It's Skyline Time

Tonight the twins had Skyline for the first time. For those not from the area, Skyline is a Cincinnati chili brand. It is traditionally served on spaghetti and topped with cheese. The twins thought it was also good smeared all over their face!

Easter Goodies

The Easter Bunny brought the twins a whole bunch of goodies even if they fell asleep before they could color eggs. Grandma and Grandpa Barker came down for the weekend and gave them cute spring hats and fun bath toys. The Easter Bunny had to be careful with candy so he compensated with new rocking chairs, some wind-up toys, and Peeps.

Now the kids can relax and enjoy their snacks in style!

A Day of Excitment

This weekend Grandma and Grandpa Barker came down to help Patrick and Uncle Timmy tear down the gazebo and rip out the upstairs bathroom. After a hard day of work, the twins got to play with everyone.

Early Renovators

We had carpet installed today on the basement steps. The kids couldn't stop watching the workers. Seems like they might take after their parents and one day be perfect helpers.

Grooming

The kids have started noticing they have hair. They love getting their hair brushed and even trying it out on themselves.

Hair-Did

Mashed potatoes are not just for eating!

We Are Stretching Our Legs

The twins have started taking their first independent steps and think it is the most fun thing to show off.

Elaine started first but in her typical style, refuses to let us tape it.

Dinner and A Show

Tonight the twins went to their first Hibachi grill. Joey was visiting for a few days from Kentucky and joined us.

The twins could not take their eyes off of the show...especially when the chef set the grill on fire at the beginning. They loved the food and then watched each grill around us go through the show.

A Day of Reunions and Birthday Wishes

This morning we all met at Don and Cate's for brunch. Patrick and I were so excited to see the babies! Once we got enough hugs, we let them go so they could play with their cousin George.

We had a GREAT brunch...thanks Don and Cate. After that we celebrated Cate's birthday with a cheesecake....Happy Birthday Cate. The kids played a bit more after brunch, but they were all tired and by noon they were ready to go. We packed them up and they were asleep within 10 minutes. What a weekend...we all had fun but we are definitely looking forward to getting back to our regular schedule.

A Day of Excitement for Everyone

After a fun night for both Patrick and I and the twins, Saturday was equally exciting. Patrick and I went to our first NBA game. It was a lot of fun...very different than what you see on tv.

The twins had an equally exciting day. They went all over the place...downtown Hudson, the library, grocery, etc.

They also got plenty of play time at grandma and grandpa's. Elaine's favorite thing was showing them how she could climb on their kid-size chairs and almost stand up on them. I'm really glad that she reserved that game for them and not us! :)

Cleveland Rocks

Today we drove up to Cleveland for our Cavs weekend with friends. We drove straight to Patrick's parents' house and dropped off the twins. They are going to spend the weekend with grandma and grandpa. They had a blast and loved grandma's cooking. After dropping them off, Patrick and I headed to our hotel and checked in. We walked over to the Winking Lizard at meet up with friends who were already up there.

Shortly after we got there...Don, Cate, and George met up with us for a bite to eat. George was a hit, everyone had fun playing with him.

Our First St Patty's Celebration!

The kids started off their St. Patty's celebration, they were only 4 weeks old last year, with some slow cooked corned beef for dinner. Ethan was very impressed with it, while Elaine was more interested in her milk. She has been on a fruit kick so meats are not high on her priority list.

After dinner we put the kids in the stroller and headed up to the business district. It was such a nice day. On our way we ran into our friend Laura. The three of us headed up and stopped at the local Irish pub. It was busy on the patio, but dead inside since it was so nice. Even though we were inside, all of the doors were open so it still felt like spring. We had a beer and enjoyed the entertainment.

The kids joined in the excitement of chugging down a beverage. Before we knew it, it was time to head back home. The kids got a bath and bottle. After such a fun day, they went right to sleep.

And The Race is On!

Elaine started standing today. In typical Elaine style she just did it like she'd been doing it forever. She probably stood there for a good 2 mintues before sitting back down....watch out Ethan she is hot on your tail for the bragging rights of walking first!

Watch Out, We're on Wheels

Our Neighbor, Hillary, gave us her boys' old toy car. The kids LOVE it! The only problem is they both want to be in it at all times! Looks like we are going to have to get a second one soon.

Look Mom, No Hands!

Tonight Patrick was bathing the kids. Patrick was ready to yell at Ethan for standing up in the tub and then he realized that he was just standing there without holding onto the edge. Now he is standing so well, but only for a few seconds at a time.....he seems so big now!

Elaine still will not let go, but at least she has enough sense to refuse any naked pictures taken of her ....good girl!

A Lesson for the Adults

This morning, we packed up to head home. The kids wanted to help show Patrick and Don how to use the luggage cart. George played the part of the luggage and the twins portrayed Patrick and Don by pushing the cart. Thanks guys, it would have taken us forever to figure it all out!

After everything was packed, we hit the waterpark for a bit. The twins had fun but they were ready for a good nap after a weekend of excitement.

Great Wolf Lodge Birthday Celebration

This morning we packed everything back up and headed up to Sandusky to meet Uncle Don, Aunt Cate, and George for George's birthday celebration at Great Wolf Lodge. The kids' grandma and grandpa joined us later in the afternoon and their Aunt Melissa and Uncle Timmy joined us for dinner along with George's grandma Ooo.

Road Trip

Tonight we left for the twin's cousin George's birthday. The twins were able to try out their new DVD players. They were a hit. The kids sat back and enjoyed a few episodes of "Little Einsteins" while they snacked on some Cheerios.

We stopped for the night in Urbana to hang with their Uncle Mark and cousins Morgan and Jake. Saturday was Mark's birthday, so we just relaxed. Patrick and Mark put the finishing touches on Jake's Pinebox Derby car.

More Mess Means More Taste

Tonight the kids tried spaghetti squash with meatballs and tomato sauce. As you can tell, they LOVED it! I'm really glad we chose to take their shirts off.

1 year Checkup

Dr. Deblasis had an emergency come up so we had to reschedule the 12 month checkup. They went today and did great! They had to get some shots, but recovered quickly. Here are their stats!


ETHAN

Length 28.75in (15%)

Weight 21lbs (16%)

Head Cir. 18.25in (50%)

ELAINE

Length 28.54in (25%)

Weight 19lbs2oz (15%)

Head Cir. 18.5in (90%)