A new blueberry tradition?

We went blueberry picking today up in Milford, OH for the first time.  We were invited by the Browns who made it up earlier in the morning.  Clara was the blueberry picking fiend ... Christopher was looking for the juicy tender blueberries... Sabrina was interested for the first 45 minutes ... and Molly kept saying "More!  More!" so that Adam would continue to slip her a few.  We had a good time and perhaps even started a new blueberry picking tradition.

Zucchini from the garden

Annette's Garden is coming along strong. So far we have harvested 2 zucchini and one red chili pepper. We see bean pods and tomatoes coming along. Oh yeah, and there are some black eyed susans as well.

In this photo, my young harvesters are searching for the next zucchini. At the time of this posting, Annette was cooking the zucchini to add to some spaghetti sauce for lunch.
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Helmet while painting?

Christopher and Clara helped Annette recently paint Sabrina's new bed.  Of course the color of choice was pink.  After reviewing these photos, a question popped into my head.  Why do you need to wear a bicycle helmet when painting the foot-board for a bed?  

Sparkler Fun

Last night the kids came out for some 4th of July Sparkler Fun.  They were up MUCH later than usual so we'll probably pay for it over the next few days.  However, they were patient enough to allow us to practice writing with sparklers in the air.  Here are two photos of Annette's work in writing Christopher and Clara.  We tried to write Happy Fourth of July but it just looked like a plate full of spaghetti.  The camera was set at f/18 with a 30" exposure.

Fishing Derby

This past Monday Christopher and Adam participated in a Tee Ball Fishing Derby at Camp Ernst Lake.  We borrowed a fishing pole from the Northern Kentucky Fly Fisherman's Association and tossed in a line to see what we'd catch. Unfortunately the fish didn't bite.  But Christopher didn't seem to mind.  Especially since he got to eat a hot dog. 

Adventures in Parenting

Sabrina was quite the artist while accompanying her father to Home Depot this weekend.

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Hangin' Out in Central Park

Annette wanted to take Molly's 1 year-old photo tonight at Central Park. So while she was chasing around our little girl in the Children's Garden, I was chasing around the big 3 in the adjacent (that's fancy for next to) play area. (By the way, have you ever read a Fancy Nancy book? If so, you'd understand.)

Anyway, with the closing of the photography business, I (Adam) have decided to take up photography as a hobby again. Once Annette was finished with taking photos of Molly, I pulled out the camera and started to chase the kids around the park. Everyone was quite agreeable - except Molly. As you'll see, she had quite enough with the camera based on her expressions in these images.

Butterfly Show

Today Annette, Grandma and the kids went to the Butterfly Show at the Krohn Conservatory in Cincinnati. The butterflies were from Brazil this year. For some reason they seemed to like Grandma's shirt. The kids loved seeing them up close. Here are a few photos to share.

Only on Father's Day

Let's just say on Father's Day, Dads have immunity.
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Nearly 6 and Stylin'

We've been waiting several months for our eye appointment to order new glasses for the boy. Now, with a new prescription (his vision's getting better, yay!) We headed to the eyeglass store. He knew exactly what he wanted. He's going to be so stylish for first grade!
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A horse named Penny

Recently I was privileged to offer Sabrina a ride on the horse at our grocery store.
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Molly and Babo

Took this quick snapshot of Molly entertaining Babo at lunch today. The whole crew went out to lunch at T.G.I. Friday's and the kids did exceptionally well. Molly was very cute in her expressions and kept Babo very entertained. Fortunately it was a very nice day and we might have eaten outside had it not been for the stench from the newly re-surfaced parking lot.
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Reading to the birthday girl

Tonight, Christopher read two books to Molly. For the record, she's not much of an Iron Man fan.
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Happy Birthday Molly!

Today is Molly's first birthday! She has 2 teeth, she can walk and she is starting to babble. The past year has gone by very quickly...

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Lost a friend (con'td)

Here's a photo of the tree.
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Lost a friend

Last night's storm took out the tree in our backyard. The kids were grieving this morning over their lost friend.

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Fun in the backyard

This past weekend we played outside all weekend long.  On Friday we rented a tiller and began to prepare the soil that will eventually become the garden.  Saturday was spent creating an area around our 2010 Christmas Tree which is showing signs of new life.  Yesterday we played out in the sun again until it rained.  All in all we had a great time and have some great memories from the weekend.  Now all we need is for the sunburn to go away and we'll be in great shape!

Bottle before bike

Annette is shown here "topping off Molly" before our Mother's Day bike ride.
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Grandma Birthday

Keeping with tradition, this is a photo of Grandma blowing out her birthday lighter. Let's just say the "cake" was fresh and too hot to hold a boring old wax candle.
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New Room for "Big Two"

The Big Two have a new room. We've officially moved them downstairs into the basement giving everyone a little bit more room in the house.  So far the transition has gone very well, but we're only on the second night.  Now all we have to do is find a gate for the top of the stairs that meets everyone's criteria. 

Talkin' Bout God

Today, Sabrina informed me that her Cinderella doll was "Talkin' Bout God." I asked, "What is she saying about God?" Her response? "The Lord beef with you." Priceless.

Tee Ball

Just wanted to share a photo of Christopher on the Tee Ball field.
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Good times in Wisconsin

This should have been posted several weeks ago but we're just now getting caught up! We headed up to the north woods during spring break and enjoyed all that camp (and great company!) had to offer. Some highlights: meeting new twin cousins, making s'mores by the campfire, the Madison Children's Museum, canoeing on Lake Jake and spending time with family!

First Family Bike Ride

Adam has been assembling different parts for the family's bike entourage. Yesterday afternoon he picked up the final piece... the Odyssey is officially hitched. So we hooked up the Yakima bike rack, attached the bikes and went for a ride. Here are some photos from our good times in the "Bike Church" parking lot.

Easter kids

Here's a photo of most of the Hoeben grandchildren gathered on the couch for Easter Sunday brunch at Grandma's. 

Adam's birthday

For Adam's birthday in April, he wanted to have all the kids gathered around as he blew out his candles.  He needed the help and they were willing to oblige.  In exchange for the help, Molly decided she'd like to have a handful of apple pie. 

Photo of several Hoeben Grandchildren

This crew was mostly cooperative in posing for this photo taken in March at Grandpa Hoeben's birthday party.  Several shots were taken and this was the best of the bunch.  Trust me.

New bike, clothes and sunglasses

In this photo, Clara is riding her bike at Granny's house while wearing hew new outfit and sunglasses she received for Easter.  She has only had the bike for a few weeks but is already learning how to ride it with ease.