Twins Tour 2008 – Part 1 (featuring the Hawkins’ and the McGonigal’s)

We’ll we’re back from our inaugural Twins Tour and I can’t wait to share all the wonderful pictures and stories about it with you. I’ve decided that it would be best to do this in installments since there’s just too much to cover in one post and I don’t want to forget anything. So here it goes.

Our journey began on Wednesday, July 9th at 8PM when we left Chicago and headed towards Glen Hope, PA. **Note: this was also Matt’s 31st birthday.** We gave the boys their bath and fed them their bed-time bottle before settling them in their car seats for the night. We picked up Grandma Jean and took off on our adventure (Uncle AJ and Grandpa drove separate). Matt was driving steady all night while Jean and I were “trying” to sleep in the back with the boys. I think we were just too scared to sleep thinking that Matt would fall asleep at the wheel. We only needed to stop once and that was to fill-up for gas and a potty break. Thankfully, we arrived at Nanny & Popu’s house early Thursday morning (around 7AM) with no one asleep at the wheel. Unfortunately we were all exhausted because of it. Matt and I caught a nap during the day while Grandma Jean, Nanny, and Popu watched the boys. Jean was a trooper and stayed awake the entire time! We went up to Uncle Jim’s house and checked out his garden. Our garden is a mole hill compared to his mountain of a garden. There were beautiful rows of produce just waiting to be picked. Hopefully someday we can grow crops like theirs. That night the boys and I turned in early. Nanny already had a crib set up in our room and we laid one of the boys in there while the other slept in the pack-n-play. They slept through the night – yay! Friday, July 11th, we took a quick trip up to Penn State to buy some t-shirts and to have breakfast with our friends Brian & Paula and their two sons, Zack and Dylan.

Dylan(on the left) is 10 months old while Zack is 4.

They were so well-behaved - Z and D that is. B & J were crazy that morning and didn’t want to be held. I can’t say I blame them, but it didn’t make eating breakfast too easy. We headed back to Glen Hope and greeted Uncle Shane and Aunt Amy (who is due with a girl in September - Yay!!). We went back to Uncle Jim’s and hung out by their pond.

We also met Cousin Mike that came back from Iraq a few months ago.

Here’s Jonathan with Uncle AJ…

We all had a great time catching up. Later that day all the ladies gathered and had a baby shower for Aunt Amy. We played games, watched Amy open presents and ate perogies and hogback chicken. It was a perfect day. I’m glad to note that Bryan and Jonathan weren’t present to see their Grandma Jean cheat with her sisters during the games. What a bad influence! :0) We were sad to leave! Here’s Nanny with Jonathan who fell fast asleep

And Here’s Popu with Bryan, not so sleepy.

Next stop, the Bevevino Family Reunion in Wilkes-Barre, PA.

Bryan's First Steps

That's right! Bryan took his first steps on the 24th of June and both Matt and I were there!! We couldn't have been happier. I was about three feet away from Matt when I was holding onto Bryan. We were doing our nightly "practice walk" and I let go. Bryan was particularly stable when I let go and he just went forward with two steps until he lost his balance and fell forward. We all cheered, including Jonathan who thought all the cheering was about him.

Last weekend, we went to the petting zoo. This is the same one we went to just a couple of months ago. This time, they had all the reptiles in their cages so we could see them; it was too cold last time. We can't get enough of that place, it's just a great place to take kids big and small. There's a playground right next to the zoo that we went to before hand. We decided to try out the swings and slide for the first time. Matt was a bit worried how the twins would do size-wise so we put them in the swing seats and pushed them ever-so-slightly and the boys had a great time.

Here's Jonathan. He LOVED the swings and I can't wait to swing with him again soon.

Here's Bryan. Don't let the picture throw you, he was checking out a bunch of kids that just arrived when I took out the camera. He also got a kick out of the swings.

By the way, see the little boy in the background of that last picture? He had a Penn State wrestling-type onesie on. It turns out that his parents (also PSU alumni) had just moved here from State College. It's a small world!

Here we are trying out the slide. I think I had more fun than them here. I did get a few giggles out of them after the first go around.


This weekend will be our first 4th of July as a family. We're not planning on anything, just for the boys to sleep through the fireworks - hopefully! I think next year they'll be old enough to care what those big sparks are up in the air. Have a great Holiday! And Happy Birthday to Aunt Steffani!!