Sledding

Today we were able to take Ben sledding for the first time thanks to the 6+ inches of snow that we got in Champaign over the last 24 hours. We live across the street from a great park that has a sledding hill. All three of us got bundled up, Mike and I not quite sure how long our adventure would last, and we headed across the street to have fun. Everything started out pretty well, but I think the cold and Ben's lack of mobility in the snow kind of dampened his mood. Mike and I had a great time and are planning to try taking him out again tomorrow.


Thanks again Grandma and Grandpa R for the great snow suit and sled. I hope you can come visit soon so that we can go sledding together :o)

Laundry Help

Ben loves when we are folding laundry. He loves to take things out of the laundry basket and throw it on the floor. He loves to take the things on the floor and then put them back in the laundry basket. He loves to play with the laundry basket. Tonight, he took all his wash cloths and put them by the TV. He was very serious, so obviously the wash cloths were put there for a reason.

Playdate with Lucas

This Saturday Uncle Alex, Aunt Sarah, and cousin Lucas came for a visit. While Mike and Alex when to the Illini v. SIU basketball game, the cousins and Sarah and I had fun at our house. Ben and Lucas had a blast playing together and Ben was pretty good about sharing his toys thankfully. Lucas keeps up with Ben pretty well and they are about the same size which makes it lots of fun to watch them play. Thanks for coming to visit, I hope we can plan another playdate again soon!

Aunt Sarah with the boys.

Starved Rock State Park

This past Sunday we drove up to

Starved Rock State Park which is outside of Utica,IL.

We had a great day with family and enjoyed

beautiful weather as we hiked.

It is a definitely a place that we would like

to explore again in the future.

Here are just a few of the pictures from the day.

Trick or Treat!!!

Ben took part in his first Halloween tonight dressed as C3PO and had a great time. It took him a while to realize the people were trying to give him the candy. He wasn't as willing to grab into the bowl when people offerred, but loved it when they handed the candy to him.

Sorry, Grandma and Grandpa, no Almond Joys or Baby Ruths.

Happy Birthday Clay

Happy 1st birthday to our nephew Clay!

Can't wait to celebrate with you and your

mommy and daddy on Saturday!! We love you!!!

Ben to Clay: "I still remember holding you when you were just a little baby..."

You are such a handsome little guy!

Katy and Rob's Wedding Weekend

This past weekend, we celebrated the wedding of Mike's sister Katy and her husband Rob. We were honored to be asked to be members of the wedding party. Ben even got to be part of his first wedding, serving as Ringbearer. Here are just of a few of the many pictures that show how much fun we had this weekend. We wish Katy and Rob a very healthy and happy marriage.

Carrying the bride over the threshold.

Family Weekend

Mike, Ben and I had a rare weekend at home this past weekend and we were fortunate enough to spend a lot of it outside. On Saturday we enjoyed the beautiful fall weather while at Allerton Park in Monticello.

At the park there are several statues.

The one below is called "Death of the last Centaur."

We also got a chance to carve our pumpkins. Go Bears!!

The middle one is meant to be the pumpkin likeness of Ben,

it has 6 teeth and a big smile :)