Ben and Ren's Family Page

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T20:47:00.000-07:00

Another fun Halloween! Amber was "The Butterfly Queen." Logan was a Ninja. And Ella was (appropriately) an angel.

I was a devil to match Ella. (We tried to take the sucker out of Ella's mouth for the picture, and this is what happened.)

The Stash pictures!

Really Looking Like a House!

2011-10-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken yesterday (October 13th.) As you can see, it's really coming along! The kids love visiting "the house." We do almost every single night! Amber and Logan play in their future rooms. It's like a giant play house. :)

This last picture is the view of our house as you enter the neighborhood.

The Second Floor starts!

2011-10-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

Very, very exciting as they began to add the second floor! You can see other kids in the pictures. That's because our house is quite the hopping spot in the neighborhood. ;) Several times we've driven by to see different people wandering around inside. I guess you can't blame them for wanting to check out the new construction.

Framing!

2011-10-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

We were VERY excited when framing began. At last, it was starting to look like a house!

Foundation and Floor

2011-10-14T08:48:00.000-07:00

At the very beginning of October, they laid the foundation, and put up the floor.

It's so interesting to see this picture, because you can see that it looks SO much smaller than the framed house seems now. When they first laid they concrete, we were pretty worried that the house would be too small. Then they put the floor on, and we were relieved, but it's just funny to think how much bigger it seems now.

The Lot

2011-10-14T08:44:00.000-07:00

In mid September, excavation began on our new house! It started off as a big hole in the ground.

Logan's Birthday!

2010-04-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

Logan sure loved opening his birthday presents! And as you can see, Amber loved to help him. ;) Thanks so much GG Jolley! :)

Halloween 09!

2009-11-01T12:18:00.000-08:00

The kids had a blast with Halloween this year! I think their costumes really fit their personalities, don't you? :)

Tons of people commented on Amber's gorgeous costume. Thank you, Grammy!

Once I put the "furries" (beard) on Logan, he stood in front of the mirror for probably 10 minutes, making mad faces.

Amber with her organized candy piles.

Logan couldn't eat his candy fast enough.

Amber's Talk

2009-05-31T13:15:00.000-07:00

We filmed Amber's Primary Talk. Are we cliche/embarrassingly proud parents or what?

Logan's Birthday!!!

2009-05-02T12:12:00.000-07:00

Thank you SO much Grandma and Grandpa Jolley! Logan absolutely loves his "choo choo trains" (cars) :) He plays with them all the time!

Halloween!!!

2008-11-02T19:02:00.001-08:00

Amber was a pretty butterfly and Logan (since you probably can't tell) was a caterpillar.

Both kids trick or treated, and they LOVED it! Logan got the gist really quickly and he would run up to the doors with his open palm outstretched.So cute!

Both kids with their stashes! Notice how it was bedtime, and yet they were both chowing on candy.

Logan Learns A New Phrase

2008-10-18T12:35:00.001-07:00

Logan has a new favorite phrase. Also, two disclaimers:
1. The camera had a smudge on it, that's why it's kinda fuzzy.
2. Ben was in charge, therefore the kids were enjoying creative play that involved messing up the living room.

And, back to dark again.

2008-10-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

Here's my new brunette look. My hair color looks more like the non flash pic, btw, but I thought the flash pic showed my haircut better.

Logan loves cows!

2008-09-22T06:44:00.001-07:00

Logan loves to go on Youtube and watch the "tao" mooing.

Amber's Haircut

2008-09-22T05:54:00.001-07:00

After months of begging for a haircut, I finally relented. It's not quite as glamorous as before, but it's still cute. :)

Curly Shirley

2008-06-17T20:26:00.001-07:00

Amber opened her new Barbie in the company of her friends. It was quite a hit. Amber named her Curly Shirley.

The Sassy Song

2008-05-16T08:14:00.001-07:00

Amber told us one day that she was going to sing a "really, really sassy song." Here it is, plastic Walmart bag and all.
Also, notice Logan saying "Hi."

Logan's Birthday Song

2008-04-20T20:33:00.001-07:00

Logan loved his first Birthday cupcake. As you can see, he dug right in.

Amber's Surprise Present

2008-04-20T20:05:00.001-07:00

Amber was excited for Logan to open his present from GG Jolley. She didn't realize that there would be something for her.

Logan's First Birthday!

2008-04-18T20:27:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe that our little Logan is one year old. He is such a big boy now! Here are some pictures of his Grand Birthday Gala, which consisted of opening his presents and eating cupcakes. Wild. Anyway, look at that sweet smile. Where would we be without him?
He wasn't all that into opening his presents, but I made him do it for the picture. :)
He WAS into eating his cupcake, however.
Love that frosting mustache.

Easter Fun

2008-04-18T20:20:00.000-07:00

Here are some belated pictures of the Easter celebration at the Collins home. This hunt took place after church, so Logan was tired and cranky, and refused to pose. Oh well, Amber has enough poses for both of them.
The stash.
Amber with "Triple Treat," and her patented ham smile.

New York City!!!!!

2008-03-24T14:32:00.000-07:00

We didn't get the chance to go to the Statue of Liberty, but we went and looked at it in the famous Battery Park.
Of course, for Ben, we had to see the New York Stock Exchange. We went to go see the bull, you know, the big bull statue near Wall Street. Well, there were about 50 people swarming around it, most of whom were taking a photo grabbing the bull's . . . well, let's just say, it wasn't his horns. ANYWAY, we got a picture (a G rated picture), but there were too many other's in the shot. So, it kind of ruined the mood.
Woo Hoo! We saw a Broadway show! I was so so so excited. We saw the play "Rent." It was really spectacular. Beautiful music, superb performers, it was a real New York experience.
Here is a closing shot of Times Square at night. The lights and spectacle was amazing. I think it's absolutely something you have to see before you die.

Chinatown, Lower Manhatten

2008-03-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

Of course, with Ben having gone to Hong Kong on his mission, we had to see one of the most famous Chinatowns. It was so interesting. Here we are at a fish market. See that guy in the upper left corner? He was hacking fish heads off for all to see. It was charming.
Mmmmmm, doesn't it look yummy?

Actually, it was really yummy, really really yummy. We got the chao siu fahn, otherwise known as roasted pig. Oh my gosh, it was heaven on a plate.

A Happening Place

2008-03-24T14:00:00.001-07:00

We went to Rockafeller Plaza, you know, the place where people ice skate, and where the Today show is. We got there later in the day, so the Today show had packed up, but we saw something a bit more interesting . . . .
Check it out! Tina Fey!!! Click on the picture, it's her alright. While we were at Rockafeller Plaza, we saw them setting up for some kind of filming. Turns out, they were shooting a scene for the TV show 30 Rock. We watched them film, it was pretty cool. I actually asked the director (who had come up to tell us to back out of the shot) if they needed extras. Alas, he said no. I walked right past the offices for Simon and Schuster, my dream publishing company. I should have run in with a copy of my manuscript a demanded to speak to the editor. . . . I didn't. I just took a picture in fron of it.

Here we are in Central Park. It was here that we spotted yet another celebrity. We walked right past Detective Stabler from Law and Order SVU. He was just out, walking with his daughter. We passed him, almost not even recognizing him, but right as he walked by I slammed to a stop and said "that was Detective Stabler!!!!" We decided not to bug him, seeing as he was with his kid, so no picture. Still, we felt pretty cool.

The Big Apple!

2008-03-24T13:50:00.000-07:00

Yes, here we are in the one and only Times Square. There were masses of people and excitement going on everywhere. We took about 2000 pictures. Typical tourists.
We ate lunch at one of the most famous little pizza dives in the city. The pizza was so yummy.
Ben wanted to get dessert at one of the many enticing bakeries. You can just barely see the New York cheesecake in the bottom of the picture.

And this is a picture of an Anti-Scientology march. I only post it to show a bit of the color of the city. Personally, I have no opinion on Scientology. Well, these people certainly did. They were making so much noise.

The Igloo

2008-03-12T16:07:00.003-07:00

Ben built a nice, cozy igloo for Amber in the backyard.

The Blizzard of '08

2008-03-09T20:55:00.000-07:00

Ah, spring.

Well, as you can see, we had a pretty insane weekend. A blizzard struck Central Ohio, and it all felt a bit like a scene out of a wilderness movie. Our next door neighbor even came over in these big snowshoes, asking if we needed anything. I felt like a prospector in my cabin in Alaska.

Anyway, it made for a fun day in playing in the snow. Ben built Amber an igloo in the backyard. She thought it was pretty neat. Also, don't be alarmed. In the video of the igloo, those are socks on her hands. Apparently, her gloves weren't keeping her hands warm enough so I had to improvise.

Here are some pictures. Check out the scene from our front door. There was about 15 inches of snow and blizzard force winds. And April is supposed to be the cruelest month?

Renee is a Slacker

2008-03-04T13:35:00.000-08:00

Okay, I admit it, when it comes to the blog, I am a big slacker. Sorry.
However, I have made it up to you today by puting up 4 posts to make up for the four weeks that I missed. So, don't miss any of them. Scroll all the way down. And then, we can all pretend that I have, in fact, been keeping up with my blog and posting every week.

The many moods of Amber and Logan

2008-03-04T13:27:00.000-08:00

Here is an assortment of pictures of the kids. These show the various moods of two very energetic children.

The first is Amber and Logan: two Binkie Buddies. Here you see them in repose, calm and relaxed.

Then, Amber the chef. She gets it in her mind to create, and voila, a cheese, carrot, and mushroom sandwich.

As you can see in the third picture, the anger of Logan. He does not like to be put in the walker. Not at all.

And finally, Amber and Logan as sweet brother and sister. It truly warms my heart to see how much they love each other.

The Eye Ball

2008-03-04T13:14:00.001-08:00

We went to the Eyeball on Febuary 23rd. It was a blast. I loved to watch people around me get drunk and act foolish. :P

Actually, I really did have a great time. One of the things that made it so fun was the group we went with. There were six couples from our ward and we all got out and boogied on the dance floor together. Pay special attention to Ben's sweet dance moves. As you can clearly see, he has SKILLS.

Amber the dramatic Ballerina

2008-03-04T13:09:00.000-08:00

Amber is taking a Ballet class and she loves it. As you can see from these pictures, she feels quite dramatic and glamerous about the whole thing. She loves to practise at home before her adoring fans. Note the seriousness in her face.

Logan's on the move!

2008-03-04T13:07:00.001-08:00

Here is Logan on Valentines day. He was two days shy of 10 months. What a little busy body!

Logan's True "Da Da"

2008-02-05T19:41:00.001-08:00

Logan loves the Mitt Romney Bobblehead so much that he calls is Da Da.

Halloween Fun

2007-10-31T14:27:00.001-07:00

Amber the Kitty Cat!

2007-10-31T14:14:00.000-07:00

First word: ba ba

2007-10-20T14:09:00.001-07:00

Logan's first word is: ba ba. What does that mean? Personally, I think he is making a bold statement about the sad state of partisan politics that is keeping our lawmakers from accomplishing real change. ;)

The Next Opry Star: Amber Rose

2007-09-20T20:03:00.001-07:00

Amber was quite the star on the mock stage set up in the Opry Museum.

The Collins take Nashville by Storm

2007-09-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun in Nashville, visiting Uncle Doug. He showed us the town. We loved seeing all the clubs on the main street in Nashville, where music star wannabes play at all hours of the day. We met Kelly, Doug's main squeeze, and all went to dinner at PF Changs! Yum! Thanks, Poppa!

Also, note my genius photography skills with the picture of Amber and Ben at the Aquarium.

Ben got a kick out of our visit to the Grand Ole Opry House. He plans to go back someday . . . as a HUGE Star!!!!!!!!!!

At the Opry House, binkys on the mind

2007-09-05T08:02:00.001-07:00

We went to see the Grand Ole Opry House. It was pretty cool, but Amber could only think of her binky, which lay hidden in my purse.

Amber having fun in Nashville

2007-09-05T07:34:00.001-07:00

There was a wedding at the Parthenon, and Amber enjoyed dancing to the music with Uncle Doug.

Cutie Patooties

2007-08-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist posting some new pics of Logan and Amber. I'm just so proud.

Back to my roots . . . I wish

2007-08-19T13:50:00.001-07:00

I went blonde again. Not so dramatic, but I like it well enough. Here are cute pics of the kids too.

Testing

2007-08-16T19:18:00.000-07:00

ben loves [URL=http://www.politico.com]this website[/URL]

Logan's Blessing

2007-08-12T20:07:00.000-07:00

Logan's blessing was great. Here are pictures of him after church. He looked so beautiful in Amber's dress, but we decided to go with the little vest combo. He looked so cute. Oh, and BTW Amber LOVES her binkie shirt. Loves it.

More Diana Pics

2007-08-12T20:02:00.001-07:00

Diana comes to Ohio!!

2007-08-12T19:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Diana's visit! We had a ton of fun. We went to swimming, to Cosi, the children's museum, and we also went to the State Fair. Diana and I caused quite a stir with our matching outfits. Just as planned . . . mwa ha ha.

Becca comes to Ohio!!

2007-08-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

We loved having Becca here! It was alot of fun. We went to the Zoo, among other activities, but I only have pictures of the zoo. Becca took a bunch of videos, but they are all really long and . . .well, it might be a little while before I post them.

Logan's on a roll

2007-07-28T13:04:00.001-07:00

There were five in the bed and the little one said . . .

Logan Tummy Time

2007-07-19T09:31:00.001-07:00

Here is cutie Logan enjoying some tummy time.

When Mom and Dad aren't watching

2007-07-19T08:53:00.001-07:00

For some reason, Amber loves to draw on herself. This work of art was done one day after dinner when Ben and I were talking at the dinner table

The Requisite Birthday Song

2007-07-05T11:22:00.001-07:00

A cute, albiet out of tune Birthday Song.

The Princess Ball

2007-06-23T20:42:00.001-07:00

Amber and her fellow Princesses loved to dance to the music.

The Gals at Amber's Princess Party

2007-06-23T20:35:00.001-07:00

Here are the guest princesses at Amber's party! So Cute!

Amber's Princess Party!!!!

2007-06-23T20:05:00.000-07:00

Enjoy these adorable pictures of Amber's Princess Party. We had so much fun. The girls who came were Kate, Kathleen, Emalyn, Risa, and of course the famous Maddie. It was a pretty laid back party, with not very many structured activities, mostly just playing. Though, believe me, I did my share of crisis management, mediation, and heavy duty clean up in the two hours that they were here, so perhaps laid back is the wrong term. Well, it was a lot of fun anyway. Enjoy the pictures. Video clips are coming soon.

Apple of My Eye

2007-06-13T12:17:00.000-07:00

Lately, Amber has been on my good side. Just last week she has started saying that she wants to be an eye doctor too. Today she lamented that she is just a kid and not an eye doctor. Although I know Amber's comments are just one of those phases kids go through, it's a fun thing to say and I feel cool when she says it. Amber has also wanted to dance with me like Cinderella dances with the Prince. Also very cute.

Amber in Time Out

2007-06-08T21:00:00.001-07:00

Here's another little video of Amber. We put her in time out because she woke up Logan from his nap. You can see her true remorse.

Funny Stories

2007-06-08T19:48:00.001-07:00

I think this blog might be a good place to share a couple funny stories about the kids. So here's one. The other night, we were eating dinner together. I don't know why but I was thinking about what jobs our kids would have in the future. I looked at Amber and I said "Amber, you know that Daddy is going to be an eye doctor right?" "Ya" she said. So I said "Well, you know that you can be anything you want to be. Anything at all, a doctor, a nurse or anything." She continued to stare at me so I thought she may be understanding what I was talking about. "So what do you want to be?" I said. She thought about it for a minute and then said "I know, I want to be a giraffe." I realized this conversation was way too early for her. At least I started instilling some kind of a value in her anyway. I don't look forward to the day when I have to break the news to her that she can't actually be a giraffe someday.

Summer time in Columbus

2007-06-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures that highlight summertime here in Columbus. We went to the Asian Festival one Saturday. They had a lot of food, and Ben said the chicken smelled just like the kind he ate in Hong Kong, so we of course had to try some. Also, there were several dance performances, and for one of them (a Cambodian dance I believe) they called some voulenteers up on the stage. Amber was desperate, so we went up. And there she is, dancing in full glory.

Also, you'll note the picture of Amber in her new bathing suit. And Logan in my favorite outfit of his.

Logan Smile Columbus

2007-06-08T14:37:00.001-07:00

This is a video of our cutie Logan. He is smiling now. And he loves to smile for Mama.

Amber Logan June 2007

2007-06-08T12:39:00.001-07:00

Here is the video we first posted on YouTube. Enjoy it one more time.

The Journey Begins!

2007-06-06T20:12:00.000-07:00

Our Fam, bringing our extended relatives into the New Millenium. Hello! Can we say wave of the future?

Here at the Ben and Ren Family Page, we will be posting regular updates, photos of our adorable children, and (if Blogspot is what Ben claims) videos for all to enjoy.

So, sit back, relax, and prepare yourself for some wholesome family entertainment.

Hu-rah.