November

So November has passed with 2 birthdays, Aaron(3) and Addy(7). We all were sick at different times during the month including 4 of us vomiting. As a result, we had to cancel Thanksgiving plans with the Davis' but did make it down to Bloomington to have a post Thanksgiving feast.

Ben turned 10 months on December 1st.
And he's more adorable than ever!
He weighed just over 25lbs at his 9 month checkout so he's growing well.
And he's almost walking!

Happy Fall!

We took our first trip to Cincinnati since Christmas. It went great! The first day we visited the Creation Museum with my mom and brother.
My bro, Uncle Chris with Benny.
We also visited Grandma and Grandpa Neville. We always enjoy our time there. We took a hike to their creek.
My happy girl having a blast.
On the hike back, Josh enjoyed some raw soy beans from the field. There are so many guys in our family.
After lunch we ate smores around the campfire. So much fun!
Aaron got an early birthday present. He loved his costume so much, he refused to take it off for days.
My sleepy pirate on the way home with his pink 'momma cat'. Thanks for having us G&G Neville!
My mom would be so proud that we actually decorated for Halloween.
My favorite little boys playing in the leaves. The weather has been outstanding this fall.
The kids all dressed up for Trick or Treating. Addy is dressed as Pikachu from Pokemon, the stuffed animal she's holding.

MAJOR Milestones

Jackson's 1st DAY OF PRESCHOOL. We tried a new school this year and I love, love, love it! And Jackson's doing great.
Our next door neighbor, Reese, started KINDERGARTEN. We got to help out and get her on the bus a few times. My boys love being with Reese.
I'm so excited that AARON IS POTTY TRAINED! It only took him 2 days and he's completely diaper free including nighttime. We're 75% potty trained.
Ben is CRAWLING! And he just got 2 new teeth on top, for a total of 6.

August Happenings

Happy 5th Birthday Jackson!!!
You are such a pleasure to be around. You play so nicely all day and rarely complain. You are so caring and show extra affection for Addy and I. You are really smart and enjoy learning and drawing. I love you so much and am very proud of you.
To celebrate, Jackson wanted to go to the aquarium. So we went downtown to the Shedd for the day. I actually caught a flash of lightning in this picture (on the right side)!
I didn't get many pictures of fish but I did get this one of our adorable baby, better known as crazy Benny, sitting in front of the dolphin tank.
Here's Jackson's birthday cake, a delicious homemade ice cream cake, made by Grandma Neubauer. It's become a family tradition for everyone's birthdays.
Since Jackson turned 5, Josh figured it was time, or past time, for his first dental cleaning.
Kenosha County Fair
Summer is not complete without a visit to the fair.
I had to take this picture. You'll see why in the next one...
his shirt.
Our first family of 6 picture, taken at Grandma Neubauer's house.
1st Day of 1st Grade
Addy was not exited to go to school but ended up having a great first week. She likes her teacher and knows almost everyone in her class.
7 Months Old
At Ben's 6 month check up, he was 22lbs 4oz 26.5''. To compare, Jackson at 6 months was 21lbs 8oz 26.5'', Aaron was 19lbs 8oz 28'', Addy was 18lbs 10oz 26.5'' This is what he does with a pacifier. He tries to eat it.
Visiting Grandma in Beloit
Wow, our 2nd family picture taken this weekend at a park in Beloit.
Jackson was so excited to find this baby turtle.
I'm so proud and thankful for our family. Thank you Jesus for each one of these special people in my life.
My sweet boys. I hope they always love each other this much.

Strong Storms

This month we experienced a 30 minute storm that caused the most damage of any I've seen. We took a walk around our neighborhood afterwards and here's what we saw.
The storm was sudden and unexpected. Besides the dark sky, the first warning was our electricity going out.
The kids and I hung out with flashlights in the basement during the storm.
When it was over, I noticed all the neighbors walking around outside. I went out and someone asked if we were ok. I wondered why he asked until I looked around and noticed trees and branches down everywhere.
Our electricity didn't come back on for 3 days! The first night we all slept in the basement because it was way too hot upstairs with no AC. We also lost most of the food in our refrigerator and freezer.
We tried driving around but didn't get far because no traffic lights were working and there was traffic everywhere.
This was the only damage to any structure nearby us. It made me laugh because it's the fortune tellers house.
I am thankful our only damage was to a tree branch out front. Josh had to cut it down.
I enjoyed the peacefulness of no electricity. We spent more time outside and I even got to see this sunset.



Ben's 6 Months (on Aug 1st)
And he's really happy about it.
I hope his eyes stay blue. All of our other kids have hazel, even Addy who used to be blue eyed.
Ben's got 2 bottom teeth.
He can sit up for a few seconds but prefers to log roll around the room.
I can't believe how similar he looks to Addy in this picture.
Here's Addy at a similar age.
Ben can't wait to grow up. He loves being with the big kids. He's so lucky to be the baby of 4.
This girl can't keep her hands off him.
He even got to get in our kiddy pool the other day.
And one last happy face.
On another note, this is an amazing catapiller Addy found at the Chicago Botanical Gardens last Sunday.