Another dam trip

Summer is about vacations and it seems like there are a lot of them going on around our house lately.

We've been to Silver Dollar City and Branson. Nick spent time in St. Louis. Amanda went to Milwaukee. Now Nick and Amanda are visiting their grandparents in South Dakota. Callie and I took Nick and the twinfants to the Lake of the Ozarks.

In a move that surprised me last week, we had Sara and Kristeena in town from Milwaukee and Callie took the whole lot them, including Tyler and Lindsay for an overnight to Lake of the Ozarks. As the trip was midweek, I stayed behind to work, but from the looks of the pictures it was a good time.


(Applying sunscreen can be a hair-raising experience!)

I got a call from them on the way down and had to look up some driving directions, but they found the campsite and set up the trailer before heading to the lake for a swim. The following day was spent having a blast at Bagnell Dam. I can't say I would have like to spend the night in the trailer with all those kids, but I do like the strip.


(Ella never turns down ice cream.)

So just how big was the crowd? Well, this group shot leaves out Sara and Callie:

(I think the Jimmy Buffet store needs a bigger cut-out.)

I've got great babies

In case anyone was interested in knowing who has the best babies in the world, it's me. Okay, that may be going a bit too far, but I think I've got two of the better ones that's for sure.

We're fighting ear infections again this week, (ear tubes may be in our future)but these babies are still about the sweetest things you could ever see.


(Saxon flashes his best grin)

The last year has been an incredibly difficult one filled with many trials and tribulations, but at the end of the day I get to come home to enthusiastic smiles and big hugs from my precious little ones.


(Ella's sensitive skin gets a bit splotchy, but she smiles through it)

As the babies get older, things are getting easier. The twinfants are also becoming regular members of the family and are taking a more active part in more and more of the things we do.

Last weekend we decided to take a spur of the moment trip to Bagnell Dam at Lake of the Ozarks. Tyler was off with his girlfriend and Amanda is still visiting the Milwaukee relatives so it was just Nick, Saxon, Ella, Callie and me.


(Saxon is already a pick-up man)

While they are still too small for bumper boats or go-karts, the babies were big enough to ride the quarter cars in front of the Dogpatch Arcade. Last year, they had to be held because they were still too small to sit up on their own.


(Saxon has his own opinion about Ella's driving skills)

It was a short trip since we didn't leave Marshall until early afternoon. But it was just long enough to unwind and spend a little money. Good times, good times.

They say it's your birthday...

"Saxon Ezekiel was born first, a few minutes after 4 p.m. on Friday, July 18. His sister, Ella Mae followed moments later. Both of them cried and started breathing "room air" right away, although Ella stopped and had to have assistance for the first 12 hours or so. Saxon tipped the scales at 3 pounds 7 ounces and was 16.5 inches long. Ella was the bigger of the two, weighing in at 4 pounds 15 ounces and measuring 18.75 inches long."

That's a quote from my first post in this blog, added to the World Wide Web on July 24, 2008. Here we are one year later and it's time to say:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TWINFANTS!


My life has changed in such profound and indescribable ways. Because I came into parenthood kind of sideways, I had the pleasure of taking a child to their first day of kindergarten and seeing another graduate high school before I knew the joy of holding your baby for the first time.

And now that the twinfants are older and able to show their emotions, there is no feeling on Earth like that compares to the love I see in Ella's face when she looks at me or in Saxon's entire body when he gives me a full-force hug. It's intoxicating.


(Saxon has a go at his personal birthday cake.)

For their special day we loaded up two cars and headed south to see the family in Buckhorn, bringing along the family from Milwaukee as well. It was nice to visit with folks we hadn't seen in a while and to give some of them their first chance to meet Ella and Saxon.


(Ella shows everyone how cake is supposed to be eaten.)

To say that Ella and Saxon made out like Christmas in July would be an understatement and a special thank you goes out to everyone who contributed gifts for the babies. Our house has been a chorus of beeps, whistles, chirps and other assorted noises. The noise can be a bit distracting, but the twinfants are happy as can be.


(Better than the presents, Ella and Saxon spent their birthday surrounded by family.)

Happy Birthday USA!

What a memorable 4th of July weekend! After the van tried to kill itself (okay so it was really just a bad thermostat, but it still ruined my Thursday) we were able to hitch up the new camping trailer and head out for beautiful Branson, Missouri.

With our newly-minted season passes in hand, we made our way to Silver Dollar City and hit a few rides and took in a show. We hadn't been since the 4th of July weekend of 2004, so some things had changed a bit. Of course with SDC, some things never change.


(Bomb-pops are red, white and delicious!)

The twinfants did wonderfully well during the trip down to Branson and were great inside the park. Ella and Saxon have very different personalities though. We saw a percussion show (similar to the Broadway production Stomp) and Saxon didn't like it at first. He jumped around a bit before he finally decided to watch. Ella, of course, was fascinated. How could she not be? The performers were all guys. The show proved to be too much for the sweet chub-a-lub, however, and before it was over she was snoozing in daddy's arms.

After our day at the park we went back to the camper and grilled some delicious steaks for dinner. Then we kicked back and watched "Twister" via cable on our TV. I've got to say this trailer camping sure is different from the tent camping I grew up with.


(Saxon makes sure the root beer float spoon is clean.)

Saturday morning, Amanda and I ditched the slow-crowd and dashed back to SDC. The park was actually about 1/2 a mile from the campground so it didn't take too long to get there. Traveling light we were able to hit most of the roller coasters before we had to leave for lunch at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede.

Once again the twinfants were great. They loved the food and the show held their attention well enough for mommy and daddy to eat some too. We were in the North section, but our team lost the battle that day. Despite losing to the Rebs, we had a really good time.

After the show, we headed back to SDC — with the whole crew this time. With precious little time left before the park closed we hit a ride or two and then made our way to the amphitheater for the Great American Country show. Ella was in heaven. There were signing cowboys, funnel cakes and potato chips. This time, it was Saxon's turn to take a nap.

With the 4th of July drawing to a close, we went back to the camper for a final nights rest. We could hear fireworks, but didn't see them.

On Sunday, Amanda's birthday, we woke up and broke camp. With the trailer in tow, we started for home with a slight detour to Bass Pro Shop. Saxon had a ball in the camping section. He crawled all over trying out out barbecues and camp chairs. Ella was more interested in watching the fishes.

We made good time coming back and got to Marshall around 8 p.m. Which gave us just enough time to unhitch the trailer, stretch out legs, change some diapers and load back into the van. We hit Concordia just before 9 p.m. set up our lawn chairs and hit the Boy Scouts ice cream stand.

We enjoyed a treat of bomb-cicle pops and root beer floats before the Concordia Civic Club set off a 20 minute fireworks display. The babies liked the fireworks, but they REALLY liked the treats.

So what did you do on the 4th?

Rub-a-Dub-Dub

Well, I suppose it was only a matter of time before these pictures were taken. In the old days, I guess, a person had to wait until their first date before these type of pictures saw the light of day. Ah... the Internet.

And without further ado:



Bath time right now is a pretty simple affair. About three inches of water, six to eight inches of bubble foam, some water proof toys and a couple of babies thrown in for good measure.



The twinfants actually like baths in the tub much more than the sink. Here they have room to move around and they can play with their toys. So far we a rubber duck, a plastic ball, a toy snake and a plastic cup. I think some boats may be on the birthday list.



I'm not sure how other parents of babies decide when to have baths. I usually use a washcloth or diaper wipes to clean them, but sometimes -- particularly after a meal with some sort of sauce -- its just a whole lot easier to run a bath and let them play.

Saxon does cute things

In the 11 months or so since he was born, Saxon has posed for approximately 15,000 photos. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but he has been a well-photographed baby.

Culling through all of those photos, I have come to conclusion that he just does really cute stuff.


(Like most guys, he hogs the remote)


(He has a great way of eating cake.)


(He even does cute things in his sleep!)

My sweet Chub-a-lub

Ever since birth, Ella has been the larger of the two babies. Where Saxon is wiry ball of energy, Ella is my snuggly baby. Although she falls into the median range for her age, her status as the "big" baby in our house has earned her the nickname "Chub-a-lub."

I suppose as she gets older, she probably won't care much for it. But these pictures show her for happy cherub she is right now.


(Having a laugh at Tyler's graduation.)


(Savoring the taste of a Cheerio.)


(And my personal favorite: Thinking up new ways to be cute.)