Snow... what is that again?

So after getting practically no snow last year, we hurried outside for the second snow of this year to enjoy it! This time we went sledding down the street from our house.

Jake was excited for his first sled ride...



... but after that, not a big fan of sledding!



Matt and Ben had a good time though.



Especially racing down the hill.





And we decided this is about as close to a family photo as we get these days!

Because Horses Need Clothes Too

Ben has been in to making his stuffed animals clothing lately. Here, his stuffed horse gets an Avengers shirt!

They may fight like crazy sometimes...

... but these two sure have a lot of fun together too :)

Backyard Fun!

Jake loved his first ride in the jeep! (yes, still catching up - this is from August :) )



It came complete with a protective escort by Duncan...



...because you never know when you'll run into Spider-Ben!

Matt's a Great Big Brother

Fun with Jake on the Swingset!

Kings Island 2012

Our annual P&G Day at Kings Island in September.

You never know...

... what kind of Ben you'll find!

Duck Ride

Back in June we took the boys to ride the Ducks - the big army-type vehicles that can drive on land and in the water.






Um - what kind of crazy ride is this where we're driving in the river?



And best of all, we now have these whistles that sound like really loud ducks when you blow into them! :)

An old one, but a good one...

Jake loves his Duncan!

Pre-K Graduation

Can't believe we missed this one last year! In May, Matt & Ben graduated from their Pre-K class at Bright Horizons. Even though they'll be doing another year of Pre-K next year, we wanted them to go ahead and graduate with all of their friends since they'll be moving to a new school.

The procession in to the auditorium at P&G.


Ben getting his diploma.




Matt with his diploma.


A very proud Mama and Grandma. Afterwards I looked at Grandma and Gammy and asked "how many more of these do we have to go through?" It's so hard to believe you're growing up so fast!



A special performance of Mr. Joe's Pre-K version of Ice Ice Baby :)






Our little graduates!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

For Father's Day this year we started our tour of all the baseball parks. Our goal is to go to at least one each year. This year's trip was to Wrigley Field in Chicago with a Reds v. Cubs game in August.



This one is a little better... at least part of the sign made it into the picture!




True to form, we dressed for a hot August day and froze our tails off! I'll never understand Wrigley weather.




And the Reds win!


Our exhausted crew on the way to Grandma and Papa's :) Love how Ben threw Raffey over his face!

The Avengers + Elmo

Halloween was chilly and rainy this year, but the boys still managed to make it out trick-or-treating. Jake went for the first time and quickly got the hang of it :) He was excited about being Elmo this year, and the only one of the three to pick his costume and stick with it. Ben and Matt went back and forth for weeks before we finally nailed them down on Hulk and Iron Man. They had a blast being superheroes!











Big thanks to Grandma, Papa, and Gammy for helping out this year!

Ho Ho Ho!

Ahhh, yes, it's that time of year. Time for the Wetzel family picture with Santa :) Aside from 2007 when they were too little to protest, I think Shawn and I have been in the picture with Santa EVERY YEAR SINCE. This year, though, we are so very proud of Ben for sitting on Santa's lap and telling him what he wanted for Christmas. Shawn and I got to see glimpses of it through the other two children clinging to us and Jake's "No Santa, NO SANTA!".

My How You Have Grown

5 years ago this evening we learned that tomorrow was the big day. The 9 weeks of bedrest were over, the 8 months of being pregnant with twins was over, and Oct. 4 would be when we got to meet our little boys. Hard to believe 5 years have gone by since then. They were so tiny when they were born and now I can barely pick them up. I'm not entirely unsure Ben won't be taller than me in the next couple years. They are the most amazing little boys and we're so excited to wish them a very happy 5th birthday!

Ben, I love the passion you bring to life. When you feel a certain way, it radiates throughout you. Your excitement is contagious and your creativity inspiring. We can often find you lost in a book, working on an art project, or running through the house dressed up and in the middle of your own little superhero world. We love you so much!

Matt, your determination and perseverance inspire me and remind me not to give up too easily. I am so impressed that you have learned how to snap your fingers and how you stuck with it until you got it. You've never met a ball you didn't like, and it's exciting to see you really excel in soccer this year. I love how observant you are and how tapped in to other people you can be. You always seem to know just when I need a hug and your hugs are the best! Love you!