Mendenhall Memories

Ben's Bulldog Gaduation..

2010-06-10T09:03:00.001-04:00

Our baby has turned 5, graduated preschool and is ready for Kindergarten. I can't believe it!

Benjamin's graduation/bike day

The graduates....

Heather and boys....

Ben and Mrs. Klemeyer..she was wonderful..

Ben and Hailey walking out together...sooo cute.

Daddy made it just in time to see Ben graduate!!

Benjamin, Hailey and Miguel...

Bike day is the best!

Dance Recital 2010

2010-06-09T13:14:00.002-04:00

Gracie danced so beautifully Saturday night at their Spring Dance Recital. The high school auditorium was full of proud families and friends watching the beautiful dancers...

Gracer's Game!

2010-05-17T11:01:00.001-04:00

Just some pics from Gracie's game...she plays different postions everytime...She is in T-ball but, hasn't had to use the T yet...She has fun and her biggest complaint is not having any sliding pads to slide into home. Oh Gracer Speed Racer..

Hitting the ball....running fast (sorta)!

Cruising across homeplate..wishing she was sliding..

Playing 3rd..Hey Batter Batter...Hey Batter Batter...(Yes Lori, it's the Lime green Lucky bow from Ohio!)

GO BGSL Fireflies!

Traders Point Creamery-Gracie's Kindergarten Field Trip...

2010-05-17T10:32:00.004-04:00

Last week I got to go with Gracie's Kindergarten to Traders Point Creamery..A Local organic Dairy Farm..It was pouring rain but, we trudged through the mud and manure to see all that was to be seen..We had a fantastic time...

Gracie's Purple Kindergarten Class..

Miss Shelby in her boots and cowshirt waiting to head to the dairy farm...

Gracie and Class waiting for the bus...It poured rain the enitre we were there...luckily we were

prepared...umberellas...check. raincoats...check. Rainboots..check. Lunch...check.

Waiting to see the chickens lay their eggs...

This Hefer was ready to give birth and did not want us near her...

Lots of chickens in this coop....

Shelby, Gracie and Abby..After seeing the chickens lay some breakfast :-)

Gracie, Sophia, Helen and Abby in the Milking Room...

Getting Excited for their May Dance Recital and a Change...

2010-05-10T10:47:00.001-04:00

Gracie and Shelby getting so excited for their May Dance Recital..

Mom needed a change so here it is...Darker than...well, maybe Ever....

Springtime Busy

2010-04-27T17:37:00.002-04:00

Taylor's new ride that she received for her 12th Birthday...She's cruising the neighborhood (at 15 mph)on her new battery powered Ezip400 Scooter...Of course her brother, sister and cousin love it too..so it looks like we will be investing in atleast 2 more..smaller, slower versions of course...

To say Benjamin is a Daddy's Boy would be a slight understatement..He found daddy's workshirt and wore it around all day today!

Taylor and Sydney

Kayla and Taylor..Pretty sure our families are related somehow!

Brad Pitt Maxwell...This team has fun, devoted parents and we are very excited to be part of it!

Taylor D...Poser

Jason and Jim talking to some of the crew

Taylor #9 with a Single..

Dad had to bring some work home and is also making a "race car" for Gracie's school so the kids have new TV seats..we just put pillows in for cushion...

Not sure who this kid belongs to...

Future Marco and Ashley(Force)?

Global Impact Awareness Club

2010-04-27T14:34:00.003-04:00

Taylor participates in the Global Impact Awareness Club after school and this weekend they held a seminar to educate the community..Luckily, Taylor's tournament was local so we were able to check out what they had been working so hard on the last few weeks between games..The mascot is cute Allison Herring.

Madi, Gracie and Taylor..It's been raining around here alot..hence the rainboots :-)

Ben's 1st Brownsburg Little League Game!

2010-04-27T11:05:00.009-04:00

Ben's 1st game went very well..he is very excited to be playing T-ball for the 2nd year..Now, if we could just get him to quit making dirt piles...GO REDS!

Ben having Fun and ready to Run!

Ben getting his first hit...

Playing ShortStop

Warming up with Coach Dad

National Anthem, of course...

Running fast from 2nd to third..

Ben playing LeftField...He kept placing his hat on backward and the coach kept correcting him...

Dad coaching Ben on first...

Ben and the Bulldogs visit the FireStation!!

2010-04-14T08:33:00.003-04:00

It's always exciting for 5 year olds to visit the firestation...They got to see the pole they slide down, where the firefighters sleep/eat,the equiptment they wear and the firetrucks!!

Taylor Rock and Rolls into her 12th Birthday!

2010-04-11T17:47:00.000-04:00

Taylor chose to have her 12th Birthday at the Local Skating Rink..Rock-N-Rollers. We had lunch, skated, played games, enjoyed cake and ice cream, watched Tay open her gifts and Skated some more..Jason was busy running Grace and Ben to practices so thankfully, our friend Judi was available to hang out and help..I think everyone had a fun time to spite having some sore legs and bottoms today~~

Taylor Mackenzie..12 Taylor's cake was pink/orange and Delicious!!

Pizza and Drinks...Let's Eat!
Madi, Taylor and Hannah..

THE ENTIRE GANG~ What a fantastic bunch of young ladies!! Tasha, Lexi, TAYLOR, Cassity, Maren, Taylor D.,Hannah, Madi, Kayla,Kenna,Megan and Sydney

Happy 12th Birthday Taylor MacKenzie..

Taylor..the drama queen enjoying everyone singing to her...

Tay checking out her cool gifts..

Cool sunglasses from Lexi

The Birthday girl enjoying some cake and ice cream...

Judi (The Best Helper EVER!)with daughter Madi~ Thanks for all your help and being such GrEaT friends :-)

Kenna, Tay and Hannah..taking a break from skating..

The girls gathered around to enjoy some cake and ice cream..

The HoKey PoKey and Chicken Dance brought everyone out to dance in their skates!

Of course Cassity hit the SUPER Bonus first try...250 tickets.

Tasha, Lexi and Kayla trying their luck..

Kenna, Syd and Hannah tryin' out the air hockey..

Tasha, Madi and Lexi...It was impossible to get pics on the skate floor b/c it was only lit with blacklights..

Some skating pics...

Kayla trying to keep Tay up...

Tasha, Kayla, Tay, Lexi, Kenna, Taylor D., Maren, Megan, Sydney and Cassity

Easter 2010 at Grandma and Grandpa Mendenhall's House

2010-04-07T12:55:00.001-04:00

Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Mendenhall for hosting Easter 2010..What a perfect place for an Easter Egg Hunt...gorgeous weather..fantastic food...lots of candy and most importantly family together for the holiday. What would a get-together be without a cake from Aunt Jan.... Taylor and Gracie Aunt Jan, Layne, Andrea and Jason trying to retrieve the football off the roof with a basketball... So, Aunt Jill brought the cutest bunny outfit for the kids to take pictures in however, none of the kids would put it on..so, Uncle Jr. did!!!

Uncle Jr. (Easter Bunny) with Gracie, Taylor, Ben, Harrison, Delaney and Layne

getting ready for the Easter EGG hunt...

Sweet Taylor...still up for the HunT....

Who's going to get that egg way up there?

Gracie insisted that she would find enough eggs for the bucket and basket...

Ben..one pant leg out and one in so the pirates can show~

Harrison found a real egg on the tractor and wasn't quite sure what to do with it!
Taylor's favorite thing to do at Grandma and Grandpa's....Drive the gator around...

Andrea and Layne finally decided to brave Taylor's Gator rides...

Grandma supervising Taylor's rides and Ben grining from ear to ear...

Uncle Jr. ScReaMing from beginning to end...

Grandma Becky

Adorable cousin Layne and her Chuck Taylor's..

Taylor, Gracie and Delaney(North Carolina cousin)

Sweet Smiles

2010-04-06T09:21:00.000-04:00

Gracie, Shelby and Baby Chase...No shortage of helpers for this little man..
Ben and Cole having fun with one of Ben's favorite Birthday gifts!!

Gracie, Shelby and Chase..He's no small potato weighing in at 16lbs @ 4months old.

Happy 5th Birthday Benjamin!!

2010-03-31T07:56:00.000-04:00

Ben chose a bowling party for his 5th Birthday..So to the bowling alley we went...The kids all got to bowl, eat pizza and drink soda and then it was off to the party room for cake, ice cream, popsicles and PRESENTS!! It was a Fantastic Fifth Birthday for Ben!!
Ben loves Star Wars and Legos so we found a lady in town that could make just what he wanted...It looked awesome and tasted delicious! Thanks Jennifer.

Ben, Tessa and Gracie..Let's Bowl...

The Birthday Boy Bowling away..

Grandpa Tim, Jeff and Matt looking on...

Cole showing off his muscles..He responds best these days when called Spiderman :-)

Taylor bowling like a pitcher...

Nicholas enjoying some "assisted bowling"..

Gracie..power bowler..

Nolan..our "super bowler" of the party had two strikes!!

Jace and Nicholas..Pizzza

Shelby...so serious

Everyone gathered around waiting for some sweets and Ben his gifts!
Daddy, Ben and the cool cake!

YUM..check out our tongues...

Ben..so proud of his very blue tongue from the cake icing and popsicles...

Gracie snapped this great picture of Grandma and Grandpa Mendenhall...
Thank you to the Ohio Mendenhall's for all Ben's fun Birthday surprises..Packages in the mail are sooo CooL..

Brownsburg Bombers 12U take 1st Place in Spring Fling!!

2010-03-23T17:42:00.000-04:00

Taylor joined a new team this year..The Brownsburg Bombers and they are off to a fantastic start taking first place in the NSA Spring Fling in West Lafayette, Indiana...The girls won 2 and tied 1 on Friday night to take 1st seed and Won 2 on Saturday night/Sunday morning..These girls have a great time and are all Fantastic softball players...we are looking forward to a fun season ending at the World Series in Des Moines, Iowa at the end of July.

Megan, Marin, Kenna, Hannah, Sydney, Kayla, TAYLOR, Cassity and Taylor D.

Coaches: Jason Mendenhall, Kris Gordon and Dave Ryan...with their Champs!!

Happy 6th Birthday to Gracie!

2010-02-28T20:14:00.000-05:00

ThAnK YoUto everyone for all Gracie's fantastic, thoughtful gifts and for coming to her PaRtY. Sidewalk chalk and paint, earrings, race cars, princess outfits, books, paints, clothes, hair accessories, necklaces, My little pony, bubbles, money, crafts and so on. She loved every single thing and we didn't get any duplicates :-) A Special "Thanks" to Lorinda for the beautiful homemade headband. Gracie just loves to wear a flower in her hair everyday...anyway she can!

Gracie knew just what she wanted on her cake and none of the "predesigned" cakes would do...She was very happy with the end result.

Gracie modeling her new headband and necklace with friend Paige...

Dancing and Celebrating Gracie's Birthday with Chuck E.

Gracie and Chuck E.!

Gracie receiving her BIRTHDAY STAR crown and medal!! How excting it is to celebrate turning 6 at Chuck E. Cheese!!!

Aunt Heather and Nolan

Lane with daddy-Aaron

Abby, Cole(Shelby had to miss b/c she finally got the flu everyone has had) and Taylor enjoying pizza..Julie and Jason(Abby and Paige's parents) looking on...

Taylor, Hannah and Mica

Gracie enjoying her 6th Birthday pizza with all of her friends at Chuck E. Cheese.. This is Gracie's 2nd Birthday in a row at Chuck E. Cheese...They are so helpful and we all have a wonderful time!!

The Heiner's couldn't make the party so they came over with cupcakes and Gracie's fun gifts..A homemade tent, pretty pink flower clip for her hair and Barbie :-)

Ben and sweet baby Lilly just chillin'

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss..

2010-02-26T08:26:00.001-05:00

To celebrate Dr. Seuss' Birthday at school the kids got to dress up as a character from one of their favorite books..The kids were so excited!! Oh what fun it is being a KID!

Alisha as True Jackson, Lizzie as Lizzie McGuire, Abby as Annabeth, Gracie as the Tooth Fairy, Lane as himself (actually posed with the group),Jonah as Greg from Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Ben as a Cowboy(it was purple day at his school, too), Shelby as Snow White and Cole as Spiderman!!

Ben's Bulldog Christmas Program

2010-02-14T15:30:00.001-05:00

Best Friends and Cousins!
Singing boys..

Ben with his cool Legos he got in the present exchange
Ben cheesing it up
Nolan..ready to sing Rudolph with his Rudolph Nose..
Our Sweet Benjamin..he's going to be a fire fighter or a policeman when he growns up!

Gracie's Ear Piercing and Kindergarten Christmas Program

2010-02-14T15:19:00.000-05:00

So, excited to get her ears pierced and wear earrings.
preparing herself...no tears were shed until we were 1/2 way down the mall...
Daddy's girl
Just before her Kindergarten Christmas Program at Reagan Elementary
So Sweet and Innocent...hahaha

December Dancing...

2010-02-14T14:58:00.000-05:00

Gracie's dance recital in December..She and Shelby have class together and they absolutely love it!

Gracie posing before her recital...
Gracie third from left

Grandma and Grandpa M

Gracie and Grandma

Best Dancing Friends..Gracie and Shelby

Goodbye 2009...Hello 2010

2010-02-14T12:20:00.000-05:00

So, turning 35 was uneventful...Send another year off with a salute and ring another one in with a celebration...Adults only dinner at Claddagh Irish Pub and then back to the Mckinzie's humble abode to ring in 2010 with our families!

Me and Jason..Claddagh...to old for car bombs!

Doug, Dan and Jason..Hmmm..wonder what they were up to?
Tay, Shelby, Cole, Gracie, William, Danielle, Nicholas and Ben..So, excited to celebrate the new year with their fancy glasses and sparkling cider...
Mom and Ben
The Williams kids and their " better halfs".

Dan and Kelli..Kelli surprised me with an hour long birthday massage at Mars Venus...it was heavenly.

Andrew and Heather

Zac Brown Band!

2010-02-14T12:10:00.000-05:00

We are huge fans of the Zac Brown band and they came to town on Decmber 29th at the Pepsi Coliseum...We got our tickets early and had Great seats...

Things were looking pretty good at this point :-)

Issac was Zac's bodyguard and also sang with the band. Zac's Bus in the background.
Alicia with husband Doug (aka Zac Brown..people were asking for his autograph and actually came to our seats to pose for pics with him!) and Nikki...

Zac Brown groupies..thanks to the dude who charged us a quarter to take this photo!

Me, Nikki and Alicia

Matthew and Nikki

Ice Skating...Alicia and I must be crazy....

2010-02-13T17:23:00.000-05:00

The kids have wanted to try ice skating all winter..Finally, Alicia and I found a date that would work..We went to Pizza Hut for dinner and then headed to Pepsi Coliseum.... They all did great and had so much fun..Ben was the first to be done..Luckily, Alicia stayed out with Shelby and Gracie while we watched...Shelby was slow and steady and Gracie was trying to keep up with the fastest skaters..

Ben, Gracie and Shelby..
Uh-oh

Shelby was slow and steady..she didn't want to fall..

Gracer--Speed Racer--Fell ALOT!

We had so much fun...

They had cones the beginners could push and help keep their balance..

Best competitive friends...

Gracie accepted the cones "help" for about five minutesBenjamin lasted about 1 hour....

Alicia, Ben and Shelby..

Gracie of course trying to spin around and go as fast as the pros..that caused alot of falls..

Father/Daughter Dance 2010

2010-02-13T16:54:00.000-05:00

Well, here it is February and I haven't posted since November. Shame on ME! I blame Facebook. It's just so easy to upload and share my photos. Anyhow, the holidays were wonderful and 2010 is flying by. We have all been struggling with the stomach flu and now Ben is fighting Pneumonia. Come on Spring, we are ready for you!

Jason and the Girls had a night out with our friends last night at the annual Father/Daughter Dance...They had a fabulous time..

Doug, Shelby, Danielle and Dan resting their Dancing feet..

Taylor and Danielle

Tay and Gracie

Daddy and Gracie

Best Friends

Shelby, Taylor, Gracie and Danielle

Handsome Dads

Jason, Taylor and Gracie..Thanks to Alicia for taking all the before pictures and getting all the flowers so I could stay home and take care of Benjamin :-)

Gracie and Ben meet new cousin Chase

2009-11-15T19:11:00.001-05:00

Uncle Jason with Chase in the Hospital........

Gracie could not get enough of Chase..She just kept saying how soft he was and that she wanted to bring him home with us.
Chase..
Beaming Cousin Gracie holding Chase with big brother Nolan watching over them..

Chase Andrew Williams has Arrived!

2009-11-08T21:26:00.000-05:00

Friday Night at 10:30 pm Chase Andrew Williams arrived..5lbs 8ozs and 18 inches long..He was a bit stubborn about coming out forcing Heather to push for 4hrs and then had to be delivered via c-section~He is quite the snugglebug now. Heather and Chase are both doing great and Big Brother Nolan is anxious to meet his baby brother (H1N1 scare prohibits anyone under the age of 15 from entering the hospital!)

Chase Andrew... Heather came outside to see Nolan after 2 days without him...Grace and Ben were so happy to see Aunt Heather..they can't wait to meet their new cousin Chase!

Halloween Night 2009

2009-11-05T14:27:00.000-05:00

So, Halloween around here was busy. However for our crew(our kids and The McKinzie's) it was cold and they weren't that into it. I think walking the campground the weekend before did them in. We ventured to our friends' house for Chili and then were off..Ben made it a block and was ready to hand out the candy(still fighting croup and flu)..the rest of the group only made it one more street and they were back to help hand out candy, watch Dad and Dan scare everyone and drink hot chocolate. We had a house full and loved it! Andrew and Heather and the Bingham Family even joined the fun! This was the first year Taylor got to go it alone with her friends and they cleaned house...We had enough candy for 10 halloweens!!..Luckily, Dad's co-workers are now enjoying it.

The neighborhood gang..Gracie, Danielle, Emily, Jonah, Luke, William, Nicholas, Emma and Ross..Ben wouldn't get in the pic. Taylor and her good friend (and neighbor )Madi....

growing up way tooo fast.

Me with my girls..

Grace and Tay..

Taylor our 80's girl...trick or treating with friends only... got tons of candy!Doug Vader made a surprise appearance!
Arizona Robbins from Grey's assisting Darth with his communications..Duh we were taking a picture not a video...Good Stuff.

Halloweekend 2009 Raccoon Lake State Park

2009-11-05T14:18:00.001-05:00

We ventured Out to Racoon State Park over Fall Break. Our friends do this every year and at the end it seemed everybody knew everybody..It was a long weekend filled with good and bad weather, cornhole, bonfires, Pumpkin carving, facepainting, crafts, haunted houses, trick or treating(mom and the girls as Grey's anatomy, Gray as Darth, Ben Storm Trooper and Tay our 80's girl), a halloween egg hunt, the flu(Grace at the beginning, Ben/Nikki at the end),Raccoons!, beautiful fall colors and leaves, good friends, music, food and adult beverages. We all had a great time and look forward to next year.

Trick or Treat...

2009-11-02T15:07:00.000-05:00

Just a few photographs to share of the kids that fill my days and make them fun! Also, Ben's school Halloween party. We love Halloween around here!

Tay, Paige, Abby(I babysit these adorable sisters) and Grace ready to get some candy.....
Nathan, Ben and Nolan ready for their school party.. Ben decided to be Darth Vader for his school party..

Ben and his shadow Cole..

Lane in his festive Halloween shirt..He wouldn't take a picture with the others or put down his blueberry muffin...

Jonah, Ben, Abby, Gracie, Shelby and Cole ready for Halloween! The big kids went to school and Cole, Lane and I ran some errands..he wore the mask everywhere! Awesome. Caring for kids there is never a dull moment.!

Lane lines his cars up perfectly (ocd) and Gracie just loves to move them ..cousin love..

Lane hoarding his cars so no one touches them..Ben used to have a little set of tractors that he did the exact same thing with...maybe it's a Williams trait..

2009 Indianapolis ZooBoo..

2009-10-20T10:55:00.000-04:00

Headed out to visit the animals and do some fun activities at the Indianapolis ZooBoo.
Darth Vader Gracie, SWAT Man Nolan, Storm Trooper Ben..anxious to get inside the Zoo.

StormTrooper Ben..

Dad helping make gliders and time capsules in the Lowe's do-it-yourself tent..

Nolan getting a closer look at the always entertaining Monkeys.

Petting the sharks...the highlight of every Zoo trip.

Nolan and his headless friend...

Darth Vader, Storm Trooper, Tay and Me.
Gracie said last year she wanted to be Darth Vader..it stuck and Grandma and Grandpa M found her this awesome helmet..

The Round-Go-Merry...twice the fun b/c it was going in reverse!

New family members...

2009-10-13T14:16:00.000-04:00

So, Aunt Marcia started the fish frenzy at the carnival...We had packed our tank away but, decided to get it back out of storage since we had the fish..Well, before we could get the fish in the tank they had to be flushed to the fish hospital...
Grandma and Grandpa M. to the rescue..they showed up at the door with 5 new goldfish! They are all different in size and color and are always staring at us like they are starving to death! It's been 3 weeks and they are all going strong. Thanks so much to G and G M. for the new members of our brood and to Paps and Grandma Sandy for the everlasting tank.

5 new goldfish...all different colors and sizes...

Grandpa, Dad, Gracie and Ben getting things ready..Tay taking the pics :-) Mr. French, Peri, Miller,Harry and Rock

St. Malachy Hog Roast/Fall Festival...

2009-10-13T13:24:00.000-04:00

You can't go wrong with a church fundraiser where there is good food/friends, a casino, games and rides and beer...

Here comes trouble...

Ben, Will and Gracie all smiles at the end of the SuperSlide..

Will, Ben and Gracie were no match for Jason on the Sizzler...
Gracie on the swings..She and Will loved all the rides...fearless...

My sweet second cousin Halle (Jenny's daughter) has been babysitting for the kids and they just love her..glad we ran into her for a few rides!
Gracie and Halle cheesing it up..Will lookin for his mom and Ben..the peacemaker...

Great Aunt Marcia wasn't letting anyone go home with out winning a fish...**Who were all flushed away to the fish hospital the next day...

NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) US Nationals 2009

2009-10-13T09:17:00.001-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa Mendenhall got tickets to The US Nationals on Labor Day and invited the kids along...this was their first experience and I am positive they (Tay, Gray and Ben) had no idea what they were in for!
When Jason dropped them all off and one of the Top Fuelers began a run Ben looked at his dad like, WHAT was that?...

Whoa...That is cool....and very LOUD!

Daddy's daydream...

Snack time...how many times did those earplugs have to be "re-adjusted"?

Funny cars..lots of smoke

The kids had a great time... lasting about 3 hours (which is more than i had them in for) and are looking forward to next year...Taylor has even become an Ashley Force Fan!

A Visit to Mayberry...

2009-10-11T18:58:00.000-04:00

Just Came across these that a friend took in August..We visited the Mayberry Cafe in Danville (for the first time) this summer during Taylor's last tournament...The kids absolutely loved it

Hannah, Taylor, Samantha, Jessica and Taylor T.
Future telling....
Kyle and Ben assuming the position...

Ben's 1st day as a Bulldog!!

2009-10-11T17:21:00.000-04:00

Ben was very excited for his first day in the "bigger" kids preschool class. He now gets to go three 1/2 days per week. I didn't think we were going to have tears like last year but, alas we did. Luckily, they were only on the first day and it has been smooth sailing from there!
Excited to get in and play....

not so excited b/c mom is leaving....

Found Hailey and no more tears..thanks for the picture Mel!

New kid on the Block..

2009-10-09T13:46:00.000-04:00

Lilly Faith Heiner joined our neighborhood on September 4th. She is so beautiful and I was blessed to be with our good friends Mel and John during her birth. Now, as everyone knows with three of my own I have never been on that side of the "show" before and it was absolutely AMAZING. Melanie joked that I should become a midwife..I don't know about that but, it certainly was an incredible experience to be there when Lilly was born! The kids just can't get enough of her and of course are all pushing for another brother or sister..I think they'll just have to settle for cousins and friends :-)

Birthday Reunion..

2009-08-31T14:02:00.001-04:00

Staci and Alon's birthday celebration...we got to hang out all together for the first time in a few years..Tina was even in town from South Bend! It was awesome to see everyone...

The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round...

2009-08-22T09:46:00.000-04:00

Gracie was more excited for this day than the first day of school (b/c it was easier on mom if dad drove her and walked her in!). She got to ride the bus like the Big Kids. Wait.....She is a Big Kid now. Of course she and Shelby sit together in the very front row....
Gracie and Shelby...they didn't want to pose for photos..just wanted to get in line for the bus...

Ye Handsome Pirate Three

2009-08-22T09:39:00.000-04:00

A day with three sweet boys that started in the direction of the park ended with a rainy day spent trolling the dollar store and home to play pirates with their treasures.

Cole, Ben and Nolan..

HOORAY! Let's Play~~

2009-08-18T13:58:00.001-04:00

It only took about 75 days but, alas the infamous playset is complete. With Jason helping coach two teams and weekend tournaments there wasn't much time for building this summer..Lucky for me (and them) it's ready just in time for daycare kids to come back! Katie, Hailey, Ben and Gracie taking turns in the crow's nest being lookouts with the telescope..

The glider, two big kid swings, swinging monkey bars and we couldn't forget a baby swing for the little ones here and that are on their way :-)

The sandbox fits nicely underneath and there is a built in picnic table for outdoor lunches! Thanks Dad/Jason for all your hard work..It's awesome to have a playground in the backyard.

WE BLINKED...Kindergarten and 6th grade 2009!

2009-08-17T22:19:00.000-04:00

Oh What a day...Tay had to be up at 6am and left for middle school at 7am(luckily she rode with Alicia who could help her if she needed it..Thank you so much Alicia :-)). Gracie was up and ready by 7:00am and didn't leave with Daddy until 8:45am..what a long wait she had. Neither girl nervous..just ready to get on with their exciting adventures in Kindergarten and 6th grade.
Look out Middle School! It's all about making good choices..right Tay. Looks like another year of ponytails, huh.
WOW. Where did the time go. Can't believe Gracie is in Kindergarten..growing, learning and changing every second. Thanks for my cool outfit from Justice Gma and Gpa Mendenhall!
Gracie and Shelby with their brothers, Cole and Ben, who asked for them all day!
Milestone Alert: Gracie and Shelby entering Kindergarten together! Lots of nerves (mostly from the mom's, went into this moment. Gracie pounding the play dough on her first day of Kindergarten!
Gracie in her Kindergarten classroom..No drama or complaints from the day..just not enough "drink" breaks!
The day was a success for both our girls. Tay got into her locker and helped others with theirs, labeled her Chinese teacher as the "meanest" and thinks Mr. Hamilton in Social Studies will be the best. Gracie loves reading at school and playing with all the kids.

T-Ball Championship!

2009-08-17T21:23:00.000-04:00

Gracie, Ben, Nolan and William finished their season with the Mariners with a victory on Saturday. They loved playing and only complained that their games weren't long enough!

Benjamin firing that ball at dad. Grandma Sandy with her Mariners: Ben, Gracie and Nolan Ben and Gracie were thrilled to have their "Own" trophies..now they can leave Tay's alone Nolan getting his trophy from Coach Mike.. Gracie sprinted to Coach Mike for her first trophy..Great Job Mariners.. What a fun season!

Those were the days....

2009-08-13T21:47:00.000-04:00

Nothing like logging onto facebook and finding this...Whoa...Did my husband have some explaining to do. Silk shirts, rolleds pants, toddler rocking horses..What a great way to remember friendships that started in grade school~Jason, Dave, Dave and Jason.

Friday Funday at the Zoo!

2009-08-07T18:37:00.000-04:00

Last Friday we ventured out to the zoo with Alicia and the kids..we had so much fun watching the dolphins, polar bears, lemurs, monkeys, turtles and flamingos..petting the sharks..riding the carousel..and who could forget eating lunch and feeding the ducks.

3 musketeers..

The carousel is a must...
We'll be back with our suits to play on the water playground..
Gracie..whom i thought was fearless..was yelling to get her out of the shark bldg...but, quickly relaxed and got her hand in the water to pet them...

Cole, Tay, Grace, Shelby, Ben and Hannah..
Someone who moves at the same morning speed as Taylor...

Happy 60th Grandpa Jeff!!

2009-07-22T21:19:00.001-04:00

Grandma Becky surprised Grandpa Jeff with a birthday celebration at Sarkine Park..We had a funtime helping him "ring-in" his 60th year.

Papa Jeff doing what he loves for his birthday...

Taylor, Colin, Gracie, Ben, Noah and Sadie..The Mendenhall Six

This smile compliments of some delicious brownies...

Uncle Kevin and his mini me..Colin

Jason with our smiling girls...
Hangin out on the patio...

Cousins making some stew...

Angie and Layne Mae

Some cheese and a Cup...

Colin must have realized he was on his way outta "the Burg"..

The Mariners begin their season with Rookie starters Gracie, Ben and Nolan!

2009-07-22T09:41:00.000-04:00

Saturday Gracie and Ben started their T-ball season with the Mariners. They are having so much fun especially with cousin Nolan and good friend William on the team.

Bats, Balls, Gloves, Batting Gloves, Bags to put it all in...let's play ball!! Very excited for their 1st baseball game! Warm-up Ben #5, Nolan #2 and Gracie #6... Ben ready to get the "out" on first base. We can't convince her that only the catcher holds their glove like this... Nolan..sooo close Gracie..pitcher's helper (tongue out and all) Jason trying to keep Ben from playing in the dirt. Uncle Jason placing Nolan at shortstop...can't play Centerfield yet Nolan! Ben: 1st time off the tee..2nd hit off of Coach Mike. Lorinda and Lane who came to watch the cousins he hangs out with everyday!
The kids thought it was so "cool" to have so many fans at the game. Thanks for coming Uncle K, Aunt L and kids (from Ohio) Grandpa Tim, Grandma and Grandpa M., Lorinda and Lane....

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-06T20:50:00.000-04:00

Luckily, these two didn't blow anything up..but, to celebrate America's and Dan's Birthday..they tried really hard!!

Andrew and Heather who are expecting another Williams Boy on November 20th!

Nolan

Dan and Kelli..0ur very brave hosts for the 4th festivities and Dan's Birthday!

Will, Jonah, Luke, Nicholas and Ben
Me and Danielle...
The rain didn't stop us from having a front row seat for parade candy!

Ben, Grace, Danielle and William..

Team Vortex Wins Shamrock Shootout!

2009-06-30T08:03:00.000-04:00

So, it goes without saying that our life is pretty much ~busy~ with softball this summer. Tay just finished up Rec league and Brownsburg Vortex is essentially the All-Stars from that. Weekend Warriors we like to say b/c games are played Fri/Sat/Sun. We have Black Widows games some weekends and Vortex the others.
Gracie and Ben are also playing baseball for the Mariners...they play on Saturdays. Games start in two weeks....just those fun practices right now. Gracie is also in the "training group" at Westside Gymnastics so she does that two nights a week. This is the last step before competitive gymnastics begin. With such active kids it doesn't leave much time for the house, camping or the playset still sitting in the garage that we purchased 45 days ago.... Hopefully, soon.

Taylor plays shortstop and pitcher..

Head Coach Brian Miles with Tay and the Championship trophy.
Proud Dad/Coach after their 6th victory for the weekend..Gracie and Ben have other kids their age to play with so they have lots of fun..little dirtballs ;-)

Siblings Motto: "Our sister plays softball therefore we have NO life."
Brownsburg Vortex beat Pendleton Pride 15-5 to take the Championship!
Jason, Brian and Jay
Sam, Taylor, Jessica, Taylor T., Hannah, Heather
JayCee, Camryn, Lauren, Kaylee and Kristen

Parents Motto: "Our daughters play softball..therefore it is our life!!"

Tay and Hannah play together on both the Vortex and Widows teams. Hannah is a pitcher, too.

Flamethrowers 15-0 Undefeated Season!

2009-06-23T21:53:00.000-04:00

#11 Flamethrower...pitcher, first base and third base!

The Flamthrowers beat Tri-West 13-0 to take the Westside 10u Championship! You'll notice Jason...The agreeement was that he wouldn't "coach" this team...didn't quite work out that way though....

Grandma, Grandpa, Tay, Dad, Gracie and Ben...
Mary, Caden, Gracie, Ben, Issac and Kyle...The future of Brownsburg Fastpitch and Baseball!

Taylor loving her championship trophy..with sidekick Grace..
The official coaches with their Flaming socks!

The girls, coaches and "wannabe" siblings...

Happy Father's Day..

2009-06-21T20:25:00.000-04:00

Taylor and Hannah takin' it easy between Brownsburg Vortex (their other travel team) games last weekend..

Jim(Hannah's dad) and Chad (TT's dad) we missed ya today! Of course they had 2 extra trophies for Grace and Ben....Happy Father's Day Jason!

Happy Father's day to the Black Widows' Dads!!

Way to go Widows! A Championship in Columbus and another "Big" trophy!

Bull Riders

2009-06-16T08:37:00.000-04:00

Tyler graduated from ISU + Moving to Maryland for a great job= Awesome party given by Aunt Jill on Sunday. We missed most of the festivities b/c of softball games..but, arrived in enough time to Ride the Bull.

Pippi Longstocking rides a Bull!

Taylor thinking this Bull is no match for her...

ok..this is pretty cool...

uh-oh... someone forgot to tell Ben to let go of the rope..

She just might turn into our Rodeo Star..

Madeline and Morgan: Brownsburg Class of 2009~~Happy 19th Birthday!

2009-06-05T21:14:00.000-04:00

So, we've watched these two beautiful girls grow up across the street from us for the last 8 years..birthdays, braces, softball games, proms, softball games, monster trucks, weekends in the street, softball games, wiffleball, bbq's, babysitting, etc. Now, they are off to write the University of Southern Indiana chapter in their book and we are so proud of them. They are such wonderful young ladies and we just know they are going to have full, happy lives! Congratulations!

One More Sweet Note: It's their 19th Birthday today!!
Happy Birthday~~ Madeline and Morgan Reith Brownsburg Class of 2009..
The shake and pose for Herff!

Madeline and Morgan with Nicholas, Grace, William and Ben...

Boy, are these kids going to miss you...especially, Ben..who will he run to hug everyday!!

More Ballet Stars..

2009-06-03T11:13:00.000-04:00

Alicia, Shelby's mom, shared some cute shots of Shelby and Grace...

Posing....

Action!

A Night of Dancing...

2009-05-30T12:40:00.001-04:00

Gracie 43lbs...Ben 40lbs and 2 inches apart in height..for now.

Hailey, Grace and of course Kate...

After their wonderful performances with their beautiful flowers..

The Ballerina Star with Grandma Becky and a smiling Papa Jeff...
brother and sister..

Arabesque'Besties.....very much like sisters..

Brownsburg Softball's biggest fans (Morgan, Madeline and Coach Alicia mostly!)....

They lost their sectional today but, had a great season! Way to go Bulldogs!

Little Ballet Stars

2009-05-28T21:06:00.000-04:00

The Dress Rehearsal..Shelby and Gracie have been practicing since January...

Ben's Bike Day and Promotion to the Bulldogs Class!!

2009-05-26T16:57:00.001-04:00

The training wheels days are over....

The "little boy" rocket bike has been retired....

He's riding like an old pro..... with some minor battle wounds to show for his efforts...

Happy 4th Birthday Nolan...You are going to be such an awesome Big Brother come November! We are so ExCiTeD to have another niece/nephew~cousin!!

Ben obviously enjoying Nolan's yummy Birthday treats~

We are all so proud of Ben for being promoted to the Bulldog class. He and Nolan have come a long way this year...those first few months were rough...especially for Aunt Heather who had to drive them both and leave them crying. WE MADE IT! Now, they love school!!

Ben's Officially a Bulldog!!

To celebrate their promotion the kids get to bring their lunch and bikes for a picnic and ride around the parking lot!!

Gracie Graduates Preschool

2009-05-26T13:39:00.001-04:00

Oh my goodness...I am so behind in my blogging...I have wanted to put so much on here that we have been doing and I have missed sharing most of it...
We got a few pics from Gracie's 1st Graduation walk....Currently she wants to be a teacher and a mommy. Ask her sometime what her plan is...She told me the other day...Kindergarten...Middle school...High school...College and Grad school..then she will get married and have a baby. I am doing good work around here.. haha :-)

Too big for her britches...and so funny!

It was a beautiful sunny day...

Gracie walking to the stage...dimples leading the way...

The class receiving their "preschool diplomas" from Mrs. Hoffer.
Gracie after receiving her certificate and personalized photo album from the year.
Gracie and best friend Shelby have had a wonderful year. Most every day was spent together with only a couple of minor disagreements. When Gracie talks to anyone she always mistakenly calls them Shelby first...

6-0..with a Championship Game NO HITTER!

2009-05-18T11:06:00.000-04:00

WAY TO GO Taylor and the Black Widows! We traveled to Hamilton Southeastern (Fishers) this weekend and won every game.. ..6-0!!! 4 wins on Saturday and 2 on Sunday! It was an awesome weekend..The Championship game Tay pitched a NO HITTER.
Tay's doing pretty well with pitching (she throws about 40+mph) The Black Widows..

Taylor getting her trophy from Coach Chuck with the teams two "biggest" fans...Gracie and Ben

Congratulations Black Widows!

2009-05-10T18:07:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Taylor's travel (they travel to different locations on the weekends to play tournaments) fast pitch softball team the "Black Widows"...they fought back to win the Championship this weekend in Plainfield!! It's hard to believe most of these girls have been playing together over 2 1/2 years~

Jason, Grandma Becky, Grandpa Jeff, Tay, Gracie and Ben....

The Black Widows after their win!!

The "Black Widows" with their very proud Moms! The girls made it a great Mother's Day for all of us!

The 2nd base dance!

Mother's Day Tea with Ben and Nolan...

2009-05-08T13:44:00.001-04:00

Ben and Mommy..Mother's Day Tea 2009 Ben and Nolan with their wonderful teachers..Mrs. Kreiline and Mrs. Phillips
Me with Ben and the beautiful plate he made me for Mother's Day!

Thanks Melanie for remembering a camera :-)

Happy 11th Birthday Taylor MacKenzie..

2009-04-19T13:54:00.000-04:00

Seems like just yesterday we were bringing you home and wondering what to do with you...

oh how we loved to buy you clothes and dress you up....

Happy 1st Birthday!

Now we just wonder what we would do without you!

Happy Birthday! We Love You....

Exploring St. Louis...

2009-04-08T13:01:00.000-04:00

Spring Break is Jason's busiest time....getting ready for the upcoming season. But, we wanted to get the kids out of town, if just for a few days..So, we decided to venture over to St. Louis.

Gracie was being treated with Amoxicillin for a strep infection. This was her second time on the drug and on the 7th day (thursday before our trip) she broke out in hives. MD said she was having an allergic reaction and there was no treatment..gave us a different antibiotic. So,as we are leaving for our trip she was worse..very swollen joints, rash was everywhere and itchy. We treated with Benadryl and Gracie was such a trooper she didn't complain...she didn't want to miss a thing..

Our first look as a family at the Gateway to the West.

Home of the Blues...

Joining forces to run the pizza parlor at the Magic House..

Ben working hard on the race car like his dad...

Jack and The Beanstalk walk/slide at the Magic House Children's Museum....What a fantastic musuem this is..

We picked a chilly, but clear, beautiful day to visit The Arch..

Going....UP!
Taylor

Gracie Poo-Lou

Benjamin

J and Ben looking out over the river..
We were all pretty entertained by the workings of the Anheuser Busch Brewery.. Laverne & Shirley for sure.
In the Stables..where we are pretty sure the Clydesdale Horses live better than us... Busch Stadium

Tay is not quite as tall as me but her size 7 shoes are bigger already! The hot jacuzzi tub came in handy with Grace's condition and when they got tired of the Olympic size Indoor pool..

Yes...it was a good family get-away!!

Daddy's little helpers...

2009-04-01T21:32:00.000-04:00

Jason had to go back to work tonight to finish up a steering wheel for the race on Sunday and of course he wasn't getting out of the house without his helpers...
Marco's Star Wars Car..

One said steering wheel complete.. Ben told me he was doing some Hard work ..he even HAD to wear gloves.
Check out these posers...

Ben-ALMS Car

The Circus..Tigers, Elephants, Acrobats and Clowns!

2009-04-01T13:06:00.000-04:00

Lots of Acrobats and interesting sideshows...

Highlight of the Circus....Cotton Candy!

What a happy clown, huh? Well, Gracie and Ben were happy..this was their first Circus and although it was a little long they certainly enjoyed it!

Taylor and Gracie

Ben's 4th Birthday!

2009-04-01T12:31:00.000-04:00

Ben's Birthday is just 1 month after Gracie's so we got to make a return trip to Chuck E. Cheese..It was far less busy this time (we did it on a Sunday) and the kids had a BlaSt!
Mom note: I can't believe that our "baby" is already 4. We are so thankful for every minute of every day!

Ben and Chuck E.
Happy 4th Birthday Benjamin!

Ben's fav ride...he loves tractors, race cars, motorcycles, airplanes, tools and Monster Trucks!

Payton beating Dad at one of the games!
Daddy and Ben...

Happy 5th Birthday Grace Lauryn...

2009-03-01T18:45:00.001-05:00

Gracie turned 5 (well really she remains 1 being born on Leap Day, February 29th) on Saturday with her friends, family and of course Chuck E. Cheese! She had a wonderful time to spite the fact that Chuck's was a Zoo! Thanks to everyone for coming out and making Gracie's Birthday so special! We really appreciate it. Gracie..The Birthday Star got a Beautiful Birthday Gold Medal and some special time with Chuck E. himself.

Gracie's yummy 5th birthday cake with her 5 favorite princesses.
Danielle(friend), Gray and Aunt Payton...

Ben and Nolan enjoying their pizza!

The Birthday Girl was more than excited!
Thank you Grandma Sandy and Paps for my new bike that has a bike for my barbie to ride along with me!

Thanks to Uncle K., Aunt L, Noah, Sadie and Colin for all the fun surprises in the mail..a new tiara, a tinkerbell nightgown with wand and slippers and sunglasses...awesome!

Taylor's Happenings..

2009-03-01T17:59:00.000-05:00

Tay took this photo herself..she loves coming home from school to play with Lane! They share April birthdays..hard to believe Lane will be 1 and Tay 11!

This week Taylor got to dress like her favorite book character and she chose Lina Mayfleet from "The City of Ember". She read the book and loved it and now that is out on DVD the enitre family is enjoying it. (Thanks to Lorinda for saving the day with the red cape!)Taylor started softball practice in January and her indoor games began for the Black Widows at the Sportzone just last week. It's amazing to see her teammates and how much they have grown and changed over the winter. Tay is doing a lot of pitching and also playing 3rd base.
Grace and Ben can't wait until they can start playing ball (in May) like Taylor.

A Valentine Tradition..

2009-02-15T09:45:00.000-05:00

The 2nd annual Father/Daughter Dance was on Friday and the girls were very excited. They got to dance, do crafts, eat, and play games with their dad's undivided attention for two hours!

Dan, Danielle, Gracie, Tay and Jason

Ben was so excited b/c we got to hang out with Kelli, William and Nicholas..he had to wear his special spiderman shirt... The sweet girls not fighting, yelling at or antagonizing each other...

A Night OuT!

2009-02-14T18:07:00.000-05:00

This was our first night out with an "official"paid babysitter.

The kids were very excited and did GrEaT!

We were So HaPpY to see Monica and Alon..we had such a nice dinner..

Can't wait for the Alley Cat!

The Holidays all Mixed-Up!

2009-01-19T07:42:00.000-05:00

We were blessed with several different Christmas celebrations and below are just a few photos from each one. Goodbye to Jason's Grandpa Harold who is now watching over us from Heaven.
T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Another tradition our family started this year was the "Pickle" ornament..I guess Santa hides it really well in the tree and the child who finds it gets an extra present.
Sweet Baby Colin..2 months.

Gracie's beautiful princess dress from Uncle K and Aunt L

Layne Mae (Scott and Andrea Hopper's daughter)..She wore her puma racing shoes with her dress..it was the cutest!

Taylor opening one of her gifts from her "stocking". Thank you to everyone who contributed to the "stocking" gifts. Tay, Grace and Ben really appreciated it.

Gracie, Taylor, Colin, Ben, Sadie and Noah..Christmas in Hinckley.

Christmas Monring 2008

Taylor and one of her favorite gifts...

Great-Grandma Shirley, Gracie and Grandma Sandy

Grandpa Jim and Gracie

Tay, Grandma Sandy, Paps, Ben and Gracie

Andrew and Heather

Dad and Tracy

Elf on the Shelf..Zipper had a busy season..He watched that the kids were good and listened to their requests then every night he flew back to the North Pole to give Santa his report..The next morning he was hiding in a different spot and the kids had to find him...

Payton, Gracie, Nolan, Taylor and Ben

Oh my gosh Mom!

2009-01-19T07:39:00.000-05:00

This is my old cheerleading outfit from the 8th grade...they were so old we got to keep them..I wore it for Halloween 1998 in Broad Ripple. My girls think this is sooo funny!

Gracie our sweet "snow princess"

2008-12-22T12:35:00.000-05:00

Just a few pictures from Gracie's first dance recital. She practices once a week at "Dance Unlimited" and absolutely loves it! A GIANT thank you to Grandma Becky for sewing her costume (it was perfect!)and to Daddy for the headband! We are looking forward to many more recitals and getting there very early for a good seat.

Gracie was so excited to dance...not nervous one bit...I hope she is always this confident...the girls had so much FUN!

Gracie and Hailey who aren't in the same class but, did perform on the same night!

A couple shots Grandma got before the performance....

Gracie and Grandma...

Let the Yuletide FuN Begin!

2008-12-18T13:53:00.000-05:00

Ben, Nolan (nephew) and Hailey(neighbor) all attend the same preschool. So, today we got to celebrate the "holidays" by icing our own cookies, exchanging gifts and singing! The kids had a fun time and now they can focus 110% on Santa's arrival.

~~Thanks to Heather, Melanie and Grandma and Grandpa for all the ride assistance this year..and a big THANKS to Grandma Sandy for watching the kids so I could attend the party with Ben!~~
**please remember to pause the music on the playlist to hear the boys "sing"..

Ben with his "gift" a plush dog..named none other than Toby.

Aunt Heather giving the boys a lesson in working the video camera...

Hailey and Miguel Benjamin..not feeling the greatest but, still managing to eat his 2 cookies..
Would you believe he didn't eat any of these b/c they weren't from home...Nolan won't eat much that isn't from his home...

Jolly Ole' Saint Nick...

2008-12-16T20:59:00.000-05:00

All Tay wants for Christmas is Wii games, DS games, Uggs, (u know the low dollar things)..Gracie would like a Sleeping Beauty vanity, baby dolls, basically everything she sees and Ben would like more cars (like this one daddy got him, that he just had to bring to show Santa)...
So, this is the first time that Gracie has sat on Santa's lap since she was 1. All the other years she would have no part of it. Her question to me before it was their turn was..."Is Santa going to have Bad breath? " Her comment after..."Mommy, Santa's breath didn't stink..it smelled like a candy cane!"

The kids were troopers waiting the 35 minutes for Santa...Thank goodness for Auntie Anne's...

I thought with Ben I would have some say in his fashion choices..WRONG. I think he might be worse than the the girls...He found this sweater that Harrison handed down to him and now it's all he wants to wear...Go figure.

Colton Cash Williams

2008-12-03T10:35:00.001-05:00

Finally, Christian (my cousin in Florida) got his boy..after Morgyn, Madysonn and Rylee. Jen gave birth to Colton Cash Williams on November 23rd. He came quick..no epideral..7lbs 5ozs. Everyone is doing well and enjoying their new family member!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!

Love the hat Colt. My Uncle Mike's first grandson...Guess we'll have to send him some "Colts" gear...

So Thankful...

2008-12-01T11:58:00.000-05:00

We had a very blessed Thanksgiving...First a visit to Aunt Marcia's and then out to Jason's Grandpa Harold's...everyone was in very good health and spirits..it really made for such an enjoyable day... Aunt Marcia and Gracie ~~

Birdman(cousin) with Justin(2nd cousin).....
Grandma Shirley with Great-Grandchildren..Madeline, Halle, Evangeline,Gracie, Danielle, Justin, Zach, Taylor, Ben and Maggie..Just missing Brody.
Mom and Andrew ....

Ben and Noah with Great-Grandpa Harold... It was so nice to have Kevin, Noah and Sadie visit for the holiday but, we certainly missed Aunt Lori, Colin and the Koles family... Grandpa Harold with Great-Grandchildren Taylor, Layne, Gracie, Ben, Noah and Sadie...

Colin..just over a month old!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-26T15:28:00.000-05:00

Gracie had her Thanksgiving program today which included some fabulous singing and a large feast made by the pilgrims and indians... "Dimples" the indian girl

The show had Lane's full attention at 7 months...

Benjamin, Gracie and Shelby
The kids woke up this morning with a little spring in their step knowing daddy was going to be home for 5 days!! Nolan..don't write in that bible....haha

Ben's~~ look at me...I'm going to climb over this pew and not get in to any trouble....smile

***On the music playlist if you push the two lines (pause) button it will pause the music so you can hear Gracie***

Gracie has been practicing and practicing this song..although i'm surprised she didn't take this opportunity to sing a little Taylor Swift for everyone..if you see her..ask her to sing......

Payton Justice...

2008-11-04T20:03:00.000-05:00

Just thought I would share this very appropriate pic of my not so little sister Payton...A 6th grader now with braces and glasses..changing so much...She is very busy these days with a boyfriend and friends but, hopefully she will come to see us soon!

Sadie and Noah Unleash their inner Buccaneer!

2008-11-01T11:33:00.000-04:00

SHIVER ME TIMBERS!

Ahoy, Matey...ye's about to climb Jacob's Ladder..... Arrrr, Matey...I'm a pirate... Our Dora Princess Pirate niece Sadie...

Trick or Treat

2008-11-01T09:55:00.000-04:00

What a FUN Halloween....Thanks to Kim and Alex for hosting the Chili Dinner and then it was on to trick or treating...the kids all loved it this year!!
Kim and Alex had the Chili, hot dogs, a bonfire and of course the treats!
Tay as the 1/2 dead Brownsburg Softball Player...How Sweet..

Gracie, Kate and Hailey..the tooth fairy, Belle and Snow White...I have to enjoy the tooth fairy with Gracie this year b/c next year she says she wants to be Darth Vader! Thanks to Emily for pulling them around all night....
Ben loved running up to every home and screaming trick or treat...

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T14:20:00.001-04:00

So, this was at 9am this morning...Shelby and Gracie get to dress-up and trick or treat for real candy at their "old fashioned" school...

Shelby (Gray's Best Bud)"The Little Mermaid" and Gracie is the "Tooth Fairy"..She decided she wanted to be the tooth fairy because she has a "dead tooth" that's grey and she wants it to fall out..so she thought this might help the process...

Gray and Lane hanging out in their Halloween attire this morning...

And so it begins!

2008-10-30T08:54:00.000-04:00

1st of all CONGRATULATIONS to Taylor...Her Volleyball team won 6 matches and lost just one last night to win her Rec League tournament...the best of 8 teams made up of 5th and 6th graders..now she can attend volleyball camp in the summer for free..WOOHOO!
Happy Halloween parties have begun...the boys were sooooo excited for their party! Of course Gracie wanted in the pic..Nolan(nephew) "Blue power ranger" and Ben "the scary skeleton"..more to come

Our Sweet NEW Nephew has arrived!

2008-10-29T10:34:00.001-04:00

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY!

COLIN CHRISTOPHER MENDENHALL.....

Born Saturday, October 25, 2008...He weighed in at 8lbs 1oz...

Congratulations to Kevin, Lori, Noah and Sadie! We hear everyone is doing well..Tay, Gracie and Ben are very excited and can't wait to meet their new cousin!

Crazysocks WIN! Crazysocks WIN!

2008-10-15T21:11:00.000-04:00

To say the Crazysocks were the underdogs in the season ending tourney would be an understatement..They ended the regular season 2-7. So..on Monday when the tourney began we thought we would be done...Here we are 3 games later and "The 10 and under Division Champions!!! The girls played their hearts out and gave it 110% today and after a 2 hour game in the rain all their hard work paid off!! Congratulations Taylor we are so proud of you..Your pitching was awesome, you are a very energetic team player and you always display great sportsmanship!!

Taylor with catcher, new neighbor and friend Alyiah Ericka, Kaylee, Alyiah, Andrea, Mandy, Lindey, Erin, Taylor, Devin, Alli, Amanda and Jason!

Jason, Taylor and Benjamin....
Jason and Mark telling the girls yet again what a fantastic job they did...
The 1st place trophy presentation! Boy, they Are BIG..

Taylor and Alli...they've played ball together the last 3 years...

Way to go Girls! YOU ROCK!!

Thanks to Grandma Becky and Grandpa Jeff for sticking it out in the freezing rain to see Taylor and her team WIN!

Calling Coach Chuck ....who missed the entire tournament for work in Houston!

The girls in front of their winning scoreboard!!! 10-2 CRAZYSOCKS!

A Long Quick week....

2008-10-09T09:41:00.000-04:00

LOOK OUT GIRLS!!

It was picture day today..How Handsome are these two...... What is the deal with this picture? Well, it's the only one that got taken over the weekend when we ventured with our friends to Turkey Run State Park and Newport, Indiana for "The Hilltop Climb"..a bunch of old cars (before 1940) and motorcycles see how fast they can climb a hill....Woohoo....Jason and Ben loved the old cars and I have never seen so many interesting people in a tiny town. Only one photo? Little did I know that I was coming down with the flu and would spend the next 5 days thinking something was eating my muscles and I was sweating to death and then freezing "to death"! Luckily it's over for me and I hope NoOne else gets it! The kids had a great time, though and we can't wait to start camping again in the spring...
Our Two Favorite Firefighters!

...Our dear friend and neighbor Rita (the head PR person for IFD with her new beau (and "fluffer"haha) JT..we hope these two will be gracing us with their presence a little more often :-)
Tay started playing volleyball and aside from the sore forearms she seems to be enjoying it... Cole decided he would wear my pink hat and do his "work" on the barbie computer..

Gracie on picture day with Lane who's Cool as his daddy...he wasn't too sure of my camera's orange light...

The Serve... Tay really likes to serve because all of the attention is on her and she appears to be pretty good at it... the ball going over the net and all.... not the greatest video but, u get the idea :-)

An Apple Orchard Adventure...

2008-10-01T21:42:00.001-04:00

Shelby, Gracie and Julia

Gracie's Bulldog Class

Gracie and Shelby's school does not have a bus so they rely on parents for field trips...Luckily for Gracie, Grandma and Grandpa Mendenhall are retired and available for a spur of the moment adventure to the apple orchard. The girls had a wonderful time and loved riding in the new van with "magic doors". Thank you sooo soo much Grandma and Grandpa for Saving The Day!

Happy Birthday Camping!

2008-09-28T15:43:00.000-04:00

Happy 36th Birthday Matthew!

What a great time we had last weekend helping our friends celebrate their birthdays at the lake.. It was an awesome way to kick off fall --- good friends, good food and lots o' dancin and twister...

Matthew, Julie and Corrine..the birthday kids...

Jill...Tell me just one more time..What do you do for a living?

Mindy, Me, Jenny (please say it like Forest would), Julie and Nikki

Matthew, Me, Nikki and Jason..Oh and We can't forget our very coool backdrop Derrick!!

Matthew and Corrine..The King and Queen of Birthday Camping...

Softball Anyone?

2008-09-28T15:18:00.000-04:00

Tay's team the "Crazysocks" went 1-1 this weekend and she did a fantastic job pitching..even got the game ball after the second game.

Bulldog Homecoming 2008

2008-09-27T06:39:00.001-04:00

Our sweet neighbor girls Morgan and Madeline were both vying for Homecoming Queen this year...Our kids adore the girls...Ben has a hard time with most people and he runs to jump in their arms every chance he gets...it doesn't hurt that they always have gum but, still...The girls were so excited to be 2 of four girls nominated in a class of over 400..They didn't win..but certainly had a great time shopping for their new outfits..riding in the parade and throwing out candy!

Taylor with the good luck flowers for the girls from all the kids..

Madeline and her escort Tyler..
Tay giving Madeline her flowers..
Morgan and her escort Austin....
Morgan with her escort Austin...

Candy..Candy who's got the candy and remember..NO TOOTSIE ROLLS..however, i did find out as the evening went on that Rita and Kelli both LOVE the tootsie roll..so send them their way!

Lorinda (my cousin) and Lane..his first homecoming parade..
< Really...There's a parade going on? Well, I'm only 2..just give me some scooby snacks and shade and we are good to go...
My cousin Scott and his son Bryce (with Danielle in the background!)

A Good Message from a Good Friend...

2008-09-23T09:12:00.000-04:00

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did...

When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better..... '

The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'

May something good happen to you today and everyday!

FINALLY...Sorry about the delay John.....

2008-09-18T14:34:00.000-04:00

Just a mix of some recent photos...

Time for another group photo...

John...the blog monitor...and man that doesn't drink alcohol..but, can drink Diet Coke faster than anyone i know!!!

Shelby, Gracie and Jaden enjoyng this beautiful day!

No one would ever guess Ben was mine except he is always attached to my hip!

Time for camping again soon.... October 2nd! Eveyone's welcome at Turkey Run!

JT and Rita...this might be the only time we see them in person and not on tv...even though they live next door...

Jason's cornhole set...just finished and might i say not very lucky for me, yet.

Now he is busy working on ones for friends and family.... There has been one OSU request and we are still debating that one!

Gracie and Ben love to play...as long as they are close so they can WIN! Gracie does not like to lose anything!

It was hot...we played Mary Poppins all day..

Baby Lane groovin' in his exersaucer....
Shelby's sweet brother Cole who just cruises around trying to catch up with the big kids...I care for them during the week...

The only "first day of school" picture I could get of the boys not crying.... latex gloves blown up are fun....

Gracie and Shelby's "first day of school"...

Ben, Gracie, Shelby and Nolan (nephew)..The boys are smiling because it isn't their day to go to school!

99 bottles of beer on the wall and a trampoline=Dan-Tastic!

Lieber State Park with the Hutchesons...

2008-08-24T21:19:00.000-04:00

This park was great to catch-up with old friends, swim, climb trees, play cornhole, take nature walks and eat! We had a great time on this weekend adventure with the Hutcheson Family!

Happy 64th Birthday Smokey!
Matthew and Nikki...and the cornhole set they made!
Taylor 10..

Tessa, Gracie and Ben

Jason, Me, Nikki and Matthew

Jason and Gray on the waterslide! Grace and Ben loved it!

Tay loving the waterslide over and over and over again!

Dad, Gray, Ben and Tay

Indiana State Fair 2008

2008-08-24T21:13:00.001-04:00

Dad, Gracie, Ben and Tay on the one and only ride they got to do.. The Gondolas.

The fair had some great farming stations..Ben was in heaven!

Ben, Grandma Becky and Tay...Having snacks and waiting for the Tractor Parade..

Papa Jeff trying to get Gracie to sit still...(ha!)

Jason driving the Farmall for everyone to see at the fair!

The kids watching dad on the tractor....

Grandpa on the farmall..promises to get a wagon so everyone can ride along in the parade next year!

Spring Mill State Park with the McKinzies!

2008-08-24T20:48:00.001-04:00

What a great park this is! We explored caves by foot and boat, swam, visited Pioneer village and saw the Grist Mill and played at the playground! This is a must for next summer!

I don't know how we got this photo...but, i am glad we did!!
The kids in on the rock wall in front of Pioneer Village...
Twin Caves....

Twin caves Boat ride....

Jason taking Ben and Danielle a ride on her bike...

The Grist Mill

We ate some wonderful mud pies....fought the racoons and won for those!

Camping is fun...we get to eat as many 300 calorie, sugarPACKED cupcakes as we can :-) Nicholas is a happy boy!
Oh Dan..You funny, funny Man!! Nicholas and Kelli had to stay behind on this adventure...

Tay and Danielle dancing and singing....no fights this weekend! Thank goodness!

First Day of School...

2008-08-20T21:57:00.001-04:00

We new it wasn't a good sign when we smelled gas in the air and saw the fire truck...Luckily, the broken gas line didn't keep anyone from school..but, it did prohibit the use of the new playground equipment until day #2.

Taylor 10, 5th Grade: Danielle 7, 2nd Grade

Taylor's 1st time riding the school bus....

Taylor's fashions compliments of Grandma Becky and Limited TOO..she was so excited to wear those shoes!!!

Taylor with Gracie and Shelby.... who were wishing they were going to school on the big yellow twinkie, too.
I had to add this photo:Gracie was so excited to see the girls...she was sprinting down the sidewalk to welcome them home...

Taylor said the ride to school on the bus wasn't bad..but, coming home they were packed in like sardines and it was hot! Overall she doesn't mind being in a new school but, misses her old friends and familiar surroundings!

Loving Baby Lane!

2008-08-10T22:16:00.001-04:00

My cousin Lorinda just went back to work and we are so lucky to be caring for her son Lane a few days a week...Taylor..I expected to be all about baby Lane..But, Gracie has really surprised me...she adores him...

Happy Birthday Daddy/Jason!

2008-08-10T22:12:00.000-04:00

Jason had a nice birthday weekend with Dinner at the Red Dog Saloon on Friday and then Saturday we spent with friends...The McKinzie's made him this wonderful cake.....
Everyone helped J blow out his 33 candles!
Hurry and sing that yummy chocolate cake is going to be full of wax!!

Jason said to Ben...look... grab that frog...never dreaming that he would..I'm surprised the poor thing was able to hop away!

Happy 75th Birthday Grandma Shirley!

2008-07-30T22:32:00.000-04:00

Shirley E. Ferrel...turns 75 years old!
It's hard to believe 75.... Oh the stories she can tell......

Grandma and her beautiful 75 years charm....

Grandma's Children.....

Aunt Marcia, Mom, Uncle Steve and Aunt Brenda...

Maggie..indulging in the candle icing...

I don't know why Grandma Shirley looks so surprised that Gracie and Ben just helped themselves to some icing before she blew out her candles...

Mom, Ben and Nolan...

Justin and Halle..The first born Great-Grandchildren 13 years ago....

Uncle Steve cooking up something good...

Gracie with some strawberries..chocolate covered of course...

Heather trying to manage all three..

The Fiesty Four that have kept grandma on her toes.....

Zach where did your hair go?
Jason taking his turn on zach's mOnkey bIke!

Thnak you to Jason and Susie for Hosting and to Susie for all these wonderful photos...

Amy Williams Mendenhall or better known as "Andy's sister"!

2008-07-30T15:19:00.000-04:00

A funny little story from today....We changed our communications provider from Comcast to AT&T (yay!) and the tech came to the door.. His name was Cameron Starr (he graduated 2 years after Andy)...He proceeded to get things started and about an hour into the installation he looked at me and said "Are you Andy's sister?" 15 years out of high school and Greencastle and I am still (and apparently forever will be) Andy's sister. Not Amy Williams, Not even Andy's little sister..just Mr. Cool's, Mr. Pillar of the Community's, Mr. everyone likes Me...sister..I know there are worse things...But, seriously!

Here and There..

2008-07-29T23:07:00.000-04:00

Who needs rides at a fair..Gracie, Hailey, Kate and Tay are quite content with their hot, buttered corn from JD and Karen's stand at the Hendricks County Fair....

Hand in Hand from one place to the next at the fair...Poor little 20 month old Kate trying to keep up with the "big kids"
To say my brother (Andrew) and Heather have had some bad luck in their home would be somehwhat of an understatement..This is the 2nd lighting hit in less than a year...the fire place was last time and this time knocking down this gigantic 70 year old tree...bringing about the age old question..."Does a tree really make any noise when it falls"..considering they didn't hear a thing until a neighbor complained it was blocking the street..... what a fun clean-up that was.....
Check out these posers in front of the Coors Light car...We have to cheer on our IRL drivers..but, Nascar is fun, too...

Cavities anyone?
Ben, Gracie and Navaeh at Arbuckle Acres Park