"Romantic" Getaway?

This past weekend, Darren and I went away to a local hotel to spend some time alone. We did it for two reasons: First, we wanted the time away! Second, we were trying to see if the kids could handle being away from us for a long stretch of time (it was just under 48 hours!). We're planning a slightly longer trip to Boston in May for my brother Trent's graduation from college and we're hoping Grandma, Granddad, and the Hoben family will be able to handle the kids while we're away. Our weekend trip went very well, despite the fact that Darren was sick (and had been for over a week) and I got sick on Saturday afternoon. Needless to say, there wasn't a lot of romance going on, but a whole lot of uninterrupted sleep and kid-free relaxation. This is the first time we had been away from Brynlee overnight, and the second time we'd been away from Tevin. All reports indicated that neither kid even mentioned us! I do know my mom and dad were pretty tired after the ordeal! Thanks again Gammy K and Grandpa Gene!

Catching Up!!! Are you ready!?

Whew a lot has happened since our last post back in January. I'm adding four posts today; the oldest events are added first and will appear below the newer events. Enjoy!

The Future's So Bright.....

I got Brynlee a pair of sunglasses a couple of months ago. For the most part, she wears them in the car. Tevin kept asking me where his sunglasses were. Truthfully, his head keeps outgrowing the pairs I have purchased... But I didn't tell him that!! Instead, we took a trip to Target where he picked out his very own Hot Wheels shades. Here, the kids prove their coolness.

Valentine's Day Flash Back

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day this year despite the fact that it was cold and snowy. I was driving the kids around that day and remembered doing the same thing a year earlier, IN THE SNOW, no less! Yes, it snowed on this date last year, and this deja vu prompted me to take a picture of the kids in the big armchair just as I did the year before. So, for your enjoyment, a Valentine's Day Flash Back!

Here, the kids pose wearing their new shirts from Grandma and Granddad in Phoenix. They love their new puppies as well!

Downtown Aquarium

One weekend, I wanted to take the kids so that Darren could have a few unterrupted hours of "kid-free" time. My mom and I were sitting around trying to decide what to do and it came down to the zoo or the aquarium. We asked Tevin whether he'd rather see animals or fishies to which he excitedly replied, "FISHIES!!!" I wasn't sure if he knew we weren't talking about the Pepperidge Farm variety, but I knew he would enjoy the experience regardless. So off we went to the Downtown Aquarium where we saw some pretty amazing sights. Tevin and Brynlee were both out of the stroller within a few minutes of arriving, and they pretty much owned the joint. This is the only picture I was able to capture that wasn't too dark or blurry. We finished our awesome afternoon with a fantastic late lunch at the Aquarium Restaurant courtesy of Gammy K. A very memorable day indeed!

This Little Piggy

I've been wanting to put Brynlee's hair in pigtails since before Christmas, which was right around the time people started saying she has a mullet. You know, Business In Front, Party In The Back? Anyway, I finally found some hair bands that don't slip out of her very fine hair (unless, of course, she's pulling at them, which she is inclined to do after about 20 minutes of wearing them). Here she is modeling her new 'do.

And She's Off!

Brynlee is now walking full speed and is doing it about 99% of the time. Here's some fun video of the progression from the first few steps (and Tevin's pretend first steps) to steady walking around the house in pursuit of a yummy granola bar. This is how she is now... no more crawling! Even outside on the rocks she prefers traversing the terrain on her feet. We're somewhat amazed how quickly this all came about. It was just over a month ago that she wasn't even trying to walk!