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 :)

Jail Time

Columbus day weekend Ben and I went to visit my Grandma for our family's annual Cider Squeeze. Part of our weekend activities included visiting some of the historic sites in Knoxville,IL. We visited the new museum, the court house and the jail. Here are a few pictures of Ben and me in the "bullpen" portion of the jail.

FREEDOM!

Weekend Visitor

A few weeks ago Ben's cousin Clay came over for a play date (he brought his mom and dad and Grandma Karen too). They are a lot of fun to watch, and played pretty well together. Come and visit again soon Clayton!

Ben and Clay were tackling Grandma Karen.

Ben with his Aunt Gretchen and cousin Clayton.

Swim Class

We got Ben swim lessons for his birthday. They started out a little rough, but now he seems to really like the water. I know Mike and I have a lot of fun with him every week. He definately can't swim yet, but I think it is a really great experience for him. Here are some pictures of him waiting for class to start.

Ben with one of the instructors. He really likes them all and

will usually flash them a big smile when they come to help.

San Antonino

Over Labor Day weekend Mike, Ben and I took a long weekend trip to San Antonino to visit our good friends Jeremy, Heather, Annie, Millie, Justin and Mary. We had a blast and hope to make plans to visit with them again soon. We didn't take many pictures over the weekend, but here are a few that we did take. This is a picture of upside down Millie at Sea World.

Ben and Mike watching the seal show.

Visiting the penguin exhibit.

Out to dinner at a Tex Mex restaurant on the River Walk.