Q1
Mmm, hard to remember much, but the first part of the year was anxious anticipation for our babies to be born. We were prepared for birth any time after the first of the year, but they decided mommy’s belly was quite a warm and cozy place to be with a cold winter in full swing. By mid-February the doctors decided it was time to give those babies an eviction notice, so after a smooth pregnancy, but lengthy labor we finally got to kiss Blake and Leslie for the first time on February 13th. And Krista got the best birthday present ever by bringing them home on the 16th. We can truly say those first few months were a blur- endless diapers, feedings and snuggles. Only one thing can get Texas grandparents (both sets) to make a trip to snow-packed Minnesota and that is new grandbabies!
Q2
More adjustments for our new family of four as Krista returned to work on May 1st- and believe it or not it snowed! Blake and Leslie are in a daycare we love and have been thriving with great teachers and other kids to play with during the weekdays. I think at some point in Q2 we met our health insurance deductible- between delivering two babies and then the routine colds we saw the pediatrician quite a bit. Once it finally warmed up we had a great Saturday morning routine of walking up to the neighborhood bagel shop, where we discovered it becomes a stroller parking lot. We had a lot of fun meeting other families in the area with kids about the same age and we could commiserate over sleepless nights and early mornings over bagels and coffee.
Q3
We welcomed our friends the Lynch family for the Fourth of July holiday. We had a great time introducing them to Blake and Leslie and showing them around Minneapolis. We unsuccessfully attempted to get their preschool son to translate the baby babble during their visit. I suppose its due to the twins making up their own language. However, the girls and twins made it out shopping to the mall, while the boys with Evan made it to Target Field to see the Twins vs. Yankees on the 4th. Drew also got to escape up to Cafe Maude for a Guy's Night Out the day Chris and Evan arrived, and all of the adults made it out of the house for Drew and Krista's first date night since February on the 5th. We did miss seeing and setting off fireworks on the 4th as bedtime is a bit early these days. In August, we welcomed both the Brinly and Hensel families to Minnesota for Blake and Leslie’s baptism. It was Uncle Scott, Aunt Melissa, and Cousin Jacob's first trip to Minnesota and the weather was perfect for their stay. Both sets of grandparents were relieved to see there was no snow on the ground and shocked at how big Blake and Leslie were getting. They also enjoyed feeding them baby food in high chairs and playing.
Q4
Halloween fun included a Fall Festival at the twins daycare where everyone commented on how cute Blake and Leslie were in their baby animal costumes. Blake was a baby elephant and Leslie a mouse. Blake was fully mobile at this time so watching the baby elephant crawl brought a ton of joy to all of the parents and daycare teachers. We also toured neighbors on Halloween night with our peas in a pod, held by the Jolly Green Giant. Again, everyone loved having the twins pay a visit. Blake and Leslie made their first plane trip. We spent Thanksgiving week in Houston with the Brinlys and the Hensels drove down from Dallas. We had so much fun together! And we had a casual party for Houston area friends to meet Blake and Leslie in person. We feel like frozen popsicles already and are making plans to stay active and get out of the house throughout the winter- swim lessons scheduled to start after New Years and a list of indoor kid activities. Boy has our world changed this year! Oh, and not to be forgotten Libby dog seems to be adapting too. She loves dinner time and has discovered she loves being under the highchairs, just in case anyone wants to share. This year has been such a huge blessing for so many reasons. Wonderful time with family, friends, and the birth of our much prayed for children, who have filled so many with love, laughter, and joy this year. We can't wait to see what happens in 2014!
