An Afternoon of Exploration

After the kids' naps and a horrific lose by the Bengal's we decided to hop over to the Children's Museum. The kids had a blast running around.

Their favorite part is the water area...Patrick thought it was fun too!

Elaine found the magic of water valves and was thrilled at the results.

In case you didn't catch Ethan's stool moving skills.....Gosh, they are getting too big!

Uncle Timmy's Yearly Competition

Every year we get the honor to participate in Uncle Timmy's shrimp eating challenge at Red Lobster's All You Can Eat Shrimp! This year was a show stopper with two new types of shrimp. Timmy stuck to his old reliable fried shrimp. As usual he didn't quite make the challenge of 60+ plates that the servers have said they've seen others eat! The twins had a blast but all of the excitement led to Ethan pretty much collapsing on the table in exhaustion by the end of the meal. Better luck next year Timmy!

Happy __ Birthday Aunt Melissa

Tonight we went over to Aunt Melissa and Uncle
Timmy's for Melissa's birthday. I got the opportunity to catch two Barker boys changing diapers...who would have thought!

The twins had fun running around the house and

Elaine even took the opportunity to check out her cousin Phillip. She grew bored pretty quickly, but it won't be long until he is crawling around playing with them!

After a great dinner, all the kids helped Melissa blow out their candles. By the end of the evening the twins were exhausted and ready for bed.

Happy Birthday Melissa!

Labor Day Camping

We went on our annual Osborne Labor Day camping trip. The twins had a blast. We had a great time and even fit in a birthday party for Jake.

The twins also had a blast practicing their mining skills in the mining river. Ethan spent the time stacking while Elaine thought it was hilarious to put the sifters right back in the water.

Definitely a Bath Night

Tonight the kids finished their meals and we gave them a special treat....a chocolate LAVA cake to share.

Elaine nibbled in her tiny fashion, but Ethan.......... well I think the picture says it all!

How Can I Get a Pair?

There is nothing like running around in fun pajamas!

A Visitor From the South

Bob Cole came into town this weekend. He quickly learned how to win over Ethan...let him sit on your lap while you are on the computer. After that they were buddies. Elaine warmed up to Bob Cole sometime on Saturday. She is a little harder to please! :)

A Big Day on Daddy's Bday

Tonight we celebrated Patrick's birthday. After dinner we headed to my softball game where the twins had a blast running around and playing with our friend's daughter Elyse. The twins wanted to go on the field all night long. Ethan thought it was a hoot to sit on the bleachers.

"Happy Birthday Dear Daddy"

After the game, which we won, we headed back home for cake. The twins joined Patrick in blowing out the candles. It was great practice for their next birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!!!!!!!!!











The twins enjoyed the cake. Ethan jumped right in while Elaine took a more careful approach in order to look good for post cake pictures.

A Pool With a View

Today the kids opted to hang out in a more calm pool located right on the deck. Plus with the tent, they were more protected by the sun.

Winding Down

After a long day of playing and swimming, the kids enjoyed a relaxing dinner on the deck.

You can't beat dinner with a great view!

The Beginning of a Great Weekend

This weekend we headed to our cousin's lakehouse in Northern Illinois. We drive up to Chicago last night and stayed with Amanda, John, and Paul. This morning we packed up and headed out for the lake. The kids were ready for the trip!

On the way their we stopped for lunch so we could put the babies down for their nap right when we got there and get everything set up. The kids had a blast.

Our First Boating Experience

After the kids' nap, we headed on the boat to check out the lake. Ethan got out with everyone and had a blast. Elaine preferred hanging out on the boat. I think she was trying to look cute to see if John would let her drive!

A New Addition to the Barker Clan

Today Patrick and I got a new nephew and the twins got a new cousin. Henry Harrington Barker was born...8lbs10oz

Everyone is doing great. This is the second edition this year to the Barker family. It will be crazy after a year or two with all five grandkids running around Grandma and Grandpa Barker's house!

Congrats Cate and Don, we can't wait to see you all!

Rub a Dub Dub...We Are Back in the Tub

We finished the bathroom and the twins LOVE being back in a bathtub! They love having their toys back and we love having a nice, new, and most importantly up to date bathroom that is designed so much better!

A Day of Museums

Today we went to the Cincinnati Museum Center. We started in the Children's Museum. Ethan was a little nervous at first with all the kids running around and all of the different things to do. He quickly caught on and started having a BLAST! We found the water area and the kids didn't want to leave! It was nice though because I was able to let Morgan and Jake go run around the bigger kids are "The Woods". After they had a good time they came back and took the kids around. I even crawled through a tunnel and went down the tree slide!

After the Children's Museum we decided to cruise through the Museum of Natural History. Morgan and Jake especially liked the caves and the ice caves. Before we knew it, it was way past the kids' nap time and we headed back home for a quick lunch and naps.

The End of a Wonderful Visit

After a good nap it was time to pack up and meet Jamie so she could get her kids back. I know it is always nice to get a little break, but nothing beats seeing your kids after missing them! We met up halfway and had dinner together.

Not sure what I'll do without Morgan and Jake here! It was such a wonderful week!

Fun With Animals and Water

Today we had another day of adventures! We started the day with a trip to the zoo. Aunt Melissa and the twins' cousin Phillip joined us. This trip to the zoo was fun because the twins really noticed the animals. They especially loved the manatees and polar bears because they swam right past them and they were able to stand right up to the glass. We walked around for quite sometime before we stopped and had lunch. Then the kids ran off some energy by playing on the playground. It started to get a little too hot and late so we finished up walking around and headed home for naps. It was great to hang out with Melissa and Phillip.

While the kids were napping, I set up the pool to let the water warm up. We hung out outside and played in the pool before Patrick got home from work.

A Visit From Cousins

Yesterday, Morgan and Jake came down to stay with us for until Thursday. This morning we went to Uncle Michael's to go swimming. Then we headed back for lunch and naps. After the naps, we took advantage of the nice weather and headed outside to play in the yard. MAN, it is so much easier to do when you've got three pairs of eyes on them rather than just one! I even got some time to clean up a little on the patio.

One Baby Down

Today I finally gave in and we went to get Ethan's hair cut. We went to lunch, stopped at Servati's for a cookie and headed to Kids Cuts.

Ethan was not too thrilled with the haircut but thanks to his Daddy, he got through it.

Meanwhile....Elaine was having a blast in the play area. I'm sure she was thinking "ha,ha...girls have long hair!"

After a tortureous 10 minutes, my baby came back to me a little boy! :(

After a balloon and a cookie, all was forgotten and forgiven! Elaine got a balloon and cookie too, we couldn't blame her for us wanting her to grow her hair more.