The Beckham Project

Gingerbread Houses...

2012-02-19T22:44:00.000-05:00

This is the second year we've had Will and Ali over to decorate gingerbread houses on Christmas Eve. The porch at the new house was fantastic for setting everything up and it was just cool enough for us to have a fire in the outdoor fireplace. The kids had a great time putting together a little village of gingerbread houses.

Christmas Eve...

2012-02-17T22:34:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I never posted a bunch of pictures from Christmas. Christmas Eve we had Ali, Will, Mimi & Papa over for our annual gingerbread house building, dinner, and driving around to see Christmas lights. The weather was beautiful so we were able to decorate houses out on the porch and it was a lovely Christmas Eve.

A Few More from the Crib...

2012-02-14T23:16:00.001-05:00

I came back from putting some laundry away to find them snuggled up in the crib.

Almost 2 Years Later...

2012-02-13T23:10:00.002-05:00

Almost 2 years after Cole first asked me if he could play with Kiley in her crib it's still a favorite pastime. Watching them play and read books together makes me feel like I'm the luckiest person in the whole world to have these sweet and loving children.

Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh...

2012-01-20T23:20:00.002-05:00

Big sigh here... my BABY started school last week. Granted, it's only 1 morning a week. But it makes me a little sad. It also makes me a little happy because it means 1.5 hours kid free on Friday mornings. Here she is on her first day with her new princess backpack. She of course LOVES every minute of school and told us all about the snowman book they read, the painting and playdoh and her new friends. Sigh...

Chase...

2012-01-15T22:14:00.002-05:00

These are a few of my favorite pictures from Thanksgiving. Cole & Kiley playing chase with Granddaddy in the backyard before lunch.

Hiking...

2012-01-13T21:54:00.000-05:00

While we were camping over Thanksgiving weekend we all took a hike through the park. Unfortunately, the park maps were not well written and we got a little of course. Our hike ended up being a little longer than planned but everyone had fun and we even saw a few deer on the way.

2 years...

2012-01-12T09:21:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe it's been 2 years since my dad passed away. I am often saddened when I look around at his beautiful grandchildren and see what he's missing. My only hope is that somewhere he's looking down at us and laughing.

Twins...

2012-01-10T21:16:00.003-05:00

Can you tell where Kiley gets her good looks? The picture on the right is of Ali. We think she was a little older than Kiley in her picture, but the resemblance is uncanny.

Fishing...

2012-01-08T23:40:00.003-05:00

While camping, all the kids got to take a turn fishing in the lake. Each of them caught several fish. It made me so happy to see Kiley fishing with the purple fishing pole that my dad bought her when I was pregnant. I wish he had lived long enough to see the look on her face when she reeled in her first big one!

Thanksgiving...

2012-01-07T23:35:00.005-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving weekend camping (in cabins) at Lake Louisa State Park. It was by far the best Thanksgiving EVER. There were lots of campfires and we even got our whole family of 4 in a canoe.

Legoland (part 5)...

2012-01-06T23:28:00.002-05:00

Kiley's favorite part of Legoland was seeing all the southern belles made out of Legos. She thought this one was Cinderella and one made out of yellow bricks was Belle.

Legoland (part 4)...

2012-01-05T23:25:00.002-05:00

A few more pictures from the many rides at Legoland. Cole loved driving the little cars and Kiley's favorite was the boats.

Legoland (part 3)...

2012-01-04T23:17:00.002-05:00

Cole's favorite part of Legoland was building and racing your own Lego car.

Legoland (part2)...

2012-01-03T23:02:00.003-05:00

One of the great things about Legoland is that the rides are all geared for little kids. The kids had so much fun getting to ride all over the park.

Legoland...

2012-01-02T23:01:00.000-05:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend we took the kids to Legoland. It was fantastic! The kids had so much fun and the park was just awesome. Legoland was built at the site of the old Cypress Gardens. We had been there many, many times when I was a kid and it was so much fun to go back and see what had changed and what had remained the same.

Family Picture...

2012-01-01T22:20:00.001-05:00

I'm going to start working backwards through some pictures I "should" have already posted. This is a picture we took of all the Kiley/Otstott kids when my brother Doug was visiting last month. 400+ pictures using the time-lapse setting on my camera and we got at least 1 good one.

Our Year In Review...

2011-12-31T21:51:00.002-05:00

It's time for my year in review post. We had a very busy year in 2011. We bought a lot, sold our old home, moved into a temporary apartment, oversaw the construction of our new home at the beach, and finally in November moved in. Whew. You can see our 2010 year in review here.

January - Bowling together as a family.

February - Camping at Gold Head Branch State Park.

March - A spring break day at Huguenot Beach.

April - Our last picture in front of our old house.
We moved the week after this was taken.

May - Family vacation to Boston.

June - Celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in Gainesville.
We visited the Sweetwater Inn, the site of our wedding reception.

July - Underwater fun in the pool.

August - On the stairs of our newly constructed home.

September - Our annual Beckham family vacation.

October - Trick-or-treating with Tinkerbell & Captain Hook.

November - On the steps of our new beach home.

December - Ready for Christmas.

One More From Christmas Eve...

2011-12-30T21:46:00.003-05:00

One more cute one of the 3 Kiley cousins from Christmas Eve.

2011 Christmas Card...

2011-12-29T21:36:00.002-05:00

My resolution for 2011 was to take at least 1 family picture of the four of us each month. It is quiet possible the best thing I have ever done. I ended up using the pictures for our Christmas card this year and I just love the way it turned out. I also made a 12x12 photo book using the pictures. You can view it here. My plan for 2012 is to take 12 pictures on the 12th of each month. I can't wait to see how those turn out.

A Christmas Favorite...

2011-12-28T21:28:00.002-05:00

I took this picture of Kiley on Christmas morning and I just love it. I don't know what she was doing, except that she told me to take a picture of her. I'm so glad I did.

Opening Presents...

2011-12-27T21:24:00.000-05:00

Here are a few more of everyone opening presents on Christmas morning. Cole & Jonathan got some Gator paraphernalia and tickets to the Gator Bowl.

More Christmas...

2011-12-26T21:17:00.001-05:00

Christmas morning we checked to see if Santa had eaten our cookies and found that there were just a few crumbs left along with a note. Kiley immediately picked up one of the leftover pieces and ate it. Because you know, I never feed her. Santa also left the kids baby pillow pets which were a huge hit!

A Very Merry Christmas...

2011-12-25T21:12:00.002-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas today. The kids awoke to find out that Santa had dropped off some toys and filled our stockings. Santa brought Cole some Toy Story Lego sets and Kiley got a doll bed and some new babies.

Merry Christmas...

2011-12-24T22:42:00.001-05:00

A few pictures we took tonight after building gingerbread houses and before loading up to go and see some Christmas lights.

Cousin Fun...

2011-12-11T23:04:00.003-05:00

Michelle and her crew were in Jacksonville for Thanksgiving and that meant we got to meet the newest addition to the Beckham clan... baby Ian. Cole LOVED him, but Kiley wasn't so sure. The bottom picture is Kiley with Autumn, Marley & Hana on Thanksgiving day. It may be one of my favorite pictures of the girls I've ever taken.

Kiley's Birthday Dinner...

2011-12-09T22:51:00.000-05:00

Kiley turned 2 on November 3rd and we celebrated with a family dinner at Sweet Tomatoes. She picked out a princess cake and had so much fun opening her presents.

Tinkerbell...

2011-12-08T22:41:00.002-05:00

Kiley went as Tinkerbell for Halloween and I made her costume. Not to brag, but I think it turned out stunning and she absolutely loved wearing it.

Trick-or-Treat...

2011-12-07T22:36:00.002-05:00

Here the kids are all ready to trick-or-treat. Princess Grace, Captain Hook Cole, Swamp Monster Will, Knight Riley and Tinkerbell Kiley.

Halloween Party...

2011-12-06T22:30:00.002-05:00

Before setting out to trick-or-treat Ali & Will hosted a Halloween party at their house. The kids had so much fun doing crafts and playing games. It was the perfect start to our Halloween fun.

Horseback Riding...

2011-12-05T22:20:00.002-05:00

Before heading home the kids all got to have a turn riding on a HUGE horse. Kiley (the dare devil) loved it most of all.

Pumpkins...

2011-12-04T22:12:00.002-05:00

We took a hay ride out to a pumpkin patch with just our small group. The kids got to run around and pick out their pumpkins. Then, before we got back on our hay ride to go back to the farm they CLEANED OUT OUR PUMPKINS FOR US! Oh, you read that right. Jonathan and I decided then and there that we were going to this farm every year from now on.

Scarecrows...

2011-12-03T22:09:00.000-05:00

Our first activity was to make some not-so-scary-scarecrows. The kids loved stuffing the hay into the clothes!

Halloween Festivities...

2011-12-02T22:05:00.000-05:00

The week before Halloween (and why yes, I realize that was 2 months ago) we went to a farm that had hay rides, pumpkin carving, diy scarecrows and hayrides. We went with Ali & Will and our friends the Everett Family. It was truly a fantastic afternoon and we've already decided we'll be back again next year.

October Family Picture...

2011-12-01T21:59:00.001-05:00

I know I'm a little late posting our October Family Picture, but here you go. On the front porch of Nana & Granddaddy's house with Tinkerbell and Captain Hook. You can see our other family pictures here.

Coley, Coley Quite Contrary How Does Your Garden Grow?

2011-11-30T21:50:00.002-05:00

My mom was in town the week that we closed on the house and right before we moved. One afternoon we headed over with some seedlings and seeds so that Cole could plant his vegetable garden. We have snap peas, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, beets and cabbage. As you can see, Kiley has already perfected using the rain barrels we installed along the back gutters.

Bad Blogger...

2011-11-27T22:31:00.002-05:00

I've been a very bad blogger lately, but I have a very good reason why. We finally moved into our new home a few weeks ago and we've been busy settling in and making it home sweet home. Here's a sneak peek at the secret reading nook that I made for the kids. It's housed in the closet that is under our stairs. The kids love it and I love that they have a special place to curl up with their favorite books.

Thankful...

2011-11-23T23:32:00.002-05:00

This year I have so many wonderful things to be thankful for. Mostly I am thankful that I get to wake up every morning to a home filled with these happy faces. Happy Thanksgiving!

A Few More Birthday Pictures...

2011-11-04T22:13:00.003-04:00

Just a few more birthday pictures to share from our awesome party. There's the food set up, pirates waiting to walk the plank and a couple of funny cousins.

Happy 2nd Birthday Princess Kiley...

2011-11-03T09:30:00.003-04:00

Dear Kiley Jean,

Happy 2nd birthday.

Words cannot express how grateful I am to be your mom. You have taught me more about patience and love than you will ever know. You have made our family complete in a way that I never knew it was missing something. I love you more than words could ever express. I love how much you love Cole and how much you miss him when he is at school. I love how you just know that you are a riot (you get this from your dad). You wake each day with a fearless look in your eye that is both delightful as well as terrifying all at the same time. Somewhere I know that your Grandpa Bob is laughing at your antics and he smiles every time you attempt one of your magic tricks (where you yell abracadabra and pull a Lego out of your pocket).

I am convinced that you think you are Cinderella and you'll sing "wash the dishes, fold the laundry" while I do either of those chores. I'm stopped every single day by someone who needs to tell me how beautiful you are. And you are indeed beautiful. But what they don't know and can't see is how beautiful you are on the inside. You love little babies and you become very upset when they are crying. You love your brother more than anyone and ask me all day long if it's time to go and pick him up. You love to give hugs and remember everyone in our extended family's name even if it's been a while since we've seen them.

You have been given the gift of an explosive vocabulary and verbal skills that make most people think you are a 3 year old. So my sweet princess, as you turn 2 and approach a time in your life of great exploration and discovery I wish for you another year without a visit to the ER for stitches or a broken bone (although I'm sure at least one of these is imminent with you). I wish for you lots of pinkalicious cupcakes and stories that end with happily ever after.

Love always,

Mom

Pirate Pinata...

2011-11-02T21:28:00.002-04:00

No party for our kids is complete without a pinata! We had a heck of a time breaking open the pirate ship and Ali & ended up tearing it at the end. Cole helped Kiley on her second go around and they still couldn't get it open.

Kiley Opening Gifts...

2011-10-30T23:07:00.002-04:00

Kiley loved opening all of her gifts, especially those that had a princess theme.

Cole Opening Gifts...

2011-10-29T23:04:00.002-04:00

Cole had so much fun opening his many wonderful gifts.

Pirate Fun...

2011-10-28T22:58:00.002-04:00

We had lots of fun pirate activities at the party. There was a treasure hunt around the park with maps I made up, a plank to walk (and jump into a ball pit) and last a big sand pit to dig for buried treasure.

Princess Cupcakes...

2011-10-27T22:55:00.002-04:00

These are the princess cupcakes for the lovely Kiley. She still refers to the as her "pinkalicious" cupcakes.

Pirate Cupcakes...

2011-10-25T22:51:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago we had a Pirate & Princess Birthday Party to celebrate Cole's 5th and Kiley's 2nd birthday. It was a great party with fabulous weather and lots of friends and family. We had the party at the park that is less than a block from our new house. These were the pirate cupcakes for Cole.

Pony Rides at the Circus...

2011-10-24T22:44:00.003-04:00

We went to the circus a few weeks back and both kids absolutely LOVED it. One of the things they had before it started was pony rides. Kiley immediately wanted to ride, but Cole was less sure. After a few minutes they were both having a great time.

For the New House...

2011-10-22T23:19:00.004-04:00

These 3 are going to hang in the new house. When we move in. Soon.

A Few Favorites...

2011-10-21T23:16:00.002-04:00

A few of my absolute favorites from our vacation.

Tutus & The Beach...

2011-10-19T23:08:00.003-04:00

I tried to get some good pictures of the kids while we were on vacation. Kiley just really wanted to play in the water with her tutu on.

I Just Love These Faces...

2011-10-18T23:06:00.001-04:00

Us...

2011-10-16T23:04:00.002-04:00

A few cute pictures of us from the beach.

The Beckham Family {Georgia Edition}

2011-10-15T22:58:00.003-04:00

I took some pictures of Matt, Jennifer and the kids one evening. I love the last one of Autumn trying to give Darrin a hug.

Pool Pics...

2011-10-13T22:54:00.002-04:00

Just a few pool pics that I absolutely love!

Family Pictures...

2011-10-12T22:21:00.004-04:00

Here are some family pictures of all the family that was able to come this year.

Let's Go Fly a Kite...

2011-10-10T22:06:00.003-04:00

One of the best things about St. Augustine is flying kites in the evening. All the kids got into it, even Kiley.

St. Augustine Splash Park...

2011-10-09T22:00:00.002-04:00

On our second day we decided to walk down the beach to the St. Augustine Splash Park. It was far. Really far. See the pier waaaaaaay off in the distance in the first picture? It was by there. And I took this picture after we had already walked for 45 minutes. But the kids walked (most of) it and no one complained at all. When we started back we had planned to stop for ice cream but the store was closed. Then it looked like a storm was going to roll in so Jonathan ran back and got the car for us. Needless to say it was an adventure!

Beach Bums...

2011-10-07T21:56:00.002-04:00

The first part of the week was just our little family of 4 on the beach. There weren't many other vacationers so we had a lot of wide open sandy space to run around in. There was plenty of wave jumping and boogie boarding.

St. Augustine 2011...

2011-10-06T21:52:00.002-04:00

Pictures from our 2011 St. Augustine family vacation are coming... soon. In the meantime you can view past year's photos here.

First day of school, first day of school!

2011-10-05T21:48:00.002-04:00

Cole started back at school right after Labor Day. 5 mornings a week. Sigh... It's his last year for pre-k and then he's off to the big K. He, of course loves it and I, of course miss him terribly. He wore his new elephant backpack Nana got him on the first day.

Cake...

2011-10-03T21:41:00.001-04:00

Birthday Dinner...

2011-10-02T21:32:00.003-04:00

Cole choose Sweet Tomatoes for his birthday dinner. There were presents from Nana & Grandaddy and some cake.

Breakfast...

2011-09-30T21:29:00.002-04:00

We were lucky enough to have my dear friend Andy staying a few days with us over Cole's birthday. After presents at home we headed out to Panera for some breakfast.

Five...

2011-09-29T21:16:00.002-04:00

Last month we celebrated Cole's 5th birthday. It's really hard to believe he's 5 years old. Here are a few pictures from our family birthday celebration. We had a big Pirate & Princess Party to celebrate Cole's 5th and Kiley's 2nd birthday a few weeks ago. I'll get to those pictures eventually. Anyways, here are some from the morning of his birthday. We opened presents from our family at home and Cole got lots of Legos, some Lightning McQueen Cars and a really cool block puzzle that Jonathan picked out special for him.

Family Pictures...

2011-09-27T23:20:00.004-04:00

Here are a few more family pictures that Kristi took of us. The first is us looking through the framing of the bathroom out into the living room. The second is all of us standing in the pantry.

August Family Picture...

2011-09-26T23:13:00.003-04:00

Krisit took our August family picture for us when she was in town. We took a bunch this day and I'm so glad we did. The following week the put the drywall in at the house and I'll always be grateful we have these pictures of us in the framed out house. You can see our other monthly pictures here.

4

2011-09-24T23:09:00.002-04:00

I'm going to close out my K-Crew pictures with a few of the 4 kids together. These pictures make me so happy. Happy that they were here and happy that even though Kristi and I live many, many miles apart that our kids will still grow up knowing each other.

Yummmm...

2011-09-23T23:06:00.003-04:00

One thing is for sure, there were lots of good treats while the K-Crew was here.

Kid Pick Dinner...

2011-09-21T22:58:00.004-04:00

One of the things we did while the K-Crew was visiting was a Kid Pick Dinner. We put a variety of different courses into a bucket and everyone drew one out. Then we went to Super Target and the kids were allowed to pick out whatever they wanted for their course. It was awesome. We all had so much fun and they picked some really good stuff. Here was what everyone ended up getting:

Jonathan - Vegetable - Corn

Cole - Main Course - Steak

Shannon - Fruit - Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Kristi - Side Dish - Tater Tots

Kalli - Drink - Rootbeer Floats

Kaya - Dessert - Cookie Cake

Kiley - Appetizer - Cheese Sticks

A Trip to Target...

2011-09-20T22:42:00.002-04:00

One night after our kids went to bed early Kristi & the girls snuck out with me to visit Target. We stocked up on back to school clothes and supplies and I worked a little coupon magic to make their dollars stretch a little farther.

Bowling...

2011-09-17T22:33:00.003-04:00

I signed all the kids up for the summer Kids Bowl Free program and when they were here we took Kalli & Kaya for some bowling fun.

Sweet Pete's Candy Shop (part 3)...

2011-09-16T23:21:00.002-04:00

The kids all picked ice cream for their in-store treat and then they each filled a little back with treats to take home. It was so much fun to see them all perusing their choices oh, so carefully.

Sweet Pete's Candy Shop (part 2)...

2011-09-14T23:17:00.002-04:00

One of the things I loved about the candy shop is the opportunity for great pictures. They colors and setting are just wonderful, unfortunately the lighting was less than desirable. I thought these were a couple of cute ones of Cole & Kiley.

Sweet Pete's Candy Shop...

2011-09-13T23:06:00.003-04:00

After printing our own t-shirts we headed downtown to Sweet Pete's All Natural Candy Shop. It's a quaint little place where you can get ice cream, cotton candy and the most delicious Sea Salt Caramels. The kids each got to pick a treat to eat there and a treat to take home. Pete himself even took a picture of all of us on their very colorful stairwell.

Printing Shirts...

2011-09-11T22:52:00.003-04:00

One morning we took the kids over to Misfits & More, the t-shirt shop that we used to own with Jon's parents before we sold our shares. Back when I was running things there I started a program to have kids come for field trips. I would give them a tour and explain the screen printing process. Then they would get to see shirts getting printed and print some of their own. It was a fantastic program and all the kids and teachers raved about how much fun and how interesting the field trip was. I did a scaled down tour for Kalli, Kaya & Cole and we just tried to keep Kiley from touching chemicals. They all (even Kiley) got to print their own shirt, send it through the dryer and catch it on the other side. It was a huge hit!

Boogie Board Fun (part 2)...

2011-09-10T22:48:00.002-04:00

When we were done surfing we turned the boogie board into a photo prop and got some super cute pictures of the kids.

Boogie Board Fun...

2011-09-08T22:43:00.002-04:00

After our first beach adventure I sent Jonathan to Target to pick up a boogie board for the kids to use later in the week. It was a hit! Everyone got in on the boogie board action. Jonathan helped the little kids ride the waves, but Kalli was able to do some surfing all by herself.

More Beach...

2011-09-07T22:39:00.002-04:00

I was glad Cole was feeling better for our 2nd beach outing. It was a little overcast and perfect beach weather. The kids had fun digging and playing in the waves.

St. Augustine Alligator Farm...

2011-09-05T22:33:00.004-04:00

This year during the K-Crew visit we enjoyed the St. Augustine Alligator Farm. I had never been there, but Jonathan & Kristi both remembered it from a long time ago. We got there early, when it was cooler and less crowded and it was great. There were alligators everywhere as well as lots of other great animals to see. We packed a lunch and ate our healthy meal at a very nice picnic area. Before heading out we got to see an alligator feeding that all the kids, but especially Kiley loved.

K-Crew Visit...

2011-09-04T22:25:00.002-04:00

I've finally sorted through all of the pictures from Kristi & the girls' visit. We had so much fun having them stay with us this year and I'm counting the days until they come back. On their first day here we hit the beach. The girls couldn't wait to put their toes in the ocean. Unfortunately, Cole woke up sick that day so he stayed home with Jon. Luckily, he recovered quickly and by the afternoon was feeling much better.

Flashback Friday...

2011-09-02T22:21:00.003-04:00

Cole's first visit to St. Augustine Beach - Labor Day Weekend 2007.

Family Pictures (part 2)...

2011-09-01T22:05:00.003-04:00

Here are a few more family pictures from graduation. We tried to get a picture of Doug with the 3 kids but Kiley wanted nothing to do with him so that's why I'm in all those pictures.

Family Pictures...

2011-08-31T21:58:00.004-04:00

Here are a few cute family pictures we took after graduation. I love the pictures of the kids with the graduation hat on their heads.

The Graduate...

2011-08-29T21:55:00.002-04:00

Here are a few pictures of the graduate (and one of the graduate with his girlfriend Lindsay) that I took after graduation.

Doug's Graduation...

2011-08-28T21:48:00.002-04:00

We traveled to Miami at the beginning of the month to see my little brother, aka Doug, aka Dunkle (short for Uncle Doug) graduate from FIU. Thankfully the FIU summer ceremony is only 2 hours long, which everyone reminded me is MUCH shorter than when I graduated from UF many years ago.

Flashback Friday...

2011-08-26T21:24:00.002-04:00

Cole had just turned 2 and Kiley is 22 months.

3 Kids...

2011-08-25T21:38:00.002-04:00

Here are a few cute pictures of Cole, Will & Kiley that I took after Doug's graduation. The one of the 2 boys totally cracks me up.

The Miami Children's Museum (part 2)...

2011-08-23T21:17:00.002-04:00

One of the exhibits at the Miami Children's Museum was a veterinary office complete with a wall of cubbies for all the stuffed animals. Before I realized it Kiley had climbed in one of them and was trying to pull the stuffed doggie in with her. Seeing the shenanigans, Cole & Will followed suit and before we knew it all 3 kids were in the animal cubbies.

The Miami Children's Museum...

2011-08-22T21:09:00.003-04:00

The kids and I spent a week in Miami leading up to Doug's college graduation. While we were there my mom & I took them to the Miami Children's Museum. It was a great and the kids loved it. I must say that it was a lovely museum, but I still think the Boston Children's Museum was the best kid's museum we've ever visited. I really love that our kids are becoming museum connoisseurs at such young ages.

Pictures That Make Me Happy...

2011-08-20T20:48:00.002-04:00

I'm in the middle of sorting through thousands of pictures from the last few weeks. We've had house guests, been to Miami, watched my brother graduate, more house guest, Cole's birthday, had our Discover card stolen & I caused a traffic accident this week. Note: I don't actually have pictures of the last 2 events, just proof that we've been busy. Anyways, here's some pictures that I just love. Us with Kristi & the girls in 2008, 2010 & 2011.

Happy 5th Birthday Coley Monkey...

2011-08-17T09:06:00.006-04:00

Dear Cole,

Happy 5th Birthday.

You have no idea how much you mean to me or how proud I am to be your mother. You are a shining light in our family and a true gift. I love you more than you will ever know. I love what an incredible big brother you are to Kiley. You are honest and trustworthy and a friend to everyone. You play well by yourself or with friends or with kids you've just met. Your obsessive love for elephants makes me smile and reminds me of who you truly are; strong and proud and dependable. You also never forget anything (you get that from me). I love you for how well you share and what a grateful and unspoiled child you've become. Your father and I have high hope & expectations for you and I'm sure you'll rise to the occasion as necessary.

I love that your favorite color is purple and that you could give two shits about what people think about you. You are independent but not stubborn (you get this from your dad). You have an acute attention to detail and a slight obsessive-compulsive nature that can be enlightening and maddening all at the same time. You are a perfect mix of your dad & I and shining example of everything that is right with the world. So on your birthday, my little Coley Monkey, my wish for you is another year of playfulness and a lifetime of happiness (mixed in of course with some Legos and cake).

My love always,

Mom

So long friends...

2011-08-04T22:02:00.003-04:00

This picture contains 3 of my most favorite people in the world... and they left this morning after spending the last week with us. Sigh. We had a wonderful time visiting with Kristi & her girls and I have tons and tons of pictures to sort through. I'm counting the days until next summer when they can come and visit for a much longer time at the beach house.

July Family Picture...

2011-07-30T22:28:00.003-04:00

My very dear friend Kristi and her girls are visiting this week from Indiana. Kristi took our July family picture today while we were all at the pool. Not our best, but still very cute. You can see our previous monthly pictures here... January, February, March, April, May & June.

House Progress...

2011-07-28T22:04:00.039-04:00

Construction on the new beach house began back and June and we are over at the lot pretty much every single day checking on the progress. Here are a few pictures of the progress.

June 1, 2011

June 28, 2011

July 11, 2011

July 15, 2011

July 18, 2011

July 19, 2011

July 20, 2011

July 23, 2011

July 28, 2011

Blast Off...

2011-07-27T21:53:00.006-04:00

On July 8th we drove the kids down to watch the last space shuttle launch. We had a great view of the shuttle from just across the river in Titusville. I'm so thankful that we were able to take the kids, and particularly Cole down for such an historic event. I know it's something I will never forget.

Movies...

2011-07-25T22:56:00.002-04:00

We bought Jonathan an Apple TV for Father's Day and it has inspired me to take more video of the kids. They love watching themselves up on the big screen and it's so easy now to stream it right from our phones or the computer. Anyways, here are two I took recently of Kiley. In the first she is climbing over the side of Cole's bed. She won't do it when I'm in the room because she knows she's not supposed to. The second I took when we were outside blowing bubbles.

3, 2, 1... Jump!

2011-07-24T21:46:00.001-04:00

Tide Pool Tot...

2011-07-22T21:30:00.003-04:00

Kiley loves to hang out in the tide pools that form along the beach. She jumps and splashes and doesn't have to worry about the waves knocking her down. Although, I worry more about those waves than she does.

Beach Bums...

2011-07-21T21:22:00.002-04:00

Construction has begun on our new beach house and these two can hardly wait until we're within walking distance to the beautiful blue ocean.

Cousins...

2011-07-19T21:14:00.002-04:00

Michelle and the girls were in town this summer and we took that as an opportunity to grab the girls and hit the beach. Cole loved having someone to dig with and Kiley adored all the attention they gave her.