:00.001-05:00

My little Mason is so stinkin' cute, so I had to post some cuteness!

Mason has some crazy hair, and this is sometimes what he looks like when he first wakes up from his afternoon nap!

Dave was playing around with him, and wrapped him up like a burrito in a warm blanket (it was cold that morning). He looks so cute just standing there staring into the abyss of the the tv! He likes to wear hats too - but not for long... what a cutie!

I have been getting stuff ready to put away in storage, and here, Mason thinks he's still a baby! um... you're a little big for that, son! He even was buckling himself in and turning it on to hear the music! so funny!

Double Date in Chicago!

2010-04-11T19:18:00.009-05:00

Saturday, we had the chance to go to Chicago for dinner with our good friends Shane and Isolde! It was so much fun! Dave and I have never been to dinner in Chicago, or at least I can't remember! We went to the Cheesecake Factory, right underneath the John Hancock Building, and it was AMAZING! The food was so yummy and I ate so much! And I still had half of my plate left! Yeah for leftovers! So I got the Crusted Chicken Romano with Pasta and Tomato Sauce, and Dave had the Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo with Sun Dried T omatoes! So Yummy! Of course we didn't have room for dessert, but we got it anyway! I mean, we're at the Cheesecake Factory... we need to get some cheesecake!!! I got the red velvet layered cheesecake, and Dave got the snickers cheesecake... both were also AMAZING!! But I was so full, I could only eat about 1/3 of it! But it was fun! it was fun to be with our friends and talk without the kids butting in! haha!

After we ate dinner, we walked down Michigan Avenue a little then walked over to Navy Pier! Dave has never been to Navy Pier, and I guess I didn't realize that! So it was fun to let him see all the fun things there. We took some fun pictures there, and then headed back to the parking garage. It was such a blast! Good friends, good food, good memories!

Easter Sunday

2010-04-04T21:03:00.006-05:00

We had a great Easter Sunday and weekend! We were blessed to be able to watch General Conference for the LDS church at home this morning. What a great blessing to hear the words and instruction from a prophet of God and the general authorities!

We went to my mom's for lunch and had wonderful roast beef sandwiches and tons of other great food! YUM! Dave and I got to hide the easter eggs this year for the big hunt, but I guess we didn't do a great job... they got done pretty quickly! doh! But my boys had a great time! Once Mason discovered candy was in the eggs, he quickly shoved 4 jelly beans in his mouth! AH! He was drooling green drool in no time flat! Luke found a lot, and was proud that he got so many! I think he would have eaten all the candy in the bucket if I didn't stop him after about 7! I just know he would have thrown up if I didn't stop him! Ian had a good time finding his '2 eggs' that had money in them! I know he's growing up when he wants the money eggs more! haha! But it was a fun time... it was so windy outside, but at least the rain held off!

The kids getting ready for the hunt. Ian, Luke, and Mason, and their cousins, Trey, Caden and Jenna. Luke finds an egg in a SHOE! (who's not wearing their shoes!?!?)

Yeah Mason! (where are you're shoes?!)

Mason is SO excited!!

Oooo... good eyes, Luke!

Awesome job Ian! What a smile!

On the run for more eggs!

Ian checking out his stash.

My boys :)

Happy Easter everyone!