Day of Firsts!

We spent the morning at the beach where we were able to see dolphins swimming along the beach. Blayne was out jumping the waves while we watched. They were pretty close to the beach and we got some good video, but not a lot of pictures.

In the afternoon, we headed South towards Nags Head and Roanoke Island. We stopped at the Wright Brothers Memorial and walked along the path to see where they took their first flight. It was really hot and the walk was a little long, but it was worth the short trip.

Then, we headed to Roanoke Island where we learned the hard way that everything there closes at 5p.m. Although it might be nice for the locals, it wasn't for us. We didn't get to see anything except a lot of little Pirates heading out on a pirate adventure and our little Pirate (Kinsley) wasn't very happy. We made the best of it and then headed to dinner. Tomorrow is our last day at the beach. :( Hoping to relax all day long and then take a horse tour!

Kinsley's Favorite Surprise

Today started out a little cloudy and we weren't sure if we would make it out to the beach. We headed down to breakfast and then headed out anyway. The clouds moved out and the sun came out making it a beautiful day. Kinsley and Koen got to swim in the ocean for the first time and we had a great day.

We met some really nice people yesterday and they let Koen take his nap under their umbrella. It was so nice because we didn't have to go inside for nap and Kinsley got some extra ocean time.

After 5 hours on the beach, we cleaned up and headed out to dinner. We decided to go back out on the beach to see if we could locate some of the wild mustangs. It was quite an experience and we were able to finally spot one of the horses. We've decided to tough it out and go on a real tour so we can see the horses. Tomorrow we're planning a day trip somewhere beyond Corolla. Lots of pics to come!

5hrs on the beach and no nap (for Kinsley) makes for great naps in the  Jeep!:)

Franklin + "Meemo" = Fun!

We spent a few hours at the beach today flying kites, looking for shells, and building sandcastles. Kinsley got to fly her new kite with daddy and she had a lot of fun. We also looked for shells up and down the beach. We found several pretty ones and even found a dead crab, but the best part of Kinsley's day was finding a starfish. We still haven't been able to swim in the ocean because of a strong rip current, but we hope to be able to do some swimming tomorrow.

This evening we found out that we could drive along the beach, so we took a drive just to see the view. We were hoping to run across some of the wild horses, but we weren't that lucky. Hopefully we'll get to spend a day on the beach down by the horses and get to see them before we leave.

Family Vacation 2012

We're on our first family vacation and having a great time. The weather hasn't been real warm yet, but it is supposed to warm up over the next couple of days. Today was Kinsley and Koen's first day at the beach. We aren't allowed to swim in the ocean (good thing, because it was a little cool) but we did put our feet in. I will plan to update with a few pictures and a little bit about what we did each day, so check back each day.

Daddy made Koen a seat on the beach!

Catching Up...

We've been so busy these last few months that I have neglected the blog. Since it is summer break, I will be able to update a little more often. Here are some things we've missed posting over the past few months.

Easter- We spent Easter weekend with our family. On Saturday before Easter, we went to Logansport to have dinner at Aunt Bev's house. The kids enjoyed having an Easter Egg hunt and visiting with the family. On Sunday, we went to church and then hosted Easter at our house. The Easter Bunny visited and left several eggs for Kinsley to hunt.

Leafy Comes to Visit- Blayne wanted to introduce Koen to turtles so he had a co-worker bring one from her creek to work. Kinsley named him "Leafy" and she absolutely LOVED him. Koen wasn't the slightest bit interested and at one point tried to grab it by the head. We ended up taking him to a friend's house to drop him off in their neighborhood.

A Day in the Life of Kinsley (3 years old)

Over the past 3 years we rarely go through a day without Kinsley saying something worth recording. I've decided, I will start posting some of these along with our monthly picture posts. This is in hopes that I won't forget these funny moments and can add them to my scrapbooks when I have the time.

Today she had 2 really great ones...

We were getting ready to go to Lowes and Blayne was taking the top off of the Jeep (it has been abnormally warm this March) and Kinsley says, "Did you take the lids off?" Not really understanding right away what she was referring to, she gets into the Jeep and is upset that Blayne won't take the rest of the lids(top) off.

On our way home from Lowes, we were almost home and Kinsley says, "I smell horse poop!" We had just passed a small horse farm.

Stay tuned for more funny moments from Kinsley's world. Hopefully these are as funny to read as they are when they first happened.

Is it Spring Yet?!

February (2012) was another rough month for our house. We continued with more sickness which kept us from getting out a whole lot. We did manage to visit the Children's Museum on President's Day and spent a few evenings hanging out with friends. We are looking forward to warmer weather and healthier days ahead.

Koen has really changed quite a bit this month. He is starting to get his first two teeth on the bottom. And is getting curious about crawling. Things around here are starting to get a little busy.

Kinsley really enjoyed the Barbie exhibit at the Museum. This was our first time going with her and we had a great time! She still participates in gymnastics and moved up into a 5 & 6 year old class. She is doing really well and enjoys going each week!

Next month we'll be heading to Evansville and spending some family time together. Check back for our latest adventures!

Sickness, Super Bowl, Six months, and Smiles..

January 2012 was a busy month. Kinsley started a new gymnastics class and is doing very well. By the end of the month, they were talking about moving her to a different class. Koen spent the first two weeks not feeling well and ended up with RSV. After lots of breathing treatments and an extra couple of days at home, he is doing much better!!

Super Bowl XLVI was in Indianapolis, so we went down to take part in the festivities. We saw the Indy 500 cars decorated for each of the NFL teams and went to the NFL Experience. It was great to see Kinsley's excitement when she saw the cars and she loved participating in the activities, too.

Kinsley's first glimpse of the Indy cars.

The crowds were so big to see the cars, we gave Kinsley the camera to get a couple of pictures. This is one she took! Not bad for 3 years old:)

Kinsley next to one of the cars. Unfortunately it wasn't our team of choice!

NFL Experience- Kinsley got to be a real NFL player and participate in several football activities.

Koen turned 6 months old on Jan 29. He is doing so well and is such a happy baby! He weighed in at 16 lbs and measured 28 1/2 inches long. Still no teeth but he's starting to sit up on his own a little bit, and would love to learn how to crawl. He LOVES his bottles and anything to do with food. He can hold his bottle on his own and has really developed quite a fun personality.

Koen at 6 months!

February is shaping up to be a busy month, too. Check back to see Valentine's Day, Gymnastics, and other fun stuff!

2012: It's going to be a great year!

Happy New Year! We wish all of you a very happy and healthy 2012. We have so much planned for this year including Koen's 1st Birthday, our first family vacation, etc... that I thought I would update this monthly with a few highlights from each month. Check back at the end of each month to see what we've been up to!

2011: The Highlights

Kinsley turns 3. This picture says it all!

Koen Lee Bechtold is here: July 29, 2011

Our sweet little guy!

Just two short weeks after Koen arrived, Kinsley fell off the monkey bars and broke her arm. She spent 6 weeks in a cast, and now she's doing gymnastics!

Our first family hiking trip: Brown County State Park

Annual Pumpkin Patch trip! It was a VERY cold day!

Christmas Tree hunting... Such a beautiful day!

Getting closer to Christmas! Looking forward to the excitement with the kiddos!

Happy New Year! What an amazing year! We have been truly blessed and look forward to sharing 2012 with all of you!