Lollipops!

I took this picture on our way to pick up Irby from school. We had stopped at the cleaners, which is a very exciting place because they have a dog AND they give you suckers. As you can see, my boys love it! (Griffin-L, Charlie-R)

Halloween and Cow Farm.

Pumpkin Carving Fun! I know the kids are all making strange faces, but how cute are my boys and how handsome is my husband?

Irby drew the design...he wanted it to have a tounge like a lizard.

Thing 1 (Charlie), Yoda, Thing 2(Griffin). Due to Irby's recent obsession with Star Wars, light sabers, and jedi knights (although he hasn't seen the movie), he wanted to be Yoda for Halloween. Yoda is the good guy, I hear.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 got more comments, it was pretty fun. Most were really sweet, but the strangest comment I got was from another lady with twins; she asked which was older. I told her Thing 1, and she was SO appalled that I was disclosing to them which was older. She said she would not tell her kids until they were 18. Am I missing something or is that strange?

Charlie. And that is his real hair. I tried wigs, but have you even tried to get a 2 year old to wear a blue wig?

Charlie in front, Griffin in background. Just trying to show off their hair. I used blue hairspray and it was incredible (and thankfully it did wash out!)

Charlie

Before bath.

Blue bathwater! Yes I let my kids eat suckers in bath. I felt so bad we had to take away about 95% of their candy so I let them eat suckers and Nerds all night.

Yesterday afternoon we went to a dairy farm to see some cows, chickens, pigs and just run around in the country. We have a milk/egg/meat delivery and they open their farm to visitors in the afternoons. It was so amazing bc it was just us and our 2 other families that we went out there with. It was especially fun because I was thinking it might be kind of lame, but the kids and adults absolutely LOVED it. Irby loves the country. He cried when we left and said he wanted to live with the cows in the country. We got to see cows being milked, grazing in the pasture, feed calves their bottles, see 1 day old piglets, and just run run run the the fields. Here is Irby bottle feeding a 2 day old calf!

Don't think I have 1 picture in 2 years of all of them smiling or even looking at the camera for that matter. (Fin-L, Charlie-R--if you can't tell it's Charlie just notice his tell-tale smile/grimace. It's starting to be a trend in pictures).

As if things weren't interesting enough around here...

Irby and I are so excited to say we are expecting #4 in late March/early April. I am about 15 weeks now and feeling so so so much better, almost functioning like a kind-of normal person. Here is a picture of the babe at 13 weeks. I got to have an ultrasound because I freaked out about the chance of it being 2 again, and there was a med student there who had never seen a prenatal ultrasound so my Dr. indulged me. I was so spoiled with Charlie and Griff, I probably had about 20 ultrasounds, and with Irby (and this baby) I will probably only have 2-3, so each one is super exciting!

And here is a picture Irby drew in the church bulletin of our family now. I'm on the left with the baby in my huge belly. Notice the I love Dad at the top.

A hike to Great Falls last weekend. The boys were mesmerized with the Falls. It is pretty amazing that we have such natural beauty so close to the city, and it was a gorgeous fall day, high around 70 and sunny. LOVE FALL! Griff is in the green.

Irby and Griff carried this huge stick for about a mile. They were determined to take it home, thanks to big Irbs' brilliant idea to make it a bridge for squirrels who wanted to cross a creek so we didn't have a meltdown when we got to the car.

Charlie and Griffin also have nicknames for each other and it is too cute to hear them call each other "Char-chee" and "Fin." The most common saying around our house is "Mon Bin" (come on Fin), "Mon Char-chee."

End of Summer and Twins are 2!!

We had such a fast and fun summer. Here are a few pictures from the end of it...welcome FALL! It has felt so amazing here the past few weeks. I don't know what we are going to do when winter comes! We've been so spoiled.

Griff the plumber (a friend sent me this picture). That just about sums it up. I consider myself doing pretty well if all my kids are fed and have clothes on. I count this as clothed, by the way.

Maroon Bells at Snowmass. One of our favorite places in CO and in the world really. We got to go on our usual August trip with my family and it was just as gorgeous and wonderful as always.

Charlie (L), Irby, Griff (R).

First Soccer 'practice.' Saturdays mornings, they just do drills kicking the ball around cones. Irby seems to like it, and we like it bc it is super laid back and fun for the kids.

I guess they've outgrown tandem in the babyswings. That was one of my favorite twin things they did as babies. Along with sharing a bouncy seat, sharing a crib, sharing a moses basket. They are 2 close boys who love each other so very much!

Off to the park.

Big birthday present! Scooters. I sure hope they learn how to semi-ride them soon. Right now it takes us about 20 minutes to get to the park which is .1 miles away from our house. No kidding.

This is how the mostly ride them now. We're working on the one foot down and push!

Sweet Griff on Sept 27, a big morning!

Charlie the ham waking up on the big 2nd birthday!

Birthday cupcakes on a cold-ish day at Yards Park, our favorite spot by the river.

Apple picking.

And we found a pumpkin!

This weekend we went to Raleigh to see my sister, Kirsten, and Aunt Anne, "Oma," while Irby and little Irbs were in AL for business(big Irby) and fun(little Irbs-fair, festival, football, ahnie, papa, aunts, uncles, fruit loops....he's not going to want to come back....ever!)

Sitting on the 'bobby.' A new favorite activity. They have each used the 'bobby' one time quite by accident for both of them. Here's to hoping they pick it up soon!

4th of July Fun

Daddy the 'camp director' had a fun filled weekend for us to celebrate the 4th! Friday night we went to Yards park for sprinkler playing, live music and a picnic. Every once in a while you find something in DC that isn't advertised to tourists, and it is so relaxing to be able to enjoy a little bit of DC with no crowds. This park has water sprayers and huge grassy lawns overlooking the river. Friday nights they have live music and no one is there!

Irby LOVES the water.

The littles devising a plan to run through the fountains (eventually they did!)

Charlie hitching a ride.

Rolling (wrestling) in the grass.

Saturday we went to the beach about 45 minutes away from us, Chesapeake Beach. We went in the evening 4-8, and it was such a gift to not worry about sunscreen or heat.

Sunday hike in Rock Creek Park.

Monday: Parade and fireworks (for those of you who know how little Irby reacts to fireworks, you will understand there were no extra hands to take pictures. Everything was fine for the big show by the monuments, then passing through our park on the way home, the close up fireworks were a little to real, loud, close...we had a great 4th though. Irby smoked some boston butts and we had some friends over...but we sure missed being with family!)

Grandcamp

While Irby and I were with his family in Italy 2 weeks ago, the boys went to my parents house to play, and had a GREAT time.

Willie and his bride Sylvia, and the Thompson clan.

Irby and me at the reception (a beautiful villa on a hill where Galileo wrote letters!)

Charlie (above), Griffin (below).

C&G.

On our way to Asheville we stopped at a little restaurant on the Blue Ridge Pkwy (Mt Pisgah Inn). It was fun, beautiful and I was even able to sort out something the babies could eat besides saltines! (Usually they get a half smashed soy-butter and jelly or tofutti sandwich and fruit, and they are starting to have major opinions about not getting to eat all the yummy stuff everyone else at the table is eating...)

Now the rest of these are out of order.

Blueberry picking last week with friends.

Ice cream to celebrate Tigey's birthday (stuffed animal) with cousins Stephen and Sam in Asheville.

Griff had enough of us in the car!

Charlie digging in. (found another place they can eat out! New cupcake place has a vegan cupcake - no eggs/milk!).

Griffin above at Yard's Park (sprinkler park by the river and Nat's Stadium).

Strawberry Picking below!


Addis and Irby picked no strawberries, just played in a huge puddle the whole time.

Griffin especially loved the strawberries.