You Should See The Other Guy

The original title of my post was going to be something about the NICU reunion this weekend, but Tony has been quoting this line ("you should see the other guy") all weekend because Jack has his first black eye.

Saturday morning we were getting ready to go on a family walk, and Abby was super excited and running around. When Jack walked down the hall, he didn't anticipate Abby spinning, and when Abby started to spin, she didn't anticipate Jack would walk up behind her- it was a recipe for disaster that left both Abby and Jack laid out on the floor. Jack cried, but he was a trooper and all was forgiven in time for our walk.  Here are some shots of the initial eye, and his eye a day later- yipes!

Aside from the injury, we had a pretty busy weekend. Our gym moved locations and had their grand opening this weekend. Tony spent Friday night helping the owners move things and get ready for the big day, and the whole family went out Saturday morning to support them. We had a great time; the kids really liked the new kids' room (where they'll be spending some time here soon), and they enjoyed getting to run around the gym (under adult supervision) and eat some burgers, sweet potatoes, and cake.  When we got home, they took a good nap- they were pooped!

Sunday we went to the NICU reunion party. I can't believe that it's been a year since the kids "graduated" from the NICU. For the most part, it feels like those days were a lifetime ago; it almost feels like it happened in a dream, to different kids- something I imagined, but didn't live. Then, there are those moments when a noise or a smell gives me sudden chills- I hear a beep that sounded like one of Harper's monitors, or get a whiff of the soap they used in the NICU, and I get sucked in quickly. It's a panic really- not moments I want to relive or sit and ponder, just times I need to snap myself back to reality and thank God that are children are doing so well.

Speaking of children who are doing well, if you read some of the blogs that I posted when we were in the NICU, you might remember the kids had a "Pod Mate"- baby Finley- that we "befriended". We spoke with his parents occasionally, and the kids gave Finley a Valentine's Day card. I remember asking for prayers for him because he wasn't doing well, and I often think about him and wonder how he is doing. Well, we had been at the NICU reunion not more than 10 minutes today when a woman approached us and said that she remembered us- she was baby Finley's mom and was followed closely behind by his dad and a very cute, sleeping baby Finley. We spoke to them for a few moments and found out that he went home about a month after Harper, is doing well, and his crawling and pulling up. It was such a blessing to know that he is "okay". 

In other reunion news, we saw our favorite nurses, rode the rented train, had a sno-cone, and took our picture for  a picture button.  The whole thing was fun, and it was nice to be back at the hospital for something fun. Here are some pictures of the kiddos from the NICU reunion last year- they have grown so much...

The rest of the weekend, we just hung out. I had fun taking some pictures of the kids and their antics. Harper and Jack have discovered the window sills are a great place to sit and rest. Jack has also learned how to climb into chairs, and into the wagon. We've also been putting Harper in more dresses because the weather here is so nice, and she's learning how to maneuver so she doesn't get her skirt caught in everything. 

Jack and Harper both did many things that made us smile this weekend, but here are two things that I want to remember:

-At dinner Thursday night (for Tony's birthday- happy birthday, Tone), Jack ate the lemon slice from my water like he was eating a slice of an apple. He made a sour face once when he got a mouthful of lemon juice, but other than that, he was smiling. 

-After dinner Thursday night when we got home and were rounding up kids to put on pajamas, I found Harper playing by the diaper bag. She was pretending to squeezing the hand sanitizer we keep on the outside of the bag (lid was on- she didn't get any), then she was doing her hands in a wringing motion like she was rubbing the sanitizer in. She did this a few times and then grinned- so proud of herself.

The icing on the cake this weekend, though, has to be the trip to Costco. We didn't get anything important, but we like Costco because they have double carts and the kids can sit next to each other. While we were walking through the store tonight, Harper started patting Jack on the head. He returned the pat by putting his arm around her. She put her head on his shoulder. He gave her a sloppy, slobbery, open-mouth kiss on the side of her face. She laughed. He smiled. It was wonderful. Tony and I beamed. I love that they love each other, and I feel blessed to be able to witness their twin relationship. 

That's all for tonight- have a good week!

Easter Weekend Part 2

As promised, here are the Easter weekend "official" pictures that include the visit from the Easter bunny, church clothes pictures, and our Easter egg hunt.

We spent the weekend at Nana and Pop's house, so we were with the Simpsons and Sandbergs. The kids had a great time running all over the place, trying new things, and following their cousins around. Sloane and Wyatt were great with Harper and Jack- it's so neat to see the four of them interact. I hope that my sister's kids are as tolerable of my little ones as they get older.

The first thing on our agenda was an early morning visit from the Easter bunny. Harper and Jack weren't too sure what to think about their Easter baskets, but they were quick to check out their loot when I started to unpack their baskets. Jack was pretty excited about his new book, and Harper was thrilled with the Curious George doll.

After breakfast, we got dressed and headed to church. Tony and I checked the kiddos into the nursery and went in to enjoy the Easter service and all was well until the last 10 minutes of the service. An usher came over and told Tony and I were needed in the nursery; we arrived to find Harper in full meltdown mode- she was crying so hard she was gasping for air. We then spent the next 25 minutes trying to calm her down while we waited for the service to end and the Sunday morning socializing to be done so we could head home. Harper, apparently, does not do well when we try to skip her nap and leave her alone in a strange place- lesson learned.

Lucky for us, the kids both took a good nap at Mom and Dad's and woke up ready for family pictures and lunch:

After lunch, we all gathered outside for an Easter egg hunt. I loved hunting Easter eggs with my sister and my brother in my Granny and Paw-Paw's backyard; the eggs were always filled with candy or loose change, and there seemed to be so many eggs!  As an adult, this hunt has changed a little bit: my sister and I were charged with hiding eggs and watching our kiddos search the backyard. I was so proud of Jack and Harper because, despite being at a huge deficit, both of the kids found an egg. They were legit finds too- Kerry's kids took off to the back of the yard, and my little ones made a beeline for the lowest and closest eggs they could find :)

After the egg hunt, we spent the rest of the afternoon playing whiffle ball, chatting, watching babies and kids run through the house, eating angel food cake and banana pudding, and enjoying our time together.

I sat in my parents' kitchen trying to remember last Easter, and thinking that we are so blessed and so lucky to have come so far. Here's a shot from last year to help you remember what Harper and Jack looked like then. Enjoy!