tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-323847272011-04-21T18:03:11.865-04:00Bethnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2161100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-2765927716761430842009-02-22T16:36:00.005-05:002009-02-22T18:34:08.297-05:00

I have combined this site with my Part of the Miracles site to be all-in-one. Please visit us at Part of the Miracles from now on. Don't forget to change your reader or bookmarks!See you over there!!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-74313167747206789422009-02-01T10:35:00.004-05:002009-02-01T10:49:06.476-05:00

This past weekend, Adam had his first hut trip with students. The sixth grade telemark skied to various locations close by for a night at one of these gorgeous huts.The two-mile hike, a relatively short one compared to some of the other groups, turned into a 5-hour long excursion because of 20 mile per hour head winds and blowing snow. Needless to say, they were all very happy to see the hut

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-38049264343399861822009-01-24T16:26:00.004-05:002009-01-24T16:49:30.113-05:00

I think I underestimated what 4 feet of snow can look like in reality.Here we have two sets of pictures. The really colorful ones were taken just 5 months ago during my parent's first visit. The blurry, all white ones were taken last week. They are from the same park, the same objects. I'm not putting the pictures up because of how good they are, they are actually extremely average, what with

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-71692001741411127542009-01-21T12:20:00.006-05:002009-01-21T19:45:25.668-05:00

Potty training. Day 1.Underwear, no good. We're going the bare-route.Besides, I just can't resist that cute tush!He will so hate me some day for these. I figure by that time, though, blogging will be a thing of the past.But I can always whip these out to embarrass him in front of his fiancee.Did I just say fiancee? ACK! He's only two for Pete's sake!sigh.....They just grow up so fast.Addison

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-53564073216223574632009-01-17T15:23:00.003-05:002009-01-17T15:33:10.931-05:00

Getting Owen to smile is no difficult task.Unless he doesn't want to.Then he's like most 4 year olds.Very, very stubborn.Unless you put on a little pressure.Like in the form of, say, tickle torture....Then we start to see a little progress,until Bingo!The belly laugh!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-3187030917346233162009-01-08T07:15:00.001-05:002009-01-08T07:15:00.799-05:00

I love it when little ones are just learning to talk. Not all words come out clearly, and sometimes parents just have to guess what it is their little precious is saying.Addison has an unusually high appreciation for boxed Mac 'n Cheese. He literally ate half the pan yesterday. After much deliberation on what he could possibly be jabbering on about, I figured it out.Macky wackin cheeeeeese=Mac

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-19963600980812648152009-01-04T23:04:00.002-05:002009-01-04T23:23:32.067-05:00

Moving to Korea brought many, many changes for our family.One of those changes was that Emma and Owen (then 4 years old and 20 months old, respectively) had to share a room for the first time. It worked out in the long run, but it was a tough transition, as any parent who has had to do this will tell you.Long, drawn out bedtimes. Different sleep schedules and body clocks. Sound issues.But,

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-54991157656579319812008-12-31T18:49:00.009-05:002009-01-01T14:07:33.393-05:00

This was supposed to post yesterday, but I couldn't get the pictures to load.Happy New Year, Everyone!!We spent a beautiful sunny afternoon on the mountain. Everyone got to ski, even Addison tried his hand at it!Here we are heading out.It's really hard for me to take photos while skiing, as I can just keep myself up and off my behind. I did have some really nice wipe-outs that day, though, and

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-152916060302521172008-12-25T23:30:00.005-05:002009-01-01T14:09:54.718-05:00

Merry Christmas!!This year was quite the Christmas!Snow absolutely blanketed the ground. Not only did we have a white Christmas, but it continued to snow all day long. So pretty!Christmas Eve at our house always brings new PJs.Playing a new game: Hulabaloo!I even got to take a little walk by myself. I've been wanting a shot of this tree ever since it first snowed. Since that was over 2

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-51260050958302340442008-12-22T10:03:00.003-05:002008-12-22T10:29:49.873-05:00

It's something that's been going on for the past 10 years.We should remember, but I think we've officially forgotten more than we've remembered.I even posted something else on the 19th, for Pete's sake!There's just too much going on this time of year.This year was the worst, though. We didn't even remember that we forgot till late in the morning of the 20th!And, let me emphasize the we here.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-89449519312499280752008-12-19T11:05:00.004-05:002008-12-19T11:34:26.953-05:00

Our Christmas' past have been adorned with somewhat "un-traditional" Christmas trees.In Korea, trees were scarce, and when we did find one, they were extremely expensive (like most everything else there). We came up with an alternative. It was fun, cheap and worked just fine. Especially as we were coping with an incredibly colicky newborn for the first time! Who wants to sweep up pine needles

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-51739781559233624962008-12-14T16:09:00.006-05:002008-12-14T16:19:12.862-05:00

All Emma wants for Christmas is her two front teeth............and I'm pretty sure we're going to be getting aWhite Christmas!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-68947234826287289902008-12-09T15:20:00.008-05:002008-12-09T16:31:35.827-05:00

Since we don't have any Christmas decoration up yet (I think this might be the latest ever), we've been doing Christmas crafts in an attempt to promote holiday spirit.What's better than gingerbread houses?!Have you ever done this? I hadn't attempted this since my 5th grade room mothers were crazy enough to do this with our class of 25.I found a great recipe online for gingerbread house icing.I

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-7082920678292073862008-12-03T23:27:00.000-05:002008-12-03T14:59:02.460-05:00

It was fast, but only "furious" in a fast sort of way. (Read: everyone got along really well.) It was great to be with family, but believe me when I say it was a lesson learned. 824 miles is waaaay too long for 3 kids under 7, two adults and only 4 1/2 days. With that said, I loved seeing my family!But I'll never do that again. Don't take that the wrong way!Christmas break, plenty of time.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-73511398493894201432008-12-01T23:24:00.002-05:002008-12-01T23:27:31.695-05:00

Our school had an assembly the day before Thanksgiving.This is Emma's class singing their song. Emma's in the back row, far left with her head turned.Coming off stage. Poor kid, she was fighting a cold but never complained and did a great job.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-29531914847019569522008-11-26T11:01:00.005-05:002008-11-26T11:45:53.689-05:00

We are no longer never-everers!!Emma getting off lift with Jeremy and Jackson.Adam on the magic carpet.For the record, Adam has skied before....it's just been a decade and a half.Emma on the magic carpet.Owen's first lesson with Jeremy.Getting gloves on. Great face, Beth.First lesson--it went great! We can all (somewhat) successfully stop and turn. Yea!Bring on the SNOW!I can't believe I

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-485206598454279672008-11-21T15:42:00.001-05:002008-11-21T16:35:42.767-05:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-9918965614617256992008-11-20T23:07:00.002-05:002008-11-20T23:10:35.857-05:00

Picture taken by my friend, Penny. How cute is this sleigh full of Berners!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-5243873614044093432008-11-17T22:37:00.002-05:002008-11-17T23:00:08.394-05:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-62141993964484125932008-11-17T22:34:00.000-05:002008-11-17T22:36:27.721-05:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-30161184106767411152008-11-17T22:26:00.003-05:002008-11-17T22:33:27.711-05:00

This is what happens on Monday night when you've kept your kids up too late over the weekend.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-20591199877536729522008-11-16T18:00:00.002-05:002008-11-16T18:06:33.928-05:00

A little kookiness this Saturnday morning. The good news? No TV!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-36630086035054495052008-11-04T16:23:00.001-05:002008-11-04T16:27:39.707-05:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-38798853867468772172008-11-02T22:36:00.004-05:002008-11-02T22:41:15.491-05:00

Halloween was fun. It started with a parade and carnival at school, went to trick-or-treating in Vail Village, and then onto a friend's house for chili and more trick-or-treating! All the kids had a ball, all the kids got too much candy, and all the kids are exhausted from the late night, the sugar highs and day light savings time.In case you're wondering:Emma is an Asian princessOwen is a

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-79304136296870506942008-10-28T18:09:00.004-04:002008-10-28T18:30:30.766-04:00

It was a small to-do, but fun was had by all. Addison loved his cake with the train on it. We were fortunate to even have a cake. Apparently, if you're cooking at high altitude, brand does matter, and this cook will forever depend on Mrs. Crocker, no thanks to Mr. Hines.The hat wasn't on his head for 3 seconds before he went and grabbed the balloons to "ride" like a horse.Presents.Doesn't this

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-43774738615238218162008-10-27T15:00:00.005-04:002008-10-27T15:22:06.561-04:00

Sometimes it's hard to remember him like this:When he now looks like this:Today is Addison's 2nd birthday!We're celebrating with balloons."Boons!!""I'm 2!!"And, yes, that is a pink blanket under him in that top photo. He actually spent the first 2 days of his life swaddled in a pink blanket, and he's no worse for the wear. Although, it did cause some confusion here in the States with some

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-45536994063595210152008-10-26T23:26:00.003-04:002008-10-26T23:41:20.108-04:00

Saturday was truly a gift. It was warm (50ish), sunny with little wind.Emma had her last soccer game.Guys, seriously, can you believe this is Owen?We got out for a walk and a little snowball fight ensued. Notice the unsuspecting toddler?He loved every minute of it.Wow, a good shot of all three. Remarkable. I smell a Christmas card.Gore Creek

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-40765734157503220112008-10-13T23:31:00.003-04:002008-10-13T23:39:10.636-04:00

This weekend was the first time it snowed down here where we live. Sunday morning was made much more stressfull by the fact that we had to scrape our windshield. On October 12! That's never been done before in my personal history. Hoo doggies! Am I in for it!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-32283184871159170412008-10-08T23:38:00.003-04:002008-10-08T23:45:46.901-04:00

I've been on a total baking kick lately, there seems to always be a reason. Funny, that.I tried to take the cake out of the pan too early, the tops stuck all to the wire rack, and so after I iced it there was all this chocolaty goodness left. We don't let chocolate go to waste here our house. No sir.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-28724904251476293182008-10-03T07:00:00.000-04:002008-10-03T07:00:01.376-04:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-42440711607859017312008-10-02T14:54:00.001-04:002008-10-02T15:08:40.855-04:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-44728112341822853682008-10-01T15:02:00.001-04:002008-10-01T15:04:15.009-04:00

Oh, but it is.Happy Birthday, Emma-Marie!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-68615645005790684162008-09-15T22:33:00.005-04:002008-09-15T23:19:06.515-04:00

........it snowed! Actually, it only snowed above 10,000 ft., but how beautiful is this?And, we had soccer games!First, Owen had his first "game," which is a practice with a little game at the end. Very low-key. Just what he needs.This picture below is basically what the whole game was like. Where's the ball? Behind Owen and he's got no clue, but the other kids do!In the huddle with the

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-42581870267182607832008-09-13T12:00:00.000-04:002008-09-13T12:00:01.038-04:00

"Hey, wait, what are those?""Just a little off the top, please."Oh, relax! They're play scissors, of course!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-10290398772218657122008-09-12T19:00:00.000-04:002008-09-12T19:00:00.551-04:00

This post got lost in the archives, but these really were taken September 1st. We got to go to the park that day. Cool and brisk!Superkids!!A tumble down the hill. Perfect way to end the afternoon.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-47312708577213061862008-09-12T18:14:00.002-04:002008-09-12T18:16:59.127-04:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-59500636125297064912008-09-12T16:04:00.005-04:002008-09-12T16:19:12.244-04:00

With Emma at school all day, the boys and I are participating in some new "boy-only" activities.The latest favorite by all has to be playing in the dirt with the construction vehicles.The field across from our house is the perfect place for this game.There's dirt and rocks.It's within easy reach if a bathroom break is needed (although, the bushes are closer), and it's always in the warm sun.It's

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-6591203454027299502008-09-05T15:02:00.007-04:002008-09-05T19:13:34.193-04:00

Saturday we drove up to Piney Lake. It was a gorgeous day.The day was full of fishing, picnicking and hiking.Some wildlife even graced our picnic area. Moose tracks, anyone?This was crazy. We had heard there was a moose up there, but to see one and so close! We've heard you should be careful around moose, that they can turn on you in a heart beat, but this guy seemed pretty tame, almost like

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-5655919727137267542008-08-25T16:16:00.000-04:002008-08-25T16:21:55.326-04:00

Happy first day of school, Emma!!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-52740400533900538202008-08-22T16:20:00.005-04:002008-08-22T16:37:36.804-04:00

As an end of the summer activity, we were invited to go on a tea party in the woods.Here's the whole crew:Sweet friendsBoys doing boy things....Children's Garden

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-54760425558551834002008-08-20T10:13:00.010-04:002008-08-20T19:38:29.204-04:00

My parents' visit here was such a sweet time. We really enjoyed them.Unfortunately, last week was a real busy time at Adam's school. School starts Monday and so the gears are in motion and the wheels are turning! We didn't see a whole lot of him, but the times we did have we him were fun. We visited a little town west of us called Minturn. It looks like a genuine "western" town. Very

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-24038948064502566212008-08-11T23:54:00.004-04:002008-08-12T00:05:50.943-04:00

My parents are here for a nice long visit. They arrived yesterday and we are enjoying them tremendously! I've put up several shots from their first couple of days here. Looking forward to more!Playing at the parkMom and AddisonRock skipping lessonsAnd, you all know how I love messing with those photos!.....

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-14649083180195213282008-07-30T22:05:00.005-04:002008-07-30T22:40:06.435-04:00

Last Tuesday we hit a new trail kind of impromptu. Adam was done with work a bit early, I had an easy dinner planned, so we headed out to explore! That day we didn't get very far before we had to head back, so the following Saturday, we headed back out to the same place. Our goal was the Booth Falls, but we didn't make it. We still had a great time, both days!First hike up Booth Lake

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-51681708074443805092008-07-28T11:21:00.003-04:002008-07-28T11:27:40.856-04:00

Emma lost her first tooth today! She was so late in getting teeth as a baby we thought for sure she'd be 8 before loosing the first one. (She was 16 months before the first pearl showed through. For those of you who are parents, you know that's about 1 year later then the "average" baby tooth first appears.) Imagine our surprise when last week she ran upstairs hollering about a tooth being

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-4983728888542247362008-07-23T17:25:00.005-04:002008-07-23T17:37:30.905-04:00

Pin-the-tail-on-the-donkeyEgg racePlaying with presents.Watch out! This kid's got quite an arm!Adam playing, er, putting together the "simple" tool set. I believe he's on step 7 of 13. Keep up the good work, honey!I'm lovin' this ring-pop, Mom!Mom, seriously, another picture?Yea!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-52329479811166328892008-07-23T16:50:00.005-04:002008-07-23T17:38:32.591-04:00

For Owen's birthday, we took a trip on the Georgetown Railroad. It took us on a loop up to Silver Plume and back again. It was great!Keepin' it realView from the top of the trestle bridgeThe trestle bridge, view from belowUnfortunately, the steam engine (shown below) was under restoration, so we had a diesel engine, but the experience was just fine.All that scenery, warm sun and breeze made for

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-20445312150926503392008-07-21T06:00:00.000-04:002008-07-21T00:08:53.768-04:00

Happy birthday, Owen!!We love you, Buddy!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-38983219270149151912008-07-18T17:50:00.007-04:002008-07-18T19:40:44.365-04:00

I realize the next two photos really ought to have been taken with a much better camera, but, well, I only own a little point-and-shoot Canon, so there you go. But, I still thought they were beautiful in their own way.This one was of the moon coming over the mountains. We could see this huge bright light from our deck. A search light? A UFO? We watched just a bit longer and realized it must

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-53019964447771349502008-07-15T09:29:00.010-04:002008-07-15T10:47:19.011-04:00

Sunday afternoon we headed out for a hike up one of our mountains, into the Eagles Nest area. This particular trail is 5 miles. Needless to say, we did not make it the whole way, nor were we trying. We went in about 3/4 of a mile, which took us up to about 9,000 in elevation (we are at about 8,500 here in Vail). The views were so cool, and the kids did great! No complaining--amazing!Our

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-50123871909083246862008-07-14T17:12:00.004-04:002008-07-14T17:58:43.021-04:00

Kids in the wild flowersPlaying at the parkCan you see the fox under the car? They're everywhere, along with the prairie dogs. The prairie dog is the West's equivalent to the Midwest's squirrel.Fourth of July paradeAnd the next few pictures are here to let you see what we see. This is our view from our home.A local bike/pedestrian trailSunny Vail. It's hard to beat!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-24580152610556931932008-07-11T23:25:00.007-04:002008-07-14T17:11:59.253-04:00

We began our trip out West with good byes from Grandpa and Grandma.It's never easy.Fortunately, Grandpa has plenty of "roots" to go around (that's for those of you who know our family well.)After driving the 6 hours up to Iowa to where all of our earthly belongings were, we then spent the next 6 hours packing those things into a Penske truck (and if it's a long time before I see one of those

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-84639458958872365912008-06-20T23:17:00.003-04:002008-06-20T23:31:17.170-04:00

One of the great things about St. Louis is all the FREE stuff you can do there! Grant's Farm is a perfect example.Camels:American Bison (a.k.a. Buffalo)The semi-wild life:This visit was pivotal in our decision on what to do with the rest of our lives. We're gonna get us some land and get ourselves some pygmy goats!!! Oh my, where these guys the cutest things I have ever seen! We got to feed

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-45842585317447986482008-06-20T23:02:00.005-04:002008-06-20T23:36:17.730-04:00

After visiting my grandma, we drove up to St. Louis to visit our friends. On our first day, we went to the botanical gardens. I could have spent all day there. If you're ever in St. Louis, it is a must-see. I've just put a bunch of my favorite pictures here to look at.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-84897317483816709012008-06-20T22:58:00.001-04:002008-06-20T23:02:19.926-04:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-34297862273347121072008-06-19T20:45:00.002-04:002008-06-19T21:33:09.885-04:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-12729438533481741572008-06-10T07:40:00.015-04:002008-06-10T23:13:03.088-04:00

This weekend we traveled north to our old (if very brief) stomping grounds. Our very good friends, Pam and Chad and their gang, hosted our brood.The Slip 'n Slide was quickly set up and the kids played outside the rest of the day.Mac and Emma, hand-jivin'EmilyAddisonThis is Grant, their littlest.Our first full day, Adam, the boys and I tackled the storage unit (Emma stayed with her friend, Mac).

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-41950697676114411352008-06-04T22:09:00.005-04:002008-06-04T22:25:32.005-04:00

Thanks to TVLand, The Andy Griffith Show can now be seen every night. This is my dad's favorite show, and he watches it religiously. The kids have now discovered the silly antics of Barney, the aww...shucks-ness of Opie, and the inherent wisdom of Andy himself. The following scene can be found at my parents house each night at 6pm.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-72825227867025212192008-06-04T16:17:00.003-04:002008-06-04T22:54:14.636-04:00

Emma received a bike for her 4th birthday in October of 2005. We moved to Korea 5 months later. Needless to say, when we returned to the States last summer, she was too big for that bike. We remedied the problem yesterday, and of course Owen got his own bike, too.Emma's excitement and enthusiasm over the new bikes was quite evident.With some encouragment from Grandpa, she was soon coasting (

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-84007509046159122412008-05-31T15:01:00.005-04:002008-05-31T15:16:24.406-04:00

I had forgotten what true humidity feels like. Welcome to Missouri in the summer!Our family went out for an hour yesterday afternoon to enjoy a pretty park nearby. Within 15 minutes, Addison was out of sorts and shrieking. We took off his shirt and the smiles came out again!Emma in front of the flowers.Big brother giving his little buddy and ride.(I had some fun experimenting with a new

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-35784716585995856002008-05-29T07:00:00.000-04:002008-05-29T07:00:03.103-04:00

Monday we went to see the Memorial Day parade. The National Guard was throwing out t-shirts and they threw one to Owen!Jumping up and down in my little green wagon!And, what's a visit to Grandma's house without a romp on the Wal-mart bull?

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-35074513943730985772008-05-28T20:59:00.004-04:002008-05-28T21:11:44.785-04:00

Adam's parents have a little man-made pond close to their condo. The kids and I visited it the first day there. The weather was so refreshing and lovely.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-37627246888952385762008-05-28T20:45:00.002-04:002008-05-28T20:58:54.608-04:00

A few days before coming back to the Midwest, we found out Adam's Grandma would be visiting his parents at the same time. How lucky for us to get to see her! Our kids ate up their time with Papa, Nana and Grandma. Here we all are.Addison and GrandmaThe grandkids (unfortunately, Jess had to work) with Grandma.The top two are Vanessa and Jake, you know ours, and Henry is in red (he's the one who

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-90386127994736161682008-05-19T15:22:00.000-04:002008-05-28T22:21:53.150-04:00

We're so proud of you!Commencement May 2008Columbia University, New York City

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-75593614067901716402008-05-18T09:34:00.003-04:002008-05-18T10:04:45.104-04:00

A neighborhood carnival at St. John the Divine Cathedral got us out and about yesterday afternoon. It was beautiful, if a bit windy.Owen showed his potential as a baseball player. Way to go, buddy!Emma chose to get her face painted. She has been wanting to have this done all year, at any festival or zoo we went to, so she finally got her wish.Beautiful!This wild sculpture is in the middle of

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-70062574126778292632008-05-15T08:09:00.008-04:002008-05-15T08:43:43.650-04:00

Emma and I have been wanting to go to Alice's Teacup for a long time. We finally had the chance yesterday! It was a wonderful time together as just mom and daughter. I realized that I don't get a chance to be with just her very often, so it was a really refreshing time to be able to devote myself to her.Emma with her pretty teacup. The whole restaurant was whimsical. Butterfly wings

Bethnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-14618251966335199782008-05-14T06:00:00.000-04:002008-05-14T06:00:03.621-04:00

One week.That's how much time we have left here in the Big Apple. We are packing in the fun, in between packing up our apartment!Today we visited South Street Seaport to see the ships harbored toward the end of Manhattan Island. So cool! The kids had a ball running up and down the deck, snooping into the preserved captains quarters, and marveling at just why they call the bathroom the ships

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-16848703287408397952008-05-13T12:18:00.003-04:002008-05-13T13:21:44.316-04:00

Mary Poppins is one of our family's all time favorite movies. What better way to end our move (and to make the "medicine" of leaving go down so nicely) than to see it on Broadway! Thanks to my friend Courtney watching Addison, we were able to take the big kids to a show.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-69843249572406067642008-05-12T13:23:00.000-04:002008-05-13T23:16:14.384-04:00

What more could a mommy ask for?Three great kids, a wonderful husband, a picnic in the park, then a romp around the zoo!!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-79586891238603277062008-05-09T15:47:00.008-04:002008-05-11T23:23:08.259-04:00

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-3991446386147167912008-05-05T21:17:00.002-04:002008-05-05T21:26:13.486-04:00

Emma's art class had an art exhibit this past Saturday. Emma was so proud to show off her art work to us and her friend, Mary.This is Emma's art teacher, Karen Kaapcke, explaining Jackson Pollock's work and how he made his fluid paintings.Thanks, Karen, for a great experience!!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-21972619613591431352008-05-05T21:02:00.003-04:002008-05-05T22:17:53.307-04:00

We live very close to Grant's Tomb and pass by it every time we visit our favorite park, which is almost every nice day. We haven't actually been inside the monument yet, but the surrounding grounds are beautiful and very cool. Last week we decided to take the long way home and went through the area.Aren't these mosaics cool? They are all around the monument and are formed as benches in most

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-49216213919852941852008-04-27T14:58:00.000-04:002008-05-13T23:16:35.932-04:00

I can't believe I'm typing that huge number up there for how old this little guy is! He has been a challenge from the very beginning (we found out we were pregnant a week into our life in Korea). If you'd like to amble down (my) memory lane, click here and here. 18 months is a milestone. I have been taking pictures of this little cutie all week. Here they are.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-40583281633604601012008-04-20T14:54:00.002-04:002008-04-20T14:58:08.007-04:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-45195862804231344402008-04-20T14:19:00.005-04:002008-04-20T14:38:50.980-04:00

We've been so busy here with this and that, that I haven't taken the time to post pictures here in awhile of our family. The weather here has been glorious, and we have spent almost every day outside!! I have so many pictures I just love that have been taken outside (the best lighting possible) that I'm afraid this may bore you who aren't family. You can always click away and come back another

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-75092015630354510112008-03-31T13:47:00.005-04:002008-03-31T14:00:11.455-04:00

Last week, Adam visited a school in Colorado for an interview. He was offered the position and we are taking it! It is in Vail, Colorado. This was his first visit to the Rockies, and, as expected, he was amazed. I am truly looking forward to living in that beautiful land. Here are a few photos of his trip.This is the front lobby area of the school. Vail Mountain SchoolOh my gosh, do you see all

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-53187948395594194362008-03-26T14:24:00.006-04:002008-03-26T14:51:36.494-04:00

Our friends, Vinh and Tracy braved the skies with their 11 month old babe, Madalyn, to come visit us here in the Big Apple. I'm so glad they did! Not only are they excellent friends, but having them here forced us to see a lot more of the City than we would on our own, at least in such a short amount of time. We really did see a lot:ChinatownThe WTC sitethe Statue of Liberty via the Staten

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-88124201110202685182008-03-20T11:45:00.003-04:002008-03-20T11:46:53.483-04:00

I feel so cool now. Vinh and Tracy and their baby, Madalyn, have come to see us for a long weekend! Stay tuned for lots of pictures......

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-44114285873327847562008-03-19T13:34:00.002-04:002008-03-19T13:35:35.706-04:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-10389645181860162842008-03-17T22:32:00.005-04:002008-03-17T22:42:53.355-04:00

While in Missouri last week, I made a picture appointment for the kids. Emphasis on the kids. You will notice, though, that I appear in a couple. Addison absolutely refused to be photographed without Mommy touching him. So, while you won't find me in every one, I assure you, I am in each and every picture! I touched up a few the way I like them, but the photographer did a great job.Owen kept

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-80181509695482805892008-03-17T14:21:00.010-04:002008-03-17T14:51:34.318-04:00

Last week the kids and I boarded a 6am flight to St. Louis (I think they call these the "red-eye". Now I know why) to visit my parents for a week.I've never seen a plane so empty! The coach class had about 25 people in it. Seriously, have you ever seen a more empty plane?First on the all-important "to-do" list was the mall and carousel. Addison got his first ride!My mom took us to visit my

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-49338234726405106542008-03-04T13:04:00.006-05:002008-03-04T13:27:26.470-05:00

Spring won't officially be here till March 20th, two weeks away, but the past two days have felt awfully close to Spring temperatures. We went to the park to celebrate!Steven (Courtney's boy)Courtney and StevenOwen with his drawing of Mickey MouseMary (Colleen's girl)Courtney and Colleen (due tomorrow!!)Looking on....

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-341247345017773232008-02-25T13:33:00.006-05:002008-02-25T13:55:14.271-05:00

Our second visit to this amazing museum was just a fun as the first. It is such a huge place. We saw all new things this visit (and we still have another trip's worth of things to see). The landscapes are really impressive. The kids were especially thrilled with the dessert landscape given the fact that we just finished a unit study of this habitat.This visit was highlighted, however with a

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-80640006348400111252008-02-23T08:34:00.004-05:002008-02-23T08:44:50.135-05:00

New York has been surprisingly bare of snow this year. While the whole of the Midwest has been dumped on, here in the Northeast, we have stayed particularly dry. Until now. We woke up this morning to this:It snowed almost all day.My friend, Courtney, and myself with our little ones, Steven and Addison.Courtney and her husband, Steven with little StevenHart, Steven holding little Steven,

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-76954951326887213182008-02-05T13:46:00.001-05:002008-02-05T15:06:16.542-05:00

I bundled my three kids up this morning and headed downtown with our friends, Colleen and Courtney and their kids, to see the parade for theNew York Giantsdown Broadway, a.k.a the Canyon of Heroes.The way down there was a bit long for some of us.It's a bit fuzzy, but you can just read "Canyon of Heroes" under Broadway. There hasn't been a parade here since the Yankees won the World Series in

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-27897210160337810462008-01-27T09:05:00.000-05:002008-01-27T14:39:13.124-05:00

We made an impromptu visit to New York's famous F.A.O. Schwartz Saturday afternoon.The huge stuffed animals were amazing. Unicorns, dragons, horses, polar bears, buffalo, even a 3-headed dog!The piano from Big was very cool. The kids got to play on it,and there was even a performance by the piano guys there. I wasn't able to catch much of it, there were so many people, but here's a little

Bethnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-23337382363702848022008-01-23T19:39:00.001-05:002008-01-23T19:42:38.527-05:00

The photographer herself

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-20687932376275447502008-01-17T21:19:00.001-05:002008-01-17T21:44:18.589-05:00

And, of course, it's in New York City.We took a trip here on Wednesday.I posted a bit about our first visit here, but this trip was truly devoted to spending time at the store. It really is a fun place.Ok, this post is dedicated to all the kids out there who know my kids (in "real life" and virtually:). For all of you who've never been in a subway before, here's one coming into the

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-63956360306675185502008-01-17T17:29:00.001-05:002008-01-17T20:39:31.413-05:00

In an effort to see a lot of New York on our break, we are taking several trips this week. We're hopping on the subway and buses and seeing our city while we still call it "our city."We were fortunate to have our friends Clare, Nick and Addison with us Monday. Here we are waiting at the subway station.And in the train.Addi's practicing for when she sees the monkeys at the zoo.Because, Monday we

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-568627125118119782008-01-13T21:06:00.000-05:002008-01-13T21:17:31.040-05:00

Addison began walking right before Christmas, but every time I got the video camera out and ready, he had fallen down. So, finally, here he is! You'll even see his goofy new "I'm smiling for the camera" grin whenever the camera comes out.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-21608159168415972008-01-12T20:06:00.000-05:002008-01-12T20:18:56.720-05:00

The past two weeks, in pictures.

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-25733051769104467832007-12-25T20:15:00.000-05:002007-12-25T20:34:38.185-05:00

Merry Christmas! Enjoy a glimpse into our day. Don't forget to turn on your sound!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-88737451901303610442007-12-21T15:51:00.001-05:002007-12-21T16:36:28.890-05:00

With the semester over, we decided to celebrate by spending the day enjoying the City we live in. We started off with breakfast at Kitchenette, a local eatery that's just down the street from us on Amsterdam. Good food for too much money.Lots of people out today, even the "wildlife" was stopping to taste some of the street vendor fare.We trekked it over to Museum of Natural History (if you

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-25176183642365417522007-12-21T09:40:00.001-05:002007-12-21T09:43:07.592-05:00

Buddies: Steven and Addison

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-35459970127745610792007-12-20T19:43:00.001-05:002007-12-20T20:00:17.966-05:00

As I've said before, God has truly blessed us with some amazing Christian friends here at Columbia. We are so fortunate. It is the end of the semester (insert ecstatic jumping up and down) and the women decided to get out during the day and do some very girly things. We had pedicures and manicures, of course! Here in the city, almost anyplace is $25 for both on weekdays. We trained it down

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-52815688584589127032007-12-14T20:37:00.000-05:002007-12-14T20:54:44.911-05:00

We're just full of it here! Our week in snapshots.....Adding to our treeMaking cupcakes with Miss Courtney (or, Miss Cour-te-ney, as Owen likes to call her)Snowflakes! No two are alike.Addison isn't really up for crafts just yet, but he sure does get a kick out of all the fun around the house.Even with a paper tree, I still have to keep ornaments off the bottom third!Today was the cookie

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-43882271235516638242007-12-12T13:31:00.001-05:002007-12-12T13:39:43.733-05:00

I have been trying to figure out how to get this to post, but I can't. So, if you've seen this, forgive me. My friend, Kim, sent this to me awhile ago, and we laughed so hard!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-80124393068886767122007-12-09T22:44:00.001-05:002007-12-09T22:51:55.439-05:00

Our church, Emmanuel, is blessed with some amazingly talented people. I was blown away with the performance tonight (called Lessons and Carols) given by some of the best musicians I've ever had the pleasure to hear in person. Our friends here decided to try and get all the kids together for a group shot tonight before the performance in front of the Christmas tree at Union Theological Seminary (

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-80660848332250458402007-12-09T22:24:00.001-05:002007-12-09T22:42:23.400-05:00

If you weren't with us this time last year, you may want to saunter on back here for a bit before reading on.Because our apartment is owned by the university, they feel it is their right to not only provide us with yucky housing conditions but to also infringe upon us rules as if we were in the 3rd grade and not fully grown adults with families no less. One of these rules happens to be no live

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-32152105338766566472007-12-08T15:37:00.001-05:002007-12-08T22:20:32.128-05:00

Bethnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32384727.post-57707892436048206392007-12-06T14:15:00.000-05:002007-12-06T14:41:12.407-05:00

Our first real snow of the winter happened on Sunday. Evidently rechargable batteries don't work when it's cold (FYI), so Adam got one picture of a snow angel and then it wouldn't work anymore. Thank goodness my friends Sarah and Courtney had theirs!Clare and my kidsMoms: Courtney, Sarah and ClareKids: Emma, Avery, David and OwenThe best sled on earth, pulled, of course, by the Daddies!

Bethnoreply@blogger.com2