Festival Season

Tonight we headed to our first church festival of the summer. Aunt Melissa, Uncle Timmy and Phillip joined us. Phillip just got the ok from the doctor to go into public so it was a nice way for Melissa and Timmy to get out and stretch their wings. Phillip was very excited to explore a new environment

Patrick and I got some time with Phillip. Patrick was able to use his bottle juggling skills to feed Phillip and complete other tasks....definitely a trick learned when feeding two babies at the same time.

The twins had a blast playing games.

After they finished playing we cashed in their prize tickets and got them fun sunglasses. Ethan got bengal striped glasses and Elaine's were cheetah print. The thought they were fun and had a great time taking them off and making everyone put them back on.

A Surprise From Nonie and Poppy

While we were camping Nonie and Poppy came down to Cincinnati to help Uncle Michael paint his new house. On their way down, they saw this fire truck and had to get it for the twins. The twins had a blast checking out the new toy. Ethan loves riding in the back while Elaine drives.

Hopefully the new ride will help subside fights over who get to play in the car. Our yard is starting to fill up with toys! It's a little weird pulling up to the house and seeing everything, we definitely are parents of toddlers!

A Weekend of Camping

This weekend we headed to the campgrounds to meet Aunt Jamie, Uncle Mark, Morgan, Jake, and Joey. The twins were excited for a weekend of adventure. I also gave them each an Oreo for the drive. As you can see in the picture in the car, Elaine was actually messier than Ethan. It was a great weekend. It was a little cold so they had to wear jeans and occasionally a sweatshirt. The weekend's theme was "Beach Party". Since it was chilly we never went swimming, but they had great activities like color your own beach ball. The twins also had a blast playing at the playground and playing with the water in the mining stream. My sister got a baby fence, which helped out when we were grilling so they wouldn't run up to the grill and burn themselves.

The twins can't wait until next summer when their other cousins can possibly join them....we might have to buy some extensions for the baby fence! Ha,ha,ha.

Phillip's Baptism

Tonight was the twin's cousin Phillip's baptism. Patrick is his Godfather and we are so honored. It was a great ceremony, but the twins were a little crazy. Luckily I had Grandma and Grandpa to help out and Patrick was able to lend a hand when he was "off duty"!

PS. I didn't get to get a picture of the entire family or a close up of Phillip in his outfit because I was baby wrangling after the ceremony so if one of my inlaws (brothers, sisters, parents, ANYONE) could send me some pics to add, that would be GREAT!

We Are Coming Home!

After a over-night stop in Asheville, NC we hit the road again. I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank goodness for those free continental breakfasts that most hotels have now! It is so much easier and quicker to grab a healthy breakfast for the kids. The twins were estatic that they had their yogurt and Cheerios.

Shortly after we hit the road, Ethan zonked out while Elaine happily watched her shows and stayed awake the rest of the way!

Beach Babies

This morning we hit the beach! It was so different from last year. The boys walked the kids down to the ocean. Ethan was all about the waves, but Elaine was not impressed.
PS. Elaine is actually taller than Ethan, she just looks really small because she is next to Bob who towers over everyone! :)

Elaine was much more interested in running down the beach and keeping her distance from the crazy water!

Both kids loved playing in the sand! They had a great time letting the boys build sand castles and tearing them down before they even got to the second bucket. They also loved shoveling the sand into the buckets!

Filling Our Bellies Before We Hit the Road

Tonight we went to dinner at a wonderful italian restuarant on the island. The kids ate up the buttered noodles and fresh mozzerella. Elaine even nibbled on a cucumber slice from my salad!

We decided to leave after dinner to get a few hours on the road to help break up the trip. The kids had fun running around outside to stretch their legs before we packed up and hit the road.

Thanks again to Bob and Katie for letting us come down and take over their house for a few days! Maybe next year we will be able to catch a fireworks show!

Lone Sliders

The twins have conquered the slides on their own....although I still don't think they are quite ready for the spiral slides! Ethan is a little more adventurous, but Elaine will eventually join in.

The twins also enjoyed the other equipment at the playground, but I don't think anything beats the slides.

A Quiet and Relaxing Night

Tonight we celebrated the 4th by having a great cookout! After a busy morning at the playground the twins took a big nap and were ready to go!

The babies are still too little to stay up for fireworks, so we just hung out at the house all night. Next year should be easier to keep them up and still avoid any melt downs!

Swim, Eat, Sleep

After a good night's sleep (the twins slept in until 8:15am!) We decided to hit the pool. The kids had a blast swimming and splashing.

After an hour or so, the twins were pretty tired! We headed back to the house and decided to go out for lunch.

The twins enjoyed their grilled cheese and Bob and Katie's company. Elaine especially loved Katie sharing her water with her, both kids LOVE drinking out of straws! By the time we got back to the house, the twins were whipped and ready for naps...so were the adults. :)

Wow It's Humid Out Here!

After good naps, we had dinner and spent the evening playing in the backyard. The twins loved playing with balls, running around, and showing off their stair climbing skills. All the activity and the humid weather got the twins nice and sweaty!

Ready, Pack, Go!

We are leaving for Charleston, SC to see the Cole's this evening. The twins couldn't be more excited! Uncle Michael came over because he is watching our biggest baby....Charlie! Thanks Micheal!

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The drive went so well that we drove all the way through and got in around 1:15 am on Friday morning. The kids were awesome. The dual DVD players in my car definitely helped!

Pizza! Pizza!

We just got a Little Ceaser's in the area and I am estatic! The pizza is fine, but the Crazy Bread is beyond words, the kids were big fans of the bread too!

Late Night with Ethan Barker

After my double header softball game, I got home late only to find someone waiting for me....Ethan! Apparantly he was not tired and did not want to go to bed. It is hard to tell, but he was actually really happy and giggling when I took this picture. The flash made him squint. Eventually I was too tired and put him down. Thankfully he was fine for the rest of the night.

Finally! We Can Play With the Keyboards

Today the twins went to visit Patrick at his office. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't suceed in baby proofing his office. Luckily they have used computer parts galore, so it wasn't too difficult digging up some fun stuff to distract the twins from all of the wires.

A Bit of Italian for Dinner with Family

Nonie and Rhonda came down last night to watch the kids today while Patrick, Michael, and I ran the ACT. Rhonda was up from Kentucky to visist my mom after her graduation. Congrats Rhonda! We went to Buca's for dinner that night. There was a small wait that turned into a huge one so the twins got a little crazy.

Once we were sat, they were all smiles. They LOVE pasta! After dinner Nonie and Rhonda headed back to Urbana.

15 Month Checkup

Today we took the kids to the doctor for their 15 month checkup, almost a month late.... Here are the stats:

Ethan:

Weight 21lbs 6 oz (7.8%)

Height 29.5 inches (4%)

Head Circumference 18.5 inches (38%)

Elaine:

Weight 21 lbs 8 oz (22%)

Weight 30 inches (25%)

Head Circumference 18.5 inches (75%)

After the doctor's appointment, the twins got visitors. Friends of ours, Brian and Jen Russell, came over. They are expecting boy/girl twins later this summer. I was amazed, the twins were so warm to them. Usually they are very shy around strangers, but they loved hanging out with them. Ethan even let Brian hold him a few times!

Bring On the Heat!

After Uncle Don, Aunt Cate, and George left we relaxed, had lunch and they went down for a nap. We ran a few errands later in the afternoon and spent the rest of the day in the yard playing. The kids had a blast....especially after we showed them their surprise we picked up for them at the store. A POOL!

We didn't fill it up since it was almost dinner time, but the kids still had a great time.

Memorial Day Camping!

Every year Patrick has to leave the Sunday before Memorial Day to get his company's conference ready. So the kids and I said goodbye to everyone and headed up to Dayton to meet my family at the campgrounds. It was completely night and day to the Labor Day trip. They could walk around, play, and enjoy so much more! It was so hard to pick pictures to show everyone.

No Kids Allowed!

We got to the hospital to see the new baby, but the twins were not allowed to come in. You can see the lost expressions on their faces as we told them! :)













While Patrick and I went in to see Phillip, the twins hung out in the waiting room with their grandparents. Once they saw all of the distractions, they quickly forgot the devastating news!