Twins Tour Part IV (featuring the Green’s, the Leppla’s, the Brenneisen’s and the Shorts’)

This is the fourth and final segment of the Twins Tour 2008 series. Yay! Better late than never!
We left Bethany Beach early on Sunday and traveled approx. 4hrs to Harrisburg to have lunch with Angie and Jeff Green who are pregnant with their first baby, a girl.(update: They gave birth to baby Avery May Green! She was a little bit early, but she's doing great and Mom and Dad are great as well.

We can’t wait to meet her some day soon! Angie and Jeff had a short period of “baby practice” during their time with Bryan and Jonathan.
Our conversations were full with “Can you believe it’s been a whole year!?” and “Do you remember when..?” We had a great time catching up. When lunch was over, we got back in the family van and drove another 4hrs to Pittsburgh. We stayed with my Aunt Bridget and Uncle John.
They have a beautiful puppy named Jasmine. She was great with the boys even though they tugged and poked with all their might.
The next day, Monday, we had lunch with Bill and Wendy Brenneisen - They are the parents of the newborn William John. We’re proud to announce that Will is doing really great! He’s gaining weight (he's already 12lbs!!) and he’s steadily improving his breathing. We're so proud of you Will!!
Here we are at Quaker State in Pgh.(great buffet!) The twins were having a great time throwing their toys everywhere while we fetched. That needs to stop.

Bryan didn't want anything to do with the camera, but he did love nuzzling in Wendy's shoulder.

Look, Bill and Jonathan match!

After lunch, Me, Matt, the twins, and my cousin April visited my Grandma Bryan's gravesite. Next week will mark the 2nd Anniversary of her passing. We also visited other relative's sites while we were there. My Grandma never got the chance to meet the twins - I got pregnant just two months after she passed. It might seem strange, but I plan to occasionally bring the boys to the site so they can see that they shouldn't be afraid of graveyards. It's a place to remember the ones we love.
That night, Bridget and John invited friends and family to come over for a party for us. It was great being able to see everyone in one place!
From left to right, my cousin April's husband - Geoff, my cousin Derek's wife - Tracee, my cousin Malissa, my cousin Derek.

Our friends Tim and Amy...

Playing in the living room with April...

Here's my cousin April's two boys Jacob and Nathan and my other cousin Derek's girl Payton
We had a picture taken of all the cousins' kids that were there. From left to right, Bryan, Jacob, Payton, Jonathan, Nathan.

A bunch of us just talking...




Here are some pictures of the kids playing in the yard.





At the end of the party, we piled all the boy cousins into the tub for a bath. We won't do that again.

After the party, Matt and I tucked away to visit baby William in the hospital. It brought back so many hospital memories for Matt and I from when the twins were still in the NICU. It's not fun, let's just say that. When we walked in, we could tell that the hospital facilities were top-notch. There was a separate "cube-like" area for each baby there and there were maybe 2 dozen babies. We got to tickle William's little tootsie-toes while we were there. What a delight!
The next day, we packed up the van and drove home with no stops. Yikes! I don't remember much from that trip home other than the relief that the Twins Tour 2008 was over and we'd all be sleeping in our own beds that night. It was an adventure!! Thank you to everyone that made the tour possible and for all the wonderful gifts that you gave us along the way. We love you!

Birthday Party

I just posted pictures of the twins' first b-day party. For some reason, it's posted further down on the page instead of right on top. Thought you all should know!

One Year Pictures

We had pictures taken of the boys and we want to open it up to anyone that would like to view and/or purchase pictures for themselves. You will have to create an account, but it is free. You can view the pictures at the following website:

www.sylverstudio.com The most recent event# is 2807. We also had pictures taken when the boys were about 12 weeks old. This event# is 2704.

William is home!

I have very exciting news to share with you. Do you remember me telling you about our friends from Pittsburgh with a preemie baby in the hospital? I posted their website earlier; here it is again. http://willjohn.wordpress.com
Little William, who was born at 1# 15oz and is now 8# 10+oz, came home today!!! We're so very happy for him and his family. Congratulations!

Lucy Bevevino O'dell

She's here!!!!!! After MUCH anticipation, baby Lucy has arrived. Here's her stats..

Mama, Dada and Baby are doing great! I had used my video camera the first day because I forgot the camera in our luggage, so here are some second day photos. Amy put Lucy in her hospital picture outfit and out came the paparatsi.(spelling??) Isn't she beautiful?

Amy was awesome! She was up and walking around the day of delivery, she looked great, and she hadn't even slept in two days. From what information I have, she had some contractions that were irratic for the entire day before, but they finally got consistent late Friday night and she was admitted to the Hospital. Early Saturday, she started to push and 25 minutes later, Lucy was born. Lucky Duck! Matt, Me, and the boys left early Saturday morning to meet her later that afternoon in Detroit. Here's Amy with Lucy.

Here's Shane with Lucy. Look at her looking at him!

After Amy got Lucy in her picture outfit, everyone was huddled around her to soak in the beauty. I couldn't help but tear up. I captured the moment with a pic.

If you're wondering what the boys were up to while we were all oogling their cousin, they were up to no good. Well, they were just having fun in a place that's not too fun for toddlers. We kept them company by taking them to the cafeteria where they kept Grandma and Grandpa busy picking up toys. Here's Jonathan rearranging some furniture in the room...

I know I have been a bad blogger. Ok, an absent blogger. I have some in process and a lot more pictures. I'm thinking of ways to show you all what there is and updating you without it being to overwhelming for myself. I may take a few days, but it will be done. I'm really sorry and I hope you keep checking back for updates!
By the way, If any of you have Skype or MSN, we are hooked up to that, so if you want to call with video, we can! I think you just have to type in our name.

The Twins Turn One!!!

Bryan and Jonathan turned one on August 19, 2008. I broke down and threw a small party for them the Saturday beforehand on the 16th. I didn't bother sending out invitations because I didn't want anyone to feel obligated to go or to send gifts, so if you're wondering why you didn't get an invite, that's why.
The theme was Sesame Street, although I didn’t decorate the house all that much for the party. I made two cakes, one of Elmo and one of Cookie Monster. Here are some of the pictures from that day.

Jonathan's First Steps!!

Yesterday, August 17th, 2008 Jonathan took his first steps. Both Matt and I were there. I had him while we were practicing in the kitchen and he stood there for a few seconds, then he took two steps and then sat down. We are so very excited!! Congratulations Jonathan!!!
Bryan's been getting very comfortable with walking and he's been walking around the kitchen and living room without any prompting. He has tried to step down from the kitchen to the living room, but that didn't turn out too well. Pictures or video to follow hopefully soon.

FYI - I'm really far behind on my posts, and I apologize. I still need to inform you all about the remainder of the Twins Tour, the weeks afterwards, and their first birthday party that I threw on Saturday the 16th. I'm getting there, I just wanted to spread the great news!